THE COCKLEBUR MORNING SHOW

More "Big Talk" From OUR STORY's

The Women ofSweet Swine County

Mrs. Swanson and Elmer PlowGet Some Attention On

AS THE CORN GROWS

The Newest Points of InterestIn OUR STORY Country!

The "What's-What" in15 OUR STORY

Towns!

Highlighting communities that have become partof OUR STORY...small-town living at its best!

Vol. 1, Issue 2 • ourstorymn.com • $3.95

Late Night TV Fans Rave"Split Hoof Tonight"

Is NUMBER ONE!!

THE COCKLEBURMORNING SHOW

Sally Sue & Bobby RayWEED OUT THE BIG STORIES!

Dear OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS:

You know, I was kinda happy to see that you printed an email from me in your last magazine issue’s “So, YOUR Story’s Better?” section. That makes me feel like you’re actually reading all the emails I send you, and that you probably agree that I have a lot of good ideas for you.

Anyway, I was just thinking….

Most of the time I watch all of your programming on TV, but I sure do like being able to go back and re-watch my favorite shows on your Internet web-site at www.ourstorymn.com. Sometimes I get side-tracked and forget to turn on TV right when your show is on, so I’ll just catch what I missed on your website. It’s nice to take that worry outta my life (about missing a show). I’m pretty hooked on your soap opera, As The Corn Grows, and sure would hate to miss knowin’ what’s happening with Ronnie P. Sileage’s new “Hotdish On A Stick” idea. I hope it works out for him. That’s a pretty ingenious idea, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, what I really wanted to tell you is that I’ve had to travel around a bit lately, and I’ll be danged, but I notice you’re now broadcasting in the Twin Cities area. Criminy, that must mean a LOT OF PEOPLE ARE NOW WATCHING YOU GUYS! Heck, I was even in Hud-son, Wisconsin (been looking all over

Yea, yea, yea. We know…we know. We should do this, we should that. So if you think you know better, send us an email. We’ll probably look at it. We might publish it, we might not. But keep it pithy. We’ve got a lot to do.

If you feel you must, you’ll find our email address on

www.ourstorymn.com. Good luck!

the place for the best deal on a new tractor), and saw your show there by accident in a gas station convenience market. And when I caught it on TV down in Iowa, well, it leads me to be-lieve this thing is getting’ big!

All I’ve got to say is “Keep Up The Good Work.”

Until my next email, I remain,

Daly E. Mailer, Jr.

(P.S.: My grandma wouldn’t mind gettin’ an autograph from Mrs. Swan-son on As The Corn Grows. Grandma’s really rootin’ for the hotdish on a stick thing, too!)

Mr. Daly E. Mailer, Jr.

Yes, yes we have received your emails, all of them! Thank you for all the “ideas” you have sent us for our soap opera, talk shows, city spotlights, magazine and website! We wel-come all of our viewers and readers to email us their thoughts about our television show and magazine at www.ourstorymn.com! Mr. Mailer, perhaps you could limit your ideas to one email per week, though, and then we would have time to read and post other fans’ emails, too! We will give them all the consideration they deserve!

Best Regards!

The OUR STORY Staff

www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com

www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com

www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.comwww.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com • www.ourstorymn.com

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And Even More! 4 Publisher’s Letter 34 As the Corn Grows

Mrs. Swanson’s Secrets Revealed!Understanding Elmer Plow

OUR STORY Dish 8 In the Passenger's Seat 9 Ladies, are you listening?26 Earl Steps Out44 Memoirs of a Librarian50 Cookin' it up with Betty51 Hidden Away...54 Bobby Ray’s Weekend

Adventures56 Almost Breaking News

Featured Stories16 Split Hoof Ramblings

Pipestone’s “The KeepersPow Wow” and Sleepy Eye’s“Buttered Corn Days”

43 Cocklebur ReportsLuverne’s Buffalo Days andNew Prague’s Dozinky Festival

28 Cocklebur Weeds Outthe Big Stories!

52 The Sweet Swine WomenTalk About...Redwood Falls’ Inventor’sCongress and Eyota Days

CONTENTStable f It means what’s all in this magazine! Giddy-up!!

What isBobby Ray’s

realreality?

Did Sally Sue forceher younger sis

out of Sweet Swine County?

Visit us!

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City Spotlights 6 Fairmont - Tron Guy

“The City of Lakes”

10 Waterville“A Town of Friendly People”

12 Emmetsburg, IA“Home of Five Island Lake”

14 Morton“Home of the Famous Rock Quarry”

18 Amboy“Founded by Rail, Sustained by the Plow”

20 Gaylord“The Hub of Sibley County”

22 Wells“For An Afternoon, For A Lifetime”

24 New Prague“A Tradition of Progress”

30 Emmetsburg, IA - Downtown“Home of Five Island Lake”

32 Belle Plaine“Beautiful Prairie”

36 Mapleton“Curling Capital of Southern Minnesota”

38 Redwood Falls“The Scenic City”

40 Olivia“The Corn Capital of the World”

46 Fairmont - Festival of Lakes“The City of Lakes”

48 St. Peter“Where History and Progress Meet”

RELUCTANT PUBLISHER: Jeff RouseOUR STORY StudiosFairmont, MN 56031Tel: 507.236.5607Web: [email protected]

WHY-ME MANAGING EDITOR: Bryan Peterson

HELPFUL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR—STYLE & ENTERTAINMENT:Denise Rouse

SUPER-CREATIVE DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR—GRAPHIC ART & DESIGN:Samantha Lund-Hillmer

GRAPHICS & OTHER SUNDRIES CONTRIBUTORS:Shelly AbitzNick Larsen Media

COOL CONTRIBUTINGPHOTOGRAPHERS:Thomas Dodge Sarah Morphew Wanda NelsonChip Pearson

COPY-CAT CHIEFS:Shelly AbitzSamantha Lund-HillmerWanda NelsonBryan Peterson

POOFREADERS:Samanta Land-Hillmor Bryon Pederson Jaff Roose

COLOSSAL CIRCULATION & MARKETING DIRECTORS:Wanda NelsonJeff Rouse

DIRECTOR, HOPEFUL SALESPLANNING:Andrea Christensen, David GladerSherrie Knapp, Karla Grev

MASTER WEBMASTER:Nick Larsen Media

CONTRIBUTING STYLE MAVENS:Prairie AnnNicole HiltonParis Richie

PERFECT PRINTER:John C. Draper, Publisher Pipestone Publishing Co. and Page 1 Printers

COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF:OUR STORY's Polaroid Instamatic

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Dear Readers,

Welcome to another issue of The Road to OUR STORY! These continue to be exciting days for us here at OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS. Each of our entertaining 60-minute TV programs is now being aired in over 1,000,000 households in 34 counties in “OUR STORY Country” in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota! Also, three new rep-resentatives have joined the OUR STORY produc-tion team. They are busily ferreting out fascinating stories about the 76 communities OUR STORY now spotlights in our quest to explore “Small-Town Liv-ing At Its Best.”

Below, look at the recent arrivals that have joined OUR STORY’s family!

In Minnesota: Wanamingo, Kasson, Mantorville, Kenyon, Worthington, Sanborn, Kiester, Alden, Lamberton, Hendricks, Nicollet, Lake Crystal, Jackson, Jordan, Lake City, Marshall, New Ulm, and Red Wing

In South Dakota: Flandreau, Milbank, Madison, and Yankton

In Wisconsin: Hudson and Ellsworth

In this issue of The Road to OUR STORY, we feature articles ranging from informative profiles of businesses and spotlighted communities to entertaining glimpses of our TV programs and the “behind-the-scenes fun” the over 52 OUR STORY volunteers have in making everything in fictional “Sweet Swine County” seem “real” for our viewers!

Many thanks are in order to all of OUR STORY’s incredible volunteers, magazine production staff and to YOU, the readers of this magazine and view-ers of our TV programs. And don’t forget to log onto our website at www.ourstorymn.com for even more information about everything that’s happen-ing at OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS.

Warmest regards and all Good Wishes for a Great 2011!

Jeff RouseExecutive ProducerOur Story Productions

"Remember, it's not just the pastbut the present

that becomes OUR STORY!"

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Sweet Swine County Shirts & More!

Click on Sweet Swine CountyOfficial Retailer507-238-9793

www.imagewearshop.com

Love Sweet Swine County?Visit Today to Get Your Shirts,

Coffee Mugs and DVDs of Past Episodes

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Small towns can certainly pack big surprises! A case in point is Fairmont, Minnesota where The TRON Guy lives. The what? That’s right: The TRON Guy. Also known as Jay Maynard when he isn’t wearing The TRON Guy’s electroluminescent costume, Maynard became a subject of Internet discussion forums when he and his now infamous costume—inspired by the 1982 Disney movie “TRON”—spread across the net from postings on Slashdot, Fark and YouTube. Maynard parlayed this burgeoning notoriety into about a dozen appearances on the late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, in 2004. Five of those appearances were of Jimmy Kim-mel sending the TRON Guy out on dates with real live women in Hollywood. Since then, Maynard’s TRON Guy character has also been parodied in the animated South Park episode called, “Canada on Strike.”

By day, Jay Maynard is a computer programmer whose hobbies also include conservative politics, amateur radio, pistol shooting, flying, and attending technology and fan conventions.

Fairmont’s own

OUR STORY’s “The Cocklebur Morning Show” hosts, Sally Sue and Bobby Ray, know better than anyone that the early bird catches the worm! When it comes to weeding out the best stories in Sweet Swine County and beyond, their informative chirping banter—with coffee cups in hand—will make you tweet with delight when they let you in on the latest “what’s-what” they’ve dug up!

Watch all of Sally Sue and Bobby Ray’s shows on OUR STORY’s website at www.ourstorymn.com!

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Since the remake of the original TRON film has just hit movie theatres everywhere, we imagine that Jay Maynard and his TRON Guy costume will be in big demand. In case you missed The TRON Guy’s interview with Bobby Ray and Sally Sue on OUR STORY’s “Cocklebur Morning Show,” just log onto www.ourstorymn.com and watch episode number 18. Happy TRON-ning!

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Recently, Nancy Standfuss (Executive Director of the Olivia Chamber of Commerce) hopped in the passenger’s seat and drove around the town of Olivia with OUR STORY’s

Jeff Rouse. She shared all kinds of interesting information about this historic town while pointing out many interesting sites. Did you know that just off of Highway 212 at Olivia’s Memorial Park there is the largest ear-of-corn statue in the world? Standing over 50-feet tall, this monu-ment attracts visitors

from around the world who come to see the “Corn Capital of the World.”

Another notable structure includes the 1925 Italian-Romanesque-styled St. Aloysius Catholic Church that has been labeled “The Jewel on the Prairie.” Olivia’s impressive Renville County Courthouse holds equal importance as being an example of one of Minnesota’s finest Victorian monumental buildings. It was built for a cost of $88,000 in 1902, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

With seven beautifully maintained parks, a popular golf course (in use for the last 82 years!), a burgeon-ing business district that includes well-known Dirk’s Furniture and Master’s Coffee Shop, and the incredible “Corn Capital Days” festival held each July, the town of Olivia certainly should be on your “to-do” list of places to visit in OUR STORY country! Olivia’s 2,600 residents will gladly tell you much more about this fine city when you visit! Say hello from OUR STORY!

Visit Olivia’s website:www.oliviachamber.org

Drive around in OUR STORY’s official automobile with a mo-torist who has a keen eye for finding hitchhikers and other folks with the most fascinating stories! When you take a spin down the road with this driver, you’re bound to discover more interest-ing stories and places than you could ever imagine!

Watch all of the In The Passenger’s Seat “road shows” at www.ourstorymn.com.

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The residents of Mapleton, Minnesota sure know how to throw a grand party—they do it each June with their Town & Country Days celebration! Starting on a Friday afternoon when the food vendors first open their stands and the carnival rides start cranking up the music, a weekend of fun is underway for all the “smart folks” in the area who definitely know this isn’t an event to be missed! You’re bound to hear people shouting out “BINGO!” while a Kiddie Parade meanders through town. A demolition derby always draws a hootin’-and-hollerin’ crowd. Mapleton’s stately homes show off during the well-attended walking tour through town.

Each episode of “The Women of Sweet Swine County” has our colorful hostesses reading a fan letter that oozes with great gossip about an interesting place somewhere in OUR STORY Country. Right here, you can read one for yourself!

For more video broadcasts of "Ladies Are You Listening?,"see www.ourstorymn.com.

Farmers and city-folk alike get to reminisce about the good old days while taking in the Antique and Clas-sic Tractor, Truck and Farm Machinery Show. And just when you thought you’d seen or heard it all, there’s the Buffalo Turd Eating Contest (a jalapeno popper stuffed with a mini-hotdog and wrapped in bacon—certainly good for what ails ya!).

No one misses the Grand Parade and the band per-formance afterwards. The pigs are running scared at the Firefighters Pork Feed and the teens dance in the style teens only can just before a big fireworks display caps off another evening. Pancake breakfasts, tractor pulls, and much more will add so much fun to the weekend that by the time Sunday night comes along, you’ll need a vacation!

Check out the information for the nextTown & Country Days festival at

www.mapletontownandcountrydays.com.

It’s a time when a family can be a family—the old-fashioned way!

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Guess what lovely charmers from the South have moved to Sweet Swine County—The Savannah Sisters! Indeed, they gave up their southern plantation home to join the pillars of Midwest soci-ety right here on a farm in OUR STORY Country. Join the “sistahs” as they go sneakin’ around to daintily whiff out the excitement in the mighty-fine towns of the area. A taste of their expert reporting is below.

Why, I declare! You can even watch them onwww.ourstorymn.com!

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aterville is located in the southern corner of Le Sueur County between Lake Tetonka and Upper Lake Sakatah. From its earli-

est days in the 1850s, the lakes and rivers have been vital to Waterville’s economy, making it a place where people have met to conduct business. Long before Europeans arrived here, Native Americans from throughout the Maumee River Valley and Great Lakes Area held councils here at Roche de Boeuf (Buffalo Rock), an outcropping of rock in the Maumee River that remains to this day. Waterville has been, in turn, a mill town, a port on the Wabash and Erie Canal, and a station on the old interurban railroad line that facilitated commerce throughout Northwest Ohio in the first third of the 20th century.

Today the city continues the tradition of being a magnet for vacationers who seek a great destination point with friendly residents and a relaxing way of life. Even the infamous Jesse James and his gang were frequent visitors to Waterville!

Visit Waterville’s website atwww.watervillemn.com.

Steering Watervillein the Right Direction

Waterville’s nonprofit volunteer “Community Connections/Horizons Steering Committee” rallies its citizens to take pride in their town! Imbued with a great sense of community spirit, this organization facilitates ideas for residents to create small-town charm. What a great job they’ve done!

The committee has worked with the town’s citizens to develop a small park in the middle of downtown, and each spring they fill the downtown area with beautifully planted hanging baskets and barrel planters near benches that line the side-walks. In the summer on “Deadhead Wednesdays,” townsfolk get together to maintain the plantings. Sounds like a fun way to have some coffee and discuss the latest “what’s-what,” too! Kudos, Waterville!

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For “a bit o’ the Irish” take on things, OUR STORY periodically checks in with master Irish storyteller, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, to find out about the latest yarns he’s spinnin’. O’Shaughnessy’s brogue is thicker than a sheep’s wool, and his stories are as juicy as a pub’s best brew (after a few of which he’ll tell you, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures!”). Read below for one of O’Shaughnessy’s latest tales about a town in OUR STORY Country!

Hear Patrick O’Shaughnessy’s Irish brogue for yourself on our website at www.ourtstorymn.com.

Emmetsburg, Iowa

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Emmetsburg’s citizens encourage you to visitand enjoy their community!

For more information contact theChamber of Commerce at (712) 852-2283 or check

their website at www.emmetsburg.com

or recreational fun, Emmetsburg, Iowa is the place to visit! Just west of the city is the Des Moines River which affords great

canoeing, kayaking, and nature-trails. Em-metsburg has five beautiful city parks surrounding Five Island Lake from which fishing and water sports abound! The city also has a golf course, and the Kearney State Park and Basswood Recreation Area. In recent years, the addition of the Wild Rose Casino gives gaming enthusiasts a chance to hone their skills (good luck!), hear live entertainment, enjoy the casino restaurants, and utilize camping and RV sites on the man-made lake adjoining the casino’s hotel. You will never get bored in Emmetsburg!

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Mrs. Tipton is always happy to read aloud the history reports written by her students—they’re the smartest kids around! No red knuckles from “ruler-smacks” in her classroom! Only shiny red apples are handed out when Mrs. Tipton shares the facts her smart-as-whip students wrote in their reports about Minnesota and Iowa towns!

To watch the video broadcasts of "Inside Mrs. Tipton’s Classroom," go to www.ourstorymn.com.

Beautiful

Morton, Minnesota!

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stablished in 1884, Morton lies in the beautiful, winding Minnesota River

Valley and is within walking distance of many historic sites where some of the most

stirring scenes of the Midwest were enacted among the early settlers and Indians who populated the area. Some of the oldest rocks in the world in-clude the gneiss found in this area of the river valley. In fact, Morton gneiss, a coarsely textured, foliated metamorphic rock, is 3.6 billion years old and was used to construct two fountains on the south lawn of the White House.

Home to Jackpot Junction Casino and Hotel, Morton also offers area residents and visitors lim-itless opportunities for recreation, education and entertainment.

Whether you are catching sight of the bald eagles flying over the Ancient River Warren, visiting the Renville County Museum, shopping for antiques or Amish furniture, or attending one of Morton’s excit-ing festivals, Morton is certainly a destination point you don’t want to miss seeing!

Discovering more about Morton is easy—visit their website at www.mortonmn.com

Morton’s Granite Used inWashington, D.C. Fountains

The Morton Granite Works was established in 1886 on the edge of Morton, Minnesota. The rain-bow granite quarried there is known for the large, light-red crystals of the mineral feldspar veining throughout the stone.

When Lady Bird Johnson created the “Society for A More Beautiful National Capital,” plans were made to develop fountains near the White House. The commission was awarded to sculptors Gordon

Newell and James Hunolt in 1967. They chose to use granite from Morton and fashioned their fountains from two

slabs of rain-bow granite 16-feet square, 18-inches thick and weighing 60 tons each. The huge slabs were carved into large dishes once they arrived in Washington D.C. Fifteen-foot jets of wa-ter shoot from the dishes as they grace the 52-acre park just south of the White House.

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The Keepers of the Sacred Tra-dition of Pipemakers was formed in 1996 to protect the Pipestone Quarries in Pipestone, Minnesota for all tribal people. The organi-zation believes in preserving the sacred tradition of pipe-making and allowing free access to the Great Pipestone Quarries for all Native Americans. Each year, a celebration called the Keepers Pow Wow is held to continue the Native American traditions with an event that features traditional native foods, singing, dancing, musical performances, prayer circles and much more.

The Great Pipestone Quarries of Minnesota have been a sacred site for American Indian tribal people for over 1,000 years. Many nations of indigenous peoples came to these quarries including the Sac-Fox, Otto, Mandan, Kiowa, Hidatsa, Dakota, Lakota, Cheyenne and Ojibwa, as well as many other Native American tribes. The pipes made of

stone—called Catlinite by the early Europeans—withstood heat well without cracking and was easily worked with flint tools. Therefore, the Pipestone quarried in this region became a very precious trade item. Trade and travel dispersed

pipestone throughout the Tribal Nations from Hud-son Bay, Canada to the Anasazi of the Southwest. The Pipestone region became the major crossroads for trade. This north/south trade route first used by tribal people became the travel corridor the immigrant Europeans used, and later developed into Highway 75.

In 2011, the Keepers Pow Wow will be held on Sat-urday and Sunday, July 23-24. Make your plans now to attend this incredible event!

For more information, visit the Keepers Pow Wow website at www.pipekeepers.org.

t h e k e e p e r s

Pow Wow

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OUR STORY’s late-night talk show, “Split Hoof Tonight,” is filmed at OUR STORY Studios in Fairmont, Minnesota in front of a discerning, yet agreeable studio audience (and maybe one or two mice—the studios are in an historic 1890s building!). Hosted by Cousin John and his incomparable sidekick, Earl Silo, a roster of star guests from all around OUR STORY Country make appear-ances that you won’t want to miss! Heeeeeere’s Cousin John!

For a hoof-splittin’ time make sure you watch all the episodes atwww.ourstorymn.com.

The summer just isn’t complete without attending Sleepy Eye’s “But-tered Corn Days” celebration! Each year on the third Friday in August, there are “smiles from ear to ear” while feasting on Del Monte steamed corn dipped in hot AMPI butter. The festivities run for two days and include so many activities that you can’t help being corny with delight!

The 2010 celebration marked the 48th year for the Buttered Corn Days celebration in Sleepy Eye with musical entertainment, burgers, a beer garden, pie and root-beer floats, food and craft

vendors, kids’ games, inflate-a-fun, pony rides, the Zooman, an FFA Safety booth, and bingo sponsored by the Sleepy Eye Hockey Association.

Musical entertainment by Gene Bertrand and Bob Novotny, the Sleepy Eye Area Concertina Club, Dain’s Dutchmen and the Leon Helget Band was scheduled throughout the event. The infamous corn-eating contest drew a huge crowd to watch reigning champ, Chuck Spaeth Ford, try for a fifth consecutive win.

People eagerly lined the streets for The Corn Days Grand Parade that fea-tured the Minnesota Police Pipe Band, Mankato Area Shrine Patrol T-Birds, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s RTR Drumline, plus many more units.

The 5K and 10K running marathons had everyone cheering and toasts were enjoyed all-around by wine aficionados with Fieldstone Vineyard’s newly released 2010 Buttered Corn Days semi-sweet La Crescent white wine. For more information about this corn-tastic event, visit the Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.sleepyeyechamber.com.

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AMBOYMINNESOTA



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ounded in 1879 as a depot stop for the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway, Amboy may

not be the largest city in Minnesota, but it has a big heart! Amboy is located at the junction of Highways 169 and 30 on what was formerly the Daniel Boone motor trail and lies 19 miles south of Mankato and 15 miles north of Blue Earth.

The Amboy community is continually evolving in its quest to be a great place to live. Amboy welcomes visitors to see what they have to offer—fun com-munity events and activities, specialty businesses, churches and interesting historic sites.

For all kinds of great information about Amboy,visit the town’s website at

http://amboymn.govoffice2.com

F Amboy’s Dodd-Ford BridgeIt’s time for some good news! The Dodd-Ford

Bridge Preservation Society in Amboy was selected from a total of ten sites to receive the 2010 “Seed Grant” from the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.

The overhead suspension Dodd-Ford Bridge #1461 was built in 1901 over the Blue Earth River and remained in use until May 2009, when Blue Earth County decided to demol-ish it. Built by Lawrence H. Johnson, it is one of only two bridges by this builder that still remains in the state of Minnesota.

The bridge was deemed eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The Dodd-Ford Bridge Preservation Society con-tinues to work on developing plans to renovate the bridge to its former glory.

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aylord is a vibrant 21st-century com-munity with a blend of great family characteristics and business oppor-tunities. Located in Sibley County

just 55 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, Gaylord is a fully developed county seat of more than 2,249 residents, making it the larg-est city in Sibley County.

Gaylord boasts a growing residential base, a thriving business community, and many active and involved citizens. Gaylord’s central location - the Hub of Minnesota - means that in less than one hour, you can travel to over a dozen other county seats and regional cities in Minnesota. Gaylord is proud of its reputation as a city that preserves it natural resources – residents can enjoy an extensive city park on the

Colonel von Bragger loves to review his journal and reread the entries he’s written about his worldly travels, including those within OUR STORY Country. Below he shares about one of the interesting boroughs he’s discovered.

To see him talk about others, click on www.ourstorymn.com.

southern shore of Lake Titlow, several other commu-nity parks and many acres of public open space.

G

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All of this information and much moreis available on Gaylord’s website at

www.exploregaylord.org

Check it out!

Gaylord’s Citizens Care for Lake Titlow

Gaylord’s Lake Titlow Committee is a group of concerned citizens working to protect and improve their local watershed. This nonprofit, volunteer organization works extensively to educate land-owners about better conservation practices and programs available for improvements.

The Lake Titlow Restoration Project monitors lake-water quality, maps stream flow, records pre-cipitation levels, reviews the quality of intake water from runoff, and raises funds for continuing educa-tion programs for all those interesting in maintain-ing the quality of this beautiful lake.

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When Professor J. Von Tron's time machine continues to malfunction, she accidentally stays in the here-and-now while journeying to towns and communities throughout OUR STORY Country. But that’s OK. The Professor finds out that all of these towns are making interesting history right now, just like they did in the past and will in the future. Read about the Professor’s latest time machine breakdown below.

And watch all the other places she’s visited on www.ourstorymn.com.

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n the first day of July, 1869, Col. Clark Thompson along with H. W. Holly, and M. Conant staked out 160 acres as a town site

of what was to become the village of Wells. The town was named in honor of Thompson’s wife, whose maiden name was Rebecca Wells. Wells holds the distinction of being the first railroad town in the Faribault County. Today, Wells is a thriving commu-nity with friendly residents who welcome all visitors to explore their lovely city!

The Wells Historical Society was organized in 2005 and has successfully saved their 1903 Railroad Depot from demolition through fundraisers and grants. The Railroad Depot is now used as a museum and portrays the town’s pride in their history.

Wells is located in south central Minnesota, in Faribault County, about fifteen miles north of the Minnesota-Iowa border. The community has two parks within city limits. Faribault County Pihls Park, just south of Wells, has camping and motor home facilities.

Each August Wells celebrates “Kernel Days” - four fantastic days of family-friendly activities, including a parade and fireworks!

You may find more interesting informationabout Wells on the city website at

www.wells.govoffice.com

Calling All Bird Watchers!Take your binoculars and drive along the Northeast

Loop in Faribault County for some excellent “birding.” Start your adventure by heading east on County Road 16 from Blue Earth. Roadside signs depicting an open-winged bird in flight denote a good bird-watching area is nearby. To see a map of the northeast loop, and for more info about area birds, visit the city of Wells web-site at http://wells.govoffice.com.

“For An Afternoon,For A Lifetime”

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stablished as a village in 1877, New Prague is a growing community located 45 miles south-west of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Anton Philipp, a Bavarian, was the first settler to come to

New Prague in 1856. Philipp built the first log cabin on the south bank of what came to be known as Philipp’s Creek. A few months later Albert Vrtis, a Bohemian, joined Philipp’s settlement. To this day, the cultural her-itage of German/Bohemian ancestry is proudly revered in New Prague.

The third Saturday of each September, New Prague celebrates Dozinky (doe-shink’-key), an “old country” Czech Harvest Festival. Everyone is invited to enjoy the Czech Village; the parade of farm pride; Czech, German and harvest foods; plus singing and dancing.

When visiting New Prague, don’t forget to step inside the magnificent Church of Saint Wenceslaus! The parish has been the foundation and integral part of the faith community of New Prague since 1857. Also, New Prague’s many wonderful restaurants, hotels, specialty shops, businesses, parks and recreation areas make it a fascinating destination point worthy of a weekend or, at the least, day-long adventure!

Oh, the mystery of it all! What face fronts the back of this mysterious man announcing into a microphone? Who is this oddly old-styled Hollywood broadcaster who seems to have all the dirt about all the people and places throughout OUR STORY Country, before any of the “rags” have even broken the story? The man Behind the Mic gives us a taste right here of his indelible reportage style.

For more, go to www.ourstorymn.com.

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For all this information and more,visit New Prague’s website at

www.ci.new-prague.mn.usor call their Chamber of Commerce at

952-758-4360.

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Everything’s blooming in Blooming Prairie during their famous old-fashioned 4th of July Celebration! Each year, nearly 35,000 people descend upon this lovely town of 2,000 to watch the night-time fireworks blossom in the sky in honor of America’s Independence Day!

Located in Steele County on Highway 218 between Austin and Owatonna, Blooming Prairie has long been known for hosting one of the largest July 4th festivals in Southern Minnesota. As far back as the early 1900s, people would flock to this village at 4:00 a.m. for the 100-gun salute that kicks off the event. There is endless family fun planned each year that may include water-melon-seed spitting contests, puppet and magic shows, iron-man obstacle challenges, children’s pedal-tractor pulls and so much more! How much more, you ask? Well how about the Awesome Blossom Run, the “Sweet Rides” car and bike show, miniature golf, fine arts craft fair, horseshoe tournaments, tractor pulls, antique trac-tor shows, kids’ races, kick-ball tournaments, and soo-eee-soo-eee-soo-eee!—a hog-calling contest!

And you certainly won’t go hungry during this gala “do”—The Taste of Blooming Prairie food stands, along with many other concessions will serve up everything to make your mouth water and your belt be too tight! The pie and ice cream social is always packed! No one wants to miss the Lions Club breakfast. Musical groups that have included the local The Four Word Followers gospel singers entertain during the day and eves, and the gaiety continues into the evening with teen and adult dances.

But most important of all: THE PARADE! Starting at 2:30 p.m. and lasting until about 4:00 p.m., you’ll watch at least 100 units drive and prance by on the parade route, making this one of the largest parades in the area! Fireworks begin to brighten the night sky at about 10:00 p.m. at Victory Field.

Trust us, this is one celebration you have to see to believe! Check out the Blooming Prairie website at www.bloomingprairie.com or call the Blooming Prairie Chamber of Commerce at 507-583-4472 for more infor-mation. Be there or be square! And tell them all that OUR STORY sent you!

On each episode of Split Hoof Tonight, Earl, who has never left Sweet Swine County, shares with us his plans to "step out" and discover life—way beyond his comfort zone. And Earl does just that! Read here about one of many discoveries Earl has made. It sure seems comfortable to us!!

All of Earl’s video reports are viewable atwww.ourstorymn.com.

Blooming Prairie,Minnesota

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History was made on October 5, 2008 when KLUK TV, Sweet Swine County’s largest—and one and only—television station aired the pilot episode of The Cocklebur Morning Show. Any TV viewer in the greater Sweet Swine County area will tell you that morning life hasn’t been the same ever since!

Originally hosted by Tommy Ray and Sara Sue (until they were hired away by a sweet-talking, big-money Finnish pro-ducer to host The Arctic Circle Show in Lapland), The Cockle-bur Morning Show now greets viewers with the smiles of hosts Bobby Ray (Tommy Ray’s older brother) and Sally Sue (Sara Sue’s older sister). We all know the adage “older is better”; well, how fortunate for all of us that these two highly qualified personalities were waiting in the wings to take over when their younger siblings jumped the fence for those reindeer-dung-filled greener pastures.

For The Cocklebur Morning Show’s Executive Producer, Cousin John, it was a no-brainer that Bobby Ray was picked to segue from being KLUK TV’s weatherman and former reality-show host of “So You Want To Be A Chicken Farmer!” to take over co-hosting with the other co-host takeover, Sally Sue. She is well-remembered for being Perdoo University’s 1969 homecoming queen and Cumma Soo-ey Laude graduate who double-majored in Animal Sign-Language and Interna-tional Swine Studies. Bobby Ray and Sally Sue’s level of expertise has brought a new-found respect for morning talk-show hosts, yes, even on the big-city networks.

Some of you TV-viewing readers may remember that The Cockle-bur Morning Show initially got off to a rather slow start ratings-wise. Primar-ily, it was be-lieved at the time this was due to the

fact that the original co-hosts only talked about stories that were happening in Sweet Swine County, even though nothing was really happening in Sweet Swine County. When extra-sav-vy Executive Producer Cousin John figured out the problem, he contacted us at OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS. A deal was cut for us to add The Cocklebur Morning Show into our roster of shows being broadcast not only in Sweet Swine County, but throughout OUR STORY television country in the upper Midwest. Bobby Ray and Sally Sue’s faces now light up tele-

visions in nearly 1,000,000 households on OUR

STORY’s affiliate cable channels with fabulous guests among whom have been Terrie Gulden (President of Honor Flight South-west Minnesota), The Tron Guy (Jay Maynard), Bart Saxton (Medie-valist re-enactor), numerous musi-cal performers such as Lonesome Ron (King of

Valley Yodelers), singer/songwriters

Alan Morphew and

Cockleburthe

Morning ShowBobby Ray & Sally Sue

Weed Out the BIG Stories!

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BREAKING NEWS:

A report has just come into the OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS’ offices that two

citizens in Fairmont, Minnesota rather bla-tantly have been impersonating Bobby Ray and Sally Sue. The report states that a certain Mr. Keith Kenney and a Ms. Alice Nowicki, respectively, are the culprits behind this “look-alike” scheme. It is said that Mr. Ken-

ney and Ms. Nowicki’s resemblance to our favorite talk-show hosts is uncanny.

It is also reported that KLUK TV’s Ex-ecutive Producer, Cousin John, may try to

get Mr. Kenney and Ms. Nowicki to appear as guests on The Cocklebur Morning Show. Stay tuned.

If the early cocklebur gets the worm, then what does the late cocklebur get? Brunch!

Why did

the

chic

ken cross the ro

ad? To get

to t

he

Chad Elliot, and Jerry Minar (co-founder of The Concertina Club).

Enough can’t be said about Bobby Ray and Sally Sue! Part of their great success is due to the fact that they have had the excellent foresight of cultivating adjunct relationships with other of OUR STORY’s out-standing-in-their-fields reporters like Clarice Plow—roving reporter extraordinaire for the fascinat-ing segment “Hidden Away, But Not Forgotten”; Ronny P. Silage—special reporter for “Almost Breaking News”; Caro-line The Librarian—author and small-town library aficionado whose segment, “Memoirs of a Librarian” delights all book-worms; and “In The Passenger’s Seat”—OUR STORY’s popular segment in which the driver of our company vehicle never fails to “pick up” an interesting story from a hitchhiker!

Thanks to Bobby Ray and Sally Sue’s panache and bril-liant back-and-forth banter, The Cocklebur Morning Show has become the number-one “must see” morning TV program in Sweet Swine County, as well as in the rest of OUR STORY PRO-DUCTIONS’ “country” in Min-nesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota and North Dakota. And just in case you can’t find your TV clicker, all of The Cocklebur Morning Show episodes are viewable on the Internet at www.ourstorymn.com.

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For “a bit o’ the Irish” take on things, OUR STORY periodically checks in with master Irish storyteller, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, to find out about the latest yarns he’s spinnin’. O’Shaughnessy’s brogue is thicker than a sheep’s wool, and his stories are as juicy as a pub’s best brew (after a few of which he’ll tell you, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures!”). Read below for one of O’Shaughnessy’s latest tales about a town in OUR STORY Country!

Hear Patrick O’Shaughnessy’s Irish brogue for yourself on our website at www.ourtstorymn.com.

ich in Irish-immigrant history, Emmetsburg, Iowa has twice been listed as one of the “Top 100 Places to

Live” on the Relocate-America website. Now the world is aware of what Emmetsburg

citizens have always known—Emmetsburg is a great place to live! Settled by Irish immigrant families and named for the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet, a bronze statue depicting his likeness is prominently featured in the Courthouse Square. Beside it is “The Blarney Stone,” gifted to Emmetsburg in 1965 by the people of Ireland. Emmetsburg is famous for its three-day-long celebration of St. Patrick’s Day each March, and hosts dignitaries from its sister city of Dublin, Ireland for the event.

Emmetsburg is built around scenic Five Island Lake, and offers visitors a relaxed atmosphere in which they may explore an array of sites that in-clude Iowa Lakes Community College, specialty and antique stores, the Palo Alto Heritage Center, Victo-rian on Main Museum, the House of Dolls, Palo Alto County Historical Museum, the Hobson Rock Collec-tion, and the Vendervelde Primitive Cultures Collec-tion, a top-notch medical facility, a wellness center, and numerous restaurants and churches.

Dance a jig in Emmetsburg and find out that it is definitely a small town with a big Irish heart!

Emmetsburg, Iowa

33

Discover everything you’d like to know about Emmetsburg on their website at

www.emmetsburg.comor call the Chamber of Commerce at

(712) 852-2283.

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BellePlaine,

Minnesota



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n the late 1840s, a few French fur traders made a camp on the “beautiful plain” along the sce-nic Minnesota River’s southern bank near the “Great Woods” halfway between St. Paul and

Mankato. Today, the thriving community of Belle Plaine continues to be a gateway to the Twin Cities metro area to the north and Mankato to the south. Belle Plaine not only draws upon the many cultural amenities of those neighboring cities, but also offers a way of life that is unparalleled for a town of its size—supported by its high-quality civic leadership whose mission is to provide a safe and wholesome environment and vibrant business community with a well-planned infrastructure that benefits its residents. The citizens of Belle Plaine invite you to share in its historic past while it ventures into the future!

Belle Plaine boasts over 20 city-owned parks and recreational areas covering approximately 80 acres. These areas provide playground equipment, picnic areas, and sporting activities like baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, and horse shoes, plus a swim-ming pool.

Trails are available for walking, hiking, biking and other activities throughout the city, while the natural-surfaced portion of the Minnesota Valley Trail runs between Belle Plaine and Chaska. The beautiful Veteran’s Park honors those who have served our country and is visible from State Highway 169.

You’ll find much great information about Belle Plaine on their website at www.belleplainemn.com.

Belle Plaine’s Painted Mural

There’s a hidden treasure in Belle Plaine’s Govern-ment Center! In 1997, artist Lana K. Beck was commissioned to paint a mural depicting the Borough of Belle Plaine as it would have looked in the late 1800s. Her canvas was a blank wall in the former Pavilion Place building (now the city’s offices). After having done extensive research about Belle Plaine’s early history, Beck expertly painted her 179-foot-long mural as a paean to a by-gone era—one that reflects Belle Plaine’s fascinating history.

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Mrs. Swanson’s colorful back-ground includes a stint as being a spy for the Eisenhower administra-tion in the 1950s, when she infil-trated the Russian KGB in order to help keep the Cold War cold. Her “cover” included having a love-child with a Russian agent named

Mrs. Swanson played by Bonnie Fjelstad

As The Corn Grows’ charac-ter, Mrs. Swanson, is a woman of intriguing secrets and worldly experience. Don’t ever be fooled by her “down-home” façade!

Mrs. Swanson lives on her late husband’s farmland rental from which she runs a very success-ful catering business called “Mrs. Swanson’s Sweets & Eats”—special-izing in Swedish-styled hotdishes, pies and candies. In fact, she has recently been enticed by Sweet Swine County’s inimitable Ronny P. Silage to form a business partner-ship to market an exciting new food product line called “Hotdish On A Stick.” Ronnie and Mrs. Swanson have great hopes for its success.

Vladimir, but she gave up her cute little half-Russian boy to adoption in 1956. After leaving the spy service, Mrs. Swanson married a Sweet Swine County farmer.

Mrs. Swanson absolutely detests her rather infamous neighbor, Betty Thompson (an equally qualified “good cook”), and has long accused her of having tried to steal away her now-deceased husband, Mr. Swanson. As Mrs. Swanson tells it, Betty always seemed to linger too

long at the punch bowl with Mr. Swanson at gatherings where she invariably showed up uninvited. The fur always flies when Mrs. Swanson and Betty Thompson run into each other somewhere in Sweet Swine County!

Born and raised in St. Peter, Minnesota, Bonnie Fjelstad (Mrs. Swanson on AS THE CORN GROWS) moved to Fairmont in 1963, where she raised four children while pursuing a career in radio, TV and newspaper advertising sales. Indeed, Bonnie’s “show-biz” inclinations haven’t been limited to AS THE CORN GROWS. She has long been remembered as the radio host of Wallace’s Women’s News on KSUM, and for hosting Fairmont’s former cable TV show, “Hometown Focus.” Bonnie tells us that if you “go back far enough” you may even remember her reporting for KEYC TV’s “Regional Spotlight” for Chuck Pasek. Although she is happily retired, Bonnie is busier than ever with six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and ra-ra-ing in front of the TV for the Vikings football team. Contrary to Mrs. Swanson’s character, Bonnie doesn’t like to cook much any-more. She laughingly says, “Been there, done that, except for making popcorn during a Vikings’ game!”

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Having joined OUR STORY’s roster of programs in the summer of 2008, the zany soap opera AS THE CORN GROWS depicts the story of a big-city girl (Urban Katie) who leaves behind her city life to move to Southern Minnesota after inheriting a farm from her Aunt Ella. Execu-tive Producer Jeff Rouse says, “To the best of our knowledge, AS THE CORN GROWS is the first TV soap opera about rural Minnesota life. The show gives viewers a tongue-in-cheek look at life inside Sweet Swine County with a lovable cast of characters who bring new meaning to the word, ‘corny’!”

In this issue of The Road to OUR STORY, we’re happy to introduce you to some of the citizens of Sweet Swine County who appear on AS THE CORN GROWS!

All episodes are easily viewed at www.ourstorymn.com!

Although Elmer Plow lives the bachelor life in Sweet Swine County with his widowed mother, Gert, he has had some rather secretive “af-fairs of the heart.” All the viewers of As The Corn Grows are eagerly following the twists and turns of Elmer’s “inner” love life. Elmer grew up with nine brothers and sisters and attended the Univer-sity of Minnesota before becoming Sweet Swine County’s well-liked Extension Agent. Elmer is quite the multi-talented individual and, at one time, even acquired his pilot’s license in order to be a crop dust-er—although he has stopped flying because of an unfortunate incident involving a 1936 bi-plane, a flock of ornery geese and the Hayfield barn.

Elmer Plow is very frugal with money (this is probably why he

still lives with his mother) and has amassed a tidy fortune. He is ob-sessed with farm safety matters and believes in living an eco-friendly life and growing equally eco-friendly food. Although Elmer is a big guy who can be plenty tough when the situation warrants it, he is painfully shy around women. He is sometimes so shy and introspective, that he fails to realize when women are actually “coming on” to him. For a long time, he was oblivious to Prairie Ann’s crush on him.

Elmer is an expert on everything farm-related, but often has dif-ficulty in espousing his viewpoints in a concise, easy-to-understand manner. Sometimes his baffling demeanor is a big impediment in his relationships with people. Elmer is afflicted with the rare condition, “Color Phobia,” which is the reason he only wears neutral colors that aren’t flashy. Elmer is quite the soft-

ball player and bowls with delight. He’s good at catching fish, collect-ing coins and has a penchant for meditation. Even though Elmer is plenty tough, he has a great fear of geese (due to the unfortunate plane incident spoken of earlier). Elmer also doesn’t much enjoy speak-ing in front of large groups, which is surprising when given his big, strong demeanor.

Elmer Plowplayed by Dan Mensing

Dan Mensing is the force behind the character of Elmer Plow on OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS’ hit soap opera, As The Corn Grows. Dan is a life-long Minne-sotan who grew up with six brothers and sisters in Blue Earth. He was a talented sportsman active in football, basketball and track during his school years. Dan went on to the University of Minnesota where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and Statistics, and also competed on the shot-put and discus teams while studying there.

Dan lives in Blue Earth with his lovely wife, Becky, his two children, Haley and Sam, and their dog Chloe. When not volunteering as an actor for OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS, Dan holds the title of Vice President at First Bank Blue Earth. Dan serves as the Chairman on the Blue Earth Light and Water Board, and is a member of the Blue Earth Housing & Redevelopment Authority. He’s also quite the authority on vegetable gardening, as many of his friends will tell you while they enjoy the bounty of Dan’s garden throughout the summer months.

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Norma the Waitress loves to pour you a cup of coffee while talking about the latest great little town she and Chef Randy have visited somewhere in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. If you’re lucky, you might even get to take a sip in-between all the banter. She’s one gal who likes to chew the fat! Waitress Norma and Chef Randy have something fascinating for you to read right here!

Watch more of "Just Ask Norma the Waitress" at www.ourstorymn.com.

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he site of the city of Mapleton was first settled in 1856 by a colony named the

Minnesota Settlement Association from New York. The city had a station of the Southern Minne-sota Railroad and its post office, begun in 1857, was called Mapleton, Old Mapleton, Hawkins (Sylvester Hawkins being postmaster, 1863-1866), and then Mapleton Station until 1888, when it was finally rees-tablished as Mapleton.

Being the Curling Capital of southern Minnesota is no small feat for Mapleton considering that Min-nesota is home to one-fifth of the Americans who consider themselves “curlers” (3,000 of the 15,000 nationwide). Mapleton has one of the oldest curling clubs in the state with members whose ancestors were curling on the rivers and lakes around Maple-ton perhaps as far back as the late 1850s when the first settlers arrived.

The residents of Mapleton invite youto explore their fair city or discover more about

them on the city’s website atwww.mapletonmn.com

Great Scot! They Wear Plaid in Mapleton!

Mapleton remembers its Scottish immigrant his-tory each year in January with a celebration called “Burns Night”—commemorating the birthday of the famed poet, Robert Burns.

Pull up your kilt and prepare to join in the fun with the curling tourna-ment, bagpipe music, highland dancing, crown-ing of “Miss Bonnie Lass” and, of course, the reading of Burns poetry. Authentic Scot-tish highland dances are performed by the Mapleton Kilties and the town’s residents always end the eve-ning with a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne, written by the great Robert Burns in 1788.

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edwood Falls is nestled along the fertile and picturesque Minnesota River Valley in northern Redwood County in the heart of

the Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway about 110 miles south-

west of the Twin Cities. The natural beauty of the area is legendary and the community is rich with early settler and Native America history.

Home to beautiful Alexander Ramsey Park—the largest municipal park in the State of Minnesota—Redwood Falls offers visitors and residents an abun-dance of recreational and leisure activities and is an innovative and entrepreneurial community with an economic base consisting of industry sectors in tour-ism and entertainment, light and heavy manufactur-ing, high-tech computer component manufacturing, and agriculture production and research. An equally strong commercial, retail, and service-trade supple-ments the area’s economic growth.

For additional information about Redwood Falls, please contact Redwood Area Chamber & Tourism at

(800) 657-7070 or check these websiteswww.redwoodfalls.org

www.ci.redwood-falls.mn.us

REDWOOD FALLSMinnesota

42

facilities and a nursing home. Downtown Olivia has an exciting new

streetscape including attractive hanging flower baskets that are watered with an un-derground system. A variety of retail stores, financial institutions and service businesses enjoy the special small-town ambiance of

this rural community.

Best of all, you can join the towns-folk of Olivia for the “Corn Capital Days” festival held each July!



ocated 90 miles west of the Twin Cities, the commu-nity of Olivia is the county seat and a service center for

Renville County and the surround-ing area. It is in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the United States, and is known as the “Corn Capital of the World,” having the highest concentration of seed research and processing companies of any place on the globe. Its reputation has brought visitors from 53 foreign nations and all 50 states to Renville County within the last four years to study agriculture.

The county sheriff’s department and the local police department are located in the City. Health-care services include a county hospital, two doctor’s clinics, a dentist, a homeopathic and rolfing clinic, an eye-care center, two drug stores, two assisted-living

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It’s easy to discover more aboutOlivia on their website at

www.olivia.mn.us!

“You want corn,We got corn!”

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Luverne’s

n your mark . . . get set . . . ready . . . toss your buffalo chip! (And we’re not talkin’ Fritos!)

Luverne, Minnesota’s famous annual festival, Buffalo Days, is set to begin on June 3 in 2011. For those of you “in the know,” expect to be ready for the fun to begin at Friday’s “Cruise-In” for all vehicles, including motor-cycles. You won’t have a moment of rest for the next few days because of all the activities that include seeing the incredible parade, visiting over 130 art vendors’ booths, swaying to the music of bands and other entertainment, street-dancing into the night to rock and roll, watching the motorcycle rally, sweating at the 5K and 10K Walk/Run races, and, of course, gobbling up those infamous buffalo burgers! This ain’t the half of it folks! Be there or be square, and be willing to duck out of the way of rogue buffalo chips flying through the air!

BuffaloDaysO

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Just when you thought you’d gotten the cockleburs outta your overalls, they’re now on TV! That’s right, The Cocklebur Morning Show, filmed at OUR STORY Studios in Fairmont, MN is one weed you won’t want to pull! It’s a hit in Sweet Swine County. So watch it grow with hosts Bobby Ray and Sally Sue while they deliver a mix of news, entertainment and information about towns throughout OUR STORY Country.

Below are two great stories our hosts Bobby Ray and Sally Sue covered. To view the video broadcasts or find any of the guests who have appeared on

The Cocklebur Morning Show, go to www.ourstorymn.com.

DožínkyNow here’s some-

thing you really have to “Czech out”—the in-credible annual Dožínky Festival (doe-shink’-key) in New Prague, Min-nesota! Held each year on the third Saturday in

September, this old-styled Czech harvest festival always offers lots of new-styled fun. New Prague’s beautiful Main Street is transformed into an open-air market with vendor booths lining the sidewalks. You’ll delight in tasting traditional Czech food while washing it all down with authentic Czech beer served in the beer garden. Food booths are open from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

The Dožínky Festival originated in the “old country”

f e s t i v a l(the Czech Republic) when villagers would celebrate and give thanks for a bounti-ful harvest. Likewise, New Prague honors its agricultural roots and Czech cultural heritage with a long list of events during this fun-filled festival among which are the “Parade of Farm Pride” (that has a line-up of antique and modern farm equipment, horse-drawn units, cars, and marching bands), musical entertainment on three different stages, re-creation of an actual Czech village, concerts by the New Prague Czech Singers, dancing, and much, much more. Admission to the festival and most activities are free.

N E W P R A G U E ’ S

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n 1889 there was talk about the need for a public reading room in Gaylord—I wonder if they had any conception then that one day there would be 13,272 books available in that “reading room”!

Since 2008, the Gaylord Library has been housed in the former City Hall and City Offices building at 428 Main Avenue.

Today, the library offers an array of resources for the inquisitive-minded residents of the area that include over 3,000 audio and video materials, 10 Internet ac-cessible computers as well as a wonderful selection of fiction and nonfiction books. When the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Mankato was remodeled, Gay-lord’s library became the fortunate recipient of the retailer’s fixtures just when they were needed most during a long-planned expansion.

There are so many marvelous programs offered at the library for children and adults that it will make you dizzy! Check them out for yourself on Monday, Tues-day and Thursday from 12 noon through 7:00 p.m., Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Or visit the library’s website at http://gaylordlibrary.tdslib.org. You may want to talk directly with a librarian at 507-237-2280. We librarians do love to talk, you know—as long as it isn’t too loud!

Author, Caroline the Librarian, is tirelessly doing research for her new book "Memoirs of A Librarian" by visiting libraries all around OUR STORY Country.

She has “shushed” her way through some towering rows of books to discover a treasure trove of information in beautiful OUR STORY-area libraries like the one she talks about below.

Make sure all of you bookworms watch every episode ofCaroline the Librarians show at www.ourstorymn.com!

I Gaylord Public Library

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Bringing Belly dance

to Southern MinneSota:aMerican triBal Style (atS), triBal FuSion,

Wild WingS,caBaret, SWord, egyptian & Skirt

availaBle For all

occaSionS: Bachelorette partieS,

BirthdayS, Fund raiSerS & other eventS

“It’s a bird?It’s a plane?

It’s a duckumentary?”

A Duckumentary

QuackersandMe

written byLawyer Ed from AS THE CORN GROWS

For more information visitwww.sweetswinescoop.com

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Each summer the residents of Fairmont, Minnesota roll out the red carpet with their spectacular Interlaken Heritage Days “Festival of Lakes” celebration. Beginning on a Friday evening, the festival continues throughout the week-end with all kinds of family fun.

Minnesota’s scenic destination points since it is built around five beautiful conjoined lakes. During the Festival of Lakes event, the city wisely utilizes its lakeside parks for musical entertainment that appeals to people of all ages.

Celebrate in Fairmont The 2010 festival was uniquely prefaced by several weeks of rip-roaringly successful “Holy Hotdish Cook-Offs” sponsored by local churches. Who better than OUR STORY’s very own “As The Corn Grows” characters Betty Thompson and Mrs. Swanson to serve as “tasteful” judges of what turned out to be a hugely popular pre-Heritage Days “mini culinary festival”! Each church tried to out-do the other by creating an evening themed around a variety of hotdish. We Midwesterners certainly do take our hotdishes seriously and this competition salivatingly proved that point!

Fairmont is one of Southern

OUR STORY’s “The Cocklebur Morning Show” hosts, Sally Sue and Bobby Ray, know better than anyone that the early bird catches the worm! When it comes to weeding out the best sto-ries in Sweet Swine County and beyond, their informative chirp-ing banter—with coffee cups in hand—will make you tweet with delight when they let you in on the latest “what’s-what” they’ve dug up!

Watch all of Sally Sue and Bobby Ray’s shows on OUR STORY’s website at www.ourstorymn.com!

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The ever well-attended Heritage Days Parade—a state sanctioned band competition—is “jammingly packed” with high-school bands from neighboring communities that have included the more distant towns of St. Peter, Albert Lea and Maple River. A big hit each year is the Downtown Plaza’s classic car show (just around the corner from OUR STORY PRODUCTIONS headquarters!). Block parties, food vendors, sports tournaments, boating events, fire-works, tractor pulls . . . we’re just sayin’! Fairmont knows how to do it up big time! Make your plans now to attend the next Interlaken Heritage Days Festival of Lakes!

For more information, visit Fairmont’s website at www.fairmont.org

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streets in New York City—Park Row, Chatham, Broadway, Nassau, Union—because Captain Dodd was originally from the East. He had been married at the Church of the Holy Communion in

New York City, which helped fund the establishment of the same-named church in St. Peter.

In 1857, an unsuccessful attempt was made to move the capitol from St. Paul to St. Peter. Home to one of Minnesota’s fine liberal arts colleges—Gustavus Adolphus—St. Peter also has many historic buildings and Victorian-styled homes lining its main grand downtown boulevard (Highway 169). St. Peter also has many places of historical interest, especially the museum at the site where The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed in 1851.

t. Peter was founded in 1853 by Captain William Bigelow Dodd,

who claimed 150 acres north of what is now Broadway Avenue. He named the new settlement Rock Bend because of the rock formation at the bend of the Minnesota Riv-er. In 1855, the town was renamed St. Peter for the St. Pierre River, an early name for the Minnesota Riv-er. Many of the streets in St. Peter were named after



St. PeterM i n n e s o t a

51

St. Peter welcomes you to find out much more at: www.ci.st-peter.mn.us

You can also contact their Chamber of Commerce: 800-473-3404 or check their website at:

www.tourism.st-peter.mn.us

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Well, all my food-lovin’ friends, I bet you’d agree with me that popcorn never tastes better than when you’re eating it in a movie theater! I’d long heard about the Princess Theater in St. James so I decided to pull up my panty hose and head there to get my fingers buttery and my taste buds salty! I’m sure glad I did!

When I pulled into St. James, I saw that delightful-looking Encore Coffee Café. Oooohh, you all know I’m a weakling for good coffee, so I mean-dered right in. Cream and sugar? You betcha! Perked me right up to watch a great movie!

Did you know that the Princess Theater was built in 1914 to replace the old Scenic Theater? I didn’t; but I do now!

And, my friends, I learned much more than that when I walked into this lovely theater that, when it was built, was billed as being “fireproof and sanitary.” Works for me! The theater originally seated 425 people in mahog-any opera chairs to watch high-class vaudeville and silent moving-picture shows. The owner at that time, Henry Nelson, took great precautions to ensure that only “clean amusements” were offered to the public. Imagine, in those days it cost only 5 cents to 10 cents to see a movie, and only 10 cents to 20 cents to watch a live vaudeville show. Oh, for the good ol’ days!

In 1929, the theater had to be adapted for “Talkies,” and equipment was purchased and shipped from New York, yes, right there to little St. James, Minnesota! Films in those days were highly flammable, so the remodeling had to include solid concrete booths to house the equip-ment, and easy access to a side door for the projectionist to escape in case of fire.

The Princess Theater was operated exclusively as a theater until the 1970s, when it closed. Boo-hoo! But, luckily, it was acquired by the great community of St. James and is now called The St. James Theater Community Center. There’s an ever-so-nice community room attached to it now. (I wonder if they’d let me give

cooking lessons there? Oh, sorry, I digress!)Oh, I’m just as jumpy as a puppet on a string to tell

you I LOVED visiting that lovely old theater! You must check it out for yourselves! Just go to www.stjames.govoffice.com and look under “Princess Theater” to see what movie is playing. And, take it from me, your favorite food-maven, Betty, DON’T LEAVE St. James without dropping in for a bite at the Hometown Family Restaurant. I did, and I’m still salivating!

Culinary expert and, dare we say, “wine aficionado beyond belief,” Betty Thompson, always is preparing some tantalizing dish for us on her show, “Cookin’ it up with Betty.” In the midst of cooking, our dear ol’ Betty does have the habit of getting distracted, though. She just has too many memories of the great restaurants she’s enjoyed around OUR STORY Country. One of these days, we’re hoping Betty actually finishes showing us how she makes her delicacies—from beginning to end. Stay tuned. In the meantime, read below about what Betty found so tantalizing recently.

Betty would love you to tipple through her video episodes atwww.ourstorymn.com.

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e certainly are glad that OUR STORY’s roving reporter, Clarice, found another treasure hidden away in Our Story Coun-try! The Queen Marie Victorian Bed and

Breakfast in Emmetsburg, Iowa is a gem that you must see to believe! Built by the local lumber and hardware baron, J. J. Shaw, in 1890, this lovely manse retains the character of the Victorian era with its remarkable woodwork and hardware. A meticulously carved oak open staircase, brass-laced fireplace and other antique accoutrements from the time period lend to the charm of this lovely bed and breakfast.

Five unique guest rooms in the main house (most offer private baths), as well as a new suite developed in the Carriage House, have welcomed guests from over 40 states and 12 foreign countries. Each year, Emmetsburg invites dignitaries from its sister city, Dublin, Ireland, for its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration and the Queen Marie Victorian becomes the center of attention while hosting those Irish friends.

OUR STORY’s roving-reporter extraordinaire, Clarice Plow, is always finding out about the most interesting people, places and events throughout OUR STORY Country. We love our Clarice for giving us the report below! You will, too!

Watch all of Clarice’s segments onwww.ourstorymn.com.

W

E m m e t s b u r g ’ sQueen Marie

VictorianBed and Breakfast

Peggy and Paul Osterman have lovingly cared for this beautiful home for the last 15 years and invite you to contact them for more information at 800-238-9485 or visit the website at www.nwiowabb.com/newqueen.htm

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market their product or products, offers an “Inventing Success™ Workshop,” and gives profession-als and students an opportunity to publicly exhibit their inventions within an atmosphere that pro-claims, “dreams are never too big to realize!”

Since 1985, the Minnesota Inven-tors Congress (MIC) has offered year-round access to knowledge-able staff that direct inventors to reliable resources and teach them that the most important invest-ment they can make is to learn the product- development process. Consumer protection is always a concern because of the large num-ber of companies that target inven-tors as their customer base. Compa-nies’ sales staff is hired to sell their expensive marketing packages to aspiring inventors, not necessarily to educate them to make good busi-ness decisions. MIC’s free resource helps aspiring inventors learn how to successfully develop marketable products and spend their time and money wisely.

The public is heartily encour-aged to attend and view all of the exhibits like Steve Lange did when

Every year beautiful Redwood Falls, Minnesota, puts out a one-of-a-kind welcome mat for inventors around the nation that says: “Wel-come to the world of innovation!” This intriguing event provides inventors an opportunity to test-

he wrote for American Profile Magazine about an exhibit at the congress, “A handful of people crowd around Brian Flanagan, 45, as he demonstrates a solar-pow-ered doghouse featuring a wireless camera, temperature monitor and heating system. It’s the ultimate doggie house to keep your canine cool in summer and warm in win-ter,” says Flanagan, of Eden Prairie, Minn., touting the K9 Solar Lodge that he designed and built.”

John F. Kennedy said, “Effort and courage are not enough with-out purpose and direction.” With that thought in mind, the mission of the Minnesota Inventors Con-gress was developed: “The organi-zation is dedicated to stimulating economic development by support-ing innovation and inventors at all phases of the invention develop-ment process.”

Put on your thinking cap and join the fun at the next Inventors Congress in Redwood Falls!

For more information seeminnesotainventorscongress.org

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Small-Town Stories with Big-Town Attitude!OUR STORY Productions premiered “The Women of Sweet Swine

County”—filmed at OUR STORY Studios in Fairmont, MN—in the summer of 2009. Television hasn’t been the same since! Hosted by three sassy ladies from Sweet Swine County, this full-of-fun daytime talk show jiggles with the latest and greatest news about the people, places and events found all over OUR STORY Country. You want style? These brazen ladies fling it at you! You want gossip? Well, giddy-up, can we talk?! To wet your whistle, take a look below at two of the guests who have appeared on the show.

Come on, you KNOW you want more of The Women of Sweet Swine County—do it at www.ourstorymn.com!

Make your plans now for some great summer fun! The Eyota Days festival in Eyota, Minnesota (just 10 miles east of Rochester) is a “must-see” event for everyone “in the know”! Held annually in the week leading up to the third weekend of July, the summer of 2011 will mark the 33rd yearly celebration where young and old alike share several days of jam-packed fun. Beginning on a Tuesday evening with a kids’ track and field/home-run derby, the activities run nonstop through the conclusion on the following Sun-day with a vintage car show.

And what goes on between those days? We get tired just thinking about it!

While food vendors keep all the stomachs full each day, the Wednesday Church Night with its great spiritual entertainment is followed by days of other events including the Family & Ag Night, a 5K Road Race, a Craft Sale/Flea Market, the Men’s Slow-Pitch Softball games and a Women’s Softball tournament, Co-Ed Vol-leyball, a Frisbee Tournament, a Bean-Bag Toss, and the incredible Saturday Parade followed by an evening Street Dance.

For much more information, visit the city’s website at http://

eyota.govoffice.com.

EyotaDays

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It’s amazing what discover-ies await you in the small towns throughout OUR STORY country! And that’s why I love traveling around to find them, just like I did in Waterville, Minnesota not long ago. With a population of about 1,800, Waterville is a gem of a town located in Le Sueur County—and one of the diamonds in the com-munity is John O’Leary! John has lived his entire life in Waterville, except during the years he was bravely serving our country during WWII. John attended the com-munity college in Mankato after graduating from high school, but was drafted into the army in 1942 and served four years in the 115th Evacuation Hospital unit. He spent some of those years overseas in France as well as other countries.

When John O’Leary was dis-charged from the army in 1946, he returned to Wa-terville to work in the gas station his father had owned since

1938. He’s still there at age 90, pumping gas for his customers! Besides providing gas, his station is the one-in-all place to buy pop, beer, snacks, fishing bait and other sundries for the locals and the many tourists who visit the area’s beautiful lakes. John will tell you that “providing service is the key to success.” His entire life has been a reflection of what “real service”

means, and perhaps what we are lacking in today’s society!

The local people of Waterville will be the first to tell you about John and his lovely wife of 63 years. The day I was “step-ping out” in Waterville and

stopped at John’s gas station, a local gentleman was presenting

John with a small gift. Since John had been at Normandy a few

days after the D-Day inva-sion, this gentleman, who had recently returned from a trip to France, brought

back a small bottle of sand from the Normandy beach—just to give to John as a token of appreciation for his service. Those are the kind of thoughtful people you’ll meet in Waterville!

So, the next time you feel adven-turesome, drive to Waterville. Tell John O’Leary that OUR STORY sent you, and do take the time to listen to his remarkable stories—you’ll be fascinated just like I was!

On each episode of The Cocklebur Morning Show, history buff, Bobby Ray, shares with viewers the interesting discover-ies he’s made over the weekend when traveling throughout OUR STORY Country. That Bobby Ray is always on the go! He sure does have the knack for finding incredible stories, like the one below!

To watch any video broadcasts of Bobby Ray’s Weekend Adventures, go to www.ourstorymn.com.

*Exclusively in Waterville*

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105 West 1st Street • Fairmont, MNtel: 507.236.1977

~Your gently used & fabulous~

clothing • pursesshoes • jewelry

Owned by

The Women

of Sweet

Swine!

Shop!Consign!Enjoy!

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very summer the town of Wabasso manages to magically “pull a rabbit out of the big-event hat” when

the Lions Club hosts the hugely popular “All-Fest.”

Actually, “Wabasso” is an Indian word that means “White Rabbits.” Maybe the Native Americans of that area long ago knew that there was, indeed, magic in the beautiful land that is home to Wabasso!

Today’s Wabasso residents are proud of their heritage and location in “The Heart of Redwood County,” and that pride is exhibited by all of the 650 townspeople during All-Fest. The fun-filled celebration includes live music, dancing, softball and base-ball tournaments, threshing bees, carnival rides and much, much more.

Whether you’re a kid or an adult with a kid’s heart, you’ll revel in all the excitement this festival offers at the Community Center Grounds next to City Hall.

OUR STORY sends out Almost Breaking News reporter, Ronny P. Silage, to cover live events. But our dear Ronny always seems to show up for a live event on the wrong day, when it isn’t so “live” anymore. Oh, that Ronny! We love him anyway! Still, he never fails to find a great story, like the one he reported on below.

For more information visit Wabasso’s website atwww.wabasso.org.

ou are now departing the world of Sweet Swine County where fantasy and reality collide on The Road to OUR STORY—

Small-town living at its best!

“Remember it’s not just the past but the presentthat becomes OUR STORY!”

THE COCKLEBUR MORNING SHOW

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Transcript of THE COCKLEBUR MORNING SHOW