Entertainment Briefs - July 25

■ Bluegrass in the bandstand

The Kingery Family, a bluegrass band from southern Minnesota, will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, in the bandstand at Gregory Park in Brainerd.

The Kingery Family performed in February at the Franklin Art Center and are one of the favorite bands in the concert series. The Kingery Family is known for bluegrass music with a message.

Bring a lawn chair, or blanket and enjoy the music. If it rains, the concert will be moved indoors to The Center in Brainerd. Signs will be posted on the bandstand and it will be announced on WJJY radio. Funding for the concerts has been provided by community donations and by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

■ Hager to
perform again

Ken Hager will perform again in the Lakes Area Summer Organ Recital Series at noon Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Brainerd. Hager will perform literature that include a Romanza and Cantabile written by Richard Purvis, “Exultate Deo” by Robert Hebble and a medley of pieces from “The Sound of Music”.

The concerts are all at noon Wednesdays and are 30 minutes in length. For more information contact person is Cathy Taylor at cathy@cathysmusicstudio.com .

■ ‘Vacationland’ author to present final Brown Bag Lunch Series

Sarah Stonich, author of the new book “Vacationland,” is the eighth and final author in the Brown Bag Lunch Summer Authors’ Series scheduled from 12-1 p.m. Monday at the Brainerd Public Library.

“Vacationland” is stories that link a range of characters over a span of decades to the same remote resort near the Canadian border. Vacationland is a glimpse inside the worlds of seemingly disparate individuals. It is available as a Book Club in a Bag selection at the Brained Library.

Stonich is the author of three other books: “Shelter,” “These Granite Islands” and “The Ice Chorus.” On her website, she describes two books in progress as well as a book by Ava Finch, her pen name.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library and is open to all, free of charge.

■ Paul Drinkwine to perform

STAPLES - Paul Drinkwine will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Music in the Park Series in the Northern Pacific Park in Staples.

Drinkwine started playing guitar in 1969. His main influence was Michael Johnson and he wore out several albums listening and learning from Johnson’s music. This learning by ear led the self-taught guitarist into a finger-style technique. Drinkwine labels his music as folkie with a classical edge and has recorded three CD’s including “Cold Wind,” “Don’t Tell Your Mother” and “The Early Years.”

For more information on the Music in the Park series go to www.staplesmotleyarts.org .

In case of rain, the concerts will be moved to Centennial Auditorium.

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.

■ Crow Wing County Fair performances

The Crow Wing County Fair - which will begin Tuesday and run through Aug. 3 at the fairgrounds in Brainerd - announced the following performances that will be on the Arts In The Northland Stage in the Curling Arena:

• Okee Dokee Brothers will perform from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday.

• Arriba Jalisco Mariachi Band, 5-7 p.m. Wednesday.

• Sonflower Puppets, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Aug. 2.

• Magician Tom Anderson, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Aug. 3.

• National Yo-Yo Master Dazzling Dave, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Aug. 3.

The above activities are funded in part by the Legacy Grant.

Maiden Dixie will perform 6-10 p.m. Aug. 1 on the Mills Free Stage.

■ Music in the
Park in Crosby

CROSBY - The Cuyuna Lakes Chamber of Commerce announces its fourth Music in the Park series to be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 25 in Crosby Memorial Park.

Special guests to perform will be Jamie Koop and Gary Stacken. Koop, a local favorite, picked up his guitar in college, while originally he only practiced in his bedroom until performing to a campfire crowd. Stacken has been entertaining various venues since 1975. A member of Minnesota Bluegrass Old-Time Music Association, Stacken plays a variety of uplifting music on guitar with heart-felt vocals.

For more information go to www.cuyunalakes.com or contact the Cuyuna Lakes Chamber at 218-546-8131. In case of rain, the concert may be rescheduled.

■ Marshall author
to sign his book

BAXTER - Marshall Author Steve Linstrom, author of a book entitled “The Last Ram,” published by North Star Press this June, will be having a book-singing from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday at Book World in Baxter.

The book is a young adult novel that takes place in the Badlands of South Dakota in 1903. Evan Warner, a store owner’s son, spies an elusive audubon sheep that was thought to be extinct. His best friend, David, an adopted Lakota boy, is ­returning from Pierceson Indian School and Evan can’t wait to track the sheep through the Badlands with David just like when they were younger. As hunters pour into the small town to pursue the last of the species, Evan learns that becoming a man isn’t all about bravado and that people and friendships grow and change.

Linstrom received a master of arts degree in English studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in December 2012 and has published short stories in the Arizona Literary Magazine and Talking Stick Journal. “The Last Ram” is his first novel.

■ Leech Lake Art Show

WALKER - The Leech Lake Art League, an organization of more than 30 local area artists, will host its annual art show and sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 2 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (WHA) high school commons in Walker.

The Art League was started in 1972 by Olive George and several of her painting friends, to promote the growth of art in the community and to provide a mutual learning environment.

Artwork will consist of original paintings in watercolor, acrylic, oil and pastel, sculpture, fine jewelry, prints and cards. Admission is free, several painting demonstrations will be conducted daily, and door prizes will be awarded each day of the show.

Over the years, the membership of the Leech Lake Art League has continued to grow; supporting the artistic development of its members, who have ranged in age from 17 to 99. The group also sponsors workshops, has an annual show and sale and is raising money to purchase extra art supplies and resources for the WHA high school art department.

Artists from Walker, Bemidji, Pine River, Longville and Nevis, as well as other surrounding communities, meet every Thursday at the American Legion in Walker.

Each year, at the annual show, the Leech Lake Art League showcases one of it artists. This year’s featured artist is Don Beadle .

Beadle creates landscape or captures the likeness of native birds, plants and wildlife. Painting became a serious hobby in the early 1980s. Beadle has had an interest in art since childhood, and pursued this interest studying graphic arts at the Minneapolis School of Art and Design. After obtaining his degree he worked as a graphic artist for more than 40 years. Beadle became an active member of the Leech Lake Arts League after retiring and moving to Walker in 2000. His work has been seen in numerous Leech Lake Arts League shows and various venues in Walker and the Twin Cities.

■ HSO welcomes new conductor

Heartland Symphony Orchestra (HSO) announces its new conductor and music director as Sergey Bogza. Bogza is a native of Taganrog, Russia, and has been living in the United States since 1995. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Portland State University, a master’s of music degree in orchestral conducting from Central Washington University and he is pursuing a doctoral of musical arts degree at the University of Minnesota.

Sergey said in a press release, “I’m excited to be selected as the new music director and conductor of the Heartland Symphony Orchestra, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to embark on a musical journey with its musicians, audiences, community members, volunteers, supporters and donors. HSO is a unique ensemble with a rich history in community investment, collaborations and presentation of high level classical concerts. I’m confident that we will achieve new heights as we continue to uplift, inspire, and educate our audiences through passionate and sincere music making.”

Recommended highly as a sensitive and sought-after conductor, Sergey is equally at home in symphonic and operatic repertoire. He is a James Sample Conducting Fellow at the University of Minnesota where he conducts Campus Orchestras, Campus String Orchestra, and serves as an assistant conductor for Opera Theater. In addition, Bogza is in his second year as music director of Hyperion Singers, a Twin Cities based vocal ensemble specializing in music from the baroque and classical periods. Previously, Bogza was the artistic director and founder of the First Slavic Youth Orchestra, assistant conductor and graduate instructor at Central Washington University, guest master class teacher for Music in World Cultures, and has appeared extensively as a guest conductor, presenter, and clinician in the Northwest.

Bogza also is an internationally performed composer, with more than 40 compositions and arrangements for orchestra and chamber ensembles. His works most recently have been featured at the 21st International New Music Festival in Kazan, Russia. His new composition, “Remember,” for soprano and baritone solo, chamber choir and chamber orchestra, has received its world premiere in May and has been scheduled for performances in both Germany and Russia by professional and educational institutions. Currently, Bogza is working on a chamber version of Richard Strauss’s tone poem “Don Quixote” with performances scheduled for April of 2014.

The Fall Concert Series will be Sergey’s debut concert conducting the HSO. The concert entitled “Americana” will be held Oct. 12 at Charles Martin Auditorium in Little Fall and Oct. 13 at Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd. Concert and ticket information for HSO’s 2013-14 season will be available starting Aug. 15 on HSO’s new website at www.heartlandsymphony.org . Contact HSO for a free season brochure with concert descriptions and repertoire at 1-800-826-1997.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and a grant from the Laura Jane Musser Fund.

■ Great River Arts events

LITTLE FALLS - Great River Arts (GRA) of Little Falls presents three events scheduled Thursday, July 25, and Friday, with ArtOrg kicking off the event jamboree with the 1,000 Print Summer from 3-7 p.m. Thursday, July 25 in the parking lot behind the GRA building. People will learn about printmaking and create their own block that will then be printed by a steam roller. All of the materials and demonstrations are free.

A reception celebrating the opening of “Connected by Nature,” a new oil painting exhibit in the GRA Main Gallery, will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday. Artist, Mary Lingen of Backus, utilizes light and color to captivate viewers’ attention. She said she finds inspiration from the “calm in walking in the woods and seeing the world around me, observing its changes, looking forward to the way the light looks at certain times.” Her work will be through­ Sept. 8.

The Sweet Papa Dave Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, following the reception. Their music is a blend of blues, soul and rock and the band has been a crowd favorite for nearly 30 years. Tickets are available for $10 from Ambience@53, Reality Roasters, and the Great River Arts building. Tickets at the door are $12.