Krampusnacht needs to become a holiday tradition.

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Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic folklore figure described as “half-goat, half-demon”, who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Krampus is one of the Companions of Saint Nicholas in regions including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Northern Italy. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated a pre-Christian origin for the figure.

Presented by Pink Hair Productions and Thomas M. Bunting Projects, Krampusnacht was brought to Orlando at the Hammered Lamb (1235 N Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804). My monthly ODD event (Orlando Drink and Draw) so I figured it could be a fun night of sketching demons. I was right. The best demon come out very late at night. By that time, I was spent having finished four sketches. 

My primary sketch was of the main stage. The goal was to sketch Santa and the angry elves. They did a sound check and then disappeared for several hour to get changed. I never did see them perform.

Brendan O’Connor was dressed as a Kampus, and he agreed to pose for a brief five minute sketch for the group. Brendan and Denna also walked the room applying temporary Kranpus tattoos to any patrons who wanted them. They affixed a demonic Krampus tattoo on my bald head as I sketched. It looked pretty good. They also applied a tattoo to the inner cleavage of a buxom woman’s breasts. 

The most demonic Krampus’ seem to arrive just after I left. I heed to work on my stamina so that I c continue sketching until very late at night. I’m still a bit of a early bird, and lightweight

Equality Connection

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Terry and I went to the Hammered Lamb for the “Equality Connection“. Commissioner Patty Sheehan had just put her painting up at the bar in Ivanhoe Village that afternoon. She paints “Equality Kittys” and she can barely keep up with the demand. I heard that every painting sold from her last show. The evening was a fundraiser for Equality Florida which is the largest civil rights organization
dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This organization has grown exponentially in the last few years but there is plenty of hard work still left to go before people recognize that all people are created equal.

Many of the board member of the Orlando Fringe were there to show their support. Terry is on the Fringe board now and has loved the amazing people she has met. Fringe is now going strong down at Lock Haven park and I will be there sketching as often as possible. You never know what you will discover on the green lawn of fabulousness. Devon ordered some wings which surprised me since this venue used to be all vegan. She offered me a wing and I tried it but they were to hot of my taste. Of course food this hot means you need to drink more beers which could be a perk.

Happy Ho

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Scottie Campbell, the Executive Director of Ivanhoe Village, tipped me off about the restoration of a neon sign which has been out of commission for twenty years. On November 7th, I went to the Historic Ivanhoe Building (1111 North Orange Ave. Orlando FL) to see the installation of a neon sign for the Holidays. These neon letters were restored this year by AC Signs. Tom Connery of the City of Orlando arranged for the restoration.

The Ivanhoe Building is where the ballet’s offices are housed but it was recently vacated because of mold problems. I noticed one dancer walking down the sidewalk, so maybe the mold issue has been resolved.

As I sketched, more letters arrived by truck. The black crane was used to lift the letters up to the roof. A spotter stood in the grass holding two ropes to keep the letter from spinning in the breeze. The last few feet were the most difficult. If the neon hit the roof’s edge too hard, it could break thus destroying all the restoration work.

A woman got off at the bus stop behind me. She shouted into her cell phone, “I hate you, I absolutely hate you!” I guess someone was going to pick her up, but they didn’t. She was having a bad day. The workmen came off the roof for a break and they looked over my shoulder as I worked. The neon in each of the signs letters was tested one at a time. Everything seemed to work.

Mark Your Calendar!  November 22nd at 6PM, at the Historic Ivanhoe Building (1111 North Orange Ave. Orlando FL),  Mayor Buddy Dyer will throw the switch re-lighting the Happy Holidays/Happy New Year neon
sign on top of the the historic Ivanhoe building. It will be the first
time the sign has been lit in two decades!,  A reception will follow at The Hammered Lamb (1235 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL.)

Ivanhoe Trivia Night

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0n Tuesday August 27th, Ivahhoe Trivia Night kicked off at The Hammered Lamb. Each week the event will help raise money for Ivanhoe Village and there are prizes for the winners. It’s easy to play; you just need to put your thinking cap on.

HOT TIP: Each Monday an answer to one question will appear on the Ivanhoe Village Facebook page and Twitter (@IvanhoeVillage). So be sure you’re liking and following!

Arrive early, stay late! Happy Hour is 4:00 PM-7:00 PM. Then after Ivanhoe Trivia Night, plan to stick around for open mic night!

Ivanhoe Village Manager, Scottie Campbell, was the MC firing off the trivia questions. The bar was full and the competition fierce. Some contestants took to bold posturing to intimidate the competition.  Here are a few of the questions from the premiere event. See how you do. I’ll list answers in the comment section over the weekend. No Googling the answers.

1. What country has the most patent applications?

2. Mount Thor has the greatest purely vertical drop. What country is Mount Thor in?

3. Who was the first person inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1936?

4. The song “Walk this Way” by Aerosmith was written after seeing which 1974 film?

5. Who wrote the book, “Ivanhoe”?

6. What is the name of the park across the street from the Hammered Lamb?

7. Word Jumble… NAAJNEFDO.

8. What president was in office when Marilyn Monroe died?

9. What country drinks the most alcohol?

A train rumbled by and everyone had free shots on the house. It tasted a bit like grapefruit. Mark Your Calendar! Get your trivia fix every Tuesday night 6pm to 8pm at the Hammered Lamb (1235 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL).

Blue Moon Artfully Crafted Box Party

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The Blue Moon Artfully Crafted Box Party was held at The Hammered Lamb (1235 N. Orange Avenue Orlando, Florida in Ivanhoe Village) on June 26th. Orlando Weekly and Blue Moon Brewing selected 3 local artists to turn once nondescript street boxes into awesome works of art! I put on a Blue Moon T-shirt and went to sketch.

Austin James Art, Wolfrich and Kittens Of Industry were competing and painting LIVE at the Grand Finale Party. I cased the event trying to decide which artist to sketch working. Austin James’ box was outside on the patio and it was essentially done already. I never actually saw him at work. Kittens of Industry was also outside. She didn’t know where the finished boxes would end up.

Wolfrich was the only artist working inside with the crisp cool air conditioning running. The AC swung my vote. I was sketching inside. Wolfrich had all the large areas of color blocked in and the night of the event he used Krink markers to add black outlines to eyes and brows. He had a tiny blue garbage can which I thought was for tips, but now I think it was votes. Austin James Art won the voting when all the ballots were counted at the end of the evening along with votes from a panel . In case there is a recount due to hanging chads or unclear votes, I hope judges will count my sketch as a vote for Wolfrich. He worked his ass off that night. There was free Blue Moon beer, free Hors d’oeuvre and crazy Happy Hour specials. Anytime a train passed by, everyone would get a free shot. The Hammered Lam gets my vote for a great place for Happy Hour.

Hammers and Lambs

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On June 12, I went to The Venue, (511 Virginia Drive Orlando, FL) to watch the set up for an improvisational dance performance by called “La Mia Danza“. This was going to be a one time collaboration of improvised Dance and Music starring the captivating
dancer Michelina Wingerter along with live music by Tacatantán Record’s
Abdias Ernesto Garcia.

When I arrived, Abdias greeted me. A rehearsal was still in progress for another show opening the following week. Dancer Michelina was in this production as well, along with Megan Bueto, Tymisha Harris and Blue Star. Called “Hammers and Lambs” this show is produced by Blue Star and is inspired by the paintings of Patrick Fatica. The dance number I saw rehearsed involved plenty of hammers, or croquet mallets.

Hammers and Lambs will begin each evening at The Hammered Lamb (1235 N. Orange Ave.) with a preview of Patric’s newest paintings. There will be complimentary wine and food. Then patrons will be whisked to The Venue by O-cart for the dance performance inspired by Patrick’s work. I love the idea of one art form inspiring another art form.

There are four more performances. The evening begins at 7pm sharp.

June 22, 24, 28, 29

Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 on the day of the show. Tickets are available at the Hammered Lamb or The Venue, or call (407) 412-6895