Rhythm @the River was attneded by people of Winona and the surrounding area on Sunday, Sept. 15, at Levee park.
The event included dance lessons, live music, craft beer, and food trucks.
Organizers spent between $12,000 and $15,000 to organize the event.
Lee Gundersheimer, arts and culture coordinator at WINONArts said many sponsors believe in WINONArts and helped pay for the event, in addition to fundraising.
Rhythm @ the River is an expanded 2018 version of “Swinging in the Streets.”
Organizers said the event was moved to Levee Park and made it bigger because last year 400 people participated on Third Street.
Molly Breitlow (left) helps a couple with their salsa turns. Breitlow and her husband taught both of the lessons at Rhythm @ the River.
Rhythm @ the River was created as a part of a series of events that WINONArts puts on according to Gunersheimer.
“The event is part of the Dance Plein Air events in WINONArts, the City’s initiative to bring as many folks together with the arts and through as many different art forms as possible, dance being one of them,” Gunersheimer said.
Winona State Students Emma and Scout were on their way to study at Blue Heron and decided to see what was going on.
The two got snow cones at one of the food trucks and sat down in the grassy area of the park to enjoy the music.
“I really like the Spanish music,” Emma said. “I think we definitely would come to this again.”
Golpe Tierra was the first band to perform during the night. They are from Madison Wis., and are an Afro Cuban Jazz and Salsa Band.
Rhythm @ the River was also the kick-off to Project FINE’s Welcome Week.
Welcome Week helps create a more welcoming community for immigrants and people who have relocated to Winona, according to Gunersheimer.
The Winona Public Library brought children books to Island City Brewery for the monthly Tales on Tap event.
On Wednesday, April 3 thePublic Library hosted Tales on Tap at Island City Brewery.
Tales on Tap occurs on the first Wednesday of every month. The library started the event in January.
Samantha TerBeest, Winona Public Library librarian begins Tales on Tap by mentioning upcoming events and introducing volunteer reader, Leslie Albers. Terbeest also told the room of brewery patrons to enjoy the coloring sheets and a meat and cheese tray.
According to Douglas Irwin, CEO of Island City Brewing Company the library hosts the event for no cost.
Samantha TerBeest, librarian, said the event is a fun and relaxing time for those who attend.
“The purpose is to provide adults with, one relaxation, and second, bring them back to childhood,” said TerBeest.
Leslie Albers, volunteer reader, read three children’s book that went along with the theme of coloring.
The books were “The Day the Crayons Quit,”“The Day the Crayons Came Home,” and “Red: A Crayon’s Story.”
Along with the readings, the library provided coloring pages, coloring utensils and a plate of meat and cheese.
There was also a chance to win an adult coloring book and coloring utensils.
Albers has been reading since she was a child. In college, she and her roommates would read English detective books aloud to each other.
This was Leslie Albers’s first time reading at a Tales on Tab event. The event however started in January 2019. The event occurs on the first Wednesday of every month. There is also a different theme each month.
Now she reads to her grand children.
“I have been gifted with the gift to gab,” said Albers.
Because of that gift, Albers said she loves to be in front of a microphone. Especially, if she is reading something.
She saw a poster in the library asking for volunteers to read.
Albers said she did not even think before she volunteered to read at the event.
There is not always an audience at Tales on Tab.
On Wednesday there were three tables full of people. After the first book was read there were only a few people sitting at the bar. None of these people took the coloring sheets or participated in the drawing for a coloring book.
TerBeest said some people find themselves at the brewery the same day the event is happening, and others mean to be there.
“I was telling (Albers), people are not going to listen to you,” TerBeest said. “They are going to do their own thing. Like these guys over there and the guy behind us, they will listen sometimes.”
Irwin said his staff has said the event is not very big.
“From what my staff is telling me, it seems like there wasn’t a big turn out for that event,” Irwin said.
TerBeest said in February the library had a pajama contest at the Tales on Tab event that she believed to have a good turnout. The prize was a $10 Target gift card.
As of now, the library is not planning on doing the Tales for Tab event over the summer months, according to TerBeest.
TerBeest said those who play Book Bingo want to have Wednesday nights back for that event.
TerBeest said the library may bring Tales on Tab back in the fall.
