News Archives 2005
Alfredo Muro
returns for two concerts
COTTONWOOD: On September 30 and October 1, the
public will have the opportunity to enjoy exclusive performances by world-class
guitarist Alfredo Muro. Last fall this renowned musician delighted audiences
with a sold-out performance in the chapel of the Monastery of St. Gertrude as a
fund-raiser for The Historical Museum at St. Gertrude. The public’s response to
that cultural event was so gratifying that Muro has agreed to return for an
encore performance in the chapel, as well as a limited-seating dinner concert.
“The chapel has some of the finest acoustics that I have performed in during my
entire musical career,” says Muro. “I was very pleased.”
The dinner concert is scheduled for the evening of Friday, September 30, in the
monastery’s new retreat center next to the museum. Seating for this exclusive
event is limited to 72 and will include a gourmet dinner, a debut CD of last
year’s performance, and a concert by the artist. Reservations are required.
Tickets are $50 per person.
Music lovers can enjoy Muro’s chapel performance on Saturday evening, October 1.
Seating is limited with tickets priced at $15 and $25 per person.
A native of Lima, Peru, Muro began teaching himself to play the guitar at the
age of 10. His self-study progressed quickly, and he was soon granted
scholarships to study with some of the finest guitarists in South America. As an
adult, he juggled two careers; law and music. He built a successful law practice
in Peru, but when his study of the guitar demanded more time, Alfredo gave up
his legal career and moved to the United States to broaden his skills. He lives
in Portland, Oregon.
While on tour in Europe, he played for Pope John Paul II at a Vatican “Special
Audience.” He has been selected for Master Classes with the world’s top
guitarists, such as Manuel Lopez Ramos and Carlos Barbossa-Lima. He has also
appeared on numerous recordings, stage, radio and television programs.
Accomplished in classical, Spanish, Latin jazz, and South American guitar, he
has a CD endorsed by six-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jose Feliciano.
That CD is available for sale in the museum store. This year he will make two
new recordings, Guitarra Peruana and Anthology of Brazilian Guitar Music.
For more information or reservations please call the museum at (208)962-7123.
Museum Receives Autographed Basketball
 COTTONWOOD,
ID – “We couldn’t be any more excited,” said Lyle Wirtanen, Director of the
Historical Museum at St. Gertrude. “It is a thrill just to hold the basketball.”
The museum received an autographed basketball
from retired NBA All-Star, John Stockton, to use as a fundraiser for the
museum’s annual Raspberry Festival.
With 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals, Stockton,
number “12” of the Utah Jazz, was named one of the NBA’s “50 Greatest Players in
NBA History” in 1996.
“He and Karl Malone were simply amazing,”
recalled Wirtanen.
“We invented a new event just for this donation:
The John Stockton Basketball Drop,” continued Wirtanen.
 Raspberry
Festival volunteers will mark out the high school soccer field into
approximately 400, 3’x 3’ squares. Attendees of the Raspberry Festival can
purchase one or a number of squares. On Sunday, August 7, at 2:30 p.m., an
ultra-light will fly over the field and drop a basketball onto the grid. The
square on which the ball finally rests will be the lucky winner of the John
Stockton basketball.
“The squares are only $10 each, or 5 for $40, and
they will be available to purchase only at the Raspberry Festival. Plus, you (or
your representative) must be present to win.”
Volunteers are needed to help with this event.
Interested parties should contact the museum at 208-962-7123 or
curator@stgertrudes.org.
The Raspberry Festival, in its 13th year, is a
family-focused, fun event that brings in more than 1,500 attendees to
Cottonwood, ID, population 900. In addition to the John Stockton Basketball
Drop, events include: Raspberry Fun Run/Cake Walk, Arts & Crafts Festival, Show
‘n Shine, Quilt Show, raffle, live music, cultural demonstrations, lots of food,
museum and chapel tours and tours of Spirit Center, the monastery’s new
spirituality and conference center. All proceeds go to the Historical Museum at
St. Gertrude.
Museum to be Featured on "Northwest
Backroads"
 Cottonwood,
ID - Lyle Wirtanen, left, Director of the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude,
points out some of the finer aspects of a display to Kevin H. Strehle, Director
of Photography, KING 5 TV in Seattle. Strehle spent two days filming and
interviewing at the museum and monastery last week for “Northwest Backroads”, a
weekly outdoor magazine show highlighting the people, places and things that
make the Pacific Northwest unique.
Since the show’s inception in 1998, crews have traveled extensively throughout
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, Alaska and Montana opening the eyes
of viewers to a world of possibility. Each week, host Grant Goodeve and producer
Keven Strehle take viewers on amazing journeys to spectacular destinations and
along the way tell stories that compel people to take note of a unique
bio-diversity that we call home.
Strehle, an Emmy award winning producer, expects the show to air in the fall of
2005. Northwest Backroads airs on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on KING-TV in Seattle. It
also airs on KONG-TV in Seattle, Northwest Cable News, KGW-TV in Portland, KREM-TV
in Spokane, and KTVB-TV in Boise, Idaho. Check your local listings for show
times.
Well-known Author to
speak at St. Gertrude's
COTTONWOOD, IDAHO -- Ruthanne Lum McCunn, author
of the book Thousand Pieces of Gold,
the story of Polly Bemis, will
make a presentation on May 12, 2005, at 7:00 pm at the Monastery of St.
Gertrude dining room. The presentation will consist of readings from
Thousand Pieces of Gold
and a discussion of new research about Polly Bemis. It is free to the
public and is sponsored by the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude.
McCunn is an Eurasian of Chinese and Scottish
descent. Born in 1946 in San Francisco's Chinatown, she grew up in Hong Kong,
where she was educated first in Chinese and then British schools. In 1962 she
returned to the U.S. to attend college.
McCunn began writing seriously when she was
thirty. Three years later, she published her first novel
Thousand Pieces of Gold. Acclaimed
as a "stunning biography" by the Los
Angeles Times, the novel was a Quality Paperback Book Club
Alternate and was made into a film. Her children's picture book,
Pie-Biter, won the Before Columbus
Foundation's American Book Award in 1984, and her account of the world's
champion survivor Poon Lim, published as
Sole Survivor, was a Dolphin Book Club Alternate and selected as
1985 Best Book, Nonfiction Adventure by the Southwest Booksellers Association.
Choice selected her Chinese American
Portraits: Personal Histories 1828-1988 as an Outstanding Academic
Book in 1990. Her novel Wooden Fish Songs
won the Women's Heritage Museum's Jeanne Farr McDonnell Award for
Best Fiction in 1997. A stage adaptation of this book enjoyed successful tours
of over thirty colleges, libraries, museums, and community organizations
including the Smithsonian and University of Hawaii.
Ruthanne's most recent novel,
The Moon Pearl, tells the story of
young girls in nineteenth century China who fought and won a battle for
economic and personal independence that changed the future for thousands of
others. Published in 2000, the novel was highlighted in The New York Public
Library's 2001 "Books for the Teen Age" and chosen by the American Library
Association as "The Best of the Best" from American University Presses in
2002. Helen Zia, author of Asian American
Dreams and contributing editor to
Ms. Magazine, praised the novel as
"a stunning and inspiring tale … breathtaking in its historical mastery,
spellbinding as (McCunn) captures the triumph of the human spirit."
McCunn’s works appeal to young and seasoned
readers alike. Asked why her books appeal to such a broad age range, she
replied, "I have always been a voracious reader, and books were hard to come
by when I was a child in Hong Kong. There were no public libraries and my
family had neither the means nor the desire to purchase books. But I always
had access to stories told by adults in my life and/or by professional
storytellers on the street. The age of the audience for the professional
storytellers spanned babies strapped on the backs of adults to old grannies
and grandpas. So the storyteller had to seize and maintain the interest of
children as well as adults. Otherwise the bored child would become disruptive
and have to be taken away by the adult who brought him or her. Then there'd be
fewer people around at the end when the hat was passed around for coins. It's
the voice of these storytellers that I have in my head when I write, so my
influence is oral rather than literary, my voice direct."
Annual Victorian Tea to Take
Place May 7th
 COTTONWOOD,
ID -- Are you tired of giving your mom the same old Mother’s Day gift?
How about shaking things up a bit this year by taking her to the 8th
Annual Victorian Mother’s Day Tea instead? This year’s event will be held on
Saturday, May 7, in the dining room at the Monastery of St. Gertrude. This
event is a wonderful opportunity to treat your mother, daughter, grandmother,
or other special person, male or female, to a memorable and enjoyable
afternoon.
The theme is “Garden Bird Houses” and, while
not required, guests are encouraged to dress in Victorian attire. The
Victorian Tea recreates the ambiance, food, music, and lifestyle of the
Victorian era. Live music will be provided by violinist Carletta Allen of
Cottonwood, ID. A fashion show featuring authentic Victorian textiles from the
museum’s collection will be displayed on mannequins. Valet parking and a
tuxedoed escort are provided upon arrival.
The menu includes a variety of cookies,
scones, finger sandwiches and fresh strawberries. And what would a tea party
be without lots of hot tea, coffee and punch provided at your table by
costumed servers.
This popular annual fundraising event
features two seatings: the first seating is scheduled from 1:00 to 2:30 pm PST
and the second from 3:00 to 4:30 pm PST. Space is limited and RESERVATIONS ARE
REQUIRED! Contact the museum at (208) 962-7123 or email curator@velocitus.net
to make your reservations for the seating of your choice. Reservations will be
taken up to the day of the event.
The two seatings will be broken up by guided
tours of the historic Monastery Chapel at 2:00 pm and at 4:00 pm. The
monastery’s Book & Gift shop and the historical museum will also be open.
Guests can purchase raspberry jam and raspberry vinegar made from raspberries
picked on the Monastery grounds at the museum.
The cost for this premier
event is $15.00 per person, (yes, that includes children!) with all proceeds
to benefit the museum. Remember, space is limited so make your reservations in
advance. For further information call the museum or visit us online at
www.HistoricalMuseumAtStGertrude.com.
Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day
The Historical Museum at St. Gertrude in
Cottonwood, Idaho is one of over 460 museums around the United States who will
help celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Smithsonian
magazine by participating in Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day. On Saturday,
April 30, 2005, subscribers to the magazine will receive free admission to the
museum when they present a “Museum Day Card” that is bound in the April issue of
the magazine. The card will admit the bearer and one guest for free. It is the
magazine’s way of saying thank you to their loyal readers.
The Smithsonian Museum Day is intended as a
celebration of culture, learning, and the dissemination of knowledge. It is a
national program sponsored by TIAA-CREF and the magazine to encourage their
readers to seek out museums and cultural venues nationwide.
The Historical Museum at St. Gertrude is one of
seven museums participating in the program in Idaho and the only museum in North
Idaho. The museum reflects the history of North Central Idaho and is open year
round Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 to 4:30.
The
Museum has a new look
New display cases line the walls of the museum.
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