Highlights Jan. 3-10

Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart
The husband and wife duo of Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart keep the highways hot driving from show to show on their intense touring schedule. They will be pulling into GoodFolk on Saturday night for a show that will be pulling in the growing number of fans who have heard the singer/songwriters at previous GoodFolk performances.

Stacey first came onstage in 1990 in Sydney, Australia as rhythm guitar player for her brother’s band, Steve Earle & the Dukes. After touring with the Dukes for about a year and a half, she returned to Nashville where she met Mark at a songwriters night. The two have pretty much been a team ever since.

Mark began playing around Nashville when he was 15 as a member of his Dad’s band. A few years later, he stepped everything up a notch: He was leading his own band, had made a record and was playing lead guitar for Freddy Fender and others.

Together, Stacey and Mark continue to build their audiences.

They have been featured on radio programs Mountain Stage and What Do You Know and are festival favorites having played the Telluride Bluegrass Fest, Rocky Mountain Music Fest, Newport Folk Fest, Philadelphia Folk Fest, Chicago Music Fest, Kerrville Folk Fest, and High Sierra Festival among others.

GoodFolk concerts are held in a Victorian house near the Fayetteville Square. For tickets call 521-1812.

Sally Bowen’s Purge Pots
Potter and jeweler Sally Bowen of Rogers, is displaying her raku “Purge Pots” at Poor Richard’s Art in historic downtown Rogers, just in time for those who want to cement their New Year’s resolutions.

The pots are fired to almost 2,000 degrees and are one-of-a-kind creations. Bowen created the handmade bowls for use in rituals. Bowen says they can be used to burn little slips of paper containing words, messages or symbols of things that people want to release from their lives such as habits, attitudes and thoughts that may be blocking new growth. The pots can also be used to attract positive things into one’s life, according to Bowen.

“A person simply takes a quiet moment, alone or with friends, to write down what they wish to release or attract,” Bowen said. “Next the notes are burned in the Purge Pot and then the ashes are scattered in a natural setting.”

Does the Purge Pot work? Bowen says, “Yes!”

“Being able to envision what you want to attract or release is critical. The burning is an expression of intent. It is an entirely conscious act that sets up universal laws of attraction.”

Bowen said The Purge Pot isn’t new. “Rituals of release and attraction are ancient. Even our New Year’s resolutions are rituals that have power if sincerely done.”

Bowen’s “Purge Pots” are on display at Poor Richard’s Art at 116 S. First St. in historic downtown Rogers. Each pot comes with written suggestions for its ritual use.

Annie
Leapin’ Lizards! America’s popular music “Annie,” is back for the 30th anniversary tour, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope.

The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie will return to Walton Arts Center in for eight performances. The show opens Tuesday and runs through Jan. 13.

Tony Award winning set designer, Ming Cho Lee, has created a fresh look for this new production. The original Broadway production won seven 1977 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book and Score. It ran for 2,377 performances, and has subsequently been produced all over the world.  The original production is one of the top 20 longest running shows in Broadway history, and continues to be one of the most successful musicals ever.

Boasting one of Broadway’s most memorable scores, including “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “N.Y.C.” and the ever optimistic “Tomorrow,” you can bet your bottom dollar that “Annie” will bring a smile to your face.

Performance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 12, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 13. Tickets are $20-$50. Tickets for children under 12 are $17.

Tickets can be purchased at the Walton Arts Center box office or by calling  443-5600 or by visiting www.waltonartscenter.org.