The high school's One Act Plays are finishing up this weekend, with performances on Friday and Saturday 7-10pm in the Northfield High School Auditorium.

Also on Friday, Kinda Kinky is playing the Contented Cow 8pm-12am while Mike Pattinson plays the Tavern Lounge 8-11:30pm and Whiskey Trick begins their set at Froggy Bottoms at 9:30pm.

The Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault is holding January Thaw on Saturday, an evening of music and dancing that begins at 7pm. The Cow's music includes The RCAs 8-11pm followed by Fristad Jazz Combo 11:30pm-1am, and Jeff Ray is playing the Tavern lounge 8-11:30pm.

Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) and the Northfield Public Library encourage you to submit your original unpublished poetry to be considered for publication in a regional poetry anthology. Please send your poetry submissions by February 15, 2012.

Submission Guidelines:

 Poets must be 16 years of age or older and must reside in Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha or Winona counties.

 All poetry styles are welcome for submission.

 Poems must be typed and can be submitted as either digital attachments through e-mail or mailed paper copies.

 Submit digital files by e-mail to poetry@selco.info as one of the following document types: .doc, .txt, .rtf, or .pdf.

First National Bank of Northfield, the longtime cornerstone of Northfield’s banking community, announced that it has hired Dan Scheffler as vice president of business banking. Scheffler brings more than 15 years of banking experience to First National.

First National President Tim Viere said, “I am delighted we were able to hire a person of Dan Scheffler’s caliber. He will be a terrific addition to our business banking team, and provide the quality of service and expertise that Northfield area businesses need.”

Throughout his banking career, Scheffler has served in a variety of capacities. He most recently served as senior business relationship manager at Wells Fargo Bank in Bloomington, but has been a part of Wells Fargo teams in Northfield and the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. Scheffler also spent some time with M&I Bank in Wisconsin.

Have you ever had a dream you wanted to chase but couldn't quite make it happen? Nichole Porath, Northfielder and marathoner, made it to the Olympic Trials and placed 69th, a dream come true that surprised even her. Hear about how she did it and how you can use her brand of positive thinking to achieve your dreams. Learn how even small changes can take you closer to your goal, and what to do when you really just want to sit home and eat Twinkies instead of having carrots and running another 15 miles.

Tuesday, January 31, 7-8 p.m. at Just Food Co-op.  Class is FREE, but registration is required.  Register online or stop by the store.

Poor Mortimer Brewster has problems.  Not only has he backed himself into a romantic corner, he has a menagerie of kooky relatives to contend with!  His sweet, old spinster aunts have taken up an ethically questionable hobby, one brother thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another brother has had plastic surgery and now looks like Boris Karloff!  This dark comedy is sure to cause spontaneous laughter.

The cast of this wonderful production includes talent from the Northfield and surrounding communities,  including Susan Carlson, Susan Dunhaupt, Bob Gregerson, John Gottskalkson, Emma Langemo, Steve Lawler, Mickey Morstad, Thom Pinault, Bryan Reed, Samira Sabri, Paul Seguin, Chad Severson, Fred Stanley, and Jim Westcott.  The director for this production is Frank Blomgren.  

"What is Your Legacy?" will be the theme of the annual meeting of Women in Northfield Giving Support (WINGS) to be held Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Weitz Center for Creativity at Carleton College. The event will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and is open to the public.

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board recently approved mini-grants to support five projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth.  Funded applicants included:

•The Northfield High School for the 10th Grade Career Fair.  The high school will host a career fair for all 10th grade students, giving them an opportunity to explore career interests and make connections with adult community members.  At the career fair, community members will speak to students about their careers and answer any questions that the students may have.  Juniors and seniors from the high school will be involved with the planning and implementation of the career fair.  The event follows a “Career Opportunities” lesson taught in all 10th grade classrooms.

Lin Bruce has been a Northfield resident for over 40 years.  In those years, she has led her own version of an ordinary life; raising four children, creating a business as a massage therapist, accompanying her globe-trotting librarian husband on various adventures.
 
Lin has ridden her bicycle across the United States three times in the last twelve years.  She will share how this came to be, and some of the nitty-gritty she deals with, as well as conquering her fear that she's made a big mistake each time she is about to begin.
 
Come hear a bit about Lin's experiences; and how she makes each journey one  pedal stroke at a time.
Thursday, January 26th at 7 pm. Northfield Public library’s meeting room.  No charge.

Veteran public servant and human rights expert Eric Schwartz will deliver Carleton College’s weekly convocation address on Friday, Jan. 27 at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Entitled “Governance is the Solution: 21st Century Challenges and the Public Service Mission,” Schwartz’s presentationis free and open to the public.

Schwartz believes that while Americans may legitimately differ on the best role for government, effective public institutions will none-the-less be critical for social and economic advancement in the years and decades to come.

With Northfield.org’s highly anticipated 20th Birthday Bash right around the corner, I talked to a few members of the superstar team that brings the news from the community to your computer screen. These three work hard day in and day out to deliver timely, event-packed stories on a hyper local level. Meet tech genius Adam Gurno, editorial whiz kid Rob Hardy, and dedicated board member extraordinaire Jane McWilliams. And read on for an astonishing insight regarding frozen dairy treats.

What are your duties like at Northfield.org?

Rob: What I do is a couple times a day I check the queue, which is basically the list of stories that have been submitted to Northfield.org, and I basically just go through and make sure that they’re formatted correctly and do minimal editing and then publishing.

Adam: I don’t really have a title. My duties are essentially all the tech work: the database, the website, any tech hookups we need to work with other organizations. It’s a lot of tinkering, not heavy lifting.

Jane: I’m an at-large board member. I don’t have assigned duties. However, at least once a day I check the queue for unpublished material and publish it. We meet monthly and I contribute my thoughts to the discussions.

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of a theater productions? Or want to get involved, but didn’t know how to get started?  You’re in luck!  The Northfield Arts Guild theater committee is hosting FREE workshops to introduce you to the behind the scenes action of the theater! These sessions are open to ANYONE interested in attending, age 9 to adult.

The Northfield Arts Guild and the Puppet Tellers would like to invite children of all ages to spend part of the day off school on January 23rd with Basil and Samantha!  The Puppet Tellers will be presenting a special performance of A Night on Bear Island at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater from 3:30-5PM on January 23.

Marooned on Bear Island, good friends Basil and Samantha have an adventure!  When they are frightened by noises on the island, they must overcome their fears of imaginary monsters and make a new friend!  They meet a one-of-a-kind Batquito, a bear who loves “marshmellers,” and a poetic frog.  This fast-paced and engaging production features large, colorful puppets, bold graphics and dramatic sound effects that keep everyone interested!  This is a wonderful family show for all ages.

Carleton College will host a guest artist concert by the acclaimed Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. The performance, led by eminent English conductor Paul McCreesh and featuring the SPCO debut of English tenor Robert Murray, will include String Serenade by Edward Elgar and Nocturne for Tenor and Chamber Orchestra by Benjamin Britten.  Tickets for this not-to-be-missed performance will be available at the door.

Conductor Paul McCreesh has established himself at the highest levels in both the period instrument and modern orchestral fields and is recognized for his authoritative and innovative performances on the concert platform and in the opera house. Together with the Gabrieli Consort and Players, of which he is the founder and Artistic Director, he has performed in major concert halls and festivals across the world and built a large and distinguished discography for Deutsche Grammophon. To learn more about McCreesh, fondly referred to in Europe as “McMaestro,” visit www.gabrieli.com.