2011 NEWS and UPDATES

2011 DESIGNS CHOSEN FOR W.C. HANDY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Florence, Al…In celebration of the 30th W.C. Handy Music Festival, two exceptional winning designs were chosen among a field of more than 30 submissions. This year's Design Competition entries included artwork from students and professional designers. The Music Preservation Society (MPS) is pleased to announce the winner of the "traditional" 2011 design competition, was submitted by a team of students from the University of North Alabama. Additionally, a "special edition children's art" design was won by a student from Florence Middle School. The "traditional" design will be used in all publicity and become the visual image of the 2011 W.C. Handy Music Festival on t-shirts, posters, brochures, and other memorabilia. The "special edition children's art" will be used on children's t-shirts. All shirts will be available at the W.C. Handy Home, Handy Festival office and at selected events.

Festival Chair Tori Bailey "was very happy with the main design which includes the image of the Festival's namesake, W.C. Handy, and makes reference to the fact that this year marks the 30th Handy Festival." She commends the artwork designers for their creativeness. Bailey was also excited that the Festival will feature a special edition children's shirt with artwork designed by Bethani Essex, an eight grader at Florence Middle School. She expects both designs to sellout this year. According to Nancy Gonce, Executive Director of the Music Preservation Society (MPS), which hosts the annual festival Handy Festival; "The original idea of the competition was to encourage artists to think about a way to commemorate the musical heritage, and learn something about W.C. Handy as well as the genres of music presented." The UNA students are Chrissie Daily of Cherokee, Alabama and Arielle Jones of Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Miss Daily is an honors student and graduated this semester with a degree in Biology. Miss Jones is working towards her degree in English with a concentration in Professional Writing. Their design was created as an assignment in an Honors computer course taught at UNA by Ron Davis, Assistant Professor of Computing Information Systems. "While I am particularly proud of the work done by Chrissie and Arielle, I think everyone that created a submission should be pleased with their efforts," stated Mr. Davis. "We're extremely proud of Chrissie Daily's contributions to the winning design. The Honors Program is pleased to support the Handy Festival, a top-flight community event," stated Dr. Vince Brewton, Director of the Honors program for the University of North Alabama. The Honors Program at UNA is an academically selective four-year experience open to all majors.

Bethani Essex is an eighth grader at Florence Middle School and the winner of the "special edition children's art" design." Her teacher at Florence Middle School, Pat Reaves, explains, "Bethani's artwork expresses her positive attitude and upbeat personality. Simple, straightforward communication is how I would describe her artwork in general, with a good sense of what looks best." Mrs. Reaves has a creative program that emphasizes the purpose, audience and message applied to posters and ads; her students are allowed to pick from one of several local events to create a poster that meets the requirements of the sponsoring event.

2011 FESTIVAL HEADLINER
Rocking The Blues Concert: Drive-By Truckers
Special Guests The Decoys with Donnie Fritts and Spooner Oldham
Read Press Release

The Year of Alabama Music
www.yearofalabamamusic.com
Blues, rock, country, jazz, gospel... America's musical roots all run deep in Alabama. That's why 2011 is officially The Year of Alabama Music. Join the celebration today!

Mr. Al Head, Executive Director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts,
has asked for information on artists, art teachers, arts organizations, art spaces or community arts programs that may have been impacted by the April 27th tornadoes. Please send any information to staff@arts.alabama.gov or call 334.242.4076.

W.C. HANDY MUSIC CAMP STARTS SOON!
Florence, AL… The W.C. Handy Music Camp for middle school, high school, college level and adult musicians will take place June 13 through 16 at the Department of Music and Theatre on the University of North Alabama campus
Read more

Register Now - 2011 W.C. Handy Music Camp Application

2010 NEWS and UPDATES

The W.C. Handy Birthday Celebration
Come celebrate W.C. Handy’s 137th birthday on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at the W.C. Handy Home, Museum and Library, 620 West College Street, in Florence. The “Father of the Blues” - William Christopher Handy - was born in Florence, Alabama, on November 16, 1873. He was a band conductor, a solo trumpet performer, author, and the composer of such blues classics as the Memphis Blues, Saint Louis Blues, and the Beale Street Blues.

The W.C. Handy Birthday Celebration will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Birthday cake and other refreshments will be served. The John Wilson Band will perform. The musical program will take place on the front porch of the cabin, weather permitting, so bring your lawn chairs. In case of bad weather, the program will be held inside the museum.

The John Wilson Band is from Tuscaloosa and plays “smooth jazz and rhythm and blues.” The band includes drum, keyboard, guitar and saxophone and has performed on stage with Gerald Lavert, Najee and many others.

The W.C. Handy Birthday Celebration is sponsored by the Handy Cabin Committee and the Florence Department of Arts and Museums. Call (256) 760-6434 for more information.

WC Handy Fest Named One of Top 100 Events For 2011
Florence, AL...The American Bus Association (ABA) announced today that the W.C. Handy Music Festival to be held July 22-30, 2011, has been designated as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2011 by an experienced expert tourism industry selection committee. Inclusion in the Top 100 list, published as a supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations magazine, indicates that the W.C. Handy Music Festival offers excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world, according to ABA.
Click here to read more...

ABA selects W.C. Handy Music Festival as Top 100 destination events
FLORENCE, AL (WAFF) - The American Bus Association (ABA) announced that the W.C. Handy Music Festival has been designated as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for the year 2011. Click here to read more...

HANDY FESTIVAL NAMED AMONG THE BEST EVENTS BY BUS ASSOCIATION
The American Bus Association has designated the W.C. Handy Music Festival as a Top 100 event in North America for 2011. Click here to read more...

AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION NAMES W.C. HANDY MUSIC FESTIVAL
ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S 100 BEST EVENTS FOR 2011
Florence, AL…The American Bus Association (ABA) announced today that the W.C. Handy Music Festival to be held July 22-30, 2011, has been designated as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2011 by an experienced expert tourism industry selection committee. Click here to read more...

IT’S NEW, IT’S INTERACTIVE, IT’S HANDY ON THE PLAZA!
Handy on the Plaza is growing and changing this year - for the better! Event Coordinator, Amanda Perry,
has been hard at work to make this event current. “I really feel people this year will not only have fun at
Handy on the Plaza, but also have an ‘experience’. The vibe will be very laid back, but full of hands-on
things to do while you’re there,” said Perry. Click here to read more...

ALL IN: MAC McANALLY AND THE MUSCLE SHOALS REEFERS
Florence AL…For the first time in Handy Festival history, the Music Preservation Society, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and the Muscle Shoals Music Association have joined forces to present the headliner concert, ALL IN: Mac McAnally and the Muscle Shoals Reefers. This W.C. Handy Music Festival concert is at 7:30 pm on Saturday July 31, 2010, at Norton Auditorium on the University of North Alabama campus. Click here to read more...

W.C. Handy Winning Design Entry
The 2010 winning design will publicize the W.C. Handy Music Festival and reflect the theme of the festival. This year's winning designer is a team of undergraduate students from the University of North Alabama, Katherine Hardiman, Atticus Wright, and Drew Mills. Click here to read more...

W.C. HANDY MUSIC CAMP STARTS SOON!
Florence, AL… The W.C. Handy Music Camp for middle school, high school, college level and adult musicians will take place June 14 through 17 at the Department of Music and Theatre on the University of North Alabama campus.
Read more

Register Now - 2010 W.C. Handy Music Camp Application

2009 NEWS and UPDATES

Register Now - Songwriting - How To Make Your Song Better

You can register online at www.una.edu/continuing-studies (select Personal
Enrichment), or contact our office at 256-765-4862 to register by phone.
We accept all major and debit cards. Please share this email with others
who may be interested.

To view or print a complete listing of Personal Enrichment and Computer
classes please visit our website at www.una.edu/continuing-studies (select
the 2010 Catalog). If you are not on our mail list and would like to
receive a catalog, please call 256-765-4862 or email us at ceu@una.edu.
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SONGWRITING - HOW TO MAKE YOUR SONG BETTER
This 3 hour session will be a combination of lecture, discussion and
performance relating to modern songs and the techniques professionals use
to write them. The class will explore examples of song structure and
analysis and be given examples of what makes compositions more compelling
by Aldridge, a professional songwriter for 30 years."

About Your Instructor: WALT ALDRIDGE, a songwriter, singer, musician,
engineer and producer has exercised his musical skills in Muscle Shoals
and Nashville for more than thirty years. Billboard magazine named
Aldridge one of the Top Ten Country Songwriters of the year twice based on
the strength of his chart activity. His song "No Getting Over Me" was
named one of ASCAP's most performed country songs. "Holding Her and Loving
You" was named Song of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters' Association
International. His work spans a wide spectrum of music, including artists
as diverse as Lou Reed, Peter Cetera and Blessid Union of Souls.
Traditional country acts from Conway Twitty to Reba McEntire have also
found success with Aldridge's songs. Recently he produced and co-wrote "I
Loved Her First", a number one chart topper for Lofton Creek Records act
Heartland.

Course Number: 10-PE145
May 15
1 Saturday
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Instructor: Walt Aldridge
Price: $39
Location: UNA East Campus, Room 102

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W.C. Handy Winning Design Entry
The 2009 winning design will publicize the W.C. Handy Music Festival and reflect the theme of the festival. This year's winning designer is Victoria L. Antoine. Click here to read the details...

W.C. Handy Headliner
John Amos.  His face is easily recognizable.  You may have seen it on the silver screen in co-starring roles in the blockbuster Die Hard II with Bruce Willis as the good man gone bad, the box office smash Coming to America with Eddie Murphy as the father of the bride, and in Lock Up with Sylvester Stallone and Donald Sutherland as the mean captain. Click here to read the full bio ...

Handy Scenes Around The Shoals...
Photos credit: David Messer