(Editor's note: Jennifer Randall originally sent this letter out to Third Thursday fans on facebook and we asked her if we could republish on WUH to see if we could get a conversation flowing here as well.)
An open letter to the community of Hutchinson, to those who attend and enjoy Third Thursday.
Third Thursday is about coming downtown and enjoying the Art, Music and our Community. The Musicians provide you with excellent, original, professional music. We are happy that our Musicians' Fund through the sales of our Art T-Shirts is able to provide some monetary support for those who are providing you with entertainment. You are welcome to give to this fund through the Hutchinson Community Foundation privately or through the purchase of T-Shirts. The venues that are open during the evening are thankful for your foot traffic into their stores, and the opportunity is there for you to purchase something from that store or come back at another time and browse. Many people enter a store they may not normally, on Third Thursday. It is a unique opportunity for the store to add to their customer base. Artists set up in these stores and galleries to show their Artwork, their handcrafted pieces, and this adds a new interest to come back in to the open venues each Third Thursday.
Downtown Hutchinson’s 3rd Annual Art Walk will be duly celebrated at the Hutchinson Art Center, 405 N. Washington with the opening reception of the Friday Artist Group’s FigurativelySpeakingexhibit and a concert by one of the mid-west’s finest folksingers, Ann Zimmerman.
The Friday Artist Group is a band of painters somewhat fluid in number that meet on Friday mornings at the Art Center September through May to paint, draw and critique their work. During the summer months they gather to paint plein-air.
Artists whose work comprises the Figuratively Speaking exhibit include Julie Baldwin, Jim Gilley, Martha Hamilton, Louise Hutchinson, Jeanette Mull, Peg Stephenson, Dr. Joyce Sumner, Nathan Towle, Larry Welch, and Jinx Wright.
Yesterday I went around town to do some bargain shopping at stores such as the Goodwill and Salvation Army. Here is the deal. The Goodwill is getting to be ridiculous. I noticed while meandering through that some of their items are now being marked as antiques. Who decides that? Do they have the some special antique expert in the back? No. If you are buying a donated item at the Goodwill it should not cost more than 10.00 plain and simple. I found a teapot that was totally undoubtedly not an antique marked as one and price for 25 dollars. I feel like the Goodwill is loosing all its goodness. I passed on the teapot and continued to look around until I found some pants that were marked 78 dollars then they had a markdown sticker for 54 dollars. How can the Goodwill “mark down” items they received for FREE!!! I mean come on, these are donations that people couldn’t sell at their own private yard sales.
