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screen to build tension. It was Jaws that solidified Spielberg’s reputation as a serious filmmaker after only his second film and paved the way for a litany of modern classics. Another notable Spielberg flick is E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) which was also released for IMAX in August to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary. I did not go to this because, after 9/11, the studio edited the original film to remove a Taliban costume worn by a trick-or-treater in the Halloween scene and while they were “editing,” they decided to C.G.I. E.T.’s face. It drove me nuts! They did the same thing with Jabba the Hut in the ‘90s when Lucas films revamped the original Star Wars trilogy. Hayden Christensen was added to the final celebration as a young Anakin at the end of Return of the Jedi and I am still mad they changed the Ewok song at the end. The original Ewok song was perfect. The last time I saw a film in IMAX was the Beatles Rooftop Concert last January. It was big and loud, which is exactly why audiences will delight in this opportunity to watch Jaws in IMAX or RealD 3D. Getting to experience this film on the big screen again is tantalizing on its own, but IMAX is the cream of the crop as far as theatre viewing. There are so many Steven Spielberg films I would love to see in IMAX; Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurrasic Park and Saving Private Ryan just to name a few. As for Jaws, you can catch it at Marcus Galaxy 14 CINE & IMAX in Rochester beginning Sept. 2, and I am sure you’ll see me there. If Jaws is not your jam, Spielberg has a new semi-autobiographical film coming out this year called the Fablemans. It premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival Sept. 8-18 and will be available worldwide Nov. 11. The film stars Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogan and David Lynch. Spielberg had been thinking of directing a film about his Arizona childhood for a very long time and this will mark Spielberg’s first writing venture for a film since 2001’s Artificial Intelligence. From West Side Story in 2021, to the IMAX release of two of his early classics and this upcoming new venture, the famous director is making waves. We are going to need a bigger boat.
The 1st ever blockbuster dives into IMAX
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Looks like I can finally stop going to “Elvis.” I had mentioned in my previous column that I saw it four times in theaters. At the time I am writing this, I have now seen it 13 times in theaters. What on Earth could stop me from my obsession with Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis you ask? Why, one of the biggest summer blockbusters of all-time returning to theaters this September in IMAX, of course. That’s right. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, “Jaws,” returns to IMAX and RealD 3D in partnership with Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment over Labor Day Weekend, and I am so excited to drag my entire family to this iconic and groundbreaking flick. The first time I saw Jaws was in 1988 when I was just 7 years old. I had surely heard of the movie prior to ’88 because it is such a popculture staple, but it wasn’t until my family was in Iowa for a wedding that I pranced down the hall of our motel to bother my uncle Tommy who was a groomsman in the wedding. He had a beer cracked and was watching Jaws on his room television. As soon as I heard the iconic “shark theme,” a simple alternating pattern of two notes (E and F) I lit up and asked my uncle if it was Jaws. He smiled and said, “Yep. This movie terrified me as a child.” I sat at the end of his bed and watched it with my eyes wide open. Of course, this led to a lifetime of irratio nal fears. I was certain that Bruce - the huge animatronic shark who terrorized New England in the film - was lurking at the bottom of every lake in Minnesota and the deep end of every pool. I remember my brother’s chasing after me whenever we would be swimming with their hands folded above their heads as shark fins. Sometimes all it took to make me start screaming was one of my older brothers simply humming the “shark theme.” And that is the true magic of Spielberg. It was not all about flashiness and what you could see, but the suspenseful anticipation of what you could not see.Several times in the film a fin is not even present but the suspenseful “shark theme” lets the viewer know that the Great White is near At points in the franchise, which touts four films, Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987), you simply see barrels moving through the water or the thrashing of a buoy rather than images of the shark itself. The opening scene of the original film shows a female swimmer from under the water, from the shark’s vantage point, and it is so unsettling. Spielberg was innovative in harnessing the terror of the unknown and unseen. We see this in his subsequent film Close Encounters of the Third Kind where he uses the wonder and awed reactions of the actors to what is just off
PENNY
Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MNSU alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a radio show for KOWZ 100.9, and she is now the music and promotions director at KOWZ & KRUE Radio in Owatonna. She resides in Mankato with her movie buff husband and YouTube obsessed children. Catch her on Twitter at @MOLLYmollyhoodUSA.
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The Indian Island festival will include a day filled with fun activities on their scenic property that is highlighted by over 6,000 vines on 12 acres growing 17 different varieties of grapes. The festival will include live music throughout the day, wine tasting, food, a beer sampling tent featuring local craft breweries and, of course, the grape stomping competition.Thecontest will be in heats of 20 stompers at 2 and 3 p.m. in groups of two. Prizes are awarded for the most juice collected by the stompers and a prizes are also awarded for the best costumed stompers.
STOMP SOME GRAPES
By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor
“You sign-up in groups of two and each groups has a tub to stomp and we let you stomp for two or three minutes…
this September and beyond
The art of making wine has a long history that dates back more than 7,000 years and part of that history includes times when humans stomped on the grapes in vats to collect the juices needed to create theThewine.invention of wine presses and their ability to create the grape juice more efficiently effectively eliminated the need for the use of foot power but the fall harvest tradition of grape stomping or the French term “pigeage” continues at several wineries around the state of Minnesota - including Indian Island Winery in Janesville, which will host is 13th annual Grape Stomp Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10.
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The cost to participate in this year’s grape stomp contest is $25 per person, which includes an exclusive Grape Stomp t-shirt. On the day of the event, there will be a $2 admission fee or a $5 admission fee if you are participating in the beer tasting tent. For more information on the event, please call 507-234-6222 or check out the Indian Island Winery website at experienceofferingMinnesotabelowIslandFestivaltheindianislandwinery.comwww.InadditiontoGrapeStompatIndianWinery,listedareafewotherwineriesagrapestompthisfall.
The grapes used in the wine making process at Indian Island have a distinct local connection. “We grow about half of the fruit we need in our own vineyard and then we have other local growers around us,” Winter said. “We pride ourselves in trying to be 100 percent Minnesota grapes. Sometimes the weather doesn’t allow that but most of the time we have enough fruit locally grown to be an all Minnesota wine.”
Indian Island Winery18108Janesville631st Ave. comindianislandwinery.Website:Phone:Janesville507-234-6222
A popular winery destination, Chankaska Creek does not have fall grape stomp event, but it will feature two music events in September at its location in Kasota. On Friday, Sept. 2 at 6:00 p.m., “For One Night Only” will offer a tribute to the music of Elton John. The show will feature a full band,
selected liquors stores around the“Allstate.of our wines are very, very good,” Winter said. “The biggest comment we get from the wine tasting is that ‘I can’t believe that I like all of your wines.’”
CannonWineryRiverCannon-Falls
People can come out to Indian Island to participate in the grape stomping, or they can just come out to watch and enjoy the wine, beer tasting, food and music. Winter said that many people come out to watch and cheer for their friends who are in the grape stomping contest. In case anyone was wondering, the juice collected in the contest is not used to make wine. “It’s just for fun,” Winter said. “The grape stomping is how they pressed their wine originally but everything is done with machines now.”
Cannon River Winery 421 Mill Street West Cannon Falls Phone: Website:507-263-7400cannonriverwinery.com
Grape stomps at wineries have been growing in popularity over the years and some of that popularity can be traced back to a popular 1950s television sit-com that featured an iconic grape stomping scene on the “I Love Lucy Show” with Lucille Ball.“It (grape stomping) is just kind of what people want to see at a winery,” Winter said. “Everybody knows the Lucille Ball episode where they were stomping grapes, even the younger people seem to know about that. People see that and think it would be a lot of fun…and it is fun!”
The Cannon River Winery does not have a grape stomp event, but it does give you the opportunity to experience the fall grape harvest at its vineyards in the scenic Sogn Valley. For the cost of $25, you can be part of the Cannon River harvest experience. This includes shuttled transportation to and from winery (in downtown Cannon Falls) and the vineyard, an educational harvesting opportunity that is followed by a catered meal and wine tasting. Upon your return to the winery, you will get a demonstration of the de-stemming process along with coupons to use on wine purchases, along with a free event t-shirt. For more information, visit cannonriverwinery.com
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 7 we time everything, so everyone gets to stomp for the same amount of time and everyone gets the same amount of allalsotheatjuice,getsthencreditwhat60drainsthestrainandstompedthateverything“Wesaid.RayIsland’sIndiangrapes,”Wintertakeyouthenweit,andjuicethatoutinsecondsisyougetfor,andwhoeverthemostwinswinetheendofday.”ThefestivalhasbecomeafalltraditionatIndianIsland,accordingtoWinter.“Thiswillbeour13thannualGrapeStompandpeopleloveit!Theydressupincostumesandwehaveacontestforthatandwealsohaveabeertentsetupthatdayforbeertasting.Whavelivemusicdayandwehave really good entertainment and music. So there’s lots of things to do and we have a big beautiful space out here at the winery with gorgeous landscaping and lawns.”
The selection of wines available at Indian Island include a full range (dry to sweet) of both white and red wines along with several dessert wines. Customers can enjoy tastings and purchase bottles at the winery and they can also purchase
Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery - Kasota
HideAway
The Spaulding’s prep manager is Emily Mastin, their assistant manager is Katie Opperman, and Joy Feilen is the night manager (and the one who sources all of the wonderful local craft beers).
The venue is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. most days and until 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, when they offer half price bottles of wine. The busiest times at the restaurant are lunch hours, as Jim and Joan serve extremely healthy, fresh sandwiches, paninis and salads.
The HideAway Coffeehouse and Wine Bar is located at 421 Division St. S. in Northfield. In 2003, Jim and Joan Spaulding decided that opening a coffee-house would be a fun “Neitherventure.ofus were coffee drinkers, nor had any restaurant experience, but we knew we had a strong work ethic and wanted to build something that would be a place where people felt at home, and we wanted to offer great healthy food and ethically sourced coffee,” saidThus,Joan.the Spauldings’ original coffee house, The James Gang, was born. Over two years later, they opened The HideAway in downtown Northfield, thinking it would be great to have two places. But Jim and Joan quickly learned that with six kids, they might have bit off too much. So they sold The James Gang and have now owned The HideAway for 16 years.
The Spauldings are also known for their home-made scones and gluten-free bakery items that are made in house. Many people also enjoy checking out the beer and wine selections, as J&J are very particular about what they offer, and they change choices frequently.
Additionally, the Spauldings are well-known for their fantastic catering business; providing lunches, appetizer trays and small group gatherings. Popular menu items include: the Chicken Salad Croissant; the chicken salad is a secret recipe that people absolutely love! Other favorites are the BLT with Avocado, served on Franklin Street bakery bread; or any of the panini sandwiches served on ciabatta, from The Brick Oven Bakery in Northfield. All of the sandwiches come with either seasoned kettle chips or our house-made kale salad. Another fan favorite is the breakfast burrito, which is made to order with egg, pico de Galla, bacon and ched dar cheese. All of the sandwiches and salads can also be made gluten free. “What sets our restaurant apart from any other are our employees and the welcoming feeling at The HideAway. One thing we try to teach all of our staff is good customer service. Every customer should receive a smile, a welcome, and be made to feel like he or she is entering a friend’s house. I believe that this is the thing that I am the most proud of and what I hear from customers daily,” Joan Spaulding said. The good folks at the HideAway use as many local ingredients as they can, and they focus on being as close to a zero waste restaurant as possible.
“We also were the feature coffee house in the Hallmark movie, “Love Always, Santa”. People love stopping by and seeing where everything was filmed,” added Joan.Jim and Joan are going to be celebrat ing their 10th year of offering a free Christmas Dinner to anyone who is alone for Christmas Day. They believe that it is just as important to feed the soul as it is to feed the stomach. Each year the numbers grow as people realize how nice it is to not be alone at Christmas. Last year the Spauldings served close to 300 people. J&J’s kids and a few customers helped out, and they served turkey, ham, Christmas cookies and all the fixings. The coffeehouse is set-up family style, so no one sits alone.“The reason we love the HideAway is because of our endearing customers. I know that sounds cliche, but it is so true. They know our family, have watched our kids grow into adults, cheered us on and helped us when we needed it. We’ve seen them volunteer when we’ve been short staffed, fix things when we’ve been unable to get into the coffee-house on time, and shared in our daily lives. We also have been a part of their lives, celebrating births, graduations, and simple daily events. There’s been lots of laughter and warmth. All this happens over a good cup of coffee!” Joan said. (The HideAway Coffeehouse and Winebar; thehideawaynorthfield.com).
8 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. SoMinn FOOD & DRINK Review JOURNALIST – COPYWRITER – EDITOR – FEATURE WRITER Journalist-Copywriter-Editor-Feature Writer. My experience spans over 20 years, and I will apply my skills to help beef up any lifeless copy within your website, brochure, press release, catalog, etc. Reach out at patgarry@charter.net. PAT GARRY
Always, Santa” was shot mostly in Northfield, including at HideAway Coffeehouse and Wine Bar. (Photo courtesy of Hallmark Channel)
Coffeehouse and Wine Bar The
Jim and Joan Spaulding stand outside of The HideAway Coffeehouse and Wine Bar. The Spauldings opened the business in 2006. (File photo/southernminn.com)TheHideAwayCoffeehouse and Wine Bar team has been giving out free Christmas meals for the last decade. (File photo/ Hallmarksouthernminn.com)movie“Love
Eicholz and Ted Manderfeld will
Mizuki Fusion Dave take at
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The 2022 Grape Harvest Weekend at Sovereign Estate winery in Waconia is slated for Sept. 9-11. The event will open on Friday with wine tasting and a vintage Yacht Rock Classic Dance Party concert that evening. The grape stomping fun will take place on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. along with more wine tasting and live music on the Sovereign Estate Patio Stage. The festival will wrap up on Sunday with free wine tastings and the Vin en Blanc Dinner in the vineyard. A European inspired tradition, dinner guests are asked to dress in white apparel as they dine at long family style tables in the vineyard. The dinner ticket for this limited seating event includes food, wine and live music. For more information, please visit www.sovereignestate.com Sovereign Estate 9950 North Shore Road Website:Phone:Waconia952-446-9957sovereignestate.com
Tom Nelson is a freelance writer. Reach the editor at editor@apgsomn.com.
Morgan VineyardsCreek-NewUlm
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Morgan Creek Vineyards 23707 478th Ave. New seasonal-gatheringsWebsite:Phone:Ulm507-947-3547morgancreekvineyards.com/
Crow River Winery Hutchinson
The Crow River Winery 2022 Grape Stomp is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. One of the winery’s signature events, The Grape Stomp will include a vendor fair, wine tasting, corn maze, live music, wine barrel racing, a grape slip and slide, food at the CRW Bistro and grape stomping competitions throughout the day. Visit www.crowriverwinery.com for all the details.
Website:Phone:Kilkenny507-334-1936vintageescapeswinery.com
Listed as Minnesota’s original grape stomp, Saint Croix Vineyards in Stillwater, Minn., will host its annual Grape Stomp event on Sept. 10-11. The festival will include grape stomping competitions, costume contest, live music throughout the weekend, a visit by the Asian Invasion food truck and free mini massages provided by Parkview Chiropractic Clinic. Wine tasting will also be available throughout the weekend. For more information, please visit www.scvwines.com Saint Croix Vineyards 6428 Manning Avenue Website:Phone:Stillwater651-430-3310scvwines.com
stage
The annual Grape Stomp event at Morgan Creek has been postponed for 2022 but the winery in New Ulm plans to bring its popular fall event back in 2023. In the meantime, Morgan Creek will be participating in New Ulm’s well known Oktoberfest celebration during the first two weekends of October. The Morgan Creek Oktoberfest LITE will include artisan wine, craft beer, live music and German woodfired food on Oct. 7-8 and Oct. 14-15. For more details on this event, please gatheringswww.morgancreekvineyards.com/seasonal-visit
japanese & thaiRestaurant lights and production from Neon Live. On Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:00 p.m., Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos featuring
Chankaska. This is a show of high-energy comedy, music and audience fun. For ticket info, visit chankaskawines.com/events Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery 1179 East Pearl Street Phone:Kasota Website:507-931-0089chankaskawines.com
Sovereign EstateWaconia
The Vintage Escapes Winery in Kilkenny does not have a grape stomp event, but a fall highlight is its Sip and Shop at the Winery vendor fair on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Customers can shop merchandise from local vendors while enjoy a glass of Vintage Escapes wine. Vintage Escapes Winery 8950 Dodd Road
CONTINUED from page 7 Women’sClothing fromSmalltoPlusSize UniqueJewelry& SelectVarietyof FashionableShoes 142BridgeStreet Owatonna Monday-Friday10-6 Saturday10-3 ShopOnlineat HiddenRoseBoutique.com
Vintage Escapes Winery - Kilkenny
Saint Croix VineyardsStillwater
Crow River Winery 14848 Highway 7 East Website:Phone:Hutchinson320-587-2922crowriverwinery.com
Center Street in the downtown, where the festivities will occur from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The scheduled events for Oct. 8 include: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. live music from The Leon Olsen Show; 11:00 a.m. German-American Day Parade; 1-2 p.m. games including a sauerkraut eating contest and a Stein-holding contest; 2-5 p.m. live music from Shirts and Skins. Thirsty? Well, luckily the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the United States happens to be in the heart of New Ulm — Schell’s Brewery. Oktoberfest is proud to serve local beverages, including: beer and seltzers from Schell’s Brewery and Grain Belt, plus cider from Tall Grass Cidery, wine from Morgan Creek Vineyards, and 1919 Root Beer (also made at Schell’s in New Ulm).“Food trucks and local vendors will provide food at the event as well. Come join in for some great German music, food, and drinks,” said Nelson.
Yes, autumn brings many splendid things, like apple picking, Halloween, and pumpkin spice everything, but the leader of the pack is Oktoberfest, the German fall festival that celebrates everyone’s favorite things: food, beer, and merrymaking. If drinking beer and eating schnitzel alongside six million people is not very appealing, here are places to celebrate while avoiding Munich’s crowds.
NEW ULM OKTOBERFEST Kate Nelson is the communications and programs specialist at New Ulm Chamber of Commerce and Sarah Warmka is CEO/ President.“Weboth currently work for the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce and are very excited to host the downtown 40th anniversary of Oktoberfest,” declared Nelson. Head out to New Ulm for one of the best Oktoberfest celebrations in the nation. This traditional festival is modeled after one of the world’s largest celebrations, held each year for several centuries in Munich, Germany. New Ulm’s version takes place during the first two full weekends in October, with festivities happening all over town. The main locations for Oktoberfest in 2022 are the Historic Downtown, Best Western Plus, and Schell’s Brewery. The downtown event will be held on Oct. 8. Aside from the locally brewed Schell’s and Grain Belt beers, there are plenty of other reasons to come to this lively event. Thousands of people come to gather and enjoy local food vendors, games and live music. City officials will be closing off
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By PAT GARRY Guest Contributor
ktoberfest may have its roots in Munich, but one need not fly to Germany to enjoy this fun-infused annual celebration. Fall means it’s time to break out that new wardrobe: sweaters, hats, scarves, and … lederhosen?
Oktoberfests, like the one pictured here at Schell’s Brewery in New Ulm, are popular southern Minnesota occasions.
“Lastnesota.inenjoygroundsthenitytheFestersthenticmostHalleUlmthemadespeciallyavailable,krautandwurstbrat-arebyNewTurnerforaau-meal.haveopportu-toexploreSchellandautumnsouthernMin-butnotleast, our award winning Schell’s Oktoberfest is available in 1-liter stein mugs for festers, giving what we hope is the closest thing to Munich the state has to offer,” Wendinger explained. The finest Schell’s beer will be available, and there will be Schell’s Oktoberfest, Light, and a few others. For those who don’t partake, that’s OK! They also offer 1919 root beer.
Each year, the St. Peter Ambassadors bring Oktoberfest to the community, and this year the party is headed to a bigger venue at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds. It takes Sept. 23-25. Friday night, the gates open at 4 p.m. with main stage performances to be announced, along with a sauerkraut eating contest at 7:30 p.m. The fun continues until 11 p.m. On Saturday, the Kidtoberfest Parade heads down third street at 1 p.m., and the Oktoberfest grounds open at the same time, with main stage performances kicking off at 1:30. There also kids activities available at the grounds from 1-4 p.m. For the adults, besides the music going until 11 p.m., there is a bean bag tournament, an official stein hoisting competiion and a lederhosen and dirndl competition.Eventsfinish with closing ceremo nies noon to 3 p.m. at Patrick’s on Third.
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Kyle Marti is vice president of August Schell Brewing Company in New Ulm. The organization’s founder, August Schell, arrived in the Minnesota territory in 1856 and started the brewery in 1860, two years after Minnesota became a state. The key fall event dates are: Oct. 14 for the pre-Octoberfest party in the Bierhalle, and Oct. 15 for the Schell’s Oktoberfest.
“We have done our best to bring some of the best things about the Munich Oktoberfest to Minnesota. Obviously, one can never replicate the real thing, but we pride ourselves on what we’ve done,” said Marketing Director Leigh Wendinger. There will be a large fest tent with Bavarian table bench seating, just like the tents in Germany. There are specialty “Stammtisch” (reserved) tables that have lederhosen and dirndl clad servers running steins of Oktoberfest beer and brats to the tables. From the right spot, folks can see servers carrying as many as 14 steins at one time through the crowd. Polka music is mixed in with American songs to keep festers singing and dancing throughout. Classic
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AUGUST BREWINGSCHELLCOMPANY
ST. PETER OKTOBERFEST
SeptOberfest in Wabasha-Kellogg is an explosion of color you will remember for a lifetime. WabashaKellogg’s SeptOberfest Celebration has so many things going on, it literally takes weeks to take them all in. This year’s festival will be held Sept. 8 through Oct. 22. Relax and meander through the small midwestern Rivertown that showcases the season of fall like no other. Enjoy artistic displays of thousands of pumpkins, cornstalks, flowers, bales, and gourds; among the natural beauty of the Winding River, Vibrant Trees and Majestic Bluffs. Drive, bike, or stroll along the unprecedented SeptOberfest trail. Enjoy seasonal activities throughout the beautiful fall-decorated river town. Explore the many shops for unique treasures, and check out the restaurants for special German foods. Heritage Park on Saturdays is the place to be, with kids activities, mu sic, and special events weekly during SeptOberfest. Witness an array of exhibits including the largest pumpkins, tallest sunflowers, scarecrows, pumpkin derby, German Heritage, and topiaries. Discover Wabasha’s autumn decorations throughout town and enjoy German music and food. Be there to enjoy fall seasonal boutiques, used book sales, Saturday music under the bridge, Saturday kids day, St. Felix fall festival, pumpkin derby, German Parade, awards day, and raffle drawing, plus much more: wabashamn.org/septoberfest.
Join the Brigade at Belgrade on Saturday, Sept. 17 from noon to 10 p.m. It’s the eighth annual Oktoberfest. Located on Belgrade Avenue in North Mankato, Bier on Belgrade is North Mankato’s version of Oktoberfest and German heritage fun. You will have a day of activities, food vendors, live music, Bier samplings from local and world renown breweries, ceremonial first beer with city officials, bean bag toss and kegs. This is a free event, but you must be 21 years of age or older to attend.Seasonal beers will be available for sampling and will be listed closer to the event. Beer sampling will go from 3 to 6 p.m.; cost is $5, or $10 admission gets you a new Bier Mug with ticket for one free beer fill. Activities include ceremonial first beer with city officials, music, along with a brat eating contest, bean bag toss area and hammerslagger. Wear your lederhosen and receive an extra free beer ticket with the $10 admission.
BIER ON BELGRADE
LANESBORO FALL BEER & WINE FEST
12 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
Lanesboro’s Fall Beer and Wine Fest is Saturday, Sept. 10. Come to Lanesboro for the annual Taste of the Trail and the Fall Beer and Wine Fest. Events include local vendors, live music, kids activities, shopping, dining, theatre, drink specials, and more. The Lanesboro Farmers Market will be in Sylvan Park from 9 a.m. to noon (second Saturday in September: Lanesboro, Peterson & Whalan; third Saturday in September: Harmony, Preston & Fountain; fourth Saturday in September: Rushford, Rushford Village & Houston). Enjoy Oktoberfest and seasonal fall beers from Midwestern craft breweries at Lanesboro bars and restaurants.
MINERAL SPRINGS BREWERY -
OWATONNA Owners Rod Baker, Mark Sebring, and Bill Cronin opened Mineral Springs Brewery in November 2019. OktoberFest 2022 runs Sept. 23-25, and organizers claim it’s the largest OktoberFest
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SEPTOBERFESTWABASHA-KELLOGG’S
ST. CROIX RIVER CRUISES
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 13 H urrySupplie s AreLimited! OAC.Seedealerforcompletedetails.Offervalidtill09-30-22Allpricesareplustax,titling,licensing,anddestinationcharge 35004x4CREWNEW2022RAM NEW2022RAM15004x4 1500CLASSIC4x4NEW2022RAM 1201SouthHwy3,NorthfieldMN•507-645-4478•www.northfieldautomotive.com25004x4CREWNEW2022RAM C ustomOrderYour s Today!LetUsFind OneForYou! MSRPSTARTINGAT$52,785 MSRPSTARTINGAT$47,010 MSRPSTARTINGAT$41,605 MSRPSTARTINGAT$51,120 OVER 80 QUALITYPRE-OWNED VEHICLESTOCHOOSEFROM! event in southern Minnesota. It includes a 40’x100’ tent, multiple food trucks, polka bands, pretzels, and awesome beer. The guys brew a Helles and Marzen specific for this event. There are 14 taps, and many fun options as well. This is a classic OktoberFest under the big top at MSB. There will be Luverne Wanous on his concertina, Brian Raichle’s polka band, the return of L’Auger Wagon and the Meriden Marzen, brats from Torey’s Restaurant, and more.
Here’s a fantastic way to celebrate Oktoberfest. Take a St. Croix River Cruise on the Grand Duchess Charter Boat. The cruise is Oct. 15 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Boarding occurs at 6 p.m. There will be live music, beer tasting and Hammerschlagen - a German dinner buffet. Additionally, a cash bar is available, and a beer tasting is offered. Tickets are available online at StCroixRiverCruises.com or by calling 651-436-8883. Tickets sell out fast, so be sure to reserve early.
Stephanie Whipps is director of communica tions for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Oktoberfest activities run through Oct. 2, including Monday, Sept. 5 and Friday, Sept. 30. There is a full contact Joust, where Knights of the King go to battle. They square up in a battle of the arms before they Joust for the final honor of the king. There are 16 stages of live entertainment daily, as well as Bloody Mary Bingo. Refreshments include Summit Oktoberfest Ale, Summit Oatmeal Stout, Pale Ale, Stella , mango cart, and some liquor bars. Addition Information and “Wows” for this season: Monks Craft Beer Pub; Shakespeare Shorts; The Wizard’s Cote; Sock and Buskin Stage; Royal Raptor Center; Dilly Dally Ride; Crosswords Tavern; The Queen’s Gambit; Wine Wake; ViValhallakings Mead Hall. It’s all at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival site (King’s Gate) at 3525 145th St. W., Shakopee. Journalist-Copywriter-Editor-Feature Writer. My experience spans over 20 years, and I will apply my skills to help beef up any lifeless copy within your website, brochure, press release, catalog, etc. Reach out at patgarry@charter. net.
RENAISSANCEMINNESOTA FESTIVAL
WACONIA BREWING Dee DeLange is the owner, and Faith DeLange is the taproom manager of the Waconia Brewing Company. The establishment has been a going concern since 2014. The venue celebrates Oktoberfest on Sept. 10 this year. “The biggest highlight of the event is our Oktoberfest beer. It is amazing. We will have pottery liter steins with our logo made by local artist Jon Schmidt. We will have specials on the fills. Everyone dresses up and we have German music playing in the taproom,” explained Dee. The ladies will have their full line-up of beers, including the Oktoberfest and their other German beer, the Carver County Kölsch.“We are dog friendly, so put a lederhosen on your pups, and we will have a treat for them,” Dee said.
From the MUSIC SIDE
14 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
Megan Rolloff is an interior designer in Mankato, who lives in New Ulm with her doting husband Tom. She loves music, especially of the Minnesota variety, and now she writes about it. Reach her atMEGANmegankrolloff@gmail.com.ROLLOFF
There are very few subjects in existence that can inspire a great debate quite like that of music. In my opinion, there are three major reasons for this:
• The topics falling beneath that heading are virtually endless, and there is no actual right or wrong, allowing said debates to perpetuate into infinity and beyond • And the best part — there is nothing life or death about it.
To a music head, there are few things more invigorating than a great debate over which album was most important to the development of a sound or what band blazed the path for all subsequent impostors to follow in their wake. But at the end of the day, everyone can shake hands, part ways, and live to spar another day. Undoubtedly, believing him/her/themself the victor.Long story short, it’s fun. But even that can spawn an interesting conversation: does music need to be artistically progressive and emotionally revealing to be taken seriously, or is fun-for-fun’s-sake just as culturally significant and important to the human experience? And thus begins the debate of the cover band vs. the original band; does each deserve a space on the mantel of our musicology? My answer to this question is yes — a resounding yes. Many great moments in my life have revolved concerts featuring original bands and/or musical acts: Bob Dylan, Cher, Adele (before she was an icon), and Lizzo (before she was an icon), to name a fraction of those. But, just as many good times and unforgettable memories have been made with friends and family at wedding dances, college parties and county fairs, that just would not have been the same without the quintessential cover band providing the soundtrack. Not to mention, so many original bands are composed of former cover band members. Believe it or not, the polished performers that you see at that big stadium show were most likely once awkward, gangly teens playing Nirvana and Blink 182 in the basement of whichever parents drew the short straw. Cover bands provide a way to learn, practice, and hone the skills needed to later make those significant contributions to our musical fabric. And then again, maybe your day job doesn’t provide the creative outlet you need. Playing in a cover band on the weekend can be a way to weave that into your life while putting smiles on faces. One more point for the fun-for-fun’s-sake argument. And to take this one step further, here enters the tribute band. According to my extensive research (a couple Google searches), a cover band and a tribute band are two different things. While all tribute bands are essentially cover bands, not all cover bands are tribute bands. A cover band plays the music of any number of popular bands across many eras, while usually staying within a specific genre. Adhering to the original sound and intent of the song is not of utmost concern. These are generally the big radio hits that get everyone up and moving and having a good time. A tribute band pays homage to a specific band trying to honor their sound and musical flavor as closely as possible. This often involves playing much deeper cuts than is customary for a cover band.So, what happens when a band elects to play the music of one particular band but gives it its own unique spin and sound? A kind of hybrid tribute band? Well, that was my assessment of the St. Peter area band, Steely Ann, after recently attending their first public performance. Steely Ann is a play on the band Steely Dan from the (primarily) 70s and 80s. With Ann Rosenquist Fee (director of the Arts Center of Saint Peter) out front on vocals, the clever band name makes this pun-loving gal want to know more. Also in the band, Chaz Draper (father of previously profiled bassist, Liz Draper) on drums, Masa Ishikawa on keys, Craig Matarrese on bass, and Johnathan Moeller on guitar. While yes, they do indeed play all Steely Dan material, having female vocals in the lead and a “jazzier” sound is what brings me to this “hybrid” theory. And to be totally honest, I think it was an improvement on the original. I am not a huge Steely Dan fan. Partially for lack of experience with their music, other than their best-known radio hits, and partially because their “yacht-rock” vibe is not-so-much my bag, baby. But somehow, these subtle, yet significant adjustments to the music made all the difference. I was able to hear the music in a different way and gain a new appreciation. It seemed obvious that I was in the minority in the audience of about 300. Most were clearly seasoned listeners of the originals and were familiar with the deeper cuts. But we all seemed to be enjoying the evening with equal enthusiasm.
The performance was part of the Hot Jazz for Decent People music series that has been the ongoing endeavor for the Arts Center of Saint and Peter and KMSU for the last nine years. The last three years have been held at Minnesota Square Park Pavilion in St. Peter.
• No special degree or qualifications are necessary to participate (case in point; gestures to self).
While this particular series has come to an end, for this season anyway, there are undoubtedly many more outdoor music opportunities to be had. So, seize the day, my fellow northerners. The season that shall not be named is coming, and you will need those sunny memories of listening to great music with great friends to get you through it.
I’ve got it COVERed
Steely Ann took the stage for the Aug. 5 edition of Hot Jazz for Decent People, which drew a crowd of around 300 people in St. Peter’s Minnesota Square Park.
The pavilion at St. Peter’s Minnesota Square Park has proved a perfect venue for Hot Jazz for Decent People, which most recently played host to cover band Steely Ann. (File photo/southernminn.com)
The new-ish (2019) pavilion was the perfect setting. A cool breeze blew through the outdoor venue, and there was plenty of space for all the camp chairs and mini-coolers necessary for a perfect Minnesota summer night. The event was free, though they did “pass the hat” for donations to the Arts Center, which, for my (brother’s) money, is well worth it. Support local art.
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Jennifer said her daughter was usually the creative force behind the curtain…or boulder as it might be. Both of her children were ambassadors for DJJD, so this is a theme that gets painted annually. After a terrible house fire kept them out of their home for 8 months in 2020, things were back on track until daughter, Lily, moved. Now the pressure is really on!
Ifind that most people don’t rely on North/South/East/West for directions. They tend to use landmarks. In the Midwest, we say things like, “You know that abandoned silo over by the corn field across from Menard’s … turn there.” I can never remember the numbers of the small county roads, but if you mention that old strip bar that had the great pizza before the big tornado, I know just what you mean. There’s something in my very own town that helps the directionally impaired, and I was on a mission to find out more about it. I took it upon myself to do Northfield a favor by finding out what was going on with the giant yard rock on the corner of Woodley and Prairie streets. For years, this rock has been painted to harken the upcoming season or local events, such as the Defeat of Jesse James Days (DJJD). It also provides navigational assistance for many lost I’vedrivers.stopped dozens of times to take photos of this large boulder. Well, imagine my concern when the rock was painted orange and remained just plain orange for what seemed like months. I mean, the only reason I even know when to start wearing summer clothes is when the rock tells me. Time to get out my down coat? I gotta check the rock. Is it time to buy my button for DJJD? Swing by the rock Sometimesfirst.you just gotta knock on a stranger’s door and ask some questions. This is how I met Jennifer King and her faithful red companion, Lou Lou, the dachshund.Yearsago, when the city widened Woodley, they rolled the stone from the curb onto Jennifer’s lawn to get it out of the way. She assumed this was a temporary move. Alas, her two kids (Lily & Zac) grew used to sitting on it and wouldn’t allow her to contact the city to remove it once the street work was complete. The decision was made. If the rock was going to stay, it should at least look like something fun. Hence, the family came up with the initial idea to paint it to look like a Halloween pumpkin. Well, you can’t just create an iconic milestone and then not keep it up! Every time they got out the spray paint as well as the house paint for the little details, people stopped to tell them how much they enjoyed their creativity. Folks started using the rock as a landmark and asking what the next design concept might look like. I’ve posted many of the rock’s best images of penguins, pumpkins, peace signs, rainbows, etc. on Facebook and they’ve always received many an accolade. People in town really pay attention to this odd art project.
theon
Jennifer has decided that she would like a guest artist to do the painting on occasion. So, if you’re interested in be ing involved in keeping this Northfield tradition going, just submit a concept to Jennifer via email — pixeletta@aol.com. If you’re accepted for this prestigious volunteer gig, you’ll also have to bring some treats for Lou Lou, as she is the one who actually makes all the decisions.
RockArt
16 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
&
Rants RAVES
MARY1964minx@gmail.com.CLOSNER
Mary Closner is 73 inches tall (according to her doctor) and has 9-foot ceilings in her home (according to her handyman). She lives in Northfield, making bad decisions so you don’t have to! Reach her at
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PLEASANT VALLEY ORCHARD
Make the short jaunt to these fun-filled farms and get in on some pickin’ and grinnin’.
18 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
By PAT GARRY Guest Contributor
From pumpkin patches and harvest festivals to bountiful pick-your-own produce and cute animals — fall is the best time to visit a local Minnesota farm. Here are some of the most popular spots to frequent, as well as a few that are a little more off the beaten track. You’ll find jams, jellies, honey, syrups, ciders, juices, pies, fudges, wagon rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, sunflower fields … oh, and you might even come face-to-face with a “donut robot.”
Founded in 1990, Jim Birkholz and Judy Erickson are owners of the Orchard. For all the tastes and colors of fall, there is no better place than an apple orchard, and Pleasant Valley Orchard offers that and more. Fresh, treeripened apples to delight your taste buds, hand-dipped caramel apples full of gooey goodness and beautiful pumpkins are a fall-lovers delight.
Trumps Orchard has been operating in Faribault since 1954 and opens every year from late August to December. (File photo/southernminn.com)
“We offer a low-key family atmosphere, with just the right elements. Please note that we offer pick-your-own apples on Saturday and Sundays only,” said Erickson. You will find your favorite Minnesota Grown apples, Pleasant Valley Apple Pie, caramel apples, apple turnovers, apple brats, fresh apple cider, a huge assortment of pumpkins, gourmet foods, fall, farmhouse and Christmas decor and gift items. Activities available every day
Dand and Zeke Berg are owners of Fresh Acres Farm. “We have a petting zoo, a one-of-a-kind combine converted into a slide, bounce houses, unique activities each weekend, 2 corn mazes, corn cannon, bale mountain, and other fun activities,” said Zeke. The Bergs sell fall harvest decor, like corn stalks and straw bales, maple syrup, honey and popcorn. Zeke says that they are a unique business.
Workers in September 2017 scoop up apples from the line at Trumps Orchard in Faribault. (File photo/southernminn.com) Along with apples, Trumps Orchard boasts varieties of pumpkins, including white/ orange pie pumpkins for decoration or eating. (File photo/southernminn.com)
John and Else Larson are owners of Bridge water Farm Pumpkin Patch. Bridgewater Farm activities include a giant 6-acre corn maze, kiddie corn maze, hay rides, barrel cart train, straw mountain, giant slide, corn box, barnyard animals, photo alley, trike derby, plus more.
FRESH ACRES FARM
CONTINUED page 20
TRUMPS ORCHARD Scott, Chrissy, Todd, and Joyce Trump are the owners. The Trumps have a store room with lots of different apple varieties (circa 25 kinds); along with awesome home-made caramel apple crisp, hand-dipped caramel apples, jellies and andeveryAug.aroundroomstoreorchardopenpies.madehome-syrupmaplepopcorn,honey,localjams,rawand“Weour20yearopen the u-pick option around the end of September. The dates are always dictated by the apple crop,” said Chrissy. Some of the apple varieties on-hand are Summer Red, Oriole, Dolgo Crab, Chestnut Crab, Whitney Crab, First Kiss, SweeTango, HoneyCrisp, Zestar, Haralson, Fireside, EverCrisp and several more. Trumps Orchard has been a family run apple orchard since 1954. Their number one focus is on the quality of apple they provide to the customer. The Trumps also grow plums, pears, several varieties of squash, pumpkins, gourds, and sunflowers. “We are super excited to open our orchard for the 68th season. We love seeing all of the smiling faces year after year, as they get that first favorite apple of the season or maybe the season’s first caramel apple.”~ Chrissy Trump; “It’s been a great summer and we have been working really hard to have plenty of high quality fruit. We look forward to seeing and serving our customers again.” ~ Scott Trump; (1020 St Paul Ave, Faribault; trumpsorchard. com)
Open 7 days a week; starting Labor Day Weekend through early November, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. varieties)(pleasantvalleyorchard.com/minnesota-apple-
BRIDGEWATER FARM PUMPKIN PATCH
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 19 LIVEMUSIC S’MORES WINE COCKTAILS FOOD ANDMORE! WWW.CHANKASKAWINES.COM On/OffSaleAvailable 507-744-2370|985650thSt.W,Veseli GREAT BURGERS GREATER PIZZA SummerFun: VolleyballCourt •BeanBags•Horseshoes CozyDeckwithaFencedinYard WinterFun: MeatRaffleSecondFridayoftheMonth •BingoThursdays Mondays5pm-1am Tuesday-Saturday11:30am-1:00am HAPPYHOURM-F//3pm-6pm WE’DLOVETOSEEYOU! VESELI,MN Stopbyinacar,truck,RZR,side-by-side, bicycle,motorcycleorsnowmobile include nature trail, farm animals, picnic area, caramel apples, scones and turnovers, cookies and of course, apples and shopping. On the weekends you will find a line-up of special events, music, the food trailer serving up apple donuts and brats, as well as hayrides through the scenic orchard. “In October, we have hayrides to the pumpkin patch, where you can hop off and pick out a pumpkin, Erickson added. Some favorite apple choices include First Kiss™, SweeTango™ and Honeycrisp™; along with orchard classics like Cortland, Haralson, Fireside, Keepsake and more. “At Pleasant Valley Orchard, we focus on growing high-quality apples developed by the University of Minnesota especially for our climate,” said Jim Birkholz. “We pick our apples at the height of ripeness and flavor, not because of a date on the calendar.” “We don’t have a lot of bells and whistles here,” said Judy Erickson. “We focus on providing a family, friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy all the best fall has to offer. Our orchard’s location, with scenic views of the St. Croix Valley, is a pleasing place to spend time with family and friends.”
“We offer pick-your-own pumpkins in our 3-acre pumpkin patch or pre-picked pumpkins.
Too, we sell fall decor including gourds, corn stalks, straw bales, squash, decorative corn,” saidBridgewaterElse. Farm is family friendly in size, scope, and value. The Larsons offer the biggest corn maze in the area, and it keeps families coming back year after year. Bridgewater Farm is a family farm, with 3rd generation farmers on both sides of the family tree. BF is looking forward to a great fall season. “We will unveil our themed corn maze in September, so stay tuned,” Else added. “Fall in Minnesota is the best! We love sharing our farm by providing a place for your family to have fun and make memories. See you at the farm.” — the Larsons (4706 East Lonsdale Blvd. Northfield, MN 55057; bridgewaterproducefarm.com)
The property boasts an amazing play area to enjoy; including a huge playground, spider web, unique tire swings, petting farm, Retread Hill, Johnny Combine, Grammamals Barnyard, Jump Pad, fun photo ops, yard games, 15-acre corn maze, apple blaster, mini-mazes and more. To keep things updated each year, often times Cindy arranges for additions to the playground, or experiments with growing different crops or expands yard activities.
AAMODT’S APPLE FARM
CONTINUED from page 19
BLOSSOM HILL ORCHARD & FARM Dane and Hillary Diede own and operate Blossom Hill Orchard & Farm. They have a huge pick-your-own pumpkin patch. The Diedes are turning the orchard into a pick-your-own in the next couple years, as they have planted 2,000 new trees, so watch for details in the next couple years. Currently, some of the top varieties available are First Kiss, SweeTango, Honeycrisp, and B-51. Also on the premises are a bakery and greenhouse with fall plants; plus a retail shop with Amish and local products from the area.
“We grow strawberries, raspberries (purple, red, pink and yellow), black raspberries, blackberries, 15 varieties of apples, pumpkins, sweet corn and several varieties of squash,” Cindy explained. There are also over 7 acres of pick-your-own zinnias and several colors of sunflowers starting late-summer. The 15-acre corn maze is also a big hit in the fall. Fall favorites from the farm include Cindy’s very own Honey Crisp apple chips. They make a great healthy and tasty snack.
The Bergs have the only corn maze in the state that utilizes this“Wprocess.earealso the only maze that has a track chair to allow people that are wheelchair bound or are not steady on their feet, to come out and enjoy the activities with their families,” said Berg.Dand and Zeke have been telling people to get lost (in the maze) for 5 years, and they are excited to kick-off the 2022 season. The venue is open weekends and MEA (Thursday-Friday); Sept. 10-Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting.
AFTON APPLE
The orchard has been owned by the Aamodt family since 1948, when Thor and Lucille Aamodt planted their first apple trees. The land was carefully selected due to the right soil, climate for growing Minnesota apples, and its scenic drive from everywhere. Today, the orchard is owned by Chris Aamodt and continues to be a true family affair. Chris’s sons, Alex, Christopher, and Geoffrey, still work on the orchard but have started their own company, Thor’s Hard Cider, named after their greatgrandpa and founder of the orchard. The hard cider continues to win internationally recognized awards and can be enjoyed at the orchard year-round as the taproom is located on the premises. Visitors can enjoy the historic buildings of the farm, which include a 1880s barn and granary that feature an apple barn, bakery, winery, and gift shop. The bakery features great grandma Lucille’s recipes, including fresh baked apple pie, apple cider donuts, and apple jams. The winery, Saint Croix Vineyard, was started on the premised in 1994 and is now known as one of Minnesota’s premier wineries. Families can enjoy a tradition of visiting the orchard each fall. There is a goat farm, which is free to enjoy and say hello to the five goats. The Honeycrisp Express is a tractor-pulled cart ride for small children, available on the weekends. The gift shop features many locally crafted handmade goods. Folks are welcome to walk around the orchard to take in its history and beauty. As for pick-your-own apples, it is offered, and is dependent on weather and apple Pick-your-ownavailability.apple availability/hours is posted on the website as the season progresses. The patio and orchard area is very dog-friendly. During the fall, the Aamodts also serve apple brats, hot dogs, cheese and apple trays, and apple cider. The Aamodt’s orchards are known as the Home of the Honeycrisp and for good reason.They are typically available right around Labor Day, but again, at the mercy of the weather. Other varieties include SweeTango, Zestar!, Haralsons, Keepsakes, and Duchess apples. Even when the venue doesn’t have ripe apples, or in season, you can always taste the apples in the hard cider, which is served year round and made with the orchard-grown apples. Aamodts is open during the off-season (apple season is August-October) and they host different events throughout the year; including trivia, markets, and live music. Thorshardcider com is the place to go for off-season events as they take over the apple barn space during the off-season time.
The owner of the fabulous Afton Apple venue is Cindy Femling.“We have goats, sheep, donkeys and llamas in our petting farm, and they love to have visitors and enjoy eating the animal feed right from customer’s hands,” said Femling. Cindy grows 15 different varieties of apples, including a few new favorites like Honey Crisp, KinderKrisp and RiverBelle, as well as some old favorites including McIntosh, Haralson and Honey Gold. The farm is primarily pick your own. Femling encourages visitors to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and enjoy time at the farm picking their own produce. Too, apples are available in the retail store.
“Apples run in our family. We love sharing our love for apples with our families” — the Aamodts (6428 Manning Avenue; Stillwater; 651-439-3127; aamodtsapplefarm.com)
“Our passion for apples grows every year. The joy we see in families as they enjoy a slice of pie outside made from an apple grown 100 feet away, is why we work so to bring the best to our customers.” — Dane and Hillary (645 US-52, Preston; blossomhillapples.com)
“We feel honored to be able to still be a fourth generation family farm (with the 5th growing up before our eyes) and have so many multi-generational families come and enjoy all we have to offer.” — the Severs (3121 150th Street W., Shakopee; seversfestivals.com)
“Our bakery is always a surprise when people step outside of their cars and smell cinnamon and apples baking, and see the beautiful greenhouse variety of mums that are grown locally. We are a true small local business,” explained Hillary.
“We are a family owned and operated orchard, kicking off our 34th year, providing local fresh produce picked right at the peak of perfection. We have grown our farm from 100 acres to just about 300 acres. We pride our farm in having high quality produce, excellent customer service and a welcoming atmosphere for guests of all backgrounds and all ages,” said Femling.
“We’re truly an event that the whole family can enjoy, no matter the age! We still are traditional grain farmers, but we truly love the fall festival and expanded into a holiday light show in 2019, which has also been a great addition,” added Nicola.
BRAND FARMS Brand Farms’ owner Aaron Brand, raises apples and egg-laying chickens, and he has for the past 15 years.
“Keeping with our mission, we grew our corn without spraying synthetic chemicals; we used oats as a cover crop and good ol’ elbow grease to keep the weeds low, so folks can enjoy the corn maze without worrying about what’s on their shoes when they get home,” Zeke added.
(Farm: 7385 Jason Ave. NE, Monticello; Corn Maze: 8102 72nd St. NE, Monticello; access the corn maze via 72nd St NE; the corn maze cannot be accessed via the Fresh Acres Farm drive way; 763-290-0156; freshacresmn.com; Facebook @FreshAcresMN)
SEVER’S FESTIVALS
The farm hosts several festivals, events and special weekends throughout the year, ensuring each trip to the farm will be a unique“Althoughone. we’re family owned and operated, and have 3 generations helping out at the farm, we couldn’t provide what we do without the help of our amazing crew. Our seasoned employees are known as the “Core of our Crew,” Cindy said. “We never take for granted that our customers choose to visit our farm. We love having people come out to pick their own produce and get to know where food comes from. We thoroughly enjoy meeting our customers and becoming part of their yearly traditions and of course, watching their kids grow up. We are humbled by our loyal customers that have grown with us through the years.” — Cindy Femling (14421 90th St S, Hastings; aftonapple.com)
20 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
The owners are the Peterson Family, specifically Sever and Sharon Peterson. The day-to-day operation is managed by their son and daughter-in-law, Aaron and Nicola Peterson, and son-inlaw, Mitch Michaelson. The Severs have a slew of activities and attractions. A full list can be found at the website. Apple varieties include Honey Crisp, Sweet Tango, Snow Sweet. They also offer pumpkins, squash, apples, sweet corn, and gourds.“Wewere the first corn maze in the Midwest and the second in the country, one year behind a corn maze in Pennsylvania, though we didn’t know of each other back then,” said Nicola. They have now morphed into a full fall festival, and while the corn maze is still the Severs’ marquee, their guests love to enjoy all the other activities like the massive corn pits (each with 10,000 bushels of corn!), the jumping pillows, various shows on the center stage, the pig races, zip lines, and so much more.
“We operate a dairy farm on the property, so the baby calves and young stock are available for viewing. The egg-laying chickens have been quite the experience for visitors,” added Brand. On the way out to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, everyone will see all 2,100 hens out free ranging. The hayride wagons and walking path both travel by the hen house, and if you are lucky, the hens will be outside enjoying a beautiful fall day; eating bugs and greens, and the occasional apple core a visitor throws to them. Aaron strives to bring the best outdoor experience to every visitor possible. There are short lines, quick wait times, and the deliciously tasty Brand Farms Apple Cider Slush made with fresh pressed apple cider; or a big glass of the BRANDilishous brand new fall drink, with half Apple Cider Slush, half creamy vanilla ice cream, topped with a fresh apple cider donut. There will also be food trucks, cotton candy, brick oven pizza, and more every weekend. There’s something fun and delicious for all ages.
“We also have a roadside stand that is open all summer through the fall, called The Brand Stand, which is located off the farm on the East side of Farmington,” Brand said. At this stand, Aaron partnered with many local vegetable growers to supply the stand with locally grown veggies and produce. There is sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, locally baked goods like bread and snacks, and much more. There are also jams, jellies, salsas and pickled items available at the stand. When fall arrives, all the full line of apples, cider, donuts, and much more will be available at the Brand Stand, as well.
“We have fruit available from June to January. Our goal is to have our local fruit or fruit products available to Minnesota coops year round. We start harvesting strawberries in late May or early June,” said Jackie. Before the strawberries finish up, the Hochs start on red raspberries and then blueberries. The black, purple, and yellow raspberries come after the early reds. Cherry plums overlap the berries and then the American hybrid plums start and continue to ripen into early September, overlapping the summer apples. The high quality fall apples begin in mid-September and then the winter apples are harvested in October. Winter apples are kept cool and crisp in refrigerated storage and are sold into January.
(18605 Biscayne Ave. West, Farmington; brandfarmsmn.com/ index.html)
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 21 Since1990 114N.Cedar,Owatonna•507-451-5196 ToneMusic.net Summer ClearanceSale HappeningNow! AChild’sDelighttoo•MNEducationAcademy•AsianBuffet Maurice’s•CannonValleySpecialEdCooperative•BossUp FaribaultFurnitureandMattress•JoAnnFabrics•PetSmart Taekwondo•FancyNails•BlueOxBoutique•Taqueria•SunsetCoins PlazaBarbershop•VisionWorks•PetSmart•DollarTree•Simplicity GraceBibleChurch•LaFlordemayosupermercado•JesusFood A.P.Insurance•GaryCDahle-Attorney•MegaCoinLaundry 200WesternAve.•Faribault 507-334-5328 faribowestmall.com FollowusonFacebook forevents,sales&the latestmallnews! “We are a U-pick apple orchard that also offers a large U-pick pumpkin patch. We offer hayrides in the fall out to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch on weekends. We offer school tours during the week,” said Aaron. Brand has a Farm Store, open during the fall season, which is fully stocked with jams, salsas, pickles, apple cider donuts, fresh pressed apple cider, apple cider slush, fresh eggs, chickens, beef, and apple brats, and much more. Eggs are available year-round at the farm. People can pick their own apples or choose from a large selection of pre-picked apples from the Farm Store. Brand features 8 different varieties of apples, including Honeycrisp, Sweet Tango, First Kiss, Haralson, Zestar!, and more.
HOCH ORCHARD AND GARDENS
Hoch Orchard and Gardens are owned by Harry and Jackie Hoch. They offer orchard walks, apple and hard cider tastings, berry and apple picking. The Hochs feature more than 20 apple varieties; (Honeycrisp and Haralson are their largest crop). Organic produce and hard cider are also available, and there are plenty of sheep and pigs to see.
(Hoch Orchard & Gardens, 32553 Forster Road, La Crescent; hochorchard.com) Journalist-Copywriter-Editor-Feature Writer. My experience spans over 20 years, and I will apply my skills to help beef up any lifeless copy within your website, brochure, press release, catalog, etc. Reach out at patgarry@charter.
net. 202W.BridgeSt.OwatonnaVisitusatoneofourtwolocations!graifclothing.com • 507-413-0114 900N.RiverfrontDr.Mankato • 507-345-3000 ALLMen’s&Women’s CasualWear30%OFF! Suits&SportCoats20%OFF!
If you’ve been to a metropolitan city in the last few years, you may have seen a growing trend in alternative, ecofriendly transportation. E-scooters, a less expensive and electrified mode of travel have been growing in popularity — and for several reasons. With increased global awareness on health, wellness, and the need for alternative, eco-friendly transportation, several E-scooter companies have taken flight throughout the globe. The majority of these (Lyft/Lime) found their niche in densely populated metropolises, where they intend to provide top quality service to residents and riders within these areas. But one California-based rental company knew they could have the edge on smaller markets, making micro-mobility accessible to all residents within a said community, including towns with less than 10,000 residents. Bird, a California-based scooter rental firm, has recently launched a booming business in heartland com munities, such as New Ulm, Marshall, Albert Lea, Mankato and Owatonna.Thecityof Faribault is currently in the process of working to implement Bird scooters into their community, too. But it is a bit of a process, according to Deanna Kuennen, communication and economic development director for the city. She said, “Our City Council is very excited to be working with Bird to develop and execute an E-scooter memorandum — designing and implementing rules and regulations specifically geared towards scooter rentals. While the city anticipates there may be hiccups during their open period of trial, such issues will, in turn, improve and solidify the requirements needed to meet the needs of our community, as a whole.”
In partnership with local officials and community organizations, Bird is proudly providing micro electric vehicles to residents and riders in all size communities in more than 250 cities globally. And they were the first operator to do so.
“Climate friendly transportation must be accessible in all cities, especially towns with less than 10,000 residents,” said Bird’s Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer Rebecca Hahn.
rev acrossupSoMinn
“Reducing carbon emissions on a global scale, by offering alternative eco-friendly transportation, is critical to the success in achieving this goal,” she added. Bird is designing successful, no cost to the city, micro-mobility services; meeting their needs as a community, and democratizing access to electric vehicles for everyone. Some scooter rentals require you to park at docking stations throughout the city. Bird lets you take, and leave, their scooters anywhere in the city. Bird scooters are sustainable, affordable, and easily accessible. Their scooters are made with recyclable materials and are easily maintained. With no cost to the city, the majority of revenue made on scooter rentals goes back into the community.
FLYING IN While Bird e-scooters have been prominent in larger cities, such as St. Paul, since 2018, Bird’s newest efforts focus on broadening their client base to suburbs and smaller cities, as e-scooter competition increases. Bird saw the need for sustainable mobility, stretching far beyond big cities. Lower population densities in smaller communities meant fewer public transit options and limited access to personal transportation beyond gas powered cars.
22 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. Albert Lea Summer Rec Assistant Abigail Chalmers rides a Bird scooter on the city trail around Fountain Lake. (Photo by Teresa Kauffmann)
By HEATHER GORDON Guest Contributor
E-Scooters
Offering eco-friendly transporta-tion options, reduces carbon emis- sions within the community, reduces road
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traffic and noise pollution and encourages less use of fossil fuels globally, as such resources become more difficult to retrieve. Electric mobility encourages healthy lives and increased community involvement. More people have the opportunity to socialize throughout the community and take part in outdoor activities, such as utilizing trails and lake paths, keeping individuals active and encouraging community involvement.
When finished, riders can leave the scooter at their destination, and the onboard GPS will alert the fleet manager to retrieve it, if someone doesn’t pick it up before that. Many cities are implementing local ordinances for scooter rentals, laying out basic rules.Aswith bikes, scooters should not be ridden on sidewalks, but can be used on paved bike trails. As with standard rules of the road, do not park scooters blocking driveways or ADA accessible entries. And just as with any other mobile transportation, watch for pedestrians, giving them the right of way
Reach Regional Managing Editor Philip Weyhe at 507-931-8579 or follow him on Twitter @EditorPhilipWeyhe. © Copyright 2022 APG Media of Southern Minnesota. All rights reserved. Ryan Seykora was also among the dozens of people to try a new Bird electric scooter in Owatonna. (Emily Kahnke/southernminn.com)
The use of this alternative transportation is in accordance with a global action plan: building sustainable transportation, resilient to climate changes, and preserving the earth’s fossil fuel reserves.Aswith any transportation utilizing roads and bike lanes, scooter transportation provides a safe way to get around for those without other options. They do, of course, come with rules.Riders must obey standard rules of the road, and helmets are greatly encouraged. Access to E-scooter rentals can be activated by phone app, a QR code on the scooter and a credit card.
“Albert Lea has a very strong history of outdoor parks and recreation throughout our town, and much of the community connection happens around Fountain Lake. With 5 miles of pedestrian friendly sidewalks, this gathering spot attracts all ages, including young adults,” said Malakowsky. She added, “Micro-mobility options are very popular for young adults, as they tend to be too old for the playgrounds. The scooter trend encourages healthy community involvement, and maintaining healthy choices among all ages when it comes to transportation, healthy body, and healthy mind.” Bird, along with 100 scooters, landed in Albert Lea in May 2021 and has been a pleasing success, according to Malakowsky.
During their fist season, Bird riders made close to 6,000 scooter trips throughout the city, riding more than 15,000 miles. Escooter rentals reduced CO2 by 2.12 metric tonnes (a tonne is equal to 1,000 kilograms), according to the city.
In Albert Lea, the city is riding into its second season with Bird, and feedback has been widespread. Kathy Malakowsky, community engagement and enrichment director for the city of Albert Lea, has lived in the community for most of her adult life and sees the implementation of the scooters as a positive one for all ages.
GETTING ACCLIMATED
And then there are the walks, the soles-on-the-ground hikes through area parks, nature centers, along recreational trails, even through neighborhoods. That time outdoors connects me to nature, the slow pace deepening my appreciation of autumn. I notice the blooming prairie flowers, vivid red berries, Monarch and Painted Lady butterflies, fungi laddering a fallen tree, leaves crunching beneath my feet, the scent of earth. Autumn feels anticipatory. As September unfolds, I feel the need to take it all in, to delight in the moment and places and events, everything that defines southern Minnesota in the season before winter settles upon the land.
KLETSCHER HELBLING
Autumn is Audrey Kletscher Helbling’s favorite season, always has been. She carries in her memory the sights, smells and sounds of harvest while growing up in rural southwestern Minnesota. It is during this season of harvest that she especially misses the farm. You can find more of her writing and photography on her blog atmnprairieroots.com.AUDREY in Southern Minnesota
Loving autumn Loving autumn in southern Minnesota — from country drives to fall colors and much moreAutumn in southern Minnesota seems, in many ways, rushed. As a lifelong Minnesotan, I pack as much as possible into the months preceding winter’s arrival. The press of the season begins with the start of school, the unofficial end of summer. And although I no longer have children in school, I live on an arterial street which buses and other vehicles follow to and from Faribault schools. I feel the rapid pulse of school days. This time of year often finds me on the road, too, with my husband, Randy, following back country gravel roads on a weekend afternoon to view the fall colors, sometimes circling area lakes, passing by corn and soybean fields, skirting picturesque barns, pausing at roadside stands or craft sales. I needn’t go far to immerse myself in that which connects me to my rural roots, to this season of harvest. Drying vegetation mutes the landscape. Changing leaf colors contrast that, flashing shades of red, orange and yellow into a sometimes cobalt blue sky. There’s a sharpness to that blue, a sharpness to the morning and evening air. Pull on your sweatshirt or flannel shirt kind of weather. Yet, some days bring summer-like warmth, final days to attend a community festival or order a treat from a seasonal drive-in that will soon shutter.
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An autumn walk at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault. This footbridge crosses Falls Creek in Falls Creek County Park just off Minnesota State Highway 60 east of Faribault.
A Painted Lady butterfly spotted on the prairie at the Ney Nature Center.
Minneapolis artist Adam Turman created murals in the pedestrian and biking underpasses at the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 246 and Jefferson Parkway in Northfield. The art represents the seasons and ecologies of the area. Turman painted this owl in the “Oak Savannas” themed tunnel. An inspiring plaque posted at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault
Kaplan’s Woods in Owatonna is an enjoyable place to hike in any season, but especially in autumn.
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A stately barn stands on a former farm site by the education center at the Ney Nature Center near Henderson. The William Kahlow family owned the farmstead until 1967 when it was sold to the Ney family. The nature center features many hiking trails, two historic farm sites and more.
An aged barn and silo hug a winding gravel backroad in the Sogn Valley. (Photos by Audrey Kletscher Helbling)
Signage identifies an aged corn crib on the historic Wilhelm Ney family farm site at the Ney Nature Center. The Neys homesteaded the land in the 1850s.
26 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
A semi awaits the harvest in a field near Kenyon. Rural Rice County in autumn. Stopping for an ice cream treat at Ginny’s before the West Concord drive-in closes for the season.
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 27 stp eterfoo d.co op BanhMiSandwich goodfood bringsus together. The autumn Ladies & Gentlemen Craft Show just outside Kenyon features a scarecrow contest in addition to crafts for sale. Customers buy food from a vendor in Bridge Square during Northfield’s The Defeat of Jesse James Days celebration. This year’s event is September 7-11. The bus company located in downtown Kenyon.
ShowPowerPioneer--Aug.26-27, Pioneer Le265th34605Showgrounds,PowerAve.,Sueur.Steam/gas/horse power, threshing and plowing, earth moving equipment, straw baling, tractor pulls, log cabins, dancing, music, food, drinks and so much more old fashioned fun. $10 admission for 13 and older. Kids free. Aug. 26-28.
LagoonandCaravan,AirshipMakeouts,TheLoon--6:30 p.m. Aug. 27, The Music Space, 216 N. Cedar Ave., Owatonna. The Music Space is excited to bring in these three great indie rock bands. Join for live music that all ages will enjoy. Cool beverages available. Tickets online.
One Night Only -- 6-9:30 p.m. Sept. 2, Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. Let The Elton John tribute show featuring a full band, lights, and production from Neon Live take you on a musical journey through Elton’s greatest hits. Food from S&B BBQ. Tickets online. Did we miss something? Let us know! We may still be able to get an important event on one of our weekly pages that run in the newspapers. Calendar events compiled by Philip Weyhe.
MarketFarmersOwatonna--7a.m.-3p.m.Aug.27, Central Park Owatonna, 100 E. Main St, EnjoyOwatonna.numerous vendors and their products in beautiful downtown Owatonna. Saturdays from May to October. MarketFest -- 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 27, An open air market featuring crafters, vendors, and artists. Enjoy boutiques, restaurants, and coffee shops while you take in the charm of historic downtown St. Peter. Takes place second and fourth Saturdays MayOctober.
Caleb Erickson Memorial Day -- 11 a.m. Aug. 27, Waseca American Legion, 700 S. State St., Waseca. This is the eighth memorial event for Caleb Erickson. Join for bloody Mary’s, lunch, an all convoy ride and back to the American Legion for supper and music. Dave Williams -- 1-2 p.m. Aug. 27, Foremost beerafternoonSeath.DaveOwatonna’sBroadwayCooperative,Brewing131W.St,Owatonna.veryown,WilliamswithValStopdownforanofmusicandwithfriends.
p.m.--MarketFarmersNorthfield11:45a.m.-1Sept.2, Riverside 11:45MarketNorthfieldNorthfield.Park,TheFarmerstakesplacea.m.to1p.m. Fridays and 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays in the summer and into the fall, featuring fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Cannon Valley Farmers Market -- 4-7 p.m. Sept. 1, Rice County Fairgrounds, 1814 Second Ave., Faribault. The Cannon Valley Farmers Market is outdoors 4-7 p.m. Thursdays June 16-Sept. 22. Featuring vendors from across the Cannon Valley region.
Bridge Chamber Music Festival -- 3 p.m. Aug. 28, Keepsake Cidery, 135th St. East, Dundas. Part of the Bridge Chamber Music Festival series in Northfield, this show features The Jamison Ensemble: Elise Parker, violin, Anne Ainomae, viola, and Jane Cords O’Hara, cello. See bridgechamberfestival.com for more details.
RoadAllyson--Aug.31,Red Barn 10-acreExploreNorthfield.110thFarm,Pizza10063St.,thefarm at red barn and enjoy some music and pizza.
Family Night at the Park -4-8 p.m. Aug. 31, Legion Park, 103 S. Sixth St., Le Sueur. Family Night’s goal is to have a fun place for families to get out of the house in the summer and have some fun family time. The nights take place 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays June 1 to Aug. 31. The Suits -- 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31, Berne WoodFired super-talentedSuitsConcord.Hwy.23148Pizza,County24,WestThearea
MusicRiverbendFest--9:30p.m.-1a.m.Aug.26, 2156 SW 78th St., 2156 SW 78th St., Owatonna. Music from Devon Worle Band, Distilled, Them Pesky Kids, Mark Stone and The Dirty Country Band, The Karaoke Rat, Wayne Renn Band over Friday and Saturday. Full cash bar and food vendors ready to serve. Camping available. See tickets at riverbendmusicfest. com.
FarewellMidwest -5-7 p.m. Aug. 28, Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm, 41142 160th St, Waseca. Enjoy some music with your pizza and drinks at the farm.
Sewing Show and Tell -- 2-4 p.m. Aug. 27, Arts Center of Saint Peter, 315 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Got a sewing project in the works? Bought a bunch of fabric on clearance and don’t know what to do with it? Bring your project, your questions, and an open mind. Bianca Wilson will facilitate “speed show-and-tell” for participants to share about their work-in-progress. Drop-in fee is $5-$10. 27,p.m.--MysteryMurder1950s5-8:30Aug. Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Join for a 1950s themed murder mystery event. Dress up in appropriate attire to get into theme and join for heavy hors d oeuvres and figure out who was murdered. Tickets online. Gold Star Band -- 6:309:30 p.m. Aug. 27, Scoops, 105 E. Main St., Elysian. Enjoy some music with your ice cream on a summer Saturday night.
MeantimesandMemphisthe--7:30-10p.m.Aug.27, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. An all-star Twin Cities band performing the songs of Sun Records and the Grand Ole Opry. Tickets at the Paradise website.
four piece covers band based in the West Midlands, providing a variety of genres sure to please guests of all ages. Pizza can be purchased in advanced or on arrival.
Documentary Film Series -7-8 p.m. Sept. 1, Nicollet County Historical Society, 1851 N. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Check out the 55-minute film, “Dick Cavett’s Watergate,” an intensely personal, intimate, and entertaining look back at Watergate and the historic resignation of President Richard Milhous Nixon, the only U.S. president to resign the office.
Members Exhibition -- Sept. 1, Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division St. S., Northfield. Visit the gallery to see works by member artists, featuring painting, mixed media, clay, drawing, fiber, sculpture, jewelry, photography, and more. Runs Sept. 1- Oct. 1.
28 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. .COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. SOUTHERN MINN CHECK OUT THE SCENE CALENDAR ONLINE FOR ADDITIONAL HAPPENINGS! SEE MORE @ SouthernMinnSCENE.com
southernminnscene.com.editor@ CONTINUED page 30
Orphanage Museum Fall Celebration -- 12-4 p.m. Sept. 10, Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum, 540 W. Hills Circle, Owatonna. Event begins with Memorial for deceased State Schoolers, followed by children’s games, wagon rides, character reenactments, 1930 narrated movie, roundtable discussion, genealogy help and refreshments.
Sept.DaysJamesofDefeatJesse--8-11, artsrodeo,Carnival,Northfield.andcrafts fair, tractor pulls, run/walk, entertainment and beer garden, bank raid reenactments and more. Festival runs Sept. 8-10. Splatter Paint Archery -- 5:307 p.m. Sept. 8, River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Road, Faribault. Learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and get some practice shooting before we add some paint balloons to the target and watch them splatter. Leave with a piece of art created in a one-of-a-kind way. Pre-registration required; fee applies.
Do you
7 a.m.-12 p.m. Sept. 3, Waseca County Fairgrounds Parking Lot, 307 N. State St., Waseca. Any person living in Waseca County is welcome to sell homemade or home grown items at the Farmers Market. Takes places Saturday mornings June through October.
FestBeverageCraft--Sept.8, Armory Square Event Center, 519 Division St., Northfield. A large selection of craft beers all in one place. Takes place Sept. 8-10.
FestandStompGrapeBeer--12-9p.m.Sept.10, Indian 631stWinery,Island18010Ave,Janesville. Stomp grapes, while listening to live music all day and enjoying some beverages. $2 for admission; $5 for admission with beer sampling; $25 to take part in the grape stomping, which comes with a t-shirt.
calendar? Send details
Crooked Dice -- 7 p.m. Sept. 4, River View Campground, 2554 SW 28th St., Owatonna. The best, soul, funk, blues reggae and classic rock.
Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos -- 7-9:30 p.m. Sept. 9, Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. Dave Eichholz and Ted Manderfeld are Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos. Their high energy mix of comedy, music and extensive audience participation makes this a show unlike any other. Clap along, laugh along and sing along with Dave & Ted, Deuces Wild. p.m.--MarketFarmersFaribault7a.m.-12Sept.10, Central Park, 430 2nd Ave NW, Faribault. Get your andvegetablesfreshhomemade products. Faribault Farmers Market takes place on Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon June through October, plus 1:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays July through September.
PridefestMankato--11:15a.m.-4p.m.Sept.10, andAPark,RiverfrontMankato.prideparadefestival,with music and more at the park.
Bilingual Storytime -- 10-11 a.m. Sept. 7, Northfield Public Library, 210 Washington St., Northfield. Children of all ages are invited to enjoy songs, rhymes and stories in both English and Spanish. Niñas y niños de todas las edades están invitados a participar en cuentos y canciones en inglés y español.
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Hog Gather and Bike Light Show -- 7 p.m. Sept. 7, Faribault Harley Davidson, 2704 W. Airport Dr. Hot dogs roasting over an open fire, plus a show with lighted up motorcycles.
BendRock 10,p.m.--FestivalFolk1:10-10Sept. Ave.,S.SquareMinnesotaPark,1000MinnesotaSt.Peter.The 31 festival features David Bromberg, Jeffrey Foucault, Erik Koskinen, Annie Mack, Harrison Street Band, The Diver, City Mouse and more. All afternoon and night Saturday and Sunday. Did we miss something?
Ocho & Friends -- 5-7 p.m. Sept. 4, Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm, 41142 160th St, Waseca. Enjoy some music with your pizza at the farm.
Le MarketFarmersSueur-- 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Sept. 3, North Second Street, Le Sueur. The Le Sueur incommunitypromoteMarketFarmersaimstohealthytheMinnesota River Valley through local produce, homegrown goods, and handmade merchandise. Saturday mornings May 28-Oct. 29. SchroederRachel--6:30-8:30p.m.Sept.3, Mineral goodOwatonna.NBrewery,Springs111WalnutAve,Sometuneswithyour beverages. Saltee -- 7 p.m. Sept. 3, Foremost music,rock,hiporganicisOwatonna.W.Cooperative,Brewing131BroadwaySt,Salteeablendofandartistichop,funkorchestralartrockand electronica. Guided by cello, beatbox and guitar.
Half-Way to St. Paddy’s Day -- 9 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Sept. 10, Kilkenny. 5K walk/run, toilet bowl races, custom car and tractor show, bands, vendors, food stands, kids games, parade and fireworks.
Dirt Detectives -- 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 10, Farmamerica, 7367 360th Ave, Waseca. Visit our Soil Sleuths exhibit to get the dirt on all things soil. Experience hands-on, interactive activities, games, make-and-takes and more.
Riverfront Fine Arts Festival -- 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 10, Northfield Riverwalk. Set along the idyllic Cannon River walkway, dozens of fine artists and craft makers sell their work — ceramics, jewelry, paintings, fiber, wood and steel — there is something for everyone.
10,--AbstractArchitecture1-4p.m.Sept. Some think of architecture as the highest form of art. It is a Allanincansculpturalthree-dimensionalformthatbeembellishedmanyways.Sheflandisaphotographer that looks at buildings, their many shapes and lines seeing the details of lines, shades, reflections that are abstractions of space. Show runs Sept. 10-Oct. 2. Owatonna Truck Show -- 1 p.m. Sept. 10, 1001 Hoffman Dr., 1001 Hoffman Dr., Owatonna. The Owatonna Truck Club’s annual truck only show. Show ranges from early classics to newly modified.
Tri Eight -- 7 p.m. Sept. 3, Hope Oak hitsgroundsEight3,9545Campground,KnollCountyRoadOwatonna.Triwillrockthewiththefromthe60s,70s, 80s and 90s rock and roll. End of the season bash.
PinkTrackthePaint--10a.m.Sept.10, PrairieBloomingRC Park, 124 Mill Ave. S. Every $25 raised will paint one foot of track pink. Silent auction and other activities done throughout the day of racing. All proceeds will go to the BP Cancer Group.
MarketFarmersCountyWaseca--
Let us know! We may still be able to get an important event on one of our weekly pages that run in the newspapers. want to submit event to this to
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10,p.m.BQBrew-Chubb’s--4Sept.
Cody Johnson -- 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15, Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato. The platinum-selling artist brings his tour to Mankato, along with special guests Randy Houser and Corey Kent. Tickets online.
Hispanic CelebrationHeritage--11a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 17, Central Park, 421 E. Fourth St., Northfield. The Northfield Public Library invites everyone to celebrate and show support for the Latino community at the fifth annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration. Attendees can experience the richness, vibrancy and diversity of Hispanic heritage.
Todd Michael Jameson and Mark Juenemann -- 7 p.m. Sept. 16, Corks & Pints, 22 Fourth St. NE, Faribault. Some music with your beverages. RunLaketheCircle-- 9 17,p.m.a.m.-1Sept. Boonies Bar & Grill, 3301 Millersburg Blvd., Faribault. Come join us in a fun event for the whole family, with 5k, 10k, and half marathon distances. Races are both stroller- and dogfriendly!
Price is Right -- 7 p.m. Sept. 17, Owatonna High School, 333 East School St., Owatonna. The classic Price is Right game show is coming to Owatonna, with over $5,000 in cash and prizes. All proceeds will benefit students throughout Steele County.
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Auto Restorers Car Show -- 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 18, Nicollet County Fairgrounds, 400 W. Union St., St. Peter. All kinds of cars, plus food vendors on the grounds. Admission is $5.
Waseca Marching Classic -Sept. 17, Waseca. A celebration of marching bands from around the region, all heading to Waseca for a competition. The all-day festivities also includes a car show early on and fireworks at the end.
30 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.
isFather’sOwatonna.W.Cooperative,BrewingForemost131BroadwaySt,TheDaughtersanacousticvocal trio from Waterville.
NightCarFaribaultCruise--6-10p.m.Sept.16, cruiseFaribault.DowntownThelastnightofthe season, featuring cars, trucks and motorcycles.
10,--DaughtersFather’sThe7p.m.Sept.
Cornerstone Car Show -- 2 p.m. Sept. 17, 1500 SE 18th St., 1500 SE 18th St., Owatonna. All vehicles, new and old, shiny, rusty, restored or original, daily driver, street machine, race car, low rider or off-road vehicle. Come have fun, check out other folk’s rides, and share the enthusiasm. It’s free.
World Foods & Brewfest -- 5-8 p.m. Sept. 16, Oak View Weddings & Events, 7921 S. County Road 45, Owatonna. Sample food from around the world paired with brews from right here in Owatonna while participating in our silent auction and other activities. Tickets online.
Sept.3--MarketFallMamasRustic9a.m.-p.m.17, Four Seasons Centre, 1525 S. Elm Ave., Owatonna. Upscale market that you will find over 130 booths from everything from rustic finds, antiques, vintage, repurposed furniture, farmhouse décor, candles, jewelry, blankets, home goods, metal art, artists, baked goods, foodie row, outdoor food trucks and so much more.
Henderson Classic Car Roll-In -- 5-8 p.m. Sept. 13, Henderson. One of the biggest and best roll-ins in the region in a beautiful historic downtown with plenty of shops.
Elton John with Strings -7:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. The most prolific and influential era of Elton John and Bernie Taupin was between the years 1970-76, reimagined with a string quartet, percussion, background vocals, and Peter Guertin on piano. Tickets online or at the box office.
DazeStrange--8:30p.m.Sept.17, Reggie’s Brewhouse, 220 N. Cedar Ave., Owatonna. Enjoy a rock show at the brewhouse.
Fall Craft & Gift Show -- 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 11, Four Seasons Centre, 1525 S. Elm Ave., Owatonna. From original handmade craft exhibitors to small businesses, woodworkers, knots, embroidery, crocheted items, lights, metal art, wood signs, beauty and wellness products, art, foods, and more.
Jazz Brunch -- 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Sept. 18, Keepsake Cidery, 135th St. East, Dundas. Enjoy a delicious brunch featuring local ingredients paired with live Jazz and Keepsake Cider. The Local Plate will provide food and KAVE will provide music.
Gary West -- 2 p.m. Sept. 18, Toy Box Saloon, 216 Kilkenny Rd., Kilkenny. Some music at the saloon. Did we miss something? Let us know! We may still be able to get an important event on one of our weekly pages that run in the newspapers.
featuringfilledAOwatonna.18thFairgrounds,CountySteeleStSE,fun-nightBBQ and home brew tastings and competition, raffles, and live music. The night will be filled with great food, specialty brews, and live music provided by Minneapolis based “Free Fallin - The Tom Petty Concert Experience.” Tickets online.
Harley Davidson 45th Anniversary Party -- 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 17, Faribault Harley Davidson, 2704 W. Airport Dr. An epic two-day bash, celebrating 45 years with music, food, beverages and more.
Nobel Conference 58 -- Sept. 28, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Ave, St. Peter. Nobel Conference 58 will address mental health disparities and their effects on youth, with a particular emphasis on the significance of identity, trauma and technology. All lectures and panel discussions will be live streamed and archived on the able
Paradise Galleries -- 5-7 p.m. Sept. 23, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. Wood carvers Mark Kaisersatt, Ivan Whillock and Chris Whillock at Carlander Gallery, Autumn Carolynn at the Lois Varnesh Boardroom Galery, and Shelly Caldwell at K&M Gallery.
BlackTop Cruisers Car Show -- 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 25, Faribo West Mall, 200 Western Ave. NW. First charity car show benefiting Loved Ones Surviving Suicide, including food vendors and other entertainment. Free for spectators.
Kenneth Huber -- 2-3 p.m. Sept. 25, Owatonna Art Center, 435 Garden View Ln, Owatonna. Concert with pianist playing a Chopin program.
Chad Johnson and the MN T’s -- 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. Chad Johnson and The Minnesota Transplants are a powerful four-piece band based out of Northfield. Tickets online or at the box office.
The High 48s Duo -- 5-7 p.m. Sept. 25, Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm, 41142 160th St, Waseca. Enjoy some music with your pizza at the farm. Since forming in northeast Minneapolis in 2006, The High 48s have been making music that combines the soulful sound of classic bluegrass with a modern attitude.
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Owatonna Oktoberfest -- 4-7 p.m. Sept. 22, Mineral Springs Brewery, 111 N Walnut Ave, Owatonna. One of the newest German fests in Southern Minnesota. St. Peter Oktoberfest -- 4-11 p.m. Sept. 23, Nicollet County Fairgrounds, 400 W. Union St., St. Peter. Music and beer Friday night, plus all afternoon and night Saturday. Also featuring kids activities, a sauerkraut eating contest, a bean bag tournament, and stein hoisting, lederhosen and drindl competitions.
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River Valley Reflections -Sept. 22, Nicollet County Historical Society, 1851 N. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. The Minnesota River Valley has a long and varied water history. There are several important waterways located within our region. This exhibit explores the importance of these waters and their continuing impact on living creatures and the environment through story, history, faith, ethics, the arts, and science. Admission to the exhibit is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children ages 5-17.
National Public Lands Day -- 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Sept. 24, River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Road, Faribault. National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands, held annually on the fourth Saturday in September.
Daikin Dash -- 8-9 a.m. Sept. 24, Steele County Fairgrounds, 18th St SE, Owatonna. A dash for Steele County Relay for Life. Riverwalk Market Fair -- 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 24, Bridge Square, Northfield. All kinds of vendors and products, plus music, at one of the area’s most popular markets. Riverwalk takes place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays May 21-Oct. 15.
to get an important event on one of our weekly pages that run in the newspapers. Do you want to submit an event to this calendar? Send details to southernminnscene.com.editor@ Do you want to submit an event to this calendar? Send details to southernminnscene.com.editor@ Do you want to submit an event to this calendar? Send details editor@southernminnscene.comto Did we miss something? Let us know! We may still be able to get an important event on one of our weekly pages that run in the newspapers. KEEP CALM THE WEEKEND IS COMING WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 31
As a self-proclaimed fashionista and recovering shopaholic, I feel it is important to reflect on why we feel this daily pressure, and how we can relieve it. Our entire lives we have been fed societal expectations, whether consciously or subconsciously. As much as many of us fight it, it is hard to completely tune out the voices in the back of our minds. We want to be taken seriously, yet not come off as cold and unapproachable. Balancing the line between keeping up with fashion trends while dressing professionally can feel nearly impossible. As we transition out of an era of loungewear and Zoom meetings and into a dramatically professional trend cycle, it is the perfect time to take a step back and find a personal style that is applicable to your daily life. To get started, you will have to throw out the rulebook and to some extent start over. Take some time to reflect on what you want your wardrobe to do for you. What do you want your appearance to say before you speak a word?Take your career (or the career you want to have) into consideration along with personality traits you are most proud of, favorite colors and patterns, and anything else that makes you uniquely you.
Ellen Eide is a 25-year-old fashion enthusiast from Le Sueur. With a background in atmospheric science, Ellen now works as the brand manager for Her Happy Place Boutique in St. Peter.
ELLEN EIDE
32 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. Beingtakenseriousl y needsandyourbudget.HerHappytrouserswillfityourprofessionalselectionofdresses,skirtsandyourappearance.OurlargestartswithPlacestaffisarmedwithfashionknowledgeandishappytohelp.Beingtakenseriouslystartswithyourappearance.selectionofdresses,skirtsandtrouserswillfityourprofessionalneedsandyourbudget.HerHappyPlacestaffisarmedwithfashionknowledgeandishappytohelp. HerHappyPlace HerHappyPlace 217SouthMinnesotaAvenue,St.Peter(507)931-0008 SoMINN FASHION
As you pinpoint your style goals, have some fun look ing for style inspiration. Scroll through Pinterest or page through your favorite style magazines and save looks you like. This stage is just for ideas, no need to get critical about your appearance and how outfits will look on you as opposed to the photoshopped models.
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As you get a feel for your new style, you will need to clear space for your new look. Attack your closet and donate anything that no longer fits, is worn out, and anything that is difficult to style in a way you love. You may need to work through this process in stages. Fabulous pieces will only improve your style if they are easy to find and are hung or folded neatly to remain wrinkle free. Now that you’ve downsized and have an idea for the look you would like to achieve, chose to shop with intention. It is easy to walk into a department store and be overwhelmed by the latest styles and colors that will be outdated in a matter of months. Shopping can be more frustrating than fun without the proper customer service. Shopping local can relieve this frustration with helpful customer service and a wholistic approach to style and fashion. As you build repour with a locally owned business, staff will get a feel for the look
Feel like you have something to wear
ou are a hardworking woman who has mastered the art of holding it all together regardless of what life throws your way. You have refined your morning routine from that first sip of coffee to the best route to the office.Why is it that a woman who has it all figured out still struggles with the lifelong battle of “I have nothing to wear,” despite your overflowing closet?
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 33 Inpursuit ofgenuinehospitality 50Rooms EntirelyNon-Smoking 3FireplaceSuites 4WhirlpoolSuites IndoorPool&Whirlpool Refrigeratorsandmicrowaves inEveryRoom FREEHighSpeedInternet FREEHotHomestyleBreakfast 700NorthMinnesotaAve. St.Peter,MN 507-931-6554 LocalRoasterSpecialtyGradeFreshRoastedCoffeeNowOfferingLooseLeafTeaPickupinstore,LocalDelivery,orShipped Mon&Thur10AM-6PM Saturday9AM-NOON 43526thStNE,Owatonna 507-413-0814 straightrivercoffee.com LocallyOwnedandOperatedCoffeeBrewingEquipment,SubscriptionsandGiftCards you would like to achieve and will be excited to help you. Knowledgeable retail staff have an understanding of body types and complexion to simplify the search for your most attering looks. Bring your inspiration photos out on your next shopping trip and get some help from a sales associate. You will be surprised to nd that any style you are curious of can be put together in a way that works for you, regardless of your age, size, or environment. Keep an open mind as you try cuts and styles that may be a bit out of your current comfort zone.Many times women are surprised how much they love styles that they had spent years intimidated by, once they nally give it a try.
All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, and Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life’s Work by Hayley Campbell c.2022, St. Martin’s Press $29.99 269 pages Every day, you go to work and quietly do your job. There’s no fanfare, no hourly kudos, parades, or regular praise; you were hired for a task or a series of tasks and that’s what you nish. It’s the work you’ve chosen and nobody notices that you do it well but, as in the new book, “All the Living and the Dead” by Hayley Campbell, they’d notice if youIndidn’t.Hayley Campbell’s childhood home, death was no big deal. Her father was an artist who was paid to illustrate death as a theme, and Campbell recalls imitating his artwork, pets that met early demises, and a childhood friend who drowned. Death, for her, was just a part of life. “We are surrounded by death,” she says, in our games, the news, the songs we sing, everywhere. More than 55 million people around the world die each year but most of us don’t know much about those who do the “necessary work” of dealing “with the things we cannot bear to look at...” Are we “cheating ourselves out of some fundamental humanCampbellknowledge...?”beganher search for an answer with a funeral director, who advised Campbell to “separate the shock of seeing death from the shock of grief” by ensuring that the rst dead body she ever saw was not that of someone she loved.She visited the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, to talk with a man who prepares the “gift” of body donorship. An artist showed her how he memorializes the faces of those who’ve departed, and a disaster mitigator explained how he deals with “catastrophe.” Campbell met with a crime scene cleaner, had lunch with someone who executed Death Row inmates, she heard stories from an embalmer, cleaned a cremation retort, helped an anatomical pathology technologist, spoke to a midwife, visited with gravediggers, and learned about cryonics.
The easiest way to decide whether or not you want to read “All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak” is to know your own tolerance for New Agey-ness. Author Caleb Wilde hypothesizes at great length about ancestry and the hereafter, in conjunction with their real-time in uences on current lives. Can you follow it and will you embrace it? Will you be able not to cringe at his explanations of Black funerals versus “white funerals”? He explains his well-considered intentions for the distinction, but the lengthy discourse grows quite awkward as it progresses. Can you tease out the stories that Wilde’s known for, and which are fascinating and too few, from the philosophy that creeps into the narrative sometimes? These are questions that will separate readers into those who ponder life and death now, and those who aren’t quite ready for the deep stuff. If you fall into the rst category, “All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak” should be your next new companion. If not, then leave it alone.
Lookingforsomethingspecial? SpecialordersareneveraproblemforLittleProfessor.Giveusacall!
Magic Season: A Son’s Story by Wade Rouse c.2022, Hanover Square Press $27.99 304 pages You’ve always looked up to your dad. Sometimes it happened literally, like when you were a child and “up” was the only way to see his face hovering over yours. You’ve looked up at him in anger, embarrassment, dismissal, and yeah, you’ve looked up to him in the best ways, too – never forgetting, as in the memoir “Magic Season” by Wade Rouse, that sometimes, the hardest thing is seeing eye-to-eye. Wade Rouse threw like a girl.He couldn’t catch a baseball, either, and he wasn’t much of a runner as a young boy. He tried, because his father insisted on it but Rouse was better with words and books and thoughts.. He was nothing like his elder brother, Todd, who was a natural hunter, a good sportsman, and an athlete, and their father never let Rouse forget it. And yet, curiously, Rouse and his dad bonded over baseball.Speci cally, their love of Cardinals baseball became the one passion they shared. The stats, the players, the idea that “Anything can happen,” the hope that there’d be a World Series at the end of every season was the glue they needed. It was what saved them when Todd was killed in a motorcycle accident. When Rouse came out to his father, Cards baseball was what brought them back together after two years of estrangement. In between games, though, and between seasons, there was yelling, cruelty, and all the times when father and son didn’t communicate. Rouse accepted, but didn’t like, his father’s alcoholism or his harsh life-lessons: his father didn’t like Rouse’s plans for his own future. Rouse admits that he cried a lot, and he was surprised at the rare times when his father displayed emotion – especially since an Ozarks man like Ted Rouse didn’t do things like that. Until the time was right. Love, Wade Rouse says, is “shaped like a baseball.” You catch it, throw it, or hit it out of the park, but “You don’t know where it’s going.” Just be sure you never take “your eye off it, from beginning to end.” Oh, my. Oh, my, but “Magic Season” is a ten-hankie book.First, though, you’re going to laugh because author Wade Rouse is a natural-born humorist and his family is a great launching-pad for him despite the splinters and near-clawing despair of the overall theme of this book. That sense of humor can’t seem to let a good story go, even when it’s obvious that there’s something heartbreaking waiting in the bullpen. Which brings us to the father-son-baseball triple-play. It may seem to some readers that such a book has been done and done again, but this one feels different. Rouse excels at lling in the blanks on the other, essential teammates in this tale and, like any big skirmish, readers are left breathless, now knowing the nal score until the last out. If you like your memoirs sweet, but with a dash of spice and some tears, right here you go. For you, “Magic Season” is a book to look up.
All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak: A Funeral Director on Life, Death, and the Hereafter by Caleb Wilde c.2022, Broadleaf Books $26.99 208 pages You are never alone. There’s always someone running in and out, always traf c in your house. The neighbors are close, your friends are a phone call away, and it seems as though you’ve always got company. You’re never alone, and in the new book “All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak” by Caleb Wilde, you’ll see how that might extend beyond. For more than 170 years, someone in Caleb Wilde’s family has served their community by facilitating funerals. Wilde himself is a sixth-generation funeral director and up until a few years ago, he says that he was skeptical about the possibility of a hereafter. “I used to believe,” he says, “that terror management theory offered the only viable way to explain heaven...” But yet, he says, he heard “so many stories” that he “began to wonder if they might hold some kind of truth.” Clients through the years had told him too many “ghost” tales for him to ignore. The idea nagged at him enough that he began to study it in earnest. His urgency increased when he suffered from burn-out, and sought therapy. His therapist helped him see that his family’s past was what kept him at his job. He began to think: what if our ancestors were with us at all times? Funerals, he believes, are to death what midwives are to birth, and funerals are not just “for the living.” Because boundaries are blurred, he says that the dead are able to “surround us, live in us, integrate themselves into our soil.” The love they carried in life extends to their children’s children, and “it creates the world” – and when we listen to what the dead have to tell us, it begins “to ll a void we may not have even noticed.” This helps keep our loved ones alive in us, and we don’t even have to limit the conversation to speech. We bolster each other, support and provide for one another in life – why not receive the same from the dead?
34 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer based just across the river from SoMinn in LaCrosse, WI. She can be contacted at bookwormsez@gmail.com TERRI SCHILCHENMEYER Magic Season, All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak, The Deal Goes Down, and All the Living and the Dead
The Deal Goes Down by Larry Beinhart c.2022, Melville House $27.99 288 pages You didn’t want to do it. Ach, but you said you would, and there you go. You’ve tried for hours to think of how you’re going to get out of this thing, but you’ve come to the conclusion that you’re stuck. Planted in a corner. Glued to a “yes” and you’re going to have to do it. Even if, as in the new book “The Deal Goes Down” by Larry Beinhart, you’ve never done it before.Acouple more days, and Tony Cassella was going to lose his house. He’d lived there on a mountain in upper New York for more than two decades but bank sell-outs and paperwork and this and that, and now he needed a little more than $7,000 to keep the place. Which is why he listened to the woman on the commuter train who told him she’d pay him to kill herShehusband.seemed to know Cassella. Seemed to know that he’d once been a private eye and had done some sketchy things. Truth was, though, that he’d never killed anybody for money before. He really didn’t like killing people, period.Buthe’d said “yes,” and he’d negotiated with the woman’s colleague for bigger money plus expenses, which included the price of a helper who looked like a young teenager. And so, on a perfectly rainy night, Cassella set up a fact- nding evening that led to a wild ride on an icy road and an accident that killed the husband before Cassella could. But nobody would believe that the man’s death wasn’t Cassella’s fault. Nobody, especially the women who backed him into a nancial corner and a contract to eliminate other abusive husbands, starting with a powerful Russian billionaire who was holding his beautiful wife and toddler son hostage. The elimination needed to happen while the family was on a skiing vacation in Austria, a place Cassella knew well. The wife and child were constantly surrounded by bodyguards, but that was a problem easily overcome. The oligarch was vile, but he was smart, too. And, of course, accidents happen... Was this novel written with a movie script in mind? Because author Larry Beinhart has been down that road before.Youwon’t mind if it was. “The Deal Goes Down” is very clever, with its hardbitten, introverted and surprisingly nice ex-P.I. at the helm, surrounded by old Woodstock hippies and aging colleagues. Readers may be familiar with this kind of launching point in a good detective novel; what’s delightfully different about this one, though, is that it’s not full of blood, guts, and gratuitous death. Of course, you’ll nd mayhem in here but the story’s intelligence supersedes it, as does the winking humor that astute fans and author-bio readers will spot, and love. (Yes, that’s a hint.)Though it ends rather oddly – with a promise of a sequel? – this detective-slash-murder novel is a fun book to try. If you’ve been promising yourself that you’ll read one good novel before summer ends, “The Deal Goes Down” is how you do it.
“I wanted to see all of it,” she says. “But in many of these rooms... I was, for a few moments, speechless.” Go ahead. Admit it. You were curious, too, weren’t you? That’s the beauty of “All the Living and the Dead”: that author Hayley Campbell gives readers plenty of room to be inquisitive, offering facts that they perhaps haven’t even had a chance to conceive yet, without shame and without making anyone feel like a ghoul. This is, in fact, a wide-eyed book, it’s respectful, humble, and lled with honor and it’s not gratuitously gory, although there are a few cringey moments inside. On those, steel yourself. Campbell doesn’t just write “squelchily,” she’s also forthright on things that left her unsettled and that which sent her reeling. That – the emotion and its lingering effects on her entire being –can feel worse than the malodorous moments here, and Campbell honestly tells readers how she dealt with that, too. You won’t be sorry knowing. Curiosity, RIP. Bury your lack of information. If you’ve got questions about people who work with the dead and you need answers, “All the Living and the Dead” will do the job.
ADD YOUR EVENT FOR FREE TO THE SOMINN SCENE CALENDAR . GO TO WWW.SOUTHERNMINN.COM/SOUTHERN_MINN_SCENE/ & CLICK + PROMOTE YOUR EVENT WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 35
36 SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.SOUTHERNMINN SCENE.COM YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO. TheseactivitiesaremadepossiblebythevotersofMinnesotathrough agrantfromtheMinnesotaStateArtsBoard,thankstoalegislative appropriationfromtheartsandculturalfund. FALL LINE-UPAT THEPARADISE Formoreinformation&tickets: www.paradisecenterforthearts.org• (507) 332-7372 321CentralAvenueNorth,Faribault,MN Saturday,August27 7:30PM Mic ling Presents: “Memphis and the Meantimes: The Songs of Sun Records and T and Ole Opr Saturday,September24 7:30PM Chad Johnson and the MN Transplants Friday,September30 7:30PM The Big Wu Saturday,October8 7:30PM Transit Authority Saturday,October15 7:30PM Street Talk: Fundraiser for the Faribault Fire Department Saturday,September17 7:30PM Mic ling Presents: Elton John with Strings Sunday,September18 2:00PM Galactic Cowboy Orchestra featuring Eli Hoehn as Captain Gravitone Friday,September23 5:00PM-7:00PM GALLERY OPENING
