In its fourth year, the Hopewell Valley Arts Council’s Amazing Pumpkin Carve is a must-not-miss, art-filled weekend of fun in the heart of the Hopewell Valley. The Amazing Pumpkin Carve will run from Wednesday, October 10 through Sunday, October 14, 2017 at Woolsey Park in Titusville.

Visitors of all ages will be wowed by a massive display tent filled with 150-pound sculptures carved by local artists. New this year: the artists have electricity! There is sure to be some cool lighting and motion added to their creations, while another group of creative folks will be adorning scarecrows to add to the display.

The Amazing Pumpkin Carve is much more than a jaw-dropping display of artistic talent etched in enormous pumpkins. Activities and special events will include food trucks, evening storytelling around fire pits with s’mores kits, paint-a-pumpkin craft tent, fun photo ops, a humongous hay bale playground, pumpkins for sale at the pumpkin patch, and more! Special events throughout the weekend include dance performances by The Pennington Studio for Dance and Creative Arts, live music, a pet costume parade and movie nights.

Don’t miss your chance to celebrate autumn in Hopewell Valley while supporting the many talented artists who call this region home. For more information and the full schedule of all this fantastic fall fun, please check out the Hopewell Valley Arts Council website at www.hvartscouncil.org.

The Fourth Amazing Pumpkin Carve is open for only 5 days: Wed.-Sun., October 10-14 at Woolsey Park, 221 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville, NJ. Courtyard entry: Adults, $10; Seniors, $8; Ages 11-18, $5; Under 10, FREE. Hours and activities vary, so please check out the HV Arts Council’s website for details: www.hvartscouncil.org.

This event is hosted by the Hopewell Valley Arts Council. Ticket proceeds benefit the HV Arts Council, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and go toward artist-carvers’ honoraria and to fund other arts-related programs of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council.

Capital Health-Hopewell, in partnership with the Hopewell Valley Arts Council, will be presenting “SERENITY,” an art exhibition this month featuring the artworks and personal reflections of the Artists of Yardley (AOY), a non-profit organization, dedicated to nurturing the creative spirit of the community.

The public is invited to attend the opening reception to view the show and watch the talents of dancers from The Pennington Studio, on Thursday, August 30^, from 6 to 7:30pm in the Investors Bank Art & Healing Gallery located in the second floor atrium at Capital Health – Hopewell, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ, . Light refreshments will be served. The show runs through November, 2018.

The mission of the Arts & Healing Program at Capital Health recognizes that spending time in the hospital can be stressful for all — patients, visitors, caregivers and healthcare workers alike. Art shows held in the Investors Bank Art & Healing Gallery at Capital Health – Hopewell provide visitors a respite from the difficulties of the day by featuring beautiful, engaging and inspirational works of art in its rotating art gallery.  Whereas medicine can heal the body, art can heal the soul.

For the fifth year, the Hopewell Valley Arts Council will anchor Pennington Day with an artful takeover on the Howe Commons lawn, at 65 South Main Street in Pennington, next to the music stage and “food court,” on Saturday, May 19, from 10am – 4pm.

This year, the HV Arts Council will kick off a new initiative, Out of the Ashes: Art Emerging from Fallen Trees, to commemorate the devastating loss of the ash tree, one of the primary native trees in Hopewell Valley.

A little, green, jewel-like beetle called the Emerald Ash Borer, threatens the entire North American Fraxinus(Ash) genus of ash trees, which can be found on private and public property and in forests and yards. Due to the nature of the infestation, it’s difficult to determine which trees have already succumbed. As a result, many ash trees, some infected and some yet to be infected, are being taken down to ensure public safety. Hopewell Township is being proactive in the fight to protect our ash trees and has information on their website at www.haveyoursayhopewelltwp.org.

In the spirit of the HV Arts Council’s ongoing upcycling theme – making art out of trash and typically discarded items – Out of the Ashes will transform wood from this beautiful American tree into art through a diverse series of art programs, exhibits, and community events throughout 2018 and 2019.

Ash wood will abound with opportunities to view and make art, watch live carving demonstrations, and learn more about the emerald ash borer and about our year-long events celebrating as art emerges Out of the Ashes.

In the center of Howe Commons, a manual shingle cutter will cut ash wood into shingles, and kids of all ages are invited to paint the shingles along with wood discs. Two local wood carvers, Stan Saperstein and Scott Fulmer, will also be stationed on Howe Commons throughout the day demonstrating live wood carving and showing projects at various stages of completion. Plus, visit us at the HV Arts Council tent at Howe Commons to find out more about our upcoming art- and culture-related events and receive 10% off membership.

The HV Arts Council will also issue a “call to artists” beginning at Pennington Day, as part of Out of the Ashes. Wood slices, playfully being called “slices of art” will be available for artists, creative adults, and hobbyist to take home and adorn. Use your creativity and paint, mosaic, apply photography, or whatever your imagination desires! At the end of the summer, these slices of art will be sold, with half going to the individual artist and half to support local art and artists in the greater Hopewell Valley. The slices will be sold at the HV Arts Council’s Slice of Art Sale, Barbecue, & Cornhole Tournament on Sunday, September 9 at the Valley Road Picnic Area, Hopewell Township.

For more information about HV Arts Council events and initiatives, please see their website hvartscouncil.org.

Editor’s Note: MercerMe publisher Mary Galioto is the PR & Media Coordinator for the Hopewell Valley Arts Council. 

As the devastating effects of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle progresses, ash trees needed to be felled in Hopewell Valley and many have been stored at the Hopewell Township municipal maintenance yard waiting to be given a new purpose.

Our newest initiative, “Out of the Ashes – Art Emerging from Fallen Trees,” will be doing just that – bringing artistic life to the remaining wood.

While “Out of the Ashes” will officially kick-off at Pennington Day, the public is invited on Saturday May 5, from 11am until 2pm to witness our first step: cutting harvested wood for various upcoming HV Arts Council projects.

Come watch from our viewing tent as a powerful portable saw mill cuts massive tree trunks, and marvel at the volume of useable wood that can be salvaged from a mature ash tree.

The sawyer, the official name of a person who saws timber for a living, and his team will masterfully stage the massive trunks at the mill where they will be lifted onto the saw and cut to specifications.

Stop by on Saturday, May 5, between 11am and 2pm, grab a glass of cider, and watch the sawyer and his mill in action. The viewing area will be located behind the baseball fields at the Municipal Athletic Complex, at 201 Washington Crossing Road, Titusville. Follow the event signs at the entrances on Pennington-Titusville Rd (at the Police Station), as well as on Scotch Rd, north of the intersection.

After what seems like an eternal winter, the

Hopewell Valley Arts Council is excited to present

a cabaret-style celebration of all things spring, at the

newly opened Hopewell Theater

April 21, 2018 from 7pm – 9:30pm

Get your tickets now!

Artfully crafted and creatively served light fare will be prepared and served by The Brothers Moon, playing up the fun and decorative side of spring. Plus, “The Bees Knees” signature cocktail and
 a selection of beer and wine.

Spring: The Music of Open Windows will be evening will feature entertainment by lyric coloratura soprano Elizabeth Sutton, who is also a Professor of Voice at Westminster Choir College and Princeton-area resident. Critically acclaimed for her remarkable singing and stage presence, Sutton has debuted with opera companies and festivals throughout the United States, Italy and Austria including the Caramoor International Music Festival, New Jersey Opera, Opera Cleveland, Skylight Opera Theater, American International Music School, (A.I.M.S) and Lucca Opera Theater, Italy

At Spring: The Music of Open Windows, Sutton will perform three accompanied sets throughout the evening echoing the themes of renewal and refreshment.

Get your tickets now! Proceeds help support and promote the arts in the greater Hopewell Valley.

Please note: This is not a production of the Hopewell Theater.