Mercer County, WV –  The 16th Annual All Together Arts Week May 3-10 will celebrate creative activity around Mercer County, encourage exploration and appreciation of the area’s arts venues and promote collaboration among artists and arts organizations. The week features the All Together Arts Parade and Day of Merriment in the Mercer Street Grassroots District in Princeton on May 4, gallery hops on a special trolley May 9 and 10, offering guests an opportunity to discover the variety of venues that are available in Bluefield, Bramwell, and Princeton, and a Day with Tamarack Foundation for the Arts (TFA) May 8, featuring collaborative Zine Making, Creative Network Sign-ups, and a special Listening Sessions for artists to voice their needs to inform future support programs by TFA. 

The rest of the week spotlights creative activities that happen any given week of the year in Mercer County, including live music, poetry readings, healing arts, dance concerts, paint nights, live theater, art shows, art workshops and more; organizers hope people will visit new venues, make new friends, discover new opportunities and become engaged with the vibrant arts scene in the area. The purpose of the week is to celebrate and showcase the diverse tapestry of arts activity our area holds, encourage support and participation, and unite creative people around the county and beyond. The week aims to put the spotlight on “a week in the life of the arts in Mercer County” to demonstrate the variety of creative activities that occurs regularly.

Gallery hops will take place in Princeton on Thursday, May 9 and in Bluefield/Bramwell on Friday, May 10. The Princeton Hop will start at Dick Copeland Town Square and make stops at CSC Candle Bakery, The Gaia Den, The Hatter’s Bookshop, The Bronze Look, Wild Roots Coffeehouse, Associated Photography, Princeton Dance Studio, Holler: Contemporary Appalachian Art Gallery, Shine Time Studios, RiffRaff Art Boutique, and the gallery of the late Wanda Murphy. The Bluefield Hop will begin at Downtown Merchants and make stops at The Paine Gallery in Bluefield Arts Center, Gary Bowling’s House of Art, The Paragon Jewell, SKS Studios, The Granada Theater, Bramwell’s Corner Shop and more. There is no charge to ride the trolley. See a detailed itinerary at alltogetherarts.com. 

The All Together Arts Parade and Day of Merriment has been described as the most whimsical and joyous day of the year in the Mercer Street Grassroots District. The day begins at 11am on Saturday, May 4th with sidewalk chalk, live music, free crafts and face painting, and getting in costume for the parade. People are encouraged to dress in their most colorful attire and march with the parade. At 12:30, participants will make their way to the parade starting point in front of the new Farmers Market Site. There will be no motorized vehicles in the parade; there will be puppets, a life-sized paper mache elephant, a dragon and other colorful creatures. Anyone is welcome to join in and guests are encouraged to bring their own puppets, masks or other festive items. The parade will march at 1pm, and will conclude in Dick Copeland Town Square with music, dancing and merriment until about 3pm. This event is free of charge.

Featured events during the week include The Charleston Ballet at The Granada Theater, multiple concerts and events at Chuck Mathena Center, Bluefield High School Theater Department’s production of Hairspray, Jazz in the Afternoon at Sisters Coffeehouse, multiple workshops at Hammer & Stain, Open Stage Night at Downtown Merchants and in The Room Upstairs, live music at Sophisticated Hound Brewing Co., activities at Craft Memorial and Princeton Public Libraries, and more. The full schedule of activities is available below and at alltogetherarts.com.

The event is sponsored by The RiffRaff Arts Collective and LLyniuM entertainment, in cooperation with arts venues around Mercer County.  Special thanks go out to The City of Princeton, Public Works, Police and Fire Departments for their cooperation with the parade tradition, and to Mercer County Commission for their support of the trolley. 

Visit alltogetherarts.com for more information, or call 304-320-8833.