Folk Legend Arlo Guthrie

update 5/14/08

The Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival and Wolverine Mutual Insurance Company proudly present Folk Legend Arlo Guthrie, Saturday, May 17, 7:30 PM at the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center.

Guthrie’s career exploded in 1967 with the release of Alice’s Restaurant, whose title song premiered at the Newport Folk Festival. Arlo went on to star in the 1969 Hollywood film version of Alice’s Restaurant, directed by Arthur Penn.

With songs like Alice’s Restaurant, too long for radio airplay; Coming into Los Angeles, banned from many radio stations (but a favorite at the 1969 Woodstock Festival); and the definitive rendition of Steve Goodman’s City of New Orleans, Guthrie was no One-Hit-Wonder. An artist of international stature, he has never had a hit in the usual sense.

Over the last four decades, Folk Legend Guthrie has toured throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In addition to being an accomplished musician—playing the piano, six and twelve-string guitar, harmonica and a dozen other instruments—Arlo is a natural-born storyteller whose hilarious tales and anecdotes are woven seamlessly into his performances.

Like his father Woody, Arlo Guthrie has become a national treasure. His music and wit speak to the hearts and minds of people all over this country. Guthrie’s appearance will mark the final stop on his “Solo Reunion Tour- Together at Last” which began in July of 2007. The performance begins at 7:30 PM and will take place in the middle school Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25.00, $35.00, and $50.00. Don’t miss this rare opportunity!

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation and grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (866) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Dogwood Interview

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Bobbie Jo Hartline, secretary of the Dowagiac Fine Arts Festival.
~ Mo

Mo: Thanks for taking the time during the Festival to talk with me, Bobbie Jo. Can you start by telling me a bit about yourself?

Bobbie Jo: You're welcome. I was born and raised in Dowagiac, and I consider it my hometown. I have an interior design background, and was asked by a friend to help decorate for the very first Dowagiac Tea, held in the Gardiner Mansion. That's how I got involved with the festival, and then I started volunteering on committees, then the board of directors. This is our seventeenth year of the festival, and our seventh with Huntington Bank as our corporate sponsor. It's been so wonderful to grow with them as our sponsor. We used to just have a phone one week a year at the Depot, and now we have our own year-round office here at Huntington.
Mo: Can you tell me some about the history and details of the Festival.

Bobbie Jo: We have a seven member board of directors, and everyone on the board has a real cynergy, and it's so nice to be part of a big team. We have over eleven chair people, and over two hundred festival volunteers. Membership, which is $20, is tax-deductible, and this year we have over $100,000 in our festival budget, with most of the budget coming from local sponsorship. The very first event, seventeen years ago, was author Gwendolyn Brooks, and now we have a week-long festival with eleven events. Many of our youth-oriented events are free to the public, and last year we began a week long choral day camp for students, and nearly half of those kids attended on a scholarship.

Mo: What's the best part, for you, working with the Festival?

Bobbie Jo: I think there's two things - first, when you work all year on something, and then you're at an event and you see that the event has sparked a fire in a kid -- you know, when it opens a door for them to experience the fine arts. And second, the most fun part for me is talking with the people - whether on the phone or in person, I get to make their experience a little more enjoyable.

Mo: Who was the neatest artist that you met while working with the festival?

Bobbie Jo: Dale Threlkeld. He was just so creative, and he impressed me. There was also Jerry Katania, who owns the Water Street Glass Works in Benton Harbor. Jerry was a student of Dale Chihuly, and shared his love of glass art with me. Later, I went to a class at Water Street Glass Works, and it was wonderful. I still have the paper weight I made during that class.

Mo: Did you ever feel "star-struck" with any of the visiting artists?

Bobbie Jo: The cool part about the artists who've been involved with Dogwood is that they are just real people like us. We've never really had any "divas" throw a tantrum while here. But, I will say that I did feel in awe of Shirley Jones. You know, from the Partridge Family? I mean, she's a star of Broadway and the Silver Screen. It was neat to see how real and relateable she was - she was just so down to earth.

Mo: What are you looking forward to most from this year's festival?

Bobbie Jo: I can't wait to see "Married Alive" and go see the storyteller with the kids.

Mo: So, have you started planning next year's festival? And can you give us any hints who's head-lining next year?

Bobbie Jo: Yes, we've started planning! Some of the ink is currently drying on contracts, but I can't spill the beans just yet. I can tell you that author Ann Patchett will be featured here in October, and next May we will be dedicating a new sculpture in Dowagiac as part of the festival.

Mo: Cool. Thank you so much for your time, and for your passion about the fine arts and the Dogwood Festival!

Bobbie Jo: You're more than welcome! Thank you!

Dogwood Tea

The Dogwood Tea “When East Meets West”

East meets west at the Dogwood Tea on Saturday, May 17, in the Mathews Conference Center on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College, Dowagiac MI. The entertainment begins at 12:30 with a special presentation by the Dogwood Chorale of your favorite cowboy songs. These talented singers will greet guests and set the scene from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the rotunda of the Conference Center.

Traditionally, the Tea is a blending of local talent and tea served with savories and sweets appropriate to the theme. The theme of the 2008 Tea is “When East Meets West” and will take on an 1800’s western flavor. A new feature will be the attendees bringing their favorite teacup and saucer. Why? That is one of the surprises of the afternoon.

This year a skit has been scripted by Jamie Courtney of Dowagiac; directed by Trina Ramos of Niles and will feature actors from the surrounding area. Ms. Courtney is a news correspondent and writer; Ms. Ramos is employed by the State of Michigan. Both have appeared at the Beckwith Theatre in Dowagiac. Ms. Ramos has also appeared in previous Tea productions. Niles area dancers and singers will also be featured at the event.

Tickets are $18 and are available by calling the Dogwood Festival Office at 269-782-1115, toll free at (866) 490-2847 or online at www.dogwoodfinearts.org. The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation and grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Ivan Doig

Dogwood Presents Novelist and Memoirist Ivan Doig

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival prepares to add another notable author to its impressive history on Friday, May 16, 2008. Novelist and memoirist Ivan Doig will be the 35^th literary guest in the author series 17 year line up.

Doig was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, to a family of homesteaders and ranch hands. After the death of his mother on his sixth birthday, he was raised by his father Charles "Charlie" Doig and his grandmother Elizabeth "Bessie" Ringer. After several stints on ranches, they moved to Dupuyer, Pondera County, Montana in the north to herd sheep close to the Rocky Mountain front.

After his graduation from Valier high school, he attended Northwestern University, where he received a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in journalism. He later earned a Ph.D. in American history at the University of Washington, writing his dissertation about John J. McGilvra (1827-1903). He now lives with his wife Carol Muller, a university professor of English, in Seattle, Washington.

Before Ivan Doig became a novelist, he worked as a free-lancer writing for newspapers, magazines and institutions like the United States Forest Service.

Much of his fiction is set in the Montana country of his youth. As the western landscape and people play an important role in his fiction, he has been hailed as the new dean of western literature, a worthy successor to Wallace Stegner.

Doig was recently named as one of the 100 most influential Montanans of the last century. His work includes the following historical novels and autobiographical books:

• 1979 - This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind

(National Book Award nominee)

• 1980 - Winter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America

• 1982 - The Sea Runners

• 1984 - English Creek

• 1987 - Dancing at the Rascal Fair

• 1990 - Ride With Me, Mariah Montana

• 1993 - Heart Earth

• 1996 - Bucking the Sun: A Novel

• 1999 - Mountain Time: A Novel

• 2003 - Prairie Nocturne: A Novel

These three novels form the so-called Montana trilogy, covering the first centennial of Montana's statehood from 1889 to 1989.

Doig’s most current novel, The Whistling Season, has won universal praise and has been short listed for the IMPAC prize. "The Whistling Season" is a true work of art from a master craftsman of the Western historical novel. --- Rebecca Sodergren, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ivan Doig writes about a vanished way of life on the Western plains with the kind of irony-free nostalgia that seems downright courageous in these ironic times. When a voice as pleasurable as his evokes a lost era, somehow it does not seem so lost after all. ---- Ron Charles, Washington Post

Ivan Doig is a contemporary Western writer whose works can be classified with the likes of such literary masters as Wallace Stegner and A.B. Guthrie. In his newest novel, The Whistling Season, Doig is at his best. --- Jennie A. Camp, Rocky Mountain News

K & M Machine-Fabricating Inc. of Cassopolis, MI continues their commitment to the arts in Southwest Michigan as sponsor of this event. The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation and grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (866) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Youth Fine Arts Night

Thursday, May 15, highlights the talents and skills of the Dowagiac Public Schools’ choirs, bands and art students. The event will start with an art exhibition at 6:00 PM at the Dowagiac Union High School. The Dogwood Scholarship for summer art studies will be awarded at 7:00 PM followed by choral and band performances. This event is free and open to the public.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events, call (269) 782-1115 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Dogwood Storyteller

Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival Welcomes

Award Winning Author and Storyteller

Carmen Agra Deedy

Come and enjoy acclaimed storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy. After Carmen’s school tours on Tuesday, May 13, she will offer a Master Class Workshop at Dogwood Festival Headquarters, 207 Commercial Street at 6:00 p.m. This intimate evening with Carmen costs only $10.00. Her insight and inspiration may call you to develop and tell your own family stories. On Wednesday, May 14, hear Carmen tell tales that will have you roaring with laughter and shedding a tear—often within the same sentence. This family performance takes place in the Theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building at Southwestern Michigan College and begins at 7:30 p.m.

Carmen Agra Deedy was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1963 during the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. She grew up in Decatur, Georgia. The combination of her Latin American and Southern heritage has had a rich influence upon her work.

She has charmed and mesmerized thousands of adults and children with her performances as a storyteller at schools, conferences, bookstores and museums across the country and in Canada. She has performed at the Disney Institute, on Broadway at the New Victory Theater, at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, at the Kennedy Center and at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee..

Deedy is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's "Weekend All Things Considered" and "Latino USA.” Her audio collection, Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia, was named Best Audio book--Storytelling in 1995 by Publishers Weekly, and was also the recipient of the Parents' Choice Gold Award.

She is the author of seven children's books: Agatha's Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, TreeMan, The Last Dance, The Library Dragon, The Secret of Old Zeb, and The Yellow Star. Deedy lives in Atlanta with her three daughters.

More information about Carmen Agra Deedy and her books and stories may be found on her official Web site http://carmendeedy.com/. Don’t miss this awesome opportunity to hear Carmen Agra Deedy right here in Dowagiac.

Thanks to the generous contributions of Dogwood sponsors, tickets for the family performance cost only $6.00. Securit Metal Products of Dowagiac, MI continues their commitment to the arts in Southwest Michigan. This is their eleventh consecutive year sponsoring this special family event. Also in partnership with the preschool storyteller programs are the Rotary Club of Dowagiac, Dowagiac Rotary Foundation and the Pokagon Fund.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation and grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (866) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Dogwood Presents Woodcut Print Artist Jeanine Coupe Ryding

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival presents its visual arts program Monday, May 12, 7:30 PM on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College. It’s a new format this year! Artist Jeanine Coupe Ryding will guide us through her gallery exhibit of large-scale reduction woodcut prints. She will explain the very time consuming and intricate process while allowing us to view an impressive body of work.

Tools used by the Chicago artist will be on view as well as a large-format book made by the artist, which illustrates the reduction woodcut process. A reception will follow where you may meet and talk with the artist. This event is free and open to the public.

Ryding’s work is included in many prestigious collections including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She is represented by Perimeter Gallery in Chicago. Ryding teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and at Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, Michigan.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the

St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council

for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (800) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Huntington Bank Artwork Unveiling

On Thursday, May 8, 2008 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, Huntington Bank, will host an unveiling of their newly purchased work of art by artist David Baker. This event culminates the lobby and office space renovation begun in the summer of 2005. This project also included remodeling the home office of the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival.

Cindy Rolback, Dowagiac Huntington Branch Office Manager, acquired Baker's painting to celebrate the project's completion. "David Baker was among the local artists I immediately thought of when I began my research. David has been a catalyst for art and for art education in this community for more than 25 years now. This reception is a perfect opportunity to invite the community to meet our staff, see our new facilities, meet the artist, David Baker, and just have a good time as we kick-off the Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival week."

Baker's series of paintings featuring the Dowagiac Creek are part of an on-going development of process and theme over the last seven years. He works en plein air, which means that he directly observes his subject matter at its location. "My studio is a canoe. Like any evolutionary process, the growth is best understood in hindsight," says Baker. He further states, "Often now the paintings are not confined to a small motif, but incorporate much more of the landscape. Frequently I weave together a variety of the images I find from one location. While I paint from observation, my goal is not objective truth. My hope is to come home with an image that somehow echoes the poetry of the day."

The reception will be held May 8 from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm at Huntington Bank, 205 Commercial Street, Dowagiac. This event is free and open to the public.

(photo credit, Fred Dodd of the S.B. Tribune)

Dogwood Fine Arts FestivalEvents for May 10

Saturday, May 10th is one of the busiest calendar days of the year in Dowagiac.
Here are three events for the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival that day:

Antique Appraisal Experience

Do you have an antique or collectible that you would like to learn more about,

including its value? Bring it to the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival’s Antique Appraisal Experience on Saturday, May 10, 2008, in Dowagiac, Michigan.

This clinic will star veteran antique appraiser Larry Sydow, who will value and discuss the treasures brought by all participants, in a fun, theater-in-the-round atmosphere at the Heddon Museum in Dowagiac, located at 514 West Telegraph Street. Admission is $15.00 per person, which includes a verbal, informal appraisal of the item you bring, plus a tour of the Heddon Museum. The museum features an extensive collection of fishing lures, equipment and memorabilia. If you have your own collection of Heddon fishing items bring one along for a free appraisal. Each participant will have the unique opportunity to tour a private, vintage car collection, which includes two of Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 cars, a 1932 Packard, two Stoddard Daytons and more.

The size of your antique or collectible is no object—if you can get it to themuseum, we can appraise it! Registration and museum tours begin at 1:00 PM; appraisals begin at 2:00 PM.

Toast ‘n’ Jam Event

The Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is pleased to announce that the Lake Effect Winds will perform at the 2008 Toast and Jam event. Held at the Beckwith Theatre on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 2:00 pm Michigan time, Toast and Jam is Dogwood’s way of introducing children ages 3-12 to the wonderful world of great music.

Lake Effect Winds, a woodwind quintet, is based in the St. Joseph, MI area. The quintet performs a wide variety of music ranging from Baroque and Classical to 20^th century styles such as show tunes, ragtime and patriotic. Since its formation in 1997 the group has performed for numerous civic and social events including the WAUS Second Sunday Series at Fernwood Botanical Gardens, the Riverfront Concert Series in South Haven and the Niles Concert Series at Riverfront Park.

Members of the Lake Effect Winds all live in Southwest Michigan. Jan Street of Berrien Springs plays flute; Ruthann Adams of Edwardsburg plays oboe; Melody Prather of St. Joseph plays clarinet; Warren Disbrow of Watervliet plays French horn; Lisa Bubar of Stevensville plays bassoon. All quintet members perform as soloists and most teach private music lessons.

Dogwood’s Toast and Jam event is free but due to limited seating, reservations are required.

Midwest Energy continues their commitment to the arts in Southwest Michigan. This is their sixth consecutive year of sponsoring this unique children’s event. The Dogwood Festival also welcomes The Pokagon Fund as a new sponsor for 2008.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (800) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Dancing “Outside the Box” Film Festival of Dance

The Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival presents a new twist, shimmy and plea on dance. The organization’s first film festival of dance, Dancing “Outside the Box,” will be presented Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 7:30 PM on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College.

This must see event will redefine the margins of both dance and film. Film submissions from across the nation as well as Australia, South Africa and Canada will light up the screen. These artists will share their works in short film, dance made for camera, documentaries, music videos, and adaptations of stage work. Live entertainment will include the Encore Dance Company, Positively Dance and the Excel Dance. Industry professionals will be onsite with a product fair representing resources in the dance and video/film industry. Meet and greet these artists at a punch reception immediately following.

If you enjoy the hit television shows and movies about dance, then this is a must see! Nowhere else will you expand your horizons this far and this close to home. Tickets are $10 adults and $8 for students and seniors.

Imperial Furniture of Dowagiac, continues their commitment to the arts in Southwest Michigan. This is their eleventh consecutive year of sponsoring the dance event. The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship by the St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (800) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Married Alive

Friday, May 9, at 7:30 PM the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival features The Beckwith Theatre’s presentation of Married Alive. This musical comedy scrutinizes marriage by comparing two couples, one newly wed and one – let’s say 'experienced. ' Follow these two couples “from Niagara to Viagra" at The Beckwith Theatre Company located at 100 New York Ave., Dowagiac, MI. Tickets are $12.

Melissa Clanton and Scot PJ MacDonald play newlyweds, Erin and Paul. Libby Jerz and Scott Swisher portray Diane and Ron a more seasoned couple. Jihye Lewis will accompany on the piano.

Chicago native Sean Grennan created the book and lyrics. "Married Alive" is one of many collaborations with Leah Okimoto, composer of music for the play. Their subsequent work together includes "A Dog's Life" and "Another Night Before Christmas." They are currently at work on "1st and Ten," a high school football musical.

"Married Alive" is directed by Jim Keech, Jordan Eby designed sound and lighting, with technical assistance from Maycie Boyle. Paul Pugh, George Spelvin, Kay Hilligoss, Allen Scott, Leigh Simmons, Mike Mulligan and David Kilkenny constructed and decorated sets for the two acts. Altman Parnel and Elizabeth Tucker provide voice over’s.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events, call (269) 782-1115 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Dogwood Festival Starts Next Friday

THE 17^th ANNUAL

DOWAGIAC DOGWOOD FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

MAY 9-17

A week-long celebration of the arts will commence on Friday, May 9, as the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival kicks off with a presentation of the musical comedy, “Married Alive!”

at the Beckwith Theatre. This year’s festival will be the seventeenth and will once again feature artists and performers representing a wide range of artistic genres.

Saturday, May 10, will be a busy day as three festival events take place. Toast ‘n’ Jam will feature Lake Effect Winds at 2:00 PM at the Beckwith Theatre. The event is designed for children ages 3-12 and tickets are free, but seating is limited.

Larry Sydow, a nationally certified antiques appraiser, will conduct an appraisal clinic at 2:00 PM at the Heddon Museum. Tickets are $15.00 and the event will include a tour of the museum from 1:00 - 2:00 PM.

Saturday will finish with Dancing “Outside the Box,” a video and film festival of dance featuring not only select artists from around the world in short film, but live dancing from members of the Encore Dance Company and Excel Dance. The event begins at 7:30 PM and will take place at the Theatre in the Dale A. Lyons Building on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for students

and seniors.

Chicago artist Jeanine Coupe-Ryding works in two artistic genres: large scale reduction woodcut prints and collage and will present a free gallery tour to the public on Monday, May 12, at the Theatre in the Dale A. Lyons Building. The program begins at 7:30 PM.

Entertaining thousands of adults and children alike, storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy will make two appearances. On Tuesday, May 13, she will conduct a master class workshop at the Dogwood Festival Headquarters in the Huntington Bank building at 207 Commercial Street, Dowagiac. She will also give a Family Performance on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:30 PM in the Theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building. The Workshop

is $10 and the family performance is $6.

Youth Fine Arts Night will take place on Thursday, May 15 at the Dowagiac Union High School. Student artwork will be showcased and the choir, chorus, and bands will all perform. Exhibits open at 6:00 PM and the event is free and open to the public.

Novelist and memoirist Ivan Doig will appear on Friday, May 16, at 7:30 PM at the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center. Much of Doig’s writings are set in the

Montana country of his youth and he has been hailed as the new dean of western literature. His best-selling memoir, “House of Sky, the Landscape of a Western Mind,” is

a National Book Award nominee. Tickets range from $20.00 to $60.00 with the premium seats including a private reception with the author.

Saturday, May 17, the festival ends with two great events. A long-time tradition of surprise, entertainment and fun is the tea. This year’s theme and title is “When East Meets West.” This event will take place in the Mathews Conference Center on the Campus of Southwestern Michigan College. Pre-show entertainment with the Dogwood Chorale begins at 12:30 PM and the tea begins at 1:00 PM. Tickets are $18.

The festival ends with a performance by legendary folk music singer/songwriter, Arlo Guthrie. Best known for such songs as “Alice’s Restaurant,” “Coming Into Los Angeles,” and “City of New Orleans,” Guthrie’s appearance will mark the final stop on his “Solo Reunion Tour - Together at Last” which began in July of 2007. The performance begins at 7:30 PM and will take place in the middle school Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25.00, $35.00, and $50.00.

For more information on any or all of these events contact the Dogwood Festival office at 782-1115;

toll free: (866) 490-2847; or tickets may be purchased on-line at www.dogwoodfinearts.org

# # #

For further information, interviews, press passes, Dogwood logo and artist photos

call (866) 490-2847. Thank you for your assistance,

the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is a non-profit arts and education organization.

Today's Events

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians invites the general public to attend the first of several fundraisers that will benefit the Band’s annual Labor Day pow-wow.

An afternoon of fine dining and entertainment is scheduled on Saturday, April 19th from 4-6 pm at the Wood Fire Restaurant, 134 S. Front St., Dowagiac. An all- inclusive served meal will start the event, followed by a traditional Native American dance demonstration that features two Pokagon Band young adults.

Teresa Magnuson, a woman’s fancy shawl dancer and Marcus Winchester, a traditional male dancer, will demonstrate various styles of dance. A silent auction wraps up the event. Included in the auction will be a cedar box crafted by Gerald Wesaw, a Pokagon elder, two books about Pokagon culture and history, various gift certificates to Zeke’s, Wood Fire and other local restaurants, a portrait package and a variety of other items.

Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased at the door.
Included in the ticket price is the choice of one of four entrees: ribs, pot roast, cod fritti or wild mushroom lasagna (vegetarian selection), soup or salad, bread and a beverage.

Kevin Daugherty, Pokagon Band tribal citizen and powwow committee member says,
“We’re excited that the tribe will once again be hosting its annual powwow on tribal land. It was a big event for us last year to host the powwow for the first time ever on tribal land. One of the benefits of doing so is to be able to reach out to the nearby community and let them know who we are. The upcoming fundraiser is another opportunity for the tribe to reach out to the community in a positive way. The fundraiser will also help the powwow to be self-reliant.”

This year’s pow-wow dates are Aug. 30 & 31, the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., the Dogwood Chorale will perform in the
Theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College. Tickets for the evening performance are $10 general admission at the door.

This evening concert features choral music that includes a wide variety of styles including classical, rock, pop, musical theatre and country. The ensemble consists of professional singers with extensive performance backgrounds, and is under the direction of David Carew, Director of Choral Activities at Southwestern Michigan College.

Proceeds from the concert support the Dogwood Middle School Choral Camp in July.

This day camp is a one-week music workshop designed to develop and encourage the art of choral/vocal music among middle school students. Contact the Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival for concert or camp information and applications.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship by the
St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Councilor Arts and Cultural Affairs. For more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events, visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.

Dogwood Chorale

On Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., the Dogwood Chorale will perform in the
Theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College. Tickets for the evening performance are $10 general admission at the door.

This evening concert features choral music that includes a wide variety of styles including classical, rock, pop, musical theatre and country. The ensemble consists of professional singers with extensive performance backgrounds, and is under the direction of David Carew, Director of Choral Activities at Southwestern Michigan College.

Proceeds from the concert support the Dogwood Middle School Choral Camp in July.

This day camp is a one-week music workshop designed to develop and encourage the art of choral/vocal music among middle school students. Contact the Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival for concert or camp information and applications.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship by the
St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Councilor Arts and Cultural Affairs. For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events, call (269) 782-1115, (800) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.