HEARTWOOD CELEBRATION CONTINUES TONIGHT

(12/11/2004)
Heartwood in the Hills will open its doors tonight for a final performance of their 12th annual December Celebration.

Guest Artist Storyteller Ilene Evans will join the line-up for the evening's festivities. There will be dances, drumming and theatre performances.

The program begins at 7 p.m.

This popular community event showcases the work of students and faculty of Heartwood's Fall Program, and includes a line-up of entertainment guaranteed to produce smiles and laughter for children and adults of all ages.

The program is not recommended for children two years of age and younger.

This year's December Celebration will also feature the artwork of Gideon Kendall and his 1995 Heartwood art students in a production by the Acting Class of "Ears, Eyes, Legs, Arms" a musical romp written and directed by Heartwood Artistic Director Jude Binder.

Kendall is an illustrator and animator for Cartoon Network whose work can currently be seen in the cartoons Kids Next Door and Pepper Ann. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife Julie Peppito, a Heartwood resident teacher who created The Sunbird for the Wood Festival in 2001. Her artwork will also be featured as a backdrop for the Celebration.

The Heartwood Turtle Mask was designed and created by Artist-Illustrator Gideon Kendall for the 1989 Heartwood production Goldie's Dream which was presented to school children of Calhoun County that year.

Kendall is a former Heartwood student and faculty member. He attended Brooksville Elementary School and the old Calhoun County High School. The popular Heartwood Turtle will make an appearance both evenings of the Celebration and on Saturday evening he will present certificates and prizes to Heartwood's young students.

Guests of the December Celebration will be greeted by Welcome Masks worn by Heartwood students.

There will also be an exhibit in the main building of many of the beautiful masks made by students of this program and previous programs as well as an exhibit of the artwork of the young students of the Fall Program.

The Acting Class will also perform Who's On First? by Harry Giles, which was made famous when performed by Abbott and Costello. It has been arranged by Jude Binder for ensemble performance.

Heartwood's Dance Teams will perform and a Percussion Discussion featuring Michael Franek and the students of his Fall Percussion Class will be presented.

The December Celebration is a fund-raiser for Heartwood. There is no admission charge, however, donations will be gratefully accepted at the door.

Friday night two prizes will be raffled off including an afghan and a free legal will from Venezia Law Offices.

Saturday night there will be a raffle of a Brinkmann ProSeries 2500 Heavy Duty Gas Grill and Smoker. Raffle tickets may be purchased until show time. Also on Friday and Saturday, Heartwood will be selling home-made, frozen egg rolls, made by Heartwood's Board of Directors and volunteers. The egg rolls are sold in bags of 12 for $10.

Money raised at the December Celebration helps to pay expenses to operate Heartwood, which is a non-profit school for the arts.

For more information about the December Celebration or for directions to Heartwood please call 354-7874 or visit Heartwood's website at www.heartwoodinthehills.com