Last week, Montevideo band students Lau ren and Logan traveled to Minneapolis to perform in the Orchestra Hall with the Minnesota All-State Concert Band and Symphonic Band. The audition process is challenging and the competition for each chair in the ensembles is competitive. "Being selected to participate in All-State Band is a huge accomplishment. It is a challenging and competitive process," says Director of Bands Oliver Leafblad. Each student prepares many technical playing exercises and excerpts that show off the student's musical ability. The students then send in a recording of their playing in the spring and, if chosen, are placed in either of the two All-State Bands. In August, the selected students meet for an All-State camp in which they practice and rehearse the music to perform at the end of the camp. Through the experience, all students get opportunities to work with world-class directors in their ensemble and in sectionals with college professors and other master teachers. The following February all the students get one last chance to play together for the Minnesota Music Educators Conference in Minneapolis.

The Montevideo Admirals have returned to doing first dollar visits with new businesses after a COVID-19 pandemic hiatus. In February, the admirals visited Neil Freeman, with Freeman Plumbing. PHOTO SUBMITTED

"Celebrity Readers" at the event included teachers, Superintendent McKittrick and high school students that are a part of the Homecoming royal court. Students were able to show their families artwork they have been creating this school year.

Watson’s Wedding and Event Center is full of activity as the venue prepares for its first-ever Wedding Fair to be held Saturday, March 19th. Owner Melea Ellingson and manager Greta Lankow began brainstorming the idea due to the high cost of participating in bridal and wedding shows in larger towns around the state. The pair decided that the best idea for showcasing local small businesses, as well as their own venue would be to host a Wedding Fair at the Watson’s Wedding and Event Center, and so they reached out to vendors who have worked weddings hosted at the site, as well as to area small businesses who offer wedding services. “It just kind of snowballed. We sat here one afternoon and brainstormed, and called vendors and anybody we knew - any brides that had vendors from out of the area. We collected numbers and we were calling and emailing. We really were so excited,” says Lankow.