Greater Rome Times

Last month’s Coffee with the Arts Open Mic Nite at the Sawnee Cultural Arts Center sparkled with performances by several local stars.

The Pilgrims, a bluegrass gospel group based at Sharon Baptist Church, opened the event with toe-tapping performances of “This is the Day” and the soulful “God Knows”.

Then, local music teacher Pat Bryant kept the crowd clapping along with classic tunes like “Blue Moon” and “Tiptoe through the Tulips”.

Poet Ben Seracheck kept the audience in stitches with a little tax-time humor and good-natured stabs at the Internal Revenue Service. He also recited an original poem entitled “Thank you, Superman” about a young man who learned to “fly” in his imagination by reading comics and books. Seracheck recently submitted the poem to DC Comics for inclusion in an upcoming youth reading program.

Laura Simon, lead singer for the Laura Simon Band who recently performed at Taste of Forsyth, also gave an acoustical performance of her original song “You Say”. The song was submitted to MGM Studios for consideration for inclusion as the musical theme for an upcoming James Bond.

Artists of all disciplines – singers and musicians, actors and dancers, comedians, writers and poets, visual artists, ventriloquists, jugglers and puppeteers – are invited to perform at the next session on Tuesday, May 10 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm.

This is a casual and supportive venue for creative people, ages 16 and up, to try out a new song, a new monologue for an audition or get your creative juices flowing over a cup of coffee with other creative thinkers. Admission to the Coffee with the Arts Open Mic Nite is free and guests may purchase cappucinos, mochas and lattes from a coffee bar provided by Mocha My Day Mobile Espresso Service.

This exciting new program was launched in January and regular performers include mystery author and writing coach Fran Stewart.

Stewart is the author of the Biscuit McKee Mystery Series, a collection of plot-twisting stories about a quirky small town librarian and her opinionated cat, Marmalade. The Biscuit McKee series will include ten books, two of which are already in print and available at Humpus Bumpus Books in Cumming. Autographed copies of Orange as Marmalade and Yellow as Legal Pads are available through the publisher’s website at www.doggieinthewindow.biz.

Performances at Coffee with the Arts Open Mic Nite are scheduled in 5- and 10-minute intervals. For more information or to sign up for a performance time, please contact the Sawnee Cultural Arts Center at 770.889.4977 with your name, type of talent or performance and contact information.

The Sawnee Cultural Arts Center is an independent, not-for-profit organization. SCAC is supported through donations, charitable contributions, grants and rental fees.