SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017
11 A
Royals were classy with a capital ‘K’
“Emerald City
Jazz Kings”
Review
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Full Service Flower Shop & Gifts
1234 Rhododendron Dr., Florence
541-997-5391 • 800-914-2305
www.fl orenceinbloom.com
The 2017 Rhododendron
Festival was the first time that
professional live entertainment
was performed on Saturday
afternoon in the theater at the
Florence Events Center. This
entertainment proved to be a
delightful option to the car
show, carnival, flower show and
others, all of which could still
be enjoyed that day or the next.
The FEC entertainment on
May 20 was a concert by The
Emerald City Jazz Kings, and it
was classy with a capital “K,”
— with the “K” standing for
Kings, of course.
There were a great many roy-
als at this year’s festival.
What could be more fun than
lively, up-tempo tunes by 10
instrumentalists and melodic
and comic songs by four out-
standing vocalists!
The show was titled “My
Lucky Star” and featured songs
by lyricist Arthur Freed and
composer Nacio Herb Brown,
who both worked for MGM
Studios in Hollywood.
The program featured many
songs from “Singin’ In The
Rain,” everyone’s favorite
musical (even in a rainy town
on the Oregon coast). The weird
thing was that most of the songs
from that 1952 show were recy-
cled from shows in previous
decades. For example, the song
“Singin’ In The Rain” was writ-
ten by Freed and Brown for The
Hollywood Music Box Revue
in 1927. Recycling was com-
mon in those days, when the
studios owned the songs and the
songwriters, and the songs
could be used again and again
wherever they fit — no strings
attached.
Recycling is always a good
thing.
“Classy with a capital K” is a
lyric recycled from “Eadie Was
A Lady,” a humorous song from
the 1932 show “Take A
Chance,” and was sung, nay,
belted by the redoubtable Ethel
Merman and interpreted by the
Jazz Kings.
One of Eugene’s finest
ensembles, the Jazz Kings has
performed at the FEC about
three times each year since the
millennium. However, each
show is different, always well-
constructed and aiming to
please.
The band plays the swinging
music of the American song-
book. Personnel have come and
gone, particularly since 2012,
when reedman Jesse Cloninger
took the baton from original
director Steve Stone. All the
current Jazz Kings are young,
extraordinary musicians — per-
fect fare for a festival weekend.
Unfortunately,
probably
because festivalgoers were
unaware of the concert, only
about a quarter of the theater
seats were filled. However, so
enchanting was the show, the
sparse crowd applauded with
the volume of a full house, giv-
ing the Jazz Kings a standing
ovation.
Perhaps next year the festival
powers-that-be could select pro-
fessional live entertainment for
a Saturday afternoon concert in
the theater at the FEC and
include that concert in its boun-
tiful festival promotion. Such a
concert could only enhance a
blooming event that continues
to grow and spread the good
word about the City of
Rhododendrons.
June ‘Beauty and the Beast’ exhibit at FEC
The tongue-in-cheek title of
the upcoming exhibit at the
Florence Events Center repre-
sents three local artists exhibit-
ing oil paintings celebrating
Oregon's “beauty,” and the
amazing “beasts” that inhabit
the state.
Featured artists for the
exhibit
will
be
Ron
Hildenbrand, John Leasure,and
Claudia Ignatieff, and their art-
work can be viewed at the FEC
in Gallery One during the
month of June.
A graduate in art and graph-
ic design, Hildenbrand worked
in the field for many years,
including having his own stu-
dio in Fairfield, Calif. He was
also featured in a “California
Backroads” TV episode.
Upon retiring to Florence 12
years ago, he became an active
volunteer in the art community,
and he currently serves on the
Florence
Public
Arts
COURTESY PHOTO
Featured artists (from left): John Leasure, Claudia
Ignatieff and Ron Hildenbrand.
Committee.
Leasure has lived in
Florence for the past 36 years,
owning West Coast Cabinets.
He has taught oil painting
classes in Florence and Eugene
for the past 25 years, and is the
teacher for the popular
“Wallflowers and Wine” paint-
ing classes at the FEC.
Ignatieff, after a career in
Early Childhood Education,
retired to Florence with her
husband Jim 12 years ago, and
began taking art classes. She
has been a featured artist at the
Newport Visual Arts Center.
Hildenbrand, Leasure and
Ignatieff are active in Florence
Regional
Arts
Alliance
(FRAA), serving on the Board
of Directors, and on the
Display Committee.
Additionally, Ignatieff and
Leasure serve on the FEC
Gallery Committee, and are
member artists of Backstreet
Gallery. The artists have exhib-
ited at many local venues,
including the Siuslaw Library,
Peace Health Medical Center,
and Oregon Pacific Bank.
The public is invited to come
to an “Appetizers and Wine
Reception” on Sunday, June 4,
from 3 to 5 p.m., to meet the
artists and view their individual
perceptions of “Beauty and the
Beasts.”
WESTERN LANE
AMBULANCE
OPEN HOUSE
June 19 th – August 18 th
Dates:
Location:
Siuslaw Elementary School
Time:
Ages:
Join us!
✔
✔
✔
✔
We will be having booths, demonstrations, and tours
of our facilities and equipment.
Certifi ed car seat technicians on hand for checkups
and car seats in stock.
Bicycle helmets will be available
Free hot dogs and hamburgers
May 27, 2017 12-3pm
410 9 th St. Florence, Oregon
541-997-9614
www.westernlaneambulance.com
7:45am – 5:30pm
2016-17 Kindergarten – 12 years of age
Breakfast and Lunch will be provided each day.
Any additional snacks and drinks will need to be
provided by the Parent or Guardian.
Please encourage your children to wear
clothing they can run around and play in. No Flip Flops
unless it is a planned water day.
Please feel free to contact Sam Gauderman (541-999-8079)
if you have any questions about the Elementary Summer
Program. Applications available at Elementary Site or
Administrative Offi ce. Please turn in applications by June 1 st
to a staff member at the Elementary Site.
If you have any questions regarding
payment arrangements/scholarships please contact our
Executive Director Chuck Trent at the
Administrative Offi ce at (541-902-0304)
Thank you in advance for your Cooperation.