Barbara Muyres

We were saddened to learn today of the passing of our Jefferson High classmate and friend, Barbara Muyres.

Barbara A. Muyres
Barbara A. Muyres, 59, Westminster, Colorado, died March 28, 2006 at Life Care Center of Westminster.
According to the EchoPress web site, a Funeral Mass will be held Monday, April 3 at 11 a.m. at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Belle River.
Visitation will be Sunday, April 2 from 4 to 7 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria and continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday.
Arrangements are with Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria.

We hope to present more information about Barbara's life soon. In the meantime, classmates with any memories or thoughts of Barb are urged to email them to trailboss@swpub.com

Thank you,
Stan


Stan:
Barb Muyres passed away out in Colorado, which is where her daughter lives.
Several of us gals had re-connected, thanks to the blog, over the last several months, and we had made plans for Barb, Betty Pederson, Pat Kuhl, Marlene Zimmel, and myself to get together last fall. In the end, Barb’s new job didn’t leave the weekend free, so we never got together. I am saddened by the fact that now it will never happen. Barb’s funeral will be in Belle River on Monday; details are on the Echo Press on-line version.
Bev Roers Korkowski

The Class of 1961 would like our help

The Class of 1961 would like our help. That class is amazing, it has missed a five-year reunion only once since graduation. The late Les Engstrom was always on the committee and was usually the emcee. He loved giving out goofy door prizes.

His wife, Sue Engstrom, writes: Les' class is having their every-five-year reunion this summer, and still can't find these people. Could you ask if anyone can help find them? I'm thinking some may have siblings in your class?
Thanks!
Sue Engstrom


We're looking for: Larry Alexander, Mark Brakke, Pat Cain, Dan Clavin, Kay (Davis) Clauson, John Erickson, DuWayne Hanson, Ronald Holt, Leighton Johnson, Kathy (King) Wilson, Dick Nelson, Gaylord Olson, Frederick Wendt and Roger Williams.

Anybody with clues should send them to Trailboss@swpub.com .

Another challenge from David Serie

Dave's clan

David writes: As I was checking the blog, which I do on a regular basis, I noticed Jim Clifford's March 24 article about Seegers/Harolds being closed. Although I played most of my pool at the Corner Bar/Cafe in Miltona, which later helped me win a few bucks with my cousin when I was going to St. Cloud State, I do remember going into Seegers smokey, dark, basement bar a few times.
I agree with Jim, every young man should have a place like that to go. Where else can you learn and talk about the opposite sex, exchange stories about your teachers (I don't remember much discussion about homework), talk some trash with your opponent, find out where the partiesare for the upcoming weekend, talk some politics (not often), and find some older gentleman to buy you a six-pack of beer?
Everything was there! Life was good! Simple! I'm not sure if those type of places are around anymore for the kids but if not they are sure missing a lot. Friendships were made and solidified in places like that. It was fun and cheap and kept us out of any "major" trouble.

This leads me a another challenge. ( I still have a standing softball challenge that never materialized at the reunion, (must be age) for the "city boys", McCabe, Krebs, McPhee etc, vs the rural boys, Larry Olson, the Serie's (I get to bring my 26 and 28 year old boys Chris and Mike) and whoever else I can round up.)
Anyway, a pool challenge has now been presented as well to the city guys. How about it Jim C., Rolfsrud, McPhee, Kochie, Hoffland, etc.!! We'd better do it soon while we're all still around and kicking. We probably only have another 25-30 years left! I'm sure we can find a place like Harold's or the Corner Cafe in Miltona settle bets. We'll need a place that has "lite" beer however! 

Two Sarahs for Dave and Jeanette Serie

Dave and Jeanette Serie brought another Sarah into their family when their son, Mike, got married last fall. Dave says: "Harland Hoffland and I once told Sara Smith Sevey that we named our daughters after her, so she should get a kick out of this photo. Sara was a great role model for us, I would say! At the wedding, we had a 1957 Chevrolet convertible for them to ride to the reception. I believe Butch Krebs had a '57 that was rose and white. We spent many a night cruising up and down Broadway and around the lakes!"
The 11-year-old Sarah in the photo above is Dave's basketball player.

After Sunday's big figure skating event. . .

Ammie and Bops (Grandma Bonita and Grandpa Dave Gilbertson) congratulated Brittney after Sunday's stellar skating performance. Her parents are Kristi and Tom. Brittney's mom is an owner of the Alexis Salon on Broadway in Alexandria.
(Photo courtesy Kathy Skadsberg)
 

Mildred Imlah, 94, Jefferson library assistant

Mildred Imlah, who many may remember as Miss Wold's assistant in the Jefferson High School library, died March 5 at the age of 94. She was Sandi Pennar Bonesteel's mother.

Sandi writes: My mother had a rich and happy life. After Dad's retirement, they spent winters in Arizona, returned to Minnesota for the summers, but had been permanent Arizona residents for many years. Two years after the death of her third husband, she moved to an assisted living facility where she spent the last five years.
She was in fairly good health until the last three months, when she started failing due to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). This was a result of two separate episodes of pulmonary emboli in her 80's, from which she survived, incredibly. She became ill with pneumonia Feb. 26 and died peacefully one week later.

Here is the obituary from the EchoPress:

Mildred Imlah
A memorial service in celebration of the life of long-time Alexandria resident Mildred McKay-Pennar-Imlah, who died March 5, 2006 at age 94 in Tucson, Arizona, will be held at the Mountain View Mortuary in Mesa, Arizona on May 6.

Millie is survived by five daughters, Jean McKay Stiendorff of Green Valley, Arizona, Judith Pennar of Princeton, New Jersey, Sharon McKay Peterson of White Heath, Illinois, Sandra Pennar Bonesteel of Green Valley, and Patricia Pennar Sadler of Fountain Hills, Arizona; 11 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Millie was married to Douglas McKay from July 1933 until his death in January 1945; to Thomas Pennar from November 1947 until his death in July 1988; and to John Imlah from 1989 until his death in 1999.

After a full and busy life in Alexandria where they were active in Emmanuel Episcopal Church and upon Tom’s retirement from the postal service, Tom and Millie became snowbirds and then finally located permanently in Arizona in the 1970s.

Millie maintained an active and healthy lifestyle, spending her last several years at the Prestige Assisted Living Facilities in Green Valley and final time at Odyssey Health Care Hospice in Tucson, where she died peacefully.

In lieu of memorials or flowers, donations to local food banks would be appreciated.

Corner Bar? Hey, what about the Rathole?

By Jim Clifford
Correspondent

While the passing of the Corner Bar, once known as the "bucket of blood," is noteworthy, it is a mere footnote when compared to the "unharolded" passing of Seeger's, located next to Vic's Barbership and the Andria Theater.

"Harold's," the "Rat Hole," "Seeger's," whatever name is sported from time to time, was a pure Alexandria institution that was part of every meaningful rite of passage for males who spent any time in Alex. Where would one smoke his first cigarette? Probably behind Harold's. Where did most of the whispering about girls take place? Probably in Harold's. Where did one develop an eye for shooting pool? Certainly, had to be Harold's.

Had marijuana been around in those days, many of us would still be in Harold's!

Profound sense of grief nearly crippling
When I returned from the army in 1968 and learned that Harold's had been closed, or maybe a few years later when I was in college, I remember a profound sense of grief that was nearly crippling, way beyond mere nostalgia. After I collected myself, I remember thinking that I'd have loved to have bought the pool table in front of the bar, where everybody wanted to play, or the snooker table in the corner, where we played a little snooker, and lots of creep. Harold also had a penny machine that was a pistol that shot steel balls at little targets. Man, I'd have loved to have that thing.

America is a beautiful country, with its astounding natural resources, its most admirable form of government (when it is run properly), and its diverse social aspects (within individual tastes, not a "PC statement"). One thing it had, and probably now needs, was a place for disenfranchised boys to hang out. We had Harold's, and that is a gift that provides many of us with enjoyable, vivid memories to this day.

I wish my son would have had a place like Harold's! Sure, he has never touched a cigarette, had only a few glasses of wine at home, is a very successful student and, some might say, a bit of a nerd. (At this point, reflect on your recollection of me, if you have one, and reverse the image and raise it by at least 50%) I love him more than words can express. However, I can't help thinking that a couple of hours at Harold's would work some unpredictable, but substantial benefits.

Jim Clifford


(File photo above) Clifford -- a newly-minted lawyer on the steps of the capitol in 1976, still laments the loss of an Alexandria institution, representing the rites of passage for so many.

Corner Bar razed; fond memories sought

(A landmark was removed in Alexandria this week. Its passing was wistfully noted by Bonita Gilbertson. Does anyone have a good photo or a good memory of this fabled institution? Please send it along. --Trailboss)

Bonita laments: Main street of Alex looks different. The old Corner Bar that stood on the corner of 5th and Broadway for as long as I can remember was demolished this week. It hasn't been a bar for several years but we "old timers" still remember it as such and the street looks "funny" with it gone.

Maybe Patty Wicken or Tom Obert know what's going to be built in its place. If they or any other readers of the blog know, please write in.

In other Chamber of Commerce news, the new Wal-Mart Super store opened yesterday which could further change the make up of the town. It's hard to compete with a monster like that (I would think). Rumor also has it that Pete's County Market has been sold to Coburns. Pete's has been around for over 50 years in three different locations so I'm sure a few classmates shopped there or went with their parents when they did.

Just trivia but sometimes trivia is fun (?)

Bonita

Lorlee Bartos writes:

Pete's was where I encountered my first live black person in the form of a woman dressed as "Aunt Jemima" who was there for the Pancake Day promotion.

I have a vague recollection of asking her if it "washed off". Hard to believe one was so sheltered. (Now before you go all PC -- I was probably about 5)

I remember Pete himself -- who lived above the store in the addition with at least 3 large picture windows -- and remember hearing people say they wouldn't want to live there because you could see in through those windows -- never mind that it would have been difficult since they were at least 20 feet above the ground.

Lorlee

Rumor squelched

Bev Roers Korkowski writes:

I was just checking the blog and saw the news re: downtown changes (ah, no more smells of stale beer wafting thru the open door on a hot summer afternoon!)

But I digress….the rumor re: Pete’s is unfounded. My nephew works there, and as of two weeks ago, after the rumors had been heard all over town, the employees got a note along with their paychecks saying that the rumor was not true, that Pete’s was not sold or being sold to Coburn’s. That is always subject to change, I suppose, but that was the official word then.

Bev

Paul Strandberg remembers:

When Super Pete's first store burned, it left my aunt, Norma Strandberg, a Washington second grade schoolteacher, homeless.

Controversy calls blog's credibility into question

Long before the current controversy raging on this site ignited, the following conversation took place between the Trailboss and his cub reporter. The reporter had alleged in a news story that no Alexandria boys basketball team had made it to state since the 1950s. He wrote to the boss:

Checking with Mr. Harris during the mall walk today (March 13) - Harris said the boys basketball team had been to the state tournament 2 or 3 times recently. In fact, he specifically referenced the game when Blake Strouth made a free throw with no time left. Heck, I was there, it was in 2002 against Little Falls played at the St. Cloud Apollo gym. The very next game we played that year was against Mpls. Patrick Henry - at the St. Cloud Apollo high school gym and I was there too! Dave said that was a state tournament game - checking the MSHSL website, he was technically correct. But I'm sorry, playing in a high school gym in St. Cloud is not THE STATE TOURNAMENT. I suspect the noted "state" tournament appearances in 1997 and 2000 were similar in nature - and that really the last time Alex made it to an honest-to-goodness state tournament game IN THE TWIN CITIES was 1950.

The Trailboss, wishing to support his staffer, responded thusly:

Subject: I think it may be a matter of semantics . . .

Cub:
Our story stands. We don’t bow to semantics when it involves a correction and our credibility. It violates our free expression and is against blog policy. We are free to be wrong and if you don’t like it just remember what happened to Mr. Schalow.
Trailboss

Now comes the assertion by Mr. Novotny, aided and abetted by John Herdan, that, in fact, the boys have been to state numerous times (see posting below). Undismayed, undeterred, unbowed, unapologetic, the cub reporter submitted the following note to his boss today:

Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: I think it may be a matter of semantics . . .

Trailboss: Our rebuttal to Mr. Herdan and Mr. Novotny stands. OK, except for 1997 - and I wasn't here then and it surprisingly didn't register with the people who were! Oh, and please make sure the fact checkers are aware that we discussed this before their blogsite missive!

Cub Reporter

Consider it done. The story stands. TB

State not that elusive for Cards, fact checker says

(John Herdan forwarded this note from Larry Novotny.)
Hi John,
I noticed Tom Obert wrote that the Alex cagers hadn't been to a state tourney in 50 years. The Cards made the big show in 1997 and won a first round game, and again in 2000 and 2002, losing the first round games.
Ryan Nodland got hot in '97, and the Strouth brothers and Swedberg brothers led the way the other two years, along with Keith Eckhoff.
I'm not sure of any other appearances, but those three for sure. The teams were filled with former Alexandria Aces, so I keep close tabs:)
Pass this on to Tom if you would.
Thanks,
Larry Novotny

Cardinal boys lose state basketball bid to Elks

Read our "fair and balanced" report

By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter

First of all, I hope all of the Alex fans who attended this evening's game at Sauk Rapids will come home and say we want a high school just like that one! The difference between a 50-year old high school and a brand new one is quite striking!

Second of all, our Cards took on the mighty Elk River Elks, No. 1 seed in the section, at one time ranked No. 1 in the whole state, 25 - 3 record, beat Moorhead 92-66 in the semi-finals, and it appeared that everyone, including the refs, were expecting some sort of coronation.
Our Cards were having none of that, however, and took a 30-25 lead into the locker room at half time.

Unfortunately, the consensus among we fans is that it should have been at least a 15 point lead - we played that much better than they did. But Alex has a penchant for committing unforced turnovers and "allegedly" committed seven fouls in the half to only one for the Elks. The second half was similar to the first in that the Elks apparently were incapable of committing any fouls and never traveled despite often taking several steps without dribbling.
This is, of course, a totally unbiased opinion that was backed, at least on one or two occasions by Alex's head football coach, Denny Kalpin, who was sitting right in front of us and often helps Dave Harris broadcast the girls basketball games. Terrific defense by both teams made the game go right down to the wire, and Alex had a contested shot at the buzzer that would have won the game - but the game ended in regulation with a 53-all tie (40 points less for the Elks than in their previous game).

In overtime
Alex came out in the overtime and immediately scored the first 4 points - but as is so often the case when that happens, all the momentum then shifted to the Elks and the Cards couldn't score another point as we watched a parade of free throws by the Elks (our whole front line I believe had 4 fouls each) led to a 63-57 victory for the opposition. The Elk fans stormed the court like they had just won the state tournament - we believe mostly out of a sense of relief as Alex appeared to be the better team for most of the game.

So our guys gave it a heckuva run, and we're quite proud of them.

Next up: Girl's softball - and the boy's golf team should be dynamite.

Moms playing softball at Central in the late 50s

Alexandria expert Myrtle McKay (Beth's mom) identified the women in this photo who played in the VFW softball team at the Central High School field in the late 50s. Tom Obert found this photo somewhere and challenged anyone for IDs. Here they are, is your mother among the sluggers? Back row, left - right: Dorothy Dyke, Tommy Obert; Middle Row, l - r: Lee Lang, Cindy Madison, Kathy Urness, Vange Barnack, Phyliis Beltz; Front Row, l - r: Rosie (Rosa Froemming) Olson, Donna Yager (Engstrom), Marge (Joslyn?) Van Group (sp?), Lenore Crouse. The children are Linea and Donna Crouse.

Now this backyard is more like it, Sara. . .

Sara Sevey Smith's whimpering about a few measly hailstones on her back deck brought this response from Eden Prairie resident Diane Hoffman O'Brien:

Photos were taken this morning.

Historic basketball event possible. . .

By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
It has been over 50 years since an Alex boys basketball team last participated in the state tournament. Despite all of the school's successes in every other sport, we've always come up a little bit short here. Now the Cards are one game away.

Our guys will be a distinct underdog against Elk River next week - but anything can happen and, as Abby Williams says, "Bring 'em on!" And it was because of Abby and her teammates that the blog hasn't highlighted what has been a pretty nice season by the boy roundballers. Probably because . . .

They are very similar to all of the other teams we've had since I moved back here 5 years ago, meaning - not a lot of size, good balance, decent depth, and good quickness - so the season kind of snuck by us. KXRA Broadcaster Dave Harris says they had their most conference wins in history this year as they tied Apollo for 2nd place with a 13-4 record (now 20-7 overall).

Watching the Cards for us is Don Nelson - who was a 6'4" (or 5") player for Wheaton in the late 50's when, as I recall, he said they used to kick Alex's butt - and his wife Gretchen, the REAL fan, because she is a substitute teacher and knows all the players. We sit with other retirees where we discuss such things as . . .

Why didn't Chris Conley get more playing time last year? Now a senior, Chris is a 6'6" center who is the most athletic big man we've had in my recent tenure as a fan. He has progressed nicely to the point where he is obviously THE rebounder, and he has quick post moves (both left and right), somewhat reminiscent of The Trailboss in his heyday. His shortcoming, as we've said about the entire team, is if he put on 30 pounds, he'd still be skinny. The team's biggest liability is that they can be pushed around.

The one position where we usually have a size advantage is at point guard with Eric Hartmann, a 6'2" junior. He is also the quarterback on the football team, so with that strength he is able to penetrate and pass off to the scorers. He has improved his shot a whole bunch over last year but still, to his credit, looks to pass before looking to shoot. And he passes to . . .

three other guards, making the Cards a lot like this year's Villanova team - a center and four guards. One of whom is the mystery man - none of us can remember Justin Larson from last year, but he is a 6'2" senior who is probably the best athlete I've seen here since Abby and the Strouth brothers. Like Blake Strouth before him, at the same size, he can do a little bit of everything, including the alley-oop. He's got great hops and is the leading scorer.

Another is Michael Hendricks, a 6'1" senior who is probably the best pure shooter, also has good hops, and is a good rebounder for his size. The 5th starter for most of the season was Ezra Hartsell, a 6'1" senior who always got stuck with the thankless task of guarding the other team's power forward, generally giving away several inches (and pounds) per game. Lately, Dave Lovrien, a 6'4" senior has been starting to provide more size. Tom Ronning, a 6' senior guard, provides instant offense off the bench, and 6'4" senior Derek Ludwig provides instant defense (the free safety on the football team as well as being the deep threat wide receiver).

All-in-all, they're really fun to watch if their shots are falling - then they can compete with anyone. If their shooting is off . . . well, it could be bad because we don't get many offense rebounds - and Elk River has a reputation as being a great shooting team.

Alexandria Aces on TV soon???

John Herdan writes:
Stan, Here's an e-mail I got from Larry Novotny, Alexandria Aces Coach.

John,
Great site, lots of fun to read!
Thanks for the great pictures and great hospitality! We look forward to being there again!
Also, we may be featured as part of the 4A boy's state finals on Saturday night, March 25. Keep your TV on and see if the kids from Alex can get some air time.

Thanks,
Larry

Alex boys cagers advance; defeat Apollo, 55-51

By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
The Alex boys basketball team defeated St. Cloud Apollo last night, 55-51, in the section 8-4A semi-finals played in Sauk Rapids. Alex had lost both regular season games to the Eagles, but tonight proved that it is indeed difficult to beat the same team three times in one season. Our Cards were able to overcome an 11-point deficit in the second half for the win and will now play Elk River for the section championship and the right to go the state tournament. It will not be an easy task as Elk River beat Moorhead tonight, 94-66, and has been ranked No. 1 in the state this year. The game will be played next Thursday, apparently at Sauk Rapids though that has yet to be confirmed.

The Cub Reporter will have to admit to shoddy coverage tonight as he was unable to attend the game in person and was only able to catch the last few minutes of Dave Harris's broadcast on the radio. Classmate Tom Kiehne was in town from Texas so we felt an obligation to take our respective parents out to dinner tonight. This reporter will make every effort to attend the championship game.

Oh, and just for fun, I am attaching the thank you note we received from Brittney Bruzek. It seems that Bud's girl and her teammates have discovered the team coverage on the blogsite. Just my luck to finally figure out how to get notes from high school girls . . . 40+ years too late!

Hail to thee, California girl!

Sara Smith Sevey writes: I want my California winters back. NOW!! We've had thunder, lightning, rain, hail and snow all at the same time. Very strange. The news tonight showed snow falling in downtown San Francisco, Berkeley and freeways all the way to Santa Cruz. As expected, traffic came to a complete stop and everyone interviewed thought it was terrific. Sorry but been there, done that and don't want the tee shirt.

Sara

Tom Obert responds:
My dear Sara,

Needless to say, we were shocked to see the "total destruction" of the Bay area. Is there anything we can do - a contribution to the Red Cross, a kick in the fanny to FEMA? I guess now when people ask, do you know the way to San Jose, you can answer just follow the snowline.

We, on the other hand, would look forward to a trip to your neck of the disaster area at this time of year as we are now in the annual freeze-thaw cycle that makes March the joyous month that it is. If you wanted to pay a visit to Big Ole right now, it would require a monster truck because the mud would be up over the top of your hubcaps.

Cubbie

The joy of a negative result

Your support meant so much
Thank you!
Greetings from Albuquerque. Nolan's blood tests came back NEGATIVE and the "power of prayer" is POSITIVE! (See March 8 article below for background information.)
Our thanks also to the many of you who have supported us and our family this week during this most difficult time. Please continue to pray for Nolan and our family as Nolan approaches the next evaluation. Please find below a note of thanks also from Sara and David (Nolan's parents). Your love, encouragement and support from so many is so wonderful. God Bless you for your kindness.
Carolyn and Harland Hoffland

Sara writes: I wanted to write all of you and let you all know how extremely grateful we are for you all.
A long and hard week
Words cannot express, and "thank you" is hardly enough to say to all of you who rallied around us during this trial in our life. I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to all of you, I can't even begin. I don't want to pinpoint one area because so many of you reached out to us in different ways, and for those who had others praying for us, please forward this to them, and for the people I don't even know who so graciously prayed for Nolan and our family, thank you. This has been a very long and hard week and now we can see more clearly, but still have a road in front of us with whatever is going on in Nolan's eye.
After speaking to Nolan's eye doctor, he feels like it is simply lesions now but he still is concerned with how they look and how they are formed. There is a slight(5%) chance that the spots could still be some sort of cancer, but at this point we will wait and see. We go back on the March 28.
We hope and pray in the meantime that there is no damage done to his eye. I realize this is complicated and by no means expect you to understand it all.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. I pray God will bless each one of you for blessing us. During our trial we had a hard time praying and seeing what was in front of us, but all of you jumped in for us and did that, thank you.
Live in each and every moment with your family. Don't let a moment go back without rejoicing in what you have.
Again, thank you, we are truly thankful for ALL of you.
All my love,
Sara
David, Nolan, and Alix

Diane O'Brien visits the Land of Oprah

The trailboss has been prodding the reclusive Diane Hoffman O'Brien to tell about her recent trip to see the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago. Today the letter arrived:

Diane writes: Well, it goes like this. My friend, Gwen, received Oprah tickets for Christmas from her son whose friend works for Oprah. On Feb. 8 we flew to Chicago to be in the audience on Feb. 9. We were both so excited. We had no idea what the show was. We just hoped it wasn't going to be a tearjerker, but a just chance to see an Oprah who cares!

Oprah has two tapings a day. One at 7 a.m. and one at 11 a.m. We fortunately had the later tickets, which gave us time to apply extra special makeup, just in case we got on camera.

We got in line at around 10:45. There is a tent-like wrap around the entrance so you are not exposed to the elements. But no heat. They were already taking people into Harpo Studio, where you go through security. You have to have picture ID. They confiscated my purse along with most others because of its size. I was allowed to take just my money. You can't have cell phones or cameras. Next, you are ushered up to the second floor, where we were crammed into plastic chairs in a long, narrow room.

There we sat for almost two hours. Do you know how loud it is with 350 women in a long narrow room?

Eight stalls, nothing fancy
During this time, everyone from the 11 a.m. show is making a bathroom call. At the same time the 7 a.m. audience is exiting the studio for the bathroom. Here are 700 women trying to jam into Oprah's ladies rooms. Eight total stalls...and nothing fancy. (Come on Oprah, how about a few more stalls?)

Finally they started calling out numbers to seat us in the studio. You are seated by your arrival time at Harpo and by the colors you are wearing...The brighter the color the better chance you have of getting on the main floor. We were seated on the first row of the second tier.

When telling friends I was going to Oprah, everyone asked, "Do they do your makeup? Her audience always looks so good." No, they don't do your makeup but the lighting in the studio makes everyone look great, including Oprah. Her hair is not shiny in person. The studio is beautiful.

(In the photo of Gwen and me above, please take into consideration that we looked much, much better under the sweet lights of Oprah's studio. We just weren't allowed to have cameras in there.)

The best hamburgers
There are three different people who warm up the audience. I believe this is when they do the actual filming of the audience. Oprah never addressed our audience directly. She basically looks into one camera to the left side of most of the audience so you just see her profile. Parts of three different shows were taped. The breaks between tapings were longer than the tapings themselves.

The main show we saw was the "20 Best Hamburgers in the USA," not the most interesting. The best part was there was two tapings with Rachel Ray (Food Network, "30 Minute Meals." At 3:45 we got out, after another line of 350 women, trying to get into eight stalls. Oprah never really talked to the audience. To Gwen and I, that was disappointing. Not like what it comes across to the viewer at home.

All was not lost though, when we arrived at Midway on Wednesday, a fellow that works for my husband picked us up and took us for a tour of Chicago. I hadn't been there for years. This fellow is a history buff and a native Chicagoan. We saw lots and learned more.
He took us past some of the jobs my husband has done there including Soldier Field, Millennium Park, McCormick Place, The Women's Hospital, and the Rattner Center. Right now I'm reading "Devil in the White City." It's a history of the Chicago's World Expedition and a serial killer that killed many more than Jack the Ripper... All true. A good read.

The most amazing thing on our trip was how safe we felt walking at night across Chicago. We stayed near the Navy Pier and walked to the Frontera Grill a mile from east to west and back. No fear. I would never do that in Minneapolis. While at the Frontera Grill, owner Rick Bayless ("Mexican One Plate at a Time," PBS) was there and also Rachel Ray. The meal was fabulous. Can you tell I'm more into food than Oprah?

Gayle King, Oprah's best friend, is totally hung up on finding the best burger in America! After reading an article in GQ magazine called "20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die," Gayle made it her mission to sink her teeth into every all-beef patty on the list.

Lorlee visits the yellow daffodils of Texas

Lorlee Bartos writes: The daffodils are blooming in Texas. I would like to take credit for this display -- but Mrs. Lee beat me to it by buying a train car load of bulbs sometime in the 50's and planting them over her 1000 East Texas acres. Went out to see them in all their glory yesterday.

Also--- the cub reporter was holding out on us with those Big Ole bobbleheads... I am now the proud owner of the "Big Ole" watch brought to me by my cousin from Kensington -- the real home of the infamous stone.

The shot of the yellow narcissus is from my garden.

Cardinal boys basketball advance

Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
Last night at Big Jeff, the third-seeded Cardinal boy basketballers opened play in the section 8-4A tournament with a 67-60 over St. Cloud Tech. The Cards displayed tremendous balance with five players scoring 15, 15, 13, 12, and 12 points. Their next game will be against 2nd-seeded St. Cloud Apollo in Sauk Rapids on Saturday night - the winner likely to play No. 1 seed Elk River next week to determine the section's representative in the state tournament.
The Cards lost twice to Apollo this year, but both games were close. The cub reporter is not sure whether he will attend the game or not - classmate Tom Kiehne arrives in town today from Texas to visit his parents through the weekend . . . so unless we can convince Dr. Kiehne to go on a road trip . . .

Please pray for Harland & Carolyn's grandchild

We received this note from Carolyn and Harland Hoffland tonight:

This note is from our daughter, Sara, regarding our grandson Nolan, age 9. Please say a prayer for him and for our family.

Thank you.

Carolyn & Harland

Their daughter, Sara, writes: Yesterday we went in for Nolan's routine eye check up with Dr. Chiu. We didn't leave with such good news.
In the exam, Dr. Chiu found two spots on his right eye, which has been his good eye for almost two years. The spots were not his disease of Pars Planitis. The doctor believes they could be lesions, but they are formed differently than a typical lesion. It could also be retinal blastoma(cancer of the eye) or Leukemia.
This is complex, and I don't expect all of you to understand everything. We have been instructed to have lab tests done to check Nolan for cancer. We are in deep and dark despair. We do know this is preliminary, but Dr. Chiu is not one to get us worked up needlessly. The pain is so deep. This is a parent's worst fear. We have been up all night, tossing and turning, and we hope and pray that peace will overcome us, yet we also know there is a grieving process.
We are reaching out to all of you. Please pray for Nolan and our family during this time.
We have not mentioned any of the cancer words to him. That is a big scarey word and until we do the lab work and get the results back, we will keep that word quiet. We definitely don't want to scare him, he already knows something isn't right.
We hopefully will get the lab work done today. I am not too sure what all the lab work entails, but we will know more later. I am sorry for not calling, but right now I have no energy to talk, and I thank those of you who did call who remembered Nolan in prayer and his appointment yesterday.
I can't even begin to tell you how painful this is.
Sara

(Trailboss says: Please send your thoughts and support to Carolyn and Harland at HCHoffland@aol.com)

The people have spoken

Last night LaGrande township held its DFL precinct caucus and elected Sue Engstrom as its chair. (Sue is the sister-in-law of Linda and Carol and lives on Lake Darling). At the same meeting, Mr. Excitement, Tom Obert, achieved his highest elected public office ever -- he was elected as the associate precinct chair. Could 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue be far off?

Bonita chats with our classmates at home show

Recycling booth renders
passion, shame, amazement

Hi Stan,

I had a great weekend at the KXRA Homeshow. Or as Patty Wicken calls it, the big "Stop and Chat" of the year. I had an information booth on recycling and all of the other wonderful things that go along with saving the earth. Am I getting a bit jaded after talking about this subject for 18 years? Probably, but I do believe in it and am constantly amazed at the people who stop by and are absolutely impassioned about it. They often put me to shame with their enthusiasm.

Classmates I was able to visit with (that I can remember) were Bev Korkowski, John Seim, Ellen VanKempen and honorary class mate Patty Wicken. So fun to see them. I'm sure there were more but with the mobs of people I talked to I can't recall them all.

I was curious as to why the same little group of children were in the pictures that Tom Obert recently sent in to the blog. John Seim explained to me that their moms had all had babies about the same time and became good friends, thus the pictures.

Bev Korkowski is still dealing with insurance issues after the big storm damaged their house and really looking forward to summer at the lake so they can forget it all and just relax.

Good grandma
Ellen VanKempen I saw at church Saturday night with her kids and grandbabies. She was going to be sleeping on a bunk bed with little Tye (at his request). What we don't do for those little ones. But nevertheless, what a good grandma! CUTE grands!

And of course, the person with the most beautiful, soothing voice that I know, honorary class of 65er, Patty Wicken. I wish she would write a book about Alex. Her memory is phenomenal!! She's so fun.

I also talked to the Oprah Winfrey star, Diane Hoffman. She has a few stories to tell about THAT experience. Very interesting. Come on Diane. Tell us all about it.

By the way, I don't know if cub reporter Tom Obert knows that Cardinal hockey player Matt Dregor is the grandson of Dick and Kay Block and if you saw him you would think he's Dick's clone. Dick doesn't miss a game. His granddaughter, Sara, is on the hockey girls Junior Varsity (as is our Brittney).

Don't let it die
Small world, right? The reason I'm writing this is I love the Blog and it's up to all of us to keep it going. I check it weekly at the least and I bet a lot of other people do too, but if none of us contribute, it could die. Let's not let it.

Bonita Olson Gilbertson

Bud's Sarah Bruzek supports big sister

By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
"Baby Bruiser," senior Brittney Bruzek's little sister Sarah (with Alex athletic director Dave Hartmann over her left shoulder, red sweater) reflects the excitement surrounding our girls hockey team's third straight visit to the state tournament, this time at the Xcel Center in St. Paul.

Our Cards had the daunting task of facing year-long No. 1 ranked So. St. Paul in the opening game. The Packers had won 3 straight state titles in class AA (the big schools) but this year had dropped down to class A (the small schools). In Alex's two previous trips to state, we failed to win a game - losing both years to Hibbing and New Prague.

The Packers lived up to their billing and proved to be too much for our Cards with a 4 - 2 victory on Friday. The Packers were the better team that day and to their credit went on to win the championship the next day against Warroad. Sophomore Kathryn Del Zoppo and senior Michaela Carlson were to goal scorers for Alex. (As an aside, this cub reporter has been long-time buddies with a Packer alum he met while at the "U." Archivists are currently searching for a photo of this buddy which the cub reporter believes will "prove" conclusively that there is a weird cult in existence in So. St. Paul and that this cult may have been responsible for placing a hex on our Cardinals!)

Saturday morning our stalwarts had to rise early for the 9:00 am 3rd-place game against, once again - New Prague. New Prague featured the highest scoring player in the state, with 104 points (goals + assists), and another terrific player who had 89 points on the year. And has been the Card's M.O. in recent games, New Prague scored within the first minute of the game - and then scored two other cheap goals early in that period. Alex's coach called a time-up, after which the Cards played with a renewed passion and dominated the rest of the game. Nevertheless, New Prague led 3-1 (Brittney Bruzek scored for the Cards) after the first period even though Alex had an 11-6 shots-on-goal advantage.

In the second period, Alex continued to dominate play and Kathryn Del Zoppo scored for the Cards making the score 3-2 heading into the 3rd period. Ten seconds into that final period, sophomore Abby Williams got an accidental tripping penalty and New Prague scored on that power play making the score 4-2. Things looked bleak for the Cards, but halfway though the period, senior Ahna Olson scored bringing the Cards back to within one goal. Then with less than 7 minutes left in the game, New Prague received a rare double penalty as a player tripped Abby Williams and as the play continued on another player high-sticked Kathryn Del Zoppo. Taking advantage of the 5-on-3 situation, Kathryn "The Sniper" Del Zoppo (who has a knack for scoring in skirmishes around the goal) scored her second goal of the game, and third of the tournament, to tie the score. Momentum now was clearly on the side of the Cards, and Ashley Holmes ripped a slap-shot from the blue line with about 3 1/2 minutes to go to give the Cards a 5-4 lead. That lead would hold so the Cards finally won, in their 6th attempt, a state tournament game.

Abby Williams was selected to the all-tournament team. Although you will note she did not score a goal in either game, she was absolultely superb against New Prague - she assisted on 4 of the 5 goals, had 12 shots-on-goal (more than twice as many as any player on either team), and amazingly won 25 of 39 face-offs. Although we so say goodbye, and thank you, to 11 seniors this year, and wish them well as they move on to life after Big Jeff, we will look forward to another state tournament appearnace next year led by Abby, Kathryn, Ashley, and sophomore goalie Danielle Justice.

Alex Aces a smashing success in St. Cloud

By John Herdan
Cathedral Correspondent
Last night was the big night, the Alexandria Aces performed at half time of the St. Cloud Cathedral boy's basketball game. They were a smashing success. The crowd went nuts.
Both basketball teams came out of the locker room to watch. One of the parents said this was one of the best crowds they had performed for. They even got a huge ovation after the game when they came up the step from the lower level to the lobby.
I spent quite a bit of time with the Alex folks before the game and discovered that there were 3 or 4 of us that lived on Lake Latoka including Coach Larry Novotny. Larry lives right next to new interim Alex Superintendent Terry Quist (class of ?69? or so).
Larry's dad, Henry Novotny, was a partner in Steinbring Chevrolet when they opened in Alex in 1965. In fact, his dad sold me my first car, a metallic blue 1969 350 Camaro. He took darn good care of me too. If I have all of these people straight, Larry's wife is the daughter of Buzz Sonstegard who I believe taught at the high school and then moved to the tech school.
I thought I would pull the old "cub reporter" trick (bel0w) and get my picture taken with the real stars of the show therefore giving me my 15 seconds of fame.


John
Tom Obert writes: John Herdan has earned the sobriquet, Cub Reporter!! Outstanding job covering the Alexandria Aces. The original cub reporter can't recall whether or not he reported his attempt at covering the Aces at the Gopher women's basketball game against Michigan. Having made the long trip to Williams Arena, we were shocked when the Aces didn't appear for a halftime. When we later talked to some of the Aces at their last performance at Big Jeff, we learned that the "U" hit them with kind of a last minute cancellation. Since that time, the Gopher women's basketball team has floundered. Coincidence? I think not.

Madness ends for hockey boys

Fall to Little Falls, 3-1
By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
The Alexandria Hockey Boys came up one game short of following the girls to the state tournament last night. They lost 3 - 1 to Little Falls in the finals of the section at the MAC in St. Cloud. The cub reporter listened to Dave Harris's coverage on KXRA.
The game sounded very much like the regular season game at Alex earlier this year - in that game Alex had more shots but lost 6 - 4. In last night's game, the play sounded very even, with Alex having a 32 - 29 shot advantage, but Little Falls was the conference champs because of one superior line that scores when the opportunity presents itself.
And unfortunately for the future, the stars on that Flyer line are a freshman and a sophomore - both of whom are all-staters. The Cards can be proud that after a slow start they won 8 of their last 9 games, including their last 5 in a row. While the hockey guys get ready to transition to golf, we'll be ready now to follow the boys basketball team, which could end up as the No. 2 seed in their section behind Elk River.

Dave Serie's daughter's team is tourney champ

Dave Series sends along this news and photo of his daughter, Sarah.
Congratulations to the Champlin Park Rebels 6A Girls Traveling Basketball team for their first place finish in the STMA Girls Tournament Feb. 11-12. The girls defeated Wayzata in the championship game 84-29, giving them a team high record score. The Rebels improved their season record to 26-3.

Pictured L-R, Front: Sarah Serie, Arianna Fuller, Middle: Aleya Grant, Allison May, Cassie Hager Back: Marissa Boser, Melanie Hill, Olivia Antilla, Megan Steffel.

Dave adds:

Thought you might like to see a picture of Sarah's 6th grade Champlin Park traveling basketball team after winning a recent tourney. There is an article included that went along with the picture that was in the paper.

They play in the State Tourney next weekend as the no. 1 seed to see if they can repeat last years state chanpionship.

Son Matt's 8th grade Champlin Park team is the no. 2 seed in MYAS state also so should be a lot of fun.
Dave Serie
(Trailboss note: This also confirms the spelling of Sarah's name. You go girls.)
 

Cardinal March Madness begins -- update

Here's the Cardinal sports summary from the Cub Reporter
Results…
GIRLS BASKETBALL- VARSITY
(Last night) St Cloud Tech 48 Alexandria 33
The Alex Cardinals opened Section 8AAAA play last night as we traveled to St. Cloud Tech to take on the #1 Seed and CLC Champions. The girls battled Tech hard and made them make several adjustments to their game. Defensively, our feet were firing and the communication was in high gear.
We handled Tech's pressure beautifully and turned it into a non factor. We struggled to score consistently, but never gave up as we cut the lead down to a working margin several times. The Cards eventually succumbed to the talented Tigers 48-33...but accomplished several of our goals for the game like getting their key people in foul trouble, switching defenses, and offensive execution. We ended the year 5-21, but made great strides in many areas.
The girls never stopped battling and you would have been proud of Alex BB last night in particular.
Scoring was led by Senior Katie Hedine with 15 points, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots, Laura Strand 9, Sarah Weaver 7, Angela Christianson 2, and 1 each for Caitlin Dunn and Sarah Wyffels. Sarah also had 5 rebounds. The Cards did not have leading scorer Caitlin Dunn anywhere near full strength as she suffered an ankle sprain against Brainerd. That was a key factor in the game as well.
Great work ethic ladies... lessons in determination, attitude, confidence, and perseverance will carry with you forever.

GIRLS HOCKEY
State Tournament report
This past weekend the Cardinal Girls Hockey team participated in their 3rd consecutive State Tournament. On Friday the Cardinals opened up with the number 1 ranked team in Class A and defending Class AA champion, South St. Paul. The Cardinals knew it was going to be a difficult battle but were up to the task. South St Paul would scored late in the 1st period to take a 1-0 lead into the intermission. South St Paul would come out and score two more times before the Cardinals could get started. Kathryn DelZoppo would put the Cardinals on the board when she received two nice passes from Brittney Bruzek and Abby Williams. South St Paul would add one more to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission. In the third period the Cardinals were able to capitalize again when Michaela Carlson scored with an assist going to Andrea Toft. The Cardinals had a few more opportunities but were unable to capitalize. South St Paul would move on to the finals with a 4-2 win over the Cardinals. Danielle Justice turned away 31 South St Paul shots on the day.
3rd place game
In the third place game the Cardinals would face the New Prague Trojans. The Cardinals would dig themselves an early hole as they trailed 3-1 after the 1st period despite out shooting the Trojans by a 11-6 mark. The lone Cardinal goal of the period was scored by Brittney Bruzek with assists going to Abby Williams and Kathryn DelZoppo. In the second period the Cardinals would pull within 1 when Kathryn DelZoppo scored with assist going to Abby Williams and Brittney Bruzek. One minute into the third period the Trojans would regain their two goal lead. After that the Cardinals would take over with three consecutive goals for the 5-4 victory and 3rd place honors. Goals were scored by Ahna Olson (assist to Courtney Walsh), Kathryn DelZoppo (assists to Abby Williams and Ahna Olson), and Ashley Holmes (assist to Abby Williams and Kathryn DelZoppo). The win ended the Cardinals season with a 23-3-4 record.
Tournament Notes:
Abby Williams was named to the Class A All-Tournament Team
The Tournament concluded the High School Hockey careers for ten Cardinal seniors: Michaela Carlson, Amanda Solyntjes, Brittney Bruzek, Airien Grimstad, Courtney Walsh, Tiffany Zacher, Sara Toft, Ahna Olson, Andrea Toft and Katie Holt. Congratulations and best of luck with all future journeys.

BOYS BASKETBALL- VARSITY
Monday night Alexandria 88 Sartell 56
In their last regular season home game the Cardinals defeated the Sartell Sabres 88-56. The Cardinals led at halftime 32-26 but exploded for 56 points the second half. It was an incredible Clinic as there were only five times that we did not score when we got the ball the second half. Leading the charge was Justin Larson with 28pts, Chris Conley 21pts, Michael Hendricks 15 pts, Eric Hartmann 11pts, David Lovrien 6 pts, Tom Ronning 5pts and Derek Ludwig 2pts. Chris Conley led in rebounds and blocked shots. Michael Hendricks led the steals and Eric Hartman led in assists. It being Senior night the following Seniors were honored: Ezra Hartsell, David Vinje, Michael Hendricks, Chris Conley, Justin Larson, Tom Ronning and David Lovrien.
The Cardinals now travel to Brainerd on Friday night to finish their regular season.
Seeding for the upcoming Section Tournament will take place on Sunday.

BOYS BASKETBALL- JV
Alexandria 60 Sartell 49
The JV Boys improved their Season Record to 8-10 as they defeated the Sabres 60-49. Tyler Erickson led the scoring with 21 pts, Ben Wilson had 19pts, Tanner Tetrick 8pts, Kreig Katchmark 5pts, Garrett Hoeper 3pts, Robert Aakre 2pts, and Abe Hartsell 2pts.

GIRLS BASKETBALL- VARSITY
Friday night - Brainerd 44 Alexandria 42
The Cardinals dropped an Overtime HEARTBREAKER to the Brainerd Warriors on Friday night 42-44. The Cardinals managed to lead by 3 with seconds waining, but the Warriors drew a foul and managed to tie the game and force OT. We played the OT with 2 starters out due to ankle sprains, and still had the chance to salt the game away at the free-throw line, but came up short. We battled tough and made some nice adjustments through the course of the game but came up short. Turnovers and free throws hampered the Cards chances for pulling away.
Amanda Otterness and Sarah Wyffels led the scoring with 12 and 10 respectively. Caitlin Dunn had 6 points and 5 rebounds before she went down right after halftime, Sarah Weaver had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals before she made and exit from the game. She also played tremendous defense on the Brainerd sharp shooter. Laura Strand 3, and 2 for Katie Hedine, Bria Lanners and Ashley Kappes. Sarah Wyffels hammered the boards with 7 and Mack West 6. Katie Hedine dished out 5 assists.
It was Senior night and we honored 2 awesome Seniors...Sarah Wyffels and Katie Hedine. We thank them for their commitment and leadership to Cardinal Basketball.