Surviving the Day

We all seemed to have survived the day, and what a strange day it was.

Around 1 I went out to get to Scott's and to check on snow removal at Bethany Church. This is what the video looked like:



I'm actually pretty proud of this, considering I couldn't see what was on my screen when I was recording the video.

From the church yard I walked east to Scott's. Someone headed west on his bicycle. Lan Nelson was heading west, said that the home's pickup had gotten stuck in the street and he decided walking would be easier. A few hardy souls were out at store, but overall Scott's was kind of empty.

After getting fresh water and Cheerios for an ailing wife (strange flu like symptoms), I headed home. Then north to the campus to see what was going on there. The Sandzen was open - that was unexpected. Ron Michaels had come to work. I was the only visitor.

To the office. I broke virgin ground when I entered the lower level of Presser Hall. Home again.

What was strange was how quickly the uncovered sidewalk was drying out. The remaining bits of slush and snow melted quickly and where ever pavement was exposed, it dried. Unfortunately, no one was clearing things at the college. We'll have to see how it is tomorrow when Messiah has dress rehearsal.

The other thing that amused me about our response to the snow: the vast numbers of homeowners who had to have their drive cleared. Patty Karstad, for example, had a fellow with a plow attached to the front of his Grasshopper come and clear her drive. Later, her garage was open and the car might have been taken out.

But it seems as if this is the most important thing for many people: to get the drive cleared so that you can get the car out if you want to get the car out.

Here's some before and after pictures from the day before the snowstorm and the afternoon after.

Midsommar

Now's the time to start getting ready, and I'm happy to report that the Midsommar Committee is hard at work. They have a new web site, at Midsummers Festival dot org. There isn't much content there yet, but it's a very nice interface.

I suggested that we try to get this young woman here for Midsommar.



She's from up north, sings in English and Swedish, plays guitar, knows the old songs and the new ones. The video above is her singing a song from Chess - which was written in English so far as I know - in Swedish. He name is Elina Järventaus Johansson. I think she has a very pretty voice and I'd love to see her come, if that's at all possible.

I don't know what the committee has planned, and I trust that they'll do the very best that can for the festival. I'm just putting in my two cents worth.

Augie Choir

It's been that kind of a week - too busy for words.

"The Augie Choir" was hurr, they scribbled on the board outside our HCL/North Central self study meeting room. Prior to that they were all at Messiah Church for a meal. This is the end of the blessing for the meal.



Then a great concert in Presser Hall, with a substantial crowd - particularly for a Thursday night. Perhaps the most impressive part of the evening was the improvisation. I'd never heard a choir do improvisation before.



The Chamber Singers improvised on the tunes "I just went down to the river to pray" and "Amazing Grace." The results were amazing and grace filled. Charlotte Anderson told me that she talked with Dr. Hurty about this technique, and the choir learned it in Sweden. "It's one Swedish thing I want to bring back to the states," I think Charlotte said that she recalled Hurty telling her.

The concert was excellent. At the end the choir gathered in a circle and sang "By the Mighty Mississippi" - a serious musical version with lots of well planned mockery along with it. I was in the middle of the circle. The song ends with choir members kicking off a shoe. The shoes mostly flew my way.

I was there to capture video of the event. I captured it, but it isn't worth playing. The sound it awful. I really need to replace that little camera with something better. We'll see if that happens.

So, thanks, Augie choir. I lost an evening of rehearsal to you, but it was well worth it.

A lot of walking

UPDATE BELOW
I'm currently enrolled in Karna Peterson's LEARN class - I affectionately call it "fat class" - so I'm doing a lot more walking than I had for several years. I'm up to somewhere between 3 and 5 miles each day, according to the pedometer.

It is fascinating to see walking the things you don't see driving. Fascinating, and, at the same time, a little depressing.

The walking trail is wonderful, so let's start there.

One fascination is the skate park, between Olsson and Saline. It looks almost ready for use, and some of the folks adjacent to it have been out on the weekend giving it a go. Mostly, however, it has been left alone and the rope and pole fence has been observed. There's a sign on the east side of it, along side the trail, but nothing yet printed on the sign. Of course, no word on what when who where why or how. At least not that I've seen in the News Record. I admit, I've missed a few issues of the News Record, so it could have been there.

Another fascination is the old shed behind the MKC station, just to the east of the trail. The corrugated metal roof is blowing up like an old man's toupee in places. The pigeons have a semi-permanent home. As I walk by I see them busily bopping in and out of the holes under the eves.

Of course, the combination of birds and warmer weather reminds me that I have to bird-proof the eves of my garage.

The depressing part of the walk is that there are so many structures in Lindsborg that are dilapidated, run down and otherwise in disrepair. I don't mind a few industrial ruins - in fact I rather like them. But there are getting to be many residential ruins on the edges, under the trees and next to the railroad tracks. That's sad, because it speaks of an aging population that I'm powerless to help reverse.

After all, I'm getting older too.

UPDATE 1

Well, I was wrong. The skatepark is open! And there are rules posted! Think of that.

No one was out skating today. Let's see, it was 35 degrees and there was a twenty mile an hour "breeze" out of the north. Gee.

North South Divide

I've been away from the Blog for the weekend. Life has been incredibly busy as I've worked on a slide show for the Lindsborg booth at the state fair. Saturday was taken up with traveling around town snapping photos of friendly people, many of them waving.

One of the most interesting things I found out - probably something that most of you know - is that the addresses shift at Lincoln Street. North of Lincoln on North South Streets, the even numbers are on the east side of the street and the odds on the West. South of Lincoln the sides are reversed. That is as surprising to me as my call to Ron MacLennan was to him on Sunday evening - which is why he looks so startled in the photo for today.

I was told that this had something to do with the Lutheran Churches - which are both North of Lincoln and the Covenant, Methodist and Baptists churches, which were all South of Lincoln (at the beginning of the 20th century).

This seems strange to me, but it certainly isn't beyond possibility.

What seems quite likely is the other story I heard about Main Street south of Lincoln. I heard that it is difficult to do retail South of Lincoln because the town tavern has always been located on that block, and some of the more pious members of the town won't go on that block of South Main or let their children go on that block of South Main.

What have you heard about that? Is it true? Is it still true? Are we actually, as small town people, that unthinkingly narrow minded?

The New News

Update and Correction Below


I picked up a copy of the Lindsborg News Record for August 30th.

Top story, graphics above the fold - no photo from the meeting, but a large graphic representation of Abercrombie's plan - was the remodeling proposal for the Sundstrom building.

You read it here on the 20th. You read it in the LNR on the 30th.

First item in Valley Voice - notice on the new stop signs on Grant street, along with a convoluted explanation on why Grant Street at those 3 intersections. You read it there on the 30th. You read it here on the 24th. There, no photos. Here two photos.

Want to know about the Boxing Club? The Prairie Trail byway? Helen's closing of Lindsborg Antiques? You won't find out about that in the LNR, apparently. Read the blog, this is the new news.

No, you haven't read about the Boxing Club - yet - that's coming next week when I go there with two of the Bethany Messenger reporters.

Update and Correction

I was incorrect on the date on which I first published news about the Sundstrom building. It was the 24th and not the 20th. I should have consulted my archive before making a boast. Thanks to Dan Carr of the LNR for the correction.

Tomorrow's Big Event

President Leonard has done a phenomenal job this first month.

His presence on campus has been invigorating. He has won many of the faculty to his side with his series of meetings last week. He listens to coaches and they feel supported. He went to Greensburg and dug beside the students. He went bowling with the RAs. He has done many things well.

Here's where you expect a but - a disclaimer of some sort that allows me to offer a critique.

I have no critique.

Tomorrow Dr. Leonard addresses the whole of the faculty, the staff, the student body and as many of the community as want to be there in the first Convocation of his Presidency.

I'm pulling for him. I hope he continues the trend and - to mix a metaphor - hits one out of the park.

Video Thursday morning.

Street Dancing

King Midas and the Mufflers are still hard at work. Here's what's gone on recently. It is a little grainie, due to the low light and the old camera. I'll know better next year!



Kris just brought both last year's and this year's pins. There is a difference.

Oh, BTW, in case you hadn't heard, Helen Weaver will be closing Lindsborg Antiques on the 9th of September. I'll be sorry to see her go. She was the first person I met as a person when I came to Lindsborg. I've shopped the store and recently purchased some fantastic postcards for my collection! I'll miss your shop, Helen!

Our New House

We're moving in September, from W. McPherson Street to North Second. We're buying the Carlson house at 332, and hope to close before September 14th. We'd better, there are many things to get done on the 15th and 16th and we're going to Dallas on the 27th. Here's a little video tour, especially for family away from Lindsborg.

New Stop Sign

Updated Below

I've been up and down South Chestnut Street several times today. I think it was the second pass when I realized that there is a stop sign at Chestnut and Grand. There it is, all shiny and red and new. It must have arrived today.

There's a day care on the north west corner. Maybe that's why there's a new stop sign there. There certainly isn't enough traffic on either street to justify traffic control.

Other news of the day, it looks like Willie Moller will be returning home soon. Barb Moller Spear has been cleaning the garage and making plans for a ramp and ordering a conversion van. Don't know when the conversion van will be here, but I hope it arrives before he does! He'll be riding a motorized scooter when he gets here. He's been away for a year now.

Stop Sign Updates!

There's also a stop sign at Third and Grant, and one at Washington and Grant. Don't go being in a hurry to get from Lincoln to Lindsborg Streets!

Sundstrom Building Update

Thursday night, at the safety center, City council met in special session to receive a plan on rennovation of the Sundstrom building as a new city hall.

The meeting drew approximately a dozen Lindsborg residents, in addition to Mayor and Council, as well as city professional staff. This study was a complement to a previous study on re-designing the current city hall to meet current and future needs.

One of the major features of conversion of the Sundstrom building as a new city hall is a large meeting space, capable of seating approximately 200 people. The space, as designed, could accomodate more than 200, but the occupation limit, legally, would be 198.

This gathering space, in the south front corner of the building, could be sub-divided into two smaller spaces to accomodate gatherings of fewer than 100 people.

A redesigned Sundstrom building would include space for all the city employees currently occupying city hall, plus office space for the Director of Economic Development, and rental and gathering space on the first floor. The lower level would house emergency management, and some storage. Upper level would house offices for professional staff, as well as some space not designated in this "first iteration."

In the hour of presentation council members carefully questioned many facets of this design. C. F. Abercrombie representative stressed to the council that this was "a first iteration" and that he doubted that it would be the last. Discussion included the facade, location of the new entrance, retention of historic features of Sundstrom, even whether or not the space could be easily reconfigured for retail or professional offices should the city offices be moved out of the center of town at some subsequent date.

The cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $2 million, or approximately $118 per square foot. This cost is slightly higher than new construction.

Scenic Byways Post Coming

We drove the new Scenic Byway, from Canton to Ellsworth today. I'm working on a long blog post, probably two blog posts covering the trip.

You probably know the route. North from Canton on 27th Street, or County Road 304 to Roxbury. At Roxbury, take county road 447 west to Business 81. Right on Business 81 north to Kansas 4. Left on Kansas 4 to Kansas 141. North on 141 over Kanapolis dam, to Kansas 140. Left on Kansas 140 to Ellsworth, where both the tour and highway 140 terminate at Kansas 14.

This bare bones description of the route does nothing to tell about what we found there. This picture will tell you more

Learning About Houselife

Spent the day being domestic, mostly. Tomorrow I'm going to go cut grass at the college. But today was mostly about domestic issues.

I had to go to the insurance agent. I took a trip to Scotts. I did a little computer maintenance before going to the office to do a little class prep and pick up a phone number and name to keep going on domestic issues.

From 2:30 to dinner time I spent my time getting dinner ready. I made two types of home made salsa, washed the grill, got the fire going and cooked dinner.

While I was doing all this I realized how much time domesticity consumes. All you have to do is plan a meal that's more than just a pop it in the oven or throw it on the grill meal and you suddenly have an afternoon filled. So that's what my mother did while I was away at school!

Oh, I knew that, but it was just a sudden epiphany this afternoon that led me to write these few lines. That, and being domestic, cooking and arranging - it's kind of fun. It's a shame when work has to get in the way of living!

This Saturday we're packing up one of the cars and taking the blog on the road. We'll be touring the new Scenic Byway from Canton to the Northwestern End. If we get wireless hotspots along the way we'll do live blogging.

Broadway RFD Final Report

The BroadwayRFD Board met on Monday to sum up the season.

The tale of the tape gives a fair approximation of the success of Damn Yankees. The overall impression, good show, some problems, many surprises. Attendance was down slightly, particularly in the first week.

A total of 1,039 Lindsborgians officially passed through the ticket counter. The first weekend there were 412 brave souls. We say brave because they were willing to take a chance on a show they didn't know with a director they knew well.

The second weekend attendance picked up - good word of mouth will do that - and 627 folks came to see the show.

What most folks don't realize is how expensive it is to stage a musical. BroadwayRFD total costs this year were $15,433, down slightly from last year. The bulk of that money is tied up in production costs.

Musical theatre is the most expensive to produce, largely because of the demands of the form. The copyright holders demand bigger royalties, the sets are more complex and cost more to build, the scripts and scores have to be rented. BroadwayRFD is a major undertaking in a town our size.

So, the board is grateful for every member of the community who has supported this venture for the 48 years it has been running in the park. We couldn't do it without community support - both the material and financial support - and we look to do it better next year.

Speaking of next year, the last item on the board agenda was the choice of a show for next year. What do you want to see in the park?

I'd love to see Into the Woods, or Sunday in the Park with George - both of which seem to me to fit our community. But what about you?

Send your comments to me - or comment on the blog - and I'll pass them to the board.

Bethany Home Ice Cream Social

The heat moved the action indoors.

Indoors was a better setting for the semi-Dixieland stylings of the Dixie Six.

Overall, the 2007 Bethany Home Ice Cream Social was one of the premiere events of the summer. Goodness, I'm starting to sound like Ethelyn Misroon, columnist for the Georgetown Times and leading exemplar of the "good times were had by all" school of small town journalism.

The ice cream was home made. The cakes were too. That's what you expect at the Bethany Home Ice Cream Social. The crowd was mixed ages, mixed religious background, mixed occupation. That's what you expect at the Bethany Home ice cream social. So, everything went as it always has.
Except.

The hot weather moved the social indoors. The past two years the social has been on the north side of the building, outdoors. This year guests ate and enjoyed in the dining hall and the activity room.

The other difference came because Lan Nelson arranged for Roger Thorstenberg's band, Dixie Six, to perform.

Despite their name, their performances had more in common with Big Band jazz than dixieland. If you don't believe me, listen to their rendition of this standard.
Dixie Six will be playing at the Red Barn studio to celebrate Lester Raymer's 100th birthday, September 22nd. For more information see Raymer Anniversary.

In the meantime, here's 30 seconds of the sights from the Ice Cream social.


Update

Thanks to Betty Nelson for pointing out to me that Roger is a Thorstenberg, not Thorsenson. It's the heat! I apologize for not getting this corrected more quickly. It's the heat and the paint! The College is painting the lower level of Presser Hall. It's going to look great, but in the meantime, I'm not able to spend much time there. I was there an hour and a half today and came away with a blinding headache.

Folkdanslag to Dallas

It's official, we're Goin' ta Dallas.

The Lindsborg Folkdanslag got official word tonight - on what was to be the first night of practice - that we are invited back to Dallas, and that the Texas State Fair people will pay us $2500.

Think of that! They liked us. They really liked us. So the weekend of September 28 - 29 - 30 I'll be in Dallas, Texas, dancing my feet off. Two performances on Saturday and two on Sunday morning.

Texas State Fair is the biggest in the nation. I am fond of State Fairs, but used to the Minnesota State Fair, where everything is better on a stick - and the Illinois State Fair - where the big thrill for a kid from Chicago is to go milk a cow.

Kris and I get to the Kansas State Fair every year, and I hate to be a state fair snob, but it isn't the Great Minnesota Get Together. It's nice, but small.

Now we're going to the biggest of them all - and I am excited.

We didn't start practice tonight, but we will next week. In the meantime, here's the new resident of North Third.

It's Hot Out There

I just looked at the Weather Channel, and it's 100 degrees. I was out trying to get my lawn mower to start, without success. I guess I'm going to let it go for a few, and try to find someone to fix whatever is wrong with the mower.

It is hot!

Ran into Skippy on the street and she was definitely NOT enjoying herself. It's as Hot as - well you know - she said. Oh I know, said I, but it isn't as hot as that. It isn't as hot as Baghdad, but it is hot!

Despite it all, work still goes on at the college. Swensson Avenue is being torn up. Walls are being painted in Presser Hall, new walls being erected. Tomorrow they'll put in a new sewer main.

We've only got a few weeks before students return in force, and we have a long way to go to get things done.

Let's hope the heat of the next three days doesn't do us in!

Lindsborg Folkdanslag is back at work tonight! Video of the first practice later today.

Smoky Valley Car Show

Just a short post on the car show.

I went. I saw. I was amazed.

Car collecting, restoring, rebuilding is an amazing obsession. I am a car guy to the extent that any normal American guy is a car guy. We all remember certain cars that we wanted as teenagers but could never have.

I always wanted a sleek little sports vehicle. A Triumph TR3 or a MG-TD or a Jensen. My buddies wanted GTOs and Corvettes. I have to admit a certain fascination for the '57 Chevy and the '58 Corvette, but I really am not that taken by the Corvette.

Anyway, all those cars and more were there at the car show. I'm preparing for a sermon (I preach at Bethany 10:30 am tomorrow) so I'm in a rather introspective mood.

Went to the car show and talked to almost no one. That's not like me. But I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking. One of the things I think is "this was a nice show." I think it was, but I have no critical judgment available for the car show at the moment. Here are some odd pictures then.



This is the fanciest air filter I've ever seen. It reminds me of the texture and color of an old sofa.



I've always been drawn to the Edsel. Maybe I share some of its traits.



The beauty of really clean industrial machinery. Different from the beauty of really grimy industrial machinery.

Finally, a self portrait. I might end up using this for a logo.

Sandzén Gallery Shows

Sandzén galleries opens three new exhibits this week, with works from the permanent collection, Margaret Greenough portraits and the work of Lindsborg's younger artists.

In the North Gallery Ron Michaels has set out another show from the Permanent Collection. Along the West wall he's hung Margaret Greenough's portraits. Both of these exhibits, or ones similar to them, have been up previously. I look forward to these shows, it's like renewing acquaintances with old friends.

Among Greenough's portraits I'm particularly fond of the portraits of Gus Holm. Greenough painted his portrait several times, and the one hanging now is from Gus' middle age. There is something lively and appealing about this old Swede, where my other favorite Holm portrait, one of Gus in his late 60's or early 70's, sitting on a chair on a yellow porch, has a touch of pathos about it.

Then there is Greenough's portrait of Glova Linaweaver, a 10 year old painted in the early 1950's. Glova is sitting on an armchair, her eyes averted to the viewer's right, her young lips pursed, perhaps a little dry. She's struggling to sit quietly for the nice lady who is painting the portraits of all of her family, and it's a difficult task. I look at this 10 year old, and I know lots of little girls like this. Proper and prim and struggling to stay that way.

The pieces from the permanent collection also seem like old friends. I'm particularly drawn to the piece "Advice." I also like Lee Becker's piece in this show, a still life watercolor wholly unlike anything she's doing these days. The show also has one of those rare G. N. Malm paintings that have nothing to do with Kansas or God.

The Malm painting is California redwoods, possibly painted from life, in 1925, just three years before Malm's death. The little canvas gives you a feel of the texture of the tree bark, the smell of the woods, and the sense of the California sunshine.

What really turns my crank, however, are the Henry Varnum Poors in the exhibit.

I can't explain it really. Maybe it is Poor's ability to locate his work in its own era, and give those of us who never knew it a real sense of what it was like to be him, to be in his world, to see the world as he saw it. This show has one of my favorite Varnum Poors from the collection, a self portrait of the artist with his wife.

Probably the most fun and more revelatory exhibit is the "Walking in Sandzén's Footsteps" show. Ten area students took part in the program, which included drawing outdoors, learning principles of composition, practicing Sandzén style painting techniques. The pieces are wonderfully inventive even while they try to imitate the master's technique. I was particularly drawn to the work of the Peterson boys, since I know them, but was just blown away by the spirit that Graci Kejr captured on her canvas. This show is only up through the end of the month, so catch it now.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the gallery. The 50th anniversary show opens on September 8th, with a reception on September 9th. The three shows I've mentioned will be up until they're replaced by the anniversary show.

More about Lindsborg's Elevation

I'm still on the trail of the elusive definitive answer to the question, "Who determined the elevation of Lindsborg, and how."

I got a step closer today when I visited with Mr. Dunn in the city's Public Works office.

He assured me that there is no "city datum" for Lindsborg, which confirms what I suspected to be the case. He then showed me a list of "benchmarks" throughout the city, spots whose elevation has been precisely determined and which can therefore be referred to in other drawings and building plans where elevation would matter (laying sewer pipe, for example).

Below is the "highest point" in the city, actually the highest benchmark, at 1336 ft and change.



Notice how elevated Kris looks standing at that point.



The spot is located on the N.E. corner of Lindsborg and Chestnut Streets.
According to Mr. Dunn, it's all downhill from there.

The lowest benchmark is at 100 Normal, at 1322 ft. In general the land slopes from south to north, which makes the flow of the creek kind of interesting, since it generally flowed in the direction of the Smoky Hill River, back in the day when the creek that ran through town was an actual creek.

I have half my answer. Now the question is, who and how was 1331 ft. determined to be the elevation for the train depots?