Fleur de Lis Summer 2018

SUMMER 2018 • ISSUE 2

$2.00

Fleur-de-lis

SUCCESS STORY

Falcons grad goes from new in town to ready to take on the world.

Hands-on learning

Strong relationships and collaborations are a hallmark of the Cannon River STEM School.

SAY CHEESE

For nearly 100 years, the caves of Faribault have worked their magic.

contents

5 Restoration of a

100-year-old clock

10 Program provides gateway to the force

16 It’s a beautiful

Faribault summer

24 Shining Star

Making the most of her short time in Faribault, Abdulahi is ready to soar.

29 Finding community

The Claesons find outpuring of support and kindness in Faribault.

32 Hands-on learning

Strong relationships and collaboration are a Cannon River STEM School hallmark.

38 Rock Solid

Unique touches add personality to what may be Faribault’s oldest home.

50 Say cheese

For neartly 100 years, the caves of Faribault have worked their magic.

54 Experience Faribault

Upcoming events.

Security on the Restored Bank Clock cover: (Suzanne Rook) Photographer Jordyn Swanson discovered a nest of robins in a tree by her driveway near Roberds Lake.

She noticed them getting out of her car one day and snapped this photo toward the end of May. (Photo courtesy of Jordyn Swanson)

Summer 2018

3

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Summer 2018

Fleur-de-lis

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According to the Heritage Preservation Commission, the preferred proposal is to recreate the stained glass, lettering and clock face of the Security Bank building clock as depicted in this drawing from the 1950s. (Photo from Heritage Preservation Commission)

Restoration of

100-year-old

publisher:

Chad Hjellming

managing editor: Suzanne Rook

advertising manager:

Security Bank clock

F

Mark Nelson

media consultants: Nicole Brandon Pam DeMorett

designer:

From the Daily News archives May 2015

Kate Townsend-Noet

ad designers:

or 100 years, the Security Bank clock has been a landmark in downtown Faribault.

After sitting broken and idle for several years, the clock is finally garnering the care and attention it deserves just in time for its 100th anniversary.

The Security Bank clock started ticking in 1915, 21 years after the Security Bank opened next to the Faribault Opera House on Central Avenue between Third Street and Fourth Street in 1894. Five years later in 1899, the bank relocated to a three-story stone building at the corner of Central Avenue and Third Street where it occupied two-thirds of the building’s first floor.

During a complete remodel in 1914, the stone façade was removed CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

Mary Jo Blanchard Kate McGillen Jennifer Schoenbauer Send story ideas to:

Suzanne Rook at Fleur-de-lis srook@faribault.com Volume 1, Issue 2

Fleur-de-lis 2018 Published Summer 2018 by: Faribault Daily News 514 Central Avenue Faribault, MN 55021 faribault.com ©

All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertisers. This publication is copyrighted by the Faribault Daily News and no content can be reproduced without permission.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

from the entire building and another story was added and it was refaced with brick. The following year, the landmark chime-clock tower was installed on Central Avenue, according to articles compiled by former Rice County Historical Society Director Susan McKinna.

No one seems to recall exactly when the Security Bank clock stopped working. Once it did stop, however, people noticed.

One of those people was Al Burkhartzmeyer, co-owner of Burkhartzmeyer Shoes located one block south of the Security Bank building on the corner of Central Avenue and Second Street.

Before Burkhartzmeyer died in 2012, he designated that any memorials received in his name go to restoring the clock. Because Burkhartzmeyer was a longtime member of the Faribault Rotary Club, his fellow members adopted the project in his honor.

In October 2014, the building owner granted a preservation

easement to the city of Faribault that would convey ownership of the clock to the city, permitting it to repair, restore and maintain the clock permanently.

At that time, the Rotary Club ramped up fundraising efforts for the clock project.

According to a design review application filed with the Heritage Preservation Commission, the preferred design is to recreate how the clock looked in the 1950s, but with modern internal components.

As much as possible, the existing metal would be refinished, but much of it will likely have to be replaced. The dials and movements would also probably be replaced, according to the HPC. “We want it to look like it’s restored, but we also want it to have some modern security and modern fixtures so it will be able to be maintained easily,” said Faribault Rotarian Kymn Anderson.

The clock’s final design will be

The new Security Bank Building clock was installed in September 2015. (Daily News file photo) A panoramic view of the Security Bank clock in the 1920s (Photo courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

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Summer 2018

WHAT TIME IS IT? 1894: Security Bank opens 1899: Security Bank moves to corner of Central Avenue and Third Street 1914: Security Bank building remodeled 1915: Security Bank clock installed 1966: Security Bank moves to new building on corner of Fourth Street Northwest and First Avenue Northwest

Security Bank clock in the late 1920s. (Photo courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

up to City Council.

In November 2014, City Council came to a consensus to supply funds to get the Security Bank building clock restoration project moving.

In essence, the agreement gave ownership of the clock to the city, which will be responsible for upkeep, but will require the building owner to pay for its utilities.

Community Development Coordinator Kim Clausen said staff was working with Mike Elwood, owner of the Hickory Dickory Doc The Clock Shop in Faribault, to develop the repair estimates. After examining the clock, Elwood provided a preliminary estimate of $24,700.

Elwood said the process will have several stages.

Security Bank clock in 2001 (Photo courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

The repairs include removing the clock, installing four new stained glass dials, four new stained glass panels, clock hands, clock controller, new rolled copper to wrap the support beams and lastly reinstalling the clock.

Some of the work would require Elwood to contract out, Clausen said, but Elwood thought the whole process would take between three and

four months. “(We) don’t want to rush it, we’re dealing with stained glass,” he said. “It won’t be rushed through.”

Elwood said he has worked on four-dial street clocks before, and as far as the components it’s not a big concern. Elwood, who grew up in Faribault and remembers the clock even as a child, was looking forward to the project.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 8

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2012: Al Burkhartzmeyer, a Faribault Rotary member for more than 50 years, dies and designates memorials in his name go to restoration of clock. Rotary undertakes the clock restoration project in honor of Burkhartzmeyer.

October 2014: Building owner grants a preservation easement to the City of Faribault that conveys ownership of the clock to the city, permitting it to repair, restore and maintain the clock permanently.

February 2015: City Council unanimously approves a gap fund for the renovations of the historic clock, and awards the repair contract to the owner of Hickory Dickory Doc Clock Shop Mike Elwood.

April 2015: According to early estimates, Faribault Rotary completes fundraising for clock restoration project.

Sept. 22, 2015: The refurbished clock is dedicated during an evening ceremony.

June 2016: A preservation advocacy award is given jointly to the family of Al Burkhartzmeyer and the Faribault Rotary Club for their work in the restoration of the Security Bank clock.

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The Security Bank clock in 1956. (Image courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

Because Faribault Rotary Club was still short of the nearly $25,000 repair cost, the city council voted to gap fund the project in February, with the expectation that the Rotary repay the city when the renovation costs are raised.

Preliminary numbers indicated

that the Faribault Rotary Club had raised over $25,000 toward the clock restoration project following a fundraiser on April 25, which raised about $10,200, according to Faribault Rotarian Kymn Anderson.

Fundraising was nearly completed about six months after

Security Bank clock in the 1930s (Image courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

the organization started a focused effort, according to Rotary Club President Tony Langerud.

“From our rough estimate, we’re awfully close to our goal, with somewhere between zero and $2,500 left,” Langerud said.

“It was a great event to finish up the fundraising for the project.

It was a pleasant surprise that we had people who couldn’t attend mail checks in. People in the community are really pulling together and wanting to see this project to completion.”

Clausen said the HPC’s color selection was given to Elwood at Hickory Dickory Doc and he was

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“It’s a unique gateway program for young people to look at law enforcement. They get on it at an early age and, if they enjoy it, they can evolve into being a reserve, or part of our Community Service program and, eventually, men and women in dark blue and sworn in.”

- Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen

Gateway to the force

T

By Gunnar Olson

hose kids in the light blue are way too young to be cops, right?

That’s what Yasmeen Mesta thought, too, as she walked through the Rice County Fair. What she didn’t know was she would soon be wearing one of those light blue uniforms as well.

“I asked someone at school about the kids in cop uniforms,” Mesta recalls of being introduced to the Faribault Police Explorers.

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Summer 2018

Her teacher helped her find an application, which she filled out and turned in to the police station. Not long after, she was interviewed and chosen as a brand new Explorer.

Since 2003, Mesta and dozens of other local youth have found their voice through the Faribault Police Department’s youth program. Mesta says it’s helped her grow and mature as a leader and a public servant. Explorers’ Saturdays are filled with leaf cleanups, roadside cleanups through Adopt-a-Highway, security at Heritage Days and the County Fair, the bike safety rodeo and directing traffic for parades and races all year round.

Mesta’s time with the Explorers culminated with the Faribault Police Explorers winning the Don Cup as the state’s top achieving

Explorers program. It’s a feat they replicated in late April.

Mesta enjoys the day to day of being an Explorer and has thrived working with Faribault’s police officers, but unlike many of her Explorer teammates, she doesn’t plan to become a cop.

“I’m actually going to school for social work,” she said. “But the Explorers has helped me with leadership, getting out of my shell.”

She hasn’t ruled out getting into to law enforcement in the future, especially with the training she’s received as part of the Explorers, but for now, she wants to get her degree in social work.

Then there’s Paige White, another Police Explorer who recently wrapped up her associate’s in law enforcement a year early after taking classes during her senior year of high school.

She’s driven to become a police officer, and at 19, she’s set herself up nicely for a career in the field. Right now, her plan is to try and gain experience in corrections, a common path for those who wear the badge.

Someday, she hopes to ditch the light blue uniform for a dark blue one and be sworn in as an officer. Those motivations stemmed directly from her time with the Explorers, which helped her get excited about law enforcement. But just a few years ago, White didn’t know what she wanted at all.

- Police Explorer Paige White “I wasn’t in sports or anything and [a neighbor] thought I’d be good at it,” she said of how she discovered the Police Explorers. “I had no idea what I was getting in to, but I came into an interview.”

Once accepted, White embarked on some of the same tasks her teammate Mesta did, taking to it over time.

“As it went along, it felt natural to me,” she said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Prepping for the force Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen called the Don Cup the Stanley Cup for Police Explorers. His pride in the Explorer program is evident, even if they hadn’t found success in the competition.

Winning in both 2012 and 2018, this kind of success is rare among Explorer programs, making Faribault only the second program to win twice. That expectation was not always there, however.

“We didn’t have nearly the organization they have,” said former Explorer and now Faribault Police Officer Chris Tonjum. “I was just starting out in 2005 and it was pretty new. We were just getting into it. These guys are so much more sophisticated and involved. They are way more organized.”

“I wasn’t in sports or anything and [a neighbor] thought I’d be good at it. I had no idea what I was getting in to, but I came into an interview. As it went along, it felt natural to me. It was a lot of fun.”

When he participated, Tonjum said advisors guided the whole CONTINUES ON PAGE 12 u u u

TOP LEFT: The Police Explorers participate in the Don Cup competition. The group was trained in all of the contests in which they participated, including medical response like this one. (Photo courtesy of the Faribault Police Department) TOP RIGHT: Police Explorers Josh Vaubel, center, and Shelby White, right, arrest Madison Vaudrin, left, during a practice situation at the group’s June meeting. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News) Summer 2018

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

program. Since, students like White and Mesta have taken the reins.

“It’s evolved into something bigger than I ever thought it could,” said Tonjum who serves as an Explorers adviser.

Faribault Police Officer Michael Shuda agreed with Tonjum. Shuda joined the Explorers at 14, following his older brother into the program. He said it helped him realize he wanted to join the “family business” and become an officer. Joining so early gave him a significant leg up when it came time to try and earn his badge.

“They are training teenagers on what officers do,” he said. “They prepare them for [real-life] scenarios and force them to act as a police officer should act in those scenarios.”

Shuda remembers working on the ins and outs of protocol for a simple traffic stop. The swornin officers watch and critique the Explorers on proper procedure, how to improve and why the steps they’re taking are critical.

“When I went through skills [training] at the Police Academy, the Explorers were way ahead of the people who weren’t,” he recalled.

What stands out for Tonjum is the always-important practice of adjusting expectations for teens who may think of policing as something different than it is.

“The program does a good job of getting you an inside feel of

what actually goes on,” said Tonjum. “Everybody thinks police are kicking doors in all the time and it’s really not the case. You see the lighter side. You see that cops are people more than anything.”

Helping him realize this was the time-honored police practice of ride-alongs. Tonjum thinks he logged about 250 hours of ride-

alongs during his time as an Explorer. When he finally became an officer, he was happy to pay it forward, too.

“My first ride along opened my eyes more,” said White, who

TOP PHOTO: The Faribault Police Explorers participate in another drill, emphasizing police tactics in all types of situations. (Photo courtesy of the Faribault Police Department) The Faribault Police Explorers, from left to right: Jason Shuda, Josh Vaubel, David Mesta, Paige Whit, Madison Vaudrin, Shelby White and Hayleigh Van Heuveln. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)

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Summer 2018

took her first ride along with Tonjum. “I was smiling the whole time. It’s so much fun. You see a different side of it.”

‘A lens in to their character’

they enjoy it, they can evolved into being a reserve, or part of our Community Service program and, eventually, men and women in dark blue and sworn in.”

Through the program, Bohlen’s team has been able to reach more, diverse members of the community.

“It’s wonderful for us because we are able to see these young people become more passionate about the career,” he said. “It gives them a little more responsibility and provides a lens into

Bohlen has a department to run. His men and women are on Faribault’s streets doing some of the city’s most important and least glamorous work, but it’s crucial to running a city. Despite that tall task, Boheln remains committed to supporting the Explorers, partly because they are so valuable.

“They are kind of like the reserves,” Bohlen said of how he deploys the teenagers. “They supplement some of the events we do in the - Faribault Police Officer Chris Tonjum city, help us with those big events with traffic control. They’ve been instrumental.” their character. We can see if they are a good fit.”

Besides their utility, many Explorers are the future of the force.

Through community service and police training, the Explorers That’s why six Police Explorer advisors dedicate themselves to the continually push themselves. As a result, Explorers post #6100 is program, because they may soon be serving alongside their former racking up awards, giving Bohlen a glimpse into their futures and, pupils. most importantly, molding the next crop of Faribault’s leaders.

“It’s a unique gateway program for young people to look at law

“The program does a good job of getting you an inside feel of what actually goes on. Everybody thinks police are kicking doors in all the time and it’s really not the case. You see the lighter side. You see that cops are people more than anything.”

enforcement,” said Bohlen. “They get on it at an early age and, if

Gunnar Olson is a freelance writer working out of the Twin Cities.

From left to right: Josh Alexander, Matt Shuda, Shelby Shite, Josh Vaubel, Madison Vaudrin, David Mesta, Paige Shite, Yasmeen Mesta, Jason Shuda, RJ Kniefel, Malloy House, Sarah Tollefson and Brandon Gliem celebrate the Faribault Police Explorer’s 2018 Don Cup. (Photo courtesy of Josh Alexander) Summer 2018

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Patient story: Featuring Bernard (Buzz) Kornmann

83

years young

Faribault-native Buzz Kornmann shares his cancer story

B

ernard (Buzz) Kornmann was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005. The first time he heard the “C” word, he expressed his deep fear of the unknown. Shortly after the diagnosis, Kornmann began treatment at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute® – District One Hospital under the care of a since-retired physician.

“I have been blessed to live so close to such a competent and professional cancer center. I am 83-years-old, yet feel much younger.” - Buzz Kornmann 14

Summer 2018

After the diagnosis, Kormann says, “In fear, I jumped to conclusions about how bad it probably would be, not realizing how treatable it was.”

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Kornmann was also diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013. It was recommended that he receive oral chemotherapy, hormone treatments every three months and radiation.

“A big challenge for me is when I have to have radiation for the lung cancer,” he says. “Fatigue is an issue that is very frustrating for me on a regular basis.”

enough about every one of the staff, as they have become like family to me. Since day one, they have the ability to make you feel like you are their most important patient.”

Even after all Kornmann has been through, he is optimistic about the future.

One of his biggest successes during treatment is “the outstanding care and support of the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute here in Faribault…allowed me the opportunity to be healthy enough to continue my role as a caregiver.”

Kornmann takes care of his wife Nancy— of 63 years—who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Now under the care of Bhanu Vakkalanka, MBBS, medical oncologist at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute, Kornmann expresses his deep gratitude for both the quality and professional doctors, nurses and staff. He adds, “I cannot say

In some of his lowest moments, Kornmann explains that the caregivers and staff have been both comforting and supportive. They even personally helped him handle his many cancer appointments.

“I have been blessed to live so close to such a competent and professional cancer center,” says Kornmann.

Now at 83-years-old—and with the help of all of the doctors, nurses and caregivers at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute— Kornmann feels fortunate to be healthy enough to continue caring for his wife and attending to the important things in his life. He adds, “I am 83-years-old, yet feel much younger.”

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Summer 2018

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It’s a beautiful faribault SUMMER

By Suzanne Rook

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Summer 2018

LARGE PHOTO: Irises near Teepee Tonk Park bask in the summer sun. The iris virginica (Southern Blueflag) is the only iris native to southern Minnesota, according to minnesotawildflowers.org.

(Greg Davis photo) TOP RIGHT: While walking down to our family’s dock on Roberds Lake in late June I discovered a red fox making itself at home in our overgrown bonfire area. There were even “toys” the fox had acquired from our shed by the dock. ​(Photo courtesy of Jordyn Swanson)

A

fter a winter with several big snowstorms and a late — and large — dumping of the white stuff in April, Faribaultians were more than ready to shed the doldrums and see those temps start to rise.

So now that it’s here, enjoy it, because in Minnesota the summers are short so they’re packed with fun.

There’s been plenty going on in Faribault and the surrounding area so far this season: Heritage Days and the Rice County Fair have come and gone, but there’s still so much to do and see.

The Faribault Farmers Market is at Central Park every Wednesday and Saturday The Paradise Center for the Arts has a full schedule of shows, including “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Lion King Jr.” for the younger set. Also on tap is the Paradise’s yearly summer fundraiser, Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival, as well as the Pet Parade and weekly concerts in Central Park sponsored by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department. This year is the 82nd annual march.

Before long, the flowers will begin to fade, there will be a chill in the air and we’ll need to pull on our fleece. But until then, sit back and enjoy these images of summer in Faribault.

Find a full calendar of local happening at faribault.com or in the Faribault Daily News.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 18 u u u

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Summer 2018

LARGE PHOTO: Dark clouds from a May storm cover the Cathedral of our Merciful Saviour.

Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple laid its cornerstone on July 16, 1862. Because money was scarce, it wasn’t completed and consecrated until June 24, 1869.

(Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News) FAR LEFT: A flower in River Bend Nature Center blooms in the center’s expansive prairie in early July. (Jacob Swanson/ Faribault Daily News) LEFT: A branch hangs into a path at the River Bend Nature Center.

(Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)

Waterfalls at River Bend Nature Center, with the bright green foliage of early spring, create a pleasing scene.

(Greg Davis photo)

CONTINUES ON PAGE 20 u u u

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TOP LEFT: Cathedral of our Merciful Saviour on a beautiful June day .

(Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News) TOP RIGHT: A May sunset leaves a gray sky over Faribault’s Immaculate Conception Church. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News) BOTTOM RIGHT: A restored Tilt-a-Whirl car sits in front of the State Bank of Faribault during late spring and summer, a nod to the late Herb Sellner who invented the well-known ride in Faribault in 1927. (Greg Davis photo)

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Summer 2018

TOP: The Faribault Lakers and Owatonna Aces waited out the rain before their May 25 game.

When the weather cleared, a double rainbow formed over Bell Field. (Jacob Swanson/ Faribault Daily News) RIGHT: U12 Brody Hatfield, left; Lucas Nelson, center, and Madden Paul chase down the ball in a scrimmage of the Faribault U12 and U13 soccer teams Saturday, June 30. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)

CONTINUES ON PAGE 22 u u u

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Driving out to Roberds Lake and take a left at the smiley face building during sunset is one of my favorite views with a pond on the right of the highway and fields of corn on the left. June 11, after a day of rain and storms, I was able to capture one of those sunsets over the pond off the highway. (Photo courtesy of Jordyn Swanson)

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Summer 2018

TOP RIGHT: The Faribault Falcons softball team celebrates winning the Class AAA state championship over North Branch on June 8. (Jacob Swanson/ Faribault Daily News) MIDDLE RIGHT: Train tracks run through the forest behind River Bend Nature Center. (Jacob Swanson/ Faribault Daily News) LOWER RIGHT: A toad rests on a walking path in River Bend Nature Center. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News) Summer 2018

23

By Mike Randleman

Making the most of her short time in Faribault, Abdulahi is ready to soar

A

t any point in time, Tufah Abdulahi is keenly aware of her surroundings. She’s soaking in information, absorbing the world around her.

The intensely curious 2018 Faribault High School graduate relied on her thirst for knowledge to not only earn a diploma in June, but to forge a path for the future.

Her high school resume lists

Math Team, Science Team, Students Together Offering Peer Support (STOPS), the Robotics Team, peer tutoring, honor roll and hours upon hours of volunteer work. She’s off to the University of Minnesota, Mankato in the fall to pursue a career in science.

Just six years ago, Abdulahi couldn’t have pointed out Minnesota on a map.

Abdulahi’s family of 11 came to the U.S. in 2012 after years living in an Ethiopian refugee camp following the family’s move flee from Somalia. She knew no English.

“I came when I was 11 years old and I started in sixth grade. My first day was chaotic; I almost went to the men’s bathroom,” Abdulahi recalled with a laugh. “I didn’t understand anything.”

ABOVE: Tufah Abdulahi has made the most of her six years in Faribault after coming to the U.S. from an Ethiopian refugee camp. (Mike Randleman/ Faribault Daily News)

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Summer 2018

She found some buoyancy by Faribault Middle School’s Somali students who spoke her language, albeit in a different dialect.

The greatest support has come from her own blood.

Her older brothers paved the way to pursuing a higher education in the U.S., inspiring her to follow in their footsteps.

“I would say there are a lot of things that Tufah has learned from me and my family, but words cannot describe that,” said brother, Mahamed, who is nearing a degree in computer information technology at MSU. “One of the most important things that she learned from us is the importance of our family and the relationship connections we have as a family. As you may know, young kids learn to imitate theirs elders’ actions as they grow. They try to do what their elders do whether is it good or bad. So, as family we always try to be a good example and role model for our young siblings. For

instance, our attitude toward education shows how much we value the importance of education at our home.”

Her parents strive to give her the best life possible. Despite living her entire life in the refugee camp prior to the move to the U.S., Abdulahi did not feel unfortunate.

In fact, leaving behind her home was not easy at the time. She would come to learn she did not have the full picture as a young girl.

“I’m pretty sure my dad fled from war. People getting away from war, it was a relief,” Abdulahi began. “For me, I didn’t want to leave my people. I didn’t really know anything about the outside world.

My family really sheltered me, they tried to keep everything bad from me. I was happy there. I was really happy. It may have not been as great for others that were there but I was happy there.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 26 u u u

You might see Tufah Abdulahi’s face around town, even if not in the flesh. She’s featured on Faribault Youth Investment ads on city buses. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) Summer 2018

25

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

A better life It didn’t take long for Abdulahi to learn which bathroom to use in her new country. That was only a drop in the bucket of more lessons to come.

Carolyn Treadway, executive director of the nonprofit after-

school program through Faribault Youth Services, So How Are the Children (SHAC), remembers giving Abdulahi a ride home one December day.

Abdulahi, a Muslim, posed an interesting question to her chauffeur.

“One of the downtown stores had a life size Santa in it. Tufah asked me if Santa was real,” Treadway said. “Well, in the U.S., there are probably precious few children of sixth grade age who believed in Santa. She never had any experience in that. So, she asked me ‘Is Santa real?’ and I said ‘You know, Santa, to my knowledge, is not real,’ because I needed to be a little careful, ‘Santa, to my knowledge, is not real but it’s the spirit of being and kind and generous to other people.’ and she said ‘Oh man, my brother is going to be so disappointed. He wanted a car!’ And that was an older brother!”

That moment of levity offered a glimpse into Abdulahi’s interest in grasping her new culture.

She proved a quick learner.

Abdulahi made the A Honor Roll right off the bat in her first quarter as a sixth-grader. Since, she’s made the “A” or “B” honor roll 21 more times through high school.

As if learning English wasn’t enough, Abdulahi also took German classes in school. If a student needed help in math or science, Abdulahi was a tutor eager to help.

“I don’t think many people in Faribault realize that many of our

TOP: Tufah Abdulahi spoke at a Faribault Youth Investment panel in December about how she’s adjusted to life in Faribault and what hurdles she’s had to overcome to succeed. (Daily News file photo) ABOVE: Tufah Abdulahi, bottom right, was one of seven keynote speakers at a January Martin Luther King Day breakfast in Faribault. Her speech placed the audience in the position of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. (Daily News file photo)

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Summer 2018

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new residents come particularly from refugee camps and really want to know about the culture in which they find themselves,” Treadway said. “They don’t intend in any way to be offensive, but they have no way of knowing. They’ve never heard English spoken, they’ve never heard of any of these holidays. The whole world is new to them. So when you see someone like Tufah who comes in and in a mere six years not only learns English but also is an exceptional student on her way to college with every promise of being CONTINUES ON PAGE 28 u u u

A LITTLE AWKWARD Tufah Abdulahi quickly became fluent in English after moving to the U.S. from Ethiopia in 2012. In fact, the amount of public speaking she’s done in English is up there with many of the native English speakers in the Faribault High School student body.

Nonetheless, some awkward moments can still occur with those who see her in a hijab and speculate a language barrier.

“There was this lady I had an encounter with. My friend was mostly the one speaking, I was just there to support her. She’d look at my friend and say something to her and she didn’t expect me to understand because I was just standing there just like a statue, I was just chilling there. She’d ask my friend questions to ask me,” Abdulahi said.

Whether she wanted to save the unknowing woman from embarrassment or just enjoyed a good gag, Abdulahi stopped her friend from intervening with the truth.

“I just elbowed her,” Abdulahi recalled with a wry smile, “and said ‘Shh.’”

TOP: Tufah Abdulahi wore a gold cord at the June 10 Faribault High School commencement after achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. (Mike Randleman/Faribault Daily News)

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highly successful, it just is an amazing thing to see.”

Abdulahi believes newcomers to Faribault like herself can fit in when given the opportunity.

“There is a lot of diversity but there are sometimes the two groups you can literally see the divide,” Abdulahi said, referring to her time at the high school. “There’s just not enough trust there. The reason why I got so involved was because I thought at first the people here weren’t used to seeing diverse groups together. I thought to jump over the bridge and just got involved they would see we’re just people, that there’s no difference here.”

Not all new families to the U.S. are as willing to let their children branch out and grow the way Abdulahi has.

“To her mother’s credit, she allowed Tufah to participate. Lots of the parents come and they’re so afraid of what experience their children will have outside the security of school that they won’t allow them to participate in after-school activities,” Treadway said. “I honor her parents for letting her go for it and just do it. It’s something not

many of us could do when we know our children are going to be out there without our protection.”

After-school activities are now only the start. The big dreamer is hoping for a career in neuroscience.

Abdulahi would like to someday further explore her new country. In six years, she’s yet to leave the confines of Minnesota.

“There is a lot of diversity but there are sometimes the two groups you can literally see the divide. There’s just not enough trust there. The reason why I got so involved was because I thought at first the people here weren’t used to seeing diverse groups together. I thought to jump over the bridge and just got involved they would see we’re just people, that there’s no difference here.” - Tufah Abdulahi

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Once, Abdulahi couldn’t imagine leaving her insulated life in Ethiopia. She’s now ready to take on the world.

Reach Sports Editor Mike Randleman at 507-333-3119 or on Twitter @fdnmike. ©Copyright 208 APG Media of Southern Minnesota. All Rights Reserved.

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By Nick Gerhardt t wasn’t until Linda Claeson moved to Faribault that she began to fully understand the meaning of community.

When Claeson and her husband, Jack, decided to move to Faribault more than 10 years ago they got a taste of it even before they officially moved in.

They’d purchased the house next to David McDonough and had planned to move into the home piecemeal. But McDonough, who runs a trucking company, offered to move them with one of his 53foot tractor-trailers before the company got started in force. It was a sign of things to come for the

couple who’d spent their entire lives in the east metro.

Jack and Linda have been together since July 17, 1958 when he asked her to go steady. It’s a date that Jack recites in a flash. The two lived near each other on the east side of St. Paul in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood, and though Linda’s father told her to stay away from Jack because of the car he drove − a 1950 royal blue DeSoto with whitewall tires and a loud exhaust − the two became an item.

They’ve been married 55 years now, raised four children, have 12 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

They’ve never felt more at home than they do now in their home on the shore of Cannon Lake.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 30 u u u

Jack and Linda Claeson stand on the deck of their Faribault home on Cannon Lake. The couple moved to the Faribault area 11 years ago and have found their place in a community they love. (Nick Gerhardt/Daily News) Summer 2018

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Though they originally looked in the St. Cloud area for a lake home, they turned toward Faribault after driving along Hwy. 60 on the way to Mankato to visit their daughter, who lives there. They began looking in the newspaper for a place in the Faribault area before finding the house they live in now. They knew it was the right place instantly because it resembled their rambler in Maplewood.

“It wasn’t long before we made the best move of our life,” Linda said.

Linda and Jack knew they’d have to get involved in the com-

munity to meet new people but never did they think meeting people would go so smooth and so easily.

They found a legion of friends at the American Legion and got involved at Divine Mercy Catholic Church.

“They both dove right in,” said Pat Ernste who got to know them through the American Legion.

Now they vacation with other couples from Faribault when they’re not busy volunteering their time.

“We’ve got more friends now,” said Jack, who spent 20 years working for electrical contractor Parsons Electric in Fridley.

“The biggest shock was how friendly everyone was,” Linda said.

“It was overwhelming.”

Jack served in the Army during the Vietnam era and though they were part of the American Legion in North St. Paul, they didn’t find

TOP: The Faribault Heritage Days parade opened with American Legion members carrying the flags from the fairgrounds to Central Park. Jack Claeson serves in the Legion’s Honor Guard and has been post commander. (Daily News file photo) ABOVE: Twenty auxiliary members gathered in the Faribault American Legion May 14 to prepare the poppy baskets volunteers will bring to area businesses. Linda Claeson, third from right, helps organize the effort. (Daily News file photo)

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Summer 2018

it as much of a social spot nor did suburban living provide the sense of community they’ve seen since coming to Faribault.

The community spirit Jack and Linda see in Faribault comes in the form of benefits held for families caring for someone who is ill or the time spent in the grocery store visiting with someone they’ve gotten to know.

Community support was especially evident when Linda dealt with breast cancer in 2012. Neighbors and friends sent a multitude of cards several inches thick when they learned of her illness.

Women from church brought her soup and called to give her advice as she went through radiation.

Kathy Kasten introduced her to a box of hats that has been passed along to women dealing with cancer. The box of hats has grown to include around 70 hats and has been around for many years. It has traveled across the country to help women who have undergone radiation cope with the loss of their hair. It includes a journal where people who have had the box write notes of encouragement and detail their experiences.

When Linda received the box she even got tips on which hats to wear in different situations like finding the right hat to wear at night to stay warm.

“That’s just an example of the caring,” Linda said. “This is just part of their everyday life. It’s overwhelming how kind and caring they are.”

Linda became active in Relay for Life following her cancer bout.

She’s remained healthy since and keeps up an active volunteer schedule.

Linda, who worked as a teller at a bank in North St. Paul and a medical records secretary after the kids got older, helps with the annual poppy drive as part of the American Legion Auxiliary. She and Jack serve as money counters for Divine Mercy as well. They also help with Meals on Wheels while Linda helps with funeral lunches.

Together they joined the senior center and Jack became part of the board of directors.

He’s also served in a variety Linda Claeson writes a column for of positions at the American the Faribault Daily News. Find it in Legion, including post comprint or online at faribault.com on mander. He continues with the fourth Saturday of the month. the honor guard.

“There’s no reason for you not to be busy,” Linda said.

That’s just some of the work they do. Linda has helped with sending packages to soldiers overseas, playing an integral role in helping find soldiers who need those packages. She also serves as the auxiliary’s historian and is the publicity co-chair.

“They didn’t know anybody here, then to come into the community of Faribault and get so active so quickly is a testament to the type of people they are,” Ernste said.

The rest of the family has adopted Faribault as a second home, too, with frequent visits. A group of more than 25 family members came to down for Memorial Day, Ernste said.

“They have definitely fit in,” Ernste said.

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Summer 2018

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Strong relationships and collaboration are a Cannon River STEM School hallmark

By Grace

magWebb ine you’re walking along a wooded trail and come across an empty Coke can. You’d most likely pass it by, or, if you were feeling particularly civic-minded, maybe you’d grab it to recycle later. It would barely register as you continued on your walk.

But for the students of Cannon River STEM School, that Coke can would open up a new world of research, history and science. What year was it manufactured? What significant events were going on in the world that same year? How does discarded aluminum affect Minnesota’s environment? What can be done to help the area become more environmentally conscious? The Coke can would spark — and did spark —educational projects for these students far beyond what you might realize is possible, and it’s all because of the school’s focus on experiential learning.

A new way to learn

CANNON RIVER STEM SCHOOL 1800 14th St. NE, Faribault 507-331-7836 www.cannonriverstem school.org info@cannonriverstem school.org

Cannon River STEM School (CRSS for short) was founded in 2009 as a charter school focused on inquiry-, project- and place-based learning. Located on 55 acres of the campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, it offers students kindergarten to eighth grade the chance to explore the world around them and make connections while pursuing academic studies.

“All charter schools have to have something that they’re doing difCONTINUES ON PAGE 34 u u u

Cannon River STEM School students needed waders May 17 as they emptied a 22½-foot handmade wooden canoe of 1,200 pounds of rock. Once the canoe was brought ashore, it was cleaned and taken for a ride around the pond.

Summer 2018

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STUDY BUDDIES Within the school, different grades become “buddies” to one another, allowing older students to take younger students under their wings. Seventh graders will go to the kindergarten class after lunch to read with their kinder-buddies, while first- and fourthgraders go on a field trip together to the zoo. When the school began a composting project this year, starting with the cafeteria, sixth- to eighth-graders volunteered at lunch as “compost helpers” to help younger kids know what to put in which bin after eating.

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Summer 2018

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ferently to be a charter school,” explained Cheryl Wendt, the school’s incoming executive director. “Utilizing this space of 55 acres, it’s great to try to use all the space we can. A lot of projects come out of that [space] that kind of naturally come up.”

Wendt pointed to one such project that stemmed from a cemetery located on the property. Students were tasked with researching one of the people buried there, which eventually led to a History Day project where they hosted a fair and invited people from the Rice County Historical Society and other community members to come learn about their finds.

“That’s just an example of a project that arises from whatever’s going on around here and utilizing our space,” Wendt said.

According to Wendt, the projects are usually proposed by CRSS teachers, who find inspiration in day-to-day activities.

One teacher recently asked for donations of two-liter bottles to create a greenhouse.

“Our staff has the flexibility to use some creativity,” Wendt said. “You have that freedom to be able to do little things that come up organically. I love when teachers come up and say, ‘Hey, I was thinking of this…’ Great! What can we do to support that?”

Sometimes, people from outside the school approach them about collaborating on a project. A few years ago, a local man, Larry Richie, approached the school about building a traditional dugout canoe styled after the way local Native Americans constructed their canoes. He brought a tree to the campus, and

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LEFT: The canoe, which Cannon River STEM School students pulled out from the water in May 2018, needed to be cleaned out once it was brought ashore. (Photo courtesy of Larry Richie) ABOVE: In this May 2012 photo, Isaiah Caron and Kaitlyn Trahan learn to take dried corn off the cob in order to grind it for cornmeal.

The first-grade students from Cannon River STEM School spent the day with their class at the Rice County Historical Museum. The school often uses local resources, such as the Historical Society, in its lessons. (Daily News file photo)

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the students all had a hand building it during a yearlong project. Once it was completed, they transported it to a local pond and gave each student the chance to ride in it.

Projects range from grade-based to school-based, and some are more of a staple than others, such as fourth graders’ yearly project of working with a naturalist from the River Bend Nature Center to do water testing. (Wendt said the school has now hired a full-time naturalist.) Other recent projects include planting pumpkins in the campus gardens, studying butterflies and learning about bee pollination.

Meeting the standards According to Wendt, these projects allow students to study several different topics at one time, such as a writing project that revolves around the scientific examination of the property’s trees, all the while meeting Minnesota state standards in education.

“I think it’s a delicate balance,” she said. “We want kids to progress academically while doing it in a more nontraditional way.

I think for the most part, it works for most kids. For any student, you’re going to find the best learning environment, and some need a more traditional environment. But for the most part, our students are very successful.”

She added that there is still classroom learning at the school, since there are some things, such as sentence structure, that just

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Summer 2018

Cannon River STEM School occupies four buildings on the St. James Campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, but the two schools are not affiliated with each other; CRSS simply leases the facilities and their 55 surrounding acres from Shattuck.

CRSS is spread across four buildings. The main classroom building, Old Main, was built between 1860-1880 as the St. James School for Boys. Now, the building is used to house grades one to four, the media center and administrative offices. Meanwhile, grades five to eight are located in the middle school building, and kindergarten is located in renovated space in the dormitory building.

The fourth building is the school’s music building.

The land surrounding RCSS includes a ravine that runs along the property, prairie land, a recess area with traditional playground equipment and a fenced-in meadow for kids to explore.

can’t be made into an interactive project. In addition, the school uses standardized testing to track progress, and it also has specialized services, special education, math corps, reading corps and Title I reading.

“When you focus so much on the project-based learning, I think there’s that perception where we’re a school that you just go play,” Wendt said. “Nope. Our test scores are looked at. We want kids to read.”

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OPENING “You can study history, but studying the history of your community is so much more dynamic and engaging for students,” Garwood said.

Another strong connection is with the Milestone Senior Living Care Facility, which is only about 2 miles away from CRSS’s campus. At least once a month, the school’s eighth-graders walk to Milestone to volunteer with the seniors living there, doing crafts and games, singing songs, showing projects and doing outGrand Opening Ceremony door work. Students often continue volunteering into the summer. In addition, Great Food, the kindergarten classes visit regularly as Prizes, Tours & well, putting on performances for special Entertainment events such as Christmas and Valentine’s 1520 17th Street NW Faribault, MN 55021 507-497-2011 • millcityseniorliving.com 1520 17th Street NW Faribault, MN 55021 Day. Community A community you canstyle call…

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“The children have a warm spot in the connections Offering seniors apar tment style living that includes Locally owned and developed with compassion in the gateway of Faribault near the Crossroads Professional Building. seniors’ hearts,” Anne Pleskonko, Independent, andsaid Memor y Care.

CRSS has several strong relationshipsAssisted Locally owned and developed compassion the activities coordinator. in “They Milestone’swith with othergateway Faribault groups, such as the of Faribault near the Crossroads Professional Building. really enjoy that interaction. Sometimes, Rice County Historical Society. According we have seniors who don’t get to see a lot to Susan Garwood, Rice County Historiof their family members, and here, they cal Society executive director, CRSS has INDEPENDENT LIVING get to enjoy someone else’s grandchild or had a relationship with the historical great-grandchild. The kids learn from the society for several years. Students visit for a number of annual field trips and hands- seniors, and the seniors learn from the kids. The school has been so good and on experiences, such as learning about gracious to come our way. We hope that pioneer life in the log cabin behind the ASSISTED LIVING this continues for years to come.” society’s museum and attending “school” Wendt said the majority of RCSS students attend Faribault Public High School after graduating from the charter school, and for the most part, it’s an easy transition. She said that many of their former students show up on the high school honor roll, which is gratifying to see. But, she added, the school is always focused on doing even better when it comes to their students’ education.

“We just [want to] really make sure that we’re equipping everyone with what they need,” she said. “With our STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) background, we’re focusing even more on math for our students to be prepared for high school.”

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Grace Webb is a freelance writer based in Mankato.

APPLYING FOR A SPOT Because CRSS is a charter school, it is able to cap its class sizes. Kindergarten through third grade is capped at 20 students, with two sections of classes available. Fourth through eighth grades are capped at 22 students, with two sections available.

According to Wendt, there is almost always a waiting list for the lower grades, whereas it’s usually easier to find a spot in higher grades because kids often prefer going to the local public school so that they can more easily participate in after school activities. (She added that CRSS students are able to participate in any Faribault Public School activity since they’re Faribault residents.)

In order to address the waiting list, CRSS has a lottery system that is run the second Thursday in March.

“It’s literally rolling balls and placing kids that way,” Wendt said with a laugh.

Once students are accepted, they have the option to continue on for the rest of their academic careers. Preference is given to siblings of current students and children of CRSS employees. In addition, there are sometimes spots that open in the middle of the school year, and then the school goes to its waiting list.

“I think it’s easy to transition into the school midway through,” Wendt said. “We try to make it smooth as possible.”

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Our name, Mill City Senior Living, honors Faribault's history as a hub of the textile industry and recognizes the role the Faribault Woolen Mill has played in507-497-2011 shaping our community over the 1520 past 150 17th years. Street FoundedNW, in 1865,Faribault, the WoolenMN Mill www.millcityseniorliving.com exemplifies the hard work, care, innovation and steadfast commitment to those it serves that we, at Mill City Senior Living, strive to emulate.

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Unique touches add personality to what may be Faribault’s oldest home

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By Misty Schwab

ary Mogren’s stone house isn’t easy to spot unless you know where it is.

But once it’s on your line of vision, it’s hard to look away.

The 20-by-30-foot limestone house on Second Street NE sits a few feet below the street and sidewalk, which the city raised to be level with a footbridge across the Straight River that runs along Mogren’s backyard. Without the stones walls, the house is 26 by 16 feet.

Mogren grew up in Faribault and lived most of his adult life in Lonsdale. After selling his Lonsdale vineyard, he bought the limestone house from a friend, Tim Totten, in 2001, and moved in two years later.

The 25th owner, Mogren believes he’s done more extensive research on the house than any prior owner. For the past four years, he’s collected documents and information about the house from the Rice County Historical Society and the Buckham Memorial Library, among others. He keeps the printouts in a thick binder, and though the timeline he obtained from Rice County is correct, he’s found discrepancies in many of the other documents.

ABOVE: Gary Mogren stands in front of the stone house he’s owned since 2001. The home, situated just feet from the Straight River, may be the oldest built in Faribault. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News)

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The exact date of his stone house’s construction is unknown, but Mogren estimates it was built between 1846 and 1850 based on clues he’s found. In particular, he noted the change of the word “parcel” to “premise” in the deeds. That change in language, he learned, took place around 1850.

According to the Rice County timeline, James Shields, the first one to live on the property, was given the house in 1856 for his service in the military. Shields sold the house to the city’s founding father, Alexander Faribault, in 1859. Because most of the house’s owners lived in the house between a few months to about three years, Mogren thinks the property was viewed as a starter home.

The longest anyone lived in there was 43 years. That was Clara St. Onge, who worked as a dressmaker.

“A lot [of sources] say a dressmaker had the house built, but she didn’t live here until the 1900s,” said Mogren.

Although Mogren first set foot inside the house when Bruce Jensen owned the property in the 1970s, he knew of the limestone house as early as the 1960s when his aunt and cousins lived there.

In the 1980s, Mogren said his limestone house was known throughout Faribault for parties, Memorial Day bashes, and with a large, level grassy area along the Straight, games of volleyball.

Exterior Susan Garwood, Rice County Historical Society executive director, said the stone houses in Faribault reflect a unique architectural style that showcases the high-level skills of craftsmen during a specific era.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 40 u u u

TOP LEFT: The stone house features unique touches throughout, including these stained glass windows in what’s now the kitchen. (Suzanne Rook/ Faribault Daily News) TOP RIGHT: Gary Mogren has a large binder filled with all the data and images he’s collected dealing with his home. He believes it was built between 1846 and 1850. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) ABOVE RIGHT: This image shows Mogren’s house with horses and a carriage passing in front. The home, which he believes is now Faribault’s oldest, was farther from the Straight River before the river moved east. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) Summer 2018

39

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39

“The early quarries really were pretty extraordinary,” said Garwood.

“That same stone can be seen in commercial buildings around town and Shattuck-St. Mary’s [School] and St. Olaf [College] in Northfield. The stone houses are a neat piece of Rice County’s past.”

Mogren said the home’s limestone exterior is inferior to other stones and will likely last about 1,000 years because the stone is soft and will deteriorate quicker than structures made of a more durable limestone. He believes the stone was quarried in Faribault.

OTHERS OF ITS KIND There are other stone houses throughout Faribault, many of which are open to the public during the annual Stone House

“Around the 1900s or so, I think it was kind of an embarrassment to own a stone house,” said Mogren. “You can see where they plastered over the stone to look like concrete block. Now it’s just the opposite – anything made of stone is worth a fortune.”

Although Mogren has kept the front facade — except for a modest portico he added — similar to the original, but has re-landscaped nearly the entire backyard. In 2002, Mogren got 10 truckloads of rock from the Church of St. Patrick in Shieldsville after it was struck by lightning and burned down. Mogren used the rock to build terraced walls into the hill in his backyard.

Tour offered by Faribault Parks and Recreation. Some of these include:

• Thomas McCall House at 102 Fourth Ave. SW, built in 1868

• Louis Carufel House at 425 Third St. SW, built in 1877

• Charles Brandt House at 317 Second St. NW, built in the 1870s

• Vincent Lieb House at 201 Fourth Ave. SW, built in 1862

• J.L. Frisbe House at 105 Third St. NW, built in 1865.

An addition to the 150-plus year old house includes a refurbished 19th century wood stove. One interior wall, which previously was an exterior wall, is natural limestone. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News)

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Summer 2018

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The back deck is a space Mogren likens to a living room because he and his girlfriend, Cindy Dahle, who lives with him, spend so much time there. Mogren built the surrounding trellising, which has vines of all sorts climbing through the rungs, with found sections of iron railing he welded together.

“We just love it out here,” said Mogren of the space that’s a literal stone’s throw to downtown but with the river in the distance, large trees and masses of ferns and plants in every nook and cranny, feels so far away. “I sit out here and play guitar.”

Interior The first room inside Mogren’s front door is the living room, which includes walls of family photos. Mogren decorates his home with antiques and memorabilia from historical locations in Faribault, like a plaque from a 1902 bridge that came down in 1985. He also hangs up objects, like old keys, rather than keeping them in drawers out of sight.

“My sister loves bringing her kids here because it’s like going to a museum,” said Mogren.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 42 u u u

Mogren explains that the limestone used to build his home is not top grade and won’t last nearly as long as high-quality stone. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News)

Summer 2018

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41

The kitchen, the room directly behind the living room, was built in 1936 and contains a 1920s gas stove. Previous owner, Totten, converted the room to a dining room, but Mogren wanted to stay as true to the original home as possible, so he took apart the tall, simple, 1920s-era white kitchen cabinets in his mother’s home and put them back together in his.

“I wanted a modern kitchen, but the oldest modern kitchen I could put in,” he said.

Mogren has allowed himself one very modern convenience: in-floor heating. As a former electrician, Mogren knew how to install the heating system underneath the original flooring without having to remove and replace it.

TOP: The deck on one side of the house is Mogren’s favorite spot on nice afternoons and evenings. He constructed the trellis by welding together found sections of railing. He’s decorated it with glass and metal objects and enjoys watching flowering vines cover the iron each summer.

(Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) ABOVE: Mogren uses lots of found and antique items, like this old bicycle, to decorate his home inside and out. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News)

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Summer 2018

CONTINUES ON PAGE 44 u u u

This stone house is difficult to see even if you’re standing right in front of it. The street was raised when a pedestrian bridge crossing the Straight River was constructed.

(Suzanne Rook/ Faribault Daily News)

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Mogren put on an addition to the house in 2007, making the former exterior limestone part of the interior. Since he serves on the Rice County Historical Society Board and also owns apartments in town, Mogren uses the addition as an office. A freestanding, 18XX round oak stove he restored with parts from several others is one unique feature Mogren added to the room.

Upstairs, Mogren said the house originally had three bedrooms and no bathroom. It now includes a bathroom with a tub and shower, and a single room the same size as the living room below, made from the two remaining bedrooms.

Future plans “I was approached to sell this whole piece of land, and they wanted to knock this house down,” said Mogren. “This is probably the oldest house in Faribault and isn’t in the right condition to knock down.”

Mogren has no plans to sell the house or convert it to anything else. However, he thinks it wouldn’t hurt if future generations turned it into a diner without altering the exterior.

Apart from keeping up with the maintenance, Mogren said the house is just how he likes it. He would, however, like to build a new shop on the flood plain to easily transport objects affected by floods. The current shop on his property is further away from the Straight River.

Mogren participates in the Stone House Tours in Faribault. Those who step inside the house are shocked by the walls’ thickness. Outside the tour, Mogren said one day a complete stranger knocked on his door and wanted to see the whole house. Mogren didn’t think twice about letting the man in, believing his limestone house is worth sharing with the community.

Reporter Misty Schwab can be reached at 507-744-2551. Follow her on Twitter @APGmisty. ©Copyright 2018 APG Media of Southern Minnesota. All rights reserved.

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The facade of Gary Mogren’s stone house facing west.

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THE CHEESE CAVE For several years, the Caves of Faribault included a cheese shop at the factory location for folks to purchase their favorite cheese products. In 2009, though, the store transitioned to a new downtown location because of the level of foot traffic it was attracting.

While “The Cheese Cave” is primarily a cheese shop, it also includes a small fullservice menu, local wines and Minnesota craft beers, with cheese plates being its specialty.

“It surprises me how many people don’t know we offer a full service menu,” Delling said. “People think we’re a cheese shop.

Though that is our focus, we feature all our cheeses on our menu to give you a chance to try them all.”

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Summer 2018

For nearly 100 years, the caves of Faribault have worked their magic

By Grace Webb

I

t’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Just take a look at the Caves of Faribault, which are nestled into the sandstone bluffs lining the Straight River. The humble cheese factory that sits next to the river looks like any other food processing factory dotting a city’s industrial zone. But hidden underground is a vast and fiercely guarded network of 13 caves, stretching a mile and a half long — enough to cover two city blocks. And on an average day, those caves hold a million pounds of cheese.

The Caves have been used to store and age cheese for nearly 100 years, focusing on two types: blue cheese and gorgonzola. Throughout the years, the operation grew, changed and expanded. Cheddar and gouda cheese were brought in to take advantage of the caves’ unique aging capabilities. New owners came and went. But throughout it all, the caves continued to work their magic.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN The caves that run through the dusty sandstone along the Straight River were first used to store beer. In 1854, German immigrants Ernst and Gottfried Fleckenstein carved out a cave for the Fleckenstein Brewing Co., which they used until Prohibition was imposed in 1919. The caves lay dormant until the 1930s, when cheese maker Felix Frederiksen came across them as he searched for St. Peter sandstone, a rare kind of stone that is abundant in Minnesota.

“It’s ideal for aging cheese because it’s wicking water all the time,” said plant manager Jill Ellingson. “Sandstone is very porous, and quartzite is very pure. It never drips in the caves [but] water is always moving.”

Frederiksen set up shop, founding Treasure Cave, Inc. Soon, with the onset of World War II, foreign imports stopped and Americans could no longer buy blue cheese, which at this point exclusively came from Europe. To meet this new need, Frederiksen began

working with a professor at the University of Minnesota to create America’s first blue cheese in 1936 — Amablu (“ama” is Latin for “I love”).

“Ever since, the caves have been an instrumental part in the aging process because they’re continually wicking ammonia,” Ellingson said. “It’s like the caves are breathing all the time, so our cheeses have a very clean, very pleasant taste.”

The caves continued in operation until the 1990s, with the last three caves being dug in 1985. (These were the first caves to be dug by machines; the rest had all been hand-dug.) At that time, the label was sold to Swift & Co., which moved cheese production to Wisconsin and shut down the caves. But in 2001, Jeff Jirik, who had worked at the caves for several years before they shut down, worked with a partner to found Faribault Dairy Co., Inc. (now known as the Caves of Faribault) and reopen the caves.

According to Kristi Deling, retail store manager for the Caves, the company focused on blue cheese — Amablu and St. Pete’s Select — for the first few years before branching into Amagorg (a gorgonzola) and Jeffs’ Select, a gouda cheese that isn’t actually made in the caves but is aged in them.

“It’s blooming with the blue and gets that nice sandstone earthy taste from the sand itself,” she said. “No one else can do it … because of the sandstone.”

BIG CHANGES In 2017, the Caves were purchased by Prairie Farms, a 1,100-member farmer-owned cooperative with a strong presence in CONTINUES ON PAGE 52   

PREVIOUS PAGE: The Cheese Cave shop moved downtown in 2009. It’s primarily a cheese shop, but includes a small full-service menu, local wines and Minnesota craft beers. Cheese plates are its specialty. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) ABOVE: The entrance to the Caves is just west of the Straight River off Third Street NE. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) Summer 2018

51

NO MORE TOURS In the past, the public was able to take tours of the caves to see the magic up close, but according to Delling, that is no long possible due to concerns about contamination.

“We take our caves very seriously,” she said. “There are microflora in there, [and] that’s what makes our cheese so wonderful. Contamination would be a real detrimental thing to our business. We don’t even let our family members go through.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 51

the Midwest.

“There’s a lot of opportunity out there for us,” Deling said. “We went from a five-plant operation to a 20-plant operation with all the different branches of Prairie Farms. I think it’s important to maintain that farmer cooperative base because that’s what makes us special. They want us to succeed. It isn’t like we were just purchased as an asset; they want everyone to be successful.”

Deling said the Caves employed about 1,600 people before the acquisition, but now they have about 6,000 workers. Their reach extends across the entire U.S., with products shipping to Florida, Washington and everywhere in between.

The Caves have also expanded their cheese offerings thanks to partnerships with Wisconsin cheese makers. Besides Jeffs’ Select, the business now ages Fini Cave Finished Cheddar and St. Mary’s Grass Fed Gouda, which are made in Wisconsin and sent to Faribault to age anywhere from 60 days to two years.

They’ve also experimented with a variety of other cheese types, such as Havarti and cheddar cheese curds made fresh weekly at the plant, but Ellingson said they most likely won’t begin to seriously produce or age any other types of cheese any time soon.

“We’re going to pick cheeses in our plant [based on] the micro floras present that enjoy the environment that have the blue molds in them,” she explained. “We could branch out more. We also want to be careful about what we’re bringing in from other cheeses. Blue cheese is one of the fastest growing cheese markets, so we continue to grow with that while trying other fun little things.”

A day in the life Ellingson said days typically begin around 4 a.m. at the caves, with employees showing up to start the three open-top table vats. Milk from family farms arrives at 7 a.m. (90 percent of the milk comes from one farm), and then the process can start. The factory makes six vats of cheese a day, with each vat making 360 wheels (or 2,200 pounds) of

LARGE PHOTO: The factory, which sits inside the caves along the Straight River, makes about 360 wheels (or 2,200 pounds) of cheese per day.

(Photo courtesy of the Caves of Faribault) ABOVE: In 2017, the Caves were purchased by Prairie Farms, a 1,100-member farmer-owned cooperative with a strong presence in the Midwest. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News)

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Summer 2018

cheese. The next day, employees salt the cheese, and the next, they do it again, before punching the blue cheese with holes to allow for mold growth. (Ellingson said contrary to what many people believe, the mold is not injected into the cheese during the punching process; rather, it is already present in the ingredients in the vat.)

The cheeses are then put into the cure cave and left open to the environment, where the air movement in the caves allows for the famous blue veining. The caves sit at a natural temperature of 52 degrees, but the cheeses are eventually moved into even colder caves, where they are sealed off to inhibit oxygen flow as they continue to age. The blue cheeses age for at least 60 days, while the gorgonzola stays for at least 90 days.

Meanwhile, Jeffs’ Select is aged for two years, staying in the open for nine months before workers hand flip it and rub the rind down to prepare it for aging.

“We care for it as we would any little being,” Ellingson said. “We call them our little babies because we’re out there all the time taking care of them.”

The care shows — the caves’ cheese has won dozens of awards in recent years from major cheese players such as the North Central Cheese Industry Association, the American Cheese Society and the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association. In 2014, St. Pete’s Select earned second place in the blue-veined class at the World Championship Cheese Contest, and AmaGorg and St. Pete’s Select both placed in the top three of their classes at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in 2015.

“We call it the magic in the caves,” Ellingson said.

“They’re always remembering what’s in their history.

The caves are as important to our recipe as our actual recipe.

Grace Webb is a freelance writer based in Mankato.

FRENCH VS. AMERICAN When it comes to American blue cheese versus traditional French blue cheese, Ellingson says there’s a difference — but not a very big one.

Citing “little variations,” she explained that Roquefort blue cheese is made with sheep milk, while Amablu is made with cow’s milk.

She added that Roquefort cheeses are usually creamier than their American cousins.

LEFT: The caves, first carved out in 1854, lay dormant until the 1930s, when cheese maker Felix Frederiksen came across them as he searched for St. Peter sandstone. (Photo courtesy of the Caves of Faribault) RIGHT: The blue cheeses age for at least 60 days in the caves, while the gorgonzola stays for at least 90 days. (Photo courtesy of the Caves of Faribault) Summer 2018

53

Experience Faribault

Little Shop of Horrors 7:30 p.m. July 27 and 28, and Aug. 2, 3 and 4 2 p.m. July 29 and Aug. 5 Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave. A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, “Little Shop Of Horrors” has devoured the hearts of theatregoers for over 30 years.

This musical is one of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows. “Little Shop of Horrors” — the charmingly tongue-incheek comedy about a maneating plant.

Directed by Paul Johnson Member: $15 | Non Member: $17 | Student: $11 Call: 507-332-7372 | Visit: paradisecenterforthearts.org

Ben Hanson of Boundless Roots farm in Clinton Falls helps a customer with a head of cabbage at a September 2017 Faribault Farmers Market. The market hosted its annual Family Day, bringing in a variety of familyfriendly exhibits and lots of local families.

Faribault Farmers Market 7 a.m.-noon Saturdays through October 1:30-5 p.m. Wednesdays July through September Central Park Find a large variety of local foods and artisanal goods including vegetables, baked goods, fermented vegetables, jams, coffee, eggs, meat, flowers, jewelry, woodworking and personal care products.

The market has only vendors from within a 15-mile range.

Many accept Allina Bucks, some vegetable vendors accept WIC. Visit: Faribault Farmers’ Market on Facebook

Shari Cullen, left, and Jan Drewitz, both breast cancer survivors, embrace just before the luminary lighting During the 2017 Relay for Life. Drewitz, a longtime Faribault educator, taught alongside Cullen’s mother, Karen Parker.

Parker, who died in 2016, was a cancer survivor and had walked alongside Drewitz in prior Relays.

(Daily News file photo)

Relay for Life of Rice County 6 p.m.-until Aug. 3 Rice County Fairgrounds, 1814 Second Ave. NW A fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life is coordinated by local volunteers, many who’ve battled cancer or had a loved one with the disease. The event, which includes music, games and time to remember loved ones lost and honor survivors of all cancers, helps fund cancer research and aids area residents going through treatment. Join a team, donate and come out and support those fighting cancer!

Are you ready for some football?

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Summer 2018

Aug. 11 Downtown Faribault The festival, which celebrates its 10th year in 2018, is a community-sponsored, volunteer-operated event for the Paradise Center for the Arts.

This end-of-summer celebration features a family-oriented mix of live music, arts and crafts, barbecue competition, great food and activities for all ages.

Visit: pcabbq.net | Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival on Facebook

Watch for OUR NEXT issue PUBLISHING IN, DECEMBER HAVE AN IDEA OR SUGGESTION? Contact Suzanne Rook at srook@faribault.com

Bruce Smith Field The Faribault Falcons open their season at home against the Owatonna Huskies at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31. The conference matchup pits the Falcons against a squad that took the state 5A championship in 2017. Bethlehem Academy also has a game that night, but it’s at United South Central in Wells. They return home Saturday, Sept. 7 for a 7 p.m. game versus the Bulldogs of JanesvilleWaldorf-Pemberton. JWP was 1-8 last season.

Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival

Fleur-de-lis

Visit: RelayForLife.org/ RiceCountyMN | Relay For Life of Rice County MN on Facebook

JoyAnn Parker’s blues band played under the hot sun at the 2017 Blue Collar Barbecue and Arts Festival. (Daily News file photo)

The Faribault Falcons football team takes the field ahead of their 2017 homecoming game Friday night against Rochester Mayo.

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www.edwardjones.com

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Greg Lee

Financial Advisor 404 Heritage Place

Financial Advisor

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www.edwardjones.com

distributions can be taken free of penalties or taxes.* You may even benefit from converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. At Edward

Edward cares about Jones, weJones spend time getting to know yourthe goals so we can help To learn more about why an Edward you reach them.

Paradise Center for the ArtsJones Roth IRA may make sense for you, call or visit today.

With an Edward Jones Roth IRA, any earnings are tax-free and

Cate Grinney, CFP® 404 HeritageFinancial Place Advisor 1645 Lyndale Ave N Faribault, MN 55021 Faribault, MN 55021 To learn more about why anPlace Edward Jones Roth IRA may 404 Heritage www.edwardjones.com ard Jones Roth IRA*Earnings may distributed from a Roth IRA may be subject to taxes and a 507-334-1666 507-334-9936 make for you, call or visit today.

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507-334-1666

Tom CateKlemer Grinney, CFP®

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

Financial Advisor Financial Advisor

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Faribault, MN 55021 507-334-1666

404 Heritage Place

Greg Lee

Financial Advisor 1645 Lyndale Ave N

Faribault, MN 55021 Faribault, MN 55021 To learn more about why an Edward Jones Roth IRA may www.edwardjones.com IRA*Earnings may distributed from a Roth IRA may be subject to taxes and a 507-334-1666 507-334-9936 make sense for you, call or visit today.

10% penalty if the account is less than five years old and the owner Member SIPC is under age 59½.

Tom CateKlemer Grinney, CFP®

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

Financial Advisor Financial Advisor

158 North Water St, Ste 4 Northfield, MN55021 55057 MN 200Faribault, 8th Ave NW 507-334-1666 507-663-0325 Faribault, MN 55021 .

Heritage IRT-1196E-A EXP 31404 JUL 2019 © 2017Place Edward D. Jones & CO., L.P. All rights reserved.

507-334-3149

*Earnings distributed from a Roth IRA may be subject to taxes and a 10% penalty if the account is less than five years old and the owner is under age 59½.

Jake Womeldorf Financial Advisor

318 4th St NW Faribault, MN 55021 507-332-2957 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

Cate Grinney, CFP®

Financial Advisor 507-332-2957

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your attorney or qualified tax www.edwardjones.com *Earnings distributed fromregarding a Roth IRA may be situation. subject to. taxes and a advisor your

507-334-3149

10% penalty if the account is less than five years old and the owner is under age 59½.

Member SIPC

404 Heritage Place Faribault, MN 55021 507-334-1666

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www.edwardjones.com

56

Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor 404 Heritage Place

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200 8th age Ave 318 4th St NW ½. isFaribault, under 59NW 507-334-1666 507-663-0325 Member SIPC Faribault, MN 55021 Faribault, MN 55021 .

Member SIPC

Jake Womeldorf

Cate Grinney, Grinney, CFP®CFP® Cate Financial Advisor

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Tax-free Income Is the Best Gift You Can Give Yourself at Retirement

IRT-1196E-A EXP 31 JUL 2019 © 2017 Edward D. Jones & CO., L.P. All rights reserved.

Summer 2018

Member SIPC