November 21st, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Had there still been some pumpkins out there, the frost would have been quite thick. The twin lakes at the entrance to St. John’s are frozen over. One morning there was a lone goose walking on the ice trying to figure out his next move. Why was he not on his way south? My sister and her husband are heading to Arizona this weekend. They have a daughter that lives in Phoenix, so they can pull it off. Barby and I have seven grandchildren now and four more on the way, so unless one of them picks up and moves south, we will be hard pressed to spend much time away from Minnesota. Barby’s daughter is expecting twin girls during Christmas break and my grandson Willie is expected during spring break, so we will not be going anywhere this year.
Tonight is another Art Crawl in downtown St. Cloud. Be sure to check it out. Art makes for great gift ideas and even if you are on a tight budget there is one place that you can get a nice gift for only $10. The second annual Visual Arts Minnesota 2009 calendar is available now. I will be happy to meet you for coffee and bring a calendar to you. Or just ask and I will send you an order blank. To learn more, go to www.visualartsminnesota.org
The show this week is a live performance from The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Special guests include singer-songwriter Kristin Andreassen and The Steele Sisters, Jearlyn and Jevetta. Enjoy the show.
Also, be sure to tune in to KSJR 90.1 at 9 AM on Thanksgiving Day for “Giving Thanks” with John Birge. Local sponsors of “Giving Thanks” are Great Harvest Bread and McKay’s Family Auto. Stop in and thank them both for supporting this wonderful two hour radio show. If you miss it in the morning it will be repeated at 6 PM on Thanksgiving Day.
“There is no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing”. Anonymous
November 14th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
We have not seen the sun for a long time. In this neck of the woods, November is usually the cloudiest month of the year. I feel for those who suffer from SAD. I remember the time that after many, many days of no sunshine, the CEO of Fingerhut hired an airplane and along with a number of his key employees they flew above the clouds just to see what the sun looked like. If I remember correctly the clouds broke the next day. Ahh, the good old days of excess.
The good news is that if the ultrasound operator knows her stuff, my son Erik and his wife Jena are going to have a baby boy in March. I already have four granddaughters and a grand son would be wonderful. They are planning to name him William but call him Willy. That means that in 2023, when I am 79 years old, there will be three generations of Osberg men going fishing at Woody’s on the third weekend in June. That is a good reason to keep on doing the exercises and getting the annual physical.
The show this week is a live broadcast from The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. A very special guest, Emmy Lou Harris and her Nashville band will join bluesman Spider John Koerner along with the usual cast of characters. Enjoy the show.
Classical pianist Chu Fang Huang will be at The Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud this Sunday at 2 PM. MPR members get a discount on tickets. Call 320-259-LINE. I hope to see you there.
“It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it is the grain of sand in your shoe.” Lloyd Perry
November 14th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
What a week! The people have spoken and hopefully we can all get along. The problems we face are too grave to not try very hard to work together. I just hope they get a dog from the pound instead of a puppy. The carpet and rugs in The White House are likely to be expensive to replace.
Rapid City was hit with a couple of feet of snow, so get ready. The deer hunters will be out on Saturday and my son is going to Rainy Lake to fish the river. Woody is likely to be in his pub swapping stories about the big one that got away. We might get some slush but nothing that will keep you from attending a FREE concert at The Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud. Doug Wood, award-winning author of “Old Turtle” will be on stage at 7:30 this evening. Come early and see the awesome artwork in the lobby. www.paramountarts.org
The show this week is a live performance from The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Guests include the Dobro Daredevil, Jerry Douglas, grand champion fiddler Luke Bulla, singers Jearlyn Steele, Kari Shaw, Andra Suchy and Joanna Jahn along with the usual cast of characters. Remember, there is a Friday night warm up show also. Go to www.prairiehome.org
“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.” Hubert H. Humphrey
October 31st, 2008 by admin
In the winter of 1969 our peace and quiet was constantly being disturbed by snowmobilers running up and down the residential streets in Coon Rapids. I attended a council meeting to raise the issue and I came away thinking, “I could do better than that”. I was 26 years old and my neighbor Pat Cleath suggested that I run for the third ward council seat. Pat was involved in local politics and he invited a bunch of his friends to a meeting at his house to meet the “young prospect”. I told them that I would pay the filing fee of $5 bucks and they would have to raise the rest of the money. My next door neighbor was a carpenter, so we rented the union hall in Anoka and threw a party. I ended up unseating a lawyer who worked at Lutheran Brotherhood who was going for his third three year term. It was quite the experience.
Next Tuesday you will have your chance to cast your vote. Please take the time to go to the polls and who knows, you might have a chance to elect someone new who will work hard on your behalf.
The show this week is a live broadcast from The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Guests include the hard-driving string band, Pert’ Near Sandstone, Rich Dworsky and The Guy’s All Star Shoe Band plus the usual cast of characters. You may still be able to get tickets to either the Friday night show or the Saturday show.
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be”. Thomas a Kempis
October 24th, 2008 by admin
Dad served in the Pacific during World War II. Like a lot of veterans, he did not talk about it very much. After he died I found a book that he had written some notes in, beginning with, “I have a closet full of regrets”. It was an unusual collection of thoughts, ending with a reference to December 13, 1983, the day that he finally decided to quit drinking. On that final page he also noted, “I am no big believer that battle fatigue is the cause of my drinking, but there were the 2 ½ months at Okinawa that I do not care to talk about. It was so unreal”. The battle of Okinawa proved to be the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. A total of 219,000 persons lost their lives in that one battle. 12,000 of our troops died and 36,000 were wounded.
In 1998 I had a chance to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. I was able to find the name of the one young man from Upsala that died in that war.
Now, you can visit the half-size replica of the wall at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls. It will be on display from today through Monday the 27th. Tomorrow at 2 PM there will be a special program “honoring military men and women who have served our great country with honor and dignity”. The location is 15550 Highway 115, Little Falls, MN 56345. For more information go to www.themovingwall.org
The show this week is live from the Chapman Theater in Tulsa, Oklahoma with special guests, hot jazz, western swingers, The Hot Club of Cowtown and legendary blues roller Elvin Bishop along with the usual cast of characters. Enjoy the show.
“Reason and calm judgment are the qualities of a leader”. Tacitus
October 17th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
It is MEA weekend in Minnesota. Larry Nelson was a city kid whose grandparents had a farm near Upsala. He would spend summers on the farm and as a teenager he would come uptown to hang out with those of us who lived in town. He ended up marrying the banker’s daughter, Sharon, one of the girls who lived in the “village” of Upsala. Larry was unique. At my sister’s wedding dance he took out his pocket knife and cut off Phil’s tie. Phil and Sharon were first cousins. I remember Phil was not very happy at all.
Larry was the kind of fellow that wanted others to experience life. He knew that I was not into fishing and hunting (having spent my youth as a delinquent) so he went out of his way to invite myself and my son to tag along on a fishing opener and a grouse hunting trip one MEA weekend. He was part owner of “the shack” near Talmoon. There were three adults, Ron, Larry and myself and our three sons. The boys took the dog and I rode with Ron and Larry. I didn’t own a shotgun so I simply walked along. We brought 17 grouse back to the shack and Larry cooked up the grouse along with the wild rice and mushroom soup. It was a feast indeed. Larry was one of the very first to have heart bypass surgery. I recall he had to travel to Houston, Texas for the surgery. He died way too young, but he lived life to the fullest and he looked out for his friends.
The show this week is live from Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Special guests include the hottest fiddler from Cowtown, Elana James, steel guitar and Dobro daredevil, Cindy Cashdollar and the wonderful gospel singer Jearlyn Steele. Enjoy the show.
“Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin.
October 10th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
For years there has been a full service car wash on Division Street in St. Cloud. It was not a cheap date, but there were lots of cloth washing elements, no plastic brushes and lots of folks doing the pre-wash prep and even more young folks doing the drying. There was a tips jar and I usually put a buck in. There were gas pumps out front and a convenience store. Free pop-corn, clean restrooms, lounge chairs and magazines. I always felt great getting into a sparkling clean car. It even seemed to run better.
The car wash now has one employee with three options, a five dollar exterior only wash, an eight dollar exterior wash and a thirteen dollar exterior wash. The one employee takes your money, rubs a brush on the bugs, directs you to the inside and you ride through with the engine running, being sure to keep your foot off the brake and your hands off the steering wheel. When you get through all the cloth, the various sprays and the blowing air, there is no one to greet you on the other side. Bring your own towels. No gas pumps and no popcorn either. The operation went from eight or ten employees to one.
The show this week is live from The Fitzgerald Theater. Guests include legendary singer-songwriter, record producer and brooding British balladeer, Nick Lowe. By the way, five thousand folks showed up for the Street Dance and Meatloaf Supper last Saturday. Enjoy the show. You should consider attending the warm up show on Friday nights. Go to www.prairiehome.org to check on tickets.
“Aside from the strictly moral standpoint, honesty is not only the best policy, but the only possible policy. The fulfillment of the pledged word is of equal necessity to the conduct of all business. If we expect and demand virtue and honor in others, the flame of both must burn brightly within ourselves…honesty begets honesty; trust, trust; and so on through the whole category of desirable practices that must govern and control the world’s affairs.” James F. Bell
October 10th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
In October of 1956, Ma was 36 years old. Two months earlier she had given birth to her sixth child, a boy. Our family of eight lived in a small house at 1620 Colorado Avenue in St. Louis Park. Dad had just smashed up his third car in as many years. Ma’s mother Grandma Ramlo, drove her 1952 Chevy down from Upsala, placed Dad in the backseat and drove him to the Chemical Dependency department at VA Hospital in Minneapolis. She said, “He is your problem now!”. Then she packed us all up and we moved into the apartment above the Ramlo Grocery in Upsala, Minnesota.
The one bright spot for me was that I would not have to serve the 20 hours of detention that I had racked up in eighth grade at St. Louis Park Junior High. Today is the homecoming game in Upsala and I plan to be there cheering the new paired team, “USA Patriots” (Upsala and Swanville football has merged), on to victory. The team is ranked in the State polls.
The show this week is the beginning of the new season with a live broadcast from The Fitzgerald Theater. Special guests are the Old Crow Medicine Show, Maria Jette and an enhanced All-Star Shoe Band. Immediately following the show will be the annual Street Dance and Meatloaf Supper on Exchange Street. It will be clear and cool so why not go? You will have a great time.
“If you are going to expect, you have to inspect” Grandma Ramlo
September 26th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
“I have been rich and I have been poor. I much prefer to be rich. I have been well and I have been ill. I much prefer to be well. I much prefer to be well than to be rich.” Anonymous
I flew into Sun Valley, Idaho on Sunday. I felt a tickle in my throat. I fought it all three days with a special smoothie prepared for me by my friend Ananda the owner of Akasha Organics on Main Street in Ketchum. I drove to Bozeman on Thursday and spent two days in bed at Aunt Maggie’s. She fixed me chicken noodle soup and put me on the plane back to Minneapolis on Saturday. Barby met me at the airport and I spent three days in bed at home. Yuk! I am now on an anti-biotic. I sure hope you don’t catch it.
If you have not been to Sun Valley, be sure to put it on your “bucket list”. The new pavilion is awesome. Go to www.sunvalley.com
The show this week is a one of a kind reunion show that was done recently at The Fitzgerald Theater. Special guests include Bill Hinkley, Judy Larson, Dakota Dave Hull, Cal Hand, Butch Thompson, Pop Wagner, Vern Sutton and Peter Ostroushko. Minnesota’s Oldest Old-Time Band, the Brandy Snifters will also appear on the show. Enjoy.
“To know when you have enough is to be rich beyond measure.” Lao-Tzu
September 12th, 2008 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
A beautiful sunny morning. 135 folks showed up for breakfast at Chamber Connection this morning, hosted by Midsota Plastic Surgeons, under a tent. One of the many great things that they do is to organize a trip to South America each spring to perform reconstructive surgery on children. If you are looking for a way to give back, check out their website www.helpsintl.org
I will be in Bozeman next Friday, so there will not be a weekly note. Our classical music station, KWRV 91.9, has been serving Sun Valley, Idaho and the Wood River Valley since 1993. I plan to fly in to Sun Valley on Sunday and I will work there on the first three days and drive the rental car to Bozeman on Thursday. I will be spending time with Aunt Maggie and enjoying the mountain air.
Sun Valley was created by Averell Harriman and the Union Pacific Railroad in the thirties as a destination ski area. Mr. Harriman had sent an Austrian Count to travel the western United States in search of a place to start a ski resort. When he arrived in Ketchum, Idaho, the Count wired back that it was better than anything in Europe. The Union Pacific purchased a 3,000 acre ranch for $39,000 and they built the Sun Valley Lodge. They also invented the chair lift in Sun Valley.
The show this week, (heard in Sun Valley at 4 PM on Saturday) is a special New York City compilation show with some of Gotham’s go-to guests, including Bronx born comedian Robert Klein, Broadway stars Walter Bobbie, Faith Prince, Kristin Chenoweth and Tony Roberts plus Robin and Linda Williams. Enjoy the show.
“It’s so fun, here in America” Anna Osberg, age 4
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