A young woman pulled chalk from this tub to create sidewalk art several years ago in a residential neighborhood of Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
WHENEVER I HAPPEN upon chalk art, I feel a child-like giddiness. Chalk is often a first art medium for children. Easy to use. Forgiving. And just plain fun.
Chalk art photographed several summers ago on a residential sidewalk in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
But creating with chalk isn’t only for kids. It’s an art form that all ages can embrace, no matter one’s artistic skills.
Matt Ristrom posted this sign on a music stand outside his music store inviting people to create chalk art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
In downtown Faribault, I recently happened upon an invitation to create chalk art outside Ristrom Amplifiers, owned by Matt Ristrom. Having met Matt earlier this year and knowing him to be a kind and compassionate person and a gifted creative—he’s a musician, custom builds amplifiers and more—I was not surprised to see a sign and box of chalk outside his music shop.
“Everybody Love Everybody” reads a sign at Ristrom Amplifiers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
If you stand and study the eclectic mix of items showcased in the storefront display windows, your eyes will surely land on the sign, “Everybody Love Everybody.” That’s so Matt. Offering the public an opportunity to create with chalk fits right in with his loving and inclusive perspective.
Follow the FUN into Ristrom Amplifiers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
The singular sidewalk-chalked word “FUN” with oversized arrows pointing to the entrance and open front door of Ristrom Amplifiers surely held dual purposes—to welcome customers inside and to encourage chalk art fun.
Happiness in chalk outside Ristrom Amplifliers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
“You are my Sunshine” circling a smiling sun with added musical notes instantly caused me to smile at the chalk art. Lyrics cycled through my brain. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray.” Already I felt happy. Chalk art can do that to a person.
Chalked outside Books on Central. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
Next door outside Books on Central, my original destination, someone had chalked “Read More Books.” I stepped inside to the Rice County Area United Way bookshop teeming with customers. Exactly what I like to see—people perusing the shelves for used books to read or gift to others.
One of many quotes posted at Books on Central. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
But I saw more than customers, bookshop volunteers and books. I also noticed inspirational quotes scattered throughout the bookstore. I always appreciate messages that cause me to pause and think, or that simply uplift me.
Chalking art onto a residential neighborhood sidewalk in Faribault several years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
On this weekday along Central Avenue in Faribault’s core downtown business district, I delighted in the unexpected. Chalk art and quotes. Neither proved particularly profound. Yet each showed creativity and a connection to community that felt meaningful. And that matters to me.
This crockpot flag mural in downtown Willmar reflects the city’s cultural diversity. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2026)
WHENEVER I DISCOVER a public mural that celebrates community, especially the cultural diversity of a place, I get excited. Such art builds community in a strong, vibrant, visible way.
Mexico’s flag on the mural in Willmar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Earlier this summer, while traveling through west central Minnesota, I found a pop art mural in the heart of downtown Willmar. Titled “Bring Some to Share,” the art by Minneapolis muralist Lili Lennox makes a bold statement on the exterior of Midtown Plaza Mall.
Hanging out in downtown Willmar near Midtown Plaza, this young man invited me to take his portrait. He represents the changing face of this west central Minnesota city. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2026)
The public art speaks to the diversity of this city of some 21,000 which, when I grew up an hour to the south, was overwhelmingly White. Today Hispanics, Latinos and Blacks account for nearly 40 percent of Willmar’s population.
The Honduran flag on the Willmar mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Thus the eight aluminum panels featuring flags of the USA, Somalia, Mexico, Honduras, India, Norway and the Karen National Union, plus the old Minnesota state flag, painted on slow cookers certainly represent Willmar today.
A Somali man walks past the “Bring Some to Share” mural on Midtown Plaza in Willmar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
The location of the mural on Midtown Plaza seems especially fitting, The building serves as a business center and gathering space for East African immigrants. It once housed Erickson Furniture, a long-time regional business with connections to Faribault. The Erickson family also operated a furniture store in Faribault beginning in 1956 until its closure in 2025. The store has since reopened as Erickson Family Furniture, but is no longer in the Erickson family.
This mural in downtown Faribault reflects the city’s diversity. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Faribault, slightly larger than Willmar at 25,000 residents, is also a diverse city with sizable Somali and Hispanic/Latino populations. And Faribault, too, celebrates its diversity via a public mural in the heart of downtown. “Love for All” features multi-hued hands signing the word “love” in American sign language.
This photo taken in June shows two Somali women in downtown Faribault, where many Somalis live, work and own businesses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I appreciate that Minneapolis artist Jordyn Brennan’s inclusive artwork depicts how this county seat town has evolved—no longer mostly all White, but rather of differing races. Today Whites comprise about 66 percent of Faribault’s population.
A mural on Lucky Cat Records in Minneapolis celebrates community and the diverse culture of the Whittier neighborhood.More and more, communities in greater Minnesota are growing culturally diverse, just like their big city counterparts. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)
Statistics aside, Faribault and Willmar are examples of a changing rural Minnesota. Like long ago European immigrants, East Africans, Hispanics, Latinos and others come here for jobs, for opportunities, for a new life. They come to work, to start businesses, to raise their families, to pursue the American dream. Some have escaped war, poverty and other violence in their native countries.
The Somali flag on the Willmar mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that not everyone values the cultural diversity of cities like Faribault and Willmar. I’ve heard and read the derogatory comments, which I won’t repeat. Rather, it’s important to remember that all of us in Minnesota, except Native Americans and descendants of slaves, are either immigrants or the descendants of immigrants.
Carrying a crockpot from an event in Kerkhoven, just northwest of Willmar, in June. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
So let’s bring our crockpots brimming with assorted flavors to the table to share. Let’s celebrate each other by connecting in conversations, gathering in community and understanding that we are more alike than we are different.
Buckham Memorial Library, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
AS AN AVID READER, I always have a stash of books stacked on the floor next to the recliner. Most come from Buckham Memorial Library, which I frequent often. Having grown up in a rural area of southwestern Minnesota without a library nearby, I feel incredibly grateful to live within blocks of the public library in Faribault.
Sprayed book pages with artsy designs are featured in a display at the library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
On a recent stop at Buckham, I not only picked up more books, but also took note of a vibrant and unusual book display. Identifying signage suggests: “Don’t judge a book by its COVER. Judge it by its EDGES!”
Patterns and solids sprayed onto the edges of book pages. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
Below that sign, colorful books line three shelves. They look a bit like bolts of vivid plain and patterned fabric with page edges, not spines, exposed.
The backwards placement is intentional to showcase the sprayed, or painted, edges of the books. I love the artsy display, which appears fitting for an art gallery.
Signage explains why page edges are painted. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
Additional signage further explains that spraying the edges makes a book appear richer, of better quality, premium. While the practice of painting edges was once used to protect books from dust and moisture, the process is now primarily decorative, according to Buckham Public Services Librarian Allyn McColley.
Sprayed pages up close of artsy designs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
That’s confirmed with signage listing sprayed edges as done in a solid color, gradient, stenciled or artwork style. The art, especially, from dripping blood, to a dagger, floral pattern, feathers, nature themes and more, focused my creative eye.
About five years ago, spraying book edges became a “thing” again. McColley has noticed that trend in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, romance and regular fiction. One look at the exposed pages in the display created by library technician Caitlin Boran confirms that.
I pulled out the book to see the title of this fantasy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
Examples of the 49 books I counted with painted edges are “His Face Is the Sun” by Michelle Jabes Corpora, “The Dragon Wakes with Thunder” by K.X. Song and “Wild Reverence” by Rebecca Ross, all fantasy; “Strange Ink” by Gary Kemble, horror; and “Overdue” by Stephanie Perkins, fiction.
Another fantasy book pulled to reveal the title. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
The fact that I hadn’t noticed the revived trend of painting page edges perhaps comes from my personal reading choices. I don’t read fantasy, science fiction, horror or romance.
But I read lots of fiction (especially murder mysteries and books by Minnesota authors) and some nonfiction. I’m at the library often, perusing the shelves, pausing sometimes to look at the displays created by library staff.
An overview of the display. Additional info can be found on printed sheets on the right exterior side of the shelving unit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)
The current artsy “Don’t judge a book by its COVER. Judge it by its EDGES!” creation remains up until the end of August. Once a month library staff changes out the book nook display located between the front check out and information desks.
Other times you might find books there featuring topics like winter, gardening, Halloween, sports, poetry and much more, whatever staff decides to showcase each month. And right now it’s the colorful sprayed edges of book pages, displayed like a mini art exhibit on three coved library shelves.
“Bring Some to Share” by Lili Lennox pops color onto the side of Midtown Plaza in downtown Willmar. The mural reflects the cultural diversity of Willmar celebrated through food and community. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
PAGE THROUGH ANY MINNESOTA church cookbook, and you’ll find countless recipes for hotdish.
Leaving a gathering at the Kerkhoven Civic Center with a crockpot. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2026)
Plate up at a Minnesota potluck and you’ll find countless crockpots, cake pans and glass bakeware brimming with hotdish.
Hotdish, a mixture of meat (usually hamburger); vegetables; pasta, rice or tater tots; a binding agent (often a can of cream soup); and sometimes cheddar cheese, is a Minnesota staple. We love our hotdishes, not casseroles, here in the North Star state.
Hotdishes brought to a recent family reunion, including Tater Tot Hotdish in the upper right corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
Tater Tot Hotdish is our signature hotdish. Our unofficial state hotdish. The Minnesota Congressional delegation even holds an annual hotdish contest in Washington D.C. Politics are set aside all in the name of a friendly cooking competition among legislators.
In my community, a Hotdish Showdown and sampling are part of the annual Faribault Flannel Formal celebrating all things flannel in the deep of winter.
I seldom make hotdish, with the exception of Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish. But whenever I’m at a potluck, I’ll scoop up whatever creative concoctions cooks prepare.
Bars brought to the Kletscher family reunion. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
Recently I attended my family reunion, an annual gathering of the descendants of Henry and Ida Kletscher. We arrived with our crockpots, our cake pans, our bowls, laying out a buffet of hotdishes, baked beans, salads, bars, desserts and more.
Hotdishes and other hot food prepared for the Kletscher reunion. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
Laura, who raises beef with her husband, my cousin Greg, brought Beef Stroganoff. Mark brought the best baked beans, so delicious I had two helpings. David, as he always does, brought sauerkraut, a nod to our German heritage. And someone brought Tater Tot Hotdish.
A mandarin orange salad and fresh cucumbers served at the family reunion potluck. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
I ate more than I should have. But, hey, how could I not sample the goodness my extended family prepared in their kitchens?
Days before the reunion, the topic of hotdish surfaced at a funeral. No, hotdish was not served as it often is at Minnesota post-funeral luncheons. Rather, hotdish recipes were featured in a family cookbook compiled by my former neighbor, Jan, then displayed at her funeral.
My neighbor Jan’s Tater Tot Hotdish recipe from her personal cookbook. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
G-Jan, as she was known to her grandchildren, with the help of her daughters, pulled together favorite recipes to print and place in a small binder for family. Her recipe box was also displayed. Among those recipes, hotdish. Goulash. Italian Hotdish. And then the “KIDS LOVE IT,” Jan noted, Tatertot (sic) Hotdish.
The Belview Bar & Grill promoted the day’s specials, including Tater Tot Hotdish. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
No food truly says “Minnesota” more than hotdish. We take pride in this dish referred to as a “casserole” in other parts of the country. “Hotdish” sounds less stuffy, more down-home, a word that fits Minnesotans. Especially when you toss in tater tots.
IF ONE JUDGES a book by its cover, thenKindness Grows is assuredly a book you will want to read. The unique cover features a cut-out, a peek-through that continues through the pages, first as a narrow crack, then a sapling and, finally, a mature, leafy tree.
My friend Sue gifted me with this kindness button last summer and I’m getting more and more compliments on it. It’s one small way I can spread the message of kindness. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
When I saw this children’s picture book written and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup on display at Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault, I immediately grabbed it. Both for the novel, artsy cover and for the title. Kindness is desperately needed right now in America.
I’ve found, as an avid reader, that children’s picture books are as much for adults as kids, especially when they carry a universal message for all ages. In this book the message of kindness.
This author-artist smartly uses dark colors in her illustrations to represent negative behavior on one page balanced by light colors, positive behavior, on the opposite page.
Kindness themes this inspirational garden in Pine River, Minnesota, where uplifting words and messages are written on rocks. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
For example, Teckentrup writes about friendship and how mean words can damage a relationship. That’s shown in two children with their backs turned to one another against a dark sky backdrop. On the opposite page, the friends face each other in a sunny garden scene. Teckentrup writes about how encouragement, positive actions and words can grow love.
Another two-page spread shows a group of children arguing in a rainstorm with pointed finger, pulling arms, clearly mad at one another. On the opposite page, they hold hands, play together under a blossoming tree. Words and art reinforce each other.
This author does not shy away from truth when she writes of the widened cracks of anger, of our inability to listen or to try and understand.
Among several kindness signs I photographed in Deerwood, Minnesota, several years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
But she shows the reader how to overcome disagreements and differences, starting with a smile. Simple actions—like care, kindness and love—bridge division. No matter our age, together we can be better. That’s the resounding message shared in Kindness Grows.
TELL ME: What children’s picture book has resonated with you on the subject of kindness or another topic especially relevant to today?
The sun glares on the bumper of a 1969 Olds Cutlass 442. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
SUN GLARED OFF shiny chrome and gleaming hoods, surfaces waxed to prideful perfection for the monthly Classic Cruise In at Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas. The event was a first for me on a Sunday afternoon when I could have attended several other area car shows. But Randy and I chose Dundas.
An overview of the car show taken from the hill above the parking lot. That’s Dawn’s Corner Bar on the corner in the background. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
By car show standards, this proved a small event, compacted into a paved parking lot across the street from the bar along Railway Street North.
Gathering on the back deck of Dawn’s Corner Bar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
While we meandered among the vehicles, which included cars, trucks and a few motorcycles, The Chad Johnson Trio played on the deck behind the bar. I remember only “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” the other songs becoming background music as I tuned into the car show.
Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Signage high above the front entrance to Dawn’s Corner Bar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Randy checks out Greg’s 1956 Chrysler. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
But outside and in (I peeked inside), people packed the place, enjoying the music, $2.50 domestic tap beer and $10 cheeseburger baskets. Greg, who drove his 1956 black-and-white Chrysler to the show with a Sears bike strapped to the rear, vouched for the sizable, tasty burgers. I should have thought ahead. But Randy grilled burgers the previous evening and I was neither hungry nor thirsty.
An old shed backdrops a 1930s Ford hotrod and a 1963 Buick. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I settled for appreciating and photographing vehicles driven to Dundas for a show-and-tell of sorts on a Sunday afternoon heating up to be a hot and humid week in southern Minnesota.
Lots of conversations happening at the car show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Conversations flowed as classic vehicle enthusiasts discussed whatever you talk about when you’re really into cars. Randy, who worked as an automotive machinist in next door Northfield for nearly 40 years, talked to former customers. That included a guy who brought an old truck Randy worked on. I hear those stories all the time from grateful customers. Randy was, and is, really good at what he does and knows a whole lot about everything automotive.
Big Bird dangles inside a bright yellow Firebird. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I’m more interested in the quirky, the artsy, the unusual. A Big Bird dangling from a Big Bird-hued Firebird brought to mind my second daughter who, as a child, carried her much-beloved yellow Sesame Street stuffie everywhere.
The km/h speedometer of a Foggy Ducati motorcycle is marked with dots, presumably a visual for the driver to keep his speed in check. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
A vintage Honda motorcycle reminded me of my oldest brother revving up his bike, roaring across the farmyard, tires spitting gravel.
The show featured not only cars and trucks, but also several motorcycles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I expect nearly everyone attending the show could share a story, for classic vehicles are the stuff of memories.
A beautiful, artsy shifter knob in a Ford hotrod. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Grandpa’s car. Siblings piling into a boat of a family car for a road trip. First car. Learning to drive a stick shift. Saturday night at a drive-in movie. A stop at the root beer stand. Racing down a back county road. Young love in a car parked at a dead end. Lights out under an inky dark sky. So many memories and stories.
A Model A Ford. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
As I walked among the many classic vehicles, I could only imagine the stories, told and untold. I wonder sometimes if that isn’t the real reason why people own these vehicles. It’s a way of holding onto the past, of connecting with previous generations, of reliving yesteryear, when life was, in many ways, less complicated.
A hood ornament that could grace an art gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Some may consider their vehicles an investment. And maybe they are. An investment in life as it once existed in quieter, gentler times.
I have no idea what this car art symbolizes. But it caught my eye. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
By the end of my walk about the classic vehicles, I’d taken some 80 photos and engaged in several conversations. But mostly, I observed. The setting. The people. The vehicles. The art. After all that, and as the pavement was heating up I needed to cool off in air conditioning. I also needed a drink of icy cold water, although a beer may have hit the spot, too.
As noted on this 2017 tee, Henderson hosts a Classic Roll In. That happens from 5-8 p.m. every Tuesday, June-September. However, the Tuesday, June 30, show was cancelled due to the extreme heat. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
FYI: Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas hosts a Classic Car Cruise In from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. the last Sunday of the month June-September.
An old International made rat rod. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
ARTSY FLAMES BLAZED across the hood and doors of the 1940 International Harvester pick-up truck, grabbing my attention as I walked among the vehicles parked along several blocks of historic Central Avenue during the June 19 Faribault Car Cruise Night.
Historic buildings lining Central Avenue make a fitting yesteryear backdrop for the car show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
The creative rat rod, with its handcrafted claw hands grasping the side mirrors, its interior plastered with stickers, brown paper bag “air bag,” back end wrenches, rat sculptures and more proved a draw and a conversation starter.
People stop to chat between looking at vehicles while a driver heads for a parking spot. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
And, for me, that’s part of the point of these summer cruises—bringing community together in conversation with each other. Owners of rat rods, collector, antique and other vehicles are always open to chatting it up. And so are those who come here. Friends. Family. Neighbors. And strangers become acquaintances via introductions.
Rockin’ it with Triple Stitch, the featured band. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
While I like to talk, I also like to unobtrusively observe. And listen. On this evening, the music of Lonsdale-based Triple Stitch blasted, a guitarist rocking it to “Summer of 69” on the portable stage set up in the street.
One of several food trucks parked downtown during the car cruise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Across the way, an employee at the Twisted Chicken food truck grilled. Other food trucks and local restaurants also offered food. Several shops opened their doors for special Friday evening hours during the cruise.
When I arrived at 6 p.m., people were just beginning to show up. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
The downtown filled with more and more people as the evening progressed. It was good to see a crowd along Central enjoying themselves on a comfortable summer evening that later cooled to jacket weather.
Fashion meets vintage at the car show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I saw babies in arms and strollers. A little girl cradling her baby doll. Couples walking hand-in-hand. A young man dressed in a fashionable suit leaning against the side of the Black Sheep Auto Sales vintage pick-up truck.
Dogs, people and automobiles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Teens on scooters. Dogs on leashes and one running loose, the owner seemingly not caring about her dog roaming among the throngs of people. I kept my distance.
This racer tried blowing on his race car to move it down the track. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
A race track outside the toy store drew kids to race mini-cars down a swooping race track. It was sheer joy to watch their excitement, to see their smiles.
These mini models proved popular with the kids. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Across the street, kids clamored into small-scale vehicles meant just for them.
Craig, proud owner of a vintage ambulance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I caught up briefly with Craig, who owns an old ambulance, which he sold then somehow managed to buy back after realizing he’d made a mistake by selling the emergency vehicle.
This shiny vintage Plymouth drew lots of admirers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
A show volunteer advised me to check out his rusty truck parked on the south end of Central. He showed me a photo on his phone so I could be sure to find it. I later found the pick-up near a shiny black Plymouth on a trailer, just as he said I would.
Even something as simple as a beautifully written name appeals to me artistically. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Faribault has its own car club, the Drag-On’s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Sticker love. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Occasionally I asked my automotive machinist husband questions. Randy is incredibly knowledgeable about anything vehicle-related. He views this show from a mechanical perspective unlike my artistic viewpoint. I’m drawn to shiny chrome reflecting buildings, hood ornaments, car emblems, the fancy floral patterned upholstery in a vintage Cadillac, the curve of a fender…
A special red, white and blue car became a canvas for car show attendees to sign their names after donating $1 to do so. Proceeds will support veterans and suicide prevention through the organization Operation 23-0. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Interests in car shows can be as diverse as the people who attend, including those who signed a patriotic car promoting an upcoming car show. The BlackTop Cruisers Midwest “Fall of Summer Car Show” is set for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, at South Alexander Park in Faribault.
Checking out a car on the south end of Central Avenue during Faribault Car Cruise Night. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I love seeing the mix of people crossing paths, mingling, mixing and coming together at car shows. While cars, trucks and motorcycles draw people to downtown Faribault on a Friday evening, the summer car cruises are, at their core, about community.
Shoppers look through art in a gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts during a Recycled Art Sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I EXPECTED TO POP in and out in perhaps a half hour. But instead, I spent a good hour-plus filing through art at the Paradise Center for the Arts’ comeback Recycled Art Sale.
The Paradise Center for the Arts is located at 321 Central Avenue North in the heart of downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Nearly 10 years have passed since the Faribault arts center last solicited donations to sell to the art-loving public at discount prices as low as $1. As a thrifty art lover, I appreciate the opportunity to buy unique, affordable art while simultaneously supporting the Paradise.
A promotional poster lists sale hours. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
On Wednesday afternoon, opening day of the four-day sale which ends with Saturday, June 20, hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the place buzzed with people looking for art to take home.
A certified piece of art titled “Freddie the Freeloader by Red Skelton.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Hundreds and hundreds of pieces filled the three main gallery spaces and the smaller student gallery and hallway, plus the gathering space outside the galleries. So much art. Plus frames and art books and mirrors. At times I felt overwhelmed. But not enough that I stopped looking.
An overview of the main gallery filled with original art by Faribault area artists. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
The main gallery features the original art of Faribault area artists, all of the artwork hung on walls or displayed on pedestals. This art is priced a bit higher, but still affordable for an original.
Rhody Yule painted the floral in the foreground and the paintings to the right of the still life. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I saw several pieces by my friend Rhody Yule, a Faribault sign painter who also painted portraits, landscapes and the occasional still life. I helped coordinate his one and only art show at the Paradise in January 2011. Six months later, he died at age 92.
More local original art for sale in the main gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Memories of my friendship with Rhody and his creativity made me smile as I viewed his over-sized landscapes, his floral and several other paintings. Maybelle Stark’s pheasant art reminded me that I have her 1959 painting of the H.H. King Mill in my art stash at home.
Known-to-me artist Maybelle Stark painted the pheasant and Dana Hanson the portraits shown here. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
And in one corner I noticed portraits created by former Faribault resident Dana Hanson. I watched her paint portraits of musicians during Thursday evening concerts in Faribault’s Central Park. Missing from the gallery display was her portrait of Bob Dylan, once filling the blank space next to Judy Garland and below Elvis. Her portrait of “Faribault’s Founding Fathers”—Alexander Faribault, Taopi and Bishop Henry Whipple—hangs in Buckham Memorial Library.
More local art, including boxes filled with unframed floral paintings by Geri Nelson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I bet many of the shoppers at the recycled art sale could share stories of other local artists. Some were artists themselves, shopping for artwork and for frames for their own art.
The art for sale is more than just prints and paintings. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Others, like me, were simply searching for art to bring into our homes. From prints to originals, it was all there along with pottery, ceramics and more. Framed art on the floor leaning into each other. Art in boxes. Art on tables. Art on walls. Art on shelves. So much art.
One of the art pieces I purchased. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I found five pieces for $10, all but one custom-framed. Three are portraits of African women, two with children. Another features an abstract depiction of “Indian Market,” colorful poster art from Santa Fe. I can’t pinpoint a particular reason why I chose this art. Perhaps it’s because I’m currently drawn to diversity and pops of color. These pieces differ from most of the art I own, art which I regularly rotate.
A trio of original art by a local artist with the last name of Underwood signed on his/her work. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I also purchased a woodcut print (#25 of 50), “Navigating the Attachment Journey,” by northern Minnesota artist and children’s book illustrator Betsy Bowen. I’ve always appreciated her nature-themed art crafted today in her studio inside a former historic Lutheran church in Grand Marais.
Offerings included this historic photo of Leary’s Livery in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
On this day, the historic Paradise theater held a whole lot of art from a whole lot of artists. Among the hundreds of pieces, I found new-to-me art to which I felt connected. The walls of my home may not be gallery walls. But they are walls where I showcase art that speaks to me, moves me, brings me joy. And that, to me, should define our personal art choices.
A leather stitcher at the May 2025 Riverside Rendezvous & History Festival in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2025)
WHETHER YOU’RE INTO HISTORY, flea markets, music or art, you’ll find a trio of events in the area this weekend covering those options.
Vendors set up shop outside the Rice County Historical Society. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo September 2025)
First up is the annual Rice County Historical Society Spring Flea Market from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 16, in Faribault. Vendors offer an array of goods from antiques and collectibles to crafts, art, oddities and assorted merchandise to endless to name. I’ve shopped here many times, enjoying the experience of not only poking around for something I may or may not need, but also socializing.
Making ropes at the 2025 Riverside Rendezvous. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2025)
Just down the road from the RCHS grounds, the historical society is hosting its second annual Riverside Rendezvous and History Festival in North Alexander Park from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 16, and again from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.
I attended last year and immersed myself in the living history with added music, food (try the frybread) and interaction with re-enactors and others rounding out the festival. The event features the trades, tradition and history of the 18th and 19th centuries via demonstrations of blacksmithing, leatherworking, fur trapping, candlemaking and more plus an appearance by MN Jack Sparrow.
Listen to the music of Curtis & Loretta, The Leather Souls, Bonnie Drunken Lad, the Roe Family Singers and The Skally Line. Try your skills in competitive Voyageur games, tomahawk throwing and archery. Buy goods from vendors, cash only. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids, a bargain considering all the rendezvous offers.
Musicians will perform inside the Valley Grove wooden church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Sunday brings more entertainment, this time at the historic Norwegian Valley Grove churches, rural Nerstrand. From 1-3 p.m. May 17, the Valley Grove Preservation Society celebrates Syttende Mai, Norway’s Constitution Day.
Inside the old wooden church, St. Olaf College students will play Norwegian hardanger fiddle music from 1-1:30 p.m. After that, until 3 p.m., the duet Over Yonder, with Martha Larson on cello and Brian Johnson on guitar, will play original compositions from their recent album “Valley Grove.” That includes the title track, “(The Big Oak at) Valley Grove.”
Crosses crafted from Valley Grove burr oaks. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
In honor of the big burr oak that once anchored a corner of the Valley Grove Cemetery until a 2018 storm blew the tree down, a pop-up art exhibit will be featured inside the old stone church. Attendees are invited to share their paintings, drawings, photos and wooden items (made from the 250-year-old burr oak) at the exhibit.
This trio of area happenings gets my recommendations. I can’t make all three. But if you can, go. Every single event promises to be worth your while whether you love history, flea markets, music, art or all four. This is a jam-packed weekend of educational, entertaining and enjoyable events right here in your own backyard.
Beautiful flowering trees outside the Rice County courthouse, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2026)
I’VE NEVER TRAVELED to Washington, DC, thus never seen the masses of cherry blossoms. I’m quite certain I would love them. Flowering trees began blooming here about two weeks ago and I can’t get enough of their beauty.
A young tree outside the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault blooms in late April. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)
Whether pink or white, the petals add an artistic and poetic touch to the landscape. It’s as if an artist meticulously brushed petals upon a tree. It’s as if a poet wrote lovely words upon apple and ornamental trees, petal by petal.
Against the backdrop of the Guild House at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, a flowering tree buds and blooms. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)
In poetry, every word counts. In art, every brush stroke matters. On a flowering tree, both create a canopy of loveliness.
Masses of flowers on a tree at the intersection of Third Avenue NW and Fifth Street NW, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo late April 2026)
I don’t paint. But I create with my camera and with words. I write poetry—poetry which has published on the pages of anthologies and literary journals, inspired artists and a musician, graced signs in public places.
At the intersection of First Avenue NW and Sixth Street NW in Faribault, a flowering tree graces a front yard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 28, 2026)
And so I see poetry where others may not. A flowering tree is not simply a tree with flowers. It is a work of literary and visual art. It is a love letter. It is a painting. It is romance. It is a thousand stories. It is more than a tree blushing beauty into the landscape on a spring day.
Sunshine dapples a tree along Third Avenue NW, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo late April 2026)
In residential neighborhoods, in parks and in other spaces, flowering trees bloom poetic verse. Above. And in a carpet of petals upon the ground. I’m inspired to write: Apple blossoms fall/like kisses from their lips/teasing, tempting, tasting/not of promised, forbidden fruit/but of young love blooming.
The Guild House tree in bud and now bloom. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)
And so spring seems a time of young love. Of beginnings. Of feeling the heart beat faster.
Trees flower on the back side of Faribault’s Central Park bandshell which features murals honoring the life of Bishop Henry Whipple. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)
Yet spring also celebrates the seasoned love of many years, even decades, together. Love that has seen countless springs of flowering trees blushing beauty into the landscape. For my husband, Randy, and me, 44 years of married life marked on May 15.
Looking up at flowering treetops outside an office building along Third Avenue NW in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)
We walk beneath those trees, petals underfoot representing the poetry of days past and those above of poetry yet unwritten.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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