Publisher's Desk

The Courier is proud to announce the launching of its new “Bonnie Lifestyle” arts and entertainment section. Check it out in the C-Section.

It is my hope this section will shine a light on all the talented artists in Valley County. Previously, such talents were under-served by this newspaper, and I hope this new offering corrects that issue.

For our inaugural edition, I featured “Dames at Sea,” currently on stage at Fort Peck Theatre. It was certainly nice to dust off the old cobwebs spread over the portion of my brain dealing with arts, and to delve into a world not considered as “hard” news. Sure, It is important to cover news concerning cops, courts, education, health, agriculture, etc., but there should always be room for a little bit of levity.

Art offers such an escape from the sometimes droll, sometimes depressing, world of hard news. I think it is for this reason many artists choose to pursue arts in the first place. It can be a great escape from the day-to-day grind.

In other ways, arts can also be hard hitting. There are issues which can be difficult to discuss in traditional spaces, but find a perfect home in art. Satire, paintings, fictional writing, songs — all of these can and have changed the world in the past. It is a way to explore ideas in a sometimes fantastical setting.

Going forward, I hope to discover the arts scene here in town and in the county which I suspect is highly interesting. And, it is probably just below the surface.

This is where my readers come in. I am asking your help to find worthy artists to feature. They could be metal workers, potters, painters, authors, poets, gardeners, musicians — truly the sky is the limit as art can be made from anything.

I first delved into an arts beat in sunny Arizona, although only from time to time as my main coverage was news. Then, in Western Washington, some genius handed me the helm of the arts section for the Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader. It was a definite eye opener. There are so many facets to be explored in art, especially when getting to know the artist and what makes them tick.

I am eager to get to know the artists and musicians here and welcome input from the community on how to find them. Drop me a line at [email protected] if you have any ideas.

Chris McDaniel

Courier Publisher