May Highlights and Upcoming Events!

by Karen ReedConstruction, Event NewsPosted on No Comments

I can’t express how cool May ended up being. Oak Grove Radio used the space for the first State Of Punk event. This show was so much fun. It was an open-to-the-public show that also served as a secondary live recording studio. These artists brought so much energy to the space. Their music wall all different kinds of punk and all kinds of fantastic! Oak Grove Radio is a wonderful addition to our little town and if you would like to hear more out of them tune your FM dial to 98.5 or listen online at www.oakgroveradio.com 

We had a little bit of downtime at the end of the month and took the opportunity to spruce up the inside a little bit. We know that our floors had a whole lot of character to them and as much as we wanted to refinish them into their original glory that is just not much of an option with the level of damage, they had to them in their last 110 years. We made the decision to go ahead and paint them as a temporary upgrade until we can have new flooring put in. It’s a great improvement! Our next project coming up is to finally get the front façade painted and getting some bigger signage. If you see me up on a ladder, give me a wave!

Upcoming Events-

June 7th Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Pinot and Pallet group painting event

June 10th Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Monthly Meeting 7pm

June 30th  Open Studio 2-5 pm

July 6th Electric Sandbox EDM Show

July 11th Start of the Youth Summer Art Progam. Visit their site for more information

July 20th The Ephinji’s Live Band- More Details to come

The Busy Season Begins!

by Karen ReedEvent NewsPosted on No Comments

I am so happy that I can feel spring in the air. Even on cold days and the random snow, there is a little green, a few flowers,  the sun just feels warmer. That means we are getting ramped back up for spring events! We are kicking things off by opening up our formal wear! As a venue, we want to ensure that even if you aren’t having an event here, we can have you looking amazing wherever you go. We can get you fitted and set up with a suit or tux from Jim’s Formal Wear for your wedding, prom, or other event. We don’t want you to have to leave town if you don’t have to. We provide flexible by appointment hours to fit your schedule. We also give all Ottawa County Residents a 10% discount off the retail price! And book Astoria now for your graduation parties before that week is completely full!

Upcoming events

April 6th—Merry’s Boutique hosts a Spring Shopping Pop-up and Ladies’ Night! She will have daytime shopping and ladies’ night with FREE lingerie (FCFS), drinks, snacks, and even more SHOPPING!

April 26th—Immersion: Poetry, Open Mic, Live Music. Presented by The Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Council. Join us for an evening where we explore the world through immersive poetry readings, unleash your creativity on the open mic, and explore the harmony of poetry and rhythms together with live music. A suggested donation of $5 is requested.

May 18th – State Of Punk: Presented by Oak Grove Radio. Five Bands from across the state and across the genre. $10 suggested donation. All Ages. Byob

May and Early June

by Karen ReedEvent NewsPosted on No Comments

The last month and a half have flown by. Here at Astoria, May was pretty quiet. We focused on Arts Council projects and had an enjoyable Game night. We played Magical Kitties Save the Day. This is a tabletop RPG that got its start through Kick Starter. It’s a really great game for starting kids into the world of gaming. We had a small group that was a mix of kids and adults. It was a fantastic time. 

Art was another big focus for the month. Ottawa County Arts and Humanities Council has been busy with projects like Down Town Rain Walk, Painting Banners for their yearly fundraiser, monthly meetings, and planning for new projects. The last Sunday of the month is always open studio. It’s where Astoria and the Arts Council come together to create a meeting and collaboration space for the community. This time is open to the public to bring their own art/crafting projects so we can meet and work in a group setting. If you would like access to art materials, it’s $10. This gives anyone access to the Arts Council supplies. 

June was an absolute blast at Disco Night! Everyone that attended had a great time. We start the nights earlier than most and quieter so parents with kids can attend and bring their families. Nobody dances harder than our youngest attendees. We want everyone in the community to have an opportunity to come out and attend. *I remember the days when my kids were little, and I was missing that going out social life. I wanted to ensure that nobody in our community would miss out on being able to do something fun. -Karen* 

June also kicked off our collaboration with The Card Collector Corner. This has been an awesome weekly event. This group was created to share the love of sports card collecting. A fun place to share your PC (Personal Collection) and learn more about the hobby: they have a desire for this to be kid/family-friendly, which aligns with Astoria’s values so well. We have been excited to have Jarid and all the collectors. This event runs on Sundays from 3:00 pm-6:30. With a small break for Father’s Day and vacations. We appreciate them coming in and transforming the space for their event!

We hope everyone is having a great summer so far! 

Electric Sandbox IV Recap

by JustinEvent NewsPosted on No Comments

I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every person for coming out to our first event at Astoria and BOY was it a big one! We hosted this event, produced by Anonymous Production and OPFX featuring immersive lighting and sound with local artwork displayed by members of Ottawa County Arts & Humanities.

The event was live streamed via Twitch and now the replays are available in their entirety at the links below so you can check out what you missed!

The Chill (Wichita)
SunniDaze (Wichita)
Justin Reed (Minneapolis)
Homer Spinsome (Salina)
Beyond Earth (Ellinwood)
KRKN (KC)
j_pg b2b Justin Reed

You can also check out the photo gallery below. ALSO – Don’t miss out on our upcoming events! We have 80’s / 90’s Rock Night coming up on December 3, plus the next Electric Sandbox featuring even more DJ’s, lights and lasers coming in late February 2023! We thank you for your support!