Click here to read about the summer's FEATURED ARTISTS!
Visit the site's GUESTS page.
Click here for site NEWS.
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Enter the site's "American Gothic" photo contest. CLICK HERE
for details!
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NEWS
Welcome to www.dorothyswebsite.org for Summer 2013, the site's eleventh summer. For those of you who are return visitors, welcome back! Welcome, too, to those of you who are
here for the first time. This page is THE place to find important reminders and news about the site! This includes information about what's new during the summer and about the month-to-month changes taking place.
Please check back periodically - you can get to this page directly from the Home Page and all the other major sections of the site. New this year, too -- continue scrolling down the page to find the Twitter/Facebook postings.
(Latest Update: September 22)
 FOR FIRST-TIME VISITORS: This site contains a monthly listing of free concerts and music-related events in Orange County and parts of Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire. There are two phases to the site: Fall/Winter/Spring, and the Summer
version of the site which is here now through September 30. Most of the events listed are offered to the
general public or residents of certain cities free of charge. Events in clubs, bookstores, cafes and other similar venues covered elsewhere generally are not included. You can start your visit to the concert listings by clicking on the "Free Concerts" link above. From
there you will find directions on how to find concert information. Please take the time to look through some of the other areas of the site as well: read an essay or a poem, view the work of the summer guests or take a look at some of the "Extras" (a few other things
you can find for free during the summer). NEVER BEEN TO A SUMMER CONCERT? It's simple . . . pack a picnic dinner or buy a meal at the concert venue, bring a blanket or beach chair (or call the venue to ask about their seating policy), and sit out under the stars and listen to some great music!
 FOR EVERONE: PLEASE READ - AN IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THE SITE: Well, this is it - the final update of Summer 2013! This past week the final essay of the summer, "The Affordable Care Act: New Avenues in
Health Care and Insurance," was posted, and most of the pages have been updated with a few bits of information for the upcoming weekend. Many thanks to all who have visited the site this summer, and please come
back in the Fall. The Fall/Winter/Spring version will return in its reduced format on October 1. The poetry, essays, links, "About the Site" and "Extras" pages are found here only in the summer, though much of
the information on the "Extras" page is carried over into the Arts/Special Events section and the Twitter and Facebook pages during the non-summer months. As of this time, the site will be kept going through the end of the year, but it will go
dark in January and February of 2014 (though some information will be posted to the Facebook and Twitter pages during that time). By the end of February I should have a better idea of what will be happening with the site and the site book, and whether or not the site will be returning
in the spring. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
For those who are curious, yes - there actually is a statue of a fork in a fork of a road, and it is in Pasadena.
You can read more about it in the "theme" section below. As a reminder, short descriptions of some of the sections of the summer site also are included here. Those of you who have been with the site for the last few years know that the site is
fluid and dynamic -- new photos, art and information are being added continually over the course of the summer - even through the end of September. Since the book about the
site which I've just completed contains a history of the site since its inception, the summer site has primarily contained works which appeared on www.dorothyswebsite.org since its start in 2003. All this material will remain available
for viewing through September 30.
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A NOTE ON SUMMER 2013: For several years now, many cities and organizations have tended to cut on back summer programs, including concert programs. This year seems to be
the first in which programs have stabilized somewhat, although in a much-reduced format as compared with some of the earliest
years of the site. Many of the concerts and other activities taking place (movies, etc.) are able to continue only through the generous support of program sponsors. I cannot stress how important it is to support
and thank all the sponsors of these programs, whether they are cities, community organizations or area businesses.
• Guests - Each year special guests/artists have been invited to display works which either express or interpret the summer theme. For this year only those works will be temporarily suspended, but hopefully
will return next summer if the site does. Read more on the
site's "Guests" page.
• Featured Artists - Featured Artists are musicians or concert series drawn from the summer concert performances. Two Featured Artists have been included each month, one for the
first half of the month and one for the second half. Click here to see all the "Featured Artists" for 2013!
• "Concerts By Music" Page - Concert listings on the summer site have always been divided by city and date, for all cities combined and for each of the three areas covered (Los Angeles County,
Orange County and the Inland Empire). The site also includes a page listing the concerts by type of music. Trying to separate the concerts by type of music has been problematic for several reasons. First, some cities and venues do not list information
on the type of music for every concert, only the band/artist name. Second, some bands list the type of music they play in widely divergent categories (such as R&B/Dance/Latin Jazz), making it difficult to place them in any one format. Finally, some cities/venues do not list
groups performing, only phrases such as "live music all day long." To find information based on types of music being played at the concerts, go to Concert Listings by Type of Music. As always,
any input visitors would like to provide as to how to improve the page would be appreciated.
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• Concert Listings and Updates - Although many cities have already made their summer concert information available, some cities and organizations do not release that information until the
middle of June or the end of the month. There is still plenty of new information coming in. Regular weekly updates take place on Sunday nights (in the summer, weekly updates move from Thursday to Sunday night).
For those of you who have been here before and are just checking in to see what's new, you can use the links below to go directly to your favorite concert page:
All Cities By City
All Cities By Date
Los Angeles County By City Los Angeles County By Date
Orange County By City Orange County By Date
Inland Empire By City Inland Empire By Date
• 2013 Theme - "A Fork in the Road"
 In 2009, a "guerrilla" art piece appeared in Pasadena on a roadway median. The 18-foot wooden fork, literally at the "fork in the road" between
Pasadena and St. John Avenues, was created by artist Ken Marshall. The city ordered it to be removed a few months after it was erected. However, it has since been refurbished, fully permitted by the city, and now sits as a permanent fixture
in the intersection.
Metaphorically, the "fork in the road" symbolizes a point at which certain decisions or choices have to be made, and that time has come for the site. Those visitors who have been coming to
the site for at least the last year know that I have been working on a book about the site, a book called "Ten Summers: The Story of www.dorothyswebsite.org." The book is now done, and it contains a history of the site and "behind-the-scenes" information, poetry which has appeared over the years,
art work and home page images from each of the themed summers from 2006 - 2012, many of the photographs from the "Attitude" series, and more. But it is really the story of TWO anniversaries since September of 2012 marked the end of the 10th anniversary summer for the site AND the 25th anniversary of
the year I first took out student loans. The two anniversaries are intertwined, and not in a particularly positive way, either. Those who have visited the Essay and Essay Archives sections over the years may be familiar with the very first essay ever to have appeared on the
site, the 2003 piece on student loans. Being able to post that information was part of the reason the site was even started to begin with. I hope to make more information about the book available as soon as
possible.
The fans of www.dorothyswebsite.org have made the site worth continuing in every way. It has been such a pleasure getting to meet and see so many of you year after year at the concerts. Last year the site had 12,000+ visits (representing over 8,000
unique visitor addresses) in its peak summer month. However, right now it is impossible to say what will be happening with the site after the end of this summer. So until further news is available, please enjoy the site and
the performances, and know that all your messages and comments over the years have been greatly appreciated.
ENTER YOUR PICTURE IN THE SITE'S "AMERICAN GOTHIC" PHOTO CONTEST!"
AMERICAN GOTHIC. Probably the best known piece of American art with some
type of a fork in it (a pitchfork) is Grant Wood's 1930 painting "American Gothic" (pictured here). Website visitors are invited to enter the site's first photo contest -- with their own interpretations of what "American Gothic" means to
them. Pose the same way as the people in the painting or arrange your own version of the scene. Creative interpretations are encouraged (but please remember this is a site with visitors of all ages). The only rule for the
content of the picture is that each photograph
must contain a pitchfork or some other type of fork in it. If anyone chooses
to come up with entries, they will be posted to the site (site management reserves the right not to post images which may be unsuitable for an all-ages audience), with voting open to site visitors toward the end of the summer. Images
in jpeg format may be e-mailed to: americangothic@dorothyswebsite.org. Please use the phrase "American Gothic Photo Entry" in the subject heading. Include a name, e-mail and/or
phone contact information, and if you wish, the city in which you live. A short explanation of the photograph or interpretation of the art is welcome but not required. Sorry, no prizes right now, but you'll have your image posted to
the site through the end of September! Limit of two entries per person, and all submissions become the property of the site. Send an e-mail to the site at information@dorothyswebsite.org if you have any questions.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT ON THE CONCERTS: All of the concerts in the listings are free to the general public, and there are some truly
outstanding programs. However, many of the groups and organizations sponsoring these concerts incur substantial costs in bringing them to you year after year. Several concert support organizations have had to begin charging a ticket price for entry to some, if not
all, of the performances. Donations which allow them to continue their tradition of bringing quality music to the general public at no charge are appreciated.
. . . AND ONE REQUEST FOR VISITORS: Survey forms are sometimes passed out at concerts/event venues, and the question "How did you hear about this event?" is often asked. If you
are attending an event you found on this site and receive such a form, it would be much appreciated if you let them know that you found the information
on www.dorothyswebsite.org. Thank you!
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Home | Poetry | Essays | Free Concerts | Links | 2013 Extras |
About the Site
Featured Artists | 2013 Website Special Guests | News
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