Magic

Don’t know what you did this weekend, but I can bet that you missed out on the tremendous goings-on at Mt. Saint Francis.

The Mary Anderson Center for the Arts is resident there, and provides a place for artists to create amidst the splendor and serenity of the “Mount.” The center co-exists on the grounds of the friary and is one of Southern Indiana’s gems.

The wife and I were privileged to participate in the festivities of “Magic at the Mount: The Third Dimension,” which took place from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

On top of the hill, dozens of sculptors, installation artists, potters, and performance artists displayed their works for the pleasure of hundreds. Supportive vendors provided the refreshments, including the fine folks at HobKnobbs Coffee House.

Down by the lake we facilitated the performing arts portion of the evening, which included readings of poetry and prose by both artists-in-residence and area writers. Some were making their initial visits to the Mount, while others were old hands.

Flamenco Louisville opened the festivities with a rousing exhibition of that venerable Spanish import. We then were treated to the debut performance of the Mount Saint Francis Jazz Ensemble, a group you will be hearing more about, I’m sure.

Jonathan Shippey and Friends, featuring Leigh Ann Yost, entertained during the next hour or so, bringing us a panoply of Shippey’s original compositions.

Then, the evening started to crank. Da Mudcats opened a twilight concert of blues, followed closely by Lazy 11.

As we took it all in, I couldn’t help but think of how each of you would have enjoyed it, had you known it was there. Let’s assume the second Saturday in June will be the occasion next year for a fabulous date at Mount Saint Francis. I can’t wait to get up there again…I still haven’t seen the trailside sculpture of St. Francis himself. Too much to see, too much to do, at least on this Saturday.

Our thanks go out to the board of the Mary Anderson Center (www.maryandersoncenter.org) and the various sponsors of the event.