PARK RAPIDS — A local open mic night series has taken off, bringing established musicians from around the area.
“It gives people a reason to come out, and it gives them a chance to connect with these artists and performers and with their friends and family,” said Mike Bruhn, the emcee.
The open mic night is once a month on the third Thursday and January’s show is 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Armory Arts and Event Center in Park Rapids. The event is free to attend.
Artists of all kinds are welcome to perform, including musicians, stand-up comedians, poets, and even jugglers. If you have a performing talent, you’re encouraged to sign up.
Becoming an emcee
Bruhn has been part of the open mic night series since its beginning in October 2022. Initially, he was only the emcee, but after the departure of Armory Arts and Event Center’s intern Will Olson (who started the series), Bruhn was put in charge of running it.
Since the beginning, organizers hoped this open mic night would stand out from the typical. The Armory Arts and Event Center is more of a club-like setting and draws more established musicians.
“Our open mic night is more of a chance [to] show their wares and maybe get noticed a little bit more. And of course, if they're professional and trying to get booked for pay, it helps them raise their profile,” Bruhn said.
Building community
Bruhn said about 75 to 120 people attend these events. They have beer and wine, pop, snacks, stage, lighting and professional sound.
“It gives people something that they can do to get out of the house and meet up with friends and have a good time,” he said. “It's a great community service on both sides of the stage and the seating area.”
Bruhn thinks that initially, people came to these events out of curiosity and to check out the Armory Arts and Event Center. However, they have cultivated an audience who appreciates and supports local artists.
“I think everyone gets the fact that it takes a lot of courage to get up on stage and do something like that, and it's been very, very, very wonderful,” Bruhn said. “It's something that we're taking as a building block for the Armory and for our community: to help Park Rapids become more of a creative, artistic and musical community, which we’ve been doing a good job down here.”
Artists interested in signing up to perform at the open mic night are encouraged to sign up by 4:30 p.m. on the Wednesdays before the show. The event is made up of 10 slots of 10 minutes with the show starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m. You can call the Armory Arts and Events Center at 218-237-3722 to reserve your performance spot.
When asked what this type of event adds to a community like Park Rapids, Bruhn said it gives a reason to get out of the house, which can be tough to find this time of year. It also gives the community a chance to interact with the artists in their area.
“And I think that's the biggest part of it is community building.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.