Reaching for the Arts

Today in Long Reach Village Center: ARTreach. I can't think of a better way to spend part of the first official day of Summer vacation. It's a free community arts festival. Here's a schedule of events. This article in the Sun will tell you more.

Back during the revitalization process in Oakland Mills, the idea of becoming a hub for the arts was on the top of many people's lists. For a variety of reasons, those ideas did not turn into reality here. It's both exciting and bittersweet to me to see them pop up again at Long Reach, as the community seeks to reimagine their Village Center.

I love this quote from the ARTreach page:

The arts are vital to building positive, thriving places to live, work, and play. Help us engage the community and re-imagine Long Reach—the village with a heart—by infusing its center with visual, literary, and performing arts!

You will have the opportunity to take a moment to enjoy the work of chainsaw artist Evelyn Mogren--she's from Oakland Mills. I'm lucky that I get to see her art every day as I drive by her house on my street. Local favorite Damon Forman will be making music. There will be puppets, bubbles, stilt walkers, and hands-on activities.

ARTreach begins at eleven am and runs until four pm. This is going to be a great day to bring joy and activity to a beleaguered space--come be a part of that.

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