The arts agency for the cities of Lewiston and Auburn, Maine

The Dempsey Challenge is pleased to announce an exciting community event that will take place in the late afternoon and early evening on Friday, October 12. The Inaugural Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration has been planned and coordinated in collaboration with Art Walk Lewiston Auburn, L/A Arts and Captive Elements Art House. Downtown Lisbon Street, Lewiston and the surrounding area will be the location for a very special Art Walk incorporating art in its various forms to illustrate a theme of hope, healing and survival. The Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration, which will take place the day before the run/walk and cycling events, serves as an opportunity for Lewiston Auburn to showcase the best of what they have to offer to the thousands of visitors and national media in the area while also providing an evening of entertainment to all who venture out from near and away to explore L/A. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Artists involved with the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration are: Terry Grasse, Helen Warren, Penny Hood, Scott Ainsworth, Jane Pronovost, Angie Blevins, Laura Tasheiko, Matthew Barter, Linda Nichos Phillips, Isaac Marston, Joanna Reese, June Roberts, Lois Hill, Herenya Wiley, Corey LaFlamme, Priscilla Cross, Maria Castellano-Usery, Anne Breau, Erika Jordan, Darylann Leonard, Tegan Lake, Stephanie Berry, Jeffrey Jacques, Tookie Bright, Anne Labbe, Don Bernard, Dinah Harris, Pat Collins, Louella Hood, Megan Patry, Mary Schmaling-Kearns, Nel Bernard and Paul Baribault. The venues for art work included in the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration are: Captive Elements Art House (223 Lisbon St), L/A Art (221 Lisbon St.), the Lewiston Public Library (200 Lisbon St, Lewiston), Forage Market (180 Lisbon St), Lamey Wellehan Building (110 Lisbon St), Rainbow Bikes (97 Lisbon St), The Vault (84 Lisbon St), Androscoggin Bank (30 Lisbon St), The Atrium at Bates Mill (35 Canal St), She Don’t Like Guthries (115 Middle St). More than just gorgeous pieces of art work, the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration will incorporate a variety of live music and spoken word at various venues in the downtown area from 5-8:30pm. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Musicians/groups to be included with the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration are comprised of Spoken Word by the Edward Little Debate Team, the Youth Orchestra of Lewiston Auburn, The Band Apollo, Bryan Laurier, Carolyn Currie, Kristen Short, Pan Fried Steel, Felix Weatherbee, Temple Rocks, Barbara Oliver & Mark Nordberg and Broken 51. There will also be a very special demonstration by a Dempsey presenting artist, Mary Schmaling-Kearns, of the art of henna tattooing at 6:45PM in the Lamey Wellehan Gallery Space. Guests of the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration should also keep their eyes open for a very special surprise…the rumblings of a flash mob, perhaps? At the Atrium at Bates Mill 6:15PM: Youth Orchestra of Lewiston Auburn 6:45PM: Broken 51 7:45PM: Arborea Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library 6:15PM: Pan Fried Steel 7:15PM: The Band Apollo 7:45PM: The Temple Rocks The DownStage at L/A Arts 5PM: Spoken Word by Edward Little High School Debate Team 6:15PM: Kristen Short 7PM: Bryan Laurier 7:45PM: Carolyn Currie Community Gallery at L/A Arts 5PM: Barbara Oliver and Mark Nordberg (Baroque Strings) BatesDowntown at 22 Park St. 5PM: Felix Weatherbee ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In addition to the many art galleries and performances of the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration, several Lewiston Auburn restaurants and businesses are offering special promotions and/or food and beverage tastings. A “cash mob” will meet at 5PM in Journal Alley as part of the celebration in an effort to create an economic impact in a selected locally-owned business. L/A Magazine will be open as the Peloton Project Welcome Party. The Peloton Project is a documentary film that will follow the lives of nearly 40 cyclists as they prepare to take on this year’s Cancervive Peloton Project. To learn more about the Peloton Project visit L/A Magazine’s website at la-mag.com. To top off a wonderful evening of art, performance and celebration, an official “after-party” will be held at Gritty’s Auburn, 68 Main St, with Courage Ale on tap and live music by the Jason Spooner Trio until midnight.

We here at L/A Arts could not be more excited to pair two of our favorite things–films and fundraising. This Friday, October 5, marks the first annual LUNAFEST-Lewiston/Auburn featuring nine short, but inspired films, by, for and about women.

Buy your tickets now to experience this wonderful evening of food, friends and fundraising at the Franco American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar St, Lewiston at 7:30PM. Tickets are only $15!

LunaFest is generously sponsored by First Light Homecare

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About the Films and Filmmakers

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LunaFest: Connecting Women Through Film

Established in 2000 by LUNA, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, LUNAFEST connects women, their stories and their causes through film. This traveling film festival spotlights the work of a diverse array of talented women filmmakers with intelligent, funny and thought-provoking themes. Proceeds from LunaFest support the Breast Cancer Fund & L/A Arts.

Since its inception, LUNAFEST has grown from a single annual event to a coast-to-coast force with more than 150 North American screenings each season. To date, 92 filmmakers have been featured, nearly $1.2 million dollars has been raised and thousands of attendees have come away moved, entertained and inspired.

This season’s program of nine selected films will compel discussion, make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings and motivate you to make a difference in your community. Incredibly diverse in style and content, LUNAFEST is united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling – by, for and about women.

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It makes our toes just tingle thinking about settling into the Schaeffer Theater at Bates and Callahan Hall, Lewiston Public Library to watch the three upcoming Aquila Theatre Company performance at the end of this month!! Aquila Theatre is the creme de la creme of classic theatre, presenting an array of some of our most beloved performances.

On par for September are Cyrano de Bergerac on September 27 and The Taming of the Shrew on the 29th. Cyrano de Bergerac is a classic tale of unrequited love, and the Taming of the Shrew a battle of the sexes. September 28 in collaboration with Art Walk Lewiston Auburn is Ancient/Greeks Modern Lives: Poetry: Drama: Dialogue. Ancient Greek literature is modernized through dramatic reading and discussion.

A pre-show discussion for Cyrano de Bergerac and The Taming of the Shrew will take place at 630pm the night of each performance in the Bates Chapel, 275 College St. Lewiston. The Cyrano de Bergerac pre-show discussion will be facilitated by a company actor and the Taming of the Shrew pre-show discussion will be facilitated by a noted local scholar. Pre-show performance discussions are free.

Learn more about all of these great events on our Arts Calendar page.

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Aquila’s mission is simple yet very ambitious – to bring the greatest works to the greatest number. They believe passionately that everyone should be afforded the opportunity to engage with classical drama of the highest quality at an affordable price right in their own communities, experience arts from other places and exchange ideas, discuss and explore these works in an accessible and exciting format.

Based in New York City since 1999, Aquila has gone on to win popular, critical and academic acclaim worldwide and regularly appears at international festivals with performances in places as diverse as Carnegie Hall, the Ancient Stadium at Delphi, the Los Angeles Cathedral Plaza and the White House. They are determined to bring the works of Shakespeare, ancient Greek playwrights, adaptations of both these and new American classics to vivid life and to help make theatergoing part of the fabric of American cultural life. Aquila presents a season of classical plays in New York at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, tours nationwide to between 50-70 cities per year and provides the following extensive educational programming.

Learn More: Aquila Theatre Co.