ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS - July 26

The Kingery Family at Gregory Park

The Kingery Family will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 26, in the bandstand at Gregory Park in Brainerd, as part of the Concerts in the Park series.

Music has always had an influence in the Kingery household. Mike (dad) played professional baseball for 17 years, the traveling provided for hours of singing time in the car. Grandma Marion Kingery taught piano lessons to the girls when they were young. Grandma also took the girls to nursing homes to perform with her.

Instruments started being added to the family when Rachel started taking guitar lessons and Anna learned to play the flute. Mike wanted to minister to the elderly through their music. They began to sing together at local nursing homes. Word began to spread and the family was asked to sing at church services and other community events.

After being exposed to bluegrass music from different sources, they were inspired and soon were working on their own bluegrass music. The Kingery Family released their first CD in October of 2009 and Dereck Tiemann was added to the family; second CD released in September of 2010. The Kingery Family’s theme is music with a vision. Family members include: Mike and Chris, Anna, Michelle, Rebekah, Elizabeth, Abigail, David, Joshua, Derek and Rachel and Christine Tiemann.

Bring your lawn chair or a blanket to the free concert. Rain site will be the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center in Brainerd.

Concerts in the park are a collaboration between Brainerd Parks and Recreation and the senior center.

Kansas City cookbook author at Turtle Town

NISSWA - Author Ardie Davis will appear from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Turtle Town Books & Gifts in Nisswa to sign his book, “America’s Best Ribs: Tips and Recipes for Easy, Lip-Smacking, Pull-Off-the Bone, Pass-the Sauce, Championship-Quality BBQ Ribs at Home.”

Davis is a charter member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), founded in 1986 as a club for competitive cooks. Davis also is the founder of the American Royal International Barbecue Sauce Rub and Baste Contest and a frequent barbecue judge. Together with Chef Paul Kirk, the duo have written eleven cookbooks.

The cookbook begins with “Rib Basics,” focusing on how to buy and prepare the meat, including spices and rubs. Then each chapter is devoted to different types of ribs, including beef, bison, and lamb, with pork as the meatiest chapter.

The cookbook is a folksy blend of recipes and stories from two to three generations of the authors’ families. The book also includes the best side dishes with ribs, including homemade baked beans and sweet potato pie.

Davis is a native of Kansas City who enjoys vacationing in the Brainerd lakes area.

Mathison Family Fiddlers to perform

STAPLES - The Mathison Family Fiddlers will present a concert at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Northern Pacific Park in the Staples Music in the Park series. In case of rain, the concerts will be moved to Centennial Auditorium.

The Mathison Family Fiddlers are from Foreston. The group includes Devin, 14, and his sisters Abigale, 13, Allison, 13, Maria, 11 and Anna, 10. Devin has seven years of experience; Maria has six years; Abigale has five; and Allison and Anna have been playing for three years.

The group likes to play many kinds of music, but especially enjoy gospel, traditional fiddle and bluegrass. They play at various churches, senior centers, jams, community events, and fiddle contests.

For more information on the music series, go to www.staplesmotleyarts.org . The series is funded by the Staples Host Lions Club; and organized by the Staples Motley Area Arts Council, with the assistance of the Staples Motley Public Schools and the City of Staples.

Children’s author to sign book

BAXTER – Children’s author Bob Fulton will sign books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Book World in Baxter.

Fulton is the author of “Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill,” published in 2010. The book’s important message addresses topics of diversity and acceptance and encourages children to support those with differences. Fulton has been visiting schools and libraries, sharing the story’s message with children throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Fulton, professor emeritus, taught in the Saint John’s University/College of Saint Benedict joint chemistry department for 39 years.

‘Peace Fibres’ author at Bay Lake area gallery

AITKIN - Karen Lohn, author of “Peace Fibres: Stitching a Soulful World”, will sign copies of her book at 2 p.m. Sunday at Ripple River Gallery in the bay Lake area.

Lohn, a licensed counseling psychologist who is passionate about the tapestry of life, lives in Grand Marais. For more than 20 years, she has taught classes, workshops, and college courses focused on integration of self through metaphor and experiential learning. In “Peace Fibres,” she threads together her knowledge and understanding of people and cultures with a hands-on approach to creating a soulful world.

The premise behind “Peace Fibres” is that peace begins within, then radiates in ever-expanding webs of connection. Through stories, vivid photographs and “Threads for Thought,” the book invites readers to experience the meditative and creative aspects of working with fiber through a range of simple activities and symbolic projects.

For more information call (218) 678-2575 or email ripriv@mlecmn.net .

Children’s author to be last speaker in Brown Bag lunch

Author Alice Palace will speak at noon Monday at the Brainerd Public Library, as part of the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library annual Brown Bag Lunch Summer Author Series.

Palace, the last speaker in the series, is an illustrator and author of a 10-book series of children’s books about a little boy named Marvin. Palace of Emily will talk about her experiences writing and illustrating books, greeting cards and gifts of all kinds.

Everyone is welcome to bring a bag lunch or just enjoy the one-hour book discussion. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library. There is no charge and all are welcome.

Mortensen to perform in organ series

BAXTER - Gayle Mortensen will be the next performer in the Lakes Area Summer Organ Series, performing at noon Wednesday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Baxter.

Mortensen will perform pieces from “The Royal Fireworks” by Handel, a Partita on Azmon by Bouman and the Fantasia in G Major by J.S. Bach.

A free-will offering will be taken at the door with proceeds given to the church.

Gaelic Storm releases album

Gaelic Storm - a band that has made several appearances in the Brainerd lakes area - announces it will release its ninth album entitled “Chicken Boxer” and fifth independent release on their own label Lost Again Record on Tuesday.

‘Nuances of Art’ on display

Artist John Wgeishofski will present his first solo art exhibit entitled “Nuances of Art” during the month of August at Eveyln Matthies’ Porthole Gallery in Brainerd.

The display opens Wednesday and ends Aug. 25, with a meet the artist reception from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 11. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The artist has been in group shows including Art and Garden Tour of Homes in Longville and Hackensack and the Q Gallery at the Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd. His paintings are mixed media and watercolor expressing the beauty of nature as interpreted through his eyes by using creative techniques.

Wgeishofski, who graduated from Brainerd High School, is an independent hair stylist who is a member of The Crossing Arts Alliance and the Nisswa Garden Club.