Eguide Magazine August 2016 edition

August 1, 2016 • Issue 8, Volume 4

Strada Caffe:

A Cool, Fresh, Hip, New Joint Worth Finding

Rose City Farmer’s Market: The New iNinja Course: Ideas as Fresh as Produce

Do You Dare to Be a Ninja?

Dagnabbit:

Get Your Good Times On

2 • EGuideMagazine.com

EGuideMagazine.com • 3

August 1, 2016 • Issue 8, Volume 4

Contents 5 Food

» “Strada Caffe: A Cool, Fresh, Hip, New Joint Worth Finding” by Barbara King

6-9 Things to Do

» “Rose City Farmer’s Market: Ideas as Fresh as the Produce” by Johnny Griffith » Movies at Local Theaters Have Fun for The Entire Family: The Classics to ‘Toons » “The iNinja Course at iJump Tyler” Written and Photographed by Barbara King » “Living Through the Eyes of the Camera: The Downtown Tyler Film Festival” » Black Tie Bingo: Downtown Tyler Does it ‘80s Style » Local Farmer’s Markets and other Fun Events including Arts in Action, True Vine Brewing Company “Open Taps Night,” Healthy Cooking Classes, and Pooches on the Patio at Andy’s » “Boot Scootin’ with Vince Gill For A Cause: Cattle Barons’ Gala Benefits the American Cancer Society”

by Gini Rainey » 5K’s, Fun Runs & More » It’s Cool at the Tyler Library

14-17 Music

» “Dagnabbit: Get Your Good Times On!”

by Reid Kerr » Stardom Entertainment Presents Johnny Rogers in “The History of Rock ‘and’ Roll, with a Splash of Purple” at Liberty Hall, downtown Tyler » In Concert: Ink Life Tour, Longview with The Toadies, Joe Ely, The Kruger Brothers, Vince Gill, and More » The Complete Music Gig Guide for Live Music

18 Theatre

» “Twist on Taylor” at the Civic Theatre in Rusk: Opening The Season with a Twist » Upcoming Plays, Musicals, and More

21-22 Art

» Inside the Artist’s Studio: “Randy Martin: Fish and Bats Like Meat and Potatoes” by Derrick White » At the Tyler Museum of Art This Month: “Devotion: The Impact of Amy & Vernon Faulconer on Our Collection,” and “Pieced Together: Collages by Lance Letscher, Mark Lewis & Mary McCleary” » This Month at Gallery Main Street, Downtown Tyler includes Exhibits and Workshops

23 Books

» “Beat the Heat with a Good Book:” Reviews of “The Yellow Crocus” by Laila Ibrahim, “Hush” by Karen Robards, and “Ten Days in a Madhouse” by Nellie Bly by Gini Rainey

“EGuide Magazine” is an event-driven entertainment magazine focusing on ‘things to Publisher Tena Jerger do’ in East Texas. We are pubSales Manager Louie Jerger lished once a month. We are Copy Editor Jill Toft, Gini Rainey distributed free in our unique stands at over 400 locations in Editorial John Baggett, Johnny Griffith, Reid Kerr, Tyler, Lindale, Ben Wheeler, Edom, Chandler, Chapel Hill, Barbara King, Gini Rainey, Derrick White Lake Palestine, Flint, BullDistribution ard, Whitehouse, Rusk, and Mandy Allen, Bruce Hand, Louie Jerger, Jacksonville.

We will list at no charge most events open to Barbara King, Mike Withrow the public. All necessary information should be included such as date, time, ticket cost, description of event, phone number for the public, webWe are looking for freelance writers. If you site address, photos - the more the better. Submit have a love for writing, send samples to: event to:

Staff

Attn: Writers

EGuideMagazine@gmail.com

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If you love to write, e-mail us and let’s talk about opportunities. We are always open to ideas and we have several topics available for assignments.

(903)630-3030 • EGuideMagazine@gmail.com

Food A Cool, Fresh, Hip, New Joint Worth Finding Written & Photographed by Barbara King Looking for a new fresh, funky breakfast place that exudes an urban, modern vibe? Look no further than Strada Caffè, east of downtown, at the corner of Front St. and Fannin St., not far from the heart of everything Tyler.

Open since May, the café incorporates all the elements of a great breakfast and lunch experience: super atmosphere, variety and selection, service with a smile, and fresh, very fresh food. Owners Tavo Tellez and Heather Alderman bring years of experience in the restaurant business to this unique bistro with exotic influences.

“We want our guests to come and stay and have a welcoming experience,” said Tellez. The pastry case up front and center displays the most incredible, always made-from-scratch wonders. The Tarta de Santiago is a prime example of the care that goes into everything you’ll taste at the Caffé. “The Tarta is modeled after a recipe my mother made every day in Mexico,” explained Tellez. “It is the traditional coffee cake in my country, and my mother made it for my family. We tweaked it a bit, and when we had our Grand Opening, she tasted it and said it was even better than when she makes it.” It’s a gluten-free treat that lots of folks enjoy with a latte or espresso.

Breakfast begins at 7am and there are many fresh options to choose from including breakfast croissants with eggs, bacon, cheese, spinach and tomato, breakfast veggie panino, quiche of the day, granola parfait, or oatmeal. Weekends feature the Belgian Waffle Bar, where you can watch your waffle be created just for you right in front of your eyes. Made-from-scratch with authentic Belgium pearl sugar and topped with your choice of berries - these are a no miss.

The caffé furniture and fixtures are a mix of modern and retro, with the original brick walls from the gas station mixed with jazzy art (from local artist Dacia Kidd among others) popping with bright colors and modern themes.

There is a great outdoor patio with long wood tables, “a tribute to a popular rooftop bar in Mexico City that I took

my inspiration from,” said Tellez.

The outside patio features large wooden chairs and tables and a plant wall that invites patrons to enjoy their meals and coffee and linger.

Another great thing about the patio is that it is super family friendly.

The area is completely enclosed by a childproof fence that Tellez describes as “escape-proof.”

Soups and salads are made fresh daily and salads include Mediterranean, caprese, and chicken choices. Sandwiches are served with chips and include chicken salad, veggie panino, ham & turkey panino, grilled cheese, turkey, bacon, avocado, and chicken pesto panino.

Back to the desserts that are all made from scratch inhouse, and include carrot cake, coconut cream pie, tiramisu, strada cookies, cranberry orange bread, banana walnut bread, veggie muffin, bran maple muffin, scones, cinnamon rolls, and affogato (ice cream and espresso).

It might be the coffee that brings you in and makes you stay. The Cuvée coffee featured at the café is roasted in Austin and is unique to Strada. The huge red espresso machine is the focal point of the eatery and hard to miss.

The high-end La Marzocco machine “represents 33% of the entire equipment costs of the venture,” said Tellez. Every month a seasonal specialty blend is also offered. Specialty drinks include the brewed coffee in medium or dark roast, iced coffee, cappuccino, caffe latte, espresso, espresso macchiato, espresso cortado, café au lait, caffe breve, French press, kalita, steamer, red espresso, choco latte and chai latte. Hot teas (jasmine, shotty, English Breakfast, Golden Tip Assam, Apricot, Spring Dragon, Earl Grey, Star Spangled Herbal, Darjeeling) may hit the spot too.

Juices are made with a selection of 100% natural ingredients: Frida (Guava, Pineapple, Orange, and Honey), Tropical Lust (Pineapple, Strawberry, Orange, and Banana), Abundant-C (Papaya, Kiwi, Orange, and Honey), Liquid Gold (Apple, Carrot, Ginger, and Honey), and the American Green (Cucumber, Parsley, Lime, and Pineapple).

You can get a great Smoothie, including Bright Side (Greek Yogurt, Strawberry, and Banana), Athena (Greek Yogurt, Berry mix),

Jack Ryan's Steak & Chophouse

Apollo (Greek Yogurt, Strawberry, and Pecans) and Health Nut (Greek Yogurt, Mamey, Pecan, and Flax Seed). You might want to try a handmade shake, like Launchpad (vanilla bean and espresso), Mocha Shake (chocolate and espresso), or a Good Kind of Fat (Avocado and Vanilla Bean).

Friends Amber McMillan, Keturah Walter, and Bekka Reid were enjoying coffee and quiche in an atmosphere they said was “out of the box and not like a cookie cutter chain.” They said that the caffé reminded them of “being in a big city like Dallas or Austin, especially with the neat elements of the original gas station being kept in the design.”

Co-owner Alderman said that “the dream was to create an environment where people felt like they could come and stay and have first class food and service with a downtown feel.”

The eclectic feel and look of the café lend itself to being in another city or even another country.

Keith and Emilia Mueller of Flint were enjoying the outside patio with their daughter Ema. Originally from Romania, Emilia said that the “ambiance and European style is the closest she has felt to being back at home since she has been in Tyler.”

She is a big espresso fan and was very impressed with the taste and presentation of the coffee. Keith commented on the outside seating and said they have been back a few times because of the unrushed, comfortable atmosphere.

The café also offers an outside drive-through, and Tellez recommends ordering ahead and picking up. He cautions that the food takes a bit longer to prepare because it is made to order and is homemade, so it’s different from the fast-food drive-through experience.

Visit with friends, meet with clients, or bring the family to Strada for great food and conversation.

The Strada Caffè is located at 302 E. Front St. at Fannin St. in Tyler, and is open daily (summer hours) from MondayFriday 7am-4pm, Saturday 8am-8pm, and Sunday from 8am2pm. Call (903)944-7744 for more info or to place a to-go order. Find them on Facebook.com/stradacaffe or www.stradacaffe.com.

Tyler’s Premier Steak and Chop House Located Downtown Tyler on the Square

Open for Lunch Tuesday thru Friday 11am to 2pm Dinner Tuesday thru Thursday 5-9pm, Friday- Saturday 5pm-10pm Jack Ryan’s is now Catering for all Special Occasions!

102 N. College Ave, Tyler, TX 75702 — Call (903)630-7651 for reservations today!

EGuideMagazine.com • 5

To Do

Rose City Farmer’s Market: Ideas as Fresh as the Produce

By Johnny Griffith If you’ve been on the Southwest side of Tyler on a Saturday morning the past few months, you’ve probably noticed a buzz of activity centered around Juls on Old Jacksonville Highway. What you’ve been missing, assuming you didn’t stop, is the Rose City Farmer’s Market (RCFM). Held Saturday mornings from April to November, the RCFM is a place for local farmers, artisans, and shoppers to come together in a grand exchange of produce, conversations, and ideas.

But before you dismiss the gather as “just another farmer’s market,” perhaps consider that you cannot only get fresh produce and locally made artisan foods and crafts, you can also hear live music, play games, and enjoy great conversations over fresh coffee. Rose City Farmer’s Market is something to be experienced, not just another place to buy a fresh tomato.

Juls manager, Jarrod Maness, was excited about the prospect of having a source of fresh ingredients, literally in their front yard. “For our Chefs, it’s a dream come true, being able to have the finest produce in East Texas on site,” Maness says, but the benefits weren’t just visible in the kitchen at Juls. Jarrod also says that both the regular and new faces alike, quickly added Saturday morning excursions to the parking lot into their routines. According to Maness, “The Farmer’s Market created a lot of exciting buzz. Saturday morning trips began a culinary adventure for many of our patrons!

Seeing families walk across the street to fill their shopping lists at the Rose City Farmer’s Market was a beautiful site.”

I recently tracked down Carmen Sosa, founder of the RCFM and director of the Farm & Food Coalition of Tyler, to find out a little more about this unique event that focuses on the “Farm to Fork” movement.

Johnny: How did the idea of the Rose City Farmer’s Market begin?

Carmen: Growing up, we always had a garden in our backyard. My mom loved fresh tomatoes, onions, okra, and strawberries, so those were staples on our table whenever they were in season. As I grew older I sought local farms and farmer’s markets where I could buy my food because of the intense flavors of fresh food and the appreciation for the folks that grew it. After moving back to Tyler about 6 years ago, I visited a local farmer’s market and came home with a tomato that had a sticker from Florida on it. I was furious and couldn’t understand how this could happen. I returned to the market and was essentially told by the manager that there wouldn’t BE a farmer’s market if they didn’t allow people to bring in produce from big city wholesale markets.

Needless to say, I was shocked.

Johnny: Tell me a little more about the Farm & Food Coalition.

Carmen: Preparing to launch a new farmer’s market required a lot of extensive research on local agriculture, existing and failed markets, and laws governing the sale of food at farmer’s markets. During this research I discovered an enormous food-access problem in Tyler.

According to the USDA, Tyler is home to 8 food deserts. A food desert is a community that has little to no access to fresh, nutritious food. UT Tyler had conducted a study of their own which identified sources for fresh food in these areas and the results were dismal. My neighbors in the east, north, and west neighborhoods had absolutely no access to fresh food. The Farm & Food Coalition’s goal, and it has been since this realization, is to improve and provide access to clean, nutritious, locallygrown food and have a permanent location within one of these food deserts, ideally north of Front St. where our market is needed most.

Johnny: What has been the biggest challenge 6 • EGuideMagazine.com

so far in the evolution of the RCFM? Carmen: Finding a permanent home for our market has been our biggest challenge. We have the agriculture, we have the farmers, and we definitely have the customer support. What he haven’t had to this point, is support from city and county leaders, which would allow us to have a permanent facility with infrastructures in place to hold a year-round market, open more than one day a week. It can be discouraging, but we are determined. I have been contacted by numerous business owners and private landowners offering to host us on their property. As a market, we have agreed to not move again until we have all of the necessary components in place, which would include a covered trade space, ample parking, bathroom facilities, on-site storage, electricity, and an easy-to-access location.

Johnny: What were the first couple of years like in regards to getting the word out and sourcing local vendors?

Carmen: The first couple of years were overwhelming. We put ads in the local papers, posted on Facebook and Craig’s List, and pushed hard to get the word out about our market. The response was steady and strong, but I soon realized we needed to have a more thorough application and screening process as we discovered several farmers were supplementing their own produce with items being bought at wholesale markets. We now have a comprehensive application process and conduct on-site farm inspections for each of our agriculture members.

Johnny: What kind of vendors do you try to attract for the market?

Carmen: We adhere to a 75-mile radius for most products sold at the market, and we will expand that radius for items not available in our region. For example, Texas Hill Country Olive Oil, Co. in Dripping Springs is our closest olive orchard, so we invited them to join our community. Since we are a produceronly market, it is imperative the vendor grows, produces, bakes, makes, or nurtures everything they sell. We pride ourselves on the variety and quality of vendors at our market and we strive to have a nice balance of agricultural products, artisanal foods, and non-food items.

Johnny: What kind of response have you gotten in terms of local restaurants and chefs since opening?

Carmen: About two years ago we saw a flush of chefs interested in purchasing local ingredients for their menus. Oftentimes, there is a bit of a learning curve to understand the difference in purchasing from small farms compared to national produce distributors. Chefs don’t always get to plan weeks and months in advance. When a bumper crop of tomatoes turn red, they need to be on the menu that week.

Also, it is important that chefs get to know the farmers personally, to understand their growing practices, harvest and storage methods, and iron out the logistics of delivery. Farmers are usually in the field so they can’t be running all over town during the week to deliver produce. We are thankful for the chefs that attend our market regularly and have made an investment in our farmer members.

Johnny: What are some of the top myths surrounding local farmer’s markets that might keep people away for unfounded reasons?

Carmen: MYTH: It’s more expensive.

FACT: The Farm & Food Coalition conducted extensive research three years ago where an assortment of produce items were priced at Brookshire’s, FRESH, Super 1, and Wal-Mart and compared them to our market prices.

For conventionally grown produce, our price averages were comparable to the grocery store prices. For organic produce, our prices were considerably lower. Something that is oftentimes not factored in when comparison shopping is shelf life. The shelf life of a justpicked vegetable is going to be considerably longer than its factory farmed cousin that was picked weeks ago.

MYTH: It’s a farmers market, so everything is local.

FACT: Sadly, this is far from the truth.

Farming is really hard and often times unpredictable. Sometimes profits are good and other times there are no profits. Buying boxes of wholesale produce and reselling them as a local product is an easy money maker and, very sadly, is not uncommon. It is really difficult to identify this fraud especially if the wholesale tomatoes are mixed in with the homegrown ones. It takes a tremendous amount of diligence, oversight, and communication on the part of a market manager to enforce a “no reselling” rule. The best advice I can give to anyone that wants to support local agriculture and buy local produce is to get to

know the farmers that grow their food. Ask lots of questions and then follow up with even more questions.

Johnny: What’s a typical Saturday morning like at the Rose City Farmer’s Market?

Carmen: RCFM has become a thriving community gathering place. Our market is kid-friendly with kid’s crafts each month, sidewalk chalk, and an oversized checkers game, and it’s also pet friendly with an ice-water station for dogs. There are picnic tables in the shade, and musicians play from 8:30am-12 noon each market. We have a lot of regulars, so it’s not uncommon for large groups to gather, sip coffee, shop, and visit.

Johnny: So let’s assume it’s my first trip the Market. What can I expect?

Carmen: Hopefully you’ll stop by the Welcome Table, and let us know it’s your first visit.

We’ll tell you what’s in season and what is coming soon from our farmers. You can grab an iced coffee and fresh-baked pastry before making the rounds to comparison shop while listening to local musicians under the Music Tent. You can stock up on freshly cut flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, pastured chicken and lamb, grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, wood oven baked breads, (to die for) dark chocolate croissants, pastries made from local produce, allergy-free baked goodies, jam, jelly and preserves, pickles, and salsa. One of our farmers has an apothecary line that includes balms, bath teas, essential oil bug repellant, and other luxurious bath and body items.

If you come on the first Saturday of the month you’ll enjoy meeting local artists selling their wares…paintings, hand-thrown pottery, woodcrafts, fiber arts, handmade soaps and lotions, and many other handcrafts. Bring your yoga mat and enjoy a donations-based yoga practice on the terrace overlooking the lake before you start your shopping!

We hope a first-time customer will take away a feeling of belonging and a sense of being a part of a caring, nurturing, and inclusive community. Welcome!

Rose City Farmer’s Market is open Saturday mornings 8am-12 noon through November. It is located in Juls parking lot at 7212 Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler.

Websites: • www.facebook.com/rosecityfarmersmarket • www.foodcoalition.org

Movie Fun for the Family This summer there is something for all ages at local movie theaters. Join the fun!

Liberty Hall

Classics and family movies are planned this summer. Come out and catch a show in downtown Tyler’s historic theater. Movies scheduled are: • August 4th - “Sixteen Candles” (1984) • August 11th - “The Breakfast Club” (1985) • August 18th - “Pretty in Pink” (1986) • August 25th“Some Kind of Wonderful” (1987) • September 1st - “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) • September 8th - “Anatomy of a Murder” (1959) • September 15th - “Twelve Angry Men” (1957) • September 29th - “Inherit the Wind” (1960) • October 6th - “Psycho” (1960) • October 13th - “The Town that Dreaded Sundown” (1976) • October 20th - “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) • October 28th (Virgin Edition) and 29th (with Live Floor Show) - “Rocky Horror Picture Show” • October 31st - “Halloween” (1978) • November 3rd - “Tombstone” (1993) • November 10th - “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966) • November 17th - “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968) • November 25th - “Blazing Saddles” (1974) • December 1st - “A Christmas Story” (1983) • December 8th - “White Christmas” (1983) • December 15th - “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) • December 17th, 10am - “Frozen” Sing Along Doors open at 6pm and movies start at 7pm, except where noted above. Tickets are available online at www.LibertyTyler.com or at the door for $7.

• November 16th and 20th - “Wizard of Oz” • December 21st and 25th - “Home Alone” “Special Needs Screenings” “Special Needs Screenings” will be shown with the lights up and the sound lowered.

These family friendly movies are free for children with special needs. These start at 11am.

Everyone else (adults, siblings) pays before 12 noon matinee ticket prices. Special Needs screenings run with the lights up and the sound down so the children are free to laugh, play, sing and even dance while they watch.

Seating will be first come, first served. Look for the Chefs for Children logo throughout the menu, and 5% of the proceeds from these items will be donated to our designated nonprofits serving families of children with special needs. The scheduled movie this month is: • August 20th - “Pete’s Dragon” Children’s Summer Series This series offers a budget-friendly entertainment option for families, summer camps, and programs to escape the summer heat to watch $1 screenings of recent, popular, children’s films. Movies are at 11am. Scheduled are: • August 1st-5th - “Kung Fu Panda 2” • August 8th-12th - “Home” • August 15th-19th - “Megamind” • August 22nd-26th - “Over the Hedge” • August 29th-September 2nd - “Shrek” Toons Series Check out popular children’s television and direct-to-DVD titles on the big screen before you can buy them in stores! Each feature is a perfect one-hour-long movie experience for young children. These play monthly.

Tickets are only $3.

• August - “The Little Pet Shop” • September - “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” • October - “Spookley” • November - “Octonauts” • December - “Snowman & Snowdog”

Times Square Cinema

Summer is almost here and Times Square Cinema (TSC) is giving something fun to do with the whole family. TSC will be playing shows most days except Sunday the rest of the summer. Tickets will be $1 and kids combos will be discounted to $3 each. Movies will start at 9:30am and doors are open by 9am.

All movies are rated G. Remaining summer Studio Movie Grill movies are: Studio Movie Grill (SMG) is located at • August 5th-6th and 8th-11th - “Chipmunks 8954 S. Broadway Ave. Tickets are available at Chipwrecked” the door and at www.studiomoviegrill.com.

• August 12th-13th and 15th-18th - “Balto” You can also visit TylerMovies.com. All Special Screenings SMG in Tyler is presenting a special screen- showings rated G. Times Square Cinema is located at 5201 S Broadway Ave., Tyler. ings. These begin at 7:30pm.

• August 22nd - “Stand By Me” Carmike Cinema “Date Night” The Carmike Cinemas Summer Kids Series The “Date Night” series is held the first for Tyler continues a few more weeks. Every Wednesday of the month. Tickets are $3.

Tuesday and Thursday till August 11th, doors Enjoy SMG’s 2 for $25 combo menu and pair open at 9am and movies start at 10am. There it with a bottle of Betty’s Blend. The movie is a $1 admission fee to each Summer Kid’s starts at 7:30pm. August’s movie is: Movie and $3 Summer Kids Drink and Pop• August 3rd - “The Fifth Element” corn. Movies are: • August 2nd and 4th - “Penguins of “Girls Night Out” Madagascar” “Girls Night Out” is held the second • August 9th and 11th - “Alvin and the ChipWednesday monthly. Tickets are $3 for all munks - Road Chip” shows. These start at 7:30pm. The scheduled Carmike Cinema is located at 7415 S. movies are: Broadway, Tyler, (903)939-8258.

• August 10th - “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” • September 14th - “Sex and the City” • October 12th “Dirty Dancing” • November 9th“Fried Green Tomatoes” • December 14th - “White Christmas” “Family Rewind Series” “Retro Family Rewind Series” will be shown the third Wednesday and Sunday of the month. Enjoy this time to remember the past with these classic favorites. You’re never too old to feel like a kid again! Wednesday screenings are at 7pm and Sundays are at 2pm. The scheduled movies are: • August 17th and 21st - “Jumanji” • September 21st and 25th - “Field of Dreams” • October 19th and 23rd - “E.T.”

For over three decades, the Bazan family has been bringing quality baked goods to the people of East Texas.

Our specialties include beautiful cakes, cream pies, French pastries, homemade breads, and extravagant wedding cakes.

ing r u t a e f w o n Our cafe serves an extensive lunch menu of delicious sandwiches, salads, soups, and a variety of quiche and crepe dishes.

For the sweet tooth we have cookies, muffins, danishes, and a complete coffee bar. We also offer party trays and custom cakes for all occasions.

Chez Bazan 5930 Old Bullard Tyler, TX 75703 903-561-9644 www.chezbazan.com

K E E P I N G E A ST T E X A S S W E E T !

MUSIC: Catfish Steaks Every Tuesday: Darrin Morris 6:30-9:30 Shrimp Chicken Every Thursday: Levi Kitchens 7-10 Crawfish Sausage Every Friday Boom Boom Room Karaoke 7-11 Oysters Boudin Live Music Crab Tamales Every Saturdays Lobster Burgers August 6th: Stray Dog Alligator PoBoys and the Blue Healers Gumbo Beer August 13th: Darrin Morris Etouffée Wine August 20th: Bob O and the Mojo August 27th: Dale Riley

Have you seen our awesome NEW website?

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www.circlemcrawfish.com EGuideMagazine.com • 7

The iNinja Course at iJump Tyler

By Barbara King

8 • EGuideMagazine.com

The place is literally jumping with folks determined to let loose their inner ninja warriors. iJump Tyler has opened its ninja course, and people are determined to test their balance, strength, coordination, and fear factor. “American Ninja Warrior,” the TV show, may have been the inspiration, but East Texans can prove their mettle in Tyler by scaling the walls, swinging from the ropes and overcoming the obstacles.

Local business partners, Jared Guthrie, Cody Ferguson, and Todd Sceroler opened the expansion to their already successful trampoline park in May, and with the additional 11,000 square feet, it’s an adventure that has something for everyone. “The course was designed on three different skill levels,” explained Brionna Polk, manager. The partners hired a specialty design company, EuroBungy, for a unique, custommade course. Originating in Japan, the concept grew in popularity due to the success and exposure of the TV show.

For those who aren’t satisfied watching from the comfort of their sofa, this is the place for you.

The course has three lanes, and guests can choose from easy, moderate, or difficult challenges (or a bit of all three.) The course is very safe with lots of “iCrew” staff stationed all over the apparatus, giving suggestions, and a helping hand if needed. Landing appears to be a breeze, as the area is stacked with soft foam cubes throughout. Staff ensures that only one person is in the foam pit at a time and they let guests know when to enter an obstacle.

Don’t think it will be easy. The cargo net jump looks doable, but then it’s on to the spider wall, where guests leap off a trampoline to start and then suspend themselves spider-like between two walls. The tilting ladders make balance and upper body strength a prerequisite while you concentrate on what’s ahead.

“The course is designed to be a challenge,” explained Polk. “We have had cross country teams come in who rave about what a workout they get doing the course.”

Thomas Bunch, age 13, visiting with his family from Bridge City, Texas was a first-time ninja and said, “it was a lot of fun, but challenging at the same time. It takes a lot of balance, strength, and integrity and also a lot of water!”

There’s even a scaled down “baby ninja” course, designed for those under six who just crave to keep up with their older siblings. All of the baby ninja apparatus is firmly bolted to the ground and made out of padded foam, so parents can rest easy while the kids have fun.

Parents can also climb up to the visitors’ observation deck to cheer on their aspiring ninjas.

Elisa Perez was on an outing with her two kids, and while her 4-year-old daughter fearlessly jumped into the foam, mom was contemplating her own adventure on the ropes. “We heard about it through a friend,” Eliza said.

“I’m going to take it slow and see what I can do, but I want to be a part of it with my kids.”

The only requirement to attempt the course is “participants have to be 4 feet in height,” said Polk. “No extra equipment is needed, but all ninjas are prompted to remove their shoes, because as a sign states, ‘No shoes, ninjas don’t need them!’”

Margaret Poepsel, from Tyler, visiting with her out of town teenage nieces, was cheered on as she made it across the table-top balance beam, making it in quick time to the other side. “The girls are having a great time, and it gives us a sense of accomplishment that we’ve made it,” she said.

“People seem to like the challenge and leave with a great feeling of satisfaction, factored in with great exercise and feeling like they have exerted themselves,” explained Polk. The course combines elements of running, jumping, swinging, vaulting, climbing, and balance. iJump Tyler and iNinja are open during the summer, Monday-Thursday from 12 noon-9pm, Friday 12 noon to 10pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, and Sundays from 1-6pm. For bookings and more information, call (903)6307090 and find them online at ijumptyler.com, or on Facebook at ijumptyler.

Visitors are encouraged to go online and complete a waiver so when you arrive it’s a quick process to get you on the course. iJump Tyler is located at 2029 Capital Drive, off of Old Jacksonville Hwy., in Tyler.

Living Through the Eyes of the Camera:

Events

August 19th (7-10pm) - Arts in Action - This event will feature an art show, live music, raffle, and wine, plus, 70% of your $10 admission goes to benefit a new local organization, Pineywoods Voice! Pineywoods Voice strives to educate, advocate, and support LGBT persons and their allies. They’re working on raising money for their nonprofit filing fee and if you bring a bottle of wine to share, you will receive a free class pass to Fly & Love Yoga Lounge.

The Downtown There will also be several raffle items at this Tyler Film Festival event including: Couples Ballroom Dance (DTFF) takes place Session with Mar’Cordric D. Collins, Cynthia’s September 21st-24th.

A celebration of storytelling through film, Massage bath basket, Cynthia’s Massage massage, Hair Force 2.0 hair package, Polidicks DTFF has grown to be an international film festival comprised of short films from around special cartoon drawn just for this event, The the world. Representatives from eight different Expression Exchange caricature 3 hour party pack, and Painting by Taylor Varnell. This will countries have been accepted into past festivals, including England, Spain and Iran. The be held at the Fly & Love Yoga Lounge, 17968 festival also seeks to grow local independent FM 2493, Tyler. More info is at www.facebook. filmmaking and encourages East Texas filmcom/flyandloveyoga. makers to submit their work.

“We want to continue to plant the seeds of Every Tuesday - “Keep It Local Tuesdays” creativity in our community,” said Tara Holly Jones, 2016 DTFF director. “The festival is growing and so are opportunities for local filmmakers.”

DTFF is a short film festival and entries must be 15 minutes or less to qualify. Films can be narrative or documentary, of any genre, but must have been completed after January 1st, 2015 and should be suitable for a general audience. The top short films from each night will be re-shown in the “Best of the Fest” screening on Saturday night. Contest winners will be announced and will receive cash prizes.

The Festival will be held at Liberty Hall, 103 E. Erwin St. Tickets are available for purchase at www.TylerFilmFest.com or at Gallery Main Street, 110 W. Erwin St. downtown Tyler. Also, tickets are available for purchase at the Liberty Hall box office on the nights of the event.

More information is available at www.

TylerFilmFest.com or by following TylerFilmFest on Facebook and Twitter. Any inquiries should be made to the Main Street Department at (903)593-6905.

In conjunction for the DTFF, the City of Tyler will show short films from last year’s festival on Tyler TV 3.

“We are excited to share these past entries with the public,” said Ms. Jones. “We hope that this will encourage more filmmakers, especially those local to East Texas, to submit their work. We encourage viewers to tune in often and catch them all.”

A Main Street project, the Downtown Tyler Film Festival is an important part of the Tyler 1st plan to revitalize downtown Tyler while increasing economic development through tourism and the filmmaking industry.

The Downtown Tyler Film Festival

supports local restaurants by meeting and eating at a different locally-owned restaurant every Tuesday evening, usually around 7pm. Check their Facebook page for where they are meeting each week at www.facebook.com/KeepItLocalTuesdays. Everyone is encouraged to attend!

Last Saturday of each Month - True Vine Brewing Company in Tyler is hosting “Open Taps Night” - Visit their beer factory 5-8pm where they feature their current ales, as well as their limited and experimental ales, plus local music and food. “Open Taps” is exclusively an outdoor event. In the case of ugly weather, this event will be canceled. Please stay tuned to their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for details, as well as cancellation notices, if needed.

Paid adult admission gets you in the door and two beer tickets for True Vine’s current offerings.

Additional beer tickets will be available for sale.

The first 200 adult guests will receive a True Vine beer glass. This is a family friendly, pet friendly, outdoor event. Tickets are $10 in advance and available for purchase until 24 hours in advance of the event. At the door, tickets are $15. Entry

for non-drinker adults and kiddos 12 years and over is a $4 cover in advance or $5 at the door. A portion of all proceeds will go to a different local non-profit each month. For more info, truevinebrewing.com.

Cooking Heart to Heart Cooking Classes - The Louis & Peaches Owen Heart Hospital (LPOHH) is teaming up with FRESH by Brookshire’s to bring heart healthy cooking classes to our community. Cooking Heart to Heart classes will be taught by Trinity Mother Frances executive chef, Joseph Kramer & LPOHH Registered Dietitian, Lauren Clark. On the first Thursday of every month, classes will be offered in the lobby of the LPOHH at 10am. Classes will also be taught at FRESH on the third Thursday of every month at 6pm. Classes are free. For more info go to www.tmfhc.org.

August 9th (6-8pm) - Pooches on the Patio This month’s Pooches on the Patio will be held at Andy’s Frozen Custard, 6106 S. Broadway, Tyler. Hosted by SPCA of East Texas, everyone and their four-legged friends is invited.

Black Tie Bingo:

Downtown Tyler Does it ‘80’s Style Get ready for a Totally Awesome trip back to the 1980’s!

Heart of Tyler is stoked to invite you Dudes and Dudettes to the “Totally Awesome ‘80’s Black Tie Bingo” Saturday, August 13th, 6:30-10:30pm.

This will be held at the KLTV Building, 200 N. Broadway in downtown Tyler. Parking is at Regions Bank/Chamber of Commerce lot at Broadway and Locust St. Black Tie Bingo will feature hors d’oeuvres, special games, a totally boss silent auction and four bodacious “high stakes” games of bingo!

You can also dance to the totally tubular tunes of The Tuxedo Cats afterwards.

Tickets are $100 per person and available at www.heartoftyler.com. RSVP by August 5th to DowntownRSVP@tylertexas.com, or call (903)593-6905.

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Boot Scootin’ with Vince Gill For A Cause:

Cattle Barons’ Gala Benefits the American Cancer Society

By Gini Rainey

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For the past 28 years, Tyler has been ‘the place to be’ for one of the best events around these parts. Not only is The Cattle Barons’ Gala a great party, but it also benefits the American Cancer Society’s efforts to find a cure for the second-leading cause of death in America. Because of the efforts of countless volunteers, donors, supporters, and contributors, over 10 million dollars have been raised in the Tyler area through the annual Cattle Barons’ Galas. The funds that are raised by events such as The Cattle Barons’ Gala are used to support programs sponsored by the ACS such as research, education, advocacy, and patient services.

This year’s Gala will take place Saturday, August 20th, at Harvey Convention Center and the grounds of the East Texas State Fair, located at 2000 W. Front Street in Tyler. Beginning at 6pm with the Barons’ Reception, this year’s event promises to be every bit as spectacular and successful as in previous years.

Music at the reception will be provided by Erin Kinsey, a singer-songwriter from Rockwall, Texas, whose band is gearing up for its European debut in London. Having played the Bluebird Café in Nashville when she was only 13, Erin has been described as being “like a locomotive: fueled by her excellent songs and exceptional vocal and musical talent. Mix in her extraordinary commitment to the process of development and… she is unstoppable.”

The Cowboy Dinner begins at 7pm, as does the silent auction, with music being provided by Take2 Band, an amazing 8-piece band from Tyler that plays all genres of music and sound like the original artist who sang them. The live auction begins at 8:30pm in the ballroom.

At 9:30pm, Vince Gill will take the stage.

Gill, no stranger to most folks around here, got his start around his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, performing with local bluegrass groups including the Bluegrass Alliance, Mountain Smoke and Boone Creek with future country star Ricky Skaggs. After moving to Nashville and signing a solo contract with RCA, his first album Turn Me Loose,” proved to a winning debut, earning him the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Male Vocalist Award. When he switched labels and recorded “When I Call Your Name” in 1989, he began to enjoy multi-platinum successes. To date, he holds the notable distinction of being the only person to have won five consecutive Country Music Association Awards for best vocalist. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and has also received 20 Grammy Awards.

Not only is Gill a leading presence in the Country Music world, but he has also been recognized for his community involvement and participation in charity events, which makes him a logical choice for him to be a part of this year’s Cattle Barons’ Gala. Additionally, he has a couple of charity events named in his honor: The annual Vince Gill Celebrity Basketball Game in Nashville, and the Vinny Pro-Celebrity Golf Invitational in Franklin, Tennessee.

Following Vince Gill, Blaine Gray will keep the music going. Born and raised in the Fort Worth area, Gray has been strumming and singing since he was 10 and has the ability to make an audience feel like family, whether playing the largest of dance halls or an intimate private gathering.

This year’s event will be honoring the Jim Denson Family because, like so many of us, they have also lost a loved one, cared for a

friend, or cheered on someone dear who has been happily “branded” a survivor. They would like to encourage everyone to join them, along with the community of business leaders, healthcare professionals, and pioneering citizens, as together they “Two Step to One Cure” in support of the American Cancer Society.

For tickets, go to www.cattlebaronsgala.net. Tickets range from $100-$300 per person.

If you are unable to attend the Gala, you might be interested in the “Wear All White Party,” which is scheduled for Labor Day. To sign up and to make your contribution to this event, visit www.cattlebaronsgala.net.

Donations can be made at the same website.

5K’s, Fun Runs & More

August 27th - Run Like It’s Hot Miracle Mud Run - Looking to have some fun while helping out a great cause? Sign up for the Run It Like It’s Hot Miracle Mud Run! This year’s event will take place at Lear Park. This starts at 7am.

Registration is open at www.runitlikeitshot. org.

October 15th (9am-3pm) - KE Corkscrew 5k Trail Run - Yes, fall is drawing near and that means it is time for the Kiepersol Corkscrew 5K. We want you to run through the vineyard. The beauty of this run is unparalleled in East Texas. With rocky climbs, rolling hills, and lush vineyard in your sights, it will be a beautiful morning. While this is all in fun, we know there are some competitive people out there, so first, second and third place overall will get Kiepersol gift cards. Proceeds from the event go to Mane Mission, a 501(c)3 charity for the betterment of the lives of the mentally challenged - our forever children. This will be held at Keipersol, 3933 FM 344 E., Bullard.

For more info call (903)894-8995.

October 29th - ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/ Walk - One in seven American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.

That’s one in seven fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, partners, and friends. You can be part of saving lives and keeping families together. Take the challenge and join the movement to end prostate cancer by joining Urology Tyler, PA at the ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk - Tyler on Saturday, October 29th, at Faulkner Park, 410 West Cumberland Road, Tyler. The ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk Tyler features a 5K run/walk, 1-mile walk, Kids Superhero Dash for Dad, and virtual Snooze for Dudes program. ZERO is proud to partner with Urology Tyler, PA to end prostate cancer.

Sign up at support.zerocancer.org.

March 4, 2017 - FRESH15 is been announced!

To stay in touch, go to www.facebook.com/ FRESH15k/. Plus, they have a special treat for the first 100 who register get a free tri-blend t-shirt. Be one of the first to sign up and receive this shirt mailed directly to your door.

It’sCome Coolto theat Tyler theLibrary TylerthisLibrary month and

Farmers Markets

Lindale. Fruits, vegetables, artisan wares, and more are featured each week. EveryTo post your Farmer’s Market or “Pick Your thing is home grown, homemade, and hand Own” location, please send to eguidemagacrafted by artisans, ranchers, and growers. see the many exciting events that are planned. zine@gmail.com.

For more info go to www.facebook.com/ The Tyler Library is located at 201 S. College, Lindale-Farmers-Market.

Ongoing Every downtown Tyler. For more info call (903)5937323, www.TylerLibrary.com. Events include: Saturday East Texas State Fair Farmers Market, located (8am-12 noon)at the Fair Grounds, 2112 W. Front St., Tyler, Children Rose City is located under the large pavilion. They are Farmers Market Storytimes open Tuesdays and Saturdays 7am-1pm. will be held at Storytimes will be in Taylor Auditorium.

The East Texas State Fair Farmers Market is • Leeme un Cuento / Read to Me Storytime 7212 Old Jacksourced from 100% local farmers who grow (children 3-6) is on Mondays at 10:30am sonville Hwy., every last bit of food they sell on their own (except August 1st) Tyler, in the Juls Restaurant parking lot. This land. This is a covered/open air market, with • Toddler Time Storytime (children under age is a community celebration of locally grown local grown, fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers.

3) is on Wednesdays at 10:30am (except fruits and vegetables, pastured meats and eggs, There are also crafters, homemade baked August 3rd) cheeses, honey, locally roasted coffee, artisan goods, preserves, and fresh eggs. This farmer’s • Read Aloud Crowd Storytime (children bakers, specialty foods, musicians, and artists. market is located right behind the Rose 3-6 years old) is on Thursdays at 10:30am For more info call (903)484-6120 or go to Garden. (except August 4th) facebook.com/rosecityfarmersmarket.

Tyler Farmers Market is now open. Located Adults Ongoing Every Saturday (8am-1pm) in the parking lot of the Broadway Square • Adult Coloring is held every first and third Lindale Farmers Market will be held at Mall in Tyler, the Tyler Farmers Market is open Monday, 4-5pm. Come enjoy a relaxing and the Picker’s Pavilion, 205 E. North St., Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays 7am-2pm. stress free session of coloring twice a month.

• Origami Classes are held the second and fourth Monday each month, 4-5pm. Come and join the fun in the art of paper folding.

• Every Tuesday - Quilting Classes will he held 10am-1pm. Learn the art of quilting as class participants will complete individual and group quilting projects. Fabric and quilt patterns will be provided. Participants are asked to provide their own sewing machines, if you have them, scissors, and neutral or white thread. For more details and a complete list of supplies, please contact the Library’s information desk. This will be held on the third floor, Internet Center Workroom.

• Mid-Day (12-1pm every Friday) and Evening Meditation (5:30-6:30pm every Tuesday) classes are held weekly. Come learn the practice of Heartfulness Meditation with Gayathri Kambhampati.

• Crochet Classes will be held every Saturday, 11am-12 noon on the 3rd floor Internet Center Workroom. These are free classes. Learn to crochet with Library staff and volunteers.

All materials are provided. All experience levels are welcome.

• Game Trends & Classics is held every Friday, 3-5:30pm. Come join us at the library as we play card, board, and role playing games.

Bring friends or make new ones as we explore both old classics and new and exciting titles.

• Beginner Computer Classes - The Library now offers computer classes for the beginner.

A series of four classes, meeting every Saturday, will cover basic computer knowledge, e-mail basics, job search basics, and how to write a résumé. Registration is required.

• A Veteran’s Movie will be shown every first and third Friday, 1-5pm. Join us for screenings of movies presented especially for our veterans.

• Gentle Yoga - This gentle yoga class will be taught by Meagan Vrba who is certified in yoga, CPR and first aid every Wednesday 5-6pm. The cost is free. You must bring your own yoga mat. Registration is required and a waiver must also be completed before participation. Spaces are limited to 35 per class.

• ClubRead Book Discussions are held the last Tuesday of the month at 10am. The August Selection is “The Train to Crystal City” by Jan Jarboe Russell. This is open to all!

Mineola Farmers Market is open May through July and is located at the Pavilion West of the Depot on Front Street in Mineola. They are open every Saturday 7:30-11am.

Sadler’s Farmer’s Market is now open, located at 101 S. Bonner in Jacksonville.

Come meet the local farmers every Thursday at 5pm. For more info go to www.facebook.com/SadlersMarket.

Gristmill Mercado will be open the ‘First Monday’ weekend on Sundays as a farmer’s market specializing in fresh ‘farm to table’ organic produce and will continue to feature area artists, artisans, and musicians. Gristmill Mercado is located in Ben Wheeler. For more information, visit The Forge Bar and Grill or call (903)833-5970.

HUNDREDS OF EVENTS LISTED EVERY DAY AT

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Music Dagnabbit:

Get Your Good Times On!

By Reid Kerr “He played, Fire on the mountain, run boys run” The fiddle jumps in the musician’s hands as he wades into the crowd while playing the familiar strains of arguably Charlie Daniels’ best known hit.

“The Devil’s in the house of the rising sun!”

To the delight of onlookers, the fiddle player climbs up on the nearest table as he keeps playing while the rest of the band sings.

“Chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough!”

The crowd cheers him on as he balances precariously on the less-than-sturdy-table.

“Granny will your dog bite? No, child, no!”

As the band finishes the song, fiddle player still perched atop the wobbly table, the crowd erupts in applause, simultaneously appreciative of the performance and the fact that the fiddle player didn’t crash into their dinner. That fiddle player is Ryan Pierce, the band is Dagnabbit, and the crowd this time is the Pilots & Sponsors Party at the Great Texas Balloon Race.

Dagnabbit has been helping people satisfy their fix for live music since 2006. Originally started by Pierce, Ricochet bassist Greg Cook, and local drumming mainstay Terry Salyer, the musically-diverse collective has had various members since it’s inception, but the core line-up for the past few years has been Ryan Pierce on vocals/fiddle/ guitar, Chuck Dowden on guitar/vocals, Tim Smith on bass guitars, Johnny Griffith on keyboards/vocals, and Joe Rodriguez on sound. The drummer on this particular night was Marcus Jones, a newcomer to the group with only a couple of shows with the band under his belt.

To describe the Dagnabbit band musically would be a challenge, as they will tackle just about anything, across any genre, in order to entertain at the particular event they’re playing.

They play weddings, fundraisers, private parties, as well as local venues like Leon’s Steakhouse and Saloon in Longview or the Back Porch in Kilgore. If you had to pin them down to a summary description, they’d be a party band that specializes in good times wherever they go. Just as comfortable tackling Charlie Daniels as they are taking on Jason Aldean.

Equally as proficient with such funk classics “Play That Funky Music” as they are with R&B hits “Purple Rain” and “Easy Like Sunday

Morning.” As likely to play Garth Brooks as they are the Rolling Stones or Elton John, Dagnabbit setlists are designed to move with the mood of the crowd and play toward how they respond. Sound engineer Joe Rodriguez says, “The vibe that the guys have on stage is a feeling that anything is possible at any time, so you don’t know what might happen next. It certainly keeps me on my toes at the sound board.”

The ability to be such chameleons on stage is a byproduct of a talented lineup of musicians, each one accomplished and seasoned on their respective instruments from years of playing in local, regional, or national acts. Pierce, 40, who pulls the majority of the typical “front man” duties has played with such National Acts as Neal McCoy and The Oak Ridge Boys.

In addition, he was the house band leader for the Reo Palm Isle, at one point performing with Miranda Lambert early in her career. Ryan started playing music seriously around the age of 18 and studied music in college before starting to play in bands. Bassist Tim Smith started playing at age 11 in church and has played with regional acts such as Mark Cooke, Waylon Pierce, and various other bands. Joe Rodriguez, 47, started playing guitar around 14, mixing audio around the age of 25, and has gigged with several bands and churches in the area. Johnny Griffith, 42, began studying classical piano at the age of 5 and continued into college, performing in churches and by 13 was playing in local restaurants and open jam nights. Chuck Dowden, 54, began guitar at 8 and started playing in bands in his 20’s and has recently taken up steel guitar. Marcus Jones started drumming around the age of 10, having played in churches and bands in the Austin area before moving to East Texas in 2012.

Despite their cumulative experience, or perhaps in large part due to their time in other bands, Dagnabbit has a decidedly casual feel on stage. It’s obvious as one watches the band interact with each other and the crowd, they’re having as much fun, if not more, than the people watching them. While they are one of the more polished bands you’ll find in the area, they embrace the inevitable curve ball and mistake, laughing them off and many times working it into the bit in a way that makes you wonder if it was even planned that way. “It’s pretty obvious if a band isn’t having fun with what they’re doing when on stage, and the crowd responds accordingly,” Pierce says. “If a band has tension, or just views it as another gig, then it’s hard to draw the crowd into what you’re doing. We look at it as getting to hang out with five of your good friends and make music while joking around and making a hundred or so new friends over the course of the night.”

An evening with Dagnabbit also comes with a few audience perks along the way, other than just getting to hear a quality band with a diverse catalog.

It’s common for Pierce to prompt the audience for requests, and equally as likely a person gets invited on stage to help sing or play an instrument. Speaking of instruments, one of the regular bits the band does include is getting a volunteer from the audience to become “the newest member of the Dagnabbit band” while playing a cowbell during the funk portion of the set. There routinely are wigs, dance competitions, crowd sing-a-longs, and a long list of guest artists pulled on stage to showcase their own talents with Dagnabbit acting as a backup band.

Despite the band playing between 30 to 40 shows a year, they insist this is just a side hobby as they each have careers outside of music. “We’re not that type of band, trying to be something bigger than what we are right now,” band patriarch Chuck Dowden explains.

“We don’t need to play somewhere every weekend to make a living, and I think that reduces the stress level quite a bit that comes along with trying to gain exposure for a larger platform. It allows us to relax and just play the gig in front of us at the moment.” Dowden, originally from Henderson, moved to Longview in 1981 and started Dowden Supply Company in 1983, opening a Tyler location in the mid-1990’s.

Pierce started Alpha Construction in Longview in 2001 and Blackwater Oilfield Services in 2014, while Tim Smith owns TS Construction out of Liberty City. Rodriguez has worked for Mundt Music for several years and has done sound engineering for several churches and private events, while Johnny Griffith is Operations/Sales Manager for Tejas Hydraulics in Longview, and newcomer Marcus Jones works for Aramark Services, also out of Longview.

Dagnabbit has been steadily gaining fans and gigs for the past several years as new opportunities present themselves, but according to keyboardist, Johnny Griffith, their biggest fans, as well as toughest critics, continue to be their families. “Everyone in the band has a family, and we wouldn’t be on stage without

their support. Family is the most important thing to each of us, but we have been blessed with spouses who understand how important the music is to us also. Somehow they still continue to come out to our shows, even after hearing the same material hundreds of times.”

Each member of Dagnabbit is a father and will routinely bring the kids out to family-friendly events, adding to the intimate atmosphere the band has fostered to this point. Griffith says they are perfectly content to play gigs within an hour or so of Longview so that “everyone can sleep in their own bed at night.”

Indeed, a night with the Dagnabbit band is more like a night out with a bunch of your buddies, watching them joke, antagonize, and marvel at each other on stage over the course of the evening. As the night progressed at the Great Texas Balloon Race, at one point Pierce steps up and sings the phrase, “Come on, come on, get your good times on!” while motioning the typically subdued Smith toward a mic.

Smith simply grins and declines the invitation, yet once the mic is safely away from him smiles, yelling out, “All I’m saying is a 20 is a 20, player!” - the band laughing as if some inside joke has just been shared between them, and they know the best time to be had that night, was happening on stage.

(In case you are wondering, “20 is a 20” vaguely references a saying that implies “there isn’t much I won’t do for a 20 bill” referring to you’d have to pay for Tim to talk on the mic.)

Dagnabbit can be found at www.facebook. com/dagnabbit.yall. Upcoming Shows: • September 9th @ Leon’s Steakhouse, Longview, 8:30pm • September 10th @ Leon’s Steakhouse, Longview, 8:30pm • September 17th @ The Back Porch, Kilgore, 8pm • October 8th @ Get Rowdy Get Loud, Hallsville ISD Education Foundation Fundraiser, Hallsville • October 15th @ Dawg Fest Motorcycle Rally, C.A.S.A. benefit, Mt. Pleasant • October 21st @ Leon’s Steakhouse, Longview, 8:30pm

Tyler Rose Garden Center Next Door to Harvey Convention Center $ 10 PER DAY 420 Rose Park Dr., Tyler

CHILDREN UNDER 13 W/ PARENT FREE Open to the public Table Booth Space Available

August 26, 27, 28, 2016 Friday: 12:00 - 6:00pm Saturday: 9:00am-6:00pm Sunday: 9:00am-4:00pm

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Contact 903-253-7546 or ericj11111@gmail.com

Stardom Entertainment Presents

Johnny Rogers, The History of Rock ‘and’ Roll,Stardom withEntertaina Splash of Purple

ment presents Johnny Rogers, “Buddy & Beyond, The History of Rock’n’ Roll with Splash of Purple” on Sunday, August 14th, Liberty Hall, 103 W. Erwin in Downtown Tyler.

Johnny will pay tribute to many artists such as Buddy Holly, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ricky Nelson, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, with a special tribute to Prince.

Johnny will be backed by the Randy Stockum’s Spinout Band.

Johnny is the most versatile performer in America today. He has played before four US Presidents and voted “Best of Show” two years in a row in Branson Missouri. He will be inducted into Iowa Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame September 2016. He was voted “Most Versatile Artist” in Nashville as well.

Johnny performs all over the United States and Europe, and many fellow musicians consider him a musical genius.

He can pull off guitar licks that would make Jimi Hendrix and Prince proud.

People who have attended his shows return time and time again to capture his infectious spirit, freewheeling excitement, and thrilling sounds of a singular moment with his extraordinary talent in his creative prime for a show that will raise the roof and bring you back to your youth.

Johnny will perform with a gift too, a guitar that was given to him by the late Prince. So let’s go crazy and ‘Party like it’s 1999” and dance in the “Purple Rain!”

Tickets start $20 and can be purchased at showtix4u.com.

VIP tickets are $35 for the first three row seats and include a Private Reception at 2pm with Johnny Rogers and early entrance to theater at 1:30pm.

To purchase by phone, call Box Office call (866)967-8167.

Concerts August 12th-14th, All Day

Ink Life Tour, Longview

Ink Life is a three-day mega event that is now 6 years old and by far one of the highest attended events of its kind.

Music at an Ink Life show is second to none! This year The Toadies will headline, and Death Row Bodeen, Moonshine Bandits, Jawga Boyz, Jelly Roll, Whintney Peyton and more will perform. There will be performances such as the astonishing human suspension show that happens daily. The world famous Captains Sideshow will provide you visualizations of the human body breaking barriers of what one thought to be impossible. Warning: this show by Captains Sideshow is not for the squeamish. Single day tickets are $25 or $50 for VIP. Weekend passes are $40 for a standard weekend pass or $75 VIP all weekend. VIP includes a special VIP laminate, backstage pass, a special backstage bar with discounted drinks, an Ink Life Tour t-shirt, and a special front row viewing area of the concerts. Admission includes all concerts and shows. Kids 12 and under are free. Ink Life is held at Maude Cobb Event Center, located at 100 Grand Blvd. in Longview.

August 13th at 8pm

Joe Ely

Joe Ely is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas country, Tex-Mex, and rock and roll. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, Los Super Seven, the Chieftains, and James McMurtry. Joe Ely stands in a tradition born out on the gritty West Texas plains. It includes Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton, Don Walser, Terry Allen, Lloyd Maines, his daughter Natalie Maines, and Joe’s enduring musical partners, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

“West Texas is a land where you can see for miles and miles and miles. Only those who don’t know it, find it barren. For it’s full of stories if you know where to seek them. And it has customs and amusements all its own. Even the forever dipping oil wells have their role. In high school, we used to get somebody to buy us a six pack and go out there to the fields and ride the front part of those oil pumps all night long,” Joe remembers. Tickets can be purchased at www.LibertyTyler.com.

Liberty Hall is located in downtown Tyler at 103 E. Erwin.

August 20th at 8pm

The Kruger Brothers

In their ever-expanding body of work – Jens Kruger (banjo

(9pm 'til 1am) NEVER A COVER!

Saturday, Aug. 6 BONE DANCERS Sunday, Aug. 7 CHRIS AUSTIN'S BLACKSMITHS & GUESTS Saturday, Aug.13 KING RICHARD & THE BAYOU BOYS Saturday, Aug.20 TYLER LENIUS BAND Sunday, Aug. 21 CHRIS AUSTIN'S BLACKSMITHS & GUESTS Saturday, Aug.27 THE HAGGERTYS

“Where Good Friends & Good Times Come Together”

and vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar and lead vocals), and Joel Landsberg (bass and vocals) – The Kruger Brothers personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition. Their original music is crafted around their discerning taste, and the result is unpretentious, cultivated, and delightfully fresh. Tickets can be purchased at www.LibertyTyler.com. Liberty Hall is located in downtown Tyler at 103 E. Erwin.

Saturday August 20th at 7pm

Cattle Baron’s “Two Step, One Cure” featuring Vince Gill

The 29th annual event entitled “Two Step, One Cure” will feature Grammy award winning artist Vince Gill, and will be held on Saturday August 20th at Harvey Convention Center.

After “Down to My Last Bad Habit,” Gill’s 18th studio album, it would have been easy for Vince Gill to kick back a bit. After all, when you’ve sold more than 26 million albums, won 20 Grammys, and earned 18 CMA Awards (including two Entertainer of the Year trophies), you’ve done it all, right? Not a chance, says this musician extraordinaire, who produced his new album with engineer Justin Niebank. “Down to My Last Bad Habit” is his first solo album as part of a new deal with MCA, the label he joined in 1989. “Forty years into this, it’s still as much fun as it’s ever been to play music,” says Gill, sitting in his home studio in Nashville. “At the end of the day, what I get excited about is doing something I haven’t done before. When I record a song, I feel successful if I’ve accomplished something new.” While he chose such luminaries as Sheryl Crow, Alison Krauss, Bekka Bramlett, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, Little Big Town, and guitarist Sonny Landreth for this record, he also found new friends in Ellie Holcomb, Charlie Worsham and Cam, in addition to his favorite vocalists close by: daughters Jenny and Corrina. “I feel like the Partridge Family is rearing its ugly head in my life,” he says, laughing. “But in a great way.” For tickets, go to www.cattlebaronsgala.net. This event is expected to sell out.

Saturday, September 24th (7:00pm)

Neal McCoy & Friends

Neal McCoy & Friends will be at The Belcher Center. Neal McCoy and his special guests Jack Hanna and Tracy Byrd will put on a great show benefiting East Texas Angel Network.

The Belcher Performance Center at LeTourneau University is located at 2100 S. Mobberly, Longview. For more info call (903)233-3080 or log on at www.belchercenter.com. Box office hours are Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm.

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EGuideMagazine.com GigGuide Monday, August 1st The 10 Spot, Jacksonville – Open Mic, 6-9 Circle M Crawfish – Darrin Morris, 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – Ramoth Gilead, 6:30-9:30

Tuesday, August 2nd Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Karaoke, 8-12 Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 6-9 Half Moon Grill – Open Mic, 8-12 MoJoes Coffee Café, Henderson – Open Mic, 7-10 The Shed, Edom – Pickin & Grinin, 6-9 Republic Icehouse – Open Mic with Chris Colston, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – Dustin Becker & Chris Oliver, 6-8:30 Summerfield’s Bar & Grille – Karaoke, 7-11 Where’s Rufus – DJ, 8-12

Wednesday, August 3rd The Back Porch, Kilgore – Jenn Ford, 7-10 Click’s Live – Karaoke, 8-12 Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Red Shahan, 8-12 Cork – Dustin Becker, 6-9 Dakotas Chop House – Daniel Rocha, 7-10 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Wallace & T.D. Wilt, 6-10 Leon’s, Longview – Blues Jam with Johnny & The Night Crawlers, 8-11 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Luke LaPrada, 7-11 Sports Zone – DJ Aris, 9-12 Stanley’s BBQ – The Haggertys, 7-10

Thursday, August 4th The Back Porch, Kilgore – Rio & Richard, 7-10 Circle M Crawfish – Levi Kitchens, 6-9 Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Blacktop Mojo Acoustic, 8-12 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Wade Ralston, 7-10 FRESH – Karaoke, 6-9 Garage Bar – DJ Aris, 8-12 Half Moon Grill – DJ Rufus, 8-12 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Tiffani Watkins, 7-11 Potpourri House – Todd Rinlee, 6-9 Razzoo’s – Chris Colston, 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & Friends, 7-10 Stone Country, Lindale – Karaoke, 8-12

Friday, August 5th 11th Frame Club – Karaoke, 8-12 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Cody Wayne Band, 8-12 Breakers – Jeremiah Jackson, 8-10 Circle M Crawfish – Karaoke, 7-11 Click’s Live – Kissing Candice, Scare Don’t Fear, 8-12 Dakotas Chop House – Pocket Tangerine,

8-11 Eagles Bluff - Clay Thrash, 6-9 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Jaden Farnsworth, 7-10 FRESH – Chris Colston, 6-9 Garage Bar – DJ, 8-12 Lago Del Pino – Live Music, 8-12 Lake Palestine Resort – Big Hotel, 6-10 Love & War, Lindale – Brandon Rhyder, 8-12 Mario’s – Live Jazz, 6-10 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Jason James, 9-12 Paradise Harbor, Hawkins – Karaoke, 8-12 Potpourri House – Paul Ruark, 6-9 Republic Icehouse – Texas Rebellion, 8-12 Rick’s – Professor D & The Playschool, 8-12 Shoguns – DJ, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – Something Like Seduction, 8-12 Stone Country, Lindale – Karaoke, 8-12 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins – Marcus Casburn, 6-9 True Vine Brewing – Live Music, 5-9 Where’s Rufus –Karaoke, 8-12 Yamato – DJ, 9-12

Yamato – Karaoke, 9-1

Sunday, August 7th Click’s Live – Acoustic Chaos, 9-12 Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 12-3 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Tommy & The Acoustics, 7-10 Lago Del Pino – Dustin Becker, 12-2pm Pickin’ Porch, Ben Wheeler – Kadie Lynn, 5-7 XLN – Chris Austin’s Blacksmiths & Guests, 9-12

Monday, August 8th The 10 Spot, Jacksonville –Open Mic, 6-9 Circle M Crawfish – Darrin Morris, 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – Ramoth Gilead, 6:30-9:30

Tuesday, August 9th

Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 6-9 FD’s Grill House – Eric Moseley Duo, 7-10 Half Moon Grill – Open Mic, 8-12 MoJoes Coffee Café, Henderson – Open Mic, 7-10 Republic Icehouse – Open Mic with Chris Colston, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – Dustin Becker & Chris Oliver, 6-8:30 Saturday, August 6th The Back Porch, Kilgore – Lady Chazz & The Summerfield’s Bar & Grille – Karaoke, 7-11 Where’s Rufus – DJ, 8-12 Tramps, 9-1 Click’s Live – The New Offenders, 9-12 Wednesday, August 10th Club 155 – Black Ice, 9-1 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Leap Of Faith, Circle M Crawfish – Stray Dog & The Blue 7-10 Healers, 7-11 Cork – Dustin Becker, 6-9 Dakotas Chop House – Tyler Dudley Trio, Dakotas Chop House – Daniel Rocha, 7-10 8-11 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Wallace & The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Wallace, T.D. Wilt, 6-10 3-5, Eric Sommer, 7-10 Leon’s, Longview – Blues Jam with Johnny FRESH – Ramoth Gilead, 6-9 & The Night Crawlers, 8-11 Half Moon Grill – Ziggy Moonshine & The Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Owen Tiner, Bootleggers, 9-1 7-11 Juls – Chance Pena, 7-10 Sports Zone – DJ Aris, 9-12 Lago Del Pino – Live Music, 9-12 Stanley’s BBQ – The Haggertys, 7-10 Lake Palestine Resort – Kid Icarus, 6-10 Thursday, August 11th Love & War, Lindale – Ward Davis, Jason Eady, 8-12 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Cole Allen, 7-10 Mario’s – Live Jazz, 6-9 Big Sandy Music Hall – Ally Venable, 7-9 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Austin Layne, Circle M Crawfish – Levi Kitchens, 6-9 9-12 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Blacktop Gypsy, Oil Palace – Young Nisa, OT Genasis, Yo 7-10 Jeezy, 7pm FRESH – Karaoke, 6-9 Potpourri House – Bobby & Ken, 6-9 Garage Bar – Open Mic, 6-10 Purple Pig – Old Omen, 6-9 Half Moon Grill – DJ LL, 8-12 Republic Icehouse – King Richard & The Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Ryan Reid, Bayou Boys, 8-12 8-11 Rick’s – Live 5, 9-1 Potpourri House – Todd Rinlee, 6-9 Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & Ken Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & Friends, Murray, 12-3 7-10 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins – Stone Country, Lindale – Karaoke, 8-12 Marcus Casburn, 6-9 Friday, August 12th XLN – Bone Dancers, 9-1 Where’s Rufus – DJ, 9-12 11th Frame Club – Karaoke, 8-12

Big Sandy Music Hall – Bayou Boogie, 7-9 Circle M Crawfish – Karaoke, 7-11 Click’s Live – Austin John Winkler, 8-12 Dakotas Chop House – Levi Kitchen, 8-11 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Kid Icarus, 7-10 FRESH – Texas Soul Shakers, 6-9 Garage Bar – DJ, 8-12 Half Moon Grill – Guadalupe Pirates, 8-12 Juls – DJ, 7-10 Lago Del Pino – DJ Aris, 8-12 Lake Palestine Resort – Buddy Varnell, 6-10 Liberty Hall – Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, 8pm Love & War, Lindale – Mark McKinney, Callahan Divide, 8-12 Mario’s – Live Jazz, 6-10 Maude Cobb, Longview – Deathrow Bodeen, The Toadies, 8-12 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Tanner Sparks, 8-12 Paradise Harbor, Hawkins – Karaoke, 8-12 Potpourri House – Paul Ruark, 6-9 Republic Icehouse – Wes Nickson Band, 9-1 Rick’s – Fury, 8-12 Shoguns – DJ, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – New Breed Brass Band, 8-12 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins – Marcus Casburn, 6-9 True Vine Brewing – Live Music, 5-9 Where’s Rufus – Karaoke, 8-12 Yamato – DJ, 9-12

Every Friday

Todd Renlee Paul Ruark

Every Saturday

Bobby & Ken

All Live Music is 6:30-9p.m. — No Cover Ever!

16 • EGuideMagazine.com

Click’s Live – Acoustic Chaos, 8-12 Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 12-3 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Tommy & The Acoustics, 7-10 Lago Del Pino – Dustin Becker, 12-2pm Liberty Hall – Johnny Rogers, Buddy & Beyond, 3pm Pickin’ Porch, Ben Wheeler – Audrie Stacey, 5-7

Monday, August 15th The 10 Spot, Jacksonville – Open Mic, 6-9 Circle M Crawfish – Darrin Morris, 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – Ramoth Gilead, 6:30-9:30

Tuesday, August 16th Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Karaoke, 8-12 Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 6-9 Half Moon Grill – Open Mic, 8-12 MoJoes Coffee Café, Henderson – Open Mic, 7-10 The Shed, Edom – Pickin & Grinin, 6-9 Republic Icehouse – Open Mic with Chris Colston, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – Dustin Becker & Chris Oliver, 6-8:30 Summerfield’s Bar & Grille – Karaoke, 7-11 Where’s Rufus – DJ, 8-12

Wednesday, August 17th

The Back Porch, Kilgore – 2nd Childhood, 8-12 Click’s Live – Karaoke, 8-12 Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Adam Hood Band, Saturday, August 13th 8-12 9 Muses – Reign The Band, 9-1 Cork – Dustin Becker, 6-9 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Ally Venable Dakotas Chop House – Daniel Rocha, 7-10 Band, 8-12 Big Sandy Music Hall – Stratoblasters, 7-9 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Wallace & T. D. Wilt, 6-10 Circle M Crawfish – Darrin Morris, 7-11 Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Chris Wayne Band, Leon’s, Longview – Blues Jam with Johnny & The Night Crawlers, 8-11 9-1 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Stefan Cotter, Dakotas Chop House – Clint Alford, 8-11 7-11 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Randall Clowdus, Sports Zone – DJ Aris, 9-12 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – The Haggertys, 7-10 FRESH – The Haggertys, 6-9 Half Moon Grill – Live Music, 9-1 Thursday, August 18th Juls – DJ, 7-10 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Dixie Bent, 7-10 Lago Del Pino – The Elegant Few, 9-1 Big Sandy Music Hall – Loretta Callens, 7-9 Lake Palestine Resort – Grant Cook, 6-10 Circle M Crawfish – Levi Kitchens, 6-9 Liberty Hall – Joe Ely, 8-10 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Clyde Ayers, 7-10 Love & War, Lindale – Roger Creager, 9-1 FRESH – Karaoke, 6-9 Mario’s – Live Jazz, 6-9 Garage Bar – Open Mic, 6-10 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Meredith Half Moon Grill – DJ Mike, 8-12 Crawford, 9-12 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – 8 Ball Aitkin, Potpourri House – Bobby & Ken, 6-9 8-11 Purple Pig – David Allen & The Drifting Razzoo’s – Ally Venable, 7-10 Outlaws, 6-9 Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & Friends, Rick’s – Good Question Band, 9-1 7-10 Rose City Farmers Market – T.J. Harris, Stone Country, Lindale – Karaoke, 8-12 8-12 Friday, August 19th Stanley’s BBQ – TJ & Ken Murray, 12-3 Stone Country, Lindale – Live Music, 9-1 11th Frame Club – Karaoke, 8-12 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins – The Back Porch, Kilgore – What The Funk, Marcus Casburn, 6-9 8-12 Where’s Rufus – DJ, 8-12 Big Sandy Music Hall – Feen Boyett, 7-9 XLN – King Richard & The Bayou Boys, 9-1 Circle M Crawfish – Karaoke, 7-11 Yamato – Karaoke, 9-1 Click’s Live – Smile Empty Soul, Romantic

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Every Thursday

Sunday, August 14th

MUSIC

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Serving Steak & Seafood

Rebel, The Everyday Losers, Shallow Side, 8-12 Dakotas – Tuxedo Cats, 7-10 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Erica Sunshine Lee, 7-10 The Foundry – Live Music, 6-9 FRESH – Caddo Creek featuring The Magills, 6-9 Garage Bar – DJ Aris, 8-12 Half Moon Grill – Austin English Band, 8-12 Juls – DJ, 7-10 Lago Del Pino – Live Music, 8-12 Lake Palestine Resort – Michael Jesch, 6-9 Mario’s – Live Jazz, 6-10 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Chase McClanahan, 8-12 Paradise Harbor, Hawkins – Karaoke, 8-12 Potpourri House – Paul Ruark, 6-9 Republic Icehouse – Darrin Morris Band, 8-12 Rick’s – Party Machine, 8-12 Shoguns – DJ, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – The Peterson Brothers, 8-12 Stone Country, Lindale – Casey Martin, 8-12 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins – Marcus Casburn, 6-9 True Vine Brewing – Live Music, 5-9 Where’s Rufus – Karaoke, 8-12 Yamato – DJ, 9-12

Stanley’s BBQ – Ramoth Gilead, 6:30-9:30

Saturday, August 27th

The Back Porch, Kilgore – Teazur, 9-1 Tuesday, August 23rd Circle M Crawfish – Dale Riley, 7-11 Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Karaoke, Click’s Live – Feel Never Real, 9-1 8-12 Dakotas Chop House – Second Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 6-9 Childhood, 8-11 Half Moon Grill – Open Mic, 8-12 MoJoes Coffee Café, Henderson – The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Wallace, 3-5, Tyler Dixson, Open Mic, 7-10 7-10 The Shed, Edom – Pickin & Grinin, FRESH – Tyler Dudley, 6-9 6-9 Republic Icehouse – Open Mic with The Garage Bar – Blacktop Mojo, 8-12 Chris Colston, 8-12 The Grove – The Magills, 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – Dustin Becker & Juls – Old Omen, 7-10 Chris Oliver, 6-8:30 Lake Palestine Resort – 315 South Summerfield’s Bar & Grille – Band, 6-9 Karaoke, 7-11 Lago Del Pino – Live Music, 10-1 Where’s Rufus – DJ, 8-12 Love & War, Lindale – Jonathan Wednesday, August 24th Tyler, 8-12 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Adam Mario’s – Live Jazz 6-9 Brown, 7-10 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Click’s Live – Karaoke, 8-12 Wesley Pruitt Band, 9-12 Cork – Dustin Becker, 6-9 Potpourri House – Bobby & Ken, 6-9 Dakotas Chop House – Daniel Purple Pig – David Allen & The Rocha, 7-10 Drifting Outlaws, 6-9 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Rick’s – Live 80, 9-1 Wallace & T.D. Wilt, 6-10 Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & Leon’s, Longview – Blues Jam with Ken Murray, 12-3 Johnny & The Night Crawlers, Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins 8-11 – Marcus Casburn, 6-9 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Doug Where’s Rufus - DJ, 9-1 Kent Music, 7-11 XLN – The Haggertys, 9-1 Sports Zone – DJ Aris, 9-12 Sunday, August 28th Saturday, August 20th Stanley’s BBQ – The Haggertys, Click’s Live – Acoustic Chaos, 9-12 7-10 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Todd Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 12-3 Freeman & Bulletproof, 9-1 Thursday, August 25th The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Tommy & Cattle Barons Gala, Harvey Hall – The Back Porch, Kilgore – Todd The Acoustics, 7-10 Erin Kinsey, Take2, Vince Gill, Rinley, 7-10 Lago Del Pino – Dustin Becker, 6pm Circle M Crawfish – Levi Kitchens, 12-2pm Circle M Crawfish – Bobby O & The 6-9 Pickin’ Porch, Ben Wheeler – Matt Mojo, 7-11 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Aubrey Bradshaw, Heather Little, Craig Dakotas Chop House – Kadie Lynn, England, 7-10 Wallace, 5-7 8-11 FRESH – Karaoke, 6-9 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Monday, August 29th Garage Bar – Open Mic, 6-10 Wallace, 3-5, Junior Clark, Half Moon Grill – DJ LL, 8-12 The 10 Spot, Jacksonville – Open 7-10 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Devin Mic, 6-9 FRESH – Better Days Review, 6-9 Leigh, 8-11 Circle M Crawfish – Darrin Morris, Half Moon Grill – Sarah Pierce, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & 7-10 Lake Palestine Resort – Second Friends, 7-10 Stanley’s BBQ – Ramoth Gilead, Hand Band, 6-9 Stone Country, Lindale – Karaoke, 6:30-9:30 Lago Del Pino – Live Music, 9-1 8-12 Liberty Hall – The Kruger Brothers, Tuesday, August 30th Friday, August 26th 8-10 Coach’s & Cowboy’s – Karaoke, Love & War, Lindale – Max Stalling, 11th Frame Club – Karaoke, 8-12 8-12 8-12 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Darrin Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 6-9 Mario’s – Live Jazz 6-9 Morris, 8-12 Half Moon Grill – Open Mic, 8-12 Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Red Circle M Crawfish – Karaoke, 7-11 MoJoes Coffee Café, Henderson – Shahan, 9-12 Dakotas Chop House – Dustin Open Mic, 7-10 Potpourri House – Bobby & Ken, 6-9 Becker, 8-11 The Shed, Edom – Pickin & Grinin, Republic Icehouse – Gary Patrick, The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Whiskey 6-9 8-12 Prophets, 7-10 Republic Icehouse – Open Mic with Rick’s – Professor D & The PlayFRESH – Pocket Tangerine, 6-9 Chris Colston, 8-12 school, 9-1 Garage Bar – DJ, 8-12 Stanley’s BBQ – Dustin Becker & Stanley’s BBQ – TJ Hammersly & The Grove – Dustin Becker, 7-10 Chris Oliver, 6-8:30 Ken Murray, 12-3 Half Moon Grill – Live Music, 9-1 Summerfield’s Bar & Grille – Stone Country, Lindale – Justin Juls – DJ, 7-10 Karaoke, 7-11 Dean, 8-12 KE Bushman’s, Bullard – Chris Where’s Rufus – DJ, 8-12 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins Colston, Kirk Baxley, Josh Wednesday, August 31st – Marcus Casburn, 6-9 Ward, 9-12 midnight Where’s Rufus - DJ, 9-1 The Back Porch, Kilgore – Blackbox, Lago Del Pino – DJ Aris, 8-12 XLN – Tyler Lenius Band, 9-1 7-10 Lake Palestine Resort – Lisa Frasier, Yamato – DJ, 8-12 Click’s Live – Karaoke, 8-12 6-10 Cork – Dustin Becker, 6-9 Love & War, Lindale – Eleven Sunday, August 21st Dakotas Chop House – Daniel Hundred Springs, 8-12 Click’s Live – Acoustic Chaos, 9-12 Rocha, 7-10 Mario’s – Live Jazz, 6-10 Cork – Ramoth Gilead, 12-3 The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Craig Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Open The Forge, Ben Wheeler – Tommy & Wallace & T.D. Wilt, 6-10 Mic, 8-12 The Acoustics, 7-10 Leon’s, Longview – Blues Jam with Paradise Harbor, Hawkins – Lago Del Pino – Dustin Becker, Johnny & The Night Crawlers, Karaoke, 8-12 12-2pm 8-11 Potpourri House – Paul Ruark, 6-9 Pickin’ Porch, Ben Wheeler – Austin Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler – Purple Pig – Live Music, 6-9 Layne, 6-9 Clover The Girl, 7-11 XLN – Chris Austin’s Blacksmiths & Rick’s – Time Machine, 8-12 Sports Zone – DJ Aris, 9-12 Shoguns – DJ, 8-12 Guests, 9-12 Stanley’s BBQ – The Haggertys, Stanley’s BBQ – Kopastetic, 8-12 Monday, August 22nd 7-10 Taste of Italy On the Lake, Hawkins – Marcus Casburn, 6-9 The 10 Spot, Jacksonville – Open To include your gigs here, True Vine Brewing – Live Music, 5-9 Mic, 6-9 e-mail them to us at: Where’s Rufus – Karaoke, 8-12 Circle M Crawfish – Darrin Morris, 7-10 Yamato – DJ, 9-12

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EGuideMagazine.com • 17

Theatre “Twist on Taylor” at Civic Theatre in Rusk “Twist on Taylor,” is a Tribute Show Dedicated to Taylor Swift to benefit CCT’s “Raise the Roof Campaign.” And this is going to be fun!

Cherokee Civic Theatre (CCT) and Thespians in Training (TNT) alum Sarah Jessica Rhodes-Smith, will present her “Twist on Taylor” show featuring the music of Taylor Swift, Saturday, August 20th at 7:30pm.

Sarah is the daughter of Lucile and the late Bill Rhodes of Oakland. She is a 2002 graduate of Palestine High School.

She studied with Carol Bentley at Academy of Dance in Palestine and the late Eric Cates at Palestine High School. Some of her CCT productions include “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat,” “Fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” leading role in “Sleeping Beauty,” and the original cast of “The Bridge.” She is currently performing on the Vegas Strip in the acclaimed “Raiding the Rock Vault.”

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. There is a special package for $30 that includes a workshop and the show available.

A dance workshop with Sarah Jessica in preparation for participation for the Twist on Taylor Show will be held Friday, August 19th, 2-4pm. Find on Facebook www.facebook.com/ twistontaylor.

Events

Thursday-Sunday, August 4th-7th; Thursday-Saturday, August 11th-13th (all shows begin at 7:30pm except Sunday’s Matinee at 2pm) - “Alice In Wonderland” will be on stage at Henderson County Performing Arts Center. The classic tale, brought to life by the brilliance of Disney, is full of your favorite manic characters from Alice and the White Rabbit to the Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts and ll the rest of Wonderland’s kooky critters. This is HCPAC’s annual Youth Summer Musical. Henderson County Performing Arts Center is located at 400 Gibson Road in Athens. Tickets are available at the door, by calling (903)675-3908, or at www.hcpac.org.

Friday-Sunday and Thursday-Sunday, September 15th-24th (Evenings at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm)“Guys and Dolls” will be on stage at Henderson Civic Theatre. Bustling with gamblers, gangsters, and sassy showgirls, “Guys and Dolls” celebrates Broadway’s golden era with one of the greatest scores ever written for a musical by the legendary Frank Loesser, masterfully witty book and lyrics by Joe Swerling and comedy legend Abe Burrows, and the glorious Damon Runyon’s comic book world of 1940’s Times Square New York City. Henderson County Performing Arts Center is located at 400 Gibson Rd. in Athens. Tickets are available at the door, by calling (903)675-3908 or at www. hcpac.org. Tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for students.

Thursday-Sunday, September 15th-18th; and ThursdaySunday, September 22nd-24th (Evenings at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm) - “Last Chance Romance/Black Box” will be on stage at Henderson County Performing Arts Center. Myra Witzer, a strong willed woman is determined to get married at any cost and Leonard Shank is the guy she goes after and gets, much against his will. It’s a love impasse for the record books.

Henderson County Performing Arts Center is located at 400 Gibson Road in Athens. Tickets are available at the door, by calling (903)675-3908, or at www.hcpac.org.

Thursday, September 15th (7pm) - Jerry Seinfeld will be at the Cowan Center. Entertainment icon Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy career took off after his first appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson in 1981. Eight years later, he teamed up with fellow comedian Larry David to create what was to become the most successful comedy series in the history of television: “Seinfeld.” The show ran on NBC for nine seasons, winning numerous Emmy, Golden Globe, and People’s Choice awards, and was named the greatest television show of all time in 2009 by “TV Guide,” and in 2012 was identified as the best sitcom ever in a “60 Minutes”/”Vanity Fair” poll. Tickets start at $68. The Cowan Center is located at 3900 University Blvd. on the University of Texas at Tyler campus. Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 18 • EGuideMagazine.com

(903)566-7424, or log on at www.uttyler.edu/cowan.

Public ticket sales begin August 8th. Tickets start at $68.

Thursday-Saturday, September 22nd-24th (7:30pm nightly, Saturday Matinee 2:30pm) - “Cotton Patch Gospel” will be on stage at Pollard Theater Center. The story retells the life of Jesus as if in modern day rural Georgia. Though the setting and the styling of the language greatly differs from the original telling of the Gospels, the plot structure and the message of the story stays true to the historical recording in The Gospel of Matthew. Pollard Theater Center is located at Founders’ Center on Pollard UMC’s campus. Seating is limited.

The Founders Center is located at 3030 New Copeland Rd, Tyler. For more info or tickets go to www.pollardumc.com or call (903)730-1056.

Fridays-Sundays, September 23rd-25th, 30th-October 2nd (Evenings at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm) - “The Miracle Worker” will be presented at Lindale Community Theater.

“The Miracle Worker” is a three-act play by William Gibson adapted from his 1957 “Playhouse 90” teleplay of the same name. It is based on Helen Keller’s autobiography “The Story of My Life.” Lindale Community Theater is located at 109 W. Hubbard Street in Lindale. www.lindalecommunitytheater.org.

Saturday, September 24th (7:30pm) The East Texas Symphony Orchestra opens its season with ‘Rock the Classics’ and features Stanley’s Bar B-Q All-Star Band and guest conductor Dirk Meyer. Musical Director and Conductor Lee serves as host. Highlights include “A Fifth of Beethoven,” “Whiter Shade of Pale/Bach’s Air from Suite No. 3,” “Waltz Across Texas/Strauss’ Roses from the South,” and “Hooked on Classics.” ETSO concerts are performed at the UT Tyler Cowan Center, located at 3900 University Blvd. on the University of Texas at Tyler campus. Subscriptions and tickets are sold through the Cowan Center Box Office, (903)566-7424. Season information is available at www.ETSO.org.

Tuesday, September 27th (7:30pm) - Ben Carson, M.D. will be at the Cowan Center. Dr. Carson. He is an emeritus professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for 29 years. He was the inaugural recipient of a professorship dedicated in his name in May 2008, and is now the Emeritus Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D. and Dr. Evelyn Spiro, R.N. Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery, having retired on June 30, 2013. In 2001, Carson was named by CNN and “TIME” magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 “Living Legends” on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. In 2004, Carson was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Council on Bioethics. In 2015, Carson became one of the candidates seeking to gain the Republican presidential nomination. The Cowan Center is located at 3900 University Blvd. on the University of Texas at Tyler campus. Tickets are available at the box office, by calling (903)566-7424, or log on at www.uttyler. edu/cowan. Public ticket sales begin August 29th. Tickets start at $17.

Wednesday-Sunday, October 5th - 9th (5th-8th - 7:30pm; 9th-2pm) - “The Pillowman” will be presented in the Jean Browne Theatre. “The Pillowman” tells the tale of Katurian, a fiction writer living in a police state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre child murders occurring in his town.

The play received the 2004 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the 2004-5 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Foreign Play, and two Tony Awards for production. It was nominated for the 2004 Evening Standard Award for Best New Play. The Jean Browne Theatre is located on the Tyler Junior College campus. The box office opens one week prior to performances, 10am-6pm, weekdays only, throughout the run of performances. For more info call (903)510-2212 or visit www.tjc.edu/theatre.

Thursday-Sunday, October 13th-16th; Thursday-Saturday, October 20th-22nd (all shows begin at 7:30pm except Sunday’s Matinee at 2pm) - “I Love a Piano: The Music of Irving Berlin” will be presented at Henderson County Performing Arts Center. This musical is the celebration of the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin. It follows the journey of a piano as it moves in and out of American lives from the turn

of the century to the present. This is a fitting tribute to the man Jerome Kern famously said had ‘no place in American music - he is American music.’ Henderson County Performing Arts Center is located at 400 Gibson Road in Athens. Tickets are available at the door, by calling (903)675-3908, or at www. hcpac.org.

Friday-Sunday, October 14th-16th; Thursday-Sunday, October 20th23rd (Evenings at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm) - “The Great Gatsby” will be on stage at Tyler Civic Theatre. The only stage version allowed to be produced in the United States and Canada, this adaptation by Simon Levy clearly understands that Fitzgerald’s words are sacred and can’t be improved upon.

What has been added, deleted or changed to adapt the story to the stage was so faithful to Fitzgerald that it is seamless.

Tyler Civic Theatre is located at 400 Rose Park Drive in Tyler, next to the Tyler Rose Garden Center. For more info call (903)592-0561 or tylercivictheatre.com. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 10am-1pm and 2-5pm.

Saturday, October 22nd (4pm and 7:30pm) - Jeff Foxworthy will be on stage at The Cowan Center and is one of the most respected and successful comedians in the country. He is the largest selling comedyrecording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee and best-selling author of more than 26 books. Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature, a style that has been compared to Mark Twain’s.

Jeff was featured in “Blue Collar Comedy Tour, The Movie” and the concert tour of the same name. The movie premiered on Comedy Central and was the highest rated movie in the channel’s history. To date, the movie has sold more than 4 million units. The soundtrack for this movie has been RIAA certified gold (more than 500,000 units). The Cowan Center is located at 3900 University Blvd. on the University of Texas at Tyler campus. Tickets are available at the box office, by calling (903)566-7424, or log on at uttyler.edu/cowan. Public ticket sales begin September 26th.

Tickets start at $62.

Saturday, Sunday, Thursday-Saturday, October 22nd, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 29th - “The Foreigner” will be presented at Cherokee Civic Theatre. The story takes place in a fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia where two Englishmen, Froggy and Charlie, arrive as guests. Froggy claims that Charlie cannot talk because he is a “foreigner” from an exotic country, and does not understand English. Taking the explanation that he’s a non-English speaker as fact, the lodge’s guests quickly begin revealing their secrets, and Charlie soon discovers scandals amongst some of the residents of the lodge. Cherokee Civic Theatre is located at 157 W. 5th St., in Rusk. For tickets call (903)683-2131 or go to cherokeetheatre.net.

Tuesday, October 25th (7:30pm) - Charles Krauthammer, M.D. will be at the Maude Cobb Convention Center. Dr. Krauthammer writes a syndicated column for “The Washington Post” that appears in more than 400 newspapers worldwide and for which he won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize. He is a FOX News commentator, appearing nightly on FOX’s evening news program, “Special Report with Bret Baier.” His latest book, “Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics,” a #1 New York Times bestseller, has sold more than a million copies. From 2001 to 2006, he served on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He is president of The Krauthammer Foundation and chairman of Pro Musica Hebraica, an organization dedicated to the recovery and performance of lost classical Jewish music. He is also a member of Chess Journalists of America. Dr. Krauthammer is being presented as part of The Cowan Center’s Distinguished Lecture series, however it is being held at Maude Cobb Convention Center in Longview.

Tickets are available at the The Cowan Center box office, 3900 University in Tyler, or by calling (903)566-7424, or log on at www.uttyler.edu/cowan. Public ticket sales begin online and in person September 19th at 9am.

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20 • EGuideMagazine.com

Art

Inside the Artist’s Studio:

Randy Martin

Fish and Bats Like Meat and Potatoes

By Derrick White It is August in Texas and it is hot, I write, stating the obvious. Recently, my family and I spent some time out in Emory, Texas, at the Weeping Willow Ranch, fishing early in the mornings before the heat set in and then later in the evenings after the immense heat starts to subside. It is nice to feed the horses, look out over the fields, trees, and the lake and just slow down and unwind. It is peaceful.

I made plans to meet with local East Texas artist Randy Martin at his home and small workshop studio in Van, Texas. I have been familiar with his artwork and sculptures and been friends with him on Facebook for some time, but for whatever reason, we’ve never actually met in person. My visit was time well spent. Randy is a modest, sociable, approachable and open-minded guy. He seems very satisfied with his life, wife, and their tastefully renovated home. His life appears peaceful.

Martin is an outsider or folk artist. Folk or outsider art is an art form embracing the human impulse to create whether the creator has any formal or academic training whatsoever. Outsider art is typified by a personal style, in which the maker creates their own individual set of rules of representation, proportion, and perception. Often, folk art will repurpose discarded or abandoned objects into new creations. Outsider art is generally modest, straightforward, and mostly as oddly interesting as the people who make it.

A self-described military brat, Randy moved around as a child and then lived his teenage years in Elmo, Texas outside of Terrell. This is where he discovered piles of rubbish and would “go junking” to dig out scrap he found fascinating: metal springs, gears, and other rusted mechanical parts. Randy Martin served in the U.S. Coast Guard in the rough seas of the Arctic (1969-1972). He has lived in Van for more than 30 years. His is the house with the groovy, hippie van in the driveway. He has been featured on Channel 8’s “Early Morning News” (Dallas) and “Texas Country Reporter.” Thirteen years ago, Randy Martin had a store selling his artwork in Mineola, Texas, but when the retailer next door caught fire, all was lost. Randy has also suffered through two bouts with cancer, but said he decided to “take the battle on,” and he credits the U.S. Veteran’s Administration with the detection, treatment, and saving of his life. Now living with diabetes, Randy just keeps truckin’ on.

Martin didn’t come to a life of art making until the age of 43, after a layoff from a career at Southland Distribution.

Referencing the change he states, “Real life gets in the way sometimes.” His wife and fellow artist is an avid gardener, and she asked her husband to make a birdhouse for their backyard. He did and soon his birdhouses became very popular. He would sell his unique, one of kind artworks at Canton’s First Monday Trade Days and other venues.

After a while, one thing lead to another and Randy eventually found himself in the business of making and selling elaborate, wooden, Victorian-style birdhouses, adding metal copper adornments and running a shop with employees. Randy Martin admires the craftsmanship and extra effort.

His artwork reflects it. Randy and his wife Sherri have been married for 44 years. They have three children and five grandchildren. He and Sherri have been supporting themselves and their family for the last 22 years through the creation and selling of their artwork.

After the birdhouses had run their course Martin decided to learn more about the skill of melting metal together and enrolled in a welding course designed for artists at Mountain View Community College (part of the Dallas County Community College District) and drove the 200-mile round trip

route to classes. His teacher, Dewayne Roy (a welding artist, consultant, business owner, author and instructor who has taught welding at Mountain View College for more than 30 years) took Randy’s final project, a metal “Super Chicken,” and tossed it across the shop’s concrete floor. When none of the attached appendages broke off he stated, “Congratulations, you pass.” The super chicken sculpture still resides outside of Martin’s studio to this day, still intact. Randy Martin works almost exclusively in metal and found object art now, creating kinetic, moving, wind-propelled whirligigs, spiritual stepping shaman sculptures, fifty-five-gallon barrel chairs, and ice scoop/salad bowl windmill mobiles. He specializes in complex and intricate copper fish sculptures and lawn art spinning bats, which make up the bulk of his business. Selling the fish and bats he states, “Those are the meat and potatoes, that’s what feeds us.” Randy previously had the Flying Fish Gallery in Ben Wheeler, Texas, though he no longer does. It was the first art studio in the rejuvenation labor of love project by the late Brooks Gremmels who renewed Ben Wheeler. Randy now sells his work through art shows and art fairs around our area and recently in a show in Rockport, Texas, where his eclectic fish sculptures were very well-liked. He has also shown at the Artisan’s Collective (410 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas). Randy says he strives to have about six good shows a year while still participating in local art events.

He has many connections through social media and Facebook.

Randy Martin gets his inspiration from many sources in life but stated, “Artists and sculptors who make work like this consider Alexander Calder the godfather,” (American sculptor and originator of mobiles, moving sculptures made by skillfully balancing shapes).

Randy has overcome many obstacles and found art there for him to feed his creativity and his spirit and make him self-sufficient. He is a peaceful cool guy and a regional artistic talent. Randy works in a small studio workshop next to his house, cutting and brazing. He now considers himself in semiretirement creating his art in the cooler early mornings before the heat sets in or sometimes in the evening after the heat begins to subside. “These days I don’t make much, but I don’t need much,” says the artist.

“Truckin’ got my chips cashed in, keep truckin,’ like the dodah man, together, more or less in line, just keep truckin’ on.” – Grateful Dead.

For more information about Randy Martin and his artwork, find him on Facebook and Pinterest.

Call for Artists: What is AASH?

By Gini Rainey AASH is the Arcadia Art Show, which is an annual international juried fine art show featuring painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and print-making. It will be held at the former Arcadia Theater, now home to Martin Walker, P.C., located at 121 N. Spring Ave. in downtown Tyler.

Opening on Saturday, September 10th, it will feature the winners in three major categories: Best in Show (earning a $500 prize), Runner Up ($300), and the Nayeli Special Consideration Prize ($150). Other prizes will be announced and awarded by an International Jury made up of Marina Goldena, Kaitlin Martin, and Ivars Heinrihsons.

The AASH is open to individuals at least 18 or older, who may submit up to three different works of art for the minimum entry fee of $50 (so, one work of art is $50, two works of art is still $50, three works of art still $50). You can enter as many as you wish. The submission deadline is at 12 midnight, August 12th, with accepted works being announced by August 26th.

All artwork must be for sale, with an agreement that 20% commission going to support AASH. Submission of images or artwork must be e-mailed to arcadiaartshow@gmail.com.

For more information, visit online at the website arcadiaartshow.com/2016/05/10/call-for-artists.

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EGuideMagazine.com • 21

At the Tyler Museum of The ArtTyler ThisMuseum Month of Art (TMA)

is located at 1300 S. Mahon Ave. on the Tyler Junior College main campus.

Regular TMA hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday, and 1-5pm Sunday; the Museum is closed Mondays and most major holidays. The Museum is supported by its Members, Tyler Junior College, and the City of Tyler. For more information, call (903)595-1001 or visit www.tylermuseum.org.

Currently on exhibit this month is:

“Devotion: The Impact of Amy & Vernon Faulconer on Our Collection”

August 19th-November 27th The Tyler Museum of Art spotlights 25 years in the evolution of its Permanent Collection while paying homage to two of its most generous benefactors with its next major exhibition, “Devotion: The Impact of Amy & Vernon Faulconer on Our Collection.” The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, August 19th and continues through November 27th.

Admission is free.

TMA members and special guests are invited for a first look at the exhibition during the Preview Reception from 5:30-7pm Thursday, August 18th at the Museum. To RSVP or for information on becoming a TMA member, call (903)595-1001 or visit www.tylermuseum. org.

Organized by the TMA, “Devotion” features 24 works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection – all by Texas artists – that either were purchased by or acquired as a direct result of the generosity of Amy and the late Vernon Faulconer, Executive Director Chris Leahy said. “Perhaps more than any individual donors in our 45-year history, Amy and Vernon were responsible for the TMA’s evolution from an exhibition-only museum to a collecting institution. Beginning with the acquisition of Terry Allen’s landmark “Iron Triangle” in 1986, shortly after Vernon came on as president of our Board of Trustees, their encouragement and financial support helped us build one of the most impressive permanent collections in the state of Texas.”

“Devotion” marks the first time this selection of Permanent Collection works have been gathered together in a single exhibition. In addition to Allen, featured artists in the exhibition include David Bates, Vernon Fisher, Joseph Glasco, Karl Umlauf, and Tyler natives William Montgomery and Graydon Parrish.

“Vernon Faulconer’s untimely passing last August was a profound loss for our community and the art world, and this exhibition is a way for us to honor his memory and celebrate the legacy that Amy continues,” Leahy said. “‘Devotion’ is a tribute to and a celebration of a couple whose far-reaching influence as art collectors was surpassed only by their thoughtful philanthropy.”

Exhibition sponsors in honor of Amy and Vernon Faulconer are Marilyn Abegg-Glass, Eleanor Cameron, Beryl Cobb, Martha and Randy Key, Kathie and Leo Mack, John and Ellen Musselman, Marilyn Richey, Robyn Rogers and Bob Rice, Barbara Shtofman, and Dr. and Mrs. Bill Starling. Media sponsor is Tyler Today Magazine.

of Art’s summer major exhibition, “Pieced Together: Collages by Lance Letscher, Mark Lewis & Mary McCleary.”

Organized by the TMA and curated by Caleb Bell, the exhibition features close to 30 works exploring the technique of collage, drawing inspiration from a vast array of thoughts and feelings, people and places.

Upcoming exhibits: • “Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Collection” - October 2nd-January 8th, 2017 • “Flora and Fauna” - December 11th-March 27th, 2017

ThisGallery Month at Gallery Main St. Main Street is an arts hub for the

community throughout the year. This month, “Urban Underground” will continue on exhibit. The theme “Urban Underground” was selected by Gallery Main Street’s committee to give the opportunity for urban and/or street art to be showcased. “We want artists to uncover and expose the underground cultures breeding in our neglected warehouses, buildings, and empty storefronts of our cities. From behind closed doors and down back alleys, we want to see artists’ interpretations of our urban world,” said Beverly Abell.

Gallery Main Street features a new exhibit of original art approximately every eight weeks. Each exhibit opens with a Saturday evening reception starting at 5:30pm and features music, an opportunity to meet the artists, refreshments, and more. The Opening Receptions are free and open to the public.

To enter your work, visit www.DowntownTylerArts.com.

Also, Gallery Main Street has scheduled: • “Movie Posters” - Entries due: Friday, August 19th; Opening Reception September 10th - “Please use your cinematography-inspired imagination to create real or imagined movie posters, complete with real or imagined stars.

Set your ‘movie mind’ free to create your perfect poster to advertise your movie.”

• “Glassy and Glossy” - Entries due: Friday, October 21st; Opening Reception November 5th - “Feel free to be as creative as you want with the theme of ‘Glossy and Glassy.’

Be inspired to create your inspiration of art peering through the lenses - one glassy, and one glossy. Use both terms or either to showcase your most glossy and/or glassy ideas.”

Workshops

Gallery Main Street offers a variety of art workshops for people of all skill levels - from the beginner to professionals. Classes will be 1-4pm and cost $35 per session. These are for ages 12 and up. Upcoming workshops are: • October 8th: Marbling Paper with instructor Theresa Cheek - Learn how to make marbled paper using the early techniques of ebru and Dutch methods from the 1400’s. These Special Events techniques can be used to marble paper (for Special events in connection with “Devobookbinding, mattes for framing, scrapbooktion” include First Friday Tours of the exhibiing, etc.), raw wood, leather and natural tion at 11am September 2nd, October 7th, and fibers such as silk (scarves, ties).

November 4th.

• October 15th and 22nd: Digital Photography Family Days from 2-4pm will be Saturday, with Dolph Miller and John Johansson September 10th, October 8th, and November • October 29th: Clay with Joan Iverson 12th.

• November 12th: Clay with Joan Iverson Admission to all special events is free, but • December 3rd: Clay with Joan Iverson reservations are encouraged.

Pieced Together: Collages by Lance Letscher, Mark Lewis & Mary McCleary

22 • EGuideMagazine.com

Continues on exhibit through September 18th The dynamic work of three regional artists working in an unconventional medium continues to be the spotlight of the Tyler Museum

More Info

Gallery Main Street is located at 110 W. Erwin St., downtown Tyler. Gallery hours are Monday-Wednesday 10am-5pm, Thursday-Friday 10am-6pm, and Saturday 12 noon-4pm, closed Sunday. For more info call (903)593-6905, DowntownTylerArts.com.

Books

Beat the Heat With a Good Book

By Gini Rainey

Dive right in with these great books!

“The Yellow Crocus” by Laila Ibrahim

step ahead of the bad guys, their relationship develops from one of wary trust to complete trust and back and forth again, but the underlying sexual tension keeps everyone, including the reader, a bit off balance.

This is a definite “must read” as far as I’m concerned. My only question is: If Karen Robards has over 50 novels to her credit, what took me so long to discover her. I want more of this author!

Rating: 5 of 5 Copyright 2014 – Gallery Books And now for something completely different!

“Ten Days in a Madhouse” by Nellie Bly

I came by this book because it was suggested by Amazon for me. I love how you can Set in pre-Civil get suggestions from book sources based on War Virginia, “The what you’ve previously read. It helps to take Yellow Crocus” tells the story of a young woman, Mattie, who is a slave on a plantation, away the indecision and lands interesting and her young charge, Lisbeth. Torn from her books like this one in your lap.

In case you are unsure of who Nellie Bly infant son, Mattie is pressed into service as a wet-nurse for Lizbeth. Through excellent char- is, as was I, she was an American journalist, acter development, Ms. Ibrahim has created two very dynamic characters that are not only believable, but also capable of drawing you in on an emotional level.

Although the story-line revolves around these two central characters, it is also about the lives of the daughters and sons of the white plantation owners and the society mores they were expected to follow. This book provides an intimate, and sometimes painful, look at the lives and relationships of plantation owners and families and their slaves, who were regarded no more than property to be traded, sold, abused, and mistreated. It is also a book that tells of forgiveness, love, and redemption.

As far as I’m concerned, what makes this book so intriguing is the intertwining of the lives of Lisbeth and Mattie. Because of Ibrahim’s realistic characterizations, I found my interest captured from the very beginning and became completely immersed in the life of this plantation. At times I found myself cheering for Mattie and Lisbeth, crying over their troubles, appalled by the behavior of some of the characters that their lives intersected with, and impressed by the behavior of others.

While the bond that Mattie and Lisbeth shared was very strong, the reality of their own individual lives and circumstances, and the brutal contrast between the two was a clear theme in this book. While the storylines could have been tied up in a neat bundle and left hanging, they twined together in a poignant and fitting ending. While this was an easy book to read, the messages it contained were very clear and thought provoking and definitely worthwhile.

Rating 5 of 5 Copyright 2014 – Lake Union Publishing

writer, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her recordbreaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne’s fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism.

The result of her exposé is the book “Ten Day in a Madhouse,” written in 1887 as an assignment from her boss, publisher Joseph Pulitzer, Her undercover journey took her from the streets of New York City to the lunatic asylum on Blackwell Island. Feigning insanity, Nellie convinced judges, doctors, and nurses, to gain entrance

to the asylum, and as difficult as it was to gain access, it was even more difficult to leave.

Faced with the deplorable conditions of the facility, she discovered the things of which nightmares are made: patients being fed rotten, inedible food, an uncaring staff, misdiagnoses and mistreatment and generally being ignored by the doctors and so-called mental health experts of the day.

This true account of the deplorable conditions provided an invaluable insight of the treatment of mentally ill patients and resulted in a major reform that would impact the mental health industry for years to come.

Although not an easy read, this could be classified as a necessary read to provide a look at where we’ve come from and where we should never even consider returning to. It may have only taken me a few days to read, but it is definitely a story that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Rating: 4 of 5 Copyright 2015 – Open Read Media

“Hush” by Karen Robards

Wow! This book had me hooked from the beginning.

Although there were several subplots in the works, this offering from New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards doesn’t pull any punches. With two main characters, Finn, a CIA agent, and Riley, the ex-wife of a now-deceased son of a wealthy family, the Texas weather this summer isn’t the only thing that’s hot. With a riveting plot, a steamy subplot, and terrific characterizations, you might find yourself like me – unable to put this one down.

With a writing style that is natural and fluid, this easy to read book won’t take long to get through, even though there are 449 pages.

Described as a romantic thriller, it delivers nicely on both counts. Some of the romantic scenes are fairly stimulating, barely bordering on the edge of inappropriate, but definitely intriguing. The thriller action is nonstop, with a billion dollars at stake, everybody is after everybody, and no one is safe.

While the good guys are trying to stay one EGuideMagazine.com • 23