Arts Alive

BY BETH DELUZAIN; PHOTOS BY TERESA TUNO

While Bay County may be best known for its beautiful beaches, we are also recognized for our love of the arts. The fifth annual Arts Alive in Bay event celebrated the artistic accomplishments of local public students and educators and raised almost $40,000 to provide scholarships and fund special programs in the schools.

Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort was the scene of a spectacular display of visual arts, ranging from crayon drawings to award-winning costume designs. Sponsored by Trustmark Bank, this gallery demonstrated the breadth and depth of art instruction in local schools.

Patrons were treated to canapés and champagne during the pre-show reception, which featured performers from Margaret K. Lewis at Millville and Girls Inc. along with musicians Danielle Battistini (Bozeman High School), Lauren Alyssa Tally (Bay Haven), Amy Tinch (Mosley High School), and Megan Brown (Surfside Middle School).

The main event—dinner and a show—was kicked off by Brady Hughes (Bay High School) and Ruby Tilghman (Deer Point Elementary School.) performing the National Anthem after the colors were presented by JROTC students from Rutherford. Dinner music was provided by the following instrumentalists: Cody Smith (Northside Elementary School), Noah Patterson (Mosley High School), Zacchary Vilardi (Bay Virtual School), Robert Love (New Horizons), and Joe Conroy (Rutherford High School).

“The centerpiece of the evening was the variety show,” says Jennifer Reale, Bay Education Foundation board member and chair of the event. “We had performances in dance and musical theater, along with a wide variety of vocalists and instrumentalists performing everything from county to classical.”

Reale explained that the show was cast in January through open auditions. A panel of four judges selected the performances to ensure that patrons were entertained from the moment they entered the venue until the moment they said good night. After auditions, mentors from the performing arts community worked with students to fine tune their acts.