Nashville

Dominick Shon Dre Hodges, 21, last known address 942 Vanleer Drive, Clarksville, TN was wanted by the Clarksville Police Department for First Degree Murder. The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force picked him up at an apartment on South Langley in Chicago, IL without incident. He was involved in a murder that occurred on July 22, 2009 at the A&W Motel on Madison Street. Hodges and an accomplice entered a motel room intending to rob the victim. The victim was shot during the robbery and died.

Dominick Shon Dre Hodges

Hodges has a criminal history in Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois including Rape of a Child and drug charges. He’s being held in the Cook County Jail awaiting extradition.

So begins the story of Pippin, a young man seeking his way in the world. This young man just happens to be the son of Emperor Charlemagne. Pippin knows with all his heart that there are great things in store for his life, but he has a hard time figuring out just what they may be. So he sets off to figure out the purpose of his life. Along the way Pippin is manipulated into a variety of situations by the mysterious Leading Player. Intrigue, plots to bring disaster! Humor, handled by a master! Romance, sex presented pastorally! Illusion, fantasy to study! Battles, barbarous and bloody!

The leading player is being played by Chris Hardin an assistant professor of voice and movement at APSU. He brings an intensity to the role worthy of Ben Vereen from the 1973 Broadway Production.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Lead Player, and Pippin

Pippin is played by Daniel Rye. Daniel gives the audience the sense of the whimsical nature that you would expect from the title character. He also projects clear vocals and is pleasant to listen to. For the ladies, he is not hard to look at either!

Russell Qualls plays the Emperor Charlemagne, he is a hard ruler, but cares deeply about his sons. Russell did an admirable job bringing a regal bearing to his role.

The Emperor Charlemagne, Pippin, the Lead Player, and Lewis

Lewis and Fastrada

Lewis (Edward Garcia) is Pippin’s half-brother, together with his mother Fastrada (Jennifer Whitcomb-Olivia) brings the intrigue to the musical. Edward has a definite flair to his acting and I have no doubt you will see big things from him in the future. Jennifer is a very talented dancer, and brings humor to her role.

Catherine (Elizabeth Hadden) is a widow with a young son named Theo (Nathan Brown). Pippin makes his way to her farm to deliver on the romance. It is during his time with her that Pippin finds his way in life. And it is a way that isn’t what the leading player had intended. Elizabeth’s character had several less than pleasant interactions with the leading player and you empathized with her, when she found her courage to stand her ground you could almost cheer. Nathan’s dealing with Pippin was endearing, and I have no doubt in the end, it was because of him that Pippin escaped the clutches of the leading player.

The Lead Player, Theo, Pippin, and Catherine

I saved Berthe (Alaina Runions), Pippin’s Grandmother for last all told hers was one of my favorite roles from the show.  She started out old and decrepit, but ended up quite alluring. She has a fun character!

There is an amazing support cast on this performance which features Dillon Biemesderfer, Riley Braem, Raven Cooper, Humberto Figueroa, Cinthya Griffith, Sarilda Mayberry, Heather Nicholas, Octavious Padgett, Sara Schichtel, L’Oreal Terry, Darius Walls, and Cody Furline. Without their contribution to the performance the leading actors couldn’t have shone nearly as bright.

Berthe and some of the supporting players

The music by Stephen Schwartz is upbeat and catchy. You will want to sing, and that is a good thing because at times during the audience is encouraged to sing along with the actors. I enjoyed the music so much, that after seeing the performance, I went home and purchased the soundtrack which is available both on Apple iTunes, and Amazon.com. In fact, I listened to it as I wrote this review. The quality of the vocals and music from this APSU production at time exceeds those from the Broadway version.

The play is being presented by the APSU Theatre and Dance, along with the APSU Center of Excellence in the Creative Arts. It runs from November 18th-22nd. 7:30pm Wednesday – Saturday. 2:00pm on Sundays.

Ticket prices are very reasonable. $10 for adults, $5 for students and members of the military. If you have any questions about the performance, you can get in touch with the Box Office via phone at (931) 221-7370.

This was a great performance, and if they don’t mind me coming back without a camera, I wouldn’t mind seeing it again! I applaud them all!

Program

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The prize is part of a nationwide blitz, with one lucky winner in each of 101 cities. “Some folks don’t believe that we are “for real” or that we really give away real big checks” said Dave Sayer, the Prize Patrol Chief who appears in the company’s TV commercials. “All across the country we’re awarding 101 “Reality Checks” of $10,000 each – We are giving away over a million dollars – to show that winning at Publishers Clearing House and pch.com is a definite reality.”

PCH Prize Patrol Deputy Al Guerra holds one of the 101 Reality Checks

With so much geography to cover in the space of a few days, Publishers Clearing House employees Al Guerra and Sheryl Schlameuss were part of a group of 60 deputized to help deliver scores of prizes from coast to coast. This was to be their third delivery in the last few days. They had already awarded prizes in Columbus IN, and Lebanon Junction KY.

In each case, there was a chance that the person who won would not be home. If that occurred the Prize Patrol deputies would endeavor to track the winner down. ” We interview the winners neighbors and ascertain where the person was and when they would return. If the person was at work the prize patrol would make the delivery there.” said Al Guerra.  “Workplace deliveries are so exciting, there are usually so many people around” said Sheryl Schlameuss, “On one delivery the winner was a teacher, and the principal allowed us to make the delivery at the school in front of her students, it was a lot of fun!”

Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol Deputy Al Guerra attempting to notify Cindy Milliron of her prize

We arrived at the address for Mrs Milliron, and moved up to the door to award the prize. It turned out that she wasn’t home, and after getting our hopes up for a workplace delivery, we found out from a her landlord Gary R. Lehman that she had recently relocated when her husband a military contractor was transferred from Fort Campbell, KY to Fort Rucker, AL.

The Prize patrol deputies were able to reach her via telephone and made the official notification via telephone.

Cindy Milliron being notified by phone that she won $10,000 from Publishers Clearing House

This week’s winners are still eligible to win in the much bigger multi-million dollar giveaways. Consumers can enter by responding to company mailings, or by going online to their increasingly popular website, pch.com where prizes are awarded each day.

About Publishers Clearing House

Publishers Clearing House is a multi-channel direct marketer of magazine subscriptions and merchandise. They were founded in Port Washington NY in 1953. Its name has become synonymous with the sweepstakes and prizes it has used since 1967 to draw attention to the “unbeatable” deals and values offered in their colorful mailings. Nearly half of Publishers Clearing House profits are donated to charitable causes ranging from Social Services to the Environment.

The Roxy Regional Theatre is currently staging the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

To fully understand the intricacies of this masterpiece play, in this writers opinion you just have to come from the south. Otherwise it is all too easy to miss the subtle interplay of these delicious personalities as they intertwine in a tapestry that is as old as, well the south.

You have Blanche DuBois the socialite (Alicia Kelly); the submissive wife Stella (Chase Kamata);  Stanley the abuser (Justin Barnum); the dotting son Harold  (Brenden Cataldo);  among others. The acting was tight, performers seamlessly melding into their roles as if they had been born to them.

Blanche DuBois played by Alicia Kelly (Photo by Tom Thayer)

Stanley and Stella in their kitchen (Photo by Tom Thayer)

The subtly lit multi-level set was a vision of the working class side of New Orleans. Stella’s home was austere to say the least. Patches of bare bricks poked through the walls. An unshielded bulb hangs in the master bedroom. The Roxy Regional Theatre has always exceeded expectations with their sets.

Adding to the enjoyment of the performance was the soft musical score. While I could not name any specific tunes they felt right in place with the action on stage. In some shows the volume of the background track can overwhelm the performance, with this show it was just about perfect.

You still have time to catch this powerful theatrical experience, indeed I highly recommend it.  The show runs until November 21st.

Harold "Mitch" Mitchell and Blanche DuBois (Photo by Tom Thayer)

Governor's Square Mall

Several men enter the mall, moving quickly towards the mall office. A suspicious activity call goes out to the police department. The intruders pull weapons from under their clothing. One a pistol another a shotgun. Gunshots ring out sounding unbelievably loud in the confined space. People panic, some hide while others attempt to flee! 35 people are killed or injured. Several minutes later the police start to arrive. After organizing they enter the mall as a mass with guns drawn. They find a scene of carnage and chaos. The less severely injured, some in shock have started to try to make their way from the mall. Officers order everyone to the floor, they have no way of knowing who is a victim and who may be a perpetrator. Some of the officers are left to manage the survivors while the rest continue their sweep. Bodies are strewn everywhere. Two explosives device are found! The bomb squad is called out. A suspect is located in the mall office. Negotiations begin…

One of the gunmen (in black) shoots a Mall Patron

Over 200 local emergency responders, Gateway Medical Center personnel, and volunteers took part in a full-scale crisis response training exercise at Governor’s Square Mall this morning. The exercise was set up for a scenario involving “Black Friday” at the Mall. This allowed for a unique opportunity for many agencies to interact that don’t operate together on a routine basis. The training exercise was successful in identifying ways to improve procedural and operational methods during a critical incident response.

This multi-agency drill was the first of it’s kind held in Montgomery County, but will most likely not be the last. The Drill involved the particpation of the Clarksville Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and Bomb squad, the Clarksville Fire Department, Governors Square Mall Security, TEMA, The Department of Homeland Security, Montgomery County EMS, First Call Ambulance Service, and the staff of Gateway Medical Center among others. Evaluators from organizations across several different states also participated.

The Exercise was suggested by Governors Square Mall management who loaned their facility to the City and County to serve as the location for the drill.

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The new facility provides a much needed exhibition space for APSU faculty and alumni in what has rapidly become the focal point of the Arts community in our town. “It’s a way to help our alumni who are out there trying to build their careers,” said Gregg Schlanger, APSU professor of Art. “It gives them a line on their resume and allows us to brag about our program.”

Critiquing the art

Downtown Clarksville is the home to several exceptional Art Galleries, the Customs House Museum, and of course the wonderful Roxy Regional Theatre. Downtown Businesses which prominently showcase the arts include Hodgepodge, ARTifacts, Rogate’s Boutique, Visions Metaphysical Boutique, The Front Page Deli, and Ingredients. Professor Schlanger noted that  their Downtown Art Gallery will become a major contributator “We’re going to add to what’s going on around here.”

A vivid piece of art

The gallery opened with “Whatever,” an exhibition of work by APSU art alumni. Artists featured in this exhibit include Chip Boles, Marc Pewitt, Miranda Herrick, Betsy Wynkoop, Kelly Kerrigan, Ally Reeves, Bill Eilliot, Scotty Peek, Young Kim, Donna Stack, Travis Childers and Melody Shipley. The exhibit runs through Nov. 28.  For those interested in visiting the gallery, it is located at 116 Strawberry Alley. They are open from noon to 4 p.m., on Tuesdays through Saturdays. However, they will be closed on Thanksgiving day.

Also featured at the First Thursday Art walk was Ashley Richardson, John Glass & Ginger Murvey-Beirus at ARTifacts;  Steven M. Walker at Hodgepodge; Heather Bowker, and  Gabriele Wardeiner at Ingredients;  Lyn Jellison at Rogate’s Boutique; Cliff Whitakers at the Downtown Artist Co-op with his new show “Visions of My World;  Charles Bennet at the Peg Harvill Gallery in the Roxy Regional Theatre;  and Amanda Harrison and Afton Chandler  at Visions Metaphysical Boutique.

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper enjoying some of Cliff Whittaker's artwork at the D.A.C. Gallery

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Towards the end of October, the twelve semi-finalists for this years competition were announced. The semi-finalists were selected based on a combined score from a panel of ten professional judges who reviewed the Winners performances via video.

Representing Fort Campbell is Army spouse Thea Agnew.

Raised in a military family, Thea graduated from Northeast High School and married her high school sweetheart, becoming a Military Spouse. After 20 years of marriage and 23 years of military service, they are planning on retiring in Clarksville, the city they call home.

Thea is the proud mother of 3 beautiful teenagers and is a constant voice in their lives. Her hobbies include writing, reading, research, marketing & design, blogging, sports and exercising.

She is a REALTOR® with Avalar Real Estate & Team Agnew, and a member of the Clarksville Tennessee Chamber of Commerce.

In her spare time, she sings the National Anthem at various events including the Chamber of Commerce’s events; Real estate events; military events; and sporting events, including the Nashville Predators opening season in 2007/2008, and the Nascar Qualification at the Atlanta Speedway 2008.

Thea is also an author for Clarksville Online.

Also selected were:

• SSG Tyrone Basnight; USAG Kaiserslautern, Germany
• SSG Michel Gordon; USAG Humphreys, Korea
• PFC Andrea Griffith; Fort Eustis, VA
• A1C Jamie Jarman; Fort Leonard Wood, MO
• SSG Chad Kneller; Fort Bragg, NC
• SFC Beulah Patterson; Fort Bliss, TX
• 1LT Sarah Payeur; Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo
• Lisa Pratt; Fort Carson, CO
• SPC Erin Sataloff; USAG Wiesbaden, Germany
• Sam Tang; Fort Irwin, CA
• CPT Donald Williamson; USAG Bamberg, Germany

Each will represent their respective military facility at the 2009 Operation Rising Star Live Finals.

Peter Jordan traces his interest in the paranormal back to a childhood fascination with magic, nurtured by stories of the feats of Harry Houdini. As a young boy Peter spent many an afternoon imagining just how Houdini was able to do what he did. Houdini, after the death of his mother turned to spiritualists and mediums, but found them to be nothing but frauds, so he began debunking their “tricks.” Thus it was a natural fit for Peter to become an investigator of the Paranormal as well.

Peter Jordan talks about a image showing the figure of a young boy.

Since 1975, Jordan has conducted more than a hundred investigations of haunted dwellings, and has an innovative approach in the continuing search for scientific evidence of life after death.

“There is an Aura of Mystery about psychic abilities and psychic research,” Jordan said.

He became a Psychic investigator under Dr William G. Roll at Duke University’s Parapsychology Laboratory. He later worked with Dr. Kenneth Ring from the University of Connecticut. Jordan holds a Masters Degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research in New York City, where he has taught parapsychology at the university level.

His research findings have appeared in the New York Times, and his work as a ghosthunter has been featured on national television on shows including “CBS News”, “ABC 20/20” and “Unsolved Mysteries.”

Peter Jordan currently serves as the Research Director of Vestigia, a New Jersey based paranormal research organization.

Jordan follows the Fortean philosophy of Paranormal Research. Fortean refers to Charles Fort, who theorized that just because mainstream science cannot currently explain a phenomenon, that does not necessarily invalidate it. Peter Jordan’s forensic method of research combines psychological and medical profiles of witnesses, with the use of “psychic detectives,” and modern electronic technology.

After years of research and seeing a recurring pattern in these types of cases, Jordan posits that certain people function as focal points or nexuses for paranormal events.

This is similar to how although John Bell was the favorite target of the Bell Witch in Adams, 12 year old daughter Betsy is often attributed as the focal point. Indeed Jordan sees a link between Paranormal Activity and childhood trauma and abuse. However he cautions that it can become very easy focus on these types of explanations, and thus overlook other possible causes, this was the case in the film “An American Haunting.”

During his presentation Jordan showed a number of intriguing videos and other photographic evidence he collected during his years as an investigator. He spoke of his various investigations including Gettysburg, Amityville, and Spontaneous human combustion.  Afterward he spoke with members of the audience about their own experiences with the Paranormal world. If you have a story of Paranormal Activity you would like to relate, you can contact Peter Jordan at or via email at

Peter Jordan asking the audience who has seen the Amityville Horror Movies

The event was sponsored by the APSU Student Affairs office. This was the second year that Peter Jordan has given his presentation at the University.

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Senior opposite hitter Kirstin Distler recorded her 1,000th career kill as Austin Peay’s volleyball team won a three-set (25-14, 25-10, 25-17) sweep of Southeast Missouri, Saturday, in Ohio Valley Conference action at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay (17-6, 9-2 OVC) led wire-to-wire in each of the three sets and posted 52 kills and a .288 attack percentage in the contest. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Champine led the offensive effort with 22 kills and an impressive .419 attack percentage, recording eight kills in each of the first two sets.

Distler, a fourth-year senior from Louisville, Ky., became the ninth Lady Govs player to record 1,000 kills. She also became only the sixth APSU player to record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their career. Distler entered the season with 1,004 digs after surpassing 1,000 digs in the conference tournament last season.

Southeast Missouri (9-14, 5-7) could not get its offense on track, finishing with just 22 kills and a .101 attack percentage. That included a dismal second-set performance where the Redhawks had just three kills and four attack errors en route to a 25-10 loss.

Junior middle blocker Emily Hughes and senior outside hitter Karleigh DeLong each had eight kills to lead the Southeast Missouri offense.

Austin Peay returns to the road for a five-match road trip, beginning with a key Friday conference matchup against third-place Morehead State.

The walk remembers the plight of the Native Americans forced from their ancestral homes to the Indian territory in what became the State of Oklahoma. Diary records of the removal mentioned Port Royal, the last stop before leaving Tennessee, as an encampment site where the Cherokee stayed to re-supply, grind corn and rest. Hundreds of Cherokee died during their trip west, and thousands more perished as a consequence of relocation.

The third annual Trail of Tears Memorial Walk

Members of the Hawaii O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club

Attendance this year was somewhat lower than expected most likely due to the cold wet weather on Saturday, but it picked up with the warm sunny weather on Sunday. NCC Treasurer Philenese Slaughter said “Everyone who attended had a wonderful time.” she had especially glowing praise for the Hawaii O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club who preformed on Saturday, “The Hawaiian dancers added a lot, and are wonderful. I want to thank them for coming out and sharing their culture with the mainland Indians.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

WWII Veteran John Clark

Part of the Grand Entry ceremony that opens the Powwow each day is giving special recognition to the Active duty soldiers, and Veterans from all branches of the Military that are present. One of those recognized was John Clark who fought in the United States Army in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II. He celebrated his 91st birthday at the Powwow this year. John was accompanied by his daughter who was also a retired army veteran. The Women Veterans of America had a booth at the Powwow providing information about their organization to the attendees.

The Head lady this year was supposed to be Jill Smith, but she became ill a day before the Powwow began, and was sent home to recover. The head man was Chris Crosby. Faron Weeks the Master of Ceremony. Charles Page served as the Head Vet. Shawn Longfeather as the arena master. The Powwow Princess was Christa Koontz. The host drum was The White Horse Singers from Alabama. The guest drum was Southern Echo which hales from East Tennessee.

The Powwow showcased the best of Native American culture, and in doing so reminded us all of the heritage of this great land that we all call home. And since in Tennessee October is “Native American Indian Month,” the Powwow was a great way to celebrate it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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On Oct. 17th, a Clarksville area families home will be demolished, rebuilt, furnished and decorated in under 106 hours. The work will be done using local volunteers under the direction of builders Bert Singletary and Don Duncan. It is anticipated that more than 2,000 volunteers from the Montgomery County area will participate in the exciting one-week project.Volunteer sign ups are still being accepted at the build website – www.extremevolunteer.com.  Volunteer guideline information is available on the website.

Conrad Ricketts, Executive Producer of Extreme Makeover Home Edition introduces the builders.

The build will begin with the family being notified at the “Door Knock” between 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Saturday, October 17.  The Braveheart Walk, the traditional kickoff of the build will be at approximately 2:30 that day.  Information about the family and directions to the check-in site for the walk will be posted on the website following the door knock.   The completed home is to be revealed to the family with the “Move that Bus” cheer at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 23.

Conrad Ricketts, Executive Producer of Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Executive Producer Conrad Ricketts put it best as he addressed the assembled volunteers and craftsmen at the Extreme Volunteer Pep Rally at First Baptist Church this morning, “This is like no job you’ve ever been on before!” Stressing that safety and producing high quality work are the major goals of this project, Ricketts also pointed out that participants should be having fun while working on the project. “Bring your families with you to cheer you on”.

The average home construction project takes four months to complete, but during this project the time scales are highly compressed. Every hour is roughly equivalent to a day, and every day a month.

More help is needed

The builders Bert Singletary and Don Duncan

This project involves framers, plumbers, painters, roofers, welders, electricians, etc, and every day people volunteering their time.

While many of the trades people have already stepped up there are plenty of jobs and other needs that the production crew still could use your help in filling.


On the construction side

Materials:

• Vinyl Siding
• Roofing Material (Asphalt)
• (20) Sheets of 4×8x3/4 MDF
• (20) Sheets of 4×8x3/4 Birch Plywood
• Vinyl Deck Railing

Skilled tradesmen

Skilled Workers:

• 10 roofers
• 20 painters
• 20 siding installers
• 40 drywall installers
• 4 cabinet installers

On the Design and Decorating side

Items:

• Furniture
• Computers
• Fabric
• Books
• Gift Cards [Amex, Target, TJMaxx]

Design Producer Carrie Drosnes and Veronica Valencia lists some of the design side needs

Experienced Craftsmen:

• Murphy Bed Manufacturer [custom furniture shop]
• Custom Framer
• Seamstress
• Upholsterer
• Florist- Fresh Flowers
• Drapery Installers
• Oversized Sicker Printer
• Wallpaper Hangers
• Custom Mirror Company
• Welder- steel
• Faux Painter
• Muralist
• Autobody/ Powder Coating Shop

Contributors to the project will be listed on ABC.com which receives roughly 6 million daily visits.

No time? Still want to contribute? Make a cash donation!

You can make a cash donation for this project at any of the area F&M Banks. Just go in and let them know you want to make a donation to the Extreme Makeover Home Addition Project account. All donations will be used directly for the project, and to provide additional assistance to  the family that is chosen.

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The Cathedral Dances originated in the paper mache cathedral located at the Bread and Puppet theatre’s home in Glover, VT, but can be performed anywhere, provided a sprinkle of dirt from the floor of their home Cathedral blesses the venue.

The 13 dances include: a forest admiration dance, danced by a NYC rush-hour crowd; a deforestation dance, danced by the deforestors to make a place to park their cars; the dance of the foolish woman, who tries to bring back to life the victims of the bombardments on Gaza; a sermon dance danced by the deeply superstitious practitioners of the paper mache religion; and seven 7-second dances, danced to the sounds of the We-Do-As-Good-As-We-Can Orchestra.

The sleeper being mourned

Nick Vandenberg, Geoff Goodhue, and a new friend, playing music for the gathering crowd

As I arrived, Nick Vandenberg and Geoff (pronounced Jeff) Goodhue started playing music to entertain the gathering crowd. They were joined impromptu by an audience member who accompanied them on the Harmonica. As the music played softly in the background, members of the crowd quietly conversed, art students were busily sketching the Trahern building from the lawn.

The dancer started out by circling the crowd, then starting slowly but picking up speed until at last they are running. They join in a mass of huddling bodies before the crowd and then as one mass rush the crowd. Stopping just short they arise with hands reaching out almost entreatingly towards the sky.

The grand procession

Maura Gahan sounds the gong to allow the performers to enter the Cathedral

This is repeated twice more and then the performers gather near the stage. They point to a gong laying on the grass. Maura Gahan, the who is serving as the announcer for the evening slowly approaches it and sounds it three times. As the sun slowly set behind her, she introduces the evenings performance. “The Lubberland National Dance Company presents ‘13 Dirt Floor Cathedral Dances. The first dance is the ‘New York City Rush Hour Crowd Forest Admiration Dance.”

The performers move in and surround a forest of trees, each of them reaching with a deep yearning towards the forest canopy. Suddenly they rise and silently snake through the trees until they disappear behind the curtains. They emerge each one carrying a bottle which they blow softly over the top of the bottle. There’s a whole science out there to explain how the is sound is produced when you do this, but nothing can explain how mournful it is. The performers meander through the trees their freehand rising and falling with a measured grace, they take a position up at the side of the stage area.

The names of the children killed in Gaza during the air strikes

Maura comes out holding a folded banner as she introduces the next  number. “The second Dirt Floor Cathedral Dance is Sleep.” She says. Three masked and robed performers walk onto the stage. Maura introduces the one that stands beside her saying, “And this is the sleeper.” together the four of them spread out the banner. “And these are the names of the children who were killed in Gaza during the air strikes,” and they raise it above their heads. After a moment or two of silent reflection they fold the banner. Placing the folded banner upon the ground Maura announces, “And here is a pillow for the sleeper,” she departs as the sleeper takes his position laying upon it. The other two figures mourn the sleeper, as two horse headed figures stride onto the stage and flanking the sleeper, they bow.

The soldier sounds his horn

A solider wearing a bandoleer, carrying a horn and a bucket enters from the side marking slowly past the chorus who clink their bottles together, then the soldier raises his horn and as one he and the chorus blow a mighty blast. The Chorus again begins to maneuver through the trees.

The announcer returns to the stage and intones “The third Dirt Floor Cathedral Dance is the Dance of the Foolish Woman Who Tries to Bring Back the Victims of Drone Bombardments on Pakistani Villages,”

The masked specter

A masked specter enters the stage carrying a lantern. She moves slowly through the trees lighting her path along the way. A man pushing a wheelbarrow enters the stage followed by a crowd blowing on recorders. They move through the trees until they find the specter and her lantern. The man with the wheelbarrow begins to dig making a gravelly noise as he plunges his shovel into the wheelbarrow.

The specter moves away as the masked butcher enters the stage behind a drone. The butcher is a faceless figure behind the drones who sends it off on it’s dreadful mission. Small bodies rain down onto the ground. The foolish woman enters and is devastated by the carnage she finds. She raises the bodies to heaven one by one, before giving up, and moving on to see if she can save the next.

The foolish woman

Sadly this ends my recital of the performance this evening, as I had to move on to the next event of the evening. Jessica Lee the Austin Peay Student who made the evenings performance possible hopes to make this a yearly event, I for one would welcome that. This is a unique experience, designed to make you think, I think we can all use more of that!

Maura Gahan told me “That she likes the feeling she gets from Clarksville and APSU.” It seemed as if she would really enjoy having more time to experience the South, “This is a part of the country that the Bread and Puppet theatre doesn’t get to very often.” Well, hopefully we can change that!

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The event will consist of a 5K run and 1.5 mile walk at Fort Campbell’s Destiny Park, at the end of Lafayette Road, outside Gate 10.

More than 20 informational booths will be on site to provide attendees with local spiritual, emotional, financial, recreational, family and health services available to improve individual, family and community wellness.

The event is free and open to the public and there is no registration required.

Strollers are welcome, but not recommended due to some gravel surfaces on the walk route.

Patricia Halbeck playing the Noble and Sentimental Waltzes by Maurice Ravel

The first set featured Maurice Ravel’s Noble and Sentimental Waltzes, which were a look back at a France that could no longer exist after that city passed through the maelstrom of the first world war.

Patricia Halbeck takes her seat and The piano starts to play a series of almost harsh and somewhat discordant notes with an upbeat refrain hinting at that innocence that was lost never to be found again.

Stanley Yates playing the Twelve Études for Guitar by Heitor Villa-Lobos

She was followed by Stanley Yates who played a selection from Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, his Twelve Études for Guitar which was written in 1928. In his playing You could hear the intertwining of European and Latin sounds and rhythms.

“To some degree, his guitar works also pay homage to Chopin, whose piano etudes were clearly the model for Villa-Lobos’s Estudos for Guitar. These are true concert Études for the guitar and, like the Chopin works, are meant for the stage; they are not limited to the status of mere pedagogical tools. Villa-Lobos’s Estudos also represent an attempt, consciously or subconsciously, to legitimatize the guitar as a concert instrument and raise it to the level of the piano…”

- Choro: a social history by Tamara Elena Livingston-Isenhour and Thomas George Caracas Garcia

Emily Hanna Crane and Jeffery Wood play The Sonata for Violin and Piano by Maurice Ravel

A duet by Emily Hanna Crane on the Violin, and Jeffery Wood on the Piano followed. They returned to Maurice Revel’s works and performed his Sonata for Violin and Piano.

“The Sonata for Violin and Piano was a rather late composition in Ravel’s life. The work progressed slowly as a result of ill health and took four years (1923-1927) to complete.”

Emily Crane has a magnificent ability to pluck emotion with the same ease as she could pluck her strings. Jeffery Wood’s ability on the piano meshed nicely resulting in a seamless flow to the melody.

Lisa Vanarsdel playing Flute Players op. 27 by Albert Roussel, with Jeffery Wood accompanying her on the Piano

For the next set Jeffery Wood remained on the piano, where he was joined by Lisa Vanarsdel playing flute. Together they gave the audience a peek at Albert Roussel’s Flute Players, Op. 27. While playing together their instruments almost leaped through the musical notes, cavorting together with a pure joy.

The final set featured the complete Gateway Chamber Ensemble, which is based around Austin Peay State University’s outstanding faculty, and includes many of the area’s leading professional musicians. They will be featured in the Community Concert Series  on Feburary 22nd, and I am looking forward to seeing them there! The 13 member group is conducted by Gregory Wolynec.

The Gateway Chamber Ensemble's conductor Gregory Wolynec

He had this to say about last night’s program:

“Essentially what we had, was this hotbed of activity going that on in Paris between the wars, especially in the 20’s. We had this combination of Europeans; French but also Germans, Swiss, & Americans; from all disciplines whether it’s music, visual arts, or dance, sorta intermingling and creating just a really amazing numbers of possibilities. So we heard a little bit of Jazz, which was sorta the new thing coming from the US. Which was great,  because it’s the only truly American musical form. We combine that with people like Ravel, who were just getting back to the careers they had (before the war). That makes this just a really exciting program.”

Last night they enabled the audience to experience the Creation of the World, op 8ia (1922-23) by Darius Milhaud. The melody is as Chaotic and jumbled as the creation of the world really must have been, if only we had been there to witness it. Slowly the Gateway Chamber Ensemble managed to pull order from the chaos, and through them the true beauty of Milhaud’s magnificent creation shone through.

The Gateway Chamber Ensemble

The next concert scheduled at the Center for Excellence for the Creative Arts is part of the Community Concert Series on October 8th. Featuring the exceptional Gabriela Montero, whose visionary interpretations and unique improvisational gifts have won her a quickly expanding audience and a devoted following around the world. Born in Caracas Venezuela, Gabriela gave her first public performance at the age of five. She performed at the inauguration for President Obama. In both recital and after performing a concerto, Gabriela often invites her audience to participate in asking for a melody for improvisations. They ask for themes from a Mozart Symphony to Star Wars. Gabriela says, “Because improvisation is such a huge part of who I am, it is the most natural and spontaneous way I can express myself. I have been improvising since my hands first touched the keyboard, but for many years I kept this aspect of my playing secret.”

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