June 19th, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
It is a beautiful sunny day on campus. I visited my sons website early this morning, theoutdoorreport.com , and I clicked on the video “MN Rainbow Trout”. I laughed out loud. Walleye Willie and his sister Anna are fishing for trout on a secret lake in northern Minnesota. Willie is six years old and he loves fishing. Last night I had a dream about the warehouse manager at General Office Products, Earl Benson. Earl was the one that instructed me on the art of fishing for bass with frogs. Willie’s father Erik was younger than Willie when his Uncle Duaine gave him a two foot fishing rod so he could fish out of our sail boat on Cedar Lake west of Upsala. You were supposed to count to 10 after the line started moving off of the reel. No one ever counted faster than Erik did. In a while he learned that he needed to slow it down. We should all “slow it down”.
“Remember, it’s not about having time, it’s about making time”
The APHC show this week is live from Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, where you will find some of the most wonderfully elaborate picnic spreads east of the Mississippi. Singer John Fullbright heads north from Oklahoma with his finely crafted songs of simple pleasures and resilience in the face of hard times. Guitarist Elvin Bishop returns to deliver a Windy City tempest of electric blues along with picker Bob Welsh. Plus, violinist Rachel Barton Pine joins the gang to represent Ravinia’s distinguished classical side. The usual gang of actors and musicians will fill the bill. Garrison will throw in an update on the News From Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show. Enjoy the weather.
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” Mahatma Gandhi
June 12th, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good sunny morning from Collegeville,
‘Walleye Willie’, age 6, caught a 18” walleye, a 22” walleye, a northern, a sun fish and 3 small perch. ‘Papa Gary’, age 71, caught one 13” walleye. Maybe ‘Papa Gary’ should sleep with a ‘fish pillow’ purchased at Goodwill. Needless to say, this was one of the best ‘Osberg Brothers’ fishing trips ever. We worked hard for fish, due to heavy rains and cold fronts, but still we had more fish than we could eat for the Monday night supper. Cousin John has joined the annual trek and he brings a wonderful deep fryer for cooking the fish. My son Erik introduced the “cream can cooker” a few years ago and that is fantastic eating. We owe a huge debt to Brother Bill who makes all of the arrangements and brings the food. If your family is looking for a great place to start your own summer tradition, go to Brindley’s Harbor Resort on Leech Lake.
The APHC show this week is a live broadcast the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington. There will be some steadfast, fog-filtered and rain-washed honky-tonk dancehall music from the Caleb Klauder Country Band featuring Reeb Willms. Plus, the folk musicians of Skolkis bring a taste of Scandinavia to the Mediterranean of America and a few percussive dance steps and old-time Appalachian tunes from Squirrel Butter. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will show off their full range of laid-back Pacific Northwest characters. Garrison will bring us up to date on the News From Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” John Wooden
June 5th, 2015 by Gary Osberg
This weekend I am going fishing with my brothers, my son and my grandson “Walleye Willie”. We now go to Brindley’s Harbor Resort on Leach Lake. Sometime in the nineties, my youngest brother Craig was invited by his father-in-law, Jim, to go along on a fly-in fishing trip to Trout Lake in Canada. Over time, my other brothers, who were into fishing, were invited to go along. In 2003 brother Bill offered to pay the way for my son Erik, so I decided to go fishing too. I have never been much of a fisherman, but it was very special since I always enjoyed fishing with my son Erik. I am the oldest of five Osberg brothers and it was a wonderful bonding time. I told the host that I would be back every year for the next 20 years. The next year we went to brother Brian’s cabin near Aitkin instead.
Erik was working as a weekend sportscaster on Channel 10/13 in Duluth and he did a story on fishing with the guide and resort owner Woody for his TV show. He suggested that we try Woody’s instead of the fly-in in 2005. We had a great time and the greatest part is that Woody had a wonderful pub filled with memorabilia from his hockey days. For many years we went back to Woody’s. We never did do the fly-in again. You can check out Woody’s at fairlyreliable.com It is worth the drive just to meet Woody. About 4 years ago we switched to Leach Lake. There is no pub, but rumors are that the pub at Woody’s is closed now anyway. Check out theoutdoorreport.com for the report from Leach.
The show this week is a live broadcast from the CMAC Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, New York at the tip of the Finger Lakes. Special guests include pianist and classically contrary essayist Jeremy Denk who will dazzle with works from iconic composers and modern-day masters. Vocalist Heather Masse and The DiGiallonardo Sisters, who have become somewhat of a regular feature, will join the usual cast of the Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott and Fred Newman. Garrison will bring us the latest news from Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show .
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” Winston Churchill
May 22nd, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day. This national holiday honors the men and women who have died in military service to this country. The first “Decoration Day” was celebrated in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston, West Virginia. Another Decoration Day was celebrated in Waterloo, New York on May 5, 1866 to honor those who had died in the Civil War. The name “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882, but did not become common until after World War 11. (source: Wikipedia)
When I was a youngster in Upsala, we always had a Memorial Day service at the school followed by a parade down Main Street. Sometime after I graduated in 1961, the practice died out. Then in the 80’s, Lorna Koehn, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary brought back the Memorial Day Celebration in Upsala. I can still picture her marching in front of a group of children, each holding a bunch of lilac flowers. The parade ends at the City Park, where the children still wait in anticipation for the chance to collect the spent brass shells after the 21 gun salute. They make good whistles. After that, one of the civic clubs serves a picnic lunch including “Bee Bop A Ree Bop Rhubarb Pie”.
Be sure to take the time to honor those that you know who have served. If you meet a service member, simply put our your hand and say “Thank you for serving”. They deserve our respect.
The APHC show this week is a live broadcast from the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, where the wolves howl up on the big hill. Singers Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan will debut their knockout trio, “I’m With Her” after a much-lauded barnstorming tour through Europe. The United States Navy Band will join the gang to boost the public radio esprit de corps and kick off the Memorial Day weekend with a few marches, patriotic selections and orchestral features. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will lend their voices to some over-the-air theater and the band will provide some hot jazz and rock ‘n’ roll favorites. The News From Lake Wobegon will bring us all up to date on the small town in central Minnesota. Enjoy the show.
“We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free.” Ronald Reagan
May 22nd, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
I stopped in at The Paramount Theater for Chamber Connection this morning. Today is the last event at The Paramount in the 67 year old seats that came from Stewart Hall at SCSU when The Paramount was renovated in 1998. On Monday they will start to remove the existing seats and by July 16th, when Andrew Walesch and his Big Band present “100 Years of Sinatra”, there will be brand new seats.
You have an opportunity to support this project by participating in “Take Your Seat…For Act 2” by purchasing a seat to commemorate a loved one, yourself or your business with an engraved plaque on an arm of the seat. If you are interested simply reply to this email and I will mail you a brochure or go to paramountarts.org.
The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast featuring two shows from the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, one from May of 2010 and one from last season, May of 2014. Special guests include southern music singer Suzy Bogguss singing Merle Haggard’s “Today I Started Loving You Again”. Bryan Sutton does his flat-picking guitar work with “Hangman’s Reel” and The Steep Canyon Rangers perform “Can’t Sit Down”. Garrison and Lynn Peterson sing a few songs in Norwegian to celebrate Syttende Mai. The usual cast of characters ramp up the radio drama. In Lake Wobegon, the war between the Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church pastor Haugen and secretary Marlene intensifies. Enjoy the show.
“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt
May 1st, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good rainy morning from Collegeville,
It would be nice if it would rain all day. We need the moisture. Years ago I got interested in gardening because of my brother-in-law, Jackie. Jackie grew up on a farm and gardening was not a hobby, it was a matter of survival. When they sold the farm in 1971 and moved to town, Jackie convinced the members of the church next door to let him till up a plot of ground west of the old parsonage so he and his parents could continue growing the fresh vegetable that they were used to enjoying.
Jackie had bad knees and so he bought a Yamaha three wheeler and he did his gardening from that. By June, his garden was overrun with weeds, but it still produced. As his arthritis got worse, I offered to do some tilling for him on a weekend. The next time I came by, he growled something about how many vegetable seedlings I had destroyed. My only defense was that the rows were not straight and as a “town kid”, I was not schooled in knowing which were weeds and which were plants. The next spring, I introduced the idea of stakes spaced three feet apart and string. Yesterday, I planted the first two rows of with Yukon Gold potatoes. Love those Yukon Golds, in rows exactly three feet apart.
The APHC show this week is a live broadcast from the Sauder Concert Hall in Goshen, Indiana. It is a singing show from a big town with a rich tradition of harmony and participation in song. The hometown Goshen College Chamber Choir will perform both sacred and secular pieces. Garrison is hoping to entice the audience to sing along. Indianapolis-born sister duo Lily and Madeleine will sing in breathtaking sibling harmony their songs of longing, heartache and paradise found. National Mandolin Champion Ethan Setiawan will perform along with the Royal Academy of Radio Actors and the regular cast of characters. Enjoy the show.
“You will never find a better sparring partner than adversity” Golda Meir
April 24th, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
Once in a while Garrison’s News From Lake Wobegon will cause a flash back. Last Saturday he talked about going 80 miles per hour on a toboggan in the ditch behind a car. I suspect that he stretched the truth a little bit on the speed, but in Upsala we did the same thing with a hood from a 39 Chevy. Heavy snow would always bring out the daredevil in the town kids. It is a miracle that no one was killed. Somehow we did get our hands on a couple of real toboggans and we headed up to the Burtrum hills. One night there was a terrific crash and my sister and a classmate ended up in the hospital. Kathie had a cracked collar bone and my classmate broke an arm.
When you factor in the ice drag races on Cedar Lake, our winter sports were nothing if not unique. Today there are ice skating rinks and tubing on Eagle Mountain so the kids are a little safer.
The APHC show this week is another live broadcast from The Town Hall in the heart of Manhattan. Special guests include Brooklyn Rider, a string quartet hailed as “the future of chamber music”. The folk trio, The Wailin’ Jennys will bring in their effortless harmonies. Poet Sharon Olds, known for her intensely, and sometimes graphically personal and scorching commentary on everyday life, will join the gang to read a few poems. Richard Dworsky and The 7th Avenue Band will join up with the Royal Academy of Radio Actors.
Garrison will deliver the News From Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show. If will be repeated on Sunday at 11 am.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Albert Schweitzer
April 17th, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good beautiful morning from Collegeville,
They say that money can’t buy happiness, but it can make a down payment on wonderful memories. One of the disadvantages of being the oldest boy in a family raised by a single mom, is that no one was around to teach me how to fish. Besides, I was too busy with my life of crime. First the “gas cap gang”. We stole most of the gas caps in Upsala, just because. Of course we got caught and Justice Bernard Lunder sentenced us to 6 months of going to the church of our choice. Later I was the youngest member of the Black Knights Car Club. That did not end well either. Six months of probation.
But my son Erik was only one year old when we bought a lake place on Cedar Lake west of Upsala and Earl Benson at General Office Products gave me lessons on fishing for bass. Erik went to Canada on a fly-in with a neighbor when he was 15 and caught not one, but two 9 lb 15 oz walleye.
His son Willie, age six, has a membership to the Bass Fishing Society and this spring he has already caught some nice fish including the crappie in the attached jpg. His bucket list for the summer is ten different fish and it should be a real blast helping him to check them off one at a time.
The APHC show this week is another live performance from the historic Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include the women’s vocal ensemble “Anonymous 4” with multi-instrumentalist Bruce Molsky and Bensonhurst harmonizers The DiGiallonardo Sisters. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will team up with musical director Richard Dworsky and the Last Street Band to entertain us with skits. Garrison will share the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show.
“Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within.” Helen Keller
April 10th, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
Yesterday was a big day in history. It was 150 years ago, in 1865, that General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. Union troops had driven Lee out of Richmond and blocked his route back to North Carolina. Lee’s Confederate troops had no more food or supplies, and Union forces hounded them wherever they went. Men were deserting in growing numbers, and those who stayed seemed certainly doomed. “It would be useless and therefore cruel, to provoke the further effusion of blood,” the Confederate general said, “and I have arranged to meet with General Grant with a view to surrender.” Source: Writers Almanac.
100 years ago yesterday, Bob Nicol was born in Waupaca, Wisconsin. Bob is a charter member of the St. Cloud Area Sertoma Club. He is still active in the club and ringing the bell with Bob for the Salvation Army in front of Coborn’s on Cooper has always been a highlight for me. Last year one of our newest members, Kelly McCall, age 25, beat me to it at sign-up time. The age of our club members spans 75 years.
Two years ago, Bob was featured in an article in the St. Cloud Times. He was pictured putting at the first hole during a round of golf at the St. Cloud Country Club. Bob graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1941 and joined the infantry in 1942. Bob took up golf while serving at Fort Benning in Georgia and he has been a member of the St. Cloud Country Club for 66 years. Bob, you are one of my heroes.
The APHC show this week is a live broadcast from The Town Hall on West 43rd Street in New York City. Special guests include soprano Renee Fleming, pianist Rob Fisher and vocalists Aoife O’Donovan and Heather Masse. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will team up with music director Richard Dworsky to entertain us with skits. The News From Lake Wobegon will bring us up to date on the town and its residents. Enjoy the show.
If you enjoy Celtic music, come to Escher Auditorium at the College of St. Benedict tonight. I will be there working a table. If you like choral music, you can enjoy the Great River Chorale tonight or Sunday afternoon at the First United Methodist Church in Sartell. Greatriverchorale.org.
“The years teach much which the days never know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
April 3rd, 2015 by Gary Osberg
Good Friday morning from Collegeville,
No way that I will get the Yukon Gold potatoes in the ground today. It was only 22 degrees this morning. We did set an all-time high temperature record for the state on Wednesday, but that was Wednesday. In Minnesota, if you don’t like the weather, just wait a day. Nothing you can do about the weather, so why worry.
The kitchen remodeling project turned out great. Bob’s Cabinets, Woodshop of Avon, Ripplinger Plumbing, all involved, played it like a symphony. That is one of the benefits of a small town, easy folks to work with. Thanks to Jeremy for helping out.
There are two new program sponsors to thank, Husky Spring on Clearwater Road and Heritage Bank in Willmar. If you know these folks, be sure to thank them.
The APHC show this week is another re-broadcast of a show from April of 2013. It was originally performed at the City Bank Auditorium in Lubbock, Texas. The Flatlanders perform “Not That Much Changed” and Ashley Monroe sings “Morning After”. Garrison chats with Travis Holley and Peggy Sue Gerron about Lubbock’s own Buddy Holly. In Lake Wobegon, Donny Krebsbach ventures onto the lake in search of early spring ice fishing. Enjoy the show.
“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” John Ruskin
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