SCENE JANUARY 2025

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FEATURES:

7 Winter Festivals

Keep your blood flowing this season with while attending one of Southern Minn’s festivals.

10 Snowshoe, Hike Your Way

Throug h Winter

Embrace the colder weather COLUMNS: 5 Mollywood BLVD

A brain rotting 2024 pop culture year in review

9 Top LOCAL ALBUMS

Top local albums of 2024

17 Rants & RAVES

Wishing for a whimsical new year

HAVE A STORY IDEA OR CALENDAR EVENT?

Reach EDITOR Philip Weyhe at editor@southernminnscene.com, 507-931-8579 or follow him on Twitter @EditorPhilipWeyhe WANT TO ADVERTISE?

Deanna Boland - 507-340-5806 deanna.boland@apgsomn.com

DESIGNER Kate Townsend-Noet

27 SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ - Box Office Poison - Cabinet of Curiosities - The Dead of Winter

- Good Reasonable People

- Novels for Winter Reading

• Meeting your Health Goals

• Seasonal Illness

• Does tea have medicinal properties?

• How to Find Trustworthy Sources

• Hit the Gym – At Home

• What to know about seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Mollywood BLVD MOLLY

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.

A brain rotting 2024 pop culture year in review

Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year is “brain rot.” I could not agree more. Any amount of time spent doom scrolling on social media over the past year felt like a “dumbing down.” Comedian Kat Williams was on record predicting that 2024 would be a year of reckoning for many very famous people, and it was, but things started out rather unsuspecting.

Joe Biden decided to run for re-election at the age of 81, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continued, Swiftmania cat-ladied on with Taylor Swift winning her fourth Album of the Year Grammy for “Midnights” in

February. Her Eras Tour book, however, was so ridden in typos that fans coined it the “Errors Tour.” In sports, Michigan beat Washington 34-14 to win the College Playoff national championship. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fired after 24 seasons and six titles (and is now taking a new head coach position with the University of North Carolina). A record was broken in March when Caitlin Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA

basketball; Caitlin’s dominance in 2024 helped women’s basketball surge in popularity.

The FDA expanded approval of Wegovy to include heart disease — because the diabetes drug had become a new “weight-loss” secret in recent years. It was now approved for reducing

the risk of cardiovascular disease because of the weight-loss benefits. People flocked to get the drug, so if you feel like everyone around you was getting skinny this past year, they were. And they were likely taking Ozempic or Wegovy shots to get there. And good thing too, because a major fashion trend of 2024, at least for females, was showing mid-drift, even in a sweater. Legit, chicks tucked their sweaters under their bras to expose their stomachs now in 2024. Let’s hope this fad dies.

Generation Alpha gave us a run for our money with some of the weirdest slang ever invented: think “Skibbidy toilet,” “Ohio,” “rizz.” etc… Several U.S. states changed their State Flag in 2024. Utah’s flag was updated amidst some public controversy over the previous design which touted an eight-point star, while Maine voters voted down their new flag design. Some Minnesotans embraced the new, simpler Minnesota state flag, while opposers of the design flocked to retailers to purchase versions of the “old” Minnesota state flag to display at their homes and businesses in protest.

On March 26, a container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland killing six people. Later, in April, a total solar eclipse was experienced in parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. Around this same time, tensions were building in the Middle East. On April 13th, Iran sent hundreds of drones to strike Israel, while Israel was moving forces into the city of Rafah, where more than half of the population of the Gaza Strip was sheltering from the Israel-Hamas War. On November 27th, just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, President Biden announced a ceasefire agreement had been signed by Israel, Lebanon and several mediating countries including the United States.

Madonna held a free concert on a beach in Brazil and 1.6 million were in attendance making it the biggest concert crowd in history. The Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer, swept the Oscars taking home a total of 7. On May 30th, former President (and now President-elect) Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy celebrates their win against Washington in the national championship NCAA College Football Playoff game Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/ David J. Phillip)
GLP-1 Medications, Ozempic, Wegovy
The new Minnesota state flag was officially unfurled in March 2024. (Photo courtesy of the State Emblems Redesign Commission)
FILE - A U.S. flag flies on a moored boat as the container ship Dali rests against the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/ Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” cleaned up at the 2024 Oscars. (AP photo)
In this May 19, 2017, file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters from a balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Assange was freed from prison in 2024.
The home of Kenny Babb is surrounded by water as he retrieves a paddle that floated away while the Little River continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18. (AP)

In July, the

“immunity” from

During the heated 2024 election cycle there was one attempt and one near attempt to assassinate Trump. Boeing’s Starliner launched and docked at the International Space Station, however, 28 thrusters malfunctioned on approach. NASA later decided it is unsafe for astronauts to return on the craft--- meaning, they are still in space! The two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, are expected to return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon mission next month after over 8 months on the ISS.

The Celtics beat the Mavs in the NBA finals, activist Julian Assange was released from prison, and no one had any idea what a debaucherous mess the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was about to become — but over 30 million viewers watched it. The Paris games brought the United States a total of 2,793 medals — 1,117 of those gold. It also introduced us to a cast of interesting athletes: Simone Biles is the GOAT, but don’t forget about the Australian B-girl Rachael Gunn self-styled as “Raygun” and her embarrassing breakdance routine or the Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec, who won a silver medal with one hand casually in his pocket. Natural disasters occur ever y year, and 2024 was no exception. From massive flooding in the spring, to a very active hurricane season leaving thousands on the southeast coast of the United States devastated and 103

Tuah” meme coin and engaged in some insider trading. It was a crypto scam and she could now face prison time.

Rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar had an ongoing feud and released several diss tracks in 2024, but musically, it was a “woman’s world” this summer with hits from Chappel Roan, Charlie XCX, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter topping the charts. Charlie XCX even deemed 2024 “Brat Summer.” The idea behind “Brat Summer,” named after Charlie XCX’s current album, “Brat,” is about being unapologetically yourself, embracing your messy side, and having fun. This trend was quickly replaced on TikTok with “Demure Fall.” Swift’s Era’s tour concluded on Dec. 8, spanning 149 shows over five continents! Very mindful, very demure.

“Deadpool vs Wolverine” starring Ryan Reynolds and “It Ends with Us” starring his wife, Blake Lively, did not turn into the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon of the previous summer, when everyone was either going to see Barbie or Oppenheimer and really nothing else over the course of a couple weeks — but both flicks, as well as “Dune 2,” “Inside Out 2,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” and more recently the film adaptation

President, party leaders and colleagues came out in droves calling for President Biden to step down and let the Democratic Party nominate a new candidate. Finally, he conceded, and endorsed his Veep, Kamala Harris to take his place. She only had three months to introduce herself to the American people. In October, former President Jimmy Carter turned 100, getting his wish of living long enough to vote for Harris who, ultimately, lost both the popular and electoral vote. Donald Trump was elected 47th President and subsequently named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. SpaceX launches abounded in 2024, Elon Musk was front and center in the news, paying out $1 million a day to registered voters during the election cycle and was ultimately nominated to run a new department under Trump’s administration, DOGE – the Department of Government Efficiency, named after Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency. The world started seeing more Tesla Cyber Truck on the roads, spawning a plethora of memes making fun of them for their odd design. The value of ‘X’, formerly ‘Twitter’ has decreased significantly since

and abuse. In September, Combs was charged in a Manhattan Federal Court with a racketeering conspiracy that included sex trafficking, forced labor, and arson among other crimes. Several high-profile celebrities, including Jay-Z, have been named in association with Combs and his “Freak-Out parties.” Attempts at posting bail were denied and Combs awaits trial which is set for May 5th of 2025. In other entertainment news, MGK and Megan Fox got back together and announced they were expecting their first child together-- months later the couple announced their separation, again.

Early December saw the cold-blooded murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by suspected vigilante assassin Luigi Mangione outside of a hotel in Manhattan. The bullet casings at the scene of the crime had the words, “Delay” and “Deny” written on them, making it clear this was a targeted attack. Police pursued the suspect through Central Park where they lost him. Less than a week

dead. It was especially devastating to areas of North Carolina. Finally, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck offshore San Fransisco, California on Dec. 5. Another natural disaster occurred when a video of a young woman named Hailey Welch, “aka” the “Hawk Tuah Girl” went viral. When asked “what I something you do that drives a man crazy in bed?” she replied, “You got to give it that hawk-tuah and spit on that thang!” The video catapulted Hailey to stardom, she was getting movie and TV deals, started a podcast, Hawk Talk, but her 15 minutes came crumbling later in the year when she released a “Hawk

of “Wicked,” got tons of moviegoers out to theatres in 2024. It Ends with Us is now available to stream on Netflix, I recommend it. It has an important message about breaking the cycles of domestic violence. Just stay off TikTok where users spent much of the year hating on Blake Lively for various reasons.

A Presidential debate that took place between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in June completely took the nation aback, revealing just how aged our Commander in Chief was. After a pitiful performance by our sitting

Musk took it over in 2022. Users of the app flocked to BlueSky app after ‘X’ appeared to be overrun by Russian bots and far right trolls spewing “hate speech” in the name of “free speech.”

The entertainment industr y was taken by storm following the arrest and indictment of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, which came after 10 months of allegations of sexual misconduct

later, the suspect was identified by a McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania and called in. To add to the rampant “brain rot” that 2024 was so famous for, patrons of the internet made Mangione a bit of a “folk hero.” There is even a crowdfunding website fundraising for his legal fees. “2-0-2-4, we declare a Class War!” And finally, the year ended with an onslaught of mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Virginia. The Department of Homeland Security provided no insight on their origins but assured the public they were “on it.” People online came up with tons of conspiracy theories, including stating that they were “just airplanes” and it became the internet fight of the year to round things out. Nary a dull moment over the past year, but I think one thing is for sure, a digital detox may be in order for 2025.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year! 

The home of Kenny Babb is surrounded by water as he retrieves a paddle that floated away while the Little River continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18. (AP)
Charli XCX started a cultural phenomenon in 2024 with her album “Brat.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during a campaign event at the Liacouras Center at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc. and X, formerly known as Twitter, has been frequent in the headlines in 2024.
Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa. (Benjamin B. Braun/ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
This photo provided by Trisha Bushey shows the evening sky and points of light near in Lebanon Township, N.J., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Trisha Bushey via AP)
Dune 2 helped drive the box office in 2024.

January is frequently considered a difficult month for mental health, the holidays over and nothing but cold in the near future. But community festivals in the area are here to help, offering an opportunity to get outside and have a little fun.

As the holiday season ends, the city of Owatonna comes together to create its very own winter wonderland. People travel from all over the state to experience the Bold and Cold Winter Festival, a week-long series of events and activities put on by the Owatonna Parks and Recreation Department, Owatonna People’s Press, and Owatonna Business Partnership.

It is clear Owatonna takes great pride in creating opportunities for the community to come together and celebrate the arts, holidays, and togetherness through their various festivals throughout the year including Gem Days (formerly known as Crazy Days), Trick or Treat Owatonna, Owatonna Sings, and of course Bold and Cold.

Owatonna does a marvelous job of inspiring involvement in the community which is the sole reason these events and festivals are so successful. Exciting winter festivities have been a tradition in Owatonna during the cold season since the mid 2010’s though it was not formally known as Bold and Cold until around 2017.

The festival includes a variety of activities including a snow sculpture competition in the park, a local business, restaurants and bars Brrringo game, a winter walk, a hike illuminated by lanterns, snowshoeing, ice skating, ice fishing at Lake Kohlmier, and more.

This dazzling month of celebrations begins on Jan. 21 in 2025 and ends on Jan. 26. However, the winter fun in Owatonna does not end there. If the snowfall is more substantial than last year, the city will continue to participate in winter sports, like snowmobiling at Rice Lake State Park

keep the blood flowing in Southern Minn FESTIVALS

LEFT: Matt Jessop and the team at Owatonna Shoe were pumped up ahead of 2023 Bold and Cold. (File photo/southernminn.com)

BELOW: The Walsh family braved the dropping temperatures in January 2023 to add the finishing touches on their sculpture for the annual Bold and Cold competition. (File photo/southernminn.com)

and the Steele County Trail System, even after Bold and Cold has ended.

When the luminary hike has ended and the family has filled out its brrr-ingo card, the History Center joins the fun to provide the community with a soup dinner to warm them before going out to ice skate under twinkling Christmas lights. Many people say that Owatonna resembles a Hallmark movie this time of year, making the Bold and Cold Festival even more special.

Personnel at the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce, the Parks and Rec Department, and many other organizations in the city work throughout the year to make Bold and Cold as fun as it can be, adding

new activities almost every year, updating their website frequently, and getting the word out to help people plan for the week. It is important to them to make sure anyone and everyone can be involved with a plethora of activities for people of all ages and backgrounds, gear of all sizes for snowshoeing and ice skating, and the opportunity for businesses to partic-

ipate alongside them.

This year they have arranged for the Minnesota Twins Caravan to come to town on the 22nd of January, a thrilling new event for people of all ages to enjoy. Bold and Cold’s website has information and links to registra-

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By ALAINA ADKINSON Guest Contributor

New to the Bold and Cold Winter Festival in 2023 was a luminary walk from the Brooktree

Recreation)

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tion for certain events such as the snow sculpture contest in Central Park, the medallion hunt, and the family open swim and pool Bingo. Their Facebook page is also stocked with

information as the week of Bold and Cold gets nearer so be sure to watch out for upcoming updates. 

Alaina Adkinson is a freelance writer. Reach the editor at editor@apgsomn.com.

down to

Bold and Cold featured events:

Sculpture Building Contest: January 22-26.

Medallion Hunt: Tuesday, January 21.

Bold and Cold Deals: January 23-26, Participating Owatonna businesses. Steele County Historical Society’s Souper Sweet Dinner: Thursday, January 23. A Winter Walk with Beverages, Bites, and Brrr-ingo: Friday, January 24. Winter Weekend Out: January 24-26, Various Owatonna Locations.

Family Open Swim and Pool Bingo: Friday January 24, 6:30-8:30pm, Owatonna Middle School Pool.

Snowshoeing: Saturday, January 25, 10am5pm, Brooktree Golf Course, (Snowshoes available any size at the valet).

Rock on Ice/Glow Skate: Saturday, January 25, 5-7pm, Morehouse Park. Luminary Hike: Saturday, January 25, 6-9pm, Brooktree Golf Course. Ice Fishing: Sunday, January 26, 1:303:30pm, Lake Kohlmier.

Open Outdoor Ice Skating: Anytime, Morehouse Park.

Local Brews and Igloo Experiences: Mineral Springs Brewery. Snowmobiling: Rice Lake State Park and Steele County Trail System.

More winter celebrations in and near the Southern Minn SCENE region:

Sleigh and Cutter - Waseca Horses, curling, ice sculptures, and more! The Sleigh and Cutter Festival in Waseca has a variety of events in late January to early March like a snowman building contest, a medallion hunt, snowmobiling, a parade, and more!

Visit sleighandcutterfestival.org/ for more information.

Winterfest - St. Peter

Winterfest in St. Peter is an exciting week of events like a polar plunge, a winter walk, and a medallion hunt through-

out the city. Each year the community gathers to participate in these traditional events and celebrate togetherness in St. Peter. Visit stpeterchamber.com for more info.

Bockfest - New Ulm

Beckon warmer weather at Bockfest with a mug full of Bock beer, live music, hot brats and bonfires. Seven Bocks of Winter are hiding around the Schell’s Brewery grounds, waiting to be found. Human St. Bernards, with kegs of beer on their backs, are ready to assist weary hunters. Visit schellsbrewery.com/events/bock-fest for more info.

Grumpy Old Men Festival - Wabasha Ice fishing contest, lighted SXS parade, ice bar, live music, Ragetti’s Spaghetti Feed, horse drawn wagon rides, s’mores & hot chocolate, chili feed, cribbage tournament, bingo, hotdish luncheon, luminary trail, Grumpy Plunge and more.

Visit wabashamn.org/grumpyoldmenfest for more info.

Ice Fest – Winona

A Winona Ice Park original, learn how to ice climb with Winona Ice Fest’s professional climbers and climbing clinics beginning late January.

Visit bigriverclimbingguides.com/ winona-ice-fest for more info and registration.

Social-Ice - Rochester

Downtown Rochester transforms into an icy oasis for Social-ICE! Unique themed bars — each with its own signature drink— and full-scale ice sculptures illuminated with vibrant hues light up the winter-drab night. Keep your blood pumping with nightly live DJ entertainment. This oh-so-nICE, cold-weather event is open to the public.

Visit downtownrochestermn.com/ what-to-do/socialice for more info.

Clubhouse
Mineral Springs Park. (Photo courtesy Owatonna Parks and

Top LOCAL ALBUMS

SARAH OSTERBAUER

Top local albums of 2024

As the business of music constantly shifts and folks grasp at straws to make a semblance of an income, local artists persist despite the challenges. The grind of raising money to record albums, DIY tour booking, creating content and hustling merch (while venues take bigger and bigger cuts) has forced many to makeover their business models.

As part of this evolution, we see more single releases over full albums or even EPs. In 2024 collaborations were still the rage, allowing artists to get more bang for their buck on exposure and notoriety when adding on a notable partner. And that was not exclusive to the upper echelons of the biz.

Right On gives us a Humbird that is unafraid to speak truth to power, to be nonsensical, to infuse a happy rhythm guitar lick with sad lyricism.

“Franklin Warriors” pays respect to the Native folks who have lived along the Franklin riverside area in Minneapolis for many years, the area where Joe Rainey also grew up. On the album many references to “she” are not in regards to any in human form, but rather Mother Earth and the importance of looking, listening to her, understanding her will. Listening to Unbound is in many ways a meditation on remembering we are small fish in a big pond. The album’s one of a kind sound and cultural significance make it a unique gem of the local scene.

voice for those who haven’t found, or can’t use their own due to oppression or other barriers. An accomplished journalist, Emily’s wordsmithing extends to her music where she concocts lines like “You say I’m burning up a bridge. You’ve never seen me on fire.” The only thing more addicting than Emily’s systematic teardown of patriarchy is the 90s country sensibility she pairs with it.

Live at LakewoodNikki LeMire

Local artists were appearing on each other’s records as well. Jillian Rae on Davina and the Vagabonds, The Roe Family Singers on Molly Brandt’s album, and Matthew French and Sarah Morris went so far as to record an EP together. Regardless of what is shaking the industr y as a whole, one thing remains the same at the local level; community members supporting one another. Creating community and connection, making the unseen, seen, making sense of the current state of things are all common themes of the albums chosen as the year’s favorites.

Right On - Humbird

For her third release, Siri Undlin explores a more raw, grittier sound. Which is not to say she abandons her crystal clear tone or signature folktale melodic slides. No, Siri’s grit and urgency show in tiny cracks and subtle growls that come forward in the album’s more aggressive moments. Palpable anger and frustration are evident in the poignant lyrics and chunky guitar riffs. Anger with the powers that be, the systems of oppression, potentially with herself as she snarls (as much as Siri can snarl) “I could be a break in the chain”. She is calling out and calling in for those looking to create change to pick up the phone. The album is not without lightness as well, showing on tracks like “Blueberry Bog” a fun bouncy jaunt, which like many of the tracks, has a clear 70s rock influence.

Nikki LeMire, who recently parted ways with the Foxgloves, decided to record her debut solo album live, a wise choice. As a solo artist, she could just play the harp and that in and of itself would be a total showstopper. But Nikki doesn’t just play; she has a velvety, ethereal voice that dips low and thick but also soars high and light. Songs outlining her experience in motherhood, love and loss complete the frame. At her shows, she is known for looping her voice live, creates her own percussion by tapping on the body of her harp and when she opens her mouth to sing, space and time are at a standstill. The live album does a decent job of capturing her incredible talent in a pinch but to see her create in person is where the real magic happens.

Unbound - Bizhiki

On the heels of his 2023 release Niineta, Joe Rainey joined forces with Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings and S. Carey to form Bizhiki. Together they combine traditional powwow singing with contemporary electronic elements which create a sound with an innate quality invoking a connection to the natural world. The album may be Wisconsin made, but the opening track,

This Life - Twins of Franklin

Best friends Laura Duschane and Becky Shaheen pivoted stylewise from their debut release Low to create a more rustic Americana/folk rock sound on This Life. Like so many artists, the pandemic produced fruits of their labor; songs that closely examine the mundane tasks of everyday life, the simple joys and the struggles we confront when faced with a lot of time on our hands. They also confront the challenge of creating a family on the devastating burner of a tune about pregnancy loss.

“The Wait” is gorgeous, heartbreaking, yet hopeful and so important. Giving an outlet and language to something that most avoid speaking of, shows the Twins’ courage and vulnerability. Tender moments paired with driving rock jaunts like “To The Moon”, which highlights the duo’s airtight harmonies, make This Life a satisfying musical package.

Wingspan - Emily Haavik

It’s clear listening to Emily’s music that she is dedicated to taking up space and lending her

Stranger - Clare Doyle

Clare, who has only been making music since the pandemic, has a voice best described as the love child of Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves. It has a slight twang, a bit of dirt road, with the sweetness of Musgraves. While Stranger is only an EP, the strength of this small handful of songs is undeniable. Solid song construction, well crafted lyricism and a voice made for radio makes Clare one to watch.

American Saga - Molly Brandt

While last year’s Surrender to the Night had a 90s country aesthetic, American Saga ventures into new sonic territory. “Sunup” in particular moves to a disco beat, incorporating synth and breathy background vocals, recalling 70s era Diana Ross. One thing remains the same and that’s Molly’s knack for crafting seemingly old time lore and turning it into a classic. She paints her cast of characters in vivid color even when the few physical details are actually mentioned. Each Rockwellian backstory more intriguing than the last. 

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.

Not everyone is as thrilled about snowbedecked, frosty winter hikes, snowshoe outings or Nordic skiing as Northfielders Will Schroeer and Pam Fickenscher.

Given a sunny 10-degree afternoon with a few inches of white stuff covering the ground, the couple and their lively hounds, Fern and Boots, might well be found hoofing it across a nearby prairie scape or forested vale.

“We love being in a natural area, whether that’s a prairie or forest,” said Schroeer, an active 50-something who, like his wife, is an in-

structor with the Minnesota Youth Ski League.

“Prairie plants are beautiful year-round — and we saw short-eared owls last weekend. We enjoy the opportunity to be in nature and get some exercise at the same time.”

Schroeer and Fickenscher have unlocked the secret to celebrating Minnesota’s somewhat infamous winters: embracing the elements to take advantage of the abundant nature areas — most of them free and open to the public — that dot south central Minnesota’s map.

Schroeer insists the experience is one that’s available to anyone, with fancy brand name, cold weather gear completely optional.

“You don’t need to wear special clothes,” he said. “Just do the Minnesota thing: layer up to protect yourself against the wind. The impor-

tant thing is getting out there.”

Recreational professionals concur. Information follows about outdoor winter opportunities (think hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing) at Ney Nature Center and River Bend Nature Center.

Ney Nature Center

28238 Nature Center Lane, Henderson. With approximately 12 miles of trails — roughly six of which are groomed for cross-country skiing when snow and weather conditions allow — above and along the Minnesota River Valley, Ney Nature Center is a winter-lover’s dream.

“Parts of a few trails dip into a ravine, and there’s some hilly stuff for a challenge, but overall it’s mostly flat, with a nice pond loop and some prairie as well,” said Eva Clelland, Ney Nature Center’s programs and marketing coordinator.

“There’s also a good portion of trail that is within some woods, and all of it is beautiful.”

Snowfall levels (nonexistent?) and abovenormal temperatures during the 2023-24 season disappointed those who relish wind-whipped winter bragging rights, but Clelland and her Ney colleagues are hopeful for early 2025.

“We’ve heard it all,” said Clelland, referencing the current “snow cast.” “A ton of snow, no snow, up in the air— but we’re very hopeful there will be at least enough snow for skiing and snowshoeing.”

the visitor’s center is open.”

That means snowshoes, cross-country skis and kick sleds are on hand in various sizes for those lacking them or seeking to try such seasonal options for the very first time.

“We go very small in our [snowshoe] sizing, with a couple pairs for four- to five-year-olds and many more for ages 7 and up,” said Clelland.

Equipment rentals are inexpensive—less than the price of a movie, for instance, with discounts for Ney Nature Center members— and Clelland says people of all types, including families, beginners and experienced skiers, are eager for the natural fun they provide.

“People are definitely excited for snow,” said Clelland. “Even if we get barely an inch of snow, calls come in with people asking, ‘When will the trails be groomed and open?’ Or, ‘I live 30 minutes away and it snowed here—can I come out?’”

When January conditions allow, Ney teaches Nordic skiing basics to 8 to 14-year-olds, and additionally hosts a one-day ski skills workshop for those 15 and older.

And if it arrives, Ney Nature Center staff are ready.

“We post the winter trail conditions on our website, where you can also see our trails,” said Clelland, mentioning that paper trail maps are also available in Ney’s kiosks. “And once snow is present, we offer equipment rentals when

“And people come out to hike year-round,” said Clelland, mentioning winter break programs, monthly home school programs, a winter wildlife adventure session, a craft drop-in day and a winter wilderness survival class, among other stimulating options.

All of Ney’s programs and trails are “friendly” to both families and individuals, Clelland stressed, and while certain programs have nominal fees and people may support Ney by becoming members, it’s otherwise entirely free to explore Ney Nature Center’s trails, park areas and visitor center.

“We want people to enjoy themselves and explore something they maybe haven’t before,” said Clelland.

“In addition to being great for your overall

health, getting outside is good for your mental health—and having these experiences when you’re young can inspire you to care about the environment and keep spending time outdoors, in every season.”

For more information about trails, snow conditions and programs, visit neycenter org, email to info@neycenter.org, or call 507-357-8580. Ney’s Education Building is open (for visits and equipment rental) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday when snow is present.

River Bend Nature Center

1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault.

If the soft glow of candlelight illuminating snowy paths is your jam, don’t miss the Luminary Hikes this winter (6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 30 and Feb. 13) at River Bend Nature Center.

“People enjoy the beauty of a candlelit trail,” said Katy Anderegg, associate director of administration at River Bend.

“Both sides of the trail are lit with candles in Mason jars that volunteers set up—we have lots of volunteers and staff on hand for these events—and it’s a beautiful way to experience nature in a different way.”

Pre-registration is required for the Luminary Hikes. As a warming bonus, complimentary hot chocolate is commonly involved.

At this gem of a nature center on Faribault’s southeast edge, approximately 10 miles of trails are open year-round for public use.

“About seven miles of them are groomed for cross-country skiing when there’s an appropriate amount of snow, and there are multiple access points on all sides of the nature center,” Anderegg said.

River Bend staff estimate that around 10,000 people annually use the non-profit nature center’s acreage, though the winter luminary hikes are indeed highlights that draw several dozen participants.

Throughout the colder season, River Bend welcomes Nordic skiers, snowshoe enthusiasts, hikers and bird watchers, the latter of whom eagerly show up for “Bagels and Birds” programs on the first Saturday of several chillier months.

“And we have snowshoes available for rent in a range of sizes,” said Anderegg, adding that patrons can choose between wooden and aluminum models.

Snow or no snow, the trails at River Bend are open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., while the interpretive center itself is typically open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. each Monday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

River Bend busy year-round schedule includes “Little Sprouts” experiential sessions

for kids ages 5 and younger (with a caring adult along), school field trips, home school programs and other free and open-to-thepublic programs (like a story time, a book club for teens and adults).

“Art and nature really go hand-in-hand,” said Anderegg, highlighting a Jan. 15 kickoff night for the center’s “Arts and Nature” partnership with Faribault’s Paradise Center for the Arts.

“Both art and nature are so beneficial to health and wellness, and we’ve found that each of our organizations has a lot of the same people in our membership pools.”

A Jan. 11 “Snow crush” fat tire race is sure to draw many who prefer to experience their nature moment on two wheels, and a family snowshoeing event is on the calendar for Jan. 25.

“New people are always coming out,” said Anderegg.

Though some folks might think winter means hunkering down inside until green leaves re-emerge, Anderegg urges everyone to think more like 12-month outdoor enthusiasts Schroeer and Fickenscher. Apparently, there are plenty of people “out there.”

“It’s a beautiful time to come out to the nature center,” Anderegg affirmed. “Winter has its own beauty and a lot of bird species and other animals are very active, yet there’s a quietude that’s really peaceful.”

As for snow?

“Snow is always an extra benefit,” laughed Anderegg. “And there are a lot of people hoping for it.”

For more information about trails, snow conditions, programs and membership, visit rbnc.org, email to rbncinfo@rbnc.org or call 507-332-7151.

Suggestions for more outdoor winter hiking/snowshoeing in and near the Southern Minn SCENE region:

7 Mile Park, Nicollet County Park located midway between St. Peter and North Mankato. Multi-use trails. co.nicollet. mn.us/349/Parks-Trails

Carleton College’s Cowling Arboretum, Many access points to the 800-acre area, just east and southeast of Carleton College (1 N. College St., Northfield), including off of MN-19 west, where parking is available. Access also at Second and Oak Streets, Northfield, and off of Wall Street Road. Free and open to the public; paved and natural trails; dogs on-leash only; bikes only in Upper Arboretum. Direct specific questions re: the Cowling Arboretum to carleton.edu/ arboretum/staff/contact/.

Caron Park, a Rice County park. Sixty-acre park three miles north of Nerstrand Big Woods State Park with a 1.5-mile bike and hiking trail; picnic shelters. Dogs on-leash only. ricecountymn.gov/facilities/facility/details/Caron-Park-5

Flandrau State Park, 1300 Summit Ave., New Ulm. Eight miles of hiking trails; cross-country ski and snowshoe trails (and rentals); camper cabins. Vehicle permits required. dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park. html?id=spk00145#homepage

Koester Prairie, MN DNR Wildlife Management Area. 13371 Lamb Ave., Rice County (about two miles southwest of Dennison). Roughly 600 acres of grasslands/ hardwood forest. Off-road parking on east side of Lamb Avenue along north boundary of wildlife area. Good place to hike, snowshoe, exercise dogs. dnr.state.mn.us/wmas/ detail_report.html?id=WMA0201501

Minneopa State Park, 54497 Gadwall Road, Mankato. Winter snowshoeing and hiking, plus drive-through bison range. Vehicle permits required. dnr.state.mn.us/state_ parks/park.html?id=spk00235#homepage

Mud Creek, MN DNR Wildlife Management Area. Approximately six miles northwest of Northfield on County Road 96. About 156 acres of restored native prairie, suitable for hiking/snowshoeing. dnr.state. mn.us/wmas/

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, 9700 170th St. East, Nerstrand. Though staffed only intermittently during the winter, the park’s trails are open. Hiking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling. Vehicle permits required. dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park. html?id=spk00241#homepage

Red Jacket Valley Park, 19950 Old Highway 66, Mankato. Blue Earth County park located 2.5 miles southwest of Mankato city limits. Access to Red Jacket Trail (6.3 mile trail https://www.traillink.com/trail/ red-jacket-trail/) and Red Jacket Trestle. blueearthcountymn.gov/facilities/facility/ details/Red-Jacket-Valley-Park-48

Sakatah Lake State Park, 50499 Sakatah Lake State Park Road, Waterville. Hiking and biking (with access to Sakatah State Trail). Vehicle permits required. dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park. html?id=spk00256#homepage

St. Olaf College’s Natural Lands, Several access points to the 430-acre area that includes forests, prairies and wetlands, located west and north of St. Olaf College (1520 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield). Free and open to the public; dogs on-leash only. Follow “St. Olaf Natural Lands” on Facebook or contact Natural Lands Manager Wes Braker at brakerw@stolaf.edu.

Whitetail Woods Regional Park, 17100 Station Trail, Farmington. Winter hiking, sledding, snowshoeing; cross country skiing with purchased pass. Camper cabins. Dogs on-leash only. 

Reach Regional Managing Editor Philip Weyhe at 507-931-8579 or follow him on Twitter @EditorPhilipWeyhe. © Copyright APG Media of Southern Minnesota. All rights reserved.

YOUR HEALTH | TECHNOLOGY

• Meeting your Health Goals

• Seasonal Illness

• Does tea have medicinal properties?

• How to Find Trustworthy Sources

• Hit the Gym – At Home

• What to know about seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

eeting your Health Goals

transformed aspect of including the track of wellness.

meal-planinnovations make it monitor and Whether you’re improve your here are harness techobjectives.

TRACKERS

SMARTWATCHES smartwatches new tools. monitor everyburned to Some modstress and walking certain numyou stay allow you moving if you’ve The data offer insights make your health.

Meeting your Health Goals

Technology has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, including the way we keep track of our health and wellness.

Meeting your Health Goals

Technology has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, including the way we keep track of our health and wellness. From fitness trackers to meal-planning apps, today’s innovations make it easier than ever to set, monitor and achieve health goals. Whether you’re aiming to lose weight, improve your mental health or stay active, here are just a few ways you can harness technology to meet your health objectives.

health goals.

FITNESS TRACKERS AND SMARTWATCHES

MEALAPPS diet is key to weight wellness. apps like Noom allow calorie macronutri-

Fitness trackers and smartwatches are among the most popular, new tools. These wearable devices monitor everything from steps and calories burned to heart rate and sleep quality. Some models even track oxygen levels, stress and other vital signs. Setting daily goals — like walking 10,000 steps or burning a certain number of calories — can help you stay accountable. Many trackers allow you to set reminders to get moving if you’ve been inactive for too long. The data these devices collect can offer insights into your habits,

grocery

From fitness trackers to meal-planning apps, today’s innovations make it easier than ever to set, monitor and achieve health goals. Whether you’re aiming to lose weight, improve your mental health or stay active, here are just a few ways you can harness technology to meet your health objectives.

FITNESS TRACKERS AND SMARTWATCHES

helping you make informed decisions about your health.

NUTRITION AND MEALPLANNING APPS

Fitness trackers and smartwatches are among the most popular, new tools. These wearable devices monitor everything from steps and calories burned to heart rate and sleep quality. Some models even track oxygen levels, stress and other vital signs.

Setting daily goals — like walking 10,000 steps or burning a certain number of calories — can help you stay accountable. Many trackers allow you to set reminders to get moving if you’ve been inactive for too long. The data these devices collect can offer insights into your habits, helping you make informed decisions about your health.

By providing real-time feedback, these apps help you make better food choices and stick to your nutritional plan. Many allow you to scan barcodes or search databases for accurate food information, making it easier to track what you’re eating.

NUTRITION

AND MEALPLANNING APPS

Maintaining a balanced diet is key to any health goal, whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or overall wellness.

TELEHEALTH SERVICES

Maintaining a balanced diet is key to any health goal, whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or overall wellness. Nutrition and meal-planning apps like MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, and Noom allow users to log their meals, track calorie intake and monitor their macronutrients. Some apps even offer personalized meal plans and grocery lists based on dietary preferences and health goals. By providing real-time feedback, these apps help you make better food choices and stick to your nutritional plan. Many allow you to scan barcodes or search databases for accurate food information, making it easier to track what you’re eating.

Gone are the days when you had to visit a doctor’s office for every health concern. Telehealth services have revolutionized the way we access healthcare, allowing anyone to consult with medical professionals from the

managing a chronic condition or seeking advice for a minor issue, virtual visits can help you stay on top of your health goals without the hassle of scheduling in-person appointments. In addition to video calls, many telehealth platforms offer secure messaging with health care providers, making it easy to ask questions or get prescription refills without delay.

Telehealth services have revolutionized the way we access healthcare, allowing anyone to consult with medical professionals from the comfort of their home. Whether you’re managing a chronic condition or seeking advice for a minor issue, virtual visits can help you stay on top of your health goals without the hassle of scheduling in-person appointments.

TELEHEALTH SERVICES

Nutrition and meal-planning apps like MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, and Noom allow users to log their meals, track calorie intake and monitor their macronutrients. Some apps even offer personalized meal plans and grocery lists based on dietary preferences and health goals. By providing real-time feedback, these apps help you make better food choices and stick to your nutritional plan. Many allow you to scan barcodes or search databases for accurate food information, making it easier to track what you’re eating.

TELEHEALTH SERVICES

managing a chronic condition or seeking advice for a minor issue, virtual visits can help you stay on top of your health goals without the hassle of scheduling in-person appointments.

exercises. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can improve your mental well-being and reduce stress.

In addition to video calls, many telehealth platforms offer secure messaging with health care providers, making it easy to ask questions or get prescription refills without delay.

In addition to video calls, many telehealth platforms offer secure messaging with health care providers, making it easy to ask questions or get prescription refills without delay.

MENTAL HEALTH APPS

Gone are the days when you had to visit a doctor’s office for every health concern. Telehealth services have revolutionized the way we access healthcare, allowing anyone to consult with medical professionals from the comfort of their home. Whether you’re

Gone are the days when you had to visit a doctor’s office for every health concern.

MENTAL HEALTH APPS

concerns. Apps like Calm, Headspace and Talkspace offer guided meditation, therapy sessions and mindfulness exercises. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can improve your mental well-being and reduce stress.

©

exercises. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can improve your mental well-being and reduce stress.

GOAL-SETTING PLATFORMS

GOAL-SETTING PLATFORMS

GOAL-SETTING PLATFORMS

MENTAL HEALTH APPS

Numerous apps can help manage stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns. Apps like Calm, Headspace and Talkspace offer guided meditation, therapy sessions and mindfulness

Numerous apps can help manage stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns. Apps like Calm, Headspace and Talkspace offer guided meditation,

Numerous apps can help manage stress, anxiety and other mental health

Many fitness and wellness apps come with built-in communities and goal-setting features that allow users connect with others who share similar objectives. Platforms like Strava, for example, let users track their workouts while interacting with others, creating a sense of community and competition. You can join challenges, share progress and encourage others, fostering moti vation and accountability.

Many fitness and wellness apps come with built-in communities and goalsetting features that allow users to connect with others who share similar objectives. Platforms like Strava, for example, let users track their workouts while interacting with others, creating a sense of community and competition. You can join challenges, share progress and encourage others, fostering motivation and accountability.

Many fitness and wellness apps come with built-in communities and goal-setting features that allow users to connect with others who share similar objectives. Platforms like Strava, for example, let users track their workouts while interacting with others, creating a sense of community and competition. You can join challenges, share progress and encourage others, fostering moti-

YOUR HEALTH | TECHNOLOGY

Living Well Integrating Rehabiliation Therapy Into Your Life Presents

The River’s Edge Hospital Rehabilitation Department is hosting a monthly education series starting in January 2025. These sessions are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. at River’s Edge Hospital in the Helen White Conference Rooms. Each session has a specific focus and will be led by one of the River’s Edge Rehabilitation Department therapists. These are free to attend! Mark your calendars now with these dates:

January 8 - Happy Feet

February 12 - Driving Evaluations

March 12 - Concussion Therapy

April 9 - 10 First signs of Parkinsons

May 14 - Pelvic Health Therapy

May 28 - How to Progress After Therapy

June 11 - Lymphedema Therapy

July 9 - Durable Medical Equipment & Powered Mobility

July 30 - Aging in Place

August 13 - Return to Sport & Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

September 10 - TMD (TMJ) Therapy

October 8 - Arthritis Pain - From Your Hands to Your Toes

November 12 - Why am I Dizzy

Presented by Kathy Braaten, DPT

Presented by Mikayla Vogel, OTR-L

Presented by Sam Macor, DPT

Presented by Deb Mattson, PT

Presented by Amanda Dietz, DPT

Presented by Therapy Department and Live Well Fitness Center Staff

Presented by Nicole Chilman, DPT

Presented by Mikayla Vogel, OTR-L

Presented by REH Therapy Staff

Presented by Dustin Koehnen, DPT

Presented by Amanda Dungan, DPT

Presented by Kaitlyn Koester, DPT and Mikayla Vogel, OTR-L

Presented by Sam Macor, DPT

December 10 - Speech & Swallow TherapyKim Schanbacher, Speech Therapist

Winter Wellness

their own. Rest, drink fluids and use cough suppressants or inhalers if recommended by your doctor. If symptoms persist or worsen, seek medical advice.

cough with mucus that persists for at least three months in a year, often seen in smokers.

Does tea have medicinal properties?

What to do: Chronic bronchitis requires medical management. Quitting smoking and using prescribed inhalers or bronchodilators can help manage symptoms.

The common cold can strike at any time of year, but most people likely associate colds with winter. Colds tend to spread more easily in winter, when people typically spend more time indoors with windows closed, thus making it easier for colds and other viruses to spread.

PNEUMONIA

Symptoms: High fever, cough with mucus, sharp chest pain, and difficulty breathing.

Many people have their own remedies when it comes to treating colds, and those strategies may include a daily glass of tea. Tea has been a beloved beverage for quite some time. According to the UK Tea & Infusions Association, tea can be traced all the way back to 2737 B.C. in China. As the legend has it, Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree when some leaves blew into some boiled drinking water his servant had been preparing for him. The emperor tried the concoction and the rest is history.

Seasonal Illness

if prescribed by a doctor. If you are in a high-risk group — such as older adults, young children or those with underlying health conditions — seek medical attention for more severe symptoms or complications.

feedback, food nutritional barcodes food track SERVICES had to health have revoconsult the you’re

As winter approaches, respiratory illnesses become more common.

managing a chronic condition or seeking advice for a minor issue, virtual visits can help you stay on top of your health goals without the hassle of scheduling in-person appointments.

Experts from John Hopkins Medicine explains that because people are indoors more, they spread viruses and cold, dry air can weaken resistance.

exercises. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can improve your mental well-being and reduce stress.

medical attention for more severe symptoms or complications.

you suspect COVID-19. Isolate for the recommended period, rest and monitor symptoms. Seek immediate medical help if you experience difficulty breathing or chest pain.

COVID-19

In addition to video calls, many telehealth platforms offer secure messaging with health care providers, making it easy to ask questions or get prescription refills without delay.

GOAL-SETTING PLATFORMS

COVID-19

Symptoms: Similar to the flu but may also include loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal issues. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

With the overlapping symptoms of various conditions, it can be difficult to tell them apart. John Hopkins lists several common winter respiratory concerns — the common cold, flu, COVID-19, RSV, acute and chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, and whooping cough. Here are some cues for recognizing them and taking steps to recover.

What to do: Get tested if

RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV)

MENTAL HEALTH APPS

Numerous apps can help manage stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns. Apps like Calm, Headspace and Talkspace offer guided meditation, therapy sessions and mindfulness

COMMON COLD

Symptoms: Sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat and mild cough. Fever is rare.

What to do: Rest, stay hydrated and use over-the counter (OTC) cold medications to ease symptoms. Colds typically last 7-10 days and don’t require medical attention unless symptoms worsen.

INFLUENZA (FLU)

Symptoms: Sudden onset of fever, body aches, chills, fatigue, sore throat and dry cough. Flu can lead to serious complications like pneumonia. What to do: Rest, hydrate, and take antiviral medication if prescribed by a doctor. If you are in a high-risk group — such as older adults, young children or those with underlying health conditions — seek

Symptoms: Similar to the flu but may also include loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal issues. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. What to do: Get tested if you suspect COVID-19. Isolate for the recommended period, rest and monitor symptoms. Seek immediate medical help if you experience difficulty breathing or chest pain.

Symptoms: RSV presents with cold-like symptoms in adults but can cause severe respiratory distress in infants, young children and older adults. Symptoms include runny nose, cough, wheezing and fever.

RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV)

Symptoms: RSV presents with cold-like symptoms in adults but can cause severe respiratory distress in infants, young children and older adults. Symptoms include runny nose, cough, wheezing and fever. What to do: Mild cases resolve with rest and fluids, but more severe cases, particularly in children, may require hospitalization. Contact a health care provider if breathing difficulties arise.

ACUTE BRONCHITIS

Symptoms: Often starts with a cold or flu, then develops into a persistent cough with mucus production. Chest discomfort and mild shortness of breath may occur.

What to do: Most cases of acute bronchitis resolve on their own. Rest,

drink fluids and use cough suppressants or inhalers if recommended by your doctor. If symptoms persist or worsen, seek medical advice.

What to do: Mild cases resolve with rest and fluids, but more severe cases, particularly in children, may require hospitalization. Contact a health care provider if breathing difficulties arise.

CHRONIC BRONCHITIS

ACUTE

BRONCHITIS

Symptoms: Long-lasting cough with mucus that persists for at least three months in a year, often seen in smokers.

Symptoms: Often starts with a cold or flu, then develops into a persistent cough with mucus production. Chest discomfort and mild shortness of breath may occur.

What to do: Chronic bronchitis requires medical management. Quitting smoking and using prescribed inhalers or bronchodilators can help manage symptoms.

What to do: Most cases of acute bronchitis resolve on

Many fitness and wellness apps come with built-in communities and goal-setting features that allow users to connect with others who share similar objectives. Platforms like Strava, for example, let users track their workouts while interacting with others, creating a sense of community and competition. You can join challenges, share progress and encourage others, fostering motivation and accountability.

PNEUMONIA

Symptoms: High fever, cough with mucus, sharp chest pain, and difficulty breathing.

What to do: Pneumonia can be life-threatening, especially for older adults or those with weakened immune systems. Seek medical attention promptly. Treatment typically includes antibiotics or antiviral medications, rest and fluids.

WHOOPING COUGH (PERTUSSIS)

Symptoms: Severe, prolonged coughing fits followed by a “whoop” sound, especially in children. It often starts with cold-like symptoms. What to do: Whooping cough requires medical treatment. Antibiotics can help shorten the contagious period. Vaccination is key for prevention.

Since tea was first (accidentally) consumed, it has become an integral part of many people’s daily lives. That’s even more so when people feel a little under the weather, which might prompt some to wonder if tea actually boasts any medicinal properties or if it’s all just legend. According to Penn Medicine, various types of tea do, in fact, provide some notable health benefits.

White tea

What to do: Pneumonia can be life-threatening, especially for older adults or those with weakened immune systems. Seek medical attention promptly. Treatment typically includes antibiotics or antiviral medications, rest and fluids.

WHOOPING COUGH (PERTUSSIS)

A comparative study published in the Journal of Food Science in 2010 found that white tea might be the most effective cancer-fighting tea thanks to its robust antioxidant content. Penn Medicine also notes white tea is a source of fluoride, catechins and tannins, which means it could help to strengthen teeth and fight plaque.

Herbal tea

Symptoms: Severe, prolonged coughing fits followed by a “whoop” sound, especially in children. It often starts with cold-like symptoms.

What to do: Whooping cough requires medical treatment. Antibiotics can help shorten the contagious period. Vaccination is key for prevention.

Harvard Medical School notes the curious distinction that herbal teas are not technically tea, as they typically lack the leaves or leaf buds of tea plants. Herbal teas are in fact made from tisanes, which are blends or infusions of dried fruits, flowers, spices, or herbs. Harvard Medical School advises speaking with a physician prior to drinking herbal teas, as they can cause problems among individuals with certain medical conditions. If a doctor gives the green light for herbal teas, people may be happy to learn that they’ve been linked to a host of health benefits, including improved sleep, reduced stress and lower blood pressure, among others.

Green tea

Penn Medicine notes that green tea is high in flavonoids, which are a type of metabolite found in plants. Flavonoids have been linked to improved heart health because they can help to lower levels of bad cholesterol and reduce blood clotting. In addition, a 2014 study published in the European Journal of Nutrition concluded that green tea and its catechins can help to improve blood pressure.

Should certain teas be avoided?

Though white tea, herbal tea, green tea, and other forms of the popular beverage have been linked to various health benefits, Penn Medicine notes other types of tea are best avoided. For example, detox teas, which Penn Medicine notes are often laced with laxatives, can be harmful to overall health. Bubble teas also tend to be high in sugar and calories. In general, it’s best to discuss tea with a physician before making it a part of your daily routine.

Tea can provide a host of health benefits, and individuals are urged to discuss those properties with a physician as they look to turn over a healthier leaf.

© ADOBE STOCK

chronic condition or seeka minor issue, virtual help you stay on top of your without the hassle of in-person appointments. to video calls, many teleplatforms offer secure with health care providers, easy to ask questions or get refills without delay.

How to Find

IDENTIFYING TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES

Winter Wellness

the author’s credentials. Are they a licensed health care professional or an expert in

and guidelines can change over time. Outdated information may no longer be relevant or accurate, especially as new research and treatments emerge.

The National Library of Medicine offers a free tutorial on evaluating online health information at medlineplus. gov/webeval/EvaluatingInternetHealthInformationTutorial. pdf

CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL

Trustworthy Sources

When evaluating health information, consider the source. Reputable health organizations, government websites and peer-reviewed journals are typically the most reliable. Websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World

Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offer evidence-based information that experts in the field regularly update.

In the digital age, health information is more accessible than ever before. A quick internet search can yield thousands of results on any health topic, from common cold remedies to complex medical treatments.

GOAL-SETTING PLATFORMS

Medical professionals and academic institutions are credible sources. Websites affiliated with hospitals, universities or healthcare providers often feature articles

written or reviewed by doctors, specialists or researchers. Look for information that cites studies published in reputable medical journals, such as “The New England Journal of Medicine” or “The Lancet.”

Finally, while online research can provide helpful background information, it’s no substitute for professional medical advice.

MENTAL HEALTH APPS

However, not all health information online is reliable, and distinguishing between credible sources and misinformation can help you make informed decisions about your health. “Doctor Google” is not as reliable as an actual human doctor.

apps can help manage anxiety and other mental health Apps like Calm, Headspace Talkspace offer guided meditation, sessions and mindfulness

DANGERS OF MISINFORMATION

The sheer volume of health-related content on the internet can be overwhelming, and unfortunately, much of it is misleading or outright false. Inaccurate health information can lead to harmful self-diagnosis, improper treatment and increased anxiety. For instance, relying on unverified sources for serious conditions like heart disease or cancer could delay necessary medical intervention.

Misinformation is especially dangerous during public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, when false claims about treatments or vaccines spread quickly. The rise of social media has exacerbated this issue, as posts and videos promoting unproven remedies or conspiracy theories often gain wide circulation.

IDENTIFYING

TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES

When evaluating health information, consider the source. Reputable health organizations, government websites and peer-reviewed journals are typically the most reliable. Websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offer evidence-based information that experts in the field regularly update. Medical professionals and academic

institutions are credible sources. Websites affiliated with hospitals, universities or healthcare providers often feature articles written or reviewed by doctors, specialists or researchers. Look for information that cites studies published in reputable medical journals, such as “The New England Journal of Medicine” or “The Lancet.”

EVALUATING ONLINE HEALTH INFORMATION

When reading health information online, always check

EVALUATING ONLINE HEALTH INFORMATION

Many fitness and wellness apps come with built-in communities and goal-setting features that allow users to connect with others who share similar objectives. Platforms like Strava, for example, let users track their workouts while interacting with others, creating a sense of community and competition. You can join challenges, share progress and encourage others, fostering motivation and accountability.

When reading health information online, always check the author’s credentials. Are they a licensed health care professional or an expert in the field? Be cautious of websites that lack transparency about their authors or do not clearly explain their qualifications.

Pay attention to tone and language. Trustworthy sources rely on facts and evidence, not fearmongering or sensational claims. If a website promises quick fixes, miracle cures or has a commercial interest in selling a product, it’s best to approach the information with skepticism. Check the publication date, as health recommendations and guidelines can change over time. Outdated information may no longer be relevant or accurate, especially as new research and treatments emerge.

The National Library of Medicine offers a free tutorial on evaluating online health information at medlineplus. gov/webeval/ EvaluatingInternetHealthInformationTutorial.pdf

CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL

Finally, while online research can provide helpful background information, it’s no substitute for professional medical advice.

Always consult with a health care provider before making decisions about your health, particularly when it comes to diagnosing conditions or starting new treatments.

Always consult with a health care provider before making decisions about your health, particularly when it comes to diagnosing conditions or starting new treatments.

Winter Wellness

Hit the Gym — At Home

can increase blood flow and warm your muscles while building strength. In fact, the American College of Physicians recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for things like lower back pain and it can also ease arthritis symptoms. The calming exercise can also increase your mental and physical energy, giving you a boost in alertness and lowering your stress.

PILATES

Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 1900s by Joseph Pilates. It uses controlled movements to improve flexibility, build strength and help you develop control and endurance. It puts an emphasis on core muscles in the abdomen, low back and hips. It focuses on muscle tone, not building muscle, the Cleveland Clinic said, and while it does sometimes need special equipment, it can be done easily on a mat or blanket.

HIIT

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. That’s a kind of workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and short-term rest or lower-intensity activity. The YMCA says HIIT workouts are intense but efficient, and that research has shown a 15-minute interval circuit can give you a better workout than jogging on a treadmill for an hour. The high-intensity part of the exercise can include running, biking, jump roping or rowing, high knees, jumping jacks or skipping rope. Anything that gets your heart rate up fast.

and while it does someneed special equipit can be done easily on or blanket.

feedback, food nutritional barcodes food track SERVICES had to health have revoconsult the you’re

Some days, the weather may be too frightful to get out and work out. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to lay on the couch and sip cocoa.

managing a chronic condition or seeking advice for a minor issue, virtual visits can help you stay on top of your health goals without the hassle of scheduling in-person appointments.

HIIT stands for high-intensiinterval training. That’s a workout that alternates

Here are some new fitness routines you can try out in the comfort of your own home.

between intense bursts of activity and short-term rest or lower-intensity activity. The YMCA says HIIT workouts are intense but efficient, and that research has shown a 15-minute interval circuit can give you a better workout than jogging on a treadmill for an hour. The

In addition to video calls, many telehealth platforms offer secure messaging with health care providers, making it easy to ask questions or get prescription refills without delay.

MENTAL HEALTH APPS

high-intensity part of the exercise can include running, biking, jump roping or rowing, high knees, jumping jacks or skipping rope. Anything that gets your heart rate up fast.

YOGA

exercises. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can improve your mental well-being and reduce stress.

Yoga is an exercise routine that can improve balance, strength and flexibility, Johns Hopkins says. The slow movements and deep breathing done during each pose

GOAL-SETTING PLATFORMS

One thing all these routines have in common is that they’re bodyweight exercises, meaning

Numerous apps can help manage stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns. Apps like Calm, Headspace and Talkspace offer guided meditation, therapy sessions and mindfulness

Many fitness and wellness apps come with built-in communities and goal-setting features that allow users to connect with others who share similar objectives. Platforms like Strava, for example, let users track their workouts while interacting with others, creating a sense of community and competition. You can join challenges, share progress and encourage others, fostering motivation and accountability.

One thing all these routines have in common is that they’re bodyweight exercises, meaning they use your body’s own weight instead of specialized equipment such as dumbbells and kettlebells. But you can use bodyweight exercises to workout nearly every part of your body to get ready for warmer weather and keep your fitness up during the short, gray days.

they use your body’s own weight instead of specialized equipment such as dumbbells and kettlebells. But you can use bodyweight exercises to workout nearly every part of your body to get ready for warmer weather and keep your fitness up during the short, gray days.

individuals’ mood and behavior changes when the seasons change. The NIMH notes SAD is sometimes referred to as the “winter blues.”

Is SAD exclusive to winter?

Though SAD can affect people at any time of year, the NIMH reports that most cases of SAD start to affect people in late fall or early winter before symptoms begin to subside during the spring and summer. Johns Hopkins Medicine notes researchers believe the shorter days and thus fewer hours of daylight that occur each winter set off a chemical change in the brain that leads to a person experiencing symptoms of depression.

What to know about seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

There’s much to look forward to when winter begins. Outdoor enthusiasts may relish a return to the slopes to ski or snowboard each winter, while others praise the crisp fresh air and lack of insects as more conducive to activities like hiking.

Winter indeed has plenty to offer, but some people find that less daylight has an adverse effect on their mood. The

National Institutes of Mental Health notes that shifts in mood and behavior that align with changes in the seasons could be indicative of seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD.

What is SAD?

Johns Hopkins Medicine characterizes SAD as a form of depression in which

What are the symptoms of SAD?

The NIMH points out that, since SAD is a type of depression, symptoms of the condition include those associated with depression. Such symptoms include:

• A persistent sad, anxious or “empty” mood most of the day. This occurs every day for at least two weeks.

• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

•Feelings of irritability, frustration or restlessness

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness

• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities

• Loss of energy or feelings of fatigue. Some also feel as if they have slowed down.

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions

• Changes in sleep or appetite or unplanned weight changes

• Physical aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that have no explanation and do not subside even after treatment

• Suicidal thoughts or attempts or thoughts about death

It’s important to note that the above are symptoms of depression that people with SAD may experience. Additional symptoms of winter-pattern SAD include:

• Hypersomnia, or oversleeping

• Overeating that leads to weight gain. The NIMH notes people with SAD may have a particular craving for carbohydrates.

• Social withdrawal

How is SAD treated?

People who suspect they have SAD are urged to speak with their physicians. Various treatments, including light therapy, psychotherapy or antidepressant medications, can help to treat SAD. Individuals may also be prescribed vitamin D supplements.

Can I prevent SAD?

The NIMH notes that since SAD is tied to seasonal changes, people can take steps in an effort to prevent it. Starting treatments prior to a change in seasons may help.

Many people experience difficulty when fall transitions to winter, and such troubles may be attributable to SAD. More information about SAD is available at www.nimh.nih.gov.

ADOBE STOCK

Rants & RAVES

Wishing for a new year

I’m focusing on having more fun in 2025. You know, like we did when we were kids. After the year we all just survived, I think we should really concentrate on more carefree behavior and playful enjoyment.

Why is it that kids get to have all the fun? They wear fabulous combinations of patterns and colors and usually top it all off with a cape or a cowboy hat. What’s with adults all wearing black and worrying about standing out in a crowd?! What would the neighbors think if we put out the recycling in our Wonder Woman pj’s and a tiara? When exactly did it happen? When did we forget about color and whimsy and start being responsible and monochromatic?

One of my earliest memories is the from kindergarten. My Mom used an old prom dress of hers to make me a fuchsia, floor-length princess dress with a matching cone hat. I have never felt more majestic! I walked on clouds the entire day! It wasn’t even for a special event. It was just an outfit I was excited to show off to my pals. What a blast it would be to walk into work like that as an adult!

I wanna have a fancy dinner party and not let anyone use silverware. I wanna skinny dip without giving it a second thought. I wanna paint each of my nails a different color and wear leopard print as the base for all my clothing choices. Life gets serious as you hit those higher numbers. Suddenly, health becomes a huge part of your day-to-day conversation. I wanna talk about games of Hide-N-Seek with my neighborhood posse and do paint-by-number canvases with my girlfriends. I wanna go to bed exhausted because I spent a long day at the beach trying to bury a family member in the sand.

There has to be a way to balance this grownup stuff with some daily levity. I mean, I think we all still have those childlike tenden-

cies shoved way down deep somewhere. Why not make this fresh year the one where we bring out all the weird and proudly wave our flag announcing our renewed approach to life!

It’s kinda like that book, “When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple.” Well, I’m not willing to wait and I’m certainly not joining that group that makes you wear a red hat and take organized bus trips. I’m talking about each and every day thinking about how you could make things more joyful. Finding ways to bring back that magic we had as kids!

I hope this updated youthful lifestyle will include some excessive hugging and squealing like a porpoise when you run into a friend on the street. Remember doing that as a young gal? And guys, let’s bring back the chest bump and high-fiving as our standard office greeting. Ditch the handshakes and go back to when you used to shout/ howl/woof at your buddy from across the gym when you saw him at school.

Each morning at the office or via the Zoom meeting, we could start with a personal pledge. Something like…

commenting on someone’s haircut. I will start a mandatory-pajamas-all-day event for my family. I will ask my friends if they wanna schedule a play date to sleep over and make blanket forts. I will prioritize spending some time on a playground swing each month. I will keep a

I, Mary Patricia Closner, vow to smile at strangers and skip instead of walk when given the opportunity. I will tell everyone I meet how much I care for them. I will randomly embrace strangers and compliment their color choices. I will substitute the word “fantastic” instead of “interesting” when

64-pack of crayons with me at all times. I’m looking forward to my new perspective and what adventures it might bring in 2025! Join me and let’s see if we can’t start a trend with some unbridled joy to lighten our world a little bit! 

Through a SOMINN LENS AUDREY

KLETSCHER

Audrey Kletscher Helbling of Faribault captures people, places and events via her detail-rich writing and photography. Find more of her work at mnprairieroots.com. She also writes award-winning poetry, short stories and creative nonfiction.

OCTOBER: Sara Caron earned first place for her

NOVEMBER: In Cosmos, you’ll find a spacethemed water tower, space-themed street names and the annual Cosmos Space Festival, next set for July 17-20, 2025.

The arts, a year in review through my camera lens

Art fills our lives. That’s evident for me personally when I review, month by month, the photos I’ve taken in 2024. My photo files brim with art, from visual to literary to performing. Choosing some to showcase here proved challenging.

The arts are everywhere. From a neon sign on the wall of a bar, to graffiti on a boxcar, to soda and seltzer water boxes stacked in a festive holiday display inside a local grocery store, art can be found in expected and unexpected places.

A mannequin in a thrift shop. A stack of puzzles. Tie dyed t-shirts displayed on a fence. I view them as art. Galler y shows, an art festival, a theatrical performance, a walk along the river all exposed me to art that fed my soul, uplifted me, brought me joy. Jolts of color. Sunshine. Scenes from nature.

Of all the art I experienced in 2024, one stands out for its uniqueness. That was unicyclists from around the world performing choreographed routines at the international unicycling convention held in Bemidji in July. These were both talented athletes and graceful dancers who wheeled around the Bemidji State University gymnasium in mesmerizing performances. To have attended Unicon 21 with my 31-year-old son, a non-competitive unicyclist, connected me to an art form unfamiliar to me.

And then there’s the literary art spotted on a sign outside Kenyon Meats — an attempt at poetry which made me, a poet, laugh. And in the south central Minnesota town of Cosmos, a cosmic scene painted on the underside of the water tower reminded me of my space-loving 5-year-old grandson. Art truly exists ever ywhere. It surrounds us, surprises us, delights us. In 2025, may you see and experience art with a deep appreciation for the endless ways the arts connect us and enrich our lives 

MAY: Painting a mural designed by Stephen McKenzie at the Straight River Arts Festival, Faribault.
MAY: Community members of all ages painted a mural created by Stephen McKenzie for the Straight River Arts Festival in Faribault. A steamrolled print of the mural now hangs in the Bachrach building in downtown Faribault.
“Roach Motel” in a Halloween Group Art Show at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault.
MARCH: An artsy mannequin inside Closet Sale, a Faribault thrift shop which has permanently closed.
MARCH: Artist Patsy Dew used press board, paper and photographic prints to create art inspired by the poem “Last September.” Her piece was part of “Echoes & Shadows,” a poet-artist collaboration at FiftyNorth, Northfield.
APRIL: Mercado Local, 108 Fifth St. E., Northfield, features an eclectic mix of merchandise in a marketplace for immigrant vendors. It is also the home base of Rice County Neighbors United. The shop occasionally hosts events like poetry readings and art exhibits.
JUNE: Boxcar art near the Straight River Trail in northern Faribault.
JUNE: Painted wings are scattered throughout Montgomery as part of the community’s “Wing Walk.” These wings are on Franke’s Bakery in the heart of downtown.
JULY: A section of spectators at Unicon 21 painted their arms in bright colors.
AUGUST: A rock art snake was added this past summer to the Rice County Master Gardeners’ Teaching Gardens, Faribault.
SEPTEMBER: Humorous poetry banners a sign outside Kenyon Meats.
DECEMBER: Cases of pop and seltzer water form a holiday scene inside Fareway Foods, Faribault.

JUNE: Appropriately floral-themed wings grace Posy Floral & Gifts in Montgomery’s “Wing Walk” mural collection.

JANUARY: This ice fishing beer art signage at the R Bar in Randolph is decidedly

FEBRUARY: Puzzles are art. That includes “Minnesota Spirit,” center of the stack. It features Minnesota icons like the Jolly Green Giant, Paul Bunyan and the Pequot Lakes’ bobber water tower. The artist of this Something’s Amiss! Puzzle Twist puzzle is Nancy Patrick Carney.

JUNE: “Creatures & Features of the Cannon River,” this one highlighting butterflies and plants native to the river area, are featured on barricades surrounding Bridge Square in Northfield. This is part of the “Meet Me at the River” art project.

Minnesotan.
MAY: Alyssa Laws of LoopedbyLaws Dots Division vended her art at the Straight River Arts Festival in Faribault in May.
LEFT - JULY: The UniCircle Flow 3 team from Japan twirls on unicycles at Unicon 21 in Bemidji. CENTER - JULY: All the way from Japan, this unicyclist performed with UniCircle Flow 3. RIGHT - JULY: Unicyclists from Germany wheel their way through a choreographed routine during Unicon 21.
SEPTEMBER: Northfield artist Rebecca Stull, with daughter Lily, sold her tie dyed shirts off a fence outside her Northfield apartment.

What to WATCH

10 best films of 2024

We knew from the outset that 2024 would be a weird movie year. The SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023 shut down Hollywood for months, postponing the production and delaying the release of several film projects. The first half of this year, in particular, was plagued by a lot of bad movies (think Argylle or Madame Web), few good movies, and even fewer tentpoles.

2024 feels especially anemic when compared to 2023, which was a banner year defined by the summer blockbuster one-two-punch of Oppenheimer and Barbie, critical darlings like Killers of the Flower Moon and Anatomy of a Fall, and fun sequels like Scream VI and Creed III.

No, this year was not all cinematic doom and gloom. Inside Out 2 rescued the box office in June, amassing over $1.6 billion (making it both the highest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing animated film of all time). Small indie and mid-budget films had space to shine. And true works of art began to emerge throughout the fall and early winter.

Which makes crafting a year-end top ten list a little tricky. Though technically released this year, film festival favorites and serious Oscar contenders like The Brutalist and Sept. 5 and Nickel Boys and The Life of Chuck have only been seen by a few lucky critics and journalists. The rest of us will have to wait until the end of December or early next year.

A Complete Unknown (the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet) and Babygirl (the Nicole Kidman erotic thriller) – two hotly anticipated entries on my watchlist – will not be released until Christmas (which is long after the deadline for this piece).

And while I was charmed by Wicked: Part One and exhilarated by Rebel Ridge and wowed by Dune: Part Two and moved by We Live In Time, none of these films quite made the cut.

Here are the ten that did, the films that truly stuck with me over these past 12 months:

10. TRAP: M. Night Shyamalan is famous for high-concept thrillers that are by turns silly and absurd, entertaining and chilling. Trap – the story of a father and serial killer

(Josh Hartnett) who finds crafty ways to evade police while trapped at a pop concert with his teen daughter – is classic Shyamalan, for better and for worse. Is the dialogue clunky? Yes. Is the plot preposterous? Absolutely. Is it a helluva good time? You bet. So, while Trap may not match the greatness of Shyamalan’s masterpieces (The Sixth Sense) or the ambitions of his misunderstood gems (i.e. Signs), it’s an irresistibly fun cat-and-mouse game with a devilishly great Harnett at its center.

-Streaming on Max

9. HIT MAN: Do not dismiss this as “just another straight-to-Netflix movie.” Co-written and directed by Richard Linklater (one of the best in the game), Hit Man is a smart and sexy crime caper about the malleability of identity. It also features Glen Powell in funny, free-flowing movie star mode.

-Streaming on Netflix

8. LONGLEGS: I reviewed this film in these pages back in September, and I stand by my thesis: Longlegs is the best serial killer thriller in years. Writer-director Osgood Perkins crafts an artful love letter to some his (and my) favorite films – The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, The Shining, Zodiac – with this twisty, macabre, and darkly-humorous police procedural about a rookie cop hot on the heels of a makeup-caked killer. Longlegs burrowed into my psyche three months ago and now lingers there, rent free.

-Available to rent on all major platforms

7. TWISTERS: Finally – throwbacky, popcorn entertainment with no superheroes. While I still slightly prefer the hominess and

practical effects of 1996’s Twister, this sortasequel works as a true summer blockbuster on every level thanks to a rip-roaring story by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, humane and technically-brilliant filmmaking by Lee Isaac Chung, two exciting young movie stars (Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones), and a script that pays careful homage to its predecessor. Right when executive producer Steven Spielberg’s “Amblin Entertainment” logo flashed on the screen, I felt like a giddy 90s kid settling in for multiplex magic.

-Streaming on Peacock

6. HIS THREE DAUGHTERS: Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne give raw, honest, Oscar-worthy performances as three estranged sisters who reunite in their small childhood apartment to take care of their dying father. This intimate chamber piece confronts grief and familial disconnection with wit, sincerity, and grace. His Three Daughters is a quiet revelation.

-Streaming on Netflix

5. ANORA: Indie writer/director Sean Baker is arguably our greatest cinematic chronicler of marginalized lives. With Anora, he introduces us to a young exotic dancer who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch. This debauched and doomed Cinderella story is essentially Pretty Woman put through a grimy and frenetic, Uncut Gems filter. It’s a screwball comedy dashed with danger, it’s brimming with ideas, and it’s some of the most vibrant and fully-realized filmmaking of 2024. Mikey Madison is a firecracker as the title character and we will almost certainly hear her name called on Oscar night.

-Currently in theaters

4. CONCLAVE: Though based on an airport novel, I did not expect a film about a bunch of Catholic cardinals convening to select a new pope to be such a crowd-pleasing, oldschool thriller. For my money, Conclave is the best film about electoral politics in at least a decade. As these flawed men of faith wrangle over the future of the Catholic Church, they engage in the same speechmaking, grifting, backroom dealing, and coalition building that we see in our own politics. There are twists, there are turns, and there’s a surprise ending sure to generate conversation. It’s also impeccably crafted. Edward Berger’s stately direction and an accomplished fleet of actors (Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow,

Isabella Rossellini) elevate this material beyond mere pulp.

-Currently available to rent on all major platforms

3. A REAL PAIN: As an only child, cousins were my first friends and my sibling stand-ins. A Real Pain – perhaps the greatest cousin movie ever made – fully understands this unique bond. Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play cousins who embark on a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother and learn more about their family history. It’s a deeplyfelt and spiritual journey of remembrance, reconnection, and self-discovery. I laughed, I cried, and I left the theater wanting to wrap a few of my cousins in a big bear hug. Give Culkin his Oscar now.

-Currently in theaters

2. JUROR #2: It’s no secret to regular readers of this column that I love 90s cinema and reserve a special place in my heart for courtroom dramas (think A Few Good Men or Philadelphia). So, when the news broke that Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood was directing a mid-budget courtroom saga with a bunch of beloved character actors (Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, JK Simmons, etc.), I felt seen. More 1994 than 2024 in the best way, Juror #2 takes a knockout elevator pitch (what if one of the jurors on a murder trial was maybe the actual culprit?) and delivers a nuanced character study about the morally ambiguous nature of justice and the limits of the American legal system.

-Streaming on Max

1. CHALLENGERS: Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino is preoccupied with power dynamics and the complexities of human intimacy. Call Me By Your Name and A Bigger Splash – two of his best-known films – explored the dark side of desire amid the sun-dappled vistas of rural Italy. With Challengers – his most crowd-pleasing work yet – Guadagnino brings the psychodrama stateside as we find tennis prodigy, Tashi (Zendaya), at the center of a messy love triangle with two fellow tennis players – best friends turned enemies, Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’ Connor). Like the promiscuous and coked-out cousin of Broadcast News, this film is many things at once: a trenchant and gripping adult drama, a sweaty erotic thriller with some not-so-subtle shades of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and an epically-shot sports movie. It’s truly bizarre, and it’s still my favorite movie of 2024. Game, set, match.

-Streaming on Amazon Prime and MGM+ 

Kyle Hoffman is a writer,

SOUTHERN MINN

FRIDAY, DEC 27

Gary Van Whalen - Owatonna-- 6-8 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 111 N Walnut Ave, Owatonna. Gary Ebnet & Colin Whalen, the best of both worlds on one small stage.

Matthew Aitch - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. This chapter for Matthew Aitch brings songs of lessons learned, songs of love & compassion, and songs of beautiful places.

Ben Scruggs - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. Folk/blues/ Americana singer songwriter from Mankato.

Trent Shaw

Acoustic - Kasota-- 6-9 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. Trent Shaw is a professional musician who has toured around Minnesota for over 20 years. He attended Normandale and Augsburg college with a degree in Music Education.

Trent has taught guitar, piano, bass, and drums with Chaska Music Studios since 1997. He enjoys traveling, biking, and baking pies.

Songwriters in the Round - Northfield-7-9:30 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. Come enjoy a variety of local artists showcasing their original work, and sharing stories of how those songs came to be.

SATURDAY, DEC 28

Puzzle Contest - Le Sueur County-- 2-4 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. You and any-sized team! All-ages welcome, but each team must have someone 21+. Winner gets a prize. Get cost and more info and sign up by emailing nextchapterwinery@gmail.com

GTX - Janesville-- 5:30-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Performing old and new hits.

Tony Rook Band - Northfield-- 6-9 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street South Unit 2. “Thoughtful arrangements serve the songs and allow the players to add nice touches. This is fine bluegrass music rooted in tradition, but with a contemporary feel.” Backed by a band with awesome chemistry, Tony Rook’s considerable skills as a singer, picker, and songwriter shine through.

Do you want to submit an event to this calendar?

Send details to editor@southernminnscene.com

Buffalo Alice - Kasota-- 8 p.m.-12 a.m., The Blue Moon Bar & Grill, 300 S. Webster St., Kasota. A unique blend of classic rock and country in threepart harmony.

SUNDAY, DEC 29

Cat Stevens Tribute by Mark Joseph - St. Peter-- 4-7 p.m., Mark Joseph returns to Patrick’s with a special performance of Cat Stevens’ incredible album “Tea For The Tillerman” in its entirety.

TUESDAY, DEC 31

Noon Year’s Eve Party - Owatonna-- 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Owatonna Eagles 1791, 141 E. Rose St., Owatonna. A great day of fun to celebrate the new year without having to stay up late. Bryce Leppert playing music. Wine/booze/centerpiece pull. Prime rib raffle.

Noon Year’s Eve - Faribault-- 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Buckham Memorial Library, 11 Division St. E, Faribault. Countdown to noon at the Noon Year’s Eve dance party for toddlers and preschoolers and their adult caregivers. Older siblings welcome. Dance to your favorite kid-friendly music and countdown to noon on New Year’s Eve. The group ring in the new year at noon with an apple juice toast.

New Year’s Eve Bowling - Owatonna-- 11-12 a.m., Spare Time Entertainment, 333 18th St SE, Owatonna. Celebrate the new year with open

p.m.-12 a.m.,

Got an event you want to submit to this calendar?

Send details to editor@southernminnscene.com

Party with

--

at 8:30pm to jump,

bowling, including a countdown to midnight and party favors.
Cheers to the New Year - Owatonna-- 7 p.m., Foremost Brewing Cooperative, 131 W. Broadway St, Owatonna. Live music from Chris Mims will help the brewery celebrate with extended hours, plus food and drink specials.
Paul Stewart NYE Show - Elko New Market-8
The Doublewide, 421 Saint Joseph St., Elko New Market. Kick up your heels at the trailer. Country, rock and blues.
NYE
AZBY
9 p.m.-12:30 a.m., The Mill Event Center, 310 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. Mariah Jo Daniels will perform live starting at 6:30pm. AZBY will then take the stage

SATURDAY, JAN 04

Snowshoe - Henderson-- 1-2 p.m., Ney Nature Center, 28238 Nature Center Ln, Henderson. Discover the beauty of winter as we trek through snowy trails, explore hidden paths, and learn about local wildlife and winter ecology. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced snowshoer, this class offers a fresh, peaceful way to experience nature and embrace the magic of Ney in winter. Get tickets online.

Mark Arthur Contraption - Northfield-- 6 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street South Unit 2. Matt Arthur is a Southern Minnesota blind man with a voice that calls to mind Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave. He writes and records songs that conjure up early-70s Stones and Crazy Horseera Neil Young. Fans of Sturgill Simpson and the Drive By Truckers are seriously into Matt Arthur’s music. He is a true American original, and unlike any musician you’re likely to encounter. Joining Matt tonight will be a few special guests.

Jeff Reinartz - Owatonna-- 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 111 N Walnut Ave, Owatonna. Jeff Reinartz is a singer/songwriter from Austin, Minnesota. He’s been performing live for over 30 years and is a veteran of several bands. He is now a solo acoustic performer and has released two EPs that were produced by Scotty Rohr at Zension Studio in Austin.

North of Dodge - Elko New Market-- 9 p.m., The Doublewide, 421 Saint Joseph St., Elko New Market. Country cover band based in southeast Minnesota.

SUNDAY, JAN 05

Book Exchange - Le Sueur County-2-3:30 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. Bring one book or a whole box. For however many books you bring, that’s how many you get to take home.

History Happy Hour - Northfield-- 6-7 p.m., Carleton College Archaeology and Latin Studies Professor Sarah Kennedy will present on the Women’s League Cabin, originally located in the northeast section of the Carleton Upper Arb.

Babes in Toyland - Northfield-- 8-10 p.m., St Olaf College, 1520 St Olaf Ave, Northfield. The Lyric Theater will present the play written by Victor Herbert. This event is free and open to the public.

TUESDAY, JAN 07

Katie Garth Artist Talk - Northfield-- 4-5 p.m., Carleton College, 1 N College St., Northfield. Katie Garth is a print-based artist in Philadelphia. Her interdisciplinary work explores tedium as a coping mechanism for uncertainty in an increasingly chaotic world, and often reflects her interests in language and independent publication. Carleton will also be hosting work by Garth in the Boliou Gallery through Feb. 4.

FRIDAY, JAN 10

Speakeasy - Owatonna-- 12 a.m., Foremost Brewing Cooperative, 131 W. Broadway St, Owatonna. It will be held in the Tasting room in the basement. There’s the idea of dry January. This is for those who don’t want a dry January.

Thursday10-7 Friday10-5 Saturday10-4

Friday 10 - 5

Saturday 10 - 3

Wednesday 10 - 5 Thursday 10 - 5

Convocation with

Kyle AbrahamNorthfield-- 10:5011:50 a.m., Carleton College, 1 N College St., Northfield. In addition to performing and developing new works for his company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Abraham has been commissioned by a variety of dance companies.

Most recently, Abraham received two international commissions from the Royal Ballet. In 2011, OUT Magazine labeled Abraham as the “best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama”.

Paradise Gallery

Opening - Faribault-- 5-7 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. In the Carlander Gallery is Laura Andrews; in the Vranesh Gallery, is Montana Becker; in the K&M Gallery is Bob Vogel. Exhibit runs through Feb. 15.

Line Dancing - Le Sueur County-- 6-9 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. Learn three to four dances from award-winning choreographer Kerry Maus. Songs will be a mix of pop and country music. Tickets online.

Dan Duffy Orchestra - St. Peter-- 7-9:30 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. An exciting group from Mankato performing swing and hot club music from the 20s on up to today.

SATURDAY, JAN 11

Adam Moe - Owatonna-- 5:30-7:30 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 111 N Walnut Ave, Owatonna. Adam Moe is a fiddler and singer/songwriter based in Duluth. In 2012, he started the folky-tonk duo Pushing Chain with then partner Boyd Blomberg. With the onset of the 2020 pandemic, Adam has set out on a solo career. His unique original songs backed by his tenor guitar and delivered with his clear, bluesy tenor make for a great show.

Sound Art In the Naked Gallery - St. Peter-7-10 p.m., The Arts Center’s gallery walls are bare in January, so it’s an ideal time to showcase sound art curated by KMSU’s underground and experimental music aficionado Dave Perron (freeformfreakout. com) and sound collage artist I Cut People (icutpeople.com). Performers change on the hour with a DJ spinning records between live sets. Audience members are free to come and go throughout the event.

519 Division Street South Unit 2. A trio of Prius drivers, Trius — Kevin Clements on bass, Dave Hagedorn on vibes, and Reid Kennedy on drums. This is world class Jazz, right here in Northfield, for free.

Dan Chouinard with T Mychael RamboNorthfield-7 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third Street West. For nearly four decades Dan Chouinard has been pianist and accordionist of choice for a who’s who of Twin Cities performers, an enabler of community sing-alongs, and writer and host of hit shows for radio, concert hall and theatrical stage. As a Regional Emmy Award-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer, T. Mychael has made an indelible mark in the Twin Cities.

TUESDAY, JAN 14

Terry Tuma Ice Fishing Tips - Le Center-- 6 p.m., Le Center Public Library. Fishing expert Tuma will share tips to increase your skills. From bait to rod selection, Tuma’s advice will improve the success rate for novice and veteran anglers alike. He will also discuss how ice fishing is important to Minnesota’s cultural heritage.

FRIDAY, JAN 17

intricate harmonies beautifully and is backed by a cracklin’ band of stage & studio musicians. Tickets online.

SATURDAY, JAN 18

Ishikawa Trio - St. Peter-- 3-4:30 p.m., Arts Center of Saint Peter, 315 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Pianist Masa Ishikawa, formerly of St. Peter, now an assistant professor of jazz and piano at James Madison University in Virginia. The

Family Tradition - Janesville-- 5:30-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Performing old and new hit country music.

Convocation with Lawrence R. Jacobs - Northfield-- 10:50-11:50 a.m., Carleton College, 1 N College St., Northfield. Lawrence R. Jacobs is an American political scientist and founder and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) at the University of Minnesota. Jacobs has written or edited, alone or collaboratively, 17 books and over 100 scholarly articles in addition to numerous reports and media essays on American democracy, national and Minnesota elections, political communications, health care reform, and economic inequality

Snowshoe - Faribault-- 12 p.m., North Alexander Park, 1816 2nd Ave NW, Faribault. The RCHS will be partnering with our friends from River Bend Nature Center to talk about the history of snowshoeing, how to make them, and of course how to play in them. This event is weather permitting, but RCHS will have a backup event of winter luminaries if the snow isn’t there.

Everett Smithson Band - Kasota-- 7-11 p.m., The Blue Moon Bar & Grill, 300 S. Webster St., Kasota. Always a local favorite bringing their hot movin’ music from up and down the Mississippi River. Zydeco (swamp rock), blues and funky roots of all kinds. This band has soulful creole flavor that will bring a party atmosphere to any show they play.

SUNDAY, JAN 12

-

-- 5 p.m.,

Raise A Toast - Waseca-- 6-8 p.m., Farmamerica, 7367 360th Ave, Waseca. A women’s night out after the holidays. Farm-to-fork dinner featuring locallysourced ingredients, keynote speaker Farm Babe Michelle Miller, and a night of entertainment with cocktails. Tickets online.

Feeling Groovy Simon & Garfunkel TributeFaribault-- 7:30 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. This unique tribute is a joyful, wholehearted celebration of Simon & Gar-

Todd Michael Jameson - Owatonna-- 6-8 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 111 N Walnut Ave, Owatonna. A seasoned musician, Todd’s influences cross many genres as well. From Waylon Jennings to Eagles to Miles Davis and everything in between. On any given night, Todd can go from playing one of his own songs to an Otis Redding classic right into an Iron Maiden song. Nothing is off limits.

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

Trius
Northfield
Imminent Brewing,
funkel and Paul Simon favorites. This show is led by a dynamic female duo (yep, that’s the twist!) who capture the well-known tight &
Masa
trio is Masa Ishikawa (piano), Craig Matarrese (electric bass), and Robert Shoemaker (drums). Tickets online.
Treasure Chest Bingo - Waseca-- 5:30 p.m., The Mill Event Center, 310 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. Bingo, meat raffles, horse races. Win a power tool, a designer purse and more. Funds raised for Waseca Hockey Association.

WEDNESDAY, JAN 22

Let’s Talk About Street Art - Northfield-- 5-6 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division St. S., Northfield. New York City based Amon Focus and Northfield’s Rafael Estrella discuss inspiring examples of street art. This event is free for all but organizers ask you to register. A Zoom link will be sent but all are encouraged to attend in person at the Guild’s upper level dance hall.

THURSDAY, JAN 23

The Story of Oliver Lonkey - Faribault-- 6-7 p.m., Stop in and listen to the tale of Oliver Lonkey, a Civil War veteran who was part of the army detachment who hunted John Wilkes Booth. Oh, and he was Dundas. RCHS is happy to welcome Gabe Blumer, a local history student, who has taken an interest in this history and spent the last two years researching this story.

FRIDAY, JAN 24

Convocation with Noah Tarnow - Northfield-10:50-11:50 a.m., Carleton College, 1 N College St., Northfield. Eager to stay onstage in some capacity, and inspired by the pub quizzes that were proliferating throughout the city, Noah formulated a DIY quiz program, his own deluxe spin on the bar trivia model. Two decades later, the Big Quiz Thing has grown into America’s premier providers of custom trivia events, having entertained hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country and elsewhere.

6-9

Ave.,

Vinyl Night - Northfield-- 6-9 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street South Unit 2. Frst 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).

SATURDAY, JAN 25

Bold & Cold Winter Festival - Owatonna-- 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Activities take place Jan. 23-26. Sculpture building from Jan. 22-26 at Central Park. Bold & Cold deals around town Jan. 23-26. SCHS Souper Sweet Dinner Jan. 23. Winter Walk with beverages, bites and Brrr-ingo Jan. 24. Weekend activities include family swim, snowshoeing, rock on ice glow skate, luminary hike, ice fishing, snowmobiling. See more at visitowatonna.org/boldandcold.

Johnny Frost and the Heatseekers - Janesville-- 5:30-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Performing seven decades of music.

Murder Mystery Dinner - Le Sueur County-6-9 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. Having the opportunity to attend a function at the esteemed Dapperton Estate in Scotland? Of course you wouldn’t refuse. But perhaps you should have, as there is deception and intrigue in the Scottish manor. An attire featuring classic Scottish garb is encouraged, but not required. Tickets online.

Pinnacle Pro Wrestling - Waseca-- 6-10 p.m., The Mill Event Center, 310 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. Presenting “Winter War.” Tickets online. CONTINUED page 26

Bullypulpit Bluegrass Band - St. Peter--
p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota
St. Peter. Local Mankato group under the direction of banjo player Joseph Kunkel.

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

ist/performer to categorize. He is a member of many acts/groups. Although the styles of music have a wide range, one thing is consistent; MUSIC is Andy’s life source. No matter the delivery or vehicle, the music leads and drives the way.

Improv Night - Owatonna-- 7:30 p.m., Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Ln, Owatonna. Little Fish Improv is a group of local actors and comedians that bring improv to life. No two shows are the same; join as this troupe brings comedy to

Wintering - St. Peter-- 8-9:30 p.m., Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Ave, St. Peter. This year’s dance concert, Wintering, considers the crossroads of renewal and active regeneration. Featuring the choreography of guest artist Natosha Washington, faculty Sarah Hauss, Jill Patterson, Melissa C. Rolnick and selected student work.

SUNDAY, JAN 26

Speed Puzzle - Owatonna-12 a.m., Foremost Brewing Cooperative, 131 W. Broadway St, Owatonna. Stay warm inside and activate your brain during Bold &

Andy Hughes - Owatonna
Mineral Springs Brewery, 111 N Walnut Ave, Owatonna. Andy Hughes is an award-winning songwriter. As a
Madam Driver - Kasota-- 8 p.m., The Blue Moon Bar & Grill, 300 S. Webster St., Kasota. Some loud rock music.

SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ

Winter novels, ‘Box Office Poison’, ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ and more

Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops

c.2024, Hanover Square Press

$32.99 336 pages

It was a little hard to swallow

In fact, the premise of the entire flick stunk up the room and stuck in your craw until you could barely stand watching anymore. Ugh, no matter how much popcorn you stuffed in your mouth, no matter how many refills of soda you drank, as in the new book “Box Office Poison” by Tim Robey, some films just leave a bad taste in your mouth.

You know it when you see it: a movie that you regretted spending money on, and when you learn about the budgets for those stinkeroos, you’re astounded. Obviously, says film critic Robey, money (or lack thereof) indicates nothing. Think Titanic, which was expected “to be a fiasco” despite its budget; or The Blair Witch Project, which was “made for peanuts” and was also a box-office success.

And then there are the films that should just, straight-up “be fed to the wolves headfirst...”

Take, for instance, a 1916 film by D.W. Griffith, who directed the infamously racist The Birth of a Nation. That film, Intolerance was so bloated, budget-wise, that it didn’t even recoup half the money spent on its filming.

The start of World War II, says Robey, wasn’t the worst thing that happened to The Magnificent Ambersons, directed by Orson Welles. No, the travesty was that RKO executives ordered the destruction of Welles’s original negatives, in part because Welles made enemies as solidly as he made movies.

The first Dr. Doolittle (1967) received Oscars, but also harsh words from critics and cast. Sorcerer (1977) lost out due to unfortunate timing: it was released at the same time as Star Wars. Even the costume designer was reportedly “shocked” at how bad Dune was. Cutthroat Island flopped so hard that it was listed as such in the Guinness Book of Records for years. And Gigli, well, nobody buzzes about a movie if they can’t pronounce the title...

Quick: think of the worst movie you ever saw. On second thought, maybe you’d rather forget it forever, as a self-preservation, self-care sort of way.

Or maybe it’s listed inside “Box Office Poison.”

From the absolute disasters to movies you might’ve actually loved once, and reasons why stinky movies are increasingly rare, author Tim Robey offers a loser’s list that fans will love. Indeed, it may invite argument – and maybe a list of your own – but in the same way that watching a bad movie can be twisted-enjoyable, so is this book. There’s a lot of schadenfreude-like awfulness here for regular movie-goers and Hollywood watchers, so don’t forget the popcorn. And because Robey’s side comments are so much snarky fun and so dead-on, reading this book is like going to a Bad Film Festival with your friend who’s totally tuned in.

Movie lovers who get demented delight in watching Hollywood’s worst alongside its best, will want to read, share, and use as this book as a springboard for discussion. If you’ve got a case of the holiday-movie blahs, “Box Office Poison” is the perfect antidote.

Cabinet of Curiosities:

A historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre

by Aaron Mahnke, with Harry Marks

c.2024, St. Martin’s Press $30.00 322 pages

Three, two, one.

Ready or not, here you come!

So which side was your best Hide & Seek position? Were you the kid who knew all the places to go and never be found, or were you usually “it,” the one who could spot anyone, anywhere, to win the game? Was hiding the greatest part or, as in the new book “Cabinet of Curiosities” by Aaron Mahnke with Harry Marks, was seeking half the fun?

Whenever he’s in London, Aaron Mahnke has a favorite place he likes to visit. It’s so appealing to him that just imagining it makes him happy. It’s the Enlightenment

Room at the British Museum in London, and it’s filled with vast shelves of collected oddities.

Much like the person who amassed that room full of curiosities, Mahnke ferreted out strange tales for this book.

There’s the story of America’s “first fourteenth state,” and it wasn’t Vermont. It was named after an American hero you’ll recognize, but it didn’t last long: North Carolina clawed the land back and that was that. You’ll also read about America’s oldest slave, his life, his observations, and his jawdropping accomplishment.

Read about how our flag came to be, the student who fought for it, and what he received for his fight. See why King Louis XVI should’ve just stayed home at least once a month, and why so many classical music composers avoided the number nine. Learn about weird creatures and lightning strikes, see how a potato chip can found a new use, how Braille was developed, why a simple advertisement caught the attention of wartime government officials, how some radio programs can be super-creepy, and why Civil War soldiers wanted a certain kind of bacteria to grow in their wounds. These, and a tale about ice, could “be the most chilling part... of the entire story.”

You might think, when you first snag “Cabinet of Curiosities,” that you’re in for a fun, jam-packed collection of hidden history. And you’d be half right.

This book is, indeed, full of enormous enjoyment, laughs, groaner puns, and things that’ll make you say “WOW!” The stories are addicting. You’ll want to share them with friends and co-workers, knowing that they’ll get a kick out of these tales, too.

Problem is, many of them are apocryphal and incorrect, or at least iffy. They feel as if they came from one of those websites created from embellished stories, or from filler articles in a tabloid or a sensational magazine. Some of the tales here seem, in fact, to be greatly rehashed and may even be familiar – especially if you’re the fact-checking type.

And that may set a reader up to make a decision. Do you want to read lighter-sided tall tales that are very entertaining but that may be unreliable, if not downright error-prone... or do you want solid history with your enjoyment?

What you prefer should drive your need for this book. “Cabinet of Curiosities” is indeed curious fun, but not if consistent, solid facts are what you seek.

The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures

by Sarah Clegg

c.2024, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

$22.00 208 pages

Breaking and entering. It happens every Christmas in your neighborhood somewhere. An old guy with a long white beard busts into a few random houses, steals milk and cookies, and escapes before he can be apprehended. He’s not the only holiday mischief maker around, though. As in the new book, “The Dead of Winter” by Sarah Clegg, when it comes to Christmastime characters, you’d better watch out.

On a chilly Christmas Eve morning not long ago, Sarah Clegg left the warmth of her parents’ home and crept along the English countryside in search of witches.

Legend says that the morning before Christmas was the time when witches portended who in the village would die in the following year, but Clegg didn’t see that and she didn’t spot her prey.

No problem. She says, throughout history, “Christmas teems with monsters.”

Witches aside, she begins her search in February at Carnival in Venice, which she admits is an odd time to think about Christmas but Carnival’s masks and decadence hark back to what Christmas was in ancient times.

By the fourth century, partly due to the rise of Christianity, it was “established” that Jesus was born on December 25. This led to the “unruly mayhem” of twelve days of Christmas, and legends of murder, pranks, cross-

dressing, and mumming, in which “monstrous visitors” re-enact a play that “predates the seventeenth century.”

In Wales, on a the Julian Calendar Saturday before Twelfth Night, Clegg met grinning horse skulls called Mari Lwyds that snapped at passersby who screamed in glee. Krampus, a large horned creature, “the antithesis of Santa” arrived in Salzberg two weeks before Christmas. She visited Stonehenge, along with thousands of Solstice celebrants. And again, she looked for witches on December 13, on Lucy’s Night in Finland.

Christmas, she indicates, has always been full of merry and joy. But it seems that our forebears still demanded legions of “ghosts and monsters” for their midwinter enjoyment.

It gets awfully dark, awfully early these days and despite that Halloween is a few weeks past, if your Christmas or Hanukkah lights aren’t on, the night can still make you jumpy. That sound you heard outside was not eight tiny reindeer, and maybe you need this book.

So, here’s the pleasant surprise about “The Dead of Winter”: taking readers around the world and through time, author Sarah Clegg doesn’t just focus on Old World beliefs, pagan fetes, and celebrations that are dark and maybe even a little unsettling. She brings along a good amount of light and levity to balance the unease, even reaching for laughs at the absurdity of grinning skulls and paper monsters. That tones the shivers down some, making this book fun, as well as a valuable study of holiday folklore.

You’re going to find Yuletide here, but definitely not the kind you’d send cards for. You’ll be scared, but you’ll also get a sense of twisted merriment and joy. If that’s what you crave around the tree this year, “The Dead of Winter” makes a nice winter break.

Good Reasonable People: The Psychology Behind America’s Dangerous Divide

Viking $29.00 272 pages

And there you sat, glowering across the table.

A table rather like the Grand Canyon, or the Pacific Ocean, and nobody brought a bridge to Thanksgiving dinner. Just like that, politics was served up, your happy holiday got ugly, and you wished you’d stayed home. You’d like a do-over, please, so read “Good Reasonable People” by Keith Payne and deeeeep breath.

Growing up in smalltown, white-bread Kentucky, Keith Payne was raised on information that reflected his surroundings: Christian, familyoriented, and straight. If he or his classmates asked questions about racism, living “literally... on the line between the North and South,” or their town’s complicated history, he says, teachers often changed the subject.

After moving away from home to go to college, Payne learned about people who weren’t like him, and he assimilated and embraced other ideas and cultures. He became “a secular liberal college professor” who’s distressed today at the divide he sees.

“We need more humanizing,” he says, “because people in our country have been dehumanizing one another a lot.”

To end that, and to pull together again, understand that “there is no liberal mind or conservative mind.” We are all just humans “trying to make sense of the circumstances…”

Our perceptions, he says, spring from “the racial group we are born into,” the social class we attain, and the thought processes we use to protect our mental well-being, which is called the “Psychological Immune System.” We overestimate how bad things will be and how long we’ll suffer. We want to be good people but we hold ourselves and our tribe in higher esteem than we do others, adding meaning to even the most meaningless groups in order to inoculate us from things we think we can’t believe. These are the answers to the divide.

Says Payne, “It is time to look plainly at why people believe what they believe, choose what they choose, and want what they want.”

Grrrrrr, your nephew just drives you batty with his ignorance, right? You wish he’d wake up and look around and, yeah, he probably says the same about you. You’ll never understand why he liked that candidate – not unless you read “Good Reasonable People.”

Point fingers, if you must. Blame the polls, lackadaisical voters, electronic media, whatever, then let author

Keith Payne re-frame the issues with pages and pages of sense-making “AHA!” moments and forehead smackers. Here, you’ll see that the thought processes and various conceptions leading up to the election have been in plain sight all along – for decades, in fact – and they are explainable, if not understandable. In a small way, Payne goes on to hint at the future and how readers can look at their opponents with compassion and the kind of depth that could eliminate a good amount of anger.

Outwardly, this book isn’t going to change anyone’s political leaning, nor will it change history on a large scale. No, “Good Reasonable People” could be beneficial and will mean something on a one-to-one, individual basis if brokering peace is on the table.

Novels for Winter Reading

by various authors

c.2024, various publishers $28 to $28.99 various page counts

The winter months stretch ahead of you and you’ve already decided one thing: they’re full of great days to read. Take one warm blanket, one hot beverage, one cushy spot to sit, then, and grab one of these great ideas for your novel cravings…

For the reader who wants a women’s tale with humor and history, check out “Women’s Hotel” by Daniel M. Lavery HarperVia, $28.99). The Biedermeier Hotel is full of women needing a place to stay in Manhattan while they work in dying mid-century professions. It’s a safe place to be but there were problems, starting with money-saving cuts that nobody likes. The writing is on the wall for the Biedermeier, the women who live there, and those who work there.

Funny, charming, and totally immersing, you’ll love this novel.

Another humorous tale to find is “Blood Test: A Comedy” by Charles Baxter (Pantheon, $28). It’s the story of Brock Hobson, a Midwestern divorced father who takes a blood test similar to that which many Americans have taken. For Brock, though, the results are shocking: he learns from this test that he could easily become a murderer. Yes, this book’s exactly what the subtitle promises, but it’s also a book that’ll make you think about those you choose to have around you.

Speaking of mysteries, if you need one that’s truly different, “Pony Confidential” by Christine Lynch (Berkley, $28) will fill that bill fully.

On and off through his lifetime, Pony has moved from barn to barn to one lot and another lot until he’s had enough and he breaks out to run away to the only little girl who ever really loved him. Her name was Penny and once Pony finds her, he learns that she’s not a little girl anymore. She’s a grown woman now, and she’s been accused of murder!

What happens inside this mystery is something whodunit fans won’t want to miss, especially if they’re horse-lovers or have ponies of their own.

Sometimes, when reading a novel, you forget it’s not true. In “The Close-Up” by Pip Drysdale (Gallery Books, $28.99), an author pens a thriller that she knows is just a story… but a fan-turned-stalker turns it into fact. This scary novel is satisfying and terrifying, especially in light of current events.

And finally, if a Christmas tale is what you want now, look for “Time of the Child” by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury, $28.99).

For Dr. Jack Troy, growing up in the small Irish town of Faha has meant living on the periphery, mostly because his fellow townspeople hold him up in such high regard. Right or wrong, his daughter, Ronnie, lives under the same light. But just before the Christmas of 1962, a surprise falls into their lives, a child that they assume responsibility for, and it changes them and their entire town. It’s the perfect tale for the holidays.

And if you need more novels, reach out to your favorite librarian or bookseller. They’ll help you find what you want, winter and all year long.

Paradise Center for the rtsA

For more information & tickets: www.paradisecenterforthearts.org • 507.332.7372 321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN

GALLERY OPENING RECEPTION

Friday, January 10, 5pm-7pm. Carlander Gallery - Laura Andrews Vranesh Gallery - Montana Becker K&M Gallery - Bob Vogel

Corey Lyn Creger Memorial GalleryBethlehem Academy Exhibition Dates: January 10 –February 15.

FEELING GROOVY: A SIMON & GARFUNKEL TRIBUTE WITH A TWIST

This unique tribute is a joyful, wholehearted celebration of Simon & Garfunkel and Paul Simon favorites. This show is led by a dynamic female duo (yep, that’s the twist!) who capture the wellknown tight & intricate harmonies beautifully and is backed by a cracklin’ band of stage & studio musicians. Their exceptional live performance includes unforgettable stories, audience participation, and performances that will grab your heart and have you smiling with nostalgia. Featuring vocalists Barb Piper & Pauline Jennings.

FAMILY ARTS & NATURE MEMBERSHIP NIGHT

January 15th at 5:30pm.

• Become a Paradise Center for the Arts and River Bend Nature Center member for $100 or renew your existing Arts & Nature membership.

• Cash bar and refreshments.

• Mayo Clinic’s Peregrine Falcons, River Bend Animal Ambassadors.

• Paradise Center for the Arts Tours.

BUDDY HOLLY: OH BOY!

Improv 101:

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

comedy. Through “hands on” exercises and laughter, we will bring out the

your family and friends with a course ending show that

Friday, January 17 at 7:30 PM

Member: $20 / Non-Member: $25 / Student: $15

“Buddy Holly: OH BOY!” is a ‘re-staging’ of Buddy Holly’s 1959 WINTER DANCE PARTY, featuring music of Buddy’s costars, Ritchie Valens (“La Bamba”, performed by Allen Calicsi); Dion & the Belmonths (with Brian Pierce singing “Teenager in Love”), The Big Bopper (“Chantilly Lace,” Featuring Zach Spicer) and Frankie Sardo (“Fake Out,” performed by Gary Rue). A STELLAR TRIBUTE to the music of American rock and roll icon Buddy Holly, featuring original cast members (Nicholas Freeman, Blake Foster and Zach Spicer) from History Theatre’s IVEY-Award-Winning production of Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story. Endorsed by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison of The Crickets! Music Direction by Gary Rue, Produced by Gary Rue.

Friday, January 31 at 7:30 PM

Member: $25 / Non-Member: $30 / Student: $20 Sponsored by Rosemarie Marraccini

WHEELTHROWING WITH DIANNE LOCKERBY:

Tuesdays, January 7 - February 11, from 1 to 3PM. Member $120/ Non-Member $144. Clay $54.00 for 25 pounds, or $2 a pound for recycled clay. This class is for the beginner or someone who has been away from clay for a bit. We will start with the basics of centering, opening and go on from there. Bring a towel and wear clothes to get dirty. All Levels are welcome! Instructor: Dianne Lockerby.

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