A couple bits of news from up Sisters way:
– The Sisters Folk Festival‘s annual Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest is now accepting entries. Deadline is July 31. Here’s most of the festival’s press release, with all the details you need:
The contest carries a $750 grand prize. Five finalists will be selected from all submissions, and invited to perform at the Sisters Folk Festival, held September 10, 11 and 12.
The Sisters Folk Festival Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting contest is a performing songwriter contest; entrants must perform their songs on stage. It has proven to be a substantial launching pad for many artists, including the late, great Dave Carter, Beth Wood, Chuck McCabe, Darryl Purpose, Bob Hillman, Jud Caswell, and last year’s winner, BettySoo. Entrants may submit up to three songs. Entries will be judged on overall consistency of quality. Finalists will be selected from the timely entries by mid-August. The entrance fee is $20.
To determine a winner, each performer will play a 15-minute set, with the eventual winner performing a short set on the main stage Saturday evening. Finalists will have other performance opportunities at venues around Sisters throughout the festival. Each finalist will also receive two nights lodging, meal vouchers and one all-event pass for the Festival, as well as an invitation to perform for the 2011 Sisters Folk Festival.
Entries may be made online through SonicBids.com; only online submissions will be accepted. To learn more about how to submit song files, please visit: http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org/sff.php?index=0&call=davecarter
For more information about the Sisters Folk Festival and the Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest visit www.sistersfolkfestival.org or call 541-549-4979.
– In March, I told you that the popular and long-running Sisters Starry Nights concert series was going on hiatus in 2010. Well, it still is, but that doesn’t mean the folks behind the series can’t put on a show and raise some money for Sisters schools!
Say hi to A Starry Summer Night, a one-night fundraiser featuring the good folks of High Street, who offered to donate a performance when they heard about Starry Nights’ break. The show will happen Aug. 13 at Aspen Lakes, and tickets are on sale now. Again, a press release with everything you need:
The evening will feature a kabob-themed buffet dinner, silent auction and concert under the stars, where guests can enjoy spectacular mountain views while dancing on the outdoor dance floor or inside Aspen Lake’s beautiful clubhouse lodge. The event is a production of the same team that created the Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series.
High Street is one of the country’s most entertaining bands, earning rave reviews for their high quality showmanship, outstanding musicianship and extensive repertoire which include cover songs and originals in a mixture of swing, blues, R&B, Latin, oldies and ballads. High Street’s performances have taken them from Sun Valley to Sunriver, the PGA Tour, Walt Disney World, the Mammoth Lakes Jazz Festival, Sisters Jazz Festival and many other national and regional festivals and fundraisers. Most recently, they were the showcase band for the International Festival & Events Association Convention at Bally’s in Las Vegas.
“With the Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series on hiatus until 2011, High Street lead vocalist Matt Summers offered to bring the band to Sisters for a summer fundraiser to benefit the Sisters Schools Foundation,” said Starry Nights co-chair Susan Arends. “Aspen Lakes and the Cyrus family quickly came on board and ‘A Starry Summer Night’ was born.”
As the Sisters School District responds to the statewide education funding crisis by planning to cut more than $2.5 million from the budget in the next two years alone, co-chair Debbie Williams notes that events like ‘A Starry Summer Night’ are ways the community can continue to support the schools and maintain key co-curricular and classroom activities.
“We urge everyone to come out and help us give back to Sisters Schools,” said Williams. “It’s going to be a phenomenal evening of dining, dancing and fun and most importantly, it is for a cause that is vital to the heart of this community.”
Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the kabob buffet, featuring meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits and a dessert station, with the silent auction running until 8:30 p.m. The outstanding music students of Sisters High School will provide entertainment during dinner, then High Street will take the stage from 7 – 10 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $50, or sponsorship tables, seating 8 guests, are available for $500. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 9 and can be purchased at Aspen Lakes Pro Shop, in Sisters at the Metamorphosis Salon and Spa or in Bend at the High Desert Gallery. For sponsorship information, contact Melinda Witt at mocha@outlawnet.com or (541) 420-9505.
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