Sherwin and Pam Linton to perform as Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash at Greater Grand Forks Fair
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Jun. 21—GRAND FORKS — Sherwin and Pam Linton will perform as an acoustic duo in the show "Tribute to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash," set for noon Sunday, June 25, at the Greater Grand Forks Fair.
Sherwin's tribute to Johnny Cash is the only tribute show personally endorsed by Johnny Cash, who used to introduce Sherwin by saying, "Nobody sings my songs better than Sherwin Linton," according to advance publicity.
Sherwin's wife, Pam, adds sparkle and energy to the show when she joins him for duets, promoters say. "Her big voice, coming from a small frame, is sure to leave the audience entertained."
The Sherwin and Pam Linton Show will be a Senior Day lunch performance set for noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday under the Big Top in front of the grandstand. The lunch is included with gate admission. On Sunday, which is Senior Appreciation Day, anyone 65 and older is admitted to the fair free of charge.
As one of the longest-touring musicians in the Upper Midwest, Sherwin Linton is considered a living legend and his talent, wit, determination and generosity have endeared him to thousands of fans, promoters say. After launching his career in the mid-1950s in Watertown, South Dakota, he moved to Minneapolis and soon was on tour with the top names in country and rock-and-roll music.
Sherwin and Pam Linton have a long history of performing in Grand Forks, starting in 1963 when their band, "The Fender Benders," first played at the former Frontier Bar. The band, later known as "The Cotton Kings," returned to play there annually through 1987, and, over the years, Sherwin Linton performed at other Grand Forks venues, including the Chester Fritz Auditorium and the Greater Grand Forks Fair.
This week, wristbands for fair admission are available for purchase through Wednesday at local Hugo's stores or online on the Greater Grand Forks Fair website. A daily wristband, $30, includes the gate fee and ride pass. The "megaband," $90, includes the same admissions for Wednesday-Sunday.
On Wednesday, Military Appreciation Day, anyone with a military ID is admitted free.
Daily admission at the gate is $10 for ages 14 and older and $5 for ages 6-13; admission is free for ages 5 and younger. That includes all grounds acts, the Kid Zone, exhibits, entertainment in the grandstand, wagon rides on the weekend; it does not include carnival rides, food or beverages.
The Valley Senior Living Foundation and Karriers, Inc., will host the "Looney Lutherans" show at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 27 at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1405 S. Ninth St.
The event will feature a "church basement-style" hotdish luncheon, including green beans, salad, bun, pickle spear, bars for dessert, coffee and lemonade.
Tickets, $35 each, are on sale through Friday, June 23. Tickets are available at
— click on "activities and news" and then "news and events." Proceeds from this event will support the music therapy program at VSL facilities.
"Looney Lutherans" is a trio of wacky gals on tour who use music and comedy to share some age-old wisdom for living a long and healthy life, the Lutheran way, "but you don't have to be Lutheran to love them," according to a notice from VSL.
The group, part of the Church Basement Ladies organization, tours mainly in the summer. Their performance, which runs about 50 minutes, is a series of comedy sketches that sometimes includes audience participation, said Sally Grosgebauer, VSL marketing director. This family-friendly show was last presented by VSL in June 2022 at Hope Church.
During Sunday's event, "The Valley Voices," a choral group of Woodside Village and Wheatland Terrace residents, is expected to sing two or three pieces, showcasing the benefits of music therapy for residents.
Studies have revealed that music therapy offers life enrichment, while enhancing memory recall, and positive changes in emotional well-being. It also provides stimulation and increases social interaction between residents, their families and care partners.
Local sponsors have provided support for the Looney Lutherans to visit and perform for residents at VSL nursing homes on Columbia Road and 42nd Avenue South on Sunday, Grosbebauer said.
The Historic Grue Church in rural Buxton, North Dakota, is hosting its third annual "Lefse & Lemonade" event from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 25.
The event is free and open to the public; donations are appreciated.
Featured guests include Jeremy Jackson and Frayne Olson, of the NDSU Challey Institute, who will talk about the contributions of Mancur Olson, a renowned global economist who grew up in rural Buxton and graduated from NDSU in 1954. The professors' talk will begin at 1 p.m.
Jackson is founder and director of NDSU's Center for Public Choice and Private Enterprise. Olson, NDSU professor of agricultural economics, is Mancur Olson's nephew, according to Sally Hoffman, an event organizer.
Mancur Olson is known for studying questions such as, why some countries are rich and others poor? And why are only a few parts of the world prosperous?
After Olson's unexpected death in 1998, the Economist magazine noted that, "had he lived ... his theories might well have won him a Nobel Prize," Hoffman said.
Artwork commissioned by the Historic Grue Church will be on display. Pieper Bloomquist, of Grand Forks, has created a Scandinavian "bonadsmalning" painting; Jeff Malm, of Kulm, North Dakota, crafted a wrought iron piece; and James Paulson, of Leeds, North Dakota, created a Norwegian wood carving. Each of their artworks will be prominently and permanently installed after completion of the next stage of renovation of the church building, Hoffman said.
A hotdish lunch will be served, along with lefse and lemonade, for a free will donation. A silent auction is planned, and the Hot Tub Brass will perform.
The church is located five miles east of Buxton and one mile north, at 168th Avenue N.E. and 14th Street N.E., Buxton, N.D.
For more information, visit
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The Sons of Norway Gyda Varden Lodge and Heritage Village are teaming up to celebrate "Sankthansaften," a midsummer night festivity, from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 23 at Heritage Village, 219 20th St. N.E., East Grand Forks.
The free event will feature food, fire pits, music and family activities, according to the Dakota Science Center. All buildings onsite, in addition to the Railroad Museum, will be open.
The food will include Norwegian specialties rommegrot and pinnebrod, as well as hot dogs, potato salad, soda and ice cream. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Only cash accepted for food concessions. No dogs allowed.
In Norway, "Sankthansaften" (or "St. John's Eve"), was traditionally a heathen celebration of the summer solstice to mark the growing season. A Christian celebration was added to the General Roman Calendar of the Catholic Church: June 24, the Nativity of John the Baptist. Throughout Norway, the occasion is celebrated every year as a secular summer festivity on the evening of June 23, with food, music, art, family activities and huge bonfires to ward off evil spirits.
