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Chamber Gears Up For 2nd Annual Art Show

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By SHERRI LONON

IN THE LOOP

Published: April 1, 2009

With the clock ticking down on the start of the second annual Wesley Chapel Celebration of Fine Arts, organizers are still looking for participants and sponsors to round out the event.

"It's exciting," said Sheri Goldberg, executive director of the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.
Goldberg said visitors can expect a number of changes in this year's event. The length of the festival, the name, the venue and some of the events were changed to make the 2009 version bigger and better. Last year's event, dubbed Arts in the Park, was a one-day show staged at Wesley Chapel District Park.

"We changed the venue because The Shops at Wiregrass weren't here before," she said. "This event, being fine arts, really suits the image that the (mall) is trying to display. It's a good fit."

This year's art show is set for April 18-19 at the mall, 28211 Paseo Drive. It will include a juried art show featuring fine artists from not only the central Pasco area, but also neighboring communities and even out of state residents. In addition, a VIP jazz concert will be held April 18 from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring The Shawn Brown Band with Mike MacArthur. The opening act for the concert is Stacey Knight. Tickets are $30 in advance and are available through the chamber.

Although the show has extended its scope, Goldberg said the focus is still on the community.

"We have a large amount of local artists and we encourage that," she said. "We really want it to be a reflection of our community. It is opened up to others, but it is definitely a representation (of Wesley Chapel)."
Chamber president Cindy Fleming said changes were made to the festival's structure to make it more enjoyable for the community.

"We all got together and decided we needed to ramp it up a bit," she said. "Wiregrass was absolutely fabulous."
Fleming said the chamber is expecting between 30,000 and 40,000 people to attend this year's show, compared to only a few thousand last year. An estimated 75 artists will take part in the show, which will also feature live performances from community groups, including local dance schools.

The chamber is still accepting applications from artists and potential sponsors. The cost for artists to participate is $150. Sponsorship information and artist applications can be found on the chamber's Web site at wesleychapelchamber.com. Title sponsors for this year's show are Hyundai and Mazda of Wesley Chapel.

The show takes place April 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (813) 994-8534.

Editor Sherri Lonon can be reached at (813) 948-4287 or at slonon@mediageneral.com.

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