Arts & Entertainment
Arts Council Looks Toward Full Fall
Here is what to expect into autumn courtesy of the Ridgefield Arts Council.
Save the date! Ridgefield's first Cultural Festival will be Saturday, October 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Ballard Park. (The rain date will be Saturday, October 16.)
To kick off National Arts & Humanities month, the festival will feature dancers, singers, musicians, storytellers, comedians and local artists and arts organizations. Performers will perform on the CHIRP stage in Ballard Park and artists and arts organizations will present their work through demonstrations, samples and literature at their booths.
The Ridgefield Cultural Festival aims to bring artists, arts organizations and the public together to create a greater awareness of the arts and to draw a wider, more diverse audience to the community. There will be something for everyone. (Businesses, organizations and individuals interested in participating may contact Alison Greeley, the event chair, at agreeley@ridgefieldartscouncil.org.)
The Arts Council will also promote its '$1 for the Arts' campaign this October. As a recipient of a matching grant for local arts agencies awarded by the state Commission on Culture and Tourism, the Arts Council must match that amount in new funds raised.
The recession has hit everybody, but arts organizations in particular are struggling, so the Council is asking everyone to consider contributing just a dollar for the arts.
Piggy banks painted by local artists will be scattered throughout town at various businesses, stores and restaurants in October, and they will be displayed at the Festival as well. Every dollar collected becomes two dollars to promote the arts in Ridgefield. The one-of-a-kind piggy banks will be available for sale when the Arts Council hosts a Celebrity Bartender evening on Thursday, October 14 from 6-9 p.m. at Toscana.
No need to commit all these upcoming events to memory right away, because the council is unveiling a new and improved website late this summer, with its online arts events calendar still available at www.ridgefieldartscouncil.org. Bookmark the site and find out what's happening in Ridgefield!
The Ridgefield Arts Council is a volunteer, town appointed not-for-profit organization that supports artists and arts organizations in town through its three main events, quarterly meetings with local arts organizations and an invaluable online arts calendar. The Arts Council also supports the arts on Twitter and Facebook.
The Arts Council's monthly meetings are open to the public. Meetings are the first Tuesday of every month in the small conference room at Town Hall at 7:30 p.m.
Alison Greeley chairs the Ridgefield Arts Council.
