Antonsen Park announces
2008 Red Dirt Concert Series:
Kicks off with June 1 jam!
by Pamela Schulz
Day by day, the two-acre Barbara’s Park up on the celebrated Posse Grounds edges ever closer to being a vital deed on Sedona’s path to becoming more animated by the arts.
Fresh from forging a stronger relationship with the city, and also with homeowners surrounding the Posse Grounds, Friends of the Posse Ground have made plans for another summer of possibilities, of late afternoon Red Dirt concerts to begin on June 1, at 4:30 p.m., and to end before dark.
Talent will include guitarist Anthony Mazzella dubbed by Billboard magazine “the new generation of guitar hero;” the celebrated Fitzhugh Jenkins, described by the Los Angeles Times as a “spirited musician,” and the exhilarating, provocative voice of Vyktoria Pratt Keating.
So committed to this community project is Mazzella that it was he that rounded up the other musicians. What’s more, all three will be donating their talents to the cause of Barbara’s Park.
Prior to their performance, the public is invited to join in creating “A Park with A Heart,” the ceremonial construction of heart-shaped rock formation on the park site. All one has to do is bring a rock to your liking.
There, it will remain, until sufficient funding is raised to break ground, perhaps early in 2009. Special guests from the community will be invited to the ceremony.
Should anyone be unable to attend the concert, they are invited to wander up Posse Grounds Road and place their own rock in the group heart to commemorate a loved one, set a personal intention, or simply add their support to the city’s and the Friends of the Posse Grounds’ vision of a park for the arts—and for community gatherings.
“In this way, people will discover that Barbara’s Park is their park, being built by the community for the community, said Madeleine O’Callaghan, president of the Friends of the Posse Grounds.
A second concert is planned, in cooperation with the city, on July 4, featuring patriot music and a Dixieland band.
On Sunday August 10, a “Back to School Concert” will feature Yin and Yang and Zen Some, with Sedona Sideshow. Included, too, will be the Light Vibe Dancers, Red Rock High School poets, and a “Best Dessert Contest,” culminating with neat prizes.
Beyond that, a series of local fund-raising events are planned, including an interactive dinner theatre, dubbed a “Dickens of the Dinner,” during the Christmas holidays.
See ya’ at the Park.