We say goodbye

We enjoy (in so many ways) a strong arts community, here on the MNbump.   They are weaved into our daily lives, with their music during our festivals, arts activities during our events such as Lake Days (in June), Cornfest (in August), they host events such as  “Somewhere to Begin:  The Soulful and Poetic Music of Sara Thomsen” which will be held at The Abbey of the Hills Inn & Retreat Center on May 20th… and the list goes on.

We will be losing one of our artists – Naomi Ballard – her pull to “home” and work will be taking her away; however, she will be leaving so much with our youth, here in Ortonville!  She has touched so many lives in the relatively short time that she has been in the area that we just cannot let her go without a heartfelt and grateful goodbye from the MNbump!

I asked my nephew awhile back what he really enjoyed the most at school (he plays basketball (with a passion), cross country, baseball, and football)   The first on his list was “art!”  He was one of the 6th graders shown in a video below.  The joy on his face was obvious when he talked about that class.  So although it is with great sadness that we see Naomi move back to her home area, we are very thankful for her time in Ortonville and the lives that she has touched!

If you’d like to connect with our local artists, check out their facebook page.