Fun A Day Artists Returning to Montgomery County

The Lansdale Fun A Day will make its second-annual appearance Friday, celebrating accessibility to the arts and the local artists that make them.

The Fun A Day challenges artists to create art every single day throughout the month of January. The challenge was started over a decade ago in Philadelphia by a group of artists who became known as the Artclash Collective. According to artclash.com, the Fun A Day challenge comes to a head in an annual inclusive and participatory public exhibition sometime in February. The event highlights the results from the challenge. The exhibition is meant to be fun and accessible to both appreciators of art and the artists themselves. While the Philadelphia-based Fun A Day event is slated for the weekend of Feb. 15, residents and artists in the Montgomery County suburbs will have their chance to see local art early at the Lansdale-based Fun A Day …

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PJPII Does it Again with the Rhapsodies' "The Magic of Music"

Kelly Thunstrom, local book and theater reviewer, attended opening night of Pope John Paul II High School's "The Magic of Music."

I had the pleasure of attending opening night of Pope John Paul II High School's "The Magic of Music." This is the third musical-type performance I've attended there, and may I dare say that the arts program is almost second to none. Featuring over 70 students in the cast and crew, directed by Mrs. Marusia Griffin Lynn and musical director Mrs. Eleanor Griffin, and helped by a whole team of assistants and parents, "The Magic of Music" is an awesome effort. Rehearsals have been ongoing since late summer, so you know you'll be in for a treat. The performers, otherwise known as The Rhapsodies,  do not just stand around and sing the whole time; there is choreography for almost every song (also done by Mrs. Lynn), with constant rotations around…

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Local Halloween Show Resurrects for Sixth-Straight Year

"The Graveyard Smash" is a free concert and promotion by West Point resident and promoter Derek Calhoun of Lansdale Local Productions

There's another maelstrom about to blow into town, and it's not Sandra. "The Graveyard Smash" returns to Lansdale for the sixth year tonight, complete with some familiar names and some odd debuts. This year's show is in the upstairs ballroom of Third and Walnut Lounge. The event is promoted by Lansdale Local. You must be 21 or older to enter — and there's no smoking. And it's free Check out more at its public Facebook event listing. The night of mayhem and drunken-costumed debauchery begins with Allentown punks The American Myth at 7 p.m. Touring Detroit punk The Handme Downs follows at 7:30 p.m. Local favorite Friends With Murder bring their depraved "Lansdale thunderstomp" to Third and Walnut at 8 p.m. If you love pro wrestling entrance …

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Gallery: Against The Grain, Griswolds Rock $7 Show

Detroit speed rock band Against the Grain were joined by local bands Rough Justice, Clashing Plaid and Big Big Ammo Wednesday night in Lansdale

It's unusual to have a show on a Wednesday night in Lansdale, but it didn't stop the punk, speed rock and all around rock and roll fans from coming out to Third and Walnut Bar for a $7 show. Headliners Against the Grain, a Detroit, MI speed rock band, were joined by The Griswolds, Rough Justice, Clashing Plaid and Big Big Ammo. Check out the photo gallery for moments from Wednesday's concert and be sure to add your own.

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Arts and Antiques with Dr. Lori

A Potpourri of 20th Century Antique Facts

Bakelite to Mickey Mouse Gas Masks, Dr. Lori explores some weird and interesting 20th-century collectible wonders

Since I appraise all types of antiques, I provide a variety of information about a wide array of objects. I try to dispel the myths that are notorious in my field. Here, I’ll share some antiques information from diverse areas of the collecting field. Did you know these facts about art, antiques, and collectibles from the 1900s? In the early years of the 1900s, gathering in the parlor around the hearth was a longstanding tradition in many American homes. This cultural phenomenon inspired the architectural designs of the famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright who reminded us to focus on family and the fireplace. Many of Wright’s famous buildings were focused on a design element centering on the hearth. In fact, this idea dating back to the …

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Experience Culture and Arts on Bank of America's Tab

Bank of America and Merrill Lynch customers will receive free admission to select museums this weekend.

Bank of America's Museums on Us program gives free access more than 150 participating museums nationwide to its customers on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month. This weekend, you can check out Philadelphia Museum of Art, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts, African American Museum in Philadelphia, and Allentown Art Museum. You'll need a photo ID and a valid Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card to receive free admission. One free general admission ticket per cardholder. Check the days and hours of operation for your chosen museum. Beyond this weekend, upcoming Museum on Us weekends include Sept. 1-2 and Oct. 6-7. For a more information about Museums on Us, and complete list…

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Bye, Bye, Birdie at SFHS

Kelly Thunstrom, local arts reviewer, attended opening night of Bye, Bye, Birdie at Spring-Ford High School.

Attending a performance of Spring-Ford High School’s Bye Bye Birdie was like taking a step back in time.  This Tony Award winning musical, set in 1958, opened on Broadway in 1960.  With music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, and book by Michael Stewart, Bye Bye Birdie remains a favorite for high school and college theater groups to perform.  The reason is simple.  It harkens back to the innocent days of malt shops, screaming teenage girls, and Elvis. Bye Bye Birdie is one of those musicals that you’ve heard of, but you may not have ever seen it performed.  However, many iconic songs in the theater world come from it…”How Lovely to Be a Woman”, “Baby, Talk to Me”, “Kids”, and of course, “Put on a Happy Face.”  It’s always nice to …

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Where Art Plays Its Part - Outro.

In the end, art is always playing its part, as long as it is tucked into our lives.

In late October, what would eventually be a 15-week series giving attention to the talent of local people began, wrapped around their creativity and the reflections they offered about their love of pursuing art. Local artists spoke of their passions, inspirations and the meaning behind it all, for them, as not just painters and photographers but writers, musicians and performers of the penned word, beyond just on paper. The art of assemblage made an appearance, too, by the end-- showing how art can be brought to life through ordinary "found" objects, with smiles boasting through the building of it all. The heart-stirred artist in each person I interviewed led to so many angles of realizing how special even something so simple as looking at…

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Where Art Plays Its Part: Volume XV: All-Around Artist Bob Hakun

Bob Hakun is a great example of an artist who doesn't leave his talent confined to only one area.

Since his earliest days, Bob Hakun found himself thriving in art class, enjoying an unparalleled sense of accomplishment in the opportunity to be creative and productive all at the same time. “When the assignment was given, some children really panicked and said they couldn’t do it, but I always looked forward to anything that was assigned—creating or drawing something,” Hakun said. Hakun attended North Coventry Elementary School, where he had his first introduction to art in a classroom setting. Years later, he would graduate from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. Drawing and fiddling around with clay kept Hakun plenty busy in his childhood. By high school, he delved into oil paintings. By college, …

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Where Art Plays Its Part: Volume XIII: Railroad Writer David Messer

Having been drawn to trains throughout his life, David Messer has been writing about railroads since leaving the pharmaceutical industry.

David Messer of Royersford spent his working years in the pharmaceutical industry but delved back into his passion for railroads when he began writing about train routes for Barnard, Roberts & Company, Inc. in 1998. “When I was six-years-old, my family moved to Wethersfield, a suburb of Hartford, Connecticut,” Messer said. “The New Haven Railroad had a rail line about two blocks away from our house.” Back then in 1944 with him being so young, Messer’s parents wouldn’t allow him to run down to the train tracks. “At that time, there were still steam engines on the line, sending out clouds of smoke and soot,” he said. “My mother was very upset because she had her laundry up on the wash line.” By the time he earned the age-status to go down to…

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