University Daily Kansan
Arts / Entertainment
Thursday, February 5, 1987
7
Snow Creek
Area skiers discover nearest and newest winter wonderland
An instructor at Snow Creek gives a youngster encouragement before he attempts his first ski lesson. The Missouri ski resort offers lessons to people of all ages
Amv Rhoads/KANSAN
In 1986, there were a lot of good reasons not to go skiing.
It was expensive, for one thing. A ski trip that cost several hundred dollars was not unusual. It also took time. The Colorado Rocky Mountains are about 600 miles away.
For many working students, the cost in time and money was too great." They were missing
But they won't have to miss out anymore.
Now there is Snow Creek, a ski area 25 miles north of Kansas City. Mo., where a person can ski for eight hours with rented equipment for less than $30.
Bryan Carey, director of public relations for Snow Creek, said that since Snow Creek had opened Jan. 1, business had been reasonably approached. Snow Creek's capacity of 1,500 hectares approached Snow Creek's capacity of 1,500 hectares.
Snow Creek has nine intermediate and two beginner slopes. The longest run is about a quarter of a mile long. Two chair lifts and two ropes haul skiers back to the top of the slope.
A ski school offers tips on safe skiing. Private lessons and children's group lessons also are available.
Carey said the steepest slope was 45 degrees. Although the recent warm weather has made the snow slushy, Snow Creek is not entirely dependent on cold weather to remain open.
Snow Creek's snow is machine-made. It takes just one day or night of sub-freezing temperature for Snow Creek's snow machines to produce all the snow needed, Carey said.
Nat McClinton, a Leavenworth resident, spent Saturday on the slopes with his son, Jerry.
"Snow Creek compares fairly well with Colorado ski resorts," McClinton said. "The big difference is that the runs are a lot longer in Colorado."
But McClinton said the money saved and the convenient location made up for the shortness of time.
Jerry said, "It's fun. I like it."
Most of the people on the slopes Saturday seemed to be relaxed and having a good time.
The St. Louis ski area, after five years in business, has been consistently profitable, Carey
But one woman appeared anxious. She was standing in the middle of an intermediate slope with skis crossed and an unsure look on her face. The woman fell and coll了 100 yards down the hill on her back.
Snow Creek's owner, Hidden Valley Golf and
Company of St. Louis, operates another ski
business.
Snow Creek is three miles north of Weston, Mo. On Missouri highway 45.
For a current ski report, call (816)464-5500
Above,Tony Spiker. 8, skis a slope made especially for children. Tony is the son of Rick and Patty Spiker of Blue Springs. Mo. Left, the manmade snow does not discourage avid skiers.
Story by Paul Belden Photos by Amy Rhoads
Three-dav jazz festival brings music greats to Lawrence
By LISA A. MALONEY
Staff writer
Listeners will hear several different jazz styles performed by both student groups and award-winning professional musicians at the 10th Annual Jayhawk Invitational Jazz Festival.
"This year, we've tried to have a very diverse group of musicians," said Ron McCurdy, assistant profes-sor in the Music Department at University of Kansas jazz program.
The festival begins tonight and will end Saturday, with concerts and workshops conducted by professionals and performances by University and area high school jazz bands and vocal ensembles.
A performance by Ida McBeth, a Kansas City, Mo. native, who was named best female jazz vocalist and entertainer of the year by the International Jazz Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo., in 1984, will open the festival at 8 p.m. today in Swarthout Recital Hall at Murphy Hall.
Jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin,
best known to students as the solo
voice on the Levi's 501 jeans com-
mercial, will perform with the KU
Jazz Ensemble I and the Jazz Singers
at 8 p.m., Saturday, in Crafton-Preyer
Theatre in Murphy Hall.
Bill Watrous, consistently ranked as the top trombone player in the world, will perform at 8 p.m. tomorrow in Swarthout.
McFerron won Grammy Awards for best male jazz vocalist and best vocal arranger last year.
"He does things with his voice that are seemingly impossible," McCurd said.
University, will be a guest conductor for the KU Jazz Singers at their concert Saturday night, McCurdy said.
Paris Rutherford, associate professor of music at North Texas State
McCurdy said part of jazz music's popularity laid in its livelihood.
"The music is very animated," he said. "I don't think you could sit still and listen to jazz music, unless you want it." I won't expect you to tap your foot."
The music's esoteric reputation formed after World War II, with the band The Beatles. Their musicians focused on long improvisational solos instead of dance tunes.
MeCurdy said that jazz musicians understood the technical innovations they had created, but because "be came to be danced to, it abelated listeners.
People should study jazz to understand and enjoy it, but the best way to
judge the music is to listen and determine for themselves which artists and styles please them most, he said.
"The music is not as obscure as you think it is. It becomes very beautiful."
Amy Sneegas, Olathe junior and member of the KU Jazz Singers, said she enjoyed the intricate harmonies and the freedom of singing improvisational solos that jazz singing allowed.
She said that one of McCurdy's compositions, "Shaker Song." would be performed by the group. What makes "Shaker Song" unusual is that it originally was written as a saxophone solo. McCurdy rewrote the melody so that the singers imitate saxophones, she said.
"In jazz, the music is very genuine and exciting. There's no pretense.
Roberts, a trombone player, said he was excited about working with Wes.
You can relax and be yourself," said Bill Roberts, Olathe senior and member of the Jazz Ensemble I.
The high school jazz bands will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Crafton-Prayer Theatre and the jazz choirs will begin at 10 a.m. in Swartwharf Recital Hall.
McCurdy said 14 high school bands and six vocal jazz choirs from Kansas and Missouri would perform at 30-minute intervals Saturday.
"It's a great experience for me," he said. "I've seen him perform a couple of times, and I have an album of his."
In addition, the professional musicians will give free workshops Friday and Saturday afternoon. Cut off for students would be open to all students and that
they would be an opportunity for students to ask the musicians questions about the professional music world or how to improve performances.
MeCurdy said the jazz festival had grown from a one-day event, with a budget of only a few hundred dollars, but now he is deal with a budget of more than $10,000.
"It doesn't get much better than what we have," he said. "Ten years ago, we couldn't have afforded a Bill Watrous."
He said he was especially grateful to Student Union Activities and the Student Senate for supporting the festival. SUA sponsored McFerrin's appearance and the Senate donated $4,500 for advertising and for honorariums for Watrous, McBeth and Rutherford.
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