歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� Headwaters Music and Arts boasts a bevy of talented instructors and the public will have a chance to witness that talent at the Heart-to-Art Instructor Showcase, an annual fundraiser set for 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, at the Loft Event Center, 116 Fourth St. NW.

鈥淲e have held the showcase in the past, but this year we've made it into a fundraiser so that people who value the arts and art education have a meaningful way to support that and make a contribution,鈥� event chair Leah Corcoran said.

It will be a chance for many of the attendees to visit the Loft Event Center, which opened recently in the renovated Elks Building.

鈥淎 lot of people haven't even had a chance to see the event center,鈥� Corcoran said, 鈥渟o this might be their golden opportunity to check out this new space. We鈥檙e glamming it up to give it a glitzy Hollywood feel.鈥�

The evening will begin with a social hour during which guests can have cocktails, explore artwork from Headwaters instructors and bid on silent auction items that include season tickets to the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, art pieces, a Native American flute, self-care packages and a guided bass fishing experience.

The show will begin at 6 p.m. featuring many of the Headwaters music instructors with a mix of rock, blues, jazz and classic tunes.

The event will include appetizers and a cash bar. Cocktail attire is encouraged. Advance tickets may be purchased online at . They are priced on a sliding scale of $10 to $50 in order to make it accessible for anyone who wishes to attend.

The silent auction also is underway on the website and will continue until 7:30 on the night of the event.

鈥淲e're making this our premier fundraising event of the year,鈥� said Tricia Andrews, executive director of the nonprofit organization.

Corcoran was motivated to help organize the Heart-to-Art event because her two youngest children have benefited from Headwaters instruction.

鈥淚'm happy to do it because I truly value the arts,鈥� Corcoran said. 鈥淚t used to be that the arts were as meaningful and important in an education as any other aspect, and we seem to have fallen away from that. But they really are equally as important as math and reading.鈥�