Northwoods Arts Council ends season on a high note

   Between the newly added weekly music concerts, the Art and Book Festival, and author presentations, Northwoods Arts Council made an immense impression, both economically and civically, in Hackensack this summer.  Even in the wake of ongoing Covid cases, this 26 year old non-profit organization continued to stay true to its mission of “Bringing the Arts to Life” in the north woods. The response from the community has been astonishing. 

With the creation of  Lakeside Concert Series, the community and businesses felt a positive impact of bringing live music every Friday afternoon from  5 to 7 p.m. and experienced different styles of music, all while enjoying the idyllic setting of being next to the shores of Birch Lake. Josh Duffee returned as well, but this time as a quartet. It was great that so many attendees experienced this type of music for the first time. Save the Date flyers were distributed as a reminder that the usual two day jazz concerts, with the full Josh Duffee big band orchestra, will return July 8th and 9th in 2022. Grab your tickets when they become available, because they sell out fast.

   Only one Lakeside Concert was postponed due to inclement weather, which has been rescheduled for October 9th, Saturday, 3 to 5 p.m., at which time “The Occasionals” will be featured as the last concert of the season, rain or shine.  The supportive Hackensack City Council has granted our request of putting a “Plan B” into effect. Inclement weather will not interfere with this event since the Lakeside Concert will be moved into the Hackensack Community Building if necessary.  Just bring your lawn chairs and spread out inside to enjoy the music, while sipping your favorite beer available from Rendezvous Brewery.  

   The 26th Annual Art and Book Festival was a huge success, with over 60 artists and 32 authors being part of this one-day event on the second Saturday in August. The weather was perfect, the quality of the art was outstanding and the authors were very well received. It is such a unique event and Hackensack can be proud to say that this is the longest running art and literature festival in Minnesota.  Mark your calendar for next year’s event, Saturday, August 13th, 2022. With activities for children, live music, beer by Rendezvous Brewery, food trucks and the newly added “Pies by Guys”, this will make for an unforgettable day.

   We sincerely appreciate the City of Hackensack, all the people who supported us by attending our events, as well as Five Wings Arts Council, Sourcewell, Itasca Mantrap, HLACF and the Hackensack Lions Club for their financial generosity.  See you next year!