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ASOC New Works Festival
CLOSES WITH MERRIMENT with Two Guest Authors!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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The Astor Street Opry Company will be celebrating the CLOSING NIGHT of the 3rd Annual New Works Festival, with two Playwrights of the live stage performances, STEVE KARP of New York, New York and KEYAHO ROHLFS of Seaside, Oregon on Saturday February 18th 2012 at the ASOC Playhouse 129 West Bond Street Uniontown Astoria with doors opening at 7:00pm and show time 7:30pm. Made possible through a sponsorship by the Astoria Cooperative and HIPFISH with a grant from the Clatsop County Cultural Coalition the audience is invited to stay directly following the show to meet these award winning authors and join the cast in celebrating this annual production of original work from around the country.

This evening with also is the final curtain for the special Silent Auction held for the run of the show to raise money for the ASOC Capital Campaign Phase Three “Pennies for Potties” fund. In compliment to our original pieces of written art the ASOC asked local artists, Dulcye Taylor, Charlotte Bruhn, Judith Niland, Chuck Meyer, Skye McKey and Chuck Stuart to create one of a kind art pieces. These artists pulled out ALL stops as they tried to match this season’s production themes of a dreamy visionary future, colorful theatrical drama and comedy and art that could definitely represent a “Good Hair day”. These pieces your will just need to see to believe.

Also featured will be a very special opportunity to bid on a 16" x 18" original framed acrylic with a Victorian countryside theme by well known Northwest artist Brenda Mickelson. This painting has an approximate value of $850.00. This very generous donation was made possible by a gift to the ASOC for it’s good works by the family of Karin Smith the ASOC’s Original “Bimbo” who passed from our site this last August. Miss Karin’s greatest love and dedication was to her family and to the arts. ASOC wishes to express their gratitude to the family for this kind bequest.

Tickets to our New Works Festival are $15.00 to 8.00 with discounting for groups, seniors and children 12 and under. For more information about our special Silent Auction Art Fundraiser or to purchase tickets you can call our box office at 503-325-6104.


More about our sponsors:

The Clatsop County Cultural Coalition
Clatsop County is a vibrant community reaching inland from the mouth of the Columbia River and south along the Pacific Ocean, a territory explored by Lewis and Clark. There is a rich diversity within our community including historic Native American tribes and immigrant Scandinavian, Asian, and Latino cultures. Many residents were born and raised in Clatsop County, others came to retire after living all over the world, and many have come because of the vast natural beauty of our environment.
In response to an opportunity to provide grant funding for our community by the Oregon Cultural Trust, a planning committee was formed in January of 2003. It was made up of volunteers who enthusiastically worked for two years to provide a community-driven cultural arts survey and inventory of our county community. The needs, strengths, priorities, and visions for the arts, heritage, and humanities of our County were revealed, and a plan of action begun.
CCCC’s Vision Statement: "Clatsop County residents recognize and understand the correlation between the cultural arts and a strong quality of life. To that end, they support, promote, preserve, and protect cultural programs in the arts, heritage, and the humanities, all of which help define who they are as a people and their sense of place in the world around them".

Mission Statement:
It is the mission of the Astoria Cooperative to serve the Lower Columbia River community by providing fairly priced, wholesome foods and other goods in an ecologically sustainable, socially responsible, and economically appropriate manner.

7 Cooperative Principles
The Astoria Cooperative will be operated in accordance with the following seven cooperative principles adopted by the International Cooperative Alliances:
1. Voluntary and open ownership without arbitrary discrimination.
2. Democratic governance by owners with equal voting rights among owners and opportunity for participation in setting policies and making decisions.
3. Economic participation by owners with owners equitably contributing to and democratically controlling the capital of the Co-op, and with earnings being equitably applied to the benefit of owners in proportion to their patronage of the Co-op, to the development needs of the Co-op, and to the provision and extension of common services.
4. Autonomy and independence of the Co-op as a self-help organization controlled by its owners being strictly maintained.
5. Educating and training owners, directors, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of the Co-op, and informing the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
6. Strengthening the cooperative movement by working with other cooperative organizations at all levels.
7. Working for sustainable development of the Co-op’s Community

HIPFISH has been serving alternative style journalism to the Columbia Pacific region since 1997 and has long partnered with various cultural organizations to present live events. In the fall of 1997 when an unmistakable renaissance of cultural reawakening was taking hold in the Columbia Pacific Region, HIPFiSH was a natural steward born to accompany the spirit of a burgeoning new scene; a growing scene now, that is evermore in need of an alternative, independent publication to represent the frontier edge; its voice, its heart, its integrity, its politics, its progressiveness – the art and culture unique to the Columbia Pacific Region.
Pick up your copy today!