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Rosalie Sorrels entertains at the Fettuccine Forum
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The Fettuccine Forum, part of downtown Boise’s First Thursday, opened the first of six fun-filled evenings with folk singer Rosalie Sorrels. Sorrels captivated the audience with her soothing acoustic musical style. She tickled the funny bone of everyone at the forum with her wonderfully funny tales, including some very touching stories about her parents. Sorrels also gave her opinions on some political issues. As a political activist, those opinions were a hallmark of her performance.
Sorrels was born in Idaho nearly 75 years ago and now lives 30 miles outside of Boise in a cabin built by her father. In the 1950s Sorrels’ folk music career began. Over the years she has acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of the folk idiom, ranging from English ballads to Mormon songs to the work of contemporary songwriters.
Sorrels strives to perform her music and tell her stories with the spice of the traditions from which they are derived. She seeks to preserve the oral tradition of many cultures.
Sorrels has recorded 24 albums and written three books. One of her books, “Way Out in Idaho,” released in honor of Idaho’s centennial, is a collection of songs, stories, pictures and recipes. Sorrels compiled the collection during a three-year period she spent traveling around Idaho listening to
its people.
The Fettuccine Forum provided food by Guen Johnson from the Chow Line. Delicious fettuccine served with chicken, as well as a variety of fresh vegetables, cheese, cookies, jalapeno cream cheese pinwheels and scrumptious garlic cilantro salsa were the cuisine options for the forum.
A full, open bar served all types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The bar will be open at the upcoming Fettuccine Forum events as well.
The Fettuccine Forum has a rich history. Started in 1989 by the former owner of Noodles restaurant and current owner of the Grape Escape, the Fettuccine Forum was intended to keep the community informed on political issues.
The original forum had a good run in the beginning but was eventually abandoned by its sponsors and died off soon after.
Director of the Center for Idaho History and Politics Todd Shallat was asked by Mayor Dave Bieter to help revitalize downtown Boise’s cultural scene.
Shallat had the idea to bring the Fettuccine Forum back as a First Thursday event.
“I kind of missed [the Forum],” Shallat said.
Originally brought back as an intellectual event, the first three years of the Fettuccine Forum’s revival focused mainly on municipal politics, civic issues and subjects concerning the city.
“More and more we started doing some arts and people that people wanted to see. people wanted to see Rosalie, people want to see Michael Hoffman,” Shallat said.
The six Fettuccine Forum events planned so far include topics such as architecture, arts and politics. The last scheduled forum always covers history.
“It all has to do with the civic life of the city and the history of the politics in the city,” Shallat said.
According to Shallat, Boise State University and the City of Boise collaborated to form a new department within the city.
The new department, yet to be named, may be called the Department of Arts and Culture or the Department of Arts and History. Shallat said the Arts Commission for the city has been struggling for the past 10 years.
Mayor Bieter has been a driving force, along with Shallat, in an effort to reverse the problems that have been plaguing the Arts Commission.
The Fettuccine Forum is sponsored by the Mayor’s office, BSU College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Erstad Architects, Boise Tour Train and Grape Escape.
The next Fettuccine Forum will feature Peter Lutze from Boise State on Nov. 1, presenting “The Boob Tube: sports, news and less.”
The Fettuccine Forum is held in the Rose Room at 718 W. Idaho St. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the presentations begin at 5:30 p.m. Admission is always free.
ADRIAN BARILLEAUX
Culture Writer