WellCommons

Dr. Stephen Chronister, DDS, Michelle Chronister, and Curt Shontz present a check for $6,463 to Cathy Brashler, executive director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Douglas County.

The donation was collected from the 2011 Rev It Up! Hot Rod Hullabaloo held Oct. 8 in Lawrence's South Park. The show hosted over 220 hot rods, custom cars, classic cars, and motorcycles. Over 600 people attended the event which featured three live bands, grilled food, and one-of-a-kind merchandise by regional artists and craftspeople. The event was free to the public, and all of the money collected from car registration, food sales, and vendor fees were donated to the charity.

Next year's event is scheduled for October 2012 and also will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is proud to be a partner with Be Your Best Self Inc., the sponsoring non-profit of the car show. The money went to support the two youth-based mentoring programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County.

Each year around 500 children from age 5-17, are served through the two mentoring programs. The money will support the existing mentoring matches in the program and to assist in the creation of new matches.

For more information about Big Brothers and Big Sisters, call 843-7359.

The annual Gingerbread Festival and Auction is fast approaching! It's not too late to turn in an application to participate in this Big Brothers Big Sisters holiday event. Builders create a gingerbread house and donate it to the festival. All houses must be on a wooden base provided free at the BBBS office. Builders are separated into three separate categories: Gingerbread Divison – adults, Graham-Cracker Division – Ages 5-8, 9-12, 13-16, and Bigs & Littles. The houses are put on view for the public December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and awards will be given out for the top entries. Selected entries will be auctioned off on December 7, 2011, with all proceeds benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters. There will be a “Buy It Now” option for the silent auction houses on Sunday, December 4th. Entries must be turned in to Carnegie Library, 200 West 9th St. on Thursday, December 1, 2011 between 3 PM and 6:30 PM. Applications are due by November 25, 2011, and can be picked up and turned in to the Big Brothers Big Sisters office. Join in on this fun-filled tradition! For more information contact Cathy Brashler at (785) 843-7359 or cbrashler@ksbbbs.org.

Public Viewing Times: Friday, December 2nd: 10am - 6pm Saturday, December 3rd: 10am - 6pm Sunday, December 4th: 10am - 6pm

Santa's Eiffel Tower by cathyb

Christmas Cottage by cathyb

Winter Mansion by cathyb

Downtown Lawrence will get even funkier in August as the Busker Festival is in town, featuring Fire eaters, Whip artists, strong man stunts, Jugglers, Musicians, Magicians, Mimes and Dancers who will come from around the country to share their talent. This year’s Busker Festival will be held from August 19-21.

The Thursday before the festival begins, a preview show of the Best Buskers will be held at Abe and Jake’s Landing. Mama Lou the strongwoman, Thom Sellectomy the sword swallower, Shibaten Spirit the one man band and Cary Flaherty the acrobatic juggler who will show off their skills and mingle with the crowd. All ticket proceeds are benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters and cost $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 12 and under. Family packages are also available for $40 and include two adult and two children tickets. After the preview show, you can “Party with the Performers” upstairs at Abe and Jake’s for a separate ticket fee. Tickets for this event are included in the package deal which includes tickets to the preview show and food. Adult tickets are $25 and children are $15. To purchase tickets for this event visit: www.buskerfesttickets.kintera.org.

Performances will continue throughout the weekend and will be scheduled at various places along Massachusetts Street for late Friday night, All day Saturday morning and Sunday Afternoon. Workshops and demos for kids will be held Saturday morning August 20th at the Lawrence Arts Center for anyone wanting to know more about the unusual life of a street performer. For more information, you can access www.lawrencebuskerfest.com.

Busker Festival 2011 by cathyb