Thank You So Much

We are still adding up the numbers, but it seems like Saturday's event was a great success. We certainly had one of the largest crowds ever and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.


For the second year in a row, we tried to give away a car courtesy of Coughlin Automotive and were unsuccessful.


Rave reviews were heard about the food provided by Heritage Catering.


We will be back later this week with a final report, but for now, we want everyone to know how much we appreciate your support for Java & Jazz and for Mental Health America of Licking County.


Here is a link to coverage in the Newark Advocate.

Some Guys, Some Dolls, a Little Java and Jazz: Could Be a Bumpy Night

Don Gunnerson to be Sauteed on Friday

In today's Advocate, there is a wonderful profile of local artist Don Gunnerson who is to be the subject of a good-natured "sautee" at Friday evening's Grand Illusions event to raise funds for Ohio Cancer Research Associates.  (One of the speakers at Friday's event will be Bob McGaughy who will be our host the very next night for the auction.)

The article is a nice profile of Gunnerson and his many contributions to both the culture and the landscape of Licking County.

We are fortunate to have had examples of his work to auction at our Java & Jazz events.  

His gifts as an artist are undeniable and his contributions to Licking County are substantial.  

Story About Java & Jazz in Today's Newark Advocate

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20110301/ENTERTAINMENT/110301004/1040/entertainment/Java-Jazz-benefit-include-auction-Derek-Holland-shoes

The Dance Will Find You

In the days before last year's Java & Jazz auction, we received a flurry of donations including a package that included bellydance lessons.  I am always looking for exotic and unusual items for our guests to bid on and this certainly seemed to fit the bill.

Little did I know the class had also captured the imagination of my spouse.  As we were preparing the auction item descriptions, she did her usual due diligence and uncovered all manner of information about the history of the dance and its key practitioners.

We learned, for example that "bellydance" is a term coined at the 1893 World Columbiana Exhibition in Chicago in reference to the traditional dances of many different countries in the eastern Mediterranean and north Africa.  To us it's "bellydance," but to them it's just dancing.

By the night of the auction, my spouse was hooked and ended up bidding on and winning the classes.

If we are very fortunate, we get to run across one or two really talented teachers in our lives, people who see their students for who they can be and help them to find their way to becoming that person.  Kristen found such a teacher in Ms. Chandara Gamal, founder of Bellydance Columbus and donor of the package up for bid at this year's auction.

I have written elsewhere about Ms. Chandara and so I will only say that there is a gift in store for the person who wins this package.  Students of all skill levels can learn this ancient dance form and become empowered by it.  What you notice right away is that they dance as much for themselves as they do for any audience.

The package up for bid includes a veil, a hip scarf, a pair of zills and a Class Pass for six lessons.  You don't have to be a serious dancer in order to benefit from these classes.  Go with an open mind and the dance will find you.

Bellydance Columbus offers classes at a number of locations around Columbus. 

Building Dreams

I like visiting places like Hearst Castle at San Simeon or George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate because the represent the singular vision of their owners.  They found a piece of land, or transformed it and set about building their dreams.

Fern Falls Bed & Breakfast, in Altamont, TN, is another such place.  

Owner Ron Van Dyke first visited the area as a boy and apparently fell in love with it.  Fern Falls represents 10 years of hard hand crafted work to show the land off to its best advantage.  In this too-brief collection of images, you will get a sense of his unique vision.  There is a video profile of Mr. Van Dyke and the Fern Falls property here (look for episode 2007).

We are grateful to Mr. Doug Litteral, Development Director for the Licking County Aging Program for making this opportunity available to us.

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