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This full-length, one-man drama by Rick Plummer, celebrates beloved WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle and the GIs for whom he spent his life in loving sacrifice. 
Ernie Pyle was America’s favorite newspaperman during the war.  Syndicated in over 200 dailies and 300 weeklies, this Pulitzer Prize winning journalist served as a link between men at the front and their loved ones back home.  His articles were a folksy style much like a personal letter to a friend.
Following the entry of the U.S. into World War II, Pyle became a war correspondent, applying his intimate style to the war.  Instead of the movements of armies or the activites of generals, Pyle wrote from the perspective of the common soldier, an approach that won him not only further popularity but also the Pulitzer Prize.  He did not glorify war, but rather the simple heroism of the American GI who fought and was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.  His style was a journalistic, unadorned, rugged way of writing, more so than almost any other writer of his time or since.
Among his most widely read and reprinted columns is “The Death of Captain Waskow.”  His wartime writings are preserved in four books:  Ernie Pyle in England, Here is Your War, Brave Men, and Last Chapter.
This gritty production captures the horrors of war and celebrates their sacrifice and our freedoms.  The play takes the audience just behind the front lines in France, to a ship at sea, to Sicily, and to Italy, Anzio, Normandy, Cherbourg and the liberation of Paris.
Rick Plummer has directed over 150 productions and has played many roles in a thirty year career as a professional actor, director, and theater educator.  Dr. Plummer manages the Theater and Performing Arts program at West Shore Community College.
7:30 p.m.   Main Stage.  Tickets: $10.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

On Wednesday evening, March 31, 2010, the Grand Rapids Symphony will provide a full concert performance!  This concert will bring the Grand Rapids Symphony to the Dogwood Center for the first time.  As of March 30, 2010, this performance is sold out.
The program will bring the best of classical music to our area while celebrating life in Newaygo County.  The program will feature “A Day in the Life of Newaygo County” where the music selected will be accompanied by projected images of artwork and photographs conceived and produced by the young people of Newaygo County.
Associate conductor John Varineau will lead the orchestra in such pieces as Carnaval Overture – Dvorak, Appalachian Spring – Copland, Egmont Overture – Beethoven, Adagio for Strings – Barber, and La Grand Vitesse by contemporary composer James L. Stephenson.
The Grand Rapids Symphony presents more than 400 concerts each year and is pleased to include this performance for the people of Newaygo County in their concert schedule.  If you haven’t attended one of their concerts before here are some tips from the Symphony:  “Open yourself to the music.  Let it trigger your emotions – maybe even your memories.  Feel the rhythms; follow the tunes.  Watch the musicians and the conductor, and see how they interact with each other.  Notice how the music ebbs and flows – surging and powerful at some times, delicate and ephemeral at others, and everything in between.”
Program sponsors for the performance are Fremont Area Community Foundation and Nestle Nutrition/Gerber Products.
The Dogwood Center is encouraging everyone attending the Grand Rapids Symphony concert to “Help the Arts Help the Community” by bringing in canned goods and non-perishable food to the Dogwood lobby area when they arrive.  The food collected will be brought to local food pantries that help Newaygo County families in need of food assistance.
Main stage.   7:30 p.m.  This performance is sold out.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Baffling Bill is back at the Dogwood this time to present “Baffling Bill’s Magic of Christmas Show”!  With over 15 years of experience as an educator/entertainer, Baffling Bill knows how to make learning fun through dazzling magic, audience participation, and non-stop laughter!  

Let the fun begin!  Card tricks, illusions, rabbits, and puzzling magic!  Things will disappear and re-appear later in the show when you least expect it!  Be ready to giggle, laugh and then wonder…”How did he do that”???  A special appearance (or will it be a disappearance?) by Santa!  Bring the family for a fun night out at the Dogwood!

Tickets $15 for adults and $5 for children under 18.  7:30 p.m. Main Stage.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

John Berry is bringing his Christmas tour to the Dogwood!  His only Christmas concert in Michigan this year, country singer Berry will perform at the Dogwood Center on December 11 at 7:30 p.m.  This show is sold out.
His angelic voice will excite your soul and remind you what the season is really about:  family, friends, and faith.  This will be an unforgettable night with a country music legend!
Berry is most known for his stand-out hits Your Love Amazes Me, Kiss Me in the Car, and Standing on the Edge of Goodbye, but it was Berry’s  stunning performance of the title track of the 1995 CD O Holy Night that led to his most enduring legacy – the Country Christmas Tour.
The show is filled with traditional Christmas songs, childhood stories told only the way John can tell them, and his country hits.
The Georgia tenor has been recognized by the Grammy Association, the Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Association as a nominee in the Best Male Vocalist category and is no stranger to the top single charts.
Fremont High School orchestra students will provide accompaniment to John on several songs during his performance.
Dogwood Center is encouraging everyone attending the John Berry concert to “Help the Arts Help the Community” by bringing in canned goods and non-perishable foods to the Dogwood Lobby area when they arrive.  The food collected will be brought to Love, Inc.’s Community Food Pantry which helps Newaygo County families in need of food assistance.
7:30 p.m. Main Stage.
Tickets: Adults – $35 in advance, $40 day of show.  Children (18 and under) – $30 in advance, $35 day of show.  This show is sold out.

Take the time to get in the holiday spirit and enjoy one…or all…of these family friendly holiday films!  Admission is free.  We hope you will “Help the Arts Help Our Community” and bring non-perishable donated food items.  All donated items will go to the NCCS Food Pantry which helps Newaygo County families needing food assistance.
Films are: “The Polar Express” at 2:00 p.m., “UP” at 4:00 p.m., and “Pieces of April” showing at 7:00 p.m.
“The Polar Express” is a magical holiday tale that tells of a young boy who still wants to believe in Santa even though his friends have “grown out of it”.  His faith is rewarded when a steam train pulls up to his house and escorts him to the North Pole to meet Santa.  The animated feature includes voices of  Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Chris Coppola, and Peter Scolari.  The 2004 film is rated G and runs 99 minutes. 
The animated film “UP” is a hilarious journey that takes you into a lost world with the least likely duo on earth, 78 year old Carl Fredricksen and 8 year old Russell.  Carl spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and now in his golden years launches his house into the sky via thousands of balloons.  Right after liftoff he discovers he has a stowaway in the form of an over optimistic Wilderness Explorer named Russell.  Voices in the film include Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, and John Ratzenberger.  The 2009 film is rated PG and runs 96 minutes.
In the 7:00 p.m. film “Pieces of April”, character April Burns (Katie Holmes) thinks that it is finally time to get her extremely dysfunctional family together for Thanksgiving dinner.  She invites them to her small dumpy apartment but while preparing the meal her oven breaks down.  That is the least of her problems as this motley crew attempts to organize themselves for the trip.  Everyone brings their own bad taste to the table in this hysterical family comedy.  The 2003 film is rated PG and runs 80 minutes.
Black Box.  2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Non-perishable food donations accepted at the door for the NCCS Food Pantry.
Contact the Dogwood Center Box Office at 231.924.8885 for more information.

The Fremont Area Community Foundation will be hosting the first ever “Match Day” on Thursday, September 17! 

On “Match Day”, donors just like you who bring their Dogwood Center contributions in person to the Fremont Area Community Foundation office will have them matched dollar for dollar!! 

What a way to double the power of your money!  Mark your calendars for September 17 and show your commitment to the value of arts in Newaygo County through your donation!  Go to www.tfacf.org for specific event guidelines.

“Linwood Peel’s Tribute to The Drifters” commemerates much of the great material which is still known, sung and covered worldwide from this legendary pop and R/B group. 
Legendary singer Linwood Peel and the group perform their Drifters tribute worldwide.  Their incredible show includes all The Drifters great hits including “Under The Boardwalk”, “On Broadway”, “Save the Last Dance for Me”, “Up on the Roof”, “This Magic Moment”, “There Goes My Baby”, and more.
Linwood Peel, from New York City is among many lead singers who have led the Drifters over the past decades, but when it comes to taking the stage, Peel has established himself as a sensational performer, bringing boundless energy and charisma to the performance. 
The performance will include those Drifter classics you remember as well as a few of other songs of that memorable era. 
Main Stage.  Tickets $15. 7:30 p.m.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Join us for a great Gospel Christmas Show!  The Dixie Melody Boys are an American Southern Gospel quartet from Kinston, North Carolina.  The group includes manager and bass singer Ed O’Neal, lead vocalist Donald Morris, tenor Jonathan Price, and baritone Steven Cooper. 
O’Neal has been with the group since 1961 and has received the Marvin Norcross Award and was inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame in 2004. 
The group has had more than twenty hits in the Southern Gospel field, including “Antioch Church Choir”, “I’ll Be Living That Way”, “Don’t Point a Finger”, and “When the Son of my Life Goes Down”.  The group has released a large number of albums and numerous videos.
Opening for the Dixie Melody Boys will be The Sweetwater Gospel Singers.  The group has been together for three years and includes Dave Parker – lead, Howard Bryant – tenor, and Geoff Hepworth – bass.  The group has performed for area fundraisers, at the Great Lakes Gospel Sing and the Hallelujah Square Gospel Barn.  They have recorded two cd’s of their beautiful gospel music.
Tickets $15. 3:00 p.m.  Main Stage.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Internationally known American pianist Dan Franklin Smith will provide a program of classical solo piano works titled “Music from the Old World and the New”.  His work as a solo artist has been described as “breathtakingly beautiful…”. 
In the U.S., Smith has appeared as soloist, chamber musician and vocal accompanist at such venues as the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Cleveland Museum’s Distinguished Artist Series, and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. 
 He has also toured in Bermuda, Taiwan, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has been featured on several radio broadcasts in the U.S.  This summer he received rave reviews in a tour of Germany playing the works of German/Italian composer Busoni.
Smith is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he studied with Benning Dexter, and later in New York with the well-known concert pianist, Constance Keene.  His achievements also include a premiere recording of Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg’s piano concerto in 1999, a recording of solo piano pieces for Sveriges Radio in 2000, Swedish TV, other recital and orchestral dates in Sweden, England, Germany and France.
Tickets $15.  7:30 p.m.  Main Stage.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

The Dillonaires are a family band out of Jackson, Mississippi who capture the essence of American Folk Music.  Sherman Lee (the dad) along with son Andrew John and daughter Anna Lee provide the voices and musical accompaniment served up with an unforgettable helping of down-home honest energy.  From the worn pages of an old shape-note hymnal to brand new tunes penned in the style of A.P. Carter and Hazel Dickens, they will take you on a musical journey! 

 

Wielding an impressive array of instruments the Dillonaires are as much fun to watch as they are to listen to.

 

Sherman Lee is a slide guitar and banjo player and has worked as a consultant to the filming  of “Brother, Where Art Thou”.  His harmonica workshops are among the most eagerly attended at folk festivals.

 

Andrew John has a rich baritone voice, a deft touch with the fiddle, and a capacity to write songs that sound decades older than his 21 years.

 

Anna Lee, 25, plays rhythm guitar with authority, but it’s her voice that reaches out and grabs you. 

 

Together they offer a memorable show that will echo in your ears and stay in you heart for years to come.

 

Tickets $10.  7:30 p.m.  Black Box.

 

The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.