Tribute to Loretta Lynn featuring former band members comes to Nixa
Student of the Week names talented Spokane musician as newest awardee
The Coalminers, the original Loretta Lynn band, will present Always Loretta, a tribute to the legendary county music singer and songwriter, in Nixa this fall.
The event called Always Loretta will include songs and stories by those who knew the performer, who died in 2022.
The event, authorized and approved by the Loretta Lynn family, will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, at the Aetos Center for the Performing Arts, which is part of the Nixa High School campus.
Lynn was the most awarded female in country music history after more than 60 years of recording and touring. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Music Hall of Fame.
She was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom and four Grammys, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her life was celebrated in an Oscar
We are officially heading into summer break season. As local students take time to relax or work outside of the classroom, it is time to celebrate our final Student of the Week for this school year.
In a tight race, Jerrica Clemons of Spokane High School captured the hearts, and votes, of readers and has been named our Student of the Week. The tenth grader stood out with her love and passion for all things music. At school she is involved in marching band, pep band, wind ensemble, the drumline and the choir program, though she also competed at a state archery competition.
Outside of school, much of her free time is still spent in winning film, "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Emily Portman, who portrayed Lynn in the musical “It's Only Make Believe” for more than two decades, will perform Lynn's songs. She formed a friendship with Lynn and repeatedly visited her ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. For this tour, she is working with the original members of Lynn's longtime backup group.
Tickets go on sale May 31 at www.aetoscenter.net. Tickets will be $35 for floor and $25 for balcony. the musical world as Clemons works at the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts in Branson and performs with her sister in a duet known as the Clemons Sisters. Most recently the duet performed at the Historic Owen Theater for the Branson Regional Arts Council. This summer, Clemons has been cast in the production of the Little Mermaid Jr. She will also be inducted into the National Honor Society and has been selected by the Governor's Council on Disability to attend the summer Missouri Youth Leadership Forum.
Student of the Week is an initiative by the News-Leader to highlight the academic achievements of local area high school students. Nominations for students who have shown outstanding academic and school achievement and community service are gathered from administrators at participating districts in the Ozarks.
The readers voted for who they thought were the best of the best in our poll.
The May 20 nominees were ...
Besides Clemons, here's who else was nominated this week.
Jordan Boehme, Kickapoo High School: Described as an incredibly kind person, Jordan was a Kickapoo U Top 8 student, cheerleader and choir member. Despite her vast involvement, she also works and volunteers at Cox Hospital. Jordan has an unparalleled work ethic, a dedication to be a strong leader and the ability to give her fullest to everything she is a part of. The graduating senior plans to attend Missouri State University this fall as a member of the MSU Cheer Team.