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The art of gelato is the subject of today’s program. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream. It’s got less butterfat, higher density and it’s served just a tad bit warmer than regular ice cream. The result is big bold flavor.

Café Gelato in Winston-Salem typically has 8 or more varieties available from fruity favorites like lemon and mango to coffee-flavored, caramel and Nutella. Café Gelato owner Ciska Weber is a native of Holland, and she’s been in the restaurant business for nearly 20 years. A few years back she decided it was time to add a little European flair to the local dessert scene here in the Triad.

Café Gelato is located at 845 Reynolda Road near Hanes Park in Winston-Salem, and for those gelato lovers who live closer to downtown, you’ll find Café Prada run by owner Alex Prada near the corner of Fourth Street and Broad.

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Larry G. Davis is one of those rare individuals with both musical and athletic gifts that propelled him to the tops ranks in both fields. He played professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Senators before leaving that world behind to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. After saying goodbye to teammates like the great Ernie Banks, Larry went on to become a sought-after studio musician in Nashville, rubbing elbows with a veritable Who’s Who list of greats in that industry including Chet Atkins, the creator of the Nashville Sound.

Over the decades Larry has absorbed a variety of musical styles including classical, bluegrass, jazz, and mariachi just to name a few. You can hear Larry jump from Bach to bossa nova live in recital at the High Point Library on Saturday, June 16, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm. Larry made the trip to WFDD from his home on Ridges Mountain in Randolph County to talk with David about his extraordinary life and the music he loves.

Tune in Friday afternoon at 1:00pm for more of their conversation during Triad Arts Up Close.

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We’ve all heard about dance-a-thons, and walk-a-thons, but in the City of Arts and Innovation it’s all about imagining something different for our community. The Imagination Design Marathon coming up June 2 from 9am to 3pm at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art will do just that. It’s a day of collaborative, hands-on design to imagine a public art installation that will one day capture and share the community’s collective dreams.

The groundwork is already being laid on line with dreams being collected and shared by individuals of all walks of life throughout the Triad, plus this remarkable effort Imagination Design Marathon is being spearheaded by three extremely capable community leaders. MyBridges.net founder Cheryl Schirillo began the brainstorming process back in August, 2011 and she’s enlisted the support of SECCA Executive Director Mark Leach, and architect and Community Design Studio of Winston-Salem head, Lauren DiBianca Frye.

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Singer/songwriter and keyboardist Claire Culbreath and guitarist John Brandon have been performing together as a duo for six years. Two years back, the couple formed the band Shades of Blue. Shades of Blue blends their love of 60s and 70s music, Claire’s nod to the great vocalists of those decades like Carol King, and John’s bluesy guitar work.