20th Annual Great American Think-Off Question: "The Nature of Humankind: Inherently Good or Inherently Evil?"
Go to Think-Off web site for additional information.

The 2011 Great American Think-Off was held on Saturday, June 11, 2011. Marsh Muirhead, poet and dentist from Bemidji, Minnesota, was named the winning debater with his take on the question "Does poetry matter?" and he thus earned the title "America's Greatest Thinker for 2011." Information about the four finalists, texts of their essays, and an audio transcript of the debate are available at our Think-Off web site. The question for the 20th annual Think-Off will be posted on the Think-Off pages on January 1, 2012.

Check out our facebook page. Like us, and comment on our concerts and shows. You'll find a gallery of the artists who have visited the Cultural Center, and lots more.

Tickets to every event in the fall concert series are available by calling 218-385-3339. You may purchase tickets using your credit card or reserve a ticket to pay at the door. Unless otherwise noted, concert tickets are $12 advance sale and $15 the night of the concert. Member price is $10 or $13 the night of the concert. Students are always $5.

Concert venue is the Cultural Center unless otherwise specified. Shows start at 7:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm.

April Verch Trio Bluegrass Concert opens the new concert season at New York Mills Regional Cultural Center on Friday, January 13

Bluegrass music sensation April Verch (fiddler, singer, stepdancer) is joined by her band-mates Cody Walters on claw hammer banjo and upright base and Hayes Griffin on guitar for a hot concert for a cold winter night at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center on Friday, January 13 at 7:30pm. Admission is $15 advance sale and $18 at the door. Student admission is $8 for this concert. Call 218-385-3339 to reserve a ticket to a music concert bluegrass lovers won't ever forget from this truly amazing Canadian musical talent.

April Verch, doesn’t just perform music, she exudes it. The internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer has a passion for performing and her goal is to touch the lives of those who are listening at any given moment. “The world is this amazing puzzle that we can’t fully understand and music is the joy that pulls it all together and helps us make sense of it,” says Verch, with a dynamic excitement and confidence that makes you believe her in a heartbeat.

Dirk Powell, a multi-instrumentalist, who’s worked with Jack White, Joan Baez, Riverdance and the film Cold Mountain, is awed by April’s ability to play any kind of roots music as though it was her native tongue. “She’s so fluent in the language of music that she never needs to imitate,” Powell says. “She hears the heart of it and lets that become part of her core. April’s just got that, man; she’s always speaking the language for real. She is a rare mix of all the technique and super-flashy things, along with the deep soul and tradition that comes from having grown up with the music."

On her eighth CD, That’s How We Run, April explores the Southern mountain traditions known as old time music, but always brings her Northern roots with her. Plucky, straight-backed Canadian tunes fit so snugly beside ancient Appalachian airs that you’d think they’d been neighbors for centuries. When she sings her own songs, you feel sultry Southern air blowing through every wet, bluesy slide of “That’s How We Run,” just as you feel the tight-shouldered Northern chill in her heartbroken “Still Trying.” Through sinewy old time American reels or crisp Canadian hops, singing the happy Ontario chestnut

“Moonshine Mac,” or swapping hot licks with the cream of old time’s new breed, like Dirk Powell, Riley Baugus, and Rayna Gellert, April is always being April.

Verch was born to traditional music, in Canada’s hard-working, hard-dancing Ottawa Valley. She was a local star at four, step dancing with her sister and winning awards at contests. The fact that they were for “Youngest Competitor” didn’t dampen her child-eyed enthusiasm. She became the first woman in history to win both of Canada’s most prestigious fiddle championships, the Grand Masters and Canadian Open; and when Canada hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, she was asked to represent her country’s music at the opening ceremonies.

Ottawa Valley music is a foot-stomping, open-minded fusion of Irish, Scottish, French, German, and Polish influences, sprinkled with tangy spices of American country music. The twang of the banjo and the driving Franco-Celtic pulse of the fiddle are as ingrained in April as snowbound winters and Saturday dances.

“What makes the Ottawa Valley unique,” she says, “is that it’s melting-pot music. People there work hard, and when it was time to let loose, you went out and had fun together; you danced and played music. Growing up around that, being able to perform and see how happy it made people feel, I’m sure that’s what drew me into music.”

That desire to share music is why she’s among the most in-demand performers in roots music today, both with her own crack three-piece band and Bowfire, with whom she occasionally tours. The April Verch Band consists of April at the helm and world-class musicians Clay Ross on guitar and Cody Walters on upright-electric bass and banjo. They have toured across Canada, the United States, the U.K., Europe, Australia and China. Together they have established a reputation as consummate performers with boundless energy on stage that inevitably brings audiences to their feet.

Fred Kaiser programmed the storied Philadelphia Folk Festival for over 20 years, and now runs the 125-seat Mainstay in Maryland. He’s booked her at both. “Not every performer can adapt from large to small venues,” he says, “but I know April’s show will work, and I know audiences will want her back. That’s because of her talent, energy, showmanship, and the quality of musicians she brings with her; but it’s also because of her performing intelligence. She has a great way of keeping things changing and moving, not only with her energy level, but the different kinds of tunes she plays.”

Powell says, “April has an amazing ability to touch people’s hearts, get them having fun, and sharing the whole range of human emotions. She’s a grand master fiddler and a very expressive singer, but what sets her apart is the openness, humor and social fun she got growing up in the music. It's not always easy for professionals to keep that social joy in their music. Even though April is playing at a very high level, she brings that explosive joy with her.”

Cultivating the Arts in Rural America

NYMRCC Mission Statement:
"The NYMRCC is dedicated to expanding the cultural and creative opportunities of rural Americans by offering innovative, quality arts programming, and demonstrating how the arts can be used as an economic development tool in rural communities across the nation."

In the Gallery

hours
Tues-Fri 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am to 3:00pm

Main gallery

Wednesday, November 16th-Saturday, December 31 Land by Hand: Fiber Artists Explore Place, an exhibit of the Textile Center. Opening reception Saturday, November 19 from 1-4pm. Artist talk at 1:30pm, Family Activity "Things with Strings" from 2:30pm-4:00pm. The art doll pictured above is by Bonnie Wedge and is made from crimped, woven, beaded, and stitched aluminum cans, acrylic paint, and fabric. Visit the gallery page for more images from this exhibition.

Classes

Artists Forum
Artists Forum every 3rd Wednesday at 7:00pm.

Dance for Kids
We are seeking a new instructor for the after school dance program. Please call 218-385-3339 for details.

Knitting for Everyone
Every Monday. 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Open Mic
No open mic on the 4th Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). In December Open Mic will be the 3rd Thursday, December 15. Regular schedule will resume in January. Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 7:00pm. All musicians and poets are invited. PA set up and ready to go.

Yoga Classes
Yoga classes are over for the fall season. Classes will resume in January. Call for details or to reserve your place. 385-3339.

Tamara Moore, certified yoga instuctor, teaches these courses.

Remaining Community Events in 2011

Summer Puppet Pageant
August 12th at dusk
Larger than life puppet figures play out a story from the Finnish national epic poem, the Kalevala. Kids of all ages can participate making the puppets and performing.

Whiskey Creek Film Festival
September 9-15 at the Cozy Theatre in Wadena
Award-winning independent films and short films by regional filmmakers.

Longest Night Music Festival
December 21
Free concert to celebrate the winter season with local Minnesota artists and musicians. Everyone is invited to this solstice celebration.

The First Annual Rural Arts Summit was held from June 8th-11th at M-State in Fergus Falls. Check out the Web site for information about what happened at the Summit and to learn about future Rural Arts and Culture Summits.