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PRIOR LAKE
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2011
$1
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AMERICAN Unstoppable Weather, state shutdown didn’t sway music fans at Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival BY LORI CARLSON editor@plamerican.com
Jazz fest to page 14 ®
PHOTOS ONLINE CHECK OUT A GALLERY OF FAN PHOTOS AT WWW. PLAMERICAN.SMUGMUG. COM AND A SLIDESHOW WITH ARTIST PHOTOS AT
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State budget deal will have strong local effects BY SHANNON FIECKE AND MERYN FLUKER sfiecke@swpub.com and mfluker@swpub.com
A
state shutdown, he av y rai n a nd swelteri ng heat – none of it could stop t he La ke f r o nt J a z z a n d Blues Festival. Despite weather-related challenges and a sound equipment glitch as headliner Buddy Guy took the stage, thousands flocked to Lakefront Park on July 16 for the second annual festival, which also featured Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, Lamont Cranston, Tim Mahoney, Steve Oliver, Jessy J, Quinn Sullivan and the Prior Lake High School jazz band. Crews had to haul and set up equipment in pouring rain the day before the event. Then came the intense heat and humidity on festival day. To protect the grass in hightraffic areas (and to make walking a bit easier), organizers put pieces of plywood over the spongy, muddy grass. A “misting station” was set up to keep concert attendees cool. And plenty of beer and wine was sold despite a close call with a state shutdown-induced liquor license hiccup. As Grammy winner Guy took the stage, the sound board failed and had to be replaced. It was poor timing, and some fans hit Twitter and Facebook instantly to say they couldn’t hear the show. Shaun Naya, one of two event chairmen, said wet conditions and humidity likely affected the electronics, and crews had to bring in replacement equipment to restore the sound. “It took some time to switch things out,” he said. But most of those who came for the music and atmosphere didn’t seem to notice or care too much about the logistical challenges. “People were taking their shoes off and becoming free spirits, rolling with the punches and having fun,” Naya said. “There were a lot of hardy souls out there.”
And on the 20th day… After the loss of two of its busiest weekends and 12 days of racing, Canterbury Park opened on Thursday, but without the news that could have salved its pain. Local legislators say they had the votes to pass a “racino” bill during the special session that ended the state government shutdown, but couldn’t get the legislation heard on the floor. Sen. Claire Robling (R-Jordan), the Senate Finance Committee chairperson, spent late hours this week finalizing details in bills. She voted in the affi rmative on the state government fi nance bills. Robling said she had the governor’s agreement but wasn’t in on the last meeting where the list of bills was fi nalized. The Republican leadership felt it didn’t have the votes to include a racino, she said.
Shutdown to page 6 ®
Claire Robling
Michael Beard
PHOTO BY LORI CARLSON
Daisy, 10 (left) is completely blind. Her pup, Duke, 6, sticks close to her side and has become her very own seeing-eye dog. The dogs, who had been staying with a foster in Prior Lake, were adopted this week by a Twin Cities family.
PHOTO BY MERYN FLUKER
Blues legend Buddy Guy’s searing blues guitar seemed appropriate in the sweltering heat at the July 16 Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival. Guy soldiered on despite initial issues with the sound system. Guy, who was named the 30th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, headlined this year’s music festival at Lakefront Park.
“People were taking their shoes off and becoming free spirits, rolling with the punches and having fun. There were a lot of hardy souls out there.” Shaun Naya
The Ballad of Daisy and Duke Blind dog and her pup find a good home – together BY LORI CARLSON editor@plamerican.com
Event co-chairman
FOR MANY MORE FESTIVAL PHOTOS, SEE PAGE 15.
This is a tale of two very special dogs who are also remarkably normal. Daisy, 10, is completely blind. Duke, her 6-year-old offspring, has
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/6 SPORTS/11-12 AMERICAN SLICE/17 CALENDAR/21 CLASSIFIEDS/22-25 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 345-6378 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@PLAMERICAN.COM.
Online See more photos of Daisy and Duke at www.plamerican.com. For more information on adoptable pets, visit www. petfinder.com. For more on Secondhand Hounds, see www. secondhandhounds.org or check out the rescue’s Facebook page (Secondhand Hounds Animal Rescue).
become her seeing-eye dog. The two are inseparable. If they get too far apart, Daisy barks and Duke runs to her side. Duke watches out for her and guides her throughout the house and yard – he even taught her how to maneuver through the doggy door of their foster home just outside of Prior Lake.
Dogs to page 7 ®
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