inspire(d) magazine, october/november 2010
DESCRIPTION
Giant Pumpkins! (Steel Cow)! Local Bakers! Dr. Professor Kubinek! Terrance Simien! Kickapoo Valley Reserve! Chef Justin Scardina! Hooray!TRANSCRIPT
inspire(d)magazine
inspire.
an experiment in positive news.
be inspired.
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No. 23
theinspiredmedia.comCheck it:YEP, IT’SFREE!
Lillian Goldman Visitors CenterSeed Savers Exchange • 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, IA
For more information visit www.seedsavers.org • 563-382-5990
Lillian Goldman Visitors Center3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa563-382-6104 • www.seedsavers.org
SeeDPACKeTS
50% Offbeginning October 1
EnjoyVisit the beautiful Lillian Goldman Visitor
Center at Seed Savers Exchange.
Open Monday – Friday 9-5; Saturday & Sunday 10-5
~ Gift ideas for those hard to shop for gardeners in your life!
~ Check out our great selection of books, tools and gardening supplies.
the fall colors
inspire(d) magazine • october/
november 2
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FROM A TO ZYDECO, TERRANCE SIMIEN
CHEF ON THE BLOCK: JUSTIN SCARDINA
PROF. KUBINEK MEETS THE SYMPHONY
LOCAL BAKERS ON THE RISE
WAUKON ARTIST VALERIE MILLER
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – PUMPKINS
INSPIRING INSPIRE(D)
ART ATTACK!
KICKAPOO VALLEY RESERVE
MISSISSIPPI MIRTH: TURKEYS!
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OCTOBER & NOVEMBERcontents
theinspire(d)mediainspire
(d) ...and more!
GOOD STUFF TO READ
2010
PROBITUARY: MARY HENRY 48
Information and registration • lutheranfestivalofwriting.org
October 29–31, 2010Luther College, Decorah, Iowa• Presentations, readings, and panel discussions
featuring 18 new and 12 returning authors• Friendly atmosphere, beautiful campus• All writers and readers welcome
KeynOte speaKers Award-winning poet Robert Cording andNational Book Award finalist Rene Steinke
StoRieS ANd poemS to illumiNAte ouR liveS
Happify your creative side!
Welcom
e
to
207 WAShIngton STREet, DecOrah, iowaWWw.THEclaySTudioDecOrah.com • 563.517.1022
Take a class. Schedule a party. Walk by & pop in to paint a quick pot. We can’t wait to see you!
Preserving a heritage. Connecting us all.523 W. Water St., Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-9681 • vesterheim.org
Vesterheim Benefit Auction October 22 7:00 p.m. at the Hotel Winneshiek
Gala DinnerOctober 22 5:30 p.m. at the Hotel Winneshiek
Pieces by the best contemporary folk artists working in the Norwegian tradition!
Item viewing dates: October 8-21View in person at Vesterheim or online at vesterheim.org.
Bid in person, or by email, fax, or phone.
Call Vesterheim to make dinner reservations.No reservations needed to attend the auction—bring your friends and family to this lively event!
This issue of Inspire(d) embodies cozy warm snuggles on crisp autumn days. Walks in warm sweaters and scarves. The first snow (c’mon, you
know you like the first one…it’s the 40th one that sucks). Soup on the stove. Bread in the oven.
And us! ‘Cause we’re three! Happy birthday to Inspire(d)! In honor of this magic number anniversary, Benji and I have put together a little tag-team question and answer ditty, letting you know a bit about what goes into this very thing you’re holding.
We’ll tell you a little about our history, what press week is like, and what our plans are for the future. The biggest announcement (spoiler alert) is that we’re going quarterly starting mid-February, so the next issue, Decemeber/January, will be our last bi-monthly magazine. We’re excited about this next step as we work to bring you even better stories and ideas in our even better Inspire(d).
But don’t think that means we don’t have a killer line up of stories in this October/November edition. Resident Inspire(d) baker Benji Nichols goes out in the field to visit with local Decorah bakers and even suggests a super simple recipe so you can make your own bread at home. Jim McCaffrey gives you the run-down on two Thanksgiving birds cooked two ways. Kristine Jepsen tromps around a giant pumpkin patch, learning about this crazy, amazing squash, and Lauren Kraus does some tromping of her own at the Kicakpoo Valley Reserve. And, of course, we’ve filled you in on all things arts and culture-related – from a couple of amazing Center Stage shows at Luther College to the announcement of the new name for the Decorah Regional Arts Council. This magazine, this fall, this time that’s full of uncertainty – it leaves me excited, and I hope it does the same for you. Because, to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
Take advantage of what life gives you. If you don’t like it, change your perspective. It’ll change your life.
Looking forward,
Aryn Henning Nichols
a bit about the editor
Looking forward,
Aryn Henning Nichols
theinspire(d)mediainspire
(d)
Inspire(d) Magazine is published bi-monthly by Inspire(d)
Media, LLC, 412 Oak Street, Decorah, Iowa, 52101. This issue
is dated Oct/Nov, 2010, issue 23, volume 4, Copyright 2010 by
Inspire(d) Magazine.
Co-founders:Aryn Henning Nichols / editor & designer
Benji Nichols / writer & advertising sales(& husband, support team, dinner-maker)
We couldn’t do it without:Kristine Jepsen/ contributor
Lauren Kraus/contributor
Suz Clark/ Inspire(d) Intern
Emily Kittleson/ Inspire(d) Intern
Jim McCaffrey / Mississippi Mirth
Although Inspire(d) is free on the newsstands, you can have it sent to your door for only $25/year. Email
[email protected] for a membership or visit
theinspiremedia.com for more info.
Want to make a comment about something you read in
the magazine?Email
Interested in advertising? Contact Benji at
[email protected] call 563-387-6290.
Inspire(d) is printed with soy-based ink on partially recycled paper
Write inspire(d)
support inspire(d)
About the cover: We figured a cake made out of paper would be an appropriate way to celebrate the third birthday of Inspire(d). I made it with tape and hot glue, then set up a “photo shoot” in the kitchen!
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Although Southern Louisiana has seen some serious knocks in the past decade, the colorful culture, food, and music of the region helps folks come together,
brush themselves off, and get back up. And sometimes, even, it reminds them to dance.
“Music, especially live music, is something that can bring people together more than anything,” zydeco musician Terrance Simien says. “I’ve traveled around the world, and the reaction to the music is always the same. When they hear it, they immediately start smiling, and the next thing you know, they start dancing.”
Zydeco, especially, gets the feet stomping and the heart pumping. It dates back to the early 19th century before slavery ended in southern Louisiana, a.k.a. Creole country. When the U.S. made the Louisana Purchase in 1803, a wave of Americans swept through the Deep South where French, Spanish, African, and Afro-Caribbean settlers had already put down roots. The cultures fused, creating the dynamic French-based vernacular, tropical colors, and full flavors of Creole culture.
From A to Zydeco
By Emily Kittleson
AN INTERVIEW WITH MUSICIAN TERRANCE SIMIEN
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Modern zydeco stems from the Creoles and centers around the press of an accordion and the stroke of a washboard. The earliest of zydeco music, however, sounded from around the anguished, soulful voices of slaves who kept their spirits up by singing simple, unaccompanied melodies about freedom and heaven. But the music has changed with the times. As famous New Orleans musician Dr. John said, “If it’s not changin’, it’s dyin’.” Now, some zydeco bands include jazzy saxophones, funky guitars, or even rap lyrics.
Since 1758 – eight generations – the Simien family called southern Louisiana home. Claiming French, African, Spanish, Native American, and German bloodlines, Terrance Simien grew up in one of the oldest Creole settlements in that part of Louisiana, surrounded by ever-present sounds of the squeezebox and smells of gumbo shrimp.
“Life was really simple,” says Simien. “We went to church every Sunday. We worked hard, and we had fun when it was time to have fun. Music was a big part of our recreation … There was a lot of good music going on in south Louisiana, and a lot of good food. That’s why we’re all overweight,” he jokes.
Much like the Creole culture of Southern Louisiana, zydeco music is a mishmash of styles like blues, folk, and
jazz. Simien takes the traditional zydeco of his childhood and fuses it with elements from artists and genres that inspire him. He integrates the folk soul of Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel as well as reggae and Caribbean flavors into his band.
Touring for the past two decades, Simien brings a music that once bounced off storefront porches in New Orleans to audiences across the world in venues ranging from concert halls to outdoor jazz and blues festivals. His tunes are featured in the newest Disney animated film, “The Princess and the Frog,” set in New Orleans, and he won a Grammy award for “Best Zydeco or Cajun Music” album in 2008.
Since his music has connected with diverse audiences for decades, Simien and his band
are confident that a Midwestern audience will also delight in this Gulf Coast music.
“I’ve performed several times in different parts of Iowa, and it’s a great state,” Simien says. “The people are just like everybody else. So many people can connect with zydeco music because it’s a world sound.”
Indeed, the sounds of zydeco aren’t reserved for those “down on the bayou.” Thanks to bands like Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, audiences of the deserts, islands,
mountains, and grain belt can feel the Creole soul and energy, get on their feet, and do the bayou boogie.
Emily Kittleson is a senior at Luther College, majoring in English and minoring in Environmental Studies. Last year, she studied for nine months in Nottingham, England where she developed a severe addiction to English breakfast tea. When she’s not sipping on tea, she loves hiking, knitting, shopping at thrift stores, slacklining, and creative writing. She also loves dancing to all kinds of music, so keep an eye out for her grooving at this performance.
Terrence Simien will perform as part of the Center
Stage Series at Luther College October 5 at 7:30 pm in
the Center for Faith and Life at Luther. A family-friendly
learning workshop, “Creole for Kidz and the History of
Zydeco” will be open to school groups and families at 10
am on October 5. This workshop has introduced zydeco
music to kids around the world and allowed them to
interact and participate in the zydeco experience.
Tickets for both shows are on sale at the Luther
College Box Office, (563) 387-1357, open 9-10:30 am
and 11 am-3 pm on weekdays with extended hours on
Thursdays until 7 pm. Tickets may also be purchased
online at boxoffice.luther.edu. Evening show tickets are
$23, $21 for seniors age 65 and over, and $15 for
youth ages 4-18. School matinee tickets are $3.50.
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Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 8-8 Sunday 8-1:30 for breakfast
118 winnebago, Decorah . 563.387.0593
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Local:meats, eggs, & vegetablesKickapoo coffee & espressofeatured artists
Housemade: ice cream
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amazing breakfast & lunch!
Live music:
October 15 Poor Howard
Stith!
Baja tacos Friday4 to 7
M-W-F: 9 AM - 5:30 PM • THURS 10 AM-7 PM
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it marks the return of the Annual Celebration of Life event. In its 12th year, the event is planned for Monday, October 18 from 5 to 8 pm at the Elks Lodge in Decorah. Admission is your tax-deductible, freewill donation to the Winneshiek County Celebration of Life. The event is sponsored by Margaret’s Clothing Store in downtown Decorah, Winneshiek Medical Center, and Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic. Themed as “Bringing back the 50s with the power of PINK,” the event includes Elvis sightings, poker, black jack, bingo, and other prize-winning games along with a silent auction. In addition, there will be free appetizers from area restaurants and businesses, and a cash bar.
All proceeds from the Celebration of Life Bringing back the 50s event will go toward promoting breast cancer awareness and early detection of disease, through education and financial support of preventive and screening services. Through this program, free screenings will be offered in November at both Winneshiek Medical Center and Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic. Women who are uninsured or underinsured can qualify for a free screening at WMC. The application is a simple one-page form that is based on insurance deductibles, income, number of persons in the household and eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid, to name a few. Women of all ages should apply; the form is conveniently located at www.winneshiekcol.com or www.winmedical.org or www.gundluth.org or paper applications are available at Margaret’s Clothing Store, Winneshiek Medical Center, or Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic. Deadline is October 29, 2010.
For more information, visit www.winneshiekcol.com or phone Margaret at Margaret’s clothing in Decorah 563-382-8208.
OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
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Celebration of Life, Breast Cancer
Awareness Decorah Elks Lodge, 5 pm
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 1-3: NE Iowa Artist’s
Studio Tour
Arthaus Oktoberfest,
7 pm
UffDa Fest, Spring Grove
Dirty Nelly’s, Whiskey Bones Roadhouse, Rochester
A Taste of Ryumonji, rural Dorchester, 1-5 pm
Story of Music, Stories from Home, ArtHaus, 7 pm
Broken Social Scene, First Ave, Minneapolis
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco
Experience, Luther CFL, 7:30 pm
Rodrigo y Gabriela, The State Theatre, Minneapolis
October 5-6: The Passion of the Hausfrau, Commonweal Theatre, Lanesboro
Vesterheim Free Thursday, EVERY
THURSDAY!
People Brothers Band, Haymarket
Deep Sea Summit, Haymarket
Michelle Lynn, Natural Gait, McGregorOct. 9: Trampled
By Turtles, Whiskey Bones, Rochester
Joan Baez, The Englert, Iowa City
Legally Blonde, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Charlie Parr, Ed’s Bar, Winona
The Laramie Project, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Vesterheim Free Thursday,
Folk Art Demonstrations
Acoustic Jam, ArtHaus, 7 pm
Oct. 15: IA Environmental Council Annual Meeting with Bill McKibben, Scottish Rite
Consistory, 8 am - 4:30pm, Des Moines
Music on The Slant w/ Molly Maher & her Disbelievers, Randy Weeks, & Erik Koskinen Band, L-boro, 7:30 pm
Brandi Carlile w/ Pieta Brown, Gallagher Blue-dorn, Cedar Falls
The Wailin’ Jennys, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Vesterheim Free Thursday, Opening
Reception–Norwegian Art & Craft Club of
Brooklyn
Free Resume Writing Program, DPL, 7 pm
Seed Savers Harvest Festival, 12-4 pm
Drag Review: The Rochester Girls, Lanesboro Comm. Center, 6:30 pm
ArtHuas Fall Poetry Slam, 8 pm
The Diary of Anne Frank, Luther CFL, 7:30
Vesterheim Gala dinner & Auction
Michelle Lynn, Hay-market, 9 pm
Michelle Lynn, Bucks & Bulls,
Harpers Ferry 7 pm
Reliant K, Regents Center, Luther College
Adam Svec, ArtHaus, 8 pm
Mike McAbee, Parkway Pub, Lanesboro
OK Go, Lion’s Pause, St. Olaf, Northfield
Babette’s Feast, St. Mane, L-boro, 7pm
FOOD Inc., St. Mane Theatre, 4:30 pm & 8 pm
Women’s Leadership
Network Summit, Hotel Winneshiek,
Decorah
Oct. 31: Open Stage Night, feature: Fayme Rochelle T-Bock’s, Decorah
ReBirth Brass Band, The Cabooze, Minneapolis
Happy Halloween!
Bassnector, Epic Event Center, Minneapolis
Iron and Wine,
University of Iowa
Memorial Union
El Caminos, Spring Grove Pavilion, 8 pm
El Caminos, Decorah Elk’s Lodge Halloween Bash, 8 pm
Back Home Boys, Club Pyramid
feature: Fayme
Exhibits at Lanesboro Arts Center:Through October 17: Wood sculpture by Paul LambrechtOctober 23-December 31: The Art of Food, Juried Exhibit featuring many regional artists
At the Commonweal: “Enchanted April” & “The Turn of the Screw,” see www.commonwealtheatre.org for dates and times.
October 1, 2, 7, 8, 9: Anything Goes, Elkader Opera House, 7:30 (1:30 matinee Oct. 3)
American Craft Week
October 29-31: Lutheran Festival of Writing, Luther College
October 29-31: Blithe Spirit, Ye Olde Opera House, Spring Grove
octoberoctober Breast Cancer Awareness Month
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First Friday @ Oneota Co-op
Taste of the Local Harvest, Oneota
Co-op, 4-7 pm
Happy 3rd Birthday, Inspire(d)!
Harlem Wizards vs. Decorah Dominators, 7 pm,
DHS
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October 21 -24: 3 Boys with Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions, New Minowa Players Show, Decorah
October 9-10: Choral Arts Ensemble, Lourdes Chaple,, Rochester
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IA Arts Coun-cil Mini Grant
Workshop, Amdal-Odland
Heritage Center, Vesterheim,
Decorah, 1pm
Vesterheim Free Thursday,
EVERY THURSDAY!
Reverend Horton Heat, First Ave, Minneapolis
November 5-6: New Minowa Players Cabaret Fundraiser, Elks Lodge, Decorah
First Friday ArtHaus, Artist John Snyder, 7 pm
Maximillian Eubank, Haymarket 9 pm
Joe & Vicki Price, Starlite Lounge, La Crosse
Lanesboro Arts Center’s Swingsation!
Professor Kubinek meets the
Symphony, Luther CFL, 7:30 pm
November 6-7: Iowa Wine Trail Weekend, 10 am - 6 pm daily
Kenny Barron Trio with special guest David Sanchez, Luther CFL, 7:30 pm
Lynne Rothrock in Concert, ArtHaus Presents at the Elks, 8pm
Michelle Lynn, Ed’s No Name Bar, Winona, 9 pm
La Crosse Skating Sirens, La Crosse Center
Bonga & the Vodou Drums
of Haiti, Gallagher Bluedorn,
Cedar Falls
November 17-18 Cloud Cult, First Avenue, Minneapolis
Luther College Jazz Band Concert, Luther, 7 pm
November 18-20 Luther
Theatre Dance, Servant of Two Masters, Jewel
Theatre
Drum Line Live, Gallagher
Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
The Henhouse Prowlers, Haymarket
9 pm
Michelle Lynn, Leo’s Lounge, Oelwein 8 pm
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Wonder Creek, Haymarket 9 pm
Michelle Lynn, Irish Shanti, Gunder 8 pm
Open Stage Night, Feature: Damsel Fly, T-Bock’s, Decorah
Donavon Frankenreiter, Varsity Theater,
MinneapolisThe Hold Steady, Blue Moose Tap House, Iowa City
• Buy yams• Make pie crusts
• Thaw bird
El Caminos, Fireman’s
Ball, Waukon Reception
Center, 8 pm
Back Home Boys, Brick City, Clermont
Back Home Boys, Brick City, Clermont
Veteran’s Day
First Friday @ Oneota Co-op
Taste of the Holidays, Oneota
Co-op, 5-8 pm
At the Commonweal: “The Turn of the Screw” & “Little Women,” see www.commonwealtheatre.org for dates and times.
Exhibits at Lanesboro Arts Center:October 23-
December 31: The Art of Food, Juried
Exhibit featuring many regional artists
COMING UP IN DECEMBER: 4: ArtHaus Holiday Art Fair, 10 am-5 pm11: Charlie Parr, Music on the Slant, American Legion, Lanesboro, 7:30 pm
November 12-13 Luther Theatre Dance, Servant of Two Masters, Jewel Theatre
I CAN’T WAIT FOR
DECEMBER!
Varsity Theater,
November 25-28: Holiday Nights, Magical Nights, Decorah Campground, 5:30-8:30 pm
Holiday Lights 5K, Decorah Campground,
Register @ 3:15 pm
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Professor Kubinek
Luther CFL, 7:30 pm
Skating Sirens, La Crosse Center
120 WASHINGTON ST, DECORAH, IOWALunch & dinner Monday - Saturday • 563-382-3067
RESERVATIONS APPRECIATED
Luxury salon & day spa
Cuts • Perms • Up styles • Color • Highlights • Facials • Manicure & Pedicures• 60-minute massages • Makeup
Consultation & application
303 W. Water StreetDecorah, Iowa
563.382.4941
• Facials • Manicure & Pedicures• Facials • Manicure & Pedicures• 60-minute massages • Makeup• 60-minute massages • Makeup
Consultation & application
Change your life today!
Contact Diane Sondrol for more information.
563.419.5420or [email protected] [email protected]
Movement for Health & Well-Being
Small group and private lessons available, all are welcome!
RELAX, REJUVENATE, REWARD YOURSELF!
601 W. Main St. Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-9355 • dugroadinn.comDUG ROAD INN, a B&B that Inspires
As the daylight shortens, the reasons to celebrate at the Oneota Co-op grow! They’ve got a ton of fun events coming up to help celebrate all that is local and delicious this fall.
Monthly First Fridays (October 1 and November 5, 5 – 6 pm) are a great chance to check out the newest
wines and beers at the Coop. Cheese and chocolate
samplings accompany them!
Each year, the Co-op celebrates bountiful relationships with local producers
by bringing them face to face with
the community and Northeast Iowa through the
“Taste of the Local Harvest” event.Stop by the Oneota Co-op Thursday, October 21, from
4 - 7 pm for a chance to meet your local producers, plus, sample products grown, produced, roasted, processed, or packaged within approximately a 100-mile radius of the Oneota Co-op.
Then on Thursday, November 4, from 5 - 8 pm, celebrate the holiday season early by joining in the “Taste of the Holidays!” This event is a full holiday meal prepared by the Water Street Cafe – from appetizers to dessert! For a suggested minimum donation of $10 per person, you can sample a (tentative) menu of: sparkling, white and red wines, organic crudités and seasonal fruit, cheese and cracker platters, free range turkey, spiral cut ham, stuffing, baked squash, green beans almondine, mashed potatoes and gravy, a delicious vegetarian option, Waving Grains rolls, and pecan or pumpkin pie.
Limited seatings are available at 5, 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30, and the Co-op will also still be open for shopping. To sign up, stop by the customer service desk.
Finally, a celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau wine takes place Thursday, November 18, from 6 pm - 8 pm. Beaujolais Nouveau is a light, easy-drinking red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region in the Southeast corner of France. The unveiling of the first wine pressed in 2010 is serious business: The Beaujolais French law states that the Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be released any earlier than the third Thursday of November, so every year on this day producers embark on a mad race to get the first bottles on the shelves. The Co-op will also be sampling baked brie and other French style cheeses with our wholesome Waving Grains and McCaffrey’s breads.
GET A ‘TASTE’ OF THE ONEOTA CO-OP THIS FALL
wines and beers at the Coop. Cheese and chocolate
samplings accompany them!
Each year, the Co-op celebrates bountiful relationships with local producers
by bringing them face to face with
the community and Northeast Iowa through the
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CH
EFON THEBLOCK
Decorah’s La Rana Bistro gives off the feeling that you’re discovering a fabulous best-kept secret. The restaurant’s big city vibe pairs amazingly well with the small-town charm of beautiful Decorah. Head chef Justin Scardina whips up small plate starters like roasted peach ricotta bruschetta or tasty sea scallops, and amazing entrees like the seared pork loin with local carrot puree.
Head over to 120 Washington Street, grab a spot on the long booth that runs the length of the skinny restaurant, or slide up to the bar, handmade by one of the Bistro’s owners, Mark Smeby. He makes amazing drinks as well – from La Rana signature cocktails like the Pink Frog (La Rana is Spanish for frog, so there is frog paraphernalia all over the place) to classics like Manhattans and margaritas made with fresh juice squeezed by Mark himself (or at least his juicer). Mark’s wife and business partner, Joanie Sheahan, sets an amazing aesthetic to the restaurant with touches like fresh flowers and organic lavender lotion in the bathroom. A couple of other great things about La Rana: soups and desserts are made fresh, and the music selection is great. So sit back, make yourself comfortable, and get ready for a meal to remember at La Rana Bistro.
JUSTIN SCARDINA: LA RANA BISTRO & DRIFTLESS FOOD AND CATERING
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Name: Justin Scardina Age: 28 Restaurant: La Rana Bistro; Driftless Food and Catering Number of Years Cooking: Nearly a Decade
Formal training or live-and-learn? On the job. I believe it’s the best experience to have the hands-on training that a busy restaurant provides. Plus it’s more interesting then sitting in class.
What’s your earliest or most significant memory of cooking or being cooked for? My parents just reminded me of a time when I was still pretty little (4-5 yrs old) and they brought me and my sister to a rather nice Italian place to eat in Chicago. When asked what I wanted to have for dinner, after reading the menu I decided that I wanted to have the Linguini with Mussels. The waitress was rather taken aback, but my parents were quoted to say, “Give the boy what he wants....” We laugh now because I ate all of the mussels off the plate and didn’t touch the Linguini.
Why did you decide to become a chef? I was attending Luther College, and during my Junior year I was working at the local Hardee’s when they decided to shut down operations. So out of a job I begin to search the papers and saw that my favorite local restaurant (La Rana Bistro) was looking for a dishwasher and a prep cook. Well, taking a chance, I applied for the prep cook and actually got it! After graduating
Do you want to recommend someone for this page? Let us know:
LA RANA BISTRO120 WASHINGTON
DECORAH, IOWA
11
from Luther the next year, I felt I had found my calling in the restaurant world and, as cliché as it sounds, the rest is history.
What’s the best thing you’ve ever made? Well that’s a subject to debate, everyone has a different perception of what is the best. I believe that at the end of the day if the customers are happy, then that food is the best.
Do you have any monumental food fails you’d like to share with us? Fails.... well I don’t attempt to make wild rice any longer. Then there are several soups that never really pureed well. Oh a good one is the time I didn’t check the blender and it was on something like super overdrive and I ending up scalding my face
and the rest of the kitchen with boiling hot roasted pepper soup. No worries though, I didn’t suffer any major burns.
How about secret food indulgences you don’t normally talk about? Will you tell us? (Ed. note: this question was based off of Justin, because I knew he had a love for Totino’s Pizza Rolls... but I guess he’s matured…sort of.) I LOVE this question. Aryn you should know that I have moved beyond pizza rolls. Lately, I really enjoy roller dogs (hot dogs at gas stations) when I eventually get out of town.
What’s your favorite:
Ingredient: Changes with season, currently I love Spanish smoked paprika Dish: Fried rice Cookbook: Zuni Café by Judy Rogers (mine is falling apart from overuse) Random (or not so random) kitchen tool: Microplane zester/grater Vegetable: Anything from the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, etc) Fruit: Figs
Mon.-Sat. 6:30am-5:30pm • Sun. 7:30am-12pm
Java John’s • 400 W. Water, Decorah • 563-382-5690
Featuring fresh-roasted organic/fair trade coffee for all our coffee beverages
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Travel mugs, coffee beans & gift certificates!
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Open Monday - Saturday 10 am to 5 pm
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Barbara MassmanLicensed in Iowa Since 1993
563.380.8911
Selling Homes, Not Houses.
www.barbaramassmanrealtor.com
1510 Laurel Drive ■ Decorah, Iowa [email protected]
Decorah based singer/songwriter Michelle Lynn is releasing her new independent record, “Sundial Tree,” this month. A regional favorite amongst music enthusiasts, Lynn proudly brings this latest offering to the public as an album that explores nature, numbers, and time.
“I’ve evolved as a person and come to some personal conclusions that cause the lyrical content to be less cynical and a lot more inspiring,” says the artist.
“Sundial Tree” also goes to a new level with its recording. Matt Olson, of Ghost In My House studio in Onalaska, Wisconsin, helped Lynn record the songs, and mixed and mastered the album. Olson also played drums and some guitar tracks on the record, in addition to Adam Ptacek on bass, David Lester on harmonica, and Nori Hadley on violin. The acoustic-driven songs of Michelle Lynn are built on compelling lyrics of experience, travel, and love, and it is clear that with each passing year Lynn has grown as an artist and musician.
Michelle Lynn will be performing several local CD release shows in the coming weeks – including a “Cave Concert” at The Natural Gait in McGregor, Iowa, on October 9; at the Haymarket in Decorah on October 23; and at the Irish Shanti in Gunder on November 27. Visit www.myspace.com/michellelynnsongs to hear Michelle Lynn’s music and find out more!
MICHELLE LYNN RELEASES ‘SUNDIAL TREE’
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T he words “classical music” and “comedy” are rarely in the same sentence, let alone the same thought – unless perhaps you’re
watching Elmer Fudd chase Bugs Bunny to the rousing “William Tell Overture.” Orchestra music is generally seen as serious, not silly – a trifle for the musical elite, not Larry, Moe and Curly. However, Iowa, be warned: A lunatic is coming to the Oneota Valley, and he’s staging a non-conventional orchestra coup.
The Dr. Professor & His Orchestral Coup
By Susie Clark
!
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The hall is set with all the things you’d expect at a classical concert – there’s a full symphony orchestra, an Offenbach piece just began, and the conductor is at the podium, leading the show. But this conductor’s a little different. I mean, check out the hair!*
And… there’s a live ostrich.Yeah, that’s happening.Perhaps it’s because the conductor, self-
described lunatic and comedic mastermind Tomás Kubínek (pronounced towh-mawsh koo-bee-neck), is looking for a laugh. Maybe it’s simply because Offenbach and ostrich both begin with the letter ‘o’. Or just maybe Kubínek is looking to take the giant fowl on.
‘Cause yeah. That’s happened.“please note that due to a recent ostrich-
wrestling accident i now have difficulty capitalizing letters and so write mostly in lower case,” Kubínek writes via email. “out of respect, in a few cases i have capitalized, but you and your readers should know this took a measure of gymnastic effort.”
Altering the listener’s idea of classical music, Kubínek is joined by Orchestra Iowa and Maestro Timothy Hankewich in the Luther College Center Stage Series production, “Professor Kubínek meets the Symphony.” The event will blend classical music with humorous high jinks, promising the audience a night that will please the classical music lover’s palate, as well as tickle any funny bone.
With a professional career spanning over three decades, Kubínek’s performances have sold out concert halls and performance venues in over 30 countries, leaving audiences spell-bound with his raucous wit and charm. On-lookers of his absurd antics are left breathless, in tears, and clutching their sides – from laughter, of course.
“At its meat and potatoes, my work is a mix of gonzo-craziness, physical shtick, wit, absurdity, and absurd anecdotes,” says Kubínek. “All of this I serve up with love and irreverence – to create an atmosphere of hilarity and intimacy with the public.”
His talents expand beyond simple comedian – way beyond, in fact. Try acrobat, puppeteer, actor, magician…even “mime-specialist.” Lauded by critics as a “Master of the Impossible,” this charming huckster specializes in all kinds of feats to get a laugh – be it from an audience or his colleagues.
“In creating this show, Maestro Tim and I have spent as much time laughing uncontrollably as we have spent charting and choosing the music and rehearsing our bits of business,” notes Kubínek. “It’s been a hoot, and a real education.” A collaboration of this sort relies on the deep
!
understanding of classical music as well as the knack for comedic affect.
“I am a curious sponge and greatly appreciate the craft and genius of diverse art forms,” says Kubínek. “In this particular project I have the opportunity to work with brilliant classically trained musicians and a conductor who is not only an expert in his field, but also has a raucous sense of humor and a keenness to bring symphonic work to people across Iowa in exciting, ever-surprising ways.”
Created in 1923, Orchestra Iowa remains one of the oldest and longest running symphonies west of the Mississippi River. Under the direction of award winning conductor, Maestro Tim Hankewich, the 80-piece Orchestra Iowa performs 32 concerts a year at the historic Paramount Theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Hankewich, a native of Dawson’s Creek, British Columbia (the late ‘90s television show is MUCH more exciting than his hometown, he says), describes the upcoming production as a “fusion of comedy and classical music,” and the experience of working with the Dr. Professor as “one-of-a-kind.”
The conception of this work began more than two years ago as an effort to support recovery efforts after the floods that devastated much of Iowa in 2009, including
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Of Montreal
Bon Iver
Dave MatthewsArcade Fire
The NationalMat Kearney
Peter Wolf
Bob DylanSugarbabes
Ryan Bingham
Passion Pit
Ben
Folds
Keane
MuseBruce Springsteen
A Fine FrenzyJenny and Johnny
Tori Amos
good radioBelle and SebastianAllman Brothers Band
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Blitzen TrapperGrace Potter & the Nocturnals
Death Cab for CutieU2
B.B.
KIN
G
Mic
ha
el Fra
nti
& S
pe
arh
ea
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Modest MouseVan Morrison
Trampled by Turtles
The EelsGomez
Orchestra Iowa’s hometown, Cedar Rapids. Kubínek jokes, though, that the project was also the result of a bad case of jet lag. A sleepless night inspired a new idea.
“I kept imagining this show with a full orchestra, but it needed the proper support to get started,” says Kubínek.
So he contacted his “old chum” Chuck Swanson, artistic director of University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium, and pitched the idea.
“He immediately wrote back saying, ‘tell me more,’ and so I wrote the whole thing out in detail. After reading the proposal he said knew the perfect orchestra, and the perfect conductor. The whole thing was a match made in heaven, so, you see, insomnia has its benefits.”
Hankewich and Kubínek immediately began collaboration, compiling symphonic selections that would properly showcase both musical capabilities and Kubínek’s madcap brilliance. Hankewich then set out on the task of product design – arranging and even composing much of the music.
“The first thing one must do before undertaking a task like this is to start with great music, and don’t apologize for it,” says Hankewich. “Great music can be put in infinite contexts, humor being one of them.” The seasoned symphony aficionados in the audience will be pleased to hear beloved orchestral masterworks such as Offenbach, Dvorak, Beethoven, Bizet, Bach, and Verdi, however, in a style complete with various eccentricities, the Dr. Professor turns the classical concert experience on its head. For instance, what could possibly happen when a live ostrich is introduced during a number by Offenbach? (Let’s get serious, it’s happening.)
“With the orchestra as my gracious and talented hench-persons, Maestro Hankewich and myself will be knocking the audience on their backsides with dramatic full-force pieces and soul-stirring compositions while I perform death-defying experiments to orchestral accompaniment,” Kubínek says. He goes on.
“Have you ever heard of ‘tag-team’ wrestling? Because in this show Maestro Hankewich and I perform ‘tag-team conducting.’”
Horrifically funny as well as musically astute, this heartfelt performance is unlike any other – truly re-definitive of the classical music experience for classical
Celebrate American Craft Week!October 1-10:
"Pete's Pots" by local potter Pete Blodgett
100% of proceeds will go to the area’s
Free Clinic
Other October Events:October 1-3: Northeast Iowa Studio Arts Tour. October 8-10: Luther Homecoming Art Show featuring
Luther alumni artists.
Rien de nouveau(nothing is new)
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connoisseurs and novices alike. “People are craving to be uplifted,” says Hankewich.
“Comedy is a disarming way to engage all audiences.” While it cannot be argued that classical music will
always enjoy the main stage of the concert hall experience, comedy and laughter will forever be a way for human beings to connect with the world around them, and in this
case connect with classical music.“Classical music is typically treated with
suspicion,” says Hankewich. “Those who were not raised in or around the arts do not typically know how to respond to it. Afraid of the elitist baggage oftentimes associated with the orchestral experience, people avoid it altogether. Comedy is a way in which we break down those barriers that separate people from the symphonic experience.”
And the finale of the show does just that. The audience will join the orchestra in a rendition of “I Love The World.” However, the lyrics are artfully re-cast as, “I Love the Orchestra.” Engaging audiences
members through humor and song, they are encouraged to be part of the performance
– joining the orchestra, the maestro, and the master of madcap himself in heartfelt chorus.
“All art is a re-adaptation that already exists. That’s why I like this program,” says Hankewich. “This program redefines the nature of creativity.”
It redefines that typical picture of a symphony concert as well – it’s where classical meets comedy, or rather, Offenbach meets ostrich.
Inspire(d) intern, Susie Clark. Known most commonly as “Suz”, the native Minnesotan enjoys watching baseball, trail running, and playing viola. When not arguing with White Sox fans, Suz enjoys watching excessive amounts of TV with roommate, Krista Frost. She will be spending the next five weeks glued to the post-season coverage of major league baseball. GO TWINS.
*Note: Dr. Professor Kubínek refutes any previous claims regarding his hair styling product usage. No product is used on the Dr. Prof’s yak-like tresses. $10,000 will be awarded to any person who disproves this claim. However, with an ancient Mongolian ancestry and a knack for ostrich wrestling, I wouldn’t cross this guy.
!
PROFESSOR KUBINEK MEETS THE SYMPHONY, NOVEMBER 6, 7:30 PM
CENTER FOR FAITH AND LIFE, LUTHER COLLEGE, DECORAH
Tickets are $23, $21 for seniors age 65 and over, and $15 for youth ages 4-18 and are avail-able starting october 14 at the luther box office
or online at boxoffice.Luther.Edu
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Local Bakers Risingphotos & words by Benji Nichols
theatre /dance
at center for the arts decorah, iowa
Luther College
2010 WINTER SHOWS! Servant of Two Masters by Carlo GoldoniDirected by Robert LarsonNovember 12, 13, 18 & 19 at 7:30 pm & November 13 & 20 at 1:30 pm
Tickets @ Luther College box office
563.387.1357 & 1 hour before shows
at Jewel Theatre$10. adult /
$5. children under 12
See you there!
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2010-11 Season details at www.luther.edu/theatredance
Studio II Presents: Choreography of Kent De Spain & Leslie DworkinDevised & directed by Kent De SpainDecember 9 &10 at 7:30 p.m.
Local Bakers Rising
It’s magic. Three simple ingredients, when combined with some patience and heat, can transform your kitchen on a cold grey afternoon to a beautiful, warm, cozy, scented wonderland. One of the oldest prepared foods in the world, dating back well over 10,000 years, bread is literally the staff of life. Almost every culture on the face of the earth has some version of it, but it always comes down to a grain or seed, ground into a flour, mixed with water and some sort of leavening.
Preparing bread is more than just an afternoon activity though – it is a right of time and passage – a way to pass on all that is good and patient and willing and ready to rise. Bread is life, and knowledge, and society all wrapped into one.
While the ingredients are so simple, it is the skilled hands of the baker that makes dough into something worth pining for and as utterly unique as the environment in which it’s baked. From Mom or Grandma’s fresh baked bread, to the Wonder Bread PB&Js of youth, to an amazing peasant loaf filled with such incredible bubbles in its crumb that you might just want to curl up and take a nap in one – bread can define a time, a place, or a culture, but most importantly, it should be delicious.
And baking bread is something that everyone should at least have a try at in life!
Jo Iverson, the owner of Waving Grains Bakery in Decorah, says the first bread she ever baked, “a whole wheat that could have been shellacked
Top to bottom:Middle Sattre Farm Honey; McCaffrey’s
Dolce Vita French loaves; Waving Grains
Bakery’s sourdough.
The trip from
Decorah to
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The trip from Iowato Algeria is
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Elkader • 563-245-1992
Make dining an experience again. Elkader, IA • 563-245-1992
and made into a door stop,” was in her high school home-ec class. But time, friends, and experimentation have led Iverson down a path of commercial baking that now has her and several employees busy six days a week.
Waving Grains was born out of a communal idea originally shared between several area women: to gather each week in order to bake the bread they wanted to feed their families. “We were just a group of women who wanted good bread – something besides what you found in the grocery store,” says Iverson of the original baking ensemble. Although this group did not last all that long, it was the start of Decorah’s mainstay bread bakery. Waving Grains now rosters a handful of talented employees that crank out hundreds of beautiful loaves each week. From whole-wheat sandwich breads to multigrain loaves and their signature European sourdough – these ladies are serious about making it real!
“The sourdough is kind of my baby,” says Iverson of her original starter-fueled creation. “We went through about five tries at getting a good starter and eventually came up with what we use now. It (the starter) gets to go on vacation with us, we feed it twice a day – you know, pack up the dog stuff and don’t forget the starter!”
But the results speak for themselves with Oneota Food Co-op shoppers reaping the rewards of the multiple types of fresh baked bread, along with muffins, scones, jammers, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and cakes.
Despite having decades of culinary experience, Jim McCaffrey and Fawn Witt at McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita and Twin Springs Bakery first forayed into the bread world with a class on brick oven baking in Grand Marais. And while it lent much inspiration, it was through the tried-and-true process of baking and experimenting that they found the variety of breads now made regularly in their kitchens and ovens – both wood fired brick as well as conventional.
“I started baking with my mom as a kid,” recalls McCaffrey. “Saturdays were bake days and she would make 10 loaves of bread. There were five of us kids, so that was about what we would go through in a week.” From those roots McCaffrey has spent a lifetime working in the restaurant industry and creating or interpreting recipes he could make his own. From light wheat sandwich rolls to foccacia used by the Oneota Co-op for their deli panini, to a beautiful selection of wheat and rye hearth-baked loaves – the Twin Springs Bakery gang is finding inspiration in dough. In fact, the signature pizza crust at McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita has originated from a sourdough starter that has a 200-year-old lineage. They’ve found they are keeping as busy as they like, with consistent growth in their sales at both the Oneota Co-op and Quillin’s in Decorah.
True to the local baker model of days gone by, neither Waving Grains nor McCaffrey’s deliver their breads too far from home. It’s not that there isn’t a demand, but it becomes more of a transportation and cost vs. time issue. “We’re to the point of selling enough to keep making additional batches,” says McCaffrey. “And we’ll keep doing that and going as far as makes sense…or cents!”
You don’t have to rely on a commercial baking operation for a phenomenal product though. The Decorah Farmers’ Market offers some great selections of homemade baked goods – some of the most unique and rustic are produced by a couple of young entrepreneurs. Just outside of Decorah sits a small patch of heaven where Mark Becker
One of Becker’s earthen oven loaves.
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and Mike Ryan fire rustic doughs in an earthen oven. Ryan, operator of Middle Sattre Farm, is known as the “muffin man” at the market – in addition to being an apiarist (bee keeper) for the delightful raw honey he also sells. And Becker takes his baking to a whole other level of human interest by grinding all of his own flour – by human power.
To take it even another notch up, Becker is doing this work with a homemade contraption that allows him to pedal power a small mill that grinds his flour. It is self-admittedly an intense process – and perhaps even one of over-reaching standards – but also something that helps control the quality of the product greatly. You don’t buy a loaf of Becker’s bread to wolf down on the way home from the market. No, these are the dense, nutrient-rich breads that are perfect toasted and slathered with fresh local Middle Sattre honey. Becker has been experimenting with several processes of sprouting grains previous to baking his doughs, as well as different methods of shaping and baking his bread in the earthen oven. The extreme hearth temperatures of the small oven tend to give his loaves a very unique crust and crumb of which locals are quickly discovering the delights.
“It’s very rewarding to take a couple of basic ingredients that can be turned into something nourishing and sound to produce – and which allow me to live the way I want,” says Becker. In some ways the process of creating his breads is overly exhausting and complicated on the long term – but it, like much bread baking, is a labor of love and a welcomed lifestyle, according to Becker. As steam spirals upwards, Becker seals the door on the earthen oven and offers a poignant reflection on his adventures and dreams in baking and beyond: “You don’t need to wait to live the life you want.”
Indeed, this moment is all we have. So shouldn’t you be enjoying quality bread?
Don’t think you need to be an expert to enjoy your own homemade loaves. Despite the common fear of “messing up” yeast and dough, it is actually quite easy to get a feel for a simple bread recipe. The following is as simple as it gets, requiring a little bit of time but not a lot of experience. Take some time this fall, wait for the dough to rise, and stop to enjoy the moment, sights, smells, and taste of baking your own bread.
Becker, left, and Ryan, along with the pedal powered bike mill.
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…now you know where to find it.
Decorah's Daily News
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Savor the Sweet Life.
Specializing in wood-fired
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Friday:
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Wednesday:
Blackened Salmon
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Thursday: Prime Rib DinnerEveningSpecials!
Saturday: Steak of the Week
THE SUPER-DUPER EASY INSPIRE(D) BREAD RECIPE:3 cups bread (regular) flour1/4 teaspoon instant yeast3/4 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)1 1/2 cups warm water (luke warm – not hot to the touch)Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.)
Directions:1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. Yep, all at once – just do it, and don’t stir too much. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours (overnight) on countertop – don’t worry about exactly how long.
2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a piece of parchment with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of parchment and fold the parchment over the dough. Let it nap for two hours. Letting is rest in an empty skillet or pot will help give it a nice shape – otherwise it will be a fairly flat affair!When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your empty covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.
3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding corners of parchment, set dough into the pot. It doesn’t much matter exactly which way it lands as long as there is parchment covering the bottom. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F (if you tap the bottom of the loaf it should sound like a low, hollow thump.) Remove and let cool on wired rack. Let it cool at least 1 hour so that the crumb continues to finish steaming from the inside out – and then enjoy like there’s no tomorrow!
Benji Nichols has been baking bread since his adventures in College. Having spent a year post-college baking in a wood fired brick oven bakery in Sonoma Co., California, he still finds an awfully big soft spot for making great bread. He dreams continually of crawling inside a giant bread bubble for a nap…
McCaffrey’s dough rests before baking.
FOR
HELPINGSERVICESNORTHEAST IOWA
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inspire. be inspired.
inspire. be inspired.inspire(d).
By Benji and Aryn Nichols(Introduction by Aryn)
“You keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat,” a man said to me earlier this summer. We had
just finished a magazine, our 22nd.
“Well, I’m glad you still think it’s magical,” I said in
response. Later, I smiled to myself as I recalled the
exchange. We ARE glad it’s still magical – for you
AND for us.
As we embark upon our fourth year making
a magazine about inspiring people, things, and
events in the Driftless Region (NE Iowa, SE
Minnesota, SW Wisconsin), we thought we’d
let you behind the curtain a bit. (Ooooh, look! A
wizard!)
Benji and I get a lot of questions about the actual
process of making a magazine – how’d you start
it, where’s it printed, how do you pick your stories,
who designs it, how do you make money, how does
it work, how did you learn how to do it? That sort of
thing. And, well frankly, we jumped in with both feet
and a whole lot of naiveté. But now, three years
later, we’ve learned a lot, and we can’t help but be
excited for the NEXT three years! So in a he said/
she said, tag-team tale, Benji and I answer your
favorite questions… and probably some extras.
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B=BenjiA=Aryn(Makes sense, right?)
B. Inspiring Inspire(d) – how’d you come up with this idea? The abridged version.From the time I met Aryn I knew she really wanted to write… and be positive! We
had both traveled and lived other places and wanted to make sure that as we came back to Iowa we used our skills to bring good things to our region. There were several ideas floating about of how to capture “Inspire(d)” as in – inspire and be inspired – an idea hatched by Aryn after reading the biography of photojournalist Dan Eldon. One of the most tangible ways to present that concept was in print – and starting a magazine happened to be one of Aryn’s dreams! So we started planning.
A. Now? Now? Okay…wedding….and now! (How the heck did you DO it?)From November 2006 until pretty much April of 2007, I would say every month,
“Okay, we’re going to have a magazine NEXT month.” I spent time researching, meeting with printers, familiarizing myself with different design programs (and asking lots of questions of design friends) (oh, and waitressing), but we weren’t ready to take the leap. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that, oh yeah, Benji and I were getting married in August, but finally I had to say, “It’ll wait until after the wedding.” But not much longer. On our honeymoon, we said, “Okay, next month we’re going to have not much longer. On our honeymoon, we said, “Okay, next month we’re going to have
Projects like the Paper Cake are often hatched late at night after lots of coffee. This is made out of Styrofoam and the majority of our past magazines. Aryn made it with tape and hot glue, then set up a “photo shoot” in the kitchen. We’re re-ally good at making something out of nothing.
25
201 West Water St, Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-2626
Less
on an•ti•in•flam•ma•to•ry/an’te-in-flam-e-tor-e/Adjective1. Medicine used to relieve swelling, pain, and other symptoms of inflammation.
www.donlonpharmacy.com
Go Hawks!2
Warning – May not relieve the pain of Cyclone losses....or the pain caused by multiple ACL tears.
i.e. “That football game gave me such a headache! Better stock up on anti-inflammatories at Donlon’s.”
Advil, Ibuprofen, Tums...we’ve got the cure for your football blues. Plus print your game day photos here in minutes!
a magazine,” and this time it came true! We got back to Decorah after Labor Day in September of 2007, and with some amazing help from our lovely friend, Sarah Magner, our very first Inspire(d) rolled off the press October 4, 2007 – we started with 3,000 of ‘em. It was very surreal. Like, “Really? We made that?”
B. I’m in sales now? (Or “How do you make money?”)
Of course, somewhere along the way we apparently figured out that we would have to PAY for this crazy creation to be printed, distributed, etc. (haha!). Print is not cheap, and it’s definitely not easy. To this day, people often ask, “How does the magazine make any money?” Well, it’s a pretty easy formula on the front end – our advertisers realize the value of being recognized in Inspire(d) and what we do for the community and region as a whole – and through their purchase of ad space, we manage to pay the bills and keep doing what we do! Luckily for us, our amazing community believed in us and what we were proposing to do. In our first issue out we had 34 advertisers sign on – it was incredible. Being in sales is something neither of us set out to do, but hey, we do what we gotta’
do around here… would you like to see our rate card?
A. Pagination nation: A Story of How Page Layout Became Design. (How did you learn how to do that?)People often ask about our design. I do pretty much all the layout (save for the occasional intern-designed pages), but my University of Iowa degree is in English and journalism, with a focus on writing, not design. I had a small amount of experience with page layout (then called pagination…does anyone still use that word?). But the rest of it? All experimentation. I’m still experimenting. As Ralph Waldo Emerson (my favorite) says, “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” It’s a good motto.
B. Press week, printing, distribution, oh my! (This covers LOTS of questions.)
So the cycle goes something like this…the cover currently goes to press in Prairie du Chien at Howe Printing 10 days before the rest of the magazine prints. The guts of Inspire(d) are printed just 10 miles away in Calmar at Graphics, where we head over, hang with the crew, and watch it come off the press. Then we get in our trusty
201 West Water St, Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-2626
Less
on an•ti•in•flam•ma•to•ry/an’te-in-flam-e-tor-e/Adjective1. Medicine used to relieve swelling, pain, and other symptoms of inflammation.
www.donlonpharmacy.com
Go Hawks!2
Warning – May not relieve the pain of Cyclone losses....or the pain caused by multiple ACL tears.
i.e. “That football game gave me such a headache! Better stock up on anti-inflammatories at Donlon’s.”
Advil, Ibuprofen, Tums...we’ve got the cure for your football blues. Plus print your game day photos here in minutes!
1999 Subaru Legacy and drive a couple hundred miles around the Driftless Region dropping off magazines at over 100 locations. We continue filling up racks as they empty quickly – especially the first week of a new issue. Then there’s invoicing, new ad sales, continuing ads to work on, writers to contact, writing to do, designing to do, and scheduling. Somewhere in there we generally take some time to not sit at our desks for 27 hours at a time, but then press week comes up, and generally no matter how we try it almost always ends in a 48-hour marathon of magazine making – 2 am coffee drinking, sometimes a few tears, hitting a wall, then pounding through it and making an even better magazine than we imagined we would. Then it starts all over again.
A. The future and everything in between (or “We Are in Control of Our Lives”).
Now here we are, staring year four in the face, and wondering, “What next?” First on the plan: We’re going quarterly in 2011. See that cycle above? We’re trying to get that under control. We hope in printing four times a year, we can bring Inspire(d) to a whole new level while also maintaining a life BEYOND Inspire(d). Gasp! I know, right? We’re super excited to hone in even more on our positive message – that it’s not so hard to do something – anything – good. We’ll also grow and expand our readership and reformat our web presence. We’re currently printing between 7,000 and 8,000 magazines per issue; for quarterly we’ll print 10,000 to start. We hope you’ll continue to follow us along on this amazing ride, and we thank you from the very bottom of our unicorn, bunny, and rainbow-filled hearts for all your support these past three years. And if you want to continue the support and be a super-fan, like us on Facebook! Visit us at theinspiredmedia.com!
XOXO – A&B 27
photos & words by Kristine Kopperud Jepsen
they might be giants
Chris Schultz with his pick of the year.
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Okay…we know you’re probably not going to say that. But we do have cable TV in every room, local art throughout our state-of-the-art facilities, nice views, and, of course,
free toothbrushes and floss. Now let’s hear a wooo hooo!
“Wooo hooo, I’m going to the dentist!”
There are pumpkins, and then there are
giant Curcurbita maxima – pumpkins Decorah grower Chris Schultz says will run tendrils into your heart, if even slightly sentimental, and root there to stay.
Chris was introduced to giant pumpkins – a sub-species cultivated to produce fruit weighing 1,000+ pounds – when a friend bet he couldn’t best him. Chris, a veteran UPS driver, isn’t one to take a challenge he can’t meet. But the specificity and pressure of the time-sensitive growing process intrigued him. Turn a trifling seed into half a ton of friendly competition? He was hooked.
Four years later, his backyard is sprawling with the ruffly-leaved vines. If you look hard enough, you’ll see the side vines are carefully laid out in neat rows, a “T” of them feeding the main vine of each plant. Every 40 feet or so, a tawny pumpkin as large as a Euro car lounges casually on its side on a hand-shaped bed of sand (for good drainage).
These beauties aren’t known for their looks however, Chris explains. It’s the mass of their meat that counts – literally. He and hundreds of other growers across the country primp and preen their pumpkins with the goal of winning a sanctioned “weigh-off” in the fall. The rules of competition – such as exclusive use of a certified scale, and, fruits having no soft spots three inches deep or in diameter – are set
by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, a national nonprofit that acts as a clearinghouse for pumpkin-growing supplies, technique, camaraderie, and score-keeping. “It’s a good little group,” Chris says. “All ages of people from all over the country.”
Chris plants just six to eight of the “Dill’s Atlantic Giant” seedlings he starts indoors in late April and hardens off in a hoop house in early May. After about a week outdoors, the plants root so fast you have to get them in the ground to
they might be giants
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stay, he says. He’s taken to blockading his patch with a windbreak so gusts can’t lift and snap the eager young vines.
Then comes the touchy business of pollination. Any serious grower will tell you to search out just one or two budding female (blossom/fruit producing) flowers on the main vine, about eight to10 feet from the “stump,” the point at which the plant emerges from the ground. Then, you have to choose a male flower to pollinate the plant. If possible, choose the male flower the night before it opens and tie a sack around it to catch any stray seed. Then, hand-pollinate the female flower in the early morning, just as it opens, by brushing it liberally with pollen and tying it shut, to prevent cross-pollination and encourage the fruit to “take.”
As the pumpkins begin to form, Chris tidies up the plants themselves, picking off additional flowers and burying the side vines so they act as roots and funnel all nutrients to the chosen fruits. When his contenders are lolling around like basketballs, weighing about 100 lbs, he must choose which one on each plant to favor for the duration of the season. Chris observes his pumpkins carefully as this decision bears down. He doesn’t name them, as some growers do, but he could pick his out of a line-up if he had to, just by the texture and shade of their skin, their ripples and knobs.
“That gets you to mid-July,” Chris explains. “Then you really start looking ahead to competition.”
In midseason, the fruits are needy. Too hot? Chris sets up tarps to shade them and keep their skin from baking dry. If hardened too much, the skin won’t stretch as the pumpkin continues to grow. Too dry? Chris hauls in creek water to make sure the plants get an inch a week (he supplies his own water so he’s not taking that much from his shared well). Or, too wet? Chris sprinkles sulphur on rot spots and sets up oscillating fans. He fertilizes the leaves several times a week with mostly organic products so that by the peak of growth – in early August – the fruits amass 30-40 lbs a day.
2010 has been a tough year for curcurbita in general, Chris says. E-mails fly between members of his regional growing club to report strategies for dealing with excessive vine and fruit rot encouraged by the record amount of rain received across the Midwest.
“Once your vine dies, you’re done,” Chris explains, pointing out a glowing orb of a pumpkin he had originally thought would be his star this season. When its vines rotted, it stopped growing, but he didn’t have the heart to remove it. So, he polished it with baby oil, which pumps up its orange color (a technique not legal in Commonwealth competition), and left it in the garden until he harvests the rest. “We’ll find a front yard for it,” he says with a grin. Friends and neighbors do tend to vie for Chris’s 15 to18 very large pumpkins as seasonal ornaments each year.
By October, your competitive lot has been cast, Chris says, and it’s time to show your goods. He picks and loads his prize pumpkin the night before competition using a custom-stitched harness of tow straps that allows him to lift the fruit with his utility tractor and nestle it on pallets padded with carpet. “Pumpkins start to lose weight as soon as you cut
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off their water supply,” Chris explains. Then, there’s little more to do but hand over your entry paperwork and line up at the scale.
In 2010, Chris will compete in Anamosa, Iowa’s annual Pumpkinfest and Weigh-Off, one of the region’s biggest GPC-sanctioned events. To encourage other local growers, Chris will also enter a smaller pumpkin in a start-up competition he helped organize in Waukon. You get one shot, he says. “You can’t run the same pumpkin all over the country. You win one, and you’re done.”
When all the vines dry and frost kills the season, Chris is indeed thankful to be done. It’s a bit of haul there toward the end. But then, there’s always the saving of seed. Using a cross-cut saw, Chris slices into the fruits of his labors – sometimes through 13 inches of solid shell on the stem end – and picks out the best of the best. He’ll keep some and share some and start dreaming all over again.
“That’s the way it is,” Chris explains. “You don’t really know why you do it, but it’s kinda neat.” Kristine Kopperud Jepsen could never grow giant pumpkins because she couldn’t bring herself to favor just ONE lovely fruit per plant. Between raising a little farm girl and growing a local food system as executive detail manager of Grass Run Farm, she tends mostly flowers, trees and weeds, all of which get out of hand by harvest time. She REALLY likes pumpkin pie, especially when her grandma makes the crust.
INTERESTED GROWERS CAN LEARN MORE AT GREATPUMPKINCOMMONWEALTH.COM &
BIGPUMPKINS.COM
Displaying the harness used to move the giant gourds.
31
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Go Ahead: Have a Cow
By Aryn Henning Nichols
an interview with Waukon artist Valerie Miller
32
The Decorah Regional Arts Council’s new name is....
A huge thank you to our sponsors Luther College, Inspire(d) Media, Decorah Bank and Trust, and Hotel Winneshiek for their generous support.
Driftless Art Collective – D.ART Co.
Thank you also to the businesses that donated items for the prize package - this region is amazing! Hotel Winneshiek, Dug Road Inn, Agora Arts, Rubaiyat, Seed Savers, Winneshiek Wildberry Winery, D&R’s Old World Inn, The Loft in
Lansing, Iowa, Lamp Post Inn & Gallery, Commonweal Theatre, Lanesboro Arts Center, QUARTER/quarter
Congratulations to Decorah artist Robin Hengesteg for creating the winning name! for short!
moreD.ART Co.
News coming soon!
“How now?” probably wouldn’t be the question artist Valerie Miller asks the Brown Cow, if given the chance. More likely it would be, “Could you please hold still?”
You see, Valerie paints cows – brown and every kind in between. She carefully captures their expressive eyes, subtle body language, and sometimes not-so-subtle attitudes and pairs them with bright, barren backgrounds in a pop-art-meets-the-farm sort of style.
So, of course, it makes perfect sense that she and her husband, artist and furniture designer Josh Miller, would call Waukon home. For Valerie, home again.
Although it was Josh’s idea to move back to the area to start their gallery, (Steel Cow), in Northeast Iowa, Valerie was equally excited – and not just for of the abundance of cows.
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“It is nice here – it is a beautiful, quaint, small, Midwestern area that has more subjects than I can ever paint – plus it’s home,” she says. “It feels good to be surrounded by friends and family.”
After pondering various locales to plant roots, and a 3-day trial run in Montana, coming back to Waukon was – to quote Goldilocks – just right.
“There isn’t the quantity or variety of the big cultural activities here you find in larger cities such as museums, art galleries, theater, etc. but on the other hand we are in the middle of the country and it is easy to go anywhere from here. People like to talk about others, but at the same time if something important is being spread, it spreads quickly and we are proven time and time again we have an enormous support system here in Northeast Iowa. It is cold, but we get to wear our favorite sweaters and scarves,” she says, going on. “For me, a huge pro is being able to see my family on a daily and weekly basis - oh and there are a lot of cows.”
(Have we mentioned she likes cows?)Valerie’s history in Northeast Iowa is long – she
and Josh even set up their studio and business in the building Valerie’s great-great-
grandfather built
inspire(d) magazine • october/
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as a furniture store way back in 1925. Plus, it’s is where her passions where first fostered.
“I have always been interested in art and painting,” she says. “Ever since I was a little girl I was enamored with animals and I dreamed of being a painter.”
It’s safe to say Valerie Miller is officially a painter. Through talent, hard work, and business savvy, the little girl’s dream has become a grown-up reality.
“I am very fortunate that I am able to share my artwork with others and I hope it can help them lighten their day and bring smiles to their faces through the images I paint.”
Many of those images are of Queenie, Valerie’s favorite cow. So what makes her so special?
“First of all, she is beautiful! I have painted her over and over again – so many times in fact that I keep having to give my paintings of her different names of so I don’t have 20 paintings named Queenie,” Valerie says. “I also like what she represents – she is –was –from a small local family farm and was the matriarch of their herd. She kept her head high – for a cow anyway – and did a fantastic job leading all the cows in her herd in their daily activities.”
Valerie also paints other animals through Petrayals, a branch of their business started almost by accident.
“In September of 2003, Josh and I invited a little yellow lab puppy, who we named Nan, to come and be part of our family,” Valerie says. “I started painting her and hanging paintings in the gallery and eventually – well, more like quickly – people started asking me to paint their dogs and I did.”
Word-of-mouth advertising took the “little” side business through the roof (pun intended).
“I have painted all sorts of dogs now, from 6” x 6” paintings, which are very popular, to 7-foot portraits of Shih Tzus,” she says.
Despite branching out in animal varieties, Valerie doesn’t paint people. And no matter what, cows will most probably continue to be her favorite.
“I feel like I still have thousands of cows left in me to paint,” she says.
The upcoming Northeast Iowa Studio Tour running
from October 1 through 3 is a great chance to check out Valerie and Josh’s work and gallery at 15 Allamakee Street in Downtown Waukon.
“We even hung a 9-foot by 9-foot painting of Queenie – surprise! – on a wall where she can greet customers as they come into (Steel Cow),” Valerie says.
This is the second year the Millers have been on the Tour, and they’re excited to have a fully renovated gallery this time.
“If any of you readers do get a chance to go on the Studio Tour – you should. We would love to see you in Waukon of course, but all the artists have been working
very hard throughout the year and this is an important weekend for the participants,” Valerie says. “A must-see stop is Nate and Hallie Evans from Allamakee Wood-Fired Pottery. They make amazing pottery, Nate is now offering glass pieces – which are brand-new and pretty cool – and their place has a special feeling all it’s own.”
The Millers are grateful to have friends like the Evans right here in the region, and that activities like the Northeast Iowa Studio Tour happen, along with
many other arts initiatives.“When I was a kid, there wasn’t as many art things as
there are now and this is great for everyone,” Valerie says. “The more art, the better our lives.”
Aryn Henning Nichols used to be a bit afraid of cows when she was little, but she’s since recovered. I mean…who’s ever heard of a human-eating cow? That’s right: No one.
Supporting other artists is important to the Miller duo, as well as supporting the
environment. They are part of an alliance of businesses that collectively give 1%
of their annual sales to support a fitting natural environment organization, such
as Seed Savers Exchange, which received support this year. And YOU can support
their endeavors by “Having a Cow.” (Steel Cow) offers a variety of prints in all
sizes and shapes, framed and unframed, affordable priced from $15 to $149
35
October at ArtHaus! at ArtHaus!
Novemberat ArtHaus!
First Friday: ArtHaus OktoberfestOctober 1, 7-9pm, $5 (kids under 6 free)@ ArtHaus Studio & Courtyard (516 W. Water St.)
Brats, beer, accordion – need we say more?
Story of Music, Stories from HomeOctober 3, 7pm, Free@ ArtHaus (508 W. Water Street)
A unique evening of words and music celebrating the natural world, our sense of place, and the meaning of home
Acoustic Jam in the CourtyardOctober 15, 7-9pm, $4@ ArtHaus Studio & Courtyard (516 W. Water St.)
Tom Savre and friends will serenade you in the courtyard BYOB or BYOP (picnic!)
All-Original Fall Poetry SlamOctober 22, 8pm, $5 adults/ $3 students@ Decorah Elks Lodge (402 W. Main St.)
A not-to-be-missed Decorah event. Come to perform or just come to enjoy!
Baker London Presents: Adam SvecOctober 29, 8pm, $5@ ArtHaus (508 W. Water St.)
Up and coming Minneapolis-based Adam Svec returns to Decorah as part of this concert series dedicated to emerging artists
First Friday: New Work by Artist John Snyder November 5, 7pm, Free@ the ArtHaus Studio
Inspired in his recent work by Oceanic tribal art, Snyder will warm our gallery with woodcuts and paintings created this summer and fall. Lynne Rothrock in ConcertNovember 12, 8pm, $10 adults/$5 students@ the Decorah Elks Lodge (402 W. Main St.)
“A sassy, high energy redhead, Rothrock is the spiritual kin of Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and Sarah Vaughan.” -Nashville Scene
Ladies Night Out: Furoshiki Wrapping cloths w/ Robin HengestegNovember 11, 6-9pm, $30@ The ArtHaus Studio
Create beautiful Japanese style wrapping cloths. Family Workshop: Kiln-Fired Clay OrnamentsSunday, November 21, 2-4pm. $15/person@The Clay Studio (207 Washington St.)
Mold mud to make ornaments for your tree. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.)
www.arthausdecorah.orgQuestions? Contact us! 563.382.5440 |
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum’s Sixth Biennial Benefit Auction begins October 8 when over 55 pieces of outstanding folk art will be on view in person at Vesterheim or online at vesterheim.org. The viewing will be open from 1 – 5 pm, Monday through Saturday, until October 21 in Vesterheim’s Westby-Torgerson Education Center and any time online. Everyone is invited to bid in person, or by email, fax, or phone.
The folk-art pieces up for auction are by the most prominent contemporary artists working in traditional Norwegian rosemaling, woodworking, fiber arts, and knifemaking. The contributing artists are Vesterheim Gold Medalists, award winners, or instructors. “Vesterheim is enormously grateful to the artists who have so generously
contributed pieces to this year’s benefit auction,” said Steve Grinna, Vesterheim’s Development Director.
The live and silent auction event will be held October 22 with final silent bidding at 7 pm and the Live Auction at 8 p.m. at the Hotel Winneshiek. Admission to the auction is free. Items other than folk-art pieces also will be included in the auction, so there will be something for everyone. Proceeds from this year’s benefit auction will support the folk-art education program at Vesterheim.
The evening will begin with a Gala Dinner at the Hotel Winneshiek at 5:30 pm. Reservations for the dinner can be made by calling the museum at 563-382-9681 before October 18.
“The Live Auction is always exciting,” said Steve Johnson, Vesterheim’s Executive Director. “No reservations are needed for the Live Auction and everyone is encouraged to come and enjoy, so bring your friends and family,” he encouraged.
Vesterheim also announces a new exhibition of fine art from the museum’s collections, “The Norwegian Art and Craft Club of Brooklyn, 1938-1956.” It is open from October 21, 2010, through August 2011. There will be an opening reception at the museum’s Main Building on Thursday, October 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with comments at 6 pm. “Held in conjunction with Vesterheim’s Free Thursdays, sponsored by Decorah Bank and Trust, this reception is a great opportunity to view the exhibition,” said Laurann Gilbertson, Vesterheim’s Chief Curator.
The Norwegian Art and Craft Club of Brooklyn, New York, was organized in 1938 by a group of amateur and semi-professional artists. The objective of the club was to promote interest in art and craft among its members and the public through exhibitions, lectures, discussions, and
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classes. The club, although founded and led by Norwegian Americans, did not restrict its membership by ethnicity or by gender. It also gave equal status to fine art and Norwegian decorative arts. Members created and exhibited paintings, sculpture, carving, rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting), tapestry, and knitting.
Vesterheim uses the story of Norwegian Americans to explore aspects of identity and culture common to everyone. The museum cares for over 24,000 artifacts,
among which are some of the most outstanding examples of decorative and folk art to be seen in this country. Founded in 1877, Vesterheim is the oldest and most comprehensive museum in the United States dedicated to a single immigrant group. This national treasure includes a main complex of 16 historic buildings in downtown Decorah, and an immigrant farmstead and prairie church just outside the city.
From May 1 – October 31, Vesterheim is open daily, 9 am - 5 pm, with hours extended until 8 pm on Thursdays. From November 1 - April 30, Vesterheim is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am - 4 pm, with hours extended until 8 pm on Thursdays and is closed Monday. For more information visit www.vesterheim.org, call (563) 382-9681, or write to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 523 W. Water St., P.O. Box 379, Decorah, IA, 52101-0379.
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1 Agora Arts Gallery, American Craft Week, and Pete’s Pots!Gail Bolson-Magnuson was one of the first to bring area art to the street – Water
Street to be exact. She opened Agora Arts in 1991 with 33 artists selling their work on consignment.
“There were so many artists in the region, but no local space to sell their wares,” she says. Agora now had expanded to include 250 different artists’ work from across the nation – many local, and more than 90% of Gail’s store is filled with American Craft.
What’s American Craft, you might ask? It’s handmade wares produced by artisans from right here in the U.S. The beginning of October marks the kick off of “American Craft Week,” which, despite the name, is actually 10 days. From October 1 through 10, the Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow (CRAFT), ask retailers, artists, and the public to take note of the craft items they purchase, and keep it local, or at least national.
“Local foods have gotten such a big push – when you support your farmers, that money stays in the community,” Gail says. “It is the exact same way for local artists. They are individuals trying to make a living.”
America Craft Week (ACW) is part of a larger movement to educate the public on not only keeping it local, but making the idea of “craft” more visible. Craft, by definition, is a skill in doing or making something, but in past years it’s been associated with cookie jars and potholders. Nothing against those things, it’s just that craft embodies so much more, and American Craft Week is hoping to widen that definition once again.
To celebrate American Craft Week, the Northeast Iowa Studio Tour, AND to help a good cause, Agora Arts is hosting Decorah dentist and potter Pete Blodgett in his craft, “Pete’s Pots.” Pete has thrown hundreds of pots for the upcoming fundraiser – 100% of the proceeds go to support the Decorah Area Free Clinic. www.agoraarts.com
2 Speaking of the Northeast Iowa Studio TourThe 13th annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour happens at the very beginning of
this October – Friday the 1st through Sunday the 3rd – so make sure you don’t miss it! Regional artists open their doors for a behind-the-scenes view into how their art is created, exploring many workspaces that are seldom seen or open to the general public. Nestled among the wooded hills and winding rivers are numerous top caliber, award winning, nationally traveling fine artists. The tour spans a 35-mile region around Decorah and is Iowa’s first and longest-running tour of artists’ studios in the state. 2010 showcases 42 artists in 33 locations, open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. www.iowaarttour.com
3 A New Gallery in Decorah! Eckheart Art Gallery and AntiquesDecorah artist Doug Eckheart doesn’t take the term “retirement” too seriously. Instead,
after completing his 40-year tenure at Luther College as an art professor, he took to the opportunity to start a new business – one that he had dreamed of for a long time.
Eckheart Art Gallery and Antiques, located smack dab in the middle of Downtown Decorah at 107 West Water Street, currently features the artist/entrepreneur’s own original paintings and reproductions, along with ceramic sculpture by Jack Dale Raddatz.
The space houses Eckheart’s studio and will accommodate future classes and workshops as well. Downstairs, patrons will find antiques and treasures.
The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. www.eckheart.com.Read a story about Doug Eckheart from the August/September 2009 Inspire(d) at
theinspiredmedia.com/2009/08/doug-eckheart/
The Driftless Region – Northeast
Iowa, Southeast Minnesota, and
Western Wisconsin – has an “art beat”
that’s loud and clear these days.
(Okay, okay. We can hear the collective
groan.) All puns aside, the arts and culture scene has
been seeing stellar growth in the past few years, and the
next two months won’t let you down.
So in true Inspire(d) fashion, we thought we’d do a little arts round up for you – connect the dots,
fill in the blanks, and encourage you to support the folks
who are making our little valley an even better place to live.
Art AttackCompiled by Inspire(d)
in a good way!
38
Happy Holidays!
117 W. Water StreetDecorah, Iowa
bar menu also available
dinner: wed-sat open at 5 sunday brunch: 9-1
lunch: wed-fri 11-1:30
563.382.WINE
www.rubaiyatrestaurant.com
reservations appreciated
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Book your holiday parties today, and it’s never too early
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Gift Certificates!
at Rubaiyat!NewNew menu
starting Oct 13th
Rubaiyat lunch will go on hiatus the end of October.
Look for its return next spring!
New menu
Fall wine dinner
Oct 21st
4 The new arts council name has been announced!The Decorah Regional Arts Council will now operate under a new name, and it was
finally announced at the Super Swanky Launch Party September 17! Decorah artist Robin Hengesteg won the prize package worth more than $1,000 with her name Driftless Art Collective, or D.ART Co.
D.ART Co. is excited to be expanding the area of the Driftless Region it serves beyond just Northeast Iowa to include Southeast Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Inspired by D.ART Co.’s most recent projects – acting as the fiscal agent for ArtHaus and the Oneota Film Festival – the board honed in on a revised mission: to help artists and interested people connect with each other and work together to strengthen arts and culture in the region. The next step in that process will be the launch of a new website this fall/winter. Keep your eyes peeled for dartco.org! To learn more about the re-branding project, visit artistsformerlyknownasdrac.com.
5 To infinity, and beyond!We’ve told you about most of these in the past, but we want to be sure you know about:• Decorah’s new community pottery studio, The Clay Studio, at 207 Washington Street –
pop in to try a project!• ArtHaus, Decorah’s home for the arts, just celebrated their 2nd anniversary! They’ve
expanded to add a studio, just a few doors down, to their current space. 508 & 516 W. Water Street.
• Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minnesota, has a great fall/winter lined up – we suggest you take in a show!
• Lanesboro Arts Center is holding Swingsation, their annual fundraiser and gala, November 6. It’s a fun-filled event with great art, food, and music!
Also don’t miss Bluff Country Artist Gallery in Spring Grove, Minnesota, the Rochester Art Museum, the Pump House in La Crosse, the McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts in McGregor, Iowa, and any other local arts initiatives we may have forgotten to mention here!
Check out Pete’s Pots at Agora Arts Gallery during American Craft Week October 1-10.
Renae McIntosh lost 50 pounds in 5 months!
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Meetings (optional) on Tuesdays, 5:30 pm, Java John’s, Decorah
& GalleryGreat for groups up to 40Baby or Wedding ShowersSmall receptions or PartiesWeddings (garden available)Murder Mystery Dinners “Amazin’ Race” Games
It’s more than a B&B. It really feels like home!
The Lamp Post Inn
424 Main St., McGregor, Iowa • 563-873-1849
www.innandgallery.com
Plan your stay or event today!
Dam Good Times
F all is upon us, whether we like it or not. Personally, I find it’s hard not to love this transition of seasons: from the hot, blistery summer that makes sleeping difficult unless directly positioned
under a fan to the cool, crisp autumn with bright blue skies and crackly orange, red, and yellow trees.
What’s not to like?
Discovering the beauty of the Kickapoo Valley ReserveBy Lauren Kraus
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One way to really soak in this gorgeous time of year is to get out for a drive, a walk, anything to see the fall splendor. And I’ve got just the place to check out! The Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) – most
definitely a close neighbor in the Driftless Region – roughly 45 miles from both La Crosse, Wisconsin and Lansing, Iowa – making it an easy fall weekend or daytrip destination.
The Kickapoo Valley Reserve is a sweeping 8,569 acres of land nestled in Southwestern Wisconsin between the villages of La Farge and Ontario. Traveling in this part of Wisconsin is breathtaking with winding roads meandering up and over tall bluffs covered in rich woodlands, perfect for leaf-looking and horizon-gazing. I suggest a route that takes you through the quaint town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. Take the time to stop and enjoy some wonderful shops and restaurants. A couple of my favorites are the Viroqua Food Co-op and the Driftless Café – or stop by Kickapoo Coffee’s roastery and say hello from Inspire(d). Kick back – it’s a leisurely drive, right?
As you continue on the route, don’t be surprised to see colorful roadside stands selling the best of their fall harvest and fresh farm eggs. At the southern entrance to Lauren and her boyfriend, Dave, excited about the race.
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202 Winnebago StDecorah
Public LibraryLower Level
563-382-3717, ext. 111
Tues/Sat 10 am – 1 pm • Wed/Thurs 3 pm – 7 pm
More than 1,400 toys -
watch for new additions!
Grandparent: $20Family, Schools, or Childcare Providers: $45Mini Membership: $15/ 3 mo.
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Ad sponsored by Winneshiek County Community Foundation
Little House on the Farm B&B
892 Pole Line Road • Postville, Iowa • 563-864-7304•www.littlehouseonthefarm.com(between Decorah & Waukon)
Made-from-scratch
breakfast using locally grown
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enjoy life's simple pleasures & the peacefulness of the country
Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) sits La Farge, another picturesque Wisconsin town that is home to the national headquarters of Organic Valley, the largest cooperative of organic farmers in the United States. Be sure to visit in their retail store on Main Street and see what their products are all about.
My own first experience with the incredible KVR was through an adventure race called the Dam Challenge Triathlon – a 7-mile paddle, 14-mile road bike ride and a 3-mile run. It turned out to be quite the endeavor… Let’s just say waking up at 5 am and leaving Decorah early enough to make it for race time was not my idea of a peaceful Saturday morning. My friends came to pick me up on that crisp, October day before the sun was even thinking about making an appearance. We drove the twisting two-lane highway through morning fog toward the Mississippi River, sipping on black coffee and trying to get into race-mode. After crossing the Mighty River, I will never forget turning around in the minivan to look at the sun rising behind us as we climbed the bluffs in western Wisconsin. The Mississippi River Valley was flooded with fog and the bright new sun reflected on the fall-colored maples, oaks, and hickories, creating a fiery glow that has been burned in my memory.
The exhausting race served as an excellent tour of the KVR and surrounding areas. We paddled the clear, cool water, rode through dense valleys of pure Wisconsin farmland, up and over steep
507-467-2446www.lanesboroarts.org
LANESBORO ARTS CENTER
UPCOMING EXHIBIT AT THE GALLERIES:
Lanesboro, Minnesota
Triple-billing!• Molly Maher & her Disbelievers • Randy Weeks • Erik Koskinen Band
Sat, Oct. 16, 7:30 pm / $5 Lanesboro Legion Post #40
The Art of FoodExhibit Featuring 32 Artists
Oct. 23– Dec. 23Opening
Reception: Saturday,
Oct. 236-8 pm,
Free!
Films at the St. Mane Theatre - $5/$4Fri, Oct. 22, 7 pm - “Babette’s Feast”
Sat, Oct. 23, 4:30 & 8 pm - “FOOD Inc.”
“MUSIC ON THE SLANT” SERIES
An evening of fine food & wine, silent & live auctions, cash bar & live jazz music,held at the Lanesboro Community Center
Annual Benefit GalaSaturday, Nov. 6, 6 pm – Advance ticket sales $50/person
ridges, and ran the wooded, rocky trails. I’m convinced it will forever be a favorite place. I love that the area is rugged, full of exposed sandstone outcroppings, a mosaic of green moss, towering cliffs and the narrow, snaking Kickapoo River. It was officially dedicated under the governing body of the Kickapoo Reserve Management Board in May of 2001. It now boasts a beautiful visitor and education center, many miles of rustic trails for hikers, bikers and equestrians, 25 primitive camp sites including some accessible by vehicle and some accessible only by canoe or hike-in/bike-in, 125 miles of canoeing on the Kickapoo River and opportunities to hunt, fish and trap. Not to mention, the Dam Challenge Triathlon every October. (The 2010 Dam Challenge Triathlon is scheduled for October 2. Sorry, registration is closed, but keep it in mind for next year!)
Upon arrival, make sure to pop in at the beautiful visitor center located on the south side of the area. They offer great information about the Reserve, a detailed history of the area, and employees who can answer questions and give tips as well as maps. You can’t go wrong with any hiking trail or any camping spot, but one of my favorite spots to camp is letter “N”. Set up here and hike on the trail that leaves from the north part of the campsite. This will lead you up a hill and to an area with some steeper climbing and scampering over rocks bringing you to an awesome lookout over the whole valley. There are numerous lookouts on other hiking trails too – it’s easy to find great vistas all over this place. If canoeing is your thing, there are bridges every mile on the river making it easy to get in and out as well as know exactly where you are on the water.
Kickapoo is plum full of potential for pure adventure – all you need to do is get there. The Reserve is accessible from wherever you may be in the Midwest making it an easy weekend expedition or even a Saturday get-outta-town trek any time of year. If you happen to miss the fall-foliage trip-window, or go and love it so much you want to go back, the winter months offer a whole new set of activities with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and even a Winter Festival in early January. Whatever outdoor liveliness you’re into, the KVR is a stunning place to pay a visit and have a dam good time!
Lauren Kraus loves everything about fall. She plans to spend some good time in the KVR warmed by hot tea and a wool sweater tromping around in the woods or floating in a canoe. The 2010 Dam Challenge is her 3rd and not the last.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT:
KVR.STATE.WI.USWWW.ORGANICVALLEY.COOPWWW.KICKAPOOCOFFEE.COM
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501 MONTGOMERY ST DECORAH, IA
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DRAG YOURSELF OUT FOR SOME LANESBORO FUN
ROCHESTER GIRLS, INC. – AN EXQUISITE DRAG REVIEW
OCTOBER 9, 2010 7 TO 9 PM; DOORS AT 6:30 PM
LANESBORO COMMUNITY CENTER$10 DOOR/ $8 IN ADVANCE
TICKETS IN ADVANCE AT CROWN TROUT JEWELERS OR
SPOILED ROTTEN IN LANESBORO, MINNESOTA.
Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, and get ready for Lanesboro, Minnesota’s fifth annual fundraiser for the Professional Aids Network: An
Exquisite Drag Review. Set for October 9 at the Lanesboro Community Center, the 7 pm show will feature the Rochester Girls, Inc.
The event was originally organized in 2005 by Elizabeth Biel, Lanesboro resident, and Elizabeth Bucheit, owner of Lanesboro-based Crown Trout Jewelers. The two women were hoping to both support a good cause and bring a fun and fabulous show to their tiny Southeast Minnesota town.
“I went to a show in Rochester with my mom and had a blast seeing all of the Girls’ female impersonations with the full hair, makeup and – of course – ball gowns,” says Biel. “I thought, ‘Why couldn’t something like this be a hit in Lanesboro?’”
The first year they were worried about how the community would receive the show, Biel admits, let alone whether anyone would show up.
“It’s amazing because the first year we threw it a lot
of people were concerned that the local crowd would be upset -- instead it seems they think it’s great! In fact some of our most loyal participants are ladies ages 70+! They have loved it,” says Biel.
This year it will be the 5th anniversary for the exquisite drag reviews. In just a couple years the event has outgrown both the Sons of Norway lodge and St. Mane Theatre in Lanesboro. Last year, organizers Biel and Bucheit decided to secure the Lanesboro Community Center, a venue large enough to hold all who want to attend plus allow room for a dance floor and bar.
The Rochester Girls is a group of twelve drag queen entertainers that work to provide entertainment and at the same time promote local charities. All proceeds of the Exquisite Drag Review will be donated to the Professional Aids Network, a hospice charity whose mission is to make the final days of AIDS patients in the Southeastern Minnesota area more comfortable by providing meals, transportation to appointments, prescriptions pick ups and more – basically anything that patient needs.
October 9, 2010 – 7:30 pmOctober 10 , 2010 – 4:00 pm
Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights
Musical fireworks are on display as CAE kicks off a new season!The majestic sounds of Mozart, Handel and Beethoven,as sung by Choral Arts Ensemble and the newly-formedChoral Arts Symphonic Chorus, will fill the lovely space
of Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights.
507.252.8427 • www.choralartsensemble.org
Please call if special accommodations areneeded. Large print programs available.
Carl and VernaSchmidt Foundation
Choral ArtsEn s em b l e
Michael Culloton, Artistic Director
MUSIC of themasters
S E M A CSouthern Minnesota Arts Council
Rodney D. AndersonL a w O f f i c e s , L L C
Friday, December 10, 2010 – 7:30 pmSaturday, December 11, 2010 – 7:30 pm
Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights
Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 4:00 pmChurch of St. Pius X
The holiday sounds of Choral Arts Ensemble have beenwarming the hearts of our audiences for more than
twenty-five years, and we invite you to join us this yearas we carry on the tradition!
CAE INSPIRE AD 9 21 10 9/21/10 12:57 PM Page 1
Northeast Iowa is an incredibly unique place. Its renowned bluffs, coulees, and small winding streams are simply mesmerizing. Decorah in particular appears to be gaining momentum as a regional hub for art, culture, recreation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. The city seems to be bustling with a multitude of activities and opportunities that are as compelling, organic, and inspiring as the landscape that surrounds it.
Of course you know this. You read Inspire(d) Magazine. But has the future always looked this bright? Or are we just more aware of it now? Have we hit the high water mark? Or are we just getting started? Sure, we’ve experienced our share of set backs, but it is our resilience that unites us and gives us our character.
For example, in celebration of Postville’s cultural diversity, 89.1 FM KPVL first went on the air in 2002. Programming in Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, and English made headlines statewide and fostered cross-cultural dialog and understanding. However, Postville’s capacity to support and sustain Northeast Iowa’s sole community radio station slowly eroded after the inauspicious events of May 2008.
Accordingly, the station moved into a new broadcast studio in downtown Decorah earlier this year and the vibrancy and support of the Decorah community has brought new life to KPVL.
Decorah-area college students and graduates are currently developing a local daily news and morning program that seeks to engage youth and highlight local art and culture. Approximately 20 volunteers have stepped forward to produce original programs, like American Mosaic with Robert Wolf, that are just now beginning to hit the airwaves. KPVL is now an affiliate of both the Pacifica Radio Network and the Public Radio Exchange. This allows the station to broadcast nationally syndicated shows totally unique to our region like Democracy Now!, Free Speech Radio News, Folk Alley, and Sound Opinions.
Most importantly, Decorah’s gift of stability and support to KPVL has allowed residents in Postville to resume regular high school athletic broadcasts and live Spanish-language music and news on Saturday nights.
With our collective progress and well-being in mind, I invite you to do more than just listen to 89.1 KPVL – become an active participant by making a contribution during the station’s pledge drive October 11-17. A membership soirée with live music and a silent auction will also take place at the Elk’s Lodge in Decorah on Saturday October 16.Visit www.891theblend.org or call 1-866-891-5785 for more information.
KPVL WANTS YOU! A NOTE FROM MANAGER ADAM WILTGEN
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Let’s talk turkey.Contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving was not invented
by the National Football League to sell another days worth of beer advertising. It is, however, a traditional American holiday during which families and friends from all over the United States gather together once a year to catch up and eat dinner at the same time: halftime…ha! (And sometimes once a year is far too often!)
Traditionally as well, the star attraction of the feast is none other than our Native American fowl, the turkey. My lovely wife, Brenda, and I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for probably the last 25 years. It is not unusual to have 50 or 60 people show up including both sides of the family, friends, as well as a couple reprobates of society thrown into the fray. That amount of humanity necessitates a large quantity of food and drink. A couple of fresh, not frozen, 20-pound-plus turkeys and a ham the size of a small car engine are always on the roster.
How DO you do it, you ask? Well, since we have been doing this extravaganza so long, I keep trying to come up with new ways to prepare the upcoming meal. First: get help. Especially when you’re combining turkey and hot oil, like we did two years ago.
On Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, our daughter Fawn came over to help prep. While Brenda tidied up the house, Fawn and I toasted up six loaves of white and whole wheat bread. Chop! Chop! Chop! Our knives flew through the bread, fresh mushrooms, celery, red onions, and cloves of the stinky rose, garlic. It was human vegematic at its best.
I set about prepping our big birds. Turkey number one I submersed in a kosher saltwater brine with sliced up oranges, lemons, and limes. Turkey number two was destined to be the star attraction. We were going to deep fat fry it the next day
on the east deck. So I made up a concoction of apple juice, onion juice, garlic juice, and Cajun seasoning and with a syringe, injected it all throughout the bird. We then rubbed the entire bird with Cajun seasoning and put it to rest for the night.
Early Thanksgiving morning, I put coffee on and started working on our brined turkey. After patting it dry, I laid it on its back and gently worked my hands under the skin covering the breasts. Once the skin was loosened up, I placed pads of butter and fresh sage leaves underneath. We were good to go. Into the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, breast side down. I turned it over on its back and reduced the heat to 325 degrees. Rule of thumb with a bird this size is to cook it for fifteen minutes a pound. I always check, however. You want to insert a meat thermometer into the thigh meat and have it read 165 degrees and have the juices run clear. Try not to overcook it or you will have a dried disaster on your hands. Trust me, I have been there.
Time to finish the stuffing. Three pounds of fried, drained pork sausage, a dozen
whipped eggs, enough chicken stock to make it moist, a little dried sage, and some salt and fresh ground black pepper all went into the mixture. Into a roaster covered with aluminum foil at about 200 degrees. Whew! Time for a cup of coffee with cream. The adrenaline was starting to kick in. A lot of prep lay ahead and time was growing shorter.
The ham was next on the agenda: cut a crisscross pattern, place it in a roaster, cover with pineapple slices and baste with rosé wine.
Back to baste turkey number one, then on to the spectacle: my outside cooker. You probably have seen those outside turkey cookers advertised on TV complete with a perforated stainless steel basket to lower the turkey into the hot oil. Well, our setup is a little more sophisticated. My outside cooker is about waist high. Add to that a tall pot. Add peanut oil about halfway up. The trick is enough oil to cover turkey number two but not enough to boil over. We straighten out a wire coat hanger and truss up the turkey’s legs with one end. We then make a loop on the other end. When the oil is at 360 degrees on a candy thermometer, it is time to give our fowl a soothing oil bubble bath. At high noon, the two sons of the family, Shanon and Conor, climb up the ladders with a broom handle inserted through the wire loop and gently lower the turkey into the churning froth. Talk about shanty Irish!
Back inside to baste. Fawn, thank God, showed up just in time to help
Gerda (Mom) and Jim’s Homemade Stuffing 1-1 lb. loaf white cottage bread 1 lb. Ground pork sausage 1-1 lb. loaf whole wheat bread 4 oz, slivered almonds 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced Ground dried sage 6 celery stalks, chopped fine Salt/Fresh ground black pepper 1 large onion, diced 3 large eggs, whisked 4 garlic cloves, minced 32 oz. chicken broth
Toast bread and cut into ½ inch pieces. In a large mixing bowl, combine toast, mushrooms, celery, onions, and garlic. Fry up sausage and drain. Add to mixture along with almonds. Lightly season with sage, salt, and pepper. Toss and season again. Repeat twice more. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add chicken broth and mix well. Bake in oven in a large covered casserole dish at 325 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stuffing is ready when the middle reaches 165 degrees. (Serves 12-16)
A Brief Diatribe on Thanksgiving Dinner
By Jim McCaffrey(According to Jim)
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peel and cook 40 pounds of potatoes and help concoct a salad of iceberg and spring mix lettuces, red onions, green peppers, green and black olives, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, and feta cheese. Guests started to arrive bearing side dishes, desserts and beverages of their choice. Pretty soon every counter in the kitchen was covered with delectable delights.
I started the potatoes boiling then went to check on our boiling bird. Not quite ready. It takes about three minutes a pound to cook. When the turkey floats, it is good to go, but always do that check with a meat thermometer. Back in the house, I made gravy and quickly mashed the potatoes. The time had grown near to pull this all together.
Brenda had decorated marvelously, and also had brought out every plate in the house along with all of the silverware and wineglasses. We pulled the turkeys and ham and placed them on platters. While they rested for ten minutes, we gathered everyone together and my brother, Pat, led us in a prayer of thanks. Three of us started carving, plates began filling, and pretty soon every
available seat in the house was occupied. Even the steps leading upstairs were filled with some of the younger folk. It was a feeding frenzy. Seconds, Thirds. An hour later, it was all over but the crying. Except for cleanup, of course….
Brenda, her sisters, and sister in-law stepped up to the plate, er plates, and in no time reduced a mountain of dishes into oblivion. The rest of us sipped our beverages contentedly, engaged in small talk, played cards, slept, and occasionally watched on TV guys with helmets and shoulder pads beat up on each other. With a glass of wine in hand, I mused to my brother in-law “You know if Benjamin Franklin had had his way, the national bird of the country would have
been the turkey. That means a certain football team from Pennsylvania might have called the Philadelphia Turkeys. Now there is food for thought.” Speaking of food, it was time to start a second round and dive into the leftovers. Nothing like a cold turkey or ham sandwich. Ah, life is good.
Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah. He is author of a humorous cookbook titled “Midwest Cornfusion.” He has been in the food industry in one way or another for 40 years.
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TAXI HOURS
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? My mother told me when I married Jim, “You can’t come back.” Mary laughs and told me she knew she had to stick with him.
What did you want to be when you grew up? A nurse
What did you do? I was born on a farm near Jackson Junction and graduated from Waucoma high school in 1936. I married Jim Henry in 1938 and raised four children – two boys and two girls. I went back to school to be a nurse, a LPN in 1970, and worked at Aase Haugen and then Winneshiek Public Health until I retired in 1977. I still go out daily and to church three to four times per week. I enjoy helping others.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you? My family picture (with her husband and her four children), my Rosary, and of course my medicine!
(Spoken like a true nurse).
Try to describe yourself in one sentence: “Old,” she laughs, “but I have a good attitude and I’m happy!”
If you could eat anything everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be? Goulash
Name one thing that you could not live without? Money
Tell us about your wedding day: “I wore a blue dress, my Aunt was my maid of honor and she wore a pink dress. We had flowers in our hair. We were married at St. Mary’s in Waucoma at 9 am by Father Falin. My mom served a brunch for about 30 people – close family and friends. That night we had a wedding dance at Breezy Corners and lots of people attended. Our honeymoon was in a motel in Waukon, we wanted to go to La Crosse but we were too tired to drive so we stayed there. We did spend a week in Wisconsin, but came back to this little hotel in La Crosse every night.
What is your favorite memory: “I have so many,” but she does tell me, “When we picked up our four children (Mary and Jim adopted their four kids). I can still remember how happy we were and how glad we were to have them. We were only supposed to go and see them, and I always took them home the same day.”
I met Mary Henry in 1988 when I started working with Winneshiek County Public Health. She has been a wonderful co-worker and friend ever since. At the time I met Mary she was working as a home care aide, taking care of clients who were younger than her! The funny thing about this was that Mary had to have a physical signed by an MD every year to make sure she was in good enough health to work. She retired when she was 77. Since that time Mary has been very busy helping family, friends and her neighbors where she lives. Mary is now 92, still active, drives daily, cooks daily, and makes Sunday dinner for several of her neighbors in her apartment complex – every Sunday!
Do you know someone you’d love to interview for this
page? Let us know! [email protected]
Probituary: It’s a Notice of Life!
MARY HENRY, AT 92, IS STILL A GO-GETTER AND HELPING HANDInterview and foreword by Karen Kerndt
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For your 3-year-old we detect vision conditions that require correction at an early age. This free screening is designed to ensure your child can See to Learn when entering pre-school & kindergarten. www.seetolearn.com
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You would go to the ends of the earth for your family.
Thanks to Winneshiek Medical Center,you don’t have to.
The best health care for your family is closer than you
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Center Stage Series 2010–11 A stunning array of shows in October and November!
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience
The Diary of Anne Frank
Professor Kubinek Meets the Symphony
Kenny Barron Trio with special guest David Sanchez
Tuesday, October 57:30 p.m. $22, $20, $15Tickets on sale now.
A soulful voice, frottoir, and fiery accordion—bring on the zydeco!
Media support provided by KDEC
Saturday, November 6 7:30 p.m. $23, $21, $15 Tickets go on sale Oct. 14.
A world premiere performance, both virtuosic and vaudevillian!
Presented by Hancher Auditorium and Orchestra Iowa. Supported by an anonymous family foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Iowa West Foundation, ACT, Rockwell Collins, Betty Winokur, Community Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, and Hancher Partners.
Thursday, November 117:30 p.m. $22, $20, $15Tickets go on sale Oct. 21.
Jazz pianist and 2010 NEA jazz master performs with his mentee, one of the finest saxophone players.
Media support provided by Decorah Newspapers.
Friday, October 227:30 p.m. $24, $22, $15Tickets go on sale Sept. 30.
A powerful play of courage, love, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Sponsored by Gundersen Lutheran–Decorah Clinic
All performances are in the Luther College Center for Faith and Life.Tickets: http://centerstage.luther.edu, 563-387-1357, [email protected]