Check out some upcoming events this week in and around Grand Forks
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Sep. 7—GRAND FORKS — A Scandinavian duo, "lynx lynx," will perform Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the East Grand Forks Campbell Library, 422 Fourth St. N.W. The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
No admission fee will be charged. Free will donations will be accepted at the door.
As part of their tour of Minnesota communities this month, the duo's appearance is presented by the North Country Fiddle and Dance organization and funded in part by a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council.
Vidar Skrede and Patrik Ahlberg, a Norwegian-Swedish folk music duo, play a variety of stringed instruments, including fiddles, Hardanger fiddles, guitars and mandolin. Their music is a combination of their original and traditional Nordic fiddle tunes.
The duo, who are transplants to the Midwest, is named "lynx lynx," because "we are double everything: double fiddle, Harding fiddle, guitar, Scandinavians, immigrants and so on," said Skrede in an email. "Lynx Lynx is the Latin name for the Lynx that exists in Scandinavia. It's the Eurasian lynx. And it's a mysterious animal."
For more information, call the library, (218) 773-9121. To learn more about the musicians, visit
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Master woodcarver James Paulson, of Leeds, North Dakota, will lead a series of woodcarving classes to benefit the Grue Church Project.
The classes are scheduled for Friday, Sept. 16, 5-8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 23, 5-8 p.m.; and Saturday, Sept. 24, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Gyda Varden Sons of Norway Lodge, 1401 Ninth Ave. N., Grand Forks.
The sessions are open to individuals ages 15 and older. Cost is $15 per session or all four sessions for $50. Groups of two are encouraged.
For more information, call (701) 841-1000.
Woodworking "has been really a passion for me," said Paulson, who operates Skanderna Wood Works. "I've been blessed to have some amazing teachers."
"It's thrilling to pass on this knowledge to others," he said.
The woodcarving classes are made possible by a grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation, in partnership with the Gyda Varden Sons of Norway Lodge and the North Dakota Council on the Arts.
The Grue Church Project, a subsidiary of the nonprofit organization Buxton in Bloom, is an effort to preserve the 130-year-old Grue Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Traill County, North Dakota, as a cultural and sacred space. Paulson has been commissioned to create artwork for the doorway of the church.
For more information, visit
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Ever wonder what's involved in staging a musical performance? Your chance to find out has arrived.
The Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Ave., is inviting the public to stop by between 3 and 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, enjoy a cup of coffee in the art gallery, and scope out how the stage is being transformed into the 1919 Lounge.
The venue is being prepared for performances by Adam Jacobs, who originated the role of Aladdin on Broadway. The shows, titled "Right Where I Belong — Songs of Alan Menken," begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9 and 10. Jacobs will sing selections written for beloved Disney musicals such as "Newsies," "The Little Mermaid," "Hercules," "Aladdin" and others.
For these performances, the 1919 Lounge becomes "an intimate and elegant setting," said Debra Pflughoeft-Hassett, executive director.
On Thursday, staff members will be on hand to show people around the building and answer questions, she said. "We are particularly excited to show off our 1919 Lounge space onstage."
The staff will also show various setups in Studio E, she said. "I think it will be really fun."
The public is also welcome to drop in for coffee from 3 to 5 p.m. on the following Thursdays in September and watch the stage being set for the Empire Theatre Company's production of "School of Rock," which opens Sept. 29.
Jacobs will also be conducting a vocal coaching master class from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Student tickets are sold out, but observer tickets are available at $20 each. Pflughoeft-Hassett said, "I am not a performer, but I've been told that a singer would be able to pick up pointers" by watching Jacobs coach the registered students.
For more information, call the Empire Arts Center at (701) 746-5500.
Artwork by members of the River Forks Watercolor Society will be on exhibit at the East Grand Forks Campbell Library from Monday, Sept. 12, through Oct. 28.
An exhibit opening, set for 5:30 p.m. Monday, will feature a reading by author and poet Noelle Myers, moderator of the Northern Ink Writers' Group of Grand Forks, and the musical stylings of the O'Neil Family Band of East Grand Forks. The event is expected to last about an hour.
For more information, call the Campbell Library at (218) 773-9121. The library is located at 422 Fourth St. N.W.
