“A  massive  brain  trauma  robbed  fashionable  young  Louise  of  the  shallow  currency  she’d   banked  on  all  her  life,  and  the  resulting  struggle  is  a  page?turner  in  which  a  person’s  very   soul  deepens  before  your  eyes.  Louise:  Amended rewards  a  reader’s  time-­?a  must  read.” —Mary  Karr, New York Times bestselling author of The Liars’ Club

A  beautiful  young  woman  from  Kansas  is  about  to  embark  on  the  life  of  her  dreams (California! Glossy  journalism! French boyfriend!) only  to  suffer  a  brain  bleed  that  collapses   the  right  side  of  her  body,  leaving  her  with  double  vision,  facial  paralysis,  and  a  dragging   foot.  An  unflinching,  wise,  and  darkly  funny  portrait  of  sudden  disability  and  painstaking   recovery,  the  memoir  presents  not  only  Louise’s  perspective,  but  also  the  reaction  of  her   loved  ones–we  see,  in  fictional  interludes,  what  it  must  have  been  like  for  Louise’s   boyfriend  to  bathe  her,  or  for  her  mother  to  apply  lipstick  to  her  nearly  immobile  mouth. Now,  six  years   later,  Louise  has  astounded  doctors  and  loved  ones  by  recovering  not  only  much  of  her   vision  and  mobility,  but  a  ferocious  spirit  and  enviable  grace.

At age twenty-two, Louise Krug suffered a brain bleed and underwent an emergency craniotomy that disrupted her ability to walk, see, and move half her face. Now, six years later, Louise has astounded doctors and loved ones by recovering not only much of her vision and mobility, but a ferocious spirit and enviable grace. She currently lives with her husband Nick and daughter Olive in Lawrence, Kansas, where she’s a PhD candidate and teacher.

The book is available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

See Griff’s photo album from Dylanfest ’11 and let me know if you have questions.

The Contented Cow announced today that they will once again host Dylanfest on Thursday, May 24^th at 6 pm on their outdoor Riverside Stage. More than two dozen different performers will play songs written by and associated with Bob Dylan in a celebration of his 71^st birthday, which is also the 24^th.

“We’re really looking forward to Dylanfest again this year,” said Contented Cow owner Norman Butler. “It’s going to kick off both Memorial Day Weekend and our annual Mayfly Music Festival. Dylanfest is a special event because it brings so many different people from the community together to celebrate some fantastic music. When we did this last year the response was overwhelmingly positive. So many people have asked if we planned to make it an annual event, that we really had no choice. And, of course, we’re thrilled to be doing it.”

The show will feature performers from all around Southern Minnesota, as well as the Twin Cities. “The thing that really gets me excited about the bill this year is the diversity,” says show producer Rich Larson of Left-Handed Entertainment. “We have more women playing this year, and we have more participation from the student population. There’s an all women a cappella group from Carleton called the Knightengales who will be singing. The styles that will be presented – from bluegrass to rock to electronic – are going to make this a fascinating show.”

This year, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Northfield youth center The Key. “There is no cover charge for the show. It’s free to attend, but there are some avenues that give us a good opportunity to help out the community,” said Larson. “We’re all big fans of The Key and what it represents. (Local artist) Nick Sinclair has designed a commemorative poster for the night. We’ll be selling limited edition prints at the show and donating the proceeds. Folks will be able to make a direct donation to The Key as well. “

Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman on My 24^th, 1941 in Duluth, MN and grew up in Hibbing. His music earned him such popularity in the 1960’s that he earned the name “The Voice of a Generation.” He has won numerous awards, including multiple Grammies, a Kennedy Center honor, and a Pulitzer Prize. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and just last month was named one of thirteen honorees to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For more information on Dylanfest, please contact Rich Larson at rich@left-handedentertainment.com.

All Walk routes start at the PEHS shelter and are marked for ½ mile or 1 mile lengths, you may turn around at any time during your walk or you may walk further if you like, simply walk the route several times. You may walk anytime between the hours of 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM or join in the group walk led by our Celebrity Grand Marshall, Scooby Doo at 9:30 AM. If you do not have your own pet to walk, we will rent you one! For a $5 donation, you can walk one of the shelter dogs for ½ hour.

This year we will once again have games and raffles for you and your pet, so make sure you bring the entire family for a fun filled morning. Is your dog artistic? For only $5 you can find out when your pet paints his/her own project for you to take home, with their paw using safe, washable ink. There will also be vendors, rescue groups and a food booth for your lunch or a snack.

The Prairie’s Edge Humane Society shelter will open at 10:30 AM on the day of the walk so that you can visit the shelter animals, inquire about adoption, or shop our retail area. Don’t miss out on all of the great activities for the “Walk for the Animals”. Help us make this our largest Walk ever and raise funds for the homeless animals of the PEHS shelter!

Link to set up fundraising page http://www.razoo.com/

Link to donate http://www.razoo.com/story/Sandy-Walkfortheanimals-Fundraisingpage

May 17th – 7:00 – 8:00 PM  – Blue Thumb class to learn about rain gardens

Location: St. John’s Lutheran Church, 500 West 3rd St. Northfield

The class will cover: Rain garden basics; Design and installation for your property; Maintenance.

Bring a rough sketch of your property layout and downspouts for more site specific advice. Northfield residents may qualify for a $250 grant to install their own rain garden. Attendance is free but registration is requested. 

Please contact Leslie at 507-786-3915 or leslie@crwp.net

May 19th – 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Way Park Community Planting Day

Location:  Way Park, 720 West 1st St., Northfield

Join us for a community planting day for the new rain gardens in Way Park.  Come for 15 minutes or stay the whole day!

No gardening experience necessary.  Bring gloves and a shovel if you have them.  Please wear comfortable clothing and sturdy footwear. Snacks and refreshments provided.

Questions? Contact Leslie at 507-786-3915 or leslie@crwp.net.

When:  1:00-2:30 PM on May 12th

Where:  Meet the student naturalist outside the front door of Tostrud Athletic Center at St. Olaf College.

The walk will take you through the St. Olaf Natural Lands to view wetlands, woodlands, and prairie habitats. The naturalist will talk about wetland and prairie restoration as it relates to water quality.

Information: See the CRWP Upcoming Events Calendar.

“Author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Gilead, Robinson weighs in with a series of tightly developed essays, some personal but mostly more general, on the Big Themes: social fragmentation in modern America, human frailty, faith. Her project is a hard-edged liberalism, sustained by a Calvinist ethic of generosity . . . In these times of the ever-ascending religious right, in the aftermath of what she sees as the ideologically secularist-driven cold war, Robinson bravely explores the corrosive potion of ‘Christian anti-Judaism’ and what it really ought to mean to be ‘a Christian nation.’”—Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“The indomitable Marilynne Robinson radiates genius in her collection of essays.” —Vanity Fair

Ever since the 1981 publication of her stunning debut,Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson has built a sterling reputation as a writer of sharp, subtly moving prose, not only as a major American novelist, but also a rigorous thinker and incisive essayist. Her compelling and demanding collection The Death of Adam—in which she reflected on her Presbyterian upbringing, investigated the roots of Midwestern abolitionism, and mounted a memorable defense of Calvinism—is respected as a classic of the genre. In When I Was a Child I Read Booksshe returns to and expands upon the themes which have preoccupied her work with renewed vigor.

Clear-eyed and forceful as ever, Robinson demonstrates once again why she is regarded as one of our essential writers.

Marilynne Robinson is the author of the novels Housekeeping(FSG, 1981), Gilead (FSG, 2004), winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and Home (FSG, 2008), and three books of nonfiction, Mother Country (FSG, 1989), The Death of Adam (1998) and Absence of Mind (2010). She teaches at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Start:  8:00 AM (registration), 9:00 AM (Run/Walk)

Registration:  $12.00 by April 15, 2012, $15.00 after April 15, 2012

Location:  Sakatah Singing Hills Trail at Shager Park, Faribault, MN

The park is located on the west side of Hwy 60 approximately 2 miles west of the Faribault city limits.  Hwy 60 can be accessed from Interstate 35 in Faribault.

Proceeds:  All proceeds to benefit the Cannon River Watershed Partnership

T-shirts:  Will be available to the first 100 registrants

Times:  A time clock will display times at finish, but no official times will be kept.  Awards will be given to the top male and female finisher.

Refreshments:  Refreshments will be provided to all participants at the end.

Information:  Contact Beth Kallestad at (507) 786-3913 or beth@crwp.net

Registration form (PDF)

Saturday March 31st, 2012
10:00 Bunny Crafts
10:30 Easter Egg Hunt (inside if inclement weather)

This is a free event, so please join us!!

Premier Bank
112 E 5th St
Northfield, MN 55057

“The book is an enthralling read that made me both laugh and cry. I literally couldn’t put it down. I suspect you will feel the same way.”
—Midwest Book Review Bookwatch, reviewer Alma Bond

When the road home becomes daunting—a very capable girl on a bicycle can help find the way.

Beloved writer Charlene Baumbich turns her pen to the topic of unlikely friendships and lavish grace in her newest novel. Set in small-town Minnesota, the novel’s warm humor and small town feel will resonate with Baumbich fans. Meanwhile, the ballet backdrop provides an exciting glimpse into the world of dance.

When principal ballerina Sasha Davis suffers a career-ending injury at age thirty-eight, she retreats to her recently deceased mother’s home to recover. Reluctantly accepting that she can’t recover alone, she hires nineteen year-old übercapable Evelyn Burt. As the wounds begin to mend, the women form an unlikely alliance and discover the astounding power of even the smallest act done in the name of love.

Charlene Ann Baumbich is the author of the Dearest Dorothy series,Stray Affections, and Divine Appointments, as well as several nonfiction books of humor and inspiration. She is also a popular speaker, an award-winning journalist, and lives with her husband in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

There will be social time and refreshments, a brief membership meeting and a keynote presentation by Commissioner Paul Aasen from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.  RSVP to leslie@crwp.net or call (507) 786-3915.  More info on the CRWP events page.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dooley will be signing copies of her book at the front of the store during the Eat Local Tasting. Books will be available for purchase at Just Food during that time by Monkey See Monkey Read.

Then, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dooley will give a short talk about her cookbook and her thoughts on local eating in the Just Food Community Room.

Please reserve your seat for the talk at the Just Food customer service desk at 516 Water St S in Northfield, or online at http://justfood.coop/events.

“‘Eat Local’ means a lot of different things to different people,” says Dooley. “To me, it means paying attention to light, temperature and the land’s bounty. When our appetites follow the arc of the sun, we bring balance to our plates. Join me in a discussion into all of the reasons why eating locally makes sense—flavor, health and nutrition, environment, economy, food safety, land preservation, community—and how eating local creates a true home.”

This event is the kickoff to the Winter Eat Local Challenge at Just Food Co-op. Community members are challenged to eat 50% of their diet from the five-state area from March 3 through March 10. Other events during the week include a class on shopping for and cooking with bulk foods, with an emphasis on local items; a class on honey bees, and an opportunity to volunteer at Thursday’s Table with the Northfield Local Food Action Network. The challenge culminates in CSA Day at Just Food, on March 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., where people can meet local farmers and purchase a share in the harvest of the upcoming growing season.

Visit Just Food Co-op or www.justfood.coop to sign up for the Winter Eat Local Challenge.

Our speaker will be Paula Westmoreland, President of Ecological Garden.  She will discuss her book This Perennial Land: third crops, blue earth, and the road to restorative agriculture. 

She’ll present the "opportunity maps" that were created to show some ideas of how marginal lands can be used differently and how to add value to the two crop rotation system with "third crops".  Learn more at This Perennial Land.

This made me laugh. Not lol, more of a chuckle than a lol.

25 Things I learned From Opening a Bookstore

25.  No matter how many books you’ve read in the past, you will feel woefully un-well read within a week of opening the store.  You will also feel wise at having found such a good way to spend your days.

“This smoothly written debut . . . captures the innocence and impetuousness of youth…. Wurtele carefully looks beyond religious and cultural stereotypes and her heroine’s character growth is moving and realistic.” –Booklist

“Offers a strong sense of time and place.” –Publishers Weekly

“Set in the danger and drama of Italy during the Second World War, The Golden Hour is an enthralling story of love, family, and courage. Margaret Wurtele has delivered a lush, suspenseful, and thoroughly engaging read.” –Lynn Sheene, author of The Last Time I Saw Paris

World War II-set fiction captivates readers with its irresistible combination of fear and hope set against one of the most turbulent times in history. New American Library is proud to publish talented debut novelist Margaret Wurtele, whose beautiful and moving story is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the people struggling to survive during the strife of the World War II era.  The Golden Hour begins in the summer of 1944 in Tuscany and portrays love and hope in a war-torn nation.  In a story woven with historical detail, Wurtele explores the emotion, fear, and hope that permeate the rarely explored landscape of World War II Italy.

Seventeen-year-old Giovanna Bellini sees firsthand the devastating effects of the war.  Following the Italian government’s peace agreement with the Allies, Giovanna watches as the German military invades her town, forming a hostile occupying army. At first, Giovanna is fascinated by the Nazi officers, but as the war strips away Giovanna’s naïveté and harsh realities are exposed, her brother Giorgio recruits her to aid in the Italian Resistance. When she is asked to hide wounded Jewish freedom fighter Mario Rava, Giovanna finds herself falling for the brave young man. The world around her is in constant turmoil and when terrible truths are revealed, threatening the lives of everyone Giovanna cares about, she is forced to make unimaginable sacrifices and decisions.

Margaret Wurtele is the author of two memoirs. She and her husband split their time between Minnesota and Napa Valley, where they are owners of Terra Valentine Winery.

A Good American

“A Good American is a quixotic immigration tale wrapped in exquisite finery, from the opening promise of everlasting music, to the closing declaration that one’s own ordinary life is anything but ordinary. Don’t miss this new voice in American fiction.” —Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kansas

“Stunning, just stunning. Meet the Meisenheimer family through the eyes of grandson James as he relates the story of his immigrant family through nearly a century of American history. Peppered with remarkable characters: a jazz trumpeter who cooks a mean gumbo, a promiscuous school teacher, a dwarf… need I say more? You will laugh out loud, then cry your eyes out. This novel is priceless, and a gem of a read.” —Carol Katsoulis, Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, Illinois

An uplifting novel about the families we create and the places we call home.

It is 1904. When Frederick and Jette must flee her disapproving mother, where better to go than America, the land of the new? Originally set to board a boat to New York, at the last minute, they take one destined for New Orleans instead (“What’s the difference? They’re both new”), and later find themselves in the small town of Beatrice, Missouri. Not speaking a word of English, they embark on their new life together.

Beatrice is populated with unforgettable characters: a jazz trumpeter from the Big Easy who cooks a mean gumbo, a teenage boy trapped in the body of a giant, a pretty schoolteacher who helps the young men in town learn about a lot more than just music, a minister who believes he has witnessed the Second Coming of Christ, and a malevolent, bicycle-riding dwarf.

A Good American is narrated by Frederick and Jette’s grandson, James, who, in telling his ancestors’ story, comes to realize he doesn’t know his own story at all. Poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, A Good American is a novel about being an outsider—in your country, in your hometown, and sometimes even in your own family.

Alex George is an Englishman who lives, works, and writes in Missouri. He studied law at Oxford University and worked for eight years as a corporate lawyer in London and Paris before moving to the United States in 2003.

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

February 1, 2012 – Northfield music favorites Meredith Fierke, Steve McKinstry and Dylan McKinstry will play a concert in tandem with Twin Cities legend-in-the-making Chris Koza for a night of intimate, acoustic, atmospheric pop-folk music at the Northfield Arts Guild on Friday, February 10 at 8pm.

Fierke and the McKinstrys will be previewing material from their highly anticipated new album which will be released this spring. “This is by far the best music I’ve ever made,” says Fierke. “Steve and Dylan each bring something unique to the table, and together we’re creating something that I’m very excited about. I can’t wait for people to hear these songs.”

Fierke’s previous album, 2008’s The Procession, garnered so much attention that Minneapolis radio station Cities 97 placed her song Train’s Song on the prestigious Cities Sampler. Later that year, she was named Northfield’s best performing musician by the Northfield Entertainment Guide. The extra amount of time she and the McKinstrys have taken in recording their new album has created a lot of conversation amongst the Northfield music scene. “People have been wondering what they’re up to,” said local music promoter Rich Larson. “I’ve had a chance to hear most of the new album.  The extra time and work really shows. Every song is a knock out. It’s going to be a real treat to hear this music in a great room like the one at the NAG.”

The show at the NAG is the second of a month-long tour of small coffee houses and arts venues that Koza is making throughout Minnesota. This comes fast on the heels of a two month West Coast tour with his band Rogue Valley.  “I love seeing road warrior performers like Chris,” said Larson. “The best time to catch a singer/songwriter is in the middle of a long touring cycle like the one he’s in right now. He’s had some opportunity to flesh out his music in front of a lot of different audiences, which is really the best way to develop a song. This is going to be a very good night of music.”

“The thing that really strikes me is the $10 ticket price,” said Jessica Paxton of KYMN Radio. “You’d pay $25-$30 for this exact show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis or the Fitzgerald in St. Paul. And, frankly, the NAG is a far more intimate setting. For fans of good music, this isn’t bargain. It’s a steal.”

The Northfield Arts Guild is located at 304 Division Street South. Doors will open at 7:30, and the music will start at 8:00. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at www.left-handedentertainment.com or at the door the night of the show. For more information, contact the Northfield Arts Guild at (507) 645-8877 or Rich Larson at (612)756-0490.

Related: see my blog post of photos of Meredith Fierke, Dylan McKinstry, and Steve McKinstry performing at the Carleton Weitz Center Theater last November.

Up a short flight of stairs, inside a former bank in a small rural town 100 miles northwest of Detroit, there is a special place, rich in history, and 100,000 brides-to-be from across the Midwest have made pilgrimages to find it. Just 10 foot by 8 foot, it has floor-to-ceiling mirrors on every wall, carrying the brides’ images to infinity. It is called the Magic Room.

The town is Fowler, Michigan, a middle-class community with 1,100 residents – and 2,500 wedding dresses. The building is Becker’s Bridal, home to each of those dresses, a figurative blizzard of white. Jeffrey Zaslow takes readers to this remarkable small-town bridal shop to explore the hopes and dreams parents have for their daughters. He weaves this true story using a reporter’s research and a father’s heart. Jeff came to Fowler not just to write about wedding gowns and what they represent. He came to understand the women wearing them, their fears and yearnings, and through them, he tells a larger story about the love between parents and daughters today.

In this magical book, Zaslow examines women on the brink of commitment, whose stories, secrets, and memories will pull you in from the moment they first see their reflection in this iconic room.

Jeffrey Zaslow is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Girls from Ames. Through his writing, he has told the stories of some of the most inspirational people of our time. He is co-author, with Chesley Sullenberger, of Highest Duty, and with Randy Pausch, of The Last Lecture, the #1 New York Times bestseller now translated into forty-eight languages. Zaslow is currently collaborating with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, on their memoir. He lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Sherry, and daughters Jordan, Alex, and Eden.

The book is available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

Interested applicants may apply in person or send resume to Premier Banks, 112 East Fifth St., Northfield, MN 55057 or e-mail resume to hr@premierbanks.com.

For additional info, visit our website:   www.premierbanks.com EOE

The conversation is being sponsored by a wide range of grassroots citizen groups, farm groups, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and InCommons.  The purpose of the meeting is to explore how citizens, businesses and government can share leadership by collaborating to restore water quality in the four river systems.

The meeting will feature a meal and round table discussions facilitated by InCommons  – a community-based initiative that connects Minnesotans to share tools, knowledge and resources to address complicated problems. 

The Owatonna dialogue will be patterned after a similar round table discussion held in Mankato on  December 6, 2011,  More than 130 people attended the discussion that featured farmers, environmental advocates, government agency workers and recreational users of the river all sitting at the same table to discuss the issues and seek common ground.

The public is invited and welcome to attend.  Farmers and landowners are especially encouraged to participate.  To register for the meal and dialogue or for more information, call 1-877-269-2873 by January 25, 2012.  Seating is available for 80 people on a first come, first served basis.  Organizers are expecting a full house, so don’t delay.

January 29th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Cannon River Winery
421 Mill St. W
Cannon Falls

Can’t make it to the event but still want to bid on auction items?  We’ll be posting many of the items on the CRWP website the week of January 23rd so you can bid before the event.

Appearing onstage with his band the Long Beds (featuring special guest hotshot Andy Dee of Big Top Chautauqua Blue Canvas Orchestra), Mike will weave stories and humor (including material from The Clodhopper Monologues) throughout a lively concert of original songs, including those on his most recent album, Tiny Pilot (Ambledown Records).

Tickets $12 in advance (plus service charge) or $15.00 at the door.  Buy advance tickets here or at Monkey See Monkey Read, 425 Division Street South, Northfield, MN beginning Dec. 15th.

Listen to a cut of Tiny Pilot here or stop by the shop. Tiny Pilot will be in full rotation this month.

Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr

In the traditin of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, A River Runs Through It, and Snow Falling on Cedars, Revoyr’s new novel examines the effects of change on a small, isolated town, the strengths and limits of community, and the sometimes conflicting loyalties of family and justice. Set in the expansive countryside of Central Wisconsin, against the backdrop of Vietnam and the post-civil rights era, Wingshooters explores both connection and loss as well as the complex but enduring bonds of family.

A damn fine book.

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht

In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.

Alvin loved this one.

Making a Friend by Alison McGhee

Bestselling author, Alison McGhee reminds us all that nothing that has been cared for can ever disappear for good, for, “What you love will always be with you.” And, this tender story about the power of friendship will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.

Another winner from Alison McGhee

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

For more than twenty-five years, the illustrations in the extraordinary Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg have intrigued and entertained readers of all ages. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with these enigmatic pictures. Now we’ve asked some of our very best storytellers to spin the tales. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to gather this incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, poignant, these are tales you won’t soon forget.

The Clodhopper Monologues by Mike Perry

Not so long ago, author, humorist and amateur pig farmer Michael Perry fed the chickens, changed his boots, kissed his wife and daughters, and drove downstate to a refurbished opera house in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Waiting for him onstage was a microphone; waiting in the seats was a sold-out house full of folks ready to laugh. For the next two hours the walls of the old opera hall echoed with stories of love and long underwear, happily failed bachelors, aggressive roosters, one-eyed joke-telling butchers, the glories of pickup-truck-based courtship…and wave after wave of laughter. And then – right at the end there – came the story of the little girl, the guinea pig, and a math lesson gone wrong.

okay this one’s not a book, but it’s so damn funny.

Set Cubed

SET Cubed is A Curious Game of Clever Connections, challenging a player’s ability to identify SETs between the dice in their hand and those already on the board.  Players can play up to 3 dice per turn making as many SETs as possible. Create SETs up, down and across the board, the more SETs you create, the higher your score. As the number of dice on the board increases so do the possible SET combinations. Rack up points by using BONUS SQUARES! Roll a WILD die and unleash the possible number of SETs that can be made during your turn! How many SETs can you make?! The player with the most points wins!

My favorite game

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Simply an amazing story. Highly recommended

Haruki Murakami

We have a number of his books you could choose including his latest 1Q84. Murakami is always a delight to read.

Tiny Pilot by Mike Perry and the Longbeds

Like so many before him, Michael Perry learned to sing in church. Then a Waylon Jennings 8-track got him hooked on boogety-boogety. This combination yielded the mix of straight-up twang and churchly harmonies found in Perry’s music. Tiny Pilot is Michael Perry’s second full-length release with his band the Long Beds. The songs on Tiny Pilot range from boot-stomping country to roughneck folk ballads and are populated by characters drawn straight from rural and small-town America. The music made by Perry and his Long Beds has been described as ‘country folk,’ ‘folk-twang,’ and Americana.

Just like Gordon Lightfoot…only zippier. Seriously, I love this album.

Big Little Brother by Kevin Kling

“This charming first children’s book by celebrated storyteller Kevin Kling, with whimsical drawings by Chris Monroe, traces a familiar arc from sibling rivalry to brotherly love.”

For our December Third Thursday special, we will discount everything 20%. Well, not everything. There are a few exceptions like special orders. Books, games, toys, and calendars will be 20% off.

Visit our Monkey See Monkey Read website and the Monkey See Monkey Read blog.

There will also be a Dickens Christmas Village with 55 illuminated, hand-painted, porcelain buildings, and more than 100 “accessories” (people, animals, trees, etc.).  In addition, several residents will have their apartments open for viewing, each with a different floor plan.

Kildahl Park Pointe is Northfield’s first resident-owned housing cooperative offering large, modern apartments for active, independent seniors.

It is located at 888 Cannon Valley Drive (Cannon Valley Drive and Lincoln Parkway).

We will donate 10% of our Winter Walk sales to the Haslett-Marroquin family’s support fund.

For more than a decade, Trailer Trash has taken the holiday spirit and put a spin on it that is decidedly their own, performing a series of holiday shows in the Twin Cities and Rochester.

The band played a couple of very well received shows in Northfield this year, and they are really excited to share their own special brand of Christmas cheer with us. Combining original songs for the season with some reworked holiday favorites, these “honky tonk heroes” will have you laughing, singing and dancing your little humbug off.

Left-Handed Entertainment is proud to present this one-of-a-kind holiday classic, and we hope to make it another traditional holiday event in Northfield.

We could not be doing this without the generous help of some local sponsors: Rob Schanilec at the Northfield Entertainment Guide, Jeff Johnson at KYMN Radio, John Thomas at Mr. JST Technology Consulting, Cate Vermeland Photography, Ross Currier at the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, and of course, Griff Wigley here at Locally Grown Northfield.  We thank them for their support.

Tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door (A true bargain! Tickets for the sold-out show in Rochester were $17.50 and $22.50). You can order your tickets online at ATrashyLittleChristmas.com or by contacting either me, Rich Larson, at bgwg@charter.net or Jessica Paxton at Jessica@kymnradio.net.

Doors open at 6pm, and guests will be treated to a special holiday set by Matt Arthur & The Bratlanders at 7pm.

See you there!