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April 8th, 2010 Wilson Performing Arts Center to stage ‘The Hobbit’
Adults present this great children’s classic theatre comedy by Patricia Gray and based on the well-known work by J.R.R. Tolkien. “The Hobbit” goes on stage on April 17-18 and 24-25. Saturday and Sunday performances are all at 2:30 p.m. Reserved seat tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students.
The Hobbit is the familiar story of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and Gollum, threatened and assisted by dwarfs, trolls, goblins, wood-elves, and the dragon. The play takes place from Underhill, through the Wilderland, to the Lonely Mountain, long ago in the quiet of the world. Bilbo is asked to leave his large roomy and very dry home in the ground in order to set off as chief robber in an attempt to recover an important treasure. It’s the last thing that any sensible Hobbit would want to do, but great benefit eventually results - not only for Bilbo but for all of the Hobbits who inhabit Middle Earth - and the hearts of those children and adults who continue to enjoy a special kind of magic.
Members of the cast include Amber Adkins of Atlantic as Bilbo Baggins, Richard Fleming of Henderson as Gandalf, Jameson Bellairs of Clarinda as Thorin, and Dave Swanson of Red Oak as Gollum. The Hobbit is directed by Elizabeth Dilley and produced by Tina Bakehouse. Dan Crouse is the stage manager, assisted by Paul Richardson. Ann Bennett is the property mistress and costumes are by Kay Soden, Ellen Griffen, and other seamstresses. Phyllis Bruce designed and created the Smaug (the dragon) costume. The set is designed by Bill Van Deest, and the lighting designed by Carol Wisner.
For more information about The Hobbit or other performances or events at the Wilson Performing Arts Center, call the Performing Arts and Education Association of Southwest Iowa office at 712-623-3135 or check www.wilsonartscenter.org or Facebook.
April 2nd, 2010 Miranda Lambert plays MAC on May 20
Miranda Lambert is bringing her Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars tour to the Mid-America Center on Thursday, May 20, at the Mid-America Center. Keith Anderson will open the show. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
Lambert, the daughter of a country songwriter and guitarist and a detective, grew up in a small town outside Dallas. Lambert began entering talent contests at a young age and at age 17 she learned to play the guitar and began to immediately write songs. Around the same time she formed the Texas Pride Band and began gigging professionally. In 2001 and with a little help from her father, Lambert released her first independent CD, Miranda Lambert.
After finishing first in the Texas auditions for the Nashville Star television show, she moved to Nashville to be part of the show and ended up coming in third, but eventually scored a recording contract with Sony. At age 21 in 2004, Lambert released her first major single “Me and Charlie Talking” followed by her first album Kerosene in 2005. Lambert wrote or co-wrote ten of the eleven tracks on the album. In 2007 came Crazy Ex-Girlfriend with the singles “Gun Powder and Lead,” “More Like Her,” “Famous in a Small Town” and “Dry Town.” Her most recent effort came in 2009 with the album Revolution and two singles from it are already climbing the charts: “White Liar” and “The House That Built Me.”
Keith Anderson grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Miami, Okla., where he nearly became a professional baseball player before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury. Shortly after high school, Anderson moved to Dallas and began writing music in the form of ad jingles for local radio soon enough he worked up the courage to quit his day job and move to Nashville where he began writing country music full time and in 2001 scored a tune called “Beer Run” that was recorded by Garth Brooks and George Jones. In 2005 Anderson released his debut album Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll which included the singles “Pickin’ Wildflowers” and “Every Time I Hear Your Name.” His second album C’mon! came in 2008 and contained the single “I Still Miss You.”
Tickets can be purchased at the MAC Box Office beginning April 9, online at ticketmaster.com or midamericacenter.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at 1.800.745.3000. For more information, call the MAC Box Office at 712.326.2295.
March 31st, 2010 Squirrel Cage Jail, Railswest Museum open for summer season
On April 1, the 1885 Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail at 226 Pearl St. and the RailsWest Railroad Museum at South Main Street and 16th Avenue both open for their summer season.
Both properties are operated by the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County and will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.; closed most major holidays.
New displays this season include artifacts from the Council Bluffs’ Pierce Street “Red Light District” at the Squirrel Cage Jail and an expanded display on the Lake Manawa Railway and Council Bluffs streetcars at the RailsWest.
For more information about the season or to join the Historical Society and see the properties without an admission fee, call 323-2509 or contact the Historical Society at www.thehistoricalsociety.org.
March 18th, 2010 Celebrate region’s vibrant jazz heritage at the Durham
OMAHA — As a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, The Durham Museum is honored to participate in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History’s Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM).
This April, The Durham Museum will host special performances and films to celebrate the local jazz scene and give visitors a better understanding of the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz.
The mission of JAM is to draw greater public attention to jazz and its importance to American cultural heritage. JAM is intended to stimulate the current jazz scene and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz — to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz and support institutional jazz programs.
For more information and details, visit durhammuseum.org.
Jazz Appreciation Month is sponsored by Mutual of Omaha and Fraser Stryker PC LLO. Additional support provided by theOmaha Musicians’ Association and the Music Performance Trust Fund.
May 20th, 2009 New exhibit takes look at planet from above
ASHLAND, Neb. - Air and Space Museum is proud to present “Earth From Space” on exhibit from May 23 until July 19.
Each day, high above the clouds, dozens of sophisticated imaging satellites circle the earth. These high-tech machines are capable of capturing extraordinary conditions and events that are nearly impossible to document from the surface of the planet. These remarkable images are on display in a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition.
“Earth from Space,” developed by the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), explains how satellite imagery is gathered and used to expand our understanding of life on Earth. The exhibition reveals the awesome beauty of the planet’s surface through the “eyes” of a space satellite.
The exhibition presents 38 beautifully detailed satellite images of the planet, from the swirling arms of a massive hurricane and the grid-like pattern of Kansas farmland, to the triangular shadows cast by the Great Pyramids and the sinuous channels entering the Arctic Ocean. It also explores the remote sensing technology used to gather the images and discusses the individual satellites whose images are on display. The exhibition is highlighted by a Magic Planet digital video globe-a digital display with a sphere-shaped screen. This tool will allow visitors to observe the global extent of images returned from orbiting satellites.
The exhibition has been made possible by Global Imagination. Additional support has been provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
All activities and presentations are free with paid Museum admission or membership.
The mission of Strategic Air & Space Museum is to celebrate our heritage, preserve the artifacts and inspire learning.
The Strategic Air & Space Museum is located at Exit 426 off I-80, halfway between Omaha and Lincoln. The Museum is open 7 days a week, 9am-5pm. Regular Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7 for seniors/military, $4 for children ages 6-12, and children under 5 are free.
April 29th, 2009 Parade a highlight of Elk Horn’s 2009 Tivoli Fest
Elk Horn, Iowa - The theme of the 2009 Tivoli Fest Parade is “Tivoli Homecoming, Reunite With Us.” The parade will feature several local high school bands, floats, kids on foot, antique farm tractors and equipment, vintage and antique vehicles, horse hitches and riders, clowns and many other colorful entrants.
In honor of Victor Borge’s 100th birthday, his daughter, Janet Crowle and her husband Jim, are Grand Marshals. Leading the parade will be this year’s Homecoming King and Queen, Danny Velasco and Kelsi Madsen. The Tivoli King & Queen, Dewey Linden and Edith Larsen, along with the Tivoli Prince and Princess, Zade Niklasen and Kamryn Waymire are next in line.
Prizes will be offered for entries in various categories. Each year the parade is unique. An addition to this year’s parade is a Viking longship called Yrsa. Sam Shoults, a Viking re-enactor out of Columbia, Mo., owns the Yrsa, which is 27 feet long and six and a half feet wide. The parade remains one of the most popular attractions for young and old, providing a feast for both the eyes and the ears.
The parade will take place on Saturday, May 23, at 11 a.m. with line-up beginning at 10 a.m. in front of the High School on Madison Street, two blocks east of Main Street.
Many class reunions are going on this year, so pull everyone together for a great idea to present in the parade. Persons interested in participating need to get their registration forms in as soon as possible. Registration forms may be obtained by contacting Michelle Jens at Marne Elk Horn Telephone Co., PO Box 120, Elk Horn, IA 51531-0470, call 712-764-6161 for more information, or visit www.elkhorniowa.com.
Click here for the 2009 Tivoli Parade Entry Form.
April 1st, 2009 Golfers can enjoy online contest
Are you a golf guru? See how you measure up by participating in the 2009 SWIowaNews.com Golf Challenge.
To sign up for the free contest or for more information, visit southwestiowanews.com/contests.
Just pick the golfers you think will finish first through 10th for each of the top pro tournaments beginning next week with the Masters. You are awarded points for the place in which your golfers finish and bonus points if you pick them to finish in the right place. You can change your golfers up until the start of the third round and the scores for your top 10 events become your overall score for the season.
The contest concludes with the The Tour Championships.
A prize package will be awarded to the overall contest winner. Weekly prizes will not be offered for this contest.
The option is also available for participants who want to compete in a private group with friends and family members. After you register and log in, click on “My Private Groups,” which will appear in the upper-left hand corner of the page. After that page loads, click on “Create a Private Group” and follow the instructions.