I attended an economic development summit last month organized by Supervisor Susan Masten. The theme of the event was celebrating successes. We too often focus so much time on the things that still need to be fixed, that we forget to recognize and celebrate our successes.I was not at all surprised to see the ubiquitous Nick Rail at this economic development meeting. Nick Rail is the Director of the Partnership for the Performing Arts, a non-profit organization that is promoting the construction of a Performing Arts Center in Crescent City. If you think about it, having a 1000 seat venue that can accommodate live performances will be an asset for those who live here and an economic draw for visitors who will travel here, eat in our restaurants, and stay in our motels.In the spirit of celebrating our successes, I want to highlight some of the ways in which our community has been successful in nurturing music, theater, dance, and the arts.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');We have many talented artists, fine art galleries and a very impressive collection of murals, both painted and ceramic creations. These are all a draw for tourists. When my sisters visited me a few years ago, they found a map for a tour of our local murals. It hadn’t occurred to me that this was a thing, but they happily spent the afternoon driving around looking at them.I want to commend the Del Norte Unified School District for their consistent support for music, theater, dance, and the arts in our schools. Students have an array of options including theater, dance, choral groups, and multiple bands. Providing these experiences in addition to a robust education in other subjects results in well-rounded young adults. We also have many ways for adults both young and old to continue involvement with music. The Wild Rivers Symphony is a non-profit organization that brings together musicians from Curry and Del Norte Counties to create an exceptional local symphony orchestra that schedules two performance series each year. This also provides an opportunity for high school age students to play with a large community orchestra.The Pacific Music Guild is a non-profit group that provides an umbrella organization for the North Coast Chorale, the Crescent City Children’s Choir, and the Tsunami Swing jazz band. They promote live music and provide performance opportunities for local residents. I belong to two of these groups, Tsunami Swing, and the North Coast Chorale. I can tell you that I appreciate being able to take a break from day-to-day life to just focus on making music with friends.Tsunami Swing big band jazz has been around forever. I have been playing 5th trumpet with Tsunami for about 10 years. Although my contribution is largely inconsequential, I enjoy being a part of a group effort to play in concert with each other. We love to share our music with the community and are playing on Senior Day at the Fair on Friday, August 5th from 1 – 3 PM. The North Coast Chorale is a group of about 50 singers. I joined in 2011, before the chorale went on tour to Europe. My wife, Jill Dovre, is the accompanist, and I could have gone along as her guest. But I decided to join and have the experience of singing in the grand cathedrals of Europe. I have now been on three tours and performed in Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. It is music that made this possible.The North Coast Chorale is starting up again after a two-year break because of Covid. Though we have over 40 people already signed up, we are in dire need of more tenors and basses. If you like to sing, please join us at 7 PM Wednesday, August 17 at the High School band room. All singers must be vaccinated, and masks will be required.I also want to celebrate other community groups like the Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness (DNACA), the Del Norte-Curry Community Concert Association, and the Lighthouse Repertory Theater (LRT) which bring live music and theatrical performances to our area. All these groups contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of our community. Everyone can support music and the arts. Every good performance needs a good audience. Kevin Hendrick is the Chair of the Del Norte County Democratic Central Committee - dndems@gmail.com googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });