It is a week before the Red Wing Central Park Band shell grand opening and it looks like the project will finish right on schedule. All of the landscaping is in, the roof is finished and the walls are just finishing up. Photos will be posted this week.

This photo is what the bandshell replaced. It essentially was a semi-circular stage with no walls, roof or sound (except those two primitive speakers on each side). One feature that did carry over from the old stage is the two small curved staircases in the front.

88 degrees and humid, but dry.

The landscaping and sod arrived this morning and by the end of the day all of the greenery should be installed. In speaking with some of the subcontractors, the project is slightly ahead of schedule.

For anybody who is curious about the mysterious little back door; it leads into a vary narrow and small utility room. The circuit breaker box and the water meter are in this room. Kind of disappointing.

The walls arrive tomorrow (rumor has it).

The first of 32 - 1/2" laminated and tempered glass windows were installed today in the back wall of the shell. This promises to be one of the more striking design elements of the Bandshell. It should really open up the entire shell from both sides. The limestone block is quarried in Winona, Minnesota and each block is hand-cut. The pattern is random. The keystone blocks are manufactured in a factory.

Rain is forecast for the rest of the week.

It is hard to tell if the Bandshell is ahead or behind schedule. The irrigation system was installed today and the handicap access ramp concrete was also poured. Fill was being spread by the hard working Sentence to Serve crew. Sentence to Serve are nonviolent offenders that work on community improvement projects. There are mixed feelings about Sentence to Serve labor; on the one hand working outside is better than killing time in a cell. On the other hand it is an easy source of cheap labor for communities that can become too easy to use.

The sod is scheduled to be laid on June 29, which seems awfully close to the July 4th dedication. The entire park (one city block) will be re-sodded.

Red Wing is unique because it has such an authentic core downtown. This doesn't mean it is frozen in time. Rather, it has more to do with having traceable roots. Buildings are typically not torn down, and when they can be salvaged and restored, they are.

One of the lasting elements that are easily overlooked are the ghost signs of Red Wing. Sometimes called fading ads or brick-ads, they are remarkable in their staying power. Red Wing has many brick buildings and there are several examples of ghost signs all over town. You need to look close to see the Coca-Cola ghost sign. The Hotel Haven sign is pretty much illegible.

The above corner is Plum and East 3rd Street (SE corner) in Downtown Red Wing.

The Red Wing Central Park Bandshell continues to make progress. The roof is on, but not yet shingled. The foundation work seems to be complete, judging by the dirt fill that was brought in. The back wall will be glass and the shell walls will be the next significant milestone.

The inauguration of the Bandshell will be on Saturday, July 4th, 2009. The schedule of events are as follows (all times are pm):

+ 3:45-4:30 The Phoenix Theatre will sing selections from their upcoming production of 'Fiddler on the Roof' (free!)
+ 5:00-6:00 Rosanne Cash (free!)
+ 6:45-8:00 Roomful of Blues (free!)
+ 8:45-9:30 Sheldon Brass Band finishing with 1812 Overture, complete with real cannon! (free!)
+ 10:00- ?? Fireworks over the Mississippi River (free!)

Recently a letter to the editor of the local newspaper made the argument for funding art at the elementary school level. Apparently there has been discussion about reducing the amount of art received in elementary schools because of budget pressures. The typical solution has been to increase the tax levy and ask the tax payers to pay more.

A more sustainable approach is to simply spend local. Every dollar spent locally in a community can have up to three times the multiplier tax return to the community versus buying from an out-of-state big box retailer, all without raising taxes a single cent. Let's use two simple examples:

Example 1) A citizen spends a dollar at a local big-box retailer. Taxes are exchanged for that dollar spent and the dollar is promptly deposited in an out-of-state bank account somewhere in Four Corners, Arkansas. That dollar is retired as far as the local economy is concerned.

Example 2) A citizen spends a dollar at their local custom frame shop. Again, taxes are exchanged but this time the local frame shop owner races to their local bank to cover the check they wrote to the local plumber to have their hot water heater repaired. The plumber in turn cashes that check to buy a silk suit from Josephsons Clothing Store. Tom from Josephsons then uses that money to buy himself a beer next door at The Staghead Restaurant to celebrate having finally sold that XXXL silk suit.

The same dollar has contributed to the local economy three separate times, each time participating in the overall tax exchange and actively contributes to the cash flow of four different local employers.

Red Wing Downtown Main Street is focused on exactly these types of issues. The Eat-Shop-Play-Local tag-line could include many other action verbs (Buy. Stay. Invest.), but the point is to think about where your money goes after you spend it.

Visit the DTMS web site or the DTMS Facebook page and consider joining this non-profit organization.