Side Stage Acts
Accordion Man
A familiar face at Norsk Høstfest, Jerry Schlag has been playing accordion since the age of ten, getting his start with his father’s orchestra in the late 1950s. Over the years, he has performed across North Dakota at festivals, nightclubs, retirement homes, and community events, with nearly 100 shows a year. Jerry is a founding member of the Norsk Høstfest Accordion Club, has competed in and judged multiple accordion competitions, and was inducted into the Dakota Music Association Hall of Fame in 2006. He has recorded seven solo CDs and previously played with the JMB Band for over a decade.
Joining him at Høstfest are two of his former students and fellow club members, Karen Stevens and Marla Rose. Both discovered the accordion later in life under Jerry’s guidance and now regularly perform together at senior centers, churches, and special events. Their shared passion for the instrument and the joy it brings to their audiences make them a heartwarming addition to this year’s celebration.
Accordion Club
The Norsk Høstfest Accordion Club was founded by the late Tom Hemmesch in 1989 and has been a part of the Norsk Høsftfest since. This group gets together once a year to perform at the Norsk Høstfest twice daily during the festival, along with the nursing homes and assisted living places in Minot. Known as the largest accordian club in North America with around 125 members from all over the United States and Canada. Our music is old time two steps, polkas, waltzes, schottisches, and some country music.
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen feature classic country, old standards, gospel greats and vintage rock from the 60’s & 70’s. Tim Klimpel, Gene Putnam and Larry Nelson are all multi-instrument musicians who are sure to keep your toes tapping and your hands clapping. The band are members of the Dakota Musicians Hall of Fame.
Crazy Fingers
Known for turning heads and tickling keys in the most unexpected ways, Crazy Fingers is bringing his one-of-a-kind piano antics to this year’s Norsk Høstfest. A longtime performer with decades of stories behind every note, he is best recognized for his playful style—often playing upside down, backwards, or with everything but his fingers. What started as a simple parlor trick has turned into a signature act that keeps crowds laughing and clapping along.
Crazy Fingers is a seasoned showman with serious chops. He has spent years bringing his unpredictable performances to fairs, senior centers, and small-town stages across the Midwest. His energy is contagious, his style unforgettable, and his ability to make a piano sing (and sometimes groan) always leaves the room smiling. This year, he is letting loose at Høstfest, and you will not want to miss a moment.
Daniel Starks
Daniel Starks is a fun and energetic musician from Ryder, ND. Together with his dad, this father-son duo brings to life a wide variety of music from across the years such as the songs of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ricky Nelson, and of course The Beatles. Along with his own blend of soul-stirring gospel, Starks captivates concertgoers with his dynamic vocal range and his exceptional guitar play.
Beyond the stage, Daniel is a dedicated K-12 music teacher, shaping the next generation of musical talents with his passion and enthusiasm.
Daniel enjoys sharing his voice with audiences and has an entertaining stage presence that will be sure to have you laughing, singing, or dancing along!
Heart of Dakota Cloggers
Karen Hamilton and Jacque Harvey fell in love with clogging after taking classes through the Minot Community Learning Center. In 2019, Jacque and Karen opened The Clogging Place in Minot where they have been blessed to introduce the love of clogging to others, including Sheri Cormier, Amanda Olson, Susan Renfandt and Christine Roberts. Together, these six dancers make up the Heart of Dakota Cloggers.
Heart of Dakota Cloggers entertains audiences clogging to a variety of music, including oldies, country, bluegrass, and more. The group has performed for Frozen Fingers, an old-time and bluegrass music festival, Salute to Seniors, Dancing for Special Stars, and other local organizations.
The art of “making music with your feet” brings the group great joy, and it is their goal to share that joy with others.
Fiddling Lefty
Ryan has performed at various events and festivals in the U.S. and Canada, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., The Homesteaders Festival near Nashville, Tennessee, MetisFest at the International Peace Gardens, Norsk Hostfest in Minot, ND, Asham Stomperfest in Manitoba, and the famous Back to Batoche Festival in Saskatchewan.
A native of Belcourt, ND, Ryan Keplin has established his reputation as a distinctive left-handed fiddle player and entertainer, astonishing crowds wherever he plays. His spectacular shows feature a mixture of fiddle music and singing, leaving his audiences wanting to hear more each time.
This performance is sponsored by Cornerstone Bank.
Midwest Murder Podcast LIVE!
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘that kind of thing doesn’t happen in our town’, but here on Midwest Murder, we will shatter that false reality. In fact, it happens more often than we know, and sometimes the details of the most horrific crimes that happen in our neighborhoods are lost in the back pages of newspapers, forgotten on our news channels, and eventually erased over time.
This performance sponsored by The Title Team.
MoonCats
MoonCats have kept the fun in North Dakota’s music scene for all ages since 2018. After countless shows, three full length albums, and tours across the region and country, this tuned-in trio prides itself on singalong originals and an occasional cover. Using a mix of American roots instruments, Slinger, Danny, and Sky paint a picture of the plains and sing of the times. Enjoy their mix of new and old time music on banjo, washboard, upright bass, mandolin,guitar, harmonica, and more LIVE with MoonCats!
Ole Olsson's Oldtime Orkestra
Project Constellation
Ragnarokkr
Today’s Ragnarökkr (Vikings with Guitars), will entertain you with selections of your favorite music that you can dance and sing along with. We play a wide variety of music to provide musical selections that cover many genres of different generations and ages. You will be sure to enjoy The Vikings with Guitars music and witty banter.
Ragnarök is the cataclysmic battle between the forces of chaos and those of order in Norse mythology, ending the world and killing most of the Gods and their adversaries, leading to the birth of a new world. Ragnarökkr (“Twilight of the Gods”) is the pivotal event that ends the mythic cycle beginning with the birth of the Gods of Asgard (the Aesir), and the creation of the Nine Realms of Norse cosmology. The Gods established order and restrained the forces of chaos, but at Ragnarök, these forces break free, and even though the Gods know the battle is great, they march into battle to save the world they have created. It is Ragnarökkr (Vikings with Guitars), who are known as Warriors who play music while they descend into battle to save the world.
Renee Vaughan and Laura MacKenzie
Renee Vaughan & Laura MacKenzie bring the heart of traditional Nordic music to Norsk Høstfest, performing tunes and playing instruments with roots that go back centuries. Their sound features the rich, resonant nyckelharpa—the national folk instrument of Sweden—alongside the säckpipa, a small Swedish bagpipe, and the wooden flute, known for its warm, earthy tone.
Their performance highlights the signature rhythms and dance tunes of the Nordic countries, especially the many polska variations with distinctive regional styles found throughout Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Many villages developed their own unique folk tunes and folk dances, creating a rich tapestry of local tradition. Renee and Laura also share stories and background that connect the music to its people and places. It’s a chance to experience Nordic folk music as it’s been passed down through generations—rooted in the old country and carried into the present with respect, energy, and heart.
The Replacements
A welcome sight to area audiences, the Replacements bring upbeat hearts and fun personalities to the stage. The Replacements perform a large variety of music including 50’s and 60’s music, country, country gospel, dance music and, when in season, Christmas.
The group consists of Marlene Grabow as soprano/alto, Jim Mayfield as bass, Jerry Martin as tenor, Karen Rath as vocals and keyboard, and Larry Nelson as bass, rhythm guitar and melody.
The Replacements have performed in the surrounding areas at Frozen Fingers Festival, local churches and for other programs throughout the area.
This cheerful group likes to spread the happiness and fun they have while performing and their goal is to put a smile on everyone’s face.
Ryan Charles Cihlar
Born and raised in Door County, Wisconsin, amongst lighthouses and cherry trees, Ryan began his musical journey as a 10 year old, studying the saxophone and piano. Later shifting his focus to the drums, Ryan has built a successful career as a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the ukulele and singing in the regional duo Cherry Dirt.
After several trips to Italy, France, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Greece, Ryan fell in love with classical music and the elegant sounds of the Old World. These trips inspired Ryan to pick up the vintage accordion that he inherited from his grandfather, who brought it home from Germany during his tenure in World War II. Since then, Ryan has devoted himself to learning and revitalizing the sounds of this fascinating instrument that has all but disappeared from mainstream music. Today, Ryan provides a blissful escape to those who wish to experience the same music that has been so transformative in his own life.
Shelby Huston
Shelby Huston is a passionate old-time fiddle player from North Dakota who’s been playing music most of her life, often performing alongside her dad, Kevin Huston. The two share a deep love for old-time tunes and can be found playing at festivals and community gatherings all across the region.
Shelby’s love for fiddling has taken her to the stage at events like Norsk Høstfest, where she’s played alongside performers like Williams and Ree, and to the winner’s circle at contests like the International Music Camp Old-Time Fiddle Contest three times and the Minnesota State Old-Time Fiddle Championship. Since 2022, she’s also been on the teaching and judging side of things at the International Music Camp’s Old-Time Fiddle Workshop.
When she’s not fiddling with her dad or teaching young players, Shelby keeps busy as Director of Orchestras at Horace High School in West Fargo and gives private violin lessons. She’s also been part of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra since 2017.
Shelby’s heart is in the old tunes, and she’s all about keeping the tradition alive, and making it fun, for the next generation.
The Waddington Brothers
The Waddington Brothers, a band of four brothers from rural North Dakota, perform what they live: music that is real to them, that takes listeners on a journey through the heart of the American West.
This group shares their music as a well-polished craft: one that’s been cultivated by four siblings who have been playing and singing together their entire lives. While their performing experience together traces back to 2004, the band officially came together as The Waddington Brothers in 2019. Their musical inspiration today is drawn from many pools of influences. Their sound might be described as a mixture of traditional bluegrass, gospel music, and Western strains reminiscent of The Sons of the Pioneers. Even more accurately, though, it can be described as something brand new—something powerfully different—a breath of fresh air to their audiences, that could only be created by four brothers with such an authentic synergy and blend. And it’s been proven: in 2023 at the annual SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, The Waddington Brothers took first place in the International Bluegrass Band Competition.
Western Plains Children's Choir
Western Plains Children’s Choir performs traditional songs every day throughout the festival. They exist for the purpose of providing children the opportunity to develop lifelong singing and musicianship skills. We provide a supportive learning environment within which members develop individually as well as communally. Singers in our choirs make lasting friendships and have fun while building music reading skills, vocal skills, musical artistry, choral diction, performance expertise, and a love of beautiful choral singing.
Comedian Kyle Erickson
One of Minot, North Dakota’s most seasoned comedians joins the Norsk Høstfest stage for the very first time- you won’t want to miss him!
Andrew Emmel
Acoustic guitar player Andrew Emmel returns to the Troll Stage to bring you classic singer songwriter style tunes!
Teho.
Teho. is a Finnish power-fiddle duo that explodes musical boundaries while having roots deeply in the tradition. Teho’s fiddlers grew up in Central Ostrobothnia, Finland – an area known for its extremely virile and rich folk music life.
Their music combines fluently Finnish traditional fiddling, Norwegian Halling, Swedish Polska, Bebop, Western Swing, and contemporary folk music. Improvisation also plays a big part of the duo’s sound. Tero Hyväluoma and Esko Järvelä are both top-notch names in the Nordic folk music field and cross-over freelancers without genre boundaries. They have played together for years in various different bands and projects, including one of the most well known Finnish folk bands, Frigg. Teho.’s debut album was nominated for a Finnish Grammy (Emma Awards) in 2018.
Ted & Kari
We are a rockin acoustic duo playing a variety of rock, country & originals, all your crowd faves!!
Based out of Minot, North Dakota.
Darryl Hicks Trio
The Darryl Hicks Trio (DH3) – Based in Minot, ND, the Darryl Hicks Trio has been delighting audiences for over five years with a wide-ranging repertoire that spans nearly a century of music. Featuring Darryl on bass, Kyle on drums, and Don on guitar, DH3 brings tight harmonies, dynamic performances, and a playful energy that makes every show memorable.
49th Parallel
Getting their start in the heart of North Dakota, 49th Parallel is a unique blend of modern alternative rock, classic pop/rock and folk. Being a fully formed trio band, they perform high energy music that appeal to all ages, and dynamic acoustic duo performances that still get your toes tapping. While they love paying tribute to great hit songs, they also write and perform their own pop/rock originals, with a punk/rock flair to them, and almost always featuring their tight vocals and harmonies.
They’re most passionate about engaging an audience and making their cares float away for just a little while…even just for a song.
Erik Mychal
Saxophonist and vocalist Erik Mychal is an active performer in the Minot community. He regularly performs solo and as a band leader with Blue House and the Erik Mychal Project.
He will be performing with a backing band of very talented local musicians at Høstfest!
Norsk Høstfest exists to celebrate Scandinavian Heritage by promoting and preserving its culture and community values for the benefit of future generations.
Norway
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
