Artober Fest Celebrates Creativity of Moreno Valley’s Artists

Artists took over the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center Saturday at the Annual Artober Fest. Visitors were welcomed to an array of booths, performers and exhibits honoring the beauty and magic of the arts. Ruth Van Hala, the Vice Chairperson for the Moreno Valley Arts Commission, said “[The Artober Fest] reminds me of the state fair, [with] so many new things I haven’t tried before.” Of the many booths displaying works of arts ranging from handmade necklaces to paintings and handcrafted items, there were many booths inviting youth to join their organizations and develop not only artistic, but also leadership skills. The Women Wonder Writers (WWW) is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth affected by abuse, trauma, and victimization. The organization teaches self-expression through art, writing, and public speaking. They hope that through programs such as The Write for Your Life—a 10-week program that teaches self-discovery, self-expression, empathy, tolerance, and team building—they can help “students write about their journeys, give them confidence to reach their full academic potential, and encourage them to give back to their community by spreading awareness on tough issues and practicing tolerance.” Job’s Daughters International is a Masonic organization for young women between the ages of 10 through 20, who have stated as their purpose to provide a “wholesome environment based on the foundation of high morals, love of country, love of family and friends, and respect for others throughout the world.” Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska founded the organization, which has established chapters in 31 states and four countries. The name Job’s Daughters originates from The Book of Job from a verse in chapter 42, “And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job.” The organization has established friendship, leadership, and charity as their pillars. Through friendship they hope that their members will become more than just lifelong friends, but rather become sisters. They hope to empower women to become leaders in their communities and take leadership positions in the future, making positive impacts on other women who seek membership into Job’s Daughters. The ladies of this organization are proud to have established their own charity, The Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment (HIKE). They provide hearing assistive devices for impaired children, which have inspired many members of the organization to learn sign language. Van Hala felt the event was a success, and that the participation for this year’s Artober Fest surpassed those from the past. She hopes that for next year the event will be twice as big, with hopes of obtaining a bigger venue, expanding the hours or doubling the days or a combination of all. Another goal for the future of the festival is to incorporate culinary arts, to embrace fully all areas of the arts. Van Hala hopes the Artober Fest will continue to grow each year and explained she wishes the best to the Arts Commission, as she will retire at the end of this year. She said she will continue to support the festival in the years to come. [END] Word Count: 548 6th Annual Artober Fest Date: Saturday, October 26, 2013 Time: 10:00 a.m. Google Map Event Location: Moreno Valley Conference & Rec Center Address: 14075 Frederick St. Moreno Valley CA 92553 Description: Thru 5 p.m. Celebrate the arts for free! See works of local artists in various mediums. Live entertainment, food & more. CONTACT INFO Phone: Parks & Rec 951-413-3701 Website: www.moval.org At the Hispanic Heritage Celebration I had the pleasure to meet Ruth Van Hala and Rick Archer who will be hosting the sixth annual Artober Fest, a free event that is sponsored by the City of Moreno Valley and the Moreno Valley Arts Commission. Ms. Van Hala let me know that there would be all types of artistic talents ranging from photography, paintings, sculptures, and jewelers to performers and poets and many more. The event will take place on October 26, 2013 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center. The address is: 14075 Frederick St. There will be art exhibits, entertainment, a beer garden, food trucks, and a movie in the gym at 6:00pm. Ms. Van Hala let me know that she would love to have City News there to cover the event. They are expected to have 1,000 attendees. Also, the Hispanic Heritage Celebration has been the second event I attend that is celebrating Hispanic culture. September is Hispanic Heritage Month and I think it would be really nice if every month we focus on what is being celebrated that month. For example, I believe that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so it would be nice to have a weekly article on something related to Breast Cancer Awareness. We could do an article on facts and ways to take care of breast cancer or steps for prevention or early detection. Also, we could have testimonials of women who have defeated cancer. I feel like this could add a more personal touch to the newspaper. Also, February is Black History so this can be a monthly segment to honor those important celebrations. Word Count: 280 DAISY’S ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Artists from all areas of the art industry took over the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center Saturday at the Annual Artober Fest. People of all ages wore big and bright smiles all day as they enjoyed the different booths, performers, and exhibits, all honoring the beauty and magic of the arts. Ruth Van Hala, the Vice Chairperson for the Moreno Valley Arts Commission, said “[the Artober Fest] reminds me of the state fair, so many new things I haven’t tried before”. Of the many booths displaying beautiful works of arts ranging from handmade necklaces to paintings and handcrafted items, there were multiple booths inviting the youth to join their organizations and develop not only artistic, but also leadership skills. The Women Wonder Writers (WWW) is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth affected by abuse, trauma, and victimization. The organization teaches self-expression through art, writing, and public speaking. They hope that through programs such as The Write for Your Life, a ten-week program that teaches self-discovery, self-expression, empathy, tolerance, and team building. The program is meant to help “students write about their journeys, give them confidence to reach their full academic potential, and encourage them to give back to their community by spreading awareness on tough issues and practicing tolerance”. Job’s Daughters International is an organization for young women between the ages of ten through twenty who have stated as their purpose to provide a “wholesome environment based on the foundation of high morals, love of country, love of family and friends, and respect for others throughout the world”. Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska founded the organization, which has established chapters in thirty-one states and four countries. The name Job’s Daughters originates from The Book of Job from a quote found in the forty-second chapter: “And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job.” The organization has established friendship, leadership, and charity as their pillars. Through friendship they hope that their members will become more than just life long friends, but rather become sisters. They hope to empower women to become leaders in their communities and take leadership positions in the future, making positive impacts on other women who seek membership into Job’s Daughters. The lovely ladies of this organization are proud to have established their own charity, The Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment (HIKE). They provide hearing assistive devices for impaired children, which have inspired many members of the organization to learn sign language. Mrs. Van Hala was ecstatic that the event was such a great success, and that the participation for this year’s Artober Fest surpassed those from the past. She hopes that for next year the event will be twice as big, with hopes of obtaining a bigger venue, expanding the hours or doubling the days or a combination of all. Another goal for the future of the festival is to incorporate culinary arts, to fully embrace all areas of the arts. Mrs. Van Hala hopes that the Artober Fest will continue to grow each year and wishes nothing but the best to the Arts Commission, since this will be her last festival as she is retiring at the end of this year, but will continue to support the festival in the years to come.