Anniversary, arts celebration at Kaneland this weekend
Visitors to Kaneland High School Saturday night will be sent home with a blessing, and hope that God will grant them peace.
Just like audience members have been bid goodbye at KHS choral concerts for 50 years.
Choral alumni are invited to join in singing the benediction anthem "The Lord Bless You and Keep You," arranged by Peter Lutkin, after first hearing motivational speaker and novelist John Powers ("Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?") and a performance by 1991 KHS graduate Christine Heath, now a professional cabaret and light opera singer in New York City. The speaker and the performance are part of the ongoing celebration of the school's 50th anniversary; it opened in 1958.
"It's just been a great year," said Principal Tony Valente, who has only been at the school for two years. He's enjoyed honoring the heritage, whether it was a ceremony at a football game, inducting people to the Kaneland Hall of Fame or giving tours of the school to alumni.
Kaneland's hallways are lined with photos of all the graduating classes, something Valente said he's not seen at other high schools. "It is just such a tradition. They (students) say, 'That's my dad.' Kids can identify their family lineage," he said.
Saturday's festivities are free.
The event coincides with the district's annual arts festival.
Saturday's events start at 6 p.m. with the opening of a gallery of student and professional art gathered for the Fine Arts Festival. Powers will speak at 7 p.m., and Heath will perform after that.
On Sunday the Fine Arts Festival kicks in to high gear from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more than 10 years, the free festival has brought visual arts, poetry, music and theater together. There is a juried fine art show and workshops in glass fusing, drum making, Aztec dancing and etching, among others. Face painting, caricatures, and a "Spontaneous Folk Ensemble" (bring your instrument, or just sing along) with singer Mark Dvorak are other activities. Playwright and screenwriter Nic Wehrwein, a Kaneland graduate, will present a new work performed in readers' theater format featuring Kaneland alumni. Students will perform in the cafeteria, and the culinary arts students will sell refreshments.
Kaneland High School is at 47W326 Keslinger Road in Maple Park. For a full schedule, visit kaneland.org/shared/fineartsfestival/.