Posts Tagged ‘AL. Ringling Theatre’

Kids, don’t try this at home. That applies to pretty much everything you’ll see performed by the Golden Dragon Acrobats, a Chinese troupe of acrobats, jugglers, contortionists and all-around daredevils.”  – New York Post

The friends of the AL Ringling theater are proud to present the Golden Dragon Acrobats this this Friday, October 1st, 7:30pm at the historic Al. Ringling theatre in downtown Baraboo. Don’t miss this chance to see world-class artists performing acts of raw strength, great beauty and amazing skill. Admission is $26 for adults, $16 for seniors & students (including college with ID) and$11 for kids age 4-12.  For more information visit www.alringling.com.

More:

• Golden Dragon Acrobats Website

The International Crane Foundation’s 37th annual Cranes of the World Festival kicks of this evening with a theatrical performance by Heather Henson at historic Al. Ringling Theatre in downtown Baraboo.  The festival continues tomorrow with events held at the ICF world headquarters located between Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells on Shady Land Road.

Tonight at 6:30 PM there will be a cash bar at the AL offering folks a bit of time to socialize, take in the historic theater, and visit the art gallery.  At 7 PM Heather Henson will go on stage with her “Panther and Crane” Benefit Performance. The show uses puppets, dancers, kites and colored lights to tell the story of the endangered Whooping Crane, Florida panther and the urgent need to preserve freshwater ecosystems. Heather Henson is the daughter of Jim Henson, creator of Sesame Street puppets & The Muppets. Henson produces the annual Orlando Puppet Festival as well as curates and distributes the Handmade Puppet Dreams film series. For advance tickets ($16, $10, $5), call the Al. Ringling Theater: 608-356-8864 or email: info@alringling.com

On Saturday a variety of events will be held at the ICF headquarters including a nature hike, tours, performances and more.  Details are available at SavingCranes.org

Join us in Baraboo this Saturday for the annual Faire on the Square festival.  The event begins at 9 am and runs until 4pm. This year’s event has been set up by new organizers who are shall we say, steeped in Baraboo’s circus traditions. What this means for the Faire on the Square is that we can expect entertainment such as jugglers and magicians in addition to the more standard live music, food vendors, pony rides & bouncy castles.  The main event of course is the 150 arts & crafts vendors that surround the historic square. It’s a Wisconsin shoppers paradise! For a breakdown of the day’s events read this from the Baraboo News Republic.

Now, here’s what we’ve got for you.  5 tips to make your day at the festival more enjoyable, and 5 shops you should absolutely visit while walking around downtown Baraboo.  Enjoy!

5 Faire on the Square Tips

Here’s some tips to help you get the most out of your visit.

1. Parking is not hard to come by but not always close either.  If you don’t arrive early in the morning, save yourself the trouble of driving round and round the event and just pick a side street off the square. You’ll have no trouble finding a spot on a side street. (Just wear comfortable shoes!)
2. Be prepared for any weather.  Even if the forecast is for warm weather, things change quickly this time of year.  Right now the call is for sunny and 70F… fingers crossed!
3. Set a budget. Between the crafts, the shops, the rides and food vendors, it’s easy to drop more cash than you realize. Certainly we want you to support our local business, but we want you back as well. Set a budget for the day.  Bringing drinks and even picnic lunches in re-usable containers helps the environment and saves more money for crafty stuff and tasty treats.
4. Bring a picnic blanket. The downtown square does get a bit crowed as you would expect. Organizers are moving things around a bit this year which may help.  Still it may be tough to find a place to sit and eat or rest your feet.  To save time looking for a bench or seat elsewhere, just pack up a picnic blanket and plant yourself on the county courthouse lawn.
5. Don’t miss the unique stuff – Around 12:30 pm belly dancers and an Elite Team of karate kids will be performing on the square. (Not your standard Art Faire, fare..) In addition there are often interesting finds down the side streets and outside corners of the square. (We once found a great keyboardist playing outside a shop on one of the side streets that was not mentioned anywhere as part of the event.) Be sure to take time to really explore.

5 Must Stop Downtown Shops

Of course a major reason communities hold these events is to get you into the local shops.  With that in mind, here are 5 shops we recommend you visit while exploring the Faire on the Square.

1. Coffee Bean Connection
   Located just off the square on 4th street. Hey, if you find yourself dying for a latte.. This will be your slice of heaven.
2. Just Imagine Toys
   This is a shop for kids who like books and still have their imaginations in tact. No video games.
3. Cornerstone Gallery
   Hardly worth putting the words “Art” and “Baraboo” together without recommending the Cornerstone Gallery.
   
4. Amber Moon
   Great atmosphere, unique stuff everywhere. Makes you feel good to just walk around inside. We just posted a few pictures to our Flickr recently.
5. The A.R.T Gallery
   More great art to explore inside the Al. Ringling Theatre – Here’s some pictures we took at the grand opening.

If we had 6 choices we’d we’d include Bekkah Kates Kitchen Store as well.

We look forward to seeing you Saturday at the Faire on the Square right here in Downtown Baraboo!

* For the sake of full disclosure Just Imagine, Cornerstone gallery, & the Sauk County Art Association  are clients of Skillet Creek Media.

Here in the land of the Ringling Brothers and Circus World Museum one could be forgiven if at first glance the words “Trunk Show” conjured up an image of elephants standing knee deep in the Baraboo river. As it happens my 37.35 seconds of research led not to the circus, but instead revealed a rich history in the world of fashion and art. This of course makes all the more sense when I tell you that the Sauk County Art Association will be holding a trunk show at their gallery in downtown Baraboo this Thursday.

Now, what a trunk show really is, is a special presentation and sale (sans elephants) of works by an artist or designer. The name, you might guess comes from the trunk that an the artist would bring their wares to the show in.  At the show guests have an opportunity not just to purchase, but to hear from and discuss the works with the artists directly.

This Thursday, February 18th from 11am to 6pm the SCAA will be featuring the works of Frank Kudla and Char terBest Kudla. Frank Kudla, goldsmith/designer and Char terBeest Kudla, handbag maker/fiber artist will both be on hand to show and sell their work.  Kudla specializes in mothers/family rings and designs custom jewelry to the taste of his customers.  terBeest Kudla designs and constructions handbags, plain to fancy, from tapestry fabrics.

The Sauk County Art Association now holds trunk shows monthly at their new gallery inside the AL Ringling Theatre on the Square in Downtown Baraboo. If you’ve never attended a Trunk Show before, this would be a good opportunity to take in the experience.  Make an evening of it. Before or after the event you could stop by the Little Village Cafe next door for a bite to eat, or head down the block to the Coffee Bean Connection for a Latte.  Better yet, do both.

The Details:

Sauk County Art Association Gallery is located at 136 4^th Ave, Baraboo, Wisconsin. (On the Square)
Show Hours: 11am – 6pm

More Information:

• Sauk County Art Association
• HelensDaughters.com
• ADifferentAngleJewelry.com
• Coffee Bean Connection
• Little Village Cafe

Last night we attended the Sauk County Art Association’s A.R.T Gallery grand opening at the Al. Ringling Theatre in downtown Baraboo, Wisconsin.  The long awaited opening of the gallery should help to infuse new life into the historic Al. Ringling theater which it seems has always struggled to find its place in our modern lifestyles.  Incorporation of the gallery featuring amazing local artists, along with stage shows, concerts, plays, movies  & more should go a long way toward making the “AL”  the center of art and culture in our area.

We’ll watch the local paper for the information, the interviews and the final numbers from the silent action.  It will of course continue to take money and volunteer dedication to keep things moving forward.  What strikes me as I’ve often mentioned is that it seems we have a very vibrant art community that lies a bit in the underground of our community. Art is everywhere in Sauk County, yet similar to our wonderful natural  assets here in the Baraboo hills, we need to keep working to find ways to help more of the locals to appreciate what the tourists already know.  There’s a lot of good stuff around here.  The new A.R.T. Gallery can only bring us closer to that goal.

I’m told the gallery will be open on Fridays and Saturday for now and will open more “full time” as the summer approaches.  When you visit our community I invite you to head into downtown Baraboo and visit the local galleries and shops. The “big name” attractions around here often create a vortex that sucks all the attention their way, but all the wonderful things that make a community unique are usually a step or two off the main highway. I can tell you this, just a walk through the new A.R.T Gallery in the amazing Al. Ringling Theatre will make that little drive into downtown Baraboo worth it.

Skillet Creek A.R.T. Grand Opening Photo Gallery – Click Here.