Venturing to venues out here

My hectic pace, and progress, at times resembles Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining (1980).  Still, summers are fun time, right.  So, with that thought in mind – along with the lingering “All work and no play… all work and no play…” refrain bouncing about in the back of my brain, we made a silent pact to do more fun things this summer.   Forget that this leaves me down to the wire, pulling submissions and my thoughts into a rational whole. It had to be done, and we have successfully taken more time to venture out to venues. We are actively and enthusiastically enjoying all that summer 2018 can throw at us.

This leads me to Owl’s lead story, “The magic of the old: The promise of the new” by Mary Drake, which got me focused on venues and the importance of creating spaces for visual and performing artists, including musicians.  There are venues that are custom built for the arts, but most venues – especially those located outside of the oft cited cultural centers of cities – are, like the grange building in Drake’s article, primarily refurbished, and in some cases repurposed, buildings brought back to life for the arts.

I live out here to take in and enjoy the natural environment and the solitude that exists in rural places.  Right now there are birds nesting high up in our Norway spruce trees (we have yet to identify them), and listening and learning about the natural world is some of the best fun there is out here.  Listening as the wind blows gently through the valley, watching fireflies dart about or taking in a meteor shower are the types of activities that often occupy our “free” time.

Still, I am a huge fan of the “finer” things, the cultural pastimes often associated with cities.  One of my goals has been to find and promote the creative entertainments outside of cities, out here, where finding a parking space is easy and life moves at a less frantic pace.  Thus, our venturing out to venues has taken place, almost entirely, in the more remote, less populated towns, villages and hamlets of the Finger Lakes.

Excursions over the past month, or so, have included wine tasting with lunch and guitar accompaniment (at the Thirsty Owl in Ovid, – more on that soon), adult puppet theatre and an accompanying gallery exhibit in Penn Yan, a poetry read in Dansville, live theatre in Naples, live music in Honeoye (at the Gazebo and at Mill Creek Café).  Live music in Lima – awesome blues at Fanatics – and live Americana in Hemlock, NY.  We enjoyed art in Canandaigua –where we listened to a talk by sculptor and furniture artist, Scott Grove, and explored an exhibit of lake-related art by various local artists.  We also recently went sailing on Lake Ontario.

All of these things – with the exception of the sailing, which requires a friend with a sailboat – require host venues.  These various places are brought to life by committed people, most of who are artists willing to create and maintain spaces for sharing the arts with others.  After reading Mary Drake’s article, I thought a bit more about these various spaces (and many, many more) that are art spaces, community spaces for entertainment and education.  As I mentioned previously, many of these spaces are refurbished older buildings, and that is the focus for this issue.  There truly is magic in these places and spaces.  The life and art of those who came before lingers in the shadows, offering inspiration to the artists who step forward to take their places.

There are many newer venues that are exciting and interesting places to be.  I especially love art galleries, and am more likely to go city-way for this type of art than any other.  Still, there are so many excellent artists everywhere, and art trails and rurally located galleries provide ample adventures.  I have yet to take full advantage of many of the local galleries, and hope to build more art exhibitions into my fall schedule – along with visits to topical museums (such as the Antique Wireless Museum in Bloomfield, NY).

One venue that we knew was here, but had not had the opportunity to take in was Fanatics Pub in Lima.  We are both fans of the blues and had heard that blues was their thing.  This venue is not as old as some, and it does not have the history of having been a stage, but the efforts of Jim Shelly (and I am sure many behind the scenes contributors) reflects the type of dedication that it takes to make art out here stand out.  My most recent large concert was Tom Petty at CMAC.  Petty is gone, and having the opportunity to see him a second and final time was awesome, but I prefer smaller musical venues for top musicians.  That is what Fanatics provides.   During our first and second shows there (both this past week), we saw John Németh (American electric blues and soul harmonicist, singer, and songwriter) with his band the Blue Dreamers and pianist Bruce Katz and his accompanying band members.   While there, Katz also welcomed up on stage (in downtown Lima) Rochester area blues guitarist Joe Beard and pianist Ann Philippone – who played with Beard from 1996-2006.

I mention this because it was memorable, and because I do believe that there is a vibrant arts community in the smaller places across the Finger Lakes region via these smaller venues.  Going to city venues, be they NYC, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse or smaller cultural city centers dotting the Finger Lakes, is certainly one way to get your cultural fix, but I love the idea of finding art wherever I am.

I recall a trip last year to Brattleboro, Vermont  – a vibrant small community of 12,000.  We attended a literary festival (an incredible selection of authors – this year Oct. 11-14th) and then ended up listening to some great music at a new venue that had just opened in a stone church – known simply as The Stone Church.   Moments earlier, we were thrown apples out of the back of a apple-filled pick up, by people sitting on top of this mountain of fruit, after sampling craft beer at two locations and visiting several bookstores.  Like our area, it is a region of the country with a farm to table focus that rejoices in the creative people and the eclectic venues that host them.  These places are out there and all around us – all we need do is find and support them.

D.E. Bentley, Editor, Owl Light News