On Saturday May 1, 2010, there is a free, family-friendly event for those of us who love the silver screen and the glamor that comes with it. Catherine Bell, who plays Denise Sherwood of Lifetime Movie Network’s “Army Wives” and Alex Meraz, he plays Paul of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” will be there. The little ones have not been forgotten either, Barbie will make an appearance as well as Spiderman.

Bring your own chairs for the movies and live entertainment since the event takes place on parking lot asphalt. Hats and sunscreen might come in handy to, but coolers are not allowed.

Here is the schedule:
10 a.m.: Official kickoff – Food and arts/crafts vendors open
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Outdoor children’s movie on digital LED screen
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Celebrity meet-and greet with Catherine Bell (Denise Sherwood of Lifetime Movie Network’s “Army Wives”)
12-3 p.m.: Celebrity meet-and-greet with Alex Meraz (Paul of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”)
Character meet-and-greet with Barbie
Character meet-and-greet with Spiderman
1:30-3 p.m.: Live entertainment by Shrimp City Slim – Based out of Charleston, Gary Erwin and his band will perform their specialty of Lowcountry blues and original songs
3:30-5:40 p.m.: Outdoor PG-13 movie on digital LED screen, introduced by Meraz
6-7:30 p.m.: Live entertainment by Tinsley Ellis – Named one of today’s premier blues/rock players by Billboard magazine
8:30-9:45 p.m.: Live entertainment by Buddy Guy – Winner of five Grammy Awards and 23 W.C. Handy Blues Awards, Guy will perform from his musical repertoire of electric blues
Around 9:45 p.m.: Fireworks will follow after Guy’s performance

The event takes place from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. at the former Myrtle Square Mall site, between 23rd Avenue North and 27th Avenue North, Myrtle Beach.

The 24th Annual Rivertown Music & Arts Festival will be held May 1, 2010 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. in historic downtown Conway, South Carolina. This festival contains a lot of fun for the whole family with great live music, lots of art and a variety of food. Live performances will ranging from jazz to gospel to steel drums. Performances take place all day from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Festival-goers are encouraged to their own chairs. There’s also a Classic Car Show.

Artists, crafters and merchants will offer an assortment of wares including pottery, wood, glass, photography, jewelry and paintings 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Gourmet food, hotdogs and local cuisine will tempt visitors in the food court area from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Don’t miss the Chicora Car Clubs Rivertown Music & Arts Festival Car Show from 10:00-4:00 which is sponsored and hosted by Palmetto Chevrolet on 4th Avenue.

The Main Stage on Laurel Street hosts a fabulous line up of local talent including local big band favorite-The Stardusters, Jazz Guitarist-Jay Lynn, The Authentic Band, the Sally Woody School of Dance, the Conway Superstar Winners, the contemporary bluegrass stylings of-The Spots and funk-infused rock quartet-Ten Toes Up closes the festival at 7:00 p.m.

For more information contact Conway Main Street at 843-248-6260

The Charleston Jazz Festival will take place on Saturday, May 8th at the Charleston Music Hall. Kim Waters, Kenny Lattimore and Daniel Davis will be preforming. Join us for the first year of this annual event!

Charleston jazz lovers are in for a treat this spring when local music enthusiast, concert promoter, and producer Steve Simon, the CEO of Steve Simon Presents, brings the first annual Charleston Jazz Festival to the Charleston Music Hall on Sat. May 8.

Headlining the event is award-winning jazz saxophonist Kim Waters with support from R&B vocalist Kenny Lattimore and 20-year-old jazz and hip/hop inspired violinist Daniel Davis. Waters is known for his sultry saxophone melodies, with inspiration coming from the likes of Duke Ellington and George Duke. Lattimore has been in the R&B scene for over a decade and brings his smooth vocal tunes, originals, and tasteful classics. Local jazz violinist-turned-musical star Daniel D. has opened for major players like Kanye West and has performed for President Obama. He and his violin create soulful versions of contemporary songs, like “Billie Jean” and Kanye West’s “Stronger.”

Tim McGraw will be playing at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center with Lady Antebellum and Love And Theft.  The concert will take place on May 13th, don’t miss out!  Great music for a great cause.  Here’s some more information about the Southern Voice tour.

Throughout the outing, McGraw and premier tour partner Outback Steakhouse are teaming up to raise funds to support The Neighbor’s Keeper Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Operation Homefront. Funds will be raised through in-restaurant promotions in each of the tour cities, sales of an exclusive Tim McGraw t-shirt and more. Operation Homefront supports active military, veterans, wounded warriors and their families nationwide by providing them much needed resources in their time of need. In addition, McGraw will donate a portion from each ticket sold to The Neighbor’s Keeper Fund , a charitable fund he created with his wife, Faith Hill. The Fund seeks to strengthen communities by contributing to diverse projects with primary emphasis on children’s initiatives. Frito-Lay’s Fritos brand corn chips will contribute to local charities in 34 markets via The Neighbor’s Keeper Fund. For information on tickets and the full itenerary please visit http://www.timmcgraw.com/#tour-dates.html

With 7.8 million spins at radio, McGraw was the most-played artist of the decade. “Southern Voice,” the title track from his latest CD, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Songs chart last month and the album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in October 2009. McGraw will perform at the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, the pre-race extravaganza leading up to the start of “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway, on Sunday, February 14th. The Daytona 500, which is the season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the biggest stock car race in the world, will be broadcast live on FOX, with pre-race coverage beginning at noon EST and the race starting at 1:00 p.m. EST.

McGraw has sold over 40 million units and dominated the charts with 31 #1 singles. He’s won three GRAMMY® Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 10 American Music Awards, three People’s Choice Awards and numerous other awards. McGraw, who co-starred with Sandra Bullock in the hit film The Blind Side, is currently shooting Screen Gems’ Love Don’t Let Me Down in Nashville with co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester.

The City of Jacksonville is once again presenting Starry Nights which was well-known as one of Jacksonville’s most popular outdoor events for more than a decade, combining the wonderful sounds of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and an exciting variety of top entertainers. This event creates a festive downtown atmosphere in Metropolitan Park with the beautiful St. Johns River serving as the perfect backdrop.

Here are some of the concert dates and performers.

April 10 – Styx

Styx transformed from a suburban Chicago basement in the early 1970s to the virtual arena rock prototypes by the late 1970s and early 1980s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads.  Styx’s mainstream success began with “Lady.”  Most of their subsequent releases throughout the late 1970s earned at least platinum certification and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man,” and “Fooling Yourself.”

April 24 – Idina Menzel

Featuring Broadway powerhouse Idina Menzel, the Tony award-winning “Elphaba” from the international blockbuster “Wicked.”  With a diverse repertoire of classic pop, musical theater favorites (including hits from “Wicked” and “Rent”) as well as songs from her album “I Stand,” Idina Menzel demonstrates why she is one of the great vocal performers of our time.  Catch her this spring on the FOX television series “Glee!”

April 24th – Conductor Matthew Kraemer
Recognized for his “musical sensitivity” and “energized sense of interpretation”, conductor Matthew Kraemer begins his tenure as associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2009.  In this role he will appear on each of the orchestra’s major series, including subscription weeks, Pops, and Family concerts.  He will play a vital role in the BPO’s award winning education and community engagement programs, in addition to assisting Music Director JoAnn Falletta during her Kleinhans Hall weeks, recording sessions and on tour.  The 2009-2010 season will also mark his third and final year as associate conductor of the Virginia Symphony.  Upcoming season highlights include an all Mozart program and The Music Man with the BPO, Strauss’ Don Juan and Stravinsky’s Firebird with the VSO, and performances with Philippe Quint, Ben Folds, and Chris Botti.  He will also debut with the Jacksonville Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony orchestras in the spring of 2010.

It’s time for Savannah to “Go Green” and celebrate its Irish heritage and culture. On Saturday, March 13, 2010 it’s time for the annual Irish Celebration in Emmet Park – Tara Feis.

This is a great event for the whole family with irish music, dance food and fun. This year, Cathie Ryan Band will be performing.

For more information about the event, visit http://http//www.savannahga.gov/arts

Click here to read more about St Patrick’s Day in Savannah

Summer is here and the heat is on. Savannah is becoming hot, hot, hot when when the Fiesta Latina festival returns to Rousakis Plaza on Saturday June 20th.

Live DJ’s and bands will bring salsa, merengüe, cumbia, norteño, bachata, reggaetón and more to the river front. Featured artists include the popular “Serenata Band” from Atlanta, who visited last year, as well as many other local and regional artists. Besides music and dance, the festival also offers arts, crafts and food from different countries.

For more information about the event call 912.238.2032

Every summer in St. Augustine you can enjoy the free Concerts in the Plaza series. This event has been called “the best way to spend a Thursday night in St Augustine”. This is without doubt a wonderful opportunity to spend time outdoors and enjoy a free concert in the park with friends and family. This event offers a wide selection of music to the Old City all summer long. On Thursdays you can enjoy everything from Bluegrass and blues, jazz and country, swing and folk, to old time and popular rock.
All Thursday night concerts are free. The concert begins at 7 p.m, bring your own chair and maybe even picnic dinner.

The event takes place at The Plaza de la Constitución, located in the heart of St. Augustine between Cathedral Place and King Street, west of the Bridge of Lions. The band performs from The Gazebo in the center of the Plaza. Since this is usually a popular event, come early to get a good spot.

Parking
There are several places to park. Parking is available in the Historic Downtown Parking Facility (HDPF) located at the St. Augustine & St. Johns County Visitors Information Center. This is usually where we choose to park when visiting. It’s convenient and easy. We don’t enjoy wasting time looking for parking when we’re visiting for a day. There’s just too much to see and do in St Augustine. The parking place is about a ten minute walk from the Plaza. Parking is $1.25 per hour with a $7.50 per day maximum.
On street parking is also available near the Plaza de la Constitución and is free after 5:00pm.

This year we celebrate the Johnny Mercer centennial. Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah in 1909. He wrote lyrics to 1,700 songs – out of those 100 or so were hits and four nominated for awards. His most famous are probably “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses”. He was a cofounder of Capital records just to mention a few of his achievements.

Mercer in the Squares is a free concert at lunch-time in the squares of Savannah lasting all summer. Bring your sandwich or picnic lunch and enjoy a musical adventure with R&B, jazz, Wednesdays and Fridays 11:30 and 1:30 in Johnson and Wright squares.

The events are presented by New Arts Ensemble and the City of Savannah in conjunction Enjoy Mercer favorites in a summer-long tribute to Savannah’s acclaimed songsmith.

June 3: Johnson Square
June 5: Johnson Square
June 10: Wright Square
June 12: Wright Square
June 17: Johnson Square
June 19: Johnson Square
June 24: Wright Square
June 26: Wright Square
July 8: Johnson Square
July 10: Johnson Square
July 15: Wright Square
July 17: Wright Square
July 22: Johnson Square
July 24: Johnson Square
July 29: Wright Square
July 31: Wright Square

City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs 912-651-6417
www.johnnymercercentennial.com