“Rooftop Terrace” , joined by vocalist performing at Jazz in the Garden Jan 2014
What a week it has been with back-to-back meetings every day, and I mean every single day. That, of course, will be my flimsy excuse for not having posted and especially for not having posted about this topic. Let me set the stage. Notwithstanding my husband’s belief that I am involved in way too many groups/projects, there are people who do even more than I do. Anyway, as I have posted before, I belong to the Homestead Center for the Arts (HCA), a group that works to promote the artistic and cultural “pockets” in and around Homestead that many people are unaware of. There are multiple affiliates within HCA ranging from artists, choirs, dancers, historians, orchid enthusiasts, and wood turners. One day, and there was wine involved (okay, it might have been beer), three of us were having lunch at the White Lion Café which has a lovely, large terrace area. “Wouldn’t something like a jazz session outside be nice?” was the crux of the conversation. From that, we spun off and within a few days, we had developed the idea for the Music Series (MuSe) that became a new committee within HCA.
The intent was/is to have 3 evening functions per year that feature different genres of music in an outdoor setting with the option of dinner. The Jazz in the Garden that we held January 9th was a hit and everyone had a good time. The 9th was a Thursday because we don’t want to compete with the many activities that tend to be held on the weekends and Thursday is one of those nights where people can say, “Sure, I’ll go out – I can get through Friday.” The focus for MuSe will be to concentrate on local musicians and even though we didn’t have time to make it happen for the first event, we want to especially find that young/unknown musician and allow him/her/them to play during the breaks to provide a platform for really new talent. The next event will be “April Blues” and we’re excited about how that will be. Check out Homestead Center for the Arts at http://www.homesteadcenterforthearts.com/
