The harmonic a cappella sounds of the nationally known Tonic Sol-fa will be the beginning of a new era of affordable entertainment right here in Annandale at the high school Performing Arts Center. The four-man group hailed as "a vocal kaleidoscope … unique to the human voice" by The New York Times is the main event in a season of local entertainment that will include free big-screen movie nights and a performance by comedian-magician Tim Gabrielson. The plan, initiated by Annandale Community Education, Annandale State Bank and the school district’s Parent-Teacher Organization, is to find a way to best and fully use the center. "We’re trying to come up with good acts that appeal to a variety of tastes at a reasonable price," community ed director Nicole Wilke said. "We want people to be able to stay in their own community and yet have the opportunity to attend these great events." Tonic Sol-fa, who will perform on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., is a good way to kick off the season, Wilke said. The group appeals to all ages with a collage of original and cover songs that explore the styles of country, pop, gospel and blues. According to the group’s web site, Tonic Sol-fa began at St. John’s University. Mark McGowan, who sings baritone, and lead vocalist Shaun Johnson were attending classes there in the mid-1990s. Shortly after forming the group, the two auditioned for an entertainment agency, which helped jump start their performance and appearance schedule. Tenor Greg Bannwarth and bass Jared Dove joined soon after, completing the group. Today Tonic Sol-fa performs about 150 concerts a year across 48 states to a combined audience of around 250,000. They have released six CDs, sold more than 1,000,000 albums and have toured nationally and internationally for 12 years. They have shared the stage with Jay Leno, Jeff Foxworthy, Garrison Keillor, Lonestar, Montgomery Gentry, Weird Al Yankovic, Neal McCoy and others. "I just think they’re great," said Wilke, who has seen Tonic Sol-fa in concert. "They are funny and fun to watch." Annandale State Bank is sponsoring the first performance at the Performing Arts Center. The proceeds from the show will go to Annandale Youth First, whose goal is to "promote assets in our youth because youth need assets to become healthy adults," Youth First director Mary Barkley Brown said. Youth First will run an informational video as people are being seated before the show, she said, and Zane Schaefer, also a director on the Youth First board, will give a brief explanation of the program before Tonic Sol-fa takes the stage. Youth First depends on local donations and grants to fund its many programs including Cardinal Buddies, Cardinal Boys and Girls Clubs, Camp Eastview, Elm Grove and Knollwood, Community Youth Nights, Community Clean-up Week and Centennial Villa Bingo among others. The program used to receive money from the federal government as part of the Wright County Family Services Collaborative, but that funding was cut about two years ago. "We’ve been fortunate to get a few local grants that have helped us through the last two years," Brown said. Since 1996 the organization has made an effort to encourage positive behavior and activities among the community’s youth. Encouraging volunteerism like trips to the Annandale Care Center to play games with the residents is a strategy Youth First uses to give them a feeling of value in the community. The theory is that students are less apt to vandalize their community if they are taking part in it. Friday, Oct. 3, marked the start of the free movie series at the Performing Arts Center with the family oriented "The Bee Movie." The classic "Bringing up Baby" is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21; another family movie will be screened Friday, Dec. 12, and the community can see "An Affair to Remember," Friday, Jan. 16, on the big screen. Tim Gabrielson will make his appearance on Friday, Feb. 13. "We’re just starting to put together a subcommittee of the Community Education Advisory Council with representatives from the Annandale Area Community Team, the PTO and others in the community who are interested," Wilke said. "Our hope is to continue bringing acts like these to the auditorium."
