Kenosha Second Saturdays photostream
By Lisa Adamowicz Kless
Earlier in the week, an old friend of mine sent me an e-mail wondering if I’d like to join her for Second Saturdays this month. Without any hesitation, I said yes. I knew it was guaranteed to be a great evening. Not only because of the aforementioned friend, but wandering in the Union Park area, downtown and harborside during Second Saturdays is a veritable treasure hunt for adults. You never know what kind of fantastic little gems await at the next gallery or the next business, be it music, art or food. Our plans were to meet at Lemon Street Gallery at seven. I secretly rejoiced that she chose that time. It would give me a chance to stop by Scoops with my son and take advantage of their “scoops for a dollar” promotion. Jamey Buencamino was also slated to play guitar there, with his son, Tristan, accompanying him on violin. A music and ice cream sandwich; now that’s a real treat! So off to Scoops we went.
After deciding on a flavor (always a challenge, with so many tempting ones to choose from), we sat at a table right in front of Jamey and Tristan so we could enjoy the music. The Buencamino boys are one talented duo. I loved the way they were able to flow from classical pieces to more contemporary ones like Johnny Cash and Police covers. It was wonderful to see that a love of music had passed from one generation to the next, and Jamey seemed to genuinely be filled with pride as his son played alongside him. As the clock ticked closer to seven, I had to go, but wished I could stay to listen just a little while longer. Knowing that Scoops has had musical guests on Second Saturdays before, I hoped they’d continue to do so. Hooray for the Heims, for mixing music and ice cream! A delicious combination, indeed.
At Lemon Street Gallery, after a warm greeting from Melanie Hovey, I caught up with my friend Jen, whom had also brought a friend along. Why not? The more, the merrier, especially on Second Saturdays! We enjoyed the great spread of food and wine that Lemon Street always offers on these evenings, and meandered through the gallery, enjoying the art. Cathy Jean Clark, Robert Melton and Jeanine Ferguson were the featured artists in the Brick Gallery, with stunning mixed media pieces, metal sculptures and delicate miniature paintings displayed. I enjoyed taking my time to appreciate the details and nuances of certain pieces, but knew I’d have to move along soon. Melanie and I joked about the fact that Second Saturdays can be a sprint from one place to another, as one tries to visit as many places and experience as many things as possible in a three hour span. The reality of it hit soon enough, as we had to say goodbye and be on our way to our next stop, ArtWorks.
ArtWorks was hosting the group show “Alternate Worlds“, featuring the work of Brian Paulsen, David Holmes, Robert Kameczura, and Chet Griffith. As it turns out, ArtWorks was chock full of artists Saturday night! I ran into my friend Chandra Hauenstein, an art major at UW-Parkside and talented artist in her own right, who had a couple of pieces displayed in the lower section of the gallery. I also had a chance to chat briefly with featured artists Chet Griffith and David Holmes (one of my former professor at UW-P). I think this is one of the best aspects of these evenings; having a chance to actually meet the artists creating the art you’re viewing. The second floor of ArtWorks housed the “Alternate Worlds” works. Vibrant colors, interesting concepts, fanciful creatures and details galore…it was a lot to take in, but worth every second. Much like Lemon Street, I wasn’t able to be as leisurely as I would’ve like. I knew that I’d have to go back to take another look and spend more time poring over everything.
The Kenosha Art Association was our next stop. I’ve visited before, and the ladies of the KAA have been friendly, welcoming and hospitable every time (not to mention knowledgeable about the artists and their work). They invited us in and encouraged us to have a bite to eat and sample some sparkling juice or wine while we looked at all of the art for sale. Jen’s friend, Heidi, was enjoying the jewelry displayed when a handmade scarf caught her eye. She thought that it would be the perfect Mother’s Day gift for her grandmother, and said that it was so reasonably priced that she couldn’t pass it up. I was happy to see that a local artist was making a sale, and that the Art Association was being supported. As we got ready to go, we each were given little bags to take with us. Jen loved the fact that we got “swag bags”, and joked that after this, the rest of our stops would need to step it up a notch.
Earlier in the evening we’d been tipped off that The Drum Hut was hosting a drumming circle, with anyone welcome to join in. After a quick discussion, we all agreed to give the drum circle a try. Heather Poyner greeted us at the door and encouraged us to come in, find an instrument, and dive right in to the music. I sat behind a drum, Jen opted for some fun instrument that looked like a maraca with beaded netting, and Heidi chose a tambourine. People who know me well can tell you that I can be a little shy and standoffish when it comes to trying new things. The drums have always held an allure for me though. I attended a lot of local band shows in my younger days. One of my cousins played bass, and I always watched her onstage with lots of pride, but just a twinge of envy. How cool would it be to play guitar or drums and be in front of a screaming audience? So when the drum circle started a new “song”, I started drumming along, hesitantly at first. As I got into the rhythm, I gained a little confidence and began drumming louder. It was interesting to see that, even though everyone was more or less doing their own thing, the sounds really blended together well. I may not have been onstage, but I was definitely having fun. After a few more songs, it was time to go. As we left, we agreed that this would be a fun experience for our kids too. If we had enjoyed it that much, letting their inner drummer loose was sure to be twice as exciting for the kids.
The glow of lights from Down The Rabbit Hole caught our eye as we headed back to Jen’s vehicle. We decided to make a slight detour and pop in. The atmosphere owner Colleen Steenhagen has created in the little shop is always colorful and cozy, so it was a happy distraction. Susan Larkin was the performer for the evening, but she had already ended her set by the time we got inside. I’d met and talked with her at an AHA! meeting a few months back, so after saying hello, she insisted that she had to play at least one song for us, since we’d missed her earlier. As she played, her enthusiasm and warm voice made me sorry we hadn’t caught her set. A young artist was drawing intricate henna tattoos on someone at one of the tables, and as always, there were lots of unique items to browse over. When we realized that it was already past nine (the”official” ending time of Second Saturdays), we said our goodbyes and continued on.
We weren’t quite ready to call it a night yet, though. Luckily, Franks Diner was still open. We’d enjoyed art, chatted, shopped, drummed, mingled and listened to music; a little late dinner and a chance to talk about our night sounded perfect. The Diner was serving up lots of tasty Tex-Mex dishes, as well as a few tempting beverages. When I mentioned to Jen that I’d never had a mojito, she insisted that had to be remedied immediately, so a round of mojitos was ordered—stat! We decided that a plate of homemade chips and guacamole was a definite necessity too. A wise choice indeed. The chips were warm and crispy, and the guacamole was among the best I’ve tasted (trust me; I’m a guacamole fan). The Diner crew was nothing but fun. They joked and laughed with us like we’d been regulars there for years and years. Add the historic charm of the dining car into the mix, and it was a terrific end to an equally terrific night. My one regret was that I hadn’t had the chance to stop at a few places I’d hoped to visit. My consolation was that, thankfully, there’s always next month…