Talented Women Take Over Downtown

By Becca Sorgert
Staff Writer

Once again, the Celebration of Women and Their Music is taking over downtown with a Mecca of talented women. During the February 20th main celebration, the audience will “see a very eclectic show of nine women. The music will range from humorous to jazzy mellow,” said event organizer Deb Jenkins, “I’ll be surprised if anyone doesn’t leave with a big smile.”
Your ears will be saturated with the folk/gospel/ jazz stylings of Chastity Brown, political lyrics of Ann Reed, Kristin Kito’s gut-rolling humor, the unique voice of Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lappelles, and more.

How did this event, well into its 13th year of acknowledging women in the community, begin? In 1998, Deb Jenkins, manager of the now closed Full Circle Café, incorporated music and art into the café. This was a hit for customers and mentally ill employees who were gaining transitional work skills, for their opportunity to experience live music was limited.

Full Circle’s phone did not stop ringing from local and traveling musicians needing a place to perform. The café broke the cycle of the lack of venues in the community at that time, especially for those under the age of 21 whose only options were coffee shops.

“I started meeting all of these women,” Jenkins articulated. Inspired by the Lilith Fair, a short-lived women’s music festival that is being revived this year, the Celebration of Women and Their Music was formed not only for the community to women’s hear music, but for women to have the opportunity to network, mentor, support, and promote women in the music field.

With the aid of Margie Baily, Executive Director of the Fargo Theatre, an endowment fund was created with the FM Area Foundation to recognize high school girls excelling in the arts through awards and monetary gifts. When the program began, elementary students volunteered by distributing programs. Although the number of girls under the age of 18 is down, junior high students still have the opportunity to work the event. Parents are encouraged to bring their daughters of all ages to attend. Perhaps she may leave asserting, “Oh, wow, I could do that.”

And so could you.

The Fargo-Moorhead community has jumped on board to support the celebration. This has allowed the celebration to expand. Downtown businesses’ support of venue space allows the community to celebrate women’s music throughout the week with five pre-shows and two post-shows. Community members and businesses have financed the endowment for more young women. This contribution has allowed the awards to grow from three in 2004 to seven this year, including a one-time recording session.

Not only rewarding to the audience, the performers’ chance to network, mentor, support, and promote one another has brought many successes. Through these experiences and her own, Jenkins exclaims, “Oh, absolutely! Yes!” when asked if the event has accomplished its original goal.

Bringing so many women together, the universality of music allows many and unlike musical styles to collide, inspiring performers to produce work together in the future. Past performer Bridget Ertelt quit her job, left Fargo, and has succeeded in Denver’s music scene. This is all due to Ertelt’s opportunity to network with a fellow Denver performer at the event. Jenkins recalls Ertelt’s words to her: “I did not REALIZE how empowering it would be to be on stage with all of these women.”

Another success is past award winner Hannah Christianson, a promising young performer, inspired to be a music therapist. Hannah was encouraged to attend the Winnipeg Folk Festival and play on the young performer’s stage. She went, she performed, and had a new experience of networking with musicians of her own age. “If she hadn’t applied for the Celebration [award], hadn’t been in the Celebration, she would never even have heard of the Winnipeg Folk Festival,” Jenkins explained, “She was very empowered by being around these women and I cannot say that there is one person that isn’t.”

A woman to look out for in the future is Fargo North High student Abigail Enockson. Winning this year’s Vinz Writing Award, Enockson writes in her submission that her piece “combines my two favorite arts, music and literature, in order to express who I am,” and it “describes my experience as a musician and the elation of performing.”

Other 2010 awards are being given to Nicole of Moorhead Higher, Mary Ellen Thompson Award; Chelsey Skavlem of Fargo North High, Karen Stoker Arts Support Award; Brianna Chizek of Moorhead High, Red River Counseling Visual Arts Award; Tessa Wakefield of Moorhead High, Vicki Smith-Williams and Dwight Williams Award; Emily Olig of Shanley High, “Dancing Queen” Award; Kelsey Schroeder of Moorhead Senior High, “Ekberg Goddess” Award.

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PRE-SHOWS

Thursday Feb 18th
Haley E and the Rydells
8:30 - 11:30 PM
HoDo
Free

Friday, Feb 19th
Rosemary Sauvageau
4:30 - 6:00 PM
Atomic Coffee
Free

Friday Feb 19th
Ann Reed
7:30 PM
Spirit Room
$8 General/$5 Student

Friday Feb 19th
MJ Kroll
8:30-11:00 PM
HoDo
21 and over
No cover
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BIG SHOW
Saturday, Feb 20th
Celebration of Women and Their Music Festival
6:30 PM
Fargo Theater
$10 Student ~ $15 General Admission
http://www.myspace.com/celebrationofwomen
~~~~~~~~~
POST-SHOWS
Saturday, Feb 20th
Chastity Brown
10:00 - 11:30 PM
Silvermoon Supper Club
309 Roberts St.
(701) 309-9097
Free

Saturday, Feb 20th
Lucy Mitchell and the Velvet Lapelles
10:30 PM - Close
The Aquarium
Free