Hamilton, who has worked at the SRAC for seven years, including the past four as Executive Director, will be Drury’s new Director of Arts Administration beginning in August 2013. She will replace Kay Osborne, who is retiring.

Under Hamilton’s leadership, the SRAC has stabilized its funding, expanded its programming and facilities at The Creamery Arts Center, co-chaired the Arts & Culture plan element of the City of Springfield’s Field Guide 2030 strategic plan, increased the SRAC’s membership, developed a stronger working partnership between the SRAC and Springfield-Greene County Parks, and instituted new programs for corporate development and professional training for SRAC’S artist members. She also was honored this spring with the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Spotlight Award for helping to secure 60 percent of the hotel/motel tax revenue that the American National Fish & Wildlife Museum voluntarily relinquished to be used for cultural capital projects.

A Springfield native and Kickapoo High School graduate, Hamilton received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a postgraduate diploma in music from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She is an accomplished singer who performs with the Kansas City-based Octarium choral music group and has appeared in a number of Springfield productions for Springfield Regional Opera Lyric Theatre, Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield Contemporary Theatre, and the Springfield Symphony.

“My time at the SRAC has been immensely rewarding and I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had as a young leader in this community as well as the many mentors who have supported my efforts,” Hamilton said.

The Drury Arts Administration program offers students an interdisciplinary education focused around themes important to the arts; it is jointly administered with the Art & Art History, Music, Theatre, and English departments. Hamilton has been serving as an adjunct lecturer at Drury since 2012. Through her contacts with Drury and SRAC, arts administration students have gained internship opportunities with the SRAC and other community arts programs, giving them the real-world experience necessary to move forward professionally.  “We are thrilled to welcome Leah to Drury in this more permanent position,” commented Charles Taylor, vice president for Academic Affairs.   “Her combination of academic and professional experience, as well as her immense credibility in Springfield and the Ozarks, will serve our students well as they integrate liberal and professional learning and will serve Drury well as we strengthen our fundamental commitment to serving the Ozarks.”

“While we will sorely miss working with Leah on a day-to-day basis, the Arts Council looks forward to the potential of collaborating with Drury’s Arts Administration program to expand professional development opportunities for young talent through her new position,” SRAC Board President Pam RuBert said. “In the big picture, formative collaborations such as this will greatly strengthen the arts in Springfield and throughout our 27-county search area.”

The process for selecting Hamilton’s successor will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Springfield Regional Arts Council was formed in 1978 as an organization to serve and represent community arts organizations; its mission is to transform lives and enrich our community through the arts.

Mary Collette with State Rep. Charlie Norr

Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation held its annual award ceremony in the Rotunda at the State Capital on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Mary Collette, of Springfield, was awarded the 2013 McReynolds Award.  This award is among the most prestigious state historic preservation awards given annually to individuals or groups who have made significant achievements in the field or are in the midst of a long-term preservation project.

Collette’s long term preservation efforts include restoring such venerable buldings as Evans Drugstore, Platte Hardware, Tackle Box, Addison’s Bookstore, Firehouse #2 and, as a founding member of Preservation Springfield, she spearheaded The Jefferson House Restoration. She was also responsible for saving the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge from demolition and helped raise the $750,000 for its 8-year restoration. Collette also initiated Commercial Street Historic District’s Streetscape Program and was instrumental in the formation of both the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) and CID (Community Improvement District) designations for Historic Commercial Street during her 8 years on Springfield’s City Council.

Collette was honored for her efforts over the past 30 years which “have resulted in the successful revitalization of the Commercial Street Historic District, much of which can be directly attributed to the efforts of Ms. Collette,” as stated in the Awards Program. She received the McReynolds award as well as resolutions on the floor of both the State Senate and House of Representatives recognizing her efforts which were presented by State Representative Charlie Norr at the award ceremony.

She has been instrumental in raising her voice to prevent demolition, revise city ordinances, use strategic planning processes and supporting incentives to support private investment. The combination of local public/private partnerships, comprehensive planning and individual preservation projects that Collette has been active in over the past 30 years made her a natural selection for the McReynolds Award.

Additional award winners and information can be found on the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation website.

May 31st – The Dropouts w/ Thirst N Howl (6pm to 10pm w/ Missouri Harley Owners Group “H.O.G.” Rally)

June 7th – Speakeasy

June 14th – Sequel Dose

June 21st –  Jake Wesley Rogers

June 28th – Delta Sol Revival

Wednesday Noon in Founders Park will kick off the 2013 season with a performance from local performer, Bill Haller, on Wednesday May 8th at 12:15pm.  Wednesday Noon in Founders Park is a series of free lunch-time concerts and shows running from May 8-June 26, 2013.  Shows are for all ages and run from 12:15 to 12:45pm each Wednesday. Patrons are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and lawn chair.

• May 8 - Bill Haller
• May 15 – Eddie Gumucio
• May 22 – The Prospex
• May 29- Springfield Ballet
• June 5- Joni Lemons
• June 12- Little Hoover Big Band
• June 19- Sarah M. Smith
• June 26- Roots & Fifths

Wednesday Noon in Founders Park is presented by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Downtown Springfield Community Improvement District, the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and the Urban Districts Alliance.

Founders Park is located at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Water Street.  For more information call 417-831-6200 or visit http://www.springfieldmo.gov/founders/.

Media Contact:
Donnie Rodgers
Community Development Coordinator
Urban Districts Alliance
417.831.6200

Springfield, MO

Decades’ Vintage Car Show celebrates Commercial Club’s 13th Season Market Opener Celebration by filling two blocks with Vintage automobiles from 10am to 2pm. Prizes in 4 categories will be awarded: Restored Classics, Hot Rods (Muscle Cars,) Rat Rods and Motorcycles will all be eligible for $500 Best in Show Award or $75 for Best in Class. It is not too late to register for Decades Vintage Car Show at www.DecadesEvents.com.
Children will enjoy inflatables provided by The Table on C-Street. 

The Opening Celebration & Decades Vintage Car Show is a free, family-friendly event.

The Market Co-op continues to be a popular alternative for vendors seeking a second location or simply neighbors who grow too many tomatoes or zucchinis. Items are sold for a 25% commission or by working a 2-hour slot and keeping all proceeds from homemade/handmade items. Following the Season Opener, the C-Street Market will run from 7:30 am to 1pm every Saturday, rain or shine. The C-Street Market will continue to present local singers and songwriters, playing “unplugged” from 10am to 12pm.

All Market Vendors, either Seasonal, Weekly, Co-op or Monthly, are encouraged to call the C-Street Market Master, Elonzo King, at 417-496-1968 or visit itsalldowntown.com/cstreetmarket for an application. All categories of vendors are still being accepted.

About the Commercial Club of Springfield

Commercial Club is Springfield’s oldest civic organization, serving to nurture social, cultural and artistic activities and to continue sponsoring the exciting array of events and functions that define our unique, exciting Commercial Street Historic District.

Media Contacts: 
Mona Pieron, Market Committee Chair (417.576.6491)
Marty Cooper, Market Committee & Vendor (417.818.4541)
Mary Collette, Market Committee (417.839.0119)
Jina Gorham, Decades Car Show (417.300.8756)

• IdeaXFactory, located at 351 N. Boonville, is partnering with Art Walk in April to present an Open House featuring The Harmonic Wall by Russ RuBert, an amazing, 24-foot interactive light sculpture installation. Twenty-three banks of lights are activated by three input sources – a sonic paint brush that changes pitch as it creates watercolor paintings, a motion-sensitive control panel of LED lights that can be triggered by the wave of a hand, and a microphone that is sensitive to speech, songs and musical instruments. More sculptures created from aluminum, neon, LED lights, and industrial glass are also installed throughout the space and can be activated by the movement of visitors through the space. The IdeaXFactory opens this new exhibition to the public on April 5, 7-10 pm., during the First Friday Art Walk. For more information, please visithttp://ideaxfactory.com

• Park Central Branch Library’s POE (Products of Expression) Art Exhibit by Pipkin Middle School students is just the beginning of the evening’s festivities as it kicks off The Big Read, focused on “The Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe,” during the April 5 Art Walk. Along with great student art, visitors will enjoy the Iron Chef Cook-off and Edible Books Festival. The Big Read Iron Chef Cook-off at 6 p.m. features students from Victory Trade School as they compete in our annual cooking contest. Do the words tasty and macabre belong in the same sentence? We’ll find out as these chefs battle to be named the winner of this yearly competition. The Edible Books Festival presents cakes fashioned by professional bakers according to the themes of “The Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.” Among the cake masters squaring off this year are June’s Cakery, Style by the Slice, Spumoni Bakery, Stacey’s Sweets and Beyond Imagination 3D Cakes Design. See and vote on the “edible books”; the winner will be announced after 7 p.m. and then everyone will eat cake! www.facebook.com/parkcentrallibrary

• Rogers & Baldwin Historic Venue, a brand new Art Walk sponsor located at 314 S. Patton, will hold an Open House during the April 5 Art Walk. Come see what downtown’s newest event site has to offer!

March 25, 2013 – Springfield, MO

The free event will be held from 6 to 10 pm at the First Baptist Church parking lot on the southwest corner of South Avenue and Elm.  In addition to the Real Encounter stunt shows, it will feature food, music, games, and giveaways.

FTBD is a collaboration of several non-profit groups that began meeting last fall to look for ways to offer more activities and supplement the arts-related events that are planned for Park Central Square on First Fridays.

The participating organizations include the Community Partnership, First Baptist Church of Springfield, Ozarks Regional YMCA, Rare Breed, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Springfield Regional Arts Council, and the Urban Districts Alliance.  They engaged youth in their programs to ask what types of activities they would like to attend downtown, which resulted in the following schedule:

2013 FTBD Events
April 5                   Real Encounter BMX Stunt Show- First Baptist Church
May 3                    Cinco Celebration (Music, Food, and Inflatables)- Downtown YMCA
June 7                   Downtown Passport (1984, Ice Skating, Movie at Founders)- Multiple Locations

August 2              Water Games- Jubilee Park
September 6        Art Creation- Campbell & Pershing
October 4            Battle of the Bands- Rare Breed

“Center City is the place where our community comes to celebrate and we’re excited that FTBD will offer youth more fun, affordable, and safe activities throughout the year,” said Rusty Worley, executive director of the Urban Districts Alliance. “Our partners have wonderful facilities, programs, and relationships that FTBD will showcase.  Real Encounter will be an exciting start for the season.”

More information on FTBD is available at www.itsalldowntown.com or by calling the Urban Districts Alliance office at (417) 831-6200.

Media Contacts
Rusty Worley      
Executive Director
Urban Districts Alliance
rusty@itsalldowntown.com
(417) 831-6200

Patricia Deck
Deputy Director
Community Partnership
pdeck@compartnership.org
(417) 888-2020

Brad Bennett
President and Founder
Real Encounters Outreach
brad@realencounter.org
(417) 353-0888

April Fool’s Day, 1988, Paul and Kathy Wannenmacher bought the 209 East Walnut building in historic downtown Springfield. After a brief renovation period, the building has been home to Wannenmacher Advertising Company for the past 25 years.

“My business opened in November, 1985 in the upstairs of 209 East Walnut,” stated Paul Wannenmacher. The Springfield Business Journal and I shared the 209 building. Until I moved in 1988.” 209 East Walnut is now home to The Rebecca Grille.

“Many people questioned my judgment on purchasing a downtown property in 1988. But, my objectives were clear. I wanted low overhead for my business and to be close to the Downtown Family Y. The growth in downtown Springfield turned out to be an added surprise,” stated Wannenmacher.

1988 photograph of 209 and 211 East Walnut

Questions? (417) 869-4848 or advertising@wannenmacher.com.

Sunday at the Museum, our preview exhibit opening and reception, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on April 28.

“Woodruff ’s Dream” Public Opening is on Tuesday, April 30^th and will remain open from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
April 30 through August 31.

General admission for the Preview opening and Public exhibit:
Adults $5    Children  $3   (under 2 free)
Museum members are free.

At First Friday Art Walk, the History Museum on the Square is open from

6-10 p.m. for visitors to view the first floor of our exhibit for free!

Friday, May 3 from 6 -10 pm

Friday, June 7 from 6 -10 pm

Friday, July 5 from 6 -10 pm

Friday, August 2 from 6-10 pm

Contact information:

John Sellars

417-864-1976 or 417-832-1200

museumonthesquare@gmail.com

Website: springfieldhistorymuseum.org