Mankato Magazine

2 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Your Parents Have Been Your Guide To The Future...

Now It’s Your Turn.

There comes a time in life when it’s good to know that your parents are living the life they worked hard for. A life that is worry free. The way life is at Benedictine Court.

Discover the affordability and all the benefits of living at Benedictine Court with the security of a full continuum of care under one roof.

Call today to schedule a visit to St. Peter’s newest Senior Housing at 507-934-8817.

1906 N. Sunrise Drive, St. Peter, MN

www.blcstpeter.org

2 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

ANKATO M

FEATU RES February 2013 Volume 8, Issue 2

magazine

14

24

Hair hub Dana Peterson and her clients have stayed together through thick and thin.

So you want to plan a wedding?

Tips and trends for dazzling nuptials.

20

Winter blues

32

Lovebirds

Blues dancing lessons keep winters hot.

Short fiction by Nick Reller.

On the cover: Krystle Sell and Regan Pearson model wedding dress and tuxedo selections courtesy of Valerie’s Bridal. Sell’s hair was styled by Indulge Salon and Tanning, and the bouquet was provided by Hilltop Florist and Greenhouse.

Photo by JohnCross MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 3

ANKATO M

DEPARTME NTS

magazine

10

12

34

35

6 From the Editor Where does love/romance show up?

9 From the kitchen Sweet, sticky ribs for the big game 10 Familiar Faces Amy Klugherz 12 Artist Insight Addie Elliott 34 Things to Do, Places to Go Events to check out in February 35 Happy Hour The next big liqueur 36 Garden Chat Dangling the carrot 38 Get Out! Singing the beauty of a “gijipo” winter 40 That’s Life Mr. Leather and me 44 The Way It Is Of Hamburger-ology and cooking up change

Coming up in the March issue of Mankato Magazine ...

Can someone hand us a 3/8 socket wrench?

In this issue, we’ll tackle home improvement, interior decor and even a little bit of fashion.

We’ve got some tips, some trends — and even a few friendly warnings.

Join us, and we’ll get started on the honey-do list together.

38 4 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

44

The Perfect Pair.

The Perfect Experience.

Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery offers a romantic setting with six unique event spaces for the perfect pair to have the perfect wedding experience.

Outdoor Ceremonies Receptions Rehearsal Dinners Special Events

KASOTA, MINNESOTA 507-931-0089 WWW.CHANKASKAWINES.COM MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 5

MANKATO magazine

February 2013 • VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 PUBLISHER EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS PAGE DESIGNER

James P. Santori Joe Spear Tanner Kent Nell Musolf Pete Steiner Jean Lunquist Marie Wood Nick Reller Sarah Zenk Blossom

John Cross Pat Christman Christina Sankey

ADVERTISING MANAGER

David Habrat

ADVERTISING Sales

Karla Marshall

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT

Barb Wass

ADVERTISING DESIGNERS

Sue Hammar Christina Sankey

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Denise Zernechel

Mankato Magazine is published monthly at 418 South Second St., Mankato, MN., 56001.

To subscribe, call 1-800-657-4662 or 507-625-4451. $19.95 for 12 issues.

For editorial inquiries, call Tanner Kent at 344-6354, or e-mail tkent@mankatofreepress.com.

For advertising, call 344-6336, or e-mail kmarshall@mankatofreepress.com.

6 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

From The Editor

By Joe Spear

Where does love/romance show up?

W

henever we devise the love/ romance issue of Mankato Magazine, there’s always a bit of trepidation.

Love and romance can mean so many different things to people, and we’re always a little uneasy about hitting the right notes for the Mankato Magazine demographic. We try to play it safe.

Nothing too risque, yet, possibly something beyond a church lutefisk dinner.

Review the norms and culture of the whitish southern Minnesota populace, stay away from the shades of gray and we’ll be OK. When a “50 Shades of Grey” book club is established, we can probably loosen up a bit, but until then ...

Sometimes you can get a feel for norms of love and romance of a city or a region by looking at the media we use to communicate. Newspapers. Magazines.

TV. Even Billboards.

When I worked at the Minnesota State University newspaper, The Reporter, signs of love and romance showed up in the classic “personals” columns. There were the perennial: “Bill. Really had a good time last night meeting you at the Elks kegger party. Hope to see you again — Holly — the girl you kept calling “Honey.”

Before there were “chat rooms” there were the personals. Love interests would even go back and forth each week. It was great for readership, though sometimes only partially true. But communicating romance was easy in the personals and mostly risk free. Who would ever know if the feeling was mutual for Bill? Bill wouldn’t have to reject outright, he could say he just didn’t read the personals that week.

Of course now, little is left to mystery between texting and “sexting.”

Going to the other end of the generational scale, love shows up in the life stories of so many people as they appear in the obituaries. The deceased can be said to have loved being with family and friends or with their “special” friend for years. They loved their pets and their grandchildren. They loved life in general.

They’re remembered for loving things like their infectious and bright smiles, their life-of-the party personality and as a devoted family man or a mother who listened.

Somewhere between the personals and the chat rooms are the hairstyling salons.

A feature by Nell Musolf in this month’s edition gives amusing insights into just how love can be a topic while trimming ones bangs or managing a bob, getting a poof or a perm.

Dana Peterson has been a hairstylist since 1968 and had customers with her for just as long as her own employment journey from Mr. Allen’s to the JCPenney Salon.

“I do know that hairstylists hear everything that’s going on in town,” Peterson says.

With that, they often hear love stories, happy and sad, and every once in a while give love advice in a place Peterson says is a “little bit” like the beauty shop in the movie “Steel Magnolias.” And in a twist of something new, we offer this month a short piece of fiction by writer Nick Reller. “Lovebirds” is subtle and amusing.

It’s a change of pace for us but well worth reading. Reller is a third-year student in the master of fine arts program in creative writing at Minnesota State University.

His material clearly goes beyond The Reporter personals. M Joe Spear is editor of Mankato Magazine. Contact him at 344-6382 or jspear@mankatofreepress.com.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 7

Fall in

Love

with our

Printing

February Almanac

This day in history

Feb. 11, 1947: After a citywide vote failed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, Mankato Mayor C.K. Mayer proclaimed that a municipallyowned airport was an “absolutely dead issue.” Mayer spearheaded opposition to the measure, which would’ve secured a $200,000 bond to purchase the then-privately owned airport. Years later, the airport was, of course, purchased by the city and moved from its former location (near the site of the Blue Earth County Historical Society Minnesota State University The Mankato airport after a wind storm in 1929 — decades before it was purchased by the City of Mankato. campus) to its present site.

Feb. 13, 1913: A 13-year-old boy was removed from his North Mankato school after creating a panic during Miss Schaefer’s fourth-grade class. Schaefer became concerned when the boy left his seat and began pounding on the window while cursing loudly and threatening to injure himself and others. Four teachers and a janitor were able to calm the boy and walk him home. The Free Press reported that a year prior, the boy had fallen from a barn and injured his head. Since then, family members said he had been prone to fits of violence.

Feb. 21, 1925: Longtime Mankato doctor John Madden died. Though the official cause was listed as heart failure, friends believed the doctor died due to anxiety from an 18-month court case in which he was accused of providing illegal abortions. Accused in 1923, Madden was first found guilty; but that verdict was later overturned. The day before his death, Madden was again acquitted in an appeal trial. He died 19 hours later.

Get comfortable: Choosing the right sheets

By Jura Koncius — The Washington Post

Providing Great Color at a Great Price!

Corporate Graphics Your Printing Solutions Company

1750 Northway Drive North Mankato, MN 56003 800-729-7575 www.corpgraph.com

Considering you spend a third of your life between your sheets, it might be time to treat yourself to an upgrade.

Sheets, whether smooth, silky or crisp, should feel comfortable to you. Higher thread counts (the number of threads woven in each square inch of fabric) have been touted as the ultimate comfort factor. But in reality, thread count works along with the type of fiber and the weave to determine how you feel under the covers.

What’s new?

• High-tech fabrics. Sheex sheets, made of high-performance microfiber inspired by athletic apparel, wick moisture to keep you comfortable.

• More fashion. Vibrant colors and prints are making a comeback, as are hotelquality sheets and more subtle embellishments.

Care tips • Wash carefully. It’s best to launder sheets in warm or cool water. But if you have allergies, consider washing them

in hot water, says Carolyn Forte, director of textiles for the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.

• Don’t over dry. Use a low dryer setting: Too much time in the dryer weakens fibers. It could make your sheets look like faded, stretched-out T-shirts.

• Fold damp. Remove sheets from dryer while slightly damp for fewer wrinkles and to make folding easier.

Top-selling colors 1. White 2. Light blue 3. Light green

From

the

Kitchen

By Alison Ladman The Associated Press

Sweet, sticky, totally tender ribs for the big game The day of the big game calls for big, stick-to-your-ribs grub.# So we went with that as a theme, creating a recipe for boneless beef short ribs that are inspired by all the sweet and sticky goodness of Chinese-style pork ribs. To keep you in front of the television instead of the stove, we kept the recipe simple. Start by dumping everything in a bowl to marinate. When you’re ready to cook, transfer it to a baking sheet and pop it in the oven. Done.

To make sure the ribs are meltingly tender, they cook low and slow while you watch the first half of the game. They should be good to go right around half-time. And if beef isn’t your thing, the same approach will work with pork ribs and chicken wings (though you’ll need to adjust the cooking time).

Sweet and Sticky Slow-Cooked Short Ribs The servings indicated are for appetizer portions. If the friends gathered around the game are hearty eaters, or this is to be served as a main course, plan accordingly.

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (plus marinating) Servings: 12 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 3 cloves minced garlic 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into long, thin strips (1/4 inch thick by 1 inch wide) In a medium bowl, whisk together the hoisin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, five-spice powder, sesame oil and garlic. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture in a small bowl. Add the short ribs to the original mixture and toss to thoroughly coat.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to 275 F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil and place a rack over each pan.

Arrange the short ribs on the rack and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until tender. Brush the ribs with the reserved 1/2 cup of marinade and increase the oven temperature to 450 F. Return to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, or until browned and caramelized. Thread a skewer through each piece of meat to serve.

Nutrition information per serving: 270 calories; 130 calories from fat (48 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 65 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 23 g protein; 650 mg sodium.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • FEbruary 2013 • 9

Familiar Faces

Interview

by

Tanner Kent Photos

by

Pat Christman

When her mother was diagnosed with dementia, Amy Klugherz quit her day job and moved to Mankato where she opened My Father’s Daughter in July of 2007.

She has since relocated from lower North Mankato to St. Peter.

Daddy’s girl

Amy Klugherz runs My Father’s Daughter with lots of variety, just enough sass Mankato Magazine: Can you tell me a little about how you got into the retail business? What led you to open My Father’s Daughter?

Amy Klugherz: I had a successful career managing businesses in the Twin Cities and in the eastern portion of the country, but I knew I wanted to have my own business. For years I collected business cards of crafters and daydreamed about store concepts.

Then my mother was diagnosed with dementia, so I knew I needed to be in the Mankato area to care for her.

My boss irritated me on just the right day when I felt ready to take the leap to start a business — so I quit my job that day, put my house on the market and rented a space to start a store.

MM: Of course, we have to ask about the name of your store. Why 10 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

did you choose “My Father’s Daughter,” and did you consider any other names?

AK: The name was the easiest decision I ever made. My sisters and I were talking and I remembered that my sister, Jenny, used to help my Dad sell antiques and what I call “junk” (they call them “treasures”). When she would make a good deal, she would say, “I am my father’s daughter.

Dad was a rare treasure and we were blessed to have him for as long as we did (he died in 1996) so it seemed a perfect name. No one disagreed.

Well, Mom put her two cents in. When I would call her from the store and her caller I.D. would read “My Father’s Daughter” she would answer, “Your father’s wife.” So, I added pink shamrocks in every window of our original store in honor of her and her proud

Irish heritage because she was an equally amazing parent and partner to my dad. We get comments on the name all the time and we even have T-shirts for the Daddy’s girls who like to show their pride.

home decor, clothing, baby items, and more. I call it my ADHD in retail form. Lots of variety. Lots of color. Lots of energy. And just enough sass. We are just now looking at adding maternity and expanding our clothing.

MM: What was the secret to staying in business during the recession? What kept you motivated during the more trying times?

AK: The recession led to a lot of sleepless nights and secondguessing. I had to make a lot of hard decisions in order to keep inventory up and the doors open, but I survived. I was lucky to have a great staff (particularly my cousin, Pam), family and customer base that saw the value in the store and would remind me of it during the hardest times. I used their energy to motivate me when I was really down and unsure. Then, I relied on my complete distaste for failure and sheer determination.

It also helped to realize that there is no failure in trying. So, I just kept trying — new concepts, new inventory, new advertising, new displays, new promotions, new location. And then I focused on every little victory and held on for the ride.

MM: What are some items that people may not expect?

AK: We have lots of locally made items so you can find very unique gifts. We also have some antiques that people may not expect. We don’t have antiques at the volume or type of an antique store, but more as a complement to our other inventory. I grew up with antiques in the house and I have always believed anyone can like antiques if they see them as beautiful, well-made items rather than a name, era, and potential resale value. We have them right with our new items. With the addition of Charme La Vie’s items, people may be surprised by the great jeans and tops we carry.

MM: In 2010, you relocated from Belgrade Avenue in North Mankato to St. Peter. What prompted the move? How difficult was that for you?

AK: We were working way too hard to get people to come to lower North Mankato for our style of retail. They would come, but it felt like we had to work three times harder than people who were clustered with other retail businesses in high-traffic areas. I was ready to give up completely so I announced I would close without knowing if I would reopen.

But then the staff, my family and our customers gave me big messages that we needed to reopen in better circumstances. All the stars aligned and I found the St. Peter location, which has been great for us. The store gets lots of visibility and I am supported by a great group at the City of St. Peter and the local stores who work together for the common good. If one of us is successful, we are all more likely to be successful. I still miss the neighborhood in lower North Mankato, but have never regretted the decision.

MM: How do you choose which products and gifts to carry at My Father’s Daughter?

AK: If it fits in with the other items in the store, and I like it or think one of my friends will like it, I usually buy it. I also try to keep an eye out for items my cousin Pam (who is my No. 1 employee) or my sister would like. They have different taste then me, so I need to represent their style, too.

MM: What do you enjoy most about your job?

AK: The people are No. 1. No day is better than the day when lots of interesting people come in the store, have fun, and love what we are about. We have this strange phenomenon where people regularly — without prompting — tell us they like our store, or that it is their favorite store, or a friend told them they had to come in. That always makes me glow. M

MM: What do you like most about your new location in St. Peter?

AK: Everything! Great building, wonderful building management, awesome neighbors, supportive city leadership, dynamic business association, powerful stream of new customers brought from the high-traffic area, and local residents who use us as a primary place for gifts and greeting cards.

I love our regulars, from the teenage girl and her parents who come in for family time and to listen to John Denver while they shop, to the smart Gustavus faculty and staff who keep me talking about interesting new topics, to the delightful older ladies who stop by after coffee time to pick up something new and fun. The older ladies are always up for a laugh and some smart talk.

I love all of those connections to interesting people and I wouldn’t meet them if it wasn’t for our awesome location.

MM: What kinds of gifts and products do you carry at My Father’s Daughter?

AK: We are very eclectic. Our tagline is “great gifts for you and those you love.” With that as our calling, we have to make sure to stock lots of interesting and innovative items. Our inventory was helped when Dana Ackeman, who used to own La Charme La Vie in St. Peter, joined the store. She has a great eye for clothing and gifts — a completely different eye then me, so we complement each other well.

We carry gifts, purses, jewelry, bath and body products, candles,

My Father’s Daughter carries an eclectic inventory of gifts, clothes and antiques.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • FEbruary 2013 • 11

Artist Insight

By Nell Musolf

Something old, something new Addie Elliott is a self-styled ‘tradigital’ artist

A

ddie Elliott hasn’t been an artist all of her life. For a while, the Shreveport, La., native spent her days and nights singing in an Air Force band.

“I joined the Air Force under the Guaranteed Job Program and I became a singer. We sang a lot of Carpenters-style stuff and played things like county and state fairs. There was only one other girl in the entire band,” Elliott recalled with a smile. “It was very interesting when we’d take bus trips and be the only two girls on the bus.”

After leaving the Air Force, Elliott got married in Illinois and then moved to Texas for awhile before settling in Mankato in the late 1980s.

While being a full-time mom to her four children, Elliott decided to take a few classes at Minnesota State University.

“I started out as a music

major,” Elliott said, “but that didn’t last too long. I found out that being a music major was a lot harder than singing Carpenters songs, so I switched to art.”

After taking one art class, Elliott felt like she’d come home.

“It was like I figured out what I was meant to do,” Elliott said.

Elliott received her bachelor’s degree in art with a minor in art history and in 2009 received her master’s in studio art painting.

Elliott’s interest in art work dates back to when she painted folk art patterns on wooden trays. Since then she has tackled watercolors, quilting, drawing and her latest passion, photography.

“The digital photography is the thing that I’m most excited about these days,” Elliott said. “I call it “tradigital photography” because it mixes the traditional parts of photography with the digital.”

For Elliott, tradigital photography begins with a traditional piece of artwork that she has done such as a watercolor, an acrylic painting or perhaps a pencil drawing. She spots a subject with what she calls her “artistic eye” and then works on figuring out what she wants to do with it. To help find her artistic prompts, Elliott visits local spots for inspiration.

“I love Hobby Lobby,” Elliott said. “There is so much glass there and the colors are so wonderful. I’ll take a picture of a piece of glass at Hobby Lobby and then work it into something else. I also like to take pictures of light fixtures at Lowe’s.”

When Elliott is done with the first part of her piece of art, she then photographs it and puts the photograph into her computer. That is when Submitted photos

Examples of Addie Elliott’s mixed media art.

Pat Christman

Addie Elliott uses digital techniques to alter her paintings and drawings in a style she calls “tradigital.” the tradigital process begins.

“That’s when I use Photoshop and some other computer programs and the fun really starts,” Elliot said.

Using her computer, Elliott tweaks her artwork until she arrives at a finished product that is a creative mix of her original artwork combined with some computer magic. To help her discover how to make the most of her computer, Elliott took a few graphic arts classes to help her with her digital quest.

“I’m learning all the time,” Elliott said. “I’ll work on a painting and come up with things that I never expected to find. Reflective lights, texture, color — it’s amazing.”

Elliott downloads her finished artwork onto her desktop, a space that she says is getting increasingly crowded.

“My desktop makes people go Oh, my gosh — is that what your brain looks like?” Elliott said with a laugh. “I guess in a way it is.”

Elliott is currently working on illustrating a children’s book that she has written. For her illustrations, she is using her “tradigital” technique.

“I didn’t realize how much work went into illustrating a book,” Elliott said. “I thought it would be as easy as falling off a log but

I was wrong about that. It takes a lot of time and patience.”

As she continues to work on her tradigital photographs, Elliott would like to figure out a way to add even more to her pictures.

“I think it would be great to be able to add movement and sound to my photographs,” Elliott said. “It would be like adding another element to them that would make the pictures even more alive.”

In addition to her artwork, Elliott has another newfound passion: South Korea.

“Last August, I accidentally watched a South Korean television series and I became fascinated. I kept on asking myself, “What are these people like?”

Elliott’s interest in South Korea has grown to the point that she hopes to be able to visit the country in the new future and stay for a year or two. “I’m going to try to figure out way that I can get over there,” Elliott said. “I want to absorb something spiritual while I’m there.”

Absorbing life seems to be something at which the tradigital artist excels. M MANKATO MAGAZINE • January 2013 • 13

14 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Hair hub

Since 1968, Dana Peterson and her clients have stayed together through thick and thin

By Nell Musolf Photos by Ruth Koestler

S

tepping into the hairstyling salon at Mankato’s JCPenney isn’t exactly like walking into the beauty parlor in the movie “Steel Magnolias.”

But there are similarities: The scent of hairspray floating through the air. Women chatting among themselves and their stylists as they get their hair washed, clipped and curled. A fresh pot of coffee brewing.

For Dana Peterson, a hairstylist since 1968, the styling salon is her home away from home.

“I can see how we’re a little bit like “Steel Magnolias,” Peterson observed. “I do know that hairstylists hear everything that’s going on in town. Not just gossip but where the best sales are, where to find anything you might be looking for. We’re a real hub of information and the women who come here love to share what they know.”

Toni Hoechst (seated) has been a client of Dana Peterson’s for more than 40 years.

She continues to make weekly appointments.

Peterson began her hairstyling career at a beauty salon called Mr. Allen’s in downtown Mankato.

“We had to wear black pencil skirts and white tops,” Peterson said. “All of the stylists had to be dressed the same.”

It was at Mr. Allen’s that Peterson met Irene Klammer, a client who stayed with Peterson until her death this past autumn.

Klammer’s granddaughter, Kirsten Becker, said that she for as long as she could remember her grandmother had a weekly beauty appointment with Peterson.

“I think it’s interesting how my grandmother was a woman who scrimped and saved on everything but still kept her weekly beauty appointment with Dana. It was obviously very important to her,” Becker said.

When Klammer died at the age of 95, her family asked Peterson to do her longtime client’s hair one last time.

“It’s something I feel good about doing for my clients,” Peterson said.

Klammer’s daughter, Karolyn Hanna , said the family was grateful for Peterson’s MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 15

Dana Peterson began styling hair in 1968. Since then, she has maintained a remarkable list of longtime clients. offer to help.

“Mom looked like herself after Dana did her hair. Dana told me, You know, I just kept talking to her the whole time and this is the first time she didn’t talk back,’” Hanna said.

“I finally got the last word,” Peterson noted.

Another client who has been with Peterson since 1968 is Toni Hoechst.

Hoechst also began seeing Peterson back in the days of Mr. Allen’s shop and has 16 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

moved with her several times over the years. She continues to drive herself to their weekly appointment every Friday morning.

“I’ve been with Dana through thick and thin,” Hoechst said.

Over the years, Hoechst said that she has stayed with pretty much the same hairstyle, although she did make a few requests every so often.

“I remember when she wanted me to make her look like Lucille Ball,” Peterson

said.

“Only not the color, just the style,” Hoechst added.

Hoechst lists Peterson’s personality, the way she does hair and her talent for backcombing as the main reasons she has remained a loyal customer over the past 44 years.

“Dana is very friendly and easy to talk to. She also sure pulls the hair tight so it stays where it’s supposed to stay,” Hoechst said. “I used to wrap toilet paper around

my hair to make sure it stayed in place but you don’t have to do that when Dana does your hair.”

“That reminds me of story a client told me once,” Peterson said. “She said every night when she got ready for bed she put toilet paper on her head to keep her hair set. One night her husband went into the bathroom first and came out wearing her nightgown and with an entire roll of toilet paper wrapped around his head. She asked him if that was really how she looked and

Joyce Siebenbruner is among Dana Peterson’s loyal clients. She began making appointments with Peterson in the 1970s and has followed Peterson “wherever she’s gone since then.”

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 17

An Event To Remember Rehersal Dinners Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties 4 Private Suites Private Lanes Private Bar & Staff Tailored Banquet Menu Parties of 18-100 Guests Play Packages Available wowzonefec.com/special-events 2030 Adams Street, Mankato

18 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

507.625.2695

when he said “yes” she never wore toilet paper to bed again.”

Joyce Siebenbruner has been with Peterson since the 1970s when she used to dance at the Kato Ballroom with her husband and Peterson’s parents.

“Her mother suggested I go to Dana to get my hair done,” Siebenbruner said. “I’ve followed her wherever she’s gone since then.”

Peterson said that her current crop of clients opt for less formal hairdos than in the past. As society in general has become more casual, so has hairstyling.

“My first generation of women came in — and still come in — once a week. The second generation of women come in once a month,” Peterson said.

Stories abound for Peterson as she has shared the lives of so many different clients, not all of them happy.

“Sometimes they tell you more than you want to know,” Peterson said. “You just have to try to be there to support them.”

Peterson said that she always tries to be honest when working with a client.

“I had one customer who came in to get her hair cut and styled when the Farrah Fawcett look was all the rage,” Peterson said. “She wanted to get her hair cut like Farrah’s. The problem was that she had very fine hair and there was no way that it was ever going to look the way Farrah’s hair did. I asked her why she wanted that particular hair cut and she said that her husband wanted her to get it. I looked at her and said, “Does your husband look like Lee Majors?” She said no so I told her, “You tell him that when he looks like Lee Majors, you’ll look like Farrah Fawcett!”

Peterson found a hairstyle better suited to that client and another beauty salon story had a happy ending.

“Women and their hair,” Peterson observed, “it’s the most important thing in the world to them.”

Peggy Thompson, another stylist at the Penney’s salon, agreed with Peterson’s statement.

“I used to have my own beauty salon up on Skyline,” Thompson said. “I can remember days when there was a blizzard going on outside and women would come up the road to Skyline on their snowmobiles to get their hair done. It was amazing.”

“It’s a funny thing,” Peterson added.

“We’re all different ages in the salon but age seems to disappear in here. In here, we’re all the same.” M

OLD MAIN VILLAGE

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 19

Dancing away the winter blues

By Sarah Zenk Blossom

E

ach Thursday, a group of vehement regulars assembles at the Savoy Bar & Grill on historic Front Street to do what they love best: dance.

Though “Stompin” at the Savoy” is billed as a blues night, the music is not, strictly speaking, all blues. Co-DJs Nicholas Burt and Sam Breuer said it’s an eclectic mix of “everything from classic blues to, like, right now,” Breuer pauses, gesturing toward the music emanating from a speaker, “Outkast, modern hip-hop.”

They choose Johnny Lang, Maroon 5 — whatever seems to move the dancers.

Burt adds that just about anything with a strong beat can be good for blues dancing; in addition to DJing, he also teaches lessons at the Savoy twice a month. Later, as he uses his smartphone to show videos of world-class dancers performing lindy hop moves and blues dances, it becomes clear that this core group is here not for the music, but for the love of the dance itself.

On a typical Thursday at Savoy, the tables are pushed together to expand the dance floor, the patio is available in the warmer months, and everybody is Minnesota nice.

Back up for a minute, though.

How did the blues get here?

It’s difficult to trace the blues to its very deepest roots, but most accounts agree that blues music arose on Southern plantations in the 19th century, where slaves, sharecroppers, and the descendants of slaves poured African spirituals and chants together with the 20 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Savoy in Mankato (pictured above) hosts blues dancing lessons on Thursday.

hymns, work songs, and rural dance music that surrounded them to create something new, expressive, and frankly soulful. This earliest form of the blues is what we now think of as traditional country blues — a man, his soul, and his guitar — and it is closely associated with the Deep South, particularly the Mississippi delta.

Jazz, the Mississippi’s other great invention, spread rapidly from its roots to reach the rest of the Midwest, but the blues were not part of life in the upper Midwest until the 1930s and 1940s when they began to appear in Chicago, electrified, hybridized, and adapted to urban life. Other local variants began to emerge in the early part of the 20th century, too, giving rise to many variants of music and dance with which we are familiar today.

As for the history of blues dancing specifically, the story most popular with the dancers at the Savoy goes like this: Big bands would hire musicians to entertain large groups of lindy hoppers — enthusiastic dancers who would exhaust themselves performing dramatic aerial moves all night

long. When the performances ended, some of these musicians trickled into little local places to perform solo or with smaller bands, and the dancers, exhausted but not yet defeated, would follow them. The resulting style, based around a leaning movement, became what the dancers at the Savoy now celebrate as blues dancing.

Tayler Miller, president of the swing dancing club at Minnesota State U n i v e rs i t y, describes blues dancing as “really grounded.” She says it’s “all about how you transfer the music into your movement. Everybody has a different technique. It’s

artistic.”

Burt adds that some newcomers to the Savoy are intimidated by the freedom offered by the style. It’s interpretive.

“There’s a lot of musicality to it,” he says. He adds, with real sincerity, that he is happy to teach anyone, at any level. Both he and Miller are adamant in their encouragement of both beginners and more experienced dancers to attend the lessons offered on the first and third Thursday of each month. The steps are basic, but the skills require practice: leading, following, musicality, interplay.

Miller describes blues dancing as “sensual,” and it is a partner dance. However, there is another popular story circulating among the regulars at the Savoy.

“One of the best blues dancers in the state,” it goes, “says that there are two ways to get better at blues dancing. One is shots, and the other is solo dancing.”

Indeed, one brave young man dances alone. Finally, someone calls out, “Someone dance with that guy!”

A woman obliges. It’s a friendly scene. It’s a come-as-you-are kind of vibe, everything from sneakers to high heels, baseball caps to fedoras, and the focal point is the dance itself.

Music starts at 9 p.m.; peak dancing hours tend to be 10 p.m. until midnight, and the truly devoted stay until the bar closes.

Lessons are offered at 8:30 p.m.

In addition to the weekly event at the Savoy, MSU’s swing dancing club meets on Monday evenings, and they are open to the public. M

MANKATO MAGAZINE • FEbruary 2013 • 21

Reflections

By John Cross

Come February, spring is still more than a month distant.

And while it’s true that the shortest month still can be brutally cold with lows in the minus-30s, it also can have us basking in the balmy 60s.

The average high on Feb. 1 is 24 degrees and by month’s end, has reached 32 degrees.

By mid-February, the sun has climbed high enough into the sky that snowmelt can be trickling through the gutters on even the most frigid days.

What’s more, we gain slightly more than an hour of daylight during the course of the month.

Some light at the end of a dark, wintery tunnel.

22 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

MANKATO MAGAZINE • FEbruary 2013 • 23

So, you want to plan a wedding? smore Photography

tmas Eve in 2011. were engaged on Chris e ap Pa i kk Ja d an r Scott Laughte dding in 2013. e to plan the perfect we They’ve taken their tim

iel Din Photo courtesy of Dan

T

his summer, Jakki Paape will say “I do” to Scott Laughter in a lakeside ceremony at her parents’ Lake Washington home. After considering a destination wedding in Hawaii, they chose an outdoor wedding so friends and family could attend. Their two dogs are on the guest list, too.

“I let Jakki take the handlebars on this one. She has a way better vision of a wedding,” said Laughter.

The North Mankato couple was engaged on Christmas Eve 2011. With 18 months to plan the wedding, Paape has had no difficulty booking their first choices. Since Paape and her mom, Karen Paape, are close, wedding preparations have been fun for mother and daughter.

“I really enjoy it. I love planning this wedding,” said Paape.

When Paape and her mom went 24 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Tips and trends for dazzling nuptials

By Marie Wood

shopping for the dress, Paape knew instantly the Vera Wang mermaid gown was the one. It was the last one in the dressing room. She almost didn’t try it on, but her mom convinced her. They were both choked up by the image in the mirror.

“I fell in love right away,” said Paape.

Laughter has gotten involved, too. He scheduled his church’s pastor, booked the band, and helped choose the Italian and Mexican food for the buffet. For dessert, the couple will cut a small wedding cake and serve gourmet cupcakes to their guests.

A classy black and white wedding, Paape expects to choose short bridesmaid dresses for the summer affair. To add elegance, the flowers will be white and the tables will be set with china, glassware and linens. The décor company also will set up tents strung with lights and draping.

While many wedding parties board a bus or limo after the ceremony for a bar run, the couple will hop on a hay wagon with a “Just Married” sign. A tractor will pull the wedding party around the lake and stop at Westwood Marina.

“That’s one of the things that’s going to be more country at our wedding,” said Paape.

But, like many brides, Paape can access her Pinterest wedding board from her cell phone.

That’s because Pinterest is the single biggest trend in weddings today. Brides pin up their favorite dresses, décor, photography, cakes and flowers on the online pinboard site. When brides start shopping, they already have a good idea of what they want.

The Decorations P

hoto booths are all the rage at wedding receptions. Parties & Weddings Plus in Mankato rents out photo booths, which print the photos on customized photo pages that match the wedding décor. The snapshots make fun keepsakes for guests.

Professional decorator Linda Miller and her crew at Parties & Wedding Plus can personalize any room or outdoor venue. Couples choose their level of service: full, partial and DIY. With the rise in outdoor weddings, earthy and natural looks, such as centerpieces with twiggy birch branches, are in.

“Remaining strong are burlap and shabby chic,” said Miller.

For traditional brides, monograms and damask patterns are top choices. The themes are reflected in guest books, backdrops, table runners, chair covers,

candy tables and more. With linens, candles and centerpieces, decorators can dress up tables and fold napkins into works of art.

“It makes that room special. Brides appreciate that,” said Miller.

Wedding stationery can also be coordinated with the décor. Invitations by Carlson Craft, as well as custom printed save the dates, invites, programs and more, are available at Parties & Wedding Plus.

For DIY brides, Parties & Weddings Plus just opened a consignment shop for brides to sell and purchase wedding supplies and decorations.

Twin Rivers Council for the Arts

PROMOTING A VIBRANT ARTS COMMUNITY WANTED: Teaching Artists to enrich the lives of children at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota’s Saturday Awesome Arts series.

Contact Deb at 507.995.9551.

WANTED: Now seeking volunteer team members for Arts by the River!

Contact director@twinriversarts.org.

WANTED: Volunteers to help manage Combo Nights, The Business of Art Workshops, Gallery Exhibitions, and the annual Gala.

To get involved, contact info@twinriversarts.org.

WANTED: Program Coordinator for Arts by the River (paid position).

Send resume and cover letter to director@twinriversarts.org.

So arts and culture thrive Twin Rivers Council for the Arts located in Emy Frentz Arts Guild

Photos courtest of Parties & Weddings Plus

Professional decorator Linda Miller of Parties & Wedding Plus said earthy and natural looks are trendy, especially in outdoor weddings.

523 South Second Street Mankato, MN 56001 507-387-1008 info@twinriversarts.org SouthernMnArts.org

www.twinriversarts.org GreaterMankatoEvents.com A calendar of events in our region including sports, arts, history, nature, festivals, and expos...

012361584902

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 25

The Dress T

oday’s brides are saying yes to lace and the fit-n-flare wedding dress.

Fitted and sleek through the torso, the gown flares at the top of the leg for a curvy silhouette. As always, A-lines, ball gowns, sheaths and princess styles are elegant and timeless.

“Keep an open mind when you’re trying on dresses. You have to try on several styles to find the one that’s right for you,” said Sandy Portner-Quiring, owner of Sisters Bridal & Tux in New Ulm. The dress must express the bride’s personality and flatter the figure. Cap sleeves, keyhole backs and lace are fresh details. And anything goes with shoes.

Many brides are dying their shoes the

same color as the bridesmaid dresses.

Others are wearing cowboy boots under their gowns.

“Every girl that walks through the door is so totally different,” said Valerie Pearson, owner of Valerie’s Bridal in Mankato.

“When I see a girl walk in, I know the dress that looks fabulous on them.”

While some brides are modern, other brides are vintage. Chandelier earrings and bird-cage veils are popular accessories.

Bridesmaid dresses complement the look.

“A new trend toward colors is a vintage feel: dusty lavenders, pale pinks, blush tones, antiquey fabrics,” Pearson said.

Short bridesmaid dresses are inching out long dresses with the hope they can be

worn again. Vibrant colors and jewel tones are popular. Black bridesmaid dresses are still classic, but many are choosing gray tones instead. Shades of gray are also popular for grooms and groomsmen.

Krystle Sell and Regan Pearson model a Mori Lee wedding dress and Savvi tuxedo at Valerie’s Bridal in Mankato.

Photos by John Cross

Valerie Pearson (left), owner of Valerie’s Bridal, fits Krystle Sell into a popular fit-n-flare style dress.

Vintage colors are stylish in groom’s colors.

Pictured is Regan Pearson with a splash of dragonfruit color.

The Flowers

Grooms are more involved in choosing the wedding flowers and flowers are more personalized and unique than ever before, said Kathy Van Tol, manager of Hilltop Florist and Greenhouse in Mankato.

Many brides desire a simple and natural look, especially in outdoor weddings and

Photo by John Cross

Kathy Van Tol, manager of Hilltop Florist and Greenhouse, says burlap, branches, flower pods and pine cones can add texture to a flower arrangement.

22 varieties of beer on tap

OPEN MIC MONDAY

2nd and last Monday of every month

125 S 3rd Street St. Peter 507-931-9051

unique venues. Burlap is a material that’s often incorporated into the flowers.

Branches, flower pods, leaves and white pine cones can provide texture, too.

“You’ll see that woodsy, natural look,” said Van Tol. “People are using succulent plants blended in their bouquets for an earthy look.”

As in dresses, vintage style bouquets are also popular. Roses, hydrangeas and peonies work well.

“Brides may include heirloom jewelry and brooches in their own flowers and soft, pretty colors,” said Van Tol. Cors ages and boutonnières have become tailored and smaller in scale. Body flowers that can be worn on the wrist, ankle or a sash are a popular alternative to corsages.

Tuesday Pub Trivia Karaoke Wednesday Live Music

www.patrickson3rdstpeter.com

Every Sunday 4pm-7pm

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 27

The Photos N

issa Olson, owner of Nissa NaKia Photography in Mankato, is known not only for her wedding photography, but also for her Little Black Book and Rock the Dress sessions.

The Little Black Book is a boudoir photo session that many brides do as a gift for their grooms. At first, many brides find the idea of sexy photos a little scary, but what begins as a gift for their groom usually ends up being a gift for the bride, explained Olson.

“I know what it does for women. It’s empowering. Their self esteem goes through the roof,” said Olson. “You don’t have to lose that 10 pounds or be a size two. You need to celebrate who you are or what you are right now.”

Olson tells brides to choose clothes or lingerie they feel confident in. She suggests one outfit that has something to do with their groom’s profession or hobby — a mechanic shirt, police badge or team jersey. During the session, both the lighting and poses are flattering.

“I am super careful about making sure it’s done with class,” said Olson.

Rock the Dress is a popular post-wedding trend. These magazine-style photos are done at parks, waterfalls, woods, fields, old barns and buildings. The more texture the better.

“It’s more editorial. You can’t get those images on the day of the wedding,” said Olson. “They can take the time and do more posing, high-end photos and remote Photo courtesy of Decadent Desserts

Small cakes with cupcakes and bite-size treats are have become popular wedding desserts. “We do a lot of bite-size cheese cakes, cake pops and cupcakes — it’s a dessert table,” said Amy Otto, owner of Decadent Desserts.

28 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

locations.”

While Olson takes many traditional photos on the wedding day, most couples want some artistic and unique photos — often shots they’ve seen on Pinterest.

Photos courtesy of Nissa NaKia Photography

Nissa Olson, owner of Nissa NaKia Photography, offers so-called “Rock the Dress” and “Little Black Book” photo sessions that provide a somewhat edgier wedding photo option.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 29

Photo by John Cross

Tiffany Ward, owner of Indulge Salon & Tanning, said many brides are opting for “softer, more natural” looks.

The Hair B

raids, low buns, looser curls, soft waves and flowers weaved into the hair lend a romantic look. Veils are placed beneath the buns as opposed to atop the head. Some brides are even wearing their hair down and short hair can look bridal, too.

“Brides are going for a softer, more natural, pretty look,” said Tiffany Ward, owner of Indulge Salon & Tanning in North Mankato. Most brides try out the style pre-wedding. Sometimes the bride will schedule the appointment when they have a shower or bachelorette party so they look beautiful for that event too, explained Ward.

30 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Known as the bridal salon, Indulge Salon offers wedding-day services for brides, their bridal party and mothers of the bride and groom. The salon staffs up to six stylists for hair and make-up on the big day.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to hang out and get a good start for the day,” said Ward. “The day of the wedding, we just want the bride to relax.”

The Venue D

estination weddings are on the decline, but outdoor and unique venues are on the upswing. Parks, backyards, lakeshores and golf clubs are popular choices for ceremonies and receptions. The newest destinations are local vineyards.

In 2012, Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery in Kasota hosted a number of weddings. The setting makes for gorgeous photos: a wedding party in the vineyard; a bride and groom on a bridge; a wedding dress hanging in front of wine barrels.

“Brides are looking for a non-typical wedding or experience. They can come out here and experience something different,” said Jane Schwickert, general manager of Chankaska Creek. “It really is a destination and beautiful venue to have a wedding.”

One wedding was celebrated solely on property. The groom’s dinner was in the Chankaska Barrel Room, the ceremony was at Chankaska Forest and the reception was at Chankaska Creekside. The Barrel Room is often used for the bridal changing room too.

As interest in winemaking grows, guests look forward to a wedding at a winery. Sometimes couples will place a bottle of wine on the table for guests to enjoy.

“It adds a Minnesota flavor and elegance, too,” said Schwickert.

Photos courtesy of Joe Vruno and Chankaska Creek

Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery in Kasota is one of the area’s newest wedding venues.

When ordinary just won’t cut it...

Your Ring Your Way! Local Goldsmith - Patty Conlin www.stonesthrowgallery.org 507.934.5655 420 N. Minnesota Ave, St. Peter MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 31

Lovebirds

By Nick Reller Attn: Amy Krueger, Director Beschfeld County Humane Society Ms. Krueger, This is regarding the bonded pair of Lovebirds that were given to your shelter last month (Feb. 21st). Surely, by now, Connor and Tilly have settled in and perhaps they have even attracted some fans (Have you played the Righteous Brothers tape for them yet? Tracks one and four are their favorites.). You see, they are every bit as healthy and well-adjusted as I claimed over the phone.

Thirty years of marriage (to a textbook understater) has taught me not to overstate an already good thing!

I know the matter has been settled, but I want to discuss what happened the day the birds arrived. The young ladies employed at your shelter must be sharing all kinds of stories about the crazy-haired woman (I had just switched conditioners) who made a scene abandoning her Lovebirds while you were out attending your pitbull adoption event at the mall.

Let me tell you I am mortified that you had to be called on your cell phone in the middle of such important work.

I was clearly upset when I spoke to you, and, as you know, it had to do with what I interpreted as very judgmental treatment by your staff (Tiffany). I’d inferred, based on her heavy sighing and somewhat insulting questions about my birds (Yes, I know they’re fruit-eaters.

They’ve been picking raspberries from my husband’s breakfast cereal for over a decade!), that your staff assumed I was ridding myself of a Valentine’s Day gift that hadn’t “worked out.” Evidently, I presented myself as a person who struggles with commitment, but anyone who knows me will insist otherwise. Ask either of my sisters, on their third and fourth marriages, respectively.

Connor and Tilly were never given as gifts. I bought them for myself fourteen years ago after extensive research and preparation. I will not deny that they were in a state of high theatrics when I dropped them off at your shelter, and that, set to the right music, the 32 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

scene could very well have been used in one of the animal cruelty ads that have become so popular. There was screeching, and panting, and banging into metal bars. Green and yellow feathers were everywhere, and we were all a bit traumatized from the car trip. Yes, it’s all true. But it’s no indication of the home the birds came from.

Ours is a peaceful home, especially since our retirement. Until last month, jingling bird toys were the house’s main source of sound, besides the TV (usually afternoon murder mysteries).

Please find the enclosed picture of our heated sunroom, where the birds spent fourteen years in their (four-thousand-dollar) cage, preening each other in the dappled shade of a potted ficus. On occasion, they entertained guests, friends of ours, who sat in the wicker furniture with glasses of white wine and slipped the birds cashews between songs.

We always said they were in love. Of course that was the game we played.

They are Lovebirds, after all. (Have you seen some of the costumes sold in Lovebird sizes?

Sonny and Cher, etc.) But as years passed, our semi-regular visitors s w o r e t h e y could see a real

progression in the relationship, and began treating this love between our birds with the sort of reverence that (certain people might say) ought to be saved for human love. My husband stopped forcing them into their costumes, because he didn’t want to embarrass them in front of each other. And I always hated those costumes, but I will come right out and say that I find the love idea a little on the goofy side, considering the difficulty that even very normal and competent humans sometimes have with it.

wanted us to spend two full weeks without talking to each other.

Our love was buried by our language, he said, or something to that effect. Think of the countless marriages that end due to a lack of talking (My sisters wrote the book on it!), and here my husband had gotten this idea in his head. This was 1977. My husband’s beard covered most of his face (see enclosed photo), but look at those Paul McCartney eyes! Very expressive, I know, but a person simply cannot speak — cannot manage a relationship — with his eyes the same way he can with words. Call me a downer. I couldn’t keep a straight face with him moving his eyebrows at me, his eyes shining, him breathing like an animal.

Here is where you may or may not tear this letter up, depending on what kind of animal lover you are. In my experience, there are two types: Ones who say animals can do anything humans can do (like love), and ones who find it more I once timed respectful to treat animals as animals.

them at 17 solid minutes spent face to face on a piece of grapevine, bobbing their heads to an unheard and unbroken rhythm.

What does that mean?

For the past few years, we haven’t had many people around, and it would have been difficult for my husband and me to notice any changes in bird behavior, as we were seeing them every day. But let me ask you this: Have you witnessed the head bobbing yet? If so, you are lucky, as they are extremely private about it. I could only catch glimpses of this ritual by setting up a mirror outside the sunroom, so I could watch their reflection from the kitchen without being seen (Pass that tip on to their new family, if you don’t mind.). I once timed them at 17 solid minutes spent face to face on a piece of grapevine, bobbing their heads to an unheard and unbroken rhythm. What does that mean? They don’t make a sound, they just bob and bob, in a trance, heads cocked to look each other in the eye. What reason does a bird have to look into another bird’s eye? Is it parasite related? I don’t doubt that there is a reason, but I’d like to hear an expert’s take on it, because it is very easy, especially with the number of children’s movies out there, to say “love” when we don’t really know.

I’m sure you’re aware of a belief, held by some in your field, that animals are somehow better than humans — deeper or more pure. In fact, I saw a bumper sticker in your shelter’s parking lot that says the only true love is a Labrador retriever’s love. And tha’s fine. It’s a very nice thought, but I don’t believe it’s helpful for people to take it too much to heart. And it can be very hard not to take something to heart when it’s such a prevalent idea.

What were we trying to accomplish? Why does love always have to be about “animal passions”? What’s wrong with talking? What else do we have, anyway? How’s a person supposed to love you if you won’t talk? What are we supposed to do, bob up and down looking at each other? Is that all it takes after all this time?

In short, I appreciate your taking the time to read this letter. Understand that my choice to surrender the Lovebirds has nothing to do with their personal qualities. For my own reasons, I could no longer keep them inside this house. Please see that Connor and Tilly are not split up. Science aside, they were made for each other.

Sincerely, Barb Hammond M Nick Reller is a third-year student in Minnesota State University’s master’s program in creative writing.

Reller’s story “The Alien” was published by Fifth Wednesday Journal in 2010.

Even my husband, the ever practical, can be susceptible to this sort of thinking. During our engagement (a million years ago), he

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

OLD MAIN VILLAGE

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 33

Things

to do,

Places

to go

February 1-9 • Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 1-2 and Feb. 8-9; 2 p.m. on Feb. 3 • Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center, Bethany Lutheran College • $8 adults; $5 children, students and seniors • blc.edu

11 • Youth Summit 6-9 p.m. • Verizon Wireless Center • free greatermankatoevents.com

21-28 • “And Then There Were None” 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21-23; and 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 • Minnesota State University, Andreas Theatre • $16 regular, $14 discounted, $11 MSU students • www.mnsu.edu/theatre

2-10 • “Spring Awakening” 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 1-2 and Feb. 6-9; 2 p.m.

Feb. 3, 9 and 10 • Minnesota State University, Andreas Theatre $22 regular, $19 discounted, $15 MSU students • www.mnsu.edu/theatre 2 •Mankato Symphony Orchestra presents “Mozart in Me” 11 a.m. • YMCA exercise room 1401 S. Riverfront Drive, Mankato • Adults $36, students under 18 $18 • www.mankatosymphony.com 2 • Brantley Gilbert “Hell on Wheels Tour” 7:30 p.m. • Verizon Wireless Center • $37 general admission, $29.75 and $24.75 for reserved seating • verizonwirelesscentermn.com 4 • Tracy Silverman electric violinist 7:30 p.m. • Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $12 general admission, $11 MSU students • 389-5549 5 • A Year of Bach 7:30 p.m. • Gustavus Adolphus, Bjorling Recital Hall • free • www.gustavustickets.com, • 507-933-7590 8-10 • RV & Outdoor Sports Show 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 8-9; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 10 • Verizon Wireless Center • free • verizonwirelesscentermn.com 9 • Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet 7:30 p.m. • Hooligans Pub, Madison East Center • $25 advance, $30 at the door • 389-5549

34 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

21 • New Music Recital 7 p.m. • Trinity Chapel, Bethany Lutheran College •free • blc.edu

12 • The Barley Jacks 7:30 p.m. • Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $15 general admission, $13 MSU students • 389-5549

21-24 “The Government Inspector” 8 p.m. Feb. 21-23, 2 p.m. Feb. 24 • Gustavus Adolphus, Anderson Theatre • $9 adults, $6 seniors and students • www.gustavustickets.com, • 507-933-7590

14 • “The Newlywed Murder” 6-9 p.m. • The Loose Moose Saloon & Conference Center 119 S. Front St., Mankato • $45 before Feb. 2, $50 after Feb. 2 • greatermankatoevents.com

22 • Hairball 7:30 p.m. • Verizon Wireless Center • $15 in advance, $20 at the door • verizonwirelesscentermn.com

14-17 • Camper Show 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 14-16; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 17 • River Hills Mall • free • www.greatermankatoevents.com 17 • An Afternoon of Drama in Music 3 p.m. • Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $9 general admission, $7 students and children • 389-5549 19 • Chiarina Piano Quartet 7:30 p.m. • Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $12 general admission, $11 MSU students • 389-5549 21 • Bunny Just Piano Festival, Rickey Nye 7:30 p.m. • Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $12 general admission, $11 MSU students • 389-5549

23 • Baby & Kids Expo 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Verizon Wireless Center free • greatermankatoevents.com 23-24 • River Hills Home & Lifestyle Show 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 23, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 • River Hills Mall • free • greatermankatoevents.com 24 • Bunny Just Piano Festival, Jay Hershberger, classical pianist 7:30 p.m. • Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $12 general admission, $11 MSU students • 389-5549 25 • “A Year of Bach” presents Laura Cavani 7:30-9:30 p.m. • Gustavus Adolphus, Bjorling Recital Hall • free • gustavus.edu 26 • Concert Bands 7:30 p.m. Minnesota State University, Halling Recital Hall • $9 general admission, $7 MSU students • 389-5549

Happy Hour

By Jason Wilson Special

to

The Washington Post

Ginger: The next big liqueur

The liqueur business has always seemed strange and unpredictable. In the 1980s, who could have guessed that Jagermeister would grow to be so ubiquitous? Ever since then, so many would-be liqueur tycoons have attemped to duplicate the Jagermeister model.

So what is the next liqueur success story?

I predict it will come in the suddenly burgeoning ginger liqueur category.

Companies have already begun flocking to the ginger category, including Art in the Age with its Snap and DeKuyper’s ginger spirit, part of its “Mixologist Collection.”

In my opinion, the best ginger liqueur is the deliciously spicy and tingling King’s Ginger, which also has the rich back story of having been created by London’s Berry Bros. & Rudd in the early 20th century for King Edward VII. The King’s Ginger launched in the U.S. in 2012. What sets it apart is its higher proof (82), which brings bigger flavor to cocktails.

As with any liqueur flavor, ginger is still searching for its application in a truly classic cocktail. I’ve used it in recipes such as the Gingered Rum Toddy and the Joe Riley to

good effect. And I’ve experimented along with rye in a Manhattan variation, the recipe for which is provided here.

Ginger Hearts Rye

Rye and ginger make a classic pair. This is a gingery take on a Manhattan, with a ginger liqueur replacing the vermouth.

Ingredients Ice 2 ounces rye whiskey 1 ounce ginger liqueur, such as the King’s Ginger or Domaine de Canton 1 dash bitters Quarter-size slice unpeeled or peeled ginger root Steps Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice. Add the rye whiskey, ginger liqueur and bitters. Stir vigorously, then strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Rub the ginger around the edge of the glass, then use it to garnish the drink. M

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 35

Garden Chat

By Jean Lundquist

Dangling the carrot Seed catalogs have me dreaming of spring, carrots

A

lot of what I know about gardening and seed varieties, I’ve learned from reading seed catalogs. Or, actually, from devouring them.

Each winter, I buy seeds thinking I’ll be set for the next year and not have to buy any seeds at all. John Scheeper’s Kitchen Garden Seeds catalog tells me how long the seeds are viable. Most should be viable at least two seasons, and many for longer periods of time.

Others are more delicate and won’t germinate after the year it is packed. That’s why, by federal law, each seed packet must be printed or stamped with the year it is first offered and packed . But one thing I had not gleaned from these information-packed catalogs is what the heck a Nantes type carrot is.

Nantes is a city in France, but that doesn’t tell me what type of carrot I’m looking at.

Another type of carrot is Chantenay.

Again, Chantenay is a city in France.

Early this year while I was devouring a catalog at the kitchen table on a very cold but sunny day, the heavens opened and departed carrot information to me.

Since carrots are the second most popular vegetable grown across the globe after potatoes, I figured there might be some interest in this topic. Who doesn’t like a nice, crunchy carrot dipped in a little Schwarma Sauce?

In the Minnesota River Valley, there are two general types of soil in our gardens, with little in between. I have heavy clay soil, and frankly, carrots don’t much like it.

36 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

The other type is a softer sandy soil that carrots can dig into, figuratively, if not literally.

Nantes carrots are the same diameter from shoulder to end, with little if any tapering. They do well in tough soils like mine, and seldom fork. Though they are good at burrowing in, they do not turn tough, nor do their cores turn woody or pithy very easily. This is the type I like to grow.

Also, because they are so uniform, if you can’t bear to thin them out to the recommended spacing, they aren’t likely to twine and grow around each other.

A few years back I found the Mokum carrot, a Nantes type, and fell in love. For a while, it seemed to be available in every catalog I picked up.

This year, I found it in only one.

Now, I enjoy Mokum carrots enough to buy just that one item from a catalog, but I do so hate to spend more for shipping and handling than I spend for the seeds I’m buying.

So I kept shopping.

A carrot variety every catalog is touting as “new” this year is one called Yaya. Yaya is a Nantes type carrot, and is compared favorably to Mokum in carrot forums online. (Yes, I found carrot forums).

In addition to being sweet, crunchy and not going woody or pithy, “Yaya” is said to be a sweet term for “Grandma” in

Greece. That definition made me feel warm on that winter’s day, and I pushed aside the catalog with Mokum carrots.

I’ll let you know how Yaya and I get along this season.

Chantenay type carrots also grow to a blunt end, but have broader shoulders and taper to the end. They also have a tendency to have their cores go woody or pithy if left in the ground too long.

If you want to grow the long, slender carrots you find in the grocery store, you’d better be growing in sandy soil so the carrots don’t have to work too hard to grow to that length. They are Imperator types, and will fork and generally disappoint in heavy soils. Even in light soil, it must be well worked to the depth of 12 inches or more.

If you really like carrots and are thinking of starting them indoors and transplanting them into your garden for an earlier crop, let me tell you that’s a bad idea.

Carrots hate to be disturbed once they start growing, and will always repay you by giving you forked tubers. Plant them, and then leave them alone except to weed them. They are a loner among vegetables, and don’t appreciate attention like transplanting — lovingly intended or not.

There is also a Danvers type carrot. It’s good in heavy soil, but perhaps not as crunchy. And there is a Planet type.

These grow short and round, such as a

Thumbelina carrot.

Enjoy your catalogs now, while the only gardening you can do is in your dreams. Then, happy carroting! M

Jean Lundquist is a master gardener who lives near Good Thunder.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 37

Get Out!

By Rachael Hanel

Singing the beauty of a ‘gijipo’ winter F

or snow enthusiasts, this winter (as of this writing) is a bit better than last year’s winter. At least through the end of December, we had enough snow on the ground to support skis, snowshoes, and snowmobiles.

Communities of fish houses were forming thanks to a run of cold temperatures.

But we’re getting to that point of winter where the snow can start to look dingy. The powder of freshly fallen snow quickly mixes with sand and salt on the roads. The brownish mix doesn’t do much to warm our hearts when we look outside.

But if you can get off the main tracks, away from where vehicles desecrate a good snow pack, you can reclaim the beauty of the winter.

I came across some writing recently that reminded me of the beauty this season provides. These writers are intimately familiar with the winter season, for they live deep within it. Jim dale HuotVickery resided for years deep in the woods near Ely, Minn. Sam Cook is the outdoors writer for the News-Tribune in Duluth, a veritable paradise for which to enjoy winter. Huot-Vickery and Cook have written books that celebrate winter, both published by the University of Minnesota Press: “Winter Sign” and “Up North,” respectively.

Huot-Vickery writes of the complicated relationship many of us have with the season that can bring bitter cold and relentless blizzards: “Winter hunts us with its cold and haunts us with its beauty.

Such is winter a mistress to reckon with: white wicked yet alluring: to be avoided even as we embrace her. And so it is we move between soul and soul, our own and that of a season, hoping the two flow together into something we can live with. Like all love-hate relationships, we twist and turn, sigh with pleasure or cringe with pain, yet we are taken by winter in the end. We have no choice. We can only surrender, as I did.”

We often hear about the many words the Inuit have for snow.

But Huot-Vickery tells us that the Ojibwe of northern Minnesota also described snow in many different ways.

“There was, at least in the old days, sogipo: It snows.

Ishpagonaga: There is much snow. Bissipo: It snows in small flakes. Bidipo: A snowstorm is coming. Biwipo: The snow begins to cover the ground. Bimipo: A snowstorm passes by. Onabanad: The snow is crusty hard. Nin ningwano: I am covered with snow.

Nin kijobike: I melt snow for water. Nin mamitaam: I walk in snow without snowshoes. And gijipo: It snowed enough.

Gijipo: A word that many of us would like to use, I think.

But even if you’re not a fan of snow, you’ve still probably had that moment of appreciation when you see how the first light snowfall coats everything with a gentle quiet. Have you ever looked closely at a snowflake and realized how completely magical they are? Huot-Vickery understands the mystery: “The process of crystallography might be understood, but there is no logical reason for the existence of a snow crystal. They come to us magically, mysteriously, and always wrapped in beauty.

Because of this, whether snow falls on the lashes of a beautiful woman, on the ground beneath night sky, or on the backs of deer and wolves as they go about their way, we’re left with an abiding sense of wonder. It’s an awesome sense, a bitter-sweet resonance, strong enough to soften the edge of darkness and melt the hardest heart.”

Sam Cook also writes several times about the magic of winter in “Up North.” On a dogsled trip, he gets a winter view that few of us have the privilege to see: “The moon was up and nearly full,” Cook writes. “Then the northern lights appeared, a pale green arc across the northern sky. Wisps of green haze would shoot skyward from the arc, twisting and writhing, then retreat again.”

What I like best about Cook’s book is that he implores us to put away our hectic schedules and take time to explore.

“Our lives are couched in comfort, cloistered with convenience.

Rarely do we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in an experience that lets us look inside our souls, to explore our boundaries, to flirt with the unknown. Even more rarely do we seize those opportunities when they are presented.”

We live in an amazing state, Cook says, and I agree. He writes, “We have some big country out our back door. We have four stimulating seasons in which to encounter it. We have a wealth of people willing to take us there.”

The last line of “Up North” sums up everything perfectly: “Go. Get out there. Feel the wind. Taste the rain. Feel the magic.” M

Rachael Hanel is a writer in Madison Lake. Her book, “We’ll Be the Last Ones to Let You Down: Memoir of a Gravedigger’s Daughter,” will be available in March from the University of Minnesota Press. She tweets at @rachael18.

38 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

MANKATO MAGAZINE • FEbruary 2013 • 39

That’s Life

By Nell Musolf

Mr. Leather and me A love story told in light, circular movements

A

fter watching our two sons go through three fabric-covered sofas, one futon and enough bean bag chairs to encircle the planet, my husband Mark and I decided to give leather a try.

Not in any freaky “50 Shades of Grey” kind of way, but as in leather furniture. We hoped that something as tough as leather would last forever, or at least until the kids got places of their own — whichever came first.

So we went to to one of the local furniture stores and picked out a very sturdy, almost industrial strength-looking leather sofa. Having decorated all of the homes we’ve ever owned in Early Relative accented with assorted thrift shop treasures, it was great fun choosing a new couch. Watching it be moved into our house wasn’t quite so entertaining.

40 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Not being the type of person who carries a tape measure in her purse (or one who even knows where I might find a tape measure in our house), I took a long, hard look at the couch I wanted in the furniture store and decided that it was probably the right size. The emphasis here is on the word “probably.”

It wasn’t until the sofa was delivered that I realized it was huge. As in any member of the NBA would be comfortable on it huge. (I’m now convinced that whoever designs leather furniture knows only three sizes: huge, huger and hugest.)

The instant that the movers finished maneuvering it into position, I realized two more things: 1) The couch was never going to be moved out; and 2) Leather requires some serious upkeep.

One of the movers handed me a box containing leather-care products. There was a bottle of stuff to clean the leather and another to keep it supple.

“You want your leather to look young and pretty, don’t you?” the mover asked.

Sure, I did. But after reading the directions, I started to have some serious doubts about how young and pretty I was willing to keep it. We had bought a 7-footlong monster and I was supposed to “buff with light, circular movements” — on a monthly basis?

The instructions insisted that I make sure the cleaning product foamed as I applied it, that I didn’t rub the conditioning product into the couch too hard, and that I check for any appearance change by test spotting with the cleaner and conditioner before cleaning and conditioning the whole dang couch.

It was instantly apparent to me this couch was going to get a whole lot more tender loving care than anything — or anyone — else in our house.

The first time I tackled cleaning Mr. Leather, as the sofa became known, I approached it with the

trepidation of a brand new dental hygienist approaching her first patient who just happens to be Jaws of James Bond fame.

Cleaning and conditioning Mr. Leather took the better part of an entire weekend.

But when I was done, I have to admit he positively gleamed with the vibrancy of good health and attention.

“Wow,” Mark commented upon seeing my handiwork. “That looks really nice.”

Then he committed the cardinal sin of sitting down on Mr. Leather.

“Don’t do that!” I screeched.

Startled, Mark leaped to his feet. “Don’t do what?”

“Don’t sit on Mr. Leather!”

“Aren’t people supposed to sit on sofas?”

“In theory, yes. In practice, I just spent almost my whole weekend polishing and buffing Mr. Leather and I don’t want anyone sitting on him.”

Mark has been married to me long enough to know that reason and I are seldom best friends so he left me alone to bask in Mr. Leather’s glow.

Several years have passed since Mr. Leather joined our family and he still looks great. Of course, the frame is starting to go. (Probably because of one son’s habit of flopping on the couch as if he were performing a wrestling move.) And there’s a distinct sag in Mr. Leather’s midsection.

(Our other son is responsible for that. He seems to believe that it’s against some law of nature to sit anywhere other than the precise middle of the couch while playing video games.)

But, hey, the leather looks great. Young, supple and a lot firmer than the person who cleans and conditions it once a month.

Lately I’ve been thinking about trying a little of that cleaner and conditioner on myself. I might discover a whole new line of beauty products. They’re pretty easy to apply, not too expensive and best of all, you’d only have to use them once a month.

M

Nell Musolf is a mom and a freelance writer from Mankato.

Faces & Places

Photos By Sport Pix

Christmas at the Hubbard House

1

1. Visitors to the Hubbard House check out the dining room, complete with an original Tiffany light fixture.

2. Cyrus Brave Heart played the piano and Grace Webb sang as visitors entered the house.

3. Gerald Veaux portrayed a worker in the study at the Hubbard House.

4. Alex Oldenburg and Laura Garlow played the Hubbard daughters.

5. Susan Hynes played Mrs. James Cannon and showed visitors the master bedroom.

6. Guests enter the completely restored Hubbard House which was state of the art in its time.

7. Marta Arch entertained visitors in the prep area near the dining room.

2

4

3

5

6

7

MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 41

Faces & Places

Photos By Sport Pix

betsy tacy victorian christmas

1

1. Betsy and Tibb, played by Leah Klammer and Halle Blais respectively, read a Christmas story in their bedroom.

2. Leah Klammer, portraying Betsy, decorates the Christmas tree with her friends.

3. Betsy’s home decorated for the holiday season.

4. Susie Abramson and her children Tilly and Max drove down from Roseville to see the historical Christmas

re-enactment. They just began reading the Betsy Tacy books.

5. Isabella Stading as “Tacy” sewing alongside the Christmas tree.

6. Betsy’s mother, Mrs. Ray, played by Renata Olson.

3

2

4

42 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

5

6

Faces & Places

Photos By Sport Pix

Toys for tots

1

1. Sue and Kristin Thompson help to sort out holiday gifts.

2. Dozens of volunteers sort through toys for families in need.

3. Jordan Bonnifield and Sue Krueger team up to pick out presents.

4. Jeff Wenninger takes time out of his day to help families in need to enjoy the holiday season.

5. Pvt. Stanley of the USMC was the greeter at the door of the armory.

6. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus even brought an elf along for the event.

7. Jacob, Rheanna and Joshua Worlds take a break from sorting gifts.

2

5

3

6

4

7

MANKATO MAGAZINE • FEbruary 2013 • 43

The Way It Is

By Pete Steiner

Of hamburger-ology and cooking up change ••••

T

his is a story about three young women who made a bit of history without ever intending it. While they certainly were not Rosa Parks — 45 years ago, Candy Curtis, Becky Routh, and Kathy Thatcher were about to crash through a big barrier in the newly emerging fast food industry.

The story actually begins in 1964, when Robby’s became the first chain fastfood outlet to open in Mankato. Ray Kroc was still working on his first billion hamburgers sold, and his McDonald’s chain was a couple years from opening a store in Mankato. Bell’s on the Madison Avenue hilltop and Smorgy’s, at Front and Madison, were experimenting with fast food, too, but they were independents.

Robby’s put up a building across from Mankato High School (before there was an East or West.) On the lot where a DQ now stands, the new structure’s roof looked like an artsy “W”, or perhaps an inverted “M”.

Bud Lawrence, who was doing well in the dairy business, got talked into managing the new Robby’s.

“I wasn’t sure about it,” he tells an interviewer. “I had to really think about it. But it turned out to be a good move.”

Ultimately there would be three Robby’s locations in Mankato.

The 1960’s were an era of dramatic change on many fronts, with the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution, and protests against the Vietnam war. So it seems strange now to recall a time when women could not be hired to work in fast food restaurants.

44 • February 2013 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Ro b b y ’s slogan was “thrifty prices, tasty food.”

A person could get a lot to eat for a dollar or less.

On the “ M o n e y Saver Menu,” coffee was 10 cents. Milk, 15 cents. A triple -thick shake, just 20 c e n t s .

G o l d e n French fries cost only 12 cents, and those pure Photo by John Cross b e e f Robby’s was Mankato’s first fast food chain when it opened in 1964. Later, it hamburgers, broke barriers by being the first fast food chain in Minnesota to hire women. always ready question, he called his superior, Roger to go, were just 15 cents each. They cut Peters, who said he had no objection to and ground their own meat every morning hiring women. Bud then got back to before the 11 a.m. opening, striving for DECA and said, send the girls over. He’s just 20 percent fat. They called the proud of that memory: “We were the first system, “Hamburger-ology.” in Minnesota!”

One day, Miss Vida Alexander, who Getting wind of it, a competitor called headed up the DECA program at the high to question the move. “He told me he school, gave Bud a call. DECA provided would not even hire his own wife to wash credit for students while they gained dishes,” Bud recalls. work experience. Alexander asked He reassured the caller that the wife Lawrence why there were no girls was not being considered for a job at working at Robby’s? She said she had Robby’s. The competitor was not the only three good girl students willing to work one flabbergasted. When Bud’s assistant there. manager got word that he’d soon be In spite of all the cultural earthquakes working with females, he said, if a girl in progress, 1967 was still very much a came to work, he would be out the door. man’s world. “All the doctors were men, Bud remembers him saying, “It’s OK to mail carriers were male,” Bud grins, “(but dance with girls, but not to work with a woman) could be a waitress at a full them!” service restaurant.”

When Candy, Becky and Kathy actually On the other hand, national fast food walked through the door, as promised, chains were not hiring women. “Fast food the assistant manager, along with two was culturally male,” is what Bud told other male co-workers, walked out. Kathy Free Press reporter Sherry Crawford in a Devens remembers wondering, “What 1994 article. did we get ourselves into?” It was nearly Seeking an answer to Miss Alexander’s

time for hungry high schoolers looking for fast food to pour in from across the street.

That first noon-hour rush was a trial by fire, but Candy recalled she stood there proudly, smiling in her little white cap and white blouse, doing her best to get everyone’s order.

Classmates were surprised to see girls behind the counter, but Lawrence says he noticed right away, “The customers liked the girls!

They made a big difference.”

Dress in

e l y t S

COMFORT and

•••• The girls really didn’t feel like they were breaking barriers. As the three male employees walked out the door, never to return, Candy says, “I thought they were kidding! It was foolish of them to quit.”

She believes to this day they would have worked together well. For the girls, the pay — nearly a dollar an hour — was way better than the 25 cents an hour they’d gotten for babysitting.

The girls had to do everything from cooking the burgers to sweeping up the outside lot. “If you got time to lean, you got time to clean,” was the slogan.

“Bud was a good manager,” Candy smiles, “he stuck up for us.”

In fact, he soon offered her the post vacated by the leader of the boys who quit: the official title she inherited was “Man in charge.”

Today she laughs at the irony. Though they would get opportunity for advancement in the chain, the three girls chose paths after graduation that kept them in Mankato.

By 1975, Robby’s was history: all three locations had been taken over by Hardee’s.

But there are still reminders. Bud displays an ashtray with a logo. He says they always made sure they were put out to re-enforce the brand.

“We were hoping people would steal them — and they did.”

In fact, Candy says she found a Robby’s ashtray not long ago at a garage sale. She bought it for a quarter. M

Pete Steiner is host of “Talk of the Town” weekdays at 1:05 p.m. on KTOE.

COMPLETE DEDICATION, COMPLETE SATISFACTION.

Schwickert’s Home Service is your single source for heating, ventilating, air conditioning, roofing, electrical, plumbing, gutters and radon and indoor air quality testing, whenyou need it.

As a valued customer, you will enjoy superior service and complete satisfaction 24/7.

330 Poplar Street, Mankato, MN | 888-724-9421| schwickerts.com MANKATO MAGAZINE • February 2013 • 45