September 27, 2019
Fall is here and there is a forecast for frost tonight. The Millstream Art Festival will be held Sunday in vibrant downtown St. Joseph. The event runs from 11am until 5pm. There will be 55 artists and 8 authors displaying and selling their works. There will be live music and a wide variety of food available for purchase. I hope to see you there.
I have to leave early to drive up to Breezy Point for our fall sales retreat. One of the cabins that is available is the 11 bedroom Fawcett House. It was Breezy Point Resort’s founder Captain Billy’s personal residence. My mother, Bernice “Bee” Larson was a nanny for the grandchildren of Captain Billy Fawcett in the 1930s. She had a bedroom in the Fawcett House and spent the winters in Los Angeles with Captain Billy’s son Gordon Fawcett, his wife Vivian and their two children, Gordon Jr. and Dennis.
Wilford Fawcett, better known as Captain Billy, was a millionaire publisher from Robbinsdale, Minnesota. His most famous publication was the Capt. Billy’s Whiz Bang magazine. The book “Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals” noted that “Few periodicals reflect the post-WW I cultural change in American life as well as Capt. Billy’s Whiz Bang. For much of the 1920’s Capt. Billy’s was the most prominent comic magazine in America.”
Captain Billy purchased Breezy Point in Pelican Township, from Fred LaPage in 1920 and soon the main lodge was built along with his personal residence. The original lodge was destroyed in a fire in June of 1959. Of course he rebuilt the lodge and the “Fawcett House” still stands. With 11 bedrooms it is perfect for large family reunions. It was recently renovated. For details on rates and golf packages, go to breezypointresort.com
Live from Here this week is a live show from Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include Dawes, Jamila Woods, Becca Stevens, John Cameron Mitchell, Ann Patchett and comedian Tom Papa. By the way, Tom Papa will be appearing live from the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown St. Cloud, Friday October 11th. I will be working a table in the lobby. I hope to see you there.
“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we know what to do with it. Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” Emerson