Brian Priesman
Federal funds
for the arts
still needed
The Republican power base in
Washington wants to sever all ties
between the American government and
American culture.
It wants the federal government to
give no support whatsoever to theater,
ballet, music, opera, film, literature,
history, visual arts, television, mu
seum work and anything else that the
term culture describes.
And the plan isn’t even economic.
Even the most vocal opponents
have given up the argument that can
celing the $620 million worth of cul
tural programs will help reduce the
present budget deficit of S180 billion.
Especially when a Senate Committee
last summer can knowingly approve a
military budget of $7 billion MORE
than for which the Pentagon asked.
So why does Congress seem deter
mined to rid America of culture? Be
cause the politicians in Congress are
buckling under the influence of the
Christian Right extremist groups.
These groups cite artist after artist
who is “controversial” or “porno
graphic.” But since the National En
dowment for the Arts was started in
the 1960s, fewer than 3 percent of the
exhibits it has funded have created
any controversy—fewer than 3 per
cent of everything funded in over 30
years.
out that tact is never made known
by the NEA’s critics. They just cite
examples such as the controversial
“Piss Christ” or the homo-erotic pho
tography of Robert Mappelthorpe. But
the Mappelthorpe photos never even
received direct money from the NEA.
From a Financial point of view, the
NEA and its cousin, the National En
dowment for the Humanities, are
cheap. Their combined budgets last
year amounted to fewer than 10 cents
a year per person. Ten cents. Most
people can Find more than that under
neath the couch.
But without these programs, the
loss would be immeasurable. The
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
would
face bankruptcy, museums would be
closed and theaters would be dark.
In Nebraska alone, the loss would
be horrible. Theaters such as The Futz
in Lincoln and The Dundee Dinner
Theater in Omaha would lose a lot of
their funding. The Nebraska Arts
Council’s “Artist in the Schools” pro
gram most likely would be canceled.
Think of it—no more educational
Field trips to museums and no more
theatrical presentations of
Shakespeare to high-school English
classes.
Why? Because the museums and
theaters either would be closed or so
expensive to get in to that only the
elite could afford it.
The only way to save the NEA is to
fight for it. Artists and their fans need
to get off of their butts and do some
thing. Speak out! Organize lobbying
groups to compete against the NEA’s
opponents. FORCE Congress to lis
ten.
If you don’t, America will become
the First “civilized” nation in recorded
history to not have government sup
port For the arts. And that’s not some
thing to be proud of.
Piiesman is a freshman news-editorial
and theater major and a Daily Nebraskan
staff reporter.
Drinkin’ it up
■. — .■■■■■ ..■■■■ —.■■■»■■■■■■■■■» —— —.'
Jay Calderon/DN
T.J. Merwald of Bellevue (left) and a friend get primed for the 16th annual Avoca Quack-Off.
Town gathers for quaffs, quacks
By Ted Taylor
Senior Reporter
Jeff Randall
Senior Editor
AVOCA, Neb.— It doesn’t take
much to entertain the citizens of this
small town east of Lincoln.
Give ‘em a good cause, a few
beers and a chance to win some
money, and they’re happy until
spring.
Throw in some unsuspecting
ducks, and you’ve got yourself a
festival.
For one day every year for the
past 15 years, this Cass County
village’s population of 245 has
nearly doubled, the tennis court has
been transformed into a feather-filled
race track, and the people have gone
... well... plain ducky.
It’s Quack-Off time in Avoca.
It’s a day full of events revolving
around what most consider the cut
est of the waterfowl family — the
duck.
It’s a day when duck hunters on
hand put away their rifles and get to
know the feathered friends they nor
mally try to pick out of the sky.
The events range from a charity
luncheon where the featured dish is
“ducky dogs” to duck races to a
disturbing event known as the duck
drop.
Put it all together, and what’s not
to feel ducky about?
The annual event has raised more
than $20,000 for the Avoca Volun
teer Fire Department since its incep
tion 15 years ago.
Vernon Dettner, the 67-year-old
founder of the event, jokingly ad
mitted that yes, beer had something
to do with the idea that started with
three ducks on a frozen pond.
“We were sitting down at the bar
about half loaded up,” he said. “So I
thought, we ought to have a duck
race or something in the wintertime.”
Vernon’s son, Steve, didn’t dis
agree with his father, but said winter
boredom was the main motivation
for the town.
“It started out as just something
to do in the wintertime,” he said.
“It’sjust built since then, and every
one keeps coming.”
Do they ever.
From throughout the Midwest,
more than 600 duck-a-holics con
verge upon Avoca. They come in
droves from Lincoln, Omaha and
South Dakota. They even come from
as far away as North Dakota for the
chance to rent, name and race a duck
for the day.
Dr. Gregg Whelan, a dentist,
drove all the way from Belcourt,
N.D., with his wife of three months,
Sandy. He also managed to encour
age a group of duck-happy friends
to make the trip.
“This is our third year,” he said.
“We brought some friends with us
and made it a big event for us.”
Lincoln’s P.O. Pear’s even char
tered a bus to bring more than 40
people to the Quack-Off.
Dave Howe, a senior business
administration major and one mem
ber ofthe Pear’s posse, said they had
been coming for the past three years.
Why?
“To drink some beers and race
some ducks — in that order,” he
said. “It’s become a tradition for
us.”
When the event began, the elder
Dettner said, they didn’t have nearly
the number of ducks that they did on
Saturday.
But because of the increasing
number of entries— 104 this year to
be exact — and popularity of the
Quack-Off, the event ’ s coordinators
have been forced to have the ducks
shipped in from a small farm in
Louisville.
And according to one of the duck
See QUACK-OFF on 10
Denny Duck
disappoints
in Quack-Off
By Ted Taylor
Senior Reporter
Jeff Randall
Senior Editor
AVOCA— Denny never had a
chance.
That’s how we felt when we first
arrived in
Avoca. wc
hadn’t even met
our ill-fated
duck, but we
knew that our
lack of duck rac
ing expertise
would certainly
hurt our chances
“ ln tne lwn an_
Denny nual Avoca
Quack-Off.
As representatives of the Daily
Nebraskan, we wanted to make a
strong showing in this small town.
We wanted to let everyone there
know that we were serious. But most
of all, we wanted to win.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to
See DENNY on 10
Flutist to perform free recital at Kimball
By Emily Wray
Staff Reporter
Guest flutist Leonard Garrison
will present his talents in a free re
cital tonight at Kimball Recital Hall.
John Bailey, associate professor
of flute, said the program’s diversity
alone made the concert worth at
tending.
“His program is all classical mu
sic from a wide variety of style peri
ods, which I think is the hallmark of
a good recital program,” said Bailey,
who will accompany Garrison in the
performance.
Pieces in Monday’s program in
clude a Bach sonata for flute and
harpsichord in the Baroque period,
and an American sonata by Robert
Muczynski, featuring a jazzy style,
Bailey said.
Karg-Elert’s “Sonata for
Atpassionata” and a French piece
by Georges Hite are the Romantic
period’s contributions.
Bailey said that the Atpassionata,
an early 20th century piece, was
very intense.
Garrison also will play a rela
tively new solo piece composed in
1993 by Lowell Liebermann. Anton
Bernhard Fiirstenaw’s early 19th
century piece for two flutes and pi
ano is called L’Union, Rondo Bril
liant on TTiemes.
In addition to the pieces that will
be performed, Bailey said, he was
excited about performing with Gar
rison.
“He’s a thoughtful, intelligent,
excellent musician who plays a wide
variety of music,” Bailey said. “Per
sonally, these are some of the stan
dard pieces that my flute students
play, so I’m looking forward to his
interpretation.”
Garrison’s positions include co
ordinator of the National Flute As
sociation Masterclass Performers
Competition and second flute and
piccolo with the Tulsa Philharmonic.
He is also an instructor of flute at
the University of Tulsa and will be
conducting a Master Class with the
flute department at the School of
Music.
Also assisting Garrison in his re
cital will be Ann Chang-Bames, pi
ano, and Quentin Faulkner, harpsi
chord.
Tonight’s recital starts at 8. Ad
mission is,free.