Dylan Days in Hibbing, Minnesota next week

Thanks (and hearty congratulations) to the local organisers for details of the entirely laudable Dylan Days fest, celebrating the artist’s birthday next week:

HIBBING, Minn. ─ The most event-packed Dylan Days gathering in Hibbing history is almost here.

Bob Dylan’s hometown will once again host Dylan Days in honor of its famous son’s 66th birthday. This year’s events run May 23-27 and will feature a May 26 concert with Maria Muldaur, a Dylan contemporary in 1960s Greenwich Village and accomplished blues singer.

“The biggest difference in this year’s lineup is the large number of new events in addition to the popular events we’ve established over the last few years,” said Aaron Brown, Dylan Days spokesman and co-chair. “We’ve grown quite a bit in five years, but we still hold on to our status as a friendly, small town arts event where you’ll meet interesting people in intimate venues.”

The Dylan Days feature concert will once again highlight the week of activities. This year Maria Muldaur will perform songs from her latest critically acclaimed release “Love of Mine: The Love Songs of Bob Dylan” along with her 1974 signature hit “Midnight at the Oasis” and other selections from her dynamic folk/blues song catalog. The show will begin at 7 p.m. in the famous historical auditorium at Hibbing High School on Saturday, May 26. General seating is available to anyone with a Dylan Days 2007 souvenir button ($20). VIP seating options are also available at additional cost.

Literary Night is back with keynote speaker Barton Sutter, a three-time Minnesota Book Award winning author and Poet Laureate of Duluth. Sutter will anchor the annual literary reading on Thursday, May 24, which features the winners of the Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest. The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Hibbing Community College Theatre. New for 2007 is the free Creative Writing Workshop featuring Sutter. The workshop will be Friday, May 25 from 9-11 a.m. at the Hibbing High School library. Advanced registration is required.

“We’ve made it a tradition to invite a keynote poet or writer for this event and Bart Sutter topped this year’s list,” said Brown. “He’s Duluth’s first Poet Laureate and his style is pure working class, raw, real poetry. He’s a natural fit for an Iron Range literary event, especially one that honors Bob Dylan.”

Another new event this year is the Dylan Days Youth Talent Show. Local students will compete for special trophies at the Lincoln School Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23.

“There were so many students interested in competing that we had to hold auditions,” said Gregg French, entertainment coordinator for Dylan Days. “This kind of event involving the local community and including young people is what we want for Dylan Days.”

Also new for 2007 is the Dylan Days Jam Session. From 4 p.m. to midnight on May 24, anyone interested can bring their guitar to play on the site of one of Dylan’s first gigs, the Little Theatre at the Hibbing Memorial Building.
And, of course, classic Dylan Days events will return for 2007. On Friday, May 25, the Dylan Days singer/songwriter contest will take place at 7 p.m. at Zimmy’s. Contestants will sing one Dylan song and one original song for prizes, including a new acoustic guitar. Advanced registration is required. Registration and a $10 fee is also required for the extremely popular Bobby Zimmerman Bus Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. Dylan fans and history buffs usually report the bus tour as one of their most cherished Dylan Days experience.

Dylan Days opens with a Welcome Reception on Wednesday, May 23 at 4 p.m. at Zimmy’s, followed by the first showing west of New York of the documentary “Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan” at 7 p.m. in the Hibbing Community College Theatre. There will be an encore showing on Friday, May 25. Closing the week will be the first ever Dylan Days Spiritual Breakfast, 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 27 at Zimmy’s. Join new friends and Dylan fans for a discussion of spirituality in Dylan’s music.

See the online schedule for other events, including the Dylan exhibit at the Hibbing Public Library, the Dylan Days postal cancellation, and the other live music, book signings and events that fill out the week’s activities.

“For a lot of people, Hibbing is a long way from home,” said Brown. “We have regular visitors from all over the world, New York, London, France, Germany and Japan. We’re well worth the drive. We are a small town, but our history and character is part of what inspired Dylan in his early years. Our group is trying not only to capture that spirit, but support future generations of artists who will one day take Dylan’s place on stage and in the heart of the American experience.”

Dylan Days is an annual event organized by the volunteer Dylan Days committee as part of Dylan Arts Celebration, a nonprofit initiative to honor Dylan and expand the arts in Northeastern Minnesota. Dylan Days began informally in 1991 as a musical tribute on Dylan’s May 24 birthday at a bar in Hibbing. It is now a fast growing arts event that encourages visual, musical and literary artists from Minnesota and across the world.

See www.dylandays.com for an updated schedule of events, times, registration, online orders and other information about Dylan Days 2007.