Experience ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
FLORENCE—On Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.,
be whisked away from winter’s cold
to the warm, lush green forests of “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Shakespeare’s adored comedy of
love, magic, fairies, mixed up lovers
and the mischievous Puck comes alive
in Toni Pimble’s delightful choreogra-
phy set to Felix Mendelssohn’s spirit-
ed score performed by Orchestra
COURTESY PHOTO
Next.
Eugene Ballet presents Shakespeare’s
A new EBC-commissioned ballet,
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
“Wandering On,” set on the Company
by award-winning choreographer
Stephanie Martinez, will open the
Ballet, stretching the creative minds of
program.
its dancers and audiences
Chicago-based Martinez, winner of
Martinez’s ballet is supported by The
the Joffrey Ballet’s 2014 “Winning Hult Endowment of The Oregon
Works: Choreographers of Color,” brings Community Foundation.
her acclaimed talent to the Eugene
The Surrounding Third, a new work
choreographed by EBC Company
Dancer Suzanne Haag and set to
Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings,
will complete the program.
Founded in 1978 by Toni Pimble and
Riley Grannan, the Eugene Ballet
Company has grown from a communi-
ty-based dance group to become one
the West’s busiest and most versatile
professional dance companies.
The Eugene Ballet Company has set
a high standard in the performing arts
and has gained a loyal following of
dance fans everywhere the company
has performed.
Tickets can be purchased at the
Florence Events Center box office, 715
Quince St., by phone at 541-997-1994
during regular business hours and online
at www.eventcenter.org.
Bandon holds first Gorse Blossom Festival
BANDON—The City of Bandon is
gearing up to host the first annual Gorse
Blossom Festival during President’s Day
weekend, Feb. 17 to 19. As you can tell
from the name, this isn’t your typical
festival. Gorse?
Inside the farmer’s market building
you’ll find three incredible days of beer
and wine samples from across the state,
tasty bites from local restaurants, live
music from the southern Oregon coast’s
best bands, and some quirky entertain-
ment that you won’t find anywhere else.
Tickets for the festival are $15 a day and
include a commemorative glass to be
used for your beer and wine sampling.
If you find yourself in need of a break
from the festival proper, take a stroll
through Old Town and shop, check out
the Oregon Coast Film Festival, or
squint the tiniest bit for some stellar
views of the ocean and remember that
we are so lucky to live on the most beau-
tiful coast!
When the festival ends at 6 pm each
night, the fun continues with winemaker
and brewmaker dinners at local restau-
rants. Pairings include The Loft and
Arch Rock Brewing, Edgewaters and
King Estate Winery, Billy Smoothboars
and Pelican Brewing, and Alloro and
Abacela Winery. On Friday night you’ll
even find a Presidential themed pub
crawl!
One of our favorite events is a Bloody
Mary Stroll on the morning of February
19th starting at 9 am. For $20 you get a
8 • C OAST
glass and a t-shirt and start your journey
through Old Town, customizing your
gigantic beverage with a variety of
spices and sauces, over-the-top garnish-
es and even prawns. Finish your Sunday
morning exercise with our locally made
vodka from Stillwagon Distillery.
You might be wondering though,
“why are we having a festival celebrat-
ing gorse?” Well, if you don’t know,
gorse is a nasty invasive seen throughout
our area that is highly flammable,
painful to the touch, and nearly impossi-
ble to remove. We don’t like it. We
would even say we hate it! But, it’s here,
it’s part of our heritage, and we often get
visitors who know nothing about it. We
like to think about it as making lemon-
ade from some of the ickiest lemons
we’ve ever seen.
Luckily, Bandon has some incredible
resources for dealing with this plant,
including the Gorse Action Group.
They’ll be at the festival along with oth-
ers providing some not-so-fun facts
about the plant, education about what it
is and what to do with it, and, most
importantly, will teach you how to stop
the spreading of it. We hope in addition
to leaving the festival with full bellies
and great memories, you’ll also leave
with a new-found disgust for the inva-
sive villain!
This festival is presented by the
Bandon Chamber of Commerce and the
Greater Bandon Association.
For more information, visit the web-
C ENTRAL • A rt s & E nt e r ta in me nt • F E BR UA RY 20 1 7
site at: www.gorseblossomfest.com or
send an email to info@gorseblossom
fest.com.
ARTIST LOFT
GALLERY HOLDS
REGIONAL
‘SPRING HAS
SPRUNG’ SHOW
COOS BAY—The Artist Loft Gallery,
now at its new home at 367 Anderson Ave.
in Coos Bay, will be hosting an area-wide
open art show in March and April. The
theme is “Spring has Sprung.”
Artists are invited to submit 2D or 3D
artwork.
The Artist Loft Gallery, founded in
2003, is inviting artists of any level who
work in any medium to enter. There will
be three cash prizes and several Honorable
Mention ribbons. The first place winner
will also have a one-month show at the
gallery. Up to three items may be entered;
fees are $10 for the first item and $5 each
for the second and third entries.
The show will run from March 14 to
April 29. Entries must be brought to the
Gallery by March 11. For details, email
CoastArtOregon@gmail.com, stop by the
gallery or call 541-756-4088.
NEED A LIFT?
We’ll help
you up!
FREE FINANCING
AVAILABLE OAC
18th & Hwy. 101 , Florence
(541) 997-8214