The city of Greenville is growing, and with it, the arts community. The Greenville Area Arts Council (GAAC) has seen the need to expand its own horizons.

The local arts council recently received a three-year renewable $8,000 grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) to provide the organization with a much-needed administrative assistant.

Nancy Idland, longtime member of the organization and Main Street executive director, has been selected to serve in the new role. Idland is also serving as director of the March 2007 production, &#8220Puttin' On the Ritz 2,” the major fundraiser for the GAAC season.

&#8220After 25 years, the time had definitely come (when help was needed), and we found there was a possible way to make it happen,” Roberta Gamble, GAAC membership chairman, said.

&#8220Vivian McGowin is an excellent grant writer and she did a beautiful job for us.

Randy Schoults, an ASCA staff member, met with us to guide us along in the process. We are absolutely thrilled and excited to be the recipients of this grant.”

Gamble says the council has grown both in membership and the number of projects with which it is involved each season, having now taken on partial sponsorship of the Sweet Gum Bottom Blues Festival.

All this equates into more administrative duties on the part of the council.

&#8220We have always relied on volunteer help and my own efforts before, but we have really moved beyond that,” Gamble said.

&#8220We want to see a greater involvement of our schoolchildren in the arts as we enlarge our student ticket program. We also want to increase minority involvement in our arts council. Stimulating more interest and involvement in the arts across the community is our goal.”

Gamble said it is &#8220a terrifically exciting time” for the arts in Butler County.

&#8220Many of our local talents are being featured in the movie currently being filmed here. We have the Blues Festival, which will bring wonderful musicians from near and far to our little city,” Gamble said.

&#8220I'm really excited about this opportunity

With next March's show featuring a colorful array of native talent, Gamble foresees continued growth in the arts in the Camellia City.

&#8220Nancy will be working to bring us more innovative programs that appeal to a broader range of our community. We are excited about the future of the GAAC.”