Actress Julie Andrews once said, “Music and the arts make a bridge across this world in ways that nothing else can.”
For two decades, that bridge has been strong in the Blair County Seat thanks to the vision and leadership of the Hollidaysburg Area Arts Council.
Hollidaysburg Area Arts Council
Launched in 1998, the Council sponsors various cultural opportunities each year including concerts, workshops, and arts camps.
“The role of the Hollidaysburg Arts Council is to offer a variety of quality arts programs to residents in the Hollidaysburg area,” noted Marie Little, HAAC President. “The role is two-fold: bringing creative and exciting activities for young families and retirees to enjoy in their leisure time, plus promoting the arts.”
Among the summer 2018 events planned are a book signing with Dr. Kenneth Womack on July 7 from Noon to 4:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in Altoona. Dr. Womack will sign his latest work, Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years, 1926-1966.
Dr. Womack, an authority on the Beatles and their enduring cultural influence, will also narrate It was 51 Year Ago Today!, a community musical tribute concert celebrating the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper.
“The concert offers a no-holds barred celebration of the music and magic of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the legendary Beatles album that kicked off the Summer of Love,” stated Womack. “Audiences will surely revel in the timeless majesty of the Fab Four’s music. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”
The concert will be on July 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School.
Two additional concerts will also headline the HAAC’s Music in the Burg concert series this summer.
Bluegrass band Mama Corn will perform on August 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Canal Basin Park in Hollidaysburg.
On August 25, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra will once again perform. For the past several years, the ASO has delighted music lovers with this popular outdoor concert, which usually serves as a preview to the upcoming season.
The concert will be at 6:00 p.m. at Canal Basin Park.
The Council’s concert committee selects the musicians each year for the Music in Burg series, said Little.
“Canal Basin Park and pavilion is a perfect place to hold our concerts, along with other Hollidaysburg musical groups,” she added.
An inductee in the Blair County Arts Hall of Fame, the Council is affiliated with the Borough of Hollidaysburg and the Hollidaysburg Community Partnership.
The HAAC accepts new members throughout the year. Dues are free. Meetings are held monthly, except during the summer and in December.
“Hollidaysburg is a viable, walkable community with beautiful architecture, which lends itself to a vibrant arts scene,” Little explained. “I can’t imagine a day without art and music in my life.”