Submitted Photo Kevin Ternes, Dick and Brenda Johnson and Carl Kannianen, from left, make up the Dakota Drifters band, which will perform at the Sibyl Center May 31.

STANLEY – Dakota Drifters, vocal and dance band and perennial audience favorite, opens the 2025 season at the Sibyl Center on Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m.

According to information from the Sibyl Center, the quartet plays a variety of country, gospel and a bit of rock and roll. Members are Dick and Brenda Johnson, Carl Kannianen and Kevin Ternes. All four are home grown, self-taught musicians.

Dick and Brenda Johnson farm near the International Peace Garden. Involved with music from the time he was young, Dick Johnson plays guitar and handles a lot of the vocals. He is known to favor Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash songs and always includes a few Norwegian jokes to keep things lively. Brenda Johnson plays the standup bass, keeps the group organized and is always looking for new “old” material.

Ternes, accomplished pianist, is the owner of Kevin’s Piano Service in Minot and owns a commercial appraisal business. He started playing drums at age 4 and moved on to the guitar at 13, teaching himself the basics. A member of the Minot musicians’ union since age 16, he played with The Redbirds and added bass guitar to his skill set. After moving around a bit and continuing in music, he resettled in Minot and joined both The Bill Merck Polka Band and Tin Star. He shares his talent at his church, in nursing homes and at other community events.

Kannianen farms in the Stanley area and has played the guitar for many years, discovering early in life how much he enjoyed music. He sings harmony on several songs and also does vocals. He has a unique and expert style of picking that is featured on several of the band’s numbers.

All are inductees in the Dakota Musicians Hall of Fame in Aberdeen, South Dakota.