Entertainment Briefs - Nov. 5

Great River Strings concerts announced

The Great River Strings fall performance of "The Music of the Reformation" will be presented at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Crosby-Ironton High School and at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at Aitkin's First Lutheran Church.

Volunteers, musicians, board members, co-directors and staff meld their individual talents and abilities to make the concerts a success. Mary Aulie has joined Lynn Foote as co-executive director; Ruth Egstad handles technology and Ann Schwartz handles publicity and grant writing.

The board of directors, led by president Paul Tesdahl, all do their part and Ruth Lofgren, Luanne Beyreuther, Jean-Paul Zenke Maryann Holder, David Lang, Rachel Johnson, Larry Conley and Mary Lindberg Beal. The conductors are Rich Aulie and Jill Lee.

CLC bands to present 'Musicscape'

The Central Lakes College Music Department will present "Musicscape: A panorama of musical styles and eras" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24 in the Chalberg Theatre on the Brainerd campus. The CLC Community Band and Jazz Band, under the direction of Steve Anderson, will perform.

Admission is $5 for adults and children 12 and under and CLC students with identification are admitted free of charge. No reserved seating or advanced ticket sales.

There will be a full program of music, including a 16th century Christmas carol, a 19th century cakewalk and a barn dance; and a theme from the first computer animated TV series.

The Jazz Band will feature music from Count Basie, Earth Wind and Fire and Van Morrison. The CLC music groups are composed of area students and community musicians from all age ranges.

The Community Band rehearses on Monday nights during the fall and spring seasons with the Brass Ensemble meeting in the winter from December to late February.

Membership is open to students ages 16 and up.

Franciscan Harvest Supper planned

LITTLE FALLS - The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls will host a Franciscan Harvest Supper from 4:30-7 p.m. Nov. 14 at St. Francis Convent in Little Falls. Chicken, sausage, garden vegetables, coleslaw, breadsticks, homemade bars and beverages will be served.

Ticket prices for adults are $9; children ages 5-12 years are $4; children under 5, free. Dinner tickets will be available at the door or by calling 320-632-2981. Proceeds from the Franciscan

Harvest Supper will benefit St. Francis Health and Recreation Center and St. Francis Music Center in Little Falls.

Go to www.fslf.org or email info@fslf.org or call 320-632-2981 for more information.

'From Sea to Shining Sea' fall concert series

"From Sea to Shining Sea," the fall 2015 Concert Series of The Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota, runs Nov. 20-22 and features Patriotic and Americana favorites.

Concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at First Lutheran Church in Aitkin; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle High School Auditorium; and at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd.

To honor the men and women who have served in America's armed forces, the Legacy Chorale is offering free admission to all military service men and women and veterans with military identification or veterans organization card for this concert series.

Under the direction of Sarah Aamot, accompanied by Laura Raedeke, and supported by guest instrumentalists, repertoire for the series includes arrangements of popular patriotic tunes, American folksongs and African-American spirituals. Each concert will open with "The Star-Spangled Banner" complete with presentation of the colors by area honor guards. Other songs include "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "God Bless America," "This Land is Your Land," "Ride On, King Jesus," "Goin' to Boston," "Red River Valley," "The Water is Wide," and "The Yellow Rose of Texas." The series also will feature newer compositions, such as "Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones" with words by former Senator Orrin Hatch and "Soldier, Won't You Marry Me?" a choral rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever," and will conclude with a stirring arrangement of "From Sea to Shining Sea" also known as "America the Beautiful."

Concert tickets are $12 for adults and seniors and free for students age 18 and under. Tickets are available at the door 30 minutes prior to performances, or in advance at the following locations: Brainerd Dispatch and Lakes Printing in Brainerd, Bethany Bookstore in Baxter, the Aitkin Age in Aitkin, and the Long Prairie Leader and Coburn's in Long Prairie. You can also call 218-270-8020 to leave a voice mail ticket order for Cathe Picek, Chorale Manager.

The Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota has graced area stages since 2002 under the direction and leadership of Sarah Aamot. They are a group of "ordinary people" presenting "extraordinary performances." Their mission is "to ensure the legacy of excellence in choral music in the greater Minnesota area, while enriching, inspiring and renewing the communities in which we live." They are governed by a nine-member board and group membership is by auditions, which are held twice a year.

The Legacy Chorale includes 55-70 vocalists at any time of all ages, representing a number of greater Minnesota communities: Aitkin, Backus, Baxter, Brainerd, Breezy Point, Crosby, Crosslake, Deerwood, East Gull Lake, Emily, Garrison, Hackensack, Lakeshore, Little Falls, Merrifield, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Pillager and Pine River. The Legacy Chorale has held performances in Aitkin, Brainerd, Baxter, Crosby, Crosslake, Hackensack, Little Falls, Longville, Pequot Lakes, Perham, Minneapolis, Moose Lake, St. Cloud, Staples, Wadena, Walker, Willmar and White Bear Lake.

The organization is funded by member fees, fundraisers, community donations, ticket sales and grants. The Legacy Chorale is participating in "Give to the Max Day" on Nov. 12. The next event will be the annual Waffle Breakfast planned Feb. 27, 2016, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd.

The Spring 2016 Concert Series theme is "Music of the Night" and will be presented April 15-17 Go to www.legacychorale.org for more information or a full schedule of season events.

'Cuba: Captivating and Complicated'

CROSBY - Lakes Area Unlimited Learning presents "Cuba: Captivating and Complicated" to be held from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Heartwood Senior Living in Crosby.

Sharon Carlson and David Boran, both recent travelers hooked on Cuba, will be the presenters.

Carlson, a retired teacher, traveled to Cuba two weeks before diplomatic relations were resumed in 2014. She will share her impressions of Havana, its performing arts, economy, emerging middle class, educational achievements, historic architecture and Spanish influence. Boran, an accomplished photographer, has been there three times with an exchange between U.S. and Cuban photographers which gave him access to the arts and permission to photograph everyday life in towns and rural areas in which many tourists have been restricted.

Cost is $5 for non-members of Unlimited Learning. Go to unlimitedlearning.net for more information.

Jaques Art Center announcements

AITKIN - Jaques Art Center announces the deadline of Dec. 1 for the juried show scheduled for January of 2016. The theme this year is "It's a Wondrous World' which covers just about anything the artist would like to portray. Any media is accepted for the juried show. Cash awards and ribbons will be given to winners. Entry forms may be found on the Jaques website or at the Jaques Art Center.

Saturday's Kaleidoscope event is titled "Cartoon Like a Pro" with professional cartoonist, Duane Barnhart. Class time is 10-11:30 a.m.

Come to the annual "First Dibs" luncheon to get a sneak peek at the Jaques Art Center's annual Christmas Marketplace. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday. Many artist-vendors will have their one-of-a-kind arts and crafts for sale. Participants can sign up for a chance to win a "Silent Walker" made by Pat Becker. The drawing will be on Dec. 11. Tickets are on sale at the the center or call 218-927-2363. Christmas Marketplace will open to the public at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

'Leading Ladies' production planned

LITTLE FALLS - Great River Arts announced the fall dinner theater production of "Leading Ladies" by Ken Ludwig to be held Nov. 12-14 and Nov. 19-21. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with social hour; dinner at 6 p.m.; and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.greatart.org; in person at Great River Arts; or by phone at 320-632-0960. Prices start at $30 for individual or $240 for a table of eight. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Dinner highlights include: signature salad, slow cooked pot roast, and pan seared chicken with marsala sauce which will be catered by A.T. the Black and White Restaurant.

"Leading Ladies" is a comedy starring Jack and Leo, two misfortuned traveling Shakespearean actors, who finds themselves in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. A twist of fate appears when they hear of a wealthy heiress in a neighboring town who is about to pass and leave her fortunes to her long lost family. The two hatch a scheme to pose as her long lost nephews only to find out that the relatives are not nephews but nieces. Love triangles, cross-dressing and overall silliness abound as Jack and Leo are determined to get their riches while trying to get by and fool the town residents.

This production is directed by Jeff Anderson of St. Cloud, featuring the acting talents of Randy Soltis as Leo and Allen Riedeman as Jack. Jessica Scherer, Kristin Welz, Matt Toumi, Patricia Soltis, Kenny Simon and Rhonda Schmidt will be joining Soltis and Riedeman for this production.

Pizza Ranch to release bonus tracks on Christmas album

Pizza Ranch recently announced the release of its exclusive bonus tracks on its Christmas-themed album "MercyMe, It's Christmas Album!"

Pizza Ranch will give away the CD with a $25 gift card purchase as well as sell the full album at each of its nearly 200 locations throughout the Midwest and Great Plains states, including the restaurant in Baxter.

"We are so excited to debut our new Christmas album, 'MercyMe, It's Christmas,' with Pizza Ranch," Bart Millard with MercyMe said in a press release. "Pizza Ranch is a fantastic restaurant with a great mission to glorify God. It's the perfect gift to give this Christmas season and the perfect CD to get you in the Christmas spirit."

This top Christian group has recorded the following songs for Pizza Ranch's exclusive bonus tracks: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silent Night," "Oh Holy Night" and "Joseph's Lullaby."

"We are extremely blessed to have a very close connection with our guests," said Adrie Groeneweg, co-founder and president of Pizza Ranch. "This project extends the brand's essence to a new dimension beyond our four walls and into their lives. It's a new kind of way for us to relate to our loyal fans."

Starting Sunday, guests who purchase a $25 gift card will receive a free CD, and if they purchase a $50 gift card, they will receive a free CD and $5 bounce back coupon. Additionally, Pizza Ranch will sell CDs for $5 each at the restaurants. Ranch Reward members can use credits they have on their card to purchase the CD in the restaurants.