NORWICH – In its first show of the new year, the Chenango County Council of the Arts is presenting a Valentine to its audience in a time when they could use a little love.

Stig Rossen presents “Brilliantly Broadway! Perfectly Pops!” at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Martin W. Kappel Theater on West Main St. in Norwich. While it’s the first show in the calendar year, the Valentine’s weekend show is actually the fourth in the Arts Council’s 2008-2009 six-show performance series. And it couldn’t come at a better time.

“It’s going to be a tough year for the arts,” said Arts Council Executive Director Victoria Kappel, reflecting on the current state of economic affairs in New York. “We’re lucky here in that we have a very supportive local community, but we don’t know how the state budget cutbacks are going to affect us.”

In addition to local corporate support, individual donations and ticket sales, the Arts Council receives funding from New York State for a number of its ongoing programs. Funding for the New York State Council of the Arts, which in turn grants money to the local council, is already on the chopping block under Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget. “The distressing thing from my point of view is the disproportionate hit that NYSCA took” compared to other state agencies, Kappel said.