The Fremont venue boasts upcoming shows by Myron Elkins, The Mad Angler & The Mad Cellist, Braunschweiger Blues Band and more. The Local Spins venue spotlight and concert schedule.
‘A Community Resource’: Dogwood Center hosts numerous concerts, including the Max Morrison Band earlier this year. (Courtesy Photo)
The Mad Angler & The Mad Cellist are on the way.
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So, too, are Myron Elkins, The Braunschweiger Blues Band and Michael Winslow — all among the many acts heading to the Dogwood Center for the Arts in Fremont this fall.
The 400-seat theater facility, which opened in July 2002 on the campus of the Newaygo County Career-Tech Center, serves many purposes beyond inviting concerts, according to executive director Marianne Boerigter.
The Lobby: Dogwood Center opened in 2002. (Courtesy Photo)
“It’s a community resource. Businesses can utilize it, non-profits for fundraisers or business meetings, local schools for in-services,” she says.
Scotti Merrill, daughter of Gerber Baby Food founders Dan and Dorthy Gerber, and family friend Ted Johnson formed the Art Center for Newaygo County, a non-profit organization dedicated to planning, building, and maintaining what became the Dogwood Center.
The $7 million facility was financed by grants from the Fremont Area Community Foundation and donations from community members. Its mission is more than just hosting events: It is “to be a creative force and community resource providing cultural experiences for Newaygo County and surrounding areas,” according to the Dogwood Center website.
It does so not only through the performances it books, but showcasing art and artists, as well as hosting workshops and classes. One such example is Broadway Bootcamp, where students age 6-12 can learn the basics of musical theatre performance.
In the 22 years since opening, the Dogwood Center has hosted local, regional and national touring artists from the classical, folk, pop and jazz worlds. Among them have been the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Grand Rapids Ballet, Full Cord, Michigan Mandolin Orchestra, May Erlewine, Seth Bernard and Jordan Hamilton, the Vienna Boys Choir, John Waite, Marshall Crenshaw, Sandi Patty, Livingston Taylor and a host of others.
GR Symphony: 2024 concert for 7th graders. (Courtesy Photo)
It also works with the local school districts, providing cultural opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. The Grand Rapids Ballet puts on a performance for every 6th grader in the county’s schools, while the Grand Rapids Symphony does the same for 7th graders. It also takes ensembles to the elementary schools.
Boerigter says showcasing artists from varying genres, including comedy, theater and kids’ shows, is a boon for a rural area.
“It’s a variety of styles, music or live performance to attract a new audience. We’ve had local talent also — the group Swingtooth Quartet from Grant,” she says of the swing/bossa nova group. “It’s quite a variety. One of my favorites was Jeff Daniels. He’s a very personable guy. He had the audience wrapped around his finger.”
MAD ANGLER & MAD CELLIST, PLUS MUCH MORE
While on the subject of engaging artists, just who are The Mad Angler and Mad Cellist, who perform at Dogwood on Oct. 12?
The former is Michael Delp, and the latter is Crispin Campbell. The two are retired instructors at Interlochen Center for the Arts, where Delp taught creative writing and Campbell taught cello.
A committed environmentalist, Delp wrote poems about using and preserving the waters, often in the guise of a crusty fisherman. “I’d heard Mike read the poems when we were teaching at Interlochen,” says Campbell. “I always liked that persona.”
On Tap: Michael Delp and Crispin Campbell (Courtesy Photo)
Delp returned the affection for Campbell’s prowess. “He’d always been a fan of Barry Lopez and David Darling,” says Campbell, referring to works by the author/nature writer and the celebrated cellist. “He said we had to do something.”
“Something” turned out to be recording “The River Under The River,” merging Delp’s reading of his poems and Campbell’s cello improvisations. They performed a concert benefiting FLOW, the environmental organization For Love Of Water. “He’s mad about the state of affairs that rivers find themselves in,” says Delp of his alter ego in a video promoting that pre-pandemic performance.
Campbell’s improvisations underscore Delp’s poems, and they will be joined in this performance by pianist Steve Stargardt and dobro player Joe Wilson. The performance will take place Oct. 12. “We thought it was interesting, unique and would draw audience members with a passion for music or literary,” says Boerigter.
Again, there’s that commitment to appealing to various audiences and interests. The Mad Angler and the Mad Cellist show is bookended by “Celebrating Shania!” on Sept. 14 and Americana artist Myron Elkins, an Allegan County native who now calls Nashville home (and had two of his songs on the television show “Yellowstone”) on Sept. 28, while comic Winslow (the “Police Academy” movies) and Celtic group Kalos follow on Oct. 19 and 25, respectively.
For tickets and more, go to dogwoodcenter.com.
THE DOGWOOD CENTER: FALL SCHEDULE
Myron Elkins (Photo/Anna Sink)
Sept. 28 – Myron Elkins
Oct. 12 – The Mad Angler Meets the Mad Cellist
Oct. 19 – Michael Winslow (Comedy)
Oct. 25 – Kalos
Nov. 9 – Judy Carmichael
Nov. 29 – Broadway Bootcamp
Nov. 30 – The Braunschweiger Blues Band
Dec. 13 – The Founding: Celtic Christmas
Dec. 14 – Broadway Bootcamp
Dec. 15 – Christmas with John Berry
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