Pine River Arts brings new events to Bayfield

Sunday, Apr 14, 2019 7:03 AM Updated Tuesday, Apr. 16, 2019 1:35 PM

Several performances, camps and workshops on tap this summer

A girl plays the trombone at an Instrument Petting Zoo, a recent Pine River Arts event.

Courtesy of Kathy Myrick

Last year’s Stillwater Music BBQ at the Pine River Library Park. The music showcase will happen again this year on July 28.

Courtesy

Courtesy of Tom Williamson

View from Missionary Ridge and County Road 250. Courtesy of Kaitlyn McIntosh

View from County Road 203. Courtesy of Mason Ringer

Courtesy of Brandon Hollibaugh

View from Missionary Ridge and County Road 250. Courtesy of Kaitlyn McIntosh

Courtesy of Tom Williamson

Aircraft fight the 416 Fire on Tuesday evening. Courtesy of Dan Bender

Courtesy of Cathleen Hartney

Courtesy of Jeff Titus

Courtesy of Andy Dougherty

Courtesy of Kristi Jesse.

Photo courtesy Tom Williamson

416 Fire. Courtesy of Billy French, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Billy French, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Billy French, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Billy French, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Kathy Lopez, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Kathy Lopez, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Dan Bender, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Dan Bender, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Julie Popp, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire. Courtesy of Julie Popp, Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Great Basin Smoke Jumpers parachuting on the Burro Fire. Courtesy of Gabe O'Keefe.Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire Courtesy of Judson Crossland Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire Courtesy of Judson Crossland Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire Courtesy of Judson Crossland Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire Courtesy of Judson Crossland Wednesday, June 13, 2018

416 Fire Courtesy of Judson Crossland Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Pine River Arts is a Pine River Library program that partners with art organizations to bring singing, acting, painting and performances to Bayfield. Now in its second year, new concerts, events and workshops have been added to the 2019 calendar.

“These events are being attended,” said Pine River Library Director Shelley Walchak. “People are hungry for arts and culture over here.”

Pine River Arts started as a way to bring more art and music to the community where it was lacking. Walchak said people were requesting more events at the library and she wanted to take advantage of library venues and the underutilized Bayfield Performing Arts Center. All the events are family-oriented and many are free.

“The idea was not to reinvent the wheel, but get with organizations that wanted to extend their reach,” she said.

Last year’s favorites

Three of last year’s major events will happen again this year.

The San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestra will take the Bayfield Performing Arts Center stage Sunday and features performances from three different age groups of talented young musicians from around the Southwest.

PRA hosts the Music in the Mountains kickoff performance with Colorado’s FY5 band, an Americana/bluegrass/country band, with Durango’s Stillhouse Junkies at the Bayfield Performing Arts Center on July 6. This show is one of the few non-classical Music in the Mountains performances. There will be beer sales at the event as well.

“We were really excited about this group,” said Music in the Mountains Executive Director Angie Beach. “It’s become a regional favorite.”

PRA will also host Music in the Mountains Chamber Ensemble at the Pine River Library Community Room on July 11.

The Stillwater BBQ showcases a variety of Stillwater bands complete with food, drinks and sunshine at the Bayfield Library Park on July 28. Stillwater is an educational music hub in Durango that offers youth and adult music programs and private lessons.

What’s new

In addition to last year’s favorites, PRA is incorporating three house concerts to their repertoire of events.

“It is a new phenomenon,” Walchak said. “It’s really a fun thing to do.”

Throughout the summer, the bands The REC Jazz Trio, Sound True Trio and Tom Kelma will play intimate shows out of locals’ homes.

PRA also teamed up with two film festivals. Locals who missed the Durango Independent Film Festival will be able to catch the “Best of the Fest” at the Bayfield Performing Arts Center on May 5. The event presents a special screening of all the 2019 winners. The Manhattan Short Film Festival, which occurs in different places around the world, offers a mix of high-quality shorts that will be featured in the fall.

There will also be various workshops like advanced singing and acting as well as two five-day music camps for ukulele and intermediate singers, which take place on July 22 and July 29, respectively. Each camp is $100.

To see the full list of events, prices and locations, visit pineriverarts.org.