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Scene Freeze!

It’s a Year in Review Also inside ...

8 16

In Memoriam

A look at some of those we lost in 2017.

Super Bowl Entertainment

The Twin Cities are gearing up for a full-scale invasion for Super Bowl LII.

SHELDON

Winter 2018

THEATRE

“Manual Cinema is talent incarnate…[their] elegant“Second live-scored to ‘silent none.” films’ evoke sweetness, poignancy and fright.”

– Dance Magazine – Time Out New York

MANUAL CINEMA

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Voted 2017 BEST MICROBREWERY in SoMinn SCENE

We welcome everyone to our family/dog-friendly taproom & patio for music, fun, food trucks, and local craft beer.

Thursday 4-11 Friday 4-11

Saturday 12-11 Sunday 12-8

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CONTENT JAN/FEB 2018 / VOLUME 6 / ISSUE 1

Features: 8 In Memoriam

18 The Unprecedented Imapct

of STAR WARS

Remembering the stars passed in 2017.

The next major installment in the

series has arrived.

14 3...2...1! Ring It In 2018!

20 The TimeLine

Where to ring in 2018 in Southern Minnesota.

16 Super Bowl Entertainment

The Twin Cities are gearing up for a full-scale

invasion for Super Bowl LII.

COLUMNS:

3 0 Get Fit In SoMinn

6 The Tigger SCENE

3 2 The Bookworm Sez:

Small Town Music SCENE.

1 2 Minnesota Music SCENE

My Top 5 MN Women in Music.

26 Mollywood BLVD

2017 Grabbed Us By the...

SoMinn’s most comprehensive

calendar of things to be SCENE.

27 Trivia

23 Arts and Entertainment

2 8 Woldum TV

Year in Review

Small screen, big heroes.

Scene

ABOUT

Have a story idea?

Editor Philip Weyhe - 507-333-3132 editor@southernminnSCENE.com

• ‘It;s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree’

by A.J. Jacobs

• ‘The Last to See Me’

by M Dressler

• ‘Member of the Family’ by Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman

• ‘You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v.

MGA Entertainement Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side’ by Orly Lobel

3 3 CD Review:

• The Tunnel’s End - Marlon Craft

Communities take center stage.

Southern minn

2018 Gyms to see

HAVE A CALENDAR EVENT?

editor@southernminnSCENE.com or got to www.southernminnscene.com/ calendar

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Copyright 2018 SouthernminnSCENE.com retains the publication rights to all content produced or supplied to the SCENE. Use of said materials without the written consent of SoutherminnSCENE.com is prohibited. Contents copyrighted; all rights reserved.

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| JAN/FEB 2018

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THE Tigger SCENE

TIGGER LUNNEY Tigger Lunney is a writer, talker, veteran of the music industry and Minnesota politics, and the overly opinionated dad of two overly opinionated kids.

Twitter @tiggerlunney.

Small Town Music

R

SCENE

ock and roll — and when I say rock and roll, that includes the best blues, the best hip-hop, the best metal, the best country, the best soul, the best of all music — has a pretty standard myth narrative to it. Some kid with a dream moves to the big city, catches the eyes and ears of people in the scene, and makes it big. New York, LA, San Francisco, Memphis, Nashville, Detroit, Seattle: these were the hotbeds, where it all happened, where everything was moving and shaking. It’s an idea that’s buried as deep in rock lore as ‘that girl/guy is gonna break your heart.’

I came of age in the earliest stages of what ended up being called the “alternative revolution” (a name so boring and bland that it would be ironically funny if it wasn’t invented in a board room somewhere), nowhere near a big rock and roll town. My little Kentucky town where I was raised by displaced Minnesotans had two record stores — one for the kids who liked rap and one for the kids who liked rock — and as a patron of both, I was about as rare as a unicorn. When I discovered that I could get away with an 80-mile round trip on Sunday nights to the nearest city, Lexington, KY, for all-ages shows at the local rock club, I did so weekly, even if I didn’t care about the bands playing, I was just desperate for something besides my friends’ cover band playing “Master Of Puppets” from the back of a trailer in a hay field.

Lexington had some decent bands but was never going to be the sort of place where you made it big. Even as “alternative” meant that record label reps were suddenly leaving their big cities to scour little places with oddly big scenes like Chapel Hill, North Carolina for the next big thing, becoming more like baseball scouts showing up at games played by obscure minor league teams, Lexington wasn’t going to be more than a blip. Or, as the graffiti over the urinal in that seedy little rock club said: Lexington is the next — a) Seattle b) Chapel Hill c) Richmond, Kentucky (circled, in black sharpie) I don’t expect any readers to know what Richmond, KY is. That’s the point.

But the one thing that those scrappy all-ages shows — and even those hay field trailer shows — gave me was a sense of immediacy. I got to hear bands from inches away. I got

to watch them set up their amps. I got to watch sound guys wire up stages. I got to see the musicians with no dressing room sitting on the back patio smoking weed and hanging out, just like those of us who dropped the 4 or 5 dollars to see them play.

And when the time came to drive a couple hours to see some big festival or huge arena concert to see the bands that were all over MTV and literally driving radio stations to recreate themselves, I loved the experience of seeing them live, but part of me wished I’d caught on to them a year or two earlier so I could see them up close and personal, rolling out of a broken down van and playing a tiny stage on a Sunday night in a town best known for basketball and thoroughbreds. Sure, I was excited to move to the Twin Cities for college at age 18 and never looked back. I ended up working at a world-famous rock club or two. Man, I even got to stand next to Prince. But I hardly ever got excited to see a band play the Target Center. Heck, sometimes friends drove to Mankato to see bands on tour that couldn’t get a show in Minneapolis.

What I’m saying is: I probably wouldn’t have worked in the rock industry for more than a decade or be writing about music in my 40s without those scrappy bands playing that tiny stage. And now, in the internet age, it’s easier than ever for scrappy bands, or even scrappy individuals, from Rochester to Fairbault to Albert Lea to Fairmont, to carve out a place for themselves. Hell, you don’t even need to live in the same place as your bandmates to record. Minneapolis and Saint Paul have a ton of amazing bands doing cool stuff, but when you can just record and share your stuff on Bandcamp or YouTube, you have a worldwide big city at your fingertips.

There’s a place for a big, respected scene in the new internet world. You’re surrounded by people who are going to encourage your good work and challenge your bad work — something that doesn’t happen in a real way from a YouTube comment. But no matter where you are, the tools to create are there.

I’m still learning the Southern Minnesota Scene. I’m an old, jaded crab who’s seen 10,000 bands live, and I’m not always going to like what you like and I’m not always going to get excited about what you do. But I am excited at the opportunities people have to create amazing stuff.

So show me what you got. SMS

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In Memoriam

BY Philip Weyhe and Molly Penny Some blurbs from Entertainment Weekly

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Carrie Fisher

Dec. 27, 2016 OK, so the title literally says ‘Lost in 2017,’ and our first guest died at the end of 2016.

But Carrie Fisher died after we went to print for our January 2017 issue, and we simply couldn’t leave her out, here. (And she’s not the only one).

Throughout her life, Fisher was at once brash/brutal/rude and completely and totally likeable. She was most known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, and recently chronicled her experience filming those movies in the 2016 memoir The Princess Diarist. She returned to the franchise in 2015 for a cameo in The Force Awakens.

Her final movie feature is playing now – Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Fisher battled through well-publicized fights with drug and alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder. She had her better moments and her worse ones. But she was always honest. Always non-conformist. Always unquestionably hilarious.

One example fits perfectly with this year’s myriad sexual assault and harassment allegations. Fisher’s friend, Heather Ross, told of how Fisher stood up to an Oscar-winning producer after Ross disclosed to her that she’d been assaulted.

Fisher hand-delivered a package to the hotshot at Sony.

“It was a cow tongue from Jerry’s Famous Deli with a note that said, ‘If you ever touch my darling Heather or any other woman again, the next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box,’” Ross

Debbie Reynolds

Dec. 28, 2016 Like we already said, there were a few who died at the end of 2016 that needed their dues in this magazine. Debbie Reynolds, the mother of Carrie Fisher, fits the bill.

Screen and stage legend Debbie Reynolds died Dec. 28 at age 84 after a possible stroke, just one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died at age 60.

“She wanted to be with Carrie,” Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher told Variety. Spanning nearly seven decades, Reynolds’ career dates back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, when she signed with Warner Bros. at 16 and went on to star in Singin’ in the Rain (1952).

The American sweetheart’s personal life drew as much press as her career; in 1959, her marriage to Eddie Fisher crumbled when the pop singer left Reynolds for close friend Elizabeth Taylor. Reynolds later revealed she reconciled with Taylor when the icons found themselves on the same cruise before Taylor’s death in 2011.

A singer with a No. 1 Billboard hit under her belt (“Tammy” from her 1957 movie Tammy and the Bachelor), Reynolds was also known for her energetic live shows in Las Vegas. Throughout her multi-faceted career, Reynolds collected Hollywood memorabilia, including Marilyn Monroe’s white subway dress from The Seven-Year Itch, which she sold for $5.6 million in a 2011 auction.

George Michael

Dec. 25, 2016 Forgive us for going a little out of order to start here, but we wanted to kick off with Carrie and Debbie. This next entry was no less a star, though.

Singer-songwriter George Michael was found dead on Dec. 25 at his home in England. He was 53. As one-half of musical duo Wham! with bandmate Andrew Ridgeley, Michael catapulted up the music charts and into the hearts of teenagers in the early 1980s with hits like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and his shaggy hair and tight jeans.

Bit by the solo bug, Michael traded bubblegum pop for risqué fare in 1987, declaring “I don’t need no bible” in “I Want Your Sex,” the first single from his first solo album, Faith, which also spawned the rockabilly-soul hit of the same name.

The singer’s art was overshadowed by his personal life in 1998 when Michael came out as gay following an arrest for lewd behavior.

He went on to release new music — his 2004 album Patience was partly inspired by his relationship with former long-time partner Kenny Goss — and triumphantly belt his anthem “Freedom! ‘90” at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony. Michael largely remained out of the spotlight following his Symphonica tour in 2012.

Tilikum the Orca

Jan. 6, 2017 On Jan. 6, Tilikum, the killer whale that was the subject of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s 2013 documentary Blackfish, died after suffering from a bacterial lung infection.

The orca, who lived in captivity at SeaWorld Orlando, was believed to be about 36 years old.

After his involvement in the deaths of three people between 1991 and 2010, Tilikum was at the center of the controversy over the ethics of keeping performance whales in captivity, the question and consequences of which the critically lauded Blackfish explored.

In 2015, two years after the documentary’s release, SeaWorld announced that it would stop breeding orcas and phase out its killer whale shows.

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Mary Tyler Moore

Jan. 25, 2017 A Minnesota television icon, Mary Tyler Moore died Jan. 25 at the age of 80. Moore got her breakout role on The Dick Van Dyke Show as Van Dyke’s character’s adorable wife, Laura Petrie. She won two Emmys in the part, which she played for the series’ entire run, from 1961–66.

It was with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, however, that the actress broke boundaries for women in television. She collected three more Emmys for her work on the sitcom, which ran from 1970–77 and in which she played Mary Richards, a sweet, single, careeroriented 30-something.

Many of her later roles would try to shake off the sunny image Moore built with the show, including her Golden Globe-winning turn in 1980’s Ordinary People and her Emmy-winning performance in the 1993 TV movie Stolen Babies, but nothing overshadowed her legacy as Mary Richards. Outside of entertaining, Moore was also committed to raising funds for diabetes research and spreading awareness of the disease, having been diagnosed with it herself as a young woman.

John Hurt

Jan. 25, 2017 Actor John Hurt died Jan. 25 at the age of 77. Hurt got his breakout role in 1966’s A Man for All Seasons; over the course of his long career, he was nominated for two Oscars — for 1978’s Midnight Express and 1980’s The Elephant Man — and amassed over 200 credits on both the big and small screen.

Some of this other notable film credits include starring as Winston Smith in 1984’s 1984, playing the spy called “Control” in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and appearing as wand-maker Ollivander in the Harry Potter films.

He most recently appeared in Pablo Larraín’s Jackie, and completed work on three more films that had not yet been released at the time of his death, entitled That Good Night, Damascus Cover, and My Name Is Lenny. Hurt was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the British Academy of Film and Television in 2012, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015.

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Bill Paxton

Feb. 25, 2017 Actor Bill Paxton died Feb. 25 due to complications from surgery. He was 61. Paxton began his decades-long career with TV appearances and small film roles, including parts in 1984’s The Terminator, 1985’s Weird Science, and 1986’s Aliens.

He was especially prolific in the ‘90s, during which he starred in 1995’s Apollo 13 and 1996’s Twister, and reteamed with his Terminator and Aliens director James Cameron for 1994’s True Lies and 1997’s Titanic.

His television résumé is equally impressive: He picked up three Golden Globe nominations for starring on HBO’s Big Love from 2006 to 2011, and was nominated for an Emmy for his role in History’s miniseries Hatfields & McCoys in 2012.

His recent film roles include 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow and Nightcrawler and the upcoming adaptation of Dave Eggers’ The Circle; in TV, he had roles on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the miniseries Texas Rising, and starred on the new series Training Day.

Chuck Berry

March 18, 2017 Music legend Chuck Berry died March 18 at the age of 90. His impact on rock and roll cannot be overstated; artists from Elvis to the Beatles to the Beach Boys to the Rolling Stones were enormously influenced by his sound and style.

Though the rock pioneer continued to release music into the ‘70s and got his biggest hit with 1972’s “My Ding-a-Ling,” Berry’s best-known records are those he released in the ‘50s with the Chess label, including “Maybelline,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and “Carol.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — by none other than Keith Richards, who claimed he “lifted every lick” of Berry’s — in 1986.

Chuck Barris

March 21, 2017 TV host and producer Chuck Barris died of natural causes on March 21. He was 87.

Known as the “godfather of reality TV,” Barris created The Dating Game in 1965 and went on to produce The Newlywed Game soon after. In 1976, he began hosting the wacky talent competition The Gong Show, after which his impressive reality TV résumé earned him the nickname “The King of Schlock.” In 1984, Barris published his autobiography, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, in which he wrote that, at the height of his reality TV career, he was also moonlighting as an assassin for the C.I.A. (which has denied the claim). George Clooney directed a 2002 film adaptation of the book, which starred Sam Rockwell as Barris.

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Don Rickles

April 6, 2017 Legendary comedian Don Rickles died April 6 from kidney failure. He was 90. Before making his name as one of the greatest insult comics of all time, the New York-born star originally intended to be an actor; he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and his long résumé includes the starring role in the ‘70s sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey, parts in 1970’s Kelly’s Heroes and 1995’s Casino, and playing Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story films.

He is best known, however, for his comedy. Crowds of fans swarmed to his stand-up shows in Las Vegas to be verbally assaulted with his merciless mockery, and he took his insults to the screen with such films as 1998’s Dirty Work and dozens of TV appearances, including over 100 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Jonathan Demme

April 26, 2017 Filmmaker Jonathan Demme died April 26 as a result of complications from esophageal cancer. He was 73.

The writer-director-producer, who won an Academy Award for Best Director for 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, began his career making films for Roger Corman; Demme’s credits under the B-movie king include 1974’s Caged Heat and 1975’s Crazy Mama.

Demme began garnering more attention in Hollywood over the course of the ‘80s, with such films as 1980’s Melvin and Howard, 1986’s Something Wild, and 1988’s Married to the Mob. His later films include 1993’s Philadelphia, for which Tom Hanks won an Oscar for Best Actor; 2004’s acclaimed remake of The Manchurian Candidate; and 2008’s Rachel Getting Married. His most recent directorial feature credit was the concert film Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids.

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Christopher “Big Black” Boykin

May 9, 2017 MTV reality personality Christopher “Big Black” Boykin died May 9 from a heart attack.

He was 45. He was known for having starred, along with skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, on MTV’s reality series Rob & Big from 2006–08.

He appeared on the show as Dyrdek’s bodyguard, and the series came to its abrupt ending due to tension between the pair of them.

Dyrdek described the “strange period” in a March 2016 interview: “I think we both struggled with I didn’t want to be known as like Rob from Rob & Big … and I think he didn’t want to be known for like the sidekick.

So that created a lot of that tension between me and him.”

Chris Cornell

May 17, 2017 Chris Cornell, the legendary frontman of Soundgarden who was known to possess one of the most powerful voices of the grunge era, died May 17 in Detroit while touring with his band. He at 52. Born in Seattle in 1964, Cornell was a fixture of the grunge generation, leading Soundgarden and supergroup Temple of the Dog in the late ’80s and into the ’90s.

Soundgarden split in 1997, after which Cornell began his solo career, releasing Euphoria Morning in 1999. Soon after, Cornell joined up with the remaining members of Rage Against the Machine, minus lead singer Zack de la Rocha, to create the band Audioslave. After Audioslave and more solo work (including the theme song to 2006’s James Bond reboot Casino Royale), Soundgarden reformed in 2010.

In addition to touring with his most-famous band, Cornell also recently completed a nationwide tour with Temple of the Dog — which is comprised of members of Pearl Jam, including current member and former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.

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Roger Moore

May 23, 2017 Sir Roger Moore died May 23 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 89. Moore was best known, of course, for having played James Bond in seven 007 films, beginning with 1973’s Live and Let Die and ending with 1985’s A View to Kill.

He was the third actor, following original Bond Sean Connery and one-off 007 George Lazenby, to assume the mantle of the superspy, and was known for his suave, tongue-incheek portrayal.

Before he was Bond, Moore started out appearing in toothpaste ads, became a contract player at MGM in the ‘50s, and finally achieved international fame playing Simon Templar on the British TV series The Saint, which ran from 1961–69. After his final Bond outing, Moore’s onscreen appearances — including a small role in 1997’s Spice World — were fewer and less frequent, but he remained very active as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, a position he held for over 25 years. His autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, was published in 2008.

Gregg Allman

May 27, 2017 Legendary rocker Gregg Allman died at 69 on May 27 from complications due to liver cancer. Allman’s longtime manager announced the news of the Allman Brothers Band co-founder with a statement: “I have lost a dear friend and the world has lost a brilliant pioneer in music. He was a kind and gentle soul with the best laugh I ever heard.

His love for his family and bandmates was passionate as was the love he had for his extraordinary fans. Gregg was an incredible partner and an even better friend. We will all miss him.”

Adam West

June 9, 2017 West, who played Batman on the campy, classic 1966-68 TV series (and in the feature film version of the show that was released in 1966 as well), died on June 9 at age 88. The Hollywood legend also provided memorable voice contributions to Family Guy among other shows.

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Michael Nyqvist

June 27, 2017 Nyqvist, who played publisher Mikael Blomkvist in the original Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films, died following a battle with lung cancer at age 56 on June 27.

One of Sweden’s most accomplished actors, Nyqvist also made an impact in Hollywood films like Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol and the Keanu Reeves thriller John Wick.

Martin Landau

July 15, 2017 Martin Landau, who won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood and also had memorable costarring roles in Crimes and Misdemeanors and Rounders, died on July 15 at age 89.

George A. Romero

July 16, 2017 The legendary filmmaker, known as the godfather of the zombie genre, made such classics as Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, and Creepshow, among many others. He died July 16 at age 77 after a short battle with lung cancer.

Chester Bennington

July 20, 2017 Chester Bennington provided one of the biggest shocks of the year when he died by apparent suicide over the summer. The Linkin Park frontman was still writing and performing chart-topping music, playing to large crowds and embracing legions of fans.

The Linkin Park musician performed at the funeral for Chris Cornell, who died by suicide in May. “You have inspired me in many ways you could never have known,” Bennington wrote in part in a moving tribute shared on Twitter after Cornell’s death. Bennington was 41 and leaves behind a wife and six children from two marriages.

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John Heard

July 21, 2017 The character actor, best known for playing Kevin McCallister’s dad in 1990’s Home Alone and for appearances on The Sopranos and numerous other television series, died July 21 at age 72.

Glenn Campbell

Aug. 8, 2017 The country singer and entertainer, who sold more than 50 million albums during a career that spanned over a half century, died Aug. 8 after several years of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81.

Jerry Lewis

Aug. 20, 2017 Jerry Lewis, the hilarious and hugely influential rubber-faced comedian, trailblazing filmmaker, and tireless Muscular Dystrophy fundraiser, died of natural causes Aug. 20 at his home in Las Vegas. He was 91.

Troy Gentry

Sept. 8, 2017 One half of the popular country duo, Montgomery Gentry, Troy Gentry tragically died at the age of 50 in a helicopter crash on Sept. 8 just hours before a scheduled concert in Medford, New Jersey. The duo was one of the most identifiable acts in country music since the late ‘90s and earned a Grammy nom for their 2008 song “Lucky Man.” They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.

Don Williams

Sept. 8, 2017 The ‘Gentle Giant’ of country music died Sept. 8 at the age of 78. Earning 17 No. 1 country hits throughout his career, he recorded hits including “Tulsa Time,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” and “It Must Be Love.” The singer inspired many current country music acts and was the subject of a 2017 tribute. He retired from performing in 2016, saying, “I’m so thankful for my fans, my friends, and my family for their everlasting love and support.”

Hugh Hefner

Sept. 27, 2017 Playboy founder Hugh Hefner died on Sept. 27 at the age of 91. While his public persona was not always one of great honor and respect, Heffner spent a great deal of his life fighting for us all.

“My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights, and sexual freedom,” Hefner’s son Cooper, Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises, said in a statement.

“He defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognizable and enduring in history.

He will be greatly missed by many, including his wife Crystal, my sister Christie and my brothers David and Marston, and all of us at Playboy Enterprises.”

Tom Petty

Oct. 2, 2017 About a week after the death of Heffner, Tom Petty represented another of 2017’s most notable deaths. His legacy was obvious in the days after he died when a slew of his most well-known hit singles and albums crowded at the top of the United States (and countries around the world) iTunes charts.

Petty was a guy who could do it all. A master of several instruments, a producer, an actor, and of course, a singer and songwriter.

He’s most known for his solo and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers discography, though he also spent time in the 1980s supergroup Traveling Wildburys and his earliest band Mudcrutch. From Rolling Stone: “In the late 1970s, Petty’s romanticized tales of rebels, outcasts and refugees started climbing the pop charts. When he sang, his voice was filled with a heartfelt drama that perfectly complemented the Heartbreakers’ ragged rock & roll. Songs like “The Waiting,” “You Got Lucky,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Learning to Fly” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” all dominated Billboard’s rock chart, and the majority of Petty’s albums have been certified either gold or platinum. His most recent release, Hypnotic Eye, debuted at Number One in 2014. Petty, who also recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.”

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Ralphie May

Oct. 6, 2017 Comedian Ralphie May died on Oct. 6 at age 45 after suffering cardiac arrest. May was best known as a stand-up comic who finished as a runner-up on Last Comic Standing in 2003.

Robert Guillaume

Oct. 24, 2017 Robert Guillaume, perhaps most celebrated for his role as the TV sitcom butler in Benson and Soap, died Oct. 24 at age 89. Guillaume’s widow confirmed the news, noting he had been battling prostate cancer.

Through the ’70s, Guillaume appeared on episodes of All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Good Times before he first appeared as Benson DuBois in Soap, which ran from 1977-1981. He then got his own spin-off on ABC in 1979 with Benson, a role which earned him two Emmys over the years.

Among Guillaume’s lauded career, the actor voiced the character Rafiki in Disney’s animated The Lion King and Dr. Eli Vance in the Half-Life video game series.

Fats Domino

Oct. 24, 2017 The legendary New Orleans musician died Oct. 25 at age 89. A prodigiously talented piano player, Domino — given name Antoine Domino Jr. — came of age in the post-war period and became a seminal force in the development and popularization of rock and roll. He began his recording career in 1949 with his first single, “The Fat Man,” which sold one million copies by 1953. He dominated the charts throughout the ’50s and early ’60s, catapulting nearly 40 hits into the Hot 100’s top 40 during that period.

Della Reese

Nov. 19, 2017 The singer and actress, who became a household name while starring as a divine supervisor named Tess on CBS’ Touched by an Angel, died Nov. 19 at age 86.

Although her biggest role was on Touched by an Angel, she also appeared in shows like Chico and the Man and It Takes Two, and in 1970, she became the first black woman to guest-host The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.

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MINNESOTA MUSIC SCENE

RIAN-Dicke MICHELS Rian-Dicke Michels, can be reached at editor@southernminnscene.com.

Top My MN Women in Music 5

T

here are plenty of female artists in the music industry, but women are not all held to the same standards as men, nor are they created equal. They are mostly appreciated less for their talent than they are for looks, or even how they cater to their audiences.

Since women are stereotypically more open with their emotion, when paired with an art form like music, we have a coupling sweeter than red wine and chocolate. Musicians have bleeding hearts, sharing their pain with the world and making the rest of us feel more human. It just does that.

Maybe it was the sound that gave us goosebumps, or perhaps it was a lyric that resonated so clearly with our inner turmoil that it snapped us to a mo-

ment of clarity.

I wanted to put a spotlight on Minnesota women in music who may not be Lady Gaga famous, but are independent, powerful, and true to themselves. Though it was a difficult process, I have compiled a list of my top 5 lady musicians from our very own soil:

1

Caroline Smith – I chose this young woman as my No. 1, because she embodies my idea of a strong female, Minnesotan folk artist. Raised by a single mother, the oldest daughter was lovingly given Father’s Day cards by her siblings and first performed in her mom’s coffee shop as a young girl. She made her way from her hometown in Detroit Lakes to live in Minneapolis where she now writes music like it’s a 9-to-5 job. Her most recent works are with her group Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps, consisting of three other talented musicians formed in 2006. Their top track on YouTube is “Tying My Shoes,” but my personal favorite is “Half About Being A Woman.” It’s super bluesy and brings back memories of my mom singing along to Norah Jones in the kitchen.

2

4

Chastity Brown – Bluegrass isn’t my go to when it comes to music, however, this woman has solid talent. She found her voice performing in a gospel church and grew up surrounded by country and soul music. She then toured with folk icon, Ani Difranco, for most of 2016. Her bio states, “I’m really intrigued by the perseverance of the human spirit and the complexities and contradictions that we embody as human beings.” Artists who put all of themselves into their work draw me in and in Chastity Brown’s case, it’s the content and quality of her music that gets me going. I’m not a huge bluegrass fan, though I loved her approach to the sound, and that’s how I gauge good music.

5

Polica – A synthpop band out of Minneapolis that completely caught me off guard. The first song I ever heard by this group was “Very Cruel” and vocals by Channy Leaneagh had my hips swaying seated. Perhaps it has something to do with my dad’s Bjork kicks while I was growing up, but I fangirl over a woman with a haunting voice. Formed in 2011, Polica put out two albums in a three-year span [Give You The Ghost and Shulamith], and then a third called United Crushers after Channy became pregnant with her second child last year. It was a collaboration between her and album partner, Ryan Olson, and while United Crushers has a political tone, it touches on real life struggles and vulnerable feelings that being a mother can bring to the surface. I dig it.

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3

Babes in Toyland – This one had to go on my list, since I hold punk bands near and dear to my heart. Formed in 1986, Babes in Toyland consists of three women who literally don’t give a rip about what people think. This to me is a quality most of us lack, so whether punk is your scene or not, we can all learn something about being authentic to our true selves and appreciate those who are. They have changed members a couple times over the last few decades and even disbanded back in the 90s but reunited with two of the founding members in recent years and even played at First Ave in 2016. An exciting development for punk fans both old and new.

The Andrews Sisters – This one predates me by a lot and may surprise you.

Last year I was blessed with the opportunity of having my own morning show on a classic radio station for southern Minnesota, which is how I fell for the Andrews Sisters.

Hailing from Minneapolis and active from 1925 to 1967, they were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

It was the boogiewoogie era and if you listen to a few of their songs, you can tell how influential this group has been for modern artists like Christina Aguilera, Pentatonix, and Bette Midler. They were the kind of group that entertained WW II soldiers, and reached major fame in the 1940s. It’s jazzy, it’s swingin’, and unapologetically classic.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about putting this list together is how entirely different the genres were. It reaffirmed the notion that Minnesotans aren’t all country and acoustic guitars, though that is where many musicians get their start.

If you root for Minnesota the way I do, your love may be refreshed seeing how many females make their way combining poetry and sound. We are in the midst of a feminine movement as women seek equality and notoriety for who they are, rather than what they are. Hopefully, the women who become well-known will pave the way for others, and inspire messages of courage for little girls to live life in self-fulfilling ways. Not everyone can make it in music, but we should applaud those who do. SMS

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3…2…1!

Where to ring in 2018 in Southern Minnesota

BY Anna Vangsness editor@southernminnscene.com

P

op the cork, grab a party hat and a noisemaker, because it’s almost time to bid adieu to 2017.

Whether you’re looking to celebrate New Year’s Eve out on the town or at home with your family, we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled a list of some unique events taking place in Southern Minnesota to help you ring in 2018.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy and be safe!

“At midnight, we ring in the new year with your typical New Year’s Eve style hats and noisemakers,” Kato Ballroom owner Tania Cordes said. “It’s honestly what your stereotypical New Year’s Eve party is like. People get dressed up, have a great meal and then dance the night away until the countdown at midnight.”

The cost for dinner is $18 per person, and the cost for just the dance is $19 in advance or $23 at the door. Find more information at katoballroom.com.

Scarlet Sky is helping play in 2018 at Boxcar Bar (202 E. Elm Ave., Waseca). The band has been entertaining crowds since 2015 with the likes of Lady Gaga, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fall Out Boy and Carrie Underwood.

“They are very energetic, fun and a bar favorite,” Todd Schmidt with Boxcar Bar said. “You won’t be sitting while they’re on stage. There’s lots of dancing and singing along.”

The Kato Ballroom (200 Chestnut Street, Mankato) is hosting their 70th annual New Year’s Eve Party beginning at 6 p.m., Dec. 31 and continuing until 1 a.m., Jan. 1. The gala opens with an elegant buffet dinner in the banquet room. Following dinner, strap on your dancing shoes and get ready for Denny and the DC Drifters, who are set to wow the crowd with music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. The music plays from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

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If craps and blackjack are more your style than a classic gala, you’ll want to head to Bleu Duck Kitchen’s (14 4th Street Southwest, Rochester) inaugural Casino Royale New Year’s Eve party.

“We opened on Aug. 26, 2016, so this is our first New Year’s Eve party that we have thrown,” Bleu Duck Kitchen’s Jennifer Becker said. “We are a bit different than any other restaurant and we want to be known for creating a ‘wow’ factor. I know casino night has been done in the past, but it’s been a few years since someone has done it and done it well.”

Dinner begins at Bleu Duck at 6 p.m. and features a classic steak house-style dinner offering dry-aged steaks, seafood and tableside service. From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., guests will enjoy a VIP lounge, professional casino and dealers, heated cigar bar lounge with a cigar roller, served champagne and hors d’oeuvres, an ice cream bar featuring upcoming ice cream shop Chocolate Twist, and a DJ to dance in the new year. New Year’s Eve party guests will be handed casino chips valued at $200 for casino playing, and any additional chip proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club. Prizes will be available for choosing based on winnings.

The Casino Royale New Year’s Eve event is $60 for an all-inclusive ticket that includes dinner, champagne, taxes and gratuity.

Visit bleuduckkitchen.com for more information.

Boxcar Bar

Kato Ballroom

14

Casino Royale

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and Winery (1179 East Perl Street, Kasota). Join sparkling winemaker Josie Boyle for a pairing dinner that features all sparkling wine. Tickets include a five course meal, sparkling wine pairings to complement each course and an evening in the Barrel Room.

Prices are $80 for the New Year’s Eve Wine Circle and $85 for general admission. Visit chankaskawines.com for more information.

style of celebrating the New Year, plan a night of popcorn, your favorite beverage and enjoy the comfort of your home on Dec. 31. Join Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen as they say goodbye to 2017 on New Year’s Eve Live, which you can watch on CNN, or catch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2018 with Ryan Seacrest on ABC. To make your night even more special, blow up balloons and pop one each hour leading up to the ball drop at midnight.

Place different notes inside each balloon that instruct everyone participating to share their favorite memory of the year, what they are looking forward to in 2018, something they want to accomplish in the year to come or a New Year’s resolution.

SMS

Rochester Trolley and Tour Company

The band takes the stage at 9 p.m. Boxcar Bar is open daily at 8 a.m. with a happy hour running from 8-11 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

A wonderful event for the whole family, the Rochester Trolley and Tour Company is offering a holiday light tour every night in December, including New Year’s Eve. Now in their seventh season, the Jolly Trolley Holiday Lights Tours last 75-90 minutes, and guests can choose between two light tours. Jolly Trolley “North” features fun, creative and family-oriented residential light displays of Rochester’s north residential neighborhoods. According to their website, the North tour is perfect for kids and families. The Jolly Trolley “South” tour embarks on the classical elegance and old world charm of Rochester’s south residential neighborhoods. This tour is best suited for adults and older children.

Both tours depart from Peace Plaza in front of the downtown Marriott Hotel, 101 1st Ave. SW. Tours run Monday through Friday until Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. (North tour) and 8 p.m. (South tour); and Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m. (North tour) and 7:30 p.m. (South tour).

For more information, visit rochestermntours.com.

Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery

Stay home

Are you looking for a romantic and charming New Year’s Eve celebration? Then look no further than Chankaska Creek Ranch

If staying home with your significant other or as a family is more your

New Years Eve Dinner featuring a special menu Please call 507-833-8756 for reservations

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204 2nd Street SW, Waseca, MN

Call for information & Reservations: 507.835.1146 After 4pm: 507.837.9848

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he Super Bowl is just weeks away, and the Twin Cities are gearing up for a fullscale invasion of football fans and revelers of all stripes. One million people are expected to flock to Minneapolis (and neighbor Saint Paul) for the experience, even if they don’t have tickets to the big game.

The sheer scale and celebrity draw of the Super Bowl always demands huge events and attractions, regardless of the host city, and this year is no exception. However, there’s plenty of uniquely Minnesotan things to get your blood moving, especially if you rarely visit the Twin Cities.

Possibly the largest, most distinctly Minneapolis event is Super Bowl LIVE, a ten-day free festival of both local and national acts hosted by Verizon on Nicollet Mall. Curated by legendary Minneapolis music producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the series of free shows features acts ranging from the legendary soul/ funk Minneapolis sound to hip-hop to the best known Twin Cities alternative bands. Performers include Prince colleagues The Revolution, Sheila E., Morris Day & The Time, and The New Power Generation; rockers Soul Asylum, Bob Mould, the Suburbs; alt-country innovators the Jayhawks; hip-hop artist Dessa, R&B crooners Mint Condition, and many more.

Downtown theaters and venues will also be hosting concerts and events to draw in the Super Bowl crowd.

Most notably, Jimmy Fallon will be broadcasting the Tonight Show live from the Orpheum.

16

Closer to home, First Avenue doesn’t have concerts on the calendar for Super Bowl weekend, but Drive-By Truckers are playing Saturday, Jan. 27, if you’re making a week of it.

If you’re not interested in live music, or just want to get out of the cold, Nicollet Mall (fresh off a multi-year, multimillion dollar reconstruction that’s still wrapping up as of this writing) and the surrounding downtown will be full of shopping, eating, and drinking experiences. Long-running, new, and even temporary pop-up businesses anticipate huge traffic.

New businesses include a Nordstrom Rack in the IDS Tower and a new wine bar from Haskell’s wine shop owner Jack Farrell.

Longrunning establishments, like Grumpy’s Bar and Grill, one block from US Bank Stadium, should expect huge business from the crowds.

The fact that the Nicollet Mall construction isn’t complete yet has raised some concerns, but Downtown Council President Steve

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www.mnsuperbowl.com

Cramer isn’t worried. As he told WCCO, “Downtown is really going to be great for the Super Bowl.”

The Mall Of America — an easy light-rail ride from downtown, although controversially limited to Super Bowl ticket holders — has also seen pop-up stores start up, including distinctly Minnesota businesses such as Fairbault Woolen Mills, Worker-B, and Minnesota Marketplace, which traditionally opens for the holidays but will remain open through the Super Bowl. The Galleria Mall is also hosting pop-up stores, including a Porsche storefront for those who have money to spend.

On the day of the Super Bowl, a Player’s Tailgate — another tradition in every host

city for the past few years — will be held, boasting food from celebrity chefs Guy Fieri, Aaron May, Akira Back, Brian Malarkey, and Eddie Jackson.

As of this writing, there’s a whole host of other events that seem to still be in the “to be announced” stages of planning, such as the annual Rolling Stone party. These events (and the Players’ Tailgate) look to be highdollar events, although they don’t list prices on their websites.

But Minneapolis wants Super Bowl visitors to make sure they spend their time and dollars on the city itself. The city website has links for visitors to Minneapolis favorites such as the Sculpture Garden, lakes, and even the skyway itself. SMS

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The Unprecedented Impact of

BY SAMANTHA STETZER editor@southernminnscene.com

milnersblog.com

F

ans of a galaxy far, far away have waited two years for the next major installment in the Disney’s re-invigorated Star Wars series. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened in theaters Dec. 15, following the storylines of new heroes Rey and

Finn, featuring the last cinematic appearance of actress Carrie Fisher.

The opening for the movie has the chance of setting or keeping pace with records according to recent numbers.

According to the Motion Picture Association of America, between 2014 and 2015 – when Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered in theatres – U.S. box office totals jumped from $10.4 billion to 11.1 billion, making its biggest jump between

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2012 and 2016.

That first installment was also the fastest film to reach the $1 billion mark globally, according to its parent company, Disney, reaching that feat in 12 days. For the average theater, according to CNN, $57,568 was raked in the weekend Star Wars opened.

And this trend has been the norm since 1970s Star Wars opened, making $1.4 billion on its opening weekend, adjusted for inflation, according to CNN. Mari Randa, director of communication with Marcus Theatres Corporation said the cinematic business knows the big draw that can come from a Star Wars movie release.

“Star Wars is one of the most anticipated movies of the year,” Randa said.

Randa added winter breaks and holidays can also bring more people to the theaters, as time off spurs movie going.

Dennis Haines, manager at the newly opened Cannon Valley Cinema 10 in Dundas (near Northfield), said in his 16-year movie theater career the Star Wars releases have been very busy and exciting for the theaters.

“People are excited,” Haines said. “It’s something that kind of changed a little bit (over the years).”

Those changes, Haines said, include less midnight showings and more pre-order tickets. But the impact has continued to remain strong, Haines said.

He anticipated the 2017 movie to either be the largest

grossing move in 2017, or – because of the short amount of time it will run in 2017 – to be the highest grossing of the 2017-18 period.

“I think that [moviegoers] are going to love it,” Haines said.

The Dundas theater has six of its 10 screens open for viewing, Haines said, and the theater is hoping to provide a range of show times to maximize viewer ability.

Audiences are provided with extra Star Wars viewing options and prizes for attending opening day events. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in costume, provided they don’t wear masks or bring weapons (lightsabers are OK) to the theater, Marcus Theatres’ Randa said.

Now Open at 427 Division Street S. Northfield

Marcus Cinema’s Star Wars events: Fans who attend the movie premiere at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 14 will be treated to exclusive content, collectable cards and a junior popcorn. This offer applies to the Marcus Theatres in Duluth, Oakdale, Parkwood, Rosemount and Southbridge Crossing.

Guests at the Marcus Oakdale Cinema can also view the first Disney installment and the most recent one on Dec. 14. The cinema will also play Star Wars: The Last Jedi around the clock.

Theatres in Oakdale, Duluth and Parkwood will also be offering themed food promotions.

SMS

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THE

5 11 1/2 Street SE Rochester, MN 55904 Come out and meet Camp Companion’s adoptable animals. Available dogs are out from 10:00 to 12:00 and available cats are out from 10:00 to 4:00.

Inscape: Exhibit by Tamsin Barlow and Alison McClockin Dec 16, 18, 26, 30, 2017 10:00 am | Free Crossings 320 East Ave Zumbrota, MN 55992 Opening November 27 through December 30, at Crossings at Carnegie in Zumbrota, an exhibit of work by artists Tamsin Barlow and Alison McClockin.

The gallery is open to the public during business hours. The public is invited to meet the artists and view their work at a reception at Crossings on Saturday, December 2; 6:00 - 7:15 pm. Wine and light appetizers will be served.

Tchaikovskys Nutcracker With Live Orchestra - 1:00 pm | $29-$59 Hopkins High School Performing Arts Center 2400 Lindberg Drive Minnetonka, MN 55305 Dont miss Minnesotas ONLY Nutcracker with a FULL SYMPHONY! A holiday tradition featuring Metropolitan Ballet & Hopkins Youth Ballet! The classic story comes to life with fresh choreography and a cast of talented artists under the direction of Erik Sanborn and music director Yuri Ivan with The KENWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.

Kat Perkins “Home for the Holidays” Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault – Dec. 17 Here’s an event for the whole family.

Semi-finalist on NBC’s hit show The Voice, Kat is a critically acclaimed singer/ songwriter. Her holiday show is a stunning blend of traditional Christmas songs with Kat’s modern spin and show-stopping original holiday music. It’s visually, musically, and emotionally engaging.

Memories of Christmas - Rochester Area Handbells in Concert - 1:00 pm | Free Rochester Public Library 101 SE 2nd Street Rochester, MN 55904 Memories of Christmas. The Christmas season is a time to make memories. No matter how they may celebrate, everyone has special memories that make the season meaningful.

Join the Rochester Area Handbells for a musical journey through some of our memories of Christmas.

www.paradisecenterforthearts.org/purchase-tickets

A Washington Irving Christmas 2:00 pm | $15 Peace United Church of Christ 1503 2nd Ave. NE Rochester, MN 55906 A musical for the whole family! See Charles Dickens get inspired for writing A Christmas Carol when he visits Washington Irving for the holiday.

They’ll be surrounded by familiar friends and neighbors, and might just get a visit from a ghost or two.

Annie - Dec 7 To 31 Dec 16, 21, 23, 28, 30, 2017 2:00 pm | $38-$115.

Subject to change.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts 345 Washington Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 Leapin lizards! Annie is coming to the Ordway! One of the best-loved musicals of all time brings to life the extraordinary story of an orphan with her side-kick, Sandy, played by the dog from the 2014 film remake. Filled with unforgettable songs like Its the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, and Tomorrow, you won’t want to miss this revival of a classic, timeless tale!

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 Sheldon Theater in Red Wing – Dec. 22

ZooDazzle - 5:00 pm | Free Oxbow Park 5731 County Road 105 Northwest Byron, MN 55920 ZooDazzle (lights only, no activities)

The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence comes a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land singing “Stille Nacht.” Thus begins a remarkable true story, told in the words of the men who lived it.

All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 relives an astounding moment in history when Allied and German soldiers laid down their arms to celebrate Christmas together, sharing food and drink, playing soccer, singing carols and burying each other’s dead. In some places along the Western Front the truce lasted a single night and in others it endured until New Year’s Day. This dramatic re-telling weaves together firsthand accounts by thirty World War I soldiers and music including patriotic tunes, trench songs and Christmas carols. This moving ode to peace was created by Theater Latté Da’s acclaimed artistic director Peter Rothstein with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, produced in collaboration with Hennepin Theatre Trust. www.sheldontheatre.org

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Sat Dec 16, 2017 Ugly Sweater 5K & 10K Dec 16, 19, 2017 7:00 am | $17 Saint Paul River Centre 175 West Kellogg Boulevard St Paul, MN 55102 National Ugly Sweater Day is December 19, 2017 and we want to celebrate

with our third annual Ugly Sweater 5K and 10K! Get in the holiday spirit and enjoy all of the ugly sweaters out there!

This year’s charity will be FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN. Camp Companion Adoption Event - 10:00 am | Free Rochester Pet & Country Store

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The Mystery Cafe presents “Let’s Kill the Boss” Dec 16, 22, 30, 2017, Jan 5, 12, 19, 2018 7:00 pm | $69.75 Double Tree Hotel 1500 Park Pl Blvd St Louis Park, MN 55416 Visit www.themysterycafe.com for tickets! Mystery Cafe dishes out a hilarious comedy caper, where you and your table are invited to solve the crimeall while enjoying a delicious 3-course meal. Upon arrival, youll be seated by members of the cast. Clues are all around, and youll also be provided with Mystery Money, so you can bribe characters for more information.

The evidence points to one answer, and a prize is awarded to our Super Sleuth winner.

Tchaikovskys Nutcracker With Live Orchestra - 7:00 pm | $29-$59 Hopkins High School Performing Arts Center

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2400 Lindberg Drive Minnetonka, MN 55305 Dont miss Minnesotas ONLY Nutcracker with a FULL SYMPHONY! A holiday tradition featuring Metropolitan Ballet & Hopkins Youth Ballet! The classic story comes to life with fresh choreography and a cast of talented artists under the direction of Erik Sanborn and music director Yuri Ivan with The KENWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Christmas Musical - “The Gift” 7:00 pm | Free Calvary Baptist Church 5905 Silas Dent Rd NW Rochester, MN 55901 ‘The Gift’ A Christmas Musical Drama presentationDecember 15 and 16 at 7:00 pmDecember 17 at 4:00 pm Where: Calvary Baptist Church, 5905 Silas Dent Rd NW, Rochester, MN Cost: FREE What:An original musical that tells a story you can relate to. The everyday lives of the people living at Brookstone Place are put on display.

You may find this group of people from a mid-west town in 1962 a reflection of us today. Join us as they discover the key to overcoming trials.

Tales From The Charred Underbelly Of The Yule Log - 7:30 pm | $25-$30. Students $13 Sheldon Theatre 443 west third street Red Wing, MN 55066 Accompanied by seasonal music, master storyteller Kevin Klings wry tales of Midwestern holiday and family traditions take surprising turns, from laugh-out-loud bizarre to the touchingly insightful. Best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radios All Things Considered and his storytelling stage shows Kling delivers hilarious, often tender stories.

A Washington Irving Christmas 7:30 pm | $15 Peace United Church of Christ 1503 2nd Ave. NE Rochester, MN 55906 A musical for the whole family! See Charles Dickens get inspired for writing A Christmas Carol when he visits Washington Irving for the holiday.

They’ll be surrounded by familiar friends and neighbors, and might just get a visit from a ghost or two!

Tickets are $15 and are available at onceandfutureclassics.org, by calling 507-282-6117 or at the door.

Songs of Light for the Winter Solstice - 7:30 pm | $18 Crossings 320 East Ave Zumbrota, MN 55992 Join Ann Reed and bassist/instrumentalist Joan Griffith as they perform songs sure to brighten even the darkest night. Old favorites and new songs will welcome the return of light on Sat., Dec. 16, at 7:30pm. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 day of show, available through Crossings. To reserve tickets, visit www.crossingsatcarnegie.com, call 507-732- 7616 or stop in to Crossings at 320 East Avenue in Zumbrota.

Irish Christmas in America - 7:30 pm | $27.50-$32.50. $5.00 of each ticket goes to the Tom Murphy Scholarship Fund for Lourdes High School.

Lourdes High School 2800 19th St. NW Rochester, MN 55901 From Ireland, ‘Irish Christmas’ show brings music, dance to Rochester Dec. 16th ‘Full of exceptional music and dance...a standout performance!’ The Irish Echo ‘Irish Christmas in America’ celebrates the holidays in Ireland with a fun-filled performance of music, dance, and stories. Called ‘captivating for all ages!’ by Irish Music Magazine.

Annie - Dec 7 To 31 Dec 16, 19, 26, 30, 2017 7:30 pm | $38-$115. Subject to change.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts 345 Washington Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 Leapin lizards! Annie is coming to the Ordway! One of the best-loved musicals of all time brings to life the extraordinary story of an orphan with her side-kick, Sandy, played by the dog from the 2014 film remake. Filled with unforgettable songs like It’s the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, and Tomorrow, you won’t want to miss this revival of a classic, timeless tale!

Sun Dec 17, 2017

Wed Dec 20, 2017

The East Metro Symphony Orchestra (EMSO) presents A Holiday Fte - 2:00 pm | $1-$15. $15 adults$10 seniors$1 under 17 East Ridge High School 4200 Pioneer Drive Woodbury, MN 55129 The East Metro Symphony Orchestra (EMSO) is pleased to present A Holiday Fte, a special program to celebrate the joy of the season, on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. in the Loft Stage at East Ridge High School, 4200 Pioneer Drive, Woodbury, MN. Joining EMSO in the celebration will be students of the School of St. Paul Ballet, performing excerpts from Claras Dream, a ballet set to music from Tchaikovskys holiday classic, The Nutcracker, and starring professional company dancer Michelle Ludwig as Clara.

Movie Night at the Paramount Home Alone - 7:30 pm | $5 The Historic Paramount Theatre 125 4th Ave NE Austin, MN 55912 Only $5 for a ticket! Purchase tickets at the concession stand on the night of the show; no advance ticket sales.

For more information or to request your favorite film for future shows, email info@austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

Tchaikovskys Nutcracker With Live Orchestra - 3:00 pm | $29-$59 Hopkins High School Performing Arts Center 2400 Lindberg Drive Minnetonka, MN 55305 Dont miss Minnesotas ONLY Nutcracker with a FULL SYMPHONY! A holiday tradition featuring Metropolitan Ballet & Hopkins Youth Ballet! The classic story comes to life with fresh choreography and a cast of talented artists under the direction of Erik Sanborn and music director Yuri Ivan with The KENWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Christmas Musical - “The Gift” 4:00 pm | Free Calvary Baptist Church 5905 Silas Dent Rd NW Rochester, MN 55901 ‘The Gift’ A Christmas Musical Drama presentationDecember 15 and 16 at 7:00 pmDecember 17 at 4:00 pm Where: Calvary Baptist Church, 5905 Silas Dent Rd NW, Rochester, MN Cost: FREE What:An original musical that tells a story you can relate to. The everyday lives of the people living at Brookstone Place are put on display.

Kat Perkins “Home for the Holidays” - 5:00 pm | $15-$25. Member/ Student: $20/ Non Member: $25/ Children 12 and under: $15 Paradise Center for the Arts 321 Central Ave. Faribault, MN 55021 Semi-finalist on NBCs hit show The Voice, Kat is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter. Her holiday show is an incredible blend of traditional Christmas songs with Kats modern spin and show-stopping original holiday music. Its visually, musically, and emotionally stunningan event for the entire family.

Mon Dec 18, 2017 Christmas Program - 2:00 pm | Free St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 111 West Main Street Vermillion, MN 55085 St. John the Baptist School-Vermillion students will perform their annual Christmas Advent Program on Monday, December 18th, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 111 West Main Street, Vermillion, MN 55085.

There will be two performance: a 2:00 pm dress rehearsal performance with Grades K-6th and 7:00 pm with grades PreK-6th. All are welcome.

Tue Dec 19, 2017 Gobble til You Wobble 5K & 10K 7:00 am | $17 Minneapolis . Minneapolis, MN 55401 National Ugly Sweater Day is December 19, 2017 and we want to celebrate with our third annual Ugly Sweater 5K and 10K! Get in the holiday spirit and enjoy all of the ugly sweaters out there! This years charity will be FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN. *THIS IS A VIRTUAL RUN! Saint Ambrose of Woodbury Christmas Program - 7:00 pm | Free St. Ambrose of Woodbury 4125 Woodbury Dr St. Paul, MN 55129 Kindergarten through Grade 8 students of Saint Ambrose of Woodbury Catholic School will perform a music Christmas program.

Fri Dec 22, 2017 All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 - 7:30 pm | $30-$35.

Students $15 Sheldon Theatre 443 west third street Red Wing, MN 55066 This small masterpieceburrows into the heart with the power of myth.

Minneapolis Star Tribune The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence comes a silence, then a song.

A German soldier steps into No Mans Land singing Stille Nacht. Thus begins a remarkable true story, told in the words of the men who lived it.

Sat Dec 23, 2017 Movie Night at the Paramount Die Hart (R) - 7:30 pm | $5 The Historic Paramount Theatre 125 4th Ave NE Austin, MN 55912 Only $5 for a ticket! Purchase tickets at the concession stand on the night of the show; no advance ticket sales.

For more information or to request your favorite film for future shows, email info@austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

Sat Dec 30, 2017 Bill and Kate Isles in Concert 7:30 pm | $18 Crossings 320 East Ave Zumbrota, MN 55992 Bill and Kate Isles voices were made to be together, as they themselves were, and this perfect pairing in life and music makes them a folk singing-songwriting couple not to be missed. They perform at Crossings on Sat., Dec. 30, 7:30pm. Making use of a wide variety of musical styles, their performances carry audiences through a broad landscape of experiences from metaphorical worlds to small town family stories and to zany comedy.

Sun Dec 31, 2017 Annie - Dec 7 To 31 - 1:30 pm | $38$115. Subject to change.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts 345 Washington Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 Leapin lizards! Annie is coming to the Ordway! One of the best-loved musicals of all time brings to life the extraordinary story of an orphan with her side-kick, Sandy, played by the dog from the 2014 film remake. Filled with unforgettable songs like Its the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, and Tomorrow, you wont want to miss this revival of a classic, timeless tale!

Phantom Of The Opera - 7:00 pm | $30 Orpheum Theatre 910 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55403 Opening for the first time in London in 1986, Andrew Lloyd Webbers finest achievement, The Phantom of the Opera, won both the Tony Award and the Oliver Award in its first year. The second-longest running West end musical in history, topped only by Les Miserables, the Phantom of the Opera has endured a lifespan of almost 40 years in production, and four years ago saw its 100000th Broadway performance the first musical in history ever to do so.

New Years Eve with Monroe Crossing - 7:00 pm | $25-$30.

Students $13 Sheldon Theatre 443 west third street Red Wing, MN 55066 Fresh and creative Louisville Music News Named in honor of Bill Monroe, The Father of Bluegrass Music, Monroe Crossing dazzles audiences with an electrifying blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals. Their superb musicianship

A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

Jake La Botz

Casino Royale New Year’s Eve Party

NaKato Bar & Grill in North Mankato – Dec. 23

Bleu Duck Kitchen in Rochester – Dec. 31 (Duh!) Like a true undercover operative, the action is at the casino, and we will provide with a professional casino, a heated cigar tent featuring hand-rolled cigars, and a DJ spinning music. Carefully crafted high-end hors d’oeuvres will be served all night long, accompanied by unlimited champagne and an ice cream bar.

Upon arriving, you will be handed casino chips valued at a total of $200 for your casino playing, and any additional chips proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls

If you’re looking for big music in a small venue, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot than at NaKato Bar & Grill in North Mankato. Performers squeeze into a cozy back corner of the bar but aren’t shy about bringing the noise.

Among a slew of December guests, the Nakato is featuring Jake La Botz. “That guy is really good,” said NaKato co-owner and manager Jake Downs.

NPR would agree: “Singer and songwriter Jake La Botz plays blues- and rootsdrenched music that reflects his time spent playing on the streets, in clubs and even in tattoo parlors. You can also hear the various places La Botz has lived in his music — including his time in Chicago, New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta.”

Check out La Botz’s performance on NPR World Café and visit the NaKato Facebook page to keep up with events there. www.facebook.com and on-stage rapport have entertained audiences across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Gatsby’s House - Minneapolis New Year’s 2018 - 9:00 pm | $79-$1,895 Westin Minneapolis - The Bank 88 South 6th St. Minneapolis, MN 55402 Minneapolis Nightlife presents...

Gatsby’s House New Year 2018 Cel-

ebration Live DJ Premium Open Bar Gorgeous Venue Complimentary Party Favors Amazing Countdown!

Fri Jan 5, 2018 Braver Than You Believe 5K in Honor of National Winnie the Pooh Day Jan 5, 12, 19, 2018 7:00 am | $18 The Saint Paul Hotel 350 Market Street Saint Paul, MN

55102 Did you know that January 18, 2018 is National Winnie the Pooh Day? To celebrate our favorite bear we are hosting our first annual Braver Than You Believe 5K! The medal has our favorite quote from A.A. Milne, Promise me youll always remember, youre braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Club. Prizes will be available for your choosing based on your winnings!

Late night ice cream and cookies will be provided by The Chocolate Twist. And to end the night, a gift bag full of goodies will be yours for the taking. $90 per ticket includes all hors d’oeuvres, champagne, party, gift bag, taxes, and gratuity. www. eventbrite.com/e/casino-royale-new-yearseve-party-tickets-38737501911

Lana Del Rey - 8:00 pm | $39.50$125 Target Center 600 1st Ave North Minneapolis, MN 55403

ary 6, 2018 Challenge yourself with an exciting race on the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center’s scenic, beautifullygroomed trails! Preregistration by December 29, 2017, is $15 for adults and $5 for kids (ages 13 and under).

hour. Free and open to the public - no registration required. Audubon leaders: Terry & Joyce Grier

Sat Jan 6, 2018

Quarry Hill Bird Walk - 9:00 am | Free Quarry Hill Nature Center 701 Silver Creek Rd NE Rochester, MN 55906 Join us on a casual walk through Quarry Hill Park. Bring binoculars if you have them, some are available to borrow from the nature center. Dress for the weather. Families and children are welcome. Stay for any length of time. Walks usually last about one

Buckets and Tap Shoes - 7:30 pm | $11-$18. Students: $11 Adults: $18 Shattuck-St. Mary’s School 1000 Shumway Ave. Faribault, MN 55021 From their origins as bucket drummers outside Minneapolis sporting arenas, the brother duo Buckets and Tap Shoes has rapidly become sought-after performers for festivals and concert venues across the country.

Dammen Nordic Ski Race - 8:00 am | $15 for adults, $5 for kids (ages 13 and under). After Dec 29, $18 for adults and $8 for kids Jay C. Hormel Nature Center 1304 21st Street Northeast Austin, MN 55912 Dammen Nordic Cross Country Ski Race 8k Classical, 13k Freestyle, & One-Mile Beginners/Kids Race Janu-

Thu Jan 11, 2018

Sat Jan 13, 2018 Kid Parkside Art Gallery - 1:30 pm | Free Charter House 211 2nd Street NW Rochester, MN 55901 The public is invited to attend Charter House’s Parkside Art Gallery featuring artists Rayyan Nassr, Tommie Olson, Maia Merkel, Maika Suzuki, Erin Stoeckig, Rowan Vercnocke, and Genevieve Giguere. The opening will take place on Saturday, January 13th from 1:30 3:00p.m. This free event will be held in the Parkside Art Gallery located on the 1st floor of Charter House (211 2nd Street NW, Rochester MN

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New Year’s Eve Celebration Amazing Restaurant Nightly Specials

Monday: Pizza Choose any pizza Tuesday: Italian Spaghetti Marinara with house made meatballs. Kids eat portion of spaghetti free with purchase of adult special or entrée

Wednesday: Chicken, Steak or Shrimp Fajitas Thursday: All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs Friday: All You Can Eat Fish Saturday: Prime Rib and Popovers Sunday: Loaded Bloody Mary’s All Day, Chicken dinner in the evening

New Year’s Eve

Evening Entertainment With a balloon drop at midnight..filled with cash and prizes.

Win um’s Shady

Acres

Restaurant & Resorts Located on Beautiful Roberds Lake

Gift Card Special

Buy $50 in nd gift cards a e e fr 10 get $

Restaurant 507-334-8778 Resort and Campground 507-334-6661 www.winjumsshadyacres.com A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

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| JAN/FEB 2018

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Shattuck-St.Mary’s Faribault, MN

Fesler-Lampert Performing Arts Series

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Buckets and tap shoes Buckets and Tap Shoes are a super-

charged blend of music, dance and drumming who started as performers on the streets of Minneapolis. “Utterly brilliant… they are virtuoso percussive players on, yes, buckets, and extraordinary tap dancers, as capable of channeling hip-hop as Astaire-like suavity.” -- New York Times

Julie Fakler & Ian Hanson Opening Reception

Adults $18, Students $11

Austin ArtWorks Center – Jan. 12

*Thursday, January 18, 2018 – In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater presents

Julie Fakler, Southern Minn Scene’s Best Visual Artist, creates vibrant, original, domestic animal paintings and pet portraits.

She received individual artist grants from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council in 2011 and 2014. She’s currently producing southeaster farm animal portraits.

Ian Hanson is a devoted photographer.

He began photographing weddings in 2008 and has kept with the craft ever since. “With

the story of crow Boy An imaginative, theatrical piece that

photography, my hope is to take viewers on a journey,” he said. “To bring them closer to places they have never been and to make it real.” His latest work features images from a recent trip to Africa. www.austinareaarts.org/ events/2018/1/12/2nd-floor-galleryopening-julie-fakler-ian-hanson

combines puppetry, actors, music, projections, shadowplay and other devices to explore the intriguing life story of Japanese artist and author Taro Yashima.

Adults $18, Students $11

Acoustic Roots Music Series Thursday, February 15, 2018

MalaManya Malamanya is a Twin Cities-based band known for their vintage Afro-Latin music with a respect and enthusiasm for traditional rhythms and melodies from Cuba and Latin America.

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55901). Refreshments will be provided along with live music by the Southeastern MN Youth Orchestra.

Adults $18, Students $11 www.malamanya.com

Run Like Hell: The Ultimate Pink Floyd Show - 7:30 pm | $12-$22 Paradise Center for the Arts 321 Central Ave. Faribault, MN 55021 Run Like Hell celebrates the sights and sounds of one of the world’s most successful and influential bands of all time. Based in St. Paul, MN, this band of six accomplished musicians and vocalists meticulously recreates the unique sound and spectacular visual show of Pink Floyd. The attention to detail and energetic performance recreate the excitement of the original Pin Floyd experience in a way that even the most serious fan can appreciate.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

ring of kerry Ring of Kerry is a bursting-with-energy Irish music group that captures the hearts of listeners. For this special show, Ring of Kerry is joined by a pair of Irish dancers.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

The Pines - 7:30 pm | $25 Northfield Armory 519 Division Street Northfield, MN 55057 Grand Opening event for Armory Square!

Rising out of the prairies of the Midwest,

The Pines are one of the most distinct and powerful indie-rock/Americana groups to hit the national scene in years. The Pines have gathered a stunning line-up of musical talent that has gained them a faithful and growing following. Make it a staycation by booking a room at the Historic Hutchinson House B&B located in neighboring Faribault, MN . . . a quick 10 minute drive to the south!

Thu Jan 18, 2018 “Due North” A Capella Group - 6:00 pm | Free Buckham Memorial Library 11 Division St. E. Faribault, MN 55021 Musical concert by a cappella vocal band Due North. Five vocalists from the Twin Cities area with local connections. Please join us at the library for this exceptional musical event.

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theater presents The Story of Crow Boy - 7:30 pm | $11-$18. Students: $11 Adults: $18 Shattuck-St. Mary’s School 1000 Shumway Ave. Faribault, MN 55021

The Story of Crow Boy, is an imaginative, theatrical piece that combines puppetry, actors, music, projections, shadowplay, and other devices to explore the intriguing life story of Taro Yashima. He wrestled with human brutality, racial discrimination, and the ravages of World War II to build work of social conscience, compassionate insight, poetic visual form, and ultimately of joy.

Fri Jan 19, 2018 God Girl - 7:30 pm | $12-$17. $12 Students/Seniors$17 - Adults Northfield Arts Guild Theater 411 W. Third Street Northfield, MN 55057 God Girl, by Minnesota playwright Kristine Holmgren, premiered at the History Theater in 2014; this powerful play explores the hard work, humor, and heartbreak experienced by the first brave women who dared smash the stained glass ceiling of Protestantism.

Voted BEST NEW PLAY of 2015 by Lavender Magazine Make it a staycation with an overnight stay at the Historic Hutchinson House B&B, located just minutes south in Faribault, MN.

Adults $20, Students $12 www.ringofkerry.us

On-Line Ticket Sales now available! www.s-sm.org/FeslerLampert *“This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota State Arts Board through the arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.”

Thank You for Voting

Call for Group Rates.

All performances at 7:30pm in Historic Newhall Auditorium.

SSM Box Office: 507-333-1620 | www.s-sm.org 22

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16 oz. margarita

Us

$3.99

Best Margarita!

mon-Wed aLL daY!

Open Daily 11AM - 10PM

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Must present coupon. Not valid with any other offers.

One coupon per party.

Mon.-Thurs. only. Expires Jan. 31, 2018.

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Arts and Entertainment Year in Review:

monDayS

KiDS eat free

Communities Take Center Stage

BY KELSEY O’HARA editor@southernminnscene.com

A

s 2018 inches closer in our calendars, December becomes a time of reflection on the past year. People often contemplate what they accomplished, what they want to improve and the common lessons they learned throughout the year.

Although many art organizations establish their complete season almost a year in advance, they use this time of reflection to see the success of certain events and what they can do to better bring arts into the community.

2017 marked a strong year for the arts as there were more productions, exhibits and attendees than ever before across southern Minnesota.

Strong Community Theater Presence Southern Minnesota is slowly becoming a hub for community theater, as cities draw more actors, directors and writers for productions that tickle your funny bone or move you to tears.

Sharon Stark, executive secretary for Little Theatre of Owatonna, said their theater relies on local actors, mainly from the Owatonna area, to entertain the community and bring a variety of shows that some community members did not know

they wanted.

“We always asked to bring more musicals, but musicals can’t be the only thing we bring to the table … we want to bring a variety of comedies, shows and other plays,” Stark said. “But since we have been around for 52 years, we’ve built a trust in the audience that we are going to always bring a quality, entertaining production.”

To close this year, The Little Theatre is bringing an original holiday-themed play, “Snapshots: Memories, Moments and Music,” that draws on traditions and celebrations based across the globe to connect to community members that might not have reached in the past.

“We have 22 different languages spoken in our school district, and that is a large untapped population that we aren’t actively reaching out through our typical productions. I think it will make a great opportunity to reach out to these potential audiences and represent a larger group of people in our community,” she said.

Similar sentiments were echoed from Faribault for an emphasis bringing local talent into theaters and bringing new shows alive. Paradise Center for the Arts Executive Director Kristen Twitchell said most of their popular events were plays or musicals held throughout the season, including their summer production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“This was a phenomenal year for us at the Paradise and we saw a lot of success with our theater productions … Beauty and the Beast sold out several times because of the high quality of the cast and

A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

1 free KiD’S meal with

purchaSe of aDult Dinner entrée

crew that really made that show come to life,” Twitchell said.

Twitchell mentioned a shared mentality across the theater communities as actors from Owatonna, Northfield and Faribault often participate in each community’s productions, which strengthens the theater scene as a whole.

Expanding opportunities for local artists Another core feature of most arts and entertainment organizations is curating and coordinating exhibits that create intrigue and interest for local artists.

The Paradise Center worked to incorporate larger exhibits this year, highlighting local artists and the different mediums they work with. A strong example was the Woolen Mill Exhibit where artists from mostly Faribault or Rice County received a bag of wool from Faribault Woolen Mill and were asked to create an art piece incorporating the wool. The final result was a slew of sculptures, mittens, multidimensional paintings, quilts, etc.

“Whether it was multiple or a single artist exhibit, the galleries this year really show the high level of talent in Faribault and how creative artists really can be when they are let to their own imagination,” Twitchell said.

Twitchell hopes to see that spark of creativity continue as they host more student galleries of junior high and high school students at the center.

CONTINUED page 24

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ageS 12 anD unDer after 5 pm thru Jan. 31, 2018

tueSDay tacoS

2 tacoS $3.99 Supreme nachoS $5.00 5/$13 BucKetS

weDneSDayS

1/2 price appetizerS 5-10 pm

friDayS

prime riB 5pm Bingo 7pm

Beer BucKetS During ViKingS gameS $14 game room

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| JAN/FEB 2018

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CONTINUED

FROM page 23

“They deserve to feel pride in themselves for putting forth the work to make something creative and beautiful,” she said.

Mary Lee, executive director for Red Wing Arts, agreed there was a higher quality group of artists that made the entertainment scene in Red Wing more apparent than ever before.

One of Red Wing’s most popular events is the Red Wing Arts Festival in October where local artists from various backgrounds gather with the city to celebrate the arts. Lee said this was the first year the city actively supported the event through sponsorship.

“This has always been an event that draws people into the city and having the city show such tremendous support really helped us create an event that was bigger and different from those in the past,” she said.

This festival had a large stage in the center and featured local organizations and musicians including a children’s rock band, a student string ensemble and several singer-songwriters from Minnesota.

“It was definitely a trial run for us, but it seemed to really draw people in and serve as a good opportunity to hear musicians from across the Red Wing, or Southern Minnesota, area,” Lee said.

As local organizations themselves, most art and entertainment groups want to highlight the potential in their own cities for great art, music and classic entertainment. Whether it is bringing a playwright’s work to life on stage or letting the local comedian pick up the mic, all organizations wanted to create opportunities for local artists.

Increasing community engagement Highlighting local artists is important, but creating community engagement is an extremely key aspect in most successful art communities across the state. The more the community can interact and engage with the art themselves, the more interest they will have when it comes to future events and projects.

Though it is not easy to ask community members to step out of the role of passive audience member, it is a task that Red Wing is tackling through their upcoming art project titled, “Main Street.”

“Essentially, we are going to community members, everyone, not just artists, to take pictures of their main street. Whether it’s a building, a neighborhood or a landmark, we want to know what they connect to and how it shapes our city,” Lee said.

Snapshots

The project is directed especially toward Red Wing residents who have emotional connections to particular locations across town.

Lee said it isn’t about attracting artists instead it is about attracting people who love Red Wing the most. The submitted photos will be included in a projection show that highlights common buildings and locations from across town and becomes a spectacle the entire city can enjoy.

“We recognize the volunteers and people who support us are the ones who make all these projects possible, and we’re a growing more and more because of them,” she said.

Since most entertainment groups in Southern Minnesota

are nonprofits or smaller local organizations, they depend on community support through volunteers and active participants to establish their programming. Stark said the Little Theatre in Owatonna is completely dependent on volunteers who simply love the arts.

“For most of us, it’s about being close to the arts community and helping wherever we can,” Stark said.

The volunteers and community members will have a fair amount to look forward to in the upcoming year as the arts and entertainment groups bring innovative and quality events to SMS Southern Minnesota.

Saturday, January 13th 7:30pm Paradise Center for the Arts 321 Central Ave N, Faribault, MN

Saturday, January 20th

7:30pm Waconia Performing Arts Facilities 1650 Community Dr Waconia, MN Tickets Available at www.runlikehell.band/upcoming-shows

Friday, January 26th 7:30pm

Pine Island Winterfest—Olde Pine Theatre 113 2nd St SW Pine Island, MN

Saturday, January 27th 7:30pm Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts 205 Main St E Menomonie, WI For Tickets and show information, please visit www.runlikehell.band/shows

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t l u a b i r a F Where american stories are maDe

A T O S E MINN

[

Faribault [fair-uh-boh] French n 1852 translates; great people, incredible fun.

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Mollywood Blvd

MOLLY PENNY Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MSU Mankato alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a morning show gig for KOWZ 100.9. She is now Music and Promotions Director at KOWZ & KRUE Radio in Owatonna and can be heard on various airwaves in Southern Minnesota, including Hot 96.7 in Mankato. She resides in Mankato with her movie buff husband and YouTube obsessed children. Need to contact her?

Shoot her an e-mail mollyp@kowzonline.com or catch her on Twitter at @mollyhoodUSA.

om

MZ.c www.T

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2017 Grabbed Us By the …

R

egardless of what fortunes or failures you may have had in your personal life, every year has its own unique set of events that will be remembered: The Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986; The Twins winning the World Series in 1987 and again in 1991. The suicide of grunge rocker Kurt Cobain and OJ Simpson’s infamous police chase on an L.A highway in a white Bronco in 1994, and the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997. Hurricanes often take the main stage, like Andrew in 1992, and Katrina in 2005. 2016 was marked by the Presidential Election, and will also be known as the year of celebrity deaths: David Bowie, Glen Frey, Prince, Carrie Fisher and more.

2017 is no exception, so let’s take a look back at some of the things that shaped the year.

Lady Gaga propelled into her Super Bowl halftime performance Mission Impossible style, we had 3 pregnant Kardashians, Ed Sheeran appeared on Game of Thrones, sales of Taylor Swift’s album Reputation smashed records, Prince Harry got engaged, Marvel still dominated the box office, Hugh Hefner bit the dust, the Warriors won the NBA Championship thanks to the addition

of Kevin Durant and Blake Shelton was named People’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” I’m calling “fake news” on that last one.

But there are much bigger themes that defined 2017 as a whole.

It will be remembered for its politics for sure. It was a polarizing year, on the heels of the 2016 election. You knew it wasn’t going to be a boring year when the most unexpected of candidates, billionaire businessman, real estate mogul, T.V. producer and personality Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. 2017 would see Trump in the news, and on Twitter, every single day of the year. From multiple cabinet firings, Russia collusion hearings, to a continuous “Twitter war” with Kim Jong Un and the media – love him or hate him, you couldn’t escape The Donald.

Following the Inauguration on Jan. 21, as a reflection of the increasing political unrest that shaped 2016, millions of people worldwide joined in the Women’s March, becoming the largest single-day protest in American history. You may have tuned in to the news to see a sea of pink flooding the streets of most major cities. An estimated 4 million people participated in the United States and up to 5 million more worldwide.

North Korea continued to prompt international condemnation by test firing a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan in early

Thank You for Voting Us Best Chiropractor!

February, and engaging with Trump and the United Nations in a war of words and threats of World War III, announcing themselves a full nuclear state. They launched another ICBM on Nov. 29. Trump responded with a tweet calling Un, “the Little Rocket Man.” Tragically, we saw terrorist attacks at concerts, starting with Ariana Grande’s May 12 concert in Manchester, England, where 22 people were killed and over 100 injured in a terrorist bombing.

On Oct. 1, a mass shooting took place in Las Vegas by a lone gunman, Stephen Paddock, at a Jason Aldean concert, killing 58 and injuring 546. A day later, on Oct. 2, we lost one of the pioneers of the true “American” rock band, Tom Petty. Aldean came back and performed Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” the following weekend on SNL. It was chilling and cathartic. A month later, another mass shooting occurred at a church in Texas, killing 26 and injuring 20 more.

Three hurricanes affected US territories over the 2017 season.

The first in August, Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a Category 4 from August 25-30, causing at least 90 deaths and catastrophic damage to the Houston area, in large part due to the record breaking floods it produced. On September 6, Hurricane Irma, a Category 5, struck Florida and parts of the Caribbean.

Light-hearted Floridians were purchasing trendy “hurricane”

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MUSIC The Nutcracker Dec 16 | 3 pm Northfield Middle School

Dec 17 | 3 pm Cannon Falls High School 2017-18 CVRO Season Sponsor: Community Resource Bank Concert Sponsor: Ferndale Market Media Sponsor: 95.1 FM The One

www.championshipsubdivision.com cakes, but the storm went on to cause 134 deaths. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria struck similar areas, making landfall on Dominica as a Category 5 and Puerto Rico as a Category 4.

Following Maria, huge humanitarian outcry to aid Puerto Rico followed what was considered by many a less than expedient relief response from FEMA and the president.

As a break from the devastation, Texas was able to come together to celebrate the Houston Astros winning the World Series. It was also a remarkable year for Minnesota sports. In the WNBA, The Minnesota Lynx won the championship – again. The Minnesota Wild, for much of the season, were one of the NHL’s best, making the playoffs but flaming out early. One year ago, the Minnesota Twins lost over 100 games. In 2017, they made the playoffs, a feat no other team has ever accomplished in the history of the game. Despite knee injuries of both our starting quarterbacks, the Vikings look pretty good this season, giving Minnesotans hope that our own team could play in the Minnesota hosted Super Bowl. And the Timberwolves look like they could end a 13-year postseason drought.

Rock star suicides provided more unhappy news over the year.

Chris Cornell, frontman of the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, shocked fans when he committed suicide by hanging in May of 2017 while on tour. Months later, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park took his own life in a similar fashion. Both artists had a history of anxiety and depression, and their deaths shed light

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

a

on mental health issues. The song “1-800-273-8255” (the suicide hotline) by American rapper Logic, featuring Grammy nominee for Best New Artist, Alessia Cara, and fellow Grammy nominee and winner of Best New Artist at the 2017 VMAs, Khalid, stayed on the charts for 30 weeks (and counting).

But probably the biggest thing that defined 2017 was the scandals. Sexual harassment and sexual abuse allegations bubbled to the surface as more and more celebrities, industry executives and politicians were being accused of sexual misconduct. Leaving Bill Cosby’s mistrial in the dust, the latter part of 2017 was a constant barrage of alleged sex scandals: film Producer and co-founder of Mirimax, Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K., former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, Republican politician Roy Moore of Alabama, Minnesota U.S. Senator Al Franken, NBC Today Show anchor Matt Lauer, and MPR’s Garrison Kiellor were of the accused. You shuddered to open your web browser and see your favorite actor’s name in the news for fear that they were going to be next. Between the Russia hearings and this, it is appropriate that dictionary.com named “complicit” as its word of the year. The silver lining? Women staying silent about sexual harassment went out the door in 2017.

The world seems a bit chaotic, but when isn’t it? The good news is, it didn’t end, and we closed the year with a new Star Wars movie, Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi, still in theatres.

May the Force be with you in 2018. SMS

5

AUDITIONS OPEN ART Dec 29 Purple Door 10 am - 2 pm Youth Theater Drop in for a minute, or stay a while!

Nov 26 for | 5-7 pm

Nov 27 | 4-6 pm Sign Individual: up for a time $3 online Family group max: $10

2017-18 Education Sponsor: Northfield News a

GALLERY Call for Artists!!!

Participate in our next exhibit:

Painting, Photography, Mixed Media & Sculpture all accepted!

Foot in the Door

Artwork drop-off: Jan 6 Exhibit: Jan 10 - Feb 17

Visit our website for details and how to participate!

Dolphins’ heads lack an olfactory system. That means that, though they have impressive noses, they have no ability to detect scent.

2017-18 Gallery Season Sponsor: First National Bank Exhibit Sponsor: Cannon Pointe Chiropractic

MUSIC 411 Concert:

The Pines

Jan 13 | 7:30 pm

6

The ball-drop in Times Square is more than 100 years old. The first one weighed 700 lbs and was made of iron and wood; today’s beauties are made of Waterford crystals and LED lights and weighs more than six tons.

www.fe.ethz.ch

1 2 3

Dendrochronology is the science of dating a tree by its rings.

1 in about every 333 people in the U.S. today is transgender.

Not even half of us will make a resolution this year. There’s no word on how many resolutions are actually kept, but a 2012 Harris Poll indicates that the eighth-most frequently made resolution is to play nice and get along with someone we’ve clashed with in the past.

4

Dig below the surface of the ground in Manhattan, and you may find more than eighty-five different kinds of soil.

Grand Opening Event at Armory Square!!!

519 Division Street 411 Concert Series Sponsor: Northfield Construction Company Concert Sponsor: Armory Square Beverage Sponsor: Firehouse Liquor

7 8

THEATER

According to those in the know, more vehicles are stolen on New Years Day than at any other time.

God Girl

by Minnesota playwright, Kristine Holmgren

The largest snowflake (so far) fell in Montana in 1887.

It was more than 8 inches across and some 15 inches high.

9

Directed by Mishia Edwards

Jan 19 - 28 Arts Guild Theater 411 Third Street W.

It’ll get warm soon but here’s a reminder: water skiing was invented on Lake Pepin in 1922 by a couple of brothers who thought boards and clotheslines might make a dandy new sport.

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304 Division Street S. Northfield, MN 55057

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WOLDUM TV

RACHEL WOLDUM Rachel Woldum is a former television snob who has embraced the medium as it has entered its Golden Age. Contact her at editor@southernminnscene.com

Daredevil

Small Screen,

The Punisher

Jessica Jones

Luke Cage

Iron Fist 28

Big Heroes

I

f you’re like me, you’re probably feeling superhero overload right now. Between Marvel and DC, it seems like no less than three new superhero movies are released each year. They all boast all-star casts, sinfully large budgets, world-ending explosions, and — unfortunately — very little substance.

So when Netflix started releasing shows based on Marvel characters, I can’t say I was eager to watch them. I assumed they would be more of the same, aka mediocre and forgettable. But when the first season of Daredevil was released in 2015, and I repeatedly heard praise of it from my friends, I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad that I did. Since then, Netflix has released five more shows based on Marvel characters, including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher, as well as a second season of Daredevil.

Of that offering, I’ve only watched Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher (sorry, there’s a lot of good TV out there!), but each has been excellent. While they’ll never have the box-office earnings or merchandise tie-ins of their big screen big brothers, they’re by far the superior creation. While TV storytelling certainly has its limitations, some of those limitations actually work in its favor, and I think that’s definitely the case here.

First and foremost, the serial quality of television allows for more in-depth charac-

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ter exploration, as well as actual character arcs (instead of just two and a half hours of wise-cracks and superpowers). I can’t say that I’ve ever felt super emotionally attached to any member of the Avengers or Justice League, mostly because I don’t really feel like I know them, and I know they’re going to be OK no matter what. So even when the stakes are extremely high (and they usually are … no less than the TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF A PLANET or the TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF AN ENTIRE CITY), I find myself struggling to care. But when I get to follow a single character grow and change over multiple episodes, I become invested. I believe that they can actually be hurt and I hope that they’re not.

Another thing working in the favor of these TV adaptations is a lower budget.

The action and fight scenes are actually more compelling because they have to rely on choreography and hand-to-hand combat rather than special effects and robots. This also means that the characters’ physicality actually serves as a form of characterization, rather than just a form of entertainment.

For example, Matt Murdock (Daredevil), who is blind, must rely on his other heightened senses to defend himself, and fights with a dazzling mix of speed, martial arts, and disarmament. Jessica Jones, who suffers from PTSD, prefers to keep her powers of super strength and limited flight under

the radar, but doesn’t hesitate to hurl a wall or two when someone threatens someone she cares about. And Frank Castle, the lead in Netflix’s most recent Marvel adaptation The Punisher, uses his military background to his advantage, remaining one step ahead of his enemies with impeccable tactical planning, exceptional firearm skills, and a brutal, MMA-style form of combat. These characters truly feel formed by their experience and trauma, and not just plopped on screen to look cool.

And finally, the smaller scope of TV means that the creators can take bigger risks, ones they probably wouldn’t be allowed to take if they were working with the $220 million dollar budget of an Avengers movie. They can cast lesserknown actors, chosen for their talent and fit with the character rather than for their box-office appeal. They can tackle serious, more provocative subject matter, such as PTSD, sexual assault, physical disabilities, and racism. And they can focus on lesser known characters within the Marvel universe, characters who are just as compelling as Thor and Iron Man, but who’ve gotten a lot less attention over the years.

So, while I’ll definitely still see Avengers: Infinity War when it’s released next spring, I have to admit that I’m a lot more excited about Jessica Jones season 2. When it comes to superheroes, I like mine vulnerable, realistic, and on the small screen.

SMS

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101

Building or Remodeling

and flexible (there is a limit) and realize there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Heather Buisman

Step 6-Sit Back & Enjoy

Heather is an interior designer at The Design Element in the Mankato Design Center. She can assist with your design projects from planning to final product selections.

Y

ou have been contemplating a remodel or building a new house for quite some time and you’ve decided the day has come to pull the trigger and start the process.

However, as overwhelming as it may seem, there are some things that will help you along the way to make the process less stressful and more enjoyable, with the goal of keeping the SPONSORED BY project on The Design Element time and on budget.

1711 Premier Drive With more Mankato, MN than a decade of 507.345.8708 experience in this field, I have narrowed it down to six steps that I believe will help you and save you from losing your construction mind.

Step 1-Establish a Budget No matter how big or small you must determine what you are willing and capable of spending for this project. This is not only important for your budgetary planning, but for the professionals that are assisting you.

It’s not uncommon for the expectations to be larger than the cost…thank you, HGTV! An experienced contractor and designer will be able to “value engineer” your project—identifying your wants, determining your true needs and guiding you to make the best decisions possible, all the while aiming to keep you within your identified budget.

Step 2-Establish a Team of Professionals Hiring a contractor and designer with experience is key to a successful project.

Whether it’s building your dream from the

ground up or a much needed home makeover, a common misperception is that an investment in design time means sacrificing money that can be sunk directly into the project. This is a common mistake and while you may perceive that it will cost you more money to have assistance, it is often found to be exactly the opposite. Having professionals involved from beginning to end can help save you from making costly mistakes. The team will also help facilitate a fluid design/build process.

Sometimes it’s hard to see the rainbow when you are caught up within the eye of the storm. As noted throughout, this is not an easy process, and there are lots of stressors and difficult decisions along the way. That doesn’t mean, however, that the end result will not be worth all the work and sacrifice.

Within all the projects I have been involved, I don’t recall a single person that has regretted the end result. After the dust has settled, the inconveniences subsided, and the frustrations ceased, there is the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. What can this tell you?

It’s worth it! Enjoy your new space!

Step 3-Set Expectations Today is December 2nd and you have identified that you want the project completed by the end of the year. This is what we would call an unrealistic expectation. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t expect that your dream project can get done overnight. You get one chance to do this right, so be willing to commit the time to making sure things are done correctly. Top quality professionals are in high demand, and if the people you have in mind are readily available, you may be considering the wrong team. Patience is a virtue, and as a homeowner, you will be rewarded for letting top-notch professionals engage the process on a schedule that’s manageable for both sides.

Step 4-Spend Time on Product Education & Research We all know there are literally thousands of product options available and more being introduced all the time. If you have chosen to hire a professional, it is part of their responsibility to discuss and educate you as much as possible so that you can feel comfortable with your decisions. You can never have too much information and the end product should ultimately be a beautiful blend of personal preference and professional opinion.

Step 5-Be Prepared for Bumps in the Road Again, this is not HGTV. Not everything can happen on time, on budget, without flaw, or within the context of a perfectly scripted 60-minute episode. As hard as your team may try and control all the variables, realize there are hundreds to thousands of decisions and factors that go into your project. Be patient

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Get fit in SoMinn

2018. The start of a brand-new year.

I’m not sure I know a single person who does NOT set new goals for themselves at the start of the new year.

New Year’s Resolutions are almost to be expected. And I’m not sure why they get such a bad rep. New changes are never an easy thing to maintain. The combination of a change in routine + the chaos that is life can make things challenging. But that should never discourage you from trying something new.

As a personal trainer and health guru, fitness obviously comes to mind first when I think of New Year’s Resolutions. For this month’s column, I wanted to do my #fitfam a favor and provide a list of some awesome gyms in Southern Minn that are not only offering killer deals and incentives to kick off the New Year, but will truly welcome you with open arms. I’m quite a huge fan of every gym/ studio and trainer that I’ve listed below. I wouldn’t suggest them to you if I didn’t think they would treat you well.

The Anytime Fitness of Faribault, recognizes that taking the first steps toward a healthier lifestyle is the hardest part. After that, it gets a whole lot easier.

That’s why they’re offering the following perks to help encourage people to take those first few steps. New members who join Anytime Fitness between Jan. 1-12 – for just $1 – will receive the following: • A FREE guest pass to the new group training program that starts Jan. 1 – including a personalized fitness assessment, orientation to all of the gym’s equipment and a 30-day “Get Started Plan.”

• Free access to the new Anytime Fitness mobile app. The app features more than 1,000 different workout sessions. So, you can easily find the workouts that are best for you while avoiding boredom with a new workout every day.

• The app also helps you set goals and track your progress – to keep you motivated and to allow you to participate in friendly competitions with workout buddies, if you like.

“The secret to making big changes is recognizing and appreciating little victories,” General Manager, Kris Johnson said. Getting started can be scary. But, with the right type of coaching and sup-

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NICOLE SWEENEY Nicole Sweeney is a fitness freak who loves nothing more than coffee, laughter & sharing a good workout with anyone and everyone. If you think of any crazy fitness fads you think she should try hit her up on her Instagram account @sisufit or Twitter @APGnsweeney

Gyms to see!

port, anything is possible.” And if any of you have met Kris, you’ll know that this is true. She is truly motivated by and passionate about helping people reach their full potential. She will not leave you hanging.

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Contact Kris Johnson at the Anytime Fitness of Faribault at: (P): 507.331.3434 (C): 507.330.2113 (E): faribault@anytimefitness.com

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$5 OFF ANY TANNING PACKAGE THROUGH DECEMBER 31

But, that’s not the only option you have in the Faribault Area. Fitness in Motion is constantly bringing in new equipment to ensure that their clients & members will never have a dull day in the gym.

Mike Swanson of Fitness in Motion sent me a text a few weeks ago letting me know that they had just recently received a handful of “Airrunners”. I knew I had to include something as cool as these bad-boys in my column. So, get this … these non-motorized treadmills are one of the newest pieces of equipment in the fitness industry. It doesn’t matter if you’re walking or running, this piece of equipment allows you body to be the motor and burn up to 30 percent more calories – how crazy is that?

Stop in for other specials

BUY 15 SESSIONS GET 5 FREE THROUGH DECEMBER 31

To give these Airrunners a shot or to get started with one of their fitness classes, contact Mike Johnson at Fitness in Motion at: (P): 507.334.1823 (E): muscleteam@yahoo.com

Swinging on through the Northfield area? You have to stop by the Northfield YMCA. Not only is their facility absolutely gorgeous, but their staff is dynamite. Some of the most supportive people I’ve met … anywhere. The Y is always open to supporting your goals, whatever they may be.

As a nonprofit organization with a mission of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities, they strive to promote healthy living and youth development with a wide variety of programs and services including: • Swimming lessons, lap swimming, open swim • Teen and adult fitness and nutrition programs • Sports and recreation programs • An entire floor of fitness equipment • 50 and older group aqua exercise classes every week • AND, childcare while you take care of your own health • PLUS, at the Y they truly work to ensure that everyone and anyone can participate so consider signing up for a financial scholarship.

The Y is a proud lead sponsor of the Faribault Daily News and Northfield News Health and Wellness Challenge along with the Anytime Fitness in Faribault. They encourage you to sign up by January 15.

For more information, visit their website at www.northfieldymca.org or better yet, stop by and get a quick tour.

(P): 507.645.0088 Alright so how about the Lakeville area? Do you get up there every now & then? You might want to take a look into TITLE Boxing Club in Lakeville-Apple Valley. Tate Wheeler, general manager, and his team invite you to come “get fit not hit” and burn up to 1,000 calories a class.

Not only will you get your first class FREE, but

you’ll have the opportunity to take advantage of joining for a pretty amazing price of $20.18 this mate Total January. The UltiBody Workout will absolutely help you knockout your goals and feel stress free all year long.

Contact Tate Wheeler at TITLE Boxing Club Lakeville/Apple Valley at: (P): 952.300.6800 And just in case you are looking for something more independent, professional MMA fighter & personal trainer, Justin Trangsrud’s Mohawk Power Training can assist you in implementing personal programs and meal plans to help you reach your goals.

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Call today to register for our next CoolEvent

For more information on pricing you can reach Justin at: (C): 612.275.9414 “Every year, millions of Americans resolve to lead healthier lifestyles, but fewer than 10 percent achieve their resolutions,” said Kris Johnson.

“Those who succeed in making big changes are able to do so because they’re receiving excellent coaching and support – and they’re genuinely having fun at the gym. When that happens, suddenly exercise becomes a priority and, somehow, you find time that you didn’t think you had to take care of yourself.”

Nothing could be more true. I wanted to include this quote from Kris because I think it’s a great reminder that you don’t have to be alone in starting out. There’s no shame in asking for a little help and guidance.

As you can see there are plenty of options in the SoMinn area. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them. If you end up getting started at any one of these gyms or give any of these classes a shot, please tag us or shoot us a message. We LOVE the feedback.

P.S. if you need a workout buddy, I’m not afraid to help get you started. Shoot me a message. SMS

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Tareen Dermatology

Crossroads Professional Bldg.

1575 20th St. NW, #201 Faribault, MN 55021

651-633-6883 www.tareendermatology.com Results and patient experience may vary. While CoolSculpting is safe, some rare side effects may occur. As with any medical procedure, only your CoolSculpting provider can help you decide if CoolSculpting is right for you. In the U.S., the CoolSculpting procedure is FDA-cleared for the treatment of visible fat bulges in the submental area, thigh, abdomen and flank. Outside the U.S., the CoolSculpting procedure for non-invasive fat reduction is available worldwide. ZELTIQ, CoolSculpting, the CoolSculpting logo, the Snowflake design, and Fear No Mirror are registered trademarks of ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. © 2017 IC1995-A

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BOOK REVIEWS The Bookworm Sez:

“It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Famly Tree”

by A.J. Jacobs

The Bookworm Sez:

“The Last to See Me”

by M Dressler

The Bookworm Sez:

“Member of the Family”

by Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman

The Bookworm Sez:

“You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side”

by Orly Lobel

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By Terri Schlichenmeyer The woman in the cubicle next to yours is a real piece of work.

No tidbit is too small for gossiping. Unsolicited advice is her expertise, and she seems to think complaints are in her job description. Ugh, she’s so hard to work with but be aware. As you’ll see in the new book “It’s All Relative” by A.J. Jacobs, she’s probably related to you.

And so is everyone else, says Jacobs, if you go back far enough. Somewhere several thousand years ago, a man and a woman who probably didn’t even known one another happened both to have DNA with exceptional staying power. Their genes have been passed down to every single person since then. Even you.

That’s, of course, a simple explanation to a complex thing but it got Jacobs thinking. In his own family tree, he says, “I’d be happy to trim a few branches,” but the idea of having several million cousins was an intriguing one. He

By Terri Schlichenmeyer Not a creature was stirring…

And that’s what you love about this time of year: late at night, it gets so quiet. You can almost imagine that you’re the only one awake in your town, that you’re the only person who keeps watch. You can pretend you’re all alone but, as in the new novel, “The Last to See Me” by M Dressler, are you, really?

Emma Rose knew who he was the minute she saw him.

He was a hunter, one who made it his work to send beings like her down to where worms and subterranean animals wiggled and scratched. She was well aware of his kind; she was wary but not concerned. As long as she didn’t allow herself to lose control or get angry, as long as she watched him, she could remain hidden.

She felt that she’d been hidden for most of her life.

Her mother died when she was born so she was

By Terri Schlichenmeyer Who can forget their first crush?

Not you: those shy looks, the careful approaches, awkward hand-holding, a cautious kiss, you’ll remember those things forever. It was so innocent then, that first askto-dance, that first ask-to-themovies but not, as in “Member of the Family” by Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman, the first ask-to-kill.

In her earliest memories, Dianne Lake had a childhood that every 1950s kid wanted. Born in Minnesota to a stay-at-home mom and a father who painted houses by day and canvas by night, Lake remembers family trips, a “huge backyard,” loving siblings, and plenty of toys.

It was perfect – for awhile. By 1963, Lake’s father was restless and depressed and began encouraging his wife to go with him to California to experience the growing counter-culture movement. She refused so, after a

By Terri Schlichenmeyer As a kid, what was your favorite toy?

You can probably remember it instantly: the thing you couldn’t bear to leave at home, the doll you spent hours with, the toy truck that road-tripped your imagination. Just thinking of it gives you a warm feeling and a wistful smile but in “You Don’t Own Me” by Orly Lobel, you’ll read about two toy companies that weren’t playin’.

Years after it happened, Carter Bryant couldn’t tell you what spurred him to think the way he did that sunny afternoon.

Maybe it was dissatisfaction with his on-again-offagain job at Mattel. Maybe it was a recent, nasty breakup with his on-again-off-again boyfriend. Or maybe it was a quirk in his impressively creative mind that made him notice three teenagers as they left their small-townMissouri school, and that made Bryant think of his huge idea.

All his life, he’d been an artist and he’d dreamed of

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decided to throw a party for his new family. Everyone was invited. Even you.

These days, genealogy is big-business: over the course of a year, “Americans spend a mind-boggling $3 billion…” and untold hours building their family trees, learning their DNAs, and locating official government records, photos, and documents. You can go online and easily see who you’re related to, even distantly, but the shocker is that “we are a startlingly close-knit species” - so close, in fact, that you could be “at most seventieth cousins with all other humans.” Genetically, we’re awfully close to some animals, too: forebears, as it turns out, might be exactly right.

But you can’t think about who you’re related to without peeking backward. In his zeal for connection-collection, Jacobs amassed family stories and FBI dossiers, contacted celebrities (new cousins!), and found “black sheep” and changing names. He looked at our caveman lineage (yes, even you) and he discovered that, evolutionarily speaking, learning our connections “nudges us to treat strangers with more kindness.”

Soon, you’ll be sitting down to a nice Thanksgiving meal.

The whole family’s invited, and in “It’s All Relative,” you’ll see that you’re gonna need more chairs.

In his mega-reunion planning, author A.J. Jacobs learned that early, but that’s only half the fun of this dual look at genealogy. The main part – the appeal of the whole book – is that Jacobs is a truly funny writer, putting himself squarely in the middle of his story, holding up his own family as examples, and using himself as foil to his plans and discoveries.

That, however, is no indication of a lack of seriousness to this book.

Jacobs educates as he entertains, and readers will learn about basic genetics, genealogy, and searching for ancestors far and not-so-far. Indeed, reading this book may spur you to see who you’re related to. (Hint: everybody).

So be nice to that cousin in the next cube. Be sure to tell everyone that you’re actually related to a famous author named Jacobs. And read “It’s All Relative.” You’ll love it because you kin.

raised by her Da, a workman just like most of the fellows in their northern California town. They were common folk, not at all like the Lambry men, whose wealth kept them above everyone else in Benito. The Lambrys snubbed people who spent their days doing honest work, washing and cleaning for lumberjacks who toiled on nearby hills. They snubbed people like her.

So on the night that she danced with Quint Lambry at the community hall, Emma Rose knew tongues would wag in Benito, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care when Quint’s mother found a job for her, far from town and far from Quint. It didn’t matter, because Quint rode miles to see her every week anyway.

That was a century ago – many lifetimes, in fact, including that belonging to Alice Lambrey, the final resident of the Lambrey Mansion. But with Alice now lying in her grave and the mansion up for sale, there was a problem: the cleansing that’d supposedly ridded Benito of ghosts, missed the one who’d once been called Emma Rose Finnis.

But the hunter could never know that.

A name was power. His knowing hers could be the end.

What’s beneath your bed? Or behind you or above you? You’ll look, and then look again after you’ve read “The Last to See Me.” That’s because this book is creepy – and it’s a little bit funny, in that shrieky-scared-for-a-minute-butlaugh-self-consciously way that actually means you’re still scared. Brace yourself: that’s going to last until the very last paragraph of this cat-and-mouse book, since author M Dressler takes us on a screaming, careening trip through a resort town’s history, the life of a brazen woman, and an old house in which characters are dead, or alive, or neither. Surprises? Expect them everywhere there’s potential for fear; indeed, Dressler knows how to make worms and flowers seem positively, dreadfully frightening, a talent that readers will come to adore.

As the nights get shorter and there’s less daylight, reach for something double-dark on a page. For you, “The Last to See Me” will stir you well.

few false starts, he went by himself; two years later, he returned and the family moved after all, fully embracing the “hippie” lifestyle. Lake says her parents were happier then, but they were high almost constantly and they proudly shared their drugs with her.

As she’d always wanted, Lake had two parents again but she didn’t have their love, rules, support, or guidance. Lake enjoyed the freedom they gave her but it scared her, too, like when the family went to a Griffith Park love-in, she got lost, and her parents didn’t bother looking for her. Shortly afterward, it scared her that they gave permission for fourteen-year-old Lake to strike out on her own.

Around then, she met Charles Manson.

He was charismatic and kind, she says. She thought he loved her so, whole-heartedly, she immersed herself into a cult where sex was for everyone, drugs were always available, life was free and fun, and Manson preached love but used his fists on his “girls.”

Still, she’d do anything for “Charlie,” although Lake had begun to think that some things weren’t quite right. When Manson gave her a knife and asked if she would kill for him, she knew they weren’t…

The first thing you may notice about “Member

of the Family” is that it’s a little stiff. Authors Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman are frugal in their use of grammatical contractions, which doesn’t read quite naturally and which makes the storytelling feel hesitant.

Keep reading; that feeling doesn’t go away, but you get a good sense of peace-and-love, free drugs, counterculture hippies, and casual sex – lots of casual sex, the telling of which could make a reader squirm.

The real squirm is yet to come, though: it’s in a vividly-set backdrop for Lake’s memory-snippets, and a timeline that swirls like a psychedelic poster. It’s in a sense of perfect confusion and numb shock, and in the heartbeat of a narrow escape from the man who terrorized a nation for weeks and readers for decades.

Yes, there are slow bits here or there in this book but once you start it, really, you won’t be able to look away.

If a taut psychological thriller is what you like, “Member of the Family” crushes it.

designing clothes. After graduating from fashion school, he landed a job at Mattel to work with Barbie but Mattel had no tolerance for spontaneous creativity, says Lobel, and that was something Bryant couldn’t abide.

And so, as he moved from Los Angeles to his parents’ home in Missouri then back to Mattel a few times, Bryant obsessed about three hip teenage dolls, drawing and re-drawing, putting them away and revisiting them, creating their fictitious lives, rounding them out and making them real.

In August 2000, a friend and former Mattel co-worker introduced Bryant to two people who would change his life; both were executives at Mattel rival MGA. And both were excited to see what Bryant had been calling his “Bratz.”

For many years, Isaac Larian, a Jewish-Iranian immigrant and the owner-founder of toy company MGA, had been looking for a blockbuster toy. He wanted to own it, not just distribute it, and he was “no stranger to litigation.” That was a good thing because, after many attempts to get Barbie back on her molded feet to fight against Larian and MGA’s newly-purchased Bratz fashion-doll line, Mattel got mad.

And in 2004, it filed the first lawsuit…

Do you own the ideas you concoct on your own time? Or can your employer take them for free? Those

are just two of the intriguing questions inside “You Don’t Own Me.” Of course, in the case of Mattel vs. MGA, many arguments were made, and author Orly Lobel recounts them here. While there’s some lean in the narrative, and well-considered author opinion, Lobel also presents a nice full background of both companies, as well as biographies, to allow for better understanding before she launches her subtle argument-starters. Mixed with the story, Lobel looks at gender and the nature of play, which lends a nostalgic tone to a book that’s highly readable, even if you’re not in business.

This book – and the story – ends on an uneasy note; absolutely, it’ll give inventors pause and businesspeople a reason for eagle-eyed vigilance. For sure, “You Don’t Own Me” shows that the ownership of ideas is nothing to toy with.

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It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Famly Tree by A.J. Jacobs c.2017, Simon & Schuster $27.00 / $36.00 in Canada 338 pages Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer based just across the river from SoMinn in LaCrosse, WI. She can be contacted at bookwormsez@gmail.com

The Last to See Me by M Dressler c.2017, Skyhourse Publishing $22.99 / $35.99 in Canada 264 pages Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer based just across the river from SoMinn in LaCrosse, WI. She can be contacted at bookwormsez@gmail.com

Member of the Family by Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman c.2017, Wm. Morrow $27.99 / $34.99 in Canada 385 pages Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer based just across the river from SoMinn in LaCrosse, WI. She can be contacted at bookwormsez@gmail.com

You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side by Orly Lobel c.2017, W.W. Norton $27.95 / $36.95 in Canada 304 pages Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer based just across the river from SoMinn in LaCrosse, WI. She can be contacted at bookwormsez@gmail.com

A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

ALBUM REVIEW

By Daniel G. Moir editor@southernminnscene.com

Y

ou may not know the name now, but on The Tunnel’s End, New York Rapper Marlon Craft displays an impressive array of skills and vision that could very well propel him to the top of the hip-hop game.

Album Grade: A+

Marlon Craft The Tunnel’s End

START YOUR WEEKEND OUT THE RIGHT WAY.

While the recent Grammy nods for “Album of the Year” and “Rap Album of the Year” lavishing additional praise on Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN and Jay-Z’s 4:44 are certainly well deserved; people loving these mainstream major label albums should make some room for some independently released albums.

Specifically, The Tunnel’s End, by Hell’s Kitchen rapper Marlon Craft.

While Lamar and Jay-Z’s albums are daring and defining works, their quality is of no shock. Both are skilled masters and DAMN and 4:44 give ample evidence to that fact. Craft comes out of nowhere with a sound, story and precision that is old, new, compelling and completely unexpected. His high-minded concept, and the message of this release is engaging and thought-provoking. Not just the best HipHop release of the year, this is one of the best albums of 2017 in any genre.

On The Tunnel’s End, Craft uses the metaphor of the New York Subway to describe a journey towards social enlightenment. Like the city itself, it is filled with a variety of interesting characters and ever changing situations. It is sometimes bewildering, sometimes scary, but ultimately exhilarating as it meshes to tell a broader, overarching story.

“The One (Intro)/TTE 1” opens the album with the recorded voice of the subway conductor advising passengers to “Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”

Craft uses the conductor’s words as a metaphor for the greater psychological and philosophical quest he embarks on. What are “the closing doors” and why would a disembodied voice give an instruction to “stand clear” of them? Craft takes the everyday to deftly ask bigger questions. What does this statement mean, and more importantly, how does it hold people back?

The album is populated by characters to help illustrate his narrative; the wizened elder who brings a voice of reasoned experience, the abstraction of the conductor, the rough-lived innocence of a little girl. There are the other passengers who ride along, each unconcerned; they have their own stops. Ultimately, there is the unseen motorman who “drives out of pace to inflate all our discrepancies.”

This is the imposed societal ill that infects the journey and has the most to gain from ensuring the closing doors are never blocked and the train continues its path undisturbed.

Dreamlike soundscapes musically illustrate the morning hangover and anger that begins “Bad Day Music.” Craft vividly describes the pressures he feels, largely

created by his own antagonism and frustration. His displeasure is palpable as he describes a life lived with a perceived lack of success, as if somehow owed. The subway is crowded and every interaction is viewed through a lens of threatened fear. He expresses the universal feeling that “the world is out to get me.” This perspective is challenged in the last seconds of the track when he encounters a young girl in obviously much rougher shape than him. She asks if HE is alright while also asking for a dollar for her homeless mother. When she ends their interaction with a smile and a sign-off of “My name is Hope, and I love to ride the train!” something has changed.

The protagonist, and the perspective of the album has changed. He is more willing to look beyond himself to find answers to questions he didn’t even know he had been carrying. It is the beginning of a breathtaking, heartfelt journey.

“The Internet Lied” castigates technology’s ability to distract society from things that matter. Craft has the good sense to admit his own culpability, pausing in his preaching to further his point by rapping about checking his phone to see notification that he has gained another fan on social media. It is funny, self-deprecating and reveals deep thought placed behind every clever line.

Obvious single “Brainiacs” is a breezy and bright mid-tempo song that exalts every person ever made to feel as though they didn’t belong with “the cool crowd.” He calls out the “tough guys who talk a game” as oppressors who revel in shallow swagger and advises the geeky outsider to “fight that ignorance with passion” and to “speak through your actions.” His message is one of informed positivity. At no point does he minimize slights felt, but uses gritty realism to elevate the bullied oppressed in celebration of the gifts they bring. His unabashed jazzy delivery of the words contain its own swagger untouched by the affliction of “coolness” and is refreshing and honest.

The spoken word interlude “The Closing Doors” is the album’s centerpiece and the most pointed 2 minutes released in 2017. He describes how society, like a train, works in systems designed to keep people in conflict and “falling for gimmicks” while missing the greater issues that a more cooperative approach might solve. It is a call for social justice and the importance unity will ultimately play in order to form a true equalitarian society. It is jaw-dropping, intelligent and precise.

Lyrically challenging, the thought-provoking The Tunnels’ End is a transcendent album from an artist who may be unknown now, but if he continues making music like this, it won’t be for long.

Bottom Line: An inspired, deeply thought album by a prodigious talent who awaits discovery by both the fan and non-fan of hip-hop. The rare album that may change how you may view the world. A triumph. SMS Daniel G. Moir has forgotten more about music than all the rest of us know combined. Reach him at editor@southernminnscene.com

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save the date

39th Annual

Carriage & Cutter Day Kenyon, MN

February 23rd, 2018 Parade • Free Petting Zoo • Vendors • Medallions Hunt Live Music • Silent Auction • Food • 5K Run/Walk Basketball & Softball Tournaments • Open Skate

Good times in bloom in Kenyon MN Bring the whole family!

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