Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 29

Friday August 4 1989 Kingsport Times-News 3D Bristol raceway switching lanes NASCAR track expanding its role to become a performing arena for concerts By BECKY WHITLOCK Weekender Editor 'w sr r- -f-J: ''Cr structors who will be teaching students daring the Intercity BalletReese Holloway Toohey Summer Dance Workshop Intercity Ballet to hold workshop for local students Photo courtesy Bristol international Raceway As the fastest half-mile track in the world the Bristol International Raceway garners nationwide attention twice a year when it acts as host for the Busch 500 and the Valleydale Meats 500 And with those two top racing events Bristol Internationl Raceway is popular with the spectators The Busch 500 which will be held Aug 26 has been sold out since February a far cry from the early when BIR owner Larry Carrier had to give away tickets to fill the seats Though BIR is firmly on its feet as a host for two NASCAR-sanctioned events Carrier and Ron Scalf public relations director say they see other uses for the 62000-seat arena philosophy our needs are we want to grow more One of our natural fortes will be Scalf said Scalf presently is working with the Club MTV tour trying to get a performance worked out Other groups touring this summer also have been contacted but nothing has been finalized Scalf also said a date had been set for a Bobby Brown concert but Brown this week cancelled the rest of his tour including the planned Bristol show During most concerts only one side of the raceway the side on which the press box and the corporate suites sit would be utilized A stage would be constructed in the grandstand area and 25000 to 30000 people could be seated Scalf said have a showcase facility Larry Carrier started Bristol Raceway in 1961 In the early days racing was a bad word I think the growth of the sport has enabled us to grow to the point where we want to be known as a performing Scalf said have the ability to put on shows And a profit motive there I think foolish from a business standpoint to let a facility such as this to only be utilized two weekends a What Scalf would like to see is six concerts in the period from late spring until October The concerts Scalf said would feature one big-name star or a number of top performers appearing on the same bill Concerts are not new to BIR The country band Alabama has performed in Bristol three times and in the Carrier was successful in getting Patsy Cline to perform at the arena not a new Scalf said an Long known as a premier NASCAR track the Bristol International Raceway is heading in a new direction as a performing arena By JOHN NEVVLAND Times-News Staff Writer idea grown to the point of being serious But Scalf said he and Carrier know making BIR a well-known arena will take a directed sales effort To that end in September Scalf will go to a national conference that concert promoters from New York City and Los Angeles attend to find venues and set up schedules have to sell ourselves to them because they know where Bristol Tenn is known worldwide as one of the premier NASCAR tracks but when talking to Bon manager not a race fan he know where the hell Bristol Scalf Though the concerts will benefit BIR Scalf said the expanded schedule will be good business for the region as well Carrier has been able to obviously be successful the type of person to put something back into the Scalf said recent chamber study showed $130 million is generated into the upper East Tennessee economy from our racing business So I think not only are we excited to bring concerts in here but from that standpoint getting positive feedback from all the chambers in which we are The Bristol International Raceway is a member of the Kingsport Johnson City Bristol Jonesborough and Elizabethton chambers of commerce role increasingly is getting to the point of being a good corporate citizen reason we (joined the chambers of commerce) is not just because we appreciate the other counties we want to work with the others to make sure not competing wantuto be upfront and let people know what direction going Though BIR only has plans for one concert this season Scalf is confident about the future already is big-time NASCAR racing This will be big-time concerts I think going to catch he said think ready to do it now This is serious going to do it made the decision to do it not looking down the Pre-registration is now available for storytelling festival By JOHN NEWLAND Times-News Staff Writer1 Even if they have never taken a dance class children would benefit from attending next Intercity BalletReese Holloway Toohey Summer Dance Workshop said Dorothy Hanner Ratcliff director of the program and co-director of the Kingsport guild of the Intercity Ballet Children learn grace and coordination from dance classes she said adding the lessons will be taught particularly well because of the caliber of the instructors Terrell Paulk ballet master for the Albany NY Ballet Theatre and Irma Witt OTallon founder of the Knoxville Ballet But the workshop the first major summer program Intercity Ballet has sponsored will also benefit children who take dance regularly is our first year we have started a proper summer workshop' Ratcliff said Ballet has always before brought in teachers throughout the school year and had weekend workshops is really our first large summer workshop And we will continue to do weekend workshops throughout the school year We feel that this enables the kids to get something special all through the year driving force was that basically throughout the summer so many of the children their skills in dance fall by the wayside they get so involved in other Not only does the workshop offer a chance to hone skills dulled by summer but at $45 it offers a chance for students to work with high-caliber teachers at a minimal cost she said get the quality-type teachers you usually have to travel to other she said way we can bring them in to the children at a lesser expense go to New York or Miami or Chicago and get this type of teacher you have to spend thousands of dollars This way for a real minimal amount $45 is nothing It even cover our costs really" For one $45 fee students may take all of or choose from five classes: Ballet I and Ballet HI and IV Advanced Ballet Jazz I and II and Advanced Jazz Terrell Paulk a former member of the National Ballet of Canada who now lives and works in Atlanta will teach the ballet classes (Paulk) is an abolutely super dance said Ratcliff has just been dancing since he was a youngster He danc- ed with the Atlanta Ballet for years and he was their lead dancer he had choreographed some numbers for Intercity Ballet way back when we first started (in 1975) makes you work he makes you want to work He is tremendous with youngsters And for the dancers in the group he will make them grow dramatically in just a few Times-News photo Ned Jilton JoAnn Mathews will exhibit her most recent work at the Jonesborough Visitors Center in August on admission cost have been requesting pre-registration and we decided that this year on an experimental basis we would offer said Smith what that will do is save the regis-trants money because we are giving a discount for pre-regis-' tration a small one but a Admisson with pre-registration is $47 for adults $32 for those over 65 and $21 for children 7-12 Those who pay on arrival will pay $50 for adult tickets Discounts of 25 percent forsenior citizens and 50 percent for children will be given Children under 7 are admitted free And families will pay no more than $125 for admission" providing all children accompanying their parents are under 18 and living in the home The $125 admission ceiling is the same with pre-registration One and two-day tickets are also available with pre-registration or regular admission ranging in cost from $15 to $40 For more information about the National Storytelling Festival or to request a pre-registra-4 tion form call 753-2171 Local artist to exhibit -works in Jonesborough Because attendance at National Storytelling Festival has grown considerably in recent years preregistration to attend thethree- day event which will be held Oct 6-8 is being offered for the first time this year Growing at a rate of 15 percent in 1987 and 30 percent in 1988 attendance at the festival which is presented by National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling and features 15 internationally known tellers was more than 6000 last year NAPPS founder and director Jimmy Neil Smith expects at least a 10 percent increase for this 17th annual festival he said With so many people attempting to register and pay admission upon arrival in Jonesborough long lines have become a fixture at the National Storytelling Festival But with pre-registration patrons may mail in their ticket fees and be given admission credentials as soon as they arrive on the festival grounds Another benefit for those who pre-register is a small discount By BECKY WHITLOCK Weekender Editor works will be on display through Aug 31 at the Jonesborough Visitors Center began painting 25 years ago when the oldest of her three sons entered elementary school She found it was an activity that served as a release I first started painting I was kind of moody I guess the way artists are When I would get in a bad mood my children would say go paint for a I was always happy when I was she said could really get into In her work artist JoAnn Mathews captures the everday scenes the mountain landscape a country kitchen a dancer warming up an antique store She uses these life scenes to evoke warm emotions kind of experience suits me better than she said tell me they have a good feeling when they look at my work a good mood and a place like to Mathews whose most recent Please see DANCE page 6D Please see ARTIST page 6D The Road Company hires a general manager Leonard said increased obviously more difficult for me to keep up with the artistic effort not that I but a bigger and bigger job in simple terms we needed to have another administrator here We have had that need for some Leonard said The Road Company needed to separate the artistic and managerial functions so 'that each could be handled more effectively been a reduction in dialogue about needs versus he said as a collect tive kind of ground to a stasis in adding a position general manager trying to generate the possibility for the artistic needs to have one voice and the management to have another voice so that we could have dialogue again and get a healthier organism out of Kesler holds a degree from Virginia Tech and a degree from Catawba College in her hometown For both degrees her study was in business administration and theater By JOHN NEWLAND Times-News Staff Writer Johnson professional theater troupe The Road Company has added another spoke to its management collective known as The Hub Because of a more demanding touring schedule with the Road original play and and because director Robert Leonard is working part-time as a teacher of directing at Virginia Polytechnic Institute a fifth position general manager was created recently Linda Kesler a 28-year-old native of Salisbury NC has filled that position and will handle monetary and business concerns freeing Leonard up to devote more time to guiding the theater troupe artistically Leonard whose former title was producing director had previously handled all business personnel and artistic decisions His new title is artistic director the company has gotten better and more ambitious the management issues have in- Linda Kesler (center) has been hired as The Road new general manager She will be taking over from artistic director Bob Leonard the day-to-day business of the company Nancy Fischmann is the development director Please see THE page 6D I i i i.