By Desiree Dolberry, Young Professionals of the Twin Counties
aMONKst the art is a night to celebrate 20th century jazz and 20th century photography. We will recognize Rocky Mount’s native son, Thelonious Monk, a notorious jazz musician whose career began in the mid-1940’s. Monk is just one of 5 jazz musicians featured on the cover of TIME magazine and is an inductee of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
The Young Professionals of the Twin Counties will be holding this arts event on November 18, 2016, 7-11pm. This will be a great event to get out on a Friday night and enjoy yourself, while supporting local businesses in the Twin Counties.
The event is a fundraiser, in part benefitting the Monk Council, a group comprised of Thelonious’ family members, whose goals are to institutionalize Monk’s legacy in the community.
Funds raised will also help the Young Professionals of the Twin Counties to continue event programming that helps young people connect to their community, making them more likely to stay in the area — a vital need for the Twin Counties region.
The night will be filled with music played by local jazz musicians all during the night and will begin with dinner catered by The Prime Smokehouse, a successful jazz-themed barbecue restaurant located at 207 E Thomas Street in Downtown Rocky Mount. Visit their Facebook photo gallery to see examples of their culinary creations.
After dinner, the evening will progress into The Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences, 270 Gay Street, Rocky Mount NC. Dessert will be served and guests will have time to interact with each other and the photography. Be sure to stop and appreciate the photography exhibit, “Masters of American Photography,” which will include work from Ansel Adams, a piece entitled Migrant Mother, and the first application of fast action photography. More about this exhibit in the Maria V. Howard Arts Center at Imperial Centre is available here.
Among the entertainment for the evening, you will even have a chance to have your own 20th century photo made as a keepsake to the event.
A limited number of alcoholic beverages per guest will available all night. Dress code is semi-formal. For women, this means a short afternoon or cocktail dress, your “little black dress,” a long dressy skirt and top, or dressy separates. For men, this means a dark business suit, optional matching vest, dress shirt, tie, and dress shoes with dark socks.
Tickets are available at yopromonkevent.eventbrite.com. Individual tickets are available for $50 per person or $80 per couple. Couples tickets are available through November 11. Tables are also available with a special gift at $400 per table. Ticket price includes dinner, drinks, and all event activities. Tickets need to be purchased in advance, and sales at the door are not planned.
Local businesses are showing their support, including the Tarboro Brewing Company, Sweet Taters brewing, Angelo’s Pizza of Rocky Mount, and more to be announced.
The Young Professionals of the Twin Counties (YoPro) has organized this event with the support of the community and downtown businesses. The YoPro group was created as a part of the Twin Counties’ Here’s to Success Positive Image campaign.
Here’s to Success is a regional marketing and communications effort for Rocky Mount and the Twin Counties area in North Carolina to improve perceptions about the region. The purpose of the YoPro group is to provide opportunities for young professionals to connect with each other and the community.
According to Dorsey Tobias of Here’s to Success,
The purpose of the YoPro group is to provide opportunities for young people who live or work in the region to connect with each other and the community. We have an informal structure that accommodates all budgets and schedules — there are no membership dues or attendance requirements; it is truly as simple as a network for bringing young people together! Although our name is “Young Professionals”, we are comprised of people both young in age and young at heart, as well as a variety of career types – from the full-time parent to those with careers of all levels.
In addition to organizing the aMONKst the art event, YoPro holds regular events in Rocky Mount and Tarboro NC, and participates as a vendor in local festivals. The latest information is available on their Facebook page here.
The Twin Counties — Nash and Edgecombe — area of North Carolina includes videos on their website, www.twincountiesnc.com, that describe the top reasons to live in the Twin Counties. Check out the videos on that site, or — better yet — join the fun and community through the aMONKst the art event , meet community members for yourself, hear some of the history, while enjoying good food and good music.
