Crazy Days in Morris, 2024

The summer Prairie Pioneer Days may be gone but we still have Crazy Days. Alternative spellings are welcome including "Crazee" and "Daze." 

Crazy Days did have a down period in Morris history but it appears to be stabilized now. Don't assume that all the activity is on "main street." The sand pile coin dig for kids is an attraction. Crazy Days has to be fun for kids. 

A restaurant server told me this morning that Crazy Days was a fun deal in Morris in the '90s. I guess we're feeling nostalgia about the '90s now. Back when we were experiencing past times, I think most often it was hard to believe we'd ever be "nostalgic." The status quo will only persist for so long. Change comes in many ways that we could not have predicted. Rock 'n' roll music was controversial in the 1950s. 

Back in 2000 when "Y2K" fears gripped us - or many of us - we felt the Internet was quite far advanced. How could my boomer generation not be amazed at the state of this thing called the "Internet?" We had grown up completely without it. So we got fascinated with "websites" and "email." I think in the early days the idea was to place a hyphen in "email." Got dropped eventually: shorter is always better in the new world of communications. 

The boomer generation of Morris has the most exciting memories of "Crazy Days" here. Really to be unmatched IMHO. Just to cite one old highlight: the Lindrud's Variety "fish pond." Little kids came and fished for gifts. 

People out and around would say that Crazy Days was a chance for stores to get rid of their "junk." A cynical view obviously. My old co-worker Howard Moser had the same view of the old Thrifty White Drug "coupon books." "It's just junk (being advertised)," he'd say. A cynic's point of view is not without value. 

Thrifty White was a lively main street store for a very long time. I remember as a kid it was "Messner Drug." It was smaller then. Some of the space was occupied by the old Del Monico Cafe. When you stepped down the ramp at Thrifty White, you were going into the old Del Monico space. At the rear there was the "Colony Room" where public meetings were held like for Kiwanis. I think it was Kiwanis but I can sometimes confuse this with Lions. Herb Croom loved those meetings, his civic involvement. 

The two Morris restaurants that I remember from my youth are the Del Monico and Shorty's. Shorty's was right next to the movie theater. Shorty's had a pinball machine. 

I remember getting home from St. Cloud one Friday and finding that my parents had a work-related obligation, so I was on my own for supper. I went to Shorty's and sat close to Bob Mulder the schoolteacher. We were close enough to easily chat. It was good therapy to renew this acquaintance with a teacher who I had known in school. 

I would estimate this conversation happened in the mid-1970s. I was drifting in life, you might say marking time. I was one of those kids who felt he had to "get away from Morris." You can always sense this attitude with some of the young people, but I don't think it's so common now. It never really made sense. You should live where it is practical for you. And forget about the "essential" nature of attending college or even a tech school. Find something that works. 

I drove to and from St. Cloud in my 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado which my father had gotten from the iconic car dealer of Morris Bill Dripps. The "Olds Garage" was down the street from Don's Cafe. 

It would be fun to have the '67 Toronado today to drive in parades! Styling was so distinctive, and front wheel drive! Headlights that would "pop up!" 

Fate had certain things in mind for both me and Mr. Mulder. Both of us would exit our long-time professions here in Morris under a cloud. Let's get back to the "change happens" theme. In the present we just cannot imagine the sweeping changes coming down the road. Mulder left the school when parents were learning to assert themselves more. At the present time we read of teachers fleeing the profession because the empowerment of parents and kids has gotten to be too much. 

Now and then you'll see an item in the media about a fleeing teacher who shares a big "rant." Yes, they can complain all they want. But hey, change waits for no one. "Adapt or die." The line is from the movie "Moneyball." 

I left the Morris newspaper when a whole assortment of changes had caught up to me. One of these was the fundamental change of the print media struggling more. The papers could survive but only by making significant changes. And many papers have not in fact survived. The Internet waits for no one. In fact I don't even hear the term "Internet" much anymore. Rather dated, is it? 

Are online communications so ubiquitous we don't need a broad-based term like "Internet" anymore? 

Remember when online communications came across as a novelty? I remember seeing an article about someone posting a link to an article from a newspaper site and then getting a letter from the paper threatening a lawsuit. 

I remember hearing for a long time "you can't put a song cover on YouTube." Really? YouTube is sloshing around in song covers now. I think it is all a case of the masses storming past the palace gates. 

So have a good time for Crazy Days today (Wednesday) in Morris. No Lindrud's "fish pond" anymore but still a grand time. The pond was good for getting a nice little plastic dinosaur!

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Irondale band wows at Big Cat Field

Exciting Thursday night scene at our Big Cat Stadium (Del Sarlette photos, thanks)

Musicianship with choreography: Irondale Marching Knights

Spectacular: that describes the scene at Big Cat Field that unfolded Thursday night. This was not sports. We put sports on such a pedestal for young people. It is totally safe to be a fan of football compared to being a young person out on the field. But what about music? Yes a totally safe and fulfilling endeavor. So music and performance were the order of the night on Thursday. Once again the Irondale marching band graced Motown in summer with its presence. This always includes a performance that is not totally formal. But it is boffo to view anyway. It's an "exhibition" where the public is invited but there might be some rough edges. In some respects it is a continuation of their rehearsing. 

But, a hearty thanks to Irondale for setting aside a time where the kids can really perform for the public. That's even if it's a semi-rehearsal. 

I thank a friend for making sure I knew about this year's event. I don't think the promo was very good. I don't think there was an item in the commercial media or flyers posted around town. I could be wrong but I did not see this. The Irondale band was not seeking a large public turnout. Their visit to Morris is like a "camp" enabling them to polish their competitive performance away from the distractions of home. 

These are suburban Twin Cities families. So they get a taste of our totally rural setting. You look to the east from Big Cat and it's pretty wild. We hear coyotes from out there at night. The bypass highway breaks up the landscape. Because of the highway we can sometimes get treated to the sound of "Jake brakes." 

There's a very nice townhome development out there. I think the traffic noise would bother me if I lived there. There was no development there when I was  kid. Oh, and the Skyview buildings also, two of them. The biking/walking trail goes right past. There was no biking/walking trail when I was a kid. Where did we take our walks? 

Back when I was young it was actually unusual for someone to take a lengthy walk for exercise. People might think you were suspicious if you did. And you could expect certain people to pull up and say "you need a lift?" Bless them but sometimes we just wanted the exercise, the aerobic activity. 

And of course no one heard the word "aerobic" then. Just like we never heard the term "athletic shoes." Shoes for intense exercise were simply called "tennis shoes." Show up for church in those and you might be asked to leave! Yes I'm surprised that the so-called "tennis shoes" were considered so low-class. What's wrong with simply wearing a type of shoe that gives your feet good support? 

Back then you'd get in trouble trying to wear "blue jeans" to school. I laugh to recall that. For some reason the older folks decided that blue jeans were a symbol of rebellion. Maybe this came from certain motorcycle-themed movies. Ah the influence of pop culture. 

I am amazed as I think back to how hard it was for boys to find "pants" that would be seen as acceptable. Wear "dress slacks" and you'd be teased for "dressing up." Sheesh. The purpose of pants is simply to cover your legs. Why the big pregnant issue? I remember getting "corduroys" to wear. We could sneak those through. 

But how ridiculous: the purpose of pants or "trousers" is simply to cover your legs. Our school parents and elders kept close watch lest we might get a little "rebellious" or disrespectful. It was important to respect our elders and leaders as in realizing the importance of "fighting communism" in Vietnam. 

The U.S. involvement in Vietnam was one of the biggest moral abominations of all time. But we didn't dare try to wear jeans to school. I think the prohibition ended before I finished high school. I won't say "graduated from high school" because I probably should not have been allowed to graduate. I did of course.

Irondale Marching Knights

The Irondale Marching Knights represent the entire Mounds View School District 621 and includes students from both Irondale and Mounds View High Schools. The marching band consists of three sections: hornline, drumline and color guard. The Knights typically perform in parades May through August and compete in field shows held on football fields at various locations throughout the region in September-October. 

The assemblage that we saw Thursday is a dynamic performance ensemble that combines music, movement and visual effects all on a football field. 

Irondale has been named a finalist and champion at some of the most prestigious events in the area. They are also the 2021, 2022 and 2023 reigning Class AAA Minnesota State Marching Band champion. The kids make new friends and unforgettable memories all while becoming more responsible, organized and time-efficient. 

Does the Morris area have anything like this for high school-age kids in summer? I'm not aware of it. Our kids sure do attend sports camps. Morris had marching band when I was in school. Not saying it would be practical to bring it back. Times are different. But how about an ensemble of instrumentalists who could perform at East Side Park on a weekly basis? Would that be asking too much? 

It's hard to get anything going in Morris. Minnewaska has its "Showstoppers." In Morris we just "stop." Forget the old Prairie Pioneer Days. It was too much trouble. PPD exists in my dreams.

Lights on at Big Cat Stadium. This was better than football!

You can't beat this entertainment

Addendum: You know what? Even "corduroys" were not necessarily neutral from people making judgments. I share this because I now remember a review of a Maynard Ferguson concert at the old Met Sports Center in the '70s. I was there incidentally. Post-concert there was a review in Star Tribune by a guy who snarkily noted that so many audience members were "high school trumpet players wearing corduroys." Why on earth was it so essential to make the wardrobe reference? Writer was hinting that these were upscale kids. His reference was pejorative, subtly yes but pejorative. I can sniff that out anytime. You know what came along to solve the whole "pants" problem? "Dockers!"

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Uh-oh, Harris will be dud out here

I was surprised back in 2020 that the Kamala Harris campaign sent me a nice little bumper sticker just because I asked. They had made the offer. But would they really deliver, especially considering that they weren't requiring a financial donation? Gratis gesture. They were true to their word. Sticker maybe didn't arrive quickly but it did arrive. I had almost forgotten about it when I discovered it in the mail. It was on the back of my Chevy Malibu for a time. 

Then very seriously I decided it might be too risky out here in Morris and the broader 7th Congressional District to be so up-front and against the grain. We're in MAGA country. 

The 7th District Republicans never got around to endorsing Michelle Fischbach, did they? She wasn't good enough for them, not extreme enough for them. Fischbach is of course a Republican, the incumbent. She unseated the fossil Collin Peterson, Democrat. 

Many have observed that ol' Collin seemed a "Democrat in name only." He called himself a "blue dog." Cute. In the end he acted like he really wanted to distance himself from his own party. If he was going to lose, like destiny clearly suggested he would, it would have been more honorable for him to approve of his party and its leaders. 

One clear thing struck me as the reason for his loss: the posed photo of him and Nancy Pelosi side-by-side, all smiles, happy. Oh man that was a gut punch I guess. Pelosi of California is like Typhoid Mary to the people out here. Out here where we hear the packs of coyotes howl not far from town. 

For whatever reason we no longer see any redeeming value in the Democratic or "blue" party. We are red as hell. We are Steve Boyd as hell. "Life begins at conception." 

I'm sure if I were to meet Steve Boyd it would be pleasant enough, probably quite pleasant. I have written that if I were to have a cup of coffee with Michelle Fischbach, it would probably be quite pleasant. It disturbs me that these people have rolled over for Donald Trump. Where are their critical thinking skills? Trump was found responsible in a legit legal proceeding for sexual assault. Judge Kaplan clarified that the word "rape" would be appropriate "based on the common understanding of the word." 

So an adjudicated rapist makes his followers gaga with enthusiasm out here amidst the coyotes. Gaga among the red state types filling up the pews in so many of our churches. Gaga to the extent that we might seriously wonder if these people have put DJT ahead of God and Jesus. I really do wonder. 

 

Female factor

We can assume that half the people in the 7th District are women. Kamala Harris is the one campaigning for women's reproductive health rights. That has got to break through and resonate with some of the women. Perhaps a large number of the women? 

But the real conservative couples such as what I presume exists in the Apostolic churches will have the man making the decision. Making the decision on who to vote for. Might some of the women defy that? 

Democrats also make it easier with their programs to benefit young parents. Don't you think that would score points? Shouldn't all senior citizens be scared as heck of "Project 2025" of the Heritage Foundation? You can't be so naive as to think MAGA Republicans have not signed up for Project 2025. That's even if they have created a little plausible deniability for themselves. Trump claims to not be familiar with it. Maybe you think he will never tell a lie about anything. I believe Nicolle Wallace who says "Trump lies easier than he breathes." 

It is so demonstrable. 

 

Ted Storck

Ted Storck weighs in

I went to our Morris library Tuesday to look at new Morris paper. Letter to editor from Ted Storck. I might really like the guy if he hadn't dragged the community through the "cemetery chimes." Or maybe I really should point my finger at City of Morris officials who I think could have prevented that whole thing. 

Oh, Storck "donated" the chimes. Let's back off because of that, right? A member of the cemetery board told me the whole argument for the chimes was that it was a donation. "Didn't cost us anything." I'll name-drop: Jim Morrison. You don't suppose his penny-pinching instinct emerged, do you? Can't say no to anything free? 

Jim's family ended up pretty generous with the University of Minnesota for $. Bless the memory of Helen Jane. She inspired me to do the same kind of thing. Wouldn't have done it without her. I'll wager that Jim on his own would not have done it! Just a wager. I have some background. 

Donors to the U might start wondering if these gestures are really going to be borne out with a reasonable level of vitality shown by our local institution. Anyone with a functioning brain would have to wonder about that. The wrecking ball is coming at St. Cloud State. The institution will survive at least for the foreseeable future. I wonder if their new top administrator is a specialist in overseeing institutions headed to their demise - his job will be to make the process as smooth as possible. He talks up the new "open space." When open space is all you're left selling, well. . . 

But SCSU has quite good athletic amenities including a still-new (2004) football stadium, even though the school cut football! Amazing. 

What about our campus here in Morris, bastion for liberal arts? I'll be blunt as is my wont: Are we out-dated? 

 

Shopped around

The cemetery chimes are long-gone from Morris. An insider back in the day told me that Mr. Storck at first offered the chimes to UMM and UMM said "no." The guy had to shop around some more. Then he found a taker in the cemetery board which just had to accept something "for free." 

East Side Park stage

Similar: A Morris family "donated" the stage building at East Side Park. How generous. But once these gestures are made, whatever gets created needs maintenance. And maintenance can be expensive. Can we assume that donors don't supply $ for this? And the Killoran stage over the last few years has had close to zero use. I'd say "negligible" but that might imply more usage than really exists. 

The chimes at the cemetery caused angst for so many people, the City of Morris should have formally apologized for putting us through it, because I think it was a "nuisance." A man's home is his castle. 

I thought it depressing and strange that some of the pro-chimes people through their letters suggested that the real question was the merits of the music! 

I remember one letter writer saying of the critics "are you atheists?" I'll use one of Sue Dieter's favorite words: the question was "asinine." I personally hate the word "asinine," just like "niggardly." But maybe Jim Morrison is "niggardly?"

Ted Storck's letter in this week's paper refers to "Michell Bachmann." He misspelled the first name, and also I think he might have been referring to Michelle Fischbach.

 

Addendum: Re. that Kamala bumper sticker on my car, I covered it up with duct tape because I feared the reaction all around Morris might be visceral. I choose to have breakfast at DeToy's Restaurant often.

 

Addendum #2: I quote here an email I sent to Jim Morrison on July 21:

 

Jim - We are deluged with political talk from all angles but there is only one thing that sticks out with me: Trump's statement that he wants "influence" with the Federal Reserve. And as I pointed out in a comment to Yahoo! News, we can assume that Trump would never use his influence to encourage a Fed rate INCREASE. Never. 

RIGHT AT THE PRESENT Trump is saying the Fed shouldn't cut, and you aren't all children, are you? You know why he's saying that? A Fed rate cut right before the election helps the incumbent party. So Trump is anathema to that, but wait until he gets power. 

Someone responded to me, predictably, saying the president cannot control the Fed. There is wiggle room there. I remember the CNN anchor who said during Trump's first term "it is unclear if the president can remove the chair of the Fed." So obviously, given Trump's demonstrated lust for power, he will try. He can remove the Fed chair "for cause." Well then he'll develop an argument there's "cause." Or his lawyers will. Powell shows such bad judgment he must have cognitive issues - something like that. 

Trump gets his way as in getting Roe vs. Wade wiped out. There were skeptics before that who said Trump couldn't accomplish that, then he did.

So the billionaires like Elon Musk want rock-bottom interest rates. But their interests are not the same as for the rest of us, are they?

One of my favorite economic commentators, Michael Boldenaro, noted why the boomer generation has been in such good shape to retire. He said it was because they took advantage of "compound interest" back in the day. That is gone now.

I feel so offended by Bremer Bank in Morris. They are almost rude if I ask about a savings account like a CD, then they turn around and send me a letter promoting a "credit card." So that's all they're in business for, that and ag loans. In the long-ago past Mom and I had 5-year CDs from Bremer paying monthly interest, no sweat to ask for. Pat Kieffer would wait on us. Those days are gone.

 

What if Trump succeeds in getting interest rates pushed down to zero, against the better judgment of the Fed people? What will happen to us all? The financial media of course will say it's great!

- BW

Slow time of summer ends with the fair

I used to consider the period between Prairie Pioneer Days and the county fair to be the slowest of the year here. The quiet nature of it all made it seem refreshing. Then we'd all be ready for the pace of life to pick up again. 

Fewer of us will remember when the Stevens County Fair was quite small compared to today. No Lee Center. The Lee Center really had a transforming effect. But the increased vitality goes beyond that. If I had to estimate when the low point of the fair was, I'd say about 1977. 

From 1976 to 1980 we had the "malaise" years of the Jimmy Carter presidency. Interesting, because I don't think Carter even used that word himself. And it's probably unfair to lay the blame for a dispirited epoch at the doorstep of one person. 

Never mind that Carter liked telling a story about having once been in a rowboat in a swamp down South when a threatening rabbit started swimming toward him. An alligator would have been more plausible. 

Carter must be wondering if he is ever going to die. The Drudge Report gave attention a while back to a story about how "euthanasia of old people" may be coming worldwide. The thought is not patently outlandish. When people are in a group and begin exchanging stories about people they know in a nursing home, it makes you wonder, to at least think a little. 

Carter should not have been brought to his wife Rosalynn's funeral IMHO. Did you see it? 

I was acquainted with someone locally who was not even brought to her grandson's ordination as a minister. The ordination was in Morris and she lived within a close distance. "She wouldn't have known who he was," I heard someone say. 

So I'll repeat: you hear stories of this type when visiting with friends and someone brings it up. This happened to me recently when I was at McDonald's. 

It is easy to beat up on Jimmy Carter now. That is because he is/was a Democrat. His Democratic Party was more mainstream back in the day. A Republican would have to be at least "part RINO" to succeed. We might all immediately think of Bob Dole. A great man obviously and WWII veteran. Think of what you heard the last few days from the Republican national convention. Or, from the annual CPAC conference. They would project venom against Dole just like they're doing with the Cheney family now. 

Times change, which is how we can appreciate the Stevens County Fair going from rather ragtag - I'm tempted to say "pathetic" - to what it is now, really pretty big-time. We can really be proud of it. We'd hear putdown lines about the fair in the '70s. But remember the tenor of that '70s decade - really lots of cynicism which I would have to feel would come as a shock for today's young people. 

Ah, the young people who walk to and fro looking down at their "phones." None of that in the 1970s. "How did you get by?" people ask today. Our answer: "We just did." 

 

"Bookends"

The bookends of Prairie Pioneer Days and the county fair are an outdated way of looking at life in Morris. The summer PPD just up and died. Most other communities have stuck with their summer festivals. It's as if no one cared in Morris. I point this out because I'm always kind of a contrarian in Morris. Often I have been derided as "negative." 

Yes I'm negative because I like pointing out that the summer PPD was like a triumph for Morris through many years. We could be like Glenwood with its longstanding "Waterama." Now I am negative because I contradict our Chamber of Commerce which decided we didn't need the hassle of PPD. People wanted to just go to their lake places on summer weekends. But a lot of people in Morris cannot do that or are not interested in doing that. 

Ah, a good share of the community "leaders" are well-heeled, can do whatever they want. 

When the fair arrives, we know we can detect a "nip in the air" at night which indicates that fall is near. In past times we'd drive along East 7th Street and see the high school football team practicing for the new season: another big sign of the change of seasons. 

You look at the old school property now and it's hard to imagine it was once the school site. It's impossible to imagine the actual school building standing there on the west end of it. Man, if the walls of that place could talk. The boomer generation went through there. Much of the boomer generation had to worry about the Vietnam war. For the boys the war could mean losing their life at a tender young age. And for what? Nothing. 

Crazy as Donald Trump seems today, I'd suggest that nothing was worse than what Lyndon Johnson put us through. 

An important final note: I may be risking my own personal safety and livelihood if I continue criticizing Trump. The "retribution" has started. People who have made offhand tasteless comments since the assassination attempt are losing their jobs overnight. We saw news reports about this last week. The comments may have been tasteless but this is commonplace through American life in overheated moments. 

But people are now losing their jobs and it is life-changing. 

Glenn Youngkin

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin joked about the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi. Youngkin was pressured to send a handwritten letter of apology to Nancy. But he was not forced to resign as governor of Virginia. When we criticize Trump or anything associated with him, the consequences can be catastrophic. So I might have to refrain from now on. 

One thing that happens with totalitarian governments, is that you lose your freedom of speech. It has started. 

My goal will simply be to live as long as I can. Let me repeat: The biggest risk with Trump is when he takes over the Federal Reserve. This will surely happen. Billionaires want nothing more than to have interest rates pushed down to near-zero or zero again. Get ready for new significant waves of inflation. Are you prepared? Do you have the stomach for it?

Addendum: Recalling the summer iteration of PPD, we might readily remember the Killoran stage at the park. I think people would suggest that was the highlight time of year for the stage. Can you name for me another time when it gets used? The Morris Community Church used to use it on summer weekends. Then the church went out of existence - strange really. Why couldn't the church keep using the high school auditorium? Were they charged too much rent? I'm sure those were the kind of people who'd be real gentle using the facility. 

Killoran stage at park

Now we have the Killoran stage and the aluminum bleachers all set up there for what purpose exactly? I can't think of a single thing. I think we should have a city task force looking into the utility of the building - it's not just a stage it's a building and it requires upkeep funding. Yes, from the city taxpayers. Painting touch-up, shingle replacement, things like that. I have observed this work being done. 

An outdoor stage is a saleable idea for a community. Maybe ours should be out further from residential neighborhoods. Just think out by the boondoggle softball complex or the boondoggle water treatment plant or even the horticulture garden. 

And is the hort. garden being managed by volunteers now? I walked up there recently and there aren't as many flower plots as there used to be. They will send you a letter at the end of the year talking about how desperate they are for $. Last year for the first time I passed on that appeal. 

As for supporting the U of M, I have mixed thoughts. Will we start to see buildings torn down on campus like what is happening on a widespread scale at St. Cloud State? Closures and demolition? Do we really need "barns" on the UMM campus? Barns are a total throwback. And you know what they say: nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Addendum #2:

From an email I sent to Warrenn Anderson this morning (Sunday):

Team USA of women's basketball lost to Caitlin Clark's team last night!!! Wow. Until this year I would have not paid any attention to the game. I watched it live last night. Lately Clark is developing more of a reputation for assists than points. She and Angel Reese worked together spectacularly last night.

Cheryl Reeve coaches Team USA. She had a bias for the older players. However, her mandate was to assemble the most competitive team, at least that's my understanding.

I worry about Caitlin sometimes like how she might develop the "yips" for her long-range shooting.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Coach Cheryl Reeve delivers a downer

Coach Cheryl Reeve

We are in the summer of the women's basketball renaissance. Is "renaissance" the right word? Let's see: "A renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc." Well we could talk about burgeoning growth. I know the definition of "burgeoning." 

Sports can evolve like any organism. And money gets quite into the picture. It is mid-July and the WNBA has finally reached its mid-season break. Whew! It is having some growing pains, what was quite to be expected. 

Our own WNBA coach here in Minnesota lost her cool. I could forgive her for that to an extent. Emotions can overwhelm all of us in sports. 

I wrote about high school and college sports for many years in the community press. How I know the truth about that. 

The organism of high school sports is changing. We're saying hello to high school soccer this fall in Morris. Quite the new chapter. I would be quite focused on it, were I still a member of the commercial press. I would write about it with a little hyperbole which would be my wont. I behaved this way at the advent of UMM soccer. The program is so well-established now, we might lose sight of when it was groundbreaking. 

One of my traits is that I have a good memory and I find it important to remember past events and strides. Even with a sense of drama. Yes I was wont to project as much in my community press days. Why treat anything like it's merely routine? Life is too short. 

Sports is the toy department of the press. For society as a whole it is escapism. For the athletes it is business, if not literally so, then in a very real sense anyway. Because the kids know the games aren't played in the media or the imagination of fans. Fans experience it vicariously, deluding themselves into thinking they can really relate to the players. A sad delusion. 

Football fans have for decades overlooked the health dangers presented for the young people out there. Even when reminded of such, they try to avoid thinking about it, or to pretend that the concerns are overblown. You see, football means too much to them as entertainment. It is their escape from the stress and tensions and even boredom - let's lump it together as "ennui" - in their lives. 

Abandoning all that calls for change. Change disrupts us. 

So, can Morris get in the swing with boys soccer? Can the sport take hold with decent roster numbers? It is July and the time is nigh. 

But wait a minute, something is quite different about this July. Hey sports fans, we can demote baseball a little. We are making room for women's basketball. And isn't this just a sea change? Have y'all internalized it yet? Maybe not. In the short term you'll look up the next Indiana Fever game, right? When in the past have you ever been in the habit of doing such? I'll suggest "never." 

I personally saw the birth of high school girls basketball at my prep alma mater, MHS here in Motown. I'm thinking that 1971-72 was the first year. Can't be far off. I remember Leatrice Tomoson as a pioneer. And I'm sad to realize how much better and well-known "Leets" would be if she were coming up today in the better-developed world of girls basketball. 

Girls and women's basketball has been around a long time now. There has been so much time for further inroads to be made, yet it appears our current spring/summer of 2024 is the breakthrough time. 

The stage was set with the NCAA Tournament. Iowa made the championship game in back-to-back seasons, and fair or not, became the banner carrier for all that is going on. Unfair maybe in the sense that placing second means there was a higher-achieving team. Some people invoke race. Sad if true. And c'mon it's probably true. The preponderance of white fans can relate better to the white bread team of Iowa I guess. 

Aliyah Boston

The effect has been to lift up all of women's hoops. This means that Caitlin Clark's teammate with the Indiana Fever, Aliyah Boston, African-American, is becoming a household name just like Caitlin. 

Hallelujah! Let's all get on board. 

But what about our Minnesota Lynx? A lump of coal for coach Cheryl Reeve, please. She has done such a good job getting her Lynx to be one of the better WNBA teams. Her creds are quite underscored by being the Team USA coach. So I wish she could project an underlying feeling of joy at all times. 

Prior to this season I would not have been interested in reading any quotes from the Lynx coach. Reeve should be jumping up and clicking her heels together over the state of affairs in women's hoops. She should be pinching herself! You're not dreaming, coach Reeve.

 

Really? In July?

Well, the Indiana Fever came to Target Center on Sunday. A total marquee sports event, and basketball in July! Front and center? It was, 100 percent. The Paris Olympics begin later this month. 

Coach Reeve, speaking in advance about the Sunday game and the likelihood of a pro-Indiana crowd at Target Center, said of that likelihood "I don't give two shits." She was pressed further on the matter. Showing flashing wit once again - not - Reeve said "I don't give one shit." 

Ish. 

The fans were going to admire Clark not just for her rarefied air talents, but because she played college ball at our neighbor to the south, Iowa. And BTW Iowa is getting loaded with talent for next season. So much so, I think it'll be impossible for the new coach (Jensen) to distribute playing time to the players' satisfaction. I can't help but note that Iowa is going from a heterosexual head coach to a gay coach. Significant? I'll not proclaim that here, but maybe in my own mind. . . 

Who coaches for the University of Minnesota? I cannot name even one Gopher player. Just think if we had the U of Iowa program here in Minnesota. No such luck. 

The U of M overall is having lots of headaches these days. What do you suppose the new U president has been told behind closed doors about the "coordinate campuses?" I don't think Rochester is a problem because that community is headed for boom times. 

Morris? Crookston? 

Our own campus has students that do not pay tuition, the Indians. The campus might be a hard enough sell even without that limitation. Money is the mother's milk. For sports and for college. Morris looks remote indeed. And keep in mind the coyotes howling at night out here!

Addendum: Forcing our MAHS boys to choose between football and cross country has been a profound disservice to them. Cross country has never been a legitimate option for so many of the boys, boys who are too large to ever have any hope of excelling in cross country. The two sports are night and day. Size is tremendously important in football and a total hindrance in cross country. Even I was too big to ever do well in cross country. It is a sport for the small and wispy types. 

Now the boys have soccer available. Way too belated. I hope there is a major switchover from football to soccer.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Why should shooting affect election?

I feel concern for my self-esteem. The extent to which western Minnesota has turned "red" politically is shocking. I suppose my evidence is anecdotal. People with whom I circulate gravitate red and worse than that, want to hear absolutely nothing about dissents to that position. They'll treat you like a nuisance for them. They'll smile in a manner that suggests you're forlorn. 

One by one the breaks are falling into place for MAGA to seize power. Western Minnesota can be pleased at least at the outset. But since when has MAGA and its person at the top ever been known to return favors? Loyalty means nothing to the person at the top. The first big-time politician to step forward for Trump was Jeff Sessions. I remember the news clip of Sessions literally pulling on his MAGA cap in front of Trump. All smiles. 

Later Sessions made the professional decision to recuse himself on the Russia matter. He has been a total non-entity in Republican circles since. Trump himself poked fun at Sessions' appearance just like a seventh grade bully would. And hardly anyone on his side seems to care. 

Maybe Trump chose J.D. Vance precisely because Vance thought it appropriate at one time to compare Trump to Hitler. Yes, I think maybe Trump likes the comparison. The more pertinent question for me now, is whether people I know locally continue to be just fine with all that. To salute Trump. To smile at any mention of skepticism about him. A smile that says "we don't hear you, you just amuse us." 

And now we have the new positive break for Trump. His miraculous escape from death in the shooting incident. Blood on his face. Fist raised: perfect pose for a painting that could become famous, just like Washington crossing the Delaware. I seem to recall reading there was some artistic license with the Washington painting. Seems that the Father of our Country was actually seated in the boat and huddled under a jacket. Oh, wisely of course. Protect against illness. 

The myths of history abound, n'est-ce pas? Washington ended up a literal hero. What if the independence move had been defeated at least in the short term? Notice how our schools don't give much attention to the War of 1812? Ahem. It did not go so well for America. But we did stay independent. 

It is dispiriting this morning (Wednesday) to hear about consequences for people who say in an offhand way that maybe the sniper vs. Trump should have succeeded. We definitely could have expected some people to react in this way. Not sure if it would be reflective of their real feelings, maybe just one of those kneejerk impulses of the moment. 

Should a person lose his job? If the comment is made completely outside of work?

So there are some dissenters from MAGA out there, maybe even out here in Morris where we hear the coyotes at night. 

We believe in frontier individualism. Or so we might proclaim. The kind of unfettered spirit so glorified on the big screen now with Kevin Costner's new movie. Ahem, the movie is not doing particularly well. But as if we needed another reminder from Hollywood, the movie shows how the gallant gunslinging men who headed West carved out the new nation. Were not really hospitable to the Natives. 

And to be truthful, the biggest development for truly advancing the West was the Hoover Dam. Yes, a big government project. That's a detail that the MAGA extremists would not wish to acknowledge. 

Such folks are totally feeling their oats now. Yes, a failed assassination attempt may alter the course of U.S. affairs in a far-reaching way. Because, Trump if elected will truly try to seize as much power as he can. He has said so and he means it. 

He says he wants "influence" with the Federal Reserve. This is the one danger point that I try to point out more than any other. It goes in one ear and out the other. Perhaps I'm branded as eccentric. And so my self-esteem suffers. 

The billionaire class would like nothing more than an interest rate at zero. The consequences could be much different for the masses of common folks. Already we have seen this mantra set in, of "we need interest rate cuts." It is constant. And of course the major risk with low interest rates is inflation, could give way to hyper-inflation, and that's what set the stage for the bad stuff that happened for Germany in the mid-20th Century. 

I could almost scream that we should not allow that to happen here. There is no free lunch. Interest rates exist for a reason, they are not just "bad." 

We read today on Yahoo! News that DJT "literally dodged a bullet Saturday." The article continues: "But the attempt on his life has already had unintended consequences both profoundly tragic and deeply ironic." The article points out that the effect of the incident is to wipe out the "dump Joe Biden movement." People on the left are now afraid of "any big move that will throw more uncertainty and friction into the race." History impacted, yes. The currents are suddenly affected by something out of the blue. 

Here is a comment that I posted to Yahoo! News this morning:

 

How strange the times we are in when an assassination attempt, however disturbing it was, is now seen as the major new propulsion for the intended victim becoming president again. These are two different matters. And for some to make a divine inference from the incident, strange, but Trump had most of that element behind him already.

 

"Otto" liked my comment. Wasn't that the name of the inflatable "autopilot" in the first "Airplane" movie. "And don't call me Shirley."

I write more on the subject on my companion blog "Morris of Course." The link:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/07/its-now-lock-for-djt-being-president.html 

 

Addendum: I do not think that Trump's ear was struck by a bullet. I think he got cut from a shard of glass from his teleprompter. A bullet grazing past his ear, contacting it, would have done more damage. I wondered immediately how Trump could get a streak of blood across his face. 

If I had a job in this community, good chance I'd lose it just for sharing the kind of thoughts I have today, both on this blog site and my companion. Incidents are in the news of people getting in trouble here and there. They have shared an opinion completely outside of work but they appear to be in trouble anyway, although I think a good lawyer could help them. 

Remember the failed assassination attempt against Hitler. And Trump's VP selection has compared Trump to Hitler. Trump may not care as he may be aspiring to be Hitler redux.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

We had Luther's Eatery at the park

It is Sunday morning and I do believe it would be Day 2 of Prairie Pioneer Days in an earlier time in Morris. Definitely a sense of something important going on. A sense of exhaustion from yesterday maybe. 

I remember when First Lutheran decided not to have the usual coffee hour downstairs and sent people to the park instead. Rolls and coffee there. First Lutheran had its "Luther's Eatery" of course. Did you know that Martin Luther was one of the worst anti-Semites in world history? His language contributed to the holocaust. I try to overlook this as I continue being an ELCA Lutheran. 

Political conservatives look down on us ELCAers. This led to the creation of the church just outside of Morris on the north end. I can walk past the trees at the rear of my property and see the steeple. I guess the steeple was installed after the building was moved to Morris from south of Alberta. I heard of quite the hefty pricetag for the steeple. I might object but so what? 

Is the steeple sort of golden calf? Well, I probably shouldn't ask that. 

My family attended lutefisk suppers in the fall when the building was south of Alberta, quintessentially rural. And that became a problem with demographic shifts. 

I'm sure the conservative churches are moving mountains to encourage prayers for Donald Trump today.

So it's Sunday and I can imagine myself with Mom and Dad at East Side Park for rolls and coffee. Not sure why the community needed to end the tradition at the park. Traditions do give way to new ways of doing things. 

And on the subject of change, we might give scrutiny to St. Cloud State as a microcosm for higher education, at least the old brick and mortar model for higher ed. What a much different world we have today compared to when UMM was like a fawn trying to stand up for the first time in 1960. The fawn found its legs. Then it lost its spots. Then it bounded about with zest. 

The wildlife analogy is apt because of where we are situated out here in western Minnesota, n'est-ce pas? So I must ask: Is that a liability? Is my imaginary deer nearing the end of its lifespan? 

Just take a look to the east of here: The sky is falling at St. Cloud State. Who could have imagined it getting this bad? I fault the State of Minnesota for allowing the process to become so embarrassing. And what might this indicate for our own publily-funded college? Inquiring minds want to know. 

 

The old parade

Sunday of PPD, day of the big parade of course. The parade route lined with chairs leading up. Confined to our memory now. Remember the giant Coborn's "shopping cart" in parade? Remember Coborn's? Was the town better off with two full-service grocery stores? Again, inquiring minds. 

Museum should have an exhibit on the old PPD at park. Remember Jack Fuchs giving carriage rides?

Many other towns continue on with their summer celebration events. We have the old standby county fair on our calendar. We might look forward to the welcome UMM picnic also. That would be at East Side Park just like the old PPD. What does the stage get used for there now? It costs the city $ to maintain that building. 

I express more PPD nostalgia on my 'Morris of Course" blog site. The headline is "Do you need reminding of this void?" It's the midsummer void with no PPD. Oh and I might add, there is a void of activity at the park stage now that we no longer have the Morris Community Church. I remember the days of Sunday morning music wafting over from that place, so pleasant. I'd be at my Sun Tribune office. Those days are gone too. Sigh. I invite you to read:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/07/do-you-need-reminding-of-this-void.html 

 

Heard at church coffee this morning:

Democrats came six inches away from winning yesterday.

 

Touching base

I broach the St. Cloud topic in an email I sent to Del Sarlette a few days ago:

 

Del - Well, the news about St. Cloud State has gotten so bad now, it is almost comical. Buildings are set to be torn down. Holy mackerel. Sherburne Hall? Big dorm that has stood out on skyline. Education building? Incredible. And the new president just talks about how more "open space" will be nice.

So I think it's ironic that UMM is lobbying to get funds for the elevator for the multi-ethnic place.

I sent an email to Liz Morrison yesterday. I wondered if the HFA could be designated for closure or even demolition here in Morris. The "albatross" building. Huge hallway, too-small recital hall. While our public school has the opulent "concert hall." Stranger than fiction, really.

 

Boon for Morrison Center?

Well, I'll share here the email I sent to Liz too! The Morrisons and my Williams family are both UMM benefactors. I will never look back re. this. The U has given my family everything, although I did sock away a little $ when I was with the Morris newspaper, incidentally owned by the Morrisons. I can say with confidence that Jim Morrison and I walked away from the newspaper with a fair amount of $ legitimately gained of course. Not everyone left there with $ legitimately gained but that's a whole other topic.

I mention Tony Hansen in my email to Liz because he's a MHS 1971 grad just like Liz. Yours truly is '73. My email was titled "Boon for Morrison Center?"

 

Hello Liz - I still have not heard if the new U president plans a visit out here soon.

We can't help but be a little nervous now as we see the sky falling at St. Cloud State, another publicly-funded school. We'd all like to think UMM is blessed being part of the U. Maybe that's true, maybe it's overblown. The U has gotten a pretty serious black eye with the retracted research reports recently. "Retraction" is pretty serious. And research is supposed to be the U's trump card for selling itself.

Anyway, this morning I researched more about St. Cloud and was astounded at the plans for razing certain buildings. Sherburne Hall? That's a big residence hall, built like a high rise apt. building, the most distinctive feature on the skyline. Gone soon. And these plans are set in stone. The education building? Again I am astounded. Historically education majors have been important at SCSU and this building seemed very important. Other buildings are on list too, and the best that the new president can spin it, is that all the new "open space" will be nice. He actually said that.

Our wonderful UMM campus

So now I turn my thoughts to UMM. Our enrollment trend has reflected SCSU. I have heard of no plans to demolish buildings here. In fact there is a push to get an elevator for the multi-ethnic building. Has that been decided upon yet? That's a very small building. Whatever goes on there, could be moved somewhere else on campus.

I can't help but think of the HFA, that monstrous building with the freakish design, was maybe fashionable once like in the 1970s. Huge hallway but with a recital hall that is too small for major concerts. Meanwhile our public school has the concert hall. Amazing. I could easily envision a proposal to shut down the HFA. Where would those activities go? Well, the same place as in UMM's earliest days: Edson i.e. Morrison Center. In fact, the Morrison Center might become more prominent than ever due to this. I attended many music concerts there and even one or two theater productions. Where would music be housed? How about back at the multi-ethnic building which would be re-purposed. Some sort of multi-ethnic office would be established somewhere else on campus.

I would not rule out some sort of drastic announcement about UMM in the next few months. If the sky is totally falling at St. Cloud, we cannot rule it out here. If anything, the U might want to shift its resources to Rochester, and why not? The place is booming with population and development.

You maybe know Tony Hansen teaches meteorology at St. Cloud State. He's been spared.

Here's a link to article about St. Cloud State plans with buildings:

https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/education/2024/07/11/scsu-campus-st-cloud-mn-to-see-demolitions-greenspace-new-facilities/74365597007/

Continuing. . .

I touched base too with fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson. And why not bring up the softball complex again? Here we go:

  

Hello Warrenn - Caribou Coffee is running pretty efficiently these days. They aren't short-handed as much.

I asked Sharon Martin if complaints had been heard about lack of fan seating at softball complex and she said "yes." I would be shocked if people weren't raising this issue. The Minnewaska fans came over here for the sub-section, and I wonder what they think of the place. Their athletic director gets paid $40,000 more a year than ours, or so I've heard. But our softball team beat them 15-0. Then again, their girls basketball team beat us by over 40 points. I feel sorry for Kaylee Harstad because she had the potential to do better. The whole team did. Lost in first round of tourney. Any time team loses in first round, adm. can consider shaking things up IMHO. It's nothing personal.

You asked a good question about how UMM's specific interests were served by the softball complex. I have told you this before, but the pre-existing UMM softball field was superior to what's there now. The fence was short enough that an average adult could watch clearly from over the top. Also the bleacher seating was generous. That field had the brick dugouts with "Cougars" painted on the back. I watched softball there. It's on my daily walking route so I would happen upon it. I also happened upon UMM softball at Big Cat Field when the spring weather was winter-like. I was surprised how good that experience was. I had Erin look into whether the Tigers would be eligible to play softball there and she said "yes" but personally I still have some doubts. She would not have wanted to tell me "no." I wonder if she even asked. Has Mary Holmberg pushed for this?

I'm still concerned that the newest of the fields at the complex has the batters facing the sun too much. That's where the old UMM field was, and that field was configured differently. I'm sure the previous field was planned with the sun angle in mind, whereas the new one had to have home plate close to the "press box."

The Wells Park fields were a superior place for watching softball compared to the complex.

So, "how are ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm" when the U of M has a branch in rapidly-growing Rochester? Oh I'm sure that campus has ambitious lobbyists! Star Trib had recent article on projected huge growth of Rochester in next two decades. The state has to recognize this and be sensitive to it. How much "clout" do we have out here where we can hear coyote packs at night? 

 

Addendum: 

Sharon Martin recently had her wonderful dog "Goldy" pass away. It is uniquely crushing to lose a pet of course. I'm saddened as I realize I will no longer greet "Goldy" out along the biking/walking trail. I'd shout out "Goldy!" as we came from opposite directions. Sharon unleashed Goldy and then the canine would scamper toward me. I'll never forget.

"All dogs go to heaven." We will miss you "Goldy." 

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com