wpaa newsletter - Western Plains Arts Association

Western Plains Arts Association - bringing fine music to
WPAA NEWSLETTER
SEASON PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
 President’s own Marine Band
 Mama’s Wranglers
 Red Hot & Blue
 Wichita Children’s Theatre
 St. Louis Brass
 Crystal Swing Band
 Acoustic Eidolon
 Cirque Zuma Zuma
 James Theobald
 Two on Tap—Happy Holidays
 Jeff Davidson
ST
 1 Infantry Division Band
 Sunflower Singers
 Kubecca
 The Steel Pennies Band
 Best of Vegas
 Church Basement Ladies
For program places and dates see story on page 2
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The annual meeting of Western Plains Arts Association was held on February 8th. Officers of the
Association are elected at the annual meeting.
Elected as president for a two year term was Sandy
Wilks. Amie Kendrick was selected as presidentelect and Marilyn Meier secretary. David Leopold
will continue as treasurer. Incoming president
Wilks presented retiring president Lynn Tacha with
a thank-you gift from the board.
In other action long time recently retired board
member Marguerite Walz, Oakley was named as
an honorary board member. Marguerite died
shortly after retiring from the board.
IN MEMORIAM
Marguerite Walz, 89, board member from
Oakley for more than 30 years died January 27,
2014.
Marguerite’s dedication to the arts, especially
WPAA was appreciated.
Northwest Kansas
“A KALEIDOSCOPE OF THE ARTS”
Volume 20, Issue 2
July, 2014
PICKIN' ON THE PLAINS
The 19th Annual "Pickin' on the Plains" Bluegrass Festival will
be held at the Thomas County Fairgrounds, July 18, 19 and 20,
2014. The outdoor festival has become a favorite event of music
lovers in Kansas and area states, drawing people from all over the
U.S. who enjoy its attractive venue, outstanding talent and familyfriendly atmosphere. Shows will begin Friday night, at 6:00 p.m.
and run through 10:45 p.m. Instrumental workshops and the junior showcase will begin Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. and scheduled shows will run from 12:00 through 10:35 p.m. Sunday morning shows will begin at 9:30; the "Bluegrass Gospel Homecoming" (under the big tent with audience participation) will happen at
10:30-11:40, and the Spinney Brothers from Canada will end the
festivities with a set from 11:45 to 12:30.
Featured performers include Doyle Lawson, an IBMA Hall of
Fame Inductee, with his multi-award winning band, Quicksilver,
who have been named Vocal Group of the Year seven times by the
International Bluegrass Music Association, garnering Grammy and
Dove awards as well as countless other individual awards. They
have been featured on the Gaither Gospel Homecoming Series
several times and will perform in Colby on Saturday afternoon and
evening. Blue Highway, another favorite among bluegrass musicians has also collected two Grammy awards and numerous other
awards; their band will perform Friday night and Saturday. The
Spinney Brothers, a duo from Nova Scotia, Canada, debut at the
festival with their traditional but energetic, fresh sound and will
perform Saturday and Sunday. Driven, now in their 5th year as a
band, includes local favorites Brandon and Blake McLemore, formerly of Colby, who have won SPGBMA's Midwest Album of the
Year with their first all-original CD "You'll Be Lonely, I'll Be
Gone." They will perform all three days. Triple L, a tight-knit family band from New Mexico return by popular demand, and will perform Friday, Saturday and Sunday. An up and coming group, the
McKinney Sisters as well as local favorites, Larry Booth, Sappa
Strings (Wayne and Mille Lauritsen) and The McLemore Family
complete the bill.
In addition to the musical talent, the Lutheran Church will provide delicious pulled pork meals on the grounds, and there will be
a few other food vendors as well. Included in the price of admission are a craft fair with some fun shopping booths, "Make and
Take" crafts, games with prizes, washable tattoos by the CCC Art
Club, and horse rides for the kids. Other major attractions are
acoustic instrumental and vocal workshops, the youth showcase
and open stage (Saturday morning) and the Bluegrass Gospel
Homecoming (and sing along) on Sunday morning.
HOME WORDS Poetry Project
Wyatt Townley, Poet Laureate of Kansas, is inviting
readers or writers to submit short poems on the subject of
“home.” The poems are published weekly in a poetry
column syndicated in some newspapers around the state.
The poem style is the American Cinquain. This simple
poem form contains five lines, each line has a different
number of syllables—in order 2, 4, 6, 8 and back to 2.
Using “homes” as sky for a subject, Judie Withers
submitted this cinquain:
“Release”
Balloons
Drift to the sky.
Clouds capture and hide them;
family recalls happy times.
Tears fall.
Judie Withers lives in Colby and has also published a
novel—BURDEN OF GUILT, ENDURANCE TO STRENGTH. Her
novel is set in a small Kansas town in the 1940’s. A young
woman named Emma makes several bad choices in her
youth, but overcomes them and becomes much stronger.
FORTY FIFTH SEASON PROGRAMS
The PRESIDENT’S OWN MARINE BAND will perform a
variety of concert and patriotic selections at the Colby Community Building, Sunday, September 14 at 3:00 p.m. Special
tickets are required
MAMA’S WRANGLERS at the Gateway in Oberlin on Saturday, September 20. This is a joint program with the Oberlin Arts and Humanities Council.
From Branson, RED, HOT …& BLUE will take us on a delightful song and dance journey from the ‘20’s through the
‘60’s and more at the Oakley HS Auditorium on Sunday, September 28 at 3:00 p.m.
WICHITA CHILDREN’S THEATRE will present The Ugly
Duckling in Quinter, Oakley, Goodland, Colby, Winona and
Sharon Springs Monday and Tuesday, October 6 and 7.
ST. LOUIS BRASS will do a workshop with band students
and a public performance of great brass music at the Hoxie
HS Auditorium on Friday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
The CRYSTAL SWING BAND will share music of the big
band era in a nostalgic trip back in time at the Cultural Arts
Center, Colby, on Sunday, October 19 at 3:00 p.m.
The popular ACOUSTIC EIDOLON will perform their signature acoustic music of Celtic, folk and classical genres at the
Goodland HS Auditorium on Sunday, October 26 at
3:00 p.m. CT; 2:00 p.m. MT.
African-style Cirque du Soleil, CIRQUE ZUMA
ZUMA will thrill us with a variety of acrobatic feats
at the Cultural Arts Center, Colby, on Sunday. November 9 at 3:00 p.m.
Artist JAMES THEOBALD will do a variety of selections on the marimba at the Hoxie HS Auditorium on Sunday, November 23 at 3:00 p.m.
TWO ON TAP—HAPPY HOLIDAYS will be a
Yuletide celebration ala Crosby/Clooney/Kaye/
Astaire & White Christmas at the Cultural Arts Center, Colby, on Sunday, December 7 at 3:00 p.m.
JEFF DAVIDSON combines a unique blend of
songs, historical facts and pictures to revisit the
history of the West at the Rawlins County Schools
on Sunday, January 25 at 3:00 p.m. and Monday,
January 26.
School presentations in Atwood and St. Francis.
Tentative performance by 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION BAND Sunday, February 15 at Quinter?
SUNFLOWER SINGERS will present a variety of
selections at the St. Francis HS Auditorium on Sunday, February 22 at 3:00 p.m.
KUBECCA, a combo show of singer Rebecca
Lowe and multi-instrumentalist Kuba Kawnik, will
feature diverse styles of musical favorites at the
Oakley HS Auditorium on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:30
p.m.
Native Darrel Cox and THE STEEL PENNIES
BAND will entertain with their bluegrass music at
the Sharon Springs HS Auditorium on Sunday,
March 22 at 3:00 p.m. CT and 2:00 p.m. MT.
BEST OF VEGAS will be a delightful journey of
old-time musical favorites and Vegas artists from
days gone by at the Oakley HS Auditorium on Sunday. April 12 at 3:00 p.m.
CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES will present The
Last Potluck Supper as a finale to their popular
comedy series at the Oakley HS Auditorium on
Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m.
This is a tentative schedule and all programs are subject to change. Please check the program booklet which
will be printed later this summer for more definite information on performances.
A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Our 45th Season is shaping up to appeal to a broad range of
audiences. Fifteen performing arts programs seem to be firmly
committed and the terms and dates of two additional are being
negotiated.
As usual, the content of each group of performers is varied
and the venues are distributed throughout the counties that
embrace WPAA . One (maybe two!) Military band(s) will come
to thrill and inspire us, as will three groups that specialize in
popular songs from decades past. A children’s theater program
will perform in local schools in six different communities. A
group of acrobats will amaze an audience of all ages. Specialists
in bluegrass, Celtic music, a brass ensemble, the Church Basement Ladies with fresh humor–our coming season includes all
that and more!
Your season tickets are priced at the same bargain rates.
When you see three or more programs, your prepaid equivalent price
per performance shrinks for each additional program that you attend.
Season tickets are now ready for advance sale. You can contact your local
WPAA Board Member now or just
mail a check to Pat Ziegelmeier,
WPAA’s Executive Director, to get
yours. Oh, and tell your friends and
family members about WPAA and
invite them to sign up for season tickets. They will thank you
for it!
Throughout the season, after each performance that you
attend, please let us know what you liked or disliked about it.
We consider your feedback when scheduling each new season.
WPAA is a service organization. We exist because of you. Thank
you for supporting WPAA’s quest to keep performing arts accessible in northwest Kansas.
Sandy Wilks
KANSAS HUMANITIES COUNCIL
WHO WE ARE
The Kansas Humanities Council connects communities
with history, traditions and ideas to strengthen civic life. KHC
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit governed by a volunteer board of
directors. Individual and corporate contribution, funding
from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and
funding from the State of Kansas supports our work.
WHAT WE DO
Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens,
and the humanities provide a way to gain both. Healthy
communities depend on the humanities to provide a forum
for the exchange of ideas and viewpoints about historical
and contemporary topics, opportunities to deepen
understanding of our shared heritage, and
encouragement for innovation in civic life.
In response to these needs, KHC makes available free
humanities resources for community use. These include
grant opportunities to create cultural events or preserve
local historical artifacts and photographs, speakers on
Kansas history topics, books and facilitators for group
discussions, a gallery of short films for use in and out or
the classroom, poet laureate presentations, scripts for
reader’s theater events, and additional one-of-a-kind
opportunities.
PROGRAM SUPPORT
In fiscal year 2013, KHC awarded $143,368 in
program support for 150 community organizations.
In our WPAA area grants were received by the
following; Atwood City Library, Bird City Kansas Day
Committee, Butterfield Trail Association, Russell Springs,
Cheyenne Center for Creativity, St. Francis, Goodland
Public Library, K-State Research & Extension,
Colby,Pioneer Memorial Library, Colby, Sunflower
District, K-State Research & Extension, Sharon Springs
and Thomas County Historical Society, Colby.
Story excerpter from KHC annual report to donors 2013
COMMUNITY CALENDARS
COLBY
PICKIN’ ON THE PLAINS
July 18, 19 and 20 story on page one.
GOODLAND
CARNEGIE ARTS CENTER,
Tuesday through Saturday 10-5 p.m.
Monday 1-6 p.m.
785-890-6442
July 6-27, Laramie Farris/Holton Witman
August 15th – September 30, a Visit to India
October 5-26, Ginny Young paintings & furniture
designs
http://www.goodlandnet.com/artscenter
OBERLIN
July 18 and 19, 7:30 p.m. at Morgan Theater at The
Gateway Civic Center.
“King Kong: The Puppet Show” a one-act, comedic
retelling of the classic monster movie that combines
live-action and puppetry
WPAA BOARD MEMBERS
Cheyenne County
St Francis; Helene Landenberger, *Althea Lebow, Marsha Magley
Decatur County
Jennings; Lynn Tacha
Oberlin; Susan Nelson
Gove County
Grainfield, *Alma Golden, Denise Packard
Grinnell, *Leona Dickman
Quinter, Denise and Randy Wittman
Logan County
Oakley, Donna Albers, Evelyn Engel, Connie Singer, Shane
Ste phenson,
Winona, *Jean Lowe,
Rawlins County
Atwood, Millie Fisher, Carole Luedders, Charles Peckham
Sheridan County
Hoxie, *Doreen Kennedy, David Leopold, CPA, treasurer,
Marilyn Meier
Sherman County
Goodland, Curtis Duncan *Eric and Roxie Yonkey
Thomas County
Colby, Joan Albers, Kenneth Gatlin, Terrel Harrison,
Kevin Juenemann, Amie Kendrick, Sandy Wilks.
C C C, Pat Ziegelmeier, Executive Director
Rexford, Janell Antholz
Wallace County
Sharon Springs, William and *Wilma Mai
Wallace, Cecil & Jayne Humphrey Pearce
Weskan, Vernon and Mary Beth Akers
* denotes community contact person
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
http://kansasarts.org/ Kansas Citizens for the Arts
www.maaa.org/ Mid America Arts Alliance
www.kansasartsfoundation.com/ Kansas Arts Foundation
www.hppr.org High Plains Public
Radio
www.colbycc.edu/ Colby Community College
www.goodlandnet.com/artscenter/
The WPAA Newsletter is Published 3 times yearly by
Western Plains Arts Association for its members and friends.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. at
mailbox@maifarms.com
Staff:
Bill and Wilma Mai…………....………………..…….…Editors
Bill Mai…………………………...…………..………...Publisher
Amie Kendrick......................................Media Correspondent
Pat Ziegelmeier…………………..…..…….Executive Director
Kevin Juenemann……………………………….….Webmaster
Web address…….................http://www.wpaa.us
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Colby Community College
Western Plains Arts Association
1255 SOUTH RANGE
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
COLBY, KANSAS
PERMIT NO. 136