Women's Day event tonight benefits Coverdale Centre
Belly dancing, tarot among attractions at 'Something Blue'  

BY MIKE MULLEN Telegraph-Journal
News, Tuesday, March 8, 2005, p. A4
Greater Saint John
 
Art, music, poetry, a Native drum circle, belly dancing, tarot-card reading and a cookie bake-off will be among the smorgasbord of activities on tap tonight as part of a local International Women's Day fundraiser and celebration.
But "Something Blue" organizer Kim Blue says it's not just for women.
"It's for women and those who love them," she said Monday. "Men are welcome. Anybody who wants to celebrate special women in their lives, this is a good time to do it and have a really good time. We know how to have fun."  
This year's celebration will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Church of St. Andrew and St. David (United) at 164 Germain St. Admission is $10 "or whatever you can afford," says Mrs. Blue. "We won't turn anyone away."  
All proceeds from the event will go to the Coverdale Centre for Women (634-1649), which supports women in transition, women and girls who have been abused, and any women needing assistance.
Four distinct areas have been set up for tonight's activities.
The Opal Gallery, in white, will feature exhibits by local artists such as Suzanne Hill, Carol Taylor Kathy Hooper, Sue Hooper, Lynn Wigginton, Holly McKay and Andrea Butler.
"Carol Taylor, for the first time, will be showing three pieces she exhibited in Italy," said Mrs. Blue.
The Amethyst Meditation Room, in purple, will feature tarot-card reader Melinda DeLong, a graffiti wall where people can express themselves and places to read poetry or do other things.
The Indigo Lounge, in blue, will be set up like a café and feature the musical stylings of Karen Palmer. Sweets, coffee and tea will be available, as well as massage therapy and manicure table. Groups like the YMCA, the Council on the Status of Women and the Coverdale Centre, will have information tables set up around the perimeter of the room.  
Mrs. Blue said the cookie bake-off judging will also take place in the Indigo Lounge.
Perhaps the busiest of the four areas will be the Red Candle Room, in the sanctuary area, where the stage will be draped in red with red candles.  
It'll be the main entertainment venue and the location of the opening ceremonies, set for 7 p.m., featuring Brenda Murphy of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women and Coverdale Centre executive director Betty McDonald.
At 7:10 p.m., the Native women's drum circle Spirit of Four Winds will do a smudging, or cleansing, of all the women in the room. Next up will be the Port City Dance Ballet Troupe, followed by local poet Anne Compton, who will read excerpts form her book, Opening the Island; the Caravan Bell Dancers, led by Marilyn Paras, with audience participation; and the songwriter's circle of Debbie Adshade, Jessica Rhaye and House of Mary (Mrs. Blue).
The entertainment wraps up with a screening of Gretchen Kelbaugh's Dragon Boat film about breast cancer survivors and how they came to form a paddling team.  
International Women's Day is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. Commemorated by the United Nations, it is designated in many countries as a national holiday. It is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing.