[I think this should be a tag, not a category; for now it’s both]
The band, Toaster Fork!, sang Happy Birthday to Northfield Entertainment Guide head honcho Rob Schanilec at the Contented Cow last night during the JuneBug Festival of Music. Felicia Peters, Shop Manager & Gallery Coordinator at the NAG, apparently had something to do with it.
Click play to watch. 39 seconds.
I first met Gunnar Swanson and Dina Fesler of War Kids Relief back in January when they made a presentation at College City Beverage in Dundas. We later hosted them on our Locally Grown podcast/radio show.
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.
Their next big project is A Soldier’s March for Peace (ASM4P) in which Gunnar
… 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.
Gunnar has started posting to the ASM4P blog (subscribe to its RSS feed or email updates). You can also follow Gunnar on Twitter and on the WKR/ASM4P Facebook page.
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.
WKR released this video last week.
Next Thursday, June 18, is the annual Taste of Northfield event in downtown Northfield. See the NDDC home page for details/large PDF poster.
Anna Balfany, NDDC board member Anastasia Balfany’s daughter, wrote a song for the event called ‘The Taste.’ She sang it yesterday on the upper deck of The Contented Cow.
The Taste
Music and lyrics by Anna Balfany, © Copyright 2009
Every food I’m tasting
Every line I’m waiting in
Searching vendor to vendor
Hogan Brothers ice cream makes me feel a whole lot better
Stop and grab a smoothie at James Gang
The world’s best desserts at Ole Café
Cheesy, gooey Domino’s pizza
If you’re hot, get an icy at Sweet Pea’s Loft
At Bridge Square it’s The Taste
We hope you’ll be there, I just can’t wait!
What would be a great downtown without the NDDC?
And what would be the Taste of Northfield without anything to eat?
What would be a summer without a hotdog at Tiny’s?
And doesn’t it just make your day when you see Maggie Lee?
It’s the Taste, it’ll be great
At Bridge Square, it’s The Taste
Make sure to stop at Rueb-n-Stein
Their burgers are amazing I’m sure you’ll find
And you just can’t miss the food at the Cow
I guarantee you’re gonna say – delicious!
At Bridge Square it’s The Taste
We hope you’ll be there, I just can’t wait!
What would be a great downtown without the NDDC?
And what would be the Taste of Northfield without anything to eat?
What would be a summer without a hotdog at Tiny’s?
And doesn’t it just make your day when you see Maggie Lee?
It’s The Taste, it’ll be great
At Bridge Square, it’s The Taste
A bit of performance art on the Bald Spot last night. Details on Northfield.org: Carleton to Stage Rare Performance of Controversial “Piano Burning.” Click the thumbnails to scroll through the photos and watch this 25 second video clip.
In case you’re hearing-impaired like me and can’t hear the “variety of pitched and unpitched sounds as the piano strings heat and break,” then entertain yourself with this piano burning:
Northfield High School English teacher Tom McKown talks about what it took to create Rock n’ Roll Revival VIII this year. He sat in front of the camera for the interview on stage a few hours before Friday’s sold-out performance.
Town McKown, director, Rock ‘n Roll Revival from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.
Northfielder Mike Farris is leaving on Tuesday to begin his journey up Mount Everest. He has a web site for his new book, The Altitude Experience, where he has an Everest 2009 page and an Everest 2009 trip blog. He talked about his adventure in his home on Friday morning.
Mike Farris of Northfield, talks about his plan to summit Mount Everest this spring from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.
Mark Mraz plays frequently at the Tavern Lounge in the Archer House on Division Street. (Mraz is also a member of the Mraz Bros. Band.) On Thursday, Mraz talked about what his life as a musician is like.
Mark Mraz, musician, playing at the Tavern in Northfield, Minn. March 19, 2009 from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.
About twenty years ago, Northfielder Rob Martin (Rob Martin Insurancy Agency) hoped to build a 43-foot steel sailboat from scratch in three to five years in a lumber yard in Dundas, even though he had no prior boat-building experience. The process wound up taking a bit longer than that. Today, the vessel is about two years away from completion. Martin agreed to a video interview next to some of his boats while giving a small tour.
Rob Martin’s sailboat in Dundas, Minn. from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.
Local musicians Meredith Fierke, Steve and Dylan Mckinstry, and photographer Dan Iverson are arriving in Austin, Texas today to participate in the South by Southwest music and film festival. Fierke is performing at the Touche bar on Saturday and will play “Train’s Song,” a song inspired by the trains traveling through Northfield, Minn. Below are video interviews with Fierke and Iverson shot in Fierke’s home on Monday.
Meredith Fierke, Northfield, Minn. musician from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.
Dan Iverson, Northfield photographer from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.
Train Song by Meredith Fierke of Northfield, Minn. from Bonnie Obremski on Vimeo.