Are you just plain tired of rushing here and there, hustling kids from one activity to another, making sure the lawn gets mowed, the laundry done, and oh ya, hold down a full time job, plus find time to get groceries? Could you use a few minutes to reset? Well if yes is your answer, then come on over to the First Street Community Center Thursday afternoons!
On the front lawn you will find an old-fashioned farmers’ market. Time seems to slow down for a bit as you look through the fresh produce, homemade baked goods, honey products, local eggs and meats, handicrafts, and more. Here one can take a step back from the business of life, find a small snack to enjoy, listen to local musicians, have a friendly chat with the vendors about nothing in particular, and re-energize for the remaining part of the week.
Farmers Market is held: Thursdays 4-6, May-September.
The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre’s new play festival centers around the theme of Roots. This idea has been expressed in numerous ways from the roots of evil to familial roots to the foundations of community theatre itself.
With eleven different plays from eleven different local Eastern Iowa writers, Roots: A New Play Festival is sure to be grounded in great midwestern theatre and stem plenty of theatrical ingenuity.
Each play is listed below with their cast.
Please come out and support your favorite local actors, writers and directors!
All Evil Incby Kelli Massey
The dashing and daring Captain Man is in a dastardly duel with the Root of All Evil, but all is not what it seems.
CAST: Lisa Smith, Elijah Webster
Home by Eva Giacomo
Past becomes present as an event draws two ex’s together.
CAST: Jordan Ray Hogan, Kate Margheim
Past Tense by Barbara Lau CAST: Michelle Hinz
Some Surprise by Amy White
A birthday doesn’t go quite as planned against the backdrop of the 1920s … with Puppets
CAST: Allyssa Jubeck, Maria McAlexander, Amy White
Not Doing Christmas by Kristin Schneider
Sisters discuss plans for Christmas, but the talk quickly veers into the news of the day.
CAST: Amanda Bishop, Nicole McAlexander
Loving Addison and Dealing with Teenage Angst in 1946: The Musical by Tristan Maynard
The show must go on even when a disgruntled actor steps in.
CAST: Kaylynn Burgin, Jasper Rood, Elijah Webster
Weeding by Brian Tanner
Life Lessons in Gardening.
CAST: Michelle Hinz, Jordan Ray Hogan, Jasper Rood, Boede Stoops, Steve Weiss
Mock Trial/Real Error by Elijah Jones
A father & son confront the past.
CAST: Craig Jarvie, Tristan Maynard
This is a Bad Idea by Grant Freeman
A wacky and weird community theatre selects their final show for their upcoming season.
CAST: Kim Benesh, Bill Croghan, Grant Freeman, Braden JP Rood, Amy White
Memory by Chris Okishi
Memory is a fickle beast, especially when you’re losing it.
CAST: Shauna Daub, Lisa Smith
Untitled Interview by Tony Craine
An elderly woman learns of her family’s history.
Radoslav Lorković began touring at age 20 with Iowa City’s Bo Ramsey and the Sliders. Lorković entered the band having mastered the styles of boogie-woogie greats such as Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Freddie Slack etc.. Ramsey’s influence drove Lorković deeper to the core of the blues. The music of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Little Walter shifted Lorković’s focus to the basics as he began to draw from the styles of Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins.
He also became a valuable sideman to the late blues great Odetta. Odetta, he says, stands alone. “She is by far the best musician I have ever played with. She taught me so much about music, not so much in words, but in gestures, directions, stares, even smiles, and all with her sense of grace.”
Later, Lorković and Ramsey joined forces with Greg Brown adding musical authenticity to his deep Iowa Roots. At this time Lorković was simultaneously brushing up on his classical heritage and looking south to the polyrhythmic sounds of Professor Longhair and James Booker. He had picked up Tex-Mex and Zydeco accordion as well.
In 1990 he made his solo recording debut. Six CDs later, Lorković currently tours the world regularly appearing at prestigious events such as the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, WOMAD, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa folk festivals, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Mountain Stage, Prairie Home Companion, eTown as well as a litany of Italian castles and villas.
Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul, Radoslav Lorković has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style.
His tenure on the R&B and folk circuits has culminated in five critically acclaimed solo recordings and numerous appearances on the recordings of and performances with artists including Odetta, Jimmy LaFave, Ribbon of Highway Woody Guthrie Tribute, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Ronny Cox, Dave Moore, Andy White, and Bo Ramsey.
His thirty year touring career has led him from the taverns of the upper Mississippi River to the castles of Italy, The Canary Islands, The Yup’ik villages of Alaska, The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. His most recent solo concert in Mount Vernon was eight years ago.
Ticket Prices
$5 for students, General Admission $20, Sponsor $50. Tickets can be purchased in person or online at https://lorkovic.bpt.me
General Information About the Concert
A LilFest Concert is an intimate concert in a relaxed setting. Bring your own beverages and snacks into the theatre with purchase of the Uptown Theatre venue’s First St. Community Center drink cup ($5).
Remember: You can reserve an early dinner before the concert at the Palisades Café, mention LilFest, and receive the evening’s LilFest special.
More About the Artist
Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Lorković’s initial exposure to music can be attributed to two grandmothers. Antonija, his maternal Grandmother, sang him Croatian, Slovenian and Czech folk songs since birth. At age one he was reported to be singing back on pitch.
By age three he was putting on floor shows for his grandfather and friends who would respond by showering him with coins yelling “pivaj Radoslav pivaj!” During this time classical music played in the home constantly due to the influence of his paternal grandmother Melita Lorković, a internationally renown classical pianist. After this blend of central European musical influences Radoslav moved to the United States at age six. He had a foothold on a classical music career when at age fourteen he was sidetracked by a blues scale that a friend had taught him.
It’s hard to catch up with Lorković. Just in 2018 he performed on cruise ships filled with his fans, tours with Ronny Cox (Deliverance), Ellis Paul, Shawn Mullins and Chicago’s Radio Free Honduras. Indeed he is in great demand as a recording session musician, both in the US and abroad.
His tenure on the R&B and folk circuits has culminated in critically acclaimed solo recordings and appearances. Since his 2018 record release in Europe, the accolades have been pouring in Italian, German, and Croatian!
Radoslav Lorković will be available for phone interviews and other press inquiries in advance of the show by calling or texting Nancy Emrich Freeman at 518-576-9513.
Artists presented by LilFest previously have included: George Winston, Chad & Jeremy, Ellis Paul, Tim Grimm, Dave Moore, Jimmy Lafave, Jim Post, Michael Smith, Natalia Zukerman, Phil Heywood, Claudia Nygaard and well over 100 others.
Auditions are coming up for MVLCT’s Roots: A New Play Festival.
When: January 20 & 21 at 7:00 PM
Where: Uptown Theatre in Mount Vernon’s First Street Community Center
What to bring: Yourself! All auditions will consist of cold reading and performing A/B scenes.
Show Dates: March 7,8,9, & 10
What is the Roots Festival?
This year’s new play festival centers around the theme of Roots. This idea has been expressed in numerous ways from the roots of evil to familial roots to the foundations of community theatre itself. With eleven different plays from eleven different local Eastern Iowa writers, Roots: A New Play Festival is sure to be grounded in great midwestern theatre and stem plenty of theatrical ingenuity. A breakdown of plays and characters is listed below:
All Evil Inc by Kelli Massey
The dashing and daring Captain Man is in a dastardly duel with the Root of All Evil, but all is not what it seems.
1 Male Actor
1 Female Actor
Home by Eva Giacomo
Past becomes present as an event draws two ex’s together.
1 Male Actor
1 Female Actor
Ping Pong by Barbara Lau
Gender and race come to the forefront when an adopted daughter learns about her heritage.
1 Male Actor
2 Female Actor
Some Surprise by Amy White
A birthday doesn’t go quite as planned against the backdrop of the1920s … with Puppets
1 Actor
Not Doing Christmas by Kristin Schneider
Sisters discuss plans for Christmas, but the talk quickly veers into the news of the day.
2 Female Actors
1 Male Actor
Loving Addison and Dealing with Teenage Angst in 1946: The Musical by Tristan Maynard
The show must go on even when a disgruntled actor steps in.
2 Male Actor
1 Female Actor
Weeding by Brian Tanner
Life Lessons in Gardening.
3 Male Actors (all 12 years old)
2 Female Actors
Mock Trial/Real Error by Elijah Jones
A father & son confront the past.
2 Male Actors
This is a Bad Idea by Grant Freeman
A wacky and weird community theatre selects their final show for their upcoming season.
2 Male Actors
3 Female Actors
Untitled Interview by Tony Craine
An elderly woman learns of her family’s history.
I Male Actor
1 Female Actor
Memory by Chris Okishi
Memory is a fickle beast, especially when you’re losing it.
