New Stillwater history book ready for signing

Brent Peterson, executive director of the Washington County Historical Society, will sign copies of his latest book, "Images of America: Stillwater," at the Warden's House Museum on Sept. 15 at 2 p.m.

Peterson, who is a Stillwater native, has written several books about the city including, "Stillwater: The Next Generation," and has also republished the book, "Convict Life at the Minnesota State Prison," originally published in 1909.

He attended Mankato State University, graduating in 1986. He has been a member of the Washington County Historic Courthouse Advisory Committee and Stillwater's Historic Preservation Commission. He currently is a member of the Fairview Cemetery board of trustees and the Vice-President of the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums.

"Images of America: Stillwater," published by Arcadia Publishing of North Carolina, features more than 200 photographs of "The Birthplace of Minnesota." Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the signing. The museum is at 602 N. Main St., Stillwater.

Contact Sean Pallas at spallas.wchs@gmail.com or 651-439-5956 with any questions regarding this event or to schedule a tour of the museum.

Franconia Sculpture Park will present its Jazz Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14, from noon to 6 p.m. As the finale for Franconia's 2013 music series, the festival will feature everything from beloved standards to original sounds from the edges of modern jazz.

At 12:15 p.m.: Trio Pika, featuring bassist Adam Linz of Fat Kid Wednesdays fame; Phil Hey, "the Twin Cities' best drummer for nearly two decades" (City Pages); and Brian Nichols, well-known pianist and composer.

At 3 p.m.: Atlantis Quartet, City Pages Best Jazz Artist of 2011. Atlantis has been a leading voice in the Twin Cities' modern jazz scene since its inception in 2006. The group is comprised of saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, guitarist Zacc Harris, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer Pete Henning: "… great musicians playing original cutting-edge jazz. No standards here. This is the music that moves the genre forward."

At 4:15 p.m., look for Lucia Newell, an acclaimed jazz vocalist " … who would shine in any international concert hall." Writing of Newell, Andrea Cantor of JazzPolice.com writes, "… Lucia Newell is a magnificent interpreter who communicates through intonation, phrasing, faultless diction (in two languages) and a husky contralto … Lucia turns her heart inside out …"

At 5:30 p.m.: Debbie Duncan, familiar on the Twin Cities jazz scene for many years. She has appeared nationally and internationally.

Volunteers and staff will lead tours of areas in the Washington County Historic Courthouse that are typically closed to the public, including the sheriff's residence, basement, archives, 1870 jail and the dome on the top of the building, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6.

The courthouse is in Stillwater at the corner of Pine and Third streets. When the building was completed in 1870, a sheriff's residence was part of the structure. Sheriffs and their families lived onsite from 1870 until 1962. The residence is now rented for private office space.

Due to the nature of the tour, not all areas are handicapped accessible. There is a suggested donation of $5 for adults and $1 for children. The courthouse is at 101 W. Pine St. in Stillwater. For more information, call 651-275-7075, visit www.co.washington.mn.us/hc or email historiccourthouse@co.washington.mn.us

Thirteen area potters — Leila Denecke, Nick DeVries, Kirk Freeman, Derek Gladen, Steve Hemingway, Michael Howland, Ernest Miller, Beth Ryan, Lynnea Schwieters, Zac Spates, Amy Von Bargen, Marjorie Wade and Scott Zeinert — will show their wares at the Rustic Road 13 Pottery Event and Sale on Sept. 21-22.

The event will be held on the historic St. Croix County homestead of founder and potter Beth Ryan. From the art-filled barn and potter's wheel and raku firing demonstrations throughout the weekend to strolls through the gardens, visitors can explore this ancient craft through the eyes and hands of contemporary artists. Musicians scheduled to appear during this year's event are Broken Spoke, Creak and Doug Chasar.

The event will be an anchor event of Take Me to the River, a 9-day festival featuring art events throughout the St. Croix Valley. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to Second Harvest Heartland.

The Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center will host its annual Autumn in the Valley fundraising gala on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the center, 12805 St. Croix Trail S. The event, which is held every year on the second Sunday in September, will feature live and silent auctions, a "wall of wine" raffle, food and tours of the nature center. The gala will start at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $80. Visit http://carpenternaturecenter.org or call 651-437-4359 for more detailed information.

A portion of the money raised goes toward Stillwater Area High School. For more information visit GreaterStillwaterChamber.com or call 651-439-4001.