Hansel and Gretel Theater Production coming to Vergas in July

By Robert Williams

Editor

Vergas Mayor Julie Bruhn and Vergas Arts Club President Carol Albright continued their annual art camp on Saturday, June 15, as a way to help beautify downtown and get kids involved in doing so.  ¶  Each year’s project has a theme with kids decorating a specific piece of art. It began with fish the first year, totem poles the second, loons, birdhouses and butterflies this year.  ¶  Over the winter, more than 100 butterflies were made by Julie’s husband Joe Bruhn to give kids a canvas in which to paint their own designs.  ¶  Each year the Bruhns and Albright discuss the upcoming theme for the camp. Julie is a Master Gardener and has a big pollinating garden where she found inspiration.  ¶  “I have what you call pollinating patches around our house and it’s just something I love…the butterflies,” Mayor Bruhn said. “Every year you’re trying to think of something and I was going…butterflies, I love ‘em!”  ¶  Upon completion, each of the kids’ painted butterflies will be installed on a wall downtown outside the former city office for everyone to see. The butterflies are displayed until Labor Day, when kids can come to town and pick up their art to take home.  ¶  “Kids love it; we love it and it’s just a fun thing to do,” said Bruhn.

Art plays a big role in the village of Vergas and getting children and even plenty of teenagers involved is an important aspect of the camp.

“We have really gotten it going and kids are an important part,” Bruhn said. “The whole idea was not only to beautify downtown and make it look unique, but to engage kids in the community and realize they contribute and they are a part of the community. It was meant as a connection with art, but also a connection with youth.”

The camp is also an extension of the many artists living in and around Vergas, the annual art crawl to local studios, and keeping art alive in the community.

“Some of them are summer people, which is great, but yeah, there is just a real, artistic and creative group of people,” said Bruhn.

As mayor, the art camp also allows Bruhn a chance to be involved personally with both the kids as they participate and the clubs from town, including many volunteers.

“It is fun and it’s fun to be involved with the community club and the arts club and they make a lot of fun things happen,” she said.

Kids Art Camp has become yet another staple in a busy Vergas calendar year that provide visitors and locals a chance to mingle, interact and see how great the village is with the vast variety of events throughout all four seasons.

“We just had the Shops and Hops and people I know from the cities came and they said they just can’t believe this. This is stuff, entertainment and things you see in the cities, but this is a little town that can pull it off!” said Bruhn. “It takes a lot of great volunteers and I have the same volunteers every year; they’re just awesome.”

The popularity of the camp has grown with each year since its beginning in the pandemic year of 2019 and has grown to attract consistently around 100 kids from all over the region, out of state and even a participant from Madrid, Spain in 2023.

“The diversity from one-year-olds to 15-year-olds and people come and say they aren’t from Vergas,” said Bruhn. “We don’t care! We love it when people come and engage with our community. Once you come here, you love it.”

Next up on the kids community calendar is the Hansel and Gretel Musical and Theater Production with auditions beginning Monday, July 8 and performances for the public scheduled at the Vergas Event Center for mid-July.

For more information and to register, www.visit: frazee.k12.mn.us and select drop down menus: departments>community-education>youth-enrichment

Registration forms can be printed out or there is a link to register online.