Alva, Oklahoma

Two fun shows today in Alva! In the morning we had mostly pre-K through first graders, plus one group of older kids who usually come in the afternoon. That left us with only about nine kids for the afternoon show! We had fun though; I gave a very informal and chatty performance. Lisa and Evalyn were not with me today, but many thanks to the librarian who took a few photos for me after each program!

After the first show, kids lined up to have strum on my guitar.

Here is the entire audience from the second show.

And here is our "silly" pose!

Yukon, Oklahoma

Great show in Yukon today! There were about 90 kids in chairs - no parents allowed. And the kids were wonderful! I had a lot of fun with this group. Here are some photos to prove it...

Chatting with the kids before the show.

Such an attentive audience!

Rrrrr... I'm hungry!

Singing underwater.

Triceratops Bop

Hadrosaur Hoot

Baldwin County, Alabama

Last week we were in Baldwin County, Alabama for the whole week, right on the Gulf Coast! We stayed in a cozy little apartment provided by the librarian in Orange Beach. We explored the white sands beach there, went swimming in the ocean, and Evalyn brought home a bag full of shells. I did seven library shows. Here are photos from all of them...

Daphne, Alabama

Bay Minette, Alabama - "getting warm in the sun"

Triceratops Bop

Robertsdale, Alabama

This lucky library dog regularly gets read to by the kids, and she gets to come to all the programs!

"Library Bookaneers" in Fairhope, Alamaba

Hadrosaur Hoot

At the sales table

Foley, Alabama - this was a huge program for several hundred kids. The librarians kicked it off with a skit about Pig and Elephant.

Tyrannosaur Crunch

Orange Beach that afternoon - quite a contrast! This was a small, intimate, chatty program! 

Friday morning at Gulf Shores.

Seismosaur Stomp

Paseo Arts FEAST July 16 in OKC

I am one of five artists selected for the July 16 Paseo Arts FEAST! This is a chance for me to receive a grant in support of my work writing songs with kids. This is also a chance for you to support that work!!

Here's how the FEAST works:
During a meal, five different artists get five minutes each to present their proposals. At the end of the evening, attendees vote on their favorite. The artist with the most votes receives all the proceeds in order to make their proposal happen!

My proposal in a nutshell:
I would like to purchase some portable recording equipment that will enable me involve the kids I work with in arranging and recording songs they've written! Making recordings of the songs is an important way to ensure that their efforts will connect with a wider community. Right now I do that for them at home. Being able to arrange and record with the kids during class will increase their exposure to different music-making skills, increase their feeling of ownership in the overall project, and also increase my ability to receive Oklahoma Arts Council funding for what I do.

How you can participate:
Getting as many of my supporters in the room as possible is part of the game here! Tickets are $30 each. For your ticket you get:
- A meal at Joey's Pizzeria, 700 W. Sheridan in OKC, 6:00-8:00PM
- A fun evening watching artists describe their hopes and dreams
- A vote
- The wonderful feeling that comes from supporting the arts. Even if your ticket money doesn't go to me it will go to one of the other four deserving artists presenting that evening.

To help out, you can buy a ticket - even if you can't be there, it'd be a great gift for a friend who can - and/or help spread the word.

You can get your ticket and find out more here:
http://paseofeast.wordpress.com/upcoming-feasts/feast-event-info/

Ada, Oklahoma

One of our highlights every summer is our visit to the Ada public library. We were trying to remember how many years running I've performed there, and it must be about 20! Today's program was as lively as always, with lots of fun audience interaction, including a toddler who tried to make off with my concertina!

Stegosaur Swing

Posing with fans.

She came to the show when she was 10!

This little guy didn't want me to give him back to mom! He was very interested in the ferret.

Emporia, KS

Yesterday was our second time to visit Emporia for the library's outdoor "Brown Bag" concert series. It was also the first day of the summer that really felt hot to us - the car registered some temperatures over 100! We had a great crowd of kids, parents, grandparents, and daycares - about 350 people.

Here are some great photos that Lisa took - for even more great photos see the Emporia Library Facebook Page.

Derby, Kansas

I did two shows at the library in Derby, KS today - both were great fun, and we are already on the calendar there for next summer! Evalyn was in charge of the camera for most of the day, and as you can see below she took some interesting shots. 

Triceratops Bop

Tyrannosaur Crunch

Eyeball

Elbow 

Hutchinson and Pratt, Kansas!

Great day today in Kansas! We figured out that the last time I was in Hutchinson was fourteen years ago! We won't let it go that long again. The Hutchinson crowd were fantastic participators! Then we drove to Pratt for an evening performance, where we had a small but very enthusiastic crowd and we were nearly overrun by rampaging dinosaurs! 

Horned lizards, a.k.a. "Horny Toads" popping up in Hutchinson.

Triceratops Bop

The Hutchinson library had the greatest decorations - it was like walking into a cave with stalactites and bats hanging from the ceiling. Here I'm posing with fans in front of the gnome home. 

Evalyn snagged an awesome chair for reading in Pratt.

Pinch your nose and sing along...

Library Bookaneers

Long-necked dinosaurs!