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JULY 2019 southernminnSCENE.com

Southern minn

Scene

PLUS Owls, Eagles, and You ... Oh My! Putting Goats to work Get Outside and Enjoy some of the area's Best Patios!

YOUR FREE GET-OUT SOURCE TO SOUTHERN MINNESOTA

Best 20 19

SOUTHERN Minn

Nominate now through July 24th

SHELDON THEATRE

AARON NEVILLE! TOM PAPA! CHERISH THE LADIES! TRIPLE ESPRESSO! DOZENS MORE!

Discover the rare alchemy of small-town hospitality and world-class artist in a breathtaking place! Join us for a season of unforgettable experiences at the Sheldon Theatre. Don’t miss your chance to see Aaron Neville, Tom Papa, Cherish The Ladies, Triple Espresso, Golden Dragon Acrobats, The Platters, and many more! Tickets on sale NOW.

Learn more about the season at sheldontheatre.org, call at 651-388-8700, or visit 443 W 3rd St, Red Wing, MN.

“Outstanding! I’ve never seen anything like that before in my whole life!” – 2018 Audience Comment

443 W 3rd St, Red Wing, MN 2

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Best Large Music Venue - Southern Minn Scene 2018

651-388-8700 Follow us on

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CONTENT

JULY 2019 / VOLUME 7 / ISSUE 6

Features:

COLUMNS:

Take a tour of the International Owl Center in Houston and the Nation Eagle Center in Wabasha.

Summer Throwbacks.

8 Owls, Eagles, and You ... Oh My!

12 Let’s Go Talk to the Animals

Take a short drive for big fun at a nearby animal farm. Loving homes and collaboration are the mission.

ABOUT

26 Herds of Goats

45 The Bookworm Sez:

Sammy Hagar & The Circle - Space Between.

Local goats doing their part to fight invasive plants in Southern Minnesota.

28 Lake Zumbro Revival

New restaurant aims to join the efforts to restore some fun and luster to the place.

Animal Sanctuaries are truly offering “Forever Homes” for creatures in Need.

32 Forever Homes

Editor Philip Weyhe - 507-645-1115 editor@southernminnSCENE.com

Go West.

22 Get Outside

Visit some of the area’s best patios.

Have a story idea?

40 Photographing SoMInn

44 Album Review

Scene

6 Mollywood BLVD

SoMInn FOOD & DINING Review 16 Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society 42 Torey’s in Owatonna - It’s all the buzz.

Southern minn

HAVE A CALENDAR EVENT?

editor@southernminnSCENE.com or got to www.southernminnscene. com/calendar

• Apocalypse Any Day Now: Deep Underground with America’s Doomsday Preppers • Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons • Childfree by Choice • How Not to Die Alone • The Killer Across the Table

WANT TO Advertise?

Ginny Bergerson - 507-444-2386 gbergerson@owatonna.com

34 The TimeLine

SoMinn’s most comprehensive calendar of things to be SCENE.

JULY issue deadline is JULY 5

Nominate us for Best Bar, Best Burger, Best Chef and Best Lunch. Best Local Beer and Cider, Best Local Wine or Spirit ORDER THROUGH OUR WEBSITE fielderstap.com

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Best 20 19

SOUTHERN Minn

Yeah, it’s back. It’s time to start determining the best arts and entertainment, the best businesses and the best everything else Southern Minnesota has to offer. Through the end of July, we’re taking nominations in the 2019 Best of Southern Minnesota contest. This year, the competition’s seventh edition, we’re looking for 101 of SoMinn’s best. We’re talking about the best theater troupe, the best local band, the best art center, the best florist, the best music store, the best BBQ, the best food truck, the best brewery, the best campground, the best golf course and so much more. And we’re talking from Rochester, Red Wing and Winona to Mankato, Waseca and New Ulm. We’re talking Albert Lea and Austin to Owatonna, Faribault and Northfield. We’re talking the cities over 40,000 and the cities less than 5,000. Anyone, any place, anywhere in SoMinn could prove the best. DON’T. BE. SHY. If you know a business or organization in Southern Minnesota, there’s a good chance it will fit in one of our categories. We receive thousands of nominations every year, and in recent years, over 100,000 votes. So nominate NOW. Because your favorite business or person can’t be on the final ballot come August, unless they receive enough nominations this June and July. All of the winners will be featured with blurbs and photos in our November Best of Southern Minnesota edition of Scene. Come voting time (August 16 to Sept. 4), everyone will have the opportunity to vote on each of the categories once per day per email address. So go to SouthernMinnScene.com and get to nominating. Then head to our Facebook page – SouthernMinn Scene – and share with your friends, ask them to participate and spread the love! We love offering this competition every year, because we love recognizing some of the wonderful people, businesses and places of Southern Minnesota. And this contest is truly decided by you, the residents of Southern Minnesota.

So happy nominating! 4

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A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

Best 20 19

SOUTHERN Minn

101 Categories Art

Best Hotel Best Coffee Shop Best Cupcake/Cake Best Kept Secret Best Arts Organization Best Dessert Menu Best Movie Theater Best Art Event Best Fine Dining Best Gallery Best Food Truck Best Museum/History Center Best Ice Cream Best Photographer Best Band Best Italian Food Best Artist Best Music Festival Best Lunch Best Small Music Venue Best Mexican Food Best Large Music Venue Best Pizza Best Radio Personality Best Place for a Steak Best Bartender Best Radio Station Best Sub/Sandwich Best Local Wine or Spirit Best Solo Act Best Supper Club Best Local Beer or Cider Best Vegetarian Friendly Best Brewery Best Wings Best Patio Best Bar Best Asian or Middle-Eastern Food Best Bagel Shop Best Bakery Best Antique Store Best BBQ Best Book Store - New/Used Best Bed & Breakfast Best Breakfast/Brunch Best Boutique Best Community Event Best Burger Best Chiropractor Best Downtown Best Catering Best Clinic Best Farmerâ€™s Market Best Chef Best Dentist/Orthodontist

Music

Bars

Restaurants

Retail Services

Miscellaneous

Best Event Center Best Fitness Center Best Florist Best Gaming Store Best Gift Shop Best Greenhouse/Garden Center Best Grocery Store Best Hair Salon or Barber Shop Best Hardware Store Best Home Builder or Remodeler Best Home DĂŠcor and Design Best Jewelry Store Best Kennel/Pet Hotel/ Doggie Daycare Best Liquor Store Best Manicure Best Massage or Acupuncture Best Meat Market Best Music Store Best Orchard Best Place to Buy a Car Best Place to Service a Car Best Print Shop/Graphics Business Best Realtor Best Second Hand Store Best Specialty Store Best Store Front Best Tanning Salon Best Tattoo Parlor Best Technology Repair Best Vet Best Yoga Studio

Sports/Outdoors Best Bait and Tackle Store Best Ballpark Best Bike Trail Best Bowling Alley Best Campground Best Golf Course Best Kayak/Canoe Rental Best Place to Swim Best Ski Slope

Theater Best Actor Best Actress Best Director Best Production Best Theater Best Theater Troupe

Nominate through July 24th go to The Best of SoMinn 2019 at

southernminnscene.com A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

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Mollywood Blvd

MOLLY PENNY Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MSU Mankato alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a morning show gig for KOWZ 100.9. She is now Music and Promotions Director at KOWZ & KRUE Radio in Owatonna and can be heard on various airwaves in Southern Minnesota, including Hot 96.7 in Mankato. She resides in Mankato with her movie buff husband and YouTube obsessed children. Need to contact her? Shoot her an e-mail mollyp@kowzonline.com or catch her on Twitter at @mollyhoodUSA.

e r u t l u C p o P n I r o f h c t a W What to

ummer is ramping up and so is entertainment! There seems to be a trend of pop culture nostalgia this year. Here is what to watch for: Stranger Things: Season 3 will drop on Netflix on Independence Day. Season 2 tied up some loose ends by sealing off the portal to the Upside Down. But come on, obviously something is about to go down and what better place to bring back the havoc than another center for pure 80’s nostalgiaHawkins’ new Mall! That’s right, based on the trailers, the latest season of America’s favorite sci-fi series will be filmed primarily in a shopping mall. It is set in 1985 and really the final summer of the character’s childhood as the move into their teen years. According to interviews with the Duffer brothers it sounds like the smoke monster, Eleven, her sister Kai (we knew there was going to be more to that cameo), Hopper, Mike, Will, Dustin and all of the main characters will return including Jonathan and Nancy who finally got together at the end of season 2. The creators promise us that Will catches a break in Season 3 and that the season will go into more depth about Hopper’s past. Get ready to binge! And make sure to grab some “New Coke” while you’re at it. Yep, Coca-Cola has teamed up with Stranger Things and are bringing back the short lived “New Coke” formula from 1985. Nostalgia galore! Speaking of nostalgia, it’s official: Beverly Hills 90210 is back with a reboot that stars most of the original cast. They are calling it BH90120 and it is slated to start on FOX on August 7th. It sounds like it will be different from the original show, but there should be some nostalgic elements you won’t want to miss. The most the public has been clued into so far is a trailer where the cast is shown starting off their mornings with an alarm, coffee, yoga etc. Then enter the familiar theme song from the original series and we see everyone entering a studio together. The original Beverly Hills 90210 really set the bar for teen dramas to follow. Without it we would have never had Dawson’s Creek or The OC. I am excited for the reboot, but also sad that Luke Perry will not be a part of it due to his death last year. Disney is just on fire with their live action cash

cow. They rolled out Aladdin this spring and a live action version of The Lion King is scheduled to hit theatres on July 19th. Plans have been in the works for this film since 2016 following the success of The Jungle Book. It is star studded: Donald Glover will star as Simba, Seth Rogan as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, John Oliver as Zazu the red billed hornbill, Beyonce KnowlesCarter as Nala and of course James Earl Jones will return for the role of Mufasa. The film will feature the original music from the 1994 animated feature and it will undoubtedly be a huge success in the box office. If the live action reboots weren’t enough, Disney also recently opened the new Star

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There Is someThIng For everyone!

Family Mexican Restaurant

Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at their theme parks in May with a Hollywood Studios’ version set to open August 29th. The park looks like you just walked onto the set of a Star Wars movie. Nerd alert, you may want to check that out to get your Star Wars fix until Dec. 20th when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is scheduled for release. The streaming service Disney + will be available this fall as well for only $6.99 a month. Safe to say they are going to shake up the streaming industry. Have a hankering for some 90’s music? Hootie and the Blowfish are back and set to perform at the Minnesota State Fair on Thursday August 22nd. The band was a relic of 90’s alternative music that hit the mainstream with hits like “Let Her Cry” and “Hold My Hand.” They will surely have the audience singing along. The band performed at the season finale of The Voice Season 16 this spring and brought the house down. They will share the night with the Barenaked Ladies, so if you love the 90’s you don’t want to miss this show. Other Grandstand acts this year include Hall & Oates, Why Don’t We, Logic, Lionel Richie and Weird Al who has become somewhat of a mainstay at the Great Minnesota Get Together. It: Chapter Two will be in theatres on September 6th. This is the adult part of the story which is adapted from the Stephen King novel and original 90’s TV miniseries where Pennywise the clown returns to the town of Derry 27 years later to torment the grown up members of the “Loser’s Club.” If you aren’t into jump scares, for those of us who grew up on the show Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, the long awaited Tom Hanks film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood comes out on Oct. 18th. Tom Hanks will star as Fred Rogers. The studio has taken to social media to post intermittent photo teasers of Hanks in the famous red cardigan and the internet has gone nuts for it. The film is based on the true story of the friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. As always there’s a lot to look forward to in the world of entertainment but we don’t seem to be cranking out much original content. This Is Us is

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12 West Main Street Madelia, Minnesota (507) 642-2337 https://www.lostsanitybrewing.com/ on Facebook definite exception. While it has the nostalgia factor of jumping back to the Vietnam War and life in the 80’s and 90’s, it is a refreshingly original drama. Fans will be happy to know it has been renewed for 3 more seasons with season 4 debuting in September on NBC. They need to hurry up with that one because I am still reeling from the season 3 finale where the show, notorious for going back in time to give us a glimpse of the Pearson’s life before present day, propels us to the future in which Rebecca is ill and possibly dying, Jack’s brother Nicky is back in the picture, Kevin has a son (!?), Kate is MIA and Toby seems depressed with a mysterious goatee. I spend over $100 a month for satellite TV for this show and football alone. I must know why Toby grows a goatee in the future- Do goatees make a comeback in the 2040’s? I hope not. SMS

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Take a tour of the International Owl Center in Houston and the National Eagle Center in Wasbasha Story by PAT GARRY Contributing Writer

wls are among our most fascinating birds, both to watch and to hear. They have long evoked curiosity in people, due to their secretive and often nocturnal habits, fierce predatory behavior, and interesting appearance. Many people might be surprised by how common owls are; it just

takes a bit of knowledge and searching to find them; and the effort is worthwhile. Despite their feeding habits, bald eagles are graceful and fascinating creatures. At five years old, these birds seek a lifelong partner by performing courtship calls and aerial displays, including a cartwheel maneuver known as the death spiral. The spectacle begins at a high altitude as the eagles lock their talons while tumbling down, breaking apart just before hitting the ground. The dangerous display exhibits the fitness levels of the eagles, a factor in choosing a partner. International Owl Center (126 E. Cedar St. - Houston, MN) Houston’s International Owl Center is the only all-owl education center in the United States. By focusing just on owls, the

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Houston Center has the luxury of going far more in-depth about owls, than do raptor centers. The IOC explores cultural, conservational, and global aspects of owls, while simultaneously educating the public on the local species. The goal at the International Owl Center is to make the world a better place for owls, primarily through education and research. The staff presents educational programs, using live owls to teach people more about owls, how humans impact them, and how to live an owl-friendly life. People can visit the center or arrange to have a live owl brought to them for their programs. “We at the International Owl Center stage programs for many schools and libraries, and also for adult bus trips, colleges, nursing homes, birding groups, and

other adult learners,” said Executive Director Karla Bloem. It all started with Alice, the Great Horned Owl. She fell out of her nest in Antigo, WI in 1997 and permanently injured her left wing. She came to Houston to work with Karla as an educational ambassador owl in 1998; in preparation for starting the Houston Nature Center. The Nature Center is Houston’s “red carpet” to the Root River Trail, so it is also about tourism. Once it opened in 2001, Alice was the star of the show. In 2003, Bloem started a Festival of Owls as a celebration of Alice’s hatch day in late winter. “We had a surprisingly large response and within a few years, people were flying in from around the country, so we expanded the Festival to an international

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scope,” Bloem said. When the event started attracting more than 1,000 people, Bloem realized there was no owl education center in the United States…so the International Owl Center was created. It opened as a non-profit organization four years ago in 2015. Alice is now 22 years old and was given official permission to retire last fall, by the Minnesota DNR and US Fish and Wildlife Service. The center’s biggest event of the year is the

International Festival of Owls, held annually the first weekend in March. The staff also celebrates International Owl Awareness Day, the first weekend in August. Each summer, the folks hold a capital fundraiser, featuring a locally-sourced artisan breakfast and live auction, in the Breakfast with Owls event. In the Fall and running through March, there is an owl prowl, designed to call in wild owls once a month; as well as a pellet

dissection day, where everyone who comes to the center can dissect an owl pellet. Karla says she loves to continually learn more about owls, especially from experts throughout the world. “I also love making a difference…like when visitors tell me that they aren’t going to cut down a dead tree, or will never use mouse poison again, based on what they learned at the Owl Center.” The good people at the Center have plans to

build a new venue. Currently in site-acquisition mode, the future facility will have many large aviaries to house owls on display. The birds that are handled in programs will be housed where the public can’t see them, so they will get more down time to relax. The plan is to have several walk-through aviaries, where visitors actually

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CONTINUED from page 11 navigate through the side of the aviary with nothing between them and the live, unrestrained owls; living in a vegetated habitat. The new facility will allow the business to be open seven days a week, and it will house many more species of owls. “There is so much diversity in owls. Some are day-active, some don’t have silent flight, most don’t turn their heads 270 degrees, most can’t catch prey in total darkness…so everything we’ve learned about owls doesn’t apply to all of them. As an all-owl center, we have the luxury of going into these details that are rarely, if ever, covered in books and elsewhere” – Karla Bloem. The National Eagle Center (Downtown Wabasha, MN) The National Eagle Center is an environmental, interpretive center that is home to and cares for (among others) five permanently injured bald and golden eagles. They educate the public about eagles, raptors, the Mississippi River, and the environment, through the eagles and their stories. The Center’s mission is: connecting people with eagles in nature, history and cultures. Visitors to the Center enjoy a unique experience that puts them nose-to-beak with the live eagles, exciting daily classroom programs, two-floors

of interactive exhibits, wild eagle viewing and a variety of special activities and field trips throughout the year. “Our audience is very di-

verse! Our circa 80,000 annual visitors come from all 50 states and an average of 115 countries; in addition to school groups, tour groups, veterans,

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active-adults, families with kids, and nature enthusiasts. We host daily programs at the Center, as well as travel to schools, nature centers, community events and veteran events throughout the Upper Midwest,” explained Marketing Manager Ed Hahn. Wabasha sits on a unique stretch of the Mississippi River, where the current is strong enough to maintain open water year-round. Due to that open water, Wabasha is typically a gathering spot of bald eagles during the winter months, because they still have access to their primary food source – fish. At the height of bald eagle endangerment (the 1970s and 80s) when seeing a wild bald eagle was rare, Wabasha was one of the last places in the continental United States where a person could reliably see a bald eagle. Local birders and eagle enthusiasts

would gather in Wabasha on the banks of the river during the winter to watch eagles. In 1989, that group formed Eaglewatch, Inc., the legal name for the National Eagle Center. The NEC hosts a variety of special activities and events throughout the year. In the summer months, they host a youth fishing program, Fishing on the Refuge, which provides an added-value fishing opportunity to kids aged 15 and younger (fishing license in MN not required). The Center also offers complimentary admission to activeduty military personnel and their families as a Blue Star Museum. During the Fall, the Center hosts special activities like Wabasha’s SeptOberfest Festival, which runs throughout September and October. November through April ushers-in a

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series of guided bald and golden eagle field trips (via bus) which are traveling classroom experiences that take guests to eagle hotspots where they can watch them through binoculars and scopes, take photos and observe eagle nests; while also learning about the habitat and other native wildlife. Finally, each weekend in March, the NEC hosts its annual SOAR with the Eagles Festival, with special programs and exhibits. The festival is a great opportunity for visitors to meet other varieties of raptors, experience flying bird shows, enjoy cultural exhibits and meet other animals. Hahn says that some of the most satisfying things about being at the center is having the ability to share the amazing eagle ambassadors with such a wide variety of guests, on a daily basis. “The eagles really create a special connection with humans, and seeing people’s excitement at being so close to live eagles is always fun. When guests visit, it isn’t long before they are sharing their eagle stories and experience with us,” Hahn remarked. The National Eagle Center is currently preparing for

a major expansion over the next 3-4 years. Current visitor demand requires that they supply more space for eagles, education and exhibits. To accommodate their growing needs, officials are planning to double the current footprint of the Center. That includes renovating the first (four) buildings (storefronts) on Main Street in downtown Wabasha, just across the alley from the Center. Despite the name “National” Eagle Center, the Wabasha establishment is a private non-profit and not part of the National Park System. The National Eagle Center is currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2019. “We extend a special invitation to anyone who has never before visited the Center and the eagle ambassadors. It is a great time (2019) to re-discover the National Eagle Center if it has been a number of years since your last visit. We invite those who enjoy their experience to help sustain our important mission, through membership,” said Hahn. SMS

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Story by PAT GARRY Contributing Writer f you’re itching to take a short drive for big fun, consider a quick cruise to visit some nearby jewels. Red Barn Learning Farm (Hayfield), Pauley Alpaca Company (Rochester) and Reptile & Amphibian Discovery Zoo (Owatonna) provide endless memories for your family outing, and you won’t travel far from home for that perfect getaway.

RED BARN LEARNING FARM

(17 miles SW of Rochester on Hwy. 30 between Stewartville and Hayfield) Brenna and Brian Scanlan’s business is all about offering a fun, com-

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A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

fortable and educational introduction to a farm. It was mostly inspired by Brenna, who never had any relatives with farms; and she spent all of her school field trips at local nature centers. She felt a sincere need for city kids to experience a farm and to understand the farm-to-food connection. “We have a large petting zoo as well as other farm-related activities. We cater to mostly families and school groups that enjoy the experience of visiting animals and playing in the country,” said Brenna. The Learning Farm’s season opens for special activities on Farm Fridays, April-September; they are open for an Easter Egg Gathering, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Enjoy Pizza Nights on the Farm, once a month during the summer. In the fall, the Farm is open every weekend for pumpkin season and the season culminates with a Goats & Goblins Halloween Party on the premises. Additionally, a new event has been implemented; (August 31) Family Feast on the Farm: a farm-to-table meal created by chefs and served family style. Brian and Brenna have added farm camps, and future plans include having a yearround facility, in order to operate the entire year; rather than just seasonal. “We would like people to know that EVERY kid that has ever come to our Farm has loved the experience. It is worth

your time and money to visit our little farm for some BIG fun!” Brenna exclaimed.

PAULEY ALPACA COMPANY (Eastwood Rd. Southeast, Rochester)

Owners Brett and Jennifer Pauley invite you to the Pauley Alpaca farm, just minutes from downtown Rochester. Feel the fleece, tour the farm, and check out the gift shop for alpaca clothing and unique gift ideas. The farm is open by appointment or during Open Houses. Don’t miss the upcoming North Star Farm Tour (Saturday, September 28 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, September 29 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - rain or shine). It is a self-guided tour of fiber farms in the greater Twin Cities region. Also, on display are local artisans and blacksmithing demonstrations. It’s an awesome opportunity to meet the alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals, and the luxury fiber they produce. “We welcome you to join us at our farm. You can experience some of the joy we receive from raising these won-

A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c al e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & Cli c k + A d d a n E v ent

derful animals. Take a tour and seek unique alpaca gifts in our retail shop,” Jennifer said. There are a few different aspects of the Pauley’s business that allow them to cater to several different people. The fiber production part of the business caters to knitters, those who like to crochet; crafts people and fiber artists. Alpaca fiber is considered a luxury fiber and has many wonderful characteristics that many folks pursue. Alpaca fiber is warmer than wool, as soft as cashmere, hypoallergenic, naturally moisture wicking, durable and flame resistant, and it contains no lanolin. In the spring of the year, Jennifer and Brett conduct business with gardeners and landscapers who are seeking alpaca compost as a

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CONTINUED from page 13 locally-sourced, natural, slow-release, low-odor soil amendment. “Over the last couple of years, we have grown the agritourism part of our business, by hosting birthday parties, field trips, and private events,” Brett commented. The Pauleys originally purchased their first alpacas simply for self-enjoyment. However, as both their herd and visit requests grew, they saw an opportunity to share the love for these animals and the fiber they produce. At various times of the year, PAC presents outings like Alpaca Yoga on the farm. Participants get to enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience, performing gentle yoga alongside the grazing alpacas. Occasionally, Jennifer and Brett host an evening of improvised comedy with The Squirrel Association, a local improv comedy troupe. The whacky group puts on a clean, all-ages show, suitable for older children and young teens (but still fun for adults). The Pauleys are always looking to enhance the business. They are adding miniature fainting goats to the farm in the next couple of weeks. Some of the proposed new events include Christmas in July and an annual cribbage tournament. “When we moved to our farm, we had no intention of owning alpacas (or horses, chickens, ducks, and goats) but the experience

as unlocked a part of us that we didn’t know we had. We learned to welcome new experiences, and not waste any time in chasing new dreams,” Brett & Jennifer.

REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN DISCOVERY ZOO (3297 County Rd. 45 N. Owatonna)

Zoo co-owner and director Jamie Adam Pastika, has run the business with his wife, Melissa Gail Pastika and their staff, for the past eight years. The RAD Zoo is one of the largest displays of reptiles and amphibians in the world, with more than 150 different kinds of snakes, turtles, lizards, crocodilians, and amphibians, all on display. “We cater to families looking for a fun, educational experience for their kids. We make a point that everyone who visits our Zoo has an opportunity to pet at least one animal, typically an alligator or a large boa or python,” said Jamie. There are daily shows where guests have a chance to learn more about the animals and tortoises, as well as pet a few of them at show’s end. On the weekends there are scheduled feeding times when guests can come out

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and watch many of the snakes and crocodilians dining. The Pastikas are constantly working on new exhibits at the Zoo. They have recently started to focus on dinosaurs and have added several dinosaur statues and some fossils. Pastika said that there are many satisfying aspects of being a zookeeper; like taking care of the animals by trying to build them homes similar to what they would experience in the wild. Mostly, he enjoys watching how excited the kids get when they are given a chance to interact directly with the animals. “Our goal at the Zoo is to try to instill a greater appreciation for wildlife and wild places among our children, so that they will grow up to help preserve them,” Jamie explained. SMS My experience spans 19-years, and I will apply my skills to help beef-up any lifeless copy within your website, brochure, press release, catalog, etc. - patgarry@charter.net

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Join us at the 158th Goodhue County Fair in Zumbrota, Minnesota! Visit goodhuecountyfair.com for more info

August 6-10, 2019 GRAND STAND EVENTS

FREE EVENTS EVERY DAY!

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

LAwn Mower Derby AnD KiD’s Power wheeLs Derby

All American Lumberjack show

Free show!

Located on the southwest side of beer garden

wednesday, August 7, 2019

Join us each day for actionpacked lumberjack competitions, intricate wood carvings and kid’s lumberjack camps!

DeMoLiTion Derby

Adults - $12.00, Under 12 - $6.00 Thursday, August 8, 2019

TrAcTor PULL

Wednesday, August 7 at noon and 5 p.m. Thursday, August 8 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday, August 9 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, August 10 at noon, 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Adults - $10.00, Under 12 - $5.00 Friday, August 9, 2019

Kid’s lumberjack camps will follow the Wednesday noon show, and Thursday/Friday/ Saturday 3 p.m shows.

AUTocross rAcing

Adults - $12.00, Under 12 - $8.00 saturday, August 10, 2019

DeMoLiTion Derby

Adults - $15.00, Under 12 - $10.00

• granpa

cratchet’s Puppet show - Shows on Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday • FFA children’s barnyard - Open Tuesday-Saturday • goodhue county historical society - Daily shows Tuesday-Saturday

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A dog at BENCHS closes his eyes as sunlight shows through a window in his kennel at BENCHS. Each kennel holds an exterior door that opens into a fenced in area that dogs can play and socialize in.

Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society:

Loving homes and collaboration are the mission 16

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Story & Photos by GAGE CURETON Contributing Writer

or Susan Kroon, one of the many fulfilling aspects of her role at the Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society (BENCHS) is connecting homeless animals with loving

families. “The easy answer is just seeing cats or dogs matched with a loving home and watching them leave,” Kroon said. “That’s a very heartwarming thing whether I’m here personally or staff tell me about it.” Kroon, President of the BENCHS Board of Directors, said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the independent, nonprofit organization’s role in south central Minnesota as a shelter and adoption service for animals. Relying solely on donations, fund-raising events and memberships for funding, BENCHS continues to find homes for animals in need of a caring

family. “Ultimately, that’s the mission,” she said. “Getting all these homeless animals to a home.” In the last two years alone, Kroon said BENCHS con-

Samantha, a six to eight-week-old kitten, was brought to BENCHS after a person had found her near a roadside ditch. Strays and animals that may need extra care are often brought to BENCHS. A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

nected nearly 1,300 animals with loving families. She said it’s an immense number of animals for the shelter to care for, and despite the large volume of animals passing through BENCHS, she said they don’t plan to expand their building and shelter facilities. Rather than expanding their shelter, Kroon said BENCHS is focusing on how to grow their existing programs and connections with area organizations and businesses. She said they’re aiming to expand their existing programs into more robust and proficient operations. One of those programs, which has volunteers walk dogs at the shelter, is a vital socialization tool BENCHS uses to introduce the canines to other dogs and people in the community. Kroon said dogs at the shelter can meet up to 30 other dogs in a single week while volunteers lead them around Mankato. Through this socialization process, Kroon said they document what the dog and the volunteer walker were exposed to while on the walk and use this information to build a personality profile. They then use this information to match the dog to a preferred home setting. “It’s a really important part of our program,” she said, “Not just because they need to go out and go potty, but it’s that socialization and that interaction that’s important.” Kroon said BENCHS is also working to expand its foster care program that has animals at the shelter live in foster homes for short periods of time. She said this program exists for animals at the shelter who need a bit more time to adjust or even pregnant dogs that need a quiet environment. After peo-

off and give it to you if you’re adopting,” she said. “When you go to the vet they can log back on our system and see the full history of that animal.” Kroon said BENCHS also performs daily check-ups on animals in the shelter and logs their conditions into the system. Once an animal has been adopted, owners and veterinarians have a complete day to day history of the animal’s medical history. “We can communicate with the veterinarians in a more seamless manner than phone calls or a fax,” Kroon said. “That’s been one of our big, wonderful changes.” BENCHS has also expanded into local businesses and organizations in Mankato. Kroon said PetSmart in Mankato has devoted a portion of their building to cat adoptions in addition to allowing BENCHS a space in the building to microchip dogs and cats. Kroon said BENCHS wouldn’t exist without these types of partnerships, their volunteers or help from the community. “It’s also really been an amazing journey for me because our program is embraced by the community,” she said. “We get great support from events and donations and gifts and activities – our fosters, all our volun-

ple’s home are evaluated, they can open their doors to an animal In addition to the expansion of its animal care programs, BENCHS improved their operating procedures and how they keep track of all the animals residing there. Two years ago, BENCHS upgraded from a paper filing system to a digital database that can store information on animals currently staying at the shelter and even animals who have already found a home. Kroon said the database holds all the animals’ medical history including time of vaccinations, date of deworming and even general comments. “When you leave, we can print that

Rachel Finch, an animal care technician at BENCHS, spends time with Copper, a nineyear-old Coon Hound. Copper is currently under special care and attention because of an old injury.

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Martha Bohrer, one of “many, many volunteers” at BENCHS, pets Jodi, a Pitbull terrier, in her kennel after feeding her a treat. Bohrer began volunteering after her dog had passed away.

CONTINUED from page 17 teers.” All year round, BENCHS hosts fundraising events in the community such as plant sales, community garage sales and their annual Running for Rescues 5K race in September. Some of these events, Kroon said, can raise upwards of $20,000 in a single day. Kroon said BENCHS has seen a lot of growth in the expansion of its community collaboration programs – particularly with restaurants. On June 23, restaurants and bars in downtown Mankato will host “Yappy Hour,” where dog owners can bring their pets onto participating restaurants’ patios. Each bar will donate a percentage of their sales to BENCHS. “It’s a collaboration between us and those businesses,” she said. “They want to let people know that their dog is welcome on their patio. With the

nice weather it’s a wonderful thing to do.” Andrew Burk, BENCHS Executive Director, said he can’t thank the community enough for the support they’ve provided to the shelter. He said the most fulfilling portion of his job is seeing people’s reactions when they meet animals at the shelter and the faces of the dogs and cats that leave with their new families. Burk reflected on a couple’s recent visit to BENCHS to meet a dog in need of a home and to see if the dog was compatible with them. He said the dog, Jodi, a Pitbull terrier, and her reaction to the couple stunned him. “We’ve seen [Jodi] react with other people before, but she went right up to the couple and literally laid on her back with her belly up just saying ‘pet me.’ She hasn’t done that for a longtime. We can see that it’s a good pair. That there is just fulfilling.” SMS

TOP RIGHT: A cat rests on Susan Kroon’s shoulder after being taken out of its “condo” living space at BENCHS. BOTTOM RIGHT: Archie, a two-year-old domestic short hair, stands in the doorway of his “condo,” which is a living space for cats at BENCHS. The condos feature sliding glass doors, a window with a view outside and cat furniture.

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Call for information & Reservations: 507.835.1146 After 4pm: 507.837.9848

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1220 e. Frontage rd owatonna, Mn 55060 507-214-7387 Follow us on

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Story by PAT GARRY Contributing Writer

inally, patio season is here again, and that means it’s time to hit a few of the best al fresco dining and drinking destinations in Southern Minnesota. If you’re starving for sunshine, to be romanced by the sidewalk sounds of a city, be pampered by the peacefulness of a patio garden, or be mesmerized by the view of a soothing lake, look no further. Whether you seek a brunch in the breeze, a sunset supper, or a long lunch, all of it tastes best outside. Visit a few of these top, casual hot spots for some excellent outdoor dining. Dan’s Bar & Grill (New Trier) Constructed ten years ago, the patio at Dan’s is a wonderfully unique extension of the interior space. A truly intimate, cozy milieu, the patio space includes real, thriving trees among the seating and provide a good amount of shade for customers. Set behind the outside, multi-seat bar is a picnic/garden area. Danielle Durow is head chef and daughter of owner, Danette. “We connected it with our existing, outside bar/patio and the two areas really complement each other. It allows a space for games like bean bags and Jenga, and it is a perfect setting for private parties,” explained Danielle. Dan’s menu selections are very comprehensive and can be classified as upscale bar food. They offer unique burgers, gourmet appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and an entrée list that includes blackened salmon, an 8-oz. filet mignon and Cajun chicken alfredo. Every Thursday is Stuffed Burger Night, which highlights one of seven different gourmet, stuffed burgers. Too, children’s and senior’s menus are available. Among the beverage offerings are extensive lines of domestic and craft-tap beers. “We also offer a fun, specialty-drink menu that we change up seasonally, and we are proud to present a house Sangria and Maple Old-Fashioned,” Danielle said. Reads Landing Brewing Company (Reads Landing) RLBC’s patio boasts numerous, unique features, like unobstructed views of the Mississippi River; great for pleasure boat and barge watching, or just lazy

Dan’s Bar & Grill 22

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BreakfaSt Mon. - fri. 8-11 aM Sat. 7-11 aM, Sun. 8:30 - 11:30

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river gazing. The deck is adorned with Adirondack chairs; and picnic tables in the lawn area are self-serve; setup for beer, wine, cocktails and appetizers. Even leashed and owner-supervised dogs are welcome in the yard. “The ambiance of our outdoor space is always laid back and casual. We want people to relax and enjoy themselves. It’s nice to just sit and watch the river go by, with one of our hand-crafted beers to sip on! As the sun sets over Lake Pepin and begins to glow red and purple, it illuminates the sandstone bluffs across the river, with a soft, pink glow that warms the heart…it is a must see!” exclaimed Karla. Although the patio is not open during the winter months, there

is still plenty to absorb. Reads Landing is known as the best place for eagle, swan and pelican watching on the Upper Mississippi. They are known for their handcrafted beers, including six on tap, ranging from a light, cream ale to a hearty stout served, on nitro. The food is not the typical bar-fare; however, burgers and fries, or soft pretzel sticks, are available. RLBC’s Cordon Bleu-trained chef has fashioned a far-ranging menu that includes fresh salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, steaks and entrees. The Schedlbauers serve up signature dishes like shrimp & grits appetizers, mahi-mahi fish tacos, jerk chicken tacos, cranberry/ butternut squash risotto, pulled pork sandwiches (smoked inhouse), and delicious home-made soups. Whistle Binkies on the Lake (South Rochester) Whistle Binkies on the Lake (South) is located at 247 Woodlake Dr. SE. “Our patio at the lake location is unique in its large size, which gives us an ability to host larger groups. We also utilize a Beer Garden in a portion of it for hosting parties. It’s a permanent structure with glass, garage doors for the walls; that we can open-up on nice days,” General Manager Craig Kangas said. The most unique part

CONTINUED page 24

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Kelly’s Tap House Bar & Grill

High Court Pub CONTINUED from page 23

of the patio is the lake view (Wood Lake). Set among beautiful flower arrangements, a sand beach, and a fire pit, the patio offers a casual and relaxing feeling. Some of the popular food choices include varieties of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and home-made desserts. Additionally, WB prepares traditional British/ Scottish dishes, including Shepherd’s Pie, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, and Scotch Eggs. Their beer selection exceeds 400 and the

Binkie’s bartenders whip up some awesome home-made Bloody Marys. “We are fortunate with the support we receive from area residents and the visitors to the area who take some time to stop by to see what we have to offer. We couldn’t do it without the tremendous support of everyone,” Kangas added. High Court Pub (Lanesboro) Paul and Louanne Hamann own the popular two-deck establishment. “Our covered deck is right outside our back door. The river deck directly overlooks the Root River South branch. Folks can enjoy sunshine or shade. The deck has tree cover and umbrellas with fairy lighting for evening enjoyment. Of course, tunes play in the background; but for many, the sound of the river is the best music,” said Louanne. Open MIC and weekend performers use the river deck whenever weather allows. The deck area displays numerous bird feeders that attract a great variety of birds. Yoga classes are offered on the deck on Sunday mornings, from June through September. Watch fly fishing in action in the nearby stream, directly below the deck. A pub garden and beautiful landscaping surround the deck, which easily seats 50 people. The Pub offers a variety of tap beers, from sours to Imperial Stouts; in addition to daily flights, an extensive wine list, Bloody Marys, martinis, Old-Fashioned cocktails, and much more. Paul and Louanne present in-house crafted flatbreads, wings, and pretzel bites. Some favorite flatbreads include Krab Rangoon,

Chicken Bacon Ranch, BLT, and Spinach Artichoke, Classic Cheeseburger Flatbread, and a Blueberry Crumble Dessert Flatbread. “Our staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and they will treat you right. Catch live music on weekends. Our indoor stage floats just above the first floor for a great view of the performer. Outside, we sponsor events with other Lanesboro Arts initiatives; Trivia on Tuesdays; Open MIC on Thursdays. Players

Brewskie’s Bar & Grill

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Torge’s Live include musicians, poets, and karaoke singers. We even have a Ukulele Club!” Louanne exclaimed. This is the ultimate community gathering place…it would be wise to make an appearance in the High Court Pub. Torge’s Live (Austin) The spacious patio has a capacity of 75, and with the pavilion-style set up, it can be used during rainy weather. Joe Chidester is the Food and Beverage Manager of Torge’s Live. “It also creates a more laid-back environment for people to gather in when we have live music on the weekends. The window drapes and the heaters also allow it to be used during “chilly” weather,” commented Chidester. Torge’s Live offers typical sportspub food, like wings (with in-house prepared sauces) and burgers (fresh, daily hand-patted and cooked over an open flame). The bar features 14 beer tap lines and the best happy hour in the area (Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. - all tap beers are half-off; appetizers are half-off; and all wings are $7.00). “I highly recommend the Hangover Burger. It’s an 8-oz. beef patty topped with bacon, hash browns, American cheese, an over-easy egg, and smothered in hollandaise sauce,” suggested Chidester. Brewskie’s Bar & Grill (Utica) A family-friendly small-town bar & grill, Brewskie’s is owned and operated by Tim Schultz and Greg Swenson. The guys feature an airy, casual and comfy patio section for all to enjoy; complete with bean bag games, background music, and party spaces if necessary. Too, live music is featured occasionally throughout the summer. Offering eight tap beer lines, Brewskie’s also offers bottled beer, mixed drinks and sodas. Enjoy a perfectly prepared hamburger or have a scrumptious pizza (any type of pie and a plethora of toppings from which to choose). Kelly’s Tap House Bar & Grill (Red Wing) Kelly’s vaunts the ultimate in patio dining, with a circa 100 capacity seating arrangement. The spacious area features a full bar, 12 rotating tap beers, and two 10-foot brick fire tables. It can accommodate parties of 20-25 at the two tables; 3/4 of the deck has a roof; the deck has TVs, live music during the summer; and most importantly, there are spectacular views of the boat harbor, boat houses, and the Missis-

sippi River. Kelly’s Tap House Bar & Grill (in-house), sports 73 rotating taps, a full bar with over 60 kinds of bourbon, and wine on tap. You can find summer slush drinks and a full menu, ranging from house-ground burgers to prime steaks, and stonefired pizzas. A popular house favorite is the Butcher Burger; a combination of short rib, sirloin, brisket and chuck. Another highly requested choice is the awesome bone-in rib eye. These are, of course, just SOME of the great outdoor dining options available in the region. There are countless more to try – from Froggy Bottoms in Northfield to 3rd Street Tavern in St. Peter

to Boat House Grill and Bar in Waseca – so go out and see Southern Minnesota the way it’s supposed to be seen: in the sunshine! SMS My experience spans 19-years, and I will apply my skills to help beef-up any lifeless copy within your website, brochure, press release, catalog, etc. - patgarry@charter.net

Our staff is caring, friendly, and professional. At L.A. Nails, we are striving for perfection. We work hard to provide excellent service in a wonderful atmosphere! We are different! Our pedicure chairs are pipeless, high standard, sterilized equipment that eliminates 99.9% of germs, bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

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Story by DAN GREENWOOD Contributing Writer

nvasive plants like buckthorn and garlic mustard were brought to Minnesota from Europe for landscaping in the 1800s, but quickly outwore their welcome. Chances are, if you’ve been on a walk in the woods, you’ve seen the large tree-like buckthorn shrubs with thorns and blackberries dominating the landscape. Garlic mustard, an edible plant that smells and tastes like garlic, covers the forest floor, preventing native plants and wildflowers from taking root. Now there’s an unlikely hero fighting back to help restore balance to the Southern Minnesota ecosystem: goats. Six years ago, Jake Langeslag, an ecology graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, spent nearly all of his free time in the woods by his rural Rice County home pulling invasive plants like garlic mustard and buckthorn from the ground, only to discover they would come back with a vengeance, but he didn’t want to use herbicides. That’s when a friend with a few goats suggested he borrow them and see if they could push back against the plants. It worked, so he acquired his own goats. Then a neighbor asked to borrow them. In 2015, Riverbend Nature Center in Faribault decided to give it a try. Last year, his herd expanded to over 400 goats; with new kids born this year, the herd is pushing

500. His goats have travelled throughout Southern Minnesota with the goal of combating invasive plant species, visiting state parks, wildlife refuges, college campuses, parks and land managed by the Minnesota Department of Nature Resources. This summer marks the fourth consecutive season the goats will be a fixture at the Carleton College campus and arboretum in Northfield. Carleton College Grounds Manager Jay Stadler had heard that Langeslag had successfully used goats at other locations to push back against invasives. Their thick skin, and tough mouth and tongue allow them to walk through and munch away thorny vines and leaves. They even eat thistles without batting an eye. “Last year we had 55 goats on campus,” Stadler said. “We take them in the third week of June and will keep them until the students come back in September.” The goats come and go for short stints ranging from a couple days on private land, all the way up to months at a time for larger areas. Langeslag runs the business, Goat Dispatch, with his wife Amanda on a farm a couple miles south of Faribault. This spring they spent some time at Flandrau State Park near New Ulm, and some will be going up to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington. They

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rotate from one section of land until they’d consumed leaves and bark from invasive plants, surrounded by makeshift electric fencing. When they finish one area, Langeslag and his crew move the fencing so they can graze a new section. “People really enjoy coming out to parks and watching the animals working on the buckthorn; it’s quite a draw,” said Lang-

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eslag. “They do really well on vines, prickly gooseberry, raspberry, sumac, a lot of the plants and trees that grow really quick and fast and are hard to keep on top of. They really love those. The brush is where the goats really excel.” What began as a part-time side job on the weekends has blossomed into a full-fledged business. During peak season in the summer, Langeslag has three to four full time employees, along with a dozen people who check in on the goats at each location. “We find a lot of our customers miss the goats so much after they leave that they’ll come and work for us,” Langeslag said. Where and when they are placed in a specific area depends

in abundance, eating leaves in the summer and bark in the winter. Goats are picking up where the long-gone elk left off after they disappeared from Minnesota in the mid-1800s. “They actually have a hierarchy of what they eat and the order and time of year,” Langeslag said. “Every different season has a plus and a minus,” Langeslag said. “May is garlic mustard season and then that starts to taper off because it starts to go to seed. For buckthorn, we can almost go to that year round, thistles are June and July and the vines are all year.” Langeslag said the goats have become quite the draw for people visiting parks and public land where they are grazing, and Stadler said people come out to Carleton College intentionally to watch the goats. He’ll get emails on occasion from – Jake Langeslag visitors wondering where to find them. “Our fencing goes right to our sidewalks,” Stadler said. “They’re really well received here on campus; almost therapeutic to a point. A lot of folks like to schedule their days with a walk to where the goats are to go visit with them, so it’s been fun.” SMS

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“People really enjoy coming out to parks and watching the animals working on the buckthorn; it’s quite a draw. They do really well on vines, prickly gooseberry, raspberry, sumac, a lot of the plants and trees that grow really quick and fast and are hard to keep on top of. They really love those. The brush is where the goats really excel.” on what kinds of plants they are targeting, and what plants the customer wants to preserve. Because goats have a reputation for eating just about anything, they are strategically placed to target invasive plants, while protecting the native plants. With his ecology background, Langeslag believes the goats are doing what traditionally was done by elk, when they roamed across Minnesota

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New restaurant aims to join in

Story & Photos by JAY FURST Contributing Writer

here was a time when you could run your boat on Lake Zumbro from south of the White Bridge Road, well above the Sandy Point Supper Club, to the very north end, past Rattlesnake Point to the century-old dam and powerhouse. Those days are gone, as is the supper club, which was replaced about 15 years ago by condos. Over the years, the 600acre Zumbro River reservoir has filled in and become murky and shallow in all but the main channel. The lake is only 15 miles north of Rochester, but it may as well be in Kandiyohi County for as often as Rochester people make the trek. A $7.5 million dredging project is now underway, though, after years of planning and efforts to get state help, and homeowners and “lake people” are hoping it restores some of the fun and luster to the place. Ditto for the three restaurant owners on

the lake, including Steve Overton, who last fall reopened the former Ponderosa Supper Club on the northwest side of the lake. Now called The Pondy, the restaurant and bar is on a deadend road along with the Ponderosa Campground, so Overton has the advantage of a hungry and thirsty neighborhood around him, plus six slips on the lake. On a recent Thursday night, the bar was packed and Overton was hustling to keep burgers and steaks coming out of the kitchen. “When I opened this up, I was 110 percent confident in the kitchen, and the rest -- I was kind of winging it,” he said. “Now I’m feeling a lot better about the bar and everything. We’re figuring it out.”

Flip-flop state of mind It doesn’t hurt that the extra-long winter is over and people have returned to their campers and boats. That night, a few boaters were out, trying for bass and panfish. On the gate to a small house across the road from the bar, there’s a sign that says,

“Flip-Flop Area,” and that’s the mindset Overton is counting on. He has 20 years of restaurant experience in Rochester, starting at Carter’s restaurant, now home to Daube’s Bakery, when he was 14. Along the way, he worked at Martin’s, the Hoffman House and John Barleycorn, three other Rochester favorites that have gone away, plus a stint at Applebee’s, before getting into the construction business. One day last year, he was at the marina in Wabasha, where he has a boat, and got talking with the owner of the supper club building, which had been vacant for three years after Its last incarnation as a bar and grill called Grandpa Ed’s. One thing led to another and Overton, 45, now has a five-year lease. “I always kind of wanted to get back into the restaurant business,” he said, “and after 20 years, now I am.” He sure is. The building isn’t much to look at outside, aside with the towering TV antenna, but it has big windows overlooking the lake, a large event room where his own wedding reception will be held in September, a patio for live music, two decks that face the lake, a modest boat launch and a floating dock. He had to expand the kitchen to accommodate the food he wants

TOP: Steve Overton, who has 20 years of restaurant experience in Rochester, has reopened an old supper club on Lake Zumber. Now called The Pondy Restaurant and Bar, it’s about 17 miles north of Rochester.

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IF YOU GO The Pondy Restaurant and Bar

40240 County Road 90, Mazeppa 507-843-9783 Facebook: www.facebook.com/thepondyrestaurantandbar/ Hours: 4 p.m. to close, WednesdayThursday; 11 a.m. to close, FridaySunday, closed Monday-Tuesday Directions: From Rochester, go north on U.S. 52, take exit 68 at what’s known as the Bridge to Nowhere toward Plainview on County Road 12 East for about two miles, take the second exit from the roundabout onto County Road 12 (White Bridge Road) for about 1 1/2 miles, go left on Power Dam Road for about about two miles, go right on County Road 90 (Ponderosa Road) for about a mile. Known for: Filet mignon, burgers, and boat slips out front.

Fisherman’s Inn

8 Fisherman Drive, Oronoco 507-367-4567 Website: fishermaninn.com Hours: 5 p.m-close. Monday-Friday, 4:30 p.m.-close Saturday, 11 a.m.close Sunday Known for: Seafood, the view of the water ski shows, and the boat launch, for customers only.

Uncle John’s Bar & Grill

12510 Oak Lodge Lane NE, Rochester 507-367-4903 Jennifer Galuska and Brad Borowski, of Rochester, with their dog Rooney, enjoy the view at The Pondy, on the northwest side of Lake Zumbro. A $7.5 million dredging project is underway on the lake, and homeowners and businesses are hoping the project helps revitalize the lake.

to serve: top-notch steaks, seafood pasta and nightly specials Wednesday to Sunday. “I’m more of a fine-dining kind of person,” he said, and while the menu is limited, he wants the burgers and steaks to be reasons for Rochester people to go there, along with the view. Overton, who with his fiancee Devra Clawson is working overtime to make it go, is well-aware of the challenge. “We’re on a dead-end road, so you have to be kind of intending to come here,” he said. It doesn’t help that the address is Mazeppa, which sounds like light-years away from Rochester. At this point, he doesn’t have a big marketing budget, but he’s confident the word-of-mouth will get out, and in the meantime he has fans in the campground. Campers in full summer mode -- tank tops, shorts and yes, flip-flops -- pick up orders to go, have a cocktail with friends and buy pull tabs. Two dredges are now at work in the Sandy Point area, and workers have assembled about four miles of PVC pipe to pump sludge to a pit two miles away and return cleaner water to the lake. By the time they’re done this fall, they’ll have removed about 400,000 cubic yards of muck, about 20,000 truckloads. Jim Peterson, the long-time owner of Fisherman’s Inn, about a mile south of The Pondy, says he isn’t too concerned about the dredges mucking around with lake business. “They say their plan is to stay out of everybody’s way,” he said. “It probably won’t be too dramatic, but who knows?” John Stancyk, who owns Uncle John’s Bar and Grill just across the channel from Peterson, says the work is in a part of the lake that was all but inaccessible anyway. “Maybe some fishing people go down that way, but over time, all the boat traffic has been getting crunched into a smaller area.”

The dredging at minimum will “make room for more people” on the lake, said Stancyk, 57, who has owned Uncle John’s for seven years. “It gets pretty busy out here when boaters can only use two-thirds of the lake. It

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ UncleJohnsBarandGrill/ Hours: 5 p.m.-close Wednesday, 4-10 p.m. Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday-Tuesday. Known for: Broasted chicken, the house Bloody Mary mix, which is sold in area stores, and meat raffles.

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The Pondy has six slips for boaters who want to stop for a beer or a bite. The Zumbro River reservoir is about 30 feet deep in the area, though other areas of the lake have filled with sediment over the years. A dredging project this summer is intended to restore the lake’s boating, fishing and water quality.

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CONTINUED from page 29 makes a difference.” Whether that translates into more business for him and others is another matter. “Business has stayed pretty constant over the years, growing every year, so it’s hard for me to judge,” he said. Adding Pondy’s to the mix may help. “I don’t think it hurts to have another option -- it’s kind of like car dealerships, they all want to be together” and potentially share the business, Stancyk said.

Project aims to restore lake’s appeal Fisherman’s Inn has been around for about a hundred years, and Peterson, 66, has owned it for 32 years this month. He’s cautiously optimistic about how the dredging will affect the lake and the people who live and work here. “From the standpoint that it needed to be done, it’s a good thing. It’ll have a positive effect -- it’s too early to know how positive. But the $25,000 question is, what are you doing to keep it from happening again?” Whether that’s even possible on a river that drains tens of thousands of acres of farm and bluff land is about as clear as a cup of Lake Zumbro water. But first things first, and area residents are hopeful.

Fisherman’s Inn started out as a sandwich shop about a century ago, and while it has one of the most ambitious seafood menus in the area, from frog legs to crab legs, it remains a well-kept secret. “For every person who says we’re an institution there’s another who’s never heard of us,” said Peterson ruefully. The weekly SkiDox water ski shows help, but “for all three restaurants out here, not too many people just happen by and decide to come in.” Maybe so, but Overton is hoping to persuade people in Rochester that it’s a modest, pretty drive to Lake Zumbro, which it is, and they’ll have good food and fun when they get here. Two people who know that are Jennifer Galuska and Brad Borowski, of Rochester, who enjoyed an evening on the deck at Pondy recently with their dog Rooney. Their pontoon was tied up at the dock while they had a beer. “We love it out here,” Galuska said, and having the old supper club back open is another reason to enjoy it. “It’s very homey, the people around here are well-connected to each other, and new friends are always good.” Borowski called Lake Zumbro “a hidden gem,” close to home. After the dredges get the muck out, and if people such as Overton, Peterson and Uncle John have any luck, that gem may be a little less hidden. SMS

Olmsted County is one of only four counties in Minnesota without a natural lake, and it lost one of its artificial lakes, Lake Shady, several years ago when the dam went out. But it still has Lake Zumbro, a 600-acre reservoir on the Zumbro River formed by a dam that was completed 100 years ago this year. The Pondy Restaurant and Bar in on the northwest side, on Olmsted County Road 90. Fisherman’s Inn and Uncle John’s are on either side of the lake, about a mile to the south. (Map courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

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‘Pete’ Spring Farm Sanctuary. Story by Beth Forkner Moe Contributing Writer

hen we think of finding “forever homes” for animals, we generally think of shelters or rescue groups that take in animals, then adopt them out to loving families. But there is a difference between this type of organization and animal sanctuaries, which find or receive injured or ill animals – sometimes with disabilities – and keep them for the rest of their lives. Sanctuaries often focus on one type of animal, or (depending on their size and background of the people involved) can help a variety of animals co-exist during their last days and keep them safe and relatively comfortable. Sometimes, a sanctuary is also a place to educate people about animals and how to keep them safe. Minnesota is home to several sanctuaries, including some in southern Minnesota. Minnesota sanctuaries include: Farmaste Sanctuary, in Lindstrom, MN. According to its website – farmaste.org – the organization is a “Caring Farm Animal Rescue Organization… that believes all animals have inherent worth, and that farm animals are not an exception to that rule.” The organization rescues farm animals from cruelty situations and brings them to its 79-acre farm, where the animals are allowed to roam

in the pastures, and safely live out their lives. Farmaste also allows people to meet and learn about the animals through tours and volunteer opportunities. Spring Farm Sanctuary, in Long Lake, MN. Its website (springfarmsanctuary. org) says it’s “one of the first farm animal sanctuaries in Minnesota…. committed to ending farm animal cruelty and promoting vegan living through (its) rescue, rehabilitation and education efforts.” The organization “encourages the community to connect with animal and realize how sensitive, emotional and caring they are. (They) also work with local and state governmental organizations and agencies to advocate for laws and policies that prevent animal suffering and promote the fair and compassionate treatment of animals.” Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstrom, MN. The organization’s website – wildcatsanctuary.org – says it “provides a natural sanctuary to wild cats in need and inspires change to end the captive wildlife crisis.” It “combines natural and spacious habitats with a life free of exhibition and exploitation…… and advocates for No More Wild Pets in order to create a world where animal sanctuaries are no longer needed.”

Closer to Home: Forever Home Animal Sanctuary, in New Ulm, has been run by Sue and Pete Guggisberg since 2000. At first, they were com-

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pletely privately funded, but realized they had bigger needs as they were caring for more animals; they received their non-profit 501©3 status in 2006. Sue and Pete both devote much of their time to the sanctuary, and do it on a volunteer basis. To help cover living expenses and some of the bills that go along with caring for animals, Pete also works as a full-time machinist at Auto Value in New Ulm. They also run a private animal cremation center on the premises. They Forever Home Animal Sanctuary. also rely on many volunteers to help take care of the almost-100 animals that live onsite. Currently, Forever Home houses many cats, plus horses, a pony, two miniature horses, a dog, and some roosters. The Guggisbergs focus on animals that have been abused or have special needs. They also work with various humane societies that may run across animals that have been returned because of difficulties in being around people or may have physical disabilities. Sometimes, they can receive an animal from a family who can’t take care of it anymore, but this is done on a case-by-case basis and is not very common. “We will take any animal as long as we have space,” Sue said. They work with rescue groups from across the country. For example, they have gotten horses from as far away as North Carolina, and cats with special needs from as far away as Atlanta. Sue explained that volunteer groups will transport a number of animals a certain

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Farmaste

Little Acorn Sanctuary. number of miles, then another group takes them the next step, and so on. “We work with all types of animals,” she said. “Once they come here, they stay and live a full life.” Additionally, Forever Home partners with MNSNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program) which provides high-quality, low-cost spays, neuters and vaccinations to pets at Minnesota shelters and rescue organizations, and to pets of low-income people. According to Sue, the organization comes to their site several times a year to spay or neuter dogs, cats (including feral cats) and rabbits. One of Sue’s favorite activities at the sanctuary is when they bring various groups for tours, including people from MRIC (an organization that serves people with disabilities) or from people living in assisted living. “It’s one of the neatest things to see the animals giving back,” she said. “People like to be with animals, but they can’t always have them where they live.” For more information about setting up tours, or ways you can get involved, call Sue at 507-276-4545, or visit the organiza-

tion’s website at foreverhomeanimalsanctuary.org. For more information about Forever Pet Cremation Services, call Sue at 507-276-5230 (they don’t currently have a website). They charge $75 for pets under 30 pounds and $85 for pets 3090 pounds. Sue said they take this part of their jobs very seriously, because it’s so important for pet owners to have their pets taken care of with dignity at the end of their lives.

Little Acorn Sanctuary is in Castle Rock (between Northfield and Farmington) Tara Lien, her wife Becky, and their two daughters (Adia, 9, and Brooklyn, 8) have run the sanctuary for the past couple years. Tara described Little Acorn in a similar fashion as Sue Guggisberg described Forever Home. “It’s a safe space for animals, their forever home,” she said. “Once they come here, they stay here and live a (hopefully) long healthy life.” They also hold a nonprofit status. They currently house goats and chickens that have been neglected or have medical problems. The Liens had never lived in the country, but wanted to have more land and privacy, with space for a large garden and for chickens. Tara is a school social worker, so

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The Wildcat Sanctuary. she has more time in the summer to work in their garden, and Becky is a microbiologist in Eagan. They found a 7-acre lot, built a home and moved in 2017. They would eventually like to build a barn so they could house more animals. They currently house 6 goats (including two that suffered physical damage with frostbite; the others have come from farms that can’t take care of them) and 11 chickens. All of the chickens (except one) lay eggs; the Liens let them eat their own eggs (like they would in the wild) and also give them chicken food (from a farm store) and fruits and vegetables. Tara said goats are actually pickier eaters than most people imagine. They don’t necessarily like grass (which might come as a blow to someone who wants goats in order to not have to mow their lawn), but they do like hay, alfalfa, and fruits and veggies (apples are their favorites, she said). She also said the goats like to eat the kale and Brussels sprouts from the family garden – “but we try not to let that happen,” she said. “We don’t take people’s pets,” Tara said. “Our personal hearts are in animals with special needs and animals that have nowhere else to go.” Little Acorn occasionally holds open houses (generally listed on its Facebook page). One thing they plan to do this summer is have children visit and read to the animals, especially the goats. “It will keep the kids reading in the summer, and goats love to hang out with people,” Tara said. More information about ways to help (volunteer or financial) can be found on their website – littleacornsanctuary.org – or on their Facebook page. As an animal lover myself (my husband and I have had several dogs and cats over the years – all of whom we have found at humane societies), it warms my heart to know that there are so many people devoted to animals and to keeping them safe, healthy and loved. SMS

Beth Forkner Moe is editor of Southern Minnesota Girlfriends Magazine. She is also a non-profit/small business consultant and freelance writer. You can find out more about her at EnvisionItTogether.com

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THE Calendar Compiled By Anne Kopas editor@southernminnscene.com

of Two Masters,” and the more modern “No Child…” by Nilaja Sun. Also on the lineup is Nassim Soleimanpour’s “White Rabbit Red Rabbit,” a play known for its mysterious nature, as an actor walks onstage, opens a sealed envelope containing a top-secret script, and performs something they’ve never seen before.

out the moves at the annual dance. Enter your furry friend in the pet show to earn “best dressed” or win a pet lookalike contest. For the kids or kids-at-heart, a full carnival will be open July 11-14. There are too many events to list, so check the website for the full lineup. Panoprog.org

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4th of July Live at the Levee

Mansfield Park June 21-23, 27-29, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, Northfield

Death Cab for Cutie

4-10 p.m. July 4, Levee Park, Winona

7 p.m. July 9, Vetter Stone Amphitheater, Mankato

Live music and food trucks along the river...what more could you want in a 4th of July party? Winona’s annual outdoor celebration features bands all day, including the People Brothers Band, Barbaro, Winona-based Karate Chop Silence and more. Stick around for the artisan fair and craft beer, along with outdoor games for the entire family. Last year, this event drew 4,000 people (not bad for a town of 27,000).

Formed in 1997, the five-piece indie rock act Death Cab for Cutie has been nominated for eight Grammies and became one of the most prominent groups to emerge on scene in the 2000s. Their ninth release and most recent album, “Thank You For Today,” came out in August 2018. Throughout their career, the band earned notice on the charts with hits like “I Will Follow You into the Dark” and “I Will Possess Your Heart.”

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Directed by the 2018 Best of Scene winner for Best Director, Rachel Haider, Northfield’s production brings Jane Austen’s classic to a modern audience. When intelligent and sensitive Fanny Price ends up in her uncle’s chaotic household, she finds herself in a love triangle between the charismatic Edmund Bertram or the well-connected Henry Crawford. Fanny must answer questions of family duty and expectations, and reconcile them with her own desires to marry the man of her dreams. Northfieldartsguild.org

Great River Shakespeare Festival June 25-August 4, Winona Get ready for a monthlong celebration of theater and all things Shakespeare. Now in its 16th season, this year’s festival features performances of Shakespeare’s classics “Cymbeline” and “Macbeth,” along with Carlo Goldoni’s 18th-century Italian work “The Servant

Hot Dog Night 5:30-11:30 p.m. July 11, Luverne

Pan-o-Prog July 4-July 14, Lakeville Short for “Panorama of Progress,” Lakeville’s annual celebration is over a week’s worth of events and activities. Things kick off with a fireworks display the night of July 4. From there, try your hand at bowling, golf or cribbage tournaments, enjoy free outdoor movies, listen to live music performances, shop the street market, and bust

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You guessed it: this unique event is all about the hot dog. One night a year, local businesses in Luverne grill up over 15,000 hot dogs handed out free to participants. Compete in a hot dog eating contest (or a swimming, biking and running race). Stay for the demonstrations, free entertainment, street dance and beer garden. And the highlight of it all: a wiener dog beauty pageant and wiener dog races. Luverneevents.com

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eating or stein holding contest. Enter to race barrels, dogs, or on your own two feet. Enjoy a variety of German food and music (don’t miss the polka service on Sunday). The event highlight is the Bavarian Blast Parade at 12:30 on Sunday. Lederhosen or dirndl welcome. bavarianblast.com

Rolling River Music Festival 5 p.m. July 13, Red Wing This family-friendly music festival encourages attendees to bring a blanket for the evening, connect with Red Wing neighbors (or visitors) and enjoy the wide variety of food truck options nearby. The music itself spans several genres: country, pop, rock, Americana and indie folk. Co-headliners are Americana/soul band Dustbowl Revival, along with Kat Perkins, finalist on NBC’s “The Voice.” Other acts include Cannon Falls-born singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith, with local openers Tony Cuchetti and students from Red Wing’s Universal Music Center. sheldontheatre.org/event/rolling-river-music-festival

want in a summer afternoon? Enjoy free admission to the art show, featuring work ranging from artisan bread to canvas paintings to stonework pottery. More than a dozen wineries and cideries will be sampling and selling their creations, including an assortment of Minnesota-based makers. Plus, pair your wine or cider with food from Ruhland’s Strudel Haus, White Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and more. Cannonfallswineandartfestival.com

Into the Woods July 19-20, 25-28, Sheldon Theatre, Red Wing It’s the Brothers Grimm brought to life onstage — with a whole lot more singing. The story follows familiar fairy tale characters: Cinderella, looking to attend the king’s festival; the baker and his wife who wish to have a child; and Jack, whose cow won’t give him any milk. The characters set off on a journey that results in curses, wishes granted (or not), and the realization that all of our choices have consequences. The musical features local actors in what Sheldon Theatre’s website calls “a musically sophisticated show filled with wonder, magic and sometimes dark comedy.” sheldontheatre.org/event/into-the-woods

Disturbed Evolution Tour 7 p.m. July 21, Mankato Civic Center, Mankato Two-time Grammy nominee Disturbed kicks off the second leg of their North American tour in Mankato. The Chicago-based is touring in support of their 20198 album “Evolution,” which hit number one on Billboard’s Top Alternative and Rock Albums charts, and made number four on the Billboard 200. Opening for Disturbed in Mankato will be rock band Pop Evil.

Rock ‘n’ Roll the Lakes Bike Tour July 13, Albert Lea

Mankatociviccenter.com

Make a day trip of it: choose from scenic bike routes of 10, 25 or 50 miles around Albert Lea and the town’s scenic landscape, between Fountain Lake and Albert Lea Lake. Along the way, musicians will serenade your ride. After the ride, wind down the Albert Lea Art and Garden Tour for a relaxing walk through local gardens led by an artist. Later that night, Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos will perform as a fundraiser for the local fire department. explorealbertlea.com

Living History Fair July 20-21, History Center of Olmstead County, Rochester Spend a weekend in the 60s — the 1860s, that is. Each year, Olmstead County’s history center brings the past to life for a weekend of civil war encampments and battle demonstrations, vintage baseball games, a vintage medicine show and more. For those less battle-inclined, there’s a candlelight history tour Saturday night, as well as period vendors and fiber arts and crafts all weekend. Visit with living historians from the mid-1800s and learn about their lifestyles (just watch out for cannon fire).

The Full Monty

Olmstedhistory.com

Bavarian Blast July 18-21, New Ulm New Ulm’s biggest party of the summer is a four-day celebration of all things Bavarian, or local, or both. Try your skills with a sauerkraut

8th Annual Cannon Falls Wine and Art Festival

July 26-28, August 1-4, Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault The Merlin Players, Faribault’s community theater group, are back this summer with “The Full Monty,” the Tony award-winning

July 20-21, Cannon Falls Sipping wine and enjoying art in the scenic Hannah’s Bend Park on the banks of the Cannon River — what more could you

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CONTINUED from page 35 musical based off the 1997 British film of the same name. Follow six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, New York, as they search for jobs - coming up with some new ideas for making cash when catch their wives going crazy over male strippers. It’s funny, charming, and will put viewers on the edge of their seats wondering how the “real men” will pull it off this time. paradisecenterforthearts.org/the-full-monty

Special occasion flowers, plants, gifts, silk scarves and artwork

524street 2nd Kenyon, Street MN 524 2nd Kenyon, MN 507-789-5700 507-789-5700 marysrusticrose.com marysrusticrose.com Mon10a-2p 10a-2p••Tue Tue--Fri Fri9a-5p 9a-5p Mon Sat9a-12p 9a-12p Sat

Les Miserables

Kolacky Days Czech Festival

July 26-27, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester

July 26-28, Montgomery

Rochester’s Immersion Youth Repertory theater group has taken on the world’s longest-running musical, now considered a modern classic. Student actors are accompanied by the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestra. Set amidst the chaos of the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, Victor Hugo’s tale follows the story of ex-con Jean Faljean seeking redemption and hope after 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving child. mayociviccenter.com/events-tickets

Celebrate Montgomery’s — or your own — Czechoslovakian heritage in the town’s annual three-day festival, named for the traditional sweet Czech pastry. Enjoy Czech costumes, food, dancing and culture. And of course, get ready for the U.S. National Prune Spitting Championships. There’s also a Bohemian tractor pull and classic car show, plus the Tour de Bun Bicycle Classic, a scenic ride through the heart of Minnesota’s Czech Country. Stay until Sunday for the Bun Run 5K road race. Montgomerymn.org

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Cars • Trucks • Vans • Complete Auto & Tire Care • Tune-Ups • Brakes • Exhaust • A/C • Electrical • Tires • Computer Balancing • Alignment

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4 days â€˘ 40 bands â€˘ 100 concerts

In cooperation with the Northfield Convention and Visitors Bureau www.visitingnorthfield.com A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

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Recycle, Reduce, Remodel:

Ian Laird Ian is a Lighting Specialist and designer at The Design Element, located in the Mankato Design Center. He can help you with all your lighting and design needs from planning to product selection.

eing a smart consumer entails more than just buying the most product for the least amount of money. When it comes to flooring, there are any number of options that each consumer will place more value on than the other. These options include aesthetics, durability, and longevity – just to name a few. More recently, however, a new concern has become the “green” or environmentally conscious appeal of the flooring product. While every product has a component of health factors associated with it when considering natural allergies, the effect of harmful products on all life has now become a larger buying factor. Thankfully, several flooring products made today are specifically designed for this market and I’ll elaborate on three of these “green” solutions. Linoleum (Forbo Marmoleum being the brand name) had its process patented in 1863 and has been used in the same capacity since. Due to its natural anti-microbial and high sustainability rate, it’s used in hospitals, other healthcare facilities, and educational facilities for which it was also originally designed. Marmoleum has now taken the product into residential development, adapting Marmoleum Composite Tile (MCT) for glue-down residential applications and Marmoleum Click for floating DIY applications. It’s water-repellant and sound absorbent and is made of 97% natural materials (linseed oil, rosin, and limestone). And, depending on the product, could also contain natural fiber board and natural cork – making Marmoleum 100% biodegradable. It’s a product that can be used similarly to Luxury Vinyl Tile, which is all the rage in the flooring industry right now, but it does

not contain PVC or phthalates and therefore has little to no outgassing of harmful VOCs. Forbo’s second product, made of 67% recycled material and completely waterproof and hypoallergenic, is a carpet. It’s extremely low-pile and can be installed with equally eco-friendly adhesive. Flotex is processed using the waste stream of other products which, like Marmoleum, is friendly to the environment. A brand new product on the market we’ve acquired is CLEO Home, which ultimately stands for Congoleum Leading Environmental Options. It’s a limestone core that is printed directly. This eliminates the print layer while still giving multiple options for a product that mimics other materials. This is similar to LVT products but these contain the print layer (which can delaminate) and CLEO contains no PVC, plasticizers, or phthalates resulting in low VOCs and outgassing. One plus with CLEO is you can grout it if desired. However, it is only a glue-down product. For new construction, glue-down products are ideal as you can install permanent fixtures, such as kitchen islands or bathroom stools, on top without worry of the joints of the tiles or planks separating. This offers a better scenario for remodels down the road. With an increase interest in vintage designs, we at The Design Element have started using Marmoleum floors as an homage to modern styling. It just also happens to be a remarkably sustainable product. Both Marmoleum and CLEO contribute to LEED points for commercial construction, as well, and LEED designations are even sought after by certain residences. LEED is a benchmark that rates the energy efficiency and environmentally sustainability of a home or commercial building that monetarily leads to tax credits. This incentivizes the base that isn’t motivated by moral or ethical environmental sins.

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SPONSORED BY Many other products other than flooring have jumped on the bandwagon of sustainability. Such products as furniture (LEE Industries to name one), lighting (Varaluz, who manufactures lighting from recycled materials), cabinetry (Starmark’s Lyptus wood product is a fast-growing renewable resource), and even recycled countertops (options of laminate from Formica and even recycled glass). The products are out there and it’s now up to the consumer to request them. Price is historically

The Design Element 1711 Premier Drive Mankato, MN 507.345.8708

the issue when it comes to the demand of green products, but even that is rivalling standard products of today. Stop in at The Design Element, Lights On Madison, or Cabinet Lab and ask about any of the aforementioned products and I’m sure we’ll be able to assist putting a sustainable and eco-friendly footprint on your next project.

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r u o o t e T m o c l e N W E V E w e n d n a r b R E T N E C

Your place for Fine Cuisine and Catering i

Our owatonna restaurant offers a full service bar, a unique wine list, specialty martini menu and complete catering service in house & on location. Planning a party? Torey’s is the perfect place for: i

•Weddings •Grooms Dinners

•Graduation •Home/Office Parties

•Family Reunions •Birthdays

Linens, dishes, flatware and wait staff also available. Custom menus are available! We have a large assortment of delectable desserts to choose from. Call us to discuss your catering needs. •Trays •Banquet Buffet Catering •Lunch Buffet Catering

208 N. Cedar Owatonna, MN A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

Call (507) 455.9260 Follow us on

toreys.net

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Photographing SoMinn:

Elizabeth and her mom.

Go 40

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Photos and text by Elizabeth Nida Obert www.nidaphoto.com elizabeth@nidaphoto.com

belated Mother’s Day gift led me northbound from Rochester to mom’s front door in the Twin Cities. The sun was shining. The cherry blossoms were blooming. And it was time for Mama G -- as my husband affectionately calls her -- and me to take

a road trip. Quality time with mom is the best. Last fall we adventured to Stillwater for her birthday. And today we decided to go west. Excelsior is a pretty little city on Lake Minnetonka. We drove the quaint neighborhoods, admiring the architecture and manicured lawns. And we oogled the watercraft at the Port of Excelsior. We browsed racks of stylish clothing and accessories at Emma Rose Consignment Boutique in the business district. And despite mom’s efforts – she knows I’m a sucker for rings and purses but in the market for neither – we managed to escape spending nary a dime. It was time for the tour to continue. Mom is a talented quilter and always on the hunt for her next swatch of quality fabric. Can a quilter really ever have enough? I’m going to bypass that answer and tell you we made a detour south to the Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee. Located in a former train depot, it was well worth the stop. Such talent – of which I have none – goes into the craftsmanship of those colorful and creative beauties adorning the walls.

I’ve long had a curiosity about St. Bonifacius. And why that is, I’m still unclear; we’d driven through when I’d hardly realized we’d arrived. That small. Though maybe I’d missed an important turn to the business district while mom and I dissected the latest episode of The Bachelorette? It’s possible. Farm animals dotted the rural landscape and provided a distraction from my now ravenous hunger as we circled our way east through Mound and Wayzata. We were on the hunt for Itallian and our fettucine alfredo would not come easy. But come it did when Bacio in Minnetonka answered the call to our collective inner rumblings. The bread basket couldn’t come soon enough. And Mama G kindly offered me half of her rations. I accepted. SMS Freelance writer and photographer Elizabeth Nida Obert, a former newspaper staff photographer for 18 years, has degrees in both and is passionate about telling stories in words and pictures. She thrives on travel and adventure and is always looking forward to where the next open road – or door – will lead.

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SoMinn Food & Dining

Review

pat garry JOURNALIST – COPYWRITER – EDITOR – FEATURE WRITER My experience spans 19-years, and I will apply my skills to help beef-up any lifeless copy within your website, brochure, press release, catalog, etc. - patgarry@charter.net

TOREY’S IN OWATONNA – IT’S ALL THE BUZZ

ocated in the heart of downtown Owatonna, Torey’s Restaurant & Bar remains one of the city’s favorite spots for great meals, affordable drinks, all in a cozy atmosphere. The highly-successful establishment is piloted by owners Bob and Bonnie Cole, Jason Maher, and managing/working partner, Torey Statlander (also head chef). Greg Matz is the day sous chef and Terry Hornstein handles the night sous chef duties. The good folks at Torey’s pride themselves in presenting comprehensive lunch and dinner menus. “Our lunch menu has tons of tasty salads, sandwiches, burgers and our famous tortilla roll-ups. For dinner, we suggest any of our beef, poultry, or seafood entrees. Our “Create Your Own Pasta” and other pasta dishes are also very popular,” explained Statlander. Torey’s Restaurant and Bar, after 17 years on West Bridge, opened its Cedar Avenue location in November 2018. Torey says that the new digs have a comparable floor space to the prior locale, with one big exception. “The big difference is the 350-seat banquet hall in our upstairs area. This place is awesome…we have our own space, we have room to accommodate big groups, and we can offer catering and service wedding receptions without leaving the building.” Torey’s serves lunch and dinner Monday thru Saturday; with a lunch buffet Monday thru Friday. On special occasions, brunch is offered (Easter, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve). Features on the lunch menu are: Monte Cristo, tortilla roll ups, Rueben/Rachel, fresh patted burgers, and an array of salads. The dinner menu boasts fresh-cut steaks: 16 oz. ribeye; 10 oz. filet mignon; and tenderloin medallions. Seafood choices include Atlantic salmon; walleye; and shrimp. Baby back BBQ pork ribs and 14 oz. bone-in tomahawk pork chop, round out the pork section. They offer fettuccini

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alfredo and pasta marinara, with a number of meat choices to go with them. Additionally, Torey’s highlights a number of nightly specials: a variety of fish plates, steaks, pork options, and pasta selections. “If I were to pick our signature items, I would say the list tops out with the 16 oz. ribeye, the salmon filet, and the BBQ pork ribs,” Chef Torey said. Roasted duck frequents the “specials” menu at Torey’s and it is a local favorite. The dish is flanked with a house-favorite fresh asparagus and roasted vegetables. It is also adorned with a serving of hollandaise sauce. Charcuterie is one of Torey’s favorite appetizers. Delivered on a charcuterie board, it features a variety of specialty cheeses and meats, as well as nuts and pickled vegetables. There is certainly something for everyone at the table. Torey’s Restaurant & Bar offers a full-service bar, a unique wine list, a specialty martini menu, and a complete catering service in-house and on location. Torey’s is the perfect party place for weddings, graduations, family reunions, grooms’ dinners, office parties, birthdays, and more. Linens, dishes, flatware, and a wait staff are also available. Torey’s also offers custom menus and a large selection of delectable desserts from which to choose. The main entrance at Torey’s showcases a frosted glass “welcome” sign (repurposed from the old location) as well as the repurposed decorative tin sheets that were original to the upstairs portion of the building; all which were kept to decorate parts of the restaurant. The Banquet Room (upstairs) hosts larger-scale events, and the layout can be adjusted to the customer’s needs and wishes. Call 507-455-9260 for more information. (208 N. Cedar; Owatonna); Open 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Mon. – Thur.; 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Fri. & Sat.; 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. – Sun.; Closed – https:// toreys.net) (patgarry@charter.net).

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Experiencing American Stories

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Car Club Showdown - August 16 Downtown Faribault

Fairgrounds Alexander Park

Voted Best Music Festival

Live Band - september 20

in Southern Minnesota 2017

Faribault Harley Davidson

Saturday August 10th

Thursday, September 19th

July 16-21

Downtown Faribault

Saturday, October 15 Downtown Faribault

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visitfaribault.com Faribault [fair-uh-boh] French n 1852 translates; great people, incredible fun. A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

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ALBUM REVIEW By Daniel G. Moir editor@southernminnscene.com

n their debut studio album, Space Between, Veteran Rocker Sammy Hagar’s new group has the talent, but not the songs.

Album Grade: D-

Sammy Hagar & The Circle Space Between

If there were one thing to be said about Sammy Hagar, it would be that he knows a good band when he finds one. From his recorded 1973 debut with Montrose, to his early-Eighties work with Neal Schon in HSAS, his tenure as lead vocalist in the post-David Lee Roth Van Halen, and more recently in Chickenfoot with Joe Satriani, Hagar knows ALL the key components that form a truly great ensemble. All the qualities that comprise a genuinely hard-rocking, quality band exist with The Circle. The problem is, the songs that make up this half-baked attempt at a debut “concept album” just aren’t there. More of an intro than anything actually considered “a song,” the album opens with “Devil Came to Philly.” Constructed solely on crashing guitars and Hagar’s rambling bag of clichés, it quickly devolves into loud exhortations of “Hey, Hey.” It is a formless piece of music with vague, banal lyrics that lack any specifics that form a point of view. Failure to establish this direction early on is the kiss of death for any concept album. “Full Circle Jam (Chump Change)” follows and is aptly named. This is, at best, a quasi-musical jam where The Circle’s talented players confine their abilities into a mindless groove that doesn’t ever quite gel or go remotely anywhere. The capability is certainly

there, but it is directionless and no one seems willing to take the lead on where, or what to do next. The Circle comes equipped with a high hard rock pedigree that appears to work against them more than for them. As a member of the Bus Boys, session guitarist Vic Johnson has impressive chops and great rhythmic instincts that pairs him well with former Van Halen & Chickenfoot bassist Michael Anthony and Jason Bonham (of Foreigner, and son of Led Zeppelin legend, John “Bonzo” Bonham). This is a group that has the DNA of Classic Rock embedded deep in their make up and with their 2015 live album, At Your Service, including material from their collective musical heritage, the expectations for a studio album of new group material was high. On Space Between, the four players may just have painted themselves into a tight corner. If you have already played every great riff that is out there over the past 40 years, what do you do to create something fresh and new? Operating under the guise of a concept album is a risky endeavor to start with. To do it when the ideas and attempted statements are incompletely formed is to invite both cliché and criticism. Styx attempted a concept album with unformed ideas before on Kilroy Was Here and destroyed their band as a result. Not everyone can be Pete Townsend. “No Worries” is a pleasant enough song built on a Bo Diddley beat that recalls Diddley’s massive 1956 hit “Who Do You Love.” Essentially an ode to life as a beach bum, the track is lightweight and breezy without complexity, either lyrically or musically. Not bad, but nothing all that memorable, either. The same can also be said about the shallowness of “Bottom Line” and the jingoistic “Free Man.”

While much of the album is mired in clichéd attempts at relevance, “Trust Fund Baby” towards the close of the album does rise to the occasion and is the only thing worthy of the band’s ability. Featuring a tremendous descending guitar riff, doubled by Anthony’s steady bass work and exuberant background vocals, this driving track is a welcome relief from start to finish. This track alone gives indication of what this group is possible when inspired. Barely over 35 minutes in length, The Circle uses “Hey Hey (Without Greed)” to thankfully end the album. The song fades back in on the “Devil Came to Philly” track that opened the proceedings, this time with Hagar gamely riffing “peace & love” slogans (“We’re gonna stop a war, Feed the Poor, Heal the Sick” etc.) while the band rests back in the tired groove, once again singing “Hey, Hey.” It is a weary, stale end to an album that feels much longer than it actually is. Instead of Space Between, seek out their excellent live At Your Service album. You will be glad you did.

Bottom Line: A great band that wastes its considerable skill-set on a short set of “paint-bynumber” songs. This band deserved better. Daniel G. Moir has forgotten more about music than all the rest of us know combined. Reach him at editor@southernminnscene.com

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212 Division Street, Northfield, MN

Come try our new menu! 44

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THE BOOKWORM SEZ By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer based just across the river from SoMinn in LaCrosse, WI. She can be contacted at bookwormsez@gmail.com

Apocalypse Any Day Now: Deep

Underground with America’s Doomsday Preppers by Tea Krulos Three. Two. One. Boom, and the world still exists. There was no cataclysm, no complete grid failure, no total world anarchy – at least not yet, but are you prepared? You know – and as you’ll see in “Apocalypse Any Day Now” by Tea Krulos – anything can happen. Or not. For centuries, Doomsday stories have circulated through human cultures and they pop up with regularity even now, as

Krulos points out. Our first End-of-World prediction was made shortly after America became a country, and the latest one to make news isn’t likely the last one. Knowing that, and knowing that “TEOTWAWKI” (The End of the World as We Know It) might be nigh, Krulos decided to learn what to do when it actually happened. Starting near his Wisconsin hometown, he talked with preppers who explained that planning is the key to survival in the worst of times. It also helps to have a garden and the support of your loved ones. So what if zombies attack? Be aware that you shouldn’t follow advice from your favorite movie. Neither should you rejoice if you find a space pod to shuttle you to another planet; remember, Krulos says, aliens might come here first.

Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and

Biological Weapons by Kris Newby

You get so much from being outdoors in nature. Ahhhhh, the fresh air, the sunshine, the birds singing! You might see wildlife or find berries or nuts to snack on. Touch the grass. Look up at the trees. Think about how relaxed you’ll feel. As in the new book “Bitten” by Kris Newby, imagine what you might bring home. On a wonderful, idyllic Martha’s Vineyard family vacation in 2003, Kris Newby and her husband were both bitten by ticks.

They didn’t know it then. They didn’t have an inkling until two weeks later when, back home in Silicon Valley, they came down with “an intense, flulike illness” that just wouldn’t go away. Newby’s husband eventually got better but for Newby, tests offered no answers until she found a doctor who diagnosed Lyme disease, and set her on a “five-year treatment regimen.” One year in, she “was healthy enough to begin asking questions,” which spurred her to co-produce a documentary about Lyme disease. Government experts were unwilling to appear on-camera, so she and her coproducer began to look for a “retired NIH Lyme expert who would talk.” That led her to Montana, Willy Burgdorfer, and an explosive story. Because of a literal flip of a coin, Burgdorfer arrived

Childfree by Choice by Dr. Amy Blackstone Every woman, it seems, has The Bump. You see them at the grocery store. You see them at work, at the gym, on the street, maybe even in your own family: it seems like everyone has a Baby Bump except you, and that’s okay. That’s your decision, and in “Childfree by Choice” by Dr. Amy Blackstone, you’ll see how you’re not changing diapers. You’re changing society. For months now, your parents have been asking

when you’ll make them grands, the answer to which is “never” but nobody seems to believe you. They say you’ll change your mind or that it’s “unnatural.” That, says Dr. Blackstone, is something everyone hears if they’ve come to the same decision. Here, she picks apart the arguments that are generally lobbed at those who’ve chosen to be “childfree.” First, the distinction: childfree is when someone has opted not to have kids which, as polls show, describes nearly fifty percent of American women ages 15 to 44. “Childless” is when someone wants children but cannot have them. The latter often comes with regrets; the former rarely does, despite the unsolicited advice. The childfree endure a lot of scolding, Blackstone says, and it’s largely based in culture and social mythology. Choosing not to have children is common,

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper The house is so quiet. The kids are away at sleepovers. Your spouse is out, the TV’s off, and it’s just you and a cup of something relaxing. You can almost hear your heart beat, it’s so quiet. It’s almost too quiet. As in the new novel “How Not to Die Alone” by Richard Roper, silence is sometimes very loud. Andrew was the only one at the funeral. That was usually the case these days: just he and the vicar and the

deceased, who likely didn’t care how many mourners showed up. He didn’t have to go to any funerals; that wasn’t part of Andrew’s job. His actual job was to visit an apartment when someone had died alone, to find stashed cash or possible next-of-kin. If neither was found, then the Queen’s coffers paid for a ceremony and Andrew thought it respectful if he attended. And when his workday was over, he went home straightaway, where he had his vinyl Ella Fitzgerald albums and his model trains to keep him company. Sometimes, he saw the irony in his situation. Mostly, he fretted about it. He fretted because he’d accidentally allowed his boss to believe that Andrew had a wife and kids at

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He spoke with a human-like robot that can evade questions while having a conversation. In talking with her creator, Krulos learned that robots have been known to develop and share their own language with one another, but not with scientists – and that maybe there aren’t enough roadblocks to keep that from happening again. He took a disaster-related survival course and learned to live off the land, and he looked at bug-out bags for sale at conferences and seminars. He toured a pricey underground condo, also learning that surviving the Apocalypse in style ain’t cheap. And he studied TEOTWAWKI predictions, noting that we really could witness the End – if we could just manage to survive long enough. The Bible says we know not the day, nor the hour. The Doomsday Clock says we’re dangerously close to worldwide destruction. In “Apocalypse Any Day Now,” author Tea Krulos finds everything in between, and it’s scary-fun to read about. And yet, despite its obvious tongue-in-cheekiness, what you’ll learn inside this book is serious stuff. Armageddon doesn’t happen every day, for example,

but natural disasters do, and preparation could make the difference between surviving and dying. You might not spend hours thinking about total devastation, but what goes on behind scientific doors and in government offices surely gives plenty of people plenty of sleepless nights. Yes, some of what Krulos finds is silly, and its practitioners plainly seem to know that. The followers of other survival ideas, though? Keep reading, and let’s just say that you might start looking for an old backpack… Astute readers will notice, overall, that one word keeps floating to the top of this highly-entertaining, highly-informative book: hope. It’s what preppers want, what survivalists take on bug-outs, and what “Apocalypse Any Day Now” leaves readers with. And really, isn’t that all you really want in… three, two, one….? Apocalypse Any Day Now: Deep Underground with America’s Doomsday Preppers by Tea Krulos, c.2019, Chicago Review Press, $16.99 / $22.99 in Canada, 300 pages.

from Switzerland to Montana in late 1951, having been hired by the Rocky Mountain Laboratory to study tick-borne diseases. He settled in, married a local woman, and dived into what apparently fascinated him. But as the Cold War heated up, Burgdorfer began to see that his role in research had changed. He was no longer looking for a cure for tick-borne illnesses; he was instead force-feeding ticks with diseases, and he’d become the “go-to person for special tick requests for bioweapons projects.” But what did he know? In subsequent interviews, Burgdorfer admitted to Newby that he hadn’t told her “’everything’” so Newby requested information through the Freedom of Information Act, to see what Burgdorfer kept mum. What she found, she believes, is “straight out of some B-movie script.” Absolutely, you could be forgiven if, in the first 75 pages of “Bitten,” your thoughts start drifting along the are-you-KIDDING-me? side. What’s claimed here is, indeed, right out of a black-and-white 1950s flick.

But then, as author and science writer Kris Newby continues to reveal information, name sources, and explain why her life may have been in danger during her research, well, that chill you feel isn’t the air conditioning. Her research is documented. Her sources are all educated, well-known individuals. What she claims is plausible – isn’t it? Any conspiracy theorist or reader of thrillers may believe so, but there are still an awful lot of questions left to be answered. Even Newby admits that she edged uncomfortably too close to her subject. In her closing, which is wistful, readers are left longing for answers that may never come. You’ll also be scratching but don’t let a little squeamishness stop you if you’re a fan of thrillers or medical stories. For you, “Bitten” may just tick all the boxes.

and pregnancy is not what makes a woman. Maternal behavior is not innate, and mothers and their biological children do not have mystical bonds; in fact, it really does take a village to raise a child in some cultures, and it works. Indeed, everybody has an opinion about women (and it’s mostly women about whom Blackstone writes) who have opted not to give birth, even as there’s a lot of thought that goes into the decision. Taking a strong stance can mean becoming something of a pariah, not to mention constant explaining that no, you don’t hate kids; no, you’re not “selfish”; and no, it’s none of anybody else’s business… Rant, affirmation, support, “Childfree by Choice” is all that and a pile of controversy, even as it lays out very valid reasons why it shouldn’t be. Author Dr. Amy Blackstone, childfree herself, methodically shows that choosing not to be a parent is normal and quite common, and the numbers of childfree Americans are growing. So who’s the audience for this book, anyhow, then?

Anyone who’s already eschewed reproducing will devour it; it’s a book that’ll make the childfree feel like bobblehead dolls nod-nod-nodding in recognition. It’s calm, and filled with validation and affirmation to counter the guilt-tripping. Statistics and case studies further offer a sense of affinity for like-minded readers but, they aren’t the only ones to benefit from reading this book: Blackstone found in her research that childfree adults are often happy to have kids in their lives. That’s an important point in this treatise of understanding, both of self and of other viewpoints, and it’s rich in information for non-parents and parents alike. “Childfree by Choice” is for anyone concerned about today’s family life, so bump it to the top of your TBR list.

home. There was no graceful way out of the lie then, and there was no good way out of it now, so he made up little stories at work about an entire family that didn’t exist. It was a lie he might’ve maintained, too, if it weren’t for a round of job-cutting that frightened the boss into forcing the staff to “bond” through mandatory pot-lucks at each of their homes. Then there was Peggy, Andrew’s new colleague, who’d been assigned to him to mentor, and who’d become his new friend before she became his new love, although she didn’t know that last part because Andrew couldn’t tell her without revealing his lie, and what if she hated him then? What if she told him to get lost? What if Andrew decided to do something drastic? Reading “How Not to Die Alone” is like unpacking that very last box after a move: you’ll wonder why you didn’t open it first because the things inside are so delightful.

By taking a sobering premise and sprinkling it heavily with the wryest, darkest humor, author Richard Roper offers a story you’ll really hate to put down. Roper’s Andrew is a fellow with a bull’s-eye on his head, a target on his back, and he’s lonesome enough to be happy for the attention – until he gains a friend. At that point, this book becomes origami-like: it folds inward to make us gasp in surprise and unfolds into a real charmer as Andrew blossoms and we fall in love, too. This is one of those books that’ll make you laugh at one line, say, “Awwwww” three paragraphs later, and be entertained everywhere in between. Get it for yourself and buy two because “How Not to Die Alone” is a novel you won’t be able to keep quiet about.

Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons byKris New, c.2019, HarperWave, $28.99 / $35.99 in Canada, 319 pages.

Childfree by Choice by Dr. Amy Blackstone, c.2019, Dutton, $26.00 / $35.00 in Canada, 304 pages.

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper, c.2019, Putnam, $26.00 / $35.00 in Canada, 336 pages.

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The Killer Across the Table by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker A penny for your thoughts. What do you think about that? Is it enough: one cent for what could be incredibly profound, helpful, intelligent, change-making? Can we really put a dollar sign on what’s inside someone’s head? Before you answer, read “The Killer Across the Table” by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Knowing what’s in a murder’s mind could be incalculable. “What was I thinking?” You probably ask yourself that three times a day: when you lose your glasses, when you walk blankly into a room, when you do something wrong. For you, it’s humorous or self-chastising but if former FBI agent John Douglas asks the question in an interview with a “monster,” the answer could stop a killer. When he sits for the conversation, Douglas says “It is a verbal and mental chess match without any game pieces,” and security is of the highest priority. He has prepared for his sessions; it takes time to get a murderer to trust enough to talk to someone in an

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official capacity, and Douglas relies on past interviews and psychology to know when the killer’s telling the truth. And yet, even lies are noted; they tell Douglas a lot about the personality of a man – serial murderers are overwhelmingly men – who’s killed and killed and killed again. This unique program started when Douglas had just joined the FBI and noticed that a criminal’s past reasons for committing crimes could predict future possibility of criminal behavior in others. He began to understand that while psychiatrists were helpful in crime-prevention, they “had only limited relevance to law enforcement.” That was when he and a colleague established and refined a protocol to build data that could ultimately save lives. Each interview, he says, shows him another side of a murderer’s mind, but there are three major characterizations that most motivate killers – “Manipulation. Domination. Control.” – and one “single word” that everything “eventually comes down to”: Choice. If you are a parent, or are prone to nightmares, you can stop right here. Authors John Douglas and Mark Olshaker are going to terrify you, and that’s all you need to know. You’ll sleep better if you choose a nice mystery instead. If you relish cat-and-mouse life-stakes tales, however, here’s your book.

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Ignore that the crimes committed were gruesome and terrifying – which may be a tall order here – and you’ll see that the killers’ attitudes are the feature and fascination of this entire book. The authors keep readers rapt through descriptions of interviews done and crimes that were committed, which helps to explain the processes used to understand the psychology of serial killing. Indeed, Douglas knows things about his subjects that they often don’t even know themselves.

Suffice it to say that this is chilling and, to be sure, it’s the stuff of which movies are made; in fact, Douglas has consulted on films you’ll recognize, works that keep sensitive souls up all night. And if that’s the kind of read you relish, “The Killer Across the Table” absolutely won’t change your mind. The Killer Across the Table by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, c.2019, Dey St., $26.99 / $33.50 in Canada, 340 pages.

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