BMAT offers Valentine’s dinner and show packageThe Blue Mound Area Theatre, operator of the Palace Theatre, is organizing a Valentine’s dinner followed by live music at the Palace.The dinner and show will start at 5 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Blue Mound Banquet Center. The menu consists of chicken Kiev, pork tenderloin, baby red potatoes, glazed carrots, lettuce salad and a dessert.Following the meal, participants will proceed to the Palace Theatre for a 7:30 performance by Jack Norton and the Mullet River Boys on the Palace Theatre stage.Although the Twin Cities- based group is not well known in the Luverne area, BMAT has received several calls from fans in Sioux Falls who had heard they were coming to our part of the state.The group specializes in a variety of musical entertainment including honky-tonk ragtime, gospel, bluegrass swing and vaudeville. The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently referred to the band as one of the most entertaining acoustic groups in the Midwest.The combination dinner-show tickets can be purchased at the Luverne Chamber office for $20, or you can purchase the show-only tickets for $10.Chamber office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.Winter Carnival has another good yearThe 25th annual Winter Carnival, sponsored by the Luverne Music Boosters, was another big success this year.According to Mike Engesser, one of the event organizers, the annual event raised more than $17,000 this year, up from last year’s total.The Saturday afternoon crowd made their donations by way of bingo, cakewalk, minnow racing, face painting, raffles and carnival games.The money raised from the event goes toward choir robes, band instruments, flag corps flags, all-state choir contests, visiting clinicians and accompanists, as well as other music-related activities.Time to serenade your sweetie?If you would like to have your sweetheart serenaded for Valentine’s Day, the Good Samaritan Communities of Luverne are ready, willing, and able to provide that service.For $25 ($20 of which is tax deductible), a duet or trio will come to your sweetheart’s home or place of work, sing them a love song, and provide them with a box of candy and a Valentine’s balloon.According to Dawn Sandbulte, Community Relations director for Good Samaritan in Luverne, seven groups have volunteered to participate in the serenading. Three of them are from the Luverne High School choir.You can place your orders right up to Valentine’s Day. For more information, contact Dawn at 283-3130.Does your project qualify for some free paint?The Southwest Minnesota Foundation is partnering with Valspar Corporation for the eighth year to provide free paint for qualifying projects.The purpose of the project is to help beautify historic buildings, senior citizens’ or handicapped facilities, community centers, public buildings, murals or other projects with visual impact.The criteria to be used to select the projects include the visual impact of the projects, public benefit to the community, volunteer participation, intended use of the building and the benefit to the needy.One of the many recipients of last year’s free paint was the Blue Mound Area Theatre, which used the paint to put a fresh look on the Palace Theatre.Applications are due March 1, 2005. If you would like to download the necessary form, go to the foundation’s Web site at www.swfoundation.org, and follow the links to the application.If you have any other questions, contact Liz Frisbie at 800-594-9480.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
