Author Ben Schultz to be at Citadel

Renowned author Ben Schultz will make an appearance at 1 p.m. Saturday at Citadel Games in Brainerd.

Schultz will be available for autographs, questions and writing tips and will be at the business until it closes. Schultz is the creator and writer of popular role-playing system "Lady's Rock" and "The Malaclypse Cycle."

Heartland Poets to meet Saturday

Heartland Poets, a local chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets, will meet from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the small room of the Brainerd Public Library. Participants are asked to bring copies of a poem-in-progress to share with others. The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information call 829-5402 or e-mail heartlandpoets@gmail.com. For more information about the league go to its Web site at www.mnpoets.org.

St. Patrick's Day concert event

NEW YORK MILLS - Chulrua, one of the foremost Irish traditional bands in the country, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on St. Patrick's Day at the City Hall Ballroom in New York Mills.

Chulrua, translates from the Irish as "red back," and was the name and distinguishing feature of the favorite wolfhound belonging to ancient Irish hero Fionn MacCumhaill. Band members are Paddy O'Brien, who plays the B/C style button accordion, who originally is from County Offaly and now from St. Paul; Patrick Ourceau, fiddle, from France and now Toronto; and Patrick Egan, guitar, from County Tipperary.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $12 in advance and $15 at the door. There will be Irish food to eat and Irish drink to drink, including Smithwick ale, Harp lager and the famous Guiness stout.

As part of the St. Patrick's Day event Erin Hart, St. Paul-based author of a series of mystery novels set in contemporary Ireland, will read and talk about her newest novel "The False Mermaid" at 5 p.m., at the New York Mills Cultural Center.

CLC students to perform play in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS - Central Lakes College's Theatre for a Diverse Population will perform Tuesday at The Chair Academy's 19th annual International Leadership Conference in Minneapolis.

The Chair Academy promotes international leadership excellence in two-year instructions of higher learning. The CLC production is the only performing group invited to participate in the conference. Theatre for a Diverse Population explores social issues through theater and is the only program of its kind in the U.S., one that consists of actors from the college's occupational skills program and traditional college students to form a theater company.

The 2009-10 production, "Donuts, Dogs and Snow," is a number of short plays dealing with bullying, sexual and verbal abuse, racism, gender issues, unemployment and homelessness in rural America.

Participating in the production are Marc Olipant, Kenny Simon, Chris Lister, Robyn Silznoff, Stephanie White, Gabe Franz, Zac Schulz, Katie Nier, Laura Desotell, Angela Pederson, Bruce Praska and David Wilson.

Forestview students art on display at arb

Kara Brick's Forestview Middle School eighth grade art students work "Georgia on My Mind" is currently on display in the Northland Arboretum Art Gallery through the end of March. Brick's students have been studying the life and art of American artist, Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). The gallery, in the visitor's center, is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and most Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Riedel Wine Glass Tasting event set

AITKIN - The Northern Lights Wine Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. March 18 for a wine tasting event at the Beanery Cafe in downtown Aitkin.

The wine tasting event will teach participants the fact that the glass they use makes a difference with the taste of your wine. Participants will sample several high-end premium wines from around the world in the Riedel stemware specifically designed for each wine. People will sample the wine from an ordinary glass. Next they'll taste the same wine in a glass that has been designed for that specific varietal. Riedel wine glasses are the best investment you can make in your wine enjoyment.

There is a charge to attend this wine tasting event. Attendees are encouraged to register early because of space limitations. Reservations are required by calling the Beanery Cafe at (218) 927-7811 or registering online at www.NorthernLightsWine.com.

Eewy Gooey science class being offered

STAPLES - Staples Motley Community Education is offering an Eewy Gooey Science Fun class on March 20 in room 100 in the Staples Motley High School.

Participants may choose to attend the first class that runs from 9 a.m. to noon or the second class from 1-4 p.m. In the class, students will learn how to make colorful slime, quicksand, bouncy balls, lava lamps and much more.

Cost of the class is $17 and is open to first- through fourth-graders.

To register for the class call community education at (218) 894-2497.

Gospel singer Robert Robinson to sing in Staples

STAPLES - Gospel singer Robert Robinson will present a concert at 2 p.m. March 21 at Centennial Auditorium in Staples, as part of the Staples Motley Area Arts Council's Concert Series.

Robinson was 6 when he began singing at the North Minneapolis church where his father was the pastor and his mother led the music ministry.

Venues where he's performed include Carnegie Hall, Historic State Theater, Central Baptist Church, Red Wing Correctional Facility and the 1996 Billy Graham Crusade. He also performed for 15 years with Lorie Line.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students in advance, or $15 for adults and $7 for students at the door. Tickets are available from the Centennial Auditorium Box Office at (218) 894-5416 or (800) 213-6877. To save on tickets, people can purchase six or more advance sale tickets to any event, or series of events, and they'll receive the special season price of $10 per ticket. Any student with proper identification can purchase a Student Rush Ticket one hour before the show for a $1.

For more information on this concert or other concerts in the series, go to the Arts Council's Web site at www.staplesmotleyarts.org.

Minneapolis Guitar Quarter to perform in Pequot Lakes

PEQUOT LAKES - The world renowned Minneapolis Guitar Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 20 on the Pequot Lakes High School Theatre stage.

The concert is the fifth concert of the Greater Lakes Area Performing Arts season. With the passion, style and musical sophistication of the best chamber music and string quartet traditions, the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet has become one of the world's leading guitar ensembles since its founding in 1986.

The quartet performed throughout the United States both in recital and with orchestra, balancing a dizzying array of first-rate repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to Spanish, Latin American and Romantic to highly imaginative contemporary works. The MGQ has appeared with the Austin Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Britt Festival Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra. In recital, the MGQ appeared in Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for ages 60 and older and $10 for ages 18 and younger at $10. Tickets are sold at the box office starting one hour before the performance or in advance by calling (218) 568-9200.

Pasta, Pipes and Pedals and Organ Recital scheduled

The Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota will host its annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser, Pasta, Pipes, and Pedals and Organ Recital from 5-7 p.m. March 22 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd.

Cost is $7 for adults and $3 for children age 12 and younger.

For more information on the fundraiser go to www.legacychorale.org.

Great American Think-Off deadline approaching

NEW YORK MILLS - Four $500 prizes to be awarded for essays answering the question "Do the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor?" for this year's Great American Think-Off.

April 1 is the postmark deadline for submission of essays. Essays must be no more than 750 words. There is no submission fee for this annual philosophy competition.

This year's question, "Do the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor?" is the subject for this 17th annual Think-Off competition. The Think-Off is a contest for every man and every woman and it is not an academic exercise. Winning writers base their essays in their own experiences, telling a story that shows their position clearly on one side or the other of the question.

The four finalists in this competition each receive $500 cash prizes and travel and lodging to New York Mills for the live debate to be held on June 12. Sponsors of the event include the Mid-State Auto Auction and the Whistle Stop Bed and Breakfast in New York Mills.

Essays may be submitted by e-mail to info@think-off.org, by mail to New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, P.O. Box 246, New York Mills, MN 56567, or online at the Think-Off Web site at www.think-off.org.

NY Mills announces its art show

NEW YORK MILLS - New York Mills Regional Cultural Center announces its 14th annual Regional Art Show scheduled from May 4 to June 5.

The show is open to artists working in any medium. Artists are invited to submit up to two works in any medium for inclusion in this non-juried art show. The work must have been completed in 2008-2010. Work should be submitted to the Cultural Center on April 30 or May 1. There is no fee to enter this show.

Reception for the artists will be held May 8.

Entry forms are available at the Cultural Center or may be printed from the center Web site at www.kulcher.org. There will be four $50 "best in category" awards given at the reception. A "People's Choice" award will be made at the conclusion of the show.

Five Wings Arts Council attend arts advocacy day

More than 500 arts advocates attended the annual Arts Advocacy Day March 2 at the state Capitol, including representatives of the Five Wings Arts Council that works with Crow Wing, Cass, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties.

Arts supporters gathered from all parts of the state to visit with legislators to express their thanks and desire for continuing state support of the arts. In an e-mail news release, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts executive director Sheila Smith encouraged legislators to limit cuts to the arts to 3 to 6 percent, the average cut proposed for all state agencies. She also emphasized the importance of thanking them for dedicating nearly 50 percent of the new Arts and Culture Fund from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the existing Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system.