COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 33 NO. 39 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
VINTERFEST 2017: Schedule of events PAGE 7
Folk takes center stage
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Scandia residents Dr. Thomas Rumreich (center, in gray) and Ruth Ronning with children from the dental clinic in Belize. Rumreich and Ronning volunteered at the clinic earlier this month.
Nine days in Belize BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Independence, Belize, is not an easy place to get to. Mornings and evenings during a nine-day trip earlier this month, Dr. Thomas Rumreich and his wife, Ruth Ronning, boarded the Hokey Pokey Ferry for the 20-minute ride from their hotel in Placencia, a resort town with palm-lined beaches, to the small village. The Scandia residents were on a
mission, Rumreich to care for the teeth of orphans and Ronning to design and paint a mural on the walls of the children’s treatment room. After practicing dentistry in Forest Lake for 30 years, Rumreich now works with patients on a strictly volunteer basis. While donating his time and skills at the Union Gospel Mission, an open clinic in St. Paul, he met Dr. David Ugai, a dentist who was headed for Belize to set up a clinic.
“I asked him if he needed help and he said yes,” said Rumreich. So the pair cleared their calendars and booked tickets. Few in Belize can afford dental care. According to Rumreich, there are fewer than 50 dentists in the entire country, with a population just over 368,000. “With an average income of $25 U.S. a day, the cost of dental care is beyond the reach of the average
A lot has been happening at Tom Maakestad’s Marine on St. Croix studio. In December he held a studio-closing sale, but before the month was over he announced that he would host two concerts there. "In fact I had the Claudia Schmidt concert scheduled since last spring,” Maakestad explained, “and through discussions with her I decided to honor that commitment. While I was at it I decided—why not have Brian Wicklund play the following weekend just to make sure we get to hear him play in my space once?" The two are now scheduled to play back-toback weekends in February (see sidebar for details). And Maakestad reported that he might reopen the studio for classes, too. After he announced his plan to close, a number of locals encouraged him to rethink the decision — and he’s doing so now. “It’s part of a process I’m going through to evaluate everything I’m doing,” he said. “I may not be keeping the studio to use it as a production space. What I’m looking at now, and this is based on a lot of feedback, is using the space for public programming.” To that end he will offer folk- and arts-related classes this spring, including a pair of plein air “boot camps.” “I’ll go through what I’ve learned about onsite or Plein Air painting,” Maakestad said. “How SEE MAAKESTAD, PAGE 2
SEE BELIZE, PAGE 2
Unlearning our history Teacher to speak on decolonizing education BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Every year, it seems, the students of America’s public schools are given more tests and taught a more strictly standardized curriculum. Although trends toward high-stakes testing and standardized learning are unpopular with the public, teachers and students, few seem to be offering solutions for change. Enter Paul Creager, who traveled to India
last January as a Fulbright Scholar and spent six months studying the filmmaking organization Video Volunteers, hoping to gather insights into a new educational model. Now he's back, ready to talk about what he learned, and discuss how it could be applied to America’s public education system. During the Feb. 2 presentation, “Decolonizing American Education,” Creager won't lecture about final results or epiphanies. Instead, he plans to engage the audience in his continued inquiry toward change. SEE KREAGER, PAGE 2
NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
COURTESY OF DON J OLSON
Brian Wicklund (right) and Mick Cramer are scheduled to perform at the Maakestad Studio on Feb. 11 and 18 at 7 p.m.
Folk at Maakestad Studio When: Claudia Schmidt on Sat., Feb. 11 Brian Wicklund with Mick Cramer on Feb. 18. Both shows start at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. Where: Tom Maakestad Studio (51 Judd St., Marine on St. Croix). This street access space is in the same building as Edward Jones and the Marine Café, on the east side of the building.
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Details: Tickets can be purchased on Brown Paper Tickets www.brownpapertickets.com or by contacting Tom Maakestad at maak@ winternet.com or his telephone: 651-260-8021.
Paul Creager, left, interviews a Video Volunteers correspondent.
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