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(09/25/14 3:02am)
The Paul Taylor Dance Company performed at the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30p.m. on Sept. 24, 2014.
This was the opening night of the East Alabama Arts performance series season. Philip Preston, director of the program, has dubbed this season with a theme: The Stage is Set.
Prior to the performance, Preston sat at the edge of the stage and spoke to the audience on what he anticipates to be an exciting season.
"It takes a great community to have great arts," Preston said.
The performance soon began with a number called Arden Court. The focus of the stage for this portion was a large pink rose backdrop.
The performance began with six muscular men taking the stage in pastel speckled tights who were soon joined by female partners dressed in a similar fabric.
According to dancer, Michael Apuzzo, the athletic look is much of what attracted him to the company.
"I immediately fell in love with the athleticism and the artistry of the choreography," Apuzzo said.
This portion was largely couple-based and had a ballet emphasis.
Arden Court was followed by a break before the American Dreamer dancers took the stage.
This portion had a wider variety of styles of dance to offer. Dancers wore costumes of a similar loose-fitting style in neutral colors, but each were unique.
Props such as fans and bonnets were also used.
The music used in this number had lyrics, unlike Arden Court, which helped illustrate what was happening in each scene.
All songs were selected by Stephen Foster and sung by Thomas Hampton.
Finally, after intermission, came the part of the show named Company B.
This section was broken up into 10 distinct parts.
The first part was performed by the entire cast. The eight parts that followed kept only two or three dancers on stage at a time before the cast came back together for the last part, which was effectively the finale.
Every portion of Company B was meant to reflect the sentiments of Americans during World War II.
When dancer, Christina Lynch Markham, reflected on what made each dance so special. She points to Paul Taylor's artistry.
"It's the way that he plays with the music and uses the stage as his canvas that makes it a beautiful dance," Markham said.
(09/14/14 12:00pm)
For the third year in a row, the March of Dimes of East Alabama will bring together Auburn's top local chefs to display their culinary expertise for the Signature Chefs Auction.
This auction is set to take place Sept. 16 at the Auburn University Club on Yarborough Farms Boulevard.
Similar events have taken place across the country for the past 20 years led by various March of Dimes chapters.
Chefs from local restaurants, such as Acre, Zazu's Gastropub and Hamilton's on Magnolia will provide samples to guests.
According to Linda Gross, March of Dimes senior community director, a silent auction will take place during the tasting at 6 p.m., followed by a small live auction.
All items being auctioned will be donated to benefit March of Dimes to help improve the lives of mothers and babies in the community.
"We can't raise money if we have to buy stuff," Gross said. "The chefs donate their time, their food, their talent."
One of the events' sponsors is Rex Maynor, publisher of Opelika-Auburn News.
Maynor spoke highly of both the event and March of Dimes.
"I can think of no other organization that supports the birth and growth of healthy children that is more deserving of support," Maynor said.
Once the auction is complete, a local ambassador family will share their personal March of Dimes experience.
"It's their opportunity to share their story and to thank everyone there," Gross said.
Two event chairs, Tricia Peterson and Lisa Persons, run the Signature Chefs Auction. Both are local business owners and have co-chaired the event for the past two years, as well as this year.
"It has been exciting to see this event grow over the past three years," Persons said. "Even the attendance last year was at least double the first year."
Gross works closely with Persons and expects approximately 150 guests this year.
Persons, like many March of Dimes supporters, said she feels she has a personal connection to the organization.
"One of the reasons I have chosen to be a part of the Signature Chefs Auction event is because I have four children of my own, and am passionate about the education and support the March of Dimes provides to expectant mothers," Persons said. "I am blessed and thankful for my own children's health, but have witnessed firsthand several of my close friends give birth to premature babies."
The March of Dimes works on improving the health of premature babies in addition to typical babies.
"March of Dimes is about all babies," Gross said. "We consider the healthy babies to be our happy endings."
Gross said she sees it as an opportunity for more people to get involved with the organization.
"We wanted to do something that was a little different, that might be interesting to people who don't necessarily want to do a walk," Gross said. "It's really just an enjoyable evening for people to come out and support a great cause."
The Signature Chefs Auction is expected to begin at 6 p.m. and end at approximately 9 p.m. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased via phone at (334) 513-7381.
(07/26/14 9:00pm)
The management team at Cigar & Fine Spirits on Ogletree Road recently added on to their business by opening a wine and tapas bar next door.
The bar is The Cellar, and according to Rhianna Lerma, service manager of The Cellar, the tapas bar focuses on catering to a mostly female clientele.
Managing partner Jeff Julian said the decision to expand and open The Cellar happened naturally.
"Basically, we just outgrew our space and decided to expand next door," Julian said.
Julian later said he also thought they "had to do something for the ladies," since the typical Cigar & Fine Spirits client are male.
The menu features a different variety of drinks than those offered at Cigar & Fine Spirits, such as wines and martinis.
They will also serve tapas and a few larger meals, such as paninis and flatbreads.
Cigar & Fine Spirits does not offer food on their menu, something the staff wanted to offer at The Cellar.
"Honestly our regulars got a little agitated that we didn't have food," Lerma said. "After we got so many requests for it, we thought it would be a good idea to add it [to The Cellar menu]."
The Cellar opened its doors for the first time Saturday, July 19.
The Cellar is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until midnight.
Lerma said the hours might vary based on how busy the business ends up being during those times.
Lerma said she looks forward to seeing how people react to the new bar in its early stages.
"I think we're just kind of excited to get new people in and see a different clientele," Lerma said. "We're interested to see how the kitchen works and how people like the food and everything new we have added."
In addition to serving new drinks and food, The Cellar also offers live music every night they are open.
Bands and musicians will begin their performances at approximately 7 p.m. each night.
"There's a big stage, so it will be fun to have music and room to move around," Lerma said.
While The Cellar is located approximately 15 minutes away from downtown Auburn, some students plan to make a visit for a new experience.
"I really want to visit The Cellar soon just for something different," said Tori Pruitt, senior in secondary math education. "It's always fun to try out new places that open up in Auburn and switch up your typical routine."
The Cellar hopes to draw in new clients and watch their new bar take shape and establish regular customers in Auburn.
For more information on The Cellar, visit their website they share with Cigar & Fine Spirits, www.CigarAndFineSpirits.com or their Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheCellarAuburn. The Cellar may be reached via their telephone number, 334-521-7200.
(07/24/14 9:00pm)
Popular book series turned movie entity, "The Hunger Games" recently appeared on campus in the form of an active summer camp.
The Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve, located in Auburn, started the event this year and divided it into two programs.
The Hunger Games Training Camp, which occurred this past June, is geared toward fifth through seventh graders.
It aims to provide them with basic wilderness skills while also participating in crafts and games.
The camp is divided into several districts with each one having a different focus.
"(My responsibilities) were running the archery range, a survival first-aid program and helping our district members with hiding flags for other districts to find," said Julia Rich, teacher naturalist at the reserve. "I think that my favorite part of this camp was watching all the students improve and expand their knowledge and enthusiasm toward the outdoors."
The training camp program was one week long.
The more intensive counterpart to the program is "The Hunger Games" Survival Skills event.
The event is geared toward anyone over the age of 8. Outdoor sports, such as backpacking and camping, are taught to each participant.
Skills taught include fire building, creating shelters and scavenging for edible plants in the wild.
"The Hunger Games" Survival Skills program is a one-day event and begins at 10 a.m. on July 26.
The wide age range of potential attendees allows families to all participate together.
The idea for the event came from Jennifer Lolley, outreach administrator for the Kreher Preserve, when she noticed the enthusiasm of "The Hunger Games" fans of all ages.
She originally brought a similar program to Auburn Middle School in 2013 and later decided to hold the camp at the preserve and give it a survival skills theme.
"I have had so many requests to do this program for adults that I decided it would be good to put on this program using some great volunteers from the community," Lolley said.
Jamie Anderson also works at the preserve and has a hand in administering these programs.
"Equally popular with kids and adults, we decided to offer a similar 'Hunger Games'-inspired community program for all ages to learn basic survival skills, such as archery, fire and shelter building, tracking and orienteering that would be useful for backpacking and camping," Anderson said.
Jamie said the program came about because of the popularity of the Hunger Games movies, as well as the mission of the preserve to educate all people about the wilderness.
"'The Hunger Games'-inspired programs are appealing to our youth and offer an excellent opportunity to teach kids valuable skills that will build confidence and inspire them to spend more time in the outdoors," Anderson said.
According to the preserve's website, the one-day program on July 26 costs $5.
The event will last approximately two hours and will take place at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve located on North College Street.
(07/17/14 6:00pm)
First Fridays is an event hosted by Opelika Main Street, a non-profit organization that puts on events in downtown Opelika.
Most of Opelika shuts down relatively early during most of the month. On the first Friday of every month, restaurants, boutiques and other businesses stay open until 8 p.m. or later.
All restaurants remain open and some of the boutiques participating are Coveted Closet, Fringe and The Gallery. First Fridays has been happening on-and-off and picked back up two years ago.
When the event recommenced, administrators made a few slight changes in hopes of bettering each attendee's experience.
These small event changes stem mostly from the town itself changing, according to Opelika Main Street director Pam Powers-Smith.
She explained how many restaurants began popping up and made downtown much more popular and busier overall.
According to Powers-Smith, adjustments needed to be made to allow the upcoming First Fridays to cover a greater area than before.
One of the most significant changes, according to Powers-Smith, is how the live music they offer is presented.
"We used to have a band on First Fridays, but now we have live music on all the corners," Powers-Smith said.
Street performers allow music to be heard no matter where visitors find themselves in downtown Opelika. Past musicians included Joe Moore, Destiny Brown and Chase Brown.
Expanding this portion of the event creates a better experience for visitors because it provides different genres of music within walking distance of each other.
The expansion also allows employees of local businesses to hear the entertainment loud and clear.
Powers-Smith said, generally, most of the people seen walking around outside and enjoying the music are those who have already eaten and are, "[taking] a stroll after dinner or [going] shopping after dinner."
According to Opelika Main Street intern and Auburn student Gwen Baer, the atmosphere in the area changes when First Fridays occur.
"I love how First Fridays turns a town into a community," Baer said.
Baer enjoys the social aspects of this occurrence and becomes excited at the opportunity to meet other locals. Powers-Smith seems to agree.
"It's just a fun evening out, whether you're with your family or on a date. It's a leisurely atmosphere and you can walk around outside," Powers-Smith said. "The laid-back atmosphere is something Opelika Main Street promotes heavily as well as their motto, 'shop late, eat local.'"
Robert Smith, owner of FlipFlopFoto, takes photographs of attendees.
Although working, Smith enjoys the experience as well and notices other First Fridays staff do too.
"It's definitely a really cool atmosphere down here on First Fridays," Smith said. "The live music outside is fun for the merchants, that are open as well, as the customers strolling around."
The next First Fridays event will take place August 1.
(07/11/14 8:30pm)
Each summer, students log on to their Tigeri accounts to purchase their Auburn football tickets for the upcoming football season.
Every student receives a specific date from June 10-17 to order tickets based on credit hours. Tickets tend to sell out quickly, so students often try to order as soon as possible.
Student season tickets are sold in seperate packages that include all home games. Five-game packages and three-game packages are available to the first students to log on.
Away games are also available for an additional price.
This year, the Iron Bowl, the most sought-after away game, sold out before many students were able to order.
This caused irritation for students who hoped to attend the game against Alabama.
They would not be able to sit in the student section during their final year as an Auburn undergraduate student.
According to Associate Athletic Director Kirk Sampson, the number of Iron Bowl tickets for students available this year is the same as previous years.
However, some students think this needs to change.
"I think they needed to have a lot more available," Alexis Castellanos, junior in business, said. "I know I'm just a junior, but a ton of seniors didn't get them and it's their last time to go."
Audrey Faircloth, junior in psychology, agrees.
"It's completely not fair that me and so many others in the same situation will be going into our last football season, because we'll graduate in May, and we didn't get tickets," Faircloth said.
Faircloth also disagrees with how people tend to increase ticket prices when they resell games they cannot attend.
"We'll be expected to pay significantly more to buy a ticket off someone else who may have bought it just for the purpose of making a profit off it, not because they actually wanted to go," Faircloth said.
Erin Stewart, senior in business managment, has attended Auburn football games for years and offers a possible solution.
"I think that upperclassmen should be able to get one away ticket per person to any away game depending on how many home and away games that student has attended during their time as an Auburn student," Stewart said.
This proposition would give the most loyal upperclassmen an advantage, while also encouraging loyalty in younger students as an incentive for future perks, according to Stewart.
Stewart has another idea to cut down on the number of students reselling tickets strictly for profit.
"I think the ticket office should make students use their actual ignited cards to enter games," Stewart said. "This would reduce ticket resales and make more tickets available for the people that actually want to go to the games."