Brooklyn Community Theatre presentation of ‘The Alibis’ kept the audience laughing and guessing5/6/2023 A scene from "The Incredible Season Finale," one of the acts from the Brooklyn Community Theatre production of "The Alibis," held Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30 at the Brooklyn Opera House. The act was about a woman trying to watch the final episode of a trashy reality show who finds a neighbor desperate to come over and even more desperate to keep her fandom a secret.. The Brooklyn Community Theatre production of “The Alibis” was held April 29-30 at the Brooklyn Opera House.
Written by Jonathan Dorf, Tyler Dwiggins, Kathryn Funkhouser, Patrick Greene, Mora V. Harris, Carrie McCrossen, Ian McWethy, and Jason Pizzarello, “The Alibis” featured a cast of 22 local actors and actresses who kept the audience on the edge of their seats while trying to guess who dun it. Directed by Josh Gerard, the play centered around eccentric billionaire J. Leslie Arlington who was murdered, and a clueless detective who finds the suspects are all reluctant to admit their alibis . . . because they were all committing other ridiculous crimes at the time. The performance featured an array of suspects including disgruntled chefs, teen detectives, and vengeful divas, but one thing's for certain: Every alibi was absolutely absurd. Cast list Cast List in order of appearance - Ryan Emerson, Tristan Taylor, Molly Clayton, Alli McCammant, William Manatt, Travis Williams, Rob Hanlon, Heather Ochs, Jeff Britts, Rachel Lakose, Traci Williams, Isaiah Williams, Lorelai Gerard, Harrison Hershey, Emily Britts, Kaylin Hatfield, Abby Smith, Addi Day, Jamin Manatt, Alaina Holmes, Adelyn McDonald, Lexi Williams. The backstage crew included: Props/Costumes – Kim Hawkins, Gracie Shook and Raven Hawkins; Sound – Whit Gerard; and Lights – Shadlee Hazelwood. The 2.5 hour performance with intermission was sponsored by The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “It was one of the best experiences I've ever had directing a play, and that was because of the actors and crew we had,” said Gerard. “Everyone knew their role and was excited to be there, and it all came together perfectly. Our audiences all seemed to enjoy it, and it was a great fundraiser for our sponsor, The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to doing another one soon.”
0 Comments
The Grinnell Farmers Market will begin the 2023 season on Thursday, May 11 from 3 - 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. - Noon. The market is excited to welcome back many long time vendors with the addition of a number of new vendors for the 2023 season.
Grinnell Farmers Market is organized by the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce and is presented by the Claude and Dolly Ahrens Foundation with additional partnerships from UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Grinnell College, Total Choice Printing & Shipping and Restore Chiropractic & Acupuncture. Market Set Up Market will again be held at the corner of 4th Avenue and Broad Street. Community members are asked to avoid parking in those parking spaces after 1 p.m. on Thursdays and after 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays to allow vendors adequate time to set up for market. Market will continue to have a card reader available for those wishing to purchase tokens to use at the market. Debit/Credit tokens can be purchased to use as cash with all vendors at market. SNAP benefit tokens can be purchased with SNAP cards to use for qualifying products. The market will again be participating in the Double Up Food Bucks program for the 2023 season. Customers are able to earn DUFB when purchasing SNAP tokens or can bring the DUFB earned at Fareway and spend them on qualifying products. The card reader stand will be located in front of the Veteran’s Memorial Building. Please stop by the stand or call the chamber office with questions. Participating Vendors Below is a current list of participating vendors for the 2023 season. Application for Thursday and Saturday full and part time vendors are still being accepted. The Grinnell Farmers Market is a 100 percent producer grown or made market, meaning that all items for sale must be entirely grown or made by the vendor or immediate family members in Iowa. To stay up to date on vendors, please visit www.grinnellfarmersmarket.com *denotes new vendor in 2023 Thursday Full-Time Vendors: ● Artish*: paintings, jewelry, button jars ● B&J Vegetables: fruits, vegetables, black walnuts, freeze dried items ● Beez Blooming Garden & Beez Kettle Corn: cut flowers, build your own bouquet, fresh popped kettle corn ● Bodie’s Bake Shop: breads, cookies, cakes, dish towels, wash rags, pottery ● Bunny Traxx Creations: finished painted or glazed ceramics, scrubbies and kitchen items ● Circle W Acres: produce, baked goods (breads, pies, kolaches) ● Compass Plant CSA: produce, fresh baked bread, heritage pork and chicken products, eggs ● Dolezal’s Honey Bees: Honey, flavored honey, beeswax, candles, body products made from beeswax/honey (soap, lip balm, lotion) some crocheted critters ● Gary Weyrauch: Plants, concrete yard ornaments ● Herman’s Home Grown*: produce ● Katie’s Mini Donuts*: fresh mini donuts & shaved ice ● Little Bud Farm: fresh cut flowers ● Mark Lageveen*: plants and vegetables ● Olive Branch Woodwork*: custom cutting boards, charcuterie boards, outdoor flower pots, squirrel benches, trellis ● Olson Garden Market: produce & spices ● Prairie Produce: produce, jams/jellies, pickled goods, salsa ● Rose’s Art Stand: hand painted rocks, and various other items ● Tangled Roots Farm: jams/jellies, pickled goods, eggs, produce, seedlings, baked goods ● VFW/American Legion: information about registration, flag drop off Saturday Full-Time Vendors: ● B&J Vegetables: fruits, vegetables, black walnuts, freeze dried items ● Bunny Traxx Creations: finished painted or glazed ceramics, scrubbies and kitchen items ● Circle W Acres: produce, baked goods (breads, pies, kolaches) ● Compass Plant CSA: produce, fresh baked bread, heritage pork and chicken products, eggs ● Gary Weyrauch: plants, concrete yard ornaments ● Ginger Werner: produce, baked goods and eggs ● Herman’s Home Grown*: produce ● Mark Lageveen*: plants and vegetables ● Olive Branch Woodwork*: custom cutting boards, charcuterie boards, outdoor flower pots, squirrel benches, trellis ● Olson Garden Market: produce & spices ● Prairie Produce: produce, jams/jellies, pickled goods, salsa ● Scenery Changes: earrings, bookmarks, knitted product, book page art, and self-published books (fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, speculative fiction) ● Stew Makerspace: handmade ceramics, acrylic laser cut earrings, handmade jewelry ● Tangled Roots Farm: jams/jellies, pickled goods, eggs, produce, seedlings, baked goods ● VFW/American Legion: information about registration, flag drop off Part-TIme Vendors: ● Bittersweet Designs: polymer clay earrings ● Willard Family*: cross stitch, plants, sewed items ● Slane’s Soaps: homemade soap and bath products ● Reese's Slime Boutique*: homemade slime ● Mike Nippe: gemstones, jewelry Those interested in applying to be a vendor or any area musicians or local artists interested in performing at the Grinnell Farmers Market can find more information at www.grinnellfarmersmarket.com or are encouraged to contact the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce, marissa@getintogrinnell.com or 641-236-6555. For the latest market information, make sure to follow the market on Facebook and Instagram at @grinnellfarmersmarket. Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation (GPCF) is pleased to announce the 2023 Poweshiek County Alliance grant recipients. $161,109 will be distributed to support 37 community projects across Poweshiek County, reaching residents and organizations in nine communities.
A total of 46 complete applications were reviewed and evaluated by 11 committee members representing different perspectives and communities throughout the county. The total amount requested among the applications exceeded $318,000. “We commend the committee members for their efforts this year,” said Amy Blanchard, program manager of GPCF. “They had great discussion about each application and were very prepared for the challenge to stretch the funding as best they could according to the proposals submitted. We saw proposals from six organizations that have never applied before, five of which received funding. We are happy the grant program is getting known by more organizations, and we’re also excited to see how these projects will impact our community.” PCA seeks to fund new initiatives as well as support continuation or expansion of existing programs in Poweshiek County, helping to fill critical funding gaps of many local organizations. Among the 37 projects, 16 projects were funded at 100 percent of the requested amount, 11 were funded over 50 percent of the requested amount, and the remaining 10 projects received less than 50 percent of the amount requested. Two projects were funded at $10,000, the maximum amount allowed from the PCA grant program. This year, PCA grants were supported by four funds administered by GPCF. The Poweshiek County Alliance Fund is an endowed fund designated by the Iowa Legislature to receive an annual portion of gambling revenues. The endowment distribution paired with the disbursement from the State of Iowa totaled $133,648. The Carl and Joann Orr Fund, established in 2017, immortalizes the generosity of the late Grinnell community member, Joann Orr. With the intent of empowering and aiding women, children, and other at-risk community members within the Grinnell area, the Orr Fund awarded $23,703.49 across five projects. Montezuma and Brooklyn each have a designated community fund which yielded $1,147 and $2,610 respectively. The Orr Fund supported $10,000 for new pediatric care equipment for UnityPoint - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Foundation, requested in response to recent RSV outbreaks. The Grinnell Community Early Learning Center received $5,130 for replacing old strollers to ensure safe toddler transportation. The Grinnell College Museum of Art received $2,000 for a summer art and literacy program targeted at children in Grinnell, while Ahrens Park Foundation received a total of $1,570 for outdoor musical instruments in a new natural learning environment. Lastly, $5,003.49 of the $5,280 request from Local Foods Connection was granted to support administrative costs for the expansion of the organization. The request was fully funded with additional support from the PCA fund. Three other Grinnell-focused projects received funding this year. The Grinnell Historical Museum Society received $5,000 to support a security system for their new museum site at the former Uhlmann’s Furniture location. LINK Grinnell was granted $2,250 for a pilot music program and the Rotary Club of Grinnell was awarded $2,000 for insulated holding cabinets for use during their annual chicken barbecue fundraiser. The Brooklyn Community Fund and Montezuma Community Fund are endowed, donor-supported funds. This year, the Brooklyn Community Fund supported the entirety of the $1,500 request for Bear’s Closet and $1,110 of the $3,000 grant award for BGM Bear Bags. The BGM Bear Bags provides students in Brooklyn who are in need with food bags, which includes milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and meat. The Bear’s Closet program supports students in need with items such as sporting apparel, seasonal clothing, and personal hygiene items. On the other hand, the Montezuma Community Fund supported $1146 of the $2,300 grant award to the Montezuma Public Library for a Beanstack mobile app to help young patrons track reading progress. The Brooklyn community will benefit from six additional PCA grants this year. East Poweshiek Ambulance Service will receive $7,000 for a new power cot to aid in transporting patients. The Brooklyn Community Food Bank will receive $4,686 to support increased operational costs, the Brooklyn Fire Department will receive $4,000 to support a new washing machine to help maintain firefighter equipment, and the Brooklyn Public Library will receive $3,500 for the digitization of roll and film collections in the library. PCA grants will support $2,500 for new flooring costs at the Manatt Community Center and $1,500 for new attractions for the annual Flag Festival event. Seven more projects in Montezuma will be impacted by PCA funding. The Montezuma Fire Department will receive $8,562 for new protective equipment for firefighters such as face masks, fire side lighting kits and LED lights for low light situations. The Poweshiek County Historical and Genealogical Society will receive $6,311 for repairs and preservation efforts at the museum. Poweshiek County Extension will receive $5,981 to maintain and expand a variety of youth outreach programs. Roots of Home, a newly established nonprofit in Poweshiek County, was granted $5,000 to support the construction of a new transitional home to assist teens as they transition from foster care to entering college or the workplace. The Blakely-Stevens American Legion Post 169 was granted $5,000 for ADA compliant bathrooms, part of the overall construction project for a new facility. The Poweshiek County Pioneer Cemetery Commission will receive $4,800 to replace the fence at Beason Cemetery and Montezuma Community Development will receive $4,800 for bathroom upgrades at East Park. The Deep River community will benefit from two PCA-funded projects. The fire department will receive $10,000 for new air packs and air tanks to replace old equipment that is no longer serviceable. The city will receive $2,625 to repaint the exterior of the Deep River Community Center. Guernsey was awarded $5,200 to cover the costs of grinding tree stumps in Guernsey Town Park, an ongoing effort to fully recover from the derecho. The city of Hartwick will receive $9,063 to outfit a new multi-purpose vehicle to assist in medical, extrication, and brush fire calls as well as $5,000 to support efforts to make Hartwick City Park more accessible in accordance with ADA guidelines. Malcom community members will benefit from a $9,000 grant to the Malcom Food Pantry to assist with increased demand, $2,500 for the Malcom Volunteer Fire Department for Community Safety Outreach, which includes providing fire extinguishers and smoke detectors for families that need them, and a $2,000 grant that will support new solar streetlights. The Searsboro Community Fire/EMS Association will receive $1,800 to replace old specialty foam firefighting equipment with upgraded systems. The town of Victor will receive $2,500 to support renovation of Waterworks Park. Three grants will impact multiple communities across the county. The Northeast Iowa Food Bank was awarded $5,000 to support backpack programs in multiple school districts to provide nutritious meals and snacks for students over weekends. Poweshiek County Emergency Management was granted $2,750 to assist replacement of outdated hazmat suits. Families Helping Families of Iowa, a new applicant this year, requested and was awarded $1,500 to support children and teens in foster care in Poweshiek County. “Poweshiek County Alliance is committed to the sustainability and vitality of all our communities in the county,” said Blanchard. “The committee takes that very seriously and tries to ensure that all organizations in Poweshiek County can access these funds. I think that is reflected well in the 37 projects they were able to fund this year.” Organizations with the 501(c)(3) designation and/or governmental entities and public schools are eligible to seek grant assistance. The 2024 grant application period will open in December 2023. Organizations may contact GPCF at 641-236-5518 for information on how to apply. A complete list of grants awarded can be found on the GPCF website at www.greaterpcf.org. The Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that assists donors in supporting local charitable organizations to improve the lives of people in the area. Individuals who wish to support the Poweshiek County Alliance Fund, Poweshiek Community Fund, Carl and Joann Orr Fund, Brooklyn Community Fund, or Montezuma Community Fund may contact Nicole Brua-Behrens at GPCF, mail checks to GPCF, P.O. Box 344, Grinnell, Ia., 50112, or donate online at www.greaterpcf.org. Illustrated children’s biography on Grinnell’s Edith Renfrow Smith slated for release this fall5/1/2023 Joining Edith Renfrow Smith, 108, is her daughter, Alice, at left and Monique McLay Shore of Grinnell, right. Shore is authoring an illustrated children’s book on Edith, who graduated from Grinnell College in 1937. This photo was taken on March 25 in Chicago, where Edith lives. “It was taken the day I shared the story I have written with her for the first time,” said Shore. By J.O. Parker
An illustrated children’s biography on 108-year-old Edith Renfrow Smith, the first Black female to graduate from Grinnell College in 1937, is slated for release this fall. The book is being authored by Monique McLay Shore, the Drake Community Library technology administrator who is also in charge of digital archive projects, including the Poweshiek History Preservation Project. Edith was the daughter of Lee and Eva Pearl Renfrow, who married in 1901 in Grinnell. Other than a few early years in Red Wing, Minn., they raised their family and lived out their lives in Grinnell. The Renfrows were one of the few Black families in Grinnell at the time. Edith was born on July 14, 2014, the fifth of the six Renfrow children. According to the booklet, ‘The Renfrow Story’ authored by Shore and available at Drake Community Library, all of the Renfrow children knew it was expected that they would go to college. They had an understanding that they would work together to help support one another to achieve the goal of gaining a college education. Edith graduated from Grinnell High School in 1932. For the next year, she took courses in typing and dictation, which allowed her to secure two office jobs on campus that helped her pay tuition while living at home. She enrolled at Grinnell College in 1933. Edith was the only Black student on the campus during her entire undergraduate career. When she graduated in 1937, she became the first Black women to graduate from the college. After college, Edith moved to Chicago and started a job at the YWCA branch for Black girls and women. Within a few years, she met and married Henry T. Smith and started a family. They raised their family in Chicago, but made regular trips back to Grinnell where they owned the family home on First Avenue until 2007. In 1954, she began a 22-year career as a sixth grade teacher. When she retired in 1976, she followed her passion for giving back to the community by volunteering at Goodwill and the Art Institute of Chicago, among other organizations. She volunteered for more than 40-years. In 2009, she was recognized for her spirit of generosity and was inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Shore first met Edith in 2015 when she was 101-years-old through her work with the Poweshiek History Preservation Project. Dan Kaiser, a former Grinnell College professor and local historian, was researching the Renfrow family and realized there were no photographs of the family in the local archives. They worked with the college alumni office to reach out to Edith and learned that she was planning a visit to Grinnell. They arranged for her to bring in family photos for digitization and Edith also agreed to do an event at the library, a live oral history interview with Kaiser talking with Edith. “That was the first time we met her in person,” noted Shore. “She brought several dozen family photos and we started accumulating her story and building an archive collection.” In 2019, Edith returned to Grinnell to receive an honorary degree from Grinnell College. Shore said that raised awareness of her story and place in Grinnell’s history. The following fall, Dr. Tamara Beauboeuf, a professor of gender and women’s studies, arrived at Grinnell College. Beauboeuf’s academic research has focused on Black women in academia. Just as she began to look into Edith’s story, the pandemic shut everything down. As things began to reopen in the summer of 2021, Beauboeuf began work with student Feven Getachew to research Edith’s story. Building on what the Drake Community Library had collected, they traveled to Chicago twice that summer to interview her. Their work culminated in a retrospective and celebration of Edith’s life on campus that fall. In the summer of 2022, they continued to build on their work, this time with Shore joining Beauboeuf and Getechew for another interview with Edith in Chicago. The accumulated research on Edith and the deep roots of the Renfrow family in Poweshiek County was shared with Grinnell College President Ann Harris. Recognizing the historic significance of this remarkable woman, Harris recommended to the college board that the new student residence hall be named Renfrow Hall in her honor. “The board unanimously and enthusiastically approved the recommendation,” said Shore. In December 2022, the college publicly announced the naming of Renfrow Hall, currently under construction at the corner of Broad and Sixth and scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. At the same time, the Grinnell High School inducted Edith into the Alumni Hall of Fame. She joins her older sister, Helen, who is a member of the GHS Hall of Fame. “It’s a fascinating story which reaches back to 1859 and the earliest days of Grinnell,” said Shore. “A lot of people had been telling me that someone should write a book.” After contemplating the idea for some time, Shore decided that an illustrated children’s biography was something she could do. She began writing the text in earnest around Christmas. The text for the book is now complete and she has connected with an artist who is excited to do the illustrations. On April 10, Shore launched a Kickstarter Campaign for the book project to raise funds to pay the artists commission and other expenses of bringing the book to publication. Within four days the minimum goal of $10,000 to complete the book was raised. “It’s her life story, but the broader message is about the power of a mother’s words,” noted Shore. “Her mother’s affirmation has been a guiding principle that offers a powerful message to each of us.” The title of the book is “No one is better than you: Edith Renfrow Smith and the power of a mother’s words” will help share the message with readers. With the minimum raised to cover base expenses, any additional funds raised before May 10 will go to provide free copies of the book to libraries in Iowa and Chicago. Shore believes the book will be printed and for sale at the Pioneer Bookstore in Grinnell sometime this fall. “It’s a blessing of a lifetime to be in a position to share Edith’s story with the world,” she said. Follow progress and update by visiting the book website at renfrowstory.com. Editor’s note: some of the historical information for this article was provided by the booklet, “The Renfrow Story.” The Brooklyn Opera House will be hosting a summer community theatre production of “Funny Money” from July 21-23. “Funny Money" is a classic case of mistaken identity taken to the next level. After mild-mannered accountant, Henry, accidentally comes home with a briefcase full of money, hilarity ensues as he tries to talk his way in and out of trouble.
“This play really offers our theatre community more chances to explore funny roles that have different quirks” said Dana Jensen, director of this upcoming production. “It’s a great opportunity for both new and seasoned actors to come out and audition.” Auditions for this performance will be held at the opera house on May 25 at 7 p.m. No prep is necessary, and actors will read from the script. It has a cast of eight. Please visit www.brooklynoperahouse.com for more info. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are coming to the Brooklyn Opera House on Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m. Good To Be King - A Tribute To Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers is a highly reverent tribute show that captures the essence of one of rock and rolls most prolific and best-known writers, Tom Petty, and one of rock’s most enduring bands, The Heartbreakers! Good To Be King has been hailed as "a true tribute act.” It’s a full blend of costumes, strong stage presence and powerful vocals. Tickets can be purchased at brooklynoperahouse.com/events.
Last month, the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation honored Delphina Baumann as a Spirit of Giving honoree. Delphina was honored for living a life of service in all that she is involved in whether it is her time spent in service to nonprofit organizations like GPCF, S.H.E. Counts, Tiger Packs, and Second Mile or through her leadership on community development initiatives and encouraging entrepreneurship. Delphina’s impact is felt across the Grinnell community. Delphina, left, is pictured with Nicole Brua-Behrens, executive director of the GPCF.
|
Archives
April 2024
Categories |