Inaugural Artisan Alley!

It's ALIVE!  That's right folks, after two months of planning and preparation, the inaugural Artisan Alley was a smashing success!!  CG was packed with people and everyone was treated to great art all night long!  Led by the extraordinarily talented trio know as "The Definition" (aka: King, Dollar and Mac), the event was a huge hit!

The Definition

The night kicked off with a fantastic performance by Grammy performer and internationally known drummer Forrest Robinson!  Mixing music from his Southern roots with international beats, Forrest put on a display of drumming talent as ONLY he can!

Forrest plays so fast all I can capture is the blur! :)

While the music was playing in the front area, spectacular local artist Anni Z. Sakayan set the bar by being our first featured artist to have her work showcased in the back room!

Besides art and music, there was also DELICIOUS BBQ provided by our friends at Savvy Ranch Catering.  Here's Scott preparing MY plate! :)

The food even got the Fly Guy seal of approval!

As the night progressed, amazing hip hop / spoken word artist Mis Lee Ding delivered a dynamic performance highlighting strength, struggle, life and a powerful personal testament!

In addition to the featured performers, we gave community members a change to get on stage and strut their stuff during the night's first open mic!

Not quite sure what the fellas were singing here, LOL :)

The community was out in full force, as the cafe was filled with some of our favorite people!

Becca

Mina

Stage, screen and TV thespian, Mr. Jack Walsh

Aisha

Teacher Tom taking a break from grading papers, and papers, and papers... :)

Aaron

Carbon and his fiancé; awwww :)

Mr. McZeal getting ready for his upcoming show, "Fusion 13: Return of Freak Nic"

Jeremiah; THIS is how you wear a cowboy hat!

I'm not sure WHO this hooded man is, but apparently he likes the food! :)

Our featured artist Anni was persuaded to come up on stage and talk a bit about her art collection, and described how each piece was dedicated to someone special who had been there for her throughout her life.

Throughout the night, a steady stream of visitors filled the conference room to view the pieces and speak with Anni about them. :)

Some were more moved by the art than others! :)

During the intermission and throughout the night, our favorite DJ / host of our Saturday night "Potlikker Showcase" (aka Chef Jeff), filled the cafe with a fantastic selection of music; perfectly adding to the evening!

After the intermission, a hilarious Korean-American comic from Alaska (I'm serious) entertained the crowd and even convinced everyone from the barbershop next door to come over! :)

The community's musicians got another crack at showcasing their talents during the evening's second open mic, and there were fantastic performances!

One final surprise was in order, as we paused to celebrate King and Justin's birthday!

Well that's it folks; quite an opening night!!  Swing on by every Thursday night to enjoy Artisan Alley, and make sure to follow us on Facebook for updates about all our weekly entertainment offerings!