Jon Bakken - WEM? Hard to omit Jon from any list of candidates for this honor! What a program in Waterville! Waseca area had a few guys in here for their first job and moved on to bigger venues with success.
Jim Korth at Janesville and Sacred Heart, later won big at Mankato Loyola: Rich Chalmers at Sacred Heart then St. Cloud Cathedral and Big Nine titles at Red Wing: Marty Coughlin from the 40s was a sub for the four horseman at Notre Dame in college: Coach Coughlin was the head man at Sacred Heart and a had an undefeated 1945 team! How about Gene Wiebusch and Jack Dahl at Janesville: Bill Marten or Billy Walters at Sacred Heart ( same Bill Walters later was asst. at Waseca High): Waseca Public's Lee Krough, Lloyd Hollingsworth, Neil Davis coached the great teams in late 50s, Lee Storby, Terry Gilbertson( coached in Waseca for 25 years): Don Collins at UMW, Jim Simser won a state title at New Richland before moving to Fairmont. Who did the job in your eyes?
There are presently over 170 Waseca County Century Farms including several Sesquicentennial Farms (150 years old). Efforts were made several years ago during the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, “Barn Again”, to document every standing barn in Waseca County. That year Doug Ohman photographed several barns from every township. They have been on display at the Waseca County Museum, part of the permanent collection. Additions to the Century Farm list are approved once a year every spring. It’s probably not too soon to start the application process for the Spring 2010 approvals. Each designate receives an award certificate and a bronze plaque. Applications are available at the Waseca County Farm Bureau office, 1307 N. State St. and also at the Waseca County Museum, 315 Second Ave. N.E., Waseca. The applications can also be downloaded from the Minnesota Farm Bureau website, www.fbmn.org. Here are more guidelines:
1) The farm must be at least 100 years old in 2010 for a Century Farm designation; and 150 years old for a Sesquicentennial Farm designation--according to the abstract of title, land patent, original deed, county land records, court file in registration proceedings or other authentic land records. Please do not send originals or copies of records.
2) Your family must have owned the farm for 100 years or more. “Family” is defined as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, first cousins and direct in-laws (father, mother, brother, sister, daughter, son-in-law).
3) Continuous residence on farm is not required, but ownership must be continuous.
4) The farm should consist of 50 or more acres, and currently be involved in agricultural production.
The first thing I order when I go into Katie O'Leary's Beef and Brew is a glass of pink lemonade. It may seem strange to go into a pub and order something so light, but it is too early in the day for my usual rum-and-coke, and I don't drink beer. The waitress asks if I'd like to sit at a table, and gestures toward the round slabs of polished wood. I seat myself in a comfortable wooden chair that is luxuriously padded with leather, or something like it. CNN plays on the big screen TV in front of me, and coincidentally the anchorman is saying that beer prices are on the rise. He approximates that the price hike will equate to an extra 50 cents per 6 pack.
I must say, I'm impressed with the immediate atmosphere. The wood fixtures are polished to a shine, and the iron hanging lanterns gives the room an "old world" feel. The walls are covered with various Irish paraphenalia (except the tartan horseshoe and thistles strike me as more "Scottish" than Irish) and Guiness is conveniently on tap. The large streetside windows let in a lot of natural light, and through a glass door I can see a cozy patio with iron tables and chairs, closed in by an iron gate.
Lunch at Katie's is always good, though i don't understand why fries aren't included in the price of the meal. During this time of day, business men in suits bring their laptops to enjoy a noon-time nip and free wireless internet.
I just wish i could say the same for the nightlife. My last experience with Katie's evening crowd made me less than satisfied with their ability to control the more overtly drunk patrons, and somebody kept filling the jukebox with Coldplay. (By the way, i don't remember seeing this jukebox on my latest excursion. I believe it must have either been moved or completely replaced by pulltab machines.)
The bandstage is small, but I've seen smaller. Apparently, if you want to perform a show there, you have to provide your own PA setup. I asked the waitress about the bands that usually play there. She says a local band called Frankie's Boys play quite a bit, as well as Side FX, which will be playing their street dance this Saturday.
I've never been to a Katie O'Learys' "street dance", but i hear they're a lot of fun. All of 2nd Ave. NE is closed off for an outdoor fest of music, food, and strong beverages. This celebration is happening again on Saturday, August 29th from 8pm to midnight.
It also looks like there will be a few more events to compete for your Bar-time this weekend.
Barden's Bar is having Texas Hold-Em Poker on Friday the 28th at 6:30PM, and the band Bad Habits will be playing at P.J.'s Tavern at 9:00PM...this means that come Saturday night,
The spotlight is all on Katie O'Leary's.
Apart from these extravagent street shows, Katie's seems to offer little else by way of entertainment. There is a missing element of comradery between the owners, staff, and patrons that prevents the atmosphere from being as comfortable and fun as one would expect an Irish pub should be, and the lack of well advertised drink specials tend to drive customers elsewhere, particularly the younger, college-age crowd.
My bottom line is this: Katie O'Leary's Beef and Brew is a great place for lunch. Their burgers are top notch, and I am addicted to the Pink Lemonade.
The general nightlife, however, still leaves something to be desired. If Katie's can deflate itself and keep going in the direction that their street dances are leading them toward, then we may have something to look forward to.
A whirlwind week in my world and a million things to talk about without time to do them justice.
I have two folks from the School Board answering some of my questions about the referendum and hope to report the whole thing back to you all next week. They are confident that I will be swayed and become an active supporter of the levy increase. The City Council has a bit of an easier job in that the budget is decided upon by the group (decidedly not easy) but once decided it is voted on by the council, the school board has to put the levy portion in front of voters which is no easy task. I salute all who serve and have served on the Board.
War - what is it good for? I take my stand here before you all and demand a withdrawl of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Too many lives, time and money have been thrown down both holes. They both made sense to me at the time and were the right choice. Now considering the costs of staying and achieving an acceptable stability vs. leaving and each time it comes down to our best interest to leave. The gain is not that great, the loss we face each day is. Bring the boys home Barrack. We face a mounting fiscal crisis and have no effective defense against those who may wish to do us harm.
Council gives back water rate increase - thanks!
Great line about accountants from Alain de Bolton in "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work:
In the wider view of the public, accountancy may be synonymous with bureaucratic tedium, but from close up, this particular conglomeration of numerical talents presents the observer with a case-study of the discrete charms of offices, with their intriguing blend of camaraderie, intelligence and futility.
Yep, thats about the long and short of beancounting.
For all the doubters of the Marketing Steering Committee, stay tuned - I'll have an update for you that I think will leave you pleasantly surprised.
I am off to Chicago for the weekend for a fantasy football draft and a Cubs game - should be a hoot and half.
Waseca Girls Tennis is arguably the most success-full program in Waseca sports!
The girls with Coach Bruce "Vince" Wessman and Lisa Broughton as team leader started winning in the mid-90s and continue today. Broughton is the reason tennis is big in Waseca, many great teams and players have followed but Broughton stands alone as the greatest influence on Waseca tennis!
The 2009 Waseca Girls Tennis team now lead by Coach Kyle Collins: is in action this week on the road vs. Rochester Lourdes, Owatonna, Rochester Mayo, and a doubles tourney at Northfield! Four straight days of tough tennis, check them out at home September 2nd!
Maybe there is a new Lisa Broughton in the mix! Who was the best in your opinion?
View from the sidelines is written by Steve Conway. He can be reached at steveconway47@yahoo.com.
Does anyone have a photo or information about Brooksie Brown? The Brown family was one of the first African-American families to live in Waseca. Brooksie Brown had five children, raising them alone during the 1930s and 40s. She had sons and daughters who graduated from Waseca High School, were very successful in the classroom and the althletic field, and went on to college careers.
Brooksie is remembered because she promoted her children’s success and supported it by selling cosmetics door-to-door out of a baby buggy! Does anyone remember stories of Brooksie Brown, and better still, do you have a photograph of her?
Blog-istory is written by Sheila Morris and Joan Mooney, co-directors of the Waseca County Historical Society. They can be reached at 507-835-7700 or director@historical.waseca.mn.us.
Area residents may remember last fall when our front yard posted two competing political signs. My son, Marcus, and I held differing views on the presidential candidates – though we shared similar views on other campaigns. Needless to say, whether we agree or disagree, politics is a frequent and lively topic of discussion around our house. Through this blog, Marcus and I will be sharing with you our thoughts on the issues (and candidates) of the day. We hope you come to enjoy our weekly “debates.”
Health care is too complicated to cover in one short blog. But, I expect we will regularly touch on some aspect of this important matter as the reform effort unfolds. For now, I would like to applaud all those who turned out for Congressman Walz’s town meeting last week (over 700 people packed the meeting with perhaps a similar number unable to get in due to space limitations). This truly is “democracy in action.” Clearly, there are strong emotions surrounding this issue – and many – often competing - points of view. But these voices need to be heard and considered.
Health care constitutes one sixth of our economy – so, naturally, workers in the health field and the insurance sector have a lot at stake. Employers and individuals struggling with annual double digit increases in health insurance premiums want to see health care cost control. Coverage for the uninsured - and for pre-existing conditions - is a high priority for many. In addition, addressing the exploding costs of Medicare and Medicaid must be part of the equation.
There are no simple answers and there will be no quick fixes. Whether – and how – the government addresses reform is going to affect each of us individually in some way. So, I am glad – and not surprised – that people are showing up and speaking out in large numbers. I agree with Congressman Walz that doing nothing is not an option. However, health care is too important to rush through. It warrants lots of public input and an attempt to find consensus – including bi-partisan support.
That is my two cents.
Tim
An attempt to find consensus is precisely what President Obama is seeking. Bipartisan support for a good health care reform bill is his ultimate goal – but he’s not going to find it. While Congressman Walz’s town hall was heated but respectful (“Minnesota nice,” I guess) other similar forums across the country have received negative attention for their histrionics. The criticism from the right has been more obstructive than constructive.
With cries of imaginary “Death Panels” and fears of government bureaucrats rationing your health care (because insurance bureaucrats aren’t currently in the same business?), it seems to me that this is opposition for opposition’s sake. Despite any concessions the President and congressional Democrats make to Republicans, I predict we’ll see the same type of thing we did on the stimulus bill: a near total shutout.
Zero House Republicans supported the stimulus, and only three GOP senators voted for it. One of those three is now a Democrat, and the other two are Maine Republicans – a breed almost as mythical as the aforementioned Death Panels. The fact that Democrats may have to go this one alone doesn’t automatically mean it will be a bad bill. We will have a bad bill, however, if we have one that fails to address costs or insure the uninsured.
My dad and I have a similar, conciliatory approach to politics. This can frustrate our more ideological friends. My own idealism ought not to be confused for liberalism (though I’ve got my fair share of that). His realism ought not to be confused for being rightwing (I grew up with the guy and rightwing he ain’t). We like to think of ourselves both as independents, and we hope you like to hear what we think – week after week.
Tony Cornish advised the readers of the Waseca County News to contact legislators about health care reform and he was right to do so. Based on recent reports that the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate may push through legislation on their own we may have to go back to Mr. Cornish for direct help.
By virtue of the tenth amendment of the Constitution individual states have the ability to nullify Federal laws. This was used to defeat Bush’s Real ID act and several other states have already introduced legislation to nullify nationalized health care.
As we start to see candidates for election to state office in 2010 start to make campaign appearances be sure to question their willingness to stop the unconstitutional takeover of our economy.
I will contact Mr. Cornish, Mr. Kath and Mr. Day to get there stance on nullification and report back to you.
And now for something shiny to look at…okay I admit it – that is just plain absurd.
I have watched Waseca area sports since the late 1950s. Each decade has a great team or dominate individual as the player to watch or emulate in life! Who do you remember as the best player in Waseca football? Vern Sysyka, Jerry Cawley, Mike Edwards, Joel Wabner, Gene Volz, John Glynn, Steve Cunningham, Barry Quickstad, Jim Tetzloff, George Jessen: or whom?
View from the sidelines is written by Steve Conway. He can be reached at steveconway47@yahoo.com.
I made it to the Walz town hall meeting last night - very fun and informative. The event was well attended, saw a Waseca council person and the spouse of a former council person - they shared a different view than me. The number one WEM Bucs football fan was there and TheSchmoejoes were sending out tweets from the floor with their thoughts. I got there at 4:30 and stood next to a line of Teamsters holding signs in favor of the HR 3200. I had a double sided sign:
If you don't know your hamate from your axilla stay away from healthcare
Freedom + choice = reform (also contained a number of my proposals to reform healthcare)
The sign had plenty of people stopping to talk with me and share their thoughts on the way in to the school. This lead me to decision point - do I go in and listen to the ranting and raving from both sides or engage people outside. I chose the latter, I spent the two hours outside of the school speaking with Teamsters, doctors, Republicans, Democrats, a Walz staffer and lots of ordinary people. I was pleased to find that everyone of them shared my thoughts on reform. Nobody that I talked to wanted the public option first.
A few of the doctors challenged my assertion that the AMA is a monopoly and while it is true that membership in the AMA is not mandatory and the states are the actual licensing authorities a quick review of their history proves that they have monopoly power (or ask your chiropractor...).
The Lyndon LaRouche gang showed up with their Obama as Hitler posters and created quite a scene, a veteran with Gulf War Syndrome was also very entertaining (not because of his condition - it was his passion and rhetoric).
The beauty of the whole scene was that about 1,000 people came together to discuss an important issue and advance their propsal for change - democracy in action.
When I talk to people who are new to Waseca, they always bring up a question that I dread. That question is: “What is there to do around here, anyway?”
I have a hard time answering this, because the water park, while fairly obvious, isn’t always suitable because of the weather, or the fact that people don’t want to spend a lot of money. I could direct them to the “entertainment” section of the visitor’s guide, but the only options it holds is a list of the various bars in town.
After a bit of searching and some phone calls, I have come up with a list of some of the various things that are going on in the area this weekend, so when the question comes up again, I can just hand people a copy of this article. I plan to do similar updates every week, so if there is something going on that I don’t know about, and you think it should be posted, feel free to send me an e-mail. The address is at the bottom of this page.
First off is the Steele County Free Fair, which will be held at the fairgrounds in Owatonna from August 18-23. Nothing entices me more on a summer day than the prospect of freshly made cheese curds. Their “Village of Yesteryear” is also extremely impressive. For more information you can visit their website at www.scff.org .
But that doesn’t really count as something going on in town, necessarily, so here are some other options, brought to you by our local taverns. PJ’s Tavern will be having live DJs for some upbeat dance sessions, Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd from 9p.m. to closing time. If you’re looking for something more low-key for Friday night, you may want to skip the music and visit Barden’s Bar for some Texas Hold-em Poker at 6:30p.m. Otherwise, on Saturday night, Club 57 will present “One” - Metallica Tribute Band at 9p.m.
If the bar scene isn’t up your alley, don’t give up just yet. We also have some live theater going on this weekend, as the Children’s Theatre presents Tom Sawyer at the CIS Auditorium. The first show will be Friday the 21st from 7p.m. to 8p.m., and the second show will be Saturday the 22nd from 2p.m. to 3p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults, and $5 for children, students, and seniors. Also, Event Horizon Hobbies will be having a Respawn Magic Tournament on Saturday, in addition to their usual Friday night Magic: The Gathering tournament.
The weather report (so far) claims that the weekend will be cloudy with some rain on Saturday, so here is my personal suggestion, if none of these other options appeal to you. This weekend would be perfect for doing something indoors for an hour or two, and what better way to use that time than to see a movie. Here are my picks for this weekend:
In theaters - District 9
Genre: Sci-fi
Rated R
New DVD release - Hannah Montana: The Movie
Genre: Family
Rated G
Classic movie - The Sting
Genre: Comedy
Rated PG
I hope everyone gets out this weekend and enjoys the last bit of summer, before we trip over Labor Day and land ourselves in the upcoming fall.
Welcome to the introductory issue of Widespread Panic, home to
philosophical meandering through modern society's unending barrage of
catastrophe. With each episode we can try to determine if the crisis of
the day is indeed a precursor to Armageddon or a garden variety
nuisance. Together we should be able to solve each of the world's
problems in 500 words or less or decide to ignore them and focus on
small shiny objects that catch our eye from time to time.
Without any further delay a double dose of catastrophe on the docket for
August 20 - Waseca School Board meets at 5:30 to discuss the referendum
and Tim Walz holds a town hall meeting in Mankato to discuss health care
at 6:00. The men in the black suits sabotage my time machine each time I
get close to finishing it so I cannot attend both - what to do?
I have great faith in the ability of the Waseca School Board to face the
budget problem that faces them with or without the referendum and they
are very accessible people. I hope to ask my questions and be convinced
to support the referendum and share that journey with you here. Post
your thoughts on what you want the community to know and I will try and
relay some of those answers as I look for facts. I am a numbers guy and
so far I am not sure the numbers add up from what I have seen - the
School Board has seen a lot more than me, so let's open the hood on this
bus and see what is happening.
Tim Walz and his cohorts in DC have not gained my faith on health care.
They seem to be moving from single payer death panels that eat children
to Co-Ops. Co-Ops certainly do not sound very menacing but what are <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/17/AR20090
81702965.html?hpid=topnews> ? Do they already exist (hint - think Blue
and then think Cross)
<http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/08/your_daily_omnibus
_health_care.php> ...)? What happens when a mismanaged Co-Op fails? I
suspect that the friendly national government swoops in to save the day
(Fannie Mae ring any bells?). Nope, Co-Ops are more of the same problem
that got us into this mess. Washington can take a few simple steps that
will reform health care:
* Break up the AMA monopoly for licensing doctors - increase
competition
* Encourage states to remove restrictions on insurers - increase
competition
* Move the tax break for insurance from the employers to the
employees - align the interests with where they should be
* Reform Medicare - the current system pushes patients to
specialists who like running tests (no gerontologists around anymore in
spite of our aging population ).
For a good look at the health care problem from a decidedly
non-Washington viewpoint go here.
So that means I will journey over to Mankato and make my voice heard in
that arena instead.
So enough of the impending doom here is your shiny penny
for the day.
It was created during the winter of 1893-94 by Frank Blakeslee and George Stearns. It was not without an incredible effort that employed many New Richland residents sewing costumes and printing advertisements and handbills.
The show opened on May 17, 1894 drawing an initial crowd of 1500, but the second performance was rained out. Hitting the road, the Blakeslee & Stearns Circus traveled to Albert Lea, Waseca, Mankato, Waterville, Redwing and Minneapolis over the next three weeks.
On June 14, 1894, the New Richland Star reported, “Busted—The World’s Fair and Wild West Show organized in this place, has after an existence of less than a month . . . (was busted).”
On August 4, 2009 the circus once again came to New Richland, the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus—traveling not on the railroad, but on county roads and highways, in trailers, flat beds and vans. There were tightrope walkers, acrobats, high wire acts, jugglers, a clown, beautiful girls, lions, tigers, and even an albino python. What we experienced was most likely one of the last of the small traveling circuses where everything had to be set up—tent, concessions, bleachers, cages, riggings and more. And everyone had several jobs. The ticket-taker was also the stilt-walker and a juggler. The announcer was also a high wire act. The clown was also a trapeze artist. The python handler was also another trapeze artist, and so on. The huge striped tent was a little worse for wear, but one could still imagine its former glory and wonder how many trips it had taken across our country?
Another questions, when will we have another opportunity to experience another small traveling circus?
We feasted on the fun and daring, the music and the “extreme announcer,” the cotton candy and popcorn, the hard bleacher seats and dirt floor, the laughter, o-ohs and a-ahs, and the wonderment in the eyes of the children, parents and grandparents. Leaving, we were glad to have left the TV, Internet, iPods, cellphones and texting all back home. We enjoyed a perfect Minnesota summer evening as our minds tucked another memory away.
Were you there? What did you experience?
Blog-istory is written by Sheila Morris and Joan Mooney, co-directors of the Waseca County Historical Society. They can be reached at 507-835-7700 or director@historical.waseca.mn.us.
Lucas Dimmel, Dan Ghring and Steve Ghring have an idea on how you can fill your empty afternoon. Their new store, Event Horizon Hobbies located at 102 S. State Street (The old Thrifty Exchange building) offers plenty of gaming options. At the moment, they’re hosting Magic: The Gathering tournaments every Friday afternoon at 5:00p.m. To join the game is only $6.00 per person, and gamers compete for prizes like card packs, store credit, and exclusive promo Magic: The Gathering cards.
Not a Magic fan? They also have video game consoles set up in the back room where anyone is welcome to relax and play. And if that’s not something you’re interested in, just wait a little while. Event Horizon Hobbies plans to have several other gaming events in the near future. Among those mentioned were Dungeons and Dragons, Risk, and possibly an online-hub Halo gaming session. Any game tournaments you want to bring into town can be hosted in their store, where they have set up rows of tables and chairs specifically for intense gaming encounters.
Event Horizon Hobbies is, ultimately, a store, so if you don’t have time to join in the games, at least you can buy one to bring home. They will be offering board games, card games, used video games, comics, manga, collectables, and gaming accessories such as trusty twelve-sided dice and protective sleeves for your favorite cards.
If you want to keep track of the tournaments going on, they hope to soon have a Facebook page up and a website with an event calendar available for your viewing pleasure. Until then, the best way to stay informed is to stop by in person and check out the whiteboard calendar behind the counter, which is updated frequently for your convenience.
Waseca Entertainment Review is written by Jenny Hughes. She can be reached at thejuniperjourney@hotmail.com.
Do you remember the Waseca Journal, the longest continuously published newspaper in Minnesota, 1921-1969? The woman is Catherine “Elsie” Prechel Daehn, born in 1884, married in 1912 to Henry Daehn, a longtime Waseca postal carrier. The year is somewhere between 1902 and 1912. What do you think? (Catherine Lemke, you donated the scanned image. Please contact WCHS, 507-835-7700. We would like to see the original again!)
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The woman is Catherine “Elsie” Prechel Daehn, born in 1884, married in 1912 to Henry Daehn, a longtime Waseca postal carrier. The year is somewhere between 1902 and 1912. What do you think? (Catherine Lemke, you donated the scanned image. Please contact WCHS, 507-835-7700. We would like to see the original again!)
