Rexburg Arts to celebrate the season with harvest-themed workshops and shows
Published at | Updated at
REXBURG — Rexburg Cultural Arts is commemorating the harvest season with a weekend full of seasonal events and shows.
“Harvest: Stories, Songs and Spuds” is a free, family-friendly event packed with fun activities celebrating potatoes and the harvest season. Rexburg is also welcoming storyteller Kim Weitkamp and singer-songwriter Cori Conners for concerts and workshops exploring genealogy and songwriting.
These events are intended to not only celebrate the harvest season and provide entertainment but also encourage members of the community to share their stories and memories.
“We say ‘next to potatoes, the best crop to come out of Idaho are its stories’,” Rexburg Arts spokesman Jed Platt told EastIdahoNews.com. “This community has a tradition of hard work and we wanted to acknowledge that with this kind of celebration event. They still give kids time off for spud harvest whether they’re out there picking potatoes or not, so it’s part of a family tradition.”
“We’re encouraging people to dig up their stories and share them,” Platt added. “The Museum of Rexburg will be at the event and they will be inviting people to share their stories as part of our collective history.”
The fun begins Friday at noon with a storytelling matinee with Weitkamp, a nationally recognized, award-winning storyteller and speaker at the Romance Theater. This activity is free to school kids and educational groups from kindergarten to fourth grade. Groups that are interested in participating can RSVP Rexburg Arts for information.
Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., Weitkamp will give a concert at the Romance Theater. Her performance will be filled with nostalgia, humor and music.
The events continue on Saturday. Weitkamp will teach a storytelling workshop that morning at 10 a.m. at Rexburg City Hall. This intimate class will teach participants how to uncover and tell their own family stories in an engaging, entertaining fashion.
From noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, the Rexburg Tabernacle will host a number of free harvest-themed activities. Families can enjoy arts, crafts and music. Patti Rokus of Rocks Tell Stories will be a special guest at this event.
“We’ll be doing some potato activities such as stamp art and Tic-Tac-Potato,” Platt said. “And we’ll be doing potato races, so kind of like Pinewood Derby but we are racing potatoes so you get to make your own potato derby car.”
Singer-songwriter Cori Connors will also make several appearances as part of the festivities. Connors will host a songwriting workshop Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. pm at Rexburg City Hall. Connors has written songs for artists like Linda Ronstadt and Chris LeDoux, among others and this workshop gives songwriters a chance to glean valuable lessons from her.
Connors will also play a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Romance Theater. Platt said Connors’ performances are not to be missed.
“I’ve followed Cori’s career for thirty years,” said Platt. “She’s one of my favorite performers. In fact, I even had her sing at my own wedding. Her voice has been described as if honey had a sound, such comfortable folk music.”
“Harvest: Stories, Songs and Spuds” is set for Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 16 at various venues in Rexburg. For tickets or more information about planned events and activities, visit the Rexburg Arts website.
