— Like a well-tended garden, Arts Jubilee seems to grow a little bit and flourish with more vibrancy each summer. If the road work along Route 16 in North Conway Village is a nuisance — like an unwanted pest eating your petunias — then Executive Director Cindy Russell bringing the entire six-concert slate of Arts Jubilee events to Cranmore Mountain Resort is like the bloom of a few new perennials.

Last year began the inclusion of indoor concerts at the ski area as part of the Jubilee. Three outdoor events under the shell at Schouler Park and three indoor events at the 10th Mountain Division Pavilion at Cranmore. The unenviable task of making the decision to move the three outdoor events to Cranmore was not an easy one for Russell or the Arts Jubilee board of directors, though the concept was hatched more than a year ago.
"We had been warned by Earl (Sires) more than a year ago that we might not be able to have our events this year at Schouler Park," said Russell on Thursday. "In the meantime, there was concern about making the village look like a ghost town. Earl stepped back and said it would be up to the individual organizations to decide. We're fortunate, when you think about it, that we do have this wonderful alternative location. We could have had to move out of the valley... or should we cancel the summer? Fortunately, it was more of a question than a suggestion — just an option — but we agreed it really wasn't an option."

Years ago, Arts Jubilee, now in its 24th season, staged some concerts at Cranmore, so this is nothing entirely new, though the conclusion was not the easiest to attain. "We've had a tough spring," Russell said, "simply because we had some real hard decisions we had to make. We came to grips and the board came to a decision for the summer and we are determined that it's a temporary venue. We wanted to meet a comfort level for everyone."

And comfort people get. The 10th Mountain Division Pavilion, a sprung structure adjacent to Zip's Pub, is air conditioned, has two seating options and is not dependent on weather. The outdoor shows moving to Cranmore still utilize Arts Jubilee's shell and stage. The scenery, though different from Schouler Park, is nice and with the stage facing the North Slope, people can actually sit a little higher up, if desired, sort of allowing for a natural amphitheater effect.

"Interestingly in our history," said Russell, "one concert has always been in the park no matter what. The symphony concert has always been in Schouler Park. We've frequently put on concerts elsewhere throughout the valley. We're not breaching tradition too much."

The three free outdoor performances this summer include a night of acoustic music with Tom Dean, Cormac McCarthy and Joyce Andersen; the annual symphony pops concert; and the return of the Wicked Smart Horn Band.

"The symphony at Cranmore," said Russell, "as one would expect, should be the same, and of course with fireworks. The Jubilee shell and stage will be set up in the horseshoe-like setting at the base of the North Slope. it will be located toward the quad but facing the mountain. The audience can sit on the flat or on the slope for inclined seating." The Northeast Symphony Orchestra performs one concert each year — this one. The most popular of the Arts Jubilee events, if not any valley concert, it takes place Thursday, July 27.

Consisting of 50 professional symphony musicians from Portland Symphony, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and others, Northeast Symphony is organized and conducted by Clayton Poole.
Not a full-time conductor, Poole is this event's music director and wand-wielder. And the concert always ends with the 1812 Overture and a fantastic bloom of fireworks.

"The fireworks are going to be shot two-thirds of the way up the North Slope, way up high, but right before us," Russell said.
The opening act for the symphony this year is Jonathon Sarty and the White Mountain Boys, "just to have a nice family-friendly fun way to open that concert," said Russell.

The Hills are Alive with Acoustic Music is the first of the three outside concerts, Thursday, July 13. Local acclaimed folk singer-songwriter Dean has gathered up a strong docket of musical friends for what should be a memorable night. The North Conway resident has performed locally with Andersen before, while McCarthy, another folk circuit veteran who has performed with both of them over the years, recently played a CD release show at Horsefeathers. Also along for the show is bassist Teg Glendon and mandolin player Tom Yoder.

"Tom Dean pulled it together," Russell said. "He's kind of hosting his friends here. They will rotate doing their own things, then do some things together."

Another rotation is one indoor show from last year returns, but is set outdoors this year. Wicked Smart Horn Band was a tremendous show last year, said Russell, but it was located in the pavilion.
"They are so exciting and so exuberant," she said, "but the inside setting I found had too strong a volume." Though she received no complaints, she said they were really loud, maybe too much so, and almost didn't need a sound system. "I think they will be outrageous in an outdoor setting, really be able to let it rip," Russell said. "It will be a great party."
With two guitarists, three brass guys, a bassist, a keyboardist and two female vocalists, the Franconia-based band whips out a diverse set of songs ranging from jazz to blues, classic rock to swing and Motown. Currently, they have a list of more than 50 songs from which to choose at each performance.

Their Thursday, Aug. 10, gig holds the spot that was previously held by The Freese Brothers Big Band.
"Freese Brothers are indoors this year," confirmed Russell, and on Sept. 16 it is a Saturday night concert.
"After Labor Day weekend, people will be back into their regular schedules," she explained. "There will be a dance floor for a real good big band party."

They perform the all-time big band era classics that are woven into the American fabric, such as tunes from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller. Unlike the jazz being performed in June, this was all about the term big band. Many members, not just a couple, make for a bigger sound. It sort of bridges classical with more contemporary jazz.
The 2006 summer begins Saturday, June 24, with Jazz in June, which may now be the annual kickoff to Arts Jubilee, featuring Midnite Jazz with Brent LaCasce. They played there to start last summer's schedule, also the fourth weekend in June.

"We'll give it a shot again this year," Russell said. "We had reasonable attendance at the June program last year, but not even close to a sellout. We did not break even at the concert last year, I think it caught people unaware. We've made a bigger effort to get that aspect out to more folks."
It will be a little different from last year, though. Maybe more like last fall's hurricane benefit show.

"Still a jazz concert and the star person is Brent LaCasce," said Russell, "who is really an outstanding performer. He really is a talented man. Kelly Muse and Jared LaCasce, Brent's son, were seen at the Katrina benefit jazz concert last fall. This will also showcase some of the young jazz talent."

The concert spotlights the duo of the elder LaCasce and Muse, but it also features a group dubbed "The Young Lions." The quartet consists of two local boys, drummer Josh Strange, a Fryeburg Academy senior, and Jared LaCasce, an academy sophomore and trumpeter. The other two come from outside the area. Matt White, on alto sax, is from Westbrook, Maine, and is a senior at Cheverus High School. Alex Muchnick travels the farthest as a senior music major at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. The tenor and soprano saxophonist is from Los Angeles.

"When we were setting up our season the board was eager to expand the indoor schedule," Russell said, "adding another concert. That's the one we added for September. A big band party, so to speak with a place for people to dance too.

"Having started that last summer with two concerts inside it gave us the chance to expand our season without being weather dependent," Russell continued. "Adding one in June and another in August extends the season. June inside without all the bugs, black flies. By expanding our season and moving a couple inside, we cut down on some of the expenses and increased our potential of breaking even or better."

Among the most popular valley musical acts is Dennis & Davey, also known as "Four Feet Two Shoes." They are veterans of the Arts Jubilee, yet they mark a third indoor show at Cranmore's pavilion.
"Dennis & Davey have routinely opened for the symphony concert," said Russell. "It just so happens this year that neither of them are available to open for the symphony, so we asked them to do an indoor show of their own."

The duo — Dennis O'Neil and Davey Armstrong — frequently entertain residents and guests in the valley with their Celtic and folk music, whether it's a regular weekly performance at a place like Horsefeathers or May Kelly's Cottage, or an event-style performance such as performing on New Year's Eve or Arts Jubilee.

"Over the years," wrote Russell in a press release, "Arts Jubilee audiences have also heard Dennis and Davey as they kindly donated their talents to provide the early concert slot at one of the Schouler Park performances each summer. Who can forget the kids lined up in front of the stage — growing in number with each verse — singing and dancing 'The Unicorn Song'? Or, the warm, rich voice of Dennis as he sings his native Irish folk music, or the sight of Davey in his barefooted splendor playing the bass pedals while simultaneously piping the melody of an Irish gig."

The indoor shows have two kinds of seating. One is high-top tables, giving people the feel of a lounge setting. Those tickets are very limited and will move pretty quickly, said Russell. They are $15. General seating is $12. "Refreshments are done by Cranmore," she said. "And people can access it from any seating. I think there may have been confusion with that last year."

All the money from the ticket sales benefit Arts Jubilee. Cranmore, as host sponsor, is donating the site. The concessions funds remain with Cranmore.

Another recurring feature of Arts Jubilee, beside the concerts, is the popular American Airlines raffle. Tickets are $2 each or a book of seven for $10. Overall, participants have a chance to win from among more than 50 prizes during the summer. The grand prize, drawn at the final outdoor concert, is a pair of American Airline tickets to any destination American Airlines flies in the contiguous 48 states. The raffle tickets can be purchased under the Arts Jubilee concession tent at the concerts. All proceeds are used to help Arts Jubilee cover expenses of the summer concert series and to fund their Artist in Residence programs presented in the area schools annually in the spring.

Also returning to the Jubilee is the involvement of North Conway Community Center. The center has traditionally offered up grilled burgers and hot dogs plus other things at the outdoor concerts; just this summer it is being done at the base of Cranmore's North Slope.
For more information call 356-5701, Ext. 350, or visit the Arts Jubilee Web page at www.mwvevents.com .

With pops, big band, jazz, Celtic, singer-songwriter, folk and swing, the 2006 Arts Jubilee is a big, bright, colorful floral arrangement of music.

Entertainment editor William A. Huffman can be contacted at bill@conwaydailysun.com.