• News tips, submissions
• Questions, comments
• Contact webmaster

• Art on the Kinni this weekend in River Falls
• River Falls: Suicidal man surrenders; no one hurt

By Katie Chaffee, Reporter

Hundreds of people will come to River Falls this Saturday to take advantage of both the beautiful scenery along the Kinnickinnic River and talented artists displaying their wares at the eighth annual Art on the Kinni fair.

Organizers are praying for good weather and planning for a good time, said event co-chair Susan Harden Edwards.

The fair will be held whatever the weather, and a few showers will not dampen the high spirits of musicians, dancers, food vendors and artists, Edwards promised.

The fair will not only feature more than 50 visual artists from Minnesota and Wisconsin. There will be many performance artists putting on really good shows too.

There will be two entertainment venues, Edwards said - the main stage at the south end of the Heritage Park parking lot, and a smaller one about half way along the White Pathway.

The main stage will feature the "Isis Aurora Dance Collective" at 11 a.m., followed by the harmonic guitar Jazz duo of Clint Hoover and Brian Barnes at noon.

At 1 p.m., the pop rock band "No Sympathy" will perform, and at 2 p.m. the Michael Walk progressive jazz group will take the stage.

The final performance on the main stage will be Chris Silver's "Tangled Roots" bluegrass band at 3 p.m.

On the river stage at 10:30 a.m. is "Loonfeather," folk guitar and vocals by Beth Ray and Carl Terwilliger. At 11:30 hear Phyllis Goldin and Wanda Brown's original music and poetry, followed at 12:30 by Vicki Emerson with new-age piano selections.

The River Falls High School Acoustic Club will perform at 1:30 p.m. "Lymen and the Deadly Disease" will wind up the show with modern acoustic pop music at 2:30 p.m.

Children are welcome at the fair, CAB president Karyn Grebner said, and will enjoy not only the artists and performers, but can also create their own art for free in the Kids Art Tent.

If the youngsters get hungry, food is only a few steps away. Greek food, ice cream, kettle corn, country pork and other tasty treats should keep everyone happy.

Although many of the artists are from the greater River Falls area, some are familiar names.

Diane Kasten, whose husband Larry is a well-known UW-River Falls Ag Science professor, is better known in the horsey community than the artistic one. This fair will be her first exhibit of oil paintings.

Primarily a portrait painter, Kasten will have many examples of her work, including Indian portraits and examples of commissioned pieces.

"This show is a first step for me," Kasten said. "It's a good place to start - a nice town and I'll know the people coming through."

Kasten said she knew she had "arrived" in the art world when her husband -- introducing her to a new acquaintance -- added "painter" to his description of what she did for a living besides "run the farm."

Also new at this year's fair are glass artists Doug and Renee Sigwarth. Both UW-RFs art students, they have been refining their skills for the last 10 years.

While new to the River Falls art fair, the couple has shown extensively in the Midwest, doing about 26 shows annually.

Doug said their glasswork is created by the pair working in tandem. He gathers the glass, applying the color and design, and then passes the piece off to Renee, who blows the vessel out and shapes it.

The couple - who moved to River Falls from the Twin Cities in 1999 -- opened a glass studio next to their home at 586 Wyngate Drive in the town of Troy.

Their current series of jewel-colored vessels and globes is inspired by the hot air balloons that pass over their home, Doug said.

Sigwarth Glass won honorable mention awards in Minnesota at this summer's Art in the Park fair in St. Paul and at the Powderhorn Art Festival in Minneapolis.

Visit their Web site at www.sigwarthglass.com., or better yet, see them at Art on the Kinni.

By Phil Pfuehler, Editor

A 34-year-old local man considered a suicide risk gave himself up to police officers last week Tuesday afternoon.

The man was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire for psychiatric treatment.

The incident took place in the 300 block of West Pine Street.

Chief Roger Leque said police were phoned at 10:30 a.m. about a "possible suicidal person in a home."

A few blocks surrounding the home on Pine Street were quickly cordoned off.

"We needed to restrict access of traffic and pedestrians to that area," Leque said.

Police also set up a mobile emergency command post in the 300 block of North Pearl Street. Leque said Sgt. Jeff Linehan later made phone contact with the man and was finally able to meet him outside when the man agreed to surrender and leave his house.

"The individual was then taken into custody without incident," Leque said.

The standoff on the city's west side lasted just over two hours.

In all, eight members of the River Falls Police Department responded. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department's tactical unit was called in but not deployed.

Leque said police recovered three rifles and some ammunition from the man's house. One of the rifles was out of its case.

"We took all those things into custody for safekeeping," Leque said, adding that the man's wife agreed with that precaution.