North Kato Summer 2024

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First-time home buyers, be sure to ask if there are any down payment or closing cost assistance grants available in your area. looking to buy home dream home year-round or seasonal cabin

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While mortgage rates are increasing, there is still time to see if refinancing makes sense. It’s fast and easy. have mortgage options for any situation, contact me today!

 Easy conversion to long-term financing

 Interest-only payment during construction phase

While mortgage rates are increasing, there is still time to see if refinancing makes sense. It’s fast and easy.

 A year-round or seasonal cabin

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 Easy conversion to long-term financing

First-time home buyers, be sure to ask if there are any down payment or closing cost assistance grants available in your area.

First-time home buyers, be sure to ask if there are any down payment or closing cost assistance grants available in your area.

We have mortgage options for any situation, contact me today!

We have mortgage options for any situation, contact me today!

JOSLYN MANSKE NMLS 1452895

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CITY SERVICES

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Billy Steiner, Council Member billysteiner@northmankato.com

Matt Peterson, Council Member mattpeterson@northmankato.com

James Whitlock, Council Member jimwhitlock@northmankato.com

Sandra Oachs, Council Member sandraoachs@northmankato.com

Scott Carlson, Mayor scottcarlson@northmankato.com

STATE & COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES

County Commissioner Jack Kolars, District 3 jack.kolars@co.nicollet.mn.us

County Commissioner Mark Dehen, District 4 mark.dehen@co.nicollet.mn.us

County Commissioner Kurt Zins, District 5 kurt.zins@co.nicollet.mn.us

Representative Jeff Brand rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov

Senator Nick A. Frentz sen.nick.frentz@senate.mn

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

—Henry James

There’s something special about Minnesotans in the summertime. We shed our heavy coats like petals on an eager spring bud and emerge from our subnivean cocoons, ready to greet the long, warm days. My favorite ways to spend summer days are getting dirty in the garden and soaking up as much sunshine as possible. If the conditions are right, I love spending long afternoons kayaking down our beautiful riverways with friends.

As we dive into this summer issue, let’s revel in the spirit of adventure and creativity. From the lush greenery of our gardens to the shimmering waters of our lakes and rivers, there’s no shortage of inspiration for outdoor pursuits. This summer issue is all about creativity and enjoying the great outdoors. It features creative ways to summer play and highlights some of North Kato’s fine, creative residents (as well as some playful pups)!

So, as the temperatures rise and the days stretch out before us, let’s make a pact to make the most of every moment. Whether firing up the grill for a backyard barbecue, taking a refreshing dip in the pool, or perhaps embarking on that long-awaited treehouse project, let’s seize the day and create memories that will last a lifetime!

BY HOLLY DODGE PHOTOS BY CLIFF COY PHOTOGRAPHY

Growing up on a five-acre hobby farm full of limitless play options, I had a favorite place to play with my two brothers: the treehouse in the big cottonwood tree, complete with a tire swing. We spent countless hours imagining we were pirates or the Three Musketeers protecting the castle fortress.

Treehouses used to be a common staple during childhood, representing a sanctuary of imagination, a gateway to exploration, and a haven for growth. Nowadays, in an increasingly tech-driven world, treehouses are becoming less common.

However, treehouses take imagination to new heights and encourage youth to get outside and play independently and creatively. Four years ago, the Von Bank family of North Mankato decided to elevate their play by building a treehouse. Charlie, now 13, and Max, 10, joined their father, Henry, in planning and building a treehouse on their property in North Mankato.

According to Mom Heather, the seed of this project was planted long before its actual construction. But when her Father-in-Law took down his cabin in 2020, they suddenly had an opportunity and a slew of materials to repurpose and recycle. Their daydream began to take root.

Charlie and Max already had an affinity for tools and building, so they joined Dad in the construction. They even utilized the cabin windows and helped paint and stain the interior of the treehouse perched on the edge of a beautiful ravine.

“It wasn’t just about building a treehouse; it was about the journey of building it together. The boys had a lot of discussion on the layout,” reflects Heather, a Professor at MNSU’s Department of Family and Consumer Science.

As a professor specializing in family dynamics, Heather valued the importance of a fun space for her children to play “away from the prying eyes of adults” and a place where they could practice imaginative play and embrace their independence.

The treehouse has become a common feature in the boys' play. They utilize it for hide and seek, games of tag, or imaginative play. It also provides socialization value, as all their friends are excited to check it out when they come to visit.

“We never could have predicted how they’d use it,” admits Heather with a chuckle, “but that’s the beauty of it. It’s a space that grows and evolves alongside them, adapting to their ever-changing interests and whims.”

Of course, I had to ask if Mom and Dad ever utilized the treehouse. Heather shares that she has crawled in it to read a book from time to time. “You can hear the tree creaking and a faint swaying and rocking. You’re connected to the tree and to nature,” she shares. “It’s cozy and comforting.” 

 Building a treehouse can be a wonderful project, but safety should always be a top priority. Here are some tips to help you safely build a fun treehouse:

Choose a sturdy tree: Select a healthy, sturdy tree with strong branches to support the weight of the treehouse. Avoid trees that are diseased, leaning significantly, or have weak branches.

Consult local regulations: Check with the City of North Mankato. Some areas may have restrictions on treehouse construction, especially if it’s near property lines or in protected areas.

Plan your design: Before starting construction, create a detailed plan for your treehouse. Consider factors such as size, height, shape, and materials. Make sure the design complements the tree and allows for its growth without causing harm.

Use quality materials: Invest in high-quality, weatherresistant materials that can withstand the elements and provide adequate support. This includes pressuretreated lumber, stainless steel hardware, and durable roofing materials.

Ensure proper support: Use a combination of sturdy support beams, braces, and brackets to securely attach the treehouse to the tree. Avoid nailing or screwing directly into the tree, as this can damage the tree and compromise its stability.

Provide safe access: Incorporate a safe access to the treehouse, such as a ladder, staircase, or rope ladder. Ensure that the access point is securely anchored and easy to climb for both children and adults.

Install guardrails and barriers: Install guardrails around the perimeter of the treehouse to prevent falls. Make sure the guardrails are at an appropriate height and securely attached to the structure.

Include proper ventilation and drainage: Ensure adequate ventilation and drainage to prevent moisture buildup and rot. Install vents and gutters as needed to promote air circulation and water runoff.

Consider safety features: Incorporate additional safety features such as handrails, non-slip surfaces, and safety nets to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries.

Regular maintenance: Perform regular inspections and maintenance to ensure the safety and structural integrity of the treehouse. Check for signs of wear and tear, damage, or deterioration, and make any necessary repairs promptly.

By following these tips and prioritizing safety, you can build a treehouse that provides years of enjoyment for you and your family while minimizing the risk of accidents or injuries.

Elevate the Fun and Maximize Your Treehouse

Here are some tips to help you maximize enjoyment and decor in your arboreal abode:

Embrace the Natural Beauty: Let the surrounding nature be your inspiration. Incorporate natural elements such as wooden furnishings, leafy accents, and earthy tones to seamlessly blend your treehouse with its environment. Use reclaimed and recycled wood for a rustic charm.

Create Cozy Nooks: Design cozy nooks and hideaways where you can curl up with a book or simply daydream amidst the branches. Install hammocks, bean bags, or plush cushions for comfortable lounging.

Expand with Multi-Level Platforms: Take your treehouse to new heights by incorporating multilevel platforms. Create a series of platforms linked by bridges, ladders, or rope swings to add dimension and excitement to your treehouse.

Customize with DIY Decor: Infuse your treehouse with personality and charm by adding DIY decor crafted from natural materials or upcycled treasures. Create handmade lanterns from mason jars, driftwood mobiles, or macramé plant hangers to add whimsy and character to your space. Get creative with paint and stencils to personalize walls, furniture, and accessories with playful patterns.

Incorporate Fun Features: Elevate the fun factor with playful features and interactive elements that spark joy and imagination. Install a slide for a thrilling descent, a zip line for an exhilarating ride, or a telescope for stargazing adventures. Consider adding a pulley system for transporting supplies high into the limbs.

Explore Color and Texture: Add vibrancy into your treehouse with pops of color and texture. Choose bright, cheerful hues for accent walls, cushions, and accessories to create a stunning hideaway. Experiment with different textures such as woven rugs, faux fur throws, and textured fabrics to add depth and coziness to your tree retreat.

Illuminate with Magical Lighting: Create magical ambiance with enchanting lighting. Hang string lights, lanterns, or fairy lights throughout your treehouse to cast a soft, inviting glow. Incorporate solar-powered lights for eco-friendly illumination that twinkles like fireflies at night.

Host Fun Activities and Gatherings: Make your treehouse a hub of fun and socializing by hosting gatherings and activities for family and friends. Organize movie nights under the stars, storytelling sessions around a campfire, or DIY craft workshops where everyone can unleash their creativity. Create lasting memories and forge bonds amidst the treetops. 

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BY HOLLY DODGE

People often think that landscape painting is ‘oldfashioned’, but according to North Mankato artist Andrew Judkins, no subject could be more relevant and resonant for people. In a busy and modern society, it is easy to overlook our connection to nature, and he believes that looking at landscapes can encourage people to be freed from themselves, if even for a moment.

Andrew Judkins spent the majority of his life growing up in the river town of North Mankato. As a high schooler at Mankato West, his spark for art and painting was ignited. He soon learned that he had a natural ability for it. He majored in studio art at Gustavus Adolphus College and received his Master of Fine Arts in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. You may recognize Andrew’s work from the spanning Mankato floodwall Mni Mural painted in 2016.

Breathtaking, realistic, painted landscapes are Andrew’s specialty. Many of his works require multiple glances before realizing they are not photographs. For local residents, many of his paintings are recognizable as iconic regional landmarks such as Triple Falls and Minneopa Falls. He also has many stunning landscapes along the riverbanks and bluffs of the area rivers. Many of Andrew’s paintings feature water frequently, and he expertly catches the movement and geography of flowing water.

“I spend a lot of time in nature. It’s an appealing and calming place to be,” shares Andrew. He spends countless hours exploring nature and collecting photographs he catalogs at home for future inspiration. “Sometimes I have trouble deciding which landscape to paint, but then I’ll look at an image and have a strike of inspiration.”

His landscape painting technique is quite unique because, unlike many other painters, he does no underpainting. Instead, he paints his landscapes from corner to corner, top to bottom, in a single, impressive layer. He also makes considerations such as adding high glaze to water and leaving land matte. This technique makes his water literally sparkle and move as it does in its natural environment. Each landscape takes anywhere from one week to two weeks to complete as he precisely paints subtle color and light gradations and shifts, taking time to blend and work with the malleable paint.

Andrew admits that as a youth, he wasn’t initially interested in art, but as his interest piqued, the choice to hone his skills as an artist was an easy one. Both his mother and grandmother were artists. “My grandmother was a wonderful homemaker in the 1950s until one day, she decided she wanted to do more. She decided she wanted to be an artist.” Andrew shares that his grandmother began meeting with other women in kitchens and living rooms to make and share art. The gatherings eventually became the Faribault Arts Center in Faribault, Minnesota, which still operates today. The exposure and encouragement towards art inspired Andrew.

Andrew hopes that his paintings spark a curiosity and connection for people to think about the natural landscape in a new and different way, to recognize and appreciate our reliance on the land. An experience that carves into the viewer’s mind like a wild river.

To view more of Andrew’s work, visit andrewjudkins.net 

Rush River Cliff, oil on panel by Andrew Judkins

Open Micus: The Ballad of Eddie

BY NATE BOOTS

Eddie Micus, a North Mankato resident for the last twenty or so years of his life, passed away of a heart attack in February. He was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, was drafted into Vietnam, and—after being shot and nearly killed during his time of service—he started a family with his wife, Jean, who gave him three sons: Ed Jr., Mark, and Will. The young family settled in Southern Minnesota.

Many students would come to know Eddie as Mr. Micus throughout his days working a high school English teacher (at Storden-Jeffers and New Ulm) or later, as a collegiate writing tutor and director at MSU-Mankato. Scores of writers associated with MSU’s longtime successful MFA Creative Writing program came to know him as a friend, advisor, and fellow lifelong student of writing. For many years, he was the best writer, lyrically, in town. He published two literary volumes: one a work of reality-based fiction called Landing Zones (2003), and the other a prizewinning book of poems entitled The Infirmary (2008).

Eddie has returned to the elements, now, so to speak, which seems of a natural course. He was such a down-to-earth sort of person that it was as if he was almost in the actual dirt—or emanating up from the soil like some occasionally-flowering, hardscrabble weed. He could appear, and act, scruffy, beleaguered, or sea-salty. But, in many situations, especially the right situations, he bloomed and dazzled. He was funny, charming, and an expert conversationalist—a fascinating orator but also a wise and ready listener. He was tortured by things he’d been through: childhood trauma, being drafted into Vietnam, sustaining injury in battle, the horrors of war, losing one son to a car accident and caring for another later diagnosed with schizophrenia, laboring through the rigors and regrets of divorce, suffering from PTSD, struggling with the bottle, and writing in relative obscurity.

But Eddie Micus had an ability to synthesize the things he struggled with into bits of beauty, turning brambles and cockleburs into daffodils and roses. He transposed aspects of his pain and suffering into lush literary work or valuable classroom lessons or simple acts of kindness or generosity. This talent of his was rare and something truly blessed—it was his special power. I saw him wield his special power upon the young, upon the middle-aged, and upon the old, and he did it to me, too.

I first met Eddie when I moved to Mankato in the summer of 2001. My Grandpa Gordon was a school superintendent who had hired Eddie as a teacher at Storden-Jeffers, and so Eddie taught both of my parents in high school, as well as various aunts and uncles. My mother babysat Eddie’s boys a time or two, and Eddie watched my dad play basketball for the Chiefs. So, there was some family history with Eddie, and when I met him, he was as advertised. He stood about five-foot-ten, a bit wild-looking with ice blue, diamond-shaped eyes, a black mustache, and curly hair extending out the back of an ever-present ball cap. I soon began visiting him in the tutoring center where he worked at MSU, and he occasionally came by the grad student offices in Armstrong Hall to say hello, or we ran into each other at literary events such as the Good Thunder Reading Series or at an open mic reading event that my Uncle Mike Lohre (another Micus writing disciple) had started ten years prior called Writers’ Bloc.

By the start of my second year of grad school, I had taken over the reins of Writers’ Bloc, and I was looking to upgrade the flagging event to something more vibrant than 15 to 20 students and professors getting together for an evening of meandering readings and a few odd drinks down at the old Jazz Club. One of the ways I decided to do this was to change the venue. I moved the event to the What’s Up Lounge above the Oleander Saloon, where we’d have a nice stage and some relative peace and quiet in a great listening room. Then I found an old, broken-down podium at MSU that I fixed up and hauled over to the What’s Up—a person standing behind a podium exudes authority!

In an attempt to draw in a wider audience, I made flyers and posted them not just in Armstrong Hall but all over campus at MSU, and even at other places around town such as grocery stores, coffee shops, and liquor stores. I added a musical intermission to the program, and I made a rule that all readers’ timeslots were to be for seven minutes maximum, which’d move things along. And, perhaps most importantly, I stacked the deck of readers, personally inviting the best of the best writers to read first. I would choose the writers whose pieces had humor, heart, and punch, the fictioneers who were masters of short scenes, the poets whose words rang out like a song. I put Eddie Micus first. 

 One of the first pieces Eddie read was a little flash nonfiction piece called “Chickpeas.” Its blend of humor and poetry is Micus at his very best, and it set the bar to a morepreferred height for the Writers’ Bloc readers.

“Chickpeas”

by Edward Micus

In a co-op. Off Nicollet Avenue in the middle of the block, with a yellow awning and a canary in one window. I had only stopped in from the rain, my life clipping along just fine. This small shop was crammed with everything ever grown or dried, from avocados to herbal tea, and between the squash and new potatoes this lovely woman in an apron, holding a ripe squash in her hand, her eyes the color of chickpeas. “Okay, don’t stare,” my just fine life said to me, “the rain has stopped.”

The next day I was back and went up to her and said, “Some of these, please,” and held open the bag while she scooped them in. I still have that first pound of lentils sitting in the dark of a cupboard somewhere, waiting for Godot. Tuesday it was corn meal and rock salt, Wednesday a string of garlic that hung above her head. Two eggplants on Thursday to learn Thursday was her day off, that her name was Anna. And Friday she smiled me back my change and said, “Nice to see you again.”

“Arm-Wrestling”

by Edward Micus

They have propped their elbows on the back table at Maggie’s Saloon, two hinges primeval, evolved in natural rubber and bone, a fulcrum where a billion years have swung, and above each hinge a tattoo farm. Now we have the hooking up, the forearms join along a seam. It could be a kind of mating. Two thumbs embrace to make a hitch, then palm to palm, eight fingerhooks. Inside each arm a band of muscles, strung and tuned, plays the battle hymn.

A gang of nerves.

The heart shifts gears, blood hurries along, something triggers in the groin. I know a woman who, if you love her enough, will lie beside you and settle the back of her hand along your cheek, or your temple, say, with the palm facing out to show there is nothing in the hand a kind of surrender, if you like, as if you had won.

“Three Sons”

by Edward Micus

All the next week this went on. Isn’t it odd how a man will go up to his neck in quicksand before he’ll go up to a woman? Okay. It would be Monday then, late Monday, with a scrap of wind caught in the awning, dusk with its small hand on the glass, and she was huddled over a bin of something I didn’t know the name for. When she looked at me, she brushed away the hair from her eyes with the back of her hand, and she was so beautiful you would love her in a very small room or in no room at all.

“Anna,” I said, going up to her, that word a stone for the throat, “Anna,” I said, “my pantry’s full.”

This piece had people nodding along and delighting in the word play and was the kind of piece Eddie would write more of and read at subsequent open mics in the next couple years as Writers’ Bloc became a thriving, well-attended event. Eddie would often finish his readings with a poem, probably one that stuck in one’s cranium for the next day or two or week. His poems did what the best poetry does: make you sit up and pay a closer kind of attention, the kind that elicits gooseflesh, the kind that makes leaps, the kind that makes the heart leap. The kind that was, itself, like Eddie Micus at his finest: arresting and poignant. 

I have three sons one day. If the weather with their mother is fair by phone, I drive to Sunday town, pull up to a yellow house. Three boys step down and fall across the lawn. The oldest one wears a gold circle in his ear. The middle boy is mostly grown. He still waves a child’s hand. They fill the car with words. I split my heart into thirds. Last week

I swear we had a bigger car.

We kick stones.

We burn hot dogs at the park.

I count their bones.

We fish ’til dark.

At 9:00 they become un-sons again.

I say goodnight and turn them in.

“Gotcha last,” the youngest says. Every mile of highway back asks what father is.

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Hotdog Hotspot: Americans eat around 155 million hot dogs on the 4th of July.

Summer Solstice: Occurs June 21 marking the longest day of the year.

SUMMER FUN!

Ice Cream Craze: Americans consume the most ice cream during the summer months, with July being designated as National Ice Cream Month.

Firefly Fantasia: Summer nights filled with the magical sight of fireflies lighting up the darkness.

Shawn Kallie Aly Tia

Rox Molly Kirsten Brook | Davvy + Sadie

The Power of the Leash

BY NATE BOOTS

Does it seem like “everyone and their dog” is walking their dog these days in North Mankato? Well, that idiomatic hyperbole could be rooted in truth.

Since—and likely because of—the Pandemic, the growth rate of pet ownership has doubled to nearly 10 percent from the nearly 5 percent growth rate seen in the Teens. This info comes from a study (cited in American Pet Products Association) published in December of 2023 and gives credence to that feeling that’s been dogging you of more dogs out on the street.

Ideally—but not always—these dogs on the streets, sidewalks, and paths are be-leashed and come with responsible owners attached. But occasionally, an off-the-leash dog can be spotted, especially in North Mankato parks. This creates obvious problems, according to North Mankato Parks Superintendent Duane Rader.

Says Rader, “When you confront somebody that has their dog off the leash, they’ll say what? ‘My dog’s really friendly,’ right? ‘It won’t hurt anybody.’ But, you know, there are a lot of children and even some adults that have had experiences with dogs that have made them afraid of them. It could be the friendliest dog that there is. But they’re terrified of dogs. Or maybe someone’s walking their dog on the leash and another [unleashed] dog comes up and confronts them. They’re sort of helpless, then, right?”

Rader brings up a good point. Though there’s been a proliferation of dogs—as a twenty-year resident of beautiful lower North, I can remark that I’ve personally seen a notably higher number of owners and dogs going by my front porch on the sidewalk than ever before—but, dogs aren’t viewed, universally, as man’s best friend.

I can relate that in my twenty-plus years as a college Writing and Composition instructor, one of the most strangely common student essays I’ve read when students write narrative essays, has been the “dog bite” essay. As a child, I, myself, was afraid of dogs. I wasn’t ever bitten, but there were a

number of dogs I encountered as a kid, on farms or in town, that intimidated me.

When I began delivering newspapers at age 10 in the small southwest Minnesotan town of Storden, things came to a head. If I didn’t absolutely creep by at a certain point on my route where a certain German Shepherd named Bear lived, the dog would aggressively bark and lunge at me (from inside a doghouse or a secure porch, but still) in a way that haunted me. While I have gone on to enjoy certain dogs and even own dogs in my life, I believe it took years for me to get over that anxious feeling the dog named Bear gave me. In a way, I probably never have. But I do think the feeling has morphed from fear into a more healthy, initial-wariness-until-I-get-to-know-them feeling for certain dogs. I've also increased my appreciation for dog owners and caregivers who train and treat dogs well.

Ryan Rader (Duane’s son), who walks dogs in both North Mankato and Mankato as part-time employment, agrees that off-the-leash dogs can be a problem, especially when he’s on the job. “I tend to avoid off-leash dogs,” says Ryan. “It’s not as though that’s a huge problem, but, as someone who is entrusted with the care of an animal, if I see an off-the-leash dog, whether or not they’re with their presumed owner, I tend to avoid them quite a bit just because I really don’t know the temperament of the dog. And some of the dogs that I walk are pretty reactive, highly anxious, and so an off-leash encounter could, not necessarily spell trouble, but it’s just something that’s best avoided.”

While dogs aren’t allowed in the majority of North Mankato’s parks, they are allowed on-leash, in three of North Mankato's parks. Two—Benson Park and Bluff Park—are in Upper North, and one—Spring Lake Park—is situated in Lower North.

Lo-No resident Johnny Foderick, who has owned a golden Labrador named Bob since 2013, loves to walk his pooch in the park and is grateful for the space. 

APOLLO Bailey Blu BEAMER CAMO

DOUGLAS DUECE Elliott James Everest May

Freya Harley Jake Jax

Kia Koga

Lindi Lu Louie Napoleon

Lucy Millie Navy and Lou Nova

Poppy Scarlet Simone deBowWow Stella Rose

Thor

People are attracted to North Mankato because of its quality of life, local businesses, and vibrant neighborhoods. They stay because it feels like home.

— North Mankato Mayor Scott Carlson

BY NATE BOOTS

Learning to swim. How do we do it? Why do we do it? Why do some of us never do it? And, really, do humans really learn to swim at all, or do we actually unlearn something in order to be able to swim? I mean, before we are, we swim—for nine or so months, without a breath or a bathing suit, in the womb.

What a crazy thing, swimming. Locomoting one’s body through water or wave, at various speed, to get from here to there. So primordial. For me, it’s prehistoric. It’s precious.

When my great-grandfather, Thomas, was in nappies, his parents, Philippe and Elizabeth, took him on a boat trip. This was in 1891, somewhere in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The schooner (named The Gleaner), though, sprung a leak and began to sink, and this some number of miles from a distant shore.

Uh oh!

Thankfully, Philippe knew how to swim, and he was a quick thinker. Wrapping his infant son Thomas in an oilskin tablecloth, Philippe put the oilskin sack and his nonswimming wife Elizabeth upon his back, and he swam to safety on the isle of Anticosti. He went back to save others, and the survivors were rescued and returned home some three months later by another vessel to wide-eyed relatives who’d, by then, given up the ghost. This story is true, and I think about it often. If Philippe hadn’t been a swimmer, these words wouldn’t exist.

I learned to swim at the big indoor public pool in Luverne, Minnesota. I have dim, embryonic memories

of the place. Warm air, colder-than-air water, the burn of chlorine, long navy lines striping the bottom of the deep end beyond the buoyed, white-and-blue-braided rope. My mother taught me, there in the shallows. I think I was four.

In retrospect, I’d say I took to it early on and easily. And then, when my grandparents moved to a new house in Hills, Minnesota, and it had a backyard swimming pool—!—with a diving board—!—I was in heaven. I remember that my ninth birthday party was held there. My Grandma Pat taught me a few strokes, the sidestroke and the breaststroke, I remember. And if you’re a kid from Minnesota, you’ve swum in a few lakes. Lake Laura, Double Lake, Hurricane Lake, Talcott Lake, Lake Shetek. The grandparents gave up the house with a pool in Hills, but they got a place at Shetek, and there, my fellow nimble-swimming friend Dan Best and I would paddle great distances in Lake Shetek from dock to shore and back.

It was with Dan that I embarked upon lifeguard training at the indoor pool in Heron Lake under the tutelage of the best swimmer I would ever meet personally, Ms. Donna Damm. Soon, by the age of 16, we were certified in First Aid and CPR, and we became qualified lifeguards.

We also trained to become WSIs (Water Safety Instructors)—that is, Swimming Teachers. I had practiced teaching my brothers and sisters swimming leading up to this, and

there were plenty of lemmings to teach as I had five younger siblings. Most of my sibs took to the water pretty effortlessly, and my “lessons” to them were more of the stroke refinement sort. Except for my brother, Tony, who became my prize student. Tony was born with Greenhorn Cell Disease that left his legs disabled to a degree, and he’d had a number of surgeries on his feet and legs that left him in plaster casts or walking braces as a kid. The abundance of time I had to give him (and the access to water) helped with our lessons, and Tony, at length, learned to swim faster (and better) than he ever learned to ride a bike. I was proud of Tony, and glad for him because swimming afforded him a mobility we weren’t sure he’d ever have.

After this success with Tony, I reveled a bit. I was gaining status as a hard-working lifeguard at the Westbrook City Pool, and I had my go-to swim trunks, whistle and lanyard, non-greasy suntan lotion (always SPF 30 or higher), and wraparound sunglasses. I was making money, gaining respect, and getting tan.

But I ran into trouble when I attempted to teach my Grandma Doris to swim. She was about 60, then, and she’d never learned to swim. God love her, she wanted to learn, but some phobia in her held her back. I’d been going through trials with another swimming student that summer, a kid named Gertner, who was about 14 but landed in the Beginner class with other 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds, which had to’ve been embarrassing, being twice the little kids’ age. This Gertner kid wasn’t meant for water—he was a dry land creature—and he nearly drowned me once or twice when we tried having him jump off the diving board—while holding the other end of a long pole—into the deep end where I was waiting for him and giving him encouragement while I treaded water. I believe I had to use some of my lifeguard selfsaving deflective techniques just to escape his worried, iron clutches.

Grandma Doris came to the pool during the “adult swim” dinner hour break, and she showed up in an ancient black bathing suit and white swim cap that she insisted upon wearing so that she wouldn’t ruin her perm. For her, just putting her face in the water was a struggle. She’d do it, but I could tell that it took a lot out of her. I “swam” her from side to side in the shallow end, but I don’t know that she ever floated more than five seconds or traveled more than five feet without putting her feet down. She couldn’t let go of my hand, couldn’t let go of her rigidity in the water, her fear. She couldn’t unlearn that fear.

Grandma Doris was the first of my grandparents to pass away, which she did just some ten years after those “swimming” lessons. I think back, and I miss being young and in the sun. I miss her. She never really swam. But she sure tried. 

SIX

SPECIALTY MELONS

TO TRY BEFORE THEY’RE GONE.

Available spring through summer, check out these wild varieties of melons.

Looking for recipes that use melon?

Scan the QR code

April Graff, MS, RD, LD

Hilltop Dietitian

507.625.9070

AGraff@hy-vee.com

Galia Melons.

These melons have a yellow skin with a pale green spicy-sweet fruit on the inside. Their sweet flavor is like a cross between honeydew and cantaloupe. When selecting, remember this hint: The rind will turn from greenish in color to golden when it’s ripe.

Why the name Santa Claus? In South America, these melons were at peak season in December and they decided to name it after Santa Claus. These thick-skinned melons resemble a watermelon with its deep green rind with yellow stripes. It has a pale green fruit that has a similar flavor to honeydew.

Golden Dewlicious Melons.

These fruits get their name from their pure white, super sweet, honeyflavored flesh and their golden rind.

This tropical melon has a smooth, bright yellow skin with an aroma of banana and pineapple. Its fruit is ivory-colored with a mildly sweet flavor. Juan Canary Melons.

Oval to round in shape, this melon has a pale Orange Honeydew Melons.

melon is tan and netted with light green grooves. It has a pale green interior with sweet-tart notes of

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BY AMY KORTUEM

The day my divorce was final, I put on old clothes and shoes and grabbed a shovel from the garage. The shovel was rusty, and the handle was rough, but I didn’t care. I walked to the backyard, looked at the lush lawn I’d pampered for years, and started digging.

By nightfall, I had heaps of grass beside a long strip of open dirt. I thought: Maybe I’d make a two-foot border of perennials along the property line. That would look nice. Keep my mind off things.

A few days later, my Mom, a creative, expert gardener, stood still in shock when she saw my backyard. She asked if I was okay. I was, I realized. I dug up more grass. Curious neighbors wandered back to see what I was doing and, wide-eyed, wished me luck. I dug up more grass. A Master Gardener friend (probably tipped off by my concerned Mom) stopped by, looked impressed at my wreck of a perfect lawn, and asked what my plan was.

Plan? By now, that two-foot border idea was a huge, bare swath of the rich, ancient river bottom soil Lower North Mankato is famous for, and a two-foot-wide path of trampled grass wound through it. The Master Gardener

gave me ideas for planting and garden shaping. I kept digging.

Mom divided plants from her garden and took me shopping for sale perennials. She said I couldn’t just have a plain dirt backyard. As I planted, my hands felt the elemental change from tearing out sod to nestling tender roots in the soil. They became the hands of a gardener.

Since that first year of wild, plan-less digging, I’ve learned so much about gardening. For example, which plants thrive in sun or shade and how to plant for constant bloom, how to put similar plants in clumps for impact, how to create focal points—a bench, an ornament, a tall planter of annuals—to guide the eye, and how to create garden “rooms”—areas within the larger garden that feel like separate spaces.

After trial and error (and error and error), my garden finally has a plan: a series of “rooms.” Along the winding clover grass path, a Dwarf Korean Lilac standard tree at the entrance shades miniature hostas and a birdbath. A path of Siberian Iris leads to a rose trellis and topiary juniper. Tall pink phlox bloom in front of a grapevine covering the fence. A semi-circle of Autumn Joy Sedum surrounds a gazing ball

and a small bench. Ferns, variegated hostas, and white bleeding hearts brighten the shade under my little maple tree. A beautiful arbor bench my brother made is at the end of the path, where I can sit and see everything I’ve created.

But from there, I could also see the last oddly shaped patch of grass on my once lush lawn. Over the years, I thought: Maybe a fountain? A swing? A gazebo?

Then, in the terrifying early days of the pandemic, I was in my garden, feeling the anxiety of the world. I looked at that last patch of grass in the backyard and thought: Maybe I’ll clean up the edges, round it out. I measured with a stick and a string to make a 20-foot circle to contain most of the remaining grass. I ignored my good shovels and reached for the retired, bent, and even rustier and rougher old shovel hanging on the garage wall like artwork with “Divorce” written on a piece of cardboard under it. My foot remembered the top of the blade, bent from digging up an entire lawn. After the last shovelful of grass, I joined the circle to the garden with stone edging. In the center, a statue from my Mom’s garden reigned, serene and glowing.

Almost every day, I walk around my circle in meditation and in gratitude for the beauty of my unplanned garden, its gifts, its lessons, and the peace it has brought me in the worst times.

(Now, about that grass in the front yard…)

Amy Kortuem is a writer, harpist, and gardener from North Mankato. 

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BY AMANDA VOGEL

Four years ago, I barely knew anything about pollination. When we are little, we all learn that bees go around and spread pollen from one flower to another, but there is so much more than that. Pollinators are essential for our food supply and our environment. I have learned so much about pollination and love teaching others about it.

In 2020, Nicollet, Blue Earth, Faribault, and Brown Counties started a 4-H Pollinator Ambassador program. The program has now grown and spread to the rest of Minnesota. Since we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did multiple trainings online and in person, following the CDC guidelines, to learn all about pollinators and their habitat. As an ambassador, I presented what I learned to many different communities. I spoke with different 4-H clubs, nursing homes, and the public.

I have worked with some fantastic people and different organizations. Some of these organizations include Pheasants Forever and Corteva. In 2021, we did a broadcast seeding with those two organizations on the side of a field in Mankato. We learned about the different seeds that were being planted that day, and then we spread the seeds by hand.

In 2022, I was given the opportunity to attend the National 4-H Agri-Science Summit in Washington, DC. As the only delegate to attend from Minnesota, I represented the work of the Minnesota 4-H pollinator program. I attended unique

workshops and learned a lot about beekeeping, monarch lifecycles, and much more. I met many people from all over the United States who are just like me. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about what I love.

One of the things that I focused on while working with the Pollinator Ambassador program was the pollinator plate. The idea is that if we didn’t have the amount of pollinators we do, the amount of food we have would diminish or completely go away depending on what type of food it is. The pollinator’s plate curriculum, made by the University of Minnesota, also taught about pollination and pollinators. When people think of pollination, most think of bees, but there are many different pollinators. Bees and butterflies pollinate, as do birds, beetles, and even the wind. The wind is one of the primary pollinators for many crops, including wheat, corn, rice, and more. But most other kinds of food that require pollination must be pollinated by these little animals.

During the summer of 2021, I volunteered at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota. They had a butterfly house, and they needed people to be tour guides. I got to see the butterflies they raised and went through several training sessions. I learned about the types of plants and bugs that were in the butterfly house. We got to have the kids help us release the butterflies into the house. I talked to kids and adults about the different plants and told them about the monarch butterflies there.

This last year, my mom, her friend, and I took on a huge project. We decided to try beekeeping ourselves! We bought our equipment and bees. We then put them in the three hives that we had set up. There was a lot of trial and error in the first year, but we have learned a lot. At the end of the beekeeping season, we collected about twelve gallons of honey. We are selling the honey that our bees produced and putting it back into the project so that this year, we can reach our goal of having ten beehives by the end of this summer.

The biggest thing I have gotten to do with the 4-H Pollinator Ambassador program is the great annual plantings I have done with the City of North Mankato called the “Let’s Pollinate Events.” So far, the three plantings that we have done have had great turnouts. We have invited the public

to come out to each of these and put different types of plants into the green areas that we transformed into native prairies. We have done this at three places: an open area in front of the North Mankato Library, Benson Park, and Spring Lake Park. We have worked with North Mankato Parks Superintendent Duane Rader and his staff and city partners on these plantings and have been so thankful for him and his help.

This last year, Nicollet County 4-H presented Duane with the “Friend Of 4-H Award.” This award goes out every year to a person or organization that has been a fantastic supporter and helper of Nicollet County 4-H. We are in the middle of planning our fourth annual Let’s Pollinate event. The date will be June 22nd during the 2024 National Pollinator Week; we are still working out where this event will be held. Keep an eye out for more information on this event from the City Of North Mankato.

Amanda Vogel is 17 years old and a junior at New Ulm High School. She is involved in theater, band, choir, dance, track and field, and Nicollet County 4-H. 

BY KELSEY BIGBEE

The smell of fresh cut grass, the glow of the stadium lights in the night sky, the feeling of sand between your toes, and the sound of kids giggling and having fun–enjoying recreational activities brings us back to the simple pleasures of living. Participating in recreation, whether organized or not, is beneficial to our physical and psychological well-being. According to the American Psychological Association, getting outside can lower stress, improve mood, and reduce cardiovascular incidents.

City of North Mankato Parks and Recreation Coordinator Brad Walsh says that participating in recreation activities helps adults escape their busy lives and promotes enjoyment; it also helps create new relationships and friendships. Walsh explains that for kids, not only does it help with physical and mental health, but it also provides structure, encourages teamwork and problem-solving skills, and helps create new relationships and friendships.

There are ample opportunities to get and stay active through well-maintained parks, fields, and trails in North Mankato. Caswell Softball Complex and Caswell North and South (where the soccer fields are) are only open for organized rec activities; other fields at South Central College, Northridge Park, and Roe Crest Park can be used for pick-up games of softball or kickball when summer leagues aren’t using them. If you are interested in playing volleyball, courts outside Caswell Softball Complex and Spring Lake Park can be used

when rec leagues are not using them on Tuesday-Thursday nights. Also located outside Caswell Park are batting cages open to the public, although they tend to be busy on the weekend when there are tournaments. If you have joined the pickleball craze, you can play a game of pickleball at King Arthur Park and North Ridge Park. Or all the tennis courts in North Mankato have pickleball lines.

If you need more structure for your recreational activities, don’t worry; the City of North Mankato has you and your family covered. The City of North Mankato Parks and Recreation Department is working to assemble expansive recreation activity offerings for adults and children. Adults can get involved in slow-pitch softball at Caswell Softball Complex and rec volleyball leagues held at the volleyball courts outside the Softball Complex. Youth can participate in T-ball, football, soccer, tennis, golf, and volleyball. To learn more about these organized recreation opportunities for adults and youth, sign up at www.casewellsports.com

If you are interested in more recreation ideas and opportunities, here are Walsh’s Top Five Summer Recreation Tips:

1. Splash around the Splash Pads. This is a perfect activity for young kids and families. The splash pads are located near Caswell Softball fields. There are bathrooms and a shelter with tables. This is an excellent place to hold a family gathering or birthday party.

2. Stroll through Benson Park, take advantage of the walking trails, and look for prairie wildlife. The City of North Mankato holds events at Benson Park in late summer and fall, such as a scavenger hunt and Symphony in the Prairie.

3. Explore the Trails at Spring Lake Park and Bluff Park. These trails are open to walkers, runners, and bikers. Plus, a paved trail near Bluff Park connects to Spring Lake Park.

4. Hop on Your Bike. North Mankato is a bike-friendly community with various trails and designated bike routes. Visit NorthMankato.com to view the trail system map.

5. Take a Dip at North Mankato Swim Facility. The Swim Facility is the perfect place to cool off with the family on a hot summer day.

Learn more about North Mankato facilities, recreation opportunities, and events by following “North Mankato Culture and Recreation,” “Caswell Sports,” and “North Mankato Library” on Facebook or pick up a Spring and Summer activities brochure at the North Mankato Library.

North Mankato Swim Facility

North Mankato Swim Facility made the top five recreation ideas in North Mankato for good reason. The pool features two giant waterslides, kiddie slides, a climbing wall, dive platforms, a lilypad, and a toddler splash area. It is a great

place to swim and play, and the facility offers youth and adult programming like swim lessons for kids, Zumba and water aerobics for adults, and even toddler time for the little ones. Other amenities at the facility include a concession stand, showers and dressing room, deck chairs, and picnic tables.

Sandy Bromley, Aquatics Director at North Mankato Swim Facility, wants visitors to have a fun and safe time when they visit the swim facility. Here are Bromley’s recommendations to do just that:

• Review the facility rules before their visit, found at www.swimnorthmankato.com/rules

• Ensure that those not toilet-trained wear appropriate swim diapers.

Wear swimsuits that are easily visible underwater.

• Use only Coast Guard-approved lifejackets. No infant flotation devices are allowed.

• Wear sun protection.

No glass or outside food or coolers are allowed inside the facility.

• Follow the facility’s age requirements for the supervision of children.

Listen to the facility’s safety team. 

Carli Jordan

Gari Jo Jordan

 Summer Reads

There are so many great reasons to escape into a great book. Reading provides opportunities to experience a different worldview, explore complex and nuanced topics, and it’s fun. Summer reading is essential for kids, too. According to North Mankato Children’s Librarian Michelle Zimmermann, reading in the summer helps kids retain what they learned in the previous school year. There are so many choices that picking out a new book can be overwhelming. Thankfully, the librarian at North Mankato Library put together reading lists for everyone in your family.

Adult Fiction

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate (release date June 4)

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor (release date July 23)

Camino Ghosts by John Grisham (release date May 28)

Young Adult Fiction

What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (available July 30)

Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell (available July 9)

Nightshade Revenge by Anthony Horowitz

Michael Vey 9: The Traitor by Richard Paul Evans

Junior Fiction

Misfits: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

Paper Dragons by Siobhan McDermott

Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly (available April 9)

Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Alan Gratz

Early Chapter Books

Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet by Nick Bruel

Mercy Watson is Missing by Kate DiCamillo

Windy Night with Wild Horses by Mary Pope Osborne (available May 7)

I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake by Lauren Tarshis

Cave of the Crystal Dragon by Tracey West

Beginner Readers

Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Let’s Go for a Drive by Mo Willems

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler

Who Would Win? Blue Whale vs. Mosquito by Jerry Pollata

Picture Books

Pete the Cat Screams for Ice Cream by James Dean (available June 4)

Beach Bummer by Ryan Higgins (available May 7)

Ahoy by Sophie Blackall

Just One More Sleep by Jamie Lee Curtis

Sleepy Sheep and the Sheepover by Lucy Ruth Cummings 

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Musical Fusion: NintenTones Where Jazz & Video Games Collide

BY HOLLY DODGE

Meet Ryan Rader, a musical maestro with a vision as unique as it is intriguing. Ryan, a resident music teacher at Scheitel’s Music and an adjunct faculty member at Martin Luther College, is the creative force behind “NintenTones: Video Game Jazz Orchestra,” a unique musical ensemble that seamlessly blends the worlds of jazz and, yes, you guessed it: video game music.

NintenTones, funded by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, is a project that aims to arrange and curate jazz-inspired renditions of beloved video game melodies spanning from the 1980s to 2017. With the support of the arts grant, Ryan assembled a team of six regional musicians, including saxophone, trumpet, trombone, electric bass, piano, and drums. Together, they perform ten pieces encapsulating the essence of video game melodies spanning the last four decades. Their goal? To create an hour-long spectacle to entertain audiences of all ages.

For Ryan, the journey into the realm of video game music within the jazz idiom began with an appreciation for groups like the 8-Bit Big Band. This ensemble, comprising over 40 musicians, brings traditional jazz instrumentation to life through arrangements of iconic video game tunes. Inspired

by their work, Ryan creatively envisioned a Southern Minnesota iteration of this concept, and NintenTones was born.

The choice to blend jazz with video game music is not arbitrary. Ryan explains that this marriage of styles is a natural fit, as jazz tradition has always incorporated popular music of the time. The simplicity and catchy melodies found in video game compositions harken back to the early days of jazz, where improvisation and reinterpretation were key. Ryan’s goal is to infuse each of the ten NintenTones pieces with a clever and unexpected twist.

Ryan and the NintenTones ensemble will perform six free, live community shows at local libraries and parks, beginning with a June 1st premiere at North Mankato’s Storybook Park (across from the North Mankato Taylor Library). Ryan says the all-ages shows will appeal to gamers and jazz enthusiasts.

Ultimately, NintenTones represents more than just a musical experiment; it’s a testament to the power of collaboration and creativity. By bridging the worlds of jazz and video game music, Ryan and his ensemble are paving the way for a new generation of musical expression. 

MAIN EVENTS

SUMMER READING KICKOFF - JUNE 8TH 11AM

Come to Storybook Park for a variety of come and go activities; and for those looking for a challenge, grab a few friends and enter the North Mankato Taylor Library's Amazing Race! Be the first group to complete all of the challenges and win a prize - registration is required. More information coming soon.

ART SPLASH - JUNE 15TH 11AM-3PM

Join us at South Central College for our 19th annual Art Splash Art Fair. Enjoy arts and crafts, live music, food and drink vendors, kids activities, and more!

MOONDOGS LIBRARY NIGHT - JUNE 20TH

Purchase tickets at the library to support us at the Mankato Moondog’s North Mankato Taylor Library Non-Profit Night.

MUSIC IN THE PARK - JULY 18TH AND 25TH 5:30-7:30PM

Bring a lawn chair or a blanket to Wheeler Park and enjoy a fun community night with local musical talent.

Scan the QR code or visit our Facebook page for more information on these upcoming events.

MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER READS

CURATED BY TJ PALESOTTI

Program Director/Morning Show Host KEEZ-FM “Mix 99.1”

Even though winter was the most mild in recent memory, if you’re like me you are still excited about the longer warmer days ahead. Days at the lake or the pool, grilling out, and spending time with friends replaces bundling up and trying to stay healthy before the next round of illness makes a run through your home or workplace.

Here’s a list of songs for your summer playlist that will hopefully conjure up some summer memories and maybe help solidify some new ones. Once again, I did not stick to any specific genre or era. Just a bunch of good old summertime songs for you to put on shuffle while you slather on the sunscreen. Cheers to the wonder that is Minnesota in the summertime.

SUMMERTIME

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME

Sly and the Family Stone

CRUEL SUMMER

Bananarama

SUMMER NIGHTS

Olivia Newton John

CALIFORNIA GURLS

Katy Perry

WATERMELON SUGAR

Harry Styles

UNDER THE BOARDWALK

The Drifters

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

Katrina and the Waves

HERE COMES THE SUN

The Beatles

IN THE SUMMERTIME

Mungo Jerry

SUMMER OF ‘69

Bryan Adams

ROCK LOBSTER

The B-52’s

SURF CITY

Jan & Dean

DANCING DAYS

Led Zeppelin

SUMMER IN THE CITY

The Lovin’ Spoonful

SUMMER BREEZE

Seals & Crofts

SUMMERTIME BLUES

Alan Jackson

STEAL MY SUNSHINE

Len

GOOD TIMES

Chic

CRUISE

Florida Georgia Line

SOAK UP THE SUN

Sheryl Crow

ALL SUMMER LONG

Kid Rock

HOT HOT HOT

Buster Poindexter

GOOD VIBRATIONS

The Beach Boys SUNROOF

Nicky Youre

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