Art by Ivy Bailie

October

October is here, the leaves are beautiful, and as I write this, there is a freeze warning, the first one of the season. At the Aurora Center for the Arts, there are several exciting opportunities coming up. On Tuesday, October 13, singer/songwriter Annie Humphrey will present a concert at 7 p.m. She will be joined by a poet (Sorry, I don’t have a name) for a spoken word piece. Her concert was originally scheduled as part of the summer Concerts on the Porch series but was postponed until now and of course moved indoors. Because of licensing restrictions, the winter musical has been changed from “Matilda” to “Glitz – the Little Miss Christmas Pageant Musical.” The new show features backstabbing mothers and competitive daughters, but truth, honesty and love prevail. There will be a second round of auditions coming up soon. Contact Abby Pearson at 218-280-0595 for more information. The show will be presented Dec. 4-8. Meanwhile, at the Fosston Library, a workshop on Kinusaiga, the Japanese art of quilting without thread, will be offered on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m. It’s free and supplies will be provided. Unfortunately, the limited number of spots are already spoken for, but you can call the library at 218-435-1320 to get on a wait list. You might get lucky. The library book club meets on Tuesday, October 20, at 2 p.m. This month’s book is The End of Drum Time by Hanna Phyläinen. Set in a remote village on the Scandinavian tundra in 1851, the characters include a Lutheran minister and Sami reindeer herders. It should be interesting. Contact the library for a copy of the book. On Wednesday, October 28, cookbook author Sarah Peterson will be at the library at 2 p.m. to talk about her latest book, Dish and Tell. The book features time-tested recipes and includes the stories behind them. Enjoy her recipes – and think about your own. Bingo for kids five and up will be Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 3:15. There are always prizes. Preschool story time for the little ones and their parents is scheduled for Mondays at 10:30 a.m. No story time on October 12 (Indigenous Peoples’ Day) as the library will be closed.

September is here

September is here, bringing a little sadness for the end of summer, but also lots of excitement for the beginning of the school year. Music lessons at the Aurora Center for the Arts will be resuming this month so now is the time for your child or yourself (no upper age limit) to learn to play an instrument or brush up on those skills you already have. Instruction is available for piano, strings, guitar and drums, as well as music production and songwriting. Instructors are Kay Carlsen, piano (aagekay@gvtel.com, 218-435-6710 or 218-289-3968), Jeff Menten, violin, viola, cello, mandolin and guitar (jeffmentenmusic@hotmail.com or 218-255-0087) and Eric Olson, guitar, drums, music production and songwriting (ericolsonator@gmail.com or www.spawnpoint.com) Contact an instructor directly to schedule lessons. Acoustofiddle (Jeff Menten and Paul Nye) will present a free concert on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. They were originally scheduled to perform at a concert on the porch, but the concert was cancelled because of threatening weather. This performance will be at the Aurora Center theater. An exhibit of Ivy Bailie’s paintings will be on display at the Sorenson Gallery. Her watercolor class is set for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m.at her studio patio. If you want to learn to paint a carpet of autumn leaves, sign up at Ivy Bailie Water Class 2026 auroracenterforthearts.org. Tryouts for “Mathilda” will be Sunday, September 20, at 3:30 and 6:30. Aspiring cast members of all ages are asked to prepare a short monologue and 16 bars of music. The show will be performed Dec. 4-8. Meanwhile, at the Fosston Library, story time for preschoolers will resume Monday, Sept. 14, at 10:30 a.m. and will be held every Monday. Tuesday, Sept. 15, will be a busy day with book club at 2 p.m. discussing The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. This novel is historical fiction set in 1950s Washington, D.C. It should be an interesting read. That same day, at 6 p.m., photographer Doug Ohman will do a presentation entitled “Shaping the Nation: Minnesota Stories at 250.” His programs are excellent – you won’t want to miss this. Wednesday Sept. 16, there will be Bingo for the kiddos at 3:30 p.m. Fun and prizes – sounds good. One more great event that same week (Friday, Sept, 18, at 3:30) is a reading by author Kent Estey. The native-written and illustrated children’s picture book, “Picking Sweetgrass,” recalls a cherished childhood memory of gathering sweetgrass with his grandmother. This event is sponsored by the Firefly Center for Art and Wellbeing.

August is usually quiet

August is usually quiet at the Aurora Center for the Arts after some busy times earlier in the summer. However, the Kids Drama Camp is coming up the week of August 17-21. Students from third through eighth grade will have the opportunity to spend the week rehearsing some Shakespeare, learning stage combat, scene work, costuming and design. At the end of the week, they will perform for family and friends. The student art exhibit in the Sorenson Gallery will remain for most of the month so if you haven’t seen it yet, you still have the opportunity. The summer reading program at the Fosston Library came to an end July 31. However, kids still may turn in their reading logs until August 8. Prize drawings will be held the following week. Library book club meets Tuesday, August 18, at 2 p.m. The book for the month is James by P. Everett. It is a retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story from the point of view of Jim, the runaway slave. I have a conflict and won’t be attending, but I intend to read the book anyway. It should be interesting. The new seats have been installed in the Aurora Center theater and they are beautiful. There are still seats available for sponsorship. Contact Abby Pearson at hello@auroracenterforthearts.org. Honor a loved one, celebrate your family or simply show your support. Coming up at the Aurora Center in September: -Annie Humphrey concert rescheduled from early July. It will most likely be at the theater rather than at the Heritage Center. -State Arts Board art class with Ivy Bailie - Tryouts for winter show, “Mathilda” Watch for further information on these coming events as dates have not been confirmed. One last thing – if you are suffering from the heat, it’s nice and cool at the library, and there’s nothing better than a good book