building in downtown Homewood. The paintings
were created by artists from Bottle & Bottega, an
art party establishment on Ridge Road. Bottle &
Bottega owners Greg and Darcie Loudon are part
of a team that has formed a new non-profit arts
council for Homewood area artists and art lovers.
(Photo by Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Wednesday, Sept. 12, is the deadline to register for the Homewood Business Associations 0.3K run on Sept. 22. Homewood’s new arts council and the Cancer Support Center will be the beneficiaries of one of the easiest fundraisers imaginable. It’ll be a chance to raise money without raising a sweat.
The “fund run for the rest of us,” sponsored by the Homewood Business Association, will be a 0.3K fun run along Martin Avenue from Hickory Road to Martin Square. That’s right, point-three kilometers. It’s going to be more fun than run.
In fact, serious runners might want to keep the brakes on or the “race” will be over for them almost as soon as it starts.
The plan is to fortify participants at the starting line with a beer from Rabid Brewing. At the mid-point in this two-block journey, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Starbucks coffee will be served to give “runners” a boost to carry them through to the finish line, where they will be rewarded with a refreshing drink from Copper Still Martini Bar.
“Underachievers Unite,” is the slogan for the event. Although the competition is expected to be rather relaxed and brief, the cause is one the HBA hopes people get excited about. The Cancer Support Center is one charity the community consistently supports. Its services provide much-needed care and guidance for those suffering from a challenging and deadly disease. The event will also give a boost to the new Homewood Arts Council, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed recently by owners of two downtown businesses. Greg and Darcie Loudon of Bottle & Bottega and Julie Lawton and Suzy Moore of UpsaDaisy collaborated to form the organization.
Loudon said he got the idea when he started getting involved in an effort coordinated by the village to establish a performing arts center in Homewood. The discussion turned to how to support local artists, and Homewood Arts Council was born.
The young organization is seeking a physical home, too. Loudon said the group is exploring possible sites for a gallery to display the work of local artists and continues to participate in the project of creating a performing arts center.
Loudon said some repairs need to be made before the space at the southwest corner of the building is habitable, but he hopes the gallery will become a reality sometime this fall.
The building already has a start on its art offerings. Panels featuring paintings by local artists adorn the windows on the east and north sides of the building. The works were created by local artists affiliated with Bottle & Bottega and were installed just before the WGN-TV hosted Block Party on July 13.
We’re listening
When you want to find things out, it often helps to ask. That’s basic journalism, and we put that approach to use recently to find out how the community thinks the Chronicle is doing and what people think we ought to do differently.
Staff members had a wonderful time at the Homewood Farmers Market on Aug. 11 talking with readers and inviting them to fill out a simple reader survey. More than 100 people took the time to do the survey. Thank you.
We’re not done, though. The survey is now online, and we invite everyone to take a few minutes to let us know how well your newspaper is serving the community and how we can make it better.
The survey is available at our website.