Section B Olltl* HQ Section B Wednesday, October 19, 1983 J -V1 -V Wednesday, October 19, 1983 'State Of The Arts' Title Should Be Of No Surprise By (JI.KNN MAYS Travel Editor To say that North Carolina is "The State of the Arts" might surprise some people. But it should not. North Carolina's folk art culture has been a main stay throughout Tar Heel history. That image is pervasive. But the reality of the arts in North Carolina far exceeds the folk dancing, singing and craftsmanship of pottery, fiber, wood or metal. The Tar Heel State has pioneered preserving and promoting mam phases of the arts from folklife to the fine arts In 1815, for instance, the state's legislators ap propriated $l- i f .11 rus.> the state and the nation. The roots of the outdoor symphonic drama are firmly impianti'd into Tar Heel soil. North Caro!in;> native Paul Green penned the first such drama. 1'he I.ost <'olony" in the 1930s and it was first performed in l'K17. The nation's second oldest outdoor drama "Unto These Hills" at Cherokee and third oldest "Horn In The West" at Boone were Kermit Hunter's works and play each year to thousands Green s inaugural work, commemorating the events of 1587 on North Carolina's Outer Banks, was the forerunner for some 50 outdoor dramas in the country today, Id of which play to audiences in North Carohna. The performing arts are evident everywhere in the state. Community theatre groups like those in Greenville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem play to full houses with a vast array of drama spanning the full spectrum of the theater from comedy to the most serious drama. There's professional theater here too. A notable example is the North Carolina Shakespeare Festi val in High Point which provides more than a fare of Shakespeare. rtie Warren County Chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educational Office Personnel sold chances recently on a vacuum cleaner, donated to the group by Warrenton Furniture Exchange, Inc. Having been selected as the winner, Mary Austell, kindergarten teacher at Northside Elementary School, receives her prize from David Gardner, vice-president of Warrenton Furniture Exchange, Inc. The proceeds from the project will be placed in the chapter's scholarship fund. (Community Schools Photo) For almost two months each year the works of such playwrights as Moss Hart, John Steinbeck, Eugene O'Neill, Molier and Shakespeare delight audiences in High Point Theater. Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is performed during the Christmas season, each year with a different twist. As for music it too spreads across the state in long-running festivals like the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro and the Brevard Music Festival. Dance, too, pervades the North Carolina country side. Folk dances like clogging and square dancing have long been a tradition here. But ballet now is almost as commonplace as the folk dances. In 1978 the American Dance Festival relocated to Durham from New London, Connecticut. Another first for the arts also resides in Winston Salem. It was there in 1949 that citizens founded the Arts Council of Winston-Salem, oldest of its kind in the country. More recently, 1983 in fact, saw the grand opening of The Stevens Center, a renovated 1,380-seat theater in the heart of the city for use by the N. C. School of the Arts and other professional theater. The project took 10 years and $9.8 million to com plete. As for government support of the arts in North Carolina another "first" emerges. The state's General Assembly in 1971 created the Department of Art, Culture and History (a name later changed to Department of Cultural Resources) to become the first state to give cabinet-level importance to the arts. In 1973 the N. C. Theater Arts Division became the nation's first state agency for support of professional drama. Folk art in North Carolina has thrived for years and continues to be a growing success. From quilt ing and weaving to woodcarving and instrument making, North Carolina craftsmen are well known for their fine quality. Several schools and craft guilds continue the tradition which has been well established for decades. The John C. Campbell Folk School in the tiny community of Brasstown in Cherokee County opened in 1925 as one of the first of its type. In the state's northwest mountains the Penland Craft School also carries on a long tradition of quality in struction in arts and crafts. Throughout the state cities, towns and com munities hold fast to the arts. In Jugtown pottery is king. Charlotte's Spirit Square combines the performing and graphic arts in what once was a church saved from the wrecking ball. In the small towns of Snow Camp, Valdese, Kenansville and Waxhaw outdoor dramas bring history to life on summer nights. In Flat Rock the Flat Rock Playhouse has played as the "state theater of North Carolina" since 1961. What North Carolina has done and continues to do with the arts is becoming more widely known. To some the Tar Heel State is viewed as a national model. South Carolina officials pointed that out while seeking information about arts programs in other states for comparative purposes. "There was no need to look further than North Carolina, which has become one of the most fertile areas for cultural growth in the country during the past quarter cen tury," their report stated. North Carolina is "The State of the Arts." Your Week Ahead Horoscope Forecast Period: 10/23-10/29/83 ARIES Mar. 21-Apr. 19 TAURUS Apr. 20-May 20 GEMINI May 21-June20 CANCER June21-July 22 LEO July 23-Aug- 22 VIRGO Aug. 23-Sepl. 22 LIBRA Sepl.23-Ocl.22 SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 SAGITTARIUS Nov.22-Dec. 21 CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 AQUARIUS Jan.20-Feb. 18 PISCES Feb. 19-Mar.20 Focus is on personal and partnership financial dealings. Find ways to econ omize. Avoid a tendency to act hastily. Be prepared to make adjustments and meet the other person halfway. Get that chip off your shoulder. A new work assignment spurs you on to greater achievements. Listen to the viewpoint of others. Dragging an issue on to a bitter con clusion strains relationships. Let peo ple know you really care about them. There's a tug of war going on between domestic and public affairs. Use dis cretion and don't force your plans. Caution is urged in local travel. Sub tle changes in financial affairs call for a reassessment of needs. Use diplomacy in financial dealing with others. Avoid an impasse that might threaten to upset the balance. Prying into a partner's closet of sec rets can only stir up a hornet's nest. You'll be told when the time is right. Put a little more effort into getting a - long with people. You are not really the petulant soul you are portraying. So much to do it's hard to know whert to begin. Change your programming, allowing more time to hancH? fewer tasks. Unsettling news comes to you abouta family matter. Tend to matters al home and the business end will stra ighten out. You should make plans for just on< more vacation trip before the cold wea ther arrives. Satisfy the wanderlusi in you. Students at Brevard Music Center in Brevard ex perience the beauty of music and nature in a rustic setting. The center offers a six and one-half week music education program for talented young musicians each summer. (N. C. Travel and Tourism Division Photo by Cla Nolen).