I phoned Gunnar Swanson this morning and yes, he’s in Faribault this morning and is finishing his 1000-mile Soldier’s March for Peace walk from Texas to Minnesota today. His ASM4P blog tells the whole story of his walk, but here are the details of his arrival today for DJJD Townie Night and the weekend:
9/10, Thursday – Northfield: 5pm Gunnar will meet Northfield high school students in parking lot of NF HS and walk the last mile with him to Bridge Square in center of Northfield for Townie Night. Northfield always throws this and there will be food and fun stuff to do. Very family oriented. Actually EVERYONE is invited to participate in this…not just highschoolers. Looks like the DJJD royalty and the James Gang will be coming too! There will be a reception in Bridge Square at 6:00pm.
9/11, Friday – Cannon Falls: 8am Gunnar and Dina will be at Cannon Falls Elementary to meet with all the students This will be amazing…don’t miss it! The entire Cannon Falls student body (pre-school through 12th graders) will gather to hear Gunnar’s and my final presentation (the one we have give to YMCA kids over the past 10 weeks) and then write letters for kids in Iraq and Afghanistan. They will also make a human tunnel from the elementary school to the high school for Gunnar to walk through..all wearing red, white and blue and holding flags. How cute! KARE-11 is coming to do a story on this as well.
9/12, Saturday – Northfield: 4:30pm Gunnar will give "the" speech near Bridge Square where the big bank robbery showdown was and will be presented with a check from VFW. Yes, this will be before the 5:00 bank raid reinactment. The VFW and American Legion Honor Guard will be holding the flags to honor Gunnar as he makes a short speech and thanks all who supported/donated. Also, the VFW will be making a donation at that time, and any other local businesses who want to make a public donation can do it then as well.
… encouraging EVERY kid in Northfield to come down to central park at 2 o’clock tomorrow in order to raise money for ASM4P and that there will be a grill out, tie-dying, a dunk tank, henna tattoos, bracelets, break dancing, music, a rally march, and then a concert at The Key at 5 o’clock. All the money we raise goes directly to Gunnar. News and media will be there and we want 1000 kids to show up so invite/kidnap all of your friends and bring them with!
They hired me to help them get set up with a WordPress-based website and to think about how social media could be used for the variety of initiatives they were planning. They then began working with Northfield-based Neuger Communications Group who, along with various marketing and communications work, took on the design of the website… now waaaaay cooler than I could have ever done.
… will march 1000+ miles from Texas to Minnesota, starting July 4, 2009. With the help of kids across the nation, he is raising funds and awareness for programs that help kids who have been traumatized by war to realize new possibilities for their lives.
During the Taste of Northfield festivities tomorrow, there will be an informal reception at the Archer House from 5:00 – 8:00. People can stop by to meet Dina and Gunnar and other volunteers and hear more about A Soldier’s March for Peace.
They’re also hosting a kick-off event on Bridge Square next Thursday afternoon, June 25th, 2-5 PM. More to come on that.
Griff Wigley: Kiffi, City Administrator Tim Madigan explains the City’s ISO rating on KYMN’s show back on Dec. 7, 2011. The ISO rating doesn’t take into account many of the issues raised in Soldo’s report. The number of OSHA...
Griff Wigley: As far as I can tell, Public Safety Director Mark Taylor first used the term “road map” or “roadmap” in his June 28, 2011 memo to the Mayor and Council for their Work Session on the same day. The packet for...
Griff Wigley: Here’s the so-called ‘gag order’ memo from Public Safety Director Mark Taylor, directed to all Firefighters on April 2, 2011 before they were interviewed by the consultant Michelle Soldo: Read between the lines of...
kiffi summa: Our mothers consider the ‘bunched panties’ remark too squalid to pass either their sainted lips, or those of their darling daughters… and seriously doubt whether it was said during your father’s time!
Jane Moline: Griff: you really didn’t know my mother and how do you even know if I wear panties?
Vicki Dilley: How many lives can we even begin to count that have touched by the Youth Exchange program? Northfield has been involved in Youth Exchange since 1969 when we hosted our first student…since then 100′s of High School...
Tom Durkin: This event supports one of the crown jewels of the Northfield Rotary Club – the Youth Exchange Program. Northfield can be proud that we send out more than fifteen students annually for year abroad study programs. We also host several...
john george: Kathie- I knew I was sticking my neck out on that one!
Kathie Galotti: Geez John. Don’t get Griff restarted on the geese!
john george: Yes, more beaches would certainly accomodate more geese. We have to remember to be waterfowl friendly.
Susan Hvistendahl: I totally agree with you re the need for more beaches in Northfield, having just returned from a week in Puerto Vallarta. Could have had rum punches there but….well, after we visited a local tequila distillery and got to...
Bright Spencer: Oh, you both look so happy! Thanks for sharing. More pics please!
kiffi summa: Griff: whither goest thy right arm if it starts to “whither” (sic) ? sorry; couldn’t resist… stuck at home with a bad knee provides way too much time on computer!
Bright Spencer: i’ve been looking thru a site, crazyguyonabike.com that has lots of journals and photos from around the world.
jane fenton: Congrats, Griff! That’s my son Cliff in the orange hat. He’s revamped the recycling bin prototype. You should see it!
Griff Wigley: Don, I’ll keep ping pong in mind. I’d hate to have my right arm start to whither from a lack of racquetball. In the meantime, I’m trying to excite as many Northfielders as I can about mountain biking. I’ll...
john george: Griff- Iris will have to work real hard to keep you in focus on everything else. I shutter to think where this could go.
Griff Wigley: Name: The Local Joint Description: A handmade and vintage collective in Northfield, MN. COLLECTING.CREATING.COLLABORAT ING. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheLoc alJoint Nfld News: Store to open in former ‘digs’ space
David Beimers: Hmmm… fans? air conditioners? ice cream?
Jessica Paxton: I know. But I don’t wanna spill the (cool) beans!
Megan Tsui: Edward, Sorry you weren’t able to attend. We’ll be posting notes from the meeting on the NEC website and if you send me your email, I’ll make sure you get a copy! If you (or anyone else!) would like to chat about it...
Edward Smith: I wanted to attend this, but was unable. Does anyone know if there will be a summary posted anywhere?
Kathie Galotti: My kid had a pretty decent AP Environmental Science class 2 years ago….he’s not a great math/science student, but this one got him interested in at least knowing enough science to create good policies. I remember...
Paul Zorn: A few years ago one of my daughters spent a year working in Copenhagen, largely in an office setting. All desks in her office could be raised or lowered to permit either standing or sitting positions. I have no idea whether such...
Griff Wigley: In today’s Strib: Office-dwellers stand up to ‘sitting disease’ Dr. James Levine has reviewed the statistics: One in three Minnesota adults is either diabetic or pre-diabetic, and one in four is obese. And he thinks...
Bright Spencer: The All Pro Game last Sunday between the AFC and the NFC was so enjoyable. The stess, the anger, the anxiety all gone…well I didn’t watch all of it, as I rarely do watch an entire game, usually just the beginning and...
Griff Wigley: Today’s Strib: Hockey safety goal expanded to youth In an unprecedented mid-year change, Minnesota Hockey is toughening the penalties for checking from behind and boarding. The change will affect 40,000 hockey players in the...
Bright Spencer: I like hockey and all sports very much. I was a star basketball player in my day. I don’t remember anyone suffering any major injuries in all my hs and college days. I feel certain that coach’s know who does what and...
john george: You are correct. That is why I didn’t allow my children to attack the character of their siblings just to support their position. There do need to be some kind of ground rules in any discussion so as to keep individual...
kiffi summa: The issue could be considered to be: what is “conflict”, and what are two sides of a discussion… see #33 re: the Mayor’s admonition to Peter Dahlen at the joint Council/ChartComm meeting. I don’t see how...
john george: Kiffi- This is a good article, and I agree with most of it. Just thinking about my kids in their youth, there was always some conflict between them, but our goal as parents wasn’t to force them into some weiner form but to help...
kiffi summa: A very interesting article in the Jan.30th New Yorker magazine on the nature of the dynamics of creative discussion; it’s entitled “Groupthink; the brainstorming myth”. Based on studies done by a psych professor at...
Griff Wigley: Kiffi/Kathie, I didn’t have that reaction. But I’ve put up a new blog post to discuss it and everything else related to the Fire Department so let’s shift the discussion there.
Kathie Galotti: I read Betsey’s blog and, like most of Betsey’s blog entries, found it well-written and making a very good point. Though I agree that geographic districts aren’t the only way to represent different constituencies,...
john george: Griff- The NN editorial presents the difference between geographic representation and ideological representation. Right now, the wards establish geographic representation. With this approach, depending upon the voter turnout, a person...
kiffi summa: I hope that people will use the link here on LG to read the current posting by Councilor Buckheit on her blog, re: wards versus all at-large, and take the opportunity to comment. Once again, the NFNews has not given a very well...
Griff Wigley: Nfld News editorial: Keep the current ward system intact
Sean Hayford Oleary: In any case, this issue doesn’t seem like it needs to be another opportunity to dis/agree with the current council. Regardless of how focused on the downtown (or not) they are, it’s clear this change would not...
Griff Wigley: In today’s NY Times: Turning to Kettlebells to Ease Back Pain Kettlebells, cast-iron weights that have been used for centuries to train Russian soldiers and athletes, appear to be a promising therapy for back and neck pain, new...
Sandy Vesledahl: UPDATE ON RHONDA: We are very happy to report that Rhonda was adopted over the weekend by a local family. Rhonda’s new mom is a Family Counselor and Rhonda will be going to her office with her and helping with her clients. So...
Megan Tsui: Griff, The NEC is moving forward with the idea of a non-profit Coworking Incubator/Accelerator space. Megan
Megan Tsui: What do you think? Come to the Community Dialogue and tell us! January 31st from 2 to 4 pm at the Archer House lower level conference room. Share your ideas, thoughts, and dreams about a Coworking Incubator/Accelerator space in...
kiffi summa: I would hope the City’s Historic Preservation Commission would explore this option, and the appropriateness/allowability for use on properties within the Historic District. Thanks, Jim.
Jim Haas: I was reading a story by Porter Fox about his visit to Copenhagen. He mentioned in passing that the city is vigilant about removing graffiti using high-pressure washers with ice crystals as a mild abrasive. I did a little rudimentary...
kiffi summa: The LWV observer reports are meant to be a summary of actions taken, not a ‘blow by blow’ transcript. This is the reason that anyone deeply interested should watch the meeting for themself, if they want a full...
The other graphic on the First National Bank Northfield’s window is the Soldier’s March for Peace, part of the War Kids Relief project. There will be a reception in Bridge Square at 6:00pm.
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