July 27th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Last Sunday, Quiet Oaks Hospice House celebrated their 7th annual Butterfly Release Memorial. This event began in 2012 with just 100 butterflies being released in remembrance of loved ones at the pavilion by Lake George in conjunction with SummerTime by George.
The butterflies are purchased from Butterfly Memories out of Isanti, MN. Raising strong, healthy monarchs is quite an art and must be well timed. Rebecca with Butterfly Memories shared that her parents helped the morning of the event to capture and insert the butterflies into the envelopes. The temperature they are maintained at is what allows them to do this without damaging their fragile wings and legs.
In 2014 Quiet Oaks partnered with the Music in the Garden Concert Series, the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and Munsinger Clemens Gardens Botanical Society to create this beautiful event to remember and celebrate the wonderful joy and treasure of loved one’s legacy and life. It has been held there ever since. This year 350 butterflies were released. I watched as one woman waited patiently for her butterfly to wake up and fly away. The smile on her face when it lifted off was awesome. 1,100 of us showed up to share in the experience and most stayed to enjoy the awesome music of Harpers Chord. To get on the mailing list for future events, simply Google Quiet Oaks Hospice House.
This week Live From Here is a rewind to March and a show performed at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. There will be music from Caitlyn Smith and Väsen, and comedy from Mary Lynn Rajskub. Plus: Madison Cunningham joins Chris Thile and the band for the Song of the Week, “Cure-All,” and sings Jeff Buckley’s “Dream Brother”; Tom Papa mingles with tourists and employees at Walt Disney World; and the radio acting company deals with a surprisingly aggressive crow.
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” T.S. Eliot
July 23rd, 2018 by Gary Osberg
The Rhubarb Pie with ice cream is back at Fisher’s Club, a seasonal restaurant next to a city owned swimming beach on the north shore of Middle Spunk Lake in Avon.
George “Showboat” Fisher was a major league baseball player from 1922 until 1932. He played for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was 33 years old when he opened Fisher’s Club. The dance floor was added in 1937 and they started serving their legendary Fisher’s Famous Walleye. The secret recipe is still used today. The main dining room was added in 1953 and the porch in 1954. When George Junior came home from a construction job in Greenland to work with his dad at the Club, ‘Showboat’ told his son, “Stick around to help me here at The Club or I’m going to sell it.” Junior and his wife Sally took over in 1959. It used to be a bottle club. The lockers that the regulars used to store their bottles are still on the wall with their names on them. The new owners, Cory and Jacob Voss, have a full service bar. Jacob graduated from Upsala High School in 2011. The new schedule is to be open from Wednesday until Sunday starting at 4pm. They also serve Sunday Brunch until noon. Be sure to call for reservations, 320-356-7372.
This week, “Live From Here” is a February rebroadcast from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul with music from Dr. Dog and Ibeyi, plus comedian Dan Naturman. Madison Cunningham joins Chris Thile for the Song of the Week, “The Olympic Athletes from Russia,” and sings her own “Location.” The gang will also field an Instant Song Request for The Beatles’ “Come Together”; take a mid-winter trip to Chicago with Out. In. America. correspondent Tom Papa; and get a word on the “Breathy Acoustic Covers of Hair Metal Songs” collection from the radio acting company. Tune in Saturday at 5 pm central on your radio or smart device.
“What every child wants to know is: `Do your eyes light up when I enter the room? Did you hear me and did what I say mean anything to you?’ That is what they are looking for.” Toni Morrison
July 13th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Today is Friday the 13th. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, reported that an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business on this day. “It’s been estimated that $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day..” Source: John Roach.
According to Wikipedia, the actual origin of the superstition appears to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week.
For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.” source: Charles Panati, Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.
This week Live From Here is a look back to the January broadcast from the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas with Shovels and Rope, Snarky Puppy, and Pete Holmes. Plus: Chris Eldridge and the band play “Bone Collector”; Tom Papa makes an unfortunate snack error while visiting Raleigh, North Carolina; and we experience the horror of The Lobby with the acting company.
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Frederick Douglass
July 6th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
What a gorgeous day! The H2O golf tournament was a hit. There was a little bit of rain, but nothing that we could not put up with. This wonderful family tradition was started in 1985 by brother Bill and his wife Zena. My team, “Ming”, came in second with one under par. Cousin Kevin and his friend Dave along with the Commissioner Emeritus, brother Bill, joined me in the effort. First place went to my youngest brother Craig and son Grayson along with his daughter Logan along with her boyfriend Chris. They shot a 2 under. Chris has played a bit of golf in his young life for sure. He got closest to the pin on hole number 3.
Walleye Willie got up at 4 am that same day to go with his dad and a guide to a lake in Otter Tail County. He caught two bluegill that were almost 11 inches. (Photo attached) If you want the YouTube link for a video, just ask. Or, you can go to www.theoutdoorreport.com . Someday Willie is going to have his own fishing show. “Find your own inner Otter”
This week Live From Here will kick off their summer break with a rebroadcast from back in January when they visited the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. Guests include John Prine, Sylvan Esso, Rory Scovel, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Plus: Gaby Moreno sings “Daydream By Design,” Tom Papa chats with some Crescent City locals, and the acting company checks in on the Stoic Fisherman’s Podcast.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment.” Buddha
June 29th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
The forecast for the weekend is hot and steamy. Here in Minnesota we are very lucky to have the occasional cool breezes from the north. I sure hope that you will have a safe and fun Fourth of July week. The Joetown Rocks Parish Festival fireworks will be in my front yard once again, Tuesday night at 10:15. This is behind city hall and the old Kennedy School on College Avenue.
Tomorrow afternoon the Osberg and Hagstrom clan will tee off at the Little Falls Country Club. Afterwards we will gather at brother Bill’s house for a summer picnic. We have been celebrating this family event for almost 35 years. One of my fondest memories is the year that we had Duke Hagstrom and Bill Osberg hit the first tee shot. They were both in their 80’s. They both connected. At the 25th anniversary we had Dad’s original golf bag with a few of the clubs still intact. My cousin Kevin Hagstrom and I won a lot in the early years, so we named our foursome “Ming”. Not so much lately. Maybe this will be our year. As the old man sang in “Fiddler on the Roof”, “tradition”.
This week Live From Here will conclude the season with a live broadcast from Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts; guests Lake Street Dive, Punch Brothers, and comedian Gary Gulman; along with the band — Aoife O’Donovan, Richard Dworsky, Alan Hampton, Alex Hargreaves, Julian Lage, and Ted Poor. Tune in for this season’s final Song of the Week from Chris Thile; comedy from the acting company, Serena Brook, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman. There will be one more look at what’s happening this summer with “Out. In. America” with Tom Papa; and your last chance for a few months to influence live radio with an Instant Song Request. Listen on your local public radio station, smart device or watch live (5:45pm to 8pm Eastern Time) at www.livefromhere.org or over on YouTube.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
June 29th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Last Saturday was the 35th annual Camp Confidence Classic Fishing Tournament on Gull Lake. It is a fundraiser for the camp. Professional fishing guides donate their time, boat and bait. Each guide takes two guests who have paid for the privilege to participate. Erik signed up as a guide in 2015. That year his crew placed 4th in the Northern category. In 2016 Erik was working on The Outdoor Report TV show so he invited myself and Walleye Willie to fish with him while camera man Wes Gall shot video footage. “Team Osberg” placed third in the “Mixed Bag” category. Last year Erik, Willie and I brought in 3 large mouth bass but we did not place in the top three.
This year “Team Osberg” brought in 3 Northern Pike and the total weight of the three fish was 12 lbs 9 oz. The first pike that Willie reeled in had swallowed the hook, so in the process of removing the hook, the fish coughed up a craw fish and a small perch. Had that Northern kept his or her lunch down we may have placed second, not third, since second place was only 12 lbs 10 oz. Walleye Willie reeled in 2 of the 3 fish and he netted the third one. Papa Gary did the cheering. To learn more about the camp and to participate in next year’s event, go to www.campconfidence.com
This week, Live From Here is live from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival with St. Paul & the Broken Bones, I’m With Her, Punch Brothers, and comedian Kirk Fox for the penultimate show of the season. Also, Rich Dworsky and Ted Poor will be teaming up with Chris Thile and his fellow Punch Brothers for even more music; along with high-altitude hijinks from radio actors, Serena Brook, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman. Plus: Tom Papa talks with the people, “Out. In. America”. Chris will celebrate this week’s musician birthdays; and you’ll have another chance to make your online voice heard with the Instant Song Request. It’s two hours of live entertainment beaming straight to your radio from 8,750 feet up in the San Juan Mountains. Tune in on your radio or your smart device.
“A man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy and nothing can stop him.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn
June 15th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Sunday is Father’s Day. In 1998 Dad moved from his high rise apartment in downtown St. Paul to my house in Upsala. He had been a city fellow for most of his life, but he was raised in Upsala. I was working in Minneapolis as a sales manager with a Xerox agency and I was gone most of the week. It wasn’t much of an inconvenience to have him there. His passion was cooking, however I told him in no uncertain terms that I hated the smell of fried foods and I did not eat leftovers.
In July of 1999 the Xerox agency and Xerox parted their ways and they no longer needed a sales manager. I spent the summer painting old buildings and garages in the Upsala area and started working here at MPR in October of that year. If I did not leave a post-it note on the counter in the morning that said “NO SUPPER”, there would be a home cooked meal on the table when I arrived home. The food was awesome. The baked potatoes were done in a special way. He boiled them 10 minutes first and then baked them for one hour at 400 degrees. As Dad struggled with old age and cancer, sometimes the quality was not up to the usual standards. Also, many times the smell of burnt food or worse, burnt plastic, from the tea pot handle, would greet me at the back door. He burned three tea pots, with plastic handles, in the last six months. It got so that the only time I did not leave out the post-it note, “NO SUPPER”, was on Fridays. On November 18, 2004, I came home and he greeted me with “I have to go to the hospital, but you can eat first” I responded “No way” and I put on the oven mitts and grabbed the baked potatoes and dish of meatballs from the oven and shoved them in the frig and we drove to the VA in Minneapolis.
That was Dad’s “Last supper”, he never did come home. That weekend I ate the leftover meatball supper. It was a very tasty meal.
Tomorrow Erik and Walleye Willie will treat this Dad to another fishing tournament for Camp Confidence on Gull Lake. Two years ago we placed third in the “Mixed Bag” category. I will deliver a full report next Friday.
This week Live From Here is heading west for a live broadcast from the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery just outside of Seattle with guests Ben Folds, Wye Oak, and comedian Dave Hill. Joining Chris is the band: Gaby Moreno, Rich Dworsky, Alan Hampton, Alex Hargreaves, Julian Lage, and Ted Poor. There will also be Chris Thile’s latest Song of the Week; scripts from the radio acting company, Serena Brook, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman; a new edition of musician birthdays; your chance to rise to internet fame with the Instant Song Request; and thoughts from Out. In. America. courtesy of Tom Papa. Tune in for all that and more on your local public radio station.
“To be courageous requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula. It’s an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all and each person must look for that courage in their own soul. ” John F. Kennedy
June 15th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
This weekend I am going fishing with my four brothers, my son Erik and my grandson “Walleye Willie” plus brother Craig’s son Grayson. A total of 8 Osberg men from ages 9 to 74. Sometime in the nineties, my youngest brother Craig was invited by his father-in-law, Jim Keeler, to go along on a fly-in fishing trip to Trout Lake in Canada. Over time, my other brothers, who were into fishing, were invited to go along. In 2003 brother Bill offered to pay the way for my son Erik, so I decided to go fishing too. I have never been much of a fisherman, but I always enjoyed fishing with my son Erik on Cedar Lake near Upsala.
I am the oldest of five Osberg brothers and it was a wonderful bonding time. I told the host, Murdoch, that I would be back every year for the next 20 years. The next year we went to brother Brian’s cabin near Aitkin instead. The year after that is was on to Rainy Lake. Erik was working as a weekend sportscaster on Channel 10/13 in Duluth and he did a story on fishing with the guide and resort owner Woody for his TV show. He suggested that we try Woody’s instead of the fly-in in 2005. We had a great time and the greatest part is that Woody had a wonderful pub filled with memorabilia from his hockey days. For many years we went back to Woody’s. We never did do the fly-in again. You can check out Woody’s at www.fairlyreliable.com It is worth the drive just to meet Woody. In 2011 we switched to Brindley’s Resort on Leach Lake. A large home across the road from the marina worked well for the whole gang, but fishing was tough.
Last year we decided to try Holly’s Resort on Otter Tail Lake. Erik is an ambassador for Otter Tail County and we reasoned that we would have a better chance to find the elusive walleye. We had a great time. One of the cabins is right on the lake. Brother Bill is the chief cook and bottle washer, so we put him in that cabin along with brother Geoff from Chicago. Next Friday I will give you a complete report.
This week, Live From Here is back live from Ravinia, just outside Chicago, with Parker Millsap, The Secret Sisters, Hawktail, and Tom Papa. In the band this week: Gaby Moreno, Rich Dworsky, Brittany Haas, Matt Johnson, Paul Kowert, and Julian Lage. Plus: a brand-new Song of the Week from our host, Mr. Chris Thile; the radio acting company, Tim Russell, Serena Brook, and Fred Newman; a fresh selection of musician birthdays; and — get your Twitter thumbs ready — another edition of our online Instant Song Request. It’s almost more entertainment than can comfortably fit into two hours, but we’ll do our very best: tune in on your local public radio station.
“It is not about having time, it’s about making time.” Erik Osberg
June 1st, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Wednesday is the 74th anniversary of “D Day”. If you have seen the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, you have some idea of how bad it was. It is hard to imagine that anyone who lived through that experience would ever be the same. The many years of living with those memories are hard to imagine. Aymer Nelson, a farm boy from Upsala, was there. Aymer was also at The Battle of the Bulge, one of the bloodiest of the war. I asked him if he had been wounded and he told me that a 88 mil shell landed next to him, but it was a dud. He lived to the ripe old age of 104. He was truly part of “The Greatest Generation”.
It is also the 29th anniversary of the day that my son packed all of his worldly goods into his rust free 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and headed back to Minnesota from Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1988 I had taken a position as General Manager of an office furniture dealership in Charlotte and it turned out to be a not so fun experience for my family. Erik had worked many late evenings with an office cleaning service to save the $1,000 needed to purchase the vintage Olds. School was out at 2:30 in the afternoon and he headed north at 5 PM. The battery was weak so I told him to not shut the engine off if he expected to start it up soon after the stop.
Early the next morning he ran over a dead deer and when he was pulling the carcass out from under the car he heard a knock in the engine. He made it to the Big Foot Gas Station in Shelbyville, Indiana and called me at 6 AM. He ended up finding a backyard mechanic who changed the timing gear for $400. It was the one and only time I have had to use Western Union to wire money. The mechanic fed him supper and allowed him to sleep on the couch. If I remember correctly he went fishing with the mechanics son. They fed him breakfast the next morning and sent him on his way to Chicago to have lunch with my brother Geoff and his wife Susan. Quite the experience.
Live From Here this week is one last rebroadcast before the gang closes out the season with four live shows on the road. It is a look back to January when they visited Portland’s Keller Auditorium with Tune-Yards, Willie Watson, The Fairfield Four, and The Lucas Brothers. Plus: Chris Thile celebrates the City of Roses, Madison Cunningham sings “Beauty Into Clichés,” and there is a look at the perils of reincarnation. Join Chris and the gang on the radio this weekend, and they will be back live on June 9th from Ravinia, with guests Parker Millsap, Hawktail, Tom Papa, and Gaby Moreno.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
May 25th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
When I was a youngster in Upsala, we always had a Memorial Day service in the school gym, followed by a parade down Main Street. Sometime after I graduated in 1961, the practice died out. Then in the 1980’s, Lorna Koehn, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary brought back the Memorial Day Celebration in Upsala. I can still picture her marching in front of a group of children, each holding a bunch of lilac flowers. The parade ends at the City Park, where the children still wait in anticipation for the chance to collect the spent brass shells after the 21 gun salute. They make good whistles. After that, the `Upsala First Responders’ serves a picnic lunch including “Bee Bop A Ree Bop Rhubarb Pie”. Be sure to take the time to honor those that you know who have served. If you meet a service member, simply put our your hand and say “Thank you for serving”. They deserve our respect.
The dedication of Veterans Art Monument Marine Corps painting will take place tomorrow at 2:30 at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls. A press release is attached. You can help to raise funds for the Veterans Educational Historic Monument art project by going to www.vetsart.org. The Army, Navy and Coast Guard paintings are already hanging in the Committal Hall of the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls. Funds are needed to complete the Air Force painting. The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery Memorial Day service will be Sunday starting with The Richfield Symphonic Band at 1:30 pm followed by the program at 2 pm.
This week Live From Here is taking things outdoors for Memorial Day weekend with a live broadcast from Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, just outside of Washington D.C. Chris will be joined by Kacey Musgraves, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, and comedian Sheng Wang. The band: Sarah Jarosz, Rich Dworsky, Josh Dion, Chris Eldridge, Brittany Haas, and Alan Hampton. Tune in for Chris Thile’s Song of the Week; scripts and sound effects from radio actors, Serena Brook, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman; and an all-new round of musicians’ birthdays. We’ll also field your Instant Song Requests and hear from Tom Papa, who’s been Out In America. Throw open the windows, fire up your preferred listening device, and join in celebration of Memorial Day.
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” Harry S. Truman
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