Girls succumb to Thunder Hawks, Koenen

My thermometer shows 32 degrees as I begin this Tiger sports review. Shall I consider wearing sandals when I go out to the mailbox? Well, that's a stretch. As a practical matter I could do it. But let's not all get carried away. There is so much left of winter. A "reprieve" of slightly above zero doesn't go that far. 

So it's Wednesday, biscuits-and-gravy morning at DeToy's Restaurant, and we're looking at the results of Tuesday night girls hoops. It was not a winning night for the Tigers. It was a winning night for the Thunder Hawks of Montevideo, score of 61-45. Monte cruises along with the quite fine won-lost record of 9-1. 

A lot of their success has been due to Avery Koenen. On Tuesday this T-Hawk put in 22 points. Her performance was nicely complemented by Tenley Epema with 16 and Hailey Dirksen with 12. There is another Epema on the Monte roster, Teagan, and she scored six. Then we see the Foley girls, Keely with five points and Kiera with three.

(The individual totals from the Willmar paper add up to 64 points, not 61.)

The T-Hawks used 3-point shooting in no small way. Tenley Epema led that charge with four makes. Teagan Epema was on board with long-rangers, two makes. Dirksen also made two 3's, and these T-Hawks each made one: Kiera Foley, Koenen and Keely Foley. 

Koenen led in rebounds with five followed by Teagan Epema with three. Keely Foley and Koenen each dished out four assists. Tenley Epema supplied three assists. Koenen had two steals. Tenley Epema and Koenen each blocked a shot. 

Our kmrs-kkok site reported that our Tigers "hung tough all night." I know it's important to try to supply a positive "spin." I can read minds sometimes. I don't doubt that MACA showed competitive qualities at times, but we lost the game by 16 points. A coach acquaintance once gave some advice on writing about simple losses: "give credit to the opposing team." OK, sounds reasonable. 

Meredith Carrington was a bright spot in the MACA performance: 21 points including four three-pointers. Quite the deadeye. Cate Kehoe made our other '3'. Maddy Grove supplied ten points. Kehoe finished with five points and Kaylee Harstad with four. Hannah Schultz and Sydney Dietz each provided two points and Shannon Dougherty one. 

The kmrs-kkok coverage notes that Monte is ranked fourth. Monte led 29-23 at halftime.

 

Hancock 52, Tigers 35

The January 8 action for the MACA girls was at the UMM P.E. Center. An intra-county rivalry was renewed: Tigers vs. Owls. Morris is the significantly larger community but that has long seemed irrelevant. The Tigers fell to the Hancock Owls 52-35. 

We failed to contain Kaitlyn Rohloff of the Owls. Rohloff scored 15 first half points, 17 for the game. She was team-high in points. Misti Zempel had a point output of 13. Carlee Hanson came through with nine and she complemented that stat with five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Tori Pahl collected eight rebounds while scoring six points. 

Hancock is rolling over many opponents this season. The proud Owls came out of Saturday at 10-0. 

The Tiger cause was led by Cate Kehoe with eleven points, five rebounds and three steals. Sydney Dietz contributed eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Maddy Grove scored seven points.

 

Where's the spark?

It is useless for me to try to function as a community leader here - embedded biases against me - but aren't we seeing a drop-off in lots of things? We're left with this useless conflict between the City of Morris and the Chamber of Commerce over Prairie Pioneer Days. Who is responsible for PPD? 

The bigger issue is why we would let our midsummer community gathering just wither away. Doesn't it just seem embarrassing on the most fundamental level? I have so many memories stored away of PPD, right from its germination. I saw it decline in some ways, but did not think this was a death spiral. 

It does appear that last summer's "Makers Art Festival" might be the prelude for something special. I am told it will return. So, the Chamber just doesn't give a rip. I was struck by the very impressive support for "Makers" from the local Hispanics. 

There is potential with this event. Artists doing art? Musicians doing music? How can you beat that? So the Killoran stage might be used, if only for 1-2 days the whole year. 

There was no food vendor for the first "Makers," but maybe that could change. Might "Luther's Eatery" come back? I never dreamt that all the old sights and sounds of Prairie Pioneer Days would just vanish. The Museum should solicit photos and put up an exhibit. 

So the UMM Jazz Festival is now history too? It was once famous. I'll quote here an email I sent to a friend last night, a friend who I consider to be civic-conscious:

 

Recently in connection with the death of Jim Carlson, I gleaned the knowledge that the UMM Jazz Festival is not going to be revived. I have this on good authority. Maybe UMM adm. would say decision is on hold or whatever, but I take it as fact, would not surprise me. In its heyday the Jazz Fest was the No. 1 thing "putting Morris on the map." Remember how enthused U of M President Bruininks was about it? He's a real mover and shaker with U $. So apparently the Fest is no more, and is anyone making an issue of it, other than me? First we saw Prairie Pioneer Days die, and now we have this ridiculous issue of the City and Chamber sparring with each other. Marshall at the radio station is just assuming that the city is right and the Chamber is wrong. But it's kind of discouraging. So PPD dies, the UMM Jazz Fest is apparently dead, and the Community Thanksgiving dinner died too. Kind of a pattern. I got through Thanksgiving Day with a large Mountain Dew and a couple donuts from Casey's, plus some "Boost" supplement. I don't have my refrigerator connected. 

The UMM music dept. is having an NDSU graduate student take over jazz band now. The No. 1 choice for the job turned it down because of an insufficient salary offer. I have sources who enlighten me on all this. The wind ensemble director does not have a master's degree.

 

A limit to "selling"

Here's the view just from my perspective: I'm concerned that UMM is using promo/PR as a substitute for real programs and events, things that cost money but that create excitement and build constituencies to support the institution. 

So UMM hires Sue Dieter to do what Sue Dieter does, I guess it's in the Relations Department. My Bonanza Valley friend describes Sue as "arrogant and aloof." 

Think of the priceless asset that the UMM Jazz Fest represented in its long heyday. Today we learn of Carlson's death and see no acknowledgement of this in the local commercial media, none at all. The Morris newspaper website is merely a "teaser," not a go-to place at all. At least the Anfinsons rescued the paper from closure, so kudos to them. 

The radio station site is far more helpful. I smiled as I read Marshall's siding with the city against the Chamber of Commerce. You're not supposed to express opinions in news articles. But I guess there's an exception when you just know you're right. 

Sue Dieter told newspaper staff after I left that things would be better with me gone. Why was I there all those years, working Sundays, pounding the keyboard at 6 a.m., maybe even earlier, if I had no value? All I did was show up in the morning and I actually tried to be cheerful with people. 

Tom Larson - remember him? Maybe not - wrote an editorial that didn't mention me by name, but argued the sports reporting would be better. I delivered absolute mountains of sports reports on behalf of Stevens County teams for years and years. Even with any imperfections, it had value over the long run. 

So I'm still writing about the Tigers today, though not with pressure to cover all teams all the time and with total perfection, not a single typo. The year 2022 is the 50th anniversary of my start writing about the Tigers for the media. Fairly undaunted, I'd say. 

Tom Larson wrote the editorial suggesting that Neal Hofland led a regressive faction on the county board. Where did he get that? Gossip? I'm not aware of Larson living one day of his life in Stevens County. I guess the issue at hand was the RJC? Remember all that talk? "Regional Justice Center." Was that supposed to be in Cyrus? With a jail? Working with Pope County? Thank God it died. 

To anyone reading this: you might be surprised to learn what Sue Dieter might have said about you in a belittling way, with a snicker. I know of what I speak. She employs sarcasm.

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

Tigers handle Benson at Tiger Center

The hoops Tigers hit the ground running after the holiday break. The success helps us put aside our mid-winter blues, to be sure. We have been tested of late! Extreme cold and wind. But we like it here, right? That's what the sign said in the early years of the Metrodome. Baseball stat whiz Bill James was amused by the sign. He interpreted it to mean "we don't care what everyone else says." 

I remember Steve Carlton pitching for the Twins when that sign was in the background. "We like it here." 

Indeed, Morris sports fans could feel buoyed by the hoops success on January 6. It was a doubleheader slate for the boys and girls with Benson on the opposing end. It was a sweep for our orange and black. We dominated the Braves, and why is Benson High School still using that nickname? It is cringeworthy.

 

Boys: Tigers 79. Benson 36

What a one-sided score. Fans at Tiger Center saw twelve different Tigers put in points - share-the-wealth. We had Benson buried at halftime: a 47-10 score. We came out of the day with a 10-0 record. The Braves fell to 2-7. 

Might we see a nickname change for Benson in the near future? States are passing laws against this sort of thing. 

A different name from the usual was at the top of our scoring list: Tyler Berlinger whose point output was 15. He was a perfect five-for-five in shooting. Jackson Loge was No. 2 on this day and he, too, made all five of his field goal attempts. Jackson scored 14 points. 

Our third double figures scorer was Thomas Tiernan: 12 points on four of seven. Durgin Decker continues the list: seven points on two of four shooting. Three Tigers each scored six points: Cole Wente, Brandon Jergenson and Toby Gonnerman. Let's complete the list: Sam Kleinwolterink (4), Kyle Fehr (3), Trey Hunt (2), Evan Oberg (2) and Jack Tollefson (2). 

Our team field goal numbers were 28 of 50, 56 percent. We did pretty well from long range: nine of 20 in 3-pointers, 45 percent. Tiernan had impact here, typical for this Tiger, as he made three long-rangers. Loge made both his attempts, and these Tigers made one each: Jergenson, Gonnerman, Kleinwolterink and Fehr. 

The Tigers made 14 of 26 freethrow shots, 54 percent. We were led here by Berlinger at five-for-eight. 

We collected 33 rebounds of which 12 were offensive. Loge and Drew Storck co-led in rebounds with six. Loge showed his unselfish play with three assists among our team total 15. Berlinger came through with four of our team total 18 steals. We turned the ball over nine times. 

Blocked shots? Loge accounted for two while these mates each had one: Wente, Tiernan, Brenden Hardy and Storck.

 

Girls: Tigers 51, Benson 11

Aggressiveness! Intensity! These were surely strong suits in our MACA girls team performance on January 6 vs. Benson. The Tigers rolled over the Braves 51-11, partly on the strength of 23 steals. 

Fans at Tiger Center could also appreciate seeing the scoring balance: four team members in double figures. Is there any better way to start out the new calendar year? 

Meredith Carrington scored 16 points as she made seven of 13 shots. Maddy Grove, Kaylee Harstad and Sydney Dietz each put in ten. The rebounding charge was led by Harstad and Dietz who each had nine boards. This was win No. 4 for coach Dale Henrich's squad, against six losses. Benson was left at 1-8.

 

Attention, Morris boosters

And, who are the Morris community boosters, anyway? Do they exist? Do they exist merely in theory or on paper? Are these people in official positions who just sit there, or who are happy just acting important? But, the latter part of that is sure a rhetorical question. 

The Chamber of Commerce can't get its act together with who is responsible for Prairie Pioneer Days. I hear the Makers Art Festival is coming back this summer, so maybe we can forget about PPD anyway. And, forget about the Chamber of Commerce, naturally. The Chamber wants to blame the city and the city has had to go public to clarify its role on such matters. 

The reliable ol' Marshall at the radio station covers this with the assumption that the city is right, the Chamber of Commerce is wrong. We may all assume that Marshall is right on this, but this is a rather sad commentary. 

Oh, but more sad than all this, is the belief that the once-famous UMM Jazz Festival is permanently gone, permanently erased. It should be an issue of concern for the broader Morris community. The event used to sort of "put us on the map." If anyone cares about that anymore. 

The pandemic gave UMM the excuse to cancel Jazz Fest last year. Of course, people would have to "give a rip" to keep it going. Maybe there's a lot of people with long-haul covid who have experienced a drop in IQ points, like about seven. I suppose we could lose our focus some. Or, is it just endemic apathy? 

What? In connection to Morris? 

When summer comes, our community leaders just want to "go to the lake." What an abomination. 

I write more about the UMM music state of affairs, Jazz Fest prominent, on my companion blog, "Morris of Course." This post is another vehicle for paying tribute to the recently-deceased Jim Carlson. Maybe I'm the only one going out of his way to do this. I invite you to read my post:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/01/you-know-people-smile-when-remembering.html 

 

The grapevine indicates that the late Carlson indicated some time ago that he did not want a big deal made of his death. I assure you of one thing, though: if he were to look at the recent memorial posts I have written, posts with photos, I have NO DOUBT he would smile broadly. Laughter came easily to the two of us.

 

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

This is "winter," "Fargo" movie style

(from kmrs-kkok site)

Was it so long ago that I could shoot some hoops at the Wells Park court? We are so adaptable, us Minnesotans. Adaptable out of necessity, not that we seek the kind of pure winter weather that envelops us. 

There, I typed "envelops" and not "envelopes." Nice little test of my cognitive state. Spell-check no help on that. "Envelopes" were what we used in "old days," pre-electronic communications, the days when we'd regularly go to a bank and stand in line at a teller window. Change has been profound. Still we grapple with the certainty of the Minnesota winter with its often-grim nature, n'est-ce pas? 

Our winter today, Jan. 8, 2022, is exactly what the creators of the movie "Fargo" tried to project. We can expect a fair amount of snow by now. But in the past few days, we have gotten the "bonus" of strong winds coming out of the north (or northwest) and south. What beautiful "balance." 

My neighborhood of Northridge Drive becomes very attentive to wind effects. We are quite the target for the northwest wind as it assaults down the slope of a gradual hill to the north. Every few years, I feel curiosity about walking to the top of the hill and looking beyond. Surely there must be something interesting "beyond," right? There isn't, there is just "more of same." 

"More of same" describes so much of our rural western Minnesota countryside. I think this is partly what enthralled the makers of the movie "Fargo." Look at how the telephone poles recede into the distance, no clear landmarks in many places. A commentator on the movie remembered his own background in our state, how you'd look to the horizon in winter and it would be an ill-defined hazy blue line. 

We accept all of these traits of the season while acting upbeat around everyone we encounter. Hey, it's just another day, right? Another day in paradise? Well, another day in Minnesota. 

So this morning I said "to heck with shoveling." The effects of the south wind (out of hell) were most evident. Yes, I could have wielded a shovel. I will be 67 years old later this month. I live alone, unfortunately. Maybe my age suggests I might be a focus of some concern. So if the driveway is unattended for a couple days, perhaps time for a "welfare check?" I know one of my neighbors saw me walking home this morning. Maybe they'll start touching base with each other. 

I actually reminded one of my neighbors about three years ago that "I ran the Twin Cities Marathon three times in the 1980s." I was seeking to assure him I could always get to town and back. But, the 1980s? Olivia Newton-John times? Getting more remote to be sure, although fresh in my mind. 

Come to think of it, '70s seem rather fresh too. And my parents remembered the "big band" times of Glenn Miller. Such music was "cool" for a young generation. My late father Ralph got a chance to visit with Miller once. 

We're talking disco for the 1970s. It was escapist music designed, perhaps, to help us put aside concerns like inflation and the Vietnam war which the U.S. had lost. Inflation? It's back at the top of the news today. Losing a war? How about Afghanistan? Wars have seemed necessary to keep the wheels turning for the military industrial complex. What if the U.S. had not been forced to enter World War II? The monstrous complex might not have gotten off the ground. We would not have needed Bob Hope and Ann-Margret to entertain troops in Vietnam. 

Could we have just left Afghanistan alone? What was the pricetag? And now we see hair-pulling among Republicans about how the "build back better" plan is "too expensive." What is the purpose of our education system in America, if it produces leaders with such pea brains? 

Everything is tilted to the right politically now. Donald Trump will not go away. We hear "let's go Brandon" in church. Trump has normalized the word "fuck" whereas previously, it had an awful taint. This is how our culture evolves. 

Trump called General Mark Milley a "fucking idiot." Want to make a wager on who is more intelligent and accomplished? Trump or Milley? Have a hard time answering that question? 

So it's Saturday morning and we go about our business as if in the middle of the movie "Fargo." It's important to act like nothing is awry with the weather - that's part of being Minnesotan. Talk about the weather with some amusement. Deep down we are burdened. Don't let that come out. 

Could I run the Twin Cities Marathon today? For some reason I have no desire to even "jog." I get frustrated seeing Kevin Wohlers who is so in the spirit with jogging. I envy him. I choose instead to shoot hoops at the Wells Park court. But not this weekend.

I am putting up this post at 2:20 p.m. as the northwest wind has really whipped up again. Batten down the hatches.

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

"Did you order this weather?"

Minnesotans know we've "never seen it all" when it comes to the weather. Even lifetime Minnesotans have probably been taken aback by the weather this week. We do not bathe in pride about dealing with the weather. We simply deal with it. We have to. Do what's necessary. Then we dust ourselves off and move forward. 

Unusual aspect about this week's weather: the very strong northwest winds along with the bitterly cold temperature. The temperature usually moderates before we get a blast of wind, doesn't it? 

I often wonder why we aren't more happy with March weather. Have scratched my head over this. The simple reprieve from mid-winter cold ought to have us feeling rather giddy. In mid-winter I always resolve how I will thank God for the moderation of temperatures in early spring. Then when that time comes, we forget to feel thankful. 

My theory is that on the pleasant days in terms of temperature - maybe around 50? - a powerful wind often comes up. It neutralizes the positive effect, or trumps it, although maybe we should retreat from using the word "trump." I mean, I'm writing this on Jan. 6, the anniversary of something harrowing, at least viewed that way if you're a political moderate, i.e. someone with good sense. 

Even with the obvious staring us in the face - the harrowing, threatening nature of Jan. 6 of last year, we can't reach a good enough consensus. The Republican Party ought to get along just fine without Donald Trump. The party appeared headed in the right direction in the immediate aftermath of the riot. We might have gotten consensus on Trump not being fit to be president. We are human and can make mistakes in judgment. 

But we are seeing Republicans push back on any drifting toward consensus. Are they just too proud to admit their judgment was errant? Prior to 2016, Trump built himself up with "branding," a goal that is furthered by sheer celebrity. And that was an art where Trump felt most comfortable. Sad thing, is that people who become masters of this can be horribly artificial. They manufacture a public persona. It is a talent but one that can have dangerous consequences. 

This is illustrated in prime form with Trump's ascendance to the presidency. Did he even want it? He had no credentials. Many of his backers said all the more power to him. To heck with knowing what you're doing, eh? Such as, knowing there is a time to reach compromise with those across the aisle for the betterment of the American people. 

Trump rails about RINOs among GOPers, as if only the hard right course is justifiable, everything else be damned. He wields power like he's an absolute magnet with a certain portion of America, a large portion. Stevens County is full of people with eyes glazed over with devotion to Trump. They carry that devotion into church and expect their church to reflect it. 

We have seen "let's go Brandon" chants from within church walls in the USA. And so many Christians feel now is the time to rip women's reproductive health rights away from them, or to shove gay people back into the closet, or create more hurdles for people of color voting in certain states. This is all buttressed by the faction of Supreme Court members installed by Trump and the Republicans. It appears only the Republican Party is allowed to nominate Supreme Court justices. 

The Jan. 6 anniversary arrives at such an ungodly time in our state of Minnesota with the weather. Were I to encounter a certain friend today, she'd ask "did you order this weather?" A line that would belong in Howard Mohr's famous book.

 

A hovering menace

I was desperately hoping to see a trend in the news toward general acceptance of the danger that Jan. 6 of last year represented. I was hoping and praying - yes, Democrats can pray - that prominent Republicans would just stay quiet if they weren't going to join the desired consensus about Jan. 6. Sometimes there is a "scent" of that, like earlier this week. But the push behind Trump always seems to creep back. Leading to where? 

Republicans do not even have a legislative agenda. Why couldn't Amy McGrath beat Mitch McConnell in Kentucky? I don't know that much about McGrath but she's a Democrat. The crusty old Mitch is nothing but an obstructionist. What's with the affinity with him? Or worse yet, with Lindsay Gramm? We elect these people. 

Our Congressperson Michelle Fischbach will be on the wrong side of history. How many of you care?

All Trump wanted was a little more celebrity when he ran for president, among 17 total Republican candidates. He stood out as the "shiny object" in our media-drenched age. Will it bring down our very cherished United States of America, the "American experiment?"

In the meantime as we monitor this, do what all Minnesotans habitually do: cope with the weather. It's not that we like it, it's just that we do what we have to. Just like the boomer generation adjusting to the high-tech times.

I used this amusing graphic a year ago at this time. I gave my friend Greg Cruze of Cold Spring a hard time about how I thought I saw him in video of the riots! He's pro-Trump. I still sent him my annual Christmas song.

 

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

Another year over, a new one just begun

We weren't prepared for loss of Jim "Doc" Carlson (Del Sarlette photo)

The headline is inspired by John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)."
New Year's Day and all is not well. Questions remain about the pandemic: how much longer, and in what forms will it persist? We feel sadness about the countless disrupted lives, lost lives and the loss of our cherished routine. There is so much we used to take for granted. 

Could our government have done more to combat the virus when it emerged? Seems natural here to question Republican Party leadership in government, does to me anyway. A great many of us have unyielding faith in the Republican Party, so, must we respect their points of view? On the basis of cheer numbers, we must respect it, to deal with this influential element in our society. We must reckon with it. We must at this time reckon with the "let's go Brandon" folks. 

A lit-up sign in Dell Rapids SD has put the expression in front of us again. Time after time the phrase emerges in the news. There's the dad who said this over the phone to Joe and Jill Biden on Christmas Eve. Our society overall seems to countenance this now. A substantial number of people support it. They support "fuck Joe Biden" even directly to him and his wife at the most sacred of times, on Christmas Eve. Is it so hard to just focus on Santa Claus? Or at least on Christ's birth? But "fuck Joe Biden?" 

A sign outside of Brandon MN got altered this way. The stock car driver who unintentionally inspired all this, at first tried distancing himself from politics. He publicly declared he had "zero interest" in being involved in politics. We learned in the last few days he has done a complete 180. Such is the power of the red state Trump element. It scares me constantly. 

I have had to distance myself from one close friend because of these matters. I try to be the kind of person who communicates well and is understanding, thus can find common ground with friends. Politics lately has overcome my ability to do this. 

So it's New Year's Day, 2022. We used to joke about how easy it was to forget the new year when writing out a check. Seems a dated joke now: we hardly ever write paper checks any more. Our debit or credit cards always know what year it is! 

 

A soul departs

On the micro or local level here in Morris, we have the sad news of Jim Carlson's passing. It happened on Christmas Eve. The rollout of the news was a totally incompetent thing, disastrously so. People can have excuses though, especially when these people have professional positions that they try to protect. The Chamber of Commerce has excuses about dropping the ball with Prairie Pioneer Days. They're trying to tell us "it's not our job" and "why don't you call the city?" 

I'm certain no one at UMM will admit to negligence in the rollout of the sad news re. Jim Carlson. 

Jim left us due to a brain hemorrhage. 

I have heard the excuse that the campus gets shut down over the holidays. Or at least, things get a lot slower. A truism throughout our economy and society, and maybe it's time we question this. We should maybe question the need to have so much around us come to a grinding halt because of a holiday. Christmas and New Year's is the worst. And, even when we get past New Year's, we must anticipate Martin Luther King Day coming along soon. Is this an excuse to keep things "slow?" 

Maybe the indictment here should be of our legacy bricks and mortar institutions. People are expected to "show up at the office" for work. We have not pushed aside this assumption even after a pandemic year when many people adjusted. Many of us have stayed at home and of course harnessed the miracle of the Internet. But legacy institutions remain with their bulkiness and long-established norms. 

So Jim Carlson dies. I struggled at first to get adequate confirmation of the news. Once obtained, I went ahead and wrote an online-based piece. You might call it a "blog." Donald Trump tried blogging briefly and then abandoned it: it's not enough to write a headline, you have to write some body copy, multiple paragraphs, and that requires discipline and some refined background knowledge, which he lacks. He just happens to be a former president of the United States. 

He liked Twitter because he could lash out impulsively with brief, often crude comments. Until Twitter couldn't take it any more and he was banned. Yes, the man who was U.S. president for four years, who paid off a porn star and Playboy model for their silence after dalliances. I imagine Trump was just interested in sex. And be honest, isn't this what all men want? You want to be honest about this? But Trump is held up by the "evangelical Christians" of America as being on the same level as God and Jesus, maybe even superseding these. They'll deny that. That's their right. 

And if we cannot respect Christianity any more, where does that leave us for Christmas? I tried marking Christmas in the standard traditional way, the way my parents demonstrated for me when I was young. This was when the U.S. had leaders who projected morality, class, temperance and stability. Today it's "MAGA," at least out here in the rural USA. 

 

Dark clouds ahead?

So the new year is upon us. Problem is, it's scary to look ahead. We hear it's a guarantee for Republicans to re-take the House of Representatives. We could actually prevent that. We could prevent it, if more of us would simply consider voting for Democrats. Outlook is grim based on what we see in communities like Dell Rapids SD. A lit-up "let's go Brandon" sign with the initials "FJB" underneath, in case you need a reminder of what the phrase means. It's "fuck Joe Biden." 

I admired Ronald Reagan, the man and his spouse who projected total class. That Republican Party is totally gone now.

 

Addendum: The story of my getting confirmation of Jim Carlson's passing is on my companion blog, "Morris of Course." I use the word "odyssey" for the process. It was very unfortunate. I invite you to read this post, where you will find three more excellent photos from Carlson's tenure at the head of UMM jazz. Here is the permalink: 

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/12/rather-odyssey-to-confirm-jim-carlsons.html 

 

Happy New Year, y'all!

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

 

The Dell Rapids SD sign, image from "Daily Beast." What has become of all of us? And at Christmas?

James "Doc" Carlson, RIP

UMM jazz was pride and joy of Jim Carlson (photo courtesy Del Sarlette)

The post-Christmas letdown is accentuated this year by sad news: the passing of Jim "Doc" Carlson. He was a member of my father's UMM men's chorus for the Seattle World's Fair trip in 1962. But you probably don't remember him for that. The musical whiz seized on jazz as a vital musical program, right when society was first ready for it. Society was not ready in the 1960s. 

Jazz education crept along in sort of a nascent way in the '70s. John Woell introduced this at the high school level but he suppressed the word "jazz." The high school had a "stage band." There was a time when "jazz" seemed out of the boundaries of decent society. Well, rock 'n' roll was most certainly there too. 

Jazz had an imprint at UMM before Jim came on board as faculty. I have written about what I consider a historic performance, Clyde Johnson directing, of the Don Ellis tune "Final Analysis." I was there at the recital hall to witness this history. "Final Analysis" was an esoteric piece but also a crowd-pleaser. Del Sarlette joked with me "the only time we got the ending right was in the concert." It probably wasn't a joke. Great there was a "happy ending," as it were. 

Carlson seized jazz as a full-fledged dynamic program at UMM. You are most familiar with that if you are a long-time Morris resident. Doesn't seem so long ago in my mind. Then again, many things that are distant in time seem fresh in my mind, like "Y2K." I remember Dad joking with me the next morning about how our dog "Sandy" thought it to be no big deal: snored right through!

Prairie Pioneer Days, the classic PPD at the park, is fresh in my mind. We ought to feel astounded how this went into such a steep and embarrassing decline, until it just seemed to go "poof." 

Well, long-time residents can most certainly remember Jim Carlson's UMM Jazz Festival. It was a huge springtime highlight on UMM's calendar, a highlight of the whole school year really. Which is all well and good, although I suspect - I know the nature of people in academia all too well - there was jealousy about this. 

Carlson's jazz program was many-tiered. Not all elements were set up to be totally crowd-pleasing. Had Jim been oriented to constantly excite audiences, we would have gotten more of the "Jazz I" ensemble. That was the equivalent of the "varsity team." 

But Jim knew all along that the objective was education, to enrich the lives of all the charges under him. He even directed a band made up of 1) non-music majors and 2) music majors who wanted to experience a secondary instrument. Maybe this group wasn't scintillating. But audiences soaked it all in, including the "combos" who sometimes could not be scintillating either, especially in the early years of the program. 

The last time I attended a Fest - Byron Stripling was guest artist - the combos had come a long way. Each rendered something distinctive, for example Dixieland. Whereas, in the early years of the program, I personally found the combos to be, if I may use a word I learned from Woell, "non-descript." I mean, a melody would be established and then members would simply improvise. 

It was explained to me years later that this approach was essential for getting the students acclimated to jazz, as it was the essence of jazz: improvisation. 

I have a friend whose family is a UMM benefactor, whose name I won't type here although you might guess, who said he stopped attending the Jazz Fest because he got tired of the combos. That's disappointing to hear but I can actually understand. I grew frustrated over time that we could not get a bigger dose of the "Jazz I" ensemble. 

But Jim never retreated from the broad-based educational approach. He was no sell-out. 

"Jazz I" was so good, I'm sure people bought tickets just to hear a relatively short program. But doggone it, I wanted to hear more of it! 

Now we are left with memories of "Doc" Carlson after his passing. My testimonial will be one of many. I wish Jim had stuck around in the Morris area longer. His sense of humor was infectious. It was a little on the edge with being cynical at times - all right, often - and there was a time in our culture when this sense was pretty mainstream. You have to be careful showing that kind of humor today. 

Perhaps Jim adjusted. I'm afraid I have not, in large part. 

The Carlsons retired to Florida.

My father Ralph had the kind of background where he could have directed some jazz. He had performed in such groups himself. I have a classic photo of him from 1940 that I will share here sometime. I only recently discovered it. My father directed a range of ensembles in UMM's early years - he was in fact the sole music faculty in the initial year. But jazz would have been off the table in UMM's first decade. Our culture was not ready. How to characterize the public perception of jazz then? I'm groping a little. Perhaps "low life" or "lowbrow" or some such words. And to be frank, association with non-white cultures, yes. 

A youth rebellion built up that gave us the rainbow of cultures consciousness. The rebellion was below the surface for a long time. It finally went mainstream. I worry at present that we are backtracking some with the Trump revolution, if you want to call it that. 

The counterculture would have blessed "CRT," no hesitation. But now we are seeing huge pushback from the white, non-apologetic element of society that pushes Trump and his kind. 

The music aspect of the counterculture will stay with us, I am confident. I once read that "the new left" died but the counterculture had staying power. I'm inclined to use the past tense: "had staying power." 

I think UMM will continue to have jazz indefinitely. I have heard that high schools have backed off some with their commitment to jazz. I have often told people that one thing I love about jazz in high schools is that the musicians are arranged in tiers onstage - you can clearly see and hear all of them. 

When the MAHS concert band gave concerts at the high school auditorium, pre-concert hall, I'd get frustrated because we could only see the front row of clarinet players. I actually felt that concerts were better when they were in the 1968 gym! But Fred Switzer went through a lot of heartache, as he himself would be the first to tell you, getting the auditorium built. He'd say over and over that it almost cost him his job. 

And yet the auditorium is now dwarfed and outclassed by the concert hall. And UMM doesn't even have a concert hall. UMM does have its "ghost of Christmas future" though, which is "Humanities Phase III." Yes, only a ghost. 

I'm wondering if there will be a push to get the HFA recital hall named for Carlson. Let me suggest that college administrators toss and turn at night because of suggestions for naming stuff. Any name that is put forward is worthy, of course. But any institution of higher learning has had a great many make significant contributions. So how to proceed with naming? Glad I asked. I can suggest an answer: It's about money. If certain people want the recital hall to be named after "Doc," they and their friends can pony up. We'll see what happens. 

I'm thankful that photos that include my father are at the recital hall entrance. Oh, a nice photo downstairs too. By the recital hall is a photo of the 1962 UMM men's chorus that includes Carlson. You might have a hard time picking him out. His appearance "morphed" through the years. The names are underneath the photo! All of those souls are indelibly etched in UMM history. (Should I be typing "UMN?")

I'll cherish the memories of Jim's laugh, his often irreverent sense of humor, but most of all his contributions to the art of jazz among UMM students. He came along at just the right time. But he left us too soon. 

I wondered at first about covid. I thought of the Florida governor who has become famous for intransigence with covid coping measures. This DeSantis fellow is in the mold of Trump of course. A lot of these people seem willing to literally risk their lives in order to support Trump. I'll never understand it.

But it was not covid that brought down "Doc" at the end, it was a cerebral hemorrhage on Christmas Eve. I was just informed of this, 9 a.m. Monday. So sad to die at such a festive, family-oriented time, of course. 

Jim Carlson RIP. Heaven will be a nightclub of jazz virtuoso performances for you. Or, involving you!

Jim Carlson is in this photo of the UMM men's chorus that performed at the Seattle World's Fair, a.k.a. "Century 21 Exposition." They opened the Minnesota Day program at the Fair. My father Ralph is at left. The U.S. was at the height of Cold War tension with the Cuban missile crisis. JFK canceled his appearance for the end of the fair, claiming to be sick, but really he was preoccupied with the missile crisis. The Minnesota Twins were in their second year and took second in the American League, just five games behind the New York Yankees! Vic Power was our first baseman and team MVP.

A recent photo of Jim and Kay Carlson. They retired to "The Villages" of Florida. Can you believe I have typed this far and not mentioned golf? How many people remember Kay's father, Mr. Joranger? I do. I can visualize him like it was yesterday.

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

Tranquility of Bethlehem

Feel like Christmas to you? We are all trying best we can. We have had hardships and literally lost friends to the pandemic. Friends and for many people, family. Some of these wounds cannot be healed. We can only look ahead and try to take the most prudent actions, to preserve what we have. 

Should we "build back better?" Looks like Joe Manchin put the kibosh on that. He's concerned about the cost? What did our 20-year war in Afghanistan cost? George W. Bush said "freedom will prevail." It did not. So we are sorting through all the various realities in the year 2021. 

Last year's Christmas might have had a little more merriment, on the belief that we were facing a one-time challenge. We would "just have to get through it." So I wrote my annual Christmas song entitled "A Social Distance Christmas." The rhyme of the last two words was irresistible. 

But alas, we all have not climbed out of the hole of the pandemic. This time around there is more of a sober depression, unspoken maybe, rather than our typical wellspring of optimism. We must be prepared for sad endings? And how might we emerge in a more upbeat way? In my humble opinion, perhaps with focus on the Bethlehem story, the birth of Christ, the baby Jesus in the manger. Because, the scene is the epitome of peace and tranquility. 

My Christmas song for this year is centered on the Bethlehem story. Perhaps I was attracted to the story by the annual TV Christmas special from when I was a kid: "The Little Drummer Boy." It was narrated by Greer Garson. I cried at the end. The little boy's sheep was healed. 

Another inspiration for my song was borne of the days I drove cross county at night in the Morris Sun Tribune van. The Sun Tribune does not exist any more, it is the Stevens County Times. I saw colored lights at farm places in the distance. 

So I began pondering: why not an illuminated Star of Bethlehem decoration on a farm building? A barn? Not only that, why not have kids of the immediate vicinity don costumes representing the humble assemblage that was at the manger? Even the "Three Kings of the Orient" were humble. 

The kids could make their way toward the star decoration, safely of course. They could assemble at a stable replica. 

A sense of total peace and brotherhood, a wellspring of the hope for mankind. We need so much hope now. Can we put Donald Trump and his foul mouth and crudity aside? 

My church of First Lutheran chose to have my song played as part of Sunday's service. I wasn't there, because I wasn't seeking any attention for myself. But I hope the lyrics had a soothing effect in these non-normal times. 

My song "Star on the Barn" was recorded at the Nashville TN studio of Frank Michels. The singer is the outstanding Debra Gordon. Thanks to Gulsvig Productions of Starbuck for getting the song on YouTube for me. They are the "geeks." Please consider them for any media transfer work you need done. They are located along the mill dam road. You'll see a sign. 

I invite you to listen to my 2021 Christmas song, "Star on the Barn." Thanks and God bless. You may click on permalink:

https://youtu.be/Fa2OAXlTUVw 

 

You might check my companion blog "Morris of Course" for updates on MACA Tiger athletics. The year 2022 will be the 50th anniversary of the start of my writing about the Tigers for the local media. Today my journalism is online.

 

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