The City of Santa Clarita’s Arts Commission moved forward on two agenda items during their July Arts Commission meeting. The Commission selected finalists for a new public art piece for the City’s Sports Complex Aquatics Center and a name was selected for the City’s new arts foundation. (more…)

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission has announced $4,118,000 in two-year grants to 166 nonprofit arts organizations through its Organizational Grant Program (OGP). This included a $15,100 grant to support a Director of Marketing and marketing strategies for the Santa Clarita Ballet Company, Inc. This funding reflects a reduction in the grants budget for the last two-year cycle, 2008-10, of 9% instead of the anticipated 16%. At its July 6 meeting the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, in approving the grants, increased the grants budget by $287,000. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Spurred by a recovery in the economy and the state’s fledgling film tax credit program, filming on the streets of Los Angeles surged 16% in the second quarter of the year. FilmL.A. Inc., the nonprofit group that handles permits for the city and much of L.A. County, released a report Tuesday that shows across-the-board gains for on-location filming of movies, commercials and TV shows in the three months ending June 30. (more…)

For more than 20 years, the summer months have welcomed Shakespeare into local park throughout the Santa Clarita Valley with free performances for the community. This year the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival has found a new home at Towsley Canyon Park; located at the “gateway” to the Santa Clarita Valley just off the I-5 Freeway. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita is pleased to announce effective July 1, 2010, the Santa Clarita Valley Film Office will now coordinate the process of securing Sheriffs assigned to film productions working in the City of Santa Clarita. This new policy includes a more streamlined hiring process eliminating the need for productions to work through the downtown Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office.  It also reduces production costs by offering the same hourly rate the City pays for services, which means $10 or more per hour less in savings over current rates. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita’s Concerts in the Park series is one of the most popular summertime traditions year after year. The free annual concert series begins July 10th and runs through August 28^th, with all shows starting Saturdays at 7:00 PM at Central Park. (more…)

Local artists have been selected for the City of Santa Clarita’s Public Art Project. In the month of September, the chosen artworks will be featured on ten transit bus shelters throughout Santa Clarita to celebrate the Festival of the Arts, which will take place on October 2 and 3, 2010 in Old Town Newhall. (more…)

Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) recently met with Darryl Naito, a Saugus High School Senior who won this year’s Congressional Art Competition for California’s 25th District for his piece entitled “Breaching,” using the medium of block print on raw canvas.   The winning entry will be displayed on Capitol Hill for one year, along with entries from high school students across the nation. (Pictured: Darryl Naito, CA-25 Congressional Art Winner 2010, with Rep. Buck McKeon in Washington, D.C.) (more…)

Los Angeles County’s 20th Annual Family Music Festival on Sunday, June 27 at Bonelli Park will feature legendary performer Glen Campbell with special guest Debby Campbell along with music greats, the Marshall Tucker Band and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Arts Commission are seeking artist submissions to develop an exhibition celebrating the 50th “birthday” of Bubble Wrap. Artists’ will submit artwork using Bubble Wrap as a component of an art piece. At least 20 pieces will be selected for inclusion in the exhibit. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita invites community members to attend the June Fine Craft Show. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 12 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 13 at Old Orchard Park. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) The massive Tustin blimp hangars are the unlikely backdrop for the latest videos by the men behind the Mentos-and-Coke experiments that have become Internet sensations, reports the Orange County Register’s science editor Pat Brennan. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita’s Emergency Communications Team and the Santa Clarita Amateur Radio Club members will participate in the annual and internationally recognized American Radio Relay League Field Day on June 26 and June 27, 2010.  This year’s theme is “Explore the World”, an International two-day, around-the-clock emergency communications field exercise.  (more…)

(From the latimes.com) This weekend’s scheduled debut of a new family roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain has been postponed until 2011 because of construction delays, according to amusement park officials. Mr. Six’s DanceCoaster, themed to the frenetically dancing senior citizen who serves as a spokes-character for the amusement park chain, would have been the Valencia park’s 17th coaster. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Dennis Hopper, the maverick director and costar of the landmark 1969 counterculture film classic “Easy Rider” whose drug- and alcohol-fueled reputation as a Hollywood bad boy preceded his return to sobriety and a career resurgence in the films “Hoosiers” and “Blue Velvet,” died Saturday. He was 74. A longtime resident of Venice who also was known as a photographer, artist and collector of modern art, Hopper died at his home of complications from prostate cancer, said Alex Hitz, a friend of the family. (more…)

The Wild Beast at CalArts is a state-of-the-art, variable use, indoor-outdoor music pavilion. The venue debuted to an enthusiastic local crowd of more than 600, many of which were local residents, on Saturday night, May 8, 2010. The evening included a dedication of the Wild Beast and the S. Mark Taper Foundation Courtyard followed by a spectacular performance by the World Percussion Ensemble and Latin Jazz. In-between those musical acts there was a Tibetan Buddhist blessing performed through a didgeridoo. (more…)

The music of the 1950’s flourished as a result of the previous decade.  The 50’s saw the emergence and rise of what would come to be known as Rock ‘n’ Roll, but it also witnessed the popularity of Country and Western music in a variety of forms. Musicians like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Hank Williams helped to redefine the entertainment industry with the types of music that they created during this time period. (more…)

The West Ranch Second Annual Super Jazz Festival promises twelve hours of exceptional music for all jazz lovers.  Featuring 35 of the top jazz bands and combos from schools across Southern California, this is certainly an event not to be missed. The Super Jazz Festival will take place on Saturday, May 22, 2010, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the West Ranch High Scholl located at 26255 W. Valencia Blvd. in Stevenson Ranch. Admission is $5.  (more…)