Abilene App News: ACDC Ladies Holiday Brunch Was a Hit

ACDC Ladies Holiday Brunch

by Dr. Hernandez

2014 Ladies Holiday Brunch. photo by Dr. Hernandez

This year's Arts Council of Dickinson County Ladies Holiday Brunch was hosted at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. The brunch is one of several events the Arts Council organizes to showcase local talent and to improve the "quality of life" in our community. Saturday morning's guests walked into the Eisenhower Library Courtyard which was decorated for the holidays. West's Country Mart Deli catered the event. The brunch consisted of a two types of quiches, a seasonal fruit bowl and an assortment of wonderful pastries. In addition to coffee and fresh juice, the brunch featured a special treat, mimosas.

Mimosas on the Table

During the welcoming remarks, Denise Blehm, the ACDC executive director, outlined next year's upcoming events. The first event is the ACDC Winter Film Fest. The film fest will be located at the Eisenhower Visitors Center auditorium. The theme of the Film Fest is a "Tribute to Robin Williams." The film fest begins on January 4th at 2:00 pm. and runs the following 5 Sundays. For a schedule of which shows are in the lineup, visit the Arts Council's website at http://www.artscouncildc.org.

Blehm also announced that the 2015 Valentine Day event will be held on February 7th. Again, this event will be held at the Eisenhower Library Courtyard. This years entertainment will be Les Lankhorst in concert. More information will be published on ACDC's website as well as the community calendar on the Abilene Kansas app.

Before closing her remarks, Denise Blehm revealed a special project. The Arts Council was so proud of the 2014 Chaffee-Bradshaw Summer Class work, which was taught by Karen Cooper, that ACDC has transformed the children's artworks into greeting cards. The cards are sold in packets of seven and cost $10.00 per pack. To order the cards, you can call the Arts Councils of Dickinson County's office at 785-263-1884. The office is open Tuesday - Friday from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm.

The attending ladies of the brunch were treated to not just one entertainer this year, they enjoyed a range of performers. The first act was performed by Kristine Fleming a harpist. Before playing Ms. Fleming exhibited her handmade harp. She quickly explained that the harp on stage was special to her because it was crafted by her husband. The songs of the season filled the room as this Ms.Fleming's fingers strummed and plucked with precession this magical and now memorable instrument. The video below captures the beauty of the harp.

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The second entertainer was Eric Schwerdtfager. Eric is a senior in the music department at Kansas Wesleyan University. Mr. Schwerdtfager sang three holiday songs. Click the image below to see a video of this promising young singer's talent.

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Finally, the morning ended with a special group of people who are members of the First United Methodist bell choir. The bell choir began as a trio with Judy Hilton, Jodie Austin, and Sandy Sleichter. The ladies first played the bells by moving up and down their sections of bells on padded tables. The second song used the bells as percussion instruments. The ladies used mallets to strike the bells. The group turned into a quartet in the last song of the morning, when Mr. Clark Williamson, the trio. The group played a number of traditional holiday songs. Click below to hear the complex sounds and cheerful songs of the bells.