Month: August 2025

Luther College announces 2025-26 Center Stage Series schedule

Luther College has announced the 2025-26 Center Stage Series schedule and highlighted a special opportunity for season subscribers. Patrons who purchase their season tickets before Wednesday, Sept. 3, are guaranteed their seat at the free Crossings Concert: Musical Migrations at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 in the Noble Recital Hall at Jenson-Noble Hall of Music.

“The Crossings Concert celebrates the 200th anniversary of Norwegians crossing the Atlantic Ocean as they immigrated to North America — an excellent way to kick off this year’s Center Stage Series,” said Susan Potvin, director of programming and outreach at Luther.

The Crossings Concert: Musical Migrations is a free ticketed event presented in collaboration with the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum Folk Art School and is supported in part by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from Carol Birkland and Tom Woxland.

“The Noble Recital Hall has seating for only 300 people, so advance tickets are highly encouraged,” Potvin said. “We are proud to guarantee tickets to our Center Stage Series season subscribers. It’s a nice way to thank them for their ongoing support.”

Season subscribers who purchase tickets to all of the shows before Sept. 3 will also receive 15% off their show tickets.

Potvin noted that two of the Center Stage Series groups have Luther connections.

“I’m especially excited to have Luther alumni, Olivia Diercks and Karla Peters from The OK Factor, and Beth Willer, the artistic director of Lorelei Ensemble, back on campus for the Center Stage Series,” she said.

The 2025-26 Center Stage Series season performances are:

Crossings Concert: Musical Migrations, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 11. Join Luther College for a special night exploring the lives and works of Norwegian American composers as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to North America. Pianist-composer Steven Luksan and soprano Laura Loge share newly uncovered works that blend cultures and showcase the challenges, humor and poetry of adjusting to a new home.

Jaerv + The OK Factor, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28. Through folk-inspired songs that are fresh, playful, intricate and joyous, the Minneapolis-based string duo The OK Factor and Swedish quintet Jaerv will have audiences tapping their feet and smiling in their seats.

Lorelei Ensemble, 1 p.m., Nov. 9. The Grammy-nominated Lorelei Ensemble delivers bold and inventive programs that champion the extraordinary range of the human voice. At turns eerie and hypnotic, razor-sharp and precise, resonant and dissonant, this riveting performance features a cinematic backdrop and a cautionary tale in the era of climate change.

Catalyst Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 13. Hailed by “The New York Times” as “invariably energetic and finely burnished,” the Grammy-winning Catalyst Quartet is in wide demand around the world. Known for its unequaled unity and execution, the ensemble is equally committed to celebrating composers of color whose works have been overlooked by the traditional canon.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents Great American Crooners, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 28. Get ready for a stylish evening of timeless tunes and world-class talent. Relive classics like “Moon River,” “I Only Have Eyes for You” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” alongside incredible true stories about the superstar velvety voices who made them famous.

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, 7:30 p.m., April 17. Enjoy a musical whirlwind through genres that’s funny, thought-provoking and played entirely on ukuleles. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is always surprising, so come without expectations — except the expectation to laugh.

Most Center Stage Series performances are held in the Center for Faith and Life. Tickets and more information about each performance can be found at tickets.luther.edu. Individual ticket sales start Sept. 3.

Center Stage student matinees

The Center Stage Series also offers matinees for school groups and families.

Harald and His Headphones, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 28. Follow young Harald as he listens to different pieces of music — performed live by classical-crossover duo The OK Factor — through his headphones while processing the way the music makes him feel. This story engages students in an exciting social-emotional learning adventure, inviting them to explore how music and their emotions might affect one another.

Pete the Cat presented by TheaterWorksUSA, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. When groovy Pete the Cat meets the Biddles, he gets the whole family rocking — except for young Jimmy Biddle, the most organized second grader on the planet. But it turns out that Pete and Jimmy both have a little something to learn about inspiration. Join them on their adventure of friendship, all the way to Paris and back in a VW bus.

To reserve tickets for a matinee performance, contact Bradley Phillips at phillibr@luther.edu or 563-387-1293. Financial assistance may be available for tickets and transportation for qualifying school groups; please inquire at programming@luther.edu. Additional community members are welcome as space allows.

Center Stage Dinner Series

The Center Stage Dinner Series offers a gourmet three-course dinner before each show in the Peace Dining Room, overlooking the lower campus and the Upper Iowa River. Beer and wine are available for purchase.

Information for the dinner series can also be found at tickets.luther.edu, with menus posted two weeks before the corresponding events. Luther chefs can easily accommodate dietary restrictions when notified in advance.

Sponsors make the series possible

The Center Stage Series is made possible by the generous support of major season sponsors, including Decorah Bank and Trust, Emplify Health by Gundersen, Kurtich Endowment for Campus Programming, Minnesota Public Radio, Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies and Vesterheim Museum. Organizers expect to secure additional sponsors for the 2025-26 Center Stage Series in the coming weeks.

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Knowing Nature: Prairie Blooms

Those beautiful wildflowers filling the prairies, yards, and ditches of many in Northeast Iowa are so much more than just pretty flowers! They are also critical nectaring sources for hundreds of pollinator species and habitat for all kinds of wildlife. Can you name all of the most common late summer prairie blooms?

 

Take the quiz here: Knowing Nature – Prairie Blooms

 

Each Knowing Nature quiz features species found in Winneshiek County. By the end of the year, we’ll have experience identifying over 100 different types of plants, animals, and fungus!

 

Want to dive deeper into learning about the wildlife of Winneshiek County? Track seasonal changes and natural wonders with our YouTube playlist: “Noting Nature.”

 

Thank you to Luther College professor, Birgitta Meade, for compiling these “Knowing Nature” quizzes and allowing us to share them with the wider public. Most of the photos in these quizzes were taken by Winneshiek County Conservation naturalist Larry Reis.

Decorah Municipal Pool- Closed for Season

Pool Update (8/8)
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to deliver information about the Decorah Municipal Pool closure. Unfortunately, staff discovered glass found at the bottom of our pool, in the gutters and on the pool deck on the evening of Thursday, August 7, which resulted in immediate closure.
The safety of our patrons is our #1 priority. Removing glass from a pool system is a lengthy process and needs to be done with extreme caution. Considering this and time it will take to drain, clean, and discard from our pool, refill, balance and get the pool in safe operating condition, a decision was made to close for the remainder of the season. The Parks and Recreation Department is assessing additional steps. Please check back for an update on Monday August 11th.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

The post Decorah Municipal Pool- Closed for Season appeared first on Decorah Park & Recreation Department.

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Knowing Nature: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

Take a peek in a stream or pond and you might be surprised to see the many different creatures swimming or hiding in the vegetation! Perhaps you’ve seen snails in the algae, or damselflies lighting on a blade of tall grass.

 

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are small backbone-less organisms that can be seen by the naked eye. Much of their lives are spent in or around water, and they can be found in all freshwater ecosystems around the world. Some species are more sensitive to changes in their water’s characteristics. Because of this, they are important indicators of water quality!

 

By assessing the types of species found in a particular body of water, you can determine the level of pollution in that ecosystem. Sensitive species are not able to live in highly polluted areas, so they will only be found in water without any contaminants. If you find only tolerant species in a pond, that tells you that the pond is most likely polluted.

 

How well do you know the aquatic macroinvertebrates of Winneshiek County?

 

Take the quiz here: Knowing Nature – Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

 

Each Knowing Nature quiz features species found in Winneshiek County. By the end of the year, we’ll have experience identifying over 100 different types of plants, animals, and fungus!

 

Want to dive deeper into learning about the wildlife of Winneshiek County? Track seasonal changes and natural wonders with our YouTube playlist: “Noting Nature.”

 

Thank you to Luther College professor, Birgitta Meade, for compiling these “Knowing Nature” quizzes and allowing us to share them with the wider public.

Writers Festival invites attendees to experience the magic of writing

Luther College is welcoming 15 writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for its Writers Festival on Sept. 12–13.

photo collage of 15 authors

Luther College is welcoming 15 writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for its Writers Festival on Sept. 12–13.

The 2025 Luther College Writers Festival is the eighth incarnation of an event first held in 2007. The event examines the diverse ways in which highly crafted literature in all genres explores the human condition and activates the spiritual and moral imagination of readers.

The festival features a variety of readings and publishing advice, in addition to book signings with the authors. Organizers are expecting between 100 and 200 attendees to be on campus for the festival.

Registration is currently open and a schedule of events is available on the registration page. There is no charge to attend, but participants are encouraged to make a freewill donation.

The festival’s theme, Writing is Magic, invites participants to explore the enchanting and magnetic energy involved with crafting literature.

“In its effects on the readers who enjoy it and the artists who create it, writing is magic,” said Amy Weldon, professor, head of Luther’s English Department and co-director of the Writers Festival. “Taking the time to behold the world around us and experience it anew through language is a process in which anyone can engage, and the Writers Festival will offer attendees the chance to experience this process for themselves, through talking with and hearing the work of published writers and trying their own hand at generating work on site.”

Megan Mayhew Bergman, an award-winning fiction writer and climate journalist, will give the Farwell Distinguished Lecture at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Center for Faith and Life.

“We are delighted to have Megan join us at the Luther College Writers Festival,” Weldon said. “Having experienced her unique ability to inspire writers firsthand, I can say that festival attendees have a real treat in store.”

Bergman is the author of three books, “Birds of a Lesser Paradise” (2012), “Almost Famous Women” (2016) and “How Strange a Season” (2022). She has written columns on climate change and the natural world for “The Guardian” and “The Paris Review.” Bergman is the director of creative writing at Middlebury College and of the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference. She cofounded GreenStory, an environmental narrative consulting firm.

About the Farwell Lecture Endowment

The Elwin D. and Helen Farwell Distinguished Lecture Series Endowment was established in 1981 in recognition of the contributions the Farwells made to the Luther community. Elwin D. Farwell was president of Luther College from 1963 to 1981.

bell at Luther College campus

Every five years, TRIO programs across the country compete nationally for continued funding.

August 1 2025

Luther College campus

Professor of Management Rob Larson was elected to be the NCAA’s Division III Management Council’s chair at the July meeting of the Management Council. The Management Council reports directly to the Presidents Council and handles the implementation of policies adopted by the Association’s Board of Governors and Division III Presidents Council.

July 23 2025

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