April happenings

April is here – and it seems to be spring. While I don’t see anything green (except maybe the moss in my lawn), there is no snow out there, and I’ve been hearing robins for several days now. At any rate, these are good days for the Fosston Community Library Arts Association.

                In January, the FCLAA welcomed a new member to the board, Dawn Skeie Crane, CEO of Ultima Bank Minnesota. Although Dawn grew up in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Burnsville, Minnesota, she has lived in this area since 2008, first in Winger, where she was active in renovating the Depot café, and, then moving to Fosston in 2012. Her involvement in the bank dates to the 1980s when she first served on the board of directors. She did not originally set out to be a banker, majoring in chemistry in college and later owning a construction business in the Twin Cities. In her spare time, Dawn enjoys scuba diving, watercolor painting, and rescue animals, currently having two cats and two dogs. Dawn’s father, the late Arnie Skeie, was a generous supporter of the fund-raising effort for the current library, and Dawn hopes to continue his legacy with her service on the board.

                After a one-year hiatus, the Festival of Tables is back and will be held on Saturday, April 29.

This fundraiser for the FCLAA will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Fosston. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. to view the beautifully decorated tables with a luncheon served at noon. Tickets are available from Kim Wilson (435-6758), Joan Dufault (435-6986) or the Fosston Library (435-1320).

                On Wednesday, April 26, there will be a special treat at family fun time. At 3:30 author Joanna Dymond will be there to read from her book, Howling, Yowling, Growling with the Lost River Wolf Pack. After a career in public relations that took her to London, San Francisco and New York, Dymond currently lives in Bemidji, where she writes fiction and memoir.

                That same evening, at 7 p.m. she will be conducting a workshop, “Are You Ready to Self-Publish?” She will talk about basic self-publishing and some new developments. Because of this event, the writers’ group will not meet in April. Members are invited to attend this workshop instead.

                There will be a new display in the gallery scheduled to open April 12 featuring works by Sarah Steinbrenner’s art students at the Fosston High School. Always good to see what they are doing.

                Book club meets Tuesday, April 11, for a discussion of Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier.

Set in the late 1700s, one of the characters is the poet William Blake. An interesting read!