It appears that some of the gorgeous Monarch butterflies want to stick around for the great weather this weekend!

Or perhaps they want to stay for the CAA's Flutterby Festival that will take place in their honor both Saturday and Sunday in WaterColor's Marina Park, along with a fabulous Fall & Winter Market.

This event originated seventeen years ago as a fundraiser for Walton County children to receive scholarships for supplemental arts education. It also celebrates the migration of the Monarch through our region.

Kids can enjoy yoga, puppet shows, storytelling, puppet making, butterfly garden tours, butterfly wing making, hula hoops, trail hikes, face painting, animal encounters, fun music and more while their parents shop in the cool artist market and partake of seasonal food and libations!

Flutterby is free and open to the public. Some activities require a small fee, though.

We will be featuring Sophia Blair, a 3rd grader at Butler Elementary School, whose yoga butterfly artwork was chosen as the 2010 Flutterby poster/t-shirt winner! Sophia will receive a $100 savings bond from Wachovia.

Two runners up will receive a $50 savings bond, and six students will also receive the same, along with the distinguished People's Choice Award.

All winners will be announced the Saturday of the Flutterby Festival.

T-shirts will be for sale for $15 and wings for $5....

On behalf of the CAA, Seaside Rep and Sinfonia, I'm extending a huge thanks to the many volunteers who worked so hard to make the Beaux Arts Ball & Artist Market happen!

Thanks also to Grand Boulevard and their amazing merchants - P.F. Chang's, Mitchell's Fish Market, Tommy Bahama's, Cantina Laredo and Emerald Coast Coffee for providing a beautiful venue and fabulous food.

Thanks to the artists who participated in the Artist Market on Saturday and donated their artwork for the cause.

And thanks to those who attended the Ball & Artist Market; your ongoing support is crucial to the health and longevity of the arts in Walton County, and we appreciate you!!!

BEAUX ARTS BALL & ARTIST MARKET

In Grand Boulevard this Friday night, September 25, the Beaux Arts Ball will be shaking for the first time since the mid 1990's when the CAA introduced it to Walton County. The following day, the Beaux Arts Artist Market will feature around 40 local artists who are helping to support the Ball by donating artwork to the Ball's silent auction while getting a chance to show and sell their original work to the public.

The Ball will not just support the Cultural Arts Association; proceeds will also benefit the Seaside Repertory Theatre and Sinfonia Gulf Coast, two wonderful and deserving non-profit organizations.

The CAA is proud to be able to work side by side with these two organizations, in addition to our gracious host Grand Boulevard, to produce an incredibly fun event for the community that supports the arts.

I think I can speak for all of the above entities when I say how important and crucial it is for all arts groups and organizations to support each other, not just in times of financial uncertainty, but even in the healthiest economic times.

The Beaux Arts Ball & Artist Market is an event that truly supports the economy in a collaborative and creative way, and all involved will be positively affected...The artists. The non-profit organizations. The guests. The merchants who are providing food. Our host, Grand Boulevard. The musicians being hired to play. The...

Just a few months ago, Paige Schnell, owner and designer at Tracery Interiors, called me with this idea that had a three-fold benefit if we could make it quickly work:

1) Raise money for the CAA, the county's local arts agency
2) Drive traffic to a house that is for sale in Walton County
3) Feature local designers who could sell their wares and increase their client base

It was a huge underaking, but with the generosity of Alys Beach, the commitment of nine talented designers and the dedication of dozens of volunteers, the first-ever Designer Showhouse for the Arts is nearly ready for business! The house will open tomorrow night with a Preview Party and will continue to be open for tours July 1 - 26.

The designers involved in this project are:

Bohlert-Massey
Carol Murphy Design
Design Services of Florida
Dragonfly Design and Detail
Eastern Lake Nursery
Holly Shipman
Pizitz Home & Cottage
SPY
Tracery Interiors
Featured gallery: World Six

It was fascinating last week to watch this house go from a blank canvas to a stunning and livable showplace, and I hope all will come see the work that has gone into this project!

Preview Night is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 30 from 5:00 - 6:30. Then the house is open for tours Wednesdays - Sundays, July 1 - 26, 12:00 - 5:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at www.culturalartsassociation.com/designershowhouse....

I wanted to post this letter I received from American for the Arts President & CEO Robert Lynch talking about the National Summer Service Initiative.

Volunteerism is strong and evident in Walton County, from eliminating poverty with Habitat for Humanity to protecting the welfare of animals at the Alaqua Animal Refuge to providing health services to children through the Children's Volunteer Health Network.

The Cultural Arts Association of Walton County is an organization that would not be in existence and certainly not with such longevity without the tremendous efforts made by hundreds of dedicated volunteers each year for the past twenty-one years. Founded by volunteers, the CAA is proof of how an entire community can be strengthened, if not changed forever, by the work of people like you and me.

And take a look at the upcoming event called "Transformations," a benefit for the Alaqua Animal Refuge. "The concept of 'Transformations,' simply put, is second chances," says the AAR website. "Celebrated local artists and artisans have been invited to repurpose existing work (cast offs, unfinished pieces) into totally new, reformatted artwork…providing a second chance to reveal the true beauty and value in something rejected or overlooked, similar to what happens when Alaqua is able to place an animal into a new and loving home. The animal, just like the art, has been transformed!"

None of...