The music's pumping, hearts are racing and imaginations soaring at the Green Street Arts Center, a department of Weslyan University in Middletown.www.greenstreetartscenter.org

In 2005, a former brick schoolhouse opened to mark the beginning of a revitalization in the city's impoverished North End. Between partially renovated 3 story apartment houses and littered back lots, the Center offers a safe haven for children after school, and adults who want to pursue an artistic talent, or dream.

Children can learn how to break dance, play an instrument, manage peer pressure through theater, and cook healthy food. Adults can learn salsa, record a demo tape, or throw clay.

On May 31st, a giant mural, designed and painted by children at the Arts Center, will be put up on Green Street, to inspire the passing public and let them get a glimpse of the talent and creativity that's just down the block.

Check out their website for classes and mark your calendar for their fifth annual Arts Festival on Saturday, June 13th from 1-4pm. Be sure and watch my Fox Focus report on the Fox 61 News at Ten, Monday night, May 18th for a taste of all the action.