Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
This small collection of random words glued to magnets and stuck to refrigerators and office cubicles world wide got their start right here in Minnesota. After suffering from writers block, creator Dave Kapell cut words out of his journal and spread them out on his desk. Leftover magnets from a local pizza joint and a party at his house made gift buying history. Allison Herrera tells us about magnetic poetry.
To say that Frederick McGhee had a remarkable life would be an understatement. Born into slavery, he became the first African American attorney to practice in MN. He was among the founders of the NAACP. He argued against separate but equal laws in 1910, nearly forty years before Plessy vs. Ferguson. MN90 producer Allison Herrera tells us about his legacy.
The legend of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox is a tall one, literally, in Minnesota. This famous lumberjack first appeared as part of an advertising campaign. From there on out, he became known as the veritable mascot of the land of ten thousand lakes. Allison Herrera tells us about this superized hero.
Martha Ripley was a nurse by training when she moved to Minneapolis with her husband in 1883. Her expertise in medical care and her commitment to the rights of some of the city’s destitute young mothers led to her to open a hospital dedicated to their care. Allison Herrera tells us about her remarkable life.
Alfalfa plays a major part in feeding the livestock that bring us the food and milk we eat today. It was a modest farmer from Baden Germany who moved to Chaska, Minnesota with his small box of alfalfa seeds known as “ewiger klee” or everlasting clover. As Allison Herrera explains, that box transformed seed saving and made it possible for this hardy plant to survive tough winters here in Minnesota and all over America.
The not-so tiny town of Chanhassen, Minnesota is home to one of the longest running dinner theater’s in the country. It began when Herbert and Carolyn Bloomberg, both lovers of Broadway shows, asked themselves, ” Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little bit of Broadway in Chanhassen?” Now, four decades and over ten million visitors later, the rest is history. Allison Herrera tells us about the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.
Half black, half Ojibwe, George Bonga was the first person of African descent born in what was then the territory of Minnesota in 1802. He was a fur trader and a treaty translator that forged vital relationships with both Europeans and Native Americans. Allison Herrera tells us more about his important role in Minnesota history.
Long before the Norwegians settled in Minnesota, there were the French. From fur traders to early explorers, Frenchmen settled and made a life for themselves in the land of 10,000 lakes. The state flag and seal still honor their presence today. MN90 producer Allison Herrera tells us about L’Etoile du Nord.
