Doc Neumann to tell stories at Summer Suites: Dr. A. J. Neumann, veterinarian, amateur historian and storyteller, will entertain Summer Suites audiences with stories of life in Sioux County from 1949 to the present. The annual event features backyard gardens, performers and sweets. Advance tickets are necessary. Contact Orange City Arts Council, 707-6514.
ORANGE CITY – The Orange City Arts Council’s annual celebration of flowering gardens and music – and irresistible sweets – is coming soon. The 2012 Summer Suites will be held Monday, June 25 in three backyard gardens.
The evening begins at 6:30 p.m.
The “progressive concert” will feature Rebecca and Laremy DeVries with vocals and guitar, Jon Haverdink on cello, dancer Claire Foughty and storyteller Dr. A. J. Neumann.
Rebecca and Laremy DeVries will grace one of the Summer Suites gardens with guitar and vocals, with maybe some mandolin and drums. Bluegrass is their style, old-fashioned music with easy harmonies.
These Dordt graduates like the feel of Gillian Welch music – one of the award-winning artists in O Brother, Where Art Thou. They will play some Welch, also some Paul Simon and Emily Lou Harris. Hopefully everyone will recognize at least one piece.
The DeVries couple lived in the Netherlands for a year, but don’t claim any Dutch influence on their music. Laremy did learn to play the mandolin when they lived in Annapolis, where they did a lot of jamming with other musicians. They miss that, but there’s not much extra time with two children in the picture: Corrie, 4, and Nico, 5 months. Plus Rebecca teaches English at Unity Christian High and the duo owns The Fruited Plain in Sioux Center.
Music by Rebecca and Laremy DeVries on June 25: Bluegrass? Yep, Rebecca and Laremy DeVries like the Gillian Welch style, old-fashioned music with easy harmonies, they said. Even when they lead music at church, they can't avoid bringing in a taste of bluegrass. Orange City Arts Council's Summer Suites will include music by the DeVries duo.
Cellist Jon Haverdink to perform: One Summer Suites performance on June 25 will be Jon Haverdink on the cello. Last year Haverdink took first place at Orange City's Got Talent, and he was a semi-finalist at the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair. One of Haverdink's pieces will be The Swan by Saint-Saëns, accompanied in dance by Claire Foughty.
Jon Haverdink, cellist, is a 2012 graduate of MOC-Floyd Valley High and has been a member of the Iowa All State Orchestra for two years and the All State Choir for one year. Last summer, Haverdink took first place at Orange City’s Got Talent and was a semi-finalist in the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair.
The son of Greg and Laura Haverdink and a cello student of Mr. Joe Shufro of Morningside College, Haverdink has played in the Sioux City Youth Symphony, plus participated in many music, theatre and speech activities at MOC-FV. He plans to attend UNI and earn a degree in cello performance/ pedagogy/ composition.
Claire Foughty began dancing when she was 3 years old, and has been taking dance lessons ever since. She is currently attending Iowa State University, where she has been able to continue dance studies including ballroom dancing. Claire is studying elementary education at Iowa State University, where she is focusing on K-12 English as a second language. She hopes to one day be able to teach English overseas.
One of Haverdink’s pieces at Summer Suites will be The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns, accompanied in dance by Claire Foughty. He also plans to perform a Kabalevsky concerto. Accompanist will be Laura Haverdink.
Dr. A. J. Neumann will tell stories at one of the Summer Suites gardens – stories about veterinary practice in Sioux County from 1949 to the present and stories about Orange City.
“Those days are gone forever,” said Doc Neumann, 86, referring to veterinary practices like Sioux Vet Clinic, where Neumann made 30 or 40 calls a day. He and his fellow vets each put 90,000 miles per year on their work vehicles – seeing a lot of life in rural northwest Iowa.
Doc and Mary Neumann’s children decided not to follow his footsteps, their son saying, “Dad, you spend too much time in your truck.” But the Neumanns’ three children are all working in medicine.
Summer Suites will be held in the gardens of Darrel and Karla Kroese, Tom and Jen Olsen and Leroy and Jasey Van Kekerix. Desserts will be exceptional, as usual, said the Orange City Arts Council’s Janine Calsbeek.
Corporate sponsor of Summer Suites is Pizza Ranch.
Advance tickets are necessary. Discounted tickets are available June 14-21, at $7.50 for adults, $5 for students, and $22 for families, at the Orange CIty Arts Council office, Orange City town hall and Dove Christian Book Store. After June 21, ticket prices are $10, $7 and $30. Maps and schedules are provided to ticket purchasers.
For more information, contact Orange City Arts Council, 712-707-6514 or ocArts@orangecityiowa.com.
