Saturday May 18, 2013 at the Long Grove Community Center

121 North 1st Street

Long Grove, IA

Dinner Served from 5:30 pm till 8 pm

Dinner Includes 3 beef enchiladas, beans, rice, and drink

$8.00 Adults

$5.00 Children under 18

All proceeds raised will go directly to the purchase of the Long Grove Volunteer Fire Departments New Tanker Truck to be delivered in June.

CABARET, DAN KNIGHT, BROADWAY MUSIC, DANCE, AND MORE

The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts stage will feature a variety of events in April 2013, giving members of the community many opportunities to participate in performances and enjoy cultural offerings.  Highlights include a production of Cabaret by Way Off Broadway, Iowa's only professional musical theater company; two performances by composer and Steinway artist Dan Knight; and a benefit showcase of Creative Corridor artists performing Broadway music.  In the month of April, the CCPA will host 25 public performances.

The schedule includes:

·        General music concerts by Coralville Central Elementary (Monday, April 1 at 7pm, grades 3-6); Van Allen Elementary (Thursday, April  4 at 6:30pm, grades 3-4); and Kirkwood Elementary (Thursday, April 11 at 6pm).  These events are part of the CCPA's program offering free use of the theater to Coralville schools.

·        The LUNAFEST Film Festival is a traveling film festival of award-winning short films by, for, and about women.  The benefit engagement on Wednesday, April 3 is presented by Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa.  The evening includes a silent auction at 6pm and the films at 7pm.  Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and are available at lunafest.org.

·        The 2013 American Girl Fashion Show is a fundraiser presented by the Iowa Children's Museum, with 100 local girls serving as models representing American Girl characters in historical fashions and contemporary styles.   Friday, April 5 at 7pm and Saturday, April 6 at 10am and 2pm. Tickets are $27 ($15 tax deductible).

·        Orchestra Iowa Chamber Players present works by Beethoven, Vanhal, Halvorsen, Ibert, and Prokofiev Sunday, April 7 at 2:30pm.  $20 tickets are available at 319.366.8203 or orchestraiowa.org.

·        Ballet Folklorico Los Angelitos brings audiences on a journey through the regions, eras, and customs of Mexico in a free performance at 7:30pm on Sunday, April 7.  Their Iowa tour is presented by a cooperative effort of foundation and individual sponsorship and the support of Rotary Clubs.

·        Hancher presents Compagnia TPO - the world's foremost pioneers in interactive performance media for all ages - in Kindur: The Adventurous Life of Icelandic Sheep, a charming nature adventure.  The public performance is Tuesday, April 9 at 7pm; there will be additional performances for school groups on April 9 and 10.  Tickets ($10-$25) are available through Hancher at 319.335.1160 or at hancher.uiowa.edu.

·        Way Off Broadway presents Kander and Ebb's award-winning musical Cabaret April 12 and 13 at 7:30pm, following a 2-week run in their home Sondheim Center theater in Fairfield.  Lyric Benson as Sally Bowles and Jonathon Christopher as the emcee lead the cast of 18 professional actors accompanied by a live band.  WOB Artistic Director Randal K. West directs. Tickets are $18-$38.

·        Composer and pianist Dan Knight leads children through a fun and educational introduction to jazz (with the help of his dogs Oscar and Ella) in Oscar and Ella Listen to Jazz: A Kid's Musical Introduction by Dan Knight on Saturday, April 13 at 2pm.  Knight demonstrates jazz techniques and works with children to create a new piece of music in this interactive performance.  Tickets are $7.

·        The award-winning dancers of AFFECT Dance Company present a showcase of pieces from the spring competition season on Sunday, April 14, with a solo and duet showcase at 1pm and group performances featuring more than 100 dancers at 6pm.  $5 tickets are available at Nolte Academy, 1619 2^nd Street in Coralville, or at the door.

·        Artists from across Iowa's Creative Corridor come together in The Corridor Sings Broadway on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 in a benefit performances for the CCPA and resident theater company City Circle Acting Company of Coralville.  The performance features Broadway favorites and hidden gems, as well as a silent auction and raffle.  Tickets are $10-$25.

·        Dan Knight performs again with two debut compositions: The Kandinsky Suite, inspired by the art of Vassily Kandinsky, and MURAL, inspired by Jackson Pollock's iconic painting, on Sunday, April 21 at 3pm.  Tickets are $12-$17.

·        Borlaug Elementary students perform in My School's Got Talent on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 PM  My School's Got Talent is a fundraising program for PTO's sponsored by Nolte Academy.  Tickets are $8 and are available at Nolte Academy and at Borlaug Elementary, and at the door.  Weber Elementary also has a MSGT date scheduled for May 1.

·        Dr. Zubo & The Bird Purples, an Iowa-based musical ensemble with members hailing from around the globe, performs music composed for, and dedicated to, the CCPA on Friday, April 26 at 7:30pm.  Music will fill the theater, lobby, and hallways, morphing from classical to pop, and incorporating traditional and nontraditional instruments.  Tickets are $8.

·        Iowa Dance 2013: Dancing Our Visions on Saturday, April 27 at 8pm celebrates National Dance Week and International Dance Day in Iowa with a special evening featuring dancers and choreographers from across the state. Tickets are $3 for children 12 and under, and $8 for adults.

·        The Iowa City Girl's Choir performs on Monday, April 29 at 7pm.  Suggested donation of $5 per family benefits the CCPA Access Fund, which offers rental subsidies for small nonprofit organizations.

Further information on these events and details on other upcoming events are available at CoralvilleArts.org.

Tickets for most CCPA events are available by phone at 319.248.9370, online at CoralvilleArts.org, and in person at the CCPA box office at 1301 5^th Street and Coralville Recreation Center at 1506 8^th Street.

Owned and operated by the City of Coralville, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to enriching the community and contributing to the vitality of Coralville by offering an accessible, affordable venue for a variety of performances, presentations, and public and private events.  The 472 seat theater opened August 26, 2011 and has hosted performances from City Circle Acting Company, Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Dan Knight, Lola Astanova, Lorie Line, Judy Carmichael, Jim McDonough, Nolte Academy of Dance, and many others.  Coralville schools are also able to use the Center free of charge up to three times per year; 13 school events took place at the Center in 2012. The Center was named 2012 Member of the Year by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Branstad today penned a letter and had it delivered to all 50 members of the Iowa Senate, expressing support for his nominees to the Board of Regents.

 

In the letter, the governor notes that Craig Lang "successfully restored critical funding for our Regents system over the last two budget cycles and ended a period of annual reductions in state general fund support for the university system."

 

Further, the governor highlighted that Craig Lang "restored university budgets to a position of predictability and stability such that, for the first time in 30 years, the Regents will likely approve a tuition freeze for the next school year."

 

On Robert Cramer, the governor said, "Over the next 5 years, the Board will be considering $1.35 billion in construction projects. Given this aggressive future construction plan, he is uniquely qualified to serve on the Board of Regents. He has worked in the construction industry his entire career and he brings long-term and real-world construction experience to this position. For over 20 years he has worked to determine whether construction projects are financially viable for the company to participate.  The experience will assist the board in maximizing construction dollars."

 

On Dr. Subhash Sahai, the governor wrote, "In particular, as a practicing physician, Dr. Sahai will bring a much-needed perspective to the Board's oversight role in regards to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC)."

 

"These three individuals each have a unique and compelling set of qualities that fully qualify them to serve on the Board of Regents, they have my full and unwavering support, and I respectfully ask you to support each of their confirmations before the Iowa Senate," the governor continued. "If you have any question or concern regarding any of these three nominees, I extend to you an invitation to meet with me and discuss this personally.  I am committed to making the time available to answer your questions and attempt to alleviate any concerns."

 

The full text is below:

 

March 26, 2013

 

The Honorable Senator Michael Gronstal

Iowa Senate

Iowa State Capitol Building

Des Moines, IA 50319

 

Dear Senator Gronstal:

 

As Iowa's Governor I take seriously my role in selecting individuals for service on the numerous boards and commissions that serve the citizens of Iowa.  And as a former legislator and President of the Senate, I have great respect for the General Assembly's oversight role, generally, and the Senate's role, specifically, in the confirmation process.

 

There has been much recent discussion regarding the individuals I put forward to serve on the Board of Regents and I write today to support the confirmations of Craig Lang, Robert Cramer, and Subhash Sahai and to share with you my reasoning for bringing these talented individuals forward.

 

Craig Lang

 

Originally appointed to the Board of Regents by Governor Culver, I have found Craig Lang to be a leader of uncommon character who has been willing to pursue the difficult policy decisions necessary to make our Regents institutions among the best in the nation.

 

Amongst many accomplishments, I point to the following as ample evidence to Craig's commitment to our universities, their faculties, and the students they serve:

 

• Successfully restored critical funding for our Regents system over the last two budget cycles and ended a period of annual reductions in state general fund support for the university system.
• Restored university budgets to a position of predictability and stability such that, for the first time in 30 years, the Regents will likely approve a tuition freeze for the next school year.
• Embarked on an effort to recognize the unique funding challenges faced by the University of Northern Iowa and helped secure additional resources and supported needed structural changes that will significantly improve the long term viability of UNI's financial foundation.
• Spearheaded a transparency effort and created a transparency taskforce to shed much greater light on the management of our state universities and provide Iowans greater access to those leading our institutions.
• Successfully led the process through which two new outstanding university presidents were hired with little or no controversy and with an unprecedented level of transparency.
• Developed a plan to gradually eliminate the controversial tuition set aside practice whereby a portion of Iowa student's tuition payments are being used to fund scholarships for other students.

 

While some former members of the Board of Regents have talked about the need to make many of these changes, it was Craig Lang who has used his position as President of the Board to actually make these things happen.

 

Leaders lead--and Craig Lang is a leader.

 

Unfortunately, leadership also often comes with a price and much of the criticism Craig has faced during his confirmation process is the direct result of his willingness to make tough choices in pursuit of these numerous positive outcomes.

 

I believe Craig Lang has earned another term on the Board of Regents and hope you will judge his confirmation based on the body of outstanding work he has done to improve our regents institutions.

 

Robert Cramer

 

Robert Cramer is well known among his peers as a collaborative problem solver who brings to the Board of Regents much needed skills from his career in the construction industry and his leadership of the highly respected Associated General Contractors of Iowa (AGC Iowa).

 

Here are just a few of the reasons I believe Robert Cramer is the right choice to serve on the Board of Regents at this time:

 

• Over the next 5 years, the Board will be considering $1.35 billion in construction projects.
• Given this aggressive future construction plan, he is uniquely qualified to serve on the Board of Regents.

o   Construction company owner:  He has worked in the construction industry his entire career and he brings long-term and real-world construction experience to this position.

o   For over 20 years he has worked to determine whether construction projects are financially viable for the company to participate.  The experience will assist the board in maximizing construction dollars.

o   He is a licensed engineer and a graduate of ISU's Engineering School (Construction Engineering).

• Robert has a long history of volunteering in the construction industry by mentoring students.

o   He served on the Industry Advisory Council for the Construction Engineering School at ISU.

o   He has been a guest speaker for engineering classes and student organizations.

o   He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Northern Iowa.  For the past two years, he has talked to students in the construction management program about the process of building bridges in Iowa.

• He has continued to spend much of his volunteer time assisting AGC Iowa in furthering the goals of that 91 year-old association.  He served on the board of AGC 9 years and the executive committee for five years and as the President in 2010.  He is currently Vice-Chairman of the Business Practices Committee which advises the DOT on practical construction solutions that saves taxpayers money.  He remains today as the liaison from AGC to the DOT for improving worker training and recruiting women and minorities to the industry.

In addition to his experience in business and industry, Robert and his wife also personally practice a generosity towards children that changes lives.  He and Lori have provided a much-needed foster home for 16 children over the last four years (some who have come to them with drug addictions)?providing these children with love, safety, security, and support in a very personal effort to give these children a fighting chance to succeed.

 

When I first interviewed Robert, I was struck by his compassion and competence and quickly concluded he would be an outstanding asset on the Board of Regents.

 

The attacks on Mr. Cramer over the last weeks are an unwelcome effort by some to attach an ideological litmus test to the confirmation process that I find more than troublesome.  Our boards and commissions should be populated by individuals with a diversity of backgrounds and beliefs.  Certain beliefs should in no way disqualify an otherwise highly gifted individual from serving on the Board of Regents simply because those beliefs are not shared by particular Senators.

 

Subhash Sahai

 

Dr. Subhash Sahai is a highly respected physician from Webster City who received his medical education at the University of Iowa and has been in private practice since 1976.  I have personally known Dr. Sahai and his family for many years and am certain he will be a productive member of the Board of Regents.

 

In particular, as a practicing physician, Dr. Sahai will bring a much-needed perspective to the Board's oversight role in regards to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC).

 

Here are some of the many qualities Dr. Sahai will bring to the Board of Regents:

• Subhash Sahai emigrated from India to this country in 1967 and Iowa has been his home for the last 40 years.
• Dr. Sahai has attended all three of our Regents universities and received degrees from two of them (Masters in Biology from the University of Northern Iowa and M.D. from the University of Iowa).
• He served 14 years on the Webster City School Board.
• He also served in the Iowa Air National Guard for 14 years.
• Dr. Sahai currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Iowa, Family Practice Department and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences.
• His wife and all three of his children are all physicians.

As you can readily see, Dr. Sahai is an exceptional Iowan who will bring significant assets to the Board of Regents and it is my hope he will receive your enthusiastic support with regards to his upcoming confirmation.

 

These three individuals each have a unique and compelling set of qualities that fully qualify them to serve on the Board of Regents, they have my full and unwavering support, and I respectfully ask you to support each of their confirmations before the Iowa Senate.

 

If you have any question or concern regarding any of these three nominees, I extend to you an invitation to meet with me and discuss this personally.  I am committed to making the time available to answer your questions and attempt to alleviate any concerns.

 

If you desire such a meeting, please contact Adam Gregg from my office to schedule a time.

Craig Lang, Robert Cramer, and Subhash Sahai are highly respected Iowans--each with their own unique connections to our Regents institutions and unique skill sets that will assist in our collective governance of the Regents system?and I ask you to support each in their efforts to be confirmed by the Senate for a term of service on our Board of Regents.

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Terry E. Branstad

Governor of Iowa

 

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