Arts and Entertainment

December's Third Thursday Performance Series Event, a collaboration between the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation and the Grand Event Center, will be 'Bob and Ann at the Grand.'

Here in Northfield you know Ann and Bob as directors, costumers and teachers more than singers. There's much more to Bob and Ann than meets the local eye.

Bob and Ann Gregory-Bjorklund began performing together in 1977, a year after they were married. Little did they know that their lives would eventually take them to Dundas, Minnesota, where they now live. Between 1977 and the present their performances under the name "The Cat's Pajamas" have taken them around the world. They traveled on five USO Tours in the late 70s and early 80s to Europe, Alaska and the Pacific Rim.

Basing their business in the Twin Cities, they found a niche in the field of corporate entertainment, performing on both local and national levels for such companies as Honeywell, IBM and 3M. Their vocal quartet appeared at a number of prominent venues in and around the Metro area.

Submitted by Christine Bernier

Northfield has a lively energy this week as everyone appears to be scurrying about doing last-minute shopping in preparation for the upcoming holiday.  Have you made your list and checked it twice?  Have you been naughty or nice?
 
For those of you who have guests in town and are looking for some entertaining things to do, there’s much to do!
 
This Thursday through Saturday, you can enjoy “Tuesday’s with Morrie, by the Merlin Players” at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater, starting time is 7:30 p.m.

The Tavern is hosting a number of musicians including:  Mark Mraz appearing Thursday, Ian Alexy appearing Friday and the Norwegian Cowboy will entertain the crowd on Saturday night.  All appearances begin at 8 p.m.  Don’t miss it!
 
Lastly, don’t miss your last opportunity to give Santa your wish list … he’ll be at Bridge Square from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.  You can’t miss his cozy red cottage near the fountain.

Grezzo Gallery will be showing Scrap next month. We teamed up with local film maker, Wes Thomsen, who made Scrapped, a documentary on scrapbooking. We will have layouts from local scrappers on the walls as well as a screening of the film.

We are looking for a few more people who may be interested in showing off and sharing their talents as a scrapbooker. If you are interested, contact us at grezzogallery@yahoo.com. We would like to have the layouts by Jan 2nd. Thank you. 

Nick Sinclair is co-owner of Grezzo Gallery. 

There's so much going on in town this weekend that we couldn't even get this post online in time to cover it all! You may have missed Kim Bloom at the Hideaway last night, and Norwegian Cowboy at the Tavern, but you'll get another chance when they return next weekend.

Tonight at The Grand, CBO will fill the dance floor with little big band boogie – I’m counting 11 members in their publicity photo. Doors open at 8:30 with a $10 cover charge (less than $1 per band member!), and you can reserve holiday dining before the show by calling 663-1773.

Spend your Saturday downtown shopping the fine shops of Northfield, after you get your exercise with the Jingle Bell Run. Just Food Co-op is celebrating their 2nd Anniversary from 12-3, and at 2 p.m. Doug Ohman is signing books at Monkey See, Monkey Read. Then there’s a high school concert choir at Carleton at 7:30, Anthony Newes at the Tavern at 8, Clearblue at Dawn’s at 9, The Jack Project at the Cow and a DJ upstairs at the Rueb.

And on Sunday...

Ok, proud parents, here's your chance...a reason to show off those adorable photos of your kid in the school pageant. You can send photos of your pet playing in branches of the Christmas tree, the photos of you as a kid playing with that new air rifle. Heck, we'll even take photos of all you snowbirds in your shorts, showing off your decorated Christmas cactus.

That's right. We're having a Christmas photo contest. No prize, just bragging rights to the best photo this year. Send photos to pictures@northfield.org and we'll create a gallery so everyone can check out all the fun. Grab those new cameras and start snapping away. And remember, even when your friends are tired of the shots of your husband in a Santa hat, we're there for you.

Details inside...

70 St. Olaf students from the Chapel Choir made their way around the Pepper Ridge Valley neighborhood Tuesday night, even if there is no "White Christmas" yet.

Click here to read the entire story, plus see video of the carolers in action. 

Northfield.org would like to take a moment to thank our generous sponsors, who have agreed to match the contributions of our new members.  Please take a good look at the list, and remember the names when you're doing business here in town.

• Carleton College
• Carlson Capital Management
• Coldwell Banker
• Community Resource Bank
• First National Bank of Northfield
• Heritage Dental Care
• The Ole Store
• St. Olaf College

Their generosity continues to help Northfield and Northfield.org become a better community.

City Administrator Al Roder prepares a detailed report of everything that goes on each week at  City Hall. You can check it out here.

Below is a summary of meetings this week. You can head to the City Hall site to check out the complete city events calendar and find the agendas and other details for all meetings.

This week...

Monday
Northfield Fire Relief Association, 6:15 p.m. Safety Center 
City Council, 7 p.m. City Hall 

Tuesday
Planning Commission, 7 p.m. City Hall 
Park and Recreation Advisory Board, 7 p.m. NCRC
Mayor's Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use, 7 p.m. NCRC

Thursday
Economic Development Authority, 7:30 p.m. City Hall
Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 5 p.m., City Hall
Human Rights Commission, 7 p.m. City Hall 

Tis the season for fun—and for the Northfield Citizens Online annual meeting. We will be gathering at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Carlson Capital Management to share a toast to another great year, another as we elect and install our new board members, another as we honor and thank our outgoing board members...you get the idea. Let's just say it won't be a boring business meeting.

Wow, if you want to get in the spirit of Christmas, I've got the answer for you. First, check out the pictures Maureen Rado of Grandpa Len and Grandma June's Christmas train set and village. It looks like great fun and a real labor of love.

Then grab some Kleenex and read the Web Cafe forum discussion started by Michelle Hawkins. Her letter about being Home for Christmas will make you look around and ask what you can do to make someone else's life brighter this season.

Please join Michelle's discussion and share your favorite Christmas stories, or send along your photos to add  to our collection.

And look for those good deeds.

Northfield Youth Choirs will perform their winter concert, titled "Joy," on Saturday, Dec. 9th at 3 p.m. in Skinner Chapel at Carleton College. Admission is free; a freewill offering will be collected during the performance.

"Nothing warms the heart like the beautiful faces and angelic sounds of the Northfield Youth Choirs celebrating the holiday season." says NYC Board President Michele Reese. "We invite the entire community to join us as we present our 20th anniversary winter concert."

The concert features the seven ensembles of the NYC, directed by Artistic Director  Elizabeth Shepley, Anton Armstrong, Rachel Howe, Karen Lutgen and St. Olaf student intern Lukas Warren. NYC's parent choir that will join the youth choirs in performing two massed choral pieces.

NYC members enjoy weekly one-hour rehearsals, twice-yearly retreats, area performances and tours. The organization's choirs are divided by age, and singers of all levels of experience in grades 1-12 are welcome to participate. The group accepts new members in September and January. For more information, call the NYC office at 507-664-9335 or visit www.northfieldyouthchoirs.org.

Winter Walk was a huge opener to the weekend, but it was just the beginning of the fun.

Friday night, take in the opera, 7 p.m. at St. Olaf (through Monday the 11th), Kim Bloom’s acoustic guitar at the HideAway, Joe Meyer at the Tavern, Marty Anderson at the Cow and Karaoke upstairs at the Rueb.

Saturday finds the Northfield Youth Choir’s holiday concert at St. Olaf (3 p.m.); Bloom’s guitar again at the HideAway (7-9); Ballet, Tap and Modern Dance at the NAG (7 p.m.), Bonnie & the Clydes at the Tavern (8 p.m.); Jonah and the Whales at Dawn’s Corner in Dundas (9 p.m.), Gary Heil at the Cow and more music upstairs at the Rueb. And let the holiday parties begin with the Mraz Brothers at the Grand, doors open to the public with a $5 cover (well worth it!) at 8:30, pre-show dinner reservations might still be available, call the Grand.
 
Look for details on all this and so much more in the Guide, available free at several hot spots around town and as a downloadable PDF here. Just click the cover and download it.

Submitted by Katie Balfanz 

The St. Olaf Dance Department will present “89 minutes,” a fall dance concert in Kelsey Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The concert will include new works by senior dance majors Jake Fitzpatrick, Natasha Kovar, Laurel Osman, Elizabeth Sexe, Claire Short, and Brittany Shrimpton, and works by Minneapolis choreographers Mathew Janczewski and Anna Itman performed by Katie Balfanz.  Seating is by general admission, and the doors open at 7:00 p.m. 

Join the St. Olaf Dance Department on December 12 at 6 p.m. in Dittman Center, Studio 1, as senior dance major Charity Hall presents, “29 minutes:  A Picture Book Presentation.” 

Admission is free for both events.

This coming weekend, St. Olaf College will kick off a new Lyric Theatre series that will present three operatic productions during the remainder of the academic year.

The first production will be Mozart's humorous and moving opera, La Finta Giardiniera. Click here to read all the details.

All productions are free and open to the public.

David Gonnerman is media relations specialist at St. Olaf. 

A new weekend, a new month, a new Guide.  Click the cover at left and download the latest issue of the Northfield Entertainment Guide for details on a monthful of happenings in the Northfield Area. And if you can identify Santa’s helper on the cover – send in your guess to neg@byallmeansgraphics.com or drop it off at our office on Bridge Square before next weekend’s blog and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a coveted Northfield Entertainment Guide hat!

A few highlights tonight (Friday) – Beauty & the Beast at 7:30 at the NAG Theater (sold out for the whole weekend, but a few seats are usually available first-come, first-served at the door), Jack Norton looks to be very entertaining 7-9 at Hogan Brothers and there’ll be hundreds of awe-inspired guests at the St. Olaf Christmas Festival (all weekend).

For more holiday hoohah, take in NAG’s Festival of Trees all day Saturday and Merry Tuba Christmas at 3 p.m. at St. Olaf’s Buntrock Commons. Stick around Buntrock for Eric Dregni’s “Weird Minnesota” booksigning at 6 and then head downtown for Kim Bloom’s acoustic guitar at the Hideaway, Relativity at the Tavern, Matt Arthur and the Bratlanders at the Cow and one of my favorites, T.H.E. House Band, at the Frog.

One more mention — and then look for even more in the Guide — and that’s Maltby Nature Preserve’s Open House Sunday from 2-5, fun for the whole family just 10 minutes out of Northfield near Randolph.

Details on these and so much more can be found in your monthly Northfield Entertainment Guide – free at several hot spots around town and as a downloadable PDF here.