June 5th, 2014
“Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul….and you answer.” terri guillemets
The Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA) is the unifying voice for the arts and arts education throughout the state, advocating for the central role of the arts in advancing dynamic communities and a creative citizenry.
In its first 3 years, the Alliance has made presentations to the Joint Finance Committee of the Delaware legislature, hosted speaking events, and organized advocacy programs throughout Delaware.
In January 2014, DAA launched its Free Individual Membership plan with the goal of increasing membership to 500 by December 2014. For more information, and to find out what DAA is all about, please visit http://www.delawareartsalliance.org.
ARTS ADVOCACY EVENTS
Monday, June 9th – Arts Rendezvous in Sussex County at Possum Point Players, http://www.possumpointplayers.org located at 441 Old Laurel Rd., Georgetown, is the first in a series of DAA learning and networking events for Kent, New Castle, and Sussex Counties. The programs will educated and engage the arts community in all three counties about impactful arts advocy, and will facilitate the creation of a strong base of advocates through DAA’s Free Individual Membership Campaign.
Arts Rendezvous in Sussex County will start at 4:30 p.m. $5.00 for DAA members and $10 for future members, payable at the door. Light fare will be served and advance reservations are recommended. Please rsvp to nmercado@delawareartsalliance.org.
Liane Hansen, former Senior Host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and DAA member, will be the Arts Rendezvous in Sussex County spokesperson and convener. A resident of Sussex County, she is active in the theatre community, performing at Clear Space Theatre Company.
Ann Marie Miller, Executive Director of ArtPrideNJ, will be the event speaker. Prior to joining ArtPride in 1995, Ms. Miller served as Director of Development at McCarter Theatre, a Tony-award winning regional theatre and performing arts center. She has over 30 years of experience as an arts manager…she will consider, “How to be an effective arts advocate; the New Jersey experience”.
Monday, June 23rd – Arts Rendezvous in New Castle County at Opera Delaware, http://www.operade.org located at 4 South Poplar Street in Wilmington, is the second in the series of DAA learning and networking events for our 3 counties. It will start at 4:30 p.m. and light fare will be served. Advance reservations are recommended and you may do so my emailing nmercado@delawareartsalliance.org. $5 for DAA members and $10 for future members, payable at the door.
John Schratwieser, Executive Director of Maryland Citizens for the Arts, will be the Guest Speaker. He will be discussing arts advocacy best practices. He has led Maryland Citizens for the Arts since June 2010 and has more than 20 years of experience in the field of arts and non-profit management. For the last 5 years he was Executive Director at the Prince Theatre Foundation in Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He previously worked at Lincoln Center Theatre in New York and Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. John received a B.A. from Fairfield University in 1991, and an M.P.A. from The George Washington University in 2005. He has performed, as an actor and singer, for most of his life, rounding out his understanding of, and affinity for, arts organizations of all shapes and sizes.
For further information, please contact Lynn Calder at lcalder@delawareartsalliance.org or call 302-425-5500, Ext. 103.
Have a great day!!
December 14th, 2010
An amusement park? Sorry, but I don’t get too excited about it. Never have. But yesterday was an exception. It has been cold in South Florida so I was looking for something to do; not being able to go to the beach, stores too crowded for me; I have been eating up a storm; bla bla bla, you know how it is. Then I remembered that Ross, a friend from Ocean City, Maryland, raved about Lion Country Safari off of West Palm Beach. And that’s where Michael, Tommy and myself headed late in the afternoon. Probably too late, but we made it.
It is a bit of a drive to get to Lion Country Safari. Well, you cannot have a park that size close to a city, especially since it is the first cageless zoo in our nation. We are the only ones caged; in our cars. The lions have a fence around them, which was good. I had the perfect car for this type of tour. So off we went.
It took us from Delray Beach on 95 North about 45 minutes or so. Take exit 68, Southern Blvd. and go west for about 15.5 miles. You will start seeing the signs as you approach the Park. It was worth it.
As I mentioned, we arrived late in the afternoon. At this time of the year they close at 5 p.m. It was suggested that we did the drive through tour. It was going to take about 1 1/2 hours. Perfect!!
A few things to have in mind are that no convertibles or soft top vehicles are permitted in the drive through tour. You are to have your windows up; animals roam freely; they have not been tamed. The Park has cars for rent but only on a first come first served basis. Also, pet are not permitted. They have kennels available for rent for $5. No open toe shoes if you are in the petting zoo, feeding the animals either.
Lion Country Safari opened up in 1967. It is involved in the captive breeding of a number of endangered species. It is also a rehab facility for injured wildlife. Website is www.lioncountrysafari.com. Tel. 561-793-1084. Annual passes are available. The actual address of the Park is 2003 Lion Country Safari Rd. Loxahatchee, FL 33470. The Park has a restaurant, gift shop and a recreational vehicle park. They offer camps for kids, large groups, vip tours, walking tours, inside tours, and special access to see the lions tours. All of this can be found by calling them or going on the website above mentioned.
We were given a CD that explained the 7 preserves they have in the Park and the animals that inhabit them.
It was very neat to see these animals at such close proximity. They were beautiful, as well and felt comfortable in their “habitat”.
We went through the 7 preserves:
Las Pampas: Called by many different names, but in South America that is what they are called.
Here we found the South American Tapir, which is from Brazil and it can weigh about 650 lbs. They have been threatened in the wild by hunting and habitat destruction.
We also found the Rhea. This is the 4th largest of all birds; up to 4 feet tall and about 50 pounds. The llama is just sitting in the background. They are used as beasts of burden. Raised for wool, meat and milk.
Ruaha National Park. This African wilderness is known for the Greater Kudu, which is the 2nd largest antelope.
The Serengeti Plains is one of the most famous east African wildlife areas.
The Wilderbeest, known for their gigantic migrations. to find food and water. Calves are able to run with their mothers shortly after birth.
The Eland is the largest of the African antelopes. Both sexes have horns.
The Watusi. The horns may span 10 feet.
The Waterbuck. Males have horns. Females do not. They elude predators by submerging in water up to their nostrils.
The Ostrich was one of my favorite. It is the world’s largest living bird. up to 8 feet in height. The content of one ostrich egg equals to 2 dozen chicken eggs.
The Kalahari Bushveldt is a a dry plateau of about 100,000 square miles located in southwest Africa.
We found the Gemsbok there, which name is the Oryz gazella gazella. They are adapted to go long periods of time with little or no water.
The Gir Forest is found in India. There Kulan stands about 4 feet tall. They have short legs but can run very fast, up to 45 miles per hour. They are an endangered specie due to extreme habitat loss.
The Blackbuck’s is found in India and it is one of the smallest members of the antelope family. They are found more in captivity than in the wild.
The Hwange is located in western Zimbabwe. The Equus burchelli bohmi is the Grant’s Zebra. Stripes are like fingerprints; unique to each individual.
The Southern White Rhinoceros weighs up to 2.5 tons. Its life expectancy is about 40 years; poor eyesight, though, but excellent senses of hearing and smell.
The chimpanzee were all hiding out; too cold for them; just like us, the humans.
The giraffe has always made an impression. Such a majestic animal. Beautiful. In the petting zoo, you can feed them. They are found in the dry savanna and open woodland south of the Sahara Desert.
Lion Country Safari was not crowded yesterday. I loved going at that time of the day. On the way out, we met Ramon. We had to return the CD. He told me that the Park has 500 acres and 380 of them are for the animal preserve; the rest has the restaurants, rv park, etc. He also said that they are enhancing the Chimpanzee section, and that next to the Park the land is going to be developed. I don’t know if condominiums or single family homes.
Again, if you are in this area and the kids are driving you crazy, this can be a good activity.
Enjoy…..talk to you later….It’s another cold one in South Florida…
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