Mankato Magazine

MUSIC WOMAN Getting to know Michelle Roche

Also in this issue:

LIT DU NORD Meet the Art Center of St. Peter’s JUANA ARIAS Events are back on and so is FACES & PLACES It’s all about the short stories in

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1 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Minnesota author

Will Weaver headlines Deep Valley Book Festival

By Rachael Hanel

Two of Weaver’s works have been adapted into films.

“They couldn’t be more different,” Weaver says of the experience.

CBS created a TV adaptation of “Red Earth, White Earth.” r o h ut “It was not pleasant. It was not a good result,” he Headline A says.

“Sweetland” was adapted from the story “A Gravestone Made of Wheat.” This was an independent production headed by Ali Selim and it starred Ned innesota author Will Weaver is accustomed to Beatty, Alan Cumming and Alex Kingston. It took 10 writing short stories and novels, but a few years to raise the money and find a cast, and it was years ago he received an unusual request: edit released in 2005 to much critical acclaim. an unfinished memoir by acclaimed Minnesota novelist “It was a joy to make,” Weaver says. “It exceeded Jon Hassler. everyone’s expectations. It was the little movie that As a young child, Weaver had known Hassler, who could.” taught high school in Weaver’s hometown of Park Weaver began by writing short stories, which he Rapids. When Weaver started writing, he had Hassler recommends to beginning writers. read a few of his early short stories and Hassler offered “You start to develop your writing chops. And then useful feedback. certainly there will be one that won’t fit that form, and “When I was asked to do this, I said I’d be pleased to there you have a novel,” he says. help out,” he said.

He was an English major but didn’t take creative “Days Like Smoke: A Minnesota Boyhood” is being writing classes. He wrote a few stories and was released in early September. accepted into the MFA program at Stanford. He said Weaver said the manuscript was very close to that was valuable in meeting other writers. finished.

Weaver’s current project is what he calls “a fat novel “Because I admired Jon Hassler as a man, as an of the Midwest.” author, in small ways a mentor, I was loathe to change a “I know better than to bite off a novel of three word,” Weaver said. generations but this one is one of those,” he says. The But he sorted out his loyalties—were they to Jon or book traces the path of a family as they move from the text? So he made a few smaller changes and wrote immigration to family farming to the rise of the the introduction. industrial farm.

Weaver is the keynote speaker for the 6th edition Weaver says he tries to do what Hassler did so well: of the Deep Valley Book Festival, held from 9:30 write locally but express universal stories. a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Loose Moose “I hadn’t seen someone writeA as local as he was doing O N T Saloon and Conference Center. While entrance to and still have a national audience,” he says. the festival is free, Weaver will be giving a talk at h Zimme Weaver and more than 50 other authorsM and tal Sales 11:30 a.m., which is a ticketed lunch event. publishers will be available throughout the day.

07.344.63 Details at www.deepvalleybookfestival.com.

Will Weaver

M

Other programming includes a “Cooked to Death” panel at 10 a.m. This is a $10 ticketed event with coffee

and a roll provided. There also will be book drawings throughout the day, a historical presentation, mmerman “Joseph Nicollet and the Raiders of the Lost Stone,” and music, face painting and balloons for children.

The Young Writers and Artists awards will be held at 3 p.m followed by an after-hours author reception.

The festival organizers seek “Festival Friend” sponsors to help keep the festival free this year and in the future. This $25 sponsorship will enter you into a drawing for a DVBF Friendship Bag of books from festival authors, a $250 value, and also gives you a discount on the ticketed events.

Information on becoming a Festival Friend as well as the full program can be found at

www.deepvalleybookfestival.com.

MANKATO MAGAZINE

• SEPTEMBER 2021 • 1

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2 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

FEATURE S SEPTEMBER 2021 Volume 16, Issue 9

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Michelle Roche When it comes to Mankato music, it seems Michelle Roche is everywhere.

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Living with loss

The best of the best

Families face dementia, Alzheimer’s, Lewy body dementia.

Meet Stevie Johnson, operations supervisor for the Mayo Clinic Ambulance service.

ABOUT THE COVER Michelle Roche at Joe Tougas & Associates rehearsal. Roche is a longtime member of local band Good Night Gold Dust. Photo by Pat Christman MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 3

DEPARTMENTS 6

From the Editor

8

Faces & Places

12 This Day in History 13 Avant Guardians

Nan Karr Kaufenberg

13

14 Beyond the Margin

What I did on my summer vacation

16 Familiar Faces Juana Arias

24 Day Trip Destinations Sioux Falls

34 Let’s Eat!

Sadaka’s Deli

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36 Wine

Corks vs screwcaps (and other gnawing wine questions answered)

37 Beer

Not far from the tree

38 Lit Du Nord: Minnesota Books and Authors

Stories anyone can embrace

39 Community Draws

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Mankato Curling Club

40 Ann’s Fashion Fortunes

Breaking cycles, smelling god

42 Garden Chat

Not so itsy bitsy spider

44 From This Valley

Garage sales and car shows

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Coming in October Cutest pets!

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 5

FROM THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

By Diana Rojo-Garcia SEPTEMBER 2021 • VOLUME 16, ISSUE 9 PUBLISHER Steve Jameson EDITOR Joe Spear ASSOCIATE Diana Rojo-Garcia EDITOR COPY EDITOR Kathy Vos CONTRIBUTORS Bert Mattson Dan Greenwood Jean Lundquist Kat Baumann Leticia Gonzalez Ann Rosenquist Fee Pete Steiner Nell Musolf Jane Turpin Moore Robb Murray PHOTOGRAPHER Pat Christman PAGE DESIGNER Christina Sankey ADVERTISING Danny Creel SALES Jordan Greer-Friesz Josh Zimmerman Theresa Haefner Tim Keech ADVERTISING Barb Wass ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Christina Sankey DESIGNER 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.

6 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Love was here to stay

M

om called grandma sometime mid-2003.

“Hello?” Mom said.

“Hi, how are you?” Grandma said.

“Just fine,” Mom said. “Do you know who this is?”

This phone call was a rare occasion, one where Grandma was more conscious of her surroundings, more aware. And hesitantly, Grandma said, “I think so.”

Grandma, also lovingly dubbed Dona Maria, had been battling Alzheimer’s for some time. And it’d been difficult, Mom said, knowing she didn’t recognize her own daughter. This is a woman, with only a second-grade education, who maintained a family of nine on her own.

Dona Maria stuck to her ground, no matter what. A fierce, passionate woman who’d put any person in their place if they didn’t know their lane. But it helped to be aware of her history. She became a widow at only 39 years old with eight children at home and one on the way. Dona Maria didn’t really have a family — all were estranged.

No matter what life threw at her, she always held her head up high.

There was no excuse to not work hard for everything in life, and though Mom’s family wasn’t rich by any means, their lives were rich with Dona Maria.

“She single-handedly got us ahead in life,” Mom said.

Even Dad reminisces in awe of that woman who, when there was company over, at times more than 20 people at a time, always provided enough food for everyone. Every hand held a tortilla and every bowl was full of frijoles.

So for Mom, seeing Dona Maria in such a way where she’d say she didn’t know how to read or write or would forget her own daughter was a difficult journey. Especially

with that last conversation Mom had with Dona Maria before she died on Sept. 12, 2003 — which was her birthday.

It’s odd. I don’t have a concrete memory of my grandma — I was only 2 when we left Mexico — but every time I hear Earth, Wind and Fire’s song “September” I think of her. Maybe it’s because her birthday is in September, but I think it’s the happiness the song exudes. And that woman, though she had a tough life, made everyone’s life glow with happiness.

On that last call, she didn’t remember Mom, but she did remember my oldest brother. She asked how he was doing.

“She spoiled him very much,” Mom said. “And your brother loved her. He, to this day, still credits Grandma for helping him get his life straight.”

And though Alzheimer’s stole Grandma’s memories, the memories of her live through her family forever.

In this issue: ■ September is Alzheimer’s Awareness month, and for this edition, writer Jane Turpin Moore spoke with local families facing dementia, Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia.

It’s beautifully written, and we thank the families and professionals who took the time to speak on this topic.

■ As some return to the office, it’s time to plan a lunch date with your coworkers (or yourself).

Let’s Eat checks out Sadaka’s Deli at Madison East Center.

■ What makes a good wine?

Screwcap, no screwcap? Store the wine on its side? Find that out, and more, from Leigh Pomeroy.

Diana Rojo-Garcia is associate editor of Mankato Magazine.

Contact her at drojogarcia@ mankatofreepress.com

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 7

FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

Leep Legends 2021 1. Nicole Neudecker, from team CCF Bank, celebrates her MVP award.

2. The top of the seventh inning saw a tennis ball toss.

3. Amy Zellmer, from team CCF Bank, swings her bat at the ball during an inning.

4. (From left) Justin Day, Eric Geisthardt and Lisa Wojcik hold a check of $10,000 to be donated to LEEP. 5. Team GSW’s Mary Kaus jumps over Adam Suckow during the ‘LEEP Frog’ challenge.

6. This year’s champions, team GSW Interior Specialists, pose with their plaque.

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FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

United Way Mens Event 1. The top of the seventh inning saw a tennis ball toss.

2. Tim Edwards enjoys throwing some hoops.

3. Volunteer Lorree Peterson keeps count of a score of one of the games.

4. Mike Johnson tries his luck at ‘Beersbee.’

5. The seventh annual United Way Men’s Event took place at ISG Field in Mankato.

6. Brian Taylor, from Mankato Motors, was this year’s event chair person.

7. A record crowd enjoyed outdoor activities, food, drink, raffles and a silent auction to raise awareness of United Way programs.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 9

FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

NWL All Star Festivities 1. Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen poses for a photo with Muttnik, the Mankato MoonDogs mascot.

2. Players of the Great Lakes Division celebrate one of their players hitting a home run.

3. Matt Higgins, of the Mankato MoonDogs, fist pumps his Great Plains teammates during their introduction.

4. Cole Andavolgyi, the Mankato MoonDogs catcher, signs a baseball for a fan.

5. Fan react to a series of home runs during the Home Run Derby.

6. Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen throws the first pitch.

7. Kevin Kilpatrick, from the 2 Great Lakes Division Wisconsin Woodchucks, makes contact with the baseball.

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FACES & PLACES: Photos By SPX Sports

North Mankato Fun Days 1 1. Mankato Mayor Najwa Massad hands candy to children.

2. People lining the street of Belgrade Avenue in anticipation of the parade.

3. Puppies got as much attention as candy with the children.

4. Kids from Mankato United Youth Soccer took part in the parade.

5. Members of Lee’s Champion Taekwondo Academy demonstrate their skills to the crowds.

6. Jacob Schanbacher plays the snare with the Mankato Area 77 Lancers Marching Band.

7. KEYC News Now meteorologist Tom Clements poses as he walks the parade.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 11

THIS DAY IN HISTORY Compiled by Jean Lundquist

Pleasant Grove School fumigated last night

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

September 20, 1898 The media referred to an “outbreak” of scarlet fever, measles, typhoid, and diphtheria reported in Mankato and Blue Earth County, but there were few cases of any of the diseases.

The Mankato Daily Free Press named names of all those who had been stricken, and where they lived – with addresses and familial affiliations (who was married to whom, children, etc.). The County Health officer reported “there was more scare than anything else.”

Still, parents were keeping their children out of classes, so as a matter of precaution, it was decided to fumigate the school. This action would “destroy the disease germs that might be lying about for children to breathe in.”

Ducks love shallower Swan Lake

September 21, 1977 Low water levels meant hunters on Swan Lake in Nicollet County would have a harder time getting to the water of the lake, hiking through mud and dense vegetation of cattails and bulrushes.

Those with larger boats might be expected to give up. If they did make it to water, some might have to lift motors to navigate the shallow water.

But the writer of the article in the Mankato Free Press told hunters it might be worth it all, as the ducks may have never been more abundant on the lake at migration/hunting time. The low water levels created conditions that increased vegetation on the lake floor, and the ducks were “loving it.”

Despite “more than adequate rainfall” during the summer, the Department of Natural Resources said it had been so dry, most of it just soaked into the ground as water of the lake continued to evaporate. “Moisture from above” was said to be the solution, and some in the DNR hoped for a heavy snowfall and a rainy spring.

North Mankato puts park measure on ballot

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

September 19, 2000 Improving existing parks and creating a new Benson Park were ideas the North Mankato City Council decided to put to voters in 2000.

Public meetings were held; a survey was sent to every household in the city. Just more than 8% of the surveys were returned.

At a City Council meeting, one resident told the council he didn’t need to pay any more taxes. He suggested the city get those younger than 60 to pay but leave the senior citizens off the hook. That prompted the Mankato Area Youth Baseball Association to quip, “Ask not what your city of North Mankato can do for you, but what you can do for the city of North Mankato.”

Police chief, city sued over pepper spraying at parade

September 3, 1994 At the Tator Days parade in Eagle Lake in 1993, Madison Lake Police Chief Donn Browne was an entrant, driving the Madison Lake squad car.

Apparently, two young women began squirting him with “high powered squirt guns.”

The chief told them to knock it off, according to police reports. They continued, so he blasted a spray of pepper-based irritant at them.

Instead of hitting the women, the mist landed on 11 other parade-goers.

Three girls younger than age 13 were included and claimed the pepper spray caused severe burning to the eyes, face and respiratory tract.

The chief was not unknown to controversy. He was accused of excessive force in a DWI case earlier and eventually was convicted of cashing checks for part-time officers in the jurisdiction and taking the money. That finally ended his police career.

AVANT GUARDIANS

By Leticia Gonzales

Licensed for art

A

Kaufenberg’s art on display at The Bird Island Cultural Center this month

t 72 years old, Nan Karr Kaufenberg, of Redwood Falls, continues to juggle working as a block print artist and real estate agent.

“I have always been interested in art and started drawing when I was a young child,” Kaufenberg said. “I took every art course that was offered in school.”

With a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota in art history and English, Kaufenberg later returned to college for a bachelor’s of science interdisciplinary degree in art and education from Southwest State University in Marshall.

“I had worked with block prints in high school and early college, but when I returned for my courses at Southwest State University, I really fell in love with the linoleum block print process,” she said. “Eventually, I experimented with water coloring the prints and that is the medium that I work in now.”

She later went on to receive her real estate sales license and broker’s license in Minnesota.

“The things that drew me to real estate are my interest in the various styles of houses and my love for working with people. I often use the interesting features of the houses and the country scenery for ideas for my art pieces.”

K a u f e n b e rg ’s i n s p i r a t i o n c o m e s f ro m h e r surroundings.

“Indoors and out. I work from photos and sketches of things and scenes that inspire me.”

Some of Kaufenberg’s most-used themes are landscapes, seascapes and other nature scenes, as well as historic buildings.

“Most of my seascapes are from the North Shore — one of my favorite places.”

“There are a few other places: Norway, Lake

Michigan, Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.

Landscapes are mostly southern Minnesota farmland scenes — my other favorite area is southern Minnesota.”

Her creations incorporate linoleum blocks, gouges, ink and heavy paper.

“I draw an image on a linoleum block, carve away the part that will stay white, and then I roll the ink onto the block and print onto heavy paper, which results in a print of the image. Once the ink dries, I watercolor each print.”

The process is not quick, taking anywhere from 10 to 20 hours to design and carve the linoleum block, plus another five to 10 hours to print an edition of prints.

Then, Kaufenberg spends anywhere from 10 to 20 hours applying watercolor to the prints.

“I print small editions up to 20 prints. I have a linoleum block printing press that is hand-cranked, and I also do totally hand-printed editions by placing the paper on the block and rubbing with a wooden spoon across the back of the paper until the lines are all printed.”

This year her work has been on display at the KK Berge Gallery in Granite Falls, the Jaques Art Center in Aitkin and at The Grand Center for the Arts in New Ulm. She has a show scheduled during September at The Bird Island Cultural Center in Bird Island and at the Hinterland Art Crawl, which will take place in Redwood County from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sept. 25.

“I have been making and displaying my block prints for over 25 years and I have been in real estate for 16 years,” she said. “The two fields mesh well since both have flexible schedules. I do ‘carve’ out time to do art by taking vacations to northern Minnesota where I can relax in nature and spend hours on my carving, painting and idea gathering.”

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 13

BEYOND THE MARGIN

By Joe Spear

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What I did on my summer vacation

’ve not written a summer vacation essay since I was in grade school, so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do – 50 summers’ worth.

The back-to-school tradition was a good exercise to refresh our writing skills and remains today a worthwhile craft that has brought me some benefit.

They say summers are for building memories that last longer than the all-too-short season itself.

We remember things that bring smiles and mark milestones, like our first time away from home and our first encounter with law enforcement. So I’ll take a ballpark swing at making the narrative interesting or at least mildly amusing.

The Twins played their first world series in my first summer before school started. At 4 years old, I started 14 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

kindergarten a few weeks before my 5th birthday.

I think the school administrators took pity on my mother who had seven children in 10 years.

I remember sitting in the grass next to Dad who was in his lawn chair having a beer as we listened on the radio to the exploits of Harmon Killebrew, Jim Kaat, Mudcat Grant, Bobby Allison, Tony Oliva and Earl Battey.

“Tony O” led the team with a .321 batting average that season and had 98 RBIs, while Killebrew blasted 25 home runs into the seats. Oliva won the American League batting titles in 1964, 1965 and 1971. After that, he began to see competition from Twins teammate Rod Carew who won it seven of the next 10 years.

There’s a calmness and rhythm to a baseball game

being heard on the radio where announcers can lull you into a nap. Ball 2. 2-2. Ball 3. Now it’s 3-2.

Full count. Swing and a miss. Another strike out for Koufax.

The Twins and Dodgers went seven games in 1965 with Dodger’s ace Sandy Koufax giving up only three hits in a 2-0 shutout in the final game. Kaat lasted three innings giving up both runs. For me it would be the first in a lifelong series of heart-crushing losses for Minnesota teams that offered such promise.

■■■■ At 10 years old, I had my first “away from home” experience spending a week at the Catholic Youth Camp in McGregor. No cellphones and a bus ride so far that it created disincentives for parents to drive up.

We were “on our own” for the first time.

We slept in cool Army tents on cots with eight or 10 to a tent and you could roll up the sides when it got too hot. We had a camp counselor who was from St. Louis and he taught us a folk song that was possibly not approved by Father Hennepin but sat just fine for the Kingston Trio.

“And I don’t give a damn about a greenback dollar, spend it fast as I can. For a woman’s song and a good guitar are the only things that I understand. Oh yeah.

The only things that I understand.”

And the sixth graders got to yell the “damn” part.

Elementary school summer vacations at our home on Maywood Place involved stay-at-home-mom cooking three meals a day. Pickup baseball game at 10.

A trip to Como Pool at 1. Kick the can at night. Repeat for 90 days.

In high school, we went to rock concerts. We’d pull Kevin Comiskey’s Dodge Dart Swinger into the back of the school surrounded by woods and railroad tracks.

The space was strategic because you could see squad cars come around the school from a distance, giving you enough time to hide the beer.

Peter Frampton blared “Do you feel like I do?” on an 8-track player and the 1970s speakers set up in the back of the Swinger as we pre-gamed the J. Geils concert. Turns out police near the school weren’t going to be as big a problem as the police near the

concert. They pulled up as we were parking and told us of reports of concertgoers relieving themselves on neighborhood trees.

As the police approached, I continued walking like normal, not making eye contact as instructed by others. But at 6 feet 4, I looked to be the oldest of the group and the officers summoned me with, “You in the striped shirt.”

With my best Wallace Cleaver demeanor, I assured him my friends and I were not involved in the reported public urination. But my friend Timmy Gerlach just then got some teenage attitude and said he had enough of these unfounded allegations, explaining to the officers his vast knowledge of the law.

The sounds of the handcuffs clicked loud as did the thump of his body against the squad car. We were then transported to the police station for questioning.

While I was never officially arrested, it was the first time I was taken into custody.

Turns out Timmy was good at talking his way out of things. They asked us if we had any beer, to which Timmy said, “Maybe a couple.” He ended up knowing one of the officer’s friends and that got us off. They drove us back down to the concert just in time to hear J. Geils sing “Musta got lost.”

Fifty-plus summers can put a lot of water under the bridge. I no longer listen to Twins games on the radio and recently won some tickets to the 360 Skyclub at Target Field, this time watching guys with names like Maeda, Pineda, Polanco, Sano, Arraez, Buxton and Astudillo.

After a few innings, from row six, I turned around and saw No. 6. Tony Oliva, who appeared in the back row, rising like an image of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee.

We shook hands, took a selfie and I told him how much I loved watching him, emulating him, when I was 10.

Tony never got enough votes to make the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but he had my vote in the summer of ’65.

These are the things I’ve done on my summer vacations.

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

Follow on Twitter @jfspear.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 15

FAMILIAR FACES

Seize the Clay Clay studio manager Juana Arias with the Arts Center of Saint Peter since 2012 Photos by Pat Christman

NAME:

Juana Arias HOMETOWN: Delavan, Minn.

FAVORITE DESSERT: Chocolate cake

THE BEST STARBURST FLAVOR?

NOPE, no.

Dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds.

SWEATER OR HOODIE? Sweater

16 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

F

or months — before the pandemic turned the world upside down — potters at the Arts Center of Saint Peter prepared hundreds of bowls for the highly anticipated Souper Bowl. Four hundred bowls, to be exact, and they were all ready to be picked up and filled with soup.

Then, it was canceled, just a week before the event was to take place in March 2020.

Those bowls ended up being packaged up until the COVID-19 dust settled.

And earlier this year, those uniquely designed bowls came out of their boxes to once again to be made useful during the other Super Bowl earlier this year.

“We just thought it was funny to schedule it for the Super Bowl and that’s what we went with,” said Juana Arias to The Free Press earlier this year.

Arias, an accomplished fiber artist, has been the Art Center’s clay studio manager since 2012. It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. The Art Center’s executive director at the time, David Goldstein, brought Arias to the center.

“I wasn’t looking for work, as I was a stay-at-home mom to preschool kids. There was an opening as the clay studio manager, and he handed me a contract and said my kids were welcome to come to work with me when I needed them to,” Arias said. “It was too good to pass up!”

As summer winds down, take a second to pop into the Arts Center to take a class with Arias or visit with the familiar face.

MANKATO MAGAZINE: With almost a decade under your belt at the Art Center, what is one of your favorite memories thus far?

JUANA ARIAS: Every Rock Bend Folk Festival weekend. It’s like one delicious memory of outside, music and people. Just an all-over warm memory of community.

MM: If you had to suggest an art center or museum that people should absolutely go to at least once in their life, where would you suggest?

JA: I have two! Both are in Vienna.

The Leopold for its extensive collection of Egon Schiele works, and the Albertina for a special exhibition of their collection of works on paper (think Durer’s “Hare” and “Wing of a Blue Roller”).

MM: Can you tell me a little bit more about how you brought back Souper Bowl?

JA: The Souper Bowl was just waiting to come back! All those bowls carefully boxed up that didn’t get to go out in 2020 just had to go somewhere. We brainstormed for months about how we could make something work and how best to communicate this new way to experience the Souper Bowl. Emily Stark, Ann Fee, and Stephanie Thull are geniuses in that respect, and we got a big kick out of playing with sports puns for the first time. Our goal was a safe and inviting bowl-picking environment and we enjoyed the challenge of reconfiguring the event!

MM: For those who may yet not be acquainted with the Arts Center, what’s something you think that many people might not know about it that they should?

JA: If you walk in the front door, the next door you open should be the one to the right. Otherwise, there’s parking in the back and a back door!

MM: What would be your “perfect” last meal and why?

JA: Anything my partner, Andre, makes! Honestly he makes amazing food every day and any one of those meals would make a great last meal.

Let’s hope he keeps it up until I’m ready to die.

MM: Can you tell us a little bit more about your work in fiber arts?

JA: Oh man, I love fibers. Right now I spend most of my time at home knitting. It is really a tool for focusing my energy and thoughts.

Fibers work is a lifetime passion that started with an amazing teacher, Chris Allen, and has only ever taken a backseat to clay.

For years I desperately wanted to find a way to bring them together, and then they just simply merged

while working on my exhibition for grad school. It was very satisfying.

I have been hoping to have fibers programming at the Arts Center since I started working there. To watch Freya Heyer bring it to fruition is a joy.

MM: If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?

JA: Nah, I don’t mind wondering about the possibilities.

MM: What is something that you’d like to cross off your bucket list sometime?

JA: You know, I don’t have a bucket list!

MM: Anything else you’d like to add?

JA: Probably a fair number of people who know me from the Arts Center don’t know that I spend the rest of my ‘work week’ at River Valley Birth Center where I get to meet lots of sweet families and their babies!

Compiled by Diana Rojo-Garcia MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 17

woman

Michelle Roche at rehearsal for one of the many bands she’s in. Roche performs with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra, Good Night Gold Dust, Nate Boots and the High Horses, Given Names and more

Piano

When it comes to Mankato music, it seems Michelle Roche is everywhere

By Robb Murray | Photos by Pat Christman

18 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

W

hen she thinks back to her childhood, Michelle Roche can’t exactly say what it was that sparked her interest in music. Mom and Dad weren’t musicians. And when the music bug bit her at age 3, she was too young to have any idols.

She just knew she had to play.

So she begged them. Constantly.

All her preschooler mind could think about was getting a piano and playing it every day.

“I was obsessed,” she confesses.

So obsessed, in fact, she didn’t let up for roughly five years. And then, when she was in third grade, it happened. The piano arrived.

“As a piano teacher now, I realize what a major investment that was in the ‘80s, especially when it was an actual acoustic piano that took up the whole living room,” she says. “It was pretty amazing. I get a little choked up just thinking about it.”

Roche’s life has never been without music. Whether it was yearning to play piano at age 3, soaking up the choir, handbell and organ music at church, or teaching budding musicians in the Maple River School District, music has been the centering element of her life. And while a career as a music teacher may have been fulfilling, losing that job put her on track to be the happiest — and maybe busiest — she’s ever been.

Roche is a part of at least eight different bands/projects/ organizations, including her solo project, Machiko, which highlights her songwriting skills. You can catch her playing somewhere just about every week. Or maybe she’s hosting an open mic night. Or running the sound board for a local band. She lives and breathes music.

And at 43, she says, she might be on the verge of truly becoming who she always wanted to be.

Roche received her first piano in third grade.

Da Capo

Roche was born in the FargoMoorhead area, but her parents moved to Albert Lea soon after she was born.

And when her parents finally took her piano shopping at a Rochester music store, even then she wasn’t sure a piano was coming. She’d spent years unable to convince them to get a piano.

She’d pick up half-usable instruments at garage sales, recruit siblings to join impromptu bands, write songs for her broken

Roche worked at Maple River School District where she taught band for 19 years, She was laid off in 2019 due to budget reasons before COVID-19 hit.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 19

Joe Tougas & Associates rehearsing at Joe Tougas’s (far left) home. harpsichord.

And then, finally …

“Even when we were in the store, I wasn’t sure. I thought we were just looking. But when it finally did come to our house, I was like, ‘This is for real now.’”

She says she wasn’t like most young musicians.

Parents around the world can relate to having to pester children to get them to practice; Mr. and Mrs. Roche never had to worry about that.

“I’m not good at sports or things where you have to think quickly on your feet in a moment. That makes me so nervous,” she says. “But I love just being alone, practicing over and over and over until I get something right, and then I share it.

And here it is.”

After graduating from high school, she tried getting into the music program at DePaul University in Chicago but wasn’t accepted. That turned out to be a 20 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

blessing, she says, because she enrolled at Luther College in Iowa. That setting offered her myriad performance opportunities. And because the college is nestled in the small town of Decorah, she was rarely distracted.

“I just focused on playing. And it was perfect for me.”

College degree in hand, she was hired by the Maple River School District where she taught band for 19 years, a rewarding career she was happy with. She was laid off in 2019 for budget reasons just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She says the timing was perfect.

Allegrezza

Losing that job allowed her to try new things. Roche already had been performing locally, most notably with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra and the band Good Night Gold Dust. But now she was free to explore new opportunities.

She began by expanding her music lessons side hustle and offering to do video production at her church. Then the gigs started adding up.

Here’s the rundown: Mankato Symphony Orchestra, Good Night Gold Dust, Nate Boots and the High Horses, Given Names, Joe Tougas & Associates, Captain Gravitone and the String Theory Orchestra, Cabaret La Ruse and, her solo project, Machiko (pronounced MA-chi-koh).

For many of these bands, it starts as a request to sit in on one song or for a night. Then it evolves. Along with piano, she plays percussion.

“I have trouble saying no,” she says with a laugh.

“And actually, I realized recently that I can’t take on any

new projects. But oh my gosh, I love it!’”

Colin Scharf of Good Night Gold Dust said he saw Roche perform and thought her style would work well on a new song the band was working on. After using her to record the song, they asked her to perform it with them at a show, which led to an invite to join the band permanently.

“I know Michelle has been getting busier and busier, sitting in and playing with more people, which I think is really cool for her,” Scharf says. “I’m almost envious of it because she gets to play with so many people.”

Being asked to sit in with, or be a part of, a band is flattering. But it’s also a lot of work. Each band, in most cases, has original material a new member has to learn.

“That’s something I don’t always consider when I agree to these things. It’s not just the rehearsals and the shows. I personally have to set aside X number of hours or days,” she says. “And I think I’m kind of a slow learner. So it’s very time consuming for me.”

Roche says her favorite project at the moment is her solo gig, Machiko. With it, for the first time in her life, she’s solely responsible for the artistic side of things. She says it’s an exciting time for her creatively, and she feels like she’s on the verge of something great.

“We got to hear one of our songs on The Current. Colin produced it for me and it sounds so groovy,” she says.

“I have had the pleasure of recording Machiko,” Scharf says, “and she’s just a really incredible songwriter in her own right. I’m excited for her original music to get out so people can really experience just how unique of a songwriter she is.”

Roche says she is having the time of her life. While the pandemic brought uncertainty, it allowed her to focus and figure out what she really wants to do. And now she’s doing it.

“Now that things are reopening and getting going again, I feel like I’m starting a new career,” she says. “I know I’m happy where I am, but I also see a lot of room for improvement and a lot of growth happening quickly in the near future. I actually feel like I’m on a diving board and I’m just about to jump off like. It’s exciting and it’s scary.”

MM

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REFLECTIONS

By Pat Christman

22 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

T

he lazy days of summer turned into the hazy days of summer, thanks to a persistent cloud of smoke blowing over the United States from wildfires in Canada. The unusually hot, dry weather made the wildfire problem worse than usual and brought the smoke associated with it close to home and close to the ground.

While the wildfire smoke makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people with asthma and other sensitive groups to be outside, the smoke has made for some striking sunrises and sunsets. MM

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 23

DAY TRIP DESTINATIONS: SIOUX FALLS

By Nell Musolf

Fall Park

GO

‘

GREAT PLACES’

Sioux Falls offers something for every day tripper

W

hen you hear “South Dakota,” what is the first thing you think of?

For most people, it’s the iconic Mount Rushmore. Others might think of the Black Hills. Still others might see the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally pop into their minds. All most definitely interesting places to visit, but for the day tripper, the more easily reached city of Sioux Falls is a far easier destination.

Fewer than 200 miles away, Sioux Falls can be reached in less than three hours. The city of almost 200,000 has a wide variety of attractions for any kind of day tripper.

You might want to start your day at the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History, 805 S. Kiwanis Ave. The zoo is open year-round (except New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas) and has animals from all over the globe

24 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

including the endangered species red pandas, snow leopards and giant anteater.

After the zoo, a visit to Falls Park north of the city’s downtown is in order. The 128-acre park is home to the falls that gave the city its name and has several viewing platforms to see the cascading water. The Big Sioux River runs through the park and there is also a café where guests can enjoy a light meal.

For a bigger meal, nearby downtown Sioux Falls has numerous bars and restaurants ranging from Agua Fresh, which specializes in healthier fare, to Escape 605, which describes itself as an “axe throwing wine and beer bar.” The Orpheum Theater Center is also downtown as is the Old Courthouse Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the area. There is also a sculpture walk and brewery tours of Ale Hop, a local craft beer maker.

Orpheum Theater interior The Butterfly House and Aquarium is another popular destination. Located at 4320 S. Oxbow Ave., the facility describes itself as offering visitors a glimpse of tropical butterflies and the ocean in landlocked South Dakota.

In addition to a free-flying butterfly habitat, a Pacific tide pool, a stingray habitat, and an aquarium, visiting the Butterfly House and Aquarium brings a taste of the tropics to the Midwest.

Architect buffs will enjoy visiting the Cathedral of St. Joseph, 521 N. Duluth Ave. Completed in 1919, self-guided tours of the stunning cathedral can be taken Monday through Friday.

Shoppers can get their fill at the Empire Mall, the Western Mall and the Lake Lorraine Mall. If thrifting is more your thing, Sioux Falls has Savers, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army.

For the outdoor enthusiasts, several state parks are within driving distance of the city.

Palisades State Park offers rock climbing, hiking trails and kayaking along with plenty of grounds for those who choose simply to stroll. Serious hikers will enjoy Great Bear Recreation Park where they will find trails with varying degrees of difficulty.

For those who prefer two wheels to two feet, the Big Sioux Recreation Trail and Greenway is a 30-mile walking and biking trail that circles Sioux Falls. For the more casual stroller, Good Earth State Park’s Riparian Trail is three miles of easier walking along the banks of the Big Sioux River.

A day trip might not be long

Empire Mall shopping (courtesy- Empire Mall)

Great Plains Zoo (courtesy- Great Plains Zoo) enough to cover everything there is to do in Sioux Falls. Fortunately,

the city is close enough to visit again and again.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 25

Lorraine (left) and John Busch at Birchwood Cottages. Lorraine visits John several times a week.

Living with loss Families face dementia, Alzheimer’s, Lewy body dementia

By Jane Turpin Moore | Photos by Pat Christman

D

eb Hogenson didn’t want to believe it.

Her husband, Doug Bauman, was in his early 60s, busily farming outside of Worthington, helping care for his elderly parents and engaging as a volunteer with Deb in regional and state-level politics.

But when the formerly excellent driver took the wheel for a trip to Arizona, where the couple joined a sibling to pack up his mother’s house, Hogenson worried.

“His driving was different — scary — because he 26 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

misjudged distances,” said Hogenson, now of Waseca.

“His sister, who hadn’t seen him in awhile, told me, ‘He’s not remembering things.’ And Doug, who always did the billing and bookwork for my job as a case manager for those with physical and intellectual disabilities, was messing it up; his work was all off.”

Once safely back in Minnesota, Hogenson hastily set up an appointment for him.

At Mayo Clinic, neurological specialists diagnosed Bauman within a day: His symptoms were spot-on for

Lorraine (left) sits with husband John Busch at Birchwood Cottages. “He’s always happy to see me and I can rest better,” said Lorraine.

Lewy body dementia.

“I’d never heard of it,” Hogenson said, “and I had no idea of what the symptom cluster was, but it matched with Doug’s behavior.

“It was terrifying because I didn’t know what the future was going to be; I only knew the future we planned was not going to happen.”

While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, Lewy body dementia is first runner-up, according to mayoclinic.org.

Despite Hogenson’s initial feelings of despair, she is far from alone in facing the cognitive decline of a loved one and its consequences. Internationally, 50 million people suffer from some form of dementia with 10 million new cases annually, according to the World Health Organization.

“Alzheimer’s (and dementia in general) is the saddest disease I know of,” said Kim Alinder, campus administrator of Birchwood Cottages in North Mankato, a residential community specializing in memory care.

“I’m passionate about working with memory care patients, and our team members are specifically trained to work with these individuals.

“I want to make a difference, bring joy to others, provide dementia education and support families and our team members, because it takes so much energy to serve this community daily.”

Home or away?

While Hogenson, who made the dramatic decision to sell their acreage in southwest Minnesota and relocate to a one-level house in Waseca within seven months of Bauman’s 2015 diagnosis, has chosen to care for her spouse at home with the aid of home health care workers, others find it necessary to lean on the expertise of professionals at care centers like Birchwood Cottages or Oak Terrace Senior Living, where Drew Hood is the administrator.

“Oak Terrace offers a range of options for seniors,” Hood said.

“We have independent living, assisted living and Autumn Lane, which is our memory care area.

Drew Hood, administrator at Oak Terrace Senior Living, North Mankato.

“Residents may have different symptoms — some are very high functioning, but if they were still at home, they might wander outside or try to cook when they can’t do so safely.

“We offer individualized care for those with moderate to advanced MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 27

Deb Hogenson takes care of husband, Doug Bauman, at their rural Waseca home with the aid of home health care workers. stages of dementia.”

For Mankato resident Lorraine Busch, 79, it was a blessing to shift the burden of care for her 83-yearold husband, John, an Alzheimer’s patient, to the capable shoulders of Birchwood Cottages staff after she had spent years alone trying to care for him.

“It’s painful to watch someone you love decline from Alzheimer’s,” Busch said. “John couldn’t do steps anymore so we moved to a new townhouse that’s wheelchair accessible and all on one level about five years ago.”

With three children and seven grandchildren nearby, Busch had support from loved ones.

But her husband, who for years ran A.J. Busch, a wholesale grocery company, with his family and later worked for area car dealers, failed fairly rapidly even before his eventual firm diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

“I had a constant sense of worry,” said Busch, his primary caregiver. “John didn’t sleep well; he was up a lot at night and tried 28 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

to leave the house every night, and it was taking a toll on me.”

When her husband began living at Birchwood Cottages, Busch’s life also improved.

“John was always a big people person, and he still knows all his family and loves being around other people there,” Busch said.

She visits him several times each week, often arriving near the end of mealtimes so she can encourage him to finish eating.

“He’s always happy to see me and I can rest better,” she said.

“They do a fantastic job, and I can get out a little bit.

“I cared for him until I felt like I was breaking, and it became dangerous for him because it wasn’t safe for him in the shower.

I reached the point where safety was the issue, and I knew keeping him at home was threatening his health and mine.”

Hood of Oak Terrace holds a master’s degree in aging studies as well as being a licensed nursing home administrator and licensed assisted living director. He

confirms Busch’s perspective.

“There are phenomenal spouses caring for loved ones, but that level of care takes all their energy and attention — so that’s all they have time to do,” Hood said.

“When the person needing care lives with us (at Oak Terrace’s Autumn Lane), then the family member can focus on spending quality time with their loved one.

“It can really enable individuals to have more meaningful time with their loved ones.”

Alinder concurs and emphasizes that Birchwood Cottages strives to maintain a homelike setting for their memory residents.

“We serve up to 32 residents in two separate neighborhoods of 16.

It’s cozy yet connected,” Alinder said.

“Our residents’ needs range from minimal oversight to twoperson assists — and while our community is secure and we have the lifts and equipment needed for those requiring a higher level of care, it’s all as open concept and homelike as possible.”

For families needing such services, Alinder said Mankato is fortunate to have a healthy selection of memory care facilities that cooperate and are “friendly competitors.”

“We have several good options in the area,” Alinder said. “I encourage people to do their homework, check out websites, educate themselves on the disease(s), make visits and select the location that provides the best fit for your family and loved one — because family is your most prized possession.”

Both Birchwood Cottages and Oak Terrace Senior Living are family owned and operated — a rarer reality these days. Ryan Wempen and his family own Birchwood, while Hood’s family owns Oak Terrace, plus residential communities in Jordan, Gaylord and Le Sueur.

“Our memory care community has a wide range of individuals, and we are able to change the level of care we provide as people continue to age in place with us,” Hood said.

Alinder said, “We design activities and care plans for each person because needs vary.

“Our philosophy is to provide quality care for those with memory needs and make a difference in their lives each day.”

A long journey of loss

Dementia in whatever form is difficult for families to manage, and it doesn’t only turn spouses into caregivers — it can also force a role reversal for children and parents.

That was the case for Pam Schultze of Mankato. Schultze’s mother, Ardis Detjen, died at age 85 last March. Although Detjen was never diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, she had “full-on Parkinson’s disease,” as Schultze put it. As Schultze has learned more about Lewy body dementia, she suspects it’s what Detjen battled.

“Mom had been widowed for several years, so our boys would sleep over at her house sometimes,” Schultze said.

“They told us, ‘Grandma talks and yells in the night.’”

Such symptoms were evidenced as early as 2007. Other hints that something wasn’t right followed.

“Mom had always balanced her checkbook to the penny, but that

Pam Schultze (right) with her late mother, Ardis Detjen, and Detjen’s beloved dog.

Courtesy Pam Schultze

2021 Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Greater Mankato The 2021 Walk to End Alzheimer’s takes place on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 18, at the School Sisters of Notre Dame Good Counsel Hill in Mankato.

For the 27th consecutive year, all funds raised by the walk will support the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.

Locally, a goal of $75,000 has been set.

For more information or to register for the walk, visit alz.org/walk.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 29

stopped after 2011,” Schultze said.

“She had been a go-getter and retired from her job as a West High School secretary at age 65.

“Then she started not paying her bills on time and her car was nearly repossessed,” she said.

“Mom had always been meticulous about her house, but she let it fall into disrepair and it went downhill fast.”

Schultze observed that Detjen also had “no filter,” sometimes making embarrassing observations in public.

“She’d just yell things out,” Schultze said.

With each new manifestation, Schultze felt increasingly powerless to help.

“You feel like you lose a little part of yourself,” she said. “I loved my mom, but my whole life was centered on taking care of her, even with in-home health care.”

Schultze’s longtime employer, Hosanna Lutheran Church, was understanding when Schultze was frequently called away to deal with crises at her mother’s.

“I’m blessed to work where I do, because not every employer would be so accommodating,” said Schultze, whose husband, Stan, and brother, Randy Detjen, were also helping.

After many trips to the emergency room and other nearmisses, a medical professional advised Schultze her mother needed 24/7 care.

“That gave me the permission I needed to move her,” Schultze said. Her mother failed to tell her she had earlier authorized Schultze to be her power of attorney and health care directive.

Detjen lived at Birchwood Cottages from 2018 until dying in early 2021; Schultze’s journey

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prompts her to alert other families.

“Have the hard conversations with your parents,” she said. “Ask them if they have plans in place in case something happens — that makes it all so much easier.”

Professional opinions, personal experiences

Hogenson, who adjusted her life and expectations to aid her husband, made it her mission to understand his diagnosis of Lewy body dementia.

“I and two of Doug’s sisters attended a workshop targeted at professionals who work with Lewy body,” Hogenson said.

“We heard stories from family members of other patients who struggled for years to get a diagnosis. I passionately believe general practitioners should get more background information on the different types of dementia so they can better identify them and refer patients to the specialists they need for appropriate treatment.”

Bauman, the former farmer, is now 69 and has what his wife describes as a “shuffling gait.” He can no longer manage stairs and has difficulty locating specific rooms in their residence (for instance, he sometimes heads to the kitchen instead of the bathroom).

A personal care assistant visits their home three days each week for a few hours at a time, allowing Hogenson the chance to pay bills, shop, batch cook, check in with two online caregiver support groups she has joined or read a few articles.

Bauman sees a sleep specialist twice a year, plus neurology specialist Kari Mongeon Wahlen of Mayo Clinic Health System

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Wahlen treats patients with cognitive problems and dementia, including Lewy body.

“Some of the earlier things we see with Lewy body are trouble with navigating — getting lost a lot in formerly familiar surroundings,” Wahlen said.

“Other symptoms unique to Lewy body are hallucinations, often occurring at night, and in Lewy body there is more fluctuation in mental abilities,” she continued. “With Alzheimer’s, it’s usually a slow, steady decline, but a cardinal feature of Lewy body is a significant up and down in cognition.”

Wahlen understands the challenges facing caregivers, and she applauds Hogenson.

“Deb is amazing,” Wahlen said.

“She is a true advocate for her husband because she asks the right questions.”

Wahlen urges compassion not only for those with dementia but also for their caregivers.

“Caregivers often don’t get the support they need,” Wahlen said. “If you know a family dealing with this type of thing, offer to sit with the patient for an hour so their caregiver can take a walk or shop.

“People tend to step away because they’re uncomfortable, but it’s important for patients to have continued social interaction, and for the caregivers to have a moment to take a breath.”

Kari Mongeon Wahlen, APRN, CNS, specializes in treating patients with various forms of dementia and cognitive issues at Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato.

Science has not yet figured out how to prevent dementia, but Wahlen recommends three things to ward it off.

“Maintain physical activity, particularly aerobic, to keep the heart pumping and move more blood to the brain, continue to be socially engaged and strive for adequate sleep,” Wahlen said.

“Those are all important to maintain good cognitive function.”

Echoing the thoughts of other caregivers, Hogenson is earnest in her commitment.

“This isn’t what I signed up for, but I’m not signing out,” she said.

“A friend whose wife had dementia told me, ‘Once you accept it, joy is still possible,’ and I have found there are still days of joy, always.”

MM

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 31

Stevie Johnson, operations supervisor for the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service. Johnson began studying nursing, then after her father was killed in a car accident, she enrolled in an EMT program at South Central College.

The Best

of the

BEST

Being an EMT a demanding, yet rewarding career

By Nell Musolf | Photos by Pat Christman

I

t’s happened to everyone. You’re driving down the road and suddenly hear the sound of an ambulance siren coming up behind you. The adrenalin starts to pump, and your stress level skyrockets as you pull over to the curb.

Now think what it’s like to be behind the wheel of that ambulance.

“It is stressful driving with the lights and sirens going,” said Stevie Johnson, operations supervisor for the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service. “It’s a different feeling driving an ambulance rather than having one come up behind you, but it’s still stressful.”

Johnson oversees 37 paramedics, seven RNs, and nine EMTs who keep the ambulance service up and running 24/7. In Mankato there are eight ambulances and one aircraft. Johnson moved to her current position last December after almost 20 years in EMS. She describes her job as an “up and down roller coaster” where each 32 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

day is different and there’s no such thing as “typical.”

“I started out at MSU in the nursing program,” Johnson said. While in school, her father was killed in a car accident. That tragedy became a changing moment in Johnson’s life.

“I decided to go to South Central College and enrolled in the EMT program. I have a Type A personality — go, go, go all the time. It was a good choice. I don’t like to have a lot of down time.”

Johnson received her bachelor’s degree from Concordia University and was working in the education department at Mayo when she decided to interview for the operations supervisor position “for the interviewing experience.”

“I loved working in education. I like to see it when the light bulb goes off in people’s heads,” Johnson said.

While she applied for the spot to get interview experience, Johnson wasn’t quite sure what to do when

she was offered the new job.

“I wanted to be a leader, but I still had to think about it. There are a lot of people to lead here. I had long conversations about whether or not to take the job with my mom and my husband, and they both encouraged me to go for it. So I accepted the position and I’m very happy I did.”

Given her dislike of down time, Johnson is in the right place. The Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service serves not only the Mankato area, but every three weeks Johnson is the on-call supervisor for Mayo Clinic Ambulance operations in Fairmont, Owatonna, Austin and Albert Lea, which means she can be contacted any time day or night to deal with dispatchers, patient concerns and anything else that might crop up.

Even when she’s not on call, as operations supervisor, Johnson has plenty to do. In addition to overseeing the other team members and keeping things running smoothly at the station, Johnson still goes out on calls.

“We average between 24 and 30 calls a day, but today we had 48. You just never know how many calls you’ll get.”

In addition to emergency medical situations, the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service also transfers patients from one facility to another, such as from the hospital in Mankato to a hospital in Rochester.

There are four crews active during the day, two night shift crews and one on-call crew. The ambulance crews respond frequently with police and firefighters. Johnson estimated the fire crew joins them on 75% of their calls.

Both EMTs (emergency medical technicians) and paramedics work for the service. A paramedic is the highest level of care outside a hospital and is trained in advanced life support, can administer medications and perform medical tasks such as EKGs while on route to the hospital. While some calls are less demanding than others, there is no such thing as a “routine” call.

“You never know what you’re going to get when you go out on a call. We are so many things in the community. Sometimes you have to tell a wife that her husband of 50 years has died. Sometimes you have to deal with things that most people can’t even imagine happening in their town. When that happens, what I call the ‘dissociation factor’ sets in. You do what you can in the

Stevie Johnson oversees 37 paramedics, seven RNs and nine EMTs. She was an EMS for almost 20 years. moment to help the person — or people — who needs you and then you think about it later.”

When a call is especially difficult, Johnson and her crew do a lot of talking among themselves.

“We’re a tight-knit family and when we talk, there are no holds barred. If it’s a critical incident, we might bring in an outside mediator to help us through it. Everything is confidential and we work through what we’re feeling,” she said. “Some people need to talk a lot, and some don’t, but we do our best to help each other. When you work with people for 36 hours a week, take long road trips together, and experience the same things, you get close. You can’t help but get close.”

Being an EMT or a paramedic means being with people while they’re experiencing what very well might be the worst thing they’ve ever gone through. Whenever a 911 call is made and ambulance service is requested, it’s a given that people are going to be at the very least upset and more than likely close to frantic.

“We try to bring a sense of peace for people while they’re going through something very rough. It’s a pretty good feeling to be able to go in and make things better. I hope they look at us when we arrive and see us as calming presences. We’re there to help. What our patients see is what we are,” Johnson said. “We have a good staff made up of smart people. I like to think we’re the best of the best.”

Johnson sees her crew as community members who work

with mental health as well as physical health.

“To do what we do, you have to be able to talk to people. Sometimes that’s hard because you have to ask questions you might not want to ask, but you still have to do it. And you have to be able to listen.”

The Mayo Ambulance Service also can be described as “pre-hospital medicine.”

“For example, if someone’s blood sugar is low, we can stabilize so they won’t have to go to the hospital. We can save someone from a trip to the emergency room,” Johnson said.

“We can treat to release and that is always a good feeling.”

For aspiring EMTs and paramedics, Johnson said the job is mentally and physically demanding.

“Know what you’re getting into.

You have to be focused and able to pay attention to details. I look at it that I have to be able to handle any problem for 30 minutes. It’s a very structured job. I think it’s a very rewarding job, too.”

Every so often former patients and relatives of former patients come to the station bearing treats or flowers to mark the anniversary of the day the EMTs came to their house. At Christmastime the station house is filled with goodies from people who’ve had to take an ambulance ride staffed by Johnson and her crew.

“There are days when the job can feel thankless and like people don’t realize what we do or how much we do. Then we’ll get a card or something else dropped off as a thank-you. It’s a nice feeling.” MM MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 33

Food & Beer

LET'S EAT!

By Dan Greenwood

SOUTHERN MN STYLE Siblings Milad (right) and Souraya Sadaka opened Sadaka’s Deli at Mankato East Center in December 2020.

Sadaka’s Deli ‘A little bit of everything’

W

hen siblings Milad and Souraya Sadaka opened Sadaka’s Deli at Mankato East Center in December 2020, they created a menu that would attract a diverse array of clients.

They hesitate to label themselves, or the menu, which features everything from American fare such as hamburgers and club sandwiches to international cuisine, with German, Mexican, Vietnamese, Canadian and a handful of Lebanese-inspired dishes in honor of their family background.

“We do a little bit of everything from hamburgers to grilled cheeses to Mediterranean food,” Souraya Sadaka said.

The siblings have worked

Photos by Pat Christman together in the restaurant industry for 25 years, most recently at Charley’s Restaurant and Lounge in Mankato, named after their other brother.

The deli has been a popular spot for the 1,500 employees who work at the center, which includes a branch for Mayo Clinic Health System and Mankato Clinic, among other businesses, with some customers stopping in daily for breakfast or lunch.

They take pride in using fresh and local ingredients, buying directly from vendors at the Mankato Farmers’ Market, including their Lebanese salad, which includes locally grown fresh onions, tomatoes, mint and zucchini. It’s then topped with

34 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

marinated chicken and a signature sauce, using recipes created by Souraya Sadaka’s brother, Milad.

“Every day we cut our vegetables, he (Milad) cuts the ham and turkey, and everything is served fresh every day. We make our salads as we go. We don’t prepare anything ahead of time, so it stays nice and fresh,” Souraya Sadaka said.

Part of the reason they don’t want to be boxed in with a label is that the duo has made it their mission to be incredibly flexible with customers, offering to customize orders, even taking suggestions for future menu items.

Souraya Sadaka said their menu is never set in stone.

“We ask them what they like, and

Sadaka's Deli has some familiar dishes, such as the shawarma sandwich but the deli has something for everyone. we do it for them,” Milad Sadaka said.

While there are familiar dishes, like the club or shawarma sandwich, Milad Sakada goes above and beyond to make those offerings stand out for their uniqueness. For the club sandwich, he uses wild rice berry bread and two European hams — Jambon and Mortadeli — topped with turkey and bacon.

“We cook our bacon daily so it’s nice and hot and crisp and not soft,” Souraya Sadaka said.

The gourmet approach to the club sandwich makes this one of their most popular items, but the Tawook sandwich is another hit, made with a cabbage mix, tomatoes, marinated chicken with the fries stuffed into the sandwich.

But what stands out especially are the three pickled vegetables that accompany the sandwich.

“The difference about our shawarma is we use three different pickles in it,” Souraya Sadaka said.

“We do turnips, wild cucumber and regular pickles. Milad makes his homemade sauce — it just blends with the sandwich — you take a bite and you can’t stop

eating it. It’s absolutely delicious.

We have a twist to everything we do.”

Also on the menu is Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich with meat and vegetables. Souraya Sadaka said they make the sandwich with chicken that’s marinated for a couple of days with ginger and soy sauce with just the right kick of spice, using mayo and Sriracha sauce as condiments, and then it’s topped with cilantro, pickled carrots, radishes, cucumbers and jalapenos.

“I have a couple people from Vietnam who come here just for its size and flavor,” Souraya Sadaka said.

Poutine, a Canadian creation of French fries and cheese curds topped with Sadaka’s homemade gravy is another hit, as well as vegan and vegetarian options such as falafel, a Middle Eastern patty made with chickpeas and spices served on their Mediterranean salad.

Breakfasts are served all day.

They include the basics, like croissants, eggs, bagels and breakfast sandwiches, as well as avocado toast and eggs Benedict

using their homemade hollandaise sauce, which they also use for their Benedict burger, a grilled panini sandwich with burger patties, Jambon ham, Gouda cheese and poached eggs.

Ever since Sadaka’s Deli opened last year, the siblings said they’ve received overwhelming support from the beginning, striving to make everyone feel welcome.

“We come here every day and treat our job like it’s our first job,” Souraya Sadaka said. “Everything we do, we do it from the heart; we serve what we eat.”

What:

Sadaka’s Deli

Where:

1400 Madison Ave., Suite 626, at Madison East Center, Mankato

What they’re known for:

a little bit of everything, including sandwiches, salads, soups and international dishes from Vietnam, Lebanon, Mexico and more.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 35

WINE

By Leigh Pomeroy

Corks vs. screwcaps (and other gnawing wine questions answered)

E

very day the wine lover may face myriad choices on wine shelves: Corks or screwcaps? What's in a blend? What vintages to buy? How old is too old? And conversely, what wines should be stored for a later date? Must wines be laid down or left standing up? And what about box wine?

Ah … too many questions drives one to drink!

But don't fear. I have the answers, at least some of them.

With wine, screwcaps are the coming thing. At one time screwcaps were associated with cheap wines. Not anymore. In fact, certain wine regions bottle many, if not most, of their wines with screwcaps, like New Zealand and Oregon. Why? The primary reason is that there is less stopper failure with screwcaps, less chance of leakage and zero chance of the wine being spoiled by cork taint.

But does a wine age the same with a screwcap as with a cork? For long-term aging, the jury is still out, but for short-term consumption, the consensus is "go with the screwcap" because of the advantages listed above. Plus, no fighting with a corkscrew: Just twist and pour.

What's in a blend? That depends on where the wine is from. If from certain regions of France, like Champagne, Bordeaux, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône, what's in the blend is delimited by law. That's because, due to years of trial and error, the best grapes for those areas have been determined.

Plus, those areas are looking for certain consistent flavor profiles. The same is true for certain regions of Italy, like Chianti, Soave and Valpolicella.

As for New World wines — those from the U.S., Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — anything goes, though each region has its own preferences.

Many times what's in a blend depends upon what's available and surplus. For example, more merlot has been planted in Napa Valley than what the market can absorb due to the grape's rapid downfall in popularity.

Thus, if you see a Napa Valley red blend, chances are that the majority of it is merlot.

Blends from major international corporate producers — for example, Apothic (Gallo), The Prisoner and Cooper & Thief (Constellation), 19 Crimes (Treasury Wine Estates) — are designed to appeal to a certain market taste. The marketing gurus of these behemoth producers first determine what the wine drinkers of a certain country want, then the winemakers fashion blends to appeal to that market.

This is totally backward from the way it used to be, 36 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

when wineries produced the best wines they could from their vineyards, and customers would either buy them or not. In other words, most wines, even many of the expensive ones, are now no more than common consumer commodities, like canned peas or hot dogs.

Wine: to age or not to age? Most wines today are made to be consumed soon after they're bottled. For whites, within four years; rosés, two years; lighter reds, five years; heavier reds, eight years. Only a handful of reds are meant to age longer, for example: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; French Bordeaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Italian Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino and Amarone della Valpolicella; and some Australian Shirazes.

There are, of course, exceptions everywhere.

Zinfandel, for instance, can be an alcoholic mouthful, but in some cases its youthful, fruit-driven charm disappears into a muddled cough syrup mess if aged too long.

Is a wine that's been standing up on a store shelf for a long time going to have a dried-up cork? Not necessarily. It used to be thought that good wines had to be laid on their sides in order to keep their corks moist. But recent research has shown that corks can retain moisture standing up, provided the wine is stored properly — that is, at a relatively cool, even temperature and away from light. That's because there's generally enough moisture in the headspace — the area between the wine and the cork — to keep the cork moist.

Nevertheless, it's always safer to lay a bottle on its side for extended aging. Of course, with a screwcap, it doesn't matter.

Finally, if I like wines in boxes, must I hide this fact from my friends? Of course not! On my 2018 visit to the Dordogne region of France, our group stayed at a rustic auberge in a tiny medieval town. All along the way, we had chosen the house or an inexpensive wine, and we assumed the house wine here would be just fine. Actually, it was the only choice.

I envisioned the proprietor descending to the cellar to bring up liter carafes from barrels. But he reached underneath a counter in the dining room and filled the carafes with red and white from boxes.

When I expressed surprise in my halting French, he deadpanned, "It's the best. It's from our local cooperative."

And you know what? It was.

BEER

By Bert Mattson

Not far from the tree

Y

ou can’t go home again.

Thomas Wolfe solidified this sentiment in literature.

It’s a caution against seeking solace in childhood places. Wolfe also wrote that all things on earth point home in October. (Taken together, these make wistful feelings seem inevitable.)

Personally, I begin to feel the pull of the needle come September. I suppose it could be social conditioning — the remnants of homecoming and that vague adolescent awareness of another year of permanent change. Whether that, or the natural gravitation of things, I do tend to contemplate home this time of year.

At my childhood home there was always an apple tree. There still is. On some subconscious level, September steers me to orchards. I’ve sat bouncing in a tractor-driven hay wagon eager to introduce my kids to the singular joy of pick-your-own apples … and wondering why.

There’s something inextricable about Minnesota, September and apples to me. Odd considering that a century ago, there were questions about whether the crop could even tolerate our climate.

It sounds dramatic, but the

pursuit of an apple that would grow here seems to have shaped our culture. Where one coast was obsessed with consistent yields of juice for bottling and the other with commercial varieties resistant to being bruised by shipping crates, flyover country was busy breeding new apples.

The result is an incredible array of interesting apple cultivars.

While none bear any visible resemblance to those dropping f ro m t h e b r a n c h e s o f m y childhood tree, the flavor profiles coax out memories the way an old familiar song can. Each new cultivar somehow seems more authentic than anything I might have eaten back then.

Then in comes cider. There’s a confluence of the ingenuity of craft brewing and that of agriculture that compounds my sense that what’s old is new.

While Minnesota may not boast the greatest volume when it comes to cider production, again we cut our own path.

Not that we haven’t got plenty of cideries. To be sure, you can visit a place like Keepsake Cidery in Dundas and soothe those nostalgic pangs for weekend day trips to the orchard. Cultivars at Keepsake are selected specifically

Eat...Drink...Be Mary!

Ma r

for the cider press and given time and attention, yielding offerings that aficionados have put amongst the nation’s finest artisanal dry ciders. Styles range from the balanced, approachable Keepsake Medium to the dry, food-friendly Keepsake Wood Aged. See their social media for evidence of featured music, food and smiles on the faces of kids experiencing the farm.

An intriguing example of the confluence of local bounty, craftsmanship and cooperation is Tattersall Distilling’s Freewheeler Pommeau. Pommeau is an aperitif native to northwestern France that marries unfermented juice with apple brandy. Tattersall distills Social Cider Werks’ cider, blends it with the base cider made from local Harrelson, Honeycrisp and Sweet Tango apples, and puts it on oak. Paired with a plate of slices of those same apples and a view of my old tree, it reminded me that home might be better than I remember.

Bert Mattson is a chef and writer based in St. Paul. He is the manager of the iconic Mickey’s Diner. bertsbackburner.com

MAKE GREAT MOMENTS

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 37

LIT DU NORD: MINNESOTA BOOKS AND AUTHORS

By Nick Healy

Stories anyone can embrace “You Think It, I’ll Say It” by Curtis Sittenfeld

T

he time has arrived for the short story to make its comeback. Short stories are, after all, perfectly suited to the ways we live today, to our busy and fragmented schedules and to our diminished attention spans. They’re also well-suited to the ways we read now — especially when we read on our phones while, say, waiting in line for a bagel or a cup of coffee.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before.

Despite the many good reasons modern readers might embrace the form, most of them don’t. For a decade at least, people have been predicting a resurgence of interest in short stories, but aside from a few exceptional authors who catch the eye of the reading public, today’s writers of short stories mostly work in obscurity and, for whatever reason, persist in their craft.

Curtis Sittenfeld could and should be one of those exceptions.

She is best known as the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of several novels, including “Prep,” “American Wife” and “Eligible,” and in 2020, she published the much-discussed “Rodham,” a novel that imagines where Hillary Clinton’s life might’ve had headed if she’d decided to dump Bill back in their college days.

In her first collection of short stories, “You Think It, I’ll Say It,” Sittenfeld shows why her novels have been so successful. The 10 stories in the book, which was

released in 2018 and is available in paperback, are absorbing, funny, and sometimes scorching. And each is a pleasure to read.

The main characters in some of the more memorable pieces are forced to confront unfinished business from their younger years, and witnessing their struggles can be a sort of catharsis for anyone who lives with some scars from coming of age.

In “A Regular Couple,” Maggie is a 30-something lawyer on her honeymoon, and she bumps into Ashley, a high school classmate she hadn’t seen in years and clearly hoped to never see again.

Ashley behaves as if the two were old friends and suggests they and their spouses go hiking together.

Cluelessly, Maggie’s husband agrees to the plan, and only later can Maggie explain to him Ashley’s particular aplomb as a mean girl.

Recalling an incident from their time

38 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

on the volleyball team, Maggie says, “She came over and said, ‘Will you tie my shoe?’ She put her foot on my thigh — I was wearing shorts, so the sole of her shoe was pressed against my skin — and I tied it, and she kind of smirked and walked out of the locker room.”

In “The Prairie Wife,” a suburban mom named Kirsten stews over the success, and perhaps hypocrisy, of her onetime friend Lucy, who has risen to fame as a multimedia personality and creator of a vast lifestyle brand. Watching Lucy affect a down-home manner on TV and hearing her speak in a put-on accent stirs in Kirsten “such rage at Lucy that it was almost like lust.” Kirsten knows a secret that could damage or destroy her old friend, but she can’t decide what to do with that knowledge. (Side note: You can get a sort of free sample of Sittenfeld’s short fiction via “The Writer’s Voice” podcast, which is produced by The New Yorker. The podcast has featured Sittenfeld reading several of her stories, including “The Prairie Wife.”)

A native of Cincinnati, Sittenfeld made her name long before relocating to the Twin Cities a few years ago, but she quickly embraced the area and its literary community.

Minnesotans are, of course, glad to claim her. If you haven’t read her work, you might consider “You Think It, I’ll Say It” a gateway. Why not get a copy, read it, and pass it to a friend? You’ll almost certainly enjoy yourself, and even if you don’t, you’ll be striking a blow on behalf of short fiction, that perennially underappreciated and undervalued form.

COMMUNITY DRAWS

By Kat Baumann

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 39

ANN’S FASHION FORTUNES

By Ann Rosenquist Fee

Breaking cycles, smelling good DEAR ANN: Why don’t curling iron barrels have clamps anymore? I bought one online and never thought to specify that I wanted a clamp. It arrived and it’s just the barrel. But it doesn’t look broken. But I can’t use it. Why is this happening to me?

DEAR READER: I made this same mistake when I recently ordered a travel-sized curling iron. Not sure why I thought I needed to travel with something smaller than a full-sized curling iron, or what I pictured, but what I got was a tiny barrel with no clamp. I figured it was a professional-vs.-amateur thing, like how salons use marcel irons that aren’t spring-loaded so the stylist has to skillfully, manually hold the clamp closed.

I definitely feel like a professional where my hair is concerned so I did not shy away.

I fired up my new pro tool, pinched my split ends and wrapped my bangs around the barrel holding the hair as close as I could without getting burned.

When I let go and shook out my steaming bang to see the results, I realized this must be the kind of curling iron everybody’s using now because my hair had that same wavy-except-the-very-end shape as every other white woman in the modern world.

I think the technical term is “beachy waves.” I don’t know what makes them beachy. A friend suggested it was because it’s what it looks like when you’re at the beach and your perm gets wet and stretches out. This makes sense if you have a history of 1980s-era spiral perms, which I do, and frankly don’t wish to revisit.

My suggestion is that you find a young person who’s free of the emotional baggage you’re clearly carrying around, re-home your new curling iron, and altogether let go of spending your grooming time trying to make your hair

the exact opposite of whatever it actually naturally wants to be.

DEAR ANN: The first thing I noticed at my first post-COVID gathering was how much I’d missed the fragrance of people in social settings. Not like walking up to people and smelling them, which is not a thing I do. I just mean the experience of getting a waft of a friend’s perfume or hair

40 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Must be born on or after this date in 1980 to actually enjoy beachy waves.

product and saying, “Oh wow, you smell amazing,” and then finding out what they’re wearing and wherever else the conversation goes from there.

Now that I know how fundamental this was to my enjoyment of social settings, how am I going to cope if we have another lockdown?

D E A R R E A D E R : The CDC keeps saying we’re not looking at

another lockdown, but you can’t be too sure, so I suggest you start researching makeup subscription services. I tried one myself last year and canceled after I found I wasn’t really using any of the high-end sample-sized cleansers, serums, shadows, etc. they were sending me every month. But now I regret that, because upon reading your question, I realize the value in receiving products that are perfectly good but don’t work for you is that it’s as close as you can get to socializing with people who smell nice. Start researching and consider the $12-or-more per month like an insurance premium, protecting you against olfactorydeprivation-induced despair.

DEAR ANN: I never understood Casual Fridays and now I’m irritated that the concept exists because it’s one more thing we have to deal with about being back in the office post-COVID. Shouldn’t “Casual Friday” be meaningless now, like so many other things post-2020? Why is my employer still making us do it and acting like it’s a perk?

D E A R R E A D E R : Yo u ’ l l b e delighted to tell your human resources department that Casual Friday is cultural appropriation.

Unless you live in Hawaii, where the custom originated in 1962 when the Hawaiian Fashion Guild sent short-sleeved printed dress shirts to every member of the Hawaii Senate, which then passed a resolution recommending the shirts be worn throughout the summer to let "the male populace return to 'aloha attire' for the summer months for the sake of comfort and in support of the 50th state's garment industry.”

This might land you in several hours’ worth of meetings as part of a newly appointed task force charged with revising the office dress code. You won’t get any real work done, but you’ll be able to wear what you want while notdoing it.

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Here for you today and tomorrow.

Got a question?

Submit it at annrosenquistfee.com (click on Ann’s Fashion Fortunes).

Ann Rosenquist Fee is executive director of the Arts Center of Saint Peter and host of Live from the Arts Center, a music and interview show Thursdays 1-2 p.m. on KMSU 89.7FM.

Mankato | Amboy | Eagle Lake | Vernon Center | cbfg.net MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 41

GARDEN CHAT

By Jean Lundquist

Not so itsy bitsy SPIDER T

Good spiders are outside spiders

his summer has been a challenging one. Between weeks of drought followed by torrential rains, to pests.

I have been fortunate, at least on the pest front, with one small exception. I’ll get to that in a minute.

Japanese beetles have been a bane for many of my gardening friends, especially those who won’t use chemicals on their food. These beetles will eat just about any plant put before it.

They are kind of pretty, if you like iridescent green bugs with coppery wings. But they decimate plants, chewing a lacy skeleton behind on the leaves where they have been active. They will eat just about anything, though they are particularly partial to roses. They also like geraniums, where they feast on the flowers. Because of chemicals in geranium flowers, they get dizzy and fall to the ground, where you can sweep them up.

Other controls include hand-picking them from the 42 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

plants, spraying with Neem oil, or using one of the many recipes for Japanese beetle control found on the Internet.

A fair warning, however, that almost all of these ideas, except for hand-picking, carry some environmental threat. Even Neem oil, which is considered a natural control, can be toxic to fish if it gets into the water.

If you do choose to use a chemical, read the label to be sure it doesn’t harm bees and other pollinators.

At any rate, be sure to test what you use on a small part of a plant before widespread use.

I wasn’t bothered by Japanese beetles this summer, but from how widespread they are, I’m already preparing for next year.

The one pest that did bother me this year was a black and yellow garden spider.

I am of the firm belief that any spider in the house is a bad spider, and should be disposed of. Don’t judge me, it’s just how I feel about it.

By the same token, any spider outside is exactly where it belongs, and should be allowed to stay and eat all the bugs it can catch.

These spiders are good spiders, as opposed to bad spiders in the house.

Black and yellow garden spiders are not rare, but also not commonly seen until fall. They are huge. The females are over an inch long, with the males being considerably smaller.

Almost all of the spiders we see are females. They show up in the fall when they are big enough to fight off predators, according to scientists who study such things.

I have seen them before in the garden, often spinning a web between tomato plants. Any spider in the garden is not just a good spider, it’s an excellent spider.

But our guest this year decided to set up shop in the doorway to the shed, where I keep my gardening “stuff.”

I poked at it a few times when I really needed to go in the shed, and didn’t want my head covered in cobwebs. It ran (they really move fast) and I poked a pathway into the shed.

There was that one time, however, I was wandering around in thought, and went into the shed without moving the spider out of the way.

Did you hear me as I brushed her, ever so gently, out of my hair?

I know she didn’t bite me, and even if she had, I would have survived. But there is nothing to compare to the unique experience of having an inch-long spider running around in your hair, close to your face.

My thoughts were racing, and I imagined it dropping down the collar of my shirt. I know I did a dance trying to rid myself of that spider.

The thing is, they weave a lacy zig zag pattern down the middle of their web, thought to keep birds from flying through it. I guess I’m not as observant as a bird.

But fear not – she found her way back to the doorway, and set up shop again.

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

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FROM THIS VALLEY

By Pete Steiner

Garage sales and car shows

W

e had a neighborhood garage sale. Somebody wants what you no longer need or have room for.

It’s an imperfect mechanism of commerce. If I move 10% of my display, I figure I’m successful. The rest you haul to the thrift store or pack up to seed the next garage sale.

As I move that old Twins’ yearbook back to the basement, my wife asks, haven’t you tried to sell that at least four times? Just need to find the right buyer, I reply. Besides, you need to give at least the appearance of inventory.

(I ought to be in test trials for a new drug we’ll call “LeTergo.”

Pronounced, let-er’-go. A new anti-hoarding medicine.)

Garage sales are all-American mixers. A lot of people just want to breeze through and see if there’s anything they want that they can get cheap.

“I’m looking for a rolling pin!” one woman laughed.

“Good luck!” I called as she moved on.

Some people do want to socialize. We were all still recovering from 15 months of pandemic isolation, and people were ready to mix as humans are prone to do. Topics were light: the Twins, the weather. I wasn’t the only one who had not mowed in weeks. People were wondering if 2021 could be a reprise of 1988 — it had been so dry! Could this be another generational drought year?

Maybe we were good luck. The next day it poured.

was, let’s just give them away, but the 6-year-old was already reaching for her little purse.

“A quarter,” I said.

“Which one is a quarter?” she replied, fingering her coins.

This one. Learning to be an astute consumer, an early lesson in capitalism. Really. Kudos to their grandmother for giving them a little financial freedom.

A woman about my age came by.

She told me she was embarking on a new exercise program to stave off diabetes, walking every day, cutting down on sweets. I told her I admired her determination.

S o m e h o w, s h e b ro u g h t u p how she had loved cooking for her husband; I asked if he had died. “No,” she said, and began weeping. He is in a care facility now with Alzheimer’s. He had been a successful businessman and wonderful husband, and now there was nothing either he or she recognized in each other. We agreed, it’s a most cruel disease.

A young woman furnishing her new apartment came by. She liked some cut-glass items. They had been my grandmother’s and I had not wanted to part with them, but Jeanne convinced me. They would have a new home with someone who appreciated them. Then the deluge arrived; we scrambled to get everything back under cover.

Some clothes out on racks in the driveway got drenched. We shut down early. Nobody complained.

We needed rain far more than a few extra garage sale bucks.

■■■■

Car shows are as symbolic of a Mankato summer as sweet corn and swimming pools. The Cars of Summer, lovingly restored classics, make the rounds of various roll-ins so us gawkers can behold.

On that second day, there were two girls, maybe 4 and 6. They liked a pair of tiny salt shakers, which I have to admit, were kinda cute. Jeanne said her first thought

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44 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Though not a “car guy,” I admit I was wowed when I went to one of the twice-monthly Saturday events at Unique Classic Cars, now in the old Lowe’s location on Bassett Drive. The business’ name is overly modest. The largest classic car dealer in the Upper Midwest, they literally sell all over the world.

Inside the vast showroom are 150 pristinely restored vehicles.

The background music was Patsy Cline as I got a chance to talk with CEO Jeremy Thomas.

He says he never considered himself a “motorhead,” but after he began selling new cars at 19, Thomas decided to open a classic car business. In 2006, he had just seven cars on a modest lot on Highway 22 south of Mankato.

Now, explosive growth, barely slowed by COVID (many of their clients shop via the internet), has necessitated creating a logistics position just to oversee shipping to unique destinations such as Iceland.

Among the most eye-popping vehicles inside: a 1963 Corvette, perfectly restored to “Bloomington Gold” certification. A consignment car, its price is also eye-popping: a cool quarter-million. Thomas says it will sell to the right buyer.

Also check out Johnny Cash’s last Lincoln, a black custom 2001 Town Car that Jeremy, a huge Cash fan, bought for himself at auction in Arizona.

As summer draws to a close, there are only two more chances to take in the Unique roll-ins: Sept.

11 and 25. (By the way, if you’re passionate about cars, they are hiring for sales and restoration work.)

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

» C OME JU DGE

for Yourself.

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

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

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

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

MANKATO MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 45

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46 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE