The featured speakers at the noon March 21 meeting of the Chipola Regional Arts Association (CRAA) will be Calhoun and Liberty County teachers who are recipients of this year's mini-grants awarded by the CRAA. They are: Janet Edewaard, Blountstown Middle and High School - muusical theatre, music, and art; Wade Caudle, Blountstown Middle and High Schools - music; Tina Smith, Altha School - music ; Miranda Ellis, Hosford Elementary and Junior High- art and music ; and Jacob Reid, Liberty County H.S. - art.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 21, with a catered Dutch-treat luncheon at the First United Methodist Church, Blountstown, on Hwy. 20 at 11:30 followed by the meeting and presentations at 12:00. The meeting is open to the public and guests are invited and encouraged to attend. Luncheon reservations should be made NLT Thursday, March 16, by phoning or texting Hope Peacock at 850-272-6410.
Now in its twenty-seventh year, the CRAA is a volunteer organization which promotes the visual and performing arts in the Chipola District comprising the counties of Calhoun, Liberty, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington. To date CRAA has awarded over $48,000 in mini-grants to deserving K-12 teachers who need supplemental support for their art, music, and theatre programs. Additionally, scholarships in the arts to Chipola College are awarded on a rotation basis among the five counties and to date $50,000 has been awarded in arts-related scholarhips. Recently CRAA sponsored a performance for school children at the Chipola Center for the Arts of the Cashore Marionettes. All persons interested in the arts are invited and encouraged to become part of this organization. For more information contact CRAA president Joan Stadsklev at 850-482-7365 or stadsklev@embarqmail.com