It is April

April is here. There may or may not be April rain showers in our future, but I know there will be a veritable shower of enjoyable events at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.

Violinist Jeff Menten and guitarist Paul Nye will be performing on Sunday, April 22, at 3 p.m. Menten, who offers lessons on stringed instruments here at the art center as well as at several other locations, and Nye, who has released six recordings of original music, offer a blend of modern and old-time classics and Celtic tunes with ragtime and blues.  It should be an enjoyable afternoon, and did I mention there will be desserts?

There will also be desserts at the 16^th Festival of Tables, as well as chicken salad, fresh fruit and croissants. The special fund-raiser for the FCLAA will be held Saturday, April 21^st beginning at 11:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Hall in Fosston. There will be 15 creatively decorated tables, lots of door prizes and two raffle items. Tickets are available at Mireault’s Home Furnishings or from Kim Wilson and Joan Dufault. Get those tickets early as this event usually sells out.

An exhibit of ceramic and porcelain objects by artist Lisa Mathieson of St. Paul will be going up in the gallery April 9.  There will be a meet-the-artist reception for her on Monday, April 9, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. If you are interested in trying your hand at making some art objects of your own, Lisa will be offering a class on Friday, April 6. Registration is available on-line at fclaa.org, a website that is a good place to go for more information on any of these events.

Eric Bergeson will be at the arts center on Friday, April 13, at 7 p.m. for a presentation on his book, A
Treasury of Old Souls. If you have heard him speak, you’ll want to come, and if you haven’t, trust me, you should.

National Library Week is April 8-14, and to celebrate, the Fosston Library will be having an open house on Tuesday, April 10, from 3 to 6 p.m. Coffee and treats will be available, and local author Erin Green will be on hand to sign her books Faelore and Shadow of Dreams. At 7 p.m. that same evening, the book club will meet to discuss The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis.

Other events in April include:

-          An Art Walk artist reception on Thursday, April 19, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. There will be a student exhibit in the upper gallery.

-          Music and storytelling with Siama and Dallas on Tuesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. Held in conjunction with 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, this program features Congolese musician Siama Matuzungidi and singer Dallas Johnson performing a variety of African-inspired music.

-          Writers’ group will meet that same evening at 7:30 p.m.

-          Organic gardening by Jan Moan at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 3