Monday, November 30, 2009

December at the Arts Center

December days are upon us, and the countdown to Christmas has begun. Actually, it apparently began months ago for some people as we received our first Christmas card of the season in August. Anyway, once Advent begins, holiday events seem to be in full swing, and the Fosston Community Library Arts Center has its share of them.
The Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts will be held Saturday, December 12. This event, a major fund-raiser for the FCLAA, is held every two years. More than 100 items have been donated for the auction, including autographed books, quilts, baked goods, stained glass, a handmade knife, loads of gravel - in a word, there’s something for everyone. Linda Lohmeier will be the auctioneer. Items may be previewed beginning at 5:30 with the auction to begin at 6:30 p.m. Of course, refreshments will be served.
On the following evening, Sunday, December 13, at 7 p.m. Orland Aspen’s vocal students will present their Christmas recital. There will be both solos and duets. This program is free and open to the public, so come and hear some beautiful Christmas music.
Many of our holiday customs center around food, and two programs at the library during December feature the culinary traditions of two different ethnic groups, as Natasha Boru demonstrates how to make Russian Peroshki on Dec. 1 and Quinn Olson makes lefse on Dec. 8. Both programs are scheduled for 7 p.m. and there will be the opportunity to taste the freshly-made goodies.
On Wednesday, Dec. 9, an old-fashioned Christmas family fun night is scheduled from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Bring the kids and they can string popcorn and make paper chains to decorate the library tree. There will probably be hot cider to drink.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas will be shown on Monday, Dec. 21, and also Tuesday, Dec. 22. The first showing is for the younger kids, the second for the teens, but both are at 3:30 p.m.
The new display in the Sorenson Gallery should be up this week. It features wood block prints by four different artists. Watch for more information.
The writers’ group will not meet in December, but plans to resume in January on the third Thursday of each month.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Question

"Are we here yet?"
Confined in her car seat,
Karina wants to know.
Almost three, she doesn't quite grasp
The finer points of "here" and "there."
She only want to know
If this long car trip is soon to end
And so she asks again:
"Are we here yet?"
And what a question that is, almost existential,
For the answer can only be "Yes."

- Kay Carlsen

Monday, November 2, 2009

November is upon us, and after this damp, dreary October, I suspect everyone is hoping for some dry weather. I realize that November is not noted for its sunshiny days, but maybe this year’s atypical weather patterns will continue, and we’ll have some September-type weather in November. If not, there will still be some bright spots at the Fosston Library. Once again, the used book sale held last month was a huge success, bringing in between $1,200 and $1,300 to be used for library programming. With nothing selling for more than a dollar, that’s a lot of items. Thanks to everyone who donated and to all who purchased those great bargains.
For those of you interested in researching your family’s history, there will be a workshop at the library where you can learn how to use online genealogical resources. It will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. with a LARL staff member from Detroit Lakes here to instruct. The class is free, but you may want to call the library ahead of time as space is limited.
Also, if you are in need of basic computer training, that’s also available at the library the second and fourth Monday of every month. Call 435-1320 for more information.
Two movies will be shown at the library in November: Pocahontas for the kids’ matinee on Monday, Nov. 23, and 17 Again on Tuesday, Nov. 24, for the teens. Show time is 3:30 p.m.
Watch for a new display in the Sorenson Gallery. An exhibition of wood block prints is scheduled to go up sometime mid-month.
The date for the auction for the arts has been changed to Saturday, December 12. This is the major fund-raiser for the Fosston Community Library Arts Association, held every two years. If you’ve never attended, it’s a great opportunity to bid on a number of unique items and to enjoy the wonderful refreshments provided by the Athenian Club.
Now for a few more odds and ends:
The writers’ group will meet on Thursday, Nov. 19.
There is still the possibility of securing a violin teacher if there are enough students interested in violin lessons. Contact me at 435-6710 for more information.
The library will be closed on
Wednesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) and also on Thursday, Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day).

Friday, October 30, 2009

Halloween Outhouse Tipping

Halloween Outhouse Tipping

Our FLCAA Writers’ Group was challenged to write a piece about the subject of “Art.” Because I had already written a three-part story on “On the Art of Outhouse Tipping” some years ago, and because I believe firmly in promoting recycling, and because it’s soon Halloween, I decided to recycle the following story.
When I was growing up, acts of vandalism were primarily limited to Halloween and the tradition of tipping over outhouses and throwing a little toilet paper on trees–although since most rural people didn’t buy TP but simply used old Monkey Ward catalogs or the paper saved from the wrapping of peaches bought in crates for fall canning, little of the expensive rolled toilet paper was strewn in the countryside.
My esteemed older brother and his friends were involved in more than one such tipping event, and I have heard similar stories from nearly every community where we’ve lived, so it must have been a sacred tradition–a way for teenage boys to celebrate the “hallowed evening.” Few outhouses exist anymore (resulting in year ’round mischief instead of annual outhouse tipping) so I feel it is my duty to honor the good old days in verse before it is forgotten altogether.
On the Art of Outhouse Tipping – Part I

Quietly they creep through the darkness
Of the hallowed eve, intent on celebration.
Their male elders had kept this sacred tryst
For generations, but tonight is their night
To complete the ancient ritual on their own.

Scarce able to contain their passion,
To hold silence at the rite before them,
Hearts beating wildly,
They hold their breath...

On bended knee, with hands pressed forward,
Sweat-drenched ‘gainst the bulwark,
They strive mightily…

Inside, upon the mercy seat sits enthroned
Tom, the master of the house, butt-naked,
Meditating on why the building rocks
Back and forth,
Back and forth,
Back
Back
Back…

And over!

Part II (the following year)

All year he’d dreamed of this. Awake and asleep he’d plotted and planned, and now the night was upon him--and he couldn’t wait. Leaving a light in the living room and another in the kitchen so they’d think he was still inside the house, Tom slipped out into the darkness and headed down the well-worn path.
“I’ll get ‘em,” he mutters, grinning at the thought of how they’d scamper when from inside the biffy he’d fire the shotgun out the vent, just as they approached to do their mischief. “I’ll get ‘em!”

He hears them coming through the trees, closer, closer. “Just let them get right up to the door. Let them start to push. I’ll hold my fire until the very last moment.”

He thinks back to the days of his youth when he’d led the pack himself. Never got caught, neither. He can’t wait to turn the tables and scare the crap out of a new generation!
Shotgun cocked, he waits…and waits…and waits...
He knows they’re out there. He can hear their snorts and snickers, their sh-sh-shushing of each other. First on one side of the building...then on the other…But never quite close enough.
And now they seem to be retreating into the woods.
“Ding bust it! Guess they chickened out this time. Pantywaists. Guess they musta seen me come out and feared I’d fill ‘em full of lead. Nah, I wouldn’t do that. You gotta have a little fun on Halloween afterall. But it would have been mighty entertainin’ to put a little scare in them just when they were beginnin’ to push. Well, I best be going in. Getting cold out here… What the ding, ding?!!”

Ten hours later Tom hears a pickup pull into the yard. “Tom? You here, Tom? We missed you for coffee, Tom. Folks down to the postoffice wondered where you were. You here, Tom?”
His neighbor is pounding on the screendoor, yelling for him.
Tom tries to answer, but his voice, cracked and chilled by the long overnight in the November cold, is gone–No more than a scratch and a whisper.
The screendoor scr-e-e-e-e-ks open, then slams itself shut as the neighbor enters the house, hallooing, half afraid of what he’ll find.

His wits slowly returning, Tom squeezes the trigger. BAM!
“Tom! You okay, Tom?” The neighbor races out of the house in the direction of the shot.
Silence.
Fumbling in his jacket, Tom searches, fingers half frozen, for more shells. BAM!
“Tom! You in there?”
BAM!
“What the heck is that rope doing tied around your outhouse, Tom? Boys get the best of you last night?”
BAM!
“After all that shootin’, all you’d need is a nice hard rain, Tom, and you’d have a darn good shower facility in your outhouse!”
BAM! BAM!
“Just hold your fire, Tom, I’ll have you out of there in a jiffy. Out of the biffy in a jiffy! How’s that for poetry, Tom?”
BAM!
“Okey-dokey, Tom, come on out now. I've got you untied. Let’s go get us a cup of nice, hot coffee and some of Molly’s pumpkin pie, and then I’ll help you fix your roof.”

Part III – (Another Year Later)

“We’re really going to get old Tom this year! Wasn’t that a gas last Halloween? Jeez, man, he coulda froze right there in the john if my dad hadn’t a drove in the yard and seen the ropes we tied around it. Man! That was a good one!”

“Yeah, but this year’s going to be even better! We’re gonna wait til after midnite and then tip the can onto the toboggan and drag it over to the church and set it right in front of the entry. We’ll put a sign on it and call it ‘Tom’s Temple.’ Hey, man, that’s gonna be great! That’s gonna be great!!”

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Tom’s been praying hard. Praying for a way to make ‘em do penance for last year’s prank. Praying and working. Working and praying. And at last he’s ready.
Gets dark about six o’clock this time of year in Polk County, but they won’t chance it ’til later, Tom’s sure of that. So he sits by the window and reads til ten, then snuffs out the light and waits in his chair by the window, boots on and coat near at hand. This is going to be great! This is going to be great!!

Three hours he waits.
Then, slowly… One by one they creep out of the woods, their pathway clear in the frosty moonlight. Four of them.
Tom presses close to the windowpane, not wanting to miss a minute.
They approach the building from the north, just as he thought they would. They position some sort of drag in front of the door, then move around to the back to start pushing…
Down they go!
One-two-three-four! Down they go!
Down through the snow-covered cross-hatched branches
Disguising the pit no longer topped by the wooden biffy
Now stationed three feet further east.

“Happy Halloween, boys! See you in the mornin'!”



Friday, October 23, 2009


Ebony, or How Things Have Changed

The cat naps on the clothes dryer.
He sprawls out, savoring the warmth.
Black against the white dryer,
The colors of a keyboard -
His name is Ebony.
The children who met him as a kitten
Couldn’t remember his name.
The word meant nothing to them.
Piano keys now are often made from plastic.
- Kay Carlsen

Friday, October 9, 2009

Reflections on the Todd Green experience

The past Tuesday evening, Todd Green, a musician who plays numerous instruments, most of which few of us have even heard of, presented a concert at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. On Monday he made two presentations at the Fosston school, one for the elementary children and one for the high school students. Although the number in attendance wasn’t quite as high as I’d have liked to see (that Twins play-off game lasted way too long), I would have to say it was a successful event. He is a talented performer, and he gave us the opportunity to experience the instruments and musical styles of many countries around the world.

I also was present for the two lyceums at the school. There he had a captive audience - and by and large, it was also a captivated audience. It is no easy feat to hold the attention of more than 350 kids, ranging in age from five to 11 or 12, but he was able to do it as he told about the various instruments, which included such things as a string of goat hoof trimmings or a metal bowl, and demonstrated how they were played. The audience of junior high and high school students were equally attentive.

At the Tuesday evening concert, I sat behind a set of six-year-old triplets and their mother. The concert lasted until nearly 9:30, and although I could tell the children were getting tired as they leaned on their mother, they still were listening and watching, pointing out to their mom some of the things they remembered seeing in school the day before. She reported to me later that one of the boys, on returning home, told his dad, “Oh, Dad, you should have gone. It was the best concert ever.”

At the board meeting the next day, we looked at some of the evaluations written by the school children. With just a couple exceptions, the kids were obviously pretty impressed, with many of them rating the presentation “great” or “best ever.”

One of the FCLAA board members, Mark Hendrickson, also felt moved to share some thoughts on the concert and the importance of events like this. With his permission, I’m including what he wrote in an e-mail to me:


Our discussion at the board meeting about the larger value of our
investment for the arts, and the comments of other board members who
were so impressed with Todd Green's pan-cultural music and message
have solidified my notion that our little communities are willing, if
not hungry, to hear what the rest of the world sounds like.

Personally, when I listen to an instrumental musician, I feel it's my
surest way of seeing into another person's soul. (Is that a new
idea)? When I experience what is known in the media as World Music,
the rich overtones and undertones of ancient natural-material flutes
and drums transport us, as one of the members observed, to cultures
and people of which we know nothing. (Cultures with whom we now find
ourselves in deadly conflict).

Knowing that others are similarly affected by the sound of an oud
gives strength to my conviction that the most profound thoughts are
not always linguistic in nature, and have commonalities among people
everywhere. We are told these unknown people express through their
music their view of us. When our children are given an opportunity to
hear a performer like Todd Green it provides the key to deeper
understanding of themselves--seen through the words and music of
others halfway around the world.

As you recall, the only negative comments on Todd's amazing
performance were from four pubescent boys who said they were bored. I
bet they wouldn't have been bored if they would have been suddenly
transported to a tent in the desert, surrounded by a cloud of incense
and swarthy bearded men in white tunics with unrecognizable musical
instruments. As artisans we know it represents the Essential Other
Part of an education we have a responsibility to provide.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

This month I’d like to address a potentially confusing issue (and, no, I don’t mean health care reform). There are three separate entities that are responsible for what goes on at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. While they work closely together, each has its own area of responsibility.
The Fosston Community Library Arts Association (FCLAA) is the group on whose behalf I write this monthly column. Originally formed in 1980, it was instrumental in securing the former Bethel Assembly Church building to be used to house the Fosston Library and to provide a venue for community theater productions, concerts and lectures. More recently, efforts by the FLCAA resulted in the library expansion project which was completed in the spring of 2003.
Membership is the FCLAA is open to anyone who wishes to join. The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors (all volunteer) who meet monthly. In addition there are several standing committees with FCLAA members who are not on the board.
The FCLAA sponsors the annual community theater production, as well as various concerts and lectures throughout the year. The art displays in the Sorenson Gallery and the music lesson program are also a part of its responsibility. Funding comes primarily from membership dues, fundraising events such as the Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts coming up in November, and various grants. While all FCLAA events are open to the public, sometimes there is a charge, such as for the summer theater production, some of the concerts and lectures, and for music lessons.
The Fosston Library is part of the Lake
Agassiz Regional Library, a consolidated public library system serving the residents of seven counties in Northwest Minnesota. Its administrative office is located in Moorhead. LARL is responsible for the library collection; in other words, it owns the books, magazines, DVDs, etc., that those of us with a library card can check out from the library. It hires and pays for library staff as well as providing some programming - many of the summer children’s programs, for example. LARL-sponsored events are always free.
The third entity involved is the City of Fosston, which owns the building and pays for its maintenance, utilities and insurance. At the time the 2003 addition was built, the city provided $150,000 in matching funds for a $150,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning.
The end result of these three groups working together is a wonderful asset for the Fosston Community.
This month’s opportunities:
Sorenson Gallery - Paintings by John Kolb and Linda Ackland-Kolb (through Nov. 13)
Used book sale in the basement - also video tapes, DVDs, cassette tapes, CD’s, all under $1. Proceeds go toward library programming.
Music lessons are ongoing. There is a possibility of securing a violin teacher if there is enough interest. Contact me at 435-6710 for more information.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Sorenson Gallery

The current show in the Sorenson Gallery features works by John Kolb and Linda Ackland-Kolb, a couple from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. These paintings will be in the gallery through November 13. At left is "Last Meal" by John Kolb

This acrylic painting by John Kolb is titled "Little White."

Gallery show



Linda Ackland-Kolb has worked with pastel on a beeswax ground.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The recent production of The 1940s Radio Show was a huge success, with sold-out performences all four evenings. Here are some photos taken at the Friday night performance by David Warren.
Photo captions from top: Stanley, played by Dustin Carlson, fixes the light, as Pops (Aage Carlsen) looks on.
Lou Cohn (Ray Miller) concentrates on his card game.
Clifton A. Feddington (left), played by Phil Ehlke, talks to Johnny Cantone (Phil Juve), Ann Collier, and Lou about their upcoming broadcast.
Wally Fergeson (Dawson Ehlke), B.J. Gibson, Neal Tildon, Ginger Brooks, Ann Collier and Connie Miller perform while Johnn Cantone waits for his segment.
Connie Miller, played by Leah Carlson, sings "Daddy."
Ann Collier, played by Donna Parenteau, performs a solo with Zoot Doubleman (Matthew Goinz) at the piano.
The ensemble sings "Ain't She Sweet."
B.J. Gibson (Leif Pearson) and Connie Miller make a cute couple.
Neal Tilden (Solomon Hanson) after his solo on "Blue Moon"
Ginger Brooks was played by Abby Faldet.
Bass player Biff Baker (Lee Foster) (center) has played his final show before going off to war.
The grand finale

Friday, September 4, 2009

It’s difficult to believe it can be September already, especially since some of us spent much of the summer waiting for some warm weather. However, it is September, with school starting, many other activities getting back in gear, and a number of things going on at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
Music lessons at the art center will resume midmonth, after the sign-up open house from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. Once again, piano, guitar, and voice lessons will be offered. Instructors are Lora Lee Saeter, Kay Carlsen, Luke Dorman and Orland Aspen.
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, there will be a program on Internet safety presented by Mike Norland of the Polk County Sheriff’s Department. If you’re concerned about what your children might be doing on-line, you’ll want to attend. (Or if you’re afraid you may get into trouble yourself while surfing the Internet, you should probably be there.)
There are a couple of after-school movies scheduled this month. On Monday, Sept. 21, The Pirates Who Don’t’ Do Anything will be shown especially for children K-sixth grade, and on Tuesday, September 22, How to Eat Fried Worms is intended for seventh through 12th graders and shown in observance of Banned Book Week
Also, the month of September is Library Card Sign-up Month, so if you don’t have a library card, stop by and get one. It’s free and gives you access to an astonishing number of books, magazines, CDs, DVDs (and video tapes), even art work, not just here in Fosston, but all over the state. All you need is some form of ID showing your address.
The used book sale is coming up in October, and the library is accepting donations of new or gently used books, magazines, CDs, cassette tapes, DVDs, and video tapes. Drop them off at the library during library hours, or if you just have a few things you want to donate, but them in the book drop.
Coming up in October - the Todd Green concert on Tuesday, Oct. 5. To quote from his press release:
“Todd has astounded audiences across the country with his diversity on a multitude of string, flute and percussion instruments from all over the world. His performance will be enhanced by digital samplers, which allow him to record and over-dub instruments one by one, making him a one-man-orchestra of unique and exotic instruments. As fascinating to watch as to listen to, Todd intersperses his playing with entertaining explanations of the music and the instruments. Prepare to be amazed!”
His presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Minnesota State Arts Board, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.
It is also made possible in part by a grant provided by the Northwest Regional Arts Council through funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Minnesota State Legislature.

Friday, August 14, 2009

One of the new ventures for the FCLAA is a writers' group, which will be meeting monthly, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sorenson Gallery at the library. The meetings are open to anyone interested in writing, whether for publication or simply for one's own enjoyment. The group has met twice so far, but new members are welcome at any time. The members of the group will be sharing some of their writings with each other, and hopefully also on this blog. The next writers' group meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7:30.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009





The current show in the Sorenson Gallery features works by John Kolb.


The Fosston Library & Arts Center is located at 405 N. Foss Ave. in Fosston, Minnesota.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

August at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center

Will August bring us the dog days of summer or will July’s fall-like weather just continue on through September? I can’t answer that question, but I can tell you about some great opportunities at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
The 1940s’s Radio Hour will be performed August 19-22 in the arts center theater with curtain time at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are now available at Generations clothing store. Rehearsals are underway and from what I understand, things are going well. Cast members are Phil Ehlke, Donna Parenteau, Phil Juve, Abigail Faldet, Leah Carlson, Leif Pearson, Solomon Hanson, Dawson Ehlke, Ray Miller, Aage Carlsen, Dustin Carlson, Matthew Goinz and Lee Foster. Whitney Stuckey is the director with Matthew Goinz in charge of the music.
Songs in The 1940’s Radio Hour include "Strike Up the Band" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The first part of the play depicts the cast of the radio show getting ready for the broadcast with all the problems that entails, and the second part is a performance of the show. Come to hear some good music and have a lot of laughs. It promises to be a great performance.
In the gallery, John Kolb’s paintings are on display through Aug. 28. Acrylic on Styrofoam, Kolb’s paintings are colorful and three-dimensional. Stop in and take a look at this cheerful display.
The children’s, teens’ and adults’ summer reading programs are continuing, and there is still time to read enough books to qualify for the prize drawings. The Teen Read party is Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. with entertainment by the band Freedom Fighters (Brady and Kyle Arneson, Nelson Papke and Bryant Schmidt). The adult reading program closes with prize drawings, ice cream and coffee at 3 p.m. on August 21, which is also the final day for the children’s reading program.
Mark your calendars now for a special concert coming up Tuesday, October 6. Multi-instrumentalist Todd Green plays over 30 string, flute and percussion instruments from all over the world. He uses a custom-built electronics system to layer sounds, in effect becoming a one-man band of world music. His concert features original music inspired by more than a half dozen cultures in the Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa. It should be an amazing concert so plan now to attend.