Entertainment Briefs - July 20

Watch for Blue Moon at Gregory Park

The Blue Moon Jazz Quintet will perform a free concert 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, in the Gregory Park bandstand.

The quintet includes Chris Fogderud, Brainerd High School band director, on trumpet and vocals; Mike Sommerness, Pequot Lakes High School band director, on saxophone; founder of the quintet Greg Breen, on bass; Malcolm Rosenberger of Pine River on drums; and Adam Glenski, a PLHS graduate, on piano. This year there will be a special guest vocalist for a couple numbers, Alyssa Breen.

Bandstand concerts are free and open to the public. People can bring a lawn chair, a blanket and be ready to enjoy the music. The rain-out site is at The Center, 803 Kingwood St., Brainerd. If the concerts are moved indoors, signs will be posted on the bandstand and it will be announced on WJJY radio.

Concerts in the park are collaboration between Brainerd Parks and Recreation Department and The Center. Additional supporting sponsors are the Brainerd Community Foundation, Brainerd Lions, Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union and the BN Credit Union.

Ladies Night Out planned

DEERWOOD-Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge will host Ladies Night Out from 5:30-8:30 p.m. July 28 at the stores at the resort.

The festivities include free food, shopping discounts and prize giveaways. The theme of the event is school spirit. All participants who wear school gear will receive a free gift.

Participation in the Ladies Night Out is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Miranda Westhoff at 218-678-4673 or via email at miranda.westhoff@ruttgers.com .

Downtown Sound to perform in Staples

STAPLES-Downtown Sound, based in Fargo, N.D., will perform in the Music in the Park Series at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Northern Pacific Park in Staples.

The cover band plays a variety of pop, rock and country, featuring music from the 1960s on up to today.

Staples native Andrew Nelson plays guitar and keyboards for the band, as well as adding vocals. Other band members include Dylan Boehner, Dominic Paczkowski, Jessica Vines and Andrew Okland.

"We all met in college," stated Nelson, who attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, in a news release. A 2013 graduate of Staples-Motley High School, Nelson went on to study the music industry with an emphasis in audio production and jazz studies, with a concentration in piano. He graduated with a double major this past spring.

Nelson credits his high school experiences in band and choir as having a positive impact on his decision to pursue music. He was president of both groups his senior year at SMHS.

During their two-plus years together as Downtown Sound, the band plays a variety of venues throughout Minnesota and North Dakota.

In case of rain, the concerts will be moved to Faith Lutheran Church.

The Music in the Park series is funded by the Staples Host Lions Club. The series is organized by the Staples Motley Area Arts Council, with the assistance of the Staples-Motley Public Schools and the City of Staples.

Music in Crosby Park

CROSBY-Two musical groups-Shawn and Clark Hamdorf and Almost Blue-will perform 5-8 p.m. July 27 in Memorial Park in Crosby, as part of the Cuyuna Lakes Chamber's Music in the Park series. The free, family-friendly event will feature music, food and a complimentary Water Wars balloon game.

Shawn and Clark Hamdorf are a husband and wife duo who have played music together for 25 years, performing mostly original music written by Clark and adding a few cover songs people will recognize. They also play in Gawker Slowdown as a full band and provide sound and lights for the Music in the Park and other events.

Almost Blue is a duo-Don Gorham and Merritt Bussiere-providing a diverse mix of vintage blues, pop, swing, rock, ragtime, folk and early country. Their musical material is from the late 1800s to the 1970s. Gorham plays a Fender electric guitar through an old Fender tube amp generating a variety of sonic layers. Bussiere plays rhythm, fingerstyle and slide guitar and sings.

Music in the Park continues the second and fourth Thursday evenings through August. For more information, visit www.cuyunalakes.com .

'Collective Visions' on display at GRA

LITTLE FALLS-The biennial juried exhibition "Collective Visions" will be on display in the Main Gallery at Great River Arts in Little Falls until Sept. 1, with an artist reception from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 20.

Collective Visions showcases nearly 80 works of art by 49 local and regional artists. The exhibit highlights a wide variety of media from oil painting to sculpture, fiber arts to photography and everything in between. The jurying process worked through more than 140 submissions with only the top scoring works accepted into the exhibition.

Viewers can anticipate a collection of work with varying themes resonating through the exhibition's title, "Collective Visions." Jurors were looking for artistic excellence, ingenuity and technical prowess in their selections, a news release stated. The artists featured in the show have a diverse range of experience levels and come from all across the state of Minnesota.

During the exhibition period, visitors are invited to vote for a "People's Choice" award, which will be declared on the last day of the exhibition. During the public reception, best in show awards with cash prizes will be granted from the jurying committee. This exhibition is made possible through grant support from the Five Wings Arts Council.

'Between Here and There' on display at GRA

LITTLE FALLS-Kari Weber's visual arts exhibition "Between Here and There" will be on display in the front gallery at Great River Arts through Sept. 1, with an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 20.

Weber graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and teaching from the University of Minnesota, Moorhead. She works primarily out of her studio in New London to create contemporary approaches to landscape painting. In 2017, Weber was awarded an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board for her current body of work.

The exhibition features a collection of quiet landscapes from rural Minnesota that entice viewers with stunning color palettes and coordinated compositions, a news release stated.

1/3: Downtown Sound, based in Fargo, N.D., will perform at the Music in the Park Series at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Northern Pacific Park in Staples. Submitted

2/3: This is one of several pieces by artist Kari Weber. Weber's exhibition “Between Here and There” will be on display in the front gallery at Great River Arts through Sept. 1. Submitted

3/3: Artist Suzanne Beck's oil painting titled “Sweater Girl,” will be among the artwork on display in the juried exhibition "Collective Visions" at Great River Arts in Little Falls. The exhibit runs through Sept. 1. Submitted