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April Issue 2008
Francis Marion University in Florence,
SC, Offers Annual Arts Festival - Apr. 5, 2008
Francis Marion University in Florence, SC, will play host to the 31st annual Art's Alive Festival on Apr. 5, 2008.
The festival will take place from 10am-6pm, rain or shine, and it will be free and open to the public. The event is a celebration of the visual and performing arts for the whole family, with simultaneous performances at several different venues on campus.
This year's featured musical attractions are Jim Quick and Coastline band and The Parris Island Marine Band. These groups will perform on the main outdoor stage at FMU. The festival's lineup of other talented musicians and singers performing throughout the day, include the choral ensemble Vocal Edition, The Woody's band, FMU's Cut Time choir, Fleur de Lis Strings, Florence Men's Choral Society, The Plaids and Peggy Baroody and Friends.
The Greenwood Elementary School chorus will begin the musical lineup with a performance at 10:30am.
Jack London's musical Call of the Wild and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will, performed by the National Players are the featured theatrical presentations for this year's festival.
In addition, artists will be showing and selling their work at the festival. There will be watercolors, oils, acrylics, pottery, woodwork, hand-painted porcelain, stained glass, jewelry, fabric and more.
A number of dance groups will perform, including the South Carolina Dance Theatre, celebrating its 30th year as the region's only ballet company consisting of about 40 dancers from age nine to teenagers. They along with ten other groups will perform in either the McNair Auditorium or the Outdoor Dance Stage. Other groups include the Performing Arts Academy, The Wanda Project, Coker Repertory Dance Company, Phat Pheet of Williams Middle School, the Tri-City Shag Club, Dancin' on Main, Kelley's Fine Arts, Showbiz Studio & Dance Company, School of Dance Arts and Dance for Joy Dance Studio.
Children's events include ventriloquist, comedian Ron Johnson who will engage attendees with his humor, magic and songs. In addition to Johnson's ventriloquism, several other performers will present entertaining programs for youngsters and adults at the Art's Alive Festival. Comedy juggler Jason Huneke and the Florence Little Theatre Schoolhouse Players are among those performers.
For the first time, the festival will host a movie matinee of cartoon and comedy classics. This year there will also be a youth art center where attendees can make rain shakers, animal masks, exotic creature pins and birdhouses. Robert F. Lyon will also give a lecture and woodturning demonstration.
There will be a sidewalk chalk art competition and a recycled reading book sale. Visitors to the festival may bring a picnic lunch, or purchase food from a variety of food vendors sure to suit all tastes.
For further information contact the FMU
Office of Public and Community Affairs at 843/661-1225.
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.