• This weekend in Newfolden, Minnesota, it’s “NewFest”, from Friday, September 5^th through Sunday, September 7^th.  Events include a parade, live music, carnival, flea market, crafts and more.  “NewFest” is this weekend in Newfolden.

• Family “Fun Day” is this Saturday, September 6^th in Argyle, Minnesota at Island Park.  The event runs from 10 am until 2:30, Saturday afternoon.

• “Blast to Brooks” is this Saturday, in Brooks, Minnesota.  Events include live music, a parade and food.

• The “Uff Da Mud Run” is Saturday, September 6^th in the Greenway space of downtown East Grand Forks and Grand Forks, near the Sorlie Bridge.  The 5K course will encompass 20 obstacles.

• Professional Bull Riding and Barrel Racing is this Saturday at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.  The doors open at 6:30pm.

• The 5^th Annual Fargo “Beer Festival” is Friday, September 5^th at the Fargo Civic Center.  Live music will be featured.

• The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council’s “Traveling Art Exhibit” is on display this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday at the Fosston Public Library.  The Traveling Mini Art Exhibit includes original paintings, photography, drawings, pastels, and clay pottery.

• The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council’s exhibit called “Hidden Splendor” is on display this weekend and through September at the council’s gallery in the RiverWalk Center of downtown East Grand Forks.  The exhibit features the work of photographer Chris Lane of Thief River Falls.

Coming to Floyd B Olson Park in Thief River Falls Thursday evening, September 4 at 6PM – northeast Minnesota folk duo Pushing Chain.

Hear surprising covers, inspired original songs and great harmonies, played on guitar and fiddle.

From the shores of Lake Superior, its Pushing Chain in a free show – Thursday September 4^th at 6PM, Floyd B Olson Park Gazebo, Downtown Thief River Falls.

Made possible by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Pioneer 90.1 is proud to present a free concert by Twin Cities soul musician and “The Voice” finalist Nicholas David, Friday August 1, 8PM, at Hartz Park in Thief River Falls.

For more than a decade, Nicholas has composed alternative soul music that connects with people worldwide on a deeply human level. Prior to his unforgettable 2012 run with Team CeeLo on NBC’s The Voice, Nicholas had already recorded five critically acclaimed albums, experienced national radio airplay and participated in multiple charity and collaborative projects.

Fans of “The Voice” were introduced to his soulful and storied career during this time where he struck a chord with America and finished a fan favorite in the top three. Nicholas recently returned to The Voice as a guest artist to unveil his new original single, titled “Say Goodbye,” and the eponymous EP.

The response was astounding; within 24 hours the EP hit #1 on the iTunes Alternative Chart and #2 on the iTunes overall Top Album Chart. Minneapolis’ own Star-Tribune heralded the release as “versatile country soul.”

The concert is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. It’s part of RiverFest, a Thief River Falls community celebration marking its fifth year in 2014.

Gumby. Barbie. Slinky. Mr. Potato Head. Wham-O. Spirograph. Hot Wheels.
The names of popular toys from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s capture the craziness, joy and sheer fun of being a kid. Beneath those nutty names are rich veins of nostalgia, memory, and history. The stories contained in these toys—of the kids who played with them, the adults who bought them, the child-rearing experts who judged them, and of the people who invented them, packaged and advertised them—reflect the rhythms of American life.

Join Pioneer 90.1 at the Thief River Falls Public Library on Tuesday, June 24 at 7PM for a free presentation from “Toys of the 50s, 60s, and 70s” co-author Kate Roberts.

This event is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Thomas Saylor, co-author of Minnesota in the 70s, a book published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, will speak on Tuesday, June 10 at 7PM at the Thief River Falls Public Library. The event, supported by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, is free and open to the public.

The 1970s were more than big hair, mirror balls, and leisure suits. These were the years that bridged the chasm between the anti-establishment tumult of the 1960s and the morning-in-America conservatism of the 1980s. In Minnesota, this evolution unfolded in ways that defied expectations. No longer was Minnesota merely a vague, snow-covered outpost in the American consciousness. It was a place of note and consequence—a state of presidential candidates, grassroots activism, civic engagement, environmental awareness, and Mary Tyler Moore. Its governor appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Its city skylines shot up with uncharacteristic immodesty. Its farmers enjoyed some of their best years ever. Minnesota forged an identity during the 1970s that would persist, rightly or wrongly, for decades to come.

Minnesota in the 70s tells the stories of people, places, and events that defined the state: colorful individuals, including Allan Spear, Arlene Lehto, Wendell Anderson, and Herb Brooks; significant groups like the Willmar 8, American Indian Movement, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, and Save the Met; and news-making events, including the first Earth Day, the Dayton’s bombing, school desegregation battles, and highway construction protests. Richly illustrated with evocative photos, cartoons, and ephemera, this book helps bring the 1970s back to life.

Thomas Saylor is a professor of history at Concordia University in St. Paul and the author of two books on Minnesotans in World War II, Long Hard Road and Remembering the Good War.