Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/34521
BY PATRICIA ANN JORDAN FROM POETRY, TO CARS TO MEETING SPACE MUSEUMS HAVE IT ALL G reetings readers! I’m really glad spring is here! We’ve all seen and experienced a harsher winter. Let’s do our part environmentally to help ensure the worse is NOT yet to come. Maybe, get a scooter — smiles—(see below PetersenAutomotive Museum) Two museums for your recreational and meeting plan- ning consideration: HILL-STEAD MUSEUM, Farmington, Connecticut Hill-stead will host its 2011 SUNKENGARDENPOET- RY FESTIVAL, June 8 throughAugust 3, one of America’s premier poetry festivals. It features a roster of nationally acclaimed poets. Opening night brings poet Tony Hoagland and music by Ol’ Skool. Hoagland, born in 1953 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, writes poems that comment on contemporary American life and culture.The New York Times calls him a “plain, unincorporated, free-range American poet you’ll want to know about.” His books include Unincorporated Personas in the Late Honda Dynasty (2010) and What Narcissism Means to Me (2003), a finalist for the National Book Critics CircleAward and Donkey. Hoagland currently teaches at the University of Houston andWarrenWilson College. Ol’ Skool is an 11-piece horn band playing the hits of Tower of Power, StevieWonder, Blood, Sweat andTears,and Chicago. Recent concerts have been to standing-room-only audiences. Complete poet line-up: www.hillstead.org or call (860) 677-4787. PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM, Los Angeles, California SUPERCARS: WHEN TOO MUCH IS ALMOST ENOUGH, now through October 16. I saw this exhibition and was fascinated. Supercars have existed since the first decade of the twentieth century and while their mechanical and design specifications have evolved from era to era, they have always had in common immensely powerful engines, minimal passenger space, unique mechanical specifications, and a commanding presence. Included are supercars ranging from almost a century ago to the more recent and recognizable. Some supercars on display include the Bizzarini Manta, Bugatti Atalante, Ferrari 400 Superamerica, Maserati MC-12, Jaguar XJ220 and the Ford GT-40 Mark III. Motor Scooters:When Size Doesn’t Matter opens June 18.With today’s high fuel prices, growing traffic congestion, and environmental consciousness, people are looking for easier, cheaper and cleaner ways to get where they’re going. This exhibition explores different types of scooters from around the world, how and why they differ, and the culture that surrounds them. The Alternative Power Gallery showcases the 1978 HYBRICON Centaur II, which proves that gas-electric hybrid cars are not just a recent phenomenon. When cars were still in their infancy and both gasoline and electric type cars vied for prominence on the market, some manufactur- ers experimented with hybrid-type power trains. With the gas crises of the 1970s, it seemed like a good time to re- explore hybrid technology. History does repeat itself. Look at what’s happening currently. The 1897 ANTHONY Battery Electric was one of the first cars built in Los Angeles.This spindly vehicle was con- structed by 17-year old Earle C. Anthony using lumber, wheelchair gears, bicycle forks and other available compo- nents. Though young, Anthony was a competent electrical engineer who also designed and built the 1.5-horsepower electric motor that powered the car. This is believed to be a reconstruction, which was crafted in the early 1920s using the original metal parts attached to a new wooden frame- work. The Petersen is also a meetings venue with convenient on-site parking: Grand Salon has medium size meeting space surrounded by classic automobiles. Pavilion has near- ly 18,000 sq. ft. of enclosed space with an additional 6,000 available.The Penthouse is all glass with a large rooftop ter- race providing meeting attendees a city view of LosAngeles. More information: www.pertersen.org or (323) 930-2277. 10 Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com