Artown ... and stuff

I love summertime when you can do things outside that you usually do inside. Like the summer I was an intern in Wenatchee and in nearby Leavenworth they had three shows outside every summer. Every year they do "Sound of Music," which is perfect for their little Bavarian Village setting, and the other two performances are different each year. Oh, I loved it! They put on a wonderful show and in some scenes the actors walked right through the audience.

I insisted Chris and I have lunch al fresco on Wednesday when he was off work ... I don't think he minded.

Also, when I lived in San Jose, there were outdoor movies in San Pedro Square - they'd shut down the whole street and people would bring chairs and sit outside and watch the movies (they also showed the "Friends" finale this way). They have outdoor movies here, too, on Tuesdays at UNR throughout the summer (I've gone with friends the past two weeks), and each Friday during Artown at Wingfield Park, which is right downtown and on the river.


Which brings me to ... Artown. Last year, I really had no idea what it was and could care less because I was preoccupied with getting married and all. Except, on the last day I was assigned to write a story about it, and it was the Harlem Gospel Choir, and it was incredible, and I wondered why I didn't go to any other events before it ended. Artown is basically a month-long arts festival. It starts July 1 and runs through July 32. Almost everything is free, and there's not just one thing every day, but many things to do each day. So, I thought it would be fun to volunteer and get to see some cool stuff while I'm at it. Tonight was my first night, and Thursdays are Dancing in the Park. The group was called Wing & A Prayer. Tomorrow I'll be working Rollin' on the River - live music on the river every Friday - and movies follow in the park. (Just to give an example, other than those two events Friday, there are 10 other events including a play, an author reading and a poetry slam.) So, basically I get there a couple hours before the event, help set up, get people to fill out surveys, and once the show starts I'm pretty much free to watch until it's over and then I help take down. Not a bad deal, plus they feed me and I get a free T-shirt ... and who doesn't want a free T-shirt, right? (Although, it is two sizes larger than what I requested, but whatev.) The dancing tonight was pretty cool (although I'm pretty sure I'm not super into solo dance performances - they kind of bored me). See a little sample below!