Community Calendar

The Spencer Pride Banned Book Club is a program of Spencer Pride, an LGBTQ+ center located in Spencer, Indiana. We meet monthly to discuss books that have been challenged or banned. Our meetings occur on the fourth Thursday of every month (modified for holidays) at 5:30pm at Morgenstern Books and online. If you would like more information, contact Julie@spencerpride.org.
The read for March is They Called Us Enemy by George Takei.

Join us for an evening with retired US Army Lieutenant General and IU alumnus Mark Hertling to celebrate the release of his new book, If I Don't Return.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
“This journal was once a gift to our young sons. It is now a gift to anyone who cares to read it.”  
When Major Mark Hertling deployed to Iraq in 1990 as the operations officer of an armored cavalry squadron, his unit was told 50 percent of them would likely sustain casualties. To him, that meant he might not return home and may perhaps never see his family again. To prepare for that potential outcome, he began keeping a journal, hoping that one day, if he didn’t return, his stories and wisdom would be passed to his young sons. 
In an army-issued green notebook, Mark began recording his thoughts and hopes for his boys. He wrote of character, leadership, camaraderie, battles, cultural differences, religion, love, fear, and the things he wanted his boys to know about him and his experiences. In unfiltered, handwritten entries, Hertling captured the reality of combat in Operation Desert Storm: the waiting and missions, the chaos and courage, the brotherhood and grief, and the lessons of duty and humanity forged in war. What began as a father’s private messages became a rare chronicle of leadership and life in preparation for the crucible of battle.
But he survived, returned home, and was able to watch his boys grow into men. Decades later, after both his sons became combat veterans themselves, one of them typed those original pages as a gift to his dad—to preserve the legacy for the family’s next generation. In revisiting those original journal entries, Hertling—having been promoted, having served in various positions, and having returned to the battlefields of Iraq over the next two decades—added reflections drawn from his life. Reflecting on various military assignments, then his post-retirement jobs as a cable news analyst, health care executive, and professor of leadership, these journal entries now provide valuable lessons on character, leadership, and service. 
Part battlefield memoir, part father’s journal, part meditation on the challenges of leadership, If I Don’t Return is the story of a soldier who faced death, returned home, and continued to live a life of service.

Get creative with MacKenzie at Book Bricks on Thursday, March 26 at 6pm. Participants will spend the evening painting their favorite book covers on two paving bricks while reminiscing about their favorite childhood stories. For teens and adults ages 13 and up. Registration required.

This event was initially planned for January but was rescheduled due to the blizzard. An event honoring the life and legacy of harpist Susann McDonald (1935-2025). Includes video screening of Miss McDonald's performances throughout her life and personal accounts from former students and other harpists. Admission is free, but please reserve your seat online: https://usaihc.org/celebrating-susann-mcdonald .

Constellation Stage & Screen presents “The DaVinci Code- Live on Stage,” on stage March 26 - April 12 at the Waldron Auditorium. 

Dan Brown’s international best-seller comes to life on stage in this thrilling, high-stakes adventure! When the curator of the Louvre is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu are thrust into an investigation that quickly unravels into a deadly conspiracy. As they follow a trail of cryptic puzzles and ancient codes, they discover a secret that could change the course of history. Packed with pulse-pounding suspense and stunning visuals, The Da Vinci Code is an exhilarating journey into the unknown. Recommended for ages 13+.

See Constellation’s website for more information, including a detailed performance schedule. Learn more and find tickets at https://seeconstellation.org/mainstage/da-vinci-code/

Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play. In Tom Stoppard's best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

Performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2:30 PM

The Jacobs School of Music presents a Guest Recital by Nadje Noordhuis, jazz trumpet.

The Jacobs School of Music presents Hot Tuesdays: Jazz Combos.

The Jacobs School of Music presents a Clarinet Studio Recital, featuring the students of Eli Eban, Cecilia Kang, and Chris Pell.

The Jacobs School of Music presents a Choral Compline by Candlelight with Jeffrey Smith, director.