Waseca Profiles 2021

Profiles

e c n e i l i s e R Thursday, March 25th, 2021 A special publication from the Waseca County News

After a difficult year, a tribute to Waseca County’s

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WASECA PORTRAITS

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Resilience in Waseca

Profiles

After a difficult year, a tribute to Waseca County’s A special project of Waseca County News ©2021 124 Second St.NW, Waseca MN • 507-835-5455 www.wasecacountynews.com

Regional President: STEVE FISHER Regional General Manager: CHAD HJELLMING Regional Managing Editor: SUZANNE ROOK Associate Editor: LISA KACZKE Regional Director of Sales: TOM KELLING Advertising: JENNIFER FLOWERS Designer: KATE MCGILLEN

Waseca Police try to heal after Officer Arik Matson’s shooting .......................3 Waseca firefighters make sacrifices to serve community .................................4 Zinnias Boutique makes it through the pandemic and into a new space ........5 Dorothy Loonan’s seven-year wait for a kidney ..............................................6 Boat House owners continue to serve community amid pandemic ................7

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Waseca Police try to heal after Officer Arik Matson’s shooting

By ANNIE GRANLUND annie.granlund@apgsomn.com

Waseca police officers felt a calling to serve the community, but how do those in law enforcement continue to show up for the job day after day once the unimaginable has happened to one of their own?

In Waseca, the foundation of the city’s police department was shaken to its core on Jan. 6, 2020, when Officer Arik Matson was shot in the line of duty by Tyler Robert Janovsky, who was eventually sentenced to 35 years for attempted murder of a peace officer.

Matson, who was shot in the head, spent months away from his family as a part of his recovery before eventually returning home in October. His story, his strength and his perseverance has gained national attention as “Matson Strong” quickly became the motto of an entire community looking to heal.

But what isn’t mentioned quite often enough are the three other

the exchange and was briefly put on administrative leave. Both Harren and Schroeder offered up victim impact statements during Janovsky’s sentencing hearing, bringing to light that the road to both forgiveness and recovery is still an ongoing journey for themselves and the rest of the department.

Not part of the victim impact statements, but still very much a part of that night, is Capt. Kris Markeson. Wanting to give the opportunity for others to be heard, Markeson said he decided to keep his focus on helping the rest of the department – including himself – heal.

“In our line of work, mental health is sort of a hot button issue,” Markeson said. “In this profession there is this attitude of ‘just deal with it,’ so essentially you have to find a process that works for you and helps to deal with it.”

The three men have all taken extremely different approaches on

cision that they were called to protect and serve.

For Markeson, who first joined the department 22 years ago, he said he knew law enforcement was his destiny because of his desire to experience something different every day.

“I couldn’t imagine being stuck inside at the same desk or at a machine doing the same thing every day,” Markeson said. “Law enforcement provided me the ability to see things up front and being that I come from a great family, I also wanted to make sure that I could go out and help and just be a good person.”

Starting the same year as Markeson was Schroeder, who said his appeal to law enforcement started with a desire to work as a game warden or an officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He credits this partially to the “trickle down effect” from his family that produced a handful of first responders ranging from

“It’s done, but it’s not done.

It never will be done.”

-WASECA POLICE CAPT. KRIS MARKESON officers who were at the scene that night, who all watched their brother in blue narrowly escape death.

“Every day that you put on that uniform, you know that this is something that can happen,” said Officer Andrew Harren.

Harren was also shot at that night along with Sgt. Tim Schroeder, who shot Janovsky during

firefighters to EMTs. “That changed after I did a ride along and realized that I didn’t want to be working when I’d rather be hunting or fishing,” Schroeder laughed as he recalled his change of heart from a DNR officer to a The call to service police officer. Little did Schroeder Long before that night, these know at the time that he was setthree Waseca officers made the de- ting a trend in his circle as child-

moving forward from that night, but each of them has remained aligned with two key priorities: supporting the Matson family and continuing to serve the Waseca community.

hood friends and eventually his stepson entered into the same field.

In 2015, Harren joined the department following a few years serving in the U.S. Army. The busy work of the military proved to be what Harren wanted in his everyday life, thus leading him down the path of law enforcement.

“I also had a close family friend who became a police officer in my hometown and he became a real mentor to me,” Harren said. “All of that helped me decide that this is really what I want to do, it appealed to me, and it fit right away.”

While all three of them admit that originally they were just

POLICE

Continued on page 8

Waseca Police officer Andrew Harren reads a statement during Tyler Janovsky’s sentencing hearing at the Waseca County Courthouse last fall. Janovsky was sentenced to 35 years in prison in Waseca County District Court for shooting at Harren and shooting Harren’s partner Arik Matson in the head in Jan. 2020 after officers were called to a suspicious person call. Harren said in his statement that he is not sure he has yet come to a place of forgiveness. (Pat Christman/Free Press of Mankato)

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Waseca firefighters make sacrifices to serve community

By BAILEY GRUBISH The job of a local firefighter involves resilience every day.

The Waseca Fire Department includes firefighters of all ages, experiences and talents, but Shift Commander Jon Kahnke said the most important thing is that they’re all human. When called to a fire scene, each one different, they have to stay focused no matter the circumstance.

“Everyone reacts differently to different circumstances... the dynamics are so different from one person to the next and that’s why it’s so so important to have that relationship with the people that you work with. We don’t ever shut anyone out,” Kahnke said.

An emergency could happen during a holiday meal, an appointment, bad weather or other busy moments of their life, but the first responders show up to help those in need no matter what. Those in the fire service, like many other emergency responders, push through distractions to help those in need, or as now retired Fire Chief John Underwood said, “it’s about helping people on the worst day of their life.”

When they join the department, its a civic duty to help their own community and every firefighter makes sacrifices to be there.

The main sacrifices are family time, work time and health.

“I think it’s unanimous for all of

To become a firefighter The common requirements to become a firefighter are: -Must be 18 years or older -Must live within a certain drive time to the fire station -Must be able to pass a physical health screening -Must have a satisfactory criminal history -Must have a valid driver’s license -Must be able to work in all weather conditions for long periods of time -Must be able to work in a team environment Source: Minnesota State Fire Department Association

The Waseca Fire Department did a training exercise in August 2019 with an abandoned house next to the American Legion. The exercise allows the firefighters to train in a controlled environment. (Bailey Grubish/Southernminn.com) us, that would be the same thing, the main reason why we’re here is to help the community,” said Underwood, who has stayed on with the department as a firefighter after his retirement.

Missing out on family time is a major component when working on the fire department, either oncall or as a full-time employee.

“It’s one of those jobs that’s unique on the full-time side of the world, that we’re given an op-

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portunity to serve the community, but we’re also given an opportunity to have closeness still with our family,” Kahnke said. “It’s hard to explain to people because I think to put it in perspective for people when the city and our employer allows us to do those things because the time away from family is significant.”

The Waseca Fire Department, like most other fire departments, feels like a family in its own right, celebrating Christmas and other holidays, having supper together or just hanging out at the station when they have downtime. They come together and support each other.

Firefighter Michael Kahnke, son of Jon Kahnke, recalls spending a lot of his childhood, into his young adulthood, at the fire station for lunches, dinners, holidays and even birthdays, making it like a second home to him.

“It’s kind of all I knew, I grew up around it and here,” he said of why he joined the department.

“We were always here.”

Most Waseca firefighters have a full-time job where their employer is flexible to allow them to leave in the middle of work to assist on a fire call.

“You’re away from your family 24 hours at a time and then on your days off your days are consumed by doing it too and if you’re paid on-call, it’s a busy occupation,” Jon Kahnke said. “I think when you talk about searching for employees and what you want to find in them is someone that puts that best foot forward. Giving back to the community you live in, this is your opportunity. Not every call that we go to is something that we’re going to win, but we’re going to go in and make somebody’s day better because let’s face it there is no 912, it’s 911 and that’s it.”

John Underwood has worked with Waseca Fire Department for more than 35 years and now serves as a firefighter after retiring as the fire chief. (File photo/southernminn.com) There is a lot of training that goes into becoming a firefighter and continuous training throughout their careers. There are first responder classes, firefighter classes along with hazmat training, then the occasional Saturday eighthour classes. This training prepares them to face every obstacle that is presented, both physically and mentally.

“Two worst things in my ca-

reer when I go to something bad is: I pray I don’t know them and I pray they’re not young people,” Underwood said. “Those by far are the worst. Young people stand out, but in a small community we know people. Those will never leave you.”

Being in a small town means that there are times the department

FIREFIGHTERS

Continued on page 9

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Zinnias Boutique makes it through the pandemic and into a new space

Tamie Collins did remodel work on the building that is the new location for Zinnias Boutique. She removed the carpet and cleaned the original tiles, removed the stage, redid the windows, added a walk-in cooler and other renovations. (BaileyGrubish/southernminn.com) Owner Tamie Collins, right, mans the register at Zinnias Boutique with her daughter Abby. Between wedding consultations, a make-your-own-bouquet event for Valentine’s Day and regular store hours, things have been busy at the new State Street location. (Bridget Kranz)

By BRIDGET KRANZ

es full of summer inventory and nowhere to sell it, Collins began working from home.

She and her daughters put on fashion shows via Facebook Live, hosted pop-up events at Tamie’s home, and brought in stock that sold well during the pandemic – including succulent gardens and jigsaw puzzles. Despite the challenges, Tamie wasn’t quite ready to throw in the towel. Finally, in August, she and her husband bought a new space along State Street and officially reopened Zinnias in November.

“I wasn’t ready to be done,” she said. “Anybody that owns their own business will tell you that it’s a lot of work – but if it’s your passion and it’s what you love to do, it doesn’t seem like work.”

working part time at a home décor shop in Blue Earth and substitute teaching. Eventually, she made the switch after moving to Waseca – and that passion hasn’t left her since.

Now, after a tough year, she’s back to doing wedding consultations and make-your-own “Bloom Bar” events with her floral business -- while a steady stream of customers wanders in on the weekends to browse the latest selection of clothes, jewelry, home décor and gifts.

For her youngest daughter, Abby, this energy is infectious.

Working as a nurse during the week, she and her sisters still found time to help their mom both behind the scenes and in-person on their time off.

“Her energy makes you want to keep going, it makes you want

Each year begins with a trip to the market for Tamie Collins, owner of Zinnias Boutique in Waseca.

Often accompanied by her three daughters, she flies down to Atlanta to comb through hundreds of clothing, jewelry and other vendors – placing an order for the products she wants to carry back home in Minnesota.

Like any other year, these past 12 months were bookended by two weekends in Georgia – the first right before COVID-19 arrived in Minnesota, the second at the beginning of 2021 as people began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the interim, Collins had a busy – and often stressful – year in Waseca.

Last March, she had to close A family affair temporarily due to COVID-19.

A former elementary school Shortly after that, she needed to teacher, Tamie found her pasmove from her previous location sion for running a boutique while Continued on page 11 below Trio Wine Café. With box-

ZINNIAS

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Dorothy Loonan’s seven-year wait for a kidney

By BAILEY GRUBISH Some would argue that 2020 was the worst year of their life, but Dorothy Loonan would argue that it was the year she restarted her life.

It was the year she received a kidney donation from a stranger.

Loonan served as a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force from 1976 until 1980 before she began her career traveling the world as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines.

Traveling the world and assisting people on flights was her life.

But that changed when her flight landed in Seattle, Washington. She couldn’t move her arms or legs for 30 minutes. That was the last flight she worked, nearly seven years ago.

A doctor’s visit told her that

While catching up, the topic of Loonan being on dialysis and needing a kidney donation came up, sparking Oliver to donate to her.

“Without it I would have died,” Loonan said. “I don’t know how you say thank you to someone who saved your life. It was a huge decision. How do you wake up one day and decide to give someone a piece of your body?”

Oliver went through rigorous testing to ensure he was a proper match for Loonan and to monitor his mental health.

The doctors were adamant he could change his mind right up until the day of surgery.

“I can’t stress that enough and The journey they truly want to make sure that Mike Oliver, who knew Loonthe donor can succeed and survive an’s husband, turned out to be the

was on dialysis and that was my life for almost seven years.”

Her first year on dialysis was filled with various emotions and losses. Instead of feeling down about it, she decided to fight and accept what she couldn’t change.

“Unfortunately, dialysis isn’t meant to last a lifetime, it’ll keep you alive,” Loonan said.

Struggles ensued. Cancer in one kidney followed by cancer in the other a year later. Seven surgeries, hair loss and a multitude of other problems followed. Both kidneys were removed leaving Loonan completely reliant upon dialysis and hopeful for a transplant.

both her kidneys had essentially died from a side effect from a prescribed medication.

“It was numbing, I can’t explain the reaction,” Loonan said. “You’d think I’d be tearful or angry. I didn’t know what to expect or what that meant and before I knew it, I

one to step up.

“When he volunteered, I was a little skeptical because I didn’t know him and to everyone’s surprise he came through,” Loonan said.

Tim Loonan was in Mankato and ran into his friend Oliver.

A living donor kidney can function between 12-20 years.

Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list and 82% are in need of a kidney.

The average waiting time for a donor kidney from a deceased donor is 3-5 years.

With a living donor, a person waiting for a kidney transplant could get a kidney in 1 year or less.

Dialysis does 10-15% of the work a healthy kidney does.

Loonan

disappointed. He was informed he could still donate to another person, but his “true goal” was to donate to Loonan.

Oliver’s case manager and Loonan’s doctor challenged results, ultimately showing that Oliver was a perfect match for Loonan.

“I attribute that fact to, that most of the people in Waseca were praying for me,” Loonan said. “I don’t know all these people, but they were actively praying for me and I think their prayer changed things for me.”

Loonan and her husband were overwhelmed with emotions from finally finding a donor willing to go through with the surgery.

“Unfortunately, lots of people say they’re going to donate and then they don’t come through for some reason,” Loonan said. “I had a number of people volunteer and then not show up. It was a hard thing to learn, but I guess it’s pretty typical.”

They picked a date during the with one,” Oliver said. “They want summer of 2020 and went to the to make sure that I’m not at risk Mayo Clinic in Rochester for the and that’s reassuring. They truly do surgery. concentrate on the donor and they make sure the donor is capable on Oliver, post-donation all aspects.”

Oliver said being a donor was Testing revealed Oliver was simple. not a match, leaving both of them “To me, it’s not heroic. To me,

“It was a huge decision.

How do you wake up one day and decide to give someone a piece of your body?”

-DOROTHY LOONAN

Kidney donation

Kidney donation surgery usually takes only a few hours with a few small incisions.

Ninety-five percent of donors are discharged the next day.

After donation, living donor’s remaining kidney enlarges, doing the work of two healthy kidneys.

Sources: Donate Life America and Duke Health it’s human. To me, why not,” Oliver said.

Following surgery, he was up walking around. He was doing so well, he left the following morning and he was out fishing a few days later.

“My recovery was phenomenal,” Oliver said. “It was super easy.

Again, to donate isn’t a difficult task... They prepare you for absolutely every scenario that could happen and I was prepared for so much worse.”

He went on to say that he doesn’t feel any different after donating his kidney than before. The only reminder is the small incision scars.

Loonan’s recovery

said.

She wasn’t able to walk more than a half a block without becoming winded.

“The recovery for me is a little more challenging than it is for the donor, but since the kidney is functioning so well, it’s a lot better than for some people,” Loonan said.

“The kidney is functioning 100%, it’s really doing its job.”

After surgery, she stayed at the Gift of Life transplant facility in Rochester.

The Gift of Life transplant center made Loonan feel comfortable in her recovery and she was able to speak with others recovering from similar surgeries, making it a “Godsend” for her.

Loonan’s recovery has been a Giving thanks challenge.

To show gratitude, she started “I’m getting there. The initial a Facebook fundraiser and raised recovery was quite a bit longer be- $500 to give to the facility. cause of stress of a new kidney and big medication with side effects: diabetes and losing my hair,” she Continued on page 9

LOONAN

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Boat House owners continue to serve community amid pandemic

By NICK GERHARDT Running a restaurant is chaotic enough but trying to do so in the midst of a global pandemic and a staccato shutdown caused additional worries.

But the Boat House Grill and Bar did what it has always done: served the community and the community served the Boat House in return.

Last March saw Gov. Tim Walz order the closure of bars and restaurants as a way to curb the spread of COVID-19 and while establishment owners made adjustments, it wasn’t easy. But the Waseca community helped ease the loss of inperson business.

Early into the shutdown, Boat House owners Del and Amber Oli-

vas started having people purchase gift cards in the hundreds of dollars for the Olivas to use to feed people in the community who might need a meal. Del said around a couple dozen people in Waseca ended up donating money for gift cards.

While the community helped the Boat House, the restaurant went out of its way to feed the community. At Easter last year, the Boat House prepared meals for emergency room workers at the hospital since they couldn’t leave during their shifts.

The community helped keep the restaurant and its employees afloat during the pandemic by ordering food for delivery when people couldn’t dine in. The Boat House has always delivered since Amber’s parents took over the res-

taurant in 2006, but that side of the business saw a huge uptick and helped reduce losses.

“Our delivery business has been at least five times what it was before,” Del said. “It’s phenomenal.

It still doesn’t get us back to 100% because we’re still at 50% dining but this year is already pacing to be better than last year.”

Del estimates it could have declined by 50% last year without the delivery service. But with it and its growth, the Olivas only saw a 20% decrease overall.

“If it was 50% we probably wouldn’t have been open,” Del said.

Instead, the Boat House added six employees during the pandemic. Four work in the kitchen and two help with deliveries on the weekends.

Del said he does 80% of the deliveries for the restaurant and those he’s delivered to have given generous tips, which he’s handed back to employees.

The delivery side picks up a handful of new customers each week, Del said. Many have just discovered the Boat House provides delivery and the Olivas have promoted it more recently through social media posts.

Not only have the Olivas fed the community, they’ve sought to feed their employees. Often during the early days of the pandemic they put out a call to employees that they’d have food at the restaurant.

At least once a week Del and Am-

BOAT HOUSE

Continued on page 10

Amber Olivas slices a hardboiled egg in the Boathouse Grill and Bar kitchen. The Boathouse survived shutdowns with its delivery business. (Nick Gerhardt/southernminn.com)

Hours Opens Daily at 11 AM Delivery 11 AM - 2 PM & 5 PM - Close Sunday Breakfast 10 AM - NOON 406 9th St. NE, Waseca, MN • 507-835-2419 www.boathousewaseca.com

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WASECA PORTRAITS

POLICE

Continued from page 3 happy to get a job in their field, it seemed the small southern Minnesota town has unexpectedly taken a hold of each of them - despite their fair share of difficult and tragic calls long before January 2020.

The tough cases

On Markeson’s 10th day as an officer, he was called to the devastating discovery of 12-year-old Cally Jo Larson who was found hanging in her home after having been stabbed to death by confessed murderer Lorenzo Bahena Sanchez.

“It was completely random and senseless,” Markeson said. The case was only the beginning of tough calls the young cop would experience in Waseca.

In 2007, both Markeson and Schroeder responded to the Kruger residence where a brutal home invasion resulted in the death of Tracy Kruger and his 13-year-old son, Alec, who called for help before being shot by Michael Zabawa. Hillary Kruger survived being shot by Zabawa but was critically

Thursday, March 25, 2021

ARIK MATSON Despite finding their own outlets to help them move forward, the three officers who were at the scene when Waseca Officer Arik Matson was shot in the head have said they take note from Matson on how to carry themselves each day.

“We are a small department and I am very close friends with the Matsons,” said Sgt. Tim Schroeder. “Being able to talk to Arik on almost a daily basis since it happened has been what’s given me the most motivation to keep going.”

“No matter what, we take our lead from Arik,” said Capt. Kris Markeson. “You wake up and whatever you are dealing with is not as bad as what the Matson family has dealt with, so let’s deal with it.”

“It’s not about us, it’s about Arik,” said Officer Andrew Harren. “I happened to be there, but this is about Arik and the department. Our focus needs to be on Arik and getting Arik better.” injured and hospitalized for several months. The couple’s younger son Zak had been staying at a friend’s house the night of the incident.

“We take 10,000 calls a year and people really have no idea what we see on a daily basis,” Markeson said. “It would be very eye opening for anyone to come and thumb through our reports, but when it comes down to it, you have to learn from the bad ones and focus on the positives.”

Harren echoed Markeson’s sentiments, adding that it’s important not to dwell on the negative calls, considering a majority of the time the police are not called to respond because something good is happening.

“We have the same people - bad guys if you will, suspects, criminals - that are in Minneapolis or any big city,” Harren said. “The same type of people are here in Waseca, we just aren’t as densely populated. We

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Capt. Kris Markeson has found woodworking projects to be a positive outlet for him following the stress endured after one of his fellow officers in Waseca was shot. He recently completely a custom set of cornhole boards to be auctioned off in honor of Officer Arik Matson at a community event in March. (Photo courtesy of Kris Markeson) deal with the same types of calls, maybe just not daily.”

On the night Janovsky shot at the officers, the three men said their training took over so they could execute their response just as they would at any other of the difficult calls they’ve responded to throughout the years.

“It all happened in a split second, and in that split-second decision making, you really revert back to your training,” Schroeder said.

“Everyday that you put on that uniform you know this is something that can happen,” Harren said. “It’s just not that big of a reach - it can happen.”

Recovering together

Immediately following that night, Waseca was thrust into the national spotlight as Matson began his road to physical recovery.

While the community certainly embraced the Matson family, the other entire department felt the love and support of the public they serve.

“I was amazed and I am still amazed at how the community supports us,” Harren said. “It started with the blue lights in everyone’s garages or doorways and you couldn’t drive down a single street without seeing that entire street glow blue. To this day those lights are still out there everywhere, and you just don’t see that in every town.”

Though the community has continued to raise them up over the last 15 months, the three men said it has been important for them

to find ways to take care of themselves as well. For Schroeder, taking the opportunity to talk openly about the post-traumatic stress he had endured following the night Janovsky open fire on them was an important step in not only Schroeder’s recovery, but the entire department’s.

“I looked at this as not only a way to heal myself, but to be a role model to others and let them know that it is OK to feel this way,” said Schroeder reflecting on his victim impact statement at Janovsky’s sentencing hearing. “When I gave that statement it was my feelings, it was my family’s feelings, it was my fiance’s feelings. I just happened to be the one who was able to give

a statement and be a voice at that time.”

Harren said leaning on friends and family was paramount for him to move forward, but most importantly he felt the need and drive to put his uniform back on and continue to serve the community that was currently supporting him.

“It was easy for me to get back into the swing of things because I never once questioned that this is what I want to do,” Harren said. “I want to keep busy, that’s why I got into this field, and sitting around dwelling on the bad isn’t going to do me any good, my family any good, my department any good, or my community any good.”

For Markeson, who not only was impacted by the incident but also has a leading role the department, he was able to find solace in personal woodworking projects that he can immerse and lose himself in.

“It’s done, but it’s not done.

It never will be done,” Markeson said. “I’d like to be pragmatic and say time heals all wounds, but that’s not always the case.”

“You can’t just wake up everyday and think, ‘What am I going to do today?’ You need to have a purpose,” Markseon continued. “We all have a purpose. You need to ask yourself, ‘What else am I here for?’”

During his victim impact statement last fall, Sgt. Tim Schroeder spoke openly about his post-traumatic stress that followed the night Waseca Officer Arik Matson was shot. Schroeder said speaking openly about his struggles not only helped him heal, but hopefully provided opportunities for others to speak openly about their own mental health. (Pat Christman/Mankato Free Press)

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WASECA PORTRAITS

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Dorothy Loonan of Waseca takes a picture with Dorothy Loonan poses with Mike Oliver, who donated a kidney for her. (Photo courtesy Dorothy Loonan) her four children. (Photo courtesy of Dorothy Loonan) From Dorothy’s point of view, she “(Not traveling) was indeed the lived seven years at dialysis and I hardest part, all this traveling all changed that for her overnight.” over the world… I did mostly inContinued fom page 6 Loonan’s family thanked Oliver ternational flying and then all of “I was so grateful and apprecia- numerous times, but that wasn’t a sudden, I’m just here,” Loonan tive for the facility, and I needed enough. Loonan had four tickets said. “Not only am I just here (in a place to recover and recovering from Delta to travel anywhere in Waseca), I’m an empty nester. I with others with similar ailments the world and she gave two tickets almost went crazy. I didn’t know was like having a group,” Loonan to Oliver as thanks for changing what to do with myself... I resaid of why she did the fundraiser. her life. ally struggled with that. My puppy She wanted to thank Oliver, “By the time I was done with Poppy saved me.” though he didn’t want her praise. dialysis, I felt like I was dying,” Currently COVID-19 is keep“I didn’t do it for the glory, Loonan said. ing her from returning to work, but I didn’t do it for the accolades, I Receiving the kidney from Oli- she plans to do so when possible. didn’t do it for the praise, I wanted ver allowed her to press play on her She also has plans to travel to Afto fly under the radar, I didn’t do life that had been on pause for the rica and Italy and to meet her new it for that,” Oliver said. “I had to last seven years. grandbaby. look at it from her point of view.

LOONAN

Waseca firefighters Jon Kahnke (front) and John Underwood (back) organize their equipment to prepare for Fire Prevention Week in 2014. (File photo/southernminn.com)

Firefighters extinguish a fire during a training exercise at a house in Waseca in 2019. (File photo/southernminn.com)

FIREFIGHTERS

Continued from page 4 is responding to people firefighters know and they have to stay focused to help that person in their time of need.

“You have to prepare yourself mentally,” Kahnke said. “It’s not easy and that’s my philosophy.

You have to get your mind set, you have a job to do. I talked about the things that we need to do in those circumstances, whether it’s a crash, fire or some other catastrophe, you have to be able to focus and do your job because that’s what the public expects, that’s what the people expect and they deserve that. It’s got to be complete focus no matter if you know the person or not and that’s my philosophy. I never allow that to get in my way.”

Even after the call has long been answered and the fire department has helped the person in need and cleaned the fire trucks there is still work to be done. Some of the on-call members are able to return home to sleep or work, but some of the leaders and firefighters remain in the station writing the report, taking attendance and completing other necessary paperwork for the emergency.

“When those doors open, a lot of times the outcome has already been decided, nothing we can do,” Underwood said. “What I like to stress to people, young firefighters, is when we get to the scene and it’s something bad, pray for the ones that you can’t help and help the ones you can and try to make the outcome better.”

Following certain emergency

calls, the department will do a check-in on the firefighters’ mental health 72 hours afterwards as a way to provide resources to those who need it or are having a hard time after a call that was significant to them.

There are resources for mental health through national and state fire associations, an employee assistant program and other options. On top of the mental health part of the job, there are other health problems at the forefront: cancer and cardiac problems.

There are numerous avenues of help for these concerns as well and Minnesota has a cancer registry for firefighters.

“What we’re telling people today is you need to look out for yourself and one another,” Kahnke said.

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BOAT HOUSE

Continued from page 7 ber bought food for the staff from local restaurants to also help others in the service industry.

“A lot of times, we’d get done with a shift and we’d all sit down as a family,” Amber said. “We’d make sure to order the family meals from different places.”

With many long-time employees, the Boat House certainly has a family feel, even though it might be dysfunctional at times, Amber said.

People in the community appreciated what the Boat House employees did to keep serving food and one person in particular made Christmas a little better for the employees. A regular diner came into the restaurant shortly before Christmas time and gave each employee a $200 bonus. The restaurant had 22 employees at the time.

“My staff appreciated it,” Del said. “Random things like that have been happening a lot.”

Del and Amber had to lay off 80% of their staff when the pandemic hit and those employees earned unemployment to help offset the loss of income. The Olivas also received Paycheck Protection Program money in both rounds to help keep them afloat during the shutdowns.

The PPP money helped the Olivas bring back employees over

WASECA PORTRAITS

Thursday, March 25, 2021

came from the shutdowns was the opportunity to try new things on the menu. Once the shutdown hit, food distributors faced the stark reality of having too much product.

It resulted in massive discounts to establishments, Amber said.

“We added a bourbon chicken and shrimp, ran it as a special and it skyrocketed,” she said. “It’s one of our main specials now.”

They also added crab cakes, Asian-wrapped shrimp and new wings to the menu as they continued to innovate.

A Boat House Grill and Bar employee serves a customer while wearing a mask after it was allowed to reopen for dine-in at the beginEmployee health Like many places, the Boat ning of January. Other bar and restaurants in Waseca County have House also had to deal with CO- also reopened with COVID-19 guidelines in place. (Bailey Grubish/ VID-19 illnesses. Del and Amber Southernminn.com) said they had five employees out of 27 contract the virus but they didn’t contract it from the restaurant. They haven’t had a reported illness since the early days of the pandemic.

A Boat House Grill and Bar employee serves a customer while wearing a mask after it was allowed to reopen for dine-in at the beginning of January. Other bar and restaurants in Waseca County have also reopened with COVID-19 guidelines in place. (Bailey Grubish/ Southernminn.com)

Continued community support

The Boat House has continued to support the organizations it has in the past, like the Waseca Hockey Association and Waseca Wrestling Club. With the shutdown, the hockey association lost a significant source of revenue through pull-tab sales. The wrestling club had to cancel its annual tourna- Del Olivas pours a drink at the Boathouse Grill and Bar. Since the ment last year. The Boat House pandemic, delivery business has increased five fold and six additionoffered a 10% discount on orders al employees have been hired. (Nick Gerhardt/southernminn.com) or tabs with that money going to available body that can take groups downstairs,” Amber said. “We had to have way more hands.”

The Olivas have worked with Waseca County Public Health to make sure they remain in compliance with health guidelines. The Boat House hasn’t had any issues getting into compliance, but one thing that remains closed is the salad bar. The Olivas did get the green light to reopen it but with restrictions. Those restrictions es-DEL OLIVAS, OWNER OF THE BOATHOUSE GRILL AND BAR sentially mean they’ll need someThe upstairs dining room has one to watch the salad bar and the an occupancy of around 90 and the hoops they have to jump through time and give employees a bit of a those organizations. same goes for the basement area. outweigh the benefit they’d receive bonus.

It’s still not 100% but it’s better from having it open.

Vendors also understood the Moving forward situation businesses faced and exSince Walz reopened restau- than having a 50% occupancy caStarts and stops tended credit to the Olivas and rants and bars, they had to remain pacity for the entire building. Plus, As many restaurant owners, many others during the shut- at 50% occupancy until recently. It the Boat House has outdoor dining the Olivas have grown frustrated at downs. still puts them in a difficult posi- available during spring and sum- times with the lack of communicamer. tion, but the Boat House is in the “Now because we have to have tion from the Governor’s Office in Innovation time fortunate position where it has two 50% up here, we have to have an terms of shutdowns and reopenPerhaps one good thing that rooms to help raise that number. ings. Initially, owners believed last

“We’re doing business like it was summer right now. It’s not letting up.”

Amber Olivas cuts open a package of hardboiled eggs in the Boathouse Bar & Grill kitchen. The Boathouse has added four additional employees to the kitchen as business has surged since it reopened Jan. 13. (Nick Gerhardt/southernminn.com) March’s shutdown was to last just a couple of weeks, but Walz extended the shutdown to June. Then in mid-November he shut things down again before reopening restaurants and bars to 50% capacity Jan. 13.

“We got to a little bit of a point during this second one where they shut us down, it was kind of like, seriously?” Amber said.

With the recent reopening, Amber felt a little more notice would’ve helped.

“To me, personally, I don’t feel like there’s enough communication. They make the steps, now you can open the next day. We’re not ready for that. We need to be more involved as far as here’s what’s coming.”

Then there’s the vaccine rollout the service industry has to endure.

Food service workers reside in the Priority 1b-tier 3 category, af-

ter people 65 and older, child care and school workers, people with underlying health conditions and food processing workers.

Service industry workers face a high level of exposure and have continued to work following shutdowns in spite of the risks.

Business is up

Despite all the adversity, business is good at the Boat House.

Del panicked every day last March when the shutdown took place because that’s already typically a slow time of the year for the restaurant.

This year, however, the numbers look far better.

“We’re doing business like it was summer right now,” Del said.

“It’s not letting up.”

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ZINNIAS

Continued from page 5

to be there,” said Abby. “Seeing her resilience through the pandemic, watching her thrive and not give up, is our motivation to keep helping out.”

And while all three of Tamie’s daughters are quick to point out that it’s their mom running the show, one of the things that makes Zinnias’ so unique is that it truly is a family affair. Each of the three siblings has her own strengths, according to Abby. While she enjoys shopping for jewelry at the markets in Atlanta, older sister Danni focuses on clothing. The eldest, Betsie Collins-Kracht, lives in Rochester and helps behind the scenes with advertising and social media.

“When she was shut down, she had just ordered a bunch of spring and summer products. We had to make a plan, and so we decided to do Facebook Live videos every couple of weeks,” Betsie said of one of the projects she worked closely on this past year. “My family and a few other girls would model the clothing, and my dad was the videographer.”

If people saw a piece they liked, they could message the store and arrange a contactless pick-up from Tamie’s home. Throughout the pandemic, she also utilized her house over the summer for two pop-up weekends – one in June and another in July. More than just laying products out on tables, Tamie sought to recreate the atmosphere of the store in her front yard. She built different wooden frames, hung curtains as backdrops, rented moveable walls and set up changing rooms in the front part of her house.

With all the inventory that had come in from the previous market, and the fact that she was moving out of her former location, Tamie said it was necessary to get creative in getting the product out to customers.

“You buy summer sandals, tennis shoes and shorts -- it’s not like you can hold those products over until you find a new place,” said Tamie. “I had a lot of inventory and unfortunately, a lot of it either had to be sold at or below cost because I wasn’t sure what the future was go-

WASECA PORTRAITS

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Encouraging creativity in others Tamie Collins’ middle daughter, Danni, said she has seen her mother’s creative talents flourish since Zinnias opened in 2007.

From crafting displays to dressing mannequins to the design of advertisements, Tamie’s talents have “come to life,” according to her daughter.

Throughout the business’ history, Tamie has also helped others in Waseca bring their own creativity to the forefront. As a teacher, Danni has led make-and-take sessions for children while their parents browse the store. Recently, for Valentine’s Day, Tamie set up a “Bloom Bar” with her floral inventory.

“I took a buffet table and filled it with a dozen different vases with different blooms and got paper cones – you could come and pick your own stems, put them in a cone and have your own bouquet,” said Tamie.

Her eldest daughter, Betsie Collins-Kracht, said these events are part of what Zinnias brings to the community. During pop-ups last summer, Tamie would have food and live music. At the store, people cannot only pop in for a gift – either for themselves or a loved one – but share an experience together while exercising their own creativity.

Collins’ daughter Danni, a teacher in Faribault, came up with the inspiration for the store’s “Love Will Not Be Cancelled” sign. Despite all three of Collins’ daughters being essential workers, the family has come together through the pandemic to host pop-ups and online fashion shows, in addition to renovating the new space. (Bridget Kranz) ing to be for Zinnia’s boutique.”

Moving to State Street

After a long time looking and not quite finding the right space, Tamie and her husband decided to put an offer in on the current location on State Street. Not having had an open, brick-and-mortar space since March, she was ready

by August to take the next step and get back on the grid in Waseca.

As summer turned to fall, Tamie was in nearly every day renovating the space and turning it into the boutique that is today. Along the way, her family helped her repaint and decorate – both her husband, daughters and a cousin who had recently retired and moved to Waseca. Together, they got the store up and running in November.

“It was fun to watch her vision come to life -- the talents that she

Since founding Zinnias in 2007, owner Tamie Collins has seen the store through multiple locations and found creative ways to bring her products to customers through pop-up events and online shopping.

Over the summer, she and her husband purchased the current building on State Street and the store moved in this past fall. (Bridget Kranz) has, the perseverance and the energy that she brings,” said Abby.

“We’re really proud of her and everything that she’s brought to the community.”

Even during the pandemic, Tamie and Zinnias provided a space for residents to gather – outside for pop-ups, with music and food to accompany the browsing. Now, on a busy weekend in March, music drifts along State Street from a speaker outside Zinnias front door. People are walking downtown, stopping in, enjoying unseasonably warm weather and the chance for community that Zinnias and small businesses like it provide.

Not only is it a place where the Collins see friends and family, and where shoppers run into neighbors and colleagues, it’s also a store that has helped bring tourists to Waseca – stopping down for a weekend of shopping in a small business ecosystem that Tamie has seen grow since she began over a decade ago.

“In the last three or four years, it seems like a lot of stores have been popping up. We’re all different and we all offer different things,” she said. “I hear comments all the time from people from other towns. They say that Waseca has a lot to offer.”

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