Mankato Magazine

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? We caught up with Stan Christ and a few others you may have been wondering about

also in this issue: Tea tastings at CURIOSI-TEA Get to know JENI KOLSTAD An essay on grief by ANN FEE Stan Christ DECEMBER 2019

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FEATURE S DECEMBER 2019 Volume 14, Issue 12

20

Where are they now?

Ever found yourself wondering “What ever happened to so and so?” Us too.

So we tracked a few of them down.

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Tea time

Good grief

Coffee may still be the drink of choice for hipsters, but high-end tea is slowly but surely converting folks one cup at a time.

The losses of Jonathan Zierdt, Eric Barnes and Jessica Flatequal took a toll on the community.

Could elevating them, at least in our community memory, to deity status help? Couldn’t hurt.

ABOUT THE COVER Stan Christ’s name has been synonymous in this community with secrecy and intrigue.

He was tracked down and photographed for our cover by Pat Christman, Private Eye. MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 3

DEPARTMENTS 6 From the Editor 8 Faces & Places 12 This Day in History 13 Avant Guardians Abby McGinnis

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14 Beyond the Margin

Race across the political landscape

16 Familiar Faces Jeni Kolstad

18 Day Trip Destinations A Sconi Christmas

14

34 Wine

Chardonnay: the white wine Americans love to hate

37 Beer

Sour ladies and mad uncles

38 That’s Life

Text to me baby!

18

40 Garden Chat

37

Adventures in monarching

42 Coming Attractions 44 Community Draws

Partners for Affordable Housing

48 From This Valley

The annual Christmas letter

38 4 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 5

FROM THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

By Robb Murray

DECEMBER 2019 • VOLUME 14, ISSUE 12 PUBLISHER Steve Jameson EDITOR Joe Spear ASSOCIATE Robb Murray EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS Bert Mattson James Figy Jean Lundquist Kat Baumann Leigh Pomeroy Nell Musolf Pete Steiner Ann Rosenquist Fee Grace Brandt PHOTOGRAPHERS Pat Christman Jackson Forderer

PAGE DESIGNER Christina Sankey ADVERTISING Danny Creel SALES Joan Streit Jordan Greer-Friesz Josh Zimmerman Marianne Carlson Theresa Haefner ADVERTISING Barb Wass ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Sue Hammar DESIGNERS Christina Sankey CIRCULATION Justin Niles DIRECTOR

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For editorial inquiries, call Robb Murray at 344-6386, or e-mail rmurray@mankatofreepress.com.

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6 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Tracking people down, asking the tough questions

M

y f i r s t j o b a t a re a l newspaper was at a little publication called the Mankato Free Press. And my first beat was the crime beat.

I loved the crime beat. When you’re young and fired up about journalism and the First Amendment, the crime beat is the best place for you. Fires, violence, mayhem … I was like a kid in a candy store. That might explain why the newest people in the newsroom always get put on the crime beat; it takes energy and drive, not to mention a distinct lack of children in the house, to justify running out to cover a fire at 6 a.m., or a murder clear across the county that comes in way after 5 p.m. (My favorite thing about being a reporter was covering a murder on the outskirts of the coverage area. When that happened, the stakes were high.

You had to use all the tools available to you as a journalist, as well as every lesson you’d ever learned about interpersonal communication.

Everyone’s a stranger. Deadlines loomed. The story was tragic, but doing my job in those situations was electrifying.)

The very first police chief I ever dealt with was a man named Glenn Gabriel. I had no idea who he was, but I was told he could be, well, prickly. And he was. And wasn’t.

Like anyone else, the way he treated me depended on the day. Some days he had little patience for my rookie reporter questions, and other days he’d walk me through their budget or year-end crime numbers, going slowly to make sure I understood everything.

I liked Glenn. He was a bit volatile.

And he didn’t always like the way I told the story. But he never once avoided me, which is more than I can say for other law enforcement in our region. He always picked up the phone when I called. For a journalist, that’s gold. Having a source you KNOW you’ll be able to reach when you need them is everything. Makes your life easier.

When we decided to do a “Where Are They Now” piece, one of the first

names that I thought of was Glenn’s.

First, his tenure here was full of drama, for sure. But I also knew he’d answer the phone (or, as is the case in our modern times, a Facebook message). And he didn’t disappoint.

Like always, he spoke his truth. And he shed some light on the sting of his departure, and a lingering regret he has about his tenure here. I urge you check that story out.

While you’re there, you can read up on former Mankato Mayor Stan Christ, the man who famously slipped out of town and sort of never came back. (I mean, he’s been back to visit, but not as mayor, and he’s never lived in Mankato since that day he left in 1999.) Christ, of course, is one of the few men — maybe now the only man — who knows the location of the infamous monument to the largest mass execution in our nation’s history — that chunk of granite with the engraving, “Here were hanged 38 Sioux Indians — Dec. 26, 1862.” He didn’t say much more about that. And that’s OK. He had other stuff to say.

We also caught up with actor Melissa Peterman. I first spoke with Melissa many years ago when the Minnesota State University grad was a cast member of the hit show “Reba.” Since then she’s kept racking up acting credits and remains a pleasant and gracious Maverick.

Elsewhere in Mankato Magazine, I’d urge you to check out the excellent essay this month from Ann Rosenquist Fee. As we prepare to exit 2019, Ann helps us look back at some of the harder human losses we suffered as a community. Jonathan Zierdt, Eric Barnes and Jessica Flatequal gave Mankato unmatched character and spirit, and the fact that we’ve lost them all tragically early has taken a toll. We can, and must, grow from this loss.

Robb Murray is associate editor of Mankato Magazine. Contact him at 344-6386 or rmurray@ mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freepressRobb.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 7

FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

Fall Bridal Show

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1. Chris Roberts, sales and event manager at Country Inn & Suites, talks to a group of people.

2. Jackson Murphy, diamond consultant, (left) and Isaiah Korver, manager, pose at their Riddle’s Jewelry booth.

3. Cari from Hot 96.7 (left) and Lisa from Minnesota 93 pose for a photo.

4. A couple takes looks at dresses at the Valerie’s Bridal booth.

5. Jessica Dickhudt with Riverfront Bridal poses for a photo.

6. An overview of this year’s fall bridal show held in the Mankato Civic Center Grand Hall.

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FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

St. Peter Halloween Fun Run

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1. TJ Palesotti poses as he runs by.

2. Shirley Murray (left) and Peggy Borgmeier run by.

3. Elisabeth Munick helps direct runners and traffic.

4. Chris (left) and Seth Gordon warm up before the race.

5. Devan Bruns gives a thumbs up as she runs.

6. Runners take off at the starting line.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 9

FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

Mankato Marathon

1. Eva Lopez waits at the finish line to help pass out the 10K medals.

2. Missy Rubie (left) and Lynn Waterbury cheer on the runners as they near the finish.

3. Radio Mankato announced the names of the runners as they crossed the finish line.

4. Runners, family and friends celebrate at the post race party.

5. Nick Wimmer is first to cross the finish line for the full marathon with a time of 2:35:38.

6. A group shows their excitement as they participate in the 5K. 7. A group poses with their medals.

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FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

Tutu Run 2019

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This event is a fundraiser for breast cancer research 1. Pets enjoyed the Tutu Run, too.

2. Groups and families walked/ran together.

3. Participants warming up at the starting line.

4. Volunteers Katie Roberts (left) and Nilla Baumgartner pose for a photo.

5. The run begins!

6. A group of women walk with their hands around each other kicking their legs.

7. People gathered at the starting line prior to the run outside Dance Express.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 11

THIS DAY IN HISTORY Compiled by Jean Lundquist

Superior Quality and Fast Printing!

Flies 615 miles for Christmas dinner Monday, Dec. 27, 1943 The first time a B-25 bomber landed at the Mankato airport, it carried Capt.

James Roerig and his crew from an Oklahoma airfield 615 miles away. At 2 p.m. Christmas Day, the captain called his parents in Winnebago, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Roerig, and asked them to meet him at the Saulpaugh Hotel in Mankato for Christmas dinner. Two hours and 15 minutes later, the plane landed. One of the crew members said they had all of 20 feet to spare when they came to a stop on the runway. “It was a grand Christmas surprise,” said the captain’s mother.

Farmfest debts total $447,000, assets $20,000 Thursday, Dec. 9, 1976 A “flood of rumors” dogged Farmfest ’76, the “Bicentennial Salute to Agriculture” held in Lake Crystal the preceding September. Heavy rain washed out events, turned the grounds sloppy, and kept attendance figures well below the million-person mark needed to break even. Although creditors had been patient, organizers said, recent news articles about financial straits in the event had made those creditors nervous, with one individual investor serving papers to recoup losses the day before Thanksgiving. Bankruptcy was filed Dec. 7.

Old Salet block gets ax Thursday, Dec. 5, 1974 Although the Salet building at the corner of Front and Main streets had been demolished earlier in the year, the 100 block of North Front Street was known as the old Salet block. Urban renewal was in full swing, and all remaining buildings were being removed by C.W. Scheurer and Sons on their bid of $66,997. Only the Heintz Pontiac Cadillac building would remain. It was intended to house some of the downtown businesses displaced by the project.

The Blue Earth County Historical Society was awarded the limestone façade from the Meyer & Sons building on a bid of $5. A new Embers was scheduled for construction in the spring at that site.

Not rattled by reptile Thursday, Dec. 5, 1974 A 22-year-old St. Peter man, partying in LeHillier with his buddies, became something of an overnight celebrity for a most unusual reason: He was bitten by a rattlesnake at the party. He told authorities he was petting the snake, and that the snake seemed to like it. Then, he said, the snake got “nervous,” and turned on him, biting him twice. He didn’t realize he had been bitten until his finger started to swell. He declined offers to crisscross the bite with a razor blade to suck out the poison, and instead, drove himself to the hospital.

“They had to look up snakebite in the books,” he said. He apparently made a full recovery and said he held no ill will. It’s not clear how the snake got to LeHillier or what became of it.

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AVANT GUARDIANS

By Leticia Gonzales

More than hobbies

F

Lake crystal resident takes crocheting and weaving seriously

or Abby McGinnis, crocheting and weaving are more than hobbies.

The Lake Crystal resident was first introduced to the textile world as a way to connect with her ancestry.

“With my crocheting, I was thinking about my grandma and how she used to crochet all the time,” McGinnis said.

“She had passed about 12 years before and couldn’t teach me, so I turned to the internet. I taught myself and quickly found that I was pretty good.”

McGinnis’ learning curve was short. She soon found herself writing patterns and selling her creations on Etsy.

“I first learned granny square, because I remembered my grandma crocheting granny squares and making blankets and slippers with them,” she said.

Her experience transformed those granny squares into patterns for fingerless gloves, baby shoes, necklaces, and even a graph pattern for a blanket of a Police Box, aka TARDIS blanket.

Her crochet skills became a gateway to weaving.

What started as measuring and sewing baby wraps for a friend’s business about seven years ago, soon turned into one-on-one training in front of a loom. McGinnis’ friend eventually gifted her the loom, which boosted her skillset in the trade.

“That’s when I began expanding my

knowledge with books and YouTube and hands-on experimenting.”

She learned on a four-shaft loom, beginning with how to thread a reed, which separates the threads in evenly spaced intervals. She also mastered how to thread the heddles, which are the loops of long wire or flat steel pins with a hole in the center of the loop where the thread or yarn goes through.

“The first thing I learned about weaving was how to dress a loom,” she said. “I then read books and learned how to read patterns and drafts and how to tell the difference.”

The more techniques McGinnis mastered, the deeper she began to delve into the trade.

“I studied and learned overshot, clasped weft, Swedish lace, double wide weave,” McGinnis said. “I have recently learned Leno pick-up weaving. I continue to learn. Many of these techniques have been practiced for thousands of years. Some not quite so long, but they had been devised by people who had to think of these designs in a very three-dimensional way. Our ancestors were quite brilliant people.”

Creations in her project queue vary, depending on the season.

“My kitchen towels have been the most popular. But it changes with the time of year. Shawls and lap blankets are just starting to sell well this time of year. Around Thanksgiving through Christmas, my table runners have been popular.”

Receiving and swaddling blankets are also sought after.

Other projects come along when a certain color catches McGinnis’ eye.

“Patterns woven into the fabric will also have a dramatic effect on color,” she said. “Though I can put a lot of planning into a piece, I have been both surprised with results and also disappointed at a time or two.”

The type of fabric she works with can also affect the final creation.

“I mainly work with cotton but have woven cotton or acrylic blends, cotton and linen blends, linen, rayon, hemp and wool,” McGinnis said. “Each fiber has their own way of behaving or not. They shrink differently, they drape differently; linen is very dry and prefers to be kept hydrated while weaving. Though each has their own difficult behavior, they also have specific reasons to use for an individual piece.”

MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 13

BEYOND THE MARGIN

By Joe Spear

Race across the political landscape T

hey’re fighting over RAGBRAI in Iowa.

The Register Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa is a cultural institution and signature event started over 45 years ago by two journalists from the Des Moines Register.

It’s a little ironic that one of the greatest unifying events in Iowa has now come to divide it. In a way it reflects today’s politics. And it comes in a state that will play big in politics next year.

Many have questioned why Iowa, a fairly homogenous state, should be the bellwether for a country that is 180 degrees of Iowa.

The Iowa caucuses in February have been for months now drawing every manner of Democrat to towns like Ottumwa, Oskaloosa and Clinton. No one in Centerville just yet.

So it was with great anticipation I embarked on a business trip across Iowa. As a regional editor for The Free Press parent company (CNHI), I would be conducting training for journalists at the Clinton Herald, the Ottumwa Courier, Oskaloosa Herald, Pella Chronicle, the Knoxville Journal-Express and the Centerville Daily Iowegian.

I was wondering if this run through 300 miles of Iowa from Clinton to Des Moines would shed any light on the state of American politics.

Southeastern Iowa is home to farms and fields, but it also has gently rolling hills that wind through small towns like Muscatine, Letts, Columbus Junction and Ainsworth. There was Swedesberg, Mt. Pleasant, Rome, Fairfield, Batavia and Libertyville.

Ottumwa is a town whose centuries-old buildings have seen better days. But the Ottumwa Courier building and Hotel Ottumwa stand out. The Courier was the first newspaper of what came to be the behemoth Lee Newspaper Chain. There’s a plaque in the building in the memory of A.W. Lee, the founder of the chain.

The building is an Egyptian Revival style, with a touch of Pharaoh funerary and a sculptured blue globe with wings at the top. The inside looks like a newsroom from the movie The Front Page.

A few blocks away sits the Hotel Ottumwa, which was opened in 1917 and closed in 1973. It remained dormant for a decade until Jim Schwartz and his family bought it in 1982 and restored it to its early grandeur. It’s a hub for nightlife and events big and small. It is attached to the the Tom-Tom Tap room, with its semi-circle bar and a mural of Native Americans celebrating around a ceremonial fire.

Like many Minnesota cities, Iowa places carry Native American names. Ottumwa was previously called Ottumwanoc, meaning rippling water in Algonquin.

The Des Moines River flows through Ottumwa which

14 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

is in Wapello County, named after Chief Wapello.

But the gem of the downtown is under the parking ramp across from the Tom-Tom Tap room. There sits a small 1936 lunch counter from the depression era, the “Canteen Lunch” room where one can get juicy “loose meat” burgers on pillow like buns for a cost of $4.36.

The Canteen Lunch in the Alley goes through 150 pounds of finely ground beef a day, according to a Wikipedia entry on it.

The burger cooks in front of you in the middle of a big U-shaped counter with 16 seats. The three foot wide steamer pan is tended by the head chef who keeps the meat moving. Another person spoons out the portions a few seconds after an order is taken.

Onions, pickles, cheese, ketchup, mustard. That’s it.

The burger is wrapped in extra thick plastic to catch the juice.

There was a small uprising among citizens of Ottumwa when the city offered to buy the Canteen Lunch building and tear it down to make room for a parking lot. The city eventually relented, purchased the air space above the Canteen and built the parking ramp around the restaurant.

The beer of choice in this part of Iowa seems to be Busch Light or Bud Light, although there are anomalies. A former social worker named Wes Olson recently opened the town’s first brewpub in Pallister Brothers Brewing Company where he tends bar and makes the beer.

He knew opening the brew pub would be a “crap shoot,” he said, but it gives him a way to keep busy in retirement. The old Pallister Brothers barber shop has been beautifully transformed with big paintings from local artists. Team Elizabeth Warren hosted a debate watch party there earlier this year.

Ottumwa lost the John Morrell meat packing plant in the 1970s, and some say the town never recovered.

The story from locals is the one heard in many parts of America and adopted by many politicians. The big employer left, and now the small towns are hurting.

President Donald Trump has made this story a cottage industry and many places like Ottumwa, once a union town, now vote mostly red. nnnn People take pride in RAGBRAI. Apparently, a faction of the RAGBRAI board defected and said they will establish the Iowa Ride, on the same date as RAGBRAI is planned in 2020.

So it’s divide and conquer, even for a bike ride across Iowa.

The controversy takes to many weird twists to recount. But suffice it to say it involved a college student with a sign asking for money for Busch Light

that went viral after he was seen in the background on an ESPN broadcast. It involved the Register covering that story and digging up a racist Tweet of the student when he was 15. It involved the apparent firing of the Des Moines Register reporter who did the story.

And the resignation of the RAGBRAI coordinator (who apparently works for the Register) after the Register said he couldn’t talk about the controversy.

RAGBRAI’s ability to bring 10,000 strangers together visiting and stopping at small towns along the way offers to the people of Iowa more than any stump speech by carpet-bagging candidates every four years.

With RAGBRAI in tatters and the election dead ahead, the faithful will be tested like they are in Ottumwa where a sign hangs in a bike shop: “We believe in downtown Ottumwa. Do you?”

Joe Spear is editor of Mankato Magazine. Contact him at jspear@mankatofreepress.com or 344-6382. Follow on Twitter @jfspear.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 15

Familiar Faces

Pridefully speaking Jeni Kolstad steps into the role of leading South Central Minnesota Pride.

I

Photos by Pat Christman

NAME:

Jeni Kolstad Hometown: Blue Earth, MN

Family:

Married to my wife of five years (been together for 14 years). I have a 20-year old-daughter and an 18-year-old son.

Favorite movie:

Star Wars - All of them!

Favorite quote: “You do you!”

Favorite Mankato pizza:

I don’t eat much pizza — the cheese makes my stomach hurt!

16 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

t was gut check time for Jeni Kolstad. There’d been a tragic loss, but the show, as they say, had to go on.

Thousands of people were counting on it. Desperate for it, actually. And Kolstad was the only one who could pull it off.

That tragic loss was the death of Jessica Flatequal, the beloved and unofficial leader of Mankato’s LGBTQ community. She died of liver disease in April. At that time, the show that needed to go on was Pridefest, which was coming up in just a few months.

Luckily, Jessica and Kolstad had for years formed an efficient partnership that that had gotten very good at putting on a successful event — Jess with the big personality and even bigger smile as the face of the organization, and Jen happily behind the scenes making sure bills got paid and venues booked.

After Jessica’s death, though, Kolstad’s approach had to change. She needed to take a more public role, be the face of the organization, move outside her comfort zone for the good of a following that needed a kick-butt Pridefest to maintain order in their rocked world.

Kolstad delivered. Pridefest 2019 had huge attendance, hundreds of hugs, and gallons of tears. And she’s since been named Flatequal’s successor as the group’s executive director.

MANKATO MAGAZINE: Let’s jump right in with the emotional question of this Q&A — How hard has it been taking this job after working on the Pride Fest or so many years with Jessica?

Jeni Kolstad: When Jessica was first sick, I had a pit in my stomach that she would not have the energy to help with the festival this year. It became more real when we started discussions about having an interim director as she was just not recovering and we knew that she had a long haul ahead of her, medically speaking. I remember shutting down at a Pride meeting and becoming tearful as these discussions took place. Her and I worked together on Pride Festivals for many years and were at a point where we complemented each other so well. I respected her so much as a person and a leader that it felt very uncomfortable for me to be filling in for her while she worked on getting better.

Following her passing, I had to dig deep because a festival needed to happen as Jessica would want it to. It was grit and determination, along with the help of many committee members that got us through this festival season.

MM: Tell us a little bit about the most recent Pride Fest.

JK: This most recent PrideFest had a different feel for me. It was a celebration of life for a person that was integral in making South Central Minnesota Pride into reality. It was also a time to give the community hope that Pride was staying strong and that we will continue to do this work for the greater Mankato community. I do believe that we were successful in sharing that message.

This year was our biggest in regards to attendance, number of exhibitors, parade participants, and food vendors. We also saw an increase in sponsorships and donations. I think that what this shows is that the greater Mankato community needs this organization to continue and are willing to step up to make that happen.

MM: What are some of the challenges involved with running South Central MN Pride?

JK: The biggest challenge is that the organization is all volunteer run, even the executive director position. It makes communication and engagement with the community challenging as we may not get to emails, phone messages or Facebook comments in a timely fashion since we all have our day jobs. I think we are moving to a time were the community might support a full time paid staff, but that would take quite a bit of leg work to get going.

MM: In addition to Pride Fest, what else does the organization do? Any outreach or advocacy work?

JK: Each month we host two different social events to meet new people, Queers and Beers and Queers and Coffee. Not only do these events help people meet one another, but it highlights businesses in the Mankato area that are LGBTQ friendly (we always ask this question before booking with a place). We are working on putting together a group to help with organizing a youth event each month as we have heard feedback that this is where we need to focus some efforts. We have other events that happen occasionally, like an art show, bingo, Queeraoke, and dance parties. Our outreach and advocacy work is limited due to time constraints with having an all volunteer run organization.

Shawn Weigel

MM: How much progress has the Mankato area made in terms of inclusion and acceptance of the LGBTQ community?

JK: I think that there has been much progress in regards to inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ people in greater Mankato. We can look around the community and see businesses displaying rainbow flags and marketing specifically to the LGBTQ community. Organizations are intentional about gender neutral bathrooms. Slowly intake forms for services are adopting language for people to include their preferred name and gender. The media is not afraid to cover LGBTQ specific topics. I’m very proud of the Mankato community for the work that has been done to include and accept LGBTQ people.

MM: What do you do when you’re not busy advocating for the LGBTQ community?

JK: Well, I work a full-time job at Open Door Health Center as a behavioral health provider and I have an administrative position working to integrate behavioral health services into primary and dental care. Outside of working, I love yoga, cooking, hanging out with my friends, and napping. Napping is my most favorite thing to do!

MM: Tell us something about yourself that would surprise even your friends.

JK: I’m a pretty open book, I’m cool with telling my life story to strangers!

An interesting fact about myself though, is that I intentionally lived off the grid for 4 years of my life in a home that I helped build with my own hands. No running water, no electricity. I learned a lot about myself and my abilities.

MM: What’s on the “Recently Watched” tab on your Netflix app?

JK: I watch a lot more Hulu than Netflix, but the most recent show on Netflix is “Designated Survivor” and I recently finished “Wentworth” (think “Orange is the Black” but way grittier.

On Hulu it is “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Survivor.”

MM: Anything coming up in the new year that you’d like to plug?

JK: We are working on a “Gay-la” event. It is a fundraising and friendraising event that we will have in spring of 2020. Think heavy apps, cash bar, and a fabulous drag show on a runway in a lively environment!

Compiled by Robb Murray MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 17

DAY TRIP DESTINATIONS: Christmastime in Eau Claire

By James Figy

Pedestrian bridge Photo by Schrupp Photography

A Sconi Christmas

From fireworks and shopping to 5K runs and concerts, Eau Claire offers holiday fun for all

T

he Thanksgiving food coma and Black Friday haze might leave some feeling totally unprepared for — or already over — the holidays. But for Eau Claire, WI, residents and visitors, the following Saturday signals the beginning of an exciting and eventful Christmastime in the city’s downtown.

The festivities begin with the Downtown Winter Window Competition during Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30. Businesses unveil seasonal window displays and allow the public to vote on its favorite through Dec. 21.

“Guests will find unique shops in our North and South Barstow districts that have interesting, locally produced goods that make wonderful gifts,” said Dustin Olson, communications and promotions coordinator for Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. Once the downtown is dressed up for the season, many other Christmas festivities take place. One main tradition is Let It Glow! — a holiday celebration that includes the Clearwater Winter Parade, fireworks, food and other festivities on Dec. 6.

18 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Crowds gather in Haymarket Plaza at 5 p.m. to light up the space, listen to music and enjoy hot chocolate and snacks. Completed earlier this year, Haymarket Plaza is a public square situated between Pablo Center at the Confluence and the Haymarket Landing building. It sits at the point where the Eau Claire and the Chippewa rivers converge, and a pedestrian bridge allows access to Phoenix Park across the Eau Claire River.

“The plaza lighting is then followed up by a half-mile luminary and lantern walk to the West Grand District for the Clearwater Winter Parade that features a light parade and fireworks,” Olson said.

Let It Glow! provides a fun opportunity to really begin the holiday season, according to Olson, and many agree.

During the 2019 Downtown Eau Claire awards, residents voted the parade Best Downtown Event.

“The event continues to grow and is well attended whether it’s 40 degrees or 0 degrees out,” he said. “…I think the event is indicative of a city that is very positively engaged in building community and creating a sense

Haymarket Holiday

Let It Glow

of place. Sure, it might be cold out or snowing for the parade, but we bundle up and get out there to celebrate.”

On Dec. 7, a number of events take place. The tradition European Christkindlmarkt at Lazy Monk Brewing provides offers an opportunity to shop for locally handcrafted gifts including pottery, cheeses, wooden items, soaps and baked goods, among many other products. During the Run Santa Run 5K, runners dress up as Santa, an elf or even an Abominable Snowman, then enjoy a North Pole Post-Race Party.

For fun indoors, there are several performances at the Pablo Center at the Confluence. University of WisconsinEau Claire music students will showcase their talents during the 45th annual UWEC Holiday Concert on Dec. 8. Then on Dec. 14, the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra will present a Classical Christmas, with selections from “Frozen,” Mannheim Steamroller, the Transiberian Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker.”

The growing number of holiday festivities is an extension of larger changes in Eau Claire in recent years.

From the summer farmers market and Food Truck Friday at Phoenix Park to the year-round walking sculpture tour (similar to the one in downtown Mankato), the city continues to add more attractions.

“Our downtown has gone through quite a renaissance over the past couple of decades, and we’re approaching a point where it’s moving beyond being just nice, to being really impressive,” Olson said.

While holiday celebrations are a great reason for a day trip, a longer visit is necessary to really enjoy all Eau Claire has to offer, according to Olson. “Music and the arts is a great reason to plan a longer stay,” he said, listing Jazz Fest/52nd Street, the Blue Ox Music Festival, Country Jam, Country Fest and Rock Fest in nearby Cadott and likely a re-envisioned Eaux Claires festival in 2020.

Another reason is outdoor recreation. “Miles and miles of trails that connect into the Old Abe and Chippewa River trail systems, acres of city and county parks and many surrounding natural and wildlife areas make downtown Eau Claire a wonderful home base for exploring Northwestern Wisconsin,” Olson said.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of hot cocoa to help visitors warm up during outdoor fun over the holidays.

IF YOU GO:

CHRISTMASTIME IN EAU CLAIRE Let It Glow!

When: 5 p.m. Dec. 6 Admission: Free Where: Haymarket Plaza at the corner of Graham Ave. and Eau Claire St., Eau Claire, WI 54701

Run Santa Run 5K

When: 10 a.m., Dec. 7 Admission: $40 through December 6, $45 the day of Where: Phoenix Park, 330 Riverfront Terrace, Eau Claire, WI 54703

Haymarket Holiday When: All day, Dec. 7 Admission: Free Where: Haymarket Plaza

Lazy Monk Brewing’s Christkindlmarkt

When: 12 - 4 p.m., Dec. 7 & 14 Admission: Free Where: 97 West Madison St., Eau Claire, WI 54702

Visit downtowneauclaire.org for more information.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 19

Stan Christ is alive and well and living in Blue Earth. Since leaving Mankato, he has kept himself busy with a construction business and selling antique toys on the weekends. Photo by Pat Christman

Have you ever wondered…

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? We have. So we caught up with a few of them for you

T

By Robb Murray

here probably has been a moment in your life when — while you’re sitting casually on a southern Minnesota porch, perusing the goingson in the daily newspaper and sipping comfortably on a cup of joe that has cooled to the perfect drinking temperature — a certain thought occurs to you.

“I wonder whatever happened to so and so?” you say to yourself as you gaze thoughtfully across the Minnesota prairie while gently stroking your beard, or chin.

20 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Or maybe you’re at the mall and a gentleman struts by with the same gait or swagger as someone you used to see on the local news, and you say to yourself, “Hey, that looks like that one guy. I wonder … Where is he now?”

We’ve wondered that, too. It’s only natural, right?

When people’s actions, be they wondrous or heinous, put them in the public spotlight, those people become an indelible part of the community’s collective memory.

And whether they’ve lifted the community to new heights or given it a black eye, they still make us uniquely who we are. And we wonder about them.

Perhaps no one has been the subject of such wonderings as Stan Christ.

Remember Stan? He was the affable mayor of Mankato who disappeared in the dark of night and abandoned his role as mayor.

Over the years, various publications have caught up with Stan. Most recently, Chuck Hunt of the Faribault County Register wrote a great column about Stan that served as a recap of the “incident” people keep talking about: his absconsion (many would say justified) with the piece of Kasota stone that read, “Here were hanged 38 Sioux Indians — Dec. 26, 1862.”

Christ told Hunt the whole story in the summer of 2018. He told Hunt he’d known the monument was sitting in a storage shed in Sibley Park until 1994 when he personally picked it up with a flatbed truck and, well, “liberated” it. Where is now? He won’t tell. Didn’t tell Hunt, didn’t tell me, didn’t tell Free Press columnist Brian Ojanpa, either. Ojanpa tracked Christ down in 2012 and asked the same questions.

But Christ talked about another controversial part of his tenure as mayor: his 1999 exit.

If one were painting this in a negative light, one might say Christ skipped town under the cover of night. But it’s hard to have a conversation with the man and think there was anything nefarious about it. He just seems like a nice guy who didn’t want to be mayor anymore.

“I just kind of wanted to leave real quietly one night,” Christ said. “It’s a long story with the council and things. I had a council that didn’t really agree with me, and it was just time to go, I guess.”

At the time, a lot of people in town figured he’d headed south. And they weren’t wrong. Christ said his time in Mankato had become contentious, and he didn’t like how things were going.

“I’d been hauling toys and stuff down to Missouri,” he said. “We weren’t quite sure where we were going to go. We were originally going to start an antique toy store in Branson, but the numbers didn’t work out. But we just had decided it was time. (My wife and I) both wanted a change, I’d been through a divorce. Had a lotta trouble with the railroad thing.”

The “railroad thing” was the controversial DM&E proposal that would have routed dozens of high-speed, coal-hauling trains through downtown Mankato. Christ was among the few on the council favoring a working relationship with the railroad, while others were steadfastly opposed. It divided the council as well as the community. And, in the end, it never happened. The company in 2012 indefinitely halted its expansion plans when consumer demand for coal waned. That was the end of a 15-year controversy.

So, where’d he go?

“I spent 18 years in Missouri, I did construction, did some remodeling, did some concrete work. I was working full time. When I hit 65 though, I thought I was going to retire, but I started a hauling business that took off like wildfire.”

He moved back to Minnesota two years ago, settling in Blue Earth. That’s where Chuck Hunt found him.

Christ was selling some of his antique toys at the citywide garage sale, and the newspaper man started asking questions. Christ’s answers were intriguing, so Hunt kept asking more questions. Eventually he

Glenn Gabriel used to be Mankato’s top cop. He left Mankato’s Department of public safety in the late 90s to take a job with Mico. He now lives in Arizona. learned Christ was that mayor. And no journalist could turn down a story that good.

Christ says he loves Blue Earth, and loves being back in Minnesota.

“My children are here, my wife is from here,” he said.

“I still travel to toy shows. I was at the National Tractor Show down in Des Moines, week before I was in Turtle Lake, Sioux Falls, St. Cloud, Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux City, Nebraska.”

He also makes it back to Mankato on occasion. And he doesn’t mind if you stop and say “Hi.”

Glenn Gabriel

When your ouster from a highly public government job comes with a press conference, people will remember you. That was the case for Glenn Gabriel, a former director of the Mankato Department of Public Safety.

Gabriel came to Mankato from the Gainsville, Florida, Police Department with a giant task: help the city merge the police and fire departments into one Department of Public Safety. He also came in as an outsider, the first time the city’s top cop wasn’t from Mankato. And anyone who knows Gabriel knows he’s not the kind of guy to come into the gig quietly. He was opinionated, he was loud, and he sometimes rubbed people the wrong way.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 21

He also got a lot of things done.

He successfully ushered in that merger. And he promoted women to leadership positions in the early 1990s, including four women who were made police commanders.

One of those women, Amy Vokal, is the current director of public safety.

“When I came there, both the police and fire departments were 100% male. When I left, 25% of the workforce was women, and 50% of supervisors were women,” he said.

“I’m proud of Amy being the director of public safely. I don’t know what kind of job she’s doing, but I know she’s a very capable person. And apparently the city agrees.”

Still, Gabriel admits his exit was less than ideal. It came on the heels of an investigation into the work environment within the department. And in the end, he was asked to step down.

“When you leave you want to go out on top, and that certainly wasn’t the way it was when I left the city,” he said. “The city didn’t exactly throw a going-away party but the community threw several parties. In the end I was treated

fairly. I always said I was serving at the pleasure of the city manager.

And I don’t want to be somewhere where I’m viewed as a liability.”

Though he says he doesn’t have a lot of regrets about his time as public safety director, there are a few. One of them was the rocky relationship he had with longtime Mankato booster Gus Johnson.

“Gus Johnson and I got off on a bad foot. I didn’t recognize the political influence Gus wielded and continued the adversarial relationship. I had some responsibility for that. I didn’t handle it correctly,” he said.

He said former Mankato City Manager Bill Bassett told him something very valuable once: Friends come and go; enemies stay with you forever. “(Gus) was someone who despised me and did everything he could do to unseat me,” Gabriel said. “That’s why I say it was a mistake to not reach out to him. He was an enemy that remained forever. That was my fault, not his.”

These days Gabriel is happily retired and living in Arizona. He said he returns to town occasionally.

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“We have some pretty strong ties there, so I’ve been back a fair number of times,” he said. “I look with great fondness to the time I was there.

Melissa Peterman

Unless you’ve been under a rock for a few decades, you’ve no doubt seen Melissa Peterman in action.

A graduate of Minnesota State University’s theater program, Peterman might be the program’s most successful alum. She was a regular on “Reba” and “Baby Daddy,” had roles in “Last Man Standing” and “Young Sheldon,” and now hosts a game show called “Punchline.”

She loves her alma mater and is proud to be a Maverick.

“I always talk it up. I tell anyone who asks that I think it’s one of the best theater departments in Minnesota, and I feel like I got a fabulous education there,” Peterman said from her California home. “The U of M has a great program as well, but in Mankato you were immediately working in some capacity on a show, and you figured out pretty quickly if you were meant to be in that program.

Not a lot of departments can say that.”

Her breakout role came in the Coen brothers’ brilliant film “Fargo,” where she played a young prostitute. You remember the scene, right? When the cop, played

by Francis McDormand, says, “So, where are you girls from?”

Peterman replies, “Le Sueur, but I went to high school in White Bear Lake. Go Bears.”

Even though she’s still in the uncertain world of acting — where finding work takes up most of your time — she feels good about how things have gone so far.

“I’ve been so lucky,” she said. “I was on two series that have had over 100 episodes, and in the meantime, I’ve been busy enough.”

Peterman has been married to her husband, John Brady, for 20 years. They have a 14-year-old son.

Crime and Punishment

n In 1996, Peter Shoen murdered his wife, a crime for which the Watonwan County farmer was sentenced to life in prison. But the public’s reaction to his crime was intensified by a few lines in the criminal complaint: Authorities said

Peter Shoen he’d told them he killed her to “put her out of her misery.”

The two argued, which according to trial testimony was becoming a common thing in the marriage.

During a tussle, Kimberly Shoen fell down a flight of stairs and lay unconscious at the bottom. That is when, Shoen told police, he retrieved a pipe from the yard to bludgeon her.

Shoen, who lived on a farm near Truman,, stood trial for first-degree

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 23

REFLECTIONS

By Pat Christman

24 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

I

t’s slow at first. Just one. Then another. A few more show up. They bring their friends. Before you know it there are thousands of them everywhere, like sports fans filing into a stadium for a game.

At first they are pretty as they slowly cover the ground. Then the crowd thickens and you can’t get anywhere because there are too many of them.

They crowd out everything else in a persistent effort to be noticed.

It usually works. At some point there are too many of them, and they have to be moved. Pushed aside so more can take their place. Eventually they leave, but not before making their mark. MM MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 25

murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Later, I visited Shoen at Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility, where he revealed he’d been put on antidepressants. He also revealed he’d just saved the life of a prison worker who’d been attacked by another inmate.

In Minnesota, life in prison means roughly 30 years (unless you’re sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole).

That’s roughly seven years away.

Lorenzo Sanchez

n In 1998, a Waseca junior high student named Cally Jo Larson came home from school and interrupted a burglar. That burglar’s name was Lorenzo Sanchez, and Cally Jo’s punishment for that interruption was to be brutally raped and murdered.

It took investigators months to solve the crime. While they worked on it, the community lived in fear of a killer on the loose. The community also came together to mourn the young girl. Her middle school locker was permanently retired, and a tree was planted outside the school.

Eventually, though, investigators zeroed in on Sanchez. He was arrested for a different burglary, and eventually connected to the rape and murder of Cally Jo Larson. He’s currently serving a life prison term and was transferred to a Texas prison. n It was one of those murder trials where it honestly seemed like the guy on trial could be innocent.

Thomas Rhodes of Mankato was on vacation with his family on Green Lake in Spicer when a

Thomas Rhodes tragedy happened. Rhodes says he and his wife were out on the lake having a quiet evening while the kids were asleep back at the hotel.

But when she bent over to pick up an earring, she fell out of the boat.

Rhodes says he quickly circled back to find her, but was unable to. He sought help, but her body wasn’t found for several days.

Prosecutors had a different take.

They argued that Rhodes pushed her out of the boat, and that the

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“circling back” was actually him using the hull of the boat to ram his wife to death.

Rhodes was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. He’ll be up for parole in about 10 years. n She was being a Good Samaritan. And in the end, it cost her her life.

Sheri Osborn, witnesses say, was merely trying to help out a friend by giving him a ride home from the bar late one night in Faribault County. That friend was Ryan Owen. But while Owen made it home OK, Osborn did not.

After being reported missing, the community searched the countryside around her Winnebago home, combing area corn fields in groups. But it took a deal between law enforcement and Owen to finally find Osborn’s body. Owen agreed to reveal the location of her body — at the bottom of a river — in exchange for consideration of a lesser sentence.

He was ultimately sentenced to 23 years in prison and is scheduled for release in 2022.

Faribault, attended Carleton College in Northfield and then traveled the world while living out of his car for a number of years. He’s produced several critically acclaimed films about climbing, and the success of “Free Solo” is partially credited with an increase in the number of climbing hobbyists.

Philip Nelson

Jimmy Chin

The popular kids

n Perhaps Mankato’s coolest export is Jimmy Chin, the filmmaker responsible for some of the most breathtaking cinematography ever seen on the big screen.

Chin won an Oscar last year for his documentary “Free Solo,” which chronicled Alex Honnold’s effort to free climb — without ropes or other safety aids — El Capitan in California. The feat was spectacular. It was also mind-blowingly dangerous, and the camera angles Chin employed accentuated every second of the tension on the historic climb.

Chin, who attended Loyola Catholic Schools before finishing high school at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in

n Of all the athletes to come out of the Mankato area — and this sports-loving town has produced a lot — few left Mankato with as much hype as Philip Nelson.

A highly touted quarterback at Mankato West High School, Nelson was recruited by several Division I schools before settling on the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. But he sought a transfer after two years and was set up to play for Rutgers. And then … it happened.

Nelson got into an altercation with Isaac Kolstad and Trevor Shelley in Mankato’s downtown bar area, and in a matter of a few seconds — where punches were thrown, Kolstad’s head violently struck the concrete, and Nelson kicked him when he was down — all three lives were changed forever. Shelley was sentenced to five months in prison. Kolstad sustained a traumatic brain injury and continues to recover.

Nelson, meanwhile, moved on after serving a few days in jail. After Rutgers cut him from their squad because of the incident, he found a spot at Eastern Carolina University where he finished his college football career. He failed to sign with an NFL team and tried to catch on with a team in the Canadian Football League. But he was cut before the season started. He then signed with the San Diego Fleet of the upstart Alliance of American Football. But that league folded after one season.

He’s now on the roster of the Dallas Renegades, a member of the XFL football league owned by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment. Their season kicks off Feb. 9.

MM MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 27

Scott Brunson (center) smells his cup of tea while Logan Goodlander (left) and James Lange get their samples of tea at Curiosi-Tea House. The tea house offers five different kinds of tea to be sampled for $5, with an unlimited amount that can be sampled. Owner Heidi Wyn said they have had the tea tastings since their first night open.

Tea-time Even if you’re a coffee lover, you might want to give tea a try

By Grace Brandt | Photos by Jackson Forderer

I

t’s a Thursday evening and Curiosi-Tea House in North Mankato is a busy place.

Tea lovers sit around tables holding mismatched tea cups and talking in groups of twos and threes.

Every once in a while, one approaches the burgundy bar on one side of the shop where four tea pots sit on tea warmers, candles flickering underneath. Next to them is a stainless steel water dispenser full of iced tea.

In front of each container is a small placard that states the type of tea and a little bit about it — where it’s from, what different flavors can be noted within it.

This evening, teas include Blood Orange, Throat Therapy, White Blueberry, Apricot Green and Kenyan Black.

28 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

For two hours, customers will fill up on these five teas, trying whichever ones they like and drinking as much of them (it’s like a tea buffet). It’s part of CuriosiTea’s thrice-weekly tea tastings.

“It’s a very relaxing event,” said owner Heidi Wyn. “You don’t need to know anything about tea ahead of time; you just need to come with an open mind to experience something new. You’re going to have tea from all over the world. You don’t have to like everything, but you’ll definitely find something that you like.”

Trying something new

Wyn said she’s been offering tea tastings since, literally, Day 1 at its original downtown location.

“The very first day that we could serve, we did a tasting,” she said.

Wyn says she got the idea from other tea houses, and has used them as a way to educate people about different kinds of tea.

“It gives people an opportunity to try something new all at once, and even side-by-side, being able to compare one to another,” she said.

These tastings take place on the “T” days of the week (Tuesday and Thursday, of course), as well as Saturday mornings, and last for two hours. In those two hours, customers can pay $5 to sample five types of tea — with unlimited refills. If they want to bump the experience up a notch, they can pay an extra 50 cents to tack on unlimited refills of the teas of the day — three to five special drinks Wyn changes every day. That’s the potential of unlimited cups of 10 different types of tea, all for only $5.50.

When it comes to choosing flavors, Wyn said she tries to pick teas that “have something in common,” though there is still quite a lot of range there when you have 200 types of tea to choose from. In summer months, she offers more cold teas, while she sticks with hot teas in the winter. Evening tastings don’t have as many caffeinated teas as Saturday morning tastings, since she said most of her customers want to wind down for the evening.

“Seasonally, teas change some, so we try to put out different things so people get a chance to try different things as they come up in the season,” she said.

Wyn also uses tastings as a way to gauge customers’ interest in new teas.

Lexi Attenberger is a 17-year-old high school student who enjoys going to tea tastings as often as she can. She first started going with her “big sister” at the YMCA and now also goes with her family.

Through the tastings, she has found several new “favorite” teas, including the Birthday Tea, Tigers Eye, Masalda and others.

“What I enjoy best about them is being able to try new teas that I probably wouldn’t get for awhile otherwise,” Attenberger said.

“Plus—there are unlimited refills

Top: Lane Sorensen, 2, looks into his cup of tea at Curiosi-Tea House. His parents would give him small samples as they themselves tried the five different teas available for $5 at the tea shop. Bottom: Aaron Sorensen pours himself some tea at Curiosi-Tea House while the tea house offered five different teas for $5. until it’s over!”

She highly recommends checking the tea tastings out.

“Don’t knock it before you try,” she said. “I’ve heard so many people when I’ve gone there before, who’ve never had hot tea before, like my dad and step-mom.

Now, they say they love it, and they keep wanting to go back!”

“A lot of times if I get a new tea, I’ll put it on the tasting right away

to see what customers think of it,” she said. “[I’m seeing if] it’s something we should get.”

She will also sometimes offer samples of different foods during tastings, especially when she has a new recipe to try out.

“We put things out there to get customers’ opinions,” she said.

Wyn said she usually sets her tasting menus the day before the event, or sometimes two days MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 29

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Jamie Sorensen pours one of five teas into her cup at Curiosi-Tea House. before. However, if people reach out to her before the menu is set for a tasting event, it is possible to request a special flavor they’re interested in.

There’s also more to the tastings than simply taste. Wyn said she uses them as a way to help people learn more about tea, especially if they don’t have much experience with the drink.

“We’ll sometimes do a majority of cold teas in the summer, and then we talk to people about how to do cold brewing,” she said.

“Once, we did the breakfast teas side-by-side so people could taste the difference and see the difference: how they look, how they smell, how they taste.”

Tea taster Kim Herrley is a fan.

“I’ve gone three times. The atmosphere is great,” Herrley said.

“The lady who runs the tea house makes you feel very comfortable.

She’s also very good at answering any questions you may have. The price is very good for all the tea

you can drink, and it’s a very comfortable environment. It’s good if you want to just relax and enjoy tea.”

New location, same opportunity

Wyn said her tastings have grown tremendously in popularity, to the point where there was sometimes standing room only at her old location. Now that she has moved to North Mankato, this isn’t such a problem, since she has far more seating room. She said that she averages about 10-12 customers at every tasting, though the numbers wax and wane quite a lot from event to event.

“They’ve been good,” she said.

“It’s been something that we feel like we need to continue to do. It’s a really great way to learn about tea, if you’re inexperienced with it.”

Wyn said moving to a larger space means she’s able to further increase her tea inventory, which means even more types of tea

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“We’re still growing our menu up here,” she said. “We will try different teas from different vendors. We’ll be getting new teas in and putting them out on the tasting to get customer feedback.

We might do that with food too, like salads and sandwiches. We’ve put them out on tasting nights [before] and had people try them and give us feedback before we actually made them.”

If people do come for a tasting, they also receive 5 percent off anything they buy in the shop during their visit.

“It’s, ‘five teas, $5, 5 percent off,” Wyn said.

She also recommends coming with someone or even a group to have the most fun during a tasting.

“It’s fun to do with another person or group, because then you can talk about the teas and compare,” she said. “Come with an open mind and the idea that you’re going to have an adventure.”

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Y A S

ES

APOTHEOSIS

For Jonathan and Edgar and Jessica.

For us, to stay the course.

APOTHEOSIS: A HOW-TO for the 56001 Spring of 2019 brought three deaths in quick succession, three big losses of leadership in our business, arts and cultural communities. Greater Mankato Growth President and CEO Jonathan Gordon Zierdt (Aug. 18, 1966 - March 27, 2019).

Midwest Art Catalyst founding organizer and musician Eric “Edgar” Gary Barnes (June 23, 1969 - March 30, 2019).

Minnesota State University’s Director of Gender and Sexuality Programs Jessica Renee Flatequal (Feb. 22, 1973 - April 9, 2019). There is nothing we can do about it, except maybe this.

By Ann Rosenquist Fee

H

ere’s a thought. Maybe a path. At the close of this year of three epic losses, maybe there’s a way forward that’s less about the holes death clawed in the fabric of our community, and more like “I cannot believe the wondrous guidance these collective legacies provide, maybe there’s a reason they went out as a trio, hit us hard like that, maybe we can do something, call it something, make it simpler to turn to them for inspiration and direction in the new year ahead.”

Apotheosis is the elevation of a mortal to deity status. That’s what we’re going to try.

32 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

THE FAITH MAKER

A

born coach, The Faith Maker showed us what it is to see the best in everyone and everything. To see potential because you’re looking for it, and then connect, for real. Look into the eyes of the person, or the core of the idea, or the soul of the community, and then offer what’s needed to help it grow.

Sometimes that’s encouragement. Sometimes it’s, “But have you thought of this.” Sometimes it’s eloquence, sometimes ribbing, sometimes fierce pure kindness when it’s most needed and/or least expected.

Always, it’s authentic. It’s thoughtful. It’s selfless, as in never ever about the elevation of self, or being right, or getting the glory. The Faith Maker is a relentless investor in the human spirit, the spirits of youth group members and business owners and public officials and the often-unseen or unheard or unwanted.

This is what “the greater good” actually looks like. It looks like seeing the best in everyone who seeks to be seen, and making sure they know it. Then, stepping back with folded hands and kind eyes, and watching them thrive.

THE CATALYST

The Catalyst says, get your hands dirty. Take something — or a lot of things, depends on your comfort with chaos, depends on your ability to hear a faint beat and the promise of a chord — and add what you alone know is lacking. Take the thing from a “maybe” to a “something,” a something solid and real.

It’s one thing to make music. It’s another to transform a regional music scene by taking stock of who’s there and what they bring, then urging them to bring-make-do more of it.

This is what The Catalyst did. He urged by making his own beautiful noise. He urged and mixed and mastered until we were a force, together, more potent and powerful than any one of us alone. Strong and nimble and visionary enough to continue long after The Catalyst is gone. Maybe even louder, in his honor.

The Catalyst says, do your own damn thing, but do it in synch or syncopation with everyone else who shows up. Keep at it until together you’ve made something new, something good, something that makes people want to put down roots. If this place is going to feel like a capital-P Place, it’s going to take every note, every beat we’ve got.

THE LISTENER

Done well, done with soul, listening is a wholebody activity. The Listener did it just that way, and the results were day-making and life-changing. It was as if she was truly honored by the story or fear or hope or outrageous idea you’d just blurted out, and you could see it, from her wildly warm smile to the dance that was her walk.

The Listener says, be curious above all else. In fact, maybe let curiosity take over at the scariest of times, maybe you’ll be surprised at what a natural balm that can be. A balm and a strengthening of the spine. The Listener may or may not have known she was kind of quoting Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Vicktor Frankl, who wrote in his 1946 “Man’s Search for Meaning”: “When my life was once endangered by a climbing accident, I felt only one sensation at the critical moment. Curiosity, curiosity as to whether I should come out of it alive or with a fractured skull or some other injuries.” Later in the book, Frankl writes about that same slow-motion curiosity taking over — overruling worry, terror, all of it — at all three concentration camps he endured, when conditions pushed him into survival mode. The Listener shows us how to activate a mix much like that, a mix of awe and focus and letting you know, you can do this.

You can love or at least be kind to the darkest parts of your darkness. Start by asking what it wants to say, what it has to offer, then look, turn it over and over.

See that it just wants to be seen.

The Listener is also a hugger. She’ll ask first. Say yes.

Let yourself soften in the embrace of being noticed and understood and not-alone.

r

If this apotheosis is going to work, this elevation of three salt-of-the-Blue-Earth mortals to deity status, we probably have to acknowledge that neither Jonathan nor Edgar nor Jessica would self-appoint in this way.

They might even dislike the idea. But I think they would also dislike the perception of their absences as a net loss, an amputation, as if we’re now deprived of all they built and grew and gave for us. If those are the options, I want to think they’d each be pretty fine with some speculative deification. I want to think they’d accept their new titles in the interest of each of us doing our part to pick up where they left off, show them we’d paid close attention to their way-finding, and now we’re grateful and we’re ready to stay the course. MM

Ann Rosenquist Fee is executive director of the Arts Center of Saint Peter and a vocalist with the acoustic duo The Frye. She blogs at annrosenquistfee.com.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 33

Wine & Beer

wines

By Leigh Pomeroy

southern mn style

Chardonnay: the white wine Americans love — or love to hate O

kay, so you thought you had enough of Chardonnay in my last article? Sorry, but I’ve got more to say.

That’s because, as all wine drinkers know, Chardonnay is ubiquitous. One would think that, judging from wine store shelves in the U.S., it’s the most widely grown white grape on the planet.

Not true. That distinction belongs to the little-known airén grape, Spain’s most popular grape by acres planted, surpassing even the more well-known red grapes of tempranillo and garnacha. Airén is used mainly for cheap table wine and as a base for brandy.

But back to Chardonnay.

While the grape achieves its greatest success in the Côte de Beaune of France (although some California winemakers might argue otherwise), it has adapted well to many climates, geographic locations and soil types. And it has proved amazingly adaptable to warmer climes, such as southern France, eastern Washington, southern Italy and parts of Australia and the Central Valley of California.

The marketing success of Chardonnay in the U.S. can be attributed, at least in part, to Robert Mondavi, who, in the 1960s, made a pilgrimage to France to learn how they made their best wines — in his mind Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux and Chardonnay from Burgundy. He took what he learned and applied it to his eponymous winery.

Before that, Chardonnay was being made in California only by a handful of small wineries, but it wasn’t all that popular. Instead, the bestselling white wines were Chenin Blanc, Grey Riesling (from a grape called trousseau gris), Johannisberg Riesling (now just called Riesling) and Green Hungarian (actually the Hungarian

34 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

grape butschera). Today, the trousseau gris and butschera are all but gone from California, having been supplanted by — you guessed it — chardonnay.

Chardonnay from California came into its own at the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting, when a Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley bested four French white Burgundies, including Batard-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, both expensive and sought-after Chardonnay wines. At the same tasting, a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon beat a number of prized Bordeaux, including the First Growths Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion.

Chardonnay, as grown in many disparate areas, produces in each region a very different wine. Hot climate Chardonnays, such as those from the Central Valley and around Paso Robles in California as well as parts of Australia, are generally round, fat, soft, slightly sweet and alcoholic. Chardonnays from the South Coast in California, including the Edna Valley, have an almost tropical fruit character.

Chardonnays from cooler regions, like Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Australia’s Margaret River area, New Zealand, and southern Chile, tend to be tight, angular and tart. Chardonnay is also one of the principal grapes used to make Champagne, along with the red pinot noir and pinot meunier.

Sparkling wines labeled Blanc de Blancs, be they from Champagne, California or elsewhere, are almost always chardonnay-based.

Chardonnay wines are also a product of the choices the winery makes. Today’s mass market Chardonnays, such as the ubiquitous Kendall-Jackson, are fashioned to the perceived taste of the market. The original

K-J Chardonnay was blended to fool wine experts and improve wine scores, which it did in grand fashion by using lots of oak to add vanilla, incorporating a tiny bit of malvasia or muscat to up its fruitiness, and finishing it to give a slightly sweet impression.

Other wineries have found similar success by “aiming to the market.” One example is Rombauer Chardonnay. The grapes come from the cooler Carneros region of Napa Valley, which should produce a balanced wine with fine acidity.

The juice is barrel fermented, giving it a smoky-vanilla character, and is allowed to go through a secondary malolactic fermentation that reduces the acidity and gives it a more creamy texture. The result is a wine that I find tastes like crème brûlée, a French custard dessert. Yet it is very popular, even at $38. And some single vineyard Rombauer Chardonnays sell for $70. (Note: I worked a harvest for Rombauer in the 1980s.)

So Chardonnay cannot be pigeonholed into one flavor, style or taste. Cheap Chardonnays can be had for less than $5. Rare, singlevineyard Chardonnays go for a lot more and are easily sold out — for example, Corton-Charlemagne and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet from the Burgundy region of France; Marcassin, Kongsgaard and Peter Michael Chardonnays from California; and Gaja Gaia & Rey Chardonnay from Piedmont, Italy.

The bottom line is that in 2019, despite all the Chardonnay jokes and the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement, the varietal still is as popular and varied as ever.

Leigh Pomeroy is a Mankato-based writer and wine lover.

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BEER

By Bert Mattson

Sour ladies and mad uncles A

cidity is an edge that wine has historically had over beer, at least in the province of food pairing.

(Also, notes of fruit, as hops have been historically thought largely of as a bittering agent.)

But fruit and acidity, along with the development of hops, have more recently been a home run for craft brewing. Last summer it seemed to reach the point where a scatter shot aimed at the single can shelf dedicated to fruited sours would yield few lemons.

However popular at present, sour beers have been around, literally, for ages. In fact, it’s probable that many, if not most, early brews were sour. Contemporary sour beers are ones brewed deliberately to attain elevated acidity. In them, this sour element eclipses the bitter or malty attributes indicative of other ales and lagers. The process depends upon acid-producing bacteria (those that excrete organic acids after feeding on sugars in the beer). Acid-producing bacteria are pervasive, hence the likelihood of their widespread impact in ancient brewing. Science and sanitation have come a long way.

In modernity, acids often signal spoilage in other styles of beer — though IPA is one example of a style brewers are beginning to augment with acidity. On purpose.

Generally, the bacteria are introduced after the wort is brewed. Then the beer sits in stainless or oak barrels, and more and more commonly has fruit added to yield a “fruited sour.” Blending from different barrels isn’t entirely uncommon.

Sour beers take time — and space— and subsequently tend to be expensive. The trade-off is an uncommon beer.

Also, complexity. Complexity tends to lend intriguing pairing potential to a beverage. Plus, acidity makes a great foil for many foods. Acidity can cut rich or oily offerings, cleanse the palate and bring balance to a dish. The best chefs I know opine that when something is missing from a dish, it’s usually acid. So an acidic beverage is sort of a secret weapon. Plus it doesn’t feel heavy in itself.

Enjoy the Season for every reason!

Tannins also help with heavy food. Generally, tannins are not a good thing in beer. The hallmark of tannin is astringency, a palate-drying sensation. But tannins are an interesting part of the flavor profile in many sour beers. In fact, my wife identified a difference between two sours I settled on discussing here. She referred to disparity, off-handedly, as “tang.” Of course the lemon sour is tart, but I suspect the balanced astringency is what she preferred in Rhuby, the American Wild Ale from Mankato Brewery. Complexity renders Rhuby a capable beer in pairing with food for contrast. From a funky soft ripened cheese and berries to slow-cooked meats, to shortbread, Rhuby should suffice.

The effervescence and more single-minded acidity of Indeed Brewing Company’s Lucy Session Sour I see better suited to goat cheese, buttery seafood and lemon wafer cookies.

Bottom line, these local beauties can handle your typical h o l i d a y t a b l e f a re , without bringing to bear so much alcohol as to keep you from handling That Uncle.

Bert Mattson is a chef and writer based in St. Paul.

He is the manager of the iconic Mickey’s Diner. bertsbackburner.com

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 37

THAT’S LIFE

By Nell Musolf

Text to me, baby!

“H

ow was your day?”

“Fine.”

“Anything interesting happen?”

“Not really.”

The exact same conversation occurred in our household from the time my two sons entered kindergarten until they graduated from high school. While I was fairly certain they were withholding at least one or two interesting events on a daily basis, getting anything out of them was like trying to squeeze toothpaste out of a tube using a pair of drumsticks instead of your hands: extremely frustrating.

Then along came cellphones.

Because my husband Mark and I were convinced cellphones were just a phase, neither of our sons got one until they were out of junior high, and, of course, we got the cheapest phones we could find. We held out even longer and I didn’t get my first cellphone for another year, my husband another decade. When I did finally join the wireless era, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing, especially the cringeworthy moment I attempted to send my first text message to our oldest son.

“How the heck do you work this thing?” I asked Mark as I tapped fruitlessly on the minute keypad of my flip phone.

38 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” he replied.

“How do you put a space in?”

“I already told you, I don’t know and I don’t care.

E v e n t u a l l y, a f t e r m u c h t r i a l a n d m o s t l y e r r o r, I m a n a g e d t o w r i t e a m e s s a g e : HIWHATTIMEDOUWANMETOPCKIUUP My son texted back immediately. What?

I tried again. WHNSHLDUICOMEGETU For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to put spaces in my message, couldn’t get the caps lock off and forget about punctuation. My son later told me that my first text message was the “funniest thing” he’d ever read and he’d never realized that I possessed such a good sense of humor. He didn’t notice I wasn’t laughing.

I got faster and better at sending text messages and soon learned to embrace the new way to communicate, especially as I realized there were things I could text — and later message — to my sons that I’d never be able to discuss face to face, at least not without a whole lot of red faces and averted glances.

Like about the birds and the bees.

We never had “the talk” at our house, instead taken the chicken-hearted route and leaving almost the entire discussion to the highly talented local school district to handle. But eventually we had to pull our heads out of

the sand when one of our offspring began seriously dating, and I began picking up on some hints that he and his girlfriend weren’t just playing video games together. Texting came in very handy at that moment of truth and late one Saturday night I sent the following message:.

Remember, a moment of fun can result in a lifetime of parenthood!

I received a smiley face in return.

Texting also has proven a boon when it comes to apologizing to our children. Like the time my husband and I inadvertently hurt one of our son’s feelings. We tried to make amends but he was having nothing to do with us and gave us the cold shoulder and silent treatment for much longer than either of us could stand. After he retreated to the basement with his cellphone — undoubtedly to send messages to all of his friends to tell them what jerks he had for parents — his dad and I tried to figure out a way to reach him.

“I know, I’ll send him a text,” I said.

“Are you kidding me? He’s down the basement,” my husband groused.

“Maybe 20 yards away and you’re going to text him?”

“Do you want to walk down there and say you’re sorry again?”

He didn’t and neither did I. Instead I sent him a message apologizing for our joint thoughtlessness and promising to do better in the future.

I ended the message telling him that we loved him, we would always love him, and he might as well come upstairs for dinner because he was stuck with us for parents.

One of the nicest things about sending texts or messages is the “seen” feature and within a few moments I knew our message had been seen by our son. An hour or so later, he came upstairs.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked and peace once again reigned in our household.

Is texting instead of having faceto-face heart-to-hearts the healthiest approach to communicating? I don’t know. I only know it’s worked for us.

All of us text better than we talk, and texting has proven to be a way for us to tell each other how very much we heart each other along with a lot of LOL’s, smiley face icons and plenty of thumbs-ups.

Nell Musolf is a mom and freelance writer from Mankato. She blogs at: nellmusolf.com

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GARDEN CHAT

By Jean Lundquist

W

Adventures in monarching

hen I plan for the next growing season, I always start big.

Last year about this time, I announced my intentions to cut all the scrub brush on the north property line, and plant some nice trees and shrubs to build a windbreak.

It was a great idea, but it didn’t happen.

In all honesty, I knew it would not, but hey, I had a plan!

This year I’m thinking about a pollinator garden, with special emphasis on monarch butterfly habitat.

Cora Lund Preston, communications specialist with Monarch Joint Venture in the Twin Cities, said there are small things we can do that can have a large impact. I like the sound of that.

Monarch Joint Venture is an independent nonprofit partnering with more than 80 other similar organizations to increase and stabilize the monarch population by establishing and improving monarch habitat across the country.

Bees have gotten a lot of notice as pollinators in decline, but monarchs deserve the same attention. Monarchs are 40 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

great pollinators and are also an indicator species for other populations that share their environment. What’s happening to monarch populations is also happening to game animals, amphibians and reptiles, songbirds, bees and other pollinators, and are good indicators of water quality.

Monarchs are found across the continent. The monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains extend as far north as southern Canada. Each fall, they migrate to central Mexico, a journey of 3,000 miles. Monarchs are the only species of butterfly to migrate. Lund Preston said although butterflies do not flock up like birds, they do cluster together for migration. The swarms of monarchs can often be seen on weather radar, just like flocks of birds.

There are, of course, natural fluctuations in the population of monarch butterflies, just like in all species.

But an alarm was sounded in the 1990s when migrating populations were down a whopping 90%. That statistic drew some attention to the plight of these animals. As an indicator species, they are also harbingers of the human

condition and future concerning the environment.

Before I tell you what Lund Preston said we can and should do to help monarchs, let me tell you what we should not do.

The Monarch Joint Venture c a u t i o n s a g a i n s t p u rc h a s i n g butterflies, larvae or chrysalises to release into the wild. Lund Preston said there is no way to know the genetic makeup of these insects. If they have been too many generations in captivity, their ability to migrate could be impaired, for example. Interbreeding with truly wild monarchs could spell disaster for monarchs.

Instead, she said, provide habitat for the butterflies. That includes planting milkweed for butterflies to lay eggs and feed on in larval form.

Milkweed is the only thing monarchs eat at that stage of development, so it is crucial.

Second, plant native wildflowers for the adults to feed on. Other flowers may fill in, but wildflowers are best for monarchs and most other pollinators, she said.

If you do decide on milkweed and wildflowers, Lund Preston said you might want to tell your neighbors what you are up to, as the aesthetics in your yard may be different from what your neighbors have or expect from you.

Part of this issue might be that milkweed plants are identified as “weeds.” That alone is a turn off for some. Before I retired, I bought packets of milkweeds, and scattered them in the planters beside the Government Center and the VINE Senior Center. I often wondered if people saw them as an eyesore, but I never saw anyone pulling them out.

No matter what you plant, ask what they have been treated with before you buy. Some pesticides are harmful to pollinators at all stages of their life cycle. Particularly, neonicotinoids (sometimes shortened to neonics ) are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. Don’t just avoid these plants, shun them.

For more information on monarch butterflies and the Joint Venture, visit: ttps://monarchjointventure. org/ P.S I took ripe tomatoes out of my greenhouse until mid-November.

Jean Lundquist is a Master Gardener who lives near Good Thunder. gardenchatkato@gmail.com

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 41

COMING ATTRACTIONS: DECEMBER 1

GSR Fine Art Festival 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. in the Mankato Civic Center Banquet Hall — More than 45 visual artists will display and sell their locally made, one-of-akind work; All sales go directly to the artists — Admission is free.

4

Lori Line, 30th Year Anniversary Show 7 p.m., St. Peter High School — Annual holiday show — Tickets are $55; purchase at loriline.com.

5

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train 7 p.m., Veterans Memorial Park, Janesville — Bring food donations.

5,6,7,8

Christmas at Bethany 5 p.m. Dec. 5-6; 2 p.m. Dec. 7-8 at Trinity Chapel, Bethany Lutheran College — the college’s annual Christmas celebration featuring music for band, strings, handbells, choirs and audience celebrating the birth of Christ — Admission is free but advanced registration is required.

5,6,7,8

Christmas in Christ Chapel 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5-7; 3:30 p.m. Dec. 7, 8 in Gustavus Adolphus College’s Christ Chapel — “Love Beyond Borders” follows the incarnation story in the gospel of Matthew — Guests will select specific reservable seats in Christ Chapel at the time of ticket purchase. There will no longer be general admission seating. Tickets are on sale, visit gustavus.edu/events/ccc to purchase.

7

Christmas in Courtland 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Courtland Community Center — Variety of Christmas vendors.

Same Great People.

Same Great Service.

Best of 2019

8

Maverick Holiday Carnival 1:30-3:30 p.m. in Minnesota State University’s Centennial Student Union Ballroom — Adults can bring children 5 and younger to enjoy carnival games and activities — Parking is free in lot 4 on the MSU campus; event is free.

12,13,14,15

Mankato Ballet Co.’s “The Nutcracker” 7 p.m. Dec. 12-13; 1 and 5 p.m.

Dec. 14-15 — The annual holiday classic — Tickets: Adults, $20; students/seniors, $15; children, $12; children 2 and under are free; purchased at the MSU box office: Call 507-389-6661 or visit msutheatre.com.

14

Christmas Bird Count 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Ney Nature Center, Henderson — Help the Ney Nature Center record resident and migratory bird statistics.

Count from home or join us at the Education Building between 8 a.m. and 4 pm — All ages. Free event.

22

Home Free Dive Bar Christmas 7:30 p.m. in the Mankato Civic Center arena — A capella group performing holiday favorites — All seats reserved; $21.50, $26.50, 436.50, $49.50; Tickets are available at the Mankato Civic Center box office and online at ticketmaster.com.

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Call Nancy at 507-388-4200 to schedule a tour!

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COMMUNITY DRAWS

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44 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 45

46 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

» C OME JU DGE

for Yourself.

GOLFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME TO CHALLENGE THE JUDGE and the two other golf courses in Prattville at RTJ Capitol Hill. Bring your clubs and come take on Judge hole number 1, voted the favorite hole on the Trail. Complete your day in luxury at the Marriott and enjoy dining, firepits and guest rooms overlooking the Senator golf course. With the Marriott’s 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 96 guest rooms and luxurious Presidential Cottage combined with three world-class golf courses, business and pleasure can definitely interact in Prattville.

THE ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL AT CAPITOL HILL offers three magnificent 18-hole championship golf courses.

The Marriott Prattville is part of the Resort Collection on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 800.949.4444 to learn more.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 47

FROM THIS VALLEY

By Pete Steiner

The Annual Christmas Letter

“R

eady for a town home?” My wife was smirking.

Her husband, let’s call him Sisyphus, was out raking leaves yet again. The yard had been clean the day before. He’d even hauled 200 pounds of walnuts to the compost collection site. But the neighbor’s big oak had now decided to drop, and the whims of the wind blew probably a million leaves onto our property.

“Naw,” I sighed, “raking gives me uninterrupted time to think. Plus, it’s good exercise.” But I could tell she knew I was less than enthusiastic. nnnn Some routines remained for me in 2019: mowing, raking, shoveling. You betcha, shoveling — more on that shortly. The really big change for me was retirement. I tried to retire in 2012, but then KTOE owner John Linder convinced me that radio was still fun, that I could be “Part-time Pete”! Finally last June, after more that 7,500 “Talk of the Town” interviews that ranged from lutefisk suppers to politics to local infrastructure to birdwatching to luminaries like Pete Seeger and double Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, I chose to pull the plug. (That also meant I did not go to Farmfest for the first time in 20 years; as a city kid, I loved that chance to learn a little about our crucial ag industry.) The first five months of full retirement have certainly not been boring! Grandkids, honey-do lists, catching up on years of unread books.... I only wonder how anybody gets things done when they’re working! nnnn It’s a challenge trying to sum up a year in 750 words.

But to begin... We were proud when former Mankatoan Tim Walz claimed the Minnesota governor’s mansion in St. Paul in January! We welcomed Bob Dylan back to Mankato in October — his only Minnesota concert in two years; many there saw and heard him live for the first time. The most-asked question of the evening: Which song is that? Dylan famously changes up arrangements, so even his best-known songs can be a challenge to identify, but at 78, he performed vigorously for an hour and forty minutes. Blues legend Buddy Guy played Mankato for the first time, at Vetter Amphitheater; I loved the music and the stories, and at 83, he’s still got the blazing guitar chops and supple voice. Still, I had to get used to ambient cigarette smoke again, reminding me of all the days I spent listening to music in smoke-filled bars before the state banned indoor smoking. nnnn 48 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Of S - - tholes and Shrangri-Las I’ve said it here before, Global warming is more likely to make Mankato a Shangri-La than a s - - thole (to borrow a descriptive from our president). But warmer temperatures do allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, as I learned long ago from legendary ninth-grade science teacher Merv Nelson at Lincoln Jr. High. Thus is partly explained our year of B-I-G precipitation. That made it a challenging year for plow drivers and school bus drivers and farmers and construction workers. The Minnesota River remained unusually high for most of the year. Following five straight weeks of brutal cold, Sunday, Feb. 24 brought a classic Minnesota blizzard that stranded hundreds of travelers, some of whom had to be rescued by snowmobile! Brought back memories of winters in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Then a rainy spring delayed planting, before July 19 produced a heat index of 112! To be a Minnesotan, you must roll with the flow and adapt to extremes. nnnn April 15. Yeah, it was Tax Day, but that happens every year. The shocking news came from across the Atlantic.

I usually keep this column local, but from this valley, we can take in the whole shrunken world via modern communications, and like millions everywhere, that day I watched Notre Dame burn. The gorgeous cathedral — historic, iconic, symbolic, you choose your adjective — was now a vivid reminder of the impermanence of our human condition. Fortunately, heroic firefighters were able to prevent a total loss. nnnn I have to throw in a sports note. Minnesotans are longsuffering fans, but our Twins brought hope this year. Oh sure, those damn Yankees showed us we’re a couple pitchers and a few key hits short of what we really want.

But finally there was some hope, and that’s what keeps us going, right? Hope, in sports or whatever we do.

In conclusion, let me borrow and paraphrase a few lines from Bing Crosby’s holiday classic: May your days be merry and bright, and (after last winter) may your Christmas and New Year’s AND Valentine’s Day AND President’s Day, be a little less white.

Longtime radio guy Pete Steiner is now a free lance writer in Mankato.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019 • 49

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50 • DECEMBER 2019 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

1575 Lookout Drive, North Mankato • bluetailmedicalgroup.com