Northfield NOW Summer 2019

Northfield

SUMMER 2019 • ISSUE 3

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now L I V E / W O R K / P L AY

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St. Dominic’s School expands STEM program across grade levels Vintage Band Festival showcases city, dozens of bands Food trucks add flare and flavor to Northfield food scene

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NorthIeld

NOW- Summer 2019

publisher: CHAD HJELLMING

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Volume 2, Issue 3

Northfield NOW Published Summer 2019 by: Northfield News 115 W Fifth Street, Northfield, MN 55057 northfieldnews.com Š

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contents 6 St. Dominic School expands STEM program across grade levels.

12 Gettin’ in tune with the fifth Vintage Band Festival set showcase 100 bands.

20 Photo Gallery:

Wells has passion for nature

photography.

26 Annual 500-mile trek just one way Dave Wolf pays it forward.

32 Food trucks add flavor to

Northfield food scene.

38 In her own words.

44 Honor of a lifetime for

Northfield native christens USS Minneapolis-St. Paul.

This issue of Northfield NOW is delivered to all subscribers of Northfield News for the low cost of $1.00 per issue, deducted upon delivery from your account balance.

If you decide it’s not for you, you can opt out of future issues by contacting customer service at 507-645-5615 or kmorrison@northfieldnews.com. Nonsubscribers can purchase copies of Northfield News for $2.00 each.

Aramis Wells can draw inspiration for a photo from merely looking up, like with this photo of a full moon and a clear sky. (Photo courtesy of Aramis Wells)

Dave Wolf said his favorite part of riding in the on the Northfielder Habitat 500 is the camaraderie he has with fellow racers, who approximately $300,000 for the organization every year. cover: raise (Sam Wilmes/Northfield News)

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Jenifer Dvorak (Manager) 507-837-9023

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get home. With an irreverent and witty twist, the story depicts Odysseus’s 10-year journey and encounters with iconic characters such as Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon, Calypso, the Sirens and others.

Northfield Rice County Fair Farmers Market July 16-21 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tuesdays and Fridays, and from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays starting May 11 and running through the end of October in Riverside Lions Park, Northfield.

Rice County Fairgrounds, Faribault

A celebration of all things Rice County: from the beautiful summer weather to the 4-Hers and their array of projects to the cotton candy and pronto pups.

Features fresh seasonal fruits The Fair, now in its 146th and vegetables, flowers, year, returns July 16 for a plants, baked goods and six-day run, bringing with it crafts. rides, entertainment, a beer Visit Northfield Farmers garden, plenty of animals Market on Facebook. and exhibitions, and of course the crowning of the county’s royalty, which this year includes girls and guys.

Visit ricecountyfair.net

Riverwalk Market Fair 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays beginning June 1, Bridge Square, downtown Northfield

‘The Odyssey’

Open-air market along the Cannon River. Locally grown produce, artisan foods and a selection of artwork.

Each week a different mix of events, music and activities for all ages. Rain or shine.

Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third Street West

7:30 p.m. Aug. 2, 3, 9 and 10, and 2 p.m. Aug. 4 and 11

This dramatic adaptation of Homer’s myth begins with Visit riverwalkmarketfair.org a modern young woman struggling to understand Robert Fitzgerald’s translation of “The Odyssey.”

A classical muse appears, and the woman becomes the goddess Athena — a tireless advocate for Odysseus in his struggle to

Tickets: $17 adults, $12 seniors/students Visit northfieldartsguild.org

Defeat of Jesse James Days Sept. 4-8; events spread across Northfield One of the largest celebrations in Minnesota, it honors the residents who fended off the marauding James-Younger Gang, including the notorious Jesse James. Defeat Days starts with a graveside service honoring Joseph Lee Heywood, the banker killed during the attempted robbery. The event begins in earnest Friday evening and continues through Sunday with plenty of entertainment, a carnival, rodeo, arts festival, vintage baseball, a car show and two parades. The centerpiece of the weekend is the narrated bank raid re-enactments on Division Street. Raiders on horseback and townspeople in period costume perform eight times over the weekend, carefully detailing how the townspeople fended off the despots.

Some events require a Defeat Days button, available locally late summer.

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More than an acronym St. Dominic School expands STEM program across grade levels Story and Photos By ANNE KOPAS akopas@northfieldnews.com

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or Kelly Lynn StantonNutt, STEM is an acronym that’s more than the sum of its parts.

The term — referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics — may seem like a redundant concept, since schools

are already teaching these subjects.

But Stanton-Nutt, art teacher and STEM specialist at St. Dominic School, has turned it into a unique program that combines one or more of these topics with higher-order thinking skills like problem-solving, creativity and collaboration.

Students at St. Dominic still take regular science and math classes, reading textbooks and solving math problems. A few times a

week, they also get STEM time, which looks nothing like traditional textbook learning.

During STEM time, students might test solar ovens in the afternoon sun in CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 NorthIeld

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

an attempt to make s’mores program robots to knock down rows of dominoes or design carriers that keep plants stable, watered and well-lit for days at a time.

An expanding program Three years ago, the program was for students entering kindergarten, then later expanded to cover up to second grade, and finally up through fifth grade.

The biggest change, however, will come during the 2019–20 school year. Since 1978, seventh- and eighth-graders have split their time between the preschool through eighth-grade private Catholic school and What was once the St. Dominic School computer lab is now Kelly Lynn Stanton-Nutt’s STEM room.

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the Northfield Middle School. St. Dominic covered language arts, religion, general music, physical education and social studies, then sent middle schoolers over to the public school for science, math, health and other electives, which it lacked the supplies and staff to teach.

Now, St. Dominic has hired a part-time teacher for Algebra One and Two. State science standards are changing so that schools don’t necessarily need specific geoscience or life science teachers, as long as schools cover the standards somewhere between sixth and eighth grade, meaning St. Dominic’s current middle school teachers can share the teaching load.

The school will continue its non-STEM middle school programs, but will now be able to blend the grades, teaching history to

HERE TO STAY From 2000 to 2010, STEM-related jobs grew at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs, according to the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Regardless of education level, workers in STEM occupations outearned non-STEM workers by 12–30 percent.

Today’s STEM activities prepare young learners for future challenges society will need to face: 870 million people worldwide don’t have enough food, and 780 million don’t have clean water. China’s electricity consumption grew 134 percent over the last decade.

NASA aims to step foot on Mars in the next 20 years, and much of the workforce that will eventually tackle these issues is still in elementary school.

Read more pf the Smithsonian’s STEM report at ssec. si.edu/stem-imperative. Learn more about St. Dominic School at schoolofstdominic.org.

St. Dominic School is a private Catholic school in Northfield. Originally named Rosary School, the building opened in 1927, later becoming St. Dominic in 1959. From 1928 to 1947, it was also a boarding school.

seventh- and eighth-graders one year and geography the next. The only program St. Dominic can’t cover will be band; even electives like cooking or sewing may be on the schedule next year.

Seventh/eighth-grade teacher Kelli Helgeson is excited to take advantage of the time saved by eliminating the bus period each day.

“Before, when they were transitioning back and forth between buildings, I didn’t have enough time for them to go volunteer,” Helgeson said. “There’s more actual academic minutes, more instructional time.”

The school is getting a little extra support from a $7,500 grant awarded in April by the Minnesota Independent School Forum, which will help cover the costs of curriculum and equipment for both the middle school program and the existing elementary STEM program, including cooking supplies, sewing machines, science kits and more. It’ll also help fund training to get teachers acclimated to the new equipment.

“It’s one thing to throw a bunch of equipment into the building,” Stanton-Nutt said. “It’s another to say, ‘We’re know that teachers are busy. We’re going to make sure you know how to use it, and you’re excited to use it, otherwise it’s going to get put in a corner.’”

St. Dominic third-graders measure the temperature of a solar oven used to cook s’mores outdoors during a STEM period.

STEM in real life Middle schoolers taking science will still work on observational nature journals, read

about geoscience and meet the same statewide standards as students in public middle schools.

After all, most of the experiment-heavy work requiring technical equipment like bunsen burners or dissection tools happens in high CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 NorthIeld

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school, Stanton-Nutt said.

But St. Dominic middle schoolers will combine their STEM with community engagement, taking the program a step further. Plans are already in place for students to work at the city of Northfield’s water treatment facility, which expects a need to double its capacity by 2033.

real-life engineering problem into an easy-toread narrative. The classic egg-drop experiment becomes a quest to design protective cases so that Jack can safely collect the golden eggs laid by the goose in “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Other stories tackle topics like getting clean water in Botswana, adding an element of multicultural education to STEM. The technology piece of STEM has also

Students will learn about the filtration system and propose their own ideas about repurposing grey water — water from baths, sinks and household appliances — which the city currently doesn’t use.

“It’s a great time to put ideas into their heads,” Stanton-Nutt said. “It gets them thinking about how they interact with utilities in our community, and how they can be a voice of change.”

Other potential projects include engineering toiletry bags for the Community Action Center’s transitional housing services, working with the food shelf to promote healthy eating choices and making frozen treats with the founders of St. Olaf grad-founded JonnyPops.

At younger grade levels, students begin STEM experiments with storybooks that turn a

made its way into the rest of the classrooms.

Gone is the computer lab with desktop computers lined up in rows; now, each St. Dominic student gets an iPad loaded with the same apps used at Northfield Middle School.

This makes things easier for students who graduate from St. Dominic and head to public high schools. But it also makes learning more immersive along the way, said teachers.

Sixth-grade teacher Lori Beumer uses the iPads to enhance social studies lessons. In lessons about Native American history, students can listen to authentic voices tell their stories through audio recordings. Since the textbook is stored on the device, students can also access a wider range of interactive content.

“It’s always best to be able to go there, but you just don’t have enough time in a day,” Beumer said. “But you can pull up maps and pictures, so you’re able to readily use internet for something as simple as that.”

Northfield’s other elementary schools are

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also embracing the ideas of STEM, with students learning basic coding, engineering classroom structures and blending technology into the classroom.

Among those leading the charge is Greenvale Park Community School, an afterschool and evening program.

Interactive activities are key to the STEM programs, said Savannah Stuckmayer, Community School coordinator. A recent class had kids making their own board games, blending literacy and critical thinking skills. Others participate in a STEM or coding club.

The other popular STEM activity is a family science night, where kids and families work together to rotate through activities like circuit boards, Sharpie tie-dye, slingshot airplanes and mini animations.

Since the Community School is a state grant-funded program, the Minnesota Department of Education encourages STEM-related activities. But it’s more than that, Stuckmayer said — it’s about letting students discover their potential through things they already enjoy.

“Kids in general really love things where they can work with their hands and build things,” she said. “I think kids in general are so much smarter than people give them credit for.”

STEM is present throughout Northfield schools, but St. Dominic is the only one dedicating time for a specific STEM period during the regular school day, as far as Stanton-Nutt is aware. And while the trend is often to incorporate STEM starting with older grades, St. Dominic did the opposite.

“We’re one of the few programs starting at the bottom and growing with the kids,” said Stanton-Nutt.

Learning through failure A pillow in Stanton-Nutt’s STEM classroom is printed with the phrase “Mistakes are proof that you’re trying.” It’s a nod to the larger ideas taught in STEM, beyond the coding and building, that apply to any student, even if they never touch a robot or run an experiment again after graduation.

“Learning through failure is a big part of how the STEM program works. That’s how inventions happen. That’s how change happens.

Just getting them into that mindset that if at first you don’t succeed, you do get to try again in this room,” Stanton-Nutt said.

She compared the step-by-step process of collecting data, organizing it and figuring out how to use it in STEM to writing a paper, pointing out how the concepts translate across

curricula.

These skills have value regardless of what careers students eventually pursue, they said. And even when students may take jobs that don’t even exist today, learning to think is universal. Especially when it keeps kids excited about in schoolwork.

“Are we keeping our kids’ imaginations going in a society that seems so bent on testing, testing, testing? I think it’s critical that we create creative problem-solvers, because that is the key to the future,” Stanton-Nutt said. “I know it seems small, that we’re doing this in this tiny little room, but I really am thinking big picture.”

Reach Reporter Anne Kopas at 507-333-3148.

Follow her on Twitter @NFNanne.

Second-graders at St. Dominic work to problem-solve why a Botley robot isn’t going the direction they expected. Making mistakes — and learning from them — is a big part of the school’s STEM philosophy.

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Gettin’ in t

Fifth Vintage Band Festival to s

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Story By GRACE BRANDT gbrandt@northfieldnews.com

his August, Northfield will be transformed into a living history set piece as dozens of period bands sweep across town.

Not a fan of the baroque brass quartet playing outside the library?

It’s OK! You can walk across town to hear a joyful German polka band instead. Maybe you prefer early 20th century Americana… Well, that band is playing out by City Hall. Are you a Civil War history buff?

The 34th Infantry Division band will be decked out in perfect Civil War uniforms, playing refurbished instruments from the 1860s at Veterans Memorial Park.

That’s not even mentioning the traditional Belgium band, jazz band, Matterhorn alphorns, mariachi band or wind quintet.

It’s all part of the Vintage Band Festival, which takes place during the first weekend of August. More than 35 bands will arrive in Northfield to stage concerts showcasing hundreds of years of musical history. And with more than 100 concerts planned for four days, there’s something for everyone.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

n tune 100

o showcase

As they did in 2010 and 2013, the Matterhorn Alphorn Trio will stroll the downtown streets of Northfield, playing period music during this year’s Vintage Band Festival. (Photo courtesy of David Perez Photography) Many of the bands perform in period costume.

(Photo courtesy of Vintage Band Festival)

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Ten of the 38 bands come from out of state or outside the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Band Festival) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Making music According to Vintage Band Festival Artistic Director Paul Niemisto, the festival started as a happy accident and quickly took on a life of its own.

Niemisto, who has been a band director in Northfield since 1978, came up with the idea to organize a musical event in Northfield after hearing residents talk about how well suited the town is for arts and cultural events.

“Everyone was saying, ‘There should be a really nice arts festival here,’” he said. “The town has all the trappings for it — an historic emphasis, an ‘old’ look.”

In 2006, Niemisto invited the International Society for the Promotion and Research of Wind Music to visit Northfield for a music conference he hoped to organize. As planning continued, he decided to add some entertainment for his inter-

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national guests, who were coming from Austria.

Wanting to show society members what wind music groups were like across the U.S., Niemisto started inviting bands to come play in Northfield at the same time. By the time the conference took place, Niemisto had brought together nearly 40 bands from the U.S. and Europe.

“We started to talk to some bands … and then we talked to some more bands,” he said. “We began to see the possibility of something coming together for this. It wasn’t more than a couple months later that it became very clear to me that what I had was a band festival with a conference as a sideline, rather than the other way around.

That’s how it started.”

Niemisto said the first event was a grand success, much like he had anticipated.

“All of those things that I said to myself beforehand came true,” he said. “The town embraced the idea. The next question was, ‘When should we do it again?’”

Starting a tradition Niemisto said it took a while for the event to gain momentum as a Northfield tradition, because there was so much involved in planning it. However, he eventually gathered a group of people together to form a nonprofit organization and start receiving grants from other organizations such as the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council and Minnesota Arts Board Legacy Fund. The board of directors is made up of 12 volunteers, who meet at least monthly throughout the year, and hundreds of other volunteers help make each event possible.

Because of how much work goes into planning a four-day musical extravaganza, the festival doesn’t take place every year. Instead, it has come to Northfield in 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Besides connecting with bands, VBF volunteers also need to work with the city of Northfield to obtain permissions for things, work with area CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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STRIKE UP THE BAND What: The Vintage Band Festival Where: All around Northfield When: Aug. 1-4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

organizations such as the Northfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, set up sponsorships with local businesses and coordinate for space outside pubs and restaurants.

“It’s a totally volunteer organization putting it on,” Niemisto said. “There’s nobody that gets paid, no executive director… It takes $120,000 to put it on, and we can’t come up with that kind of money every year. We like to take a little break, ease out a little, think about what’s going on, get time to communicate with other bands. This is the best we can do.”

Besides Northfield, the festival also hosts concerts as “satellite” communities, such as singleevent concerts in Owatonna, Austin, Red Wing, Cannon Falls and Faribault in the days leading up to the actual festival. During the festival itself, Niemisto estimates that about 12,000-15,000 people will attend various concerts, and he added that about 80 percent come from outside Northfield.

“The first time, it shocked me,” he said, “but then I realized that is sort of what Northfield is becoming: a magnet for people from the larger urban areas for a nice day in a quiet village. It’s

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really great.”

Niemisto said that in between festival years, one way to keep interest high is by hosting mini-festivals, which take place during one Saturday in summer and feature a multitude of bands from Minnesota. Last year, 11 bands performed during the day-long event. “[These were] at the demand of the public,” Niemisto said. “They want to have something going on in the town at that time, even if it’s only one day. It works as a fundraiser and attentiongetter, [and it] keeps the spirit of the Vintage Band Festival alive in the off years.”

Banding together When it comes to finding bands to play at the festival, Niemisto emphasized the importance of offering a variety of music so that there’s something for everyone. He said one major type of band is the Civil War re-enactment band, with band members who show up in period-appropriate uniforms and play on authentic, restored 19th

Cost: Donations are accepted For more information, visit vintagebandfestival.org or Vintage Band Festival on Facebook.

century instruments.

This year, one such band is coming from Washington, D.C., and two others are coming from Nebraska and Arizona.

Another major type of band is the ethnic band, showcasing music from around the world. This year’s festival will feature German and Bohemian bands, Balkan country music, a mariachi band, a Banda band, a band that utilizes Alp horns, New Orleans-style jazz bands, Dixieland bands and old town “Americana” bands. “[These have] a linguistic, stylistic tradition that is part of the American scene that needs to be celebrated and enjoyed,” Niemisto said.

There will be other types of bands as well, featuring brass quartets, string quintets, chamber music, a baroque trumpet band, a swing band, a British brass band and others.

Niemisto said sometimes bands approach CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE STARTING UPPER LEFT: The 1st Brigade Band, of Wisconsin, was one of 30 bands that played 100 concerts during the 2013 Vintage Band Festival. This year, 38 bands will be featured, including the 1st Brigade Band. (News file photo) A member of the Historic Fort Snelling Fifes and Drums marched into Bridge Square during the 2017 Vintage Band Festival. (News file photo) Drummers from the Historic Fort Snelling Fifes and Drums march in Bridge Square to the stage for the 2017 Vintage Band Festival in Northfield. The festival returns to Northfield in August. (News file photo) Rush Wagner conducts the New Prague Community Band.

The band, which played at the 2017 Vintage Band Festival, is again set to perform at the 2019 fest. (News file photo) NorthIeld

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Bands play throughout Northfield during the Vintage Band Festival.

This year, some bands will play in surrounding cities in the days leading up to the Aug. 1-4 event.

(Photo courtesy of Vintage Band Festival)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

the VBF board, and he will see if they can fit in somewhere. He added that the board tries to keep a balance between re-inviting “old friends” who’ve played at previous festivals and finding new bands to expand the available offerings.

“We try to keep the old, and try to find the new, and try to balance it out,” he said.

Niemisto said the festival has had around 3540 bands for the past several events, which results in about 100 concerts throughout the four-day festival. Because of this, he recommends that anyone who wants to attend the festival first look up its schedule so they can plan which concerts to hit and when. Some days tend to have themes, while it’s also easy to hunt down a specific style of music that is continually offered throughout the day at different locations.

Another thing for music lovers to remember is that while the festival is free, donations are crucial for VBF to continue organizing future musical events. Niemisto recommends donating between $25-100, depending on how many days people want to attend.

“We rely heavily on donations from our audiences,” he said, adding that previous years have raised fairly robust donations. “[People] should consider this the same thing as going to a big festival in the city. We’re just counting on people’s

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The 26th North Carolina Regimental Band plays during the 2013 Vintage Band Festival. (News file photo)

honor to take care of this.”

But the biggest goal, Niemisto said, is to simply put on an event that music lovers of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy together.

“We want to be vigilant about changes that need to be made,” he said. “We’re not going

to make changes just to be different, but we’re willing to look at what we’re doing and see what needs to be done. We want people to keep coming back.”

Grace Brandt is a freelance writer based in Mankato.

4 days • 40 bands • 100 concerts

In cooperation with the Northfield Convention and Visitors Bureau www.visitingnorthfield.com

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

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With trips big and small, long and short, Wells has passion for

By MICHAEL HUGHES mhughes@northfieldnews.com

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LEFT: A snowy owl flies close to the ground near Vermillion.

T

ABOVE: A photo of a monarch butterfly at Minneopa State Park near Mankato.

hrough the years, Tiana and Logan Wells have become better adjusted.

Aramis Wells, Tiana’s husband and Logan’s father, has a penchant for photography, and more specifically, a tendency to wander off and stare at a specific aspect of nature for hours while trying to capture a photo that’s to his liking.

“Ten minutes of looking out at a waterfall, that’s pretty good for me,” Tiana said, “and then I’m wanting to get back in the car and go somewhere else, whereas Aramis can spend forever looking at the same waterfall from a different angle, up high, down low. We learned really quick to bring bags of snacks and coffee or water and books galore.”

Sometimes even the contents of the bag aren’t enough to entertain them for long enough, sending Tiana and Logan off to a coffee shop nearby with instructions from Aramis on when and where he thinks he’ll be ready to be picked up.

This is all part of the evolution for Aramis, 41, who’s grown increasingly infatuated with photography, specifically landscape photography, through his time living in the Northfield area. He first picked up the craft toward the end of his high school years, back in 1996.

That initial interest was stunted, however, due to the high costs associated with film.

“It was hard to master your art while paying for all this junk film,” said Aramis, who lives in

Dundas.

Then Aramis and Tiana met back in 2001 and soon welcomed Logan, now 17. Child care zapped much of what was left of Aramis’ free time, and as a result pushed photography out of his life. Then, a couple years later, he started working at Malt-O-Meal, and with his first bonus check he purchased a digital camera.

“That got me the taste again, because you could shoot as much as you wanted to free and it was amazing,” Aramis said.

Through a love of bartering and Craigslist, Aramis slowly built up his equipment by buying it used and flipping it for a higher price or for a camera he fancied more.

Recently, he’s added drone photography to his repertoire, which allows him more flexibility to capture Photographer Aramis Wells. what he loves most — nature.

Sure, he says he’ll document the occasional event if he’s asked, but that’s not what scratches his photography itch.

“I love being able to see all the different sites and photography is a good excuse to get CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 NorthIeld

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LEFT: A photo taken with long exposure of the starry night at the base of Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

ABOVE: A photo of the 2017 solar eclipse, taken at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

there,” Aramis said. “To be able to say, ‘Let’s go to Yellowstone.’ Well, is there a reason to go? Yeah, I can take pictures. It’s a good way to justify a trip.”

Those trips are almost always by car as well.

For Aramis, it’s a way to ease his mind that the equipment he’s spent years building up won’t be tossed around in an airport.

For Tiana, the incentive for those hours in the car is an opportunity for conversations. That extends to the eventual destination as well.

“For me, it’s where I get to spend time with my

son,” Tiana said. “It’s usually pretty quiet wherever we go, and I can actually have him, and there’s no cell phones, there’s no Wi-Fi, it really is just, ‘Hey, how you doing today?’ Then after awhile it’s, ‘Oh, man, do we have keys to the car and can we go to a coffee shop?’”

This summer, those trips are set to skyrocket, although Logan might not be along for the ride as much. He’ll spend a few months in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, as a counselor at a Boy Scouts camp, which frees up acres of time for trips.

Typically, through a combination of work, in addition to Aramis serving as an on-call fire fighter with the Northfield Fire Department and spending time working on the Rice County Planning Commission, there are not a lot of free weekends to pack up and escape.

With one less serving on the plate, Aramis and Tiana are freer to get away this summer.

“He’s now to the age of where he doesn’t really care if mom and dad come and visit that much,” Aramis said. “He enjoys his friends there, and it’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

TOP: A photo of the fireworks show over the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis during the Minneapolis Aquatennial.

LEFT: A photo taken of Northfield firemen during a 2017 open house event during Fire Prevention Week.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

TOP: A photo of the Duluth skyline taken from the canal.

ABOVE LEFT: Sometimes, long trips aren’t necessary to Aramis Wells to find a nice nature shot, like with this one of a stream in Caron Park in Rice County.

ABOVE RIGHT: While his on-call work with the Northfield Fire Department might make it harder for Aramis Wells to escape for a weekend, it also presents some unique photo opportunities.

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not stressful to go to this big, scary camp with all these strangers.”

The photography bug has never infected Tiana or Logan the way it has Aramis, but they still enjoy the journey it takes to reach a spot Aramis deems is far enough off the beaten path to snap a photo that’s worthwhile.

Those trips have involved countless rides up to the North Shore, where Aramis says there are countless hidden gems only a few minutes away from the attractions that populate guide books.

“All those right in a row on the North Shore, they’re just so stunning and really pretty vacant parks if you get off the mainstream areas,” Aramis said. “Even Gooseberry, if you walk a quarter-mile in up the river, there’s no people there even if there’s thousands of people walking the falls. It’s a fun place to go for a day to get away from people and get out in nature.”

That’s Aramis’ preferred day trip.

When asked for his favorite backdrop for a photo, he rambles through wanting to return to Utah’s Zion National Park and Arches National Park, and says he might owe Arizona’s Grand Canyon another shot in the winter when he can stand to be out in the sun for a longer period of time.

Ultimately, though, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming remains unchallenged.

“There’s so much there,” Aramis said.

“You could spend a month there and see new things all day, every day and you’d still have a list of things that you didn’t get to. It’s just such an amazing place. Between that and Tetons, it’s such a large expanse of different things to see.”

With that many potential photos, and Aramis’ penchant for extended stays, Tiana and Logan might need to bring a second bag of snacks and books.

Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 6451106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports.

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Leaving a mark Wolf along a route during a recent Habitat 500 journey. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity)

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Story By SAM WILMES swilmes@northfieldnews.com

itting on the porch of his Northfield home on a warm late spring afternoon, Dave Wolf contemplated his afternoon bike ride, a 20-mile journey that allows him to do something he loves.

Wolf has developed that passion into a way of paying it forward, raising thousands of dollars over the last four years for Rice County Habitat for Humanity while riding in the Habitat 500 Bike Ride, a 500-mile trek that raises an average of approximately $300,000 for the 28 Habitat for Humanity chapters in Minnesota.

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He will ride his bicycle in the 500-mile ride July 14-19 in northern Minnesota. Wolf begins the ride in Hermantown, heading to Hibbing and Aurora before returning to Hermantown. For Wolf, biking was something he has done since his college years. A recreational biker at the University of Minnesota, he didn’t purchase his first road bike until 2004.

Wolf’s Habitat for Humanity involvement was a sort of pre-retirement planning five years ago. He didn’t retire from paid work until the end of 2016.

“It was an intentional effort to get involved,” he said. “I’ve learned all kinds of construction trades, which I didn’t have before. Yesterday I was installing flooring.”

Wolf and the approximately 140 other riders are responsible for

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raising at least $500 for Habitat for Humanity through the linked fundraising campaign from March to December. Last year, Wolf helped raise more than five times the minimum requirement — more than $2,700.

He has consistently outpaced minimum expectations, raising approximately $1,200 his first year, doubling that to around $2,500$2,600 the next year.

As of early June, Wolf had raised $2,100 of his $2,500 goal this year.

“I’ve been blessed that I’ve established a good group of donors that are willing to sup-

port this effort,” he said.

The bike ride allows participants, some of whom have participated for 20 years, to develop a sense of camaraderie, an aspect Wolf says is his favorite part of the journey. The group does not stay in hotels during the trek, which can include 83 miles in one day. Instead, they stay in high school gyms and are provided meals by local service committees.

Wolf plans to ride again next year.

“I probably won’t be riding as fast as I was last year, but I can still do the distance,” he said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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Volunteers work on a build site of a Habitat for Humanity home in Rice County.

The local organization os part of Habitat for Humanity International, which works with qualifying families to build a home and purchase the property by obtaining an affordable mortgage. (Photo provided) Dave Wolf tapes around bathtub walls during construction of one of the many Rice County Habitat for Humanity homes he’s helped build. (Photo courtesy of Dave Wolf)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

“It’s an adventure, a highlight. It’s a challenge.”

As a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, Wolf has helped build 10 homes and is a member of the Go Team, a group of 12 to 15 key volunteers who meet Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to help build homes in Rice County.

Pay it forward approach spans decades Wolf’s life of service has been etched since his time at the University of Min-

nesota, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and was enrolled in the school’s ROTC program.

Wolf followed his education with a fouryear stint in the Air Force, including three years flying mid-air refueling KC-135 airplanes while based in Dayton, Ohio.

“That was different,” he said. “That was a good experience.”

Following his military stint, Wolf returned to Minnesota, initially working for Eden Prairie-based Rosemount Inc. as a marketing engineer, followed by another six-year stint at Sheldahl as an applications engineer and product engineer. After a 14-year tenure in the printed circuit CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

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Dave Wolf, pictured here near his Northfield home, has helped raise thousands of dollars for Rice County Habitat for Humanity and is in his fourth year riding in the Habitat 500. (Sam Wilmes/Northfield News)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

board industry, Wolf was employed with a small business before retiring.

Wolf, the first person in his family to attend college and who now lives on Northfield’s east side, is empathetic to families who do not have a stable home and are forced to move frequently.

“You can imagine that if children are disrupted every four to six months into a new living environment, it takes a toll on their stability in school and how they perform,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity to pay it forward,” he said of his Habitat for Humanity service. “It’s a big part of what volunteers do. Obviously, I live in a nice home and had a successful career, and yet I came from a family of eight kids, so I have a sense of how it is to have less of an opportunity.”

Wolf’s pay it forward approach spans far beyond his volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. He has been involved with numerous committees through his membership with Northfield United Methodist Church since

1981, having served on the Trustees Committee, Stewardship and Finance Committee and Capital Campaigns Committee. He also donates platelets, a blood component that only has a shelf life of five days. The blood is normally used by cancer patients who would not survive if they did not receive the donation. At last count, Wolf had donated 315 units.

Wolf has been a Rotary Club of Northfield member since 2003, serving as board treasurer from 2012-18.

“I’ve also served on committees for two of the major annual fundraisers — the Jesse James Bike Tour and the Turkey Trot 5K run,” he said. “The proceeds from these fundraisers are used to support both international and local service projects.”

In explaining part of his motivation for volunteering, he quoted a guiding quote from John Wesley’s rule for Christian living:” “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever … you can!”

Wolf’s belief in an essential teaching of Christianity is a motivator for his extensive

volunteerism.

“Many Christians believe that part of being a Christian is serving others, and that is certainly a motivating factor,” he said. “Those that are blessed should certainly share their blessings.”

Thanks in part to Wolf’s work, Rice County Habitat for Humanity has helped construct approximately 50 homes since 1993.

Wolf helped reconfigure a Northfield hotel into affordable housing in 2000, an effort begun by local churches.

Reaching out To Rice County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Dayna Norvold, Dave Wolf “is a committed Habitat volunteer and a committed biker.”

“So the Habitat 500 is a natural fit for him,” she said. “We’re so grateful that Dave is willing to commit a week of his life to this event.

He will for sure be successful. He’s a great rider, and the ride is well-supported by Habitat for Minnesota.”

Biking 500 miles in one week is a significant

“Many Christians believe that part of being a Christian is serving others, and that is certainly a motivating factor. Those that are blessed should certainly share their blessings.” - Dave Wolf 30

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Northfielder Dave Wolf participates in a recent Habitat 500 race. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity) RIGHT: Taken in Two Harbors before the final leg of the 2016 Habitat 500 are, from left, Dave Wolf, Jon Otto and Tim Hanson. The men participated in the event in an effort to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity. (Photo courtesy of Dave Wolf)

challenge, and to Norvold, Wolf fits the bill of someone who would undertake the task.

“He loves biking, and I think he sees it as a personal challenge to accomplish,” Norvold said. “The people who go on the Habitat 500 are a group of folks who love Habitat for Humanity and who love biking.”

Other ways to raise money for Habitat for Humanity include coming to a building site and doing handiwork, which could include swinging a hammer, installing siding or laying flooring, or bringing meals to volunteers.

Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota Development and Communications Director Kristin Skaar has met Wolf on four rides and attended a family owner picnic in Rice County he hosted.

“Dave is just a really thoughtful guy and really excited to be supporting Habitat for Humanity,” Skaar said.

Skaar is familiar with Wolf’s effort for the

organization. Skaar and Wolf help an organization whose main goal is to build homeowner strength, stability and self-reliance. Homeowners are required to contribute 350 hours of time helping Habitat for Humanity employees construct their homes, and once they are in them, their mortgage payments are limited to a maximum of 30 percent of their income, which must range between $25,000 and $64,000.

Skaar helps support Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the state, helping them build more homes, gain funding and coordinate events.

The bike ride is not the only way Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise money. Breakfast

and silent auction fundraisers take place, and at least one rider is involved with Habitat for Humanity efforts in the Philippines. Some of the local fundraisers for other causes also include the Tour De Save ride meant to raise suicide awareness, a ride dedicated to fight multiple sclerosis and other fundraisers.

Reach Associate Editor Sam Wilmes at 507-645-1115.

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F

Story By NICK GERHARDT editor@northfieldnews.com

ood trucks come in nearly as many varieties as there are taste buds. And for the past five years they’ve become a mainstay in Northfield.

The mobility of a food truck makes it an attractive option for venues that don’t serve food, but want to add it,

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and they’re an easy way for vendors to build a business.

Maria Estrada has operated a food truck since before they became the “in-thing” to do.

She started Maria’s Taco Hut back in 2005 and has experienced the highs and lows of the business. She’s also gone from cooking food in a trailer to a frying up food in a brick and mortar restaurant in downtown Northfield.

When Estrada started in the food truck business, she had a hard time even finding an

insurance carrier since the business model was something insurers didn’t know how to cover.

Eventually she found an insurance carrier in Northfield for her food truck, and now she operates Kahlo on Division Street.

“We learned a lot before opening a restaurant,” Estrada said. “I learned who my customers were, how to estimate quantities, how to solve problems.”

Back in the early days, Estrada traveled to county fairs and festivals around southern Min-

In 2016, Maria’s Taco Hut, operated by Northfielder Maria Estrada, was named Best Food Truck by SouthernMinn Scene readers.

Last year, it was runner-up. (News file photo)

nesota, hoping for good weather on those days because poor weather meant poor sales and a truck full of unused, perishable product.

Estrada found enough success and built a presence through relentlessness that led to her traditional restaurant space. Her taco hut became visible at most Northfield community events -- from soccer games at Spring Creek Park to The Defeat of Jesse James Days. Inbetween, she held pop-up dinner events and became a regular at the popular Food Truck

Tuesdays at First United Church of Christ during the summer.

When Imminent Brewing opened in Northfield in 2017, it welcomed food trucks, too. In fact, the brewery opened with the intention of hosting food trucks by incorporating a space on the patio for the trucks to park. Now, there’s a rotation of food trucks that appear nearly every weekend. Chapel Brewing in Dundas also hosts food trucks.

DID YOU KNOW? Food trucks, like all retail food operations in Minnesota, must be licensed and meet and follow state Department of Health regulations.

Before they begin operating, food truck operators are required to meet with an inspector to ensure the truck meets standards and that food is stored, prepared and held in a safe manner.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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Northfield neighbors Mandi Overman, left, and Robin Billet started the Burrito Barista food truck together. Each have restaurant backgrounds.

(News file photo)

Burrito Barista co-owner Mandi Overman hands a customer coffee. Overman and Robin Billet run the business and take turns running the cash register.

(Nick Gerhardt/Northfield News)

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Mandi Overman, who runs the Burrito Barista with Robin Billet, takes money from a customer at the Riverwalk Market Fair. Overman and Billet opened their food truck operation in 2018. (Nick Gerhardt/Northfield News)

Customers take a look at what the Burrito Barista food truck has to offer at the Riverwalk Market Fair in downtown Northfield. The food truck sold out its food that day. (Nick Gerhardt/Northfield News)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

It’s been a win-win for the brewery and food trucks. Breweries can offer food without the additional cost of an industrial kitchen, and food trucks have another venue to sell. Food trucks at Imminent Brewing have included Russell’s Traveling Kitchen, The Local Plate, Noris Cuisine, Med Box Grill, Smashed Potatoes and More, Potter’s Pasties and El Jibarito Puerto Rican Food Truck.

The food truck craze in Minnesota took shape about four years ago when licensing became easier. In 2010, Minnesota licensed just 10 food trucks, but now that number has grown more than 10-fold. The Minnesota Food Truck Association lists 128 food trucks alone.

That doesn’t mean it’s all that simple to open a food truck. Finding a spot to put a food truck remains a bone of contention for food truck operators. Last year, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study ranked Minneapolis as the fourth-toughest city to get a food truck running.

Locally, it’s still tough to find a spot to park a food truck.

Mandi Overman takes an order from a customer at the Riverwalk Market Fair in downtown Northfield. The Burrito Barista offers five types of breakfast burritos.

(Nick Gerhardt/Northfield News)

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People lined up for the first “Food Truck Tuesday” offering at First United Church of Christ. More than 150 people were served from Gastrotruck out of Minneapolis, organizers said. (Submitted photo)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

Maria Estrada, right, runs Maria’s Taco Hut in Northfield, offering a selection of Mexican dishes and generally appearing at summer events around the community. Estrada, who formerly ran Maria’s Mexican Grill and Taqueria in the Q-block, opened a new restaurant, Kahlo, in the downtown. (News file photo)

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Downtown Northfield has long faced parking issues, and trying to get a food truck into two or three spots is just about impossible unless there’s cooperation from a business.

Mandi Overman and Robin Billet run Burrito Barista, a food truck dedicated to breakfast burritos and coffee. They’ve found a regular spot from 6 to 10 a.m. Fridays outside of Cenex along Highway 3 because they established a relationship with the business and Cannon Valley Co-op. They’ve established a regular crowd there, Billet said. They also bring the truck to the Riverwalk Market Fair on Saturdays and appear at other venues like Golden Oak Farm in Webster.

Billet and Overman opened their truck last summer and had plans to operate it in the winter, but like a lot of food truck owners, found it’s pretty tough to keep a truck going during a Minnesota winter. One, the weather presents a set of problems, especially for food trucks, where things can freeze, and two, it’s hard to find events to sell food.

Food Truck Tuesdays Food Truck Tuesdays at First UCC helped jumpstart the food truck movement in Northfield by providing vendors a space. The lineup included a mix of local trucks as well as trucks from the Twin Cities. In short time it became a hit, especially with students from nearby Carleton College.

Gastrotruck, one of the first trucks at Food Truck Tuesdays, served about 150 meals the first day and had to turn away another 50. Gastrotruck came from Northeast Minneapolis. Other vendors included Estrada, Natedogs, Moral Omnivore and Potter’s Pasties & Pies.

First UCC envisioned Food Truck Tuesdays as a way to connect with the community. The church brought out chairs and tables for foodies and even enticed food trucks with gas cards or a guaranteed minimum in sales to make the drive to Northfield. It brought exciting food options to Northfield that weren’t always available and it brought community members out.

While the food trucks will remain on the move, it appears the trend isn’t fading anytime soon, and that’s a good thing for local foodies.

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Story By MAGGIE LEE editor@northfieldnews.com

Life and legacy January was my birthday month, and I’m now 89 years old.

I never expected to live this long, and I certainly didn’t think I would be working at this age. But I fortunately chose a profession that I love. And thank goodness, the News is willing to put up with me.

As a child and teenager I was sickly, but things began to straighten out for me when I reached my mid 20s. I had been valedictorian of my high school class but had not felt well enough to go on to college. However, I became very bored staying home. I had much enjoyed mathematics in high school, and I suddenly decided that I could attend a business college for a year or two and become a bookkeeper.

I was able to pay the tuition upon enrolling, having saved up babysitting money and gift money I had received through the years. The classwork was easy for me, except for typing. I just couldn’t combine accuracy and speed. All of a sudden, I had finished everything else and was “typing only.” That’s when having paid tuition in advance proved to have been a wise move. The school was eager to get rid of me!

They started sending me out on interviews, and I was quickly hired by the bookkeeping department of a Minneapolis clothing store that no longer exists. I was very pleased with the salary, and at first I enjoyed the work. I had been a member of the staff of the student newspaper in high school and had loved doing that. Now I began to question my idea of training for bookkeeping. For fun evenings, I wrote short stories and I wrote letters to many relatives and friends. World War II was going on, so I didn’t aspire to owning a car, gasoline being rationed, etc. I went home to Northfield frequent weekends by train. One weekend as I boarded, someone waved to me and called to me to share her seat.

It was Margaret Starks, who later became a close friend. She was a daughter of Nellie Phillips, who wrote social items for the News and the “Mom” column regarding Northfield young people in service.

While we visited on the way to Northfield, Margaret suddenly said, “You should look into it, the News needs a bookkeeper. I thought to myself, “I will look into that!”

I can’t remember whether Margaret gave me a ride home or whether Dad was there to meet me, but I know I went into the front door and walked through the house to the kitchen where Mother was at work. I said to her, “I hear they need a bookkeeper at the Northfield News. She replied, “Yes, you have an appointment at 7:30.” (I had told her the only reason I would ever return to Northfield would be to work at the paper.)

Well, I was hired, and I’ve been here ever since. One of the reasons I wanted the job was that I hoped I would get to do some writing. And sure enough, I was able to get the bookkeeping done in half a week and I could spend the other three days writing. I suppose I did that for a year. But then Norman Roe, a brother of the publisher, Herman Roe, arrived on the scene. He was an accountant and had been working for the government. But he had taken seriously ill and had separated from the government work.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

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Maggie Lee circa 1955

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Photo dated October 1957 LEFT: Jacobsen’s Store Bed Race promo photo circa 1965 features Maggie Lee. Also pictured are Bob Jacobsen, Ed Little, Ed Klinkhammer and Robert ‘Schultzie’ Schultz. (Photo courtesy of Northfield Historical Society) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39

Now he was feeling better and was willing to take on the books at the paper. I got to write full time. After a while, I was named editor and did that for 19 years.

I stepped down from editing when I turned 65, but no way did I want to stop writing. I had become active in the Northfield Historical Society, so taking over “Do You Remember” was a natural. And I continued my personal column. As the years have gone by, I have become healthier. When I turned 75, a bunch of my allergies disappeared. I just have food allergies left. Maybe I can be rid of those, too. I’m really looking forward to the 90s!

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Former Northfield News Editor and longtime columnist Maggie Lee was named the 2009 Joseph Lee Heywood award winner. Here she is pictured on Sept. 9, 2009, during the Heywood banquet in the Northfield Ballroom. (News file photo)

A person can still ride a train When I was a child and even when I was in my 20s, I very often went somewhere on a train. During World War II, train travel again became most satisfactory because gasoline was expensive and buses were always having flat tires out in the “middle of nowhere.”

I renewed my acquaintance with trains when I used to spend a spring weekend as guest of the John Schillbergs in Osceola, Wisconsin. Mrs. Schillberg was the former Martha Miller Closson of Northfield. We had been across-the-street neighbors in Northfield. After my mother died, Martha invited me to spend Mother’s Day weekend in Osceola.

I can’t remember when part of that weekend became a historic train trip. John was a member of the crew, dressing up in a railway employee’s uniform and giving a lecture on what we were seeing as the train went through a picturesque portion of the countryside. Our party was seated on both sides of a table and served a very tasty dinner.

Well, Martha has been dead for many years now. John remarried and I had lost track of him, had no idea whether he was still alive. Recently, the Castle Rockers travel club, of which I am a member, advertised a Sunday ride on the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway, and I just had to do that again. Was John still a member of the crew, I wondered. Was he still alive?

Kay Rathke of Northfield, who is a member of the Castle Rockers board, and I made the trip along with a good number of Northfielders.

We went by Northfield Lines from the Waterford area to Osceola. I was surprised when we stopped in Stillwater for dinner. It was the historic Freight House where we ate, having a choice of a chicken sandwich or a hamburger with very good “trimmings.” I was mystified, but soon we were underway to Osceola.

We got there quite a bit earlier than the time to board the train, so we rambled around the streets in the rather small city. I didn’t see much that I remembered. A copy of the Osceola-St. Croix Valley Railway News that we were given included a brief history of Osceola. I learned that the town was named for a much-admired Seminole Indian chief. In its early years, the settlement depended on steamboats to bring in needed goods and to export farm products. The town celebrated in 1887 when a long-awaited rail connection gave them access to the outside world. The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, currently known as the Soo Line, CONTINUED ON PAGE 42 NorthIeld

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TELL ME MORE Longtime Northfield News reporter, columnist and editor Maggie Lee, who died in July 2013, remains a beloved figure in her hometown. Not only did she serve the community throughout her 68 years at the News, her fingerprints are all over the town she loved.

Maggie was among a group of Northfielders who helped found the Northfield Historical Society.

She pushed for the redevelopment of historic downtown buildings and envisioned the city’s Riverwalk, putting a focus on the iconic Cannon River.

Throughout her years at the News, Maggie wrote thousands of stories and columns highlighting her hometown, its history and the people who contributed to its story. Here are just two of them.

Northfield’s Riverwalk was an idea of Maggie Lee’s following a vacation trip to San Antonio, Texas. There, she saw how that city used its river as a focal point and felt Northfield ought to do the same. (Suzanne Rook/ Northfield News)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41

came through Osceola. Now, except for the Sunday special trains, there has been no train service since 1961.

The Osceola article said that Oliver C. Wyman, who made a fortune in the wholesale dry goods business in Minneapolis and had a summer home in Osceola, wanted his wealthy weekend guests to be welcomed at a railroad station of suitable elegance. He pressed the Soo Line to erect a much better depot than a community the size of Osceola could expect.

Well, mostly I remember the Dairy Queen, and fortunately, since we hadn’t had dessert at Stillwater, we had time to buy one there before boarding the train.

I was surprised as we climbed aboard the train that the car was nothing like what I remembered. There were no tables. I “sunk to China” in the seat.

But later I learned that there were more expensive cars on which food was being served on tables between seats.

All of a sudden I saw John. I was able to hail him down, learned that he 42

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Maggie Lee speaks during the 2010 dedication of a segment of the Mill Towns Trail named in her honor. The Maggie Lee portion of the trail runs along the Cannon River between Seventh and Fifth streets. (News file photo)

is still working aboard the train. He is 88 years old. The “crew” is entirely made up of volunteers. It’s lucky that I saw him, because he was working in another car.

The scenery was beautiful, but leaves hadn’t started to turn there — that was Sept. 26. I would have liked to have been aboard a car where there was a lecture, although I am not sure that it would be like what I remember.

I’m mystified about the train. I was not aware that we turned around, but suddenly we were on the way back to Osceola. Maybe there was an engine on both ends!

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southernmnscene.com Southern Minnesota is a wide open and gloriously diverse place, full of spectacular events, amazing characters, fantastic food and an abundance of hidden treasures.

We want to know what you love best about things down here. This is your chance to sound off about your favorite band, the best burger you’ve ever had, or your favorite place to get away. Nominations are open through July 24th. The winners will be announced this fall, in the November issue of SoMinn SCENE. NorthIeld

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Honor of a

lifetime

NORTHFIELD NATIVE CHRISTENS USS MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

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Sponsor of LCS 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Jodi J. Greene, Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy, speaks during the christening and launch. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corp.)

A Story By SUZANNE ROOK editor@northfieldnews.com

shipyard on the border between Wisconsin and Michigan was for one day crowded with Minnesotans who showed up to watch the launch of the U.S. Navy’s newest combat ship, named in honor of the Twin Cities.

The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul was dropped sideways into the water June 13 at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, about 55 miles north of Green Bay. The ship is designed to be fast and agile in order to conduct missions close to shore.

The ship’s sponsor, 1990 Northfield High School graduate and Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy Jodi J. Greene, christened the ship by smashing a bottle of champagne against its bow, the EagleHerald reported. Greene said her role CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

VADM G. Dean Peters, USN speaks during LCS 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) christening and launch.

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LEFT: Northfield native and Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy Jodi J. Greene christens the future USS Minneapolis-St. Paul. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corp.)

BELOW: LCS 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, was christened and launched at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

Department of the Navy policy initiatives that improved naval capabilities and enhanced maritime security, including the U.S.-UK Statement of Intent on Carrier Cooperation and Maritime Power Projection, a U.SNorway Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Surveillance Cooperation, and the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Security Initiative,” said a statement read during Greene’s Presidential Distinguished Rank Award ceremony.

The launch CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45

as sponsor has allowed her to reconnect with her Minnesota roots in the last few years.

“Being the Navy sponsor of the future USS Minneapolis-St. Paul is the honor of a lifetime,” she said.

“Littoral combat ships are designed to operate in more areas than a typical Navy ship, including shallow water near the coastline,” said Greene.

“Consequently, [the ship] is going to bring the name ‘Minneapolis-Saint Paul’ all around the globe.”

Greene spent her childhood and adolescence in the city, before graduating early from NHS and heading to the Air Force, where she quickly moved up in the ranks. She eventually retired from active service and landed in executive positions. She moved up the Navy ranks over a couple decades’ time.

Previously, she was the senior director for

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policy in the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy, the country director for Russia in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and the country director and senior director for Korea in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.

In early 2018, Greene received the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award, one of the highest awards that can be bestowed to senior executive in the United States government. All awards must be approved by the president.

“Ms. Greene developed and advanced key

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, DMinnesota, who keynoted the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul’s July launch, praised those who built it and those who will serve aboard it.

“You are the backbone of America’s industrial base,” she said, directing her comments to shipyard workers. “You make our economy strong and that’s very important for making sure that we have a nation that is secure for future generations.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

BELOW: Northfield native and Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy Jodi J. Greene, third from left, prepares to christen LCS 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, Saturday. (Photos courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corp.)

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OPENING LATE 2019

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about Northfield’s newest, most vibrant community!

Independent living with comfort and style Assisted living that simplifies daily life Person-centered memory care Contact us to join our special interest list

507-216-4875 or www.BLCNorthfield.org Join us for these upcoming events to learn more about senior living and the wonderful community we live in:

Coffee Talks

Every first and third Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Blue Zones with Danny Buettner FiftyNorth | June 24, 4:30 p.m.

RSVP at 507-216-4875 or Kernal.Buhler@bhshealth.org Sales Office: 2010 Jefferson Road, Suite C Community Location: 2030 North Avenue, Northfield, MN 55057