Mankato Magazine

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Kitchen Remodel, North Mankato, MN Cabinetry and Millwork - Plato Woodwork Inc.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 1

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FEATURES march 2017 Volume 12, Issue 3

12

BREATHTAKING

More great photos than you can shake a stick at in our annual photo issue.

About the Cover This month’s cover image comes to us from Ann E. Judkins, local artist. Among the hundreds of images submitted for our annual photo issue, hers best embodied the sense of place MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 3

DEPARTMENTS 6 From the Editor 8 This Day in History 9 The Gallery

9

Todd Shanafelt

10 Beyond the Margin Goalkeeper of memories 36 Day Trip Destinations

Ney Nature Center syrup

38 Then & Now Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital 41 Food, Drink & Dine

42 Food

44 Wine

45 Beer Hockey brews

46 Happy Hour

48 What’s Cooking Porridge

10

Foraging Spanish reds

Chickpeas

50 That’s Life Passive-aggressive BS

44

52

52 Garden Chat Get cracking on those seeds 54 Your Style Fingerless is the new manicure. 56 Coming Attractions 59 Faces & Places 64 From This Valley Notes from Sanibel

Coming in April

54 4 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

64

We pay tribute to area heroes who wear badges, fight fires and save lives.

Country Chic Paint visit www.hilltopflorist.com for class times and pricing 885 E. Madison Ave. Mankato 507-387-7908

40th Anniversary Financing Event

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Call 507-388-4200 to schedule your tour!

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COMMERCIAL SALES AND LEASING PROPERTY MANAGMENT BUSINESS BROKERAGE

OUR WOMEN ARE /COMMERCIAL TO THE CORE/

CBCFISHERGROUP.COM 507.625.4715 INSTINCT PASSION DRIVE MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 5

From The Associate EDITOR By Robb Murray march 2017 • VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3 Publisher

Steve Jameson

EDITOR Joe Spear ASSOCIATE Robb Murray EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS Nell Musolf Pete Steiner Jean Lundquist Sarah Johnson Leigh Pomeroy Bert Mattson Leticia Gonzales Ann Rosenquist Fee Bryce O. Stenzel

PHOTOGRAPHERS Pat Christman Jackson Forderer Page designer

Christina Sankey

ADVERTISING Phil Seibel manager ADVERTISING Jordan Greer Sales Josh Zimmerman Marianne Carlson Theresa Haefner Thomas Frank ADVERTISING Barb Wass ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Sue Hammar designers Christina Sankey 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 editorial inquiries, call Robb Murray at 344-6386, or e-mail rmurray@mankatofreepress.com. For advertising, call 344-6336, or e-mail mankatomag@mankatofreepress.com.

6 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

A thousand words ...

A

fourth-grade girl standing with a smile in front of a science fair project. A little boy in a Cub Scouts shirt and scarf. A close-up of a beagle’s nose. A family hovered over a plate of nachos in Disney World. Those could be a collection of random images. But they’re not. They are specific photos from my collection. Photos that mean a lot to me. Photos I go back to often and just gaze at to remind myself how rich I am. Not rich financially, obviously; I’m a journalist. But rich with pride at everything I have, all of which is captured in the 20,000 or so images on my Google Drive. Photos hold a very special place in American culture. They convey feelings and emotions that are often very difficult to replicate with video or words. Who among us hasn’t looked at the images on their camera and wanted to share it with the world? This month we bring you our popular photo issue, where we hand a big chunk of our pages over to you, the readers, who submit hundreds of photos to us. Each year it seems the quality of the submissions gets better. Maybe it’s that more people are taking photography seriously. Maybe the technology is rapidly improving. Maybe the prices of high-quality cameras are coming down. Most likely it’s a little bit of all those things. At any rate, it gave me an excuse to stroll down memory lane again on the company dime. And with everything stored in the cloud, it’s easy to access everything from my computer or my iPhone. With just a click I can be whisked away to North Mankato Fun Days, 2004, where a rosy-cheeked little guy is smiling wide just having raced down the big slide. I’m back at my daughter’s senior prom staring in wonder at a teen girl who rarely wears dresses but

seems supremely happy in this one. I’m at a birthday party with a dozen screaming girls sharing cake and ice cream on our deck. I’m at a baseball tournament in St. Louis Park, trying to calm the nerves of a boy trying desperately to catch a fly ball or not strike out. I’m at a swim meet, scanning a crowd of swim-cap wearing girls trying to find the short one who always preferred the camaraderie of practices to the stress of meets. I’m on the street in Alexandria as the Mankato Area 77 Lancers march down the street with thousands of people cheering. I’m in our back yard with my son and his best friend and they’re arm in arm, best buddies, mouths full of gum and shirts full of stains. I’m putting the finishing touches on a hippy Halloween costume, helping a girl grieve the loss of a pet mouse and patting a little boy on the back after his little league pitching debut. At the brilliant Epcot Center at Walt Disney World with my wife and kids and we’re in “Mexico” on Thanksgiving day, legs sore from a day of walking around the Happiest Place on Earth, hunkered down over a plate of nachos and waiting for the fireworks to start. Photos rush me back to all those places, trigger emotions, keep memories alive. In a community that values its youth and families so highly, I guess I’m not that surprised that so many people love taking pictures of beautiful things. I really hope you enjoy the photo issue. And if you like what you see, consider submitting next year. MM

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

MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 7

This DAy in hisTory By Jean Lundquist

TU RN UP

Your Print Volume

. Print-on-Demand . Annual Reports & Magazines . Catalogs . Hard & Soft Cover Books . Direct Mail ...AND MUCH MORE!

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

8 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Thursday, March 26, 1964 Woman banker still active, not as busy “I don’t work as fast as I once did, but I manage to keep busy.” So said Mrs. Mary Wooldrik, active chairman of the board of the State Bank of Sleepy Eye. Her story has a more unusual aspect than just that of a woman banker. She made the comment about her working speed on the occasion of her 87th birthday. It’s hard to tell what she might try next, for Mary has scored past successes as teacher, stenographer, community leader, club woman and housewife. Wednesday, March 5, 1980 Carlson workers’ kids will clock in next door Next July, Carlson Craft employees will have their own 25-room pre-school daycare facility at their factory on North Mankato’s hilltop. The center, says company engineer Larry Taylor, will not be just a babysitting service. It will be staffed by licensed people trained in early childhood development. It will also be opened to non-employee’s children, if there are any vacancies. It will not be a remodeled section of a Carlson Company plant. Construction has begun on an 8,500 square foot separate building. Kitchen, Laundry and Staff facilities, as well as a large playground. “There will be a fee for the services,” Taylor said, “but the fees won’t cover the cost, and the company will be making up the difference.” Monday, March 9, 1953 Spring Lake project to be talked about tonight “Operation Cane Pole,” a project to turn North Mankato’s Spring lake into a children’s fishing site, will gather momentum at a meeting tonight. “We want anyone interested in the long range project to attend,” said Harold C. Anderson, chairman of the operation. “The Key City Sportsman’s Club has sponsored the idea thus far, and we’d like to see other civic groups join in with us. The idea is to create a year-around fishing and recreation site for boys and girls under age 16, to improve the natural beauty of the Spring Lake shoreline and to create a wildlife habitat.” There will be docks, foot paths, fireplaces, picnic grounds and rock gardens around the undeveloped lake. The Sportsman’s Club is advocating barbless hooks for safety, and a limit of five fish to take home. Spring lake covers 30 acres with water, and is surrounded by a swampy area. Tuesday, March 15, 1898 On the curb Yesterday afternoon a horse attached to a carriage came up front street at a good pace. Several people tried to stop the runaway, but none succeeded until a middle-aged man wearing a Grand Army button caught hold of the rear and clambered in and got hold of the lines. He did it with an agility that was surprising, and those who witnessed it could not refrain from the thoughts that many of the old boys are as good as the younger ones, and that at their country’s call, many of the Grand Army buttons would appear along the front ranks even at this day.

The Gallery: Todd Shanafelt Story by Leticia Gonzales

Getting heavy W

Shanafelt seeks depth in his work with ceramics

hen it comes to talents, some are born with it. Others, however, must hone their skills based on their interests. For Todd Shanafelt, a ceramics professor from MSU, it was a little of both. “Working with my hands and just having that space to create an imaginary world around it, started in elementary school,” he said. “The art teacher, who I still keep in touch with, she allowed that simple element of space to have that free time to draw, and kind of goof around, with structure, and let us play around in the art room,” said Shanafelt. “It was an oasis for us all.” It also helped that many of his relatives not only encouraged his development as an artist, but were professionals in the arts as well. “Some when into music, some theatre, and there are some in visual arts,” he said. “That was kind of the starting point.” Shanafelt, who holds a MFA from Kansas State University, Manhattan, and a BA from the University of Northern

Colorado, Greeley, said he wants his work to be as contemporary as possible. “For me, the definition of contemporary is new, is unusual, but also at the same time, identifiable,” he added. “You can identify with it, but you can’t; kind of like an illusion, you are drawn to it.” Ceramics creates that perfect magnet, “because of its malleability and its ability to mimic materials, and how it can be transformed,” Shanafelt added. It’s also incredibility tactile. “ C l ay k i n d o f g o e s w i t h my philosophy,” he expressed. “It allows you to have a script, but usually what it tells you back is better than what was in the original script.” Whether it’s experimenting with car parts or unusual tools, Shanafelt began integrating appliances and found material such as ceramic objects and pieces into his work early on. “Incorporating the metal pieces almost “rebels against what ceramics is,” Shanafelt explained. “It’s usually a beautiful vase or a beautiful pot that is not to be disturbed or harmed; so when

you bring these types of materials to it, it creates a new conversation. It makes it a little more challenging for me and for the viewer.” He also strives to convey meaning in his work that reflects the world. “Lately, I’m interested also in reflecting our society environmentally and socially, but not with really specific arrows pointing at things, but broadly referencing the environment, lightly referencing societal issues,” expressed Shanafelt. His quest for visual exploration has spurred his desire to reach a broader audience. “Art is like fishing,” he said. “We slowly wind that lure back. Once we get the viewer closer and closer and closer to the work, then they have to deal with it. If it’s a subject they don’t feel comfortable with, they have to deal with it; they have to form their own conclusions for themselves. You get lured in. Some of the most beautiful things, the most beautiful paintings, talk about really heavy topics.”

MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 9

The author is pictured in the First Communion class of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (top) and the North End hockey pee-wee team (below). A 40-year old puck from the author’s shutout game anchors a newspaper clipping just as old. 10 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

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12 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Michelle Hargrave

WHERE THE BISON ROAM … Minneopa State Park was the star of this year’s photo submissions By Robb Murray

W

hen it comes to natural beauty, southern Minnesota in general — and the Mankato area in particular — has no shortage of things to brag about. The Highway 169 corridor comes alive with color each fall, treating motorists to a symphony of foliage. Sibley and Land of Memories parks teem with flora and fauna and give people places to stroll, linger and appreciate their surroundings. But for sheer breathtaking beauty of nature, nothing compares to Minneopa State Park. And the area’s amateur photographers have taken note. When notice was published that Mankato Magazine was accepting photos for the 2017 photo issue, submissions came in quickly, and Minneopa was a part of the submissions from Day 1 in a way that it wasn’t the last few years. (The “Minneopa Miracle,” the heart formed in the falls ice, was photographed by four different people in 2015, but submissions in general didn’t feature the park the way they did this year.) For our cover, we chose Ann E. Judkins’ shot of a bison cow and calf. It was a tough call as we mulled over beautiful photos, but the popular pair won us all over. Judkins says she’s a regular at

Minneopa. “I enjoy the big sky out here and I just love nature,” she said. “And then when they decided to introduce the bison, I said ‘What a fantastic idea!’” Michelle Hargrave had just dropped her son off at Mankato West High School when she headed out to Minneopa to take some pictures. In an empty park, with the moisture from a morning fog covering everything, she captured a photo of the falls that was our favorite among a dozen falls photos. For Hargrave, the ease of getting to the park that day to capture the photo is as important as the photo itself. “That day, I drove my kid to school and I was in Minneopa four minutes later,” she said. “I used to live in the Twin Cities, and you can’t get to anything that beautiful that fast. “That’s just such a treasure. You can hike down to the falls and you don’t have to plan a whole day, or even several hours; it’s just right there.” Tim Pulis frequents Minneopa with his camera, too. But the photo of his that caught our eye wasn’t taken with a fancy Nikon or Canon. It was his wife’s iPhone. He got there early, he said. Roughly 8 a.m. on an October weekend. He noticed the light

shining brilliantly near one of the bridges and used that iPhone to capture the moment. “I knew right away it was going to make a great photo,” Pulis said. Like Hargrave and Judkins, Pulis marveled at the park’s beauty, and says it’s really not surprising that so many photographers flock there to capture great images. “It’s got a tremendous variety of landscape,” he said. “Besides the obvious waterfalls and bison, there’s the creek, the wildflowers. And then you’ve got Seppman Mill.” Beyond Minneopa, our photo issue was blessed with an incredible amount of high-quality photos. Mankato Magazine photographers Pat Christman and Jackson Forderer, along with designer Christina Sankey and I, poured over the hundreds of images that were submitted. We generally tried to choose what we thought were the best images, and balanced that with an effort to spread the love a little; we wanted to include as many photographers as possible while still staying true to our goal of publishing high-quality photos. This year’s submissions were, overall, the best we’ve had with the reader-submitting photo format we’ve had now for four years. Many thanks to all who submitted. MM MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 13

Steve Kosberg

Ella Andreasen 14 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Randy Hjelsand

Curtis Hanson

Terry Thomas

Mary Walchuk MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 15

Becky Carlberg 16 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Steve Kosberg

Ella Andreasen

Tim Pulis

Andrew Murray

Wayne Buck MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 17

18 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Rick Pepper

Rick Pepper

Wayne Buck

Andrew Murray MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 19

Marge Miller 20 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Tami Schaible

Nick Beattie

Joshua Balbach

Barb Holmin

Donald Borstad MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 21

MaryLou Jewison 22 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

William Olinger

Gary Anderson

Mary Kay Gosch

LeAnn Amundson MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 23

Dan Dusek

Sheria Lewis

Laurie Gresch

Dale Looft 24 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Todd Hanselman

Rich Gemmill

Donald Borstad

Barb Holmin MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 25

Charlene Bradley 26 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Barb Traxler

Rick Stockwell

Fred Friedrichs

Marge Miller

Rick Stockwell MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 27

Kelly Jaeger 28 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Dan Dusek

Justin Pietsch

Todd Ouren

Julie Thorliefson MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 29

Morgan Lenhoff 30 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Tim Pulis

Mary Nere

MaryLou Jewison

Ann Judkins

Andrew Murray

John Othoudt MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 31

Reflections By Pat Christman

M

inneopa State Park is a hidden gem. Even after the arrival of its new four-legged residents on the prairie the park remains a tucked-away oasis of all that makes Minnesota interesting. The gushing water of the falls freezing into stalactites of ice, the trees, prairie flowers, and now a herd of bison are collectively drawing more and more visitors to the park. It’s no wonder so many beautiful photos of the park were submitted to Mankato Magazine for this year’s photo issue, and not just of the falls. Photos from all areas of the park, including the bison, during every season reminds us of the beauty that lies just outside of Mankato. It would be worth the short drive out of town to have a look. Oh, and bring your camera MM

32 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 33

YWCA’s

Women of Distinction By Robb Murray

F

or more than 40 years the YWCA of Mankato has been honoring women in the Mankato area who are inspiring others with their pioneering spirit and community-focused work. This year’s honorees in the main Women of Distinction category are Kaaren Grabianowski, Pam Jagdfeld and JoAnn Radlinger. In the Young Women of Distinction category, the honorees are Sesame Glackler-Riquelme and Brittany KingAsamoa. And in the Distinctive Difference category, the honoree is the 410 Project. They’ll all receive their awards March 28 at an event at the Mankato Performing Arts Center. We threw a few questions about the YWCA’s Women of Distinction program to Sam Schirmers, the organization’s associate director. MANKATO MAGAZINE: Tell us about how Women of Distinction got started. SAM SCHIRMERS: YWCA Mankato has recognized women annually with the Women of Distinction award since 1973. The award recognizes prominent women in the Greater Mankato community who have lived the goals and mission of the YWCA, which is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Since its inception, 139 women and 5 community organizations have been awarded for their leadership and significant impact on the community. Collectively, their efforts have impacted areas such as arts and culture; education; immigrant and refugee services and support; public service; social change; volunteerism; women’s leadership and youth development. MM: How has the community the YWCA serves embraced the Women of Distinction concept? Is this something women, or men for that matter, look forward to every year? SS: The community’s support for this event gets stronger and stronger each year with growing attendance and a significant increase in the number of submissions for each category. Because of record attendance last year, the event will be moving into the Performing Arts Center to accommodate more guests and a larger silent auction shopping experience. MM: Whose job is it to whittle down the

34 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

nominations? Is coming up with just five women to honor a difficult job every year? SS: There is a selection committee that reviews all submissions for the award which includes YWCA Board Members, Women of Distinction Committee Members and past honorees. Each year, the committee is overwhelmed with more nominations than ever before for women, girls and organizations in our community that are doing amazing things. The Selection Committee feels that the number of submissions is a wonderful testament to the community we live in! MM: Is part of your hope that woman will be inspired by the honorees? SS: It is our hope that everyone is inspired by the stories of the honorees! Women of Distinction is truly an event for everyone, including men. I have been to this event every year for the past four years, and I’ve come to realize that it’s impossible to leave without being inspired. The speeches, the rich history of the event, the volunteers that put forth their time and energy to plan the event, the sponsors and the diverse crowd that comes to support it every year; it all makes for a night that’s hard to capture with words. MM: Has the YWCA’s Women of Distinction program changed at all over the years? SS: In 1973, YWCA Mankato launched its first major recognition of women leaders in the community. The event, called Leaderdinner, is today known as Women of Distinction. Since its first year, the YWCA has recognized more than 135 women who have made significant contributions to the Greater Mankato community. The event began to recognize adult women leaders in the community and the criteria has evolved slightly over the years to be inclusive of women and girls of all ages. We believe that any woman or girl at any age should be recognized, lifted up, and supported by our community for their efforts that make our community the best place to call home. YWCA Mankato also added a category in 2012 to highlight area organizations and businesses MM and has honored one each year since.

Kaaren Grabianowski owns Events & Expos and works at both the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota and Blinds and More. She has spent much of her career working in and volunteering for nonprofit organizations, including Greater Mankato Growth, City Center Partnership, Visit Mankato, Miracle League of North Mankato, One Bright Star, Greater Mankato Area United Way, Twin Rivers Center for the Arts, Mankato YWCA and many community events. Her passion for the YWCA was instrumental in helping the organization transition out of the Cray mansion and in developing new programming. In recent years, Kaaren has used her talents for helping the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota build a permanent home and manage their fundraising events.

Mankato native Pam Jagdfeld is a longtime community leader, volunteer and business professional. Before becoming business manager for Nifty Home Products, she had a successful career in executive banking and private business.. Pam has made a lasting impact on the fabric of the greater Mankato community and beyond through her leadership, mentorship and encouragement of many women and girls. Pam mentors girls at Mankato East High School and teaches Somali women healthy substitutions for Somali recipes at cooking classes. A dedicated Children’s Museum volunteer, Pam participated in a 9-month program on diversity, family interaction and play for underprivileged families. She is a committed volunteer at various Mankato-area nonprofits. Married to husband Bob for 10 years, Pam has two daughters, two stepsons and four grandchildren.

Jo Ann Radlinger, owner of Jo’s Fitness Garage in Mankato, grew up in Butternut, Wis. As the daughter of dairy farmers, her drive to make a difference was forged by the hard work, long hours and unwavering ethics of her parents. For more than a decade Jo has worked with people of all ages to improve their health, their outlook and their self-esteem. Her emphasis has always been on individualized training and support; helping clients achieve their goals through personal training in a positive, supportive environment. Jo Ann is a frequent speaker on women’s health and wellness and is a strong advocate of the power of two simple words: “I Am.” The 410 Project is a volunteer-managed community art space located in downtown Mankato. Established in 2003, the 410 Project has been one of the leading art spaces in southern Minnesota. Formed by three Minnesota State University art students, the 410 began with the hopes that all artists would have a chance to show their artwork within a gallery setting. Over the years the 410 Project has experienced huge ups and downs to where it has been days from closing its doors for good. But with the support of the Mankato community, the lights stayed on. In addition to gallery showings, the 410 offers visual art classes, writing workshops, live music, special events, community outreach and Youth Mentorship Programs.

Brittany King-Asamoa has a strong desire to give back to the community and believes education is the best way to do so. After obtaining her master’s degree in business administration from Minnesota State University, she had the pleasure of serving teenage parents, refugees, and high school dropouts in the Adult Basic Education program at Lincoln Community Center. There, Brittany volunteered in the English as a Second Language and General Education Development classrooms. Brittany continued volunteering while living in Arkansas, providing legal services to low-income resident. During this time she also served as a gatekeeper at the Fayetteville Prayer Room. Brittany is currently an attorney at Gislason & Hunter, LLP serving clients in Mankato and surrounding areas.

Sesamae GlacklerRiquelme created and established Santa’s Little Helpers, a yearly event that provides the opportunity for youth to select gifts for their loved ones. Her goal with the program is to help children develop the life skill of empathy which leads to compassion for others. Sesamae started this program when she was 13 and has run it for four years. It helped more than 570 kids this past December alone. In school, Sesamae is involved in speech, Key club, Youth in Government and Drama Club. She holds a black belt in tae kwon do and has performed both on stage and in films. Her passions are advocacy and empowerment while bringing attention to mental health issues and promoting activism. MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 35

Day Trip Destinations: Ney Nature Center By Leticia Gonzales

Bring on the hotcakes! Visit the Ney Nature Center to get a first-hand look at how real maple syrup is made

T

his month the Ney Nature Center in Henderson kicks off its fourth season of its Maple Syrup Program, which includes collecting maple sap and producing maple syrup. Mick McGuire, a board member at the Ney Center, created the program after participating in a Master Naturalist program from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota Extension. “I was kind of self-taught,” said McGuire. “I did lots of research on it. I talked to old-timers in the maple syrup business. Most people in the maple syrup business are more than happy to talk about their operation and little tricks they’ve learned.” Although it is dependent on weather, March is typically the prime time for the maple syrup

36 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

season. “What we have tried to do is make it as much an educational program as we can,” said McGuire. There are four parts to the Ney’s Maple Syrup Program, including: identifying and tapping the trees, monitoring and collecting sap, the boiling operation, and then the filtering and bottling of the finished product. In order to get the ideal flow of sap, McGuire said he looks for daytime temperatures of 40 to 45 degrees and evening temperatures in the mid-to-low 20s. “That’s when our sap flow really starts to flow,” he said. “The collection part of the program becomes pretty crucial.” In order to keep up with the tapping process, volunteers are needed to monitor and collect the sap, which comes out of the tree

as a clear liquid. “When we collect the sap from the trees, it has a sugar concentration of 2 to 23 percent in the raw sap,” he explained. “The finished maple syrup will have a concentration of 66 percent. It’s about 40 to 1 ratio; 40 gallons of sap cooked down to one gallon of syrup.” The Maple Syrup program runs throughout the month of March and into early April, where volunteers from the community can participate in the various stages of the collection process, from start to finish. “We tap until we have 100 trees tapped,” said Becky Pollack, executive director at the Ney Nature Center. “If demonstrating and teaching about it wasn’t our business, we would just go out and tap and get it done, and be very efficient at it. But when we want to

teach about it, we want to have more opportunities for people to be able to experience it.” The Ney Center, which is open seven days a week, consists of 446 acres of prairie, and features multiple biomes, a trail system and a pond. “I think it’s important that we all understand how we interact with nature, and what nature provides for us,” Pollack added. “If we look at healthier lifestyles and less processed food and things like that, there are many different lessons we can look at with the maple syrup process and what we get from it.” Pollack said the program has continued to grow, as both repeat and new visitors get involved. “We really want to educate and share what we do here,” she added. Last year the center collected 26 gallons of syrup from 125 taps, compared to 12 gallons of syrup and 50 taps in 2012 when the program was launched. The syrup is then packaged and sold in 12 and 16 ounce bottles. “We are anticipating a fairly good sap run this year because of what happened with September

and October last year with all of the rain,” said McGuire. “If we had a drought, we would have a lighter sap run this year.” McGuire said he aims to provide participants with a connection with nature. “When I started this program, what I was hoping is that this would get people walking in the woods with a little bit of a purpose,” he shared. “Young kids very seldom have an opportunity to actually produce some food.” The program also creates a purpose for those interacting with nature, as they aim to identify the trees that will produce the food. While most people associate food with a grocery store, McGuire said the program gives them the chance to actually drill the hole in the tree themselves, put in a spile to collect the sap, boil and filter the syrup, and then bottle it up for consumption. “You can kind of see a full cycle of how things are done and how you can produce a small part of your food diet,” he added. “It’s kind of a connection of nature and human life where you can actually see a benefit.”

Go If you

What

Maple Syrup Kickoff Ney Nature Center, Henderson

When

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. March 4

Admission FREE

Visit neycenter.org for the collection schedule for the month of March.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 37

Then & Now: History of Immanuel Hospital By: Bryce O. Stenzel

Medical Merger I

Two hospitals once operated in Mankato. Eventually they came together to form Immanuel Hospital

mmanuel Hospital (1906-1968) was Mankato’s third hospital facility, after Tourtellotte (18881903) and St. Joseph’s (1898-1968). Under the leadership of the Reverend A.F. Winter, the Congregation of Mankato’s Immanuel Lutheran Church (founded in 1867) had the lead role in establishing “Immanuel Lutheran Hospital,” later shortened to “Immanuel Hospital,” after the hospital severed its official affiliation with the church. Although congregational minutes of that period are incomplete, a 1909 booklet belonging to the Immanuel Congregation indicated the 1904 formation of an association of several area churches, whose purpose it was to co-sponsor the construction of another hospital. The board of directors included several southern Minnesota pastors, several Immanuel Congregational members and their own Pastor Winter, as president. Not surprisingly, the association called itself the Immanuel Lutheran Church Conference, after the lead church. Later, the completed hospital would carry the “Immanuel” name as well. The first reference made to a hospital in Immanuel’s church minutes was Nov. 13, 1904, when Pastor Winter stated that it was his opinion that a hospital association should be founded. Several of the members said they felt this was a good thing and that a meeting of the delegates of the other congregations should be called to consider this matter, and only after the organization of an association would monies be collected for the hospital. The congregation then passed a resolution declaring itself in favor of establishing an Evangelical Lutheran hospital in Mankato. In 1905, the city of Mankato offered the hospital association the site of the former Omaha railroad company’s roundhouse and turntable at the intersection of Washington and North Fourth Streets for $1,500. The offer came with one stipulation: the hospital association would be responsible for finishing the construction of the new hospital building in a year, and also be responsible for its permanent operation once the structure was completed. The hospital association board did not want any such stipulations attached to the sale of the property, and the board’s members held off buying the site. 38 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Later the same year, the hospital association board took up negotiations again with the city. Board members offered $2,500 for the same property with no strings attached. The city of Mankato agreed to the sale, and the hospital association board was sold the property with clear title to it. The addition of 30 beds the new facility would provide was a strong incentive in the city’s decision to cooperate. Construction on Immanuel Hospital began in 1906, and was completed within the year. On March 11, 1906, Immanuel’s church minutes referenced the congregation granting the hospital association its permission to lay its [association’s] radiators for the hospital next to the church. On Oct. 13, 1906, the hospital association was granted permission by the congregation to use the church and the school buildings for a formal dedication of the hospital. The same permission was granted on July 11, 1909, when the building was enlarged with the building of an annex that increased the bed capacity to 65. In 1952, the building was enlarged again at a cost of $350,000. It was financed by contributions from the community. In 1967, the first moves at consolidating Immanuel and St. Joseph’s Hospitals were made. Board members from both facilities were looking for areas in which they could cooperate with each other, avoiding duplication of services in laboratory and x-ray facilities. Rather, the focus was to be on concentrating health personnel under one roof to provide efficiency. The problem was few people believed a merger between a community-based hospital like Immanuel (by now disassociated from its parent church) and a religiously-oriented facility such as St. Joseph’s would work. In fact, this had never been done with a hospital under the sponsorship of a Catholic Order. In November, 1968, the consolidation was approved, combining the 236 bed capacity of St. Joseph’s with the 125 bed capacity of Immanuel. All hospital operations were moved out of the Immanuel building on Fourth and Washington Streets and moved to the St. Joseph’s Hospital on Garden Boulevard (that facility had been built in 1950; St. Joseph’s had originally stood near the corner of North Fifth and Washington Streets — currently the site of the

Downtowner Apartment complex.) For many years the name “Immanuel” was retained in the name of the consolidated facility. Immanuel-St. Joseph’s Hospital was a well-known institution in the Mankato area. In 1996, ISJ became part of the Mayo Clinic Health System and no longer retains either of its original names. The original 1906 Immanuel Hospital building was eventually torn down to make room for the construction of the Gus Johnson Plaza apartment complex, built on the same site in 1981. The 1952 Immanuel Hospital addition was spared the wrecking ball and was integrated into the architectural scheme of the new building by converting what had previously been hospital space into residential housing units. In seeing it today, many people don’t even realize that a hospital once stood on the corner of Washington and North Fourth Streets in downtown Mankato.

On a Personal Note: I [the

author] was born at Immanuel Hospital on the night of Monday, March 27, 1967 — exactly 50 years ago this month. Even the day of the week will be the same in 2017, as it was a half century ago. It was a dark and foggy night — one of those early spring evenings in which the relatively warm, moist air interacted with the cold ground, creating a swirling fog so thick that it was almost impenetrable. My Dad had the responsibility of taking both my mother to the hospital (we lived in rural Mankato) and my 4-year old sister to stay with her grandparents until after the birth of what turned out to be her baby brother. My Dad had to make a 50-mile round trip in less than ideal driving conditions in order to deliver my sister and get back in time for my entry into the world. For the record, my Dad made it in time. I was born at 11:34 p.m. He never complained about the ordeal — Dads are like that. But the experience was one that my family never forgot. Growing up, I was kidded many times for keeping everyone up all night. It would be many years before I realized it, but I was born in a special place at a special time.

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Enjoy! — Robb Murray, Associate Editor, Mankato Magazine

southern mn style

Bert, our beer writer, took me back in time this month with his memories of winter, hockey and beer. I remember fondly the days of yesteryear when I played hockey, but because we were so young and ice time was so expensive, the little mite teams played on the outdoor rinks. Ski masks under our helmets and long johns under our breezers, we’d clumsily navigate the bumpy, air-bubble-filled rink, chasing pucks like swarms of bees, our breath puffing out in little white bursts. And along the wooden dasher boards stood the dads. And some of those dads were holding cans of Schmidt and Hamm’s beer. Because that’s what you did back then, and nobody filed a formal complaint with the playground, nobody worried about damaging the psyches of the children, nobody wrote letters to the local newspaper questioning the morality and appropriateness of it all. The kids played hockey, dads drank beer, and when it was over we all walked home together. A simpler time. There’s nothing simple about today’s beers, though. Thank goodness. Beer today pushes boundaries and challenges palates. Speaking of challenging palates, Leigh Pomeroy (with a shiny new mugshot) explains with savant-like virtuosity the nuances of Spanish red wines.

food, drink & dine

At the good old hockey game!

MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 41

Food southern mn style

Foraging in

southern Minnesota By Sarah Johnson

S

hortly after the last traces of snow disappear, forage season will be upon us. Minnesota has a fine selection of wild plants that can be collected and consumed, starting early in spring with morels and wild asparagus, until late fall when “chicken of the woods” mushrooms are at their tastiest. If you’re unfamiliar, foraged foods are wild, edible plants or plant products that have been collected for consumption. Foraging can be as simple as gathering wild raspberries or nibbling on dandelion greens, or as complex as making maple syrup. The main problem with foraging is the opportunity to die. Eating the wrong kinds of plants or mushrooms can kill a person in minutes, hours or days, but however long it takes, it won’t be a pleasant way to go. Thus foragers are urged sternly to make sure what they are gathering is edible, and not to take any chances in your kitchen. “Foragers love fresh, wild food and the thrill of the hunt,” said Robert Wood, avid forager and occasional guide who grew up near Austin. “They do not like to die. It’s kind of a love-fear thing rather than a love-hate thing.” Minnesota has some of the best mushroom territory in the country, given our large amounts of intact forest. People are picking mushrooms in every state, but Michigan and Minnesota in particular are considered rich hunting grounds. “But it’s not just shrooms that people are hunting around here,” Wood said. “All sorts of other goodies are out there.”

Here are a few easy-to-identify ones: Wood nettle: This herb

stings when raw, but cooking renders it innocuous. In spring the young shoots, both leaves and stems, make a wonderful cooked vegetable. Wood nettles grow in river floodplains and rich woods throughout the state. 42 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Burdock: This pesky weed produces three good vegetables. The roots are often sold in health food stores. The young stalks, after peeling, cook up like new potatoes, and the young leafstalks can be used in stews like celery.

Basswood: The newly opened leaves of basswood in early spring are a fine salad material.

Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads: These coiled

shoots, collected in spring, are cooked and served like asparagus. These veggies are popular with the gourmet restaurant crowd.

Chokecherry: Found throughout Minnesota, the chokecherry was once a staple for Native Americans. It is used for jelly, syrup and wine, and makes delicious fruit leather. Let them turn fully black before picking in late summer. Parsnip: The familiar garden parsnip

grows wild over much of Minnesota, and it is extremely common in the southeastern part of the state. The roots are dug in late fall or early spring and are used exactly as storebought parsnips. However, the juice of the summer leaves and stems of all parsnips can cause a severe rash if it gets on your skin.

Blackberries and raspberries:

These bramble fruits are found in all parts of Minnesota, and they make some of the finest pies, jams and other desserts ever created.

Hazelnut: Minnesota is home to two species of hazelnut, which are perhaps the most common shrubs in the state. The delicious nuts ripen from mid-August to early September. “Some of the best meals of my life have been some freshly caught trout with foraged greens and mushrooms, and hardly anything else – maybe just a little salt and pepper,” Wood reminisced. “The extreme freshness and exquisite flavors of the food were all that were necessary. It’s better than the finest chef could cook, and it didn’t cost me a dime besides my time, which I spent pretty pleasantly walking through the woods and fields.”

Safety while foraging is of utmost importance. Here are some of Wood’s rules of the forest: 1. Do NOT eat any plant that you cannot positively identify. There are many excellent guides to edible plants and plant identification. 2. Learn to recognize common poisonous plants. Watch out for poisonous plants that look like edible plants. In other words, learn to recognize poisonous look-alikes. 3. There are no “Rules of Thumb” to determine if a particular plant is edible. Ignore folk tales that supposedly “prove” a plant is edible. 4. Do not over-collect edible wild plants. Use the 5 percent rule to guide your collecting — take no more than one in 20 plants. Never collect more than appropriate, or more than you will consume. Only harvest in areas where the plants are abundant, and be sure not to collect where plants are rare or protected. 5. Use caution when collecting plants along heavily traveled roadsides or areas likely to be polluted. Beware of pesticides, herbicides, and other pollutants. Plants near agricultural fields, lawns, railroads, and certain other places are likely to be sprayed with dangerous chemicals. Plants near busy roads are tainted with exhaust fumes. 6. Wash wild plants before eating.

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OrthoEdgeMN.com MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 43

Wine & Beer

wines

By Leigh Pomeroy

Le gusta Spanish reds? N

southern mn style

owadays liquor store shelves are stocked with wines from many more countries than just a few years ago. In my college days, our choices came from California, France, Germany and Italy. The most popular wines were Blue Nun Liebfraumilch and a couple of Portuguese rosés (Lancers and Mateus), that we relied on to impress a date. Today, wines come from numerous sources — still from the Old World of Europe and the New World of California, but also Washington, Oregon and Canada, plus the southern hemisphere wines of Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and South Africa. Offerings from the Old World are expanding as well. Thanks to a local importer, there is an outstanding selection of Greek wines in Mankato. And just the other day I took a bottle of Macedonian Cabernet Sauvignon to a party of fairly sophisticated wine folks. It was quite impressive. One wine section of local shelves that has expanded greatly includes the wines of Spain. At one time Spain was known for its sherries, a style created by the British as aperitifs and for dessert. Today sherries play second fiddle to Spain’s better-known and more popular red wines from various regions throughout the country. Why the big change? The primary reason is that the Spanish winemaking style has changed. Spain has always produced an abundance of red wines due to its warm climate, but the wines were often too oxidized for international palates, which had come to expect the University of Geisenheim (Germany), University of Bordeaux (France), and University of CaliforniaDavis style of winemaking. This style promoted fresh flavors and less oxidation, with an emphasis on fruit and new oak. The world of winemaking accepted this approach, which resulted in the so-called international winemaking philosophy we have today. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks (instead of wooden or concrete vats) and oxygen exposure is minimized except in controlled situations, such as in clean barrels and casks. Spanish wine producers have taken this to heart, and today they are producing outstanding wines from nearly every winemaking region in their country and in many price ranges. My favorite reds come from the Toro region of northwestern Spain. Made from the tinto de Toro grape, a clone of tempranillo, they are full-bodied, flavorful and long-lasting. I’ve tasted Toros from the 2001 vintage that were wonderful and in great condition at 15 years of age. I compare them to Brunello di Montalcino, a personal favorite from Italy.

44 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

As well as in Toro, tempranillo achieves its perfection in Rioja and Ribera del Duero, both in northcentral Spain. The Rioja region is the better known of the two, but the wines from Ribera have often received more attention from wine critics, who have equated them to Bordeaux’s Pomerol wines, which achieve high ratings and sometimes astronomical prices. Riojas and Riberas have strict aging requirements that are listed on the label. Crianzas must be aged two years, including one year in oak. Reservas must be aged three years, also with one year in oak. And Gran Reservas must be aged five years with two years in oak. I was recently honored to taste a Faustino I Gran Reserva 2001, a beautiful wine, seductive, suave and highly memorable. The good news is that it is available in Mankato. Sometimes Riojas and Riberas are labeled as “joven” (“young”) or without any designation whatsoever. These wines are bottled in their youth and see little or no wood aging. Some Riojas, Riberas and Toros can be quite expensive, particularly those that have been aged for a long time. Priorat is another highly regarded and often expensive wine that comes from eastern Spain near the Mediterranean. Priorats often include cabernet sauvignon and/or syrah in their blend, along with the more traditional garnacha and cariñena grapes. As anyone who has ever perused wine shelves knows, Spain offers a selection of value reds made from a number of varietals, including the above mentioned garnacha (grenache elsewhere) and cariñena (carignan), plus monastrell (mourvèdre), mencía (grown mainly in the Bierzo region) and graciano. Not only in Priorat but elsewhere, traditional French varietals have become part of the mix, particularly cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and even pinot noir. Fortunately, Spanish wine labels are relatively easy to read, as they always list the winegrowing region and often the varietal or varietal mix. No longer are Spanish reds the oxidized pre-vinegar bottlings of the past. Now they are exceptionally wellmade, full of fruit and urgency, and great with red meats, paellas, pastas and … well … just fun for sipping.

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

Beer

By Bert Mattson

Knocking down bottles at spring break I

enjoy March in Minnesota. I look forward to that last heavy snowfall. Still, I see why some folks scramble to escape. My first spring break was in Florida. Key West, specifically. After, I matured a little and went to the mountains. Eventually, eschewing airport lines and resort crowds, I headed north for late ice fishing. Ultimately, I started staying home. Looking back, the one constant was beer. In fact, as I retrace my footsteps beer serves as a sort of popcorn trail. Those stubby Red Stripe bottles from Desnoe & Geddes sure seemed exotic at first sight. A sip still brings back lounging at a leafy patio bar, anoles eyeballing my pile of peel and eat shrimp. To my taste Red Stripe isn’t as corny as other Adjunct Lagers. Rather, I get more malt and a little hops peeking through. Though it’s sort of expensive for the style, when I intend to salt boiling water until it tastes like the ocean, drop in a halved lime, and add a few pounds of shrimp, it’s what I like to have on hand. March is hockey tournament time to me. Maybe that’s why I stopped heading out of town. I recall rumors of Paul Newman showing up with a pallet of Coors to share with the bona fide hockey players on the set of Slapshot. Sometimes at the park rink, as they pour a case into the snow bank, the boys like to act as if I’ll be too snobby to drink it. Recently, a stubby bottle of Coors Banquet brought back to memory that clammy feeling that inspires half zipped ski bibs, suspenders

stripped off the shoulders, and the heavy thuds of big, plastic boots on deck planks, buckles jangling undone. And Nachos. The lowest kind: dense, grainy chips covered in stadium cheese sauce and canned jalepeno. I’m unapologetic for my affinity for enjoying a pile of these with a slug of Banquet, crisp and crawling with hints of corn and hot dog bun, and almost absent of hops. I like to say, “What’s good enough for Reg Dunlop is good enough for me.” Back in the day, the slight propane scent of an aging sleeper ice-shack rental, holes open and glowing along each wall, called for a case of Premium. These days, stepping out into the elements at midnight, ice groaning eerily below and light streaking the horizon sky, I’d go for Grain Belt Lock and Dam. I had my first bottle of Nordeast at a shorefront bar on icecovered Gull Lake, and never fell for it. What’s more, American Amber isn’t my thing. But with this malt forward, moderately carbonated, smooth, dark, and creamy cousin, I think Schell’s is on the mark. I’d pair it with a Lil’ Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie. Not because that’s right, or even moral, but because that’s the other item I always bring. While those stubby bottles are harder to knock over in a lurch, these long necks slip nicely into banked snow.

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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1720 Adams Street, Mankato MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 45

Drinks

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Food

What’s Cooking By Sarah Johnson

southern mn style

Jussssst right! It’s time to rethink porridge

P

orridge has a bad rap. Over the years it’s become synonymous with gruel. Gruel — which is basically just watered-down porridge — always suggests something gray, bland and terrible. Porridge, however, is none of those things. In fact, it makes a healthy, colorful breakfast bowl with so many possible flavor combinations that you’ll never get sick of eating it. It was the beginning of farming that brought the invention of porridge. Farmed cereal grains were cooked down until they were soft enough to feed babies. Babies’ teeth began getting stronger from eating porridge (and not just drinking milk), meaning that women could stop nursing after one to two years, as opposed to four to five years. It also caused an increase in population, because breast-feeding can act as a natural contraceptive. So in a way, porridge changed the entire course of human history. Luckily, porridge has branched out from baby food and is now enjoyed by folks of all ages, toothless or not. Mahnomin porridge, a Minnesota original loaded with wild rice, blueberries, cranberries, hazelnuts and maple syrup, is a case in point. The touch of whipping cream at the end is heavenly, but you can use half and half or any kind of milk to temper the calories if you wish.

Mahnomin Porridge Ingredients:

4 cups cooked wild rice
 1/2 cup roasted, cracked hazelnuts 1/2 cup dried blueberries
 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

In a heavy, nonstick saucepan, add cooked wild rice, hazelnuts, blueberries, cranberries and maple syrup and cook over medium-high heat for about three minutes. Add heavy cream and heat through, stirring constantly, about two minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4. Making porridge is easy once you get into the swing of things. Find a tasty-sounding recipe with ingredients that suit your pleasure, gather your ingredients, and use these tips for perfect porridge every time.

48 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Step 1 – Soak the grains Soaking the grains, while a little time consuming, is important for two reasons. One is that it helps to give a really creamy finish to your porridge and also shortens the cooking time, which is great if you need to prepare breakfast quickly in the morning. The other reason is because most grains contain anti-nutrients such as gluten, phytic acid and lectins, and soaking and rinsing helps to reduce these, making the grains more nutritious and easier to digest. Add the grains to a bowl (or the saucepan you wish to cook them in to save on washing up) and cover with about double the amount of water. Cover and allow to steep; overnight is best. Step 2 – Rinse the grains In the morning, you need to rinse the grains thoroughly. They may have produced a little sediment. Use a fine mesh sieve under running water.

Step 3 – Toast the grains This step is optional, but I strongly recommend trying it as it adds a great depth of flavor to the porridge. Grains can either be dry roasted, which is the method I usually follow, or fried in a little butter or oil for extra flavor. Make sure you have drained as much water as possible after rinsing the grains before toasting them. Step 4 – Cook the porridge Porridge is best when cooked at a low heat for a longer period of time, resulting in a creamier porridge. You’ll need to keep an eye on the porridge while it’s cooking and stir occasionally, especially as the liquid starts to absorb, to ensure that it doesn’t stick. Frequent stirring will also whip air into the porridge, making it fluffier. Regarding the liquid, I usually cook mine in water and then add a little milk toward the end. If you prefer, however, you can cook yours in milk or half and half. Step 5 – Flavor the porridge To sweeten the porridge, add a teaspoon of the sweetener of your choice: maple syrup, honey, sugar, etc. Alternatively add a tablespoon or two of mashed fruit such as banana, apples, stewed dates or apricots. Here are some ideas for toppers, but let your imagination be your guide and eat whatever is in season. n Fruit (fresh, stewed, dried) n Berries (fresh, dried) n Yogurt n Coconut cream or milk n Chopped nuts n Mixed seeds n Shredded coconut n Cinnamon n Honey n Maple syrup n Toasted granola (And if you have any leftover porridge, you can add it to pancake batter to make the best pancakes in the whole wide world.)

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New Patients Are Welcome Tom Pooley DDS 507.388.3384 • 124 Walnut St., Mankato www.RVDofMankato.com Located in the Lankamer Building, above the Restaurant Number 4

Actual Patient

Nightly Dinner Features!

Does your child need specialized care? When certain health issues arise, a medical specialist is often the best option to help manage your child’s care. That’s why Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato offers an array of pediatric and adolescent specialty services, including: • • • • • •

Allergy Audiology Cardiology Clinical Nutrition Ear, Nose and Throat Gastroenterology

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General Surgery Infectious Diseases Orthopedics Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Neurology Urology

Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato Call 1-877-412-7575 (toll-free) to schedule an appointment.

Sarah Johnson is a cook, freelance writer and chocolate addict from North Mankato with three grown kids and a couple of mutts. MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 49

4.95”x4.95”

Mankato Magazine March 2017

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ã 㨠ÂÊó« Ü ã¨ ã 뢨ã à à ó Ø ÕÕ Ø«Ã¢ʈ , 㨫ù 㨠ã ôÊè¼ Â ¹ ¼Êã ÂÊØ Ã Â« Ü ã¨ Ã ¡Ø« Ã Ü Ã úÊèʰ ô«Ã èÕ ô«ã¨ ÃÊ Êà ¼«¹«Ã¢ úÊèʈ , ¡«Ã ¼¼ú ¡«¢èØ Êèã ¡«Ã«ã«Êà ʡ Õ ÜÜ«ó ʢ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó à ÜÜ ã¨ ã ôÊØ¹Ü ¡ÊØ Â ʂ Z ú«Ã¢ ÊØ Ê«Ã¢ ÜÊ 㨫â ʛÊØ ÃÊã Ü ú«Ã¢ ÊØ Ê«Ã¢ ÜÊ 㨫âʜ ô«ã¨ 㨠«Ã «Ø ã «Ãã Ãã Ê¡ Õèãã«Ã¢ ÜÊ Êà ¼Ü «Ã 㨠«Ø Õ¼ ʠ ÊØ ã ¼ Ü㠫à 㨠ռ ô¨ Ø úÊè 㨫ù 㨠ú ¼Êâʈ ,ã ô Ü Ø«Ã¢ ʢôÊØã¨ú ÂÊ Ãã ô¨ à , Ø ¼«ÿ 㨠ã , ù ¼¼ ã Õ ÜÜ«ó ʢ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó ¨ ó«ÊØ ¼ã¨Ê袨ʃ «Ã Âú ¡ ÃÜ ʃ ¼Êã Ê¡ Âú ¨ ó«ÊØ ¡ ¼¼ ÂÊØ ÊÃ ã¨ Õ ÜÜ«ó Ü« Ü ÊÕÕÊÜ ãÊ ã¨ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó ʈ a ¹ Ø ãèØëâ Õ¨Êà ¼¼Üʃ ¡ÊØ ù ÂÕ¼ ʈ "ÊØ Ü ¼Êâ Ü , Ã Ø Â Â Ø , ¨ ó «Ü¼«¹ Ø ãèØëâ Õ¨Êà ¼¼Üʈ ãè ¼¼úʃ , à ó Ø ¼«¹ ÃÜô ثâ 㨠ըÊà è ãÊ Ã Õ«ÜÊ Ê¡ ʭa¨ aô«¼«¢¨ã }Êà ʮ ô¨ Ø ¼«ãã¼ Êú ¹ Õã ¢ ãã«Ã¢ Õ¨Êà ¼¼Ü Êó Ø ¨«Ü Õ¼ ú ã ¼ Õ¨Êà ¡ØÊ ¨«Ü ¢Ø à ÂÊ㨠Øʈ , ¡Ø ãã ÊÃÜã Ãã¼ú Êó Ø ô¨ ã , ôÊè¼ Ü ú ãÊ Âú ¢Ø à ¡ ã¨ Ø «¡ ¨ ¼¼ èÕ Êà ú à , ô Ü ã¨ Êà ô¨Ê ÃÜô Ø ʈ ʛʭ)ÊôʰÜ ã¨ ô ã¨ Ø èÕ ã¨ Ø ʊʮ ʭ Ãú ¢ÊÊ ¢Ê¼¡ ÊèØÜ Üʊʮʜ a¨ ã Êà ¼«ãã¼ Õ¨Ê « à ó Ø ãØè¼ú ô Ãã ô ú à ó à ÃÊôʃ ô¨ à , ¹ÃÊô ô¨Ê «Ü ¼¼«Ã¢ ã¨ Ã¹Ü ãÊ Ü Øã Õ¨Êà Üʃ , Ü㫼¼ ¨ ó Ø ¡è¼ ÂÊ Ãã Ê¡ Õ Ã« ¡ÊØ Ü ú«Ã¢ ¨ ¼¼Êʈ BÊã Ø ãèØëâ Õ¨Êà ¼¼Ü ¨ Ü Ê Âè ¨ Ü« Ø ʛ à ¼ ÜÜ Õ ÜÜ«ó ʢ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó ʜ ܫà 㨠ó Ãã Ê¡ ã ùã«Ã¢ʈ , «¼ú ¼ ÜÜ ô¨Ê ó Ø «Ãó Ãã 㨠ã Ø Â Ø¹ ¼ ÊÂÂèë ã«Êà 㠨ë×è Ü«Ã ã¨ Ø «Ü ÃÊ ô ú ,ʰ ¢Ê«Ã¢ ãÊ ¢ ã ã ùã ¡ØÊ Âú ¢Ø à ¡ 㨠Øʃ èã ó à «¡ , « ,ʰ ÜèØ , ôÊè¼ Ãʰã «à ÃÜô ثâ «ãʈ a ùãÜ Ø ÕÊÜÜ« ¼ú 㨠Üã «Ãó Ãã«Êà ó Ø ¡ÊØ ã ¼ Õ¨ÊÃ Õ¨Ê « Ü Ã ,  ɂɂ Õ Ø Ãã ÜèØ ,ʰó à ó Ø ¢Êãã à ã ùã , « Ãʰã

ÃÜô Øʈ Z  ô«ã¨  «¼Üʈ , ¼ô úÜ Ø ÜÕÊà ãÊ Ãú  «¼ , Ø «ó ʃ ó à 㨠ÊÃ Ü , ÕØÊ ¼ú ܨÊè¼ «¢ÃÊØ ʃ  «Ã¼ú èÜ , ÊÃʰã Ø ¼¼ú ¨ ó 㨠ã Âè ¨ ¼Ü ¢Ê«Ã¢ Êà «Ã Âú ¼«¡ Ã Ø ÜÕÊà «Ã¢ ãÊ Â «¼Ü ¢«ó Ü Â Ø« ¡ «¼¼èÜ«Êà ʡ ¨ ó«Ã¢ ¨Ê ¹ʢă¼¼ Ü ¨ è¼ ʈ èã ÜÊ Â Ãú Õ ÊÕ¼ ÊÃʰã ÃÜô Ø Â «¼Ü ã¨ Ü úÜʃ ã ¼ Üã «à ʃ 㨠ã ,ʰ Üã Øã«Ã¢ ãÊ ¢ ã «ã Õ Ø ÃÊ« ʈ , ¨ ¼¹ «ã èÕ ãÊ ã¨ Â ¨ ó«Ã¢ èÜ« Ø ¼«ó Ü ã¨ Ã , Ê èã , Ãʰã ¨ ¼Õ ÜèÜÕ ã«Ã¢ 㨠ã ã ¼ Üã Ⱦ Õ Ø Ãã Ê¡ 㨠ã«Â «ãʰÜ ÂÊØ Êèã ÃÊã ÃÜô ثâ èÜ ã¨ ú Ø «Ã¢ʃ úÊè ¢è ÜÜ «ãʃ Õ ÜÜ«ó ʢ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó ʈ ZÊ ô¨ ãʰÜ ÂÊØ ʢÕ ÜÜ«ó ʢ㨠Ãʢ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó Õ ØÜÊà ÜèÕÕÊÜ ãÊ Êʊ rØ«ã ¡ ô Ø Â «¼Ü ÊÂ Ü ãÊ Â«Ã ʈ Sèã èÕ ¡ ô Ø Õ ÜÜ«ó ʢ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó ÕÊÜãÜ Êà " Êʹ «Ü ¼ÜÊ ¢ÊÊ « ʈ ãã ÂÕã«Ã¢ ãÊ Ã «ã¨ Ø Õ ÜÜ«ó ÃÊØ ¢¢Ø ÜÜ«ó «Ü ÕØÊ ¼ú 㨠Üã « Ê¡ ¼¼ʃ à Õã«Ã¢ 㨠¡ ã 㨠ãʃ ÂÊÜã Ê¡ 㨠ã«Â ʃ Õ ÊÕ¼ Ø ¼¼ú Ø Ãʰã Êèã ãÊ ¶ عÜʈ ,ã Êüú Ü ÂÜ ã¨ ã ô úʈ ,à Êã¨ Ø ôÊØ Üʃ ÃÜô Ø ã¨ Âà ըÊà ʠ «ãʰÜ ÃÊ㠢ʫâ ãÊ Ø ¼ ã«ó ʈ èã Êà 㨠ó Øú Êė ¨ Ã ã¨ ã «ã «Ü Ø ¼ ã«ó ʈʈʈ ÃÊô 㨠ã ôÊè¼ ÜÊ 㨫â ãÊ ÕÊÜã Êà " Êʹʅ Nell Musolf is a mom and freelance writer from Mankato. She blogs at: nellmusolf.com

Quality time is good for your family. Spending time on your financial strategy is good for them too. See what another look at your plan can uncover.

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}Êà Ƚ ʃ à ã«Â ãÊ Üã Øã ÂÊÜã ã Ã Ø Õ¼ ÃãÜ «Ã ÊÊØÜʈ , ¼ô úÜ ¡ ¼ Ü Ã Ã ¼«ãã¼ «ã ¢è«¼ãú ¡ÊØ èܫâ ÜÊ Âè ¨ Õ¼ Üã« «Ã Âú ¼«¡ ʃ ÜÊ ô¨ à «ã ÊÂ Ü ãÊ Ü Õ¼ Ãã«Ã¢Üʃ , ãØú ãÊ Ø èÜ Ü Â Ãú ÊÃã «Ã ØÜ ¡ØÊ ¼ Üã ú Ø Ü ÕÊÜÜ« ¼ ʈ ,¡ úÊèʰØ ¼«¹  ʃ ÜèØ ãÊ ¼ Ã Ã Ü Ã«ã«ÿ úÊèØ ÊÃã «Ã ØÜ ¡ÊØ Õèãã«Ã¢ ÜÊ«¼ ÊØ úÊèØ ÜÊ«¼¼ ÜÜ Õ¼ Ãã«Ã¢ «ùãèØ «Ã 㨠Âʈ a¨«Ü ¢Ê Ü ¡ÊØ úÊèØ ÊèãÜ« ÊÃã «Ã ØÜʃ Ü ô ¼¼ʈ "«ØÜãʃ Ü Øè 㨠«Øã Êèã Ê¡ 㨠Âʃ ¼Êâ ô«ã¨ 㨠諼ã èÕ ØèÜã Ê¡

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¢ «Ãʈ , ¹ÃÊô ã¨«Ü Ü ÂÜ ¼«¹ ¼Êã Ê¡ ôÊع ¡ÊØ ÜÊ 㨫â ã¨ ã ¼Ø ú ¼ÊÊ¹Ü ÜÊ ¼ Ãʈ èã , Ê ã¨«Ü ó Øú ú Ø èÜ ʃ «¡ , ¨ ó ¢Êà ãÊ ã¨ ôÊع à ùÕ ÃÜ Ê¡ Õèãã«Ã¢ Õ¼ Ã㠫à 㨠ã ÊÃã «Ã Øʃ , ô Ãã «ã ãÊ ¢ØÊô à ¨ ¼ã¨úʈ , ôÊè¼ ó Üã ã «¡ Âú ¼ ¹ 9Ø«Â ãÊ ãÊ Õ¼ Ãã « à , ¨ ãÊ ù«Üã à Ãã«Ø ÜèÂÂ Ø ô«ã¨Êèã 㨠 èÜ , « Ãʰã Ü Ã«ã«ÿ 㨠ÕÊãʈ a¨ Ü ãØ ÜèØ Ü Ø Ãʰã ó «¼ ¼ ã " Ø ØÜʰ A ع ãʃ ¡ã Ø ¼¼ʃ ÜÊ ,  ¡«Ã«ã ¼ú ¼ ëâ Ã Ü Ã«ã«ÿ«Ã¢ Âú ÕÊãÜʈ ,¡ úÊè ¨ ó Õ¼ Ãã ØÜ Ã ÕÊãÜ ÊèãÜ« 㨠ã úÊè ¨ ó Üè ¼¼ú ØØ« Êó Ø ú Ø ãÊ ú Ø «ã «¢¨ã ã«Â ãÊ Üô«ã ¨ Êèã úÊèØ ÜÊ«¼ʈ Z¨Êè¼ úÊè Ê ã¨«Ü ó Øú ú Øʊ x Üʈ èã ʈʈʈ , ÊÃʰãʃ «ã¨ Øʈ Aú Ø ÜÊÃÜ Ø ÕØÊ ¼ú ¼Êã ¼«¹ úÊèØÜʈ a¨ ÜÊ«¼ ¼ÊÊ¹Ü ¢ÊÊ ʃ ¼ Üã ú ØʰÜ Õ¼ ÃãÜ ô Ø Êüú ¢ØÊô«Ã¢ ¡ÊØ ÊèÕ¼ Ê¡ ÂÊÃã¨Üʃ 㨠ú Ø ¨ óú ãÊ ÂÊó ʃ à ô«¼¼ ùÕ ÃÜ«ó ãÊ Ø ă¼¼ʈ r«ã¨ 㨠ã Ü « ʄ ZÊ«¼ ¢ ãÜ Õ¼ ã Ê¡ ÃèãØ« ÃãÜʈ «Ã¢ ¡ Ø㫼«ÿ Ø Â«¢¨ã ¨ ¼Õ èã «ã ¼ÜÊ «Ã Ø Ü Ü ã¨ Ü ¼ãÜ «Ã 㨠ÜÊ«¼ʈ ¼ÜÊʃ ÜÊ«¼ ÜãØè ãèØ Ø ¹Ü ÊôÃʃ  ¹«Ã¢ «ã ÂÊØ «Ĝ è¼ã ¡ÊØ ØÊÊãÜ ãÊ ¢ØÊô à ÂÊØ «Ĝ è¼ã ¡ÊØ ô ã Ø Ã ÃèãØ« ÃãÜ ãÊ ¢ ã ãÊ ã¨ Âʈ Aú ¢ ؼ« ã¨«Ü ÜÕثâ «Ü ¢ØÊô«Ã¢ «Ã Õ¼ Ãã Ø ã¨ ã ¨ Ü ã¨Ø ʢ ú Øʢʼ ÜÊ«¼ «Ã «ãʈ ,ã ô«¼¼ ¢ ã Ø Õ¼ ã¨«Ü ú Øʈ

B ôÜ ¡ØÊ 㨠¢ ؼ« ôÊؼ ZÕ ¹«Ã¢ Ê¡ ¢ ؼ« à " Ø ØÜʰ A ع ãʃ úÊè ô«¼¼ Ü㫼¼ Ü ; ¨ 7 ô«ÜÊÃʰÜ Ü«¼«Ã¢ ¡ ã 㨠A ع ã ã¨«Ü ú Øʃ èã ܨ ô«¼¼ ÃÊã Ü ¼¼«Ã¢ ¢ ؼ« ʈ Z¨ ¨ ãÊ Ø ã à ô ¢ Ø Ã ¡ ô ú ØÜ ¹ è ãÊ Ã Â ãÊ ÕØÊ ¼ Âʃ à ¼ÂÊÜã ×è«ã 㨠Ãʈ èã ÃÊôʃ ܨ ʰÜ Ü « ܨ ʰÜ Êà ô«ã¨ 㨠¢ ؼ« ʈ a¨«Ü «Ü Ü Ã ôÜʈ r¨ à , Üʼ ã 㨠A ù ãÊ " Ø ØÜʰ A ع ã Ü ó Ø ¼ ú ØÜ ¢Êʃ , Êè¼ ÃÊã ¢«ó ô ú ¼Êó Ê¡ ¢ ؼ« ʈ ó ØúÊà , ãØ« ãÊ èÕ Ü ¼¼ ô¨ à 㨠ú Ê袨ã Ü ¼Ü ó ¢ ã ¼ Ü ôÊè¼ ÃÊã ã ¹ Âú ¢ ؼ« ʈ a¨ ú Êüú èÜ ¢ ؼ« ¡ØÊ ʭ㨠# ؼ« ; úʃʮ , ô Ü ãʼ ÂÊØ ã¨ Ã Êà ʈ A Ø ¨ «Ü ÂÊÃ㨠㨠ã ÊÃã «ÃÜ ÂÊØ ã¨ Ã Êà ʡ Âú ¡ óÊØ«ã úÜ Ê¡ 㨠ú Øʈ ,à «ã«Êà ãÊ ã¨ , Ü Ê¡ A Ø ¨ʃ A Ø ¨ ¼ÜÊ ¨ÊÜãÜ ã¨ ZÕثâ ×è«ÃÊùʈ a¨ ×è«ÃÊù Â Ø¹Ü ã¨ ú ô¨ à úÜ ô«¼¼ ¢ ã ¼Êâ Øʃ à 㨠ÃèÂ Ø Ê¡ úÜ èÃ㫼 , à «Ã 㨠¢ Ø Ã ¢ ãÜ Ü¨ÊØã Øʈ ,à ȻȹȺɀʃ ZÕثâ ØØ«ó Ü ã ÕØ «Ü ¼ú ȾʂȻɂ ʈAʈ Êà AÊà úʃ A Ø ¨ Ȼȹã¨ʈ Jean Lundquist is a master gardener who lives near Good Thunder.

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Your style By Ann Rosenquist Fee

Waif hands! Not just for waifs anymore.

I

t’s a generally accepted fact of fashion that Jennifer Love Hewitt, a co-star of the Fox teen series “Party of Five,” was responsible for popularizing the hand-hiding sleeve — the sweater sleeve worn not rolled up but in its full-on, too-long glory. Definitely pulled down past the wrist. Sometimes post-knuckle, sometimes the thumbs barely visible. Love Hewitt wore the look as a trope signifying the sensitivity and constant soul-searchingness of her character, Sarah. Which makes sense. Hands are for giving and receiving, for taking action, for expression. Those are things you can only do once you’ve worked through your mysterious angst. See my hands? No you don’t. You can’t. Because I am not done being introspective and mysterious. The show debuted in 1994 and ceased in 2000, which was a long time ago, which begs the question why Sarah’s hidden hands of mystery didn’t fade from the style scene but rather seemed to inspire an explosion of hand-hiding wearables, worn nowadays not only by teenaged girls but up to and including grownup women. And not just artsy angsty women. Also sporty women. Think about the sporty active take-action women you know, and I am positive you’ve seen at least one of them at one point in a light-fitted whateverthat-sports-fabric-is jacket, with thumb cutouts in the extra-long sleeves, which, I get that that’s about 54 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

keeping the sleeves in place while running, but still. Still. It wouldn’t sell so well if it didn’t look great. And neither would the hand-hiding sleeves that don’t even bother attaching to a sweater, called arm-warmers (with or without thumb cut-outs). Same with fingerless gloves (which are in this same fashion family yet kind of invert the notion of hand-hiding as a symbol of unreadiness for action, which obviously calls for a whole other column, for which you can’t wait). Or, maybe we keep insisting that it looks great because it simplifies some lifestyle choices that would otherwise make us clumsy and unglamorous in public, and who needs that? Exposed fingers, and only fingers while everything else stays warm, allow you to operate your phone and other touchscreens in relative warmth on cold days. Same for swiping a debit card, using a key — things that are easier done with actual fingers than gloved fingers. Also, perhaps more important, exposed only-fingers make you look mysterious drinking big giant oversized mugs of coffee. Or holding a soup bowl. I know this about bowls in particular due to watching the potters at the Arts Center of Saint Peter produce soup bowls by the hundreds in a monthslong assembly line of sorts, leading up to “Souper Bowl,” a fundraiser where a contribution buys an artisan bowl, soup and accoutrements. I’ve watched a lot of hands throw bowls,

glaze bowls, stack and pack bowls to transport to the event. And let me tell you, there’s a certain satisfaction in the finger-spread required to cradle that shape. I don’t know what it corresponds to, mystically speaking, but I’m sure it’s something. Something about doing the work, being ready to give or receive or both, or simply un-cramping one’s fingers after all that touchscreen-touching and debit card swiping. I’m not sure what it’s about but I’m very sure the move feels good. I see it most at the event itself, Souper Bowl, where people take their time choosing the bowl they’ll take home. Nine times out of 10 they choose by feel. Not size, not color. It’s how the thing feels when they pick it up and hold it, kind of bounce their hand a little to experience the weight. It’s an appreciative move. But back to the weirdly enduring accessory that somehow romanticizes

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the otherwise-ordinary hand as it holds a bowl or a mug or your phone or your debit card or whatever. Grab yourself a woolen pair from the St. Peter Food Co-Op & Deli, or a colorful felted set from 2 Green Owls, also in St. Peter. Or, I mean, go to Claire’s in River Hills Mall. Artsy artisan types have no corner on this look. It’s for everyone. We are all entitled, and you are encouraged, to make “soulsearching/appreciative/mysterious/ uncramped” your official look for spring.

Ann Rosenquist Fee is executive director of the Arts Center of Saint Peter and a vocalist with The Frye. She blogs at annrosenquistfee.com. MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 55

Coming Attractions: March 2

4 Marcia Ball Band

Westside Bands in Concert 7 p.m. — Gymnasium — Mankato West High School — 1351 S. Riverfront Drive — 507-387-3461

2

University Jazz Bands/Jazz combo 7:30 p.m. — Elias J. Halling Recital Hall — Earley Center for Performing Arts — Minnesota State University — Mankato — $9 general admission, $7 current MSU and other K-12 students — 507-389-5549.

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8 p.m. — Hooligans — 1400 Madison Ave. — Mankato — $20 advance, $25 day of show — www.mnsu.edu/music.

Church of Cash 7 p.m. — Mankato Brewery — 1119 Center St. — Mankato — $5 — available at MB Taproom or online at www.ticketfly.com/event/1418484

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10 Mankato East Winter Choir Concert

Mankato Symphony Orchestra Music on the Hill ‘Contemplation’ 2 p.m. — Good Counsel Chapel —170 Good Counsel Drive — Mankato — $17 premium seat, $12 general admission — www.mankatosymphony.com

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7:30 p.m. — Auditorium — Mankato East High School — 2600 Hoffman Road — 507-387-5671

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Bach’s Lunch ‘Occupy Bach’ 11:30 a.m. — Mankato YMCA — 1401 S. Riverfront Drive — Mankato — free — www.mankatosymphony.com

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Gustavus Wind Symphony and Gustavus Chamber Winds 1:30 p.m. — Bjorling Recital Hall — Gustavus Adolphus College — St. Peter — free — www.gustavus.edu/music

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Jason Gray Concert: ‘Speaking Jesus Through Music’ 7 p.m. — Crossview Covenant Church — 2000 Howard Drive — North Mankato — $20-25, $10 youth and $50 families — 507-327-1480

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The Gambler’s Last Deal 6:30 p.m. — Mankato Performing Arts Center — 1 Civic Center Plaza — Mankato — $125, $89.75, $69.75, $45 — www.verizonwirelesscentermn. com

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Band and Jazz Band Homecoming Concert 7 p.m. — Trinity Chapel — Bethany Lutheran College — Mankato — free — www.blc.edu/events MANKATO 507.385.4485 AMBOY 507.674.3355 I VERNON CENTER 507.549.3679 WHERE YOUR POLICY COMES WITH AN AGENT

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East/West Orchestra Concert 8 p.m. — Auditorium — East High School — 2600 Hoffman Road — 507-387-5671

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Speechless Film Festival 8 a.m. — Verizon Wireless Center — 1 Civic Center Plaza — Mankato — $20 basic festival pass, $50 VIP festival pass — www.speechlessfilmfestival.com

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KatieRegan & Kevin Regan Katie & Kevin 17 Gustavus Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Real Estate Team Real Estate Team Combos Spring Concert 7:30 p.m. — Bjorling Recital Hall — Gustavus Adolphus College — St. Peter — free — www.gustavus.edu/music

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7:30 p.m. — Elias J. Halling Recital Hall — Earley Center for Performing Arts — Minnesota State University — Mankato — $9 general admission, $7 current MSU and other K-12 students — 507-389-5549.

March 29-April 1

MSU Theater ‘And Baby Makes Seven’ 7:30 p.m. — Andreas Theatre — Earley Center for Performing Arts — Minnesota State University — Mankato — $10 regular, $9 discount and $8 current MSU Students — www.mnsu.edu/theatre

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Mankato bridal show 1. Cheryl Doe and Joe Flannery from the Mankato Golf Club display wedding package options. 2. Amy Kortuem displaying her talents on the harp. 3. Brides to be were showered with wedding ideas. 4. Kelsey Meehan, Jeannie Boerger, Elisabeth Demmer, and Samantha Johnson, display their different tux options. 5. Bridal gowns were around every corner. 6. Heidi Selzer-Bahr and Lynden Awada from Profile by Sanford pose at their booth.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 59

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Climb 2 Feed Kids 1. Kayla Rossiter, Michelle Muggli, and Deedra Vosburg handed out apparel to the Climb 2 Feed Kids participants. 2. Teams filled the Taylor Center for the worthy cause. 3. Teams warm up in the stands before they start climbing. 4. The Enthusiastic Energized Eagles team celebrates winning the Spirit Award in the first heat. 5. Holly Albrecht, Communications Manager of Climb 2 Feed Kids, gives some instructions to the teams before heat two. 6. Participants of all ages and gender helped to raise money and food for children.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 61

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Mankato Craft Beer EXPO 1. Michelle Newmann and Ashley Johnson sold pretzel necklaces during the expo. Proceeds from the sale went to charity. 2. Kevin Smith and Alyssa Moffitt enjoy their beer samples. 3. Chelsey Engelmeyer, Beatrice Lendee, Gerty Frank, Allie Poistuss, and Dani Joch served up beer samples. 4. Juno Choi, orgainizer of the Craft Beer Expo, holds up a sample. 5. Jimmy Tarpey and Colling Lahay sample their beer of choice. 6. A large crowd gathered in the new Mankato Event Center this year for the Craft Beer Expo.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • march 2017 • 63

From this Valley By Pete Steiner

Notes from a

A

Sanibel beach

rriving in grey and wind and drizzle. Clouds not the reason folks are drawn to the Sunshine State. Nor is 45-degree windchill. But in the nearby restaurant, they’re playing Bob Marley on the sound system; all will be okay, Mon! ••••

Next morning: local farmers market to buy crabcakes and olives — yes, that means we’re far from home! Windchill down to 25 this morning, the locals grousing, wearing gloves and quilted coats; we say, we are from Minnesota, where the current windchill is MINUS-38! Which induces a shuddering motion in the hearer, who fakes tremors of the head: “You even go OUT in that?” But of course. •••• Having reached life’s stage where it’s almost obligatory for a Minnesotan to seek some January sun and warmth, we had fled Mankato for a couple weeks — not long enough to forfeit our Arctic pedigree, just a little winter getaway. We’ll still go “up North” in the summer, to a lake, but for now we’ve gone “down South” to the Gulf Coast. •••• Why does orange juice cost a $1.50 more in Florida than in Minnesota? This is the land of clean cars — no salted roads. And the land of $25 million SEASONAL homes. The onetenth of the one percent. We’re not in Kansas ... Beachfront restaurants post their “sunset time” for those looking to grab the best seats, and a beverage, to behold the island’s preferred spectacle. Stopped on the beach by 64 • march 2017 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

a couple from Osseo who notice my Twins’ baseball cap. When they learn we’re from Mankato, they express fond memories of their daughters playing softball at Caswell Park. Small world. ••••

The churning Gulf waters of the previous day and night had washed up not only more than the usual number of shells, but also starfish and sea urchins and crabs — a feast for the shorebirds and gulls. We came upon a small octopus that had been deposited above the tide line, and we marveled at its Slinky-like gyrations and flips trying to get back to the water; we scooped it up and tossed it back, hoping it might survive. The abundance of the sea is mind-boggling: each of these tens of thousands of shells lining the beach housed a living creature only recently. Now they await their ultimate fate, to be ground into fine sand: insignificance defined. Aluminum cans and plastic bottles and other human detritus are scattered among the shells and seaweed: all the world’s a landfill. •••• Shells are big business on Sanibel. Most of the tourists strolling the beach at least casually examine and collect them; avid collectors hit the beach with flashlights at 4 a.m. to beat the crowds. The “She Sells Sea Shells” shop has thrived for 40 years. There’s a wonderful, informative Shell Museum. Random thought: Is collecting shells akin to doing grave stone etchings? A fellow with expensive fishing gear sets up and begins casting his 80-pound test line into the surf;

he’s trying to hook a sand shark. The hook is baited with a sizable chunk of mullet. We’re told the sharks fight like hell, but if you land one, they filet up nicely for the grill. A white egret barely pays attention to us, as long as we maintain three feet of distance. He is waiting patiently, maybe half an hour or more, for the fisherman to be distracted enough so that his bait becomes snatchable. I am fascinated by brown pelicans gliding only inches above the surface of the waves. So effortless and graceful until they do a kamikaze plunge into the water to scoop up a fish; it’s elegantly disguised lethality. •••• Distance becomes illusory when one flies. Twelve-hundred miles passes too easily. The top of the continuous cloud bank below looks like ocean. Eighty-two degrees when we boarded the plane, 32 as we get off. •••• Back in the land of cold and snow and ice, now we await the rhythm of the seasons to bring back spring. Having left the sunlit beach, I know the tides are indifferent to our absence; the surf continues to roll up millions of once-living mollusks; the ospreys and egrets and pelicans still work the shallows to find their next meal. As they will a thousand or tenthousand years from now, if a moonsized asteroid, or humans, don’t undo the whole mechanism.

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

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