Beyond blaze orange and pheasant feathers, October also brings a wealth of arts opportunities to Watertown and the surrounding area. With the community’s input, The Current will provide a weekly roundup of arts activities and cultural events.
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If you’ve yet to experience a concert at The Goss Opera House, the 2024-25 Live Entertainment Season has some incredible shows coming up. Take a moment to peruse the shows, then call a friend and get your tickets before they are sold out!

The Christian music band Unspoken will perform Oct. 5 at the Goss Opera House. 5.
Oct. 5: Unspoken, 7 p.m.
Nov. 16: Ken & Drew of Sister Hazel, 7 p.m.
Dec. 14: Holiday Jam with The Hegg Brothers, 7 p.m.
March 7: Dancing with the Celts, 7 p.m.
March 28: Tusk, 7 p.m.
April 11: South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, 7 p.m.
Individual tickets, for each concert may be purchased at Maude’s Mercantile (lower level at The Goss) or online at www.thegossoperahouse.com.
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The 10th round of inductees into the Watertown Hall of Fame will occur on Friday, Oct. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Second Street Station (15 Second St. SW). Individuals being honored for their contributions to the community include Bob Faehn, Merlin Jeitz and Don Schwieger. Tickets to attend the ceremony and luncheon can be purchased through the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce. (If you’d like to review the previous honorees, the permanent tribute to Watertown Hall of Fame recipients is featured in the lower level of the Redlin Art Center.)
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If you know any budding middle school or high school poets, have them submit their poems to the South Dakota State Poetry Society’s Louine Schaufler Youth Poetry Contest. Student poets could get published and win cash prizes. Deadline to enter is November 15. For additional information, go to www.sdpoetry.org.
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Watertown photographer Alex Resel is the featured artist at this month’s Arts Night at the Pub on Oct. 10.
Photographer Alex Resel of Watertown will be featured at Arts Night at the Pub on Oct. 10. Arts Night, held the second Thursday of each month at Dempsey’s at the Airport, begins at 5 p.m. with time to meet the artist and an art talk at 6:30 p.m. Resel is becoming well known for his images captured while storm chasing. The event is free and open to the public. Arts Night is sponsored by Northern Prairie Arts, Watertown’s Arts Council.
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Nominations for the 27th Biennial South Dakota Governor’s Awards in the Arts are open through Nov. 15. Arts South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council co-sponsor the awards to recognize individuals and businesses that have made a statewide impact through artistic excellence or outstanding support of the arts. More information and application guidelines can be found at www.artssouthdakota.org.
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Be sure to circle Oct. 25 & 26 on your calendar as the Codington County Heritage Museum (27 1st Ave. SE) brings “Murder Mystery at the Museum” back for two evenings of sleuthing. Gather your best “detectives” and plan to spend about an hour figuring out “who done it.” Groups of 10 are admitted every 10 minutes between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Donations are appreciated.
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Let’s give another round of applause to Bill and Cathy Zubke who performed “Love Letters” by A.R. Gurney during a sold-out, single-night fundraiser for Town Players last Friday! Purchasing season tickets to Town Players assures you a seat at the next three productions – “The Holiday Challenge Christmas Movie Wonderthon” on Nov. 20-24, “This Murder Was Staged” on Feb. 19-23, and “The Cottage” on April 30 to May 4. The $45 season pass can be purchased at www.townplayers.net or by stopping by Town Players at 5 S. Broadway.
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“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas
Twila Schmitt writes to keep you up-to-date with arts activities in and around Watertown. Have suggestions? Want an item included in the next column? Email twilaschmitt@gmail.com.