November 2019
Bill & Kate Isles are acoustic singer/songwriters based in Duluth, Minnesota. Using a wide variety of musical styles, their performances carry audiences through a broad landscape of experiences from metaphorical worlds to small town family stories and to zany comedy.
Includes a pie social following the program!
$10 per ticket | Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities and groups. This show is part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series and is not open to the general public.
Sponsored by Katie Johnson
In honor of Darrel Johnson
Purchase TicketsJanuary 2020
This is a rich, powerful, world-class show by one of America’s best interpreters of the “Popular American Songbook,” Steve Lippia. It features well-known, beloved classics made famous by the greatest popular singer of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra. In this musical celebration, Steve’s singing brings to life the music and lyrics of great American composers like Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Rogers & Hart, Harold Arlen and Steven Sondheim. Backed by a hot 10- piece swing band, Steve’s soaring voice, swinging stylings, and great signature stage presence always wow audiences and lift them to their feet. A night of soulful ballads and finger snapping swing tunes that will bring tears–and smiles–to everybody in the room.
Includes a pie social following the program!
$10 per ticket | Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities and groups. This show is part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series and is not open to the general public.
THANK YOU TO SPONSORS
February 2020
Lillian Carter was much more than President Jimmy Carter’s mother – she was a social activist, great humanitarian, nurse, peanut farmer, and nurturer. She celebrated her 70th Birthday in India while serving in the Peace Corps. She was astonishing in her ordinariness: she loved to fish and disliked cooking. But to describe her as “ordinary” is so far off the mark, as her President-son called her “Remarkable.” This play introduces us to this woman who refused to bow to the attitudes of her Southern surroundings, a free-thinker who enjoyed professional wrestling, who nurtured the best human qualities in all with whom she interacted. Mis Lillian loved her soap opera and a glass of good bourbon – often at the same time! Audiences internationally have appreciated meeting this “belle,” warts and all. There is no effort, no need, to present her as an angel. Her life is inspiring, funny, ever-changing, and, as is true of most people sometimes tragic. She was an “original.” No one who met her ever forgot her. Once you see her story come to life, you won’t forget her either.
Includes a pie social following the program!
Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities, groups and folks 62 and over.
Part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Sutton + Associates
March 2020
The Lake Wobegon® Brass Band was originated by three founding members at the Anoka Coffee Shop on a Saturday morning in early 1992. Two of them had attended the 1991 North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) National Contest in Iowa and returned inspired to turn their dream of a Brass Band “right here in River City” into reality.
Includes a pie social following the program!
Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities, groups and folks over the age of 62.
Part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series.
Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins. Two legends at their instruments, two giants in the music industry. Floyd Cramer’s unique “slip note” piano style was an essential part of countless country, pop, and rock hits in the 1950s and ‘60s and is widely regarded as the standard for country piano. Chet Atkins’ innovative thumb-and-two-finger guitar style led him to become known as one of the world’s preeminent guitar virtuosos, and many of the records he produced for RCA have become classics. Though Floyd and Chet have passed away, their Nashville Legacy lives on through Floyd’s grandson, pianist Jason Coleman, and Chet’s niece, guitarist Meagan Taylor. In this concert, Jason and Meagan bring new life to the “Nashville Sound” pioneered by their legendary forerunners by playing songs like Floyd’s “Last Date” on piano and Chet’s “Freight Train” on guitar, as well as by singing the music of Patsy Cline, the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, all of whose careers were impacted by Floyd and Chet.
Includes a pie social following the program!
Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities, groups and folks over the age of 62.
Part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
October 2020
Experience the artistry of Larry Yazzie (Meskwaki) as he performs flamboyant movements passed down by his ancestors through Native American song and dance. He is a charismatic performing artist: a Champion Powwow Men’s Fancy Dancer, an Eagle Dancer, a Native American Flutist, Lecturer, Master of Ceremonies, Model, Actor, and Singer. He founded Native Pride Productions, Inc., a Native American theatrical, dance, and performing arts company based in Minnesota (2003) and has performed throughout the world sharing his culture. Larry is from the Meskwaki Settlement near Tama, Iowa and has been dancing since he was 7 years old. His mission is to educate, inspire, motivate and empower diverse communities to bridge cultural gaps through Indigenous traditions.
- 2-time World Champion Fancy Dancer
- 3 film productions: “No Blood of Mine”, “Kid West”, “Escamba: Kingdom of Carlos”.
- Performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2004 and 2013.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
A recording will be available On-Demand until November 13, 2020
November 2020
VIDEO ON DEMAND
Music inspires and motivates. It is a language all its own. It is not a necessity, yet it adds so much to life. Figuring It Out is a family band based in Bemidji, Minnesota. The music they play covers several genres of music from bluegrass to folk, traditional to contemporary, and much more. They look forward to sharing their music and connecting with all through musical education.
This program covers the history of Bluegrass and highlights the instruments that make-up this popular style of music.
Figuring It Out
Andy/ Dad – violin
Louisa – 19 – guitar
Olivia – 17 – bass/ cello
Elijah – 15 – 5 string fiddle
Adelynn – 13 – mandolin
Abram – 11 – banjo
Greta – 10 – ukelele
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
The Accidental Hero is a multi-media one-man show about a WWII American officer who miraculously liberates the Czech villages of his grandparents. It's a true story, written and performed by his grandson.
Patrick Dewane's grandfather refused to talk about his service in the war. Yet when he died, his basement yielded a treasure trove of typewritten accounts, photos and rare film footage.
Dewane brings this archival material to glowing life as an enthralling, humorous and heartwarming tale of miraculous escapes and astonishing coincidences. This touching show runs from belly laughs to tears.
Dewane takes on a dozen different roles as he powerfully recounts his grandfather's journey from Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge, and the end of WWII. In the last week of the war, the story turns away from a soldier's survival tale to something from mythology. He discovers his lost identity, embraced by the tribe he never knew.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Gloria Anderson-Hegg, storyteller and oral historian, brings history to life with her first-person interpretation of characters from the past. A native of Bear River, Minnesota, Ms. Anderson-Hegg draws on her own ethnic roots as she portrays “Hanna,” a Scandinavian immigrant pioneer woman based on her maternal grandmother. Gloria brings the Bible to life with her inspirational characterizations of “Women of the Bible.” Children of all ages are charmed and mesmerized with “And They Lived Happily Ever After...,” a collection of mythical folk and fairy tales from all over the world.
Among her many accomplishments, Gloria worked for many years as a first-person interpreter and educational instructor at the IRONWORLD DISCOVERY CENTER in Chisholm, Minnesota. She portrayed an immigrant woman living in Glen Location, a 1915 era mining community situated at the edge of an open pit mine. Her stories are based on oral histories she conducted with elderly persons who once lived in the now defunct communities.
An active folklorist, Gloria has served on the board of the Oral History Association of Minnesota and has given presentations at a number of OHAM annual meetings. She has also presented Oral History workshops. Gloria is a member of the National Storytelling Network. As a free-lance storyteller, Gloria travels and delights audiences of all ages at schools, churches and community events throughout the Midwest with her folk tales and historically insightful presentations.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Gloria Anderson-Hegg, storyteller and oral historian, brings history to life with her first-person interpretation of characters from the past. A native of Bear River, Minnesota, Ms. Anderson-Hegg draws on her own ethnic roots as she portrays “Hanna,” a Scandinavian immigrant pioneer woman based on her maternal grandmother. Gloria brings the Bible to life with her inspirational characterizations of “Women of the Bible.” Children of all ages are charmed and mesmerized with “And They Lived Happily Ever After...,” a collection of mythical folk and fairy tales from all over the world.
Among her many accomplishments, Gloria worked for many years as a first-person interpreter and educational instructor at the IRONWORLD DISCOVERY CENTER in Chisholm, Minnesota. She portrayed an immigrant woman living in Glen Location, a 1915 era mining community situated at the edge of an open pit mine. Her stories are based on oral histories she conducted with elderly persons who once lived in the now defunct communities.
An active folklorist, Gloria has served on the board of the Oral History Association of Minnesota and has given presentations at a number of OHAM annual meetings. She has also presented Oral History workshops. Gloria is a member of the National Storytelling Network. As a free-lance storyteller, Gloria travels and delights audiences of all ages at schools, churches and community events throughout the Midwest with her folk tales and historically insightful presentations.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR