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Tall Grass Guitar Class brings 'world class' music to Luverne Oct. 18-20

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

Musical artists and organizers of Tall Grass Guitar Class will roll out their three-day guitar weekend and benefit concert Oct. 18, 19 and 20 in Luverne.
The event will bring three “world class” guitar players to Luverne for three days of guitar study and a culminating performance at the Palace Theatre.
Featured artists are Pat Donohue, Verlon Thompson and Lee Roy Parnell.
Donohue is a Grammy-winning national fingerpicking guitar champion and bandleader of Prairie Home Companion.
Thompson is 30-year singer, songwriter, guitarist and partner of songwriting icon Guy Clark.
Parnell is a country and blues artist, singer, songwriter and guitarist with 20 top singles hits.
The three musicians will gather at Take 16 Brewing Company for a private meet and greet “jam session” Friday night with registered guitar students.
After Saturday and Sunday lessons, Tall Grass students will participate in a sound check Sunday afternoon at the Palace Theatre where the artists will later perform in concert from 7 to 9 p.m.
“I’m still kind of pinching myself,” Scott Johnson told a small gathering on June 20 when the event was announced. He said the three guitar heroes in one place at one time will be a unique opportunity. “I’m just astonished.”
Johnson is CEO of the Southwestern Mental Health Center, which is sponsoring the event in honor of its 60 years operation in southwest Minnesota and to increase awareness of rising suicide rates in the region.
 “We look at this event as a way to say ‘thank you’ to Luverne and southwest Minnesota for 60 years of partnership and support,” Johnson said.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit children’s mental health programs in southwest Minnesota.
“We have great partnerships and support from our county commissioner boards and Family Service agencies, our communities, Avera, Sanford, law enforcement, landlords and other organizations,” Johnson said. “And this will be a way to call attention to them.”
He announced the concert event earlier this summer when he introduced his friend, Sioux Falls singer and songwriter Dan Mahar, who is bringing Donohue, Thompson and Parnell to Luverne.
“Our goal is to bring a quality, musical educational opportunity and the experience of studying under great guitar players,” Mahar said.
Johnson, Mahar and their friend, Dr. Dave Ermer, have been working on organizing this weekend’s details.
The three men, all from Sioux Falls, have guitar appreciation in common, and both Johnson and Ermer studied guitar under Mahar, who offers lessons in Sioux Falls.
Ermer pointed out the possible economic impact for Luverne.
“These big deal artists are coming in, and they’re going to talk to their big-artist friends,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of people in town.”
Mahar said he and Johnson and Ermer have been discussing the potential guitar event for several years and they also considered where to debut it.
“We thought about the Black Hills, Sioux Falls and other places, but Luverne is the perfect place to do this,” he said, referring to facilities available and the attraction of the historic Palace Theatre.
“I chose to live here in the Upper Midwest because of the people — everyone around here is helpful and they’re happy you’re here. … It became patently clear that this is the place to do this. It’s a gut instinct, but I think this will give the musicians a good experience as well as the students who come to learn from them.”
Ermer said the first year will be an important base for future annual versions of the event.
“The dream is that this will be really big,” he said. “There’s something about coming to a small community and getting away from the rat race of a big city.”
South African filmmaker Etienne Nesser, also Mahar’s friend, will record the three-day event for a professional video that will help promote the next year’s Tall Grass Guitar Class in Luverne.
Planners likened Tall Grass Guitar classes to a baseball fantasy camp in which athletes spend time with professional players during the day and then watch a game at night.
“It’s like a guitar players’ fantasy camp,” Mahar said. “You get to play with them for awhile and then watch a game.”
He said the musical stars are friends of his and they have fans nationwide, some who registered months ago for the limited number of guitar lessons in Luverne.
“There are a lot of people who aspire to perform,” Mahar said. “We want them to have a chance to learn from the masters.”
Sunday night concert tickets are available at the Palace Box Office 507-283-4339. See swmhc.org and tallgrassguitarclass.com for details.

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