Youth Theater Presents PIPPIN Feb. 19, 20

The Clayton Youth Theater has scheduled three performances of its winter musical, PIPPIN, at The Clayton Center in February. The first performance will be Friday, February 19 at 7:30 pm, followed by two performances Saturday, February 20 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm.

PIPPIN is the story of a young prince who longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh, and the intrigues of political power, but ultimately finds it in a most unlikely place. A fairy tale with a twist, PIPPIN will leave audiences pondering their own "corner of the sky."

Led by Director Nikki Dyke, Music Director Ann Meigs and Choreographer Dawn Dees, the cast and crew consists of 26 area students in grades 7-12, representing 8 public schools and the homeschool community--Clayton High School, West Johnston High School, Garner Magnet High School, Cardinal Gibbons High School, Smithfield-Selma High School, Clayton Middle School, Riverwood Middle School and Cooper Elementary.

CAST
LEADING PLAYER - Jordan Clifton
PIPPIN - Justin Ryals
CATHERINE - Ashlyn Biggers
CHARLES - Ian Garnish
FASTRADA - Jordyn Johnson
LEWIS - Kibre Ethridge
BERTHE - Victoria Callus
THEO - Nicholas Kraft - Friday and Saturday evening shows
THEO - Luke Parkis - Saturday matinee

BAND OF PLAYERS
Kristen Bagley
Alexis Crocker
Michael Marshall
Jordan Monk
Jessica Rogers
Jonathan Royal
Brandon Spencer
Hailey Spencer
Amelia Ubinas
Sydney Williams

CREW
Hannah Craig
Denim Patrowice
Muhammad Amin
Padmanabh Phadke
Victoria Peach
Tiffany Ryan

Tickets can be purchased by calling The Clayton Center box office at 919-553-1737 or visiting http://www.theclaytoncenter.com/.

The Youth Theater's work is supported by the Town of Clayton through a recent $10,000 grant from the Cultural Arts Grant Committee. The CYT also received funding help for PIPPIN from the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.

Founded by Dyke in 2007, and adopted by the Clayton Cultural Arts Foundation, the Clayton Youth Theater was established to showcase the talents of area middle school and high school students, while bringing high quality productions to the community. The CYT presented its inaugural production, Little Shop of Horrors, in the summer of 2007. PIPPIN is the theater’s fifth production.

“The Clayton Youth Theater is small, but mighty," Dyke said. "We need more kids to get involved, we need larger audiences, and we need contributions from businesses and individuals to fuel our growth. Clayton is ready for this.”

For further information about the Clayton Youth Theater, please visit http://www.claytonyouththeater.com/.

Film Festival Organizers Offer New Twist on ‘Dinner and a Movie’

Independent film aficionados who don’t get their fill of the discussion scheduled to follow the third annual Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival at The Clayton Center on Saturday, Feb. 6, can continue the conversation over dinner at a local restaurant with the filmmaker panelists appearing at the festival.

Film festival organizers have arranged for interested audience members to join the panelists for an informal dinner in the café at Mulberry on Main immediately following the film screenings and discussion. Diners can purchase their meals from the restaurant’s regular menu and enjoy the company of the panelists and other film enthusiasts.

Heidi Stump, executive director of The Clayton Center, which is presenting the film festival along with the Ava Gardner Museum of Smithfield, said, “We thought local patrons would enjoy talking with professional independent filmmakers in a more informal setting than the question and answer discussion will provide. We hope that people will take advantage of this opportunity to get to know the panelists.”

Three contemporary independent filmmakers are scheduled to participate in the panel discussion. They are K. James Peterson, Todd Tinkham and Camden Watts.

The 2009-10 Short Circuit Film Festival is sponsored by the Southern Arts Federation and spotlights 12 films by filmmakers from Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee. The featured films span the genres of animation, narrative, experimental and documentary.

Tickets for film festival are $2.50, plus service fees. Tickets may be purchased at The Clayton Center Box Office located at 111 E. Second Street in downtown Clayton, by calling 919-553-1737, ext. 2, or online at http://www.theclaytoncenter.com/.

The Southern Arts Federation (SAF) is a non-profit regional arts organization founded in 1975. SAF creates partnerships and collaborations; assists in the development of artists, arts professionals and arts organizations; presents, promotes and produces Southern arts and cultural programming; and advocates for the arts and arts education. The organization works in partnership with the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For more information on the Southern Arts Federation and its programs visit http://www.southarts.org/.

Jones' Lunch Featured on "Tarheel Traveler"

Jones' Lunch Cafe, 415 E Main Street, was featured on WRAL TV's "Tarheel Traveler" last week. Check it out here. Way to go, Curtis!!

Clayton Chamber Names Small Business & Citizen of Year

Congratulations to the Clayton Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet last night.

Winner of the Small Business of the Year, Morning Glory Inn, owner Betsy Grannis

and Citizen of the Year, Michael Sims for his work with the Kids Cafe.

Among their other volunteer work, Mike & Betsy are also on the Clayton Downtown Development Association! Congratulations to both!

Etta May's One-Woman Show Tonight!

The reigning Queen of Southern Sass – Etta May – returns to Clayton TONIGHT (Friday, Jan. 22) with her new one-woman, two-act show, Dr. Etta (Family Specialist).

If you’ve ever seen Etta May before, you haven’t seen her like this. Dr. Etta is a unique, original, one-woman show that everyone – parents, grandparents and teenagers alike – can relate to on many levels.

Staged as a seminar, the performance takes a hilarious and heartfelt look at the breakdown of the American Family, in a style that is uniquely and unequivocally Etta May. Part stand-up comedy, part theatre, Dr. Etta (Family Specialist) will have you laughing one minute and crying the next.

Star of the wildly popular tour “Southern Fried Chicks,” Etta May is a favorite of The Clayton Center audience. The “Chicks” sold out the Center last year and performed before a Standing Room Only crowd.

“Etta May is always a hit when she performs here,” Heidi Stump, executive director of The Clayton Center, said. “Her comedy resonates with a wide audience. This particular show blends her distinct style of stand-up comedy with a new take on theatre.”

A seasoned performer with a huge fan base, Etta May is among the winners of the prestigious American Comedy Awards title “Stand-Up Comic of the Year.” A favorite of XM & Sirius radio’s comedy channels plus the syndicated Bob & Tom show, Etta May is a regular on Country Music Television and has appeared on Oprah, Comic Strip Live and MTV and as a guest commentator on CBS Sunday Morning.

Tickets to Dr. Etta (Family Specialist) are $20 plus service fees. A group rate for purchases of 10 or more tickets is available. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 919-553-1737, at The Clayton Center Box Office, 111 E. Second Street in downtown Clayton, from 10 a.m. until noon and from 1 until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.theclaytoncenter.com.

Other popular artists presented in past seasons at The Clayton Center include Kathy Mattea, Johnny Winter, Jesse Cook, Jim Brickman, Doc Watson, Eileen Ivers, Riders In the Sky, the Harlem Gospel Choir and David Sedaris.

New Downtown Clayton Gateway Sign Under Construction

A long-anticipated gateway sign welcoming people to downtown Clayton has begun to take shape. The new sign, located at E Main Street and US 70 Business, is expected to be completed in early February.

From The Flipside!

 Tonight

Open Mic: Tracy Wiebeck hosting. Everyone is welcome!

Tuesdays & Wednesdays

Early Bird Specials - 5:00 to 6:30 15% off all dinner entrees (including nightly features) Dine in only.

Wednesdays

1/2 price wine by the glass

Thursday

Karaoke

Friday

BOTH

Saturday

MikeMickXer


http://www.myspace.com/theflipside1

Community Mobilizing to Help Haiti Survivors

Clayton Mayor Jody McLeod put out an urgent call Wednesday for donations of money and supplies for the survivors of Tuesday's massive earthquake in Haiti, including four Clayton residents who are there on a medical mission. The Mayor said community leaders worked through the day to secure a plane that he hopes will be given permission to fly directly to the devastated area to deliver as much as it can carry."Fly the plane in, and fly the plane out, that's what we want to do," McLeod said. "We're looking at a 48-hour deadline."  (read more)

2010 Johnston FRESH: A Local Food Fair, February 27th

The Clayton Farm & Community Market, also known as the Clayton Farmers Market, is sponsoring Johnston FRESH: A Local Food Fair on February 27 at The Clayton Center in downtown Clayton. This is an opportunity for Clayton residents and others to learn more about locally grown food and meet local farmers.

At Johnston FRESH: A Local Food Fair, you will have a chance to talk to local gardening experts about simple ways to grow food in your own yard and community. Local farmers will have booths at which you can ask questions about local farming and get information about local products and farming practices, and even buy a subscription to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which provides you a weekly box of fresh local produce, eggs, and meats.

A screening of “FRESH: the Movie" will be a highlight of the event. It is about the modern food production system, but it is also about farmers who are doing things differently by growing food and raising livestock sustainably, humanely and profitably. Fresh focuses on alternatives to the industrial food model that offer people more choices & better food and farmers more freedom & greater return on their blood, sweat & tears. It will be shown at 6:00 pm.

Make an evening of it. Come downtown and have an early dinner at one of our great restaurants, then walk over to The Clayton Center.

2010 Johnston FRESH: A Local Fresh Food Fair 5pm - 9pm, Saturday, February 27th.

Admission to The Clayton Center Lobby to talk to farmers and ranchers is free.

Movie tickets for FRESH: the Movie are $5 plus service charge, and are available online at http://www.theclaytoncenter.com/ or by calling the box office at (919) 553-1737.

For more information contact claytonmarket@earthlink.net. You can also become a fan of the Clayton Farm & Community Market on their Facebook Page.

From The Flipside...

Lunch Specials


$5.00 Burger $6.00 Grilled Cheese & Soup $7.50 Cuban Sandwich

Dinner Features

Teriyaki Sirloin - center cut sirloin with a delicious teriyaki marinade with red onions and portobella mushrooms, angel hair pasta with a Pink Vodka cream , bread and salad

Appetizer Feature - Seasame seared tuna with tempura green beans and a mango salsa.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays

5:00 to 6:30
Early Bird Special - 15% off any dinner, or feature, entree.  (dine in only)

Wednesdays - 1/2 price wine by the glass
________________________________________

Entertainment

Tonight - Open Mic with Tracy Wiebeck hosting. Come one come all....

Wednesday - Trivia Night

Saturday - the return of our favorite zydeco dance band - ZYDECOPIOUS

http://www.myspace.com/theflipside1