SCENE APRIL 2025

Scene

YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.

THE Mother Coyote

reinvents herself on ‘When The War Comes’ Page 14

INTERVIEW

CATERING OPEN7DAYSAWEEK

FEATURES:

8 Margit Carson Johnson

Local photographer focuses on ‘Place’ for her storytelling.

12 Forest Hunter

A look inside the Southern Minnesota singer-songwriter’s mind.

13 Tim Penny Daughter’s interview shares his thoughts on the best of Southern Minnesota.

14 Mother Coyote Reinvents herself on ‘When The War Comes’.

16 The Jennings Life always starts with art for Pauline and Steve Jennings.

COLUMNS:

5 Rants & RAVES

Underwear = happiness

11 What 2 WATCH

The Oscars sometimes get it right

22 SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ

- Daughter of Daring - Health-Related Books - How to Feed the World - On Privacy

CALENDAR:

18

Rants & RAVES

Underwear = happiness

My friends who are married and have kids say the best days of your life are the day you get married and the days you birth those children. Single, childless women worldwide understand this isn’t true. The BDE (Best

Day Ever) is the day all your new underwear arrives in the mail!

I feel like I should have a warning label on this article to prevent men from reading it. Although, do I even have any men who read my column? Girls get it. The theme of our entire day starts when we open that lingerie drawer. It sets the tone of everything we accomplish (or don’t) in the next 12 hours or so.

Will we choose the panties with the lemon and lime slices on them ‘cuz we’re feelin’ kinda light and fun today?

What about the serious, traditional, solid-colored underpants because we have jury duty? Or, did we spend the weekend having too many margaritas and not doing laundry so we’re down to the back-up spankies that have never fit quite right, but hey, they’re clean. And, sexy pieces can’t be worn during the average day in the office or you’ll be distracted knowing how hot you look under your clothes. Who can put up with Dave in Accounting when you know you’re sporting a red lace thong?

necessity. Sick Underwear. The comforting unmentionables you only wear when you’re gonna be home all day watching Netflix. Personally, I like a big ol’ pair of Granny Panties. Oversized, thick cotton that basically feels like you’re wearing a comforter. I want ‘em loose and soft.

If I’m just laying around feeling sorry for myself in sweatpants and my Dad’s old socks, I want the biggest underwear I own. This is the lingerie that gets hidden in a back drawer once you’re in a new relationship. It can’t be worn in front of a partner until you’re at the “Going to Target together on a Saturday night” stage of dating. Then, all bets are off.

Sadly, at that point in the relationship is usually when you realize your partner is wearing the underwear his Mom bought him and he’s had since college. Men don’t understand. They don’t start each and every day by choosing their destiny via undergarments. It’s astonishing that they can even get anything accomplished just grabbing from a pile of clean laundry and hoping for the best.

Women are strategic and methodical. Cabin underwear, Sunday underwear, I-DeserveA-Raise underwear, I’mbreaking-up-with-thatjack-wagon underwear, I-think-I-Might-DieFrom-These-Cramps underwear, Retirement underwear, I’LL-SHOWHIM-WHAT-HE’SMISSING underwear, I-GOT-THIS!!! underwear, I-Lost-5-Pounds underwear, Gym Boss underwear, This-laceis-scratchy-but-it’sonly-gonna-be-on-fora-few-minutes-anyway underwear, etc.

I’m a tall gal and other than spending my entire life searching for jeans that are long enough, my other main quest is finding underwear that is long enough. A childhood marred by too short school uniforms and tights with the crotch down at my knees scarred me beyond belief. So, imagine me putting on spankies that spend the entire day rolling down because they’re too short for my frame. It’s an unspeakable horror that makes me cranky all day.

Glee is the only word I can think of when I received several emails announcing the arrival of my new bloomers (as Grandma used to say). Patterns like tropical flowers, hot dogs and hamburgers with fries, cherries, pink alligators with hearts, red lace, black Halloween-themed, workout grey cotton, and moon pies with Twinkies. It’s a whole new world! Think of the things I’ll be able to conquer sporting these festive babies!

So, I ripped open packages from two different manufactures and prepared to parade around my house in all my undergarment-related glory. Out with the old and in with the new. Many thanks to my current underwear for their years? of service. We have a solid history together, but I’ve moved on. There’s really no telling what I’m going to be able to accomplish

There is, of course, a whole ‘nother category that’s a

with this cornucopia of fresh colors and patterns. And, if you see me out in public, remember, I don’t always have great boundaries. I’m probably gonna tell you what lingerie look I’m sporting that day. Maybe just shout TMI (too much information) when you see me coming and we can avoid the entire topic! 

It’s officially back, SoMinn!

Well the time to nominate is (almost) here, and you can bet that we will be reminding you until the last possible moment to get online and submit your nomination for the business that everyone needs to know about.

Here’s how it will work this year: There will be 100 categories to choose from in the 2025 SoMINN BEST OF, so if you are struggling to find nominees, you obviously haven’t experienced what our region has to offer. In addition to the regional SoMINN BEST OF awards there will also be four local BEST OF contests for Faribault, Northfield, Owatonna and St. Peter. Be sure to nominate your favorites for those local contests as well because there are 25 different categories for those contests that are not in the regional SoMINN BEST OF contest.

So show your local and regional businesses some support and recognize them for providing you with an awesome service, place to go, etc.

We receive thousands of nominations each year, but when voting opens, SoMinn reveals their loyalty and determination with over 100,000 votes submitted yearly. To make clear, your beloveds can’t be on the voting ballot without your nomination. Tell us where to get the best pizza. Where can we see the best live entertainment? SoMinn wants to know.

Best Of nominating will open on April 16, voting will commence May 21 and your final vote can be submitted on June 9. Everyone is allowed to vote on each of the categories once per day, per email address.

We leave this in the hands of you, SoMinn. Get in the nooks and crannies and give our businesses some love.

EATING & DRINKING

All Around Restaurant

Appetizers

Asian or Middle-Eastern

Cuisine

Baked Goods

Beer Selection

Bloody Mary

Breakfast/Brunch

Brewery/Cidery

Buffet

Burger

Catering

Cocktail

Coffee

Dessert

Distillery

Food Truck

Happy Hour

Italian Cuisine

Lunch

Margarita

Mexican Cuisine

Patio Dining

Pizza

Sports Bar

Winery

Wine Selection

Wings

GOODS & SERVICES

Barber Shop

Bed and Breakfast

Car Dealer

Cleaning Service

Collision Repair

Credit Union

Farm Services

Funeral Home

Hearing Care Service

Law Firm

Lawyer/Attorney

(provide business name also)

Non-Profit

Optometry Center or Optometrist/ Ophthalmologist

(provide business also)

Pet Boarding

Pet Grooming

Tattoo Parlor

Travel Agency

Veterinary Services or Veterinarian

(provide business also)

Water Service/ Conditioning

Window/Siding/Roofing

RETAIL

Antique store

Bait and Tackle Store

Boat Dealer

Book store

Boutique Shop

Bridal Shop

CBD Store

Clothing/Accessories

Farm Equipment

Florist

Framing store

Furniture store

Gifts

Hardware Store

Home Decor

Jewelry Store

Liquor Store

Locally Owned

Specialty Shop

Mattress Store

Meat Market

Nursery/Garden Center

Pet Supplies

Powersports/ATV/

Motorcycle Dealer

RV/Camper/Ice House

Dealer

Shoe Store

ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT & COMMUNITY

Art Center/Gallery Artist

Best Kept Secret

Bowling Alley

Car Roll-in or Show

Downtown

Event Venue/Event Center

Fair/Festival

Family fun

Farmers Market

Girls Night Out Spot

Golf Course

Local Attraction

Local Community Event

Movie Theater

Museum/History Center

Music Festival

Musician/Band

Orchard/Berry Farm

Photographer

Place for a Date Night

Place for Live Music

Place to Swim or

Waterpark/Pool

Place to take the Kids

Place to Work

Resort/Campground

Theater

Theater Troupe

‘Place’ focuses the storytelling photography of Southern Minn photographer Margit Carson

Johnson

By AUDREY KLETSCHER HELBLING Minnesota Prairie Roots

Margit Carson Johnson and I share a love of place, reflected in our creative work. And that is perhaps what drew me to the Northfield resident’s blog, elevation922.com. It is the landing spot for her photography, which focuses primarily on place. We initially met at a place we both cherish — Valley Grove churches. Johnson is active in the preservation society for the two historic churches and surrounding cemetery that grace a hilltop in rural Nerstrand. A photo she took of the churches at dusk won a jury award in the “Open Spaces” category of the 2024 Partners for Sacred Places National Photo Contest. Additional photos by Johnson are featured on the Mill Towns Trail bike kiosk in Dundas and in a Carleton College publication, “A Field Guide to Jory-En (the Garden of Quiet Listening).” But mostly, Johnson shares her images on her place-themed blog. She is a decidedly outdoorsy, nature-loving woman who clearly loves Minnesota. Johnson is also well-traveled, including nationally and internationally. Her photo-rich blog posts take readers from Paris to the Netherlands to Japan, from Chicago to Duluth and the North Shore, into Wisconsin and Iowa and out West and, oh, so many other places, always circling back home to Northfield. Johnson’s interests are varied, as reflected in 43 topics categories on her blog. Art. Chickens. Family. Landmarks. Libraries. The Minnesota State Fair. Even poetry. And 36 more categories. She’s a gardener, a reading tutor, a knitter, a volunteer… In all of those and in her photography and blogging, Johnson finds her place. Giving. Sharing. Teaching. Learning. Creating.

Margit Carson Johnson is a photographer and writer in Northfield.

Encampment Island in Lake Superior by Margit Carson Johnson.

As a photographer, I’m always curious to hear the backstory of other photographers. I’d like to hear how you initially got into the craft, whether someone encouraged you, whether you’re self-taught, how your photography evolved…

My father introduced me to photography and gave me a very workable Zeiss Ikon camera when I went to Sweden on a gap year after

high school. I am self-taught with the help of renowned photographers whose work I have studied over the years.

Why do you create with a camera?

I enjoy using a camera as a “third eye.”

Photography helps me to look more closely, and it captures details, lighting and color that I cannot replicate in drawings or paintings, much

as I have tried.

I’m familiar with your photography via your blog, elevation922, which refers to the elevation of Northfield. Above the photo header, you’ve written “A place that’s who you are”—musings on place, starting in Minnesota. Tell me about the importance of “place,” how it shaped you and your photography. Are you a lifelong Minnesotan?

I am convinced that places shape people. I am a Minnesotan from the beginning. I pace myself by the four seasons. I feel privileged to live in a place that embodies three distinct biomes—prairies, deciduous forests, and boreal forests—and three significant watersheds—the Red River to the north, Lake Superior to the east, and the Mississippi River to the south. I am solidly mid-continent with a family cabin overlooking an inland ocean, Lake Superior I have also had the privilege to live and travel abroad. How other places shape other people is endlessly fascinating to me. When I return home to southern Minnesota, I recognize in my bones that this is my place.

Your focus on “place” is familiar to me as I also focus on “place” in my writing and photography. What are some of the places you’ve photographed? Do you specifically choose a location to photograph or are you instead

photographing wherever you happen to be? Any favorite places?

Like you, I have a wandering eye. My photographs record a wide range of places. Many of them, of course, are close to home. I notice details that I might otherwise overlook on daily walks or moments that are fleeting. I often build a story line in my mind as I take photos and use the photos to help illustrate the story. Nature, a love of the outdoors, a deep love of Minnesota (especially the North Shore), an appreciation of your Nordic roots, your love of Northfield and more thread through the creative work you share on your blog. What do you hope people will take away from your photo essays? Give me a specific example (or two) from a blog post.

My blog began in 2016 when I wanted to share my photographs more widely without the fuss of printing and framing, much less trying to sell them. I post intermittently as places, people and events pique my interest. In addition to my love of the outdoors, I am also interested in history, gardening, art, crafts, poetry, community and, of course, a sense of place. I share those interests with anyone who logs onto my blog.

Readers sometimes respond that they

CONTINUED page 10

LOWER RIGHT: Prairie Creek waterfall in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park by Margit Carson Johnson.

Carleton’s Lower Arb by Margit Carson Johnson.

UPPER RIGHT: Spring in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park by Margit Carson Johnson.

The Cannon River by Margit Carson Johnson.

Let’s talk nature for a minute. You spend a lot of time outdoors — no matter the season. What outdoor activities do you enjoy? What are you drawn to photograph in nature?

Nature offers limitless opportunities for photography from the perspective of an ant to that of an eagle. I carry my digital camera and increasingly my iPhone with me when I cross country ski, hike, bicycle or canoe. Again, my camera serves as my “third eye” and also saves my outdoor adventures in a visual memory bank.

Photographers develop their own style. How do you define your style?

Like my interests, my photographic style is eclectic. I see something, large or small. I sense the composition and the light. I take the photo. I may do some editing on my Apple computer, nothing fancy or time-consuming, as a professional photographer might do.

The Leica lens on my small Panasonic Lumix camera has an impressive zoom range and offers crisp images. My iPhone camera is less precise but more nimble on the fly. I use both in my blog.

CONTINUED from page 9

appreciate learning about new places or old stories. For example, in the midst of the pandemic I saw an article in the Minnesota Historical Society magazine about an historic St. Paul house. It was the photo of the cold frame that caught my eye. That led to exploring Indigenous sites near St. Paul and ended at the city’s oldest commercial building: elevation922. com/2021/05/01/steppin-out.

I was disheartened with last winter’s lack of snow when we visited the family cabin. In an effort to see with “fresh eyes,” I challenged myself to use only black-and-white photography, which presents its own criteria for success. I had mixed results: elevation922. com/2024/02/12/shades-of-grey.

I’ve had people tell me, “You must have a really good camera.” I don’t. Instead, I share that it’s about understanding the basics of creating a good photo and then getting out there and shooting. Thoughts on that? What elements do you consider in creating a photo? There is a well-known saying, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” Increasingly, with smart phones many people are equipped with their best camera. More importantly, my photographs rely on my awareness, my eye, and my readiness to capture a moment. Composition, angle, light, backgrounds, colors, textures—they all come into play with practice. Happily, with a digital camera I can check a photo right away and take another one, perhaps a better one, right away. Beside your blog, are there other places or ways you share your photos? And do you pursue any additional creative outlets? I know, for example, that you designed the mural inside the Northfield Post Office.

I also use my photographs to illustrate letters to family and friends. Yes, I still send paper letters. I use my photos to enrich the Valley Grove Preservation Society newsletter. Once a year I make what my grandson calls his “life book,” a collection of that year’s photos of him throughout the year. There are now fourteen books and counting.

I make hardbound photo books of travel, family gatherings, the State Fair, and as gifts. In the end, a photo in a book, dated and identified, is more accessible and more memorable than a thousand digital photos on a device. 

Audrey Kletscher Helbling creates with her Canon

and words from her home base in Faribault.

focuses on the ordinary, on everyday life. You can find more of her work on her blog: mnprairieroots.com.

camera

She

ABOVE: “In My Neighborhood” shows a child drawing with chalk. Photo by Margit Carson Johnson.

LEFT: A weaver at the Gobelin Tapestry Studio in Paris, France by Margit Carson Johnson.

What 2 WATCH

The Oscars sometimes get it right

We can all rest easy, a good movie won Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards.

Anora –independent

filmmaker Sean Baker’s tale of an exotic dancer who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch –was the darling of the telecast on March 2, winning five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Mikey Madison, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing). Because Baker wrote, directed, produced, and edited Anora, he became the first person to win four Oscars for the same film.

It was not always a given that a good movie would win the Academy’s top prize. Jacques Audiard’s crime musical, Emilia Perez, was nominated for thirteen Oscars and looked like a frontrunner earlier this year. Although, when it was discovered that star Karla Sofia Gascon had a long history of posting racist social media content, the film’s stock plummeted.

The Academy dodged a bullet. Emilia Perez is a trashy travesty, easily one of the worst films ever nominated for prestigious awards. A Best Picture win would have further tarnished the Oscars’ already tenuous fight to remain relevant.

In the past twenty years, unremarkable films (like say, Green Book or CODA) have certainly taken home the Best Picture trophy. In fact, the Academy is a little notorious for rewarding the wrong film.

Take the 78th Oscars. Instead of honoring Ang Lee’s aching masterpiece, Brokeback Mountain, the Academy handed the win to the much-maligned Crash. Or, what about the 83rd Oscars? David Fincher gave us The Social Network, a five-star classic that is more culturally relevant than ever. Hollywood, however, decided that The King’s Speech was the true triumph that year, despite being a stodgy and aggressively-mid affair that has since left no cultural footprint.

But what about when the Academy gets it right? Over the past 20 years, there have been a few instances where the best nominee actually won.

The 79th Oscars: The Departed – Martin Scorsese’s first and only Best Picture

win is widely considered one of those “it’s time” awards. Raging Bull should’ve won in 1981, and Goodfellas should’ve won in 1991, but the Academy waited until 2007 ceremony to finally decide it was time to honor one of the greatest filmmakers ever. Though The Departed may be the shaggy dog of the Scorsese catalogue, it’s my personal favorite. Leonardo DiCaprio plays an undercover cop who infiltrates the crew of an Irish mob boss (Jack Nicholson), and Matt Damon plays the Mob’s mole within the Massachusetts State Police. When each organization realizes there’s a rat within in their respective ranks, the race to uncover the truth begins. It may all sound a little confusing (and the film can get a little narratively muddled at times), but the frenetic energy is part of its freewheeling charm. The Departed is Scorsese at his most fun.

-Available to rent on all major platforms

The 80th Oscars: No Country For Old Men – A whole book could be written about 2007, a banger year that produced new Hollywood classics (There Will Be Blood, Zodiac), quotable comedies (Superbad, Knocked Up), and

sophisticated crime thrillers (Michael Clayton, Gone Baby Gone). It’s also the year Joel and Ethan Coen revisited the good-verses-evil themes of Fargo in a slightly-darker modality with No Country For Old Men. Based on Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel (one of my favorite books of all time), this cat-and-mouse thriller follows a blue-collar Vietnam War veteran (Josh Brolin) who finds a briefcase containing $2 million at the site of drug deal gone wrong, the psychopathic killer (Javier Bardem) hired to recover the money, and the aging sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) assigned to the case. The Coen Brothers ably explore morality and the pursuit of justice in a cynical and lawless world with this flawless modern Western. A worthy Best Picture winner with Bardem giving one of the most chilling villain performances in movie history.

-Streaming on Paramount+ and MGM+

The 88th Oscars: Spotlight

– Every decade needs at least one great journalism movie. The 1970s had All The President’s Men, the 1980s had Broadcast News, the 1990s had The Insider, the 2000s had Zodiac, and the 2010s had Spotlight. Tom McCarthy’s true-life newsroom drama follows a team of investigative journalists at The Boston Globe who uncover years of systemic child sex abuse by priests within the Catholic Church. Old-fashioned in the best way, Spotlight is a tautly-scripted procedural that shows us how great journalism serves the public good.

-Streaming on Starz

The 92nd Oscars: Parasite –

Another whole book could be written about 2019, another banger year that produced knockouts like Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Scorsese’s The Irishman, and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. But Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite – the intertwining story of two South Korean families, one

inequality, colonialism, and the harsh realities of capitalism in his films. Parasite is his most precise and thrilling work. It also made Oscar history, as the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.

-Streaming on Netflix and Hulu

The 96th Oscars: Oppenheimer

– A biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, could have been so conventional and dull. But visionary director Christopher Nolan crafted an artfully-made epic that doesn’t ponderously linger on every biographical detail of the protagonist’s life, but instead plops us right into the middle of the action and holds the audience in its grip for three hours. Oppenheimer is the rare work of staggering artistic genius that was also a smash hit, grossing nearly $1 billion at the box office. The Oscars were built to honor cinematic achievements like this.

-Streaming on Amazon Prime

Kyle Hoffman is a writer, communications

professional,

movie lover from Mankato. Follow him on Letterboxd: kylejhoffman.

A look inside the singersongwriter mind of Southern Minn’s Forrest Hunter

By ASHLEY HANLEY Guest Contributor

Let’s get to know Forrest Hunter. As the musician from rural Le Sueur began producing his debut album in 2023, Hunter ran into just about every obstacle imaginable. He had water heaters going out, sewer lines collapsing, cars damaged by hail and totaled, and in one case, a vehicle destroyed by a raccoon.

But no amount of challenges were about to stop Hunter from recording his soon-tobe released first record. Self-titled “Forrest Hunter,” the nine-song album, released in November 2024, serves as a compilation of the Le Sueur County singer-songwriter’s reflections on life, love and relationships set to the twang of his acoustic guitar.

Tell us about your start and how you got into music?

I performed with a band in my 20s, gave it up for a little while and began again about six years ago.

Where do you perform?

I perform basically anywhere that will let me. Mostly southern MN and the metro area.

What is the best part of performing?

When people who have never heard my music before start singing along mid song

What genres do you play?

I don’t believe in genres; they only exist to make money for executives.

What is the most challenging part of performing?

Finding audiences that want to hear original music

What makes it easy to write a song? What makes it hard?

I put these two together because I don’t think writing a song is hard, nor easy. It’s just something I do. I never sit down with an intent or a plan when it comes to writing. I’m just open to the song choosing my vessel to enter this realm. Whatever comes out comes out

What are the key ingredients to a good song?

To that I ask - who decides if it’s good or not? It’s always subjective depending upon the listener. I think the only universal ingredients are honesty and truth. Anything else is mostly fluff.

How important is it to make the song personal?

It’s everything.

Do you like writing?

I like writing songs, period.

What’s the best part of writing?

I’d say the feeling of relief and release from letting out something that was bottled up inside … that cannot be measured. To be

able to say it and feel it in a way that is both cathartic and healing at the same time. When you can get your mind, heart and soul in unison for that brief moment in time.

Do you have a target audience in mind when you write?

No, I do not. I write them for me. I don’t worry about if someone else will like them or

even listen to them. It’s a wonderful surprise when it resonates with another, but it’s not part of the process. You have to be you … don’t look for acceptance or a “community” of like minded individuals. Too many people are being applauded for being fake and being hated for being real. Be ok being you. Be OK with who others are. 

Intro by Carson Hughes. Q&A by Ashley Hanley.

In interview with daughter, Tim Penny shares his thoughts on the best of Southern Minnesota

By MOLLY PENNY Guest Contributor

Former 1st District Congressman and CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Tim Penny, is set to retire this month after an impressive lifelong career in public service. The guy also happens to be my dad.

His retirement party is coming up April 17 at Mineral Springs Brewery from 4-8 p.m. Because Tim has devoted his life to serving Southern Minnesota, I thought it would be fun to do my dad’s version of Best of Southern Minn, so I asked him some questions about his favorite haunts the region.

Safe to say he has a bias for his hometown of Owatonna.

Best bar/venue: Mineral Spring Brewery (Owatonna). I only drink local brew and find MSB to be among the best brews in the region. I loved the original setting as it was comfortable and relaxing. But I have been impressed with the new facility and am planning to hold my retirement party there.

Best local band: Bad Tangerines. They harmonize so well. I enjoy listening to them.

Best local festival: Hops for Habitat. Good brews and a good cause.

Best place to take grandkids: Grandview Lodge (Nisswa). The annual trip to Grandview in May has become a wonderful family tradition. The grandkids love it -and lifelong memories are being created. As far as Southern Minnesota, Lark Toy in Kellogg, the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, The Children’s Museum in Mankato, the RAD Zoo in Medford, and always the Penny Family Farm!

Best park in Southern Minnesota: Whitewater State Park (Winona County). Went there on a church youth campout as a teenager. It is a gorgeous park with lots of scenic trails.

Best county fair: Steele County Fair (Owatonna). Better than the state fair. Great entertainment, especially at the Beer Garden. Tim’s band, Led Penny, plays the Beer Garden Saturday afternoon of the SCFF.

Best clothing store: Graif (Mankato and Owatonna). Sandy buys me all of my dressy and casual outfits there. Sandy is Tim’s wife.

Best book store: The Little Professor (Owatonna). I buy all my books there, and I read about 40 books a year. He will order in anything that is not already on the shelf.

Best ice cream: Blast Soft Serve (Owatonna) – hot fudge malt is my favorite.

Best pizza: Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm (Waseca), a loan client of SMIF. I have taken my board and staff there for

outings. Best brick oven pizza ever!

Best patio dining: El Tequila (Owatonna, Waseca, Northfield, Faribault). We go there frequently. The menu is amazing. The tequila is superb. I like The Presidente best.

Best breakfast spot: The Kitchen (Owatonna). I have met with my breakfast buddies at The Kitchen every Saturday morning for 18 years. Always a good discussion. Politics is a regular topic. But never in a divisive way. We listen respectfully and learn from one another.

Best winery: Vintage Escapes (Kilkenny). Nice setting both indoors and out. Dry reds and whites are featured.

Best place to worship: Life Church (Owatonna). We love Pastor Craig’s messages. He has a unique sense of humor which helps him make his points.

Join us at the new Mineral Springs Brewery location in Owatonna to celebrate my dad Tim Penny’s legacy in Southern Minnesota at his retirement party April 17 from 4-8 p.m. 

Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MNSU alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a morning show for KOWZ 100.9 in 2011 where she is now brand manager for the three-cluster radio station, as well as music director for Q102 FM out of Willmar & on-air personality on Mankato’s Hot 96.7. She enjoys volunteering, time with her kids/family and cat Salem. Catch her on Twitter at @mollyhoodUSA.

After 18 years of leading the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Tim Penny will be retiring from his position as president/CEO in April. (File photo — SouthernMinn. com)

Tim Penny says he is looking forward to seeing what the next chapter of life brings him in retirement, including traveling with his wife Sandy. (Courtesy photo)

Amy Klobuchar, left, stopped by the Southern Minnesota Initiative, headed by Tim Penny, center, to hear from AmeriCorps people working in early childhood in southern Minnesota, such as David Glantz, right, back in 2016. (File photo - SouthernMinn.com)

Mother Coyote

reinvents herself on ‘When The War Comes’

By SARAH OSTERBAUER Guest Contributor

Andriana Lehr has found herself reborn as Mother Coyote, a nurturer, a protector but also a cunning agent of what she calls “trickster energy”. Written during the pandemic, the songs of “When The War Comes” are lush, expansive anthems, exploring themes of moving through tragedy, reawakening, resilience, questioning the status quo. Lehr’s voice has sturdy legs, unafraid of its whisper, its volume or power, a real showcase of strength. Hear how she found her footing on this album and how external events and personal growth inspired her songwriting.

Tell me how you got into playing music

I definitely always had an aptitude for it as a young child. I was 2, in the 80s and I remember there was this video that my mom would bring out every once in a while of me singing something trick-or-treating and I was singing and people would be like, ‘oh my God, she’s singing on pitch and she’s so young’. I really connected with music from a young age. I would sit down at the piano and plunk out tunes. My mom made my siblings and I take

at least five years of piano. Anything beyond that was up to us. I did it begrudgingly until I hit that five year point. When I didn’t have to do it anymore, was when I was like, no I want to keep doing this. And started being self motivated to improve and get better.

You’re now going by Mother Coyote instead of your given name. Can you explain the reason for the name change? Was it to coincide with the change in your sound?

It just kind of organically really started coalescing into this new musical identity I guess. There was a while when I was playing under my government name and I have a pretty unusual first name. No one would spell it right, no one would say it right, and that was pretty exhausting, just correcting people all the time …

That frustration was part of the consideration. Just having that name in the back of my head for so many years…I didn’t know for a long time that it was going to be something I just decided to embody myself, instead of being a side project quote unquote like a band or something like that. I had always been a lone wolf. Lone coyote I guess. [laughs].

The name came back to me when I was on a yoga retreat and my oldest child was about a year old at the time. I was freshly pregnant again and I didn’t know it yet. I really was able to understand the mother archetype part of

the name a little more. One of the funny things about becoming a mother was I was really resistant to being called a mom for a long time.

It was such a big adjustment to my identity and my ego, especially getting the messaging for so long from people in the music industry that ‘once you have kids your music career is dead. You can’t be a mom and musician and be successful’ and blah blah blah.

There was this part of me that was super resistant to taking on the name and the role of mother at all, even in my personal life. So to take it on and embody it as an artistic persona was this step past the conditioning of what I had internalized was going to be possible.

And the meaning of the coyote archetype is like a trickster energy too. Taking on the mother role, in such a public way was that trickster medicine of ‘Oh you’re being resistant to being a mom. You’re just really going to embody this nurturing protective embodiment. not just in your personal life but more broadly too’.

You wrote all these songs between 2020 and 2023, curious where the inspiration came from for these songs. Was it inspired by a particular event in your personal life or just the state of the world at the time?

It was everything, all of those things. I think sonically the songs being different, I attribute a lot of that to-we had just moved into a

house in St Paul in 2018 and I bought myself an acoustic piano and hadn’t had a piano just sitting out in my living room since I was growing up.

I was completely uninterested in my guitar, and all I wanted to do was write songs on the piano…So sonically a lot of the difference was just a reawakened love for playing the piano that I had access to at the time.

In terms of the topics. So much of it, especially the title of the EP, “When The War Comes.” That song in particular was one of the songs that I had written faster than any song before. It was the weekend before the 2020 election. I think it was Halloween actually.

The Twin Cities, between everything that had happened with the murder of George Floyd and the pandemic and the presidential election. Everything was so palably intense and it just came through me. There was so much darkness and so much fear everywhere and sadness and grief.

The refrain is ‘let us now be free’. Let us move through this and respect each other as human beings and allow each other the freedom and respect to be good people. Let’s be good people to each other. That song wrote itself in five minutes. It just came in from somewhere.

The other three songs were similar. I didn’t overly labor on any of these songs, which is so interesting. They just kind of came through me from somewhere else. These songs need to be put out for the people. It’s not about you, it’s

not about your ego. These are for the people.

The Tower is similar in scope of topics and this drop of hopefulness and optimism. It’s really funny because there was so much of me that was worried the songs were going to become irrelevant from the time when I wrote them to now.

But that is just not the case. They are on time I guess … I was going through this personal disillusionment with things I thought I knew and understood in terms of how the world worked and the relationships I had with people. I started learning more about archetypes of different varieties, poetic archetypes and the tarot.

The sun being called the tower references the tower card in the tarot which a lot of people take to be a negative card to pull but really its [meaning is] if there’s ever going to be evolution, there has to be destroying of the old, so that there’s space for what is new and what is meant to be to come through. That’s the energy of that whole song.

Eden was a little more personal. That one was me reconciling the idea that I grew up with, in a small town in South Dakota, pretty conservative, the Christian upbringing of ‘there’s a Heaven and Hell and when you die hopefully you get to go to the nice place and get to rest and relax’.

The more I did yoga training and these other trainings and this idea of reincarnation and that our souls go through evolution that is beyond our own personal physical evolution and we just keep doing lives over and over again to learn

all of these lessons and there’s no escape from it…As hard as things get, I just have to be able to keep going and keep learning the lessons and keep pushing through. That song is the reconciliation of those two ideas.

Great Unknown is the healing song and the idea that everything is going to be ok in the tumultuous chaos. Personal growth and collective shifting. It’s the easter egg at the end of the EP.

Going back to the sound on this album compared to the folky style you had previously released, was that what you were going for or did it grow into that organically? Did you tell [producer] Andy Thompson this was the sound you wanted?

I feel like a lot of that happened with just letting him do his thing. With When The War Comes, I had no idea what I wanted that to sound like. I usually will get ideas for instruments or production ideas in my mind but I had nothing for that one.

Other than tubular bells. I only told him tubular bells and lots of harmonies. He nailed the vibe, [Andy] and Grady and Ian. We recorded the songs and we did multiple takes of each song in one day. The cohesiveness that they have from playing with Jeremy Messersmith and other projects helped them to be fluid and communicate well and bounce

was The Tower. The lyric videos for When the War Comes and Eden I did myself. Those just kinda happened. The imagery for The Tower, I had the idea for the house of cards, the tarot deck house of cards that fell and was lit on fire. I didn’t have a lot of the other things in mind. I worked with Kelly from Starseed Studios on that. I had seen some of her work over the last couple years. She stuck in my mind as someone that would be a good person to work with. When I sent her the song and gave her my idea and the basic overview of the inspiration for the song, she was like, I also read tarot. How about you stand on the pedestal and the crown, that was all her imagery.

When people listen to the new album, what are you hoping they come away with?

I hope there’s both an element of catharsis for all the things that we’re collectively feeling right now and that there’s hope and there’s optimism, even with everything we think is falling apart.

We get the opportunity to come in and build and create better on the rubble of what has been destroyed. I think we’re living in really intense and heavy times in a lot of ways. Something that I keep coming back to, I don’t remember where I first learned this. I think it was in college when I was taking a traditional Chinese medicine course.

ideas off each other efficiently. I was so blown away by the first mix of that song. I had no idea where it was going to go. He just nailed it.

With the music videos, it feels apparent you had an idea of how you wanted those to look. Did you have those visuals in mind when you were recording the music?

The only one that I had any vision for up front

The Chinese symbol for “crisis” is the symbols for “danger” and “opportunity” combined. I just think about that so often. We’re in this crisis. This word keeps getting thrown around, somewhat rightfully so. There is this element of danger and uncertainty, but there’s also opportunity. That’s been floating around my head the last few weeks.

Mother Coyote’s EP, When The War Comes is available wherever you consume music. 

Sarah Osterbauer is a die-hard music lover. When she does her budget each month, food comes after concert tickets. Find her on twitter @SarahOwrites.

Steve Jennings is a professional drummer who plays with several bands and for well regarded theatrical productions in the Twin Cities. His wife Pauline Jennings, meanwhile, is the performing arts manager at the Northfield Arts Guild. (Jane Moore - SouthernMinn.com)

Art with the Jennings couple

By JANE TURPIN MOORE Guest Contributor

Life always starts with art for Pauline and Steve Jennings, a Northfield couple who will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in June.

Steve, a 1981 graduate of Northfield High School, and Pauline, a 1983 alumna of New Prague High School, settled in Northfield more than two decades ago. They’ve enjoyed making the quiet town along the Cannon River their home base, even though Steve’s work in particular often pulls him to points further north.

At Northfield’s HideAway restaurant on Division Street, over a late lunch of tuna sandwiches for each—toasted melt style for Pauline, cold with avocado and sprouts for Steve—the pair shared insights into their lengthy arts-related careers.

Steve, a freelance drummer, refueled in between playing for two shows of “Milo Imagines the World” at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis while Pauline took a midday break from her job as performing arts manager at the Northfield Arts Guild.

When this reporter arrived, the yin-and-yang couple were busily discussing a future concert collaboration involving a diverse chorus. They complement, check and support each other, often finishing one another’s sentences and singing the praises of the other’s creative gifts and qualities.

Please share your backgrounds.

Steve: I’m a native of Northfield. I earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance and education at Luther College, and later a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Augsburg.

Pauline: I’m a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where I studied elementary education.

How many siblings do you have?

Steve: Nineteen; it was a huge family. [Laughs.] No, I have a younger sister, Lisa, and a younger brother, Mark. Both of my siblings went to St. Olaf, but at some point during high school it was evident to me I was NOT going to Olaf.

Pauline: Steve was the ruffian of the family [laughs]. Everybody else is pretty proper.

How about you, Pauline? And was your family musical?

Pauline: I have two sisters and two brothers; I’m the fourth of five kids. My mom played organ at church and piano at home and my dad was a music lover, who at one time played trumpet and sang in a chorus. One of my biggest regrets is not continuing with piano lessons because I could have accompanied myself all throughout my life. I quit piano as soon as they let me.

Steve, you have a notable pedigree; your father is the late Kenneth Jennings (a

1950 St. Olaf graduate and the third conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, from 1968-90) and your mother is Carolyn Jennings, a celebrated composer and Professor Emerita of St. Olaf College, where she was on the music faculty, chaired the music department and served as associate dean for the fine arts.

Steve: I have a stellar couple of parents, but my dad almost didn’t make it to St. Olaf. He was born and raised in Connecticut, where his dad was a mechanic and chauffeur and his mother was a nurse. Dad sang in the Army choir [during WWII] and heard about St. Olaf from the director, who was an Olaf alum. When dad tried to get in to St. Olaf after the war, he couldn’t because they were full.

He was en route to start at Colorado College but decided to stop in Northfield. He basically talked his way onto campus and never made it to Colorado. He earned a master’s in choral conducting at Oberlin and began teaching at St. Olaf in 1953. My parents met when mom was hired in 1960 to teach and play piano, they married in 1962 and I was born in 1963. That’s a remarkable legacy! What did your educational music path look like?

Steve: I was in band, orchestra and jazz band in high school—I opted out of choir after eighth grade [though he still sings backup vocals at times with various bands while drumming]. I was always drumming. And I had a band with Pauline’s cousin Charlie, a guitarist.

What was that band’s name?

Steve: We were “The Keys,” a four-person group, and [classmate] Scot Covey did the logo. One of our gigs was for Benilde-St. Margaret’s homecoming dance. In college, I was in band, orchestra, jazz band and learned the form method of music theory. That’s become part of my musical style as a drummer.

Pauline, how did your arts involvement evolve?

Pauline: I took dance lessons starting in sixth grade and as an eighth grader I auditioned for a high school production of “The Sound of Music.” I wasn’t cast in the role I wanted, but a friend and I were cast as dancers in the ensemble, so that was the start of my theatrical career. I was Dolly in “Hello, Dolly,” as a high school senior, and that’s still my bucket list role—but doing it at the right age, not at 17. [Laughs.] And I was an alto in choir.

What was your next step?

Pauline: I got married—my first marriage— at 22 and three years later had my two babies. I worked as a substitute teacher in St. Cloud, where we lived then and where I got involved with the New Tradition Theatre Company. That was instrumental in gaining my acting and singing chops. I also met many actors and musicians who came up from the Twin Cities, including Sanford Moore. Then we moved to Northfield in 1994.

And I hear you were in a women’s band in the Northfield area some years ago.

Pauline: It was called “Damen Station;” kind of a stupid name, but saying it in German made it sound better [laughs]. I’ve had a long run of bad band names. Damen Station was me, Pam Roth and Lucy Lou. Pam and Lucy were songwriters, with Lucy on guitar and me and Pam on vocals. We played regionally and later changed our name to “Late Arrival.” Steve was eventually the drummer for that group. We had really excellent musicians behind us and at our height we played three to four gigs a month while maintaining other full-time jobs.

And you’ve hosted “Musician Talk” on KYMN radio for some time.

Pauline: That started during the pandemic. I was becoming a gig worker—directing, editing and recording eight radio plays with a class of middle schoolers, for one thing. That was a good outlet for creativity and activity for the kids, too. And then, because I had a relationship with KYMN, I suggested interviewing musicians

for a show, since I knew so many around here. Craig Wasner was my first interview. I’ve done 108 musician interviews for broadcasting to date.

You also initiated a short musical series called CASTastrophe with the Northfield Arts Guild.

Pauline: The first CASTastrophe was before the pandemic. The Guild asked me to produce and direct it with an idea taken from Broadway where miscast singers performed different tunes. We did two before the pandemic and then two more in 2022 and 2023. They were all great.

Back to Steve. Tell me about your formal teaching experience.

Steve: I was head of the ensemble department at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul from 2008 until the college closed in 2017. It was a fantastic gig; if the school was still open, I’d still be there. At the beginning of each semester, there were dozens of auditions and I was in charge of placing students in over 40 ensembles. We had a high of 52 ensembles, at one point. I had some great experiences and met a lot of people and colleagues I continue working with.

And you were with the band “Best Kept Secret” when you met Sanford Moore?

Steve: We were playing at Cafe Luxx in Minneapolis. Sanford [of Moore by Four] had been performing in “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Hey City Theater and came in for a drink while we were playing. He said something to me after the gig.

Pauline: He told Steve that he “played with a lot of groove.”

Steve: Anyway, we got to talking and I said, “I think you know my girlfriend Pauline.”

So that led to you playing with Moore by Four.

Steve: Yes, my first gig with them was in 2000, and then I played Easter services in 2000 for Sanford at Kingdom Life Church in north Minneapolis. I did that every weekend until 2009, when I cut back to two times a month due to working at McNally-Smith. I still play one Sunday a month at Kingdom Life.

You’ve worked a lot with Sanford Moore since that first meeting.

Steve: “Milo Imagines the World” was another Sanford-directed show, one of several

the region and also at notable venues like Crooner’s Supper Club in northeast Minneapolis.

Steve: We made a great show! It’s nostalgic on so many levels, for so many people.

Pauline: Audiences love this music and we do it really well. A kid at a recent performance had just seen “The Graduate” and came to our show with his parents. It’s timeless music, and we love singing it. Everyone working on it has been great.

And Pauline, you have a day job.

Pauline: I’ve been performing arts manager at the Northfield Arts Guild since June of 2023. I coordinate music and theater performances, primarily, functioning as a producer to bring arts and entertainment to other people. I previously worked for over 20 years in logistics and purchasing for a manufacturing company so this Guild role is a perfect match of my background in music/theater along with the organizational skills acquired from my other career.

What’s approaching at the Guild?

Children’s Theatre productions I’ve played for. I played for Penumbra Theatre’s “Black Nativity” multiple times and also for several Theater Latte Da shows.

When you were first out of college, you were a touring rock musician, I hear.

Steve: Six nights a week, 50 weeks a year for almost six years, all around the country. Then I came back to Minnesota. I always have a gig going. And from 1991-2004, with the Northfield-based “Over and Back Band” (me, Craig Wasner, Gordon Oschwald and Mike Hildebrandt), we did three shows in three days on the road, often playing for nonprofit benefit appearances with Will Healy as host. We’re still playing; we have a gig in May at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault. For almost seven years I’ve been with “Jambalaya,” and I play with “Left Wing Bourbon,” a funk/soul/blues band in western Wisconsin, and I sub in for a bunch of bands. I’m a musician for hire.

And?

Pauline: During the first two weekends in April, we have “The Glass Menagerie” directed by Marc Robinson, who’s one of the most innovative directors I’ve ever worked with. The Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra performs March 29 at Bethel Lutheran Church in Northfield and March 30 at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church in Cannon Falls. On April 13 at 7 p.m., we have pianist Dan Chouinard and singer Charmin Michelle at the Guild Theater. Twin Cities artists Jennifer Grimm and Joe Cruz will perform at a Guild fundraiser at Reunion on May 1, and from May 16-25 the theater hosts “Shakespeare in Love” directed by Rachel Haider.

The diversity of what I do in this job is terrific.

What’s your philosophy about an artscentered life?

Steve: I also work at Wasner Audio doing recording and studio sound engineering. That’s newer for me, but I love it.

You two, along with Craig Wasner, Mike Legvold, Barbara Piper and recently added guitarist Mike Graebner, have mounted a successful tribute show with a twist: Simon & Garfunkel tunes, but sung by Pauline and Barbara Piper rather than two guys. You’ve gigged around

Steve: Opportunities come across your plate and you either choose to do them or not. If I’d wanted to make a lot of money in my life, no way would I have gone the music route. But I’ve made enough to live; I’m doing exactly what I want to do, and I love it. I feel really fortunate to play with people I love being around. I’ve always said I need two out of three things: great music, great people, great pay. If two of the three are good, you’re golden. But great music always has to be one of the constants.

Pauline: Who wouldn’t want a job where people leave smiling and feeling better than they did when they walked in? To be a part of that is a little humbling, actually, and like Steve, I feel lucky I get to do what I love doing. 

Freelance writer/collaborative pianist Jane Turpin Moore grew up in the Mankato area and is now based in Northfield. She blogs at timeformoore566445504.wordpress.com and fields emails at jturpinmoore@gmail.com.

SOUTHERN MINN

THURSDAY, MAR 27

Jeremy Poland Band - Le Sueur County-- 6-9 p.m., Westwood Marina Bar & Grill, 1400 Lake Washington Access Rd., Kasota. Their wide-ranging approach to these deceptively simple performances hits upon timeless elements in both rock and pop music to extraordinary effect.

Songwriters in the Round - Northfield-- 7-9 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. Enjoy a variety of local artists showcasing their original work and sharing their stories in Nashville style rounds. A tavern dinner takes place from 5-8 p.m. followed by music at 7-9 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAR 28

MN Jack Sparrow - Northfield-- 1 p.m., Northfield Public Library, 210 Washington St., Northfield. A spot-on impersonation of the famous “Pirates of the Caribbean” character while teaching pirate and nautical history through a pirate’s eyes. We’ll even get to touch real artifacts from sunken ships.

Member Invitational Art Gallery - Northfield-- 5-8 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division St. S., Northfield. Featuring Nanci Yermakoff,

is

and

Night - Kasota-- 7-11 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. A husband, father, son, and ginger living life fast and hard, Nathan Hults has been entertaining audiences since the age of 7. As a stand-up comedian, actor, and producer, Nathan has graced stages across the country, from comedy clubs and colleges to drafthouses and auditoriums. With quick wit and a knack for observational comedy, opener Eric the Green delivers hilarious personal stories and irreverent analogies that leave audiences in stitches

VOCES8 Live - St. Peter-- 7-9 p.m., Christ Chapel, Gustavus, St. Peter. The Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertoire both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. St. Peter High School and other local choirs will also be highlighted on the night.

Late Night Luke Mixtape Release - St. Peter-8-11 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. Late Night Luke is releasing his very first mixtape. There will be physical copies for sale. Music on the night includes Late Night Luke at 8 p.m., !ntell!gent Des!gn at 9 p.m., and Soul Folk Union at 10 p.m.

Comedy Show - Waseca-- 8 p.m., Starfire Event Center, 206 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. A night full of laughs with the Pub & Grub Comedy Tour. Call 507-461-1387 for ticket info and purchase.

SATURDAY, MAR 29

Community Market Fair - Northfield-- 9 a.m.3 p.m., Dundas Dome, 2033-2198 Cannon Road, Northfield. More than just a home and garden show, join us for this year’s Community Market Fair featuring local exhibitors for all your home, garden, lifestyle, health and leisure needs. There will be something for everyone.

Waking Up Your Garden - Faribault-- 10:30 a.m., Buckham Memorial Library, 11 Division St. E, Faribault. Master Gardener Lisa Reuvers will help participants start off their gardens with a program demonstrating best practices, tips and instructions for getting gardens ready for the season. The program is free to Adults and those age 16 and older. Registration is required. Call the library at 507-3342089 to sign up.

Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra - Northfield-- 3 p.m., Bethel Lutheran Church, 1321 North Ave, Northfield. Featuring mezzo soprano Deesa Staats and organist Richard Collman. Performing the music of Holst, Handel, Coates, Elgar and Purcell. Tickets at the door.

Juliane Shibita, Kathleen Kvern, and Gregory Wilkins. Opening reception

March 28

the gallery runs through May 10. Lynn Mueller’s watercolors will show in the Up Gallery April 1-30.

Jeff Reinartz - Owatonna-- 5 p.m., Grapeful Wine Bar, 306 N. Cedar Ave., Suite 2, Owatonna. One voice. No frills. Singer/songwriter and former

corporate desk jockey living his dream job of performing as a solo musician while filling time as an elementary level substitute teacher.

Tiki Night with Ray Coudret - Northfield-- 5-8 p.m., Armory Square Event Center, 519 Division St., Northfield. A special tiki bar in the Armory Square basement, featuring music from Ray Coudret.

JamBoyz - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Performing upbeat music acoustically

100 Years of Pickin - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. Guitar pickin’ and playin’.

Comedy

Mark Denn - Kilkenny-- 5-7 p.m., Vintage Escapes Winery & Vineyard, 8950 Dodd Rd., Kilkenny. Providing acoustic guitar tunes and vocals.

Jack Backbone and TJ Brown - Janesville-5:30-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Enjoy live music this evening by Jack Backbone and TJ Brown playing acoustic Americana blues, rock, and country.

Smokescreen - Waseca-- 7 p.m., Boxcar Bar, 202 W. Elm Ave, Waseca. Playing a variety of rock and country music.

SUNDAY, MAR 30

NintenTones Video Game Jazz OrchestraOwatonna-- 2 p.m., Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Ln, Owatonna. Listen to a six-piece jazz ensemble playing arrangements of music from different video games. This program is designed to appeal to a wide age group. All are welcome.

THURSDAY, APR 03

Dennis E. Staples Author Talk - Northfield-- 7 p.m., Content Bookstore, 314 Division St. S, Northfield. Staples will talk about his new book, “Passing Through a Prairie Country,” a darkly humorous thriller about the ghosts that haunt the temples of excess we call casinos, and the people caught in their high-stakes, low-odds web. Staples is an Ojibwe writer from Bemidji and the author of “This Town Sleeps.”

FRIDAY, APR 04

Tangled Up in Brews Bob Dylan Tribute - St. Peter-- 4-8 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Ahead of Bob Dylan’s performance in Mankato, an evening dedicated to the Minnesota folk music icon. Dylan covers and classics performed by the Paddlefish’s very own talented brewer. The night will also include trivia, a vinyl swap and art display, and an exclusive beer release.

Paradise

Gallery

Opening - Faribault-5-7 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. The Peters Group Show in the Carlander Gallery; Gail Gaits in the Vranesh Gallery; Sushila Anderson in the K&M Gallery.

On The Cover -

-- 6-8:30 p.m., Indian

18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Playing acoustic covers of your favorite hits from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

SATURDAY, APR 05

Spring Market - Owatonna-- 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Owatonna Eagles 1791, 141 E. Rose St., Owatonna. Whether you’re looking for unique gifts, handmade treasures, sweets or just a fun day out, this is for you.

ACSP Gallery Reception - St. Peter-- 3-5 p.m., Arts Center of Saint Peter, 315 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Come peruse the mind-altering work of Mankato-based artist Areca Roe. She uses photography as well as video, sculpture, and installation to explore the interface between the natural and human domains. Runs through May 17.

Hops for Habitat - Owatonna-- 3-7 p.m., Four Seasons Centre, 1525 S. Elm Ave., Owatonna. Enjoy a selection of local craft beers, wines, and ciders, along with delicious food, live music and a silent auction filled with exciting items. Whether you’re a beer enthusiast or just looking for a fun night out, this event has something for everyone. A fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.

Tim Cheesebrow - Kilkenny-- 5-7 p.m., Vintage Escapes Winery & Vineyard, 8950 Dodd Rd., Kilkenny. A signature blend of roots rock, folk, and Americana — pairing memorable melodies with meaningful lyrics that will have you tapping your toes and sipping a little slower.

Mystery Dinner - Le Sueur County-5-8:30 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. The European Belle, where the sound of train whistles, clinking china, and screams can be heard on the tracks. Join aboard a European Night Train, where people are not who they seem, and it’s up to you to discover the murderer hiding in the carriage.

Do you want to submit an event to this calendar? Send details to

Retail & Business Expo - Le Sueur-- 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Le SueurHenderson High School, 901 E. Ferry St., Le Sueur. Explore local businesses and vendors all in one spot.

Time For Fame -

Mike Feeney - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. Some tunes with your food and drink.

Janesville

Island Winery,

Murder

No

Northfield-- 6-9 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street South Unit 2. Dishing out guitar-driven tunes with smart lyrics laced with playful riffs.

Pinnacle Pro Wrestling - Waseca-- 6-9 p.m., The Mill Event Center, 310 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. Crowning the first ever Pinnacle Pro Wrestling heavyweight champion in a 15-man over the top rope battle royale. Also, Royal Flavuh takes on Caribbean Arrogance for the Pinnacle Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship.

Dancing With Our Steele County StarsOwatonna-- 6 p.m., The 13th annual event from Healthy Seniors of Steele County. Nine couples compete under the instruction of April Dahl of Dahl Dance. Tickets online.

FiftyNorth Band - Northfield-- 6:30 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. The talented musician of FiftyNorth put on a show.

Shenanigans - Northfield-- 7-10 p.m., Flaherty’s Northfield Lanes, 1700 Highway 3 S. A fatherdaughter acoustic music duo.

Tick Tick.. Boom - Faribault-- 7:30 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, and is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in musical theatre. Shows April 4-5 and 11-12 at 7:30 p.m., plus April 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets online.

The Glass Menagerie - Northfield-- 7:30 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third Street West. A reimagining of a classic story by one of the area’s most innovative directors. The Glass Menagerie is a memory play that has strong autobiographical elements featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mother, and his emotionally fragile sister. Shows April 4-5 and 10-11 at 7:30 p.m., plus April 5 and 12 and 2 p.m.

SUNDAY, APR 06

OAC Gallery Opening - Owatonna-- 1-5 p.m., Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Ln, Owatonna. Bill Schmidt’s continued exploration of Licht Malerei, or light paintings, using contemporary photographic techniques (excluding AI). All work is created by hand. Exhibit runs through April 27.

Spring

Ephemerals

Walk - Henderson-- 1-3 p.m., Ney Nature Center, 28238 Nature Center Ln, Henderson. Come and enjoy a walk as the group looks for ephemerals and learns how to identify them. Leaders will also share a little about the natural history and folklore associated with some of these early flowers. All ages welcome. Tickets online.

Tom Freund - St. Peter-- 4-7 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. A national touring artist from CA. It’s the ease with which he delivers conversational lyrics and honeyed melodies, a natural magic that is the soul of Tom Freund’s music. Though he’s widely-traveled in a variety of genres — from heartfelt folk to buoyant pop to boho jazz to straightforward rock ‘n’ roll, and beyond — Freund is, simply put, a singer-songwriter with a defined and captivating presence.

St., St. Peter. “Academy Order masterfully blends goth, death rock, post rock, new wave and hints of hardcore to create a special sound that is simultaneously a revival and a revolution. Though these songs sound like the work of a band at the peak of their career, one can tell the band is just getting started.”

-

Evan

Martin-Casler,

Cvlt Nation

THURSDAY, APR 10

‘Hats’ Exhibition - Waseca-- 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Waseca History Center, 315 2nd Ave NE, Waseca. Explore a stunning collection of hats from our archives and several personal collections, uncover fascinating stories, and even step inside the magical HATBOX to experience the legend of the Blue Hat. From elegant bonnets to daring derby hats, from feathered fascinators to workaday caps — every hat has a story. The exhibit is on display

Jason Helder - St. Peter-- 4-7 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. Acoustic guitar, keys and vocals.

Lochtune with Adam Shirah - Northfield-- 6-9 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. We’re a celtic and maritime folk band who plays songs from 200 to 20 years old, based in Lakeville. So they call themselves Lochtune, like “lake town.” Get it?

Anna Farro Henderson

Author Talk - Northfield-- 7 p.m., Content Bookstore, 314 Division St. S, Northfield. Climate scientist and policy expert Anna Farro Henderson embarks on a remarkable narrative journey in “Core Samples: A Climate Scientist’s Experiments in Politics and Motherhood,” exploring how science is done, discussed, legislated, and imagined.

FRIDAY, APR 11

Ben Scruggs - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. An original folk/ blues/americana musician from Mankato. He accom-

panies himself with acoustic guitar and blues harmonica, weaving tales of folk-spun humor and hard luck times throughout his sets of all-original music.

Mary Guentzel Quintet - Janesville-- 6-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Don’t miss this band with Irish music and some all-time favorites.

Mike Fugazzi with Possum Willy - St. Peter-6-9 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Acoustic hits from this fun duo.

Mississippi Hot Club - St. Peter-- 7-10 p.m., Tremendous Brewing Co., 228 W. Mulberry St., St. Peter. MHC showcases the distinct style of music pioneered by maestro guitarist Django Reinhardt during the 1930s-1950s in Paris, France. This hot club is an all string jazz ensemble with la pompe rhythm guitar, upright bass, and the lively improvisation of a solo guitar and violin.

SATURDAY, APR 12

Spring Craft Show - Waseca-- 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Starfire Event Center, 206 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. Stop in and shop spring crafts with awesome vendors. A free and public event, including a special appearance by the Easter bunny.

Do you want to submit an event to this calendar? Send details to editor@ southernminnscene.com

Spring Shop Hop - Waseca-- 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Downtown Waseca. The specialty shops of Waseca unite to give residents and visitors a reason to get out for the weekend. Takes place Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 during business hours.

Adult Easter Egg Hunt - Kilkenny-- 12-3 p.m., Vintage Escapes Winery & Vineyard, 8950 Dodd Rd., Kilkenny. Here are a few things you could win from your eggs: free glass of wine, free wine flight, free bottle of wine, candy, and more. Tickets include one dozen Easter eggs and a bag/tote. More info and tickets online.

Academy Order and Beulah Rue - St. Peter-- 8 p.m., Tremendous Brewing Co., 228 W. Mulberry

Exaggerated History of Steele County - Owatonna-- 1 p.m., Steele County Historical Society, 1700 Austin Rd., Owatonna. Join local historians Nancy Vaillancourt and Anne Peterson as they debut the History Hags. They will delve into the truth behind local legends. This program is free to SCHS members and $5 for non-members.

Mary Cutrufello Duo - Northfield-- 6-9 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street South Unit 2. Mary and Randy Engelmayer play originals and country gold.

Steve Boyken - Northfield-- 7-10 p.m., Flaherty’s Northfield Lanes, 1700 Highway 3 S. Steve plays a unique blend of 70s classic guitar rock and 80s MTV hits like you’ve never heard before. Journey to Led Zep, Bryan Adams to Bon Jovi, and everything in between.

Tick Tick.. Boom - Faribault-- 7:30 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, and is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in musical theatre. Shows April 11-12 at 7:30 p.m., plus 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets online.

CCL - New Prague-- 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Outlaw Saloon, 103 Main St. W., New Prague. An “acoustic” folk rock duo that draws inspiration from the 90s and 80s, alternative, and grunge influences with occasional, true, by-golly country tunes to fill the void. Drop your song requests and they’ll do their best.

HickTown Mafia - Kasota-- 9 p.m., The Blue Moon Bar & Grill, 300 S. Webster St., Kasota. Playing classic and current country hits and classic 70s, 80s, and 90s rock, HickTown Mafia’s members boast a combined 100+ years of stage experience covering everything from Johnny Cash to AC/DC. Add some southern rock to the mix, and you have a night of great music.

SUNDAY, APR 13

Easter Puzzle Contest - Le Sueur County-- 1-3 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. Any sized team. All ages welcome, but each team must have someone 21+. Get cost info and sign up by emailing nextchapterwinery@gmail. com-payment.

Dan Chouinard with Charmin MichelleNorthfield-- 7 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third Street West. The third in The Guild’s 411 Concert Series with Dan Chouinard. Each shows features a different special guest. The Minnesota Star Tribune said about Michelle, “Taste and understatement. Swing and savoir-faire. Grace and grooves.

Intimacy and panache. Singer Charmin Michelle delivers all of the above and more.”

WEDNESDAY, APR 16

join together with other jazz musician guests for a night of tasty strawberry jazz.

THURSDAY, APR 17

Senior Expo - St. Peter-- 1-4 p.m., St. Peter Community Center, 600 S. Fifth St., St. peter. Vendor hall; free portraits; live music; Minnesota Zoo booth; free goodie bag; prizes; food.

Curtis Sittenfeld Author Talk - Northfield-- 7 p.m., Sittenfeld will read from her new short stories collection, “Show Don’t Tell,” a funny, fiercely intelligent, and moving collection exploring marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition — including a story that revisits the main character from Curtis Sittenfeld’s iconic novel “Prep.” She is also the New York Times bestselling author of “Eligible” and “Romantic Comedy.”

FRIDAY, APR 18

Just Crista - St. Peter-6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. A girl, a guitar, a fiddle, a ukulele and a song. Enjoy an evening listening to the incredibly talented Crista.

Strawberry Jazz Collective - Northfield-- 6 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. Supporting a fundraiser for Hot Spot Music to create a streetside sanctuary. Strawberry Jazz Collective is experienced jazz musicians, playing/ singing popular standards in creative ways. Bassist, Rob Thompson, trombone/vocalist, Jeff Wood, trumpeter, Charlie Schneeweis, and pianist Matt Whited

Vinyl Night - Northfield-- 6-9 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street South Unit 2. First ever Vinyl Night, with curated selections from local music nerds Chris Ash and Andy Flory. The theme will be Deep Cuts from your favorite artists of the ‘70s (with maybe some dips into the late ‘60s or early ‘80s).

Flamingo Flamenco Dance - St. Peter-- 6-8 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Live flamenco dance and music, featuring local Molly Kay Stoltz with professional guitarists Ben Abrahamson & Ross Fellrath and dancer Amanda Dlouhy

High Strung - Janesville-- 6-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Performing classic pop.

SATURDAY, APR 19

Community Easter Egg Hunts - Southern Minn-- 10 a.m.-12 p.m., MOst of the Southern Minn Scene communities host Easter egg hunts, generally the Saturday before Easter or the Sunday morning of the holiday. Keep an eye on local Chamber and city pages for info.

Geocaching for Bunny Baskets - Henderson-10 a.m.-12 p.m., Ney Nature Center, 28238 Nature Center Ln, Henderson. Themed bunny baskets are hidden throughout the park for your family to discover and enjoy. At the beginning of your session, we will send GPS coordinates where your basket is located. Staff will be available on-site, but this is designed to be an “on-your-own-adventure”. The

baskets contain candy, small toys, and fun items related to nature.

Windy Willow Egg Hunt - Northfield-- 10 a.m., Windy Willow Farm, 9748 110th St. E., Northfield. A day of family fun, as we search for colorful Easter eggs hidden throughout the farm. With thousands of eggs to find, the hunt is on for the most eggs and the chance to win a exclusive invite to join in the foam egg hunt. The farm also has baby animals to enjoy.

Boozy Easter Hunt - Le Sueur County-- 1-4 p.m., Next

16945 320th

New Prague. An afternoon of boozy surprises, springtime games, and delicious drinks for 21+. This ticketed event grants access to the Barrel Room, Vineyard, and Pavilion, where mini bottles of flavored vodka are hidden throughout the grounds and spring games abound. Keep an eye out for Easter Eggs (limit 1 per person) which contain extra prizes like a free drink, discounts on wine, or exclusive winery merch. There will also be Easter Bingo, spring trivia, game day grub and photo ops. Tickets online.

SUNDAY, APR 20

SCENE calendar runs through April 20th.

A

Chapter Winery,

St.,

The Paul Stewart Show - Northfield-- 7-10 p.m., Flaherty’s Northfield Lanes, 1700 Highway 3 S. Playing 50s and 60s country, rock & blues.

Lazy River Road - St. Peter-- 4-7 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. Grateful Dead tribute band based in Mankato.

SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ

‘Daughter of Daring,’ ‘How to Feed the World’ and ‘On Privacy’

Daughter of Daring:

The Trick-Riding, TrainLeaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman

by Mallory O’Meara

c.2025, Hanover Square Press $32.00 384 pages Jump!

It was fun to do when you were three years old, in puddles, off curbs or, heaven forbid, off roofs where your mom said you’d “break your neck.”

Van Halen told you to do it. The Pointer Sisters and Count Basie made it bounce, The Stones made it flash. And in the new book, “Daughter of Daring” by Mallory O’Meara, one woman made it pay.

When Helen Gibson was born in late summer of 1892, it was a time for little girls to act like proper, wellbred young ladies. Fortunately for Helen (born Rose Wenger), her parents didn’t follow those rules. Helen was allowed to climb trees and play in the dirt near their Cleveland home which was, perhaps, a sign of things to come. Alas, by 1910, Cleveland held nothing for a girl like Helen so, after working briefly at a cigar factory, she struck out for a life of excitement.

She landed in Oklahoma, at a ranch that offered Wild West shows, where she learned trick riding and other fearless ways to delight customers eager for thrills.

Entertainment, says O’Meara, was one of the few ways a woman in the early twentieth century could make a decent living while having some degree of independence, and that new kind of lifestyle was usually found in the West. In the sleepy town of Los Angeles, California, for example, a woman who wanted to seize adventure could very easily find a friend or two, an inexpensive film camera, and the thinnest of plots. She could make a moving picture – and she could be famous doing it.

Still, despite that, fame eluded Helen. After leaving Oklahoma for L.A., she made a good living, but it wasn’t enough for her. She wasn’t afraid of danger or hard work or risky stunts. None of that mattered; she just wanted the acknowledgment she felt she deserved.

All she needed was the right kind of movie…

You can almost hear the tinkling of a slightly out-oftune piano and the clickety-click of an old-time projector as you’re reading “Daughter of Daring.” It’s as if you’re sitting in a dark room, circa 1925; you can almost feel the hard chairs and you’ll be thrilled, but not necessarily by the action here. The thrills come with knowing what’s been hidden so long, and the truth of what once drove the movies we’ve loved.

Author Mallory O’Meara tells a secret, the revelation of which is way overdue and quite surprising: women, as it turns out, were major movers in film a century ago, in more ways than one. For her part, Gibson was the first stuntwoman – O’Meara nailed down details and the tale is exceptionally-told – but Gibson wasn’t an “only.” The rest of the story – of her story – is as addictive as buttered popcorn.

So grab a bucket of salted goodness. Find your favorite seat, and get ready for this real-life Perils of Pauline-like tale and the audacity within it. If you love a good movie, look for “Daughter of Daring” and jump on it.

Health-Related Books

by various authors

c.2025, various publishers $28.99 - $32 various page counts Whatever bug is going around, you’ve caught it. Or so it seems, this year. You get sick, you get well, only to get sick again. You’re over this – in more ways than one – so why not drink plenty of fluids and rest with these books about your health…

This ick that’s going around isn’t the first virus or illness you’ve ever had, nor is it the first one science has ever seen. In “A History of the World in Six Plagues” by Edna

Bonhomme (One Signal, $28.99), you’ll take a diseaseridden tour through historical outbreaks around the world to see how plagues affected the way humanity moved, how we dealt with illness as a whole, and how we tended to make other races take the blame. This is fascinating, addictive book that will shock and surprise you, and it’ll make you want to be more careful everywhere.

Part of your newfound caution will be underscored when you read “Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health” by Adam Ratner, MD, MPH (Avery, $30).

Once was a time when babies were vaccinated as a matter of course, and few questioned it. All that’s changed, and Ratner sounds the alarm over antivax trends and how lessons we learned a half-century ago are needed now, more than ever. Can the timeliness of this book possibly be any better? You won’t think so, once you read it. Feeling edgy yet? Ah, then find “Air-Borne: The Hidden History of The Life We Breathe” by Carl Zimmer (Dutton, $32). In the course of one day, you’ll breathe in more than 2,000 gallons of air, oxygen and other gases, and more – some molecules about which you won’t like thinking. Some of the air you breathe, in fact, includes living things and that’s a “biological frontier” that science has for decades worked hard to fully understand. Here, Zimmer takes readers back in time and in other places to understand how our knowledge of what goes into our lungs is essential, and where our air takes us from there.

And finally, if the latest news on health and well-being seems bleak, look for “Me, But Better” by Olga Khazan (Simon Element, $28.99). When Khazan had a very bad series of very bad days, she decided to try something big: she’d change her personality, thus changing her outlook on life. Doing so is something that scientists are studying, to see if altering the kind of person you are now can make you into a happier, more satisfied person for the long-term. This is an open-minded book full of great suggestions to feel better.

And if these timely books aren’t exactly what the doctor ordered, then take two pills and call your favorite bookseller or librarian. They have all kinds of books on modern medicine, health-care in history, new procedures and innovations, and books to help you heal. If you want to be an informed patient or you just want to stay healthy, these books are ones to catch.

How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food

by Vaclav Smil

c.2025, Viking $30.00 272 pages

Your plate, at first, seemed like it was too big. The fancy food you got was presented nicely but the portions were small, so the plate looked massive. Two bites, you wiped your mouth, and you might need a snack later. That’s okay, it was an interesting experience, right? So now read the new book, “How to Feed the World” by Vaclav Smil, and help make sure there’s enough for everyone.

What will dinner be like on a random evening in 2050? It’s hard to say – you might not even know about dinner tonight – but the future is worth thinking about, especially in today’s world. One thing you can bet on, though, is that diets in the future will change and adapt, just as they did for our ancestors.

Early hominins, says Smil, likely ate what they observed animals eating, but foraging can’t grow a larger population. Also, humans couldn’t survive on, say, a gorilla diet or a lion’s dinner because humans have different nutritional needs and, as a species, they didn’t all live in the same general climate. These limitations meant that, to sustain a larger population, humans almost had to domesticate crops and animals to feed larger communities. We can, in fact, thank agriculture for what much of what we have to eat, and otherwise. Farming was the only way, says Smil, for “mass-scale...sourcing [of] food that could have led to larger populations capable of new technological and intellectual advances…”

To understand how to invite the world to the table most efficiently and nutritionally, we first must understand why we eat some things “and not others,” and why humans can’t live on just any old thing tossed in a bowl. We should acknowledge that global warming may have a few positive effects. Education on proposed methods of increasing food sources and their viability is key. We can utilize new technologies and we can stop wasting food.

If you’re like most people, what’s on your plate at your next meal is, to some degree, important. You may debate what to eat, plan the meal carefully, and make it purposefully. That you can eat is something you may not even think much about, but you will after reading “How to Feed the World.”

Just merely having food on the table seems amazing, in author Vaclav Smil’s hands – never mind having more in the pantry. To understand why that’s so and why we eat what we eat, there’s a lot of math to learn, along with science, history, and archaeology. Though it can sometimes be overwhelming, Smil helps even the least math-and-science-minded reader to clearly see how care, mindfulness, and open-mindedness can ensure that the table holds enough for us all.

If you’re concerned about your family’s well-being or what the world’s future holds in this contentious world, this book helps. It’s one for forward thinkers, food producers, cooks, chefs, and activists, and if that’s you or if you just plain love to eat, “How to Feed the World” will put some great ideas on your plate.

On Privacy:

Twenty Lessons to Live By

by Lawrence Cappello c.2025, Workman $20.00 160 pages Peek-a-boo.

Yep, somebody sees you there. You can’t hide, you’re too big to slink away unnoticed, and there’s no Boy Wizard

to make you invisible. It wouldn’t do any good anyhow: for your entire life, you’ve left trails behind wherever you go, footprints and evidence of your presence and behavior. Just thinking about that might feel weird but, once you’ve read “On Privacy” by Lawrence Cappello, it might seem exactly right. Go ahead, admit it: you have secrets. Everybody does, and that’s okay. There are some things you just don’t want to share; in fact, says Cappello, it’s best if you don’t because “secrets [can] impact people in positive ways.” Keeping certain things to yourself actually enhances your mental well-being and makes closer relationships possible. And yet, you hand strangers your personal information every day, whether it’s on-purpose or by accident. For instance, fill out a registration form or giveaway slip and boom! You’ve just given out your individual, unique data. Or you got scammed online. Or you didn’t do anything but log into a computer at a hotel or you used public Wi-Fi and your data is simply taken without your awareness. That’s terrifying, but Cappello didn’t write this book to scare anyone. He says panic and apathy aren’t the right actions here, nor is scolding anyone who isn’t even trying to keep themselves or you safe and your privacy, private. Wait – is there even such a thing as privacy anymore? Cappello says there is, and smart people take steps to make sure it remains so. Know what happens to your data, once it’s taken, and learn to safeguard all your devices. Lobby for your right to be forgotten, online and otherwise. Know how to opt out on data sharing and never use public Wi-Fi. When dealing with police or the TSA, watch for “evasive language.” Remember that your cell phone is basically a tracking device. And finally, “take a hard look at what digital architects call ‘Privacy by Design’…” Says Cappello, “PbD” may be the way of the future. The walls have eyes. So does your bank, your computer, your favorite restaurant, the elevator to work, and maybe your neighbor’s house. And if the very idea of all that makes you squirm, you need this book.

Meant for anyone who’s stuck between wanting privacy and wondering if worry is silly, “On Privacy” isn’t meant to fear-monger. Instead, author Lawrence Cappello offers a balanced way to think about covertness, revealing, and how to manage both sides. This guided tour is done in an easy-to-understand way that entertains while also helping readers with methods for arming one’s self against pushy naysayers, and ideas to further protect that which you want to keep on the Q-T for your workplace and personally.

Absolutely, this is a book for conspiracy theorists but someone who prefers to err on the side of caution will probably find it to be more useful. If that’s you, then grab this short book; “On Privacy” is worth a good long peek. 

Conne ct. Experience. Create.

Paradise Center

for the

Paradise Center for the rtsA

rtsA

For more information & tickets:

TICK, TICK... BOOM!

Presented by Paradise Community Theatre

www.paradisecenterforthearts.org • 507.332.7372

For more information & tickets: www.paradisecenterforthearts.org • 507.332.7372

321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN

321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN

For more information & tickets: www.paradisecenterforthearts.org 507.332.7372

321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN

Peters, Justin Peters, Clayton Hubert

Lois Vranesh Gallery – Gail Gaits

K&M Gallery – Sushila Anderson

Corey Lyn Creger Memorial Gallery - Bethlehem Academy

Exhibition Dates: March 31 – May 10

Music, Book, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson Director: Will McIntyre Choreographer: Brianna Bailey Before Rent, there was Tick, Tick… BOOM! This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in musical theatre. Containing fourteen songs, ten characters, and three actors, Tick, Tick… BOOM! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to a Broadway blockbuster. Everyone will love this youthful, endearing, and thoughtful piece, and will surely embrace the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges.

April 4 (ASL), 5, 11, and 12 at 7:30 PM, April 6 & 13 at 2:00 PM.

Tickets: Member: $19.50, Non-Member: $21.50, Student: $15.50, (Includes a $1.50 processing fee)

Improv 101:

Sponsored by Donahue’s Greenhouse PCT Season Sponsors Faribault Daily News, The Bahl Foundation, & Quality Appliance

Intro to Improv with Buddy Ricker (Ages 16+)

Improv 101:

SATURDAYS THRU JUNE 22, 12:30-2PM

Member: $70 / Non-Member: $80

Intro to Improv with Buddy Ricker (Ages 16+)

SATURDAYS THRU JUNE 22, 12:30-2PM

Member: $70 / Non-Member: $80

This course will focus on the fundamentals of improv acting with an emphasis on improv comedy. Through “hands on” exercises and laughter, we will bring out the creative improvyour family and friends with a course ending show that showcases the improv artist in you.

GALLERY

MICK STERLING PRESENTS: MEMPHIS & THE MEANTIMES - SONGS OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY & SUN RECORDS

GALLERY

This band is a celebration of the music that changed the world from Sun Records and the Grand Ole Opry. This is not new Country, this is the stuff new Country can only dream of being. Featuring songs from Cash,.Haggard, Lewis, Orbison, Elvis and many others, Memphis and The Meantimes has been thrilling audiences for years by providing the audience with a 8-piece powerful presentation. This show is a joyful noise celebrating the best of American popular music.

Using an 11x14 stretched canvas and a limited palette, you’ll explore the soothing techniques inspired by Bob Ross—yes, you can paint those majestic trees, rocky cliffs, and reflective waters too!

Members: $50, Non-Members: $56

Friday, April 25 at 7:30 PM

Member: $21.50, Non-Member: $26.50, Student: $16.50 (Includes a $1.50 Processing Fee)

These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the

Creger Gallery Warsame Rashid

Curt Lund

Doug Clement

Dan Crombie

Vranesh Gallery Paradise Members Show

K&M Gallery Summer Pop Up Shop

Creger Gallery Warsame Rashid

Carlander Family Gallery – Process Group Show: Karen