|
 |
The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County |  |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The celebration honoring six champions of the arts will be televised on Contra Costa Television (CCTV). The October 22 event is scheduled for airing at:
CCTV is Comcast Channel 27. Astound customers in
Walnut Creek and Concord may view the program on
Channel 32.
The event marked the 11th year of Arts Recognition
Awards: A Celebration, produced by the Arts and
Culture Commission of Contra Costa County (AC5).
The festivities were held in the El Campanil
Theatre in Antioch. The 78-year-old venue, once a
vaudeville and movie theater, has been restored and
is now a center for the performing arts. Honorees received certificates of recognition
from the California
Legisature and the Board of Supervisors in addition
to handsome glass awards in the shape of a flame
that symbolizes "the fire of creativity . . . and
the glow that exists in each of its recipients."
The award was designed expressly for AC5 by artist
Marty Appel. AC5 expressed appreciation to Wells Fargo for a
grant that helped cover costs and keep admission
fees affordable.
Special acknowledgment was made of the extensive
coverage accorded the event by the Contra Costa
Times. The newspaper devoted the full-page cover of
its Arts and Entertainment section on October 22 to
a color photograph of the honorees. In addition,
stories and photos of each honoree appeared on
inside pages.
The commission also acknowledged the donation of
premium wines, served at a post-ceremony reception,
by vintners in Contra Costa County. Entertainment included performances by the trio
"Mem'ry Lane" (Colleen Vitalis, Nick Vitalis and
Terry Cunningham); singer-actor Stu Klitsner
(accompanied by Richard Elliott); poet Dwayne
Parish; singers Noah Mittman and Lauren Shigemura;
and singer Jennifer Graham.
Honorees, awards in hand, lined up in front of the El Campanil Theatre stage after the ceremony. From left to right, they are: Richard Tonkin, who filled in for his wife Carolina Lugo of Brisas de Espana (she and her company were on tour in China); John Wehrle, muralist from Richmond; Mark Ballock, founder of the San Ramon Arts Foundation; Edward Belasco, founder and artistic director of the Belasco Theatre Company; Jack Tucker, journalist and arts columnist; and Barbara Grant, actress and development director at the Willows Theatre in Concord.
Premium wines were provided by Contra Costa vintners: Bloomfield Vineyards of Brentwood; Diablo Vista Vineyards/Rosenblum Wines, Oakley; Enos Family Vineyards, Brentwood; Hannah Nicole Vineyards, Brentwood; Tamayo Family Vineyards/CA’NA Wines, Brentwood; and Viano Vineyards, Martinez.
Honorees this year were the first to receive new "flame" awards designed expressly for AC5 by artist Marty Appel.
AC5 Chair Harold Beaulieu (right) greets honoree Jack Tucker and Mrs. Tucker.
Entertainment included performances by the trio "Mem'ry Lane" (Nick Vitalis, Colleen Vitalis and Terry Cunningham).
Honorees Edward Belasco and Jack Tucker engage in a chat after the ceremony.
Among those on hand were Duane Carroll, conductor of the Contra Costa Wind Symphony and a former AC5 honoree, and his wife Helen. They are shown here with poet Dwayne Parish, who provided a poetic tribute to honoree John Wehrle. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |