A&E

WSUSIGNPOST.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015

Reaching out with art

By CECILY KISS

a&e correspondent

Kokomo Club

By TYLER HOFFMAN
a&e reporter

A landmark to Historic
25th street, the Kokomo
Club has been open for
over 50 years and is run
by Ed and Cindy Simone.
Serving basic drinks and
beer at low prices, this
cash-only bar has a solid
presence and reputation
in Ogden.
Many places along
Historic 25th street have
changed hands multiple times over the years,
creating some interesting history. The Kokomo
Club is one of the oldest
businessesif not the
oldestalong
Historic
25th Street. However, it
wasnt always the Kokomo
Club.
Before this place became the Kokomo Club,
it was a barber school,
a laundromat and the
city lunch building, said
Sherry Bass, bartender
with the Kokomo Club for
over 30 years.
Throughout its lifespan, the club has seen its
share of wild events.
When I was 21, this
place was rough. People

just didnt come down

here like they do now,
said Lisa Hodson, a bartender at the Kokomo
Club. While people sometimes get a little wild at
the club, the staff quickly responds to maintain
peace.
The most impactful story about the Kokomo Club
doesnt come from tales
of bank robbers or underground tunnels, but from
the charitable work done
by Simone for the homeless people of Ogden.
I bring them in, give
them something to eat,
find them some clothes
and get them on their
way, said Simone. If you
could see my basement,
it is full of items donated
to help people. We have
coats, canned food, feminine products and more.
The
Kokomo
Club
stands out as a business
that welcomes anyone
old enough to enter the
bar. As long as youre 21,
come on in, said Simone.
They work hard to take
care of customers and
those in need. Recently,
the Kokomo Club hosted an event and raised

around $5,000 to be donated to the Huntsman

Cancer Institute.
Simone works all year
to give back to the community by collecting basic items people need and
handing them out. Last
year, the Kokomo Club
started a new tradition of
feeding the homeless on
Christmas Eve.
We had a line all the
way up the street and we
were feeding them and
had people fitting them
with warm coats and
handing them bags with
basic needed items, Simone said.
The Kokomo Club plans
to do it again this year and
already has several businesses donating items.
We have cheap drinks,
come in here get your
glow, then visit the rest of
25th street, Hodson said.
The Kokomo Club is
open 7 days a week from
9 to 2 am. Customers are
able to purchase alcohol
from 10 to 1 am; closed
only on Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
Follow Tyler on facebook.
com/THoffman2011

Snow Days/Familiarte
at the Shaw Gallery will
returns to Weber State
University on Nov. 7. The
free family art program
offers an opportunity for
families with children
ages 3 to 12 to participate
in multicultural handson art projects, activities
and tours of the Mary
Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery. The program is open
to English and Spanish-speaking families.
The program has four
sessions, which take place
on the first Saturdays of November, December, February and March. Weber State
University student Brianna
Edwards, who works at the
Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw
Gallery as part of the gallery
crew, says that Snow Days/
Familiarte is an opportunity
for families to make art together and see the fun in it.
Activities vary each
month depending on holiday themes and current
exhibitions in the gallery. A
variety of art materials and
techniques are used such
as drawing, sculpture, interactive art and paint,
said Holly Jarvis, who runs

the program and is the

visual arts outreach manager for the Department
of Visual Art and Design.
Snow Days/Familiarte is
unique because it provides
families with an affordable, educational, weekend activity to participate
in together, Jarvis said.
Arts and crafts projects
and activities for the first
session of Snow Days/
Familiarte include: sock
puppet creatures inspired
by
Elisabeth
Higgins
OConnors artwork, Yam
block print and shaving
cream marbled paper, according to Jarvis.
The current exhibition
at the Mary Elizabeth
Dee Shaw Gallery is a solo
show by Sacramento artist
Elisabeth Higgins OConnor titled Confetti and
Distress/Honey and Suspicion. OConnor repurposes found objects and
textiles to create anthropomorphic
sculptures.
Participants
of
Snow
Days/Familiarte are welcomed to tour the gallery
and view the exhibition.
Snow Days at the Mary
Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery is open to all who
want to participate, but
is specifically geared to-

ward families with younger children. The program

focuses on a multicultural experience by keeping
staff on site who are fluent
in English and Spanish.
We always try to have
at least one bilingual English/Spanish
speaking
staff on site during the
event because we want to
welcome and encourage
local Hispanic families
to attend Snow Days and
tour the Shaw Gallery,
said Lydia Gravis, the creator of Snow Days/Famliarte and current Shaw
Gallery director.
Gravis says the gallery
wants to keep its outreach
programming financially
accessible to anyone interested in participating.
Gravis created the
program in 2008 when
she was the visual arts
outreach manager. Holly Jarvis is entering her
second year of managing
Snow
Days/Familiarte.
Grant funding through
the RAMP tax initiative
and the Marriner S. Eccles
Foundation has funded
the program each year.

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A&E BR IE F
The Flick
Location: 260 25th Street, 2nd Floor
Date: November 6-22
Time: Thursdays- Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 4 p.m.
The Flick written by 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner, Annie Baker, will be presented at Ogden Good Company Theatre. This full-length play portrays three employees at one of the last cinemas in Massachusetts that uses a 35mm film projector.
Watch these characters clean the theater while reminiscing on more authentic
times. Directed by Trent Cox, this play will be making its Utah debut starting Nov.
6one part of the website says opening night is Nov. 5, but thats inaccurate.
Tickets are $15 online at goodcotheatre.com or $17 at the door.

Rear Window Movie Showing

Location: Egyptian Theatre
Date: November 13
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Are you an Alfred Hitchcock fan? Well, youre in luck. On Friday the 13th, Peerys
Egyptian Theatre is showing Rear Window, starring James Stuart, Grace Kelly and
Wendell Corey. This mystery/thriller depicts a young photographer L.B. Jeffries, aka
Jeff, who breaks his leg on an action photo shoot and is then apartment-bound. In
his boredom, he starts people watching his neighbors, one of whom Jeff suspects
has murdered his wife. Tickets are $6 or $5 if you bring a can of food. Get tickets at
the box office, online through Smithstix or by phone at 801-689-8700. Be sure to
get there 30 minutes early to hear the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ.

Coffee and Canvas Art Class

Location: Grounds for Coffee at 3005 Harrison Blvd.
Date: November 14
Time: 2-4:30 p.m.
Grounds for Coffee will hold an art class under the direction of local artist, Tommy Jo Vilello-Anderson. This month, you will be taught how to paint a cute whimsical coffee cup. You can make reservations at Grounds for Coffee or call Tommy
Jo at 801-395-4302; seating is limited. To register its $35 per person or $60 for 2
people signing up together. This cost includes one speciality drink, 11 x 14 canvas and all the paint supplies.

Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party

Location: Kneaders at 1953 Washington Blvd.
Date: November 17
Time: 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Start celebrating your Christmas holiday early at Kneaders on Washington Boulevard for a special Sugar Plum Tea Party. At this event, you will meet the Sugar
Plum Fairy and other characters from The Nutcracker, get autographs and take a
picture with them. Cost to attend is free and Kneaders will run a Sugar Plum Fairy
Tea special: $2 for a hot chocolate and sweet bread. For more information, call the
Julie Moffitt Ballet School at 801-786-1254 or visit www.jmballetschool.com
Lauren Porter