Listing of Events by Date
Below you will find a listing of upcoming events. For up-to-date SAAC news, you may read our online Newsletter.
Colcannon in Concert
Sunday, March 4
2:00pm
Sturgis Community Center Theater
The Arts Council is thrilled to once again sponsor the group Colcannon as they bring their wonderful and unique music to Sturgis!
More than just another band playing music from the Irish tradition, Colcannon is one of the few groups performing today that has developed their own unique, recognizable and contemporary style while still keeping in firm touch with the heart and essence of traditional Celtic music. A concert with Colcannon includes traditional as well as original songs and instrumentals performed with all-acoustic instrumentation and presented with warmth, virtuosity and wit. Folk music, and the Celtic musical tradition in particular, has always spoken eloquently of the human condition, and the music of Colcannon speaks to the audience with laughter and longing, despair and hope, frustration and joy; the common threads of human experience. A concert with Colcannon weaves these threads together in a way that is intriguing, very funny, and always honest.
Please join us for a wonderful and exciting afternoon of music as we present Colcannon. The concert will be held Sunday, March 4th at 2:00pm in the Sturgis Community Center Theater. Tickets are $15 each and will be available at the door.
See more about Colcannon at their website - http://www.colcannon.com/home.cfm
Regional Festival Chorus
Monday, March 5
3:30pm
Sturgis Community Center Theater
Sturgis is one of four South Dakota cities chosen to host the 3rd Annual South Dakota Regional Festival Chorus. These choruses, held each year during Music in Our Schools Month in March, showcase 4th, 5th and 6th grade vocalists throughout the state. Other sites include Beresford, Mobridge, and Sisseton.
On March 5, over 100 young singers from
surrounding communities will rehearse at the Sturgis Community Center Theater and then perform a concert. Guest conductor is Barb Newman from Pierre. Mrs. Newman has taught general music and beginner’s band for over 34 years in Pierre and Brookings School Districts. She now teaches privately and is the founder and director of the Capital City Children’s Chorus. One personal fact about Barb is that she and her husband are owners of the Zesto Ice Cream Shoppe in Pierre.
Thirty singers from Meade School District are being financially supported by the Sturgis Area Arts Council. Registration fees are being paid by SAAC for the Sturgis, Whitewood and Rural School vocalists. Marlene Kotab, director of the Whitewood Elementary Choir, relayed, “Without the Arts Council’s financial support, there is no way our children could participate in this great musical event. With the school budget so tight, there is no money left for special musical opportunities for our beginning musicians. We are so grateful to provide this special event to our students.”
The public is invited to support our young musicians and attend the concert on March 5, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. at the Sturgis Community
Center Theater. Admission is $5 for adults, children are free to attend.
History at High Noon
Friday, March 16
12:00 Noon
Sturgis Public Library
For today's "History at High Noon" series Mimi Shewey will present a program on the Rev. C.D. and Madge Erskine. Rev. Erskine was a long time minister in the First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis. They were both active in the community as well as serving in the ministry. This program will be a good time for remembering and sharing the lives of these former residents of Sturgis who meant so much to the community.
Museum on Main Street's "New Harmonies" Exibit
March 17 - April 22
During Library Hours
Sturgis Public Library
Smithsonian’s “Museum on Main Street” Exhibit returns to Sturgis in March!
Remember the “Between Fences” exhibit that came to Sturgis several years ago? We had so much fun with it that we’re going to do it again!! The Arts Council is thrilled to have been chosen to present yet another exhibit from the Smithsonian Museum - this one is called “New Harmonies”.
Listen to America’s music and you’ll hear the story of freedom. It’s the story of people in a New World - the places they have left behind and the ideas they have brought with them. It is the story of people who were already here, but whose world was remade. The distinct cultural identities of all of these people are carried in song — both sacred and secular. Their music tracks the unique history of many peoples reshaping each other into one incredibly diverse and complex people — Americans. Their music is the roots of American music.
The music that emerges is known by names like blues, country western, folk ballads, and gospel. The sounds are as sweet as mountain air, and as sultry as a summer night in Mississippi delta country. The instruments vary from fiddle to banjo to accordion to guitar to drum. But a drum in the hands of an African sounds different than one in the hands of a European. And neither is the drumbeat of an American Indian. Yet all the rhythms merge, as do the melodies and harmonies, producing completely new sounds — new music. The music merges because this is America. New waves of music ride ashore in the hearts and heads of new immigrants and they create still new sounds from what they have brought with them and what they find here. And nothing expresses the tensions — or the triumphs — of this journey into democracy quite like the music that it spawns.
The main beat of the exhibition is the on-going cultural process that has made America the birthplace of more music than any place on earth. The exhibition provides a fascinating, inspiring, and toe-tapping listen to the American story of multi-cultural exchange. The story is full of surprises about familiar songs, histories of instruments, the roles of religion and technology, and the continuity of musical roots from “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to the latest hip hop CD.
This exhibit will be coming to Sturgis March 17th and be on display at the Sturgis Public Library until April 22nd. Watch here for more events associated with the display!!
"Song and Dance of the Lakota"
Saturday, March 17
10:00am
Easyriders Steak House
Dr. Ronnie Theisz will present a power point program entitled, ”Song and Dance of the Lakota.” on Saturday, March 17th at 10:00am at Easyriders Steak House. This event is an introduction to the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street New Harmonies Exhibit and is free and open to the public.
Dr. Theisz, a SD Humanities scholar, is a recently retired professor of Native Studies and Literature at Black Hills State University. He was the winner of the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from the South Dakota Humanities Council. He is an original member of the Lakota drum group, Porcupine Singers, who are known across the country for keeping traditional songs of the Lakota alive. They have sung at the Kennedy Center and performed for the film, “Dances With Wolves.”
After his presentation and discussion are concluded, EasyRiders will have a soup and sandwich buffet available for purchase ($7.99 with coffee, $8.99 with fountain beverages). Those interested in staying for the meal should make reservations by emailing Dorothy Pulscher at dapulscher@gmail.com. Reservations must be made by March 13, please.
Set-Up Day for "New Harmonies" and Docent Training
March 17, 2012
1:00pm
Sturgis Public Library
Beginning at 1:00pm on Saturday, March 17, interested citizens of the greater Sturgis area and folks from exhibit sites around the state will be led by members of the Museum on Main Street staff as they set up the New Harmonies exhibit for its stay in the Sturgis Public Library. Many hands make light the work, so we are hoping for a good turnout of local helpers.
Docents are needed to help visitors tour the exhibit, especially if there is a large group. Anyone who is interested in serving in this capacity is invited to see how the exhibit is put together, helping where physically able. The SD Humanities Council is bringing a trainer to teach volunteer docents how to be most effective. This training will begin as soon as the exhibit is set up Saturday afternoon.
Ribbon Cutting and Lakota Music Project
Sunday, March 18
1:00pm Ceremony - 2:00pm Concert
Ribbon Cutting at Sturgis Public Library ~ Concert at Sturgis Community Center Theater
A rare treat for residents of the northern Black Hills,The Lakota Music Project will be performed in Sturgis on Sunday, March 18 at 2:00pm in the Sturgis Community Center Theater. The musicians include the SD Symphony Chamber Orchestra and the Lakota Drum Group in a collaborative effort. The event is free and open to the public. It is being held in Sturgis to mark the opening of the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street New Harmonies exhibits in South Dakota.
A ceremony at the Sturgis Public Library will be held at 1:00pm on March 18 to officially open the Sturgis exhibit. There will be a ribbon cutting and short introduction to dignitaries in attendance. Refreshments will be available at the intermission and after the concert in the community center.
The Lakota Music Project was first performed in May 2009 as the result of a four-year effort toward bringing cultures together and educating audiences about traditional Lakota music. The group performed in Rapid City then and again in October 2010 at Crazy Horse Memorial.
"History of the Blues"
Thursday, March 22
7:00pm
Sturgis Public Library
Join guitar masters James Van Nuys and Bob Fahey at the Sturgis Public Library on Thursday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. for the “History of the Blues”. They will be talking about and playing examples of blues from the early 1900’s through the present day, featuring the music of Jelly Roll Morton, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton and Keb Mo.
Chamber Mixer with the group "Cambria"
Tuesday, March 27
5:00-6:30pm
Sturgis Public Library
We are pleased to have “Cambria”, a Black Hills bluegrass group, perform during the Chamber Mixer at the Sturgis Public Library on March 27th from 5:00-6:30pm. Everyone is invited to visit the New Harmonies exhibit, exploring the roots of our music, and enjoy some lively bluegrass sound, one of those roots featured in the exhibit.
Cambria includes Doug Thomas and Pete Wouden, members of the longstanding Black Hills Bluegrass Band, and Larry Roetzel, a recently retired teacher from Newcastle, who has settled in the Medicine Mountain area near Custer. Doug plays guitar, Pete plays bass and mandolin, and Larry plays the banjo. All three share the vocals. Larry jokes with the crowd between numbers. Together they provide fun and toe-tapping entertainment.
Title: "Connecting - a Dakota Journey of Dance and Spirit"
Wednesday, March 28
Various times (see article)
Sturgis Public Schools (see article)
The Sturgis Area Arts Council is pleased to bring a program on Dakota/ Lakota culture and song to our elementary schools on March 28.
Belinda F. Joe, Dakota Hunkpati and SD Humanities scholar, will present her program, “Connecting: A Dakota Journey of Dance and Spirit. She will be joined by Ateyapi drum group, lead singer Whitney Rencountre. In this program Belinda Joe strives to make connections through similarities of laughter, song, sharing and passion. We feel the collaboration will give our students a taste of Dakota/ Lakota culture and song. We hope that it will also inspire them to visit the Sturgis Public Library and the New Harmonies exhibit.
The program will be presented to fourth and fifth grade students in the cafeteria of the Sturgis Elementary School from 9:00–10:00am, to the entire school at Whitewood Elementary from 10:30-11:30am, and to fifth and sixth grade students in the old gym at the Piedmont Elementary School from 1:00-2:00pm. The public is invited to join us for any of these programs - we ask that you please be respectful of school rules.
Book Discussion of "Reservation Blues"
Thursday, March 29
7:00pm
Sturgis Public Library
A discussion of the book “Reservation Blues” by Sherman Alexie, will be held Thursday, March 29 at 7:00pm in the Program Room of Sturgis Public Library. Kathie Antonen, Professor at SDSMT, will lead the discussion. Refreshments will be available.
“Reservation Blues” is the story of an all Indian Catholic Rock Band lead by Thomas Builds-the-Fire on vocals and Victor Joseph on lead guitar. It begins with “legendary blues singer and guitarist Robert Johnson, who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads to win his great guitar talent.” Within the framework of this story, Alexie discusses life on the reservation and issues relevant to all Native Americans.
Because this is a special offering, books are not available from the SD Humanities Council for loan as in past reading discussions sponsored by them. There are nine copies of the novel in the Inter-library Loan system. Used books may be purchased on-line for as little as one cent plus shipping. Please check on availability through the library as soon as possible and return your borrowed copy as soon as you have finished to allow more people to read it.
Acoustic Musicians Saturday Salon
Saturday, March 31
10:00am
Sturgis Public Library
Guitar lovers unite! “Closet” musicians are invited to dust off their guitars, mandolins, and WHATEVERS and join Paul Peterson and Loren Erickson for an acoustic jam session and conversations about their favorite guitars.
Come on down to the Sturgis Public Library on Saturday, March 31 at 10:00am and hang out for a couple of hours and get your groove on. One and all are welcome!
Easter Cantata
Sunday, April 1 and Tuesday, April 3
7:00pm each evening
Grace Lutheran Church, Sturgis
“Who Is This King?” is the question asked and answered in the text and songs of the 2012 Sturgis Area Easter Cantata. This cantata, written by Lloyd Larson and Joseph M. Martin, explores the confusion surrounding Jesus in His final days. Is this man the long-awaited Messiah or a fraud? In the concluding song, the cantata answers the questions with a resounding, “Crown Him the King of Kings!”
The Community of Faith singers range in age from teenagers to “experienced” singers. The choir welcomes all voices and faiths to share their musical gifts. Marlene Kotab, the choir’s director, related, “Choir members express a feeling of a deep spiritual connection with Easter when they sing the story of Jesus’ last days. Hearing the wonderful blend of voices is quite an emotional experience for me, too. I am so pleased that 71 people have registered for the Cantata. It makes me confident that singing is still alive and important in Sturgis.”
The Cantata Choir rehearses for 90 minutes for six Sundays in preparation for their performances. The rehearsals and performances are held at Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis. The performances are Palm Sunday, April 1 and Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00pm each evening at the Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis. There is no admission charge for the concert, but a donation basket will be available to help defrey music expenses if you'd like to contribute.
Jazz Band Dance
Saturday, April 12
7:00pm
Sturgis City Auditorium (On Main Street)
Dance the Night Away.....
The Sturgis Brown High School Jazz Bands and German Band will present a Jazz Band Dance on April 12th at 7:00pm at the City Auditorium on Main Street. This event is being held as one of the music performances in conjunction with the “New Harmonies” exhibit.
The music featured will range from old time polkas and waltzes to jazz and swing tunes, and also some rock and roll. There will be something for everyone who loves to dance and also for those who just like to listen. Deserts and drinks will be provided, The cost is $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for students and senior citizens.
History at High Noon
Friday, April 20
12:00 Noon
Sturgis Public Library
History at High Noon will participate in the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street "New Harmonies” program today with a musical program. If you missed the author’s reception for Kathy Beisheuvel that was held back in January you get a second chance today!! She will tell about her book “Could You Play a Little Something for our Wedding?”
Hank Harris and Jami Lynn in Concert
Saturday, April 21
7:00pm
Sturgis Community Center Theater
Our very last concert in the programs showcasing the New Harmonies Museum on Main Street Exhibit in the Sturgis Public Library features Hank Harris and Jami Lynn in the Sturgis Community Center Theater on Saturday, April 21 at 7:00pm. Tickets are priced at $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for children.
A South Dakota Arts Council Touring Artist, Hank Harris has been a force on the South Dakota music scene since The Red Willow Band was inaugurated. After playing with them for seven years, he played with a trio, The Shades. When D. D. and the Fayrohs asked him to switch to a bass guitar and play oldies music, he began a nineteen year association with that popular Black Hills group. His latest cd is called “Shortcut to Hanksville”. Prior to that he worked on the Deadwood Songbook #1 and #2, a musical work and preservation project of various ethnic music of the Black Hills in the 1880’s. His favorite sounds are “wind in the trees, moving water and silence.”
His fellow performer for this event is Jami Lynn, whose latest release, Sod Buster, is reputed to be a “prime example of Dakotan craft and an unrivaled, handsome achievement of a relative newcomer to the folk genre,” according to Johann Shoenmakers of altcountryforum. She also enjoys jazz and blues.
Tryouts for "1776"
Monday, May 6 & Tuesday, May 7
6:00-8:00pm each eveniong
Sturgis Grace Lutheran Church
The Sturgis Area Arts Council will present the musical “1776" as our summer show June 14-17 in the Sturgis Community Center Theater.
The seminal event in American history blazes to vivid life in this most unconventional of Broadway hits. It’s the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence..... if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! 1776 follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence. 1776 puts a human face on the pages of history as we see the men behind the national icons: proud, frightened, uncertain, irritable, charming, often petty and ultimately noble figures determined to do the right thing for a fledgling nation.
The cast includes 24 men (some could be women in drag) and two women’s roles. We ask that those auditioning be high school age or older. Auditions for the production will be May 6th and 7th from 6:00-8:00pm each evening at the Sturgis Grace Lutheran Church. No advance preparation is needed - come ready to sing, dance and read from the script. Our Director for this year’s show will once again be Shirlene Joseph.
If you have questions please feel free to call Gary Nelson at 720-6361
Artists Wanted for our Artist of the Month Programs
Artwork displayed at the Sturgis Public Library
You pick your month
Every month the Sturgis Area Arts Council is proud to feature an area artist in our "Artist of the Month" program, where your art is displayed at the Sturgis Public Library throughout a given month.
If you're an artist and would be interested in displaying your work please let us know. You can send us an e-mail (info@sturgisareaartscouncil.org) or you can contact Ruth Mechling at 720-2293.
We'd love to have you join us to bring art to Sturgis!!