Springtime for COTA

The Celebration of the Arts (COTA) held its monthly general meeting on Monday April 9th to plan their 35th Annual Jazz and Arts Festival to be held September 7th - 9th. The meeting took place at The Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, PA which, by all accounts, the festival was conceived during a conversation renowned jazz musicians Phil Wood, Rick Chamberlain, and the now deceased Ed Joubert had while enjoying a few drinks. The first festivals began modestly during the 1970s and soon grew requiring numerous volunteers to assure and enhance it’s qualities as it sought to become an asset to the cultural community of the area.

The monthly general meeting provides an opportunity for those who wish to enhance their love for jazz and the festival to participate in a variety of aspects connected to the annual event. These include gate workers, security, stage crew, and more. The Monday April 9th meeting was indicative of previous meetings as ideas were shared to explore how the festival experience can be enhanced by maintaining and improving upon its infrastructure. Some of these ideas included increasing COTA’s presence on the internet so jazz lovers can access information about the festival and all it does for the creative community more easily and discovering ways COTA can participate in festivals in order to enhance its presence in the community it serves. These ideas and others discussed during the meeting are certain to create more opportunities for volunteerism allowing more intimate relationships with the festival to develop.

However, as interesting the discussion of the many opportunities which are and will be available to those who wish to partake of them are, the most satisfying aspect of attending The Celebration of the Arts general meetings is reconnecting with friends established throughout the many years of the festival’s existence as well as meeting new friends eager to become a part of it. There is a certain energy that is present among attendees whose only gage for fluctuation is derived by how many are there. While the April 9th meeting proved to produce a smaller amount of Jazzy sparks, there were enough sparks to warm the enthusiasm which will become blazed as the months bring the reality of the festival closer. This is greatly anticipated. You’ll find more photographs taken during the meeting in The COTA Meetings 2012 Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150798121170421.468319.636000420&type=1&l=1ee42dedac.

The mission of The Celebration of the Arts (COTA) is to present and to support the art of jazz in all its forms and historical breadth through youth education, performing arts presentations, scholarship opportunities, and community outreach throughout the Pocono area. It’s next general meeting is scheduled to be held at The Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap on Monday May 14th beginning at 7:30pm. The public is invited and encouraged to attend as all ideas are welcomed. Please Explore The Celebration of the Arts Website at www.cotajazz.org or call 570-424-2210 to learn how you can become a volunteer and to learn for more information all about COTA has to offer.