Adventure or Destiny? The Rendezvous.

There is a brand new addition to the downtown at 78 3rd Street. The new Rendezvous bar is a comfortable community hang-out with some extra added attractions, such as music, readings, knitting, board games, Ms. Pacman, and yummy yummy food. It looks pretty swank but they're hoping you'll stroll in just as you are - flip flops and tank tops or top hat and tails. Shoes, shirt: service. Dock your shuttle there!

To celebrate, check out the line up for the GRAND OPENING GALA week, 9/12-16

Wednesday, 9/12, 8pm, readings. Kristen Bock, Matthew Latkiewicz, Patricia Pruitt, and Sara Jaffe, David Detmold with Chris Janke and Jamie Berger MCing, and other notables yet to be noted.

Thursday, 9/13, comic Eugene Mirman and friends. Mirman's first Comedy Central half hour special will air this fall. He's an irregular on several sitcoms and does this thing called superdeluxe.com.

Friday, 9/14, live music from Rusty Bell http://www.myspace.com/rustybelle, from Amherst, and much praised far and wide, (kind of honky-tonky, quirky, bohemian, Tom Waits-y.

Wood Green Empire myspace.com/woodgreenempiremusic, gypsy jazz quartet.

I Am The Color of Dead Leaves, A jazz quartet based in NYC featuring a fellow who's living in Amherst named Nathan Hobbs who, we understand is extremely gifted and something of a NY-hotshot sax player.

The Robert and Glenda Holmes Lounge Duo, (although they'll likely lead off the evening as they are the mellowest of the bunch) a mostly acoustic duet who play covers of odd/cheesy sixties and seventies material, some of it tongue-in-cheek, some of it heartfelt, who come highly recommended from Brattleboro. Robert was a member of Til Tuesday and is the leader of the wedding/party band sensation LoveBomb.

Seth and Eva's consignment shop at 115 Avenue A will be giving away a brand new Jay Turser JT - 220 Electric Guitar as part of Friday night's festivities. Your cover charge will automatically enter you into the raffle! You must be present at the time of the drawing to win. The guitar is on display at the Rendezvous now so stop in and see what you could win.

Saturday, 9/15, DANCE PARTY!

Sunday 9/16, the Found Magazine http://foundmagazine.com/ road show. The thing to note about Found is that they're led by Davey Rothbart, who is a frequent and beloved This American Life contributor.

Some helpful directional info relating to bridge construction.

Film, Exhibit and Q & A

Friday, August 27, 7 pm
Gallery at Hallmark
85 Avenue A, Turners Falls

For those of you who joined us at the Rural Voices Conversations at Double Edge Theater a few weeks ago, you will remember the fascinating conversation panelist Elizabeth Barret's documentary film, Stranger with a Camera, provoked about a filmmaker visiting the mountains of Central Appalchia to document poverty. We explored issues documentarians face when arriving in a community and unique dilemmas of respecting privacy while telling a story to promote social change.

RiverCulture and Fostering Art & Culture Partnership have arranged a special showing of the film to happen in conjunction with Turners Falls artist Vern McClish's show, Appalachia, Families & Faces 1971-1975 at the Gallery at Hallmark on Friday August 27th at 7 pm. After the film you will have a chance to view the current exhibit at the gallery and participate in a question and answer session with Vern about how he handled sensitive community issues, earned trust of locals, and other issues unique to documentary artists.

We look forward to seeing you all on Friday! Learn more about Elizabeth Barret and Vern McClish.

Image: Family Without a Father, by Vern McClish

Jurassic Roadshow! August 28th

Calling all fossil fanatics, rock hounds, and dinosaur diggers! Bring your rocks and fossils to the Jurassic Roadshow at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls, where you'll find scientists and an appreciative audience of like-minded souls eager to see them!