Story Corps Green Room

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Story Corps was gathering stories at the Orlando Public Library. The Library is the proud winner of the IMLS National Medal which allowed them to fund this project. Two friend or family are interviewed together creating an open conversation. Though people stated by talking about their love of the library the conversations could be about anything when they sat down with the Story Corp interviewer in a separate room. I had about 15 minutes at a time to sketch and learn a little about each couple as they filled out paperwork.

Mark and Chris Beverly are a father and son. Mark founded a Veteran Entitlement Non Profit organization which helps vets with their medical claims. This is his passion and he handed each of us his card so we could learn more about the organization. Next I was surprised to meet Carolyn McClendon who used to work with me at Walt Disney Feature Animation. The studio closed in 2004, so the last time I might have seen her was 14 years ago. It is a shame we didn’t have time to catch up. She now works as a librarian in one of Orlando’s tougher neighborhoods. She was with another librarian since I noticed they both wore the same badges.

Randall Smith was there with his daughter Chelsea. He had an easel and samples of his daughter’s work. I vastly admire her work which is done with a Renaissance era technique of etching on copper plates. Her line drawings are of mystical creatures which are drawn with infinite spiraling patterns. She actually gave me a sample piece which was of two rams. The spiraling patterns seemed to go so well with her long flowing hair so I did a quick study on the sketch I did of her and her dad. At art fairs people approach him thinking he is the artist and he directs them to her.

Erica Lee once worked for Mix 105.1 Radio on the Scott and Erika Show. She now produces her own podcasts using her years of experience. She is proud to put her blend of smooth rock music from the 70’s & 80’s on the air waves. I am sure some amazing stories unfolded in the next room, but I used every minute I had to complete each sketch I started until the next couple arrived. I did five sketches each day and it was an amazing fun spontaneous learning experience. The Story Corp interviews went on for three consecutive days.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for Octover 27 and 28, 2018

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Saturday October 28, 2018 

9am to 3pm Adults: $19.50. Seniors 60+: $15.95. Children 3-12 years: $13.75. Children 2 and under: Free. Annual Pass Holder: Free. Zoo Boo Bash. Sanford Zoo 3755 W Seminole Blvd, Sanford, FL 3277. The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens invites children and
adults alike to trick-or-treat throughout the park while learning about
the myths and realities of endangered animals. Kids are encouraged to
wear costumes and bring goody bags. Events include costume contests,
face painting and more. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Event included in general zoo
admission. At the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 3755 W.
Seminole Blvd. 407-323-4450. centralfloridazoo.org

10am to 6pm Free. 13th annual Central Florida Veg Fest. Festival Park, 2911 E Robinson St, Orlando, FL 32803. The Orlando Weekly has again signed
on as an Earth Sponsor of Central Florida Veg Fest! The Central Florida
Veg Fest Info Guide will be printed as a pull-out in the middle of the
Orlando Weekly on October 24, 2018 and circulated to over 277,000
readers. The event will also have several promotional ads in the Weekly.

8am to 10pm Free. 10th anniversary “Halloween Block Party”. Liam Fitzpatrick’s Restaurant and Irish Pub at Colonial Town Plaza located at 951 Market Promenade Ave., Suite 1115, Lake Mary, FL. North Orlando’s block party and nightlife destination is at it again as
Liam Fitzpatrick’s Restaurant and Irish Pub joins together with Colonial
Town Park plaza neighbors Graffiti Junction, Dexter’s of Lake Mary,
Duffy’s Sports Grill, and Cantina and Corona Cigar Company to
welcome the 10th anniversary “Halloween Block Party” on Saturday,
October 27, 2017 starting at 8pm. The eek-citing event is free and open
to the public, and all guests (21 & up) are invited to drink, dance
and dress in their Halloween best outside Liam Fitzpatrick’s and around
the festive plaza, while enjoying two live DJ’s spinning throughout the
night, tasty brews and bites and the area’s biggest costume contest
awarding $1000 in cash prizes for the winners.

For
the 10th anniversary, Liam’s Halloween Block Party will support Orlando
City Youth Soccer, who will be on site collecting donations and
receiving 100% of proceeds from a specialty Halloween shot all night.
Orlando City Youth Soccer is the preeminent youth club in Central
Florida, whose core values are player development, parental guidance,
coaches education and community outreach.

Sunday October 28, 2018

10am to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

11am to 4pm Free. Puppet Slam. 707 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801. Live puppetry performances happening sporadically during the Bazaar Botanica Art Market.

10pm to Midnight Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Story Corps at the Orlando Public Library

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The Orlando Public Library is hosting Story Corps for three days at the Downtown Branch. I was asked to come in to document the process with my sketches. I couldn’t actually sit in on the actual interviews but instead I met people as they arrived. I spent most of my time sketching in what would be considered the green room. Story Corps has two people speak to the interviewer which results in something closer to a conversation between friends rather than an oral history or straight on interview.

Because the interview room was off limits I didn’t really get to learn much about the people who came in. Will Jones was the first to arrive and he has used the public library for years. He was very pleased to have been invited to participate. He was waiting for his friend Jeanine who was running a bit late because of congestion on the highway. When she arrived, the the Story Corp staff, Jhaley and Morgan explained the process. First, they wanted to know how much each of them knew about Story Corps. The project started in Grand Central Station in NYC, where people could record their stories. The project has been going strong ever since.

Scottie Campbell was working on his laptop promoting the project and managing social media. Cynthia and ___ at the end of the table were there to video record people telling about the project after the interview was done. Cynthia has worked at the library for seven years. They would escort people down to the recording studio in the Melrose Center. My goal was to sketch each couple being interviewed. I found out that I had to work insanely fast. The introduction process probably took less than 15 minutes which means the lines had to be thrown down without a second thought. I found that this panicked immediacy actually helped me in getting more spontaneous sketches and there wasn’t enough time to worry if the subject would like the results.

Immerse by the Creative City Project 2

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Five blocks of Orange Avenue were closed off downtown allowing five stages to be set up, which would allow over 1,000 performers to showcase their talents in downtown Orlando. One stage was in the park in front of the History Center, the Red Bull Stage was at Pine Street in front of what used to be City Arts Factory, the UCF Stage was on Church Street, EA sponsored a stage down by Jackson Street,  and the Massey Services stage was between Pine Street and Church Street on Orange Avenue, where I stopped to sketch.

Rollins Choir and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra were on stage when I started this sketch, but at that time I was focusing on people in the foreground. Being Present took to the stage and I decided to place them in my sketch. The female singer on guitar took center stage and she was surrounded by percussion, a bass player and a dance company who improvised to her performance. Being Present was followed by All the Light You Cannot See and then The Orlando Ballet.

The artists who had come out to my ODD event (Orlando Drink and Draw) stood on a cement planter so we could see over the now standing and shoulder to shoulder crowd. The Orlando Ballet performed dances with a hip urban edge which perfectly fit in with the vibe of the night. Dancers were paired off with men and women partners and by the end of the choreography boys were dancing with boys and women were dancing with women. When they walked off the dance floor hand in hand the crowd whooped its approval. It reminded me of the “Keep Dancing” movement that swept Orlando after the Pulse Nightclub massacre.

After the Ballet left the stage the crowd dissipated and we decided to informally share our work for the evening and then disband ourselves. Perhaps a few years ago I would have stayed until 11pm to finish another sketch but I was all sketched out. I just needed to get home to crash. With so much to see and do, Immerse can be overwhelming, but in a good way.

Immerse 2018 by the Creative City Project

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The Creative City Project was started in 2012 by Cole Nesmith as a way for people in Orlando to discover the amazing talent that is to be found in the City Beautiful. The first year was small being produced with very little budget but the event has grown through the years. It is one of the signature Orlando events that I enjoy sketching each year. For the past five years the idea has been to present all this talent in one night, but this year the event has expanded to fill two evenings.

This year I co-hosted ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) on the first evening of Immerse. I set the meeting location at the former City Arts Factory which is a landmark familiar to most artists. On that Pine Street block, the Red Bull truck was set up along with a bar to get the party started. I had already done 5 drawings that day of Story Corps interviewing people at the Orlando Public Library, so my parking spot had been found much earlier in the day. I thought I might be “Sketched Out” for the day but once I felt the energy of the event I had to put my pen to the page. Noga Grosman arrived and we considered the idea of getting a spot in an Orange Avenue bar and watching the event unfold from a bar stool. Other artist hadn’t arrived yet, so I started this sketch and she sketched one of the five stages set up throughout downtown. Another artist had messaged that he might arrive about an hour late, so we both got busy sketching while we waited. A member of the Red Bull staff expressed an interest in buying this sketch and we will see if that pans out.

A rap artist took to the Red Bull Stage and did a mic check for about half an hour. He then broke into an improvised rap in which he picked people out of the crowd and used their fashion sense as a spring board for his lyrics. I started to think that no other Urban Sketchers would show up, so I branched off to sketch at another stage. Immerse would be in full swing from 5pm to 11pm, so the night was young.

The Mystery of Irma Vep

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The Orlando Shakes (812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803) is presenting The Mystery of Irma Vep, a Penny Dreadful by Charles Ludlam through November 18, 2018. The title is the name of a character in the 1915 French movie serial Les Vampires and is an anagram for the word “vampire.”
The set by Bert Scott was fun with it’s forced perspective that would lead your eyes to the doors center stage. Even the floor boards all radiated from this central focal point. This is a perspective trick I often employ in my own sketches so it was fun to see the idea employed in the three dimensional design.

I didn’t glance through the program when Pam Schwartz and I entered the theater, instead I got right to work sketching. As actors got on stage I started populating the sketch and I wanted to be sure to get as many of the cast on the page as I could. First, I focused on the maid talking to Lady Enid and then I added Nicodemus who gestured up at the painting above the fireplace of the previous lady of the house, Irma Vep. When the sketch was done I put it aside and relaxed to watch the second act. That is when I finally realized that there are just two actors in this play. I had been duped by very different mannerisms and accents. Lady Enid was never on the stage at the same time as Nicodemus. Brad DePlanche played Nicodemus, Lady Enid, Alcazar, and Pev Amri while Chris Crawford played Jane Twistden, Lord Edgar, and an intruder. Some 35 costume changes take place in the course of the two-hour show.

The play is very tongue-in-cheek with lightning fast cross-dressing. There is plenty of sexual innuendo and comedic pauses with dramatic music and lighting cues to heighten the humorous mysterious mood. The director Jim Helsinger seems to be a master at milking a comic moment. The play has a dark and sinister past and features love, intrigue, and a sinister mystery. It was a fun night of theater and perfect for the Halloween season. Get your tickets today, but the Halloween performance is already completely sold out.

Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code

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The Orange County Regional History Center (65 E. Central Blvd. Orlando, Florida 32801) has installed and opened a new exhibit called Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code. 

This special exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Institutes of Health examines the complexities of the genome – the genetic or hereditary material of a living organism – through cutting-edge displays, animation, and fascinating real-life stories that reveal the links between generations and how our histories begin long before we are born. The exhibit also examines both the benefits and challenges the study of genetics presents to our society. The exhibit runs from October 13, 2018 to January 6, 2019.

Pam Schwartz, the History Center’s chief curator, along with her staff, have added to the exhibit to make it tie into our Central Florida human history. As part of the project they asked five local Orlando celebrities to take DNA tests to track their heritage through Ancestry.com. She then began the painstaking process of researching their family trees.

Long-time mayor John “Buddy” Dyer has several generations of roots in Central Florida, so he was a natural choice. Research lead Pam to discover his family’s roots in colonial America. In 1758 his fourth and fifth great grandparents were in Fort Seybert, a frontier fort in the Allegheny
Mountains in what is now Pendleton County, West Virginia. They were caught by surprise by an Indian raid. The fort fell and those inside were lined up in two rows, one to be taken captive and the other to be murdered and scalped (at least as the European settlers story goes). Buddy’s distant grandfather was tomahawked in the mouth by a Shawnee warrior, sending his teeth flying. He died instantly. His daughter fainted, her life was spared as she was taken captive. 20 settlers died that day. By a stroke of luck, a small boy from the Dyer family was away at a distant village when the massacre happened. This is the boy who kept the family lineage alive and why Buddy is here today. Pam was also able to prove that Buddy and his sons are eligible to apply for the Sons of the American Revolution status since the Dyer family was actively engaged in the Revolutionary War up several branches.

Jorge Estevez, a news anchor from Channel 9 News, discovered that his family was a prominent part of Cuba’s early history. Documents contained signatures and seals from his distant relatives who were very prominent notaries in Havana. Cuban documents are not available online so a possible trip to Cuba could further bring this research to life. Channel 9 is considering sending Jorge there

 to dig deeper into his family’s past.



Geraldine Thompson, a former State Senator, may be united with a close relative she has never met before. Pam was contacted by a man who has spent his life – 47 years – searching for his biological father. The man he had been told was his father took a DNA test, but the results confirmed that he wasn’t this man’s biological father.  Through her research, Pam was able to confirm the father was, in fact, the Senator’s brother. Though he passed away in 2003, Pam was still able to unite the man with this new-to-him side of his family

Other family histories were for Toni Deion Pressley from Orlando Pride, and Brendan Bunting O’Connor the editor of The Bungalower. Each participant will receive a binder showing the breadth of what has been discovered so far. The rainbow colored tabs are a gateway to an amazing vibrant multicultural past. Each family tree will be part of the Genome Exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center, check it out for more fascinating stories from these individual’s families.

If you are curious about finding out about your family History, you should stop out to Lunch and Learn, which will  discuss Genealogy on November 2, 2018 at Noon at the Orange County Regional History Center. Guest speakers will include Elaine Hatfield Powell of the Central Florida Genealogical Society and Allison Ryall of the Orange County Library System’s West Oaks Branch and Genealogy Center. Bring a lunch or let them order one for you by calling 407-836-7046 – lunch orders must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Members are free; non-members $5. With lunch: Members $8; non-members $13.

Art Critique at Barefoot Spa

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Mark your calendar, the next Artist Critique is going to be Monday, October 22, 2018 at 6 PM – 9:30 PM at the Barefoot Spa (801 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida 32803). This is an event for artists and art appreciators. Everyone is welcome and it is free!  Artists talk about their latest art and help each other grow as artists.
You do not have to share art
at the critique to attend and participate in the conversation.

All
kinds of art is welcome. There have been oil painters, paper makers, glass
artists, found object sculptors, video artists, composers, watercolor
painters, ceramicists, artists who draw and collage, jewelry artists,
print makers, etc. All experience levels are welcome. We have included
artists who have never shown and artists who are nationally recognized
competition winners. All artists and types of art are welcome.


Parker Sketch has been hosting this event monthly for over 8
years. This is a grass roots learning, development, and support event.
Artists and art appreciators gather and discuss art as peers. If you
like local art, you should attend.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for October 20 and 21, 2018

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Saturday October 20, 2018

9am to 3pm Adults: $19.50. Seniors 60+: $15.95. Children 3-12 years: $13.75. Children 2 and under: Free. Zoo Boo Bash. Sanford Zoo 3755 W Seminole Blvd Sanford FL.

Trick-or-treat at the wildest place in town during our annual Zoo Boo Bash!
It’s a safe, fun, and not-too-scary event for young and old alike.
Bring your treat bag and wear your costume for a wild time! Be sure to
stop by the Welcome Station to see a full list of Zoo Boo Bash
activities.
This event is included in general Zoo admission.

Additional fees may apply for certain activities.

Annual Pass Holder black out date: All annual pass holders will need to pay $5 Special Event Admission per person named on their card to gain entry to the event.

6pm to Midnight $15. Year round. Mortem Manor Haunted Attraction. Old Town, Kissimmee 5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway | Kissimmee, FL 34746. The Old Town Halloween in Kissimmee is now open year-round Wednesday
through Sunday at 6 p.m. Freak out with live actors in two floors of the
haunted house ($15), and a new “buried alive” experience ($5). 5770 W.
Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. 407-396-4888. mortemmanor.com

10am to 5pm Free. Winter Springs ARToberFEST. There will be over 100 art vendors at Winter Springs Town Center,
Blumberg Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Guests can also enjoy
German brats and beer while dancing to live German bands all weekend.
407-278-4871 or wsfota.org

Sunday October 21, 2018

11pm to 8pm $15. Festival Calle Orange. Spanning 10 blocks near 4000 S.
Orange Ave. Central Florida’s largest Hispanic festival celebrates its 20th
anniversary of bringing together people of many nationalities, religions
and backgrounds to enjoy food, music and dancing in the streets. This
celebration of culture includes four stages with numerous bands,
sampling, souvenirs, food vendors and much more. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. $15
admission; kids 10 and under are free.  calleorange.com

Noon to 9pm Florida Harmonica Championships. Beach side Tavern 690 East 3rd Avenue New Smyrna Beach. This 13th annual championship brings
harmonica players to Beach side Tavern competing for the “best in show”
trophy. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 690 E. 3rd. Ave. 386-314-5718. floridaharmonicachampionships.com

10pm to Midnight. Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Interplanetary Acoustic Team

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Poet Brian Turner invited me to sketch a performance of the Interplanetary Acoustic Team at the White House, Timucua Arts Foundation (2000 South Summerlin, Orlando, FL 32806). Jared Sylvia had an amazing knot of electronics set up on three tables. Wires flowed everywhere. He set up a relaxing loop track as ambient music as people arrived. Brian Turner was front and center with guitar and occasional poetry. Two more electric guitars filled out the soundscape. Brian had asked me to sketch the group live and I hoped to do a digital sketch that would project above the stage but I couldn’t figure out the way to hook up an iPad to the projector. Pam Schwartz had helped me set up the tech once before but she was at a onePULSE Foundation meeting. I messed with all the possible connections for an hour and had to give up. The digital sketch would have made sense considering all the electronic tech on stage but I went about sketching the old school way with pencil and paper.

The Interplanetary Acoustic Team is a group of musical explorers
whose mission is to listen to the stars, to record the deep
gravitational waves rolling across the wide sweep of time, the voices
carried on those waves. The music was haunting and moving

On their debut album “11 11 (Me, Smiling)” Ilyse Kusnetz created a lyric meditation that spans the universe, encompassing
everything from the Big Bang, to the creation of life as we know it, to
cybernetics, to the uploading of human consciousness for a journey into
the unknown. Her husband, Brian Turner, has collaborated with her
to intertwine their vision and create this album. Ilyse’s voice was recorded for use in one of the songs and Brian explained that this evening would have been his and Elyse’s wedding anniversary. Ilyse lost a battle with cancer but her poetry and lyrics live on. Beauty lives on when every something is created.

Brian Turner–Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Horns, Modular Synths

Benjamin Kramer–Bass, Keyboards, Theremin

Jared Silvia: Modular Synths

Sunil Yapa: Guitars

The next Interplanetary Acoustic Team event is at Valencia Winter Park campus, Oct 18, 201 at around 7pm. Then for a Burrow Press book launch on Nov 10, 2018.