GaryOsberg.com

When I started working for MPR in October of 1999, one of the territories that I was asked to cover was the Brainerd area.  I remember working out of our space on the campus of Central Lakes College and meeting Leif Enger, a reporter for MPR at the time.  His father was the music teacher at Upsala High School in the sixties.  He once pulled me into the band room, sat me down in a chair and stuck a tuba in my lap.  He said, “Blow hard!”.   I was too involved in other things like partying to have any time for band, so I refused.  Leif Enger left MPR and went on to author “Peace Like a River”. He dedicated the book to his father Don Enger.

Shortly after I started my career, they asked me to cover the Sun Valley, Idaho classical music station KWRV 91.9.  The Brainerd territory was assigned to Barb Treat out of Bemidji. In April of 2024, MPR sold KWRV to Boise State Public Radio and then Barb decided to retire as Senior Account Executive, so now I am back covering Crow Wing County and Todd County.  

A couple of years ago I attended my first Business After Hours presented by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It was held at The Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts at the Brained High School.  It is a stunning 1,200 seat auditorium, with concert and theater stage configurations and an orchestra pit. The host was the Lakes Area Music Festival, headed by the founder and Artistic Director, Scott Lykins.  He is a graduate of Brainerd High School.  

This amazing summer music festival opens next Friday and ends on Sunday August 23^rd .  Tickets to the concerts may be obtained at no charge. Donations are greatly appreciated. Tickets are available through the Minnesota Orchestra at www.minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling 612-371-5600.  The ticket office opens at 10am today.  More information is available at www.lakesareamusic.org    I have two free tickets in row G for 3pm for Sunday August 2^nd for the performance of Brahms & The Schumanns. They will go to the first person to respond to this email.  

“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