CNA- SS-3-24-2016

pro ress ress2016 Thursday, March 24

A SALUTE TO “CULTURE & ARTS” IN THE CRESTON NEWS ADVERTISER COVERAGE AREA

John/Autumn Calahan Roger Burger Michelle Jones Bubba Sorensen Bailey Fry-Schnormeier Lorelei Herrod Chris Coke Joe Larson Clarke Area Artists

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

Calahans promote fine arts in SW Iowa

By KYLE WILSON

CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com

THAYER — You’d be hard-pressed to find a southwest Iowa couple more involved in fine arts than John and Autumn Calahan.

Four years ago, these two Morningside College music majors couldn’t even point you in the direction of Thayer on a map. Yet today, they live there surrounded by peaceful countryside in a ranch-style farm house they call “home.”

John teaches vocal music to kindergarten through senior students in the Murray School District. Vocal is required for kindergarten through sixth grade and is an elective for higher grade levels.

“I’m responsible for about 170 students total,” John said.

That may seem like a lot, but it’s not too much trouble for John, who had a graduating class of 500 at Lincoln Southwest High School in Nebraska. Both John and Autumn — who grew up near Cedar Rapids — said they have welcomed the small-town atmosphere.

“I love that I know every student’s name at school and I can see them in the hallway and ask about their game or event,” John said.

“I like that I can give them individual attention and that I can just make a connection with them.”

John also teaches a high

“I also want to give them something they can do when they are 65 and retired.”

— John Calahan

Vocal/guitar instructor at Murray Schools

school class for those wanting to learn the guitar. The class meets all five days each week where they learn to read music and play basic chords. He has 11 students in the class this year and his goal is for them to be proficient enough to play at concerts once they are in high school.

“I also want to give them something they can do when they are 65 and retired,” John laughed.

He said kids love learning the song “Royals” by New Zealand vocalist Lorde. It’s one of the first songs his students learn on guitar. One of those students is freshman Megan Johnston, who has trained with John for three years.

Johnston said she feels privileged to have him as a teacher because not every small school has a guitar class being offered. Johnston, like most students, has learned the song “Royals” on the guitar. She’s also learned to play the song “Sunshine of Your Love”

by Eric Clapton.

“He won’t let us stop until we’ve mastered a lesson,” Johnston said. “He under-

CNA photos by KYLE WILSON

ABOVE: Autumn Calahan, dance instructor at Spotlight School of Dance, works with intermediate students at the studio in February. BELOW: The community wants to hang Muff Potter (John Calahan) for the murder of Dr. Robinson during Crest Area Theatre’s production of “Tom Sawyer” in July 2015. But, Judge Thatcher (Jerry Hartman) protects Potter to give him a fair trial. Pictured behind is the town sheriff (Bill Mullin).

stands how hard it can be when you first start out (on guitar) and relates to our experience.”

Johnston said he also teaches students how to write their own song using CALAHAN | 3A

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CALAHAN: CONT. FROM | 2A

the guitar. She has written three, thusfar.

John has also directed two musicals at Murray, something that had not done there in about a decade prior to his arrival. Students did “Bye Bye Birdie” in 2014 and “Wizard of Oz” last year.

Johnston added that John has expanded all the fine arts opportunities at Murray since arriving.

Dancing Calahan Autumn, meanwhile, currently works as a paraprofessional in Creston School District alongside Lisa Peters.

Autumn is responsible for about eight students in the behavioral classroom.

In college, she was trained as an opera singer. However, she said there aren’t many opportunities for opera in southwest Iowa. So, her energy right now is focused on teaching at Spotlight School of Dance in Creston.

Autumn, who started at Spotlight in September 2012, was hired by the director Adonica Struhar without a formal interview.

That fall Adonica was in line b e h i n d Struhar Autumn at Java J’s in Creston. Autumn had just moved to the area and was asking for a application to work at the coffee and gift shop.

“I could tell by the way she was standing that she had had dance training,” Struhar said. “I could tell by her shoulders and the way she walked. I invited her over to the studio. We talked about her background and I hired

LEFT: John and Autumn Calahan have settled in to small town living with John teaching at Murray and Autumn teaching at Creston School District. RIGHT: John Calahan instructs freshman Briar Bowers on how to play a song’s melody during a beginner guitar class he teaches at Murray High School.

her on the spot. The rest is history.”

Currently, Autumn is one of 10 instructors on staff at Spotlight. She teaches 24 classes at the studio per week, some of which include jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, lyrical, Broadway and acrobatics.

“She can teach all ages — from 3 to 18,” Struhar said, “and she has the ability to engage them all. She has tons of energy. She’s infectious and is always bringing new ideas to the table. I’m lucky to have her.”

Autumn, who started dancing herself at age 3, did say she likes working with all ages ranges, but has especially formed a bond with her intermediate students, which are primarily third- through fifth-grade students.

“I really love where they are in their development,” Autumn said. “They are so eager to learn new things and those light bulbs go off more.

As a teacher, it’s fun to see that.”

Struhar added that Autumn has also helped mentor her daughter Maya in musical theatre and with voice training.

CAT performances Together, John and Autumn both love performing in plays and musicals. So, they were pleasantly surprised in the spring of 2013 when they discovered Crest Area Theater (CAT).

John was a shared teacher with Creston and Murray at the time and was approached

by Julie Weisshaar-Mullin, who had a student in Creston High School then, to audition for CAT’s production of “Oliver!”

Both John and Autumn agreed to audition. They sang a song, danced and did a “cold read” on audition night. John was selected to play Fagin, the guardian of orphan kids whom he teaches to make their living by pickpocketing

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“Boy, was I happy they both auditioned,” said Jerry Huffman, who directed “Oliver!” for CAT. “They are both talented and John’s part Huffman was difficult in that he had to play an older man. I knew pretty early he had both the acting chops and singing voice.”

Meanwhile, Autumn was selected to play Nancy, the lead female role in the musical. In the novel, Nancy is a member of Fagin’s gang and it is strongly implied that she is a prostitute. Nevertheless, her concern for Oliver in this musical overcomes her loyalty to Fagin.

“I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to play Nan-

cy,” Huffman said. “She has a great voice and was uninhibited the way someone playing a Miss Kitty bar girl needs to be. She played it up to the hilt and everyone loved her.”

John and Autumn were also in CAT’s production of “Tom Sawyer” last summer.

John played Muff Potter and Autumn was Judge Thatcher’s wife. They both agreed they would audition if CAT does a play or musical this summer.

Huffman said CAT hopes to do two shows in 2016.

“I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to play Nancy. She has a great voice and was uninhibited the way someone playing a Miss Kitty bar girl needs to be. She played it up to the hilt and everyone loved her.”

— Jerry Huffman

Director for CAT’s production of “Oliver!”

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

Lenox artist entertains with covers songs

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

Though Roger Burger has no professional vocal or guitar training, he can play 240 rock and country songs from the 1960s to present.

And, if you attend one of his shows, you pick the set list. You can choose from the songs he knows or throw out a random request. If he doesn’t know the song, he’ll try to learn it and add it to his set list for future shows.

“Requested songs are probably 75 percent of my set list,” Burger said.

“Sometimes, people don’t want to hear any country, so it’s three or four hours of rock. It’s just a different show every weekend because the people select the show.”

Burger, a cover artist based in Lenox, sings and plays guitar both as a solo act and with a band.

“Right now, I’m not a finger-picker or a bar-chorder.

I do the natural, cowboy chords, and I can do 240 songs that way,” Burger said. “I never tell anybody I’m a guitar player because I know guys who are so good that I don’t even want to play around them. I’m a singer; that’s what I’m trying to do.”

He’ll perform anywhere from a bar to a political event to a nursing home, playing mostly ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s rock and country.

But, he sometimes throws in newer music. It’s whatever listeners want to hear.

“The most popular song that is requested right now is a strange one to me, but

CNA photos by KELSEY HAUGEN

ABOVE: One of Roger Burger’s music binders rests open, showing the guitar chords for ‘60s hit “Wild Thing”

by The Troggs. Burger said he only knows basic chords; he focuses instead on his vocals. RIGHT: Burger, a local cover artist based in Lenox, practices in his home studio in February. Burger has been performing as a solo artist for the past seven years and also plays with a band in Shenandoah once a month.

it’s OK: ‘Cats in the Cradle’ (by Harry Chapin),” Burger said. “I’ll have these biker guys coming up and requesting ‘Cats in the Cradle’ – that’s scary in more ways than one to me.”

Other crowd favorites are “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Free Fallin’”

by Tom Petty.

Burger has been performing as a solo cover artist for the past seven years in and around Iowa. For the past 1 1/2 years, he has traveled once a month to Shenandoah to play in the County Line Lounge house band.

“It’s fun. We do old, classic tunes most people don’t do anymore,” said Gary Bond, a drummer from Adair who plays in the County Line band with Burger. “(Burger) is kind of a cross between John Mel-

lencamp and Jimmy Buffet.”

His start

Since high school, Burger, 61, has been in four bands.

“I’ve wanted to be a singer since about third grade,” he said. “I had a hard choice; I either wanted to be a professional music star or an astronaut. As I got older, I became too heavy to be an astronaut – plus, I’d have to know all that math – so I decided I’m going to concentrate on being a rock star.”

Growing up, Burger would do anything he could to practice singing publicly.

“I sang a capella at parks to show off. I’d work up BURGER | 5A

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Roger Burger, a local ‘60s-to-present rock/country cover artist, performs at Lake Panorama in Panora with drummer Marty Woods and guitarist Dave Reeves in a former band in 2010.

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In 1974, when Burger was in a band just out of high school, he was making the same amount of money doing band jobs as he makes today.

“The price of equipment, gasoline, beer and everything related to a band job has gone way up in price, but musicians, or at least I, still get paid the same thing,” Burger said. “The price guys around here play for, you have to want to do this for fun, because you’re not going to make a living.”

Burger has a couple friends who are trying to make a living in music, so he realizes the difficulty of doing that.

“Maybe they’ll sell 1,000 records and 1,000 songs on iTunes for $1.99, but it’s not like you’re going to live in a mansion,” Burger said. “I know guys who have been on (tour) buses. They’ve opened up for The Guess Who and Kansas, and they still weren’t at the top of the ladder. It’s a long way up there.”

For Burger, music is a passion rather than a way to make a living.

“I’ve always just accepted my position in life that I have to do this for fun, but I get paid to have fun,” he said.

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In the past seven years, Burger has performed more than 300 solo shows.

“As far as any classical training, I don’t have that,” Burger said. “I took some singing lessons, but otherwise, I’m what’s been described by people as a raw singer. I’m just doing my own thing.”

Burger is busiest in the summer, when there are tons of outdoor events going on throughout Iowa. Last summer, he played about 27 shows in 12 weeks.

“Sometimes, I play two times in one day,” Burger said. “This past Fourth of July, I played right after the parade for the Exira Fourth of July. Then, I loaded up and went to Lake Panorama and did a family reunion for three hours.”

He also often plays at Tobey Jack’s Mineola Steakhouse for taco ride night.

Each Thursday, people bike on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail from Council Bluffs to Mineola and back. Burger provides entertainment for bikers stopping in at the steakhouse to eat.

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like 10 songs, and 25 people would show up to the park, and I’d sing them,” Burger said. “I didn’t own an instrument or anything, so I just did really weird things – singing in parks and going to the bar and asking the band if I could sing ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ with them. Now, I hope I’m not weird doing this.”

Burger also taught himself basic chords on guitar and has been able to perform solo ever since.

“My dad had a Chet Atkins guitar course book that he bought in Korea, and I found it,” Burger said. “His guitar was so out of tune, I had to go to a guy who gives guitar lessons to tune it. And then, I just looked at the book, looked at my fingers, and sang as I played. I learned the easy chords that way.”

While Burger would have loved to become a full-time performer, he needed a job that would consistently pay the bills, and he knew music wouldn’t do that.

He graduated from high school in Harlan and later moved to Lenox, where he now lives with his wife, Shari, and he has six step-children.

For the past 30 years, Burger has worked in windshield repair. He bought the business, Visions Windshield Repair, 17 years ago. As the owner, he is able to adjust his hours to travel to solo and band gigs on the weekends.

said. “I might make mistakes because I’m busy trying to entertain people.”

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CONT. FROM | 4A

Before joining the County Line cover band, Burger was in a different cover band for about seven years.

The largest crowd Burger has played for was with that band, when more than 2,000 people filled a convention center in Kansas City about eight years ago. Rock artist John Fogerty also played there that night.

“Roger is pretty versatile as a lead vocalist,” said Maryville guitarist Dave Reeves, who plays in the County Line band. “He’s not restricted to one style.”

As a solo artist, the largest crowd Burger has played for was about 300 people.

Wherever he plays, Burger hands out his set list and asks for requests from the audience.

“Seven years ago, people started requesting songs, and I worked in the ones that made sense,” Burger said. “I can’t do Seven Bridges Road (by the Eagles) by myself because it has a five-part harmony, but the (requested) songs that make sense, I’ll learn.”

Sometimes, the first hour is all country music, then those people go home, and the younger crowd might start requesting rock songs. If no one makes requests, Burger will just play the songs that are the most popular at his shows.

“You put your tip jar out, and I think people tip what they think you deserve,” Burger said. “I work hard to get the extra tips.”

His main goal as a performer is not to sing perfectly but to entertain.

“There are a million people better than me, but I’m better than a million people because I’m trying,” Burger

$

BURGER:

Singing in bands

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Dennis is single and has a daughter Elizabeth (24) and a son Clayton (21). Dennis is the proud grandfather to Lyla, the daughter of Elizabeth.

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

Standout shutterbug

Award-winning Afton photographer Michelle Jones captures flowers, wildlife through her camera lens.

■

By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

AFTON — “Photography” used to be that thing Michelle Jones only did at family gatherings. But today, capturing life through a camera lens has become a way of life.

“You really notice things you’ve never noticed before,” Jones said. “And then you just want to go find more and more.”

Jones, who lives in Afton and works as the office manager at Moberg Iowa Realty in Creston, has pursued photography through contests and her membership in the Southwest Iowa Shutterbugs. It’s a hobby that’s won her several county fair ribbons and, in 2013, a spot on display at the Iowa State Fair — one of under 1,000 photos selected from more than 4,000 submissions.

Sheila Sutton, vice president of the Shutterbugs, said Jones’ photos are more than snapshots. They are works of art.

“She has a lot of ‘dang’ photos,” Sutton said.

“When I say that, I mean ‘Dang, I wish I had taken that.’”

First clicks Jones received her first 110 mm film camera from her parents on her 16th birthday. She said in the “olden days,” a 110 mm was the norm for cameras.

“For a camera, that was just what everybody had if you didn’t have a Polaroid,” she said.

At first, Jones became the official family photographer, documenting her family gatherings. But then, about seven years ago, Jones saw an ad in the paper for the Southwest Iowa Shutterbugs camera club. She and a friend decided to join.

Shutterbugs The Southwest Iowa Shutterbugs meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The club began about eight years ago and now has about 30 members.

“There’s a wide array of

talent in that group,” Jones said. “What we don’t know, or someone doesn’t know, someone will figure it out.”

Sutton said during Jones’ first year in the club, she was always asking questions about how to operate her cameras during club field trips. Within the year, however, Jones was the one who was able to help others with questions.

“She has an amazing eye, and she is so willing to learn,” Sutton said. “It didn’t take long for her to catch on.”

Jones said the club really inspired her to be more artful in her photography. It also inspired her to look up more tips and tricks online to further teach herself.

Part of it, she said, is inspiration from the work of Contributed photo by BRENDA STRAUSS her fellow photographers, some of whom are profes- Michelle Jones of Afton has been “addicted” to photography for the past seven years. She is a member of the Southwest Iowa Shutterbugs and has received several county fair ribbons sionals.

“You look at those pho- for her photography. One of her photos was also displayed at the Iowa State Fair in 2013. tos and you think, ‘Wow, think they’re amazing,” snapshot. They always look grown as photographers toI’d like to do that.’ So you Sutton said. “I don’t know like a piece of art.” gether, working their way just keep clicking that shutwhether she gets in closer Another fellow photog- up from lower-end camera ter,” Jones said. or whether she gets a better rapher, Brenda Strauss, equipment to higher-end Now, Sutton said, Jones’ understanding. Her flower joined about the same time flower photos are among pictures never look like a Jones did. The two have JONES | 7A the best she’s ever seen.

“I see flower photos, and I don’t care much for them. But when I see Michelle’s flower photos, I

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Once a year, Michelle Jones and fellow shutterbug Brenda Strauss travel to Le Claire to shoot photos of eagles fishing on the Mississippi River. This is one of her favorite eagle photos.

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JONES: CONT. FROM | 6A

Canons and testing their techniques by taking photography trips together.

“Michelle is really, really good at looking for the perfect light to capture her subject,” Strauss said. “She’s very good at taking flowers, and she’s taken some awesome hummingbird pictures.”

The eagles Strauss and Jones’ favorite trip, which they try to make every year, is a 250-mile drive to Le Claire to catch shots of the eagles fishing on the Mississippi River. If it weren’t four hours away, Jones said she would probably go every weekend.

“If you’ve never witnessed a bald eagle swoop down, eye on the target, catch this fish in his talons, fly up with it, how they do that — it’s amazing,” Jones said. “It’s just amazing.”

Strauss agrees.

“Getting that eagle shot is one of the most exhilarating things to try to capture because it’s so hard to get the eagle as it’s coming down, or whatever you want as it’s fishing, or it’s gliding up,” Strauss said. “It’s kind of like the hunter who’s out there trying to get his prey.”

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“If you’ve never witnessed a bald eagle swoop down, eye on the target, catch this fish in his talons, fly up with it, how they do that, it’s amazing. It’s just amazing.”

— Michelle Jones

Local photographer

by purchasing double prints of family photos and sharing them with relatives. Today, she shares her artwork on her Facebook page and another page called “Iowa Through the Lens,” where people post photos of Iowa landscapes and events.

When it comes to contests, at first Jones was wary about entering her photography.

What eventually got her to do it, she said, was the desire for constructive criticism. And some peer pressure from fellow Shutterbugs.

Jones has entered the Union and Clay county fairs, where she has won several ribbons and won categories.

In 2013, Jones’ photo of a dragonfly was selected to be displayed at the Iowa State Fair. She has also received merit awards through the Sharing For Jones, sharing photog- North Central Camera Club raphy has always been a huge Council, a group of more part of her work. She began than 40 camera clubs in the

ABOVE: Michelle Jones enjoys taking flower photos like this one, which shows an up-close view of a poppy. Many of her fellow photographers say her flower photos are among the best they have ever seen. BELOW: Jones entered this photo of a dragonfly in the Iowa State Fair in 2013. It was one of fewer than 1,000 photos displayed at the fair, selected from more than 4,000 submissions. (Contributed photos by Michelle Jones).

Midwest that has monthly contests for digital and print photos.

“The main reason I submit to that when I do is for feedback,” Jones said. “It’s not for the ribbons. It’s for the comments so you can learn.”

While Jones shares her photos with others, she said she doesn’t display them for herself.

“I have no photos in my

home of mine. Because I could pick apart every single one of them,” she said. “Everything I see now, I think either I’d like to shoot that, or it’s they should’ve (done this).”

Jones lives with her husband, Bruce, who she married in 1981. She said Bruce has been known to drive with her on long camera trips, although he normally takes a book with him. In her spare time, Jones, who also has a passion for animals, has been a steady volunteer with the Creston Animal Rescue Effort.

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

Sorensen announces Freedom Rock Tour

By JAKE WADDINGHAM Special to the CNA

GREENFIELD — There is a new rock movement sweeping across the country.

The Freedom Rock Tour is ramping up its act, rolling out a new national tour that will eventually include all 50 states. Local artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II is nearing the halfway point of his 99-county Iowa Freedom Rock Tour, which is scheduled to conclude by 2023.

“It has been an experience, being able to meet unique and interesting people,” Sorensen said. “I love the people of Iowa.”

Sorensen said one of the most common questions he gets asked is about the exact locations of other rocks across the state. On his website, www.thefreedomrock. com, Sorensen has pinpointed all the locations so visitors can plan their own tour.

The national tour is sponsored in part by the Deb and

Jeff Hansen Foundation of Iowa Falls with the support of Aluma Trailers of Bancroft.

“The goal is at least one in each state,” Sorensen said. “I am asking them to go with a little bigger rock size.”

Sorensen said he has three main goals behind the Freedom Rock Tour: to honor America’s veterans, promote tourism by creating one-of-a-kind murals and support his family. It is Sorensen’s hope that the national audience will help him continue to achieve those goals.

There is no set rule for the images on each Freedom Rock. Sorensen tries to incorporate a natural mix of regional, state and national images. He said he loves painting the American flag because it is a nod to all U.S. veterans.

“I am not blindly patriotic,” Sorensen said. “When I ROCK | 9A CNA file photos

ABOVE: Ray “Bubba” Sorensen works in October 2014 on the Union County Freedom Rock. The north side of the rock includes scenes representing Creston to help make the rock unique. LEFT: The original Freedom Rock is about nine miles north of Greenfield on Highway 25.

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paint the flag, I am painting it for the men and women that serve and have served this country. The ones that have bled and died for this country.

It is a somber remind of what it costs to create this country.”

Sorensen and his wife, Maria, have two children, daughter Independence, 4, and son Michael, 1. He always includes a small, hidden signature for his family on each rock he paints.

“My wife gets the non-glorious work,” Sorensen said.

“She is behind the scenes doing all the taxes, scheduling and correspondent work.

Keeping up with all 99 counties is strenuous enough, but she is also doing it while caring for our two young children. I couldn’t do it without her.”

Background “I had awesome elementary, junior high and high school art teachers,” Sorensen said.

“They never let me quit or give up on it; they kept pushing me, saying I had an eye and a talent for it, but I still needed to go further.”

Sorensen said he entered college undecided on what he wanted to pursue as his major.

He originally favored graphic design, but finally decided an art major was the best fit.

“Any artist will tell you it takes practice, just doing it and realizing there is a chance you can fail before you succeed,” Sorensen said. “So many artists are afraid of the criticism and just want to cover it up, hide behind ‘it’s not finished yet.’ I had to work to push that feeling out and go after what was in my heart and work with what I am passionate about.”

Sorensen added his family has been a huge part of the success of his studio and the Freedom Rock Tour. His parents, Mike and Dixie, were instrumental in instilling a strong respect for veterans at an early age. Sorensen said his in laws often bring out surprise meals while he works on the original Freedom Rock each year.

“It takes a village to raise a kid and my entire community has been there to thank me and support me,” Sorensen said.

their service to our country.

The boulder is approximately 60 tons and a majority of the surface is repainted every year before Memorial Day. “Some people probably think this (Freedom Rock Tour) is all I have ever done or care about, but it is just one of the niche that took hold,” Sorensen said. “I have always loved my country and had a strong interest in our veterans from an early age.”

A portion of the rock’s painted surface contains the ashes of several deceased veterans. In 2015, Sorensen said the cremains of a half-dozen veterans were worked into the paint for the mural.

Sorensen is not commissioned to paint the original Freedom Rock. It is supported by donations. It typically takes three weeks to complete the new design depending on the spring weather. The original Freedom Rock attracts more than 10,000 visitors from all 50 states and several countries each year.

“I didn’t like painting until college,” Sorensen said. “Actually, the original Freedom Rock was my first big foray in painting.”

In 2013, Sorensen started the 99-county Iowa Freedom Rock Tour. Sorensen has completed 43 rocks in three years. The idea of having a unique Freedom Rock in each county came in part from the 99 county tours that both Sen. Chuck Grassley and journalist Kyle Munson took part in.

“I didn’t realize how quickly the tour would take off and take over a majority of the business,” Sorensen said.

“From the tour, I hope people remember me when they are trying to spruce up the side of a building or add a mural to their office. This has been a great way for me to put myself out there as an artist.”

He had a productive 2015, completing 16 rocks thanks to favorable weather conditions.

Each county rock is approximately $5,000.

“It has been a unique proj-

ect as a whole,” Sorensen said.

“I have been able to do some later in the year if the temperature stays moderate … I’ll probably scale it back a little this year (compared to 2015).”

Each Freedom Rock is painted with a long lasting, silicate paint that should last for decades without the need for repainting. Silicate paint is used in tropical and arctic conditions, so Sorensen said it will be able to withstand Iowa’s climate.

“I think most artists will tell you their first love was drawing or sketching because it is the best medium to learn perspective and composition,” Sorensen said. “Painting is comparable to those who golf.

It is a simple game, but it is hard to master. That challenge pushed me to learn more and do more in a way that moves people.”

protection of a red tent, Sorensen’s brush strokes blended imagery from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the War on Terror.

Soldiers from the Rainbow Division boarding a train at the Creston Depot add a historical and local connection to Union County Freedom Rock.

“They trained in Creston out at McKinley Park,” said Denny Abel, quartermaster for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1797. The rock also features an eagle with the American flag, the attack at Pearl Harbor and helicopters flying over a dense, green jungle.

“Everything I get is positive,” Abel said. “With the visitor center there, it promotes tourism for Creston and the county … the first thing they notice are the flags, then when they slow down to take a look, Local rocks they have a place to stop and The Union County Free- get more information.” dom Rock was Sorensen’s Beth Waddle, executive di25th completed rock in No- rector of the Adams Commuvember 2014. Under the

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nity Economic Development Corp, said their Freedom Rock has strong historical historical references with veterans from the county, but also included a strong contribution from current community members. The themes on the rock and features for Memorial Rock Park were suggestions sent in by community members, veterans and students.

“We went to our fifth and sixth graders at the time and asked them what characteristics make up a veteran, which helped them come up with the name for the park,” Waddle said.

In the Creston News Advertiser coverage area, Ringgold, Taylor and Adams counties have their Freedom Rock finished along with the original Freedom Rock in neighboring Adair County.

Madison County is scheduled for 2017.

“We felt like we really made it our own,” Waddle said. “It became a new feature for our community.”

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The tour For 17 years, Sorensen has been painting the original Freedom Rock on Highway 25 about nine miles north of CNA file photo Greenfield to thank and hon- Ray “Bubba” Sorensen works in October 2014 on the Union County Freedom Rock. The or our nation’s veterans for north side of the rock includes scenes representing Creston to help make the rock unique.

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

Getting artsy

Local teacher, arts group president loves “getting to be part of amazing students’ lives” ■

By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

Bailey Fry-Schnormeier has her days full of children. The Creston High School (CHS) art instructor, Fry-Schnormeier, 31, loves teaching the students about art, then going home to the two children, Austin, 15, and Leona, 4, she and husband Blake share.

“After only eight years here at CHS, I have students who are now married, some with children, many following their artistic dreams. When we are in the same town, we meet up for a coffee or a gallery show,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “It is so rewarding and fulfilling to hear the alumni students talk so fondly about what they learned in art class.”

Thanks to her love of children, Fry-Schnormeier has expanded her involvement to Creston: Arts and other organizations.

Teaching After graduating from Lenox High School in 2003,

Fry-Schnormeier was sure she wanted to pursue an art degree.

“I really like funky, functional pieces. I really like pieces that are whimsical that you could use,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “When I throw (clay) on the wheel, they (pots) often look like voluptuous women, I think. I call them my little ladies.”

She attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids and partway through decided to add teaching to her education.

“My mom had always pushed me away from education, and she was a teacher,” she said. “Everybody just pushed me away from teaching, and finally, my adviser at the end of my junior year was, like, ‘Bailey, I’ve really grown to know you over the past three years. You’re really amazing with kids. I really think you need to go into education.’”

After that nudge, Fry-Schnormeier graduated from Coe in December 2007 with degrees in K-12 education and art with an emphasis in ceramics. She landed a job at a Catholic school in Cedar Rapids as an art teacher that same month, until she joined the CHS family the following fall.

“My high school experience, I had a different art teacher every year from seventh grade to 12th grade. So,

I never had someone who was really there to help give me some direction,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “I love getting to be part of so many amazing students’ lives.”

Fry-Schnormeier said she’s glad she got into teaching as a college student because she “could have some kind of impact and could help these students, these wandering, lost souls.”

Creston: Arts When Creston: Arts was revived four years ago, Fry-Schnormeier was immediately part of the team.

“My grandmother was one of the founders in the late 70s, early 80s, and so, when Brian (Zachary) and Chris (Coke) started to come up with the rebirth of it, they asked me to come to a meeting, and, of course, right away I was interested,” Fry-Schnormeier said.

In the past four years, Creston: Arts members have built up the nonprofit organization with programming and events.

Chalk the Town, a holiday chalking event uptown, Rumble Tumble at the YMCA and Social Art Studios are just a few of the programs available to the local community.

“Chalk the Town has become a huge event for us, and that is something I didn’t spearhead,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “But, I think I help get a lot of the youth involved and

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Creston High School student Kyle Somers watches how his art instructor, Bailey FrySchnormeier, molds wet clay to form a small bowl during an art class in February.

community members. Without their assistance, I’m not saying it couldn’t get done, but we would be drained.”

Another program available to local kids is art camp. The three-week camp will be in its third summer and offers more things to do for kids not in school.

“I think it’s really nice to have the younger kids come in and see this environment,” Fry-Schnormeier said, gesturing to the high school art room. “It’s very colorful. We have sculptures and past visiting artists’ artwork and such around, so they get to see that.”

As president of the Creston: Arts board for her sec-

ond year, Fry-Schnormeier said she focuses on youth programming and is excited for future events the art group, which includes Zachary, Coke and his wife Angela, Vice President Phil Williams Jr., and Fry-Schnormeier’s husband Blake, has planned.

Support

Ever since she started throwing clay, Fry-Schnormeier has been supportive of the arts.

“Clay is my first love. If I could throw everyday, that would probably be the best thing for me,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “It’s just very healing. It allows you to kind of let the rest of the world slip away and just focus on that mound

of clay between your hands.”

She’s taught her students ceramics and has made arts accessible to all ages throughout the year thanks to Creston: Arts.

Fry-Schnormeier is also part of “No Girl Left Behind,” a small event held with Amy Lohoff of House of Pain that brings in new and lightly used prom dresses for low-income high school girls.

“We’ve just had wonderful support in the community. People seem to thrive for some bit of art and culture and something new and fresh,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “So, I feel like we’re really lucky to be in a community that’s been so supportive.”

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11A

‘A passion of mine’ CHS senior Lorelei Herrod is active in music, drama and art at the high school and college levels.

■

By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

Art is everything to Lorelei Herrod.

And, for this 18-yearold, art comes in the varied forms of painting, drama and especially music.

“Lorelei is a creative inspiration to all those around her,” said Bailey Fry-Schnormeier, Creston High School art instructor.

“She has a hypnotic quality while she is working; her peers can’t seem to take their eyes away, whether she is painting an abstract floral mural on the art room walls or an outer space scene on a piano for the public piano project.”

The Creston High School senior, daughter of Mark Herrod and Angela Herrod, is active in musical and college drama events and has been a part of the painted piano projects through Creston: Arts.

Music A huge passion of the senior is singing, and thanks to Fry-Schnormeier and Dannee Qualseth, two teachers of Herrod’s, she sang for the first time for Creston: Arts’ open mic night her sophomore year.

“It started out as a poetry thing for awhile, and then kids started figuring out, ‘Oh, we can do more than just read poems and stuff,’” Herrod said. “So, I practiced a couple songs, and then I performed them.”

Herrod has performed at all the open mic nights, which are held the first Friday of each month at Adams Street Espresso, coinciding with Creston: Arts gallery open house.

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Creston High School student Lorelei Herrod begins tracing Freddie Mercury’s ear onto a painted piano as an art project in February at the high school. Herrod is designing a celestial scene including Mercury’s face on the piano, which will be put somewhere in Creston for the public to play.

“It’s always been a passion of mine, ever since I was little. My mom and I would be in the car and she’s all like, ‘I’m so tired of listening to all these little girls. They’re so quiet, you can barely hear them.’ So, our little joke is ‘Sing out, Louise!’ because of ‘Gypsy,’” Herrod said. “She’s really pushed me to be myself and just sing.”

Whenever she finds she’s stressed, Herrod has noticed she hasn’t sang in awhile, so she will go to a quiet room in her house, isolate herself from the world and “just sing for hours until (her) voice just breaks.”

Herrod, who is also a member of the high school choir, loves music she can relate to and that tells a story, such as ballads.

“Music has just been so influential in my life, whether I can be happy and listen to a song 500 million times, and it just means so much to me,” Herrod said.

“Or I could be sad and then just be able to relate to what these artists are going through or what they went through.”

Herrod also performed “Don’t Stop Believing”

by Foreigner and “Light

On” by Rebecca Ferguson during the high school’s 2015 prom, as well as John Lennon’s “Imagine” during the school talent show.

Painting The largest painting project of Herrod’s currently is the piano project through Creston: Arts.

Herrod, Cazlynne White, Olivia Curtis and Harleigh Bristow all put their minds together to create the floral confection that sits next to Upper Crust Culinary Creations on West Adams Street.

“It was super fun. It was such an enjoyable experience because you’re bonding with these other girls,” Herrod said. “It was super enjoyable to be able to bond and have our creation out in the community for other people to enjoy. It was a really uplifting experience.”

Now, Herrod has undertaken a second piano project as a senior project.

“I enjoyed the first project so much I wanted to challenge myself to be able to paint this entire piano by myself,” Herrod said. “It was more personal.”

This piano will have the face of Freddie Mercury, former lead singer of the

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group Queen, and John Lennon, one of the stars of the group The Beatles, surrounded by a celestial scene.

“Lorelei is making great progress on the piano,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “It is a one-of-a-kind piece memorializing Freddie Mercury and John Lennon in the stars.”

“I was in Bailey’s painting class, and she was like, ‘Hey, we’re doing this thing where we’re just painting a piano and sticking it in the middle of town so people can play it. Who wants to paint it?’”

Herrod said. “And I was like, (with a gasp) ‘That’d be awesome.’ I think that’s great for the community.

I think we need more stuff like that, to be honest.”

Herrod said she chose the singers’ faces to be painted on the old instrument because of the influential nature of the men and their work. She said she wanted it to become more of a pop art feature.

“I really like it because

I’ll be with people or I’ll invite my family members from other towns and we’ll be driving around town. I’ll be like, (with a gasp) ‘Look at that,’ and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty.’

And, I’ll be like, ‘I painted that,’” Herrod said with a mischievous smile.

When she’s not busy creating a playable art piece, Herrod has other art creations finished or in the works. One of her favorite pieces was a painting on plywood of a blue-and-greeneyed Native American girl wearing a headdress. The piece took two years to complete.

“I had to give this to somebody that’s really significant in my life, and I gave it to my neighbor Joe because, I don’t know, he’s been such an impact on my life recently,” Herrod said.

Drama Herrod’s neighbor Joseph Larson is one person she attributes to her growth in the local arts.

“We met over the summer and it was just a chance meeting. His roommate just wandered into my yard was like, ‘You’re listening to some really great music.

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time.’ I was like, ‘That’s really weird, but whatever,’” Herrod said. “Then, later that night they were sitting out on the roof and Joe just went, ‘Hi, I’m Joseph, your homosexual neighbor. You want to be my friend?’ And, we were best friends ever since.”

Larson, a student at Southwestern Community College, convinced Herrod to attend a drama club meeting, where Kelly Franklin, SWCC drama instructor, took a liking to her.

“Being a high school student, to me it’s a great honor to be involved with the SWCC drama club,” Herrod said. “I’m in their spring play that’s coming up soon. I have their lead female role.”

Herrod said Larson has constantly pushed her to be a better person by challenging herself.

“It’s expression through art. I like to just be able to make whatever I want and you don’t get judged for it, you know? I mean, you do get judged, but it’s not in the same sense,” Herrod said. “I don’t care what anybody thinks when I’m performing.”

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

Coke works to beautify Creston

By ALEXI GROUMOUTIS Special to the CNA

From the time he was a little boy, Chris Coke always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. Happy.

“I grew up in a frantic household,” Coke said.

Half-jokingly, Coke said he was born plain white trash in northeast Arkansas.

He said his childhood was less than ideal. Because of that, he was determined to sculpt a brighter future for himself. In 2005, that future landed him in Creston, a move to be closer to his wife’s family.

Whether it’s work or play, Coke’s life is influenced by art, a deliberate formula for happiness. He operates a full-service graphic design business, three C design, which easily claims more than 40 hours per week of his time. On top of that, he works to enrich the community through arts and culture.

Coke is responsible for designing 60 webpages for Creston area businesses — KSIB Radio, Wellman Dynamics, Union County Development Association and Creston Chamber of Commerce, to name a few.

Recently, Ellen Gerharz, executive director of Creston Chamber of Commerce, commissioned Coke to design the RAGBRAI webpage for the upcoming July 25 Creston RAGBRAI celebration.

Coke said he and Gerharz sat down together, researched past RAGBRAI websites and compiled the best parts of all them to forge new ideas for the upcoming page.

“I looked though which ones were the best laid out,” Coke said. “We kind of took the best of the worlds and put them together on one site.”

Gerharz said Creston is

CNA photos by SARAH BROWN

ABOVE: Chris Coke, of three C design, designs a website for Creston’s RAGBRAI event. Coke designs websites, logos, print materials, photo editing and restoration in his home office in Creston. LEFT: Creston: Arts councilmember Chris Coke chalks a mural of Tony Groumoutis, owner of A&G Pizza and Steak House in Creston, during Creston: Arts 2014 Chalk The Town event.

fortunate to have Coke’s talents. She said even though he lives in a small town, his skills are comparable to any web designer from a bigger city. She said his only flaw is that he gives too much of his time.

Hiring a professional from the community not only supports local commerce, Gerharz said, but she also appreciates Coke’s work ethic: timeliness and attentiveness. Gerharz said whenever she has an issue with the Chamber’s web page, Coke fixes it within a day or two.

“If you were calling Des Moines or Council Bluffs, you know you might wait two, three or four days,” Gerharz said.

In relation to web design, Coke said creating an online impression is important when looking at the bigger picture. The momentum generated by web design has the potential to reach a vast audience.

“I think web design is actually really important to Creston in a way that most people would never imagine it,” Coke said.

Coke said a polished

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COKE: CONT. FROM | 12A

“One match is not going to attract anything in the dark,” Coke said. “You have a hundred matches, that’s a fire.”

Union County Development Association Director Wayne Pantini agrees that a strong web presence is important for Creston.

He said people i n s t i n c - Pantini tively get online to research communities they are unfamiliar with.

“In this day and age it’s very advantageous for a community to promote the area assets,” Pantini said.

“Whether it’s people looking to travel here for tourism or they’re looking to locate here because of a job.

Or maybe just looking for a good place to get away.”

Besides work, Coke stays busy volunteering in the community. He sits on the High Lakes Leadership Initiative board. Additionally, he and Brian Zachary helped develop Creston: Arts, a non-profit organization taking Creston by storm.

Since starting Creston: Arts in 2011, Coke, a classically trained percussionist who’s performed through-

out the United States and Canada, marvels at the cultural transformation taking place in southwest Iowa.

Coke said the art program is vital because it serves as an outlet for kids and adults in a low-income community who would otherwise not be exposed to art.

He said he wished he had a program like Coke this when he was growing up to channel his creative energy.

“I never had those outlets (growing up),” Coke said.

“I was way too weird for the

people I was around.”

The beauty of art is that it doesn’t discriminate, according to Coke. He said anyone can participate in art and enjoy it. Coke said art defies socioeconomic boundaries and beyond, which is especially important in rural Iowa.

“Art and music can cross cultural, racial, sexual, ...

I mean, just any kind of boundary you can think of,” Coke said. “It can speak in ways that a voice or language can’t.”

Pantini is pleased with the impact Creston: Arts has made in the community and said the up and coming arts scene adds diversity to Creston, making it more appealing to a broader au-

dience.

“As much as we love our lakes and our outdoor recreation here, that is not for everybody. There are folks out there that are looking for another venue,” Pantini said. “Having those other amenities available in a small community is great because that helps broaden our network of folks that we try to attract here to fill jobs and relocate here.”

Whether it’s the art gallery, art classes, Chalk the Town, art camps or performing arts, Creston: Arts is transforming the community. But, according to Coke it’s just the beginning. The group has even bigger plans for the program.

“One of our main goals is to have public art throughout the city everywhere,” Coke said.

This would include art sculptures, murals and

13A

painted grain bins. Additionally, he and Zachary would like to introduce more performing arts to the area, as well as hosting local film festivals. In the coming months, Creston: Arts plans on beautifying Creston, leaving their footprint throughout town as a way of welcoming RAGBRAIers.

Whether through his work with three C design or Creston: Arts, Coke has a vision for Creston, a community he admires.

“I want to make Creston beautiful,” Coke said. “If you make your surroundings beautiful and take pride in your surroundings, then that affects everything else.”

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

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CNA file photo

Joe Larson of Bedford (playing Joey Sparkles) with Southwestern Community College’s drama club gives clues to Gabe and Linda Carroll of Carroll Chiropractic during Southern Prairie YMCA’s murder mystery fundraiser event held in January at Supertel Inn and Conference Center in Creston.

Larson excels on the stage

By SHAWNA FREEMAN Special to the CNA

Joe Larson has always been interested in performing arts, but says music and acting are two different planets.

“When you’re up there doing music, it’s just you doing music,” he said. “But when you’re up there acting, you’re a totally different person, and it’s totally fine.”

Larson, 21, a graduate from Bedford High School, has been in a number of plays in Creston and Corning, and is a member of the Southwestern Community College Drama Club.

With SWCC Drama Club, Larson has performed in multiple plays. The first play Larson was involved in with SWCC Drama Club was “Rumors” by Neil Simon. In this play, Larson offered to play a female role.

“The club hadn’t really taken off, so there weren’t a lot of people auditioning,” he said. “So, I volunteered to do a female roll if we needed to fill it, and I got so many compliments on it.”

The play starts off with two hosts who are trying to celebrate their anniversary and invite their closest friends to help them celebrate.

“Before the friends start to

show up, there’s a little mishap, which we don’t really know exactly what happened until closer to the end,” Larson said. “Every time a new pair of friends shows up, they try to cover it up and make up rumors and lies. By act two, all of the guests have arrived and now they are having to deal with police and doctors, and try to figure out what to tell them because they really don’t know what’s going on.

It was fun and really funny.”

In between plays, the club worked on improv, which Larson says is one of his favorite things about acting.

The second play that was performed by SWCC Drama Club was called “Angel Street” (Gas Light) by Patrick Hamilton. The play is about a house, where an elderly woman lives, who has precious jewels. The character Larson played was a very dark character that murdered the elderly woman for the jewels, but could never find the actual jewels.

“My character left for a long time and started a new life under a new name and got married,” Larson said.

“He had to have the wife in order to buy the house where the jewels were. During that time, he didn’t want to get his hands anymore dirty than they had to be, so he slowly

convinced his wife that she was insane so he could lock her up in an insane asylum and keep searching for the jewels.”

The SWCC Drama Club performed “Angel Street” in a black box style, which means seats from the auditorium were taken and put on stage with the actors so they were closer to the actors while they were performing.

“This character was a completely different character than the first one,” Larson said. “This play was really violent in some parts and I really had to make it dark.”

Currently, the SWCC Drama Club is working on a comedy titled “Foreigner,” which is scheduled for late April. In this play, Larson plays a happy character.

“It’s about a couple of British guys that come over, and my character has a job where he works with the military in America,” he said.

“He brings his friends over, and his friends aren’t very good at communicating, but they’re in a bed and breakfast area with a bunch of strangers. My character convinces

the strangers that he is a foreigner and can’t speak English. So then of course, my friend hears a bunch of stuff he shouldn’t and it snowballs from there.”

Area plays

On top of performing in plays with SWCC Drama Club, Larson has also performed in plays at Corning Opera House, including a murder mystery and a musical, and with Crest Area Theatre.

At the Corning Opera House, the musical Larson performed in was titled “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” “It was the cutest musical I have ever heard of,” he said. “I got to play a character named William Barffée, and he was a pretty nerdy character, kind of a know it all. I had to talk and sing in a Steve Urkel type voice. I met a lot of cool people and I’m always looking for time to go back.”

With Crest Area Theatre, Larson performed in a LARSON | 15A

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LARSON: CONT. FROM | 14A

play titled “The Regifters”

by Robert Lynn. The play focused on a liebesgechenk, a lacquered, rectangular, light-colored wooden box with an open bottom. The top of the box is gold-colored and brown-colored metal formed in a nondescript fashion. The liebesgechenk is given to a wealthy couple as a Christmas gift, and the wealthy couple regifts the liebesgechenk.

“Basically it keeps going down the totem pole of society and gets to my character and his wife,” Larson said. “When we receive it, we are so happy and thankful. During that time, the wealthy people find out that it’s worth something,

but don’t really know what it is worth exactly. They go back through the line of everyone and try to get the gift back, and when they finally get to us we explain to them that it’s not worth money, it’s all about the kindness that comes with it.”

AMDA Larson recently went to Chicago for auditions and scholarships to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, New York. Some of the requirements for auditions into AMDA include transcripts, letters of recommendation and interviews. Larson also had to memorize and perform two, two-minute monologues that would show off two different ranges of character.

The first monologue Larson performed was from

“The Crowd You’re In With: A Play” by Rebecca Gilman.

Larson played a character named Dwight who worked as a waiter in a restaurant.

“It seemed to me that he was a waiter in more of a classy restaurant,” Larson said. “The kind you wouldn’t want to take your kids to, and this was the side of when people did bring their kids to the restaurant and how frustrating that was. It was super fun, I was all over the stage and I tapped in to my inner Jim Carrey for this one.”

For a more serious monologue, Larson chose the “Moonlight Room” by Tristine Skyler. The character Larson portrayed in this monologue was a girl named Sal, and the story took place in a hospital in New York.

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“Sal and a friend are waiting in a New York hospital on the fate of another friend,” he said. “They get in to trouble a lot and things get pretty serious. It’s about Sal describing her home life with her mom who has basically given up and she’s kind of started to, according to Sal, take control of her life, and Sal feels like she can’t go anywhere or do anything. So, I had to portray all of those emotions on stage.”

Larson also had to write an essay for AMDA about role models in the performing arts, and he mentioned Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep in the essay.

“Jim Carrey just has so much energy,” he said. “And Meryl Streep is a woman who deeply understands her characters and really gets in to it.

My goals would be to combine

those two as an actor.”

It could be up to three weeks before Larson finds out if he got in to AMDA, but says if he doesn’t, education doesn’t stop there. Larson has a plan B, which is to attend Northwest Missouri State University.

“I plan to arm myself with the tools to educate children,” he said. “I really want to teach children because they are so great. I want to teach music, drama and art. I want to be ready to take on anything they ask.”

Outside drama When Larson isn’t in classes or performing in plays, he works as a shuttle driver at the Super 8 in Creston. He also helps out at the Lake Icaria campgrounds.

15A

“I like to be outside,” he said. “I like to do anything outside. Camping is fun; I love swimming and climbing trees.

Basically anything.”

Currently, Larson is very interested in fish and aquariums.

He currently has a 10-gallon fish tank that he is filling with different types of fish to help the ecosystem of the tank.

“I have a Chinese Algae Fish in there to help me keep the tank clean,” Larson said.

“I learned how good snails are for an ecosystem like this, so I plan on putting some of them in there, and I have an Angel fish with stripes that fade in and out based on when it’s happy. I also have real plants in there. They’re so good with producing oxygen for the tank, a food source for the fish and natural hiding.”

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Creston News Advertiser Thursday, March 24, 2016

For your viewing pleasure

Clarke Area Arts Council highlights local artists at Lakeside Casino.

■

By AMY HANSEN

OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com

OSCEOLA — Lakeside Hotel and Casino is one of the most well-known industries in Osceola, so it makes sense for it to be the location to showcase Clarke County’s most well-known artists.

Recently, Lakeside Hotel and Casino has provided an area for Clarke Area Arts Council (CAAC) to showcase local artists’ work.

Gary Robins of Murray was the first artist to be showcased in December. Approximately five of his pieces were on display near the entrance to the event center.

The key factor to Robins’ artwork is to step outside and become inspired.

“I love outdoors, and I remember when I was a kid cultivating corn that I would watch the sky — watch the clouds. I loved to watch the clouds move around,” Robins said. “I think probably that’s carried on now. I like to work with clouds.”

Robins’ art Robins, a retired farmer, does scratch art, painting and sculpting. Even though he has no formal education, Robins said he always liked creating art.

“I’m impressed to be able to do this,” he said. “I’m really glad we got this. I’m really for this.”

Robins likes to paint outdoor scenes and work with a multitude of colors. Some of his inspiration comes from driving a school bus and seeing the changes in the fall foliage.

Mary Ellen Kimball with CAAC explained why Robins was the right choice as the first artist showcased.

“First of all, I think, because of the type of art he does,” Kimball said. “Secondly, the volume of art that he already has produced. He’s not really interested in selling it. He just likes to share it.”

Painting time According to Robins, he works on his art “whenever the urge” comes to him.

“An artist has to be in the mood to paint, right?” he

said. “It’s an odd thing. I’ll go for six weeks and won’t paint, and all at once, I’ve got to paint. I imagine people who write books do the same thing.”

Kimball said seeing Robins’ artwork was something fun to do during the holiday season.

“It just seemed like Gary was so typically Iowa, and we’re familiar with his artwork,” she said. “We love it.

It is all around.”

Next artist In February, CAAC chose another prominent artist to be featured at Lakeside – painter Sally Riekena of Osceola.

Riekena has been creating art for as long as she can remember.

“I mean, I just always had something I was drawing,” she said.

Her work will be on display for approximately two months.

Paintings Venture out to Lakeside and you will see Riekena does a lot of water colors and acrylics. In middle school, she started out with oils.

Once Riekena got into high school, she took classes at the Des Moines Art Center. She remembers walking around drawing what was in view at the time.

There is an important piece of advice Riekena got from those art classes years ago.

“Just do what you like,” she said.

What Riekena likes to paints varies because she has been known to draw people, nature scenes, buildings and barns. Sometimes, she even comes up with a nature scene off the top of her head.

“The thing that amazes me is (Sally) is able to draw and paint without looking at something,” Kimball said.

The snow scene on display at Lakeside is something Riekena made up in her head, as well as other pieces, including one titled “Dancing Guitars.”

While it’s an honor to have her artwork showcased, Riekena said she was reluctant to have her paintings on display.

This is because she creates art simply for her own private enjoyment. She’s not in it for the fame or recognition.

Artist of the year However, good art can speak for itself.

OST photos by AMY HANSEN

ABOVE: Gary Robins of Murray is pictured next to some of his artwork at the Clarke Area Arts Council’s area for featured artists at Lakeside Hotel and Casino. BELOW: This is an up-close view of Gary Robins’ artwork hung at Lakeside Hotel and Casino. He said he is inspired by nature and outdoor scenes.

Riekena is going to be named the new artist of the year for CAAC. She will be announced at the arts council’s gala later in the spring. However, a copy of her artwork members get to take home has not yet been unveiled.

“We’ve wanted to have Sally be our artist of the year forever. I think since we started, we have asked her,” Kimball said. “Finally, I think we caught her.”

Riekena has had her artwork out in public before.

Her creations have been on display at King’s Canyon.

She has also been asked to do miniatures of century farms, especially around Christmastime.

Creating artwork is relaxing for Riekena, especially when she’s working on something that’s meaningful to her. However, her projects and supplies can end up cluttered in her closet. She still has stuff she did in high school shoved away there.

“And, why do we keep them? I don’t know,” Riekena said. “You had fun doing it so you just keep it.”

Up until the last couple of years, Riekena said she had a project going most of the time.

“It just seems like a natural thing to do,” she said.

“It’s better than watching television. It’s just something I like doing.”

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OST photo by AMY HANSEN

Sally Riekena stands next to her artwork at Lakeside Casino.

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