Millie Hoekstra
Movie Initiative Brings First-Run Movies back to Rangeley
2014 Walk to Bethlehem
For 37 years, the Rangeley Friends of the Arts have been sponsoring the annual “Walk to Bethlehem” celebration to be held on Sunday, December 7th. This festivity which recreates Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem will begin at the Rangeley Inn at 5:30 p.m. with the reading of Caesar Augustus’ decree that all people must return to the city of their birth. The Walk through the town of Rangeley will be led by Mary and Joseph followed by many carolers.
“The Walk” combines some of the religious aspects of Christmas with a traditional family oriented Christmas program of carols, classical pieces and drama. The program to be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Main Street begins at 6 p.m., will likely instill feelings of peace, hope and love in all who attend.
Some of the participants will include the Rangeley Ringers, Lakeside Dance students, RLRS Chorus, the Rangeley Community Chorus and a few solo numbers. The Pageant features many young people and residents in full costumes. Refreshments will be enjoyed by all in the church undercroft after the program.
“Walk to Bethlehem” annual pageant to be held in Rangeley
Walk to Bethlehem Annual Pageant December 7th
For 37 years, the Rangeley Friends of the Arts have been sponsoring the annual “Walk to Bethlehem” celebration to be held on Sunday, December 7th. This festivity which recreates Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem will begin at the Rangeley Inn at 5:30 p.m. with the reading of Caesar Augustus’ decree that all people must return to the city of their birth. The Walk through the town of Rangeley will be led by Mary and Joseph followed by many carolers.
The Walk combines some of the religious aspects of Christmas with a traditional family oriented Christmas program of carols, classical pieces and drama. The program to be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Main Street begins at 6 p.m., will likely instill feelings of peace, hope and love in all who attend.
Some of the participants will include the Rangeley Ringers, Lakeside Dance students, RLRS Chorus, the Rangeley Community Chorus and a few solo numbers. The Pageant features many young people and residents in full costumes. Refreshments will be enjoyed by all in the church undercroft after the program.
Rangeley Community Chorus Concert on December 3rd at Church of the Good Shepherd
To get yourself into the spirit of the season, come on over to hear the Rangeley Community Chorus as they present their holiday concert, FOLLOW THAT STAR. The concert takes place Wednesday, December 3 at 7 pm at Church of the Good Shepherd and tickets may be purchased at the door for $12.
Included in the program will be a wide range of Christmas and holiday music including both favorites and originals. From the gospel-inspired Follow That Star and the jazzy arrangement of O Come, O Come Emmanuel, to a peaceful original titled The Winter’s Night and the very tongue-in-cheek version of The Twelve Days AFTER Christmas, the spirit of Christmas and Wintertime will be very present.
Aficionados of Handel’s Messiah will be pleased to know the 20-member chorus will be singing both And the Glory of the Lord and the Hallelujah Chorus. Any audience members wishing to sing the Hallelujah Chorus with the group are welcome to join in the fun.
In addition, there will be a few surprises in the way of solos and small group numbers, and a few bad jokes may jump out between songs.
Please join us for a wonderful evening of holiday cheer and great music!
Part-time office administrator position
The Rangeley Friends of the Arts, a growing nonprofit that “Brings the Arts to Life” is accepting resumes for a newly created part-time office administrator position. This position, located in downtown Rangeley, will require approximately 20 hours per week and will report to the Board President.
The Ideal Candidate will
Have accounting and Quick-books experience
Have marketing experience
Be detail oriented
Be self motivated
Have strong written and verbal communications skills
Bachelor’s Degree is a plus.
Send resume to:
RFA Committee
PO Box 961
Rangeley, Maine, 04970
Rangeley Friends of the Arts is proud to announce a special $2,500 donation by Skowhegan Savings Bank
Photo: back L to R. Dawn Field, Rangeley Branch Manager of Skowhegan Savings Bank, Paul Ellis, Treasurer of the RFA, (front) and a typical arts class, one of many that are supported through the student lessons program.
Rangeley Friends of the Arts is proud to announce a special $2,500 donation by Skowhegan Savings Bank to help support our student lessons program. RFA helps underwrite the cost of private lessons in music (voice and instrumental) and dance for children of the Rangeley region. The RFA believes in children as the future artists and arts appreciators of the world. The consistent involvement in the arts by students is directly linked to higher academic scores, improved social maturity, and improved problem solving skills – skills critical to independent living as young adults and beyond. “Thank you” to Skowhegan Savings Bank for partnering with us in this important endeavor in Rangeley.
The Don Roy Band to perform at RFA Lakeside Theater on September 13th
The Don Roy Band will be performing at the RFA Lakeside Theater on September 13th as part of the “Western Maine Music Week”.
Western Maine Music Week announced for September 10 through 17
Skye Theatre director Phill McIntyre has unveiled plans for a self-supporting music week to fill the void of Crossroads Celtic Festival. Ten concerts are scheduled to take place in Oxford and Franklin Counties in Western Maine starting on Wednesday September 10 at Skye Theatre and ending on Wednesday September 17 for the closing and final event at Skye after a ten year run as Maine premier Celtic music venue.
“Artists are coming from far and near, we have had a great amount of interest from venues; artists; and fans after the announcement of the cancellation of Crossroads a few months ago. We were not able to continue with Crossroads at this time but everyone still wants the music and an event to fill the gap. A self-supporting event will take its place with artists from Maine; New England; and Canada”, said McIntyre. “It will be funded 100% from ticket sales and attendance is crucial to its success.”
Shows will take place in Farmington, Rangeley; Phillips; Stratton; Harrison; and Carthage. Artists will include; Coig from Cape Breton; Denny Breau; The Don Roy Band; The Gawler Family; Perpetual e-Motion; Erica Brown & the Bluegrass Connection; and Eric W Johnson from Maine; Nikki Engstrom (Stanley & Grimm) from Cape Cod; and Cassie & Maggie MacDonald from Nova Scotia. Other volunteer artists will perform during the last two shows at Skye Theatre on September 16 and 17.
Over the past ten years McIntyre has worked to bring Celtic music to Maine and NH by presenting concerts in many venues and with non-profit organizations in the region. A fan base has been developed and provides opportunities for local artists and youth to perform with International touring artists. “It has been a great ten years at Skye and I feel it is a fitting end to go out with a bang,” said McIntyre.
Skye Theatre has been sold and plans are moving forward to continue programing in the Farmington and Rumford area. The Fall music week is McIntyre’s way of saying good bye to Skye and opening the next chapter.
Don Roy is the quintessential Downeast fiddler. His music is the aural signature of the Pine Tree State: crisp, straightforward fiddling that manages to synthesize the dynamism of Quèbècois, Acadian, and Cape Breton traditions from Canada with the grit of old-timey Appalachian, bluegrass, western swing and contest filling to the south and the lilt of international Irish music. Don’s musical appetite absorbs it all and filters it through a sensibility that is born and bred in Maine’s French Canadian mill towns. The result is a bold statement of the vitality of the tradition that nurtured Don, and for which he has become the leading 21st century champion.
Tickets ($15) are available at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce, 6 Park Road in Rangeley. The 7 PM show will be held at the RFA Lakeside Theater in downtown Rangeley.
“Goosebumps” concert by Rangeley Community Chorus to be held August 27th
Goosebumps!
August 27th at 7 PM
Church of the Good Shepherd
Have you had that experience when a song just thrills you so much you get goosebumps? This concert will be filled with that kind of song.
Circle of Life from Disney’s The Lion King, Come in From the Firefly Darkness by Amy Feldman Bernon,-Seasons of Love from the musical Rent, It Takes a Village by Joan Szymko, Prayer of the Children Words, and Praise His Holy Name are a few of the numbers that will thrill the audience in the Church of the Good Shepherd on Wednesday evening.
This will be the second of two summer concerts by the twenty-five plus member chorus which includes both year round and seasonal residents of the Rangeley area plus members from Carrabassett Valley and Eustis.
Music from the Lake 2014
Wet but happy concert-goers at the Batchelder party
RAGTIME CONCERT, FIRST OF THE RFA’s SUMMER CONCERT SERIES, SCORES BIG
Those of us who were fortunate enough to attend the Rangeley Friends of the Arts sponsored July 18th concert by Sean Fleming and his Damariscotta-based “Dam Rag Scotta Orchestra” left the RFA Lakeside Theater with, at the very least, a new appreciation for all of the many melodic intricacies and rhythmic varieties of the music genre commonly referred to by the generic term “ragtime.”
Lead by the virtuoso pianist and conductor Fleming, whose keyboard pyrotechnics were nothing short of miraculous, the other nine members of the ensemble also displayed a consistently high level of skill. Their ability to follow Fleming’s lead as he conjured up the range of nuanced approaches needed to evoke the particular feel and flavor of the program’s varied selections was indeed impressive.
From the more familiar and expected selections by Scott Joplin (e.g. “Easy Winners,” “Maple Leaf Rag,” and “The Entertainer” made popular in the movie score for “The Sting”) to Ferdinand Morton’s “Jelly Roll Blues,” to an intriguing and unexpected encore by contemporary Maine composer/arranger/musical-director Aaron Robinson, the concert never disappointed but instead delighted us lucky members of the nearly sold out house.
The variety of rhythmic styles and tempi among the selections held our interest throughout the evening. From the breakneck “Dizzy Fingers” by “Zez”Confrey (a piano tour de force accompanied only by the excellent string bass playing of Chuck McGregor and the flying sticks of drummer Allen Millett) to the slower more lyrical “Sunflower Slow Drag by Joplin and Hayden, Joseph Lamb’s “Sensation” by the whole orchestra, and “Ragtime Nightingale” with Mr. Fleming soloing on the piano, there was never a dull moment.
Sean Fleming’s warmth, charm and wit were in full force as he provided colorful commentary giving background on the composers and their works. His strategically chosen players for this concert were: Michael Albert, who played the first violin melodies with élan; Carolyn McDonald, whose 2nd violin provided the necessary string harmonies with poise; the ever reliable Richard Francis, whose cello added sonorous body to the string section; nimble-fingered Mitch Kihn on clarinet, Linda Brunner on flute and David DeBolt on bassoon whose expert wind playing provided texture and color to the sound; Peter Stuart, whose artful trumpeting added just the right amounts of brightness and bluesy jazziness; the ever-steady and rhythmical Allen Millett, whose drumming was not showy or flashy but kept pace with Mr. Fleming’s conducting with a forceful beat; and, finally, string bass player Chuck McGregor, whose tireless and on pitch plucking was required for every selection on the program.
The buzz in the lobby during intermission and all around town for days following this concert attested to the excellence of this first of the concerts planned by the RFA’s Summer Concert Series Committee. Next up will be “Music from the Lake, Mooselook” at Bald Mountain Camps on July 23rd at 7:45 featuring the Stratton Steel Band. The hugely popular annual classical concert by faculty members of New Jersey’s Westerhoff School of Music will take place at the Church of the Good Shepherd the evening of August 7th. Then on August 21st “Music from the Lake, Rangeley” will feature Down East Brass playing on board Kevin Sinnett’s Oquossoc Lady for private RFA fund-raising parties along the shoreline followed by a concert at Loon Lodge that evening. Finally, another exciting first for our summer concert series will be a concert by 35 members of the Boston Saengerfest Men’s Chorus for two performances at the Church of the Good Shepherd the evening of August 23rd and afternoon of August 24th.
As always, proceeds from the RFA’s summer concerts and other events will be used to support arts programming for the children, youth and adults of our region and the continued development of the RFA’s downtown arts center now housed on Maine Street at the RFA Lakeside Theater. For more information on this series and the many other RFA-sponsored events coming your way this summer, please contact the Rangeley Chamber of Commerce and go to the RFA’s web site: rangeleyarts.org.
(by Dallas Plantation resident, Don Schuman)
