Breakfast For The Arts: Eating To Help Support Two Area Organizations   As non-profit organizations everywhere suffer through one of their most challenging financial years, supporting the arts in the Alleghany Highlands community has never been more delicious. Local residents can support arts and culture next Saturday by simply taking their family out for breakfast. Both the Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center and the Alleghany Highlands Arts Council are holding breakfast fundraisers on Saturday Feb. 6. In Clifton Forge Vic's Italian American Restaurant will be serving an All–You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet from 7-11 a.m., featuring country ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, pancakes, biscuits with pepper gravy, pastries, and coffee, tea and juice. Eat all you can for $7.00 plus tax, children under 10 eat for $5.00 plus tax. Vic’s is located at 435 E Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge, right next door to the Arts and Crafts Center. Members of the Center’s board will be serving and have agreed to donate their tips as well; proceeds benefit the Arts and Crafts Center operations. Meanwhile, in Covington, members of the Alleghany Highlands Arts Council board will be serving all-you-can eat pancakes with sausage, coffee, milk and juice at Applebee's from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. at a cost of $5 per person. Earnings will help with general operating costs. Each of these organizations serves up a healthy portion of arts activities to residents of the Highlands. The Arts and Craft Center focuses on visual arts while the Arts Council presents the performing arts. Established in 1984, the Arts & Crafts Center features an invitational exhibition gallery with display that change every 5 weeks. These exhibits include a wide range of media including all types of painting, fiber, printmaking, photography and more all free of charge. The Center’s gallery is also the site of the Fall Festival Art Exhibit, open to all community residents over 18, held each October. The Center Shop carries work by over 300 juried artists and craftspeople from across the region, one of a very few such facilities in Virginia. Other Center programs include classes and workshops for various skill levels and ages in several different media. In conjunction with the Virginia Commissions for the Arts, The Center provides an annual Artist in Residence program for the Covington and Alleghany High School visual arts classes. Students and teachers work with a professional artist as mentor; work by both students and the Residency Artist is featured in a month long exhibit open to the public. The Arts Council has served the Alleghany Highlands since 1953 presenting live performances of music, theatre, dance. Professional performers from all over the world are brought into the community through the Performing Arts Series for the general public, Young People Theatre Series in the local schools, and special guest artist events and festivals. Artist residencies and master classes have helped nurture local talent as well. This can be seen primarily through Alleghany Highlands Orchestra, Alleghany Highlands Chorale and Alleghany Community Theatre. “This is not the first collaboration between our organizations,” said Arts Council Executive Director Tammy Scruggs, referring to an artist residency in May 2006 when grant funds from The Alleghany Foundation allowed 10 Tibetan monks to spend a week in our area sharing their history and culture through both performance and visual art. Arts and Crafts Center director Nancy Newhart- Farrar agreed: “This is a great demonstration of how the arts and all community organizations could work together. Breakfasting out on February 6 is another way to share. So, if you enjoy having arts and culture here in our corner of the world, show your support and appreciation by bringing your family, friends and neighbors. Whether you visit Applebee’s or Vic’s—or maybe both, get behind the wonderful offerings of visual and performing arts here in the Highlands. It’s part of what makes our community so special.“

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