Card making and Valentine crafts for all ages will be provided at the free event. A suggested donation of $5 will be accepted with proceeds shared with the Buddy Kemp Caring House in Charlotte.
The Valentine's event is just one of the activities on CAP's upcoming schedule. Other events include a Summer Camp Crawl and a Taste of Art. Summer Camp Crawl will be held Saturday, March 3, from 9 a.m. to noon. CAP is offering an exciting lineup of summer art camps for children ages 4-12, with more than 40 different themes. Tweens and teens between the ages of 10 and 16 can choose from art and ceramic ventures. The free event includes drop-in art featuring projects from the camps, hands-on demonstrations, ceramic demonstrations and "meet the instructors" gatherings with question and answer sessions. This is an opportunity to check out and register for summer camps and take advantage of early bird and "multiple madness" discounts.
The fifth annual "Taste of Art" fundraising party and art auction to benefit CAP will be hosted at The Fresh Market, 20623 Torrence Chapel Road in Cornelius, on Thursday, March 22, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The casual evening full of art, food and fun will feature a silent auction and raffle and will include art and other interesting items. Hors d'oeuvres and wine-tastings will be provided. Tickets cost $30 each and can be purchased by calling 704-896-8823.
For more details about future events and general information about The Community Arts Project visit www.thecommunityartsproject.org.
Church house blues at Lake Forest
Hope in a House of Blues, a Lake Forest Church tradition, will kick off Sunday, Jan. 29, at the church's Huntersville and Davidson locations. The four-week sermon series addressing hurt, hate, hope and healing with an inspiring, blues-based musical backdrop will continue each Sunday through Feb. 19.
Critically acclaimed musician and vocalist Mike Farris will be featured the first week of the series at the Huntersville campus at 8519 Gilead Road. Recipient of the Americana Music Association's New & Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2008 and winner of the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for Best Traditional Gospel Album of the Year"in 2010, Farris' vocals are a celebrated highlight of the Hope in a House of Blues series.
Kyle Dillard, LFC's worship arts director, says adding Farris to this year's program is a plus for the church and the community. "We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent join us to kick off Hope in a House of Blues," Dillard says.
Best-selling author Donald Miller will lead Davidson services at Davidson Elementary School, 635 South St. Miller's bestseller, Blue Like Jazz, tells the story of his experience at Reed College, voted at that time as "the most godless campus in the country." Since then, Miller has written other best sellers, including Searching for God Knows What and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, the story of his writing of the screenplay for the Blue Like Jazz movie.
During the second week of the series in Huntersville, on Sunday, Feb. 5, Larry McCray will be the featured guest. McCray's blues-rock guitar and warm, soulful vocals have drawn attention worldwide. In 2000, he was honored as the Orville Gibson Male Blues Guitarist of the Year and has opened shows for legends such as Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel and Buddy Guy. Billboard magazine has hailed McCray as "a deep-voiced player with strong original tunes."
The month of special activities will actually begin on Saturday, Jan. 28, with a concert by Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue, featuring the McCrary Sisters, at the Huntersville campus. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Miller will speak during the intermission. General admission tickets cost $12 in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased at http://mikefarris.eventbrite.com.
Overall, Lake Forest representatives view this year's program as a rejuvenation and celebration of the church.
Started in 1998 by the Rev. Mike Moses, LFC has grown to a weekly attendance of 1,500. Since its beginning, LFC has been known for reaching "people who've given up on church, but not on God." Sunday worship times in Huntersville are 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Worship times in Davidson are 9:30 and 11 a.m.
Warehouse PAC is 'On The Verge'
An unusual adventure of enlightenment, awakening and discovery will come to life later this month at The Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius. On The Verge will debut Thursday, Jan. 26, at The Warehouse, 9216-A Westmoreland Road in Cornelius.
The imaginative, comedic play, with the subtitle "The Geography of Learning," will be presented Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for two weekends through Feb. 4 at 8 each evening. One Sunday matinee, on Jan. 29, will begin at 2 p.m.
In On The Verge, three Victorian-era women explorers set out on an adventure that takes them to darkest Africa, highest Himalaya and into Terra Incognita, an unknown place and time into their future (but the audience's recent past).
The sister sojourners, each a prototypical Victorian equipped with dialog as pithy as their helmets, thwack their machetes through the wilderness, telling tales and meeting lovable eccentrics. Their journey meanders through a forest of artifacts from the future only to discover that they are on the verge of something, but what exactly that is remains a mystery.
The play, by Hollywood writer Eric Overmyer, features Donna Scott, Tonya Bludsworth, Chandler McIntyre and Mark Scarboro. Directed by Jim Gloster, the play is produced in conjunction with the award-winning Donna Scott Productions.
Tickets cost $20 each with group, senior and student discounts available. For ticket information and reservations, send e-mails to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call The Warehouse box office at 704-619-0429.
In addition to the upcoming play, The Warehouse has several ongoing programs for budding writers and actors in the region. "Writing the 10-minute Play" and "Truth In Acting" are just two of the programs currently offered at the facility.
For more information, visit www.warehousepac.com.
Mental illness coping at Grace Covenant
Mental illness impacts the lives of at least one in four adults, and one in 10 children, and in some way effects the lives of approximately 60 million Americans.
The goal of the National Alliance for Mental Illness is to provide support for individuals and families struggling with the day-to-day issues and obstacles generated by mental illness, and a class that begins next week in Cornelius will provide local access to the valuable assistance many families need.
"Family to Family" is the name of the 12-week class that begins Monday, Jan. 23, at Grace Covenant Church, 17301 Statesville Road in Cornelius. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m and continue until 9 p.m.
David Spann, clinical director of The Right Choice and president of NAMI-Charlotte, is coordinating the local class. The class is provided free of charge and refreshments will be provided. Those interested in learning more about the program and reserving a spot in the class should contact Spann at 704-778-2773.
NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. According to Spann, there are more than 165,000 individuals in Mecklenburg County struggling with mental illness and, because of societal stigmas and lack of information, many local families coping with the fallout from mental illness are doing so in silence.
The class and other NAMI programs are designed to provide information and access to assistance while also providing individuals and families with support and introducing them to a network of neighbors facing similar circumstances.
Details about the overall class schedule will be provided at the first session and more information about the organization can be found at www.NAMI.org.
