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Arts Ball online auction underway

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record (for those who remember records) — another event cancelled because of COVID-19.

That is the case with the annual Arts Ball gathering, which would have been held Friday night under normal circumstances. The Arts Ball, sponsored by the Surry Arts Council, is the annual soiree held at Cross Creek Country Club. While the gathering generally has a different theme each year, it includes food, music, and a popular auction of various goods and services — with the proceeds going to support numerous in-school arts programs held throughout Surry County.

While the soiree part may no happen, the arts council’s auction is going on now, featuring more than 300 items that range from gift cards to hand-crafted furniture items to home baked goodies for the purchaser prepared at a mutually agreeable time. There’s even a few overnight stays at some area resorts.

All to support various art projects benefitting area school children.

Melissa Sumner, Surry Arts Council events and school programs coordinator, said she is overwhelmed by the response from schools and the community, and that the community and schools “were more generous than ever with donations that everyone will want.”

Some of the specific items up for grabs in the auction include overnights at a Kibbler Valley home with a trout stream, two nights at the River House Inn and Restaurant with breakfast and dinner for one, overnight stays at a private home in Pinehurst, handcrafted Adirondack chairs, a fire pit, massage gift cards, a family pass to the zoo, passes to the Greensboro Science Center, an electric tooth brush in a gift basket, jewelry, a private wine class, socks, a custom made trestle table by Joey Martin, and many more great options.

The auction went live Friday, Feb. 19, at 9 a.m. the day the Arts Ball was planned, and the auction will run through March 1.

All of the funds raised will be used to support 2021-2022 arts programming in the Surry County Schools, Millennium Charter Academy, and the Mount Airy City Schools.

The Surry Arts Council and area schools are grateful to Rogers Realty and Auction for hosting the online auction. Everyone is invited to participate by going online www.rogersauctiongroup.com and registering. The minimum bid for each item is $5. Gift cards will be mailed to the successful bidders. Other items can be picked up at the Surry Arts Council offices following the auction closure. Sumner will work with those purchasing larger items on mutually agreeable pick-up times during the week following the close of the auction on March 1.

“Dozens of volunteers and school personnel worked hard on the silent auction,” the arts council said in announcing the auction. “Melissa Sumner thanked the volunteer committee for their hard work during this logistically challenging time. The committee met via Zoom and early in the process made the decision that an in-person gathering would not be safe.”

That left the group working with schools to coordinate the online event. All 25 schools participated with both donations and support. Surry Arts Council board members, school personnel, and dozens of volunteers worked to ensure “that the arts remain a part of our area school programming,” the council said.

Committee members included Surry County Schools staff Tracey Lewis, Gaye Cooke, Lisa Parrish, Hollie Lyons, Antonia Cawley and Jessica McLeod. Millennium Charter Academy efforts were led by T.J. Lievsay, and Mount Airy City School coordination was overseen by Carrie Venable. Surry Arts Council Board Members and spouses assisting including Brooke Lowry, Meredith Simmons, Ashley Mills, Jennifer Nester, Ginny and Cooper Adams, and Nicole Harrison. Jenny Lowry was added support to the effort along with many others downtown and in local and regional businesses.

In addition to directly paying for arts programs, the Arts Ball proceeds leverage grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and South Arts. The TAPS grant provides support for several hundred students to have a hands-on experience with traditional stringed instruments. Jim Vipperman spends a week in each of three schools introducing students to fiddles, guitars, and Surry County’s traditional music heritage. Students are then able to attend the weekly free year-round lessons at the Historic Earle Theatre every Thursday afternoon if they wish to continue free lessons.

There have been limits during the current school year but the arts council has collaborated with Mount Airy City Schools and the Reeves Community Center Foundation on the ELISS grant to provide in-person arts programming while following CDC guidelines. The Arts Council staff took dozens of craft kits, gingercookie kits, and other materials to special education classes in the schools.

The Surry Arts Council has a grant from South Arts to provide programming with Sons of Mystro concerts in the school and in the community as soon as guidelines permit. In addition, Mike Wiley is scheduled for multiple Black History programs in the schools as soon as in-person engagements are safe.

The arts council is working with school officials and will host the second Surry High School Film Festival. The winning entries from each high school will be shown at the Historic Earle Theatre on Tuesday evening, April 7, for contestants, friends, and family. The Surry Arts Council has worked with the schools and continued to host interns during the current school year.

Arts programs funded by the Arts Ball facilitate more than 15,000 student contacts annually. It is the Surry Arts Council’s goal to send at least one program to each school in the Surry County School system, the Mount Airy City School system, and Millennium Charter Academy, the organization said. Most schools receive two or three programs. Students in these 25 schools are also invited to one or more programs at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, the Historic Earle Theatre, and/or the Blackmon Amphitheatre. Students visit and have guided tours at the Andy Griffith Museum, the Andy Griffith Playhouse, the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall, and the Siamese Twins Exhibit at no cost. School concerts and drama presentations are hosted by the Surry Arts Council throughout the year at no cost to the schools.

The arts council works with schools to host interns and to provide art instruction in both in-school and after school programs along with many other partnerships throughout the year. In addition, scholarships from the Jimmy Lowry Endowment, the Betty Lynn Endowment, the Mildred Robertson Endowment, and the Sandy Beam Endowment provide scholarships to Surry County students who wish to further their education in the arts.

All of these programs are supported by the annual Charity Ball auction.

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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com

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