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PublishersScott Schmeltzer

Crystal Miller

EditorialEditor Tim EngstromEditor Trish Marczak

Contributing WritersAmy Acheson

Andrew DyrdalMichelle HaackeAngie Hoffman

Alexandra KlosterKelli LagesonAmanda LillieTrey Mewes

Terri SchlichenmeyerJason Schoonover

Sarah Stultz

Contributing PhotographerEric Johnson

ArtArt Director Stacey Bahr

Graphic DesignersAndy GreenmanColby HansenKathy Johnson

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Winter 2010Volume 5, Number 5

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Editor’s Note

For one month in college, i was convinced my Future as an artist wasn’t all too Far-Fetched.

My longstanding plan to work in the world of print media was momentarily inter-rupted one winter day as I sat at an aisle in Drawing 101 and sketched the face of a man whose name I can no longer recall.

Had I been given the chance at that moment, I would have traded my fit-for-Duluth winter cap for a classic French beret — no doubt about it.

As you may have already figured out, I eventually came to my senses as the weather warmed and chose to resume my path along the journalism track.

The truth is, when it came to visual arts, I just wasn’t that good. Though my 30-day respite into the world of “Trisha, the want-to-be artist” may not

have taken me to the galleries of New York, I did walk away from that experience with an appreciation for those whose minds could bend in ways that mine simply could not.

Rather than struggle along as a no-talent artist, I did the next best thing: I became friends with those who actually had promise in the artistic world.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?This, I found, was a smart move. My artistic friends pointed me in the right direction

of the hot Duluth gallery shows. They were also responsible for assisting me in looking beyond the initial glance and into the world the artist had created from scratch.

Above all, I came to one important conclusion: We may not all have an artistic back-ground, but, at some level, we’re at one point or another drawn to an artistic creation.

At times, it’s because of its beauty. Other times, it allows our thoughts to drift off, offering a pleasant escape from current surroundings and circumstances.

Whatever the case, art is an important part of our life, our society and our culture. Hidden in small towns of Southern Minnesota are the people who are responsible for

the creative forces that have the ability to inspire us all.

The intent of this edition of Southern Minnesota is to introduce you to the artwork of the region and the lives of those responsible for such master-pieces.

We hope you find their stories intriguing and inspiring, and that, by better understanding the artist, you’re able to look deeper into their artistic creations.

Of course, we each walk with a different taste. For some, abstract speaks the loudest. For others, literal depictions of Minnesota’s natural landscapes have the power to draw awe.

For me, it’s a mix of both. While the north may be responsible for my love

of art, Southern Minnesota has certainly taken this woman’s heart by storm.

With that said, here’s to Southern Minnesota artists — and the work they’re so graciously willing to share with the rest of the world.

Trisha MarczakEditor

I’m drawn to art...but let the artists create it

What’s inside SOUTHERN MINNESOTA WINTER 2010

on

th

e c

ove

r

The Art Issue 15

In Every Issue

Cover Features

Hit 10Want to see live music but don’t know where to go? We have you covered.

3 Read ItKenosha, Wis., author writes eye-opening book on sports manipulation.

8Out & AboutThe Twin Cities offer many acclaimed places to see great art.

6Artist Trading CardsA little idea meets the World Wide Web.

10 Recipe CornerSöntés offers its patrons more than food.

30

Road TripHoliday parades are still found throughout the region.

13

Cover photographs by Eric JohnsonCover design by Stacey BahrCover model: Angie HoffmanCustom frame provided by Frames R Us in Albert Lea

Southern Minnesota is an inspiring place with artists who love to create. That inspired us to dedicate this entire issue to them. From Northfield to Austin, you can find artists making all kinds of designs.

So Minn Scene 32Remembering Ricky Nelson at the Paramount Theater in Austin

What hasn’t she done? Owatonna artist takes on murals, sculptures, the web, you name it

16

Accesorize your couchSoMinn combines knitting and pillows for a fresh look 25

‘A lot of tenacity’ Ceramics and jewelry maker from Austin says art takes time

18

The Body CanvasWho says art can’t be worn? These aren’t your father’s tattoos 28

From the outside, inArt has taken Northfield artist to a place he didn’t anticipate

22

One Bad MonkeyAlbert Lea guitarist anchors an up-and-coming cover band

26

34Project Pink Gala at Wedgewood Cove in Albert Lea

So Minn Scene

36From Alexandra KlosterFinal Word

Features

Hit 10

Canadian Honker1203 Second St. SW, Rochester(507) 282-6572

Known best for its homemade food and desserts, Rochester’s Canadian Honker Restaurant & Catering lets its hair down on Friday and Saturday nights and offers live music along with a full bar.

The bar may be easy to miss at a lunch meeting Friday, but come 8 p.m. bands are allowed to turn up the volume and usually play until 10:30 or 11 p.m.

The Honker draws a variety of acts but usually keeps it mellow with blues, jazz, country and bluegrass.

If you come hungry, on Friday nights the Honker offers all you can eat hand-dipped jumbo shrimp or Canadian walleye, and on Saturday nights you’ll find prime rib spe-cials.Food: Bunnie’s Coconut Cake $4.25Beer: Domestic pint $3 Specialty: Bunnie’s Coconut Cake martini $8

Söntés4 Third St. SW, Rochester (507) 292-1628

Boasting a unique cuvée wine system, Söntés may be Southern Minnesota’s best place to sip on — and listen to — the finer things in life.

In a warm atmosphere that features a lounge with couches and chaises, as well as a dining room and bar, Söntés brings an eclectic mellow assortment of music to its building every Friday and Saturday evening from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The musicians, who may play jazz or classical guitar, perform in the lounge near a fireplace that roars in the winter.

The cuvée system allows the restaurant to offer 40 wines — 20 red and 20 white — and tap into them like beer. Söntés also offers microbrews and classic cocktails with modern twists. Their menu changes weekly and 75 percent of the ingredients come from local farmers or Söntés’ garden.Food: Maine diver sea scallops $8Beer: Stella Artois pint $4Specialty: 2008 Inkberry shiraz/ cabernet $8

Torge’s Live1701 Fourth St. NW, Austin(507) 433-1000

If cold weather gets you down this win-

ter, head to Torge’s Live in Austin for a bucket of beach pail punch and some of the best music Southern Minnesota has to offer.

Torge’s Live, as the name implies, has live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, and hosts everything from pop and rock to country and blues.

The dance floor is always full and bands keep the audience out of their seats from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. every weekend.

If you can’t get out at night, Torge’s Live showcases dueling pianos, blues or blue-grass on one Sunday a month.

In its 23rd year of operation, Torge’s Live is known for the fresh, never-frozen burg-ers, and cheapest tap beer around.Food: Torge Burger $7.95Beer: 24 oz. domestic $3Specialty: Beach Pail Punch $16

Whistle Binkies PubsWhistle Binkies Olde World Pub (North)3120 Wellner Drive NE, Rochester (507) 289-9200Whistle Binkies On The Lake (South)247 Woodlake Drive SE Rochester(507) 424-1227

With two locations, Whistle Binkes Pubs offer a ton of options during a weekend trip to Rochester.

Whistle Binkes offers live music up to twice a week, once a week at each loca-tion. Music ranges from classic rock to Irish, folk, reggae and blues.

Musicians set up in the corner of the pubs with enough room to dance and enjoy a Minnesota-brewed beer at the bar.

Enjoy $2 beers on Fridays and $2 bloody marys on Saturdays while battling the cold inside one of two spots — the Olde World Pub or On The Lake.Food: The Bourbon burger $8.95Beer: Domestic pint $3.50Specialty: Rail drinks $3.50

Hogan Brothers Acoustic Café415 Division St. S., Northfield(507) 645-6653

While Hogan Brothers Acoustic Café only hosts live music once or twice a month, when it does, the house is filled.

The café’s most popular act is Charlie Parr — a country blues musician from Duluth. While you should mark your calen-

dar when Parr goes to Northfield, Hogan Brothers also offers bluegrass and tries to stick with local acts.

Hogan Brothers makes bread from scratch for its famous hoagies and has daily soup specials. Along with tap beer, the acoustic café also offers a locally brewed root beer and espresso drinks.Food: Half a hoagie with soup $5.29Beer: Domestic pint $1.99Specialty: Locally brewed root beer $1.89

Jefferson Pub & Grill58 Center St., Winona (507) 452-2718

Whether you like a dark, smooth beer and jazz, or a hopped out ale and toe-tap-ping bluegrass, Jefferson Pub & Grill in Winona offers a variety of live music and beer in the Mississipi River bluffs.

Jefferson offers live music sporadically on Friday and Saturday nights, but host jazz musicians on the last Sunday of every month, and a jam session with local folk and bluegrass artists every second Sunday.

Attached to Jefferson Pub & Grill is its Riverside Center, a site strickly for enter-tainment with a stage, dance floor and full bar. If you want to sit down and enjoy a prime rib before the show begins, Jefferson also has the largest selection of tap and specialty beer in Winona with 13 draft beers, including Schell’s Jefferson Levee Lager, an ale that is named after the bar. Food: 16 oz. prime rib $16.99Beer: Jefferson Levee Lager pint $3Specialty: Rail drinks $2.75

Wicked Moose Bar & Grill1201 Eastgate Drive SE, Rochester (507) 208-4088

Arguably the purest live music venue in Southern Minnesota, the Wicked Moose Bar & Grill hosts live music every Friday and Saturday on a large stage, and with plenty of room to dance.

Half of the Wicked Moose is dedicated to being a live music venue, while the other half is a sports bar. On Friday, the music can vary from 80s rock to hard rock, but on Saturday, it’s all country.

The Wicked Moose claims to have the best entertainment in the state but isn’t shy about its burgers either. The Pepper Jack burger, according to their menu, is

Places to see live music in Southern Minnesota

Winter 2010 ♦ Southern Minnesota Magazine ♦ 3

Continued on next page

wickedly good.Food: Pepper Jack burger $6.95Beer: Domestic pint $3Specialty: Rail drinks $3.50

Whiskey Bones Roadhouse3820 N. Broadway, Rochester(507) 287-8017

Whiskey Bones Roadhouse is a true road house environment that hosts blues, jazz and rock ’n‘ roll every Saturday night.

There’s room to dance to a variety of music, and Whiskey Bones has food to pair with every act.

You must purchase tickets before attending shows, though, and can be purchased online at WhiskeyBonesRoadhouse.com.

Ed’s No Name BarThird and Franklin St., Winona(No telephone)

Ed’s No Name Bar in Winona has a wide selection on domestic and microbrews and entertainment that goes beyond live music. But if you’re in the mood to catch an act, Ed’s hosts jazz, blue-grass, folk and rock up to four times a week, often Thursday through Sunday.

If you can’t catch a live act, Ed’s also hosts stand-up comedians, improv, creative writing and beer tastings.Beer: Grain Belt pint $2.50Specialty: S. Tier Big Red Imperial Amber 24 oz $10

Pub 500500 S. Front St., Mankato(507) 625-6500

Whether you’re a night owl or a morn-ing person, Pub 500 in downtown Mankato has something for everyone.

Saturday night, this pub-style bar brings in rock cover bands and always makes room to dance, while dishing out fish and chips, and Pabst Blue Ribbon pints.

Sunday mornings starting at 11 a.m., they slow it down with jazz and blues, and hand-crafted bloody marys.

Pub 500 is fun and casual, and the per-fect spot to end a night or start the day. Food: Pub beer battered fish and chips $12.99Beer: Domestic pint $3Specialty: Bloody marys or mammas $5

— Andrew Dyrdal

4 ♦ Southern Minnesota Magazine ♦ Winter 2010

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The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is the undisputed arts Mecca of the Midwest. Despite the high culture of New York and the creativity of Los Angeles and the bold lines of Chicago, there is no place in the U.S. with the converging, eclectic balance of art forms quite like the Twin Cities art community.

It’s no secret that the Twin Cities are home to internationally acclaimed cultural centers, making Minneapolis and St. Paul artistic attractions that people from around the world travel to every year. These muse-ums, theaters and performance halls are packed with people wanting to see the next big artistic endeavor. Be sure to visit the following top spots in the Twin Cities for an extensive cultural experience.

Walker Art Center1750 Hennepin Ave.Minneapolis, MN 55403612-375-7600www.walkerartcenter.org

A Twin Cities art trip is not complete until you’ve been to the Walker Art Museum. Aside from the iconic fountain-sculpture “Spoonbridge and Cherry” — the 29-foot high spoon and cherry that’s become a state symbol — the Walker houses some of the most internationally acclaimed art, cementing its status as one of the top five contemporary art museums in North America.

The Walker didn’t specialize in contem-porary art until the 1940s, but since then it has built a reputation for showing and acquiring works of art by some of the most renowned 20th and 21st century artists, including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and others.

Nowadays, the Walker finds ways to bring some of the most extraordinary art from around the world into our neck of the woods.

The upcoming Yves Klein exhibition, fea-turing paintings, sculptures, drawings, films and photographs of the European artist (who invented a blazing shade of blue) will be shown through Feb. 13, documenting the artist’s brief career and showcasing a creative mind and a precursor to many postwar avant-garde art forms, such as minimal art, land art and performance art.

Before the Walker, the exhibition was

shown at the Hirschorn Museum in Washington.

More abstract exhibitions like A Shot In The Dark deal with bigger themes through-out art. In this exhibition, more than 100 years of various art forms are gathered together to show subtle shifts in the order that we find all around us. Everything from early-20th century landscape painting, modernist abstraction and conceptualism

to sculptures and films never before shown to the public are on display,

challenging the audience to consider the hidden meanings of time and space through March 20.

The Walker’s premier exhibition, Event Horizon, is dedicated to rotating some of

the museum’s hidden treasures and high-lights throughout the next several years, laying out bold and wondrous works to reflect some of the major themes and developments in contemporary art as well as the times and context in which this art was produced. Although it won’t end until November of 2012, new pieces of art are constantly rotating into the gallery, making this one-of-a-kind exhibition of Walker art tradition a snapshot in time for every visit.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts2400 Third Ave. S.Minneapolis, MN 55404612-870-3000www.artsmia.org

Acting as the Walker’s counterpoint is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, a museum that breathes life into classical paintings, pots, clothes and other archaeo-logical finds. Thanks to Target Corp., the museum expanded in 2006, adding 34 gal-leries, several study rooms and an art research library, all of which contribute to the study of more than 80,000 pieces of art the MIA holds in its permanent collec-tion.

The museum itself separates into seven distinct areas, focusing on art in Africa, the Americas and Asia as well as specific types of art including contemporary art, paint-ings, photography, prints and drawings, and decorative arts, textiles and sculptures. In other words, MIA has something to offer everyone who comes looking for exciting art. Beautiful paintings, classic elevators, even swords and suits of medieval armor are on display.

MIA hosts unique programs of art on the third Thursday of every month and for the annual Art in Bloom floral festival dedi-cated to showcasing some of the most astounding floral art in the Midwest. More than 150 artists participated in the four-day feast for the eyes and the tradition will con-tinue April 28 to May 1 of 2011.

Renaissance lovers have several upcoming

exhibitions, such as Venice on Paper, to look forward to. More than

five centuries of prints, drawings books and photographs will be gathered to explore the Italian city’s history. The display, which will run through June 26, will showcase many graphic art pieces, such as Renaissance woodcuts carved by Titian.

Going to the Cities, gonna

seea r t


By Trey Mewes

Out & About

(internationally acclaimed)

Several of Titian’s paintings will be on display from Feb. 6 until May 1 as part of “Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting: Masterpieces From The National Galleries of Scotland.” The exhibition will show three Titian works from the Bridgewater collection of the Duke of Sutherland, which have been on loan to Scotland’s National Gallery since 1945. This exhibition marks the first time these paint-ings have traveld outside of the gallery. Aside from these and Titian’s famous “Venus Rising From the Sea,” several other Renaissance paintings masters like Domenico Campagnola, Lorenzo Lotto and Paolo Veronese will be on display.

Minnesota Orchestra1111 Nicollet MallMinneapolis, MN 55403Tickets: 612-371-5656www.minnesotaorchestra.org

There is nothing quite like sitting in a box seat at the edge of a wooden chair, scrunching forward, straining to listen to the low, melodic sounds and the big, brassy, booming tones of the Minnesota Orchestra echo throughout Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. For more than 107 years, the Minnesota Orchestra has entertained, amazed, delighted and enchanted concert-goers and opera lovers here in Minnesota and throughout the world. The Minnesota Orchestra, and Orchestra Hall for that mat-ter, have played host to incredible perform-ers and acts of all kinds such as Wynton Marsalis, Eartha Kitt, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Bill Cosby. They’ve also hosted unique programs and performances, such as a performance of the entire score of the “Lord of the Rings” movies and children’s operas in conjunction with area theaters.

November brings Anne Hampton Callaway to Orchestra Hall, as the multi-platinum, award-winning artist will sing Broadway favorites, backed by the Minnesota Orchestra. Ann Hampton Callaway Sings Broadway, on Nov. 20 at 8 p.m., promises selections from “West Side Story,” “Sweet Charity” and “Porgy and Bess” sung by Callaway, who starred in the hit Broadway

musical “Swing!”Things get elec-tronic in

January as

famed video game music composer Tommy Tallarico brings “Video Games Live: Bonus Round” to the Twin Cities on Jan. 7. Taking music from games new and old, the M i n n e s o t a Orchestra will perform alongside solo per-formers, video footage and audience interac- tion, dem-onstrating to older generations the sophistication of modern interactive media scores while entertaining young fans with music from “Final Fantasy,” “Megaman,” “World of Warcraft,” “Legend of Zelda,” “Castlevania,” and of course the “Super Mario” series.

The orchestra hear- kens back to the 1800s in a cele- bration of Mozart through a series of perfor-mances in mid-January called the Mid-Winter Mozart festival. From Jan. 12-15, the Minnesota Orchestra under conducter Osmo Vanska will

perform such Mozart

selections as “Symphony No. 39,”

“Ave Verum Corpus,” “Symphony No. 41,”

“Jupiter,” and “Serenade No. 10, Gran Partita” before finishing the

festival with performances of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” from Jan. 20-23, which features puppetry and performers with the In the Heart of the Beast Theatre.

Guthrie Theater818 S. Second St.Minneapolis, MN 55415Box Office: 612-377-2224www.guthrietheater.org

The Guthrie of today is much more grand than the famous theater of yester-year. What began as Sir Tyrone Guthrie’s dream to build a theater where classics would be performed by a resident acting troupe has evolved over the past 37 years to an award-winning, internationally acclaimed theater. Since its move to a mul-tiplex facility in 2006, the Guthrie has expanded its already extensive theater sea-son.

Starting Oct. 30, the Guthrie will show-case “The 39 Steps,” based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film. More than 150 char-acters will be played by a mere four actors, giving a taste of the frenetic pace and taut suspense this live theater production is sure to deliver. The play will run on a regular

basis until Dec. 19.Shakespearean plays take over the

stage come January, as the Guthrie will play home to some of the Bard’s best-known comedies and tragedies throughout the winter season. “A

Comedy of Errors,” which begins in January, features The Acting Company, a young actors’ troupe of which many trained for the stage at the venerable Minneapolis theater. They will continue with Romeo and Juliet,

the timeless classic which starts Jan. 21, running through the end of

the month. Performances of “The Winter’s Tale,” which runs Jan. 29 to

March 27, will be directed by Jonathan Munby, who has put together produc-

tions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre as well as Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company.

The seasons’s sleeper hit could be “Little Eyes,” a limited production showing Feb. 4-20. The dark comedy deals with the fears and anxieties of modern-day America, as a mother and child must come to terms with life after the Sept. 11 attacks as a mys-terious stranger arrives selling a Project to Renew America’s Future. At the same time, the neighborhood deals with the aftermath of a destructive block party, the repercussions of which these neurotic peo-ple never expected to deal with.



Read It

you was robbed.OK, maybe not you personally, but your

team was. Your guy was clearly on base. Everybody could see his hand touching the bag. Heck, they could probably see it from China, and the ump totally missed the call.

It’s enough to make a fan really mad.But why? Chances are, you don’t know

anybody on “your” team. You don’t know the umpire, the manager, or the team’s owner, either, but they know about you. As you’ll learn in the new book “The Fix is In” by Brian Tuohy, they all had a hand in hooking you on their product.

So a few days ago, you put on your “lucky” shirt and sat down with a stuffed mascot to watch your favorite team on TV. You identify as a fan of “your” team because, says Tuohy, being a fan is to belong to a larger group. There is safety in numbers, whether the team is winning or losing — and for the last one, there’s psychological comfort in grousing together, too.

You can bet, though, that belonging is costing you. That team jersey you wear wasn’t free and, in fact, there’s a reason the team has a new logo. Expensive stadi-ums are almost always taxpayer-funded and don’t benefit the local economy much. Speaking of which, have you actually gone to a game lately? It probably wasn’t cheap.

Tuohy says that today’s sports are all about show business. TV has, for instance, actually changed the way football is played. The NBA added more “excitement” when it became televised. Playing fields are brighter, schedules have been altered and even team clothing has become

TV-friendly. And, by the way, instant replay isn’t infallible but it does add con-troversy, thus fuel-ing the fan’s flames.

And it’s not just the game itself that raises eyebrows. Tuohy says that pro-fessional athletes are less likely to go to jail for breaking the law. Organizations are more apt to look the other way when players are caught with illegal sub-stances and, in some cases, drugs seem to be con-doned.

And then there are the fumbled or almost-caught balls, NASCAR’s “Call”, the ill-timed leap near the net. Are pro sports some-times “fixed”? Tuohy says yes, and he should know. Someone in organized crime confirmed it.

“The Fix Is In” is a well-considered (and quite controversial) treatise that will be greatly enjoyed by long-suffering spouses and people who hate the collective, near-obsessive focus on The Game. But will it make any difference in the way Sunday afternoons are spent around the continent?

Don’t bet on it.Still, this book is a clear eye-opener.

Author Brian Tuohy peels back the Astroturf to show readers how pro sports have manipulated and hooked fans, how they hook onto those fans’ money, and a few cures, none of which is easy.

Nor will it be easy to read what’s here, but “The Fix Is In” really shouldn’t be missed. If you’re a fan who thinks “the team cares about” you, this book may show you how you’ve been robbed.

“Th e F i x i s in” by br i a n Tu o h y o F Ke n o s h a, Wi s .©2010, Fe r a l ho u s e , 319 pag e s

$16.95

Don’t like your spouse’s fixation on

the Game?Read this book

review By Terri schlichenMeyer

512 E. 7th St.AlbErt lEA, MN 56007PhoNE: (507) 373-4526

FAx: (507) 373-4527www.lEMbkEcoNStructioN.coM


R. D. Smithwww.rd-smith.artistwebsites.comArtwork can also be found on eBay under the name rdsmithart.

Christine Karronwww.chkarron.webs.comArtwork can also be found on eBay under the name artbych.k.

Tatiana OlesArtwork can be found on eBay under the name creator36.

ATC

ARTIST

TRADING

CARDS

artist trading cards were oFFicially started in 1996 in Switzerland as a way for artists to socialize and share with other artists. This “small” idea has since grown into a huge worldwide phenomenon, with card swaps now being organized online and face-to-face in most major cities.

ATCs are essentially miniature works of art and can be made with any media, mate-rials or techniques. Just about anything goes; the main goal is to simply be creative and share your artwork. The rules for ATCs are simple:

• They must measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches. (Why? That’s the size of the original collect-ible sports trading card.)

• They must be signed and dated on the back of the card.

• They are meant to be traded for other cards – not sold.

Anyone can create and trade ATCs. However, if you lack the necessary talent or time, non-artists can join the fun by buying and collecting mini-masterpieces known as ACEOs. Short for Art Cards, Editions and Originals, ACEOs are created specifically to be purchased by collectors.

Both ACTs and ACEOs offer an afford-able (and addictive) way to collect a sam-pling of art, both from local artists and around the world. To get started yourself, find precut papers and other supplies at scrapbooking, and art supply stores — and search through ideas online.

Little Cards, Big DealBy Angie hoffMAn

David VenneArtwork can be found on eBay under the name davidvenne.

Rosemary FettArtwork can be found on eBay under the name nuttnhunee2.

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VISIT OUR SHOWROOM3532 Hwy 63 South • Rochester, MN 55904

Road Trip

From holiday festivals to shopping sprees and children’s visits to Santa, a variety of seasonal events across the southern tier of the state are sure to turn into yearly rituals for all ages to treasure.

One tradition that’s become a part of many families in the Southern Minnesota region is the Target Holidazzle Parade in downtown Minneapolis.

Now in its 19th season, the parade trans-forms the area into a magical Midwest holi-day destination, bringing an estimated 300,000 spectators from the area and nationwide every year.

“The Target Holidazzle Parade is a great way for Minnesotans to get into the holiday

spirit,” said Anne Viljaste, spokeswoman for the event. “A holiday tradition for many, the annual parade transforms down-town Minneapolis into a magical holiday destination which draws local, regional and national guests braving the cold to enjoy glistening lights, beloved storybook charac-ters and enchanting holiday music.”

The parade offers its one-of-a-kind expe-rience at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday through Sunday from Nov. 26 through Dec. 19.

The 30-minute parades take place in downtown Minneapolis on Nicollet Mall, starting at 12th Street and continuing through Fourth Street. According to Viljaste, most people start lining up on

Make holidays in Southern Minnesota a family affair

By Michelle hAAcke

in T r u e Mi dW e s T e r n Fa s h i o n, h o l i d ay

T r a d i T i o n s i n so u T h e r n Mi n n e s oTa

r u n d e e p e r T h a n i T s s n oW Fa l l s i n

T h e h e a r T o F W i n T e r

Continued on next page

The Target Holidazzle Parade brings thousands of spectators locally and nationwide to downtown Minneapolis each holiday.



both sides of Nicollet Mall between 6 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. “Many parade-goers congregate between Seventh and Ninth streets, but on busier nights, particularly weekends, it is recommended to watch near the beginning or end of the parade route,” she said.

Everyone is invited to this free event and encouraged bundle up to brave the cold temperatures.

“Many parade-goers also make an evening of it by enjoying downtown Minneapolis’ amazing music and theater scene, fabu-lous fine dining and shopping,” Viljaste added.

Nicollet Mall spans 12 city blocks and is home to hundreds of shops, department stores and restaurants. Taste the cultural diver-sity of fine Twin Cities restaurants — Italian, German, Asian, African, Scandinavian, traditional American and more.

Shoppers will also discover downtown’s famed Warehouse District, located near the Target Center, where you can visit art galleries, antique shops and night clubs.

Santa’s arrival is perhaps one of the most anticipated events for children each holiday season. Santa Claus will arrive at Apache Mall in Rochester on Saturday, Nov. 20.

According to General Manager Kim Bradley, the festivities kick off at 10 a.m. with Breakfast with Santa in the food court. Subway will sponsor complimentary cinnamon rolls and juice to be served to the children, with coffee for the adults.

After their tasty tidbits, children will enjoy singing and dancing to special musical guest, the Teddy Bear Band, also in the food court. “It’s a band that comes in and sings Christmas Carols with

the children, and the kids bring their teddy bears,” Bradley said. Santa then makes his grand entrance on the roof of the food

court. “As the children are singing and dancing with the Teddy Bear Band, all of a sudden they notice Santa waving up in the air from the skylight,” Bradley said.

Santa will then join the children, dancing to the carols before making his way to his home at the mall, in the Center Court area in front of Herberger’s.

Apache Mall’s natural-bearded Santa has been joining them each holiday for the past eight years, and Bradley says he has quite a fol-lowing. “We have anywhere from 600 to 700 people who attend this event each year,” she said.

Santa’s hours at Apache Mall will be each Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting November 20 through the holiday, in the Center Court area in front of Herbergers. On Christmas Eve, Santa will be at the mall from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Patrons are primping their pooches for Pet Photo Nights at River Hills Mall in Mankato. According to the mall’s common area coordinator, Corrie Speck, their Pet Photo Nights have become a fan favorite. “Shoppers are invited to bring their pets in and get photos with Santa,” she said.

This tradition, which has been going on for over a decade now, continues to grow each year. This year, Pet Photo Night is sched-uled Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Sears wing.

The Target Holidazzle Parade, now in its 19th season, transcends Nicollet Mall into a winter wonderland.

‘You can’t let it freak you out, you’ve got to just go in and do it.’

illusTrATion By sTAcey BAhr

What

hasn’t she done? Lynette Yencho of Owatonna is willing to tackle just about any art form

W


Walking into Lynette Yencho’s home in Owatonna, you may think you have stepped into an eclectic Victorian man-sion turned art studio, complete with a nearly mystical mural covering the dining room walls and ceiling.

But that’s because you have.Yencho’s home doubles as Garden

Studio, where Yencho creates and show-cases her illustrations, paintings, murals, sculptures, graphic designs and, in part-nership with her husband, Michael Yencho a photographer, photos.

With trellises leading to a patio and garden in the backyard, along with a parrot named Tinker and two cats named George and Newton, Garden Studio certainly lives up to its name.

“I’ve always had my studio in my home except for when I had my stu-dio in Duluth on the North Shore, and I guess it’s just the way I work,” Yencho said. “It’s very much a part of me and my life so I don’t think of it in any other terms.”

At the age of 16, Yencho began her career working for Jostens, where she says she learned a lot about being an artist.

“They are really good technical art-ists,” Yencho said of her associates at Jostens. “That was really good schooling.”

When Yencho finished her time at Jostens, she moved to the Twin Cities.

“I got extremely bored and that’s when I started painting,” she said. “At great risk, I moved to the Cities on my own.”

Before starting Garden Studio in 1982, Yencho worked in the Twin Cities as the art director for Llewellyn Publications and later as a staff illustrator for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“I tried and failed a lot of things,” she said. “I didn’t do the Mary Tyler Moore thing very well.”

Though she may not have followed in Mary Tyler Moore’s footsteps, Yencho said she did meet some very influential and interesting people during her time

with Llewellyn Publications. Most impor-tantly, she met one of her best friends while working there.

“She was my mentor, mother, sister, daughter and best friend,” Yencho said. “Whenever I have a problem or when-ever I’m stuck with something, she is the authorial being.”

Since her stint with Llewellyn and the Star Tribune, Yencho has moved to Duluth, back to the Twin Cities and, finally, back to Owatonna four years ago, making a full circle in her artistic journey.

“There are times that I really miss the Cities,” Yencho said. “I really miss the Whole Foods and the kids who work there with the tattoos on their arms.”

“I just love kids being creative,” Yencho added.

Yencho said that even though Owatonna is not as art-saturated as the Twin Cities, she thinks the Owatonna Arts Center is a good tool for artists and art appreciators.

“We have the most beautiful art cen-ter for a small town that I have ever seen,” Yencho said.

Yencho is deeply involved in the Owatonna Arts Center and has been working on a mural for the center since April 2010.

According to Yencho, the mural will be 10 by 12 feet and will be on panels so that it can be removed from the Arts Center if the organization ever relocates in the future.

Though the design of the mural can be

credited to Yencho, she said Art Director Silvan Durben of the Owatonna Arts Center has played a very significant role organizing the details for the com-pletion of the mural, including the con-struction of the panels.

“Silvan is so much of a rock and a sup-port for the rest of us,” Yencho said. “He is a real supportive figure in this town. He’s just been incredible.”

The mural itself is done with oil on masonite and is based on inspiration. Yencho said that over the several months she’s been working on it, the vision for the panels has evolved because of differ-ent artist’s perspectives.

Yencho and the Arts Center have encountered several obstacles on the

road to mural com-pletion, including momentary uncer-tainty about how well the panels would fit in the art center, but Yencho is still looking forward to the end result.

“It’s going to be mahvelous, dahling,” she joked in a British accent.

Yencho has also been participating in the art center’s monthly art crawl since October. The art crawl occurs the second Tuesday eve-ning of every month from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. and will run until May 2011.

Besides that, Yencho holds flexible hours at her studio, especially because it is in her home.

“We’re very loose about hours, espe-cially with photography because some people like their photographs taken at night,” Yencho said. “As far as looking at work, it’s always better to make an appointment.”

As far as future projects go, Yencho recently finished web design school and is considering publishing a graphic novel at some point.

And, as always, Yencho also plans to keep adding onto the mural in her dining room.

“It’s truly a stream of consciousness,” Yencho said about the dining room mural. “It’s a very organic thing — it’s whatever the Spirit moves.”

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While some people commonly view an artist as someone wielding a paintbrush and a canvas, Austin-resident Barb Cafourek often spends a great deal of time meticulously shaping metal rings and forging ceramic beads to make the cen-terpieces of her jewelry.

Cafourek is a bit of a three-sport athlete in the art world. She paints, makes jewelry and also does ceramics.

Cafourek is a testament that anyone can dive headlong into the art world. Cafourek discov-ered her love for painting about a decade ago when she was between jobs. She decided to start a business painting homes. Her former employer owed her a year of schooling, so she took small business and art classes.

“That’s where I discovered I really, really liked painting and drawing and ceramics,” she added.

After the classes, Cafourek would start the business First Impressions Painting for interior and exterior painting. While she’s set the busi-ness aside recently to focus on watching her grandchildren, her love for art has continued to

‘A lot of tenacity’

An Austin artist started as a painter and came to love ceramics and jewelry


be an important part of her life.While she commonly makes her own

ceramic beads, Cafourek often shapes wire and jump rings into jewels for bracelets or necklaces. On one necklace, she wound bronze wire into three roses, which she burned with a lighter for coloring. Another piece utilizes a pattern of interwoven jump rings as its centerpiece.

“Sometimes you have more time sitting and designing than you actually have putting the elements together,” she said.

About five years ago, Cafourek’s husband bought her a kiln and a pottery wheel for Christmas, allowing Cafourek to pursue her love of pottery, too.

Ceramics has also aided her jewelry mak-ing, as Cafourek will make beads.

“I generally have one handmade element in every piece that I make,” she said.

On top of beads, Cafourek also makes vases, bowls, plates, cups and a few sculp-tures.

Along with her ceramics and pottery, Cafourek paints with watercolor and acrylic.

While her painting started with simple techniques and mostly acrylic paints, Cafourek said she’s expanded her skill set to include techniques like shading. She’s also come to love watercolor, a medium by which she was initially intimidated.

Cafourek paints mostly florals and land-scapes, and she even painted an entire series of paintings surrounding things she saw around the north shore.

“The nice thing about doing different medi-ums is when you get tired of doing one, you can move onto something else. You never get tired of it,” she said.

Since art came into her life, the way Cafourek views her surroundings has changed.

“I’ve also noticed when I’m out in the world, I notice things I never noticed before,” she added.

For example, Cafourek said most people think of tree trunks as being brown. However, she said there’s various colors of bark, moss and molds that form a tree’s color.

Outside of the year of college, Cafourek has learned to paint on her own through instructional books. However, one of the key ways to learn, she said, is trial and error.

“I don’t think anything you do can be considered a failure,” she said.

Though she tries to continually learn from her experiences, art can be intimidating.

“I still have to tell myself this: It’s just a piece of paper or it’s just a canvas,” she said. “You can’t let it freak you out. You’ve got to go in and just do it. And if it doesn’t turn out, oh well. It’s just a piece of paper; there’s something you will learn.”

After coming from a career in retail to discover her love for art while seeking a job, Cafourek said anyone can become an artist.

“It doesn’t take a big fancy degree to get into this. It really doesn’t,” she said. “You don’t have to have a ton of formal train-ing. You just have to have a lot of tenacity.”

Above: A piece of Barb Cafourek’s

pottery on display at the Austin Area

Art Center.At right: Barb

Cafourek works in a variety of different

areas, including these pottery

pieces on display at the Austin Area Art

Center.

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“Genesis”


Just south oF northField on a not so busy road that bends east sits Somers Studio & Gallery.

It’s a quaint, picturesque country setting, typical of those in rural Southern Minnesota — with a farmhouse, red barns, mature trees and gently rolling sunlit fields that lay beyond … but what renowned art-ist Fred Somers loves most about this place is the inspiration the landscape gives him to create art in his studio.

“My wife and I have chosen this place to live. We love this land.”

Fred renovated the granary, now nearly 100 years old, for the purpose of a gallery. It’s a mix of old and new. He incorporated salvaged pieces in the reconstruction like some antique glass windows from the Northfield Arts Guild when it was being redone, a stained-glass door found by a friend, and then there are the wooden steps that were a friendly barter a few years back. They lead down to the artist’s studio, once an old machine shed that was rebuilt alongside the limestone brick walls of the granary.

Upon stepping inside his artist studio and gallery, you begin to understand Fred Somers’ incredible talent. Viewing his paintings, you see he has the unique ability to draw out nature’s wonders by bringing you close to them all the while incorporat-ing the influences that surround them. The gallery’s large collections of oil and pastel paintings include several of Minnesota’s landscapes, reflecting endearing, close-to-home scenes with extraordinary artistic vision.

The prolific artist has won multiple awards for his work and has international exhibitions, commissioned works, gallery and studio sales and painting workshops.

Somers was selected as the American Swedish Artist of the Year in 1984, and he has continued to exhibit and teach in Scandinavia. He designed the 1996

Minnesota State Parks permit featuring Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park and is on the list of Who’s Who in American Art.

And in 2009 Somers garnered two nota-ble achievements: He was a featured artist in The Artist’s Magazine, where he also won first place in the abstract division and was the 2009 winner of the Prix de Pastel Award from the International Association of Pastel Societies, for which he has been asked to be a workshop presenter in 2011.

Somers’ achievements for his breathtak-ing landscapes are especially noteworthy given the fact that his formal art training was totally different from what he does today.

“I wanted to be a radical avant-garde art-ist and was in people’s faces with my paint-ings. Everything I did was about a political

statement. People did all kinds of crazy things back when I was in art school and that was what I thought art was. A lot of things that I had as ideas of what art was

about, I’ve really radically changed. I actu-ally don’t think I would have ever known that I’d be doing what I’m doing right now with the way I started out. Thankfully, my life was changed by a loving and heavenly Father and it was so dramatic. Now I have great joy in my studio. I started painting the landscape — painting about love and about the beauty in life.”

Somers shared this story that is one of many that changed his life and art forever.

“On a winter day, new snow in a woods about one mile east and south of here, called Quanbeck Trail, I was walking with my camera alone. I came across a lime-stone outcropping with dirt and grass and some uniform trees all seeking sunlight. I walked up to the limestone, and there were holes all over and every one of those holes had hoarfrost in them. I was so thrilled by the beauty. They were like gems! These little gems of frost ice were the most incredible snowflakes — only more beauti-ful — and the ice crystals sparkled with rainbow colors with the prismatic shifting of the sun through them. I instinctively backed off away from the frost so I could get a perspective of everything. I was enjoying the sunlight, the fresh snow, the trees and the sky. I stuck the camera up to my eyes and right there … [I realized], I lost what I loved! Nobody will know what I loved! The thing that caught my eye was lost in what I just did, but if I moved up close nobody could understand the other part of it.”

“So, that was the beginning of what I do now with some of my paintings (and it started some 20 years ago). It’s about how close I can come to what gets me excited and what I love and then back up to show the context.”

It’s in those moments of wonderment and the relational insight learned that gives Fred this incredible vantage point for his fine art today.

Fred speaks fondly of their home in the country. He talks about the need to repair one of the barn walls on the south part of the farm but looks forward to spending time on his art. “I can feel winter is draw-ing near and there’s things that have to get done, then I’ll be free to come into the stu-dio … and I like that.”

From the outside, inMulti-award winning artist Frederick Somers depicts nature’s inner beauty

By AMy Acheson

PhoTos By TiM engsTroM

“There is nothing so transformative as a snow. The snow comes down and touches everything — there’s something so miraculous about it ... and the silence that comes with it.” — Fred Somers

“Simple Treasures”24 x 18 inch pastel on Canson paper

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As winter arrives, Southern Minnesota changes to a place where fashion and home décor are inspired by functionality instead of style. Our first thought is to add bright and bold colors to spruce up our wardrobe and home décor, and SoMinn suggests embracing col-ors usually thought of as dull and boring. Shades of tan, gray, beige and other muted colors blend together well.

Your wardrobe isn’t the only look you might want to update for fall. Decorative throw pillows can transform any room in your house. Beyond adding them to your couch, they can cozy up any corner or fireplace. Consider add-ing them to non-traditional areas as well, such as your kitchen or bathroom. Mixing color and texture gives your space style and personality. The only rule we suggest when shopping for dec-orative throw pillows is that if you like it, it will work. Check out SoMinn’s favorite websites for unique and per-sonal throw pillows:

To help your budget, consider adding layers to your existing wardrobe. A knit scarf and hat set will extend the life of any fall outfit. Knit products are easy to match with any outfit. The age-old rule of combining brown tones with black tones has been kicked to the curb. Our cover model combines royal blue, teal, gray and brown. The do-it-yourself approach makes creating new looks even more fun and budget-friendly. Check out SoMinn’s favorite websites for knitting patterns and idea.

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When Albert Lean Tristan Sather was 18 years old, his parents bought a guitar for his sister.

Sather said his sister never played the instrument so he decided to pick it up for himself.

He caught on pretty easily — having grown up in a musically inclined family — and learned how to play by watching other guitarists and simply listening by ear.

He’d had an interest in learning to play the guitar ever since his father took him to a Leo Kottke concert when he was 16.

Sather said he played the instrument on his own for two years and then joined his first band.

Over the years since he’s played in a series of bands including acoustic cover band Long Gone Daddy along with Emergency Broadcast Unit. He’s also received an associate’s degree in both music performance and business.

Now, nine years later, on top of his day job at QCCP Inc. in Lake Mills, Iowa, Sather, 27, is one of two guitarists in up-and-coming live rock band Bad Monkey.

The band, made up of Sather, lead vocal-ist Seth Larson of Albert Lea, guitarist Clete Hering of Faribault, drummer Russ Wallin of Owatonna and bass player Anthony Madson of Hartland, is breaking into the music scene across Southern Minnesota.

Playing anywhere from Owatonna to Rochester to Mankato — and everywhere in between — the band draws a crowd from a couple hundred to a thousand people at their concerts.

“We’re trying to overtake Southern Minnesota pretty much and then spread out from there,” Sather said.

Covering songs from Audioslave, Hinder, Buck Cherry and Velvet Revolver, as well as some classic rock songs from Pearl Jam, Night Ranger, Bill Idol, Foreigner and AC/DC, the guitarist said the group is trying to open up its performances to appeal to dif-ferent age groups. Eventually, they hope to have three different sets, including one for a younger crowd and one for an older crowd.

Other artists the band covers include Soundgarden, Seether, Chevelle and By sArAh sTulTz

PhoTos By TiM engsTroM

ONE BAD MONKEYAlbert Lea guitarist

touts his band

“The Hormel Institute is a team project. By working together, wewill bring more job opportunities and economic growth to our localcommunity, help lead our university in realizing the goal ofbecoming a top research institute worldwide, and more importantly,we will help to realize the dream of a cancer-free world.”

ZIGANG DONG, M.D., DR. P.H., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Breaking Benjamin. They are starting to perform some Led Zepplin hits, and if any-one has any other artists they’d like the band to try out, they will do that as well, he added.

Sather said currently the band is trying to branch out mainly through word of mouth, but sometimes they look into performing at new venues as well. Recently they’ve per-formed at Bar Games in Northwood, Iowa, Reggie’s Brewhouse in Owatonna, along with a slew of summer festivals, including Borderfest in Emmons and the Freeborn County Fair.

Eventually, he noted, the band would like to be on the level of cover band Hairball, which only plays a few shows a month in front of a couple thousand people and gets paid well.

They have also recorded a few songs dur-ing the summer and hope to have some of those released soon.

Sather said when the band is not playing together, they have other various hobbies.

For Sather, specifically, that means fishing and disc golf. He also has two cats, named Jimi and Hatfield, and he lives in Albert Lea with his girlfriend, Jenny Christensen.

Bad Monkey can be found on Facebook by typing in “Bad Monkey” and on MySpace at www.myspace.com/badmon-keyrocks.

STEAK & LOBSTER EXTRAVAGANZAFor the month of November,

come enjoy a six ounce choice grade tenderloin steak with two 3 ounce Canadian cold water lobster tails with hot drawn butter sauce. Firm,

sweet and flavorful. Includes soup or salad, potatoes,

loaf of bread and garlic toast.Reservations recommended

Located in Historic Mantorville, MNwww.hubbellhouserestaurant.com

Closed MondaysLunch: Tuesday-Friday 11:00am-2:00pm

Dinner: Tuesday-Thursday 4pm-9pmFriday 4pm-10pm

Sat. 11:30am-10pm; Sun. 11:30am-9pm

507-635-2331

Sunday-Thursday

$2299

Friday & Saturday

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The Body

CanvasBy sTAcey BAhr

PhoTos courTesy of gilBerT Johnson, The chAPel TATToos, AlBerT leA

a tattoo can say many diFFerent things. It can be used as a tribute to a loved one, a memorial to something lost, a symbol of a milestone in one’s life, or just as a work of art to be displayed. Whatever the reason, tattoos have become a popular form of expression in the last decade, and far more mainstream and less taboo than in years past. The diversity of the type and size of tattoo is as wide as the kind of people who get them. Whether your taste is something small and simple, or large and extravagant, the human body is the perfect canvas on which to display it.

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Recipe Corner

sTory And PhoTos By kelli lAgeson

Söntés RestaurantAddress: Third Street SW in Rochester

Phone: 507-292-1628

Website: www.sontes.com

hours: Monday through thursday: 4 to 10 p.m.Friday and Saturday: 4 to 11 p.m.Sunday: closed

AA restaurant owner in Rochester is working toward her goal of having a truly local dining experience for her patrons.

Tessa Leung, owner of Söntés, has local artists’ art on the walls, local musicians who entertain on weekends and more than 30 local farmers who supply the food.

When Leung first opened the restaurant in 2006 she knew she wanted to support local artists. She kept most of the walls white so as not to distract from the art.

While she had a hard time finding artists at first, now many artists from the Rochester area are finding a way to show their art. There aren’t many options for galleries in Rochester, and Leung does sell a decent amount of the art shown in the restaurant.

“The artists get excited when their pieces are sold,” Leung said.Leung doesn’t have too many requirements for the art she showcases in Söntés.

She’d like the art to have bright colors, because the restaurant is open after 4 p.m. and brighter colors stand out more in the evening.

“There are some very good artists in the area,” Leung said.Along with many paintings, she will also show clay sculptures, glass work and

other mediums. Leung said much of the art is sold to people who live out of state or out of the United States.

When Leung started Söntés she knew she wanted to have a restaurant that was socially responsible. She serves grass-fed beef, and local chicken and milk. She likes that she is able to get to know local farmers who supply the restaurant.

“There are so many cool local ingredients,” Leung said.Leung is always looking for local products she can use. She described the restau-

rant’s cuisine as Spanish and Mediterranean with a “Midwest sensibility.” She and the head chef are from the Midwest but have been trained in other cuisines as well. The restaurant is tapas style, which is a Spanish style using small plates.

Another feature that makes Söntés stand out is the cuvée system. The system chills and preserves wine and basically means 40 kinds of wine are on tap. Leung said people can try different kinds of wine before purchasing a bottle or glass.

“It can get people to step out of their comfort zone,” Leung said.As well as featuring local musicians periodically, once a month there are dinner

and a movie nights. For $25 guests can enjoy a movie, popcorn and a three-course dinner. For anyone looking to enjoy a truly local experience, Söntés may be the best choice in Rochester.

Art meets food

The artist who completed these five paintings is originally from Haiti and now lives and works in Rochester. Restaurant owner Tessa Leung said she likes brightly colored paintings because the restaurant is only open at night.

These two large pieces were done by Alyssa Hoerl, who is a senior art student at

the University of Minnesota. Both are paintings, and Hoerl enjoys

painting on large canvases.

Rochester artist Heather Jerdee’s artwork hangs in one room of Söntes restaurant in Rochester. Restaurant owner Tessa Leung said she enjoys partnering with local artists.

SoMinn Scene

Gunnar and Matthew Nelson performed hits made famous by their father, Ricky Nelson, in an acoustic show this September at the Paramount Theatre in Austin. The brothers, who played in a popular band in the early 1990s, packed the house, playing songs from their band and from their father’s albums.

Providing title and closing servicein the historic Carnegie Library

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(507) 377-1399 • Fax (507) 377-8033

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Many area residents gathered at the Project Pink Gala at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club on Sept. 25. The gala, hosted by the Naeve Health Care Foundation, raised money for mammography equipment at Albert Lea Medical Center.

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what’s an old-Fashioned christmas to you? Don’t say “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” because you know most of you’ve never done that. I’ve tasted one hot chestnut in my life. It tasted like a squirrel, who needed a toothbrush, carried it around in the depths of his jowls for a month, but it was fun to try.

I don’t buy “Jack Frost nipping at your nose” either. We live in Minnesota, and the cold does not nip at the tip of your face. “Jack Frost gnawing on your mug until you cry” is per-haps an ill-fitting lyric, but it’s closer to the truth. I don’t think it’s PC to say, “folks dressed up like Eskimos” anymore either. Besides, it’s redundant. We all dress like Eskimos during the Minnesota win-ter except for some girls I’ve seen getting off the school bus in flip-flops. I often wonder how they keep their toe rings on in the snow.

For most of us, an old-fashioned Christmas has little to do with cus-toms in songs or stories that were never ours in the first place. We remember Christmases the way we experienced them as children. The television Christmas variety specials from the 1960s, and ’70s, along with Midnight Mass, Dr. Denton’s, and the latest K-Tel Records compilation make up my ideal traditional Christmas. They brought the whole family together for one hokey hour of song, dance and schmaltz. We loved them in spite of ourselves then and thanks to DVD we can again.

“The Donny and Marie 1978 Christmas Show” is a little bit country and a little bit harmless nepotism. All nine Osmond kids, their children, spouses and Mom and Dad congregate at the family home for Christmas Eve. Everybody gets a musical number even the Osmond wives. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but no, Virginia, marrying an Osmond doesn’t mean you should be singing and dancing on national television.

Taped on Dec. 6, 1963, “The Judy Garland Christmas Show” featured Judy, kids Liza, Lorna and Joe and guest stars including Mel Torme. It’s just a typical night

at Judy’s. I know I wear a full-length fur trimmed taffeta gown when I stay home with the family. In fact, I’m wearing it right now.

When Judy sings, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and tells you, “Next year all our troubles will be out of sight,” she’s so wonderful you have to believe her. This DVD also includes the

original commercials (Pall Mall cigarettes can be lit from both ends!) and you’ll want to make sure to stick around until the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Judy’s finale about a place where skies are blue and happy little bluebirds fly is not to be missed.

“The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows” can usually be seen each year on PBS, so check your local listings in December. Clips compiled from Williams’ late ’60s and early ’70s Christmas specials include lots of skating, singing and dancing in V-neck sweaters. The real star here is Andy Williams’ voice, which lends itself just as beautifully to “Ave Maria” as it does to “Moonlight in Vermont.”

“This is Tom Jones Christmas” is a whip-lash hour from 1969 that’ll make you think someone double spiked your eggnog. One minute Jones is doing an excellent reading of Dylan Thomas’ time-honored “A Child’s

Christmas in Wales” and the next he’s sing-ing in front of pink Christmas trees and go-go dancers. When Jones and Judy Collins appear together, it’s like pairing a gold lame dress with Birkenstocks. The year of 1969 struggled to find itself some-where between convention and countercul-ture and so does the Tom Jones’ Christmas Show in a very entertaining way.

“The Sonny and Cher Christmas Collection” includes episodes from 1972, 1973 and 1976. Nothing says Christmas like a Bob Mackie plunging halter dress and some mild marital bickering. Guest stars and musical numbers are plentiful, and on more than one occasion a simple change of costume takes these programs from trite to intensely moving. Guest star William Conrad adds some poignancy and reflection to the festivities when he recites from “A Solitary Life.”

“All the armies that ever marched and all the navies that ever sailed the ocean and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has that one solitary life.”

Don’t expect irony, cynicism or sar-casm in these specials because you

won’t find any (except from Cher who hands it out with a hair flip and a smile). There are no edges here, just the soft curves of nostalgia. These wonderfully silly programs contribute to my old-fashioned holiday, and I hope this year you will go ahead and indulge in what reminds you of yours. Have a few laughs and open yourself up to some sentimental reminiscence in whatever form it takes. “And so I’m offer-ing this simple phrase to kids from one to ninety-two.”

Sonny and Cher, Tom Jones, Andy Williams, Judy Garland and The Osmonds are all available from Amazon.com. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you.

Alexandra Kloster is a freelance writer living in St. Paul, Minn. Her column, Pass the Hot Dish, appears every other Friday in the Albert Lea Tribune and her blog is Radishes at Dawn at alexandrakloster.com.


Final Word

The soft curves of nostalgia

507-377-3185 Shopping Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10-9 • Sat. 10-6 • Sun. 12-5Some Business and Holiday Hours Varywww.northbridgemall.com

Your Destination for

Shopping, Dining and Entertainment• Over 35 sTOres & businesses

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It looks like mahogany, is as durable as maple,

and is a sustainable and renewable

resource.

But just what is it?

It’s Lyptus, and you can find it at Freeborn

Lumber Co. and Design Center. Come

see it now in our lovely showroom.

971 Plaza St W, Albert Lea507-377-4284

www.freebornlumber.com

and the Freeborn County Humane Society

are proud to present

THE COMPLETE BEATLES TRIBUTE

American English is simply the best Beatles tribute band of our time! The fantasy lives on with these remarkable

musicians who take the music to the highest level possible. American English is the closest you will ever get to

reliving The Beatles. Whether you grew up with the Fab Four or not, this show will be your window to the past. Witness “The Complete Beatles Tribute” with American English.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 • 7:30 p.m.Albert Lea High School Auditorium$15.00 in advance • $20.00 at door

Tickets are limited, available for purchase at Candy & Jewels Consignment Boutique, Plymouth Shoe Store, Doyle’s Hallmark, KATE Radio, Freeborn

County Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Thorne Crest Retirement Community. No pre-reserved seating.

Proceeds to benefit the Freeborn County Humane Society and Thorne Crest Retirement Community.

1201 Garfield Ave., Albert Lea • (507) 373-2311

ENJOY DINNER PRIOR TO THE SHOW4pm-7pm at the American Legion Post 56 in

Downtown Albert Lea, 142 N. Broadway

HAMBURGER BASKETS $700A portion of the proceeds donated to the fundraiser

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