In 1953, the entire town of Funkley, Minnesota (population 25) won an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City.
—–Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
MN90 Intro: Welcome to MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds.
Narrator: In 1953, Funkley was Minnesota's smallest incorporated town with just twenty-five people. It had farms, a store and a church, where once a month women gathered to rip bedsheets into bandages. The American Cancer Society had put out a call for dressings, desperately needed by home care patients in an age when prepackaged, sterilized bandages were hard to come by.
The Funkley group's can-do spirit must've impressed the Society because it sent the entire town on a five-day trip to New York City.
The Funkleyites saw a play, ate at Sardi's, and toured the Empire State Building. And when their hotel failed to provide breakfast (lacking staff), the Minnesotans rolled up their sleeves and made their own. Music and sfx making breakfast
"I thought New York would be big and unfriendly," said one. "But, you know, I felt right at home there."
MN90 Outro: MN90 is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at mn90.org.