July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 1
EDITOR’S NOTE
The world of art we live in Art is all around us. Art is in the eye of the beholder. Art is all of us and it’s a large part of why this issue often times is one of my favorites during a year’s worth of publishing Austin Living Magazine. This is our annual Austin Expression special, where we open up our pages to those artistically minded people to share their visions and creations with all of us. Past co-editor Jason Schoonover had an idea — a magazine within a magazine — that reflected the growing art scene in Austin. It was the perfect com compliment to the boom of art at a time when the Austin ArtWorks Center was establishing itself downtown and the Austin ArtWorks Festival was coming into its own. The idea was simple: give artists in our community a forum to spread those things that make them creative, whether it be paintings, drawings, sculpture and even the written word. Since its inception, I’m proud to say that Austin and the surrounding area has responded. Each year, the number of submissions has grown, making it in increasingly harder to choose what gets printed and Eric Johnson, what doesn’t. It’s a good problem to have. Austin Living What’s even more fun is the broad mix of new and Editor old names. I’ve begun to recognize some of the names as if they are old friends as well as welcoming the new names as new friends. It’s always amazing to see just how much creativity is around us and I’m happy to see that this is continuing to grow. Thank you to everybody who submitted. I hope you continue to support the arts through this annual edition of our magazine. It’s just another thing that makes our area great.
Along the way Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten any of the other goodies and by goodies, we mean GOODIES. The Port in Elkton is exploding with taste from what this little restaurant is serving in Area Eats. Learn about an aspiring author in IJ Holton Intermediate School’s Haylie Meyer and have some fun with fungus as we visited Fiddlehead Knob, where they are growing shiitake mushrooms.
On the Cover Featured on the cover is a photo by Chanda Ounkong, one of the many artists in this year’s Austin Expression.
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery! Sign up for a one-year subscription at the special rate of only $17.99 to receive 6 issues of Austin Living magazine mailed directly to your door!
Call 507-434-2220 to get your subscription started today! Austin Daily Herald ~ 310 2nd Street NE, Austin, MN 55912 2 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
PUBLISHER Jana Norman EDITORIAL Editor Eric Johnson Contributing Writers Rocky Hulne Eric Johnson Deb Nicklay Michael Stoll Hannah Yang Photographer Eric Johnson ART Art Director Colby Hansen Graphic Designers Susan Downey Colby Hansen Eric Johnson SALES & PROMOTION Sales & Marketing Manager Heather Ryks Sales Representatives Heather Biwer Mike Delhanty Brenda Landherr Heather Ryks JULY-AUGUST 2019 Volume 7, Number 4 EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Editor, Austin Living 310 2nd Street NE Austin, MN 55912 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without written permission. For comments, suggestions or story ideas call 507-434-2237. To purchase advertising, call 507-434-2220 © A Minnesota Publishers Inc. publication
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WHAT’S INSIDE JULY – AUGUST 2019
SEEN
OUT & ABOUT
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24 CONTINUING TO GROW
NIGHT OF MAGIC Prom-goers share their photos from the big night.
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 10 COUNTRY ROAD, TAKE ME HOME The setting sun shines on Mower County.
AREA EATS 12 MAKING IT THEIR OWN Michael and Kathrynn Dortland bring new tastes to The Port of Elkton.
THE LIST 16 GET GOING GETAWAYS Plenty to explore in the great outdoors.
HOME & HEARTH 18 JEN HAUGEN: AROUND THE TABLE Good food leads to a good night around the fire pit.
20 WARRIOR IN WRITING IJ Holton student Haylie Meyer publishes first book.
The Hormel Institute adds three new scientists.
26 FOR THE LOVE OF SHIITAKE The journey of a LeRoy mushroom farmer and growth of success.
TRAVEL 52 SCALING A CHALLENGE Austin native takes up the sport of rock climbing.
LOOKING BACK 56 AUSTIN CELEBRATES WITH A NATION The 1976 Bicentennial Celebration.
AREA HAPPENINGS 58 THE BIGGEST UPCOMING EVENTS
BOOK REVIEW 60 IN SEARCH OF HARPER Loretta Ellsworth takes readers on a tour of Alabama.
WHY I LOVE AUSTIN 64 CLAIRE HEICHEL: ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE Austin High School graduate finds plenty of reason to love the town she’s in.
4 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
AUSTIN EXPRESSION 32 ART OF THE WHEEL Car owners tell their stories behind their vehicles.
38 PUBLIC VISION Readers share their art. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 5
Night of magic
SEEN
Prom. One of the high school events so many students look forward to from the very first day. Getting dressed up, these students hit one of the biggest nights of the school year with class and grace and we’re proudly sharing them here again. Whether in couples or groups, these prom-goers are dressed to impress. 1
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See more photos on pages 8 and 9.
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1. Jenna Braaten, Avery Thompson and Erin Bickler. 2. Hannah Thompson, junior, and Peyton Ree, senior. 3. Back row, from left: Sam Hagan, Hunter Guyette, Thomas Kroymann, Riley Wempner, Michael O’Connor. Sitting: Nikita Neitzell, Ellie Eyre, Madison Lang, Hannah Quandt, Claire Heichel. 4. Ashlyn Brandt and Ryan Beard. 5. Codie Wolfe, Mya Burkhart, Avery Thompson and Nico Forte.
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6. From left, Maggie Klingfus, Aaliyah Maly, Sydnee Brandt, Madison Morse, and Grace Bailey. 7. Sam Esplan and Jessi Diaz. 8. Thomas Kroymann, Madison Lang, Hannah Quandt and Riley Wempner. 9. Jaren Steene and Kyra Walters 10. From left: Hanna Thompson, Samantha Sheldon and Kate Oelfke. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 7
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11. Zack Langan and Abby Barth. 12. Riley Wempner and Hannah Quandt. 13. From left, Maggie Klingfus, Sydnee Brandt and Madison Morse. 14. Mya Burkhart and Avery Thompson. 15. Avery Thompson and Claire Staben. 16. Jordan DeLaMater escorted by Jordan Price. 17. Victoria Hansen and Lucas Wolfe.
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18. Kyra Walters and Avery Thompson. 19. Morgan Hose, left, and Samantha Sheldon. 20. The Sams. From left to right: Austin students Sam Johnson, Sam Hagan and Sam Keenan. The trio have been together since before high school. 21. From left, Iliana Morales, Aaliyah Almanza, Andre Coleman and Abbygail Almanza.
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 9
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
10 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Country road, take me home Photo by Eric Johnson The sun shines down on a gravel road just off of Highway 218 between Austin and Lyle. If you have a photo you think would be worth sharing, send it to Eric Johnson at photodesk@austindailyherald.com. Resolution must be 300 DPI and at least 14 inches wide.
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 11
AREA EATS
The assortment of foods at The Port include a range of favorites including burgers, steak and smoked ribs.
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Making it their own
Owners of The Port in Elkton Michael and Kathrynn Dortland have brought energy to the small restaurant on the corner of Main Street and 670th Avenue.
Michael and Kathrynn Dortland bring new tastes to The Port of Elkton BY MICHAEL STOLL • PHOTOS In the small town of Elkton sits The Port. It is the only restaurant in Elkton and has been a landmark in the town for roughly 30 years. During that time, it has seen multiple owners. When one walks in today, chances are they will see Kathrynn Dortland tending the bar, while husband Michael Dortland prepares orders in the kitchen. The Dortlands purchased The Port two years ago. Originally hailing from Alaska, Michael was working for a local milk plant when he decided he wanted to be his own boss. “Basically, I just wanted to work for myself,” he said. “I was tired of working for someone else.” Kathrynn, who is originally from the area, was working as a part-time nanny when Michael disclosed he wanted to own a restaurant.
BY
ERIC JOHNSON
“I was all for his dream,” she said. But with that decision came the ultimate question: Which restaurant should they buy? “We were looking at a restaurant a little further north, but (The Port) happened to come up at the right time,” Michael said. “It all kind of fell into place.” Neither had any prior experience owning a restaurant, though Michael had been previously employed as a cook in other kitchens. For both, it was a learning process. “The first year was hard,” Kathrynn said. “People didn’t know we were here.” “We didn’t know what our hours should be; we were open all the time,” Michael added. The next step was to figure out what was going on the menu. While some restaurateurs prefer to keep the menus of former owners, the Dortlands opted to make it their own. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 13
Both the Meat Mountain and Port Burgers are paired perfectly with a frosty beer straight from the tap.
“Everything is new for the most part,” Michael said. “It’s pretty much our favorite things. The only thing we kept that was original off the other menu was the Philly (Cheese Steak sandwich). I upgraded all of the burgers to eight ounces instead of 1/3 pound, all hand-pattied.” “And we kept the all-you-can-eat fish and all-you–can-eat sirloin, but we changed the fish to cod,” Kathrynn added. A glance at the menu gives diners numerous options for burgers and sandwiches, ranging from staples like your basic hamburger and club sandwich to carnivorous creations such as the Meat Mountain Burger, which features pulled pork, brisket and bacon atop the patty. For dinner, The Port offers ribs, steak and shrimp among other items. Also available are soups, salads and desserts, which the Dortlands are proud to say are all house made. “We’re about our food more than the bar atmosphere,” Kathrynn said. “We love the bar atmosphere, but we love the food side.” The Dortlands also pride themselves in the simple fact that no one will leave hungry. The portions are very generous, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they have sacrificed quality for quantity. The freshness is apparent in the taste and everything is made to order. “You never know who’s coming or what they’re ordering,” Michael said. “To keep my waste down, I do it by order.” “He doesn’t have it all prepped and ready like a fast food place,” Kathrynn added. But what makes the meat dishes stand out more is the fact that Michael smokes the meat himself. 14 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
“I had never smoked anything until I started this place,” he said. “We just made the menu, started to buy the product and went from there.” In order to learn, Michael had several locals come by and sample the smoked meats for free. Using their feedback, he perfected his timings. It also came down to the flavor imparted by the wood. “We use pecan (wood), which is not indigenous to Minnesota,” he said. “It was something different and it turns out I liked it the most, so that’s what we decided to go with.” While Kathrynn is partial to the pulled pork, Michael is most proud of his brisket, which smokes low and slow for 24 hours before ever making it to the plate. “I put most of my heart and soul into (the brisket),” he said. “There was a lot of work with that; I practiced a lot.” When asked why he opted to smoke the meat, Michael’s answer was simple: “Because it’s delicious.” The Dortlands don’t hold back when encouraging people to come try The Port. “We have the best smoked food around, period,” Michael said. “We’ve got the best burgers, you name it. The prices are comparable to anywhere else and are probably better than most places.” “It’s awesome and fun,” Kathrynn said. “It’s a great atmosphere.” The Port is located at 101 Main St. in Elkton. Hours are 3-10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They can be reached at 507-721-3410.
First time to The Port? If you’ve never been to The Port and can’t decide what to have, here are a few suggestions from the Dortlands. H Ribs – A go-to for carnivores and barbecue lovers alike. After spending hours in the smoker, these ribs are served covered in BBQ sauce for a satisfying sweet and smoky taste. A half-rack is enough to placate most appetites, but the hardiest of appetites can try their hand at the plate-engulfing full rack. H Beer Battered Cod – Seafood lovers can rejoice at the perfectly cooked Alaskan cod coated in a savory batter. If you’re feeling peckish, The Port offers an all-you-caneat fish fry on Fridays, which also features broiled and hand battered cod. Be sure to ask for some house made tartar sauce. H Sirloin Steak – Quality Hereford sirloin steak with little fat and full flavor, seasoned just right on each juicy bite. Can’t get enough steak? Join The Port on Saturday for all-you-can-eat steak night. H The Port Burger – When you name a burger after your restaurant, it better be amazing, which is exactly what this burger is. Smoked pulled pork piled high on top of a burger patty and topped with onion rings, Swiss cheese and BBQ sauce. This burger gives you some savory with the pork and some sweet with the onion rings and sauce. The onion rings are vegetables, so that makes it healthy… right? H Meat Mountain Burger – Vegetarians tremble in the presence of this meaty behemoth. Mountain is a bit of an understatement as this burger is stacked with a ground beef patty, pulled pork, brisket, bacon and a cascade of BBQ sauce. A combined 36 hours goes into smoking the meat for this burger. It’s delicious, though you may have to unhinge your jaw like a python to get a taste of everything in one bite. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 15
THE LIST
The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center offers a summer full of activies along with pleasant trails to hike and wildlife to see. Photo by Eric Johnson
GET GOING GETAWAYS BY DEB NICKLAY • PHOTOS PROVIDED
Plenty to explore in the great outdoors After a long and cold winter, there is nothing better than to break out the bikes — or kayak, canoe or hiking boots — and get going outside this summer. Southeastern Minnesota is awash in scenic getaways that will satisfy all tastes. Maybe it’s seeking familiar vistas along trails at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center or paddling down Dobbins Creek. Or, maybe it will be found in new experiences in places you’ve never been before. If we had to choose our summer centerpiece, it would certainly be found at Austin’s Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. What’s not to like? Outside, the center offers 500 acres of woodland and prairie to explore, with over 10 miles of walking trails — a boon to hikers who want exercise, to photograph wildlife, to birdwatch, or you might just want to take a leisurely walk, just to enjoy the day. The trails are by far the most popular outdoor feature of the area, said Director Luke Reese. He added that while 16 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
a good number of hikers enjoy the trek to the observation tower — a distance of about nine-tenths of a mile — there is plenty more trail length to explore. “We’ve been doing a lot of restoration work on the north side and hikers might be surprised that it doesn’t look the same as they might remember if they’d been there before,” he said. Kayak and canoe rentals remain popular, he added, for paddling on the pond, or along Dobbins Creek to East Side Park. Photo by Eric Johnson And, if the day is rainy, visitors can explore the new $6.8 million interpretive center, which offers any number of exhibits and educational displays. “You can learn about the outdoors even when you can’t be outdoors,” he said. A number of activities for young and old are held during the summer months. Check out more at: www. hormelnaturecenter.org
Gaze at the heavens at Sola Fide
Cedar Valley Memories, Osage, Iowa
Few areas can boast an observatory — but Austin can. This is the “outdoors” you rarely get to see. For selected Saturday dates throughout the summer and fall, you can visit Sola Fide Observatory, located about 5 miles south of the city, for free viewing of the night skies. Jay C. Hormel Nature Center staff and volunteers will assist the public in their Photo by Eric Johnson viewing experience. The observatory is open from 9-11 p.m. on those special dates and there is no cost. For dates and directions to Sola Fide, go to: www.hormelnaturecenter.org.
This interpretive outdoor site, located on several acres about two miles west of Osage, Iowa, draws crowds from all over the Midwest when it hosts its annual Steam Engine Power Show on Aug. 11-12. The popular event features a unique make of tractor each year — this year it is Oliver — which are on display, as well as items in the site’s permanent Photo by collection. Featured is the John Sparrow Photography Smolik Exhibit that hosts one of the most extensive collection of antique tractors and farm machinery in the Upper Midwest and the 1901 Frazee car, the first gas-powered car to be registered in Iowa. The event also has an extensive number of antique crafts on display, from blacksmithing to rope-making, as well as demonstrations of steam threshing. The site also hosts a restored Osage depot, a pioneer school house, and lots of great food. Located directly across Highway 9 opposite the site is the Cedar Bridge Campground with access to trails along the Cedar River. For more details about CVM, go to: www. mitchellcountyhistoricalsociety.org
Get out the bikes The Shooting Star Trail has become a favorite among bicycling and hiking enthusiasts. The scenic trail stretches from Austin to Rose Creek and winds through Adams and Taopi before coming to its end in LeRoy. The 30-mile trail takes riders through the trail’s hallmarks — prairie wildflowers and tall grasses — with recreational stops every few miles. There are also Photo by Eric Johnson several interpretive areas along the way. For more, go to: www.shootingstartrail.org
Day trip to a historic park History enthusiasts might like this trek: Pack up a picnic lunch and visit Seminary Park in Wasioja, northwest of Mantorville, at the intersection of Dodge County roads 16 and 9. It is a walk back in time: the park’s namesake refers to the remnants of one of the state’s first seminaries, built in 1857. The seminary burned in 1905, but its ruins have been maintained. Other historicallysignificant pioneer buildings in Wasioja are, like the seminary, all on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Wasioja Civil War Recruiting Station (the Photo by Journey Photography only such recruiting station left standing in Minnesota), the Wasioja Baptist Church built in 1858, the Wasioja School, and the Andrew Doig Home. Doig designed and built the seminary. His home today is a private residence. For more on Seminary Park, go to:www.co.dodge.mn.us/ and click on the parks and trails section.
Falling for the falls Most hikers like new experiences, and while these sites are a bit farther away from Mower County, they are worth the trip. Most waterfalls are located in northern Minnesota — think Gooseberry Falls on the North Shore — but there are two of the scenic wonders located much closer to this area, in Blue Earth County, around Mankato. The most famous is the waterfall at Minneopa State Park, which also hosts about four miles of hiking trails. The falls are located on the southern end of the park and its Photo by Deb Nicklay location is sign-posted. There is also a second waterfall to enjoy in that area: the Minnemishinona Falls, located in North Mankato. These falls came into the public arena after the land on which they were located was privately owned for many years. Although smaller in volume than the one at Minneopa, it surpasses the Minneopa Falls in height, at a drop of 42 feet. As part of the Nicollet County Park system, the falls can be enjoyed along with a bicycle path. For more on the two waterfalls, and directions, go to: Minneopa: www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/ and search “Minneopa.” The park is also home to camper cabins, a bison reserve and a historic mill site. Nicollet County Park (Minnemishinona Falls): www. co.nicollet.mn.us/349/Parks-Trails July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 17
HOME & HEARTH
Around the Table
Mexican Street Corn Dip
BY JEN HAUGEN, RDN, LD
Good food leads to a good night around the fire pit What’s the number one thing my kids ask for when we are at home just hanging out on a summer night? A fire in the fire pit. While they don’t necessarily sit around it, they do enjoy the smell of it, the process of building it and then the food that comes out of it. Most of their time is spent tossing the ball around the backyard. Our patio is small and simple, but it’s big on memories around this fire pit. The neighbors might stop by, or it might be just us, and it’s a relaxing thing to do to look up at the stars with the logs burning. Because summer nights are made for relaxing as much as possible, I wanted to share some go-to summer meal ideas that can help you spend more time outside with your family and less time inside heating up the kitchen. 1. Grilled flatbread: This one is a versatile recipe because you can start with some pre-made pizza dough, grill it lightly on one side and then flip it and add sauce and toppings. Sauce options are anything you like: pizza sauce, Alfredo sauce, pesto sauce, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, and others. My personal favorite toppings are vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes. And of course the cheese. If you like to add meat, go for it. 18 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
2. Chopped salad: All your favorite produce chopped up into a salad including corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, green beans on top of a bed of lettuce. Simply add grilled chicken breasts (or your favorite grilled meat) and top with a ranch-style dressing. 3. Grilled burger bar: A good burger off the grill can’t be beat. You might go with beef burgers, or turkey burgers, but don’t forget about fun options like walnut quinoa burgers for a veggie option. Keep the toppings simple: cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles. 4. Taco or fajita night: Again, you can break out the grill and cook up the vegetables, the meat, and even warm the tortillas. Besides topping them with salsa, guacamole or plain non-fat Greek yogurt (my go-to swap for sour cream), I’m loving the Mexican street corn recipe that’s so simple to make too and you will find that recipe on the next page. My best advice is to keep it simple, it’s not the fancy food that may take you hours to cook up that makes for a great evening outside enjoying the summer weather with family and friends. Instead, it’s the simple recipes and memories you make around the picnic table or the fire pit that will be the most treasured.
About Jen Jen Haugen, RDN, LD, is a mom on a mission to making everyday cooking easier so you can live your dreams. She’s a local small business owner, author and registered dietitian nutritionist. She owns her own business as a Pampered Chef consultant where she loves teaching how to make cooking fast and easy and healthy. If you would love to gather your friends for a fun evening of cooking together with tools that get the job done quicker, and learn simple cooking tips to make everyday cooking easier, then call Jen to set up your date: 507-438-7109. Want daily tips? Find Jen on Instagram: www.instagram. com/JenHaugenRD and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ JenHaugenRD And grab her Real Meals, Real Moms Recipe Package by subscribing to her blog: www.jenhaugen.com
Mexican Street Corn Dip Ingredients
• ¼ cup (50 mL) mayonnaise • ¼ cup (50 mL) 2% plain low-fat Greek yogurt • 1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder, divided • 2 garlic cloves • 3 oz (90 g) fresh Parmesan cheese • 8 oz (250 g) pepper jack cheese • 1 lime • 4 ears of corn, husks removed or 3 cups frozen corn • Canola oil for spraying corn • 1 jalapeño pepper, stem removed (optional) • ½ small red onion • 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh cilantro leaves • Tortilla chips or fresh vegetable slices
Directions
1. Heat grill to medium-high heat. 2. Combine mayo, yogurt, ½ tablespoon chili powder, and garlic (pressed) in a medium bowl. 3. Grate Parmesan and pepper jack cheeses and add them to the bowl. 4. Zest the lime and add the juice from the lime to the bowl. 5. Spray the corn with oil using the Kitchen Spritzer, sprinkle corn with remaining chili powder. 6. Place corn, jalapeño and onion on the grill grate and cover. Grill for 8-10 minutes, rotating food occasionally. Remove from grill and remove kernels from the cob with the Kernel Cutter. Chop jalapeño and onion with manual food processor. 7. Add all vegetables to grill-safe pan and stir in the cheese mixture. Cover and grill for 8-10 minutes or until mixture starts to bubble. 8. Carefully remove the pan from the grill and stir mixture. Top with fresh cilantro. Serve with chips or vegetable slices. Cook’s Tip: If using frozen corn, skip grilling the corn, and just add it to the cheese mixture in the grillsafe pan. You can shop for the tools mentioned on Jen’s website: www.pamperedchef.com/pws/jenhaugen
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 19
WARRIOR IN WRITING
IJ Holton student Haylie Meyer publishes first book BY HANNAH YANG • PHOTOS
BY
ERIC JOHNSON
Lucas, a young man, is forced to become a spy or lose his life to the evil god Katastrofi. While his friends and Issropia, the goddess protector of the weak, help maintain peace by his side, Lucas’ secret gets exposed and results in his allies shunning him and designating him as a “traitor.” Will Lucas be able to reset the balance between good and evil? That’s the next part of the story that Haylie “Stormy” Meyer will be figuring out— once she’s done with her homework. The 12-year-old has quite a social and academic calendar. One day she may be performing in a school musical, or the next she may be competing in Quiz Bowl. Regardless of the vast array of interests and activities she experiences daily, her love always comes back to writing, and that’s the best escape from the hectic day-to-day activities. 20 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Haylie Meyer, an IJ Holton Intermediate School student is bringing her imagination to life after writing her first book, “Lucas’ War.” She is currently at work on the next installment of the series. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 21
Haylie Meyer autographs a copy of her book “Lucas’ War” for IJ Holton Intermediate School teacher Lindsay Sorenson in March.
Haylie Meyer works from her family’s kitchen table on the next book
“I like being able to create my own world,” Meyer said. “I love being in a world and do things you don’t do normally. I love sci-fi and fantasy realms. I love magic and being able to create my own place.” Despite the heavy workload and extracurriculars, the IJ Holton sixth-grader was still able to publish her first book “Lucas’ War,” which Meyer said will be part of a trilogy or saga. She held her first book signing in March on her birthday in the media center at IJ Holton and even hosted a book talk at Sweet Reads in downtown Austin. Yet this accomplishment surprised little, if anyone. If one were to wander around the hallways at IJ Holton, it’d be a very rare sighting to see Meyer without the heavy presence of books, notebooks or her laptop. Whenever inspiration strikes, she is quick to jot things down on folded sheets of paper and stick them in a designated pocket on her backpack. Or, you might find Meyer with her friends, swapping stories of fantasy, adventure and friendship. They’d congregate together and expand on Meyer’s world with their own characters and come up with stories. It’s an exciting life being a writer. “A lot of things take a lot of time,” she said. “It’s an amazing world.”
An unwritten ending Meyer’s love for writing was evident from a young age (younger than she is now) and didn’t come as a surprise to her loved ones who watched her continue to craft her stories. “She’s always loved reading and writing,” said Alisha 22 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Meyer, Haylie’s mother. “She has always enjoyed it, and it was no surprise about her wanting to publish a book. She talked about it for a long time.” Coming from a family of “math people,” Haylie would feel different about her interests. However, feeling different wasn’t something she considered to be strange. “I’m different,” she said. “Writing is something that I’ve always wanted to do.” Stored away at home are unfinished manuscripts and stories that Haylie has compiled over the years. She would write one story, and then tuck it away for safekeeping until she receives another creative jolt to pick up where she left off.
It was hard to gauge how many unfinished or completed works Meyer has exactly, other than her estimated “hundreds.” “I have a lot of ideas,” she said. “I’m usually figuring out how things are going to go. “ So when Alisha’s daughter approached her about finding a publisher, Alisha was on board and helped search for the right publishing company that would assist with the printing of “Lucas’ War.” “Otherwise, she made all the decisions as far as style and formatting,” Alisha explained. “There were a lot of different options available. It was just interesting to see such a wide range of options depending on the publisher you chose.” Yet seeing Haylie succeeding in this stage of her writing career and continuing to move ahead with writing her book and still have her whole life ahead of her was not an anomaly. “It does not surprise me at all,” Alisha said. “That’s one of her biggest passions. I’m proud of her.”
A bond between teacher and student It always helps to have someone in your corner if you need it. For Haylie, that would be Sarah Shultz, an IJ Holton teacher who greatly helped with Haylie’s efforts to becoming a published author and invested heavily in her student. “Seeing her with a pen and paper everyday makes me smile,” Shultz said. “I love seeing her working with her friends who are on the same wavelength as her. They share enough stories where they collaborate. It’s such an amazing thing to see.” She recalled the number of months working with Haylie editing her manuscripts and working with her in seeing what needs to be done in order to make her student’s dream a reality. “I’m very pleasantly surprised with her level of detail,” Shultz said. “She’s building on that foundation and has a process. I just happened to be the lucky one who gets to be a part of her journey.” As Haylie progressed in her book, she said she couldn’t have gotten this far in writing without Shultz, even dedicating “Lucas’ War” to Shultz. “It means so much to me how much she helped me,” Haylie said. “I would not be here today without her.” Shultz emphasized how much a teacher’s role in investing into a student’s passion could result in dreams becoming a reality. With Haylie, she saw more than just a dream coming true for a student. She saw how education made a dream come true. “It’s completely rewarding for me,” Shultz said. “Investing is the most important part of my job and it’s important for someone to be in their corner and be excited about their accomplishments. They know I’ll always have their back. I’m so proud of Haylie.”
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July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 23
OUT & ABOUT
Dr. Amer Alam, Dr. Rafael Contreras-Galindo and Dr. Wioletta Czaja are three of The Hormel Institute newest section leaders bringing new innovative research to the Institute.
Continuing to Grow
24 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
The Hormel Institute adds three new scientists STORY
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PHOTOS BY THE HORMEL INSTITUTE
The Hormel Institute’s newest expansion continues to fill with the hiring of three additional faculty members, who will each lead new research sections. Dr. Amer Alam, Dr. Rafael Contreras-Galindo and Dr. Wioletta Czaja are each bringing new and innovative research to The Hormel Institute’s world-class facility, enlarging the number of research sections at The Hormel Institute to 20, with each section focusing on a different area of cancer and biomedical research. Dr. Amer Alam leads the Structural Biology of Membrane Transport lab at The Hormel Institute. His research focuses on determining the 3D structure of the proteins in cellular membranes. Cellular membranes are oily barriers that separate the cell from the outside world. In particular, Dr. Alam is interested in proteins that control the passage of material across the cellular membrane and prevent materials from freely entering or leaving cells or parts of the cell. Dr. Alam uses The Hormel Institute’s cryo-electron microscope, the Titan Krios, to see what the proteins, lipids and other molecules that make up the cell membrane actually look like at resolutions beyond 0.5 nanometers, where fine details of the molecular composition of these proteins become visible. He hopes to expand his research to also include cryo-electron tomography, a branch of electron microscopy that would allow him to see detailed information about the structure of cellular components on a much larger scale within the cell. This information can shed light on how these complex machines in our bodies work and how dysfunction in their systems leads to specific diseases, ranging from metabolic issues to age related illnesses and cancer. Dr. Alam joins The Hormel Institute from ETH Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland, where his work focused on using cryo-EM to determine the structure of a particular protein (1/MDR1) that allows certain cancer cells to become immune to chemotherapy. This latest work was published in the journal Science earlier this year and provided the clearest picture to date of how the anticancer drug pacltiaxel (also known as taxol) binds inside this protein’s drug-binding pocket and is pushed from the cell, keeping the drug from delivering its chemotherapeutic benefits. “The hormel institute stands out as being the only institute in the region, and one of a handful across the globe that has an in house Titan Krios cryo-electron microscope,” Dr. Alam said. “With this tool in hand, along with the
collective expertise of a world class faculty, we can tackle some of the most challenging problems in biology and visualize the molecular details that are their heart.” Dr. Rafael Contreras-Galindo leads the Genome Instability and Chromosome Biology lab. His research focuses on how chromosomes divide and why they divide incorrectly sometimes. To do this, Dr. Contreras-Galindo looks at centromeres, the central part of the chromosome. He studies how centromeres affect the outer part of the chromosome and how they affect chromosome division. Currently, Dr. Contreras-Galindo researches scleroderma, a thickening of the skin, and leukemia and lymphoma. He also studies ovarian cancer in collaboration with Dr. Ilana Chefetz who leads the Cancer Stem Cells and Necroptosis lab. Dr. Contreras-Galindo was most recently at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “The Hormel Institute counts with outstanding facilities, cutting-edge equipment, and the most brilliant scientists in cancer research that create an excellent environment to develop my research ideas,” Dr. Contreas-Galino said. “Together, we are finding the causes underlying cancer with the aim of finding ways to prevent or stop it.” Dr. Wioletta Czaja leads the DNA Repair and Genome Stability section. She researches fundamental systems that repair damaged DNA and protect our cells from mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Dr. Czaja investigates why and how genes mutate and the repair processes in place that look for and repair damaged DNA. Her research also aims to identify novel mechanisms involved in chemo resistance and use that information to advance development of new treatments. Because Dr. Czaja is focused on fundamental tumor suppressor systems that protect DNA in each and every cell of our body, her discoveries will have an impact on many different types of cancer. Dr. Czaja joins The Hormel Institute from University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. “I’m honored to be part of the Hormel Institute and the Austin community,” Dr. Czaja said. “I look forward to new exciting research and discoveries, as we are all coming together to accelerate our understanding of cancer.” The Hormel Institute will continue to hire as they fill the newest labs and increase their research capabilities. Cuttingedge technology, including the CryoEM, are a big draw for world-class scientists to join The Hormel Institute. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 25
– For the love of –
shiitake 26 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
The journey of a LeRoy mushroom farmer and the growth of success BY HANNAH YANG • PHOTOS
BY
ERIC JOHNSON
Kalvin Stern walks among the roughly 1,400 logs used to raise shiitake at Fiddlehead Knob farm, owned by himself and wife Rachel Davis.
When you come upon a white farmhouse in the middle of rural LeRoy, a small blue heeler dog named Irie will come to greet you with a friendly kiss. Her owner, Kalvin Stern, has been working hard at maintaining the fourgeneration farm that belonged to his wife Rachel Davis’ great-grandfather. There’s always something that needs to be done, but the LeRoy native wouldn’t have it any other way. However, the real jewel of the farmstead is deeper into the property. Behind the house is the operations of Shiitake grow off the end of a log.
Fiddlehead Knob. Around 1,400 logs are neatly stacked and lined along the ground. Between two to four pounds of shiitake mushrooms will sprout on each log, making for a delicious, earthy compliment for culinary lovers everywhere. With a quick look at each of his logs, Stern notices a couple mushrooms that had sprouted and were big enough to quickly harvest. A gleam in his eye and a bright smile was all that was needed to see that some of the mushrooms were ready to be eaten. “It’s a lot of trial and error,” Stern said. “But it’s all worth it in the end.” July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 27
Kalvin Stern looks around for prime candidate mushrooms amongst the laid out logs at Fiddlehead Knob.
Shiitake mushrooms sprout from logs at Fiddlehead Knob farm.
28 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Journey through the woods
Foraging was how Stern got interested in mushrooms. He remembered the summer days of searching among the trees and forest floors to find mushrooms edible to eat. Eventually, one thing led to another and now he grows them. Stern and Davis both grew up near LeRoy and after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the two moved to Boone, North Carolina, spending time living in the Appalachian Mountains. There, the two spent huge amounts of time hiking, camping and foraging. During this period, Davis worked at a homeless shelter and crisis facility while Stern was an apprentice at an organic and biodynamic farm. They eventually married in the fall of 2016 and decided to put down roots back in LeRoy, where they started their dream of running a mushroom farm. Fiddlehead Knob stands on the 10-acre farmstead where the family now grows a wide array of mushrooms, with acres of state wildlife forests and prairies providing a cascade of different flora and fauna nearby. If you were to ask how many varieties of mushrooms exist, Stern could probably list off a whole range of different types, including the familiar shiitakes, fiddleheads and oyster mushrooms as well as the unusual ones such as lion’s mane that are used for natural medicinal purposes. “It really depends on the season,” he said. “We forage for different ones during the seasons. Funny thing is people think you have to go far to find mushrooms. Not all. You can find them anywhere.”
In order to grow shiitake mushrooms, a lot of research and preparation takes place. First, one-inch holes are drilled into a couple natural logs. Then, mycelium — the vegetative part of the shiitake mushroom — gets placed into the log. Cultivation is preferred on hardwoods like oak, sugar maple and beech. There were also setbacks. Last summer, Stern said that the rainy season caused some unforeseen problems in the fruiting chamber. Previously, Fiddlehead Knob grew mushrooms inside of the basement of the farmhouse, but the setbacks inspired Stern to move operations completely outdoors. Now in the backyard stands a partially finished lab, fruiting chamber and incubation room all under one roof. Eventually, the bones of the building will be covered with a tarp to help minimize moisture and protect any sprouts from inclement weather.
A labor of love
If you were to ask Stern about his thoughts on becoming a mushroom farmer, he’d laugh and say that this career trek was completely different from what he would have imagined for himself. So when reflecting on the success of the Fiddlehead Knob, the LeRoy native constantly finds himself thinking of bettering his methods in producing ample amounts of edible mushrooms for markets around the area, as well as becoming a direct seller to restaurants. Word of mouth spread, and Fiddlehead Knob drew widespread attention from national news outlets like The Seattle Times and U.S. News & World Report. Soon after, phone calls came from mushroom enthusiasts all over the country. One of those enthusiasts will be flying in from New York to intern for Stern on the farm and learn all about the agroforestry methods Stern uses to help curate the mushrooms this summer. “It’s funny thinking that people are reaching out to us in rural LeRoy of all places,” Stern said with an amused expression. “But, it’s really cool. I had a guy call wanting to talk about my mushrooms. I never knew there were so many people out there interested in mushrooms.” However, growing mushrooms meant more to Stern and Davis. It’s a way of connecting people with similar interests. While the couple plans to take a step back from farmer’s markets this season, they won’t completely discount it. After all, without the support of their loved ones and members of the community, Fiddlehead Knob wouldn’t be where it is today. Last spring, the couple held an inoculation party to help prepare the logs for shiitake mushrooms. With good food and laughter, Fiddlehead Knob became a symbol of growth and hope for those looking to pursue their passions. “It was a really great way to bring the community together,” Stern added. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 29
Photo by Chanda Ounkon. Find more photos by Chanda along with art from many other readers in the following pages.
30 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Art of the Wheel
Car owners tell the stories behind their vehicles
Public Vision Readers share their art
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 31
Memories of Youth
Gary Harrison 1954 Ford Mainline
Gary Harrison once swore off hotrods until a car came along that took him back in time STORY
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PHOTOS
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BY ERIC JOHNSON
A lot of times when you ask a car enthusiast about their car, the talk inevitably turns to history, especially if that classic connects them to the past. Gary Harrison isn’t any different when he talks about his 1954 Ford Mainline. “I’ve been out cruising with it, went to a ball game with it … it just brings back a lot of memories,” the Lyle mayor said. The green, four door has been lovingly cared for, not only during the time he’s owned it, but before that, when it was owned by a lady from Blue Earth, Minnesota. 32 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
For Harrison, however, it goes back further in time, to when he was 16 and given the green light by his parents for him to own his first car. Unfortunately, at the time he didn’t have a say in what model of car he was allowed. There had to be a practicality to it. “I had to work to get mine,” Harrison said. “Of course that wasn’t my choice to buy, but my parents were strict enough. You’re going to do something economical. At 16 you want a vehicle of your own, even though it wasn’t what you wanted.”
Harrison’s 54 Ford, ready to roll in the driveway of his home.
Very little has been altered in Gary Harrison’s Mainline. That includes the interior, which remains frozen in time.
Harrison remembered being part of a car club at the time and remembered taking some good-natured ribbing from other members. Over time, Harrison put the Ford through it’s paces as only a teenager can. “Like all 16-year-olds, I went out and beat the holy heck out of it,” he said. “… try to blow the motor — and I did.” But the vehicle left an impression. As Harrison moved through life, other classic cars came and went, including a 1923 T Bucket and a 1954 Oldsmobile, but eventually Harrison determined it was time to move on from the classics, going through the motions of convincing himself he was done. “I got out of it. I’m 77-years-old, okay, I’m out of it,” Harrison remembered thinking. Then one night, he found himself on the internet and fate intervened. “I was at home one night … and this Ford popped up and it just hit a nerve,” Harrison said. “It was my car and it was a 1954 Ford Mainline, six cylinder, three on the tree as they say, four door and I looked at that and thought, ‘oh my gosh.’” Harrison didn’t jump at it right away though, instead taking the time to think about the idea of owning another classic. Ultimately though, Harrison called the owner at the time, who lived in Hutchinson. They planned a time to meet and began haggling. “We were quite far apart and I told him, ‘I don’t want to insult you, but there are some issues here,’” Harrison remembered, but he still took the vehicle out for a spin. “I took it down the road and it just goes down the road as sweet as can be. I went back and I lowballed him and I thought he’ll probably chase me right out of the garage and he looked at me and said, ‘you know, it’s going to go to a great home. You drive it home.’” Unlike the original 54 he owned, however, Harrison deemed to keep the car as it was, in its original condition. The original owner won the car in 1954 and when she finally sold it in 1981, it had just 21,000 miles. Harrison said it just now has flipped over the 60,000 mile mark. A large majority of the car is still original, including a Triple AAA emblem on the back, given to drivers before stickers were involved. It’s even still sitting inside its original paint job. Harrison still gets those feelings of the past when he drives the car, which he describes as being able to hum down the road as if it just came off the line. It brings back the past and, with a smile, Harrison sums up the feeling of getting behind that 54 Ford with just one simple thought. “It’s just a super feeling,” July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 33
Jewel in the rough
Joe Schechinger 1969 Dodge RT
Sometimes a car just has to be driven STORY
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PHOTOS
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BY ERIC JOHNSON
Go to any car show, and you will see lines and lines of art on four wheels. Car after car that have been tricked out, cherried and polished to a point of looking like they came off the assembly line that day. It’s an artistic expression of another sort. And then there’s Joe Schechinger of Austin. On a humid May evening, Schechinger pulled out his 1969 Dodge RT and it looked every bit like it came off the assembly line as well, in 1969 … and hasn’t received a bath since. 34 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
The car is caked in dirt and grime, but Schechinger doesn’t much care. For him, the art of the vehicle is the fun of driving it, dusty coating and all. “It’s been really something that catches the eye, because it’s been sitting so many years,” Schechinger said. “There are parts on this car that people just don’t see anymore.” And that’s the rub. Schechinger’s RT is nearly 100 percent original, with a few minor repairs and additions here and there to help keep it running. Some people might see a rolling nod to old, unwashed history, but Schechinger knows better. His car has character.
His Dodge is often the topic of conversation when he rolls it into a car show or driving down the street. “(I’ve) got a lot of thumbs up and a lot of people really like it,” Schechinger said. The car was originally purchased by Schechinger’s brother in the early 70s, who then traded it in. Schechinger went down to the local Dodge dealer soon after and bought it, driving it until 1984 when he parked it and let it age up until two years ago. In between those times it never ran, never moved and Schechinger wasn’t inclined to move it. Schechinger laughed, however, when he related how after just a few tweaks, the car started right back up again. He said it drew attention from other car enthusiasts almost immediately. He remembered parking it next to vehicles that had thousands of dollars of work put into them, some of which totaled over $100,000. One Joe Schechinger’s 1969 Dodge RT may gentleman summed show its age, but it also shows its up the fascination craftsmanship and it still turns heads to this day. Above, Schechinger put Schechinger’s car was on the vehicle’s original tires drawing though. not long after getting the “He looked at it car out again. and laughed and said, ‘the best thing you can do is just drive it. It’s an original, it’s what it is. Nothing has really been changed,’” Schechinger said. “People are really going for that. That’s why I left it the way it is and he was right.
I’ve had more people asking me about it this year, ‘when are you going to get that dusty Dodge out?’” His answer to that question is always a little off, considering the patina that covers the vehicle like stone from history. It’s so aged in fact that it still has scorching in some places from a fire in 1978. In some ways the new paint it received after was about the newest thing the car received. Schechinger laughed easily when talking about the condition of the vehicle, but it’s also clearly a source of pride. The RT still cruises easily at 70 and 80 mph, it starts on a single crank and you don’t forget how it feels to drive. “It’s a different feel for the road because you’re going to feel more of the power when you step on it,” he said. “You feel the rumble come through the car. It’s a different feel from new cars.” Schechinger is perfectly content with driving the car as it is. The way it was constructed and still runs is probably art enough, and as for those who ask if he’s ever going to clean it, his response is always to the point. “They ask me, ‘when are you going to wash it?’ First question,” Schechinger said. “Well, when they stop taking pictures.”
The RT emblem marks Joe Schechinger’s 1969 Dodge’s heritage.
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 35
Tale of the Tape
Corey Rogers 2006 Corvette Z06 Jordan Rogers Dodge Neon SRT-4
Two brothers, two different car interests STORY
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PHOTOS
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BY ERIC JOHNSON
Brothers Corey and Jordan Rogers were standing in the garage of their home, their two vehicles side by side, but very far apart. Corey’s is a 2006 Corvette Z06, low to the ground and bright red; Jordan’s a Dodge Neon SRT-4 of shining silver, blue and chrome. Still the thing that links the two of them is the love for the vehicles they own, even if that passion is displayed in different ways. The brothers enjoy working on the vehicles they own, but while Jordan tends to spend all of his time in recent years 36 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
working on his Neon, Corey will look for new opportunities to tinker. “It’s not anything I do for money,” Corey said. “It’s a hobby I enjoy doing. I’ll change performance stuff — headers, exhaust, intake, turbo chargers, super chargers … anything I want to do.” That interest goes back to his teens, before he could drive, when his tinkering revolved around BMX bikes, skateboarding and rollerblading. All of that changed when he got his license. “Ever since I got my drivers license, when I was 16,” Corey confirmed.
At first, his interests ran parallel to the trends of the time, when the first of the “Fast and the Furious” movies were coming out. “When I first got into it, when I was younger, during ‘Fast and the Furious’ time, it was body kits and neon lights,” he said. “Now it’s more performance orientated.” Corey’s routine is fairly straightforward. He looks for and buys a car, works on it until he gets to a point where he’s happy and then looks to sell it after a couple years of driving and enjoying. For Corey, it’s a chance to put his stamp on it. “Making things different, making it my own,” Corey said. The Corvette is Corey’s first American car and while there isn’t much he can do in terms of adding body kits or modifications, it works well with his interest of enhancing performance. Corey already has his eyes on another vehicle, but instead of jumping on it, he’s holding back until the vehicle of choice gets a little closer to his price range. For the time being, he’s just going to sit back and drive. “I’ll enjoy it while I can and see if something comes along that I like,” he said. “Maybe sell it and change to something else.” On the other side of the garage is Jordan. On this day the hood is up and he’s been working on the engine. Unfortunately, the car has been spending more time in the garage than maybe Jordan would like, having blown the motor. Jordan has owned the Neon for six years, and despite it not currently running, it’s obvious the care he’s puts into as well as those things he’s added. Underneath the hood, the blue and grays shine and the chrome pops. It’s right in line with what Jordan likes about the car. “I like the cosmetic look and how clean it looks,” he said. “It’s different than anything usually.” One of the things that Jordan likes the most is just how much he can do with the vehicles. Various kits are available to alter the look and they are easy to power up the engines. Not to mention the smaller car came already enhanced from the factory. “I like the platform and it was a factory-turboed car,” he explained. And when they are cosmetically enhanced they are just plain sharp to look at. “I think I just like when people are looking at it and are amazed with it,” he said. “Most people look at this and are pretty impressed with it. People are like, ‘I’ve never seen one like this in such good condition.’” Jordan doesn’t see himself parting with the Neon anytime soon, but he’s not ruling it out either. “I’ll probably end up keeping it and building something else,” Jordan said.
Cory Rogers’ 2006 Corvette Z06 shines under the afternoon sun.
Jordan Rogers’ Dodge Neon SRT-4, a lesson in detail.
River Rats car show in August The fifth annual River Rats Car Club Car Show will be held on Aug. 17, 2019, at Lafayette Park in Austin. The show will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes food, games, prizes, beer garden, crafts and more. Vehicle entry fee is $15. Registration is 7:30 a.m. to noon with voting going from noon to 1:30 p.m. and awards to follow at 3 p.m. Free admission for spectators. For more information visit Facebook and search River Rats Car Club. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 37
From Readers our
“Amish Friendship Bread” BY HELEN HOLDER
Print and Pottery BY JENNA GRABAU
I was born and raised in Austin, Minnesota. I graduated from Austin High School in 2017, then attended Riverland Community College to earn my Associate in fine arts in 2019. As a child, I was always creating something with my hands. I found challenges in art that I couldn’t find anywhere else. Art is my outlet and my way to express myself. Art has been and always will be my lifelong commitment — I believe life is better when surrounded with creativity. When I’m not busy planning my next work of art, I enjoy visiting with my family and spending time with my boyfriend and our pets.
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It was innocent enough. Deb asked who would like an Amish Friendship Bread starter. She had taken it to her sisters, but they already had some so she had extra. That should have been a hint of the enslavement to come, but I didn’t think it through and brought a bag with instructions home. Enslavement?! Oh, yes! The starter must be cared for everyday. Most days that consists of giving it a massage in its bag. Now and then it must be fed: given sugar and flour to keep it alive…a lot of sugar. I must run to the store for more. On the tenth day, some must be used and the rest divided. The resulting bread was good, but besides that golden loaf there are new bags to tend to. The instructions blithely tell you I have lived in Austin since 1968 to share the new starters with when I came to teach first grade at friends. But they already have Shaw School. I met my husband-tobe Bill Holder at Shaw. Together we some and don’t want more. Everyday I massage all the raised four sons who all graduated new bags, feed them sugar and from Austin High School. flour now and then…a lot of sugar. I must go to the store again. On baking day, I still have not gotten any bags given away. I must bake many loaves and divide many bags into new starters. The starters demand their massages everyday, more sugar on feeding day, counter space to rest on. My life is filled with Amish Friendship Bread. The freezer fills with loaves we cannot eat and bags of starter accumulate with each turn of the cycle. I take to carrying bags with me everywhere I go and subtly leaving one behind when I return home to massage, bake and feed. I must get more sugar. I begin to have dark thoughts of murder: burying bags alive in the flower beds, leaving them in the woods to starve, stabbing them in the sink and letting their life ooze into drain. But guilt keeps me from killing. I go to the internet for help. There are hundreds of variations of the standard recipe for bread, but then the magic words catch my eye: the starters can be frozen—put in suspended animation so to speak. I pack the starters in the freezer around the baked loaves we haven’t eaten yet. Freedom at last! No more massages, no more feeding, no more baking, no more multiplication of starter! As time goes by, the loaves of bread get thawed and eaten, but the frozen starter remains behind—pushed further and further to the rear, buried under vegetables and cans of juice. Then comes the day I pull out the bags and wonder what is in them. Well, whatever it is, it is much too old to keep. And I throw them out with the orange peel I was going to use in fruit cake last year and the frost-bitten hamburger that somehow I overlooked.
Art of the Animal BY AUDREY FERRIS
Art has always been a huge part of my life. Growing up in Austin, a 2011 graduate of Pacelli High School, I was always drawing and doodling in between classes and study halls, as Pacelli didn’t offer art classes at the time since it was so small. I would always enter painting and drawings in the Mower County Fair every summer growing up for fun just to share my talent with people in the community. I decided to pursue art in college, knowing that going to college with no prior art classes was seemingly risky. I attended St. Mary’s University in Winona, graduating with a degree in graphic design. During the winter of 2018, I moved to the North Shore, settling 60 miles north of Duluth in the small town of Finland, close to Silver Bay. Accepting a job as a manager at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, being surrounded by the artwork and admiring it all day made me appreciate the North Shore that much more. I’ve always loved the outdoors, but after moving, I found nature and certain animals living on the North Shore so interesting compared to the animals I was used to in Southern Minnesota. So I began to research animals that live along the shore, which resulted in fun “therapeutic” studies of the animal I was researching, appreciating the animal even more as I was drawing/painting it because I was also learning about its habits and lifestyle.
I was born and raised in Austin, graduating from Austin High School and subsequently from Austin State Junior College (now Riverland Community College). My husband, Jim, and I raised three children here, all of them graduating from Austin High School. My love of poetry began as a teenager.
“Immigration”
BY VICKY A. KING As the Norwegian shoreline absolved They came behind them and unrelenting miles of ocean on ships whose yellowed sails laughed at their tears preached of an arduous journey panic roamed rampant from bow to stern. huddled in musty corners oiled with sweat and sorrow on floorboards Landfall finally met their grievous mouths splintered with rot and decay and darting eyes of suspicion they knelt next to their on legs of old sailors they shuffled ahead chests of hope needles from the Scots Pine dropping as salty winds clogged their pores like breadcrumbs on their only road back. leaving them breathless. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 39
“Margaret”
and her mind was overall clear but within Margaret’s mailbox sat at the end of the that half hour of writing, unlike the times road, a long ways from her house. She had BY TAYLOR SHOP prior and after it which came to her of course to walk to it if she were eager for any kind of alongside her vagueness, the time without correspondence. She was the kind of person Taylor Sharp is a 2014 AHS proof that it was real seemed quieter. If who, without any dose of cynicism or ability graduate currently in a swivel she sensed more the spiritual things maybe to allow second thoughts or inclinations chair in Saint Paul, Minnesota. she had the awareness every now and then to bud up and ruin her mental health, was So far he writes for fun and before it passed never to be remembered that absolutely able to do so. because he likes wasting a lot of all the letters were the iconography in total The mid-morning trek, either as a time changing around the fonts. for a sense of accomplishment, of the vow mission to send or as a preconceived that she had no more power to better things. excursion to receive, was so regular that Without wisdom borne from voluntary introspection it was congruent in her mind to an exercise regime. The she could not comprehend that sometimes she had the same-aged townsfolk who asked for countryside walks in premonition that she was gripping onto her beloved every the morning in her company were negligent to the truth that day. Calmness out of her half an hour made the fact easy that she already had all the routine she needed to be healthy and it was habitual and between hours of weakening endurance happy. The initial times they asked she rationalized solely on was the signature put down with innovative ways to express the topic of her homestead chores, consecrating inwardly the her love (“I hope to see you soon” today) and hope devised letter time of her day as something both personal and familial, that the future is better than the present. The years prior and they thought that explanation to be so irrational that they were proof that any love in the genesis of their family they chose to ask several more times in case she soldiered through avoided then and now they lost it utterly. For family it was whatever delirium she evidently had. Because it was a script perfectly natural to meet up no matter how many years had to her with no truth beyond the daily relief it was hiding, she gone by because love then and love now are identical inside worded her evasion exactly the same every time. Listening to of a family. her last, “Oooh, I have just enough around these parts to keep The men and women conceptualized it in a way me healthy and happy,” on May 4th they stopped inviting her completely innovative to her. They did not overpower the and, on an evidently incidental note, stopped visiting her too. bonds by constant, ugly victory over the temptation to excuse She wrote in loyalty to that routine and to her came no the bonds as things not altogether leaving lives for the worse. nuance or surprise every day to reveal that it was unbearable The men and women and children lost them. Coveting or unforgiving. No imagination in her mind was there to talk from her while she was unable to see them, they were debate over the success of the demands in her growing strangers and she sensed the truth in that because it was content which altered over time yet whose only purpose had unmistakably their ideology to be strange. Lost to her was nothing more there to disrupt her faith in her loved ones. chatter in which they would explain themselves and by being Every day she did her meditation before she cycled through there remind her of the softness of humanity. Left to her only the barn and across troughs, at 5 pm because she could not was that it all seemed strange and the men and women and fathom the refreshment of food without having done her children were too distant to jeopardize the truth in that. meditation. The lead-in to it did not sizzle away at her organs
Photoshop Magic BY LAWRENCE PARKS I’m using Photoshop as a pair of scissors basically. A really great pair, but basically the work is not employing the many “collage” techniques available in Photoshop. All of these began as paper collage pieces with Photoshop introduced after scanning the pieces. I live in Austin. 40 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Every day she was curious over what they were cooking for dinner but today, a brief light in her came today appreciating the truth that she wasn’t going to know and that was new. It couldn’t be that their years spent there seemed now like a nightmare to them, for they were neither ruthless nor dreamy people. They were as good to the touch as she interpreted them at a distance and as she remembered them, and yet when human intimacy passes over the portal between the kind of life in which a frenetic agenda of babble is essential to keep that good life up and the kind of life in which other aspects transcend it, it cannot be lambasted any more than the concept that the two kinds of lives are as human as the years after the first life which diluted it. Over there they were not active towards anyone miles away, occupying a time in which it was unlikely that they would at any point identify the other flavor of joy which was given to them by the people miles away. Years inherently clumped together and because that all happened over a while the insistence that they answer wasn’t there as if a sudden hankering to catch up was an inconsequential whim or the accumulation of her letters was any symbol for emotionless data which involuntarily slinked past their daily eyes, the impact of whose outcome, good or bad, barely dented the senses for a long time. The moment of excitement was quick but in it she had the need to imagine, like she could create characters with the instincts of them but without time’s contribution of amoral education, beings of ideals and exhaustible memory who would live days of divergence before their visits to her which were their sole union, but she fumbled the light and in the study which prescribed her for the only time in years an instance of newness inexpressibly primary over her half hour of comfort, her vagueness settled now no longer capable of being broken. The entire arc of her passion pruned itself again into that simple act and all the worth to be taken from a well-lived life began when she sat down and ended when she sat down with sore feet. She was not sorry for it. In fact she didn’t notice at all the ratio between unworthy
hours and joy or whether that was at all troubling. She didn’t notice she had stopped doing farm work as if she ever thought about what went on in those hours she could not remember. She spoke as what lay silent was what nights of anticipations could not communicate to her, heedful of the disappointment in silence adapting into silence only -- that she was the creator of a bittersweet prerogative and she forced it on anybody who wished the best for her. The quantity of her letters, and the proof that her hope that beyond this card or the next would be a succession from everybody which flawlessly withdraws the era of silence from her memory and life never at any instance disappeared underneath her worsening hysteria and resolution, made it a fallacy in their eyes, impossible as a treatment of solid words, that just their collaboration would give Margaret her conclusive removal of that sadness as if the essence of one was not somehow studiously in a communion with the other and her philosophy. Beyond them they kept it beyond and could hardly fathom whether the first deliveries of her to them felt any worse than all the years afterward over which they heard the catalogue of it all that they guarded. If ever she sensed that their total lack of participation was a summary of their rejection of her, indifference in the finale of a life defined by gratitude and love whose ability to gift vigor to others somehow went shoddy as the vigor of these others died wholly, she avoided the feeling of it beyond an awareness of a tremble uncalled for or that she inexplicably yelled at the cat. She put a lot of thought into this letter, consciously wanting to convince them of something, turning whatever they already believed into the revelation that it really was more immediate. Unconsciously the undertone between her and her loved ones drifted through her as once again it was just another thing outside the casket to which she actually gave examination. Writing “Come over now” with an underline above the unintelligible script she looked out the window and guessed the motion at the road’s terminus was the postman coming for her.
Out in Nature BY BARBE HOULE
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 41
Maybe One Day BY LAURIE OIEN
Laurie grew up in Austin and is a graduate of Austin High School. She currently lives in the Twin Cities, but enjoys returning to her hometown to visit family and friends. Writing started as creative therapy to get thoughts down on a page and to nourish her imagination. Later, she discovered that writing stories about everyday experiences or childhood memories inspired and entertained others. Laurie’s short stories and essays have been published on “Two Drops of Ink: A Literary Blog,” Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop and Midlife Boulevard. In addition, she’s a contributing author in the anthology, “Feisty After 45,” released by Mills Park Publishing. Laurie is never one to turn down a daily dose of dark chocolate. In fact, it was chocolate that instigated the creation of her blog A Square Of Chocolate, where she writes articles with a dash of humor and a pinch of inspiration.
S
he rolled down Main Street like the grand marshal of a parade. Every passerby turned to see her. Men wanted her and the women adored her It was the first summer night of 1969 and her bright red exterior splashed the summer sunset with a cherry luster. Like the summer before, she’d come out from under the tarpcovered darkness protected from the harshness of winter to rejoice in the sunlight. The glimmer of her mag wheels rounded Main Street as if rolling onto a showroom floor. Summer nights in this small town transformed Main Street into a bustling place to see people and to be seen. The Friday night custom wasn’t a parade, but more like a motorcade ritual where the young and young at heart would drive up and down the street waving joyfully to meet friends. They’d gather at the end of Main to form unofficial circles and cliques. Robert looped the lot driving his red 1967 Impala, boosting the engine and parking proudly in his usual spot. Envious motor heads would band around to talk horsepower and check under the hood. Others would flock to get a glimpse of the power-driven eye candy. From inside the pizzeria, Johnny T spotted the mag wheels reflecting like sun catchers in the window. Johnny “Toss-’em High” Olson, or Johnny T as every pizza patron called him, was a car enthusiast dreaming of owning a car exactly like that red Impala. Johnny T was a crowd favorite tossing and spinning pizza dough like a juggling circus performer while customers watched with amusement. Spectators gathered outside the window with a hypnotic gaze as dough discs floated in the air like flying saucers. Johnny had been tossing pizza dough at Pete’s Pizzeria for two years hoping to save enough money to buy his dream car. Johnny, at the age of 22, had visions of his own pie-in-the-sky, so to speak. At the moment, Johnny was the one veering with a hypnotic gaze when Robert drove onto Main like a king in his
42 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
regal chariot. He rode with the windows down shouldering a cool posture of confidence. Johnny wanted that coolness. That confidence. That car. Anxious to end his Friday shift he would shake off his flour dusted apron; smooth back his jet black hair and head to the popular Main Street spot. It would be another chance, from a handful of failed chances; he’d ask Robert about selling his sweet ride. Robert was only 5 years older than Johnny, but his suave and mature disposition knew how to keep deal makers in his back pocket. Robert’s response was always, “maybe one day.” This was how he hooked him just enough to keep Johnny’s mind clouded with wonder. Maybe one day. Johnny took a chance each summer in hopes of being rewarded until the summer of ‘71 when the anticipation of Robert rolling down Main Street became non-existent. There were rumors of Viet Nam, but no one knew for sure. Johnny’s “maybe one day” dreams fizzled. Time marched on for Johnny and with the money he’d saved; he bought Pete’s Pizzeria and changed the name to Johnny T’s Pizzeria. Years of owning a pizza business had provided for his family and brought him success. However, it was clear his long awaited pie-in-the-sky wouldn’t be rewarded. When Johnny realized his son, Bobby, had grown up to share Johnny’s passion for cars, they started a business restoring classic cars. Bobby enjoyed the stories his dad told of the ‘67 Impala and how the crowds gathered to admire it. It was the summer of 2005 when Bobby got a call for a restore job. Johnny and Bobby drove outside of town past clustered fields of corn to a vacant barn. The barn portrayed a timeworn image and was about as overworked as Johnny’s pizza ovens. The old man they met at the barn mirrored the same rugged and resilient exterior. But, like the punished barn, he had settled his footing and was eager to flip the latch to present his treasure. Johnny recognized a swagger in the man’s nature and a familiar youth in the man’s eyes. “Robert, is that you?” Johnny asked. “Hi Johnny, I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me,” Robert responded. Johnny couldn’t believe it. After all these years, Robert was standing right in front of him. He looked beyond the barn doors and parked in the corner over a layer of grit was a tarp-covered structure appearing as lonely as a lost calf among dusty dried hay. Johnny turned to Bobby probing for a similar hunch... could it be? Robert confirmed, “Johnny there’s a reason I called you and your son out here. I knew I could trust you and Bobby with this project. As you know, I haven’t had her out in a while…of course, I’m speaking of the Impala, not my wife,” Robert chuckled. Robert continued. “Things haven’t been the same for me since Viet Nam, Johnny; I’ve kept myself pretty secluded. But, I feel it’s time. I heard there’s going to be a special celebration for next year’s Fourth of July and I’d really like if you and Bobby could bring her back to her glory days for the parade. What do you say?”
Johnny and Bobby simultaneously, “Absolutely, it’d be our honor!” Their starry-eyes focused on the covered structure, much like they were witnessing the birth of their newborn baby. Robert pulled off the tarp to reveal his valued treasure. Unfortunately, the car was less than cherry red, but a murky rose. The mag wheels were coated with dirt and the interior was shabby from years of neglect. No longer did it have a gleaming luster, but visibly scarred from a storied life held tight within. “It has potential, but needs a lot of work,” Bobby exclaimed. “I’ve got the money saved, so whatever you need to get the work done, I want you guys to do it,” Robert said. They worked day and night to get it restored to exactly the way Johnny remembered. Their work was a shared purpose to bring a little piece of nostalgia back to their small town. The day arrived and the ’67 Impala was more than ready. The results nearly brought Johnny to tears. The cherry red luster was back, the mag wheels glimmered and the scars were buffed and polished out along with any lingering despair. Robert approved and was emotionally choked up right along with Johnny and Bobby. “Well, you’d better get ready for the parade line-up,” Johnny said. “Being the grand marshal of the parade, Robert, is a pretty big deal. Our country and community are very proud of you and your service,” Johnny added. Robert dug deep in his pocket and presented Johnny with the keys. “I want you to drive her down Main today.” Johnny’s heart skipped a beat, “You want me to drive in the parade?” “Yep, you’d better get cleaned up if you want to drive this beauty,” Robert taunted. It was the Fourth of July and her bright red exterior splashed the summer sun with a cherry luster. Like those summers before, she’d come out from under the tarp-covered darkness that protected her from the harshness of life to rejoice in the sunlight. The glimmer of her mag wheels rounded Main Street as if rolling onto a showroom floor. Men wanted her and the women adored her. After the parade, there was a gathering at the end of Main to form unofficial circles and cliques. It’s in this gathering spot where Robert proudly parked the restored ’67 Impala in his usual spot. Just like old times. Johnny soaked it up; it was like stepping back in time. He pondered what once was far from reach seemed closer to grasp. Robert’s swagger was more relaxed and life’s experiences had softened his character. Johnny’s gut filled with anticipation and thought he’d give it one more chance for old-time sake. Before Johnny could find the words, Robert’s spirited grin said, “Johnny, I think your one day has arrived. After all the hard work you and Bobby put into this car, there’s no one else I’d want to take ownership – let’s work out a deal!” This was the pie-in-the-sky moment Johnny had been waiting for. With a handshake of gratitude, the deal was made. A few weeks after his triumphant day, Johnny T was back tossing and spinning pizza dough like he had done for years. However, these days the dough discs flew higher and spun swifter. Johnny’s grandson, Jackson, sat mesmerized from the stool where he often sat when he visited his grandpa at the pizzeria. “Grandpa, I want to learn to toss dough and make pizza like you. Do you think I could have a pizza place like this when I grow up?” Jackson admired. Identifying that pie-in-the-sky twinkle in his grandson’s eye, Johnny assured his wonder, “Jackson, maybe one day – if you work hard and have a little patience…maybe one day.”
Backyard Art BY COLLIN WALSH My name is Colin Walsh. I moved to Austin in September of 1995, and I am still a resident here. Photography has always been a hobby of mine and I enjoy photographing nature and animals especially. I volunteer part time at Sweet Reads bookstore. I am a big fan of music and you will probably see me walking around Austin with my headphones in.
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 43
“If I Were Rich” BY LILLIAN FETTERLY
If I were rich, I could eat steak instead of hamburger-but steak is hard to chew so maybe I will stick to hamburger. I could own a fancier car — but it wouldn’t get me any farther or faster. Besides one would always be worried about any little dent or scratch. I could have classier clothes-but I wouldn’t have the fun of shopping for bargains and interesting things. I could take trips to Europe-but look at all of the places that I have seen in my own country and Canada and Mexico. I could live in a mansion, but all one really needs are a bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen and maybe a garage and a backyard. Why would I need to be rich when I already have all of things that I need to be warm, well fed and comfortable? One doesn’t need to be rich to be happy!
“The Cowboy” BY LILLIAN FETTERLY
Giddyup, horsey, Giddyup, horsey. That’s a sight to see, a little cowboy riding on his granpa’s knee. each with the broadest smile that you will ever see. How much fun can it be to be a cowboy on yougranpa’s knee? Giddyup horsey Giddyup horsey What a sight to see! 44 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
From the Garden BY TORI LEITCH
Along the river BY TIM RIETZ
Saw Art BY OB SMOCK
Self Portrait BY MARY WOLCOTT
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 45
Environments and Granddaughters BY PAULA DECKER
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Visions BY CHANDA OUNKONG
July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 47
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World Around Us BY MARK LINGL
Editor’s note If you’ve come this far, then perhaps you’re willing to look down the road. This has been one of the most successful Austin Expression editions of Austin Living since we began this a few years ago. Naturally, and perhaps a little obviously, we will be bringing this back next year for our August-September edition, so mark your calendars to submit even more great material. And be sure to tell your friends. We’re always looking for more great content, whether it’s through images, pottery or the written word. And keep in mind, we will also be looking for ideas and stories to tell with the three features included in this section, so if you have an idea, drop us a line. Huge thanks to everybody who took part and submitted material to Austin Expression. — Eric Johnson photodesk@austindailyherald.com July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 49
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WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. Crime Victims Resource Center (CVRC) provides support services to individuals who have been victims of crime. Services provided may include: • 24-hour crisis line
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July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 51
TRAVEL
Dakota Biwer has reached new heights as he has turned to rock climbing, hitting the road to hit cliffs in Minnesota as well as Colorado, but also the artifical walls at Roca Climbing and Fitness in Rochester.
52 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Scaling a challenge
Dakota Biwer scaled a rock face just outside of Winona recently. Photo provided
Austin native takes up the sport of rock climbing BY ROCKY HULNE • PHOTOS Austin native Dakota Biwer isn’t fazed at the thought of dangling from a cliff with nothing more than the support of a thin rope keeping him from falling to oblivion. He actually cherishes that moment and looks forward to finding it as often as he can. Biwer, who lives and works in Rochester, took up rock climbing after he visited his cousin Rick Percival in Colorado a few years ago. It took Biwer some time to master the technique of climbing, but after watching a few YouTube videos of experienced climbers, he was able to grasp the concept. “I kind of fell in love with climbing. As soon as I came back to Minnesota I bought a membership (at Roca Climbing and Fitness in Rochester),” Biwer said. “I bought all of my climbing gear and I started climbing.“ While sharpening his skills at Roca, Biwer also found
BY
ERIC JOHNSON
some quality climbing locations near Austin at Barn Bluff in Red Wing and Sugar Loaf in Winona. He plans to visit Colorado again in the near future, and he also plans on climbing in Arizona and Wyoming in the near future. Along the way of Biwer learning the skills of climbing, he’s also learned to practice patience. “I like do the high stuff, where it might take a half a day to get to the top,” Biwer said. “I just trust myself and I feel like I know what I’m doing. I’m not going to do something that I’m not sure about. It’s always good to go with someone who’s more experienced than you are.” Biwer has reached heights of 1,000 to 2,000 feet while climbing and he’s learned that the best way up the rock face is to avoid thinking about any distractions. The process is both challenging and rewarding at the same time. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 53
Roca Climbing and Fitness is located at 6071 Rome Circle NW, Rochester, MN 55901. It offers a place for experienced climbers to come in and practice and it also has classes for those who are getting started in climbing.
“When I’m climbing I can take my mind off of everything else. It’s just me and my climb. I just have to figure out how to do it and get to the top,” Biwer said. “There are some climbs where I’m like ‘I can’t believe I was able to do that.’ You’ll just have your fingers in the holes and some of them are very tough to do.” Biwer is eventually hoping to test himself on bigger climbs at places like Yosemite National Park or Devil’s Tower. Those climbs would require him to be on the ascent for multiple days and would require a tremendous amount of focus. However, Biwer recommends climbing to anyone who has the time and dedication to do it. He’s even sold it to his sister Hannah, who graduated from Austin High School in 2018. Hannah was a multiple sport athlete in high school, but now she’s slowly adjusted to climbing at Roca. She’s planning to join Biwer on his trip west this summer. “At first she didn’t like it because she had to catch up on her upper body strength. But she knows that I love it and now we’re going on a road trip,” Biwer said. “It’s made us closer and we have a common sport that we can do together. We can crush our goals together.” 54 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Dakota Biwer hangs during a climb at Roca Climbing and Fitness in Rochester.
Dakota Biwer begins a climb during a recent trip. The Austin native has made climbs in both Minnesota and Colorado. Photo provided
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changing one life CHANGES EVERYTHING July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 55
LOOKING BACK
Mower County Board Chairman Clifford Christianson and Austin Mayor Robert Enright rang a special bell, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Weseman, at 1 p.m. on July 4, 1976. The special ceremony was part of a national bell ringing that took place at the exact moment when the Liberty Bell was rung 200 years earlier. According to Mrs. Weseman, the bell “rings an E-flat tone, the same tone as the Liberty Bell.”
Austin celebrates with a nation BY JAIMIE TIMM, MOWER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY • ALL
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE
MOWER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The 1976 Bicentennial Celebration The year 1776 marked an important year in American history — the emergence of the United States of America as an independent country. Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and it was signed on Aug. 2. Communities across the nation hosted special ceremonies and activities throughout the year, including Austin. Memorial Day served as the kick-off for an entire summer of celebrations. May 31 actually saw two parades in town — the usual Memorial Day parade in the morning and a special bicentennial parade in the afternoon. The next day, the newspaper declared “Bicentennial Parade City’s Largest Ever” with several photographs of the parade. Other special activities in May and June of 1976 included a Heritage Week sponsored by the Mower County Historical Society, a horse show, golf tournament, quilt 56 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
competition, art exhibits, costume competition and more. The Summerset Theatre presented a special play written by a local playwright called “Room in the Heart” that featured many scenes from Mower County history. Many organizations also recognized the anniversary in some way, like the Y Matrons who wrote and produced a humorous video about great moments in history that they presented at their spring dinner to a delighted crowd. Special activities continued through July 4 and the rest of the year. Local recognition of the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence serves as a great reminder how important local history is to the country as a whole. In fact, the whole idea of the “national celebration” depended upon the local communities hosting coordinated events and activities. Austin certainly did itself proud with its participation in the bicentennial festivities.
The Sons of Norway from Spring Valley brought a Viking Ship as a reminder of the many Scandinavian immigrants who made Minnesota their home during the special Memorial Day parade on May 31, 1976.
The Austin HIgh School band walks by during a special Memorial Day parade on May 31, 1976.
Austin National Guard taking part in the May 31, 1976, Memorial Day parade. In addition to the special Bicentennial activities, over 100 Memorial Day ceremonies took place in the area to honor those serving in the armed forces.
Northland Ford Dealer’s float in the May 31, 1976, Memorial Day parade represented pioneer days in Mower County. Many of the early Mower County pioneers arrived in covered wagons carrying all of their possessions. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 57
Summer brings about plenty of excuses to be out and about. All dates, times, and locations subject to change.
July 3-4
Freedom Fest Where: Bandshell Community Park
Annual Fourth of July celebration in Austin. July 4 parade will be held on Main Street.
July 7
Spamtown Disc Golf Tournament When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Todd Park
Singles will play two rounds separated by a lunch break. For more information, call Deb or Greg Huckaby at 507-433-1611 or David Holder at 507-279-1342 or email oneeyedwonderpup@hotmail.com.
July 13-14
Atlantis Swimming Federation Swim Meet
July 25-28 and Aug. 1-4 “Mamma Mia!”
When: 7 p.m. (July 25-27 and Aug. 1-3) and 2 p.m. (July 28 and Aug. 4) Where: Frank W. Bridges Theatre, Riverland Community College A Summerset Theatre production. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship - creating an unforgettable show. Tickets $20 for adults, $12 for children and students. For tickets or more information, go to www.summersettheatre.org.
July 26-27
The Hormel Institute Open House
When: 4-6 p.m. (26) and 1-3 p.m. (27) Where: The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota Free and open to the public - tour through this amazing world-class cancer research facility. For more information, call 507-433-8804.
Where: Austin Municipal Swimming Pool
The pool will be closed to open swimming during the meet. The splash pool will be available to the public. For more information, call 507-433-1881.
July 16
24th Ag Appreciation Day When: 5:30 p.m. Where: Mower County Fairgrounds
Organized by the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce to recognize the contributions of and show appreciation for agriculture to our community with a delicious dinner of Windsor pork chop and sides, plus ice cream and beverage refreshment. Tickets $10 in advance (available at the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce) and $12 at the door. Proceeds from the tickets go towards a variety of activities including sponsorship of the 4-H Ribbon auction, Mower County Dairy Corn and Soy Bean Association, and Pork Producers. For more information, call 507-437-4561.
July 19-21
Atlantis Swimming Federation MRC Championship Meet Where: Austin Municipal Swimming Pool
The pool will be closed to open swimming during the meet. The splash pool will be available to the public. For more information, call 507-433-1881.
July 25
Austin Noon Kiwanis Track Meet When: 6 p.m. Where: Wescott Sports Complex
Track meet for ages 3 and up. Field events begin at 6 p.m., with running events starting at 6:30 p.m. Family and friends invited to attend. 58 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
Aug. 6-11
Mower County Free Fair Where: Mower County Fairgrounds
Free admission to all the fun you can stand! Fair food, grandstand shows and events, midway, animals, horticultural displays, art and photos, games, entertainment and more. Don’t forget the free admission to Mower County Historical Society buildings and exhibits. For more information, call 507-433-1868.
Aug. 16-18
“Yankee Doodle: A Musical Review” When: 7 p.m. (16 and 17) and 2 p.m. (18) Where: Historic Paramount Theatre
A Matchbox Children’s Theatre production. Tickets are $6 for students, $10 for adults, or $20 for student season tickets, $30 for adult season, or $80 for families. For more information, go to www.matchboxchildrenstheatre.org or call 507-437-9078.
Aug. 24-25
Austin ArtWorks Festival When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (24) and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (25) Where: Downtown Austin
Free two-day celebration of visual, performing and literary artists, many with ties to Austin and the area. Expect displays, exhibits, demonstrations, hands-on interactive opportunities, continual live music, seminars and discussions, and lots of opportunities to find your own special art treasures. For more information, go to www.austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.
Jammin’ at the Bandshell For more information, call 507-434-0934.
• July 19 and Aug. 30: A family-friendly musical event for musicians and musiclovers alike. Open to all levels of musicianship, so bring your instrument (voice, guitar, bass, accordion, flute, trumpet, tambourine, violin, etc.) and join the house band Ventura Highway and other local musicians on stage at the band shell in Austin. You can choose a well-known, easy-to-follow song or bring chord charts for the band (at least four copies). Bring lawn chairs, blankets, coolers with treats, beverages, sunblock, etc. No food or beverages will be sold on the premises. Free event at Bandshell Park, 7-9:30 p.m., but a free will offering will be collected to help with production costs. For more information, call 507-434-0934.
Austin Public Library
For more information, call 507-433-2391. • Open Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • Wake Up & Wiggle . . . . . . . . . . • Games and Legos . . . . . . . . . . . . • Morning Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • Sing-a-long Movie Matinee . . . . . • Twilight Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mondays, June 10-July 29, 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, June 11-July 20, 10:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays, June 11-July 20, 1-2 p.m. Thursdays, June 13-Aug. 1, 10:30 a.m. Thursdays, June 13-Aug. 1, 1 p.m. Thursdays, June 13-Aug. 1, 6:30 p.m.
• July 10 . . . . . . . .Talent Show Auditions, TBA • July 16 . . . . . . . .SELCO Vetted Performer: Global Games, 1 p.m. • July 17 . . . . . . . .Hanson Family Juggling Show, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. • July 24 . . . . . . . .Jolly Pops Concert, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. • July 31 . . . . . . . .National Eagle Center, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. • Aug. 7 . . . . . . . . .Talent Show Dress Rehearsal, TBA • Aug. 8 . . . . . . . . .Talent Show, TBA • Aug. 26 . . . . . . . .SELCO Vetted Performer: It’s Showtime Magic Show, 3 p.m.
Austin ArtWorks Center For more information, call 507-434-0934.
• July 2-3 . . . . . . .Daily Clay Camp, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (2) and 1-3:30 p.m. (3) • July 9-10 . . . . . .Daily Clay Camp, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (9) and 1-3:30 p.m. (10) • July 17-18 . . . . .Daily Clay Camp, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (17) and 1-3:30 p.m. (18) • July 18 . . . . . . . .Beginning Acrylic Pour Painting, 6-8 p.m. • July 23-24 . . . . .Daily Clay Camp, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (23) and 1-3:30 p.m. (24) • July 23-26 . . . . .Kids Camp, 10:30 a.m. to noon • Aug. 3 . . . . . . . . .Enameled Earrings with Amy Johnson, 1-3:30 p.m. • Aug. 13-17 . . . . .Kids Art History Camp, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Hormel Historic Home
For more information, call 507-433-4243. • July 1 . . . . . . . . .Austin Community Jazz Band, 7 p.m. • July 8 . . . . . . . . .Kate and the Kavemen, 7 p.m. • July 15 . . . . . . . .Lehto and Wright, 7 p.m. • July 22 . . . . . . . .Joey Leone: AM Radio Memories – Songs and Stories of the 50s, 60s and 70s, 7 p.m. • July 29 . . . . . . . .Bluedog Blues Band, 7 p.m. • Aug. 5 . . . . . . . . .Scott Jasmin: Small Town Song, 7 p.m. • Aug. 12 . . . . . . . .Bissen Family and Friends Band, 7 p.m. • Aug. 26 . . . . . . . .David Stokes Nature Program, 6 p.m.
Events at the Paramount Theatre For more information, call 507-434-0934.
• Aug. 21 . . . . . . . .Stones in His Pocket, 7 p.m. • Aug. 24 . . . . . . . .Max Weinberg Jukebox, 7 p.m.
Sola Fide Observatory Viewings
For more information, call 507-437-7519 or email info@hormelnaturecenter.org. • July 6 . . . . . . . . .9-11 p.m. • Aug. 10 . . . . . . . .9-11 p.m.
• July 20 . . . . . . . 9-11 p.m. • Aug. 24 . . . . . . 9-11 p.m.
Jay C. Hormel Nature Center
For more information or to RSVP, call 507-437-7519 or email info@hormelnaturecenter.org. • Canoe/Kayak Rental . . . . . . . . . . Began June 1 • July 1-2 . . . . . . .“Wonderful Water: Stream to Oceans” with Julie Hecimovich (ages 2-3 with adult), 10 a.m. • July 8-9 . . . . . . .Nature Photography Session 1, 8-11 a.m. (ages 9-11) and 5:30-8:30 p.m. (ages 12-14) • July 13 . . . . . . . .Dammen Adventure Race, 8-11:30 a.m. • July 14 . . . . . . . .Family Nature Photography Session 1, 5:30-8:30 p.m. • July 18 . . . . . . . .Senior Special: “Bird Tales” with Jennifer Ward, 10 a.m. • July 18 . . . . . . . .Nature Play Family Program: “Budding Birders” with Jennifer Ward, 1 p.m. • July 22 . . . . . . . .Monarch Magic, Session 1 (ages 7-8), 1:30-3:30 p.m. • July 23 . . . . . . . .Radical Raptors, 9:30-11:30 a.m. (ages 9-11) and 8:30-10 p.m. (ages 9-11 and families) • July 23-24 . . . . .Junior Rangers: Sensory Overload with Kelly Bahl (ages 6-7), 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Session 1) and 1:30-3:30 p.m. (Session 2) • July 24 . . . . . . . .Radical Raptors Day Trip (ages 9-11), 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. • July 25 . . . . . . . .Senior Special: “Bumbling About Bees” with Will Bjorndal, 10 a.m. • July 25 . . . . . . . .Nature Play Family Program: Will Bjorndal and the Nature Puppet Players, 1 p.m. • July 26 . . . . . . . .Monarch Magic, Session 2 (ages 7-8), 1:30-3:30 p.m. • July 27 . . . . . . . .Family Owl Nest Box Building Workshop in the Nature Center Maintenance Garage, 9 a.m. to noon • July 28 . . . . . . . .Family Nature Photography Session 2, 5:30-8:30 p.m. • July 29-30 . . . . .Nature Photography Session 2, 8-11 a.m. (ages 9-11) and 5:30-8:30 p.m. (ages 12-14) • Aug. 3 . . . . . . . . .Folk Musicians Fendrick & Peck, 10 a.m. (Senior Special) and 1 p.m. (Family Program) • Aug. 3 . . . . . . . . .Nature Play featuring Archery with Scott Hanna, 1-4 p.m. • Aug. 5-6 . . . . . . .“Pond Scum” with Julie Hecimovich (ages 5-6 with adult), 6-7:30 p.m. • Aug. 15 . . . . . . . .Senior Special: “Bear with Me! Learning about Black Bears” with Andie Harveaux, Naturalist Intern, 10 a.m. • Aug. 15 . . . . . . . .Nature Play Family Program: “Web of Life” with Kelly Bahl, Naturalist Intern, 1 p.m. • Aug. 17 . . . . . . . .Natural Community Talent Show, 7 p.m. • Aug. 17-18 . . . . .Nature Art Show, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (17) and 1-5 p.m. (18) • Aug. 22 . . . . . . . .Senior Special Concert: “Songs of Bygone Days” with Lee and Judy Bjorndal, 10 a.m. • Aug. 24 . . . . . . . .Honey Harvest and Processing Open House, 1-4 p.m. • Aug. 26-28 . . . . .Monarch Tagging Sessions 1-3 (ages 10-12), 1:30-4 p.m. • Aug. 28 . . . . . . . .Nocturnal Nature with Kelly Bahl (ages 8-10), 8-10 p.m.
Small Town Festivals • July 3-4 . . . . . . .Blooming Prairie Old-Fashioned Fourth of July • July 12-13 . . . . .Hayfield Chicken Fry • July 12-14 . . . . .Rose Creek Days • July 19-21 . . . . .LeRoy Summerfest • Aug. 3 . . . . . . . . .Brownsdale Fest
Chateau Speedway
For more information, call 507-440-8238. • July 5 . . . . . . . . .Fireworks Spectacular, 7 p.m. • July 12 . . . . . . . .Points Night, 7 p.m. • July 19 . . . . . . . .Points Night, 7 p.m. • July 26 . . . . . . . .Points Night, 7 p.m. • Aug. 2 . . . . . . . . .Points Night, 7 p.m. • Aug. 9 . . . . . . . . .Pack the Stands Night, 7 p.m. • Aug. 16 . . . . . . . .Points Night, 7 p.m. • Aug. 23 . . . . . . . .Back to School Night, 7 p.m. • Aug. 30 . . . . . . . .Season Championship, 7 p.m. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 59
BOOK REVIEW
In Search Of HARPER
Loretta Ellsworth takes readers on a tour of Alabama BY BONNIE RIETZ, AUSTIN PAGE TURNERS Austin Page Turners featured “Stars over Clear Lake” by Loretta Ellsworth, for our city-wide book read in April this year. This was her first adult novel and had written four young-adult books previously. We like to include Austin High School in our project so we decided to also use her young-adult book “In Search of Mockingbird” with the high school students. What a great choice it was. The students enjoyed it very much and were so pleased to be able to meet the author and ask her questions. “In Search of Mockingbird” can be enjoyed by young-adults and adults alike. As I read the book, I was immediately taken in by the young protagonist Erin. On the eve of her 16th birthday, Erin’s dad tells her and her two brothers that he is getting married again. Erin’s mother had died a week after she was born and her father rarely spoke about her. All Erin had was her mother’s weathered copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird” that she had found in the attic. She read it over and over thinking about her mother. Then on the same evening, her father gave her a diary that was her mother’s from when she was 16. When she read the first pages of the diary, she found out that her mother wanted to be a writer just like her. Her mother had written a letter to Harper Lee after reading her book. Erin read the following from her mother’s diary: “I just finished reading ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ It’s the best book I’ve ever read: I even wrote to the author. I asked her, ‘How do you know if you have what it takes to be a writer?’” Since love for this book and writing stories were the only things that she shared with her mother, she decided to run off to Monroeville, Alabama, in search of the author Harper Lee. She would show her the stories and poems she had written and see if she felt that Erin could be a writer. She took the money that her grandmother had given her for her 16th birthday, slipped out of the 60 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
house, went to the bus station, bought a ticket and off she went. I especially enjoyed the character development in this book — Erin’s and the people she met along the way as she took the bus ride to Monroeville from St. Paul, Minnesota. She met Sedushia, a stripper with an adult son she hadn’t seen in a long time; Epp, an overweight young man who was traveling alone and designing a computer game; and Billy, a young man who was heading off to be in the military. As Erin meets each of these individuals and hears their stories, she becomes more appreciative of home, her father, her two brothers and Susan, her future stepmother. She discovers ways of accepting things that she was not able to discover at home. Her journey of self-discovery includes quirky characters, strange coincidences and on-the-road adventures. Her journey starts to give her the courage to confront her own failings, learn from them and begin to accept herself. In so doing, she also begins to accept her father’s plan to marry again. You become drawn into the story and as Erin has her adventures and matures, you want to find out if she does in fact meet Harper Lee. She arrives in Monroeville and talks to people. Her father appears and she then heads for home and is no longer heavy-hearted. Is this because she got to meet Harper Lee and talk with her? Ah — no spoiler alert here! You’ll have to read the book to find out! This book is a page tuner and when you have read the last page, you will wish that it was just a bit longer because of the clever characters and how the author portrays them. It is also heart-warming to see how this runaway adventure helps Erin find identity in her life and meaning in her relationships. This summer check out “In Search of Mockingbird” from the Austin Public Library or buy it at Sweet Reads on Main Street and for a short while you will be carried away on a journey from St. Paul to Monroeville with Erin and her cast of characters.
TURN THE PAGE If you liked reading “In Search of Mockingbird”, Bonnie suggests that you also try reading Loretta Ellsworth’s three other young-adult books: “The Shrouding Woman” – This novel is centered on the little-known practice of shrouding – helping families to put their dead to rest. Eleven-yearold Evie, whose mother has recently died, is suddenly thrust into the life of a shrouder and in doing so touches on the healing process of life. “Unforgettable” – Baxter Green has the unique ability to never forget anything – even a string of account numbers that his mother’s criminal boyfriend, Dink, used in a credit card scam and Baxter remembered in testimony to lock him up. Baxter and his mom move to a new town and he tries to hide (without success) his unique ability. “In a Heartbeat” – Eagan loses her life in a figure-skating competition and her still-beating heart was given to Amelia who needed a transplant. Their feelings and thoughts start to mysteriously overlap and Amelia searches for Eagan’s family to help them all move on. July–August 2019 | Austin Living | 61
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July 4th • July in Osage 5k, Town & Country BBQ, Parade, Bull & Barrel Bash
September 21 • Autumn Artistry One of the area’s largest art festivals
July 11-13 • Ridiculous Days
October 4-6 • Socktoberfest / Annual Fox River Sock Sale
July 31-August 4 • Mitchell County Fair
November 1-3 • Holiday Open House Weekend
August 10-11 • Cedar Valley Memories Power/Steam Show
November 30 • Small Business Saturday
September 20-22 • Cedar River Rendezvous & Outdoor Days
December 6-8 • Magic On Main
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WHY I LOVE AUSTIN
Austin High School student Claire Heichel is one of the proud examples of students coming out of our area schools.
All about perspective
Austin HS graduate finds plenty of reason to love the town she’s in BY CLAIRE HEICHEL • PHOTO Within the past few years I’ve grown to appreciate growing up in Austin my whole life. I think there are a lot of people who think differently about Austin. It’s easier for people to find reasons they don’t want to live here rather than why they do want to live here. Just like it’s very easy to find ourselves looking at the negative parts of life because it seems easier to pick out negative attributes rather than positive attributes. But, when you reframe your mindset, it puts things into a different perspective. This happened to me when I started my job at The Old Mill, a local restaurant in town. Working for a local business really puts a different perspective on the passion that the people have in this town. Although they have different things that drive their passions, it still is very inspiring and motivating to observe and take part in. When I started to look further into the community I grew up in, I started to realize how many locally owned and operated businesses we have in town. I am fortunate enough to work alongside my boss, Dave Forland, who also happens to know a lot of local 64 | Austin Living | July–August 2019
BY
ERIC JOHNSON
business owners in town. The exposure and people that I got to know through him gave me a deeper insight on just how much time, blood, sweat and tears these local business owners go through. They do it because they love it and because the community continues to support them. Although the community supports these local businesses, the owners really have to be passionate about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. Once you dig deeper and get the slightest exposure to what these local business owners do, it makes you fall in love with the work that they’re doing to better the community. Austin continues to be a welcoming and supportive community to not only local business owners, but to those who choose to live here. As the community continues to grow, so does the support from people who are new and people who have lived here for the majority of their life. Sometimes you just have to take that step to immerse yourself into your community and it doesn’t take long for you to realize how great the community is that you are living in.
HAVE HAVEAABETTER BETTER PORK-LIFE PORK-LIFE BALANCE. BALANCE.
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