a special publication to the globe & the bulletinsections.dglobe.com/pdfs/fest.pdf · mama...

a special publication to the globe & the bulletin

ENVOY LEVEL

DIPLOMAT LEVEL

AMBASSADOR LEVEL

EMISSARY LEVELMarthaler Automotive • Down’s Food Group • Monogram Meat Snacks • U-Care • Worthington Elks Lodge #2287

Walmart • Worthington Optimists • Comfort Suites • Worthington Area Foundation • Nobles County Rural Electric Trust

STATESMAN LEVELNickel & Associates Insurance Agency • First State Bank Southwest • Bank of the West • Re/Max Premier Realty

Transicion Salon• Threads & Decor Consignment • Dingmann Funeral Home & Cremation Services Bob & Steve’s Holiday • McDonald’s • El Mexicano • Rodney Sankey • The Daily Apple • Sein Asia

Karen Family Asian Market • Elaine Watson • Pawn - It Pawn Shop • Jerry & Terry PerkinsOTHER

Buffalo Billfold • Panaderia Mi Tierra • Hedeen, Hughes & Wetering • Worthington Footwear & Repair Nienkerk Construction Co. Inc. • Johnson Jewelry

IN KINDNobles County • Nobles County Integration Collaborative • ArtMobile • City of Worthington • John Nordell

University of MN 4-H Clubs of Nobles County • Worthington Boy ScoutsWorthington Young Professionals Network • Worthington Police Department

A special thank you to all of the following contributors & sponsors. We could not do this without your support!

REPRESENTATIVE LEVELHoliday Inn Express & Suites • Worthington Regional Economic Development Corporation

Hibbitt Sports of Worthington • First State Insurance Agency SW • Fulda Area Credit UnionAvera Medical Group Worthington • Ron’s Repair • Oxford Tax Service • Butterfield Foods Company

Newell Orthodontics, P.A. • HyVee of Worthington • Immigration Law Center of Minnesota • Casey’s General Stores Prime Pork • Top Asian Foods • Wells Fargo • American Family Insurance - Scott Langerud Agency

State Farm Insurance - Jason Vote / Jessica Noble • Worthington Federal Savings BankHy-Vee of Worthington • Lupazo Mexican Grill

Volunteers, Committee Members, and those we have missed

C2 Saturday, July 7, 2018 — The Globe

Farmer’s Market with Cultural Growers, Food Demonstrations, SamplesChildren’s Activities with Nobles Co 4-H, Container GardensBarbary Coast Dixieland Band PerformsBean Bag Tournament Sponsored by Worthington Young Professionals & Reg. Dev. Activity GroupLocal Business Sponsors BoothsArtisans Booths Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History Presents: ZooMobile - Sponsored by Worthington OptimistsWorthington Police Basketball and Hockey Lime Tree CircusYouth Talent Showcase – Kiana NordbyYouth Talent Showcase – Samara NordbyArtMobile - Sponsored in part by Worthington Elks Lodge #2287Bollywood Dance Scene PerformsKaren Singers/Dancers PerformYouth Talent Showcase – Quinn BenzYouth Talent Showcase – Grace HolmbeckSean Benz PerformsAnuak Dancers PerformFour Pints Shy PerformsChildren’s balloon entertainment with Mr. TwisterYouth Talent Showcase – Kiara and Kalea AppelYouth Talent Showcase – Kalea AppelFriend of the Festival Presentation – Elaine WatsonLao Musicians PerformYouth Talent Showcase – Lexia SykesYouth Talent Showcase – David SternkeYouth Talent Showcase – Rachel Van DykeYouth Talent Showcase – Aryana BaccamPan-Handlers Steel Drum Band Performs

Opening Ceremony Children’s Activities with NCICBean Bag Tournament Sponsored by Worthington Young Professionals & Reg. Dev. Activity GroupFriend of the Festival Presentation to JBS, Inc.Aztec Dancers PerformMariachi Mi Tierra MN PerformBallet Folklorico Mexico Azteca PerformMariachi Mi Tierra Perform

8:00 am – 11:00 am9:00 am – 11:00 am

11:00 am – 12:00 pm12:00 pm

11:00 am – 5:00 pm11:00 am – 5:00 pm 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

12:00 pm – 3:00 pm 12:05 pm – 12:35 pm12:35 pm – 12:45 pm12:45 pm – 12:55 pm

1:00 pm– 4:00 pm1:00 pm – 2:00 pm2:05 pm – 2:35 pm2:35 pm– 2:45 pm2:45 pm –2:55 pm

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm3:30 pm – 4:00 pm4:00 pm – 5:00 pm5:00 pm – 7:00 pm5:05 pm – 5:15 pm5:15 pm – 5:25 pm5:30 pm –5:35 pm

5:45 pm – 6:15 pm6:15 pm – 6:25 pm6:25 pm – 6:35 pm6:35 pm – 6:45 pm6:45 pm – 6:55 pm7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

5:30 pm – 6:15 pm 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

6:00 pm

6:15 pm – 6:20 pm6:25 pm – 6:55 pm7:00 pm – 7:45 pm8:00 pm – 8:45 pm8:45 pm – 9:00 pm

SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2018

FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2018SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOOD VENDORS

ZnZ BBQMama Watzz West Texas BBQ

Taste of LiberiaNathalie and Hannah’s Cuisine – Caribbean

Queen ShebaWorthington Lions Club

Long BranchSocorro

Taste of LaosSibley Tropical Snow

Gyros and MoreSDSU Ice CreamOlivia’s Pupusas

FARMERS MARKETFood demos & samples throughout the morning.

Saturday, July 14 • 8:00 am - 11:00 am

ARTISANS Karen

Mexican – 2Guatemalan – Familia Juntas

OromoAnuak/Anywaa

Scandinavian – Hardanger EmbroideryNorwegian – Rose Mauling

Indian – HennaManos Unidas

Asian, African, Latin American – 10,000 VillagesThailandHmong

World Mart – African Clothing and JewelryAlicia’s – Sterling Silver Handmade Jewelry

EritreanWood Carving

Children’s Color Activity

Saturday, July 14 • 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

LOCAL SPONSOR BOOTHSSaturday, July 14 • 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Informational booths from local business & festivals sponsors

The Globe — Saturday, July 7, 2018 C3


By Julie [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — Twenty-five years ago, a small group of Worthington residents began a dialogue about integrating new immigrants into the community.

There were a handful of topics to address, ranging from orienting the newcomers to the community, to housing, education and law enforcement. Jerry Perkins who, with his wife, Terry, were among the group’s early participants, said what came of those meetings was a decision to focus on social interaction — friendship — with the immigrants.

The integration effort was led by then-Worthington Mayor Bob Demuth Sr., with then-ISD 518 Community Education Director Jerry Fiola facilitating meetings of what Jerry Perkins called the “Party Hearty” group.

The group, which included the Perkins, David and Sally Ann Benson, the Demuths and others, welcomed the immigrants — most from Asian countries including Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam — to gatherings that included food, music and games.

“We held a few meals in different

locations and we got together and played some Mexican card games,” Jerry Perkins said. “The festival just grew out of that.”

The first ever International Festival was organized at the Worthington Middle School. There was music and food, and within a few years, soccer matches were added to the itinerary with many Hispanics joining the soccer contest.

“We had teams coming from as far away as San Diego,” Perkins said, adding that the festival remained at the middle school grounds for the first five years before moving to Buss Field and eventually to the Courthouse Square in downtown Worthington.

Flatbed wagons were used as stages on the track behind the school in those early years, and Mike Potter became a festival fixture as he sang, “God Bless America.” As a nod to Potter’s International Festival roots, he will be singing that very song during the festival’s opening ceremony at 5:30 p.m. July 13.

In addition to the music, food and games, the festival also included cultural displays, primarily items that represented the heritage of those in attendance.

From humble beginnings to huge successInternational Festival grows friendships, understanding

Special to The Globe

Youngsters have fun while learning about Chinese culture during the 2015 International Festival.

HISTORY: Page C5

“We brought in our artifacts and crafts from Chile and Bolivia,” Perkins said of their collections while serving in the Peace Corps. “Others brought in Scandinavian things.

“There was minimal participation by the new immigrant groups at that point — that was one of our struggles,” he added.

The cultural booths have remained a part of the festival, while the variety of musical entertainment and food booths have expanded from those early years.

“We’re really amazed at how it has evolved,” Perkins said. “I don’t remember what our expectations were. I know we had some hopes that we would get more new immigrant participation.

“We are really elated that we have an event that celebrates our diversity,” he added.

The Bensons volunteered with the

festival for its first 14 years. David said they started with an idea to pull people together around food, music and soccer, and eventually soccer took off independently of the festival.

“We had no idea (it would grow into what it is today),” Benson said. “We were just hoping to get things going. It’s been wonderful to see the community come together and celebrate all the cultures.”

District 518 Community Education Coordinator Anne Foley has helped plan Worthington’s International Festival for several years. She said the event, now celebrating its 25th year, is more important than ever, moving forward, to promote acceptance and positive relationships.

“In the political climate, this is more important than ever — to come together and figure out how to live together,” she said. “Nobody’s going anywhere.”

WORTHINGTON DISTRICT 518 COMMUNITY EDUCATION

West Learning Center117 11th Avenue

Worthington, MN 56187Phone: (507) 376-6105 • www.isd518.net/enrichment

District 518 Community Education

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Celebrating our diversity, honoring our past, and embracing our future makes perfect “cents”

and is what makes our community great.

229 10th Street • Worthington, MN • 507-372-2933 224 10th Street • Brewster, MN • 507-842-5933

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A pair of girls enjoy each other’s company during the 2011 International Festival in Worthington.

HISTORYFrom Page C4

By Karl [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — Friday night at the 25th annual Worthington International Festival is a Mexican extravaganza.

Mariachi Mi Tierra MN, a traditional Mexican mariachi band from Minneapolis, will take the stage alongside Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca, a traditional Mexican dance group.

Tradition is the very reason Mariachi Mi Tierra came to be. In 2000, Rosalio Castro moved from Mexico to the Twin Cities, and with more than a decade of mariachi experience under his belt, he wasted no time starting a new group.

Castro made sure to pass on his passion to the next generation. His son, Eduardo Castro, grew up around music, first learning to play seriously at 10 years old.

At 22 years of age, Castro has been director of his father’s group for four years. Currently studying music at the University of Minnesota, Castro can play every single mariachi instrument — the violin, trumpet, guitar, guitarrón (a large six-string bass) and vihuela (similar in sound to the ukulele).

“I have to, so I can be the director, so I can teach others,” Castro said.

Castro leads a group of 10 members, including his father Rosalio, a trumpet player. He writes all of the group’s arrangements, which his group has to memorize within a few weeks.

Traditional Mexican music kicks off Friday night

Special to The GlobeMembers of Mariachi Mi Tierra MN are pictured performing.

EXTRAVAGANZA: Page C8

Special to The GlobePictured are members of Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca.

By Ryan [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — If one feels as if they’ve walked into a small corner of New Orleans while strolling through Worthington next Saturday morning, they’ll have the Barbary Coast Dixieland Showband to thank.

The Twin Cities-area ensemble will take the stage from 11 a.m. to noon July 14 to kick off the second day of entertainment for Worthington’s International Festival, which is being hosted for the 25th year. While the community festival is marking a notable anniversary, the Barbary Coast Dixieland Showband has been around more than twice as long, however — and is in the midst of celebrating with a farewell tour.

“In the spring of 1967, Jimmy Theros (restaurant owner in St. Paul), Shirley Erdman (insurance executive) and Dave Wesley (dentist /banjoist) met for their customary lunch at Jimmy’s Highland Park Restaurant,” notes a section of the band’s website, http://barbary-coast.com, devoted to the group’s history.

“For the past few weeks they had been discussing re-opening the old

Golden Garter restaurant on Navy Island in St. Paul. ... The Golden Garter, which overlooked the Mississippi River, had been closed since the 1965 flood. Dave had performed there in the early ’60s as leader of the Levee Loungers before going on to Diamond Jims, after which he retired from the music business to pursue his dentistry career full-time.

“Dave was reluctant at first, but then agreed on the condition that he could have a five-banjo band with tuba and drums, and that they would perform only on Friday and Saturday nights. The lineup included Dave Wesley, Dick Petersen, Dave Gaitley, Gene Lundgren, and Dick Ross on banjo, with Eddie Bauer on tuba and Carter Joadwine on drums.”

Today, Petersen — who plays both banjo and guitar — is the band’s leader and lone original member. He is (according to the band’s website) one of the few left-handed banjoists in the country. He and his wife, Carol, also take care of all the bookings and administrative duties.

Russ Peterson, who joined the band in 1976, is on trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, sax, bass and vocals

and “can even play two instruments simultaneously.” Also joining the band in 1976 was Tom Andrews, who has played drums with many popular dixieland bands at jazz festivals and contributed both drums and clarinet to the Barbary Coast Dixieland Showband.

Jim ten Bensel, who’s on trombone, cornet and vocals, has been in the band even longer than Peterson and Andrews, joining the ensemble in 1970. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Minnesota, and has taught vocal and instrumental at all levels from elementary to college. As a performer, he has toured with Henry Mancini, Stan Kenton, and Ralph Marterie; he has backed up folks like Bob Hope, Vikki Carr, Red Skelton, John Davidson and others.

Also in the band are Steve Bekel, the group’s youngest member (he joined in 1996),

on trombone and bass, and Fred Richardson (joined 2009) on clarinet, bass, sax, banjo and vocals.

The Barbary Coast Dixieland Showband has multiple performances dates lined up across Minnesota this summer. Among them are several church services.

“In 1984, the band started playing dixieland church services for their own churches and it wasn’t long before they were invited to participate in other churches as well,” the band’s website explains. “Over the past 30 years, they have regularly provided this musical ministry involving over 40 Sundays each year. Their mission is to ‘Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord,’ and their music provides an uplifting experience for both the musicians and the congregation.”

Additionally, “the band is convinced that the fundamental rules for a jazz band really apply to living a Christian life.” Those rules include:

► The band exists for the good of all its members.

► Everyone listens to each other and plays to compliment what the other members are playing. There are no super stars and mutual respect for the ability of each player is evident.

► What is being stated musically comes from the heart. The instruments are an extension of each musician.

► If the music sounds good and seems to “swing” by itself, then there is harmony and no discord. Remember the song, “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing, In Perfect Harmony?”

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We’re here for you.

507-372-2921 • 800-881-1473 • AveraWorthington.org


Barbary Coast Dixieland Showband to perform Saturday at festival

Special to The GlobeThe Barbary Coast Dixieland Band has been performing for 51 years and is in the midst of a farewell tour.

Dixieland sound coming to Worthington

By Ryan [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — The entertainment lineup for Saturday, July 14 at the 25th annual International Festival includes dixieland jazz, Irish-tinged folk and Caribbean steel drums.

Fans of dance, though, needn’t feel left out. A few hours after a Friday evening performance from Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca, Bollywood Dance Scene (BDS) will take the stage on the grounds of the Nobles County Government Center from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday.

According to the ensemble’s website (bollywoodscene.org), the Twin Cities-based unit first formed six years ago.

“Bollywood Dance Scene was formed in 2012 by Divya Maiya, Rashi Mangalick and Jinal Vakil, three dynamic Indian dancers who wanted to share their love of movement and Indian culture with their neighbors and friends,” the group’s website explains. “The trio took on dance choreography projects with growing scale, complexity and team size. Their dancers have performed at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Festival of Nations and other venues that define the cultural scene in Minnesota.”

Two years later, BDS created the first live Bollywood dance drama to be performed at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. “Hi! Hello! Namaste?”, which featured more than 50 cast members, “was the highest ticket selling show of the 2014 festival,” according to the BDS website. Bollywood Dance Scene presented “Spicy Masala Chai” at the 2015 Minnesota Fringe Festival; it was another hot ticket.

BDS “promotes cultural understanding through dance and

community involvement,” its website adds.

“BDS organized Minneapolis’ One Billion Rising to End Violence Against Women events in 2013-14 and partnered with Out in the Backyard, an organization that helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ) to counter isolation by connecting them with each other and community resources,” notes the website. “With two to four community-based performances monthly, their unique style of optimistic social activism — promoting inclusion and diversity — is both effective and infectious.”

Today, Maiya is president of the BDS Board of Directors, and Vakil is its vice president. The ensemble’s mission is to celebrate “cultural diversity and social harmony in the community through the joyful medium of dance, performing arts and related South Asian cultural traditions.” Its vision is to envision “a society which celebrates artistic expression and cultural diversity, wherein all people feel an abiding sense of welcome, safety, empowerment and community.”

Next month, BSS will present the second annual Bollywood Performing Arts Festival, titled “MinneUtsav,” from Aug. 17-26. The event will feature a full-length dance/drama production titled “Land of Maaya,” the South-Asian-focused improvisation comedy show BollyProv, and other workshops and performances. “Land of Maaya” concerns the story of Nisha, a blind teenager raised by a single mom in India. Nisha introduces the audience to an imaginary world that also holds answers to the real-life problems she faces. Through choreography and compelling storytelling, the play draws attention to the need for treating

people with disabilities with respect.BDS also hosts dance classes from

7 to 8:30 p.m. inside the Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis. And, of course, it makes time to make visits to communities such as Worthington, where its mission and vision fits the theme of the International Festival perfectly.

“Bollywood is inspired by various dance forms like classical, folk, as well as street dances,” Maiya explained an interview that can be read in its entirety at https://www.pollenmidwest.org/

opportunities/every-dance-is-a-story.

“So it’s a huge mash-up of those forms along with hip-hop, belly dancing and jazz,” she added. “It does not conform to any strict format. People of all age groups can dance together. It does not require partners. It is over-the-top ridiculous, and you need that to forget all the serious and grim happenings in your life.”

Forgetting the “serious” and the “grim” — that sounds ideal for a summer weekend festival.

E-mail: [email protected]

507-372-29191-800-279-2919

Worthington Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

1121 Third Ave., Worthington, MN

WELCOME TO THE

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

WELCOME TO THE

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

LODGING • DINING • SHOPPING

FOR MORE FUN ... Farm to Table – July 24

Nobles County Fair – August 1-5Crusin Downtown – August 14

King Turkey Day – September 14 & 15Halloween at Pioneer Village – October 27

Christmas at Pioneer Village – December 7 & 8

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Hooray for BollywoodBollywood Dance Scene celebrates cultural diversity, inclusion

Special to The GlobeBollywood Dance Scene

“Most of our music is memorized — that’s what makes our job easier when interacting with people, having them sing along,” Castro said. “We don’t have any sheet music in front of us usually. That’s part of what makes mariachi different from all genres.”

The group plays at all kinds of events, including weddings, q u i n c e a n e r a s , birthday parties, festivals — wherever people want to hear them.

“That’s mariachi — it brings happiness wherever we go,” Castro said.

For Castro, mariachi is the purest form of traditional Mexican music, as it has been around for more than a century and hasn’t deviated from its roots.

“Mariachi is 100 percent authentic Mexican music,” Castro said. “Wherever you go, if you hear trumpet, violin, you already know that’s related to Mexico. I’m

not against any other genres, but I think this is the genre that represents Mexico more than anything in terms of art.

“Traditional dance — that and mariachi are the two iconic things from Mexico.”

Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca is just that. Founded by Edgar Galvan in 2008, the group strives to preserve the culture of Mexico through traditional dance routines.

Galvan learned dance choreography and technique while traveling across the Midwest with Madison, Wis. group Ballet Folklorico Mexico de los Hermanos Avila. He started the group with help from Armando Contreras, a master of traditional Mexican ballet choreography and costume design.

Mariachi Mi Tierra will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday night. It will be accompanied by Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

By Alyssa [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — Two Worthington International Festival staples that have dedicated countless time, effort and resources to make the annual event what it is today will be honored as this year’s Friends of the Festival.

JBS Worthington and Elaine Martin-Watson will be recognized as Friends of the Festival at 6:15 p.m. Friday and 5:30 p.m. Saturday, respectively. The pork packing plant and the longtime board member and food vendor will both be honored on the main stage on the Nobles County Government Center lawn in Worthington.

“The dedication and hard work and support of the festival — you can’t measure that,” said Worthington International Festival chair Anne Foley of the initiative behind the Friends of the Festival award. “In order to have a successful organization, you have to thank those who are around the table or who have financially supported, because that’s the right thing to do.”

Foley said it was long past time to recognize JBS Worthington and Martin-Watson, who have contributed in a variety of capacities from the inception of the festival 25 years ago.

Foley said this is the first time the committee is recognizing a business.

“Rightfully so — JBS has been there right from the beginning,” Foley said about the pork packing plant that has contributed financially, along with volunteers who set up and tear down as well as grill food.

Foley said Martin-Watson — who has been an active participant with the International Festival for more than 20 years — has contributed time and effort to being a food vendor and serving on the planning committee.

“Elaine talks about practically being raised at the festival,” Foley said.

M a r t i n - W a t s o n — who served as the festival’s first and only food vendor when it was incepted — said she is honored to be recognized as a Friend of the Festival.

A longtime Worthington resident, Martin-Watson said she loves to witness the smilex on people’s facex when they get a taste of her traditional Texas barbecue.

“I feel like I’m giving some of me to the community,” Martin-Watson said.

Known by many as Mamma Watzz for her motherly influence on area children, Martin-Watson said she grew up in a big, interracial family in Texas that was passionate about cooking. She adopted that skill and has become a Worthington International Festival food vendor staple under the name “Mamma Watzz West Texas Barbecue and Catering.”

Martin-Watson said she loves the international festival because it serves a platform to showcase cultures at their best and to better connect people.

Personally, Martin-Watson said she has dedicated more than 20 years to the annual international festival for a variety of reasons, but one particularly rises above all else.

“I would love Worthington to be an example to the whole world — how all people of all cultures and all nationalities, whether they speak the same language or not, we’re in it for the same thing — to love one another like you want to be loved,” she said. “When you can learn about somebody else’s culture, you learn to accept one another for who they are — not what color our skin is, not what language we speak, not what religion we are.”

JBS Worthington Human Resources Director Len Bakken

said the company feels honored to be recognized as a Friends of the Festival.

He added that it has also been an honor to support the festival, which he said is a great way to showcase and celebrate cultures of the company’s diverse employees.

“This is a great way to celebrate them and present their culture to wider communities,” Bakken said. “We’ve got the most wonderful, hard working and honest employees. We’ve got the world in one city in Worthington, and the festival is a great way to showcase the cultures living and working in our community.”

Foley said the Friends of the Festival honor has been awarded since the early 2000s to recognize individuals, businesses or organizations that have helped grow the festival to what it is today.

Past honorees include Darlene Macklin and the Worthington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; Brett Lehman; Leann Enninga; Michael Cumiskey; Terry and Jerry Perkins; Leticia Rodriguez; Tony Winter and Sherrie Adolph; David Benson; John Nordell; Cheryl Avenel-Navara; Laurel Neufeld Weaver; Gary Koschmeder; Maurine Perkins and Bob DeMuth, Sr.; Barb Bishop; Gene Foth; and United Food Commercial Workers Union.

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HOME OFFICE:418 Eleventh Street, Worthington, MN

507-372-2131

BRANCH OFFICE:313 Main Street, Lakefield, MN

507-662-6680

worthingtonfederalsavings.com

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Established 1935 - Member FDIC


Tim Middagh/The GlobeElaine Watson, operator of Mamma Wattz West Texas BBQ, shows off her food during the 2017 International Festival.

EXTRAVAGANZAFrom Page C5Martin-Watson, JBS to be

recognized as Friends of the Festival

By Alyssa [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — Area residents soon won’t have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to hear traditional-sounding folk music.

On July 14, British Aisles-inspired folk music will permeate the main stage of the Worthington Inter-national Festival, as Twin Cities-based band Four Pints Shy takes the stage with fid-dles, accordions, banjos, and Bodhráns in front of the the Nobles County Government Center from 4 to 5 p.m.

“We’re really excited to be going down there,” said Four Pints Shy band member Seth Goodlaxson about the sev-en-member band’s first gig in Worthington.

Goodlaxson said the band, founded in 2009, will play music from all over the Brit-ish Isles, with a focus on Irish-based folk music.

The band plays at a variety

of venues across the Mid-west, but is particularly pop-ular at bars around St Pat-rick’s Day and renaissance festivals.

In fact, it was at the Renaissance Festival in Sha-kopee that some of the mem-bers got to better know one another outside of the hall-ways at Minneapolis South High School. All involved in high school theatre and music, the friends had their first gig in 2001.

With some musical influ-ence from their folk musi-cian parents, the group of friends say they have a variety of reasons for being attracted to the folk sound. For member Dylan Vidas, it was his friend Andy Sponsler who introduced him to it.

“As a guitar player, I thought I was going to be a rock star,” Vidas said. “It was Andy, Seth and Scott (Lund) who turned me on to folk music.”

In 2009, Goodlaxson,

Sponsler, Vidas, Lund and Rick Widen reorganized the band and welcomed Trevor Holien and Renee Pilon.

The group of close friends joke how Holien — who attended high school sever-al years later than the core group — was the only band member to audition.

The violinist said he nat-urally began playing in the classical genre, but eventu-ally got bored and wanted to venture into a more freestyle genre. Without any connec-tion to folk music, Holien learned that Four Pints Shy was looking for a violinist through a friend.

“So I went over to their house and ended up joining the band,” Holien said.

Sponsler’s cousin, Pilon, also joined. The duo are the only two that have known family lineage that traces back to Ireland.

The group has recorded and released four albums: “Tip Heavily,” “Drink to a

Friend,” “2 Bands 1 Show” and “whiskeythief.” Clips of songs and CDs are on their website at fourpintsshy.com.

The band said a lot has changed in the last 10 years, including marriage and starting a family for a majority of them.

“We all had kids about four years ago, and because of this we’re all family men now,” Goodlaxson said, laughing about how booked gigs not only keep them

busy, but also one another’s kids’ birthday parties.

Goodlaxson said Holien and Widen are also active in the music and theatre scenes outside of Four Pints Shy.

While not all band mem-bers are in the same place in life, the group agrees that Four Pints Shy is a core ele-ment that continues to tie them together and sustain their friendship throughout their busy lives.

1234 Oxford Street, Worthington, MN

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Special to The GlobeFour Pints Shy playing in a recording studio.

Four Pints Shy: folk music ties friends together

By Karl [email protected]

WORTHINGTON — In terms of summer sound, nothing is more appropriate than the upbeat, cheerful notes generated by Caribbean steel drums.

The Pan-handlers Steel Drum Band will take the International Festival stage on Saturday night, bringing that unique sound to downtown Worthington.

Band founder and director Jeremy Kunkel has been playing steel drums for a decade. He had been playing the unique drums with marching

band ensembles involved with Chops Inc., a non-profit performing arts organization based in the Twin Cities, when he saw an opportunity to start his own group.

“I always wanted to find a steel drum band to perform with,” Kunkel said. “Since I couldn’t find one, I decided maybe it was time to create one.”

The idea was popular among ensemble members, particularly those that had been playing for a long time.

“As some of the folks in that group got too old to march, we had an opportunity to start a different ensemble that didn’t require marching around a football field and all the rigors that that entails,” Kunkel said. “One person on the [Chops Inc.] board liked the idea, so we put a proposal together and they funded it. It’s been going ever since.”

The group’s first performance was in April 2014. The percussion instruments of choice are Trinidadian drums, hand crafted out of cylindrical oil drums by master tuner and builder Steve Lawrie. The pans have a series of divots — or notes — in them, each of which have their own pitch when hit with a mallet. The result is a surprisingly wide range of sounds.

The group’s song collection is quite diverse. It ranges from music one might expect, such as “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid,”

to unexpected hits like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”

When group members aren’t performing, or working at their day jobs, they enjoy putting on educational programs with young students, teaching them how to play steel drums.

The Pan-handlers will take the stage Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.

Pan-handlers bring the sound of summer to Worthington

Special to The GlobePictured are members of the Pan-Handlers Steel Drum Band.

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FAREWAY1028 RYANS ROAD

WORTHINGTON, MNGROCERY•507-372-5191

MEAT•507-372-5388www.fareway.com

Congratulations on 24 great years!

Many Faces • Many Voices • One Union

25 great years!

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CONGRATULATIONS ON 25 YEARS

300 11th Street • PO Box 639 • Worthington, MN 56187507.376.9711 or 800.642.3243


Scenes from the 2017 International Festival

All photos by Anne Foley/Special to The Globe

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6r1416 Tenth St., Worthington • 507-376-4110 • After Hours: 507-360-9142

LIENElectric, Inc.YOUR LOCAL APPLIANCE AND SERVICE DEALER!

CELEBRATING 67 YEARS OF SERVING THE WORTHINGTON AREA

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from

the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council,

thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

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Scenes from the 2017 International Festival

All photos by Anne Foley/


We are

We areWorthington

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a special publication to the globe & the bulletinsections.dglobe.com/pdfs/fest.pdf · mama...

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