Thanks to a generous donation from the Ripon family in Ripon, Wisconsin, one of the world's truly great violinists, Rachel Barton Pine, was on the Ripon College campus last night performing with the Ripon College Orchestra, directed by the extremely talented and energetic conductor, Russell Rolen.


Rachel has incredible control of her instrument - a 1742 Stradivarius that I understand is valued at over $3 million. With fabulous skill across all registers, Rachel did things that many of us didn't even think were possible. She wrote the credenza she played in Paganini's Concerto No. 2 in B minor ("La Clochetete") - a piece written to showcase virtuoso violinists. In this credenza, in addition to breathtaking musicality across a gigantic dynamic range, she had moves that I can only describe as "ninja-like" in which she was plucking the violin strings with her left hand as she continued bowing normally, making it sound as if one or two additional violins were plucking behind her while she played - but it was all her.

My son, Benjamin Lindsay, a high school senior at Appleton East, was privileged to be one of the cellists for this performance. He said that working with Rachel was an amazing experience. She's also a very personable and interesting person, and I was happy to chat with her for just a few seconds after the performance. And of course, I bought a CD (would have bought more if I had only had more cash on hand!).

You learn more about her and watch some amazing videos at Rachel's MySpace page.

Ripon is about 40 minutes from Appleton. It's a beautiful small town with a fine college, and is one more source of excellent fine arts in northeastern Wisconsin, a truly great place to live.

Can you name the street in Appleton where this photo was taken? (1 point). And there's an extra point if you can share some of the story behind this unusual home.

Atlas Coffee Mill and Cafe is a very cozy and enjoyable little cafe on the north side of the Fox River near the Oneida Flats area, situated in the Paper Creations shop right next to the Paper Discovery Center, just a few yards east of Fratello's. Open for lunch and breakfast, Atlas offers casual dining with great quiche, pastries, soups, sandwiches, and some other dishes. And I hear the coffee is great.

Check out their menu online.

Two different business leaders that I had lunch with recently both chose Atlas as the place to meet. Between the good view, a comfortable, quiet setting, and good food, it's a fun place to try.

Phone: 920-734-6871 ext. 226. Hours: Monday thru Friday - 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday - 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Winter evenings after 6 pm: by reservation only.)

Pirates were spotted in Lawrence Chapel last night (March 18, 2007) during a performance of the Lawrence Wind Ensemble and the Lawrence Honors Band, groups of high school and middle school musicians organized by Lawrence University. The theme of the performance centered around sailors and pirates, and some of the students dressed thematically. Outstanding music!

I recently went to Fuji Sushi at 1003 West Northland Avenue, on the south side of the street across from Northland Mall. Very impressive! This is a clean and delicious buffet with real sushi (salmon, clam, tilapia, etc.), many varieties of sushi rolls, several excellent Chinese dishes and some good deserts. Spartan décor but excellent food. For lunch of dinner, the cost is about $10 per person.

One of the best choices for sushi, especially if you don't have a lot of time. Koreana still has the best sushi in town, in my opinion, but if you want sushi in a buffet setting, you won't beat Fuji Sushi!

Closed Mondays. Phone (920) 832-1388.

Here's a press release I received from a local kite enthusiast. Sounds like a terrific event. Recent advances in kite technology and mastery are simply amazing.

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It's Springtime, so it's time to get out the kites and have some family fun at the Neenah High Fly Community Kite Festival on Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6th at Neenah High School, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. For information, contact Andy Becker at (920) 725-5721.

This year, Craig Wilson will be the featured kite performer. Wilson's Kite Aerial Photography exhibit will feature 32 extraordinary photos taken from a camera suspended in the air by a kite. His work has been featured internationally and has won several awards. Wilson’s recent publication, "Hanging by a Thread" is available at Barnes and Noble in Appleton where he will also promote the kite festival with a lecture and book signing event.

Mary Becker, President of the Neenah High School Kite Club will be leading the free kite making workshops. The kite making is free and open to kiters of all ages! She explains, "we have patterns for a paper kite that is easy to make, and fun to fly."

There will be sport stunt kite demonstrations and lessons, many large inflatable and ground display kites, incredible indoor flying performances, as well as outdoor fun flying! Everyone is welcome to attend. Join us for a terrific fun-filled day with friends and family as we fill the sky with kites!

Have you ever flown a kite indoors? Well, unless you are the Cat in the Hat, you may have never even considered the idea. But wait! Are there big fans and lots of space of to run? Well not quite, indoor kite flyer Andy Becker explains, "flying indoors is best without wind since the kites are made from ultra-light materials and respond to the slightest air current; they are designed to be aerodynamically efficient so that just minimal movement with the line with cause lift." The indoor kiter walks slowly and creates just enough lift to keep the kite in the air. There will be several indoor kites available for new kiters to try in the Neenah High School Field House during the Festival.

Members from several kite clubs, including the American Kitefliers Association, the Wisconsin Kiters, as well as many other regional clubs will be on site with their collections of kites. So it's time to dust of those old kites from the basement or closet, and bring them on down to Neenah High School! Have you got a kite that would never fly quite right? Perhaps it just needs a bridle adjustment, or maybe you just need a few lessons with a national kite competitor to help learn those tricks you've been trying to master . . . regardless of your kiting experience, everyone is welcome to join this great family event! Hope to see you there!

I attended the Feb. 27 Fox Valley Symphony event, "A Night with Garrison Keillor" at the beautiful Performing Arts Center. It was a sold out performance for which Garrison Keillor kindly donated his $30k-something fee to the Fox Valley Symphony. Garrison was hilarious, touching, inspiring, ever artistic, and generally a lot of fun. He received a lot of local press for his performance, but I think the amazing performance of the Fox Valley Symphony was short-changed in the news coverage. Sure, Garrison was great, but much of what made the program so rich was the synergy between him and the Symphony, and especially with Brian Groner, Director of the Symphony and master musician.

While the music was often in the background, it was the real backbone of the program. The interaction between Groner and Keillor during Keillor story of the fictional history of Minnesota church's music program was terrific, with Groner playing a constantly-shifting medley of hymns in the style of the various music directors that Keillor's Midwest Lutheran congregation brought in over the years - Wagner, Stravinsky, Debussy, Sousa, etc. Hilarious and sometimes dazzling.

One flaw in the program was Keillor's frequent use of sexual innuendo and themes. A PG-13 rating applied to numerous moments in the program, much more so than one would have imagined from his radio broadcasts. I guess I'm more Lutheran that Keillor.

But when I recall the majestic music of the Fox Valley Symphony, I am reminded about what a gem Appleton has right here in our midst. How fortunate this small town is to have such a concentration of musical talent for our benefit!