Membership Sideblog
- The Marcus Welby of law, by Lance Heisler | Lampe Law Group
July 31, 2010 | 7:45 pmGrowing up in North Dakota during the 50s and 60s, I was privileged to experience something that's all too rare now - the old-fashioned family doctor. "Doc" delivered babies, set broken bones, treated pneumonia, and helped Grandpa with his newfangled hearing aid. Doc knew the community, the families, and the individuals whose basic medical needs he treated from birth through the end of life. Some of you who grew up in that time, and perhaps in smaller communities, may remember a Doc of your own. . . . → Read More: The Marcus Welby of law, by Lance Heisler | Lampe Law Group
- Kitty Mania at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
July 28, 2010 | 10:51 pm
Let’s talk about cats, cats and more cats! Why?? Because Prairie’s Edge Humane Society is full of cats and we have many more arriving daily. As of today, there are 44 cats on the adoption floor with more awaiting their surgeries so they are ready for adoption. There are cats in every corner of the shelter who need homes! We are in desperate need of homes for these cats. We cannot emphasize this enough. So we are having a cat sale and we are calling it Kitty Mania ! Kitty Mania is this weekend, beginning Thursday, July . . . → Read More: Kitty Mania at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
- On Watermelons and Widgets, by Tom Swift
July 12, 2010 | 11:50 am
The free market does many things well, but we know it does not do everything. Even market fundamentalists concede that the public must build roads, put out fires, police streets, and provide national defense. Most people, at least those to the left of the Tea Party edge of political spectrum, accept that the government must also be involved in education, disaster relief, and health care. That is, certain services must be rendered — necessary services, universal services — whether or not those services are financially profitable. If your house is on fire, you do not have time to . . . → Read More: On Watermelons and Widgets, by Tom Swift
- Vintage Band Festival Contra Dance, by Dan Bergeson
July 12, 2010 | 10:56 am
Okay, so most of the news about the Vintage Band Festival so far has been about the bands. But there’s a number of other events during the weekend. Like the VBF Contra Dance, for instance. The Vintage Band Festival Contra Dance will feature music by The Dodworth Saxhorn Band of Ann Arbor, Michigan and will be led by dance instructor/caller Robin Nelson. Dancing will begin at 8:30 p.m. with a “Grand March” led by 60 costumed members of the 1st Wisconsin Infantry Brigade, followed by a variety of period dances including polkas, contra dances, schottisches, reels and waltzes. . . . → Read More: Vintage Band Festival Contra Dance, by Dan Bergeson
- The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome, by Tom Swift
June 27, 2010 | 8:00 am
Even before I read the first word of this article I had a visceral reaction to it. The accompanying photographs — my eyes tend to skip over photographs in magazines — affected me in a manner that is difficult to articulate. I knew, immediately I knew, I was not going to like what I was about to read. In fact, for that reason I put the piece aside. Not now, I thought. Maybe tomorrow, I said to myself. But, then, I couldn’t not read it, either. If you have not done so already, I hope you will read . . . → Read More: The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome, by Tom Swift
- Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! by Kathy Jasnoch
June 27, 2010 | 7:54 am
June may be Adopt A Cat month here at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society and we have lots of wonderful cats, but we also have PUPPIES! We have a male Newfoundland mix named Chong who is 6 months old, he was a stray so we don’t know a lot about him. He loves to play! We also have three Australian Cattle Dog mixes who are two months old. Marcia, Bobby and Cindy were born at the shelter and spent some time in one of our fabulous foster homes. They are now back at the shelter and ready to find . . . → Read More: Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! by Kathy Jasnoch
- Relay for Life of Rice County, August 6th, Rice County Fairgrounds. By Sandy Vesledahl
June 23, 2010 | 9:35 pm
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay for Life, teams of people camp out at local parks or fairgrounds and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events. Relay for Life of Rice . . . → Read More: Relay for Life of Rice County, August 6th, Rice County Fairgrounds. By Sandy Vesledahl
- Critter Cam live from Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
June 16, 2010 | 9:04 amNow Showing! Live Kittens playing! You can now watch our adoptable animals at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society (PEHS) live 24/7 on the new Critter Cam installed in conjunction with KYMN Radio. Thanks to the fine folks at KYMN radio we now have a live feed of our adoptable animals showing on our website and KYMN’s website, Tim and Jeff are AWESOME! Currently the Critter Cam is featuring kittens available for adoption. Watch them play, sleep, eat, and everything else they do 24 hours a day 7 days a week! It’s better than anything you can see on TV! . . . → Read More: Critter Cam live from Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
- Save the Northfield Depot: fundraising help needed. By Lynn Vincent
June 11, 2010 | 11:34 am
A BIG Thanks to all of you who came to last Monday’s Volunteer Organization Meeting, and to those who contacted us saying you wanted to help but could not make the meeting. We have pretty full support for Communications and Design and Build sub-committees, and we got a web graphic designer to help with the site. Alice Thomas is facilitating the Communications group, and Steve Edwins is facilitating the Design and Build group. What we are missing and really need are Fund Raising people. We have two grant writiers, but we need folks who are committed to the . . . → Read More: Save the Northfield Depot: fundraising help needed. By Lynn Vincent
- Photo albums: 2010 Prairie’s Edge Humane Society Walk for the Animals, by Bridgette Hallcock Photography
June 11, 2010 | 8:09 am
Thank you to all of those who came to Alexander Park on a beautiful Saturday morning in May to help support Prairie’s Edge Humane Society! I have placed all of the fun photographs on my Bridgette Hallcock Photography Facebook page so that everyone can see how much fun we had! See the two 2010 Walk for the Animals albums here and here. If you would like a print, please contact me, as the proceeds will benefit the animals at PEHS.
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Treasure beneath Division Street
By Bonnie Obremski, on July 18, 2008, 1:20 pm
 
Photo: Bonnie Obremski/RepJNorthfield
Weekly mystery object!
Joan Olson, a volunteer archivist at the Northfield Historical Society, is holding an object unearthed from deep within the city’s subterranean vaults. She knows what it is but, do you? Points for both accuracy and creativity. Tune in next Friday for an answer most people might likely never suspect. I might give a mid-week hint. Go!
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but I’d have a hard time during the sabbatical not paying attention to see if that was actually the case. I think the more places in Northfield...
It is a pin from the bowling alley located right next to the ArtOrg printmaking studio in the bottom of the Perman Building at 314 Division Street. The thin wood strips from the bowling alley lanes are still present on the floor in the basement–now a storage area.
Dang. I was going to say a turn-of-the-century bowling pin but I guess Dave beat me to it. Very cool!
I thought the bowling alley was underneath the Northfield News building. I guess I’d better downgrade my NHS membership from ‘family’ to ‘clueless newbie.’
It’s called an Indian Club. Clubs of varying sizes and weights were swung in the hand as part of an exercise routine. They were used primarily around the turn of the last century up until the 1930s when organized sports became more popular as a form of exercise.
The term “Indian Club” comes from the fact that British soldiers in India were impressed by the fitness of native policemen. It turns out they had used this form of exercise for a long time.
Check out these descriptions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_clubs
http://fencer.wordpress.com/2006/08/26/indian-clubs-the-next-fitness-craze/
http://dictionary.reference.com/illus/illustration.html/ahd4/Indian%20club/indian
The top is all wrong for a bowling pin, IMHO. I am thinking Juggling club.
I can’t go into details given the family nature of this site, but, I can tell you that the ridges along the top are there for your enjoyment.
A skittle-now called bowling pin.
I think Skip nailed it. They were used just like kettlebells are used now… and right here in Northfield now at Forza.
http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/2963/
OK, I’m going to have to try harder to stump Northfielders next time. Skip is, indeed, correct.
What Skip might not know is, according to The History of St. Olaf College by Joseph Shaw, the school’s dean considered the clubs inadequate for keeping its female students fit in 1918. Dean Gertrude Hilleboe reported to the Board of Education at the time that “‘the present equipment of apparatus is limited to three dozen each of dumb bells, Indian clubs, wands, jumping ropes and some basketballs.’”
Carleton women, too, had Indian-club exercises as part of their curriculum )along with calisthenics and marching drills, by 1891. First gym classes were held in women’s dorms (anyone remember Gridley Hall? Site of first gym room in 1884). Then, miracle of miracles, Carleton women were the first of any colleges in Minnesota to play basketball in 1892-93, long before the men, when Max Exner, a friend of James Naismith (inventor of Basket Ball in 1891 in Springfield, Mass.), came to Carleton and taught “physical culture” and introduced the game to Carleton women. Exner had played in the very first basketball game ever on Dec. 21, 1891. I bet the ladies found that game more fun than Indian clubs! (I wrote about early basketball in my “Historic Happenings” column of the Northfield Entertainment Guide of April 2008, http://www.northfieldguide.com, April archives).
I might some day be the last man on earth to participate in a calisthenics where Indian clubs were used. It was at the Y in New York City in the late 1960s. The guys were all old, each with two clubs in hand which they rhythmically, in unison tapped together over their hands down to the floor out to the side for like an hour. I tried it thinking this is easy. It was not, it was a great workout, it almost killed me and I have been waiting for Indian clubs to make a comeback. Hey, maybe it could happen right here in Northfield.
Unrelated unsolicited observation: Seems that bruce anderson is the last man on LoGroNo to correctly capitalize the proper noun Earth. Y I insist on proper usage is revealing. oh…and…btw….PCness dictates that Native American replace Indian. Joan Olson – You rock! Looking good girl! What tribe owns that club that you are safe keeping?
Mona, as Skip pointed out in post #4 above, the clubs originated in the country of India. So nix the “Native American” club. Or were you jesting?
I asked for the tribal owner of this particular club. No I was not jesting. I was jousting.
OH! Indian! Dots not feathers. Thanks Bruce.
Although, tribal can refer to groups other than Native Americans.
Ah..the bewitchment of language.
correction: Thanks Curt Benson! shoot
I just noticed that if I enclose words inside the less than and greater than symbols, they do not appear…so I’ll repeat what did not appear…I’m redfaced.
Griff, Maggie Lee affirmed to me that a bowling alley was in the Northfield News building (so you are not a “clueless newbie,” as you said). She did not know of one at 314 Division St., though perhaps there was an earlier one. Maggie showed me a “step down” at her office that was part of the bowling alley.
By the way, photo op: Maggie has a HUGE cocktail glass on her office desk.