Arts Council 20th Anniversary Celebration Highlights December 2nd
The 2nd Friday Downtown Wander and Wonder Walk continues in December with a special holiday line-up of events, activities, food, and shopping. The focal point of the December edition of the increasingly popular monthly festival is the celebration of the Batesville Area Arts Council’s 20th Anniversary. The organization was formed in 1988. The objective was to provide a unified voice for several community art organizations. In 1998, the BAAC on Main Street Art Gallery was opened at 246 E. Main Street to provide a venue for visual artists in the community. The anniversary celebration will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. in the gallery and will include a silent auction of Batesville Keepsake Boxes created by well-known local personalities including Wallie and Peggy Roettger, photographer Ross Jones, and Cliff Jones, UACCB Vice-Chancellor of Academics. Holiday gift items created by local artists will be available for purchase. The celebration will also feature refreshments and live music.
The UACCB Ensemble will perform in the Pocket Park at 6:00 p.m. The group consists of UACCB employees and their spouses. It includes Tim and Marla Bennett, Penny Briley, Emily Byrne, Lisa Crandall, and Keith and Nina Provence. The group performs both sacred and secular music. They have performed at UACCB Renaissance Days, graduation, talent show, and Christmas concert. The choir from the First United Methodist Church in Melbourne will also be performing following the UACCB group. Other musicians, including Randy and Stephanie Wade at Randy’s Music, will be performing at various locations. Main Street Batesville will be selling chili and drinks at the Pocket Park.
January Falls, an acoustic duo, will be performing at the Healing Grounds Gallery, 363 E. Main. The group performs both originals and covers of pop and folk favorites. Photographs by owner Deb Dalwrymple are also on display at Healing Grounds. Elizabeth’s restaurant will be closed to the public that evening, but The Cinnamon Stick, located in Judith Lee’s Antiques and Heirlooms at 151 W. Main, will also be open with its impressive array of sandwiches and desserts. The Cinnamon Stick and Healing Grounds are the newest additions to the growing line-up of eclectic downtown businesses.
MorningSide CoffeeHouse will host a screening of The Batesville Difference at 8:30 p.m. The recently-completed, 30-minute industrial recruitment documentary, produced and written by Bob Pest, makes the case for Batesville as an attractive location for high-tech, knowledge-based businesses and industries. It showcases the FutureFuel Chemical Company, Bad Boy Mowers, LaCroix Optical, and the UACCB Aviation Maintenance program. The title refers to the film’s recurring message that the quality, integrity, and strong values of the Batesville workforce are the community’s greatest asset. Pest will be available to answer questions after the screening.
Main Street Batesville executive director Paula Grimes urges local citizens to do their holiday shopping downtown, “Supporting local merchants is the best way to strengthen the local economy. Come take advantage of the fun, the festive atmosphere, and great shopping values.
