Grand Elvis

We know the street as Elvis Presley Avenue but prior to January 8, 2001 it was Grand Avenue. This photo (postcard?) is on display at the museum in the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium.

The Elvis street signs are for sale in the gift shop at the municipal at 705 Elvis Presley Avenue. Don't even get us started on the address listed on this website (turn down your volume before clicking).

Sound and Vision Saturday

Plenty of delights for all of your senses this Saturday. After you pick up your free t-shirt for helping with the Highland neighborhood clean-up, fill the rest of the day with art.

Steven Soffer's Sound and Vision Show opens with a reception at 1 pm at Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, 3201 Centenary Blvd.

Also there's all day long Lead Belly Blues Festival at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport. Wrap up your night with Katfish and Kocktails at 6 pm at artspace.

minicine?

Creatives who understand the power of the Internet comprehend the next level of social marketing for their work.

The organizers of Monday's upcoming event at minicine? in downtown have a sweet grasp on this power. Locally they've got coverage on their own website and on Trudeau's. The event is and has been touring all over the US and Canada. To follow the progress check out its blog Channeling an invocation of spectral bodies and queer spirits.

We Googled some of the artists involved and discovered this Vanesssa Renwick and Elliot Montague and Aay Preston-Myint.

Spring Street Historical Museum

We love this place. It's always crammed full of goodness. A visual feast of goobery history stuff with tons of SB Land connections. S-E-X-Y.

The current exhibit concerns transportation in SB Land. If you missed the last one, here are some photos from it.

24 Hour Church of Elvis

Is there space downtown or in Highland for something like this? Stephanie G. Pierce created the 24 Hour Church of Elvis in downtown Portland. You can now find it on the Internet.

This fun Elvis info brought to you by RRBJ, where 2009 is the year of The King.

Steal Velvet Elvis' Idea

Why isn't someone gigging this in Shreveport? We need our own Velvet Elvis in SB Land.

The West Edge Artists' Co-op has organized an art happening in honor of the King's birthday at the Municipal Auditorium on January 8, 2009.

Give the Gift of Local Art

Ralph and Alice started the market earlier this year. It was even featured on Trudeau's blog and can be found on the listed on the Shreveport Bossier Fun guide.

P.S. The sold out Christmas in the Sky is Saturday also. Many times art from local artists can be found there but that money goes to SRAC. The money you spend at the market goes directly to the artist.

P.P.S. Where would you be more likely to find the next Clementine Hunter, M.C. "Five Cent" Jones or Howard Finster? Downtown. Open air. Bring cash. Make deals. Go home happy and warm and fuzzy and do a winter dance around the cheerful glow of your newly acquired piece of art.

Critical Mass Bicycle Ride in Shreveport

There is no phone number on the flyer. All it says is "A city-wide bicycle ride Saturday, November 29th 3:00 PM SHARP! Betty Virginia Park."

We are intrigued and wondering 1.)Are we in shape enough to ride city-wide? 2.)Goddess knows we need the exercise since the holiday eating has started. 3.)Do we bike to the park or drive the van with the bikes strapped to the back? 4.) If we participate will we have enough energy for Rockets Over the Red Saturday night?

Welcome to Shreveport

We get all giddy inside when people on our screens, movie, television or computer, say the word "Shreveport." Rob Senska and Mindy Bledsoe say it bunches in their new web series, Welcome to Shreveport. The show is about a couple trying to break into the entertainment industry. Tune in and see how many SB Land sites you recognize.

Centenary College's Bruce Allen to Perform Live

If the idea of locally grown produce isn't enough to make you load up the station wagon and head down to the Shreveport Fall Farmers' Market Saturday morning how about some performance art (sorta...work with us we're getting our creative on...)? Who needs Martha Stewart when you've got Bruce Allen to show you how to slice and dice your jack-o-lantern? Allen chairs the art department at Centenary College.

You can make your entire Saturday about fair trade and sustainability if you shop the fall market and then swing by the The Greater Gift Market in Highland.

Tasty Local

Fall markets are popping up all over America. Chicago. Austin. Portland. Consumer trends show an increasing demand for fresh locally grown food and hand crafted items.

Shreveport's version opens Saturday at the Festival Plaza in downtown. Up to 60 vendors will be on hand every Saturday from October 18 through November 22 from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

Have you friended the Shreveport Farmers' Market on MySpace yet?

Scribble This

Big culture comes to town this weekend with the annual arrival of The Red River Revel. How scary is it to be an artist-vendor selling your work while folks walk by shouting out critiques?

Why not just offer the lookers a marker and let them just scrabble all over your work? That's what Bette Kauffman's done with her Waterline interactive photo exhibit in artspace. It hangs until October 18.


P.S. We confess. We're the ones who tagged "700 Billion Dollar Bailout Socialism Works in America For the Rich Not For the Middle Class or the Poor or New Orleans Save U.S.!!"

Support Your Local Artists

Two of the best people Hurricane Katrina blew up from the Gulf Coast are Su Stella and Curt Harville. The artists now have a live work space in Highland where they do blacksmithing, cold and hot glass work, metal work, painting, and more.

This fall they will be vending, teaching and demonstrating their different disciplines at venues as varied as the Barnwell Memorial Garden and Art Center, LSUS Pioner Heritage Center Pioneer Day and the Highland Jazz and Blues Fest at Columbia Park.

You can purchase their jewelry in the artspace giftshop in downtown (by the way, artspace will be hopping Friday night with the opening of the Clyde Connell retrospective).

For more information on art events with Su and Curt
228-263-2333 Su 318-525-2164 Curt
OurFireflyRanch@hotmail.com
Visit their online store at etsy.

Time is Running Out

Last day for the Shreveport Farmers' Market is August 30.

Make it an earth-friendly weekend by shopping there tomorrow and then hitting the Everything Green Expo at the Shreveport Convention Center.

Keep Shreveport Wild!!!!!!!!!!!

Eat local! Eat local! Eat local! The Shreveport Times reports a seafood restaurant is closing in Highland.

Big D's Bar-B-Que at 101 N. Common Street in downtown is alive and well. Dine there today!

Buy Art This Saturday

What are you doing with all your Haynesville Shale money? You should be collecting the art of the local artists. One of the coolest things about living in Houston were all the folks collecting work by artists in that area. And also nifty were the stories the local media did on the collectors and the artists they collected. Here's a recent story about a San Antonio law firm and its collection of affordable art from that area.

This Saturday you have a chance to see some of the funkiest art being produced in our region. It's the third month for the Art-La-Tex Art/Show Market. The name has been evolving but the location is the same. Already this local effort has been covered by Red River Radio and Louisiana Road Trips Magazine.

Grass roots artists' markets like this one started by Ralph Cody can be found all over the world. Melbourne's Rose St. Artists' Market. Austin has a market. In New Orleans you'll find Bywater Art Market.

Saturday August 9 (and every second Saturday of the month)
10 AM – 6 PM
600 Common Street
Free to artists and the public. Artists need to bring their own displays.
Ralph Cody 318 458-5064 or re_cdy@yahoo.com

Recycling Shreveport Farmers' Market

Think the market can't get any greener? Shreveport Farmers' Market Manager Noma Fowler-Sandlin says tomorrow is "...the annual Cookbook Exchange, this year joined by a Tote Bag Exchange, too. So bring out your tired old cookbooks and tote bags and trade them for new ones you like better."

Also just in are reusable Shreveport Farmers' Market totes. The bright red bags feature the market logo in black. Only $10. The money raised will continue special events like the musicians on Tuesdays. Operating hours: 7 a.m. 'til noon on Saturdays at the Festival Plaza in downtown.

Pictured is the cool tote of Conchita McElwee. Snapped at last year's market.

Jumpin'

Where can we get a pair? And is downtown and Highland ready for them?

By the way, the state of Louisiana is working on a master plan for those who like to walk or bike. Meeting tonight at Shreve Memorial Library at 5 p.m.

Tour de Shreveport

The chance to star in your own ghost hunting video? It happens in downtown Shreveport on the weekends. Shreveport Spirit Tours* take place Friday afternoons at 6 and Saturdays at 1:30 and 6. New this year is the opportunity to appear in your own YouTube video. It's the perfect outing for families, couples and birthday parties.

*Editors note: My daughter, Katee Fontane, and I own and operate these fun seasonal tours. Under her influence we've created MySpace and Facebook pages for the tours. Come explore the West Edge of downtown Shreveport with us. Also, if you have trouble viewing the above video, click through to the actual YouTube site and you should get it to play. YouTube has its moments of wonkiness.

It's About the Fashion

Shreveport Farmers' Market is not about the food. It's about the fashion. Get togged out and ride to the festival plaza for the happy hour market Tuesday nights.

Have you friended the market on MySpace? Then you got the bulletin and know the blackberries are HUGE and Dr. Cookie and Louisiana Dan will perform from 4 - 7 p.m. tonight.

And remember please leave your polyester at home. Unless it's retro poly. That's Destiny Toro's hiney in a cool skirt.