"I JUST GOT HERE from the Bible Belt, and the people there were more open," said Louisiana painter David Aaron Smith, regarding paintings that were deemed inappropriate for display in a recent exhibit of his work at the Miss Julie Gallery in the Arts Factory.

This Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter from Denver has accomplished a lot more than selling 8 million albums since 2000.

“Love Letters”: 7 p.m. Tues.-Wed.; 4 p.m. Feb. 19; 7 p.m. Feb. 24. American Legion Theater, 320 N. Washington St. $8-$12. lodiloveletters.com

Editor’s Note: Back in November 2011, I received an e-mail from Julie Praetzel in response to my column “The Artist’s Place.” Praetzel, who is an aspiring actress and filmmaker living in New York, revealed her struggling endeavor to tell a story about Juanita Guccione, an artist whose work has been buried in her son’s basement [...]

Princess Maggie. At least that's how the kids at the Osage Summer Theater Program refer to Maggie Blake. After telling a mythical story during snack time about how frogs became small creatures, the camp kids truly believed she was royalty.

B.E. Taylor, Beaver Valley's beloved native son of music, will be performing with a few members of his band at The Strand on Valentine's Day.