Make Music Day

Celebrate the longest day of the year with “Make Music Day”!

“Make Music Day” is a celebration of music around the world. Soloists and bands will perform at local parks throughout the day.

Join the fun on Thursday, 21 Jun 2018 from 7:00 AM to 9:30 PM

Fourteen hours, ten bands, 5 parks, 0 dollars. It’s Make Music Day, a worldwide celebration of music held on the longest day of summer. Come for one band or make a day of it and explore Hastings to see them all. Check the event listing for times and locations.

All ages are welcome. Cost: FREE

Visit www.hastingsmn.gov/programsandevents to learn about the performances, locations & times.

Shakespeare on the Bluff: Twelfth Night

Enjoy a guided theatrical experience while walking the trails above the Mississippi River!

Join (lumin)theater lab for a promenade style production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night!

The venue for this production is the beautiful Spring Lake Park Reserve outside of Hastings, MN. The audience will gather outside near the Schaar’s Gathering Center (signs will be posted) to begin the performance.

“Shipwrecked on the shores of a strange land, clever Viola assumes the guise of a messenger for Duke Orsino and finds herself the center of a fiery love triangle that pushes the boundaries of identity, passion and class. This fearless heroine matches wits with love-sick Orsino, loveless Malvolio and lovelorn Olivia.”

Tickets are available now for their performances on May 5-6; 12-13; 19-20, 2018

Accessible Performance: the Sunday, May 20th performance at 1:00pm will be an accessible performance held in The Gathering Room at the Schaar’s Bluff Gathering Center for those who are not able to walk the trails.

The play will take place rain or shine. Ages: 16 and older.

For more information visit (lumin)theater lab or Dakota County Parks

Tickets Available Now at Brown Paper Tickets!

Spring Lake Park Reserve
8395 127th Street East
Hastings, MN 55033

Art & Fun at Pleasant Hill Library

Enjoy a variety of family events during the month of April!

1. Art on Tour … at Pleasant Hill Library

Connect to the NEA Big Read in the St. Croix Valley at Pleasant Hill Library.

A traveling art installation will feature work by photographer David Owen and painter Jimmy Longoria. Owen’s panoramic photographs show the expansiveness and beauty found along United States border with Mexico in western Texas. Also, on display will be a print of one of Longoria’s “Palas de mi Apa,” a painted shovel he has painted to honor Latino leadership in the United States.

Exhibit Dates: April 2- 7. More info

2. Spanish & English Storytime for Ages 2-6

Dia del Niño Storytime: stories, rhymes and fingerplays in Spanish and English. For Ages 2–6.

April 11, 10:30am. More info

3. Los Alegres Bailadores

Enjoy a colorful and truly authentic Mexican dance performance and learn about the vibrant arts and cultural traditions of Mexico. For All Ages.

April 14, 2-3pm. More info

4. Dia del Niño Wood Animalitos

Sculpt your own animals out of Model Magic and other crafts materials and then paint colorful patterns on them. Leave class with a fun new animal sculpture. Presented by Artistry. Registration required. A Minnesota Legacy program sponsored by Minnesota’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. For Ages 6-12.

April 26, 3:30-5pm. More info

This is just a quick list of upcoming events. For a complete listing and more information, please visit Pleasant Hill Library

Pleasant Hill Library
1490 S Frontage Road
Hastings, MN 55033

Blackout Comedy Improv – Special Presentation

Learn, laugh and celebrate Hastings’ black history

You are invited to “Building Bridges in Hastings – Our Black History” 2:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb 24 at the Hastings High School Auditorium.

This event is part of Hastings Black History Month. “The program will include a Readers’ Theatre dramatizing our black history and a performance by Blackout Improv, a professional black improvisational theatre group from Minneapolis.” Read More

Sponsored by: HPAAC, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, Lakeside Cemetery, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, and Resurrection United Methodist Church

For more info visit www.lakesidecem.org or Facebook: Building Bridges in Hastings

Download (PDF, 1.72MB)

Hastings High School
200 General Sieben Dr.
Hastings, MN 55033

Release of Creative MN Study of Hastings

You are invited to attend a special presentation at the Hasting City Council Meeting

Creative Minnesota Report about Hastings will be released at Presentation and Discussion on Feb. 20, 7:00 PM at the Hastings City Council Meeting.

The new Study Looks at Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture on the City of Hasting’s Economy. This new study on the size and impact of the nonprofit arts and culture sector in Hastings will be released at the Hastings City Council meeting, by Creative Minnesota, Hastings Prescott Area Arts Council, and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.

The Creative Minnesota study is part of an ongoing series of research reports about the arts and culture sector in Minnesota that is available for free at CreativeMN.org

Creative Minnesota 2017 quantifies the impact and needs of Minnesota’s artists and creative workers, updates previous studies on the economic impact of our state’s 1601 nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and reviews other research about the arts sector in the state.

Sixteen Hastings organizations are part of the local study. Read More

Hastings City Hall
101 4th Street East
Hastings MN 55033

“Mountains, Dragons, and Hounds” Free Concert

You are invited to enjoy Stories in Music!

The Hastings River Valley Band will perform a free concert for the Hastings Community on Tuesday, Feb 20 at 7 p.m. at the Hastings High School Auditorium.

The concert will feature musical talent from the Minnesota State College Southeast in Redwing, Simley High School, and the community of Hastings.

The program is entitled “Mountains, Dragons, and Hounds” under the direction of Rufino Ochoada.

We cordially invite you to attend and enjoy our Stories in Music, made possible in part by grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Center, the Ruth and George Doffing Charitable Fund, and the Hastings Prescott Area Arts Council.

Hastings High School
200 General Sieben Dr.
Hastings, MN 55033

For more information please visit Hastings River Valley Band Facebook page

River Valley Band Musical Concerts

Celebrate the Holidays with Great Music!

The River Valley Band will be performing TWO concerts in December under the direction of Rufino Ochoada.

The FIRST concert will be on Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3:00 PM at St. Philip’s Lutheran Church.

Please bring a food donation to benefit HFS.

The SECOND concert will be on Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00 PM at Simley High School

Date/Location Summary:

Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3:00 PM
St. Philip’s Lutheran Church
1401 15th Street West
Hastings, MN 55033

Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00 PM
Simley High School
2920 80th Street East
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076

Free will offering to benefit the continuing mission of the River Valley Band will be appreciated.

Please follow the River Valley Band Facebook page for updates

Gingerbread House Contest and Display

Join in the fun by entering your own creation or stop by the library to vote for your favorites!

The Pleasant Hill Library will be hosting their annual Gingerbread House Contest and Display from Thursday Dec 14 to Monday, Dec 18.

Pick up contest rules and registration forms in advance at the Pleasant Hill Library. Winners will be announced on Monday, Dec. 18 before the Bells of the Bluffs Concert.

Download (PDF, 272KB)

Pleasant Hill Library
1490 S. Frontage Rd Hastings
651-438-0200

HPAAC Gala – Meet your Auctioneer!

Are you ready to BID?

Be part of the LIVE auction with Auctioneer Erich Gabriel!

Erich Gabriel was raised on an Eastern Montana Ranch and then helped in the family construction business, where he learned his attention-to-detail as a part of a quality work ethic. Erich graduated from the World Wide College of Auctioneering in 2013 and has been deeply involved in the auction profession since.

In addition to using his talents to raise financial resources for non-profit organizations at benefit events across Minnesota, often the topic of auctioneering is front and center at home as well; Erich’s wife, Katie, and her entire family are professional auctioneers.

Erich has enjoyed serving as a volunteer and elder at his church, and recent volunteer opportunities have been with Global Volunteers in India teaching at schools and orphanages and helping to maintain trails and weed control with the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation.

Erich has been able to use and share his auctioneering skills for many benefit auctions in the Twin Cities area with Fladeboe Auctions. He enjoys working closely with non-profits, foundations and organizations in need of results fundraising.

Very QUICK SNEAK-PEEK …

You will have the opportunity to bid on:

HPAAC Mystery Bus Experience
Extreme Sandbox Experience
Middle Eastern Dinner for Eight
Milwaukee Experience
Andy Evansen Commissioned Watercolor

There are also over 130 silent auction items for YOU to bid on!

Be on the lookout for upcoming posts with more details & photos!

HPAAC Gala

The Sixth Annual Gala, sponsored by HPAAC, will feature delicious food, music, a live and silent auction, and the opportunity to meet with local artists and help support the Arts!

Location: Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Hall, 2035 W. 15th Street, Hastings, MN 55033

Date and Time: Friday, November 3, 2017, 6 p.m.

Gala Ticket Locations: tickets are available online now. They are also available at BreakAway Arts, and Orange Dragon Art Gallery.

This year’s Gala will be catered by Lake Elmo Inn

HPAAC Sixth Annual Gala

Join the festivity & help support the Arts!

This sixth annual celebration of the arts in our communities culminates a month-long series of ARTober events that showcase Hastings and Prescott as “A place for the Arts.”

During this year’s gala, HPAAC will honor three area residents for their efforts and contributions to the local arts in Hastings and Prescott. You will also be able to see and bid on the completed En Plein Air Paintings created in Hastings and Prescott.

The fundraising gala will feature delicious food, music, a live and silent auction, and the opportunity to meet with local artists.

Location: Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Hall, 2035 W. 15th Street, Hastings, MN 55033

Date and Time: Friday, November 3, 2017, 6 p.m.

Gala Tickets: tickets are available online, BreakAway Arts, and Orange Dragon Art Gallery.

This year’s Gala will be catered by Lake Elmo Inn

HPAAC Art Honorees for 2017:

HPAAC recognizes long-time arts supporters in the Hastings and Prescott area. Our 2017 honorees are Debbie and Allen Saunders, and Judy Johnson.

Debbie and Allen Saunders have been married forty years and together their support and tireless effort to make a place for the arts has created an impact worthy of recognition. Allen’s passion is music. He plays tenor saxophone for the River Valley Band and is now president of the group. This past year, he headed the Summer Arts Program and has worked for the Hastings schools for twenty years. Debbie is the secretary of HPAAC and has been a core member from the beginning. HPAAC is a full-time job for Debbie even though it’s volunteer work. She writes grants and organizes material for board meetings, events, and scholarships, among other responsibilities.

Judy Johnson is the founder and director of the Great River Road Theatre (GRRT) in Prescott. This year’s recognition coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the GRRT which started to raise money for the Prescott Chamber of Commerce. Their first play was performed in an open courtyard. After trying different locations around town, the group performed outdoors, under a tree in the park near the Prescott Middle School. Today, the GRRT has grown into a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing classic musicals and comedies to the Prescott area. In 2017, the GRRT moved their production of Annie to the auditorium in the new Prescott High School. They have also produced a dinner theater show in February since 2001.

For more info and updates, please visit HPAAC Gala and https://www.facebook.com/hastingsprescottareaartscouncil/