Chaska_091511

Page 1

Kid arrested, parents proud

Steamboat Days packs them in

A day in the life of a political protester

Photos from Carver’s biggest days of the year

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Pages 24-25

www.chaskaherald.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

CHASKA

$1

HERALD

Thirsty for Surly Chaska hopes to land popular metro brewery BY MARK W. OLSON & MOLLEE FRANCISCO editor@chaskaherald.com

T

he city of Chaska is lobbying the Surly Brewing Company to move to Chaska. “Well we’re a German town,” joked Chaska City Administrator Matt Podhradsky, when contacted on the topic. Surly, a popular craft beer brewery, is based in Brooklyn Center and is seeking a new home. With heavy lobbying by Surly fans during the last session, the state Legislature passed a law allowing breweries to sell beer on site. The move paves the way for Surly to proceed with plans for a $20 million destination brewery, with a restaurant, beer garden and event center. It was recently reported that the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center and Elk River are all lobbying to be the brewery’s new home. A call from the Herald to Surly for comment was not returned. The city of Chaska contacted Surly to consider the city owned Chaska Building Center site, off of County Road 61, according to Podhradsky. “We’ve provided the information,

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHASKA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Will the Surly Brewing Company join the ranks of Chaska’s pioneer brewer Bernard Leivermann?

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but we haven’t had a conversation,” said Podhradsky. The city has contacted Surly twice,

PHOTO BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO

Dan Keyport said demand for Surly at his Dolce Vita Wine Shop in downtown Chaska has been up since the public learned that Chaska was vying to bring the brewery to town. beginning about two months ago, Podhradsky said. “We’ve been trying our darndest to try to get some kind of a meeting set up.” Chaska was prompted to contact the brewery following a radio interview in which brewery owner Omar Ansari said he was considering locations other than Minneapolis,

Podhradsky said. “When he came out and said that, we pretty quickly jumped on putting information together,” Podhradsky said.

NO RESPONSE So far, Chaska hasn’t received a response. Neither has Dolce Vita Wine Shop owner Dan Keyport, who also

contacted Surly to plug Chaska. He believes the brewery would make for a great destination site for the city. “People would come from all over,” he said, noting that sales of Surly at his shop jumped when the public heard that Chaska could be in the running.

Brewery to page 7 ®

Get ready to party like a Viking County GOP chair faces Nordic festival criminal-sex charges this Saturday

Official steps down from post

BY MARK W. OLSON editor@chaskaherald.com

Lutefisk? Check. Vikings? Check. Nyckelharpa? Check. Everything is coming together for the third annual Nordic Music Festival this Saturday at Lake Waconia Regional Park. Get ready to have a few Nordic stereotypes shattered. “We love parties. We love gatherings. I don’t know if people know that about us. We love to get together and jam, and love to get together and share with one another,” said Carolyn Spargo, of Chaska, Nordic Heritage Club vice-president/ founder, and one of the event’s organizers. “Usually you think of Nordic people as quiet and cold, but we really aren’t,” Spargo said. This year, festival organizers have lined up 10 music and dance groups, representing Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Among the musicians will be Paul Dahlin, a folk fiddler who recently was awarded Knight First Class of the Polar Star

MORE ONLINE FOR UPDATES ON THIS STORY, VISIT

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BY RICHARD CRAWFORD editor@chanvillager.com

FILE PHOTO BY UNSIE ZUEGE

Mallory Hanson and Adam Perdue of Minneapolis get their Norse on during last year’s Nordic Music Festival.

Nordic Music Festival What: A festival of all things Nordic, with singing, dancing, crafts, Viking re-enactors and the second annual lutefisk toss. Held rain or shine. When: Saturday, Sept. 17

Where: Lake Waconia Regional Park, 8170 Paradise Lane, Waconia Cost: Free admission/free parking Info: www.nordicheritageclub.com

Nordic to page 7 ®

The chairman of the Carver County Republic a n Pa rt y h a s re si g ne d from his post and faces two counts of second-degree cri mi na l sexua l Paul conduct. Zunker According to an official Carver County criminal complaint, Paul Scott Zunker, 36, of Waconia, faces two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person under age 16. According to the complaint, Zunker is accused of sexually touching the alleged female victim on several occasions between Aug. 15, 2010, and Aug. 15, 2011. Zunker is accused of sexually touching the victim both over and under her clothing, according to the complaint. The victim told him to “knock it

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off” or to “stop,” according to the complaint. The defendant would stop but resumed the touching later, the complaint said. In August, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office and a child protection social worker learned of the alleged sexual abuse. Zunker was officially charged on Sept. 9 and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 16. Zunker could not be reached for comment. Members of the Carver County Republican Party are scheduled to meet Thursday to select a new chair. Several members of the party’s executive committee were caught off-guard by the allegations. Rolland Neve, a member of the executive committee from Chanhassen, said he had heard that Zunker

Zunker to page 7 ®

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