Green Earth Players ‘bring ‘em in’ for the Palace
The Green Earth Players, Luverne’s community theater group for the past 25 years, used that event last weekend to help raise money for the Palace Theatre.
GEP showcased a song or an act from each of the 25 years, using original cast members whenever possible.
The event started with Tom Brakke, one of the founding members of the GEP, giving the audience 25 years of Green Earth Players’ history.
Ben Vander Kooi served as Master of Ceremonies.
The productions were performed both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
According to Dianne Ossenfort, 423 people attended the two performances and raised more than $2,500 to help refurbish the Palace Theatre.
Prudence Johnson at the Palace
Well known Twin Cities recording artist, Prudence Johnson, will be making an appearance at the Palace Theatre later this month.
Johnson, formerly with the jazz group "Women That Cook," is described as "an artist that sings cool jazz, torch songs and ballads with heart and soul."
Pulse Magazine described her as a "national treasure."
They went on to say "This is no ordinary vocalist. Whether jazz, country, pop, folk or Broadway, Prudence Johnson has spent more than 25 years masterfully giving each song its due. And her latest recording project, "Moon Country," an exquisite collection of songs by American icon Hoagy Carmichael, is no exception.
Along the way, Johnson has done two tours of Russia, earned a Grammy nomination in 1992, and had a cameo role in Robert Redford’s Academy Award-winning film, " A River Runs Through It."
Her performance at the Palace will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Advance tickets are available, and doors will open one hour prior to show time.
Making ‘Do Not Call’ tougher, or eliminate it?
John Marty, Minnesota State Senator from Roseville likes the "do not call" list.
In fact, the only thing he doesn’t like about it is that there are too many loopholes.
If Marty has his way, changes to the bill will include:
Eliminate a "prior relationship" as grounds for exceptions. He said, "it’s too broad, because a "prior relationship" could go back years."
As an example, he said, "Tell me how many people have not had Qwest service. If you‘ve ever had it, any of their affiliates could call you."
Tighten up the exception for companies that have a "current relationship" with the consumer. Calls would be allowed only if they are not made with a computer dialing system.
Prohibit telemarketers from calling in order to establish a business relationship and then calling back later with a sales pitch.
Eliminate the exception that now allows telemarketers to make sales pitches over the phone as long as they complete the transaction face-to-face.
They’re trying to get you to give them permission to come to your house and make a heavy sales pitch," Marty told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
While Marty is trying to make the law tougher, telemarketers went to court last week in an attempt to stop the U.S. government from setting up a proposed nationwide "do-not-call" list.
I’ll tell you more about that next week.
Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
