Let Them Eat Art in Downtown Maplewood – July 8th, 6 to 11 pm

"Let Them Eat Art", July 8th in Maplewood, MO

Come see the Route 66 Association of Missouri booth at the Let Them Eat Art event in downtown Maplewood, Missouri. We will be located at Citizens National Bank Park.

The 6th Annual Let Them Eat Art, a self-guided tour of enchantment and excitement, is Friday, July 8th from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Historic Downtown Maplewood.
The event features:

● Live Art demonstrations by favorite local artists and gallery openings including Hoffman LaChance Fine Art, Studio Altius and Turner Center for the Arts.
● Live Music featuring the Zydeco Crawdaddys and an array of acoustic performers.
● Live Entertainment: belly dancing, dream interpretation, top spinning, face painting and surprises!
● Cocktail and menu specials from Maplewood’s finest restaurants.
● A Costume Contest with celebrity judges and cash prizes.
● New in 2011: The unveiling of the newest public art project in Historic Downtown Maplewood featuring work by a St. Louis regional artist.
● New in 2011: A group sing-a-long of “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”. Everyone at the event will sing this song together accompanied by all of the musicians, including the Zydeco Crawdaddys and harpist Terri Langerak.
● New in 2011: Screenings of Bill Boll’s documentary on Coral Courts “Built for Speed: The Coral Court Motel”
You never know what or who you will see. Admission is open to the public and free!
Visit our website for more information:
● www.cityofmaplewood.com/ltea
A Brief History of Let Them Eat Art:
Maplewood resident, Doug Houser, conceived the idea to have a progressive Maplewood-themed art show. He brought the idea to Rachelle L’Ecuyer, Community Development Director. The first date available on her event calendar was July 14th, Bastille Day, and they decided to organize an event. Jay Schober, owner of Maya Café, dubbed the happening “Let Them Eat Art” and a fabulous event was born on July 14, 2006. Since then the event has developed into one of the region’s largest arts events. In 2010 thousands of people filled the sidewalks from Southwest Avenue to Manchester to Sutton and there were close to 50 unique venues with live art, music and entertainment. 2011 breaks out to Big Bend Boulevard and the venues will offer a vast scope of entertainment and endless amounts of fun for everyone.

Volunteers and Sponsors Needed for Upcoming Route 66 is 85 Art and Writing Competition

In order to raise awareness about Route 66 in the St. Louis area, St. Louis Transitions and Metro South Arts Council are sponsoring an upcoming art and writing contest for students in the Metro St. Louis area who will be in Middle School (6^th through 8^th graders) and High School (9^th through 12^th graders) as of September 30, 2011.  The contest will be open to students in all 17 Metro St. Louis counties and includes public, private and home schooled students.

Detailed guidelines will be released on April 30, 2011 and students will have the summer to research Route 66 and work on their entries. Entries will be due September 30, 2011. Judges include Linda Green-Metzler, Luanne Rimel, Connie Copley, Judy Moticka, and Dr. John Oldani. Many of the entries will be displayed at the Metro South Arts Council space at Crestwood Court .Winners will be announced at a reception celebrating Route 66’s 85^th birthday on Friday, November 11, 2011.

Help from the community is needed: Sponsors are needed for the 12 prize categories, tentatively set at the $125 to $500 range. In addition, donations are needed to help with the contest and reception expenses. Please make your tax deductible donation payable to Metro South Arts Council (memo Route 66 contest) and mail checks to: Metro South Arts Council c/o Lindbergh High School 4900 S. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63126.  Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated.  We also need a few volunteers to help with fundraising, mailings, answering questions from schools, and to help with the reception.

Route 66 Art prints for sale: As another way to raise funds for the contest, St. Louis Transitions has just released The Route 66 St. Louis Landmarks Series, a limited edition set of 100 art prints. The set features six local Route 66 treasures, some still standing and others only a memory: the Chain of Rocks Bridge, Ted Drewes, the Coral Court, the 66 Park-In Theatre, the Red Cedar Inn, and the Diamonds. St. Louis Transitions commissioned the paintings by Canadian artist Adam Connors in conjunction with the release of the book, Route 66 St. Louis: From the Bridges to the Diamonds. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The prints are $25 each and may be purchased individually or as a complete set by visiting www.route66stlouis.com.

For more information on the contest, sponsoring one of the prize categories, or how you can help, please contact Norma Maret Bolin at 314-749-3970 or norma@route66stlouis.com.