DISCOVER...

CREATIVITY
YOUNG MUSICAL SENSATION
LEAH MARLENE TO OPEN SPRING
BLOOM FESTIVAL
By Samantha Ghuneim

Most 16-year-olds are worried about prom or next

week’s basketball game, but Leah Marlene is not your
typical 16-year-old girl. By the time she was 8, Mar-
lene knew that she had an interest in music. In 2010,
she was first discovered and started to play shoes
for local houses and various restaurants. She has the
ability to play the guitar, ukulele, piano, and even the
drums. At just age 10, she was already competing in
Community College talent shows in the area. In just
the first two years of her very young career, Leah
Marlene was making a name for herself in the Bloom-
Leah Marlene
ington-Normal music scene. In 2012 she won her first
Community College talent show at only 10. Two years
later, she won her second talent show at the age of
heir talents. Showing off our local talent is exactly
12. After this, she went on to start writing and record-
what the festival is all about.
ing her own original music. She also started to play
at larger events and was even featured as herself for
Marlene is set to play a show on June 2nd at the Lex-
shows. Along with having her own shows, she opened
ington Homecoming Carnival. She also has a show on
a show for Troy Casetllano in Nashville in 2017 when
June 29 at Braize and already has a show scheduled
she was only 15!
for the fall on October 18th. If you can’t catch any of
her shows, you can also find her original songs on
“I love what I do, and I am so happy to share what I
iTunes or Spotify. Marlene wrote and produced all of
love with my community. I’ve had a lot of great oppor-
these songs by herself, way earlier than a lot of other
tunities and I am so grateful that I can perform. I’ll be
artists have in their career.
debuting my single Inevitable at the festival this year!”
said Leah Marlene.
Support your local youth talent by making it out to the
Spring Bloom Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, March
The McLean County Art’s Center will feature Leah
17th at the Bone Student Center. The McLean County
Marlene this year at the Spring Bloom Fine Arts Festi-
Arts Center will hold the event in the Braden Ballroom
val. It is inspiring to see how far Leah has come, and
and parking will be available on the North side of the
it is exciting to see the McLean County Arts Center’s
building. Don’t miss out on Leah Marlene’s perfor-
determination to support young artists and showcase
mance featuring her original single, “Inevitable.”


GET INVOLVED WITH US!

SHOW OFF YOUR WORK AT THE

SUGAR CREEK ARTS FESTIVAL
By Samantha Ghuneim

Ever imagine how your artwork will look being shown

off at this year’s Sugar Creek Arts Festival? It’s easy THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS
as one two three to sign up! Take a visit to our home-
By Samantha Ghuneim
page at www.mcac.wildapricot.com. Mosey on down to
the section titled Sugar Creek Arts Festival and fol-
low through to the sign-up directions. Right now is the
chance to show everyone in Bloomington-Normal your
fabulous artistic talent! Simply submit three pictures
as well as a 25-dollar application fee by April 15,
2018. After only seven days, the McLean County Arts
Center will notify you of your application status by
April 22. Categories appropriate for the show include
ceramics, fiber, glass, graphics, jewelry, photography,
sculptures, painting, and wood. Have your art be the
center of attention at this year’s Sugar Creek Festival!

Volunteers from Sugar Creek Festival ‘17

The McLean County Arts Center, along with residents

Artists’ mask from Sugar Creek Festival
of Bloomington-Normal want to give a thank you to
the volunteers that have sacrificed their time to make
sure things run smoothly. Without these astounding
men and women, several of our events would not be
possible. Whether it be to greet guests or do sales
and setting up, our local volunteers truly give each
and every one of our events a wholesome feel. To
find out more about volunteering opportunities for the
McLean County Arts Center’s upcoming event, The
Sugar Creek Arts Festival, visit our website! There,
you will find tons of information on how to sign up,
what kind of jobs there are, and how you are benefit-
ing this program!