Hello readers and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage Blog!
 
Today will be a special blog about a very important upcoming holiday: Mother’s Day! (You are welcome those who forgot, better go find a gift now!) Mother’s Day is, of course, a day to celebrate the mothers of the world. Surprisingly, here at Hometown Heritage we only have one picture that is listed under “Mother’s Day”. The picture is of Mary Anderson and her daughter Virginia Anderson O”Malley. It was taken on Mother’s Day back in 1970! Unfortunately, not much else is known of the specifics of this picture. It makes one wonder if Mother’s Day was as commercialized in 1970 as it is today. Did Virginia buy her mother a card and some flowers, or was it enough to simply spend the day with her? From the picture, it seems like they must have spent the day together somewhere but it is unknown where exactly the picture was taken. Looking at the photo, it makes me wonder why Virginia is holding a stack of paper in her hands. Could these be some kind of gift to her mother, or is it the other way around, something that her mother gave her? In either case, it is nice to see that they got to spend time together on Mother’s Day!
 
What are you doing for Mother’s Day readers? Let us know in the comments, and join us next week for another Hometown Heritage Blog! Also, don’t forget that May 20th is the All About Bacon event! The number of tickets is limited, so make sure to come by and get some here at the Carnegie Library Museum while you can!

 Hello and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage blog!

This week I have an exciting event to tell you all about! Coming up on May 20th, Hometown Heritage will be presenting All About Bacon: A Historic Look at an Iconic Iowa Food. This event features presentations about the enlightening history of bacon in Iowa throughout the years given by Leo Landis. Leo is the Museum Curator at the State Historical Museum of Iowa and the Bacon Professor! As a group of presentations about the history of bacon, bacon breakfast burritos and bacon samples are also included. The samples are provided by Kitt's Locker in Dedham, and the Des Moines Bacon Company.

The event starts at 8:30 A.M. and ends at 12:00 P.M. here at the Carnegie Library Museum in Perry, Iowa. Tickets are $25.00 each and are sold at the Carnegie Library Museum and at the Perry Chamber of Commerce.

We hope to see all of you there!

Tomorrow is our next event, Art Tour Odd # Thursday with host Robert Spellman! Robert Spellman is an abstract painter from Des Moines, Iowa. He is represented by Modern Arts Midtown Omaha, Nebraska and by Moberg Chicago. Some of you may remember him as the host of one of our previous events, the Adult Painting Intensive. This time, he will be at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa on December 15 from 4:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M, where he will be talking about his art and the art of Gary Ernest Smith. As with other Art Tour Odd # Thursdays, we will be near the fireplace in the Hotel Pattee. It is going to be cold out, so why not come and relax by said fireplace in the cozy Hotel Pattee on Thursday night and enjoy the art of Robert Spellman and Gary Ernest Smith? The event is free and open to the public, and you can come at any point during the evening. Betsy Peterson will also be there with her Art Cart. If you have not had used Betsy's Art Cart, this is your last chance! The cart holds various painting supplies, which allow you to try your hand at painting in a similar style to Gary Ernest Smith. We highly encourage you to come!

Hello and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage blog!
 
Today I want to tell you all about the events that we have going on this week. First, this week we have Art Tour Odd # Thursday # 6! The theme for this Odd # Thursday is Second Language. The host will be Jon Wolseth, who is part of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. He will not only be available to talk to and answer your questions, but he will also be giving tours in Spanish! It is promising to be a fun and educational night.
 
The next event that we have this week is on Friday, November 4. Hometown Heritage and the Perry Historic Preservation Commission are pleased to announce the unveiling of a new relief for the Wall of Witnesses! The new relief will depict Charles Joy, and the artist making the relief is Rick Stewart, an artist from Newton. Charles Joy was a local attorney, Dallas County Attorney, and Perry Ambassador. He was very active in the community, backing the creation of new banks, churches, and even helping to establish the original hog processing plant in Perry. Those who knew him said that he “never met a stranger”, as he would strike up a conversation with anyone by saying “Hi, I’m Charlie Joy from Perry, Iowa”. He was a loving husband, father to three and grandfather to six. The Perry Historic Preservation Commission chose to honor Charles after receiving numerous nominations earlier this year. This event will include a short program, where we encourage people to come and share their memories of Charles, as well as the unveiling of the relief itself. This will start at 6:00 P.M. at the Town Craft Gallery in Perry, at 1124 Willis Avenue. There will be light refreshments available, and the event is free and open to the public. As a bit of a bonus for reading this post, I am giving you a sneak peek at what the relief may look like! The picture that you see on the left is one of the artist’s sketches of the relief, showing a courthouse like building a signifying Charles Joy’s work in the legal world.
 
We encourage all of you to come to both of these events!

Hello and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage blog!
 
Today I want to take the time to tell you about the two exciting events that we will be hosting this week! The first takes places tomorrow, and the other is on Saturday, October 29.
 
Tomorrow’s event is Art Tour Odd # Thursday #5. The host for this week’s Odd # Thursday is Perry’s own Betsy Peterson! For those who do not know, Betsy is a local Perry artist who has her studio, Betsy Peterson Designs, at 1121 Second Street, Perry, Iowa. The event starts at 4:30 P.M. at the Hotel Pattee tomorrow, behind the fireplace near the Canning painting. She will be giving a short talk about her art and how it relates to the Gary Ernest Smith paintings on display and then she will be giving tours to those who are interested. The tours will be different from other tours, as they will be given from Betsy’s perspective!
 
Saturday’s event is one of a kind that should provide a unique experience to everyone who attends. This Saturday is the Painting Intensive for Adults. Although this may sound intimidating, the class is for anyone from beginners to advanced! The instructor for this class will be Robert Spellman, a professional painter from Des Moines, Iowa. The class will take place from 9 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, October 29 at Betsy’s studio. Again, the address for Betsy’s studio is at 1121 Second Street, Perry, Iowa. The class will cost $35 per person. To attend, we ask that everyone call or email Betsy, using either [email protected] or 515-657-1837. You may be thinking, “Why should I attend this class?” Well, the class will help celebrate the artwork of Gary Ernest Smith through the observation of his work. You will be talking about his stories and techniques, and creating a painting of your own using your personality and imagination. This piece will be completely yours; not everyone will be painting the same thing! All supplies will be provided, so you need not worry about bringing your own. We also ask that everyone bring a sack lunch, a fridge and a microwave will be available. Finally, if you want to attend please wear casual clothing you will be comfortable painting in! It looks to be like a very entertaining class, so if you are interested in attending, please remember to pre-register!

Hello Readers and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage Blog!
 
Today I want to take the time and tell you about the Art Tour Odd # Thursday #4 event that we are holding tomorrow. This time, Adrienne Gennett from Brunnier Art Museum in Ames will be here in Perry! This is a great chance to meet one of the driving forces behind the Gary Ernest Smith Exhibition. In fact, she was instrumental in the hanging of many of the pictures in the Town Craft building and the Security Savings Bank. If you ever had any questions about hanging art, putting on an exhibit, or something similar, this is the perfect chance to ask them! The afternoon will start at the Hotel Pattee, at the table behind the fireplace near the Canning painting at 4:30 P.M. There will be time to talk with Adrienne, and afterwards she will lead some tours of the Exhibition. These tours will be different from previous tours, as she will be lending her on perspective on all the art. The afternoon will then conclude at 6:30 P.M. I hope to see all of you there!

Hello and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage Blog readers!

I wanted to take this time to remind you that tomorrow Pam Jenkins and Gary Ernest Smith will be in Perry, Iowa at the Hotel Pattee! Pam Jenkins will be giving a presentation relating the work of Gary Ernest Smith to small town life at 6:30 P.M. This presentation will also include some pictures from our collection, so it is a good chance to catch a glimpse of what we have here at Hometown Heritage. Afterwards, at 7:30 P.M., Gary Ernest Smith will be leading an Art Walk of the art on display. This is the perfect chance to ask the artist himself any burning questions that you had!

The next night, Friday, September 23, Gary Ernest Smith will be in Ames at the Brunnier Art Museum, where a reception will be held at 7:00 P.M. For those interested in going, Hometown Heritage has chartered a bus to take people to Ames and back. The bus will leave Perry at 5:30 P.M. that day from the Hotel Pattee, and will leave Ames  at 8:30 P.M. for arrival in Perry around 9:30 P.M. There will be soft drink refreshment or water on-board, and local artist Betsy Peterson will be talking about the art of Gary Ernest Smith on the way up. In Ames, the event will feature the Landscapes of Gary Ernest Smith. Some of these paintings are as big as 100 inches across! This bus is FREE of charge! Limited seats are available on the bus however, so be at the Hotel Pattee early to make sure you get a seat!

We hope to see you at both events!

Hello readers and welcome back to the Hometown Heritage Blog!
 
I am happy to let you know that we have two great events happening next week in connection with the Gary Ernest Smith Exhibition! The first event is on September 22, here in Perry Iowa at the Hotel Pattee. Starting at 6:30 P.M., Pam Jenkins will be here giving a presentation. Pam Jenkins is a Research Professor of Sociology (Emerita) at the University of New Orleans, Permanent Trustee of Hometown Heritage, and Perry native. Her presentation, titled “Growing Up in a Small Town and the Art of Gary Ernest Smith” relates the art you see on display here in Perry to life in small town Iowa. It even uses images from our very own collection, so this is a good chance to get a small taste of what we have here at Hometown Heritage!
 
After Pam Jenkin’s lecture, there will be an Art Walk and Talk starting at 7:30 P.M. We are excited to tell you that none other than Gary Ernest Smith himself will lead this Art Walk! This is a great chance to come and hear the artist himself tell you about his paintings, experiences, and more. We hope to see you there!
 
The next day, September 23, Gary Ernest Smith will be going to Ames to the other half of the Exhibition. The Brunnier Art Museum will be hosting an Artist Reception at 7:00 P.M. that night. Here you can see the landscapes of Gary Ernest Smith. Some of the landscapes are bigger than 100 inches, so it is not something to miss! If you wish to attend, Hometown Heritage has chartered a bus to pick people up here in Perry and take them to Ames at 5:30 P.M. The bus will then return at 8:30 P.M. for arrival in Perry at 9:30 P.M. Light drink refreshments will be available on-board. If you wish to take the bus, please reserve a seat by emailing [email protected] your name and phone number while there are still seats available!
 
We hope to see many of you at these events next week!

Hello and Welcome back to the Hometown Heritage Blog!
 
September is almost upon us and with it a new group of events for the Gary Ernest Smith Exhibition! I thought I would take this time to let you all know what and when September’s events are, if you have not seen them already!
 
The first event this month is tomorrow, September 1. This is the first in a series of events we are calling “Art Tour Odd Numbered Thursdays” (or Art Tour Odd # Thursdays, ATO#T for short). This time, the tour will be introductory tours. Similar to the Opening Reception, this Art Tour Odd # Thursday will feature simple tours given every half hour of the art that we have on display. It starts at 4:30 P.M. at the Hotel Pattee, and goes until 6:30 P.M.
 
The next event we have this month is Creative Mornings, another series of events that will continue throughout the Exhibition. This Creative morning will happen on September 6, from 10:00 to 11:30 A.M. at the Hotel Pattee. This event features both art and coffee, and will be hosted by Betsy Peterson and Carolyn Guay. The next event after this is another Art Tour Odd # Thursday on September 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 P.M. at the Hotel Pattee. This tour will be different from the first, as it will be a tour led by Bill Clark, the Hometown Heritage Board President and local businessman. It will feature looking at the art from a businessman perspective.
 
The fourth event in September is the big event that should get everyone excited. On September 22, Gary Ernest Smith himself will be here! Starting at 7:30 at the Hotel Pattee he will be leading an Art Walk! This is a great time to learn about the art on display directly from the artist himself. Prior to the Art Walk, Pam Jenkins Phd, a Research Professor of Sociology (Emerita), at the University of New Orleans and a Permanent Trustee of Hometown Heritage will be giving a presentation entitled “Growing Up in a Small Town and the Art of Gary Ernest Smith” at 6:30 P.M. at the Hotel Pattee. We encourage you to come to both and experience a great night of Art and learning! The next day, September 23, Gary Ernest Smith will be in Ames at the Brunnier Art Museum for a reception there. For anyone who wants to go that night, we will have a bus available to take people there and back at 5:30 P.M. from the Hotel Pattee. The cost is $20 per person and seats are first come first serve.
 
Finally, we will hold another Art Tour Odd # Thursday on September 29, from 4:30 to 6:30 P.M. at the Hotel Pattee. This tour will be led by host Rachel Schwaller, Associate Professor of Art & Design at Grandview University in Des Moines, Iowa. We encourage you all to come to as many of these events as you can, as each tour will be different. Do not forget either that the more events you come to (and get the back page of our printed schedule signed) the greater your chance of winning the Perry Area Gift Basket at the end of the Exhibition! I hope to see you all at these events in the future!

Hello and welcome back to the blog readers!
 
Today I want to let you all know that the Gary Ernest Smith Exhibition opens next week! Here at Hometown Heritage we have been hard at work setting up all the paintings and planning the events that we will hold during the exhibition. In fact, our first event is coming up next week, coinciding with the official opening!
 
Next week, on August 23, we will be holding an Opening Reception for the Exhibit. The event will take place at the Hotel Pattee, starting at 4:30 P.M. It lasts until 6:30. Some of you may be worried that you will miss the event, since it starts at 4:30, but do not worry! You can come at any time and will not miss anything. The night will be an introduction to the Exhibit, with introductory tours of the art throughout the night. There will also be a second round of introductory tours on Thursday, September 1st at the same time and place. We will also be selling books about Gary Ernest Smith at this and future events for $15. These books are centered on the Gary Ernest Smith’s life and art. Limited amounts of copies are available, so get one while you can! I encourage you all to come and take in the works of Gary Ernest Smith!
 
For more information about other events during the Exhibit, follow us on Facebook and check back, as updates will be posted regularly. For a complete schedule of events and downloadable .jpg, click here. I hope to see you all at the event on August 23!