Did you win 5 tickets to the Rockwell Exhibit?

In promotion of the exhibit at the Visual Arts Center, Kevin Rivoli’s In Search of Norman Rockwell’s America, we’re giving away 20 tickets. We did a drawing today, and we’re doing one more next week.

There are two ways to win.

Sign up for the newsletter – If you aren’t already signed up for the pcbdaily weekly newsletter, you can sign up now and your name will be entered for a chance to win 5 tickets ($50 value) to see the exhibit.
Fan our Facebook Page – If you are already signed up for the newsletter, “fan” our Facebook Fan Page for a chance to win. The newsletter drawing will only be from those NEW subscribers, but the Facebook drawing will be from ALL our fans.

Did you win this week? Watch the video to find out!

Click here for more information on the exhibit.

A Thunder Beach Alternative

May 1 – Downtown Festival Of the Arts & Friday Fest

If you want to avoid the Thunder on Panama City Beach, but still want to get out over the weekend and have a good time, head to downtown Panama City and enjoy the Downtown Festival of the Arts. This historic arts event, hosted by the Visual Arts Center and the Panama City Downtown Improvement Board, gathers artists from all over the southeast for a fine arts juried exhibition and sale.

Supporting artists and arts education, for 40 years this event has been hosts to artists the first weekend of May. Proceeds from this event will help support the various education programs the Visual Arts Center offers to the region.

The first Spring Festival of the Arts was held on March 29, 1968 at McKenzie Park for one day only and raised $450. The original focus of the festival was to introduce art to the children in our community. It has now grown into a 3-day event and raised over $23,000 in the year 2006.

Spring Festival is held the first weekend of May each year. An early shopping opportunity is held Friday night and includes a silent auction. Then Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm there is shopping, entertainment, and free art activities for children. P.C. Juniors host more than 100 artists as well as numerous food vendors. P.C. Juniors will also host the Children’s Art Experience with FREE art projects for children to make, enjoy and take home. The Children’s Art Market, full of art donated by the artists, will have items priced at $5 or less and P.C. Juniors donates all proceeds from the Festival of the Arts to local charities and community projects.

The event will be held starting May 1st through May 3rd at McKenzie Park on Harrison Avenue. For more information on the event please call (850) 769-4451.

My day at Pier Park – Madonnaro Street Painting Festival

I believe this is the first time I’ve spent almost all afternoon at Pier Park. The weather was perfect, people were everywhere, kids were laughing, it was a great time.

Today and tomorrow is the Madonnaro Street Painting Festival, hosted by the Visual Arts Center of Panama City. Local artists and a few from out of town gathered on Panama City Beach to create art that will inevitably wash away, only to be preserved in pictures and video.

The day started out cool and overcast, but around noon, I watched the clouds be pushed away by crystal clear blue sky. The air warmed to nearly 80 degrees. Artists shed layers as they crouched on their knees smoothing and blending fresh chalk with their hands.

Lunch time brought an original Viking Hot Dog. Stuffed in a fresh baget with a hole in the middle the all natural dog had a crunchy skin, and perfect inside. The flavor was exceptional, but the price for how it filled my belly was twice too much at $5. The cart was from Seaside, out here for the weekend.

As the day wore on, the artists knees and backs grew sore, but the paintings grew more vivid and elaborate.

Tracy Stums flew in from California to share her talent with The Beach. Last year, she created an interactive piece of the Dali Lama that, when looked at from a specific angle, appeared to be sitting next to her. This year, she is painting an Alice in Wonderland scene. Other paintings include Jack and the Bean Stalk, Iron Man, and a dinosaur excavation site to name just a few.

The street painting festival brings out an interesting culture, something I was very glad to be a part of. Who knows, maybe next year, I’ll paint something.

Last night rain washed away most of what was created yesterday, but tonight, all that threatens is cold, expected to get in the high 30’s tonight. All afternoon, we could feel the temperature dropping, most likely a 25 degree change from this afternoon to 5 this evening.

Tomorrow, the artists will all return to finish off their paintings. Provided we don’t get any rain, many will last for a couple weeks.

Madonnaro has begun!

This weekend’s street painting festival at Pier Park in Panama City Beach began yesterday with artists from around the county and around the country. High school students started their paintings yesterday, despite the threat of rain, and the two signature artists are beginning their paintings as I write this.

As they cordoned off their square many of the artists spoke their concern of rain, as it threatened the entire festival this weekend. Today is overcast with a chance of rain. The temperature is a almost perfect, but a little chilly 65.

The artists will be out all day, painting in various spots around the main boardwalk area of Pier Park, and bring the kids, as there will be a special kids painting section.

The Modannaro Street Painting Festival is put on by the Visual Arts Center of Panama City.

Tracy Stum to Paint the Streets of Pier Park

This weekend, at the Madonnaro Street Painting Festival in Pier Park will feature returning artist Tracy Stum. Tracy painted the portrait of the Dalai Lama that when looked at from a specific angle, it appears as though he is actually sitting next to Tracy.

You guys should all come out to Pier Park this weekend to see all the awesome art. Tracy will begin her painting, along with Jeanie Burns, on Friday, and everyone else begins painting on Saturday at 9 am.

Here is some of her other work.

Boo in Pier Park Pictures

I took the kids to Boo in the Park at Pier Park in Panama City Beach today. The weather has been crumby for the last couple of days, but overnight, everything cleared up and today, was just flat-out gorgeous, we totally live in paradise. Of course, the fact that Pier Park is just so dang beautiful helps a lot too.

They had pumpkin carving today, a pet parade, arts and crafts supported by the Visual Arts Center of Panama City (suppor the arts!), pine-straw bale mazes, bouncey houses, a helicopter display, and tons more. It was a blast, the kids had a blast, everyone was having a blast. And did I say that today was so absolutely beautiful? Man, I love Panama City Beach.

Check the pix.