Over the past 18 years, we have been delighted to have talented artisans presenting at the Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts (CTA) event on the Historic Courthouse grounds. It has been an incredible boost to Jacksonville’s community over the Labor Day weekend with the influx of talent and shoppers in town in search of unique art and to enjoy the entertainment and food at the festival and in our historic community.
The booth rental payments have gone into a dedicated account for the purpose of building a large, energy-efficient, multi-use community center in the heart of downtown that will serve all residents, its environs, and visitors. We are happy to announce that we are actively moving forward with that project this year and that our time and expertise is being directed toward accomplishing this task. Our decision not to hold CTA this year also comes at a time during which the City plans to renovate portions of the Historic Courthouse, which our festival surrounds. Given these circumstances, Jacksonville Celebrate the Arts will be postponed to 2016.
We extend our heart-felt appreciation to all of you for your enthusiastic support and dedication to art over the years. Many visitors look forward to seeing and purchasing the unique artworks from new and returning artists every year. Public announcements are being made including the plan to bring renewed energy to Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts over Labor Day weekend in 2016.
The new Jacksonville Community Center building will include a large room (capacity 150-200) with stage and technology; smaller break-out rooms, commercial event kitchen, and courtyard. The multi-use plans for the Jacksonville Community Center include workshops, events, and display areas in which we hope many of you will enjoy participating in or teaching.
If you have use ideas or requests, please send them to Jacksonville Community Center, P.O. Box 1435, Jacksonville, OR 97530 or my email, as we are considering user needs during the planning construction phase: Jeanena Whitewilson jeanena@charter.net, CTA Event Coordinator, Vice-President Jacksonville Community Center.