Saw this article in the New Ulm journal and am surprised nobody has mentioned anything about it. Especially since they say he may show up to accept the nomination. Read below for more:

http://www.nujournal.com/...cleID=9568


Prince in New Ulm? Music Hall of Fame hopes so

By KEVIN SWEENEY – Journal Editor



NEW ULM — The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame will induct six new groups and individuals into its ranks on Friday, and the question on everyone’s mind is, “Will Prince show up to accept his award?”

Yes, His Purpleness, the Artist Formerly and Currently Known As Prince, the creator of the Minneapolis Sound, is one of this year’s inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Nancy Kokesch, owner of the Country Loft in New Ulm, has been working for nine months to bring Prince to town to accept his award. She said conversations with Prince’s manager this week leave her “98 percent sure” that Prince will make an appearance.

“I talked to her this morning,” Kokesch said earlier this week. “She (the manager) said she was arranging to clear some things from Prince’s busy schedule, to get out of a couple of things so he could attend the ceremony.”

Kokesch, who is a member of the specialty shops group that is planning next week’s “Shopping Opener,” said her group had been looking for something to build excitement in New Ulm. They decided bringing Prince to town would certainly do it.

The group nominated Prince, who was born in Minneapolis, and when he was accepted by the Hall of Fame, Kokesch immediately sent him an invitation. She said she has been in frequent contact with Prince’s manager to keep the event in his mind.

The group has taken pictures of a red Corvette, in honor of Prince’s hit, “Little Red Corvette,” and has been sending pictures of the car with more and more people in it, with the note, “More people are hopping on the Corvette,” said Kokesch.

Kokesch said it is unlikely that Prince would be playing any music during his stop in New Ulm.

“We’ve been looking at an after party at the B&L Bar,” said Kokesch. “We don’t know if he’d stick around for that, but I told his manager that we’d accomodate anything he wants, if possible.”

Kokesch said she wouldn’t know for sure until the day of the event whether Prince will show or not.

Dodie Wendinger, director of the MMHF, is also taking a wait and see attitude. “We’ll see,” she said Friday. “If he shows, it will be great. If not it will still be great.”

About 330 tickets have been sold already for the induction ceremony and banquet on Friday, Nov. 2, making it one of the biggest events yet, said Wendinger. It will be held at Turner Hall to accomodate the larger crowd, and fans of all the inductees are expected.

The 2007 inductees are, as usual, an eclectic group representing a wide range of musical styles. All have in common, however, that they have contributed greatly to music in Minnesota and have had a state-wide impact.

In addition to Prince, the inductees include:

John Henle, New Prague: Henle, a New Ulm native, has been involved with music since he started taking trumpet lessons from Ray Meidl as a fourth grader at Holy Trinity Schools. He was playing with the High School band as a sixth grader, and graduated from the McPhail School of Music in 1958. He has a long career as a music educator in the Grenada, Waldorf and New Prague public schools.

Monroe Crossing, Ramsey: Monroe Crossing, named after Bill Monroe, the “Father of Bluegrass,” is a premier bluegrass and gospel quintet in the Midwest.

Rockin’ Hollywoods, Twin Cities: The group, formed in 1973, presents “Solid Gold Rock & Roll” from the 1950s through the 1980s. They have been voted the “Best Performing Artist” by the Minnesota Music Awards Academy, and the Minnesota Ballroom Operators Association has twice voted them, “Band of the Year.”

Dale Warland Singers, St. Paul: The Dale Warland Singers were a highly successful and critically acclaimed 40-person choral group in the U.S., based in the Twin Cities. Founded in 1973, the chorus tackled a repertoire of difficult, complex and beautiful polyphonic works by 20th century composers.

Peter & Paul Wendinger, New Ulm: The Wendinger Brothers carry on the tradition of the famous New Ulm Old Tyme bandleaders like Whoopee John Wilfahrt and Harold Loeffelmacher. The two brothers have spent 45 years in the band business, and tour widely. In 1985 they were presented the Old Tyme Band Award from the Minnesota Ballroom Operators Association. They were inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame at the Ironworld Discovery Center in 2005, and were also inducted into the World Concertina Congress the same year.

Section: News Posted: 10/27/2007




And read about the Prince Party this weekend.

http://www.nujournal.com/...cleID=9616


‘Prince Party’ at George’s Friday night

If you go



What: Prince Party

Where: George’s Ballroom

When: Friday, Nov. 2; Doors open at 6 p.m.; Sellner band performs at 8 p.m.





What: Minnesota Music Hall of Fame Induction

When: Doors open at 4:45 p.m., Friday, Nov. 2

Where: Turner Hall, New Ulm, Upper level





By FRITZ BUSCH Journal Staff Writer



NEW ULM — Music fans have two options Friday night in New Ulm.

The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame (MMHOF) is inducting several honorees — including funk rock star Prince — at a ceremony and dinner at Turner Hall.

The MMHOF activities include a banquet at 6 p.m., induction ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. and a post-dinner performance by Peter & Paul Wendinger from 9-11 p.m.

At a separate event at George’s Ballroom, the Minneapolis-born, Grammy-winning artist who recorded “Purple Rain” and “1999,” is being honored with what organizers are calling a “Prince Party.”

Doors to the “Prince Party” open at 6 p.m. at George’s. At 8 p.m., Sleepy Eye native Scott Sellner and his five-piece band will perform.

Sellner, a fast-rising Twin Cities blues, pop, rock and R&B musician, and his band members have brushed up on their Prince songs in hopes of playing with Prince or playing tribute tunes after he is inducted into the MMHOF.

Meanwhile, the MMHOF inductees will include New Ulm native and music educator John Henle, now of New Prague; bluegrass and gospel quintet Monroe Crossing; the Rockin’ Hollywoods, the Dale Warland Singers and Peter & Paul Wendinger of New Ulm.

Tickets for the induction party are available at the MMHOF or by calling Dodie Wendinger at 359-9014 or 276-7677.

Organizers of the “Prince Party” are hoping Prince will visit the ballroom if he comes to town.

“Prince Party” tickets, which will help fund a local music scholarship, are available at the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce office, at the B&L and at the ballroom on Friday night, if any remain.

“We’ll have it geared up — like Bockfest,” explained Jeff Gulden of the B&L Bar, one of the organizers of the “Prince Party.”

“We hope Prince makes a guest appearance. People have been working on that for months,” Gulden said.

Sellner, now living in River Falls, Wis. and his band maintain a busy schedule that includes a Thursday night house band gig with the Minnesota Music Cafe in downtown St. Paul.

They regularly perform in the Twin Cities, outstate Minnesota and Hudson, Wis.

Sellner and his band were recently showcased at the Georgia Theater in Athens, Ga. He has toured with the southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas and former members of Canned Heat, Walter Trout and Junior Watson.

The band recently recorded a blues albums for use as a demo that is being distributed to major recording firms.

“Brandon’s a cross between John Mayer and Johnny Lang,” said Hardy White, Sellner’s manager.

“His vocals and guitar-playing are strong. He’ll remind people of Steve Ray Vaughn and Jimmy Hendrix,” added White.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).











Section: News Posted: 10/30/2007

If he is being inducted and he does show up.....Well done baby, u deserve it

What took so long??

Bishop31 said:

That's exactly what I thought. He should have been the first one inducted.

It´s quite scandalous that it took so long. Prince and Bob Dylan are THE most famous Minnesotans ever, and unlike Bob , Prince has always acknowledged Minnesota in his lyrics and interviews.

KoolEaze said:

Get em Prince...keep getting these honors.

Prince should make his perfromance available for viewing at least on his site..




http://www.zshare.net/aud...6451d6a1b/

http://www.zshare.net/aud...197b344a5/

http://www.zshare.net/aud...37584dcc5/

well done my friend

and about time

Well that just sucks!! Not him getting the award, of course that's great and congrats to Prince on that.

It sucks because if he does show up, gives a great speech and/or performs, with his new found copyright violation nonsense, no one would dare post any footage of it. So that leaves us non Minnesota folks SOL.

I tip my hat to you Sir. Sir Prince.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

If he makes a speech, he'll probably address the YouTube baby issue (directly or indirectly) ...then it will be all over the news, anyway.
Hopefully he shows. Either way it's good news at a needed time, now if only someone would release the full S.H.O.E. vid, everything would be nice in orgland.

I think he will show up, if he's in Minnie!

Bishop31 said:

I thought the samething also!

way2funky said:

Sounds practically definite!

I thought he was in already?????

thx for sharing all this...and shtuff like this makes me damn proud of Prince. there will always be people out there who respect what he does.

Tonights the night, isn't it?

PRN was a no show.

onediva said:

Yeah, I didn't go either.
I went out last, got drunk & slept with a skank,
so figured,
what's the point?