Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona application deadline is Nov. 13

WINONA, Minn. — The last day to apply for the Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona program is Friday, Nov. 13. People who need help obtaining holiday gifts for the children and seniors in their families should go to one of the human service agencies that they work with (Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Project FINE, Semcac, Winona County Department of Human Services, Winona Senior Advocacy Program, Winona Volunteer Services, Winona Red Cross or Women’s Resource Center) to get a form.

Through the generosity of the Winona-area community, this annual gift-giving program helped more than 1,800 people have a much happier holiday season last year.

Other community partners that join SMU to help make this program possible are the Winona Post, Winona Radio and Winona Volunteer Services.

For more information, call the “Gifts for Winona” line at (507) 457-8719.

Page Series brings swing music to Saint Mary’s stage Nov. 19

WINONA, Minn. — Enjoy a night of energetic swing music combined with lively storytelling during the next Page Series performance of Five By Design: Club Swing on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Travel back in time beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Saint Mary’s University’s Page Theatre.

The swing era comes to life at the mythical Club Swing nightclub in the Hotel Crosby. As the nightclub faces a wrecking ball, Joe Sullivan, the club’s former mixologist, must do something to save the club.

From the frenetic-paced opening of Benny Goodman’s “Bugle Call Rag” to the show’s blockbuster finale of Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Club Swing celebrates the songs, events and personalities that defined American popular culture during the swing era. Whether performing their seductive arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine,” the madcap parody of Spike Jones’ “Cocktails for Two,” or the lush romance of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa,” Minneapolis-based Five By Design enchants audiences by deftly blending music and theatrics.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Make your evening an event: enjoy a pre-show dinner – catered by Chartwells – in the nearby President’s Room of the Toner Student Center. Dinners can be reserved when purchasing tickets. Dinners are $22 for adults and $14 for children.

SMU Oldie Moldies to perform at Signatures Nov. 21

WINONA, Minn. — Catch dinner and a show with the Oldie Moldie All-Stars from Saint Mary’s University on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Visions Event Center.

Rock along to your favorite ’50s, ’60s and ’70s tunes while you enjoy a menu of house salad, pan-seared Canadian walleye fillet, wild rice pilaf, mixed vegetables, caper tarter sauce, rolls and butter, and a root beer float.

The Oldies are members of the national music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at Saint Mary’s. The group consists of 10 talented and engaging singers and band members. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 7 p.m.; the Oldies will perform two sets, one at 6:30 p.m., and a second at 7:45 p.m.

The price for the dinner and show is $30 per person; reservations can be made now through Nov. 19 by calling Signatures at (507) 454-3767. Payment is accepted at time of reservation. A chicken or pasta option is available by reservation.

Visions Event Center is located at Signatures Restaurant, 22852 County Road 17 in Pleasant Valley.

SMU students to stage ‘The Crucible’ Nov. 12-15

WINONA, Minn. — The historical events surrounding the infamous witchcraft trials of Salem, Mass., will be portrayed in the Saint Mary’s University Department of Theatre and Dance production of “The Crucible.”

This intense play, written by Arthur Miller in 1953, includes a large, energetic cast under the direction of Larry Gorrell, former SMU dean of the School of the Arts. Show times are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 12-14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in Page Theatre, located in the Performance Center.

One of the greatest plays of the 20th century, “The Crucible” revolves around Reverend Samuel Paris and members of his household involved in allegedly practicing witchcraft during an era when individuals were tortured and put to death for mere insinuations of such involvement. This two-act drama explores how Americans respond to non-traditional and unconventional behavior and how it is so easy to turn our backs on those who differ from us. Also evident in this extraordinary work — still relevant for today — is Miller’s perspective on the way the elders, religious leaders and lawmakers handle the gripping situation.

Authentic period costumes are designed by guest artist Jason Lee Resler, who has designed costumes for the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Lanesboro’s Commonweal Theatre, and the University of Minnesota Centennial Showboat.

The 21-member cast includes five students from Rose Bruford College, located outside of London. These students — American Theatre majors — are studying abroad at Saint Mary’s in 2009-10.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Halloween Walk of Horror tonight cancelled because of rain

WINONA, Minn. — Tonight’s Saint Mary’s University Walk of Horror has been cancelled because of rain. The 13th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30-31 in the SMU bluffs.

Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.

The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, call coach Jen Miller at (507) 457-6923.

SMU, WSU host evening of jazz

The WSU Jazz Band

The SMU Jazz Ensemble

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University and Winona State University will partner up for a free night of jazz at Jefferson Pub and Grill from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The SMU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. John Paulson, and the WSU Jazz Band, directed by Dr. Rich MacDonald, will perform back-to-back during “University Jazz Night.”

SMU big band highlights will include:

• “Smack Dab in the Middle,” a Sammy Nestico original from the Count Basie book, which will feature SMU senior Ryan Ballanger of the Twin Cities on tenor sax.
• “Keep the Stick” by trombonist and University of Minnesota jazz director Dean Sorenson, which features the “plunger” trombone stylings of SMU senior Tom Briese of Rochester.
• “The Nasty Blues” by Mike Carubia, featuring several soloists in the SMU band.
• The band will close on a high-energy note with an arrangement of the jazz standard “Blue Skies” by Mark Taylor.

The WSU set will include:

• “Southeast Sixstep,” a new composition from Eric Richards, which features a 6/4 rhythm that switches between Latin and Swing styles and includes solos by WSU senior Alan Rewitzer of Coon Rapids on trumpet; and freshman Justin Solle of La Crosse, Wis., on tenor saxophone.
• “Bag’s Groove,” a great blues standard recorded by Milt Jackson with the Clayton/Hamilton big band. The WSU rendition features senior Matt Meler of Oconomowoc, Wis., on vibes, as well as solos by freshman Kelly Blau of Burnsville on guitar; sophomore Jase Ginkel of Eden Prairie on trombone; senior Alan Rewitzer of Coon Rapids on trumpet; and freshman Justin Soller of La Crosse on tenor saxophone.
• “Hit the Ground Running,” a new Gordon Goodwin composition from the “Act Your Age” CD, which features the whole band.

For information, call Jefferson Pub and Grill at (507) 452-2718 or Paulson at (507) 457-1596.

Halloween Walk of Horror tonight cancelled because of rain

WINONA, Minn. — Tonight’s Saint Mary’s University Walk of Horror has been cancelled because of rain. The 13th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 24 and 29-31 in the SMU bluffs.

Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.

The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, call coach Jen Miller at (507) 457-6923.

Saint Mary’s University announces Catholic high school scholarship

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has established the Diocese of Winona Catholic High School Scholarship. Beginning this year, each graduate of Cotter High School, Lourdes High School, Loyola High School and Pacelli High School is eligible to receive a $2,000 scholarship to attend SMU.

The scholarship guidelines are:

· The student must attend as a full-time undergraduate on the Saint Mary’s Winona campus.

· The scholarship is renewable for an additional three consecutive years, provided the student remains in good academic and disciplinary status (bringing the total amount awarded over four years to $8,000).

· The scholarship may be used to study at an SMU internship or study abroad site.

· The scholarship may be combined with other SMU merit and need-based grants and scholarships, as well as with governmental grants.

For more information, contact Tony Piscitiello at 1-800-635-5987, Ext. 1700 or tpisciti@smumn.edu.

Clothing drive, music, speakers highlight SMU’s Lasallian Week of Peace

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Office of Campus Ministry has a full slate of activities planned for Lasallian Week of Peace Oct. 19-25. The theme of the week is “solidarity in peace as Lasallians across the globe.” Events — several of which are open to the public — will touch on many contemporary issues including immigration, genocide, war, personal peace and the expression of peace through music. Events will engage several different groups and organizations on the SMU campus.

The Lasallian Week of Peace schedule includes:

Monday, Oct. 19 — Sister Judith Schaefer, OP, Ph.D., university dean for university affairs, will discuss “How to bring peace into your life” at 8:30 p.m. in the President’s Room of the Toner Student Center.

Wednesday, Oct. 21 — Ernesto Velez Bustos of Centro Campesino Inc. will present “Immigration 101: What we know, but don’t understand about immigration,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Presidents Room of the Toner Student Center.

Thursday, Oct. 22 — The Winona Peacemakers will conduct a non-violent civil action from 4 to 5 p.m. on Broadway and Main streets in Winona.

SMU associate professor of interdisciplinary studies Stephen Pattee will discuss “Genocide: Personal & Communal Implications” at 7 p.m. in the Presidents Room of the Toner Student Center.

Friday, Oct. 23 — The Common Threads Clothing Drive kicks off from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room B of the Toner Student Center. Gently used clothing and footwear for men, women, youth and infants will be available. A fashion show, featuring donated clothing, will begin at 4 p.m. The cost is 50 cents per item or $3 per bag, and all proceeds will go to the Dan Corcoran Catholic Worker House.

Carlos Lumbí, a singer/songwriter from Leon, Nicaragua, will perform at 8 p.m. in the Toner Student Center Lounge. His lyrics cover a range of topics, focusing on Central American social and environmental justice issues, and his musical style is folk/trova. Lumbí has also set to music poems by Gioconda Belli, Ernesto Cardenal and Francisco Ruiz Udiel, among others. Along with his own music, Lumbí performs songs by friends from Nicaragua who also sing of a deep desire for social, economic and environmental justice in Nicaragua.

Students will be raising awareness about the millions of people who do not have adequate shelter to sleep during Habitat for Humanity’s Shack-a-thon from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the Plaza. Students will be sleeping outside in cardboard boxes.

Saturday, Oct. 24 — The Common Threads Clothing Drive continues from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Saint Mary’s will be volunteering as part of Make a Difference Day throughout the community from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Make a Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.

Sunday, Oct. 25 — The Common Threads Clothing Drive concludes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Public invited to free Saint Mary’s faculty recital

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University Music Department faculty members Janet Heukeshoven and Sylva Hanson will present a free recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Heukeshoven, on flute, and Hanson, on clarinet, will perform pieces by Bach, Enesco, von Weber, Sutermeister and Brahms, showcasing compositions from Baroque music to 20th century pieces.

Jan Matson will assist on piano, and guest soprano Maureen Sherman will contribute vocals.