We are very happy to add CityScapes to our list of wonderful sponsors. This dynamic company focuses on downtown re-development, and has opened four great restaurants there: The ChopHouse, Sazio’s, Humphrey’s, and Mason’s Pub. They have also renovated the historic Terry Hutchens building and contributed to numerous projects to make Huntsville a more vibrant and sustaining community. CityScapes was founded by Jim and Susie Hudson, who also own the historic Lowe Mill building, home of our Honeydripper master class and after-party. They represent the best in entrepreneurship, and we offer them heartfelt thanks.

Our newest sponsor is Don Tingle, a movie enthusiast and long-time fan of John Sayles and Maggie Renzi. He is the workshop coordinator for the Alabama Filmmakers Co-op and teaches “MovieMakers: A Filmmaking Workshop for Kids” each July as well as hosting a workshop on the first Sunday of each month at the Flying Monkey Arts Center. Don also teaches workshops for kids in association with film festivals at Tupelo, Mississippi, Florence, Alabama, and Gadsden, Alabama. The Film Co-op is a volunteer-based organization with 30 years of community service. Contact info at www.filmcoop.org. Don has worked diligently on the Huntsville Honeydripper premiere, and now has chosen to give funds as well as his valuable time to this project.

We now have the schedule for Microwave Dave’s “Talking the Blues” show that features an interview with John Sayles and selections from the Honeydripper soundtrack. It will be aired:

Saturday, February 2nd at 8pm on WLRH FM 89.3 www.wlrh.org

Tuesday, February 5th at 6pm on WJAB 90.9 www.aamu.edu/WJAB/

The interview is primarily about the music in Honeydripper, and Dave plays most selections in their entirely. Featured artists include Keb’ Mo’, Lil Green, the New Beginnings Ministry, the Aces of Spade, Dr. Mabel John, Barrence Whitfield, Gary Clark, Jr. and Ruth Brown in one of her final recordings. John Sayles discusses the songwriting, music preparation, recording, and research that make up Honeydripper’s soundtrack and storyline. This will be a great show, so don’t miss it!

Send this out to all your friends and acquaintances!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bdhleAvBNg

Thank you David Milly of Theatrical Lighting Systems for providing the lighting equipment for our fabulous Honeydripper blues party. In business since 1981, TLS “provides comprehensive lighting systems and services to a diverse group of customers who use intelligent lighting to improve the quality of the audience experience.” David is a long-time supporter of the arts, and his generosity will certainly improve the quality of our audience experience. To learn more about TLS and their broad range of excellent services go to www.tlsinc.com.

Mr. Charles Ray of Nelms Funeral Home has teamed up with the Interfaith Mission Service to help sponsor our event. Mr. Ray is a long-time supporter of IMS, and has been a civil rights activist in Huntsville as well as a leader with the Human Relations Commission. Interfaith Mission Service, in existence since 1969, is composed of “people and communities of faith serving together to promote religious, racial, and cultural harmony; respond to human need; and facilitate communication within the community.” IMS’s latest exciting project is the formation of the IMS Racial Harmony Coalition, which has been researching the racial landscape in Huntsville in order to foster improved race and multicultural relations. They are beginning that work now, and wanted to be a part of the  Honeydripper event. Thank you Charles Ray for your generous contribution to IMS, and thank you IMS for your wonderful work in our community and for your support of this project!

Heartfelt thanks to KELTEK Systems, Inc., for becoming one of our sponsors. KELTEK is a minority woman-owned small business, offering professional services to the government, private industry, and the general public in the areas of system development & maintenance, life cycle management support, technical documentation, training, and consulting services. Check out their website at kelteksys.com. Frances Dillard, President of KELTEK, is a long-time Huntsville community activist, and her involvement in this event lends an important perspective to Honeydripper’s theme of entrepreneurship.

Tickets to the Honeydripper Premiere are now for sale! John Sayles and Maggie Renzi, along with several other cast and crew members, will be at the premiere. And don’t forget that your $20 entry includes an after-party at Flying Monkey Arts, featuring Microwave Dave and the Nukes along with Henderson Huggins and Eddie Shaw, fabulous blues musicians who were in Honeydripper. You can buy your tickets from Brown Paper Tickets, a “fair trade” ticket selling organization that charges a minimal fee. Here is the website: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/27043. These tickets won’t last long, so act fast!

The Master Class and the Blues Party for Premiere ticket holders will both be held at the Flying Monkey Arts Center.

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Area schools are sending students to John Sayles’ master class on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Arts Center in Huntsville.

Thanks to Butler High School, Lee High School, Huntsville High School and Discovery Middle School for granting students this great opportunity on such short notice! 

 If you are a Huntsville/Madison high school and would like to send some students, please leave us a comment via Guest Book and we’ll get back to you.  Seating is limited, so please respond soon.