Newsletter July 2014 - River Falls Community Arts Base 2014.pdf · band instructor Joe Coughlin. ... could possibly have to pass on a once-in-a-lifetime ... Pocahontas County wlll

N e w s l e t t e r J u l y 2 0 1 4

CAB Coming EventsMUSIC IN THE PARK

Fri. & Sat. Eves 7 pm, mid-June thru Aug, Veteran’s ParkART ON THE KINNI

Sat. Sept. 6, 9 am - 5 pm, Heritage and Veteran’s Park & White Pathway

MAIN STREET ART CRAWLSat. Oct. 18, Downtown River Falls

CAB BARN DANCESSchedule TBA starting in Oct., River Falls Academy

ctd on p.3ctd on p.3

As the summer moves along, so does CAB’s Music in the Park series, featuring FREE live music concerts each Friday and Saturday night at 7 pm in Veteran’s Park. The schedule started on June 20th with Amy and Adams, followed by Denny Cooper and Steve Heath on the 21st. Then came Steve Meyer and True Heat on June 27th with The Danger Rangers on June 28th. The early July schedule included a husband/wife team, Practical Goods, to provide fun, folk and rock on July 4th. Group 47, a Twin Cities quartet led by a jazz trumpet, took the stage on the 5th. In the past, Music in the Park took time off during River Falls Days, as all the action was to the south of Veteran’s Park. However, this year the celebration HQ moved to the MIP neighborhood and CAB agreed to sponsor some afternoon music on Saturday, July 12. A group of RFHS a cappella singers, Vocal Point, provided the opening at 2:30 pm followed by the popular Tin Pan Alley Cats from 3-5 pm.

2014 Music in the Park Well Underway

Musical duo Amy and Adams, serenading Music in the Park goers at the opening night concert in Veteran’s Park.

CAB HELPS TALENTED YOUNGSTER BECOME A “KID”

River Falls High School graduate Dominic Domeyer is on tour with the “Kids From Wisconsin” stage band this summer and CAB is pleased to have played a role in making it happen. CAB provided a $1,400.00 scholarship, which enabled the UW-Eau Claire sophomore-to-be to join the group’s “Can’t Hold Us” tour instead of having to partake in his usual summer job to raise college funds. CAB has found that Dominic is a motivated musician who has set high goals for himself and his future. He is currently seeking a B. A. in Music Instruction at UWEC, but wants to follow in the footsteps of his past and current instructors. Having taken lessons from Matt Mealey in New Richmond from the 6th grade through high school, Dominic points to that experience as being a prime motivator to pursue a career in music. The fact that Mr. Mealey was once a part of the Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich bands, amongst others, was not lost on Dominic’s mindset that he was learning from one of the best. During his days at River Falls High School, Dominic was a part of many musical ensembles and was a key member of the stellar marching band that won a state championship in each of his four years under the tutelage of band instructor Joe Coughlin. Mr. Coughlin described Dominic as someone who took his music very seriously and was usually the first on hand before a band event and the last one to leave. He also pointed out that Dominic was a great mentor for the younger band members. At UWEC, Dominic quickly became a part of the school’s music scene, playing in numerous ensembles and, naturally, becoming a member of the 300-member UWEC marching band — the largest of it’s kind at any college of university in the country. Dominic had been urged by Mr. Mealey to attend UWEC because of renowned trumpet instructor, Bob Baca. Mr. Baca was a former Kid From Wisconsin, having spent a number of years on the group’s

Page 2 CAB Spring Newsletter

The CAB Newsletter is published byThe Community Arts Base of River Falls, WI

439 West Maple Street, Suite 109River Falls, WI 54022

www.riverfallscab.org(715) 425-7645 ext. 2109

Editor: (this issue) Steve PreislerDesign: Liz Wertz

Photos: Jens Gunelson

By Steve Preisler, CAB Board President

This is the time of the year when it’s nice to wear the title of CAB Board President. As we follow-up on another successful CAB Spring Arts GALA and a fun season of Community Barn Dances, CAB’s visibility really takes off with

Music in the Park, Art on the Kinni and the Main Street Art Crawl still on it’s 2014 plate. Plus, a couple of exciting things have happened during the past few months. In February, our friends at WESTconsin Credit Union, celebrating their 75th year, had a candy bar sale with proceeds earmarked for CAB. Russ Blasius and his staff presented us with a check for $478.04. Thank you WESTconsin! Also, earlier this year, CAB took delivery on a new Children’s Art Tent to be used mainly at Art on the Kinni. This beauty, with the CAB logo in the peaks, actually made its debut at a CAB meeting in June and later at the Foster Community Foundation’s Lies and Lures event. It also was scheduled for use at Vibrant Health’s Family Day at the new First National Bank Field on July 13. This has a special meaning to me, because a good chunk of the funding for the new tent came to us in memorial donations in the name of my lovely late wife, Diane. Most recently, it was CAB’s turn to lend a hand. And, I’m proud to say we did ourselves proud in helping a young RFHS grad, Dominc Domeyer, be able to spend his summer on tour with the prestigious Kids From Wisconsin. It all happened fast. First, the River Falls Chamber of Commerce was contacted by Tina Weiss, Executive Director of the Kids From Wisconsin. She expressed concern that Dominic would not be able tour with the Kids, even though his outstanding audition had earned him a spot with the group’s stage band. With his sophomore year at UW-Eau Claire coming up, Dominic was in a quandary because he couldn’t go on tour and maintain a summer job needed to help pay college expenses. Tina told the Chamber’s Chris Blasius that she didn’t want to lose Dominic and wondered if there was a River Falls organization that might be able to come up with a scholarship. Chris called CAB, and when our Board was presented via e-mail with the idea that a local youngster could possibly have to pass on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a quick decision was made. CAB voted to use $500 dollars from the treasury and raise at least another $500 from Board members and friends of CAB. The final

Nice Title to Have

Russ Blasius, (center), V.P. of WESTconsin Credit Union River Falls, presents a check for $478.04 to CAB treasurer Angela Schoettle. Looking on from WCU (l-r) are Chloe Hansen, Jeris Gellatly, Brian Manion and Lisa Ziebarth (far right). CAB members to Russ’s left are Steve Preisler, Cheryl Maplethorpe and Jill Berke. The money was raised during WCU’s 75th Anniversary Candy Bar Sale.

tally that was deposited in Dominic’s UW-Eau Claire account came to $1400. Thanks to that generosity, Dominic is on tour for the summer and one of the highlights was set to be a July 1 date at the Chill on the Hill series at UWRF. I would also like to take this time to remind all to mark your calendars for CAB’s signature event, Art on the Kinni, which takes place from 9 am to 5 pm on Sept 6. You can be a part of this can’t miss event by being a CAB volunteer that day. Help is needed with registration. Also, booth sitters, greeters and helpers in the Children’s Art Tent are needed. Please contact Nancy Stowall to get on the AOK volunteer list: [email protected] or give her a call 715-425-8695. Your help would be greatly appreciated by CAB and by our great group of displaying artists.

Hope to see you around the rest of the summer.

CAB Spring Newsletter Page 3

staff of instructors when he was no longer a member of the stage band. He also has a impressive professional resume. It was Mr. Baca who encouraged Dominic to tryout for the “Kids.” Three tedious auditions later, Dominic received the word that he was accepted. Now came a tough decision. Should he accept this once-in-a-lifetime chance? Or, should he work for the summer to ensure that he has enough money in his college fund? Thanks to some quick thinking by Kids From Wisconsin leadership, our River Falls Chamber’s Chris Blasius, and our CAB Board, a scholarship came forward and Dominic is on his dream tour. CAB committed $500 and raised another $900 from Board members and friends of CAB. This is an important step for Dominic as it sets him on course to follow some of those aforementioned footsteps. He hopes to go on to play professionally and he wants to build a strong resume. Should he then settle down and go into teaching, he wants his students to know that they, too, are learning from one of the best.

Steve Preisler, CAB Board president, and his dog Posie were joined by Dominic Domeyer before he left on his summer tour with the Kids From Wisconsin. CAB secured a $1400 scholarship for Dominic to help with his next year expenses at UW- Eau Claire.

The crowd-pleasing duo, Patchouli, made their annual appearance on July 18th. On July 19, Music in the Park welcomed Paul Doffing, a songster who is doing his part in trying to make the world “greener”. Paul is on his Freedom From Fuel Tour 2014. He is trekking the country by bicycle to promote independence from fossil fuels. Harv’s Puzzle Piece, featuring a mix of jazz and contemporary, tasty blues and R&B comes to Veteran’s Park on July 25th. The songs and smiles of Bill Gnatzig and Denny Thorsen, The Hunyuks, wind up July’s schedule on the 26th. August Blue appropriately kicks-off the month on August 1st. Featuring folk, bluegrass, blues and Brazilian Jazz, the band previously played Music in the Park as a youth group some 4 or 5 years ago. Having stayed together since, CAB welcomes them back as young adults. The Latin rythms and Brazilian Jazz of Xibaba make a return on August 2nd. The weekend of August 8th and 9th will see the country-edged jazz fusion of Galactic Cowboy Orchestra on Friday night, followed by The Fly-Rite Girls doing country/folk favorites on Saturday night. Local icon Chris Silver leads his Chris Silver Band with blues/rock/jam renditions on Friday Aug. 15th. Then, the After Hours Big Band, touted as the St. Croix Valley’s finest big band, will appear on Aug. 16th. The rockin’ fun acoustic guitar duo, Chimney Fish, are set to appear on August 22nd followed on the 23rd by Other Country Ensemble and their music from other cultures and galaxies. Headlining the final weekend of the summer on Aug. 29 will be the Tommy Bentz Band, local heroes of classic pop, rock and blues. Pocahontas County wlll wrap the summer up with foot-stompin’ blue grass music. CAB sends a big thank you to long-time Music in the Park organizer David Markson, who, along with Tommy Bentz and Denny Cooper, put together this year’s schedule and oversees Music in the Park.

Kid From Wisconsin, ctd from p.1

2014 Music in the Park, ctd from p.1

There was lots of action under the new CAB Children’s Art Tent at the recent Vibrant Health Family Day at the Ball Park. CAB teamed with the Willow River Nature Center for fun kids activities

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J u l y 2 0 1 4Newsletter

Last Call for 2014 Membership Members receive a FREE Arts Partner Card good for special offers and discounts at many fine River Falls area restaurants and retailers. Please shop local and support our ARTS PARTNERS!

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