GaryOsberg.com

This is a reprint of a posting on the Local Current Blog by reporter Lydia Moran.   I have booked a room at Thumper Pond for myself for Saturday night February 9^th.   I hope to see you there.

“Imagine bundling up and feeling the heat of a bonfire, with homegrown Minnesota sounds wafting through the air and the soft crunch of snow under your tapping foot.

Last year Minnesotans were able to have this experience in the heart of Minneapolis at Super Bowl Live, but there’s also a festival experience in a more rural setting — and unlike Super Bowl Live, it’s coming back this year.

It’s thanks to the people of Otter Tail County, located about 200 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, where local residents have chosen to forgo hibernation in early February. For the second year running, the community-driven festival, OTC-On Ice, features Minnesota artists and takes place entirely on a frozen lake.

“This isn’t a rock festival or a country festival or a bluegrass festival, it is a music festival,” wrote Erik Osberg, the event’s coordinator, in an e-mail. “We wanted to get bands that have Minnesota roots or ties, regardless of genre.”

These bands include some well-known Minnesotan names such as Pert Near Sandstone and the 4onthefloor, in addition to some up-and-coming acts like Aaron Simmons and Cindy Jo & Dirt Road Dixie. The festival takes place on ice, so naturally, curling, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and even dogsled demos are on the docket.

Orchestrated by Otter Tail Lakes Country Association, the event is part of an ongoing effort to draw visitors to the area and “fill a void in the off-season,” wrote Osberg. “We are plenty busy up here during the summer, but it can be quiet during the winter months.”

Otter Tail County joins other small Minnesotan towns that are finding creative ways to promote the appeal of a rural lifestyle. The festival runs Feb. 8-9, 2019. Tickets and information are available here, and profits go to the area’s other promotional efforts.”

Live from Here is another re-broadcast of an old show.   The new 2019 season starts on January 12^th.   Details at livefromhere.org.  

“Well done is better than well said.”  Benjamin Franklin

Category : General

Comments Off on January 4, 2019

2018 is coming to a close.  “Father Time” is a theme for many political cartoonists next week.  In 1966, my mother’s mother, Grandma Laura,  gave me three old pocket watches.  One had belonged to her father, Fredrick Anderson.  It is a Waltham watch, silver with a gold stag inlayed on the back.  The note that she gave me read 1890.  Another watch is a key wind.  It appears to be the oldest of the three.  It also is silver with a picture of a dog engraved on the back.  It belonged to her first husband’s father, Meinert Larson.  The note 1890 is also written on the document.  The third watch was a gold watch that had belonged to her second husband, Ingebret Ramlo.  I was very honored that she had entrusted these heirlooms to me. 

I purchased a fourth watch and had the four mounted in an antique frame that hung on the living room wall in our first apartment on Lyndale Avenue in Richfield.  We had a lower level apartment, since that was the cheapest rent.   One Sunday evening we came back from a weekend in Upsala to discover that someone had broken into our apartment and stolen some items, including the watch collection.  I was sick.  The culprits were caught, and all of the goods were recovered except the watches.  On the drive home from work one night I spotted the same boys searching for something in a ditch along Lyndale Avenue. These boys came from good homes and they hired a good lawyer.  I attended the trial and was disgusted to hear them get off with the charge of “lurking and lying in wait”.  I was told after the trial that if I were to make a trip to downtown Minneapolis, to the lawyers office, that I might find a bag on the lawyers desk with “items of interest”.   I played along and I did get the watches back without the antique picture frame. 

While doing my annual house cleaning, I brought out the watches.  I located the key and wound up the watch that belonged to Great Grandpa Meinert and laid it on my dresser top.  As of this morning it is keeping perfect time.  A watch made by the American Watch Company in Waltham, MA,  still going strong after 128 years.

The Live from Here show is a rebroadcast of an earlier show.  Sorry, but no news was available at live from here dot org.

“It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.”  Lloyd Perry

Category : General

Comments Off on December 28, 2018

Four days until Christmas. I have all of my shopping done and now I simply have to pace myself on the cookies and candy.

Children love Christmas, as well they should. As with most families, some years, Christmas gifts were easy to come by and some years the budget would not allow for much. The Christmas of 1956 was a memorable one for me. My mother had to move from our home in St. Louis Park due to Dad’s inability to handle alcohol. Her mother, Grandma Laura Ramlo, drove her 1952 Chevy from Upsala to St. Louis Park, put Dad in the back seat and drove him to the VA Hospital in south Minneapolis. She told them, “He is a veteran, he is a drunk and he is now your problem, not mine”.  She took us all back to Upsala to live above Ramlo Grocery in Upsala. I am not sure what the reason was for our ending up living in an apartment in Little Falls in December. It had something to do with getting financial aid.

That Christmas, Santa brought us six big Tonka Toy 18 wheel trucks. There was a cattle truck, an oil tanker, a freight truck and three more. This was a perfect gift for a family with five boys. I am not sure what my sister Kathie got that year. For many years I had the impression that they were from some sort of social agency that served the poor. It turned out that “Santa” was Dewey Johnson, a classmate of my mother’s from the Upsala High School class of ’37. Dewey’s friend was one of the founders of Tonka Toys. Dewey had already passed on before I learned the “rest of the story”, so I never did have a chance to thank him. Perhaps you know of a family that has come upon hard times and they could use a “Secret Santa”.

The Live from Here show tomorrow will be live from the Town Hall in New York City.  Special guests will include Rosanne Cash, The Knights, Jim Breuer and Gary Moreno.  If you miss it on Saturday you can listen to the re-broadcast on Sunday at 11am on all 31 of the MPR News stations. 

“Needs that everybody can answer: maybe a word of forgiveness and understanding to be said, a surprising word of hope when nothing was expected, a gesture of crazy generosity to be made, a new courage to take an unpopular stand.” Anonymous

Category : General

Comments Off on December 21, 2018

Seventy seven years ago, on this date, Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor.  That Sunday morning some soldiers at Pearl Harbor detected a large number of planes heading their way.  The word came down that they must be American B-17s on their way to base, so no alarm went out. At 7:48 am, Japanese planes began dropping bombs and dive-bombers strafed the base.  Most of the damage occurred in the first 30 minutes.  The U.S.S. Oklahoma capsized and the California, Nevada and West Virginia sank in shallow water. The U.S.S Arizona was completely destroyed, killing more than 1,500 sailors.

There were ultimately 2,390 Americans killed at Pearl Harbor and 1,178 were wounded.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan the next day. 

Live From Here this week is another live show from Town Hall in New York City.  Special guests include Maggie Rogers, Vulpeck and Chris Gethard.  You can watch live on YouTube or tune in on your radio or smart phone. 

Tomorrow, the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with The St. John’s Boys Choir, will host this year’s Holiday Fantasy Concert.  The Children’s Holiday Fantasy concert is at 10 am in Ritsche Auditorium at St. Cloud State University.  The St. Cloud Holiday Fantasy concert starts at 3 pm at the same venue.  I hope to see you there.

“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.”  Franklin D. Roosevelt 1882-1945

Category : General

Comments Off on December 7, 2018

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on this day in 1835. He is better known by his pen name Mark Twain. His family moved to Hannibal, Missouri when he was 4 years old. When he was 16 he began working as a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal. In 1867, he published his first book, a book of short stories called The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Two years later he published The Innocents Abroad, a humorous book of travel writing. It was an immediate best-seller. Mark Twain is best known for his books Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

I visited his home and museum in Hartford, Connecticut in June of 2012. He was famous for entertaining and the home was often filled with admirers. He lost his only son at 19 months and two of his three daughters died before he died on April 21, 1910. He invested in an automatic typesetter, the Paige Compositor and he was forced to file bankruptcy. In 1905 he held a huge party at Delmonico’s restaurant in New York City to celebrate his 70th birthday. He had a tough life, but he lived it fully.

Live From Here this week is a live show from New York City.  Special guests include Cat Power, Jacob Collier and Matteo Lane.  You will be able to watch the show live on YouTube if you choose.  Otherwise, tune in on radio or your smart phone at 5pm CST on Saturday and 11am CST on Sunday on your favorite MPR News station. 

“The secret to long life is to only smoke when awake and avoid exercise at all costs.” Mark Twain. (1835-1910)

Category : General

Comments Off on November 30, 2018

Years ago I met a woman whose father was a doctor in Cold Spring.  His brother was also a doctor and they would take turns covering for each other during vacations.  One year the brother and his family drove to California in their “woody” station wagon.  At the end of the first week the doctor received a telegram from his brother in California telling him how great a time they were having and asking him to wire some money.  The next week another request for more money arrived. This time, the doctor sent a telegram back to his brother telling him that there would be no more money and that it was time for him to come home.

Some time went by and one day the railroad station manager called the doctor and told him that he should come to the depot.  There was a C.O.D. for him.  The doctor argued that he had not ordered anything C.O.D.  The station manager told him to get down there, that there was no doubt that the package was for him. When the doctor got to the train depot, he discovered that his vacationing brother had loaded the “woody” onto a railroad flat car and shipped himself and his family home C.O.D.

Live From Here this week is another re-broadcast.  The second act of the new season starts December 1^st from New York City.

“We judge others by their actions and we judge ourselves by our intentions.”  GMO

Category : General

Comments Off on November 16, 2018

Sunday is Veterans Day. Building a monument to honor our veterans requires dedication, commitment and a team to get the job done. It takes an artist willing to spend the time researching, designing and creating the paintings. It takes a committed group of individuals to share the dream and raise the money. And most importantly, it takes donors like yourself to make it come true!

The Veterans Art Monument was commissioned by the Minnesota State Veterans Memorial Association and consists of five 8’ X 10’ oil paintings; each paying tribute to the men and women of the five branches of the U.S. Military: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Four completed paintings (Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps) are installed in the Committal Hall at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls. The Air Force painting is in progress and the artist, Charles Kapsner, plans to complete it by September 11, 2019. The paintings tell the story of each branch of service, commemorating the sacrifices of all who have served. Besides being a memorial to our nation’s military men and women, the paintings are educational tools which will help citizens and future generations to understand the vital role that the U.S. Military plays in maintaining our freedom and democracy.

Millions of men and women have served. Many were wounded in battle. Many died to keep us free. The least that we can do is to remember them. You can help by going to www.vetsart.org and donating any amount to help finish this unique monument.  The artist, Charles Kapsner, will be at the Committal Hall on Monday from 1pm until 4pm.  

Tomorrow night I will be working the table at Ritsche Auditorium on the campus of St. Cloud State University. The St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra is performing “Coming Home” a tribute to the Armistice Day 100th Anniversary.  The concert begins a 7:30. A pre-concert discussion with the conductor Brian Dowdy is scheduled for 6:30.  I hope to see you there.

Live From Here is another re-broadcast.  Tune in Saturday at 5pm CST on your radio or your smart phone.

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”  Henry James (1811-1882)

Category : General

Comments Off on November 9, 2018

In January of 1971 I went to my city council meeting in Coon Rapids to complain about snowmobiles running up and down the streets in my neighborhood. I came home and told Marcia that I was sure that I could do better than those who were representing us. I had met Pat Cleath at a caucus meeting, so I called him and told him that I had the five dollar filing fee, but that was it. They would have to raise the rest. My next door neighbor, Mary Jo Hecht, was a co-chair along with a local doctor, Dr. Moriarity who helped mostly with his contacts in the community. I was 27 years old. 

The incumbent was going for his third three year term of office. He was a vice president with a large insurance firm and what seemed to cost him the election was his decision to publish a legal size flyer that listed all of his many qualifications on one side and my very short list of qualifications on the opposite side.  Stuff like “Attended St. Cloud State University”. The voting public thought that this was just not “Minnesota Nice.” When he and his wife came to my door on election night to congratulate me, I stood in the doorway hiding my bottle of beer behind my back. I am not sure why I was embarrassed.

I represented Ward 3 from 1972 until 1974. It was fun to participate in the process but I never even considered running for re-election. It was hard work. Every five years, four of us that served in 1974 get together to share stories.  Ironically, we all ended up working for non-profit organizations.

Tuesday is election day.  Be sure to get out and vote.   The Live From Here show this week is a rebroadcast.  I was not able to find out the details.

Tomorrow night I will be working the table at The Paramount Theatre in downtown St. Cloud.  The Chamber Music Society of St. Cloud will perform with Tapestry Vocal Ensemble honoring the 100^th anniversary of Armistice Day. I hope to see you there.

“Always vote for a principal, though you vote alone, and you may cherish the sweet reflection that your vote is never lost.”  John Quincy Adams

Category : General

Comments Off on November 2, 2018

Wednesday night is Halloween, the night before All Hallows Day. According to Wikipedia, though the origin of the word Halloween is Christian, the holiday is commonly thought to have pagan roots. Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while “some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain”, which comes from the Old Irish for “summers end”. Samhain was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar.

Samhain was seen as a time when the ‘door’ to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings such as fairies, to come into our world. Guising – children going from door to door for food or coins is a traditional Halloween custom and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895. The practice of Guising at Halloween in North America is first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children “guising” around the neighborhood. I am not sure that there are any outhouses left to tip in central Minnesota.

Live From Here this week is another live show from Lincoln.  Special guests include Jeff Tweedy, Diana Gordon, Todd Barry and Madison Cunningham.  Enjoy the show.

Tomorrow night I will be working the table at Escher Auditorium on the campus of the College of Saint Benedict.  Ronald K. Brown & Evidence will be performing at 7:30.  They are a dance company that seamlessly blends contemporary and African dance styles.  I have a pair of tickets that can be yours if you respond to this email.  I will leave them for you at the will call desk.

“It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul”.  From the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley

Category : General

Comments Off on October 26, 2018

MEA weekend is a special time of the year. Many a father/son(daughter) combo head for the woods or ponds to bring home the “bacon” in the form of grouse or duck. Larry, a friend of mine who died way too young, knew that I had never taken up hunting, but he wanted my son and myself to experience a weekend of grouse hunting, up north at “the shack”. He invited our friend Ron and his son Matt, my son’s best friend, to join him and his son Danny. So there were three dads and three sons along with a black lab, “Bear”. We formed two teams and I was the “bird dog” on the dads team. Bear went with the boys.

The first day we brought back 17 grouse and Larry fixed a meal of grouse with wild rice and cream of mushroom soup in the giant iron skillet that hung from a nail in “the shack”. It was one of the most memorable feasts of my life. I trust that you are doing something special with your family this weekend. If you want to see examples of other hunting experiences go to theoutdoorreport.com

“Live From Here” this week is a live show from The Fitzgerald Theatre in downtown St. Paul.  Chris Thile will introduce you to “The War and Treaty”, a couple of very talented singers.  Check out their video online.  Other guests include, singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane, comedian Negin Farsad and Aoife O’Donovan is back to join Chris in a couple of duets.  Enjoy the show on your radio or you can watch it live by streaming on your smart phone or smart TV.  Follow the directions on livefromhere.org

“Do all you can, with what you have, in the time that you have, in the place where you are”. Okasi Johnson, 14 old aids patient in South Africa.

Category : General

Comments Off on October 19, 2018