Coming tonight! Spring concert (VIDEO)

Late on Tuesday night, a video was added to this blog post from the concert.

The B-B-E grades 6-12 choirs and bands will perform their spring concert tonight starting at 7 p.m. at Olson Auditorium. I'm currently looking for the live player web link for online streaming of the concert.

AND! Here's the link that you can share. I will try utilzing the "embed code" and post it to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website. That link will also be posted here.

Direct YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/live/uBvaAXzygDU?si=M3Blb00uPP73x5tZ.

AND! Here's a link that you can click on to view a live video player during the concert: https://shorturl.at/OB0ge. This is posted at the newspaper's website. Please spread the word if you know of anyone who is unable to attend in person!

Slowly but surely, more albums are being added to the "news/events" folder for 2025 at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's SmugMug gallery. You can see all the 2025 albums by clicking here: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/2025-B-B-EBonanza-Valley-area-events.

And in sports news...
Baseball practice, like all spring sports, has been conducted indoors and outdoors this spring. Last Friday, they had light pitching practice indoors and then outdoors as a team. While I was attending a track and field meeting after school on Friday, it was terrific to see senior Hayden Sobiech at pitching practice with Coach Klaphake. Fellow senior Ethan Mueller was catching for him in the gym.

Here's Hayden Sobiech practicing in the gym last Friday:


The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team makes up their doubleheader at Maple Lake on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Irish Stadium. It is great that they can pull this off this week, because starting next Monday...wait for it! Starting next Monday, Highway 55 gets blown up (figuratively speaking) with road construction and one-way traffic east of Kimball.

Let's revisit tonight's concert!
The spring concert held tonight at Olson Auditorium featured superb performances by the choirs and bands. The students and teachers should be proud of what they accomplished! I've got a mountain of material to work with across two newspaper issues.

Here's a short video recorded early in the concert...


In this video, the middle school choir ("Day 2 choir") is performing the song Flooding Rains by Harley Mead. Time to get back to the newspaper.

High school band and choir Christmas concert is tonight (VIDEOS*)

Music students in grades 6-12 will hold their band and choir Christmas concert tonight (Monday) at 7 p.m. at Olson Auditorium. The middle school and senior high choir will perform first. The band concert is set to begin at about 7:45 p.m. starting with the 6th grade band. I am grateful and extremely appreciative that nothing gets in the way at B-B-E of our band or choir concerts! This is not the case at other schools, which is sad and pathetic. No athletic activities are scheduled for tonight - which is how it should be on music concert night!!!

You are welcome to tune in via the video player posted below. It should be "live" by 6:45 p.m. or about then.

LIVE video courtesy of B-B-E Broadcasting:


Further coverage to follow later tonight and also in the December 19 and 26 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. We'll see what I come up with this week! As of now, we are set to publish a 16-page issue!

Here's a very, very rough video featuring the final song performed tonight...


I shot the video on my big Nikon camera, which was very difficult to hold steady. I have a mountain of content from tonight to go through and prepare for publishing this week and next week. The concert was outstanding! Our high school musicians and their teachers have much to be proud of!

Halftime vs. Bluejays

We're at halftime tonight in Belgrade for the home opener of the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team, who is hosting a fleet-footed Central Minnesota Christian-Prinsburg squad. The Jaguars trailed 6-2 early before earning leads at 7-4 and 9-8. They built the lead up to 10 points later in the first half.

There's a great crowd on hand, and we are also enjoying the sounds of the B-B-E Pep Band!!! I hope to rejoin them by the next time they play at a home game.

Halftime: B-B-E 33, CMCS 29.

More to come in a new blog post!! Hit refresh.

Spring concert live stream (starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight)

Click on the following link to view the live stream:

https://www.youtube.com/live/3Hix3Z2TTEY?feature=share.

The middle school choir finished up at about 19:41.

Merry Christmas, Jaguar Country! (VIDEO)

I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! We have had quite the month of December so far. It appears that winter's tight grip on humanity is loosening up today and tomorrow. Thank, God!

**Here's another clip from the band caroling on Monday:


I have more blogging to do this afternoon, but there's Christmas-related activities to come first.

**Here's a short clip from Tuesday at Litchfield...this was awesome! Abby Berge's squad is returning to form!


That's all for now. Time to head off to another family Christmas gathering...this time at my mom's house.

*Forgot to mention: Bucky's Bar in Elrosa opens at 3 p.m. today. If you want to get out of the house, they're a great place to stop by and enjoy a great atmosphere with great people!

I've got a good portion of my December sports photos uploaded to the Bonanza Valley Voice winter sports folder. The only game missing is the Litchfield girls' basketball game...you can see all the folders by clicking here: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/B-B-E-Winter-Sports-22-23.

**And please spread the word that B-B-E high school will hold two Open Gym nights next weekend! They will have open gym on Saturday, December 31 from 5 to 7 p.m., and then on New Year's Day also from 5 to 7 p.m.!

Christmas caroling on Main Street! (VIDEO)

We had a joyful morning in Jaguar Country!

VIDEO:


More to come. Busy day ahead!

High School Band winter Christmas concert! (VIDEOS)

Over two days later, I am finally getting to the band concert video...what a week it has been so far. We're just about at the midway point.

Aidan Johnson (trumpet) and Samantha Baker (clarinet) took on the difficult roles of playing solos during the concert on Monday night. This is no small feat! They performed during the song 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' and did a phenomenal job. I am so proud of these kids.

VIDEO:


I've got a clip posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice website featuring one of the Christmas carols played by the senior high band. You can watch that by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BxXFVJ.

More to come in the morning.

School closing (VIDEO)

I'm late to the party in announcing this but...today B-B-E schools dismissed at 1 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., respectively, with busing departing the buildings at those times. The weather is at best "sketchy" now with icy rain coming down. There are no activities tonight. This is harsh to lose the girls' basketball game. HARSH. But as I told a couple of our teachers, 'We are all part of something bigger that we cannot see, so today we need to enjoy extra family time and make the most of it."

As I was combing through my concert photos from last night, I had a few more thoughts. In addition to the choirs, I also ESPECIALLY enjoyed the solos by Aidan Johnson and Samantha Baker with the senior high band. The Christmas caroling and final songs performed by the band were outstanding!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU to directors Kathryn Freeman and Sean Biehn!!! We will all work together and PUT OUR BACKS INTO building up our music program! The work continues.

Speaking of work, while it's likely your son or daughter was unable or perhaps forgot to bring their band instrument home, whether they're in band or choir they could spend part of this "partial snow day" improving themselves musically. There are countless ways this can happen. I shouldn't have to be the one giving those ideas out. EVERY DAY is a good day to become better!

Here's a clip of the senior high band performing one of their final songs last night:


More to come. I am bearing down on the 16-page layout and I hope it won't put me in an early grave!

**UPDATE at 6 p.m.: I fully expect that we could lose power tonight. There is heavy ice accumulating on the trees in town. YIKES. If there's any more weather-related announcements, I'll get that/them posted in a new blog post.

Grades 6-12 Christmas concert is tonight! (VIDEO)

The action starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Olson Auditorium in the high school.

UPDATE: that was a marvelous concert!! I think the best part was when band director Sean Biehn asked his senior high band members to stand up when he called out each student's activity...as in, the robotics kids, the track and field kids, the speech kids, the musical kids, the tennis kids, etc...there were numerous kids standing up for multiple activities. We are BLESSED with amazing kids here in Jaguar Country!

I doubt I will get to look at or upload any of my concert video until Wednesday. Right now I have the weight of the world on me as I am working on a 16-page newspaper issue. I am in a marathon right now and have to keep my eyes on the prize.

**OKAY! That concert was TOO good to resist looking at video...seriously...here's a clip from the senior high choir performance:


The choir was singing Underneath The Tree which is a popular modern Christmas song most recently made popular by Kelly Clarkson.

I also ESPECIALLY enjoyed the solos by Aidan Johnson and Samantha Baker with the senior high band. The Christmas caroling and final songs performed by the band were outstanding!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU to directors Kathryn Freeman and Sean Biehn!!! We will all work together and PUT OUR BACKS INTO building up our music program! The work continues.

On a downer note...I am not feeling good about the odds that we'll have a home girls' basketball game tomorrow night. The forecast looks truly awful. We'll see how it all pans out. As much as we want to live in denial, the fact of the matter is the 3 to 5 inches of snow that we're predicted to get will not bode well for any type of rural traveling.

Spooktacular is tonight!

Don't miss out! This has been heavily promoted in the last two newspaper issues. It runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight at the high school. Come out and show your support for our music program!

*Update! Update! Update!

What fantastic turnout! BRAVO! The main gymnasium was nearly shoulder-to-shoulder at one point. This was a very exciting night to be a part of. It was wonderful to see the amazing show of support for the B-B-E music programs.

Numerous area job openings

The Bonanza Valley area has numerous job openings across a wide array of industries. You can see a few of them at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://bit.ly/3ea97L3. The jobs are there for those who want to work!

Monday night update: the grades 5-12 band concert was wonderful! I am thrilled that they pulled this off. Thank you thank you to Director Sean Biehn! It took a little extra work, but I was able to get numerous pretty good pictures for the newspaper. It helped greatly that I had extensive experience in Olson Auditorium for the fall musical. Look for coverage in the December 23 and December 30 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspapers.

Band Chrismas concert! Monday, December 20

Here's a note to share from our high school band department:

Dear members of the BBE community,

The BBE senior high, junior high and 5th grade bands are proud to announce that they will be performing a holiday concert on Monday, December 20th, 2021. The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m., and will be performed in the new Olson Auditorium at the BBE high school. There is no admission fee for the concert, however, donations to the music department are always welcome. Bring your holiday spirit, festive cheer and colorful attire as we celebrate a wonderful holiday season together with a few classic tunes. We hope to see you there but if we miss you; happy holidays and a happy new year!

Best wishes,

Sean Biehn

Music Boosters Halloween Carnival (VIDEO)

Last Monday's Halloween Carnival, sponsored by the B-B-E Music Boosters, was a resounding success. Turnout was fantastic with children from all across the B-B-E area.

*Here's a video clip featuring the senior high band performing that night:


Additional coverage was published in the October 28 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

And today is the day of Halloween! Be safe out there as you are trick-or-treating! The weather will be quite cold compared to what we've been used to over the past two months of fall.

Also, I want to point out that the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website has multiple stories on the homepage right now. You can find that at http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.

A big Halloween event tomorrow night

We've got a big, big event coming in Jaguar Country tomorrow night! (Monday) The B-B-E Band and Choir Halloween Carnival is tomorrow, Monday, October 25 at the B-B-E high school gymnasium and Olson Auditorium from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Come enjoy safe Halloween fun with games, crafts, costume and coloring contests, food, Trick-or-Treat Street (sponsored by local businesses), spooky music performed by B-B-E band and choir students with fun for all ages. The Music Boosters ask that guests bring 1 nonperishable food item to be donated to the B-B-E food shelf or a free-will donation to the Booster Club.

Here's a video clip that I've never posted that is almost two years old. It's the senior high band performing at the Band/Choir Halloween Spooktacular concert on October 28, 2019.


This is an event I strongly encourage everyone to take in!

(VIDEO) Concert in the Park

Members of the B-B-E high school band performed a special Concert in the Park as one of two events that formally kicked off the Bonanza Valley Days 2021 weekend in Brooten.

Below is video from the concert:


Still recovering from a great weekend in Brooten! It was incredible! 


And this is exciting! We have already decided that we will add more art for the BVD 2022 celebration. In the "off season" plans will be made for children's arts and crafts activities. It will definitely add to the fun that we are already looking forward to next summer.

I can't write enough about how wonderful the weekend was. I am so grateful we were able to kick it off with church and a concert! At some point this week, I will get the BVD Church in the Park video posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice website.

I haven't counted my photos taken since last Thursday, but it is easily past 500 pictures from all the events across four days of BVD 2021!

Monday afternoon update:

I finally got around to looking at MN Department of Health COVID weekly zip code reports from June and July. Since at least May 27, the Brooten zip code (56316) has had zero new COVID cases. I honestly expected maybe two or three on there in June. Nope, not the case! I have to go back in the data before May 27 to see when the last new case was reported to the MDH.

Lest ye forget, there's still COVID out there...but for whatever reason, it hasn't reared its ugly head in Brooten. I have other data from other towns, but that's gonna have to wait.

Three in a row...and a great concert!

The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team made it three in a row with a 61-30 win at Paynesville Area tonight. They led 40-14 at halftime.

Back at the high school gymnasium, the B-B-E bands (elementary, junior high and senior high) performed an awesome winter concert! They were terrific! I am so proud of our music program. 

Tomorrow: the wrestling team travels to Montevideo, while the boys' basketball team has a crucial conference game at Kimball Area.

More to come.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on March 1:
Holdingford 60, Royalton 46

Area girls' basketball scores on March 1:
Benson 58, Montevideo 56
New London-Spicer 62, Albany 45
Pierz 55, Swanville 40
Eden Valley-Watkins 49, Minnewaska Area 44
Browerville 61, Staples-Motley 48
Henning 75, Sebeka 38
West Central Area 57, Underwood 49
MACCRAY 51, Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 39
Hancock 63, Brandon-Evansville 26
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 49, Central MN Christian 47

Area boys' basketball scores on March 1:
New London-Spicer 71, Watertown-Mayer 60
Pine River-Backus 49, Browerville 41
Parkers Prairie 83, Swanville 56
Ashby 91, Battle Lake 65
Braham 65, Hinckley-Finlayson 57
Albany 88, Milaca 72
Sauk Centre 76, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 44
Hancock 48, West Central Area 46
MACCRAY 66, Renville County West 65
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 43, Ortonville 40
CM-Christian 66, Dawson-Boyd 44
Melrose Area 104, Moose Lake-Willow River 82

(LIVE VIDEO) Winter band concert

Below is the live video player for the winter band concert:


This goes live at 6 p.m., at which time the fifth and sixth grade students will perform. The concert is broken up into three-hour segments. The junior high band will perform at 7 p.m., and the senior high band concert starts at 8 p.m.

Business Professionals of America...and band!

A grand total of 15 members of the B-B-E Business Professionals of America (BPA) team earned state berths after outstanding showings at the region competition. The region competition was held over the second week of January in a virtual format.

Read more in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Also!

B-B-E Band Concert is March 1

The Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 5th through 12th grade band concert was originally scheduled for February 22nd this year. A few adjustments have been made, but the music department is thrilled to announce the concert will still be taking place! The Band concert has been rescheduled to Monday, March 1 of this year with a slightly different look.

The 5th and 6th grade bands will perform at 6:00, the 7th and 8th grade band will perform at 7:00, and the 9th - 12th grade band will perform at 7:45. Each performer will be able to have limited family members attend the performance. For those interested in listening but not permitted to be in attendance, the concert will be streamed and recorded. More details to come!

(HD VIDEO) Band recital at the Belgrade Library

By now it could be considered a "Blast from the Past" - although I do remember that night as if it was yesterday in spite of almost a year's time passing by. On Friday, February 28 of last year, members of the B-B-E senior high band performed a recital at the Belgrade Library. The weather outside was very mild, and I recall a very nice crowd in attendance.

Here's the video, which only got 6 views last March once I got it posted...hence, why I want to dust it off and show it again. Two of the first three musicians are members of the 2020 Jaguars girls' tennis team, and the musician who played second in the video was an offensive lineman this past fall for the Jaguars football team. A third member of the girls' tennis team plus numerous kids who are also on the speech and robotics teams performed. All great kids!!!

The next morning, I took a bee line to Xcel Energy Center and witnessed a spectacular showing by members of the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team. A huge feat was accomplished by then-sophomore Walker Bents, who won the 106-pound state championship. I didn't get out of there until well past 9 p.m., which is when the medals ceremony ended.

The whirlwind was on! I got zero rest for many weeks to come. The following weekend I was in Ogilvie (girls' basketball section finals) and then Duluth (robotics regional)...the week after that included the state girls' basketball tourament.

Then COVID-19 and the government response hit us all square between the eyes. I didn't really recover from any of it until June...June 12 to be exact! A full 90 days after the girls' basketball trip to state, I was back in the saddle covering town team baseball.

(VIDEO) Christmas caroling at B-B-E elementary

Here's a video taken at B-B-E elementary school on Thursday, December 20, 2018

That was a fun afternoon! The band sounded magnificent!