The cast of the musical "Anything Goes" rehearses a dance number for its show, which begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Mandan High School. Brian L. Gray photo

Mandan High School’s winter musical, “Anything Goes,” takes audiences back to the swinging 1930s with big-band music, gangsters and a whole lot of singing.

“Anything Goes” follows a group of mismatched lovers aboard a transatlantic luxury liner in 1934. Billy Crocker, who is played by Dominic Berrios, is a love-struck stockbroker head over heels in love with the debutante Hope Harcourt, portrayed by Solvei Stenslie. The only problem is that Hope’s mother, who is played by Alex Bergstad, has arranged a marriage between Hope and an incredibly wealthy Englishman, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, played by Adam Michael. Billy stows away aboard the ship to try and break up the wedding. He is helped along the way by his good friend Reno Sweeney, a quick-witted lounge singer who is played by Cara Hurdelbrink, and his new pal Moonface Martin, a not-quite-as-infamous-as-he-would-like-to-be gangster. Kristian Stenslie portrays the role of Martin.

Hijinks ensue as the gang uses false identities, disguises and song and dance to avoid the authorities and make sure that Billy and Hope live happily ever after.

Rounding out the cast are Billy’s boss, Elisha Whitney, Moon’s accomplice, Erma, and Hope’s mother, Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt.

The director’s chair is filled by Tom Hug. “Anything Goes” is his third directorial effort for Mandan High School. His previous shows were “The Man from LaMancha” and “The Mikado.”

“This show is really a lot of fun,” Hug said. “It’s a lot of spectacle and big numbers the audience can really tap their feet to.”

Performances are tonight and Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 22, at 2:30 at the Mandan High School Auditorium. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students and $3 for faculty. They are available at the door.

Cara Hurdelbrink, who portrays the character Reno Sweeney, in the upcoming Mandan High School musical "Anything Goes."

Some of the photographs photograher Layn Mudder has taken around the Mandan area. His photos will be on display at Harvest Grill through April 14. Submitted photos

LPT Images has announced its premier showing of the black and white photographts of Mandan and Bismarck.

The fine art images will be shown at Harvest Brazilian Grill. Harvest Grill is located at 308 W. Main St. Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The square format images are photographer Layn Mudder’s own unique view of his local community. His photos will be on display at Harvest Brazilian Grill from Jan. 17 to April 14.

The images can also be viewed online using the Fine Art link on Mudder’s blog, lptimages.com.

Artist Ali LaRock was awarded a grant in the amount of $800 for an artist in residence at Mandan High School, and Christ the King School was awarded a teacher incentive grant in the amount of $300.

All applications were evaluated by grant review panels and were subject to approval by the NDCA’s board of directors.

Katelyn Schmidt's poster, which recently won a district contest and will now compete on an international level, in the Lions International Peace Poster contest. Submitted artwork photo

Katelyn Schmidt, a sixth grade student at Mandan Middle School, took a big step towards becoming an internationally recognized artist when she won a local competition sponsored by the Mandan Dacotah Lions Club.

Schmidt’s poster has advanced through the Mandan Dacotah Club, District 5 NW and MD5 levels of competition and is now advancing to the international level, which is the final level in the contest.

Her poster is one of more than 350,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the program to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.

“Peace is a feeling you get when all races of all nations come together to help each other when they need it,” the 11-year-old Schmidt said. The poster was selected for its originality, the choice of colors, the attention to detail and the story the poster tells of the theme “Children Know Peace” by a panel of judges made up of local artists. The artists were impressed at the imagination of the young participants and the artwork they submitted. Each poster received the appreciation of the judges for their excellent work. The judging was held on Nov. 25 at Regina, Saskatchewan.

MD 5 Lions Opportunities for Youth Chairperson, Lion Maureen Meston-Pockett, said she was impressed by the expression and creativity of the students. “It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them. I’m so proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions.”

One international grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners will be selected. The grand prize includes a cash award of $2,500, plus a trip for the winner, two family members and the sponsoring club president to New York City, for the awards ceremony at Lions Day with the United Nations. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award of $500.

The drawing entitled "Lily III," by artist Melissa Gordon. Submitted artwork photo

The Mandan Art Association will be hosting its second annual Miniature Art Show now through Saturday, Dec. 31, at its gallery located at 411 W. Main St.

The show will feature work by 18 artists and showcase several different mediums. An open house reception will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is open to the public. There is no admission fee.

Awards will be given to artists selected by our show judge for Best of Show, Gallery Award and Creativity Award. People’s Choice award will be given to the artist selected by votes of the public attending the show.

This show is an opportunity for the artist to highlight smaller works of art which are often overlooked in a larger general show.  Each item entered in the miniature show must be 5″ x 7″ or smaller. Small art pieces are an excellent way for shoppers to buy an original work of art by their favorite artist.

For more information, contact Mandan Art Association at 751-4331 or email mandanartassociation@yahoo.com.

This show is sponsored in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, and sponsored by grants from the Mandan Progress Organization and MDU Resources Foundation.

Coleman received the BAGA Board Award for his work, “Autumn’s Collection.” He was presented with $100 for winning. Coleman was also named as one of the Juror’s Choice Awards for his piece, “The Stragglers.”

This annual BAGA exhibit featured artwork by local and regional artists. All mediums were represented in the exhibit. Leon Basler, of Bismarck, was the juror for the show.

Artists 18 years or older may submit two entries for this show. Entries must not have been previously exhibited in any Mandan Art Show.

Actual size of art work may be 5×7 or smaller. The total framed size must not exceed 8×10 or 80 square inches. Full requirements and guidelines are listed on the registration form which is available on the website mandanart.org, at the gallery or by calling 751-4331.

Postmark deadline for entries is Nov. 19. Show awards will be given for Best of Show, Gallery Award, Creativity Award and People’s Choice Award. An open house reception will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If you have any questions, email mandanartassociation@yahoo.com or call 751-0796.

Kevin Kremer (right) poses with his parents, Mike and Pat Kremer, during his most recent trip home to Mandan. Submitted photo

By Brian L. Gray

After a full career as a teacher and author of several children’s books, Kevin Kremer is now using his time to help out other burgeoning writers get their own writings published.

Kremer, a Mandan native, started up his own personal business in 2004, named after one of his books, Snow in Sarasota Publishing, to help others fulfill their dream of having a book published by offering them practical advice and guidance from the beginning to the end of the writing and publishing process.

“I set up a company that can help authors do anything they can’t do,” Kremer says. “That can involve many things – finding an artist, doing their worldwide distribution through a company I’m associated with, helping them promote their book, helping them through every step of the process from outlining through selling and promoting and helping them produce their e-book.”

The idea for the company began by happenstance, he says. A friend of Kremer’s, who works as a pilot, approached him one day with a book he wrote called “The Perfect Assassin” that he was hoping to self-publish. Kremer helped his friend with the writing and printing of the book, and he says he had so much fun with it that he decided to begin this company. His friend’s book is now being made into a movie.

“I try to keep balance in my life, and not make my little publishing company seem like work. Each day usually includes some time on the beach, lots of conversation at some coffee shops, and some ‘work’ on books,” he says.

Kremer lives in Sarasota, Fla., where he’s resided since 2001. He first checked out the city after reading that it had been voted the top city in America by Money Magazine. “I fell in love with the beaches, the culture, the numerous bookstores, the weather, the Ringling circus history and the people who were almost as friendly as North Dakotans,” he says.

Kremer began his teaching career in Mandan as a student teacher, where he taught at Mary Stark Elementary School under the direction of teacher Mr. Hellman. From there he taught in Rugby, teaching math and science classes at Ely Elementary School, and did so for one year. After that, Kremer returned to Bismarck, where he taught for the remainder of his career at Highland Acres and Dorothy Moses Elementary.

For Kremer, even a life in sunny Sarasota has not been enough to keep him from continuing to be inspired by the people he encountered and personal experiences he had while growing up in Mandan. The people he has known over the years, including many of his own students, have provided him with the inspiration for characters and storylines in his books. In fact, the illustrator Kremer has worked with since his first book, “A Kremer Christmas Miracle,” artist Dave Ely, first met Kremer when he was a grade school student of Kremer’s in Bismarck. They have continued to work together over the years.

Kremer even published his first book after his grade school class encouraged him to do so. “My first book was meant to be a Christmas story for my fifth graders at Dorothy Moses Elementary in Bismarck, along with family and friends,” Kremer says. “It was also a way to handle my grief when Jamie, our sheltie collie for 17 years, died. A small publishing company in Bismarck that no longer exists decided to publish it, and I had so much fun writing that first book that I decided to do a second.”

Kremer’s growing years in Mandan provide a solid foundation for much of his writing, and he says it continues to supply him with ideas. Using the town as the location for his stories, he says, was a natural thing to do. “I appreciate having grown up in a great town like Mandan. Our neighborhood on the 300 block of Division Street Northwest was the greatest place in the world to grow up, and it was loaded with interesting characters. They’ve shown up in many of my books, along with the rich history of the Mandan area,” he says.

Living in Sarasota has not slowed down Kremer’s interactions with his friends from the Mandan-Bismarck area, with the help of the electronic age. Kremer says email and Facebook have allowed him to more efficiently interact with people from his past that he continues to remain in touch with. They also often become characters in his books.

“I continue to use former students as characters in my stories. For example, Kevin Feeney, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, has been a character in many of my books. When he was in my fifth grade class at Dorothy Moses, I admired his always trying to be the best he could be, and Kevin always treated other people with empathy,” Kremer says. “Another example is Jan Pedersen, a girl who was in my sixth grade class who let me know early in the school year she wanted to be a medical doctor. Through the years, we kept in touch and I followed her all the way to the day she received her medical degree. She has become the character Doc in many of my books.”

Kremer recently published a new book, entitled “The Most Amazing Halloween Ever.” The story is about a fourth grade teacher in the fictional Mandan school of Sakakawea Elementary, who has a longstanding reputation for intimidating her students. This all changes when a mysterious email to the teacher gives her magical powers, and her students begin to enjoy the new special abilities their teacher is able to do.

A book signing will also take place tomorrow at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Bismarck, from 1 to 3 p.m. Three people involved in the book will be present to speak with people – illustrator Dave Ely, 4-year-old Katrice Kern of Bismarck, who is a character in the book, and Bismarck teacher Duane Roth, who has been written into every one of Kremer’s books.

In the last year alone Kremer has helped over 25 writers publish their works through his company. He also makes time to come up with new stories for him to write. He says he is normally working on two to three stories at a time. “Right now, I have rough outlines for my next two books and my idea for a third. The biggest challenge of the three will be a fictional story involving golf. I was inspired to do this by following my niece Carrie’s husband, Bo Van Pelt, a professional golfer on the PGA tour. Carrie is the daughter of my big brother, Mike.”

Ideas for his stories continue to come from not only his days from living in Mandan. Even though he’s no longer a teacher, Kre-mer continues to find inspiration from the many children that he meets during speaking engagements.

“When I’m considering my book ideas, I’m trying to think of stories that I’ll have fun writing, and I think kids of all ages might like,” he says. “My ideas come to me at the strangest times – at the beach, in the gym, in my sleep. A few have even come from questions asked by students during author visits to schools.”

(l-r) Shelby Johnson and Matty Singer rehearse a scene from the Mandan High School play "Little Women." Johnson portrays the character Jo, as Singer performs the role of Beth. Brian L. Gray photo

The Mandan High School Drama Department will be performing “Little Women” Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 16, at  2:30 p.m. in the Mandan High School Auditorium. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and 6 and under are free. Admission is paid at the door, and the lobby opens a half an hour prior to the performance.  The play is a drama set during the Civil War era and centers around the March sisters whose father is away at war.

The order of performances on Monday morning are Century High School 8 a.m., St. Mary’s Central High School 8:50 a.m., Bismarck High School 9:40 a.m., and Mandan High School at 10:30 a.m. These performances are free to the public.

The Grand Concert featuring the combined bands from Bismarck High, St. Mary’s, Century and Mandan High will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Oct. 18, in the Century High School Gym.

Clinicians for the festival are Joe Alme from Minot State University, Dr. John Darling from Bismarck State College and Dr. Sigurd Johnson from North Dakota State University.

Guest conductors for this festival are Dr. Kenneth Ozzello, director of bands at the University of Alabama, and Joe Hermann, director of bands at Tennessee Tech.

Admission for the Grand Concert is $3 for students, $5 for adults or $15 per family.