Entertainment Briefs - April 26

BHS named Vans Custom Culture semi-finalist

Brainerd High School has been named a semifinalist in the 2018 Vans Custom Culture Shoe Customization Contest.

Now, BHS needs the community's help by voting for its submission for a chance to win $75,000 towards the school's art program, a news release stated. People may vote one time every day until Friday, May 4 at https://customculture.vans.com . There are 50 schools across the U.S. in the running for the grand prize.

The Vans Custom Culture contest was created to support schools across the country experiencing art department budget cuts, the release stated. More than 2,000 schools submitted customized Vans shoes embodying the Vans "Off the Wall" and "Local Flavor" lifestyle. Students also submitted an impact document explaining how winning this donation would affect the arts programs since they have suffered budget cuts.

After Vans narrowed down submissions to the top 50, it's up to the public to vote for their favorite pair. The overall winner will receive $75,000 and four runner-up schools will receive $10,000 to go towards funding the school's art programs.

BHS art instructor Rick Jensen submitted an application in January in the Vans Custom Culture shoe design contest. Vans sent BHS two pairs of shoes for students to design and paint. Fifteen students submitted a design and the BHS visual arts teachers selected the winning designs, which were then painted on the shoes. The shoes were photographed, and then submitted to Vans.

CLC's band and jazz ensemble concert set

The Central Lakes College Community Band and Jazz Ensemble will perform its spring concert titled "CODA" at 7:30 p.m. May 8 in the Chalberg Theatre.

The theme is "The Best of the Last 27 Years" recognizing the retirement of the conductor, Steve Anderson. Featured will be American and British band classics, Sousa marches, Star Wars movie music and a variety of jazz styles from the Central Lakes College libraries. The concert will feature Anderson on a tuba concertino with the concert band. This is the 27th year of the jazz band and the 25th year for the community band. Two of the original members of the community band will perform in the concert.

The community band draws its membership from the surrounding towns and cities with people traveling as many as 65 miles for rehearsals on Monday evenings during the band season. Ages range from 14 to 90-something, with many of the members having been with the band for over 20 years.

Admission to the concert is $5 for adults, with CLC students and children age 12 and under admitted free of charge.

'Canoeing with José' author to appear

Author Jon Lurie will discuss his memoir "Canoeing with José" at noon May 7 at the Brainerd Public Library.

The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library bring acclaimed authors to the library the first Monday of every month to speak about their latest work and the craft of writing. These events give local book lovers a chance to connect with up-and-coming and award-winning authors from around the Midwest, a news release stated.

After years of admiring the journey described in Eric Sevareid's classic 1935 account "Canoeing with the Cree," Lurie invited José to retrace Sevareid's route and embark together on a mythic 2,000-mile paddle from Breckenridge to the Hudson Bay. In the book, Lurie details how they were faced with plagues of mosquitoes, extreme weather, suspicious law enforcement officers, tricky border crossings and much more.

Lurie worked as a wilderness guide, as a teen adviser at a Native American journalism program and as an editor at the Anchorage Press and The Rake. His journalism has been published in a wide range of publications including Metro magazine. A graduate of the master's program in creative writing at the University of Minnesota, Lurie has taught creative writing at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, where he currently teaches experiential learning.

He serves as director of the Mother of Waters Project, a cultural outreach program that combines experiential learning with arts education, focusing on the health of Minnesota's fresh water resources. Lurie also is the co-author with Clyde Bellecourt of "The Thunder Before the Storm," a Minnesota Book Award finalist.

People who attend are welcome to bring a packed lunch or may enjoy the light refreshments provided. These presentations are sponsored by the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library through their volunteer and fundraising efforts, and are free to the public.

For more information contact the library at 218-829-5574 or visit the library's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/brainerdpubliclibrary .

Author named finalist for book award

The Midwest Book Awards recently announced the 2017 finalists, recognizing quality in independent publishing in the Midwest.

Submitted books were copyrighted in 2017 and entered by publishers from the Midwest Independent Publishing Association's 12-state Midwestern region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Included in the list is "Murder Book" by Pierz native Frank Weber. "Murder Book," published by North Star Press of St. Cloud, is a finalist in three categories including Crime/Thriller. The award winners will be announced at the Book Awards Gala May 12 at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.

Weber's adult fiction novel captures much of his real-life professional experiences interwoven with personal details of his childhood growing up in a family of 12 in the small rural town of Pierz. "Murder Book," a law enforcement term for homicide case, is packed with authentic investigative details based on his own work and his own life experiences, a news release stated.

Weber is a forensic psychologist who has completed assessments for homicide, sexual assault and domestic abuse cases. His work has ranged from assessing murderers chained to the cement floor in the basement of a prison and assessing psychopaths to providing therapy for wealthy professionals who've engaged in multiple affairs. He has testified as an expert witness in numerous sexual assault and homicide cases, written seven different treatment workbooks and in 2015 published a training series for psychologists, which has been accredited by the Minnesota Board of Psychology. He has received the President's Award from the Minnesota Correctional Association for his forensic work, and recently received an award for excellence in his clinical work.

The book follows Jon Frederick, who spent his adolescence protecting his mentally ill brother and worrying about his parents' farm as it headed toward bankruptcy. So when Mandy Baker, the alluring new girl in town, pursued him, he was easily enamored. But on the day he ended their tryst, Mandy vanished. There is no doubt in the small Minnesota town of Pierz the flirtatious girl is dead, and there is little doubt Jon got away with murder.

A decade later, Jon is made an investigator with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. While investigating a case near his hometown, Jon quietly reopens the murder book on Mandy Baker and begins to see commonalities between Mandy's disappearance and his new case. Digging up the past raises intriguing possibilities with an old friend, Serena Bell-but also forces them to work through old betrayals. As the investigation intensifies, Jon realizes he has crossed paths with the killer before.

Weber's second novel, "The I-94 Murders," is expected to be released by North Star Press in September.

LAMF calls for musical outreach proposals

Over the past nine seasons, the Lakes Area Music Festival has brought professional musicians from around the world to Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd for classical concerts open to the public. This summer, the organization will continue to build its outreach program, bringing those musicians out of the concert hall and into the lakes area community.

"One of the core values of our organization is accessibility," Scott Lykins, LAMF artistic and executive director, stated in a news release. "We offer a variety of educational programs to make the music we perform accessible, and we offer all of our concerts free of charge in order to open our doors to a more diverse audience. Our outreach program allows us to take one step further in bringing our mission into a larger community and continuing to remove barriers of access to world-class art for the people who can most benefit."

To determine where these activities will take place, LAMF is seeking activity proposals from area nonprofits, organizations and venues, in hopes of reaching a diverse set of underserved audiences. Proposals consist of two short statements regarding ideas for an activity and how that activity would impact the community. Submissions must be made by May 9 through the organization's website at www.lakesareamusic.org/education/outreach . This opportunity is supported by the many corporate sponsors of LAMF's 2018 season and is provided without charge.

After review by a panel of community members, about 15 projects will be selected and scheduled during the three weeks of the 10th annual festival series, scheduled Aug. 4-26. This year the review panel will include Vicki Chepulis, Heather Duininck, Ruthie Gmeinder, Holly Holm and Jennifer Smith.

Since launching its outreach programming two years ago the organization has served more than 1,000 individuals in activities including children's concerts at the Brainerd Public Library; informal Q-and-A performances at elder care facilities; outdoor community yoga classes with live music; 10 performances at the Crow Wing County Jail; and a creative song-writing workshop at the Mid-Minnesota Women's Center.

Music General dancers compete

Dancers from the Junior, Teen and Senior Company Lines from Music General Dance Studio competed March 14-16 at the JUMP Dance Convention and Competition at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Fla.

JUMP is one of the largest and most competitive dance conventions in the world, touring 26 U.S. cities and five international cities, a news release stated. Dancers took two days of classes with some of the most highly respected dance professionals in the industry today, according to the release. In addition to classes, Music General dancers competed 15 routines against nationally ranked studios, including STARS dance studio from the Lifetime show "Dance Moms: Miami."

Dancers from the Teen and Senior Company line received two You Rock Jump awards, earning 291-300 points, and 13 High Gold awards with 276-290 points, putting dancers in the top five Overall Awards for five of their 13 routine entries.

Senior Company dancer Olivia Dehning was chosen as a Tap Rock Star Award recipient, winning a full scholarship for the 2019 JUMP tour. Libby Borash was selected as the JUMP VIP Senior Scholarship Winner 2018, a title that awards her a full scholarship for the 2019 JUMP season, $400 tuition voucher for a summer dance intensive and full scholarship to the 2018 Dance Awards.

Music General Senior Company routine "Devil Went Down to Georgia" took home top honors winning first Overall, Best Tap of the weekend and Best of JUMP. In addition to routine awards, several individual dancers from Music General were also awarded scholarships in tap, ballet and jazz.

Results:

• Junior Company: "Faith," High Gold.

• Teen/Senior Company: "The Way You Make Me Feel," High Gold; "Devil Went Down to Georgia," You Rock JUMP Award, first Overall, Best Tap and Best of JUMP; "Poison," "Good to Be Alive," "Double Exposure" and "Ordinary People," all earned High Gold awards; "Call Me," You Rock JUMP Award, first Overall; "Explosive," High Gold, first Overall.

• Soloists: Jorja Kobliska, junior dancer, "Deed I Do," High Gold, eighth overall; Megan Miller, "Waterfalls," High Gold; Libby Borash, "Do You Wanna Dance," High Gold, seventh overall; Savanna Oberfeld, "Landslide," High Gold, ninth overall; Nariah Fett, "I Like the Way You Move," High Gold; and Isabella Bennett, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," High Gold.

The New Christy Minstrels to perform

NEW YORK MILLS-William Florian of The New Christy Minstrels will perform at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at the Cultural Center in New York Mills.

Florian's show is titled, "Those Were the Days: Spirit and Songs of the 60s," and includes some of the music of Peter, Paul and Mary; John Denver; Pete Seeger; The Mamas and The Papas; and The New Christy Minstrels, of which he was a member.

Florian performed, wrote and recorded rock 'n' roll throughout high school, including a local hit record with his band, Burnt Suite. After graduating, Florian and his sister, Nanette, left their home in Connecticut and went on a tour across the U.S.

In the mid-1970s, while visiting Los Angeles, the two were invited to join and tour with the famous New Christy Minstrels. Florian was honored to be a lead singer in concerts on NCM's biggest hit song, "Today."

Tickets are $15 at the door or $12 in advance; $5 for students.

For more information or to buy tickets, call the Cultural Center at 218-385-3339 or visit the Center's website at www.kulcher.org .

1/2: Piano students of Jessica Moats had a piano recital April 5 at Forestview Middle School in Baxter. Students were Nate Chausse (front row, left), Audree Rosekrans, Brannon Amundson, Andrew Allegra (back, left), Anna Angland, Anja Storbakken and Etta Danielson. Submitted

2/2: Music General Senior Company dancers’ routine “Devil Went Down to Georgia” took home top honors winning first overall, Best Tap of the weekend and Best of JUMP at the JUMP Dance Convention and Competition at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Fla. Submitted