New format for Open Stage

By: 
Leslie Silverman

The Valentine’s Day edition of the Hill City Arts Council Open Stage night drew a large crowd to the High Country Guest Ranch this past weekend.

The 2021 series of performances, which began in January, has a new updated format with the same welcoming vibe.

“It’s a lot more fun than it used to be,” says Sherry Liddell, president of the arts council. “The first hour is open stage and the second hour is a paid performer. We cover it by the cover charge. We have a $5 cover charge and people get up and dance. You gotta try something new. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback. We’re excited about it.”

Attendance at the event keeps growing — as does the money raised for scholarships.

Event organizers plan to give at least two $1,000 scholarships that will be awarded to “big kids” who are pursuing arts in college.

While most Open Stage nights feature a meal that benefits a different organization, the Valentine’s night was different. The $20 cover charge included a catered meal from Heart of the Hills Catering.

Owner Shelly Engelbrecht explains how she got involved.

“Because this was a Valentine’s Day meal they asked me to come and do it,” she said. “They wanted a nice meal and called me and I said: ‘great. Let’s do it.’”

The menu featured roast beef, pork loin, mashed potatoes and gravy, herbed rice and a tossed salad with blueberries and goat cheese and balsamic dressing.

“They had me do little bite-sized cheesecakes with blueberries,” Engelbrecht said. “And then I did one with chocolate and caramel.”

Engelbrecht discounted her meal price for the event “since it’s a fundraiser.”

In addition to the paid performances, Open Stage’s new format allows patrons to find out in advance who is playing each evening.

“This way everybody signs up,” said JoAnn Hoffman, vice president of the arts council. “We have four people per event. If you want to play, give us the dates you think you might want to play and we’ll contact you and tell you. This way they get more play time.”

Each open mic artist plays for 15 minutes while the paid performer plays for an hour.

Another change is the evening’s new emcee, Paul Larson.

Larson is an avid musician.

“I’m a longstanding player here,” he said. “I’ve been playing here for about as long as they’ve had Open Stage.”

As a traveling musician he “cut his teeth” at Open Stage.

“These young kids up now, they’re gonna get a start they’d never get to have before because of this open stage,” he said. “And I think that’s what the arts council is trying to do.”

The “young kids” Larson referred to are the Rusty String Band, a quartet made up of Groven twins and siblings Carson and Sydney Brown who have been playing for about two years.

This was their first time playing at Open Stage.

“It’s fun,” says Carson “Lots of people just come to hang out. It’s fun to provide entertainment for them.”

The band, which ranges in age from 13 to 16, received a partial standing ovation and a lot of hoots and hollers.

Larson enjoys the new format.

“Every week we get different players and all types of music,” he said. “So we’re not trying to pigeon hole anything.”

Local Pat Rowe loves the new format.

“For those people who have a talent for this kind of stuff obviously it gives them some mic time,” Rowe said. “There is a lot of talent here in the Black Hills. It gives them an avenue or a venue for expressing that.”

The arts council event also featured other opportunities to support local artists like a chance to win a blanket with award winning local artist Kathy Sigle’s “White Feathers” design.

Future dates for the Hill City Arts Council Open Stage evenings are Feb. 27, March 13 and March 17. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and music starts at 6 p.m.

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