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Good morning from Collegeville,

 Cold!  Not much snow, but the old bank thermometer showed 10 degrees in Monticello this morning.  It is hard to believe that Christmas is less than three weeks away.  We always purchase a live tree from Ace Hardware in Monticello the day after Thanksgiving and it is amazing how much water it soaks up the first few days.  Here at Collegeville, the brothers put up a twenty foot spruce in The Great Hall.  The first day the janitor had a cart with two five gallon pails of water on it.  He looked a little weary as he paused at the bottom of the stairs leading to the landing where the tree is.  This week he is only using one five gallon pail.  If you get a chance, stop by and check out the decorations on the beautiful Christmas tree. 

 The final broadcast of “The Morning Show” is next Thursday, live from the Fitzgerald Theater.  Admission is free and you may come and go as you please.  The Morning Show will be replaced by Classical Music with John Birge.  If you want to hear the kind of music that “The Morning Show” has been playing, you will be able to listen to “The New Dale Connelly Show” on the web at www.mpr.org  

 The APHC show this week is the first of the annual Holiday run from The Town Hall in New York City.  Special guests include legendary cabaret singer, pianist and musical anthropologist Michael Feinstein, Metropolitan Opera Tenor Raul Melo and soulful jazz vocalist Inga Swearingen.  The usual cast of characters will be there also.

 “There are several recognizable types of humorous activity.  There is parody, when you make fun of people who are smarter than you; satire, when you make fun of people who are richer than you; and burlesque, when you make fun of both while taking your clothes off.”  P.J. O’Rourke

 For a special treat go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZCRaI8nI14