RAGTIME FESTIVAL 2007 UPDATE

Before you know it summer will be over and Ragtime Festival 2007 will be here. For those of you who haven’t made ticket reservations do so now. Call the Mitchell Auditorium Ticket Office 218-723-7000.. Our guest artists in concert at the Mitchell Auditorium are Paul Asaro, Mimi Blais, Nan Bostick, Sue Keller, Alex Sandor and Adam Swanson. The Best of the Best will entertain you on nine foot Steinway Grand Pianos. All seats $15.00.

The big events will be the American Beauty Concert (Friday at 7:30pm) and the Elite Syncopations Concerts (Saturday at 7:30pm) at the Mitchell Auditorium. The acoustically superb Mitchell Auditorium was designed primarily as a music performance facility, but has grown into a premier performing arts center. The auditorium seats 580 with accommodations for people with handicaps and hearing impairments. The sound and lighting system is specifically designed for music but is versatile enough to serve other uses as well.

Those planning to stay in the Twin Ports area need to make lodging reservations soon. Lodging is still available at the host hotel-Radisson Duluth. Request Lake Superior Ragtime Festival to get the Ragtime rate.CaLL the Radisson directly at 218-727-8981. Other lodging is available with a Ragtime rate at the Econo-Lodge Duluth 800-922-0569, Skyline Court Motel-Hermantown 800-554-0621. Barker’s Island Inn Superior, WI 800-344-7515. RV parking at local Wal-Mart. It is important, when making your reservation, you must mention the Ragtime Festival or you will be told there are no rooms to be had in Duluth.

The Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center will allow RV parking at the DECC and look forward to having the Ragtimers with RV’s parking there. Cost is $25.00 without power hook-up and $35.00 for power hook-up. No reservations taken. If interested visit website for more information at www.DECC.org.

Performances during the day on Friday and Saturday will be at the 5th Avenue Lounge, the Viking Room at the Hotel, and across the street at the Duluth Depot Train Museum. Performers who would like to be scheduled in the on-going performances during the day in the three different venues in downtown Duluth, please contact Sandy Williams as listed below Schedules are being worked on now. A number of performers have contacted me about playing. Some are new to our festival. Others have been here many times making our festival a memorable event. For Jeff Williams from Missasauga, Ontario, Canada, this will be his 20th festival with us. Same holds true for Yvonne McDonald and probably Rich Berry too. Others returning are Andrew Barker, Dr. Ann Doberstein, Beth Gucinski, Yvonne Cloutier, Donna Schultz, Dick Haines, Stephen Rhyner, Judy Olson, John Partridge, David Tucker, Tim Sandor, George Mackey and Sandy Williams.

New to our festival and being scheduled are Larissa Migachyov, Monty Suffern, Jack Love, Bill Sell and maybe his wife Althea will join him as a vocalist, Dr Bill Brown on accordion, Virginia Tubbs, Bill Edwards, and Ginny Mahlum who has attended our festival many times but is now going to perform for us and play some duets with Jim Grue. Dual piano performers will play on 2 pianos in the Train Museum of the Duluth Depot.

Saturday seminars will be held in the Viking Room from 10:00 am –noon. Afterglow will be at the Radisson Hotel from 10:00 pm in the 5th Avenue Lounge and the Viking Room. Sunday Breakfast Buffet and Concert will be in the Radisson Hotel Ballroom.

There are a number of performers who HAVE NOT contacted me about playing. Do so now in order to get scheduled. Our program book will go to press August 31. Let’s hear from you so our schedules can be completed.

For festival info call:
Tim Sandor 715-394-4319 or tsandor@cpinternet.com
Georgia Caldwell 218-525-6404 or gmcphoto35@aol.com
Sandy Williams 218-724-7696 or Ragtimenana@charter.net

Links to featured performers: