Twilight on the Tallgrass Prairie

This beautiful Saturday evening, Audubon's annual Twilight on the Tallgrass took place at Spring Creek Prairie, nearly 900 acres of restored prairie.


In the preceding picture, you can see the headquarters of Spring Creek in the distance; I took the shot from my station, Words and Birds, located amidst Blue Stem Grass.

Many parents and youngsters visited my station and the others that dotted Spring Creek Prairie's trails, where, as the following pages (just click the image to enlarge it) from the program indicate, participants learned about everything from making a kite to mist netting birds, from the world of insects to creating a journal.





I took a few photographs of the festivities and the area--which merits a visit, especially at this stunning time of the year.

Apple Valley Reading Council Meeting at PSC

Last year at Peru State College, the Apple Valley Reading Council featured Dr. Karla Wendelin, the Log Cabin Librarian.

And this year, on 21 September, the group brought back the always popular "Reptile Guy" and author David Nieves, whom the council featured two years ago.


Here, the 150 pound Nieves lifts his 155 pound Albino Burmese Python:


As the slide show indicates, the Reptiles Up Close author entertained a good crowd in the Live Oak Room of the Student Center.

If you like snakes or even if you prefer to keep them at a distance, you might enjoy the brief video I made of David Nieves' Light the Torch for Reptiles presentation.

Gladys Kravitz and Escape the Fire at Shooter's

On Saturday night, September 19, Shooter's Bar featured high-octane entertainment from two bands, Escape the Fire and Gladys Kravitz.

Mark Gammell, Fritz Dahlheimer, Kevin Krause, Todd Krause, Logan Merz, Michael Pardee, Pat Fortney

Escape the Fire played first. The band provided song and fun at last Spring's Peru State Appreciation Day at Cotty's; however, I did not have my movie camera along with me.



This time around, I took photographs and made a couple movies of the band members, Kevin Krause, Todd Krause, Logan Merz, and Michael Pardee.

Below, you can watch Escape the Fire perform their song "Natural High." And you will want as well to give a listen to the group's very un-Neil Sedaka tune about breaking up, which remains somewhat hard to do but fun to hear, "One Last F__K You."

After Escape the Fire's set, Gladys Kravitz took the stage to roil a bit the cool evening air in downtown Peru.


I last photographed Pat Fortney (Dean of Arts and Sciences at PSC) , Mark Gammell, and Fritz Dahlheimer at Lincoln's famous Zoo Bar on October 1, 2008.

As the slide show from the evening indicates, Gladys Kravitz shook the walls into the early morning.

I recorded two songs, The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again (Sorry for getting the title wrong on the video) and All Your Love I Miss Lovin popularized initially by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.

Enjoy the images and the music.

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Football Game

On Friday, September 19 in the Live Oak Room, over eighty members of the Peru State College Athletic Hall of Fame, college community, and friends gathered to celebrate the induction of three memorable alumni.

You can read about the three individuals honored--Kevin "Bud" Frohling, Bert E. Swensen, and Orivell "Ab" Yocum--by clicking the following image from the program.


I posted images from the dinner and the induction ceremony; feel free to download individual photographs or the entire album o these large files.

The Peru Foundation organized the gathering held once every two years, and Ted Harshbarger served as Master of Ceremonies.

President Dan Hanson gave the opening address, setting the evening's celebratory tone, and Athletic Director Steve Schneider offered a rousing conclusion.

You can watch the acceptance speeches on You Tube.

Kevin "Bud" Frohling flew in from Alaska where Kevin farms to accept his award, which honors his stellar wrestling career at Peru State College.

Bert Swensen passed away in 1963; Bert's son, Bill Swensen and his sister Marla represented the numerous Swensen family members who gathered to honor Bert's achievements.

Orivell "Ab" Yocum's daughter MJ Yocum-Moore accepted the award for her late father.


The Athletic Hall of Fame activities continued the next day, where the inductees received recognition for their achievements during halftime of the Bobcat football game.

I posted a slide show from the game; as always, feel free to download any or all of the images.

To honor the memory of a child who passed away, Bert and Stella Swensen established in 1925 the Swensen Awards given annually to a male and female athlete who excel both in sports and in the classroom.

Bill Swensen presented this year's awards to baseball player Mark Houck and Volleyball star Allison Slager whose sister Amy accepted the award for her.

Busy Tuesday, 8 September, at Peru State

This past Tuesday, September 8, I and my camera visited three events at the college, beginning at 11:00 in the Student Center.

English Club

At 11:00-1:00, over fifteen campus organizations, from the English Club to Phame, from the Animation Club to the Peru Theater Company gathered for the College's Club Fair.


Officers from the various organizations set up tables in the Student Center to gather support for their organizations.


You will find, as always, a slide show of the festivities on line; feel free to download the entire album or individual shots.


I tried to get photographs from each club represented.


At 5:30, action moved to the Commuter Parking Lot for the Welcome Back to College Tailgate Party.
The activities included excellent food, a rock climb, and a pie toss that included Football Coach Terry Clark, Cheer Coach Jari Wehmeier , and me.





Well, everyone enjoyed a good time, eating, throwing, and climbing on a beautiful evening. You find additional photographs for your viewing pleasure and for downloading and, perhaps, embarrassment on at my Gallery site.

Enjoy the fun.



The day of multiple activities concluded with a superb concert beginning at 7:30 in the evening in the Peru State Theater where the Great Plains Chamber Winds performed.


You can enjoy a brief slide show of the group's performance, though the quality of the images did not make me all that happy.

The five members put on a beautiful concert, and while my photographs did not come out as well as I would have liked, you might enjoy the two videos I made from the concert.

The Great Plains Chamber Winds includes Anne Sheedy, flute and piccolo; Susan Hraban, oboe; Martin Gardner, Clarinet; Lawrence Dietrich, horn; and Joyce Besch, Bassoon.

Do check out the beautiful music from Terpsichore and from La Cheminee du Roi Rene.

Make sure to watch the two performances in High Quality for your better enjoyment.

First Home Football Game of 2009

The many who gathered in the Oak Bowl for the first home game of the season saw the Bobcats plan an inspired game, running the score to 20-3 by the conclusion of a high-octane first half.



The final score of 23-11 against the #24 ranked Jamestown College "Jimmies" turned a page on last week's loss against Hastings College. The "Jimmies" opened their season in Peru.

I was pleased to spot again--year number sixteen, I think--in the Press Box with my colleagues pictured on the right.

As I did for the first game last year, I wandered around before the game and during half time to take photographs and to make a couple videos.

As usual, you will find a slide show from the game on my photography page; feel free to download selected shots or the entire album.


Take a look at the short video--under five minutes--from the game. You really need to click on "HQ" (High Quality) for this effort, as some shots cover a lot of distance for my camera. The video contains video of the players, the cheerleaders, and the Peru State College Pep band under the direction of Ken Meints.

In addition, the video features some of the pictures from yesterday, from the football players to a radio announcer and various friends of the college, including Bob and Barb Lewellen pictured at the conclusion of the blog.

Everyone enjoyed a great game in stellar weather.