St. Patrick's Day fiddle and dance event set for Saturday
Mar. 16—GRAND FORKS — The North Country Fiddle and Dance event is planned for 7:30-10 p.m. Saturday, March 18 at the East Grand Forks Senior Center, 538 Rhinehart Dr. S.E.
Dubbed the "St. Patrick's Day Dance," the event will feature live music by the O'Neil Family Band, with caller Shawn Glidden of St. Paul.
All ages are welcome, including singles, couples and families, said Jeanne O'Neil, an organizer.
The event will include "reels, squares, circle mixes and more," O'Neil said. "All dances are taught and easy to learn."
Donations will be accepted at the door.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through funding from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the state's general fund.
For more information, visit
.
Everyone is invited to a closing reception for the Mayor's Choice show, featuring the artworks of North Star Quilters Guild and the River Forks Watercolor Society members, set for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at City Hall, 255 N. Fourth St.
For the show, "Icons of the Grand Cities," quilters paired up with watercolorists to create 60 individual pieces for the display. Each piece of art features a local landmark or icon, said Jolene Mikkelson of the North Star Quilters Guild.
Tuesday's reception is "a time to celebrate our local artists, and the uniqueness of this pairing," Mikkelson said. This is the third time these groups have collaborated.
The art is available for viewing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, through March 21, at City Hall. The show will be dismantled March 22, Mikkelson said.
The show features 23 quilters and 13 watercolor artists, all local.
About 100 skaters, pre-school- to high school-age, are expected to participate in the 51st Annual East Grand Forks Ice Show this weekend at the city's Civic Center, 300 15th St. N.E.
The public is invited to attend shows that begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 19. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for students in grades K-12, and free for children ages 4 and younger.
With the theme for this year's event, "East Side TV Guide," each group will perform to a TV theme song such as Hawaii Five-0, Sesame Street, I Love Lucy, Game of Thrones, and others.
More than 25 other numbers are planned featuring songs from well-known TV shows.
The event is hosted by the City of East Grand Forks and the Northern Lights Figure Skating Club.
The ArtWise Gallery and Creative Space will host a closing reception from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 18, near the center court of Columbia Mall.
Everyone is welcome to come and join in conversation with artists Paige Synnott and Wesley Rabey and art historian Nicole Derenne. Works by Synnott, titled "I Am," and by Rabey, titled "Fringes," have been displayed since Feb. 2.
The exhibit is open Tuesdays-Fridays, 1-6 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit
.
The "East Side Idol" is planned for 7 p.m. Monday, March 20, in the Performing Arts Center at East Grand Forks Senior High, 1420 Fourth Ave. N.W. The event is open to the public.
Admission is $5 per person. General seating is available.
Each audience member may vote on their favorite acts. The top five winners are announced at the end of the voting.
For more information, contact the principal's office at (218) 773-2405.
The Grand Forks Public Library invites everyone to the Third Annual Women's Panel event, a discussion led by women writers set for 2-3 p.m. Saturday, March 18. No registration is required.
Panelists will focus on the literary arts and discuss the many ways writing and storytelling can impact communities, form connections, and foster empathy, said Megan Brandrud, senior information services associate at the library. The panel discussion will be facilitated by a library staff member.
"Hear thoughts from women involved in the writing community in Grand Forks," Brandrud said. Audience members are encouraged to bring questions to the questions.
The panelists are:
Crystal Alberts, professor of English at UND and director of the annual UND Writers Conference. Her special academic interests include 20th and 21st century American Literatures and Cultures, multi-ethnic U.S. literatures, digital humanities, archival studies, film studies, and law and literature.
Nancy Devine is an experienced teacher and writer, whose poetry, short fiction and essays have appeared in "Bellevue Literary Review" and "Stirring: A Literary Collection," among others. A three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Devine is the author of two published chapbooks of poetry.
Erin Lord Kunz is an information specialist with the Rural Health Information Hub at the UND Center for Rural Health. An adjunct English teacher at Golden Gate University, she is director and editor of the nonprofit community writing project, Voices of the Valley.
Noelle Myers, an author, is moderator of the Northern Ink Writers Group, which meets twice a month at the library. She has published 10 fiction novels, two cookbooks, and several short stories.
For more information, email
or call (701) 772-8116.
The University of Minnesota Crookston is reviving its International Dinner after a hiatus due to the pandemic. The festivities begin at 6 p.m., March 27 in the Bede Ballroom.
Intended for all ages, the event will feature presentations by international students Madeleine Schneider, a junior from Germany, and Norden Bista, a freshman from Nepal.
The dinner will include German appetizers and a Nepalese main entree, according to Rae French, international programs admissions counselor at UMC.
Entertainment will be provided by the UMC Choir and a German flutist.
"This is also a great way to meet our international students," French said, and for UMC students to meet area residents.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students in preschool through high school, and are available by contacting French at
or (218) 281-8339.
