Music on Main
The Downtown Bozeman Partnership is proud to present the Eighth Annual Music on Main summer concert series this summer in historic downtown Bozeman. The downtown fun will last from 6:30-8:30pm on Thursday evenings from July 3rd to August 21st. This year Music on Main will be located on Main Street from Rouse Avenue to Black Ave. Live music begins at 7 and lasts until 8:30pm. Music samples are available at www.downtownbozeman.org check them out!!! And this summer, as an added bonus, Bozeman’s Own Monthly Magazine has teamed up with Mixers, Bozeman’s newest live music venue, scheduling more live bands immediately following the downtown music. So this year, head to Mixers every Thursday all summer to check out more live music.
The Downtown Bozeman Partnership and Bozeman’s Own also encourage you to bring the kids from 6:30-7:30pm for planned activities with Kenyon Noble’s Junior Carpenter program, the Children’s Museum, and more in front of First Security Bank. You and your family can grab a bite to eat from one of the food vendors that will be along the south side of Main Street, or step into a few of the Downtown stores which will be staying open late!
The Music on Main event is FREE and open to the public, but please leave your dogs and coolers at home and NO glass or cans are allowed in the event area. Also keep in mind that there is an Open Container Waiver in effect from 6-9pm and are only allowed within the event parameters. After 9pm anyone with an alcoholic beverage is subject to a $100 fine.
In case of rain all festivities will be cancelled. Mixers will have a reasonable cover and is 21 and over.
For more information go to mybomm.com or contact The Downtown Bozeman Partnership at 586-4008 or check out their website at downtownbozeman.org.
The Emerson Cultural Center's Lunch on the Lawn - it's a summer thing
The Emerson’s Lunch on the Lawn is another Bozeman summertime tradition. Every Wednesday from July 9th to August 20th, from 11:30am-1:30 pm the Emerson Center, and Pella Windows present Lunch on the Lawn, a highly anticipated community concert series that attracts an audience of 200 to 400 people every week. In addition to the great live music from local and regional bands, local food vendors offer an array of lunchtime cuisine. Every summer Lunch on the Lawn is a premier gathering point for the community of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, so be sure to join in on the fun and spend your Wednesday’s lunch hour with the Emerson and the big crowds this summer.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks
Kevin Daily
Actors and Actresses auditioning for the Montana Shakespeare in the
Parks’ summer company have four minutes on stage to dazzle MSIP art
director Joel Jahnke. But making the cut takes more than just a solid
stage presence; the demanding summer tour requires highly adaptable
theatrical artists possessing what Joel describes as a “good
functioning personality.” These are types willing to endure 7000 miles
in a crammed van for three months of acting, eating, and sharing
roadside motel rooms with hardly a moment’s pause for personal
privacy. And it helps to be able to sew, turn a wrench, or backup a
trailer too: once the MSIP van heads out on July 1st, the performers
are on their own to cover the responsibilities of a traveling show
without the help of a supporting crew. “There’s no room for slackers on
tour,” laughs Jahnke, “Everyone carries their weight; if you aren’t
running the sound system, you’re selling tee-shirts.”
While the Bozeman community has perhaps come to expect Shakespeare
in the Park as just another summer rite to fill the event calendar,
it’s the one-horse hamlets of the Montana ruralscape that make the MSIP
tour so special. Rolling into tiny towns like Birney (pop. 108),
Basin (pop. 255), Charlo (pop. 439), and Hobson (pop. 244), bring an
atmosphere of enchantment for both the performers and the townsfolk in
the audience: “Ranchers don’t get the day off,” says MSIP Business
Manager JoDee Palin. “For them to take the time to come to the show, it
just seems sweeter, means more.” “We are a major event in these
communities- they treat us like royalty,” adds Jahnke. Like the old
days of the carnival coming to town, residents wait in eager
anticipation for Shakespeare to arrive, feeling royal themselves when
treated to a live stage of talented performers, dressed in costume,
delivering eloquent prose, free and outdoors.
The language of Shakespeare can be difficult to digest, so take the
advice of the MSIP and “enjoy the snippets;” there is always something
different that can be picked up in a performance that perhaps had not
be noticed the first time as the ear tunes to the rhythmic prose and
iambic pentameter. For most, enjoying live Shakespeare is a simple
appreciation of the performers moving through their scenes and the
timeless themes they bring to life on stage.
This year the MSIP troupe will perform the Tragedy of Macbeth, a
dark tale of bloody ambition and tragic prophecy set in medieval
Scotland and based on real characters of the eleventh century, and
All’s Well That Ends Well, an often debated romantic comedy of
Shakespeare’s later years. Here is a brief synopsis for both:
Macbeth: Macbeth and Banquo, returning from battle, meet three
witches who prophecy Macbeth to be king and Banquo to be father of
heirs to the throne of Scotland. Macbeth informs his wife of the
prophecy; she convinces him to kill King Duncan and plant the murder
weapon on a drunken guard. Macbeth assumes the throne. Though he feels
the shame of his acts, he continues down his dark path and has Banquo
murdered. Overwhelmed with guilt, Lady Macbeth commits suicide. In the
end, the prophecy is fulfilled by the nobleman Macduff who kills
Macbeth in a swordfight. Malcolm, son of the murdered Duncan, assumes
the throne and thus restores his father’s line.
All’s Well: Helena, a commoner, harbors a secret love for Bertram,
a nobleman. The King of France is ill, so Bertram leaves for Paris to
attend the King’s court. Helena follows Bertram and offers to cure the
king if he will allow her to marry the Lord of her choice. Using her
father’s prescription, Helena cures the king and is awarded a wedding
to Bertram despite his wishes. Bertram decides he would rather face
death in battle than remain married to Helena, so he sneaks off to
Italy with his spineless friend Parolles who reveals his cowardice
later when tricked on the battlefield. Bertram writes a letter to
Helena stating she will never be his true spouse unless she is able to
take the family ring from his finger. Helena devises a plan with the
aid of Diana, the daughter of a widow whom Bertram fancies. Thinking
his bed partner is Diana, Bertram is tricked into sleeping with Helena.
A ring switch ensues; when discovered, Bertram consents to Helena, and
they live happily ever after.
Join Shakespeare in the Park for a special performance of Macbeth
in the Valley West Subdivision off of Ferguson St on July 26th at 6 PM.
For a complete Montana Shakespeare in the Parks tour schedule or
information about the Toast of the Town MSIP fundraiser, see
www.montana.edu/shakespeare or call 994-1220. Kevin Daily is at
daily.show@yahoo.com
31 Sweet Peas, No Two the Same
Mary A. Biehl
Those of us who have called the Gallatin Valley home for any particular amount of time will have undoubtedly heard about or experienced first-hand the celebrated community tradition that is the Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts. Coming up this August 1st-3rd, Sweet Pea is celebrating its 31st year, which is as unique as the varieties of art that it will be showcasing.
JoAnn Brekhus, Executive Director for Sweet Pea, comments on this year’s festival by saying, “What is unique is the flavor and magic that 2008 will take on as the art fans show up to enjoy the featured attractions! This uniqueness also has everything to do with the fantastic work of the volunteers who so generously give of themselves to support this tradition for our community.”
A particular distinctive aspect of the 2008 festival is that this year on the bowl mainstage, the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s principal and soloist dancers will be performing the acclaimed, “Apollo,” considered to be one of the 20th Century’s finest ballets. This special performance will be Friday, August 1st, at 6:30pm.
Also, the winner of this year’s poster has been chosen. Dana Aaberg, a Bozeman native and local designer and graphic artist, has signed his original poster depicting brilliant red sweet peas, and his framed original will be raffled off to one lucky winner.
Kicking off 2008’s festivities is The Sweet Pea Festival Ball on Saturday, July 26th at the Emerson Ballroom. Tickets are only $17 per person and are available at Cactus Records, Borders, and at the door, which opens at 7:00 pm. Don’t miss the free swing dance lesson with Della from 7:30-8:00 pm and the Radio Rhythm Makers, a swing/rockabilly band hailing from Salt Lake City, who will be jiving until midnight. Another pre-festival favorite, The Bite of Bozeman, will get us in the Sweet Pea spirit on Wednesday, July 30th at 6:00 pm as downtown will be blocked off to showcase fine restaurants and food vendors from all over the Bozeman area. And from 6:00-9:00 pm on Thursday, July 31st, join the community for a reception at the Bozeman Public Library to celebrate the opening of the art exhibit which will show in the library’s atrium through Friday, August 29th.
This year’s addition of new and exciting aspects complements everyone’s festival favorites. The Chord Rustlers and their infamous Tater Pigs will be there, as will the Arts and Crafts booths (open Friday, 4-8 pm; Saturday, 11 am-6 pm; and Sunday, 10 am-6 pm), children’s arts and crafts activities on Saturday and Sunday, the annual Sweet Pea Parade on Saturday starting at 10 am, and the beloved Shakespeare in the Parks will be delighting us with All’s Well That Ends Well on Friday and Macbeth on Sunday, both performances being held at 4:30 pm in the Lindley Park bowl.
For a more detailed schedule of events for this year’s unique and activity-packed festival, log-on to www.sweetpeafestival.org or call 586-4003. See you at the Festival!
