NICEVILLE — “Hair,” a celebration of peace and love, and the 2009 Tony Award-Winning Best Musical Revival directed by Diane Paulus, will appear at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center for one night only Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

The national touring show is part of the center’s popular Broadway Series. Tickets are on sale for $45 each.

Both a joyous celebration of youth and a poignant journey through a tumultuous 1960’s America, “Hair” features an iconic score including chart-topping hits such as “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Aquarius,” “Hair” and “Good Morning Starshine.”

“Hair” energetically depicts the birth of a cultural movement in the ’60s and ’70s that changed America forever. The musical follows a group of charismatic, free-spirited young people who passionately preach a lifestyle of pacifism and free-love in a society riddled with intolerance and brutality during the Vietnam War.

“Hair’s” powerful message resonates as much today as it did 40 years ago when the show opened on Broadway. This critically-acclaimed revival became a theatrical tour de force in its limited engagement in Central Park, later moving to Broadway where it won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival as well as the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle awards for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.

This inspiring new production of “Hair” features an exuberant finale where audiences are invited onstage to dance with the cast, and has a level of inclusiveness that is rarely seen in musical theater.

Executive producer, Daniel Sher, notes, “We are excited for audiences across the country to take this journey with us. See for yourself, let your hair down and share the love!”

Tickets are $45 each or $40 each for groups of 10 or more tickets purchased together. For tickets, contact the Mattie Kelly Arts Center box office at 729-6000 or 1-888-838-ARTS (2787) Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or purchase online at mattiekellyartscenter.org.

Tickets will also be available the night of the show, space permitting, starting at 6 p.m. At-the-door seating is the same price as advance tickets. There is a $2 per ticket processing fee.

The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is on the Niceville campus of NWF State College at 100 College Blvd.

Directed by Diane Paulus, who also directed the Tony Award-winning revival of The Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess,” and choreographed by Karole Armitage, “Hair” features a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado with music by Galt MacDermot.

While many find this show suitable for young adults ages 13 and older, parental discretion is advised. There is a dimly lit 20-second scene with nudity that is non-sexual in nature. The scene will be noted in the program as for mature audiences. Additional show information can be found at the website HairOnTour.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Mattie Kelly Arts Center presents 'Hair' tour Wednesday

CRESTVIEW — Europe's last operational B-17 "Flying Fortress" will roar over the beaches of Noirmoutier, Crestview's sister city, as the island community pays homage to a similar bomber's crew members who crash-landed there in July 1943.

A contingent from Crestview will be among the beach crowd.

The B-17's flyover and a pair of World War II escorts, a C-47 Dakota and a P-51 Mustang, are part of a weeklong "Wings of Victory" celebration being organized by the Noirmoutier Vintage Vehicles Association and the island's sister city committee.

Planned events include a Family Day at the Airbus factory in nearby Saint Nazaire, target of the American bombing run during that ill-fated B-17 flight. The aircraft to fly over the island will be on display during the Airbus event. Saint Nazaire is also home to a massive German World War II U-boat pen complex, a visit to which is also included.

La Guériniere village will recreate a war-era community complete with re-enactors portraying villagers, French Underground members and German occupation troops. A large-scale parade and exhibit of war-era vehicles will fill the square at the Noirmoutier castle. Visitors will feast on gala meals and hear a free concert with dancing by a local swing band.

Crestview Sister City committee organizers said their French counterparts assure Okaloosa County visitors have a memorable experience.

"You will have ample time to explore the magical island, shop in its many charming boutiques and markets, perhaps loll on the lovely beaches, and immerse yourself in the culture of your hosts — including all that world-class cuisine!" the committee's informational material states.

Participants will stay with French host families, "including marvelous, home-cooked meals … plus all the advantages of exploring Noirmoutier through the eyes of a native," the materials state. "You’ll see and experience wondrous things never mentioned in the guidebooks or seen on package tours!"

Participants must arrange their air travel to and from France; once they arrive in Nantes, the closest major city, the Noirmoutier Sister City Committee takes over and expenses are minimal. Accommodations and transportation are included in membership dues, currently $2 for students or $30 for a family.

An optional overnight excursion to Normandy is available at additional cost, currently estimated to be $160. Noirmoutrin historians will escort their Crestview friends to the gothic island monastery of Mont Saint Michel, the "Utah" and "Omaha" D-Day landing beaches, the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches, Pointe du Hoc, and the American Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer.

Time permitting, an opportunity to view the famed Bayeux Tapestry, a nine-century old, 230-foot-long embroidery depicting the Norman conquest of England, will be included.

Want to go?

Anyone interested in the June 24-July 3 visit to Noirmoutier can attend an informational meeting 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Crestview Public Library. The event is free, and the Crestview High School French Club will provide complimentary chocolate crêpes. Contact Pam or Joe Coffield, jcoffield@cox.net or 682-8437, for information.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Area residents invited to French sister city celebration

CRESTVIEW — A three-day trip to Washington, D.C. to witness Inauguration Day convinced a Bob Sikes Elementary School fourth-grader that she wants to see more.

Justice Livingston, 10, attended President Barack Obama's second inauguration on Monday, capping a weekend of sightseeing, witnessing history unfold, and fulfilling a long-time dream.  

Justice on Christmas Eve received an envelope full of materials from the White House, including a letter from the president, following a letter she wrote to Obama in November.

She also wrote a letter four years earlier, following the president's first inauguration.

“I told him I am just like him,” she said to the News Bulletin in 2009. “My daddy is black, and my mom is white.”

Last weekend, Justice's older cousins — Libby Lewis-Reeves, Tawanah Reeves and Master Sgt. Tonya Lewis, Crestview natives living in other cities — treated her to a weekend in the capital, where she could be closer than ever to her role model.

However, the National Mall and the Inaugural Parade route were so crowded that Justice and her cousins couldn't actually see the proceedings.

"We couldn't see him (Obama)," Justice said. "But we could hear him. And we heard Beyoncé sing."

Singer Beyoncé Knowles sang the national anthem during Monday's inauguration, but the energetic crowd witnessing this national event particularly interested Justice as she and her cousins approached the U.S. Capitol.

"The rush of getting there and everybody pushing was exciting," she said. "But the closer we got, everybody got happier. They (security forces) moved people into, like, little blocks. One big guy and his daughter came bouncing everybody out of their way. We just laughed at them."

Pat Mosely, her grandmother, explained the "little blocks" were roped off stalls; each contained a certain number of spectators. Officials using observation satellites could count the stalls to get an accurate estimate of the crowd, which was "at least" 1 million people, according to the politics website Politico.com.

During the trip, Justice climbed the Washington Monument. The iconic landmark was impressive even before she set foot in it, she said.

"It was wonderful just walking up to it," Justice said. "The view was, actually, wow!"

She and her cousins also visited the National Museum of African Art, and took pictures in front of government departments, including the Department of the Treasury.

"It was tiring with all the walking," Justice said. "It was good to sit sometimes, but it was fun!"

Justice is already planning her return visit to Washington, D.C. She and her grandparents, with whom she lives, are planning a spring road trip to the capital, and she hopes to return with her cousins.

"In two or three months, we should be going back," Justice said.

Now that she's attended the president's second inauguration, she's drafting another letter to send to him.

"She wants to write to him and tell them she wants to meet all of them (the first family) in the White House," Mosely said.

"Hopefully, we'll get a tour of the White House. Maybe then I'll get to meet President Obama," Justice said.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: WITNESS TO HISTORY: Inauguration inspires Crestview fourth-grader

CRESTVIEW — An award-winning home chef has added a feather to her toque.

Sherri Williams, who won Crock-Pot's “Crockin’ in the USA” contest in December, started last weekend on a high note with a phone call from NBC.

“Someone from the 'Today' show called,”she said. “I had entered the ‘Chicken Wing Cook-Off.’ She gave me a call and told me I was one of the three winners. I’ll be going up there on Jan. 31 for a live airing on Feb. 1.”

The contest — which the daily morning chat show ran Jan. 8-16 — called on cooks to submit their favorite chicken wings recipes. Williams was among three winners selected for the trip to New York to share her recipe with a live national audience.

She won’t be entirely among strangers.

“The good thing about it is one of my foodie friends is one of the other winners,” she said.

After flying into New York, Williams will attend a rehearsal the afternoon of Jan. 31. The live show will be the next morning. Because she won't do the actual cooking, she had to ensure the recipe was precise.

Reason enough to cook up another batch of wings— “just to be sure,” she said.

“Their food stylists are going to do the actual preparing of the wings,” Williams said. “The recipe has to be exact when someone else is making them. If I was doing it, I could tweak them a little.”

The key ingredient to Williams’ Asian scorpion pepper jelly wings is Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Scorpion Pepper Jelly, bottled commercially by Williams’ friend Gary Langer from his father’s recipe. It gives the wings a spicy kick, Williams said, adding she wondered whether "Today" hosts’ palates would be up to the challenge.

“I hope they realize they’re going to be spicy,” she said. “They’re pretty darn good. You can enjoy the flavor of the wing and then you get the heat in the back of your palate. ”

Williams said her husband, Roy, isn’t fond of spicy food but agreed the wings were outstanding.

Then the heat caught up with him.

“‘Oh baby, these are hot!’” she said he exclaimed. “They’re good anytime, though, even if you’re just having a little function.

“Even if you don’t want to use scorpion pepper jelly, you can use a mild pepper jelly. The flavor is in the Asian spices. You can use any jam or jelly.”

At a recent get-together, Williams served three kinds of wings, including the Asian scorpion variety. Another style was finished with a blueberry glaze.

“It’s a merlot with blueberry jam with blueberries,” she said. “You talk about good! The glaze was outstanding! I marinated them overnight in blueberry balsamic vinegar.”

Williams said she named them Ray Day wings in honor of Ray Lewis, a player for the Baltimore Ravens.

“He’s retiring this year and he’s been doing so much for the game for them,” she said. “I thought I would dedicate them to him, and they ended up winning.”

Williams, the manager of a Destin condominium complex, said the NBC caller asked her how many recipe contests she’s won.

It was the first time she actually had to stop and think about it.

“I never sat down and counted them,” Williams said. “It was like over 30 in less than 21 months. Most of those were won in 2012. I never realized how many I’ve won.

“I thought, ‘Oh goodness, I’m the crazy contest maniac,’ but I figure I’ve got to cook anyway so I might as well enter it in a contest. Cooking is my love and passion. I just enjoy doing it more than anything, and that’s the truth of the matter.”

Want to watch?

Crestview chef Sherri Williams will appear on NBC's "Today" sometime between 7 and 11 a.m., Feb. 1.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: WINNING WINGS: Crestview chef to appear on national talk show

FORT WALTON BEACH — Feb. 4 is the deadline to submit works for consideration at the 21st Southeastern Juried Fine Arts Exhibition.

The Arts and Design Society invites southeastern artists to submit works for the exhibition, hosted by Northwest Florida State College and presented by Cox Communications.

JPEG images of works are due by midnight Feb. 4 for the exhibition, which runs April 21 through May 31. The entry fee is $35 per submission, with a three-entry limit per artist.

Contact adsoart@yahoo.com or visit www.artsdesignsociety.org and select “Call to Artists” for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Organizers of fine art exhibition looking for submissions

CRESTVIEW — What do the films “Goldfinger,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Dead Ringer” have in common?

They’re among nearly 50 film soundtracks displayed in “The World of Movie Music,” an exhibit running through February in the Crestview Public Library’s lobby.

Exhibited items were culled from more than 2,500 soundtracks and cast albums in News Bulletin Arts and Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes’ collection. Before he came to Crestview, he co-founded and co-hosted “Stage and Screen,” a radio program of original musical theatre, film and TV music that began in 1986 and continues today on WTUL 91.5 FM in New Orleans.

Among displayed soundtracks are several well-known record labels sought by film music aficionados. These include soundtracks from classic MGM musicals “The Wizard of Oz,” “Gone With the Wind” and “Victor/Victoria,” remastered by Rhino Movie Music from original session tapes stored in studio vaults.

Early CD reissues of rare vinyl soundtracks released by the European Tsunami label are also exhibited. Composer Jerry Goldsmith’s classic soundtrack to “The Sand Pebbles” contrasts with a 2011 release on Intrada Records.

Other soundtracks — some issued for the first time, from original studio vault tapes — include limited-edition releases from FilmScore Monthly, namely “All About Eve” and Ron Goodwin’s much-sought-after complete score to the World War II Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood epic, “Where Eagles Dare.”

Two rarities are the soundtracks to Leni Riefenstahl documentaries.

The director produced “Triumph of the Will” for the Nazi Party in 1934. Especially rare is one of two proof soundtracks from her “Olympia,” a documentary of the 1936 Berlin Olympics produced for the International Olympic Committee.

Riefenstahl died at age 101 during early stages of production on the soundtrack CD and the project was abandoned.

Vinyl records, CDs, reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes and 8-track tapes are among the collection.

Sheet music, including a rare copy of “The Trolley Song” that Judy Garland sang in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” also is exhibited.

Informational tags discuss soundtrack collecting and offer tips on identifying an original soundtrack recording versus a studiotrack.

The former is the actual music recorded for and heard in the film.

A studiotrack is a subsequent recording, sometimes by an artist not connected with the film, and other times by the composer who returns to the studio to make a second recording of his score to enhance the music for the album.

Most of Henry Mancini’s “soundtracks” are, in fact, studiotracks.

From John Barry to John Williams, Max Steiner to Ennio Morricone, some of film music composition’s most renowned names are represented through February in the lobby display cases of the Crestview Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Soundtrack exhibit currently mounted at Crestview library

CRESTVIEW — If President Barack Obama’s first inauguration is a guideline, chances are high that a Crestview High School graduate will take another salute from his commander in chief this afternoon.

Since 2003, Ben Cadle, 35, has been a member of the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, part of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” which is traditionally the first unit to march in inaugural parades. When they marched past the presidential reviewing box on Jan. 20, 2009, President Obama snapped a salute.

Following his 1995 graduation from Crestview High, Ben Cadle, son of Crestview Mayor David Cadle and his wife, Shirley, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University. He studied at Longy School of Music in Boston before he auditioned for an opening in the Army Ceremonial Band at Fort Myers in Washington, D.C.

Since he was accepted in the band, Ben Cadle has performed for two presidential inaugurations — George W. Bush’s second and Obama’s first — and Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan’s funerals. He has advanced to being a drum-major-in-training.

“I’ve been drum majoring for the past two and a half to three years,” Ben Cadle said. “There’s just a handful of us. It’s been great to have a position of responsibility in front of your peers. They are amazing musicians. It has been a little intimidating at first but I love it. I love every second I’ve had as drum major.”

“It’s an exciting job because he gets to see a lot of history up close and personal,” David Cadle said. “He’s just learning so much.”

He said he and his wife often catch glimpses of their son during television coverage of ceremonial events.

“We saw him once when Bush was president and they were lighting the Christmas tree (in) front of the White House,” David Cadle said. “He was in the group that played and it was like zero degrees. The TV caught him several times; I think you could see his hands shaking from the cold. He accompanied Eartha Kitt. I think she sang, ‘Santa Baby.’”

A former president’s admittance to the hospital shortly before Christmas could have derailed Ben Cadle, his wife, Carrie, and their 14-month-old son Matthew’s visit home to Crestview.

“He had some anxiety over the holidays,” David Cadle said. “He’s the Army band’s liaison for funerals and former President (George) Bush went in the hospital. They practice all the presidents’ funeral plans.”

However, with Bush recuperating, Ben Cadle has been concentrating on Monday’s Inaugural Parade, his father said.

 “He dreads it because of their rehearsal times,” David Cadle said. “They have to rehearse when the city’s asleep.”

“The rehearsal we had this past Sunday was at 3:15 in the morning,” Ben Cadle said. “You put in a full seven-hour day and you’re done at 10 in the morning.”

On Monday, the mayor will try to catch Inaugural Day coverage on what should be a long but memorable day for his son, “one of the horn players in the mix,” as Ben Cadle put it, of the 99-piece band.

Their job begins before the parade even kicks off.

“I’m anticipating being there at 0500 to start off the morning,” Ben Cadle said. “There’s a lot of waiting. The parade starts soon after 1 p.m. They have a luncheon after the swearing in. We’re officially the escort to the president on his way to the parade.”

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview High alumnus marching in today's Inaugural Parade

Jasmine Maughon, one of our community’s most remarkable up-and-coming artists, delights art lovers with her sweet personality, shy smile and remarkable, inherent artistic ability.

No matter what media she gets her hands on, when she’s through, it’s been beautifully transformed into a memorable work of art.

The exhibit of Maughon’s work currently on the north wall of the Crestview Public Library amply demonstrates the young artist’s skill in two and three dimensions, as well as her assured manipulation of a variety of media.

The 2012 Crestview High School grad is a former president of the school’s Art Club and recipient of multiple blue ribbons at both school and community art shows. She majors in studio art at Northwest Florida State College and the University of West Florida.

Maughon’s exhibited works come from high school and college projects. Pen and ink, charcoal, watercolors, fabrics and even house paint are among the media she employs. Works range from whimsical, serious and even a trifle, um…scary.

Of the latter, I especially liked a trio of perturbing pastels and ink interpretations of fairy tales.

“Seven Dwarfs” depicts a sleeping Snow White being visited by seven demonic, gremlin-like creatures that lack the Disney hugability of Dopey, Doc, Sneezy and others. Rendered primarily in black and white, their gleaming red eyes burst through the nocturnal gloom of Snow White’s boudoir.

“They were my concentration project for high school when I took (Advanced Placement) portfolio,” Maughon said. “I had fun with those.”

Contrast the fantasy of the grim fairy tales with the artist’s still lifes, such as the delicate “Tea Rose” rendered in charcoal, or the wonderful “Beautiful Bones,” from a decidedly different subject, rendered in charcoal and ink. As you ponder it, Maughon’s sense of humor shines through.

Dimensional work includes a piece called “Graffiti Jungle” that reflects her interest in fabric art, and “Life Mosaic,” a vibrant, exciting ceramic work that tantalizes the viewer on multiple levels.

I particularly loved the “Iron Maiden,” an assemblage of everything from delicate cloth to bits of electronics and mechanical parts.

My only regret is that Maughon didn’t exhibit her lively manga drawings, though a hint peeks through if you look carefully at “Graffiti Jungle.”

Her characters embody rich personalities and are rendered so brilliantly they seem ready to pop off the paper.

But maybe that’s subject matter for another exhibit.

We can always hope!

Want to go?

Works by young local artist Jasmine Maughon will remain on exhibit at the Crestview Public Library through February. Call the library, 682-4432, for more details.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: Library exhibit displays young artist’s work