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50

TH

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The Mankato Free Press and Blue Earth County Historical Society have teamed up to bring you “Washed Away” – a commemorative book which tells the story of the historic flood that caused considerable damage to our counties.

Full of historical photos and memories, you won’t want to miss out on owning your copy.

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FEATURE S MArch 2015 Volume 10, Issue 3

magazine

16 Say cheese!

It’s time once again for our annual photo issue.

12 The Big Show

Minnesota’s boys high school hockey tournament is the big ticket in March.

32 Under the Stars

Terry Davis, author of “Vision Quest,” treats us to his latest essay.

About the Cover

Free Press Media advertising sales representative Danny Creel is our cover guy this month, but the real star may be the 40-year-old camera John Cross used for the shoot.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 3

MANKATO

DEPAR TMENTS

magazine

6 From the Associate Editor 8 This Day in History 9 The Gallery

Author Julie Seedorf

10 Beyond the Margin Visual storytelling 12 Day Trip Destinations State high school hockey tournament

60

9

35 Food, Drink & Dine

36 Food Cheese & Pie Mongers 38 Wine Sauvignon Blanc 39 First Draught Good ole’ Grain Belt Premium 40 Happy Hour Fatty cocktails

42 What’s Cookin’?

Asparagus!

12

46 Then and Now St. Patrick’s Day in St. Peter 48 That’s Life Wishing they were young again 50 Garden Chat Starting from seeds ain’t so simple 52 Your Style Orange is the new March 54 Coming Attractions 57 Faces & Places 60 From This Valley Great Wall of Mankato

68 Coming in April

70 4 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

72

Science!

We bring you up close and personal with science teachers who are making a difference, and behind the scenes of a science fair.

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March 2015 • VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3 PUBLISHER James P. Santori EDITOR Joe Spear ASSOCIATE Robb Murray EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS Nell Musolf Pete Steiner Jean Lundquist Sarah Johnson Leigh Pomeroy Bert Mattson Ann Rosenquist Fee Heidi Sampson Leticia Gonzales Terry Davis PHOTOGRAPHERS John Cross Pat Christman PAGE DESIGNER Christina Sankey ADVERTISING Ginny Bergerson MANAGER ADVERTISING Jen Wanderscheid Sales Theresa Haefner ADVERTISING Barb Wass ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Sue Hammar DESIGNERS Christina Sankey

CIRCULATION Denise Zernechel DIRECTOR

Mankato Magazine is published by The Free Press Media monthly at 418 South Second St., Mankato MN 56001.

To subscribe, call 1-800-657-4662 or 507-625-4451. $35.40 for 12 issues.

For editorial inquiries, call Robb Murray at 344-6386, or e-mail rmurray@mankatofreepress.com.

For advertising, call 344-6336, or e-mail mankatomag@mankatofreepress.com.

6 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

By Robb Murray

Pictures say a thousand words

T

here was a time in my life when I was sure I was going to be a sports photographer.

My uncle Joe had just given me a Konica camera, and he had me convinced it was a gem. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. Didn’t matter.

What mattered was that I thought it was, and he spent what seemed like a few hours one day showing me how a 35 mm camera worked.

I’d only been familiar with Polaroids and my mom and dad’s point-and-shoot Canon. This was the first time I was able to play around with shutter speeds and light meters. I learned the different types of film you could buy and started experimenting with action shots and family portraits.

What I really wanted to do, though, was photograph sports. All my friends and I did back then was play sports. From pick-up hockey games at the playground to touch football in the backyard, we were a crew that lived for the game. And as I started to grow up a little — and realize my future probably wasn’t going to include gridiron glory or a Miracle on Ice — I wondered if I could do something associated with sports when I grew up. And holding a camera and catching the gamewinning catch with my Konica seemed like a pretty good way to spend my future.

Of course, things didn’t work out that way. But I’ve still got the pictures somewhere that I used to take of my friends diving for touchdowns. And I’ve never stopped taking pictures. Today, instead of my buddies in the backyard, it’s my kids at a band concert, baseball game or marching band. While video rules the world of social media, photos remain the primary way we choose to document our lives.

There’s something haunting about a stirring photograph. In my days photographing my friends, that’s all I wanted. In one click of the shutter, I had the chance to create an image that could last a lifetime. We all have that chance. And thankfully,

we all try. Those efforts produced by amateurs produce some of the best images.

This month in Mankato Magazine, we dedicate a big chunk of space to the photographs taken by our readers. Three dozen different photographers will have their work featured in this issue.

The selection of work here — curated by Free Press Media photographers John Cross and Pat Christman — is stellar. The images here say so much about our community, so much about our readers, and so much about the power of visual storytelling.

The truth is, I was skeptical about opening up the photography issue to blind submissions. I was afraid we might get a bunch of images that might seem meaningful to the person who shot them, but maybe weren’t so meaningful to the general viewer. But I was wrong. Very wrong. The material we received, I’m sure, will please you.

Beyond the photos, you’re going to want to make sure you check out the Day Trip feature regarding one of my favorite topics: Hockey. We give you a sweet guide on taking in what many believe is one of the best high school sporting events in the country: the state high school hockey tournament.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t direct your attention to a fabulous essay by one of the best known writers in the region: Terry Davis. If you’re familiar with his work, I’ll just say this: It is very Terry Davis-esque.

So there’s a lot to look at, a lot to read this month. I hope you love it.

M

Robb Murray is associate editor of Mankato Magazine. Contact him at rmurray@mankatofreepress.com or 344-6386

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 7

This Day

in

History —

By Jean Lundquist

Monday, March 4, 1963 Four complete 50-Mile Hike; Never Do it Again

, k c u l t o n s ’ It it’s experience!

St. Peter – Sandor Rosza made his 50-mile hike Saturday, but he’s not ready to take another one for quite a while. Neither are the four hardy hikers who went with him. Rosza, the St. Peter service station operator who offered a year’s free lubrication for the auto of anybody who accompanied him, had to pay off four times.

Rosza and four companions -- who returned foot sore and weary at 6:15 p.m. after hiking along highways 99 and 14 to a point four miles beyond Courtland and back to St Peter -- started at 3:45 a.m. One of the four didn’t complete the hike. He dropped out after 44 miles with bleeding fee.

The quartet stopped in Courtland for a sandwich on the first leg of the trip, and in Nicollet on the way back. The last 13 miles were the toughest, said Rosza. “I said ‘We,ve got to make it,’ and we did, but I wouldn’t want to hike that far again for quite a while.

All four men developed blisters on their left feet, Rosza said.

The hike was fun for the first 20 miles, Rosza said, as they joked and laughed.

But nobody said much for the last 30 miles.

Friday, March 17, 1950 New St. Joseph’s Hospital Built for Speedy Service The new St. Joseph’s Hospital, for which a $150,000 equipment campaign is underway, will be built in the shape of a cross to, “increase the speed of nursing service,” and give direct sunlight to every patient’s room during sometime of the day, Mrs. J. George Lynch, chairman of the campaign to equip the hospital with public donations, pointed out today.

Tuesday, March 15, 1960 Hospital Records Broken…Twins weigh 17 Pounds, 4 Ounces

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The largest set of twins ever recorded at either of the Mankato Hospitals was taken home today by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Soley, of 316 Hubbell avenue.

“We knew we were going to have twins,” said Mrs. Soley. “The doctor said he thought they’d weigh about 5 pounds each.” Steven Charles and Scott Clair Soley weighed together 17 pounds, 4 ounces at birth on March 6 at Immanuel Hospital.

Steven, born at 301 p.m. weighed 9 pounds, 3 and 2/3 ounces, and Scott, born at 3:10 p.m. weighed 8 pounds and 1/3 ounce.

Mr. and Mrs. Soley also have two other children. Mrs. Soley’s mother and aunt also had twins on their third birth.

Tuesday, March 7, 1893 Give your boy a chance!

Your boy will be a man someday. Will he be an insignificant, or a great man?

That depends on the education you give him. All great men have had EDUCATION. Without it, they never would have become great.

Books are educators. “Without books, God is silent, justice dormant, natural science at a stand, philosophy lame, letters dumb, and all things involved in Cimmerian darkness.”

But too expensive? True, you may spend hundreds of dollars and may not have many BOOKS. But there is another way just now open. The ENCLYOPEDIA BRITTANICA is better than a choice library of 3,000 volumes.

And you may give your boy this great library, and it will not cost you a dollar as every cent you pay for it can be returned to you during the next 12 months. Get the best. This edition is the best and latest edition of this great work, with all its wealth of information and education revised to the present time, and sold at only one dollar fifty cents per volume – payment at rate of 10 cents a day.

Your money returned. But perhaps you can’t afford even that. Well, then, we will furnish you with set, and return you the money you pay us each month. We can do this by the cooperation of the lending merchants in Mankato.

Now don’t lie by saying you can’t afford a set on this plan. Keep your conscience clear.

The Gallery — Julie Seedorf Mystery Writer | By Nell Musolf

The

W

Mistress of mystery

ells resident Julie Seedorf has had a variety of careers throughout her life: secretary, receptionist, bar maid, activity assistant in a nursing home, waitress, drugstore clerk and finally a computer technician, a career that she started at 55. Her computer technician job transitioned into owning her own computer business until January of 2014. That was when she chose to segue into her newest career: full time writer. Since having her first mystery published in 2014, Seedorf has written two more mysteries as part of her Fuchsia Minnesota series.

Although always a fan of mysteries, Seedorf didn’t set out to write a whodunit when she first began writing.

“I don’t think it was a decision I chose, it just happened when I started writing because my mind thinks in twists and turns,” Seedorf said. “I have a little quirkiness and it pops out when I write.”

After reading a book published by Cozy Cat Press, Seedorf sent a query letter to the publisher and was pleased when the publisher liked her book. However, she was asked to make some changes and to make her manuscript longer.

Seedorf made the changes and sent her book back.

“When I sent my book back, I was offered a contract,” Seedorf said.

Seedorf came up with the name Fuchsia for her fictional town for a colorful reason.

“My idea for a fictional town was to have my characters live in a town that defied many of the rules and regulations that we are sometimes strangled with in

real life. Our houses have started looking like one another and so have our businesses. The town of Fuchsia is bright, unique and each business and character has their own quirks that they are proud to display. I am a pink person and I wanted my town to be pink too.”

In Seedorf’s Fuchsia Minnesota Series, an older woman, Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt (better known as Granny,) lives her life helping the Fuchsia Police Department with the murders and kidnappings that regularly take place in the tiny town. Granny’s kids alternate between wanting her to come live with them or, as Granny puts it, putting her in the wrinkle farm. At times, Granny is worried about ending up in an orange jumpsuit because the crooks try to frame her for their crimes. She has lots of help from her equally quirky neighbors and an array of pets.

Seedorf’s goal is light fiction that is fun.

“The series is meant to be silly, make people laugh and give them a break from the sorrows of the world today,” Seedorf said.

So far Seedorf has written five books. Three in the Fuchsia Minnesota Series: Granny Hooks A Crook, Granny Skewers A Scoundrel, Granny Snows A Sneak.

Two in her self-published Granny Is in Trouble Series: “Whatchamacallit? Thinkamajig?” and “Snicklefritz,” which are for children. Seedorf also writes a column called Something About Nothing for area newspapers and has contributed an article for an upcoming anthology dedicated to veterans.

Seedorf is currently working on her next book and plans on spending much of the winter and early spring months at her computer.

“When I am writing my books I tend to block out huge chunks of time such as weeks or months and hibernate. I write a little of something every day because I also have a blog and a website,” Seedorf said.

When she is working on a book, Seedorf said that her number one challenge is distractions.

“People think that when you write a book it doesn’t take that much time but there is editing and re-editing, creative thinking and then there are so many details to keep track of especially if you have a series. Thank goodness for editors,” Seedorf said.

Seedorf agreed to give the readers of Mankato Magzine a sneak peek from her new, as yet unnamed series: Jezabelle wasn’t nosy, she was taking care of her neighborhood and Mr. Warbler had not been seen since yesterday. Every day at exactly 6:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and depending if it was dark or not, as it always stayed light longer in the summer, 8:00 p.m., Mr. Warbler could be seen in his yard checking on his bird feeders and feeding the squirrels. In fact, the squirrels could be seen scurrying in and out of the bushes, waiting for Mr. Warbler’s arrival. Only Jezabelle had not seen Mr. Warbler since yesterday.

To be continued…

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 9

10 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Beyond

the

Margin

By Joe Spear

Photos get to the story faster, deeper

F

rom daguerreotype to digital, the photograph has stood for centuries as the fastest and deepest way to tell a story.

This may explain the odd behaviors and nuances of people who call themselves photographers. They understand — better than the rest of us — what a photograph and the art of photography is all about. And that’s why some of them seem impatient at times. They know their photographs can tell stories quickly and deeply, so they’re in a hurry to tell as many as possible.

Photographs transcend traditional story telling by getting to the point a little faster, but also a little deeper.

A photograph captures a look of its subject in ways words cannot. As a species we can recognize “looks” in a portrait better than words, which depend in part on our training and education in language and literature.

Good photographs show a story more than tell a story.

There’s no need to wade through the multiple parts of a narrative to get the message of a photo. It’s fast. One look and you’ve got it. And if you don’t get it at first, you can take a second, longer look.

A photo also allows us to go deeper than words. While training helps compose a good photograph, we don’t need training to understand a good photograph. It comes naturally.

The efficiency and depth of photography has long been part of our inherent knowledge throughout history.

Imagine the glee the French Academie des Sciences took in seeing Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre’s first photo in 1839 on a silver coated copper plate.

Daguerre had been working for years to perfect the process and finally demonstrated it to a joint session of the sciences academie and the Academie des Beaux Arts in search of investors. A friend in the French Legislature got him a lifetime pension in exchange for revealing the process, though he kept the patent on the equipment.

Today, there are only 25 “daguerreotypes” left in the world, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photos have long been a welcome element to the American newspaper and magazine. Think of the sailor home from World War II kissing the nurse in the middle of Times Square.

It has long been a tradition at many newspapers from the beginning that the first newborn child of the year gets a story and usually a photograph in the newspaper. Over the years, The Free Press has presented first to the world: Joy McPherson, (delivered at home), Kiera McClinton, Cooper Galezen, Wendoli Gonzalez (born on Jan. 2 as there was no baby born in Mankato 2011 on Jan. 1), and Cadyn Thul, among hundreds of others.

These photos offer a chance to quench your curiosity.

Not only do they show the cute newborns, but the photos usually give you some insights into the whole labor and delivery process, checking out how tired mom and dad look, and how happy, or not, they are to be there. If you examine these photographs, the mom with the first baby always looks a little more excited than the mom who is on

number three.

And of course, sometimes mom doesn’t even want to be in the picture.

We use photos as we grow up of course, and the technology has allowed us to not only take photos with smartphones but keep hundreds of them on file to show family and friends at the slightest inquiry.

We can now share photos by the thousands with millions of people around the world through the wonders of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram — and my favorite — “Snapchat,” that social media tool that allows you to send a photo to a friend that after a few seconds disappears into cyberspace. So much for the history and depth and longevity of the photo story.

When I was 10 years old, I was a huge hockey fan. My team was the now defunct Minnesota North Stars, whose owner regrettably moved them to that great hockey city we know as Dallas, Texas.

I was in the habit of writing letters mainly because my big sister had moved away to New Mexico and I found writing was the best way to communicate with her. (This was decades before email).

Skilled at writing letters, I sent one to my favorite North Star, J.P. Parise, a forward. I asked that he simply send me back an autograph. I was stunned and thrilled when I got a glossy photo with an autograph written in real ink.

Some 44-years later when Parise died, I was able to tell the story and attach the photo in 140 characters on Twitter: “When I was 10, I wrote #JPParise for an autograph. He sent me one with a picture. Thrilled. Here is 44-year-old pic.”

The tweet was “retweeted” 5 times and “favorited” by 15 people. Given the average twitter following most people have, the photo and tweet were likely seen by thousands of people I don’t even know.

So social media gives our photograph a bigger audience and gets it to them faster.

We use photos to show the stories of life’s beginnings, the joys of youth and the depth of friendships and family.

And we use them for therapy.

The Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Caregiver Center notes the difficulty that families have when a loved one cannot remember them anymore. It’s shocking and unsettling when grandma doesn’t recognize her granddaughter.

The Alzheimer’s groups advises we try not to use a scolding tone: “I think she’s your granddaughter.” They instead advise: “Use photographs and other thoughtprovoking items to remind the person of important relationships and places.”

Through time, photographs not only tell stories but also help us remember them. M Joe Spear is editor of Mankato Magazine. Contact him at 344-6382 or jspear@mankatofreepress.com MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 11

Day Trip Destinations: Boys’ State Hockey

| By Leticia Gonzales

The boys state high school hockey tournament is a good place to root against perennial powers such as Edina.

The Big Show

N

It’s a tough ticket to snag, but it’s worth your time

ot many towns shut down when their team makes it to the Boys’ State High School Hockey Tournament, but if you are from Warroad, Minnesota, that is how 36-yearold Christina Myers always remembers it.

“There was a lot of excitement,” said Myers. “They would cancel school, because all of the kids were gone.”

Warroad, which is located on the Lake of the Woods on the border of Minnesota and Canada, has a population of less than 1,800 people.

“Warroad is a hockey town,” said Myers, who graduated from Warroad High School in 1997 and now lives in St. Paul.

“There was a hockey stick factory there when I was growing up” She pointed out a few famous NHL players who grew up in Warroad — Henry Boucha and T.J. Oshie. “It’s not just a sport, it’s a culture,” she added.

“For me, I don’t play sports, I don’t care to watch sports, but I will always watch hockey and I love to go to the tournaments.”

Myers went to her first State High School Tournament in the 12 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

80s when she was 8 or 9 years old when it was held at the old St. Paul Civic Center.

“I just remember it being huge,” she said. “Being from Warroad, I hadn’t seen crowds like that.”

Those crowds keep on getting bigger, according to John Millea, Media Specialist for the Minnesota State High School League.

The first State Boys Hockey Tournament in 1945 drew in 8,434 people, compared to last year’s tournament, which attracted 116,051 fans.

“For high school sports, it’s the super bowl,” said Millea.

“People talk about high school basketball in Indiana and high school football in Texas. It’s nationally known, it’s internationally known.”

Millea said he often compares the attendance of some of the Class 2A state tournament games to NHL games.

“None of them have as many people in the building as we do at the state tournament,” he said.

Millea also recommends if you want to get a ticket to the

Obtaining a ticket may be a challenge, but the atmosphere is electric. championship game you need to get their early, as there aren’t any advanced tickets available.

“It’s electric, it really is,” he said. “It’s like a professional hockey game. Schools bring their pep bands.”

In addition to the big crowds, Millea described the essence of watching players that often become more popular because of the tournament.

“Some of them we are going to see in the NHL,” he said. “Of all the high school sports, hockey produces a great number of professionals.”

Although no one in Myers’ family pursued hockey as a sport, her brother is a sports writer for AM1500 and Associated Press and covers the Minnesota Wild Games.

“Definitely for my brother at least, hockey is part of his everyday life,” said Myers. “He has two sons and a daughter who live in Inver Grove Heights and they all play hockey.”

Myers still follows her alma mater from time-to-time, especially if they are playing rival Roseau. She said she will make it to the tournament if Warroad goes to state. Her father, a former athletic director who winters in Arizona, will also fly back to Minnesota for the occasion.

Even though she has had the opportunity to go to Wild games, she still enjoys the zeal of the high school matches.

“I would much rather go to the (high school) tournaments,” said Myers. “The stakes are so much higher.”

If you go

A Primer on How Teams Are Selected for the State Tournament and other Fun Facts If you are new to the state or new to the sport of hockey, here’s a little a low down on how teams across the state make it to the big tournament.

“Our state is divided into eight sections for high school sports,” said John Millea, Media Specialist for the Minnesota State High School League. “For each section there is a section tournament.”

There are two classes for hockey- 1A and 2A. Each section will send two teams.

“We will have eight teams total competing in each class,” he added. “Sixteen teams total competing.”

There will be two state champions in state hockey, one in each class.

Mankato, for example, is 1A. If you are looking for some trivia, Mankato East made it to the state tournament in 2006, while Mankato West went in 2008.

Here are some other fun facts to chew on; Edina High School has won the most state hockey championships, with eight.

Roseau, Minnesota has made the most appearances to the tournament, with 33.

What Minnesota State Boys Hockey Tournament When March 4-7, Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, Minn.

Admission $17 adults, $11 students (available first come/first serve) Visit xcelenergycenter.com or www.facebook.com/mshsl.org MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 13

PICTURE PERFECT Capturing a timeless moment is just a click away

B

By Robb Murary

arb Holmin is no stranger to photography. While she may not ready to give up that day job, she does run a successful portrait photography business on the side.

So when she’s captured something with her camera that is extraordinary, she knows it.

Such was the case last summer when Holmin and her husband were out scouting out good locations to use for senior photo shoots. Driving along the Judson Bottom Road, they happened upon a farm field and some machinery. With the sun setting on the horizon Holmin pointed her lens toward the sun and through the circular sets of iron teeth that make up a hay rake.

When Free Press staff photographers John Cross and Pat Christman looked over the stacks of photos that were submitted for this year’s photo issue, Holmin’s sun drenched hay rake was the consensus favorite.

Holmin submitted a handful of images, but when she was pouring over her material from 2014, she knew that one was a keeper.

“That was an automatic,” Holmin said. “And my husband liked it. When I get a good reaction from my husband, I know it’s good.”

When Mankato Magazine put a blind call out for photos from readers, we weren’t quite sure what we’d end up with.

But our fears were put to rest early. So many amazing

photographs came in that it was hard, at times to choose.

Luckily, we left the curating of the photos largely to the professional image makers on staff. And even they could be overheard commenting on the quality of the submissions.

Many of them, such as Holmin’s, focused on nature or inanimate objects. Others, meanwhile, focused on people.

Mary Jo Tischler’s photo of her son may be the most unforgettable image in the lot. He’s the kid a few pages in holding the frogs. Whether you’re captivated by his boyish smile, the time-honored childhood rite of frog collecting or the fact that frogs appear to be posing for the cameral, it’s impossible to not smile.

“He just really enjoyed all summer long collecting frogs,” she said. “They probably had, like, six that they caught that day.”

Tischler is like most of us: a photography hobbyist. She’s also like most parents: She photographs her kids all the time.

“I take pictures of my kids,” she said. “It’s what I enjoy.”

Take a look through the photo issue, folks. We know you’re going to love it. And next year, instead of wishing you’d sent in that great picture you took last summer when you were at Sibley Park and that otter walked right up and stopped almost like he was posing for Vogue Magazine – or whatever – go ahead and send it in. Who knows … we just might publish it. M

Photographers featured on this spread include (from left): Barb Holmin and Christine Schultz.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 15

16 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Photographers featured on this spread include (clockwise from top left): Bonnie Sellner, Louis Pape, Rick Pepper, Vicki Eatwell.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 17

18 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Photographers featured in this spread include (clockwise from top left): Jim Wilde, Scott Seigfreid, Barb Traxler, Mary Kay Ash, Art Sidner, Kay Herbst Helms.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 19

20 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Photographers featured on this spread include (clockwise from top left): Curtis Hanson, Laurie Gresch, Rick Pepper, Erin Guentzel, Doug Erickson.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 21

22 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Photographers on this spread include (from left): Mary Jo Tischler, Dawn Campbell.

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 23

Photographers on this spread include (clockwise from top left): Kristine Jones, Marge Miller, John and Dawn Hengel, Diane Wagner, Art Sidner

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26 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Photographers on this spread include (clockwise from left): Carol Whitney, Cindy Pelz, Terry Thomas

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28 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Photographers on this spread include (clockwise from top left): Richard Melarvie, Mary Kosberg, Diane Wagner, Scott Seigfreid, Curtis Hanson

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 29

Reflections

By John Cross

30 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

T

he first robins generally are held to be harbingers of spring.

Crocuses? They are a comfirmation of the season’s arrival.

It takes only a bit of encouragement — a sunwarmed, south-facing foundation — to coax the plucky plants to show themselves after a long winter’s nap.

Depending on the vagaries of the weather, the first green shoots sometimes emerge in March, more frequently in these latiturdes, in early April.

Whenever they appear, soon to be followed by colorful blossoms, they are a welcome addition to the landscape, particularly a snow-covered one. M

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 31

y a s s

E

Under the Stars

By Terry Davis

I

remember the moment I became conscious of myself in the Cosmos. Yes, I know the word is elevated beyond my lowrent scribblings and belongs to the beloved Carl Sagan, bless his soul. But that’s the word I want because it means the whole cosmic system of matter and energy, which is precisely what I mean, rather than “in the world.” Back then, in the Fifties, we didn’t know the fantastic extent of the cosmos. I learned in school that the Milky Way was the universe, and that’s what I was gazing at in the early minutes of 1957 on a bristling cold night, forty miles south of the British Columbia border in eastern Washington State.

The Pepsi-Cola thermometer on the screened porch of my Uncle Ray Johnson’s house read negative 18.

32 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

R

ay and Edith and their son Robert, lived on the Tiger road seven miles northeast of Colville.

Mill Creek was a five-minute walk south of the house on a path through a meadow where the grass was up to my waist and full of garter snakes in summer.

The place names are mythic to me still, decades after I understood that the people who homesteaded on Deadman Creek and Gold Creek lost their homesteads to Lake Roosevelt when Grand Coulee Dam was built and the Columbia River rose. They were Oakies, whether or not they made their way to the Columbia watershed from Appalachia through Oklahoma in a Diamond Reo or from Sweden on the cheapest boat they could find. Some of these people attended school; most never finished high school, and not one of them went to college. A lot of them made more money than I ever will. They remain mythic to me along with the places; it’s just that now I have their mythic stature in perspective.

I was out on the packed snow in the freezing splendor of New Year’s Eve night making a pop run.

Ray was a Pepsi distributor, and his warehouse, with the white, blue and red Pepsi delivery truck and all the pop, was there on his acreage. I was alone because Robert was sick. He’d been sneaking whiskey since the poker game started and hadn’t even made it to nine o’clock. I would sneak plenty of whiskey on subsequent New Year’s Eves, but then I couldn’t even stand the smell. I’d stood in front of the big black-and- white Zenith and watched the ball drop and the New Yorkers celebrate in Time Square. Mom and Gram, great aunt Dorothy Dillman and Edie Johnson turned in their chairs at the table, but the men kept their eyes on their cards. Midnight came three hours later for us, of course, and they’d stopped the game then, wished one another a Happy New Year and had s’ing t’ eat, as my Mom’s father, whom I called Pop, said; it meant something to eat. For us the only thing on TV at midnight was the test pattern. Maybe you’ve seen it: a small black circle inside a larger black circle, and between them at the top, a black-and-white likeness of a Native American in full headdress.

When we work with Narrative or Screenwriting, among all the other things we talk about, we talk about creating moments, and what a moment life created for me … for little 10-year-old Terry Davis, person-to-be.

This was 56 years ago, and I still hear the crackling silence; I turn a circle and see the deep dark of the hunkered mountains and the shallow dark of the snowy meadow. The creek was down there running too fast to freeze and too far away for me to hear. I see, too, the Christmas lights around the top of Ray’s and Edith’s porch; I turn full circle again, and I see the big pole shed I thought of as a warehouse. And then I look up at the Milky Way, that beach of light, like someone threw a thick navy blue wool blanket on the dining room table to play cards, then someone dumped a pickup load of diamonds on it and they tumbled out and filled forever: there are as many worlds up there and beyond, they say now, as all the grains of sand on all the beaches on all the bodies of water on Earth.

A monsoon of beauty rained down on me. It was, indeed, a drenching beauty, as Louise Erdrich says. No supernatural voice needed to tell me that I was less

than a dust mote in the vastness I saw and felt. But I was something. I was a system of matter and energy.

The awareness in me of myself, which is consciousness, attained knowledge of itself in that moment of fulfillment. Something in me understood that mine was a tiny part and a brief residence in the grander system. This is not what I said to myself; I wasn’t capable of saying it; I can say now that this is what I felt.

Nobody had to tell me that life was short. We had taken my dad’s dad out of the Veterans Hospital in Spokane to drive up with us. And Ray and Edith’s older son, Art, had been electrocuted that fall in the little radio station where he worked in Oregon. Dad told me that Ray’s first words on the phone had been, “I lost my boy.” Why would I remember that little sentence for almost 60 years? Some of the reason lies in what happened to me that night under the stars.

I did not suddenly manifest signs of intelligence; I did not go back in the house and apply for early admission to Stanford. What I did was open the door to the warehouse, switch on the lights and fill my doubled grocery bag with glass quart bottles of Pepsi and Canada Dry ginger ale. We called these mixers because the adults mixed them with whiskey.

But my life did change: it was that sense of awareness of myself and of the life around me.

I loved watching these people play poker and sit around bantering. Nobody got drunk. It was fun to see them together with people they’d known most of their lives. They were different than they were with me. My father hardly ever laughed at home, but he laughed a lot playing poker at Ray’s and Edith’s on every New Year’s Eve. And he was quick-witted and funny. It was a thrill to see my father happy.

I go outside on a freezing winter night now, and I see that place and those people, all gone now in my mind.

They’re all gone, and I’m a good deal older now than my parents were then. But the same stars still light up in that cold, black, beautiful sky. M

Terry Davis MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 33

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Cheese, wine, fish, beer

I

—

Robb Murray, Associate Editor, Mankato Magazine

southern mn style

t’s March. You know what that means …

It means we’re getting dangerously close to no longer living the life of Minnesota hermits, pent up in cozy abodes with our eyes glued to clocks and calendars, counting the hours and days, waiting for a time when frigid temps abate, snow piles melt and the icy shroud of another winter begins to lift.

Close. But not quite.

Which is why it’s good to always check in with Food, Drink & Dine.

Were you a child of the 1970s? If you’re like me, Sara Johnson’s feature will have you singing, “When my get up and go has got up and went, I hanker for a hunk of cheese! When I’m dancin’ the hoedown and my boots kinda slow down, Or anytime I’m week in the knees, I hanker for a hunk of, A slab, a slice, a chunk of, A snack that is a winner, And yet won’t spoil my dinner! I hanker for a hunk of cheese!”

Remember that? NO? Oh ... Well, you don’t need to recall bizarre Schoolhouse Rock segments to enjoy Sarah’s piece on The Cheese & Pie Mongers, St. Peter’s latest culinary sensation. And wine columnist Leigh Pomeroy again brings the focus away from “big reds” and onto Sauvignon Blanc, a lighter wine more in keeping with the changing season.

And Bert the beer guy gives us guidance pairing what is perhaps Minnesota’s most beloved beer — Grain Belt Premium — with fish you could catch in any Minnesota Lake. Although don’t do that. Things are thawing, folks. We’d hate to hear our spot-on beer recommendations sent you out fishing on thin ice. Stick with Cub Foods and Hy-Vee. Plus, we get 50 shades of green when it comes to asparagus.

You’re going to love it.

Enjoy!

food, drink & dine

Thaw your appetite

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 35

Food

By Sarah Johnson

southern mn style

CHEESE & PIE MONGERS OF ST. PETER “Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” — David Mamet

A

nyone looking for cheap therapy should head over to St. Peter’s main avenue and peruse the offerings at the newly opened Cheese & Pie Mongers. If the wide selection of delectable Wisconsin cheeses doesn’t cure what ails you, the gorgeous homemade pies will.

Opened just in time for the holiday shopping season, Liberty Warren’s new business has its roots – both literally and metaphorically -- at Welsh Heritage Farms Apple Orchard and Pie Shop near Lake Crystal, owned for the past three decades by the family of her husband, Tim Harbo. The orchard has long offered apple-related products such as ciders, pies, jams and pastries along with its bountiful fresh apples, and the new cheese and pie shop in St. Peter is a natural extension of that popular sideline.

Made-from-scratch pie varieties include three kinds of apple: the traditional double-crust, the slightly sweeter French-style crumb-topped, and the oh-so-decadent caramel apple pecan, all made with their own apples from the orchard.

The flavors of the apple pies change regularly as the varieties of apples used for baking change with the seasons. “Whatever we’re picking for apples — early season, mid-season, late season — the mix will change,” Warren said. Right now the shop is using a blend of firm, tart Haralsons and tender, sweet Cortland.

Warren’s personal favorite blend of apples for pie?

Paula Reds and Beacons. “They’re old-fashioned and they make wonderful pies,” she said, noting that those varieties are among the first to ripen each year.

Beyond apple pies, customers can also choose “Pop’s Favorite” sour cream raisin pie, an old-school recipe beloved by Warren’s dad and brought back by popular demand to rave reviews. Berry lovers can enjoy blueberry, blubarb (blueberry/rhubarb), mixed berry (strawberry/blueberry/raspberry) and the unique “red berry” (strawberry/cherry/cranberry). Other specialty pies include banana cream, key lime, pumpkin, and fresh peach in season.

But no matter what kind of filling you choose, the most

36 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

important part is always the crust. It should be tender, not chewy, with light flaky layers and a golden color. It should be tasty enough to eat on its own, without competing with the filling. And while the debate still rages, many experts say a perfect crust must be made with lard, not vegetable shortening, to achieve ultimate flakiness and “mouth feel.” The Cheese & Pie Mongers roll their crusts by hand, with lard, the way pie was made before big business took over the pie industry.

Other products in the pantry include apple butter, apple cider syrup, jams and jellies of all sorts, pickled eggs, local honey, popcorn, mustard, salsa, maple syrup, salad dressings, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and olives.

Unique granite cutting boards crafted by a North Mankato artisan using repurposed materials are also available, by far the sleekest, most eye-catching object you’ve ever sliced cheese on.

And then there’s the cheese. A dozen varieties of gouda … cheddar aged your choice of 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12 or 15 years … high-quality Asiago, Parmesan and Romano for the lovers of Italy … fresh mozzarella … goat’s milk cheese … sheep’s milk cheese. Five flavors of cheese curds including plain, ranch, Cajun, taco and garlic.

Fancy cheeses and salt-of-the-earth cheeses. Expensive cheeses for special occasions, and cheeses that are surprisingly affordable for everyday use.

And if variety is what you crave, there are cheeses with an alphabet of add-ins including ale, apricot, bacon, balsamic, basil, black pepper, blueberry, chai, chive, cranberry, cumin, dill, espresso, garlic, ginger, green olive, habanero, honey, horseradish, jalapeno, kalamata olive, mango, marinara, merlot, mushroom, mustard, onion, orange, pepperoni, pesto, raspberry, rosemary, sage, salsa, salami, sundried tomato and/or sage. To name a few.

One cheesemaker even puts out the unique Chicken Soup Cheese, made with what Warren assumes is powdered chicken soup ingredients: “It definitely tastes like chicken soup,” Warren said. “It’s a fun one on cheese trays and in grilled cheeses.”

The Welsh Orchard family developed close relationships with several Wisconsin cheesemakers when they started offering alcoholic hard cider, Warren explained. State law requires alcohol to be sold in a facility separate from food, so they built a hard cider shop next to their farm store. The law doesn’t allow food to be sold alongside the alcohol … except for cheese which, oddly, gets a pass due to its close relationship with wine. Thus the connection between selling apples and selling cheeses.

The shop, with its on-site bakery in back, smells like a cinnamonscented heaven on earth, affording daily tasting opportunities and experts on hand to offer advice and recommendations. A toothpick of sharp, crumbly Cheshire cheese followed by a nibble of a honeyclover gouda makes choosing one’s cheeses a lot easier: “I’ll take both, thank you,” is the only possible response. And a vintage, suitcasestyle turntable plays vinyl records — Glenn Miller, anyone? — in the shop window while customers dreamily browse the warm and cozy shop, thinking perhaps of the

delicious meals to come.

Some cheeses pair well with apple pie, especially a nicely aged cheddar. “Cheddar cheese goes fabulous with apple pie,” Warren enthused. “My personal favorite is the 10-year-aged cheddar. It’s expensive but it’s worth it.”

Europeans have known for centuries that raw apples go perfectly with sliced cheddar, and long before ice cream became pie’s partner on the plate, cheese was the pairing of choice.

“An apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze,” according to the Brits, who believed the combination aids in digestion.

Some like their cheese on the side; others prefer it melted on top. The sweet/savory combination of tart, sugary apples, buttery crust, and sharp, slightly salty cheese is sublime. (Bakers have been known to grate cheese into the filling and/ or the crust itself.) Other cheeses known to pair well with apple pie include Roquefort, Cheshire, and Gruyère.

The Cheese & Pie Mongers is open every day except Monday.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 37

Wine & Beer

Wines

By Leigh Pomeroy

Sauvignon Blanc: A wine for all seasons

southern mn style

A

s we emerge from the winter doldrums, we can begin to be a little less serious about our wines.

Not that we should give up entirely on big reds, but we don’t need monster Syrahs or Shirazes, inky Malbecs or cutting edge Cabernets to keep us warm. One of my favorite whites as spring approaches is Sauvignon Blanc.

A cousin of the noble cabernet sauvignon grape, sauvignon blanc once came only from the Bordeaux region and the Loire Valley of France. It has since found welcoming homes in northern Italy and in the New World environs of California, Washington, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and perhaps most famously, New Zealand. As I’ve emphasized before, wine is so much a product of its geography; you take the same grape and plant it in new areas and WOW! Viva la difference!

In Bordeaux sauvignon blanc is most often blended with semillon to create the classic tart, dry white wines of that area, sometimes called “gravelly” in flavor, because many of the best ones come from vines literally planted in gravel. Some of these command an extraordinary price, such as Ch. Haut-Brion Blanc, which now goes for over $900 a bottle.

I remember as a teenager going for my birthday dinner to our family’s favorite French restaurant in Palo Alto, California, a cozy place made up to look like a Swiss chalet with Dutch doors, low ceilings and an interior painted almost entirely in red. As usual I ordered lamb (my traditional birthday meal) and for the family, with my parents’ permission, a bottle of Ch. Haut-Brion Blanc, which was then only $5 on the wine list. Imagine!

Yes, in typical French style, moderate wine consumption among junior family members was accepted in restaurants, along with dogs, as Yvonne’s (the owner’s) poodle, Fifi, would attest — in fact, demand.

Because the sauvignon blanc grape is easy to grow, adaptable to many climates, early maturing (no waiting around and worrying about the harvest weather), and possessing a unique and memorable flavor profile, it has spread widely across the planet. Yet, each growing region produces Sauvignon Blancs of remarkably different characteristics.

In the Collio region of northwest Italy, the Sauvignon Blanc wines remind me of delicate ballerinas — light and sprightly, with a flower-like fragrance and full of finesse.

Literal gems.

In the tiny appellation of Saint-Bris in the center of France, the grape yields wines sort of halfway between Collio and Bordeaux, a blend of finesse, tantalizing tartness and the grape’s memorable herbal component.

Further to the west in the upper Loire Valley the appellation of Sancerre produces highly sought after Sauvignon Blancs with an almost green olive component, while in Pouilly-Fumé, near Sancerre, the wine is aged in

38 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

toasty oak barrels, giving it a smoky (fumé) flavor.

Early in the wine history of California, the Wente and Concannon families planted sauvignon blanc in the Livermore Valley because of the Bordeaux-like stony characteristics of the soil. Further north in Napa Valley, the de Latour family cultivated it because they wanted to make a sweet wine based on the famous Ch. D’Yquem, a semillon and sauvignon blanc blend made from desiccated grapes.

Then, in the 1960s, Napa wine proselytizer Robert Mondavi traveled to the Loire Valley and discovered the barrel-aged Pouilly-Fumés and thought, “I can do this in Napa Valley!” His ideas begat the Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc — a barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc — which is still a benchmark for this varietal in California today.

Sauvignon Blanc has historically been the most popular white wine exported to the U.S. from Chile. It tends to be of a lighter style, very racy, tart and lemony, but even within Chile Sauvignon Blanc styles vary depending upon whether it’s grown in the warmer northern climate, in the cooler south, near the Pacific Ocean or in the foothills of the Andes.

Finally we come to New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, which have become enormously popular in this country in the last twenty years. Again, they vary immensely in style depending upon where they are grown and the style of the winery and winemaker. By far the largest producing region is Marlborough on the north tip of the South Island. The Sauvignon Blancs from there (and elsewhere in New Zealand) have been described as smelling and tasting of herbs, green olive, bell pepper, gooseberry, passion fruit, cut grass, grapefruit, lime, tomato stalks — even “cat pee”. Go figure!

Sauvignon Blancs from every appellation can be sipped as an aperitif, though many, especially the more acidic (tart) ones are best with food. Aggressive New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are probably the only white wines that can stand up to brined olives. And sharp cheeses like aged cheddars and those made from goat or sheep’s milk like Chèvre or feta, which normally go only with reds, are brought to their fullest in the presence of Sauvignon Blanc.

Serving a lemony herbed chicken? Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect answer. But by far the most common food mate to this wonderful wine is seafood — in my mind, the “fishier” the better.

Sauvignon Blanc is certainly an unforgettable wine for all seasons. As the famous restaurateur Jean Troisgros is reported to have described it, “It’s violent, it’s sharp, it bites, it cries, it’s like a ferocious dog you keep on a leash.” Amen!

Leigh Pomeroy is a Mankato-based writer and wine lover

First Draught

By Bert Mattson

Pitchers of

I

n the words of Barry Manilow, “looks like we made it.” Late snow may threaten but few fret.

March flurries hit the senses a little like horseradish: any discomfort they cause is tempered by certain knowledge of its transience. The arrival of March brings confidence to daydream about the out-of-doors and enjoy the last vestiges of winter.

On late ice, when walleye and pike are off limits, panfishing prevails.

Warming weather mobilizes anglers in pursuit of crappies, perch and bluegill, and signals shore lunch season. The light, flakey flesh of panfish, breaded and fried crispy, begs for a cold beer. American lager and fried fish have graced the same table-space for so long that the combination seems almost intuitive. Intended to be served ice cold, this style nicely contrasts fish and potatoes fresh out of the fry pan. It’s got the fizz to keep the food from feeling greasy. Grain Belt Premium, brewed by Schell’s now for over a decade, just may be the best of American Adjunct Lagers – adjuncts are additional, un-malted grains such as corn and rice. Premium’s malt sweetness serves well as a counterpoint to salty, fried foods.

It exhibits a faint bready quality that finds kinship in a filet dredged in crumbs.

But let’s not open the song bird’s throat to see why she sings; this pair proves just plain good.

Should one prefer a battered filet, great, March is the month many of us play Irish by hopping between pubs for an afternoon. For fish and chips, up the intensity to Summit’s Extra Pale Ale, a Classic English-style Pale Ale that Summit dubs, “The brew that launched a brewery.”

spring Some folks prefer to say “Erin go Bragh” with a mouthful of corned beef and cabbage. Finnegan’s Irish Amber, contract brewed by Summit Brewing Company (bottles are embossed with Summit’s logo), won’t overpower corned beef. Rather, its malt stands out to compliment the sweetness of carrots, cabbage and brown sugar in the brine yet contrast the ‘corn’ (coarse grained curing salt). Its hint of hop spice echoes a condiment of horseradish cream. Finnegan’s profits are dedicated to charity so one may sup with the satisfaction of aiding others.

Those who find themselves bored by green beer and blarney, and secure enough in their ancestry to celebrate in solitary fashion, sipping from a snifter, have not been forgotten. Lift Bridge Brewery’s special release, Irish Coffee Stout, arrives in March. It comes in like a lion, not rampant, but regal in posture, as one having casually crept into the undivided attention of its audiencewith a beguiling gaze and toss of the tail. This is a whiskey-barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout blended with Milk Stout and infused with coffee.

Lactose (un-fermentable milk sugar) accounts for the creamy character.

The barrel brings to it a hint of bourbon. Its opulent air is enhanced by notes of chocolate, vanilla and caramel. It perks with local, freetrade, organic coffee.

Sunday brunch or Saturday night cap, Irish Coffee Stout should have you covered.

Bert Mattson is a chef and writer based in St. Paul. He is the manager of the iconic Mickey’s Diner.

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www.theloosemoosesaloon.com MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 39

Drinks

Happy Hour

By M. Carrie Allan | Special

to

The Free Press

Add fat; just a little

southern mn style

I

t seems no accident that the stretch of our most gluttonous eating comes in the latter part of the year, as the days get darker and colder. The period from Thanksgiving to the winter holidays is one long, downward slide into gluttony. If we were sensible, like bears, we’d spending these early months of the year hibernating away holiday calories. Instead, we go back to the gym, trudging our guilt-heavy behinds up a neverending staircase toward “The Real Housewives of a Richer Neighborhood Than Yours” or whatever the penitent on the next treadmill has tuned to.

The problem with these postholiday months is that, New Year’s resolutions be damned, since we can’t sleep through the freezing darkness, we’re inclined to keep eating through it. It’s on icy evenings, when a 30-second dash to the car makes my clothes so cold I don’t want them touching me, that I’m most inclined to make a meal composed of a pound of pasta and an equal amount of Gruyere.

Fat-washed cocktails are made for

this season.

Married to a devotee of Texas barbecue, I have for years heard the saying “fat equals flavor.” Turns out it’s as true for cocktails as for Texas brisket.

Wait. Don’t flee! The fantastic thing about fat washing is that it’s kind of a misnomer, one that shouldn’t scare away health nuts, gym rats and those among us hoping that, when we hit the beaches this summer, marine mammalogists will not be deployed to hoist us back into the sea. Fat washing is a kind of infusion, and unlike with barbecue, the comfortfood flavor stays but (most of) the fat is strained out.

“The last thing you want in the drink is the fat itself. You don’t want that fatty mouth feel when you’re drinking a cocktail,” says Carlo Bruno, general manager at Washington’s Bar Charley and formerly the bar manager at Maryland’s Sidebar, where the duck fat-infused Quack-Quack-erac has been a longtime staple. “It’s all the other things you want from the fat.

That’s why people do fat washes

The Scotsman’s Kilty Pleasure 4 servings Adapted from Gina Chersevani, bartender at Buffalo & Bergen in D.C.

For the fat-washed Scotch 1 1/2 pounds chestnuts (see headnote) 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 750 milliliters blended Scotch, such as Monkey Shoulder or Johnny Walker Black

For the drink 2 1/2 cups regular or low-fat milk 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 3 ounces Pedro Ximenez sherry 1 cup heavy cream, whipped Dark chocolate shavings, for garnish

40 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

with bacon fat. It’s not the fat itself; it’s the salt and the smoke.”

Fat washing is used to imbue drinks with the sweet and savory charms of many other ingredients.

Think rum that tastes of coconut oil or buttered popcorn, vodka redolent of sesame oil, and martinis whose olive flavor comes not via fruit plunked in the glass but from gin “washed” with extra-virgin olive oil.

Much fat washing is simply a matter of liquefying the fat and putting it into a spirit for a while; then you can freeze the concoction and strain off the spirit. In some cases, freezing isn’t even necessary.

Gina Chersevani, self-described “mixtress” at D.C.’s Buffalo & Bergen, presented a fat-washed drink at a Museum of the American Cocktail seminar in December. To prep her Scotsman’s Kilty Pleasure — a drink to hibernate with if ever there was one — you pour melted bittersweet chocolate into a mixture of Scotch and roasted chestnuts.

After it sits awhile, the Scotch, now redolent of chestnuts and cocoa, gets poured off and strained.

Steps For the fat-washed Scotch: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the chestnuts on a rimmed baking sheet; roast for 20 minutes. If they have shells, remove them after roasting.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler over mediumlow heat or in the microwave in 10-second increments on LOW heat, taking care not to let it scorch. Immediately transfer the warm, peeled chestnuts to a blender along with the Scotch; blend on low speed just until the chestnuts are reduced to small crumbles. Pour into a container, then stir in the melted chocolate. Cover and allow this to infuse for 12 to 18 hours.

Double-strain the mixture into a bottle through fine cheesecloth, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids, or reserve them for another use.

For the drink: Combine the milk, sugar, 6 ounces of the fat-washed Scotch and the sherry in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring until just heated through. Divide evenly among heatproof mugs. Top each with the whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Serve right away.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 41

Food

What’s Cooking

By Sarah Johnson

southern mn style

What’s All the Stink About

Asparagus?

A

sparagus season is upon us, and for those who love it, those green tubular sprigs symbolize the breaking of winter’s back and the coming of the blessed light and warmth of spring. We humans have been enjoying the delights of asparagus since the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians started cultivating it for culinary, medicinal and even religious uses, offering it up in rituals as a food worthy of the gods.

The Persians called it “asparag” which meant “shoot.”

When it made it to England, it was called “sparagus” and then “sparrow grass.” Several people I know love to call it, hootingly, “aspergrass.” Whatever you call it, just don’t call me late for dinner when it’s on the menu.

Packed with a pharmacy of vitamins and minerals and fiber and protein, as well as being low in calories and sodium, asparagus is not only uber-nutritious but also is rumored to have aphrodisiacal powers, stemming mostly from its, er, “interesting” shape (and possibly from the fact that it can grow six inches in one day).

Sexperts say you should eat it three days in row for maximum effectiveness, in which case you may well be subjected to: Asparagus pee.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Asparagus has a stinky effect on urine. Marcel Proust famously wrote that eating the vegetable “transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.” a euphemistic

way of putting things if ever I heard one. Science says that certain compounds in asparagus are metabolized to yield ammonia and sulfur-containing compounds, which explains the stinkeroo. Everybody creates these odors after eating asparagus. But nobody knows why only some people can smell it … while others are immune to this potent perfumery.

Apparently only half of Brits can smell it, while nearly 100 percent of the French are equipped with this olfactory talent. So there’s another thing you can blame on your ancestors: The ability to detect the aroma of asparagus in one’s urine is genetic. And the onset of the asparagus urine smell is remarkably rapid, detectable 15 to 30 minutes after ingestion. That’s a fast pass through the ol’ digestive system.

Smelly relatives to asparagus include onions, leeks, garlic and lilies. It’s a family thing.

If you want to be an asparagus farmer, you had better be both patient and finicky. Asparagus gets planted in the ground three years before it can be harvested and will generally produce from eight to 12 years. To get the fancy, more tender white asparagus, about six inches of dirt is piled on top of the plants so that the stalks can grow underground. These plants will grow at the same rate as an uncovered stalk. When the tip breaks the soil surface, the worker probes under ground with his special knife to cut the stalk, which is all white due to lack of photosynthesis.

And then there’s the rare purple asparagus, which is even sweeter and more tender than the white. Whatever

Asparagus Mixed Grill The All-Purpose Marinade:

The Veggies:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 red onion, cut into wedges 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (2 teaspoons dried) 18 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (2 teaspoons dried) 12 crimini or other fresh mushrooms, stems removed 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (2 teaspoons dried) 1 (1-pound) eggplant, sliced into ¼-inch rounds 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 red bell pepper, cut into wedges 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into wedges Directions: ½ teaspoon black pepper In a large resealable plastic bag, mix the olive oil, parsley, oregano, basil, 6 cloves garlic, minced vinegar, kosher salt, pepper and garlic. Place the onion, asparagus, mushrooms, eggplant, red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper into the bag.

Seal and marinate two hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.

Preheat the grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the vegetables six minutes on each side, until tender.

42 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

the color, however, it’s all the same vegetable with similar cooking requirements and nutritional profile.

If you don’t like asparagus and would like to move far away from it, good luck with that. It’s grown pretty much all over the world. California, Washington and Michigan are top growers in the U.S., while China and Peru hold top places on the world stage. The cities of Stockton, CA and Hart, MI hold (competing?) asparagus festivals each year, complete with parade and Asparagus Queen. Really. They do.

An easy way to add color, nutrition and knockout flavors to your grill menu is to cook up some marinated veggies. Use whatever chunky vegetables strike your fancy in season. Vegans and vegetarians lo-oo-ove this option. Leftovers go great in salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes and omelets.

Sarah Johnson is a cook, freelance writer and chocolate addict from North Mankato with three grown kids and a couple of mutts.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 43

Where Smart Pets Bring Their People

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44 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 45

Then

and

Now

| By Heidi Sampson

St. Peter’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is open to all who want to participate.

LUCK

The

of the

IRISH in St. Peter

Annual parade one of the biggest around

46 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

M

ore than 46 years ago, a group of 20 St. Peter businessmen formed an organization known as the Ambassadors. At that time, the group’s sole purpose was to assist the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce and the City of St. Peter with the promotion of their community to potential businesses and industries. The Ambassadors are most notably known for bringing Alumacraft Boat Company, as well as the Northland Ski Company, to St. Peter.

“Over the years, the St. Peter Ambassadors have evolved and changed to accommodate the needs of our community,” said Arlo Lehtinen, president of the St. Peter Ambassadors. “We have always kept in mind the main purpose of the organization, which is to support St. Peter’s economic environment. We are still instrumental in bringing money into St. Peter through our various events. However, we are not as involved with the recruiting of new businesses anymore but.”

The Ambassadors hold five events a year: a golf tournament, the Ambassadors’ Blues Fest, Oktoberfest, Casino Night, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, their longest running annual event.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade began roughly 37 years ago as a way of celebrating the town’s heritage.

“For 30 guys we get a lot done,” said Arlo. “We also stay very busy.”

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is held annually on March 17th. The Ambassadors call it the largest unorganized parade in the state of Minnesota. Most years the parade’s participant count lands somewhere between 15 and 30 units. The parade is open to all who want to participate.

Every year, the parade celebration is overseen by the newly elected St. Patrick’s Day Queen, a town full of St. Peter’s Irish citizens, and/or those who are opting to be “Irish for the day,” which has been estimated to be a few thousand in attendance.

“The local Irish clans or families participate in our parade,” said Arlo.

“In Ireland, families are known as clans.

So they participate by decorating floats or vehicles, dressing in their green attire, and either walking or riding through the parade route while handing out candy.”

The most unique aspect of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade — the route is roughly three and half to four blocks long, starts at Broadway and ends on Mulberry Street — is the crowning of the St. Patrick’s

Day Queen, which is generally conducted two weeks before the parade during a luncheon at Patrick’s on Third. All former Queens of the parade are invited to attend the crowning. However, the requirements as to what makes for a queen is something the Ambassadors have a tight reign on.

“Only those directly involved with the Queen committee know all of the details,” said Arlo. “It’s a very secretive project and only a select few of the Ambassadors are even on the committee. However, the queen’s lineage must be tracked back to Ireland in order to hold the title. So it is an extensive heritage mapping project conducted by the Ambassadors to discover their new Queen.”

Directly after the parade, a raffle takes place in which those who win are awarded either $500 for first place, $250 for second place, $100 for third place, or $50 for fourth, fifth and sixth place are announced. All cash prizes are awarded in the form of Chamber Bucks for the winning dollar amount. Since there are more than 220 chamber members within St. Peter, the money will be honored at almost all of St. Peter’s many businesses.

“This year, the raffle money earned will be going toward the brand new Veterans Memorial, as our group has pledged $25,000 in support of the project,” Lehtinen said. “Although the project is still in its final planning stage, we are hopeful that, with the money’s raised throughout our year events, it will allow us to construct the memorial next year as we continue to raise money to fund the project. We hope to locate the Veterans Memorial, in Minnesota Square Park, somewhere close to Highway 169.” M

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 47

That’s Life

By Nell Musolf

A

Hands Off

s any new mom or dad learns quickly after the birth of their first child, parenting is a hands-on experience from the get-go. Newborns need to be changed, fed, and rocked around the clock. As they grow into babyhood and beyond, parents must still attend to a myriad of physical needs but slowly diapering becomes a thing of the past, just as monitored baths and being spoon fed fade away too. When a child reaches school age, the physical involvement between a parent and child has typically boiled down to sharing a recliner while reading Dr. Seuss or holding hands when crossing the street. By the time a child is an adolescent, a hurried occasional hug is about it. On a good day, when the sun is shining and no one is around to see such a blatant act of emotion.

Although they happened a long time ago, I miss those early hands-on days. I miss carrying one of our two sons in a baby carrier and feeling like everything in the world was safe. I miss meals involving bibs, pureed carrots, and absolutely no complaints about the menu. I miss the chaos of bath time, the warmth of snuggle time, the peace of watching a child sleeping. I suppose what I miss most of all is that feeling of control, no matter how fleeting and false it might have been. When I was able to hold my kids, it seemed as if nothing could ever hurt them. When the time came to let go, I had to learn how to keep the faith that they’d be all right without me.

So much of parenting involves walking such an incredibly fine line. The desire not to become one of those hovering, helicopter parents armed with a tissue to catch any random sneeze versus the very strong and very real desire to shield your child from any and every kind of disaster — potential, real, or totally imagined — is almost impossible to balance. The problem, for me at any rate, was figuring out just where that line fell.

I don’t think I’m alone. Attend any school Science Fair and witness countless projects supposedly completed by students but often looking far too professional and just plain neat for the average fourth grader to have done without plenty of more experienced assistance. Go to a soccer or football or basketball game and see who’s taking the latest foul the hardest — the participant or the parent. Talk to a college professor and hear how he’s still hearing from parents who are concerned about their child’s grades. We parents mean well, but all too often we don’t recognize when meaning well becomes overbearing or downright interference.

Time after time I reminded myself to let the chips fall where they may whenever I was tempted to run after one of my kids with a forgotten lunch, an overdue library book, or an umbrella. They might have gotten hungry, fined, or wet but hopefully they remembered to take better care of themselves next time. Someone once said that parents don’t have to catch their child every time he or she falls, but they do need to be there to pick up the pieces when an inevitable tumble happens.

We recently had to face the next moving away phase when our oldest son moved into an apartment. Although we’re happy that he’s independent and is enjoying his new digs and new roommates and I have to admit that having an extra closet has come in very handy, it is still jolting to walk past his empty bedroom every day and realize that he’s sleeping somewhere else. I’m still a little surprised when I pull into the driveway and his car isn’t there. And old habits do indeed die hard as I find myself buying his favorite foods when I go grocery shopping each week. Of course, that works out perfectly since Joe does a little grocery shopping in our kitchen when he comes home every Sunday to do his laundry. An added bonus of having Joe move out is the discovery that few things in life make my heart jump with pure joy as seeing him walk in the back door with a loaded laundry basket and a smile on his face.

As our children grow up, our job description changes as we go from being the boss of the firm to silent partner. We go from handson to hands-off with the ardent hope of winding up with a self-sufficient adult at the end of the process. It isn’t easy but I know it’s necessary.

I just wish it didn’t have to happen so very, very quickly.

Nell Musolf is a mom and a freelance writer from Mankato.

48 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 49

Garden Chat

By Jean Lundquist

Let there be LIGHT! Starting plants from seeds is no easy task

March is a most magical time. The days are noticeably longer, spring arrives, snowstorms and mud puddles have the same chance. Lambs and lions square off. But most importantly, it’s time to start seeds for the garden.

This process of starting seeds is so inspiring, promising and just plain fun. Anyone can do it, but to be successful requires the right equipment. A windowsill won’t cut it.

Bob Neumiller of rural St. Peter has been starting seeds for his own use for many years. Several years ago he started seeds for friends. Then he started seeds to sell at the Mankato Farmers’ Market.

This year he advertised on Craigslist that he will start seeds for anyone, taking orders for specific plant varieties, if requested. The customer can supply the seeds, or he will find them and order them.

It is a niche market Bob and his wife, Heidi, hope will take off. “I’ve got the room, and I’ve been pretty successful at it (seed starting),” he says. He has a couple of greenhouses on his farm he’s ready to fill up with seeds for others.

As an entrepreneur, Neumiller is entitled to a few secrets. But as an affable gardener, as most of us are, he’s also willing to advise. “The secret,” he says, “is light.”

Starting seeds takes lots and lots of sun light. A March windowsill may seem the perfect place to start seeds.

Though they may germinate, the light there will not be enough to nurture and grow them. Even a windowsill in April or May will not provide enough sunshine. “You may get three hours of good sun light,” he says, “but that’s just not enough.”

Many years ago when I was just beginning my seed-starting journey, I reasoned that if I started seeds in February instead of March, by May I would have huge, full bodied plants to set in the garden, as they’d have an extra month to flourish and grow.

I had artificial lights in the box in the basement, and I was confident. Alas, artificial lights are good, but they’re no substitute for sunshine.

Plants held under artificial lights become “leggy.”

That means they are long, weak and

spindly. They won’t survive in the garden. They can’t be hardened off, or become acclimated to the sun and the wind of the outdoors. Most will dry up, fall over, wither and die. I promise.

So here’s my recipe for my vegetable seed starting program: I use a soilless seed starting mixture. This sterile medium will not contain organisms that doom seedlings to damping off, or other equally fatal outcomes.

Fill the container you are using nearly full. Place the seed on top of the mixture, then lightly cover with more soilless medium. The moistening process is critical. I use a spray bottle to heavily mist the medium before I place the seed. Then, mist the cover lightly. Using a watering can or other direct stream watering method risks washing the seed out of the cup. I use a plant mister for watering my plants until they have sprouted leaves. I then place them in the frame Lar built several years ago that allows a warming mat on the bottom, and adjustable grow lights (full spectrum fluorescent lights) to be suspended at near surface levels.

As the seeds germinate and sprout, they should not have to reach for the light, so get those lights as close to the plant as possible, and keep them there. The shorter the stem on your plants, the better chance they have of reaching transplant success. I keep my lights suspended by yarn from a hook, raising it as true leaves sprout.

“True leaves” are the leaves that identify the plant.

First leaves of a broccoli plant look like a cabbage plant, looks like a Brussel’s sprout plant. The second set of leaves that shoot up help identify the plant. That is usually when I take them out to the hoop house I have, about mid April.

If you are relying on artificial light, a key is to keep the lights as close to the plants as possible, so the plants don’t have to “reach” for it. Keep them so close, the plants are nearly touching the bulbs. Also, keep the temperature warm. I use a heating mat in my basement.

The mat helps develop a healthy root system.

Go ahead. If you haven’t tried starting seeds, give it a whirl. There’s nothing that says spring like little green heads popping up in your seed cups.

Jean Lundquist is a master gardener who lives near Good Thunder.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 51

Your Style

By Ann Rosenquist Fee

Orange is the new

March

Got a scarf or sweater you don’t necessarily love, but it’s a bright color that shows your filthy half-shoveled sidewalk who’s in charge? Wear it.

I

t’s not so much about what you personally want to wear in March. It’s about your responsibility to help make our shared visual environment less dismal.

Because right now, save the occasional flash of sun that melts your half-shoveled snow into a slightly wider channel on the sidewalk, our landscape is the drab hue of months-old rock salt. Any burst of color helps remind your fellow citizens that pinks and greens and oranges do indeed exist, and we’ll see them again, for real, in the form of lawns and gardens and decent grocery store produce. We will. If we can just get through the next few weeks together, brothers and sisters in the land of Seasonal No Parking This Side of Street Nov. 1 - May 1.

Hodan Warsame brightens Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter.

Abby Daleki advances the cause outside Mecca Tattoo in Mankato.

Honey Sue Brahm melts the sidewalk on Washington Avenue in Mankato.

52 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Anna Melby-Kelley does her part outside the Coffee Hag in Mankato.

May MARCH be your lucky month to sell or buy your home.

“Everybody says this is the perfect sweater,” says Deb Keeler outside North Mankato’s NaKato Bar & Grill.

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 53

Coming Attractions: March 1 -- University Winter Choral Concert 3 p.m. -- Elias J. Halling Recital Hall, Minnesota State University -- $9 general, $7 students -- 507-389-5549

13 -- Gustavus Theatre: Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika 7:30 p.m. -- Anderson Theatre, Gustavus Adolphus College -507-933-7353

1 -- MSU Theatre presents “Life Is A Dream” 2 p.m. -- Ted Paul Theatre, Minnesota State University -- $16 general, $14 senior and students, $11 current MSU students -- 507-389-6661

14 -- Barbara Leibundguth, flute & Yumiko Oshima-Ryan, piano, Faculty Recital 1:30 p.m. -- Bjorling Recital Hall, Gustavus Adolphus College -- free -507-933-7013

2 -- University Winter Choral Concert 7:30 p.m. -- Elias J. Halling Recital Hall, Minnesota State University -- $9 general, $7 students -- 507-389-5549

17 -- MSU Faculty Recital Michael Thursby, percussion 7:30 p.m. -- Elias J. Halling Recital Hall, Minnesota State University -$9 general, $7 students -- 507-389-5549

3 -- University Jazz Lab Band and Contemporary Ensembles 7:30 p.m. -- Elias J. Halling Recital Hall, Minnesota State University -- $9 general, $7 students -- 507-389-5549

18 -- Heart with special guest Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 7:30 p.m. -- Verizon Wireless Center -$87.50 Limited Gold Circle Seating, $67.50, $47.50 and $37.50 -www.ticketmaster.com

6-8 and 13-15 -- Merely Players present “The Good Doctor” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m.

Sunday -- Lincoln Community Center Auditorium -- 110 Fulton St., Mankato -- $15 adults, $13 seniors, $10 youth -507-388-5483 7 -- Mankato Symphony Orchestra: Pops at the Kato featuring The Horn Heads 7 p.m. -- Kato Ballroom -- 200 Chestnut St., Mankato -- $20 individual tickets -www.mankatosymphony.com 8 -- Mankato Symphony Orchestra: Symphonic Series - Mozart and Beethoven 3 p.m. -- Mankato West High School -1351 S. Riverfront Drive, Mankato -www.mankatosymphony.com

54 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

21 -- The Gustavus and Vasa Wind Orchestras in Concert 1:30 p.m. -- Bjorling Recital Hall, Gustavus Adolphus College -- free -507-933-7013 21 -- Mankato Area Re-Skilling Festival 9 a.m.-4 p.m. -- Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry -170 Good Counsel Drive, Mankato -507-389-4272 21 -- MSU Performance Series: Sonny Knight and The Lakers 8 p.m. -- Hooligans Neighborhood Pub -- Madison East Center -- $15 advance, $19 day of show -- 507-389-5549

22 -- An Evening of Jazz Combos 7:30 p.m. -- Bjorling Recital Hall, Gustavus Adolphus College -507-933-7013 22 -- The Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra Spring Concert 1:30 p.m. -- Bjorling Recital Hall, Gustavus Adolphus College -- free -507-933-7013 22 -- Karen Holt, soprano & Chase Fasbender, baritone, Joint Student Recital 3:30 p.m. -- Bjorling Recital Hall, Gustavus Adolphus College -- free -507-933-7013 22 -- Minnesota Valley Brass Quintet and the Minnesota State Mankato Trombone Choir 3 p.m. -- Elias J. Halling Recital Hall, Minnesota State University -- $9 general, $7 students -- 507-389-5549 24 -- Minnesota State Mankato Community Orchestra 7:30 p.m. -- Elias J. Halling Recital Hall, Minnesota State University -- $9 general, $7 students -- 507-389-5549 25-28 -- MSU Theatre presents “boom” 7:30 p.m. -- Andreas Theatre, Minnesota State University -- $10 general, $9 seniors and students, $8 current MSU students -- 507-389-6661

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 55

BLUE EARTH COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Built in Blue Earth County

Celebrating Over 150 Years of Ingenuity and Innovation that Built Blue Earth County.

DINNER • SILENT AND LIVE AUCTIONS • ENTERTAINMENT

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Ballroom 6:00 p.m. $50 Individual Tickets $500 Reserved Table for 8 For reservations, please call 507-345-5566 or go to www.bechshistory.com.

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www.bechshistory.com 56 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

Faces & Places

Photos By Sport Pix

Minnesota Twins Caravan

1. Young fans had the opportunity to get their picture taken with T.C. 2. Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer fired up the crowd before the players entered the room.

3. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier hugs a fan before taking the stage at the Kato Ballroom.

4. Fans at the Twins Caravan got summertime food treatment with hot dogs.

2 5. Twins players Brian Duensing and Brian Dozier sign autographs during the caravan in Mankato.

6. Twins fans had a good time talking with the lovable mascot T.C.

1

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5

6

MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 57

Faces & Places

Photos By Sport Pix 1

Mankato Bridal Show 1. A smorgasbord of food was available for bridal show-goers to sample.

2. Wedding DJs had a fun time gaining new clients.

3. A few brides-to-be took advantage of getting their makeup done by professionals.

4. Vendors had the opportunity to explain why their products were the best fit for wedding planning.

5. Future brides were all smiles while getting their hair done.

6. Planning a wedding wouldn’t be complete without samples of cake.

7. There was no shortage of bridal gowns in the Kato Ballroom.

4

3

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58 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

2

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Faces & Places

Photos By Sport Pix

Eagle Lake Elementary Jump rope for Heart

1

1. Sometimes you can’t make every revolution and this student finds the humor in that.

2. More than 100 students filled the Eagle Lake Elementary gym and participated in warm ups for the Jump Rope for Heart.

3. Parents had to capture the moment by taking pictures of their children participating in the annual Jump Rope for Heart.

4. Jumping rope had this student’s whole body in motion, including her hair.

5. A student smiles back at her teammates while jumping rope.

6. This young boy does his best Superman impersonation while jumping rope.

3

2

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MANKATO MAGAZINE • March 2015 • 59

From

this

Valley

By Pete Steiner

The Great Wall of Mankato A conversation with Bill Bassett

S

ome say Mankato does less with its river than any other river town in America. True, we have in recent years rescued the stretch of shoreline that became Riverfront Park. And we’ve long enjoyed river vistas at Sibley Park. But critics of the long, grey concrete wall that hides the river from most cityscapes probably weren’t here in 1965. Or 1951. Twice in 14 years, the Minnesota River, urged on by the Blue Earth, devastated our town. North Mankato bore the brunt in ’51, West Mankato and LeHillier in ’65. And the devastation wasn’t done. Several more times in recent decades, if it hadn’t been for The Great Wall of Mankato, who knows how many more people would have been displaced or how much more damage would have occurred?

•••• As I wrote back in January, this month marks 50 years since the monumental St. Patrick’s Day blizzard of 1965.

Paired with a cold, wet start to April, that set the stage for the great flood of 1965, which displaced 7500 citizens and made West High an island. That was just fourteen years after most of what was then North Mankato had been submerged by the previous great flood.

Originally from Detroit, Bill Bassett became Mankato’s fourth city manager in 1968. The following year, the Minnesota River hit 27 feet, its fifth-highest crest of all time. Bassett notes, flood control discussions had begun in the ‘50’s. He says the Army Corps of Engineers at the time did have a plan to periodically dredge a channel to lessen flooding, but the local communities never came up with a plan to PAY for it. Bassett notes, “If we had committed to dredging, we wouldn’t have needed the walls.” With the high water of 1969 demonstrating the continuing threat, the need to do SOMETHING became more urgent. “There was a [also] proposal to DAM the Blue Earth River [which feeds into the Minnesota at Sibley], but that would have inundated Garden City and much more. So it was rejected.”

Then the Corps approached Bassett with the concept of concrete floodwalls. The idea gathered momentum into the ‘70’s. The old Main Street Bridge, an at-grade, three-lane curiosity most renowned for stacking up traffic when trains went through, was a problem for designers.

The Corps wanted to spend 50-million dollars to take it out and replace it. Sentimentalists like me thought it could be preserved as a pedestrian walkway with sidewalk cafes. (Guess who won?)

Some local leaders headed to Washington, where legendary northern Minnesota Rep. John Blatnik and his then-assistant, Jim Oberstar, got funding for a new bridge into the “Harbors and Bridges” bill. Eventually, that would lead to 68-million being approved for Veterans’ Memorial Bridge, which would finally open in 1986, completing the 100-million-dollar flood wall and

60 • March 2015 • MANKATO MAGAZINE

levee system after three decades. It would encompass more than two-and-a-half miles of concrete panels and an even more extensive, mostly hidden infrastructure of large pipes and pumping stations.

•••• Sitting in a coffee shop just a couple-hundred feet from the barriers, Bassett says now, “it’d be crazy” to take the barriers down. He acknowledges the concrete panels are “utilitarian, [but that’s] the last alternative” to another disaster. When the Minnesota reached an all-time high crest of 30.1 feet on the first day of summer, 1993, no one mocked those walls. In fact, lots of us went down to Vets’ Memorial to safely gaze at the mighty sight of surging waters contained between the walls. Just four years after that, the walls would protect us again, when the river reached its fourth-highest crest ever. Top-ten crests would return in 2001, 2010, and again just last June, making the bland concrete look beautiful.

Bassett recalls no debate about aesthetics in planning for the walls, saying it was “not part of the discussion” for a city council glad to have the Army Corps pay for more than 90 percent of the massive project.

•••• Bill Bassett served Mankato for 28 years, retiring from the city manager job in 1996. He chose to remain here, although he and wife Pam winter in Arizona. He notes, he does not regret missing the winter of 2013-14. He stays mostly aloof from city affairs these days, saying, “it’s not my job to interfere.” At 81, he no longer plays his once-ferocious game of handball, turning instead to golf and “a lot of reading.” He loves genealogy, tracing his roots back to a French soldier who emigrated to Canada in 1966. He still does volunteer work for the League of Minnesota Cities and the City Managers’ Association.

Of the city he did so much to shape, Bassett says Mankato is “a great size, has shown steady growth… [and] the college is a real plus.” He jokes that before he took the Mankato job, someone told him, “Bill, you’d have to be crazy to go there!” But Bassett disagreed.

With three separate offers on the table, he recalls telling his wife at the time, “You know, I really like Mankato.”

And he still does. He says, “I was looking at the city [one day], coming in from the south on 169, and I thought, ‘that city looks pretty good!” And if the wall were removed for better views of the river? “You might have to tear down everything in the flood plain. I don’t know if there is a reasonable alternative.”

Peter Steiner is host of “Talk of the Town” weekdays at 1:05 p.m. on KTOE.

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