Archive for July, 2024

Battleship South Dakota Memorial speech

Thursday, July 25th, 2024

Speech at Sertoma Club by Diane Diekman, July 23, 2024

Good afternoon. Thank you, Ray [Brooks], for inviting me here today, and thanks to all of you for being interested in the Battleship South Dakota Memorial. I would like to introduce Karen Dunham, one of my fellow board members, who is with me today. She owns Dunham Residential Real Estate; I’m sure many of you know who she is. She’s been with the Battleship Memorial since its beginning. She was a sailor at the Naval Reserve Center when it was dedicated in 1969, and she has worked with all the crewmember reunions since then, and she puts together all the ceremonies we do now.

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Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 24 July 2024

Wednesday, July 24th, 2024

NEWS

Congratulations to Jeannie Seely, who was featured last week in PEOPLE, shortly after celebrating her 84th birthday. She has released a new single, a Dottie West song called “Suffertime.” Jeannie says, “I’m not retired; I just quit working. They’re two different things. I only do what I enjoy. If it sounds like too much work, I just know we don’t want to do that.” She remembers attending the 80th birthday party of Kitty Wells: “I was standing there watching her and thinking, ‘I wonder what it feels like to have a career that lasts this long.’ And now mine has gone longer than hers did.” (more…)

Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 10 July 2024

Wednesday, July 10th, 2024

CONCERT REVIEW—NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND

After nearly 60 years, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is on its farewell tour. Playing its “last traditionally scheduled gigs,” the band isn’t saying goodbye forever, only to multi-city runs and long bus rides. All the Good Times: The Farewell Tour lasts from March through July. It stopped at the South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls on June 27. This was a show I didn’t want to miss, since I’d never seen them in concert and it would be my last chance. (more…)