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THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MEN TWELFTH NIGHT
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PHOENIX THEATRE PRESENTS RED HERRING
November 1 2:00pm
NOT THE RIGHT MOM
A heartfelt comedy of a mom raising a son on the spectrum. November 15
ATLANTA
RHYTHM SECTION
“So Into You”, “Imaginary Lover”, and “Spooky” November 22
November 14
LAVERNE & LUCY
A Side-splitting comedy, lively music and laugh-out-loud improvisation! November 18 2pm
Get tickets and be among the first in line to see Santa November 28 1:30pm
5 New to you
Restaurants debut in SoMinn SCENE region to tasteful approval.
8 An Owatonna Staple
The Kitchen delivers homey vibes and comfort food. COLUMNS:
9 Rants & RAVES
I could be president
10 Mollywood BLVD
Forgotten foods of the 1970s, the lost flavors of the ‘me’ decade.
15 SoMinn STYLE
We didn’t just stop dressing up; we stopped showing up for ourselves.
16 Through a SoMinn LENS
A taste of the SoMinn food scene in photos.
20 What 2 WATCH
Taylor Swift is a box office titan.
26 SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ
- One of Us - Mexico’s Day of the Dead
- Somebody is Walking on Your Grave
- Adult Halloween Books
- King Sorrow CALENDAR:
21 SCENE MONTHLY EVENTS
PLACES TO GO and THINGS TO DO
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NEW MENU • LUNCH • DINNER
Restaurants debut in SoMinn SCENE region to tasteful approval
By JANE TURPIN MOORE
Guest Contributor
Sure, you treasure that nearby burger joint you’ve frequented for years, but sometimes you crave a change of scenery and a slightly different flavor profile.
If that’s you, then it’s time to step through the door of a novel eatery. Luckily, southern Minnesota has several new restaurants up and running for your gastronomic pleasure.
In the notoriously challenging world of restaurateurs—consider variable (and often rising) food costs, difficulty securing stable and adequate labor, endless need to advertise and unpredictable customer traffic—it’s not surprising there’s often turnover.
So keep visiting your old familiar spots while being adventurous and giving some new restaurants a try. Your taste buds will be glad you did.
KAVO Italian Eatery
,
225 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. 507-308-5286, kavoitalianeatery.com.
Mangia!
Did someone suggest Italian?
Chris Person, lead partner in ATOM Hospitality that operates several restaurants in the St.
Peter/Mankato area (including 3rd Street Tavern, Tav on the Ave and Number Four, among others), is pleased to announce the group’s newest contribution to the region’s culinary scene: KAVO Italian Eatery.
Open only since early September, the classy restaurant with a distinctive scent of garlic hovering in the air has already made a notable mark on St. Peter’s main street.
“We’ve been busy since Day One,” confirmed Person in the midst of a bustling Saturday night.
When this reporter called a day ahead to reserve a table for two, only two options remained: at 4:15 p.m. or 7 p.m., evidencing the site’s early popularity.
KAVO’s ambience is striking: accent colors of green and Atlantic (or perhaps Mediterranean?) blue pop throughout—on chairs, booths, ceiling, even dishware. Chandeliers, locally crafted ash-wood tables, Cambria countertops, tiled floors, dimmable lighting and a focus on historic features all create an elevated mood in the dining areas.
Situated on a prominent downtown corner in the meticulously restored and updated First National Bank building (formerly the longtime home of a Godfather’s Pizza), KAVO’s owners were intentional about honoring the 1914 structure, which has a historical designation and has been a St. Peter landmark for over 100 years.
That’s all very cool, but contemporary diners are more likely eager to know: How’s the food?
Delizioso.
Handcrafted pasta in a variety of shapes and flavor profiles lead the way. Choose from tomato-based, shrimp, lasagna, butternut squash and more, being aware that menus may change seasonally and as fan favorites develop, Person advised.
At present, 10 variations of pizza are available; we found the aptly named “First Na-
tional” a perfect flavor blend of pesto and mozzarella, topped with green olives, artichokes, ricotta and a spicy dash of black pepper. A Sunday “family dinner” option serves up a mix of pasta, pizza, salad and warm housebaked focaccia (with a tempting rosemary inflection) for three or four people, currently
KAVO Pasta
KAVO Pizza
priced at a bargain $60.
Sandwiches, salads, steak and a handful of other enticing entrees round out the menu, which is bound to have something to satisfy every diner in your party.
Desserts run the gamut from a triple chocolate cake to vanilla cheesecake, cannoli, gelato, tiramisu—and, if you’re a coffee lover, go for the affogato.
KAVO boasts a lengthy wine, beer and cocktail list, including a few creative mocktails for the teetotaler (or designated driver) in your party.
The name KAVO is derived from the Italian word “caveau,” meaning vault. And the bank vault’s door now figures into the decor, featured rather than hidden in the glass-walled private seating room that’s available for group bookings.
So if you’re seeking an enhanced Italian dining experience beyond that of a chain restaurant, KAVO Italian Eatery is a destination you’ll want to explore.
Just be sure to make a reservation; demand for seats is currently as hot as the pizza.
Cahill Bistro & Bar, 632 Second St., Kenyon. 507-623-1001, cahillbistrobar.com.
A Northfield resident gave a recent Facebook shout-out to Cahill Bistro & Bar, exclaiming, “Can you believe this is only 20 minutes away?”
Yet there it is. Tucked into downtown Kenyon is this fresh manifestation of the Pinos family’s expanding Minnesota restaurant enterprise.
Take it as a sound recommendation that owner Carlos Pinos’s first restaurant, the similarly named Cahill Bistro, has earned a solid following and a five-star rating over the past eight years in residential Edina. Reviewers have called that site a “hidden gem,” citing its creative Ecuadorian flair (with a strong dash of American flavors along for the ride).
With his brothers Christian and Alberto (the latter Cahill Bistro & Bar’s main chef and menu
developer), plus additional family members who combine forces to offer outstanding food and service, Pinos is bullish on patrons from Kenyon and surrounding communities falling hard for their high-level offerings of cuisine and cocktails.
“Our family [historically] were restaurateurs in Ecuador,” said Pinos, 46. The Pinos brothers have collectively logged over 60 years in the business to date.
In other words, they know their way around kitchens and dining rooms and are well-practiced at delivering delicious meals to satisfied customers.
“People really love our empanadas, seasoned Brussels sprouts and house-made guacamole and chips,” said Pinos of Cahill Bistro & Bar’s lip-smacking appetizer list, which also includes ceviche, calamari and the always-in-demand chicken wings.
“Our iceberg wedge salad with homemade blue cheese dressing is popular,” said Pinos, mentioning too the bistro’s lobster pasta and signature Lomo Saltado, an Ecuadorian specialty rich in beef tips, red onions, bell peppers and cilantro accented with fried yuca and balsamic greens.
“The Lomo Saltado and creme brûlée are two of my personal favorites.”
Ah yes, those desserts. Besides Pino’s favored creme brûlée, look for Mexican tres leches, a flourless chocolate torte and an Ecuadorian coffee flan.
Cahill Bistro & Bar smartly offers a kids’ menu with choices to serve every young one’s taste.
And don’t miss the breakfast options, which include a nod to the bistro’s agrarian location. Go for basic pancakes/French toast or the “Kenyon Breakfast” (two eggs any style, bacon or sausage, roasted potatoes or Ecuadorian llapingachos—traditional pancakes—and toast) but extend to the more ethnic in Chilaquiles, Huevos Divorciados or Mediterranean eggs that promise feta-forwardness.
And regular happy hour specials (Sunday through Thursday, 3-5:30 p.m.) provide the perfect excuse to even more economically sample Cahill Bistro & Bar’s acclaimed sangria, margaritas and savory appetizer choices.
“Our margaritas are always praised,” assured Pinos, mentioning that brother Christian opened The Belle’s Bistro in Belle Plaine only a couple of months ago, making Cahill Bistro & Bar’s eight months in business seem almost lengthy.
“People in Kenyon are really happy with us, and we are so happy to be here,” continued Pinos.
“Seeing people having a good time, finding this cozy place to celebrate and enjoy a great meal makes me happy
“Helping our customers have a good, more special day? That’s our goal.”
Freelance writer/collaborative pianist Jane Turpin Moore grew up in the Mankato area and is now based in Northfield. She blogs at timeformoore566445504.wordpress. com and fields emails at jturpinmoore@gmail.com.
Cahill Bistro Family
KAVO Italian Eatery
NEW RESTAURANTS IN SCENE REGION
Other new (or new-to-you) restaurants in the Southern Minn Scene readership area:
Best Thai Cuisine, 115 N. Main St., Janesville. 507-200-1524, bestthaimn.com. Authentic Thai flavors, featuring fresh and flavorful dishes made with traditional recipes and bold spices. Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Bubble Bliss, 12 3rd St. NE, Faribault. 507323-8253. This shop sells boba tea, a tea beverage with edible pearls that originates in
Taiwan. The drink has gained popularity in recent years in the United States, with businesses opening across the country. Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
El Mazatlan, 1611 Old Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. 507-934-0002, elmazatlanfood.com. Nachos, carne asada fries, quesadillas, guacamole and other dips, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, combination plates and more. Opened in August in former KFC building. Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
El Rey Del Taco, 153 West Bridge St., Owatonna. 507-363-2578, El Rey Del Taco on Face-
book. Brick-and-mortar site is the first for what began as a popular southern Minnesota food truck. Savor burritos, breakfast platters, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more. Hours vary.
Loon Liquors Distillery & Pizzeria, 115 5th St. West, Northfield. 507-581-7527, loonliquors.com. Stone-milled pizza complements Loon Liquors’ organic spirits, craft cocktails and house-made non-alcoholic drinks. Opened in historic 1916 building in early September. Hours: Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Rosemary Italian Kitchen & Bar, 2300 Gleason Ct., Northfield. 507-645-4500, rose-
maryitaliankitchen.com. Appetizers, Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas, hand-tossed pastas, steak, salmon, surf-and-turf, house-made desserts including NY cheesecake and tiramisu. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Premiered on Northfield’s south side in early 2025.
The Belle’s Bistro, 1050 E. Enterprise Drive, Belle Plaine. 763-273-1412, bellesbistro24@ gmail.com. Latin-infused menu, serving breakfast from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays; lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and dinner, 4-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Also offers a variety of appetizers, salads and soups, plus a kids’ menu.
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Cahill Bistro Chips & Guac
Cahill Bistro Drinks
An Owatonna staple, The Kitchen delivers homey vibes, comfort food
By JANE TURPIN MOORE Guest Contributor
When you’re in the mood for nothing fancy—just down-home comfort food—an old-school cafe like The Kitchen in downtown Owatonna is just the ticket.
From-scratch soups, hand-battered fish fries, fresh pie and classic sandwiches (burgers, BLT’s, egg- and tuna salad, hot beef commercials, etc.) hit the spot. And the breakfast menu items are available anytime, too.
Walking in to The Kitchen is like taking a step back in time. Choose a green-topped bar stool or a metal-barred chair at one of the faux-wood tables; either way, you’ll be comfortable, and the wait for your order is a snap.
On a chilly October day, I was alone, hungry and looking for a quick and relatively inexpensive bite, as lunchtime had passed me by.
The server greeted me with a cheery “hello,” an offer to sit wherever I liked and a quick summation of the day’s specials.
My choice of a basic grilled cheese (melty, hot, satisfying and accompanied by two pickle chips) along with a bowl of tomato-based minestrone soup was the perfect remedy—for anything, really, but definitely a tasty midday pick-me-up.
There’s nothing new about The Kitchen, but sometimes an old familiar, community-minded lunch counter is exactly what you need.
And you can always pick up a donut or scone for your afternoon sweet fix.
The Kitchen, 329 N. Cedar Ave., Owatonna. 507-451-9991. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Freelance writer/collaborative pianist Jane Turpin Moore grew up in the Mankato area and is now based in Northfield. She blogs at timeformoore566445504.wordpress.com and fields emails at jturpinmoore@ gmail.com.
Rants & RAVES
In this time of such political turmoil, I have come up with some ideas I think could really benefit our political system. Matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I could be president at this point.
Apparently, it takes a minimal amount of skill to run the free world, so I’m making a few plans. I’m gonna get things cleaned up and set straight pretty quickly, so here are the highlights of my PLATFORM FOR SUCCESS, which will be focused on punishments.
Public Stoning - I’m gonna bring this back. Not only will it provide a fun sense of community, it will give us all something to do on Sunday afternoons instead of watching football. This will be the punishment for emptying your car ashtray in the parking lot of a Target or a convenience store. The same result will apply if you are caught talking on speaker phone at the grocery store to figure out what kind of cat litter you need. Resolution will be swift.
Tar and Feathering - This will be a fun, cold-weather punishment. Illegal use of handicapped parking spots or honking your horn at old people will immediately warm your spirits. An over-sized hot tub will be installed at every government center and kept on HIGH at all times much like a giant crock pot.
The Thank You Wave - If you don’t give the proper wave after someone lets you merge in front of them in heavy traffic on a major highway, or if you forget to hold the door for someone when entering a commercial building, you’ll immediately be scheduled for
dipping in honey and left tied up in the town square in September when the Asian beetles are out.
Use of Bumper Stickers (especially ones with a cartoon character peeing on something) as well as the Wearing of T-Shirts with Swear Words/Sexual Jokes - Every Saturday will be devoted to writing tickets for $250 for each of these offenses. You can be cited multiple times a day. Officers will be monitoring gas stations & all Menard’s locations where you will have to produce payment in cash at the time of the ticket. T-shirts will be confiscated at the time of ticketing and a large public bonfire will be kept alive at the local Courthouse to burn these the second Monday of every month.
Parents Who Yell At Coaches - If you attend any youth sporting event and are caught berating the coach or officials, it will result in rescinding your driver’s license for a period of one (1) year. Similar discipline will apply if you behave in an abusive manner toward teachers at any school-mandated meeting.
Student Debt - Any college graduate who wants to get rid of their student debt will have to work one (1) full year in retail or fast food starting on the day after Thanksgiving (AKA Black Friday).
Small Businesses - All small businesses will get free rent and be exempt from paying taxes if they provide friendly service and have a shop dog.
Employees - Employees who show up on time, showered (including clean nails) and hap-
py at least 35 hours a week will be given free medical care. Employees working more than one (1) job will be provided with a free vehicle and unlimited car maintenance at no cost; Employees who use the word “like” or “ummm” more than eight (8) times a day will be jailed for a two-day minimum; Employees who use the phrase, “It’s not in my job description,” will be relocated immediately to work cleaning mall food courts.
Business Hours - All businesses will close on Wednesdays to make the week flow better. Naps will be encouraged and no banks will have funds available on this day. Anyone caught accomplishing anything on this hallowed day will be sentenced to a holiday weekend of community service picking up trash.
Tipping Rules - Tipping will now be done directly to the people who deserve the extra bump. No more sharing of tips, mandatory tipping amounts, pooling of tips, or tips given to managers who aren’t on site. There will be no automatic percentages added to your meal and no tips at all if your water isn’t refilled with fresh ice every 15 minutes while you’re having a fancy dinner.
Employment - If at least five (5) people you went to college with can come forward and detail why you were a jerk, you will not be eligible for government work at any level. Photos are welcome documentation for this offense as well.
Coffee Shop Etiquette - Ordering coffee and using more than five (5) adjectives will require a 15-minute Time Out where you will
be forced to think about what you’ve done and how you’ve inconvenienced those behind you in line. You will only be given two (2) opportunities a day to order coffee before you’re banned from this facility.
DVS Employees - Every time an employee at a Driver’s License Bureau is crabby, your tab renewal or parking ticket will be excused unless you receive an immediate and sincere apology.
USPS Employees - The United States Postal Service will now be free to all to encourage the use of greeting cards, letter writing and postage stamps. Flag stamps and stamps on a roll will now be considered contraband.
Retail Workers - Anyone who has worked in retail for more than six (6) years will be legally allowed to kill at least one (1) person per year without consequences. They’ll simply fill out the proper paperwork and it will be reviewed and approved by a committee of deciders. The same committee will encourage the removal of terrible ex-boyfriends and animal abusers.
Work Sustenance - Snacks at work will be mandatory. There will be a Snack Master assigned at every office employing over two (2) people. There will be an annual certification that the snack selection has been reviewed at said facility and this certificate will be posted in a conspicuous location in the lunchroom of every office.
PLATFORM FOR SUCCESS merchandise will be available soon at all nail salons and gun ranges.
Mollywood BLVD
Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MNSU alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a morning show for KOWZ 100.9 in 2011 where she is now brand manager for the three-cluster radio station, as well as music director for Q102 FM out of Willmar & on-air personality on Mankato’s Hot 96.7. She enjoys volunteering, time with her kids/family and cat Salem. Catch her on Twitter at @mollyhoodUSA.
real nutritional value for a “salad.” The fruit in the “ambrosia salad” was the classic canned fruit cocktail of mandarin, maraschino cherries, pear and soggy pineapple, marshmallow and shredded coconut held together with all sorts of creamy binders, be it yogurt, cream cheese or even sour cream, and the main ingredient: Cool Whip! This was the birth of “fluff” (think cranberry fluff). A staple side dish or dessert for a family gathering.
Liver and onions
I’m an 80s baby, so I came at the tail end of some of the food trends of the 1970s, but I am not so far removed that I don’t remember some of them. Selfproclaimed latch-key kids will remember some of the forgotten foods of the 70s, a decade notorious for gelatin, Betty Crocker cookbooks and TV dinners and Russ Wallace Berrie figurines. Let’s hop on in the Trans Am and take a trip to happier days.
Beans and Weenies
Also known as “Franks and beans” (the frank is supposed to be above the beans- what movie!?) This dish didn’t get its start in the 70s, in fact, it gained popularity during the economic hardships of the Civil War, the Great Depression and WWII. By the 1970s, this was a staple, especially for families on a budget.
Margarine
I can’t believe it’s not butter…. We can! But we loved it anyway! By 1976, margarine, or, imitation butter spread, hit peak consumption with 12 lbs per person being consumed in the US! The butter substitute, mainly consisting of vegetable oil, has since waned in popularity as research has shown it is high in trans fats and cholesterol.
“Sh*t
on a shingle”
Sh*t on a shingle was a popular breakfast meal in the 70s. What is it you ask? Let’s break it down.
The sh*t: gravy with ground beef
The shingle: a slice of toast that serves as the base for the beef and gravy
The Militar y actually gave this dish its unappealing name. “Shingle” is military slang for a piece of toast. The dish declined in popularity after shifts in American culture moved towards healthier, less carb loaded breakfast options.
Jello Salads of every kind
I feel I could write an entire article about the love affair between America and Jell-O in the 1970s. It was a cultural phenomenon and staple of American kitchens. From molds, to layered, colorful desserts, to the ease of instant Jell-O, Jell-O Pudding Pops…the 70s era even saw such cringe-worthy flavors as seasoned tomato and celery. Oh yeah, that sounds healthy.
Ambrosia fruit salad
Let’s level up the Jell-O salad by adding marshmallows. Enter: The Ambrosia Salad. A popular 1960s and 70s dessert dish famous for popping up at potlucks lacked almost any
Happy to be an 80s baby for this one. Liver and onions is exactly that. Cooked beef liver and caramelized onions. When it was popular, it was a dish you could literally whip up in a minute with ingredients you likely had in your kitchen, as long as you got your hands on some liver! In the 70s it was considered a very healthy, nutrient rich dish, but realistically it gained popularity for the same reason most recipes of the decade did. Affordability.
Cream of wheat
I gotta hand it to the 70s for bringing us such fast options. Nothing satisfied more as a child than a hot steaming bowl of Cream of Wheat! Millers in the late 19th century near Grand Forks North Dakota created this hot breakfast cereal from ground wheat. By the late 1950’s, it was being marketed as an “instant” breakfast, and that preference for ease and convenience continued well into the 1970s.
Cup Noodles
Mogul Momofuku Ando invented Chicken Ramen in 1958 and in 1971, invented the world’s first ramen served in a cup and still available at every gas station and corner store across the world, Cup Noodles. Convenience culture took a revolutionary leap with this. With Cup Noodles, you didn’t even need to hassle with chopsticks or other utensils, you were encouraged to literally just drink the
noodles out of this cup. Ultimately lazy, and utterly delicious.
Goulash
Another popular and inexpensive comfort food of the 70s was the hotdish (or casserole depending on where you live!) “Goulash.” It is known for its simplistic one pot preparation. The ingredients, and I am sure you have a recipe card for this in your stash, are simple: Ground beef, elbow macaroni, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and cheese. This dish also made way for other easy, “American chop suey” meals like Hamburger Helper.
Fruit cake
This Summer I tried to buy a Fruit Cake for a friend from a local grocer and was scoffed at. “You are the youngest person to ask for that!” they said, explaining that it is a seasonal treat that they barely continue carrying even for the Holidays. Something about the density of the stuff is what makes it so incredibly fascinating. I have no idea how it became
such a staple of holiday baking, it is honestly wrong. Packed with both boiled and candied fruit, there is just nothing appetizing about the textures going on in those things. Recipes also included spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, which were just deceiving enough to have tricked me into trying a slice ONCE.
Carrot cake
Carrot Cake has existed since Medieval times, but it exploded in popularity in the 1970s. I have mentioned it a few times in this article, but there was a bit of a counterculture to the instant everything movement of the mid-century, and this push towards more natural and wholesome ingredients had some people convinced that Carrot Cake was healthy. While it has more healthy ingredients than most cakes, it is still primarily sugar and fat, so don’t fool yourself.
Whether you’re a child of the 70s or just remember that faint lingering smell of Whiskey and Marlboro reds, I think you can agree that this little culinary tour proves one thing: We have come a long way, baby.
SoMINN STYLE
We didn’t just stop dressing up; we stopped showing up for ourselves
What happened to the world as we knew it?
Somewhere between pajamas on Zoom calls and grocery pickup lanes, we traded our spark for stretchy waistbands. Comfort became king — and for a time, it made sense. Life slowed down, our routines blurred, and leggings became our new uniform.
Many women whisper the same quiet truth: we got comfortable, but not happier.
The leggings stayed on long after the world reopened. The routines didn’t quite return. The part of us that once loved getting ready — the anticipation, the sparkle — seemed to fade.
I hear it often: “I’d buy it if I had a place to wear it.”
That line breaks my heart ever y time. Somewhere along the way, we stopped giving ourselves permission to have a reason — to go out, to celebrate the small things, to enjoy being seen.
We forgot that we are the reason. The outfit doesn’t need an event; it just needs a woman ready to live again.
Many have found their way back, rediscovering that rhythm of living and showing up — but too many have not. They’re still waiting for life to give them a reason, not realizing that we create the reasons.
So where do we begin? Not with a shopping spree. Not with a total reinvention. We start small — with the kind of choices that rebuild how we feel, one layer at a time.
1
Dress for the Life You Want Back
Start at your feet. Confidence begins where you stand.
2
Everyday Ease with a Crisp Button-Up
If red shoes are confidence, a white or neutral button-up is composure.
start with small things that feel manageable.
for joy.
It’s the wardrobe version of a deep breath. Clean. Structured. Hopeful. There was a time when we planned our weeks — outfits hung neatly for Monday meetings and Saturday errands, with something special reserved for Friday night. That ritual wasn’t about vanity. It was about aliveness. Try it again.
Start your morning with a pressed shirt, soft denim, maybe even a little mascara. Notice how your energy shifts — how “just another day” begins to feel like a fresh one.
3 The Third Piece — The Power of Finishing
Designers like Ralph Lauren and Ann Taylor have always known this truth: one intentional layer changes everything. A vest, cardigan, or blazer can pull a look together and, more importantly, pull you together.
A simple neck scar f, tied loosely, can do wonders. It frames the face, draws attention to your smile, and adds a little life to an ordinary look.
Or reach for a statement belt. It defines shape and quietly says, I’m still paying attention to me.
Even one piece of jewelry — a bracelet that jingles, a necklace that catches light — can change how you move through the day.
These aren’t decorations. They’re reminders. Small, wearable affirmations that say, I’m back.
5
Style as Reflection — and Connection
“Self-care goes social,” the trend reports say, but at its heart, it starts quietly — in your mirror.
Before you post or share, take a moment to look. That woman looking back? She’s still the one who used to plan her week with excitement, who enjoyed being seen, who had a spark. She didn’t disappear — she just dimmed for a while.
They’re not about impressing anyone — they’re about expressing the woman who’s still in there, ready to feel the season instead of sitting it out.
Because joy doesn’t wait for the right outfit — but the right outfit often helps us find it faster.
7 Comfort Meets Zest
Let’s be honest — no one wants to give up comfort.
And you don’t have to.
The secret is pairing comfort with energy — what I call zest.
Soft knits that still have shape. Pull-on trousers that move with you but don’t lose form. A cozy cardigan layered with a scarf or a vest. Pieces that let you breathe and remind you that you’re alive.
Zest is the new comfort — because true comfort isn’t hiding. It’s feeling free, capable, and confident in motion.
You don’t have to buy a whole new wardrobe. You just need a few key pieces — a red heel, a crisp blouse, a scarf that feels like sunshine, a belt that makes you stand taller. Each one brings you closer to the woman who used to plan, show up, and smile through the day.
A pair of red slingback heels can change more than an outfit — they can change your posture, your pace, even your mood. Not high, not fussy, just bold enough to remind you: you’re still here, and you still matter. Pair them with denim or tailored trousers. Let them whisper instead of shout. Red doesn’t always need attention — sometimes it just needs intention.
When you slip them on, you’re not dressing for a place. You’re dressing for your own return.
I call this the “third piece rule.” It’s where women start to feel like themselves again. The difference between “I threw this on” and “I built this look” isn’t just fabric — it’s confidence. This is often where the spark comes back. One layer at a time, one woman at a time.
4 The Accessory Shift — Small Details, Big Style
When you’re rebuilding your confidence,
Let getting dressed be the way you reintroduce yourself — first to your own reflection, then to the world.
If it feels daunting, ask for help. Sometimes another set of eyes — a trusted friend, a stylist, or even the friendly face at your favorite boutique — can help you rediscover what feels like you. Personalized style isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about helping you remember.
6
As We Head Into the Holidays
There’s no better time to start showing up again. The season ahead will be filled with gatherings, snapshots, and moments that deserve more than another day in leggings.
This isn’t about perfection or performance — it’s about participation.
About bringing your best self to the table, the family photo, the candlelight dinner, or that simple evening with friends.
A touch of lipstick, a great pair of shoes, or a crisp blouse can become your small rituals
8
Showing Up Again
This isn’t about being dressed up. It’s about being dressed for.
For the day ahead. For the version of you that’s still in there, waiting to feel again.
Many of us have rebuilt pieces of our lives — work, home, schedules — but we forgot to rebuild ourselves.
Getting dressed is one of the easiest ways to begin.
So this fall, as the holidays near, start small. Pick one piece that makes you feel something. Then wear it — not because you have somewhere to be, but because you deserve to be seen.
You’re more than what you wear, but what you wear has a way of reminding you who you are.
We didn’t just stop dressing up — we stopped showing up for ourselves.
And it’s time to fall back in love with life, one beautiful outfit at a time.
Through a SOMINN LENS
Audrey Kletscher Helbling of Faribault captures people, places and events via her detail-rich writing and photography. Find more of her work at mnprairieroots.com. She also writes award-winning poetry, short stories and creative nonfiction.
A taste of the SoMinn food scene in photos
Whenever I dine out, which isn’t all that often, I’ll always choose a home-grown eatery over a chain. I prefer the often made-from-scratch foods, the homey setting and the comfortable feeling of a restaurant rooted in community. I also love hometown bakeries. And food trucks, too, as they’ve rolled into our communities.
Through my years of traveling about Southern Minnesota, I’ve patronized some of these places, where locals gather for coffee, cards and conversation, order the noon meal special or, at the town’s bakery, pick up a sweet treat to go.
In the process, I’ve collected photos of these businesses run by individuals, sometimes families and sometimes for generations, who serve their culinary creations to appreciative customers. They are offering more than food. They are building up, centering and connecting community.
As a writer and photographer, I view the world, including eateries, through a creative lens. I notice details. Like appealing signage.
Interesting, unique and memorable décor. A building in which a restaurant or bakery is housed, like an old train depot or gas station. Even the names of menu items draw my interest.
This photo essay represents only a small sampling of the many food-related images I’ve taken, some stretching back to 2011, others taken recently. There’s no shortage of home-grown restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, pizza places, food trucks and more awaiting our discovery here in southern Minnesota. Ours is a diverse food scene that continues to evolve and delight those of us who call this region, this place, home.
UPPER LEFT: Signage at The Bake Shoppe in Goodhue promises baked goods just like Grandma’s.
LEFT: Apple muffins are among the many home-baked goods for sale at The Bake Shoppe in Goodhue.
Raspberry Chicken Salad at The Amboy Cottage Cafe.
Pizza toppings are listed on signage hanging outside the Corner Bar in Waterville.
Coco’s Place in Northfield serves authentic Mexican cuisine along Division Street.
Neon signage marks Basilleo’s Pizza in Faribault with a second location in Owatonna. Known for its homemade sauce and dough, Basilleo’s serves pizza, pasta, salad and
BBQ ribs plated for lunch at New Richland’s Red Leaf Cafe.
Desi Diner in Northfield features cuisine of India.
In small town Ellendale, family-owned and operated The Ellendale Cafe is a Main Street staple.
Events at Faribault’s Central Park often include food trucks like this one at a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
In 2014, I took this iconic photo of guys gathered for lunch at the Red Leaf Cafe in New Richland, a scene replayed daily in small town cafes across the region.
Menu item names honor railroad history at The Goodhue Depot in Goodhue.
The Amboy Cottage Cafe, photographed in 2013, is housed in a former 1928 corner gas station in small town Amboy. It’s made-from-scratch food and locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients plus unique setting make this a popular eatery.
ABOVE: Established in 1914, Franke’s Bakery specializes in Czech baked goods sold in an old-fashioned style bakery complete with vintage wooden booths.
and “Family, Not Franchise.”
TOP: Spaghetti with homemade meatballs and sauce at The Amboy Cottage Cafe.
Purchasing bread at The Bake Shoppe in Goodhue.
Che Che’s Lunchera serves Mexican food at its corner location along Minnesota State Highways 60 and 56 in Kenyon.
The Red Leaf Cafe in New Richland had recently opened when I took this photo in 2014.
Nick’s Pizza Palace in Owatonna advertises itself as “Fresh, Not Frozen”
The Goodhue Depot, opened two years ago in a beautifully-restored train depot in Goodhue, serves coffee, sweet treats, ice cream, soup and sandwiches. There’s also a gift shop.
LEFT: This artsy signage points people to Wagner’s Lunch, an old-fashioned burger joint and pool hall in downtown Owatonna. MIDDLE: Signage on Fischer’s Corner Bar in Elysian, where you’ll find noon specials like meatloaf and BBQ ribs on a Saturday night. RIGHT: Angie’s in Kenyon offers a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu plus pizza and ice cream.
PHOTO CONTEST
SHOW US YOUR PETS! Upload a photo of your pet for a chance to win one of several random gift drawings! Your pet might also be pictured in the February LOVE of Pets issue of SCENE!
Winners will be chosen at random and will be announced in the February issue of SCENE.
What 2 WATCH
Taylor Swift is a box office titan
It’s the fall of 2007 and I’m learning how to drive. It will be another four years until Spotify launches in the United States, my music library lives on a tiny blue iPod Nano (fellow millennials, you can hear the click wheel, can’t you!), and my family’s Pontiac Bonneville certainly doesn’t have Bluetooth, so…it’s up to the whims of the radio to soundtrack these early, anxious excursions on the highways and byways of Mankato, Minnesota. And disc jockeys are obsessed with a jaunty county/pop track by a curly-haired teenager: “Our Song” by Taylor Swift. Up to that point, I only knew Swift as the teen singer behind the treacly “Teardrops on My Guitar.” Seemingly every girl at my high school could recite the words to that reverie about a putz named “Drew” and the girlfriend who’s got everything Swift has to live without. I was obviously “too cool” for that gushy nonsense. But, “Our Song” was different. It was upbeat and catchy and evocative (“Our song is a slamming screen door / Sneakin’ out late, tapping on your window”). It sucked me in. And, despite my best efforts to resist it, I found myself singing the song in the shower and humming it to myself on the way to third period. Play “Our Song” today and I’m
instantly fifteen again, white-knuckling the steering wheel and braking far too abruptly. Swift distilled teen life in crisp, literar y, detailed poetry. She wrote “Our Song” for her ninth-grade talent show, and penned every other song on her self-titled debut album, too. A preternaturally gifted lyricist was born. Though I would not proclaim to be a “Swiftie,” from that point on, I became a fan. I could not resist Fearless-era bops like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” I was invested in the masterful, diaristic songwriting on her third album, Speak Now, and wowed by its lead single, “Mine,” which features one of the best lines in music history: “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” Ten words with the nuance and complexity of a great novel. Fast forward to Oct. 22, 2012, and you could find me at Target, purchasing a CD copy of Swift’s magnum opus, Red — her transition from country to pop. Its centerpiece, “All Too Well,” remains her undisputed masterpiece. And the beat drop in “I Knew You Were Trouble” felt like the warning shot for world domination. What followed was the synth-pop classic, 1989; the edgy and angry Reputation; the pastel-pink Lover; the woodsy, COVID-era one-two punch, Folklore and Evermore; the sleepless-night confessional, Midnights; the ruminative Tortured Poets Department;
streaming on Disney+), hit movie theaters on Oct. 13, 2023. Just like the tour that the film documents, it was a blockbuster, grossing over $267 million and becoming the highestgrossing concert film of all time.
Swift returned to the big screen this weekend (Oct. 3-5) with “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” to promote her twelfth studio album. Despite being merely a music video for the lead single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” and eleven lyric videos of the remaining songs, Swifties flocked to the cinema. The one-weekend-only event usurped Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” as the box office champion and raked in over $34 million.
Again, just to see a bunch of lyric videos. That box office prowess is likely to continue. In 2022, it was announced that Swift would be writing and directing her first feature film, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures. Though the Eras Tour sidelined that project, it is still in development.
For nearly 20 years, Swift has been Generation Y’s most influential force. She’s left her mark on basically every facet of American life – music, fashion, film, politics, and (much to the chagrin of some persnickety football fans) NFL games. Her songs continue to entertain me (“Opalite” is a bop!) and transport me to a more innocent time. Okay, maybe I am a “Swiftie” after all.
After you’ve streamed “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” for the millionth time, check out these five classic concert films:
Don’t Look Back: D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary follows a 23-year-old Bob Dylan around England during his last acoustic tour and offers a rare glimpse of an icon on the verge of great artistic evolution.
-Streaming on HBO Now
and the silly, lovesick Life of a Showgirl. She dominated the Billboard Hot 100 with number one hits like “Blank Space” and “Cruel Summer.” And she became the most famous person on the planet.
Today, Swift is the best-selling musician of the 21st century and (with the recordbreaking sales of Showgirl) will soon replace Madonna as the best-selling female musician of all time. Her 2023-24 Eras Tour became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time and the first to earn over $1 billion. She’s won 14 Grammy Awards, including four for Album of the Year. And she and her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, are basically America’s royal couple.
So, why is this film and television column reading like a faux-Rolling Stone profile of a genre-defying popstar? Because recently, Swift has added a new title to her CV: box office titan.
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” the concert film directed by Sam Wrench (currently
Amazing Grace: Aretha Franklin is widely considered the greatest female vocalist ever. This 2018 film documents the recording of her 1972 live gospel album, Amazing Grace, and captures the “Queen of Soul” at the height of her magnificent powers.
-Streaming on Tubi
Homecoming: Beyoncé is one of the finest musical entertainers in history. Exhibit A: her epic, groundbreaking 2018 Coachella-headlining performance (dubbed “Beychella”).
-Streaming on Netflix
Stop Making Sense: Come for the Talking Heads’ avant-garde, art rock hits like “Burning Down the House;” stay for the artful direction by filmmaker Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”).
-Available to rent
Kyle Hoffman is a writer, communications and marketing professional, and lifelong movie lover from Mankato. Follow him on Letterboxd: kylejhoffman.
SOUTHERN MINN
THURSDAY, OCT 30
Trunk or Treat
- St. Peter-- 5-7
p.m., River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic, 1900 N. Sunrise Drive, St. Peter. The first ever trunk or treat at the community hospital. Come dressed in costume.
Paranormal Tour - Waseca-- 5:30 p.m., Waseca History Center, 315 2nd Ave NE, Waseca. ee the ghost-hunting gear in action (6:00–6:45 pm), then join an optional Investigation at the Bailey-Lewer Research Library (7:00–8:00 pm, limited space). Ages 15+. Tickets online.
Zacc Harris
Trio - Northfield-- 6:308:30 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street
South Unit 2. Get ready for an unforgettable evening of modern jazz with Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer Zacc Harris, a longtime pillar of the Twin Cities jazz scene.
Anika Fajardo Author Talk - Northfield-- 7 p.m., Content Bookstore, 314 Division St. S, Northfield. Fajardo will read from and talk about her new novel, “The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore.” For fans of Rebecca Serle and Elizabeth Acevedo, a magically insightful novel about a woman’s journey to discover her roots and what it means to carry our ancestors with us.
Vintage Horror Haunted TrailFaribault-- 7-8:30 p.m., River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Road, Faribault. An evening of vintage horror, featuring the scariest, spookiest haunted trail in Faribault. Not recommended for kids 10 or younger. $5; cash only.
FRIDAY, OCT 31
Trick or Treat on Main - Le Sueur-3:30-5 p.m., Downtown Le Sueur. An eerily good time in downtown Le Sueur
Local businesses will be handing out candy along Main Street.
Trunk or TreatFaribault-- 4-6 p.m.,
Family-friendly trick-ortreating experiences around Faribault.
Christ Lutheran Church hosts at 1200 1st St. NE from 9:45-11 a.m. Oct. 26. Faribault
Senior Living hosts at 843 Faribault Rd. from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 30.
Bethlehem Academy hosts at 105 3rd Ave. SW from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 31.
Halloween Costume PartyOwatonna-- 4 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 210 N. Oak Ave., Suite 1, Owatonna. A costume party complete with beer, pizza, and music. The venue will bring the boos, Fred the Bear will bring the musical tricks, and Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm will bring the treats.
songs. FTB’s music reflects on life’s promises and disappointments through personal crafted lyrics and driving rhythms. Mixed within their originals is a blend of music from other Midwest artists, currently touring groups and classic bands.
Trick or Treat Night at the Museum - Waseca-- 6-9 p.m., Waseca History Center, 315 2nd Ave NE, Waseca. Dare to climb the museum stairs and discover the Mermaid of Loon Lake and other strange sideshow wonders waiting inside. Costumes are encouraged. Make a memory and snap a photo with our eerie exhibits before they vanish for the season.
Chris Bertrand - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. A seasoned singer/songwriter from Southern Minnesota who dedicates his life to music. Deeply rooted in folk and unafraid to stomp and howl.
downtown Faribault, a fundraiser for the Paradise Center for The Arts. Registration for the Fari “BOO” Bar Crawl begins at 7 p.m. at the Paradise. Between 7-11 p.m., participants must visit all four bars: The Signature, Our Place on Third, Boxers, and the American Legion, to be judged for the costume contest. Winners of the costume contest will be announced at 11:30 p.m. in the Paradise.
Halloween Trivia - Le Sueur County-- 7-9 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. Think you know your horror movies, haunted history, creepy creatures, and candy facts? Prove it at Halloween Trivia Night in the Red Barn for a spooktacular night of trivia, treats, and chilling good fun. Free to play; teams of two encouraged; costumes encourages; wine, cocktails & spooky sips available.
Trunk or Treat - Waseca-4:30-7 p.m., Waseca, Waseca. Family-friendly trick-ortreating experiences at churches around Waseca: First Congregational, St. Paul Lutheran, Christ the King Lutheran, Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Real Life.
Sohmer and Dale on Halloween - Janesville-6-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Enjoy live music this evening by Sohmer and Dale playing a whole variety of genres of music.
the Bear - Owatonna-- 6-8 p.m., Mineral
210 N. Oak Ave., Suite 1, Owatonna. A classic rock/alternative band known for their rich harmonies, emotive dynamics and original
Halloween with Matthew Aitch - Le Sueur County-- 6-9 p.m., Union Trail Brewing, 23436 Union Trail, Belle Plaine. A singer-songwriter whose music explores the themes of love found, love lost, and the beauty of the world around us. With a diverse musical background, Matthew draws inspiration from a variety of genres, including outlaw classic country, classic rock, Americana, folk and roots.
Rockin’ Halloween with Cain & Co. - Henderson-7 p.m., River Bottom Tavern & Brewhouse, 510 Main St., Henderson. Cain & Co. is a bluesrock band from St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, known for their soulful and gritty sound inspired by classic Southern rock.
Furball Halloween Party - Faribault-6:30-8:30 p.m., Furball Farm Pet Sanctuary, 3405 220th St. E., Faribault. Are you brave enough to walk the Haunted Cat Path? Come creep it real with us this Halloween for a frightfully adorable night of feline fun! The Furballs are taking over the night with a spooktacular after-hours event filled with mischief, meows, and maybe a few ghostly purrs. Tons of sweet and spooky cats, candy for humans & a Furball surprise for every guest, feline-themed photo ops.
Fari-Boo Downtown Bar Crawl - Faribault-- 7 p.m., Downtown Faribault, Central Ave. Hundreds of costumed crawlers on Halloween in historic
Metal Fest - Northfield-- 7 p.m.-12 a.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. Raising the noise for Halloween, the lineup includes The Staboteurs, Oister Boy, The Broken Rule, Dead by 50 and Undergrad. Punk, metal, prog, and more. Tickets at the door.
World’s Greatest Zombie - Northfield-- 7:309 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division St. S., Northfield. Created, acted and directed by Michael Shaeffer, the show features zany and spooky vignettes inspired by horror pop culture — just in time for the scariest of seasons! Audiences can expect irreverent nods to the Necronomicon, The Thing, short-tempered ghosts, lusty vampires, and a sestina chock full o’ chainsaws. Shows 7:30-9 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
Fred
Springs Brewery,
Halloween Show - St. Peter-- 8 p.m., Tremendous Brewing Co., 228 W. Mulberry St., St. Peter. Halloween chaos with Madam Driver, Sons Of Bliss and SLDG. All ages, no cover.
Halloween Party - Owatonna-- 8 p.m., Reggie’s Brewhouse, 220 N. Cedar Ave., Owatonna. Cash prizes for the best overall, best group and most attractive costumes. A DJ will be on hand playing tunes.
Costume Contest
PartyDundas-9 p.m., Live music by Russ Franek & The Biscuits, along with a costume contest judged at 11 p.m.
Halloween Costume Contest
- St. Peter-- 10 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. Music and a fun time, with cash prizes going out to the best dressed.
SATURDAY, NOV 01
Holiday Craft Fair
- Owatonna-- 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Owatonna Elks, 126 E Vine St. Christmas decor, gifts, wood crafts, jewelry, soaps, lotions and more. Coffee, soda and rolls allotted, plus Jeannie’s wild rice soup and Maid-Rite baskets.
Makers Market - Nerstrand-- 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, 9700 170th St. E, Nerstrand. Over forty local talented makers, bakers, woodspeople, artists, wax pourers, weavers, needle-clinkers, growers, beaders, smithies and burnersof-the-midnight-oil coming together to showcase and sell their beautiful wares. Live outdoor music by Chris Holm. Sips and treats available.
Craft & Vendor Show - St. Peter-- 9 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Peter Armory, 1120 Swift St. A host of craft vendors to shop and peruse. First 50 customers will receive a Goody Bag.
Miller and Borneke Trio
- Janesville-- 5:308:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Playing all of your favorites.
Trent ShawKasota-- 6-9 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. A professional musician who has toured around Minnesota for over 20 years. He attended Normandale and Augsburg college with a degree in Music Education. He’s taught guitar, piano, bass and drums with Chaska Music Studios since 1997.
Comedian C. Willi
Myles - Faribault-7:30 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. “America’s Everyday Comedian,” has been combining his quick wit and a great sense of humor to deliver one of this country’s most high-energy, side-splitting shows for all ages. Tickets online.
Halloween with HickTown Mafia
SUNDAY, NOV 02
Community Collage Shoot - St. Peter-- 12-7
p.m., Tremendous Brewing Co., 228 W. Mulberry St., St. Peter. As part of the brewery’s one-year anniversary celebration, Community Collage will be setting up its portrait studio and bringing the magic for another opportunity to appear in the St Peter Collages project.
WEDNESDAY, NOV 05
Fall Music Series - St. Peter-- 2-3 p.m., St. Peter Community Center, 600 S. Fifth St., St. peter. Melissa Schulz provides the music this week.
THURSDAY, NOV 06
Martin Zellar Early Show - Owatonna-- 5:30-8 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 210 N. Oak Ave., Suite 1, Owatonna. Zellar has made his living as a singer-songwriter for over 35 years because he has always reliably delivered what his fans have come to expect from him: quality songwriting and heartfelt performances.
FRIDAY, NOV 07
Adam Daniels - Kasota-- 6-9 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. Always feeling a passion to express emotion through music, Adam began composing solo piano works by the age of seven. He’s performing ever since.
The JamBoyzSt. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Paddlefish Brewing, 108 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Live music performed upbeat music acoustically.
SATURDAY, NOV 08
Winter Farmers Market - Waseca-- 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Farmamerica, 7367 360th Ave, Waseca. Find locally grown, baked and made goods while supporting local producers.
FOL Book SaleJanesville-- 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Janesville Public Library, 102 W. 2nd St. Proceeds from the sale will go toward reading promotions, craft activities and other programs for children and adults.
Crista Bohlman - Le Sueur County-- 1-3 p.m., Union Trail Brewing, 23436 Union Trail, Belle Plaine. A very talented violinist, guitarist, and vocalist.
Pastimes Fine Arts and Crafts SaleOwatonna-- 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Ln, Owatonna. An OAC tradition with an ever-changing cast of artists and craftpersons and quality handcrafted goods. The event encourages inner growth development in an expressive way for they participants, buyers, and organization. Sale runs 4-7 p.m. Nov. 6, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 7, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 8.
Bazaar Craft & Bake Sale - Owatonna-- 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Owatonna Eagles 1791, 141 E. Rose St., Owatonna. Shop a wide variety of handmade treasures and treats: woodcrafts, holiday items, candles, crotched goods, pottery, mittens, jewelry, snowmen, bookmarks, cards and more. Baked goods and coffee available.
- Kasota-- 9 p.m.-1 a.m., The Blue Moon Bar & Grill, 300 S. Webster St., Kasota. Playing classic and current country hits and classic 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s rock, HickTown Mafia’s members boast a combined 100+ years of stage experience covering everything from Johnny Cash to AC/DC. Add some southern rock to the mix, and you have a night of great music. There will also be a costume contest on the night.
Mark DennKilkenny-- 5-7 p.m., Vintage Escapes Winery & Vineyard, 8950 Dodd Rd., Kilkenny Relaxing tunes, handcrafted wines, and delicious food. It’s the perfect way to ease into the weekend with friends, laughter, and a glass (or two) of your favorite wine.
Lukas Graff - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter Some acoustic tunes to enjoy.
Women’s Work Fiber Art Opening - St. Peter-- 3-5 p.m., Arts Center of Saint Peter, 315 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter. Whitney Dirks is a disabled, queer textile artist living in St. Peter. She has been working with upcycled fiber (embroidery, hand and machine sewing, appliqué) since 2020, and her art plushies have been installed in multiple local businesses. She teaches embroidery, mending, and sewing workshops through local arts organizations. The interactive show will be on display through Dec. 27.
Muriah and Angel Val - Janesville-5:30-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. A great collaboration between two very talented musicians.
TrainSmoke - Northfield-6-9 p.m., Red Barn Pizza Farm, 10063 110th St., Northfield. Weaving guitar instrumentals, soaring solos, and vocal harmonies floating over a rhythm of steady grooves and wandering bass. Train Smoke plays classic and modern songs you know and shows off seasoned song writing in originals you’ll love. Enjoy an authentic rock & roll experience from the heart of the Midwest.
Joe Tougas and Associates - St. Peter-- 7 p.m., Tremendous Brewing Co., 228 W. Mulberry St., St.
Peter. An eight-piece ensemble of songwriters and players and an instant party.
Elvis Rock N Roll Remember
Tribute - Faribault-- 7:30 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. Joseph Hall has performed all over the world and was a finalist on America’s Got Talent, recognized as one of the top tribute acts in the world. Get ready to be “all shook up” — Joseph Hall’s Elvis Tribute is so electrifying, you’ll swear The King never left the building. Tickets online.
Red Dirt RoadFaribault-9 p.m., Boxers Grill & Bar, 429 Central Ave. N, Faribault. A sound and light experience that you won’t want to miss. They combine great musicianship, killer harmonies, and an arena style light show that will keep you coming back every time.
SUNDAY, NOV 09
Holiday MarketLe Sueur County-1-4 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. While the hunters head to the woods, treat yourself to a relaxing afternoon at a holiday market, featuring local vendors offering handmade gifts, seasonal decor, delicious treats and more. Flavored holiday cocktails available.
Jane Hamilton Author Talk - Northfield-- 4 p.m., Content Bookstore, 314 Division St. S, Northfield. Hamilton will read from and talk about her new novel, “The Phoebe Variations,” a stunning coming-of-age novel about girls, mothers, and finding one’s way in the world.
TUESDAY, NOV 11
Fine Craft Collective - Northfield-- 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division St. S., Northfield. A shoppable gallery
Dermatology & Cosmetic Care Clinic
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experience. It runs through Dec. 23. Open Tuesdays-Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOV 12
Fall Music Series - St. Peter-- 2-3 p.m., St. Peter Community Center, 600 S. Fifth St., St. peter. Hanna Cesario’s Patsy Cline Tribute provides the music this week.
Pocket Lounge - St. Peter-- 8-11 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. A funk fusion trio with special guest Joe Weckwerth.
THURSDAY, NOV 13
WAC Gallery Opening - Waseca-- 5-7 p.m., Waseca Art Center, 200 N. State St. Wood sculptor Robin Warburton will be showing her intricately carved pieces in the Harguth Gallery and local wildlife painter Brad
Donner will be showing his beautifully detailed oil paintings in the Beckmann Gallery. Both exhibits will be displayed at the WAC through Dec. 20.
Book BedazzlingLe Sueur-- 6 p.m., Le Sueur Public Library, 118 Ferry St. Bring your own beloved book from home — or choose one of our fresh and popular titles — and transform it into a sparkling masterpiece. The library will provide all the supplies you need to bedazzle, decorate, and personalize the cover. This event is for adults. Registration online.
FRIDAY, NOV 14
Ben Scruggs - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. An original folk/blues/americana musician from Mankato. He accompanies himself with acoustic guitar and blues harmonica, weaving tales of folk-spun humor and hard luck times throughout his sets of all-original music.
The Cellar Kings - Henderson-- 7 p.m., River Bottom Tavern & Brewhouse, 510 Main St., Henderson. TCK (The Cellar Kings) are a five-piece jam rock band from St. Paul. Their most recent release titled “TCK” was
CONTINUED page 24
released in 2020 on all platforms and was received well by their fans. The current lineup has diverse roots from southern rock and blues, funk, traditional jazz and fusion, prog rock, psychedelic rock, jam rock, bluegrass, heavy metal and classic rock.
SATURDAY, NOV 15
Holiday Craft and Vendor Show - St. Peter-- 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Johnson Hall, Nicollet County Fairgrounds, 400 W. Union St., St. Peter. Shop local area crafters and vendors for all your holiday needs. Free parking and admission.
Children’s Victorian Tea - Owatonna-- 10:30
a.m.-2:30 p.m., Steele County Historical Society, 1700 Austin Rd., Owatonna. Kick off the holiday season with the annual Children’s Victorian Tea for children ages 4-10 with an adult. Enjoy a special lunch, holiday music, and the story of St. Nicholas at the Dunnell House for this very special day. Children will be given a special craft to take home. Pay and register online.
Luke Richards - Le Sueur County-- 1-4 p.m., Union Trail Brewing, 23436 Union Trail, Belle Plaine. A small town musician chasing a big dream.
CRVO In Memoriam - Northfield-- 3 p.m., St. John’s Lutheran Church, 500 3rd St. W., Northfield. Honoring the life of CVRO’s Clark Ohnesorge, featuring violin soloist Paul Happert. In Memoriam will include works by Jean Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Franz Schubert, Antonio Vivaldi and The Grateful Dead. Shows at 3 p.m. Nov. 15 at St. John’s Lutheran in Northfield and Nov. 16 at Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault.
Bran Boys - Janesville-5:30-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Live guitar and vocals, playing old country.
ZanderKasota-- 6-9 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. Swing by for some free
music provided by a full-time nationally touring folk Americana singer-songwriter with a punk attitude based in St. Paul.
Whiskey Whiskers - Owatonna-- 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 210 N. Oak Ave., Suite 1, Owatonna. A local favorite known for playing the music you love — from classic hits to crowd-pleasing favorites that’ll have you singing along and tapping your toes. With their fun energy and laid-back vibe, they’re the perfect soundtrack for a Friday evening.
A Murder at Alexander House - Waseca-- 6:30 p.m., Alexander House, 610 State St. N., Waseca. The Exchange Club of Waseca is hosting a murder mystery fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the club’s community programs. Tickets available for purchase at the Waseca Art Center (cash and check only). The sessions include 6:30 and 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15.
Y2K25
Dance Party - St. Peter-7-10 p.m., Tremendous Brewing Co., 228 W Mulberry St., St. Peter. Music provided by Willie Wonka, Jesse Jaze and YuWish.
SUNDAY, NOV 16
Katie DiCamillo Author Talk - Northfield--
with Debby Walser-Kuntz, professor of biology at Carleton. Osterholm’s book, “The Big One,” explores the dreaded potential pandemic that haunts the nightmares of epidemiologists and public health officials everywhere, and which will alter life across the world on every meaningful level.
TUESDAY, NOV 18
How About Them
Apples?Montgomery-- 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Montgomery Public Library. Discover a variety of apples as the library holds a tasting with local varieties and toppings. Whether you are an apple enthusiast or just curious to explore new flavors, this is a the perfect way to celebrate the harvest season.
Nature
Detectives: Turkeys - Henderson-- 1011:30 a.m., Ney Nature Center, 28238 Nature Center Ln, Henderson. Learn all about Turkeys in this fun program with Ney staff. The group will look for signs of Turkeys on a hike, as well as learning about the life history of these amazing birds. Remember to dress for the weather. 7-11 years old. Tickets online.
Holly Days Sale
THURSDAY, NOV 20
Opening - Faribault-4-7 p.m., Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave N, Faribault. Admission is free and the galleries will be decked out in boutique style and filled with the artistic wares of more than a dozen regional artists. Items that will be sold during this event include: Paintings, decorative and usable pottery, hand carved wood pieces, hand-dyed silk scarves, one-of-a kind jewelry, aprons and more. The sale is open through Dec. 20.
3-4:30 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. DiCamillo will read from, talk about and sign her new book, “Lost Evangeline.” This captivating original fairy tale set in the world of “The Puppets of Spelhorst” and ‘The Hotel Bazaar” features an exclusive color illustration and gilded edges on the first printing. Tickets online.
MONDAY, NOV 17
Michael Osterholm Author Talk - Northfield-7-8:30 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. The author will be in conversation
WEDNESDAY, NOV 19
seasonal décor, and cozy vibes. Festive cocktails, live music and more.
Gift Wrapping 101 - Faribault-- 6 p.m., Buckham Memorial Library, 11 Division St. E, Faribault. Get ready for the holidays by learning some mad gift-wrapping skills. Hanna will demonstrate how to wrap a basic gift and pass along tips on how to wrap more difficult gift items. Ages 16 and older. Register by calling 507-334-2089.
Moving Words Author Panel - St. Peter-- 6 p.m., St. Peter Library. Enjoy a lively discussion with three multi-genre, Minnesota authors. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in their lives, their connection as fellow Minnesotans, and the lens through which we read. The three authors featured will be Jokeda Bell, Alison McGhee and Teresa Peterson.
Victoria Era
ClothingFaribault-- 6 p.m., Rice County Historical Society, 1814 NW 2nd Ave., Faribault. Rae Lundquist is the owner and sewist of Dreamstitcher Custom Costume, and is an expert in historic sewing. If you attended the Riverside Rendezvous in May and chatted with a very knowledgeable sewist, it might have been Rae.
Do you want to submit an event to this calendar? Send
Christmas Spirit Lounge - Kasota-- 12 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. Step into a winter wonderland decked out with twinkling lights,
Fall Music Series - St. Peter-- 2-3 p.m., St. Peter Community Center, 600 S. Fifth St., St. peter. Land of Dixie Rented Mules Band provides the music this week.
The New Havoline Supremes - Northfield-5:30-7:30 p.m., The Gardens of Castle Rock, 26601 Chippendale Ave., Northfield. Mary Cutrufello and Dan Lowinger playing country rock and blues Americana.
Mississippi - Faribault-- 7:30 p.m., Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Faribault. Mississippi blends modern jazz, festejo, hip hop, and African traditions into a sound both fiery and tender. Formed in 2011 from the Andres Prado Quintet, the ensemble features Minneapolis musicians Pete Whitman (saxophones), Kavyesh Kaviraj (piano), Jeff Bailey (bass), and Kevin Washington (drums). Tickets online.
FRIDAY, NOV 21
Jack Backbone and TJ Brown - Janesville-6-8:30 p.m., Indian Island Winery, 18010 631st Ave, Janesville. Enjoy live music this evening by Jack Backbone and TJ Brown playing acoustic Americana blues, rock, and country.
Little Fish Improv - Owatonna-7-8:30 p.m., Mineral Springs Brewery, 210 N. Oak Ave., Suite 1, Owatonna. Little Fish Improv is a group of local actors and comedians that bring Improv to life. No two shows are the same; please join us as this troupe brings comedy to life through the art of improv. Their improv is family friendly for people of all ages. The evening guarantees to be full of laughter for all.
Ira Haze and the Straze - Henderson-- 7 p.m., River Bottom Tavern & Brewhouse, 510 Main St., Henderson.
Ira Haze and the Straze
are an original Americana and rock ‘n’ roll outfit from Minneapolis.
Country Line Dancing - Le Sueur County-- 7 p.m., Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th St., New Prague. Get ready to boot, scoot, and boogie. We’re turning the Barrel Room into a honky-tonk dance floor for a night of country music, cocktails, and line dancing fun. Learn three to four line dances from the incredible, award-winning choreographer Kerry Maus — no experience needed. Free dance hour to show off your moves, request your favorite songs,
and keep the fun going. Tickets online.
SATURDAY, NOV 22
The Singing CowgirlLe Sueur County-- 1-3 p.m., Union Trail Brewing, 23436 Union Trail, Belle Plaine. Wildly talented and interactive performances.
Holiday Wreath Workshop - Northfield-- 1-3 p.m., Northfield Depot, Linden St. S., Northfield. Grab your favorite people and decorate a holiday wreath together. Fresh Balsam Fir wreaths will be available in either an 18” or 24” size along with fes-
A Paisley Gardens design expert will offer instruction and guidance. Pay at the venue.
COMING SOON!
Another Time Around - St. Peter-- 6-9 p.m., Flame Bar and Grill, 225 Nassau St., St. Peter. Duo playing classic rock songs.
Thanks4Giving - Northfield-- 5-9 p.m., Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., Northfield. A special evening of live music, local flavors and community support. Featuring live music from Strawberry Jazz, known for their smooth and soulful sound. Dinner will be available purchase. Opportunities to give back to the community; suggested donation at the door
Bad Mama - Northfield--
6-8:30 p.m., Imminent Brewing, 519 Division Street
South Unit 2. Bad Mama channels the inner funk of Carrie Jennings on vocals/tenor sax, Martha Larson on vocals/cello (bass), and Allyson Wopata on drums. These three music mamas join forces to celebrate being a gentle, creative soul in a fast-paced, complex world. This is the trio’s musical debut.
and Americana — pairing memorable melodies with meaningful lyrics that will have you tapping your toes and sipping a little slower.
Buffalo AliceKasota-- 8 p.m.-12 a.m., The Blue Moon Bar & Grill, 300 S. Webster St., Kasota. A unique blend of classic rock and country in three-part harmony.
SUNDAY, NOV 23
Ron & Dave - St. Peter-4-7 p.m., Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third St., St. Peter. Back together again, bringing a unique brand of acoustic Americana through timeless covers and outstanding originals.
This month’s SCENE calendar runs through November 26th. View more events at southernminnscene.com.
WEDNESDAY, NOV 26
Comedy Under The Bridge - Faribault-- 7:30 p.m., 10,000 Drops, 28 4th St NE, Faribault. The night before Thanksgiving is always a great night to go out with friends and family. Why not come out and enjoy some comedy? Multiple headliners on tap. Tickets online.
IV Play - Waseca-- 9 p.m.-12 a.m., The Mill Event Center, 310 2nd Ave SW, Waseca. One of the region’s most popular cover bands, playing all kinds of hits, new and old.
Tim Cheesebrow - Kasota-- 6-9 p.m., Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery, 1179 E. Pearl St., Kasota. A signature blend of roots rock, folk,
SoMinn THE BOOKWORM SEZ
One of Us, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Somebody is Walking on Your Grave, Adult Halloween Books and King Sorrow
One of Us
by Dan Chaon
c.2025, Henry Holt
$28.00 288 pages
“I know what you’re thinking.”
People might say that to you – but do they, really? Yes, their guess might be close but you’ve had different experiences and a unique background, and they’re not you. Friends might deduce what you’re thinking but, unlike the twins in the new novel, “One of Us” by Dan Chaon, they’re not in your head. Wherever they ended up, it would be better than before.
Truth be known, Eleanor Lambkin wasn’t surprised when neither she nor her twin brother, Bolt, made it to the end of the Orphan Train line without being adopted. At thirteen, they were not particularly
pretty children and because they’d been able to hear one another’s thoughts since they were small, she knew Bolt wasn’t very bright. She wasn’t sure what was awaiting them at the end of the line so when the train stopped in Shenandoah, Iowa and a Mr. Jengling of the Jengling Emporium of Wonders said he’d take them, she was relieved. Even the
circus was better than living with that creepy “Uncle” Charlie, who snatched them up when their mother died and who really wasn’t related. And so Eleanor and Bolt settled in with their new siblings, among them a three-legged woman, a fat man-baby, a boy with long hair covering his body, a “miniature woman,” and a very tall Chinese man. Their new father was kind, there was always food, their new siblings seemed welcoming, and the work wasn’t too harsh.
Eleanor knew that Bolt liked it there, as the Emporium traveled throughout the Midwest, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. She wasn’t so sure about living with freaks, though.
As soon as she saw an opportunity, she was leaving, with or without Bolt.
Charles Lambkin, Chuck, C.M, whatever he called himself these days, was on the hunt. Those children were stolen from him and so
was his chance to make money. A little murder, a little acting, he’d have those kids back. It wouldn’t be long…
As a fan of the circus-novel genre, you probably have some expectations. Magic, for sure, maybe something foreboding and lots of weirdness. You’ll have all that fulfilled with “One of Us,” but with a difference. This novel is less dark, more snark. Indeed, author Dan Chaon will make you snort sometimes with sentences that sneak up on you with catch-you-quick cleverness, and a bad guy who’s gleefully awful. More fun: it’s easy to forget that there are two threads running parallel here; there you are, enjoying half of the tale, transported to a dusty field in 1915, listening to “freaks” doubling as carnies, when
Chaon abruptly switches gears through chapters. It ratchets up the adrenaline every time. Every. Time.
Readers of this genre will love “One of Us” most, but those who are circus history or sideshow history fans will (surprise!) appreciate the authenticity and real people that Chaon adds here. So step right up, see what’s inside the Big Top - and if you’re in need of a good, creepy novel soon, this is worth the thought.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead
by
Luisa Navarro, photos by Christine Chitnis c.2025, Hardie Grant $40.00 239 pages
They’re never far from your mind.
Dead” and keep the celebrations separate.
In the early pages of her book, author Luisa Navarro explains why she took a journey to learn more about Dia de Muertos, what it came to mean to her, and how readers can get involved in this celebration. It’s not appropriation, if you do – Navarro tells how she felt when she included her non-Mexican husband’s family in with hers on her altar, which is a warm tale. There’s a lot of why inside the how-to, making “Mexico’s Day of the Dead” very informative; readers will also find crafts and recipes to help get started, and legends to entertain. Dozens of photos by Christine Chitnis will keep you coming back, so if you’re looking for an easy, unique, lesson-filled read this fall, keep this in mind.
visited the catacombs in France, and argued with guides and guards in several different places, noting that people are a lot nicer when they’re dead.
In a very big way, “Somebody is Walking on Your Grave” is a fun travelogue that’s also part memoir, and taphophiles will love it. But…
Readers who specifically add a cemetery tour to their vacation itinerary, or who obsessively scour guidebooks for graveyards to visit will enjoy author Mariana Enriquez’s observations; they’re humorous and not stuffy, lightly acknowledging the bit of the macabre that’s here. She includes history behind the cities she visits, as well as for the cemeteries, and that can be a bit longish sometimes. You may not mind, though, because her descriptions enhance any trip you might make, serving as exactly what you’d want from a real live tour guide.
But…
Adland Coles, $35). It’s a gorgeous coffee-table book full of photos, poems, legends, and tales of what’s beneath the waves that you can’t see. Some of the creatures in here are real. Some, well, you need to read. This is a great book for amateur cryptozoologists who love literature. Now, if these four books don’t satisfy your craving for ghosts and monsters this fall, then head to your favorite library or bookstore and ask the staff to scare you with something good. They’ll have all kinds of books to suggest for you – books about spirits, sea serpents, cryptid creatures, and real monsters. Stories with photos, stories that are obviously not true and some that, well, decide for yourself by finding a book with an air of total spookiness.
When you use your grandmother’s good dishes, or a tool smoothed by your great-grandfather’s hands, you think about those who came before you, the things they did and created and left, and you’re inspired by them. You honor them in many ways every day, and in the new book “Mexico’s Day of the Dead” by Luisa Navarro, photos by Christine Chitnis, you’ll learn how an entire nation celebrates their ancestors.
Everyday life is busy, and so it’s “easy… for family stories to get lost.” Navarro didn’t want that to happen to her memories of her abuelita or her beloved cousin Lila, and so she set off to learn about the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead.
The first thing you’ll want to know is that Dia de Muertos is celebrated over the course of a few days around Halloween but it really has little to do with Halloween. Dia de Muertos is for celebrating “loved ones who have passed away,” while Halloween is to scare. Our October 31 traditions are dark, but the Day of the Dead is “playful, celebratory, and very colorful.” Around the Day of the Dead, cartoonish skeletons are seen as lighthearted decorations and sugar skull candies are covered with bright icing, while papel picado is hung near family altars to wave in the breeze. If you’re celebrating Dia de Muertos, you’ll want to know how to properly set up your altar, which can be simple or elaborate; how to practice la bienvenida with your ancestors’ favorite foods and drinks; and how to decide on the best ofrenda for guests during the celebration. None of this is a “one-size-fits-all process,” Navarro says; in fact, she suggests adding “elements” such as photos, spiritual items, flowers, candles, cultural items, or decorations over time and she reminds readers not to feel as though you need to refresh pan de muerto as the days linger. Then, be glad that your elders’ memories “will never be forgotten, and you can always count on a fiesta.”
You’ve laid in the candy, hung scary ghosts and witches, and you’re ready for little goblins to knock on the door. Just remember the lessons you’ll find in “Mexico’s Day of the
Somebody is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys
by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell c.2025, Hogarth $30.00 336 pages
The knee bone’s connected to the shin bone. You can go up from there, or down your body’s scaffolding. The backbone’s connected to the rib bone. The hip bone to the leg bone, the wrist bone to the finger bones, and in the new book “Somebody is Walking on Your Grave” by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell, there’ll come a day when you won’t need any of them. She always had an appreciation for cemeteries.
Still, they weren’t an obsession until Mariana Enriquez fell head bone over heel bones in love with a street musician while on a vacation in Italy with her mother. He took Enriquez through a cemetery on their whirlwind romance, which sealed her love for graveyards.
She never seems to miss a chance to tour them, to marvel at the beauty of statuary atop marble resting places, to see tombstones listing sideways, or to note the names and tragedies of the dead. This includes the graves of non-humans, like a horse that helped its owner escape an Argentinian uprising in 1885; and a Scottish dog who guarded his owner’s grave for more than a decade.
Enriquez visited San Sebastián, Spain, and was almost jailed for it; and she was lectured about Aboriginal graves by a white man on Rottnest Island, off the Australian coast. There was a magical sense at Sara Braun municipal Cemetery in Chile, and an absurd couple of mysteries in Argentina. She visited just some of the forty-two cemeteries in New Orleans including, of course, oven crypts and the grave of Marie Laveau. She spent Dios de Muertos in Mexico, and was surprised that you can live near a funeral home in Savannah and not have ghosts. She
But toward the end of this otherwise-delightful book, Enriquez unabashedly admits to doing something atrociously unsettling, to which she says she feels no remorse – which may be a hard forgive for readers who wouldn’t ever dream of emulating it.
This book is a fun read, up to that point, so just beware. Most of “Somebody is Walking On Your Grave” is truly interesting, but that one chapter inside here may not fully allow you to wrap your head bone around it.
Books for Adults this Halloween
by various authors
c.2025, various publishers $24.99$35.00 various page counts
The air feels a little bit different this time of year Cooler, for sure, but also darker. Heavier, like someone hanging over your shoulder, breathing right in your left ear. Like maybe it’s Halloween, and you need to get in the mood with these four great books…
Have you ever seen a ghost? Do you even believe they exist? If the answer is “not yet,” then you’ll want to read “Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting, and Why We Keep Looking” by Alice Vernon (Bloomsbury Sigma, $28). For centuries – particularly the last two – humans have been fascinated with the idea that spirits exist and sometimes visit those of us who are on this side of the spectral plane. The Victorians were obsessed with them. There are lots of videos and TV shows you can watch tonight, if you want to see ghost hunters in action. What do skeptics say? And why do we keep looking for spirits of the dead?
Read this book and find out.
Then reach for “American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a Nation” by Barb Rosenstock (Calkins Creek, $24.99). If you find the history in the Vernon book fascinating, this book takes things to the next level, with a long, deep look back nearly 200 years at what is arguably the beginning of the Victorian fixation with ghosts. It’s a solid book with photos and reprinted documents that just add to the Creep Factor. Ghosts, of course, don’t just appear. They haunt, too, and “America’s Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger Than Fiction” by Leanna Renee Hieber & Andrea Janes (Kensington, $29) shows you the many ways that ghosts can spook you.
Broken up into several different segments, this book is wide and comprehensive as it takes you on a voyage through historic buildings and everyday homes, into rooms and wide-open spaces, through family lineages and into family crypts and, of course, there are curses. This is a fun book filled with stories that practically beg to be re-told around a campfire next summer. And finally, if you’re planning on spending time on the water this winter, you may think again after you’ve read “The Book of Sea Monsters: Leviathans of Literature” by Prema Arasu (Bloomsbury /
King Sorrow
by Joe Hill
c.2025, Wm. Morrow $40.00 896 pages
The scales of justice are balanced. Everything’s right with the world. You’ve eliminated a big problem, stomped out a lot of little fires, the score is even and you can rest now. Or can you? Will there always be another event, person, or issue that’s problematic?
As in the new book “King Sorrow” by Joe Hill, will you need to employ a different kind of scales?
Arthur Oakes was just being a nice guy He never intended to get involved with the Nighswander family but he did something kind while visiting his mother in prison, it backfired spectacularly, and his goodness led to blackmail. The Nighswanders gave him an option: steal valuable rare books from the college library where he worked – something that hurt Arthur to his very core – and hand them over. Or if he refused, they’d kill his mother. And so Arthur became a thief, until the pressure of it became too much and he blurted the truth to his friends. Colin, Van, Donna, Allie, and Gwen immediately understood the stress Arthur had been living under, but what could he do? How else could he ensure his mother’s safety? The Nighswanders had all the cards. But they didn’t have an old séance film, or an ancient cracked mirror and knowledge of its use –tools that Colin’s grandfather owned. Llewellyn had been somewhat of an Ernest-Hemingway type, and from the things in his cabinet, the friends learned that to rid Arthur of evil would take evil. They called forth a dragon to smite the Nighswanders. No one knew how the conflagration that killed Jayne Nighswander started. Nobody suspected a dragon had torn her boyfriend apart with immense claws. But the six friends knew and they breathed a sigh of guilty relief. It was done. Until the dragon, King Sorrow, appeared to ask for his annual sacrifice…
Put “King Sorrow” in your hands and savor the heft, knowing that every page belongs in this story, knowing that there’s no fluff or unnecessary threads, that each layer complements the one before it. Knowing you’re in for a fairy tale that’s a fiery tale. Two words might occur to you: Brill. Yunt. And rightfully so: author Joe Hill cleverly corrals history, current events, and a witty horror protagonist, then he places them to a severaldecades-long tale of love, sacrifice, and college friendships that aren’t so friendly. You’ll see this as you get to know the six main human characters and their lives and losses organically. Hill’s people are authentically-written and humanly flawed despite and within the horror of what they’ve called forward but you’ll still have a hard time not having a preference among them. What happens to your favorite, though, it’s as if The Breakfast Club and Maleficent had a party, and you’re invited. Don’t let the size of this book scare you. The better scares are waiting inside this book and you won’t be sorry when you find them. For lovers of horror novels, mythology, and happily never after, “King Sorrow” tips the scales.
Paradise Center
for the
Paradise Center for the rtsA
rtsA Conne ct. Experience. Create.
For more information & tickets:
Presented by Paradise Community Theatre By Tammy Barton & Gayann Truelove
Directed by Kathy Rush
Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice! Meet the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter, and a paranoid egg in this whimsical adventure full of laughter and magic. Don’t miss the fun!
www.paradisecenterforthearts.org • 507.332.7372
For more information & tickets: www.paradisecenterforthearts.org • 507.332.7372
321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN
For more information & tickets: www.paradisecenterforthearts.org
507.332.7372
321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN
321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, MN
COMEDIAN C. WILLI MYLES
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 AT 7:30PM
Member: $21.50 / Non-Member: $26.50 Student: $16.50
(Includes a $1.50 Processing Fee)
Carlander Family Gallery – Kate Langlais
Lois Vranesh Gallery and K&M Gallery
Char
Johnnie Walker, Kathy Weed Corey Lyn Creger Memorial Gallery - Bethlehem Academy Students
Comedian C. Willi Myles, “America’s Everyday Comedian,” has been combining his quick wit and a great sense of humor to deliver one of this country’s most high-energy, side-splitting shows for all ages. C. Willi Myles’ humor has built a dedicated audience around the country because of its non-offensive flavor. Don’t miss “Faribault’s favorite comedian” live on the Paradise stage!
Exhibition Dates: October 3 – November 15, 2025.
HOLLY DAYS SALE ~ OVER 30 ARTISTS IN 3 GALLERIES
OPENING RECEPTION ~ NOVEMBER 20, 4 PM - 7 PM
Holly Days Shopping Available: November 20 - December 20. Wed. - Fri. 12 PM - 5 PM & Sat. 10 AM - 2 PM
Improv 101:
(Closed Nov. 27 & 28 for Thanksgiving)
Intro to Improv with Buddy Ricker (Ages 16+)
Improv 101:
October 17, 18, and 24 at 7:30 PM
SATURDAYS THRU JUNE 22, 12:30-2PM
October 19, 25, and 26 at 2:00 PM.
Member: $70 / Non-Member: $80
Intro to Improv with Buddy Ricker (Ages 16+)
SponsoredbySouthernHeightsDentalGroup,K&MHeatingandAC,and the Channel Inn.
* Alice in Wonderland tea party, one hour before the matinees, $7.50 per child.*
SATURDAYS THRU JUNE 22, 12:30-2PM
Member: $70 / Non-Member: $80
Member: $19.50, Non-Member: $21.50, and Student: $15.50 (Includes a $1.50 Processing Fee)
This course will focus on the fundamentals of improv acting with an emphasis on improv comedy. Through “hands on” exercises and laughter, we will bring out the creative improvyour family and friends with a course ending show that showcases the improv artist in
Show Sponsor ~ Reliance Bank
PCT Season Sponsor ~ The Bahl Foundation Presented through a special arrangement with Heuer Publishing.
JOSEPH HALL’S
Sponsored by Southern Heights Dental Group and K&M Heating and Air Conditioning
ELVIS ROCK’N’REMEMBER TRIBUTE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 7:30PM
Member: $26.50 / Non-Member: $31.50 Student: $21.50
(Includes a $1.50 Processing Fee)
Families will glaze clay medallions, meet costumed cast members, and celebrate creativity together.
Free to attend (space limited – 30 per session).
Register: paradisecenterforthearts.org/education
Each child 12 & under receives a free ticket to Alice in Wonderland
Saturday, Oct. 11 | Sessions at 10 AM, 11:15 AM & 1 PM
Finished pieces displayed in the K&M Gallery Made possible by the Faribault Foundation CommUnity Grant.
Joseph Hall has performed all over the world and was a finalist on America’s Got Talent. He has won many awards throughout his career, including the “Spirit of Elvis” award, and is officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, recognized as one of the top Elvis Tribute artists in the world today! Don’t miss this Faribault tradition that keeps fans coming back year after year!
Second Annual Fari “BOO” Bar Crawl – Fundraiser for Paradise Center for the Arts!
Friday, October 31st, starting at 7:00 PM
INTRO TO STAINED GLASSCOPPER FOIL METHOD:
Registration starts at 7 PM at the Paradise Crawl: 7–11 PM | $12 per person Stops: The Signature, Our Place on Third, Boxers, and American Legion
NOVEMBER 19TH & 26TH FROM 6PM - 9PM.
Costume Contest: Winners announced 11:30 PM at the Paradise Prizes: 1st – $500 | 2nd – $250 | 3rd – $100 Ages 21+
Event Sponsors: The Signature Bar & Grill, Our Place on 3rd, Boxer’s Bar, The American Legion, Heavy Metal Customs, Faribault Community Coop, Gold Star Manufacturing, The Depot Bar & Grill, Cry Baby Craig’s, and Francis Animal & Pest Control.
Member $60/Non-Member $72. Supply fee $55. You can make your own 5x8 inch panel and experience the art of making sunlight dance. You will go home with a zinc framed piece ready to hang in your window. Class is held at Studio Underground, 318 Central Ave, basement level and taught by Sandra Sargent from Bending Sunlight Glassworks.
Curt Lund
Dan Crombie
Curt Lund
Doug Clement Dan Crombie
– Studio Artour:
Johnson, Julie Fakler,