June 26th Last Fridays to Offer Music, Art Galleries, Shops and Dining! 6-9 p.m.

The 11th season of Last Fridays continues in Hillsborough this Friday, June 26, from 6 to 9 p.m, offering music, art, shopping and dining. At every outdoor Last Fridays, the Hillsborough Arts Council sponsors the center-stage musical act and children’s art events on the courthouse square, and new to this year, a pie contest! The Council also sponsors the Last Fridays Art Walk and manages the vendor booths.

MUSIC

Strictly Clean and Decent is an acoustic trio from the Lenoir, N.C., area which features Patrick Crouch, Ron Shuffler, and Kay Crouch whose blend of brilliant vocal harmonies tops a solid instrumental foundation. They are dedicated to performing a variety of musical styles in an acoustic setting. Their eclectic repertoire includes modern folk songs by American, Canadian, and Irish songwriters, the fiery breakdowns and songs of family and home found in both traditional and contemporary bluegrass settings, and centuries-old Celtic airs and dance tunes. All of this is peppered with a healthy dose of popular jazz standards, swing and western swing music, and a few classic country tunes thrown in to provide an enjoyable program.

Ron Shuffler plays the upright bass with Strictly Clean and Decent. Ron is a veteran of the early Top 40 and beach music scene but also is well known in country and bluegrass circles. His solid bass playing and impeccable harmony vocals are without equal. Ron was raised in a musical family and his eldest brother, George, virtually created the cross-picking style of guitar playing while working with The Stanley Brothers, a first-generation bluegrass band, in the 1950s and 60s.

Kay Crouch performs on the guitar, flute, piano, and tin whistle with Strictly Clean and Decent. Kay has a widely varied musical background that includes symphonic and solo percussion work and musical theatre as well as country and bluegrass music. Her interpretive vocals have been an asset to the trio since she joined in 1991.

Patrick Crouch handles the mandolin, banjo, dobro, fiddle, and guitar for the trio. Patrick has been performing acoustic music since 1977 when he founded New River Reign, a staple at Blowing Rock’s P.B. Scott’s Music Hall. He turned to country music with Long Time Gone and, with Ron Shuffler and Reggie Harris, created Strictly Clean and Decent in 1989. Patrick’s intense, often pyrotechnic but always tasteful, instrumental skills are the highlight of every Strictly Clean and Decent show

While Strictly Clean and Decent play the main stage on north side of the courthouse, Last Fridays features a second band on the courthouse square in June. The Fifth Notes is a jazz quintet, comprised of some of the top high school musicians from across the state. The ages of these musicians is a standout factor for the collective itself, from seniors to freshman, which brings the maturity, the youth, and the young energy all together to create an unstoppable musical sensation. Featuring Evan Ringe, a freshman trombone player, Lowell Ringel a freshman bass player, Jonathan Crawford a drummer and rising senior, and Nathan Hsieh, a rising senior saxophone player. Playing with them for the Last Friday concert is Trevor Hoyt, a Durham Academy faculty member.

CHILDREN’S ART EVENTS

On the South Lawn of the Courthouse, the Arts Council will be hosting a Children's Art Finger Painting workshop with Bryan Carey. All ages welcome! Congruent with the Shaw-Payne legacy, Carey continues to offer opportunities in artistic self–expression to people of all ages and abilities. He endeavors to advance the practice of Shaw’s method, the Shavian Technique™, by promoting finger-painting as an artistic medium through demonstrations in schools and other public venues for adults and children and by reviving its use as an instrument of healing. Carey strives to balance his artistic vision and historical understanding of the “broadly known, yet narrowly understood” art form in order to restore the artistic, educative and therapeutic merits of Shaw’s legacy.

Bryan Carey has been described as “the leading practitioner and teacher of the finger-painting techniques pioneered by [Ruth Faison] Shaw.” He believes that “artistic self-expression is our birthright, not exclusive to a narrow segment of society.” Through painting and teaching, Carey continues to practice the rich techniques established by Miss Shaw while realizing her dream of keeping the door of imagination open throughout one’s lifetime.

LOCAL ARTISTS

Artist vendors at May's Last Fridays will be located at the old Courthouse in downtown Hillsborough.

ART WALK

June’s Art Walk includes Melissa Designer Jewelry, Churton Street Gallery, Local Artists' Art and Craft Sale at the Old Courthouse, Hillsborough Artists Cooperative and The Skylight Gallery, Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston, Cup A Joe, Callaway Jewelry & Spiral Studios, Sovero Art Gallery & Studio, Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, and the Churton Street Realty Artists Gallery. Melissa Designer Jewelry is featuring oil and acrylic landscape paintings by Pavel Nikitchenko at 112 S. Churton St. The Churton Street Gallery is featuring new and important paintings by Shannon Bueker and ceramic works by David Bellar at 100 S. Churton St. The Skylight Gallery is featuring works from Andrea DeGette's children art class at 102 W. King St. Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston is featuring “Farmtasia” photography by Kellie Hamilton at 114 W. King St. Cup A Joe is featuring photography by Judy Woodall at 120 W. King St. The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is featuring “Piecing It Together, Peacing It Together" featuring work by quilt fabricator Katherine Nelson and metal sculptor Renee Leverty Oliverio at 121D N. Churton St., Suite 1-D. The Churton Street Realty Artists Gallery is featuring art work by local artists at 121 N. Churton St., Suite 1-C. A map and brochure of the Art Walk sites are available at any of the participating art locations or online at www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org/Art_Walk

PIE CONTEST

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens, will judge the contest along with two other celebrity judges. Each month has a different pie theme, with local ingredients preferred, and homemade pies required. June’s theme is peach, with judging at 6 p.m. at Cup a Joe, and awards announced at 7 p.m. Pie pieces will be sold at Cup a Joe after the winners are announced. Proceeds benefit the Hillsborough Arts Council. Entry forms and future pie themes can be found online at http://www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org/HillsboroughPieContest.html.  


OTHER AFFILIATED EVENTS

Historic sites provide special programming for young and old alike.

The Burwell School Historic Site (319 N. Churton St.) hosts an Ice Cream Social with Celebrity Scoopers. Join the Burwell School's for an ice cream social and live music! Local celebrities will scooping ice cream all evening.

The Orange County Historical Museum (201 N. Churton St.) welcomes you to listen to stories about the Civil War and interact with costumed reenactors. Come join the festivities.

Music by "Wing and A Prayer" fills the blocked off portion of Tryon Street at Hillsborough Presbyterian Church with songs you love from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Enjoy the music and get a scoop of M&M's this month, then move on down the street to Burwell School's Ice Cream Social for the cold treat. Scoops of free ice cream provided by Hillsborough Presbyterian resume at July Last Friday.

Weaver Street Market hosts Red Rover - Lilac Lounge favorites Tim and Susan Wells, David Hughes and Chris Mankoff, helping your Friday night go off with a bang, not a whimper from 6-8pm.

An excellent mix of downtown Hillsborough businesses will be alive with activity. Businesses located on both sides of Churton and King Streets will hold extended hours and special offerings during the Last Fridays event.

Plenty of parking during Last Fridays can be found at the Eno River parking deck.

No dogs are permitted in the courthouse area during Last Fridays by order of the police.