Posted: June 20th, 2011 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Surrounding area: Laporte | Tags: award winning, Bemidji, Forestedge, John Wildmo, MN, Paul Shuster, Sharon Shuster, This is my town, winery | 3 Comments »
To make award winning wine everyone knows that you first start with grapes. Preferably grapes raised under the sun in the Napa Valley of California. To think of doing anything else would be crazy….right?
Wrong.
Photo from HERE
What if someone decided to use rhubarb grown in the cold Spring frost of Minnesota?
Surely they would be considered crazy.
Well, John Wildmo along with Paul and Sharon Shuster were just crazy enough to attempt such a venture. In 2000 they opened their winery outside of Bemidji in Laporte, MN
Eleven years later they are producing 7 “fruit wines” and winning more awards then they are able to display. One might say now that they were crazy like a fox.
Producing 5000 bottles in the first year they found themselves in an interesting predicament;
they ran out of wine.
Since then they have become the 6th largest winery (out of 32) in the state of Minnesota.
Starting out with a 24×40 building they found the need to quickly upgrade and expand.
It became evident that using barrels was not going to work to meet the production demands.
Adding thirteen 600 gallon Italian stainless steel tanks was a huge leap of faith.
However, they soon found themselves ordering even more tanks calling for further expansions.
Things have run mostly by hand-
bottling, labeling, corking.
At one point they were hand bottling and casing up to 300 bottles an hour .
In 2009 they purchased a bottler allowing them to produce up to 125-150 cases a day,
(even now I noticed on their wine list that they are out of two varieties,
a nice problem to have I am sure)
Now selling:
Apple
Black Current
Chokecherry
Cranberry
Early Season White Cranberry
Headwaters Classic Red Wine
Plum Wine
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Rhubarb/Blueberry
Strawberry
and
Summer Blush
Providing a grape-less wine has been their ticket. When I asked the guys what they liked best about their experience they summed it up quickly:
- We were successful
- We did what we set out to do
- We enjoy what we do
I must say that being at the winery and having a wine maker teach me HOW to drink wine, this non-wine drinker had her first sip of wine that she enjoyed (white cranberry).
In a Year:
5 tons of sugar
10,000 lbs of rhubarb from their own 2 acres
2000 lbs of strawberries
30,000 bottles of wine produced and sold
all with 3 employees.
Forestedge Winery is the perfect example of Minnesota determination mixed with local talent to bring us a hometown, award winning wine for our enjoyment.
More photographs can be found HERE
Located: From Bemidji- Take US Hwy 71 S to Kabekona. Take MN Hwy 200 E until the junction of MN Hwy 64. Turn right and take 64 south. Forestedge Winery is situated on the right side of the road.
Forestedge’s Website can be found HERE
Open: May through December
six days a week and closed on Mondays
Tuesday- Saturday 10-5:30, Sunday 12-5
Winery Photographs by: Jon Heller
Story by: Julie Saari
Posted: May 3rd, 2011 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Downtown | Tags: adventure, Bemidj, Downtown, Jon Heller, Julie Saari, Minnesota, photographer, This is my town | 4 Comments »
Photography by: Julie Saari
Jon H.
Back Alley – Downtown Bemidji
April 2011
Always looking for an adventure Jon Heller can be found on his bike or on the road exploring and photographing his experiences. Jon takes as many photos for friends as he does for assignments. A style unique to Bemidji Jon Heller has a flair for photography not usually seen in a town our size. One of the first people to contact me after I started This is my town: Bemidji, Jon and I have become friends and he has helped me on numerous occasions get a shot I can’t, or to loan me equipment I could only dream of using much less have. You have seen some of Jon’s work on the Facebook page in the Where the Heck? pics as well as the profile photos as well.
Some of you know him, but for the rest let me introduce you to Jon Heller:
A big part of my story is pretty much the same as everyone else that grew up in Bemidji. Born and raised in the Bemidji area but with the desire to travel away from here. I would read stacks of “outside” magazines dreaming about all the places I wanted to visit without knowing how I could make it happen.
Then in 1993 on a family vacation to Glacier National Park everything changed when my Dad showed me how to use his old Nikon FE camera. Once those first rolls of Kodachrome came back I was hooked, finally an art form that let me record what I saw in the world the way that I saw it. On top of it all it was easy or at least I thought so after seeing those first slides. From that point on I devoured every magazine, book and behind the scenes video I could get my hands on which is when I started to realize how much more there was to getting successful images. It doesn’t even matter what kind of photos I’m shooting, a lot of photographers only shoot one thing but I don’t really care what I point my camera at as long as it inspires or moves me in some way. I have lived in Montana, Wyoming, Florida and California and traveled to all the places in between but I keep ending up in Bemidji.
Hours after graduating from high school I was on the road back to Montana to attend photography school for the summer. By this point my main direction was in photographing people, still loving it all I just shot what ever I could. On top of that I was on my own, exploring the mountains around Missoula. However, by the time the program was done I was ready to come back to Bemidji. I spent the next few years working odd jobs while trying to build a portfolio as good as the images I saw in magazines with little success, the ideas were there but I was still missing something. Then. I got hired to assist a new commercial photographer in Bemidji who showed me how much work and gear went into getting those shots I was trying to emulate. He had all the gear and would let me borrow it for my own shoots. That’s when my images started to improve by leaps and bounds.
I have paid my photographic dues over the years shooting baby, family and wedding photos to the point where those are the only things I refuse to shoot. Mostly due to the fact that I was never very good at those kinds of shoots but they managed to pay for the gear that let my work evolve into what it is today. I do love photographing people though, anything from sports to environmental portraits. For my personal projects I tend to be drawn to people that I find interesting on some level usually through what they do for work or their hobbies. I really enjoy trying to create images of artists from other mediums.
I’m at a place right now where my photos are getting published on a fairly regular basis and it still doesn’t get old seeing my images on the cover of magazines. I still haven’t picked just one direction to go in, one day I might be shooting a orchestra conductor the next I might be dangling from a rope shooting a rock climber, all things I have actually shot in Bemidji.
That’s the great thing about Bemidji is that even though it would be considered by most a small town things are constantly changing and evolving around here to the point where there is always something new to shoot. I think that is why I have such a hard time choosing a direction with my photography and sticking to it. At the same time I am constantly brow beaten by the small town mentality around here. People automatically assuming that some one who claims to be a photographer and doesn’t run a portrait studio is creepy and should be avoided (mostly because they have seen too many made for TV movies). Though a lot of that has died down since I started shooting for a local woman’s magazine.
The last two or three years though have really been amazing, constantly shooting something and actually having people volunteer to be in my images. Three years agoy works improved immensely when I went digital and was really able to experiment with lighting. I quickly converting from a natural light only type of a shooter to an available light shooter, and by that I mean any light that is available. I will drag enough lighting equipment out to a shoot that it looks like I could be shooting for Rolling Stone when I am probably shooting something as a favor to a friend or a portfolio piece for myself.
Through all of my travels over the years and even the places I have only dreamed of visiting I love having Bemidji as my home base. With all my odd ball friends (term of endearment) that have supported my photography over the years usually by being the subject matter and the area locations that have served as the backdrop for my images this place is home. I am a 31 year old Bemidji local and it has taken most of those 31 years to realize how great of a thing that actually is.
Photos by Julie Saari
Jon’s links:
Posted: April 21st, 2011 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Basketball, Bemidji, Blake Shelton, Bullriding, concert, Events, Globetrotters, Home Sport Travel Show, Jaycees, Julie Saari, Minnesota, Photography, Rodeo, Sandford Center, This is my town | 2 Comments »
Bemidji Regional Event Center opened their doors November 17, 2010 with their first show Larry the Cable Guy, followed by Sesame Street Live and then onto Hockey and other events. Here are some photos of a few events I personally attended at the center. The next promoted event is Styx live in concert on May 28, 2011.
Blake Shelton Concert
January 29, 2011
Bud Light Bull Riding Challenge
April 1&2 2011
Globetrotters
April 4, 2011
Bemidji Jaycees Home Sport and Travel Show
The Weekend of April 8,9,10 2011
More Information on the Sanford Center Can Be Found Here
Click Here to Link to Sanford Center Website
All Photographs Property of Julie Saari and This is my town: Bemidji ©
Posted: July 12th, 2010 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Mississippi River, Southwest of Bemidji | Tags: adventure, Bemidji, canoeing, coffee pot landing, family man, geocaching, Minnesota, Mississippi River, teacher, This is my town | 12 Comments »
photography by Julie Saari
Allan Habedank
“Fargnot”
Coffee Pot Landing
Mississippi River
How can a person explain Allan? First you start by calling him Fargnot. Second you accept that Uncle Bill Fargnot is indeed his uncle (although he truly is a fictional character, I think. Having heard enough about his Uncle Bill Fargnot I have started to think of this character as a real man.) You learn what a fabulous story teller Fargnot is. You quickly learn that he cares for his wife and family immensely. Finally, you know he is always open for an adventure. He is a teacher of Mathematics (and wisdom) at Cass Lake High School, though I first met Fargnot through geocaching.
A note about the photo shoot- Standing knee deep in the Mississippi River at Coffeepot Landing I tried to keep my balance as the current swept by me moving rocks that knocked against my feet. The sky opened up and the rain poured down. Allan’s smile got bigger as he stated the weather could not be any better for pictures of him, pouring rain was perfect. If you look carefully you will see the rain drops on the river and even some in the air.
It is my true honor to introduce you to Allan H
(aka Fargnot):
This part of my story begins in Flint Michigan where at the age of fifteen I worked for my father selling Christmas trees in the front yard of our home on Miller Road, our location was good and business was steady. On Christmas Eve we sold the last tree we would ever sell from our lot as my father announced we were moving to Minnesota to chase after another one of his dreams, we did this every couple of years. He thought we were trading the retail end of the pine tree business for a chance at early retirement. He had purchased a piece of land where we could build a plantation a couple of miles north of a town called Bemidji. I was destined to become a tree farmer.
I made myself believe that it was fate that brought me to Bemidji and it was my lot in life to chase after distant shores. The land we had purchased was a cedar swamp and cedar Christmas trees never really caught on. We were good dream hatchers, but weren’t very good dream catchers. After a while you get used to disappointment, I learned to live with the angry insects and unbearable cold by numbing myself with a good dose of depression. All of that has changed now that I realize the role defining moments have had in directing my life. These days the prayer in my heart is that my children will find a place like Bemidji to raise their dreams.
Everyone starts life with a defining moment which comes from God. He gives us a place from which to start our journey and a time to travel. To some, place is more important as it determines the direction that gives form to our lives. To others, time is the stronger gift that gives us those precious moments to fulfill our destiny. These gifts are given to outfit us for the adventures that lie ahead and are meant to help us find our way back to Him. It is a sacrifice on His part to be parted from those whom He loves, so he has given us a time to return and a place to remember lest we forget. In His infinite wisdom, He realized I would need a little extra help along the way. Four defining moments in the form of pine trees, faith, education and rivers were placed upon my path to help me find my way home.
In the Northwood’s there is a saying “It’s all about the trees” and in my case that was the truth. It was the trees that brought my family to a land where I would meet my eternal companion. Soon after we arrived in Bemidji, I was standing at the bus stop right after the first snowfall when off in the distance I could see the neighbor girl walking along the edge of our swamp headed in my direction. Her beauty took my breath away. It was sometime later that I regained my senses and all I remember is looking out the window of the bus watching flowers sprout out of her snowy footprints. After many years of getting to know one another, I chose her for my wife and she chose me for her husband. I gave her my undying devotion and in return she gave me a family with five children which we will forever cherish.
Time was good to us, but over the years I could feel the gift of place pulling us apart. During the first years of our marriage I often thought about moving back home to Michigan, I had my father’s disease. One day I came home, sold it and packed up the U-haul. We were headed for the Promised Land where I could be king. One of my wife’s favorite sayings is “my husband is the head of the family, but I am the neck which makes the head turn”. So she quickly turned my head back towards her land and a westbound U-haul was soon parked in our Michigan driveway. At first it would seem that we had made no gains, but during our short stay in Michigan we had another defining moment as we found our faith and became Mormons, it was after all the Promised Land.
I have often thought that a happy wife was in my best interests and being in Bemidji certainly accomplished that. We built a log cabin and started our family. Back to basics was the theme of those years. We raised goats, had a midwife deliver the children, took baths in the lake, and lived the poor man’s dream. At times it was wonderful, at times it was a nightmare, but another defining moment soon put another U-haul in our Bemidji driveway. This time we were headed for Brigham Young University in Utah and an education were I was destined to become a mathematics teacher.
Five years, a few more kids, and the realization that we were both strangers in the desert helped us understand how important place was to us. We tried her place, then my place, and then another place and finally it all came together….Our hearts had become one and we realized we could be happy in any place as long as we were together and it was our place. In the end it wasn’t the trees, the seasons, or employment that helped us choose Bemidji in which to build our life. Simply put it was the river that was the deciding factor in our decision to call this place home. I remember talking to my Uncle Bill Fargnot (a world renowned geocacher) and will never forget the “Bill talk” he gave us. He said “Some people live east of the Mississippi and some live west of the Mississippi, but very few have an opportunity to live north of this mighty river”. For some unknown reason this connected with our spirits. When we feel disconnected, we load up the canoe and head for Itasca to make the sixty mile pilgrimage to our home for the past twenty-five years, Bemidji.
written by Allan Habedank
pics by Julie Saari
Geocaching site can be found HERE
Posted: July 5th, 2010 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Lake Bemidji State Park | Tags: Bemidji, Bemidji State Park, divorce, hometown, Minnesota, moving, Physicians Clinic, This is my town | 1 Comment »
Photography by Julie Saari
Angela A.
Bemidji State Park
June 2010
Here name is not Ashley, nor is it Elizabeth, but her sense of humor is such that she can laugh at you when you mix her name up not once, but yes, twice. That is what I did to Angela (her name is Angela). When I first started reading Angela’s story I thought she had gotten it all wrong. Surely she did not understand the concept behind this project. That is, until I reached the last paragraph, and then I got it. She did understand and she made me remember that not everyone ends up here on good terms. But, Angela also proves that you can make the most of what life gives you, and do it with a smile.
Say hello to Ashley
(her name is Ashley)
My move back to Bemidji was not the smoothest of transitions. Ultimately I had to pack and move 9 years of my life in a trailer, and drive 5 hours “back home”. My uncle and a friend of his had agreed to help me move. However, part way into the journey home, a flat tire happened on the trailer, at night, in a remote village in Wisconsin. Since it was a Saturday night, this town (if you could call it that), had only one place to buy a tire, and yes, they were closed; we were staying the night. The next day, after spending a pretty sum on two new trailer tires, I was optimistic, we were ready to roll and on our way. Three or maybe it was 4 hours later….we finally reached our destination; my apartment. It was a decent little apartment, just on the end of town in Nymore. However, as we were moving in, I made a sad discovery; my couch did not fit through the door, and it wouldn’t. I would have nothing to sit on. However, the piece de’resistance to this glorious day was when I was outside just ready to bring in some boxes when I heard this magnificent crash and shatter! If one can hesitantly hurry…I did so. I was afraid to know what had happened. There stood the helper, my uncle’s friend, over my living room window. Disbelief was the first reaction. How exactly does one large window, fall out of the wall? Well, it just falls out, when you try to open it, apparently. As the evening came to a close, I remember one of my friends saying to me, as I sat on the front steps, “You’re going to cry aren’t you?” I said quite certainly “no”, though I knew it wouldn’t be long before that happened. I had no place to sit in my apartment, and no window, so I said “We’re going out”.
In 2003, I wasn’t coming back to Bemidji at the happiest time in my life, I sort of felt as though I was coming back with my tail between my legs looking for a place to hide. Making the decision to come back to Bemidji wasn’t easy. After all, I was leaving great friends. When one moves back home after life changing events, they don’t have big “welcome home” parties for these types of occasions. What do you put on the banner and balloons? “Happy Divorce”, “Way to go!” What I did know, was that I needed to move on, and “start over”. At least that’s the way I was trying to see it; starting over. For me, starting over meant, Bemidji.
I was born in Bemidji, in 1974. I went to JW Smith Elementary, graduated from BHS, and went to Bemidji State University, before transferring to UW Stevens Point. I lived in various parts of Wisconsin for nearly 9 years. Now, I have been back in Bemidji for 7 years, I honestly didn’t know that would happen. It has now been the longest I have lived in one place since initially leaving! Why do I stay? Family and friends; it is home. You don’t move back to Bemidji for its fashion, or its wealth…there isn’t a lot of that here. I stay because of its isolation, and its opportunity.
Being back in Bemidji, has allowed for me to discover who I am and what I want from my life. It and the people, my friends and my family did welcome me back home after all those years, not with a big party, but with a quite hug that said “welcome home”.
written by Angela Anderson
pics by Julie Saari
Posted: June 28th, 2010 | Author: Julie | Filed under: East of Bemidji | Tags: artist, Bemidji, kaleidoscope, Stump Lake, This is my town, wildlife photographer | 1 Comment »
Melissa B.
Stump Lake
East of Bemidji
Laid back yet determined. An eye for the unseen. Melissa creates art out of the every day beauty around us. A mom who found herself after raising her family. I had a great time at Melissa’s house on Stump Lake. The fortune of nature was with us as the lake was calm and peaceful that day and the wildlife made an appearance. Getting to watch a simple picture turn into a piece of artwork was inspiring.
Can I introduce you to Melissa?
I was not born or raised here in the literal sense. I found Bemidji in 2006 and knew the moment I stepped off the plane that this was HOME.
My journey began the summer of 2006 in Owosso, Michigan where I lived for ten years with my husband and six children. Don’t be too impressed, I didn’t give birth to them all, we are a meshed family, but a family all the same and I love them all as if they were my own. Most of our family vacations were long weekends to the upper peninsula of Michigan. The only place I found solace. My heart was heavy on the trip back and my husband and I fantasized about moving to the U.P. buying a tiny cabin on a lake surrounded by forest. It was not practical and selfish for us to consider uprooting our children from the only home they could remember, so we patiently waited. The summer of 2006 marked the milestone of all children graduating from high school. It was time – our time! I was on the search for a job in the north, what I thought would be the U.P. of Michigan.
Fortunately a fairy godmother found me, and of course as fairy godmothers are, much wiser than I am, took pity upon me, and paved the way for my journey home. I had three job offers in northern Minnesota and no prospects in the U.P. My husband and I decided why not investigate. The first company did not offer enough salary so I turned it down. The second offer was from Arctic Cat. Thief River just did not feel like home. The third offer from a company not far from Bemidji seemed just right. (I know – too Goldilocks – sorry) I flew into Bemidji airport for my interview and immediately sighed and said…..HOME! I rushed to the interview, accepted their offer, rushed back home to tell my husband that I have found our paradise. Much more beautiful than what we imagined. Two weeks later I was in a manic dash to pack and start my first day of work. In keeping with my Goldilocks theme, there was a bear involved (or if you choose a Big Bad Wolf both villains are appropriate) and just over a year after my first day I left the company. Once again my fairy godmother stepped in. This, like other fairy tales has a touch of irony. The company that offered me a job when I thought no one ever would (long story and too negative to elaborate) happened to be the first offer I turned down, Nortech Systems. Forgive me for not noticing what this company had to offer, I had yet to learn that what seems like a frog is truly a prince! (Yes again with the fairy tale theme!)
The past three and half years in this little piece of heaven have been the most inspiring time of my life. I have grown as an artist, mother, wife and person. I am no longer that tightly wound woman that was ready to stress out about any issue, frazzled to the point where getting out of bed took all the energy I could muster. I turned from a puppet to a real girl! (Yes now a Pinocchio theme) Life here in Bemidji has taught me to slow down, take in the magnificent landscape and wildlife, breathe in all the beauty and diversity that Bemidji and life has to offer. So, in essence, I was RE-BORN and raised in Bemidji.
My artistic outlet has been landscape and wildlife photography. I was only inspired to take photos when I was in the Upper Peninsula, which was only one maybe two times a year for long weekends. Now I find it hard not to photograph, document, and share the beauty that envelops me, much of it in my backyard on Stump Lake. Yes I got my cabin on a lake surrounded by forest! Hmmmm… I love drinking my coffee on my deck at sunrise listening to the loons, chickadees and that friendly call of the Phoebe – PHEEBEEE, PHEEBEE. The various woodpeckers lend their percussions on the pines and a determined little sapsucker has taken up the cymbals by drumming on the metal around my chimney all the while the wind whispers through the pines. I am hypnotized into complete bliss. And NO, this is not in cartoon format with the birds landing on my shoulder and I am singing back at them this is no fairy tale – it is my fantastic life! I can’t image life could be more incredible.
I suppose you wonder if I miss my children. Well they never gave me the chance. Five out of six of my kids have moved to Bemidji, or very close to Bemidji. They love the area just as much as my husband and I do. What can I say; they inherited their good taste from me!
I have just recently found a new fairy godmother that has encouraged, supported and help make my dream of sharing my art with the world come to fruition. Christina Thorne at Bad Cat Creations is kindly showcasing my photography. It is not the average photograph. I create kaleidoscopes from my photos. It is my interpretation of the wonders of nature. I have been on a marathon of creativity and Bemidji is my muse!
And I live happily ever after!
written by Melissa Burness
Melissa’s FB page is HERE
Her Etsy page is HERE
Posted: June 20th, 2010 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Downtown | Tags: art, beaver, Bemidji, Downtown, Gaea, Minnesota, sculpture, This is my town | 22 Comments »
Bemidji Sculpture Walk.
The sculpture painting project was made possible by a grant Catie Belleveau wrote to the George W. Neilson foundation. They funded our purchase of the 10 beaver blanks that local two dimensional artists have enhanced with their unique painting styles. These sculptures will reside on the Sculpture Walk for a year and be auctioned next spring to the highest bidding individual or business who will have them grace their locations. The proceeds will be used to enhance the Sculpture Walk and 30% of the auction price will be paid to the artist who painted the beaver.
The image of the beaver was chosen by a community survey that was promoted through local media and the artist were selected by committee judging. The blanks were created by a company in Chicago called Cow Painters. We originally ordered 10 blanks but because of a delay of shipment they sent us a extra blank as a consolation. Nine beavers will be installed throughout Bemidji today with the tenth beaver coming soon, being delayed because of a death in the artists family. We have not yet determined the fate of the 11th blank beaver.
We would like to thank our down town business sponsors, The Sculpture Walk Committee, participating artists and George W. Neilson whom we are dedicating this years Sculpture Walk to – because of his foresight and philanthropy in enhancing the lives of the people in our community for many years.
Facilitation and installation are being preformed by Mitch Blessing and Al Belleveau.
Enjoy.
Information provided by Al Belleveau
Hello, my name is Crinkle.
Linda Brown
N 47° 28.301’ , W094° 53. 024 (City Hall)
I got that name because I spend a lot of time in the water and I get all crinkly. My best friend is Walter a Koi Fish who lives at The Wild Hare. I am enjoying summer in Bemidji after being rescued from the Evil Chain Smoking Beaver Trapper who resides 2
nd and Minnesota. While enjoying my new found freedom I have been able to check things out around here and there is a lovely tree that I am chomping at the bit for. I really want to go gnaw on it and use its parts in a dam I have been working on. This tree is located by River Wood Bank. There is yet another tree I have been eyeing on the corner of 4th and Minnesota but I don’t thing I can reach it. I hope you will enjoy spending time with me and all the others on Bemidji’s Sculpture walk.
Days End
MaryTherese Peterson
N 47° 28.236’ , W094° 52. 955 (3rd and Minnesota)
As the sunsets in our beautiful land,
where the Mississippi is born,
the beaver stands
as the sad clown who sees
suffering at the hands of the humans
as their needs to consume
swirls in the red sea at the end of this river
May all life forms find protection
let the Earth heal and grow!
“Home Sweet Home”
Kathy Gustafson
N 47° 28.228’ , W094° 52. 890 (3rd and Beltrami)
This sculpture was painted to draw attention to the beavers, which are the original community builders. They create the pond where they can live, build a lodge, and raise their young, and at the same time, create a place where other animals can live and flourish as well. In my work we see them sharing their living space with several fish, a turtle, and a dragonfly. It also has several aspen leaves, which represent the beaver’s favorite food (a quickly renewed resource), and petroglyph images which represent the long history of association between these animals and humans. “Busy as a beaver” has become a cliché phrase, but in regards to the beaver, it is completely true!
“Wildlife Painting”
Alice Blessing
N 47° 28.227’ , W094° 52. 865 (3rd and Beltrami Ave.)
This lake scene was painted by Alice Blessing using her fingers instead of paintbrushes. The resulting marks manifest in a surprising style that resembles pointillism and the impressionistic works of Claude Monet. The artist hopes that this colorful work reminds you to protect our lakes and wildlife: Don’t pollute! Don’t poach!
Ancestors
Jason Elliott Clark
N 47° 28.239’, W094° 52.792 (3rd and Bemidji Ave)
Using an x-ray style I have chosen to represent both the interior and exterior aspects on this beaver form, illustrating anatomical features ranging from bones, tendons, muscles, and nerves to unborn kits and even dietary contents within the stomach. These features are represented through the use of a bold formline and stylized or symbolic markings.
Gaea
Deborah A Davis
N 47°28.290’,W094° 52.880 (4th and Beltrami)
Gaea means Mother Earth and God is Gracious
That the fertile earth itself is female, nurturing mankind is a belief that crosses culture, time and borders. Gaea means Mother Earth. It also means “God is Gracious,” and is one of the 52 feminine aspects of God in the Christian Bible. Gaea in mythology was a female Titan. If we could embrace the strength of womaness, celebrate it, we would become the people we are meant to be: nurturing, loving, whole.
on a side note: While painting this, the gulf oil disaster occurred… and I couldn’t help thinking, if we could incorporate this… become less gluttoness and more sacrificial, the world would be more like the home it is meant to be for us and our children.
Hug, the History Beaver
Terry Honstead
N 47° 28.162’ , W094° 52. 973 (2nd and Minnesota)
Hug, the beaver got his name from my 2 year old grandson. Hug is covered with the history of Bemidji. The information from old photos of residents, old newspaper clippings, and a written history was found on the internet. Hug is painted green for Bemidji State University, as they are green beavers. I painted pictures on him that remind me of this area. I chose a fish, an eagle, a deer and two trees. To me, they symbolize Bemidji, and the surrounding area. You can see these things from a distance. When you get closer, you can read some of the history. Up by the top of his head it tells about the post office and how Bemidji was mistakenly named “Bermidji” when the post office first opened. It was quite a lot of time and red tape to get the name corrected. On Hug’s foot are listed the mayors of Bemidji, and the dates that they served. There are many other facts to discover as you look closely at the surface. Sadly, some of the history was lost when the symbols of the area came into being. But, sad as that may be, Hug still contains many mysteries to uncover.
River Home
Paula J. Swenson
N 47° 28.425’ , W094° 52. 887 (by Courthouse)
The river and ponds where beavers make their homes inspired “River Home”. The riverbanks are lined with rocks, shrubs and small trees with larger trees in the background. Among the inhabitants of the woods are deer, bear and coyotes. The stars in the sky, the northern lights and the shoreline are reflected in the water where small mouth bass, blue gills and muskies swim. (I know bluegills are not brown and bass are not yellow but that’s how I am.) A spiny soft shelled turtle basks on a sandbar in the river.
Visitors are welcome to visit my studio by appointment. Appointments can often be arranged on short notice. Please call Paula at 218-751-6767
“Happy Trails”
Tim Nelsen
N 47° 28.364’ , W094° 52. 864 (5th and Beltrami)
I wanted to design something that was totally fun, with bright colors and original characters I developed that would appeal to kids. I have two young girls at home, so they had a great time watching the beaver (we named him Ed) become this big art piece. I even used some of their toys in the design and let them do some painting, so they thought that was pretty awesome.
My youngest girl liked the beaver so much that she sat on his tail and ate her cereal in the morning for a few days. Overall it was a great project to be involved with, and became something my whole family enjoyed. I hope the community enjoys the painted beaver sculptures as much as I did being a part of the experience.
I have provided the information, locations, and small photo collages of each beaver sculpture. I intentionally did not post large pictures of each one, these photos are only to serve as a teaser. I do hope that you will take the time to enjoy each sculpture up close and take in the true beauty, talent, and creativity in person. If you look carefully at the art work it is easy to forget that such beauty is placed on the shape of a beaver. A project like this just adds to my appreciation of this town and it’s artist population. It is just another facet that makes this my town.
(Please leave a comment in the box below to show the artists your appreciation. Thank you.)
Julie Saari
A special thank you to Janet Rith-Najarain for providing the waypoints.
Posted: June 14th, 2010 | Author: Julie | Filed under: Downtown | Tags: Bemidji, Harmony Co-op, Minnesota, service, This is my town, Wild Hare | 3 Comments »
Photography by Julie Saari
Mackenzie L
Harmony Co-op Dairy Cooler
April 2010
One person’s life affecting many. That is how I describe Mackenzie. As she hands over your double shot/soy/two pump/vanilla latte and the Uptown scone that could make or break the rest of your day; she is having an impact on your morning and hence your life. A smile, a kind word, remembering it is your big day, asking about an update on your last conversation, and making sure you get that specialty cheese you need for your party, one person’s life can affect many. How has Mackenzie affected your life? I know she has made me smile often.
Meet Mackenzie:
I came here for the college; I stayed for the community. I arrived in Bemidji in the fall of 1999 in order to study Mass Communications at BSU. As I met friends and relationships evolved I tacked on studies in Art and Art History. I started working at Harmony Co-op in 2001 as an evening cashier. I fell hopelessly in love with the Co-op and all the people in it. And then I fell in love with a co-worker. Jeff, the Produce Department and a steamy summer were the fertilizers that helped my roots grow. So when the dairy manager at the time left, non-related and unaccomplished degree be damned, I stayed and started my humble beginnings as the “dairy queen”. Since I had worked at BSU as the Touche Gallerie director and assorted Art History assistant positions I was collecting paychecks from multiple jobs.
My time at BSU ran out, Harmony was a steady deal but I needed something else. So a few months after Moni & Reed opened up the Wild Hare Bistro I popped in to say that I should probably just turn up to do dishes when they were busy and maybe it would be neat if they hired me. My profession as a “professional” cook had begun. My employment there has taken me great lengths in my cooking skills, on cheese adventures to Wisconsin, catering gigs, true friendships and burns and cuts. I still do the dishes…and now I have been there for four years.
I’ve been at the Co-op for eight. Anyone reading this who knows me most likely met me while I was at work. That is what I do. I work for me, I work for my husband (Jeff) but I work for you Bemidji. I love to make you coffee and muffins. I want to hear about that cheese you had at a friend’s house while you were on vacation. I need to know how your son is doing in school. I want to see your art show. I’d love to meet your parents when they come to town for your graduation.
The deal that Bemidji and I have worked out is that we are fiercely loyal and take care of each other’s needs. I live to serve and Bemidji serves this need for me.
Written by: Mackenzie Lindahl
pics by Julie Saari
Harmony Co-op’s web site HERE
Wild Hare’s web site HERE
Janel Hart
Kitura Main and Peg Nygaard
Ashley Bommer