All Entries Tagged With: "live music"
Laissez les bon temps rouler! FloTown goes Creole
FROM THE NEWS WIRE:
The Old St. Ferdinand Shrine is proud to kick-off the Florissant Christmas Walk with a benefit concert Saturday, December 3rd at 1:30 P.M. featuring authentic French Creole music. Admission is free but donations will be accepted. All proceeds from the event will be used on badly needed restoration projects at the Shrine.
Our performer, Dennis Stroughmatt, is the only artist in the world that tours and plays the music of the French Creoles that settled in the Midwest. This music makes your soul jump, your head spin, and your heart at its happiest. Anyone listening can’t help but get up and dance along.
The performance includes the up-tempo music, language, stories and culture secreted away in Missouri that became part of the American fabric at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. The French Creoles, both of French and Spanish descent, were Roman Catholics who were born in the colonies and created their own unique social customs and celebrations.
As a special treat, Dennis will be performing La Guillanee. La Guillanee is the Celtic festival of sharing food and bounty throughout the community during the winter. In France it brought the community together to celebrate the New Year and joie de vivre (joy of life). Share the joy of life and happiness at the Shrine!
There would be no better place to hear this brilliant musical story than at the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine. The Shrine, built in 1821, is the site of one of the earliest French settlements west of the Mississippi. The convent was home to St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne in 1819 when Mass was said for the first time that Christmas Eve. Our Creole Christmas concert includes songs in both French and English not unlike the songs sung and performed at the Shrine during past holidays.
After the performance, the Shrine will have chili and drinks for sale as well as gently used Christmas items and special book-fair event pricing of $4 per bag. Come have a fantastic time, and support this significant historic landmark. For additional information call 314/837-2110; or visit www.oldstferdinandshrine.com.
Holiday fun lights up NoCo this weekend
Happy Thanksgiving, NOCO fans! Today is the day to be extra thankful for all the blessings in your life, including this wonderful community of ours!
North County offers up lots of beautiful eye candy throughout the seasons, but I have to say, it’s especially dazzling during the holidays. Driving up Florissant Road, with lights twinkling on nearly every building and pole, I’m reminded of all the reasons I love Ferguson. Our history, our architecture, our community spirit….it all comes into focus this time of year, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
That’s why I’m delighted to share news about this weekend’s local holiday festivities, where you can get out and mingle with your neighbors….
In Ferguson, Northern Lights returns on Sunday, November 27, with a full lineup of fun things to see and do. Dress warm and bring your camera for this annual outdoor celebration, which features live music, free cookies and hot chocolate, a market full of great vendors, and Ferguson’s famed Holiday Light Parade.
Northern Lights takes place at 20 S. Florissant Road (the farmers market lot) and runs from 2-7pm.
Also happening Sunday, just up the street from Northern Lights, is a new event from the Northern Arts Council. Called “NAC at the Corner,” this gathering of local artists offers fine arts and crafts for purchase, hands-on activities for families, and still more live music and entertainment. It runs from 2-6pm at the Corner Coffee House, 100 N. Florissant Road, and like Northern Lights, admission is free.
Around the same time, the city of Florissant is hosting its own holiday event: the return of the Green Line Tour, a free bus ride showcasing 40 of Old Town’s finest historical buildings. Originally launched in 1965 by Florissant’s Business and Professional Women’s Club, the tour is being revived by Historic Florissant, Inc and the Landmark Historic District Commission, and it literally follows a painted green line on area streets.
If you’re interested in riding along, it’s probably a good idea to reserve your seat. Four 30-minute tours are available – at 1:15pm, 2pm, 2:45pm and 3:30pm – and they all depart from the historic Gittemeier House, 1067 Dunn Road. For more information about the free Green Line Tour, or to make a reservation, call Historic Florissant at (314) 921-7055.
Florissant celebrates 225th anniversary as a city
All are welcome at St. Ferdinand Shrine this Friday, where the city of Florissant is hosting a 225th anniversary celebration.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe, but the city of Florissant was actually founded in 1786, just ten years after the birth of the United States. Originally named “St. Ferdinand” in honor of Spain’s King Ferdinand III, the town was dubbed “Fleurissant” (or “blooming”) by its early French settlers and remained a largely French-speaking area throughout the 19th century.
Today, of course, Florissant is one of the largest municipalities in St. Louis and continues to be a strong anchor for the North County community. That’s why it’s such great news that the city is celebrating its 225th anniversary!
This Friday, November 18, the St. Ferdinand Shrine is hosting a public birthday party for Florissant, and all are invited. It also happens to be the feast day of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (the French nun who founded Florissant’s first school), so the event will have a decidedly Catholic feel, but people of all faiths are welcome to attend.
Here’s the schedule of activities:
4-10pm Fish fry with clam chowder, beer & soda, courtesy of the Duchesne Knights of Columbus
5-10pm French wine tastings from Hendel’s and the Shrine Foundation
5-10pm Birthday cake with coffee and cocoa in the school house
4-7pm and 8-10pm Live music from Dan the Piano Man, also violin and cello in the museum
6pm Walk of Fame plaque dedication for Father Pierre Jean DeSmet & St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
7pm Mass in honor of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
Parking will be available on the Knights of Columbus grounds at Washington & St. Charles. The St. Ferdinand Shrine is located at #1 rue St. Francois, 63031. Admission to the anniversary celebration is free.
Northwinds Concert Band hosts a Night at the Pops
You can add this to the list of things that most people don’t know about North County…..Since 1975, we’ve had our very own orchestra! Comprised of 60 talented musicians from all walks of life and every corner of the St. Louis area, the Northwinds Concert Band is sponsored by the Ferguson-Florissant School District’s Community Education Department and performs about six shows every year.
My friend Mary Haux, who runs the Ferguson Citywalk Concert Series, is a Northwinds member, and she tells me that the band’s upcoming performance is not to be missed. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, the show is called “Tuesday Night at the Pops” and it features a lovely mix of popular classics, including several numbers by soprano soloist Patricia Scanlon.
Scanlon is a soprano section leader and soloist with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, as well as a vocal instructor at St. Louis University. From what I’ve been told, her voice is amazing!
So if you need something to do in between Cardinal games, by all means head to the Florissant Civic Center on October 25. Tickets for the Northwinds concert are just $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors, and you can see the full song lineup and even purchase your tickets online right here.
