Supporting the growth of Arts in Yellow Springs through networking
ARTS CHALLENGE: Describe YELLOW SPRINGS - Photos, Art, Words, Song Lyrics, Drama, Short-short stories
Hello, ARTS Springers -
I'm posting a short article I wrote on YSO for the Gather.com site here, in hopes of encouraging those in ARTISTS OF YELLOW SPRINGS to add their own descriptions of any part or the whole of the village. I've only touched on a few points, and it would be great to see other peoples' views.
We can use these, as well, in the STORYBOX Concert program at the Yellow Springs Library May 7 (6 p.m. - bring your picnic supper, some handwork or handiwork, and settle in for our own stories).
Here's my piece:
//Yellow Springs, Ohio is a village of maybe 3500, home of Antioch College (which may or may not reopen). Glen Helen, our wildwood, is right on the edge of the village, and in Glen Helen is the Yellow Spring, which has been a sacred place for tribal peoples for centuries. In the Glen, also, is a school camp, which becomes the Eco Camp in the summer.
Yellow Springs attracts artists, and professor types, but has a lively school sports life and all kinds of other activities.
One of characteristics of this village is the love of endless high-falutin' dialogue/controversy over this and now that, and now again this. We don't seem to think we're alive unless someone is spouting off profound words on some issue, and that brings out more profound thinkers. Ah, freedom! But really, all that civic profundity is probably something like what the founding fathers of America had in mind when delineating what all Americans consider our birthright: Freedom of Speech.
In this village we love art, education, nature, and peace. Part of our history involves Underground Railroad activity before the Civil War. Some of the many Quakers here have ancestors who played a role in this; and there are also descendants of a group of freed slaves, the Conway Colony. The village is home for a number of well-known people, with writer Virginia Hamilton (now deceased), puppeteer Jim Rose, and comedian Dave Chappelle among them.
Right around here, too, the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh was born....Names like Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Blue Jacket, and Caesar are well-known and celebrated in an outdoor drama over in neighboring city Xenia. It's called BLUEJACKET, and it's well worth the time and ticket price.
We want to stay a village surrounded by a greenbelt. We have village development workshops and other gatherings, and there's a significant CSA (community-supported agriculture) movement, as well as the Community Solutions' annual national gatherings focusing on topics such as Peak Oil. There's also the Green Coalition, which has been watchdogging area polluters for a couple of decades now.
I'm on the InterSpirituality Council....We include all religions, but some of the more rigorous conservative groups do not approve. Every year we host an everyone-welcome Thanksgiving dinner, serving it up in the big grey stone Presbyterian Church in the center of town - because they've got the biggest kitchen and meeting hall. We served over two hundred this past Thanksgiving. Our other event is the "All Sing" in June, in which any religious or spiritual group in town can participate. That's always a great event. Buddhist, Native, quite a few varieties of Christians, giving it their musical all.
We've got a bike shop and we're on a great several-town bike trail. We've got loads of writers, artists, film-makers, artisans, theater folk, dancers, instrumentalists, and small business people with enticing shops. There's a pond to fish in, and a riding center - in fact, there are several stables on the edge of the village just down from Glen Helen; and at the end where I live, there's even a large area of tall grass prairie. I saw a coyote slip across the road from woods to prairie just the other day; and a red-tailed hawk soared overhead playing in the winds and calling for its mate.
Yellow Springs, Ohio - near John Bryan State Park, near Dayton, Springfield, Xenia - not far from Columbus and Cincinnati - is a village well worth a visit.//
I'm posting a short article I wrote on YSO for the Gather.com site here, in hopes of encouraging those in ARTISTS OF YELLOW SPRINGS to add their own descriptions of any part or the whole of the village. I've only touched on a few points, and it would be great to see other peoples' views.
We can use these, as well, in the STORYBOX Concert program at the Yellow Springs Library May 7 (6 p.m. - bring your picnic supper, some handwork or handiwork, and settle in for our own stories).
Here's my piece:
//Yellow Springs, Ohio is a village of maybe 3500, home of Antioch College (which may or may not reopen). Glen Helen, our wildwood, is right on the edge of the village, and in Glen Helen is the Yellow Spring, which has been a sacred place for tribal peoples for centuries. In the Glen, also, is a school camp, which becomes the Eco Camp in the summer.
Yellow Springs attracts artists, and professor types, but has a lively school sports life and all kinds of other activities.
One of characteristics of this village is the love of endless high-falutin' dialogue/controversy over this and now that, and now again this. We don't seem to think we're alive unless someone is spouting off profound words on some issue, and that brings out more profound thinkers. Ah, freedom! But really, all that civic profundity is probably something like what the founding fathers of America had in mind when delineating what all Americans consider our birthright: Freedom of Speech.
In this village we love art, education, nature, and peace. Part of our history involves Underground Railroad activity before the Civil War. Some of the many Quakers here have ancestors who played a role in this; and there are also descendants of a group of freed slaves, the Conway Colony. The village is home for a number of well-known people, with writer Virginia Hamilton (now deceased), puppeteer Jim Rose, and comedian Dave Chappelle among them.
Right around here, too, the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh was born....Names like Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Blue Jacket, and Caesar are well-known and celebrated in an outdoor drama over in neighboring city Xenia. It's called BLUEJACKET, and it's well worth the time and ticket price.
We want to stay a village surrounded by a greenbelt. We have village development workshops and other gatherings, and there's a significant CSA (community-supported agriculture) movement, as well as the Community Solutions' annual national gatherings focusing on topics such as Peak Oil. There's also the Green Coalition, which has been watchdogging area polluters for a couple of decades now.
I'm on the InterSpirituality Council....We include all religions, but some of the more rigorous conservative groups do not approve. Every year we host an everyone-welcome Thanksgiving dinner, serving it up in the big grey stone Presbyterian Church in the center of town - because they've got the biggest kitchen and meeting hall. We served over two hundred this past Thanksgiving. Our other event is the "All Sing" in June, in which any religious or spiritual group in town can participate. That's always a great event. Buddhist, Native, quite a few varieties of Christians, giving it their musical all.
We've got a bike shop and we're on a great several-town bike trail. We've got loads of writers, artists, film-makers, artisans, theater folk, dancers, instrumentalists, and small business people with enticing shops. There's a pond to fish in, and a riding center - in fact, there are several stables on the edge of the village just down from Glen Helen; and at the end where I live, there's even a large area of tall grass prairie. I saw a coyote slip across the road from woods to prairie just the other day; and a red-tailed hawk soared overhead playing in the winds and calling for its mate.
Yellow Springs, Ohio - near John Bryan State Park, near Dayton, Springfield, Xenia - not far from Columbus and Cincinnati - is a village well worth a visit.//
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Libby Rudolf on -
Wow Carolion,
I enjoy your description of our l'il ol town and love your idea of a zine, though I'm not really up on zines... I'd love to do a visual piece for the zine. Maybe some of my art friends would be interested too, I'll check. Thanks for refreshing me on the many assets of Y.S.
Libby
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Permalink Reply by Carolion Grailbear on -
Libby Rudolf said:Wow Carolion,
I enjoy your description of our l'il ol town and love your idea of a zine, though I'm not really up on zines... I'd love to do a visual piece for the zine. Maybe some of my art friends would be interested too, I'll check. Thanks for refreshing me on the many assets of Y.S.
Libby
Hi, Libby - I'm glad you found this! Spread the word about the 'zine idea. It's already got some fans. (c:*
And we will need art.
And actually, the STORYBOX down at the library needs more little stories, but also painting or illustrated stories would be lovely....Photos, too, of course. Your stuff could travel the world in that box!
c
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