Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

From church to arts center, a sanctuary for creatives April 8, 2026

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This 8 x 12-foot mural graces the exterior of the Lakeville Area Arts Center Performing Arts Building. The art was designed by Shane and Kelly Anderson and painted by the community during the 2017 Lakeville Art Festival. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

WHEN A CHURCH CLOSES or relocates into a new space, what happens to the former house of worship? That depends on the community, the market, the condition of the building and more.

The Lakeville Area Arts Center in downtown Lakeville is housed in a former Catholic church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

In Vesta, the old St. John’s Lutheran Church was repurposed into apartments when my home congregation constructed a new sanctuary on the southeast edge of town in the early 1970s. In Faribault, where I have lived since 1984, a boutique, craft and gift shop, Nook & Cranny, fills the old St. Lawrence Catholic Church. In nearby Dundas, craft beer is served inside a former historic chapel at a brewery aptly named Chapel Brewing. A former Methodist church in neighboring Waseca houses the Waseca County History Center. Up in Fargo, North Dakota, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church is now home to the Sanctuary Events Center, where I attended my friend Hannah’s wedding and reception.

Shane Anderson created this acrylic painting in 2011 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Lakeville Area Arts Center. It hangs in a lower level of the center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Then there’s the old All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville a half hour to the north along Interstate 35. In 2001, the vacated massive 1932 brick building became the Lakeville Area Arts Center Performing Arts Building. If an aged church is no longer a church, then I can think of no better reuse than as a center for creativity, a sanctuary for creatives.

This magnificent lion sculpture flanks the front entry to the Lakeville arts center, formerly a church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Often these old churches have been built by skilled craftsmen who’ve incorporated art into the construction. Stained glass windows. Sculptures. Ornate wood carvings. Repurposing a church as an art center seems reverently fitting.

The sanctuary is now a theater. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Recently I visited the Lakeville arts center inside that old Catholic church. The worship space has been transformed into a theater, complete with 300 tiered seats rising high in the long, narrow building. Stained glass windows remain, a visual reminder that parishioners once gathered here.

Looking up at mammoth stained glass window art above the entry to the former church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Today concerts and live theater take place here. And in other parts of the building are art galleries, rehearsal and meeting rooms and more. I think the saints would celebrate this usage of their sacred space in the absence of a place of worship.

A sampling of art created by students in the Lakeville Public School and recently exhibited in the arts center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

As I meandered through the arts center, viewing student art featured in gallery exhibits, other art and those stained glass windows, I felt the spirit of creativity.

Outside the arts center is a six foot tall fiberglass sculpture, “Bruce the Moose.” Shane Anderson designed the sculpture and the community painted it during the 2016 Lakeville Art Festival. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Outside, sculptures like “Bruce the Moose” and a “Creative Endeavors” mural visually mark this as an arts center. The artwork is part of Lakeville’s public art scattered on the grounds and about town.

On the exterior of the Fine Arts Building hangs an art piece featuring fused glass. Milligan Studio created “Hive,” which represents collaboration and innovation. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Next to the performing arts building, creatives also gather in the former Alternative Learning Center, now home to the 11,000 square foot Fine Arts Building. Inside are ceramics studios, classrooms for glass, fiber arts and painting, rehearsal space, student galleries, an art shop, and more.

A painting of the church/arts center on the base of a round table in the lower level of the performing arts building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

I love the arts. And when I discover a place like the Lakeville Area Arts Center, I feel connected as a creative myself. The arts ought always to be celebrated. They entertain us, move us, speak for us, allow us to express ourselves, bring us together in community and, oh, so much more.

Tucked into a window inside a glass case, glass art created by Nolan Prohaska for the 2010 Lakeville Art Festival. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Personally, I cannot image my life without writing and photography, my creative outlets, my life’s work. Or, more correctly, my life’s passion because neither ever feels like work.

TELL ME: What are your thoughts on the arts and/or on repurposing of a vacated church into an arts center or something else?

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Beets,” a relevant play that bridges differences February 7, 2025

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Former Faribault Daily News reporter Pauline Schreiber photographed these Faribault POW camp barracks shortly before they were torn down in 1990. (Photo courtesy of the Rice County Historical Society)

THE SETTING COULD BE FARIBAULT or any other Minnesota community which, in the latter part of World War II, housed German prisoners of war in POW camps. But the setting is at a camp in Greeley, Colorado, and on a farm site in nearby Berthoud. Locations matter not. The story does.

A promo for “Beets.” (Credit: Shattuck-St Mary’s School Facebook page)

Thursday evening, I sat in the sparse audience of the historic Newhall Auditorium on the campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, a private college prep school on Faribault’s east side, watching a story unfold in the theatrical production, “Beets.” An incredibly talented nine-member student cast immersed themselves in the roles of a farm family, German POWs, guards and a family friend to share a bit of history. And much more.

This play about POWs working on the Hunt family’s sugarbeet farm is more than a retelling of history. It is also about relationships, fear, culture and love. It is about the perceived differences that divide us and about the commonalities that unite us.

This is a play for our times. In a nation today divided by politics, by fear, by hatred and animosity, “Beets” is absolutely relatable.

As the storyline evolves, conflicts arise. Farmer Fred Hunt spews his hatred of the Germans. His wife, Isabelle, exudes compassion and love. And their daughter, Anna, settles somewhere in between, leaning initially toward dislike and distrust of the German POWs who have come to work her father’s land. Anna’s thoughts often turn to her brother, Jake, fighting the Germans abroad.

A German meal: sauerbraten and spaetzle on the left, German potato salad, sweet and sour cabbage, dinner roll and sauerkraut and brats. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Slowly, interaction by interaction, things begin to change. The American farm family and the German prisoners realize they share a love of Bach. (Yes, a German composer.) And while the German POWs profess they will never eat corn, because that’s for pigs and cows—although Anna explains the difference between corn for livestock and sweetcorn—they all understand that they need to eat. The scenes in which Anna and Isabelle serve potatoes and cake to the POWs show how food brings people together. Trust grows. When Fred learns details about POW Dieter Meuhler’s family, he begins to understand the personal side of a man he saw only as an enemy. The walls of distrust, disdain and differences start crumbling, albeit slowly.

It is not lost on me that the Shattuck performers are themselves of diverse backgrounds. That only adds to the performance.

There are differences in beets (these are not sugarbeets), just like in people. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

There are lessons to be learned from “Beets,” written by Rick Padden. First, we are all, at our core, just human beings with the same basic needs. Secondly, to overcome differences, we need to connect on a personal level. We need to open our hearts and minds, to embrace cultural and other differences. We need to show compassion and care, as farm wife Isabelle Hunt did on stage. We need to recognize that love is universal, as Anna and Dieter discovered.

“Beets” is one of those plays I wish everyone could see, especially now in these challenging days. I left the theater at Shattuck-St. Mary’s feeling a sense of hope. The fictional characters in “Beets” changed, for the better. They opened their hearts and minds to each other, despite their differences, or perceived differences. Perhaps we can do the same.

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FYI: Two performances of “Beets” remain at Shattuck, one at 7 pm Friday, February 7, and the second at 2 pm Saturday, February 8. It’s a two-hour show (includes a 10-minute intermission) I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys well-done theater, history and a play with strong messages relevant to today.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Charlotte’s Web” on-stage in Faribault, my take on this classic October 18, 2024

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The promotional poster for the local production of “Charlotte’s Web.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

THE CLASSIC CHILDREN’S BOOK, Charlotte’s Web, comes alive at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault beginning Friday evening, October 18. I was among a theater full of guests who attended the final dress rehearsal on Thursday. Tickets are selling quickly for the six performances. That’s no surprise given the popularity of the Newbery Honor book penned in 1952 by E.B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams (of Laura Ingalls Wilder illustration notoriety). The book holds universal, long-lasting appeal.

Children and their families glazed these Wilbur medallions at the Paradise Center for the Arts during a special event with funding from a Faribault Foundation micro community grant. Participating kids also got free tickets to the play. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

To see White’s story about Wilbur the pig, Charlotte the spider and Fern, the young girl who loved them both, played out on stage proved entertaining and enjoyable. Entertaining in how the play was presented by a talented Paradise Community Theatre cast of nearly 30 ranging from newbies to seasoned performers of multiple generations. Enjoyable in that a good retelling of a classic book which sticks to the story line is always a delight.

I found this personalized book plate inside a copy of “Charlotte’s Web” at Buckham Memorial Library, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

Sam Temple, himself a seasoned actor, directed the play, assisted by his mom, Linda Temple. As Sam shares the Temple family backstory, Charlotte’s Web is his mom’s favorite book, one she read repeatedly as a farm girl and then later read with students in her classroom. Sam grew up knowing Wilbur, Charlotte and Fern. That personal connection, that love of the book, shows in the performance.

(Book cover image sourced online)

The part that really stood out for me is the incorporation of digital technology with pages from the book projected onto a screen behind the performers. Those pages, sometimes text only, other times illustrations only, drew me into the book as did occasional narrated excerpts. This truly was literary, visual and performing arts melding to create a unique, immersive experience. Add in the superior surround sound (complete with chirping crickets) and performers sometimes acting in the theater aisles, and I felt very much a part of the story. I was there in the barn, at the county fair, the settings for the two-act, nearly 90-minute play.

A section of the PCA window display promoting the local production. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

The story of Charlotte’s Web, at its core, is about friendship. Charlotte spins words into her webs in an effort to save Wilbur, her new barn friend, from slaughter. The word-filled webs become a local attraction and Wilbur’s life is eventually spared.

The handcrafted medallion depicts the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2024)

Words. As I, a wordsmith, sat in my theater seat listening to the words spoken/read on stage, jotting some in my notebook, I contemplated how much words matter. Charlotte wove “Some pig,” “terrific,” “radiant,” “humble” into her webs. Powerful words. Words with depth. Words worth pondering. Especially today, when negative and degrading words often fly too easily. I couldn’t help but note the arrogance of self-centered Uncle, a pig vying against Wilbur for a blue ribbon at the county fair. He was decidedly full of himself.

For a while, I thought the same of Templeton, a main character in the book and play. But then I changed my mind, considering the barn rat more confident than self-centered. I found myself really liking this outspoken, sly, even funny, character who assisted Charlotte by finding words for her to weave into her webs. Friendships developed inside the barn, home to pig and spider, rat and geese, lamb and sheep.

Mostly, this play is about friendship. At show’s end, Fern calls Charlotte “a true friend and a good writer” who taught her bravery. But this play is also about acceptance. When Charlotte experienced an adverse reaction to revealing that she eats flies, she stood up for herself. “That’s the way I’m made,” Charlotte told her friends. “I can’t help it.” How wise that spider.

And then this line from Charlotte resonated: “People are not as smart as bugs.”

This play by the Paradise Community Theatre really does appeal to all ages. Kids may not catch everything we adults do. But that’s OK. Perhaps they shouldn’t. They have their entire lives to figure out that life is much more complicated than simply a story about a spider, a pig and the girl who loved them.

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Reaching Orpheus,” a must-see original play about grief, loss & relationships April 5, 2024

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Promo for the world premiere of “Reaching Orpheus,” opening Friday, April 5, in Faribault. (Promo credit: Paradise Center for the Arts)

EIGHT MONTHS. How long has it been since you lost a loved one? For Alex, a lead in the play “Reaching Orpheus,” it’s been only eight months since she tragically lost her husband. For me, it’s been one week and four days since my sister’s husband, my brother-in-law Dale, died of cancer.

Thursday evening I attended the dress rehearsal of “Reaching Orpheus,” a drama scripted and directed by Dan Rathbun of Owatonna. The six-member cast debuts Rathbun’s third original play this evening at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault. When I settled into my theater seat, I brought the raw emotions of new grief.

Alex (Innana Antley) and Ian (Dean Lamp) interact during a scene inside Wonky Leg Brewery. (Photo credit: Amber Holven)

The seasoned and talented cast brings that and much more to the stage as they share the universal experiences of grief, of loss. How we handle it. How we react to it. How we begin to live again in the face of deep loss. It’s there, all there, unfolding in dialogue inside a family brewery and in the mountains of Colorado. As director Rathbun writes in his director’s notes, “Rock climbing is an excellent metaphor for the struggle with grief.”

Alex and Sean (Samuel Temple), an engaged couple in real life, perform together for the first time in lead roles. (Photo credit Amber Holven)

Like Alex, we all struggle to climb our way out of grief. Just as Sean, who plays another lead role and who has experienced the tragic death of his sister, Sara, does. Sean runs the brewery with his father and also teaches mountain climbing.

This is a play in which any of us could perform the roles, portray the emotions. Not because all of us are skilled actors and actresses—most of us aren’t—but rather because we have all gone through the challenges shared on stage.

Playwright Rathbun and his cast of six cover the stages of grief, of loss: anger, denial, guilt, regrets, a desire to handle things on our own, escape… So much. So authentic. So relatable.

Certain lines imprinted upon me. Alex, who claims, “It’s fine. I’m fine.” She’s not.

Friends Alex and Abby (Jessica Bastyr). (Photo credit: Amber Holven)

And then her intense, well-meaning friend Abby, who says, “I’m happy to help.” She wants to help, to fix things, to make everything better for Alex. She doesn’t. Not initially.

And then there’s Ian, Sean’s dad, who follows the coping path of picking himself up, dusting himself off and going on with life after his daughter’s death, all the while ignoring his feelings and his volatile relationship with his son.

Sean tucks his feelings inside, until he slowly begins to open up to Alex, whom he’s teaching to mountain climb. Their conversations include phrases we’ve all heard, thought, spoken or written in the midst of grief: “I know how you feel.” I’m so sorry for your loss.” “It’s exhausting to be the strong one.”

Alex and James (Jason Meyer) in a tender moment. (Photo credit: Amber Holven)

Even James, Alex’s deceased husband, and Sara, Sean’s dead sister (played by Paula Jameson), offer their observations and thoughts in several scenes. There’s value in hearing their perspectives, too.

This thought-provoking play offers so much. Even humor. We all need laughter in the heaviness of loss. And we all need each other in the heaviness of grief. We all need to think, too, about how we respond to grief, the often trite sympathies we offer, the words we say that perhaps hurt more than comfort.

Beyond that, the playwright reminds us, via Sean, “…to tell people how much they mean to us every day.” Sean suggests we hold funerals before a person dies. That, too, I understand as I think back to my own mother and how we celebrated her 80th birthday nine years before her January 2022 death. I remember the family and friends who packed a small town community hall to honor my beloved mom. She felt so cherished and loved. I remember, too, my last visit with my brother-in-law, 3 ½ weeks before his March 25 death. He was well enough yet to sit up, engage in conversation, share memories. It was a good visit.

And today I think of a dear friend, bed-ridden, in hospice and dying of cancer. Her family, even through their pain, has opened their home to everyone, anyone, who wants to see their loved one. Each time I see my friend, deliver a meal to her family, I stand by her bedside, tell her, “I love you.” We laugh. We cry. And we never part without kisses placed upon each other’s cheeks.

Alex climbs the mountain, physically and emotionally. (Photo credit: Amber Holven)

This is grief. This is loss. This is love. “Reaching Orpheus” brings that all onto the stage. Deep and real, like the mountains we all must climb, have climbed.

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Highlighting creatives at upcoming events November 16, 2023

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Books on Central is housed in the former Dandelet Jewelry, 227 Central Avenue North in downtown Faribault. This photo was taken before the bookshop opened in early October. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2023)

THIS SEEMS THE SEASON for creatives. At least in my community. Wednesday evening I listened to local writer Larry Gavin read poems and tell stories at Faribault’s new used bookstore, Books on Central. It’s always a delight to listen to this creative and especially so in the former Dandelet Jewelry Store. This cozy space features a grand vintage chandelier, built-in shelves and drawers, and other historic details that make it inviting, charming and unlike any bookshop I’ve ever shopped. Plus, this volunteer-run Rice County Area United Way bookstore boasts an inventory of 8,000 used books for all ages and in all genres.

Among artists selling their art at Holly Days is Julie Fakler, Paradise Center for the Arts executive director. Fakler is known for her animal portraits, these showcased in a previous exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2022)

Shopping. This is the season to shop the goods of local creatives. The Paradise Center for the Arts kicks off its Holly Days Sale with an artists’ reception from 5-7 pm this evening, November 16. Twenty artists are selling their art, from pottery to needle felting to stained glass and much more. The sale runs until December 22.

Tis the season of holiday craft sales/bazaars/boutiques. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2022)

On Saturday, November 18, creatives will vend Christmas items (including porch pots), quilts, wood and metal works, baked goods and more in the Trinity Lutheran Church auditorium along Fourth Street in Faribault. My friend Mandy has been baking up a storm, creating cupcakes, pumpkin-shaped centerpiece cakes and more for the 9 am – 3 pm Holiday Boutique Sale. Trinity youth will sell lunch, snacks and treats.

Also on Saturday, the Faribo West Mall hosts its Fall Bazaar from 10 am-4 pm with crafts, flea market finds and baked goods. A bonus feature is kids’ free craft making from noon to 2 pm.

Now, even before all those one-day shopping options open on Saturday, there are non-shopping creative opportunities. The Faribault High School play, “A Trip to the Moon,” is on stage at 7:30 pm Thursday – Saturday and at 2 pm Sunday. It’s been a while since I attended a FHS play. This one intrigues me since its set in 1969, my coming of age teen years.

Promo courtesy of Jeff Jarvis of Cedar Lake Studio/ The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour.

And then there are Irish musicians, coming from the Twin Cities to perform at 7 pm Friday, November 17, at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour across from Central Park near downtown Faribault. Bonnie Drunken Lad, an Irish folk band, is performing as part of the free Merner Concert Series. If you’ve never attended a concert in the historic cathedral, I highly-recommend doing so. The acoustics are outstanding. And you can’t help but feel the history here while sitting on pews once graced by the Dakota people of the region and by early settlers.

An ice cream sundae at Berners’ Ice Cream Parlor in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, home of the ice cream sundae. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2011)

Finally, but certainly not last in level of creativity—and perhaps most creative—is an event from 1-2 pm Saturday, November 18, at the Cannon Falls Public Library. “Baking Yesteryear” is a free buffet style sampler feast featuring foods of yesteryear. Library staff worked with the Cannon Falls Historical Society to develop a collection of recipes from 1880-1989. People could peruse the recipes and choose a food (s) to make at home for Saturday’s sampler feast. I absolutely love this idea. Teen and Adult Services Librarian Matthew Stelter said his history buff teenage son will be there dressed as a 1930s soda jerk creating flavored sodas and ice cream floats with flavorings and ice cream donated by local CannonBelles Coffee and Ice Cream. Now, if I still fit into my 1970s lime green pants, perhaps I could come bearing banana-laced red Jell-O. Period-fitting dress is encouraged.

All in all, creativity defines the next several days. Food. Art. Music. I am grateful for all the creatives who share their talents with the greater community.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Time to upgrade with new chairs at the Paradise March 24, 2023

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Inside the Paradise Center for the Arts theater in 2009, two years after it opened. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2009)

THEY’VE HAD A 16-YEAR RUN, “they” being the recycled seats filling the Paradise Center for the Arts theater in historic downtown Faribault. Now it’s time for those seats to take a bow, exit and make way for new seating.

The aged chairs landed here as a donation from Albert Lea High School. The Merlin Players theatrical troupe then recovered and repaired the chairs before the PCA opened in 2007. It was the right decision at the time, financially and otherwise.

Watching the 2015 Kentucky Derby at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2015)

Since then, thousands have settled into those orangish chairs, including me. I’ve enjoyed plays, musicals, concerts, comedy shows, speakers and even a viewing of the Kentucky Derby while sitting on those chairs. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried while seated here. After years of use, an upgrade to more comfortable seating for 278 is definitely needed.

In the lobby of the Paradise, you can try out a model of the new chairs, with the original ornate standards (ends) retained. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2023)

When I stopped at the Paradise recently to see the current gallery exhibits, I noticed a model of the new seats in the lobby. Days later, I received a news release from the PCA with more info and then followed up with a few questions.

I like the plan to install chairs with more comfort, strength and durability, but also with an appreciation for the past. The current ornate ends and the numbered arm rests will be kept. That’s important to me given the historic charm of the auditorium and also as someone who believes strongly in reusing/recycling/upcycling.

One especially nice addition will be cup holders, placed between the two seats in front of each guest. That will certainly cut down on accidental spillage which can occur when drinks are set on the floor.

The lovely Paradise, 321 Central Avenue North, in the heart of historic downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2023)

Now efforts are underway to fund this $460/chair or $128,000 project via donations. If you would like to donate, go to the Paradise website and click on “Donate,” then “Support,” then specify “chairs” in designating your donation. Or call 507-332-7372. Donors will be listed on a plaque.

I look forward to settling into one of these comfortable new maroon chairs to enjoy the performing arts in my community, inside the Paradise.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

In Faribault: A creatively moving production of “A Christmas Carol” December 2, 2022

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A scene from “A Christmas Carol,” now on stage in Faribault. (Photo courtesy of director Sam Temple)

ON THE MORNING OF OUR GRANDSON’S preschool holiday party, Randy took time off work to watch a group of preschoolers perform an unrehearsed version of the Christmas story. The little ones eagerly donned swatches of cloth, transforming into multiple Marys, Josephs, angels and shepherds. My eyes focused on Isaac, brown tunic slipped over his plaid flannel shirt, shepherd’s staff in hand. I worried he might bonk a classmate over the head. He never did. In the end, the pastor-directed impromptu play proved entertaining and joyful, a blessing to all.

Later that evening, after he returned from a half day of work, Randy joined me at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault to watch an invitation-only final dress rehearsal of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol performed by The Merlin Players. Well-rehearsed, directed, staged, acted and presented, this play contrasted sharply with the one we’d seen earlier that day. Yet, the messages of peace, love and good will (among others) repeated. The Dickens’ play ended with the line: “God bless us everyone!”

Two plays in one day—one familiar to me, the other not. One faith-based, the other centered on choices one makes in life. Both powerful in their own way. One loose and unstaged, the other professionally done.

The promotional poster for “A Christmas Carol.” (Courtesy of Sam Temple)

That I’ve never read or seen A Christmas Carol is something I hesitate to admit. I am, after all, an English minor, an avid reader, a writer. Of course, I knew the basic story line of main character Ebenezer Scrooge visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. But that’s about it. So I walked into the theater Thursday evening not quite knowing what to expect, although I anticipated another outstanding performance by The Merlin Players. Fifteen years ago they presented this same play at the Paradise. Now the theater company is disbanding, choosing to end with a repeat of A Christmas Carol, albeit different in presentation.

Posted in a window of the Paradise Center for the Arts, a quote by Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge’s business partner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2022)

As I sat in my theater seat listening and watching, central themes began to emerge. “There’s more to life than work,” Mrs. Fezziwig (Alane Bendtsen) states as Ebenezer Scrooge faces the Ghost of Christmas Past. I thought of my husband who just that morning missed work to attend our 3-year-old grandson’s preschool party and pageant. I felt grateful for his decision. Age has a way of shifting priorities. And in this theatrical production, a story has a way of exposing regrets. Scrooge focused his life on work, on making money, on getting things and, in the end, gave up so much, including love.

I expect we have all experienced many Scrooge moments, when we stand at a crossroads and make choices that aren’t the best, that, in the end, hurt us, those we love, even strangers. Choices that are self-serving and unkind. I expect we have all turned away those in need, like Scrooge did in a brief interaction with a child caroler (Ella Boland) in a moment I found especially touching.

Sam Temple, who directed the play, notes that “through this story, Dickens sought to solidify Christmas as a season for charity, kindness, and compassion for the downtrodden.” That carries through in the unfolding plot and dialogue with a message as timely today as in 1843 when Dickens penned this story.

Another scene from The Merlin Players’ production of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic. (Photo courtesy of Sam Temple)

From the youngest to oldest, these 26 performers (all playing multiple roles except Steve Searl/Scrooge) pour their hearts and souls into retelling Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I cannot imagine trying to direct a cast of this size; Sam Temple proved he was up to the task. The lines. The movement. The dancing. The costuming. The technical aspects. The music and singing—Jingle Bells, Silent Night, O Tannenbaum… The festive spirit of the season emerges. Everything comes together seamlessly.

That I came into this performance with no preconceived ideas, no comparisons to other productions, allows for an unbiased review. I sat back. Took it all in, appreciating the dramatic special effects which include the banging of chains, globes of floating light, a towering and menacing black Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and more. I’m intentionally not revealing details. Technical Director Matthew Boyd and crew outdid themselves in creatively enhancing this theatrical version of Dickens’ Christmas classic.

A second quote by character Jacob Marley posted at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2022)

I exited the theater feeling reflective and uplifted by the transformation of Scrooge from money-focused and miserly to kind, caring, compassionate. “I am not the man that I was,” he declares. He stood at a crossroads and, in the end, chose good will, kindness, love. He experienced what I would term A Christmas Awakening.

FYI: A Christmas Carol opens at 7:30 pm Friday, December 2, at the Paradise Center for the Arts along Central Avenue in historic downtown Faribault. Other 7:30 pm performances are on December 3, 8, 9 and 10. Two afternoon shows are set for Sunday, December 4 and 11 at 2 pm. If you plan to attend, I highly encourage you to reserve tickets now or you may not get a seat. Tickets are selling quickly. Click here for more info.

© Copyright 2022 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Faribault celebrates Winterfest December 3, 2021

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A city of Faribault snowplow in a past Winterfest parade. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA, including in Faribault, December brings holiday and winter-themed events. In a typical year, I’d embrace all of these celebrations. But, like last December, we are still very much in the middle of a pandemic. And, for me, that means skipping most crowded events. Even those which are outdoors. If people masked and were mostly (all) vaccinated, I would feel more comfortable. But that isn’t happening. At least not locally.

Crowds gather along historic Central Avenue as the sun set prior to a past Parade of Lights. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2017)

With that as a disclaimer, I want to share that Faribault is celebrating Winterfest, which began on Thursday and continues through Saturday. It’s a wonderful celebration with a wide range of activities. And I expect because COVID-19 canceled Winterfest in 2020, lots of folks will join in this year’s festivities. I encourage you, if you attend, to remember that our county is still in a high community transmission rate for COVID and to take care to protect yourself and others.

The dining room table set for the holidays during the Christmas open house at the Alexander Faribault house. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2017)

Friday, December 3:

  • Horse-drawn wagon rides along Central Avenue
  • Shattuck-St. Mary’s snow sculpting by Burkhartzmeyer Shoes (weather permitting)
At the 2018 Sleds on Central Vintage Snowmobile Show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2018)

Saturday, December 4:

  • Sleds on Central Vintage Snowmobile Show, 1 – 4 pm, 400 block of Central Avenue (food and beverages available for purchase)
  • Fireworks, launched near the viaduct, 5:30 pm
  • Parade of Lights on Central Avenue between 1st and 6th Streets, 5:50 pm
  • Street Dance with music by Fender Bender, 400 block of Central after the parade (food and beverages available for purchase)
  • Elf, The Musical, 7:30 pm at the Paradise Center for the Arts (also showing at 2 pm Sunday, December 5, and other dates; check the Paradise website) Masks recommended per CDC guidelines.
Last year’s Holiday Tree Display. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2021)

Also check out the Faribault Parks & Rec Department Holiday Tree Display in Central Park, now through December 9.

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© Copyright 2021 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Getting cultured in Faribault: From opera to Somali song to booyah September 7, 2021

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A promo for Mixed Precipitation’s on-the-road performance. Graphic source: Mixed Precipitation.

IN ONE WEEK’S SPAN, I heard opera for the first time and then seven days later listened to an internationally-known Somali singer perform. Both right here in Faribault. In Central Park.

What a delight to experience these performing arts locally, to be exposed to something new to me.

And at 6 pm Friday, September 10, I’ll be back in Central Park, enjoying “Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon,” a play presented by Minneapolis-based Sod House Theater.

If I’m sounding a bit giddy, it’s because I am. I love the arts and feel grateful for our local Paradise Center for the Arts. Yet, I often yearn to see more. But I don’t want to go into the metro. And, truth-be-told, there’s always cost to consider. Even in attending local arts events. I expect others in Faribault face the same barriers.

So I feel such gratitude for our long-running free summer Concerts in the Park series. And I feel thankful, too, for sponsoring groups like the City of Faribault Parks & Recreation Department and the Paradise Center for the Arts and the local businesses and residents who helped fund the special events I attended recently.

When Mixed Precipitation brought its The Pickup Truck Opera, Volume 1: The Odyssey to Faribault on August 26, I wondered how I would respond. I didn’t quite know what to expect. I needn’t have concerned myself as the adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey proved lively and entertaining with dancing and over-sized puppets and toe-stomping music. Plus opera. And it was performed on the grass, in front of the historic bandshell from the bed of a blue pickup truck. I felt like I was in a small village of yesteryear being entertained by a traveling troupe.

Dalmar Yare. Photo source: Faribault Parks & Rec Facebook page.

The feel was completely different on September 2, when I set up my lawn chair in Central Park to hear and watch Dalmar Yare, a Somali entertainer from Minnesota and with family ties to Faribault. He describes his music as a blend of traditional Somali styles with hints of western influence.

I quickly found myself swinging my crossed left leg to the tempo of the upbeat music. I didn’t understand what Yare sang in a language foreign to me. But I understood the joy I felt, the joy I saw. Throughout the park, local Somali children, teens and adults gathered to listen. Many danced, especially the kids. It seemed part concert, part celebration, part reunion. Simply joyful.

While I listened, I observed the crowd. I noted the open affection of Somali youth for one another. Young men draped arms over shoulders as did teen girls. Preschool girls in their flowing dresses and hijabs ran hand-in-hand across the park. I noticed, too, a stunningly beautiful 20-something layered in a golden dress and matching hijab, fashionable mini purse dangling from her shoulder. The vibrant colors and patterns of dresses and hijabs swirled like a kaleidoscope. An ever-changing gallery of art.

Dressed in my casual attire of jeans, a tee and a zipped sweatshirt with the hoodie occasionally pulled up to provide warmth and protect me from the rain, I felt under-dressed and conscious of my white-ness. And that’s OK; I needed to feel this. I only wish more long-time Faribault residents would have attended.

Photo source: Sod House Theater

Now this week I’ll learn about booyah, a rich and flavorful stew that is supposedly an Upper Midwest tradition, although I’ve never eaten it. Booyah will theme the Sod House Theater musical comedy about Arla Mae, a rural Minnesotan claiming to operate the state’s first food truck out of which she serves her famous booyah. The play aims to spotlight buying and eating fresh local food. Thus the involvement of James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Kim in creating a special booyah recipe for the production. So what goes into this stew, which is traditionally cooked outdoors in large kettles over a wood fire? You name it: a mix of meats and an assortment of vegetables—onion, potatoes, rutabagas, cabbage, carrots, celery, peppers…

I envision a collage of shapes and colors. Art in a kettle. Art that is new to me. Served to me. Right here in Faribault. In Central Park.

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NOTE: “Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon” will also be performed in neighboring communities on these dates and at these locations:

Keepsake Cidery, rural Dundas, 6 pm on Thursday, September 23

Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm, rural Waseca, 6 pm on Friday, October 1

Northfield Central Park, Northfield, 6 pm on Thursday, October 7

© Text Copyright 2021 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A reason to be happy in Le Sueur January 12, 2021

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Posted on the marquee of the Le Sueur Theater. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2020.

DON’T WORRY. BE HAPPY.

Ah, what a message, one that, in these turbulent times, seems difficult to follow. Or even consider. Yet, focusing on the positives and joys in life feels more important than ever right now. Not that we should ignore the challenges—and there are many today—but rather balance them with also viewing the bright side of life.

Soon this marquee will be restored. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2020.

Don’t worry, be happy. Those words from the 1988 hit song by Bobby McFerrin make me smile all these years later. At the cheesy simplicity. At the thought that we can focus on the light of happiness even in the worries of darkness.

Photographed in August 2020 along Main Street South in Le Sueur. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

With that, I shift to a series of photos I took in downtown Le Sueur in late August 2020. I typically fall behind in posting my images given all I shoot during the warm weather months here in Minnesota. Regardless, this seems the right time to pull these photos from the archives and share a bit of “happy.”

In the process of being restored in downtown Le Sueur. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2020.

Visually documenting small towns like Le Sueur, a community of some 4,000 in southern Minnesota, is often a focus of my photography. I delight in the details, the architecture, the only-in-a-small-town scenes, the history, people and more that define these communities.

PHOTOS FROM OCTOBER 2016:

Before work began on the Le Sueur Theater. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo October 2016.
When I first photographed the theater in 2016, this eviction notice was posted on the door as the property went into foreclosure. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo October 2016.
Signs of a once active movie theater. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo October 2016.
A movie poster still posted when I first photographed the theater in October 2016. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

And so, while walking through the heart of downtown Le Sueur, I came across the vacant Le Sueur Theater and its once beautiful marquee. I remember photographing this theater previously and lamenting its abandonment. But then, while researching for this post, I discovered a reason to feel happy. Thankful, really.

I can only imagine how beautiful this marquee once its restored (or whatever it takes). Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2020.

In March 2019, cleaning, repair (roof, walls, etc) and restoration began on this building vacated in 2008. Work to preserve, restore, replicate, replace and reinforce the marquee is expected to begin in the spring. You can find details about the ongoing project on the Le Sueur Theater Facebook page by clicking here.

A side view of the Le Sueur Theater marquee. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2020.

Leading the project is Katie Elke of Le Sueur, who bought the building in 2016 and plans to reopen the theater for cinema, music, theatrical performances, comedy shows and other entertainment, making it a community gathering spot.

Some day this space will be filled with a new listing. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2020.

I love this plan. This idea. I’ve watched as my own community of Faribault restored an historic theater into the Paradise Center for the Arts, a center for arts, entertainment and more. That the good folks of Le Sueur and the surrounding area will now have a similar hub makes me happy. I recognize that this happens only with plenty of funding (Katie started a go fund me site), hard work and enthusiastic support. Some day I hope to step inside the restored Le Sueur Theater and show you how a plan, along with grit, determination, effort, money and a whole lot of happy can take an idea to reality. Even, and especially, during a global pandemic.

© Copyright 2021 Audrey Kletscher Helbling