Join us on Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 5 PM EST. Livestream Free Concert! Morris Cardenas & the Maya Man Band presented by Jumbo Arts International! 

LUMBERTON — The North Carolina Arts Council has awarded a total $18,416 in Grassroots Grants to four nonprofits in Robeson County as part of its statewide arts funding program.

The Robeson County Partnership for Children and the Robeson Youth Symphony are teaming up to put a $6,708 grant to use. The youth symphony provides year-round orchestra programs to music students in the area, including a summer orchestra camp that recently concluded. The symphony’s director is Huadong Lu.

Rehearsals and concerts are on Mondays at Robeson Community College. The symphony’s first rehearsal will be on Oct. 3. Students who play strings, woodwind, brass and percussion are eligible to participate and can sign up at robesonyouthsymphony.org.

Purple Door Productions will fund its theater season with its grant of $6,708. The community based, semi-professional theatre and production company opened its season last week with Neil Simon’s comedy, “California Suite.” Purple Door performers of all ages take the stage at Robeson Community College.

Jumbo Arts International will use its $3,000 grant for its popular Jumbo Jam program of performing musicians, singers, dancers and writers. A semiannual, free event Jumbo Jam promotes art and creative expression and highlights local artists. Jumbo Arts International is run by Red Springs residents Margie and John Labadie, who also publish the Journal of Creative Arts and Minds, known as JCAM.

Communities in Schools will receive $2,000 for an artist in residence program featuring an American Indian-style flute maker/performer. Communities in Schools of Robeson County serves about 5,000 students in 18 Robeson with the aim of reducing dropouts, providing academic assistance, conducting behavioral interventions and ensure students’ have basic needs, including food to eat on weekends.

The Robeson County Arts Council administers the grants on the local level.
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LUMBERTON — A jumbo-sized jubilee of all things creative will be held on Saturday in downtown Lumberton.

Jumbo Arts International will offer an afternoon of music, poetry, crafts and dance inside the Osterneck Auditorium of the Robeson County Public Library.

“It’s a different kind of experience,” said Margie Labadie, president of Jumbo Arts International. “I have had people come up to me and tell me that the event is the most diverse thing they’ve been to. Something will be happening the whole time, the event is great for family.”
 
The semiannual Jumbo Jam, from 1 to 5 p.m., is a free event that promotes art and creative expression.

Spirit Wing, a contemporary folk duo that specializes in American Indian music, will perform on Saturday. Labadie described Spirit Wing’s music as “powerful but fun.”

Other musicians performing during the event include guitarists Morris Cardenas and Danny Young. Returning to the Jumbo Jam stage are Ron Watson and David Manigo, a duo that focuses on piano jazz and swing music. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Jazz Combo 2, directed by Larry Arnold, will round out the musical menu with a dose of soul during its Jumbo Jam debut.

In addition to live music, the event will feature poetry and prose readings. Weslyn Chavis, a local author, is expected to read some of her short stories.

Interactive offerings include “Life’s a Doodle,” a group-drawing activity led by Burritt “Bucky” Benson III, and a performance from The Robeson Rockers, a local dance troupe that gives audience members a chance to cut a rug on-stage.

“From our standpoint, we’re trying to make live performance the center piece. Writers who read aloud and get the audience involved in their work and musicians who play instruments are a big deal,” Labadie said. “It’s so important to us to support their live scene.”

A number of Robeson County artists will display and sell their work on display during the event. Some of the artists participating in Jumbo Jam include Joy Atkinson McGugan, Jordan McGirt, Terry Durham and Alisha Locklear Monroe.

The program is sponsored in part by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. For information, visit jumboartsinternational.org or email [email protected].

Gabrielle Isaac can be reached at 910-816-1989 or on Twitter @news_gabbie.