Minnesota Prairie Roots

Los 3 Reyes Bakery, at the center of a controversy over paint color in historic downtown Faribault.

Stacks of pastries and bright colors greet customers inside the bakery.

“DO THEY HAVE DOUGHNUTS?” Randy asks me.

I pause, think. “I didn’t see any,” I tell my husband after visiting Los 3 Reyes Bakery in Faribault. The business is at the center of a dispute over exterior paint color and I have come to photograph the vivid green building. (See my blog, “A controversy over color in downtown Faribault,” posted Sept. 30 on Minnesota Prairie Roots.)

This is not your typical Minnesota bakery, and if there are doughnuts, I missed them.

But I observe an abundance of other treats to tempt my sweet tooth inside this bright, cheery ethnic bakery with the checkered floor. Rows of huge conchas line baking sheets. I don’t know Spanish, so I ask Javier, who is manning the business, to write down the word for me. “Shell,” he says. I look again at the pastries and see that they resemble shells.

I point to another pastry. He writes down besos. Later I use Google translate to learn that the word means kisses.

Next, I photograph gallinas, which translates to hens.

Javier smiles all the while I am photographing. He offers to remove a sign from the glass that protects racks of pasteles, tempting cakes topped with strawberry glaze or carefully arranged rings of kiwi and strawberries and peaches. These are works of art, almost too pretty to eat, I think.

I tell Javier that I want him to leave everything just as it is, to change nothing. We talk some about the issue of color and he says the bakery is getting support to keep the bright green exterior despite the objections of some. I tell him I like the color too.

The longer I am inside this bakery, the more I believe the hue, a green color popular in Mexican culture, fits this place.

This bakery speaks to happiness. Above me colorful piñatas dangle from the ceiling and sit atop display cases. The pastries and cakes, so foreign to my Minnesota bakery standards of doughnuts, long johns and bismarcks, simply draw me in with their ethnic allure. The entire bakery exudes warmth and smells absolutely delicious.

And then there is the bakery name—Los 3 Reyes Bakery. I turn to my daughter, Miranda, who is majoring in Spanish in college and who lived in Argentina for six months, for help. Los Tres Reyes Bakery, she tells me, likely refers to the Three Kings bearing gifts for children on January 6. This is part of Latin American culture, similar to Santa delivering gifts on Christmas.

I have learned so much already about differences in culture simply by walking through the doors of the bright green Los 3 Reyes Bakery at 409 Central Avenue in historic downtown Faribault.

Selecting treats at Mariano Perez' bakery.

Rows of conchas.

Colorful pinatas are also sold at Los 3 Reyes Bakery.

Gallinas, another delectable offering.

Tempting pasteles on display.

(The Faribault City Council’s Joint Committee meets at 7:15 tonight in the public meeting room of city hall to discuss several issues, including “Regulation of downtown building colors,” according to agenda information posted on the city website.)

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

This sign on the corner of a Main Street business in Nerstrand directs motorists to Grace Lutheran Church.

Grace Lutheran Church, the church under the water tower in Nerstrand.

I HAD INTENDED today to write about the beautiful fall colors here in southeastern Minnesota. That was the plan. But plans don’t always go as planned.

Although some leaves are turning shades of gold and orange, most remain green, as my husband and I discovered Sunday while driving northeast of Faribault to see the colors.

Despite our disappointment, we still had a delightful afternoon that included churches, old buildings, a school, winding gravel roads, wooly caterpillars, a fallen tree and lots more. I figure I got enough material for about a half dozen blogs from our several-hour auto tour. I see stories and photos in places often overlooked by others.

So, to kick off this motoring series, we’ll stop briefly in Nerstrand, population about 230. Like most small Minnesota towns, Nerstrand’s skyline is marked by grain elevators, the water tower and church spires.

And just in case you can’t find Grace Lutheran Church, there are signs to direct you to the church under the water tower, like one posted on a corner brick building along Main Street. I thought the sign rather clever and Lake Wobegonish.

Speaking of signs, let’s detour to Rice County Road 20 between Cannon City and Northfield. If you’re looking for a house to buy, here’s a real fixer-upper.

The "for sale" sign actually directs potential buyers to a house just down the road. But I found the sign's placement in front of this dilapidated building quite humorous.

This bullet-ridden "home" needs new windows. But you can get a federal energy tax credit to offset the cost.

The place needs a new roof too, but there's potential.

(I’ll take you back to Nerstrand in future blogs. There’s much more to see in this charming rural community located near Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, typically one of southern Minnesota’s most colorful parks in the fall. Colors simply were not at their peak on Sunday.)

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

THE WEATHER SET the mood for the evening in dreary gray skies that sputtered occasional drizzle and in a damp cold that chilled to the bone.

Inside the Paradise Center for the Arts in downtown Faribault, theater-goers settled in for the kick off of The Merlin Players 15^th season with the production of Frankenstein. The director and cast couldn’t have asked for more perfect October weather as the play opened to a night-time graveyard scene complete with rolling fog.

Using appropriately-selected dramatic, if not frightening, music, flashes of lightning and booms of thunder and other special effects, along with an impressive rotating set, the director, cast and crew created a mood that could best be described as intense.

The entire production evoked an edge-of-your-seat response.

But on stage, Jake Boyd, who played Victor Frankenstein, was getting a bit worried. He told me after the show that he was freaking out because he wasn’t hearing an audience reaction. However, he soon realized, he said, that theater-goers were really getting into the show.

Exactly.

From the opening scene to the very end, this version of Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel proved entertaining, thought-provoking and even emotional. And that is to director Daniel Rathbun and the cast and crew’s credit.

In one especially touching scene, De Lacey, a blind vagrant, befriends The Creature. The interaction between the two, played by Tim Vizina and Craig Berg, speaks to every person who has ever been shunned or teased or avoided because he/she is different. The two actors powerfully convey the importance of understanding and compassion and acceptance.

It was like that through-out the entire show—moments that prompted reason to pause and consider issues like life and death, relationships and priorities, social status, selfishness, power and much more.

“What have we done, oh, Creator?” The Creature asks of Victor Frankenstein, the seemingly mad scientist who created the monster in his tower laboratory.

What The Merlin Players have done, oh, Creator, is create one memorable performance through outstanding use of special effects, exceptional sets, top-notch directing and give-it-their-all acting by the performers.

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Plan now to see Frankenstein, which is showing on Oct. 3 and 4 and 8 – 10. Reserve your tickets by calling The Paradise Center for the Arts at (507) 332-7372. For more information, log on to www.paradisecenterforthearts.org or www.merlinplayers.org. While this play has plenty of scary moments, it is appropriate for those as young as upper elementary grades. As one mom who was attending with her family on Friday night told me, her young son loves this kind of stuff. He was, however, looking for the bolts in The Creature’s head. Sorry, no bolts, just an ugly scar.

This photo is a bit dark because I shot without flash. But I didn't want to awaken Keira as she slept on a pew at St. Elizabeth's Church in Brennyville.

WHENEVER I HEAR that a bride is including a flower girl in the wedding party, I worry. These typically preschool girls are usually at just the right age for throwing a fit or stealing the show rather than behaving like princesses.

So when I learned that my great niece, almost 4-year-old Keira, would serve as a flower girl in her Aunt Kristina’s wedding, I held my breath.

But I needn’t have worried. Keira was the perfect flower girl. She slept through nearly the entire wedding service.

And that was just fine, says her mom, Heidi, who was a bridesmaid. The lengthy afternoon nap kept Keira happy and content during the reception. Exactly what a mom, who says she wanted to pretend she didn’t have kids for the event (yeah, right, Heidi), wanted.

I couldn’t resist snapping photos of the sleeping beauty and then more pictures after Keira awoke. The images speak for themselves of a sweet little flower girl acting mostly like a princess on her godmother’s wedding day. That is until Keira started squishing ants on the sidewalk outside St. Elizabeth’s Church in Brennyville.

Kids look so sweet when they're asleep, and even cuter when dressed to the nines like Keira. Her dress was made from her Great Grandma Betty's bridal gown.

Keira's sugar-and-spice, dainty shoe.

And then, half way through the photo shoot, the sleeping Keira turned.

The sweet love of mother and child, Heidi and Keira.

Keira squishes ants.

Keira and her brother, Tristan, who was a ring bearer, run up the steps of St. Elizabeth's Church in Brennyville.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Los 3 Reyes Bakery, at the center of a controversy over paint color choice in Faribault.

MARIANO PEREZ, owner of Los 3 Reyes Bakery in historic downtown Faribault likes the bright green color of his bakery.

“In my country, they use this color every house,” says Perez, a native of Morelos, Mexico. It is, he adds, a “happy color.”

But not everyone in Faribault appreciates the vivid storefront in the 400 block of Central Avenue, an area of primarily neutral brick buildings. Perez was approached about repainting the bakery a more subdued green after some business owners took issue with the color, according to a report in The Faribault Daily News. Businesses even donated monies for repainting when Perez indicated he could not afford to redo the recently-painted bakery.

The entire situation has created quite a stir in the community based on comments made on The Daily News website. And rightfully so. Why should Perez have to repaint the building? He’s breaking no laws, ordinances or historic district guidelines.

Rather, here is a man who simply wanted to improve the building he rents and did so by choosing a paint color common to his culture. So what if it doesn’t resemble every other building in the block or downtown?

You might expect Perez to be upset about the whole controversy, but surprisingly, he isn’t. “I don’t want to change (the color), but I do what city say,” he tells me. “We can paint any color. I like to see the building nice. It doesn’t matter to me. No problem to change color.”

But, Perez adds, “More people like it. I think two people don’t like it. I don’t know why they don’t like it.”

Numerous people have stopped at his business, encouraging him to keep the “very nice color,” Perez says.

I agree. He should keep the “happy color” that reflects his culture, and his demeanor. He’s done nothing wrong. Perez is living the American dream by running his business in a free country. He’s bringing business to downtown Faribault. He’s also meeting a need in the community.

That said, I admire Perez’ positive attitude and genuinely sincere and cooperative spirit. I doubt I could be as gracious. I expect that had this been anyone else, lawyers would already be engaged in the issue.

Half a block from the bakery, Books on Central sports new coats of purple and orange paint. Will this building be next on those pegged for a paint make-over?

In the 200 block of Central Avenue, Banadir Restaurant offers a colorful storefront to those patronizing the Somali business. Will this be the next target?

I've never known what business occupies 117 Central Avenue, but the color choice certainly makes it stand out from other buildings. Should this get a face lift too?

Personally, I can't stand the color of these government-mandated recycling bins, which clutter the Faribault landscape. I also don't like the blue color the city paints bridge railings. And once my neighbor painted her house a hideous bright blue. I have nothing against blue, but this simply illustrates that everyone prefers different colors.

You'll find brightly-colored buildings in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although primarily a tourist destination today, the area is surrounded by houses with painted sheet walls of varying colors. Photo by Miranda Helbling.

Argentina's presidential palace is painted pink. This is the back of La Casa Rosada in a photo taken by Miranda Helbling. Different cultures, different colors.

So what do you think? Should Mariano Perez repaint his bakery a subtler green or leave the color he chose?

(Watch for a future blog featuring photos taken inside this charming ethnic bakery.)

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling and Miranda Helbling

A native willow chair welcomes Meander visitors to Stony Run Woods near Granite Falls, the studio of Dale and Jo Pederson. Photo by Pam Nedrud.

Jerry Ostensoe and Richard Handeen are among musicians performing Friday evening at the Old Milan School Building in Milan. Photo by Kristi Link Fernholz.

IF YOU’VE NEVER explored western Minnesota, this coming weekend would be the ideal time to pack up the car and head west. Or if you’re from the region, Oct. 2 – 4 offers an opportunity to explore your backyard.

The area is showcasing the works of about 50 artists during the annual Meander Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl. You’ll view a broad range of arts from photography, watercolor paintings, pottery, quilting, folk art dolls, rosemaling and more during this self-guided tour.

Visitors will experience the arts, history and culture in and around Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo and Granite Falls. It’s land I know, because I grew up in Redwood County, a bit to the south and east.

This is a place of big skies and open spaces and, in those areas where the Minnesota River twists through the land, an especially beautiful landscape in the fall. With trees changing colors and corn and soybean fields ripening to the shades of harvest, plenty of scenic vistas abound.

Artists will welcome visitors to locales like Moonstone Farm, the Milan Village Arts School and Java River Café. Those folksy names speak to the rural nature of this place.

Meander hours are 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday. Special musical events are planned from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday in Milan and beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Dawson.

For more information, including a downloadable brochure, go to www.artsmeander.com Or call 1-866-866-5432.

Special thanks to the Prairie Waters Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.prairiewaters.com) for sharing the above photos with the readers of Minnesota Prairie Roots.

Gene Tokheim displays a piece of stoneware. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Office of Tourism.

Shoppers admire artwork on display in the tiny town of Milan. Photo by Kristi Link Fernholz.

YOU WOULD THINK THAT, having grown up only 1 ½ hours west of Mankato, I would have read the Betsy-Tacy books as a child. But the fact is, I never heard of Mankato author Maud Hart Lovelace’s books until I had children of my own.

Perhaps it’s because I lived in Laura Ingalls Wilder country that I knew nothing about these delightful books of historical fiction. And without a library in town, I relied on teachers to shape my literary world. Either they never knew of the Betsy-Tacy books, or they chose to focus instead on Wilder’s Little House series, which I truly love.

But I also love the Betsy-Tacy books that follow main character Betsy Ray from age five into childhood and marriage. The stories take place in Deep Valley (Mankato), are set at the turn of the century and are based on Lovelace’s life. I first read the books to my daughters 17 years ago, when they were six and four.

I remember snuggling on the couch, my girls leaning into my shoulders, as I read the mischievous adventures of Betsy and her friends, Tacy and Tib. Oh, how we laughed at the trio mixing together Everything Pudding with ingredients like bacon grease, vinegar, onions, sugar, raisins and red pepper. The “yuck” factor endeared that story to us.

The artwork of Lois Lenski (in the first four books) helped us visualize Betsy, Tacy and Tib, who could have been my daughters’ friends—playing house, going for walks, cutting each other’s hair, mucking in the mud.

These fictional friends became so dear to us that we soon nicknamed my youngest daughter Tib. Like Tib, Miranda had curly blonde hair and maybe a bit of naughtiness in her. To this day, we still fondly call her Tib on occasion.

And then when my son, Caleb, was born years later, we started occasionally calling him Cab, after Cab Edwards, Betsy’s friend in the book series.

With all of that background, you’ll understand why I’m excited about the recent re-issuance of the six high school books (in the 13-book series) as Harper Perennial Modern Classics. The “new” books go on sale today.

And on Saturday, the Mankato-based Betsy-Tacy Society is celebrating with a book release party from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. at the Betsy-Tacy houses, 332 and 333 Center Street in Mankato. The afternoon features reenactors, music and refreshments. And, of course, you can purchase Betsy-Tacy books.

For more information, go oline to www.betsy-tacysociety.org. You may also wish to read a feature I wrote about the Modern Classics for the September/October issue of Midwest Mix Magazine. Go to www.midwestmixmagazine.com.

Just one more bit of exciting news: Emily of Deep Valley and Carney’s House Party will also re-issue next summer as Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

Newlyweds Kristina and Corey greet well wishers outside St. Elizabeth's Church in Brennyville.

The beautiful bride, my niece Kristina.

MY NIECE KRISTINA was married Saturday in Brennyville.

A beautiful bride on a beautiful September day, marrying the love of her life, Corey.

The New Testament reading came from I Corinthians 12:31 – 13:8a:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.”

To see such young love, like that which Kristina and Corey share, simply makes the heart sing with happiness.

To celebrate their love as a member of their extended family simply reaffirms the importance of family in one’s life.

What a joy for me to have been there, to have shared in their happiness, to have lifted my right hand in blessing upon them with a congregation of family and friends on their most blessed of days, their wedding day.

Guest shoes and bridesmaid shoes.

The bridal couple's car outside St. Elizabeth's Church.

Kristina and Corey, just married and leaving for their reception at Jack and Jim's Event Center in Duelm.

Corey carries his bride into the wedding reception.

Photos © Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Our old PerfecTemp furnace works fine (we think), but it's, oh, so energy inefficient and probably not safe.

ENOUGH ALREADY, I nearly want to scream.

For several weeks now, my husband and I have been discussing the purchase of a new home heating and cooling system. This has involved research, asking family and friends for opinions, meeting with “furnace guys,” discussing choices and more.

And just when I thought we had it all figured out, I had to go and ask more questions: Does your bid include a programmable thermostat? What about the permanent air filter? You didn’t tell us about that.

So now I have more options to consider: Do I like filter A, filter B or filter C? It was easy to eliminate filter A, the permanent, washable filter, after the furnace guy told me he throws them away. After seeing the flimsy filter, I agreed with his decision.

That leaves a regular small-pleated filter and a pleated filter so big it could be Paul Bunyan’s accordion. The larger filter fits a whole-home filtration system and must be replaced once a year at a cost of about $40.

The filtration system, I’m told, will keep most of the junk (a.k.a. mold, dust, allergens, etc.) out of the air. But I wonder, does this system really work, or is it hype?

And then the furnace man throws me another option. Seems we can get a more energy efficient air conditioner for an additional $274. Because the Xcel Energy rebate is higher, $330 instead of $180, the unit will, in reality cost us only $125 more than the less efficient model we had already decided on. See why my head is spinning.

Then he hands me a brochure about duct cleaning. We had discussed this earlier and I’m still researching the topic.

So, between comparing furnace brands, energy efficiency, filters, government energy tax credits, energy rebates, duct work options and more, I’m about ready to say: “The old furnace works fine. Let’s just keep it. To heck with air conditioning. We don’t need it. We’ve gotten along just fine without air for 25 years.”

But I know better. Our furnace is vintage 1960s and is 60 percent or less energy efficient, or more accurately, it’s quite energy inefficient. When one of the furnace guys looked at the aging furnace and asked whether we have a carbon monoxide detector, well, that clinched it.

If you have any advice regarding heating and cooling systems, whole-house filtration systems and/or duct cleaning, I’m listening.

Which air filter would you choose?

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

The White Birch Artists are kicking off Art Leap 2009 with a reception from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at the Park Rapids Area Library.

Talking Stick, Volume 18, Common Threads, officially releases at a weekend party.

IF I DIDN’T ALREADY have a jam-packed weekend and I lived closer to the Park Rapids area, I would certainly consider heading north this weekend for Art Leap 2009, a driving tour of artists’ studios and other cultural destinations.

That’s according to info I gleaned from www.parkrapids.com, where you can find details about the Sept. 26 – 27 event. Unless otherwise noted, hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Bemidji artist Al Belleveau tipped me off today to this arts tour. Bemidji has a First City of Arts: Studio Cruise set for Oct. 16 – 18.

Autumn arts tours seem to be growing in popularity in Minnesota. We have one coming up in the Faribault area (Southcentral Minnesota Studio Art Tour, Oct. 24 – 25) and there’s one in southwestern Minnesota (Meander, Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl, Oct. 2 – 4). And that’s a good thing. What a perfect mix—driving through our beautiful state to view the fall colors and stopping along the way to visit with artists or take in a performance.

The Park Rapids Area Arts Council is sponsoring Art Leap 2009, a tour that leads visitors to places like Menahga, Forestedge Winery & Gallery, Stoney Lake, Nevis, the Long Lake Theater, Park Rapids and Strawberry Lake Corner. I love the folksy sound of that name, Strawberry Lake Corner.

No matter your artistic bend, you’re sure to find a medium of interest, like woodcuts, pottery, stoneware, weaving, jewelry, batik, photography and much more, not to mention live theatrical and musical performances and poetry readings.

The Jackpine Writers’ Bloc is also hosting a book release party on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Park Rapids for The Talking Stick, Volume Eighteen, Common Threads. This literary journal features a collection of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction from some of Minnesota’s most gifted writers. I haven’t read volume 18 yet, but volume 17 has made me a fan of this outstanding anthology. Check it out at www.thetalkingstick.com or www.jackpinewriters.com.

That said, if you’re free this weekend, head to the Park Rapids area for a little culture.

Henry Schoolcraft's poetic words in stone at the Itasca State Park interpretative center. Click on the photo to enlarge. The Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center is on this weekend's Art Leap 2009 tour.

A Native American doll for sale at the Itasca State Park gift shop. Native American crafts, foods and more are featured in the Art Leap 2009 tour and can be seen at Strawberry Lake Corner this weekend.

(Watch upcoming blogs for more info about Minnesota art tours.)

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling