Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Bill McCann

Columnist

It is now Saturday—two days before Christmas, and I bet a few—well, more than a few—of you are still looking for the perfect gift. Give a gift of artistic adventure! Something that is not easily wrapped but likely never forgotten either.

My brother Bruce and his wife Kay Chambers inspired this column. Earlier this month, they invited my wife and I—and two other couples as well—over for lunch and an afternoon at the Speed Museum, of which they are members. So the eight of us ate a wonderful gourmet lunch, fixed by them, and then went to the museum where we spent several more hours.

The Speed was on my “bucket list,” but since we live in Winchester, it is not easily accessible. Moreover, though admission is not expensive–$10 to $15 per person, plus parking—neither is it a place that is easy to drop in on as tickets must be reserved in advance for a particular time and date. So I had never been; we had never been. But Bruce and Kay made lunch and made all the arrangements for our visit as one of the perks of membership is a certain number of free tickets annually.

Our adventure of lunch and a visit to the Speed Art Museum inspired me to consider other adventures that might make good solstice-timed holiday gifts.

In Winchester, giving children the gift of summer camp at the Leed’s Center for the Arts would be a great way to get a child or teenager immersed in theatre, where they will learn about everything from lines to lighting and design. If summer seems too far off right now, tickets to a show—the Putnam County Spelling Bee runs Feb. 23rd-25th and March 1st-3rd 2024—and a meal might be just the ticket.

Another idea would be a night of improvisational theatre—think “Whose Line is it Anyways” with local and regional talent instead of Wayne Brady and Drew Carey—at the Leed’s the evening of Jan. 13, 2024.

Tickets for events at the Leeds can be bought online and questions about their summer camps can be asked on their website leedscenter.org

Another possibility is Pioneer Playhouse in Danville. Check out their 75th season, which features three plays—”The 39 Steps,” adapted by Patrick Barlow; “The Book Woman,” a world Premier by Holly Hepp-Galvan from the picture book by Heater Henson; and “Fireflies” by Matthew Barber—all performed nightly under the stars. Finally, the season ends with a notice that “Elvis has left the building.” Three different Elvis tribute performers will be singing under a “Blue Moon of Kentucky” from Aug. 15- 17.

If watching plays on a cloudless night is not venturesome enough, then spend the night there in a tent (or camper) at Pioneer Playhouse’s campground. For more information visit pioneerplayhouse.com

Kentucky State Parks also offer some adventures, including First Day Hikes at Big Bone Lick (Union), E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park (Louisville), and Kincaid Lake State Park (Falmouth). But I can hear some readers objecting; those are not artistic! Maybe not. Unless you take along a camera or an easel, paints, a canvas, or perhaps a journal to write a poem or short story, sometimes the best artistic adventure is one you create yourself.

For more information about events at Kentucky State Parks, visit https://parks.kygov.com

These are not the only ideas for how to gift an adventure. Search out other possibilities online or in your community. From voice lessons to acting lessons to museums to dinner theaters to ceramics and more, there are all sorts of fun and artistic endeavors that may make great gifts. Let your imagination run wild. The nice thing is that unusual gifts do not require much wrapping—a letter, a gift card, or even a website printout may suffice.

Bill McCann is the author of “God Hires Gardeners,” which is available online and locally from Arts on Main and the Tourism Commission.