The phrase “world class soccer in St. Paul” is a new one, but the product behind the slogan has been around for 18 years. The Minnesota Thunder came from humble beginnings, completing a season of only six games in its inaugural season of 1990.
The 25th annual 5k race for the Melpomene Institute starts at Mississippi Boulevard in St. Paul on May 3. Since 1983, the Melpomene Institute, of St. Paul, has sponsored the race to provide women with the opportunity to be physically active.
In a picture on the bulletin board behind Dan Gjelten’s desk, a man and woman stand in the Pacific surf, wearing race T-shirts and finisher’s medals for the Nike Hood to Coast Relay.
The couple is Gjelten and Lisa Burke, taken a year after their plans to participate in the 197-mile relay were scrapped by a head-on car crash, sending them home with morphine pumps instead of medals.
“This is where we wanted to be in 2006,” Gjelten said, pointing to the picture. “It just took us a year to get there.”
Continue reading "Hood to Coast Relay turns into race for recovery" »
Growing plants is Mary Joyer’s business, and her business is growing right along with her plants.
On a recent sunny Saturday morning in February, single digit temperatures didn’t stop runners from crowding into a tiny storefront in a quiet residential neighborhood in St. Paul.
The groups of athletes periodically straggled in and out, some finishing a run, others just on the search for gear.
“We did 18 miles this morning,” said a man sipping water on a bench, his fleece hat frosted with perspiration from his workout. “This is a Boston [marathon] group.”
Inside a cozy bookstore in St. Paul, my friend and I wander from table to table, browsing the hundreds of books lining the walls and tables scattered throughout. He strolls to a nearby stack, picks up a book and shows me the cover.
Continue reading "A personal approach to buying, selling books" »
I can picture Steve Roberts and LeeAnn Juckll scanning groceries at their respective registers in the morning while nit-picking the details of the night’s action at Pot O’ Gold Bingo Hall. Neither would lose focus in their cashier duties as they reminisce about the time when Steve was one daub away from winning the “speedo” round or when the two of them were waiting on O-62 to complete their diagonal and win a round of double bingo.
At one time, a dollar could buy 20 trips to the neighborhood nickel theater. Times have changed and with the popularity of multiplex theaters, ticket prices have climbed to around $9 per trip, not including $7 or so for concessions.
Continue reading "The price is right at Riverview Theater" »
While scanning rows of flashing lights and spinning cherries for a game that was going to multiply my dollar bill by a million, I expected to see everyone at the St. Croix Casino to be hoarding their money and chips as if their mortgage payments depended upon them in response to the declining economy and rising gas prices.