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It's an all-you-can-eat buffet for musical tastes with choices ranging from Oktoberfest to blues to Mother Goose.
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 11, 2002
Whether you're a fan of traditional and folk music from Germany, sweet blues, energetic rock 'n' roll from the 1960s, classical and popular piano playing or you're a child who loves Mother Goose, there's something special for you coming up in west Pasco County.
Dust off the lederhosen and practice your polka, the Aripeka Elks Lodge is having an all-German, all-the-time Octoberfest on Saturday.
Headlining the entertainment is the Alpene Diamanten -- or Alpine Diamonds -- trio, a group that has performed in New York and Connecticut and is now appearing at various venues in Florida.
Rudy Ruf plays drums and trumpet and sings; Herb Heise is on guitar; and Ann Heise plays keyboard and accordion. All three sing.
All the band members come from Germany and play a variety of German music from the present as well as the past. They will play during the dinner and afterward for dancing and listening.
The menu will be rouladen (stuffed beef rolls), noodles (something close to spaetzle), red cabbage, green beans, coffee and Black Forest cake. German beverages also will be available.
The Aripeka Elks Lodge is at 9135 Denton Avenue (off U.S. 19), Hudson. Dinner, show and dancing are $14. Tickets are available in the lodge lounge from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Saturday, or call (727) 868-2994, ext. 20.
Singer-songwriter Charlie Morris fell madly in love 12 years ago -- with a music form called the blues. Since then, he's released one album, Bluer Than Thou, and played his own compositions in London, Amsterdam and Copenhagen and in towns little and large across Germany, Norway and the United States.
On Saturday, Morris and his bandmates will release his second album of blues, Still Got 'Em, at a CD release party at Bourbon Street Concert Club, 4331 U.S. 19, New Port Richey.
Joining Morris and keyboardist Dean Germain, singer-guitarist Mark Irvin and drummer-singer Tom Telschow will be Tampa Bay legend T.C. Carr on harmonica and blues singer Sandy Atkinson, both of whom appear on the new album.
The Can of Whup-Ass Horn Section will back up the band.
The set list includes the title song, a riches-to-rags story featuring the horn section and slide guitar; Another Train Song, featuring Carr; May Not Be the First One, a rocking blues shuffle; That Word, which features Morris on acoustic guitar; and Jenny, a parable.
Admission is $5. Doors open at 8 p.m., show at 9:30 p.m.
If you ever danced to the Peppermint Twist, you'll remember Joey Dee and the Starliters, the Passaic, N.J., band that once included Jimi Hendrix and actor-to-be Joe Pesci (Goodfellas, My Cousin Vinny, Raging Bull) on guitar and backing vocals.
Joey Dee and one of the original Starliters, David Brigati (later of The Rascals and the New York Rock and Soul Revue) will be joined by Bobby Valli (Frankie's little brother) for a show on Sunday at the Palace Grand in Spring Hill.
Besides their No. 1 smash hit, Peppermint Twist, the group had several other strong songs -- Hey, Let's Twist, What Kind of Love is This, Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes -- and did two movies, Hey, Let's Twist and Two Tickets to Paris.
Since then, Dee has moved to Clearwater and remains a popular act on the circuit.
Also on the bill are The Crests, a doo-wop group best known for the 1959 hit 16 Candles and 1960's Step by Step. This incarnation of the group includes Tommy Mara of Tommy and the Saints.
The Palace Grand is off U.S. 19 a quarter mile north of the Pasco-Hernando border. Tickets are $25, plus tax. Island-style snacks of chicken tenders, Key West conch fritters with mango salsa, Jamaican jerk beef, double-dip onion rings ($5.95 apiece) and a Grand Sampler ($9.95) are on the menu. A full service cash bar will be open. Doors open at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call (727) 863-7949 or toll free 1-888-655-7469.
Oksana Yurievna Kolesnikova began playing the piano as a small child in her native Siberia and won her first piano competition at the age of 9.
Six years later, she and her family moved to Florida, where she graduated with honors from Florida State University in 2001.
On Tuesday, Oksana, her stage name, will headline SASSY Day (Seniors Are Someone Special Year-round) at Gulf View Square mall. Events start at 10 a.m.; Oksana will perform at 1 p.m.
"This show is really, really special," said Sue Campbell, who organizes the monthly events. "Oksana is outstanding, a genuine talent."
Early in her career, Oksana concentrated on classical music. Now, she plays both classics and popular tunes, including rock 'n' roll and even her own compositions.
She will release two compact discs this year, Free Floating, her own compositions, and Angelic Winters, classical and folk songs of her native Siberia.
Opening acts include singers Maria Coccaro and Stan Prinston. There will also be a fashion show by Burdines and Aaron London of Atlanta with Maggie Toon at noon.
In addition, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point will offer free cholesterol and vision screenings. Medical professionals will be available to answer health-related questions.
The award-winning play, Mother Goose -- A Pocketful of Rhymes, takes young audiences on an around-the-world tour of the games, songs and stories that have become classics over the centuries.
On Oct. 19 and 22, the show will be at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre, 16128 U.S. 19, Hudson. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., show at 10 a.m. both days.
A cast of four singer-dancer-actors from the professional Stages Production Company will portray various characters as Mother Goose tells the stories of Little Boy Blue, Humpty Dumpty and other rhymes.
Yankee Doodle Dandy is performed in hoedown style.
Stages Productions has been doing shows throughout the Southeast since 1988. The troupe does more than 300 shows before 100,000 people a year. Their plays run an hour or less and always include music and usually have audience participation. Mother Goose is suitable for ages 3 through 8.
Future shows at the Show Palace include Santa's Holiday Revue on Dec. 3; The Princess and the Pea on Jan. 25 and 28; and Pinocchio on April 12 and May 6. Doors open for all shows at 9:30 a.m., shows at 10 a.m. Each show is $6. Call 863-7949 in west Pasco; toll free elsewhere 1-888-655-7469.