January 2011 Volume 17 Number 1
Your Community News & Information Source
2011: More of the Same
Library café plans scrapped
Central Library has scrapped its plan to open a café on the ground level of the library in the space formerly occupied by Zelda’s Café. Lee Williamson, facilities director, said several proposals were examined but none accepted. He said the economic downturn and competing cafés located nearby were a deterrent to the project. The space will be used for talks by authors and for other meetings. The back kitchen will remain to assist groups wishing to serve refreshments.
High speed train issue on hold
Plans for high speed rail operating out of the Union Depot in Lowertown are now in question since the White House has withdrawn $810 million in funding for high speed rail in Wisconsin. This decision followed a statement by Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker, who said he would not support the planned rail project between Madison and Milwaukee. This would have been an essential link in the proposed high speed rail plan to connect Chicago and the Twin Cities. Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Council
Fourth Street reopened to vehicle traffic in mid-December. That month crews were busy installing pavers, lights, traffic signals and pole foundations for the overhead system of wires that will power light-rail trains. Work in 2011 and 2012 on Fourth Street will involve laying tracks, building stations and installing the electrical and communication systems.
Bracing for another year of disruptions Fourth Street reopens, but more LRT construction is on the way Bill Knight Contributing Writer
B
usinesses along Fourth Street in Lowertown have suffered through a challenging year of disruptions caused by work on the new Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. While Fourth Street reopened in mid-December, the coming year promises similar challenges to businesses and residents in downtown and along University Avenue. The new LRT line will connect down-
town St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis along University and Washington avenues. The route travels through the State Capitol complex and down to Fourth Street, ending in Lowertown. “We’re down 40 percent in our business since the construction started (Spring 2010),” said Sara Remke who, with her two siblings, operates the Black Dog Café at the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway. “People on Fourth are fairly stressed. We’ve done the
best we can to deal with a hard situation. It’s inevitable and we understand that, but at the same time we think it’s important for people to know that small businesses are paying the price.” Lenny Russo, who opened the Heartland Restaurant this summer in Lowertown, said his business hasn’t been affected. However, he acknowledged that he did not have to deal with the street construction and closure issues that businesses on Fourth Street
suffered through. His restaurant is in the Market House Building at Fifth and Broadway. “We haven’t seen any effect. Since we opened in July, our business has more than doubled,” said Russo. “From my perspective, Public Works is doing a great job of keeping the streets clear and keeping access to our business and the Farmers’ Market.” Grit, determination and a sense of humor
Light Rail / Page 2
Pigeon program successful
An experiment at a downtown building to curtail the pigeon population has proved successful. Pigeons were fed a birth control substance, which resulted in the pigeon population being reduced by 50 percent at that building. The program may be used in other buildings.
St. Paul Heart Clinic to close
St. Paul Heart Clinic will close on Jan. 1. Most of the 31 doctors who saw their patients at St. Joseph’s or United hospitals are expected to become employees of HealthEast, which operates St. Joseph’s, or Allina, which operates United Hospital. This is part of a nationwide trend in which independent clinics disband and the doctors attach themselves to a health system that operates a hospital.
District 17 seeks supports
The CapitolRiver Council/District 17 is asking its board members to make a voluntary contribution of $100 or more to the organization. According to board chair Andrew Schlack, potential donors to the group are impressed when they see buy-in from the board. He said other district councils in the city have a similar policy.
D owntown Developments Light Rail continued from page 1 — qualities you’ll find in a business owner like Remke — have been needed to survive on Fourth Street. “For us, it is hard with all the excitement about the light rail, which we would like to be excited about also. Everyone is saying how great it will be in two years,” she said. “It’s not the light rail that we are bashing. In fact we’re not bashing anyone. It’s just for everyone to understand that (the light rail) doesn’t come without some costs.” One of those costs is the closure of Rumours & Innuendo, a nightclub on Fourth Street, which was shuttered at the end of October. Sean Fetterman, one of the owners, declined to talk with The Downtown St. Paul Voice about the closing, but the club’s lingering website said the “the light rail construction has been a strain on businesses” and “although there have
been bright spots and glimmers of hope to see an end to the work, we have decided that we cannot continue to engage in this uphill battle to provide a clear path to our business and limit interruption to our guest experience.”
LRT unearths ‘historic bones’ (wink, wink)
In mid-October, Remke and her siblings, who have run their business for 13 years, decided not to take the dust and disruption standing still so they fabricated a story about construction workers unearthing the remains of an ancient relative of King Boreas of Winter Carnival fame. The story appeared on many blogs and also on the cafe’s website. “We pretended that we found some buried bones down here,” she said of their fictional, tonguein-cheek promotion, intended to bring more business to the Black Dog
Your community news and information source Café. “But the police and the medical examiner wanted to investigate, so we couldn’t take it as far as we wanted. Some people took it for a real find.” Remke added that she was contacted by officials from Ramsey County and the St. Paul Police Department.
LRT may boost the local economy
Rudy Maxa, the famed TV and radio personality who has lived in Lowertown for five years, has first-hand experiences of living through a light rail construction project and is excited for what the future holds for St. Paul. “I was in Washington, D.C., when the Metro was built, which at the time was the largest public works project in the world,” said Maxa. “I lived downtown so it really affected me. What is going on here is really child’s-play in comparison.” Once the Metro was completed he said “Ev-
Start Fresh!
‘We pretended that we found some buried bones down here,’ said Remke of their fictional promotion. ‘But the police and the medical examiner wanted to investigate, so we couldn’t take it as far as we wanted. Some people took it for a real find.’ ery neighborhood, every block that had a station, had stunning economic benefits. The redevelopment, the renovation of houses and business, followed soon after the construction.” He added that he has not heard much negative reaction from his neighbors. “Overall I think I would have heard if folks were distraught,” said Maxa, 61, who lives near Kellogg Boulevard and Broadway. However, he travels frequently for his travel shows that appear on nearly 90 PBS stations, and his radio show, the largest syndicated weekly radio show on travel in the country.
A busy 2011
The exact route of the rail line, which will
cut diagonally from Fifth and Cedar Street to Fourth and Minnesota Street, drew most of the questions during a mid-December meeting in Lowertown that was hosted by the Metropolitan Council. According to Laura Baenen, communication manager for the project, construction in that area will include demolishing the Bremer Bank Building so tracks can be laid where the bank is today. The skyway over Fifth Street, just east of Cedar Street, will temporarily come down but will be replaced by the time the project ends in November 2011. She said the tracks will head east on Fourth Street to Broadway, crossing that intersection into the vacant Diamond Products Building, which will be-
come an operations and maintenance facility. Some of the 40 people who attended the meeting questioned why Fourth Street was ripped up, worked on and paved over, only to be ripped open again. “That was planned because some construction work can best be done only at certain times of the year,” Baenen said. “Construction is disruptive but we will keep businesses open, although it may not be as easy an access as it is today.” Not a great deal of work will happen in January since the cold weather makes construction both expensive and difficult. For updates and more information on the project, visit www.centralcorridor.org.
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Page 2 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011
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F uller Files
Your community news and information source
by Roger Fuller
CD release party
Zeitgeist will host a series of CD release events for “Here and Now” at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 6-8, at Studio Z in the Northwestern Building, 275 E. Fourth St. The CD contains 30 short pieces that were created two years ago by local composers when Zeitgeist observed its 30th anniversary.
Skyway Bridge to be removed temporarily for LRT
The skyway bridge over Fifth Street near Cedar will be taken down in the spring and replaced several months later. This gap in the skyway system will interrupt the connection between the Crowne Plaza and Hilton Garden Inn hotels. The closing is necessary because the old Bremer Bank building on Fifth Street, which is connected to the skyway, is being demolished to make way for tracks of the new Light Rail Transit system. A replacement skyway will connect the
Alliance Bank Center with the University Club.
Book Clubs at Central Library
The Central Library Book Club will discuss “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson at 10:30 a.m., Thurs., Jan. 13 at the Central Library. The History Book Club will discuss “North Country: The Making of Minnesota” by Mary Wingerd at 2 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 20.
City Passport
City Passport senior citizen center is hosting the following activities at the mezzanine level of the Alliance Bank building: Poetry slam, 2 p.m., Tues., Jan. 4; Happy birthday party, 2 p.m., Mon., Jan. 10; Cribbage tournament, 1 p.m., Tues., Jan. 18; Current events discussion, 11 a.m., Fri., Jan. 21; Ice cream float social, 1:30 p.m., Fri., Jan. 28; Ladies tea, 2:30 p.m., Mon., Jan. 31; Blood pressure
tests Mondays at 10 a.m. Show tunes and songs from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s will be sung at 10:45 a.m. on the second and fourth Friday. Movies are shown at 1 p.m. each Thursday.
First Friday social
A First Friday social will be held 4-6 p.m., Fri., Jan. 7 at the American Burger Bar, 354 W. Wabasha St. CapitolRiver Council/District 17 holds these monthly gatherings to help downtown residents get better acquainted.
Sinfonia concert
Levinson, associate concertmaster with the Dallas Symphony, will play Concerto for Violin No. 5 by Henri Vieuxtemps. The Sinfonia will also perform “Once Upon a Time” by Edward Green and Symphony in C by Georges Bizet.
Winter Carnival Art show
The Winter Carnival Art Show will open Jan. 26 and run for ten days at the Black Dog Café, 308 Prince St. Forty artists are expected to be in the show, which is managed by the AZ Gallery.
Violinist Gary Levinson will appear with the Minnesota Sinfonia at its winter concert, held at 7 p.m., Fri., Jan. 7 at Metro State University.
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The newly crowned Winter Carnival Senior Royalty will appear at the Winter Carnival Senior Breakfast, held 9-11 a.m., Sun., Jan. 30 at the Landmark Center. The six-member senior court will appear at community functions throughout the year.
St. Paul Prep musical
Students at St. Paul Preparatory School will present the musical “Into the Woods Junior” on Jan. 13 and 14. It is a shortened version of the musical by Stephen Sondheim. For
more details, visit www. stpaulprep.org.
St. Paul Conservatory near capacity
St. Paul Conservatory has nearly reached its enrollment capacity, according to Terry Tofte, executive director. He said grades 9 and 10 have enrollments of 150 students and the upper two grades have more than 100 each. He said the school will be at capacity when enrollment reaches 600, with 150 at each grade. Classes are held at the Lowry building, Landmark Center and Wilkins arena.
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Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011 - Page 3
S ample St. Paul Ordway Center for Performing Arts “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is presented through Jan. 2. This Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice production tells the story of Joseph, his jealous brothers and one very colorful garment. American Idol finalist Anthony Fedorov appears as Joseph. Joining the performers onstage are 40 Twin Cities-area school children. Tickets
Your community news and information source
are $27-$81. Grammy Award-winner Angélique Kidjo will be in concert 7:30 p.m., Fri., Jan. 21. Kidjo cross-pollinates the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America. She shares her very own brand of rhythmic Afro-funk and pop from the four corners of the globe. Tickets are $15-$25. The Ord-
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Children’s Museum
“The Old Man and the Sea” is featured in Ominfest 2011 at the Omnitheatre, located in the Science Museum. The Academy Award-winning film depicts Ernest Hemingway’s tale of a fisherman’s duel in stunning hand-painted imagery. The film also includes a short live-action bio of the author. way Center is located at 345 Washington St., St. Paul. For more information, call 651-224-4222 or visit www.ordway.org.
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Once in a lifetime a story will change your heart and your perspective...
John Jenkins, a young journalist, is marking off time at the small-town Marquette Messenger until he can get into the big-league newspapers. After all, nothing significant ever happens in a farming community, he thinks. Then one day Jenkins is given a routine, dull assignment— to write the obituary of an elderly local farmer, Alfred Gutzman. The remarkable untold story Jenkins uncovers through his investigation, happenstance encounters with people who knew Gutzman, and covert visits to his farm, challenge everything the young reporter holds dear...
A poignant glimpse of the heart wounds of WWII vets on both sides of the line Page 4 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011
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Rascal Flatts, with special guests Luke Bryan and Chris Young, will present their “Nothing Like This Tour” at 7:30 p.m., Fri., Jan. 21. Tick-
ets are $25-$69.75. Linkin Park, with special guests Pendulum and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, will perform at 7 p.m., Fri., Jan. 28. Tickets are $42.50-$72.50.
“Living in Space” is presented through Jan. 2. This interactive exhibit is inspired by the International Space Station, the largest international aerospace project ever, and teaches participants about the everyday activities of astronauts. “Japan and Nature: Spirits of the Seasons” is presented through Jan. 23. This exhibit shows the similarities and differences of each season of the year in Japan and Minnesota. Tickets are $8.95. The museum is located at 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul. For more information, call 651-2256000.
History Center “Chocolate: The Exhibition” is presented through Jan. 2. Immerse
continued on next page
S ample St. Paul yourself in the story of chocolate by exploring the plant, the products and the culture of chocolate through the lenses of science, history and popular culture. The exhibit features experiments and hands-on activities, as well as Mayan, Aztec and 17th-century European artifacts. “Minnesota on the Map,” a traveling exhibit featuring 23 reproduction maps and atlases, is presented through Jan. 9. The exhibit features an 1863 map by Louis Hennepin of the upper Mississippi Valley, a video station with commentary by local historians, a bin of laminated maps that allows for an up-close look at Minnesota geography and history, and an oversized jigsaw puzzle map of the state. “The Value of One Life” is presented Jan. 15-April 10. This exhibit highlights portraits of eight people who survived life-altering events and went on to lead in-
Your community news and information source
spiring lives. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students, and $5 for children ages 6-17. The center offers free admission on Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. For more information, call 651-259-3000 or visit www.mnhs.org.
older, or $17 and $14.50 respectively with admission to the Omnitheater. Omnitheater tickets alone are $8/$7. The Science Museum is located at 120 W. Kellogg Blvd. For more information, visit www.smm.org, or call 651-221-9444.
Science Museum
Park Square Theatre
“Geometry Playground” is presented through Jan. 9. This exhibit will have participants climbing, building, drawing and playing to teach the ways in which mathematical principles affect how we move, see and fit things together in the world around us. Omnifest 2011 - Omnifest features five new films showing daily in the Omnitheater Jan. 7-Feb. 17. Shows include: “Hubble,” “Old Man and the Sea,” “Sea Monsters,” “Wild Safari” and “Tropical Rain Forest.” Museum tickets are $11 for adults and $8.50 for children ages 4-12 and seniors age 60 and
“The Odyssey” is presented Jan. 14.-Feb. 6. Legendary warrior Odysseus fights tides, beasts and his own arrogance — often with no weapon except his passion. But it’s not just his adventure: his wife fights the urge to give up on the world, and his teenage son wrestles with the journey to adulthood. Tickets are $20-$60, and $15 for ages 30 and under. A $5 discount is offered for people age 62 and older. The theater is located in the Historic Hamm Building, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul. For more information, call 651-291-7005.
A good start to a great education
Back in Time from page 8 front public events, and in the 1950s that meant TV stars. The carnival that year had done well, attracting Dinah Shore, the star of one of the top shows. She was good at that sort of thing, and not only braved the cold to be the parade grand marshal, but she brought her show along as well. The Dinah Shore Chevy Show originated live that week from the St. Paul Auditorium on Fifth
Street, where the Ordway is today. A huge crowd turned out to watch the music and variety show, which included plenty of plugs for Chevrolet. In the days before home video recording it was reported that many local families split up for the event; some attending live, others staying home and watching TV, hoping to catch a glimpse when the camera panned the crowd. After the show, many stuck around to watch a country music and dance festival, billed
as the world’s largest square dance. It was a great way to end a cold January. January is the coldest month and people still look for ways to cope. We now have indoor football, as well as hot stove league baseball. This year’s carnival kicks off Jan. 27, probably without national telecast, but TV variety shows aren’t what they used to be (for that matter, neither is Chevrolet). If you already have cabin fever, here is a chance to get outside.
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Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011 - Page 5
R iver Connections
Your community news and information source
Frozen in Time
St. Paul artist captures the simple beauty of the Mississippi River in wintertime Tim Spitzack Editor
W
hile most artists are hunkered inside their warm studios this time of year, landscape artist Joshua Cunningham is out trudging through snowdrifts along the banks of the Mississippi River. As the northern wind stings his face and ice crystals accumulate on his beard, he scans the horizon for the right scene that he can transfer to canvas, thus preserving the beauty of the river cloaked in winter. Cunningham, a plein air painter, enjoys being out in nature with his brushes, oils and canvas to soak in its splendor, breathe in its inspiration, and experience the magic of the moment when the light splashes across a landscape he intends to paint. He paints on location year around, but also works from his studio in his St. Paul home, where he lives with his wife Shannon and their children, Greta and William. “I have found the challenge of painting outside to have awakened and clarified why I paint,” said Cunningham, 36. “Plein air paintings done
on location in the winter have a different feel than those in the summer. The paint is stiffer and you can pile the white as you try to capture the snow. In the summer the paint is more fluid so they have a different tactual quality. The light in the winter is also very different. The lower sun offers shorter windows of working time, but in those windows the light can be pretty dramatic, with long raking shadows and the myriad of colors bouncing around in the snow.” The Mississippi River is one of Cunninghan’s favorite subjects. One of his recent creations, “Blue Shadows and Bare Branches,” depicts barren trees along the frozen Mississippi River and punctuates his desire to capture nuances of a landscape that inspire him. “The unique growth of each silhouetted tree trunk divides the sky like the architecture of a stained glass window, holding a mosaic of light, air and ice,” said Cunningham of the painting. “When lost to the beauty of winter transfigured by the light, one doesn’t feel
the cold so much as the sun.”
New exhibit
The painting is featured through Jan. 15 in a new exhibit at Grand Hill Gallery, 333 Grand Ave., Suite 101, St. Paul. The exhibit includes 30 paintings he has created in the Mississippi River Valley and other locales, including the prairie of Western Minnesota, the Great Lakes and the Great Northwest. Doug Nielsen, owner of Grand Hill Gallery, is excited to have Cunningham back for another exhibit. This summer he was featured in a show along with fellow artist Richard Abraham, also a landscape painter. “I am an admirer of his work,” said Nielsen, who met Cunningham last year during the St. Paul Art Crawl. “This show has a number of interesting scenes. He had a really successful show (this summer) and a number of pieces sold.” For this show, his paintings are priced between $500 and $3,000, with most under $1,000. Nearly half of the paintings are scenes along the Mississippi River. “So many paintings are
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651-457-1693 Page 6 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011
ABOVE: “Blue Shadows and Bare Branches” is featured through Jan. 15 in a new exhibit at Grand Hill Gallery, 333 Grand Ave., Suite 101, St. Paul. RIGHT: Cunningham has painted in a number of locales throughout the United States, including the Great Lakes. of the river because I love roaming around the river valley,” said Cunningham. “It is a place I enjoy being.”
Love of the river valley
His love affair with the landscape of the Mississippi River valley began several years ago when a fellow artist invited him on a painting excursion near Lake Pepin, on the Wisconsin side. It was a cold, wet and windy day in April and Cunningham was woefully underdressed to paint outside. “It was miserable,” he laughed, recalling the day. “I wasn’t dressed warm enough. I hadn’t painted enough to justify such a road trip to go find a worthy subject matter. I was so new to it that I was barely worthy of attempting a painting of a tree in my backyard, let alone the wonder that waits around the bends of those rural river roads. But there I was, hunkered down, chilled to the bone, making a terrible painting, eating a cold sandwich with a great big grin on my face. For whatever reason, my
Submitted photo
life hadn’t brought me down that magical road. I fell in love with all the little winding roads and views and rolling fields.” Raised along with his four brothers in rural Isanti, Minn., Cunningham was drawn to art at an early age but it took on even greater importance for him following the death of his youngest brother, Ryan, who was killed in a car accident. Painting became an outlet for him and a way to heal from his pain and find direction for his own life. The tragic event also inspired him to pursue his own dreams more vigorously. However, his career path has been a winding road. He studied art at St. Cloud State University, St. John’s University and the Atelier Art School in Minneapolis, but chose to quit those schools prior to getting a degree. Instead, he sought out and studied under other accomplished artists in the Twin Cities, including Mark Balma, Jeff Hurinenko and Joe Paquet. Thanks to a supportive wife and success in his field, Cunningham is able to pur-
sue his art full-time. He paints two to three times a week and promotes his work through gallery shows and other marketing efforts. He said he is featured in about nine shows a year and sells paintings every month. “I make my life as an artist, a husband and a father,” he said. “My wife’s unwavering support makes it possible to do what I do.” Cunningham credits much of his early success to the St. Paul Art Crawl. “The Art Crawl has been my touchstone,” he said. “The exposure has been so great. You have three days to talk to people who are in the mood to look for art.” His painting, “Along the Line,” a railroad scene in St. Paul along the river, won the St. Paul Art Crawl Poster competition this fall and was featured on the promotional poster to publicize the semi-annual event. The painting was acquired by the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. To view his work, visit www. joshuacunningham.com.
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1918 Beam Ave.
(4 blocks north of Butler)
(across from Maplewood Mall)
West St. Paul 651-457-1196
Maplewood
651-731-3603
Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011 - Page 7
B ack in Time January 1957: Dueling film genres, carnival celebrities
Your community news and information source
Don Morgan Contributor
W
inter entertainment in Minnesota requires a basic choice: indoor or outdoor. Outdoor types go ice fishing, skiing or snowshoeing, all of which take dedication and stamina. Indoor types have the internet,
shopping malls, gyms and, of course, movies. In January of 1957, folks in St. Paul had plenty of indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities, including some great Winter Carnival events and a wide selection of first-run movies, some of which featured a new style of movie making.
At the beginning of 1957, St. Paul had 339,000 residents. Projections were that the population would reach 430,000 by the year 2000. Alas, who knew about the power of freeways and suburbs? (Estimated population for 2011 is 287,000.) People’s minds were on the
riots in Hungary protesting a Soviet occupation and also an exciting Cotton Bowl game in Dallas, wherein Texas Christian University upset Syracuse 28-27 in the last important single platoon football game. News also came that Elvis passed his army pre-induction physical. He arrived at
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946 S. Robert St.
1918 Beam Ave.
(4 blocks north of Butler)
(across from Maplewood Mall)
West St. Paul 651-457-1196
Page 8 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - January 2011
Maplewood
651-731-3603
the station in a pink and black Cadillac, along with two girlfriends and three members of his entourage. That January saw some serious fires and a rash of auto accidents in St. Paul. Thirteen people were killed in Minnesota on New Years’ day alone. Later that month, five more died in a single accident south of the city. Part of the problem was that cars of that day lacked safety features. Downtown dealers would happily sell you an Oldsmobile Golden 88 with a Rocket V8 producing over 270 horsepower, or a Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, which went up to 290 horsepower. However, neither model had seat belts, padded dashes, air bags, etc. The roads proved hazardous as well. Old state highways, high speed vehicles and the lack of any crash restraints remained a deadly combination for the next few years. The new crop of movies for ’56-’57 was a great one with some great stars. That January film fans could go downtown to see Karl Malden and Carol Baker in “Baby Doll,” Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire in “Friendly Persuasion,” Henry Fonda in Hitchcock’s “The Wrong Man,” Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall in “Written on the Wind,” Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker in “The King and Four Queens,” Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter in “Three Violent People” and Ray Milland in “Three Brave Men.” Two films, “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” with Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando, and “Anastasia” with Yul Brenner and Ingrid Bergman, would play downtown for the entire month. Along with these mainstream offerings, a new film genre was creeping into theaters — the rock ’n’ roll movie, aimed at the emerging adolescent market. Playing that month were “Rock, Pretty Baby,” starring John Saxon and Sal Mineo in a fairly mainstream at-
tempt to showcase “respectable” young talent; Allen Freed’s “Rock Rock Rock!,” a much more authentic film with many acts performing and playing themselves, headed by future Hall of Famer Chuck Berry, and “Rock and Roll with the Kings of Swing,” a sad effort by some true music legends, like Count Basie, Cab Calloway and the Mills Brothers, to make a buck by using the rock ’n’ roll label, which didn’t fit them at all. Young people buying tickets to these teen movies probably caused quite a few dinner table arguments that month. For those who really wanted to forget about winter, the Downtown Commercial Club had a promotion to get people to think about a summer game instead. St. Paul Baseball Day was celebrated at the Lowry Hotel on a cold January Saturday. Capping the day-long program of exhibits, instruction and local history was a baseball banquet with guest speakers Brooklyn Dodgers’ pitcher Sal Maglie and Detroit Tigers’ star outfielder Al Kaline. Their talks drew a big crowd; the most popular topic was the impending Dodger move to California. Maglie didn’t think it would happen, but he was wrong. The coming summer would be the team’s last year in Brooklyn, and Maglie was traded to the Yankees just a few weeks after his trip to St. Paul. For those who liked winter, January in St. Paul meant the Winter Carnival. That year’s version got underway with a big Saturday night parade in near zero temps. The corner of Seventh (now Seventh Place) and Wabasha was the prime viewing spot as the procession made a left turn down toward the Auditorium. Organizers of events like the Winter Carnival are always looking for a popular celebrity to
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