The city of Slayton has been awarded a $4,200 Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Art Project Grant for a USO Show Reboot project that will take place at the Murray County Fair.
The city will bring in Bill Johnson, a Bob Hope impersonator from Las Vegas who shares the History of Hope and the service he provided to the United Service Organization by visiting troops during the war. Additionally, the Fulda Area Big Band will be providing music of the era along with several local vocalists.
This event will take place in coordination with the Vietnam Traveling Wall that will be in place during the Murray County Fair. The performance is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 16th. The applicant said that the project is intended to recognize the service of veterans but is designed to bring the entire community together at a venue that is free and open to the public to learn about history and celebrate art with local community and musicians.
Meanwhile, the Jackson Center for the Arts has been awarded a $4,150 Art Project Grant to turn its historic, but no longer functional, piano at the center into community artworks and transport a newly donated Baby Grand piano that was previously owned by Frederick Manfred (a local well-known author and philanthropist from Luverne) to the center. The center will offer 10 local artists pieces of the old piano to turn into artworks to be displayed at an exhibit in conjunction with the dedication ceremony for the new Baby Grand piano.
The Marshall Area Farmers Market was awarded $3,850 for performances in the Market to provide community access to professional performers on a weekly basis during a 10- week period from July 8th through September 9th adjacent to the Marshall Area Farmer’s Market.
