Blue Plum Festival gearing up for its 15th anniversary on June 6-8 Johnson City — The Blue Plum, the TriCities’ largest free, three-day festival, is gearing up for a wonderful weekend and is celebrating its 15th year. Music, arts and crafts, a fast 5K, bicycle criterium, activities for kids of all ages, storytelling, craft beer tent and so much more will happen during the downtown festival June 6, 7 and 8. Holston Distributing and Bud Light are back as Main Sponsor for the festival. “We have been a part of the festival for many years and are thrilled to once again be the Main Sponsor,” said Frank Wood, President of Holston Distributing. “Our goal is to provide resources to the Friends of Olde Downtowne that will ensure a safe and responsible festival.” Holston will be offering its Sober Ride program during the festival hours. Bartenders will have vouchers for $10 cab rides for those who have over-consumed during the festival. This year’s festival will feature three stages: the Fountain Square Stage, the Southern Stage and the Jazz Stage. The Fountain Square Stage will offer wonderful Americana music by David Bromberg Band and Humming House on Fri-
day night and Bill Kirchen Band and Jeff Austin Band on Saturday night. Musicians featured on the Southern Stage include Squash Blossoms, Malcolm Holcombe and Josh Oliver. Sending out smooth jazz music from the Jazz Stage, sponsored by ETSU, is Moment’s Notice, Rich Willey and The Carolina Jazz Quartet and local fan favorites Greyscale from ETSU, and the New York All-Stars with The Jazz Doctors. The Blue Plum Revival Stage will feature local acts on Sunday. All artists and the scheduled times are listed at www.blueplum.org. Several new events are being added in celebration of the 15th anniversary. On Saturday, we will celebrate one of the region’s gems as the ETSU Storytelling Program will bring artists to the Majestic Stage to tell tall tales and spin yarns. Storytelling runs from 4-7 p.m. Also new for 2014 is the Blue Hop BrewHaHa on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. This event is for craft beer lovers. For a $20 ticket, you can sample 20 craft beers, including Holston River and Green Man breweries. Tickets are limited and can be purchased at bluehopbrewhaha. com. This special event is sponsored by Holston
Distributing and People’s Community Bank. Popular events returning to the festival include the Blue Plum Fast 5K Run/Walk called Dress Up for Downtown, where folks will be encouraged to wear their most creative interpretation of formal and prom running fashions. This new course begins downtown at the Lady of the Fountain. It will get your heart pumping on an early, smooth incline before turning onto the Tree Streets and ending back at the Fountain Square. Online registration is available on the website. The event is sponsored by Cherokee Distributing and Blue Lizard Sunscreen. Runners and walkers, don your tutus, tuxes and ball gowns, and there will be prizes for the best formal attire!
Traditional Arts Workshops What is a traditional art? The people who lived in this region had a special way of turning everyday objects of survival and necessity into works of art. Through our workshops and wonderful instructors, we strive to keep these unique skills alive. Whether it is baskets, fibers, music, finelycrafted arrow points or just a better understanding of days gone by, we hope you will find something to learn and keep with you forever. A Traditional Art is a skill worth preserving! To hold your place in a workshop, pre-registration and payment is required. Please register early to ensure a spot in the class! 18th Century Eastern Cherokee Style Trade Necklace Instructor: Gary Stevens Saturday, June 7 10 a.m. - Noon Cost: $25 includes materials Min: 1 Max: 15 In this class you will make an early trade necklace using authentic 150 to 200 year old beads. You will also add bone spacers, and/or coyote or buffalo teeth. Learn to Play the Pennywhistle Instructor: Martha Egan Sunday, June 8 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $30 (includes Walton’s whistle, book, and CD) Min: 1 Max: 12 $15 if you bring your own instrument Popular in the British Isles in the 1800’s, this class includes the funda.m.entals of holding and sounding your pennywhistle, learning the first notes, and playing a song—or come and advance the skills you already possess. Music and other supplemental materials provided. Introduction to Chair Bottoms xInstruc-
June 2014
tor: Mike Mankin Sunday, June 8 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Cost: $10 includes materials Min: 1 Max: 5 An introduction to replacing chair bottoms with ½” flat reed. Bring to class a bucket or tub to soak the reed in and a pair of good scissors. Workshop takes place outside in the picnic area, so dress accordingly. Flint Knapping – Making Stone Tools Instructors: Bob Estep, Chris Edens, Clark Sa.m.s Saturday & Sunday, June 14 & 15 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cost: $60 (includes supplies) Min: 4 Max: 12 Make stone tools such as the arrow point using only traditional techniques. Please be sure to register no later than 1 week prior to the class. Adults only. Making a Leather Shooting Bag Instructor: Steve Ricker Saturday, June 21 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Cost: $150 (includes all supplies) Min: 5 Max: 10 A shooting bag is an essential piece of a rifleman’s equip.m.ent. This timeless bag was used on the A.m.erican frontier by long hunters and colonial pioneers and is still being used by hunters around the world today! Make a leather shooting bag approx. 10 x 8 inches, with several authentic 18th century style patterns to choose from. You will hand stich them with linen thread. Workshop takes place outside, so dress accordingly. 1651 W. Elk Avenue – Elizabethton, TN 37643 423-543-5808 www.syca.m.oreshoalstn.org www.tnstateparks.com/parks/about/syca.m.oreshoals
The Blue Plum Playhouse, where kids and their parents will have an opportunity for free, fun play, is open during the day on Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The Playhouse, in Munsey Church’s parking lot, is outside the alcohol zone and provides lots of activity for preschool and elementary-age children. The Urban Art Throwdown, now in its fourth year, features amazing artwork by aerosol graffiti artists and will be on Roan Street. The Animation Festival gives you a chance to sit indoors and enjoy some great short features. Arts and Craft booths will line Main and Roan streets, with some wonderful and unique artists are scheduled. The Food Court is a foodies’ delight! The Food Court coordinator looks for unique festival food and this year will be bringing in items such as bacon pops, smoked Gouda mac ‘n’ cheese, veggie kabobs, Hungarian sausage and delectable ice cream sandwiches. Of course, all your favorite festival food will be there as well. Festivities continue on Sunday with the Omnium Criterium Bike Race sponsored by Franklin Woods Community Hos-
pital, with amateur categories beginning at 8 a.m. the professional race is at 2:30 p.m. Music, food court and arts and crafts will still be available during the bike race. The area’s largest free festival could not happen without the help of volunteers. It takes hundreds of volunteers working together to put on the festival, and the Blue Plum Planning Team is always willing to have others join in. Area civic, church and non-profit groups as well as individuals are encouraged to volunteer to help in various capacities. To find out more about volunteer opportunities, go to blueplum. org. Contrary to popular belief, the Blue Plum Festival does not celebrate a fruit! The name is in honor of the 1800s rural post office serving an area in East Tennessee that would become known as Johnson City. The festival has grown considerably over the years since its beginnings as a street fair. Celebrating our 15th anniversary this year, the Friends of Olde Downtowne are excited to welcome back old friends and introduce our festivalgoers to some new experiences, as well.
Tax season is over! Greetings from the IRS! Now that most of you have filed your form 1040 for 2014, many will receive a letter from the IRS. At this time of the year, the most common letter is for claiming the wrong estimated tax payment. The IRS will match their records with your tax return. Hopefully they will agree. Many times they do not as a result of transposing a number or claiming the wrong amount paid. When we prepare tax returns, the most common error related to estimated tax occurs when a client gives us a payment made in the current tax year that was actually designated for the prior year. Also, the IRS is just now getting around to matching the 2012 form 1040 tax returns with pension and annuity distributions reported on form 1099-R that were sent to them by the Trustee of the IRA or pension plan. Form 1099-R is the form sent to you that explains any distribution from a qualified retirement plan or annuity. This could be an IRA, 401 (k) plan, annuity or many other types of the deferred compensation plans. In addition to the amount reported, the form describes the nature of the distribution and whether it is subject to regular income tax and the 10% penalty for premature distribution. Distribution codes are often wrong. Always check to be sure the code is correct. If the code is incorrect, ask the Trustee to correct it. A common mistake we are finding for the tax year 2012 is related to distributions that are rolled over to a Roth IRA or a rollover or distribution that consists of IRA contributions that include nondeductible contributions. If you have made contributions to an IRA that were nondeductible, you will have basis to claim upon filing your tax return for the year of the distribution. you should include a form 8606 with the tax return to claim the basis as nontaxable income. We have multiple instances annually where the IRA has failed to process the form 8606 correctly. Another point to remember regarding distributions from an IRA (or other pension plan) is when you reach the age of 701/2. The law mandates that you start receiving distributions from your plan. There is a calculation necessary to calculate the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Generally the custodian of the plan
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Lewis
Associates, P.C.
Certified Public Accountants Kenneth L. Lewis, C.P.A., President John F. Hunter, CPA T. Craig Ratliff, CPA Wayne Turbyfield, CPA Jeff Jennings, CPA Jennifer C. Penix, CPA Michel G. O’Rorke, CPA Karen Glover, CPA Princeton Professional Building •136 Princeton Road • Johnson City, TN 37601 Johnson City: 423.926.6475 • Kingsport: 423.246.1356 • Erwin: 423.743.8692 • Elizabethton: 423.547.3795 Toll Free: 1.877.CPA.4241 • Fax: 423-926-3949 or 423.282.3191 • www.LewisCPAs.com Members: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants • Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants • Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants
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Lewis
Associates, P.C.
Certified Public Accountants
Kenneth L. Lewis, C.P.A. Certified Public Accountant/President
423-926-5138
CPA
TM
136 Princeton Road • Johnson City, TN 37601 Toll Free: 1-877-CPA-4241 • Fax: 423-926-3949 America Counts on CPAs Email: KenL@LewisCPAs.com • www.LewisCPAs.com Members of American Institute Tennessee Society and Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants
will make this calculation. It is important that you take the distribution based on the value of all plans. The distribution is calculated based on the Fair Market of the assets in the plan on December 31st of the prior year. The distribution may be made from each account or all from one plan. If the distribution is made from only one of the accounts, the custodian of that account must be made aware of all plans in order to make the calculation. There are severe penalties for failure to receive the Required Minimum Distribution. Required Minimum Distributions do not apply to Roth IRA’s. Anytime you get a letter from the IRS, please be sure to share it with your tax preparer. Do not pay or sign an agreement with the IRS without seeking advice unless you are absolutely sure that the IRS is correct.
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