Mayor's Island Review Column

May 2012

EmeraldFest, SwanFest, and Seaside Arts Council  -  Print Schedule!

Under the umbrella of the Seaside Arts Council, Emerald Isle and Swansboro will be presenting two summer concert series this summer.

EmeraldFest will take place at the Western Ocean Regional Access (next to the Islander) on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursday nights of June, July, August, and September. On most Sunday nights, our sister city Swansboro will be having concerts starting May 20 and ending September 16 at Olde Town Square in downtown Swansboro. Both concerts will start at 6:30, so bring your lawn chair and enjoy some great entertainment.

Now I would like to tell you about the Seaside Arts Council. The Council was formed 3 years ago to bring cultural events to the Eastern end of Onslow County and the Western end of Carteret County.  To date most of the focus has been musical presentations. The Council presented 8 indoor concerts during the winter of 2011/2012 and now has 24 outdoor concerts lined up for the summer of 2012. Now that the Council has these performances running smoothly, they want to bring "art" to the Arts Council.

The Council is headed by Co-Chairs Angie Cooper (excellent musician from Swansboro) and by Kathy Kelly (art teacher for 28 years and an Emerald Isle resident). I recently introduced Kathy to several local artists and all showed interest in developing art events/activities in the Emerald Isle/Swansboro area. Many ideas were discussed with emphasis on what the artists in our community want to see happen.  The suggestions included a gallery walk, an arts festival here in EI, art workshops for the public, Adopt an Artist, First Friday, dance exhibitions and lessons, and much more.

If you have an interest in the arts, please contact kathykelly@ec.rr.com about membership in the Seaside Arts Council and help bring your ideas to fruition.  We are fortunate to have many exceptional artists here and we can do great things if we work together to achieve it. Also, check out the Seaside Arts Council web site at http://www.seasideartscouncil.com .