“A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA” PRESENTED BY DENYCE

Ryan Bowie & Donald Groves Ariana & James Horton Audrey Jones & Karen Stasiorowski Annette & Richard Jackson

Mary Dalton & Davis Fischer

Monroe Gildersleeve & James Cannon Judy Provo & Mary Nell Wooten

Story & Photography by Tony Centonze

The Clarksville Community Concert Association recently presented Denyce Graves: A Celebration of America in Song at APSU’s Mabry Concert Hall.

Graves is recognized worldwide as one of today’s most exciting vocal stars and continues to garner unparalleled popular and critical acclaim in her performances across four continents.

Ms. Graves, identified as “an operatic superstar of the 21st century” by USA Today, performed a medley of Gershwin classics, the timeless Summertime from Porgy and Bess, Traditional Spirituals, and more.

Hazel Radford & Yolanda Yancey

Find Your Family Fun

As we slowly start to welcome in the warmer weather, leading up to the spring season, many fun family-friendly events begin to make their way out of the woodwork. That means arts and crafts classes, family movie nights, and outdoor activities galore! However, just because there are a plethora of events to choose from, doesn’t mean that it’s just as easy to physically find said events. If you are one of the silent majority struggling to find what family-friendly events are coming up, then look no further, because Macaroni Kid Clarksville has got you covered!

Like many other traditional online blog guides, the idea to start Macaroni Kid Clarksville was stemmed from difficulties locating reliable online resources. Publisher Megan Vargas realized that finding local, family-friendly, activities and events to attend was harder than originally imagined. From that simple difficulty, Macaroni Kid Clarksville was born; providing valuable information for parents within Montgomery County.

Vargas shared, “After the birth of my youngest son Max, I decided to leave my full-time 9-5 job and begin my journey as a work from home mom. During this time, I wanted to find fun events and activities for my son to engage in, but couldn’t seem to find good, reliable information when it came to kid friendly fun. This is when I decided to become a Macaroni Kid publisher mom with a mission to not only connect local families to fun in our community but also one another. Since Macaroni Kid Clarksville was founded in Feb of 2018, we have been a valuable resource to thousands of moms, especially through our website, weekly e-newsletter, and social media platforms.” Macaroni Kid Clarksville is THE ultimate guide for all things family fun! They keep an updated monthly calendar of events, provide arts and crafts tutorials, and even dish out helpful tips and tricks. And did we mention that it’s completely complimentary?!

“Macaroni Kid Clarksville is a FREE parenting resource website and e-newsletter dedicated to helping local parents, grandparents and caregivers find fun, family-friendly events and activities in our community,” Vargas detailed. “We have a free kid friendly events calendar located on our website with details about each family-friendly event. In addition, we offer helpful guides, local business information, parenting tips, product reviews, contests, fun giveaways, and more! Our mission is to be your “one-stop-shop” for all things family fun related in the Clarksville area.” The resources that Macaroni Kid Clarksville provides aren’t the only things that make it so uniquely special. There is also the, sometimes overlooked, element of having a true advocate behind the computer screen. Not only does she have her best interests at heart, but Vargas has also ridden the “struggle” bus a few times herself; making her the best person for the almost daunting role as publisher of Macaroni Kid Clarksville.

“At Macaroni Kid Clarksville, our primary focus is helping families find free and affordable family fun! Keeping the kids educated, entertained (and some days even exhausted) doesn’t have to cost a fortune. A few examples of this include StoryTime at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library, monthly events and activities hosted by Clarksville Parks and Recreation and even planned playdates at one of our amazing local parks,” Vargas explained. “Studies continue to show us that quality early childhood development, filled with healthy engagement with their peers and family members, are key determinants of future health and well-being. Being an advocate for healthy family dynamics is at the core of what we do.”