| NEWS FROM THE ERICKSON CENTER |
A Look at 2009 by Tom Hoogterp
The Erickson Center for the Arts rounded out it's 2009 schedule of events on December 17 and 18 with a couple musical performances that symbolize the diversity of the year's events. Thursday evening featured the students of the Three Lakes Academy singing their way through a presentation of Christmas Around the World before a full house of eager and appreciative parents and friends. The stage was assembled on the north end of the great hall for spoken student messages, songs, and costumes representing every place north of Antarctica. The final show was warm, cozy and peaceful in front of the fireplace, (at the south end of the hall.) John Latini and Jamie-Sue Seal made their presentation sweet and traditional for a small group Friday nighters. The duo began with their set with a Latini original, Christmas in Michigan and maintained the friendly mood through their final number, the Louis Armstrong classic It's a Wonderful World.
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The two events completed a successful year at the center in it's first full year of operation. The Erickson Center brought music to the area year around with its Music in the Park series during the summer and Music in the Erickson Center dates when snow and wind sends singers and fans to the warmth of the stone fireplace inside. Other musical events ranged from a Jeff Daniel's concert to formal recital of Ruth Hill's music students from the area.
Other stage shows included the Yooper Home Companion variety show in the winter, the wild and raucous Follywood, and the Portage Players Fish and Visitors a full length play in July.
The center's activities weren't limited to the performing arts, however. The Midwest Sled Dog Symposium drew people to the area from surrounding states, a huge Christmas Craft bazaar filled the hall during "Curtis Aglow, and folks swing their hips and tapped their toes on the portable dance floor during two sessions of ballroom dance classes. Add a triathlon, a puppetry workshop, a photography contest, water color workshop and even a glorified yard sale and you get an idea of what the Center's first full year was all about. |
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Administrative Assistant Melissa Ronquist estimates the building was in use about a hundred days last year. The administrative offices, formerly called the Park Center, hosts craft groups, meetings and activities, including the Helen Newberry Joy Wellness Center, on a daily basis. The accomplishments of the organization are owed to the efforts ofvolunteers. "It's amazing," says Ronquist, "what a dedicated small group can accomplish." The Erickson Center for the Arts is overseen by a 14 member volunteer board of directors, and virtually all the operations of the facility, from cleaning to serving to moving chairs to locking up when everyone has gone home, is performed by volunteers.
Kaye Rasnake holds the title of volunteer coordinator. She counts about 125 active volunteers. Among that group are those referred to as "worker bees" who take charge of certain events and see that everything is in order. Between the musical presentations of December 17 and 18 for example, chairs, stage, lights and sound system had to be moved from on end of the hall to the other, in addition to normal cleaning chores. Bud and Kelly Chamberlain and Linda Soder handled that particular task, but every event on the busy schedule requires a similar commitment of volunteers. "We look at each event," explains Rasnake, "and see what it's going to take.. .We're always looking for people!" In recognition of that, a volunteer recognition night was added to the schedule.
Other improvements around the grounds include an new rail fence, new signs from the Newberry High School Wood Shop, additional flower gardens, and sections of a new performance stage.
Behind the scenes the board of directors has been expanded, a promotional DVD produced, and a business sponsorship program developed. And still the work is just beginning. Sound, stage and lighting systems are high on next year's priority list. Rooms in the lower level of the center remain in the roughed-in stage. Plans for new events in the 2010 season include a writer's workshop and a youth gymnastics recital in May, classical string music in August and The Great Midwest Irish Gathering from September 30 to October 3. Organizers aren't satisfied yet. "One of the goals has been to try to increase programming for children," Ronquist announced. That is, if there are dates available. | |
 
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