Twist and Shout • 1124 by Newspaper

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR 30 YEARS!

Twist&Shout

PUBLISHER

terry christensen tchristensen@messengernews.net

HR/ACCOUNTING

melissa wendland mwendland@messengernews.net

DESIGN COORDINATOR

nick manwarren nmanwarren@messengernews.net

SALES DIRECTOR

leanne darr ldarr@messengernews.net

SALES CONSULTANTS

jody kayser jkayser@messengernews.net

jes nemecheck jnemecheck@messengernews.net EDITOR bill shea bshea@messengernews.net

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

tom tourville

lori berglund hailey brueschke brandon brueschke

mark adkins

*All photos submitted to Twist & Shout become property of Twist & Shout. We are not responsible for their return.

GUARANTEED Life

Nouveau Fest brings new event, new wine to Soldier Creek Winery

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net

In French, the word nouveau means new.

At Soldier Creek Winery, that word will get a lot of use in the month of November as the winery offers a new special event for fall and debuts a new wine.

That special event is called Nouveau Fest. It will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Nov. 23 at the winery, 1584 Paragon Ave. During that event, the winemakers will unveil their newest product, a wine called beaujolais nouveau.

“We’re trying to change things up,” said Megan Secor, co-owner and marketing coordinator of Soldier Creek Winery as she described Nouveau Fest. “This is our chance to celebrate this year’s vintage of wine.” She said the event will feature tours of the winery’s expanded production facilities.. The tours will offer a chance to taste wines directly from the tanks and barrels.

Tours will cost $30 per person. Visit the winery’s website or Facebook page to buy tickets.

Nouveau Fest will also include a holiday market featuring local makers and curators offering what Secor described as “gifty” items

The Burrito Mexpress and Big D’s Bama Smoke and Grill food trucks will be onsite.

Jefferson Fosbender, a member of the group Stadium Drive, will perform live music from 3 to 6 p.m.

At Nouveau Fest, the winemakers will introduce their beaujolais nouveau wine.

Secor said it is a “hot new thing in the wine world.”

She said it is made from grapes that were hand picked just three to four weeks ago.

“You’re going to get a lot more fresh fruity flavors,” she said.

This year’s bottles of Soldier Creek’s beaujolais nouveau will feature a label designed by Secor, but in the future local artists will have the opportunity to design the labels.

“This is our chance to celebrate this year’s vintage of wine”

MEGAN SECOR

FD Ford to host Thanksgiving dinner

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net

As Thanksgiving approached more than a decade ago, the Johnson family got an idea: why not use their Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota dealership as a place for a special community Thanksgiving meal?

The first such meal was served in 2009. The vehicles went out of the showroom. Tables, chairs and a whole lot of turkey went into the showroom.

That first dinner became an annual event.

Since that first dinner, more than 15,000 individual meals have been served.

In 2023, about 2,300 people enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner in the showroom.

Another roughly 1,100 meals were delivered to people who could not make it to the dealership.

Those meals have been prepared by the culinary arts students at Iowa Central Community College. The Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Thanksgiving meal is the single largest project the culinary arts students do every year.

``We think there’s a need on Thanksgiving day to make the day special,’’ said Casey Johnson, co-owner of the dealership.

More than 100 volunteers help with the effort. The Johnsons have never had trouble finding volunteers because they just show up.

Donations from Hy-Vee, Friendship Haven, Community Orchard, Becker Florists, the Douglas Dreamers 4-H Club, and UnityPoint Health - Fort Dodge help to make the event special for diners.

We think there’s a need on Thanksgiving day to make the day special “ “

- CASEY JOHNSON

The year was 1949. Paul Franklin, the director of the Fort Dodge High School Orchestra, and around 20 fellow string players thought that it would be a good idea to create a community-based string orchestra. The idea turned out to be a very good one, and after nine years of performances, the decision was made to establish a full orchestra requiring a name change in 1958 to the Fort Dodge Symphony.

Performances grew in popularity and in 1963, a group of local businesses and citizens decided it was time to organize around the mission of promoting and growing performance opportunities in the Fort Dodge area.

The Fort Dodge Symphony would come to be known as the Fort Dodge Area Symphony. This entity celebrates its 75th concert season this year!

To honor and celebrate the 75 years of FDAS, Joshua Barlage, FDAS music director and conductor, has created another spectacular season that includes classical favorites, a world premiere, contemporary pieces including a salute to Broadway, and a showcase that highlights the talents of young Iowa musicians.

With the first concert, Back to School, under their collective belt, the Fort Dodge Area Symphony now focuses on the remaining three concerts. Next up is the holiday showcase,

FORT DODGE CELEBRATES AREA SYMPHONY

75th CONCERT SEASON

Joy to the World, featuring selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Wagner’s Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral, and other favorites that will leave you filled with the spirit of the season. You won’t want to miss the traditional encore of Sleigh Ride. Maestro Barlage always likes to invite audience members onstage for the finale.

Who will it be this year? Join the Symphony on Sunday, December 8th to find out.

On February 23rd, the Symphony is excited to welcome Des Moines-based vocalist Gina Gedler for Best of Broadway! Truly a “best of” concert, you will be entertained from beginning to end with selections from classics like Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, and The Music Man, to name a few, as well as more recent hits like Wicked and Sunset Blvd. This program has been a long time in the making, and sharing it in celebration of the 75th concert season is intentional.

The season concludes with the Young Artist concert, Pictures at an Exhibition. This concert features the winners of the 58th annual Young Artists Competition held in January. On the program is the Overture of the Maygreen Sprite composed by 16-year-old Iowa composer Adalyn Sidon. The music commences on April 6th at 2:15pm with the Youth Honors Recital, followed at 3pm with the Symphony concert.

Reflecting on this concert season and his time with FDAS since 2013, Maestro Barlage stated, “Fort Dodge is an arts treasure of our state. Supporting a Symphony Orchestra for 75 years is no easy feat. I feel privileged to build upon these musical traditions in leading this orchestra into our 75th anniversary season and beyond. Personal highlights of my tenure as Conductor include performing with bluegrass group Ortonville Circus and well-known brass quintet Jive for Five, collaborating with the Fort Dodge Choral Society and the Senior High A Capella on Faure’s Requiem and, most recently, presenting the world premiere of Matthew Kennedy’s Symphony No. 2. And, I feel that our Orchestra’s commitment to sponsoring a Young Artists Competition speaks to the core of our mission. Since its inception in 1966, we have nurtured the musical development of 217 young musicians born or studying in Iowa.”

Please join the Symphony this season as they celebrate 75 years of dedication to the mission of promoting and growing performance opportunities in the Fort Dodge area. Paul Franklin and the founding string musicians would be proud of what their vision has become.

All Symphony performances are held in the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium at 3pm. Admission is by season pass (available for purchase at Rieman Music-Fort Dodge) or individual concert ticket available for purchase at the door. Students and children are admitted free of charge with an adult.

FDAS 75th Concert Season ~ Remaining Concerts JOY TO THE WORLD

December 8, 2024, 3pm

FDMS Auditorium

BEST OF BROADWAY!

February 23, 2025, 3pm

FDMS Auditorium

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

April 6, 2025, 3pm

YOUTH HONORS RECITAL 2:15pm

FDMS Auditorium

THE

S & H O U T !

NOVEMBER

Fort Dodge Fireman’s Ball with the Pork Tornadoes at The Laramar Ballroom

7:00 PM - 11:00 PM • $20 per person

NOVEMBER 1

Ribbon Cutting: Shoe Sensation

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Join us and our Ambassadors as we celebrate the new location & building for Shoe Sensation.

Halloween Party featuring Love Bomb @ Salty Suz’s

8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

NOVEMBER 2

Eli Alger & the Faster Horses at The Laramar Ballroom

7:00 PM - 11:00 PM

7:00 Doors Open 8:00 Spencer Suchan

8:30 Reco Jolly & the Good Times

9:00 Eli Alger & the Faster Horses

$15.00

Jared Benson LIVE at River Hops Brewing

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

NOVEMBER 6

KLS Candle Making Class at Salty Suz’s

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Pulse

LOCAL EVENTS CALENDAR

Comedia Musica Players Presents - Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Trivia Night at River Hops Brewing 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

NOVEMBER 8

Comedia Musica Players AUDITIONS for “Holiday Inn”

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Ticket Information Available at www.comediamusica.com

NOVEMBER 6

SHIM at the Cardiff Event Center

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Hard rock band, SHIM, is on the way to Fort Dodge with NEW MUSIC! Featuring Chasing the Devil, Shallow Side, & Anything But Human. GA & VIP tickets available - Presented by BeeBe’s Beatz

NOVEMBER 7

CA$H MOB

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Join us on November 7 for our first-ever CASH MOB! Bring your cash ($20) to spend at a local business in Fort Dodge.

A Navajo Investigator’s Search for the Unexplained: In Conversation with Stanley Milford, Jr

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Fort Dodge Public Library

Luke Bakken LIVE at Shiny Top Brewing 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Clay Clear Band LIVE at The Laramar Ballroom 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM • $10 Cove

NOVEMBER 9

2nd Annual Turkey Trot

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Kennedy Lake

Comedia Musica Players AUDITIONS for “Holiday Inn”

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM • 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Ticket Information Available at www.comediamusica.com

Comedian Carl Gianneto at Salty Suz’s 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

NOVEMBER 11

Ribbon Cutting: Veterans Bridge 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

NOVEMBER 12

Ribbon Cutting: Trinity Heart Center 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM

NOVEMBER 14

The DM ( Dan Medeiros) Project LIVE at Shiny Top Brewing 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Trivia Night at River Hops Brewing

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fort Dodge Senior High FALL PLAY

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

NOVEMBER 15

Ribbon Cutting: Central Iowa Pain & Wellness 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

NOVEMBER 16

Fort Dodge Fireman’s Ball with the Pork Tornadoes at The Laramar Ballroom

7:00 PM - 11:00 PM • $20 per person

Ryne Doughty LIVE at River Hops Brewing 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

NOVEMBER 27

Salty View LIVE at Shiny Top Brewing 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Good Eats &Drinks

FAST-FOOD:

Burger King 2814 5th Ave. S

Casey’s Carry-Out Pizza 2007 N.15th St. 2206 2nd Ave. N. 1133 S. 22nd St. 1308 3rd Ave. N. W.

Culver’s

dining:

716 Main Humboldt

Amigos 280 N. 1st St.

Applebee’s 2810 5th Ave. S

Bloomers on Central 900 Central Ave.

Buffalo Wild Wings 2909 5th Ave. S.

CasaBlanca Steak House Hwy 169

Ardys Mae Coffee and Dessert 14 S. 14th St.

Community Tap & Pizza 2026 5th Ave. S.

Peking Garden 510 5th Ave. S.

Hacienda Vieja 1518 3rd Ave. NW

Ja-Mar Drive-In 329 S. 25th St.

Lizard Creek Ranch 1762 Johnson Ave

The Stadium 2001 2nd Ave. N.

Lomitas Mexican Restaurant 2223 5th Ave. S.

Mineral City 2621 5th Ave. So.

Ninja Sushi Steak House 407 S. 25th St.

Perkins 511 S. 32nd St.

Pizza Ranch 3311 5th Ave. S. 1317 Central Ave.

A Pinch of Love Cafe 850 S. 18th St.

Shiny Top Brewing 520 Central Ave. 2021 6th Ave. S. 2707 N. 15th St.

Tom Thumb Drive Inn 1412 A. St. 3521 5th Ave. S.

Tropical Smoothie ................. 2813 1/2 5th Ave. S. ................................... 2002 N. 15th St.

Zakeer’s Family Restaurant......... 425 2nd Ave. S.

Domino’s Pizza 1430 5th Ave S.

Dunkin’ Donuts 2520 5th Ave. S. Hardee’s

shiningstar

When was your first performance on stage? Do you remember how you were feeling?

My first performance on stage was my 7th grade musical, Wizard of Oz. It was scary being on stage for the first time but I really enjoyed it.

What do you most enjoy about performing?

Being able to express myself and it’s very fun because I get to be with my friends, and I get to learn new things

What was your first role? And, what has been your most favorite role to play?

My first ever role was the doctor in my 8th grade musical The Rockin’ Tale of Snow White, and my favorite role was Alex the Lion in Madagascar Jr.

Drake Wertz

Age: 17

Grade/School: Senior at Fort Dodge Senior High • Hometown: Fort Dodge

8. What is the most challenging part about performing?

Having to get in front of tons of people, but after a while it becomes normal.

9. Who is your favorite musician/performer and why?

Nick Cartell, because he is a great singer and great actor and does an amazing job at playing Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.

10. If you could attend any concert, who would you see and why?

I would want to see Wicked on Broadway because it is such a good musical.

11. Do you plan to be involved in music after high school? If so, in what ways?

I plan to be in choir and participate in musicals and plays

12. What activities are you involved in at school and in the community?

I’m in Band, Choir, Dodger Senate, Performers Club, Spring Musical, Fall Play, Speech, Green Team, and NHS.

a look back

By Tom Tourville

REMEMBERING THE EMBERS IN DAKOTA CITY

This month we are going to go back to the start of Midwest rock and roll. We’ll be looking at a band that played this region under two different names. Because of their popularity they would appear at ballrooms like the Star Ballroom in Dakota, City.

I reached out to my friend Doug “Sparky” Spartz who played in this band under both incarnations of the group. Doug is a very special man that helped write the history of Minnesota rock and roll with all the various bands that he has performed with over the years. I’m happy to say that Doug has been a close friend of mine of over 30+ years.

We are going back to the early days of rock and roll across Midwest, from the late ‘50s to the early ‘60s, the bands could best be described as territorial bands. That is to say, they traveled a wide territory to start and create a rock and roll career. At this time, because so much travel was involved, it meant they traveled the back roads of Midwest and for most of these musicians, this was their full time job.

Such a group would hope they would get picked up by a booking agency, maybe record a record or create some good looking band posters, but this was not a glamorous life with miles and miles in a station wagon pulling a band trailer. One such band called many Minnesota communities home, like Willmar, Litchfield, Kimball and Granite Falls all in Minnesota, such a band was the Embers!

The Embers got their start in 1957 when friends Doug Spartz-guitar and Doug Herman-guitar both of Willmar, MN came together with the dream of starting a band. Keep in mind, rock and roll was only beginning, so this was a real leap of faith for two kids. Soon Stan Odegard from Granite Falls, MN joined on drums and the trio soon adopted the name of the Embers. Bruce Lerke also from Willmar, MN made the group a four man band as the group’s new bass player.

It wasn’t long before Mike Shaw from Litchfield, MN replaced Odegard on bass and Mike Mckenzie from Kimball, MN replaced Herman on drums. With Spartz now booking the band, the group traveled Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa almost non-stop playing every ballroom and dance hall along the road, all the while building a large following.

Shaw would soon leave the band, but had an amazing career in music with the creation of the Defiants who recorded for Minneapolis’s Studio City Records and later the creation of the Shaw, Allen, Shaw band and still later, just the Shaw band.

St Cloud, Minnesota’s Gene Jurek (the Greenmen) joined the band on guitar with Spartz moving over to bass. To give the band an even bigger

sound, Jack Penniston joined the Embers on sax. Other musicians would move through the band, but here was the core band that everyone best remembers.

With Spartz now booking the band, the Embers now developed an even bigger territory to play than just Minnesota & Iowa. They now also toured South Dakota, Nebraska and North Dakota. They also included a much larger area in Iowa to perform. I’d loved to have been the auto dealer selling these guys band vehicles. It had to have been a lucrative profession for those dealers.

By 1964 the group wanted to feature Mike Mckenzie more, so they changed their name to Mike Mckenzie & The Embers. It was at this point that they played at the Star Ballroom this show, group founder, Doug Spartz left the band and was replaced by Darrell Beiler on bass from Kimball, In addition “Little” Al Vee from Willmar, MN would also work with the band as a new featured singer.

Spartz would go on to play with Jesse J and the Bandits who recorded the successful LP “Top Teen Hits” for Minneapolis’s Re-Car Records (#2011) that was released in 1965. He also played with country artist Bobby Hodge and the great show band, Sparky & The Time Pirates.

The Embers would officially call it a career in late 1967. Mckenzie would move to Kimball, MN and start an electronics business. Jurek would go on to play with the legendary Greenmen and became a successful playwright along with friend, Spartz. After his music career, Beiler would become a doctor.

The group left us with one great recorded gem with the release of their only record from early 1967 of “I Wanna Do It/My Summer Star” on Crash Records (#101) that is shown as by Mike McKenzie & The Embers.

I hope you have enjoyed this look back at pure Midwest rock and roll history with the Embers.

Until Next Month Take Care & Remember The Music

artistspot

Stephen Kelleher

Age: 72 • Hometown: Native Fort Dodger Instrument: Have performed on guitar, lute, electric bass, drums, viola da gamba, rebec, recorders, and krumhorn

How did you first become interested in making music?

I started band on snare drum the summer after 4th grade. I got my first guitar in 7th grade and was in a garage band in 8th grade. Band was always my favorite subject. In high school I performed with my brother as the Kelleher Brothers and appeared in the Bill Riley Talent Search on television and at the state fair.

Did you grow up in a musical household? If so, in what ways.

We had a piano in the house and both of my parents, as well as some of my siblings, had taken piano lessons. I taught myself some chords and played by ear.

What has your educational & career path been?

After high school, I first attended St. Ambrose College and majored in Music Education with classic guitar as my major instrument; I had a scholarship to play timpani. After one year, I transferred to the College

of St. Teresa in Winona, MN, where I also had a scholarship to play timpani. I added Renaissance lute my junior year at St. Teresa’s. I started teaching elementary vocal music after graduation in the Fort Dodge Catholic Schools and also earned certification in Orff-Schulwerk Music from DePaul University in Chicago. Later, I earned two teaching endorsements in Special Education from Iowa State and Morningside.

Who has had the greatest influence on you musically?

I really wanted to play music after hearing the Beatles in 1963. I decided to study music formally after playing in a jazz band the summer of 1969; I intended to become a jazz guitarist, but somehow I ended up as a classic guitarist and lutenist.

If you had a chance to meet any performer/musician, alive or dead, whom would you choose?

I would say that George Harrison would be at the top of the list. He was not interested in playing long, intricate solos; he played only what fit to make the song work.

What are some of your musical accomplishments?

I played with Musica Antiqua of Ames from 1977 until 2019 as Iowa Artists and in several other Midwest states. I played drums with the Vern Claussen Orchestra for several years, bass and guitar with the Sonshine Singers, and in numerous musical pit orchestras at Iowa Central and St. Edmond.

Why is it important for people to learn about instruments from other countries and in what ways have you worked to educate others about these instruments?

The history of music, including the instruments, is part of our culture and part of all cultures. I have demonstrated Renaissance instruments in several school systems, as well as at Iowa Central and Iowa State.

What keeps you busy, musically, now?

I try to practice lute, guitar, and bluegrass banjo daily; I play bass regularly in local churches, and occasionally guitar or percussion.

What are your hobbies outside of music?

I spend as much time as possible with my grandchildren and that involves travel to the west coast. I tune pianos, but that has become more than a hobby lately. I do maintain a raspberry patch.

What has been the hardest lesson to learn when it comes to music and performing?

Music performance involves keeping up your technique and your instruments, and I have a lot of instruments. You have to be ready when an opportunity arises.

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