An Evening of Art with Lee & Donna Swennes

A Journey Through Christmas Canceled

MECAC regrets to announce

that we have been forced to cancel

this December's production of A Journey Through Christmas.

MECAC will be planning something to do with the upcoming holiday season.

We are kicking around ideas and invite anyone and everyone interested to join us at

our next board meeting,

this Thursday, November 5,

starting at 1:00 PM

in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Some ideas we are considering are:

a Holiday Arts Fair

Wine & Cheese Party and Art Exhibition

an Arts Auction

If you're interested, bring along your thinking cap

and the willingness to "make it work"

and we'll see you at the November 5 Board Meeting!

Open Auditions for "A Journey Through Christmas"

Actors? Singers? This is your chance!!!!!

Open Auditions for Acting and Choir Parts for
A Journey Through Christmas

(children and adults needed!)

on Wednesday, October 21 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM

at the Pine Valley Community Clubhouse
on Old Highway 80 in Pine Valley

Performance will be Saturday, December 12 at 7:00 PM

For questions, contact Dianne Holly at 473-8760

Rehearsal Schedule for A Journey Through Christmas:
(All rehearsals from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM)
Monday, October 26
Thursday, October 29
Friday, November 6
Monday, November 9
Thursday, November 12
Monday, November 16
Thursday, November 19
Monday, November 23
Monday, November 30

Technical Rehearsals (times will vary)
Sunday, December 6, 2:00-6:00 PM (putting up sets, lights, sound)
Monday, December 7, 3:00-6:00 PM (putting up sets, lights, sound)
Tuesday, December 8, 2:00-9:00 PM (finish lights and sound; Tech Rehearsal 6:00 PM)
Wednesday, December 9, 6:00-10:00 (Tech Rehearsal)
Thursday, December 10, 6:00-10:00 (Tech Rehearsal)
Friday, December 11, 6:00-10:00 (Tech Rehearsal)
Saturday, December 12, 6:00-11:00 (Performance; strike sets, lights, sound)

An Evening of Art with Moki Martin

Sacred Rocks Reserve

(Photo by Susanne Barrett)

On Thursday, August 6, the MECAC Board of Directors Judith Dupree, Dianne Holly, Tony Nash, Marshall Chapman, and Susanne Barrett held their monthly meeting at Sacred Rocks Reserve in Boulevard. An RV park and campground currently, the owners of Sacred Rocks are planning to shift the reserve to an Artists Colony as the mainstay of their 160-acre property with only 20-some acres developed. Beautiful rock formations, 400-500 year-old oak trees, wildlife, a 100-foot diameter labyrinth, and a salt water pool and hot tub are currently on the property, as well as eight "green" vacation cabins for rental or purchase. Sharon Courmousis, one of the owners, gave us MECAC'ers the "grand tour" of the grounds which are simply incredible, and her vision of an Artists Colony is spectacular and much-needed.

Feel free to contact Sacred Rocks for a day retreat or for a more lengthy stay in gorgeous and inspirational surroundings that will release the artist in YOU!

Keep your eye on the Sacred Rocks blog as well as the website for some exciting artistic opportunities coming up this fall, most of which will be posted to this blog as well.

Third Annual MECAC "A Taste of Art" Summer Program

The Third Annual MECAC Summer Program "A Taste of Art" was a full-on success! Thirty children from ages 6 to 17 enjoyed "tasting" different kinds of artistic expression. Whether the younger kids (ages 6-11) were building, painting, and racing sailboats OR carving and painting plaster OR dribbling paint onto canvases in a tribute to Jackson Pollock OR painting on gessoed Masonite OR creating abstract mobiles, they had a wonderful time.

The older kids (ages 12-17) worked on a mural of Pine Valley, painting smaller canvases that will be assembled into a large piece for the Pine Valley Clubhouse. Arranged and organized by Dianne Holly, the kids painted their assigned canvases according to smaller color-coded cards that will allow the larger mural to be coherent.

Our gratitude is extended to Myrna, Mary, Marshall, Dianne, and all of the amazing and wonderful helpers who pitched in to make MECAC's Third Annual "A Taste of Art" a fun and educational experience for our young people!

MECAC at Pine Valley Day!

MECAC will once again have a booth in the park at Pine Valley Days.

After the parade, come by our booth and check out the results of our Third Annual Taste of Art Summer Kids' Classes from this week.

We'll also be selling items, so come pick up your MECAC T-shirts (designed by Judith Dupree!), plus you won't want to go home without photography, cards, stained glass, jewelry, and other art pieces for sale by Mountain Empire Artists!

You will definitely need a delicious item or two from our Bake Sale and a drink of cold, refreshing fresh-squeezed Limeade!

Bring your kids by to make jewelry with Elizabeth and chat with us about what wonderful plans MECAC has for the future!

We'll have info on and sign-ups for upcoming events with the Pine Valley Players and the MECAC Writers' Workshop, plus some wonderful events this autumn that you won't want to miss!

So come on by and see us at the MECAC booth on Saturday! We're looking forward to seeing you THERE!