Mankato Magazine - August 2020

ADULTING

Also in this issue: Grab a vegan bite and unique tea at CURIOSI-TEA DATING SCENE: Has it changed in Mankato?

A look at the NAACP MANKATO CHAPTER

The Free Press MEDIA

Josh Calsbeek AUGUST 2020

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 1

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2 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

FEATURE S AUGUST 2020 Volume 15, Issue 8

20

ADULTING What does “adulting” even mean? Take a look at how some young adults are doing it successfully

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24

CALLIN’ ALL SINGLES

Black Lives Matter

Mankato’s single scene stays the same, uses technology to communicate.

NAACP begins Mankato chapter.

ABOUT THE COVER Josh Calsbeek cooks, works and takes rides on his prized possession — his motorcycle.

Calsbeek, like everyone else, learns what it means to “adult.”

This month we take a look at what adulting means. And usually that means things change … for the better MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 3

DEPARTMENTS 6 From the Editor 8 This Day in History 9 Avant Guardians

Emily Dzieweczynski

10 Beyond the Margin

9

The fields of dreams for our COVID nightmare

12 Familiar Faces Jasmine D’Avilar

14 Day Trip Destinations Drive-in theaters

30 Living 55 Plus

10

48 Let’s Eat!

Curiosi-Tea in North Mankato

50 Community Draws Bike Polo

51 Beer

August Beer Fair Weather and Guilty Pleasure 500

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14

52 Country Minutes

Dogs of Oshawa, part 7

54 Garden Chat

COVID-19 ... and black garlic

56 From This Valley

A COVID journal thus far

Coming in September

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54

Career 180s: People who gave up successful careers to pursue their dreams.

Choose the to Feel Your

Andrew Meyers, CEO The Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic

Joe Stratton, CEO River’s Edge Hospital

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 5

FROM THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

By Diana Rojo-Garcia AUGUST 2020 • VOLUME 15, ISSUE 8 PUBLISHER Steve Jameson EDITOR Joe Spear ASSOCIATE Diana Rojo-Garcia EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS Bert Mattson Jean Lundquist Kat Baumann Dan Greenwood Nicole Helget Pete Steiner Rachael Jaeger Renee Berg

PHOTOGRAPHERS Pat Christman PAGE DESIGNER Christina Sankey ADVERTISING Danny Creel SALES Jordan Greer-Friesz Josh Zimmerman Marianne Carlson Theresa Haefner ADVERTISING Barb Wass ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Christina Sankey DESIGNERS CIRCULATION Justin Niles DIRECTOR

Mankato Magazine is published by The Free Press Media monthly at 418 South Second St., Mankato MN 56001.

To subscribe, call 1-800-657-4662 or 507-625-4451. $35.40 for 12 issues.

For all editorial inquiries, call Diana Rojo-Garcia 507-344-6305, or email drojogarcia@mankatofreepress.com.

For advertising, call 344-6364, or e-mail advertising@mankatofreepress.com.

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ADULTING: What does that even mean?

A

h. One of my favorite millennial terms: “Adulting.”

Nothing better than doin’ a switcheroo on a noun and turning it into a verb.

Peak millennial.

The term picked up sometime in the late 2010s and is often credited to blogger Kelly Williams Brown, according to grammarist. com. Adulting simply just means to behave in an adult manner. You know, paying bills, maybe acquiring a home loan, doing the whole 9 to 5 thing trying to make a living. The usual stuff.

Adulting can be tricky at times, especially when life takes us in a different direction than we had hoped as kids.

Most everyone has had a dream when they were budding into their own personalities and hobbies as kids.

Some children aspire to be astronauts. A few all-star kids were inspired by their heroes to become professional athletes one day. And other kids had dreamt that by a certain age they’d be married, settled down with a couple kids of their own.

And weird kids — like me — dreamt of moving out of the small town they grew up in, remain single and head off to the Big City.

But as most of us know, sometimes those plans don’t come to fruition. Things change. We unexpectedly meet people who change our lives. Our interests evolve into a different career.

And ultimately, it leads people in a different direction.

This month, we explore the lives of four young adults who have taken those lessons and learned that “adulting” isn’t that bad. Some have realized that travelling was their passion as they grew older — even better with family! Others own a home and the others have realized that maybe mom and pop aren’t all so bad.

This month, we also featured Jasmine D’Avilar, who had organized the vigils for George Floyd at Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The world had changed overnight after Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.

Protests had continued for weeks

all across the nation and the world, demanding racial justice.

The 2020 Minnesota State University graduate plans on continuing education programs for the community regarding racial justice.

Also in this month’s publication, we feature Emily Dzieweczynski, a local artist who combines both of her disciplines in her work: psychology and art.

For those who are looking at getting away from away, check out this month’s Day Trip. There are only six drive-in theaters left in Minnesota with one only a little more than an hour away. Get in your car, throw in some blankets and watch a movie with your sweetie (or not).

We decided to look into Mankato’s single scene, too. Folks, it’s a lot harder than it seemed to get someone willing to talk about their dating life — after all, that’s some incredibly personal stuff.

I searched everywhere I could, including looking through some single social media groups (that was an awkward conversation with my husband, by the way).

We’ve discovered that — through census information — nearly half of Mankatoans reported “single.”

You’d think there’d be a few more people to talk about being single, but, again, kind of personal.

Ultimately, two individuals agreed to speak with us about what the scene looks like. Not surprisingly, things haven’t changed much since Romeo and Juliet. Dating still begins in the awkward stage of flirting, then a couple dates and maybe in a few years y’all end up with a puppy.

So really, people are still finding significant others through networking … and most recently, social networking.

And lastly, check out Kat Baumann’s comic and learn a little bit about Mankato’s popular scene in bike polo (there’s no horses involved, by the way).

Diana Rojo-Garcia is associate editor of Mankato Magazine.

Contact her at drojogarcia@ mankatofreepress.com

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY Compiled by Jean Lundquist

1750 Northway Drive • North Mankato, MN 56003 www.corpgraph.com

Time to expire meters Aug. 17, 1989 Free Press columnist Brian Ojanpa was tired of parking meters and was willing to pay more in city taxes to have them gone. In 1989, there were 474 Park-O-Meters in the downtown Mankato area, down from a one-time high of 1,200. The meters brought in about $150,000 each year, plus the overtime parking tickets, worth another $130,000. Mankato City Finance Director Harley Mohr said if the meters went away, then so would the salaries of the “meter maids.” And the net cost to city residents would amount to less than a fast food dinner for a family of four ($20/year). Ojanpa said he had his checkbook out, ready to pay to be rid of the meters. It took nearly a decade, but in May 1998 the City Council voted to remove them. By October, they were all gone, says Kay Schultz, records supervisor with the Mankato Department of Public Safety.

Rules Pinball ‘Free Plays’ Out Aug. 5, 1940 Trying to determine what was — and what was not — gambling, Judge Fred Senn of Waseca determined that the pinball machines that awarded more games based on the players’ score were indeed gambling machines and could be shut down and/or confiscated. The machines were in Owatonna and Faribault. Had the machines provided a set amount of games per coin, they were considered devices for amusement only. But when they awarded between two and 40 more games based on scores achieved, they became gambling devices and were illegal, ruled Senn. After a long-fought battle, the pinball machines were confiscated.

The Mankato Fair Aug. 4, 1924 The approaching Mankato Fair was reported to be the best fair “ever.” The reporter of this story said that really meant something because fairs over the past few years had been “par excellent.” More attractions were expected, more livestock were to be on display, and “the ladies will have their handiwork on exhibition.” Fairs used to be one of the major highlights of every city and county during the summer. It was a place to gather, meet family and friends, and compete with those family and friends

Brochures Annual Reports Catalogs Magazines Posters Childrens Books Coffee Table Books and MORE!

Grim Reminders Aug. 8, 1979 A dark photo by Free Press photographer Bill Altnow showed dead and dying elm trees, victims of Dutch elm disease in the area. Blue Earth County weed inspector Everett Blaisdell said the trees were being taken down in parks and along roadways by county highway crews as they found time. The county did not qualify for government aid for tree removal, as qualifications required that trees be in a controlled five-acre plot. The five acres coud not run in a linear fashion, as “county-owned rights-of-ways do.”

AVANT GUARDIANS

By Leticia Gonzales

The intersection of ART AND PSYCHOLOGY Emily Dzieweczynski combines two disciplines into her art

W

ith bachelor’s degrees in studio art and psychological science from Gustavus Adolphus College, Emily Dzieweczynski offers a unique perspective to her profession.

She is self-described as a combination of a multimedia artist, creative researcher, teacher and designer. Dzieweczynski is also a studio intern at Second Shift Studio in East St. Paul, and works part-time as a barista at River Rock Coffee.

While her career focus is c u r re n t l y o n h e r art, Dzieweczynski said her chosen studies of studio art and psychological science “inform each other in a reciprocal relationship.”

“My psychological studies actually build the framework for the conceptual purpose behind the art that I make,” she explained. “I think a lot of my work is — either explicitly or implicitly — based on a research being done in psychology.

My studio art studies taught me to be critical but also free in a way I couldn’t within psychology.”

Earlier in her training, Dzieweczynski began with drawing and printmaking, which led to experimenting with a variety of new media, such as sound, video, animation, virtual reality, code and installation.

“I’m trying to study and understand empathy through my work,” she said. “I am curious about what happens when art, science, and technology intersect at the

concept of empathy.

This pursuit involves trying to understand experience, how we share experience, bodily sensations, self/otherness, memory and connection. Visually, my work typically takes a minimalistic approach, sometimes with a linear or graphical quality. I really like organization. I often use quite a bit of text, symbols of knots and nets to talk about connection.”

Her work is often inspired by scientists, technologists and artists.

“I read a lot of philosophy and psychological studies that inspire my work, and then spend time in nature to process it,” Dzieweczynski said. “I’m thoroughly inspired by nature. Though, really, I’m inspired often by things as small as light passing through a room. Every experience is so rich and complex, it’s profound to think about how all of our experiences are similar in ways but are likely vastly different.”

Dzieweczynski spends three to four days a week on projects, including one funded by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council.

“It’s a virtual reality experience of light passing through spaces paired with spatial audio of different people’s homes,” she said.

She is also working on a collaborative project with visual artist Betsy Byers and a team of scientists, funded by the National Science Foundation. “ I t ’s a p ro j e c t t h a t ’s b e e n developing over a couple years that explores glacial recession in Cayambe, Ecuador and how art can transcribe those experiences,” Dzieweczynski said. “Right now, I’m working on a WebVR resource that shows the structure of the glacier alongside 360 degree footage that was collected on site.”

Like most artists, the exhibit of her work has been on hold due to COVID-19. Her last show was in collaboration with Byers at Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis.

Previously, her art has been shown at 410 Project, Target Gallery, Vine Arts Center, Gamut Gallery, American Swedish Institute, Gustavus Adolphus College and Children’s Museum of Minnesota.

“My work has become more conceptually mature over the years, but I think it’s still in its infancy, which is quite exciting,” she added.

“Everyday, I’m learning more about where I want to take my work.”

MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 9

BEYOND THE MARGIN

By Joe Spear

The fields of dreams for our COVID nightmare W hen I was growing up the Little League baseball season was winding down in August and back to school shopping was in the offing.

We had only memories of the home run, the play at the plate and the wicked spiking I took tagging a guy trying to steal third. Yes, Little League. I still have the scar. Not on my lower leg or foot, but on the forearm of my glove hand.

You might say the runner “came in high.”

But by August this year, the Little League teams, the town teams and the amateurs will still be playing as COVID distancing rules were just relaxed and allowed teams to play actual games around July 1.

This year baseball has turned into a COVID game of catch where you have to sanitize the ball after each touch.

Still, players begged to get back on their own field of dreams.

Many of the Mankato MoonDogs arrived late June in Mankato for an abbreviated season of just 40 games instead of the usual 70.

They opened July 1.

Tanner Craig, an infielder from Evansville, said he tried to stay optimistic working out at home waiting for the season to start.

“It’s just fun to be part of a team again,” he told The Free Press. “To be around 30 guys, just talking baseball again ... it’s good to be back.”

The Mankato Peppers girls fastpitch softball players were anxious as well.

“The girls have been waiting patiently,” Mankato Area Girls Fastpitch Association Vice President Matt Mangulis said. “It restores some normalcy for these kids ... just socially being around their team, that’s their favorite thing to do in the summer.”

The Mankato Twins amateur team opened their season on

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Sunday, June 28, but was rained out after three innings “You’ve never seen 40 guys so happy to be on a ball field,” Twins player Andy Garbers said. Added manager Kris Brenke: “We’re kinda just pushed into the season, but everyone’s still happy to be out there.”

The Minnesota Amateur Baseball state tournament was nearly canceled due to COVID. But the hearty and baseball-loving folks of New Ulm and Springfield agreed to hold the tournament even if fans could not attend the beautifully renovated Johnson Park in New Ulm. The venue has quite a history.

The good folks of New Ulm and those who shop there agreed to use $1.4 million in local RENU sales tax money for renovation of the facility complete with a graphic of a swinging ball player atop the German Street entrance as an ode to all the great players who dug in at home plate.

In 2014, the field celebrated its 75th anniversary, an event former Free Press Sports Editor Jim Rueda captured.

Players and fans came from across the country to celebrate the jewel of a ballfield in a town known for its storied baseball history.

Built by American workers who needed jobs during the Great Depression, it was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project completed in 1939. The park was named after Fred W. Johnson, a civic leader and president of the New Ulm Park Association.

Ken Rockvam played on the New Ulm midget team in 1951 that took a game from the big boys in Minneapolis winning the Aquatennial championship.

He told Rueda that Johnson Park gave players a thrill just for walking out on the field taking your position.

“I came up as a kid playing around town and to actually get to play a game in Johnson Park was something special,” he said. “That was a dream we all had as kids.”

Other players remembered the old-time wooden scoreboard that had to be changed each inning by kids of the scoreboard crew.

Baseball fields have long represented romantic notions in American story.

New Ulm isn’t the only place with a storied field.

Franklin Rogers Park, which got a $3 million stunning renovation a year or so ago, hosted all manner of teams, including the MoonDogs and the Mankato Mets.

Early MoonDog players to grace Franklin Rogers include Curtis Granderson who played for the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees and five other Major League teams. Brandon Crawford, the World champion San Francisco Giants shortstop, also made a stop at “The Frank.”

Some 15 other players for the MoonDogs or their predecessor the “Mashers” went on to play in the Major Leagues.

New Ulm’s baseball tradition hath wrought 16 state championship teams including VFW, Legion, high school and town teams.

In the great baseball movie “Bull Durham,” Annie Savoy, a minor league team groupie played by Susan Sarandon, quotes the great American poet and

newspaperman Walt Whitman talking about baseball.

Annie says at the end of the movie “Walt Whitman once said, ‘I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us.’ You could look it up.”

Turns out writer Brian Cronin of the Los Angeles Times did look it up and after checking all of Whitman’s writing, didn’t find the quote.

But he did find conversations with Whitman chronicled by one of his early fans that contains all the elements of the Savoy knowledge bowl quiz question.

Cronin concludes it is an accurate paraphrase. And wouldn’t that be a disappointment if it wasn’t From the hard scrabble fields of Little League, to the glorious night in the small town ballparks, baseball is needed, now more than ever, to as Whitman says, “repair our losses.”

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

Follow on Twitter @jfspear.

Members of the New Ulm Brewers shake hands with the Gibbon Reds after a 2018 game at Johnson Park.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 11

Familiar Faces

VOICE OF CHANGE Jasmine D’Avilar brings vigil for George Floyd to Mankato

M

Photo by Pat Christman

NAME:

Jasmine D’Avilar OCCUPATION:

Post grad life, server, crochet artist

HOMETOWN: Bronx, New York

OCCUPATION: “Create a great day” - advice from mama

DO YOU THINK CEREAL IS A SOUP?:

As a soup lover, it just doesn’t sit right with me to call it a soup. I don’t think cold soups are soup. I’m sorry.

onday, May 25. It was the video that shook the U.S. — and the rest of the world — to wake up.

George Floyd’s killing, right outside Cub Foods in Minneapolis, had the world protesting against racial injustice. The movement started in Minneapolis and spread quickly to Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and everywhere else, from Paris to Ireland and Uganda. The world for the next month had not been the same and it collectively screamed “I CAN’T BREATHE.” The movement reached Mankato following a few days after Floyd’s death. Hundreds had gathered peacefully along the unseasonably blistering May summer heat to demonstrate against police brutality and for racial justice.

Jasmine D’Avilar had demonstrated that day and was surprised at the amount of support Mankatoans showed that day.

D’Avilar — a Minnesota State University 2020 grad — has continued the fight. She’ll also be the first to contribute to the local media group, Triple Falls Productions in their segments “TF Black Voices.”

The anthropology grad has been active in the community and avidly fighting against racial injustice by organizing the silent vigils at Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The vigil had dedicated eight minutes and 46 minutes of silence for George Floyd.

“If you cannot show up today, then show up tomorrow,” D’Avilar wrote in her Facebook event. “And the next day, and the next. This movement of social change is going to take all of us and we must continue the fight every single day we can.”

The protest that was held shortly after George Floyd’s death was massive in Mankato. Did you ever expect the protest to get that big and that feedback?

I did not expect the protest to gather such a large crowd. I truly wasn’t expecting much outside of my close friends supporting me. It’s been amazing to meet so many new people and to have their support. These demonstrations have been so inspiring to continue using my voice to affect change because people are actually listening to me. It’s surreal.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the community events you’re planning on organizing for the future?

What can people expect?

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Since the protests I’ve thought about what the next steps would be post bridge. Over the last few weeks we’ve been building trust within our community and in order to maintain the momentum we’ve created.

I figured this would be an amazing opportunity for educating each other on what’s happening in our country, state, town, etc. There is a planning committee that is working on a series of community events where folks can learn more about current discussions like: What Is the difference between police reform, defunding or abolishing the police?

We hope to clear up any confusion on the subject and how we as a community can take action to create the future we want to see here.

Mid-June you had been interviewed for local communications team Triple Falls. It was stated that their programming will include TF Black Voices. What is something that people can expect from your content?

TF Black Voices is going to be a platform to amplify marginalized voices (primarily Black, Indigenous, and people of color), created and directed by Black folks.

Triple Falls has been amazingly supportive of me and wants to donate their time and resources to showcase Black content whether it be arts and culture, entertainments, discussion, etc. I hope to work with other Black folks that have limited access to a platform and resources to use their voices and produce content that makes them feel seen and heard.

I would like to have discussion based segments on current events from the perspectives of other BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folks as well as arts and culture content. If you’re BIPOC and you wanna be involved please reach out to me. We need your voices!

From the same interview, you had said you didn’t expect how much the movement had impacted you and others. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

I was really shocked to see the overwhelming support from the Mankato community. I haven’t always felt so welcome since I moved here five years ago for school, I didn’t expect anyone to show up but they did and I am very grateful.

I think the first few meetings had

Protesters demanding justice for George Floyd raise their fists and hold signs while observing 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence for Floyd June 11 on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Mankato. the most impact on myself and the bridge attendees. It was emotional to experience that moment of silence for that long because you can’t help but reflect on what happened to George Floyd and all other victims of police brutality.

Each night doesn’t get easier during the silence, I still think of every single person whose lives were stolen and those that have been killed since George Floyd.

It never stops, so we’ll never stop showing up until there is real change.

What are some things that allies should know to continue to help in the fight for racial justice?

Listen to the communities you claim to be an ally for, follow them and let them lead. Also do the homework yourself. It shouldn’t be my job to educate you on my oppression when we exist in the very same system. Educate yourself and your peers. Redistribute your wealth when your community needs it. Do not speak louder than marginalized voices.

Some people might not understand why protests happened or why they have continued for weeks. Why are these protests still taking place and what is their importance?

I think having the protests be daily keeps the movement on everyone’s radar. Every night people drive past us and are reminded that the fight isn’t over and this isn’t just a news story that gets swept under that rug after a week.

Everyday Black and brown folks have to live in fear and I think the protests have been impacting those participating and passing by. I also think the physical distance

between Mankato and Minneapolis makes it easy to forget about what happened to George Floyd. We can detach ourselves from what’s going on because it didn’t happen here directly, but it still has an effect on this town and our community.

There have been some counter protesters at the silence protests.

How do you handle them? What have they done? What do you advise people to do when that happens?

As counter protesters became more aware of our daily protests, some folks tried to intimidate us but it didn’t last very long. We took precautions to make sure everyone stayed safe including watching our vehicles and making sure everyone went home safely.

We n e v e r w a n t e d a n y engagement with them as we wanted our demonstrations to be peaceful and serve as a space for community, support and solidarity.

Those instances only made our small bridge community stronger and nearly 180 people stood together in unity in response to potential threats.

Everything worked out in the end and everyone has remained safe.

Safety of everyone involved has always been my top priority.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I would just like to say thank you to all the individuals I’ve shared this space with on the bridge every night. You all inspire me to keep going and I will never forget this experience. I’m truly grateful for all the love, support and friendship I’ve gained. We are stronger together. #MankatoStrong Compiled by Diana Rojo-Garcia MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 13

DAY TRIP DESTINATIONS: Drive-in Theaters

By Diana Rojo-Garcia

Sky-Vu Drive-In photo courtesy Sky-Vu Drive-In

Drive-In Theaters Social distance to the max with the only six drive-ins left in Minnesota

A

t the height of popularity, more than 4,000 drive-in theaters operated in America.

Throughout the years, though, the seasonal business began to dwindle. Competition came from indoor theaters, then at-home video rentals, and most recently Netflix and other streaming services.

However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have had an itch to do something outside the walls of our homes. And drive-in theaters, though their numbers are low, are among the safer, and allowable, places to go for entertainment.

Minnesota had 80 drive-in theaters at one point, according to driveinmovie. com (check out this website for lots of fun drive-in facts). Now there are only six left.

Thanks to COVID-19, drive-in theaters’ popularity has grown. Sit in your cars, far away from people and watch a movie in one of these six locations. Note: Call before heading out to one of these nostalgic theaters, as they might have different operating times and policies due to the pandemic.

Elko Drive-in, Elko New Market

Elko’s only a little more than an hour drive from Mankato. The theater opened in 2014, making it the newest addition to Minnesota’s drive-in theaters, according to

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driveinmovie.com.

They feature current flicks.

Moviegoers can enjoy their entertainment by tuning into FM 89.1, because honestly, who doesn’t want to have the control of those supremely loud (or quiet) moments?

Movies begin after sunset and the show goes on whether rain or shine. Snacks include stadium foods, food-drink combos, drinks of the alcohol or non-alcohol variety, candy and more. Shows take place from Thursday through Saturday,

with gates opening at 8 p.m. https:// www.elkospeedway.com/. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 3 and younger.

Vali-Hi Drive-in, Lake Elmo

This theater opened in 1966 and is also the last drive-in in the Minneapolis area. Make sure to bring cash, as it is cash only. ATMs are available onsite. Tickets are $10 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12 and free for kids 5 and younger.

At press time, the theater has a 50% capacity to abide by the Minnesota Department of Health guidelines. It’s opening date was postponed due to the curfews in the Twin Cities but should open in the summer. Its concession stand includes some specials such as Armour hot dogs for $1 each night.

Starlite Drive-in 5 photo courtesy Starlite Drive-in 5

Starlite Drive-in 5, Litchfield

Starlite Drive-In theater opened in Litchfield in 1955 — the height of drive-in theaters. And it continued to play shows to rowdy teens and restless families for 30 years until it closed in 1981.

It had closed due to the lack of business, driveinmovie.com said. In the late ‘90s, someone came along to buy the theater and gave it some well-deserved love. When Starlite Drive-In opened, it had only been a single screen. Since its reopening in 1998, the owner added three additional screens. The theater then sold again in 2015 and the owner has been operating only two of the four screens.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for kids ages 5 to 12 and free for kids ages 4 and younger.

Another cash-only theater. http://www.starlitemovies.com/ home.html

Long Drive-in Theater, Long Prairie

Who says you need to watch the movies in your car? Long Drive-in Theater, which first started showing films in 1956, allows its patrons to camp onsite. This is also one of the few drive-in theaters that also is pet-friendly (just make sure they’re on a leash).

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for kids and are only open during the weekends. thelongdrivein.com

Verne photo courtesy Verne Drive-in

Verne Drive-in, Luverne

The Verne is only two hours west of Mankato. It reopened in 2000 after being restored, but officially opened in 1954.

This theater is also open seven days a week, and every night they have a double feature. The Verne also has strict outside food rules: If patrons are caught with outside food, they will be asked to leave.

But who needs to bring outside food with their extensive concession stand options? Of course, there are fountain drinks and popcorn, but also smoothies, mini doughnuts, a variety of fried foods including cheeseballs or even pork shanks.

And there’s also ice cream. Jolly Rancher ice cream. I mean, c’mon.

Tickets are only $5 per person. http://vernedriveintheater.com/

Sky-Vu Drive-in

Sky-Vu is only a few minutes away from Grand Forks, North Dakota. So maybe it’s a little longer than a day trip?

However, if you’re in need for a more cozy feel of a drive-in theater, this is the one for you. The single screen theater has parking for up to 180 vehicles. Sky-Vu was opened in the ‘70s by Leonard Novack and is now owned by Thomas Novack.

On their website, they state that over the years the business has seen its ups and downs from Big-box movie stores, to indoor theaters and, most recently, online streaming.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit and social distancing became the new norm, drive-ins such as Sky-Vu have seen business thrive. Their snackbar is also diverse, including barbecue sandwiches, pizzas and pretzels. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for kids.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 15

Gaby Kretchmer (right) and her boyfriend, Taylor Witt (left) met online through Tinder. Patience is the key, Kretchmer said, to online dating. Submitted photo 16 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Callin’ all Singles The single scene remains mainly the same, just with the help of technology

By Diana Rojo-Garcia

B

eing single is just not the same as it used to be.

Or … at least it doesn’t seem to be.

Stereotypically, movies display the act of courtship through a snarky girl denying the advances of an over-confident man at a bookstore. Something silly happens between them, the girl begins to fall for the guy over time. They end up together. Y’know. The usual ‘90s romcom schtick. It’s classic.

Though, we all know that movies don’t always — if ever — display an accurate depiction of life. Especially as the world experiences a global pandemic with an incredibly aggressive virus.

COVID-19 has been shown to be extremely contagious — sneezing, coughing or even breathing within a close proximity can cause one to become infected.

However, some things don’t change — basic courting and dating elements remain mostly intact, even in the technology/pandemic realm.

Mankato’s single and dating scene isn’t much different than other places in the world. Many singles (and at times non-single) look to technology, such as the popular application, Tinder.

Released in 2012, Tinder has become one of the most common avenues to find a significant other.

The application had an estimated 50 million users as of 2018 (this is the most recent statistic.) About 45% of those users average 25-34 years old.

But … not everyone is on Tinder, much like Mankato native, Benjamin Jay. Jay, 38, considers himself a bit of an introvert.

“I have always been a little lucky. … I have a lot of social hobbies and music,” Jay said.

Jay’s a local DJ and heavily involved in Mankato’s music scene. Heading to local shows or performing at

them had been an organic way of meeting people and dating.

That’s not to say that Tinder, or other dating applications or websites don’t work.

“I have friends who got married off of Tinder,” he said. “It’s worked for some people.”

And for people like Jay — a goal driven person — sometimes dating can be pushed aside. Relationships will happen if they happen, he said, even when one inadvertently blocks out opportunities to pursue a relationship.

During time of isolation during COVID-19, Jay hadn’t pursued the dating world, especially in a time where there aren’t live shows happening.

“I assume that more people have a hard time being lonely,” Jay said.

“For me, because of the music, that’s my therapy.”

It’s a constant that Jay had fallen back on, especially during these interesting times.

He’s experienced that over time, most relationships have come through tight knit communities, whether that be bars, coffee shops or the music scene.

“There are a few places that, you know, ‘This is a safe place, for all people,’” Jay said. “New (Bohemia) was that place.”

New Bohemia, bar and restaurant, closed its doors two years ago. But for Jay, New Bohemia was a place where people from all different backgrounds could go to and relax. And, hey, maybe meet someone too.

The hotspot — which has been around since 1999 — is Blue Bricks. Gaby Kretchmer, a previous server at the establishment for about three years, had firsthand experience witnessing the scene downtown.

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“I would say it was interesting to just watch the dynamic of the dating scene downtown — other than Tinder,” Kretchmer said.

Most people around her age, 24, usually find dates or relationships through school or the popular dating application. Blue Bricks, and other downtown establishments, added that sense 1107 Cross St. 1107 Cross St. North Mankato 1107 St. of organic meeting, as Jay had 1107 Cross Cross St. 507.625.3089 North Mankato mentioned.

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Mankato, Kretchmer said, is a small enough town where it seems like everyone knows everyone — and sometimes their business, too.

“The person that you’re trying to have a relationship with probably knows numerous people that they’ve been in a relationship with,” she said. “I can not tell you the depth of overlap that I have seen.”

She’d also seen Blue Bricks as a neutral spot for first Tinder date meetups. Atomic Star and Pub 500 had also been hotspots due to the establishments’ open, and less crowded, spaces Kretchmer said. “(Downtown is) definitely a big part of the culture in Mankato, I feel like,” she said. “People that live there are part of the community in one way or another. “ Kretchmer, like many in the age range of 25-34, took to Tinder, Hinge and Bumble to search for a relationship in 2018.

In her experience, Tinder was the application that allowed a little more freedom. “It has the least rules,” Kretchmer said.

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Hinge only allows a small amount of personality information and six pictures. Bumble, on the other hand, requires that the woman must reach out first after a match. “(Tinder) is all encompassing of the three.”

Kretchmer set up her profile in interest of men and women between ages 23 to 35. More commonly than not in her experience, Kretchmer said that men would usually look for “hookups.” Frequently greeted with vulgar language.

“And pathetic requests to see naked pictures of yourself,” she said.

Slightly less frequently it was guys making a half-way attempt to talk, then shortly after resorting to asking for nude photos or hookups.

“Less often, (men) were there to find someone to hang out with and build a potential relationship,” she said. “Those were the relationships I went after. .. That was my intention — to hangout with someone and get to know them.”

At times, Kretchmer said, it would get frustrating, especially in the beginning. “It just felt like a waste of time for a long time,” she said. “I think that the concept is great in a way.”

But as users start to narrow down their options, from the vulgar to not vulgar, to ages and personality and distance, things start to slim — even with an estimated 50 million users.

“It was definitely like going for something on Amazon and you get 140 results and then you add two filters and only 12 pop up.”

The key, she said, is to be patient with the process in finding someone. Kretchmer found her current boyfriend and moved in with him in December in New Prague.

“A lot of those conversations that are a waste of your time, and your intentions don’t necessarily align, it’s going to feel like a waste of time,” she said. “If you’re persistent, it definitely does serve its purpose. … A lot of people have met their partners that way.”

MM

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 19

Megan Swanson loves to travel — especially with family. This picture was taken in Monaco from a trip she took with her grandmother.

20 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Megan Swanson, who now lives in Rochester, enjoys her time hammocking, as seen here in Chester Woods in Rochester.

‘ADULTING’ Young adults succeed at, well, ... life

C

By Renee Berg | Submitted photos

hange, it’s said, is hard. But seemingly not for everyone, as a host of twenty-somethings with Mankato ties tell us how content they are with their new young adult lives.

Whether it’s choosing a place to worship as Megan Swanson has done, or finding back-country roads to meander on with his motorcycle as Josh Calsbeek likes to do, these young adults are enjoying the independence that comes with aging into adulthood.

Let us introduce you to some twenty-somethings who are, in different ways, adulting very nicely.

Megan Swanson

At 26, this Minnesota State University graduate gets a kick out of what her teenage self imagined her 20s would be like. According to 17-year-old Megan, by age 25 she’d be married with at least one child and

three more on the way. That’s not how life has turned out.

“Oh, 17-year-old Megan,” Swanson laughs now.

What’s really transpired is that she’s a registered nurse in her hometown of Rochester, a new homeowner and worldwide traveler. Her college debt is paid off and she’s funneling money into her retirement account.

But instead of being disappointed that her life has taken a different course than planned, Swanson is happy where things stand. She’s got a steady boyfriend she met through church. She gets to dote on her 1-year-old niece, and she enjoys her hobbies of hammocking, reading and seeing friends.

“I’ve been really learning to hold loosely onto my ideal picture of what growing up looks like,” Swanson said. “And trusting that the Lord knows what’s best MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 21

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for me. I once thought being married and having at least one kid by 25 was the ideal life. But I’m so grateful that the Lord knew better than me because I certainly wouldn’t have been ready for that.”

When Swanson graduated from college in 2016, she had a big decision to make: move home to Rochester or to North Carolina for an outstate adventure. She decided to move in with her mom in Rochester to expedite paying off her student loans. A week after making that decision, a North Carolina employer came calling.

However, she has no regrets.

“I love that I’m in my hometown,” Swanson said. “I’m close to my family and able to watch my niece grow up. I can spend time with my sister, my parents and my grandparents. I have a really great nursing job.

And I have a lot of flexibility with my hours.”

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When Theresa Calsbeek was ready to plan her husband’s birthday dinner, she knew just who to turn to as head chef — her 22-year-old son, Josh.

Though cooking is now only a hobby, Josh Calsbeek has had cooking jobs and attended one semester of culinary school. For his dad Les’ birthday, guests enjoyed his meal of ribs, potatoes and beans.

If there’s one aspect of adulting that surprises Calsbeek, it’s how well he gets along with his parents. Growing up, they were often at odds and he figured he would move away from his hometown after graduating from Mankato East High School in 2016.

Still living in Mankato, Calsbeek finds himself in his parents’ living room, visiting two to three times per week.

“You can feel independent in more ways than not needing your parents,” Calsbeek said. “I feel (our relationship) has gotten much better since I moved out. I’m able to live my life and see them as I want to. We don’t argue about stuff and we get along great. I feel closer to them now.”

As a kid, Calsbeek yearned for the independence of adulthood and “making your own schedule and doing whatever you wanted.

“I was really looking forward to driving. too.”

Now he’s the proud owner of a 2007 Ford Ranger truck and a 2010 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle.

Both vehicles are paid off and insured.

“To not have any debt is pretty nice,” Calsbeek said. “The truck I just paid off this year and the motorcycle I bought outright.”

During his free time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle on unfamiliar roads. He likes going somewhere random where he’s never been.

But what scares him most about being an adult?

“The future is always unknown,” he said. “Some things just happen unexpectedly and without warning. You have to learn how to handle those situations as they come.”

Elise Savor

Elise Savor, 28, spent parts of her childhood imagining what her life would be like as an adult, and in her child’s mind she was married with kids by age 18.

“Apparently math was not my strong suit back then,” Savor said, adding that age 18 would be fairly young to be married with children.

Savor is a Mankato native who now lives in Owatonna with her husband and their 1-year-old son, Owen.

She said having a child made her feel like more of an adult than ever before. And she’s aware that time flies when she’s having fun.

The last year has “flown by,” she said.

“Everybody tells you how fast it goes (with a young child) and they’re right.”

The best parts of being an adult are also the toughest aspects, Savor said.

“Having a kid and getting married are the two hardest — and best parts — of being an adult,” she said. “Both come with joys and excitements, but challenges, too. Trying to figure out how to do things as a team and as a parent are both very rewarding and challenging at the same time.”

She met her husband, Coltin, on an online dating app. One of their first major adult decisions was to adopt a dog, Stella, which Coltin surprised her with one day after work.

“I walked into the backyard and there was this puppy jumping all over me,” she said. “On her little

Josh Calsbeek dog tag it said, ‘Will you marry me?’ That was in May 2017.”

As for the independence afforded her by adulthood, Savor said her favorite aspect is being able to make her own rules. What scares her most about her adult life is raising Owen to be a decent, good human being.

“You hope that they’ll be successful in the future.”

Holly McKissick

Mankato native Holly McKissick, 26, says every young adult struggles with the question of “Am I enough?” But she’s trying to cultivate appreciation for where she’s at, versus yearning for something more — or something else than what she’s already got.

Now living in Minneapolis with her partner, Christopher, McKissick has made it to the point in life where she has a job she loves, a dog to care for, friends and family surrounding her, and a new house to renovate. Some

might say she’s made it.

Not McKissick. She tries to worry less about what others think of her as she gets older.

“It’s sort of tough not to put this imagined pressure on yourself and what society thinks your life should look like,” she said. “The reality is nobody really cares.

Everyone is living their own story.

So for me, the realization that everyone has their own stuff going on is really freeing. I make my own decisions and do things how I want to do them.”

McKissick graduated from Mankato West High School in 2012 and from the University of Minnesota in 2016. Key for her in shaping her adult life was working with a financial adviser, who she found through word of mouth.

Wealth Enhancement Group of Mankato helped her save for a house, set a budget and prioritize savings and spending, and make retirement savings goals.

“I decided it’s OK to get help,”

she said. “I’m not an expert in this realm and that’s OK.” She’s also gotten a dog, Millie, from a Minneapolis rescue organization. McKissick credits Millie with helping her maintain her mental health. Physical activity and music also help. She walks her dog and plays piano, guitar and is learning mandolin.

But it was her time in Americorps after college graduation that really shaped the adult she would become. Since she lived on a lean stipend, McKissick discovered new, inexpensive hobbies such as hiking. She also learned to cook a plant-based diet to save money.

Best of all, McKissick is leaning into the here and now.

“I am really thankful I have a job I really like, friends and family, a dog and a house that I love. And a great partner,” she said. “I’m feeling pretty secure and happy with where I’m at.”

MM MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 23

Sophia Hoiseth, Vanessa Vivas, Taylann Russ and Lizzie Putnam are MSU students. They showed their support for their community on June 26 at the Racial Justice Rally at Sibley Park. “It’s good to show up with people you care about,” Taylann Russ said.

BLACK LIVES MATTER Mankatoans support BLM movement; NAACP begins Mankato chapter

By Rachael Jaeger | Photos by Rachael Jaeger 24 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Maurice Staley, a speaker at Sibley Park on June 26, expressed his pain of times when his children don’t get along and how God must feel the same way. “We must not just forgive, we must reconcile!” Staley said.

P

eople of multiple demographics gathered in Sibley Park for the social justice rally June 26 — young and elderly, town and gown, Black and white.

Most wore masks. Some held signs that embodied George Floyd’s cry for help, “I CAN’T BREATHE!” The grass smelled as fresh as it looked, like a filter of hope offering the possibility of change.

Minnesota State University students Taylann Russ, Vanessa Vivas and Lizzie Putnam attended and were impressed by the gathering.

“Amazing,” said Taylann Russ, a third-year student, after she was asked about how she felt about her local protest experiences. “It feels like my community cares and that I am not alone.”

When she was in the process of picking a college, MSU stood out to her because of its emphasis on diversity.

“Obviously, you see people who look like me and who don’t look like me, but I didn’t realize just how much the community cared until the protests started,” Russ said.

“Because of the pandemic, a lot of big events are not happening and are paying more attention to issues that might not have been brought up with such a bright light,” Vivas said.

They also talked about how differences could be bridged.

“I think when people stop seeing other people with different backgrounds as something they can’t connect with instead of finding things that they can identify with, they will learn more about themselves,”

Putnam said.

Joaquin Warren, of Mankato, has participated in local protest rallies since they started a couple of months ago.

“For me, it feels good to be involved in any way you can,” Warren said. “For me, protesting feels like an obligation, something I have to do.”

He believes in not only standing with Black Lives Matter but also for all minority groups.

“In the world, it’s the oppressors versus the oppressed,” Warren said. “How am I going to stand for Black Lives Matter, then watch as someone else is stomped to the ground? I think this is a time where we are discovering how much power we have as people and how much power we have united together.”

Part of accomplishing that, he said, is each person recognizing the inherent privileges they have with their backgrounds and personal struggles.

And in part, that change can start in becoming an active member and ally in the Black community.

‘We believe we’ll get there’ Mankato has increasingly become a place of ethnic diversity, so organizers of the NAACP chapter in Mankato think their work has only begun. At the same time, a glimmer of hope and change has sparked, as others in the community have expressed their clear support for social justice.

Since the early spring of 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was created in New York as an organization for civil rights. While talks were long in the works about the MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 25

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local chapter’s formation, the process was expedited in May after George Floyd’s death..

“It’s been intentional about speaking to the needs and plight of colored people,” said Maurice Staley, acting president of the NAACP chapter in Mankato.

“Since Mankato is predominantly white, another thing we have been stressing is that white folks can be a part of (the chapter). The majority of the founders were white people. There has always been this coalition between Black people who have wanted to lead and white folks who wanted to support them in that leadership to bring about advancement.”

Staley added that the main thing the NAACP has appreciated is the white founding allies who trusted their Black brothers’ and sisters’ voices in how they envisioned leadership.

“One, we understand that we can be better as far as providing access and opportunity,” said Bukata Hayes, the forming committee leader and head of the Greater Mankato Diversity Council. “The NAACP has always acted as an organization to open up community. In growing more diverse, we have to be as proactive as possible to make sure the community is ready for those folks who are coming.”

Unfortunately, the NAACP has noted that when ethnic groups have moved to Mankato, there are times those people don’t stay, he said..

“That’s the other reason the NAACP is important is to provide the connection for communities of color, to be immediately entered into a network that is there to support them, to fight for their rights, to help move a community towards being more inclusive,” Hayes said.

But Staley also pointed out the answer is bigger than the question of the NAACP’s importance and that the organization should be nationally present, prevalent and operable.

“Because of the inequalities that are built into our society,” Staley said, “I think it’s a great time for everyone to be against racism.

The word ‘racism’ is — and should be — becoming more commonplace in our language among our people. It’s not a bad word. It’s simply a major part of our society. It’s not just Mankato

that needs it. It’s the nation.”

In Hayes’ mind, racism is a pandemic much like COVID-19, with various precautions needing to be taken, especially with organizations.

“To (Staley’s) point about racism being commonplace in our language, we (are) acknowledging that racism has been a pandemic since we got here,” Hayes said, adding that communities have taken preventive measures with COVID-19 and that communities should exercise the same intention to dismantle racism.

The NAACP understands and recognizes that racism has existed before the pandemic and will continue to for quite some time.

Hayes described it as planting tree seeds and watching the seed grow into a sapling. Then from there, trimming the matured trees.

“We probably won’t see the finished product with our own eyes,” he said. “But we believe we will get there.”

Hayes and Staley have been encouraged to see that many have started responding to the systemic issues regarding racism and racism in general.

“We should be responding in much the same way. That is really concentrated and intensive effort to stop the spread, to make sure that those who get infected are healed,” Hayes said.

There is also a common universal thread among people of color, with their experiences of interactions with public safety, or trying to go find employment or housing.

“When you talk about Ta-Nehisi Coates and how he grew up, that’s a good large portion of Black community,” Hayes said, adding that other Indigenous people are coming forward with their stories now, too.

“Mankato is small, but it’s growing. We’re small enough that we can take a right where other communities took a left, simply because they weren’t engaged in doing the work or maybe they weren’t as intentional as they needed to be. Mankato taking a right leads us to a place where we’ve never been at.”

MM

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AUGUST 2020 • 27

REFLECTIONS

By Pat Christman

28 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

S

ummer tends to slide by so fast. The first really warm day, first trip to the pool, first boat ride seemed to happen only yesterday.

The next thing you know summer has flown by, family vacations are a memory and fall is knocking on the door.

It’s time to soak up as much warmth and sunshine as possible before it’s all gone. MM MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 29

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Ecumen Finds Innovative Ways To Safely Connect Older Adults with Family & Friends

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L

oneliness and social isolation pose serious physical and mental health risks especially to an older population.

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and their families have expressed their appreciation for the safety steps we’re taking,” said Laura Templin with Community Relations at Ecumen Pathstone Living in Mankato.

As Ecumen celebrates more opportunities to connect

families with reopening guidelines, the Minnesota-based company, a leading provider of senior housing and services with a legacy of more than 150 years, continues to focus on ways to help residents stay safely engaged and connected.

“COVID-19’s challenges and impacts have been extensive for our residents, their families and our team members,” says Shelley Kendrick, President and CEO. “This virus has caused many in our greater communities to experience loneliness and isolation. That impact is especially felt by the older adults that we serve, who have deeply missed their regular in-person visits from family and friends as a result of the necessary indoor visitor restrictions. For those who are more compromised with health challenges, it has been even harder,” said Kendrick.

Long before COVID-19, Ecumen was focused on innovative ways to address issues of isolation. Since March, the company has actively pursued additional opportunities with the support of generous donors and business partners.

Ecumen is now offering a new way for people to see and visit with their loved ones using what they call Connection Stations.

Framed outdoor three-sided plexiglass booths that provide an additional way to connect, with the Ecumen resident inside the booth and the visitor outside.

Frana Companies, a Hopkins, Minn. contractor and Ecumen partner, built the booths at no cost. Generous individual and foundation donors across Minnesota have sponsored entire booths or the cost of the materials, which were discounted by Professional Plastics.

While masks are required for all outdoor and window visits - these booths provide our residents, including those with hearing impairments or people living with dementia, a chance to experience a visit across from loved ones without masks for the time of the visit, Kendrick explained.

“Our goal is to provide as many alternatives for safe in-person visits as possible because we know how important these connections are,” Templin said. “Masks are required at all times for outdoor visits, but the Connection Stations allow us to accommodate those who may find wearing a mask very challenging. For instance, it’s a great alternative for those who are hearing impaired, who may be used to reading lips to help them fully

engage in a conversation. Others may be living with dementia and have difficulty wearing a mask during conversations.

While masks are needed to get to and from the Connection Station, during the visit they can be removed.”

Ecumen Pathstone Living has three outdoor visiting stations and one Connection Station, Templin said.

“We also continue to do our window visits as well as “Zoom” calls. With the new essential caregiver policies, we have added another layer,” said Templin. “We are so appreciative that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) continues to find ways to help us connect residents and family members. Earlier in July, MDH announced new guidelines that allow one or possibly more than one essential

caregiver from a family to come into our communities to assist a resident with daily care needs. Only one essential caregiver may enter at a time, and he/ she will be screened and will need to wear a mask and protective eye covering for the entire duration of the visit. The resident will also need to be wearing a mask.”

In addition to our Connection Station, we have outdoor visit stations, Templin said.

“Family members are able to schedule these through our website,” she explained. “Our outdoor visit stations provide an important way for residents to see their grandchildren, friends and more than one family member at a time.”

Window visits also continue to be a

Special Advertising Section • AUGUST 2020 • LIVING 55 PLUS • 33

“Family members are able to schedule these through our website,” she explained.

“Our outdoor visit stations provide an important way for residents to see their grandchildren, friends and more than one family member at a time.”

Cutline 34 • LIVING 55 PLUS • AUGUST 2020 • Special Advertising Section

popular way to stay connected, Templin said.

“In all of these options, we ask that residents and family members follow the safe distancing policies as well as wear a mask,” Templin said.

Ecumen recently rolled out a new program using Artificial Intelligence (AI) robots called Elli-Q. Elli-Q is an AI robot designed specifically for older adults by Intuition Robotics to promote social connectedness. Currently, 35 of a total of more than 80 robots have been placed with Ecumen residents in the Twin Cities.

The initial pilot project placement of 22 Elli-Q robots began earlier this year, partially funded by a Live Well at Home Grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Intuition Robotics recently developed an Insiders Program, providing Ecumen an additional 60 robots for use by residents. Those who are using the devices have become advocates - sharing their excitement about showing their grandchildren and encouraging friends to sign up for their own Elli-Q, Kendrick said.

One of the most powerful, successful ways, Ecumen has helped their residents during COVID 19 is through their Stay Connected Program.

Using iPads and Zoom video conferencing, Ecumen’s 40+ communities across eight states began scheduling virtual visits with family and friends on April 1 of this year, Kendrick said.

Using easy-to-use online scheduling, team members deliver iPads to residents at the appointed time and help facilitate the video chats.

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More than 3,000 family visits – one from as far away as China – have been held to date. The program also has expanded to include a Virtual Volunteers component allowing volunteers to be matched with residents and is rolling out a new Spiritual Care component that is connecting residents with chaplains. The ability to “meet” with these other community and spiritual leaders is important to quality of life, Kendrick explained.

“Our commitment to the health and well-being of those we serve - and to connecting them with those they love, is paramount,” says Kendrick. “We sincerely thank our partners and the grant makers who share this dedication.

We continue to explore more ways to bring joy to our families as we stay vigilant in our safety protocols to limit the transmission of this virus.”

Supporting the connection between our residents and their family and friends has always been a key focus for Ecumen Pathstone, and it’s been further heightened since they began planning for COVID-19 at the end of February, Templin said.

“We’re thankful to our team members who have really helped to serve as connectors during this time, and now, with the many visiting opportunities, the response has been wonderful,” Templin said. “It’s been very moving to see people reconnecting in-person, in a number of ways. The commitment to connection - whether through virtual visits, outdoor visits or essential caregiver visits - is critical for the wellbeing of our residents.”

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Paul and Marilyn Streit in Budapest, Hungary.

Avid Travelers Stay Put & Focus On Their Passion For Helping Others During Pandemic

by Marianne Carlson | Submitted Photos

W

hat do you do when the world comes to a screeching halt?

What do you do when you can’t do all of the things you have come to love?

How do you stay connected and find contentment?

36 • LIVING 55 PLUS • AUGUST 2020 • Special Advertising Section

Since 2000, Paul and Marilyn Streit have been taking at least one vacation each year, sometimes two.

In March, the couple took a family trip to South Carolina with one of their three sons and their daughter-in-law.

“It was the last of the 50 states that we had on our bucket

Niagara Falls on our bus trip to Autumn in New England

list to visit,” Marilyn said with a smile.

“Now I can say that we’ve been to all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A couple of them, we’ve only driven through, but that still counts.”

When their three sons were growing up on acreage outside Madelia, Paul and Marilyn didn’t always have a lot of money, she said. But when they could afford it, the Streits would pack their kids up in the car and go on road trips.

“We did a lot of local things,” Marilyn said. “We went to Brainerd several times and we took the boys to Mount Rushmore – stuff like that.”

It wasn’t until they went on their first cruise in 2000 that they really fell in love with travelling, she said.

“Paul’s niece arranged an Alaska land and sea cruise,” Marilyn said. “His two sisters went with us, along with 30 to 40 other relatives. We also met a couple from Nicollet on that cruise and we have stayed good friends. Actually, we’ve even gone on several other trips together.”

Since that very first cruise, Paul and Marilyn have road tripped to

Mt. Rainier, Washington on 4th of July-road trip 2017

the Pocono Mountains and toured the east coast visiting may of the popular landmarks such as Gettysburg, Washington D.C., Niagara Falls, New York City as well as some of the more off the beaten path attractions in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The Streits spent three weeks in Hawaii with some of their family members including their grandsons.

“We have eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren,” Marilyn said.

“Traveling with grandkids is always interesting. They keep us laughing a lot.”

Special Advertising Section • AUGUST 2020 • LIVING 55 PLUS • 37

Paul and Marilyn toured the Canadian Rockies which included riding a plane, a bus, a ferry and a train she explained. “The train ride was absolutely beautiful,” Marilyn said.

For their 50th wedding anniversary, they took a car roadtrip, a 25-daytour through the Pacific Northwest including California, Oregon and Washington.

“It was wonderful. We didn’t have to be a in a big hurry,” Marilyn said.

“My husband does all the driving so we just went as far as we wanted each day and then we rented a hotel. We spent 4 or 5 days in Washington and 4 or 5 days in Oregon.

We saw Mount Hood, Crater Lake and Mount Jefferson. One of my favorite memories was having my picture taken in front of a giant redwood tree.”

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The Streits are big sports fans, Marilyn said.

“I suppose that comes along with raising three boys,” she said with a laugh. “We visited both the baseball and football halls of fame. So I got to cross those off my bucket list. We also went to Minnesota Twins spring training camp in Florida.”

Paul and Marilyn are familiar with just about every form of transportation one can experience on vacation.

The National Parks bus tour took the couple to the Grand Canyon Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands and included a train ride from Silverton to Durango in Colorado, Marilyn said.

Marilyn said she and her husband have enjoyed every escapade they’ve ever gone on, each wonderful in it’s own way, but two of their most unique vacations are their river cruise adventures.

“We took a river cruise through Europe and a river cruise through Russia,” she said. “For the European river cruise we were on the Rhine and Danube Rivers. We started in Budapest and then went to Vienna and nine different towns in Germany.”

Both Paul and Marilyn are of German descent so that was a special experience, she said.

“It was neat to see Germany and visit the town Ulm where our ancestors came from,” said Marilyn. “The best thing about a river cruise is that there is something to see all the time, a beautiful church or an old castle. Ocean cruises are fun but definitely less eventful.”

Their trip to Russia was the most recent river cruise and Marilyn said it was truly exceptional because the culture is so different from ours.

Marilyn was the secretary at St. Mary’s Catholics School in Madelia until her sons graduated and she later was the office administrator at FedEx until she retired four years ago. Paul is “mostly retired,” from his career as an accountant, Marilyn said. Now in their 70s, she said travelling has been a wonderful way to spend time together and with their friends and family, but the pandemic has them genuinely concerned and wondering when their next adventure will be.

“I would love to do some more travelling if they ever get this pandemic stuff figured out,” Marilyn said. “We had a bus tour scheduled for July, but we opted not to go,” Marilyn said.

“We’ve been talking about going to

Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia

Paul and Marilyn standing on Columbia Icefields, Alberta, Canada Special Advertising Section • AUGUST 2020 • LIVING 55 PLUS • 39

Volunteer, Larry in the fitness center helping disinfect a machine.

Wisconsin with a couple of close friends, but really we’ve had to shift our focus and change where and how we spend our time.”

Giving back and volunteering in the communities where they live, have always been important to Paul and Marilyn, she said.

“Living in Madelia, we went to St. Mary’s Church and the boys went to the parochial school there,” Marilyn said. “Because it is a small community, everybody pitched in and did everything in the church. It was just part of life.

That’s where it started, I guess. It’s nice being retired because you can pick and choose where you want to volunteer. There are so many great organizations that need help. Since Paul is an accountant he volunteers doing taxes for Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

He used to do taxes for VINE but stopped because of the virus. He is also a volunteer with Knights of Columbus

and he is on the board of directors of Options for Women, which is a fabulous organization.”

Knight of Columbus is a charitable organization for Catholic men looking to serve their communities.

Options for Women is an organization that provides support, assistance and guidance to women when facing an unplanned pregnancy.

Marilyn also volunteers with Options for Women, Holy Rosary Church and VINE Thrift Store.

“I belong to a sewing circle at Holy Rosary where I learned how to run a loom and make rugs,” Marilyn shared.

“They don’t meet in the summer and of course got shut down early because of the virus. I also help with funerals at the church. I work with a wonderful group of older ladies. We set the tables and serve the meal buffet style and help clean up afterwards. The people are

40 • LIVING 55 PLUS • AUGUST 2020 • Special Advertising Section

always so appreciative. It is such a good feeling. I miss it.”

The pandemic has caused a lot of organizations to stop their regularly scheduled events, fundraisers, meetings and clubs. Many of the organizations that Marilyn volunteers for are in the same situation.

“I volunteer at VINE Thrift Store and I am waiting for them to call me back,” Marilyn said. “We clean the items that come in and put a price tag on them that has been predetermined. I get to see a lot of my friends from church. We visit while we are working so its not like you are working, it’s fun.”

Holy Rosary Church cancelled their spring recylce sale but are hoping to have one this fall. Volunteers social distanced while sorting through donated items a few weeks ago, Marilyn explained.

One thing Marilyn said she has still been able to do during the pandemic is the Little Dresses Project. It is an organiztion out of New Ulm that sews dresses and shorts for needy children all over the world but mostly Africa, Puerto Rico and Mexico, she said.

“We pick up dress kits and material from Mary Warner in New Ulm,” Marilyn explained. “Everything is cut out and pinned so all we have to do is sew it and return it. I donated around 70 yards of fabric that I got from my mom years and years ago. It’s been really neat to sew dresses made from that material.”

Although many organizations’ volunteer opportunities have been put on hiatus, there are still so many worthwhile causes that need help, now more than ever, said Community Living Coach and Caring Connection Coordinator Sister Joyce Kolbet.

VINE Thrift Store is looking for volunteers to clean and sort furniture and home décor items, she said.

“We also need drivers for transportation services,” Sister Joyce said. “These are essential door to door appointments like doctor appointments or grocery shopping. The volunteer uses his or her own car and picks up and drops off the care receiver. The volunteer is given plenty of prior notice about the appointment which is coordinated through our office. People who are requesting rides need to give us three business days notice. There is a cost to the care receiver of $.66 per mile which is billed at the end of the month so there is no money exchanged with the volunteer driver. There is mileage reimbursement available but most of our volunteers donate their mileage. Masks

are required of both the care receiver and the driver and the care receiver sits in the back seat to allow for more distance.”

VINE also needs drivers and people to deliver Meals On Wheels 10:45 a.m.

- 12:30 p.m.

“They pick the meals up in North Mankato and take them to individuals homes,” Sister Joyce explained. “This also provides an opportunity for a safety check. During COVID, the volunteer drops the meal at the front door, rings the door bell and backs away. They then wait for the person to pick up their meal making sure they are safe. For a lot of these people, this volunteer might be the only person they see in a given day. Our volunteers deliver meals to Mankato, North Mankato and Eagle Lake. The commitment is one route twice per month. We have five routes.

We are always looking for regular volunteers and subs.”

Two more volunteer opportunities in need at VINE are the Caring Connections and Chores Programs, Sister Joyce said.

Sister Joyce coordinates the Caring Connections program where volunteers provide friendship and support by having regular visits to people in need.

“Right now we are doing a lot of visits by phone,” Sister Joyce said. “We are starting to ease into doing in person visits with people getting together outside. So volunteers will go to an individual’s home and visit with them while sitting on their deck, patio, garage or gazebo - something like that. This is a very important program right now because of all the social isolation. We are looking for both men and women volunteers. I do the match making. I team up men with men and women with women. COVID 19 has already been an isolating event but for those people who are going through a major life transition like the loss of their spouse they really need somebody to help fill that void or loneliness.”

Volunteers will meet with their care receivers once a week or once every other week and as long as they are using safety precautions they can choose how and where they meet, Sister Joyce said.

“All of these care receivers are over 60 and many of them are over 80 years old,” Sister Joyce said. “Volunteers tell me story after story about how this becomes such a mutual friendship.”

As far as the Chores Program goes, volunteers commit to working a few hours or half a day with our Chores Staff, Sister Joyce said.

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Top: L-R: VINE volunteer, Ione, visiting care receiver, Joan, on the deck of Joan’s home. Joan was a VINE volunteer for many years. Now she is on the receiving end, enjoying weekly visits with Ione. Bottom: Volunteers deliver meal in the rain.

“Typically, right now that is lawn mowing or trimming bushes,” she said.

“Volunteers use VINE’s equipment Monday – Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. We do a volunteer orientation at least once a month, in person, so we can find the right fit for each volunteer. The orientation takes about an hour. We also do background checks. The orientation is a great way for people to learn about different opportunities. People can call the office, check the website

or Facebook for times and dates of orientations. We want them to find the niche that fits each volunteer and their personalities.”

VINE has approximately 500 volunteers, Sister Joyce said.

“They are an essential branch on our VINE. We couldn’t do what we do without them. They are the eyes and ears and hands and feet and heart of VINE,” Sister Joyce said.

“There is nothing like the feeling

42 • LIVING 55 PLUS • AUGUST 2020 • Special Advertising Section

of helping someone in need,” said Marilyn. “There are so many different organizations and volunteer opportunities and some of them only take a little bit of your time. I would encourage everyone to find something special that speaks to them because volunteering is so rewarding. I really believe that what goes around comes around and I know that I might need some of these people some day.”

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Special Advertising Section • AUGUST 2020 • LIVING 55 PLUS • 43

Katie O’Learys in Waseca

Experienced Small Town Restaurant Owners Create Food & Atmosphere Worth The Drive

W

By Marianne Carlson

hen Govenor Walz issued the Stay At Home order in March, Rusty Anhorn, owner of Katie O’ Leary’s Beef and Brew in Waseca decided to shut down completely.

“When I closed the doors, I had no idea how long we would be shut down,” Rusty said. “We were closed for 10 weeks, from St. Patrick’s Day to June 1.”

While the restaurant was closed, Rusty said he took advantage of that time to do some small renovations as well as

44 • LIVING 55 PLUS • AUGUST 2020 • Special Advertising Section

extra cleaning.

“Our goal from the very beginning was to exceed state requirements,” manager Angie Breck said. “It’s great to be open again. Business has been pretty good, better than average actually.”

Rusty has owned Katie O’Leary’s for 14 years. The patio he added over a decade ago has been a huge asset since reopening, he said.

“Since we can only operate at 50% capacity, it’s nice having that extra space,” Rusty said.

The menu at Katie O’Leary’s has an Irish flair but they are most well known for their burgers and large variety of appetizers, Rusty said.

“We always have 16 beers on tap,” Angie said. “Those get a pretty big draw. We like to keep it fresh so there is always something new to try.”

Angie takes care of the daily ins and outs of the business handling payroll and setting the schedule because Rusty has a full-time job driving a dump truck for a local construction company. In addition to working at the restaurant, Angie also works in the main office at Elm Homes in Waseca.

Hiring in the current environment has been really tough, Rusty said.

“We don’t have a big staff. We only have six employees. This is a small town and we are not busy enough for two bartenders so that means people need to be able to work independently,” Rusty explained. “They have to not only meet all of the personal requirements but we have to be able to trust them. We pride ourselves on being a family more than co-workers.”

Some people are wary of going to restaurants right now and that is completely understandable, Angie said.

“I feel like our goal is to try and make people comfortable,” Angie said. “If they are hesitant I would encourage them to come at 2:30 p.m. right when we open, that way they can choose where they want to sit and get a feel for the place. We are using disposable menus and pre-packaged plastic silverwear. There is hand santizer available throughout the restaurant and of course we have the patio if people prefer a little fresh air.”

And if people decide they are not ready to dine in yet, they can always get their meal to go, Rusty said.

“We have always had a good clientele and we have a group of regulars that have supported us since we reopened,” Rusty said. “We really want this to be a safe and comfortable place to visit. We want people to truly feel taken care of.”

Judy Jacobs, owner of The Purple Goose Eatery & Saloon in Janesville said that she and Rusty share the same goal to exceed state requirements.

“We are checking our staff members’ temperatures, spacing our tables at least six feet apart and we are only allowing four people to a table,” Judy said.

“As soon as someone leaves, the staff sanitizes the entire area including the Special Advertising Section • AUGUST 2020 • LIVING 55 PLUS • 45

Katie O’Learys patio

Katie O’Learys new seating

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46 • LIVING 55 PLUS • AUGUST 2020 • Special Advertising Section

chairs. Our job is to make it as safe as we would want it for ourselves.”

Since the pandemic, a lot has changed at The Purple Goose. They were once known for their famous build your own burger bar and enormous salad bar but Judy said she is simply not ready to bring those back yet.

“We don’t get a lot of answers from the county or the state,” Judy said.

“I’ve talked to other bar and restaurant owners and some of them haven’t been contacted at all and others have only been contacted once. Its kind of been left up to us to do what we think is best.

Judy Jacobs owner of The Purple Goose

Uncertainty is the worst. That’s an emotion that drives you out of mind.”

With all of the large group events being cancelled for 2020, Judy said she has lost all of her event catering.

“I just lost one for 300 people yesterday,” she said.

As a way to deal with these changes, Judy opened up half of the banquet hall where she used to cater wedding receptions, grooms dinners, school and family reunions as well as large group meetings as a way to maintain social distancing. Tables in the hall are spaced eight feet apart and this extra room not only allows Judy to have more people in the restaurant but it also gives people a peace of mind, she said.

“This is a whole separate room so people who want to spread out a little bit can do that and feel comfortable,” Judy said with a smile. “We don’t have outside seating so this is a really nice alternative.”

Since the beginning, The Purple Goose has been offering take out, curbside pick up and delivery.

“We will run your order out to your car. We will even deliver your food to you on Friday and Saturday as long as you live within a two mile radius,” Judy said.

Other changes to the Purple Goose include a new game room. In mid-July, they added a pool table, two more dart boards and a brand new Buck Hunter machine, Judy said.

“These will be sanitized between uses,” Judy said. “I used to work at the bar 50 hours a week and now I work 90

Front of Purple Goose

New seating in banquet hall area in Purple Goose

hours a week trying to keep everything together” Judy has owned this restaurant for 17 years and during that time, she said, Janesville and even people from surrounding communities have been very supportive of the Purple Goose.

“We have 10 employees, two who are full-time and we’ve been able to keep our entire staff even during the shut down,” Judy said. “This town helped keep the business open with their take out orders. I also have a terrific banker

who gives me great advice. My banker and this town have been my saving grace.”

Judy worries every day that the governor may decide to shut things down again, but until then she said she will to do everything she can to keep her customers safe and comfortable so they can enjoy the Purple Goose Eatery & Saloon - the best kept secret in Southern Minnesota.

Special Advertising Section • AUGUST 2020 • LIVING 55 PLUS • 47

Food & Beer

LET'S EAT!

By Dan Greenwood

southern mn style Shopfront with outdoor seating

Pique your CURIOSI-TEA North Mankato’s tea house offers vegan and gluten free goods and many loose-leaf teas Photos courtesy of Heidi Wyn, owner of Curiosi-Tea

T

here are over 150 different kinds of loose-leaf teas to choose from at Curiosi-Tea House, but since the business relocated to North Mankato in January 2019, with a full kitchen, owner Heidi Wyn expanded the menu offerings to include a wide variety of vegan dishes, from soups and sandwiches to bowls and salads.

Wyn, who is vegetarian, wanted the menu to be not only healthy and animal free, but also to introduce 48 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

customers to unique ingredients they may have never tried before.

“We have over three dozen different soups we rotate through and some are more seasonal than others, but they’re all vegan and gluten free,” Wyn said.

“One of our customer favorites is our creamy jackfruit ‘chikin’ and wild rice soup. It’s Minnesota harvested wild rice, jackfruit that we season like chicken, mushrooms and then we use a vegan sour cream with it.”

Wyn became acquainted with jackfruit while shopping for tea at some of the large Asian markets in the Twin Cities. When ripe, the orange, fleshy fruit tastes like a cross between a mango and a banana; but the green, unripened fruit also doubles as a meat substitute. Like tofu, green jackfruit is flavor neutral, soaking up whatever marinade or seasonings are used with it.

“I realized I could just buy

jackfruit at the Asian market and we could use that to make our own shredded chicken or pulled pork dishes,” Wyn said. “We use it in our soups, bowls and sandwiches.”

Wyn said she and her staff are always experimenting with new recipes and trying new ingredients – she prints out a new menu every day. Soups range from seasonal pumpkin chili made from locally grown pumpkins to Moroccan and Turkish inspired lentil soups; even soups made from tea itself, something Wyn began playing around with as an ingredient early on.

“One of our first soups we did was an Irish breakfast vegetable,” Wyn said. “We use our Irish breakfast tea as the base in the soup that kind of mimics a beef broth. It’s minerally and dark, with all these spices we put in with it, you would think you were having a vegetable beef soup, but it’s tea.”

She also uses Green Matcha, a Japanese green powdered tea, as an ingredient in their house-made hummus, and mixing the finely ground tea into a chia and tofu layered pudding.

“It’s got 10 times the antioxidants of regular green tea,” she said.

“You’re not only getting something with a different flavor and color, but it’s like a superfood.”

Along with Jackfruit, chickpeas and lentils are key ingredients in Curiosi-Teas sandwiches and as a protein in over a dozen different

salad bowls. One of the most popular had a made from scratch turmeric dressing, but Wyn said her personal favorite is the curiosity bowl, made from roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes and spinach seasoned with an almond butter dressing.

All of that is rounded out with pasta salads and a variety of baked goods and breads made by local bakers, small batch Minnesotamade Kombucha on tap, and of course, the tea itself, which Wyn sources through over a half-dozen vendors who buy the tea directly from the growers, primarily in China.

“I love the idea that it’s so close to the grower,” she said.

She compares Oolong tea to fine wine; two of her favorites are the green jasmine and white tea, which is harvested when the leaf is just beginning to mature. While black teas are strong and fullbodied, white teas are more subtle and mild. They also have the least amount of caffeine and the most antioxidants.

While the teas may come from afar, Wyn said nearly everything served is made from raw ingredients and whole foods sourced locally and regionally as much as possible.

“We make pretty much everything from scratch,” Wyn said. “If we can get local ingredients, we’ll use them.”

What:

Curiosi-Tea House

Where:

1745 Commerce Drive, North Mankato, MN 56001

What they’re known for:

a wide variety of loose-leaf teas, vegan and gluten free baked goods and breads, vegan sandwiches, soups and salads made from scratch and organic, locally sourced ingredients

Spinach Lentil Soup, Broccoli Salad, Jackfruit 'Chikin' Salad Sandwich

Herbivorous Butcher Bacon Brat and cold brew tea

Vegan Reuben Sandwich (with homemade sauerkraut, our own seasoned corned beef jackfruit and homemade Thousand Island vegan dressing on Wooden Spoon Marble Rye bread) MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 49

COMMUNITY DRAWS

By Kat Baumann

50 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

BEER

By Bert Mattson

August Beer Fair Weather and Guilty Pleasure 500

B

eer fests are a bona fide thing, but fair beer gardens have been gaining steam as a place for normal people to test the crafty waters.

Craft beverages offered at fairs and fests have been absorbing the experimental, devil-may-care ethos of the food hawked there. The beers offered, in particular, are trending toward coalescing as an informal style of their own. Cancellations of large public gatherings have put the kibosh on that momentum. Maybe.

A little honesty is called for when discussing this sort of specialty beer.

It’s peddling truism to point out that Minnesota’s fairs are bastions of guilty pleasure. It’s hard to say if this phenomenon traces lineage back to Bacchus or is simply inspired by how easy it is to cast caution to the wind in such a rich people-watching environment.

Whatever the case, people who’d think twice about rolling into a yard party with a clutch of beers especially fruited, pastried, milkshaked, shandied, gaudily g a r n i s h e d , s u g a r- r i m m e d o r blended, hardly hesitate to park themselves on a bench in a state of sticky bliss, hoisting a clear cup of anything, up-nodding blearily at passersby. It’s a fair miracle.

I reached out to learn about brewers considering the release

of a “fair” beer, despite the seasonal postponement of those events. While many are indeed contemplating that, few are decided on their direction at the time of this writing.

B i g L a k e b re w e r y L u p u l i n Brewing Company is working with partners in an effort to bring back Lemon Meringue Pie Ale. One of their 2019 State Fair specialties, it’s a blonde ale with bright citrus and notes of pie crust. Cheers to it hitting stores in cans. They advised keeping an eye on their social media.

Back when beer gardens and grandstands boasted mostly “macros,” beers by August Schell’s Brewing Co. were a treat to find.

(I’d walk across the fair for those gardens.) In fact, folks at Schell’s would probably roll their eyes at the idea that local and craft beer wasn’t ever in style.

Their Sangria Lager established itself so readily at hot weather events as to warrant year-round production. The early iteration, Red Sangria Lager, served with frozen foam, made a splash at the Minnesota State Fair years ago. The refined version has proven popular at outdoor music venues, palatable to both beer and wine drinkers. It’s sweet but not cloying, citrusy with tropical shades.

Summer Lovin’..having a Blast!

Lift Bridge Brewing Company in Stillwater is the one with the intestinal fortitude to have released the much ballyhooed Mini Donut Beer. This is the one served with a cinnamon-sugar rim. This beer hit like deep-fried-anything on a stick.

Lift Bridge is another brewery that responded that they were working on plans for a “fair” brew, and to watch social media. It’s worth noting that they market cans of Mini Donut Cream Soda. Fair weather isn’t always about you; the kids deserve indulgence, too.

The reality is that lots of special releases look like “fair” beers these days. Help a brewer out.

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 • AUGUST 2020 • 51

COUNTRY MINUTES

By Nicole Helget

The Dogs of Oshawa Township Part 7

O

n the night nearly 8 inches of rain fell and the lightning flashed and the thunder clapped, Pony startled, snuck out of the kitchen where she usually sleeps, and tapped up the stairs. Her nails clicking on the wooden floors, softly past the kids’ rooms to ours, awoke me. In the dark doorway, she stood, waiting for me to say something.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. Another crackle of thunder shook the roof.

She panted, the way she often does when she’s nervous. If I were a dog-mind reader/therapist, I would diagnose her with situational anxiety that is aggravated by thunderstorms. I would also diagnose her with being too eager to please, to be acknowledged as “a good dog,” and too adverse to criticism.

Some dogs are dog’s dogs. Some are human’s dogs. Pony is a human’s dog. She prefers the company of humans over other dogs.

In her desire to stay in our graces, she rarely breaks the rules we humans have created for her. One of those rules is that dogs are not allowed in the upstairs or bedrooms.

She knows this. But her fear of the thunder overrode her fear of being scolded this night.

“Pony,” I said. “It’s okay. Come here.” I patted the side of the mattress. She tentatively walked over to me. I patted her back and told her to lie down. She was trembling all over. Even her teeth clacked.

“What’s going on?” my husband asked.

“Pony’s scared.” Then I reached down and petted her a little bit, until she calmed and I tired and we all fell back to sleep. nn n n 52 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

I grew up on a small dairy farm with Holsteins that were milked twice a day and farm dogs who came and went willy-nilly. Everything on the farm had a use, including the animals. The cows were for milking and meat. The cats were for keeping the mice down in the barn and the rats out of the corn crib. The dogs were for keeping the raccoons out of the granary and for protection and warning should any hooligans ever try and rob us.

Dogs were never allowed in the house, not even in subzero temperatures. Dogs belonged outside and in the barn only. That’s the way it was back then on farms.

One dog, Snuffy, a black lablooking pet, was the pup of a mutt named Spirit. I remember Snuffy well because he was psycho. When we kids came outside, we’d have to hold our arms above our heads and kick off his attempts to jump up and clamp down on our forearms.

Chewing on them was his game.

Sometimes, in winter, since we were wearing coats, we’d just let him do it. He’d gnaw and then yank on the sleeve, pulling us along.

If he succeeded in ripping off a piece, he’d sprint off with it like an Olympic champion. To get him to stop, we had to shove our fist in his mouth or put our thumbs in the hinges of his jaw. Those tricks had been the extent of my dad’s advice on dog training.

One day, Snuffy disappeared.

“Where’s Snuffy?” I asked everyone. No one knew and everyone was busy. I looped my arm around one of my sisters and made her my assistant detective.

We investigated in the fields and searched in the brand new machine shed and poked around in the barn and yelled for him in the pole shed and granary and in the grove.

No Snuffy. Days passed this way.

Finally, we stopped looking. After a while, I must have forgotten about him.

One day, maybe a month later, I was poking around in the garbage heap near the grove. The garbage heap was a hodgepodge of car parts, farm machinery, broken tools, tree branches, a rock pile, broken cement blocks and bricks, and these huge stones we’d turn up in the field every few years. I loved climbing on them and studying the sparkles and striations.

I moved a piece of corrugated steel leftover from the machine shed we’d just built leaning against one of these stones, and I found the decaying remnants of Snuffy. His body was flat, but all his fur was still on him. He didn’t have any eyeballs.

His lips were peeled back, so his teeth seemed ferocious.

“Holy cow,” I said. I wondered how Snuffy got there, between the stone and steel. Did he die there?

Did he hurt himself and crawl there for privacy? Or did he die somewhere else and Dad moved him there?

I left him there, never asked how he got there, and erased the whole scene from my memory for many years. nnnn Pony is the first dog I have ever had who lives in the house. It took me a lot of getting used to, having an actual animal of some substantial weight milling around the kitchen, shedding, drooling, being generally unsanitary.

I know this is snotty and mean and not very empathetic, but sometimes I would stare at her, recognize how beautiful she was, and still have gross, gross, gross tracking across

my mind. All the memories of past farm dogs and their ailments, fleas, worms, sores, disease, decay, would flood forth. I knew I had to change.

Nicole Helget is a multi-genre author. Her most recent book, THE END OF THE WILD, is a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, a Parents' Choice Award Winner, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book, a New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, a Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Book, an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students, a Best STEM Trade Books for Students K-12, a Georgia Children's Book Award Nominee, and the Minnesota Book Awards Middle Grade Winner. She works as a teacher, manuscript guide, editor, and ghostwriter. She lives in rural St. Peter with her family and dogs. You can follow the Dogs of Oshawa Township at @TheOshawa on Twitter.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 53

GARDEN CHAT

By Jean Lundquist

COVID-19 and black garlic I

magine my surprise when I found out I have coronavirus antibodies in my blood. That means I’ve had the virus but didn’t know it. At the time I found out, no one could tell me if that meant I was immune.

Since then, I’ve heard the virus is mutating. So my antibodies are either my shield or are no protection at all.

I stay at home, tending to my plants. I’d say tending to my garden, but all my veggies this year are in containers and grow bags. They need me (to water daily).

They are good company; we have some deep conversations as well as some frivolous ones.

Yes, quarantine is starting to get to me a bit, just like everyone else. So I’m always looking for something new to do, or think about.

My latest endeavor is black garlic.

Black garlic, when done to perfection, is black through and through. It’s about the consistency of a gummy bear, and supposedly as sweet as candy. Good for snacking? I’ll have to let you know.

54 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

As I write this, mine is not done.

I have three full cloves of garlic, as much of the outer layers of papery coating brushed away as possible, with still a protective covering in place. They are in the bottom of my snack-size Crock Pot, not touching, cover on, heat setting at “keep warm.” Been there for a few weeks as I write this.

In a couple of months, I will know if I have been successful. Meanwhile, my house smells very much like an Italian restaurant.

Lar says it will be the most expensive garlic we have ever eaten. But how much can it cost to keep a little tiny Crock Pot at “keep warm” for a few months?

As moisture has been accumulating on the cover, I have been wiping it away, though I know the process actually needs some moisture. I’m trying to ferment the garlic.

A long time ago when I made onion wine, I wished I had put a clove of garlic in each bottle to infuse it, or included the garlic in the fermenting process. I never

w firm best lawyer ad without the mention of made onion wine again, so I don’t know if it would have been perfect or not. Now, I’m fermenting garlic without the onions.

I don’t know how I will use my black garlic — if it turns out. But the black garlic salt I have had tastes so sweet and buttery, I know I’ll find a use for it if I search the Internet long enough. I can’t imagine eating it as candy, but we’ll see.

I am using store-bought garlic for now. When I see how it turns out, I’ll decide whether to use any of my home-grown garlic for the next batch if there is a next batch. I’m digging it now. nn n n The output of my green beans and Dragon Tongue beans in a bag is disappointing. I expected to have less yield, but I had hoped for more than I’m getting. I barely had enough to give to the fella I trade beans for morel mushrooms. I must do better next year! More bags? Go back to in-ground planting? Not decided, yet. nn n n Since my veggies have started producing food, I’ve been fertilizing once a week. It has made a world of difference in what they produce.

Every Saturday morning, I make the rounds with my teaspoon and my plant food, followed by me and my watering wand.

As I look over the beautiful fenced-in garden I have, with nothing growing in it, I realize I am wasting a most perfect resource, and I regret that.

Before the summer is over, I will clean out my garden and cover once again with black tarps, and next summer, I’ll have a real, actual garden.

Like all of you, I am thankful gardening keeps me as sane as possible, and I hope The Virus leaves us soon.

Meanwhile, stay safe, stay healthy, and go have a good, long talk with your plants!

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 • 55

FROM THIS VALLEY

By Pete Steiner

A COVID journal thus far I

t was Friday the 13th. At day’s end, I joined the happy hour crowd at a local establishment.

The place was packed.

“Social distancing” had not yet become the phrase of the year; masks were something worn by the Lone Ranger and germaphobes in Asia. We had all heard reports of a viral outbreak in Wuhan, but that was half a world away, and only sporadic cases had surfaced in our country, mostly in Seattle.

In Dickens’ phrase, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Just four days later, on St. Patrick’s Day at 5 p.m., the state’s bars and restaurants were shuttered (except for takeout) for what would become a 2½-month ordeal. Hardly anyone had anticipated how vast and rearranging the pandemic impact of the novel coronavirus would be.

Even for those of us who have not suffered severe health effects or death, the sudden suspension of so many daily routines and rituals has been compared to a wartime effort.

Ironically, we cannot even see our enemy. Like rabbits, we find our best defense against the predator is to hide.

Schools closed, classes went online, many parents were forced to add the role of part-time teacher to their virtual resume. Record numbers of people were suddenly unemployed. Those who still had jobs were told to work from home if they could. Much of the world, it seemed, was now happening only virtually, via online platforms such as Zoom. We celebrated a daughter’s birthday March 29 via Zoom and were thankful our grandchildren were not exposed to pornography or hate speech via what came to be known as “Zoombombing,” as had happened during one of our church’s virtual events.

Two weeks into the shutdown, 56 • AUGUST 2020 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

grocery shelves were still empty of … toilet paper? One of the strange mysteries of the pandemic.

Gasoline, on the other hand, was plentiful and cheap. With far fewer cars on the road and planes in the air, unleaded plunged to historic lows; if you had enough reward points at some stores, they maybe had to pay you to fill up.

TV was running detailed videos of how to properly wash one’s hands.

Easter Day, April 12, brought a winter storm that might have canceled church services if most church buildings had not already been closed by COVID-19. nnnn As of this writing, I’ve been spared from actually contracting COVID19, although Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota, one of the world’s leading infectious disease experts, says 60% of us will eventually get it.

Many remember when Osterholm came to Mankato in 1995 to help us deal with a meningitis outbreak.

He has long been predicting a pandemic.

My wife looks at me and says, imagine if this were ebola. Ebola and bubonic plague, which killed one-third of the population of Europe in the 14th century, have much higher death rates than COVID-19. But it seems deadly new diseases are coming around more regularly these days – HIV, ebola, MERS, SARS, H1N1, all in the last 40 years. (I mention this just to freak out other hypochondriacs like me.)

I admit I’m luckier than most.

Retired now, my COVID routine suits me: get up, drink coffee, read, eat, play my guitar, write my Mankato Mag column, have a glass of wine, watch the evening news (yes, that venerable institution has had a big resurgence in the Age of COVID), maybe watch some Netflix,

then go to bed.

Speaking of TV: anyone else weary yet of all the TV commercials in which corporate America oozes with sincerity and concern? I’m gonna ask my doctor about that expensive new drug because they really seem to care! nnnn It’s late May: I’m missing sports on TV but not as much as I thought I would. Still waiting for my cable provider to offer a rebate because much of what we pay is for ESPN and other sports channels, and there’s nothing to watch.

We order takeout food from our favorite restaurants at least once a week to try to help them through this economic calamity. One positive effect of the pandemic: for some reason, fewer telemarketing calls. nnnn Early June: ventured gingerly out to a sidewalk café for a beer with my musician friends (who are still without live gigs). Left a big tip for a waitress who’s been out of work.

Wearing a mask – not so much a political statement as it is like buying insurance.

I do note that some of us resemble our dogs when we wear masks.

What about countries that outlaw burqas but require masks? Arguing with a colleague: Which year in our lifetime is most traumatic — 1968 or 2020? A tossup? But 2020’s barely half over…

I’m more and more convinced, this is a long slog. If you haven’t already, it seems now would be a good time to start your own journal.

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

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