Street Talk

The official start of summer, at least for those of us residing in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, is not until the summer solstice. This year it will be June 21. That’s when the sun reaches the highest point in the topside hemisphere. Even for us southern northern hemi types at latitude 34, the sun never gets directly overhead, but it feels pretty close especially when its shining directly on my skull.     I’ve been outside testing the radiation going into my cranium and it is summer. Semi-officially. And maybe that’s why we all think Memorial Day kicks off summer. It’s all about the sunrays.
Rays radiating right now or not it has nonetheless been a cool spring—ask any farmer or gardener if you have already forgotten— and that’s the reason for the late start to the Farmers Market. Starting this Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. come out to the big magnolia on Main Street and get some of the freshest local produce around.
There will  be plenty of fresh bread and hot coffee for those of you who need that get-ya-going carbohydrates and caffeine in the morning. There are new growers at the market this year bringing in a greater variety of more local harvested produce, as well as the established growers you have grown (and who occasionally groan) to love.
Art is out and about and kicking the summer off.  It is going to be an art weekend in the Valley. Friday night both Yalo Studio and Bozarts Galley have new shows opening. Yalo’s show is local artist Bradley Gordon; he is a talented painter of local fauna and flora. Look for the Walter Anderson influence in his work.
At Bozarts Gallery the new show is “un-Still Life” with Valley artist Mari Foster and Coffeeville painter David Race. Mari’s range of work—landscapes to portraits to fantasy to whimsy is hard to define but always easy to see. David’s oil paintings are impressionistic pleasures. There is always something to discover in them whether viewed up close or at a distance. Ed Croom is the spotlight artist in Bozarts’ mirror gallery and his photographs of Water Valley will make you look at the place with new eyes. So get your summer white linen on and head downtown Friday night for warm company and cool art. Both shows open at 6 p.m. and go to 9. Start the summer right.
Saturday afternoon starting noon and going to 5 p.m. is the first Pine Valley Music and Art Fest. It will be out on Hwy. 32, heading to Bruce direction at the Pine Valley School House. That’s eight miles from downtown and look for it on the right side of the road.
If you locate by numbers, it is 4490 Hwy 32. It is going to be a full day of music. And art too. There have been several local sculptors creating work just for this show—I’ve had a peak at the studios –and you’ll want to see the statues in person on Saturday afternoon. See you in Pine Valley.