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.