Arts & Amusements, Aug. 2 edition

Sean Fitzgibbon's Narrative Art Drawing workshop will take place on Monday, Aug. 6 -- Friday, Aug. 10. The weeklong class is designed to give an overview of basic drawing and the narrative art medium. We will work in industry sizes and specs, covering a wide variety of narrative approaches from documentary to slice-of-life stories. Students will work in a variety of media as well. Set-ups, timing, props, choice of shot, and character development are all emphasized. For further information, email www.seanfitzgibbonart.com.

Eureka Springs' 2012 Annual Bluegrass festival will take place August 17 -- 19 in Basin Spring Park in downtown Eureka Springs. It begins with the traditional Watermelon Social at 5:30 p.m. with free watermelon and ice water for all and a performance from Tulsa-based string band Grass Crack, followed by the HillBenders.

On Saturday, free music will take place again in Basin Spring Park from 1:00 -- 7:00pm with Deadman Flats, Spring Street, the Buffalo City Ramblers, and a second set by Grass Crack.

This year's Saturday night headlining acts are both rising stars of the "NewGrass" movement. Florida-based Dread Clampitt's influences range from bluegrass, rock & roll, blues, jazz and Louisiana Bayou funk complete with three part harmonies and pinch of southern humor thrown in for good measure. Folk Soul Revival is a harmony drenched, rowdy, Americana band from the Appalachian Mountains. The performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at The Auditorium, located at 36 South Main Street. Reserved tickets are now on sale at www.theaud.org. Advance tickets are $20 for orchestra seatingand $15 for balcony seating. Tickets purchased online before August 1 can use the PromoCode: EurekaBluegrass and receive 15-percent off the order.

Free music in Basin Spring Park will continue on Sunday, Aug. 19 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Glory Mountain and The Bushwhackers will close out the weekend with traditional Gospel music.

For more information call 479-253-7333

Take a spiritual journey through art with Jody Stephenson's "Abstracting the Landscape" workshop on Monday, Aug. 13 - Friday, Aug. 17 at Eureka Springs School of the Arts. Learn how to construct an abstract painting featuring landscape elements, using mixed media techniques, and finishing with oil paints.

In addition," Hand Papermaking" with Leandra Spangler and "Glass Beadmaking" with Doug Powell workshops will be offered during the month of August. For more information and to register for these upcoming workshops go to ESSA's website at www.ESSA-art.org or call 479-253-5384.

"Intrigue Theater - An Illusionist & A Medium" had planned to shut down for the month of August to prepare for the fall season, but due to the strong response and the fantastic audiences this summer, Sean-Paul has decided to continue shows for the month of August.

Intrigue Theater performances will be Thursday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and will continue to take place at the Historic Gavioli chapel located at 80 Mountain St. on the historic loop. For more information, please go to www.intriguetheater.com or call 479-244-7028.

Writing workshops will begin Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow with "The Elements of Craft," a basic introduction to writing. It's the first planned course in the Community Writing Program, launched July 21 by Alison Taylor-Brown. It will be an all-day course, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. with an hour break for lunch.

Workshops have been broken into several categories and will be held at the Colony at 515 Spring Street in Eureka Springs. Fiction workshops will be taught by Taylor-Brown and Mike Hancock.

The poetry classes will be offered on Sunday afternoons from 2-5 p.m. at the Writers' Colony. Taylor-Brown hopes to have three established poets lead one workshop each.

Future workshops include children's literature, young adult, romance, mystery/thriller, fantasy/science fiction, travel writing, songwriting, screenplays and graphic novels.

For more information or to sign up for a workshop, contact Taylor-Brown via email at alison@writerscolony.org or call her at 479-970-0090.

There is a hootenanny every Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the 302 in the Grand View Hotel on the Berryville Square.

Ozarts is looking for musicians to perform in the Grand View Ballroom on Thursday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. This is a chance to play. No pay, but musicians may put up a tip jar and Ozarts will help you promote your event. Musicians are welcome to videotape their music and Ozarts will add original music videos to our website and YouTube to help you promote your band or act. Check it out at (870) 654-3952 or www.Ozarts.org.

Eureka Springs artists Carol Dickie and Betty Johnson, both of whom show at Eureka Thyme, have had paintings accepted into the 18th Annual Regional Art Exhibition at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale. The exhibit will be shown Aug. 2 -- 30. A special reception will be held Aug. 11, 1 -- 3 p.m. Carol is known for her landscape depictions in which she uses whatever it takes to get the effect she's after: watercolor, casein, acrylic, pastel and/or charcoal. Betty's dog portraits and sense of humor are her trademarks, as attested by her painting "BrunHildaPug" which will be shown at the Artists of Northwest Arkansas Show. See it and Carol's two paintings, "Stormy Day" and "The Last Stand," when you attend this well-respected show throughout the month of August.

The Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival kicks off on Friday, Aug. 17 in Basin Spring Park with the traditional Watermelon Social at 5:30 p.m. with free watermelon and performances from Tulsa-based string band Grass Crack followed by the HillBenders.

On Saturday, free music will take place again in Basin Spring Park from 1 to 7 p.m. with Deadman Flats, Spring Street, the Buffalo City Ramblers, and Grass Crack back for a return set.

This year's Saturday night headlining acts are both rising stars of the "NewGrass" movement, Dread Clampitt and Folk Soul Revival. The performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at The Auditorium. Reserved tickets are now on sale at www.theaud.org. Free music in Basin Spring Park continues on Sunday, Aug. 19 from 1 to 5 p.m. with Glory Mountain and The Bushwhackers performing traditional Gospel music.

The Holiday Island Art Guild is pleased to announce its 24th Annual Art Show and Sale to be held Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 31 -- Sept. 2 at the Barn on Holiday Island.

The judge this year will be Judy Maurer of Springdale, a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Artists of Northwest Arkansas and a member of the Plein Air Painters of the Ozarks.

Cash prizes will be awarded. Please contact Joan Hirnisey (479) 253-6285 or Barbara Robinson (479) 253-1839 or email robinson29@cox.net for an entry form or more information. Entries are due on Aug. 24 at The Barn on Holiday Island.

The Carroll County Library System now has eBooks and audiobooks available to download from your library's website. Library card holders can check out and download digital media anytime, anywhere by visiting berryvillelibrary.org or eurekalibrary.org. Click on Library2Go! to get started.

For help call the Eureka Springs (479) 253-8754 public library. This service is free for patrons with library card.

ARTifacts Gallery of American, Art Aug 1 - 31 presents a "Roomful of Roosters." Find collectable cocks during the month of August by gallery artists Denise Ryan, Bert Seabourn, Diana Smith, Jimmy Leach, Bill Garrison and Gloria Garrison. Open every day 10 - 5 and until 4 on Sunday 37 Spring Street, Upstairs, Eureka Springs. (479) 636-6660. See more at artifactseureka.com.

What: Blues Challenge, a competition sponsored by the Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas in affiliation with the International Blues Challenge presented each year by the Blues Foundation.

When: Thursday, September 13, 2012, 6 p.m. -11:30 p.m.

Where: Fayetteville, Arkansas at George's Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson Street.

Deadline: August 17.

Details and application can be obtained at www.ozarkbluessociety.org/Blues Challenge. Submissions can also be sent to: The Ozark Blues Society of NWA, P.O. Box 2004, Bentonville AR 72712. Questions may also be emailed to webmaster@ozarkbluessociety.org.

"The Civil War Came to Carroll County" is the topic for a series of programs the first four Thursdays in August as part of the observation of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. History books do not chronicle many of the small battles or skirmishes that were fought across the country from 1861-1865, yet almost every small town or village was touched by some aspect of the war.

Co-sponsored by Mary Jean Sell, June Westphal, Eureka Springs Carnegie Library and the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, the programs will be at 7 p.m. each week in the convention center at the Inn of the Ozarks on Highway 62 West/Van Buren near the intersection with the Historic Loop.

No admission will be charged, but donations will be accepted. Whatever is collected will be divided between the Eureka Springs Historical Museum and the library.

"In Dreadful Conflict: The Ozark Homefront During the Civil War" will be the topic for Susan Young, outreach coordinator of the Shiloh Museum of the Ozarks in Springdale, Aug. 2.

Glen Crenshaw of Eureka Springs will exhibit and talk about artifacts he has found and recovered from various southern battlefields on Aug. 9.

On Aug. 16, Gordon Hale of Berryville will tell stories of the occupation of Berryville by Union troops and the subsequent burning of the town by Confederate troops, the skirmishes at Yocum Creek and Osage Creek and other little known confrontations in Carroll County. He is president of the Carroll County Historical Society and a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Dr. Michael Hughes, former professor of United States history, art history and Native American Studies at East Central University in Ada, Okla., will talk about the importance of the battles of Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove on Aug. 23, to close the series.

The Fall Craft Show in Pine Mountain Village will be Nov. 3. It will be one of the main events for the Fall Festival sponsored by the CAPC and will be advertised along with the other events.

If you would like to rent a booth, contact Gayle Voiles at (479) 244-6907 or pick up an application at Village Gifts in Pine Mountain Village (next door to the Chamber of Commerce).

Visitors to Eureka Springs love to find gifts that are hand-crafted in the Ozarks. All crafts must be hand-crafted.