potpourri
MAKING A BIG DEAL OF FAT TUESDAY
Newport will come alive with Louisiana
flair this Tuesday, Feb. 25, as the Central
Coast Chorale presents a Mardi Gras
Concert Party on Fat Tuesday itself.
The musical line-up will feature
everything from spirituals such as Moses
Hogan’s “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the
Lord” and Mark Hayes’s jazzy version of
“Go Down Moses” to Southern gospel with
“Down in the River,” which many people
will recognize from the Coen brothers
movie, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”
The choir will celebrate the African roots
of New Orleans jazz with a performance
of Xhosan folk song “Dubula” complete
with some South African dance moves.
There will be a little Caribbean flavor with
“Mardi Gras Mambo.” And, of course, jazz
will have a prominent place in the program,
with choral arrangements of Dave Brubeck’s
“Blue Rondo a la Turk,” Harold Arlen’s
“That Old Black Magic” and Mac Huff ’s
take on “Old Devil Moon” from Finian’s
Rainbow.
The evening will begin with a warm
up from special guests, The Shoreline
Stompers, playing Dixieland arrangements
of audience favorites from previous concerts
such as “The Sweet Georgia Brown
Hallelujah Chorus.” Later in the concert the
Stompers will play Forrest Fisher’s original
arrangement “A New Orleans Journey.” The
Stompers and the Chorale will join together
on the ever popular “When the Saints Go
Marching In.”
Women of Note, the chorale’s female
octet, will be featured in Blue Rondo and
will also add a little Southern accent to
the concert with their rendition of Roy
Orbison’s classic “Blue Bayou.” Recorded
by Elvis himself as well as Linda Ronstadt,
this ballad paints word and musical pictures
of the singers’ home on the bayou and their
desire to return to see “those fishing boats
with their sails afloat.”
The whole evening will conclude with
a classic New Orleans-style second line
parade to the tune of “Second Line March,”
with the chorale leading the audience into
Geneva Hall where there will be an array
of decadent, “eat-em-before-Lent-starts,”
desserts available for purchase as well as
an auction featuring a host of great items
donated by local businesses.
The Feb. 25 concert will start at at 7
pm at the First Presbyterian Church of
Newport, 227 NE 12 Street. A donation of
$10 is suggested.
For more information, email
admin@centralcoastchorale.com or call
Chorale Director Mary Lee Scoville at
541-563-6830.
MARTY ONDRICKA
Get down with some conservationists
The Oregon Chapter of the American
Cetacean Society will take a deep dive
into conservation at its Saturday, Feb. 22,
meeting before delving even deeper on
a field trip to the Sea Lion Caves near
Florence.
The group will hear from Paul
Engelmeyer of Portland Audubon and the
Oregon Marine Reserve Partnership in a
presentation on conservation at the Cape
Perpetua Visitor Center starting at 9:30
am. At about 10:30 am, the group will head
south to the Sea Lion Caves, which are
home to a year-round steller sea lion colony.
Billed as America’s largest sea cave, the
attraction is an official Whale Trail site and
part of the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve
as well as a bird sanctuary.
While an elevator does most of the
work, the descent into the Sea Lion Caves
requires navigating 37 steps as well as some
sloping ground. Those who are unable to
make the trip have the option of remaining
in the gift shop to view the caves on the a
webcam.
There is a $10 admission charge to the
Sea Lion Caves, and guests will need to
arrange their own transportation from Cape
Perpetua Visitor Center.
To reserve a spot on the trip, contact
Pam at whalegal@yahoo.com or
541-264-1026.
The American Cetacean Society protects
whales, dolphins, porpoises and their
habitats. For more information, go to www.
acsonline.org
oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • February 21, 2020 • 7