‘Vigilance’ fundraiser this weekend

To reach its final fundraising goal for “Vigilance,” a sculpture commemorating Burning Beetle, the Custer Area Arts Council has announced Oct. 13 as a day of festivities and fun at The Custer Beacon. 
“It makes sense for us to throw a party to raise money for the Burning Beetle sculpture,” said Matt Fridell, arts council vice president. “But this is a little more low-key. This is the Sunday afternoon version of the Burning Beetle festivities.”
“No big fire. But we have music, games, art and an amazing raffle,” added Krystal Hegerfeld, the arts council board member leading the fundraising drive for Vigilance. “And it concludes with a performance by the JAS Quintet from Sioux Falls.”
Allen and Jill Kirkham kick off the day with live music from noon to mid-afternoon. While they play, there will be constant door prizes given away, art activities for kids, a pool and shuffleboard tournament, an opportunity to meet the artists who are part of the great experiences raffle, announcements and more.
The great experiences raffle includes at least eight opportunities to win one-of- a-kind experiences with local artists, including a local history tour with Paul Horsted, personalized art lessons with Steve Leonardi or Charley Umbarger, a recording session with Hank Fridell, a balloon adventure with Black Hills Balloons, a spelunking adventure with Chris Pelczarski, a mountain biking adventure with Chaz and a day with Cappie working on elements of Vigilance with catered meals.
A pool tournament will start at noon.  There will be up to 12 teams of three people each. The fee is $25 per person. If you want to secure a spot for your team, text Patti Lee at 881-2853 or call 673-2344.
The tournament will be double elimination and the rules of play will be furnished to each participating team. There will be a prize for the winning team. The shuffleboard tournament also starts at noon and is $25 per person.  Sign up at the event.
The afternoon concludes with a sit-down performance by JAS Quintet, a South Dakota jazz ensemble. Formed in 2012 and based in Sioux Falls, the ensemble features the classic jazz quintet instrumentation of trumpet, saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Its repertoire is a diverse mix of old and new, featuring many original compositions and arrangements by members of the band. Concerts include favorites from Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and contemporary artists.
Touring extensively throughout South Dakota as a part of the South Dakota Arts Council’s Touring Artist program, JAS Quintet has established a reputation as one of the top jazz ensembles in the region. They will be joined by special guest Jami Lynn.
Funds raised from the event support installing the sculpture Vigilance, whose project budget exceeds $75,000. 
“Our fundraising schedule will meet the unveiling deadline of January 2020,” said Hegerfeld. “But we still need donors and volunteers to help.”
Interested parties may view a scale model of the sculpture created by the artist at The Custer Beacon and find more information at custerareaarts.com.
Fundraising for this project is led by the BIG ART committee of the Custer Area Arts Council, which was founded in 1993 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Contributions may be tax deductible. 

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