Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Several events have been added to the inaugural Steamboat All Arts Festival schedule, with opportunities for local film and culinary arts enthusiasts taking their place on the four-day event calendar.

"Film & Feast," a dinner and movie lecture event hosted by former film producer Dori Weiss, is at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at the St. Cloud Mountain Club. Weiss, who has hosted several editions of her dinner-and-lecture events since moving to Steamboat Springs, will give tips about an as-yet-unnamed American movie, screen the film, and lead a discussion afterward, Chamber spokeswoman Molly Killien said.

For its "Sips & Sweets" dessert and drink tasting contest, the Chamber invited local restaurants to prepare a specialty sweet and beverage to share with All Arts Festival patrons from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Aug. 22. About 10 restaurants are participating, and the venue with the most votes for favorite drink and dessert pairing will be awarded a plaque, Killien said.

Other schedule additions include a book signing and multimedia presentation by local artist and author Bonnie McGee, of her new book "Voices on the Wind"; that free event is from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Bud Werner Memorial Library. A dedication of "Let the Music Play," a new piece of public art at Little Toots Park, is at 11 a.m. Aug. 22.

More than 20 workshops focusing on topics from all areas of the art world offer experiential learning to festival participants from Thursday to Aug. 23. Local arts professionals will lead the workshops, which Killien said she hopes will give "the public a chance to get their hands dirty and try these things out and learn from the professionals."

The All Arts Festival starts with a free performance by rock band The Avett Brothers at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the base of Steamboat Ski Area; the concert also is the last of the 2009 Steamboat Springs Free Summer Concert Series. Performances continue through the weekend, with highlights including a poetry slam, orchestra concert, opera concert and performances by many more local groups.

A block party celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Depot is the festival's culminating event. Starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 23, the Steamboat Springs Arts Council will help host a celebration that includes food, an exhibit showcasing train memorabilia from the former station's 100-year history, and live music by the Steamboat Springs Youth Orchestra and Steamboat Swings big band.

Schedule of events

All Arts Festival, Thursday to Aug. 23

- Thursday

9 to 10:30 a.m. Downtown historic walking tour hosted by Tread of Pioneers Museum; FREE

2 to 4 p.m. Portrait painting demonstration with Richard Galusha at Steamboat Art Museum; FREE

5 to 6:30 p.m. Seminars at Steamboat presents Alice Rivlin at the Strings Music Pavilion; FREE

5:30 p.m. to about 9 p.m. Steamboat Springs Free Summer Concert Series presents The Avett Brothers at the base of Steamboat Ski Area; FREE

7 to 8 p.m. "Voices on the Wind" presentation and book signing with Bonnie McGee at Bud Werner Memorial Library; FREE; local artist and author McGee discusses her book, which chronicles a 4.5-year circumnavigation on a 33-foot sailboat

8 to 10 p.m. "Sips & Sweets" dessert and drink tasting; TBA; local restaurants compete for the best drink and dessert pairing during three nights of the festival

- Aug. 21

9 a.m. to noon. Draw, paint or sculpt after a model with critique from Susan Schiesser and Janice Lawrence at Artists' Gallery of Steamboat; $12

9:30 to 11:15 a.m. Memoir writing workshop with Susan de Wardt at Tread of Pioneers; $15

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Yampa River Art Stroll on Yampa Street in downtown Steamboat Springs; $5

Noon to 1 p.m. Pastel landscape demo with Robert Dieckhoff at Artists' Gallery; FREE

Noon to 2 p.m. "The Art of Lulie Crawford" at Tread of Pioneers; FREE

2 to 3:30 p.m. Watercolor workshop with Mary Levingston at the Art Tent in Torian Plum Plaza; $10

2 to 4 p.m. Painting from life with Jean Perry at the library; $15

4 to 5:30 p.m. "Why Can't I Understand Shakespeare?" with Stuart Handloff at the Art Tent; $10

5 p.m. Design District Open House; FREE

5 p.m. Poetry Slam at the library; FREE; Off the Beaten Path Bookstore and the library host an audience-judged poetry competition in two-minute rounds; registration at 5 p.m., event starts at 5:30 p.m.

5:30 to 8 p.m. Plein air artists reception at Steamboat Art Museum; TBA

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Belly dance "Super Shimmy Power Activate" with Meg Widmer at Northwest Ballet Studio; $10

8 p.m. Strings Music Festival presents pianist George Winston; $32

8 to 10 p.m. "Sips & Sweets" dessert and drink tasting; TBA; local restaurants compete for the best drink and dessert pairing during three nights of the festival

- Aug. 22

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Irish dancing with Nora Parker at Northwest Ballet; $10

10 to 11:30 a.m. African dance with the Steamboat Springs African Dance & Drum Ensemble at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp; $5

10 to 11:30 a.m. Photography with Paula Jo Jaconetta at the Art Tent in Torian Plum Plaza; $10

10 to 11:30 a.m. "Beyond the Artist's Way" with Susan de Wardt at the library; $15

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Yampa River Art Stroll on Yampa Street in downtown Steamboat Springs; $5

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plein Air quick-draw event and barbecue at a local ranch; TBA

Noon to 6 p.m. Performances by local groups on the Yampa Stage at Seventh and Yampa streets

11 a.m. to noon. Hip-hop dance with Tina Buschmann at Northwest Ballet; $10

11 to 11:30 a.m. Public art dedication of "Let the Music Play" at Little Toots Park; FREE

Noon to 1:45 p.m. "The Art Nature of Photography" with Ken Lee at the library; $15

Noon to 2 p.m. Beginner plein air painting with Susan Gill Jackson at the Art Tent in Torian Plum Plaza; $15

2 to 2:45 p.m. "Behind the Scenes" with John Sant'Ambrogio at the library; $15

2:15 to 3:45 p.m. "A Sense of Place" with Susan de Wardt at the Art Tent in Torian Plum Plaza; $15

3 to 5 p.m. "There's No Business Like Show Business : Musicals" with Stuart Handloff and Christel Houston at the library; $15

5 to 6 p.m. Lindy Hop dance with Jenny and Brady Meier at Northwest Ballet; $10

5:30 p.m. "Film and Feast" with Dori Weiss at St. Cloud Mountain Club; $50; menu selections are paired with an American film, which Weiss will discuss before and after a screening

6:30 p.m. "Loco di Vino" benefit and wine tasting at Perry-Mansfield; $50; featuring wine and tapas, and music by Spanish bluegrass band Rojos Calientes

7:30 p.m. Steamboat Springs Orchestra concert at Strings Music Pavilion; $30; featuring Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, and the theme from "Hook" and "Cowboys Overture" by John Williams

8 to 10 p.m. "Sips & Sweets" dessert and drink tasting; TBA; local restaurants compete for the best drink and dessert pairing during three nights of the festival

- Aug. 23

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Yampa River Art Stroll on Yampa Street in downtown Steamboat Springs; $5

10 a.m. to noon. "Getting Your Act Together" with Michael Brumbaugh at the library; $20

Noon to 2 p.m. Beginner plein air painting with Susan Gill Jackson at Artists' Gallery; $15

3 p.m. Emerald City Opera performance at the library; $20; featuring artists from the opera's main stage company and student company, performing selections from the group's three summer 2009 productions

5 p.m. Steamboat Springs Arts Council block party at the Depot Art Center; FREE; featuring food, drinks, an exhibit of train memorabilia and live music by the Steamboat Springs Youth Orchestra and Steamboat Swings big band