The two will be among the local celebrities offering up their best chili in a fund-raiser for the Arts & Science Council’s 2010 fund drive. The public is invited to Town Hall this Friday, Feb. 12, at noon to sample the chili and help raise a few dollars for the arts in Davidson.

Those who go to taste the chili Friday will raise money by voting for the best chili with a donation to the ASC.

Who gets money from the ASC? See below. Also, other fund-raisers this week include the Green Ball for Davidson Lands Conservancy, and an “Apocalypse”  step dancing show for Davidson-Cornelius Day Care and American Diabetes Association.

We also hear town Commissioners Margo Williams and Brian Jenest are planning to slug it out – on the stove. Also there Friday will be members of some  local organizations that have received funding from the ASC.

Why a town hall event for the ASC? “To show our support and give back to the organization that has such a positive effect on our community,” according to a press release promoting Friday’s event.

ASC SUPPORT FOR NORTH MECK

• ASC provided $4,583 to Davidson for landscaping surrounding the public art sculpture “Bouquet for Davidson,” outside the post office.
• Downtown Davidson received $6,141 for April is for Arts – a month-long series of art and cultural events in North Mecklenburg.
• The Music at St. Alban’s Concert Series, at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, received $6,000 for its 2009-2010 season.
• Local theater group Davidson Community Players received $13,500 in operating funding.
• Elizabeth Bradford, a Davidson resident and artist, received $700 in ASC funding to explore different media. Her previous medium of choice was acrylic paint. Her new work will be exhibited Feb. 28 to May 22 at the Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury.
• Other individual artists and performers who received money in the 2009-10 year include Dan Boye of Davidson, to develope and produce promotional materials and purchase equipment; The Cloers, Davidson, to help in production of an acoustic music CD of 10 original songs; and Janetta Deavers, Huntersville, to complete and market an album of 12 songs.
• Other north Mecklenburg grantees this year include: Carolina Raptor Center, Huntersville; Catawba Valley Scottish Society; Cornelius Youth Orchestra; Community Arts Project, Cornelius; Lake Norman Big Band; Lake Norman YMCA (after school & camp program); Latta Plantation, Huntersville; Town of Cornelius (cultural programs for seniors).

The Arts & Science Council also provides $333,499 in funding for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Programs from individual artists, to the Charlotte Children’s Theatre, and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra benefit all of Mecklenburg County’s school children. ASC distributed a total of $7,985,513 this year to the Charlotte Mecklenburg area.

CHILI CHALLENGE INFO

For more information about Friday’s Community Chili Challenge, contact Lillian Smith at Davidson Town Hall, 704-940-9610, or lsmith@ci.davidson.nc.us

SPA PLANS FEB. FUND-RAISER FOR HAITI

Urbana Cityspa & Teabar, in the Birkdale shopping center in Huntersville as well as Charlotte, plans a Hearts & Hands Helping Haiti fund-raiser in February. They’ll donate a portion of proceeds from gift card sales to Partners in Health, whose efforts include operating clinics, alleviating disease, monitoring health conditions, taking mobile health care to residents in the poorest areas of Haiti. The organization also has created programs to provide food, housing and clean water.

Other upcoming fund-raisers

FRIDAY, FEB. 12, noon, Davidson Town Hall – Community Chili Challenge to benefit the Charlotte Arts & Science Council. All proceeds go to the ASC’s 2010 fund-raising campaign. For more information contact Lillian Smith at 704 940-9610 or lsmith@ci.davidson.nc.us

FRIDAY, FEB. 12, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., Davidson College Lilly Family Gallery – Annual “Green Ball” sponsored by Davidson College Environmental Action Coalition, an evening of bluegrass and contra dancing to benefit Davidson Lands Conservancy. Lessons 7:30, dance 8-11. Tickets: $10 in advance at Davidson College Union or $12 at the door, children $5. More info: email Alicia Frank (alfrank@davidson.edu) or visit the college website. Read more in our preview, “Green Ball: Fun and funds for lands conservancy.”

FRIDAY, FEB. 12, 7-10 p.m., Duke Family Performance Hall – Davidson College will be hosting its 4th annual Apocalypse Greek Step Show,” hosted by Mike Simms. All Students: $5, Davidson Faculty/Staff: $5, General Public: $10. All proceeds will go to the American Diabetes Association and Davidson-Cornelius Day Care. Tickets available online.

SATURDAY, FEB. 13, 6-11 p.m., Birkdale Golf Club, 16500 Birdkale Commons Parkway, Huntersville – Hope House Foundation, which serves homeless residents in the Lake Norman area, holds a “Heart of Hope” fund-raiser. Tickets $75 per person, available online at www.hopehousefoundation.org or by mailing checks to Hope House Foundation, PO Box 61, Huntersville, NC 28070. For event and tickets inquiries, call Chris Anthony, the event chair, at 704-960-1835 or email thehopehouse@att.net.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 7:30 p.m., Davidson College Duke Family Performance Hall – Davidson College Symphony Orchestra Concerts for a Cause continues with a performance benefitting “VH1 Save the Music.” Program features guest soloist Jacque Culpepper, Artist Associate in Voice at the college, and will include works by Barber, Copland, Glass, and the “girl Gershwin.” Free and open to the public, though donations will be accepted at the door for VH1 Save the Music, which supports instrumental instruction in public schools. Details on the college website.

SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 6:30 p.m., Davidson College Chambers Building Lilly Family Gallery – The 10th annual Bosom Buddies fund-raiser for breast cancer research. Events include a talk by breast-cancer survivor and Bosom Buddies founder Lauren Perny Pragoff, Davidson class of 2003. Also, dinner, raffle, musical performances and silent and live auctions. Bosom Buddies supports Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test, a Greensbor group helping seek a new method for earlier pre-tumor detection of breast cancer. Students $40, general public $45. More info, CLICK HERE>

SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 8-11 p.m., Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St. – Davidson Local, a musical combo that plays original songs about local life by guitarist and Davidson professor John Wertheimer, plays a rescheduled benefit concert for the family of Jorge Fiscal Cruz, the Mexican-born restaurant worker and Davidson resident who died after a November bicycle accident. 704-895-9090.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17, Ada Jenkins Center, 212 Gamble St. – Second annual Fire BBQ and 5K run. The 5 K will be held at Ada Jenkins first thing in the morning, followed by a BBQ sale, BBQ competition and food from area restaurants. More details as the date gets closer. www.adajenkins.org

Hailed as one of the largest United Arts Funds in the U.S., the 2009 campaign was challenged due to the economy and raised $7.2 million on a goal of $11.2 million. ASC reduced its workforce by 37 percent and will invest 27 percent less dollars in the community during the 2009-2010 fiscal year. For every dollar ASC receives, 87 cents supports ASC’s mission of building appreciation, participation and support for the arts, science, history and heritage in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

“The needs of the cultural community are great and arts truly matter, now more than ever,” said ASC President Scott Provancher. “In order to sustain the cultural sector, we must continue to engage our current donors to support the campaign.”

The campaign is led by Madelyn Caple, senior vice president, regional director for Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company and Tom Zweng, senior vice president of medical affairs for Presbyterian Healthcare. This is Caple’s third year serving on the campaign cabinet and Zweng’s second.

Members of the campaign cabinet include Amy Aussieker, FABO; Bob Bertges, Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company; Bill Bollinger, The Charlotte Observer; Doug Bowman, BB&T; Jeff Browing, Duke Energy; Dwayne Campbell, Mecklenburg County; Steve Crist, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C.; Jesse Cureton, Bank of America; Gay Dillashaw, Allen Tate Company; DeAlva Glenn, GMAC Financial; Clarke Hobson, Duke Energy; Lois Ingland, Carolinas Healthcare System; Laureen Jenkins, Presbyterian Healthcare; Damian and Jermaine Johnson, No Grease Barbershop; Missy McDonald, Sherpa; Tino McFarland, Balfour Beatty Construction; John Mackay, Discovery Place; June Moore, Piedmont Natural Gas; Michael Mullican, Family Dollar Stores, Inc.; Gina Shell, City of Charlotte; Rick Thurmond, Charlotte Magazine; Pat Phillips, civic leader; Betty Powell, Queens University of Charlotte; Ben Yow, Bank of America and Bill Zimmern, Moore & Van Allen.

To contribute to the 2010 Annual Fund Drive or for more information, contact ASC at 704-333-2272 or visit www.ArtsAndScience.org.