Main Street Gallery to Feature Artist Mel Scott During Georgefest March 3

Billed "nightlife you can get excited about," Georgefest celebrates local artists, entertainers and musicians at Historic Downtown on the first Friday of every month. March 3 will be no exception.

At the new Main Street art and showcase venue, Gallery 35, Dixie Watercolor Society will host an artist reception featuring southern Utah watercolorist, Mel Scott. 

An instructor in watercolor at Dixie State University, Scott and has been a member of the Society since its founding in 1999. Featuring 11 of her paintings, the March exhibit includes portraits and florals. 

In addition to her DWS signature/charter membership, Scott is member of the Southern Utah Art Guild, Virgin Valley Arts Association at Mesquite Nev., and is former Tuacahn High School visual arts chair. Her studio is also a destination of the Arts to Zion Studio TOUR - southern Utah's largest annual visual art event. 

Scott's work is also currently on display at Dixie State University where she has two oil paintings selected for the 30th Annual Sears Art Invitational.

"I work in all mediums," she said. "I enjoy exploring new mediums and am currently working in alcohol ink on ceramic tile."

Dixie Watercolor Society is a non-profit organization located at Gallery 35 at Historic Downtown St. George. The purpose of DWS is to encourage, educate, and promote its member artists. Also, to share the rich culture of transparent watercolor through gallery exhibits, competitions and workshops.

Every first Friday night in conjunction with Georgefest, DWS promotes the work of southern Utah watercolor artists and hosts a reception open to the public at Gallery 35, located at 35 South Main Street.

Photo of Mel Scott by Nick Adams, courtesy Emceesquare Media Inc for Arts to Zion Studio TOUR.

Gallery 35 to Feature Southern Utah Paleontologists During Georgefest March 3

Gallery 35 is located on Main Street
at Historic Downtown. Photo by Nick Adams,
courtesy Arts to Zion

Families enjoying Georgefest will want to take in the new exhibit at Gallery 35 on Main Street March 3. In preparation for the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum on Main Street exhibition, “The Way We Worked” – coming to southern Utah in September – Gallery 35 will present “Paleontologists at Work! Washington County, UT.” The installation explores ways paleontologists have worked in southern Utah during the past 150 years, and examines Dixie’s extraordinary geography that makes rare and unique ancient track sites and fossils accessible to study. The exhibit runs March 2-April 1, with a special community reception to be held during Georgefest March 3. The Arts to Zion Showcase is located at Gallery 35, 35 Main Street, at Historic Downtown St. George.

Georgefest to Celebrate Luck O' the Irish March 3 - Get Your Green On!

Dick Earl of Dick Earl's Electric Witness
belts the blues at Main Stage March 2016

Historic Downtown St. George will be sporting green, Friday, March 3, when Georgefest celebrates its “St. Paddy’s Spring Fling.” A nod in equal parts to St. Patrick’s Day and the imminent arrival of springtime, the monthly nightlife event will mark the start of St. George’s most idyllic months for sunshine and outdoor entertainment.

Salt Lake City’s electrifying Andrew Goldring band is sure to deliver when they take Main Stage at 8 p.m. At the Georgefest Jazz Garden, presented by The Desert Pulse, scorching blues will meet ferocious funk when Dick Earl’s Electric Witness teams up with Soul What?! Two of southern Utah’s most revered bands will churn out high-energy, danceable tunes for adults 21 and over. Perennial favorites Soul What?! will be joined by journeyman blues-harpist Dick Earl and his Electric Witness band for an evening of funky, blues-infused covers and original music.

Alice Erickson of Soul What performs
at Main Stage Dec. 2015

Comprised of powerhouse vocalist Alice Ericksen (Earl’s wife), guitarists Michael Moulton and Elaine Stoddard, and drummer Chris Flaig, Soul What?! has been performing together since first meeting at a local blues jam in 2012. Featuring beloved classics from their soul influencers (including Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Aretha), the band’s set list honors younger performers as well. All four members of the group are accomplished musicians who bring decades of experience to the project, drawing appreciative crowds throughout southern Utah.

Georgefest is southern Utah's favorite nightlife event
held every first Friday at Historic Downtown

Dick Earl’s raw, growling vocals and goose-bump-raising assault on the harmonica have been devoured by audiences from New York to Las Vegas. He has opened for such artists as Billy Currington, Firehouse, Janet Robin, and Creedence Clearwater Revisited, and is frequently tapped by performers to add his musical magic to their studio projects. When not touring as a solo act or with Electric Witness, he makes regular appearances at schools across the country to share his passion for music. He and Alice also own The Academy, an after-school program for youths wishing to acquire music performance skills.

Members of The Academy perform with
Dick Earl's Electric Witness at Georgefest March 2016

Along with outstanding entertainment, the Jazz Garden will offer its usual assortment of artisan tapas prepared by Sego Restaurant in Kanab, as well as craft brews from Wasatch Brewery and Squatters, and premium wines from Cedar City’s Iron Gate Winery. The Georgefest Jazz Garden is located in Green Gate Village on Tabernacle Street, next door to One Hot Grill.

Georgefest, a nightlife event designed to celebrate the best of southern Utah, is held on the first Friday of every month from 6-10 p.m., with the Jazz Garden open until midnight April–October. The event is sponsored by the City of St. George, St. George Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Canyon Media, St. George News, Etched Magazine, The Independent, The Desert Pulse, Iron Gate Winery and Wasatch Brewery.

For more information, or to become a vendor, visit georgestreetfest.com, or email info@georgestreetfest.com. Georgefest organizers are now accepting applications for street market vendors, buskers, and food vendors.

Photos by Nick Adams, courtesy Emceesquare Media. 

Kissing Winter Weather Goodbye, Indie Rock Bands Return to Main Stage March 3

When the electrifying Andrew Goldring band takes the stage March 3, spring will have sprung in southern Utah. And while Georgefest diehards danced to the beat of the DJ drum through Georgefest winter months, first Friday nightlife crowds are ready to rock with original sounds of indie performers under southern Utah's warm summer skies.

The Andrew Goldring band of Salt Lake City leads out the springtime
lineup for Georgefest's free first Friday Main Stage concert series March 3.
Photo by Ryan Jorgensen Photography

March 3 features Salt Lake City indie rock band, Andrew Goldring. A fixture in the Utah music scene for many years, Andrew has been part of notable acts including Golden Sun, Sleeping Giant, and All Get Out. Andrew has released several solo albums, and recently announced his next featuring the single, "Cosmic Dance." The album is scheduled to drop Feb. 24, and his products will be available March 3 at The George Store merch tent near Main Stage. Andrew is owner and operator at The Sound Cave music studio in Salt Lake City.

Opening on Main Stage is Telestial, southern
Utah's newest indie rock band sensation.
Photo by Shane Ivy Stewart

Opening for Andrew Goldring is southern Utah's own rising indie rock sensation, Telestial. Recently featured as cover story for the "Where It's At" section of The Spectrum and Daily News, writer Emily Havens described the band stating, "Telestial's sound has less abandon than one might find in a stereotypical hardcore project. It's reminiscent of hardcore punk and strongly resembles noise rock."

Featuring artists Richard Curl and Jade Whitlock, "Telestial is nearly everything we need from community bands," Havens wrote.

Ryan Groskreutz, Georgefest talent booking agent, believes Georgefest's commitment to featuring indie rock artists is a critical element of the event's appeal. "We are always working to bring the best up-and-coming bands and artists to Georgefest," he said. "This has been a big part of what makes the event interesting and worth coming out for."

According to Georgefest founder and executive director Melynda Thorpe, warm spring temperatures offer a welcome return to Main Stage bands. Because cold temperatures make it difficult for bands and their instruments to perform through the winter, Thorpe says, "we have to get creative about our stage talent," she said. DJ dance parties, choirs and vocal groups dominate the stage from December to February, "so we all get excited to welcome the return of indie rock bands with the first signs of spring."

Georgefest is a first Friday nightlife event designed to celebrate the best of southern Utah artists, entertainers and musicians. The event offers a free Main Street concert at the intersection of Main and St. George Blvd. Performances begin at 6:30 p.m. and continue through 10 p.m. The event's Jazz Garden venue presented by The Desert Pulse offers live music until midnight and is open to adults 21 and over at Green Gate Village on Tabernacle Street. Additional event features include a street market, Food Truck Village, and buskers performing for tips.

Follow the searchlight to Historic Downtown every first Friday night. This kind of fun is good for you. More info at georgestreetfest.com. Follow Telestial on Facebook.