The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council announces a call for arts programming proposals by nonprofit organizations. All proposed projects must begin no earlier than December 1, 2022, and be completed within 12 months, culminating with a capstone event that is accessible and open to the public. Online applications will be available throughout September with an October 1, 2022, … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Area Community Foundation releases application for grants
The Lanesboro Area Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications for requests ranging from $250-$3,000 from registered 501(c)3 non-profits or government agencies whose projects will enhance the lives of people who call Lanesboro home through education, supportive services, the arts, etc. Applications are available by visiting smifoundation.org/lanesboro, emailing … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Overall, there were plenty of pockets
With an emphasis on function, bib overalls were the everyday fashion on the farm for men and boys during the mid-20th century (1900s). Nine or more pockets were available for whatever basic tools might be needed at a moment’s notice. That attire allowed a farmer to be a “walking tool bench,” concluded David Beckman, recalling his youth on a Houston County farm. The bib would … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Aprons: yesteryear’s coverups, carryalls and facecloths
Nowadays, few remember them. But in a previous century, aprons were an everyday essential in every woman’s wardrobe. With an overhead strap and tied in back, they were worn to protect a lady’s dress, “because women couldn’t afford to ruin the few dresses they had,” recalled David Beckman from his 1940s upbringing in rural southeast Minnesota. Compared to a dress, an apron … [Read more...]
A 70-year tradition crosses the state line
The signs that fall is just around the corner. Leaves are beginning to change colors, fall is in the air, and the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days are days away. Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days is celebrating 70 years, September 8-11. Steam Engine Days is an opportunity to step back and experience farming as it was done in the early 1900s with the giant steam engines. Visitors … [Read more...]
SEMAC awards arts grants
On August 16, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) awarded fifteen individual artist grants for a total of $59,000 in funding to applicants throughout southeastern Minnesota. This included eight grants to emerging artists for $24,000, and seven grants to advancing artists for $35,000. SEMAC is the State Arts Board-designated … [Read more...]
A tasty tradition
Fall in Bluff County provides the perfect weather to enjoy a leisurely bike ride or walk on the scenic Root River State Trail and the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail. The paved trails wind their way from one town to the next. The Taste of the Trail offers visitors the opportunity to sample all the scenic river valley has to offer – vistas, limestone bluff formations outdoor … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Few “flamboozles,” but there were velvet capes
They thought the valley the “grandest spot on Earth, their home without an equal in the land and which they would not exchange for any other in all Christendom.” That grand valley was Yucatan Valley in Houston County, Minn., as described by Capt. Samuel B. McIntire. McIntire (1838-1917) was the first Minnesotan appointed to West Point. Graduating in 1862, he was thrust into … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… The end of Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum
For a number of years, I’ve been walking into Preston Service Plus and noticing a small stack of brochures resting on the front counter. The first time I saw one of the brochures for Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum, I asked Preston Service Plus owners Craig Bond and Justin Jones about this place. They raved about it, and I have to say I truly didn’t comprehend their … [Read more...]
Reconciling father’s heartbreaking past through the presence of others A voice told me to “ease his pain”
By Lori Sims A string of coincidences and chance meetings provided a pathway to the past and helped understand the present. This is a family story that began last summer and blossomed into a siblings’ reunion here in July. Last year my husband Vern and I visited Lanesboro mainly for the Root River Bike Trail, and discovered it came with magnificent bluffs, great beer, … [Read more...]