What a great looking crew! Northwoods Arts Council is working hard behind the scenes gearing up for our exciting event featuring Josh Duffee and his Big Band playing the music of Frank Sinatra with Jazz Vocalist Jason Richards. Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9, 7:30 PM. Tickets are available on the website, Southside, Swanson's and the Chamber of Commerce.
Opened the doors for Walker-Hackensack-Akeley middle - and high school students In anticipation of our Sinatra! Festival Josh Duffee and singer Jason Richards worked with students in area schools. Here is a link to the write up in the WalkerMN paper.
Artisians and Crafters being sought for our 22nd Annual Arts and Book Festival. An application can be found here or on our website nachackensack.org.
Thank you for your interest in the Northwoods Arts Council's "Singing Sinatra" Vocal Competition. We are very excited to host vocalist Jason Richards with the Josh Duffee Big Band on July 7th and 8th for our "Sinatra!" music festival. This vocal competition is open to both ladies and gentleman who are in high school, and you do not need to participate in/or be a member of your high school band or choir program to be accepted to audition for this competition. This event is FREE to all area high school students interested in auditioning. Click here for more information.
Congratulations to our Best of Show, Best Display, Spirit of the North and Most Creative Winners!
The Northwoods Arts Council (NAC) is excited to announce the return of the 'Hackensack Hot Jazz Festival' on July 8-9, 2016. The 2015 festival was a sizzling success, where guests enjoyed the music of Josh Duffee & his Big Band, plus dancing and refreshments.
Josh is regarded as one of the world’s greatest 1920’s style percussionists. He performs at numerous jazz festivals and concerts worldwide, and we’re lucky to get him back! Josh and his band take great pride in authentically representing 1920’s -1940’s jazz and big band era music.
Josh’s reputation in the live music world enables him to bring us talented, professional musicians who have played with Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Mel Torme, Buddy DeFranco, Louie Bellson, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Henry Mancini, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Wayne Newton, Randy Brecker, The Four Tops, and many more!
This year's festival will focus on popular music from the Big Band Era, and is guaranteed to appeal to music fans of all ages. We anticipate that once again, music fans will flock to Hackensack to see this quality entertainment.
We greatly appreciated the financial support we received from our community last year and are looking forward to an equally successful even this year.
To donate to NAC and/or volunteer for the festival, please call Linda at 218-363-3634.
Ticket sales are now available in Hackensack at Loons Unlimited, Southside and Swansons, and here on the website.
Advanced ticket sales online only.
Hackensack has been part of my life for 53 years. Our family would visit my husband's parents at a small cabin during the fishing opener, and some weekends in the summer. Eventually, Hackensack became our home after we retired. While Snowbirding in AZ I received a letter in the year 2000 from Joanne Morén and Ann DeGray asking me to join the chorus of "The Ballad of Lucette". It was so much fun! I was hooked, joined the Northwoods Arts Council that year and soon became treasurer for NAC.
I have made many good friends in the community since I have joined. Although, I love to sing, I really do not have an artistic ability, but I do have organizational skills for behind the scenes, and an exceptional talent for volunteering. (Shirley is also treasurer for three other local organizations.)
After I retired from the St. Cloud school district in 2004, my husband and I moved to the Hackensack area. Not knowing anyone up here, we set out to meet people by joining: our lake association, church, Lions, Legion and the Northwoods Arts Council which we knew would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I am not a singer, writer or actress but that didn't stop me from participating in a few of the summer plays, Ballad of Lucette and Vista View, performed by our NAC. This past summer we brought in outside talent, Josh Duffee and his "Big Band" sound Orchestra, for a rousing weekend of jazz which was loved by all who attended. In fact, with financial support from our community, we are planning to have Josh back next summer for a two day event in July.
NAC also holds the Art and Book Festival in August which gives local artists and authors the opportunity to show and sell their work. We members organize, set up, tear down and do just about anything else which needs to be done when putting on an event. It is work but thanks to the terrific people who belong to this organization, it is also very rewarding. Hackensack wouldn't be the same without the NAC who is actively "Bringing the Arts to Life" in our northwoods.
Northwoods Arts Council Announces 2016 Hackensack Hot Jazz Festival
The Northwoods Arts Council (NAC) is excited to announce the return of the "Hackensack Hot Jazz Festival" on July 8-9, 2016. The 2015 festival was a sizzling success, where guests enjoyed the music of Josh Duffee & His Big Band, plus dancing and refreshments.
Josh is regarded as one of the world’s greatest 1920’s style percussionists. He performs at numerous jazz festivals and concerts world-wide, and we’re lucky to get him back! Josh and his band take great pride in authentically representing 1920’s -1940’s jazz and big band era music.
The NAC is a non-profit organization based in Hackensack, dedicated to “bringing the arts to life” in our area. If you’d like to help bring this popular event back in 2016 by making a donation to the NAC and/or volunteering for the festival, please call Linda at 218-363-3634. For more information about the NAC, please visit our website www.northwoodsartscouncil.org. For more information on Josh Duffee, please visit www.joshduffee.com.
Linda Kieffer is an oil painter and has been with the Northwoods Arts Council since 2007. She began painting in 2000 at the Edina Art Center where she served on the board for ten years and chair/co-founded the Edina Public Art Commitee. A retired clinical nutritionist, Linda moved to Backus full-time from the cities. She has an in-home studio and enjoys painting all subject matter. Portraiture is a favorite, especially pets. Linda was also instrumental in bringing 'Sculptures in the Park' to Hackensack. Commissions are always welcomed! Contact Linda at: all.kieffer@tds.net.
As a member of Northwoods Arts Council since 2001, Myra has been an active artist in the community of Hackensack, doing the children’s art booth at the Annual Art & Book Festival.
She attended the Minneapolis College of Art & Design in Minneapolis, along with workshops and classes with various artists in the area.
Married, with five children, she worked with her husband in his business while raising the family and pursuing art “on the side.
She began teaching oil painting classes in the northern suburbs where she later opened her own Studio/Art Storein Spring Lake Park for nine years where she also taught oils, calligraphy, portrait painting, drawing, and pen & ink. Along withteaching classes in the suburbs of Moundsview, St. Louis Park, Anoka, and Coon Rapids.
After moving to Hackensack, she opened an Art Gallery in Hackensack with two partners called the Working Artist Gallery in the Book Nook Store. The Working Artist Gallery featured the work of local artists, each partner taught classes in various mediums, children’s art, and also featured workshops with a bigger name artist brought in.
Myra has been active in the annual Arts Off 84 Art Crawl. Pine River Art club, Casino Art Show, The Working Artist Gallery and currentlyshowingat the Artisan’s Mall in Walker. She works primarily in acrylics, and mixed media, also painting purses and doing wire wrap jewelry.
For receiving a grant and donation for the Jazz festival this coming summer, featuring Josh Duffee and his Orchestra, July 8-9, 2016. Thank you to Itasca Mantrap and the Hackensack Lions Club for their generous donations. Please consider a donation to this wonderful event.
In the spring of 2013, the Northwoods Arts Council invited local sculptors to display their artwork for a special contest in Hackensack. The sculptures were installed outside in the Lakeside Park and along the Paul Bunyan Trail in downtown Hackensack. Visitors were invited to vote for their favorite sculpture throughout the summer (either at a voting kiosk or by mail). The winning sculpture, receiving the most votes, was Tool Shed by artist Al Belleveau. Other artists participating were: Chris Gustafson (“El Toro”), Tim Cassidy (“Fertile Flight” and “Stegomorph”) and Andy Arend (“Large Mouth Bass”).
Anne Pavlik is a retired teacher from the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley school district where she taught physical education/dance for 34 years. She has been a member of the NAC for 7 years and currently serves as secretary of the organization.
Sue Ready is a freelance writer, poet and former middle school teacher. She has a food blog called Ever Ready and writes a twice-monthly food column The Seasonal Plate for the Pilot Independent, Walker, MN. Sue publishes dog stories The World According to Bella. Check out her links below.
Sue has belonged to NAC for 7 years. She is the poetry chair for NAC and the current president.
