The 2nd Annual Cabaret Night

I enjoyed last night's Peru Theater Company's "2nd Annual Cabaret Night.  Not sure why I missed the previous one, but I will hope my excuse was good.

I took pictures of all the acts, three from each, and posted the results for everyone's enjoyment on both Facebook and Flickr.  Check out the photographs from all the talented performances.

The performances covered a wide variety of modes, from dramatic readings and stand-up comedy, from dramatic and comic renderings, to dynamic dancing.

In addition to these performances, the evening also featured 3 Irene Ryan Acting Competition Scenes performed last week at a conference in Minneapolis. 


I filmed each of these.

The first video includes the performances by Shane Brick and partner Amanda "Debbie" Burk in addition to scenes in which Theresa Woods and partner Sarah Budz replicate their entry in Minneapolis.

The second video from the competition features Kellen Garber and his partner Michael Smith II:

Enjoy the photographs and the video from this rewarding event.

Apple Valley Reading Council at Peru State, Jan 2016

On Monday evening January 18, the Apple Valley Reading Council met at Peru State College in the CATS Conference Room.

I have worked on and off with the council for the past twenty years and enjoyed the chance to see a lot of familiar faces.

Gina Bitner and I served as presenters for the meeting.  



 
For the past two years, Gina and I got Student Enhancement Grants to take ten PSC English and Education Majors to the Plum Creek Literacy Festival at Concordia University in Seward.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the event that featured some of the most popular writers and illustrators of Children's Literature who have presented at the festival, from Janet Stevens to Andrew Clements, pictured on the left.


I talked about the experience at Concordia

University and showed pictures from the event linked on the blog page.  English major Ryan Christensen talked with the group about his experiences and Education major Elizabeth Chamberlain read from a

book by one of the presenters at the festival that she admires, Eric Litwin of Pete the Cat fame.  Eric plays guitar and sings in the picture on the left.


Gina discussed her annual project with

fourth graders at Calvert Elementary School in Auburn.  Her students work with a class over the course of the spring semester and write a children's book.  At the final meeting, the hard-bound books arrive, and the students and youngsters share.

I take lots of photographs that got linked on the blog page created for the Calvert visit. 

Photographs from the two events played while we all spoke: 

Calvert Visit
Plum Creek

Return to Squaw Creek

As the photographs from this year's Eagle Days at Squaw Creek indicate, the National Wildlife Preserve featured few eagles, for the second year in a row.

But the weather cooperated this year--last year all was fog and chill.   

The 400,000+ Snow Geese put on quite a show.  The following video captures some of the spectacle and the noise--though my forgetting to delete film resulted in my not getting the most spectacular of the action.

I enjoyed a great deal both the Snow Geese and the chance to talk

with friends from the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Deb Brown and Paul Johnsgard, who appear in the photograph atop the page.

Football Awards Banquet

For the past twenty-three or twenty-four years--the exact number of years always escapes me--I have enjoyed spotting at the football games. 


I help keep statistics in the press box with other folks, and we always enjoy ourselves.  This year in particular provided exciting moments.  

And halftimes generally find me on the field for a variety of events, from the Hall of

Fame Induction to Homecoming Queen and King.  Anyway, this year, I got invited to the banquet as a guest and enjoyed myself.
 

 
I also took some photographs that also got posted on Facebook, something that makes parents and relatives especially happy.

 
The Football Booster Club does a great job organization these and other events in support of athletics at PSC. 

Ken Anderson Retrospective Show, January-February

I walked over to the reception at 1:00 and was most pleased to see a large crowd right when the reception began.


 
I remember some 24 years ago when Ken told me, the first fall after my arrival that he planned to retire in 24 years and move to Woonsocket, South Dakota.  And so he will. 

Jerry Martin, former VPAA at Peru State College, and Suzi Martin walked over to the show with me.  

Good to see the Beykes there, whom I have

not see in years.  And I was most relieved to know that their very bright daughter, who had signed up to be an English major and took Freshman Composition with me, did not leave PSC because I drove her away!

I enjoyed talking as well with other folks, many of which I had not seen in years.

I posted only a few pictures, for I did not stay all that long.

The show runs until February 12.