HEART OF ART—Vocalist Darcel Hunter Headlining the Chichizola
This article originally published on August 12 in the Ledger Dispatch Newspaper. Click here to view the article on their website or read below.
By MOJO (Meghan Joy O’Keefe)
Way back in the nineteen hundreds, the board of the Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) launched the TGIF Free Summer Concerts. This program has brought free live music to more than 40,000 people aged 0 to 90 in beautiful outdoor spaces throughout our rural community. 27 years later, having produced more than 600 hours of free live music, Amador Arts keeps bringing free live music to generations of locals and tourists.
This Friday (August 15th), the TGIF Free Summer Concerts move to a “new-to-us” location: The Motherlode Land Trust at the C&C Ranch. Although you may not be familiar with this spot, this heritage location and Registered Historic Site since 1992, features a commercial complex that was once the largest retailer in Amador County. With the first general store building constructed in 1850, the family business grew into a twelve-building enterprise and served the region for 127 years until 1977. The site holds wonders of our past and a plethora of artifacts (some still being uncovered) that weave a story of local culture, family, commerce, mining, agriculture, and industry in our recent past.
At the concert, you will enjoy iconic country views, a heritage sunset, historic agricultural artifacts, the community garden, and a one-of-a-kind picnic spot that you will fall in love with instantly. I won’t be surprised when you register for a community garden bed (motherlodelandtrust.org/garden).
Are you ready for GREAT MUSIC?! You are in for a treat with live tunes from one of our most angelic and soulful local singers, Darcel Hunter, and her newest band, The Last Call. Hunter’s voice is known for its passionate tone, and she melds with her bandmates to deliver Rock and Country songs that move, jive, and keep the summer spirits light and bright.
Hunter, a longtime singer and music artist, knows the power of bringing people together for live music experiences. “It’s a great outlet for people to come together and release energy. Many people can’t afford to pay to see live music.”
Music listeners enjoy TGIF Free Summer Concerts for free, but for the musicians, they invest years of disciplined study and many more dollars into developing and sustaining their craft. I asked Hunter why she has given so much to her creative practice. “I grew up with all kinds of music in my house. It’s a part of me and it brings people together…everyone can be involved in some way.” When asked if she has advice for budding music artists, she replied enthusiastically, “Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love, ESPECIALLY music.” She giggled, “Just know that it takes 20+ years to be an overnight success!”
I asked Hunter where her creative goals will take her next. “I really haven’t thought about what’s next, but I do love the new configuration we have now. My nephew George is a songwriter, and we have been talking about adding more original songs to our repertoire.”
Darcel Hunter performs with her band, The Last Call, at the Amador Arts TGIF Free Summer Concerts tonight, August 15th, from 6 to 8 PM at the C&C Ranch, also known as the Mother Lode Land Trust. Picnicking and community fun begin as early as 4 PM.
DIRECTIONS
Here are some good old-fashioned directions to help you find your way! Get yourself to Jackson Gate Road. The complex is North of China Graveyard Road and South of Raggio Road. Between the one-lane bridge and the pink Zola Exchange building, you will find plenty of parking on both sides of the road—in the dirt bike field and behind the rose garden. After parking, bring your picnic, beverages, chairs, insect repellent, and summertime joy to the new patio stage near the community garden beds behind the historic barn.
The TGIF Free Summer Concerts are possible thanks to local sponsors and the State Local Partner program from the California Arts Council, a state agency, arts.ca.gov. Amador Arts is a 501c3 (EIN 94-2811333 established in 1982), devoted to advancing arts and cultural expression through arts business resources, data, poetry, and more. As a State Local Partner, it is our duty and honor to acknowledge the land upon which we serve—Amador County is the pre-colonial, ancestral, and present-day lands of the Nisenan, Washoe, and Miwok Nations. To learn more about the TGIF Free Summer Concerts and the State Local Partner work, please visit our website, amadorarts.org, or call/text 209-256-8166.