VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Bridges Arts Council is proud to announce an exciting event Sunday, July 11th, as part of their “Sunday Afternoons In Pioneer Park” series called “The Spoken Word.”
It will feature award-winning, nationally renowned, singer, songwriter, and author Jessie Veeder, who calls Watford City, North Dakota home. Prior to Veeder’s performance, members of the Valley City High School Championship Speech team will open the event by offering poetry with which they competed for the National Speech and Debate Tournament in June. The Spoken Word event will be held at Pioneer Park Outdoor Amphitheater, located at 800 4th St. NW in Valley City, starting at 5:30 PM on Sunday, July 11th. Sandwiches and refreshments will be served.
Accessibility accommodations will be in place to enable all community members wishing to attend the performances to do so. If you require assistance with transportation, please reach out to South Central Transit Services prior to the event by calling or texting 240-462-8785 and ask for a ride to “The Spoken Word.”
Additionally, on Monday, July 12th, Jessie Veeder will be leading a Writer’s Workshop for youth ages 13-18 at the Valley City Barnes County Library from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Veeder is a columnist for the Forum News Service and the author of Coming Home (2017), her tribute to life in a North Dakota paradise. The workshop will be offered to participants free of charge with all materials provided by the library. Youth interested in attending are encouraged to contact the Valley City Barnes County Public Library at (701) 845-3821.
Jessie Veeder released her first album, “This Road,” when she was sixteen years old and has been making music ever since. In 2015, she recorded her fifth original album in Nashville entitled “Northern Lights.” Her music is rooted in stories of the Badlands of North Dakota that she calls home. With her blues, folk-style, and country influences, Veeder’s music is authentically hers. In her spare time, she maintains her popular blog, meanwhile, back at the ranch, she writes her weekly column for Forum communications and other newspapers across the state, is a frequent commentator for Prairie Public Radio, and helps bring both art and music to Western North Dakota and the Watford City area as the Director of the Long X Arts Foundation. She is the recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Individual Achievement, was named North Dakota’s Favorite Folk Artist in 2016 and 2017 and is the recipient of the North Dakota Ambassador Award.
Both engagements are supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Local contributions are being provided by the Bridges Arts Council. John Deere Seeding Group is contributing financial support for the “Spoken Word” event and for subsequent Amphitheatre events this summer.
For more information or questions about this and upcoming events please contact Bridges Arts Council Arts Administrator, Nick Lee, at info@bridgesarts.org or by calling 701-840-6182 and leaving a voicemail.