It's all about the art

Enjoy the many artists of the Sierra Art Hop Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featured artists this month are: painter Phyllis Overstreet at the Community Art Gallery of North Fork and photographer Christine White Loberg at Willow Bridge Books in Oakhurst.

Event kicks off Relay for Life

The Community Art Gallery of North Fork is proud to announce that it is partnering in the "Paint the Town Purple" event set in North Fork Saturday. The colorful event is to serve as a kickoff for the Eastern Madera County American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life," which will take place at Wasuma School in Ahwahnee May 16 and 17.

Tea time

The Wild Wonderful Women & Friends, together with the Wild Wonderful King Vintage Museum, will celebrate May as Museum Month with a tea party.

Local art

Now showing at the United Security Bank, in Oakhurst, are the paintings of Anne McClure. Sometime around the age of 7, McClure was introduced to pastels by a British sailor friend of her grandfather's, who would spend time with the family in Yonkers each time his ship docked in New York harbor. Knowing that little Anne loved to draw, the sailor started bringing art supplies from England for the child.

Master carver part of Sierra Art Hop

Enjoy the many artists of the Sierra Art Hop this month, including master carver Jeff Wardwell at the Stavast/Studio Gallery and quilter Sheila Bruner at Willow Bridge Books in Oakhurst.

It's all about art

Yosemite Western Artists' annual Tri-County Art Show opens, 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26 at Gallery Row's Stellar Gallery in Oakhurst. The show is not limited to artists from just the three counties of Madera, Mariposa or Fresno, but instead open to all California artists, including painters, photographers, sculptors or weavers. Judges will make awards in each category: oil, watercolor, pastel, fiber, sculpture, mixed media, digital art and photography, both black and white and color, and best of show.

North Fork gallery a poker run stop

The North Fork Community Art Gallery has been closed for the winter months, but with the arrival of spring, the hibernation is over. The art gallery and gift shop now has a new Web site, will be a stop along the upcoming poker run during the Southern Yosemite Automotive Film Festival and will celebrate a grand re-opening reception. The art gallery's Web site is www.communityartgallery.com. While at the site, consider signing up for the gallery newsletter.

Choral festival returns

The Sierra Choral Festival will be held April 11 and 12 at Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church in Oakhurst. Conductor and Composer Allan Robert Petker will again direct the festival. He is the minister of music at the San Pedro Presbyterian Church and conducts both the Consort Chorale from the Bay Area and the 60-voice Santa Clarita Master Chorale. He is owner of Pavane Publishing and also is connected with the Fred Bock Publishing Co.