talk it up

We saw an article in the Strib the other day that stated that over 70% of Sherburne County residents that work commute to outside of Sherburne County. This helps explain the back up from 101 to at least the 494-694 exchange every week day morning.

This also helps explain the challenge an arts organization has in reaching those that make many of the decisions about where to look for arts programming. Our neighbor commuters are tuning in to media outlets that generally speaking are focused upon the activities in the city. This reenforces the mistaken notion that only the city has arts programming. We know differently and attempt to get our message to the big city media just as we do to our local outlet(s). One can open the Sunday paper and not see an ad from us or perhaps even a listing of our events in their Fun Things To Do list.

The economics of the situation leaves only the best endowed organizations with the opportunity to regularly advertise in the big city papers or on the big city radio or television. Sometimes it seems we are shouting from a megaphone at cars speeding by. The internet is meant to be the great equalizer for this sort of dilemma. You dear reader need to spread the word for us.

Tell ten of your friends to come to the October 6th concert at the Zabee Theater featuring comedian C. Willi Myles and vocalist Laura Harley.

Tell another ten friends to join the Arts Alliance so they can participate in the nonjuried Members Show starting October 8th at the Sherburne County Government Center.

Then tell ten more friends that they should enter the Arts in Harmony 08 national juried art exhibit by December 7th to be eligible to win some of the $9000 that will be given out in prizes.

We could tell you to tell ten more friends about Joe Chvala on December 1st, but we’re not sure who’d be left in town that wouldn’t have already been told about it.

Arts in the xburbs. Talk it up.