Great news!!! Prescott Fine Arts Association and Yavapai Community College are collaborating to bring residents of the Quad-City area an in-depth theatre arts education experience.

Beginning in the fall of 2007, Yavapai Community College will be offering Theatre 131, an introduction to performance techniques with an emphasis on movement and voice skills. Theatre 131 is a three-credit course (credits are transferable) that incorporates creative movement, pantomime, character analysis, and improvisation. Classes will be held in the Prescott Fine Arts theatre with on-going opportunities for hands-on experience as each theatre season unfolds.

The accomplished director and educator D. Bruce Lanning whose directing credits at Prescott Fine Arts include The Boys Next Door, All My Sons and the upcoming production of Pajama Game will teach the course. Over his career Mr. Lanning has directed over one hundred plays including William Inge's Picnic, David Mamet's The Water Engine, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes and The Children's Hour, and Meredith Wilson's The Music Man. For 20-years he served as the Managing Director of The Olde Towne Hall Theatre in Ohio.

The Yavapai Community College Fall schedule and registration began in April and the printed schedule is being published and distributed in July. Interested students may register for Theatre 131 online by going to http://www2.yc.edu/ or in person on the Yavapai College campus. Whether you are planning on a career in theatre arts or just want to be part of the local theatre scene this class is for you!

The upcoming guest show at Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery features three guest artists will be sharing the guest-artist space from July 15 – August 14. There will be an opening reception during the 4th Friday Artwalk on July 27, 6-8 p.m.

The artists are:

• Emily Yetman, a contemporary jewelry-maker, specializing in creating jewelry inspired by the serene landscapes of the human body and the Southwest. Sensual contours of the body reflected in the rolling skyline give way to her wearable creations. The various textures of the earth are echoed in the forging of each piece. Her designs enhance the beauty already existent in the human body, rather than detract from it.

Emily says: "My body becomes the perfect tool to generate forms in its own image. Working with metal is an organic and raw experience. I take a cold, solid material and soften it to connect with the fluidity of the body. I use stones and minerals to connect with the body on an emotional level."

Prescott Valley's M&I Bank is pleased to host the Prescott Valley Farmers Market beginning Thursday, July 19 from 4-8 pm at its location at 7221 E. Florentine Rd (corner of Glassford Hills and Florentine). The market will be held weekly through Oct. 11.

The best and cheapest way to lower your cooling expenses in the summer is to move north and close your house up for the summer…but seriously, the most energy efficient homes in the northern hemisphere are oriented on the site to have the building facing south with proper eaves and overhangs over windows to block out the summer sun.  The east and west sides of the building should be the narrow side so as to absorb as little sun as possible in the morning and especially the afternoons. 

Properly shading a home with native trees that have leaves in the summer can reduce temperatures in the house by up to 21°.  Other strategies for blocking the sun are shutters and trellises.  You can also buy sunshades that are similar to roll-up blinds except they are attached on the exterior of the building in front of a window.  Interior shading does not keep the heat out of your home as effectively as exterior shading.

Neighbor to Neighbor's cookbook - "Neighbor to Neighbor Nibbles" - is now available for purchase. For just $10.00 you can get 184 delicious recipes collected from neighbors, volunteers, family and friends. All profits go to support Neighbor to Neighbor in caring for elders and the disabled from Diamond Valley to Cordes Lakes. Neighbor to Neighbor provides transportation, shopping assistance, business help, minor handy-person repairs, respite assistance, visiting and phoning, caregiver support prescription assistance, and Personal Response Units to enhance the quality of life and enable our neighbors to remain in their homes and maintain their independence as long as possible.

The Neighbor to Neighbor offices are located at 8501 E. Yavapai Rd. in Prescott Valley. For more information, call (928) 775-6145.