Arts Council’s Festival of Wreaths Features Five-Day Silent Auction

The Carroll County Arts Council’s 11th Annual Festival of Wreaths will be on display December 3 through 7 at the Arts Center. The festival will feature a five-day silent auction of more than 230 uniquely decorated theme wreaths. All proceeds benefit the Carroll County Arts Council.

Last year’s festival generated more than $28,000. The wreaths ranged from elegant and whimsical to traditional and funky. The public is invited to vote for their favorites throughout the event and awards will be presented in several categories on Saturday afternoon.

In the past, wreaths have been adorned with a wide range of items and decorations including semi-precious gems, $50 bills, peacock feathers, thumb tacks, eyeglasses, Beanie Babies, “Live Strong” bracelets, used auto parts, wine corks, and books. Many include generous gift certificates for goods and services.
Frank Baylor’s copper “Perpetual Wreath” will again be on display. Each year someone can purchase the right to “adopt” it for a year and have their name carved on one of the leaves.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Bidding ends promptly at 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 7. High Bidders need not be present at auction close. Admission is free.

Free classic holiday movies will be shown occasionally throughout the event and the film schedule is available on the Arts Council’s web site. The Festival is sponsored by PNC Bank and The Carroll County Times.

“Charlie Brown’s Christmas” Returns with Eric Byrd Trio
Charles Schultz’s 1965 animated film, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas,” with its Vince Guaraldi jazz score performed live by the Eric Byrd Trio, plays return engagements at The Carroll Arts Center on Friday, December 19 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, December 20 at 2 p.m.

The Eric Byrd Trio will be joined by young singers from Gerstell Academy to add the youthful vocals to the “Charlie Brown” score and perhaps lead a short swingin’ holiday sing-along with the audience.
Tickets are $10 for Adults and $7 for CCAC members, seniors 60 and over and students 18 and under. FLICC movie passes cannot be honored at the live concert.

Carroll County Historical Documentary Debuts Dec. 16
“Carroll County’s Legacy,” a new television documentary created by MPT producer Marilyn Maguire with support and assistance from the Community Media Center, will have its premiere on Tuesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. at the Community Media Center, 1301 Washington Road, Westminster. The screening is free and open to the public, although reservations are suggested.

The hour-long documentary, which explores the county’s history by examining its people, communities, agriculture, business, industry, religion, transportation and education, includes oral histories supplied by local residents. The documentary was created as part of the Carroll County History Project.

Maguire is the recipient of a 1998 Capitol Region Emmy Award for “The Eye of the Beholder: Marion E. Warren”, a 2000 CINE Golden Eagle Award and a Media Choice Award from the Association of Black Media Workers for “Highland Beach: A Douglass Legacy” and a 2001 Millennium Award from the Metropolitan Mass Media Committee of the American Association of University Women for outstanding contributions in the metropolitan area mass media.

For more information on the premiere or the Carroll County History Project, please call 410-386-4415 or visit CarrollHistory.org.

“Small Wonders” Art Sale Runs Through Holidays
“Small Wonders,” a holiday sale featuring unique miniature works of art: fine jewelry, artists’ books, ceramic vessels, sculpture, paintings, mixed media collage and shrine boxes, will be held in the Carroll Art Center’s Tevis Gallery from December 11 to January 31.

The public is invited to meet the artists at a free reception on Thursday, December 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A live performance of “A Christmas Carol,” by Maryland Ensemble Theatre will follow the reception. Tickets are required for the performance.

Carroll County artists featured in the “Small Wonders” exhibit are Sarah Abel DeLuca, Mary Decker, Nollie Gelsinger, Cheryl Held, Luc Fiedler, John Sosnowsky, Shelly Steinle and Bruce Woodward.
Regional artists include Cynthia Beljan, Bette A. Brody, Joanne Chambers Lee, Suzanne Herbert Forton, Annie Hynes, Nancy McAleer, Collette Smith and Sara Knox.