Organizations

This Week at the Northfield City Council

• Kjerland Receives Recognition
• Board and Commission Appointments Deferred Again
• Redistricting Process Begin

We are upgrading our server and need to have some down time between Thursday, February 9 at 5:00pm and Saturday, Feb. 11 at noon. Our website may be down during that time. We will have no internet access or email either. Rest assured we are still here enjoying what we do, so feel free to call if you need to get in touch. Thank you for your understanding.

Tell someone “Happy Valentines Day”
with a singing Valentine from the Laura Baker Choir!   $5 per song, sung by the choir via telephone to the person of your choice!   Here’s how it works:

• Fill out this order form and submit it along with $5 to Jenny or Dixie (at front desk).
• Singing telegrams will be phoned in by the choir on
  February 14, between 3:45 and 4:30 pm.
• Song choices are: “Love me Tender”,
  “Happy Valentine’s Day” (sung to the tune of Happy Birthday), and “Hey Good Lookin’”

Proceeds will go to help with choir expenses. Thanks for your support!

Multiple opportunities available for volunteers; reception and registration desks, light assembly, clerical duties, and many more. Flexible hours. To sign up or for more information contact Margaret Colangelo at 507-333-5567.

  
I’m not sure when it happened exactly but some time in the past few weeks, a crew from the City of Northfield Streets, Parks & Facilities Divisions mowed down all the noxious trees at the south end of the pond in Hidden Valley Park. There were hundreds of small trees there, blocking the view of the pond for those of us on the south end. 

A tip-of-the-blogger-hat to Street & Park Supervisor TJ Heinricy and his staff for doing this.

I am helping to organize a spay/neuter clinic for lower income pet owners (and also to help sterilize feral cats in this same neighborhoods). I have a set of instructions for pet owners that I need translated from English to Spanish. It is just one page but is pretty comprehensive.

We also may need volunteers to assist us in spreading the word in a couple specific apartment home and mobile home parks. I will post more about that when we have an exact date for the clinic. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in helping.

Please let me know if you can translate this document, and I will send it your way.

Thank you!

Claiborne Day
645-4476

Students Jasmine Barksdale, Olivia Upham and Jon Fried are surprised with the Making a Difference Award at the December benefit concert. Not pictured is Gabby Frenstad. Photo by Helen Forsythe.

Four teenagers who organized a benefit concert for a family who lost their home in a fire are the December 2011/January 2012 recipients of the Healthy Community Initiative’s  “Making a Difference” Award.  The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Within hours of learning of the Thanksgiving Eve fire that destroyed the home of the Haslett-Marroquin family, ARTech students Gabby Frenstad and Olivia Upham and Northfield High School students Jasmine Barksdale and Jon Fried rallied support for the family through a Facebook page and organized a concert and bake sale.  Their efforts have raised more than $6,500.

“I was incredibly surprised by how amazing the response was,” said Fried.  “Right from when we started organizing, we knew there would be a lot of people involved, and we knew that the event would probably have a good turnout, but it wasn’t until we got a call from the Star Tribune the evening of concert that the impact of what we were doing really hit me.”

Barksdale said her favorite memory of the concert was seeing all the people streaming in through the doors, after worrying that no one would show up.  “I definitely did not expect that many people to be willing to devote their time and money to people who they didn’t really know.  I think it says a lot about the community we live in,” she said.

“What these young people did for our family and for this community’s spirit after our house fire is beyond what we had imagined,” said Reginaldo and Amy Haslett-Marroquin.  “Together with the immense generosity and accompaniment from so many others, they have made our journey bearable and manageable.  The English language does not have a word that would properly express the depth of our gratitude.  What the youth gifted us with was so much more than funds – it was hope, and with hope anything is possible.”

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The Healthy Community Initiative and the Northfield News present the Making a Difference Award cooperatively. If you know an individual or group that you would like to nominate for this award, visit  www.northfieldhci.org for nomination guidelines and the easy-to-complete application — or find HCI on Facebook.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are selected by a review team of HCI board members and local youth.

Article written by Joy Riggs, HCI Board member and freelance writer

You can see the whole spring newsletter here. Click on the box at lower right to fill your whole screen and make it more legible. You’ll probably not be able to download and print these pages properly, but not to worry—-we’ll make special pages available next week.

PLEASE NOTE; THE CLASS BY BARRY ADAMS ON THE CIVIL WAR WILL HAVE AN UNUSUAL SCHEDULE: April 12, 19 & 26, and May 3, 8, 10, 15 and 17, all at the Senior Center.

Spring web newsletter View more documents from Cannon Valley Elder Collegium

Marion, Susan and David Hvistendahl, three long-time supporters of Northfield Historical Society, will be the honorary chairs at the society’s annual meeting Saturday evening, March 17, at Carleton College’s Great Hall.

Marion retired to Northfield in 1990 with her husband, Jake, following rich and varied college teaching careers. She volunteered in the Museum Store and brought local historical figure Ann North to life as part of her Women in History presentations. Marion has also teamed with Brad Ness to present Ole and Lena Night, an NHS benefit.

Susan, a St. Olaf College graduate, has done extensive historical research since moving to Northfield in 2004. She chaired NHS’s Oral History Committee, edited a publication written by Alvin Houston on Lewiston, a local ghost town, and, in 2010, published a book on the Lyceum Building, the second publication of the NHS History Series. Susan is a regular contributor on local history to the Northfield Entertainment Guide.

David Hvistendahl, also a St. Olaf College graduate, has provided legal counsel to NHS since the early 1980s. He has served on the board of directors and as president. His Dr.Visty medicine man show was a fixture for many years during Defeat of Jesse James Days. David also appeared as one of the bank tellers in in the early video re-creations of the infamous James-Younger Bank Raid.

The annual meeting is free to all members of NHS. will begin with a social hour from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., a short business meeting and then food and social time.

The event is sponsored by Community Resource Bank and Carleton College. For more information, contact Hayes Scriven at 507-645-9268.

Click below to see how he makes his books! Sabuda's books

Winter may be on its way out…but we’ve still got a number of weeks of days with late sunrises and early sunsets.  Shake off the gloom…and shake your tailfeathers…to the music of such American greats as Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “the Big Bopper” Richardson, provided by local greats Terry Van DeWalker, Scott Skaja, Allison Rae, Jacob Hendrickson, C. J. Alt, Ross Willits, and Ray Barnard…Friday night at the Cow.

Friday, February 3rd: New Moon Trio, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Contented Cow; One Act Plays, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., Northfield High School Auditorium; Winter (’50s) Dance Party, 7:00 p.m., Contented Cow; Ben Aaron, 8:00 to 11:30 p.m., Tavern Lounge; and Karaoke, 9:00 p.m., Rueb’N'Stein.

Saturday, February 4th: One Act Plays, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., Northfield High School Auditorium; Jon Larson’s Neil Diamond Tribute, 8:00 to 11:30 p.m., Contented Cow; Lonesome Dan Kase, 8:00 to 11:30 p.m., Tavern Lounge; and D J Music, 9:00 p.m., Rueb’N'Stein.

Sunday, February 5th: Politics and a Pint, 6:00 p.m., Contented Cow; Quiz Night, 8:00 p.m., Contented Cow; and Super Bowl Sunday at the Frog, kick-off 6:30 p.m. ET, Froggy Bottoms.

 Thursday, February 2, 2012

Today:  “A Very Brief History of International Criminal Law” (Fossum)

Birthdays: Jean Wakely (2/3)

Next Week: Building Low-Income Housing in Minneapolis with Herb Frey (Gleason)

Last Week:

    Society has come a long way in its acceptance of those with disabilities, but Tom Tanghe, whose brother has Down’s Syndrome, offered first-hand insight into how the disabled and their loved ones straddle the two worlds — theirs and ours.

He describes his brother Andy, one of six brothers, as a “sweet, honest and loving” individual, who deals in positives, unburdened by the things that consume our lives: careers, status, material benchmarks. On the other hand, Andy constantly confronts his limitations when he watches older brothers play sports, drive cars and attend college.

“The difference is painfully clear to him,” Tom said.

Down’s Syndrome is caused by creation of extra genetic material in the early stages of fetal development. Down’s babies arrive with an extra chromosome that expresses itself in both physical and cognitive limitations. But the range is wide. Some function at a very high level.

Attitudes in both education and medicine have created a much more hospitable world for people with Andy’s disability. But Tom said the loving environment his parents created for Andy made all the difference in the world.

Andy is now 35 years old. He lives in his own apartment and works at Target and the National Guard Armory in Eden Prairie. And he is engaged to a woman who also has Down’s Syndrome.

Tom said he feels privileged to have the relationship he has with his brother.

Guests: Jon Snodgrass (Rich), Daniel Ajpap (Reggie) and our exchange students: Aish, Mathilde, Felecia, Camillo and Nichopat.

Scholarship Enhancement: Mark Gleason lands another grant-in-aid.

Announcements:

— “To India and Back,” our “rock the house” winter social will be Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets, posters and T-shirts are available. Anyone who is anyone is going to be there. Don’t miss it.

— We will be hosting a Global Study Exchange group from Brasil on Saturday, March 24.

— Jane Fenton announced that the Turkey Trot video is now ready for release.

— Kurt Larson encouraged members to check their information on the weekly bulletin to make sure it is correct. If any changes are necessary, e-mail them to Kurt at: kelarson@larsonprinting.com.

—Lee Dilley reported that Jessie Diggens, a world-class cross country skier, who has broken bread with us, is doing well on the U.S. Ski Team. She won four events in national competition and won a silver medal recently in the World Cups. You can follow her at jessiediggens.com.

Coming Up:
Feb. 16 – Mathilde Mortensen, Denmark (Barry Carlson)
Feb. 23  -  (Esse)
Feb. 25 – To India and Back

 

 

 

 

 

Civil War enthusiast and amateur historian Jim Stark will discuss the origins of the American Civil War in his presentation, “Why the Civil War was Fought: The Antebellum Period,” Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. at the newly renovated Northfield Historical Society. The event, sponsored by KYMN Radio and the Northfield News, is the first of a series of discussions about the Civil War during the war’s ongoing sesquicentennial.

After reading extensively about Civil War battles and leaders, Stark, a former president of the Northfield and Rice County historical societies, says he wanted to learn more about the causes of the war. “How could a nation that fought for its freedom, and whose people spoke the same language and worshipped the same god find itself wanting to separate in the middle of the 19th century?” he asks.

Stark traces the roots of the Civil War to the 1787 Constitutional Convention where, as one delegate noted, “Slavery sat under the table like a giant snake coiled up ready to strike at any moment.” Stark will discuss how during the next 73 years “we would see one nation become two, with separate economies and dissimilar workforces. This created mistrust and suspicions that began to initiate a divide of political parties, religious institutions, and societies in general.”

Program starts at 6:00 p.m. on February 16.

January 29, 2012

January 22, 2012

January 15, 2012

“We are very pleased and honored to receive this award:” says Executive Director Sandi Gerdes.
2011 saw us embark upon a campaign to raise $1.3 million to support a $2.5 million capital improvement project that rebuilt two cottages and will build two more, replacing an aged dormitory.
LBSA is the 11th largest employer in Northfield, with a $2.9 million payroll annually, whcih translates to a $10.44 million impact on the community, both direct and indirect. We have seen a 19% growth over the last 5 years, with a 5% growth in employment.

The Chamber banquet is on March 8th at the Grand. Tickets are $30 and are available through their office.

This Week at the Northfield Hospital Board Meeting

• Northfield Hospital and Clinics reports excellent financial results for 2011
• Four sites under consideration for new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) quarters

   On Thursday, February 9, at 7:oo p.m., Minnesota Book Award winning author Doug Ohman will present Just Down the Road: Historic Churches of Minnesota at All Saints Episcopal Church, which is located on the corner of Washington and east Fifth Streets.  The talk is presented by the Northfield Public Library and is co-sponsored by All Saints Church.  This presentation is part of an Author Tour sponsored by SELCO  (Southeastern Libraries Cooperative).
     Doug Ohman is a freelance photographer, writer and public speaker who has traveled throughout the Midwest photographing architecture.  His work has been widely published in magazines, calendars and books.  Over the past seven years, he has been working with the Minnesota Historical Society on a popular book series, "Minnesota Byways."
     Doug will take you on a journey around Minnesota, exploring the history of many of the state's oldest churches.  He is looking forward to giving this talk in Northfield's oldest church.

Our adult reading program, Hot Reads for Cold Nights, 9 week and continues through March 2. Patrons fill out a slip for each book read.  The top of the slip, name and phone number, are placed in a fishbowl.  On the bottom half, the patron writes a 2 or 3 line description of the book (no, not a book report!) and whether they would recommend the book. We post the book descriptions on the bulletin board near the new books.  Library users can read about books other readers have read, and get ideas for new titles.  We draw 3 names each week for $5.00 Northfield Chamber dollars.  You can use the chamber dollars at many businesses in our community.  Curl up with a good book, read for fun, and win a prize!   You can come into the library and fill out a slip or fill out and print the slip above and either bring it into the library.