County Teen Arts Festival draws more than 1,400 students downtown
Wednesday, May 11, 2016 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
ARTS, from Page 1
talents while also participating in
educational workshops and learning from professionals in various
fields.
A little rain was not going to
stop the students from taking in all
that the event had to offer. More
than 10 downtown locations
housed activities throughout the
day, including town hall, which
was used as a theatre setting. In
one of the first performances of the
day, Atlantic County Institute of
Technology (ACIT) student
Qua’Nirah Bailey showed off her
talents during a short skit.
“I was walking on the beach
with my friend...” Bailey said as
she began her improvisational performance.
Helping out inside town hall was
third year volunteer Sarah DeCicco.
“It’s so good and the kids are so
cute. I saw a bunch of them jumping in the puddles as I walked in
here. Things like rain aren’t going
to ruin the day for these young
people. It is one of the nicest
events, and we’ve never had any
problems in every year I’ve been
here,” DeCicco said.
Just a few steps away at the
Hammonton Presbyterian Church,
students took turns showing off
their vocal skills inside the
church’s sanctuary. Guests had the
pleasure of hearing popular tunes
from well-known Hollywood films
such as Rocky and world-famous
Broadway acts like Shrek the Musical.
Inside the St. Joseph High
School Media Center, students
were introduced to things like the
creation of jewelry with beads and
wire, designing Japanese style
books, learning to draw with charcoal
and
even
body
movement/belly dancing techniques. Volunteering her time for
the third year in a row was June
Wrobleski.
“It is such a nice event. I know
that they used to do it at Stockton
University, and Hammonton really
pushed hard to bring it here. The
kids get the chance to show off
their art skills right here in town,
even with all this rain today,”
Wrobleski said.
Downtown
Hammonton’s
newest business, the mART,
DiMeglio Septic,
Est. 1975 ~ DEP 03261 ~ Paul DiMeglio
Inc.
1 (800) 427-4617 ~ 561-1007 ~ 561-3597
491 S. White Horse Pike • Ancora, NJ
• Grease Trap Cleaning • Portable Toilets
• Septic Certifications • Jetting Service
121 S. White Horse Pike
Across from McDonald’s
Hammonton • 561-6222
CUSTOM ENGAGEMENT RINGS & WEDDING BANDS
REPAIRS COMPLETED ON PREMISES
played host to musical performances that included guitars, saxophones and complete band
ensembles. One of the first guitarists to showcase his skills was
Atlantic City native Sherode Dartridge-Jamison.
“I’ve only been playing for
about a year. I originally wrote this
song just to sing and then decided
that I should add guitar to it, so I
started to play. I’m completely
self-taught,” Dartridge-Jamison
said.
Betty Domenico led visual arts
workshops at the Hammonton Arts
Center throughout the day. Some
of the topics that were covered included zentangle drawing, mono
printing and drawing with pastels.
“I always say just go for it when
you’re dealing with art. Everyone
is creative in some way, and you’ll
never know how good you’ll do
without trying,” Domenico said.
“This is my first time doing this
type of art. I’m really enjoying it
and enjoying the day overall,” Breanna Palzer.
The Noyes Museum Shop was
one of the busiest stops of the day,
mostly thanks to the professional
body painting done by Heather
Deegan Hires. Deegan Hires
painted Hailey Leavens and Brianna Bracey from head to toe in a
multitude of bright colors that you
had to see to believe. Live music
was provided by guitarist Nick
Castillo, making this one of the
most diverse showcases of artistic
talent in all of town.
Performances by both the Hammonton Middle School and Hammonton High School Jazz Band
took place inside the Eagle Theater. Zach Taglioli provided vocal
accents to the already thriving instrumental sections as the audience
joyfully tapped their feet to the
music.
Hosting the annual teen arts festival has allowed Hammonton to
continue their dedication to the arts
in the downtown area. Not only
does it promote creativity in young
people, but it also drives traffic
into the many shops and restaurants located in town, something
that was evident as you walked
past storefronts throughout the day.
Knitting club
gathers at
the library
HAMMONTON—The Atlantic
County Library Syste