Archive for December, 2009

By Jim McCaffrey 

I got to thinking about what inspires volunteerism recently. It was after McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita joined several other area restaurants in hosting groups for Decorah’s Holiday Showcase of Homes Tour. Two stellar volunteers, Linda Quaas and Kris Kraft, formulated this novel idea just two short years ago. They approached the Winneshiek Medical Center Foundation. A committee would be formed. It would solicit four homeowners to open their doors and let area merchants deck their homes out for the holidays with products from their stores. It was a lot of work for the committee, merchants and staff, and the homeowners too. Applause! Applause! This year’s event raised funds for Winneshiek Medical Center to purchase two new Advanced Life Support monitors for its ambulances. It was a rousing success, raising $28,000 for the project. The Dolce Vita had the breakfast buses. We served fresh spinach and onion quiche, popovers, and fresh fruit salad along with mimosas. Nothing like a little champagne for breakfast to whet one’s enthusiasm for the upcoming day! When the buses pulled up at 7:30 am, it was still pretty dark out. A bevy of excited ladies, along with a sprinkling of men, descended upon us. While our staff and some volunteers were getting food and drinks out to everyone, three more tour volunteers were arranging raffle ticket sales. $5 a ticket with a chance to win half the pot as prizes during the meal. The other half went to support the event. One volunteer, the ever so elegant Elea Uhl, enthusiastically exhorted her captive audience of the enchanting prospect of extra enrichment for the holidays. (How do you like that line, eh?) Everybody reached for their purse or wallet. Amazingly well organized and efficient. I was duly impressed. After a culmination of ten months of hard work and dedication, the end result was truly outstanding. A commitment of many to achieve a common goal. This was true altruism. A few days after, I thought about this project and others. I pondered the motivation. Is it an act of selfishness to be rewarded by someone’s smile and gratitude or truly an act of selflessness? Probably the line falls somewhere in the middle. Definitely nothing to feel guilty about, however. Volunteerism is a gift of the most precious possession a person has. The gift of time. As poet/songwriter James Durst said, “Help one another; there is no time like the present and no present like time.” Material goods come and go but the memory of lending a hand to a friend, stranger, or community is for a lifetime. Besides that, it just feels good, gol’ darn it! As I go through life, sometimes I just shake my head and chuckle. The paradox is this: I find as a rule the busiest people I know are also the ones I see doing the greatest amount of community service. Those type A people just never seem to be able to sit down. One of my favorite projects that I have been fortunate enough to be involved in is “Empty Bowls.” This event raises funds for local food pantries or national projects like Lutheran World Relief. Restaurants, bakeries and private individuals make soup and bread, and area potters throw one-of-a-kind soup bowls. For a donation of $20, a person selects a bowl and has a choice of a multitude of different soups and bread. They take the bowl home as a remembrance of the event. There is electricity in the air. Everybody is abuzz. All of the many volunteers and attendees are overtly enthusiastic. It is a win-win situation for everyone. Last year more than 900 people shared the communal tables at Empty Bowls. A time to make new friends and renew relationships with old friends. I was in charge of soup. (Who made that decision?). We had something like 180 gallons with very little left at the end. This type of project is so inspiring. You just want to be involved. Now that the holiday season is descending upon us, take a moment or two to reflect on the real meaning of giving. There always is someone who is less fortunate than ourselves. Whether we help individually or as a community, we become a stronger society because of it. Lily Tomlin once said “Somebody should do something about that. Then I realized I was a somebody.” Be that somebody and reach out. It just feels good! If you are thinking of volunteering, here are a few places to take a look at in the area: Northland Agency on Aging which provides Meals on Wheels to inbound citizens and other services, any of the area nursing homes, Winneshiek Medical Center, Seed Savers Exchange, public libraries, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) which is located in the Decorah Public Library, local museums and schools just to name a few. Online extra: Read an great Inspire(d) story about Empty Bowls here or a fabulous interview with Winneshiek Medical Center ambulance drivers here. Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah. He is author of a humorous cookbook titled “Midwest Cornfusion.” He has been in the food  industry in one way or another for 40years. Visit Dolce Vita’s website: http://mcdolcevita.com or email Jim at mcdolcevita@gmail.com. Spinach and Onion Quiche 1 9-inch deep dish pie crust 1 egg yolk beaten Filling 1 pkg fresh spinach 1 red onion sliced 1 ½ cups grated Swiss cheese 1 cup heavy cream 3 eggs beaten 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp white or black pepper Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush pie crust with beaten egg yolk. Cover the bottom of the crust with spinach. Add a layer of onion. Cover with half of the cheese. Add another layer of spinach and onion. (You will have enough left over for the start of a salad.) Cover with the other half of the cheese. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the top of the pie. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.  (Author’s note: This is for all of the ladies on the bus tour who asked for the quiche recipe.)

By Benji Nichols

Passion. Grit. Soul. Rhythm. Truth. Stories. History. David Gonzalez is a man of words. Born of Puerto Rican and Cuban parents in the Bronx, Gonzalez embodies that which America is made of. With over eight original productions in his repertoire, a career in music therapy and public radio, and a steady performance schedule, Gonzalez’s tales of growing up in both Cuba and “la republica de Bronx” prove to be just as provocative as musically gripping.

Brought up by his grandmother and mother, along with a sister, brother, and two cousins, Gonzalez recalls his neighborhood as diverse as one can imagine. Irish, Italian, Latino, Jewish, and African American cultures were all woven through his Bronx block – and yet he not only identified, but also embodied and clung to his Latino upbringing and culture. Music, as diverse as the cultural make-up of his neighborhood, was strung all throughout his childhood. When Gonzalez was eight, a crafty Uncle, José, made him a guitar as well as a puppet theater where the creative youth could put together shows. By age 13 he had learned to play the guitar from his cousin Victor, and never slowed down.

A brief stint at the Berklee College of Music helped Gonzalez realize he needed to be back in New York, not Boston, and led to enrolling at NYU to follow his passion in music and beyond. “Working with people, the intimacy and collaboration – the energy from that is the wind beneath my wings. The creative process with a person – it’s not about entertainment but development and transformation, that’s what my work is about – a sense of that transformative intimate contact.”

 That collaborative path brought him to deep experiences in volunteering with developmentally disabled people, and eventually to a decade-long career in the bourgeoning field of music therapy. The music, he discovered, brought understanding.

“It made my life – to play music. It is a grossly capacitated means of communication. Music can make a bridge and I found a meaning into that – I followed that stream into an ocean of experience,” he says.

Through those early-life cultural and personal experiences, David Gonzalez began to weave a unique combination of words, music, and feelings into performances that are unlike anything that most audiences have ever seen. “I’m a good entertainer, but what’s driving me is the relationship of what can be created – the journey together,” he says. “Story telling conjures an experience that has connectivity, on stage and with the audience. You discover things together, and that esthetic comes from my soul building years in music therapy.”

David Gonzalez’ show “City of Dreams” blends spoken word poetry and a hot Afro-Cuban jazz quartet with a cutting edge multimedia experience. Gonzalez says the show is “a catalog of impressions, a kaleidoscope of images of New York. It’s about the place we’ve chosen to make our lives – the wild wonder of the city, and its enchantment. The music surrounds the words with a soundscape of groove and tone – poetry you can dance to.”

 He goes on. “The sounds of the street, and the people of the street – jazz, blues, salsa – the groove is there, rooted in the aesthetics of funk. That’s a big part of living in a city; you are exposed to those rhythms. The best, the hardest and funkiest – come from the street. There is a place where embodiment and intellectual curiosity come together. And living in the city is about that – being able to flow intellectually and physically.”

David Gonzalez will not only bring his show to the stage of the Center for Faith in Life in February, but will also facilitate three workshops on the Luther College campus. Tanya Gertz, director of campus programming says that the workshops will vary from “Merging spoken word, poetry, theatre, and jazz to create a passionate, creative and distinctively unique art experience,” to utilizing “a variety of exercises to help folks claim their own creative juices around the stories they are living in our community.”

“The idea,” sums up Gonzalez, is to “encourage other people to discover their own creativity.” 

Through his work in New York, Gonzalez has had the fortune to discover plenty of creativity, utilizing the talents of some of Afro-Cuban music’s biggest names like Larry Harlow, and Yomo Toro of Fania Records fame (one of the most successful Afro Cuban / Latin record labels ever.)  The Poetic License Band joining Gonzalez in Decorah has been described as “a quartet of New York’s hottest players setting David’s compelling poetry like a diamond in a mambo/funk music box.”

Those players include Erik Lawrence on Sax, Louis Martinez on Drums, and Daniel Kelly on piano. Gonzalez and the ensemble will be coming off a week-long run at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, just days before coming to Decorah.

The opportunities to interact with Gonzalez and his Band are too good to miss out on, and luckily, the creative workshops are geared to students, staff and faculty of Luther, and the general public as well. The “City of Dreams” show featuring The Poetic License Band will perform as part of the Center Stage Series Friday, February 12, 2010 at 7:30 pm.

For tickets, more information on workshops, or general inquiry about the Center Stage Series contact the Luther College Box office at (563) 387-1357, or visit: www.luther.edu/programming/centerstage/.

Benji Nichols has long been a fan of a wide variety of Afro-Cuban and Latin music – and has most enjoyed discovering some deep and hard grooving cuts from the live recordings of the Fania All Stars while working on this story. He welcomes a little bit of NYC to NE Iowa with enthusiasm!

Decorah area and Luther communities team up to support local and global hunger efforts

Originally published in Inspire(d) March 2008. 2010′s  Empty Bowls project is Sunday, March 7,  from 11 am to 2 pm at Luther College’s Center for the Arts.

By Lauren Kraus

Finding spare time between psychology class and biology lab with a goal of 20 bowls, Maria humbly works toward something she believes in. She’ll get into the ceramic studio, hone in on her throwing skills and use the wheel to create bowl after bowl, hoping to reach her target number.

Maria Woo Ching, an aspiring potter since high school and a Luther College sophomore from Longmont, Colorado, candidly stated, “At the end of the day, you should use your talents to help out.” Woo Ching is an advocate for local awareness and is delighted to be a support on the local hunger front for the third annual Empty Bowls Project at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Justin Scardina, head chef at La Rana Bistro in Downtown Decorah, shares Woo Ching’s passion in backing efforts to curb world hunger. Scardina revels in community action by cooking with ingredients from the area and serving fresh food. On the day of the fundraiser, he’ll get up early to prepare – from scratch, of course – five gallons of Irish lamb stew made with meat from the Breezy Bluffs Farm in Spring Grove, Minnesota. Scardina says he’s pleased with Decorah’s energy and momentum toward this great project and is excited to be a part of it.

Ching and Scardina are only two of countless Luther and Decorah folks using their talents and time to bring the Empty Bowls Project to fruition.The participant makes a $20 donation for the handmade bowl, homemade soup and bread, and good deed. They may then decide where the money should go: local or global.

Among the local organizations receiving aid are the First Lutheran Food Pantry, Decorah Lutheran Food Closet, Winneshiek County Health, and Greater Area Food in Calmar while on the global scale, Lutheran World Relief will receive funds.

Created in 1990 by a high school art teacher in Michigan, Empty Bowls is a national project that enables communities to act locally to end the imbalance of food distribution in the world. Realizing that they wanted to be a part of something bigger, Luther pottery instructor George Lowe and former Luther professor Jack Radditz brought Empty Bowls to Decorah. Lowe had heard of a woman in Sarasota, Florida, who raised $60,000 for local food pantries through the Empty Bowls Project. Decorah’s Empty Bowls aims to be a prominent donator in local hunger efforts and a solid supporter of global efforts. 

In addition to Scardina at La Rana Bistro, several Decorah restaurants will provide soup, bakers will provide bread, and volunteers will get everyone fed. Last year, participants of Empty Bowls gobbled up 80 gallons of soup and 80 loaves of bread. The goal this year is to serve 100 gallons and 100 loaves. Visiting and local artists created 500 bowls the first year, 750 the second year and are shooting for 1000 bowls for 2008.

Generous potters like Karen Misseldine, Nate and Hallie Evans, Dawn Deines-Christensen, and Val Newman (Luther parent) collectively work with Lowe to mold clay for this year’s fundraiser. Lowe, who has been a potter for 34 years, can sculpt a bowl in 45 seconds and has even made several while being blindfolded. He says making bowls is “like a dance” for him and he continues to learn something new with each one.

Empty Bowls is truly a community event and has earned a very positive response. Folks all over are preparing their offerings for the day. A Decorah High School class is making aprons and Luther’s Harley Refsal and his January-term Scandinavian Fine Handcrafts class made silverware to debut during the event.

The Empty Bowls Project brings together a community for a meal intended to remind participants of what they have, and what others don’t. Because when it comes down to it, it’s as simple as what one Empty Bowls advocate stressed, “We can fill our bowls, but not everyone can.”

Lauren Kraus loves Decorah and the surrounding environment – the river, the trails, the bluffs, the trees, and the vibrant downtown all keep her Rocky Mountain High buzzing. A Colorado native and Luther graduate, Lauren now works for the college as an admissions counselor, trying to convince 17-year-olds that they, too, could love Decorah. 

Fact: More than 850 million people in the world go hungry
11.7 million children in the United States live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means 1 in every 10 households in the U.S. is living with hunger or is at risk of hunger.

www.bread.org

(Courtesy of Bread for the World Institute)

By Aryn Henning Nichols

The truth, inconvenient as it may be, is that we’ve got our work cut out for us if we want to save the world. The people on this planet need to learn (or relearn) how to be sustainable.

Organizers of the first Oneota Film Festival are taking a step forward on this monumental path. On January 22 and 23, the key word on Decorah’s Luther College Campus – even more than usual – is sustainability. The Oneota Film Festival (OFF) will screen more than 20 films highlighting food, energy, economies and life choices relating to sustainability. Ranging from 10 minutes to nearly two hours, the films will both entertain and educate about the interconnectivity of all that we live and consume.

Biodiesel, backyard chickens, the life of a paper cup, bald eagles and Iowa murals are just a few topics OFF will touch upon. The films will serve as catalysts in discussions about local sustainability initiatives and how communities and regions can develop and maintain a more sustainable local economy. Regional and local experts will lead the forums.

“Our hope is also that we can broaden the definition of sustainability and include more voices in the discussion,” says OFF executive director Kyrl Henderson. “It’s important for all of us to share a vision of a sustainable local economy based on helping each other in positive ways.”

OFF is sponsored by Luther College, Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah Regional Arts Council, and Winneshiek County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Luther will host the entire festival in different locales across campus. With the college’s efforts in green initiatives, it seems a great fit for a festival highlighting just that.

“We’re excited to be part of a new event that can carry Luther’s commitment to sustainability into the wider community, and use our facilities and energy to share the message,” says Dan Bellrichard, Luther College sustainability coordinator.

Students are also looking forward to relating their efforts at Luther to ones beyond the college borders.

“The film festival is going to be great for students. From the bike share program to eating local food in the cafeteria, the campus is working on and talking about sustainability all the time. The film festival will be a fantastic way for students to see how people around the world are practicing sustainability in exciting ways – from young people driving a vegetable oil-fueled truck to great kayaking spots around the continent to grassroots leaders fighting for water rights,” says Luther student and OFF volunteer Erin Lunde.

Lunde had a big hand in assisting OFF board member Kristin Torresdal in probably the most important task of a film festival: selecting the films! Torresdal and the rest of the board worked together to whittle the list down to their absolute favorites.

“I think that I can safely speak for everyone when I say that it was certainly a bit nerve-wracking but ultimately very exciting for all of us to be a part of the process of manipulating the list and watching our first Oneota Film Festival take shape,” Torresdal says. “We absolutely cannot WAIT to share these films with everyone who attends the festival!”

OFF activities will spill into the evening with partnered events planned for both Friday and Saturday night. Details can be found at www.oneotafilmfestival.org. Or for more information, you may contact OFF Director Ruth Jenkins at ruth@oneotafilmfestival.org.

“It’ll be a great winter activity,” Jenkins says. “We’re excited about warming everyone up in cold, late January with great films, interesting conversation, and new ways to better the world.”

Aryn Henning Nichols is happy Inspire(d) is a media sponsor for Oneota Film Festival. It’s going to be a truly great time!

Check out some of the films being shown at OFF!

King Corn  (50 min)
A feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat-and how we farm. 

Big River   (30 min)
Following up on their Peabody winning documentary, the King Corn boys are back.  For Big River, best friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis have returned to Iowa with a new mission: to investigate the environmental impact their acre of corn has sent to people and places downstream.  In a journey that spans the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, Ian and Curt trade their combine for a canoe- and set out to see the big world their little acre of corn has touched.  On their trip, flashbacks to the pesticides they sprayed, the fertilizers they injected, and the soil they plowed now lead to new questions, explored by new experts in new places.  Half of Iowa’s topsoil, they learn, has been washed out to sea.  Fertilizer runoff has spawned a hypoxic “Dead Zone” in the Gulf.  And back at their acre, the herbicides they used are blamed for a cancer cluster that reaches all too close to home.

Tapped   (76 min)
Is access to drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce?  Stephanie Soechtig’s debut feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water.  From the producers of  Who Killed the Electric Car and I.O.U.S.A., this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never become a commodity: our water.  From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the uwitting chips on the table.  A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public’s right to water.

Fuel   (112 min)
With America so dependent on oil, filmmaker Joshua Tickell sets out to prove that biodiesel, made from vegetable oil, is a viable alternative. Although politicians and energy execs have done their best to quell it, the benefits of biodiesel are real. This documentary chronicles Tickell’s quest to popularize the untraditional fuel source, citing the environmental and economic advantages the country could reap by adopting it.

Seed Hunter   (60 min)
Our planet is heating up and one of the first casualties will be the crops that supply our food. Scientists are working overtime to find solutions including going back to the ancestral origins of our staple foods.  Seed Hunter will take you on a remarkable journey from the drought ravaged farms of Australia, to the heart of the Middle East, to the mountains of Tajikistan where charismatic Australian scientist Dr Ken Street – a real life version of Indiana Jones – and his team of ‘gene detectives’ hunt for plant genes that will help our food withstand the impact of 21st century global warming.  Along the way we meet farmers around the world who are struggling to grow crops in a climate that’s gone haywire, as well as scientists working at the front line of gene technology to save tomorrow’s food. At journey’s end, deep in the Arctic Circle, Ken deposits his bounty of seed in the newly constructed seed bank known as the ‘doomsday vault.’

Mad City Chickens    (81 min.)
Witness if you will Gallus Domesticus…the backyard chicken. A mere few pounds of feather, bone, and muscle; a creature regarded by many as a rather humorous, though not so intelligent agent of food production. And yet make note of a most singular phenomenon now taking shape across suburb and city.  From backyard eggs to the family’s new favorite pet, the urban chicken is forging a fresh place in the pecking order of human importance.  Mad City Chickens deftly weaves multiple stories and contextual issues on city chickens and their keepers in a non-linear fashion that one rarely sees in a documentary. From leading experts to urban newbies, experience the humor and heart of what’s fast becoming an international backyard chicken movement.

Paddle to Seattle: Journey through the Inside Passage  (87 min)
An independent documentary chronicling the progress of two intrepid adventurers paddling handmade wooden Pygmy kayaks from Alaska to Seattle. They navigated the 1,300-mile Inside Passage.  From Alaska to Seattle, it’s North America’s only rainforest.  Their brown bears own the shores. Rain falls for weeks without rest. What’s most unexpected are the surreal encounters with unexpected marine life.  The film presents these interactions, in addition to interviews from peoples of the region.  All threaded together by the adventurer’s friendship and unusual sense of humor.

16 to Life  (91 min.)
The one non-documentary film included in our festival… A small town teenager’s angst about sexual inexperience drives a comic quest for love and understanding on a birthday to end all birthdays.  This film was produced by Luther College alum Terry Trimpe, was shot entirely on-location in Iowa, and features several Iowa actors.

Gimme Green   (27 min)
Lawns are undeniably an American symbol.  But what do they really symbolize?  Pride and prosperity? Or waste and conformity?  Gimme Green is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation’s largest irrigated crop—the lawn.

American Outrage   (56 min)
Two grandmothers, Carrie Dann and Mary Dann, have been at the forefront of the Western Shoshone Nation’s struggle for land rights and sovereignty for nearly forty years. American Outrage documents their fight against the U.S. government’s unlawful attempts to take over traditional Shoshone land in Nevada, part of 60 million acres guaranteed to them in the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. Over the years the Dann sisters have endured steady harassment from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and they have squared off against international gold mining corporations and the nuclear industry. Their courage and perseverance in asserting the rights of indigenous peoples have brought them numerous awards, including the 1993 Alternative Nobel Prize and the International Right Livelihood Award.

Asparagus: Stalking the American Life   (53 min)
Our friends in Michigan are having a tough time. Not only are thousands of union members out of work, the government is helping other countries grow asparagus as part of the war on drugs, creating unfair competition for farmers in Oceana County, once the Asparagus Capital of the World. But Michigan farmers are not giving up! Taking on fast food, free trade and the U.S. drug war, these indomitable Michiganders struggle to find creative ways to save their livelihood and their beloved roots. This fascinating, award-winning film, called ‘oddly brilliant’ by New York Magazine, unveils the complex connections between community identity, farming, politics and trade.

Light of the Himalaya   (70 min)
A moving story of giving back where it counts from award-winning filmmaker Michael Brown. At the heart the most formidable mountain range on earth lives a gracious people who suffer from the highest rates of cataract blindness on the planet. The North Face athlete team joins eye surgeons from Nepal and America in hopes of making a difference. This spectacular film follows the doctors’ work on the Himalayan Cataract Project all the way to the summit of a 21,000-foot Himalayan giant. The team visited the Tilganga Eye Center in Kathmandu as well as a remote Cataract Surgery Camp in a rural part of Nepal where Dr. Geoff Tabin and Dr. Sanduk Ruit provided high level eye care to locals including sight restoring cataract surgeries in many cases. After the eye camps the the team traveled to the Khumbu area of Nepal to climb 21,000-ft Cholatse. The North Face has joined together with GlobalGiving to sponsor the climb and proceeds raised from the ascents will go towards the Himalayan Cataract Project.

For the Price of a Cup of Coffee   (14 min)
What is the cost of convenience? For the Price of a Cup of Coffee is a short environmental documentary examining the life cycle of a paper cup and the repercussions of a society reliant on convenience. Why are less than 1% of coffee shop patrons bringing their own cup? Why do we have so much garbage, and where does it go? What is the true cost of a disposable culture? Shot throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including interviews with local activists, environmental experts and coffee shop owners. This film is full of information that all consumers should know about the products that we use every day, and the steps we need to make towards a more sustainable world.

Oil + Water  (55 min)
Oil + Water tells the story of two world-class kayakers and good friends who embark on the longest-ever petroleum-free road trip, traveling over 21,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina in a retro-fitted Japanese fire truck named Baby.  After converting the truck’s regular diesel engine to run on any kind of natural oil, Seth Warren and Tyler Bradt journeyed for over a year through 16 countries, an endless summer adventure of paddling, driving, exploring and promoting alternative fuel sources. By collaborating with schools, local governments, farmers, agricultural research centers and media, they held demonstrations, workshops and community gatherings to spread the word about sustainable energy, meeting many inspiring people and enjoying some of the best whitewater paddling in the Americas along the way.

American Eagle  (50 min)- Local submission (Bob Anderson)
Everything about them is big. They are one of nature’s largest raptors, with wings that can span eight feet, and nests that can weigh up to a ton. Unique to North America, the bald eagle is the continent’s most recognizable aerial predator, with a shocking white head, electric yellow beak and penetrating eyes. Yet most people know little about it beyond its striking appearance.  In the 1960s, the bald eagle was on the brink of extinction caused by the pesticide DDT and other human pressures. Following their protection as an endangered species, bald eagles have come roaring back. But even in the best of times, life in the wild for these birds is a surprisingly tough struggle.  From the pristine wilderness of Alaska to the Upper Mississippi River Valley, American Eagle goes behind the scenes and into the nest to provide the ultimate bird’s eye view into the private life of an American icon.

Tracking the Iowa Mural  (12 min)- Local submission (Kyrl Henderson)
Travel the roads of Iowa visiting the public art — murals — painted by noted Iowa Muralist Carl Homstad. Carl’s work is seen by more people every day than any other artist in Iowa because of his many murals all over Iowa. Hear Carl talk about the murals and hear the people who hired Carl and who live with his murals talk about working with Carl and his work. Funded in part with a grant from the Iowa Arts Council.

 Coming Home: E.F. Schumacher & the Reinvention of the Local Economy  
(27 min)- submission  (Chris Bedford of MI)
Coming Home tells the story of the Society’s remarkable work that includes founding of the nation’s first CSA, economic development based on Community Land Trusts, and the creation of the nation’s most successful local currency – BerkShares. “This film offers anyone thinking about relocalization of their community’s economy an inspirational model and a practical guide to that change,” said Denise O’Brien, candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. “Schumacher’s vision has never been more relevant.” 

Iowa Learning Farm DVD   (several 10-min shorts)
A new video series “A Culture of Conservation” from the Iowa Learning Farm. The series of six short videos explores the relationship humans have with soil and water and offers ways for everyone to have an active role in protecting and preserving the Earth’s natural resources.

Seed Savers Exchange DVD  (7 or 20 min. versions)
All about Seed Savers Exchange.

By Becky Idstrom

Pam Kester’s art studio is full of material ripe for creating. In just 10 short minutes she has already listed at least 15 different types of semi-precious stones, pulling open drawers and lifting box lids as she speaks. There are the river stones, the glass beads, the copper metal plates, the soldering materials, the fossils, the pictures, the coins – all different shapes, sizes, and colors.

In the 14 years I have known Pam, the precision, attention to detail, and artistry that she brings to her work – from a birthday card to a two-day educational hawk festival for the Audubon Society – has impressed me. Her jewelry is no less impressive. She mixes her varied raw materials to design and create one-of-a-kind necklaces and earrings in a collection she’s dubbed Rare Bird Artful Adornments.

Rare Bird Artful Adornments – jewelry inspired by nature and the beauty of the human soul – was born only two years ago. When Pam felt the urge to work with her hands, to create something, she turned her attention to jewelry making – something she had experimented with since age 18. Her creative passion has grown one bead at a time.

Looking at the materials she has laid out before us, it’s hard to imagine where one would begin. “I just start with one bead,” she says, “and ask—how can I use this? I choose something I’m attracted to, like this stone that reminds me of the delicate pattern on a dragonfly’s wing. Then the necklace just starts to build itself.”

Experimentation is key with jewelry building. Pam likes to bring together raw materials like fossils or river stones and embellish them with something delicate. She uses jade, garnets, topaz, kyonite, lolite, jasper, pearls, fossils, and more. She knows her materials well and chooses them carefully from all over the world. No matter what she makes, Pam brings a level of art to it. But it’s jewelry-making that she finds the most satisfying.

“I don’t make anything that doesn’t feel right. It’s good to have an outlet for my perfectionism,” she laughs, “because it wasn’t happening with housework.”

Rare Bird jewelry is more than simple precision. I look at a piece with chunks of light and bright blue kyonite along the front, the clasp a part of the decoration on the side, and a silver chain around the back. It has an almost living quality. Some women have told Pam they feel empowered when they wear her jewelry, that the piece embodies something especially for them. “It’s wonderful to create a piece and then find the person who was meant to wear it,” she says.

“The beauty of nature has always inspired my creativity,” Pam writes on her website. Her strong connection to the natural world has further sharpened her artistic eye, reproducing in her jewelry things from the natural world, like the beautiful sculpted scales in a milkweed pod or the shape of a butterfly chrysalis.

“I love that there is debris in these stones,” she says, gazing into a box of round river stones. “I’m not concerned with the perfect stone but the overall feel and look of it.”

While Pam makes all types of necklaces, she has themes for two special kinds: Amulets and Portals. The Amulets are a single round stone set in a large clasp on a chain. They have been used across cultures for centuries, Pam says, and are designed to bring protection, strength, and good luck to those who wear them. The Portals are more whimsical pieces: tiny collages or vintage photographs framed in glass or metal. They may contain mini collections of treasures, natural elements, or words and sayings.

The jewelry also tells stories. Some beautiful frosty-looking light blue and white beads, broken roughly into small rectangular shapes, tell a tale of another country. “I bought these at a bead show in Milwaukee from a family from Afghanistan,” she says. The father explained how the pieces are fragments of vessels, such as olive jars, which were transported along the Silk Road. The fragments are surfacing now after the current bombings in Afghanistan and people are finding them and making them into beads. Buried for centuries, the ancient glass has been given a texture and patina by the weather. Pam loves the idea of making something beautiful out of something that comes from such tragedy. “There is such a feeling of antiquity in the beads,” she says. “And it meant so much to this man to tell me their story.”

In the two years since Rare Bird Artful Adornment’s start, Pam has exhibited in a variety of shows and her work has grown. She is excited to see where the future will take her.

“I feel so fortunate to be standing in a landscape of creative possibilities that stretches beyond the horizon,” she says.

Rare Bird Artful Adornments can be viewed at www.rarebirdjewelry.com, and will be exhibited at the ArtHaus Holiday Art Fair in Decorah on December 11 and 12.

Photo by Studio J Photography

Strap on your quads; We’re goin’ derby

By Aryn Henning Nichols

 By day she’s the housewife. The attorney. The writer, the stylist, the chef. She moves with confidence, a fresh bruise merely a reminder of her latest battle, and like a rogue superhero, she can’t wait to pull on her fishnets and hot pants, slap on some red lipstick and get back in the rink to kick some derby ass. It’s just the way she rolls.

In a post-feminist era where romance is no longer a dirty word, but yes, the lady still just might want to mow the lawn, roller derby seems a natural fit. It rides a line between burlesque and brawn: the girls are sexy AND tough. They come together from all kinds of backgrounds and in all kinds of packages, united by their love of all things derby. Or they just like beating the crap out of each other while on old school quad skates. Either way, it’s not exactly your grandmother’s roller race.

Inducted in the 1930s by Chicago businessman Leo Seltzer, roller derby experienced a series of highs, lows, and evolutions over the decades until the 60s and 70s when the spectacle of it took precedent over the sport. Roller derby’s popularity fizzled out. Revival efforts didn’t take until 2001 when a group of Texas women pulled it out of its grave and gave it a whole new look.

The game goes like this: Two teams of five players are on the track, each with one jammer (she has a star on her helmet and is the one who scores) and four blockers (the blocker with a stripe on her helmet, the pivot, leads her blockers). For every opponent the jammer passes, her team scores a point. But short of throwing elbows or making human clotheslines, these girls are doing everything they can to keep the opposing jammer back and get their jammer through.

 “One of the reasons roller derby is so popular is because of the explosive, fantastic combination of sport, entertainment, female aggression, and (dare I say it?) sex appeal,” says Decorah native Regan (Johnson) Jacobsen. “Let me be explicit – this is a real, full-contact sport.”

Jacobsen, aka Tammy Faye Undertakker or more often, TFU (a tribute to Ms. Tammy Faye Bakker, the late overly-made up televangelist), lives in Madison and has been skating with the Mad Rollin’ Dolls going on four years. For her, all it took was one bout. She wanted in.

“The second I walked in the door I was hooked. I just KNEW I had to do this,” she says. “I didn’t for a second consider the time, the money, the injuries, or the fact that the closest thing I ever played to a sport was marching band.”

The Mad Rollin’ Dolls (MRD), kicking off their sixth season the end of January 2010, were Midwestern pioneers of the sport alongside other leagues like the Minnesota Roller Girls (MNRG). Leagues like these frequently have thousands of people come to see them skate (at a recent MNRG bout, they had nearly 4,000 attendees!), but it definitely took a lot of work getting there. And as with most things, being a pioneer has its pros and cons.

Zara Danz, aka Candi Pain (“I picked my name because it seemed sweet and bad ass. The play on words thing is pretty big with derby names. Also I really like candy!”), has been with the Minneapolis-based Minnesota Roller Girls since day one. She says being one of the first Midwestern teams had some physical perks.

 “I decided I wanted to be the one hitting the hardest, not the one getting knocked over. That motivated me,” Danz says. “I was lucky though, because at the point I started it was new to all of us. We were the first league to bring derby to Minnesota. Now when rookies start, they get pounded by seasoned vets.”

Jacobsen says MRD had to blaze a wide trail for leagues that would one day join the ranks.

“Madison didn’t have any blueprints, any mentors, or any limits. That’s been a challenge and also a great responsibility – to help the leagues that formed after us learn from our mistakes, improve on what we did right, and succeed where we have failed,” she says.

According to Jacobsen, everybody has a “fresh meat” story – “I was scared as hell when I started. The first time I went to a practice with ‘veteran’ skaters flying by me on the track on all sides, their wheels clacking up against my wheels… it was terrifying” – but teammates work hard to train new players.

“Derby is very ‘Three Musketeers’ in that regard,” Jacobsen explains. “Don’t get me wrong, we want everyone to improve so it’s more of a challenge to knock them down and more exciting to watch, but we want everyone to improve, regardless. It’s just not fun to knock down someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Ok, it is, but you don’t feel as accomplished.”

Closer to home, smaller cities like La Crosse are founding their own leagues. The La Crosse Skating Sirens, not even one year old yet, look to teams like MRD and MNRG for guidance and advice. Because starting a roller derby league isn’t easy: it’s a business. You need organization, recruits, money. Skating Sirens founder and president Melissa Larivee, aka Skin Kitty, is proud of how far they’ve come in just a few short months. They have great sponsors (“The people who back us, back us.”), skate all their home bouts at a great venue – the La Crosse Center – they have enough members for two teams on their league, and they’re improving on the track.

“We got our asses kicked at our first bout,” Larivee says. “But we’re getting better. We’re losing by less now.”

At the interview, Larivee’s left wrist is in a cast, and her nose is healing nicely after a dirty bout punch, she says.

“She’s our league clutz,” jokes Skating Sirens vice president Marghie Arttus, aka Hiss’n Kitten.

“No, I’m just aggressive,” Larivee retorts. The two agree they are complete opposites, but because of derby, they’re best friends.

“It’s all about the comraderie,” Larivee says. “We want women to have a place to go to be athletic and skate. Women can dominate this sport. It does take a certain kind of woman, you just don’t know who that is exactly. There isn’t a stereotype for it. You can have your basketball star and your Goth out there on the track together. But I think it’s popular because it’s all women – the guys are in the minority.”

So the fact that men’s leagues are starting to form across the nation naturally raises the derby dander a bit. Jacobsen explains.

“When I first heard about men’s derby leagues popping up, I was upset. I felt, “Can’t we just have one thing!?” because women have traditionally been so excluded from sports; and women’s sports and women athletes are not given the same clout or attention as men’s sports and male athletes. I was afraid men’s roller derby would surpass women’s derby in popularity and co-opt all the hard work derby leagues have done to popularize the sport and bring it into the mainstream.”

She continues, “But, then I saw men playing roller derby… let’s just say my fears were waylayed. It’s an entirely different animal than all-female derby. And also, derby is fun. I don’t want to discourage anyone from having fun, working out, and participating in a community. Seriously, though, have you ever seen a six-foot tall man with hairy legs in hot pants? Yikes.”

Beside men, the derby leagues all have their rivals. For Danz, it’s the Mad Rollin’ Dolls.

“As far as our Allstar traveling team, our biggest rivals would be Madison,” Danz says. “Madison has an amazing league! We have a fantastic fun-loving border battle with them.”

MNRG has four home teams that play each other, and Danz is the captain of the Dagger Dolls. “I think this year we’ll be the force to be reckoned with. We have some amazing rookies and killer vets!”

MRD has six teams in their league, and Jacobsen skates for the Unholy Rollers. She’s her own biggest rival (“I am constantly trying to improve my game”), followed by MRD’s Reservoir Dolls. (“There is no team I enjoy beating more than the Res Dolls.”)

The Skating Sirens are still figuring out their opponents. “We don’t have any real rivals yet,” Arttus says. “Although we’ve played some pretty dirty skaters, most everyone is having fun.”

Fun is the emphasis for skaters and attendees at derby bouts.

“Everyone goes to see derby,” Danz says. “There are bands, games, giveaways, food and delicious PBR! I think there is a serious cool and fun factor that nothing else out there has. I could go on and on. Roller derby fever is contagious!”

Perhaps it’s the short skirts and stockings. The racy names. Or the motley crew that is the roller derby norm. But it truly does seem to kick ass.

“Derby is like the Island of Misfit Toys for grown-ups,” Jacobsen says. “We’re all a little nutty, injured, socially inept, what have you, but we came together because no one else would accept us or no one else was doing what appealed to us. We accept each other for better or for worse, and together we make something phenomenal.”

Aryn Henning Nichols thinks it would be amazing to start a Decorah derby league. I mean, WFTDA rhymes with UFFDA…can you think of a better sign? Now…to find the time…

Terry Buenzow

By Aryn Henning Nichols

He’s been called the Willy Wonka of recycling. Terry Buenzow walks around the Winneshiek County Recycling Center pointing at different contraptions that squeeze, shrink, shred, and generally squish all sorts of recyclable materials. With a friendly, teaching sort of voice, he talks over the clang of cans and the whir of forklifts, explaining the path of the cardboard box or number one plastic ­– “You’re wearing number one right there. Polyester!” He names off numbers and details on each item like he’s listing off grandchildren; this guy really loves recycling.

For nearly a decade, Buenzow has been watching the paper/plastic/metal/textile/glass market to analyze what’s going to happen in the recycling world and how to most effectively and efficiently put items we no longer need or want back into use or back on our shelves. Since the Winneshiek County Recycling Center (WCRC) became a public facility on April 1, 2009, interest in the center has increased dramatically. People are stopping out to drop off items, learn a little (or a lot) or to just say hello.

“Our direct traffic out here since April 1 has tripled,” Buenzow says. “A lot of people in this county feel some ownership now. Which is good. That’s the kind of attitude you want in this business.”

Perhaps it’s this attitude that makes the area’s recycling so consistently high quality.

“People in this county are really great about recycling. Things are clean and there is very little public dumping,” Buenzow says. “As far as the recycling jobs in Iowa, I got the best one. This is it. I don’t complain.”

Other counties have a harder time, especially with appliances, and when it’s $15 a pop for disposal, this can really add up. “We are fortunate we don’t have to deal with that very much,” Buenzow says.

That being said, Buenzow has seen some interesting items come into the center over the course of his time there.

“You name it, I’ve seen it in here,” he says.

Barbie dolls?

“Tons of ‘em.” (FYI: you CAN’T recycle Barbie dolls – take them to a second hand store for reuse.)

Toilets?

“I’ve seen a toilet come in here,” Buenzow says. “But they’re hard to fit in the bins anymore ‘cause we made the openings smaller.”

The things they do accept have a varied life. Each state has its own recycling policies, Buezow says, and most centers are county-run. The different materials go to manufacturers across the US and Canada, and it is an ever changing market. The sale of recyclable plastic, for instance, is entirely tied to the natural gas market. The type of paper you’ve got in a bale can more than double its worth. Textiles can go to another country for reuse or cut up to be repurposed. It’s an amazing world of working with what you’ve got – something people seem to be relearning these days.

Luckily, the path can be pretty short for recyclables in Northeast Iowa. There are many manufacturers just a short truck route away. International Paper in Cedar Rapids. the largest cardboard recycling mill in the country, second in the world, is just 90 miles away.

“I’ll have a dedicated semi-load of cardboard in six days, same with paper,” Buenzow says. “Most likely it will go to Cedar Rapids, and it can be there in just a couple of hours.”

Check out Inspire(d)’s illustration of sample paths many of the things you put in those bright blue bins might take. Buenzow says that although people around here are educated about recycling, the center could accept even more materials. He hopes his latest education efforts – like entering the social networking world by putting WCRC on Facebook – will help people learn even more and in turn recycle even more. Check them out to learn more about recycling or how your tax dollars are being spent. Or stop out and say hi. Better yet, volunteer to help and really take ownership of this publicly funded organization.

“It’s great if you want some therapy – just come out and smash or shred stuff,” Buenzow says, (after signing a liability form, of course, he adds). “Junk is fun!”

Aryn Henning Nichols was excited to win the golden ticket and visit Terry Buenzow and the Recycling Factory.

Winneshiek County Recycling Center, 2510 172nd Avenue, Decorah, IA, 52101
563-382-6514

Find Winneshiek County Recycling on Facebook – there’s lots more information and even guides on how to prepare your recycled materials!

Below is some information Inspire(d) got on recycling in Winneshiek County while visiting Terry Buenzow.

Cardboard: Most of the WCRC cardboard heads to Cedar Rapids International Paper, the largest cardboard recycling mill in the country. “The cardboard industry thrives on recycled content. The International Paper mill is running totally recycled,” Buenzow says. Do accept: Basic brown corrugated boxes, cereal, cracker and cake boxes, 12-pack cartons and pizza boxes, shoe boxes and mailing tubes. Do not accept: Waxy containers like butter boxes and orange juice cartons. $65/ton

Paper: Paper comes in different grades – office paper, newsprint, mixed waste (the “I can do no wrong” paper) – the price range for paper starts at  $25/ton and runs up to $250/ton (that’s for sorted white, ledger). It might go to some tissue mills in Wisconsin or a newsprint mill in Ontario. “Our first choice is always to make a similar product.”
# 8 News – needs to be 80% newsprint – this is worth around $35 to $40/ton
Office paper – traditionally strong $165/ton at least – pure white $250/ton
And yes, you CAN recycle magazines! If you’ve passed Inspire(d) on and on and on and don’t want to save it for your “collection,” recycle it!
Things you might not know about paper recycling: don’t worry about staples or little plastic windows. Paper plates? Not recyclable, sorry.

Plastic –  #1 & 2 hold the best market value. The price of plastic is tied entirely to the price of natural gas. “Plastics are the most complicated and confusing of all the materials we take. We have to sort the plastics by their number at the recycling center because the different types are not compatible with each other when they are re-melted at a plastic processor.”
#1 – pop bottles, water bottles, etc.– might go to a place like Mowawk Carpets in Georgia Makes good carpet, fabrics, fleece blankets, etc. It’s a very strong plastic. “The power of number 1 plastic is unbelievable.” Over the past six months #1 has been worth from $120 – $175/ton.
#2 – milk jugs – can get 15,000 pounds in one bale. It squishes better. It can be made into pails, toys, car parts, or construction materials. The rest of the numbers (3-7) go into waste reduction bales along with enough 1 and 2 to make them at attractive on the market. The bales are sold to a variety of plastic processors.

Aluminum/Tin/Metal – “Metal items are some of the easiest products to recycle. In fact, almost all of them have some recycled content. The basic tin can may end up being part of a new car or made into a can again. Aluminum beverage cans usually become new beverage cans or foil. Aluminum frying pans and cookie sheets can become about any other aluminum product there is.” Some goes to processor in Eau Clair, WI, to make steel siding – you can buy that siding at Menard’s – and a lot of other metals go to Le Roy Iron.
Do accept: Food cans (the basic “tin” can), beer cans and pop cans, aluminum foil (they have an aluminum foil cubing machine), pie plates and roaster pans, metal cookware, such as frying pans, cookie sheets, sauce pans, etc., decorative canisters and tins, electric motors, electrical cords and wall chargers. Metal prices can range from $30/ton to quite a bit more for

Textiles and shoes: Take your used clothing and shoes to the Depot Outlet in Decorah (or another second hand store in your town). WCRC works closely with the Depot. What they can’t sell goes to WCRC for baling or sorting and selling. Textile bales may go some place like Toronto for resale “What’s not fashionable here might be there.”

Glass: “It’s really hard to work with,” Buenzow says. “That’s why there isn’t a market for it.” It’s not a favorite topic at recycling centers. That being said, you may take glass directly to WCRC. It will be crushed and used for landfill drainage at the Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill. Best option? Be conscious of glass packaging you do buy. Choose plastic if possible.

Loving Local: Proposals on Making this Holiday a Local One

Intro by Lauren Kraus, originally published in Inspire(d) Dec/Jan 08/09 – updated December 2011

The cold has settled upon us, seasonal festivities beckon our attention and one way of looking at things is such: support your local economy and inspire feel-good creative consumerism. Try asking yourself: where (and to whom) is my money going this year?

Inspire(d) enthusiasts, let’s get imaginative, inventive and downright excited this holiday season. A time of the year has come to celebrate, to honor and embrace family over warm meals, laughter, and conversation. Let us ponder the past year and look forward to what lies ahead. During the holidays, gift giving makes us feel good – not to mention, we all love getting presents. The perfect combination: giving gifts that support the local economy and local commerce while making a loved one happy. There are numerous positive factors in purchasing a local item. To name just a few: you are helping your neighbors make a living, you are bettering the economy that directly affects you, and your purchase doesn’t have to travel as far to get here. It’s also generally of a higher quality and, if consumable, definitely fresher. Or have you ever thought of donating to a favorite local charity in someone’s name instead of giving a material present? Be creative, dear reader, and celebrate what is near us and amongst us.

Local/Regional gift ideas:

The quickest way to the heart is through the…you got it – when in doubt, think food and drink. Just don’t wrap perishables too early.

Here are our top 10 (or so) suggestions

In good spirits – local wine and beer:

There are many small, local wineries from which to choose your gift, but here’s a few to get you thinking: Winneshiek Wildberry Winery in Decorah, Scenic Valley in Lanesboro, Eagles Landing in Marquette
www.wwwinery.com
www.scenicvalleywinery.com
www.eagleslandingwinery.com

Hub City beer, located in Stanley, Iowa, just outside of Oelwein, Hub City is Iowa’s newest microbrewery. They currently make Oatmeal Stout, Wheat Beer and Brown and Amber Ale See www.hubcitybrewingcompany.com for distribution locations.

Or check out Decorah’s new brewery, Toppling Goliath. They’ve just started getting their beers out the door – try some at Rubaiyat in Downtown Decorah!

Capon – If you’ve seen a capon for sale or on a menu anywhere in the US, odds are it’s from Wapsie Produce in Decorah, Iowa, America’s largest producer and marketer of capons. Try whole smoke capon or smoked breast – it’s sooo good. www.capons.com

Baked goods, candies, chocolates, jams, breads – there are too many options to list. Check around – there’s no reason you would need to buy something prepackaged and shipped.

CSAs – Community Supported Agriculture is a great concept and great thing. Our region has many to offer .

Coffee – We have our very own fair trade coffee roasters in Viroqua, WI: Kickapoo Coffee! They were recently named 2010 Micro Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine! www.kickapoocoffee.com

Maple Syrup – Green’s Sugar Bush is located just outside of Frankville, Iowa. It’s a pretty little place and they have pancake breakfasts in the spring – you can buy syrup then, or call 563-567-8472 to order by phone.

Honey – Bear Creek Honey is a small honey business located in the Northwest corner of Allamakee county between Highlandville and Dorchester. Bear Creek Honey is available at the Oneota Community Food Co-op.

The box-less wonders: Sometimes you don’t feel like wrapping. And sometimes the intangibles are just what your loved one is looking for. Pamper them. Promise them dates. Get them out of the house. Here are five inspire(d) ideas.

Around-Your-Town Spa Day:
There are a lot of different spas to choose from in our region, so spread the spa day fun out. Get a facial here, a pedicure there, lunch, a massage…you get the picture. Who needs to go to some other idyllic secluded locale when we’ve got our very own?

Gift Certificates: Enough said. Help get others out into our restaurants, movie theatres, retail shops, grocery stores, and so on.

Memberships: It’s the “better yourself” gift and may not be for everyone, but think about it. Try gyms, museums (like Vesterheim or the Children’s Museum of La Crosse), or clubs (the Decorah Elk’s Lodge, for example), or even to places like Seed Savers Heritage Farm. Or get season tickets to the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro or the Center Stage Series at Luther College in Decorah. Or get them a class at your local college or Co-op or ArtHaus in Decorah.
http://vesterheim.org
www.childmuseumlax.org
www.elks.org
www.commonwealtheatre.org
www.luther.edu/programming/centerstage/
www.oneotacoop.com/
www.seedsavers.org
www.arthausdecorah.org

Stays not far away – Try out various inns and hotels in Lanesboro or come to Decorah and stay at the Hotel Winneshiek or Dug Road Inn or visit McGregor’s Lamp Post Inn and Gallery. It will still be vacation, and your gas account will thank you.
www.lanesboro.com
www.hotelwinn.com
www.dugroadinn.com
www.innandgallery.com

Experience the Driftless Region: How about a trip through Spook Cave in McGregor or Niagra Cave in Harmony… or a steamboat ride down the Mississippi on the Julia Belle Swain… or a canoe down the Upper Iowa or Root River? This is a great place we live in, so get out there and explore!
www.spookcave.com
www.niagaracave.com
www.juliabelle.com
www.canoedecorah.com
www.rootriveroutfitters.com

Wrap it up: It’s also fun to make a pretty package and watch someone open it. We’ve just brushed the surface here on the great local, tangible things available for the holiday season and beyond, but we wanted to get some ideas in your heads.

Art from local artists – paintings, pottery, photography jewelry, knitted things… the list could go on and on. Here are a few ideas to check out:

StoryPeople – Fun and often spot-on thoughts on life, StoryPeople has a worldwide audience, and it’s headquartered right here in Decorah. www.storypeople.com

Mini Moos – Waukon artist Valerie Miller paints the personalities of cows in these sweet square portraits. www.steelcowgallery.com

Visit ArtHaus’s Holiday Art Fair December 11 and 12 – these local artists will be selling their wares: Bijoux Jewelry, Rare Bird Jewelry Designs, Karen Misseldine, Silvermoon Photography, Rachelle Branum, and Other World Arts. Visit www.arthausdecorah.org for details.

Other ideas:
Nisses – A Decorah classic… because why wouldn’t you have a waving gnome in your window?

Inspire(d) membership – We give you four fabulous, inspiring issues of our magazine in exchange for your membership! Visit theinspiredmedia.com/subscribe to pay online. Download the card we’ve designed that you can print at home and you’ve got one thing you can cross off the list!

T-shirts – Quality Chick T-Shirts (www.decorahhatchery.com), available at the Decorah Chick Hatchery or Ray Gun T-Shirts (from Des Moines http://raygunsite.com), available in Decorah at Fancy Pants. Fun t-shirts equal fun gifts.

Check your bookstore or around town for these local books:

“Oneota Flow” by David Faldet
“Boats, Ships and a Raft,” by David C. Anderson
“Familiar World” by Jeffery Skeate
“In Search of Emily” by Susan M. Nelson
“Life at the Crossroads” by Robert Felde
“Midwest Corn Fusion…” by James McCaffrey
“The Restoration” by Hans Peter Jorgensen
“We Were Pirates “ by Robert Schultz & James Shell about Decorah’s Bob Hunt

Music, sweet music:
Mike McAbee – Check out Mike’s latest Opera House album, recorded by Inspire(d) at the Elkader Opera House in October of 2009. He’s a funny guy and a great performer/singer/songwriter, so if you’re looking for some fun, look no further. www.mikemcabee.com

Joe & Vicki Price – Upper Mississippi Valley Blues & Boogie- Joe & Vicki are the “real deal” and offer several recordings that will keep you warm until you can boogie outside this spring. www.joepriceblues.com

The Foot-Notes – Decorah’s own Scandinavian string band have multiple recordings perfect for waltzing around the stove this winter. www.footnotesdance.com

Authentic Records – The Nadas, Josh Davis Band, Dick Prall, Ben Wagner and more – based out of Des Moines, this independent Midwest roots label can supply you with some great Midwest rock & roll. http://store.authenticrecordsonline.com

No cash? Feel like getting really creative? Get literal about giving a local gift and make something at home. Making something out of materials you gather can turn out to be a fun way to exercise your artistic side, save money and show someone you care by putting a little elbow grease into the holidays. Here are some ideas:

Homemade note cards: acquire some colorful cardstock paper and perhaps matching envelopes and glue favorite scenic photos from past vacations or cool spots or even portraits. Wrapping up a set of 10 or 12 note cards makes a great gift. If you are feeling really creative, it is fun to integrate magazine cutouts, pictures from cool catalogs (my favorites to use are outdoor clothing catalogs), funky scrap paper, and newspaper clippings. This is a perfect way to recycle and make something new. Another fun option is to make postcards complete with stamps and address lines out of the same materials listed above or try making stationary.

Handmade body scrub: reuse an old glass or plastic container, decorate it with a fun label and add the following ingredients: Mix ½ cup sugar with ¼ cup canola oil and 3 drops of lavender or another favorite essential oil. A massage could be a part of the gift too!

Homemade mixes: in a medium sized plastic bag or even a fabric bag of some sort, add 3 to 4 cups of quick oats, sliced almonds or walnuts, various seeds (sesame, flax, pumpkin, sunflower), raisins, sliced dried apricots, dried cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon to taste. Any combination of this mixture or other ingredients makes a great ready-to-eat breakfast. You could make your own nut mix, granola mix, or car snack mix. The options are virtually endless.

Handmade picture frame: head outside and find some good sticks, dried flowers, flat pieces of wood or anything else you could get creative and create a picture frame. Bendable wire works well too. Who doesn’t love framed photos?

Lauren Kraus is looking forward to continuous snow fall and approaching this winter season fully suited in armor: seven layers of clothing at all times, mug of hot tea and snowshoes in hand (no shield necessary). Bring it!