Culturology 12-16: Log Church and Good Food

by Travis Ryder

 This edition of 'Culturology' features a piece by Justin Cook on the beautiful, 102-year old Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in the west Range town of Coleraine.  The city's founder/designer and Oliver Mining superintendent John C. Greenway was a charter member.  By 1987, the congregation could no longer maintain the landmark.  The City took ownership and a local group took action to preserve the sturdy structure and make it available for special events.  The 'Christmas in the Country' concert, held in the church each December, benefits the preservation fund.

Also featured this week, Heidi Holtan's documentary takes us to the garlic fields of Itasca County and several co-operative grocery stores in our region. 'RealGoodFood' is another in the series of documentary pieces produced by KAXE staff as part of a recent training course.

Also, the Culture Calendar and a look back in this week's Minnesota history moments.

Culturology airs select Thursdays at 8:10 am, and is supported by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Crow Wing Food Coop

by Heidi Holtan

Last month I visited the Crow Wing Food Co-op in Brainerd. They've been around for 30 years, but because of the push to support local food producers and a move to a newer, brighter building, the co-op is exploding.

Desiree Hopkins is a mother of 3 and a member of the coop. I asked her why she shopped there. "The girls of course" she said. "And they are super smart and seeking out healthy, local food."

When you walk into the coop - the bells on the door ring, and more often than not, someone greets you with a smile. While I was there for about an hour I saw a young woman with a baby buying organic baby food, a mother and daughter who asked about using food stamps, a member dropping off older editions of Mother Earth News, a woman who sat at one of the tables with her laptop, using the Co-op's wi-fi and drinking coffee with her gluten-free cookie... as well as farmers dropping off produce and tourists stopping in on their way to Duluth.

So why, in this down economy, have the food co-ops in our listening area not just been able to stay afloat, but find themselves expanding? Throughout the summer I'll check in on the Natural Harmony Food Coop in Virginia and Harmony Natural Foods Coop (who is also expanding) in Bemidji. You can listen here to the audio story of Crow Wing Food Co-op.

90.5 KBXE Finds Studio Space!

4.23.10

TO: Current & Future Friends of 90.5 KBXE
FROM: Steve Downing (sdowning@kaxe.org)

On 91.7 KAXE’s 34^th birthday we’re officially announcing what some of you already know. The story was in the Bemidji Pioneer two days ago, meaning it must be true, and it is: 90.5 KBXE will join Harmony Natural Foods Cooperative in its prospective new home, the former TruStar Federal Credit Union building at 413 3^rd Street Northwest. To say that Northern Community Radio is excited about the news understates it by a lot. This arrangement was our first, best hope; it seemed to have run aground awhile back; seeing it come around again has improved everyone’s spirits.

Harmony’s new space---a 7,500 square-foot structure on a half-block of property--will have three times the retail capacity the co-op has now, plus a true loading dock, plus loads of parking, plus a genuine restaurant, plus a perfect partner in 90.5 KBXE. KBXE will be moving into the east-facing side of the building, next door to Dave’s Satellite, a 2,600 square-foot suite of rooms that we first walked through in November and have been thinking about ever since. Lease? Buy? Both? We haven’t spelled out the details yet, but this relationship feels very symbiotic. Our two membership rosters share quite a number of names. Whatever the eventual legal agreement comes to look like, the organizing principle will be win-win.

We’re still looking for a tower site. No news to report on that front. Ideas? We’re all ears.

The Publicity/PR Committee continues to meet the first Thursday of every month, at 5:30, in the meeting room at the MN Energy Resources building (corner of 2^nd & Minnesota, Bemidji) and everyone’s welcome to attend.

Next big events: “Upper Shores”: Saturday, May 1, 3:00 PM, at Beltrami History Center (130 Minnesota Avenue Southwest, Bemidji). Singer-songwriter Miriam Tell has written and gathered songs for a unique and entertaining approach to musical storytelling. A free will donation at the door will benefit both the Beltrami County Historical Society and KBXE. Be there! That same day, KBXE volunteers will be at the Council of Indian Students Pow Wow at John Glass Field House, BSU from Noon-10pm – bumper stickers and buttons for all!

Committee 1 (major donors) has been meeting regularly and has just begun approaching prospective large-gift contributors.

If anyone asks you, “What is KBXE?,” remember the short form summary we used in the first newsletter. 90.5 KBXE is a soon-to-be-built nonprofit, community/public radio station that will serve Bagley, Bemidji, Blackduck, Birch, Buzzle, and beyond. KBXE will be operated by Northern Community Radio, which has 34 years of experience doing this sort of thing (91.7 KAXE). The two stations will feed and inspire one other; the sound of Northern Community Radio will be even more creative, more diverse than ever. That’s saying something! The tower will be built near Bagley. The studios---it’s official now---will be in Bemidji. KBXE will begin broadcasting no later than March, 2012.

Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested and tell them how easy it is to get onto our list: send an email to kbxe@kbxe.org

90.5 KBXE www.kbxe.org kbxe@kbxe.org 218.326.1234 800.662.5799