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Ingrebretsen's meat counter at Christmas in 2018

MinneCulture | Marking 100 years with Celebration and Reflection at Ingebretsen’s

*** In the days leading up to Christmas, Ingebretsen’s can sell a literal ton of Swedish sausage and meatball mix a day. “Yea the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is pretty whacky!” says Julie Ingebretsen, shop owner. Julie Ingebretsen’s grandfather founded the store in the 20s. “You hear a lot of Scandinavian – Swedish, Danish, even Finnish, being spoken. Last year, there was a guy outside in the line leading Christmas carols. It’s kind of an event.” Today in the shop, there’s a steady stream of customers coming in and out. “Well, I had to get my Swedish Sausage,” says longtime customer Nora Bengston.
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Marking 100 years with Celebration and Reflection at Ingebretsen’s
Thirty years, that’s about how long Karen Haynes has been working at Ingebretsen’s. She’s in her 80s, but she keeps coming to work because she says it’s just a happy place for her. People come in with tears in their eyes, she says, recounting recent trips to their homelands in Scandinavia, or memories from growing up in the neighborhood. “This is people’s history and they’re, you know, they come back to Minneapolis, and the school they went to has been torn down, the house they lived in is now a parking lot. You know. And then they come in here and they go – you don’t change, you’re still here, how wonderful.” For much of Ingebretsen’s history, it was just a meat market, not a gift shop. In the early years, this Lake Street corridor, stretching into the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood was a hub for new Scandinavian immigrants. There were Swedish and Norwegian churches, groceries, bars, and taverns. Julie Ingebretsen says part of the shop’s draw, over the years, has simply been that it’s stuck around. “When we started this gift shop in the 70s there were I bet 15, 20 Scandinavian gift shops in town. I mean, they were everywhere. And they’ve gradually over the years closed. Now there’s hardly any.” Standing in the same location for 100 years means Ingebretsen’s has weathered the waves of history. The great depression and the second world war. The booms and busts of the 70s and 80s. When the major highways came through Minneapolis, Julie says what was once a bustling corridor turned desolate. “Because people just wanted to hop on the freeway and go out to the suburbs. That started a marked decline.” She credits new immigrants with turning things around. In the same way that Scandinavians congregated here around the turn of the century, Latino and Somali families moved in, opening up restaurants and shops. And yet, like for so many small businesses up and down lake street, 2020 brought Ingebretsen’s perhaps the steepest challenges yet. First, the pandemic arrived in Minnesota. Then George Floyd was murdered less than two miles away. As unrest grew in the streets, Julie watched security camera footage from the home of looters walking through Ingebretsen’s smashed windows. On the news, you could see entire buildings nearby going up in flames. When it felt safe, in the early hours of the morning, she returned to the store to see the damage for herself. “I see a lot of smoke still in the east. The fires are still burning down there.” It was in those first few hours that Julie was interviewed live on MPR’s All Things Considered. “Mostly it’s just destruction and it just makes me so sad I can hardly stand it.” Across the street from Ingebretsen’s Nur Ahmed had been back at the shop he manages, a Somali bakery and grocery, since about 2:30 that morning. That’s after a neighbor called and told him people were trying to break in. Luckily, he says, his store didn’t sustain much damage but he saw what had happened at Ingebretsen’s and went over to check in with Julie. “Like any business owner around, she was just terrified. All the other business owners – whoever I see, she was acting the same thing, I don’t know what happened. We don’t know what we did wrong. We’re not police officers, we’re not the law enforcement. There was nothing to say, just out of shock. “ Julie Ingebretsen’ remembers that moment too. “My gosh, yea, that was just horrifying. Seeing all the broken glass. It was like – oh my god why. You know, why why. It just didn’t make any sense. But it didn’t take long before getting over that initial shock. And I mean like kind of right away there was a construction project happening in the next block and right away the construction guys came by and asked if they could help. And did that all through the neighborhood. I mean it was just like… cool. And then neighbors started coming. People started coming from all over town and it was just the most amazing thing. I will never forget that. Like, this really bad thing happened and then this even better good thing happened. And the balance was a positive experience somehow.” The Lake Street Council … an organization Julie has been involved with for years… decided to open up a fundraiser after the unrest. Julie remembers they were aiming for a few thousand dollars. They received $12 million in donations. It’s hard to recognize Ingebretsen’s 100th anniversary this year without thinking back to that experience because it was such a reminder of what’s allowed the shop to stand strong for so many years. It’s not just their wide selection of Scandinavian foods and gifts. Not just the secret meatball mix recipe. Nur Ahmed says he believes he understands why Ingebretsen’s has rebounded, “They were resilient. They never moved out. Ingebretsen’s are tough.” To Nur Ahmed, Ingebretsen’s is a model for Immigrant businesses like his serving as a pillar for the community for generations. Clear Water Land & Legacy AmendmentSupport for MinneCulture comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

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MinneCulture | Add Toni Stone to the Roster of Minnesota Baseball Legends

*** This fall marks the 30th anniversary of one of Minnesota’s most celebrated baseball moments: the Twins’ 1991 World Series championship. But 2021 marks another milestone tied to the region’s baseball legacy. This year, Toni Stone would have been 100 years old. Stone, who spent a formative era of her youth in St. Paul, was the first woman to play professional baseball. “People didn’t really know why she was signed. They thought it was like a gimmick,” says baseball historian Frank White. “But she played, and could play defense. Very quick runner, very fast runner.”  Listen to our story, produced by KFAI’s Mike Moen.
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Add Toni Stone to the Roster of Minnesota Baseball Legends
Banner image by Mike Moen, Soundcloud and social media image courtesy of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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MinneCulture | Sod House Brings Booyah (and Theater) Beyond the Metro

*** Sod House Theater brings Booyah to the people with their most recent show, “Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon.” Conceived by Minnesota theater artist Sarah Agnew, the show has travelled to all parts of the state, offering whimsical, creative theater to communities far from the urban center. KFAI’s Sheila Regan shares the story. Listen here:
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Sod House Brings Booyah (and Theater) Beyond the Metro
Banner photo by Sheila Regan, souncloud image courtesy of Sod House Theater. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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Dona Pepa dons a feather headdress and cape will on-stage at an outdoor stage at Lake Street and Chicago in Minneapolis.

MinneCulture | Art and Repair on Lake Street

*** The empty lot where the former Roberts Shoes Building once stood has become a lively art space connected to the community around Lake Street. KFAI’s Sheila Regan talked with artists involved with the Lake Street Truth Collective about how the empty lot has become a vibrant new center of artmaking and truth-telling.
“There’s such a breadth of talent in this city, that I’m always so excited for people to be witness to it,” says Xochi De La Luna, an artist with the Lake Street Truth Collective. “And I’m really committed to being one of those people that lives here for the rest of their life, to nurture the arts community.  There’s a lot of like, restructuring that has to happen. Whether people realize it or not.. Because we need people.. to help the artists that are still trying to figure out their way here. I’m glad that I’m able to do some of that work with this project as well.” Listen Here:
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Art and Repair on Lake Street
Photo of Dona Pepa performing on the Lake Street Truth Collective stage. Photo by Sheila Regan MinneCulture on KFAI is made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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MinneCulture Podcast | Ep. 35: The Toonsmith: Dave Mruz, Minnesota’s Cartooning Historian

***
Superman. Charlie Brown. Donald Duck. The existence of these ‘toons all have roots in Minnesota. In this episode of the MinneCulture Podcast, KFAI’s Britt Aamodt introduces us to a cartooning historian who helped preserve the backstory of some iconic characters. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, PodMN and SoundCloud here:
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Ep. 35: The Toonsmith: Dave Mruz, Minnesota’s Cartooning Historian
Photos: Dave Mruz working on a collage. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Support also comes from the Hennepin History Museum. Supported by Hennepin History Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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MinneCulture | Serenity’s Hardstyle: Quit Your Day Job

*** Isabel Pone a.k.a ‘Serenity’ was sick of just getting by on a nine-to-five job. She’s an up-and-coming Dj and vocalist within Minneapolis’s growing Hardstyle scene. Frustrated with her day job, Serenity wanted to let others know how she was feeling. She reached out to her friend and fellow Hardstyle artist, DJ Snoopiiz, to work on a track. Their collaboration, “Be Free,” was released on International Womens’ Day in 2020. KFAI’s Madeline Karita Fleming tells the story.
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Serenity’s Hardstyle: Quit Your Day Job
Photo Courtesy of Isabel Pone. MinneCulture on KFAI is supported by the Minnesota Arts & Culture Heritage Fund. Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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MinneCulture | Artist Candice Davis Unearths Truth in the Soil

*** How does past trauma from generations ago play out in contemporary life? Artist Candice Davis creates works from clay, blood and cloth with her exhibit ‘I Was Born with a Silver Spoon in Your Mouth’ at Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis. The multimedia project examines ways that the trauma from forced labor and enslavement in history is passed down to future generations. “I’ve been on a journey through my own family history for about six years now,” says Davis. “Initially I took a course in black psychology and was introduced to this idea of an Afrocentric worldview that really had to do with a collective personhood rather than… existing as an individual. You are kind of the result of your ancestors, or the community that you’re a part of.” The exhibit “I Was Born With a Silver Spoon in Your Mouth” by Candice Davis runs through September 3 at SooVAC, 2909 Bryant Avenue South, Suite 101, soovac.org. KFAI’s Sheila Regan filed this report. Listen here:
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Artist Candice Davis Unearths Truth in the Soil
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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Three canoeists portage their watercraft through the dense woods of the BWCA

MinneCulture Podcast | Ep. 34: A Living History of the Boundary Waters

*** In wilderness settings, there are connections people can make to the land, regardless of their age, race or gender, by walking in the footsteps of those who have come before them. With this in mind, a group of Minnesota paddlers set out in the fall of 2020 to travel across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to retrace the steps of a wilderness pioneer named Arthur Carhart. Their journey took them across abandoned portages, streams plugged by beaver dams and through remote territory inside the nation’s most visited wilderness area. Carhart made his journey to the Boundary Waters in 1921. Though a century has passed since his expedition, there were generations of people who lived in this landscape that is now defined as a ‘wilderness area.’ The Indigenous communities were here long before white voyageurs and government officials put their canoes on this countless collection of lakes, streams and pathways through the Boundary Waters. In this episode of the MinneCulture Podcast, producer Joe Friedrichs takes a look at what the term ‘wilderness’ means in the past, present and future of the Boundary Waters.
KFAI’s MinneCulture · Ep. 34: A Living History of the Boundary Waters
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Support also comes from the Hennepin History Museum. Supported by Hennepin History Clear Water Land & Legacy Amendment

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