Briefs 9-25-08

Spencer Northwest Iowa Singles will meet at 7 p.m. tonight in the Southpark Mall Food Court for dinning and a short meeting. The club is open to singles 30 and above, widowed or divorced. Come and join us.

* Call Tim at 260-0616 for more information.

Single Spirits to meet at Spirit Lake

Single Spirits will be holding their next meeting tonight. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Spirit Lake Public Library at 702 16th St. We will have a pizza party after the meeting. We will be planning our activities for the next five weeks.

* Single Spirits is an organization that is open to singles of all ages in the area. If you have questions or would like more information call Ray, 262-1539.

Grief Support group meeting Thursdays

Warner Funeral Homes & Crematory will again be offering a six-week grief support group open to anyone in Spencer or the surrounding communities who has experienced the loss of a loved one. The group will meet on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. beginning Oct. 9 at the Spencer Area Activity Center (Senior Center), 1900 N. Grand Ave. in Spencer. Prior registration is appreciated but not required.

* Contact Diane Sparks at Warner Funeral Home 262-3640 for more information or to register for the group. Warner Funeral Home provides this service to the community free of charge.

New car show at Southpark Mall

H & N Chevy, Asher Motor Company, Don Pierson Ford, and Motor Inn of Spencer will have new cars at the Southpark Mall in south Spencer Friday -- Sunday. Sept. 26-28. This is a great opportunity for the public to see the newest line of automobiles.

Shaky Tree concerts this weekend

Shaky Tree Coffee will be hosting two concerts this weekend. First, on Friday night, come enjoy Spencer native, Amber Norgaard. Described as the love child of Natalie Merchant and Sarah McLachlan, Amber stuns audiences with her big voice and dynamic energy. On Saturday night critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Mat d. will take the stage. He delivers his lyrical themes in an acoustic blues, old time country and hard luck Americana fashion. Both concerts begin at 8 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation to go directly to the artists.

Café Accordion Orchestra at AOG

Dan Newton will bring his Café Accordion Orchestra to Arts on Grand in downtown Spencer for a special concert at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27. Café Accordion Orchestra (CAO) performs an eclectic mix of vintage Swing, Latin, American, and French Café Music. Their music evokes the repertoire of the Bal Musette orchestras that were popular in Parisian cafés and bistros in the 1920s through the 1950s. The heart of this repertoire is the romantic gypsy-influenced valse-musette, or swing waltz. CAO complements the musettes with swing, ballads, tangos, paso dobles, boleros, rumbas, and cumbias to create a wonderfully varied show. This concert is the first of a series combining some of the features of house concerts with a gallery setting at Arts on Grand. Like house concerts, gallery concerts are relatively informal and provide an opportunity for members of the audience to mingle with the artists. Guests are invited to bring a beverage of their choice as well as a snack to share. A $10--$15 donation is requested, with all proceeds going to the artists.