A wonderful honor

I know the book "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" has been read by many people but now, a whole city is reading it!  It is a humbling experience. 

This is Jo Emerson, the mayor of White Bear Lake, Minnesota and yours truly with a proclamation recognizing the first ever "White Bear Reads" program, and the inaugural selection: "Tales of the Road-Highway 61"!!!

The "White Bear Reads" program is based on other successful efforts across the country where a book is selected and the community comes together to experience it.

I'm so excited that "Tales" has been selected for this unique program in White Bear Lake. What an honor!

White Bear Lake is a lovely town on Highway 61. I wrote about the Johnson Boatworks, a historic place that unfortunately will be leveled for townhouses sometime, and the old White Bear City Hall, purported to have been designed by the great Cass Gilbert. The Boatworks was also a key site in the documentary. Isn't this a cool, old photo of the craftsmen building one of the racing scows??

White Bear has great history, and I'm hoping that the community acknowledges that and works together to preserve what is left and not only some of the sites in "Tales of the Road" but other meaningful places as well. The book's underlying message is that history is important, no matter where it is found, and we found a lot along the highway!

The kick-off event is at the White Bear Library February 2, 2010. I plan to talk about "Tales" but there may well be some surprises too. 

You just never know---

Who'll use "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" or where they'll be!

Thanks to Stuart and Lisa for taking the book with them and exploring the Hovland Dock which is just off Highway 61 a few miles up the road from Grand Marais, Mn!

It would be fun to see other photos of the book being used on the road. Send 'em in! We'll post them!

2010 has gotten off to a quiet start. I'll be sitting down and doing some research this week. 

I've posted an inquiry on the Facebook page for Bloedow's Bakery in Winona. ("Doughnuts of the God's" is their tag-line. Kind of makes you want to buy some and see just how good they are. ) Check out the Facebook group site for TOTR and either leave suggestions there for story ideas or send me an e-mail!

Take care!

Cathy 

Tales of the Road Curse??

My heart goes out to Mike and Cathy Anderson of Hugo, Minnesota. They are the owners of what was Carpenter's Steakhouse: a very well known restaurant on Highway 61 in Hugo. Carpenter's merited a spot in the book "Tales of the Road-Highway 61." 

This is what remains of the old place.  It caught fire Sunday, January 3, 2010. What an UNhappy way to start the new year! Fire investigators are looking into what caused it, but the fact is another piece of Highway 61 history is gone for good, much like the Whispering Pines Motel in Illgen City, Mn, and the old Two Harbors High School. The motel burned last fall (see the blog entry on that) and the high school fell to the wrecking ball. I'm so glad we included all three sites in the book so the history behind each is available for future generations. 

Carpenter's was nearly 120 years old. It was a general store made into a bar and restaurant. And it had been a focal point of Hugo for generations.  Not much of the original, old-time Hugo remains. What a shame. 

Mike Anderson was kind enough to let me use an old photo of the bar which didn't make it into the book, but I still have it and a menu. Carpenter's was a place that still had wood floors and a tin ceiling. Mike and his mom Cathy had permission from the city to tear the old place down in due time and build a new restaurant nearby, but not after taking some of the fixtures from the old place into the new. That won't happen now. 

I haven't talked to the Anderson's. They are said to be in shock. I feel for them and their employees and really... the town of Hugo. Everyone has lost something in the fire.