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The think piece on Dorothy’s ruby slippers you didn’t know you needed
The iconic film “The Wizard of Oz” is 80 years old. It’s such a cultural touchstone that at least five generations have now seen it so many times that they know the lines. And like “The Wizard of Oz,” we’ve well repeated the story of how a pair of costume ruby slippers worn by the…
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Grandpa and the way home
At one time my grandpa kept a bar in his house in Keewatin, a small wood-paneled room full of 1950s and ‘60s sports memorabilia, Norwegian flags and light-up beer signs. In 1990 or so, I think I was around 10, he showed me the things on the shelves and said “I’m dying. One day all…
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‘Think spring’ with latest Great Northern Radio Show
You can now hear the latest podcast for the Great Northern Radio Show from our April 13 broadcast at the Chief Theater in Bemidji, Minnesota. It was the 30th variety show I’ve written, produced and hosted for Northern Community Radio, our fifth from the “First City on the Mississippi River.” It was the first time…
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Iron Range’s most active live music venue to close soon
In a blow to the Iron Range music scene, the 218 Taphouse and Shop Coffeehouse in downtown Virginia, Minnesota, will close April 15. Owners issued the news via an April 3 Facebook post, which reads as follows: Due to unforeseen circumstances The 218 Taphouse and Shop Coffeehouse will be closing April 15th. We would like…
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Great Northern Radio Show returns to Bemidji April 13
Spring slowly seeps into Northern Minnesota. Celebrate with the April 13 broadcast of my Great Northern Radio Show at the Chief Theater in Bemidji, Minnesota. Get your tickets here. I always tell you these things are good and that you should come. I suppose by now you either believe me or you don’t. The Latelys…
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Arts provide economic, aesthetic boost to NE Minnesota
Last year I wrote about the economic impact of the arts in Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range region. An organization called Creative Minnesota explored the total reach of the arts, including the revenue generated within the economy and the number of jobs created. Today, the same organization released a new 2019 report as part of Arts…
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After 10 years, final Minnesota ‘all hockey hair team’ video drops
Iron Range hopes for a state high school hockey championship fell just short with Greenway’s Saturday afternoon loss to St. Cloud Cathedral. It was an amazing run for the Raiders, though, with some great games, hearty effort and exciting play. And they placed respectably in the 2019 Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team…
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Dylan monument at Hibbing HS to be revealed fall 2019
Like an eddy in a fast-moving stream, Robert Zimmerman matriculated from Hibbing High School in 1959. Just three years later, under a new name of his own design, Bob Dylan began transforming the musical world from the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York. Decades before I was born, Dylan lived in the same neighborhood…
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Iron Range state hockey hopes skate with Greenway
The Minnesota State High School boys class “A” hockey tournament begins today, always a cultural touchstone in this part of the world. Living in the Iron Range region of Northern Minnesota means dwelling among fever dreams of this state competition. Men and women are driven mad by title hopes, and sometimes spend a lifetime rueing…
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It’s time for Squatch Chat at Effie tavern
The legend of an elusive forest beast, more man than ape, spans cultures around the globe. We call him Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, Yeti or the Abominable Snowman. North American native peoples call him “Big Brother,” and think of him as a resident of another time or dimension, come to check on us. But you can’t…
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ESPN heads to Iron Range for feature on Jared Allen’s curling team
So there I am Sunday morning. Slept in, not quite accidentally. Watching ESPN to keep my blood pressure low. And then what should appear on my screen? Why, it was a hotel parking lot on the Mesabi Iron Range. Specifically, it was the AmericInn in Virginia, Minnesota. And then one strange second later I see…
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All that cold and the dang bugs survived
You know the old trope. As the horror movie concludes, the virtuous teenagers are safe, the villain is dead, and the credits roll. But then, at the very end, the camera zooms back in on the death mask of the evil antagonist. Suddenly, glowing red eyes open wide. He lives! No one is safe and…
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Hear the latest Great Northern Radio Show from Brainerd
Last weekend I brought my Great Northern Radio Show to the Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd, Minnesota. Today I’m able to share a recording of the show for those of you who missed it live on Northern Community Radio.
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On cold times in cold places
We risk our bodies and minds to the effects of the deepest freeze of the year, a time when people sort themselves by coping language and poor decisions.
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Great Northern Radio Show heads to Brainerd on Feb. 9
The Great Northern Radio Show will broadcast a live event in Brainerd, Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at the Franklin Arts Center. Through original comedy, stories and music, the Great Northern Radio Show celebrates life in small towns and rural places.