Veda Zuponcic, originally from Aurora, Minnesota, created the Northern Lights Music Festival in order for young talented musicians and instructors from all parts of the world to have the opportunity for a small rural town experience, while at the same time offering the opportunity to study and perform classical music to appreciative audiences. The participants have theory classes, private lessons, play in ensembles, and perform live in the newly renovated Mesabi East High School Auditorium. Participants play an assortment of different instruments such as piano, violin, viola, cello, and clarinet. Typically, there is one big performance. This year it is “Carmina Burana” which will star Maxim Mikhailov, an internationally-known opera singer. Members of the local community have also been included in the performances.

Music is the driving force behind many great things in this world. It can bring a person great fortune, success, and happiness. Music can take you places you never thought you would end up in your lifetime.

For a group of local students, their love of music has brought them over the Atlantic Ocean, and half way across the world to Europe.

The Quad Cities Variety Show celebrated its fifth year in production and featured guest appearances and performances by some of the most talented youth from across the Iron Range. It was an exciting evening filled with performances including music, dance, comedy and so much more. Proceeds raised from the June 1 show will help send 40 area Iron Range Youth in Action (IRYA) students to rebuild homes for the victims of Hurricane Katrina this summer.

The whole idea for this show came from a former Virginia High School student, Rachel Akkanen. She wanted to raise a lot of money to help those in need on the Gulf Coast. Five years later her vision continues to help Iron Range youth reach out to our neighbors down south. Iron Range Youth in Action director, Chris Ismil, explains, “The charity behind the Quad Cities Variety show teaches our kids a greater sense of community. We help build with Habitat locally, within our own community, but our sense of community should be much bigger.”

Out of every tragedy comes something positive, and I’m learning this first hand at a young age. I found out who Paige Anderson was and I made a decision, a decision to lead a group of students to raise funds for Paige. This money would go toward her medical bills as her family was struggling financially due to her step dad’s lay off from work.

Inattentive driving can lead to serious tragedies, and that’s what happened to three teenage girls on October 10, 2009. Emmy Foss, 18, of Bovey was a passenger in a car that was driven by 18-year-old Hailey Salo of Grand Rapids. Also in the car was Paige Anderson, 16, of Bovey.

The Virginia Community Foundation was started in 1990 as a fund of the Northland Foundation. In 1997 the foundation really got a jump with the donation of $1,000,000 from the estates of Wesley & Hartley Koski. In 2001 the Foundation became a 501c (3) and independent from the Northland Foundation.

The Virginia Community Foundation is an endowed fund. This means that all of the money donated to the fund is invested in securities and other investments. The only grants given out are from the interest on these investments. Continuing contributions to the endowed fund will add to its growth and enable the Foundation to give back to the community for years to come. The Virginia Community Foundation’s Executive Director is Linda Niskanen, and the board is currently made up of 13 volunteers.

The Foundation also manages five endowed named funds. They are the Blue Pride Fund, the Virginia Educational Fund, the Virginia Public Library Fund, the Mesabi Range Youth for Christ Fund, and a Fund for the Arts.