Auction for the Arts Coming Soon

I want to remind everyone about the Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts coming up on Sunday, December 1. There is a Facebook page if you wish to see what is being offered for sale. Go to www.facebook.com/pages/Daisy-Hagen-Auction-for-the-Arts/590807190980834 and like this page.

November at the Art Center

While November usually brings a lot of dark and gloomy days, we can still be thankful - it’s good reading weather. Plus there are some fun activities scheduled at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 2-5 p.m., there will be free family portraits taken at the library. Each participant is required to have (or to sign up for) a current LARL library card, and those are free too. If you wish to have prints made from the photos taken, bring in a flash drive or a writable CD, and the photo files will be copied for you to have.
Book club meets on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. This month’s book is The Graveyard Book  by Neil Gaiman, a children’s fantasy novel set in a graveyard. While not a book I would have selected to read, once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. New members are welcome.
There will be a special event on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. when Bonnie Stewart will present a holiday workshop featuring menu ideas with wine pairings. Find out what wines to serve with various cheeses and/or chocolate.  Space is limited so preregistration is required. Call the library at 435-1320. Also put this on your calendar: The Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts will be held Sunday, December 1. This biennial event is the FCLAA’s big fund-raiser with a number of donated items on the auction block: quilts, a cabin weekend, framed art, hand-woven baskets, baked goods, woodworking and much more. Items are available for view at 1 p.m. with the auction slated to begin at 2. Lynda Lohmeier will be the auctioneer. Refreshments will be served by the Fosston Athenian Club.
If you have preschoolers, here is an item of interest to you: beginning this month, story time will be offered twice weekly. So many little ones have been showing up Friday mornings that they hardly fit into the room, so a second session with the same theme will be held Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m.
Writers’ group will not meet in November because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead plan to come Thursday , Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Again, new members are welcome any time.
Lastly, a reminder: The library will be closed Monday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, and, of course, Thursday, November 28, which is Thanksgiving Day.

Now at the Sorenson Gallery

 Works by Karen Dearing are currently on display at the Sorenson Gallery.

October at the Library Arts Center

I have two things to say about October: 1) How can it be here already when school just started last week?
2) BOOK SALE!  Yes, it’s time for the annual used book sale in the basement of the Fosston Library. The selection of books is great with something for everyone, and nothing is priced at more than a dollar. Proceeds go toward library programming. Shop early for best selection.
Of course, I actually have several more things to say about what’s going on in October at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
Featured in the gallery is a display by local artist Karen Dearing. There are papier-mâché bowls, collages and assemblage work. Come and take a look; then go shopping in the basement.
There are two special musical programs during the month.  The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra will be performing on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. This four-piece ensemble plays what is described as “an eclectic mix of original and traditional country-edged, jazz/fusion instrumental pieces.”  Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, singer/songwriter Kevin Bowe will perform at 7 p.m. Bowe was raised in rural Minnesota and has performed with a number of different bands. His style is described as “roots/Americana.”
In conjunction with Teen Read Week, there will be a special program of interest to adults too as paranormal researcher Chad Lewis will do a presentation on Minnesota’s Most Haunted Locations on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. Lewis spoke here several years ago and drew a standing-room-only crowd, so you may want to come early to get a good seat.
Book club will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. This month’s selection is Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. It’s a good one.
Keep in mind that the Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts will be held on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. If you are interested in donating something, contact Sandy Johnson (435-1600) or Sarah Steinbrenner 435-6504). Sandy and Sarah, both members of the FCLAA board, have taken on the task of being in charge of the auction this year. FYI, other members of the board are Orland Aspen, Wonell Miller, Ray Miller, Keri Mireault, Becky Overmoe, Jeanne Rains, Bernadette Sorenson, Bonnie Stewart and Scot Wilson.
Here’s one last little tidbit: The library will be closed on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14, while the staff attends an all-day workshop.

And It's September

September is here, school is starting, the days are shorter, and, hopefully, the weather will be cooler. Fall activities will be starting up at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
Music lessons will be resuming throughout the month. Some of the instructors have only a limited number of openings for new students, so I suggest you contact them directly. Here is the contact information:
Eric Olson (guitar, bass and drums) -
pastorericolson@gmail.com or 218-694-2687;
Jeff Menten, member of American String Teachers Association, (violin, viola, cello, mandolin, upright bass)  218-255-5218 or
jeffmentenmusic@hotmail.com; Orland Aspen (voice) - musicman56@gvtel.com or 435-6791;
Kay Carlsen (piano) - aagekay@gvtel.com or 435-6710;  Lora Lee Saeter (piano)saeter@gvtel.com or 435-1422.
If you are an aspiring writer, there are a couple opportunities for you this month. On Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. there will be a free poetry worship led by Minnesota poet and teacher, Becca Barniski. She teaches poetry, works as a freelance writer, and is a consultant in arts education for a number of schools, arts organizations and public agencies across the upper Midwest. This event is supported by Legacy Amendment funds.
After taking a break during the months of July and August, the library writers’ group will meet on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. New members are always welcome.
Book club will also resume, meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. The book for this month is Me Before You. I haven’t read it yet, but according to the information I got it tells the story of two very different characters: Lou, a small-town girl caught between dead-end jobs, and Will, a successful businessman who becomes wheelchair bound following an accident.
Looking ahead to October, the used book sale is coming up. Donations of books, CD’s, and DVDs can be brought to the library. Donate some now so you can shop in October.
Also coming up in October, The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra will be performing on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. With violin, bass, guitar and drums, this should be an entertaining performance, so mark your calendar now.

Looking Good

The Fosston Library & Arts Center is looking good this summer, thanks to the landscaping project completed earlier by the local 4-H club. 

...And It's August

Oh, no! It’s already August, and summer is two-thirds over. It’s way too short a season for me, but I guess that makes me appreciate it all the more.
The best thing about August is it means it’s time for the musical Fiddler on the Roof at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. Performances are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, August 8-10, at 7 p.m. with a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee on August 11. Because all the originally scheduled performances have been sold out, an addition Saturday matinee has been scheduled for 1 p.m. If you don’t have your tickets yet, stop by Generations Clothing or call them at 435-1676. Hopefully they have some left; if not, you may need to look for a scalper.
Directed by Michelle Marx, this production involves more than 45 people, counting cast, company and crew. Actors range in age from five to 87. There will be a live band and wonderful music. Refreshment will be served at every performance, with extra special treats at the Sunday matinee.
I’m sure you are all familiar with the story or at least some of the music in Fiddler on the Roof.  As many of you probably remember, Fiddler was the first production of the FCLAA, probably about 1981. You will definitely want to see this new production of it.
In other news, the summer reading program continues into August, so there is still time for children to win prizes as they “Dig into Reading.” Remember, the more they read, the more chances they have to win one of the special grand prizes.
There are still a couple more SRP special programs coming up. On Wednesday, August 14, Professor Marvel will be performing his amazing archaeological adventure magic show at 2 p.m. He will perform amazing magical tricks and also discuss the magic and wonder contained in books that can be revealed by digging into reading.
The final summer reading program will involve water rather than dirt so I guess everyone will be diving rather than digging. On Wednesday, August 21, at 2 p.m. there will be a pool party at the Fosston Civic Center Pool. Door prizes will be awarded. Contact Tammi at the library for more information.
I would also like to mention that the FCLAA has a Web site at www.fclaa.org
You should take a look.