Stepping outside this week, it is hard to believe it’s February in central Minnesota. At this rate, we will be trading in our cross-country skis for water skis on Lake Sag pretty soon.

Fifty-three years ago today will forever be known as “The Day the Music Died.” Rock and roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P Richardson were killed when their plane, headed for Moorhead, MN, crashed into a frozen cornfield near Clear Lake, IA, just six miles from take-off. Holly chartered the flight after his tour bus broke down and fellow musician Carl Bunch ended up in the hospital with severe frostbite. Perhaps if the weather was like it has been lately, we never would have lost so much incredible talent.

Fans of the late, great musicians call the plane crash “the first and greatest tragedy rock and roll has ever suffered.” Over the years several memorials have been created in their honor, including a steel guitar and three records bearing the three performers’ names, a giant pair of Holly’s famous Wayfarer-style glasses marking the crash site, and Don McLean’s hit song “American Pie.”

Fittingly titled “A Place Where it’s Nice and Warm,” this week’s show is another live broadcast from St. Paul at The Fitzgerald Theater featuring special guests vocalist Heather Masse and the sister-act Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele. Also making appearances are Butch Thompson on piano and clarinet, and the Royal Academy of Radio Actors sitting in with The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band. Enjoy the show!

“One kind word can warm three winter months.” Japanese Proverb

The Times Writers Group is looking for 10 Objects to tell the history of the St. Cloud area. Our intern Ellen Newkirk helped me to draft the following submittal. It was edited by Bill Gray with MPR.
The final list will be determined by February 6th.

“At first glance, the Western Union telegram hanging near the entrance of the original studio of Minnesota Public Radio at St. John’s University may not seem like much. But more than a yellowed copy of an extinct form of communication, the telegram is actually one of the most important pieces of MPR’s history, and it helps tell a unique story in the history of St. Cloud itself. Dated January 20, 1967, it grants authority to St. John’s University to commence broadcasting on KSJR-FM as Minnesota Educational Radio. Two days later, on January 22nd, KSJR-FM went on the air for the first time.

Minnesota Educational Radio was the brainchild of Fr. Colman Barry, OSB, who at that time was president of the St. John’s University. Fr. Barry saw the opportunity to bring classical music to the region as part of the Benedictine tradition of promoting arts and culture. Barry approached St. John’s student Bill Kling with the idea, and together they forged a plan.

In the years that followed, the station hired some of its most familiar names – Gary Eichten joined the organization in 1968, and in 1969 Garrison Keillor came on board as morning drive time host. In 1974, the name was changed to Minnesota Public Radio, and in 1980, MPR moved its headquarters to St. Paul and added its news and information service.

Since its humble beginnings as a college radio station in Wimmer Hall, Minnesota Public Radio has expanded over the last 45 years to become one of the most influential news and entertainment sources in the country. None of this success would have been possible without the authority granted to St. John’s University by the humble telegram.”

The show this week is another live performance from The Fitzgerald Theater. Special guests include the graceful violin virtuoso Joshua Bell, singing sisters of soul Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele and saxophonist Kenni Holmen. Enjoy the show.

“In this world, you must be a bit too kind to be kind enough.” Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (1688-1763)

We had a cold snap this week. My on-board thermometer read minus 13 one morning. They say it will warm up a bit on Sunday. It was bound to happen. Think spring.

Today is Gary Eichten’s last day hosting the MPR News Midday program. Gary started here at Collegeville as a student employee. I found his Student Time Card from March of 1967. That month he logged 225 1/2 hours. When would he have had time to study?

On today’s Midday show, the 11 a.m. hour will be a rebroadcast of last night’s discussion at The Fitzgerald Theater between Gary and Minnesota’s most famous living statesman, Walter Mondale. During the noon hour, Gary will be interviewed by Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer and will answer audience questions from the UBS Forum at our St. Paul headquarters. It will be historic. It will be great radio.

Gary Eichten has agreed to continue lending his talent and experience to MPR News in two ways: Gary will host a series of conversations at The Fitzgerald Theater called “The Political Condition”, a terrific event MPR will be offering later in this presidential election year. In the series, Gary will interview nationally prominent political figures to better understand the political process and the issues that the nation faces. The schedule of events and guests is being finalized. Gary will also serve as “editor at large” in the newsroom, a role where Gary will engage with our journalists and reporters on a regular basis and continue to give feedback on news coverage, events and how MPR handles them from the ground up. In addition, Gary will a mentor to new talent.

On a related note, Sunday will mark the 45th anniversary of our first broadcast on KSJR 90.1 from Collegeville. Now we are one the nation’s premier public radio networks, operating 43 stations and serving virtually all of Minnesota and parts of the surrounding states plus Sun Valley, Idaho.

The show this week is another live show from The Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. Special guests include the original renegade guitar picker Leo Kottke and vocalist Andra Suchy. Enjoy the show.

If you are used to listening to APHC on the news network, you may want to switch over to the classical network broadcast, because the news show will be interrupted at 6 PM by the South Carolina election coverage from NPR. The entire show will be re-broadcast on the news network on Sunday at 11 AM and Sunday evening at 6 PM.

“Genius is seldom recognized for what it is: a great capacity for work.” Henry Ford

Friday the 13th. This is the first of three “Friday, the 13ths” for the year of 2012. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business on this day. “It’s been estimated that $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day..” source John Roach.

According to Wikipedia, the actual origin of the superstition appears to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.” source: Charles Panati, Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.

The show this week is a live performance from the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. Special guests include Nashville idol, Brad Paisley and soul stirring men’s vocal ensemble Cantus. Andra Suchy will be there to help Garrison to carry a tune. Enjoy the show.

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” J.R.R. Tolkien

Yesterday, we set a new record for high temperature in St. Cloud, 53 degrees. The old record was 43 degrees. The winter of 2011/2012 may go down as the “non-winter” winter.

High Impact Training is a local company with national reach. They are a sponsor of the Marketplace Morning Report on 88.9 KNSR in central Minnesota. They offer the following suggestion. www.highimpacttraining.net

Be it resolved that I, ______________ (state your name), will; upon the occasion of the New Year, embrace the following:

1. I will be nicer to myself less critical and judgmental. More like my own best friend.
2. I will move my body a bit more and bring more oxygen into my heart and brain.
3. I will ask for help when I need it.
4. I will accept help when it is offered.
5. I will walk into and out of work grateful for the opportunity.
6. I will find humor in something every day and give it a good hearty laugh.
7. I will count my blessings more often than my slights.
8. I will compliment someone every day, sharing my positivity with them.
9. I will think, “Do I really need/want this?” before I just buy something.
10. I will find a way to give something to someone less fortunate than I.

Let it be further resolved to make 2012 a wonderful year! Tracy Knofla, Featured Consultant, High Impact Training
The show this week is a a look back with a slurry of memorable clips from 2011. Special guests include young and inspiring harpist, Charles Overton, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Gilliam Welch and Emmylou Harris. Other guests include Nick Lowe. The usual cast of characters and The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band will fill the bill. Enjoy the show.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that is the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin

Twenty Eleven is almost gone. The snow is coming down in a gentle fashion, covering the tree branches and the rooftops on campus. There are only a few of us working on campus today.

The past year has been a good one. There were a couple of annoying things, such as boom box noise from cars parked next to Gary’s Pizza at three o’clock in the morning, cigarette butts on the ground two feet from a receptacle, one unfilled pot hole next to a bunch that have just been filled, (do they need to leave one for seed?)

Twenty Twelve will be the year of the Olympics in London, the election in November and MPR will turn 45 on January 22nd. I hope that next year will be a great one for you, your family and your business. Thank you for your support of programming on MPR. We could not do it without you.

The show this week is a live broadcast from the island of paradise, Oahu, Hawaii with special guests, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, slack key guitarist Danny Carvalho and legendary Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner, Ledward Kaapana. Vocalist Heather Masse and slack key Kahuna Jeff Peterson will round out the list of talent. Enjoy the show and note that there will also be a special New Years Eve broadcast later on in the evening.

“I am in love with the world” Maurice Sendak, author of “Where The Wild Things Are”

Nine days until Christmas. I have all of my shopping done and now I simply have to pace myself on the cookies and candy.

Children love Christmas, as well they should. As with most families, some years Christmas gifts were easy to come by and some years they were hard to come by. The Christmas of 1956 was a memorable one for me. My mother had to take an apartment in Little Falls, having left Dad after years of his not being very responsible. That Christmas, Santa brought us six big Tonka Toy 18 wheel trucks. There was a cattle truck, an oil tanker, a freight truck and three more. This was a perfect gift for a family with five boys. For years I had the impression that they were from a social agency that served the poor. It turned out that the gift giver was Dewey Johnson, a classmate of my mother, who was acquainted with one of the founders of Tonka Toys. Dewey had already passed on before I learned this from my mother, so I did not get a chance to thank him.

Perhaps you know of a family that has come upon hard times and they could use a Secret Santa.

Here at St. John’s we are blessed with a lot of signs of the season. One is the huge tree in the Great Hall. If you have ever wondered how they get the tree inside, simply go to www.youtube,com and type in “Great Hall Tree” or perhaps this link will work http://bit.ly/7H3YDf

A couple of weeks ago Almanac ended the show with this video. It is a wonderful example of the power of music. Enjoy. http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/holiday11/

The show this week is a live broadcast from the Town Hall on West 43rd Street in New York City. Special guests include singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, Itzhak Perlman and the Klezmer Conservatory Band, Joel Grey and Rob Fisher plus The DiGiallonardo Sisters. Enjoy the show.

“Needs that everybody can answer: maybe a word of forgiveness and understanding to be said, a surprising word of hope when nothing was expected, a gesture of crazy generosity to be made, a new courage to take an unpopular stand.” Anonymous

PS. If you are interested in branding your organization on MPR, let me know.

If you like hunting and fishing check out www.theoutdoorreport.com

Christmas Eve is two weeks from tomorrow. Yes, two weeks. I have three “Holiday” cards taped on the door in the loft and two cards on the reception counter here in Wimmer Hall. I suspect that “email cards” are going to be big this year. On my side of the family we draw names for gifts and for the second time in a row I drew my daughter-in-laws name. I have that one in Santa’s bag and I think that I have found the children’s book that I like to give to each family. “I Want My Hat Back” should work. It is another bear book along the same vein as “The Bear That Wasn’t”, one of my favorites. You can go to The Campus Bookstore here at St. Johns, Cherry Street Books in Alexandria or The Book Shop in downtown Sioux Falls. Tell them that Gary sent you.

Someone should do a children’s book about “McLaughlin”, the little black Scottish terrier that leads Brother Eugene through the halls of St. John’s Abbey. Most dogs will follow their masters, but “McLaughlin” prefers to lead. He knows the routine and I am quite sure that he even attends morning mass with the Brothers.

Classical Minnesota Public Radio is presenting the 2nd annual “Minnesota Varsity”, an opportunity for Minnesota high school music students to participate in a statewide classical music showcase. For complete details go to www.classicalmpr.org/varsity If you want a poster for your school, let me know. We can meet for coffee.

The show this week is another live show from The Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include Bensonhurst harmonizers, The DiGiallonardo Sisters, a poet who knows how to blend the sentimental and the sarcastic, George Bilgere, actress-singer Kristin Chenoweth and pianist, conductor, and musical scholar Rob Fisher. Enjoy the show.

Linda and Robin Williams, frequent APHC guests, will be at Bo Diddley’s on Thursday the 15th at 7:30. Information at www.granitecityfolk.org

Next weekend the Saint John’s Boys Choir will present “A Ceremony of Carols” at the Cathedral of Saint Mary on Friday night, www.sjbchoir.org and George Maurer will offer an event featuring Mary Jane Alm at The Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud on Saturday night and another show on Sunday afternoon at 2 PM with Ann Michels and the St. John’s Boys Choir. For tickets call 259-LINE or go to www.paramountarts.org

“Never esteem anything as of advantage to thee that shall make thee break thy word or lose thy self-respect.” Marcus Aurelius

PS. If you would like to talk about branding for your organization, call me at 320-293-6771

There are only three weeks until Christmas. I have to talk to granddaughter Chrissy about the Angel for my Christmas card. I have to find that special gift for that special person. I have to lose a few pounds so that I can partake in all of the wonderful holiday cooking.

I did join Boot camp at Rejuv and the first night we had Nick. Nick is a bit much. I could not walk for a few days and I have been doing some weight lifting for many years, including squats. This week we had Katie. Katie is much nicer than Nick. Last night was a bit tougher, but at least I can walk up and down the stairs without wincing. There is something to be said for paying money up front for this kind of effort. You feel really bad if you do not show up at least a couple of times a week.

This morning there were over 200 folks at the 22nd Birthday Party for Chamber Connection. The Holiday Inn is a wonderful place to hold the event and the food was great. If you have never experienced a Chamber Connection, simply call The Chamber at 251-2940 to find out where they will meet next Friday morning. Networking works.

The show this week is a live broadcast from the Town Hall on West 43rd Street in New York City. Special guests include singer-songwriter, actor and former stand-up comedienne Nellie McKay and eclectic vocalist Heather Masse. If you have not heard the news, Garrison is doing a special New Years Eve show from Hawaii.

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

PS. If you would like to learn how to improve your branding using MPR’s on air messages or online ads, please contact me
320-293-6771

Yesterday it was 14 degrees, this morning it was back up to 32. A good thing too, because Bob Nichol (age 96) and I, will be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at the Coborn’s store on Cooper Avenue between 10:30 and noon. Stop on by and bring lots of cash.

In 1998 Dad moved from his high rise apartment in downtown St. Paul to my house in Upsala. He had been a city fellow for most of his life, but he too was raised in Upsala. I was working in Minneapolis as a sales manager with a Xerox agency and I was gone most of the week. It wasn’t much of an inconvenience. His passion was cooking, however I told him in no uncertain terms that I hated the smell of fried foods and I did not eat leftovers.

In July of 1999 the Xerox agency and Xerox parted their ways and they no longer needed a sales manager. I spent the summer painting old buildings and garages in the Upsala area and started working here at MPR in October of that year. If I did not leave a post-it note on the counter in the morning that said “NO SUPPER”, there would be a home cooked meal on the table when I arrived home. The food was awesome. The baked potatoes were done in a special way. He boiled them 10 minutes first and then baked them for one hour at 400 degrees.

As Dad struggled with old age and cancer, sometimes the quality was not up to the usual standards. Also, many times the smell of burnt food or worse, burnt plastic, would greet me at the back door. He burned three tea pots, with plastic handles, in the last six months. It got so that the only time I did not leave out the post-it note, “NO SUPPER”, was on Fridays. Seven years ago today, I came home and he greeted me with “I have to go to the hospital, but you can eat first” I responded “No way” and I put on the oven mitts and grabbed the baked potatoes and baking dish of meatballs from the oven and shoved them in the frig and we drove to the VA in Minneapolis.

That was Dad’s “Last supper”, he never did come home. That weekend I ate the leftover meatball supper. It was a very tasty meal.

The show this week is a live broadcast from the Skoglund Center Auditorium at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Special guests include the entire St. Olaf Orchestra and St. Olaf Choir in the same space at the same time. Also, Philip Brunelle, vocalist Heather Masse, The Royal Academy of Radio Actors and the usual band members. Enjoy the show. We are still rebroadcasting the show twice on Sundays, 11 AM and 6 PM.

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” Walter Hagen

PS. If you are interested in advertising or branding on our air waves or on the mpr website, let me know. 320-293-6771