Eat. Shop. Play. Local.
The Importance of Funding Art and Spending Local
Recently, a letter to the editor of the local newspaper argued for funding art at the elementary school level. Apparently, there has been discussion about reducing the amount of art received in elementary schools due to budget pressures. The typical solution has been to increase the tax levy and ask taxpayers 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 contributing 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.
Who photographs the photographer?
A Paradox
In a village, there is a very special barber. He has a sign in his window that says, “I cut the hair of everyone in the village who does not cut his own hair.” The question becomes: who cuts the barber's hair?
For the past several mornings, I have been getting up at 5 am to try and take a specific photo at sunrise, which is around 5:45 am (are you impressed yet?). This time of year, the sun rises directly to the east of The Eisenhower Bridge over the Mississippi River. At sunrise, the barge traffic begins moving for the day, heading northbound for the Twin Cities.
For those keeping score, The Eisenhower Bridge was dedicated in 1960 and is 1,631 feet long (1/3 mile). It is 35 feet wide (two lanes) and is 65 feet over the river.
The shot I wanted didn't happen today because of low clouds on the horizon. The early barge traffic was already on the move when the sun started to peek out, so things did not coordinate this time.
The shot above is the only shot of merit that I took. Pretty, but not what I needed or wanted.
I went home and then got to work the same morning when my friend Tim emailed me the following photos and asked me if I knew who was on the bridge (look closely). The first photo was taken within a minute after mine, judging by how his sun seems ever so slightly higher (factoring in the difference in height) and the wake from the fishing boat. The second photo was a minute later (I keep a corner of my eye on those oncoming tractor-trailer mirrors).
Above two photos courtesy of Tim Alms,
Back to the barber; we don't know who cuts his hair. It is a self-contradiction.
Does the barber cut his own hair? No, because the barber cuts only the hair of those who don't cut their own hair.
Does the barber not cut his own hair? No, because then the barber would have to cut his own hair, as he cuts the hair of those who don't cut their own hair.
Using an even more complex explanation, the barber is trying to be a part of his own set, those who do not cut their own hair. But the set cannot include the barber because he is the set. This is the contradiction.
Johnny Cash’s eldest daughter
This is a big deal. A free concert at the new Central Park Bandshell by Rosanne Cash is a fantastic way to inaugurate this beautiful new venue.
If your musical tastes include country, folk, rock and the blues, then circle Saturday July 4, 2009 on your calendar. Go to www.RosanneCash.com for details.
The Shell takes shape
Central Park Bandshell Construction Update
The Central Park Bandshell took a big leap forward yesterday when the crane arrived to install the ironwork. The entire back wall will be glass, making the bandshell inviting from both sides. The roof shape is designed to create a better acoustical environment. The rendering on the bottom image is the architectural orthographic projection.
And just to clarify, the actual audience will not be semi-transparent. 😊
Stewy's on Main
New Restaurant in Downtown Red Wing: Stewy's on Main
Another restaurant has opened in Downtown Red Wing. Stewy's on Main will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and provide a full bar offering.
Stew approached us a month ago and gave us free rein (with his final approval) to design attractive wall images. It was decided to focus on local iconic scenes, with a focus on both sides of the Mississippi River.
Panel prints are used. This is a print on hardboard mounted with a reverse frame to create a wall stand-off and laminated with a linen finish. The beauty of this product is that it is very contemporary, pool-table flat, no glass is used, and it creates a very nice drop-shadow effect. Each image is either 40"x40" or 27"x40".
The first grouping of three are all Downtown Red Wing photos, with the common denominator of the violin-playing model. These were printed with a brown sepia tone.
The second grouping is from the Maiden Rock Flood Run in 2004. Same image tone, different effect.
One wall is all about elegance and grace, and the other wall is all about machines and chrome.
Yin and Yang. Joanie loves Chachi.
Central Park Bandshell 2 month update
Red Wing Central Park Band Shell: Architectural Rendering
Currently, the bandshell is mostly shrouded under plastic, so there's not much to see. However, loyal readers may want to check out the architectural rendering of the bandshell layout. It's going to be awesome!
This building has historical bones
A Journey Through Time: The History of The Lidberg Studio
1894 - Andrew Lidberg, an immigrant from Jarpen, Sweden, builds and opens The Lidberg Studio at 443 W. 3rd Street, Downtown Red Wing, Minnesota (the corner of W. 3rd Street and East Avenue), right next to Charlie Wah's Chinese Laundry. The Daily Republican on April 9, 1894, writes, "Mr. Lidberg opened his gallery today, and it is a fine one. He will employ only competent workers and work at the lowest living prices."
1899 - Upon graduating from Red Wing High School, Andrew's son Edward joins the studio full-time. The Lidbergs begin producing the first series of colored souvenir postcards of Red Wing and the surrounding area. The photos are exposed on glass plates and developed at the studio. Negatives are then sent to Germany to be lithographed into color postcards. These postcards are now collector's items with a passionate following.
1902 - Local businessman T.B. Sheldon donates money to the City of Red Wing to build the country's first city-owned theater. To make room for the Sheldon Theatre, The Lidberg Studio is moved across the park mall to 312 West Avenue, where the building is located today. A glass wall is oriented to the east to provide natural light for portrait photography.
1910? - Andrew Lidberg retires. Frank Booth, a graduate of Effingham School of Photography in Illinois, joins the studio.
1915 - Due to the war in Europe, it becomes increasingly difficult to receive color lithographs from Germany. Senator Knute Nelson intervenes to get a production run of postcards released. Production is moved to Chicago (Acmegraph Company) and Milwaukee (E.C. Kropp Company).
1915 - Edward Lidberg begins his real estate career, and the photography business winds down. By 1920, the building becomes a full-time real estate office.
1920-1953 - Very few building details are available. It is believed that from approximately 1920 to 1936, it was a real estate office, and from about 1937 until 1953, it housed various photography studios.
1953 - The Chalet Studio opens. This portrait studio is owned and operated by Ms. Louella Champs.
1972 - Edward Lidberg passes away.
1978 - The Chalet Studio closes, leaving the building in very rough shape with the roof in danger of collapsing.
1979 - The building is repaired and restored by Dick Tittle, becoming home to InComm Realty and Maas Realty.
2008 - The building becomes home to Red Wing Framing Gallery and Red Wing Portrait Studio.
What goes around, comes around—even if it takes 114 years.