Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Vacation memories & southern Minnesota connections August 26, 2025

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An angler fishes in Horseshoe Lake, rural Merrifield, on an August evening. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

IN MID AUGUST, Randy and I headed nearly 200 miles north of Faribault for our second stay of the summer at a family member’s cabin in the Brainerd lakes area. This trip our eldest daughter and her family joined us for several days. There’s nothing quite like time with the grandkids at the lake. Time to play, to relax, to make memories. And that we did. I cherish our days together Up North.

We mostly hung out on the beach or in the cabin. Weather conditions were not ideal with cool temps and strong winds prevailing when all six of us were there together. Yet, we got outdoors—the kids running along the sandy beach, digging a hole along water’s edge, enjoying the placid water on a warm and sunny day before the weather changed.

Looking upward toward the pines from a lakeside hammock. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

MAKING MEMORIES

I led the 6 and 9-year-olds on a scavenger hunt. We searched for a feather, a mushroom, a nest…that which nature offers like a gift if only we pause to see and appreciate. Randy taught Isaac to play Marbles on a homemade wooden board. It’s a long-time favorite of the extended Helbling family. We played Yahtzee and Connect 4, on an over-sized outdoor board. The puzzlers among us (not me) pieced together a lemonade stand. We headed into town for massive scoops of ice cream, a cabin tradition. And one day we picked peas from our sister-in-law and brother-in-law’s plot in a community garden. Later I taught Isaac how to shell them. The kids delighted in a timed Ninja course at a Crosslake playground and posed for photos behind Paul Bunyan family cut-outs at another park. We devoured s’mores around the campfire.

A campfire is the place to share stories, create memories. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

This is the stuff of memories. Simple. Uncomplicated. Mostly unplanned. Moments that connect us, deepen bonds.

Moody clouds at sunset over Horseshoe Lake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

Being outdoors, away from home and work and schedules and the demands of everyday life, opens us to the joys of vacationing. The haunting call of a loon and the sighting of a bald eagle perched atop a pine proved exhilarating. A bank of moody, pink-tinged clouds slung low in the evening sky drew all of us to focus on and admire the scene.

A mural in Crosby. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

MORE CHERISHED MOMENTS

When the grandkids and their parents left several days before us, our world seemed too quiet. No more kids scampering up and down the loft ladder. No more requests to go to the beach. No more…

But, sans kids, there were still moments to be cherished. Lakeside dining with friends at Breezy Point. Popping in to chat with a Faribault friend who lives in Nisswa now and works for the Chamber of Commerce. And then a chance encounter with adults with disabilities on an outing at Mission Park, rural Merrifield. I learned that visually-impaired Shannon, who uses a white cane and carries over-sized yellow sunglasses, likes to sing. I asked her to sing for me. And she did—to a movie soundtrack of ”My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Deon. I thought my heart would burst with joy as this young woman first mouthed the words, then sang them quietly and then louder as I encouraged her. It’s one of those moments I will forever treasure. Me nearly in tears and everyone inside that picnic shelter smiling during this impromptu weekday morning concert.

A mural by Adam Turman in downtown Crosby highlights recreational activities in the Cuyuna Lakes area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

SOUTHERN MINNESOTA CONNECTIONS ON THE RANGE

On the way home, there were more delights during a stop in Crosby, an Iron Range community that is evolving into a destination with its many outdoor activities, shops and murals. I spotted a mural by Minneapolis artist Adam Turman, whose work can be found on murals in Northfield and on Faribault Mill products. He’s a favorite muralist of mine. I saw also, much to my delight, Faribault Mill blankets and Caves of Faribault cheeses in separate shops. I felt Faribault-proud seeing those wool blankets and exceptional cheeses for sale in Crosby.

ICE CREAM, GREEK STYLE

But it was the homemade ice cream—Rave Creamworks’ Super Premium—at Victual in Crosby that got rave reviews from me. Randy and I shared a large scoop of Baklava ice cream laced with flaky phyllo dough, chopped walnuts and honey. It is the shop’s bestseller among 24 choices, so said the teen behind the counter. I loved this creamy ice cream, which I expect my friend, Father Jim Zotalis at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault, would appreciate given his Greek heritage. Baklava is a Greek pastry. Even in that ice cream I felt a connection to southern Minnesota. We can leave home, but we never really do.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

In the deep of January, floral murals jolt joy January 21, 2025

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A Northfield Arts and Culture Commission mural by Brett Whitacre, just off Division Street in Northfield, blooms love. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

IS IT COLD out there?” I asked before rolling out of bed on a recent subzero morning.

In an underpass tunnel along a recreational trail in Northfield, Adam Turman created this summer scene on a mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

“No, it’s summertime,” he answered.

A Montgomery Wings Mural Walk wing on Lanette’s Coffee Shop features flowers watered by Scarlett, who is wearing traditional Czech clothing. That honor’s the Czech heritage of Montgomery, MN. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

That sarcastic response from my husband acted as a writing prompt during this week of cold weather advisories and warnings in Minnesota. We’ve experienced wind chills ranging from -25 to -50 degrees across the state. That’s brutally cold.

Wild geraniums painted by Adam Turman inside an underpass tunnel in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

On the morning I asked Randy about the cold, the 7:17 a.m. air temp registered -12 degrees. With the wind chill, it felt like -29 degrees. That marked the coldest day in six years. I know we are not alone here in Minnesota as frigid air and snow sweep the country, including into the deep South.

Flowers fill the LoveForAll mural by Jordyn Brennan in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Because I can’t flee to a warmer location, I opted to transport myself from the currently cold, colorless landscape of southern Minnesota to a place of beauty. Without leaving the area. For me, that comes in photos I’ve taken of floral-themed murals blooming throughout the area. In the deep of winter, these paintings hold the hope of warmer days, of sunshine and flowers.

My most recent mural discovery was several months ago on Wild Wood in Nerstrand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I love when communities embrace this form of public art, because murals are accessible to anyone, anytime. They spark joy, generate interest in place, show community pride. I get excited when I unexpectedly happen upon a mural.

The rare Dwarf Trout Lily grows only in Rice, Steele and Goodhue counties in Minnesota and is depicted here by Adam Turman on an underpass tunnel wall in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Floral-themed murals, especially, have a way of uplifting spirits, of celebrating all that is beautiful and lovely. Bold, vivid hues in the deep of January in Minnesota, offer a welcome visual respite.

A close-up of mums and peonies, forefront, in Jordyn Brennan’s LoveForAll mural. Faribault was once renowned for those two flowers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I can almost imagine meandering through a flower garden, dipping my nose into blossoms, appreciating each scent, each petal, each stem. Oh, the beauty of it all.

Floral-themed wings appropriately placed outside Posy Floral & Gifts in Montgomery as part of the Montgomery Wings Mural Walk. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

On these frigid days, when I view a drab landscape of muted tones, trees stripped of leaves, snow layering the earth, I delight in sharing the floral murals I’ve photographed. No one ever promised me a rose garden. But these murals hold the promise of spring and of summertime in Minnesota.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

At home comfy with Paul Bunyan in Faribault October 22, 2024

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Minnesota artist Adam Turman designed this Abbey Road throw (inspired by the Beatles “Abbey Road” visual) for the Faribault Mill. It features the Hamm’s beer bear, Paul Bunyan, the Pillsbury Dough Boy and State Fairchild, all legendary Minnesota icons, against a metro skyline backdrop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

AS A LIFE-LONG MINNESOTAN, certain things pop out at me as iconic Minnesota. Topping that list—Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. I realize we’re not the only place claiming this over-sized legendary lumberjack and his ox as ours. But both are assuredly important in state lore, tourism and business identity, mostly in central and northern Minnesota where our lumber industry is rooted.

This Paul Bunyan sign is just blocks from my home. Granted, Paul is not wearing his usual buffalo plaid flannel shirt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2023)

Yet, I only need head south a few blocks from my house to see Paul marking Bauers Southside Liquor, once also home to the adjoining Paul Bunyan South gas station and convenience store. It closed years ago as did all the other Paul Bunyan stores in Faribault.

Paul Bunyan’s bed sits by the Faribault Mill along the Cannon River on Faribault’s northside. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)
A roadside sign welcomes visitors to hop into Paul Bunyan’s bed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)
The bed showcases several of the Mill blanket patterns. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

Yet, the legendary lumberjack maintains his influence locally. Recently, I spotted an enormous buffalo plaid blanketed “bed” in the parking lot of Faribault Mill, an iconic business since 1865 known for its wool blankets. Signs invited folks to stop, climb onto the Paul Bunyan bed and take photos.

A friend photographs friends who climbed into Paul Bunyan’s bed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

While I was there, one couple did just that. They were camping in nearby Nerstrand Big Woods State Park with others and headed into Faribault for stops at a local apple orchard and also at the Mill. I tipped them off to other places to visit, especially our historic downtown. I never pass on an opportunity to tell visitors about my community.

A comfy photo op in Paul Bunyan’s bed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

On this Saturday, after photographing that creative marketing bed, I followed the two couples from Minneapolis into the Mill retail store. I haven’t been inside in a while. To my delight, I found more Minnesota icons on Mill products. I should note here that the Mill has a second mill (acquired in 2022) in Monmouth, Maine (Brahms Mount) which specializes in cotton textiles. Paul Bunyan is also big in Maine folklore.

Adam Turman designed this loon throw pillow displayed on an easy chair upholstered with Faribault Mill blankets. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

I love how Faribault Mill tapped into Minnesota talent. Artist Adam Turman created art for throws and pillows that is distinctly part of Minnesota culture and life. I’ve been a fan of Turman since viewing his art on seasonal-themed murals in neighboring Northfield. His work for Faribault Mill features Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Hamm’s beer bear, the Pillsbury Dough Boy, State Fairchild, loons, a snowy owl, cardinal, Split Rock lighthouse and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The Faribault Mill partnered with Hamm’s Beer on these pillows. Hamm’s was first brewed in Minnesota, “the land of sky blue waters,” in 1865. It is no longer made in Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

While strolling through the Mill store, I focused on the art-themed merchandise among all the traditional primarily plaid and solid-hued woolen blankets people have come to associate with Faribault’s mill.

Visitors touring the Mill settle on these blanket remnant draped chairs to learn more about the Mill. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

In a room just off the main shop, I spotted folding chairs set up for folks who tour the mill. Tours are available at 11 am and 1 pm Fridays and Saturdays for a fee. Wool blanket remnants drape the chair backs, creating a memorable and colorful scene.

Peanuts themed throws are among Mill merch, shown here in the gathering space for those touring the factory. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

Also memorable are the Linus statue and the Peanuts-themed throws. We Minnesotans are proud of the Peanuts crew created by Charles Schulz, born in Minneapolis and raised in St. Paul. And I am proud of the Faribault Mill, a long-standing business in my community known for its quality made-in-America products. During the two World Wars, the then Faribault Woolen Mill made wool blankets for Army soldiers.

Another photo op, sheep cut-outs photographed inside the entrance to the retail store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

Today Mill employees continue to create quality products, and not just blankets, at its two plants. The Mill also weaves into the fabric of America via a Paul Bunyan-sized spirit of generosity. For every bed blanket sold, the company donates a blanket to nonprofits serving youth experiencing homelessness in major cities across the U.S. That’s through its Spread the Warmth program. The Mill has also donated blankets to local youth.

The marketing and business teams at Faribault Mill clearly understand the value of connecting with community, of giving back and of drawing customers via creativity. The Paul Bunyan-sized buffalo plaid blanketed bed and the Minnesota art by Adam Turman both grabbed my attention. While the bed has been put to bed for the season—maybe because Paul Bunyan needs his wool blankets back for the forthcoming winter—you can still step inside the retail store and wrap yourself in the warmth of Minnesota from blankets to legendary icons.

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Discovering the greeting cards of Artists to Watch December 29, 2023

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The thrift shop holiday card that led me to a Minnesota greeting card company. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2023)

IF NOT FOR MY APPRECIATION of thrift shops, I would have missed out on some incredible art. Not art in the usual sense of either original art or a print. Rather, I am referencing greeting card art.

On the second floor of Something For All, a thrift and consignment store in small town Lonsdale, I found several boxes of holiday cards featuring the hand-colored woodcut art of Mary Azarian. Since my high school days of hand-carving a linoleum block into a long forgotten design for a two-week shop class, I’ve loved block print art. And I immediately loved Azarian’s “Moon Gazing” winter scene which reminded me not of her home state of Vermont, but of mine, Minnesota.

That I even spotted the brand new cards among all the merchandise crammed into nooks and crannies of the many-roomed, two-story thrift shop was exceptional in itself. There’s a whole lot to see here. I found the cards on a second pass through, and then only because I looked toward the floor. I snapped up the boxed cards for a few dollars. The 12-pack retails for $19.95.

Found at a garage sale, this card was among boxed holiday cards illustrated by Mia Saine. (Photo by Miranda Boyd)

I bought the cards in October and stashed them with other Christmas cards I’d found at bargain prices. I mail nearly 100 cards, meaning I’m always on the search for deals. I also bought three boxes of African American-themed cards on a hot autumn day at a garage sale blocks from my house. Again, I paid just several dollars. This was a great find not only because of the low cost but mostly because I was excited to find culturally-diverse Christmas cards, these illustrated by Memphis artist Mia Saine. The woman selling the cards shared that she buys pallets of close-out merchandise from Target to resell. I don’t understand how that works. But I didn’t care. I was simply happy to find these and other cards.

Granted, sourcing new Christmas cards from a garage sale and from a thrift shop is rather unusual. But for someone who is budget conscious like me and who also appreciates art, this proved a win-win.

Also a win was flipping the thrift shop-found holiday card to the back to learn the name of the artist—Mary Azarian—and the type and name of the art. I also learned the cards were published by Artists to Watch, a Minneapolis-based greeting card company that collaborates with independent fine artists to create beautiful greeting cards. The company uses recycled content paper, soy-based inks, and prints and packages its cards in Minneapolis. I love the feel of the paper, everything about this product, including the plain Kraft colored packaging.

An example of Adam Turman’s art, featured here on a tunnel mural in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2021)

Scrolling through the Artists to Watch website led me to a whole lot of other artists, many from Minnesota: Duluthians Nick Wroblewski, a printmaker of hand-cut woodblocks, and Ricky Allen and Marian Lansky of The Kenspeckle Letterpress; Minneapolis artists Jennifer Davis and Adam Turman; Betsy Bowen of Grand Marais with her woodcut prints; and Jim Brandenburg, a gifted photographer from my native southwestern Minnesota now living in Ely. The list of creatives is lengthy and I expect other Minnesotans are among Artists to Watch artists.

So this is the story of how a stop at a small town thrift shop in southern Minnesota led me to discover an eco-friendly Minnesota greeting card company which supports independent artists by printing their art. I love everything about this concept.

Plus, I loved “Moon Gazing” by 1999 Caldecott Medal winner Mary Azarian (illustrator of Snowflake Bentley) so much that I kept one holiday card for myself to display as art in my home office. (If only the 11×14 Fine Art Print wasn’t out of stock…)

FYI: Artists to Watch publishes boxed and individual greeting cards, not just for Christmas, but also for other celebrations and occasions. Additional products include notecards, vinyl stickers, stationery, journal sets and more.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Northfield tunnel art features spring in the Big Woods & more May 11, 2022

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Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is featured in a public mural by Adam Turman. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

IN THE UNLIKLIEST of places—in the underpass tunnels of a roundabout—bold, nature-themed murals flash color onto concrete in Northfield. I love this public art created by renowned Minneapolis muralist Adam Turman in the pedestrian and biking underpasses at the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 246 and Jefferson Parkway.

The rare Dwarf Trout Lily grows in only several places in the world, including at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

The art is unexpected. It’s vibrant. And it honors the ecologies of the Northfield area with four focused themes: Nerstrand Big Woods, the Cannon River, Oak Savannas and Prairie.

The recreational trail leading to one of the underpasses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

With the exception of winter, the paintings also cover three of Minnesota’s four distinct seasons.

An overview of the Nerstrand Big Woods underpass mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

Because it’s spring, I’ll start by showing you the spring-themed art depicting nearby Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. The park proves a popular hiking spot with attractions like Hidden Falls, the rare Minnesota Dwarf Trout Lily and, in the autumn, spectacular colors.

A rare Dwarf Trout Lily up close. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

Seeing these murals for the first time calls for a thoughtful pace of studying the art, appreciating it and reflecting on how beautiful the natural world in and around Northfield.

Wild geraniums grace the Big Woods mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

Vehicles may be passing overhead, but inside those underpasses the quiet beauty of nature prevails.

Adam Turman’s painting of Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

This roundabout came about because of a need for improved pedestrian safety and traffic flow along stretches of roadway used by commuters and kids/families going to and from school. I expect the roundabout, once people adjusted to it, has achieved its goal.

Stepping stones and rock cairn in the Big Woods. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

And then to have that bonus art beneath, well, what a welcome addition to an otherwise utilitarian project. The public art in Northfield brings to mind another such space that would work well for a nature-themed mural. That’s the tunnel under Highway 371 in Nisswa, a small, but busy, tourist town in the central Minnesota lakes region. Last time I walked through the 371 underpass from downtown Nisswa to Nisswa Lake Park, chalk art marked walls. I can envision Adam Turman’s bold graphic murals brightening this pedestrian and biking route with scenes depicting nature or perhaps Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox of Minnesota northwoods lore.

The artist’s signature. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

“Up North” themes more work done by Turman, who tags himself as an artist, muralist and screen printer. In my community, he’s created, loon, Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness and S’mores art for throws and pillowcases crafted at Faribault Mill (formerly Faribault Woolen Mill). He’s created for many other entities throughout Minnesota and the world. Target. Duluth Trading Company. The Minnesota State Fair. And many more.

Into Nerstrand Big Woods State Park via an underpass mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2022)

For now, I appreciate seeing Turman’s work here in southern Minnesota, in neighboring Northfield.

PLEASE CHECK BACK for posts featuring the other three themed art tunnels in Northfield.

© Copyright 2022 Audrey Kletscher Helbling