In 2015, my husband Brian and I quit our jobs, sold our house, and left our life in Seattle, Washington, in search of a new home. We’d spent years trapped in a never-ending cycle of long commutes, longer hours, and seemingly shorter weekends to afford our life in this beautiful part of the world and … [ Read more]
Beyond Polka: Championing the accordion at Mahler Music
A 20-something man lugs a battered accordion case through the screen door at Mahler Music. As he pulls the instrument out of the box, Ken Mahler is already speaking. “This is a 1930s accordion. Probably 1938 or ’39,” he says, pointing to the engraving and inlay. He tinkers with the strap, points out broken buttons, and … [ Read more]
A taste of Minnesota’s coffee scene for National Coffee Day
Coffee in Minnesota has come a long way from your grandma’s percolator. Like craft beer and the slow food movement, Minnesotans are embracing coffee in all its forms. Lucky for us, we’ve got a bevy of new and seasoned purveyors to supply us with all the caffeinated beverages we can drink. Not to be outdone … [ Read more]
Growing Strange and Beautiful: The Sheridan Community Garden
The lot at the corner of NE 15th Avenue and 3rd Street NE in the Sheridan neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis used to be overgrown and forgotten. Today, it is lush and blooming with zinnias and marigolds, a grape arbor, fruit trees and rows and rows of vegetables. The Sheridan Neighborhood Organization (SNO) Community Garden is in … [ Read more]
Back on the Farm: Cultivating the next crop of farmers
Jim Weninger has been an Agriculture Education instructor and Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School, located 45 miles west of Minneapolis, for 34 years. Back when he started, many FFA students were “farm kids”—children whose families derived their income from production farming. That is no longer the case. Today, only … [ Read more]