Arts and Entertainment

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We're excited to announce we have a brand new website full of engaging and useful information. Here are some highlights:

If you are a parent of young children, you'll want to try our our free demonstration classes for the Music Together® Program. Music Together is designed for infants and pre-schoolers together with their parents or caregivers. These classes lead young children through the crucial early stages of music development and feature great arrangements of original and traditional songs in a wide variety of cultural styles.

The schedule of free demo classes is as follows:
Babies Class (for infants up to 8 months old): Wednesday, Sept. 8, 9-9:30 am

Mixed Age Classes (for infants to age 5): Wednesday, Sept. 8, 10-10:30 am; Thursday, Sept. 9, 10-10:30 am; and Saturday, Sept. 11, 10-10:30 am

Please call the office at 507-645-8877 to sign up for a free class.

The Northfield Area YMCA is hiring youth coaches. For further information, please contact visit our website (to include an employment application) or call 507-645-0088.  You may send application to info@northfieldymca.org or mail to 519 Division Street, Northfield MN 55057.  More details about these and other positions are available on our website at www.northfieldymca.org (under "About Us" and "Jobs").

The public library's First Steps Early Literacy Center is a place where children, parents & caregivers can come to relax, play and connect.  It is a time when preschoolers can meet and learn early literacy and socialization skills in an informal setting.  Parents and caregivers can also share the joys and frustrations of the preschool years.  The library's meeting room is child friendly and full of toys.  Vollunteers help keep the area safe and focused. 

First Steps is open Monday,  Friday and Saturday mornings from 10 to noon.  No sign up! No fee!  Just come and enjoy time with your child or children!  If you are interested in volunteering please contact the library.

Check out the morning storytimes that resume in September!

The wonderful celebration of the original Carnegie library building's centennial continues into the fall.

There are free concerts on Saturday evenings at the library. The variety of musical entertaiment is amazing! You also are treated to dessert and coffee!

Check out the library centennial blog http://npl100.wordpress.com/

7 PM Dessert and beverages 7:30 – 8:15 PM Concert

Saturday, September 18: Roger Lasley– Guitar

Saturday, October 9: OsterVasterbotten Brass Band

Saturday, November 13: David Carter

Saturday, December 11: St. Olaf String Quartets

 Sponsored by the Northfield Public Library, 210 Washington St.

All programs are free and open to all!

Supported by theNorthfield Area Foundation, Goodbye Blue Monday,

the Ole Cafe and the Friends of the Library.

The city’s Arts and Culture Commission seeks nominees for the annual Northfield Living Treasure Award which honors individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to arts and culture in the community. The recipient may be a practitioner in the arts or of cultural endeavors or be a supporter of and advocate for the arts and or culture. The award is one of recognition and has no financial value. It is also sponsored by the Northfield News.

The Arts and Culture Commission was created in 2007 as a result of recommendations made by Arts Plan 06, a community arts and cultural planning process, which assessed the strengths and weaknesses of current arts and cultural realities along with citizens' aspirations for the future. The ArtsPlan06 process was initiated by the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation and funded by the City.

The Farmer's Market in Riverside Park happens on Friday at 11:45am and on Saturday at 9am.

Also on Friday, Occasional Jazz is playing the Cow at 5pm followed by Bonnie and the Clydes at 8pm. Piano man Tim Freeland is playing Butler's from 6-8:30pm. The Tavern Lounge is hosting Relativity from 8-11pm.

The weekly Riverwalk Market Fair and Farmer's Market is happening on Bridge Square and along the riverwalk on Saturday from 9am-1pm. There is a Vintage Baseball game at St. Olaf at 1pm. Dime-Store Watch is playing the Cow at 8pm and The Tavern Lounge is hosting Norwegian Cowboy from 8-11pm.

The Eat Local Challenge has begun (well, begins on Wednesday, Aug 18)!

Since August of 2006, Just Food has encouraged community members to eat 80% of their food from the five-state area for one month in late summer, when the local food choices are bountiful in southeastern Minnesota.  This year’s challenge runs from August 18 through September 18, and is supported by a variety of fun and informative events, from cooking classes to a film showing at the NAG Theater. Visit the Just Food website for the details. Sign up on the poster at the front of the store and receive a free "Local" button (while supplies last).

 Ever wanted to fight like they do in the movies and on stage?  Here's your chance!  A Stage Combat Workshop will be held at the Library on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 6:30 pm.   Parents should plan to attend and participate alongside any children ages 8 to 13.  Parents of older children are required to come.  Dress to move and plan to be on your feet for this interactive workshop! It will be led by Doug Scholz-Carlson, actor, director and stage combat instructor and choreographer. In the library’s meeting room. For No charge!

This special program is made possible through SEMAC through funding from a Legacy Fund grant, this workshop will be free of charge to all participants. 

Northfield Public Library 210 Washington St.

507-645-6606  www.northfieldmn.info  http://northfieldpubliclibrary.blogspot.com/

The Northfield Area Family YMCA is hiring for fall positions.  If you (or you know someone) who loves working with children, has experience giving children direction and would love to be a role model - we'd like to hear from you.

Whether you want to work just a few hours a week or more - we've got a wide variety of positions available ranging from our Wiggles & Giggles program (open gym) to basic crafts classes to youth sport programs. 

You do not need to be a flag football expert to give direction to Preschool or early school age flag football programs.  If you are interested in learning a bit more, please contact the YMCA at 507-645-0088.  View job descriptions on our website at www.northfieldymca.org.

Referrals make the BEST staff team members - if you know someone, let us know (or let them know)!

The Dakota County Fair is happening all this weekend. Romeo and Juliet is being performed in Central Park on Friday and Saturday night at 7pm

Allyson Road Band is playing the Cow on Friday from 5-7pm, followed by the New Moon Trio from 8-11pm. Joe Meyer is playing the Tavern Lounge from 8-11pm.

Participants in this year's summer reading program filled out a book slip of every book they read this summer.

We emptied the box every Thursday and drew out one reader of the week! Over the weeks of the SRP hundreds of book slips were filled out and are now hanging from the ceiling of the children's area.

All the readers of the week recieved a special certificate and a t-shirt from the Friends of the Library.

Thanks to all who participated!

This weekend, Northfield has been host to the 2010 Vintage Band Festival.  The four-day festival draws brass bands from as far away as Helsinki, Finland.  One of the highlights of the weekend was a reenactment of a Civil War “battle of the bands,” with two bands in historical costume facing off across the Cannon River.  On the east side of the river was Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band, from Maryland, which specializes in music from the period 1870 to 1900.  On the west side of the river was the 1st Brigade Band, from Watertown, Wisconsin, which specializes in music of the Civl War era. The band members play "over the shoulder" instruments, the bells of which face backwards toward the soldiers who were marching behind the band. You can see an over the shoulder bugle in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art here.  

Yes, we're on sabbatical over at LoGroNo but since I missed the first Vintage Band Festival back in 2006, I just had to take some photos yesterday of some of the performances on Bridge Square and at the Contented Cow.  

See my album of 41 photos, the large slideshow, or a small slideshow here on Northfield.org (click "Read More").

It is a busy weekend in Northfield and its surrounding communities. The Vintage Band Festival is happening Friday-Sunday. Friday and Saturday are Dennison Days. Shakespeare in the Park presents "Romeo and Juliet" in Central Park with nightly performances at 7pm Friday-Sunday.

Also on Friday in theater is YPT's "Going Through a Stage" at 10:00 am at ARTech. The Farmer's Market is in Riverside Park beginning at 11:45am. Jacob Hendrick and Ah-Hem is playing The Tavern Lounge from 8-11pm, and Carleton's Goodsell Observatory Open House is happening from 9:30-11:30pm.