A couple of very interesting things to do this weekend: learn African dancing with the Titambe Drum & Dance Ensemble and find all kinds of bargains in Trash & Treasure Days, a 60-mile garage sale on the Gunflint Trail.
First up is the Titambe Drum and Dance Ensemble, which is coming to Grand Marais this weekend for a concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
But while they’re here, they’re going to be holding a West African dance workshop for all ages at the Grand Marais Art Colony from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18. Tickets are $15.
Then on Saturday, May 19, they’ll hold a free workshop for children from kindergarten through 8th grade, also at the Art Colony. That workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include learning to drum African rhythms as well as African dances.
Founder and artistic director Christian Yao Adeti moved the ensemble from Copenhagen to Minneapolis in 2003 where they tour and run multi-cultural education workshops. The group’s mission is to preserve traditional African drumming and dance heritages, as well as promote cultural understanding. The performers come from Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Trinidad and the U.S.
The event is brought to us by the North Shore Music Association.
Tickets for the Saturday night concert are $14 adults, $7 18 and under and are sold at the door or through www.tix.com. For more information, call 387-2916 or email music@boreal.org.
For a preview of what you’ll hear at the concert, listen to WTIP’s The Roadhouse on Friday night. It airs from 5-7 p.m.
On Saturday and Sunday, head up the Gunflint Trail for 60 miles of bargains during the 3rd annual Trash and Treasure Days.
The event, organized by Trail Center, runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and will feature everything from boats to lemonade stands. Look for the signs along the Trail and check them out. There will be all kinds of bargains as well as treasures. It’s a perfect outing for a spring day and who knows what you’ll find? (Hint: The malts at Trail Center are fantastic.)
There are some great food & wine events scheduled for this weekend, too.
Lutsen Resort is hosting its Spring Food & Wine Lovers weekend at the resort on Friday and Saturday. Executive Chef Rob Wells will partner with guest Chef Kristin Tyborski from The Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant in Minneapolis to create a culinary adventure weekend. For reservations and more info, call 800-258-8736 or visit www.lutsenresort.com.
Chez Jude is hosting a Spring Wine Tasting from 6-8 p.m. on Friday. Participants will sample four wines with four plates — a casual event, especially designed for beginners. Reservations required. Call 387-9113. For more info, click here.
There are some great opportunities to listen to music this weekend, too. The Clearwater Hot Club will be at the Gunflint Tavern on Friday and Saturday nights, Jim Miller will be at the Harbor Light Supper Club on Friday night, and Briand Morrison will be at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino. also on Friday night.
Bump & Barbara Jean play the Harbor Light on Sunday and the Sivertones are at the Tavern. (See the full music schedule below.)
In other art news, Marie Westerman’s spectacular weaving exhibit continues at the Johnson Heritage Post through the end of the month. The Heritage Post is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Heritage Post also carries a selection of art crafted by members of the Northwoods Fiber Guild.
May classes at the Grand Marais Art Colony include “Writing Our Stories,” with Mary Ellen Ashcroft (starts tomorrow, May 17); “Creative Genius: Mixed Watermedia & Collage,” with Jeanne Larson, May 26-27; “Torch-Working Glass,” with Dan Neff, May 26-27; “Open Print Studio” with Jerry Raich and Kelly Dupre, May 31; “Play With Clay” with Joan Farnam, starts May 31.
For more information about these classes, click here and/or call the Art Colony at 387-2737 or email arts@boreal.org.
Here’s the new art glass site that Dan Neff has just put up. Click here... gorgeous!
Registration is about over for the 5th annual Woodland Chamber Music Workshop, which will be held at Surfside Resort at the end of June. These workshops are designed for all levels of musicianship and offer a great opportunity to learn new skills and perform with fellow students, said Josh Aerie, who organizes the workshops and plays with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra. For more information and to register, click here.
Bronze sculptor Tom Christiansen will be on WDSE’s The Playlist on Thursday night at 9 p.m.
Stephan Hoglund has posted a new video of Bump & Barbara Jean singing “One More Cup of Coffee for the Road.” Listen to it here.
This from Joyce Yamamoto, who is teaching the Artist to Entrepreneur class at the Art Colony.
“Grand Marais Art Colony artists re-thinking large scale in the Artist to Entrepreneur class. Artusts who shake up their notions about art & business and the business of art are valuable community resources! ”
These aren’t exactly art items, but they might be of interest to you. The highly anticipated Great Expectations School Plant Sale is this Saturday starting at 8 a.m. There will be all kinds of plants at this sale, which have been grown in classrooms and the school’s greenhouses under the direction of Karina Roth. A must-go-to for local gardeners. It is a fundraiser for the school.
Blue Moose has opened for the season, too, and has all kinds of annuals, perennials and vegetable starts to choose from. There’s lots of garden art, too. And Buck’s Hardware is expecting the first delivery of its plants this Friday.
Also, there’s an electronic waste recycling day at the Cook County Recycling Center on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We spoke to Johns Twin Ports Recycling this morning and they said they will accept most anything that plugs in except for air conditioners and other items which have liquids.
Otherwise, it looks like it’s a also weekend to regroup and get ready for a very busy summer. Memorial Day is next weekend, remember.
Here’s the music schedule.
Wednesday, May 16
- Eric Frost, Birch Terrace Lounge, 7 p.m.
- Brett Berka & Friends, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 18
- Jim Miller, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 6 p.m.
- Clearwater Hot Club, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.
- Briand Morrison, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, 9 p.m.
Saturday, May 19
- Titambe West African Drum & Dance Ensemble, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7 p.m.
- Clearwater Hot Club, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.
Sunday, May 19
- Bump & Barbara Jean, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 5 p.m.
- The Sivertones, Gunflint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
Stephan Hoglund had his camera ready for this great shot, thank goodness.
Here’s a dramatic cloud shot by Nace Hagemann.
Tim Young took this iconic harbor shot a few years ago.
Here’s a recent (May 15) sunset over Devil Track Lake by Don Davision.
And now, for a little humor. Nace Hagemann put this up on his Facebook page today… when your roof looks like this, it’s probably time to get a new one, he said.
And here’s an amazing poster that we found on local bulletin boards this week.
And last, but not least, this gorgeous morning sunrise by Bryan Hansel.
Have a great weekend!
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