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One hundred and three years ago today, a boy-child was born in Pretare, Italy. A village in the Apennine Mountains on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  Anthony Caponi grew to be a giant in the art world.  In his lifetime, Tony created hundreds, maybe thousands of sculptures, many of them from rocks.  He also established the Caponi Art Park and Learning Center in Eagan, Minnesota.  Google the park and you can enjoy videos of Tony and his favorite fans, the children.   www.caponiartpark.org 

Fifty-one years ago today, the “Granite Trio” was dedicated on the mall in downtown St. Cloud.  The Granite Trio was commissioned by the St. Cloud Community Arts Council, which became Visual Arts Minnesota.  The SCCAC was led by the late Arlene Helgeson.  Arlene found out that the mall was going to be redesigned to become a two-way street once again, so the city was planning on moving the Granite Trio.  Arlene told the city that she would chain herself to the rocks in protest.  The rocks stayed where they were and now the street winds around them.

Eighty-one years ago today, another boy-child was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, 25 miles east of Upsala.  In his lifetime he sold Herman Miller office furniture, Xerox copiers and 15 second branding messages to be heard on Minnesota Public Radio.  For nearly twenty-five years now he has been helping folks to “get the word out” about their companies and special events in central and southwestern Minnesota, Sioux Falls and Sun Valley, Idaho.  A picture of these two boys as they appeared in 2013, on the eve of a celebration of the “Granite Trio”, is attached.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?”  from Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” a poem beloved by Arlene Helgeson.