Artifacts 8/3/07

Music Festival seeks volunteers, sponsors

The organizers of the River City Music Festival, formerly the City of Roses Music Festival, are seeking volunteers to help staff the upcoming event and corporate sponsors. The festival also has booth space available for artists and craftspeople. For more information, call City of Roses Music Heritage Association president Mary Ramsey at (573) 979-3737.

River City Players group invites participation

The River City Players community theater group will hold an open meeting for all current members and anyone interested in community theater to share ideas at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Port Cape Girardeau. Performers, technicians and anyone curious about the group are welcome to attend.

Illinois vineyard wins wine best-of-show medal

MAKANDA, Ill. -- Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda was recently awarded the Best White Wine of Show medal at the Mid-American Wine Competition for its Vignoles. Other wines that won medals were the Chambourcin Reserve, gold; the Infinity, silver; and the Framboise, Traminette and Riesling, bronze.

Illinois Arts Council issues calls for artists

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Arts Council is accepting applications for artists fellowships and ethnic and folk arts master/apprentice program participants. Artists fellowship applications will be accepted in the fields of choreography, crafts, ethnic and folk arts, new performance forms, prose and scriptworks. Applications will be judged on quality of work, with grant awards of $7,000. The master/apprentice program provides awards of $2,000 and $1,000 respectively to master ethnic and folk artists and their apprentices. Deadline for both applications is Sept. 1. For more information, call the council at (800) 237-6994.

Local band Drivin' Rain adds new member

Cape Girardeau-based hard rock band Drivin' Rain has added another guitarist to its roster to replace Tommy DeWolf -- Jason Depro of the local band Ninth Life. Depro's first show with Drivin' Rain will be Aug. 11 at the Tommy Bolin Festival in Sioux City, Iowa.

Tunes at Twilight season starts again Aug. 10

The Tunes at Twilight concert series will resume Aug. 10 with a free concert by Doug MacLeod, a man being billed as one of the country's most respected blues artists. Shows in the second half of the series will start at 6:30 p.m. Concerts remaining in the Tunes at Twilight series are: Bryan Hayes, Aug. 17; David Olney, Aug. 24; Doug Rees, Aug. 31; Peter Karp, Sept. 7; and Rod Picott, Sept. 14. Concerts take place at the Common Pleas Courthouse gazebo.

Jour de Fête festival starts Aug. 11

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Ste. Genevieve's French-influenced arts and crafts festival, the Jour de Fête, will take place Aug. 11 and 12 in the city's historic district. More than 600 arts and crafts booths will be available. For more information, call (800) 373-7007.

-- From staff reports