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MAY 2016 / VOLUME 4 / ISSUE 5

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CONTENT

4 So It Goes In SoMinn

22 Amy’s TV Crush

5 SoMinn SOUND

24 Kate’s Cut

Let go of all those material things, SoMinn. You don’t need that shit anyway.

We all love taking pictures at concerts, especialyy selfies. But maybe this whole thing is getting out of hand.

6 The voice of Northfield

Wayne Eddy has

established his place in

Northfield in many ways,

but he is most recognized

for his voice.

8 Army Strong

A conversation with Captain Greta Fennell.

10 The Time is Now

Rob Meany, the leader of Twin Cities band Terramara,

discusses his new album, the

state of the music industry

and rooming with a United States Congressman.

12 Professor of Science

Gordon Marino, a professor

of philosophy at St. Olaf College, is among the most

respected boxing minds in

the country.

14 Talking Mid West Muisc

with Parker Forsell

The managing director of the Mid West Music Festival gives

us a preview of this year’s festival.

16 Reaching for the Stars

A chat with illustrator Grant Gould.

18 Hank and Rita aren’t

actually married

Joe Tougas and Ann Rosenquist Fee, the duo

known as The Frye who have

created the characters of Hank

and Rita, discuss chemistry,

receiving grants and the The

Best of Hank and Rita.

Amy mulls ideas to

re-invigorate her love of television.

Breakfast

The Comedy/Drama/ Romance/Farce of

interviews in film

Monday Saturday 6-11am

26 The TimeLine

The SoMinn’s most comprehensive calendar of

things to be SCENE.

40 The Bookworm Sez:

• Our new book reviewer brings us Victoria Kelly’s historical novel about the woman from Minnesota who married Harry Houdini.

• With All the Single Ladies,

Rebecca Traister shows how women who have chosen to not marry have mad a significant impact on American society.

• Dr. Roberto Canessa’s ‘I Had to Survive’ is an attention grabbing tale of inspiration.

• Shaka Senghor’s memoir on his life in prison, Writing My Wrongs, is a brutal but uplifting tale of triumph.

42 CD Reviews:

• Lucius’ Good Grief is another pop gem from one of the best bands in the business • The 1975 deliver an

intriguing, scatterbrained second album that is as brilliant as it is confounding.

• Jason Paulson ponders his way through a glorious

‘Crow River Ramble’.

Specials Everyday Sunday Brunch 9am -2pm

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44 Sportsball

Our sports columnist gets

wistful over that dearly

departed piece-of-crap-but beloved stadium in Minneapolis.

46 The Bearded Life

NORTHFIELD OLIVE OILS AND VINEGARS 18 BRIDGE SQUARE NORTHFIELD MN, 55057 507-403-9829 507-645-4008

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AUTUMN VAN RAVENhorst Autumn Van Ravenhorst is a staff writer and columnist for SouthernMinn Scene. Drop her a line at AVanRavenhorst@owatonna.com

So it goes in SoMinn

Zen your life W

e live in a culture that is obsessed with things. Pretty things, convenient things, shiny things, eco-friendly things, handmade things— we love things. And we love our stuff. In honor of the holy Interview Issue, I wanted to interview someone who doesn’t need or want that stuff. Who lives their life almost entirely free of stuff—a wanderer, perhaps?

The fantasy of leaving everything behind and hitting the road for an unknown adventure is woven into our imaginations. It has even become a profitable concept as it has taken its place in American Pop Culture. Some want to reinvent, rediscover or lose themselves while others just can’t stand the humdrum of the status quo lifestyle we are expected to fulfill.

We all tend to come up with a list of excuses as to why we wouldn’t, shouldn’t or couldn’t do something. Some of you may call them “responsibilities.” I have kids; I have to go to work; I have a lease on this house that I hate living in; what would I do with my bills; I’ll get sent to god damn collections; how could I afford that; what about the IRS; I don’t trust people.

In the pursuit of happiness and unveiling your creative mind that has been buried in a pile of fast food and to-

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do lists, where would you go? Could you? Or would there be too much stuff in the way? Literally, how much crap do you own?

To be clear, I am not going to lecture you about the importance of recycling, tell you how great my one pair of Keen sandals are and I am certainly not going to say I don’t fall for the marketing ploy of hair products. Actually, and I hate to admit this, but when all of the short narratives on the various shampoos sound the same, I just buy the green bottle (because it is my favorite color).

I am not going to quote Buddha. And I am not going to share a meme on my Facebook with an enlightening quote cast over a sunset that tells you how to live a less materialistic existence.

Let me just start with a saying by one of my faves, Mr. George Carlin.

“That’s the whole meaning of life, isn’t it?

Trying to find a place for our stuff.”

He goes on to say that a house is just a place to put our stuff. And that is grossly true.

We could probably make a few exceptions for those of us who have to face the frigid Minnesota winter months. We need certain amenities so we don’t shrivel up and die. We could list all of the little exceptions to Carlin’s statement, but you get the point. If you are trying to bypass the point, chances are, you have too much stuff.

Most of us spend very little time at home with our stuff. We are either working, commuting, visiting with friends and family, (hopefully) spending time outdoors or we are out buying more stuff.

Living with less doesn’t mean depriving

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yourself or walking around Target for 45 minutes deciding if what you just put in your cart is absolutely, positively, clearly necessary. It is a mindset, really. But it would be good for you to give up some of that stuff. Physically, emotionally and spiritually, you will feel lighter. That hole . . . that strange feeling that you are missing something,

might actually fill itself once you let go of everything you thought would satisfy it.

Step one in letting go: separate the valuables from the shit. What is shit, you ask? It is: mouse pads, chargers and cords for electronics that broke three years ago, materials bought for that project you hoped you’d have time for (but then you bought more shit to replace that shit), everything in your junk drawer, half empty toiletry bottles, instruments you never learned how to play (if you really had a burning desire to do so, you would have already), clothes from places you previously worked and all of the bins you bought to organize the shit.

You know what to keep. The movie Fight Club did a good job at making us all feel guilty about liking pretty much anything that wasn’t covered in dirt or blood. Tyler Durden said, “You

aren’t your fucking kahki’s.” Well, yeah. But uh, excuse me Tyler for not wanting to live in squalor. I don’t plan on identifying myself through a coffee table or bumper sticker any time soon, but I also don’t plan on bathing in water that resembles Campbell’s Homestyle Soup while my teeth fall out.

So there are things in your home that have value. Those that hold memories, have some sort of sentimental attachment, those that give you enjoyment or make life a little easier.

But personally, having too much stuff stresses me out. And it is depressing. How many hours did my mate and I work to buy that couch?

Yeah, that one—the couch that has been peed on more times than I care to confess. Not by me, I can handle my liquor. Little boys just urinate in all the wrong places.

The hours that were spent working to afford the stuff, followed by the hours spent putting it away, keeping it clean and kept out of the hands of people I don’t want touching my stuff. That is time wasted, my friends.

So what do you do with the extra space once

you get rid of your stuff? You live in it. Whatever living is to you, do it in that space. That is not your stuff’s space—it is your space. And with that extra space, comes extra time to do whatever you love to do. Everything you did before you had the stuff. Those things take up both physical and mental space.

Have less, enjoy more.

I never did get my interview though.

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SARAH OSTERBAUER Sarah Osterbauer is a die-hard music lover. When she does her budget each month, food comes after concert tickets. Find her on twitter @SarahOwrites.

#NowPlaying there knows what they are missing. It’s the new way to say, hey you, look at me,

Real Talk,

Selfie Edition

M

y first concert was in 1995. I was 12 and it was to see Boyz II Men at the Target Center. My mom bought the tickets and bravely offered to take myself, my sister and my cousin (all of us under 14). We got stopped by security on the way in as they were checking bags because my cousin brought her point and shoot camera.

No cameras were allowed and my mom had to promise (pinky swear, Girls Scouts honor, the whole shebang) the security guard there would be no photos taken during the show (in an effort to stop them from taking the camera away). She also had to apologize, admitting that she did not know they were not allowed. We watched the show from the first row in the second level, mesmerized by the tiny specks on stage that were the Boyz. Their album II was big that year, and it was magical to me to watch the songs come alive in front of my eyes (rose distribution during “I’ll Make Love to You” included).

I remember taking photos at ‘N Sync concerts in high school (they allowed cameras at those shows apparently) and by the time I got the film developed, the show was old news and the pictures were mostly blurry blobs of guys in windsuits doing cheesy dance moves.

Even as a huge boy band fan I was at a loss for what to do with those photos.

Fast forward to 2016, every show, every person carries a smartphone camera, using it not only take photos, but also video and selfies of themselves with the band in the background. Theoretically, one would not even need to leave the house to see a concert live because generally at every show some youtuber records the whole thing and puts it up online. Kelly Clarkson decided to cover a new song every night of her tour, to ensure that the audience present would have at least one song they had never seen her do before.

Recording the whole show aside the main function of taking photos of the show, is to use them to brag to friends that you were there. Post the picture on Facebook or Twitter, using a song lyric or genuine profession of fandom to express the awesomness that is this show so everyone who isn’t

I’m out here, doing cool stuff while you’re at home on the couch watching The Bachelor.

If you go to a show now, and don’t snapchat it or Instagram a photo from said show, were you even there? How did we get to place where letting everyone know you were there became more important than actually being there?

A music industry friend told me recently that John Mayer has to police girls at his shows from walking up to the stage, not to see him or touch him, but to prevent them from taking selfies the whole show. Selfies. I have been to a John Mayer show before. Not only is he quite easy on the eyes but his voice is stellar, his delivery irresistibly romantic and charming not to mention he is a guitar master.

But somehow while all that is happening in front of people’s eyes, they find the most important thing to do in that moment is to take a fricking picture of themselves.

Recently I was at a show where a talented dude was blowing everyone’s minds with his R&B slow jams and velvet vocals when a girl decided to snapchat a

enjoy live music in front of our faces without taking some evidence of it with us? Or sharing a piece of it with our friends? There’s a reason The Purple One does not allow cellphones at Paisley Park.

There’s a reason Dave Chappelle doesn’t allow them at his shows either. There’s a reason we pay money to see bands play live music and it has nothing to do with double taps on Instagram.

I’m not saying, don’t use your phone at shows. What I’m saying is, what I’m begging you to remember is, you should try to be present in that moment. Use your eyes and your ears to see the people in front of you. Because Jason Isbell might never sing that line of “Elephant” that way ever again. If you’re too busy fumbling with your phone, you might miss one of Este Haim’s very awesome rock faces. I confess I recorded a snippet of Bon Iver performing “Skinny Love” at Eaux Claires last year and I re watched it, oh a million times after I got home.

And while the video is great and it’s a good way to take me back to that spot, what’s missing are the other people that were experiencing that with me. Me and 100 other people planted ourselves in front of the main stage at Eaux Claires at 1pm and stayed in those spots until 9ish when Bon Iver went on. The energy and emotions were running high by that time and the excitement in the air was thick and consuming. I’ll never have that exact moment back again, no matter how many times I watch the video. The only way to truly capture it fully, was to be there in the moment, take in everything that was happening and catalog it into my memory.

Mitski - In an interview with NPR, Mitski claimed she makes “pop music” not bubbly commercial jams, but music “for the populace”. While her delivery can be jarring and harsh, her lyrics are the kind of broken glass poetry everyone should read.

Halsey - Riding behind the success of her millennial anthem “New Americana”, this lady has more dark electropop to satisfy all your cravings. It’s like Lorde and Ellie Goulding had a baby.

Ariana Grande - Consonants be damned, I can’t get her new one “Dangerous Woman” out of my head.

Go See

Mid West Music Fest - Minnesota’s own SXSW in La Crosse, WI April 16 and Winona April 28 - 30, multiple venues, local favorites and new undiscovered gems (please see the interview with Parker Forsell for details).

Bob Mould The Husker Du frontman is doing a 2 night stand in the Mainroom at First Ave April 22 and 23 with Fury Things.

The Lowest Pair - This beautiful backwoods banjo picking duo will be at the Cedar April 28 (that is, if you’re not already going to see Jeremy Messersmith at MWMF).

This Happened VICE - the alternative option for news has a new docuseries called The Score. The first episode (available on Apple Music) covers the Red Lake rap culture and features rappers Baby Shel and Tall Paul.

Hashtag Minnesota Pride. Hashtag represent

video of his performance. And all would have been fine and dandy with it, except that her phone volume was on and when the video played back (as it does on Snapchat so that you can review your handy work), it was so loud the performer heard it, stopped singing and said “I can hear you guys on Snapchat”. C’MON. I’m not against snapchatting at shows (I do it myself) but good lord, turn your volume off.

Are we so self-involved now that we cannot

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In his natural habitat at KYMN Radio, ready to broadcast.

The voice of Northfield “

By RENEE BROWN

W

ayne Eddy has established his place in Northfield in many ways, but he is most recognized for his voice. I got to visit the historic KYMN radio station to conduct this interview, a job which he generally takes on during his show, The Wayne Eddy Affair. In this instance I was able to catch a glimpse of a career that has spanned decades; one which has been filled with great perspective and accomplishments in radio broadcasting and in the surrounding community.

How did you get started in the radio business?

After graduating from Brown Institute in 1964, I got my first job in Tomah, Wisconsin, TWMB-AM. Then they built an FM station and I was the first voice on that 100,000 watt FM station, which was a giant in that little town. And then I got an offer to go to Austin, Minnesota to be a hippy dippy weatherman. So I did a rock and roll show and also did TV weather. My job was from 9 o’clock in the morning until about midnight, because I also did live commercials during the evening shows.

And then, I got a TV show in Sioux City, Iowa, which was a giant; had a 200,000 foot tower, bigger market than Austin, Minnesota. They chose me to be their weatherman. In the meantime, the general manager of KAUS in Austin came here [Northfield] to build a radio station. And I was a very big fan of the Minnesota Vikings, and I had a choice. Should I go to Sioux City, Iowa, unfamiliar to me, or Northfield?

I auditioned between my morning radio show and evening

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telecast and came up here. And the guy hired me. Once we started and got on the air on Sept. 27, 1968, at 10 a.m., the first voice on KYMN radio was me, saying, “Good morning, this is your radio station.” And I followed it up by “Up, Up and Away,” by The 5th Dimension, which is a cool song.

By the way, I was also the first voice on a 100,000 watt station in Austin, so in my career I had the privilege of being the first voice on the air at three radio stations.

Is that one of the reasons you stayed, because of the community?

I immediately loved Northfield, they didn’t love me, because I was pretty much in your face selling my radio advertising and doing my radio show. So I did the six to nine shift in the morning, and called it The Wayne Eddy Affair, and the rest of the day I would meet clients, cover news, cover sports, cover the weather and did everything. And it was fun, a lot of fun. And then I got involved in the community.

I was a Co-founder of the Northfield Historical Society, I’ve been on the Defeat of Jesse James Day committee since September ‘68, so like 48 years on that committee, and been chairman of that committee at least five times.

Then I got involved in the MN broadcasters association and I became president of that association.

I also was a track announcer at Elko Speedway and did a little racing in what they called “Celebrity Racing” and was ultimately installed into their hall of fame, which I’m very proud of.

I also was very involved in the softball association here in Northfield and was installed in the Minnesota Sports Federation Softball Hall of Fame, which was quite an honor. And then I got installed PAVEK museum for broadcasting as a member of the broadcaster’s hall of fame.

They choose an all around, all state individual for radio personalty of the year, for all the stations outstate, 250 stations.

[Minnesota’s Outstate Broadcast Personality of the year, 1998.]

Most importantly is of all the things that have been

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“

Howard Cosell was a great interview. I’d say another fascinating interview was Al Quie, former govenor. – Wayne Eddy

accomplished over the past five decades I’ve been in the business, the thing I’m most proud of is being a co-founder of the Northfield Historical Society. That is a legacy that I enjoy while I’m living and will live on after I die because they’re so, so successful.

And also my association with the Defeat of Jesse James Days and the many opportunities I’ve had to introduce programs.

What’s been the most challenging part of being a radio broadcaster?

Well, originally, it was to be accepted into the community and being seen as a townie. Very rewarding once that was accomplished. On the national level, I was chairman of what they call the daytimer committee. Daytimer radio stations that can only broadcast from sun up to sun down, they have to be off the air at night. And there were literally thousands of them. And I, having served on the committee and ultimately chairman of the event, finally found relief for over 1500 radio stations, so I’m very proud of that in my broadcast career. That was very challenging.

The next challenging thing was to remain locally owned, and corporate America has basically taken over the broadcast industry and for communities that have their own local ownership, it’s great for the community. The biggest challenge also was to support and keep the WCAL on the St. Olaf campus, which was a big to-do about 10 years ago, and it was ultimately bought by the MPR, Minnesota Public Radio.

One of the more challenging things I’ve just recalled was to become a raider in the raid reenactment, which I did for over 25 years. That was always challenging to ride in, rob the bank, ride out, or ride in, rob the bank and get killed and lie in the street.

That was always an adrenaline type-thing.

On the broadcast end of it, challenging thing was corporate America that have franchises in Northfield or other communities, to accept the fact that a local radio station does have listeners.

They generally bought from large agencies and ignored small radio stations, and that was very challenging to get agency advertising.

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Are there any specific topics you’ve covered in the past or any favorites you’ve covered so far?

Well, I had a show called Visit with the Vikings, and this was before jocks became announcers or permanent guests on other Twin Cities radio stations, and I did that show for 20-some years, or more. It was a morning show that I did with a different Viking after home games by telephone, and it was all about them, not the game. … A little bit about the game.

You retired in 2002, what brought you back here?

A lot of people would be familiar with a lawsuit that I had with a former employee - she sued me on 11 accounts and the judge and jury came back with all 11 as not guilty. I counter-sued her on three accounts and all three of them she was found guilty.

That decision is now in the law books in the nation, because it’s highly unusual that an employer sues an employee, counter-sues, and wins. However, the winners were the lawyers, because of the costs. I had to sell the radio station to pay my debts, to defend myself. And I was very excited and pleased to have them want me to come back because of my many years of service over the air, and developed The Wayne Eddy Affair.

And when Jeff Johnson bought it, the radio station, he had been a former hire of mine, and now he’s my boss and he kept me on after corporate sold the inn, so it goes to show, small town radio, local radio, is only successful when you serve your community, not by absentee corporate ownership.

Do you have any thrilling moments that stand out to you?

I skydived. That was fun, I lost my left leg and so I wear a prostheses and I skydived with that prostheses on and it looks real funny because, “There’s this leg guy up there.” I don’t know of any other incidents that were a big thrill … Just the broadcast industry is thrilling, every day is something new.

Haven’t had any close calls with my life; had four strokes last February and I survived it. It was down at the Mayo and they helicoptered me down there and I couldn’t believe the next day I was doing all the tests and they showed me I had four strokes and said I was very fortunate. Only the good die young.

That was a thrill.

Wayne Eddy and his friend, coworker and boss, Jeff Johnson.

How long have you been doing this?

I have a daughter named Angel, please mention that. And she has a daughter named Sydnee. My granddaughter, she’s 16. So all I have are women in my life. My wife Julie, got to mention her, is a professional and works for a corporation with an office in Owatonna. I love her dearly. Anyhow, that’s the three women in my life.

And Jerry Spies, they called him the teacup sailor. He wrote a book called “Alone Against the Atlantic.” He went across the Atlantic by himself in a 10-foot boat. He was probably one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever met. He was so sharp. Yeah, I remember him. I even made him a grand marshal at the Defeat of Jesse James day parade.

I’ve interviewed on this show, this will be an interesting fact, over 1000 different people. Not just 1000 shows but 1000 different people. It’s a lot of hours, but more importantly, it’s a lot of people, and that’s what’s interesting.

Anything you regret?

Do you record all of them?

Do you have any big learning experiences, any perspective

I regret hiring that one employee that, along with her lawyer, tried to rob me. It would have been cheaper to give her the money. That’s what they were after, was the money; it was a phony lawsuit, and they want to settle it out of court. I regret not having done that because it cost me more with the attorneys.

But then again, I don’t regret it because pride and principle is important to me.

But I don’t know. Isn’t that crazy? I can’t think of anything else.

We record them and they go to our website and you go to The Wayne Eddy Affair, and then you go look for them. One time I punched it up and it was real tiny print and I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. The next time I did it, most recently, it just comes up with The Wayne Eddy Affair and it’s in large margins and doesn’t scroll that far. So I don’t know which one you’d get to to see if you wanted to do that, but people do convert them to CD’s or MP3.

I always recommend that they give them to their grandkids for Christmas, when the kids are older they’ll learn about them.

One of my goals in doing this show is to get veterans and what their life is like before, after, during. And I’ve been concentrating on Vietnam Veterans. I mean, there’s many stories.

looking back on what you’ve learned over the years?

Do you have any kids?

Do you have a favorite interview?

Howard Cosell was a great interview. I’d say another fascinating interview was Al Quie, former congressman.

51 years. I celebrated my 50 years of broadcasting last August.

That’s quite a career.

Well, I don’t think of it that way, of 50 years. I remember when I was in my first year and the guy was in the business for three years. But I was on the board of directors at Brown college for the broadcast division and I’ve had the pleasure of lecturing at grade schools, high schools, colleges and universities. That’s always been a thrill to do that.

HOGAN BROTHERS CAFE

I would say, integrity in important. That word handles it all.

Do you have anything else you want to say?

I bragged about all my hall of fames, bragged about the Defeat of Jesse James Day, bragged about the Historical Society. Heh. I wish I could have sold the station to Jeff myself instead of going through corporate, but corporate had money. We both were able to end up owning the radio station, which is a very big deal to him and to me. It is a thrill.

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Army strong “

“

I was a senior in high school and wasn’t sure what direction my life should take after graduating. I looked at the military as a way to pay for an education and serve my country at the same time. – Greta Fennell

By GRACE WEBB grace.webb2013@gmail.com

W

hile most high school seniors worry about which college to attend and what to study, Le Sueur native Greta Fennell had something a lot different on her mind. At the age of 17, she enlisted in the Army Reserves, deploying to Iraq three years later. While she originally planned to serve out her six-year commitment, take care of her college education and move on, she’s still serving her country 17 years later as a public affairs officer—while balancing her civilian career as Director of Communication and Events for the College of Business at Minnesota State University Mankato. Read on to learn more about her story.

What made you decide to join the military at such a young age?

I was a senior in high school and wasn’t sure what direction my life should take after graduating. I looked at the military as a way to pay for an education and serve my country at

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the same time. The Army recruiter was open in Mankato and I walked in and inquired. The next thing I know, I’m sitting in my parents’ dining room with the recruiter talking about signing up. To this day, I still think that they probably didn’t take me seriously when I said that I was going to join the Army until the recruiter was sitting right in our dining room.

You started as a broadcast journalist. How did you get into that field?

I went through all the testing, like taking the ASVAB, and at first I was really looking into what kind of job would give me the most money for my education. Some jobs offer sign-on bonuses or incentives to fill crucial needs. At that time, postal jobs were most needed. But when I went through all the testing, the recruiter asked, “Do you want to do some writing and take some pictures for the Army?” And I thought, “That sounds exciting!” And that’s how I got into broadcast journalism. I didn’t even know the Army had writers, photographers and videographers.

You went to basic training right after your high school graduation. Was it as bad as we always hear?

Like everything in life, you get out of what you put into it.

As long as you listen to the drill sergeants, they will give you a hard time but they’re not going to bother you too much.

They just want to keep you in line and keep everybody safe.

But it was intense. There’s more team building in basic training

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than what people think. You’re introduced to a lot of new things, like grenades and rappelling. It’s very physical. You’re always running everywhere—or you’re standing and waiting. You learn a lot about “hurry up and wait.”

Getting to know you

Your unit at basic training and then afterwards was a mixture of men and women. What is it like working in such a maledominated field?

Family: Husband Corey, kids Steven (5), Elsie (3), Lyla (10 months).

On the deployment, I didn’t really notice much of a difference working with men, because you have a very structured environment and you have certain things you need to get done. It wasn’t until I started working with a new supervisor, who was a man, that I noticed. When we were about to go over the border from Kuwait to Iraq, he didn’t let me go. That was the first time that I realized, “This has to do with gender. It’s because I’m female.” Him being male, he felt protective of me. Deep down, that may have been one of the reasons that I wanted to get my commission—I wanted to be more in charge and have more say over what I was doing.

First “real” job: Testing cheese at 17 for the Davisco Corporation in Le Sueur.

Countries she’s visited while serving: Kuwait, Iraq, Panama, Germany, South Korea, Canada.

Did you ever get deployed?

I was deployed in December 2002. I had started attending college classes, and I found out about my deployment during my finals week. I remember calling my instructor and saying, “I really can’t take my final today. I just found out that I’m getting deployed.” I was one semester away from getting my degree in architecture. Before then, deployment hadn’t crossed my mind. I had five days to pack, get my life in order, and report to a unit in Chicago with people who I didn’t know. My orders said 365 days, not to exceed two years, location unknown.

My unit waited until around February 2003 before we finally got on a plane. We were kind of waiting for our command to tell us where we were going.

When we were waiting to leave, we were placing bets on which country we were going to land in since no one gave us a straight answer. Even when we were on the plane, they still said that they couldn’t tell us. It turned out to be Kuwait. We were there until April 2003 and then most of our unit moved up into Iraq one week after the border opened. And we were there until August 2003.

What was it like, living in Kuwait and Iraq for a year?

It was hot. We were some of the first in, so there wasn’t a lot of infrastructure set up yet. We were always in and out of biochemical protection gear: pants, jacket, gas mask, boots. When we had an alarm for a scud missile coming in, we had to hurry up and put everything on and run downstairs. We were never hit; the closest that we got was a missile that landed about a mile from our place. But that threat was always present.

My job during the deployment was media relations. We set up a Coalition Press Information Center (CPIC) in Kuwait and connected journalists to military units to be embedded. We also had a completely new media system that the Department of Defense was implementing, unilateral journalists, who weren’t attached to any particular unit. Some of them went into Iraq on their own. I remember getting a call from a group of journalists that had gone into Iraq and were under fire, hiding under a bridge. They wanted us to go get them and save them. But we couldn’t.

That was the first casualty that the media had in the war.

Was it hard readjusting to American life after being away so long?

I had a hard time. When I was over there, it was always very intense, very fastpaced. Every single day I wrote a situational report that I knew was going to the Pentagon. I was providing public affairs advice to some of the officials that were basically developing Iraq. And I was 20 years old. So being in a position like that and then coming home, where I didn’t have a job or anything to dive into, made me feel like I didn’t have much of a purpose anymore. It was really devastating at times. I had to reinvent myself, and learn about the “new me,” the person I came back to with the life-changing experiences that I had. I didn’t have the structure or the direction or the purpose. I had to relearn everything and find that new direction. Plus, you miss out on a lot when you’re away for a year. Even going to a movie theater… you don’t know what movies are out there. Everyone’s talking about this awesome movie they just saw and you have no idea.

Why did you decide to commission?

It’s an honor and a privilege to serve in the military, and I wanted to have a greater impact on what I was doing in the Army. I thought I could do that by being an officer. At one point, that same male supervisor from Kuwait told me, “You’re never going to have an impact that’s going to make any difference.” That challenged me to be better. There are more position opportunities as an officer than senior enlisted in public affairs, too. I had 10 years in already and had reached the rank of Staff Sergeant. So I thought, at that point, if I was going to stay in, it’d be beneficial for me to go that route. It took me about a year to do all the paperwork, and then I got my commission. I went right into Basic Officer Leadership Course, which, in many ways, felt like basic training all over again.

Future goals: Getting promoted to major and finishing her 20 years of service, as well as developing her position at the College of Business and continuing to find ways to grow.

Dream job: opening up an ice cream shop in a town on the lake.

Fun fact about Fennell: During her senior year of high school, she visited Australia, bought a didgeridoo and attended didgeridoo school, becoming a certified didgeridoo player.

You’ve been working at Minnesota State University Mankato since 2014. What differences have you noticed between public affairs in the military vs. the civilian world?

In the military, working with the media, it seems like they often have an agenda. You really have to be conscious about what you’re saying. In a wartime situation, it was a lot of reacting to media inquiries and scheduling press conferences to address specific information. Here, there is more of an opportunity to be proactive and pitch good news stories to the media. I remember working with the media at my previous job at Dakota County Technical College and thinking, “They’re all so nice!” There are some similarities, but it’s a completely different environment.

Everything was very fast in the military. We always had to have a response out immediately, even with bad news: maximum disclosure, minimum delay. Working in public relations here, you usually have a little more time to process things. You don’t usually have media beating down your door for a response on the spot, as you often do every day in military public affairs.

What’s it like, juggling two careers?

It can be tiring. I drill one weekend a month and then two weeks in the summer, and the commitment continues to increase. It takes a lot of planning, and it definitely takes support from my husband, other family members, and colleagues, as well as patience and understanding. It hurts my heart when I’m up drilling in Minneapolis and I know that my kids are at home without me, because I feel like I don’t get enough time with them. But I think, “This is temporary.” I’m trying to do everything I can right now to make things better for my family. Even though I’m not with them, I’m still making decisions that will impact them and make things better for them.

You originally only planned to stay in the Army for six years.

What changed your mind?

I enjoyed it a lot more than what I thought I would. It opened a lot of doors for me. I’ve had some absolutely amazing experiences in the Army and met some really great people. You have your family and then you have your Army family.

What advice do you have for people thinking about joining?

It’s a commitment, and it’s not for everybody. But I think it’s a really good experience. You’ll learn valuable things you can’t possibly get anywhere else.

Grace Webb is a freelance writer in Southern Minnesota. She can be contacted at grace.webb2013@gmail.com.

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9

The Time is Now

The Time is Now

By Daniel G. Moir editor@southernminnscene.com

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uoyed by pop juggernauts “Running Down The Avenue” and “Fate Can’t Wait” as well as introspective ballads like “Outrunning Headlights,” composer Rob Meany has led Minneapolis based Terramara through an impressive catalog of originals that recall the sophistication of Steely Dan and the shimmering exuberance of the Police. Now after three albums and fifteen years, the Duluth-born Meany has decided to release his first solo album, the introspectively haunting “Ferris Wheels Unbound.” Slated for release on May 1st, this collection of acoustic, piano-based material features luscious accompaniment by the Laurels String Quartet and was given a Beatlesque art-pop sheen by co-producer Andy Thompson. Meany took time between composing for commercials and preparations for the album release to speak exclusively with SouthernMinn Scene.

You’ve been with Terramara and released 3 albums since 2000, what’s prompted a solo album all of a sudden?

Terramara is a certain kind of music, it’s a rock quartet but I wrote a bunch of other material on the way to those three albums. Some of these songs go back ten years or more, that I never felt quite fit in with “the Terramara sound” and the quartet. I thought “I’m gonna put those aside, and at the right time I’m going to assemble a little more intimate singer/songwriter type album that will be a solo album” and that time is now. I have a lot of respect for the guys in Terramara and what they bring to the material, but I wanted to step out and say this is another side of me.

One of the things I get from listening to your music is that some of these songs have gone through tremendous changes. From past performances, “That Much I Already Know” changed from a slower tempo to something much faster. What was the evolution of that?

You know, we didn’t really consciously try to speed it up. I think after playing it for so long, it just felt like it needed to be a little more in your face and more of a free-form jazz sort of feel. That’s kind of what I thought about when I wanted to record the song. I thought of it like a jazz trio and wanted this live sound, so I brought in this jazz drummer and just let him go wild and you can hear him doing his thing, doing some crazy fills and what-not. It just has this energy to it. Then I threw it over to my producer, Andy (Thompson) and he sent me back a mix with him adding some electric guitar on and I liked it. It put a little edge on it that you didn’t have with a jazz trio, so it didn’t get too “lounge-y.” I think unconsciously it was a change to be a little more pop, a little more rock and give it that treatment.

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What song changed the most for you?

Probably “Never Say Goodbye.” That one is interesting. When you work with a producer, you have to give up some of the control.

It doesn’t make sense to hire a producer if you aren’t going to let them produce, right? With Andy, I felt like I was in really good hands and I just wanted to see what he could do with this stuff. I recorded everything with vocals and piano and by the time we got to that first mix, he’s like “Ehh, no piano. Nothing.” So for me that’s kind of like “I’m a piano guy and all of a sudden there is no piano, what’s going on?” But then I realized that he is just changing the whole sound of that song and really created a different vibe by adding all this stuff on top, and all of a sudden taking out the bottom gave it so much more space. That’s the thing about piano; it takes up a tremendous amount of sonic space in the mix. When you are just doing pizzicato strings and a little bit of this and a little bit of that, like the drum loop he put in there, it all became completely removed from what I was starting with. He was right about that.

So tell me about Andy Thompson who co-produced this album with you.

I started this album off back in 2011 with this idea that I was just going to go and record this stuff as a do-it-yourselfer, but realized that this is just tough going.

I need help and I need someone with an outside, more objective view of what I’m doing and trying to shepherd it a bit. It’s not that you can’t do it yourself, but you get better results if you incorporate other ideas and expertise. There are areas that I just don’t feel comfortable doing on my own. If you need to do plumbing, you hire a plumber, right? I just felt that Andy had so many good ideas and he has done some amazing records before.

Jeremy Messersmith’s records sound great. Who wouldn’t want to sound like that?

“Cover of Snow” now uses strings in a way that highlights the lyrics by adding in a texture that allows you to almost visualize snow falling. Do you get something different out of it recording it as opposed to having written it?

I think that if you are working on a song that has been around for awhile, it does evolve. You have it keep it fresh for yourself.

Musically, for that song we needed to do something different than just another piano ballad and the strings were nice because I grew up listening to classical music and if we’re going to do strings, let’s not just pad it, let’s do something with that intro that is more like Aaron Copeland, you know, “Appalachian Spring” with some weird chords. I really put a lot of effort into the string parts and that really dictated where the song went from there. If you’re talking about

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experiencing the song differently, I think that after thinking about the lyrics and what the song means, I pictured it subdued and watching snow silently fall, but what’s the sound of silence? Well, it’s silence, but how can you convey that feeling of the snow? I think we captured some of that using a lot of instruments, but there is this very intense subtlety to it. Nothing too over the top, but with a lot of space in it.

Take me through your songwriting process. Are you a melody first guy, a lyric first guy? What’s your process?

I’m one of those guys where I sit down at the piano and will just come up with chord changes that I think are really cool and then I’ll just start humming a melody over the top of that or if I have a funky groove going I’ll try to sing something over the top, so that’s the layers. The lyrics are last.

Do the chords suggest a story or do you just try to fit the words in to what you’ve come up with?

I’ve never consciously sat down after coming up a piece of music and thought “well, now the lyrics have to be about this…” because of what the music sounds like. Generally speaking, if you are in the mood for love, you’re gonna write something a little more smooth and silky. Maybe that’s where the ballads come in? If it’s sad, then I’m in more of a low-key mood. If I’m bright and happy and I want to get in someone’s face, then I’m doing the funky stuff. It has an effect on where you’re going lyrically.

Going back, what drew you to music in the first place?

I was just drawn to the piano and I just wanted to play and hear different sounds. I’d hear songs and wanted to play them. It was very therapeutic.

When it turned out that this was actually something that you could do for your work life, it just made sense for me.

It’s been tough slog to make a living at it, but I definitely felt that if that was something I wanted to do anyway, like if I had free time I’d just be at the piano playing, I’m in the right place.

Did your parents play?

They weren’t super active musically, but they are both artistic people. My Dad is a visual artist and my Mom is a fiber artist, like weaving and stuff like that so they are both very much into the arts and were very supportive of me playing instruments and taking lessons and playing in jazz band and choir eventually. They were very supportive and they really exposed me to a lot of music. We would go to hear Orchestra concerts, choir concerts and there was

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always a lot of music available at the house. It was very strange because I was not one of those guys that listened to a lot of aggressive rock and heavy stuff. I was mostly listening to Chopin, Brahms and Beethoven and the classical stuff. Then I got to hear Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder and Doobie Brothers and stuff like that. I heard a lot of stuff, but I’m beginning to realize that I am coming from a different mindset than a lot of these songwriters and I think this is where I think Billy Joel and I have a lot in common.

He’s very much coming directly out of the classical music world. I hear so many cadences and structures in his music that come from Beethoven and Mozart and those things.

And at the same time, he had a Grandfather who would bribe an usher and sneak him into Broadway shows..

Yeah, that’s very much where I’m coming from. It was always hard for me to fit in because I didn’t have that angry streak, I didn’t have that rocker streak in me and I just felt like “I’m never gonna be this rock guy,” you know? I just had to find my niche.

So, the next album is probably not going to be a heavy metal thing with spandex and studs?

(Laughs) Yeah, you’re probably not going to hear that from me…

But I like to keep it interesting. One thing that I’ve tried to do as a songwriter is go somewhere musically that normally someone might not go. It’s subtle, I’m not trying to break down any huge barriers, but I try to keep it interesting harmonically for the listener. I really feel that we can’t keep dumbing down the song structure. You know what I’m talking about here, where we were talking about that one You Tube video where you can play all these 40 pop songs over the exact same three chords. That just epitomizes the problem.

The thing that I hear in your music are these insanely catchy melodies, but there are elaborate and expensive chords behind them. It’s not just a stock I-IV-V progression with a catchy hook. You’ve got all kinds of weird stuff going on that gives it a depth.

Thank you. Maybe I can fill that little niche, there I guess.

You were a music major at St. Olaf College in Northfield. What did that give to your writing?

I think just learning about music theory and the structure of music focuses you on some really fundamental things. You’re not just going by feel. You can actually build a structure. You can build songs and compose music that makes sense. It’s rooted in something.

I mean, we’re all influenced by something and a lot of these songwriters just think the music is really just coming from them, but I’m humble enough to realize that it’s all coming through me from a bunch of other sources. Classically, St. Olaf was just learning how to incorporate harmony into your songs. It was a little constricting; I didn’t really finish the major technically. I was a few credits shy of actually having a music major but that was just because I didn’t want to pursue the traditional path after that. I think a lot of music majors after St. Olaf become band and choir directors and play in orchestras and I wasn’t going in any of those places, so I just did a lot of music stuff, but I didn’t finish all the classes.

generally don’t try to put in everything about myself into the songs, so it gives me a lot of poetic license to do whatever I want. There are definitely songs on this album that bring back memories of certain things, maybe sad memories, or happy things.

How do you know when you’re writing that the song is done?

That’s the hardest part, honestly. You think you’re finished and you go “I wish it could be a little better, maybe I should go back and re-write that second verse, it doesn’t really go anywhere. Maybe I need a bridge…” There’s a million different second-guessings that go on and you really need to have someone come and just rip it out of your hands.

It sounds like that quote from (Leonardo) DiVinci “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

I think that’s true because the artist can never put it down. You are never satisfied with your own stuff. You are the most critical person of your own work. Here is one of the biggest problems with the writing process—and I try not to do this—trying not to self-edit.

Especially if you get this idea and you think “this is great, I’m just gonna put it all down” and then you immediately start second guessing something that you just did and it’s just “no, no, no. I should just go with the flow and put it away for a few days and come back.” If you start doing the editing too soon, you kinda kill it.

Are there any artists or bands that you are listening to right now? How do you encounter music now?

Ha! Yeah, Erik is a great guy and one of my best friends so… I’m gonna just go with no on this one. Nice try!

It’s hard to find the time to really explore as much as I would like. Some of the most interesting artists I like are Andrew Bird and Sufjan Stevens. Bjork. They are just really quirky artists; they’re very out there in some ways, but very interesting, musically. It’s hard for me to listen to the radio anymore, it just feel so generic and cookiecutter sometimes. I have to dig a little harder, but there are definitely some great artists out there.

You recorded the first Terramara record at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls and you play around Southern Minnesota quite a bit. Are there any gigs or memories that really stand out for you?

You and I grew up at a time where we would buy vinyl records and CDs, but now it’s difficult to even find record stores. What do you feel about it all now that everyone is streaming music and You Tube?

Oh, yeah! The folks at Minnesota State University Mankato were very nice to us. They’ve had Terramara twice, and I did a solo show there too, and suddenly you’re playing for 400 people who don’t know who you are and it’s just the most amazing thing to go from playing little clubs to that. They just give you this forum to reach all these people and share your music. I don’t do a lot of huge shows, so that was pretty memorable. They were really nice to bring us in and I think they appreciated what we had to offer. We’re very different from a lot of bands that they bring in.

I’m kind of a south metro guy, so I think that’s why I like playing in southern Minnesota. Generally, I just love these intimate little wine room gigs because people are in a good mood. Cannon River Winery has been really good to me. I play there about once a month and the people are very enthusiastic and drinking wine, so it’s all good.

It’s a double edged sword. You could probably argue that when I put this record out in May, I may be able to reach thousands and thousands of people that otherwise would never have heard my music. If we were talking about this 40 years ago and I was putting a record out and trying to sell it, the avenues for actually reaching a mass audience is very limited, I’d either have to get it on the radio or become a troubadour, traveling around the country constantly for years. Now suddenly, I can put this thing out and if enough people share it on Facebook, there might be a thousand people listening to my song in one day or something, which is kind of freaky.

But at the same time, the other side of the coin is that not a lot of people may be embracing “the album” and buying a whole album and sitting down and listening to it. They might just like one song, or just a little bit of a song and then move on to the next thing. It’s just short attention span theater. To grab anyone’s attention and keep it for any length of time is going to be hard. I realize that. Now that we have reached the whole thing with streaming, it seems like it has devalued the art form because everyone can get unlimited music any time and they can listen to everything for very little money. I’m not sure how it’s gonna play out, I guess.

Your college roommate was Congressman Erik Paulsen (R- Minnesota 3rd) and it’s an election year.

Any dirt there?

Are there any songs that you are proud of having written and why? I’m kinda asking you which of your children are the favourite…

That’s exactly what that is! You can’t really put one in front of the other like that. I think this time around, I wrote a couple of songs on guitar and I’m proud that I came back to that. I used to play guitar a lot and I just put it aside and became “the keyboard guy.” Maybe because I don’t know as many chords, it would sound different.

That’s what happened. One’s called “Quiet Desire” and another is “Fears of a Nation.” I was proud of being able to pull those together after all these years.

Were there any songs that were difficult to write?

I think the thing here is that you write these songs and there is usually a little tidbit of your actual biography in there but then you take that little morsel and you blow it up into this scenario that has nothing to do with you personally. It’s one of those things. For me, I

Does it change you as a writer as you sit around thinking about it?

I think I really am old school, so I don’t think I’m going to change the music I’m putting out. I’m still going to hone in on exactly what I want to say in hopefully an interesting way and continue to just do what I do and not think about any of that stuff. From a practical standpoint, I’m very much aware that in order to make any sort of splash or to do anything in the music world, I need to bring it live. I need to play live shows and be a performer. It’s just the nature of the game now.

What are some of the challenges that you face as an

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independent artist?

From a purely economic standpoint, it’s been hard to make a living as an independent artist. I think, like a lot of musicians, I have had to find other work to supplement my income. In my case, I have been lucky to find enough work within the music world, teaching piano, writing music for commercials, performing in various bands and projects, studio session work, etc. If I were to try to survive on just my original projects, I think I would be barely breaking even, and in most cases losing money. Unfortunately, the future looks bleak in terms of revenue streams for musicians with the loss of CD sales, and low compensation for streaming.

Second, with the advent of the internet, there are so many more artists now competing for an audience. And that makes it harder to stand out and garner any attention. It’s great that an artist can theoretically reach so many people, but it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.

In college, you were always the piano guy who would play but you didn’t really sing. How did it come about that you found your singing voice?

That was really a big turning point for me because back in college I was very shy. I never thought to sing my own songs. I wasn’t even writing songs. It wasn’t until several years after college that I realized that I’ve got all these ideas for songs; I just need to get out there and sing ‘em. I’ve got to be a singer, too. I started to think of myself as a singer/songwriter at that point. That was a BIG step because I was very shy, I still am. But, I’ve come a long way in just getting out there and performing. I didn’t know if I had a good voice or not. I just had to work on it a bit more than some of these “natural” singers. But I like to sing my own songs. It’s been a long process.

That first Terramara record was like 15 years ago and I hope that I’ve gotten a lot better.

I was stuck by how this album closes with “Until You Fall Asleep.” Both your sons, Ryan (Cello) and Connor (Trombone) play on this album and were much younger when you wrote this song 9-10 years ago. To have them play on an album that ends with this song must have been quite a trip.

That’s a little weird and I’m sure that they don’t think of it the same way, but they heard it when I wrote it and they liked it when I first played it for them when they were that age. I’m not sure what they think of it now, but it’s one of those songs that’s just a moment in time. I wasn’t even sure I should put it on the album, but it just felt like a good closer. Maybe it will speak to parents whose kids are a certain age, but for me that time has passed. But, I like the song and it was appropriate at the end of this record with all these other introspective tunes.

So, what’s next? What’s the big picture?

First, this album took way too long. This should have been out years ago, but now that it’s out, I’m going to use it as a springboard to do some other things that I’ve been meaning to do. I want to do a lot more writing. That’s what I should be focusing my time on. I want to do more collaboration; I want to write more with other people. That might involve co-writing and working on other people’s songs. Maybe take a trip to Nashville and try to do some work with writers there. I want to continue to play a lot live. I feel like I’m starting to come into my own as a performer and I want to expand what I can do. I’d like to incorporate guitar. Maybe do some looping, just make it more of a show. Hopefully, I’d like to do more travelling and just take it on the road a bit more when I have a little more freedom to do that. Mostly I just want to write more and you really just need to make time for that and take advantage of it.

Daniel G. Moir is a cornerstone album reviewer for Scene who will be branching out into more contributions over the course of the next year. Let there be much rejoicing. He can be reached at editor@southernminnscene.com

“Ferris Wheels Unbound” will be released at www. robmeany.com on May 1st in CD format or as a digital download and at the Album Release Show.

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11

Professor of the Sweet Science

By Nick Gerhardt ngerhardt@northfieldnews.com

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t. Olaf College philosophy professor Gordon Marino grew up in the world of boxing.

His grandfather boxed and eventually Marino found himself inside the ring. He later attended Bowling Green to play football before moving on to Columbia University to pursue philosophy.

His passion for boxing never wavered but he found a new avenue to remain close to the sport through writing about it for the Wall Street Journal and New York Times magazine.

Since arriving in Northfield in 1995 he has sought to pass along his knowledge of the sport to others through clinics at the Northfield Area Family YMCA and by starting a boxing club at St. Olaf in the past. Now, he has gotten more involved with training fighters at the pro level.

Marino has worked with Vicente Alfaro, often out of Marino’s garage.

Alfaro, a Minnesota State Super Bantamweight champion, recently picked up a unanimous decision

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over a previously undefeated John Franklin at Black Bear Casino in Carlton, Minnesota. Alfaro won in his first fight since 2014 and had to deal with two fights falling through and minor surgery during the layoff.

Alfaro has a 7-4 record with one knockout. He’s fought two Olympians and beaten one.

Marino’s life in boxing has led to interactions with many of the big names in the sport. He was the boxing coach at both the Virginia Military Institute and Yale University, and worked with legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, who trained greats such as Muhamad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.

How did you get into boxing?

A lot of violence in my house.

My grandfather was a boxer. There was a lot of violence where I lived. It seemed like a rational thing to do.

How long did you box?

Years, on and off. I was a football player, too. I played Division I football.

Where did you play football?

Bowling Green, then I got hurt and transferred to Columbia. But I boxed here in New York, too. Then I started training guys in about 1994 or so.

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When did you come to Minnesota?

‘95

Then you started doing the clinics right away?

I started a club there. I had a couple of amateurs at St. Olaf. One guy I had was really good. He knocks this guy out down in Southern Minnesota and the guys go, ‘You gotta turn pro.’ He says, ‘No, I’m going to dental school. That’s my last fight. I’m not fighting anymore.’ It was funny.

Good experiences for me. It’s a different world in terms of diversity. You talk about diversity and you can’t get any more diverse experience than boxing. It’s at a level of intimacy where you really get to know one another. A lot of racism is the result of fear and strangeness. When you box with someone, you just don’t see racism in boxing. The level of affection is pretty big.

You have to know how the guy moves.

It’s amazing, you go to the hall of fame and these great fighters who just about killed each other they’re like brothers after they spent 45 minutes together in the ring.

You worked with Angelo Dundee, too? How’d you get involved with him?

My mentor. I was writing a story about 12 or 15 years ago for Men’s Fitness. We just hit it off right away and we stayed in contact.

We talked almost every day for 10 years. He’d give me all these illegal things to do, like pull the guy’s head down.

What was it like to talk boxing with him?

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It was great. He had such passion for it. He always said don’t do the pros. So I called him up and said I was going to train Vicente, the first pro guy I ever did. He goes, ‘I don’t know, man.’ He just knows there is so much pain in it. You know how much pain, tension and frustration is involved.

The guy he [Vincente] fought this time, he backed out last time and this was after a month of training. So you’re training for a month and you’ve got a contract and the guy says I’m out.

I was also really influenced by Emanuel Steward because I was ghostwriting his book.

He died. I went out to Detroit and I studied a lot from him. These are two great teachers.

Angelo Dundee.

Vicente’s whole way of carrying himself after the fight is different. It’s beautiful to see.

Who’s training with you?

Jose Acevado, he’s amazing. He’s

How did you get into journalism?

New York Times Magazine asked me to go do a story on Mike Tyson. I had written something in the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times Magazine caught wind of it and said go out to Hawaii and write about Mike Tyson. I didn’t know what I was getting into.

When was that?

2000, it was before 9/11 when he fought Lennox Lewis.

What kind of state was he in then?

He was crazy. He was really in bad shape. He was not in shape to fight. He was throwing reporters out.

Mile Tyson in 2000.

Did he throw you out?

That was the thing. He threw everybody else out and he said, ‘You can stay.’ Then they wanted to kill me — the reporters for years after for that. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know how that kind pool of reporters worked.

Did the Wall Street Journal come to you?

They came to me because I wrote a book review for them and I mentioned to someone I knew something about boxing. They called me up one day and asked if I could write in the next couple of hours because Mike Tyson is going for his license again. That’s how it happened. (He’s been writing for them for 15 years)

What still gets you excited about boxing?

Its impact on kids’ lives. It changes lives. It’s very powerful, it’s such a close relationship and it gives people self-confidence and a sense of self-respect that’s just amazing. They can really flourish.

running around town all the time with that Mohawk. He lost his last two fights. He got stopped. He started at 34 with me at the Y. I had a class of sixth and seventh-graders and Jose comes in and he’s scary looking, too.

You can just imagine some of these guys who get treated like crap all day and then all of a sudden you’re this hero for a day.

Emanuel Steward.

How’d you get into philosophy?

There were a lot of crazies in my house so I think you had to think a lot about who’s right and who’s wrong. It raised a lot of questions.

I had a great teacher at Bowling Green. He was really wonderful at making the parallel between athletics and academics. You know what it’s like to train to compete at a high level in athletics, then

there’s similar kind of training that goes on with the mind that you can’t get here at Bowling Green. I want you to go somewhere else.

It was an important transfer. I stayed in contact with him then. It was quite the model of someone going out of their way to be a mentor.

Nick Gerhardt is the Northfield News sports editor. Contact him at ngerhardt@ northfieldnews.com

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13

Talking Mid West Music with

Parker Forsell

By Sarah Osterbauer editor@southernminnscene.com

P

arker Forsell is “The guy” for Mid West Music Fest. As the fest’s Managing Director he has the massive task of overseeing the event from logistics to booking to coordinating workshops and volunteers. It’s a big job not many people could handle. Now that the fest is in its seventh year running, they’ve gained more traction than ever before and have some new exciting elements to continue bringing in big names and big crowds to Southern MN. I spoke with Parker about new things at the fest this year and what bands are “can’t miss.”

I want to ask you about the Jeremy Messersmith show. How did that come together? How did you decide to do that type of show versus what you had

done in the past?

In the past we have had several venues on that night and one of the things that we’ve noticed, is we’ve put a lot of money into Thursday and it’s been harder for Minneapolis people [to attend], because of work and things. We wanted to do a bigger show and we wanted to get Jeremy Messersmith for a couple years and we just couldn’t put together the right situation. We decided it might make more sense to just have that night be our main show, instead of trying to put on multiple events on Thursday. Now there will still be shows at Ed’s No Name and Broken World and things. We’re calling them ‘after parties’ but we didn’t book them. We’re trying that as the formula and we might keep doing that, doing one big show Thursday night.

I was just thinking about that for myself actually, if I was planning to go to the Jeremy show. So far in general does it seem like there’s more interest going into it that way?

Yeah I mean, we’ve sold a lot of pre-sale tickets to the show, so that feels good. Ticket sales in general are double what they’ve been at this time. So it’s hard to isolate what piece that is, if it’s just our seventh year and more people know about us and we’ve developed

We are the Willows.

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better relationships with advertisers and Minneapolis in general I think so more people know about us.

We just did our first official show in Minneapolis, last Friday at the Cedar [Cultural Center]. We combined with the Cedar and The Current as a publicity sponsor. We did a pre-show in the cities, which we hadn’t done before so, we met a lot of new people there.

And The Current is a bigger sponsor than they’ve ever been in terms of being a festival sponsor this year and they’re actually bringing a whole crew down here and they’re gonna record The Local Show.

It’s usually on Sunday nights. It’s Andrea Swensson’s Local Show now. They’re going to record it on Saturday here at the festival and then it’ll air on Sunday night..

I remember last year when you were telling me that the band selection process in actually quite long you start it a almost a year in advance?

We start taking submissions, or we start meeting as a group about it in July and then we try to have everything pretty much together by December. It’s a pretty long process and there’s just a lot of factors in terms of, who we’re reaching out to and trying to continue to have a local presence at the festival and now the wrinkle of doing one day in La Crosse this year.

Black Eyed Snakes.

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Paul James.

Bad Bad Hats.

Is this the first time you’ve done the shows this way in La Crosse?

Yeah we’ve done kind of pre-party shows there, one offs at the Root Note or the Cavalier, but we weren’t really giving them a taste of Mid West Music Fest. We were bringing in some acts that have played MWMF but there’s no way to really show people what a multiple venue event looks like unless we bring the party right to them. So we’re doing multiple venues down there and people will get a better taste of what MWMF is this year than in other years when we were only highlighting a couple bands.

What are you most excited about this year that’s new?

We got a little more organized this year and it’s real exciting this year we with the Listener’s Guide we were able to work with a professional graphic designer to lay it out and I think that really helped communicate better than we’ve been able to in the past. We’re just starting to get those out. We put some out in Minneapolis this week when we were up there. Obviously we’re excited about the La Crosse piece of things and we’re you know, just feel like every year it’s a unique and equally as interesting lineup so there’s a lot of acts that I think are gonna be great that we’re bringing here for the first time, or haven’t been involved with the festival before. So that’s really exciting.

And we’ve stretched out a little bit. I’ve felt like it’s important to have the known acts and then it’s important to have the X factor that people are kind of like, what? Who’s this band?

This year, this band Los Colognes is coming from Nashville and Possessed by Paul James is coming from Austin, Texas. A band called The Bambir, is coming from Armenia, in Eastern Europe, and there’s just a microbio in the Listener’s Guide but the band started in the 70’s and they’re known to be one of the best rock bands to ever come out of Russia. They’ve been continuously playing since the 70’s and these guys now are the sons of the original people who started the band. ...We’ve never had a European or Eastern European band play the festival. I think that’s a cool thing. We’re doing the film thing. We’re showing a couple documentaries, one in Winona, one in La Crosse that both look really interesting and should be fun. Do you know who Daytrotter is?

Yes I do.

They’re gonna be at the festival this year doing some recording on Saturday of the festival and that’s a relationship that we’ve been building for awhile. Getting to know people, Pat, one of the recording engineers, her daughter is in a band called The Multiple Cats and I think they’ve played one of the last two years and I think we’ve brought them up here one other time, but last year one of things we talked about as a music committee is, what’s going on down in Iowa? And we had reached out to the guys at Daytrotter and said, who should we be looking at to bring to the festival from Iowa. So last year we brought five or six bands from Iowa that were really well received and you know this year we’re bringing some of them back and they’re playing the La Crosse part of the festival. One band we’re bringing back this year is kind of a surf band, kind of surf indie rock band called Surf Zombies and then having the Daytrotter presence it’s kind of we’re kinda continuing to figure out how to build relationships with other like minded music people in the Midwest. It’s exciting to build that connection. The band Los Colognes is a band that I connected with through Mile of Music, which probably the closest to MWMF of any festival in the Midwest. And they do a similar thing in Appleton, WI where they have a whole bunch of venues in the downtown and you can go see all these different bands.

Is Daytrotter based out of Iowa?

The Quad Cities, so they have one recording studio that’s in Davenport, IA and then the other recording studio is in Rock Island, IL, which is right across the river. They’ve recorded over 5000 sessions of people from all over the world. And they kind of started out saying hey, we’re these guys in the middle of the country and now all these bands just driving through here, I

wonder if we just started tapping them and said, hey, we have a recording studio and equipment, do you want to stop? We’ll give you an hour to record and then we’re gonna put this stuff up on our website. They were out at SXSW a couple years ago and I saw they set up in North Carolina at some things so that’s how I got the idea to invite them to the festival. We’re from the Midwest just like they are and kind of connecting with similar bands before they’re other people’s radar.

I think what we’re trying to do is find out about bands before they get super big. We’ve had a lot of people we are well known [now]. Bad Bad Hats has totally blown up and we had them play here three years ago and no one knew who they were. It was mostly people who were on the music committee who had seen them in the cities and were like oh my gosh and then a couple other musicians told me they were really good and then we brought them down here. Then last year we had them headline and now they’re in SPIN magazine and their new album is just fantastic. And you know Lizzo, just before she kinda broke we had her here and Caroline Smith. We had a lot of people that were under the radar and just getting to kind of be known. And certainly not known at all in more rural MN.

Los Colognes.

Who is the next Bad Bad Hats? Who is the next Lizzo? Who are my can’t miss bands that are more under the radar?

I think the bands that I mentioned that we’re bringing from elsewhere, but as far as Minnesota bands, there’s bands that have been kind of tapped by City Pages, like Fury Things and Lucy Michelle’s new band Little Fevers and Oh My Love out of Madison, is gonna play the La Crosse fest I think is great. I’ve been listening to Tabah, have you heard of Tabah?

How’s it spelled?

T-A-B-A-H. One of the guys from Black Market Brass and this woman is just fantastic singer. Her voice is just great. Her singing style is kinda jazzy. I really think Tabah is great. Gospel Machine, they were in a lot of year end lists. Boy, I don’t know.

You know to some extent, a lot of the lineup is like that. When we have 5-600 bands that we’re looking at and then narrowing that down to this years between 80 and 90 for four days.

It’s quite a process to narrow it down. It’s hard. There’s bands that I feel like have a connection to Winona that have played here quite a few times, like We Are The Willows and Jillian Rae that aren’t playing the festival this year and I feel like we’ve gotten to that point where we only have so many slots and we’ve gotta keep it fresh and keep bringing new people in and keep trying to promote our local scene and give the local people slots.

There were some really excruciating decisions this year with bands that we really loved that aren’t in the festival. There’s just so much good music out there and we’re really being pushed by the music committee to say, we do need to be supporting Wisconsin, and Illinois and Iowa and finding bands in these other places to so it’s hard to keep that balance, where we want to keep Minnesota bands too but we are the Mid West Music Fest so we need to be making community with other people in our region.

The Bambir.

Tabah.

Is there any other last minute stuff I should know about?

We’re improving every year. We’re at the point where we’re challenging ourselves, you know being another SXSW is not the goal here. We never want to be that big or that sprawling.

Can we refine what we’re doing? And just how to be a super quality experience for everybody each year. It’s more sought after each year. I think one of the selling points of the festival is that we bring a lot of bands that would be playing a bigger room in Minneapolis and you get to see them play in a small space and get really close. You know First Ave and how tall the stage is but some of the bands you’re able to see here, you’re able to get pretty intimate.

Sarah Osterbauer is the SouthernMinn Scene music columnist and critic. She loves to meet the people who make the city’s heart beat (and sometimes break). Follow her on twitter @SarahOwrites.

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Jeremy Messersmith.

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15

Reaching for the stars

By GRACE WEBB grace.webb2013@gmail.com

M

innesota native Grant Gould has always had a passion for drawing— doodling comic book superheroes in his notebooks during math class and trying to sketch cartoon characters he saw on TV. In fact, as a kid, he dreamed of getting paid to draw Star Wars characters and other cartoons. Now, that dream is a reality as he creates artwork for Lucasfilm and other industry giants. Read on to learn a bit more about his work.

I was one of the kids who was known for drawing. I was always doodling in my notebooks: superheroes, cartoon characters, you name it… I remember spending more time doodling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and X-men characters than actually paying attention in class.

Did you have a favorite style/artist growing up?

There are so many styles and artists that I love … I definitely had a deep love for the fantasy/D&D artists of the 1980s, with Larry Elmore perhaps being at the very top of that list.

There were also many comic book artists working for Marvel in the ’80s and early ’90s who gave me great inspiration: Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Arthur Adams, and about 50 others.

When did you become interested in art?

I’ve been interested in cartoons and illustrations for as long as I can remember.

When I was around four or five, I would sit in front of the TV watching cartoons like Popeye and Road Runner, and I’d try to draw the characters while I watched. I’ve always been excited by science fiction and fantasy artwork of all kinds, and I was always a pretty big nerd. As a kid, I loved comic books, Dungeons & Dragons, all things science fiction and fantasy related. In school,

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Perhaps the biggest influence on me at an early age was comic book “ElfQuest” artist Wendy Pini. She gave her characters such cartoony, expressive looks, but held a serious tone when needed,

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and there was always powerful emotion and beauty to her work. Her “ElfQuest” art was something that I held on a very high pedestal.

Years later, I had a chance to meet Wendy Pini at San Diego ComicCon and tell her what a huge influence she was. She was very kind and warm, and it was a great experience. I can’t say enough good things about her and her talent.

What came next after high school?

After spending a few years after high school working retail and partying it up, I decided it was time for college and eventually went to Brown College for an Associate’s Degree in “Visual Communications” –– a two-year course that focused on graphic design, video editing, illustration, etc. Then, after graduating Brown in 1999, I was lucky enough to get hired as a graphic artist for Target Corporation right out of college. I mostly did work in their Print Department, eventually moving over to Marshall Field’s, then Macy’s after the company merger. I really enjoyed working downtown, but I always had an itch to try my hand at freelance illustration, and, in 2005, that opportunity came.

That’s when you began working for Lucasfilm. How did you manage to get a job there?

A friend of mine – Tom Hodges, who had done freelance work for Lucasfilm – told me Topps (a New York company mostly known for sports trading cards) was looking for new artists to work on the upcoming “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” card set. So I submitted some samples, got the approval from Lucasfilm and Topps, and that was my first illustration gig.

After that, I started doing conventions, like San Diego Comic-Con, started meeting editors and fellow artists, and the freelance work started rolling in – slowly at first, of course. I did a bunch of stuff for the Star Wars website: kids’ drawing tutorials, activity pages, etc. I did a lot more sets for Topps, including Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and others.

Eventually, in 2006, it reached a point where I thought I had

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a decent chance of making it as a freelancer. So I decided to make that big, scary jump – I left my full-time, well-paying job as a graphic artist and went full-time with freelance illustration. Over the years, I’ve had some amazing gigs, including drawing the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” web-comics for Lucasfilm and illustrating two Star Wars kids’ books. I’ve never been an actual full-time employee for Lucasfilm or Topps, but they’ve been two of my regular clients. Over the past decade now, I’ve worked on a large number of projects for both companies, and it’s been a blast. I’ve been literally living my childhood dream of drawing things that I’ve always loved.

Family: I have a wonderful wife named Gina and two beautiful, creative daughters

Are you a Star Wars fan yourself?

Yep, a lifelong, tried and true, super-geeky mega-fan. I was three years old in 1977 when the original movie came out, and I was hooked from day one. When the prequels came out, I was one of the dorks who camped out in line for days before each movie’s release. This past year, when “The Force Awakens” came out, it was honestly one of the coolest moments of my life thus far, sharing a new Star Wars movie with my own kids, who are now around the same age that I was when the originals came out back in the day.

I understand that you also illustrate your own comic books. Tell me about them.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to write and illustrate my own graphic novel called “The Wolves of Odin,” and in 2012, I crowd-funded a successful roleplaying game called “Blade Raiders.” It’s been so rewarding and surreal – and fun – to write and draw my own creations, and I plan on doing more of that in the future!

Hobbies: Love all things sci-fi/fantasy (movies, TV, books, video games) Favorite Star Wars character: Tough call! R2D2 and Luke Skywalker are lifelong faves. Luke was my childhood hero. I wanted to be Luke Skywalker!

Dream vacation: New Zealand. It looks amazing there, and I’m a huge Lord of the Rings geek, so there’s that…

How do you come up with your stories?

I usually have seeds for stories rolling around in my brain for years, just sort of existing loosely, and when it comes time to create something, I just draw from that mental pool of ideas. And of course, part of it is also being able to make stuff up on the fly, as I go.

That’s a big part of the fun.

happiness comes from painting or writing or something creative like that, then one would be foolish to say pursuing a career in that field is unwise. It may not result in riches, but at least when they’re on their death bed, they can look back with a smile and say, “I followed my passion.”

What advice do you have for people interested in starting careers in the arts?

What are the challenges of being a freelance illustrator?

It’s incredibly tough, incredibly draining, and incredibly difficult, I can assure you. Yes, there are big positives, such as creating your own schedule and being your own boss, more or less. But the randomness of freelance can mean weeks and months without paychecks. It can be very stressful searching for work, waiting for jobs to come your way… And when you’re self-employed, you never truly feel like you have a day off. You’re always thinking about work, about what you should be doing. Financially and mentally, it’s a strange beast to tame. Freelance illustration requires a bit of talent, a bit of self-motivation, a bit of networking, and a lot of luck.

Some people say it’s unwise to pursue a career in the arts because it can be so hard to break in and make a living. What are your thoughts?

Part of me agrees with that, because it is definitely a hard career path, for many reasons. Being an artist isn’t easy—most people don’t take you seriously, most employers don’t want to pay you much, and jobs can be few and far between.

However, I think at the end of the day, being happy with your career and happy with how you spend your days is hugely important, and if someone’s true

It seems like every professional artist has a vastly different story about how they broke into the business, so there aren’t any magic words of wisdom. But I do know this: whatever artistic field you want to get into, start forming relationships with others who are also in that field. Not just already-established professionals, but also people who are, like you, trying to climb that ladder. Networking and knowing others in your field will become vital to you in the years and decades to come, I promise you.

And just as importantly: be friendly. Share knowledge, be open to others’ knowledge, and don’t treat others as stepping stones to your next gig. Be interested in their careers and stories. Get your name and your work out there, for sure, but don’t make it all about you. Ever. Be content with the fact that you are one artist in an ocean of artists, and that’s totally okay. The creative fields are not about winning or being the best. There is no “best.” Art is opinion and personal taste. You will face a lot of criticism and insult along the way, and that never stops, ever. You have to be okay with that and not take it personally. A lot of artists are insanely talented but have very thin skin, and they don’t make it far because of that. Network, be friendly, and don’t take things too personally.

What are your goals for the future?

Honestly, I’ve been lucky; I’d love to do more of the same – games and books and comics – possibly bigger and better. I always want to improve and grow as an artist. Long term, I want to be someone people feel inspired by, and someone who brings a little bit of joy and happiness and inspiration into the world.

Grace Webb is a freelance writer in Southern Minnesota. She can be contacted at grace.webb2013@gmail.com.

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17

Hank & Rita

aren’t actually married

18

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By RICH LARSON editor@southernminnscene.com

A

nn Rosenquist Fee and Joe Tougas have to be two of the busiest people in all of Southern Minnesota. By day (and quite a few nights, actually), Ann is the executive director of the newly resurgent Art Center of St. Peter. Joe is a freelance writer and marketing guru who also has a weekly radio show on KMSU (89.7 in Mankato and 91.3 in Austin, or listen live www. mnsu.edu/kmsufm) called The Way Out. In their spare time they form a musical duo called The Frye. The two have entertained the greater Southern Minnesota area for more than ten years, but 2015 was a landmark moment for the pair. Having been mistaken for a married couple numerous times, they decided to explore the idea of posing as a married couple on stage one night and staging a meltdown. That idea eventually morphed into The Best of Hank and Rita.

Hank and Rita are a country music duo who had some top ten success in the early to mid-70’s. When we catch up with them in 1986, however, things have gone well downhill. In fact, Rita has written a letter to Hank explaining that she is done with all of it – the music, the travelling and even Hank. She’ll be leaving when this show is over, and has left the letter in their dressing room. As the show progresses we see the turmoil that Rita faces along with her second thoughts. Will she really leave Hank? Is this really the end of the

road for Hank and Rita?

Regardless of the ending, the show has met with universal praise and success. Originally scheduled for a six show run at various locations in Southern Minnesota, they have added more and more shows, including a number of them at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. They’re clearly enjoying themselves despite some early doubts that lasted right up until the show premiered.

While Rosenquist Fee and Tougas are not married, it was fun to talk to them, because they have a relationship that mimics – if not husband and wife – brother and sister. They squabble about details of stories, finish each-others’ sentences and answer questions at the same time, sometimes with the same answers. All I had to do was ask a couple of questions, sit back and enjoy the show.

You guys are both from Illinois.

Where abouts, and how did you get to Minnesota?

Ann: I came to Minnesota because when my husband and I were finishing grad school, all of our contemporaries we’re going to live in Chicago. That’s just how it went. But we were thinking “Let’s do something different.” I had been up to Minnesota on vacation a couple of times and I thought “It’s really beautiful there. There’s a great arts and culture scene. And I think we should live there.” And that was it. We started getting the Sunday StarTribune to look for and apply for jobs and housing and stuff.

You just selected Minnesota and decided “That’s where we’re going to go.”

Ann: Yeah, that’s how it went. I’ve told so many people the story since and a lot of them just go “Oh, I wish I had done something like that.”

And now we’re still here so many years later and I’m so glad we decided “Oh, we should just do this ridiculous thing.”

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Which wasn’t ridiculous at all.

Ann: No it really worked out. Like, here I am working in arts and culture. Goddamnit I was right!

Joe: I got up here because of college. My family had moved from Chicago to Wisconsin where I graduated from high school. I started playing bar bands as a senior in high school and as a freshman in college; I was attending the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. But I wanted to get involved in the school newspaper and I had to wait at Whitewater. So I had a friend who lived in Mankato he came up to visit. He was a reporter at the Free Press in town and knew that both the campus newspaper and the campus radio station were both saying “Helpwanted!” Well here I am waiting two to years to get involved in campus media but there’s wide-open opportunity in Mankato. And that prompted a visit to Mankato State University, as it was known at time, and I just stuck around. I went right into working in newspaper and radio. In fact in college I was working for three different publications, the school paper, a publication called The Gathering Post, which was a little arts and politics lefty publication right out of St. Peter, and then I was at the Mankato Free Press writing features of sports and all that stuff. So it led right to what I was hoping it would lead to, which was a job in newspaper and radio. I did that for a long, long time like 17 years.

How did you guys even meet?

Joe: I was in a five or six piece rock band called Blue Velveata. We’ve been around for a while and we’d always had a woman singer in front of the band who had been with us for a long time. But then she left to go pursue an acting career, and she’s doing very well.

I was assigned to do a story for the Free Press on a group that was playing classic rock hits. The angle was that the band included a couple of CEOs from various businesses in town; there was the guy from a bank there was a guy from the phone company, a guy who ran an electronics company in town and a few others. They would get together and get a couple of sets worth of classic rock tunes worked up and play for fundraisers and charities and things like that. I thought this sounded like a great story, so I went to one of the rehearsals –and this is what we can never get straight – we don’t remember if we met at that rehearsal or if we met for coffee later.

Ann: We met at the rehearsal.

Joe: So, we met at the basement rehearsal.

Ann: I was one of their backup singers.

Joe: The first song I ever heard Ann sing was “Metal Firecracker” by Lucinda Williams. And in the back of my mind I’m kind of thinking “We need a new singer.”

So we just kind of got talking off to the side, and then I asked her if she’d like to get together for coffee for more of the story. Because you want to interview the whole group but you also want to interview certain people individually as well.

As I remember it was supposed to be a half an hour interview and it went a lot longer than that.

We were talking about not just music but about MSU and I was adjunct instructing at the time.

We just have a lot in common. We’re both from Illinois. And then of course I mentioned that I was in this band and if she was ever at all interested in playing with some other people she should try us out. That led to her joining the band.

Joe: Yeah we had a bass player who lived in Madison and another guy who lived up north so when we did get together it was kind of rare. But in that time, since the two of us lived in Mankato, we

Ann: We’ve both hired each other as freelance writers and we’ve both worked as each other’s editors. It’s very similar thing as songwriters.

You’re collaborating. So we work really well with each other’s voices.

Ann: Well I think we do so many things in such a similar style that either we have to join forces and be allies with each other or we just sit and be really pissed off at each other.

And that speaks to the chemistry between the two of you. It’s obvious you enjoy working together.

Ann: But in a good way.

Oh really? Do things get competitive between the two of you?

Joe: It is. It’s really competitive.

Turn

Ann: A lot of that boils down to the difference started singing and playing together as a duo.

Ann: Somebody had asked us to sing at a wedding. We started to realize as we were preparing that we actually sound really good together and we know a lot of the same music. Blue Velveata played a lot of original music, but there were a lot of covers that we both new and really enjoyed playing.

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Joe: Blue Velveata had a talent for emptying the room. It was nobody’s fault, things just got too fun, too happy, too sloppy. And, like a lot of bands, you wear that as a badge of honor. That wasn’t always the case, but it seemed to be happening a lot. On the other hand, when Ann and I started trying out our a little duo people actually hung around and in fact even came closer to the stage.

Ann: We’re both marketing people, so I think that honestly counts for some of the difference.

Like we were very into winning over that table of people over there. It got to be about “how long can we make them stay?”

This was ten years ago?

Both: Yep Joe: Originally the idea was going to be that we were a band that played acoustic covers of the 1970s seventies one hit wonders. We called ourselves Fish Fry back then. And that expanded into starting to do our own music.

How do you go about writing songs together?

Joe: We work differently. A lot of that first album we wrote in the same room just bouncing stuff off of each other. We wrote a lot of that stuff right on the spot. And we still write some songs like that but I would say more lately it’s been one of us brings in an idea and throws it to the other and then it takes shape that way. I can’t remember the last time we sat together and wrote down lyrics and worked on chords.

Ann: I think that’s because it’s just better the other way. We have different styles.

Joe: Yeah you get the other person’s full idea…

Ann: And It becomes “Here’s someplace for you to add an idea.”

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Ann: I don’t really remember. We didn’t really play that often.

between really good chemistry and personal envy.

We’re always trying to one up each other.

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After you joined, Blue Velveata played together for a couple years after that, right?

It’s got to be interesting because you’re both writers. You both are going to come at something from a different point of view. Is it always easy to marry those ideas?

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It is about pushing each other isn’t it?

But, that only works if you’re willing to be honest with each other and to trust each other right?

Ann: I think we rely on each other for that quite a lot. And if something’s not a good idea we have to be willing to say so. Like when I was going to start playing my saxophone. I looked at Joe and said “You would not let me do this just to be hilarious right? You would not let me do this if it didn’t work.”

Joe: So often I’ll say to her “You’re sure this doesn’t look or sound foolish? I do not want to make a fool of myself.” And she’ll say “No, trust me.”

Ann: Then again with both of us being marketing people there’s a selfish thing there too, because I’m not going to put myself out there as an artistic entity with something that’s not good.

Joe: As Ann said, we either had to join forces or we’d get really upset with each other. The competition is healthy. The latest, highest compliment we can give each other comes out when Ann brings something to me that’s just brilliant. I’ll just kind a look at her and mutter “Fuck you.” (laughs) Ann: And we’re so nice to each other and so courteous that when I get the “fuck you” I know exactly what that means and where coming from.

It’s never been used any other way There’s a little advantage over romance there, too, because I wouldn’t worry – like if I said something to the effect of “No, you really can’t” –there’s no consequences to pay in a relationship later Joe: Right. There’s no sleeping on couch.

So you have this great working relationship. Over the course of 10 years you’ve had a lot of people come up to you and ask if you’re couple haven’t you?

Joe: That’s very routine for people to ask if we’re married. I decided to make a little joke out of it and started answering “Not anymore.”

And that was the basis for Hank and Rita?

Joe: We had played at a winery one night, and

Let us help you

plan the

on the ride home I was telling Ann “Hey, we got asked again if we’re married. We started talking about how we should some night, when we’re playing somewhere where nobody knows us, pretend that we’re married couple and act completely and utterly upset with each other and ticked off, but all the while doing the same songs that we usually play. So, by the time the ride was finished we’d decided to write something, and create that fictional couple and come up with the script.

So we started to do that, but then Ann said “Why don’t you do it? Come up with the skeletal thing and then when it’s ready, show it to me.

And then she added “I’m not doing any kind of theater thing where we actually have to perform and read lines. But you’ll find somebody that can do that and it’ll be swell.” And I’m thinking I’m not doing this with anybody else but whatever.

You didn’t want to do it?

Ann: No! Because I don’t know how to do stuff like that. I’d never done it like this before. I’d never acted before; at least not since high school.

And I really didn’t have any interest in it. There was nothing in me that said “Oh, let me play that part.” But I was very confident that I could help him find somebody. I had people in mind.

You got a grant from the State Arts Board didn’t you?

Joe: Yes. I applied for two years. I didn’t get it that first year. I’m pretty sure the reason I didn’t get it according to their conversations was because the work samples I sent didn’t include my voice. I sent them songs that Ann was singing. They weren’t even Hank and Rita songs. And they said well he’s asking for a lot of money but we don’t even know how he sounds.

Ann: He also really needed to put something into the grant about having been an entertainment journalist through all these years in this midmarket, Joe is uniquely familiar with what it’s like to be an act on the downside. There’s a certain desperation when you talk to some of those people and we had to show that that was a part of this thing.

Joe: The second time around they approved it.

After I didn’t get the grant the first time I was heartbroken, so the second year all I did was make a memo on my calendar [for the announcement date]. I was at my computer and I got something

from State Arts Board I clicked on it and I’m scrolling through, preparing myself to be disappointed again. And then I saw my name with $10,000 attached to it. And I just started feeling kind of nauseous. I got up and walked the living room floor, walked into the bathroom, walked out of the bathroom and then I called Ann. Remember that call?

Ann: Yeah I do.

Joe: I just said “I got the grant and that’s all I can say right now.”

Ann: That’s when I thought “Oh shit, this is real.”

Joe: Then I really had to get to work. So, I fleshed out six more songs but it was great because I was being paid to do that. The story line was all set but we needed more songs for the conversation.

Ann: When I heard those songs, it became “I don’t care how much I don’t know how to do this.

I’m doing this. This is mine.”

It’s interesting that you chose that era. Pulling it out of thin air like that it’s a little bit off the beaten path.

Joe: It might have been that we were already comfortable playing that kind of music. As opposed to if we had decided to put it in a contemporary setting, you’re going to force yourself into being more of a modern songwriter. This way you’re hopefully forced to write songs that are a little bit timeless. These songs could be played today. They don’t have a distinct 70s wah-wah feel.

Do you have a written script for the show?

Joe: One exists.

But you guys are ad-libbing on stage all the time are you not?

Ann: Yes. I think that’s always going to be there.

There’ve been a few shows where I was able to think of something new that I was going to throw at him and then not tell him. That’s kept things really fun.

What has the reaction been to the show? What are the most common things you’re hearing?

Ann: What I like is when people come up to us right after the show and they’re still living the story. I love it when people tell me where it sent them.

Joe: We’ve had good remarks on the songs too, which is really great

Have audiences in different places reacted to it differently?

Joe: It sort of depends on the size of the crowd.

With smaller groups are a little more intimidating, even though a small crowd fits beautifully into the setting for the story Ann: Yeah I think the small crowds work because it’s sadder.

So where can this show go? Where would you like to see it go?

Joe: We’re watching with more than a little bit of interest - there’s a short film that’s been made of it. A friend of ours who is a filmmaker in the Bloomington/Normal, Illinois area asked us to come down and play for two nights. She filmed the performances and then interviewed us as Hank and Rita in character. So now she’s going to enter it into film festivals, with hopes of attracting feature film treatment. So the next step is to see the film.

Ann: The latest idea that I really like a lot is to take it on tour of places where [Hank and Rita] would actually organically be playing, like VFW clubs and American Legions. Let’s put it in places where people don’t know who we are.

You keep adding more shows more shows. This thing just keeps going doesn’t it?

Joe: As long as people keep coming to see you yeah. And even if people don’t come, I’d still like to get out there to other areas.

Ann: We wouldn’t be looking to create more opportunities to do it if there didn’t seem to be an appetite for it. And we’re still looking for ways to keep it fresh and fun. We’re not getting tired of this.

Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

Joe: “Man, that was better than I thought it was going to be.” (laughs) My ex-wife even likes it!

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Good friends.

Good food.

Good times!

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21

AMY’S TV CRUSH

AMY MERRITT Amy Merritt is a well respected TV critic, so when she starts to feel like there’s nothing on, well then, the medium has real problems.

22

Trying to Save This Relationship

I

promise this is my last rant. I have been trying for months to get over what I have dubbed my unprecedented “TV fatigue.” I know I will feel better once this absurd and embarrassing presidential election is finally over…but that is many months away. Of course, by then I may be trying to move to Canada. Do they even have TV in Canada?

Politics aside, I’ve come to realize that it’s not just Trump’s stupid face that’s making me want to break up with my longtime TV companion. I think I’m getting to the point where a trial separation is inevitable. It’s kind of like when you start to realize you are annoyed with the way your significant other chews his food. Or when you used to like to cuddle as you fall asleep…but now I just want your 300 pound leg off of me. Do you have to breathe so loud? I know you know what I’m sayin’. My tolerance for these little idiosyncrasies has been tested for too long.

I’ll be more specific: TV, I am so sick of your constantly recycling not just storylines, but entire show premises. How many emergency room shows (with a backdrop of sexual tension) does any one person need in their lifetime? How many cop shows (with a heavy dose of propaganda) are we supposed to give a shit about? If I watch another lawyer show in my life I may regret it, but I very seriously doubt I’ll regret NOT watching.

(No offense, The Good Wife…you have had a decent run, but it’s time). Words are not adequate to describe my disdain for crap celebrity reality shows, crap entertainment news shows that make celebrities out of reality show mem-

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bers, and the entire lineup on TLC and Bravo. Oh my god.

I know many of you smart people out there watch TV sparingly and stick to the good cable, Netflix, or even Amazon shows that are worth your precious time. I applaud you. But I am a fan (or I was) of flipping through channels, getting sucked into a random home remodel, a longforgotten movie (I totally watched Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure last Friday), a fascinating cooking show even though I don’t cook. That is supposed to be the fun of it. But the bad is starting to outweigh the good.

Given my lifetime love for television, I’m genuinely feeling guilty for saying these things.

Especially in public like this. I guess, like more than a few of my past relationships, I could just bury my irritation deep down and try to fake it ‘til I make it? Maybe I could try to change TV’s bad ways, mold him (her?) into what I need?

Because that usually works, right?

Let’s start with this: Celebrity Survivor. I am enough of a fan of Survivor that I watch it regularly, but the challenges are getting old and the behavior of the players is pretty predictable. I think this is partly because the entire cast is always made up of super-fans who have studied the show more than I’ve studied Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Which is a lot. I am positive that if we got a bunch of celebrities looking to stay relevant and stuck them on an island, we would have reality TV gold.

I would pay really good money to see Gwyneth Paltrow go without her $200 breakfast shakes and then make try to make nice with Gary Busey.

And when they get the boot they can just go on Dancing with the “Stars.”

Next: If we’re going to recycle a bunch of old junk, let’s right some wrongs in the process. I would enthusiastically endorse a remake of The Love Boat. We could again get our fix of celebrities in odd cross-over roles. And maybe Jimmy Kimmel could be the cruise director. But we could also take out all of the disgusting, predatory male crew members. Doc and Gopher were totally gross. Florence Henderson could still guest star every once in a while.

She’s the best.

Man. I should so obviously be in charge of this thing. The Voice should never move past the blind auditions.

That’s the only good part. Game of Thrones should just be in production year-round because waiting is excruciating. And, for the love of God, let’s

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kick The Big Bang Theory to the curb. Maybe the whole cast could go on Celebrity Survivor and fight for attention.

Apologies, SoMinn. Thanks for letting me get it out. Next month, I promise less ranting, more optimism and maybe just one tiny little dig at Jim Parsons.

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23

kate’s cut

kate pEhrson Kate Pehrson is a celebrated Twin Cities musician, writer, humorist, mother, wife, fire prevention partner and film aficionado. Contact her at editor@southernminnscene.com.

Are you talkin’ to me?

A

s a movie reviewer, I run across my fair share of interviews. Admittedly, they are not my natural milieu. The idea of conducting an interview with someone for this issue had me envisioning myself in an old Saturday Night Live skit, “The Chris Farley Show”:

Scene: TV studio Characters: Kate as Interviewer (Fan/Awestruck) Robert DeNiro as himself (Actor/ Director/Awesome) Kate: “Remember, remember that time in, Taxi Driver, when, uh, you said “You talkin’ to me?’”

DeNiro: “Yes.” Kate: “Yeah, yeah, that was cool.”

I’m no interviewer, but I am a consumer of them.

Now, let’s start at the beginning. Any decent reporter will give us the basics: who, what, where, why, when and how. A good reporter will ask the right follow-up questions and give us some insight. A fantastic reporter may bring something amazing or possibly devastating to light. Hollywood knows that reporters and newspapers make good movies – movies need stories, and reporters have them. From 1934’s It Happened One Night, all the way up to last year’s Spotlight, reports and reporters make for audience and critic favorites.

But an interview isn’t just reporting. An interview is a device that can lead us further into the

idea that we “know” someone – falsely or truly – in a more intimate way. An interview should reflect research, experience, intuition, persistence, confidence, the foundations of a relationship, and true exchange of information and ideas. An interview is a conversation. An interview is an intimate thing.

We love movie actors, and here in America where we put the “fan” in “fanatic”, we love to think we know them intimately. When we watch or read an interview with an actor, it can change our perception of them, and we may never look at their work or characters the same way again.

An interview can shape our view of an actor as professional or careless, good, bad or plain ol’ whackadoodle.

Graham I do have my Norton. favorite actors and movie makers, about whom I

James Lipton. real insight in favor of fun soundbites. In this modern world of short quotes, constantly updated statuses, and pseudo-factual quasi-info, I fear we are losing the art of the interview and the appreciation thereof.

But, as I have been reflecting, I think the

Charlie Rose.

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enjoy reading. I am the happy recipient of a gift subscription to Vanity Fair, which has in-depth interviews with A-listers and VIPS. I enjoy watching actors promote their latest films on the late-night television circuit with the likes of Jimmy Fallon or the BBC’s Graham Norton. I have even been known to sit through a WHOLE episode of Charlie Rose when I like who’s at the table in the pitch black room.

When time is short, I enjoy reading questionnaires like the Proust Questionnaire in the aforementioned Vanity Fair, and watching James Lipton give the Pivot Questionnaire on Inside the Actor’s Studio series was always a highlight. The danger in these types of short-answer formats is that we lose

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movies have done a really cool job of keeping us savvy in the world of the interview, if we’re willing to open ourselves.

When we watch interviews in a movie, we know the writer and or director is purposefully utilizing it as a way for the audience to get inside the characters, draw us into the action and forward the plot development. We may not even know it, but we are learning the power of the interview from the movies.

Let’s start with funny. The movies use interviews as a comic device quite a bit. Job interviews are an almost universal rite of passage, and we see them a lot. Also known as the “Job Interview Gone Awry,” movies such as Stepbrothers, Mrs. Doubtfire, American Beauty, Trainspotting, The Internship and Ted, (starring that adorably foul and deeply inappropriate stuffed animal) all take great pains to create the job interview we either fear or perhaps wish we could have. Sacha Baron Cohen has made a career out of painful and awkward interviews with his characters Borat, Ali G, and the Dictator.

Although it didn’t start off as comic, I simply can’t ignore Sharon Stone’s infamous interview/interrogation in Basic Instinct. She turned the tables on an interview just by shifting position in her chair, creating an iconic cinema moment ripe for satire. Talk about an interview gone awry.

So a job interview is supposed to give the employer some insight into the applicant to see if she or he is right for the job. If the environment allows for more organic conversation to occur, things move into the philosophical and/or metaphysical, and interview becomes conversation.

The first time I was struck by the power of conversation-as-interview in the movies myself, was with the movie Mindwalk. Filmed in the French

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medieval town of Mont St. Michel, it featured actress Liv Ullman with Sam Waterston and John Heard. A politician, a writer and a physicist spend an afternoon discussing the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. It’s cool.

On perhaps the opposite end of the scale, but equally valid, Kevin Smith’s Clerks threw the concept of conversation on its head to reflect the younger generation. Clerks is 105 minutes of exchanges amongst stoned foul-mouthed hockeyfan 20-somethings about why life sucks.

Speaking of sucking: Interview with a Vampire brings us nicely into the category I call Fear and the Interview or The Holy Grail. While I think an honest-to-goodness vampire would scare the crap out of me, sexy ones up on screen are pretty fangtastic. (sorry not sorry) While Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt would not have been my casting choices for this Ann Rice classic, Interview was a literary phenomenon in the 90s, and for Christian Slater’s character in the movie, persistence, guts and luck landed him a “killer” interview (okay, I’ll stop). Which reminds us, interviews can be painful, intense, scary and unpredictable. Because, sometimes people have their own agendas. Like those who know the proper use of the term quid pro quo. Right, Clarise?

There was the fairly recent movie titled simply The Interview, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, a comedy about two guys who incredulously land an interview with North Korean “Beloved Leader” Kim Jong Un. Of course, the CIA steps in with their own agenda, and in a case of real life mirroring fantasy, fear of the real Kim Jong Un caused Sony pictures and the real actual government to freak out and caused Sony to pull the premier. Because interviews can have agendas and repercussions.

Rolling Stone magazine seemed to show up a bit in this category, being a magazine with serious interview skills. Almost Famous is a classic interview-as-film, a film that was the pseudoautobiographical 70s teenage dream of Cameron Crowe. The story is both interview and coming-ofage for young William, who lands an opportunity to tour and interview a major band at the impressionable age of 15. Both William and the band have a purpose in their work together, but neither ends up with what they started out for.

The wacky Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was

an attempt to bring a weekend in the life of Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney Dr. Gonzo to the screen. It was Rolling Stone who first published Thompson’s drug-fueled commentary on the end of the 60s dream in 1971. Leave it to Terry Gilliam to attempt to bring the darkly comedic cultural vivisection to the screen.

Finally, The End of the Tour came out in the last

year, and centers around a four-day interview between Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky and author David Foster Wallace. Lipsky has an agenda for what he wants to get from Wallace, and Wallace, the author of the 1000+ page Infinite Jest, is not going to let go of his angels and demons so easily.

Lipsky is not immune to influence himself.

But that’s the risk when we really try to get to

know someone or something. Black and white blur like the lines of truth. Roles of interviewer and interviewee get switched. More questions are raised than questions answered. More clues are revealed. Some trails are lost. Some cases become cold. The plot moves forward. It’s always a risk.

But it’s great drama.

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The Rides 8 p.m., May 2 Anderson Ponty Band 8 p.m., May 10 Ames Center, Burnsville My first visit to the Ames Center was long overdue. This past January I was stunned to see that the former Burnsville Center for the Performing Arts was bringing in rock ‘n’ roll legend Todd Rundgren. Having never seen him in concert although I’d been a great admirer of his forty-year career, I couldn’t resist the fact that he would be about 25 miles from my house. So I bought a ticket and went to the show.

I had been aware of the goings on at Ames Center for years and I’ve written plenty about shows that have gone on there. But I was actually surprised by the place. Ames Center is a beautiful performing arts space. The house is constructed at a relatively steep angle, but allows for plenty of legroom and comfort while providing excellent sightlines. The acoustics are superb. The room itself offers such intimacy, that the capacity fells closer to 300 rather than slightly over 1000 people.

So, while I have recommended shows there in the past based on the performers, I can now do so with even more confidence. This month, there are two bands coming to town that seem ready made for this remarkable space: The Rides on May 2 and the Anderson Ponty Band on May 10.

Add your event for FREE to the TIMELINE c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ern minn . c o mm / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

Week of April 15-23: Ibsen Festival: 15-Apr, 10:00 AM, Downtown Historic Lanesboro, 100 Milwaukee Rd, Lanesboro, Free. Enjoy a weekend of Scandinavian culture in Lanesboro., special presentations and more. The highlight of the festival is Commonweal Theatre Company’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s satrical comedy The League of Youth.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 15-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by

Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness. 507-333-1620 Petite Picasso: Preschool Art!: 15-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Public Library, 101 SE 2nd Street, Rochester, Free. Calling all young artists: Dress to get messy as you explore art techniques and materials. Held in the auditorium.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 15-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. Crossings 15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration exhibit is on display April 4-May 4, celebrating a pairing of two art forms that allows poetry to inspire visual art of all kinds. Fifty-one poets and visual artists took part in this years exhibit.

The Collaboration can be seen free of charge during regular business hours. A reception and poetry reading takes place Sat., April 16, at 6:30 p.m. both at the gallery and next door at the State Theatre.

Mary Poppins: 15-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19. Live, on stage at the Rochester Civic Theatre, it’s the magical family musical ‘’Mary Poppins!’’ One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts in a whole new way as a Broadway musical that the whole family will enjoy! Shows are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Doors open an hour before showtime. Tickets are on sale now! We expect that this show will sell out early--don’t wait to get your tickets! Get tickets online at www.rochestercivictheatre. org, or call our box office at 507-282-8481.

Steel Magnolias: 15-Apr, 7:30 PM, Newhall Auditorium, 1000 Shumway Ave, Faribault, $9-$15. The action is set in Truvys

beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are anybody come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wisecracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the towns rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, (Im not crazy, Ive just been in a bad mood for forty years); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, MLynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a good ole boy. Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby (who is a diabetic) risks pregnancy and forfeits her life. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strengthand lovewhich give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.

The Rides are the coupling of guitar playing greats Stephen Stills and Kenny Wayne Shepherd alongside blues keyboardist Barry Goldberg. Stills, a legendary figure in rock music as a member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young) has called the project “the blues band of my dreams.” And art rock fans of SoMinn will rejoice to know that Jon Anderson, the amazingly ranged vocalist of Yes has teamed with new-age violinist Jean Luc Ponty to form a band playing everything from long-form jazz jams to the classic Yes standard “Roundabout.”

In the age of Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande, clearly both of these true super groups are going to sell like niche projects.

And that’s why an impressive facility like Ames Center is so vital to our region. It gives an opportunity to specific music lovers to see and hear bands they might not otherwise be able to catch.

Cheers to the Ames Center for bringing acts like these in, and here’s hoping that this outstanding trend continues.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

Comedian Scott Novotny: 15-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $10-$20. $10/Students; $15/ Members; $20/Non-Members. Scott Novotny recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of his becoming a full-time professional stand-up comedian. Over that time, Scott has had people laughing from coast to coast with his clean, non-offensive, very funny observations. Armed with only great comedy material, a wonderful sense of timing, and some physical comedy that is sure to make you laugh, Scott gets the job done.

Mary Poppins: 15-Apr, 7:30 PM, Ted Paul Theatre of Earley Center for Performing Arts, Minnesota State University, Mankato, $19-$22. Young Jane and Michael Banks have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family how to value each other again. Popular songs include ‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite’ and ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.’ This is

the first time Minnesota State Mankato has presented Mary Poppins.

Crimes of the Heart: 15-Apr, 7:30 PM, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 W. Third Street, Northfield, $13-$17. $17.00 adults, $13.00 seniors/students. Winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. An astonishing first play, initially presented by the Actors Theatre of Louisville, then Off-Broadway, and then on Broadway, where it established the author as a major voice in our theatre. Warm-hearted, irreverent, zany and brilliantly imaginative, the play teems with humanity and humor as it examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions.

(952) 445-9000 The Bold, The Young, and the Murdered: 15-Apr, 7:30 PM, Rochester Community & Technical College - Heintz Center Auditorium - Room HB117, 1926 Collegeview Rd. SE, Rochester, $8-$10. The long running soap opera, ‘The Bold, and the Young’ is in its last days. Ratings are low, its

hunky hero has self esteem issues, its villainous old man is more interested in getting his next bowl of soup, and its heroines are slightly psycopathic. The executive producer gives the squabbling cast an ultimatum: Complete one episode overnight or the show dies! But, when the director ends up murdered and other cast members start dropping like flies, it seems like his threat might actually come true. Can these hapless misfits discover the murderer in their midst before the show is literally killed off? Come find out who the dastardly villain is in this comedic murder mystery farce at RCTC Theatre! This show would probably not be of interest to children under 13. 507-282-8629 Peter Ostroushko with Dan Chouinard: 15-Apr, 7:30 PM, Zumbrota State Theatre, 88 E 4th St., Zumbrota, $18-$22. Peter Ostroushko, one of the finest mandolin and fiddle players in acoustic music, brings pianist and accordionist Dan Chouinard to perform with him. Peter is at his most passionate playing a rich ethnic mix of music, at

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the heart of which is his Ukrainian heritage.

Randy Broughten & Dan Gaarder: 15-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free. The Tavern is pleased to present two of Minnesotas greatest musical talents, together for one night of amazing music. Guitarist and vocalist Dan Gaarder lends his honey-toned vocals to Randy Broughtens expert stylings on the pedal steel guitar. Two legendary talents, known for their work with bands like Trailer Trash, The Roe Family Singers, Mother Banjo, The Cactus Blossoms and The Gear Daddies. This performance is not-to-bemissed! 507-282-8481 Rascal Flatts: 15-Apr, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $99-$165. Country superstars Rascal Flatts have charted 15 No. 1 singles and sold over 7 million concert tickets. Dont miss an intimate evening of hits like These Days, Fast Cars and Freedom, Here Comes Goodbye and many more.

Animal Adventures Week: 15-Apr, All Day, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Release your wild side during our Animal Adventures Week! Come to the Museum dressed as your favorite animal, or dress up while youre here. A naturalist from the Zollman Zoo will be visiting with reptiles and amphibians on Friday at 1pm, and a naturalist from Eagle Bluff will be visiting on Sunday from 1pm 3pm. Dont forget about Wednesday morning sing along at 11am!

Timmay 5k Fun Run-Walk: 16-Apr, 9:00 AM, Silver Lake Park East, East Silver Lake Drive NE, Rochester, $25 . Help spread the message on the importance of being an organ and tissue donor, and being aware of the responsibility this title brings with it. Join us on April 16th to see old friends and make new ones. The Timmay 5k is a Fun Run/ Walk that welcomes everyone to participate!

Whether you are a competitive runner, midpack runner, jogger or walker, everyone will have a good time.

Computer & eBook Drop-In: 16-Apr, 9:30 AM, Rochester Public Library, 101 SE 2nd Street, Rochester, Free. Bring your computer and eBook reader questions to this drop-in class. Librarians will be there to answer your basic questions about computers (e-mail, internet, digital photos, etc.) and library eBooks. Held in the Computer Lab. Ibsen Festival: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Downtown Historic Lanesboro, 100 Milwaukee Rd, Lanesboro, Free.

River Hills Women’s Weekend Show: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, RIVER HILLS MALL, 1850 ADAMS STREET, Mankato, Free.

A Quality Event At A Premier Shopping Destination - The success of the Womens

Weekend Show has been the ability to reach new customers attending the show, as well as the malls retail customers with products and services. Providing Access To The Unreachable Invisible Consumer - Invisible Consumers are a demographic description of a growing population of well educated, high income consumers that rely on the internet, social media, satellite radio, and cell phones as providers of immediate information and entertainment. Increasingly, these individuals are unreachable through traditional advertising. The River Hills Womens Weekend Show provides access to this growing demographics.

Urinetown, The Musical 7:30 p.m., May 20 DalekoArts, New Prague With the current crop of presidential candidates and California’s ongoing, disastrous drought, the premise of Greg Kotis’ and Mark Hollman’s 1990 musical Urinetown doesn’t sound quite as absurd as it may have 25 years ago.

It seems after 20 years of horrible drought and the ensuing water shortage, private bathrooms have become a thing of the past. Society has become subject to a privately run public bathroom system that charges everyone for their use. As in all industrialized societies, the haves and have-nots are divided by the “Public Amenities” that they are able to afford. Public urination, or non-use of the public bathrooms, is strictly prohibited. Offenders are summarily carted off to a place called Urinetown, which is supposedly as horrible a place as it sounds.

The plot of the show centers around a small group of freedom fighters determined to bring the liberty to pee when and where we please back to the people.

DalekoArts, one of the smartest theater companies in the Midwest could not have picked a better season to produce this particular musical. Of course, the show is meant to parody American society and, in actuality, the musical as an art form itself. But in a world where one side is screaming about closing the borders, while another is demanding free public services, and in a world where certain business executives will tell you that water is not a “basic human right,” the best way to illustrate the absurdity of our society is to produce a show meant to be completely absurd, but might wind up hitting close to home.

Urinetown opens May 20 and runs through June 12. Go see it while you’re still able to laugh about the state of the world.

Longevity Expo: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Maple Grove Community Center, 12951 Weaver Lake Road, Maple Grove, $6 . Maple Grove Community Center 12951 Weaver Lake Road Maple Grove, MN 55369 The Longevity EXPO offers attendees options to look their best, feel their best and be their best at all ages. 150 Exhibitors and visit the Main Stage filled with on-going speaker presentations, demonstrations and entertainment all day long. This show focuses on ways to keep active as we age and to offer suggestions for healthy living that in return may extend your life or improve the quality of your life.

This show is all about products, services and information that will make life better. Stay active and visit the Longevity EXPO your better life awaits. Admission $6 or FREE with a donation for the Moms & Neighbors Food Shelf See all the attractions at: http://www.

MediaMaxEvents.com or call (952)238-1700.

Outdoor Family Expo: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Maplewood Community Center, 2100 White Bear Ave, Maplewood, Free. (All ages, from beginner to experienced) AT THE MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER, 2100 WHITE BEAR AVE. SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 10:00AM-2:00PM Imagine blue skies, splashing in the lakes and playing under a leafy green canopy! Learn tips and tricks for enjoying the outdoors, and discover all that Minnesota has to offer. Studies show that being outdoors is good for your health and contributes to positive attitudes! Get connected to all the resources you need - there will be learning stations for all ages from examining live fish and tying jigs, to trying out binoculars, setting up a tent, nature play, hiking info, biking, and outdoor summer sports and recreation in Maplewood! Learn about weather and safety, wildlife watching, and summer camps. Plus enjoy snacks, freebies and more. Meet a live porcupine! A suite of outdoor vendors will be on hand to share their expertise and the newest trends in outdoor gear. FREE! Drop-in program. Cosponsored by Friends of Maplewood Nature..

651-249-2230 Emmett Ramstad: After You: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene. com.

Bicycle Blessing: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, Free. Welcome Spring! Kids, bring your parents. Parents, bring your children. We welcome your trikes or bikes, two or three wheelers, for a very special blessing. We’ll pray for bikes and riders for safety, good exercise, relaxed down time and good health.

We’ll remember those who build, repair and clean our bikes and those who rely on bikes as their only mode of transportation.

Registration Requested.

Royal Oaks Elementary Carnival and Silent Auction: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Royal Oaks Elementary, 7335 Steepleview Rd, Woodbury, Free. Join the fun at Royal Oaks Elementary Annual Carnival and Silent Auction Fundraiser on Saturday, April 16, 2016 10-2pm ---25+ games and Prizes! ---Photo Booth, Cake Walk, Kiddie Walk, Pop Toss, Jumpy House + More ---Woodbury Police and Fire Trucks ---Awesome Silent Auction and the Always Popular Gift Card Garden ---Win a Police Car Ride for you and your friend at our Silent Auction ---T-Shirts, Food and Friends! Thank you to our Volunteers and Community Partners: Adolfson Interior Design, USA Karate, Data Doctors, Peace of Mind Daycare, TruNorth Handyman, Big Frog

Custom T-Shirts, & Photo Booth Creations.

Need Service Hours for Your School Club or Organization? Sign up to volunteer http://vols.pt/qRbkxp Questions: Call/text 651-247-3091 chumstruve@legalshieldassociate.com. .

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 16-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Welcome to the Jungle!: 16-Apr, 11:00 AM, Hy-Vee West Circle, 4221 W Circle Drive, Rochester, Free. Join us for our next kids event! We will be decorating animal masks, taking pictures at our photo backdrop, making a ‘wild’ snack and going on a store safari! This is a FREE event, so bring your friends. 507-282-8629 Tour of Historical Artifacts on the Mezzanine: 16-Apr, 1:30 PM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, Free. Enjoy a review of the historical artifacts from the Rochester Franciscans’ 139-year history. Be introduced to the former Mother Generals, view early office furnishings and hear interesting stories of life in the past. Group size is limited. Registration Required.

Mary Poppins: 16-Apr, 2:00 PM, Ted Paul Theatre of Earley Center for Performing

Arts, Minnesota State University, Mankato, $19-$22.

‘A Kingdom Tale’ by Theater for the Thirsty: 16-Apr, 6:30 PM, Salem Road Covenant Church, 3401 Salem Road SW, Rochester, Free. Theater for the Thirsty is the Twin Cites duo of Jeremiah and Vanessa Gamble. They’re bringing their musical production, ‘A Kingdom Tale,’ to Rochester for one night only. It’s the story of Esther from the Bible as you’ve never seen it before!

One story. Two actors. Eleven songs. Sixteen characters. Seventy minutes. Countless laughs. And it’s for ALL ages! See the show for FREE at Salem Road Covenant Church, 3401 Salem Road SW, on Saturday, April 16th, at 6:30pm.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 16-Apr, 6:30 PM, Crossings at Carnegie, 320 East Avenue, Zumbrota, Free. . .

Mary Poppins: 16-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19. 507-282-8481 Mary Poppins: 16-Apr, 7:30 PM, Ted Paul Theatre of Earley Center for Performing Arts, Minnesota State University, Mankato, $19-$22.

Steel Magnolias: 16-Apr, 7:30 PM, Newhall Auditorium, 1000 Shumway Ave, Faribault, $9-$15. 507-333-1620

Crimes of the Heart: 16-Apr, 7:30 PM, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 W. Third Street, Northfield, $13-$17. Come see the story of the three Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, and Lenny, who reunite at their grandfather’s home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, after Babe shoots her abusive husband. The sisters were raised in a dysfunctional family with a penchant for ugly predicaments. Each has endured her share of hardship and misery.

Past resentments bubble to the surface as the sisters are forced to deal with assorted relatives and past relationships while coping with Babe’s latest incident. Each sister is forced to face the consequences of the ‘crimes of the heart’ she has committed.

The Bold, The Young, and the Murdered: 16-Apr, 7:30 PM, Rochester Community & Technical College - Heintz Center Auditorium - Room HB117, 1926 Collegeview Rd. SE, Rochester, $8-$10. The long running soap opera, ‘The Bold, and the Young’ is in its last days. Ratings are low, its hunky hero has self esteem issues, its villainous old man is more interested in getting his next bowl of soup, and its heroines are slightly psycopathic. The executive producer gives the squabbling cast an ultimatum: Complete one episode overnight or the show dies! But, when the director ends up murdered and other cast members start dropping like flies, it seems like his threat might actually come true. Can these hapless misfits discover the murderer in their midst before the show is literally killed off? Come find out who the dastardly villain is in this comedic murder mystery farce at RCTC Theatre! This show would probably not be of interest to children under 13.

Slavic Soul: 16-Apr, 7:30 PM, Lourdes High School, 2800 19th St. NW, Rochester, $5-$30. Shostakovich Festive Overture Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring pianist Scott Cuellar There is no music that wears its heart on its sleeve like Slavic music. Our all-Russian and Polish program exposes the native soil from which it rose and the deep emotions that are so apparent in every bar.

Our guest pianist Scott Cuellar closes the program with the all-powerful piano concerto from Tchaikovsky.

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15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 18-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Mayo Clinic Hospice Community Grief Support Group: 18-Apr, 1:00 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Gregg Allman 8 p.m., May 27

Community Grief Support Group: 18Apr, 6:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Child or Grandchild Death of a Parent or Grandparent Death of a Spouse or Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Mystic Lake, Prior Lake I have to believe the last couple years haven’t been exactly stellar ones for Gregg Allman. In 2014, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, the two guitarists who along with Allman, formed the core of the Allman Brothers Band announced they would both be going solo, effectively ending the band’s tumultuous, on-and-off again fifty year run.

Earlier in the spring a crew working on a film based on Allman’s autobiography My Cross to Bear was involved in a horrible accident resulting in one crew member’s death, several more injuries and the director of the film being sentenced to prison for involuntary manslaughter.

But Gregg Allman is nothing if not a survivor. This is a man who lost his brother (and best friend) in a motorcycle accident only to lose another close friend and band mate a year later in a nearly identical accident. Allman has seen his band crumble to pieces at least three different times. He’s been divorced at least twice. And then there was that liver transplant in 2010 and the time spent in rehab in 2011 for a painkiller addiction.

The tales of Allman’s lifestyle on the road would make Keith Richards blush. But while Richards is known for his cast-iron constitution and utter dumb luck, Allman is more an old, stubborn redneck who is probably the toughest man ever to play a Hammond B-3 organ. He seems to keep going out of sheer determination.

So, with the loss of his legendary band and a mountain of legal and emotional problems surrounding him, what else is a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer and one of the finest blues singers in history to do but form a new band and hit the road?

To that end, Gregg Allman will perform at the Mystic Showroom at Mystic Lake Casino on May 27. His solo work hasn’t strayed too far from the classic Allman Brothers sound, except that he tends to incorporate a touch more Memphis soul than Delta Blues. The guitar players in his band are always of the highest quality (can you imagine playing slide guitar in a band fronted by Duane Allman’s brother?), and Gregg has always like touring with a horn section. Expect to hear plenty of Allman classics like “Statesboro Blues,” “One Way Out,” “Dreams,” and “Melissa,” as well as Allman solo hits like “I’m No Angel” and his own re-working of “Midnight Rider.”

What else do I need to say? It’s Gregg Allman, for crying out loud. Go see him.

God Wants You Well Bible Study: 18-Apr, 7:00 PM, Inspirational Technologies, Inc. Building, 1100 N. 4th Street, Le Sueur, Free. DVD series with Andrew Wommack, healing miracle testimonies, Bible study lessons, discussion, communion, prayer.

Everyone invited. Led by Dorothy Von Lehe.

Contact Dorothy at dvonlehe@mchsi.com or 507-665-6965.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 19-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Storytelling Event: 19-Apr, 6:00 PM, Good Earth Village, 25303 Old Town Drive, Spring Valley, Free.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@ southernminnscene.com.

Joe Carey: 16-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free.

Singer-songwriter Joe Carey has been active in Minnesota’s music scene for over 15 years playing with several local bands, namely Loft, The Careys, Love Songs For Angry Men and his newest endeavor, The Chinwaggers. His sound is best described as a soulful roots rock band with a twist of twang.

3pm. Dont forget about Wednesday morning sing along at 11am! (507) 732-7616

Street, Northfield, $13-$17. $17.00 adults, $13.00 seniors/students.

Ibsen Festival: 17-Apr, 10:00 AM, Downtown Historic Lanesboro, 100 Milwaukee Rd, Lanesboro, Free.

Animal Adventures Week: 16-Apr, All Day, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Release your wild side during our Animal Adventures Week! Come to the Museum dressed as your favorite animal, or dress up while youre here. A naturalist from the Zollman Zoo will be visiting with reptiles and amphibians on Friday at 1pm, and a naturalist from Eagle Bluff will be visiting on Sunday from 1pm

Animal Adventures Week: 17-Apr, 12:00 PM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1.

Rochester Symphony Orchestra: Slavic Soul: 17-Apr, 2:00 PM, Lourdes High School, 2800 19th St. NW, Rochester, $5-$30. Shostakovich Festive Overture Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring pianist Scott Cuellar There is no music that wears its heart on its sleeve like Slavic music. Our all-Russian and Polish program exposes the native soil from which it rose and the deep emotions that are so apparent in every bar.

Our guest pianist Scott Cuellar closes the program with the all-powerful piano concerto from Tchaikovsky.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 17-Apr, 12:00 PM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . . .

Mary Poppins: 17-Apr, 2:00 PM, Ted Paul Theatre of Earley Center for Performing Arts, Minnesota State University, Mankato, $19$22. 507-282-8629 Crimes Of The Heart: 17-Apr, 2:00 PM, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 W. Third

Mary Poppins: 17-Apr, 2:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19. 507-282-8481

Earth Adventures Week: 20-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Help us celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd, all week with Earth Adventures week. We will have Wednesday morning sing along at 11am. We will have a naturalist from Quarry Hill come in to introduce us to the Creepy Crawlies of our Earth on Friday at 4pm. We will also have a table at Earthfest at the Mayo Civic Center from 10am 4pm on Sunday!

Caregiver Support Group: 20-Apr, 10:00 AM, Elder Network Northgate Shopping Center, 1130 1/2 7th Street NW, Suite 205, Rochester, Free. If you are caring for an older family member, friend or neighbor, heres an opportunity to meet with other caregivers to exchange helpful tips, give and receive support and learn about new resources.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 20-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic

Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 507-282-8629 15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 20-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Karaoke: 20-Apr, 6:30 PM, American Legion Post 92, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. From 6:30 - 10:30 PM every Wednesday! 507-282-8481 Jason Ringenberg, Hayward Williams: 20-Apr, 7:30 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$24. All seats general admission; arrive early for best seats. Advance tickets $19; $24 at the door..

Americana Showcase is proud to present Jason Ringenberg, with special guests Hayward Williams, Brandon Sampson, and John Wheeler, on Wednesday, April 20th at 7:30 pm. Jason Ringenberg (of Jason and the Scorchers, the band that blazed the trail for the ‘cowpunk’ and ‘alt-country’ music scenes) brings his incomparable live solo show to our Americana Showcase stage. Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance by the Americana Music Association, Jason is one of the most exciting performers of his generation,’ according to the Times (UK). His songwriting has been lauded by everyone from the BBC to USA TODAY, and we are excited to bring his incredible live show to our stage for the first time! Hayward Williams, described as an ‘exceptionally gifted guitarist, songwriter and singer who possesses a strong, warm, expressive vocal style’ by American Roots UK, brings his unique blend of roots, blues, and alt-country music to the stage. He will also be joined by Brandon Sampson and John Wheeler for a special ‘Songwriters in the Round’ performance. Tickets for single shows are $19 in advance, and $24 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show starts at 7:30 pm.

This is a general admission show, so come early for the best seats and enjoy a beverage at our lobby bar. Call 507-282-8481 or visit our website at https://rochestercivictheatre. ticketforce.com/.

Amy Schumer: 21-Apr, 8:00 PM, Target Center, 600 1st Ave North, Minneapolis, $51-$111. As the funniest, freshest face on television, Amy Schumer is on the rise in the world of comedy with her blend of honesty, and unapologetic sense of humor. Schumer is the creator, star, writer and executive producer of Inside Amy Schumer, the popular Comedy Central television series which premiered in April 2013 to the network’s highest season premiere ratings of the year.

Schumer’s provocative and hilariously wicked mind is on full display as she explores topics revolving around sex, relationships, and the general clusterf*ck that is life through a series of scripted vignettes, stand-up comedy, and man-on-the-street interviews. The show will return for a second season on April 1st.

This summer, she begins production on Universal’s Train Wreck that Schumer wrote and will star in. Judd Apatow will produce and direct the feature film that is scheduled to be released in July 2015. Schumer’s hit one-hour stand-up special, Mostly Sex Stuff, became Comedy Central’s second-highest rated special in 2012. She was also one of the featured comedians on Comedy Central’s Roast of Roseanne, which followed her memorable and quotable performance on the 2011 Roast of Charlie Sheen. She was recently seen in such critically acclaimed series as FX’s Louie and HBO’s Girls. Previously, Schumer had a recurring role on the third season of Adult Swim’s Delocated, and guest starred in the latest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. On the big screen, Schumer filmed the feature Seeking a Friend for the End of the World starring Steve Carrell and Kiera Knightley, as well as Price Check, an independent feature opposite Parker Posey which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Her album Cutting placed in the top 5 of the Billboard Charts and has been included on multiple Best Comedy Albums of the Year awards’ lists. The comic made her network debut in 2007 when she starred on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and soon after co-starred on 30 Rock and received her

own Comedy Central Presents special. She co-hosted Hoppus on Music with Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 on Fuse and made her fifth appearance at the Montreal Comedy Festival this summer. Schumer is a founding member of The Collective, a New York based Theatre Company, and a graduate of The William Esper studio where she studied for 3 years.

(612) 673-0900 Mark Grim: 21-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free.

Some songs old, some songs new, some songs country, some songs blue is how singer, guitarist Mark Grim describes what he sings. With a voice that brings to mind Gordon Lightfoot, he artfully picks and strums through songs ranging from the Beatles Blackbird to Warren Zevons Poor, Poor Pitiful Me. His own songs I Still Cant See, Me and My Tattoo and Easy Money will give you cause to reflect, as well as laugh, at the real life characters that are portrayed.

Earth Adventures Week: 21-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Help us celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd, all week with Earth Adventures week. We will have Wednesday morning sing along at 11am. We will have a naturalist from Quarry Hill come in to introduce us to the Creepy Crawlies of our Earth on Friday at 4pm. We will also have a table at Earthfest at the Mayo Civic Center from 10am 4pm on Sunday!

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 21-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 507-282-8629 Sip-N-Shop (Vendor & Craft Boutique): 21-Apr, 11:00 AM, Holiday Inn Downtown, 220 S Broadway, Rochester, Free. At the Sip N Shops we have some of the best home based businesses and Crafters around all in one location, Food and Drinks available, Free Chair Massages, door prizes & more.

Parkside Gallery Art Exhibit: 21-Apr, 4:30 PM, Charter House, 211 2nd Street NW, Rochester, Free. The public is invited to attend Charter House’s sixth art exhibit opening in the Parkside Gallery featuring artist Norman Nelson. The opening will take place on Thursday, April 21st at Charter House (211 2nd Street NW, Rochester MN 55901) from 4:30 -7:00 p.m., free of charge. There will be a brief gallery talk at 5:15 p.m. in Edwards Hall. Refreshments will be provided along with live music by the Arabesque Trio with a guest appearance by Anne Judisch, violin.

Mary Poppins: 21-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19.507-282-8481 The Bold, The Young, and the Murdered: 21-Apr, 7:30 PM, Rochester Community & Technical College - Heintz Center Auditorium - Room HB117, 1926 Collegeview Rd. SE, Rochester, $8-$10.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 21-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Earth Adventures Week: 22-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50.

Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1.

Bluff Country Studio Art Tour: 22-Apr, 10:00 AM, Lanesboro Arts, 103 Parkway Ave N, Lanesboro, Free. Visit artists in studio in the Driftless region. (612) 333-7399 Emmett Ramstad: After You: 22-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 22-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Best Graduation Ever: 22-Apr, 3:00 PM, Hy-Vee West Circle, 4221 W Circle Drive, Rochester, Free. Join our Graduation Specialists and plan your Grad Party! We will have yummy samples, information and

pricing on everything you need to make your party the absolute best. From the cake to the catering, and balloons to centerpieces - we have it all! Place your graduation order during our event and receive 10% off your entire order! Start your planning here www. planmygradparty.com.

A Musical Celebration of Earth Day: 22-Apr, 3:30 PM, New Ulm Public Library, 17 N. Broadway, New Ulm, Free. Dick Kimmel and Lori Jean will present a musical celebration of Earth Day. This free program, which is especially intended for children, will include sing-alongs and musical tributes to the environment. All are invited to attend.

Glen Campbell Movie and Free Meal: 22-Apr, 5:30 PM, Pioneer Nursing Home, 530 River Avenue South , Prairie Farm, Free. Pioneer Nursing Home invites the community to a free meal and showing of the Glen Campbell Movie, ‘I’ll Be Me.’ A free supper will be served at 5:30 p.m. with the movie to begin at 6:00 p.m. RSVP by 4/19 to (715) 455-1178. There is no charge for this event. The film documents Campbells amazing journey as he and his family attempt to navigate the wildly unpredictable nature of progressing Alzheimers disease using love, laughter and music as their medicine of choice. Special appearances include Bruce Springsteen, The Edge, Paul McCartney, Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Steve Martin, Chad Smith and Bill Clinton among many others.

507-282-8629 Mary Poppins: 22-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19.

Game On! RFSC Annual Figure Skating Show: 22-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Recreation Center, 21 Elton Hills Drive, Rochester, $0-$11. Advance tickets: Adult $11, Senior $9, Student $9, under 5 years FREE. Tickets $2 more at the door.. Join us as we empty the drawers and check under the bed for all of our games and toys. Featuring more than 260 skaters in over 50 numbers, the Rochester Figure Skating Club presents our 78th Annual Ice Show: Game On! Thanks to a generous grant from US Bank we are also able to welcome Craig Heath to our show! Craig is a World Professional Bronze Medalist, two time American Open Silver Medalist and Dorothy Hamill International Crown Champion 507-282-8481 The Bold, The Young, and the Murdered: 22-Apr, 7:30 PM, Rochester Community & Technical College - Heintz Center Auditorium - Room HB117, 1926 Collegeview Rd. SE, Rochester, $8-$10.

Farragut North: 22-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $9-$15. $9 Students/$15 Adults. Directed by Craig Berg This taut political thriller is set in Des Moines, Iowa, weeks before the states caucuses officially commence. Stephen Bellamy, a fast rising press secretary, finds himself caught up in backroom politics that threaten to torpedo his career. An object lesson in the dangers of the lust for power, Farragut North rockets to its final moments with surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Charlie Siren Album Release Show: 22-Apr, 8:00 PM, Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis, $7 . Charlie Siren (Releasing new album Mood Swings) Supportive Parents Victor Shores Pierre Lowspeak Township (18+).

Lonesome Dan Kase: 22-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free. For the last 15 years, Lonesome Dan Kase has been playing his unique brand of country-blues on stages throughout the U.S. His live performances showcase both his unique finger-picking style and warm vocals as well as his depth of knowledge in the history of the blues.

Root River Bird Walk: 23-Apr, 7:30 AM, Rochester Community & Technical College Heintz Center Commons, 1926 Collegeview

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“Who is James Taylor?”

It was 1985 and my buddy Mike Sundlin and I, both 15 at the time, didn’t have any older brothers or sisters, and neither of our sets of parents was much into music.

Musically, we had to educate ourselves, and if I may say so, we were doing a pretty good job of it. That spring Taylor released That’s Why I’m Here and was suddenly everywhere. His pictures were hanging in Musicland and The Record Shop in Southdale, his album had the lead review in Rolling Stone and he had a video on MTV featuring backup singers Joni Mitchell and Don Henley.

Clearly this guy was somebody, but Mike and I had never heard of him, and we had, we thought, looked into everyone we should know.

Looking back, I’m really surprised we didn’t know who he was. Yeah, he might have just been resuming a career that had been derailed by a decade-long, drug-induced stupor. And yes, he keeps a very low public profile, even coming off to most people as a shy guy. But this was the man who had written “Fire and Rain,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Mexico,” “Whenever I see Your Smiling Face,” and had pretty much defined the singer/songwriter genre in the 1970’s. How had the world kept this secret from us?

I was approaching this little blurb thinking I could write about how he doesn’t come to Minnesota very often and maybe that’s why we hadn’t heard of him. That may well have been the case in the early 80’s, but just doing a little bit of research shows he’s been here at least 10 times in the 21st century (4 of those shows were in Duluth, but still, that’s a lot).

Also, we obviously stopped paying attention to anything on PBS after we outgrew Sesame Street, because, to this

James Taylor and his ‘All-Star Band’ 8 p.m., May 31 Verizon Wireless Center, Mankato

Rd. S.E., Rochester, Free. We will visit Root River County Park just south of Rochester near Simpson. The park has nice walking trails and good diverse habitat for a wide variety of birds. Meet at the Heintz Center at 7:30 AM to car pool. Walk will be cancelled in the event of rain/thunderstorms. Audubon Leader: Sandy Hokanson.

Mayo Clinic Sibshops-Teen Edition: 23-Apr, 9:30 AM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $10 . If you know a family who has a child with special needs or health concerns, then Sibshops is for them! Sibshops is a program geared toward supporting siblings who have a brother or sister with a chronic illness, life-long health concern, or disability. The goal of the program is to bring these unique siblings together to express the good and the bad about having a brother or sister with special health concerns, and to have a day that focuses on them! Sibshops-Teen Edition is for siblings ages 14-18 years. Participants must register in advance. A bus will pick up participants at the front entrance of St. Mary’s

Hospital at 9:30am and will return around 5:00pm. For more information and to register, please contact Mayo Clinic Child Life at (507) 255-4091 or mayosibshop@mayo.edu.

(952) 934-1525 Hosanna’s Pantry: 23-Apr, 9:00 AM, Hosanna Lutheran Church, 2815 57th St NW, Rochester, Free. Hosanna’s Pantry is a satellite food shelf of Channel One food bank in Rochester. A photo ID is required. Coffee and treats are served while you wait to shop.

Earth Adventures Week: 23-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50.

Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1.

Kids in the Kitchen: 23-Apr, 9:30 AM, Hy-Vee Barlow Plaza, 1315 6th Street NW, Rochester, $10 . *REGISTRATION DUE BY APRIL 18TH* Kids! Join us for a fun cooking class where we will be making Layered Fruit Salad and Surprise Blueberry Muffins.

Recommended for kids ages 6 - 13. Class Times Available: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Limited space available! Cost is $10 per child. Register at Customer Service or by calling 507-288-8233. Payment is due upon registration. Class will be held in the Market Grille. Questions? Contact Melissa Bradley, RD, LD at mbradley@hy-vee.com *Cancellation Policy: Registered attendants must e-mail their notice of cancellation to Melissa Bradley, RD, LD at mbradley@hy-vee.com at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled time of the event to be eligible for a refund. (612) 673-0900 Bluff Country Studio Art Tour: 23-Apr, 10:00 AM, Lanesboro Arts, 103 Parkway Ave N, Lanesboro, Free. (612) 673-0900 Emmett Ramstad: After You: 23-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5.

Bluff Country Studio Art Tour: 23-Apr, 10:00 AM, c/o River Arts Alliance, PO Box 992, Winona, Free. Travel the scenic byways of the Bluff Country region to tour studios of the area’s finest artist and artisans. Visit with

the artists, find out what inspires them, watch demonstrations and shop their available body of work.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 23-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Best Graduation Ever: 23-Apr, 11:00 AM, Hy-Vee West Circle, 4221 W Circle Drive, Rochester, Free.

Bingo: 23-Apr, 1:00 PM, American Legion, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. Bingo 1PM the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.

Kitchen open at 11:00 serving delicious foods! $1.00 and $2.00 cards.

Brantley Gilbert: 23-Apr, 7:00 PM, Target Center, 600 1st Ave North, Minneapolis, $34.75-$39.75. Brantley Gilbert knows that tomorrow is no guarantee. Just over five years ago the talented singer/songwriter was ignoring his deepest ambition of becoming a country singer and was just going through the motions of everyday life. It wasn’t until a nearly-fatal car accident that Brantley

opened his eyes, realized the importance of living each day to the fullest, and decided to pursue his love for music as a career.

Brantley was born and raised in the small town of Jefferson, Georgia, just outside the Athens city limits. It is that upbringing and small town influence Brantley credits toward allowing him to cultivate his unique sound.

With well-known rock bands REM and the B-52s having roots nearby, Brantleys taste in music always swayed toward a rock feel, but his true-to-life testimony of heartache, trials, triumph, and success found a home in country music. After taking the stage nightafter-night with just his guitar and opening for other country artists throughout the southeast, Brantley began to notice familiar faces in the crowds. A group of believers who shared Brantley’s passion for life and music had developed, and pretty soon the following had taken-on a life of its own. Brantley quickly realized that his acoustic shows, however intimate, didnt satisfy his audiences thirst for his rock-infused country music. In order to meet their demand, Brantley formed

day, they play a James Taylor special every twenty minutes.

But I digress. This isn’t about why we were late to the low key superstar’s party. This is about James Taylor making his first ever (I think) visit to Mankato on May 31, when he and his ‘All Star Band’ play at the Verizon Wireless Center at 8 p.m.

That All-Star Band thing might be a bit of an oversell to most people. This isn’t like Ringo Starr coming to town and bringing Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, and the guy’s from The Guess Who and Grand Funk Railroad with him. JT’s All Star Band is, like the man himself, a more low key kind of thing.

Among the people playing with him, the most recognizable might be Lou Marini, the saxophone player known to most as “Sweet Lou” from the Blues Brothers band. Bass player Jimmy Johnson is a Minneapolis native, so he will no doubt have plenty of people in the audience. Keyboard player Larry Goldings has toured extensively with Taylor for almost 15 years and fronts his own well-known jazz trio. But while you may not have heard the names of the people in his band, you’ve definitely heard them play. The list of sessions and tours they’ve been a part of includes names like Steely Dan, Kate Bush, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Phil Collins, and literally hundreds of others. Trust me when I tell you, this will be a fun group to watch and listen to.

But Taylor will be the star of the show, SoMinn. His music is pure gold. His songs are timeless, from “Something in the Way She Moves” to “Copperline” to “Angels of Fenway,” his music sounds as good today as it did the first time you heard it. So go to this show, and for cryin’ out loud, tell your kids all about him.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

Kick It In the Sticks. HALFWAY TO HEAVEN follows his 2009 release, A MODERN DAY PRODIGAL SON, which features hit singles, G.R.I.T.S. and Whenever Were Alone. As tour dates multiply throughout the South, Brantleys fan base continues to expand, and like most artists these days, fans can stay updated about tour dates and news via MySpace. His page garners more than 25,000 listeners daily a number that has brought him to the #1 spot on MySpace Music Charts for both country and southern rock. For more information about Brantley Gilbert visit www.brantleygilbert.com and check out the latest music video of Kick It In The Sticks.

a band. ‘We went from these acoustic shows to a bona fide country-rock-soul show that is wide-ass open’, says Gilbert. ‘Even when we play a ballad its high energy.’ With the fans demanding new music from Brantley, he came to Nashville, Tennessee where he soon signed with Warner Chappell Publishing and began to develop music for a debut album release. One of his songs, The Best of Me, was recorded by Jason Aldean and earned a spot on his Walmart exclusive release (WIDE OPEN) and ITunes. Since, Brantley has signed a record deal with Average Joes Entertainment and collaborated with top-charting act and labelmate Colt Ford to write and record, Dirt Road Anthem, which is currently featured on Fords multiple-week Top 25 Billboard album, RIDE THROUGH THE COUNTRY. ‘Ive realized that life can be very short, and everyone should take advantage of it’, he said. ‘If you’re gonna live, do something with it. Make it great.’ And great it is. Brantley celebrates the release of his sophomore album, HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, in March 2010 leading off with the single

Canaan Smith On Tour: 23-Apr, 7:00 PM, Target Center, 600 1st Ave North, Minneapolis, $30-$40. THE BLACKOUT TOUR with Brantley Gilbert Sat, Apr 23, 2016 - 7:00PM. 507-282-8629

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Joe Bonamassa

8 p.m., May 9 Mayo Civic Center, Rochester

There was a day when guitar heroes ruled, if not the world, the airwaves. Back in the day, radio was filled with the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana, Joe Walsh and so many more. These guys generally offered up a blues based brand of music that we have now come to know as Classic Rock.

The problem with a label that contains the word “classic” is the stigma of being old, worn out and no longer relevant.

But, dear friends, the guitar hero is far from irrelevant.

They are not dinosaurs. Hell, they’re not even extinct. We live in a time that actually has a bumper crop of great heavy-blues guitarists like Gary Clark, Jr., Derek Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd (see our preview of The Rides at the Ames Center), local product Jonny Lang, John Mayer (say what you will – that guy can play) and the great Joe Bonamassa.

Public taste in popular music moved away from gutbucket blues to manufactured perfection many, many years ago. Because of that, if you want to hear people like this you have to seek them out these days, and that’s probably why you may not have heard of some of these

Circle of Design Fashion Show: 23-Apr, 7:00 PM, Mill City Nights, 111 5th Street North, Minneapolis, Free. www. circleofdesign.net.

Mary Poppins: 23-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19.

Game On! RFSC Annual Figure Skating Show: 23-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Recreation Center, 21 Elton Hills Drive, Rochester, $0-$11. Advance tickets: Adult $11, Senior $9, Student $9, under 5 years FREE. Tickets $2 more at the door. 507-282-8481 Farragut North: 23-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $9-$15. $9 Students/$15 Adults.

Jivin’ Ivan and The Kings of Swing: 23-Apr, 7:30 PM, Signature Bar and Grill, 201 Central Ave N, Faribault, Free. Great Band, Dancing, Dining, Drinking and all that fun stuff.

Davina & the Vagabonds: 23-Apr, 7:30 PM, State Theater, 96 E 4th St, Zumbrota, $20-$23. A high-energy quintet whose lead vocalist has been likened to Adele, Bessie Smith, Etta James and Amy Winehouse, Davina & the Vagabonds bring their fresh-but-retro sound. Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national blues scene with their high-energy live shows, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers commanding stage presence.

With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is so much more than just a blues act. DATVs shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages.

Johnny OBrien: 23-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free. Johnny O’Brien (formerly John Wills) is a folk/acoustic singer/songwriter from Minneapolis.

Week of April 24-30: Bluff Country Studio Art Tour: 24-Apr, 10:00 AM, Lanesboro Arts, 103 Parkway Ave N, Lanesboro, Free. Visit artists in studio in the Driftless region.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 24-Apr, 12:00 PM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as construc-

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Rochester Catholic Schools Open House (Preschool - Grade 12): 24-Apr, 12:00 PM, Lourdes High School, 2800 19th St. NW, Rochester, Free. Come discover Rochester Catholic Schools at our Spring Open House, hosted at all five Rochester Catholic Schools sites. Serving students in preschool - grade 12 Rochester Catholic Schools teachers and staff will be there to meet and greet you, introduce you to our programs and give you a tour of our schools.

Visit our website to learn more!

Farragut North: 24-Apr, 2:00 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $9-$15. $9 Students/$15 Adults. Directed by Craig Berg This taut political thriller is set in Des Moines, Iowa, weeks before the states caucuses officially commence. Stephen Bellamy, a fast rising press secretary, finds himself caught up in backroom politics that threaten to torpedo his career. An object lesson in the dangers of the lust for power, Farragut North rockets to its final moments with surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Game On! RFSC Annual Figure Skating Show: 24-Apr, 2:00 PM, Rochester Recreation Center, 21 Elton Hills Drive, Rochester, $0-$11. Advance tickets: Adult $11, Senior $9, Student $9, under 5 years FREE. Tickets $2 more at the door.. Join us as we empty the drawers and check under the

bed for all of our games and toys. Featuring more than 260 skaters in over 50 numbers, the Rochester Figure Skating Club presents our 78th Annual Ice Show: Game On! Thanks to a generous grant from US Bank we are also able to welcome Craig Heath to our show! Craig is a World Professional Bronze Medalist, two time American Open Silver Medalist and Dorothy Hamill International Crown Champion. 507-282-8629 The Bold, The Young, and the Murdered: 24-Apr, 2:00 PM, Rochester Community & Technical College - Heintz Center Auditorium - Room HB117, 1926 Collegeview Rd. SE, Rochester, $8-$10. The long running soap opera, ‘The Bold, and the Young’ is in its last days. Ratings are low, its hunky hero has self esteem issues, its villainous old man is more interested in getting his next bowl of soup, and its heroines are slightly psycopathic. The executive producer gives the squabbling cast an ultimatum: Complete one episode overnight or the show dies! But, when the director ends up murdered and other cast members start dropping like flies, it seems like his threat might actually come true. Can these hapless misfits discover the murderer in their midst before the show is literally killed off? Come find out who the dastardly villain is in this comedic murder mystery farce at RCTC Theatre! This show would probably not be of interest to children under 13.

Love and Logic Early Childhood

Parenting Made Fun!: 24-Apr, 2:00 PM, Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, $150-$250. Financial consideration ALWAYS given--ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY FEE!. Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun! Sundays(5), 2-3 pm, 24 Apr; 01, 08, 15, 22 May An early childhood parenting program designed by the experts at the Love and Logic Institute. Join us as we laugh and giggle our way to the skills required to feel more relaxed, hopeful, and positive about raising children. As we learn more, well discover that parenting really should be enjoyableand that we can teach personal responsibility and respect without losing our childrens love. We will learn how to: -Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments -Stay calm when kids do incredibly upsetting things -Set enforceable limits -Avoid enabling and begin empowering -Help kids learn from mistakes rather than repeating them -Raise kids who are family members rather than dictators And much more! This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately with all kids and families!

Location: Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, 55902 Contact Andy: apjohnsrud@gmail.com OR 507.358.9832 Cost: $150 individual, $250 couple (financial consideration ALWAYS given with need) Andy is an independent facilitator of Love and Logic curricula.

guys. But take my word for it, whether you’ve heard any of their music or not, the next time you have an opportunity to see one of them, do it. Just go.

As luck would have it, Joe Bonamassa will be at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester on May 9. Bonamassa is an astonishing guitar player. Armed with a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, his versatility, phrasing and creativity will leave your jaw on the floor. The guy’s a true showman, too; he plays like his hair is on fire. On top of all that, he can sing (although if you want to hear some really amazing music, check out the two albums he made with Beth Hart).

It’s too bad that people have to seek Bonamassa’s music, out, but thankfully he’s so damn good that word-ofmouth has gotten around on him very well. If he’d been born in 1949 instead of 1977, he would have sold out the Met Center or the St. Paul Civic Center at age 38. Instead, he’ll be much closer to home, and those of us in SoMinn won’t have to work very hard to see him. Take advantage of this opportunity.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

Mary Poppins: 24-Apr, 7:00 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$29. Adult $29; Senior $24; Student $19. Live, on stage at the Rochester Civic Theatre, it’s the magical family musical ‘’Mary Poppins!’’ One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts in a whole new way as a Broadway musical that the whole family will enjoy! Shows are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Doors open an hour before showtime. Tickets are on sale now! We expect that this show will sell out early--don’t wait to get your tickets! Get tickets online at www.rochestercivictheatre. org, or call our box office at 507-282-8481.

Kvelertak: 24-Apr, 7:30 PM, Mill City Nights, 111 5th Street North, Minneapolis, Free. Tickets are $15.00 in advance, and $18.00 day of show.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 25-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. Crossings 15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration exhibit is on display April 4-May 4, celebrating a pairing of two art forms that allows poetry to inspire visual art of all kinds. Fifty-one poets and visual artists took part in this years exhibit.

The Collaboration can be seen free of charge during regular business hours. A reception and poetry reading takes place Sat., April 16, at 6:30 p.m. both at the gallery and next door at the State Theatre.

Mayo Clinic Hospice Community Grief Support Group: 25-Apr, 1:00 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Open House: 25-Apr, 2:00 PM, Good Earth Village, 25303 Old Town Drive, Spring Valley, Free. Free Event for All Ages Come to Good Earth Village for an Open House on Sunday, April 24th, 2016 from 2-5 p.m. The local camp and retreat center invites all ages to explore the 500 acres, participate in camp activities, and meet some of the very talented and well trained staff that will be working

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at camp for the summer. ‘We cannot wait to introduce you to our incredible faith-based summer programs,’ says Dianna Parks, Executive Director. ‘We are confident that there is something here for everyone.’ The Good Earth Village summer camp serves youth from completed grades K-12, with day options and overnight programs. Younger campers can come for 1-2 nights, and older campers come for half-weeks or week long camps based on their availability. ‘We know that families have many demands and busy schedules so we have worked diligently to create options for every family,’ says Parks.

We are also excited to introduce GrandCamp, where grandparents can bring grandchildren of any age, and Family Camp, which is for families of ANY size, shape, or demographic.

‘Good Earth Village recognizes that ‘family’ can be defined in a myriad of ways, and we welcome them all. One recent summer, three of our former counselors came as a family.

It’s wonderful to see that variety, and we are truly welcoming to all families, however that is defined for individuals,’ says Parks.

Whether you are new to Good Earth Village or want to revisit, the Open House is a free event for all to come experience the majesty of the camp. ‘We know how special this place is, and we want to share it!’ We will tour the grounds, participate in songs and games, sample camp food, and visit our two brand new cabins. The mission of Good Earth Village is to Explore God in creation, Grow faith in community, and Engage the world as followers of Christ. Our campers will learn about their God-given gifts and how to celebrate their uniqueness in our world. Camp is highly interactive, engaging, and fun. Payment options are available for every budget, and camperships are available.

Good Earth Village is located at 25303 Old Town Drive, Spring Valley, MN 55975. It is accredited by the American Camping Associate. RSVP requested but not required at: GoodEarthVillage.org/openhouse. Drop-ins welcome!

Time Trader Orientation: 25-Apr, 5:30 PM, Rochester Area Family YMCA, 709 1st Avenue SW, Rochester, Free. We have group orientations the 4th Monday of the month at 5:30p.m. at Rochester Family YMCA. Time Trader is an organized exchange network through which members earn Time Credits (TC) for time spent helping other members.

One hour of service earns one TC. With TC, members can buy services they want or need. For example, if you give one hour of childcare, you can receive one hour of painting, accounting, transportation assistance, or a piano lesson, and the list goes on.

Community Grief Support Group: 25Apr, 6:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Child or Grandchild Death of a Parent or Grandparent Death of a Spouse or Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 26-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Toddler Tidbits: 26-Apr, 10:30 AM, Hy-Vee West Circle, 4221 W Circle Drive, Rochester, $5 . Join us for this toddler-friendly class focusing on encouraging young children to try new foods! At each class, your Hy-Vee dietitian will invite your toddler to try new fruits and vegetables in different and creative ways. After each class, your child will receive an ‘I Tried It!’ sticker. After collecting 3 stickers, he/she will be given a fun and creative healthy prize! After the class, stay for lunch in our Market Grille - kids eat FREE every Tuesday with purchase of an adult entree!

Market Grille | 10:30am - 11:00am $5 per child - Register at Least 3 Days in advance at Customer Service. Questions: Contact Sara Kelly, RD, LD at sakelly@hy-vee.com or 507-292-6004.

Springtime Fuzzy Fun Storytime and Fiber Craft Program: 26-Apr, 6:00 PM, New Ulm Public Library, 17 N. Broadway, New Ulm, Free. Lynn Ehrke will present Springtime Fuzzy Fun Storytime and Craft Program, which is especially intended for children ages 3-8, although children of all ages and adults are welcome. Listen to stories and then create your own fiber ball.

Healthy Mind & Body Week: 27-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Work your body AND mind this week at the Museum with a sing along at 11am on Wednesday, a story time on Friday at 11am, and kids yoga from 4 5pm on Saturday! Join us out at the YMCA Healthy Y Day on Saturday to engage in some healthy activities.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 27-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 507-282-8629 15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 27-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Karaoke: 27-Apr, 6:30 PM, American Legion Post 92, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. From 6:30 - 10:30 PM every Wednesday!

Miami City Ballet: 27-Apr, 7:30 PM, Northrop, 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, $54-$74. What a grand finale! Miami City Ballet returns to Northrop with a program as vibrant and intoxicating as their namesake city. With a Balanchine-based repertory that Le Monde says gives goosebumps to fans of dance, the dancers non-stop energy and unfailing clarity leave audiences cheering.

Serenade is a sweeping, romantic work with a transcendent Tchaikovsky scorea milestone in the history of dance. The jet-propelled Symphony in Three Movements matches Stravinskys signature rhythms with angular, athletic choreography. Miamis colorful urban art scene inspires Justin Pecks Heatscape, danced to a sprightly Martinu score.

Just Between Friends, Rochester-Huge Community Consignment Sale: 28-Apr, 7:00 AM, Graham Arena Complex, 1570 Fairgrounds Ave, Rochester, $2 . ‘Just Between Friends, the Nation’s Leading Children’s and Maternity Community Consignment Sales Event, will be returning to Rochester, MN April 28-30, 2016. Don’t miss this opportunity to Sell, Shop and Save 50-90% off the brand names shoppers love. We bring in thousands of shoppers. This is an event you will not want to miss!’

Healthy Mind & Body Week: 28-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Work your body AND mind this week at the Museum with a sing along at 11am on Wednesday, a story time on Friday at 11am, and kids yoga from 4 5pm on Saturday! Join us out at the YMCA Healthy Y Day on Saturday to engage in some healthy activities.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 28-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. (507) 281-6189 Mid West Music Fest: 28-Apr, 6:00 PM, Mid West Music Fest, 168 E 3rd St, Winona, $50 . This years festival will will feature an exciting line-up of over 100 bands and musicians in 11 venues across downtown Winona.

Farragut North: 28-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $9-$15. $9 Students/$15 Adults.

Nick Hensley: 28-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free. Singer/songwriter Nick Hensley is the mastermind behind the musical collaborative, Love Songs For Angry Men, also the title of his first solo release, after fronting the critically-acclaimed rock ensemble, The District. Hensley has shared the stage with bands like The Hold Steady, Widespread Panic, The Gear Daddies, Trampled By Turtles, The Samples, and Big Head Todd and The Monsters. Hensleys music has received 4-star ratings from Paste magazine, City Pages, and Alt Country.com.

Aaron Carter: 28-Apr, 9:00 PM, Mill City Nights, 111 5th Street North, Minneapolis, Free. GA tickets are $20.00 in advance, and $25.00 at the door. Reserved balcony seats are $45.00.

Mindfulness: An Invitation To The Journey: 29-Apr, 5:30 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, $160 .

This is a 4 day retreat. This retreat provides the opportunity to know what it is to live in the fullness of life. Explore how to live wholeheartedly, despite what is happening in your life. Choose mindfulness as a lifestyle. Learn tools of watchful living, giving attention to the present without judging and enjoy the powerful results that can occur. It can enhance your everyday life. Each day starts early, around 5:30 a.m. and concludes after the evening’s dinner. There will be six periods of 30 minute meditations, talks, time for journaling and being in nature. Roberto Benzo, MD is the retreat leader. Registration Required. Registration fee includes overnight accommodations.

Just Between Friends, Rochester-Huge Community Consignment Sale: 29-Apr, 8:00 AM, Graham Arena Complex, 1570 Fairgrounds Ave, Rochester, $2.

Art in Bloom 2016: Minneapolis Art Institute Trip: 29-Apr, 9:00 AM, Rochester Senior Center, 121 N Broadway Ave, Rochester, $22-$26. $22 Senior Center Members $26 Non-Members. RSVP by April 15th. No Refunds after April 15th. Members $22, Non-Members $26 Gather your friends and join your Senior Center Friends for a fabulous day at Minneapolis Institute of Arts to enjoy ‘Art in Bloom,’ a Festival of fresh floral arrangements and fine art, presented by the Friends of the Institute. This spring celebration highlights the talents of more than 150 floral artists, whose works will be on view next to the works of art that inspired them. Experience the floral fragrance throughout the museum, enjoy a lecture or demonstration and browse in the Art in Bloom Shop. Participants will ride comfortably to and from in a Coach Bus. Lunch Box Option + $10 Includes: Full sandwich, chips, pickle, and a cookie from Great Harvest.

Please make a lunch selection when registering. - Country Smoke Turkey: Smoked turkey breast, romaine lettuce, tomato, roasted red peppers, and onions on Italian Herb Focaccia. -Louisville Chicken Salad: Chunks of white and dark meat chicken in a seasoned mayonnaise dressing with spicy pecans.

Healthy Mind & Body Week: 29-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 29-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 29-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. (507) 281-6189 Farragut North: 29-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $9-$15. $9 Students/$15 Adults.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: 29-Apr, 7:30 PM, Little Theatre of Owatonna, 560A Dunnell Drive, Owatonna, $10-$14.

Adapted from Lewis Carroll’s beloved story about a girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar creatures.

Hamburg, Magdeburg, and Brandenburg VI: 29-Apr, 7:30 PM, Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, $10-$25. Bachs Brandenburg concertos, now some of his most celebrated works, sat unplayed in the Brandenburg archives until their rediscovery almost 100 years after Bachs death. With a nod to Bachs daring instrumental combinations, Jaap ter Lindenguest on viola da gambahas concocted a program that is all about the bass instruments. Featuring music for viola, viola da gamba, cello, and base de violon, as well as Brandenburg VI, its a lower string extravaganza! 507-282-8629 International Organist Loreto Aramendi in Concert: 29-Apr, 7:30 PM, St. John the Evangelist, 11 4th AVE SW, Rochester, Free. International organist LORETO ARAMENDI will play a concert at St. John the Evangelist on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 7:30 pm. Aramendi is Professor at the Francisco Escudero Conservatoire and Senior Organist of the Cavaill-Coll organ at the Basilique of Santa Mara del Coro, San Sebastin, Spain. Her recital will include works by Louis Vierne, Franz Liszt, J.S. Bach, Camille Saint-Sans, Gabriel Faur and Charles Tournemire.

Songs by The Wrecking Crew With The Fabulous Armadillos: 29-Apr, 7:30 PM, State Theater, 96 E 4th St, Zumbrota, $34$38. In their latest show, the talent-packed Fabulous Armadillos pay tribute to some of the biggest musicians never known. Songs

by The Wrecking Crew celebrates a group of musicians who performed for studio recordings of some of the biggest names in 60s and 70s music. The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by famous drummer, Hal Blaine, for a select group of musicians who played anonymously on hundreds of huge hits by artists including the Beach Boys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, The Righteous Brothers, Jan and Dean, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond and hundreds more.

Mindfulness: An Invitation To The Journey: 30-Apr, 5:30 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, $160 .

This is a 4 day retreat. This retreat provides the opportunity to know what it is to live in the fullness of life. Explore how to live wholeheartedly, despite what is happening in your life. Choose mindfulness as a lifestyle. Learn tools of watchful living, giving attention to the present without judging and enjoy the powerful results that can occur. It can enhance your everyday life. Each day starts early, around 5:30 a.m. and concludes after the evening’s dinner. There will be six periods of 30 minute meditations, talks, time for journaling and being in nature. Roberto Benzo, MD is the retreat leader. Registration Required. Registration fee includes overnight accommodations.

Just Between Friends, Rochester-Huge Community Consignment Sale: 30-Apr, 8:00 AM, Graham Arena Complex, 1570 Fairgrounds Ave, Rochester, $2 . ‘Just Between Friends, the Nation’s Leading Children’s and Maternity Community Consignment Sales Event, will be returning to Rochester, MN April 28-30, 2016. Don’t miss this opportunity to Sell, Shop and Save 50-90% off the brand names shoppers love. We bring in thousands of shoppers. This is an event you will not want to miss!’

Falls Duathlon: 30-Apr, 9:00 AM, Hannah’s Bend Park, , Cannon Falls, $55-$90.

Different price breaks: Individual: $55 - $60 Team: $85 - $90. We have had many over the years come to this duathlon and everyone agrees, it is one of the best early duathlons out there. The transition area is at the Cannon Falls pool parking lot on pavement. The whole course is along the Cannon River and if you want a short cut, make it a triathlon and cross the river to the other side. But honestly, you will love this Duathlon as it winds along the river. If it’s your first time at this event you will see why we call it the Falls Duathlon on the first run when you go up the trail next to the falls and later back down on the other side.

Art Journaling for the Soul: 30-Apr, 9:00 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, $10 . Come express your creative energy. Discover different ways to use art in journaling. Art journaling can be an outlet for expressing your dreams, thoughts and feelings. Bring a journal that will open flat and will work for drawing and coloring. Please bring your own colored pencils or markers.

Your guide will be Carol Bailey Registration Required.

Healthy Mind & Body Week: 30-Apr, 9:00 AM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Work your body AND mind this week at the Museum with a sing along at 11am on Wednesday, a story time on Friday at 11am, and kids yoga from 4 5pm on Saturday! Join us out at the

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

YMCA Healthy Y Day on Saturday to engage in some healthy activities.

Upcoming Cosmic Connections Convention &Crossing Over Gallery’: 30-Apr, 9:00 AM, Radisson Hotel Roseville, 2540 Cleveland Ave N, Roseville, $10-$89.

Grab a friend and plan a fun day Sat. April 30th at National Enquirers Astrologer Columnist Cosmic Connections Convention and Crossing Over Gallery Sat. April 30th from 11am til 5pm and Crossing Over Gallery on Sat. April 30th at 5:30pm at the Radisson Hotel Roseville- 2540 Cleveland Ave North, Roseville, MN 55113 (651) 636- 4567 with host- Maria Shaw Lawson- National Enquirers very own astrology columnist and celeb astrologer. Marias Premiere Pass is just $89 which includes all the classes, Crossing Over Gallery and FREE admission to the Psychic Fair on Sunday which runs from 9am-5pm.

The Premiere Pass includes everything except readings which are $20. Each. Call to reserve your pass at 810-631-6887 or online at: www.mariashaw.com There will be gemstones, jewelry, books, new age gift ideas and much more too. Here are some of the fun, informative classes at the convention: 11a.m. Maria Shaw Purposeful Protection; Learn how to protect yourself energetically, physically and spiritually from negative people, situations and unwanted attachments, negative thoughts from others and more.

1p.m. Jody - The Heart Healing Class; Expand your ability to give and receive love to yourself and others! Testing for blockages in the heart chakra and energy field. Releasing old wounds and blocks that sabotage your success, self worth and relationships.

Cleansing and Releasing exercise that will make a hg difference in how your feel immediately 2:30p.m. Michelle Case The Empath Gifts Class; You know you are an Empath but how can you further tap into your gifts?

Michelle will be your guide as you explore ways to unlock, unfold and enhance your intuition. 3:45p.m. Susan O Neill Tarot Time; Most everyone has enjoyed a tarot reading a time or two, but nows your chance to take a spin at this ancient art yourself! Get Tools to read and interpret the tarot; something more to enhance your metaphysical knowledge!

5:30p.m. Crossing Over Gallery with Maria Maria Shaw Lawson, whose weekly National Enquirer horoscope column is read by millions, has also appeared on VH1, MTV, SoapNet, and was the astrologer for the TV Guide Channel. Maria is seen and heard on national radio and TV stations nationwide, and has become Americas favorite Astrologer, with interviews already set throughout 2016-2017 across the U.S. Her previous predictions have amazed listening audiences everywhere with her acute accuracy. Maria Shaw Lawson is also known for her amazing accuracy and predictions for Hollywood’s hottest stars including Tony Danza, Jenny McCarthy, Larry the Cable Guy, America Idol’s Julianne Hough and Chris Daughtry, Red Wings hockey Star-Darren McCarty and many more!

Stewartvile Community Ed 5K Color-aThon: 30-Apr, 9:00 AM, Central Intermediate School, 301 2nd St SW, Stewartville, $30 .

Stewartville Community Ed is sponsoring a Color-A-Thon Event and we would like you and your family to participate! Walk, Run, Stroll.. whatever it may be-- this event is for you! The money from this fun and healthy event will be used towards the purchase of new playground equipment. This is a kid friendly event and the color dust is made of corn starch. The cost to register for this 5K Color-A-Thon event is $30 and includes a t-shirt and a color dye pack! Before the event, there will be a Color Blast Party with music and Big Blasts of Color! The race will be for fun and will not be timed. Go to the website listed below and register you and your family today! MUST REGISTER BY: April 19, 2016 to be guaranteed your event t-shirt & color pack. Registration website: http://shop.schoolathon.org/EventIndex. asp?EID=181611.

One World, One Breath: World T’ai Chi & Qigong Day: 30-Apr, 9:30 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, Free. Come feel the energy and share the peace! Help create a healing wave around the planet. Join as we gather with six continents, 80 countries and 50 states to spread calm across the planet. Participate and learn these easy, effective gentle movements and practices. Discover T’ai Chi and Qigong practice opportunities in the Rochester area.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 30-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness.

Healthy Kids Day: 30-Apr, 10:00 AM, Rochester Area Family YMCA, 709 1st Avenue SW, Rochester, Free. HEALTHY KIDS DAY is all about building on the SUPER factor inside every kidwhoever they are and wherever theyre from. So come to HEALTHY KIDS DAY for a day of creative, challenging, smart, healthy fun and watch the SUPER in your kid come out. This event is FREE to the public and open to everyone! New this year to Healthy Kids Day is our Path to Wellness through the building which will include a medical clinic with screenings, dental checks, activities in both gyms such as obstacle course, camp games, crafts, healthy

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Kenny Rogers 8 p.m., May 14 Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Red Wing I don’t even know how to start this one. What do you say about a living legend making his farewell appearance in out state?

After making a stop at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, the great Kenny Rogers will come to Southern Minnesota on May 14 to play at Treasure Island on his Farewell Tour.

Everyone over the age of 40 has a Kenny Rogers story, and whether you want to admit it or not, we all know the words to “The Gambler,” and at least the chorus to “Coward of the County.” Watching a guy like this wrap up a career is very much a milestone point in life.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m a huge Kenny Rogers fan, but I will tell you that my dad was, as was my father-in-law. Having lost them both, you search for things that help you feel connected to them, and Kenny Rogers’ music is one of those things. So, I will tell you that there are some emotions connected to watching him say goodbye.

Rogers deserves a victory lap like this. The man has twenty-four number one hits to his name. He first gained fame in the late 1960’s with his band The First Edition and their psychedelic hit “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” but by the mid-70’s Rogers was a bonafide country superstar. Hits like “Lucille,” “She Believes in Me,” “Love the World Away,” “Don’t Fall in Love With A Dreamer,” “Love Will Turn You Around,” “You Decorated My Life,” “Islands in the Stream” and so many others made him as ubiquitous as wood paneling into the mid-80’s. Even after his heyday, it seemed like he was always on the schedule at one local casino or another. Hell, I myself have written about upcoming Kenny Rogers shows at least four times since I became editor of this magazine in February of 2013. He’s worked his ass off, and made millions of people smile with his music. He deserves one more standing ovation.

So, I guess that’s what there is to say about Kenny Rogers, or better put, to him: Thank you. Congratulations. Godspeed. And when you finally do break even, many years from now, may it be in your sleep.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@ southernminnscene.com.

snacks, sampling of youth sports classes & Kids Zumba!

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 30-Apr, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free.

Superfoods & Healthy Cooking: 30-Apr, 12:00 PM, EDGE FITNESS INC., 1201 S. Broadway, Rochester, $20-$28. Registration Information: http://edgefitnessinc.com/ specials-workshops/ Dexter Variety Show: 30-Apr, 2:00 PM, Dexter United Methodist Church, 120 Pleasant St, ConcordDexter, $5 . A variety of performances by local talent, singing, dancing, comedy skits, including Everett Vermilyea and his fiddle, Gary Froiland’s one man band, and the return of Rick Ormsby, who started the tradition of Variety Shows in Dexter more than 20 years ago. (507) 281-6189 4th Annual First Tee Gala: 30-Apr, 6:00 PM, Lake Elmo Inn Event Center, 3712 Layton Ave N, Lake Elmo, $75 . Please join us for the 4th Annual First Tee gala at the Lake Elmo Event Center. Gala includes a seated dinner, live and silent auctions, raffle opportunities and live music. The First Tee program provides the opportunity for kids to be introduced to the game of golf as well as instilling 9 core values to promote success in everything they do.

Hearts of Gold, A Purple Tie Affair: 30Apr, 6:00 PM, Rochester International Event Center, 7333 Airport View Dr SW, Rochester, $85 . a night of fun and fellowship that brings together current Rochester Catholic Schools parents, parents of graduates, staff, alumni, and community friends in celebration of Lourdes High School while raising funds to continue and expand the Lourdes mission!

This enjoyable event is not just for parents of Lourdes studentsit is for everyone who may have an interest or passion to contribute toward faith based education excellence.

All are welcome! The evening begins with a fun Silent Auction that includes a wide array of desirable items donated from Lourdes benefactors and business supporters. There will be plenty of time to visit with family and friends while bidding on favorite Silent Auction items from personal Smartphones. While the Silent Auction runs to the final minutes, guests will be seated and enjoy a wonderful and delicious formal dinner. Whether or not guests choose to bid, all will be entertained with an energetic live entertainment while being inspired by the RCS spirit throughout the evening.

Dexter Variety Show: 30-Apr, 7:00 PM, Dexter United Methodist Church, 120 Pleasant St, ConcordDexter, $5 . A variety of performances by local talent, singing, dancing, comedy skits, including Everett

Vermilyea and his fiddle, Gary Froiland’s one man band, and the return of Rick Ormsby, who started the tradition of Variety Shows in Dexter more than 20 years ago.

Run, Rock, and Glow 5k: 30-Apr, 7:00 PM, River Falls High School, 852 Division St., River Falls, $0-$25. There is a fun run for children at 7pm with activities following the run.. Come join the first annual Run, Rock, and Glow 5K, a night 5K sponsored by the River Falls High School Future Business Leaders of America. Part of the proceeds will go to local Habitat for Humanity and to the River Falls Food Shelf. Proceeds will also go to sponsor scholarships for students involved in the local Future Business Leaders of America chapter to enable them to compete in Regional, State, and National competitions. These learning opportunities help the students to develop networking and leadership skills. One of the leadership roles students have stepped into is helping to organize and put on this event. Through this opportunity students have been learning how to develop and market for an event..

507-282-8629 Farragut North: 30-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $9-$15. $9 Students/$15 Adults.

The 411 Concert Series presents Chris Koza: 30-Apr, 7:30 PM, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 W. Third Street, Northfield, $25 . Chris Koza is a songwriter/musician living and working in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the climate, the mighty Mississippi River and the balance of large city and rural communities offer continued inspiration.

Koza grew up in Portland, Oregon and studied piano throughout elementary school before expanding to guitar, euphonium, and theater/voice while in high school. Koza first came to Minnesota to attend St. Olaf College where he graduated with a B.A. in Studio Art (oil painting) and Philosophy. After college, Koza began writing, recording, performing, and producing his own compositions. In 2004 he released his first solo album Exit Pesce followed by 2006’s Patterns and A Friend of a Friend. These releases were met with warm critical acclaim by key critics in the Twin Cities and led to regional touring and recognition. Koza moved to Minnesota for good in the fall of 2007, after spending the the previous six years splitting time between Portland, Minneapolis, and New York City. In 2008 he released The Dark Delirious Morning which built on the goodwill of earlier releases. With a full band, he headlined the famed First Avenue in Minneapolis and played over 150 shows regionally and nationally. In 2010 Koza began a cycle of albums with his new ensemble Rogue Valley and performance at the historic

w w w. s o u t h e r N m I N n SCENE. c o m

Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Beginning with the Spring release Crater Lake, Koza and the band released four full length albums in one year, each released timed for a season.

The Summer and Autumn albums, The Bookseller’s House and Geese in the Flyway followed and the project culminated in April of 2011 with False Floors in a multimedia dance/video/music performance at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. Lately, Koza has utilized his role as a musician in educational and outreach opportunities. During the winter of 2013, Koza was artist in residence and produced a performance with the Hopkins High School Orchestra. Later that year through the aid of grant funding, Koza and Rogue Valley spent a week in Koochiching County visiting schools and engaging with students before performing at the Backus Community Center in International Falls.

Additionally, Koza is a regular guest musician and lecturer at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul and at the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: 30-Apr, 7:30 PM, Little Theatre of Owatonna, 560A Dunnell Drive, Owatonna, $10-$14.

517-214-4592 Matthew Griswold: 30-Apr, 8:00 PM, The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division St., Northfield, Free. Matthew Griswold brings his bone shakin voodoo grooves back to the Lounge, keeping your toes tappin and hands clappin all night long. His brand of foot stompin folkrock pays a tribute to the Delta Blues with a side order of thistle and shamrock. Expect a repertoire of classic covers, reinvented traditionals and well-crafted originals.

Week of May 1-7: Unleash the SHE: Presented by Mayo Clinic: 1-May, 9:00 AM, Rochester Community and Technical College Fieldhouse, 851 30th Ave SE, Rochester, $16-$51. Different price breaks for each event: 5K Walk: $38 - $41 10K & 5K Run: $48 - $51 Kids Run: $16. More than 1,000 women will walk and run to change the course of ovarian cancer at the Unleash the SHE 5K/10K: Presented by Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. on Sunday, May 1. Since 2009 the Unleash the SHE: Presented by Mayo Clinic has benefited the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) and is organized by Final Stretch, Inc. MOCA is a statewide non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and funding research needed to detect ovarian cancer early and treat it properly.

The Roseville Psychic Fair is Coming: 1-May, 11:00 AM, Radisson Hotel Roseville,

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and around the world, as well as Q&A panels with the filmmakers. Complete programming details will be announced at http://apexfest. org/ Proceeds from this event will support sending Rochester-made films to other festivals around the world. Studio on Third is down the hall from The Doggery, which is now open on Sundays.

us. There will be a dozen local readers available to do readings for $20. each and you can plan a day of fun and predictions galore. For more info about Roseville Psychic Fair go online to: www.mariashaw.com or call (810)631-6887 Maria Shaw Lawson, whose weekly horoscope column is read by millions, has also appeared on VH1, MTV. Maria is seen and heard on national radio and TV stations nationwide, and has become Americas favorite Astrologer, with interviews already set way into 2016-2017 across the U.S. Her previous predictions have amazed listening audiences everywhere with her acute accuracy. Maria Shaw Lawson is also known for her amazing accuracy and predictions for Hollywood’s hottest stars including Antonio Sabata Jr., Tony Danza, Jenny McCarthy, Larry the Cable Guy, America Idol’s Julianne Hough and Chris Daughtery, General Hospital’s Mary Beth Evans, Country Star Danielle Peck, Red Wings Hockey Star Darren McCarty, Anna Nicole Smith and many others. 517-214-4592

Built to Last Festival May 13-14 Camp Maiden Rock West, Morristown

May 27-29 Harmony Park, Cottage Grove If there’s a king of the jam band scene in Southern Minnesota, his name is Mark Joseph Grundhoefer. As the head of MJG productions and the member of an endless number of bands, including the Big Wu, nobody understands the glory of the long form jam better than he does. He’s like a jam evangelist, producing a number of festivals throughout the year that feature amazingly talented performers playing bluegrass, acid rock, folk, r&b, soul all relying on chemistry and a knowledge of the other players to create spontaneous, organic music. No two jam band performances are ever the same, but one can always be assured there will always be danceable rhythms and sweet smells in the air.

This month, MJG Productions is doubling up on their usual spring offerings. Revival has been the traditional kickoff to the SoMinn summer music festival season, but this year the second edition of Built to Last has been moved to mid-May, just to give the folks at Camp Maiden Rock West a little love.

Built to Last , a Grateful Dead tribute festival, was inaugurated last year as sort of a pre-party leading up to the Dead farewell shows at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The festival was successful enough to stand on its own legs, and so has been moved to May 13-14 for this year.

Hosted by Camp Maiden Rock West in Morristown, the home of MJG’s flagship event, The Big Wu Family Reunion, the two day event will feature Frogleg, Rachel Hanson, Circle of Heat and Joel Ward, but the headline act is Melvin Seals & JGB. Seals is the very recognizable former keyboardist of the Jerry Garcia Band, bringing a healthy dose of legitimacy, but even more great musicianship to the weekend. This is about to become the best weekend of the year for SoMinn Deadheads. We should all plan accordingly.

And then over Memorial Day Weekend, we get the latest installation of Revival, the great local hippy summer kickoff festival. Harmony Park, the permanent home of Revival, is a beloved area for local music fans. The layout of the park, the campgrounds, and the stage set-up always makes for one of the best festivals of the years.

This year, attendees will see (in no particular order) Lettuce, Nth Power, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Kind Country, Mikel Wright & The Wrongs, Burbillies, Marah in the Mainsail, That One Guy, Useful Jenkins and Cloud Cult, just to name a few.

MJG Productions is a SoMinn treasure. Grundhoefer and his crew understand every detail about putting weekends like this together. They always go off without a hitch (at least as far as we know) and they’re always, always a great time. It’s about to be summer, SoMinn.

Time to celebrate.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene.

You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

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15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 2-May, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. Crossings 15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration exhibit is on display April 4-May 4, celebrating a pairing of two art forms that allows poetry to inspire visual art of all kinds. Fifty-one poets and visual artists took part in this years exhibit.

The Collaboration can be seen free of charge during regular business hours. A reception and poetry reading takes place Sat., April 16, at 6:30 p.m. both at the gallery and next door at the State Theatre.

Healthy Mind & Body Week: 1-May, 12:00 PM, Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, 1643 N. Broadway, Rochester, $0-$5.50. Museum Admission: $5.50 Ages 1-101; Free Children Under 1. Work your body AND mind this week at the Museum with a sing along at 11am on Wednesday, a story time on Friday at 11am, and kids yoga from 4 5pm on Saturday! Join us out at the YMCA Healthy Y Day on Saturday to engage in some healthy activities.

Rockchester Teen Arts Festival: 1-May, 1:00 PM, The Wicked Moose, 1201 Eastgate Drive SE, Rochester, $20 . ROCKchester is a local music and arts festival showcasing the growing youth music and art scene in Rochester. Curated by teenagers, the event focuses on the participation of young creators, musicians, and artists. Our mission is to energize the creative arts scene, not just for teens, but for anyone in the local area who is passionate for creation and consumption.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: 1-May, 2:00 PM, Little Theatre of Owatonna, 560A Dunnell Drive, Owatonna, $10-$14.

Adapted from Lewis Carroll’s beloved story about a girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar creatures.

Revival

2540 Cleveland Ave N, Roseville, $10 . Plan a fun day! Come out Sun. May 1st, 2016 to the Roseville Psychic Fair from 9am til 5pm at the Radisson Hotel Roseville- 2540 Cleveland Ave North, Roseville, MN 55113 (651) 636- 4567 with host- Maria Shaw Lawson- National Enquirers very own

Michael Perry Book Reading: 1-May, 7:00 PM, River Falls Library, 140 Union Street, River Falls, See Website. The River Falls Public Library and Chapter 2 Books proudly present an evening with Wisconsin author, Michael Perry. Mr. Perry will be reading from his new book, The Jesus Cow, and he will be available to sign books purchased at this event following his talk. Due to the anticipated size of this event, people interested in attending the event should pick up their free tickets at the River Falls Public Library or Chapter 2 Books in Hudson. http://www. riverfallspubliclibrary.org/library-events-foradults.html. 715-425-0905

astrology columnist and celeb astrologer.

Psychic Fair admission is just $10.00 for the day. Maria Shaw Lawson will have THREE FREE lectures throughout the day FREE with $10. Psychic Fair Admission. Call (810) 631-6887 for more fair info. No reservations are requiredbring a friend and come meet

Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun!: 1-May, 2:00 PM, Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, $150-$250. Financial consideration ALWAYS given--ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY FEE!. Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun! Sundays(5), 2-3 pm, 24 Apr; 01, 08, 15, 22 May An early childhood parenting program designed by the experts at the Love and Logic Institute. Join us as we laugh and giggle our way to the skills required to feel more relaxed, hopeful, and positive about raising children. As we learn more, well discover that parenting really should be enjoyableand that we can teach personal responsibility and respect without losing our childrens love. We will learn how to: -Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments -Stay calm when kids do incredibly upsetting things -Set enforceable limits -Avoid enabling and begin empowering -Help kids learn from mistakes rather than repeating them -Raise kids who are family members rather than dictators And much more! This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately with all kids and families!

Location: Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, 55902 Contact Andy: apjohnsrud@gmail.com OR 507.358.9832 Cost: $150 individual, $250 couple (financial consideration ALWAYS given with need) Andy is an independent facilitator of Love and Logic curricula.

Spicy Masala Chai Dance Show: 1-May, 2:00 PM, Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, $10-$20. $20 adults, $10 ages 5-17, $4 discount for MNHS members. ‘Spicy Masala Chai,’ the top-selling, family-friendly show in the 2015 Minnesota Fringe Festival, returns to the stage at the Minnesota History Center for the ‘Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation Exhibit’. Bollywood Dance Scene brings the high-energy cast, joyful choreography, beautiful costumes and endearing characters to this performance. After the show, meet the cast and crew and hear from the production team of Divya Maiya and Madhu Bangalore.

Story synopsis: Three Indian bachelors share an apartment and a hopeless ineptitude in relationships. Meet Shyam, a handsome player scared of commitment; Kid, an awkward nerd who can’t connect; and Bunty, an enthusiastic new immigrant with no clue about American dating. Put them all in Uptown Minneapolis, add a surprise house guest, and you have the makings of great gaffes, opportunities to grow, and perhaps a happy beginning. The ten dance scenes in this show punctuate and illustrate the storytelling. Each elaborate dance entertains with a riot of color and rollicking spectacle the audience loved in the 2014 Fringe performance called Hi! Hello! Namaste?, while pushing character development and furthering the story.

Featuring an international cast of 60 dancers who present Indian fusion dance styles from Bharatanatyam to Hip Hop and Bhangra to Kathak, this production promises to captivate and surprise. (651) 259-3000 Apex Short Film + Music Video Festival: 1-May, 3:00 PM, Studio on Third, 18 3rd St SW, Rochester, $10 . The second annual Apex Short Film + Music Video Festival will be hosted at Studio on Third in downtown Rochester, MN on Sunday, May 1st from 3 pm to 9 pm. A $10 day pass will get you unlimited access to exclusive, quality short films and music videos from Minnesota

M AY 2 0 1 6 | w w w. s o u t h e r N m I N n SCENE. c o m

Mayo Clinic Hospice Community Grief Support Group: 2-May, 1:00 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Community Grief Support Group: 2-May, 6:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Child or Grandchild Death of a Parent or Grandparent Death of a Spouse or Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups.

Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

God Wants You Well Bible Study: 2-May, 7:00 PM, Inspirational Technologies, Inc. Building, 1100 N. 4th Street, Le Sueur, Free. DVD series with Andrew Wommack, healing miracle testimonies, Bible study lessons, discussion, communion, prayer.

Everyone invited. Led by Dorothy Von Lehe.

Contact Dorothy at dvonlehe@mchsi.com or 507-665-6965.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 3-May, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. . .

Lunch with the Birds: 3-May, 12:00 PM, Kutzky Park, 213 13th Ave NW, Rochester, Free. Located less than a half-mile from both St. Mary’s Hospital and the Mayo Building, Kutzky Park comes alive with migrating warblers, vireos, orioles, and more every May. Join Audubon members for a casual noon-time walk at the peak of migration. Arrive and leave as your schedule requires. We will start at the picnic shelter at 12:00. Later arrivals can locate the group along the creek between 11th and 16th Ave NW. Everyone invited. Audubon Leader: Lance Vrieze.

Caregiver Support Group: 3-May, 1:30 PM, Elder Network Northgate Shopping Center, 1130 1/2 7th Street NW, Suite 205, Rochester, Free. If you are caring for an older family member, friend or neighbor, this is an opportunity to meet with other caregivers to exchange helpful tips, give and receive support and learn about new resources.

Kids Klub: Make Mom’s Day: 3-May, 6:00 PM, Scheels, 1220 12th St. SW, Rochester, Free. Date: Tuesday, May 3rd Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm Location: 1220 12th St. SW, Rochester MN 55902 Ages: Ages 4-12 Registration: None required Please meet upstairs in the Training Room.

Come join us to celebrate Mothers Day and make a gift for mom!

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 4-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016

Follow us

3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness.

15th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration: 4-May, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. 507-282-8629 Karaoke: 4-May, 6:30 PM, American Legion Post 92, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. From 6:30 - 10:30 PM every Wednesday!

Paul McCartney: 4-May, 8:00 PM, Target Center, 600 1st Ave North, Minneapolis, $47-$252. The legendary Beatle performs songs everyone knows taken from his fifty year career. (612) 673-0900 Primal Fear: 4-May, 8:30 PM, Mill City Nights, 111 5th Street North, Minneapolis, Free. GA tickets are $30.00 in advance, and $37.00 at the door. VIP tickets (early entry + meet-n-greet) are $75.00.

Lunch with the Birds: 5-May, 12:00 PM, Kutzky Park, 213 13th Ave NW, Rochester, Free. Audubon Leader: Lance Vrieze. .

Paul McCartney: 5-May, 8:00 PM, Target Center, 600 1st Ave North, Minneapolis, $47-$252. (612) 673-0900 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: 5-May, 7:30 PM, Little Theatre of Owatonna, 560A Dunnell Drive, Owatonna, $10-$14.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 6-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 612-338-8100 Artists’ Clearing House: 6-May, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. Five special guest artists offer their work at deep discounts during this indoor art fair. Also, up to 75% off select merchandise throughout the store. Artists are: Becky Jokela, Heather Friedli, Beth Bacon, Renee Nation and Gayle Weigle.

2016 Wizard World Minneapolis: 6-May, 3:00 PM, Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 Second Ave South, Minneapolis, $35-$200. $35.00 (plus fee $4.87) and up, kids 10 and under free with paid adult. Robin Lord Taylor, Jewel Staite, Billy Boyd, James Frain, Falk Hentschel, James Marsters, Sean Schemmel, Lou Ferrigno, and Jason David Frank are among the celebrities and industry professionals at the 2016 Wizard World Minneapolis, part of North Americas largest pop-culture touring expo, May 6-8 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Thousands of fans will be on hand to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, comics, cosplay, video gaming, television, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

Top artists scheduled to attend are Tom Cook, Michael Golden, Dean Haspiel, Clinton Hobart, Ken Kelly, Arthur Suydam and many others. Admissions start at $35.00, kids 10 and under free. Visit http://wizd.me/MinneapolisPR for more info. 612-335-6000 Rochester Music Guild Scholarship Competition Winners’ Recital: 6-May, 7:00 PM, Christ United Methodist Church, 400 Fifth Ave SW, Rochester, Free. The winners from both the Junior and Senior Rochester Music Guild Scholarship Competitions will be performing selections with piano, strings, winds, and voice. A reception will follow the recital. The recital is free and open to the public. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

507-282-8629 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: 6-May, 7:30 PM, Little Theatre of Owatonna, 560A Dunnell Drive, Owatonna, $10-$14.

Jon Storm Returns to the Twin Cities for Album Release Show: 6-May, 8:00 PM, Fine Line Music Cafe, 318 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis, $15 . Pop artist Jon Storm is returning to the Twin Cities for the release of his first solo album Brand New Day. This album release show will be at the Fine Line Music Caf on Friday, May 6, 2016. Storm will debut songs from his new album recorded in Minneapolis at Atomic K studios. Jon Storm, a pop music singer and songwriter, attended the University of Minnesota. He was a member of Nothing Static, a former Twin Cities alternative rock band that was known for drawing big crowds at local venues, including the Fine Line. In 2015, Storm released his first single as a solo artist, Love Me Now. Storm is excited to share cuts from his first solo album. Additional artists in the lineup at Storms release party include Liam Gerald and Going to the Sun. A portion of the proceeds from the Jon Storm Album Release Show will be donated to Irelands Hope, a local non-profit committed to increasing organ donor awareness for children in the United States and providing financial support to families who have a child undergoing and/ or recovering from a heart transplant. WHEN: Friday, May 6, 2016 Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Show starts at 8 p.m. WHERE: Fine Line Music Caf located at 318 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55401 TICKETS: Tickets are $15 cash at the door $10 advance tickets are available for purchase at http://finelinemusic.com/event/john-storm-album-releaseshow/ for this 18+ event INFO: For more information, please visit jonstormtheartist. com CONTACT: Nina Sveinson, nsveinson@ nemerfieger.com , 952-278-3112.

Paws and Claws Humane Society Pet Walk: 7-May, 9:00 AM, Paws and Claws

Humane Society Pet Walk, 3224 19th St NW, Rochester, Free. Kick off Be Kind to Animals Week by walking at the 22nd Annual Paws & Claws Humane Society Pet Walk! It will be a great day to bring your 4 legged friends for some fun in the sun. Come for free food & beverages, grab samples from vendors, and meet the Paws and Claws shelter animals.

Temporary tattoos & balloon animals will be going on all morning and t-shirts, pet bandanas, pet related merchandise, & baked goods will be available for purchase. Meet some celebrity K-9s and bring as many pledges as you can to win the grand prize in your age group! We cant wait to see you there and we cant wait to save more animals.

Quarry Hill Bird Walk: 7-May, 9:00 AM, Quarry Hill Nature Center, 701 Silver Creek Rd NE, Rochester, Free. Join us on a casual walk thru 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 hour. Free and open to the public - no registration required. Audubon Leaders: Terry & Joyce Grier.

Bagels & Birds: 7-May, 9:30 AM, River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Road, Faribault, Free. Enjoy coffee and bagels in a relaxed atmosphere while watching the antics of wildlife. We’ll meet in the comfort of the building to observe the birds and other visitors to the newly refurbished Windows on the Wild backyard habitat feeding area. Help with identification, fun facts, binoculars, guide books, and conversation will make this a great way to start the day. Stay at the Historic Hutchinson House B&B and return to the house for a spectacular breakfast brunch!

2016 Wizard World Minneapolis: 7-May, 10:00 AM, Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 Second Ave South, Minneapolis, $35-$200. $35.00 (plus fee $4.87) and up, kids 10 and under free with paid adult.

612-335-6000 Northfield Public Library Grand ReOpening!: 7-May, 10:00 AM, Northfield Public Library, 210 Washington Street, Northfield, Free. Yes! Come help us celebrate with a ribbon cutting then come on in and look around! There will be music and entertainment in and around our new space!

Come check it out! (507) 645-6606 Emmett Ramstad: After You: 7-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5.

Fifteenth Annual Spring Art Tour: 7-May, 10:00 AM, Earth Arts of the Upper St. Croix County, 710 Hwy. 35 South,, Saint Croix Falls, Free. The members of Earth Arts will be opening their studios, galleries and Tour Oasis for their 2016 Spring Art Tour held on Saturday and Sunday, May 7th and 8th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Art lovers take a self-guided tour through the Upper St. Croix Valley visiting 26 Tour Stops with over 51 artists at Artist Studios and Tour Oasis. This is a once a year opportunity to visit with the artists and take home some beautiful art for home or office.

The Spring Art Tour is held annually on the first weekend of May and features unique, handmade artwork, artist demonstrations and conversations. Visitors will enjoy sculpture, watercolor, oil, acrylic & alcohol ink painting, pastel, photography, scratchboard, pottery, garden art, furniture, fiber art & stitchery, jewelry, clothing, mixed media, iron & metal art, collage and assemblage, feather art, soaps and body products. Several of the studios have guest artists such as Red Iron Studio in Frederic with forged iron, metal art & sculpture, furniture, pottery and jewelry.

Along with artists’ studios, galleries and arts organizations will have special exhibits of Earth Arts member artists. Visit with artists at The St. Croix Art Barn in Osceola, Festival Theatre in St. Croix Falls, Frederic Arts in Frederic, Burnett Area Arts Group in Siren, artZ Gallery and, new this year: The Hungry Turtle Institute in Amery, and The Community Gallery at Amery Medical Center. Relax and refresh at one of the ‘Tour Oasis’ stops, as you enjoy the art of Earth Arts member artists. The Watershed Cafe is a great starting place with fresh breakfast and lunch menus, overlooking the Cascade Falls in Osceola.

Enjoy a glass of wine at The Chateau St. Croix Winery, north of St. Croix Falls. The Cafe’ Wren in Luck is a popular stop for lunch, coffee and homemade goodies, patio seating, and several favorite Earth Arts artists.

New this year is The Farm Table Restaurant in Amery, serving brunch and dinner.

Classic soda fountain, Ellies Ice Cream is not to be missed for a refreshing ice cream or coffee treat. Earth Arts offers a brochure that includes the studio locations and artists information with corresponding numbers on the map. Brochures/maps are available at artZ Gallery, Caf Wren and Polk County Info Center. Along the Tour itself, large ART TOUR signs in red letters will direct visitors to the studios. For those making a weekend of it, The Polk County Info Center can also assist travelers with ideas for lodging. Call 1-800222-7655. Earth Arts organization brings together artists and growers for the purposes of mutual support, networking, organizing and promoting special events. Earth Arts is an open forum and welcomes all interested parties working in all artistic media as well as, producers from nurseries, orchards and farms in the area. For more information about Earth Arts, its members and the Spring Art Tour visit www.earthartswi.org. Participating Artists Julie Adams www.riversidestudioart. com Carol Adleman cadleman@lakeland. ws Teresa Ball etsy.com/shop/craftybpaperie Chris Brylski CJSI@frontiernet.net Mark Buley www.markbuley.com Vivian Byl Randee Carroll randeecaras@gmail.com Julie Crabtree www.juliecrabtreeart.com Dorie Cronin

www.clay-spinners.com Cindy Cutter www. spiritgardener.com Cynthia DeMar www.Studio11CreativeArts.com David DeMattia www. sleepingdragonstudios.com Earl Duckett ducknest1@gmail.com Patricia Duncan www. patriciaduncanart.com Ann Fawver www. threesisterstudio.com La Rae Fjellman www. transcendingart.com Kristina Fjellman www. kristinafjellman.com Wendy Frank www.wendyfrankdesigns.com Nancy Buley and Judy Alverson www.gypsymoonbodycare.com Sister Kristine Haugen www.hermitagearts. com Bonnie Hagen www.bluesprucestudio. com Brian Hall www.oakleafbuildingwi. com Joyce Halvorson jlhalvor58@gmail. com Susan Heaven susan@heavenbechtold. com Win Herberg www.poetrypottery.com Linda Iwaszko liwaszko@gmail.com Margaret Johansen johansmr@lakeland.ws Colleen Kwong www.spirit-of-creation.com Keppers Pottery www.kepperspottery.com Jan Killian www.woolyfrogarts.com Randy Lee & Lisa Larson www.ImagesByLee.com Meg Luhrs & Leif Bjornson leifandmeg@gmail.com Jack & Karen Marchese marchesedesignstudios. squarespace.com Kristan Martin Ardis Miller ardiscarolmiller@hotmail.com Pitchfork Brewing www.pitchforkbrewing.com John Reed 715-491-4314 Gregg Rochester greggrochesterart.homestead.com Jon Michael Route www.jonmichaelroute.com Michael Route www.redironstudios.com James Shoop www.shoopsculpturaldesign.com Jimmy Springett www.jimspringett.com Barb Tanner Bonnie Urfer www.bonnieurfer.net Jim Van Hoven www.periodwindsors.com James Williams jim@digitalarts.com Joy Zasadny www. stcroixchiro.com Galleries/Arts Organizations artZ Gallery www.artzgallery.org Burnett Area Arts Group www.burnettcounty.com Frederic Arts Center www.fredericarts.org St. Croix Festival Theatre www.festivaltheatre.org West Denmark Dane School www.westdenmark. org St. Croix Art Barn www.stcroixartbarn. org Festival Theatre www.festivaltheatre.org Hungry Turtle Institute www.hungryturtle.net Amery Medical Center Community Gallery www.amerymedicalcenter.org Tour Oasis: Caf Wren www.cafewren.com Chateau St. Croix Winery www.chateaustcroix.com Ellies Ice Cream & Coffee www.elliesicecream.com The Watershed Caf www.thewatershedcafe.com Farm Table www.Ameryfarmtable.com. .

Artists’ Clearing House: 7-May, 10:00 AM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, Free. Five special guest artists offer their work at deep discounts during this indoor art fair. Also, up to 75% off select merchandise throughout the store. Artists are: Becky Jokela, Heather Friedli, Beth Bacon, Renee Nation and Gayle Weigle.

Walk as One at One! World Labyrinth Day: 7-May, 12:30 PM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, Free. All are invited to share a public walk at Assisi Heights outdoor Labyrinth joining with others across the globe to create a wave of peaceful energy. This event is designed to engage the community and amplify our collective energy towards the healing of each other and the earth. Join us at 12:30 for information and instructions, prior to starting the actual walk at 1:00 p.m. 507-282-8629 Hubbard House Opens For The Season: 7-May, 1:00 PM, Historic R.D. Hubbard House, 606 S. Broad St., Mankato, $0-$5.

Adults - $5 Children 5-17 - $2 BECHS Members and Kids under 5 - Free. Take a step back in time and experience the Hubbard House as it was set in 1905. Guided tours begin at the Carriage House and showcase what life was like for the Hubbard Family.

The house will be open weekends through September. Visit our website for full hours.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: 7-May, 7:30 PM, Little Theatre of Owatonna, 560A Dunnell Drive, Owatonna, $10-$14. . .

Choral Arts Ensemble: Diverse Voices: 7-May, 7:30 PM, Century High School, 2525 Viola Rd NE, Rochester, $17-$28. Rochester of 2016 is a diverse community, full of rich voices from around the globe. Choral Arts Ensemble will celebrate our vibrant cultural tapestry with music inspired by these farflung countries of origin, first examining the older Native American, Scandinavian and German strands, then exploring and enjoying more recent interweavings from Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia and Central America.

Sonatas and Interludes: 7-May, 7:30 PM, State Theater, 96 E 4th St, Zumbrota, Free.

Pianist David Shaffer-Gottschalk performs on a piano altered by placing objects between the strings. The performer plays the piano normally, but the preparations transform it into an instrument resembling an Asian percussion ensemble. The result is both pleasant and powerful. Supported by a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.

Ride in and Show Motorcycle show: 7-May, All Day, Winona American legion, 302 East Sarnia St., Winona, $1-$10. Free to walk around and shop vendors , 5.00 for motorcycle entry ,$1,00 votes. Motorcycle show ride in’s, pull in’s Winona Legion riders want to see you motorcycle and help raise money for Winona Native veteran to obtain a PTSD dog and for other local veteran and community programs. Raffle Prize Donations are being except up to a week prior to event.

Week of May 8-14: Hok-Si-La Park Audubon Trip: 8-May, 8:00 AM, RCTC Heintz Center, 1926 Collegeview Rd East SE, Rochester, Free. Located along the Mississippi River, Hok-Si-La is a magnet for migrating birds. Meet at 8 am at the east parking lot of the Heintz Center to car pool to Lake City. Bring a snack or a bag lunch. We will return midafternoon. Audubon Leaders: Terry & Joyce Grier.

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

Paul McCartney

8 p.m., May 4 & 5 Target Center, Minneapolis

As a kid growing up in the 1980’s, I used to pine for a Paul McCartney tour. Between 1979 and 1989, he made exactly one public performance, playing “Let It Be” at Live Aid in 1985.

At the end of the decade, however, he announced his return to live performance, coming to the Twin Cities in 1992, and after that coming back around here every three years or so. In 2014, he played Target Field and left the 50 some thousand attendees gasping. Fifty years after the Beatles created the modern rock era on the Ed Sullivan show, McCartney was still an absolutely electric a performer.

So, he’ll be back in town for two shows May 4 and 5, and honestly, I don’t sense the buzz about these shows that there has been the last few times he was here. Could it be, we’ve become board with the most popular Beatle?

Well, folks, please let me put this to you straight – on June 18, Paul McCartney will turn 74 years old. Though he may promise to stay on the road for another twenty years,

2016 Wizard World Minneapolis: 8-May, 10:00 AM, Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 Second Ave South, Minneapolis, $35-$200. $35.00 (plus fee $4.87) and up, kids 10 and under free with paid adult. Robin Lord Taylor, Jewel Staite, Billy Boyd, James Frain, Falk Hentschel, James Marsters, Sean Schemmel, Lou Ferrigno, and Jason David Frank are among the celebrities and industry professionals at the 2016 Wizard World Minneapolis, part of North Americas largest pop-culture touring expo, May 6-8 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Thousands of fans will be on hand to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, comics, cosplay, video gaming, television, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

Top artists scheduled to attend are Tom Cook, Michael Golden, Dean Haspiel, Clinton Hobart, Ken Kelly, Arthur Suydam and many others. Admissions start at $35.00, kids 10 and under free. Visit http://wizd.me/MinneapolisPR for more info. 612-335-6000 Fifteenth Annual Spring Art Tour: 8-May, 10:00 AM, Earth Arts of the Upper St. Croix County, 710 Hwy. 35 South,, Saint Croix Falls, Free. The members of Earth Arts will be opening their studios, galleries and Tour Oasis for their 2016 Spring Art Tour held on Saturday and Sunday, May 7th and 8th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Art lovers take a self-guided tour through the Upper St. Croix Valley visiting 26 Tour Stops with over 51 artists at Artist Studios and Tour Oasis. This is a once a year opportunity to visit with the artists and take

home some beautiful art for home or office.

The Spring Art Tour is held annually on the first weekend of May and features unique, handmade artwork, artist demonstrations and conversations. Visitors will enjoy sculpture, watercolor, oil, acrylic & alcohol ink painting, pastel, photography, scratchboard, pottery, garden art, furniture, fiber art & stitchery, jewelry, clothing, mixed media, iron & metal art, collage and assemblage, feather art, soaps and body products. Several of the studios have guest artists such as Red Iron Studio in Frederic with forged iron, metal art & sculpture, furniture, pottery and jewelry.

Along with artists’ studios, galleries and arts organizations will have special exhibits of Earth Arts member artists. Visit with artists at The St. Croix Art Barn in Osceola, Festival Theatre in St. Croix Falls, Frederic Arts in Frederic, Burnett Area Arts Group in Siren, artZ Gallery and, new this year: The Hungry Turtle Institute in Amery, and The Community Gallery at Amery Medical Center. Relax and refresh at one of the ‘Tour Oasis’ stops, as you enjoy the art of Earth Arts member artists. The Watershed Cafe is a great starting place with fresh breakfast and lunch menus, overlooking the Cascade Falls in Osceola.

Enjoy a glass of wine at The Chateau St. Croix Winery, north of St. Croix Falls. The Cafe’ Wren in Luck is a popular stop for lunch, coffee and homemade goodies, patio seating, and several favorite Earth Arts artists.

New this year is The Farm Table Restaurant in Amery, serving brunch and dinner.

Classic soda fountain, Ellies Ice Cream is

About Ecumen

Le Center

Ecumen Le Center offers quality assisted living with privacy and around-the-clock services tailored to meet our customers’ needs.

Our residents enjoy a vibrant atmosphere that enhances independence and that has a variety of services that offers peace of mind.

We invite you to visit us and learn more:

not to be missed for a refreshing ice cream or coffee treat. Earth Arts offers a brochure that includes the studio locations and artists information with corresponding numbers on the map. Brochures/maps are available at artZ Gallery, Caf Wren and Polk County Info Center. Along the Tour itself, large ART TOUR signs in red letters will direct visitors to the studios. For those making a weekend of it, The Polk County Info Center can also assist travelers with ideas for lodging. Call 1-800222-7655. Earth Arts organization brings together artists and growers for the purposes of mutual support, networking, organizing and promoting special events. Earth Arts is an open forum and welcomes all interested parties working in all artistic media as well as, producers from nurseries, orchards and farms in the area. For more information about Earth Arts, its members and the Spring Art Tour visit www.earthartswi.org. Participating Artists Julie Adams www.riversidestudioart. com Carol Adleman cadleman@lakeland. ws Teresa Ball etsy.com/shop/craftybpaperie Chris Brylski CJSI@frontiernet.net Mark Buley www.markbuley.com Vivian Byl Randee Carroll randeecaras@gmail.com Julie Crabtree www.juliecrabtreeart.com Dorie Cronin www.clay-spinners.com Cindy Cutter www. spiritgardener.com Cynthia DeMar www.Studio11CreativeArts.com David DeMattia www. sleepingdragonstudios.com Earl Duckett ducknest1@gmail.com Patricia Duncan www. patriciaduncanart.com Ann Fawver www. threesisterstudio.com La Rae Fjellman www. transcendingart.com Kristina Fjellman www.

• Our community is located within a residential neighborhood and offers private suites, each with its own bathroom, closet, phone, TV hookups and an emergency call system.

• Each suite is fully furnished and window treatments are provided. If you prefer, however, you can provide your own furnishings. Ecumen Le Center also features a dining room and a living room with cable television and DVD player.

kristinafjellman.com Wendy Frank www.wendyfrankdesigns.com Nancy Buley and Judy Alverson www.gypsymoonbodycare.com Sister Kristine Haugen www.hermitagearts. com Bonnie Hagen www.bluesprucestudio. com Brian Hall www.oakleafbuildingwi. com Joyce Halvorson jlhalvor58@gmail. com Susan Heaven susan@heavenbechtold. com Win Herberg www.poetrypottery.com Linda Iwaszko liwaszko@gmail.com Margaret Johansen johansmr@lakeland.ws Colleen Kwong www.spirit-of-creation.com Keppers Pottery www.kepperspottery.com Jan Killian www.woolyfrogarts.com Randy Lee & Lisa Larson www.ImagesByLee.com Meg Luhrs & Leif Bjornson leifandmeg@gmail.com Jack & Karen Marchese marchesedesignstudios. squarespace.com Kristan Martin Ardis Miller ardiscarolmiller@hotmail.com Pitchfork Brewing www.pitchforkbrewing.com John Reed 715-491-4314 Gregg Rochester greggrochesterart.homestead.com Jon Michael Route www.jonmichaelroute.com Michael Route www.redironstudios.com James Shoop www.shoopsculpturaldesign.com Jimmy Springett www.jimspringett.com Barb Tanner Bonnie Urfer www.bonnieurfer.net Jim Van Hoven www.periodwindsors.com James Williams jim@digitalarts.com Joy Zasadny www. stcroixchiro.com Galleries/Arts Organizations artZ Gallery www.artzgallery.org Burnett Area Arts Group www.burnettcounty.com Frederic Arts Center www.fredericarts.org St. Croix Festival Theatre www.festivaltheatre.org West Denmark Dane School www.westdenmark. org St. Croix Art Barn www.stcroixartbarn.

• We provide all landscaping and snow removal.

• An Ecumen professional is on duty 24-hours-per-day to assist our residents with any needs.

• Ask about our pet policy?

org Festival Theatre www.festivaltheatre.org Hungry Turtle Institute www.hungryturtle.net Amery Medical Center Community Gallery www.amerymedicalcenter.org Tour Oasis: Caf Wren www.cafewren.com Chateau St. Croix Winery www.chateaustcroix.com Ellies Ice Cream & Coffee www.elliesicecream.com The Watershed Caf www.thewatershedcafe.com Farm Table www.Ameryfarmtable.com.

Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun!: 8-May, 2:00 PM, Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, $150-$250. Financial consideration ALWAYS given--ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY FEE!. Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun! Sundays(5), 2-3 pm, 24 Apr; 01, 08, 15, 22 May An early childhood parenting program designed by the experts at the Love and Logic Institute. Join us as we laugh and giggle our way to the skills required to feel more relaxed, hopeful, and positive about raising children. As we learn more, well discover that parenting really should be enjoyableand that we can teach personal responsibility and respect without losing our childrens love. We will learn how to: -Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments -Stay calm when kids do incredibly upsetting things -Set enforceable limits -Avoid enabling and begin empowering -Help kids learn from mistakes rather than repeating them -Raise kids who are family members rather than dictators And much more! This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used

time is a relentless force that takes its toll on all of us, Beatles included. So, let me remind you that this may well be the last time you might be able to see the guy who wrote these songs perform them: I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Rocky Raccoon, Silly Love Songs, Lady Madonna, Magical Mystery Tour, Golden Slumbers, Drive My Car, Yesterday, Paperback Writer, For No One, Back in the USSR, Eleanor Rigby, Jet, Blackbird, Got to Get You Into My Life, My Love, Live and Let Die, The Fool on the Hill, Here There and Everywhere, Michelle, I’ve Just Seen A Face, We Can Work it Out, If I Fell, Love Me Do, All My Loving, Penny Lane, Get Back, Band on the Run, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Hey Jude and the aforementioned Let It Be. Just to name a few.

If you have a chance, go see Paul McCartney.

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

immediately with all kids and families!

Location: Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, 55902 Contact Andy: apjohnsrud@gmail.com OR 507.358.9832 Cost: $150 individual, $250 couple (financial consideration ALWAYS given with need) Andy is an independent facilitator of Love and Logic curricula.

Mayo Clinic Hospice Community Grief Support Group: 9-May, 1:00 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Elder Network Northgate Shopping Center, 1130 1/2 7th Street NW, Suite 205, Rochester, Free. Support group for adults age 55 and older living with a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, chronic pain, diabetes, COPD, heart disease, arthritis, depression, anxiety, etc.

Community Grief Support Group: 9-May, 6:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Child or Grandchild Death of a Parent or Grandparent Death of a Spouse or Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups.

Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Conversations: Living Well With Chronic Conditions: 9-May, 2:00 PM,

Power of the Power Purse of the

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Join our commuity and enjoy home cooked meals, social interaction and still maintain your independence.

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DINNER SPECIALS

Fish Friday

5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Owatonna Country Club

THURSDAY - SATURDAY EVERY WEEK Pasta Special Thursday

Tuesday, June 1 4 th 1 9 9 1 Lemond Rd., Owatonna, MN

King Cut Prime Rib Saturday

Live and Silent Auctions $50 per person • Appetizers, dessert and cocktail Tickets available to purchase at the United Way Office: 110 North Cedar, Owatonna, and also at Kristi’s and Kottke Jewelers.

DAILY FOOD SPECIALS KIDS’ MENU • REMODELED NEWLY REMODELED PATIO DOWNTOWN DENNISON • 507-301-2744 Wed & Thurs 4 - 9PM • Fri & Sat: 11AM - CLOSE • Sun: 11AM - 9PM

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Tracy Morgan

8 p.m., May 27

Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel, Prior Lake America loves a comeback. We’re willing to give just about anybody a second chance in this country, from scandalized athletes to past-their-prime musicians hitting career renaissances. But when someone is returning from a near death experience, we root for those people like they’re personal friends. When that person is Tracy Morgan, we actually get emotional about it.

Almost two years ago, June 7, 2014, Morgan was returning to his New Jersey home from a stand-up gig when a semi-truck hit the limousine van in which he was travelling with a number of friends. His close friend and mentor, James McNair, was killed in the accident, while Morgan suffered a shattered femur, broken bones in his face and a traumatic brain injury. The accident left him in a coma and many of his closest friends and family thought he would die.

Instead, the former star of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock awoke eight days later and underwent months of physical and emotional therapy. Even as reports slowly filtered to the media that he was making a dramatic recovery, most people equated the phrase “traumatic brain injury” to permanent brain damage and doubted he would

God Wants You Well Bible Study: 9-May, 6:30 PM, Inspirational Technologies, Inc. Building, 1100 N. 4th Street, Le Sueur, Free. DVD series with Andrew Wommack, healing miracle testimonies, Bible study lessons, discussion, communion, prayer.

Everyone invited. Led by Dorothy Von Lehe.

Contact Dorothy at dvonlehe@mchsi.com or 507-665-6965.

introduced to the former Mother Generals, view early office furnishings and hear interesting stories of life in the past. Group size is limited. Registration Required.

budding music career to pursue psychology now has seven solo albums to her name.

She brings her brand of emotionally charged Americana to Crossings.

blocks east of K-Mart off 9th Street SE). Food and drink will be available for purchase from the Peoples Food Coop, and Grand Rounds Brewpub; no carry-ins please.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 13-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5.507-282-8629

Spring Fling and Girls Day Out: 14-May, 9:00 AM, Spring Fling and Girls Day Out, Coffee Street East, Lanesboro, Free. Come to Lanesboro for this special day of shopping and events. The Spring Fling Style Show will be at 10:00 am followed by a lunch. The Craft and Handmade Market runs from 9am-5pm.

There will be drawings and live music from 5-7 pm.

Young Historians: 14-May, 10:00 AM, Blue Earth County Historical Society History Center, 424 Warren Street, Mankato, Free.

Over the past year, Young Historians have covered some of the different ethnic groups that have called Blue Earth County Home.

For this month’s Young Historians, they will be presenting on where they came from.

Pre-registration is encouraged.

Rob Bell: 14-May, 9:00 AM, Mill City Nights, 111 5th Street North, Minneapolis, Free. GA tickets are $100.00.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 14-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5.

Karaoke: 11-May, 6:30 PM, American Legion Post 92, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. From 6:30 - 10:30 PM every Wednesday!

Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 13-May, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13. A hilarious comedy about two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing Scenes from Shakespeare on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.

The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives arent nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls headover-petticoat in love with the old ladys vivacious niece, Meg, whos engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that theres a wide world out there, but its not until she meets Maxine and Stephanie that she finally gets a taste of it.. .

Tour of Historical Artifacts on the Mezzanine: 11-May, 6:30 PM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, Free. Enjoy a review of the historical artifacts from the Rochester Franciscans’ 139-year history. Be

Lucy Kaplansky: 13-May, 8:00 PM, Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, $24-$28. Lucy Kaplansky is more of a psychologist than most singers in fact, she holds an MD in the field. The acclaimed artist who once left a

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 11-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness. 507-282-8629

Art on the Avenue: 14-May, 9:30 AM, Three Blocks East Of K-Mart Off 9th Street SE, 800 Block Of 7th Ave SE, Rochester, Free.

Art, everyones favorite neighbor. Art on the Ave is an annual spring art fair in the Slatterly Park neighborhood. The event showcases local artisans and musicians. The highlight of the event is unveiling of a permanent boulevard sculpture, which will be the eleventh public sculpture brought to Slatterly Park Neigborhood. Locally designed T-shirts will be printed on-site and made available for sale. Art on the Ave is an initiative to promote the arts, encourage walkability and attract Rochester citizens to downtown neighborhoods. This years event will be held on Saturday May 14th, from 9:30 am until 4:00 pm, on the 800 block of 7th Ave SE (three

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Pilgrimage to Outdoor Sacred Spaces: 14-May, 11:00 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, $5 . Join us on a walking tour of sacred places on the grounds of Assisi Heights. We will allow time for reflection and prayer. Please wear walking shoes. Rain date: June 1, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Registration Required.

Bingo: 14-May, 1:00 PM, American Legion, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. Bingo 1PM the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.

Kitchen open at 11:00 serving delicious foods! $1.00 and $2.00 cards. 507-282-8629 Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 14-May, 2:00 PM, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13. A hilarious comedy about two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing Scenes from Shakespeare on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.

The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives arent nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls headover-petticoat in love with the old ladys vivacious niece, Meg, whos engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that theres a wide world out there, but its not until she meets Maxine and Stephanie that she finally gets a taste of it.

James Wedgewood - Ventriloquist: 14-May, 2:00 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $8-$15. $8 Students/$12 Members/$15 Non-Members.

James Wedgewood Saturday, May 14 2:00pm Hes a tremendously talented ventriloquist, but James Wedgwood is equally talented as an entertainer who always gets the audience involved. James personalizes each show and uses audience participation to set an upbeat tone for your event. The energy of each performance is contagious and his hilarious, clean, humor often brings his audience to tears of laughter. James performs all over the United States and has several national TV appearances to his credit.

Week of May 15-21: Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun!: 15-May, 2:00 PM, Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, $150-$250. Financial consideration ALWAYS given--ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY FEE!. Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun! Sundays(5), 2-3 pm, 24 Apr; 01, 08, 15, 22 May An early childhood parenting program designed by the experts at the Love and Logic Institute. Join us as we laugh and giggle our way to the skills required to feel more relaxed, hopeful, and positive about raising children. As we learn more, well discover that parenting really should be enjoyableand that we can teach personal responsibility and respect without losing our childrens love. We will learn how to: -Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments -Stay calm when kids do incredibly upsetting things -Set enforceable limits -Avoid enabling and begin empowering -Help kids learn from mistakes rather than repeating them -Raise kids who are family members rather than dictators And much more! This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately with all kids and families!

Follow us

Location: Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, 55902 Contact Andy: apjohnsrud@gmail.com OR 507.358.9832 Cost: $150 individual, $250 couple (financial consideration ALWAYS given with need) Andy is an independent facilitator of Love and Logic curricula.

Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 15-May, 2:00 PM, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13. A hilarious comedy about two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing Scenes from Shakespeare on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.

The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives arent nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls headover-petticoat in love with the old ladys vivacious niece, Meg, whos engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that theres a wide world out there, but its not until she meets Maxine and Stephanie that she finally gets a taste of it.

ROCKchester Music and Arts Festival: 15-May, 12:30 PM, The Wicked Moose, , Rochester, $12-$20. Tickets in advance at www.Rockchesterfestival.com or at the door. $12 for students; $20 for adults. ROCKchester is a local music and arts festival showcasing the growing youth music and art scene in Rochester. Curated by teenagers, the event focuses on the participation of young creators, musicians, and artists. Our mission is to energize the creative arts scene, not just for teens, but for anyone in the local area who is passionate for creation and consumption.

Gospel Choirs United Joy Abundantly Concert: 15-May, 5:30 PM, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, 3355 N. 4th Street, Minneapolis, $18 . On Sunday, May 15, 2016, the Twin Cities will witness an exciting gospel music event! Gospel Choirs United, affectionately known as GCU will present its 42nd Anniversary Concert, 5:30 pm at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, 3355 4th Street North, Minneapolis, MN 55412.

This years theme is ‘Joy Abundantly’ John 10:10. Admission is $18. GCU was founded in 1974 by Phyllis Williams and the late Sam Davis under the premise to bring together multiple church choirs within the Twin Cities to spread the gospel through song. This awesome choir has electrified audiences with an unforgettable upbeat sound and continues to sing songs from classic to contemporary gospel music. This choir has performed before sold-out audiences, from the local church to the Fitzgerald and Ordway Theaters. Gospel Choirs United Concerts have featured many national recording artists such as Daryl Coley, Keith Pringle, Steven Roberts, Ricky Grundy, Jeffery LaValley, Kathy Taylor and local favorites, Robert Eddie Robinson, JD Steele, Gary Hines and the late Vera Jean Jenkins to name a few. Over the 42-year history ,the choir has received recognition for participation in the highly acclaimed Gospel at Colonus, a Broadway Musical which also had a run at Minneapolis Guthrie Theater. Other theater credits include participation in the Christmas Musical Harlem Nutcracker at the Northrop Auditorium, and in the Plymouth Music Series Witness production with James Earl Jones at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

For additional information please visit www. gospelchoirsunited.com.

Mayo Clinic Hospice Community Grief Support Group: 16-May, 1:00 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For

ever be back in the public eye.

Morgan proved everybody wrong in October when he returned to SNL to host. Not only did Morgan seem and sound sharp, but he was funny. Aside from the pronounced limp, he seemed like the same Tracy Morgan we had loved for almost two decades.

And just to prove that he really is back, Morgan has embarked on a stand-up tour that will bring him to Mystic Lake’s big showroom on May 27. Those who have seen his new material claim that he’s actually funnier and willing to take more chances with his comedy than ever before. He’s also more engaging with his audience, even occasionally strolling through showroom lobbies prior to his shows. By all accounts, his own included, Morgan is living his life with a little more purpose, taking nothing for granted.

“When I was going to come back, it was going to be a train wreck or it was going to be a miracle,” he recently told Rolling Stone. “I decided to give you a miracle.”

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Community Grief Support Group: 16May, 6:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Child or Grandchild Death of a Parent or Grandparent Death of a Spouse or Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

God Wants You Well Bible Study: 16May, 7:00 PM, Inspirational Technologies, Inc. Building, 1100 N. 4th Street, Le Sueur, Free. DVD series with Andrew Wommack, healing miracle testimonies, Bible study lessons, discussion, communion, prayer.

Everyone invited. Led by Dorothy Von Lehe.

Contact Dorothy at dvonlehe@mchsi.com or 507-665-6965.

Sacred the Land, Sacred the Earth!: 17-May, 6:30 PM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, Free. Come and explore the 60-year old history of this precious piece of earth held sacred by our Franciscan values and beliefs. Walk on the cusp on the oak savannah, prairies and caves, which lie beside native lands.

Caregiver Support Group: 18-May, 10:00 AM, Elder Network Northgate Shopping Center, 1130 1/2 7th Street NW, Suite 205, Rochester, Free. If you are caring for an older family member, friend or neighbor, heres an opportunity to meet with other caregivers to exchange helpful tips, give and receive support and learn about new resources.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 18-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness. 507-282-8629 Karaoke: 18-May, 6:30 PM, American Legion Post 92, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. From 6:30 - 10:30 PM every Wednesday!

Reina del Cid and Six Mile Grove: 18-May, 7:30 PM, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, $19-$24.

She commands a flexibility of language reminiscent less of Regina Spektor or Ingrid Michaelson, artists she is often compared to, but more of Virginia Woolf or Sylvia Plath. Yet there is a Newtonian balance of forces in Reina del Cids band: for every droll phrase or inventive image pushing the music toward the realm of the cerebral, there is a corresponding musical contribution from the richly talented Toni Lindgren. The young guitarist is adept at orchestrating and fleshing out the skeletons of del Cids songs into an engaging brand of pop rock, equal parts stratified and accessible. 507-282-8481 Uncorked Junkmarket Style, Spring Edition: 20-May, 9:00 AM, Four Daughters

Vineyard & Winery, 78757 MN-16, Spring Valley, $10-$25. Come one, come all to this art and vintage affair designed for you, your friends and your family. In other words it is an event that everyone will enjoy! This is a ‘back by popular demand’ affair that will host some of the finest artisans and vintage dealers anywhere that can only be curated by the ORIGINAL JUNKMARKET! Treat yourself to the very best vintage, art, craft and organic shopping experience available...not to mention nationally acclaimed wine, signature sangrias, delectable food and a gorgeous location. To make things even better we will be providing live music, giveaways, and more! Uncorked JUNKMARKET Style, Spring Edition May 19-21, 2016 At Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery Open for Business: Thursday, May 19, 2016 - Early Bird Shopping 9 to 11AM, Regular Admission 11AM to 6 PM Friday, May 20, 2016 - Regular Admission 9 AM to 6 PM Saturday - Regular Admission 9 AM to 4 PM Cost: Early Bird Admission - $25.00 at the door, $20 pre-purchase online. Early Bird Admission includes admission all weekend. Regular Admission - $10 at the door, $8 pre-purchase online Group prices: If you are bringing a group of 15 or more contact Sue Whitney at info@junkmarketstyle.com for reduced rates For all of the details visit: Updated daily so visit often www.junkmarketstyleevents.com.

Classic Golf Outing: 20-May, 10:15 AM, Lake Hallie Golf Course, 2196 110th Street, Chippewa Falls, $75 . 4-person, 18 hole best ball golf outing, includes skills contests, lunch and a silent auction; all proceeds will benefit Make-A-Wish Wisconsin! Your joining us means more than just supporting a great cause; you will also have the opportunity to network, make new contacts, have a great time and of course golf! $75.00 per person or $280 per team of 4.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 20-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness. 507-282-8629 Stay Out of the Sun Run/Walk: 20-May, 5:00 PM, Lourdes High School, 2800 19th St. NW, Rochester, $25 . The 11th annual Stay Out of the Sun Run/Walk is an event that raises awareness for melanoma research and education at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

Events include a 10k run, 5k run and walk.

Silent auction is also available as well as other entertainment.

Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 20-May, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13.

TC Kids Cross Country Fun Run: 21-May, 8:00 AM, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, 1225 Eastbrook Drive, St. Paul, $10-$16. All registered runners receive a medal, T-shirt, water, and lunch!. Celebrate the arrival Spring in Minnesota at the 9th Annual TC Kids Cross Country Fun Run in Saint Paul! This event gives young athletes a chance to run with their peers and enjoy a fun, non-competitive environment. Kids will be grouped by grade and invited to run laps around the half-mile grass course with gentle rolling hills at Como Park. At the start, kids will be instructed to line up by age (Signs marked ‘Kindergarten’ through ‘7th Grade and up’) and run one to six laps, depending on which wave they select on race day. When one group is done, another age group starts.

Parents are welcome and encouraged to register and run with their children at any age.

Root River Triathlon: 21-May, 8:30 AM, Houston Nature Center, 215 Plum Street, Houston, $50 . This doable, non-swimming triathlon is set in the Root River valley in scenic Bluff Country. The first triathlon was held 1998 by the City of Houston. Participation is open to men and women of every age (young people of 17 years and younger with the con-

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

sent of their guardian!!) Participants begin by canoeing or kayaking 6.8 miles down river from Houston to Mound Prairie. Then they hop on their bikes for an 7.9-mile road-ride back to Houston. Some hills en route are challenging (% grade) and demand an extra effort. The race wraps up with a 3.0 mile, fairly level run, starting on the Root River trail and then through the streets of Houston.

The finish is at the Band Shell in beautiful Trailhead Park where the award ceremony will take place around noon. (While your kids can check out the Natural Playground with rocks, water feature, large sand play area and a labyrinth. (But to name a few.).

Child Safety Fair: 21-May, 9:00 AM, University of Minnesota Health Maple Grove Clinics, 14500 99th Ave, Maple Grove, Free.

‘Join M Health and Maple Grove Hospital for a fun morning devoted to learning to stay safe and healthy while being active. Families will enjoy lots of free, fun activities: Bike rodeo children can bring their bikes to learn the rules of the road from Maple Grove Police Bike helmet fittings. Helmets available for $13. Beginner skateboard lessons Talk to orthopedic and pediatric health experts Have your photo taken with Goldy Gopher Fire, water and jet ski safety MN Kids ID Child Safety kit Mosquito and tick safety Explore a fire truck and ambulance Bounce house and much more Food available for purchase from The Lookout Drawings for $100 to local bike shop Check out mhleath.org/safetyfair to learn all the fun things we couldnt fit here! ‘.

Art Journaling For The Soul: 21-May, 9:00 AM, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th Street NW, Rochester, $10 . Come express your creative energy. Discover different ways to use art in journaling. Art journaling can be an outlet for expressing your dreams, thoughts and feelings. Bring a journal that will open flat and will work for drawing and coloring.

Please bring your own colored pencils or markers. Your guide will be Carol Bailey.

Registration Required.

Uncorked Junkmarket Style, Spring Edition: 21-May, 9:00 AM, Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery, 78757 MN-16, Spring Valley, $10-$25. Come one, come all to this art and vintage affair designed for you, your friends and your family. In other words it is an event that everyone will enjoy! This is a ‘back by popular demand’ affair that will host some of the finest artisans and vintage dealers anywhere that can only be curated by the ORIGINAL JUNKMARKET! Treat yourself to the very best vintage, art, craft and organic shopping experience available...not to mention nationally acclaimed wine, signature sangrias, delectable food and a gorgeous location. To make things even better we will be providing live music, giveaways, and more! Uncorked JUNKMARKET Style, Spring Edition May 19-21, 2016 At Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery Open for Business: Thursday, May 19, 2016 - Early Bird Shopping 9 to 11AM, Regular Admission 11AM to 6 PM Friday, May 20, 2016 - Regular Admission 9 AM to 6 PM Saturday - Regular Admission 9 AM to 4 PM Cost: Early Bird Admission - $25.00 at the door, $20 pre-purchase online. Early Bird Admission includes admission all weekend. Regular Admission - $10 at the door, $8 pre-purchase online Group prices: If you are bringing a group of 15 or more contact Sue Whitney at info@junkmarketstyle.com for reduced rates For all of the details visit: Updated daily so visit often www.junkmarketstyleevents.com.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 21-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 507-282-8629 Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 21-May, 2:00 PM, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13.

Cronin Home 4th Annual Blues and BBQ: 21-May, 4:00 PM, Olmsted County 4-H Building, 1508 Aune Drive, Rochester, $10 . Our annual Blues and BBQ event will feature live blues music, All-You-CanEat BBQ, a silent auction, kids activities including face painting and balloon art and much more!

Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 21-May, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13.

651-487-8200 Close to You - Music of the Carpenters:

21-May, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $10-$22. $10 Students/$17 Members/$22 Non-members Free w/overnight stay at the Historic Hutchinson House B&B. Lisa Rock has been performing to sold-out crowds for years. Shes written more than 15 original concerts and cabarets that have been seen across the country. Now, Rock has arranged a 6-piece band, complete with back-up singers, and together they are dedicated to creating a Carpenters experience like no other. Rocks amazing four octave range allows her to sing the hits like Weve Only Just Begun and Rainy Days and Mondays in their original key, keeping the songs genuine and more recognizable for the audience. When she hits the lower range of her marvelous voice, notes critic Alan Bresloff, if you close your eyes, you can see Karen Carpenters face.

Peter Mayer: 21-May, 8:00 PM, State Theater, 96 E 4th St, Zumbrota, $20-$23.

With breath-taking guitar work and intelligent lyrics to match, Peter Mayer delivers richly layered songs about interconnectedness and the human journey. Mayers songs have been compared to Shaker furniture clean and light, yet hardly simple.

Week of May 22-31: Merely Players Present: Leading Ladies: 22-May, All Day, Lincoln Community Center, 110 Fulton St., Mankato, $10-$13. A hilarious comedy about two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing Scenes from Shakespeare on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.

The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives arent nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls headover-petticoat in love with the old ladys vivacious niece, Meg, whos engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that theres a wide world out there, but its not until she meets Maxine and Stephanie that she finally gets a taste of it.

Love and Logic: 22-May, 2:00 PM, Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, $150-$250. Financial consideration ALWAYS given--ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY FEE!. Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun! Sundays(5), 2-3 pm, 24 Apr; 01, 08, 15, 22 May An early childhood parenting program designed by the experts at the Love and Logic Institute. Join us as we laugh and giggle our way to the skills required to feel more relaxed, hopeful, and positive about raising children. As we learn more, well discover that parenting really should be enjoyableand that we can teach personal responsibility and respect without losing our childrens love. We will learn how to: -Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments -Stay calm when kids do incredibly upsetting things -Set enforceable limits -Avoid enabling and begin empowering -Help kids learn from mistakes rather than repeating them -Raise kids who are family members rather than dictators And much more! This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately with all kids and families!

Location: Zumbro Lutheran Church, 624 3rd Ave SW, Rochester, 55902 Contact Andy: apjohnsrud@gmail.com OR 507.358.9832 Cost: $150 individual, $250 couple (financial consideration ALWAYS given with need) Andy is an independent facilitator of Love and Logic curricula.

Mayo Clinic Hospice Community Grief Support Group: 23-May, 1:00 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23,

2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

Time Trader Orientation: 23-May, 5:30 PM, Rochester Area Family YMCA, 709 1st Avenue SW, Rochester, Free. We have group orientations the 4th Monday of the month at 5:30p.m. at Rochester Family YMCA. Time Trader is an organized exchange network through which members earn Time Credits (TC) for time spent helping other members.

One hour of service earns one TC. With TC, members can buy services they want or need. For example, if you give one hour of childcare, you can receive one hour of painting, accounting, transportation assistance, or a piano lesson, and the list goes on.

Community Grief Support Group: 23May, 6:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Hospice, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, Free. Death of a Child or Grandchild Death of a Parent or Grandparent Death of a Spouse or Significant Other Mayo Clinic Hospice invites you to join one of our Rochester Adult Grief Support Groups. Grief Support groups provide an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss. Through sharing and facilitator support, the group will help normalize your grief experience and offer support and comfort. Eight consecutive Monday meetings will be held from April 4th through May 23, 2016. The groups are free of charge and open to anyone from the community who has lost a significant person in their life through death.

Registration closes on March 25, 2016. For information and registration, please contact: Dianne Axen - Bereavement Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: axen.dianne@ mayo.edu. - or - Debbie Ball - Administrative Assistant - Mayo Clinic Hospice - Phone: 507-284-4002 or 1-800-679-9084 - email: ball.debra@mayo.edu.

God Wants You Well Bible Study: 23May, 6:30 PM, Inspirational Technologies, Inc. Building, 1100 N. 4th Street, Le Sueur, Free. DVD series with Andrew Wommack, healing miracle testimonies, Bible study lessons, discussion, communion, prayer.

Everyone invited. Led by Dorothy Von Lehe.

Contact Dorothy at dvonlehe@mchsi.com or 507-665-6965.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 25-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5 . After You is the first exhibition in Rochester Art Center’s 2016 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series, featuring new sculpture and installation-based work by Emmett Ramstad, a Minneapolis-based artist.

The sculptures in the exhibition originate from familiar bathroom features such as towel dispensers, soap dishes, bathroom stalls, and restroom insignia. Together they form extra-ordinary pieces that distort the scale and function of bathroom surroundings and ask the viewer to reconsider their public grooming associations, as well as constructions of cleanliness. 507-282-8629

PM, Target Field, 550 3rd Avenue North, Minneapolis, $29-$119. Zac Brown Band will kick off their sixth headlining U.S. tour titled the ‘Black Out The Sun’, the band will spend the summer on the road with Drake White & The Big Fire as main support. The ‘Black Out The Sun’ tour begins April 1 at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, NE and runs through September 3 at New Yorks Saratoga Performing Arts Center with stops at stadiums and amphitheaters along the way, including two nights. (612) 659-3400 God Wants You Well Bible Study: 30May, 7:00 PM, Inspirational Technologies, Inc. Building, 1100 N. 4th Street, Le Sueur, Free. DVD series with Andrew Wommack, healing miracle testimonies, Bible study lessons, discussion, communion, prayer.

Everyone invited. Led by Dorothy Von Lehe.

Contact Dorothy at dvonlehe@mchsi.com or 507-665-6965.

Hayden Prairie Audubon Trip: 31-May, 5:15 PM, Fleet Farm, 4891 Maine Ave SE, Rochester, Free. Hayden Prairie is famed for its show of flowers in early summer. This 240 acre tallgrass prairie is just a tiny part of the vast prairies that once covered our area. We should see thousands of Shooting Stars and many other prairie wildflowers, as well as a good assortment of birds. Meet at the NW part of the Fleet Farm parking lot to carpool.

We will plan to leave at 5:15 pm. You may want to eat dinner during the hour drive south to Hayden Prairie. Dress for the weather and hiking through prairie vegetation. We will return by 9pm or a bit earlier. Audubon Leader: Joel Dunnette.

James Taylor: 31-May, 8:00 PM, Verizon Wireless Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato, $68-$92.50. Best known for his sweet, folk rock ballads like Fire and Rain and Sweet Baby James, Taylor has enjoyed a successful recording and performing career for nearly 50 years. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, has won five Grammy awards and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. After a 12 year recording hiatus, his most recent album of original material debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June of last year. The album, Before This World, has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal album.

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Private lessons available (all season long)

499

$

Junior lessons (starting in June)

499

$401 Savings!

Courses for the 2016 season! *Good *Good throughthrough Sunday, May 1st, 2016 Friday, April 1, 2016 * Excludes members from 2014-2015 seasons

$

*Excludes members from 2014-2015 seasons

for your kids ages 7-15 in the month of June For more information call Tim at 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 dwith a r . purchase G O TO of 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

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For more information call Tim at

FREE (507) 625-7665 Junior Lesson Camp

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Only 2 miles south of Mankato on Hwy. 22

Only 2 miles south of Mankato on Hwy. 22

Have you ever heard of Florence Foster Jenkins? More importantly have you ever heard Florence Foster Jenkins?

Depending on your perspective of the world hers is a story either born of true courage or serious self-delusion. Born in the late 19th century with the means of a wealthy family, Florence Foster Jenkins may well be the worst professional singer ever to perform at Carnegie Hall.

It’s a long story, filled with the drama of divorce, betrayal and even syphilis, but it’s also about passion, determination and the idea that we all must do the thing that makes us happiest.

With the second show of the 2016 season, Commonweal Theatre presents Souvenir

by Stephen Temperley. The two-person play is a remembrance of Jenkins’ career, the cultish fame she cultivated and that disastrous final performance at Carnegie Hall in 1944, by her loyal, if put-upon accompanist Cosmé McMoon.

This is not an easy show to produce, nor is Florence an easy character to play.

Sure, it’s easy to sing poorly, but to sing poorly well is damn near impossible. Stella Burdt, who will portray Florence, is up to the task, we’re sure. We have no doubts that she will play circles around that woman who plays Florence in the upcoming bio pic Florence Foster Jenkins. Some actress by the name of Streep, I think. Whatever. I’ll take a member of the Commonweal company any day of the week.

Souvenir opens May 6 at the Commonweal and runs in rep through September 3.

NEW QUICHE PRODUCTS!

Adult group lessons (month of May) Members Only

Leagues... mens, ladies & junior Play on both the (May–August) Pro Shop with top quality& golfPar 3 Regulation Couples League (June–August) equipment Courses foroutings the 2016 FAMILY SEASON PASS Corporate or private group (starting at $15 per person for New Members Only 9 holes2016 and meal) season!

Play on both the Regulation & Par 3 Driving range

Commonweal Theatre, Lanesboro

Karaoke: 25-May, 6:30 PM, American Legion Post 92, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. From 6:30 - 10:30 PM every Wednesday!

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 27-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 507-282-8629 Hosanna’s Pantry: 28-May, 9:00 AM, Hosanna Lutheran Church, 2815 57th St NW, Rochester, Free. Hosanna’s Pantry is a satellite food shelf of Channel One food bank in Rochester. A photo ID is required. Coffee and treats are served while you wait to shop.

Emmett Ramstad: After You: 28-May, 10:00 AM, Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr. SE, Rochester, $5. 507-282-8629 Bingo: 28-May, 1:00 PM, American Legion, 315 First Avenue NW, Rochester, Free. Bingo 1PM the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.

Kitchen open at 11:00 serving delicious foods! $1.00 and $2.00 cards.

Zac Brown Band Concert: 29-May, 7:00

2016 FAMILY SEASON PASS

Regulation and executive par 3 courses

7:30 p.m., May 6

– – Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@ southernminnscene.com.

The Region’s Most Complete and Affordable Family Golfing Experience!

Open to the public, offering memberships, punch tickets, daily New green fees

Souvenir

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EDEL’S LOCALLY MADE BRATS PRE-COOKED OR SMOKED

Fresh Baked Daily FREE Samples! • HUGE In-Store Selection!

507-645-BAKE (2253) • www.GootersDoughToGo.com 200 Schilling Drive, Dundas/Northfield (next to Menards) • Sun-Wed 10am-7pm, Thu-Sat 10am-8pm

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FEATURING ARTISTS jeremy messersmith . heiruspecs . romantica . possessed by paul james . charlie parr ERIK KOSKINEN . 4 onthefloor . the lowest pair . de la buena . the bambir . PORCUPINE people brothers band . los colognes . the heavy set . apollo cobra . little fevers land of blood and sunshine . farewell milwaukee . gospel machine . christopher the conquered pho . cloak ox . bad bad hats . the ultrasounds . surf zombies . mikel wright & the wrongs frog leg . general b & the wiz . ruben . wheelhouse . al church . oh my love . gloom balloon them coulee boys . mike munson . deece productions tribute shows

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SOMINN GOLF

Faribault GolF club

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Faribault, MN rice county 507.334.3810 faribaultgolf.com

NORTH LINKS

RATES/POLICIES/AMENITIES

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New Membership Rates Family - $949.00 Individual - $799.00 Under 35 Family - $585.00 Under 35 Individual - $450.00 Pool only - $200 Ladies Day Special Golf Tuesdays Only - $200.00 Prices do not include MN sales tax.

he Faribault Golf Club was originally founded in 1910 when the original nine holes were designed, constructed, and opened for play. In 1956, Willie Kidd, the Interlachen golf pro-

fessional, designed a new nine holes course in its present location, and Bob Carlson of Austin designed the back nine holes which was built

COuRSE STATISTICS PAR: 72 YARDS

Blue White Red

and opened for play in 1966. Faribault Golf Club was instrumental along with Winona Country Club, Town and Country, The Minikahda Club, Rochester Golf & Country Club, Bryn Mawr, and Merion Park

6447 6252 5468

STAFF & PERSONNEL

in founding and establishing the Minnesota Golf Association, and hosted annually since 1970, the Minnesota PGA Pro-Am Tournament.

Golf Professional General Manager Superintendent

Jon Vee Michelle Pederson A.J. Krogh

Map Key Number 1

MN Terrace View Golf Course Mankato, Blue Earth County

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orth Links Golf Course is a public golf course featuring a traditional, prairie style layout with multi-tiered and undulating greens to challenge golfers of all abilities. North Links features an extensive practice facility, full service banquet facilities, and a fully stocked Pro Shop.

Our banquet staff specialize in wedding receptions and golf outings of all sizes. The banquet facilities at North Links provide panoramic views of the golf course with an outdoor and indoor patio areas to give your event added ambiance.

We’re located just 3 miles west of North Mankato and 1 hour south of the Twin Cities.

North Links is owned and operated by the Wilson Golf Group and the group’s pride in ownership is represented in every detail.

WASECA LAKESIDE CLub

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pen to the public, offering memberships, punch tickets, daily green fees.

Terrace View is one of the best places to golf in Mankato. Our facilities include a beautiful 9 hole regulation course, an executive Par 3 course, a 50+ stall driving range and a full service pro shop.

This 3304 yard, par 36 course is great for the beginner golfer and yet challenging for more advanced golfers that are willing to take risks.

We are located a couple of miles south of Mankato on Highway 22 South. See you on the course!!

Tee times taken 5 days in advance. For any questions, please use the CONTACTS link above.

KENYON COuNtrY Club

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his course has many hills, two sand bunkers, and tree-lined fairways that are narrow. Water hazards come into play on three holes.

• 9 Hole, Par 34, Public Course • 1/2 mile North of Kenyon on Hwy 56 • Mature Trees • River & Hills • Bent Grass Greens • Watered Fairways • 2 Sand Bunkers • Practice Putting Green • Men’s Tees - 2656 yards, Women’s Tees 2498 yards • Course Rating - 32.6, Course Rating - 107

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STAFF & PERSONNEL Pro/Manager

Tim Johnson

Map Key Number 3

Kenyon, MN

Goodhue County 507.789.6307 kenyoncountryclub.com RaTES Weekday (Mon-Fri am) Walking 9 - $10.00 Walking 18 - $15.00 Weekend (Fri pm-Sun) Walking 9 - $12.00 Walking 18 - $18.00 Cart Rental 9 Holes - $10.00 18 Holes $15.00 Mon Eve: Couple’s League Wed: Ladies’ Day Thurs: Men’s Day CLUB HOURS & INFO

• Available for weddings & events • Grab & Go food items (Hot dogs, pizza, chips, pop, beer, liquor) • Morning - Coffee & Rolls • Sunday Morning- Coffee & Rolls Hours: 8am-8pm Mon-Fri 7am-7pm Sat & Sun

M AY 2 0 1 6 | W W W. S O U T H E R N M I N N SCENE. C O M

Map Key Number 5 FOLLOW US

Nicollet County 507.947.3355 northlinksgolf.com

RATES/POLICIES/AMENITIES

507.625.7665

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC • Offering memberships, punch tickets, daily green fees • Regulation and executive par 3 courses • Driving Range • Pro Shop with top quality golf equipment • Corporate or private group outings (Starting at $15 per person for 9 holes and meal) • Private lessons available (all season long) • Adult group lessons (month of May) • Leagues...mens, ladies & junior (May-August) • Couples League (June-August)

North Mankato, MN

18 Holes Weekdays Standard $29.00 Seniors* (62+) $22.00 Juniors $12.00 $12.00 9 Holes Standard $17.00 Seniors* (62+) $13.00 Juniors $8.00 $8.00 Twilight Everyday $17.00

Call to confirm start

Weekend

Cart Fee

N/A

$7.00/rider

$29.00 $14.00/rider

$17.00 $8.00/rider N/A

$4.00/rider

$17.00 $8.00/rider

COURSE STATISTICS PAR: 72 YARDS RATING SLOPE

Blue White Yellow Red

6133 5690 5101 4682

69.7 67.8 65.2 67.6

STAFF & PERSONNEL General Manager Superintendent

124 120 115 114

Mike Thomas Eric Peters

Map Key Number 2

Waseca, MN Waseca County 507.835.2574 wasecagolf.com

2015 MEMBERSHIP

All new golfing memberships from Waseca or within 15 miles are 40% off.

For any questions, please use the CONTACTS link above. Age discounts noted below are available on all golfing memberships.

New Golf Membership Non-Resident Golf Package:

(Residence is more than 15 miles from Lakeside or resides in Waseca less than 100 days)

• 18 Hole Golf Course • 10 Reciprocal Golf Courses • Full Driving Range • Practice Green • PGA Golf Professional • Fully Stocked Pro-Shop • Heated Swimming Pool • No Minimum spending • Great Family Atmosphere

• Family (2 spouse) $599 • Family (1 spouse) $499 • Single $399 POOL FAMILY - $299 New members Only!

ASK ABOUT OUR OTHER DISCOUNTS

STAFF & PERSONNEL

Shoreland Country Club

St. Peter, Mn

Pro/Manager

Matthew Hauge

Map Key Number 4

43781 Golf Course road leSueur County 507.931.4400 shorelandcc.com AMENITIES

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OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! • Social Event Golf Course with great group rates • Tournament Events- Corporate golf outings, group golf outings, great food/restaurant • Lessons/group lessons • Custom Club fitting • Full service golf shop - carry major golf brands Senior rate: Monday –Friday $30 includes cart Before Noon* Twilight: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 4pm-after $30 includes cart* * Taxes not included.

horeland offers much more than just great golf. This course is tucked away in the bluffs above the Minnesota River Valley, and on the shores of Lake Emily.

This 18-hole golf course offers a challenging round of golf for CourSE STATISTICS experienced golfers and novices alike. Don’t let the shorter-than- Shoreland Country Club is a par 69, 18-hole, golf course. The course has a slope average yardage fool you. It may only have a par of 69, but with semi-private rating of 123 from the white tees. It is considered 7 par 3’s ranging from 110 yards to 215 yards long, Shoreland a short course by many of today’s standards, but what Shoreland Country Club lacks in distance, makes things interesting for everyone. it makes up in variety. With 7 par 3’s, rolling hills, Shoreland also offers affordable rates for every class of golfer, views of the Minnesota River Valley and Lake whether just coming out for the day or joining for the season.

Emily, the setting could not be better.

Memberships at Shoreland include all golf, range usage, and pool STAFF & PErSoNNEL PGA Professional Jason Harrell access during the season.

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Oaks GOLF CLub

Hayfield, MN

Dodge County 507.477.3233 theoaksinhayfield.com

WedgeWood Cove golf Club

RATES

• • • • • • • • •

18 Hole Public Golf Course Two miles west of Hayfield, MN 25 minutes from Austin, Rochester, and Owatonna Par 72, 6410 yards, slope 126, rating 70.4 Watered fairways Mature, picturesque course with oaks and pines Clubhouse and restaurant Fully stocked Pro Shop, lessons and practice range Club Professional on Staff

New golf membership starting at $99 a year.

Northfield golf club

Walking - 9 holes - $19.50 Walking - 18 holes - $27.50 Riding - 9 holes - $27.50 Riding - 18 holes - $44.50 Member Cart - 9 holes - $10.75 per bag Member Cart - 18 holes - $15.25 per bag Reciprocity Cart Fee - $20.00 per bag Range Balls - $3.50/Bucket - Ask at Pro Shop for tokens.

Pull Cart - $5.00 Weekday Rates: Rates apply Monday thru Friday (do not include holidays).

9 Holes 8 Holes Walking: $17 $23 Riding: $25 $30 Twilight Rates apply to Saturday, Sunday and holidays only.

Walking Riding 9 Holes $10 $18 18 Holes $18 $27

STAFF & PERSONNEL PGA Head Professional Gof Course Superintendent

Tom Vizina Jeff Wendler

Map Key Number 7

Northfield, MN

707 Prairie Street rice county 507.645.4026 northfieldgolfclub.com

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he 6,993 yard Wedgewood Cove is as “links” style as the state of Minnesota can offer: wide open, not exactly flat but lacking signifcant elevation changes, undulating greens requiring outstanding “lag” putting, and very few trees coming into play. The gently rolling terrain provides a great examination of golfers’ abilities while preserving the natural topography of the par 72 course. Only a few years old, Wedgewood Cove is still growing into it’s own. However, like a young promising athlete, its potential is endless. Simply put, Wedgewood Cove is an outstanding place to play golf.

New Ulm COUNtry ClUb

AMENITIES

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orthfield Golf Club is one of the oldest private clubs in Minnesota. Members enjoy a challenging 18-hole redesigned course, practice on a conveniently located short game facility, along with the camaraderie of a vibrant membership. The spacious clubhouse offers both casual and formal dining areas and a function room all with spectacular views of the course.

Today, it’s a pleasure to know that quality golf can be found at an affordable price – even at a prestigious private club. Membership is invited and the public is welcome at Northfield Golf Club. This gem of a course is located just south of Minneapolis/St Paul in the heart of historic Northfield, MN. Northfield GC ‘s location is amazingly accessible from not only the south metro but also the Twin Cities at a bit more than half an hour from either Minneapolis or St Paul via I-35 or Hwy 52 connecting in on Cty 19 from either highway.

Brooktree golf course

• Refreshingly Affordable Private Membership • Limited Public Tee Times Available – A Value • Dining Room, Bar, Private Lounge, Patio • Dining open to Public • 200 Capacity: Weddings, Parties, Biz Meetings • Tournaments Available – Value Priced • Leagues: Men’s, Women’s, Couples • Instruction and Youth Programs

CourSE STATISTICS Black: yards 6728, rating 73.3, slope 143 Blue: yards 6270, rating 71.4, slope 139 White: yards 5760, rating 69.0, slope 134

STAFF & PErSoNNEL • GM/Director of Golf: Dan Dols, PGA • Golf Shop Manager: Mark Westblade • Assistant Golf Professional: Jon Abbott • Superintendent: Bill Whitworth, GCSAA • Head Chef: Jordon Vick

Map Key Number 9

steele county 507.444.2467 ci.owatonna.mn.us/ parksrecreation/ brooktree-golf

C

A great golf destination to play, relax and enjoy!

128 128 126 124

STAFF & PERSoNNEL Golf Course Manager Clubhouse Manager

Rick Smith Mary Jo Knudson

Map Key Number 11

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6993 6594 6261 5574

73.5 71.7 70.2 67.0

131 127 124 118

STAFF & PERSONNEL Head Golf Professional Director of Golf

Ryan Thompson Donnie Teeter

Map Key Number 8

New Ulm, mN 1 Golf Drive brown County 507.354.8896 golfnewulm.com

FAMILY

T

he New Ulm Country Club is a picturesque 18-hole, par 71, semiprivate course surrounded by Flandrau State Park and perched atop the bluffs of the Cottonwood River. A distinctive feature of the course is the many mature oak trees that border the fairways.

The Country Club was established in 1929 as a nine-hole course and expanded to 18 holes in 1966. The front nine saw a remodeling effort in 2001 with the addition of hazards, greenside moundings, tee boxes and sand-traps to add an overall depth to the course.

New Ulm CC is a very active golf club. Starting with our forty plus golf events, we have a format to please any golfer. Our Junior programs will introduce over one hundred forty kids to the game in 2015. The clubhouse offers endless dining opportunities and social functions.

Year one - $700 Year two - $950 Year three - $950

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If you were not a member for the previous three seasons you are eligible for this great offer. Space is limited, so don’t wait; sign up today.

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ome to play Brooktree, one of the finest municipal golf courses in Southern Minnesota. In 2015 Brooktree was voted the Best Golf Course in Southern Minnesota by SCENE magazine. This 18-hole championship course, 6684 from the blue tees is located in NE Owatonna near the entrance of Mineral Springs Park.

Memberships & punch cards are available to suit your needs!

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BOOK REVIEWS The Bookworm Sez:

Sisters are doin’ it for themselves

The Bookworm Sez:

‘I Had to Survive’ is an attention grabbing tale of inspiration

By Terri Schlichenmeyerr Naked.

That describes your left hand, third finger: naked, uncovered, especially by anything diamond, platinum, or gold. Nope, no rings there, although it might not be so forever. Only you can decide but All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister” may make you vow to keep it that way.

Back in Grandma’s day – and perhaps even for Mom – life’s path for most women included marriage.

At some point in their early twenties, they were expected to give up careers or jobs they loved in order to be wed - and if that didn’t happen by a societallydetermined age, well, then something was wrong.

In contrast, by 2009, less than fifty percent of American women were married; overall, we’re doing it later, too. In the meantime, unmarried women impact the way America works, votes, plays, spends, and sleeps together.

By Terri Schlichenmeyerr You’ve been told it’s impossible.

No one can do it. You may as well not even try because it’s never been done before. Not possible except when it is, because there’s no other way. It’s a live-or-die matter, as in the new book I Had to Survive

by Dr. Roberto Canessa and Pablo Vierci.

Growing up in Uruguay,

Women who are single (a word many hate) hold fifty-one percent of all management positions in this country, Traister says; conversely, nearly half of America’s minimum wage earners are unmarried females. The term “sexual harassment” entered our language because of a single woman at work, and a fictional working mom once became a political talking point.

Politics, in fact, and ultra-conservatives in particular, seem to fear single women economically, socially, sexually, and in childrearing, says Traister. Many of the country’s woes have been laid on the shoulders of single women but, as she indicates, pessimistic pols should beware before finger-pointing: four years ago, unmarried women made up nearly a quarter of the voting population.

Unmarried women have redefined friendships because men were off exploring or at war. They’ve changed land ownership laws, increased the literacy rate, become activists to change policy, upended birth rates, and altered the way people approach the altar. They were half the reason “dating” is allowed, unchaperoned. They embrace higher education, relish their independence, love their freedom, and yes, sometimes mourn their aloneness and the poverty that can accompany the lack of a legal partner…

“I Never Will Marry” is more than just a country

song, that’s for sure. It’s also a force to be reckoned with, as you’ll see in All the Single Ladies.

Starting with Anita Hill, author Rebecca Traister moves through women’s history with interviews, her own experiences, and little-known stories that illustrate how not putting a ring on it has made an impact on America in more ways than one.

And yet - it might seem, at first look, that this book is only about privileged college-age women, though Traister isn’t so limiting: also included are anecdotes from African American women, struggling single mothers, the Childless by Choice, and immigrant women bucking Old World trends and parental pressure. I liked that balance, which offers a more rounded read.

Beware that this is a gigantic subject; tackling it wholly would’ve killed an entire forest, so this book is a bit limited in scope because it has to be. Still, if you’ve wondered how “I Do” has become “I Don’t” and what that means, then All the Single Ladies has you covered.

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister c.2016, Simon & Schuster $27.00 / $36.00 Canada, 352 pages Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

two months after the crash, Canessa and his friend, the privileged eldest son of two professionals, Roberto Canessa was high-spirited, spoiled, and a little wild.

Nando, undertook a daring trek that took them across A group of Irish Christian Brothers finally tamed him, sheer ice, on tiny ledges above crevasses, and down proving to him that he was truly a leader avalanche-prone snow to a valley of flowers.

At sixteen, Canessa was a rugby star; at eighteen, he It was there where, weak and barely alive, they was a member of the Uruguayan national rugby team, found the man who rescued them… though his passion was medicine. He was, in fact, a Today, author Roberto Canessa is a renowned nineteen-year-old second-year medical student on the pediatric cardiologist in Montevideo, which may afternoon of October 13, 1972, when the plane in seem like a tenuous tie to his early story. Part of the which he was riding crashed into a remote part of the explanation for that incongruity comes in chapters Andes. written by patients and thankful parents of children Of the forty-odd passengers and crew he’s saved – chapters that might be more aboard, many were killed instantly or compelling, were they not so repetitive died soon after the crash. The cold or frequent. As it is, because they’re was relentless and, because they too-similar and too many, those outside figured someone would be looking testimonials lose their effect. for them, those that remained “began

Instead, what moves this book to transform into a single along is the re-telling of the tragedy, organism” as they worked woven between intimate chapters on together to stay warm and how it deeply affected the way Canessa hydrated. Survivors devised lives his life. That almost-44-year-old ways to keep one another alive endurance tale is a nail-biter which, paired through clever inventions, with insight from Canessa, his father, and repairs of damaged equipment, other rescuers, offers up the best part of and adaptations of the meager this book, bringing the grueling story items that were not destroyed to a new generation unfamiliar with the in the crash. Canessa became Andes crash and updating it for those Author Dr. Roberto the group’s doctor. Three cousins Canessa. who remember it well. took unofficial leadership roles.

And if you fall into either But as days turned to weeks and supplies category, ignoring “I Had to Survive” could be slowly disappeared, weaker individuals died, impossible. one by one, of starvation. Canessa only hints I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes about who first suggested that they “nourish Inspired My Calling to Save Lives by Dr. Roberto ourselves with the bodies” of those who died Canessa and Pablo Vierci c.2016, Atria Books $26.00 but it was a “simple and audacious” idea that / $35.00 Canada, 291 pages sustained the remaining survivors until they were rescued.

Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

Indeed, audacity was mandatory: more than

The Bookworm Sez:

‘Writing My Wrongs’ is harrowing, terrifying, and an essential read

By Terri Schlichenmeyerr You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Even so, we do it all the time: we see someone’s outside and think we know what’s inside. We base it on his looks, or his youthful indiscretions – things, as in the new book Writing My Wrongs by Shaka Senghor, that he may deeply regret.

Little James White wanted to be a doctor when he grew up.

Enveloped by the love of his parents, he was secure in the idea that he could maintain his honors status and do good for people in his Detroit community. But then his parents split, reconciled, and split again; his mother took her frustrations out on him and she kicked him out of her house.

Jay was just “a little boy” of fourteen then, but it didn’t take long for someone to offer him a job selling cocaine at five dollars a “rock.”

He started earning big money, wearing cool clothes, getting girls, smoking crack.

By seventeen, he’d been in trouble with the law and had been given many second chances.

By eighteen, he’d been shot in the leg and foot.

By nineteen, he was in prison for shooting

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another man, killing him.

In his first six weeks in County Jail, Jay saw it all: rape, robbery, beatdowns, murder.

He learned the “law of the jungle” and knew that he could never let small disrespects slide. It was a whole new world, but a Author Shaka sentence of up to Senghor. forty-two years for firearm possession and murder put him in another universe.

Years later, transferred to various prisons within the state and carrying a new name and a new assault charge, Shaka Senghor promised himself repeatedly that he would change, only to have it beaten back by prison life and the deep anger and guilt he carried. Finally, mid-way through a four-and-a-half year stint in ad-seg, he “took a long and painful look” at himself and equipped his cell “like a classroom,”

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

BOOK REVIEWS reconnecting with the Black history he loved and the religious studies he craved.

“But the real changes,” he says, “came when I started keeping a journal.”

I’m glad he did that. You will be, too, once you’ve started Writing My Wrongs, but don’t think for a minute that this is an easy book to read.

One expects passages of brutality in a book about prison, but author Shaka Senghor takes it a step beyond, to something of nightmares or movies. That he was moved from prison to prison makes the chaos even keener; prisoners, says Senghor, sometimes lose track of time and readers could be forgiven for the same. Enter the maelstrom from the safety of your sofa, in fact, and the ending

of this book – Senghor’s hard-won redemption and afterlife – will remind you that you’ve been holding your breath awhile.

Writing My Wrongs may be right for a certain kind of book group. For sure, it’s something every young person should absolutely read. It’s uplifting, triumphant to the skies and, once you start it, you’ll be sorry to reach its back cover.

Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison by Shaka Senghor c.2016, Convergent Books $26.00 / $35.00 Canada, 269 pages Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

The Bookworm Sez:

‘Mrs. Houdini’ is a great, factual, historic romance

By Terri Schlichenmeyerr The day you met your beloved, it was magical.

Think about it: billions of people in the world, and the two of you – random strangers – found one another and fell in love. What are the odds?

And now you’re a pair, a couple, a team and, as in the new novel, Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly, you couldn’t escape it if you wanted to.

Charming or sincere. Bess Rahner was sure that show business men were one or the other, never both. At eighteen, she was already jaded about such things - and then she met Harry Houdini.

It started with a blind date, a favor Bess did for her friend, but then Harry proposed to her just minutes after they met on that Coney Island boardwalk. She was a singer, performing with two other girls on a small stage. He and his brother did magic at the fairgrounds. She barely knew him; marrying him didn’t make sense but she did it anyway, the very next afternoon.

Sometimes, life was a struggle: they were unimaginably poor at times, but rich in experience. They traveled the country and to Europe, but Bess longed to stay home with babies that never came, and that broke their hearts.

Yet, despite it all, they loved one another and worked together to reach the fame Harry knew could be theirs. Months with a traveling circus honed their act; each new venue taught them anew. Harry always found more “impossible” ways to draw crowds, which eventually took a toll on him: like anyone, he aged, and could no longer tolerate what he was asking of his own body.

He certainly couldn’t tolerate the blows to his stomach that ultimately killed him.

While Bess had her tearoom to keep her going, Harry’s death left her little else but debts and a promise: he was sure of an afterlife and had devised a method of proof through a code from Beyond.

By 1929, though, Bess hadn’t heard a word – or had she? Morethan-coincidental clues appeared, and they seemed to be linked to a local photographer.

She had to find that man – and in doing so, she hoped to find her late husband.

Want to know one of the hallmarks of a really good novel?

It’s when you forget that it’s a novel.

That mind-slip is made surprisingly easier when reading Mrs. Houdini because of the extensive research author Victoria Kelly’s done. This book is plump with real historical events and people, but a fictional thread peeks between truths – one that seemed far-fetched at first, but slowly fits with what we know (and learn) about the main characters. Kelly also has a talent for time-tripping with readers, from the late 1800s through World War II, which adds to the allure. By the time the sparkling ending is reached – an ending that couldn’t be Author Dr. Roberto more perfect – you’ll Canessa. be entranced.

Can you resist?

You shouldn’t, especially if a bit of gauzy illusion is what you’d love in a romance. For you, then, Mrs. Houdini is great escapism.

Mrs. Houdini: A Novel by Victoria Kelly c.2016, Atria $26.00 / $35.00 Canada, 306 pages

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CD REVIEWS

By Sarah Osterbauer editor@southernminnscene.com

W

Lucius explores ‘Good Grief’

hen Lucius first made their retro pop splash across the airwaves with their debut album Wildewoman, the depth of their sound was not immediately obvious.

They also arrived onto the scene fully dressed in tried and true band uniforms, when most new bands were doing the opposite. They knew the importance of coming out of the gate with a signature style, something that would allow fans to recognize and remember them. Their performance level was on par with their look, polished and refined like a well oiled machine. They managed perfect rhythmic timing at the same time, infusing soul and heart into their music. These characteristics only became more pronounced on their new album Good Grief.

Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig’s voices have the power to blend seamlessly into one new voice, to compliment each other harmoniously or to separate into two equally strong and beautiful parts.

It’s a rare find and these two are lucky to share it.

They never overpower each other, their actions

By Daniel G. Moir editor@southernminnscene.com

errands ending in nervous breakdown.

Me: Good to see you both, I thought we should take advantage of the “Interview Issue” to conduct more of a roundtable discussion for this month’s review.

I: It would be, but he takes a self deprecating approach to the situation while the band delivers a dynamic backdrop. The whole beginning of the album is a series of potential “Radio Hits” that also make cultural statements. The strangesounding, funky “UGH!” is about the waste of cocaine use and is followed by the role social media plays in the gorgeous break-up ballad “Change of Heart.” The random lyrics chart out the inevitability of aggressive decay in a relationship that ends more in apathy than anger. “You said I’m full of diseases. Your eyes were full of regret.

And then you took a picture of your salad and put it on the Internet.” Who writes like that?

Myself: Yeah, another “Oh, woe is me, I’m famous” song, right?

Myself: Isn’t this a bit pretentious?

The 1975 produce an album deserving of a roundtable discussion

only function to be in sync with one another and bring each other up.

On Good Grief Lucius goes the distance lyrically and musically, beckoning to Motown and 80’s synth pop. They blend classic pop elements to create a sound that’s as new and fresh as it is electric. Their choruses are delightfully singable, their beats clappable and danceable.

They’ve always had a way of using metaphor and pun to express real talk about life and relationships, the the best one here in “My Heart Got Caught on Your Sleeve” with the line following the title lyric “I need it, please give it back to me.”

Purveyors and fearless leaders of feminism (even with the majority of their band represented as men) they continue to outline the troubles of the everywoman, and giving those issues a life more dire and urgent so as not to be ignored.

The real gem of the album is “Gone Insane”.

Set to a textbook rock drum beat, they outline the demise of a relationship. “The time we share is in the suffering, we’re all alone in this togetherness” they sing. The ending of this song is one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time as the two women wither and writhe the words “go on

I: Look, if we’re reviewing an album titled “I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It” with a singer using it as an open therapy session and comparing himself emotionally to the Greek Economy on a song, it practically begs for it. It’s not like we can do this with the new Pete Yorn album, which is fantastic by the way.

Myself: Point. Just don’t mention the title again.

Me: For their second album, Manchester artrock quartet The 1975 really expands the scope of their sound and ventures into a lusher, more “Eighties” kind of vibe then their 2013 debut.

The great thing about it is they didn’t “pretty” up the lyrical content or shy away from the uncomfortable topics that give it a realistic, raw edge.

I: Neither do they “Americanize” their sound or pander for State-side acceptance. The album is littered with references to U.K. locations, from a grocery store chain to a specific Tube stop, to add rich detail and realism.

Me: The album starts with the very pop-centric single “Love Me.” It’s the best INXS song I have heard in 30 years. Add a dash of Duran Duran’s “Notorious” and a pinch of Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time” and you have a recipe for radio back in the Summer of 1986. “Love Me” both weighs in on the shallow frivolousness of celebrity while also acknowledging its influence.

I: See that’s really the thing, isn’t it? Much of this album is a race through bandleader Matthew Healy’s reaction to the sudden rush of fame after their first album. Taking a lyrical nod from U.K. hip-hop outfit The Streets, the narrative “The Ballad Of Me And My Brain” recounts a trip running

Me: The things that really stood out for me were the incredibly varied moments and musical styles.

They switch from catchy, obvious “Pop” songs like “The Sound” to questioning the existence of God in the gospel-influenced “If I Believe You.” I appreciated that they had the good sense to use Roy Hargrove on flugelhorn for that one.

Myself: Like I said, pretty pretentious!

Me: “She’s American” takes several shots at American culture and its effect on the singer’s psyche. It is not often that you can find a song this catchy that is willing to reference both gun ownership and differences in dental hygiene to make its point.

I: They use ambient sound, pop and dance to create something that is both familiar and new at the same time.

Myself: Of the three “ambient” pieces on the record the one that didn’t work was “Please Be Naked.” That one was too much like a castoff from Brian Eno’s “Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks” album to be taken seriously.

Me: But the title track really pays off half-way through when it coalesces into a glistening warm melodic sequence before taking off in an unexpected, and beautiful direction. It is here that the album seems to take flight into an emotion-

call me the one who’s gone insane, oh I can be the one who’s gone insane”. The shape of the words over the course of the song move through all the stages of grief, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

It leads you to believe that the album title, not only works in the traditional sense of the phrase “good grief” but also more literal as ‘grief’ that is good, for the soul, for the heart, for the matter at hand. These songs outline the struggle that is love, that is trying to live your life and making sure you can feel good about the person you’ve become. It’s about how growing up doesn’t always mean getting wiser and things only get harder not easier. These songs are hurt and frustration and anger set to catchy beats and hooks.

The songs are shiny, metallic truths beautifully wrapped in metaphor. It’s a package you not only want, but need. Unwrap, unwrap and enjoy everything inside.

Sarah Osterbauer is the SouthernMinn Scene music columnist.

She’s a music critic and loves to meet the people who make the city’s heart beat (and sometimes break). Follow her on twitter @ SarahOwrites.

ally satisfying series of songs that give the payoff ending.

Myself: The subject material and point of view expressed throughout the album is pretty raw and uncompromising. Lyrically, this isn’t much of a “feel good” band.

I: That’s part of the charm. It reminds me of fellow Mancunians The Smiths with more keyboards. These are beautifully catchy, energetic songs with lyrics that are almost horrific to read on paper. It must be that Northern influence.

Me: It is really the honesty of the writing that impresses me. The absolute high point of the album is “Paris.” With a sensuous sequencer groove, the warm, dreamy synthesizer and guitar parts are joined with a stunning, flowing melodic performance by Healy. This is a song about opulent, self-serving, hopeless decadence where each new “high” falls short of expectations. The lyrics patch together stream of conscious thoughts that cohere in a second darkly stunning verse before hopelessly fading into a dream of going to Paris again. “Someday…”

I: Healy’s tribute to his late Grandmother follows in the song “Nana.” With a simple acoustic arrangement recalling James Taylor, his writing is both honest and direct. It feels voyeuristic to hear Healy’s voice waver before breaking in the song’s conclusion, but that just reveals the open unguarded approach the band takes in their work. Continuing the original ethos of Punk, you are included as if you are more of a “mate” than a consumer of music. Like the best of friends, this is one that rewards those willing to stick with them.

Bottom Line: A scattering of sounds and influences that cohere into an lyrically dark album that embraces, infuriates and challenges the “Pop” landscape. So far, we (Me, Myself & I) put this one in contention for our “Album of the Year.”

This one will be hard to top.

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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By RICH LARSON editor@southernminnscene.com

B

Jason Paulson ponders his way through a glorious ‘Crow River Ramble’

eing a professional musician can look like a glamorous life. You get all that attention, and usually the accolades thrown at you are positive. You get to do what you love, and when you’re at work you’re playing music with your friends. Every day is different, and you aren’t stuck behind a desk. Instead you travel from bar to bar, theater to theater, festivals to parties. You get to be outside when the weather is nice. You get to write songs and create music. That just sounds like the life, doesn’t it?

Well, try telling that to Jason Paulson. After more than fifteen years in the music business, first fronting the band Grayson and then out on his own with the Jason Paulson Band, he’s had success, but it doesn’t sound like he’s had a lot of glamour. The reality of being a professional musician means a lot of time away from home without much money coming in. On his latest album, Crow River Ramble, Paulson works out the frustrations of his reality as a father, a husband and a man whose dreams are starting to fade.

He sets the tone for his musings with the first song on the album, “Bad Habits.” It’s a beautifully lonesome country melody, with bluntly honest lyrics. “They say money can’t buy smiles/ But it could hide the pain a while/Instead of working three jobs to live in debt,” he sings. And the chorus lays things out just as simply “They say love is all you need/Lord but I could use some

sleep/There’s no rest for the weary in this life/ So I wonder what comes next/Bad habits or bad checks/Cause lately I’ve been too tired to fight.”

Paulson’s troubles are not limited to musicians, of course, and he knows it. Those who raised a family through the great recession can universally relate to the constant feeling of defeat, taking one step forward and two steps back. And we can also relate to the necessity of talking ourselves back into the fray. “They say time can heal but the scars they remain,” he sings on “Train,” “By no fault of their own being born into pain/And the truth is that most they will never find light/ But I refuse to believe in the darkness tonight.”

There is no questioning Paulson’s skills as a songwriter and as a musician. While he’ll tell you that he is a country artist, he’s hardly a typical one. Paulson is not afraid to stray from the standard two-step rhythm and will incorporate elements of swing (“I Don’t Wanna Go Home”), zydeco (“Close Your Eyes”), and classic rock (“Cold in California”) into his songs. His recording mates, Makai Catudio on bass, Bob Cavalieri on keyboards, Nate Burge on drums and producer Jason Swenson contributing everything from percussion to strings to “random noises,” keep things tight no matter what Paulson asks of them. While they move through diverse genres, the band brings unity and precision to the music, pushing each song into a greater whole. Crow River Ramble is a fantastic album not just because of Paulson’s great songs but because of the people he has playing them.

And let us not shortchange Paulson the guitar-

ist, either. He’s a skilled rhythm player who will can add some spice in drops and fills and then take off on a passionate-yet-tasteful solo. Like a “five tool” baseball player, Paulson is the rare musician with an immaculate sense of melody, writes well-thought out lyrics, keeps rhythm, solos like a guitar hero and sings as well as anyone.

This brings us back to the conundrum of his frustrations. Despite all his considerable talent, he sounds ready to walk away from everything in order to do the right thing for his family. On “Love That You Leave Behind,” he’s thinking about his legacy not as a musician but as a father “I see my eyes in a little girl/And a boy who lives in his own little world/And the pair they share my wondering mind/So, maybe it’s not what you have but the love that you leave behind.”

Whatever the future holds for Paulson, and the hope here is that he’ll continue to make music, it’s obvious that his heart and mind are in the right place. That comes through in the chorus of his song “Love:” “Love is patient love is kind/Love it heals, love it binds/ Seems like it’s always enough/So let all you do be done in love.”

Whether those are final thoughts on a career well explored or inspirational words to move him forward, really makes no difference; the sentiment is what matters. With Crow River Ramble Paulson ponders on questions we all ask and eventually reminds us of the things that really matter.

Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene.com.

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KARLEE KANZ Karlee Kanz is a freelance writer in Southern Minnesota.

Contact her at editor@southernminnscene.com.

A Eulogy

Marshmallow in The Sky:

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ike most people, I don’t like change much. I tend to stick to the same kind of daily rituals and it keeps me (for the most part) sane. But sometimes change is good, and that speaks true for the brand new Vikings home field, U.S Bank Stadium. For some of you, the Metrodome holds very fond memories even though it looked like a huge marshmallow, and during the end smelled like stale tears from the years of disappointment (excluding those two times the Minnesota Twins decided to win a bunch of baseball games which got them to win a huge ass trophy and the admiration of thousands).

The Metrodome opened its doors on April 3rd, 1982 and was laid to rest January 18th, 2014. Lets take a trip down memory lane one last time before the way more aesthetically pleasing stadium makes you completely forget the one, the only, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

The Metrodome was the scene of several baseball players joining the 3000 hit club, including Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, and Cal Ripken, Jr. This one was a joy to see. On June 28, 2007, in the top of the first inning, Frank Thomas hit a three-run home run to left-center against Carlos Silva (Its okay, I wasn’t surprised Silva gave up a home run either.) for his 500th career home run. Later in the game Thomas was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, being the most Frank Thomas he could possibly be.

On November 30, 2008, against the Chicago Bears, Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian, tying an NFL record for longest pass, and oddly enough didn’t head-butt the wall after. (Maybe because he learned his lesson

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when he head-butted a ‘padded’ steel wall back when he played for the Washington Redskins. Freotte sustained a sprained neck and ended up going to the hospital at halftime and missing the rest of the game. He was a super smart cookie, if you couldn’t already tell).

Dwyane Wade recorded just the FOURTH triple double in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament history on March 29, 2003. Later in 2003, Wade was drafted by the Miami Heat. The highlight of his career has been playing alongside LeBron James (I’m only guessing this), who is a triple double machine even though he stands at 6-foot-8 and weighing 250lbs. Sorry, Dwyane you probably peaked in College.

Can we talk about how loud it got in there? The sound was recycled throughout the stadium because of the fabric-domed roof, did ya know that? Now you do. Some people say that noise bodes well for the home team, and the Metrodome was named the loudest NFL stadium, but sadly the shrieks and shrills of drunken Minnesotans didn’t get us any Superbowl rings. The Minnesota Twins had much better luck, in the 1987 World Series and 1991 World Series, peak decibel levels were measured at 125 and 118 respectively comparable to a jet airliner—both close to the threshold of pain. I do love my baseball with a side of bleeding ears.

I was too young to experience this one but wow oh wow I wish I did. Michael Jordan had a 45-point night on Nov. 8, 1989, in the Wolves’ first regular-season home game in front of 35,427; the team set an NBA single-season attendance record at the time of 1,072,572. Yes, you read that correctly. People used to go watch basketball back in the day.

Ya’ll remember the Chuck Knoblauch hot dog game on May 2, 2001? Or as I like to call it the Chuck Hotdogblauch incident. Good

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ol’ Chuck returned as a Yankee and was pelted with Dollar Dogs (R.I.P. ...I still dream of you from time to time) from Twins fans while playing left field. I’m sure he still has night terrors about it.

Have you ever left the Metrodome out of the standard doors and not the revolving doors? You would most definitely know if you did.

Here’s a little bit of science for your brain space: There is only about a two-tenths of 1 percent difference in the amount of air inside vs. outside. When there is even the slightest amount of pressure difference (even if the air temp. is the same on the inside as outside) the air inside wants to equalize with the air outside, and when that happens, BOOM, you get the fiercest wind gusts coming at your back, forcing you out of the Metrodome. Making you lose your eye wear, baseball caps, loose clothing, and even small children. I’m not kidding, I can count on both hands how many times I’ve seen parents unknowingly letting their toddlers waddle their way out of the Metrodome and getting a big dose of cement burn on their arms.

So there you have it, my Eulogy of sorts for that big marshmallow. It was the first place I saw a World Series Championship win, my first huge rock concert (Metallica, which oddly enough will be the first rock band to play US Bank Stadium), seeing Prince Fielder hitting an inside the park home run then running into the dugout because he couldn’t stop his forward motion, somehow being rained on even though I was inside, GRAVE DIIIIIGGGGERRRR, Kent Hrbek tagging (Or “tagging” for some of you) Ron Gant, and I’ll never forget the kemps milk jug...that obnoxious eye sore. I can go on and on about all of the memories, but lets make some new ones, yeah?

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conversation between the communicator and myself eventually fizzled out.

I got the impression, in the few follow ups that I did have, that she no longer would be coasting on the goodwill of a charity auction win, and would have preferred that I pony up some money for additional services.

KEVIN KREIN Kevin Krein is a cool rabbit dad. He’s also an award winning music blogger and writer for myriad publications. Please follow his tweets if you care to: @ KevEFly or contact him at kkrein@northfieldnews.com

Here I am, always bugging Annabell with the camera.

D

ue to the fact that I am such a tremendously talented writer, when it comes to issues of the Southern Minnesota Scene magazine that have recurring themes, I feel like in some cases, I may have peaked right out of the gate.

Not with topics like “winter” or “Valentine’s Day”—there will more than likely be some new cold weather-related gripe to relay by the time January’s deadline is looming; and there will certainly always be something pithy about romance to regale the readers of the publication with in February.

However, take the theme of “art” for example: my first attempt at tackling the subject in the fall of 2014 was so great1, it’s like, where do you go from there?

What else is there to say on the subject?

The same can be said for this very issue—the second annual “interview” issue of the publication. Last year, I came out strong when I conducted an interview with my doppelgänger and discussed the more deeply rooted and ultimately philosophical aspects of having a gigantic, beautiful beard.

How do you top that?

The truth is that you can’t, and with a deadline growing closer, I started to wonder whom else there is that I would want to interview.

And then it came to me.

If I could, I would want to interview my rabbit, Annabell.

----------------------------- A little over a year ago, in a Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society fundraising auction, I bid on and won a session with an animal communicator.

The session where the communicator would actually come out to the house to interface with our companion rabbits was a little out of my price range at the time, so I bid on the next best thing—a session correspondence through email.

How exactly does that work, you may be asking yourself.

Upon being named the winning bidder, I was provided with the communicator’s email address and I sent her a very lengthy (brevity has never been my strong suit) backstory on our rabbits (Sophie was still alive at this time) along with photos of both of them—to which the communicator

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would respond with information after she had a chance to…chat with them.

How exactly does that work, you may be asking yourself.

That’s something that I am still wondering about, too, even after all this time. How can someone communicate with two animals when they haven’t actually interacted with them face to face?

What I was provided in return after about a two week wait was either a real conversation this woman somehow had with Annabell and Sophie, or an attempt at creative writing based on the information that I had provided to her in advance. Was any of this for real, or was it all some kind of psychological legerdemain, like a cruise liner mentalist performing for an audience of tourists?

I still don’t know the answer to that question, and I probably never will.

What the communicator provided me with left me with more questions than answers about our girls, and we never received any resolution when I pressed for more—it was around this time that Sophie’s health started to decline, and the

----------------------------------------- If you’ve spent enough time around a companion animal—rabbit, or otherwise—chances are you’ve developed some kind of rapport with them that is based around you saying things to them, or asking them a lot of open ended questions, and their nonverbal responses to these things.

As expected, my wife and I ask Annabell a lot of questions, and she responds accordingly—like when I ask if she’d like a piece of cilantro as a treat, she runs around in a circle and then waits by the edge of the carpeting in the living room until I come through on my promise.

But what about those questions Snackin’ that aren’t so easy to find answers for through her non-verbal language?

Annabell has lived with us for four years, and one thing she has never gotten used to are what we simply call “cooking sounds”—e.g. the sound of vegetables being chopped, the various sounds that our oven makes as it gets up to temperature, or the sound of food sizzling in a pan.

These sounds, in fact, give her a case of the howling fantods, and despite our efforts to try to cover them up with music, or to reassure her that she is not in any danger, nor has she ever been in any danger, she will still run and hide the moment the knife hits the cutting board, the instant the oven beeps to let us know it’s pre-heated, or the second an onion starts to sauté.

I would love to know what, after four years,

z

z z z

is it about these sounds that is still so frightening to her, and why after all this time, has she not grown somewhat accustomed to them.

I’ve recently gotten into the habit of winking at Annabell, and on occasion, she will wink back at me. What is it that she’s trying to tell me, I wonder. Is it just that she has seen me do it, and is doing it back to me, or is there something unspoken that is happening between us?

I wonder if she likes the music that we play in the house. Does she have a favorite singer/songwriter? Does she prefer Biggie or Tupac?

It’s at this point that the questions that I’d like to ask start getting real— when we adopted Annabell and her sister, we were told they were part of an “oops litter” of rabbits and they were immediately surrendered to the Companion Rabbit Society. There are moments, when she is resting or sleeping and I am patting her on the noggin, that I wonder if she ever misses or thinks about her family—not us, the dumb white people that she’s been stuck with for the last four years—but her rabbit mom and dad, and any other siblings she may have had before she was plucked away and placed into foster care.

I wonder if she ever misses her sister Sophie the way my wife and I do, or if grieving and coping with loss is different when you are a rabbit.

It’s these kind of questions that aren’t easily answered when she runs around in a circle, stands up on her hind legs, toddling around and begging for a treat, or flops down on her side in a fit of contentment and naps.

It’s these kind of questions that she maybe doesn’t even think about at all, and instead, it’s just us, because we can’t help but projecting the human condition onto others.

1- if you recall, I wrote about becoming a local patron of the arts, and purchasing a large painting from artist T. Andrew Foster—it may have a deeper meaning, or it may just be a painting of three butts.

z zZ

What do you think she dreams about when she’s fast asleep?

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