tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15282323556331812592024-03-08T05:34:27.288-06:00Gordon W. Fredricksontelling the local story of rural AmericaGordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-32276521431752247352012-12-29T11:04:00.000-06:002012-12-29T11:04:12.667-06:00A catch-up post for 2012Many of my posts over the last couple years have featured pictures from the places that have kindly invited me to do a Farm Heritage Show at their facility. As my wife Nancy became more involved in connecting with old friends, new friends, and family by using Facebook, I found that many times we were likely to post the same pictures. Consequently, I've decided to leave the posting of photos to her, and in this way my posts will be shorter and, perhaps, a bit more varied and less frequent.<br />
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My most recent post was on November 27, 2012, and it highlighted the November 2nd event at the Duluth Children's Museum, where we have done shows for over three consecutive years. I really like the place and what it does for kids and parents, and I was gratified that a few of you emailed to say that you had been there and liked it too.<br />
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Since then Nancy and I had a busy couple of months doing Farm Heritage Programs for schools, Parent-Teacher Organizations, and Historical Societies. We also had the opportunity to vend at Christmas Shows at Dakota Village in Farmington for two weekends and a European Christmas Show sponsored by the Czech Heritage Club, New Prague, MN.<br />
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I thank the following people for arranging my visit to their facility or organization on the dates indicated:<br />
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Lisa Bowyer at Children of Tomorrow Learning Centers in Waconia, MN, and in Chanhassen, MN, on November 4, 2012;<br />
Colleen Glover, teacher at Risen Christ Catholic School, Minneapolis, MN, on November 9, 2012;<br />
Sherry Stirling at Chisago County Historical Society, Stacy, MN, on November 10, 2012;<br />
Pam Grussing and Kathy Weeks-Wegner, Jackson County Library, Lakefield Branch, at Lakefield, MN, November 28, 2012;<br />
Mary Hendricks, Christmas in the Village at Farmington, MN, December 1-2 and 8, 2012;<br />
Deb Ziskovsky, Leah Baker, Vi Chromy, European Christmas, sponsored by the Czech Heritage Club, New Prague, MN, December 2, 2012<br />
Patty Norberg, PTO President, at Cedar Creek PTO Family Night, Cedar, MN, on December 11, 2012;<br />
Kelly Adrian, first grade teacher at Chatfield Elementary, Belle Plaine, MN, on December 14, 2012;<br />
Amy Baar, first grade teacher at Cedar Creek Community School, Cedar, MN, on December 20, 2012.<br />
<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-84291042254667451752012-11-27T10:13:00.000-06:002012-11-27T10:13:11.681-06:00Books Alive! at Duluth Children's MuseumThe Duluth Children's Museum provides a learning environment for kids with adult supervision. Displays range from banking to the environmental, and they are all geared to teach by engaging kids with on-hand activities as well as imaginative play.<br />
Much has changed at the Duluth Children's Museum since we were there last year at their Books Alive! event, which is always scheduled for the first Friday in November. They have moved into a new, temporary location at 115 S. 29th Ave W, which is across the parking lot from the building they plan to remodel as their permanent home.<br />
What hasn't changed, though, is that the staff invited us to do a program at the event, which was held on Friday, November 2, 2012. We are thankful they remembered us.<br />
Director of Education, Peter Jacobson, gave us a tour of the new facilities, and later he gave a reading to attendees.<br />
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We had the opportunity to chat with Michael Garcia, the Museum's Director, and staff members we met last year, including Emily, who tended the gift shop, which is adjacent to the room where I presented my program at about 7:00 PM.<br />
The audience was about an even mixture of kids and adults, and they seemed to enjoy my half-hour Farm Heritage Program, which included my story, <i>If I were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure. </i> Thanks to all who stayed after the program to share their farm stories and buy books.<br />
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Thanks to all the staff members for having me back again this year, and a special thanks to Peter Jacobson for arranging the visit.<br />
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-82996373035615951972012-11-25T11:57:00.001-06:002012-11-25T11:57:39.288-06:00Service for Aunt BerniceYesterday, my wife and I, accompanied by my two sisters, Joyce and Judy, drove north to Graham United Methodist Church near Rice, Minnesota, to the funeral of Aunt Bernice Meehl, Dad's sister, who passed away after living 90 years and several months.<br />
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She was fun to visit until the end, telling stories and answering questions about her life. For me she was the closest living link to my father, who passed away in 2001. Questions I wished I'd asked Dad, I asked Bernice, and she gave thoughtful answers. But it's not as if I always led the discussion. To our delight she would go on about all sorts of adventures in her young life, interspersing stories about the childhoods of her sons, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren.<br />
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We visited her last on Monday, November 12, just eight days before she died, and we brought an album of photographs that was thick enough to make even the most avid photo nuts roll their eyes in dread, but we went through the whole thing with Bernice, page by page, as she named people and put dates to the events where the pictures were taken. Nancy and I shut up and took notes.<br />
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Yesterday's service for Bernice was a celebration of her life as well as a worship service for her faith.<br />
Reading of Scripture, messages from the Pastor, prayers, and hymns were followed by a period where audience members were invited to share their memories of Bernice. This started out out with a comprehensive, heartfelt talk by Bernice's grand daughter, Carmen. Then each of Bernice's sons, Bill and Harvey, commented from their seats. Soon many others spoke up, and bit by bit we learned more and more about the shared love audience members had for Bernice.<br />
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As her God Son, I commented that she never forgot my birthday. She always sent a card and a small gift that truly reflected the fact that she was thinking of me on my birthday.<br />
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After the service, I had the special honor of carrying her ashes to the hearse and holding the urn on my lap as I rode to the grave site. I've been honored to be a pallbearer many times in the past, and consequently, I've felt the weight of a friend or relative as I helped lift the casket and carry a loved one to his or her final resting place. I've always found it to be a moving experience and one I highly recommend to everyone.<br />
However, I found the experience of lifting the urn by myself, feeling the slight weight of the urn and Bernice's ashes on my lap as I rode to the cemetery, and finally setting the container with the ashes on the pedestal by the grave, to be a profoundly unique and personal experience, one I will always remember.<br />
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Do not pass up the chance to bear the pall. Although it may be a service to the deceased, the benefit is greatest to the bearer.<br />
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Several years ago I wrote a rather long poem entitled "Bear the Pall." Like most modern poetry, it had<br />
no regular meter or rhyme, but I ended it with a couplet, which are the only lines I'll quote here:<br />
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Let us always have the living provide the dead<br />
With flesh-powered parade to their final stead.<br />
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After the cemetery service, we all met back at the church for a hearty Minnesota lunch served by the Graham United Methodist Women. More stories were swapped and memories were shared before the event ended with everyone dispersing to go on with their lives, feeling a little closer to knowing Bernice.<br />
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-5451511692325324562012-11-22T11:18:00.000-06:002012-11-22T11:18:03.716-06:00About Thanksgiving and TraditionsLike many Americans on Thanksgiving morning, my thoughts go back to past Thanksgivings, and I realize how much my expectations of the day are grounded in what I experienced as a child. Preparation for the big noon meal started in earnest the evening before, with Mom making apple pies and pumpkin pies from scratch, baking kolackys and bread, and generally preparing everything to be prepared the next morning. She had no refrigerator and the cook stove burned wood. I cannot imagine or explain how she managed it all, but I do remember that cooking a holiday meal always put her in high spirits. She loved to cook and she loved the excitement of expecting company.<br />
Thanksgiving morning began at 4:45 AM as my folks got up to milk cows and feed silage. My oldest sister, Joyce, helped milk from a very young age, and my sister Judy stayed in the house and had the more difficult job of taking care of me.<br />
When they came in from early morning chores, they smelled of barn, a mixed odor of corn silage, cow, and manure, not unpleasant at the time and even sweet in my memory. Mom brought with her fresh milk in a jar which she had filled that morning and had kept in the milk cooler in the milk house by the barn. Then she would make everyone breakfast, which was a feast in itself. When I was little I ate Grape Nuts Flakes and a big slice of toast made from Mom's homemade bread, which I heaped with butter. My sisters had their own favorite cereals, but Dad and Mom usually had bacon and eggs, cheese, and sausage. The few minutes of sitting down at the breakfast table were the only moments of rest either of them would have until they sat down for the big noon meal.<br />
Then it was back outside for another two hours or so of chores. In the two illustrations below from my book, <i> A Farm Country Thanksgiving, </i>I try to show the variety of chores on a typical morning in 1950.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C9vSQEY0ASAx9DhD2xpnsHVyCve_S7lBXDhTMo_HoibzWjLcxIYh5UcbWvedxEJ83cgDj2RedDYA4UKKgDRur4hYSxO9IEvnEVzdTJaP_hd4T5FwfJxMTU4qsxPBXy_zKpTLCHwCHwEA/s1600/AFCT+Page+6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C9vSQEY0ASAx9DhD2xpnsHVyCve_S7lBXDhTMo_HoibzWjLcxIYh5UcbWvedxEJ83cgDj2RedDYA4UKKgDRur4hYSxO9IEvnEVzdTJaP_hd4T5FwfJxMTU4qsxPBXy_zKpTLCHwCHwEA/s400/AFCT+Page+6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLgxgtjZdgrmCzgyNrrInaffHi70ZkoFZ9QmvRek9011I_MALcOKMLWaHmQR_LLfhASmo5dtBkvRVj7NSnh9jXDUmIFO1BY8rk2_07Zq9lZnyD9EZ_p9lBewQd6n2hqmLd8h1tnntjpe_/s1600/AFCT+Page+7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLgxgtjZdgrmCzgyNrrInaffHi70ZkoFZ9QmvRek9011I_MALcOKMLWaHmQR_LLfhASmo5dtBkvRVj7NSnh9jXDUmIFO1BY8rk2_07Zq9lZnyD9EZ_p9lBewQd6n2hqmLd8h1tnntjpe_/s400/AFCT+Page+7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mom would try to get back in the house early to continue preparing the meal. By 11:30 AM guests might arrive and usually they would help set the table with Mom's best china, mixed with enough of the everyday tableware so everyone had a place at the line of tables that extended the entire length of the kitchen.<br />
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We all know things have changed, and traditions have been updated according to the needs of people. When I was a child, the focus was on visiting and playing games with guests, eating a great meal, and giving thanks for the blessings of the year. I do not lament changes in traditions, and my purpose for writing is never to glorify the past or try to put a stop to change. I just like to portray the past in an accurate but entertaining way. When the children of today get old, they will want to remember what Thanksgiving was like for them when they were kids. I hope they write an illustrated book so future generations can understand how they enjoyed their Thanksgiving Day.<br />
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An interesting point I'd like to make, though, is that recently I did a one-hour show, which included my story, <i>A Farm Country Thanksgiving,</i> for the Annual Banquet of the Chisago Historical Society. This was a very lively and friendly audience, and when I brought up certain nostalgic items, people would applaud in agreement or shout out their support. The cheers and applause were loud and long when I said my book "tries to capture a Thanksgiving when most people did not have a television, and no one was concerned about football or parades going on somewhere else." People were concerned with visiting or playing games with the their hosts and their guests.<br />
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Thanksgiving traditions at our house have changed, too, but some things have remained constant. In the morning we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade as Nancy prepares the meal. At noon Nancy and I enjoy a quiet dinner of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans, wine, and a dessert of pumpkin pie. We go for a walk after dinner, and about 3:00 PM we will leave to visit our dear niece and nephew, Lisa and Tony, who have invited us over for the afternoon. We look forward to seeing lots of relatives there.<br />
Right now, I've got to get back to watching the parade. My wife tells me the Rockettes are up next.<br />
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I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.<br />
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-68854690813067086302012-11-08T12:42:00.001-06:002012-11-08T12:42:41.220-06:00Memories of HogsI chuckled as I read Dave Minar's "Thoughts from the Farm" in the latest <a href="http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=0fd9d5035dccaa07ce6323183&id=a991ae1845&e=2f9bf97cb6">Cedar Summit Newsletter</a>.<br />
(Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to see Dave's article.) He recalled helping his father raise hogs in the 1940s when Dave was a teenager, a time when no one used electric fencing or steel gates. Gates were constructed of sturdy, home-sawed lumber, but given time, the hogs would eat their way through. Dave's dad called hogs "The Demolition Crew," a name which I think truly characterizes the nature of the critters.<br />
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Although Dave's farm memories may go back a few years beyond mine, our memories of hogs during our youth are similar. After raising hogs for a few years in in late 1940s and early 1950s, my folks decided that the joy of having pork was not worth the constant effort to keep them fenced. I don't remember the exact words that Dad used to describe the hogs, but I'm sure it wasn't as kind as calling them "The Demolition Crew."<br />
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That hog experience was in my mind in 1973 when Nancy and I bought a farm near Donnelly, MN, as a way to supplement my first-year teaching salary. My new neighbor, Ted Pulasky, was willing to loan me gilts and a boar to get started, and I saw how easily an electric fence kept his hogs in the pen. Nancy and I thought it over and agreed to the proposition.<br />
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The learning experience wasn't always fun, but it was always memorable. <br />
We kept the boar with the gilts for several months, and sows started to farrow some time in March. Our neighbors all warned me how I would be up all night sitting with the sows as they farrowed, each sow typically having 8-15 piglets.<br />
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Instead, what happened is that I never had to sit up with a sow because our sows always started farrowing about the time I had to leave for school. My dear wife Nancy was left to the task of tending the sow as one piglet after another was born. After the birth of each piglet, Nancy learned to trim its razor-sharp teeth so that the piglets didn't hurt each other as they competed for teats on their mother. She learned to give each piglet an iron shot shortly after birth, and she learned to use a scoop shovel as protection against a sow's sudden reaction to the squeal of its young. She did all that while I was in my dress slacks, shirt, and tie, teaching high-school students about five miles away.<br />
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At first I worried a lot, but I knew our neighbor would help if she needed it.<br />
The funny part is that Nancy learned to like tending the sows and raising hogs, in general. So did I. I even got used to the ribbing the neighbors gave me about how I managed to get sows to farrow during the day, instead of at night.<br />
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As the little tykes grew, we learned to enjoy watching them play with each other. Giving them a fresh bale of straw was cheap entertainment for us because we could watch them jump and twirl in mid-air as they gave a loud, joyful bark.<br />
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And honestly, Nancy enjoyed doing chores in the morning so much that she captured one typical morning scene in the photograph below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ___CW6DLfziwypz0bnFm41LXWnsmkFfHcUFq3CKXbiRGl7XT9WbWDAgv6zRRhBgtogkPO5lMk-RlLAytlcalaILn1sex93ofIcSkFGnLfidHiLZQsfhp1lE2LJAWjKU2_AsmlBd37WT/s1600/Kitties+on+little+pigs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ___CW6DLfziwypz0bnFm41LXWnsmkFfHcUFq3CKXbiRGl7XT9WbWDAgv6zRRhBgtogkPO5lMk-RlLAytlcalaILn1sex93ofIcSkFGnLfidHiLZQsfhp1lE2LJAWjKU2_AsmlBd37WT/s320/Kitties+on+little+pigs.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Piglets lying under heat lamps with kitties lying on top of them. </div>
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In the lower, right corner, a tomcat we called "Goofy Tom" warms his back.</div>
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Raising hogs wasn't all joy and perfection, but the activity did provide us with some lasting memories that now, after 42 years of marriage, define our "Good Old Days."</div>
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And I thank our friend Dave Minar for the article that brought those memories to the forefront.</div>
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Take some time to read the article yourself by clicking on the words <a href="http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=0fd9d5035dccaa07ce6323183&id=a991ae1845&e=2f9bf97cb6">Cedar Summit Newsletter</a>.</div>
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Also, if you're looking for some really quality grass-fed beef, dairy, and other organic products, give Cedar Summit Farm a visit. Click on the words <a href="http://www.cedarsummit.com/">Cedar Summit Farm </a>to learn more.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-62612597207114421302012-10-29T09:18:00.001-05:002012-10-29T09:18:21.600-05:00BirthdaysYesterday was my birthday.<br />
I sincerely thank everyone who sent me a card, an email message, or a Facebook message.<br />
The messages help highlight the whole day.<br />
It's good to feel popular, even if it is only for one small part of one short day each year.<br />
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Another highlight of the day was the birthday card from my wife, which I spotted on the kitchen table yesterday morning. It was pretty funny so I scanned the cover of the card to share it with you below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyw_1UxuvkYz07aVR8i_E8tie3V2rr0ZmlMRgiySLzS10CejpDHzEbY59UKuzYEhvRvqSuEHF9eaJscAaYe4NmRFbHyPIwt88SZjKknXOFePMQ3lkYYjHUmsp4D1V-QwEJxQxVhDGJlxqT/s1600/card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyw_1UxuvkYz07aVR8i_E8tie3V2rr0ZmlMRgiySLzS10CejpDHzEbY59UKuzYEhvRvqSuEHF9eaJscAaYe4NmRFbHyPIwt88SZjKknXOFePMQ3lkYYjHUmsp4D1V-QwEJxQxVhDGJlxqT/s400/card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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She had snapped a photo of me as I worked to saw off a broken limb on a beautiful maple.</div>
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The inside of the card indicates that even if I hide I will still get older. </div>
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This is, of course, true.</div>
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It's one of the cruel truths of the universe.</div>
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As you age even gravity becomes your enemy. </div>
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The bounce in my step gets heavy and the skin on my face sags. Where did these jowls come from?</div>
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The physics law that states "a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to stay at rest" comes under question after age 65 or so. </div>
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The law can be shortened and restated as "an old body in motion longs to be at rest."</div>
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I disagree with people who rave that age is "just a state of mind." </div>
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Sure, attitude has a lot to do with it.</div>
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In fact, it may have a great deal to do with it, but denial of the physical state of things doesn't help.</div>
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So as I embrace getting older, I also embrace exercising regularly, eating lots of fruits & vegetables, eating good meat, taking good vitamins, eating healthy dairy products, and staying gluten free and sugar free. </div>
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I like to make people of all ages smile when I do my Farm Heritage Program. Up to this point I've done nearly 500 shows for over 19,000 children and adults. For me it's important to keep my mind active by writing and performing my stories and by meeting new people who tell me new stories. </div>
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I like performing for children, whose enthusiasm and questions always lift me up. </div>
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And I like performing for adults of all ages because the experiences they share with me before and after the show make me laugh and grow wiser. </div>
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At historical societies and assisted living facilities I meet and talk to active men and women who are in their seventies, eighties, and nineties. Some are even over 100 years old! They tell me stories of their lives on farms, in cities, or in small towns. Sure, I can't claim to remember it all in detail, but they are fascinating people.</div>
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I'm not working on any tricks to stay young, but I am working on ways to stay alive.</div>
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I think one key is to keep planning for the future, even though you need to have plans for the end, as well.</div>
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My plans for the future include continuing to write as long as I can. In my <i>Farm Country Tales </i>series, which is about a family on a small farm in 1950, I have over twenty titles planned, only four of which are completed at this point. I don't write to glorify the past or lament the loss of the so-called "good old days," but I write to preserve the heritage of the very small farm with short books that are entertaining and accurate. The twenty titles of the Carlson Family follow their farm activities from January through December, 1950.</div>
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I have several novels planned, too, but I intend to keep writing stories, and I'm hoping that seeking the details for the large number of stories I plan to write will keep me living and enjoying the world around me.</div>
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Even if my work can't keep me young, maybe it will serve to just "keep me"for a time. </div>
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And if it "keeps me" with my dear wife beside me, for what more can I hope? </div>
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May you all live long and prosper.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-57443210044316728832012-10-28T10:31:00.000-05:002012-11-25T09:46:15.026-06:00All Hallows Eve at FarmamericaWest of Waseca a couple miles stands the interpretive center called <a href="http://farmamerica.org/">Farmmerica</a> where Nancy and I put up our Farm Heritage Photo Display and sold our books yesterday during their All Hallows Eve Event.<br />
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The 120-acre site has an array of farm buildings, crops, and machinery to tell the story of past, present, and future agriculture, but on Saturday the focus was Halloween, as you can see in the photo below.<br />
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The event ran from noon till 4 PM, and by 12:30 PM the lobby was full of children and adults eager to carve pumpkins, be photographed, watch a magic show, or witness the making of balloon animals.</div>
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Volunteers Mackenzie and Jordan register people for free prizes </div>
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and encourage them to pick up free activity sheets.</div>
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Children lined up to have JJ the clown make a special balloon animal for them.</div>
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David and Shanna Peoble, who own Country Reflections, a photography studio near Janesville,</div>
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kept busy taking photos of families posing in the fall setting.</div>
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Magic Zach Madel, a magician, performed at 1:30 and 3;00 PM.</div>
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In the photo above, I sit and sketch while people browse the books and photos,<br />
and, below, Nancy crochets when she tends the display.<br />
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As children and adults walked around the 120-acre site, they collected treats at the Country Church, the 1930s Barn, the Feedmill, and the Blacksmith Shop.</div>
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The pumpkin-carving tables after most pumpkin-carvers had left.</div>
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A fun time was had by all. Since Nancy and I were seated near the entry, we were treated to a parade of kids in costumes of all kinds, and we didn't have to hand out any treats, although we did give out a lot of free stickers that are from the covers of our books. Our most popular sticker on Saturday was the cover from my book <i>A Farm Country Halloween, </i>which tells a story of farm kids going </div>
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Trick or Treating in 1950.</div>
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Thanks to Jim Gibson, Executive Director, for inviting us to be part of the event, and thanks to Crystal Paulson, Office Manager, for helping arrange our set-up and always providing a friendly greeting which makes us feel welcome.</div>
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Their next event is "Christmas on the Farm" which features Dad's Belgian Waffle Breakfast from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. on Sunday, November 25, 2012. Check the <a href="http://farmamerica.org/">Farmamerica</a> website for more information.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-85231542890000114592012-10-24T14:37:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:46:51.940-06:00Sibley County Historical Society and Museum<a href="http://www.sibleycountyhistoricalmuseum.com/">Sibley County Historical Museum</a> is located off Minnesota Highway 19 on the west end of the town of Henderson. The building is a beautiful restored red brick with cream-colored trim and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.<br />
It is also the home of the Sibley County Historical Society, which invited me to do a Farm Heritage Program at the museum.<br />
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Unless the roads are icy, I always enjoy a drive down the curvy road that descends the wooded hillside and leads to a bridge over the Minnesota River and then into Henderson. Yesterday was a perfect day for the trek. We arrived at 6:00 PM to set up for my program, which was scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM.<br />
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Above, member Judy Loewe introduces me to the group, and below, </div>
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I begin my Farm Heritage Program, which includes my book<i>, A Farm Country Picnic.</i></div>
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I spoke for about an hour to an audience that identified with all things related to the farm. Even members who were from non-farm backgrounds seemed to relate to farm stories. After all, who from the city doesn't remember visiting relatives on the farm?</div>
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The degree of audience engagement was displayed by the number of questions and the number of people who had stories to share after my presentation. They told dog stories, horse stories, accident stories, and a few Halloween stories. I think we all had a good time with it.</div>
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After my show, we were treated to a short video about a huge combine pulled by horses and mules in Reardan, Washington, in the early 1900s. The wheat was bagged by men on a platform who sewed the bags shut before sliding them onto a wagon. </div>
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Nancy and I were both glad to see Harriet Traxler attending the show. Harriet is an author of several books about rural Sibley County, including <i><a href="http://www.barnsofsibleycounty.com/">Barns of Sibley County</a>, </i>which I highly recommend. </div>
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Thanks to Judy Loewe for inviting me to do my Farm Heritage Program, and thanks to all the audience members for such a lively response.</div>
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I especially thank those who gave donations to us and purchased my books, which shows that they recognize the importance of farm stories that can be passed on to future generations in an effort to preserve our Farm Heritage in an accurate yet entertaining way.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-49129694222732792372012-10-22T10:51:00.001-05:002012-10-22T10:51:23.892-05:00Memory of a FriendDid you ever have a memory jolted to the forefront of your thoughts at the mention of a name?<br />
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Friday, as I talked to a visitor at the Harvest Moon Festival at Dakota Village in Farmington, she mentioned that her last name was "Sayers." She said she had been married to Jack, who had passed away.<br />
I quickly asked, "Did he have a brother named <i>Jim</i> and one named <i>Jerry</i>"?<br />
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Mrs. Sayers said, "Yes, but all the brothers are dead now. Jim died young and Jerry died a couple years ago."<br />
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My heart jumped to my throat for a second. I asked in disbelief, "What?'<br />
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She repeated her statement.<br />
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I said, "Jerry was one of my best friends in school. We go back to the fourth grade."<br />
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Mrs. Jack Sayers was friendly and willing to talk, and we chatted about a number of things before she had to move on.<br />
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Later, when customers had left, I sat down to reconstruct what I remembered of my early childhood friendship with Jerry Sayers.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Memory:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">When the country school closed, I was bused to Lakeville Public School to begin my first year as a fourth-grader. Lots of things were new: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">I had never seen a urinal before and when we had a lavatory break, I lagged behind to see how it was supposed to work.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> I still remember waiting in a long line to use the urinal and hearing the gush of water as each boy pulled the handle to flush after he'd finished.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">I'd never heard of a milk break, but on the first day o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">ur teacher, Mrs. Thomas, selected me along with a couple other boys to go to the milk cooler in the big school to fetch the wire containers of bottled milk and carry them to the fourth-grade classroom. Although I was used to the smell of cows and manure from helping milk in my parents' dairy barn at home, the sour-milk stench in the walk-in cooler at school made me gag. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">And when </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">I first tasted the bottled milk, I nearly puked. I was used to the taste of the milk from our cows on the farm where I lived. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Mom had always put our raw milk in clean jars that smelled really good. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Other new things for me included playing catch with a football for the first time, playing kickball, and playing basketball. I'd never even seen a football or basketball before this.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Also, I'd never seen so many kids that were my age!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Recesses were fun. At first, it was great!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">But I soon learned the downside. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Thirty-five to forty kids doing the same lesson in one room was not nearly as interesting as in the country school where we had just a few kids in each grade, one through six, and where I could listen to all the lessons of all the big kids. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Also, the country school was small enough where we all played together, boys and girls. Kids in the town school seemed to be in "groups." I knew almost no one, but I seemed to make a few new friends fast.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">One of these new friends was Jerry Sayers. Jerry was a smiley kid, who could never keep his shirt tucked in because of his height. He was always the tallest kid in class.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">One day at lunch break Jerry approached me and said, "We can go downtown, you know." I really didn't know what "downtown" meant. I just nodded. He said, "Com-on, I'll buy you a nickel Coke at the drugstore.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">And we walked downtown, a long quarter mile, to a narrow building with a green front. I had never seen a soda fountain, and as we entered, I stared at the slick stools, the shiny counter top, and the stack of glassware on my left. When I turned to look at the wall on my right, I tried not to stare at the glossy magazines on the rack less than three feet from my stool. I saw the pictures and turned away, embarrassed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Jerry sat on a stool and I followed his lead. Then he ordered two nickel Cokes from Ed, the pharmacist and owner. Ed was an older fellow who didn't seem to smile a lot, but he seemed to genuinely like his customers, even though you had to look pretty hard to see any expression in his face. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Ed expertly pumped a dark substance into a small, sparkling glass. Then he moved the glass to another spout to fill it with bubbly water. He repeated the task for a second Coke and then placed the Cokes with straws in front of us. I looked at Jerry. He knew this was my first. He grinned and gently sucked on the straw. I did the same. Sure, I had tasted Coke out of bottles, but this--this flavor and this bubbly texture--was heavenly!</span><br />
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Even though our paths in high school took some different directions, Jerry and I remained friends through all of our school years. In high school Jerry was in sports and involved in other school activities<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">. </span>I was not. But once a month or so he would stop me in the hall and say, "Com-on. Let's go get a nickel Coke."<br />
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-53283079458900154612012-10-21T08:57:00.000-05:002012-11-25T09:47:41.634-06:00Fillmore County Historical SocietyThe fog on Saturday morning inhibited our view as we drove Highway 52 toward Fountain, Minnesota, the location of the Fillmore County Museum and home of the Fillmore County Historical Society where I was scheduled to do a Farm Heritage Program at 1:00 PM.<br />
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Not a morning for sight-seeing.</div>
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The museum, a former elementary school, is quite large, and Nancy and I were eager to view the displays.<br />
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When we entered, Debra J. Richardson, the FCHS Director, greeted us with a big smile and showed us around.<br />
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I began my Farm Heritage Program, which included my story, <i>A Farm Country Halloween.</i></div>
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After my program, Nancy and I were invited to lunch with the group, and as we ate our fill, we visited with the members and swapped stories. The members all share a keen interest in history and their farm heritage. Several members were interested in letting us use their pictures and their stories in my books.</div>
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We headed home in the sunshine and enjoyed the beauty of the countryside as we drove north to Rochester on Highway 52 from the city of Fountain.</div>
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I never tire of viewing the farms and fields along the road.</div>
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After the two-hour drive home, Nancy and I went for a short walk and discovered some beauty in our own back yard.</div>
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I love the contrast of greens and browns and reds and yellows and orange.</div>
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Birches and burr oaks have been dumping leaves gradually for two weeks,</div>
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giving me a chance to grind them up with the mower,</div>
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but it seems this maple decided to dump them while we were gone today.</div>
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Thanks to Debra Richardson for inviting us to Fillmore County Historical Society to speak at their meeting. Nancy and I enjoyed the food, the company, and the museum. I think we made some lasting contacts as sources for farm activity photographs and stories.</div>
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I especially thank all those members who purchased my books. Keep that farm heritage alive. Read them, and pass my books and your own stories on to the next generation.</div>
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Remember, A STORY NOT TOLD IS LOST FOREVER.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-54896402295229090242012-10-20T20:05:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:48:19.566-06:00Auburn Manor<br />
Auburn Manor is an attractive assisted living facility in Chaska, Minnesota. Shortly after we arrived on Wednesday, we met Recreation Director Amy Meyers, an energetic lady who immediately hustled to arrange things in the chapel so we could set up our equipment to do our Farm heritage Program for the residents.<br />
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As she brought audience members into the chapel, I noticed her enthusiasm for her work and for all of life as she shared moments with other staff members and the residents. You can always tell when people really like what they do, and it showed on Amy.<br />
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The residents had a good time listening to the nostalgic details in my stories, </div>
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and they told a few stories of their own after the show.</div>
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But our visit to Auburn Manor surprised us in several ways. Not only did staff and residents tell more stories and buy more books than expected, but we also met staff-member Colleen, who is the daughter-in-law of our friend Beverly Hermes. Beverly enthusiastically supports our efforts to preserve farm heritage, and has generously let us use her family photos which were taken as she grew up on a family farm.<br />
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Imagine Colleen's surprise when she turned to the dedication page of my latest book, <i>What I Saw on the Farm, </i>and saw the above photograph of Beverly and her sister Bonnie milking Marigold!<br />
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Colleen generously consented to have her photo taken with me as I autographed one of her purchases.</div>
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Nancy and I thank Amy Meyers for inviting us to visit Auburn Manor to do my Farm Heritage Program, which included my book, <i>A Farm Country Picnic. </i><br />
We also thank all the customers who purchased our books.<br />
You see, for me to achieve my goal of having my books passed on from generation to generation for a hundred years or more, I need people to perform that critical first step of buying them.<br />
Thanks again.<br />
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Photographs by Nancy A. FredricksonGordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-21276593646919470872012-10-18T20:51:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:48:41.307-06:00Chatfield Elementary School in Belle PlaineI admit that Nancy and I were a bit tired at 8:30 AM when we arrived at Belle Plaine on Tuesday morning to do a Farm Heritage program. We had done an evening show the night before at Zumbrota Area Historical Society, making our night at home short.<br />
However, our tiredness passed quickly when first-grade teacher Ms Adrian, who had arranged our visit, greeted us with a warm smile and indicated how excited she and the students were to have us at the school. And when we brought our equipment into the library, Ms Jasper also showed her enthusiasm when she eagerly arranged for us to set up in her library. When teachers welcome us and show their excitement, I know the students will be prepared to become a great audience, and it makes me try to do my very best.<br />
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The first group of first-graders listened intently as I begin my Halloween story.</div>
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The second group of first-graders watch as I explain that when I was a trick-or-treater,</div>
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the roads we walked were very narrow and dark.</div>
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The projection in the picture above is from an actual photograph of the road we walked down in 1950.</div>
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Students and teachers in both groups were fun audiences and asked lots of good questions after the show.</div>
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Thanks to all the teachers for allowing me to use their valuable class time for my show. I hope they found my program educational and fun. Special thanks to Ms Adrian for arranging my visit and to Chatfield's Principal for taking time to say hello before the show and for attending the entire second program.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-45054481121872785472012-10-16T19:43:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:49:35.036-06:00Zumbrota Area Historical SocietyAs we drove Highway 52 toward Zumbrota yesterday afternoon to do a 7:00 PM Farm Heritage Show, we enjoyed the colors of the leaves and the fields.<br />
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Most of the fields of corn and beans had been harvested, while others appeared as a patchwork of colors on a hillside where corn was either standing or harvested alongside a field striped with bright green alfalfa.<br />
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Nature is exciting, but it's always a treat to see a vintage man-made item. As this mobile toolbox passed us, Nancy tried to get a shot. I would've liked to see it up-close.<br />
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As we slowed down when we entered Zumbrota,<br />
Nancy took a quick photo of the town's famous covered bridge.<br />
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Later that evening, after I had finished my hour-long Farm Heritage Program, we talked to a number of members of the Zumbrota Area Historical Society during a break for coffee and sweets. As I packed up the equipment and signed books, Board Member Paul Kalass told Nancy an interesting story that his father had told him about the bridge. </div>
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<i>During the days when the bridge was in constant use by horse-drawn vehicles, city employees would regularly haul snow on the bridge, ensuring ample snow pack for the sleighs to be pulled easily by horses. However, as motorized vehicles became more popular, city residents preferred to keep the road under the bridge dry, making it very difficult for horses to pull a sleigh over the bare road.</i></div>
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This is the kind of factual story one does not usually hear unless you talk to people who were either there or heard it directly from someone who was there. My point is simply this: as tourists, many of us drive hundreds and even thousands of miles to visit interesting places that are popular and nationally known. I do not suggest that anyone quit doing that, but I am suggesting that we pull our vehicle off the freeway and check out the many, many interesting museums and historical places in small towns throughout the United States and especially those in towns nearby.</div>
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In the past several years Nancy and I have been guests at many museums and historical societies where I was honored to speak and where we were able to spend time viewing the museum's collection of antiques and visiting with members. The dedication of the members to preserving their heritage is striking. As volunteers they work hard to maintain buildings and programs for the public to enjoy. I urge you to stop by to attend their programs and view their collections. If you like what you see, give a small (or large) donation or volunteer to help. You will be glad you did.<br />
But where should you start?<br />
Well, try starting where I did...for a list of the museums where I've done my Farm Heritage Programs, click on my website in the upper right corner of the first page of this entry. Got to the event tab and click on "past events."<br />
I think you'll enjoy visiting these places.</div>
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The entry of the Zumbrota Area Historical Society. </div>
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The building is the city's beautifully restored fire hall.</div>
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Nancy's Farm Heritage Photo Display.<br />
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Secretary of ZAHS Karen Brooks introduces me.<br />
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Audience member seemed to relate to every piece of farm heritage I threw at them.</div>
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It made for a fun evening.</div>
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Lots of farm tools were on display, but this one brought back a memory of how Dad drilled through oak with a hand brace and bit. This hand drill press would've been a real boon to him.</div>
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Thanks to all the members of the ZAHS for making Nancy and me feel welcome. We enjoyed our visit with you all.</div>
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Special thanks to Karen Brooks for arranging our visit and to all the members who visited with us and purchased books. We hope you enjoy them and pass them on to future generations.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
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Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-40848598872908411062012-10-14T16:46:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:50:53.046-06:00Bloomington Historical SocietyWhen Nancy and and I drove up to the Bloomington Old Town Hall History Museum on Saturday to do a program that included my Halloween story, <i>A Farm Country Halloween, </i>we knew the outside activities planned for kids would have to be moved inside. The weather was overcast and sprinkling, though nothing like the really good rain that we needed.<br />
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The Old Town Hall, which is the home of the Bloomington Historical Society, is a striking building, with its bright white siding and red trim. Since we forgot to take a photo of it on Saturday when it was raining, we went back Sunday when the sun was shining to snap a picture.<br />
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The annual Fall Festival is an event that celebrates the agricultural heritage of Bloomington. At one time there were over 300 farms in what is now Bloomington, and now there are none. The Fall Festival is a way for the Bloomington Historical Society to commemorate the agricultural heritage of the area. The event was scheduled from noon to 4:00 PM on Saturday, and when we arrived at 12:30, kids were busy painting small pumpkins, rolling candles from beeswax, and having their faces painted. All activities were inside the building, which was full of great historical displays. Outdoor activities were held later in the afternoon when the rain ceased.<br />
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Painting pumpkins was a popular activity.</div>
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I chatted with Mary Vavrosky, above,</div>
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and later she supervised as children and adults rolled beeswax into candles, below.</div>
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After she interviewed and briefly videotaped me, Gina Szafraniec, a writer from an online magazine called <i>The Bloomington Crow, </i>treated us to a terrific smile as she posed by Nancy's Farm Heritage Display. Go to the website to see her video and story. www.gotothecrow.com</div>
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With all the activities going on, the area was pretty cozy, but the audience was fun and had several questions afterwards. I was really pleased that my former neighbor, Betty (Speiker) Cavenaugh, from the farm neighbor hood where I grew up, attended the show. She is wearing an orange sweatshirt and is seated with her family in the back row. Betty's presence at the program forced me to tell the truth in my fictional story because I actually used to go trick or treating with Betty and her brothers and sisters back in the 1950s.</div>
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Several youngsters volunteered to help me demonstrate how a character from my story used a pulley in a trick to scare his young neighbors.</div>
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Nancy snapped a photo of a few members of the Bloomington Historical Society as they watched my program. Vonda Kelly, standing on the left, arranged my visit to speak at the museum.Members asked questions after the show, and I was privileged that Larry Granger, (second from right) who is very active in local history, spent time with me telling stories and advising me on possible future writing projects. Seriously, the wisdom among this back row humbles me.</div>
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I was again both humbled and gratified when the young lady, pictured above with her two daughters, had me autograph a book for her family. She explained to my wife that the small farm she grew up on in Ukraine was like the one I described in my stories. Farm buildings and equipment were old and barely adequate. She bought the book as a way to connect her two children, who were born in the U.S., to the experiences she and her mother had in their homeland. Her mother was at the museum and even though she spoke very little English, she expressed a liking for my books because of the memories they inspired. </div>
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Closing shot of the Old Bloomington Town Hall, located at the intersection of Penn Avenue South and West Old Shakopee Road. I recommend you take your family and visit soon. See the website for scheduled events. www.bloomingtonhistoricalsociety.org</div>
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Thanks to everyone at the Bloomington Historical Society for inviting me to do my Farm Heritage Program and my book, <i>A Farm Country Trick or Treat. </i>Thanks to Vonda Kelly for arranging my visit and special thanks to the customers who bought my books. Please read them often and pass them on to future generations.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-29018693045772564812012-10-13T09:46:00.000-05:002012-11-25T09:52:18.338-06:00Mowing the Wildflower PatchNancy and I both love wildflowers. What's not to like? All we have to do is plant them and then admire their beauty. We don't weed, fertilize, or water. They seem to flourish on lack of attention. But one bit of maintenance we do is mow them in the fall. After the flowers have gone to seed and we've picked all the seeds we want, I bring out the mower and tractor.<br />
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When the leaves on the grove of white oaks grab the scene with colors, that's when you'll see me in the nearby wildflower patch with my tractor and mower.</div>
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The tractor is a 1957 Ford 960. </div>
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The mower has 3 rotary blades and is made for mowing grass, not brush. </div>
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I keep the gauge wheels off the ground several inches so that the grass and flowers are cut really high.</div>
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After I finish mowing, Nancy and I go for a walk among the trees in the windbreak.</div>
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In a small clearing in the woods, a young oak shows its colors. </div>
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We visit the same big leaf that we discovered last spring and are happy that it survived the summer. </div>
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The small tree grew over 6 inches during the year.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-88953241991336389962012-10-12T20:47:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:52:49.583-06:00Todd County Museum Annual MeetingThe annual meeting and banquet of the Todd County Museum was held at the American Legion Club in Long Prairie, and Nancy and I were invited to do our Farm Heritage Program, which included my book, <i>A Farm Country Picnic.</i><br />
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The audience came early and before dinner they had plenty time to check out Nancy's Farm Heritage Photo Display, which featured pictures of farm activities from the mid-1900s.<br />
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As we waited our turn to eat, Nancy and I visited with a number of members who had lots of interesting stories. Shirley (Rhoda) Lano (above) expained that her grandfather, Albert Rhoda, came over from Prussia in 1850 and got into the banking business in 1890 in Long Prairie. Her father, also named Albert, followed his dad into the banking business by 1905, and her mother worked in Hart's Department Store in Long Prairie as a milliner.<br />
When she found out that I directed plays when I was a teacher, she asked me to name a few. When I mentioned <i>The Egg and I, </i>she laughed and said that when she was 14 she had met the author, Betty MacDonald, when she was living on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.<br />
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Stories always go best after a good dinner, and I had fun doing my show because the audience was ready to reminisce, laugh, and allow sentiment into their hearts. </div>
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Thanks to Shirley and De for arranging my visit and to Charlie for the great introduction. Special thanks to those wonderful people who bought my books and intend to pass on farm heritage by passing those books on to the generations of the future.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-83196318596724087432012-10-11T11:03:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:53:50.056-06:00Taylors Falls Historical SocietyAfter doing a morning program at Lakeville Senior Center last Friday, Nancy and I drove up to Taylors Falls, where we were scheduled to do a Farm Heritage Program for the Taylors Falls Historical Society after their 6:00 PM Volunteers Recognition Dinner at the Taylors Falls Community Center, which used to be the old depot.<br />
We expected a beautiful display of leaves in the area, and we weren't disappointed, even though local residents assured us that we missed the peak by about a week.<br />
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Photo taken through the windshield as we drive toward Taylors Falls.</div>
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Overlooking the St. Croix River from a park north of Taylors Falls.</div>
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As we drove into the parking lot of the Community Center, we could see workers inside preparing the table layout for dinner.</div>
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The depot rests on the hillside on the edge of town. It's a picturesque setting, and since we were early, we decided to walk around the area before going in to set up.<br />
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Impressed with the area's beauty and the main street shops, we decided to put Taylors Falls on our list of towns to visit next summer.<br />
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Board Member Fay Caneday greeted us when we came in the door, and she helped us get settled as we set up our display.<br />
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Our book and photo display is on the left and extends to center. The table at the far end of the picture, extending to the right of the photo, contains the museum's photos and tools, which we found very interesting.</div>
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This is a corn sheller exactly like the one my folks bought me when I decided to raise ducks. </div>
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Turning the handle was easy and corn-shelling went fast, but I had to be careful not to let the sharp teeth catch my clothing. Even though it was hand-powered, the momentum of the wheel could still draw blood if the teeth caught your fingers.</div>
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The table setting at the old depot provided a nice setting for 57 guests as Fay began the program (above), and as I began my program (below).</div>
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Nancy and I had a great time visiting with people, and we have never been any place where people were more willing to tell their stories to us. I think the small farm heritage runs pretty close to the hearts of the people in the Taylors Falls area.</div>
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We wish to thank Fay Caneday for arranging our visit, and we thank everyone who attended the dinner for being such a fun audience. We especially thank all those people who bought my books and stopped to give me a few kind words after my program.</div>
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Taylors Falls is a beautiful area to visit, and it has several historic places to see in addition to the riverside parks and walkways. You may want to put it on your list of places to visit just like Nancy and I did.</div>
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Photograph by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
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Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-69501675699267610102012-10-10T13:31:00.003-05:002012-11-25T09:54:16.826-06:00All Saints students come to Lakeville Senior CenterLinda Walter, Activities Director at Lakeville Senior Center, contacted me a few weeks ago to do a show at their new facility by the fire hall in Lakeville. In the past, I've done programs which included my Christmas book and my Thanksgiving book during those seasons, but this time she said that 100 students for nearby All Saints Catholic School were walking down to the Senior Center for Harvest activities and wondered if I would do my Halloween story for them. I gladly agreed.<br />
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The students at All Saints always make good audience members.</div>
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I did several programs at the school last year and the students</div>
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always listened intently and asked great questions.</div>
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Students ranged in age from Kindergarten through grade five. For safety and student enjoyment, each fifth grader was paired with a younger student as they walked from the school to the Senior Center and as they listened to the program. Adults sat in the back.</div>
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The students' questions didn't disappoint me. One student asked about the process of putting an image onto the DVD. A younger student asked "How come it looks so real?"</div>
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Thanks to Linda Walter for inviting Nancy and me to do the Heritage Program and Photograph Display, and thanks to the students and teachers at All Saints for coming on down to listen.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-81376798161689492502012-10-09T14:10:00.003-05:002012-11-25T09:54:50.148-06:00Steele County History CenterThe new Steele County History Center, located near the fairgrounds in Owatonna, was dedicated in May, 2012, and has been bustling with activity ever since. It rotates exhibits in the main exhibition area, and after Nancy and I arrived on October 4th to do two programs, one for children and one for adults, we hurriedly set up our equipment so we could take some time to visit the "Horses-to-Tractors" Exhibit and shop at the gift store. Laura Resler, Director of the Steel County Historical Society, and Char Ost, Event Coordinator, visited with us as they showed us around.<br />
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The Steele County History Center has a beautiful entryway, several large meeting rooms, and a spacious exhibition area. The gift shop is conveniently located just inside the front doors.</div>
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My first program included my story, <i>A Farm Country Halloween, </i> and I was happy to see a good-sized crowd assemble before the show.</div>
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The program was aimed at children but many adults attended too.</div>
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Laura Resler introduced me before the adult program, </div>
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which included my story, <i>A Farm Country. Picnic.</i></div>
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Several board members took time to visit with us and everyone at the museum displayed excitement about the future prospects of the facility. I would urge anyone interested in history to check it out.</div>
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Nancy and I thank Laura Resler for inviting us to the museum to perform my Farm Heritage Program, and we thank audience members and the museum's entire staff for making us feel welcome. Laura indicated she may invite us back to the museum during the Steel County Fair in August. If she does, I hope you can stop in to visit our display of Farm Heritage Photographs and books.</div>
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Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-32531723972101594562012-10-02T10:11:00.001-05:002012-11-25T09:56:45.713-06:00Scott County City to Country Tour, 2012The Scott County office of the University of Minnesota's Extension Service held its 14th Annual City to Country Farm Tour on Saturday, September 29, 2012. Nancy and I set up our farm display in a large tent at Casey Acres, near Prior Lake. A display by Tim Dolan of Minnesota Corn Growers was next to us, and filling the rest of the tent were tables set up for visitors to eat lunch. The mild weather made it a perfect day for the over 550 people who attended the event.<br />
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The tour included three farms: Casey Acres, Prior lake, MN; Green Acres, Credit River, MN; and SMSC Wozupi TSA Garden, Prior Lake. Since the locations were within a few miles of each other, visitors could easily drive from farm to farm to tour all of them in a day and come and go without any particular schedule.<br />
Consequently, Nancy and I decided that instead of doing a program, we would use our space to display our Farm Heritage photographs, which included having the television run a DVD of farm photos that turn on a 3-second delay and lasts for 25 minutes. This worked out really well because visitors could view while they eat, leave to see a scheduled farm demonstration, and then return to view more photos whenever it was convenient. <br />
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Before visitors came in the morning, Nancy snapped a photo of the food tent and an oak tree (above), which has been around a long time as well. The food was tended by Girls Scouts under the leadership of Kevin Giles.<br />
Also, we were lucky to meet meet Helen Casey, whose sons Pat and Rob run the farm.<br />
Casey Acres is a Century Farm, which means it's been in the family for 100 years or more. It has been in the Casey Family since 1855 and is presently owned and operated by brothers, Rob and Pat Casey, and their family. Pat's son Calvin is the sixth generation on the farm.<br />
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The dairy farm has a comfortable stanchion set up. The family has 100 head of dairy cows (mostly Holsteins), farms 1600 acres of land, and manages a beef cow/calf operation of 40 head.<br />
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Tim Nelson, who works at Valley View Dairy Co-Op in Hastings, came early to set up to distribute milk and shakes. He stopped to visit with us and view our display. Then he bought his son Brett, pictured below, a book.<br />
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Brett picked out <i>What I Saw on the Farm.</i></div>
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Visitors were free to roam around the farm on their own, and there were a number of stations where they could stop to read explanations of the dairy process.<br />
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Children love to get close to the cows.<br />
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The above sign explains about the barn pictured below.</div>
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Everyone liked to visit the calf huts.<br />
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The hospital barn, shown below, provides a place for cattle needing temporary extra care.<br />
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At the "What do cows eat?" station, a knowledgeable guide (standing) explained the contents of each pile of food, and she readily answered questions from the curious audience members who enjoyed the opportunity to feel and smell the food that cows eat.<br />
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Children and adults enjoyed the self-guided tour, but volunteers were always nearby to ensure safety and answer questions.<br />
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Some children took time to sit down and read a few of my books.</div>
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At 2:00 PM Pat Casey (wearing the green cap in photo below) brought in a cow to demonstrate the milking process.</div>
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Visitors crowded close (but not too close) to watch the milking demonstration.</div>
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The above sign answers many of the questions I get asked most often by children after I do my Farm Heritage Program at elementary schools. I thought I'd add it at the end for those who aren't quite sure.</div>
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We'd like to thank Laura Kieser from the Scott County Extension Services for inviting us to attend the show. We especially thank our neighbors at Casey Acres for inviting everyone to tour their farm, and we thank the many volunteers and sponsors who donated time and money to the project, which is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension Service.</div>
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Every modern dairy farm is clean every day, but to prepare a large operation so the public is free to walk about takes a lot of preparation. We are all thankful that farmers volunteer their facilities and that the extension services and the farmers take the time and effort to have the program. </div>
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It's a great opportunity for adults and children to view a modern farm operation. Check out the website and put the show on your calendar for 2013. www.co.scott.mn.us<br />
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-85049943505308852972012-09-27T12:38:00.001-05:002012-11-25T10:00:30.463-06:00Corn Show at Glasgow, WisconsinLast April Sandy Ravnum, Media Specialist for the Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau Elementary Schools in Wisconsin, invited me to do my Farm Heritage Program in each of the three schools, and when Nancy and I came there, she guided us from school to school and gave us brief tours of each school. We had a really fun day.<br />
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Sandy understood how impressed we were with the area and the schools, and she decided to invite us to a local harvest celebration near Glasgow, Wisconsin, which is simply called "The Corn Show."<br />
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Last Saturday, after taking an enjoyable drive down Highway 61 from Redwing to Winona and then driving about another 25 miles through the beautiful countryside of Wisconsin, we arrived at the site of The Corn Show about 10:45 A.M. Nancy and I soon learned the area was rich with rural heritage and the people were eager to share their stories. So let me say first, we thank the people of Glasgow for sharing their farm heritage with us.<br />
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The site of The Corn Show is the school house and school yard of the country school which was built in 1921. The local organization takes care of the school and uses it and the sheds behind it for their annual harvest celebration.<br />
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The activities of The Corn Show were a combination of those found in a small county fair and a country school picnic.<br />
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Sheds in the back displayed produce to be judged:<br />
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Pictures from local families of past farm activities were displayed in an adjoining shed:<br />
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Machinery brought in by local farmers was displayed on the grounds:<br />
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The basement of the school displayed preserves and crafts to be judged:<br />
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In the afternoon games were scheduled to be played by adults and young people, but first the club served a great noon meal in the basement of the school.<br />
After the leisurely meal and much visiting, people gathered upstairs in the schoolhouse to hear my one-hour Farm Heritage Program.<br />
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The stage in the front made the schoolroom a great place to perform. Nancy displayed our books and farm heritage photos along the wall of the room.</div>
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Audience members seemed to enjoy the show. Many were teary-eyed and gave me kind comments after the show, and several game me hugs.</div>
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In the afternoon popular games included the "bale toss" where men competed to see who could throw the bale the best distance and, pictured below, the ball toss and the rope pull.<br />
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Two young men competing by trying to throw the ball into the milk can.</div>
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Teams competing in the "tug of war."</div>
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After items were judged, ribbons were handed out and places were announced.<br />
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Our friend Sandy Ravnum, who invited us to the event, won the quilt competition.<br />
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Sandy's son Ted restored a 1965 John Deere 3020, which according to her husband Steve, was purchased by his family in 1965 and was the biggest tractor around the area at the time.</div>
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Owner demonstrating a small feed grinder powered by a small engine.</div>
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To show the size of the winning sunflower head, Sandy holds her hand next to it.</div>
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<b>We revisited the photo display to get some closeups.</b></div>
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School interior in the 1940s.</div>
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There were lots of great pictures of harvesting (too many to post), but one that caught my eye displayed the pride and joy shown by farmers who no longer had to shovel oats or carry sacks when they unloaded grain. If you are on of those who remember unloading oats by hand, you understand what a big deal an elevator and a hydraulic hoist was at the time.</div>
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Before we left, we visited with Sandy and Dan, who is the president of The Corn Show organization.</div>
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Sandy, Dan, and I enjoying swapping stories as we visited before we left the event.</div>
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Jane Thompson, who had purchased a book after my program, caught us before we left to get a photo.</div>
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Sandy and I in front of the school.</div>
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We couldn't resist snapping a photo of a beautiful, huge oak (above)</div>
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before we hit the road for home (below).</div>
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The Glasgow Corn Show is an authentic harvest festival consisting of local people showing their produce to be judged. It is not an event designed to attract thousands of people, but it is more like a wonderful, friendly neighborhood get-together.<br />
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And yet, <b>2012 MARKED THE 96TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF THE EVENT!</b></div>
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<b>Now that's real farm heritage!</b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Nancy and I felt privileged to be there and especially honored to be part of their entertainment program.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">We thank Sandy for inviting us and for sponsoring our lunch, and we also thank the many members of the organization for their effort in putting on the show. Their hospitality toward us made us feel welcome and helped us enjoy the entire event.</span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</span></b><br />
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-6175406589540966802012-09-26T08:25:00.000-05:002012-11-25T10:01:38.603-06:00Dozinky 2012Dozinky is an annual Harvest festival at New Prague, Minnesota, that celebrates the Czech Heritage and the Farm Heritage of the city and the surrounding area. The September event is always fun and well attended because it features the sale of Czech foods, ethic-related items, and a Parade of Farm Pride.<br />
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Czech Village is managed by the volunteers of the Czech Heritage Club of New Prague.</div>
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Nancy and I felt honored to be invited to display and sell our farm heritage books and Czech apparel at a booth located in the Czech Village, which consisted of a group of tents in a space between two downtown building on the north side of the main street in New Prague. Pedestrian traffic kept us busy all day as friends stopped by to say hello and as customers checked out our books, tee shirts, sweat shirts, caps, and visors.<br />
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Nancy at our booth in the Czech Village.</div>
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Street scene about 9:00AM (above)</div>
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Street scene at same location about 11:00 AM (above and below)</div>
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By noon both sides of the street were lined with people eager to watch the Parade of Farm Pride, which features a variety of floats from organizations, musician, political figures, and tractors new and old.</div>
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In the above photo, my cousin Ben Cervenka drives his restored D15 Allis Chalmers.</div>
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Street vendors were busy and the Czech Village was packed during much of the day. Visitors were eager to listen to the Czech music and watch Czech dancers perform in the tent at the far end of the Czech Village, shown on the right of the above photo.<br />
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Nancy and I wish to thank everyone involved in organizing and managing Dozinky 2012.</div>
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We especially thank Vi Chromy and Deb Ziskovsky for inviting Nancy and me to display and sell our books and apparel at the Czech Village. We were proud to be part of it.</div>
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Visit New Prague during Dozinky next year. You and your family will be glad you did.</div>
<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-22671937238359231192012-09-25T08:41:00.002-05:002012-11-25T10:03:27.568-06:00Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show 2012The LeSueur County Pioneer Power Show provides the whole family with exciting farm activities that date back to the Nineteenth Century through the middle of the Twentieth Century. Everything from sawing lumber to threshing and baling with rigs that go back to the 1890s.<br />
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Nancy and I were planning to attend the three-day event for one day to take photos for our new book, <i>A Farm Country Harvest, </i>but when officer and board member, Harold Wondra called me a few weeks before the show to ask us to exhibit, Nancy and I were glad to accept the offer. We saw it as a great opportunity to offer our books for sale and show the many photographs of farm activities that we've collected from museums and farm families from all over Minnesota and other states.<br />
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People of all ages seem to enjoy looking at the collection of farm activity photos.<br />
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Nancy poses in our exhibit of farm photos and my books.</div>
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On the small TV on the left, all eight of my books run with pages showing at 3-second intervals.</div>
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On the large TV in the center, photos of farm activities run with pages showing at 3-second intervals.</div>
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The farm photo display on the TV lasts for about 25 minutes and often people would take turns to sit on the one chair to watch the entire display unfold. </div>
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To the left of our booth, Dorothy Riebel, board member and officer of Pioneer Power, dawns her house dress and apron to demonstrate washing and ironing as it was during the era before automatics.</div>
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Dorothy's husband Bob is also an active member of the organization.</div>
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Across the aisle from us, Carl and Joan Veldhuizen exhibit Carl's working scale-models of antique equipment and Joan's crocheting. Joan offers for sale many of the items she makes.</div>
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To the right of our booth, Loren Riebel displays part of his vast collection of antique farm tools, which he labels with a number, and the "key" is posted on a sheet nearby so after viewers quiz themselves on naming the tools, they can check their answers. Sorry, but we did not get a photo of Loren's fabulous display, but he displays every year. Stop by next year to see it. You will not be disappointed. </div>
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Loren's children and grandchildren showed up later to have photos taken with him(We missed the photo op because we were busy.), but the great thing is that so many of the younger generation in his family are very interested in his tool collection. Gaining and maintaining the interest of the young people is absolutely necessary for farm heritage to be passed on.</div>
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When things slowed down for us, Nancy went over to the Creamery Building where Loren displays his dairy equipment collection.</div>
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Loren Riebel with his dairy equipment collection.<br />
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As you can tell by the grins on the faces of Dorothy, Carl, Joan, and Loren, they enjoy what they do, which seems to be the case for all of the hard-working members who keep things going at LeSueur County Pioneer Power Show. </div>
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We did not get time to look at all the activities and displays (not even close), but we did focus on the ones that provided opportunities for photos that we can use in our book, <i>A Farm Country Harvest, </i>which we hope to release by summer of 2013.</div>
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After asking around, we discover that if we need information on threshing machines and the names of the operators, the guy to talk to is Doug Hager, who has the amazing responsibility of being in charge of maintaining and operating the threshing equipment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPa0mSgSgSuSlrM5hOuycYTSPgz3pMj7MbyY106ZBpH7JrC2-6_RFzFWHnwdN54JRE97oUS1gkHpLlaZFztZW73NQmWF8jz0ANQC7kcZpjmjwEoW6RUwcbAjqSfxBkUgU8r0RRL4bZqlAk/s1600/IMG_8138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPa0mSgSgSuSlrM5hOuycYTSPgz3pMj7MbyY106ZBpH7JrC2-6_RFzFWHnwdN54JRE97oUS1gkHpLlaZFztZW73NQmWF8jz0ANQC7kcZpjmjwEoW6RUwcbAjqSfxBkUgU8r0RRL4bZqlAk/s320/IMG_8138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Doug Hager, taking a moment to talk with me about his work.</div>
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The many activities of the day keep Doug really busy, and as he hustled about his work with confidence, he was always willing to answer questions from observers. I expected he might be too busy to talk to me about asking him for help with my book, but he seemed eager to help in any way. This is the way it is at the Pioneer Power Show. </div>
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I was clever enough to stay out of Doug's way when he was operating or fixing the machines.</div>
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Many threshers were running simultaneously during part of the day, but one that had particular interest for me was the 1898 Case. The sign below gives its history and present situation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKkLjIYVJyBwAVHu2-HvsB18EfxeDkHdiDBh0F0I9nVag82itR2B6e6pv0mskivfl6rA1bmxXFUYO3WNiuIp_h-0v_HfZ0LsiPJ3V7w7KvHaR2R6NGovPV5lcUXhoGnmdxjqyWpQzk29c/s1600/IMG_7993case+1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKkLjIYVJyBwAVHu2-HvsB18EfxeDkHdiDBh0F0I9nVag82itR2B6e6pv0mskivfl6rA1bmxXFUYO3WNiuIp_h-0v_HfZ0LsiPJ3V7w7KvHaR2R6NGovPV5lcUXhoGnmdxjqyWpQzk29c/s320/IMG_7993case+1988.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When this machine came out, it provided the latest in threshing technology, which is why I want to use it as an example in my book because it lacks a number of labor saving devices that were common on the newer machines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsMV0qBhv6uO4wPXdtzvhB1kDSL2sn39Sk7sYEyZeHFagm5ahGSee_cnFrmOLxIpMJn7RDmyqrh90K340fbUacbmNnQYkLyGsqnKk4KxZ3GyvUBrnqZNslDNxCKjhjV7TcIZ6LTg5EnLQ/s1600/IMG_7999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsMV0qBhv6uO4wPXdtzvhB1kDSL2sn39Sk7sYEyZeHFagm5ahGSee_cnFrmOLxIpMJn7RDmyqrh90K340fbUacbmNnQYkLyGsqnKk4KxZ3GyvUBrnqZNslDNxCKjhjV7TcIZ6LTg5EnLQ/s320/IMG_7999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Profile of the 1898 J.I. Case Agitator.</div>
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Note the short feeder on the left provided a platform where a worker could stand as he cut the twines and fed the stalks into the machine manually. </div>
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On the right, the machine used a conveyor to carry the straw to a pile, which required a man or two to fork the straw away and stack it. Newer thresher had knives that cut the twine, allowing the bundles to be pitched in by a couple of workers, and a blower was used to remove the straw to a pile, eliminating he need for workers to stack it.</div>
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Since it lacked knives to cut the twine on the bundles, a man had to cut the twine and hand-feed the stalks into the feeder, which was a slow, dusty process. Pictured above are Shannon Prostrollo pitching and her father Dan Gossman feeding feeding the machine. Dan told me that when he soaks the red bandanna with water and ties it over his nose and mouth as he has done on the photo above, it almost makes the job of hand feeding the machine bearable.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xi1N3mSUPc-17eqF6CRMlKDHYMXoN_tK1FhAH7JT3OSkcRZmRbh5EU67OFfj1Jc3jqr2jCCEAW52RuIki0Jemm-vO9jAF0mQ01q_OnZaqEsoCrjbucu2B6mbbWX0eC1-w3MpG3LQIxaC/s1600/IMG_8176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xi1N3mSUPc-17eqF6CRMlKDHYMXoN_tK1FhAH7JT3OSkcRZmRbh5EU67OFfj1Jc3jqr2jCCEAW52RuIki0Jemm-vO9jAF0mQ01q_OnZaqEsoCrjbucu2B6mbbWX0eC1-w3MpG3LQIxaC/s320/IMG_8176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Without someone stacking the straw, as shown below, the straw would pile up and block the flow of straw from the conveyor as shown above.</div>
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To handle he grain, the 1898 Agitator had a sacker attachment. The handle on the top tallied the number of times the sacker was switched from one side to the other. Farmers were billed by the machine's owner according to the amount of grain threshed.</div>
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The 1898 machine is powered by horses in a nearby building. As the horses walk in a circle, their muscles turn gears that transmit power to a shaft running along the ground.</div>
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The shaft transmits power to a pulley near the 1898 Agitator, and the pulley is connected by a belt to power the threshing machine. as shown below. In the picture below, while the horses are ready to perform their tasks in the shed in he background, the men belt up the drive pulley.</div>
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The handle on the transfer box in the above photo engages the horse's power to the pulley.</div>
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Left to right are Shannon Prostrollo, Shannon's son Josh, Scott Gossman, Dan Gossman, LuAnn Hiniker, and Larry Leckband.</div>
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Dan Gossman and his family are the operators. Scott is Dan's brother and Shannon is Dan's daughter.</div>
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Larry is from Ocheyedan, Iowa, and was introduced to me as "a wealth of information," an inventor, and a collector of antiques.</div>
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LuAnn is the proud owner of the 1898 Case Agitator. </div>
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Thanks to LuAnn and the Gossman Family for maintaining and operating the machine.</div>
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Nancy and my interests in this machine started when Shannon stopped by our booth earlier to chat and invite Nancy and me down to the demonstration for photo opportunities. Thank you, Shannon.</div>
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This machine is over 110 years old and reflects great care in its history. The paint is faded but clearly visible, and the mechanical parts work fine. We are all thankful for the people who take the time, make the effort, and pay the expenses to operate the many antique pieces of equipment that keep our farm heritage alive. </div>
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In stark contrast to the 1898 J.I. Case Agitator is the newer and larger model Case thresher with two wing feeders, a straw blower, and grain auger shown below.</div>
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Powering the big Case Machine is a tractor made by the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company.</div>
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The large wing feeders allowed bundles to be pitched from wagons from both sides simultaneously, and when it was used for stack threshing, it enabled close proximity of the machine to several stacks without moving the machine, which was a time-consuming process.</div>
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The above close-up shows the bundles coming into the main feeder from both sides.</div>
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Straw is evacuated by a large blower and the grain is dispersed into a grain box with an auger, eliminating the need for workers to tend the sacker and the conveyor as on the 1898 Agitator.</div>
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But nothing is so perfect that it wouldn't need a bit of fixing from time to time, as shown in the photo below.</div>
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Instead of the machine counting sacks as the 1898 Case Agitator, this machine actually weighs the oats and counts the number of bushels. The weight of the oats in the hopper is dumped into the auger when it exceeds the set weight of half a bushel as set by the counterweight.</div>
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There are lots of activities going on at the same time during the three-day event, and to answer all types of questions, the organization has an information booth, which was tended by our good friend, Betty Sticha, an active and long-time member of the club pictured in the information booth below:</div>
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Officer and Board Member, Harold Wondra was in charge of Preuhs Building where we exhibited, and in the photo below, Harold takes time in his busy day to pose as he drives the grounds to provide help to customers and workers during the three-day event.</div>
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Harold's wife Ellen watches the 25-minute photo display in our booth. She is a long-time friend of ours, and we were glad to discover she enjoyed the photos.</div>
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Customers and visitors kept us pretty busy, but during the two-hour parade of tractors, Nancy managed to snap a photo of our friend Dick Mushitz driving a Massey Harris that he restored.</div>
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Nancy and I had a great time exhibiting our photos and selling our books at the 39th annual LeSueur County Pioneer Power Show, but three days wasn't enough for us to get away to see the many other exhibits. However, if you put the third weekend after the first full week in August on your calendar for 2013, you could try to cover it all yourself. Stop in to say hello to us if you do. Go to their website at www.pioneerpowershow.com for more information.</div>
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Thanks to Harold Wondra for contacting us to exhibit and thanks to all of the hard-working members of the club for making it all possible. Also, special thanks to Doug Hager for his time and expertise and to Shannon Prostrollo for reaching out to us to let us know about the amazing 1898 J.I. Case Agitator.</div>
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Hope to see you all again next year.</div>
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Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson</div>
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Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-42716905422817312512012-09-24T14:20:00.003-05:002012-11-25T10:04:19.112-06:00Farmamerica Fall Fair 2012Farmamerica is 120-acre site near Waseca that was commissioned in 1978 to preserve and promote the strong heritage of Minnesota Agriculture.<br />
They offer my books for sale in their gift shop, and they invite Nancy and me to special events at the farm site. Farmamerica has a really fine Interpretive Center, great historical buildings, antique machinery, and activities that are fun and accurately reflect our farm heritage.<br />
Preserving farm heritage is a noble mission, and Nancy and I are proud and happy to be invited to show our farm heritage photo display and sell our books at Farmamerica's events.<br />
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On Saturday and Sunday, September 8 and 9, We set up our photo and book display in the lobby of the Interpretive Center and enjoyed visiting with staff and customers for the two-day<b> Farmamerica Fall Fair, </b>which included the following demonstrations: <b>threshing oats, stalk shredding, corn picking, corn combining, corn shelling, baling, buzz saw, plowing, corn bundling, silage cutting, and various tractor and equipment displays. A tractor parade started at 1:30 each day.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-boiYs7uAC51Eum0Oi0Ithj_w9FX7YY8-6A4qmWyDuEjBNpwb_GliMT7msHSu8NUApHEs7HIbKYI_Egch_21-EfaguBwQ8t6IFpYqbJMgb2k81RbL-l_4MrxdgIpiQHAwfzCSI2FY6IA-/s1600/IMG_0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-boiYs7uAC51Eum0Oi0Ithj_w9FX7YY8-6A4qmWyDuEjBNpwb_GliMT7msHSu8NUApHEs7HIbKYI_Egch_21-EfaguBwQ8t6IFpYqbJMgb2k81RbL-l_4MrxdgIpiQHAwfzCSI2FY6IA-/s320/IMG_0153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
While Nancy took care of our booth, I was able to sneak out and view most of the exhibits, but I forgot to get a photo of our booth. The above photo with me and a happy customer shows part of the display. The television on the left has a 25-minute photo display on a three-second timer showing photographs of farm activities from the early and mid-1900s.<br />
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I was particularly interested in getting photos of threshing like the one above </div>
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that I can use in my next book, <i>A Farm Country Harvest.</i></div>
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The steel-wheeled wagon and the braces on the rack on the left remind me of the rigs used when I was a boy, and the removable basket rack on the right is very much like a used one my folks bought in about 1955.</div>
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When I spotted this silage cutter, I knew I wanted photos that show all the detail on the machine because this is the same brand and cutter my folks used when they hauled bundles to fill their silo for so many years. Since I intend to write <i>A Farm Country Silo Filling </i>as my next book after <i>A Farm Country Harvest, </i>I'd been looking for a model for photos to send to my illustrator. My search is over.</div>
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I never tire of photos of threshing from the drive belt to the thresher.</div>
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We thank Jim Gibson, executive Director of Farmamerica, for inviting us to the Fall Fair, and thanks to Crystal and other staff members who made us feel welcome throughout the day. We especially thank the many board members who stopped by our booth to visit, to introduce themselves, and to give us encouragement in our efforts to preserve farm heritage.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528232355633181259.post-77997133649338329422012-09-19T08:45:00.000-05:002012-11-25T10:04:46.278-06:00Room for GrowingPam, at Room for Growing, an educational child care facility in North Branch, invited me to do my Farm Heritage program for their 4-7 year old students in August. When we arrived, teachers made us feel welcome and showed us to a room to set up. Students and teachers projected curiosity and enthusiasm throughout my program, and I think we all had some fun learning about farm life.<br />
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Students and teachers watch and listen as I begin my program, </div>
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which included my story, <i>If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure.</i></div>
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Experiencing the excitement of a room full of children and seeing the enthusiasm for teaching and love for children projected by teachers always provides me with a boost and reminds me how lucky I am to be part of it for a day.</div>
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When students exit after the program, they line up to stick their hands into a small can of oats to feel it.</div>
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In addition to the school at North Branch, Room For Growing Educational Child Care has facilities in Forest Lake North, Forest Lake South, and Chisago City.</div>
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Thanks to Pam for inviting me to do the program and thanks to all the teachers and students who made us feel welcome at the school.</div>
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<br />Gordon Fredricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182955480081047647noreply@blogger.com0