ssp dec 2012

December 2012

Volume 9

Number 12

Visit www.stpaulpublishing.com for expanded area coverage!

Mary Diedrick HansenStaff Writer

It’s that time of year again, when Christmas casts its

spell over us. Goodwill and generosity abound. Festive gatherings and giving hearts herald the holiday season.

But once the wrap-ping paper and ribbon are cleared out and the holiday decorations boxed up and stored away until next year

will the spirit of giving dis-appear with it?

Perhaps for some, but it will not at Gallagher Han-sen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 295, 111 S. Con-cord St., South St. Paul. The group that gathers there ap-pears to be charged with an extraordinary spirit of kind-ness and giving throughout the year. The spirit seems to float between the pool tables and drift among the

ten TV screens and gather around the large circular bar where people congre-gate to talk about giving. And giving they do: from fish fry fundraisers to live bands and dancing on the weekends, all for charity.

For years now, local vet-erans, assisted by the VFW Post’s Ladies Auxiliary, have made it their mission to sup-port the needs of their fel-low servicemen and women,

as well as the community by holding fundraising events throughout the year. How-ever, the aging veterans are slowing down a bit and it became apparent to many of the younger men who are employed at the VFW or are regulars there that the vets needed help. Last year VFW Post 295 Men’s Auxil-iary was formed to keep the fundraisers and fun going.

“We asked a few guys if they would be interested,” said Jeff Arrowood, Mens Auxiliary president. “Every-body I talked to was very enthusiastic.”

The Men’s Auxiliary fol-lows the guidelines and bylaws of the VFW and operates as a division of the VFW. To form, it needed 15 charter members who either served in a branch of the military and did not see combat, or had a rela-tive who fought in combat. They now have 28 mem-bers. “The Post was very grateful. They bought our Mens Auxiliary flag and had a beautiful cake and a warm welcome for us,” said Arrowood. “A lot of VFWs are doing this because the members are getting older.

New VFW group infuses service and excitement into the community

Photo by James Ramsay, jamesramsayphotography.com

Men’s Auxiliary President Jeff Arrowood talks to members during a recent meeting at VFW Post 295.

VFW / Page 8

Public hearing set for Dec. 3 at City Hall

Mary Diedrick HansenStaff Writer

Although property taxes are increasing by 4.7 per-cent in the proposed 2013 city of South St. Paul bud-get, homeowners will see no major increase in the amount of taxes they pay to the city. How so? It’s be-cause commercial and in-dustrial properties retained more of their value than res-

idential properties last year and are contributing more to the tax base. In addition, the city received an increase in funding of $213,000 from the 7-County Metro Areas Fiscal Disparity Fund, which is helping hold prop-erty taxes down. A Truth in Taxation meeting open to the public will be held at

7:15 p.m., Dec. 3, at City Hall.

In 2012 the average South St. Paul home was valued at $156,000 and homeowners paid $755 per year or $63 per month for city services. For 2013 the average home value has decreased by 9 percent to $142,000, which results in

only a slight decrease in tax-es ($746 a year) to the city, so the average monthly rate stays the same.

Nearly all property tax dollars become part of the General Fund, which fi-nances police and fire, gen-eral government, public works, community develop-ment and parks and recre-

ation. The remaining prop-erty tax dollars are divided among the library, Wakota Arena, capital improvement programs and debt service.

The proposed 2013 bud-get of $13.8 million is an increase of $209,653 over the 2012 budget. General

City ready to present its proposed 2013 budget

Budget / Page 8

Holiday Happenings Holidaze - The annual Holidaze celebration

is held 5-7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 6 at Central Square Community Center, 100 Seventh Ave. N. This popular event includes a tree lighting ceremony, photos with Santa, holiday crafts, a storytime and more. At 6:30 p.m., join the South St. Paul Choirs, Mayor Beth Baumann and Santa Claus as they lead the procession to the community Christmas tree for caroling and lighting of the tree. Hats and mittens will be col-lected for Neighbors, Inc. at the event. For more information, contact Deb Griffith, community affairs liaison, at 651-554-3230 or [email protected].

Breakfast with Santa - The South St. Paul Lions Club is hosting its annual Breakfast with Santa 9-11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 8. Cost is $3, children under age six eat free. Photos with Santa will be offered for a nominal fee. In addition, the Southwest Lioness Santa Store will be open, fea-turing unique gift ideas. For more information, visit www.southstpaul.org or call South St. Paul Parks and Recreation at 651-306-3690.

Skate with Santa Claus - The annual Skate with Santa is held 11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m., Sat-urday, Dec. 15 at Wakota Arena, 141 Sixth St. S. Skate rental is $2, or free with a nonperish-able food donation. The event will feature holi-day music, refreshments and Santa on skates. For more information, contact Deb Griffith, com-munity affairs liaison, at 651-554-3230 or [email protected].

Gar Lockrem holiday concert - The 55-mem-ber Gar Lockrem Community Choir will present “Miracles & Mysteries” at 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 9 at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul. The program features choral music from cultures and faiths around the world that capture the spirit and wonder inspired by the winter season. Admission is free but donations are accepted. For more information, call 651-777-7657.

- South St. Paul Voice - December 2012

The South St. Paul Voice is published monthly and distributed to 8,500 homes and high traffic businesses in South St. Paul.

Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack Copy Editor: Leslie MartinReporter: Mary Diedrick Hansen Contributors: Bill Knight, Lois GlewweAdvertising: Mona Toft, John Ahlstrom Home Delivery: Independent Delivery Service Bulk Delivery: SC Distribution 651-285-1119

The South St. Paul Voice assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by contribu-tors and for the validity of claims or items reported. Copyright South St. Paul Voice 2012. All rights reserved in compliance of Federal Copyright Act of 1978.

St. Paul Publishing Co.1643 So. Robert St., West St. Paul, MN 55118

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John E. AhlstromStaff Writer

The South St. Paul High School’s Girls Soccer

Team was not content with the notion of qualifying for a state tournament berth for a second consecutive year. They clearly wanted more.

The initial step was ac-complished October 18, when the Packers captured the Section 4A champi-onship in “The Pit” with a dominant 3-0 victory over New Life Academy of Woodbury. In three sec-tional matches, the Packers outscored their opponents by an astonishing 18-0.

The state quarterfinal match versus Kasson-Man-torville was played at Park High School on October 26.

“The girls were so focused and ready to play,” said head coach Rachel Matille. “They had their hearts set

on moving on to the semi-finals at the Metrodome.” The Packers prevailed 1-0 on an unassisted first half goal by Hannah Marion.

On to the Dome. The Packers were matched against Benilde-St. Marga-ret’s in the state semi-final, a team that had been rated #1 in the state for most of the year. Tori Poole scored the first goal of the game for the Packers at 12:48 of the first half. Alicia Sethre’s remarkable 15 saves in goal kept the Packers in the game until Poole’s second goal at 55:32 of the second half tied it at 2-2 and sent the game into overtime. Sadly, Benilde scored just 1:27 into the extra period.

But there was no time for pouting. The third place game on October 30 pitted the Packers against another perennial soccer power, Totino-Grace. Tori Poole’s goal at 16:56 of the first half stood up until Totino-

Grace scored with 1:22 left in regulation to even the score at 1-1. Undaunted, the Packers struck back as Poole notched her fourth goal of the tournament and the winner with just 17 sec-onds left. The Packers were suddenly in possession of the third place trophy.

Poole, Sethre and Anna Barlow were named to the all-tournament team. At the festive team banquet on November 15, those three, along with Faith Mur-phy received their Classic Suburban All-Conference awards. Brooke Fisher, Katy Willenbring and Maggie Belde earned Honorable Mention. Sethre was named team MVP.

But enough about indi-vidual awards - the only one that really matters is the State Tournament Third Place team trophy. It’s the one that now glistens in the South St. Paul High School trophy case.

Packers capture third place at the State soccer tourney

Photo courtesy Dan Grevas Photography

Packer Junior Tori Poole scored four state tournament goals and was named to the all-tournament team.

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Join the Mayor's Youth Task Force annual Hat andMitten Drive.We are accepting donations of hats, mittens and gloves for Neighbors, Inc. at City Hall through December 7. Please think about your neighbors this holiday season.

Thanks to all the South St. Paul voters!

Your community news and information sourceS ports

John E. AhlstromStaff Writer

School sponsored activi-ties at South St. Paul

High School enjoyed a very successful fall campaign. The Packer football team carved out another memo-rable season, earning a share of the Classic Suburban Conference title, and the Girls Soccer Team not only earned a trip to the state tournament but captured the third place trophy in dramatic fashion.

But the sand has shifted in the hourglass. The turkey and the dressing have been consumed and our daily dose of daylight continues to shrink. Mother Nature demands that we now turn our attention to the winter activities that will take cen-ter stage at SSPHS.

Girls GymnasticsHead Coach Tara Mur-

phy is exuberant about her team and eager to get them back in the gym. Var-sity team captain Jacqueline Remackel will lead a squad

that is in a rebuilding mode. “We have a terrific

nucleus of kids who are dedicated to putting in the work required to hone their skills,” said Murphy. She is expecting great things from a young group, including Zoey Esser, Sarah Ness and Kelsey Dust.

Boys HockeyThe Boys Hockey Team

will be built around the play and solid leadership of its tri-captains: seniors Jack Pietruszewski and Jake Jill and junior Bill Brandecker. According to Head Coach Scott Macho, the Packers return a solid core of de-fensemen and a half dozen forwards who are capable of finding the back of the net.

“We are also expecting contributions from our newcomers,” said Macho. “Staying healthy and a solid work ethic will be the keys to a successful season.”

Girls Basketball

The lady Packers are com-ing off one of their best sea-

sons in school history. Their biggest challenge will be to replace the scoring of the re-cord-setting Garibay twins.

“We will have to be a lot more balanced this year,” said Head Coach Kristin Johnson. “Our greatest strength will be our team speed, especially at the de-fensive end of the court.”

Senior Shammara Chris-tian is a gifted and experi-enced point guard. Johnson is also expecting solid con-tributions from Alicia Se-thre, Nikki Dougherty, Tori Poole, Lexi Swanson and Allie Ojekwe.

Boys Basketball The Boys Basketball

Team will be built around its three seniors: Mike Gar-field, Charlie Gerten and Andrew Guerrero.

“All three of those kids have worked very hard dur-ing the off-season,” said Head Coach Frank Arend. “They are poised and de-termined to surprise some folks in the Classic Subur-ban Conference.”

Arend is also looking for

solid contributions from three underclassmen with varsity experience: Ontario Jackson, Matt Coan and Jaden Bjorkland.

Debate The Packer debate team

is coming off a marvel-ous 2011 season when two teams finished in the top four in the State Debate Tournament.

“We are reloading with some young talent,” said Debate Coach Conrad An-derson. This year’s debate topic is “Resolved: On bal-ance, the War on Drugs has been beneficial to the West-ern Hemisphere.” The team is led by captain Stephanie Bukowski as well as return-ing debaters Marc Dossier, Jessica Heuer and Amy Almquist.

Boys Swimming and Diving

Optimism surrounds the 2011-12 Boys Swimming and Diving team. All of the team members who quali-fied for the sectional finals

and the state tournament last year are back. Head Coach Matt Danielson is expecting further heroics from senior Joe Rowan who earned state berths in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events and teamed with returning letter winners Cody Dilger, Sam Frid and Joe Tonda to break the 400 Freestyle Relay record.

“We are looking to qual-ify even more swimmers to the state tournament in 2013,” said Danielson.

Dance Team According to Head Coach

Tara Martin, the Packer Dance Team is looking for-ward to another exciting and competitive season. The team is led by senior cap-tains Jessica Karg, Allison Fuchs, Amanda Trudeau and Brenda Duscher. Thir-ty-five dancers from seventh through twelfth grade com-prise the varsity and junior varsity teams.

“The girls will be com-peting in the Jazz and Kick Divisions within the Classic Suburban Conference and

also numerous statewide in-vitationals,” said Martin.

Girls Hockey Dave Palmquist, who is

in 17th season at the helm of the Girls Hockey Team, laments that it will be his first season without his trusted and valuable assis-tant Pete Edlund, who re-cently retired.

“Goaltending will be our greatest strength,” said Palmquist. “We return Sydney Conley and Rachel Tappe who are seasoned vet-erans as sophomores. And we think that Riley Viner is up to the task of taking over much of the scoring load.”

Quality forwards Abby Palmquist and Brigette Miller also return and Palmquist is expecting key contributions from Mad-die DeSmith and Anna Leadens. The defense will be keyed by Lauren Wilcox, Anna Barlow and Nikki Karg.

Winter activities take center stage at SSPHS

Winter Sports Preview / Page 11


Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsKemp receives leadership award

John Kemp, executive director of Neighbors, Inc. in South St. Paul, is the first recipient of the new Excel-lence in Executive Leader-ship Award sponsored by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administra-tors. The award was created to honor executive leaders who demonstrate a coop-erative, supportive, enthu-siastic and well-defined relationship with volunteer programs.

Kemp was cited for his pioneering development of Neighbors’ volunteer pro-gram. Since its inception six years ago, the program has grown from 250 volunteers to over 1,000 volunteers who have provided nearly 30,000 hours of service. Volunteers provide vital

services for the nonprofit agency, including staffing the food shelf and clothes closet, providing transpor-tation, outreach, tele-care, administrative assistance and more. The mission of Neighbors, Inc. is to reduce poverty, promote self-suffi-ciency and build commu-nity among the residents of northern Dakota County.

Library happenings

For more information on library events, call 651-554-3240 or visit www.southst-paul.org/library.

Book discussions - “The People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks is the title discussed in December. The Sarajevo Haggadah is one of the oldest illuminated manuscripts, and in this historical novel Hanna has been asked to analyze it. When she discovers clues

in its binding she begins to understand its journey through time, amidst fanat-ics and protectors of differ-ent faiths, to its last hiding place during the Bosnian War. The Wednesday group meets at 1 p.m., Decem-ber 12, and the Thursday group at 7 p.m., December 13. Both discussions are held in the library meeting room. Information packets are available at the library’s front desk and at www.southstpaul.org/library under Adult Book Discus-sions.

Library closures - The library will be closed Friday, Dec. 7 for an in-service day. It will also be closed for the holidays Monday, Dec. 24, Tuesday, Dec. 25 and Tues-day, January 1. On Mon-day, Dec. 31, the library will close at 5 p.m.

Story times - Story times for ages one and under are offered at 6:30 p.m., Mon-day, Dec. 3 and 10. Family story times are held at 10:15 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 4 and 11 and include books, mu-sic, rhymes and more. Some story times may be followed by a short craft project.

Bibliobop is held at 10:15 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 5. DJ Miss Amy will share great tunes from the library’s music collection.

Winter Wonderland Festival is held 10-11:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 27. This event features games, activities, crafts, stories, music and fun for kids of all ages.

Pokémon Card demon-stration is offered 1-3 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 27. Experts from Level Up Games in South St. Paul will present demonstrations of the pop-ular Pokémon trading card game. All ages. No registra-tion necessary.

Teen Writing Club - Teens age 12-18 are invited to join the Teen Writing Club to practice writing skills, learn new techniques, read what other teen writ-ers are working on, and hear helpful comments on their own writing. The group meets at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Catching Fire Party is held 3-5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 28. Teens age 12-18 are in-vited to a party dedicated to the second book in Suzanne Collins’ popular “Hunger Games” trilogy. The event features games, trivia and discussion about the up-coming film release. Space is limited so registration is required.

December Food Drive - Participate in the spirit of giving this season by bring-

ing non-perishable boxed or canned food to the library for Neighbors, Inc., South St. Paul’s local food shelf. All donated items brought to the library in December will be placed around the library’s festive tree. Library staff will deliver the food to Neighbors, Inc.

Holiday Open House - Celebrate the holiday season at the library’s open house 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Tues-day, Dec. 18. The event fea-tures hot beverages, holiday cookies and relaxing harp and flute music. Music be-gins at 12:30 p.m.

eBook Basics - Infor-mation sessions are offered Thursday, Dec. 27 to learn more about downloading free library eBooks onto an eReader. Session 1: iPad, 1:30-2:15 p.m.; Session 2: Kindle, 2:15-3 p.m.; Ses-sion 3: Nook, Kobo, Sony and others, 3-3:45 p.m. If you are unsure about which session is right for you, call Honora at 651-554-3243.

Winter program brochure

The brochure for winter programs of the South St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department and the Cen-tral Square Community Center will be mailed in

mid-December. They will also be available at Central Square and online at www.southstpaul.org (click on Parks and Recreation De-partment/Central Square Community Center). Pro-grams include non-school day field trips, indoor swimming lessons, karate, gymnastics, outdoor skat-ing rink information and a wide variety of fitness and wellness classes offered at Central Square Communi-ty Center. For more infor-mation, call 651-306-3690.

Holiday break youth event

The South St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department is offering a holiday break event for ages six and older on Thursday, Dec. 27. The event will include bowling at Drkula’s Lanes in Inver Grove Heights (shoes in-cluded), a pizza lunch and a child appropriate movie at Showplace Theatre in In-ver Grove Heights. Cost is $26 and includes transpor-tation, bowling, lunch and movie. Youth will depart from Central Square Com-munity Center at 9:25 a.m. and return at 3:20 p.m. Pre-registration by December 20 is required.

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Maintenance Technician NeededSkyline Village, a manufactured home community in Inver Grove Heights, seeks an experienced full-time maintenance technician to perform all general ground maintenance, snow plowing, painting and light carpentry. The candidate will also repair homes owned by the community and prepare them for sale. General knowledge of elec-trical, plumbing, carpentry and lawn maintenance is preferred.Requirements: Candidates must be self-moti-vated, have a valid driver's license and reliable transportation and be able to work with minimal supervision. This is a full-time opportunity with competitive compensation and benefits. For more information, contact us at 651-451-2874 or [email protected]

Se necesita Técnico en MantenimientoSkyline Village, una comunidad de casas manufac-turadas en Inver Grove Heights, busca un técnico en mantenimiento experimentado de tiempo completo para realizar todo el mantenimiento general del ter-reno, remover la nieve, pintar y algo de carpintería. El candidato también reparará casas de propiedad de la comunidad y las preparara para la venta. Se prefiere si tiene conocimiento general de electricidad, plomería, carpintería y mantenimiento del césped. Requisitos: Los candidatos deben ser bien moti-vados, tener una licencia de conducción valida y transporte confiable y poder trabajar con una mínima supervisión. Esta es una oportunidad de tiempo completo con compensación y beneficios competitivos. Para mas información, contactarnos al 651-451-2874 o en el correo electrónico [email protected]

Live Music in DecemberNovember 30 ................................... Sterns County 17 (Country)December 1 .............................................. Jug (Country), $5 coverDecember 7 ............................................Scarlet County (Country)December 8 ...............Roy Dawson and the Bootleggers (Country)December 14 .................................Daisy and the Dukes (Country)December 15 ..................................... High Brow and the ShadesDecember 18 ..........................River City Jazz Orchestra, 7-10 pmDecember 21 ............................................ American Road HouseDecember 22 .............................................2 Mile Final (Country)December 28 ............................................ Madin Dixie (Country)December 29 ................................ Iron Horse (Country), $5 coverDecember 31 (New Year's Eve Party) ..... The Big Twang (Country)

Champagne & party favors at midnight, free rides home at closing

Food & Drink SpecialsNew Breakfast Special - Every Saturday and Sunday, 9 am-noon, $4.50 Breakfast, $3 Mimosas & Screwdrivers, $4 Bloody MarysSundays - Viking football: drink specials, free food, door prizes. Win a VFW/Vikes T-shirt. Tables reserved for groups of 10 or more. Build your own Bloodys @ Happy Hour prices, 10-5 pm; open until 10 pm, Travelin' Moburys live music, 7-10 pm; openuntil 10 pmMon - Fri - 11 am-2 pm $1 small domestic tap beer , $1 Corn Dogs; NEW Happy hour, 3-6 pm Mon - Chicken wings 5 for $2.50, 5-9 pmTues - $2 Burger Night; 2nd Tuesday Turtle Lake Casino Trip, 9 am, $5, get two free drinks upon return Wed - Bar Bingo at 7 p.m. NEW Hot DagosThurs - $1.25 State Fair Corn Dogs; Karaoke 8 pm-close; Ladies & Gentlemen Night, 9 pm-close; discount on all drinks and beer, 9 pm-closeFri -Lipstick and Nail Polish Night drink special, $1.75 Miller Lite bottles, $2 Smirnoff drinks, 10 pm to midnightFri - Sat - Live music, 9 pm-1 am; open until 2 am. Sat - Mega Tacos $3 and meat raffle, noon-4 pm Lic. # 00052

Live music, 9 pm-1 am; open until 2 amBurger Kitchen - open Mon-Sat, 5-10 pmBomb specials - $3, all day, every day

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Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsOutdoor skating rinks opening

South St. Paul’s six out-door ice skating rinks are scheduled to open De-cember 15, weather per-mitting. Harmon Rink at Spruce Street and Henry Avenue has a hockey rink and indoor warming fa-cility. Rinks with both hockey and pleasure skat-ing, as well as a warming facility, are Lorraine Rink, Third Avenue South and Seventh Street South, Jef-ferson Rink, 21st Avenue North and Southview Bou-levard, and Bromley Rink, 22nd Avenue North and Bromley. Warming house hours are 4:30-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 4:30-8:30 p.m., Friday; noon-8:30 p.m., Saturday; 1-6 p.m., Sunday. Special hours apply during holiday and non-school breaks.

Dementia support group

A support group for fam-ily members and caregivers of adults with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia meets the third Wednesday of each month at Ceren-ity Senior Care – South St, Paul, 744 19th Ave. N. The

next meeting is December 19. For more information, call 651-326-6502.

Free GED prep classes

South Suburban Adult Basic Education offers free classes to help adults age 16 and older learn English and prepare for the GED test. Classes are offered at various times and locations. Free childcare is available for some classes. To enroll or receive more informa-tion, call 651-457-9441 or visit South Suburban Adult Basic Education at 517 Ma-rie Avenue, South St. Paul.

Volunteer opportunity

Neighbors, Inc., a so-cial service agency serving Northern Dakota County, has a number of volunteer opportunities to assist local residents. It is particularly looking for volunteers to as-sist 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays in its thrift store, sorting and organizing clothing and assisting customers. For more information, contact David at 651-306-2145 or at [email protected].

Election resultsFor the record, here are the results of the November 6

election for local seats and state amendments.

Mayor Beth Baumann (inc.) - 6,823; 73 percentDonald Madland - 2,477; 26.5 percent Write-ins – 54; 0.5 percent

City CouncilThe top three vote getters were elected to the three open City Council seats. All three incumbents won re-election.Lori Hansen (inc.) - 5,391; 25 percentChris Lehmann (inc.) - 4,816; 22 percent Dan Niederkorn (inc.) - 4,579; 21 percentMichael Marschinke - 2,694; 12 percent Nicholas Shaefer - 2,242; 10 percentShawn Meck - 1,941; 9 percentWrite-ins – 107; 0.5 percent

U.S. Representative – District 4John Kline (inc.) - 193,589; 54.01 percent Mike Obermueller - 164,338; 45.85 percent

State Senate District 52James Metzen (inc.) - 27,149; 62 percentDwight Rabuse - 16,542; 38 percent

State Representative District 52ARick Hansen (inc.) - 13,732; 63 percentJoe Blum - 8,216; 37 percent

State Representative District 52BJoe Atkins (inc.) - 14,493; 66 percentPaul Tuschy - 7,430; 34 percent

St. Paul Independent School District 625 property tax levy referendum: PassedThis property tax levy will replace a voter-approved property tax levy of $30 million that expires at the end of 2012. The new property tax levy will provide $39 million each year for the next eight years.

Constitutional Amendment 1 – recogni-tion of marriage solely between one man and one woman: DefeatedStatewide results: Yes – 1,400,069; No – 1,507,189; estimated blank (counted as “no” votes) – 31,086

Constitutional Amendment 2 – photo identification required for voting: De-featedStatewide results: Yes – 1,362,879; No - 1,535,758; estimated blank – (counted “no” votes) - 40,307

School Choice DirectoryBilingual Childcare Education Center18 months to age 101514 Englewood Ave., St. Paul651-644-2405www.bilingualchildcaremn.com

Academic Arts High School60 E. Marie Ave., West St. Paul651-457-7427www.academic-arts.org

Community of Peace Academy K-12471 E. Magnolia Ave., St. Paul651-776-5151www.cpa.charter.k12.mn.us

St. Paul City School PreK-8260 Edmund Ave., St. Paul651-225-9177www.stpaulcityschool.org

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On the TownArtists’ Quarter408 St. Peter St., St. Paul651-292-1359www.artistsquarter.com

The Artists’ Quarter offers live entertainment throughout the month, including jazz bands and poetry nights.

Children’s Museum10 W. Seventh St.St. Paul651-225-6000www.mcm.org

“The Amazing Cas-tle” is presented through January 27, 2013. The Amazing Castle trans-ports visitors back in time to a fanciful medi-eval village that provides engaging opportunities for problem-solving, sto-rytelling and imaginative play.

“Ball-o-rama” is pre-sented through January 6, 2013. Children will use interactive, hands-on experimentation to uncover the mystery be-hind roller coasters and ski jumps while explor-ing energy, momentum, gravity and other con-cepts of physics. Tickets are $9.50. Explore the museum free of charge 9 a.m.-5 p.m. the third Sunday of each month.

Fitzgerald Theatre10 E. Exchange St.St. Paul651-290-1200http://fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org/

The New Standards’ Holiday Show is present-ed at 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec.

8, and 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 9. The charismatic trio of John Munson, Chan Poling and Steve Roehm help ring in the season with songs from their sprawling and witty songbook and many fa-miliar holiday classics. Tickets are $22-$35.

Graham Parker & the Rumour will perform at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 19. Parker is one of the most successful sing-er/songwriters to emerge from England’s pub rock scene of the 1970s. Tick-ets are $37.

History Center345 W. Kellogg Blvd.St. Paul651-259-3000www.mnhs.org

“Then Now Wow” - This new exhibit, the

largest ever at the His-tory Center, highlights Minnesota’s history in the prairies, forests and cities. Visitors will encounter multi-media exhibits, artifacts and images unique to Minne-sota’s diverse population and historic events. On-going exhibits include “The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862,” “Minnesota’s Greatest Generation: The

Depression, The War, The Boom,” “Grainland,” “Open House: If These Walls Could Talk” and “Weather Permitting.” Museum tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors and college students, and $6 for children ages 6-17. The center offers free ad-mission on Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m.

History Theatre30 E. Tenth St., St. Paul651-292-4323www.historytheatre.com

“Christmas of Swing” is presented through De-cember 23. It’s Christmas Eve of 1944 and The An-drews Sisters are prepar-ing to lift the spirits of the troops on the front lines with the help of their pals Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Abbott

“Elf The Broadway Musical” opens December 5 at the Ordway Center.

Spring semester starts

January 14

www.saintpaul.edu


Your community news and information sourceS ample St. Pauland Costello and Santa. “Christmas of Swing” is a joyful celebration of mu-sic, family, and patrio-tism featuring actual let-ters from WWII soldiers and swing versions of holiday songs, including “Let It Snow,” “Christ-mas in Killarney” and “Mele Kalikimmaka.” Tickets are $32-$40 with discounts for seniors and students.

Landmark Center75 W. 5th St., St. Paul651-292-3225www.landmarkcenter.org

Santa’s Workshop is presented at 1 p.m., Sun-day, Dec. 9. Free.

The 34th Annual Old Fashioned Holiday Ba-zaar is presented 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 29 and Friday, Nov. 30, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1. The ba-zaar features 75 booths of unique handcrafted gift items by local art-ists. Items include jew-elry, wreaths, paintings, woven and wearable art, handmade lotions, soaps and more. Admission is $4. Ages 12 and under are free.

The PipJazz Holi-day Show presented at 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 9, featuring guest artist Ja-son Richards. The event is hosted by singer Pippi Ardennia. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at

the door. For more infor-mation, visit www.pip-jazz.com.

Peter Ostroushko will present his annual holi-day show at 8 p.m., Fri-day, Dec. 21. The Emmy Award-winning composer and multi-instrumental-ist is celebrating the re-lease of his 3-CD collec-tion “Mando Chronicles” and will be performing a mix of bluegrass, clas-sical and folk styles. A cocktail hours begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door and includes admission to the cocktail hour.

“Living La Vida: Mexican-Americans in Ramsey County” is pre-sented through December 31 at the Ramsey County Historical Society exhibit space. This free exhibit tells the story of how the Mexican-American com-munity grew in Ramsey County and the many contributions it has made to St. Paul, particularly the West Side neighbor-hood. For more informa-tion, visit www.rchs.com.

Ordway Center 345 Washington St.St. Paul651-224-4222www.ordway.org

“Elf The Broadway Musical” is presented December 5-30. This production is a humor-

ous tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually hu-man, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy em-barks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New Yorkers remem-ber the true meaning of Christmas. Tickets are $27-$100.

Park Square Theatre20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul651-291-7005www.parksquaretheatre.org

“Two Pianos Four Hands” is presented De-cember 5-30. Two talent-ed pianists play multiple roles, zinging sidesplit-ting one-liners as they switch back and forth be-tween characters — from a petrified student to an irritable parent, to quirky music teachers and a conservatory snob. One jumps in where the other leaves off, all while per-forming Bach, Mozart, Billy Joel and more on two grand pianos. Tick-ets are $38-$58.

Science Museum 120 W. Kellogg Blvd.St. Paul651-221-9444www.smm.org

“Lost Egypt” is fea-tured at the Science Mu-seum through January 1, 2013. This hands-on ex-hibit offers a glimpse of the science and technolo-gy that modern archaeol-ogists use to reconstruct life in ancient times. It features an authentic hu-man mummy, as well as animal mummies, scans, forensic facial reconstruc-tion and life-size rapid prototypes, displaying a mummy in various stages of “unwrapping.” It also features a recreation of an Egyptian tomb and authentic art and arti-facts from the daily life and funerary culture of ancient Egypt.

“Tornado Alley” is presented in the Om-nitheatre. This film takes viewers on an epic chase through the “se-vere weather capital of the world.” Narrated by Bill Paxton, it follows Storm Chasers star Sean

Casey and the scientists of VORTEX2, the largest tornado-research project ever assembled, on sepa-rate missions to encoun-ter one of nature’s most awe-inspiring events — the birth of a tornado.

Museum tickets are $13 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. Omnitheater tickets are $8 and $7 respectively.

Xcel Center199 W. Kellogg Blvd.St. Paulwww.xcelenergycenter.com

“Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic” is pre-sented December 6-9. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their friends from “Mulan,” “The Lion King,” “Pinocchio,” “Finding Nemo,” “The In-credibles” and “Toy Story” take to the ice for a grand celebration that features more than 60 Disney stars, a sing-along score of award-winning Disney music, stunning choreog-raphy, elaborate sets and beautiful costumes. Tick-ets are $18-$69.

There are three different rent structures in the CDA’s Senior Housing Program including: • Rent Based on Income Units: One-bedroom rent is based on 30% of annual income

with a minimum rent of $373 and a maximum rent of $686. Two-bedroom rent is based on 32% of income with a minimum rent of $549 and a maximum rent of $869.

• Fixed Rent Units: One-bedroom rents are $566 and two-bedroom rents are $691. • Premium Units: One-bedroom rent is $725; two-bedroom is $900.

INCOME LIMITS: 1 person household: $45,500 2 person household: $52,000No income limits for Premium Units. A Senior Nutrition Program serving noon meals weekday is available at Dakota Heights. Thompson Heights is a smoke-free campus.

Senior Rental Housing in South St. PaulThe Dakota County CDA’s Senior Housing Program provides independent living rental housing for seniors age 55+. The CDA has three buildings in South St. Paul including: Dakota Heights, River Heights Terrace and Thompson Heights. Each building features community rooms with kitchens, underground parking, laundry facilities and one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Dakota Heights River Heights Terrace Thompson Heights

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Your community news and information sourceC ommunity

We want to keep it vibrant.”Auxiliary member Bob

Sorenson has a family histo-ry filled with relatives who fought in combat dating to the Civil War and continu-ing through Vietnam.

“I had been volunteer-ing already…serving at fish fries,” he said. “I joined be-cause I wanted to give back to the people who have giv-en us what we have.”

“Freedom isn’t free,” add-ed Arrowood. “It’s about patriotism, camaraderie,

and good friends. We help where we can and have as-sisted on Veterans Day and Yellow Ribbon events.”

And also at innumerable fundraising fish fries, steak and shrimp dinners, and spaghetti dinners. The post has regular meat raffles to support local youth and high school sports pro-grams. In addition, break-fast is now served every Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m-noon. For $4.50 you get two eggs fried or scram-bled, three bacon strips or sausage links, American fries and toast. Bloody Marys, mimosas and screwdrivers

are also available. Bingo is held every Wednesday, 7-9 p.m.

The Men’s Auxiliary is particularly proud of its Valentine’s Day “Elvis Show.” For $20 you can enjoy a steak dinner, cham-pagne, a rose for the ladies, chocolate covered strawber-ries, and an Elvis imperson-ator performing all of the “King’s” hits.

They also enjoy their bluegrass fundraiser to sup-port the Fischer House, which is similar to the Ronald McDonald house but geared toward veterans and their families. It is lo-

cated next to the Veterans Administration hospital in Minneapolis and is a place where relatives can stay for free when family members are admitted to the VA hos-pital.

“We are still in learning mode, but I would say the first year was pretty success-ful,” said Arrowood.

They’ve experienced only one snafu, and that hap-pened during South St. Paul’s “On the Road Again” fall festival. They had to find a pot for the booya contest. After finally locat-ing one, they discovered it was cracked. Unfortunately,

the discovery occurred after all the ingredients had been purchased, the veggies cut, the tent in place, and only a half hour before they were to begin cooking the meat.

“No, we are not a bunch of crackpots. We just got a cracked pot,” said Arro-wood with a chuckle.

They decided to bow out of the contest but cooked up their secret booya recipe and served it at the Post.

“There’s a lot of creativ-ity in the group,” said Ar-rowood, “just a great bunch of guys and a good mix of ages. The older vets, the Ladies Auxiliary and Mens

Auxiliary all work together and help each other with VFW events. We would like to get more members, buy our own booya pot, and start having booya and street dances.”. Referring to the older veterans he said, “They’ve done their time. We want to pick up the slack and keep the VFW strong and vital.”

The Men’s Auxiliary meets at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of the month.

VFWfrom page 1

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South St. PaulVoice

Fund expenditures are ex-pected to use $11.3 million. Half of the General Fund

finances police and fire ser-vice to the city. Budget in-creases include adding and partially restoring manage-ment and budget support specialist positions, restor-

ing a part-time community service officer, restoring a part-time, 6-month code enforcement officer posi-tion, and partially restoring a Parks and Recreation sec-

retary position. Other areas of increased

funding include capital im-provements, projected to increase by 52 percent or $90,128 from 2012. The Community Development Department is projected to increase by $40,982, or 12 percent over 2012.

Remember Local Gov-ernment Aid (LGA)? It was called the Minnesota Mir-acle and was designed to pool sales taxes from cities and towns across the state and distribute the money (LGA) to cities with an in-sufficient tax base. South St. Paul has benefited from this program. However,

the recent recession signifi-cantly affected the program and the State has steadily reduced the amount of aid it provides to property tax deficient cities and towns across the state. When state revenues are down, as they have been over the past several years, the state dips into LGA to cover its costs. Whatever funds are left over are divvied up to mu-nicipalities across the state. The irony of LGA is that now when cities need it the most, it is not there, at least not at the level it has been.

South St. Paul has slowly been weaning itself off LGA.

For example, the city’s LGA for 2013 is projected to be around $1.6 million, but the 2013 budget in-cludes only $782,000. If the city receives the entire LGA amount, the remain-ing $881,720 will be added to the proposed deferred capital maintenance fund, which is currently budgeted at $1.2 million. Funds for capital maintenance will be used for street improve-ments, security issues at City Hall, library carpeting, dugouts and an irrigation system at the baseball fields, pool repairs and improve-ments at Wakota Arena.

Budgetfrom page 1

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Your community news and information sourceR iver Connections

Tim SpitzackEditor

I’m standing on a small spit of land at the far

western edge of Harriet Is-land Regional Park and am surrounded by the legacy of a man whom I have never met nor will ever have the opportunity to meet. A plaque in front of me pays homage to the man: Tom Kelley, whom many credit as being the pioneer of riv-erfront renewal efforts in the Twin Cities.

As I gaze intermittently at the plaque, my surround-ings and the river softly lap-ping at the shoreline, I mar-vel at the thought of what can happen when one man dares to dream big dreams. Kelley, who passed away in 2007, is remembered as an advocate who worked tire-lessly to preserve the river corridor in the Twin Cit-ies for future generations. His words, inscribed on the plaque, aptly sum up his beliefs about the river: “It’s one big river. It belongs to everybody.”

I can imagine him stand-ing in this same spot over 25 years ago, undoubtedly thinking thoughts much different than mine today. At that time the water was a murky brown and still

filled with much industrial pollution. Today the river is odor-free and cleaner than it’s been in decades. A re-port released this fall shows that pollution is down con-siderably and that game fish, mussels and bald eagles have rebounded significant-ly. The landscape around him in those days was also in need of help. Now, in-vasive vegetation has been removed from the park and native trees and shrubbery, many planted from 1999 to 2009 during the renovation of Harriet Island, are thriv-ing. Nearby is a massive cot-tonwood tree that has bore witness to the rise, fall and rebirth of this park. The tree has so much girth that it would take six average-sized men clasping their hands together to encompass it.

If Kelley were alive to-day I am sure he would be thrilled with the renaissance of the MNRRA corridor, particularly with what has occurred at Harriet Island Regional Park. This park truly is the poster child for recreational riverfront de-velopment. It 1988, it was a rather scrubby park with a chain link fence separat-ing it from the river. Today it features picnic shelters, a restored pavilion, a riv-erfront trail, a great lawn,

public dock, band shells and more. Thousands visit the park each year to ride the Padelford Riverboats. They were not here 25 years ago. People are also able to see a play on the Centennial showboat or spend a ro-mantic evening on the river at the Covington Inn Bed and Breakfast, two other unique amenities that were absent when MNRRA was formed.

Kelley spent his early ca-reer as a journalist in Chi-cago, Washington, D.C. and the Twin Cities. How-ever, he felt called to a life of public service so he let his early ambitions expire and dove into government work, where he served at the state, county and city levels. In 1966, he was ap-pointed Ramsey County auditor and quickly be-gan to use his influence to bring about change along the riverfront. He went on serve as county executive for Ramsey County and city administrator for the city of St. Paul. In addition, he was a commissioner on the Mississippi River Corridor Commission, which estab-lished the framework for MNRRA. After he retired in 1984, the area I’m now standing in was named Kel-ley’s Landing in his honor. It was eventually renamed Kelley’s Overlook. It’s a spe-

cial spot for Kelley’s family and friends. After his death, his ashes were sprinkled in the river just upstream from the overlook.

While it’s important to honor the legacy that Kelley helped create, it’s also vital to remember that numer-ous others were involved in the process in the early days, and that many others are still planning and work-ing to bring about more im-provements in the MNRRA corridor. Some 20 munici-palities are linked together by the Mississippi River and continue to develop their portion of the riverfront as well. Today, the Mill City

Museum and Guthrie The-atre in Minneapolis are ex-amples of increased cultural

amenities on the riverfront. From the confluence of the Crow River at the northern end of the corridor to where the Vermillion River enters it at the southern boundary, more parks are being devel-oped every year, more miles of trails are being paved and more access points and in-terpretive sites are being created. Every mile of the MNRRA corridor offers a memory in the making for those who choose to explore

it. For tips on doing so, contact the National Park Service at 651-290-4160

or [email protected] and request a copy of the “Mis-sissippi River Companion.”

Every mile is a memoryThe 72 miles of the Mississippi River that flow through the Twin Cities hold a treasure trove of memories for past and future residents alike. This corridor was designated as the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) on November 18, 1988. In celebration of the approaching 25th anniversary of MNRRA, we are publishing a series of articles that explore how the corridor has changed over the past quarter-century and how it continues to strengthen our relationship with the river and improve our quality of life.

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On Thursday, Dec. 6, Bill Smith, president and CEO of Waterous Company in

South St. Paul, will be hon-ored with our Forrest Glew-we Visions of Excellence

Award at our Cheers to Our Volunteers luncheon at Mendakota Country Club. The award has been given to extraordinary business leaders in the River Heights Chamber of Commerce business community for 25 years.

Smith has excelled in all criteria of the award, in-cluding applying himself completely to the principles of entrepreneurship, family, ethics and corporate citi-zenship.

Smith grew up in Phila-delphia, Penn., and gradu-ated from LaSalle Uni-versity in 1980, where he

obtained a bachelor of sci-ence degree in business ad-ministration. He went on to graduate from the Min-nesota Executive Program at the Carlson School of Management through the University of Minnesota.

Smith has always valued hard work. He has been employed since grammar school; his first job was as a paper boy for the Philadel-phia Bulletin. His first adult job was as a production scheduler at SKF Ball Bear-ing Co. As he progressed through his career he always worked in manufacturing. In 1997, he became the director of manufacturing at Waterous Company and was promoted to vice presi-dent of manufacturing the following year. He became president and CEO on November 1, 2009. Under Smith’s leadership, Water-ous has invested heavily in its processes, people and products, ensuring that they have the most current technologies in both the shop and office while main-taining their leadership po-sition in the markets they serve.

Smith treasures his fam-ily. He and his wife Marge were married in 1978. They have three children, Matt, Erin and Tom, and two grandchildren, Grace and Lawson. Amidst his pro-fessional and philanthropic success, Smith said his most rewarding experience has been watching his children grow into adults and fol-lowing their chosen careers, as well as being married to his wife for 34 years.

Smith has been a mem-

ber of the River Heights Chamber for approximately 15 years. He said he finds it rewarding because it gives him the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the community and the businesses it serves. Smith served as Chairman of the River Heights Chamber in 2008 and continues on our board of directors and other committees. He also supports our Ambassador committee through his employees and supports economic development through Progress Plus, the Chamber’s economic devel-opment foundation. Smith supports the community through sponsorships and volunteering with the city of South St. Paul, Kaposia Days, South St. Paul/Inver Grove Heights Rotary and Special School District 6, in addition to Wounded War-riors and Tee it Up for the Troops. In 2001-2007, he held leadership roles on the board of directors for the Dakota County Workforce Council and was chairman of Dakota Futures, 2003-2006.

“I enjoy meeting and get-ting to know the various business executives along with the business owners,” said Smith. “I have found it helpful in my growth as a businessman because it en-sures I better see the issues from other perspectives and realize that a city needs both strong businesses, along with a variety of people to solidify its continued suc-cess.”

Smith is also involved in the local, state and national political arena. He believes

that even though every-one may not always agree we need to share and show each other appropriate lev-els of respect.

Smith was nominated and selected by his peers in the Chamber and business community.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to every-one who felt me worthy of receiving such a prestigious award,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to live up to the estab-lished standards set for this award.”

The River Heights Chamber of Commerce and local business com-munity commemorate this special occasion by honor-ing Bill Smith, a man who has earned the respect of the River Heights commu-nity for his hard work, local support and his belief in the spirit of free enterprise. Join us in honoring him and cel-ebrating our community’s volunteer business leaders by registering for the Cheers to Our Volunteers luncheon on December 6. To register, visit www.riverheights.com or call the River Heights Chamber of Commerce at 651-451-2266.

Happy Holidays everyone! It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of

2012, but when we look back to what we have accom-plished this year we can definitely say it has been a busy and productive year for the task force! We gained members and we graduated members to college. It would be easy to say

“December is a busy month. How about if we put our feet up and take it easy for the rest of the year?” (You know, that long winter’s nap thing). But that is not our style. Decem-ber will be another exciting month for the task force. We have a variety of special events taking place and we invite everyone to attend and/or participate. Here is a preview of what is happening:

On Thursday, Dec. 6, we invite the community to join us for the South St. Paul annual tree lighting event, taking place during the Holidaze celebration. The event begins at 5 p.m. at Central Square. Inside, we will address cards to our troops in the Armed Forces, host a holiday story time, write letters to Santa and host a variety of activities, including photos with Santa. Outside, the task force and South St. Paul Kids Choice, along with the South St. Paul Recycling program, are working with the North Pole to transform Central Square into a magical venue. You’ll have to come to the Holidaze event to see and enjoy it. This free event is for all ages. At 6:30 p.m., we will join choir members, Santa and our mayor on a candle procession to the tree for the annual lighting ceremony. Last year it was a beautiful and moving sight and we look forward to hosting it again this year. Once the tree is lit we will make our an-nual video Christmas card to share with the world, thanks to the help of Experience Shows, Inc.

The task force is hosting the 4th Annual Hat and Mitten drive during Holidaze. All hats, mittens and scarves col-lected will be donated to Neighbors, Inc. If you would like

to donate items before the tree lighting event, drop them off at City Hall. On December 6, the donated items will be used to decorate the holiday tree to show the generosity of our community.

If you have any unused holiday cards the task force would like to use them to send to the troops to wish them a happy holiday season. Bring unused cards to Deb Griffith at City Hall.

The task force is teaming up with the 125th Birthday Celebration committee and Wakota Federal Credit Union to sponsor a Skate with Santa, held at 11:10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15 at Wakota Arena. Come strap on some skates and skate with Santa. Skate rental is free with a food donation, so bring a canned food item for Neighbors, Inc.

We will also be working on FYI — For Youth Informa-tion — with Town Square TV. It is a show about youth and for youth. Tune in for a variety of special guests and topics, including the 2nd annual Outhouse Races.

In December, like all other months, we are finding many things to do in South St. Paul. Whether it is an event, com-munity service project or a donation drive, we are working in the community to make it a great place to live, work and play. If you are in grade 5-12 and would like to join us, visit www.southstpaul.org and click on Mayor’s Youth Task Force for an application form or additional information, or call Deb Griffith, community affairs liaison, at 651-554-3230.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bill SmithWaterous president to receive Visions of Excellence Award


Jennifer L. Gale, president

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Some would probably call me a softie but I

love the 1946 Frank Cap-ra film “It’s A Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore, among others. It’s my absolute favorite Christmas movie. No mat-ter how many times I see it I still get angry at the evil Mr. Potter, I still wish I had an angel like Clarence look-ing out for me, I still root for George Bailey and I still

weep at the end. About three years ago

Phillip Callen, a profession-al actor, called me to see if we were interested in being the beneficiary of a perfor-mance of “It’s A Wonderful Life – The Radio Show” at the St. Paul Hotel. For sev-eral years he and a half doz-en other actors and a tech-nical crew of three staged a dinner theater performance there. David Miller, general manager of the hotel, ap-

proached Phillip and the cast and crew and asked if they would be willing to do a benefit performance for Neighbors Inc. on one of the nights the dinner theater would otherwise be dark. We could sell the tickets and all the proceeds would be ours to keep. The cast and crew were enthusi-astic, and so were we.

In addition to being both interested and delighted, I was also intrigued. I am by no means a competent ac-tor but I’ve had the oppor-tunity to act in a few staged radio show recreations over the years and I was anxious to see how this cast and crew would pull the show together. In this instance, it was a play within a play. The script was written as a movie, with all the visual power that movies bring. The actors played the roles

of radio-show actors, and also the roles of the char-acters in “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It was pretty compli-cated. They had to make the members of the audience believe that they were the radio actors, and then get them to believe they were George Bailey and Henry Potter and Mary Bailey, etc.

In addition, some of the cast members played mul-tiple roles, so they had to make the audience believe that they were different people at different times. While I expected the show to be fun and well done, I knew that there was no way they could possibly engage the audience the same way the movie does. There was no way they could create the same emotional response.

What I discovered is that they did, and it was great fun and very well done. No

surprise there.What I also found was

that this wonderful troupe of actors wrings every pos-sible ounce of power and emotion out of the script, just as Jimmy and Donna and Lionel and the rest of the cast did when the original movie was made 66 years ago. In the radio show you can’t see George throw a stone through the window, yet you can. You can’t see George jump off the bridge so Clarence can rescue him, yet you can. You can’t see George run-ning down Main Street in a snowstorm, yelling Merry Christmas to one and all, because it’s really Phillip playing the role of George, while standing at a micro-phone. Yet you can visualize the scene.

Members of the troupe are Phillip Callen, Ad-

ena Bruner, Jim Cunning-ham, Kevin Dutcher, Jen Edwards, Chris Whiting and Ross Young. The crew is stage manager Brent Thompson, set and light designer Allen Weeks and sound engineer Andrew Mayer.

The 2012 Neighbors benefit performance will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 11 in the ballroom of the St. Paul Hotel. Tickets are $25 ($20 for groups of 20 or more). We are lim-ited to 180 seats. Tickets are available at www.neighbors-mn.org and group tickets by contacting Daniel Zhu at [email protected] or 651-306-2154.

If you come, please look for me and say hello. I’ll be the big guy in the corner, weeping. Again.

By John Kemp Executive Director of

Neighbors, Inc.

Neighbors, Inc.

The Baden’s leave Las Vegas to find true treasures at The Commons on M arice“We’re the opposite of snow birds! Each June, we leave our Las Vegas home to flock to Minnesota’s summer and fall. Our “season” at The Commons on Marice offers the perfect retirement lifestyle. We get a lovely apartment, fabulous daily dining, gracious surroundings and help if we need it. We love the quality time with our family and those season tickets to University of Minnesota Gopher football. We highly recommend The Commons on Marice to anyone considering a short or seasonal stay.”

Murlen and Tom Baden with their dog Missy

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Theatre The winter Theatre sea-

son will feature the One Act Plays Festival that will take place in the South St.

Paul High School Audito-rium January 18-19. The festival is titled Aliens & Cheerleaders & Zombies (oh my!).

“Marvel as a team of commando cheerleaders defends the world from an alien invasion!” said Theatre

Coordinator Eric Holsen. The festival will feature a junior high play, student-directed plays and the 2013 entry into the state tourna-ment One-Act Play compe-tition.

Wrestling The Packers return 20

letter winners from a team that finished with a dual meet record of 20-4 in 2011-12. Head coach Don Nihart continues to build a strong program. Team cap-tains, senior Andy Jackson

and junior Preston Woods, were state tournament qual-ifiers in 2012, as was senior Austen Bauer. Four other individuals who finished just one place from qualify-ing for the state tournament return as well: Ryan Duffy, Curt Palodichuk, Hayden

Cameron and Jose Brito. “We have a large group

of competitive athletes who are working very hard to fill out the varsity lineup as well as the JV and freshmen teams,” said Nihart. “We are very excited about our season.”

Winter Sports Previewfrom page 3


Your community news and information sourceB ack in Time

Lois GlewweContributor

On New Year’s Eve 1987, over 400 people, many dressed in historic costumes, gathered in the

Grand Hall at the Dakota County Museum for the Centennial Ball. The event was the grand finale of 12 months of celebration as South St. Paul commemo-rated its 100th anniversary.

Centennial Commission Chairman J. Robert “Bob” Stassen was emcee of the event, which includ-ed a slide show with more than 750 images from the year’s activities, musical entertainment, compli-mentary wine, cheese trays, appetizers and desserts. Throughout the evening, the hundreds of volunteers who had helped plan, coordinate, promote and im-plement over 20 Centennial events were recognized. Attendees were asked to sign a guest book to be placed in the Centennial Time Capsule. That time capsule will be opened in 2087.

Mark Kaliszewski’s band provided dance music and Tom Waldron entertained enthusiastic singers with ragtime on the piano. The Centennial Ball was held 5-8 p.m. Right before the event ended, 1,000 green and white balloons were dropped from a huge net in the ceiling as the band played “Auld Lang Syne.” Many of the guests had tears in their eyes as they recalled memories and reflections of 1987.

In 2012, South St. Paul continues to commemo-rate its 125th birthday with events that will continue through the actual anniversary of the city in March 2013. Many of those who danced the night away at the Centennial Ball of 1987 are no longer with us

but the city continues to benefit from the loyalty, participation and enthusiasm of hundreds of volun-teers.

Having a Centennial Ball in 1987

Upper right: Don and Carol Johnson (left) and Mark and Lou Ann Goossens were awarded “Best Historic Costume.”Lower right: Former Mayor Bruce Bau-mann and wife Marianne (left) led the opening dance.Lower left: 1,000 balloons dropped from the ceiling as the event came to an end.

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CHOOSE STRONG ACADEMICS.CHOOSE PERSONALIZED LEARNING.CHOOSE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY.CHOOSE COMMITTED PARTNERS.CHOOSE YOUR DREAMS.

Learn more about the opportunities your child would

have as a student in School District 197 during the

2013-14 school year. Attend one of our school

preview events!

West St. Paul- Mendota Heights - Eagan Area Schoolswww.isd197.org · 651.403.7000 · www.facebook.com/District197

Garlough Elementary (Environmental Magnet) Thursday, Dec. 13, 8-9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 7, 8-9 a.m.

Mendota Elementary Thursday, Dec. 6, 9-10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, 5-6 p.m.

Moreland Elementary (Arts & Health Sciences Magnet) Monday, Dec. 3, 3-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, 9-11 a.m.

Pilot Knob Elementary (STEM Magnet) Tuesday, Dec. 4, 9-10 a.m. & 5-6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, 9-10 a.m. & 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Somerset Elementary Wednesday, Dec. 5, 8:30-10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 10, 8:30-10 a.m.

Friendly Hills Middle School Tuesday, Jan. 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Heritage Middle School (E-STEM Magnet) Wednesday, Dec. 11, 6-7 p.m.

Henry Sibley High School Monday, Jan. 28, 6-8 p.m.

December/January Open House Events for New Families

CHOOSE SCHOOL DISTRICT 197.

ssp dec 2012

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