December Brings Music to the Library

By Susan Braunstein

Get ready to tap your toes to the sounds of Kenny Putnam and Boyd Bristow who will perform for the Lunch & Learn event scheduled at the downtown library on Wednesday, Dec.15 from noon to 1 p.m.

This is a special celebration that will take place in the entire upstairs of the downtown library. The Friends of the Library sponsor the event and the first 50 people to sign up will receive a free lunch. We are going to have plenty of extra seating with borrowed chairs from the Club for Boys and refreshments of coffee and cookies for everyone who attends. Feel free to bring your own lunch or just enjoy the music.

Kenny Putnam is a Rapid City native and a well-known fiddler who is a two-time South Dakota Fiddle Champ. Many people know him as part of the Red Willow Band and he also toured and recorded with Roy Clark for over seven years appearing on programs such as the Grand Ol' Opry, The Tonight Show, and Hee Haw. This included stops in 48 states, Canada, Bulgaria and Russia.

Other venues where he has appeared include the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and the Oktober Hall in Leningrad. Putnam also has a CD, “Sure Beats Me,” featuring his fiddle music along with songs by Mike Connor and Chris Gage.

In recent years he has been a part of the annual A South Dakota Acoustic Christmas event and started his own graphic design and photo restoration business called, “Image Up, Creative Services,” in Rapid City.

Joining Putnam will be singer/songwriter Boyd Bristow, another long-time member of A South Dakota Acoustic Christmas. He is a veteran musician that has played with, Blueberry Buckle, The Red Willow Band and Vince Two Eagles in Europe. Bristow is also a singer and responsible for the recording and production on many CD recordings. He has a new CD recording called Cloudless Sky on the Maxine Records label. Check out his website, www.boydbristow.com
For the younger crowd, Saturday Story Times are held at the Rapid City Public Library North location on the first and third Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and feature guest storytellers. Faye Schroeder will read stories on Dec. 4 and Norma Eckman will read stories on Dec.18.

On the second Saturday of the month, library staff will continue to do the downtown story time, also at 10:30 a.m.
December drop in programs in the downtown library lobby include jewelry maker, Hazel Williams, on Dec.11 from 2-4 p.m. and Kim Cook from Experience Works on Dec.15 from 1-3 p.m. Experience Works is an employment program designed to improve the lives of older people through training, community service and employment.

Gaming Days will take place on Dec. 7 and 21 in the commons area at the General Beadle Elementary School and downtown Dec. 1 and 15 from 3:30-5 p.m. Library laptops, Wii games, Guitar Hero and Beatles Rock Band are all part of the fun.
For information about additional programs, check out www.rapidcitylibrary.org.