Master hornist and horn instructor Don Krause of Neenah is leading another "Horns a Plenty Christmas" this year. If you play the French horn or know someone who does, here is a link to a brochure for those wishing to participate: Horns a Plenty 2010 Application Form.

Here is some info from the brochure:

The Fox Valley Horn Club and its director, Don Krause, host Horns a Plenty Christmas each year on the Saturday before Christmas. Over 80 horn players come together from all over the state of Wisconsin (and some even further) to perform Christmas carols for the Appleton and Fox Valley communities. In conjunction with the event, featured guest artists perform solos and lead master classes for the participants. In addition, Horns a Plenty Christmas offers music scholarships to horn players through attendance fees, book and souvenir sales, and donations. Now you can host your own event!

This year the event will be at the UW Fox Community Arts Center in their new facility--a perfect setting with lots of seating and a stage. The date will be December 18 at 2:00 PM. Free admission! Guest soloist to be determined.

Website: www.hornsaplentychristmas.com

Contact: krause.donald at sbcglobal.net

Here are some views of a Horns a Plenty event a few years ago with my son Daniel as a performer:

Last night my wife and I caught a stunning performance of the combined choral groups and orchestra of Lawrence University. All 20th-century music, selected and conducted by mind who love great music. Deeply touching, powerful, inspiring . . . what an evening. The performance was in beautiful Lawrence Chapel. And it was free. Parking was free, too. We have so many terrific, low-cost performances in this area. Experiencing something similar in a large town would eat through your wallet in a hurry and require a lot more time, traffic, and hassle. Appleton has such a nice mix. Broadway comes to the PAC, but there's always something almost as good for a lot less nearby.

Cena Restaurant is in the quaint College Avenue setting that was Sirocco's, a terrific restaurant that I'm sad to lose from our town. Cena looks more affordable with an interesting menu--any of you been there yet? Suggestions?

Such a beautiful week, in spite of some rain today. Sunny, warm. Hard to remember that just a few days ago we had a heavy snowstorm to remind us who's in charge. This was a view on my street on April 10.

On Saturday, I took my wife on a special cheap date: a walking tour of Appleton's new College Avenue Bridge. Ho hum, you say? No way! It was actually quite romantic. We walked along both sides of the bridge, enjoyed the different views each side offered of the beautiful Fox River, then continued with a walk below the bridge along the trail along the river, where we saw several deer, a variety of birds, a beautiful fish make a dramatic jump, and met some great people. Total cost: 12 cents in gas driving from our house to the bridge.

The bridge itself, with four lanes and wide walkways on both sides, is really a marvel. But the walk is more about the river than the bridge. Here my wife is standing by a very accurate sign: yes, there's a river and a fox. Bingo.


We actually began our walk below the bridge, ascending the pretty new stairway that takes us to the west side of the bridge. (Click on any photo to enlarge it slightly, by the way.)




One of the dams on the Fox River can be seen from the west side.




Here is one of the lovely mansions that flank the north end of the bridge.



From the east side, you can see one of the locks on the Fox River that played such an important role in the history of the town.



Three deer were running around between the trail and the backyard of several homes and the Alexander Gym of Lawrence University.




I like the ironwork along the bridge and the structures below it.


I even liked the rusty old drain covers on the bridge--probably rusted quickly from all the salt we use on our roads. The bridge was just completed a couple months ago.


And a bonus shot of some new buds on a tree over the river--with a tweak in coloration to make the bluish water look pink. Must be some subliminal political statement I'm making, but I can't make sense of it yet. Just seemed like the thing to do. Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to enjoy your own walk along our lovely College Avenue Bridge and Fox River. It's much prettier in the summer and fall, but I couldn't wait.

The red-winged blackbird is one of the most common birds in the Appleton area. They are lovely and feisty, ready to defend their territory at all costs. There are frequent sky battles between them and red-tailed hawks. I realized why once when a hawk swooshed over my head carrying an adult blackbird in its talons.

Here's a photo I took on a walk with my wife along the Fox River on Saturday. Click to enlarge. After enlarging, notice the feet of this little creature--I find them especially beautiful. Also notice the wry little smile and the merry twinkle in his eye. This one was obviously in a good mood.

Appleton lies across three countries: Outagamie, Winnebago, and Calumet. I live in Calumet County, with its seat in Chilton on the other side of Lake Winnebago. A calumet, of course, is the ceremonial smoking pipe used by some Native American tribes. As a reminder, here's a photograph I took recently while in Chilton showing the calumet. It's one of my favorite signs on the side of any brick building. (Click to enlarge.)

Here's a photo taken from the beautiful Oak Street Bridge, formally known as the W.G. Bryan Bridge, the new bridge that runs in front of Theda Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin. It offers a nice view of downtown Neenah along the water. I took this on a cold February night.

For high school seniors on their way to college in the fall, what are the best job summer job opportunities in the Valley? A couple people I know are in that situation-- one of them is my son, who has a terrific part-time job that he's enjoyed for the past couple of years, but adding some full-time experience would be nice. Yes, he's exploring opportunities on his own, but thought I'd see if any of you have suggestions for things that people might miss otherwise.

Actually, jobs of any kind can be shared here, as I've done with some opportunities other have sent to me in the past.

Here's one resource: Job postings at Craiglist for the Appleton area.

Downtown Kaukauna is still there, in case you were wondering. A bit quiet, but still interesting. Kaukauna is about 15 minutes northeast of Appleton and is one of the cities along the Fox River in the beautiful Fox Valley.

There is also a hydroelectric plant in Kaukauna. Here are a couple of shots of it, including a detail of some of the ice there earlier in March.

On Saturday, March 27, my wife and I attended a beautiful performance of the Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choirs at the Lawrence Chapel in Appleton. Simply stunning! Six choirs performed - five auditioned choirs and Ragazze, a new non-auditioned training choir. The choirs of the Lawrence Academy include a total of over 300 girls, ages 8 to 18. We were thrilled with the quality of the music, including some very complex pieces with challenging and hauntingly beautiful songs. Was also pleased to see that some beautiful religious music was part of the program, offered without shame. Many thanks to the Girls Choirs of Appleton and their masterful directors.