CARTHAGE, Mo. — The annual membership show for artCentral opens Friday, with the exhibit to be displayed on both levels of the Hyde Gallery, 1110 E. 13th St.
New work by member artists will be on display through July 5. The traditional, opening-night barbecue features grilled brats this year, catered by Cloud’s Meats. Members, guests and visitors are invited to the free barbecue, and are encouraged to provide their favorite desserts to share.
Dinner begins at 6 p.m. Sally Armstrong, artCentral director, said guests should wear casual dress as the food will be served outside under tents. Musicians are asked to provide their instruments to add some entertainment.
Lil Olive, owner of the Good Girl Gallery in the downtown arts district of Springfield, is the judge for the show. She will select first-, second- and third-place awards to be announced at the opening.
McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital is underwriting the exhibit, as well as sponsoring an Underwriter’s Award. The winner will be chosen by Beth Simmons, director of the McCune-Brooks Health Foundation.
Artist members may enter their work by taking it to the gallery between noon and 5 p.m. today and Tuesday.
A word to the wise: I’ll be bringing my husband’s favorite chocolate cake (with chocolate icing). It has received rave reviews in the past. No modesty here. The recipe, incidentally, is in the artCentral cookbook, “Palettes and Palates,” which is available for purchase in the gallery.
Lake paddling
Kellogg Lake will be the scene on Wednesday for “Introduction to Canoeing” classes given by the Missouri Department of Conservation. It must be a popular activity; as of week’s end, there was only one open spot left.
The department’s Amy Juhala said people can be added to a waiting list in case there are cancellations. Jean Mayer, outdoor skills specialist for this region, will instruct with Juhala’s assistance.
Eight canoes, with two students per canoe, will be launched at the fishing jetty in two class sessions, one at 5:30 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. It could be fun just watching these initiates get their paddles (or something else) wet.
Reunion
A rededication ceremony for the Precious Moments Chapel, scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, is part of a collectors’ reunion that runs from Wednesday through Sunday. Aubrey Bradley, administrative marketing assistant for the Precious Moments Supporting Foundation, said the chapel initially was dedicated June 18, 1989.
She said collector event activities are limited to the 700 Precious Moments collectors who have pre-registered, but the grounds and chapel remain open to the public. Events begin with a golf tournament Wednesday and end with a service, “To God Be the Glory,” on Sunday.
Wendi Douglas, Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau director, said that Sam Butcher, creator of the Precious Moments images, will be painting in the chapel at various times during the collectors’ event.
Another Precious Moments event that is sure to attract a crowd is slated for June 24, when the National Vintage Car Rally will stop at the complex for lunch and a rest period.
“This is a totally free event,” Douglas said.
All of the cars were manufactured between 1916 and 1949. The vintage-car group will be based in Springfield for a week, making rally runs to towns in Southwest Missouri. The cars will be at Precious Moments between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p. m.
Douglas said that in keeping with rally rules, the route into town is a “surprise,” but she hopes participants will take the opportunity to see the square and some of Carthage’s historic homes while they are here.
