Little Sweden USA

Hello everyone,

Godspell, the hit musical based on the gospel of St. Matthew, will be presented at the Burnett Center, Bethany campus, on February 2nd, 8th, 9th and 10th. Tickets are 7$, (5 for Bethany faculty, staff and students) and will be available at the door.

Music lovers are in for a treat this Sunday, February 4th, as the Sandzen Gallery presents a concert of Russian chamber music. Two of the performers, Teresa Dody, soprano and Joseph Rogers, cello, are well known in Lindsborg for their performances while on the Bethany faculty. The concert starts at 7pm and admission is free, though donations to offset the performers’ expenses are welcome.

Coming up on Saturday, February 10th, is the 2007 Chocolate Lovers Affair. The 6th annual Artful Tables Display, showcasing lovely place settings and sponsored by the Lindsborg Arts Council, is being held in conjunction with this year’s Chocolate Lovers Affair. Again, the date is, Saturday, February 10th, from 6-8pm at the Birger Sandzen Gallery. Tickets will be available at the door or may be purchased in advance by calling 227-3032.

The Red Barn Studio’s Artist in Residence for February is the colorful, energetic Eric Abraham. He will in residence through February 28th. Eric’s primary emphasis as an artist is porcelain clay in the form of fanciful ceramic sculptures, but during this stay at the Red Barn he will be working with three-dimensional drawings which show the addition of more color and paint as they are developed. The Raymer Red Barn Studio is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1-4pm.

And don’t forget our upcoming special celebrations: Mill Fest on May 5th and 6th, Midsummer’s Day Festival the weekend of June 16th and Svensk Hyllningsfest the weekend of October 12th.

till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.

Hello everyone,

Handel’s Messiah has been performed in Lindsborg during Easter week for more than 125 years.

If you’d like to be a part of this wonderful tradition, rehearsals for this year’s performance begin on Tuesday, January 30th, at 7pm in Presser Hall. The rehearsal will be followed by a reception.

And speaking of the Messiah, tickets are now on sale for this year’s annual performance. Handel’s Messiah will be performed at 3pm in Presser Hall on Palm Sunday, April 1st, and Easter Sunday, April 8th.

Bach’s St. Matthew Passion will be performed on Good Friday, April 6th. Tickets are available from a variety of outlets including the Presser Hall Ticket Office. Contact Bethany College for additional details.

Coming up on Saturday, February 10th, is the 2007 Chocolate Lovers Affair. The 6th annual Artful Tables Display, showcasing lovely place settings and sponsored by the Lindsborg Arts Council, is being held in conjunction with this year’s Chocolate Lovers Affair. Again, the date is, Saturday, February 10th, from 6-8pm at the Birger Sandzen Gallery. Tickets will be available at the door or may be purchased in advance by calling 227-3032.

Looking ahead, this will be another busy year in Lindsborg. The annual Millfest celebration will be held the first weekend in May, followed by Lindsborg’s annual Midsummer’s Day celebration the 3rd weekend of June. Lindsborg’s largest festival, Svensk Hyllningsfest, gets underway in October. We’ll have all the details on these events in the weeks and months to come along with our regular reports on activities and events in Lindsborg.

till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.

Hello everyone,

The Sandzen Gallery has rescheduled a reception for Manhattan painter Ralph Fontenot. Last week’s reception was canceled due to weather and will now be held this Sunday, January 21st, from 2 to 4pm. Fontenot is known for his beautiful watercolor paintings of landscapes, with an emphasis on central and northeast Kansas. His paintings will remain on display at the Sandzen Gallery through February 25th.

And in the performing arts arena, plans are already underway for this year’s community theatre known as Broadway RFD. An informational meeting is being held at 2pm on Sunday, January 21st, at the BofA community room. Everyone who has an interest in Brodway RFD is welcome to attend.

Coming up at the end of the month, the first rehearsal for the Messiah Festival will take place at 7pm on Tuesday, January 30th, at Presser Hall. The rehearsal will be followed by a reception; bring your voice and be a part of this century-plus tradition!

And speaking of the Messiah, tickets are now on sale for this year’s annual performance. Handel’s Messiah will be performed at 3pm in Presser Hall on Palm Sunday, April 1st, and Easter Sunday, April 8th. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion will be performed on Good Friday, April 6th. Tickets are available from a variety of outlets including the Presser Hall Ticket Office. Contact Bethany College for additional details.

Looking ahead, this will be another busy year in Lindsborg. In May, the annual Millfest celebration gets underway the 1st weekend of the month, followed by Lindsborg’s annual Midsummer’s Day celebration the 3rd weekend of June. And in October, Lindsborg’s largest festival, Svensk Hyllningsfest, gets underway. We’ll have all the details on these events in the weeks and months to come along with our regular reports on what to do while visiting Lindsborg.

till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.

Hello everyone,

From now through Monday the 15th, Mark R. Fuzzey will be the artist-in-residence at the Red Barn Studio. Mark, who now lives in Edina, MN, is a graduate of Bethany College and has painted and photographed natural landscapes for 29 years. He paints using watercolor and oil, and uses a large format vintage camera for his photography work. The public is invited to a reception for Mark Fuzzey on Saturday, January 13th, from 7 to 9pm at the Red Barn Studio on South Main Street in Lindsborg.

The Sandzen Gallery will host a reception for Manhattan painter Ralph Fontenot, this Sunday, January 14th, from 2 to 4pm. Fontenot is known for his beautiful watercolor paintings of landscapes, with an emphasis on central and northeast Kansas. His paintings will remain on display at the Sandzen Gallery through February 25th.

Lindsborg Live! will present a a program of historical interest at 7pm on January 18th at the Rosberg House Convention Center. The program is about the settlement and history of the African-American community of Nicodemus, Kansas and is free and open the public.

Sherida Williams, National Historic Site superintendent will present a history of the earliest and only surviving community settled by African-Americans. The story of how life in Kansas was used to entice southern americans to move west to escape oppression should make for an interesting presentation. A reception follows the event.

Coming up at the end of the month, the first rehearsal for the Messiah Festival will take place at 7pm on Tuesday, January 30th, at Presser Hall. The rehearsal will be followed by a reception; bring your voice and be a part of this century-plus tradition!

till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.

Hello everyone!

Happy New Year to everyone; 2007 promises to be a busy year in Lindsborg. In addition to traditional events such as the Messiah performance in the spring and the Midsummer’s Day festival in June, this year Lindsborg will once again host the Svensk Hyllningsfest in October. We’ll have full details in the coming weeks and months, and you can also check the Lindsborg Community Calendar at lindsborg.org.

Coming up tomorrow, Saturday the 6th, the Lindsborg Senior Center will hold their annual Lutfisk dinner. A traditional Swedish meal of lutfisk, potato sausage, boiled potatoes and all the trimmings, including dessert, will be served between 11:30am and 1pm at the Lindsborg Senior Center, located at 116 S. Main in downtown Lindsborg. A free will offering will be accepted.

On Sunday, January 7th, Lindsborg native Rachel Handlin will be performing in concert at the Birger Sandzen Gallery at 3pm. The program will include The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Rachel will be joined by Dr. Daniel Masterson on harpsichord and her husband, Michael Beert, on cello. Due to limited seating, please try to arrive early.

And in 2007 the Red Barn Studio continues their fine tradition of bringing in a variety of artists as part of their Artists in Residence program. Shin-hee Chin, a fiber artist, will be in residence through the 11th of January. During her residency, which began in late December, she has been working on a commissioned work for a church in Maryland. It will consist of 65 pieces of fiber panel joined together. She is also revising several of her previous large fiber works. The Red Barn Studio is located at 212 S. Main in Lindsborg and is open from 1-4pm, Tuesday through Sunday.

Till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.

Hello everyone,

It’s another busy holiday weekend in Lindsborg.

We begin with the annual Lucia Fest, an all day celebration to honor Santa Lucia. Legend has it that Lucia, a historic symbol of hope and light who was burned at the stake in 304AD, first re-appeared a thousand years ago to provide food and drink during a famine in Sweden. Her annual appearance heralds the Christmas season and has been celebrated in Lindsborg for over 40 years.

The day begins with music and dance performances in downtown Lindsborg starting at 9:30 am at the Bank of America on Main Street. A wide variety of music will be performed.

Also during the morning, the Lindsborg Library is having a Christmas Bake Sale as well as hosting a Lucia party for the kids from 10 to 10:30.

At 11:30, the elementary school Lucia crowning ceremony will take place at the Bethany Lutheran Church.

After a break for lunch at the St Bridget’s soup luncheon and pie and bake sale, come enjoy the Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers perform at Lucia Park in downtown Lindsborg starting at 2PM.

At 2:30, join the procession down Main Street to the Bethany Lutheran Church, where the Crowning of Lucia and Lucia Fest Program commences at 3 PM. A reception follows.

And towards the end of the day, you can enjoy an Old Fashioned Christmas at the Mc Pherson? County Old Mill Museum. Between 5:30 and 8:30 PM you can step back in time as you stroll the museum complex which is decorated for the season and filled with the sights and sounds of an 1880’s prarie Christmas.

Also on Saturday evening, the 15th annual Kiwanis Spaghetti Feed will be taking place at the Bethany Lutheran Church, between 4 and 7pm.

On Sunday, there is a Swedish Christmas Concert at the Sandzen Gallery, starting at 3PM.

The weekend ends with Bethany College Community Candlelight Vespers Service at 7pm at Presser Hall.

till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.

Hello everyone,

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, come to the Courtyard Gallery in Lindsborg on Sunday for their annual Holiday Open House from 1 to 5 pm. Batik artist Ortrud “Tutti” Hauptli will meet guests and discuss her work while guests enjoy the provided refreshments. Hauptli’s work covers a wide range of subjects, including fairy tales, natural subjects such as flowers and landscapes.

Lindsborg kicks off the holiday season with the annual Bridge lighting ceremony on Saturday, November 25th at 5:30pm. Observers and participants should meet at the bridge for the ceremony, which will be followed by a procession north on Main Street. The walk will conclude at Swensson Park, where there will be a brief ceremony that includes carols, refreshments and the lighting of the Heritage Tree. This is a family event and everyone is welcome!

Area residents now have a chance to relive history! Commemorative sweatshirts from area schools are now available as part of a fundraising effort by the Smoky Valley Education Foundation. Featuring school colors and mascots, sweatshirts from Falun, Lindsborg, Marquette, Roxbury and Smolan are available for order through November 29th. Call (785) 227-2981 for ordering information.

December 2nd is a big day in Lindsborg. The Snowflake/Tomte parade, featuring the the Snowflake King and Queen, the Jule Tomte and more, begins at 11am in front of the Bethany Lutheran Church and proceeds south on Main Street. There’s a special treat for the young ones as Santa makes his first appearance at the Lindsborg City Council chambers immediately following the parade.

Also on Saturday, everyone is invited to the third annual Lindsborg Artists Studio Open House. From 10am to 5pm, most area artists will open their studios to the public and serve holiday refreshments.

Till next week, this is Mike Rodriquez with the Lindsborg update.