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Fjelstad dines with fame at Kennedy Center Honors
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| By: Jeremy A. Jensen |
January 14, 2009 |
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Diane Fjelstad, of New Auburn, is pictured during a mock television report at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Fjelstad was in the nation’s capital for the Kennedy Center Honors in December.
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Imagine having the opportunity to be in the same room with the president of the United States, the vice president, heads of state, and some of the best actors, actresses, musicians and stage performers in the world.
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Diane Fjelstad, of New Auburn, doesn't have to imagine it, she lived it. Fjelstad had the opportunity to attend the 31st annual Kennedy Center Honors in early December as part of what she says is known as "Honors Weekend."
Fjelstad was a guest of her sister, Sharon McPhee, of Honolulu, Hawaii, who is a member of the board of directors for the Kennedy Center.
The duo arrived in Washington, D.C., Dec. 5. That evening, they had a chance to explore The Newseum-a 270,000-square foot interactive museum of news and journalism-located on Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition to dinner and cocktails, Fjelstad and McPhee had the opportunity to experiment with some of the television equipment on display.
"I had the chance to use the teleprompter, which was fun," Fjelstad says. "They let us choose our background, and I did a news report from in front of the White House. It was a neat experience."
The next day began with another unique experience: the chance to see the world premiere of a Kennedy Center-commissioned novel symphony based on E.B. White's book "The Trumpet of the Swan," with music by composer Jason Robert Brown. Performers included Kathy Bates and Richard Thomas, of "The Waltons" fame.
Following the concert, there was a luncheon with the Kennedy Center honorees: Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbara Streisand, Twila Tharp and Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who. Honors are given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
"It was kind of fun," Fjelstad says of the luncheon. "I was at the dessert buffet at the same time as Glenn Close."
Two of Fjelstad's favorite moments of the weekend came during the luncheon. She says she was thrilled to have the opportunity to be near world-famous violinist Itzhak Perlman, a man for which she says she has a tremendous amount of respect.
"The only person I actually talked to was Roger Daltrey," Fjelstad says. "But that was only because he was in a doorway where I needed to go. He was very congenial."
Saturday evening, the duo were among the guests of the Colombian embassy, where they took part in dinner and cocktails.
"I had never been around so many famous politicians and entertainment people under one roof at one time," Fjelstad said of the dinner. "One table had Madeleine Albright talking to Colin Powell. It takes your breath away to see all of these people in one hall, just tables away from you."
Sunday's luncheon was held at Café Milano, with Brown as the guest speaker.
Sunday evening brought the main event, the honors concert. Fjelstad admits that just walking down the red carpet into the Kennedy Center Opera House was intimidating.
"The Kennedy Center has the longest red carpet in the world," says Fjelstad. "It was strange to be walking in and having all these people taking pictures of you."
Once inside, each of the honorees was saluted by performers paying tribute to their body of work, including Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood, B.B. King, Lily Tomlin, Jack Black, Dave Grohl, Randy Travis, Garth Brooks, Queen Latifah and Beyoncé.
After the event, Fjelstad was left with one clear impression.
"The [Kennedy Center] board does everything first class," Fjelstad states. "It was a wonderful experience to be a guest at all of the events."
In the end, Fjelstad admits, it was the opportunity to spend time with her sister that provided the most memories.
"I don't get to see her very often, so to be able to spend time with her and experience these things with her, it was something I will hold on to for a long time."
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©The Chetek Alert 2009
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