Happy Holidays!!! Thanks for a great year!

New Season of "Happy Days Are Here Again"!

Just like there are so many fish in the sea, songs to be sung, there are libraries and communities to be visited and explored. That is what I am most looking forward to this season of the show. In the brief hiatus(part of which was spent worrying a bit about our arts and cultural heritage funding during the government shutdown etc..), I realized how much I missed touring with the show. I missed the travel, the new sights, the communities and community members young and old, and how the show is just a tidge different for the different audiences!! I look forward to sharing this show with new and familiar faces, and watching it grow. So for those Minnesotans reading this blog, I could be coming to your town soon....

Photo of Rhonda Laurie & Sidewalk Cafe courtesy of Jana Frieband

Hope to See You Soon!

Well the first leg of this wonderful tour ended in June and things had come to a grinding halt when the government shut down as the programs are funded by Legacy Funds. Well, apparently the Legacy Bill was signed after the government ended the shutdown. What that means for programming remains to be seen. I would love to continue to meet all the wonderful new people and explore all the important spots in this wonderful state. However, this year has been amazing and something I will never forget. Thanks to all of you who made this possible. Until next time...

Jeepers Creepers!

I never thought I would find a clip of this but here it is...Louis serenading Jeepers Creepers...


Louis Armstrong-Jeepers Creepers-1938 by redhotjazz

Here's a link to Louis and Jack Teagarden's non-movie version.

http://youtu.be/2jbZrocd6vs

Delano to Paynesville to...

Delano Library greeted us with open arms. We even had a few folks/friends from Minneapolis drive out to see the show!! One of them was Andrea Canter who took some super photos!

Someone asked for a CD from the show. It is certainly something I would love to do. I tried to get a grant to do it but did not get it. Hopefully there will be a way to record these tracks soon and have a CD available at the shows...

After the gig, Robert and I went down the block for lunch...homemade soup and salad at Three Crows, and we sat right outside on the river on the first beautiful day in May!!!

More to come about the rest of our trip later....

May Triple Header! Delano to Paynesville to Little Falls!

Looking forward to the next three performances all in one weekend. We actually will be performing the show five times in May! That's alot of happy days. On Saturday we will have the wonderful Rick Carlson joining us for the first time---super excited about that. Hope to see some local TC folks in Delano as this is the closest the show will be to the Twin Cities.

Here's the upcoming May schedule:

Delano Public Library Friday May 6th @ 1 p.m.
Paynesville Library Friday May 6th@ 7 p.m.
Little Falls Senior Center Saturday May 7th@ 2 p.m.
Hinckley Library Friday May 13th @ 2 p.m.
Cold Spring Assumption Senior Center Sunday May 22 @ 1 p.m.

for more info : http://events.griver.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

Aitkin MN - a northern gem

Well, it was a beautiful drive up to Aitken. For quite a bit of the drive you have Lake Mille Lacs (enormous!) on your right. It so happened to be thawing out so I was driving through a mysterious fog that added some intrigue to the drive. I felt like it could have been an X-Files episode (without the aliens).

On my way up I stopped in Garrison to look at the lake. I found a big fish.

The lake was beginning to thaw and the air was opaque. Drive a little further, and I arrive in Aitken. Aitken has a really nice library and everyone there was so welcoming. The librarian, Mary Beth made me feel right at home. There was a local group that arranged for refreshments after the show.

The room was full and over 40 people showed up and stayed for the whole show! My accompaniment was Robert Bell on guitar, Tony Baluff on clarinet and Keith Boyles on bass. They were awesome!
There were many lips mouthing the words to the songs and many came up to me and the trio after the show to share their appreciation. Photo courtesy of Cortney Walbridge.

After the show, we were all pretty hungry, and we asked Mary Beth for a suggestion. So we went to the Tuscany Room, and had a nice lunch.

Nothing like a Tuscan oasisi in the north woods!!!

Time to head home. But not before I peek in at the old Depot Museum. I caught them just before closing and had a quick peek. Note to self: return to see the rest.

This was a great trip for me. I really felt like we connected with our audience in a meaning full way. If music conjures up memories, well then there were a lot of memories in the room that day. It was palpable. I look forward to the next...

Next Stop Aitken

On April 9th, we will perform Happy Days in Aitken MN.

I understand that Minnesota born film actress and singer Judy Garland performed at the opera house in Aitkin as a young child. A small display related to Ms. Garland can be found in the converted opera house, now Butler's store, in downtown Aitkin. You can be sure that I will visit there!

I just need to figure out where I should stay the night before. Any suggestions?

North Branch Library

Performed the show at North Branch Library. When I arrived, Sue Monroe was shoveling as it was a blustery snowy morning. Cortney greeted me as I entered the beautiful new library building.

I had a different band for today's show and they were wonderful! We had Robert Bell on guitar, Keith Bowles on bass and Tony Balluff on clarinet.

Afterwards we visited with folks. After packing up our gear and heading out, we decided to stop and get a bite to eat. After all, it was lunchtime! So we headed down the road and stopped at the Rustic Inn in Stacy, MN

We had a delicious lunch and were served by the best waitress: Her name is Rhonda!

After pie and coffee it was time to hit the road. When I get some photos from the show I will post them. TTFN