Events

We're a little late in getting to this, but we wanted to share our appreciation for the fun and conversation at the Northfield Downtown Developments Corp.'s mixer last Thursday. For a business organization, these people sure know how to have a good time! And the upper deck tucked behind the lobby of the Archer House is one of the hidden treasures of the downtown.

NCO board chairman Doug Bratland and I also want to thank Rob Schanilec for the great photos. The only catch is that he was taking pictures while we were talking, so there are a few names we didn't get. Doug knows that the picture above includes Dan Freeman, and Sue and Bart de Malignon. Please feel free to check out the whole gallery and point out our sins of omission. If you find your own face and identify it, I'll buy you an adult beverage at the next mixer!

Carleton College will award honorary degrees at Commencement exercises on Saturday, June 10 to Stephen P. Hubbell ’63, botany professor at the University of Georgia, and Lila Abu-Lughod ’74, professor of anthropology and women’s and gender studies at Columbia University. 

Stephen P. Hubbell, a 1963 Carleton graduate, is an internationally known ecologist whose research is on tropical rainforests and in theoretical ecology. He has published three books and more than 100 scientific papers on tropical planet ecology, plant-animal interactions and theoretical ecology. He is founder and chair of the National Council for Science and the Environment, a national organization with more than 10,000 members and more than 200 universities and professional societies, with the mission of improving the science underlying environmental decision-making.

Fun Facts about St. Olaf grads

If you want to hear about all the commencement speeches and know all the reunion details, you can check out the official website.

If you don't want that much info, here are some highlights for trivia fans, with many thanks to Tom Vogel...

The new Northfield Area Veterans Memorial proved a fitting setting for a solemn ceremony this morning marking the service of veterans from Northfield and throughout the country.

Hundreds of people gathered on bleachers and chairs and spread through the grass, facing the morning sun as it rose behind the memorial, which features a bronze soldier flanked by stone tablets listing the names of his fallen comrades.

"It was just beautiful, very meaningful," said Barbara Knaak, whose husband, John Knaak, was a Korean War veteran who died last fall.

There were familiar songs and speeches, but the crowd rose to its feet when SFC Kory Weich, a veteran of the current war in Iraq, finished his remarks.  

"Great speech," said Jim Knowles, asking for a copy. Jim was one of many who came up to speak with Weich after the service. A Northfield native, Jim is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Iraq about the same time as Kory. Jim, who was commander of a trauma hospital there, retired from the service and now has a private surgical practice in Ohio.

Editor's note: I can't do justice to Kory's words, so I've included them in their entirety at the end of this post.

Here are a few photos taken before and during the progression of the reunion classes this morning at St. Olaf College. We thank Tom Vogel (Communications Specialist for the college) for taking time from a truly hectic weekend of commencement and class reunions to share them with us. You can check out the full story about the weekend and links in an entry below.

Tom also told us there are 17 local students graduating, so proud parents, get out your cameras and send some pictures. Just e-mail them to contactus@northfield.org with names and info and we'll do the rest.

Read the rest of the entry to view the photos and captions.

Editor's Note: The Cannon River Rendezvous begins this morning. If you head out to the event, please take a few minutes to email us your photos with a few words about the experience!

The Science Center at Maltby Nature Preserve is pleased to present this year’s Cannon River Rendezvous, FREE and open to the public!

The 4th Annual Cannon River Rendezvous will take place over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29, at The Science Center at Maltby Nature Preserve in Stanton Township. Sponsored by the Twin City Muzzle Loading Club, the Cannon River Rendezvous takes you back in time to a tradition of long ago, recreating the everyday life of French fur trappers, traders and early settlers in the early 1800s.

By Cate Grochala '06

Commencement is the culminating event of St. Olaf College's Celebration Weekend 2006—three days of events that begin today, May 26. The weekend will feature three learning seminars and three concerts, all of which are open to the public.

Commencement (open to the public if held outdoors at Manitou Field) will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 28. This year's commencement speaker is Peter Agre, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Raised in Northfield, where his father was on the faculty at St. Olaf College, Agre went on to a successful career in medical research. In 1991 he discovered the channels that regulate the transport of water through cells, research that has led to a better understanding of many medical conditions and the Nobel Prize. Currently, Agre is vice chancellor for science and technology at Duke University Medical Center.

St. Olaf senior Breanna Peterson, who plans to continue her studies in nursing and public health at Emory University in the fall, will be the student speaker.

A public baccalaureate worship service will precede Commencement on Sunday at 9 a.m. in Skoglund Center Auditorium.

Read the rest of the story for more commencement events...

I know it's a long weekend, and you're thinking of leaving town, but you really should stay. There's a lot to do right here, and besides...your friends are here! A quick look at the Northfield Entertainment Guide (you can download it here or pick up a Guide at key spots around town) will tell you all you need to know.

Read the rest of this entry for the full scoop...

Reminder: this event is TODAY.

The public is invited to hear about gains for environmental quality achieved during the 2006 Minnesota Legislative session. Steve Morse, Executive Director of Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP), will address the topic and answer questions from 4-5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 25, at the Northfield Public Library.

Steve is a former state senator and a former deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Steve was elected to the State Senate the first time in 1986, representing the Winona area. For most of his 12 years in the Senate, he served as chairman of the Senate Environment and Agriculture Budget Division. He served in the DNR from 1999 to 2003.

...no, it's not one of these mixers, although this may be the more familiar variety during construction season.

It's one of those FUN MIXERS, where you can meet and greet your downtown neighbors and fellow lovers of downtown Northfield...free food, cash bar, plenty of socializing and stimulating conversation, hear the latest news, get motivated to make a difference or just kick back with your friends

The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation is sponsoring this event which will be held at the Tavern Lounge in the Archer House on Thursday, May 25, from 5 to 7 pm. Meet members of our Board of Directors, tell us what you really think and share whatever gossip you’ve heard. This event is free and open to the public.

Questions? Call 663-0319 for more info.

Dan Bergeson is president of the NDDC.

The Northfield High School Honors Art students are pleased to present their semester's body of work at their end-of-the-year show at the Northfield Arts Guild.  This year's show has been named "A Feast for the Eyes" and it will showcase the work of 13 senior artists.  The show will open on Thursday, May 25th and run through Saturday June 3rd.  There will be an opening artists reception on Saturday May 27th from 7-9 p.m.  The NHS women's choral group, Cattywampus, will be singing at the reception and there will be desserts and refreshments for everyone.  The reception is free and open to everyone.

The artwork that will be on display at the show was created during second semester. Each student in Honors Art had the opportunity to create a thematic series of work that embodied their individual interests in both mediums and concepts.  The artwork in the show represents the wide array of interests and mediums that the students chose to work with.  The art forms include:  acrylic paintings, watercolor paintings, mixed media, fashion design, ceramics, digital fim, graphite drawings, pastel drawings and Photoshop. 

The featured Honors Art artists include:  Nat Allister, Lotte Brackee, Emma Closser, Athena Currier, Josh Engen, John Fischer, Sarah Goldfeather, Derek Huber, Ali Kopseng, Josh Nelson, Riahl O'Malley, Anna Sweitzer and Caitlin Truax. 

All of the artists hope that you enjoy the show and greet them on Saturday night.

Katherine Norrie is an art teacher at Northfield High School. 

Update: Tom Gillaspy's presentation is attached.

Take a look at the future of Minnesota and you'll see more people with walkers than with wagons. There will be more immigrants—though not nearly as many as in the beginning of the last century—from more countries than ever. And as they have for the last 60 years, Baby Boomers will again change the state and the country to suit their needs. It's a future that clashes with our view of the United States.

"That's how we define ourselves, as a youthful nation," said Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gilllaspy at yesterday's League of Women Voters 4th Monday event at the Northfield Public Library.

It's hard to make statistics come alive, but Gillaspy held the audience with a staggering, if not entirely surprising, series of key demographic illustrations. For example, the state labor force is expected to grow to 421,000 by 2010, but it will grow by only 175,000 workers between 2010 and 2020. By 2020 there will be more people in Minnesota aged 65 and older than there will be children under 18.

The two factors above will push the state and the country to deal with a shift from education services to healthcare services. They also point out the reality that we will not have enough workers to support the number of people heading into retirement.

Listening sessions planned to get your feedback about Northfield.org

Well, we've been telling you this is your website. And now it's time for you to tell us what you want to see on it! Let's just call it the Choose Your News campaign, because we're out to win you over in a big way.

The board members of Northfield Citizens Online (the group that runs Northfield.org) and I will be hosting listening sessions over the next few weeks to determine what kind of content you want to see—and what kind of stories, photos, essays and commentaries you'd like to write. The first session will be Tuesday, May 23, at the Contented Cow. I'll be there at 7 p.m. and I'll stay as long as you have something to talk about.

Here's your chance to have your say. Want more sports news? A political page full of debate and conversation? Should we add letters to the editor, or guest commentaries, or maybe both? How about wedding announcements?

Just for fun, what if we ask you to use your digital and cell phone cameras to send photos from your vacation, from town events, from your favorite fishing spot after you land the big one? Will you do it? Do you want to see those pictures from your friends and neighbors?

The Contented Cow will be the site for the official Northfield kick-off for Jessica Peterson and her campaign for State Senate. This public event will be from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, this Thursday, May 25.

Everyone is invited to this open-house event. It will be a good chance for people to meet the candidate, ask questions, express concerns, volunteer to help out, and generally mingle with others who want to see Northfield once again have progressive representation in the state legislature.

Scott Covey is Jessica Peterson's campaign manager