Volleyball team 9-4 in Division

Kaitlyn Roerick and Kirstie Grill each collected nine kills for the Central Lakes Raiders in a competitive three-game loss to Itasca of Grand Rapids on Sat., Oct. 9. Itasca, ranked fifth in the NJCAA Division III poll coming into the match, had first place secured in the Northern Division with an 8-1 record. The Raiders lost 25-23, 25-23, 25-21. CLC's Megan Rakow (pictured) scooped 13 digs, and Kayla Atkinson and Melissa Widman followed with 11 each. Grill also led the team in blocks with four. Friday, Oct. 8 at CLC the Raiders dominated all three games vs. Fond du Lac, winning the first 25-12, the second 25-9 and the third 25-6. Kirstie Grill pounded out nine kills, and Melissa Widman and Jenna Terhaar combined for six each as the Raiders dominated the net. Rachel Pfeffer led the way with 25 set assists. Defensively, Melissa Widman totaled 10 digs, and Kayla Atkinson added eight as the Raiders were stingy in allowing the Thunder to get any offense going. CLC also combined for seven points off blocks. The Raiders finish the regular season on Wed., Oct. 13 at home against Rainy River before heading to the state tournament in Fergus Falls, where they will join Itasca, Mesabi Range, and Hibbing from the Northern Division. Division: CLC 9-4. Overall: CLC 17-10.

Auditions for 'Drowsy Chaperone'

The Central Lakes College Theatre Department will host auditions for “The Drowsy Chaperone” at 10 a.m., Sat., Oct. 30 in the Dryden Theatre on the Brainerd campus. Winner of five Broadway Tony Awards, “The Drowsy Chaperone” is a good old- fashion musical for the whole family. With its jazzy musical numbers, slap-stick humor and comic delight this show is sure to drive away the “winter blues.” It all begins when a die-hard musical-theatre fan plays his favorite cast album on his turntable, and the musical literally burst to life in his living room telling the rambunctious 1928 tale of a brazen Broadway starlet trying to find, and keep her true love. Performances will be Feb. 24-26 and March 3-6 in Chalberg Theatre. Rehearsals will be in November and December, with one tap dance lesson per week, and full rehearsals start Jan. 10. Director Dennis Lamberson said the show needs an African-American actress with a belt voice and men who can tap dance. “All cast members sing and dance,” he said. To audition, prepare a short up tempo 1920’s song. Examples of this are “Tea for Two,” “Bye, Bye Black Bird,” “The Varsity Drag,” and “Yes! We Have No Bananas.” Music may be picked up at Lamberson’s office, E-443, on the Brainerd campus. A script is on reserve at the Jon Hassler Library at CLC. For information call or e-mail Lamberson at 218-855-8202 or dlambers@clcmn.edu

Theatre renovation

The Chalberg Theatre renovation project at Central Lakes College in Brainerd is nearing completion. New seating, floor covering, surround sound, and air handling are part of the work, which will be completed when high-tech controls for audio and visual presentation for classroom functions are installed. The first show to be staged in the remodeled facility will be the Oct. 30 and 31 comedy "Triple Espresso," which provides its own sound system. The full-functioning surround sound will be in place for productions after that.

Senate candidate forum

The Social Sciences Division at Central Lakes College is sponsoring a Candidate Forum for State Senate District 12 on Tuesday, Oct. 19 from 1-1:50 p.m. The forum will be on the Brainerd campus in Room E354, a lecture hall. Confirmed participants are candidates Paul Gazelka, Steven Park, and Taylor Stevenson.

'Triple Espresso'

The Central Lakes College Cultural Arts Series will present two shots of the highly caffeinated “Triple Espresso” – Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. in the renovated Chalberg Theatre on the Brainerd campus. The Los Angeles Times called “Triple Espresso” a “triple threat of inspired craziness. Three guys, a coffee house, an utter lack of common sense... the funniest show you will see this century!” “Triple Espresso” tells the story of three guys whose bid for showbiz fame and fortune ended in four minutes of magnificent failure on national television. Hugh Butternut, Buzz Maxwell, and Bobby Bean tell their rags-to-rags story earnestly, with hysterical results. Butternut is a musician, a vulnerable soul with a lounge lizard smile; Maxwell is an uncertain magician with an attitude; and Bean is an irrepressible, all-over-the-map entertainer with big dreams. The laughter in this two-act, two-hour production is infectious. The comedy appeals to everyone from first graders to college students to baby-boomers to grandparents. The show is advertised for kids from 6 to 106.
Audience comments echo one result: Unbridled laughter. Tickets are $25 for premium (center section or first two seats on aisle of left or right section) seating, $20 for side seating, and $10 for CLC students. A family ticket package provides two adult and two child tickets for $70 in any section. Premium and side seats can be purchased online at www.clctickets.com with student and family package tickets available at the box office (218) 855-8199 or toll-free (800) 933-0346, ext. 8199. The box office window is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday noon to 1:30 p.m. for in-person purchase and also one hour prior to each showtime. For information, email clctheatre@clcmn.edu

CLC football action

Photos by Mark Slupe for Central Lakes College

Candidates' views

The three major gubernatorial candidates offered their views about tuition, budget priorities, jobs for graduates, online learning and other higher education issues in videotaped interviews with Scott Thiss, chair of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees and a student leader, Caitlin Stene. Their responses are available online at www.fan.mnscu.edu/electionguide/video.html. The candidates - Democrat Mark Dayton, Republican Tom Emmer and Independent Tom Horner - answered questions from Stene, who represented the Minnesota State University Student Association and the Minnesota State College Student Association, and Thiss. The interviews were sponsored by the Board of Trustees in partnership with the two student associations. The three candidates were asked the same questions in individual sessions.