7 minute read
SoMinn’s most comprehensive calendar of things to be SCE NE
from SCENE April 2020
by Kate Noet
THE Calendar Compiled By Ann e Kopa s editor@southernminnscene.com
Imagination Celebration
10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 4 Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield H ead to Northfield for a Saturday packed full of art of all kinds. This long-running event always draws a crowd at the Guild as families enjoy the area’s all-school art show, an exhibition of work by Northfield’s K-12 students, with tours led by art educators. Stick around for performances in the dance studio, demonstrations and try-it activities in the clay studio, and a day of open art making for all ages (stay tuned for a more detailed schedule of performances and listing of artmaking opportunities). Get your creativity on to celebrate all things art in this not-to-be-missed annual party! northfieldartsguild.org
Love the Ladies Expo 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 4 Grand Prairie Events, Luverne
Grab your girlfriends for this women-oriented expo event in Luverne. The expo features around 40 local businesses offering deals on a little bit of everything. Throughout the day, attend seminars on a variety of topics like cooking, furniture, beauty and gardening. S tick around to win one of many gift card drawings and expo cash giveaways throughout the day. In addition to food and beverage tastings, you’ll also want to come early for the free brunch (served while supplies last). It’s a day to celebrate womanhood with friends and family—and maybe meet new friends while you’re at it. Plus, admission is free. luverneevents.com
Hops for Habitat
3-7 p.m. April 4 Four Seasons Centre, Owatonna Drink beer, build houses! The third annual Hops for Habitat event aims to raise money for H abitat for H umanity homes in S teele and Waseca counties. Tickets get you an af ternoon of beer and cider tasting; so far, confirmed breweries from around the area include Tanzenwald Brewing Company, Blacklist Brewing, Castle Danger Brewery, Bent Paddle Brewing, Mankato Brewery and many more. VIP ticket holders will have access to an exclusive wine pour from Vintage Escapes Winery. Again this year, country singer Travis Thamert will provide musical entertainment throughout the event. Bring your friends to support the cause and taste some new beers. tworivershabitat.org/hops-for-habitat
April 17-18, Sheldon Theatre, Red Wing Part circus, part play, all musical, magical adventure. This unique performance follows the story of two siblings journeying through a surreal land of air, where ordinary objects take on a life of their own. Fabrics dance, balloons drift through the sky, giant silks float over the audience, and confetti turns into the night sky. It’s at once an homage to the power of air and breath and a nod to the whimsy and poetry of childhood. Merging circus and street theater with sculpture, this is one show sure to enthrall both children and adults as they laugh and gasp in wonder. sheldontheatre.org/event/air-play
Rochester International Film Festival
April 17-25, Marcus Rochester Cinema, Rochester E ach year, the Rochester International Film Group brings southern Minnesota the best in films that aren’t part of the regular commercial theater circuit. Experience the latest in both international cinema and Minnesota-made films and documentaries. For those interested in learning what goes on behind the scenes, the RIFG will host a series of filmmaker panels after selected screenings. Last year’s lineup included nearly 30 films, including a few family-friendly movies—come for just one or two, or try to watch as many as you can! Check the website for an updated film schedule. rifg.org
A Starry Night: 2nd Annual Night to Prevent Child Abuse
6-11 p.m. April 18 The Inn at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Faribault Here’s your opportunity to get a prom do-over and support a worthy cause at the same time! Enjoy an evening of dinner, dancing, a silent/live auction, photo booth and music. Things kick off with a grand march and social hour before dinner, along with a presentation. Later, local band Culture Bend will take to the stage so you can dance the night away. Dress as formal or casual as you’d like; whether you come with a date, group or alone, you’ll be sure to make friends. T icket proceeds support the E xchange Club Center for Family Unity, an organization that provides education and outreach to prevent child abuse in several southern M innesota counties.
Jazz from Broadway
7:30 p.m. April 18 Christ United Methodist Church, Rochester
The Rochester Chamber Music Society’s annual jazz concert features a variety of Broadway showtunes. Led by the society’s Jazz Quintet and Minneapolis pianist Steve Gilbertson, musicians will perform music originally composed for Broadway musicals, now reinterpreted with a jazz twist for woodwinds and a rhythm section. You’ll also experience an early performance of a newly composed jazz suite by Robert S. P. Gardner, titled “3Mornings.” For more than a decade, all RCMS performances have been free in order to bring the best of the region’s chamber music to as wide an audience as possible throughout southern Minnesota.
rochesterchambermusic.org problem by seceding from Texas entirely, leading to a new level of chaos that will surely leave audiences rolling with laughter.
actonbroadway.com/2019-20-season
Common Chords
5-7 p.m. April 21 and 7-9 p.m. April 23 Historic Paramount Theatre, Austin
Sit back and enjoy two performances by some of Minnesota’s best musicians. Ensembles of Minnesota Orchestra musicians will play a variety of selections on Tuesday, April 21, accompanying a special exhibition of William Taufic’s photography project “Our Austin, Our America,” which explores the lives of local residents, whether they’re brand-new to the area or have lived here their whole lives. Come back on Thursday for an encore by the orchestra’s woodwind quartet, plus the opening of the Paramount Theatre’s new mini-museum history exhibitions. Enjoy some music and learn a little something while you’re there! Both performances are completely free; at the Tuesday concert, a cash bar will be available to Austin Area Arts members.
austinareaarts.org/events
Doublewide, Texas
April 23-May 2 Marion Ross Performing Arts Center, Albert Lea
Grab your cowboy hat for this upcoming performance by the Albert Lea Community Theater! This community theater group, which has been putting on shows since the 1960s, will present a hilarious, fast-paced comedy set in the town of Doublewide, Texas. Residents of the state’s smallest trailer park are thrown for a loop when they learn of a plot by Tugaloo, the neighboring town, to annex them. Things quickly turn to mayhem as the residents attempt to solve the
Poet-Artist Collaboration Reading
5 p.m. April 24 Red Wing Arts Depot Gallery, Red Wing
E ach year, Red Wing Arts brings together poets and visual artists to create a chapbook and showcase works in a gallery exhibition. Join the writers, artists and art supporters for an informational reception with beverages and appetizers at the Depot Gallery before the 7 p.m. reading at the St. James Hotel overlooking the Mississippi River. After the reading, join the fun back at the Depot Gallery for the afterparty reception and celebration of local arts and literature. If you can’t make the reading but still want to check out the display, the exhibit itself will be open for viewing April 2-27.
redwingarts.org/poet-artist-collaboration
Heatbox
8 p.m. April 24 Chatfield Center for the Arts, Chatfield
H eatbox, known as the “One Man Entertainment System,” puts on a live music show that’s almost impossible to define by genre. The Minneapolis-based performer blends vocal percussion (beatboxing) and live looping, simulating horns, strings, musical instruments and various other sounds to create something wholly unique. A highly respected beatboxer among the hip-hop community, Heatbox has appeared on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” and “America’s Got Talent,”
along with T edX and other national stages. Don’ t miss this innovative performance as it passes through southern Minnesota!
chatfieldarts.org/performances
Bluff Country Studio Art Tour
April 24-26, Winona area
E njoy a variety of art in one of Minnesota’s most scenic spots: the southeastern bluff country. There’s no set tour agenda, so take a leisurely drive and stop at the galleries of over 25 local artists at 20 studios. Get your fill of everything from ceramics, woodwork, clay, fiber, sculpture, photography, jewelry and more, with studios open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Pick out some locally created new pieces for the home, or simply enjoy the opportunity to meet the artists and view their work. There will also be a few tour stops in northeastern Iowa, for those who want to branch out of Minnesota.
Bluffcountrystudioarttour.org
