Thoughts from the Dirty City

The following is a compilation of random crap from random sources. Some true, some partially true, some totally made up, all totally useless (unless you count giving me something to do to avoid working on my budget).

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7:00 PM  -  10:00 PM
Akron Storytelling Festival Concert
Contact: History & Humanities   330-643-9040   hhdiv@akronlibrary.org

Syd Lieberman – Eavesdropping on Life Syd’s hilarious take on growing up and raising a family in Chicago, and his signature renderings of the wit and wisdom of Jewish folk tales. Who knows? He may even croon some show tunes.

Dolores Hydock – True GritsTurnip greens, diet detours, the recipe for Scripture Cake, and an old-timey cure for hiccups – they’re all part of this funny and touching collection of stories about a Yankee transplanted to the red clay of Alabama. Award-winning actress and storyteller Dolores Hydock brings the spirit and voices of special friends to life in these stories of food fiascos, Southern hospitality, and strong mountain women.

Hannah Wynne – A rising star in storytelling, Hanna was awarded the title National High School Torchbearer at the National Youth Storytelling Showcase in 2007. She will share a fun personal story about her love for Dr. Seuss and a coming of age story about her first encounter with shaving.

Meet the storytellers in the atrium after the concert.

FREE admission

FREE parking

Location: Main Library-Auditorium

Music in the Valley
Saturday & Sunday July 12 & 13, 2008
33rd Annual Music in the Valley Folk Festival

This festival spotlights acoustic folk music played in informal jam sessions by local musicians of all ages. The historic grounds of Hale Farm & Village ring with the sounds of guitar, banjo, fiddle and hammered dulcimer. Come and sing and dance your cares away! Presented in partnership with Folknet, the Northeast Ohio Folk & Traditional Music & Dance Society.

Visit the Site

July 3 – 19

ALICE…
Directed by Matthew Earnest

Take a fall with ALICE… down the rabbit hole into a wildly experimental feast for the senses. Matthew Earnest returns to direct this modern adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic adventure.  Audiences, young and old, will venture into a fantastical, psychedelic journey into Wonderland.  A piece of pure theatre that is full of truth, fun, and possibly some shock as Earnest adds his inventive and fresh mark on this childhood favorite.

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Come Alive with Jazz series
Date of Event: 7/16/2008
Time of Event: 6 – 9 p.m.
Come enjoy the Dan Wilson Jr. Jazz Band. Bring a lawn chair and sit and relax as you listen to cool jazz in one of the hottest spots in the zoo, the Lehner Family Zoo Gardens. Refreshments and appetizers available for purchase.

Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 8pm
Blossom Music Center

Carmina Burana

Orff: Carmina Burana
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor
Tchaikovsky: “1812″ Overture

Fireworks follow the concert, weather permitting.

Like most Americans I have gotten myself completely absorbed into the pseudo lives of strangers, also known as “reality television”. I freely admit that I was a total freak about Project Runway. I say was because the fate of my beloved show hangs in the balance. In case you live on Mars or have a life, Project Runway has been bought out by Lifetime Network for Women. I think there might be one season left on Bravo before the show is completely removed from the context that made it great, but in my heart it died the day I heard.

I only bring up Project Runway because I think it was one of the first in a series of reality shows (many will argue that Tyra did it first with the model thing, but that is neither here nor there and I refuse to let this blog become about bad wigs and eating disorders) that focused on a competition between creative types. It has since blossomed into shows about chefs, hairdressers, and even dog grooming. So I knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

I heard about the open call for the new MTV show, something about digital something. I visited the site, here is what I found:

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Gandhi said “the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not for
everyone¹s greed”

What, you thought I was going to make some kind of joke or something?

On this day I will be celebrating my twenty-faux-th birthday!