Center Stage @Mainstagearts

Join us this Sunday, Oct 6 at our Ukulele tent, located in the parking lot of the Blackwood Fire Company, at the 28th Annual Blackwood Pumpkin Festival in Blackwood, NJ. We have copies of music books on hand, opportunities for open mic and all-day jam. We'll also be helping attendees play their first uke chords! Bring your uke, stand and yourself! 40 Easy Songs For Uke https://drive.google.com/open… 2017 Jam Book: https://drive.google.com/open… (We can play from this too, but the official public jam book is the one above.) Mainstage Link: https://mainstage.org/pumpkin-festival/ Festival Info: " (The Pumpkin Festival ) is a great event for kids so people can bring their kids. 0ver 200 craft vendors, 3 food courts, contests, amusement rides for little kids, hayride, pony rides, pumpkin painting contest, and three stages of entertainment. It is a fun day. We will get people who will see the group and will come in to play and learn if we have ukulele's ...

Did you know that the U.S. Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee recommended $157 million for both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities for Fiscal Year 2020.   Sounds like a lot of money, right?   Well, it’s actually $10.5 million less than what the U.S. House approved in May and what advocates asked for on Arts Advocacy Day ($167.5 million).   Arts funding is actually at risk in the federal budget!   Mainstage Center for the Arts , through the NewJersey State Council on the Arts funding, receives money through the federal budget.   Since the Senate and House have different funding levels that are being approved, there will be a conference later this year to reconcile these numbers.   Why is this important to you?   You can take action by contacting your U.S. Senators to request that the higher numbers approved by the U.S. House is also adopted by the U.S. Senate. Arts funding is a smal...

Historically, the Annual Mainstage Blackwood Pumpkin Festival has been a great way to generate funds for Mainstage Center for the Arts.   Another great source of funding is the New Jersey State Council for the Arts .   So what is this Arts Council? Well, in 1966, the legislature passed and the governor signed a law creating the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and directed the Council to do all that is necessary and appropriate to: Support, encourage, and foster public interest in the arts Enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts Promote freedom of expression in the arts Facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey The New Jersey State Council on the Arts is a division of the New Jersey Department of State.   The Council works with a broad array of partner organizations in carrying out this work, all of which is governed by strategic plans made in the broader context of Arts Plan New Jersey...

October 6, 2019 will be Mainstage’s 28th Annual Pumpkin Festival.   Every year, the team, led by Special Projects Director, AnneMarie Weaver, work super hard to ensure it’s a memorable event.   The team has developed a survey that asks a few questions about the Pumpkin Festival.    Mainstage appreciates feedback from patrons, vendors and volunteers to find out what works and how they can make the event bigger and better each year. So, please be sure to complete the survey, which will be located at each Pumpkin Festival Information Booth.  When you complete the survey, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a prize.  Now there’s an incentive! For more information about our Pumpkin Festival, visit our website or the Pumpkin Festival Information booth the day of the event.

Scarecrows are designed to scare off pesky birds like crows (hence the name scarecrow) and blackbirds.   However, i f you’ve used scarecrows, I’m sure you know that the effect is almost always temporary.  Over time, the birds get used to the stationary dummies and resume their destructive habits. (insert girl shrugging her shoulders emoji) Mainstage will be hosting a scarecrow making station at it’s upcoming Pumpkin Festival on October 6, 2019.   Even if they don’t scare off the pesky birds, they make awesome lawn décor and your children will love this fun activity!  The Scarecrow Making Station will be at Harwan Park, next to the Rite Aid parking lot, just behind the gazebo. For more information about our Pumpkin Festival, visit our website or the Pumpkin Festival Information booth the day of the event.

Mainstage will be hosting a Treasure Hunt for the children that attend the Pumpkin Festival on October 6, 2019.   While it will be incredibly fun, there are actually some educational benefits to treasure/scavenger hunts!    Here are some benefits of scavenger hunts, taken from the Institute of Educational Advancement : Builds Problem-Solving Skills Hands-on learning has numerous benefits , including increased memory of previously taught concepts. Scavenger hunts allow kids to practice problem-solving in a tangible way. It helps to reinforce and act-out methods they have been taught by parents or teachers in a physical way, leading to increased retention of the lessons. Easy to Customize Scavenger hunts are easy to customize to your child’s abilities and interests. Is your child really into pirates? Create a “treasure” hunt with pirate-themed clues. Do you have a math-lover in your life? Have them solve number problems to get to the next clue. If you ...

Word on the street is the Mainstage hosts a pretty amazing bake off contest at it's Annual Pumpkin Festival!   This will be my first year attending the Pumpkin Festival, which will be held on October 6, 2019.   In addition to the talent show, I’m most excited about the Great Cake Bake Off Contest.   I mean, it’s cake! (insert girl shrugging her shoulders emoji)   If you’d like to enter the contest, you can deliver your cake to Mainstage’s Academy Hall, 27 South Black Horse Pike from 11 am to 2 pm.   Winners will be announced at 3:00 pm at the stage in the Blackwood Rotary Library parking lot. For more information about our Pumpkin Festival, visit our website or the Pumpkin Festival Information booth the day of the event.