Lamont Cranston Band to headline 'Blues on the Red'

Jun. 14—GRAND FORKS — The Lamont Cranston Band will be featured at the "Blues on the Red" event, presented by The Olive Ann Hotel, on Saturday, June 17, at Town Square at DeMers Avenue and Third Street.

Gates open at 5 p.m.

The opening act, set to start at 6 p.m., will feature Vivian Hayes and The Hi-Praise. The Lamont Cranston Band performs at 8 p.m.

Food trucks and beverage vendors will be on hand.

Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the gate. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, The Lamont Cranston Band emerged as emblematic of the blues influence that surfaced as early as the mid-1960s in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Pat (Lamont) Hayes founded the band with his brother Larry Hayes in 1969.

The band, which joined the robust music scene in the Twin Cities, has recorded 14 albums and written and produced a number of hit songs, including the chart-topping "Upper Mississippi Shakedown." It is turning out new material all the time, according to promoters.

The Cranstons have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Charlie Musselwhite, Mighty Joe Young, Percy Sledge, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Wilson Pickett, Bonnie Raitt and many more.

The band, which has also received numerous Critic's Choice and Readers' Choice awards for "Best Twin Cities Blues Band" by City Pages, has been featured regularly on Dan Aykroyd's House of Blues Radio Show.

The four-day country music festival "Kick'n Up Kountry," will feature the group Alabama and performers Chris Janson and Joe Nichols, among numerous other acts.

The event, celebrating its 20th anniversary, runs Wednesday-Saturday, June 14-17, at Wagon Wheel Ridge, Karlstad, Minnesota.

Other artists scheduled to perform include: the Bellamy Brothers, Locash, Great White, Slaughter, Vixen, Ron Keel Band, Raelyn Nelson Band, Kittywompus, Slamabama and Kissing Company.

Many other activities for the entire family and attractions, such as Ultimate Baja Racing and AdventureWorld Theme Park, are planned. Camping, with more than 1,000 sites, is available.

A fireworks display, to mark the event's anniversary, is set to begin at 10 p.m. Friday, June 16.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit

www.kukmusic.com

or call 877-542-5687.

The City Band opens its Summer Concert Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at the Myra Museum Gazebo on the grounds of the Grand Forks County Historical Society, Belmont Road and 24th Avenue South. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the free event.

Titled "Rockstars!," the concert will feature music by Aaron Copeland, Henry Mancini, Bach and Jaime Texidor, among others.

Selections will include "Autumn Leaves," by Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prevert and Joseph Kosma, arranged by Alfred Reed; "The Minnesota March," by John Philip Sousa; "Led Zeppelin on Tour," by Patrick Roszell; and Henry Fillmore's "Rolling Thunder".

The University Park Neighborhoods group is hosting "Summer Fest" from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at University Park.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature live music by Cheron, Dhejemke, and Caleb Shelton, as well as lots of activities and yard games for kids and all ages. Prizes will be awarded throughout the event, organizers say.

Food trucks will include Little Bangkok, Steers and Kool Kidz Shaved Ice.

In the warming house, guests are invited to have coffee, enjoy a complimentary doughnut, and chat with Ward 2 representative Rebecca Osowski, from 1 to 1:45 p.m., and Ward 3 representative Bret Weber, from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Hot chocolate, lemonade, tea and water will also be provided.

Representatives of NDSU Extension Services, Salvation Army, High Plains Fair Housing, Blue Zones, Habitat for Humanity, ArtWise, Grand Forks Public Library, Empire Arts Center, and other services and organizations will be on hand to share information about free programs.

The University Park Neighborhoods group invites everyone to get involved in its ongoing programs: Walking Club Sunday, Biking Club Saturdays, Fire Hydrant Painting, Building Benches and Little Free Library Boxes.

Summer Fest is sponsored by The Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region, and Visit Grand Forks.

The duo "Lynx Lynx" will perform Norwegian-Swedish folk music from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, June 19, at the East Grand Forks Campbell Library.

Vidar Skrede and Patrik Ahlberg play a variety of string instruments, including fiddles, Hardanger fiddles, guitars and mandolin. The musicians are Scandinavian transplants who live in the Midwest and share their fiddle tunes, said Jeanne O'Neil, who organized the event.

Ahlberg, a multi-instrumentalist from Sweden, regularly plays and performs music of both the United States and Sweden. His current projects include duets of contemporary tunes and arrangements with Nashville fiddler George Jackson and a solo exploration of Swedish fiddle tunes on the classical guitar.

Skrede, a Nordic folk musician from Haugesund, Norway, teaches guitar and fiddle. With a background in traditional music from his home area, Rogaland, in southwest Norway, he earned a master's degree in Nordic folk music performance at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, and has received nominations and awards for his albums in Norway and Finland.

The Empire Arts Center is hosting a movie-making camp for girls ages 12 to 18.

Experienced instructors will guide participants through the process of brainstorming, writing, editing, directing and producing a series of short films.

Participants will cast their films and receive hands-on experience in all aspects of movie-making, according to Debra Pflughoeft-Hassett, the Empire's executive director.

Instructors are Bethany Newquist, who works in WDAY-TV news programming, and David Kuznicki, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker.

Workshop sessions will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, July 24-Aug. 3.

The films are scheduled to be shown during a "red carpet premiere" at 6 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Empire Arts Center.

For more information, call (701) 746-5500. Space is limited to 24 participants. Early registration is encouraged.

The camp is made possible by a grant from The Women's Fund through the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region.

The UND Northern Sky Astronomical Society invites everyone to view the northern lights at 10 p.m. Friday, June 16, at Turtle River State Park, near the sledding hill.

Since it will be a no-moon night, they are "hoping" to view the northern lights, organizers say.

Society members will set up telescopes and be on hand to answer questions.

For more information, check the amateur astronomy club's Facebook page.

The Summer Outdoor Yoga Series, now in its ninth year, has started up again on Saturdays at the Flood Memorial Monument near the Sorlie Bridge in downtown Grand Forks.

The next session is set for Saturday, June 17. Sessions, which run from 10 to 11:15 a.m., will continue every other Saturday through August. Everyone is welcome. Donations are appreciated.

Bring your own mat, towel or blanket to practice on.