Inspire(d) Magazine, October/November 2010

be inspired.

an experiment in positive news.

Check it:

theinspiredmedia.com

magazine

No. 23 OCT/NOV 2010

inspire(d) inspire.

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Enjoy

the fall colors

Visit the beautiful Lillian Goldman Visitor Center at Seed Savers Exchange.

SeeD PACKeTS

50% Off

beginning October 1

~ Gift ideas for those hard to shop for gardeners in your life! ~ Check out our great selection of books, tools and gardening supplies.

Open Monday – Friday 9-5; Saturday & Sunday 10-5

Lillian Goldman Visitors Center

Lillian Goldman Visitors Center

Seed Savers Exchange • 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, IA Decorah, 3074 North Winn Road, For more information visit www.seedsavers.org • 563-382-5990

Iowa 563-382-6104 • www.seedsavers.org

OCTOBER & NOVEMBER contents 2010

GOOD STUFF TO READ page 14

CHEF ON THE BLOCK: JUSTIN SCARDINA

04 10

PROF. KUBINEK MEETS THE SYMPHONY

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LOCAL BAKERS ON THE RISE

18 24

FROM A TO ZYDECO, TERRANCE SIMIEN

INSPIRING INSPIRE(D)

page 18

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – PUMPKINS WAUKON ARTIST VALERIE MILLER ART ATTACK! page 32

inspire

MISSISSIPPI MIRTH: TURKEYS! PROBITUARY: MARY HENRY

the inspire(d) media

...and more!

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inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

(d)

KICKAPOO VALLEY RESERVE

28 32 38 40 46 48

e om c l We o t

Vesterheim Benefit Auction

October 22 7:00 p.m. at the Hotel Winneshiek

Gala Dinner

October 22 5:30 p.m. at the Hotel Winneshiek

Pieces by the best contemporary folk artists working in the Norwegian tradition!

Item viewing dates: October 8-21

207 WAShIngton STREet, DecOrah, iowa

WWw.THEclaySTudioDecOrah.com • 563.517.1022 Take a class. Schedule a party. Walk by & pop in to paint a quick pot. We can’t wait to see you!

Happify your creative side!

View in person at Vesterheim or online at vesterheim.org.

Bid in person, or by email, fax, or phone.

Call Vesterheim to make dinner reservations.

No reservations needed to attend the auction— bring your friends and family to this lively event!

Preserving a heritage. Connecting us all.

523 W. Water St., Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-9681 • vesterheim.org

October 29–31, 2010 Luther College, Decorah, Iowa • Presentations, readings, and panel discussions featuring 18 new and 12 returning authors • Friendly atmosphere, beautiful campus • All writers and readers welcome KeynOte speaKers

Award-winning poet Robert Cording and National Book Award finalist Rene Steinke

StoRieS ANd poemS to illumiNAte ouR liveS Information and registration • lutheranfestivalofwriting.org

a bit about the editor

(d) inspire

T

his issue of Inspire(d) embodies cozy warm snuggles on crisp autumn days. Walks in warm sweaters and scarves. The first snow (c’mon, you know you like the first one…it’s the 40th one that sucks). Soup on the stove. Bread in the oven.

And us! ‘Cause we’re three! Happy birthday to Inspire(d)! In honor of this magic number anniversary, Benji and I have put together a little tag-team question and answer ditty, letting you know a bit about what goes into this very thing you’re holding.

We’ll tell you a little about our history, what press week is like, and what our plans are for the future. The biggest announcement (spoiler alert) is that we’re going quarterly starting mid-February, so the next issue, Decemeber/January, will be our last bi-monthly magazine.

We’re excited about this next step as we work to bring you even better stories and ideas in our even better Inspire(d).

But don’t think that means we don’t have a killer line up of stories in this October/November edition. Resident Inspire(d) baker Benji Nichols goes out in the field to visit with local Decorah bakers and even suggests a super simple recipe so you can make your own bread at home. Jim McCaffrey gives you the run-down on two Thanksgiving birds cooked two ways. Kristine Jepsen tromps around a giant pumpkin patch, learning about this crazy, amazing squash, and Lauren Kraus does some tromping of her own at the Kicakpoo Valley Reserve. And, of course, we’ve filled you in on all things arts and culture-related – from a couple of amazing Center Stage shows at Luther College to the announcement of the new name for the Decorah Regional Arts Council. This magazine, this fall, this time that’s full of uncertainty – it leaves me excited, and I hope it does the same for you. Because, to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”

Take advantage of what life gives you. If you don’t like it, change your perspective. It’ll change your life.

Co-founders: Aryn Henning Nichols / editor & designer Benji Nichols / writer & advertising sales (& husband, support team, dinner-maker)

We couldn’t do it without: Kristine Jepsen/ contributor Lauren Kraus/contributor Suz Clark/ Inspire(d) Intern Emily Kittleson/ Inspire(d) Intern Jim McCaffrey / Mississippi Mirth

Inspire(d) Magazine is published bi-monthly by Inspire(d) Media, LLC, 412 Oak Street, Decorah, Iowa, 52101. This issue is dated Oct/Nov, 2010, issue 23, volume 4, Copyright 2010 by Inspire(d) Magazine.

support inspire(d) Although Inspire(d) is free on the newsstands, you can have it sent to your door for only $25/year. Email aryn@theinspiredmedia.com for a membership or visit theinspiremedia.com for more info.

Write inspire(d) Want to make a comment about something you read in the magazine?

Email aryn@theinspiredmedia.com.

Looking forward,

Aryn Henning Nichols

th in me

Interested in advertising?

Contact Benji at benji@theinspiredmedia.com or call 563-387-6290.

About the cover: We figured a cake made out of paper would be an appropriate way to celebrate the third birthday of Inspire(d). I made it with tape and hot glue, then set up a “photo shoot” in the kitchen!

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Inspire(d) is printed with soy-based ink on partially recycled paper

From A to Zydeco AN INTERVIEW WITH MUSICIAN TERRANCE SIMIEN

By Emily Kittleson

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

A

lthough Southern Louisiana has seen some serious knocks in the past decade, the colorful culture, food, and music of the region helps folks come together, brush themselves off, and get back up. And sometimes, even, it reminds them to dance.

“Music, especially live music, is something that can bring people together more than anything,” zydeco musician Terrance Simien says. “I’ve traveled around the world, and the reaction to the music is always the same.

When they hear it, they immediately start smiling, and the next thing you know, they start dancing.”

Zydeco, especially, gets the feet stomping and the heart pumping. It dates back to the early 19th century before slavery ended in southern Louisiana, a.k.a. Creole country.

When the U.S. made the Louisana Purchase in 1803, a wave of Americans swept through the Deep South where French, Spanish, African, and Afro-Caribbean settlers had already put down roots. The cultures fused, creating the dynamic French-based vernacular, tropical colors, and full flavors of Creole culture.

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inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

jazz. Simien takes the traditional zydeco of his childhood and fuses it with elements from artists and genres that inspire him. He integrates the folk soul of Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel as well as reggae and Caribbean flavors into his band.

Touring for the past two decades, Simien brings a music that once bounced off storefront porches in New Orleans to audiences across the world in Modern zydeco stems from venues ranging from concert the Creoles and centers around halls to outdoor jazz and blues the press of an accordion and festivals. His tunes are featured the stroke of a washboard. in the newest Disney animated The earliest of zydeco music, film, “The Princess and the Frog,” however, sounded from set in New Orleans, and he won a around the anguished, soulful Grammy award for “Best Zydeco voices of slaves who kept their or Cajun Music” album in 2008. spirits up by singing simple, Since his music has connected unaccompanied melodies about with diverse audiences for freedom and heaven. But the decades, Simien and his band music has changed are confident that a with the times. As Midwestern audience famous New Orleans will also delight in this Terrence Simien will perform as part of the Center musician Dr. John said, Gulf Coast music.

Stage Series at Luther College October 5 at 7:30 pm in “If it’s not changin’, “I’ve performed the Center for Faith and Life at Luther. A family-friendly it’s dyin’.” Now, some several times in learning workshop, “Creole for Kidz and the History of zydeco bands include different parts of Iowa, jazzy saxophones, funky Zydeco” will be open to school groups and families at 10 and it’s a great state,” guitars, or even rap am on October 5. This workshop has introduced zydeco Simien says. “The lyrics. people are just like music to kids around the world and allowed them to Since 1758 – eight everybody else. So many interact and participate in the zydeco experience. generations – the people can connect with Tickets for both shows are on sale at the Luther Simien family called zydeco music because College Box Office, (563) 387-1357, open 9-10:30 am southern Louisiana it’s a world sound.” home. Claiming French, and 11 am-3 pm on weekdays with extended hours on Indeed, the sounds of African, Spanish, Thursdays until 7 pm. Tickets may also be purchased zydeco aren’t reserved Native American, and for those “down on online at boxoffice.luther.edu. Evening show tickets are German bloodlines, the bayou.” Thanks to $23, $21 for seniors age 65 and over, and $15 for Terrance Simien grew bands like Terrance youth ages 4-18. School matinee tickets are $3.50. up in one of the oldest Simien and the Zydeco Creole settlements in Experience, audiences that part of Louisiana, of the deserts, islands, surrounded by evermountains, and grain belt can feel the Creole soul and present sounds of the squeezebox and smells of gumbo energy, get on their feet, and do the bayou boogie. shrimp.

“Life was really simple,” says Simien. “We went to Emily Kittleson is a senior at Luther College, majoring in church every Sunday. We worked hard, and we had fun English and minoring in Environmental Studies. Last year, when it was time to have fun. Music was a big part of our she studied for nine months in Nottingham, England where recreation … There was a lot of good music going on in she developed a severe addiction to English breakfast tea. south Louisiana, and a lot of good food. That’s why we’re all When she’s not sipping on tea, she loves hiking, knitting, overweight,” he jokes. shopping at thrift stores, slacklining, and creative writing.

She also loves dancing to all kinds of music, so keep an eye Much like the Creole culture of Southern Louisiana, out for her grooving at this performance. zydeco music is a mishmash of styles like blues, folk, and

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Baja tacos Friday 4 to 7

Magpie coffeehouse

Local:

M-W-F: 9 AM - 5:30 PM • THURS 10 AM-7 PM

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it marks the return of the Annual Celebration of Life event. In its 12th year, the event is planned for Monday, October 18 from 5 to 8 pm at the Elks Lodge in Decorah. Admission is your tax-deductible, freewill donation to the Winneshiek County Celebration of Life.

The event is sponsored by Margaret’s Clothing Store in downtown Decorah, Winneshiek Medical Center, and Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic. Themed as “Bringing back the 50s with the power of PINK,” the event includes Elvis sightings, poker, black jack, bingo, and other prize-winning games along with a silent auction. In addition, there will be free appetizers from area restaurants and businesses, and a cash bar.

All proceeds from the Celebration of Life Bringing back the 50s event will go toward promoting breast cancer awareness and early detection of disease, through education and financial support of preventive and screening services. Through this program, free screenings will be offered in November at both Winneshiek Medical Center and Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic. Women who are uninsured or underinsured can qualify for a free screening at WMC. The application is a simple one-page form that is based on insurance deductibles, income, number of persons in the household and eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid, to name a few. Women of all ages should apply; the form is conveniently located at www.winneshiekcol.com or www.winmedical.org or www.gundluth.org or paper applications are available at Margaret’s Clothing Store, Winneshiek Medical Center, or Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic. Deadline is October 29, 2010.

For more information, visit www.winneshiekcol.com or phone Margaret at Margaret’s clothing in Decorah 563382-8208.

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fun stuff to do

october Monday

Sunday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Thursday

At the Commonweal: “Enchanted April” & “The Turn of the Screw,” see www.commonwealtheatre.org for dates and times.

4 Broken Social Scene, First Ave, Minneapolis

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Rodrigo y Gabriela, The State Theatre, Minneapolis Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, Luther CFL, 7:30 pm

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Charlie Parr, Ed’s Bar, Winona

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Vesterheim Free Thursday, EVERY THURSDAY!

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Harlem Free Resume Writing Program, Wizards vs. Decorah Dominators, 7 pm, DPL, 7 pm DHS Joan Baez, The Oct. 9: Trampled Englert, Iowa City

By Turtles, Whiskey Bones, Rochester

Story of Music, Happy 3rd Stories from Birthday, Home, ArtHaus, Inspire(d)!

7 pm October 5-6: The Passion of the Hausfrau, American Craft Week Commonweal Theatre, Lanesboro Legally Blonde, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls ReBirth Brass Band, The Cabooze, Minneapolis

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Arthaus Oktoberfest, 7 pm

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People Brothers Band, Haymarket OK Go, Lion’s Pause, St. Olaf, Northfield

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Women’s Leadership Network Summit, Hotel Winneshiek, Decorah Acoustic Jam, ArtHaus, 7 pm

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The Diary of Anne Frank, Vesterheim Free Luther CFL, 7:30 Celebration of Life, Thursday, Opening The Wailin’ Breast Cancer Reception–Norwegian Vesterheim Gala Jennys, The Awareness Art & Craft Club of dinner & Auction Englert Theatre, Decorah Elks Brooklyn Iowa City ArtHuas Fall Lodge, 5 pm Taste of the Local Poetry Slam, 8 pm Harvest, Oneota Babette’s Feast, St. October 21 -24: 3 Boys with Jugs of Molasses and Co-op, 4-7 pm Mane, L-boro, 7pm Secret Ambitions, New Minowa Players Show, Decorah

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Oct. 31: Open Stage Night, feature: Fayme Rochelle T-Bock’s, Decorah

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October 29-31: Blithe Spirit, Ye Olde Opera House, Spring Grove

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UffDa Fest, Spring Grove Dirty Nelly’s, Whiskey Bones Roadhouse, Rochester

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Deep Sea Summit, Haymarket Michelle Lynn, Natural Gait, McGregor

October 29-31: Lutheran Festival of Writing, Luther College

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Music on The Slant w/ Molly Maher & her Disbelievers, Randy Weeks, & Erik Koskinen Band, L-boro, 7:30 pm Brandi Carlile w/ Pieta Brown, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls

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Michelle Lynn, Haymarket, 9 pm

El Caminos, Spring Grove Pavilion, 8 pm FOOD Inc., St. Mane Theatre, 4:30 pm & 8 pm

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Reliant K, Michelle Lynn, Regents Center, Bucks & Bulls, Luther College Harpers Ferry 7 pm Adam Svec, ArtHaus, 8 pm

Happy Halloween!

Bassnector, Epic Event Center, Minneapolis

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Seed Savers Harvest Festival, 12-4 pm

Drag Review: The Rochester Girls, October 9-10: Choral Arts Ensemble, Lanesboro Comm.

Lourdes Chaple,, Rochester Center, 6:30 pm

Iron and Vesterheim Wine, The Laramie Free Thursday, University of Project, Gallagher Iowa Folk Art Bluedorn, Cedar Memorial Demonstrations Falls Union Oct. 15: IA Environmental Council Annual Meeting with Bill McKibben, Scottish Rite Consistory, 8 am - 4:30pm, Des Moines

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Saturday

First Friday @ Oneota Co-op

October 1, 2, 7, 8, 9: Anything Goes, Elkader Opera House, 7:30 (1:30 matinee Oct. 3)

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Friday

October 1-3: NE Iowa Artist’s Studio Tour

Exhibits at Lanesboro Arts Center: Through October 17: Wood sculpture by Paul Lambrecht October 23-December 31: The Art of Food, Juried Exhibit featuring many regional artists

A Taste of Ryumonji, rural Dorchester, 1-5 pm

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Mike McAbee, Parkway Pub, Lanesboro

30 El Caminos, Decorah Elk’s Lodge Halloween Bash, 8 pm Back Home Boys, Club Pyramid

fun stuff to do

november A

Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

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At the Commonweal: “The Turn of the Screw” & “Little Women,” see www.commonwealtheatre.org for dates and times.

7 November 6-7: Iowa Wine Trail Weekend, 10 am - 6 pm daily

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Wednesday

3 IA Arts Council Mini Grant Workshop, Amdal-Odland Heritage Center, Vesterheim, Decorah, 1pm

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Exhibits at Lanesboro Arts Center: October 23December 31: The Art of Food, Juried Exhibit featuring many regional artists

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Bonga & the Vodou Drums of Haiti, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls

16 Donavon Frankenreiter, Varsity Theater, Minneapolis

November 5-6: New Minowa Players Cabaret Fundraiser, Elks Lodge, Decorah Saturday Thursday Friday Maximillian Vesterheim Eubank, Free Thursday, Lanesboro Haymarket 9 pm EVERY Arts Center’s First Friday THURSDAY! Swingsation!

ArtHaus, Artist Taste of the John Snyder, 7 pm Holidays, Oneota Joe & Vicki Price, Professor Kubinek Co-op, 5-8 pm meets the Starlite Lounge, Reverend Horton La Crosse Symphony, Luther Heat, First Ave, First Friday @ CFL, 7:30 pm Minneapolis Oneota Co-op Lynne La Crosse Rothrock in Kenny Barron Skating Sirens, Trio with special Concert, ArtHaus La Crosse Center Presents at the guest David Sanchez, Luther Elks, 8pm Back Home Michelle Lynn, CFL, 7:30 pm Boys, Brick City, Ed’s No Name Bar, Clermont Winona, 9 pm Veteran’s Day November 12-13 Luther Theatre Dance, Servant of Two Masters, Jewel Theatre

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Luther College Jazz Band Concert, Luther, 7 pm The Hold Steady, Blue Moose Tap House, Iowa City

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Drum Line Live, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls

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24 El Caminos, Fireman’s Ball, Waukon Reception Center, 8 pm

• Buy yams • Make pie crusts • Thaw bird

The Henhouse Prowlers, Haymarket 9 pm Michelle Lynn, Leo’s Lounge, Oelwein 8 pm

November 17-18 Cloud Cult, First Avenue, Minneapolis

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to remember.

25 HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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Wonder Creek, Haymarket 9 pm Holiday Lights 5K, Decorah Campground, Register @ 3:15 pm

November 18-20 Luther Theatre Dance, Servant of Two Masters, Jewel Theatre

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Michelle Lynn, Irish Shanti, Gunder 8 pm

Back Home Boys, Brick City, Clermont

November 25-28: Holiday Nights, Magical Nights, Decorah Campground, 5:30-8:30 pm

28 Open Stage Night, Feature: Damsel Fly, TBock’s, Decorah

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COMING UP IN DECEMBER: 4: ArtHaus Holiday Art Fair, 10 am-5 pm 11: Charlie Parr, Music on the Slant, American Legion, Lanesboro, 7:30 pm

I CAN’T WAIT FOR DECEMBER!

GET A ‘TASTE’ OF THE ONEOTA CO-OP THIS FALL As the daylight shortens, the reasons to celebrate at the Oneota Co-op grow! They’ve got a ton of fun events coming up to help celebrate all that is local and delicious this fall.

Monthly First Fridays (October 1 and November 5, 5 – 6 pm) are a great chance to check out the newest wines and beers at the Coop.

Cheese and chocolate samplings accompany them!

Each year, the Co-op celebrates bountiful relationships with local producers by bringing them face to face with the community and Northeast Iowa through the “Taste of the Local Harvest” event.

Stop by the Oneota Co-op Thursday, October 21, from 4 - 7 pm for a chance to meet your local producers, plus, sample products grown, produced, roasted, processed, or packaged within approximately a 100mile radius of the Oneota Co-op.

Then on Thursday, November 4, from 5 - 8 pm, celebrate the holiday season early by joining in the “Taste of the Holidays!” This event is a full holiday meal prepared by the Water Street Cafe – from appetizers to dessert! For a suggested minimum donation of $10 per person, you can sample a (tentative) menu of: sparkling, white and red wines, organic crudités and seasonal fruit, cheese and cracker platters, free range turkey, spiral cut ham, stuffing, baked squash, green beans almondine, mashed potatoes and gravy, a delicious vegetarian option, Waving Grains rolls, and pecan or pumpkin pie.

Limited seatings are available at 5, 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30, and the Co-op will also still be open for shopping.

To sign up, stop by the customer service desk.

Finally, a celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau wine takes place Thursday, November 18, from 6 pm - 8 pm.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a light, easy-drinking red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region in the Southeast corner of France. The unveiling of the first wine pressed in 2010 is serious business: The Beaujolais French law states that the Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be released any earlier than the third Thursday of November, so every year on this day producers embark on a mad race to get the first bottles on the shelves. The Co-op will also be sampling baked brie and other French style cheeses with our wholesome Waving Grains and McCaffrey’s breads.

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RESERVATIONS APPRECIATED

Lunch & dinner Monday - Saturday • 563-382-3067

Luxury salon & day spa Cuts • Perms • Up styles • Color • Highlights • Facials • Manicure & Pedicures • 60-minute massages • Makeup Consultation & application

303 W. Water Street Decorah, Iowa 563.382.4941 RELAX, REJUVENATE, REWARD YOURSELF!

DUG ROAD INN, a B&B that Inspires

601 W. Main St. Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-9355 • dugroadinn.com

Movement for Health & Well-Being Change your life today!

Contact Diane Sondrol for more information.

563.419.5420 or taichigrandmadi@msn.com Small group and private lessons available, all are welcome!

CHEF

ON THE

BLOCK

JUSTIN SCARDINA: LA RANA BISTRO & DRIFTLESS FOOD AND CATERING

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

Decorah’s La Rana Bistro gives off the feeling that you’re discovering a fabulous best-kept secret.

The restaurant’s big city vibe pairs amazingly well with the small-town charm of beautiful Decorah.

Head chef Justin Scardina whips up small plate starters like roasted peach ricotta bruschetta or tasty sea scallops, and amazing entrees like the seared pork loin with local carrot puree.

Head over to 120 Washington Street, grab a spot on the long booth that runs the length of the skinny restaurant, or slide up to the bar, handmade by one of the Bistro’s owners, Mark Smeby.

He makes amazing drinks as well – from La Rana signature cocktails like the Pink Frog (La Rana is Spanish for frog, so there is frog paraphernalia all over the place) to classics like Manhattans and margaritas made with fresh juice squeezed by Mark himself (or at least his juicer). Mark’s wife and business partner, Joanie Sheahan, sets an amazing aesthetic to the restaurant with touches like fresh flowers and organic lavender lotion in the bathroom. A couple of other great things about La Rana: soups and desserts are made fresh, and the music selection is great. So sit back, make yourself comfortable, and get ready for a meal to remember at La Rana Bistro.

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LA RANA BISTRO 120 WASHINGTON DECORAH, IOWA Do you want to recommend someone for this page? Let us know: aryn@theinspiredmedia.com

Name: Justin Scardina Age: 28 Restaurant: La Rana Bistro; Driftless Food and Catering Number of Years Cooking: Nearly a Decade Formal training or live-and-learn?

On the job. I believe it’s the best experience to have the hands-on training that a busy restaurant provides.

Plus it’s more interesting then sitting in class.

What’s your earliest or most significant memory of cooking or being cooked for?

My parents just reminded me of a time when I was still pretty little (4-5 yrs old) and they brought me and my sister to a rather nice Italian place to eat in Chicago. When asked what I wanted to have for dinner, after reading the menu I decided that I wanted to have the Linguini with Mussels. The waitress was rather taken aback, but my parents were quoted to say, “Give the boy what he wants....” We laugh now because I ate all of the mussels off the plate and didn’t touch the Linguini.

Why did you decide to become a chef?

I was attending Luther College, and during my Junior year I was working at the local Hardee’s when they decided to shut down operations. So out of a job I begin to search the papers and saw that my favorite local restaurant (La Rana Bistro) was looking for a dishwasher and a prep cook. Well, taking a chance, I applied for the prep cook and actually got it! After graduating

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from Luther the next year, I felt I had found my calling in the restaurant world and, as cliché as it sounds, the rest is history.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever made?

Well that’s a subject to debate, everyone has a different perception of what is the best. I believe that at the end of the day if the customers are happy, then that food is the best.

Do you have any monumental food fails you’d like to share with us?

Fails.... well I don’t attempt to make wild rice any longer. Then there are several soups that never really pureed well. Oh a good one is the time I didn’t check the blender and it was on something like super overdrive and I ending up scalding my face

and the rest of the kitchen with boiling hot roasted pepper soup. No worries though, I didn’t suffer any major burns.

How about secret food indulgences you don’t normally talk about? Will you tell us?

(Ed. note: this question was based off of Justin, because I knew he had a love for Totino’s Pizza Rolls... but I guess he’s matured…sort of.)

I LOVE this question. Aryn you should know that I have moved beyond pizza rolls. Lately, I really enjoy roller dogs (hot dogs at gas stations) when I eventually get out of town.

What’s your favorite: Ingredient: Changes with season, currently I love Spanish smoked paprika Dish: Fried rice Cookbook: Zuni Café by Judy Rogers (mine is falling apart from overuse) Random (or not so random) kitchen tool: Microplane zester/ grater Vegetable: Anything from the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, etc) Fruit: Figs

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Home-baked bread, cinnamon rolls & treats!

100% fruit juice smoothies & homemade light fare Travel mugs, coffee beans & gift certificates! a Need ea? id gift

MICHELLE LYNN RELEASES ‘SUNDIAL TREE’

Free wireless Internet!

Decorah based singer/songwriter Michelle Lynn is releasing her new independent record, “Sundial Tree,” this month. A regional favorite amongst music enthusiasts, Lynn proudly brings this latest offering to the public as an album that explores nature, numbers, and time.

“I’ve evolved as a person and come to some personal conclusions that cause the lyrical content to be less cynical and a lot more inspiring,” says the artist.

“Sundial Tree” also goes to a new level with its recording. Matt Olson, of Ghost In My House studio in Onalaska, Wisconsin, helped Lynn record the songs, and mixed and mastered the album. Olson also played drums and some guitar tracks on the record, in addition to Adam Ptacek on bass, David Lester on harmonica, and Nori Hadley on violin. The acoustic-driven songs of Michelle Lynn are built on compelling lyrics of experience, travel, and love, and it is clear that with each passing year Lynn has grown as an artist and musician.

Michelle Lynn will be performing several local CD release shows in the coming weeks – including a “Cave Concert” at The Natural Gait in McGregor, Iowa, on October 9; at the Haymarket in Decorah on October 23; and at the Irish Shanti in Gunder on November 27. Visit www.myspace.com/ michellelynnsongs to hear Michelle Lynn’s music and find out more!

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Mon.-Sat. 6:30am-5:30pm • Sun. 7:30am-12pm

303 Sanford St. (turn east at the Family Table)

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Open Monday - Saturday 10 am to 5 pm

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Licensed in Iowa Since 1993 563.380.8911 1510 Laurel Drive

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Decorah, Iowa 52101

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www.barbaramassmanrealtor.com

The Dr. Professor & His Orchestral Coup

!

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

By Susie Clark

T

he words “classical music” and “comedy” are rarely in the same sentence, let alone the same thought – unless perhaps you’re watching Elmer Fudd chase Bugs Bunny to the rousing “William Tell Overture.” Orchestra music is generally seen as serious, not silly – a trifle for the musical elite, not Larry, Moe and Curly. However, Iowa, be warned: A lunatic is coming to the Oneota Valley, and he’s staging a non-conventional orchestra coup.

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The hall is set with all the things you’d expect at a classical concert – there’s a full symphony orchestra, an Offenbach piece just began, and the conductor is at the podium, leading the show. But this conductor’s a little different. I mean, check out the hair!* And… there’s a live ostrich.

Yeah, that’s happening.

Perhaps it’s because the conductor, selfdescribed lunatic and comedic mastermind Tomás Kubínek (pronounced towh-mawsh koo-bee-neck), is looking for a laugh. Maybe it’s simply because Offenbach and ostrich both begin with the letter ‘o’.

Or just maybe Kubínek is looking to take the giant fowl on.

15

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

‘Cause yeah. That’s happened. “please note that due to a recent ostrichwrestling accident i now have difficulty capitalizing letters and so write mostly in lower case,” Kubínek writes via email. “out of respect, in a few cases i have capitalized, but you and your readers should know this took a measure of gymnastic effort.”

Altering the listener’s idea of classical music, Kubínek is joined by Orchestra Iowa and Maestro Timothy Hankewich in the Luther College Center Stage Series production, “Professor Kubínek meets the Symphony.” The event will blend classical music with humorous high jinks, promising the audience a night that will please the classical music lover’s palate, as well as tickle any funny bone.

With a professional career spanning over three decades, Kubínek’s performances have sold out concert halls and performance venues in over 30 countries, leaving audiences spell-bound with his raucous wit and charm. On-lookers of his absurd antics are left breathless, in tears, and clutching their sides – from laughter, of course.

“At its meat and potatoes, my work is a mix of gonzo-craziness, physical shtick, wit, absurdity, and absurd anecdotes,” says Kubínek. “All of this I serve up with love and irreverence – to create an atmosphere of hilarity and intimacy with the public.”

His talents expand beyond simple comedian – way beyond, in fact. Try acrobat, puppeteer, actor, magician…even “mime-specialist.” Lauded by critics as a “Master of the Impossible,” this charming huckster specializes in all kinds of feats to get a laugh – be it from an audience or his colleagues.

“In creating this show, Maestro Tim and I have spent as much time laughing uncontrollably as we have spent charting and choosing the music and rehearsing our bits of business,” notes Kubínek. “It’s been a hoot, and a real education.”

A collaboration of this sort relies on the deep

understanding of classical music as well as the knack for comedic affect.

“I am a curious sponge and greatly appreciate the craft and genius of diverse art forms,” says Kubínek. “In this particular project I have the opportunity to work with brilliant classically trained musicians and a conductor who is not only an expert in his field, but also has a raucous sense of humor and a keenness to bring symphonic work to people across Iowa in exciting, ever-surprising ways.”

Created in 1923, Orchestra Iowa remains one of the oldest and longest running symphonies west of the Mississippi River. Under the direction of award winning conductor, Maestro Tim Hankewich, the 80-piece Orchestra Iowa performs 32 concerts a year at the historic Paramount Theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Hankewich, a native of Dawson’s Creek, British Columbia (the late ‘90s television show is MUCH more exciting than his hometown, he says), describes the upcoming production as a “fusion of comedy and classical music,” and the experience of working with the Dr. Professor as “one-of-a-kind.”

The conception of this work began more than two years ago as an effort to support recovery efforts after the floods that devastated much of Iowa in 2009, including

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Orchestra Iowa’s hometown, Cedar Rapids. Kubínek jokes, though, that the project was also the result of a bad case of jet lag. A sleepless night inspired a new idea.

“I kept imagining this show with a full orchestra, but it needed the proper support to get started,” says Kubínek.

So he contacted his “old chum” Chuck Swanson, artistic director of University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium, and pitched the idea.

“He immediately wrote back saying, ‘tell me more,’ and so I wrote the whole thing out in detail. After reading the proposal he said knew the perfect orchestra, and the perfect conductor. The whole thing was a match made in heaven, so, you see, insomnia has its benefits.”

Hankewich and Kubínek immediately began collaboration, compiling symphonic selections that would properly showcase both musical capabilities and Kubínek’s madcap brilliance. Hankewich then set out on the task of product design – arranging and even composing much of the music.

“The first thing one must do before undertaking a task like this is to start with great music, and don’t apologize for it,” says Hankewich.

“Great music can be put in infinite contexts, humor being one of them.” The seasoned symphony aficionados in the audience will be pleased to hear beloved orchestral masterworks such as Offenbach, Dvorak, Beethoven, Bizet, Bach, and Verdi, however, in a style complete with various eccentricities, the Dr. Professor turns the classical concert experience on its head. For instance, what could possibly happen when a live ostrich is introduced during a number by Offenbach? (Let’s get serious, it’s happening.)

“With the orchestra as my gracious and talented hench-persons, Maestro Hankewich and myself will be knocking the audience on their backsides with dramatic full-force pieces and soul-stirring compositions while I perform death-defying experiments to orchestral accompaniment,” Kubínek says. He goes on.

“Have you ever heard of ‘tag-team’ wrestling? Because in this show Maestro Hankewich and I perform ‘tag-team conducting.’”

Horrifically funny as well as musically astute, this heartfelt performance is unlike any other – truly redefinitive of the classical music experience for classical

connoisseurs and novices alike.

“People are craving to be uplifted,” says Hankewich.

“Comedy is a disarming way to engage all audiences.”

While it cannot be argued that classical music will always enjoy the main stage of the concert hall experience, comedy and laughter will forever be a way for human beings to connect with the world around them, and in this case connect with classical music.

“Classical music is typically treated with suspicion,” says Hankewich. “Those who were not raised in or around the arts do not typically know how to respond to it. Afraid of the elitist baggage oftentimes associated with the orchestral experience, people avoid it altogether. Comedy is a way in which we break down those barriers that separate people from the symphonic experience.”

And the finale of the show does just that. The audience will join the orchestra in a rendition of “I Love The World.”

However, the lyrics are artfully re-cast as, “I Love the Orchestra.” Engaging audiences members through humor and song, they are encouraged to be part of the performance – joining the orchestra, the maestro, and the master of madcap himself in heartfelt chorus.

“All art is a re-adaptation that already exists. That’s why I like this program,” says Hankewich. “This program redefines the nature of creativity.”

It redefines that typical picture of a symphony concert as well – it’s where classical meets comedy, or rather, Offenbach meets ostrich.

!

Celebrate American Craft Week!

October 1-10:

"Pete's Pots" by local potter Pete Blodgett

100% of proceeds will go to the area’s Free Clinic Other October Events: October 1-3: Northeast Iowa Studio Arts Tour.

October 8-10: Luther Homecoming Art Show featuring Luther alumni artists.

Halloween at Fancy Pants: Get your disguise on!

Fashion at Fancy Pants: Get your style on!

Inspire(d) intern, Susie Clark. Known most commonly as “Suz”, the native Minnesotan enjoys watching baseball, trail running, and playing viola. When not arguing with White Sox fans, Suz enjoys watching excessive amounts of TV with roommate, Krista Frost. She will be spending the next five weeks glued to the post-season coverage of major league baseball. GO TWINS.

*Note: Dr. Professor Kubínek refutes any previous claims regarding his hair styling product usage. No product is used on the Dr. Prof’s yak-like tresses. $10,000 will be awarded to any person who disproves this claim. However, with an ancient Mongolian ancestry and a knack for ostrich wrestling, I wouldn’t cross this guy.

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Local Bakers Rising inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

photos & words by Benji Nichols

Top to bottom: Middle Sattre Farm Honey; McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita French loaves; Waving Grains Bakery’s sourdough.

It’s magic.

Three simple ingredients, when combined with some patience and heat, can transform your kitchen on a cold grey afternoon to a beautiful, warm, cozy, scented wonderland. One of the oldest prepared foods in the world, dating back well over 10,000 years, bread is literally the staff of life. Almost every culture on the face of the earth has some version of it, but it always comes down to a grain or seed, ground into a flour, mixed with water and some sort of leavening.

Preparing bread is more than just an afternoon activity though – it is a right of time and passage – a way to pass on all that is good and patient and willing and ready to rise. Bread is life, and knowledge, and society all wrapped into one.

While the ingredients are so simple, it is the skilled hands of the baker that makes dough into something worth pining for and as utterly unique as the environment in which it’s baked. From Mom or Grandma’s fresh baked bread, to the Wonder Bread PB&Js of youth, to an amazing peasant loaf filled with such incredible bubbles in its crumb that you might just want to curl up and take a nap in one – bread can define a time, a place, or a culture, but most importantly, it should be delicious.

And baking bread is something that everyone should at least have a try at in life!

Jo Iverson, the owner of Waving Grains Bakery in Decorah, says the first bread she ever baked, “a whole wheat that could have been shellacked

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and made into a door stop,” was in her high school home-ec class. But time, friends, and experimentation have led Iverson down a path of commercial baking that now has her and several employees busy six days a week.

Waving Grains was born out of a communal idea originally shared between several area women: to gather each week in order to bake the bread they wanted to feed their families. “We were just a group of women who wanted good bread – something besides what you found in the grocery store,” says Iverson of the original baking ensemble.

Although this group did not last all that long, it was the start of Decorah’s mainstay bread bakery. Waving Grains now rosters a handful of talented employees that crank out hundreds of beautiful loaves each week. From whole-wheat sandwich breads to multigrain loaves and their signature European sourdough – these ladies are serious about making it real!

“The sourdough is kind of my baby,” says Iverson of her original starter-fueled creation.

“We went through about five tries at getting a good starter and eventually came up with what we use now. It (the starter) gets to go on vacation with us, we feed it twice a day – you know, pack up the dog stuff and don’t forget the starter!”

But the results speak for themselves with Oneota Food Co-op shoppers reaping the rewards of the multiple types of fresh baked bread, along with muffins, scones, jammers, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and cakes.

Despite having decades of culinary experience, Jim McCaffrey and Fawn Witt at McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita and Twin Springs Bakery first forayed into the bread world with a class on brick oven baking in Grand Marais. And while One of Becker’s earthen oven loaves. it lent much inspiration, it was through the tried-and-true process of baking and experimenting that they found the variety of breads now made regularly in their kitchens and ovens – both wood fired brick as well as conventional.

“I started baking with my mom as a kid,” recalls McCaffrey. “Saturdays were bake days and she would make 10 loaves of bread. There were five of us kids, so that was about what we would go through in a week.” From those roots McCaffrey has spent a lifetime working in the restaurant industry and creating or interpreting recipes he could make his own. From light wheat sandwich rolls to foccacia used by the Oneota Co-op for their deli panini, to a beautiful selection of wheat and rye hearth-baked loaves – the Twin Springs Bakery gang is finding inspiration in dough. In fact, the signature pizza crust at McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita has originated from a sourdough starter that has a 200-year-old lineage. They’ve found they are keeping as busy as they like, with consistent growth in their sales at both the Oneota Co-op and Quillin’s in Decorah.

True to the local baker model of days gone by, neither Waving Grains nor McCaffrey’s deliver their breads too far from home. It’s not that there isn’t a demand, but it becomes more of a transportation and cost vs. time issue. “We’re to the point of selling enough to keep making additional batches,” says McCaffrey. “And we’ll keep doing that and going as far as makes sense…or cents!”

You don’t have to rely on a commercial baking operation for a phenomenal product though. The Decorah Farmers’ Market offers some great selections of homemade baked goods – some of the most unique and rustic are produced by a couple of young entrepreneurs. Just outside of Decorah sits a small patch of heaven where Mark Becker

Weight of the World ON Your Shoulders

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Massage is good therapy.

Becker, left, and Ryan, along with the pedal powered bike mill.

and Mike Ryan fire rustic doughs in an earthen oven. Ryan, operator of Middle Sattre Farm, is known as the “muffin man” at the market – in addition to being an apiarist (bee keeper) for the delightful raw honey he also sells.

And Becker takes his baking to a whole other level of human interest by grinding all of his own flour – by human power.

To take it even another notch up, Becker is doing this work with a homemade contraption that allows him to pedal power a small mill that grinds his flour. It is self-admittedly an intense process – and perhaps even one of over-reaching standards – but also something that helps control the quality of the product greatly. You don’t buy a loaf of Becker’s bread to wolf down on the way home from the market. No, these are the dense, nutrient-rich breads that are perfect toasted and slathered with fresh local Middle Sattre honey.

Becker has been experimenting with several processes of sprouting grains previous to baking his doughs, as well as different methods of shaping and baking his bread in the earthen oven. The extreme hearth temperatures of the small oven tend to give his loaves a very unique crust and crumb of which locals are quickly discovering the delights.

“It’s very rewarding to take a couple of basic ingredients that can be turned into something nourishing and sound to produce – and which allow me to live the way I want,” says Becker. In some ways the process of creating his breads is overly exhausting and complicated on the long term – but it, like much bread baking, is a labor of love and a welcomed lifestyle, according to Becker. As steam spirals upwards, Becker seals the door on the earthen oven and offers a poignant reflection on his adventures and dreams in baking and beyond: “You don’t need to wait to live the life you want.”

Indeed, this moment is all we have. So shouldn’t you be enjoying quality bread?

Don’t think you need to be an expert to enjoy your own homemade loaves. Despite the common fear of “messing up” yeast and dough, it is actually quite easy to get a feel for a simple bread recipe. The following is as simple as it gets, requiring a little bit of time but not a lot of experience. Take some time this fall, wait for the dough to rise, and stop to enjoy the moment, sights, smells, and taste of baking your own bread.

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THE SUPER-DUPER EASY INSPIRE(D) BREAD RECIPE: 3 cups bread (regular) flour 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 3/4 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt) 1 1/2 cups warm water (luke warm – not hot to the touch) Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel... something that can go into a 450F oven.)

Directions: 1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon McCaffrey’s dough rests until the dough just comes before baking. together. Yep, all at once – just do it, and don’t stir too much. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours (overnight) on countertop – don’t worry about exactly how long.

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2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a piece of parchment with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of parchment and fold the parchment over the dough.

Let it nap for two hours. Letting is rest in an empty skillet or pot will help give it a nice shape – otherwise it will be a fairly flat affair!

When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your empty covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F. 3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size.

Remove pot from oven. Holding corners of parchment, set dough into the pot. It doesn’t much matter exactly which way it lands as long as there is parchment covering the bottom. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F (if you tap the bottom of the loaf it should sound like a low, hollow thump.) Remove and let cool on wired rack. Let it cool at least 1 hour so that the crumb continues to finish steaming from the inside out – and then enjoy like there’s no tomorrow!

Benji Nichols has been baking bread since his adventures in College. Having spent a year post-college baking in a wood fired brick oven bakery in Sonoma Co., California, he still finds an awfully big soft spot for making great bread. He dreams continually of crawling inside a giant bread bubble for a nap…

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inspire. be inspired. inspire. be inspired. inspire(d).

By Benji and Aryn Nichols (Introduction by Aryn)

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

“You keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat,” a man said to me earlier this summer. We had just finished a magazine, our 22nd.

“Well, I’m glad you still think it’s magical,” I said in response. Later, I smiled to myself as I recalled the exchange. We ARE glad it’s still magical – for you AND for us.

As we embark upon our fourth year making a magazine about inspiring people, things, and events in the Driftless Region (NE Iowa, SE Minnesota, SW Wisconsin), we thought we’d let you behind the curtain a bit. (Ooooh, look! A wizard!)

Benji and I get a lot of questions about the actual process of making a magazine – how’d you start it, where’s it printed, how do you pick your stories, who designs it, how do you make money, how does it work, how did you learn how to do it? That sort of thing. And, well frankly, we jumped in with both feet and a whole lot of naiveté. But now, three years later, we’ve learned a lot, and we can’t help but be excited for the NEXT three years! So in a he said/ she said, tag-team tale, Benji and I answer your favorite questions… and probably some extras.

z

B. Inspiring Inspire(d) – how’d you come up with this idea? The abridged version.

From the time I met Aryn I knew she really wanted to write… and be positive! We had both traveled and lived other places and wanted to make sure that as we came back to Iowa we used our skills to bring good things to our region. There were several ideas floating about of how to capture “Inspire(d)” as in – inspire and be inspired – an idea hatched by Aryn after reading the biography of photojournalist Dan Eldon.

One of the most tangible ways to present that concept was in print – and starting a magazine happened to be one of Aryn’s dreams! So we started planning.

A. Now? Now? Okay…wedding….and now! (How the heck did you DO it?)

From November 2006 until pretty much April of 2007, I would say every month, “Okay, we’re going to have a magazine NEXT month.” I spent time researching, meeting with printers, familiarizing myself with different design programs (and asking lots of questions of design friends) (oh, and waitressing), but we weren’t ready to take the leap. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that, oh yeah, Benji and I were getting married in August, but finally I had to say, “It’ll wait until after the wedding.” But not much longer. On our honeymoon, we said, “Okay, next month we’re going to have

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Projects like the Paper Cake are often hatched late at night after lots of coffee. This is made out of Styrofoam and the majority of our past magazines.

Aryn made it with tape and hot glue, then set up a “photo shoot” in the kitchen. We’re really good at making something out of nothing.

Delightful scones, tarts, & desserts, entrees, soups, salads, & sandwiches!

a magazine,” and this time it came true! We got back to Decorah after Labor Day in September of 2007, and with some amazing help from our lovely friend, Sarah Magner, our very first Inspire(d) rolled off the press October 4, 2007 – we started with 3,000 of ‘em. It was very surreal. Like, “Really? We made that?”

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A. Pagination nation: A Story of How Page Layout Became Design.

(How did you learn how to do that?)

People often ask about our design.

I do pretty much all the layout (save for the occasional interndesigned pages), but my University of Iowa degree is in English and journalism, with a focus on writing, not design. I had a small amount of experience with page layout (then called pagination…does anyone still use that word?). But the rest of it? All experimentation. I’m still experimenting. As Ralph Waldo Emerson (my favorite) says, “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.

The more experiments you make the better.” It’s a good motto.

B. I’m in sales now? (Or “How do you make money?”)

Of course, somewhere along the way we apparently figured out that we would have to PAY for this crazy creation to be printed, distributed, etc. (haha!). Print is not cheap, and it’s definitely not easy. To this day, people often ask, “How does the magazine make any money?” Well, it’s a pretty easy formula on the front end – our advertisers realize the value of being recognized in Inspire(d) and what we do for the community and region as a whole – and through their purchase of ad space, we manage to pay the bills and keep doing what we do! Luckily for us, our amazing community believed in us and what we were proposing to do. In our first issue out we had 34 advertisers sign on – it was incredible. Being in sales is something neither of us set out to do, but hey, we do what we gotta’

Lesson

2

B. Press week, printing, distribution, oh my! (This covers LOTS of questions.)

So the cycle goes something like this…the cover currently goes to press in Prairie du Chien at Howe Printing 10 days before the rest of the magazine prints. The guts of Inspire(d) are printed just 10 miles away in Calmar at Graphics, where we head over, hang with the crew, and watch it come off the press. Then we get in our trusty

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1999 Subaru Legacy and drive a couple hundred miles around the Driftless Region dropping off magazines at over 100 locations. We continue filling up racks as they empty quickly – especially the first week of a new issue. Then there’s invoicing, new ad sales, continuing ads to work on, writers to contact, writing to do, designing to do, and scheduling. Somewhere in there we generally take some time to not sit at our desks for 27 hours at a time, but then press week comes up, and generally no matter how we try it almost always ends in a 48-hour marathon of magazine making – 2 am coffee drinking, sometimes a few tears, hitting a wall, then pounding through it and making an even better magazine than we imagined we would. Then it starts all over again.

A. The future and everything in between (or “We Are in Control of Our Lives”).

Now here we are, staring year four in the face, and wondering, “What next?” First on the plan: We’re going quarterly in 2011. See that cycle above? We’re trying to get that under control.

We hope in printing four times a year, we can bring Inspire(d) to a whole new level while also maintaining a life BEYOND Inspire(d). Gasp! I know, right? We’re super excited to hone in even more on our positive message – that it’s not so hard to do something – anything – good. We’ll also grow and expand our readership and reformat our web presence. We’re currently printing between 7,000 and 8,000 magazines per issue; for quarterly we’ll print 10,000 to start. We hope you’ll continue to follow us along on this amazing ride, and we thank you from the very bottom of our unicorn, bunny, and rainbow-filled hearts for all your support these past three years. And if you want to continue the support and be a super-fan, like us on Facebook! Visit us at theinspiredmedia. com!

XOXO – A&B 27

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here are pumpkins, and then there are giant Curcurbita maxima – pumpkins Decorah grower Chris Schultz says will run tendrils into your heart, if even slightly sentimental, and root there to stay.

Chris was introduced to giant pumpkins – a sub-species cultivated to produce fruit weighing 1,000+ pounds – when a friend bet he couldn’t best him. Chris, a veteran UPS driver, isn’t one to take a challenge he can’t meet. But the specificity and pressure of the time-sensitive growing process intrigued him. Turn a trifling seed into half a ton of friendly competition? He was hooked.

Four years later, his backyard is sprawling with the ruffly-leaved vines. If you look hard enough, you’ll see the side vines are carefully laid out in neat rows, a “T” of them feeding the main vine of each plant. Every 40 feet or so, a tawny pumpkin as large as a Euro car lounges casually on its side on a hand-shaped bed of sand (for good drainage).

These beauties aren’t known for their looks however, Chris explains. It’s the mass of their meat that counts – literally. He and hundreds of other growers across the country primp and preen their pumpkins with the goal of winning a sanctioned “weighoff” in the fall. The rules of competition – such as exclusive use of a certified scale, and, fruits having no soft spots three inches deep or in diameter – are set by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, a national nonprofit that acts as a clearinghouse for pumpkin-growing supplies, technique, camaraderie, and score-keeping. “It’s a good little group,” Chris says. “All ages of people from all over the country.”

Chris plants just six to eight of the “Dill’s Atlantic Giant” seedlings he starts indoors in late April and hardens off in a hoop house in early May. After about a week outdoors, the plants root so fast you have to get them in the ground to

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stay, he says. He’s taken to blockading his patch with a windbreak so gusts can’t lift and snap the eager young vines.

Then comes the touchy business of pollination. Any serious grower will tell you to search out just one or two budding female (blossom/fruit producing) flowers on the main vine, about eight to10 feet from the “stump,” the point at which the plant emerges from the ground. Then, you have to choose a male flower to pollinate the plant. If possible, choose the male flower the night before it opens and tie a sack around it to catch any stray seed. Then, hand-pollinate the female flower in the early morning, just as it opens, by brushing it liberally with pollen and tying it shut, to prevent cross-pollination and encourage the fruit to “take.”

As the pumpkins begin to form, Chris tidies up the plants themselves, picking off additional flowers and burying the side vines so they act as roots and funnel all nutrients to the chosen fruits. When his contenders are lolling around like basketballs, weighing about 100 lbs, he must choose which one on each plant to favor for the duration of the season. Chris observes his pumpkins carefully as this decision bears down. He doesn’t name them, as some growers do, but he could pick his out of a line-up if he had to, just by the texture and shade of their skin, their ripples and knobs.

“That gets you to mid-July,” Chris explains. “Then you really start looking ahead to competition.”

In midseason, the fruits are needy. Too hot? Chris sets up tarps to shade them and keep their skin from baking dry. If hardened too much, the skin won’t stretch as the pumpkin continues to grow. Too dry? Chris hauls in creek water to make sure the plants get an inch a week (he supplies his own water so he’s not taking that much from his shared well). Or, too wet? Chris sprinkles sulphur on rot spots and sets up oscillating fans.

He fertilizes the leaves several times a week with mostly organic products so that by the peak of growth ­– in early August – the fruits amass 30-40 lbs a day.

2010 has been a tough year for curcurbita in general, Chris says. E-mails fly between members of his regional growing club to report strategies for dealing with excessive vine and fruit rot encouraged by the record amount of rain received across the Midwest.

“Once your vine dies, you’re done,” Chris explains, pointing out a glowing orb of a pumpkin he had originally thought would be his star this season. When its vines rotted, it stopped growing, but he didn’t have the heart to remove it. So, he polished it with baby oil, which pumps up its orange color (a technique not legal in Commonwealth competition), and left it in the garden until he harvests the rest.

“We’ll find a front yard for it,” he says with a grin. Friends and neighbors do tend to vie for Chris’s 15 to18 very large pumpkins as seasonal ornaments each year.

By October, your competitive lot has been cast, Chris says, and it’s time to show your goods. He picks and loads his prize pumpkin the night before competition using a customstitched harness of tow straps that allows him to lift the fruit with his utility tractor and nestle it on pallets padded with carpet. “Pumpkins start to lose weight as soon as you cut

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Displaying the harness used to move the giant gourds.

Don Jose

Kristine Kopperud Jepsen could never grow giant pumpkins because she couldn’t bring herself to favor just ONE lovely fruit per plant. Between raising a little farm girl and growing a local food system as executive detail manager of Grass Run Farm, she tends mostly flowers, trees and weeds, all of which get out of hand by harvest time. She REALLY likes pumpkin pie, especially when her grandma makes the crust.



off their water supply,” Chris explains. Then, there’s little more to do but hand over your entry paperwork and line up at the scale.

In 2010, Chris will compete in Anamosa, Iowa’s annual Pumpkinfest and Weigh-Off, one of the region’s biggest GPC-sanctioned events. To encourage other local growers, Chris will also enter a smaller pumpkin in a start-up competition he helped organize in Waukon. You get one shot, he says. “You can’t run the same pumpkin all over the country. You win one, and you’re done.”

When all the vines dry and frost kills the season, Chris is indeed thankful to be done. It’s a bit of haul there toward the end. But then, there’s always the saving of seed. Using a cross-cut saw, Chris slices into the fruits of his labors – sometimes through 13 inches of solid shell on the stem end – and picks out the best of the best.

He’ll keep some and share some and start dreaming all over again.

“That’s the way it is,” Chris explains. “You don’t really know why you do it, but it’s kinda neat.”

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inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

Go Ahead: Have a Cow

an interview with Waukon artist Valerie Miller

By Aryn Henning Nichols

32

“How now?” probably wouldn’t be the question artist Valerie Miller asks the Brown Cow, if given the chance. More likely it would be, “Could you please hold still?”

You see, Valerie paints cows – brown and every kind in between. She carefully captures their expressive eyes, subtle body language, and sometimes not-so-subtle attitudes and pairs them with bright, barren backgrounds in a pop-art-meets-the-farm sort of style.

So, of course, it makes perfect sense that she and her husband, artist and furniture designer Josh Miller, would call Waukon home. For Valerie, home again.

Although it was Josh’s idea to move back to the area to start their gallery, (Steel Cow), in Northeast Iowa, Valerie was equally excited – and not just for of the abundance of cows.

The Decorah Regional Arts Council’s new name is....

Driftless Art Collective – D.ART Co. short!

Congratulations to Decorah artist Robin Hengesteg for creating the winning name!

for

A huge thank you to our sponsors Luther College, Inspire(d) Media, Decorah Bank and Trust, and Hotel Winneshiek for their generous support.

Thank you also to the businesses that donated items for the prize package - this region is amazing! Hotel Winneshiek, Dug Road Inn, Agora Arts, Rubaiyat, Seed Savers, Winneshiek Wildberry Winery, D&R’s Old World Inn, The Loft in Lansing, Iowa, Lamp Post Inn & Gallery, Commonweal Theatre, Lanesboro Arts Center, QUARTER/quarter

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“It is nice here – it is a beautiful, quaint, small, Midwestern area that has more subjects than I can ever paint – plus it’s home,” she says. “It feels good to be surrounded by friends and family.”

After pondering various locales to plant roots, and a 3-day trial run in Montana, coming back to Waukon was – to quote Goldilocks – just right.

“There isn’t the quantity or variety of the big cultural activities here you find in larger cities such as museums, art galleries, theater, etc. but on the other hand we are in the middle of the country and it is easy to go anywhere from here. People like to talk about others, but at the same time if something important is being spread, it spreads quickly and we are proven time and time again we have an enormous support system here in Northeast Iowa. It is cold, but we get to wear our favorite sweaters and scarves,” she says, going on.

“For me, a huge pro is being able to see my family on a daily and weekly basis - oh and there are a lot of cows.”

(Have we mentioned she likes cows?)

Valerie’s history in Northeast Iowa is long – she and Josh even set up their studio and business in the building Valerie’s great-greatgrandfather built

35

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

as a furniture store way back in 1925. Plus, it’s is where from October 1 through 3 is a great chance to check her passions where first fostered. out Valerie and Josh’s work and gallery at 15 Allamakee “I have always been interested in art and painting,” she Street in Downtown Waukon. says. “Ever since I was a little girl I was enamored with “We even hung a 9-foot by 9-foot painting of Queenie – animals and I dreamed of being a painter.” surprise! – on a wall where she can greet customers as It’s safe to say Valerie Miller is officially a painter. they come into (Steel Cow),” Valerie says.

Through talent, hard work, and business savvy, the little This is the second year the Millers have been on the girl’s dream has become a grown-up reality.

Tour, and they’re excited to have a fully renovated gallery “I am very fortunate that I am able to share my artwork this time. with others and I hope it can help them lighten their day “If any of you readers do get a chance to go on the and bring smiles to their faces through the images I paint.” Studio Tour – you should. We would love to see you in Many of those images are of Queenie, Valerie’s favorite Waukon of course, but all the artists have been working cow. So what makes her so special?

“First of all, she is beautiful!

I have painted her over and over again – so many times in fact that I keep having to give my paintings of her different names of so I don’t have 20 paintings named Queenie,” Valerie says. “I also like what she represents – she is –was –from a small local family farm and was the matriarch of their herd. She kept her head high – for a cow anyway – and did a fantastic job leading all the cows in her herd in their daily activities.”

Valerie also paints other very hard throughout the Supporting other artists is important to animals through Petrayals, year and this is an important a branch of their business weekend for the participants,” the Miller duo, as well as supporting the started almost by accident.

Valerie says. “A must-see stop environment. They are part of an alliance “In September of 2003, is Nate and Hallie Evans from of businesses that collectively give 1% Josh and I invited a little Allamakee Wood-Fired Pottery. of their annual sales to support a fitting yellow lab puppy, who we They make amazing pottery, natural environment organization, such named Nan, to come and be Nate is now offering glass pieces as Seed Savers Exchange, which received part of our family,” Valerie – which are brand-new and support this year. And YOU can support says. “I started painting her pretty cool – and their place has their endeavors by “Having a Cow.” (Steel and hanging paintings in the a special feeling all it’s own.”

Cow) offers a variety of prints in all gallery and eventually – well, The Millers are grateful to sizes and shapes, framed and unframed, more like quickly – people have friends like the Evans right started asking me to paint here in the region, and that affordable priced from $15 to $149 their dogs and I did.” activities like the Northeast Iowa Word-of-mouth advertising Studio Tour happen, along with took the “little” side business through the roof (pun many other arts initiatives. intended).

“When I was a kid, there wasn’t as many art things as “I have painted all sorts of dogs now, from 6” x 6” there are now and this is great for everyone,” Valerie says. paintings, which are very popular, to 7-foot portraits of “The more art, the better our lives.”

Shih Tzus,” she says.

Despite branching out in animal varieties, Valerie doesn’t paint people. And no matter what, cows will most probably continue to be her favorite.

Aryn Henning Nichols used to be a bit afraid of cows when she “I feel like I still have thousands of cows left in me to was little, but she’s since recovered. I mean…who’s ever heard paint,” she says. of a human-eating cow? That’s right: No one.

The upcoming Northeast Iowa Studio Tour running

VESTERHEIM BENEFIT AND GALA Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum’s Sixth Biennial Benefit Auction begins October 8 when over 55 pieces of outstanding folk art will be on view in person at Vesterheim or online at vesterheim.org. The viewing will be open from 1 – 5 pm, Monday through Saturday, until October 21 in Vesterheim’s Westby-Torgerson Education Center and any time online. Everyone is invited to bid in person, or by email, fax, or phone.

The folk-art pieces up for auction are by the most prominent contemporary artists working in traditional Norwegian rosemaling, woodworking, fiber arts, and knifemaking. The contributing artists are Vesterheim Gold Medalists, award winners, or instructors. “Vesterheim is enormously grateful to the artists who have so generously

October at ArtHaus!

First Friday: ArtHaus Oktoberfest October 1, 7-9pm, $5 (kids under 6 free) @ ArtHaus Studio & Courtyard (516 W. Water St.)

Brats, beer, accordion – need we say more?

Story of Music, Stories from Home October 3, 7pm, Free @ ArtHaus (508 W. Water Street)

A unique evening of words and music celebrating the natural world, our sense of place, and the meaning of home

Acoustic Jam in the Courtyard October 15, 7-9pm, $4 @ ArtHaus Studio & Courtyard (516 W. Water St.)

Tom Savre and friends will serenade you in the courtyard BYOB or BYOP (picnic!)

All-Original Fall Poetry Slam October 22, 8pm, $5 adults/ $3 students @ Decorah Elks Lodge (402 W. Main St.)

A not-to-be-missed Decorah event. Come to perform or just come to enjoy!

Baker London Presents: Adam Svec October 29, 8pm, $5 @ ArtHaus (508 W. Water St.)

Up and coming Minneapolis-based Adam Svec returns to Decorah as part of this concert series dedicated to emerging artists

Questions? Contact us! 563.382.5440

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contributed pieces to this year’s benefit auction,” said Steve Grinna, Vesterheim’s Development Director.

The live and silent auction event will be held October 22 with final silent bidding at 7 pm and the Live Auction at 8 p.m. at the Hotel Winneshiek. Admission to the auction is free. Items other than folk-art pieces also will be included in the auction, so there will be something for everyone. Proceeds from this year’s benefit auction will support the folk-art education program at Vesterheim.

The evening will begin with a Gala Dinner at the Hotel Winneshiek at 5:30 pm. Reservations for the dinner can be made by calling the museum at 563-382-9681 before October 18.

“The Live Auction is always exciting,” said Steve Johnson, Vesterheim’s Executive Director. “No reservations are needed for November the Live Auction and everyone is encouraged to come and atatArtHaus!

ArtHaus! enjoy, so bring your friends and family,” he encouraged.

First Friday: Vesterheim also announces New Work by Artist John Snyder a new exhibition of fine art November 5, 7pm, Free from the museum’s collections, @ the ArtHaus Studio “The Norwegian Art and Craft Inspired in his recent work by Oceanic tribal Club of Brooklyn, 1938-1956.” art, Snyder will warm our gallery with It is open from October 21, woodcuts and paintings created this summer 2010, through August 2011. and fall.

There will be an opening reception at the museum’s Lynne Rothrock in Concert Main Building on Thursday, November 12, 8pm, $10 adults/$5 students @ the Decorah Elks Lodge (402 W. Main St.) October 21, from 5:30 to “A sassy, high energy redhead, Rothrock is 7:30 p.m. with comments at 6 the spiritual kin of Liza Minnelli, Bette pm. “Held in conjunction with Midler and Sarah Vaughan.” -Nashville Scene Vesterheim’s Free Thursdays, sponsored by Decorah Bank Ladies Night Out: Furoshiki and Trust, this reception is Wrapping cloths w/ Robin Hengesteg a great opportunity to view November 11, 6-9pm, $30 the exhibition,” said Laurann @ The ArtHaus Studio Gilbertson, Vesterheim’s Chief Create beautiful Japanese style wrapping Curator. cloths.

The Norwegian Art and Family Workshop: Craft Club of Brooklyn, New Kiln-Fired Clay Ornaments York, was organized in 1938 Sunday, November 21, 2-4pm. $15/person by a group of amateur and @The Clay Studio (207 Washington St.) semi-professional artists. The Mold mud to make ornaments for your tree. objective of the club was to (Children must be accompanied by an adult.) promote interest in art and craft among its members and the public through exhibitions, www.arthausdecorah.org lectures, discussions, and

classes. The club, although founded and led by Norwegian Americans, did not restrict its membership by ethnicity or by gender. It also gave equal status to fine art and Norwegian decorative arts. Members created and exhibited paintings, sculpture, carving, rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting), tapestry, and knitting.

Vesterheim uses the story of Norwegian Americans to explore aspects of identity and culture common to everyone. The museum cares for over 24,000 artifacts, among which are some of the most outstanding examples of decorative and folk art to be seen in this country.

Founded in 1877, Vesterheim is the oldest and most comprehensive museum in the United States dedicated to a single immigrant group. This national treasure includes a main complex of 16 historic buildings in downtown Decorah, and an immigrant farmstead and prairie church just outside the city.

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From November 1 - April 30, Vesterheim is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am - 4 pm, with hours extended until 8 pm on Thursdays and is closed Monday. For more information visit www.vesterheim.org, call (563) 382-9681, or write to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 523 W. Water St., P.O. Box 379, Decorah, IA, 521010379.

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Art Attack in a good way!

inspire(d) magazine • august/september 2010

Compiled by Inspire(d)

The Driftless Region – Northeast Iowa, Southeast Minnesota, and Western Wisconsin – has an “art beat” that’s loud and clear these days.

(Okay, okay. We can hear the collective groan.) All puns aside, the arts and culture scene has been seeing stellar growth in the past few years, and the next two months won’t let you down.

So in true Inspire(d) fashion, we thought we’d do a little arts round up for you – connect the dots, fill in the blanks, and encourage you to support the folks who are making our little valley an even better place to live.

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1

Agora Arts Gallery, American Craft Week, and Pete’s Pots!

Gail Bolson-Magnuson was one of the first to bring area art to the street – Water Street to be exact. She opened Agora Arts in 1991 with 33 artists selling their work on consignment.

“There were so many artists in the region, but no local space to sell their wares,” she says. Agora now had expanded to include 250 different artists’ work from across the nation – many local, and more than 90% of Gail’s store is filled with American Craft.

What’s American Craft, you might ask? It’s handmade wares produced by artisans from right here in the U.S. The beginning of October marks the kick off of “American Craft Week,” which, despite the name, is actually 10 days. From October 1 through 10, the Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow (CRAFT), ask retailers, artists, and the public to take note of the craft items they purchase, and keep it local, or at least national.

“Local foods have gotten such a big push – when you support your farmers, that money stays in the community,” Gail says. “It is the exact same way for local artists. They are individuals trying to make a living.”

America Craft Week (ACW) is part of a larger movement to educate the public on not only keeping it local, but making the idea of “craft” more visible. Craft, by definition, is a skill in doing or making something, but in past years it’s been associated with cookie jars and potholders. Nothing against those things, it’s just that craft embodies so much more, and American Craft Week is hoping to widen that definition once again.

To celebrate American Craft Week, the Northeast Iowa Studio Tour, AND to help a good cause, Agora Arts is hosting Decorah dentist and potter Pete Blodgett in his craft, “Pete’s Pots.” Pete has thrown hundreds of pots for the upcoming fundraiser – 100% of the proceeds go to support the Decorah Area Free Clinic. www.agoraarts.com

2

Speaking of the Northeast Iowa Studio Tour The 13th annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour happens at the very beginning of this October – Friday the 1st through Sunday the 3rd – so make sure you don’t miss it!

Regional artists open their doors for a behind-the-scenes view into how their art is created, exploring many workspaces that are seldom seen or open to the general public. Nestled among the wooded hills and winding rivers are numerous top caliber, award winning, nationally traveling fine artists. The tour spans a 35-mile region around Decorah and is Iowa’s first and longest-running tour of artists’ studios in the state. 2010 showcases 42 artists in 33 locations, open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. www.iowaarttour.com

3

A New Gallery in Decorah! Eckheart Art Gallery and Antiques Decorah artist Doug Eckheart doesn’t take the term “retirement” too seriously. Instead, after completing his 40-year tenure at Luther College as an art professor, he took to the opportunity to start a new business – one that he had dreamed of for a long time.

Eckheart Art Gallery and Antiques, located smack dab in the middle of Downtown Decorah at 107 West Water Street, currently features the artist/entrepreneur’s own original paintings and reproductions, along with ceramic sculpture by Jack Dale Raddatz.

The space houses Eckheart’s studio and will accommodate future classes and workshops as well. Downstairs, patrons will find antiques and treasures.

The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. www.eckheart.com.

Read a story about Doug Eckheart from the August/September 2009 Inspire(d) at theinspiredmedia.com/2009/08/doug-eckheart/

New at Rubaiyat!

New menu starting Oct 13th Fall wine dinner Oct 21st

Check out Pete’s Pots at Agora Arts Gallery during American Craft Week October 1-10.

4

The new arts council name has been announced!

The Decorah Regional Arts Council will now operate under a new name, and it was finally announced at the Super Swanky Launch Party September 17! Decorah artist Robin Hengesteg won the prize package worth more than $1,000 with her name Driftless Art Collective, or D.ART Co. D.ART Co. is excited to be expanding the area of the Driftless Region it serves beyond just Northeast Iowa to include Southeast Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Inspired by D.ART Co.’s most recent projects – acting as the fiscal agent for ArtHaus and the Oneota Film Festival – the board honed in on a revised mission: to help artists and interested people connect with each other and work together to strengthen arts and culture in the region. The next step in that process will be the launch of a new website this fall/winter.

Keep your eyes peeled for dartco.org! To learn more about the re-branding project, visit artistsformerlyknownasdrac.com.

5

To infinity, and beyond!

We’ve told you about most of these in the past, but we want to be sure you know about: • Decorah’s new community pottery studio, The Clay Studio, at 207 Washington Street – pop in to try a project!

• ArtHaus, Decorah’s home for the arts, just celebrated their 2nd anniversary! They’ve expanded to add a studio, just a few doors down, to their current space. 508 & 516 W. Water Street.

• Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minnesota, has a great fall/winter lined up – we suggest you take in a show!

• Lanesboro Arts Center is holding Swingsation, their annual fundraiser and gala, November 6. It’s a fun-filled event with great art, food, and music!

Also don’t miss Bluff Country Artist Gallery in Spring Grove, Minnesota, the Rochester Art Museum, the Pump House in La Crosse, the McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts in McGregor, Iowa, and any other local arts initiatives we may have forgotten to mention here!

Happy Holidays!

Book your holiday parties today, and it’s never too early to make sure you’ve got the perfect present: Gift Certificates! dinner: wed-sat open at 5 sunday brunch: 9-1 lunch: wed-fri 11-1:30 bar menu also available Rubaiyat lunch will go on hiatus the end of October.

Look for its return next spring! reservations appreciated

563.382.WINE find us on facebook!

117 W. Water Street Decorah, Iowa www.rubaiyatrestaurant.com

Photo courtesy Kickapoo Valley Reserve

Dam Good Times

Discovering the beauty of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve

By Lauren Kraus

F

all is upon us, whether we like it or not. Personally, I find it’s hard not to love this transition of seasons: from the hot, blistery summer that makes sleeping difficult unless directly positioned under a fan to the cool, crisp autumn with bright blue skies and crackly orange, red, and yellow trees.

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Fun

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ne way to really soak in this gorgeous time of year is to get out for a drive, a walk, anything to see the fall splendor. And I’ve got just the place to check out! The Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) – most definitely a close neighbor in the Driftless Region – roughly 45 miles from both La Crosse, Wisconsin and Lansing, Iowa – making it an easy fall weekend or daytrip destination.

The Kickapoo Valley Reserve is a sweeping 8,569 acres of land nestled in Southwestern Wisconsin between the villages of La Farge and Ontario.

Traveling in this part of Wisconsin is breathtaking with winding roads meandering up and over tall bluffs covered in rich woodlands, perfect for leaf-looking and horizongazing. I suggest a route that takes you through the quaint town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. Take the time to stop and enjoy some wonderful shops and restaurants. A couple of my favorites are the Viroqua Food Co-op and the Driftless Café – or stop by Kickapoo Coffee’s roastery and say hello from Inspire(d). Kick back – it’s a leisurely drive, right?

As you continue on the route, don’t be surprised to see colorful roadside stands selling the best of their fall harvest and fresh farm eggs. At the Lauren and her boyfriend, Dave, excited about the race. southern entrance to

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Check out toys, videos & games!

More than 1,400 toys watch for new additions!

Yearly Membership Fees: Grandparent: $20 Family, Schools, or Childcare Providers: $45 Mini Membership: $15/ 3 mo. www.toysgoround.org

202 Winnebago St Decorah Public Library Lower Level

563-382-3717, ext. 111

WANT TO HELP? Donate good, clean, used toys; volunteer; or offer a monetary donation. TGR is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization Ad sponsored by Winneshiek County Community Foundation

Tues/Sat 10 am – 1 pm • Wed/Thurs 3 pm – 7 pm

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Specializing in sustainable residential & light commercial construction

David J. Wadsworth • 563.419.0390 • wadsworthconstruction.com

n ouse o the Farm H e B& tl t B i L Made-fromscratch breakfast using locally grown foods

Small appliances, cookware, & linens provided

enjoy life's simple pleasures & the peacefulness of the country

892 Pole Line Road • Postville, Iowa • 563-864-7304

(between Decorah & Waukon) •www.littlehouseonthefarm.com

Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) sits La Farge, another picturesque Wisconsin town that is home to the national headquarters of Organic Valley, the largest cooperative of organic farmers in the United States.

Be sure to visit in their retail store on Main Street and see what their products are all about.

My own first experience with the incredible KVR was through an adventure race called the Dam Challenge Triathlon – a 7-mile paddle, 14-mile road bike ride and a 3-mile run. It turned out to be quite the endeavor…

Let’s just say waking up at 5 am and leaving Decorah early enough to make it for race time was not my idea of a peaceful Saturday morning. My friends came to pick me up on that crisp, October day before the sun was even thinking about making an appearance.

We drove the twisting two-lane highway through morning fog toward the Mississippi River, sipping on black coffee and trying to get into race-mode. After crossing the Mighty River, I will never forget turning around in the minivan to look at the sun rising behind us as we climbed the bluffs in western Wisconsin. The Mississippi River Valley was flooded with fog and the bright new sun reflected on the fall-colored maples, oaks, and hickories, creating a fiery glow that has been burned in my memory.

The exhausting race served as an excellent tour of the KVR and surrounding areas. We paddled the clear, cool water, rode through dense valleys of pure Wisconsin farmland, up and over steep

LANESBORO ARTS CENTER

ridges, and ran the wooded, rocky trails. I’m convinced it will forever be a favorite place. I love that the area is rugged, full of exposed sandstone outcroppings, a mosaic of green moss, towering cliffs and the narrow, snaking Kickapoo River.

It was officially dedicated under the governing body of the Kickapoo Reserve Management Board in May of 2001. It now boasts a beautiful visitor and education center, many miles of rustic trails for hikers, bikers and equestrians, 25 primitive camp sites including some accessible by vehicle and some accessible only by canoe or hike-in/bike-in, 125 miles of canoeing on the Kickapoo River and opportunities to hunt, fish and trap.

Not to mention, the Dam Challenge Triathlon every October. (The 2010 Dam Challenge Triathlon is scheduled for October 2. Sorry, registration is closed, but keep it in mind for next year!)

Upon arrival, make sure to pop in at the beautiful visitor center located on the south side of the area. They offer great information about the Reserve, a detailed history of the area, and employees who can answer questions and give tips as well as maps. You can’t go wrong with any hiking trail or any camping spot, but one of my favorite spots to camp is letter “N”. Set up here and hike on the trail that leaves from the north part of the campsite. This will lead FOR MORE INFORMATION, you up a hill and to an area CHECK OUT: with some steeper climbing KVR.STATE.WI.US and scampering over rocks WWW.ORGANICVALLEY.COOP bringing you to an awesome WWW.KICKAPOOCOFFEE.COM lookout over the whole valley. There are numerous lookouts on other hiking trails too – it’s easy to find great vistas all over this place. If canoeing is your thing, there are bridges every mile on the river making it easy to get in and out as well as know exactly where you are on the water.

Kickapoo is plum full of potential for pure adventure – all you need to do is get there. The Reserve is accessible from wherever you may be in the Midwest making it an easy weekend expedition or even a Saturday getoutta-town trek any time of year. If you happen to miss the fall-foliage tripwindow, or go and love it so much you want to go back, the winter months offer a whole new set of activities with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and even a Winter Festival in early January. Whatever outdoor liveliness you’re into, the KVR is a stunning place to pay a visit and have a dam good time!

Lanesboro, Minnesota “MUSIC ON THE SLANT” SERIES

Triple-billing!

• Molly Maher & her Disbelievers • Randy Weeks • Erik Koskinen Band

Photo courtesy Kickapoo Valley Reserve

Sat, Oct. 16, 7:30 pm / $5 Lanesboro Legion Post #40

Lauren Kraus loves everything about fall. She plans to spend some good time in the KVR warmed by hot tea and a wool sweater tromping around in the woods or floating in a canoe. The 2010 Dam Challenge is her 3rd and not the last.

UPCOMING EXHIBIT AT THE GALLERIES:

The Art of Food

Exhibit Featuring 32 Artists Oct. 23 – Dec. 23 Opening Reception: Saturday, Oct. 23 6-8 pm, Free!

Films at the St. Mane Theatre - $5/$4 Fri, Oct. 22, 7 pm - “Babette’s Feast” Sat, Oct. 23, 4:30 & 8 pm - “FOOD Inc.”

Annual Benefit Gala Saturday, Nov. 6, 6 pm – Advance ticket sales $50/person An evening of fine food & wine, silent & live auctions, cash bar & live jazz music, held at the Lanesboro Community Center

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507-467-2446 www.lanesboroarts.org

ROCHESTER GIRLS, INC. – AN EXQUISITE DRAG REVIEW OCTOBER 9, 2010 7 TO 9 PM; DOORS AT 6:30 PM LANESBORO COMMUNITY CENTER $10 DOOR/ $8 IN ADVANCE TICKETS IN ADVANCE AT CROWN TROUT JEWELERS OR SPOILED ROTTEN IN LANESBORO, MINNESOTA.

DRAG YOURSELF OUT FOR SOME LANESBORO FUN

H

old on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, and get ready for Lanesboro, Minnesota’s fifth annual fundraiser for the Professional Aids Network: An Exquisite Drag Review. Set for October 9 at the Lanesboro Community Center, the 7 pm show will feature the Rochester Girls, Inc. The event was originally organized in 2005 by Elizabeth Biel, Lanesboro resident, and Elizabeth Bucheit, owner of Lanesboro-based Crown Trout Jewelers. The two women were hoping to both support a good cause and bring a fun and fabulous show to their tiny Southeast Minnesota town.

“I went to a show in Rochester with my mom and had a blast seeing all of the Girls’ female impersonations with the full hair, makeup and – of course – ball gowns,” says Biel. “I thought, ‘Why couldn’t something like this be a hit in Lanesboro?’”

The first year they were worried about how the community would receive the show, Biel admits, let alone whether anyone would show up.

“It’s amazing because the first year we threw it a lot

of people were concerned that the local crowd would be upset -- instead it seems they think it’s great! In fact some of our most loyal participants are ladies ages 70+! They have loved it,” says Biel.

This year it will be the 5th anniversary for the exquisite drag reviews. In just a couple years the event has outgrown both the Sons of Norway lodge and St. Mane Theatre in Lanesboro. Last year, organizers Biel and Bucheit decided to secure the Lanesboro Community Center, a venue large enough to hold all who want to attend plus allow room for a dance floor and bar.

The Rochester Girls is a group of twelve drag queen entertainers that work to provide entertainment and at the same time promote local charities. All proceeds of the Exquisite Drag Review will be donated to the Professional Aids Network, a hospice charity whose mission is to make the final days of AIDS patients in the Southeastern Minnesota area more comfortable by providing meals, transportation to appointments, prescriptions pick ups and more – basically anything that patient needs.

QUICK & EASY OIL CHANGES! AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR OF ALL KINDS We even offer radiator work!

Folkedahl Service

501 MONTGOMERY ST DECORAH, IA

Pick up & delivery available!

563-382-4010 • 563-380-5851

KPVL WANTS YOU!

Choral Arts En sem ble

A NOTE FROM MANAGER ADAM WILTGEN Northeast Iowa is an incredibly unique place. Its renowned bluffs, coulees, and small winding streams are simply mesmerizing. Decorah in particular appears to be gaining momentum as a regional hub for art, culture, recreation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. The city seems to be bustling with a multitude of activities and opportunities that are as compelling, organic, and inspiring as the landscape that surrounds it.

Of course you know this. You read Inspire(d) Magazine.

But has the future always looked this bright? Or are we just more aware of it now? Have we hit the high water mark? Or are we just getting started? Sure, we’ve experienced our share of set backs, but it is our resilience that unites us and gives us our character.

For example, in celebration of Postville’s cultural diversity, 89.1 FM KPVL first went on the air in 2002.

Programming in Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, and English made headlines statewide and fostered cross-cultural dialog and understanding. However, Postville’s capacity to support and sustain Northeast Iowa’s sole community radio station slowly eroded after the inauspicious events of May 2008.

Accordingly, the station moved into a new broadcast studio in downtown Decorah earlier this year and the vibrancy and support of the Decorah community has brought new life to KPVL. Decorah-area college students and graduates are currently developing a local daily news and morning program that seeks to engage youth and highlight local art and culture. Approximately 20 volunteers have stepped forward to produce original programs, like American Mosaic with Robert Wolf, that are just now beginning to hit the airwaves. KPVL is now an affiliate of both the Pacifica Radio Network and the Public Radio Exchange. This allows the station to broadcast nationally syndicated shows totally unique to our region like Democracy Now!, Free Speech Radio News, Folk Alley, and Sound Opinions.

Most importantly, Decorah’s gift of stability and support to KPVL has allowed residents in Postville to resume regular high school athletic broadcasts and live Spanishlanguage music and news on Saturday nights.

With our collective progress and well-being in mind, I invite you to do more than just listen to 89.1 KPVL – become an active participant by making a contribution during the station’s pledge drive October 11-17. A membership soirée with live music and a silent auction will also take place at the Elk’s Lodge in Decorah on Saturday October 16.Visit www.891theblend.org or call 1-866891-5785 for more information.

Michael Culloton, Artistic Director

MUSIC masters of the

October 9, 2010 – 7:30 pm October 10 , 2010 – 4:00 pm Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights Musical fireworks are on display as CAE kicks off a new season!

The majestic sounds of Mozart, Handel and Beethoven, as sung by Choral Arts Ensemble and the newly-formed Choral Arts Symphonic Chorus, will fill the lovely space of Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights.

Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation

S E M A C

Southern Minnesota Arts Council

Friday, December 10, 2010 – 7:30 pm Saturday, December 11, 2010 – 7:30 pm Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 4:00 pm Church of St. Pius X The holiday sounds of Choral Arts Ensemble have been warming the hearts of our audiences for more than twenty-five years, and we invite you to join us this year as we carry on the tradition!

Rodney D. Anderson Law Offices, LLC

507.252.8427 • www.choralartsensemble.org Please call if special accommodations are needed. Large print programs available.

A Brief Diatribe on Thanksgiving Dinner

By Jim McCaffrey

(According to Jim)

Let’s talk turkey.

Contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving was not invented by the National Football League to sell another days worth of beer advertising. It is, however, a traditional American holiday during which families and friends from all over the United States gather together once a year to catch up and eat dinner at the same time: halftime…ha! (And sometimes once a year is far too often!)

Traditionally as well, the star attraction of the feast is none other than our Native American fowl, the turkey. My lovely wife, Brenda, and I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for probably the last 25 years. It is not unusual to have 50 or 60 people show up including both sides of the family, friends, as well as a couple reprobates of society thrown into the fray.

That amount of humanity necessitates a large quantity of food and drink. A couple of fresh, not frozen, 20-pound-plus turkeys and a ham the size of a small car engine are always on the roster.

How DO you do it, you ask? Well, since we have been doing this extravaganza so long, I keep trying to come up with new ways to prepare the upcoming meal. First: get help. Especially when you’re combining turkey and hot oil, like we did two years ago.

On Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, our daughter Fawn came over to help prep. While Brenda tidied up the house, Fawn and I toasted up six loaves of white and whole wheat bread.

Chop! Chop! Chop! Our knives flew through the bread, fresh mushrooms, celery, red onions, and cloves of the stinky rose, garlic. It was human vegematic at its best.

I set about prepping our big birds. Turkey number one I submersed in a kosher saltwater brine with sliced up oranges, lemons, and limes. Turkey number two was destined to be the star attraction. We were going to deep fat fry it the next day

inspire(d) magazine • october/november 2010

Gerda (Mom) and Jim’s Homemade Stuffing 1-1 lb. loaf white cottage bread 1 lb. Ground pork sausage 1-1 lb. loaf whole wheat bread 4 oz, slivered almonds 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced Ground dried sage 6 celery stalks, chopped fine Salt/Fresh ground black pepper 1 large onion, diced 3 large eggs, whisked 4 garlic cloves, minced 32 oz. chicken broth Toast bread and cut into ½ inch pieces. In a large mixing bowl, combine toast, mushrooms, celery, onions, and garlic.

Fry up sausage and drain. Add to mixture along with almonds.

Lightly season with sage, salt, and pepper. Toss and season again. Repeat twice more. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add chicken broth and mix well. Bake in oven in a large covered casserole dish at 325 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stuffing is ready when the middle reaches 165 degrees. (Serves 12-16)

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on the east deck. So I made up a concoction of apple juice, onion juice, garlic juice, and Cajun seasoning and with a syringe, injected it all throughout the bird. We then rubbed the entire bird with Cajun seasoning and put it to rest for the night.

Early Thanksgiving morning, I put coffee on and started working on our brined turkey. After patting it dry, I laid it on its back and gently worked my hands under the skin covering the breasts. Once the skin was loosened up, I placed pads of butter and fresh sage leaves underneath. We were good to go. Into the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, breast side down. I turned it over on its back and reduced the heat to 325 degrees. Rule of thumb with a bird this size is to cook it for fifteen minutes a pound. I always check, however.

You want to insert a meat thermometer into the thigh meat and have it read 165 degrees and have the juices run clear. Try not to overcook it or you will have a dried disaster on your hands. Trust me, I have been there.

Time to finish the stuffing.

Three pounds of fried, drained pork sausage, a dozen whipped eggs, enough chicken stock to make it moist, a little dried sage, and some salt and fresh ground black pepper all went into the mixture. Into a roaster covered with aluminum foil at about 200 degrees. Whew! Time for a cup of coffee with cream. The adrenaline was starting to kick in. A lot of prep lay ahead and time was growing shorter.

The ham was next on the agenda: cut a crisscross pattern, place it in a roaster, cover with pineapple slices and baste with rosé wine.

Back to baste turkey number one, then on to the spectacle: my outside cooker. You probably have seen those outside turkey cookers advertised on TV complete with a perforated stainless steel basket to lower the turkey into the hot oil. Well, our setup is a little more sophisticated. My outside cooker is about waist high. Add to that a tall pot. Add peanut oil about halfway up. The trick is enough oil to cover turkey number two but not enough to boil over. We straighten out a wire coat hanger and truss up the turkey’s legs with one end. We then make a loop on the other end. When the oil is at 360 degrees on a candy thermometer, it is time to give our fowl a soothing oil bubble bath. At high noon, the two sons of the family, Shanon and Conor, climb up the ladders with a broom handle inserted through the wire loop and gently lower the turkey into the churning froth. Talk about shanty Irish!

Back inside to baste.

Fawn, thank God, showed up just in time to help

peel and cook 40 pounds of potatoes and help concoct a salad of iceberg and spring mix lettuces, red onions, green peppers, green and black olives, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, and feta cheese. Guests started to arrive bearing side dishes, desserts and beverages of their choice.

Pretty soon every counter in the kitchen was covered with delectable delights.

I started the potatoes boiling then went to check on our boiling bird. Not quite ready.

It takes about three minutes a pound to cook. When the turkey floats, it is good to go, but always do that check with a meat thermometer.

Back in the house, I made gravy and quickly mashed the potatoes. The time had grown near to pull this all together.

Brenda had decorated marvelously, and also had brought out every plate in the house along with all of the silverware and wineglasses. We pulled the turkeys and ham and placed them on platters. While they rested for ten minutes, we gathered everyone together and my brother, Pat, led us in a prayer of thanks. Three of us started carving, plates began filling, and pretty soon every

available seat in the house was occupied. Even the steps leading upstairs were filled with some of the younger folk. It was a feeding frenzy. Seconds, Thirds. An hour later, it was all over but the crying. Except for cleanup, of course….

Brenda, her sisters, and sister in-law stepped up to the plate, er plates, and in no time reduced a mountain of dishes into oblivion. The rest of us sipped our beverages contentedly, engaged in small talk, played cards, slept, and occasionally watched on TV guys with helmets and shoulder pads beat up on each other. With a glass of wine in hand, I mused to my brother in-law “You know if Benjamin Franklin had had his way, the national bird of the country would have been the turkey. That means a certain football team from Pennsylvania might have called the Philadelphia Turkeys.

Now there is food for thought.” Speaking of food, it was time to start a second round and dive into the leftovers.

Nothing like a cold turkey or ham sandwich. Ah, life is good.

Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah. He is author of a humorous cookbook titled “Midwest Cornfusion.” He has been in the food industry in one way or another for 40 years.

Medicap Pharmacy in Decorah is committed to providing a high level of care.

We offer a Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program that reviews:

Your Medicap Pharmacists: Lori Rissman, Sue Burks and Mark Branum

- Treatment goals

- Drug interactions

- Safe and effective medication use

- Generic alternatives

Our Compounding Services include: - Hormone Replacement

- Veterinary

- Pain Management

- Dermatology

Call us at 382-8765 for more information.

Probituary: It’s a Notice of Life!

MARY HENRY, AT 92, IS STILL A GO-GETTER AND HELPING HAND Interview and foreword by Karen Kerndt

I met Mary Henry in 1988 when I started working with Winneshiek County Public Health. She has been a wonderful co-worker and friend ever since. At the time I met Mary she was working as a home care aide, taking care of clients who were younger than her! The funny thing about this was that Mary had to have a physical signed by an MD every year to make sure she was in good enough health to work. She retired when she was 77. Since that time Mary has been very busy helping family, friends and her neighbors where she lives. Mary is now 92, still active, drives daily, cooks daily, and makes Sunday dinner for several of her neighbors in her apartment complex – every Sunday!

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? My mother told me when I married Jim, “You can’t come back.” Mary laughs and told me she knew she had to stick with him.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A nurse What did you do? I was born on a farm near Jackson Junction and graduated from Waucoma high school in 1936. I married Jim Henry in 1938 and raised four children – two boys and two girls. I went back to school to be a nurse, a LPN in 1970, and worked at Aase Haugen and then Winneshiek Public Health until I retired in 1977. I still go out daily and to church three to four times per week. I enjoy helping others.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?

My family picture (with her husband and her four children), my Rosary, and of course my medicine!

(Spoken like a true nurse).

Try to describe yourself in one sentence: “Old,” she laughs, “but I

have a good attitude and I’m happy!”

If you could eat anything everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be? Goulash

Do you know someone you’d love to interview for this page? Let us know! aryn@theinspiredmedia.com

Name one thing that you could not live without? Money Tell us about your wedding day: “I wore a blue dress, my Aunt was my maid of honor and she wore a pink dress. We had flowers in our hair. We were married at St. Mary’s in Waucoma at 9 am by Father Falin. My mom served a brunch for about 30 people – close family and friends. That night we had a wedding dance at Breezy Corners and lots of people attended. Our honeymoon was in a motel in Waukon, we wanted to go to La Crosse but we were too tired to drive so we stayed there. We did spend a week in Wisconsin, but came back to this little hotel in La Crosse every night.

What is your favorite memory: “I have so many,” but she does tell me, “When we picked up our four children (Mary and Jim adopted their four kids). I can still remember how happy we were and how glad we were to have them. We were only supposed to go and see them, and I always took them home the same day.”

ALWAYS FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS & ON TIME. Our drivers are happy to take you where you need to go.

Call us today for a ride!

563-382-3155

TAXI HOURS

6:30 am - 6 pm Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 6:30 am - 8 pm Thursday 7:30 am - 8 pm Saturday Closed Sunday

DID YOU KNOW?

We offer 2 free screenings for your kids!

1 2

Infant See

For your baby (6-12 months) we offer early detection of potential eye & vision problems in the most critical stages of their development. At this free screening we present your baby with their first pair of Baby Banz sunglasses & sun hat, free of charge. www.infantsee.org

See To Learn

For your 3-year-old we detect vision conditions that require correction at an early age. This free screening is designed to ensure your child can See to Learn when entering pre-school & kindergarten. www.seetolearn.com

805 MONTGOMERY ST. DECORAH 563-382-4279 • WWW.DECORAHEYE.COM HOURS: 7:30-5:30 M, W, TH, F; 7:30-7:00 TUESDAY

You would go to the ends of the earth for your family.

Thanks to Winneshiek Medical Center, you don’t have to.

The best health care for your family is closer than you think. Winneshiek Medical Center provides an expert team of medical and surgical specialists complemented by state-of-the-art treatments and technologies. Winneshiek Medical Center is here when you need us, where you need us. Providing care you trust from people you know.

Why go anywhere else?

Clinic & Hospital Decorah

563-382-2911

winmedical.org

Physician Services provided by Decorah Clinic Physicians - Mayo Health System

Center Stage Series 2010–11

A stunning array of shows in October and November!

Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience

The Diary of Anne Frank

Professor Kubinek Meets the Symphony

with special guest David Sanchez

Tuesday, October 5 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 22 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 6 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 11 7:30 p.m.

A soulful voice, frottoir, and fiery accordion—bring on the zydeco!

A powerful play of courage, love, and the resilience of the human spirit.

A world premiere performance, both virtuosic and vaudevillian!

Jazz pianist and 2010 NEA jazz master performs with his mentee, one of the finest saxophone players.

Media support provided by KDEC

Sponsored by Gundersen Lutheran– Decorah Clinic

Presented by Hancher Auditorium and Orchestra Iowa. Supported by an anonymous family foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Iowa West Foundation, ACT, Rockwell Collins, Betty Winokur, Community Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, and Hancher Partners.

Media support provided by Decorah Newspapers.

$22, $20, $15 Tickets on sale now.

$24, $22, $15 Tickets go on sale Sept. 30.

$23, $21, $15 Tickets go on sale Oct. 14.

All performances are in the Luther College Center for Faith and Life.

Tickets: http://centerstage.luther.edu, 563-387-1357, boxoffice@luther.edu

Kenny Barron Trio

$22, $20, $15 Tickets go on sale Oct. 21.