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Northfield—Tooth decay is the #1 chronic childhood illness in America and 1 in 5 U.S. children go without dental care. Many children don’t own a toothbrush or share a toothbrush with a family member. More than 40% of children have cavities by the time they reach kindergarten and children with poor oral health are three

The post Third Annual Smile Drive Will Collect Dental Products for Rice County – KYMN is a drop site appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

Love is in the air and so are the chocolates at 95 The One! We’re giving away Russell Stover Chocolates daily on the air and on our Facebook page. If you win the chocolates, you’re automatically registered to win the Grand Prize Drawing on Friday morning at 7:30! Grand Prize includes: A one night stay

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Angelica Linder and Bill North of Friends of the Northfield Library talk about the Latin Dance Party coming up on Saturday from 6:30 – 11:00 p.m. at Armory Square.  There will be activities for children, live music, dancing, food trucks and more.  Also on Saturday, there will be a children’s reading event at Imminent Brewing

The post Angelica Linder and Bill North appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

Rice County Attorney John Fossum discusses the drug cases that have come through as a result of the work of the Cannon River Drug Task Force as well as the various charges that can be brought for DWI offenses.

The post John Fossum appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

A Nerstrand woman described the benefits of local farmers markets and called on Congress to make them easier to operate during testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture.

KYMN will be broadcasting the Northfield Raiders vs Farmington Tigers in tonight’s Girls Hockey Section Championship. They’re playing in Owatonna, Jimmy LeRue is on the call!  Game starts at 5pm, pregame at 4:45pm 2-13-20

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Northfield Public Schools – 2 hr. late start Northfield Head Start – 2 hr. late start Faribault Public Schools – 2 hr. late start Faribault Head Start – 2 hr. late start Kenyon-Wannamingo – 2 hr. late start Medford Public Schools – 2 hr. late start    

The post Area School late starts for Thursday 2-13-20 appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

Northfield Hospital & Clinics is reducing hours for some employees, transferring others within the organization and laying off of another dozen workers to fend off a projected $1 million budget loss brought on by changes in the health care industry.

This week on Remember Radio, Andrew and Rich debate Nat “King” Cole vs. Frank Sinatra, Andrew talks about a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and Maxwell House Coffee brings us an episode of Father Knows Best. Also, you will learn the mysterious origin of the phrase “Wee Bee Bee Bee Bee Bee Bee Bee

The post Remember Radio – March 30, 1947 appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

Hiawathaland Transit is preparing to expand its services once again, adding a new route connecting Faribault and Northfield beginning Monday, March 2.

If you've read my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Man, you may have noticed that it doesn't have a prologue or an epilogue. Originally, it had both.

An earlier draft of the book contained a prologue called Prelude: Des Moines 1931. It told the story of the time the St. Cloud Boys' Band traveled to Des Moines with a brown bear for the 1931 U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce Convention.

There are lots of opinions out there regarding whether books should have a prologue, and there are good reasons for and against including them. Although I did love the prologue, I ultimately decided to cut it and plunge readers immediately into Chapter 1. I incorporated most of the prologue into Chapter 18: On the Sunny Side of the Street.

Earlier drafts of the book also contained an epilogue. The first one I wrote was about the visit I made to Oberlin College in 2015 with Sebastian. It was a combined college visit for Sebastian and research trip for me. Although I liked the piece, I wasn't sure it was quite right for the book. So I ended up writing a second epilogue called Coda: "All Children Should Be Taught Music." I liked that piece, too, But in the final editing process I decided to cut it and leave readers with the emotions and sentiments that conclude Chapter 27: Shalom.

I'm curious to know what you think about prologues and epilogues, as a reader or as a writer. You can also let me know what you think of my cut epilogues! The Oberlin one is included here, and I'll include the second one in my next blog post.

Sebastian with Little G, October 2015, Oberlin, Ohio
Coda: Oberlin 2015

The first floor of the restaurant bustles with lively patrons, so Sebastian and I take the narrow stairs to the second floor and sit at a table for two by the window, next to the exposed brick walls. Through black lace curtains, I spot a bike shop across the street. It makes sense; numerous bicycles of various colors are locked up in racks in front of most of these historic downtown buildings. This town of 8,286 people is much smaller than Northfield, but it exudes a familiar collegiate vibe.

Sebastian orders a crab cake sandwich with a side of tator tots and a root beer; I choose a Thai chicken sandwich, a side salad drizzled with mango lime dressing, and a glass of house red wine. Our meal is cheaper, and much tastier, than our airport lunch. I try not to stare too closely at our server's sleeve tattoo, although it intrigues me, or at his man bun, which for reasons I don't understand has become the fashion among some millennials. Yes, I am old, I acknowledge to myself, with my eldest child already in college, and my middle child headed there soon.

Where Sebastian will go remains a mystery. It is fall break of his senior year of high school, and Oberlin College is one of ten Midwestern liberal arts colleges on his "possible" list. He has come to campus for an interview with an admissions counselor and a tour, and I have come along as a supportive mom.

That's partly true. I also have my selfish reasons. Like so many of our family trips over the past eight years, this one has a research connection. I have wanted to visit Oberlin ever since I learned that my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, attended its music conservatory in the late 1880s and early 1890s. While Sebastian plays the role of prospective student, I hope to resolve a few nagging questions: Did G. Oliver officially graduate from Oberlin? If so, when, and if not, why not?


At the table next to us, two young men with facial hair, casually dressed in jeans and flannel shirts, are having an animated intellectual conversation. I can hear enough of their words to know that they are talking about Ideas, with a capital I — not about sports or about getting wasted. I think: That's a good sign. I could totally see Sebastian hanging out here.

Sebastian, too, has picked up on the nearby conversation. He looks at me from across the table and smiles.

"College is going to be great," he says with enthusiasm.

His smile vanishes and a look of concern comes over his face.

"You aren't going to feel bad if I go farther away for college, are you?" he asks. "I heard you telling someone that I wanted to get out of town. You've said that a couple of times."

His comment stops me for a second. I have consciously tried not to let my personal feelings influence his decision, or his perception of the schools he's considering. I have tried to follow my dad's mantra in urging Sebastian to "keep his options open" for as long as it makes sense. Despite my intentions, though, I realize he may have misinterpreted statements I've made about his college search.

"No, I won't feel bad," I say, with sincerity. "I will miss you, wherever you go, but your dad and I want you to do what is best for you, and go where you feel it's the best fit."

He looks relieved, so I keep an additional thought to myself: sure, it would be fun if he decided to enroll here, and follow in G. Oliver's footsteps. But that alone is a silly reason for him to choose this school over the other contenders.

How G. Oliver ended up at Oberlin is one of the mysteries I'm unlikely to solve, even if I continue my research for another ten years. I don't know why he chose Oberlin, or whether he considered any other music conservatories. Did he and his parents sit down over a meal and discuss his higher education options? Possibly. Did Jasper and Rebecca worry about sending their son to a school 980 miles from home? Probably. All I knew for sure was that they didn't have to fill out the pesky FAFSA, and G. Oliver didn't have to worry about his ACT scores. Neither existed in the late 1880s.

The server brings me the bill, and after I calculate the tip, I do another calculation in my head: When G. Oliver left his home in Kansas and traveled to this campus for the first time, likely by train, he was 16 years old, one year younger than Sebastian.

I wake up before my alarm the next morning feeling excited and nervous. I try to picture Sebastian's interview and wonder if I should give him any last-minute tips. I wonder if 30 minutes will give the interviewer enough time to grasp the essence of this young man I love so much, whether his passion for history and his interests in music and world events will come off well, whether his tendency to over-explain will be seen as annoying or enduring.

When Sebastian and I are both dressed and ready to go, we stroll over to the campus, passing a few buildings that date back to G. Oliver's time. We part ways at the college library. I wish him good luck with his interview, and he wishes me good luck with my research.

A few days earlier, when I made an appointment to visit the archives, the assistant archivist broke the news to me via email: according to her records, G. Oliver did not actually graduate from Oberlin. This surprised me, because for many years I had believed that he did, based on the scant information I'd gathered. I went back through my materials more closely and noticed that G. Oliver referred to "getting his education" at Oberlin but did not specifically use the word "graduated."

It was also possible that the school's records were wrong. I wanted to be sure, either way.

The archival assistant, Louisa Hoffman, is prepared for my visit. I compliment her on her first name, and she shows me to a long wooden table where three boxes of files await. For the next two hours, I gently sift through file folders containing concert programs and other ephemera, checking for G. Oliver's name and anything else that might yield clues about his time at Oberlin — which began in the fall of 1886, concluded in 1891 or early 1892, and did not include the 1888-89 term (that's when he took a break to earn more tuition money by directing and playing in bands in Nebraska and Iowa).

My heart races when I find the 1891 commencement program, but disappointment replaces exhilaration when I see that G. Oliver's name is not among the nine graduates listed. I check the month listed on the front: June. I know that he attended the school at least through the winter of 1891, so I look for the 1892 program. Aha! June 20, 1892. This one lists only three graduates: two women and one man. The man's name, Fred Ingersoll, is familiar, and I realize I've seen it on an 1891 concert program, when he and G. Oliver played together in the conservatory orchestra. Even though it makes no sense, time-wise, I check the commencement programs for 1893, 1894, then backtrack to 1890, 1889. Still no G. Oliver. The college records must be correct; he did not graduate.

It's almost time for the campus tour, so I decide to take a research break. On my way out of the archives, I stop by Louisa's desk and mention my confusion regarding graduation. She tells me that most conservatory students in those days did not earn degrees. It required taking an extra year of private lessons and giving a public recital. Some students discovered they could get a job without the diploma, and others had to quit school when they ran out of money.

I shake my head and smile as I stride down the sidewalk toward the admissions building. The situation made me think of a scene in The Music Man, when Harold Hill claims to have credentials from the Gary Conservatory of Music's non-existent "Gold-Medal Class of Aught-Five." But in this case, G. Oliver hadn't tried to con anyone. I had just misinterpreted his credentials.

It was likely that I would never stop trying to understand the G. Oliver story. I would keep finding ways to connect his life, and the lives of my other ancestors, to my own. They were my perpetual traveling companions.

When I find Sebastian, I tell him about G. Oliver's non-existent degree from the "Gold-Medal Class of '91," and, knowing the Music Man story, he smiles broadly. He says that his interview went OK, but what he's more excited to tell me is that he ran into his high school friend Amanda, who is also on campus for an interview and tour.

He talks animatedly about his morning, and I am reminded of my dad, who also has an uncanny ability to go anywhere and find someone he already knows. As Sebastian and I wait for the tour to start, I look around at the other prospective students and their parents, and I feel myself relax for the first time that day.

Whether Sebastian decides to go to Oberlin or someplace we haven't yet visited, I am confident that he will thrive. He is ready to write his own story.

Event date: February 19, 2020
Event Time: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Location:
801 Washington Street
Northfield, MN 55057

By Teri Knight, News Director An Ice Arena project is not part of the plans for a possible local sales tax option, however, maintenance of the old one is. Should legislators approve allowing the City of Northfield to put a ½ cent local sales tax option on the November ballot, the bulk of dollars taken

The post Educating the public on local sales tax option; Dundas says no to share in a Solar Garden; Nfld Community Services will move in August appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

Carrie Carroll and Rachel Miessler of Northfield Shares talk about Random Acts of Kindness Week which is the week of February 17.  Ideas for random acts of kindness can be found on the Northfield Shares website.

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Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig discusses the City Council closed session and the work session on February 11.   Topics include a request from Oak Lawn Cemetery for assistance, local sales tax option, legislation related to Northfield, and a report from the Transportation Advisory Committee.

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Jack Buendorf ’21 is a co-founder of Poultry Patrol, a farm-saving ag-tech venture boosting efficiencies for poultry farmers. The opportunity came about because of a cohort internship program made possible by alumni support of entrepreneurial learning through For the Hill and Beyond.

Associate Professor of Economics Ashley Hodgson has been appointed to the newly endowed Frank Gery Professorship in Economics.

By Teri Knight, News Director Ziggy’s gas station on Hwy 3 in Northfield was broken into about 4 o’clock this morning. Northfield police were called to the scene by the alarm company. Deputy Chief Mark Elliott confirmed that the suspect or suspects got in through the roof. As far as they can tell at this

The post Ziggy’s burglarized; Cooperation/Success for local drug task force; Nfld Council holds closed meeting related to possible playground property; After losing so many trees, Rice SWCD holds tree event appeared first on KYMN Radio · Northfield, MN · AM 1080 & FM 95.1.

Event date: February 15, 2020
Event Time: 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Location:
116 5th St W
Northfield, MN 55057
Description:
Have you ever wondered what it REALLY means when a wine is labeled organic or sustainable? Join us for a FREE in-store wine tasting, where the focus will be on organic and sustainable wines.

Jim Herrick from The Wine Company will be here to answer all of your questions, and provide you with samples of several of our current offerings.

Cheers!

Employees in two Rice County departments are expected to move into their new work space late this week, checking off another box in the ongoing work to the county's Government Services Building.