Pearl Party Features Blues/Soul Artist Eddie 9V at Alys Beach Nov 18

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) invites the community to help celebrate 30 years of fostering creativity with a new signature event, the Pearl Party, featuring Blues/Soul Artist Eddie 9V in Alys Beach on Friday, November 18th. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.CulturalArtsAlliance.com.

“The pearl is an iconic symbol of wisdom and strength gained through time and experience. In the last 30 years, the CAA has grown and developed into the creative pearl of our community, and this milestone is made even more special by celebrating it in beautiful and iconic Alys Beach,” said CAA Executive Director Jennifer Steele. “We invite everyone to wear their favorite pearls, put on their dancing shoes and join us for a fun and casual evening that celebrates our past and toasts our future.”

The Pearl Party will take place on Kelly Green Just south of Scenic 30A and the amphitheater in Alys Beach. Doors open to the general public at 6:30 p.m. with Eddie 9V taking the stage at 7p.m. There will be a cash bar and food trucks onsite with scrumptious offerings. Dress is casual, and pearls and low back chairs are encouraged.

Tickets are $25 for CAA members and $50 for those who are not yet members. A limited number of $500 VIP packages for six are available and include a reserved table and concert seating. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.CulturalArtsAlliance.com/upcoming-events.

VIP and Member admission includes access to an exclusive Member Pre-Party from 5-6:30 p.m. to enjoy a signature cocktail and light bites while we will recognize the Volunteers of the Year, Arts Educator of the Year, Arts Partner of the Year and more!  To become a member and receive discounted tickets and Pre-Party access, visit www.CulturalArtsAlliance.com/join.

The Pearl Party is presented by Alys Beach with additional support from the Florida Department of State, Division of Arts & Culture. Event proceeds benefit the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County’s ‘Art For All’ Program.

Additional sponsorships are available and include a table as well as reserved seating. Contact Gabby at gabby@culturalartsalliance.com for details. Volunteers are needed to help create all the fun! Please visit www.CulturalArtsAlliance.com/volunteer to sign up.

For more information, please visit www.CulturalArtsAlliance.com or call 850-622-5970.

The Pearl Party is also the kickoff event for  the 30K for 30 campaign, in celebration of its 30th Anniversary. The campaign aims to raise $30,000 by June 30, 2023 to increase the organization’s Art For All educational funding by 30% in its 30th year.

The CAA officially formed in 1993 with a dedicated volunteer group of creative pioneers committed to supporting local artists and funding arts education in Walton County by offering year-round annual programming. 30 years later, the CAA is a designated 501 c (3) nonprofit organization and the certified Local Arts Agency for Walton County, Florida. The CAA has grown exponentially, fine-tuning its traditions while adding programs and services. Headquartered in the Bayou Arts Center at the Santa Rosa Beach Creative Campus where art education is offered year-round, the CAA’s programming includes: 30A Songwriters Festival, Valentine Tour of Homes, Art Month Walton County, ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival, the nation’s first Underwater Museum of Art, Art in Public Spaces, Art on Demand, Art For All funding, a Prison Art Program, the Miramar Beach Creative Campus home to The Foster Gallery + J. Leon Studios, and a new Digital Creative Campus.

The Art for All program provides funding opportunities for students, teachers, professional artists of all disciplines and arts organizations.

“With the growth of the organization over the last three decades, the CAA has also steadily grown this cornerstone program from granting hundreds of dollars per year to now tens of thousands of dollars annually impacting over 7,000 children,” said CAA Executive Director Jennifer Steele. “To date, the CAA has granted three quarters of a million dollars through this program, and with the support of our community we look forward to increasing this investment in children, artists and arts education.”

The CAA was officially formed as a private, 501 (c)3 non-profit organization in 1993 by a dedicated volunteer group of creative pioneers committed to supporting local artists and funding arts education. 30 years later, as the designated Local Arts Agency for Walton County, the CAA has grown exponentially, fine-tuning its traditions while adding programs and services. Headquartered in the Bayou Arts Center at the Santa Rosa Beach Creative Campus and offering year-round arts education, the CAA’s programming and services include: 30A Songwriters Festival, Valentine Tour of Homes, Art Month Walton County, ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival, Underwater Museum of Art, Art in Public Spaces, Art on Demand, Arts Advocacy, Art For All funding, a Prison Art Program, the Miramar Beach Creative Campus home to The Foster Gallery + J. Leon Studios, and a new Digital Creative Campus.

Eddie 9V has acted on instinct all his life. At the age of 15, this longtime soul artist turned away from the path of college and jobs to go all guns blazing on the roots and blues circuit of his native Atlanta, Georgia. Flash forward to 2019, and for his debut album, Left My Soul In Memphis, the prodigious multi-instrumentalist simply turned on the amps in his double-wide trailer and teamed up with his brother/co-writer/producer, Lane Kelly, to put one of the breakout releases of the year, hailed by Rock & Blues Muse as "fresh and life-affirming.” Now, released in 2021 on Ruf Records, Little Black Flies is the 25-year-old's most impulsive move yet. Recorded live at Atlanta's Echo Deco Studios through November 2020, again with Lane at the helm, plus a who's who of the state's best musicians, it’s an album that Eddie planned to feel like it’s unfolding right in front of you – right down to the clink of bottles and loose studio banter. Eddie’s ultimate aim is to pass that spirit on to everyone who hears the record and sees him play live. “It makes my day to please someone after they work all day,” he says. “My job is to make them smile and let the music make them forget – or remember.”