Kazyak, an electric-folk-rock band with its roots back at St. John’s University in Collegeville was founded by three undergrads Jed Anderson, Peter Frey and Danny Vitali. The young musician’s creative relationship and passion for music supported their playing as the rhythm section for many projects during their college years. Now after some time spent in honing their skills, their first album will be released in October. “A Beautiful Brontosaurus” through GroundUp Productions will debut this Saturday at Brigid’s Cross Irish Pub in downtown Bemidji. The show is slated to start at 10 p.m. and the pub is open until 1 a.m. For a preview of the CD, visit kazyak.com.

While talking about Brigid’s Cross, did you hear that they are holding a drawing to give one lucky person a Deluxe Fat Tire Bicycle from the New Belgium Brewery in Colorado? Anyone 21 years old and up may register at the pub once a day, through December 19 and the drawing will be held on the 20^th just in time for a great Christmas present to keep or give away.

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Father Doyle Turner will discuss “Native American Spirituality” as the first in Northern Exposure to Lifelong Learning’s fall series of offerings. Doyle has a long history of involvement in Native American spirituality as he served the four Episcopal Churches on White Earth and then went on to become the Executive Director of the Indigenous Theological Training Institute. He served as chairman of the White Earth Tribe from 2000 to 2004. Doyle was born on the White Earth Reservation and believes that his father taught him about the beauty, holiness and wonder of creation. He will talk about what indigenous people have created out of their old beliefs and society’s dominant religious belief system. The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29 at the Good Shepherd Church in Clearbrook, just make the right turn at the light in Bagley and travel north to the town of Clearbrook.

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Tickets are selling well for this week’s “Ox Trot,” a fundraiser for our local history center. Last year, I played a 96 year old woman who opened the first hotel in Bemidji during the cemetery walk and this year I’ll be at the Elks Club. Two tours are scheduled to run; the first will begin at 6 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. As of today, the script has been re-written four times, wish me luck in getting it memorized by Thursday.

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There will be family entertainment at 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Bemidji Public Library, 509 America Ave. Our Heritage in Song, a concert with Curtis and Loretta is a chance for and a history lesson as well. Folk musicians Loretta Simonet and Curtis Teague will appear in costume and play period instruments—banjo, celeste, folk harp, mandocello, harmonica and guitar—as they tell about Minnesota 150 years ago. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Kitchigami Regional Library through the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment Funds.

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Last minute reminder that Billy Collins will be in Bemidji on Saturday and will start his day at the Historic Chief Theater with a free lecture, “Poetry Maneuvers: How to Find the Ending You Never Knew Existed,” at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 25. The lecture is designed for readers and writers at all levels, students, teachers and the general public.

After the lecture, Collins will move next door to Book World for a book signing and sale and later that night, Collins will appear at Bemidji High School. “An Evening with Billy Collins,” former Poet Laureate of the United States, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and may be purchased now at Lueken’s Village Foods North and the Headwaters School of Music and the Arts.. There will be a post performance reception for ticket holders at Headwaters School of Music and the Arts, 519 Minnesota Ave.

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Don’t forget about the opening concert of the Bemidji Concert Series on Sunday. Both musicians are world class and have played in the major concert halls of the U.S. and Europe. The series has moved back to Thompson Recital Hall for the first two concerts for a more intimate setting.

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It was wonderful to see happy audiences leave the Wild Rose Theater last weekend after the debut performance of Saaren Productions, “Side by Side by Sondheim.” Kevin Cease was his usual uninhibited self on stage and sported a red sequined G-string with aplomb and good natured teasing. That’s all she wrote folks and hope to see you at some of this weekend’s events.

Sunday afternoon I had the opportunity to drop in at a rehearsal for the upcoming musical “Side by Side by Sondheim” and stayed until the very end. I must admit to being a bit prejudiced because Sondheim is my favorite lyricist and composer. Sondheim’s lyrics are poetry set to music; all the emotions and insights that a good poem should convey are there. Only a person with as much heartbreak and heart mending life events could pen these lyrics. Each song is a story in itself, beginning to end; one can cheer on, sympathize with, connect with, understand, or become a participant in the story.

DeeJay Arens, Alison Cease and Emily Quanrud rehearse "You Could Drive A Person Crazy."

It was also fun watching Steve Saari direct the show, blond curls flopping this way and that as he danced around the room. The score of the show includes songs that are well known (“Gotta Have a Gimmick”) with the unlikely and very funny trio of Julie Quantrud, Vicki Stenerson and Kevin Cease to the lesser known “Another 100 People” sensitively sung and acted by Alison Cease. I think that’s the key, all of the songs were sung and acted by the ensemble, there isn’t an empty moment. Giving away too much information and the desire to whet the appetite are conflicting ideas but I need to spotlight at least two performers.

Julie Kaiser hasn’t been seen on stage in Bemidji since Patsy Cline and that was almost a year ago. A member of the ensemble, she also sings a tug-at your heart strings duet with Vicki Wangberg and a solo, “Losing My Mind” from “Follies”—an absolutely stunning piece. Here’s where acting comes to play, the physical movements and facial expressions were sensitively done.

A newcomer to the Bemidji stage is Mike Lamon who moved here with his wife, Julia, last spring. A graduate of Concordia, he was in a few opera choruses in Moorhead and said that he missed singing. Mike works with Vicki Stenerson at the Social Security Office and she invited him to audition for the show. That’s the teaser; you’ll have to attend the show to hear his voice which was trained at Concordia. Yes, he is that good!

Wayne Huff once again shows his mastery of music and accompaniment. He is professional in every way and the Bemidji theater companies are so lucky to have him.

It is unfair to mention only a few players but there’s only so much space and I promised not to give away all the secrets. Get there, you won’t regret spending the evening or the very audience friendly ticket price. Again, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the Wild Rose Theater, 501 Bemidji Ave. Top ticket price, $10—what a bargain! Want to call Steve or DeeJay of Saarens Productions? Their number is 218-616-0337.

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“I, of course, believe that quilting is an age old, beautiful form of artistic creativity and seeing them in natural light outdoors is amazing,” promises Bonnie Lundorff.

The upcoming out door quilt show this Saturday at Willow Wood Market, south of town on CR 9 will have more than just quilts. There will be many high craft vendors on site and Lakeland Public TV will be there to video a segment for the upcoming “Common Ground” season.

Jeff Olson, who may be accessed through his website olsonironworks.com, is a blacksmith by trade and an artist by avocation. He will be there to demonstrate his jewelry and smithing techniques. Another artist with natural materials such as twigs and vines is Jo Meyer who will also be on hand to demonstrate how to’s.

Funky Junk Market will be handled by Pam Hudson of Grandma’s Attic, Kathy Fauth of Checked Past Antiques of Grand Rapids, and Harriet Cafaro and Gina Walters, two women well known for their antique expertise. They will have a tent of their own to display treasures and junk, you know the drill, “One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.”

The event will happen rain or shine and is open to the public for free. If you decide to eat lunch (Wild Rice Soup and desserts), the proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji. There will be other vendors on site as well with handmade soaps, wool mittens, jewelry, fall produce bittersweet vines and much more.

The show will open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., the directions are easy. Go south on Rt. 71 to CR 9, turn right and the event is ¼ mile on the left. That’s all she wrote folks, thanks for reading.

There is so much to write about for this blog, one hardly knows where to begin. We’re still excited about First Friday openings—at least those we were able to attend. A don’t miss it show is at Bemidji Community Arts Center (BCAC) which is located in the old Carnegie Library at the foot of Fifth Street.

The exhibit is a collection of wood workings from functional furniture pieces and canoe paddles to non-function pictures (Don Knutson) and everything in between. The entire galley was so full of art work that the opening reception refreshments were banished to Galley x2 and the goodies were gone in a flash. Crowds (and I am not exaggerating here) were at the doors at starting time of 5 p.m. and never let up. Wow! What an exciting opening night for these artisans, all of whom were so proud to show their work. There’s enough time to see this show as it will be up through September and October. There are some real surprises in store. Another show that should not be missed is by Mary Therese Peterson at the Universalist Unitarian church on American Ave. It is open for viewing during services on Sunday and by special arrangement with Marlon Davidson. It is a fabric show of batik block work wall hangings.

All of the venues work hard to book artisans for their monthly installations. This week The Cabin Coffee House and Café will have their opening reception—a week later—for Jacob Baggenstoss and his exhibit, “Pictures of Images.” As a student at the University of Minnesota, he studied painting and drawing in acrylic and oils. The opening reception will be held from 4-6 p.m. Try to see as many of the exhibits as possible because we are fortunate to have dedicated people in this town who are willing to give of their time and effort to “feeding our souls” with art.

THURSDAY NIGHT OPEN STAGE at Brigid’s Cross Irish Pub is starting a new season on Thursday on September 9, with an earlier start time of 8 p.m.  Open Stage Host is singer-songwriter Eric Carlson.  Performers of various talents whether singing, dancing, reading, theatre arts are invited to sign up ahead of the 8 p.m. start time.  Each performer is allowed 15 minutes of performance time.  Audience members are appreciated.  For more information call Brandy or Ann at 444-0567.

Today, I spent the day in Akeley and Guthrie interviewing and photographing work by artisans Sandy Fynboh and Paula Jensen, two of the featured artists in this year’s Studio Cruise preview articles. This will be the third year of the cruise, and some newcomers like Paula, Pat Shough, Maureen O’Brien, Kathy Gustafson and Vivienne Morgan are inviting the public to view their work in a studio setting. Bemidji is fast becoming a destination city for the arts and it makes me smile to overhear a visitor enthusiastically talk about the sculptures in the streets, paintings on buildings and in cafes and those funny beavers popping up all over the place. Just today, while at Blue Sky Beads with Sandy, two women arrived to purchase some jewelry, one from Colorado and the other from Nebraska—both were returning customers. The phone rang, and it was a customer calling from Alaska asking if a certain necklace was still there and could she get it. Now that’s impressive! Paula Jensen’s eagle sculpture is still on the trailer after being returned from a three month viewing at a museum in Canton, Ohio—they paid the freight!

If you can’t wait to see the brochure to start planning the studio visits with your friends, see it on-line at the Visit Bemidji.com web site.

Next week, “Side by Side by Sondheim” opens at the Mask and Rose Theater. Bemidji Community Theatre is staging “Much Ado About Nothing” and the Swashbucklers will arrive soon with some fancy footwork and saber rattling. The Bemidji Concert Series begins this month and the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra starts its new season in early October. “The Butcher of Baraboo” will show up at Bangsberg Fine and Performing Arts Complex —who said there’s nothing to do in this town? That’s all she wrote, folks. Thanks for checking us out.

The Bemidji Swashbucklers Guild is going to perform a two-night tournament at the Mask and Rose Theater—it kind of has a medieval ring to it! For those who know Jeremiah Liend’s fascination fencing, it is no surprise that he would want to bring a tournament to Bemidji. He did coach fencing in Thailand a couple of years ago. This summer the audience wowed at the “expertise” of the actors in “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)” at the Long Lake Theater. They were coached by Jeremiah and Kurt Karstens (who teaches fencing for Bemidji Adult Education). Last year’s “Pirates of Penzance” also proudly carried and parried—another Liend coaching job. So it would seem inevitable that Jeremiah and seven of his friends would bring a tournament of sword-play to his home town.

To be more exact the Swashbucklers have named their sport a new martial art and all the combatants are certified and indemnified. This is a real mark your calendar event—“Equinox Duello” on stage at the Mask and Rose Theater (in the round) on October 15 and 16, times to be announced.

Upstream TV, the new public access TV group will be doing a film festival at the Mask and Rose in early November.

This month is also the start of The Bemidji Concert Series sponsored by the Music Department of BSU. This series brings world-class artists to Bemidji audiences for affordable prices and the opportunity to enjoy musicians we would not usually have the chance to see. Last year’s concerts were held at Bemidji High School but this year, the series is returning to the Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex on the campus of BSU. I think this is a good move for it affords a more intimate performance space for players and attendees.

Patrick Carriere will be hold auditions for the fall university theater production “The Butcher of Bariboo” on Sept. 6 and 7 from 6-9:30 p.m. on Bangberg main stage. This is the kind of play suited for college players and audiences for it is nuanced on several levels. The site is a small town in Wisconsin, the players are few and the plot revolves around a family struggling to understand issues that confront them (drug abuse, abortion, homosexuality and religion) and us everyday. Written by Marisa Wegrzyn it is supposed to be a “gothic comedy.”  The Butcher is a woman who keeps a flagon of blood in the frig and likes to toss solid implements around along with comments like, “I’d like to kill her”? It will be very interesting to see what Patrick and his cohort Ellen Jones do with the staging for the set is a mid-western home and a cleaver is a main set-piece.

That’s all she wrote, folks.