Hard Boiled Art exhibit
Hard Boiled Art: Original Pulp Magazine Cover Art Exhibit
Details have been finalized for our next original art exhibit. "Hard Boiled Art" presents original pulp magazine cover art from the 1930s to the 1960s. The exhibit will run from November 5th to December 6th, 2009, with a reception date still to be determined.
This is a unique art form. Pulp magazine covers were very sensational and were considered the most important aspect of the sales of any particular pulp series. The socially acceptable boundaries were often tested, and the topics reflected the popular culture of the time.
The covers were typically machismo in nature, with elements of evil or danger and at least one hero. The 1930s had strong detective and science-fiction followings, while the 1960s were all about the 'Red Scare' of the communists.
Regardless of the threat, the damsels in distress typically had a torn blouse. :)
Come and enjoy the exhibit. This is a rare opportunity to see the original art used to create the published covers. It's fun and an absolute snapshot of an industry that hardly exists any longer.
New Red Wing Shoe Store and Museum
Red Wing Shoe Company: A Pillar of the Community
Red Wing is a company town, and the name of that company is the Red Wing Shoe Company.
Red Wing Shoe (or 'The Shoe' to the locals) has been manufacturing shoes and boots in Red Wing for over 100 years. The company manufactures and sells purpose-built footwear. Some of their target markets include oil and gas, construction, iron workers, agriculture, hunting, and hiking. Their largest manufacturing plant is in Red Wing, Minnesota. Almost all other footwear today is manufactured and imported from low-cost countries, so a work boot made in the USA is unique.
The Shoe is paternal about the City of Red Wing. When The Shoe announced last year that they were going to purchase a blighted downtown building and create a flagship shoe store and museum, it was a major announcement, especially locally.
This past week, The Shoe moved their World's Largest Boot (20x a normal boot) from a warehouse to the new store. It was an exciting event that garnered a lot of attention. As exciting as that was, the energy level is even higher inside the store as employees scramble to meet an aggressive deadline in opening the new store.
Red Wing Shoe understands the value of visuals and is an image-oriented company. We are proud to have provided the graphics and framing for this exciting new venue. The store opens August 3rd, and the museum later this month.
The tale of the table under the tent
The Picnic Table: Social Networking 1.0
Think of the picnic table under the canopy tent in the parking lot as Social Networking 1.0. It is the most fundamental device for creating community networks.
World problems have been solved, and judgment passed on every local politician at this very table.
Just last month, under this tent, Leah Nesbitt was declared the 2009 Downtown Red Wing Macaroni and Cheese Smackdown Champion (she used all Wisconsin natural ingredients).
At night, the little Japanese lanterns are lit up, and the table becomes more of a 'night spot' where topics are dissected, examined, and reassembled, often over fermented nectar and usually in hushed voices. In the mornings, it is a destination for coffee and a newspaper.
Warren Buffet would appreciate how effective this $70 picnic table is as a marketing tool.
Mac and cheese smackdown
1st Annual Downtown Red Wing Mac and Cheese Smackdown
Tomorrow (August 12), the 1st annual Downtown Red Wing Mac and Cheese Smackdown takes place. We are delighted to host and look forward to a most delicious event. Every small business in Downtown Red Wing is invited to participate.
You might be asking yourself, "What does a mac and cheese smackdown have to do with small businesses?"
The answer is both nothing and everything.
Nothing, because it has nothing to do with business, per se. And everything, because every small business feels the economic challenge these days, and providing a small amount of escapism has real value.
There is always room and time to have fun. And nothing says fun like a mac and cheese smackdown.
New name - new web site - new challenges
Evolving with the Times: Our Business and Website Update
People who invent snappy metaphors to describe business principles might say something like, "A small business today is like a great white shark—always on the move, never resting, never sleeping." That sounds way too contrived. It’s best to simply say that a business must constantly ask itself what it does for a living, and whether it's where it wants to be in doing that thing it does.
The name change is more about acknowledging how this business has evolved. We frame, we print, and we do anything in between. It was also time to freshen up the logo—to shine our shoes, so to speak. This was harder than you might think because the fonts used are fabricated for our needs. They aren’t off-the-shelf fonts, but they do have a basis in the history of this business. It’s too difficult to explain without hand gestures.
The new website is another matter. The changes appear mostly cosmetic, but under the hood, it is an entirely different animal. It would take a rocket scientist to explain the differences, and unfortunately, one isn't immediately available.
With any new website, it’s very easy to be driven crazy trying to chase down every image resizing requirement or some dropped HTML code. This is called 'overhead' and produces no income. Overhead bad. Income good.
But, you do what you have to do, when you have to do it.
The final chapter of the Central Park Bandshell construction
A Remarkable Day in Red Wing
Today was an interesting and memorable day, to say the least. The electricians arrived early to double-check the power and install the sound equipment for the bandshell, which had yet to be fully tested. People also showed up early to set up their lawn chairs before heading home again—it seems an unwritten rule that a lawn chair is a legally binding claim!
At promptly 3:30, the ceremonies began, marking the official opening of the Bandshell. The Jones Family Foundation was thanked for their generous donation to the City of Red Wing. This incredible gift is akin to having a second Sheldon Theatre, but as an outdoor venue.
Rosanne Cash
The festivities included several selections from Fiddler on the Roof (a teaser for an upcoming production) and a performance by Rosanne Cash and her husband. Their 90-minute set was straightforward, professional, and simple, featuring just two guitars—truly a class act. Following their performance, Roomful of Blues picked up the tempo for the next 90 minutes. The skies cleared (despite occasional rain), and the Sheldon Brass Band took the stage, playing mostly traditional John Philip Sousa music.
Sheldon Brass Band
The climax of the event was during Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Right at the crescendo, cannons began firing, and all the church bells in town started ringing. Red Wing boasts many church bells, and combined with the Brass Band and cannons, it created an incredibly moving experience. Several people began spontaneously crying, and it's hard not to get choked up thinking about it now. The Sheldon Theatre deserves immense credit for making this an unforgettable day in Red Wing history.
It's been fun charting the progress of our newest neighbor, but now it's time to move on to other curious topics.
Central Park Bandshell T minus 3 days
Red Wing Central Park Bandshell: Nearing Completion
The Red Wing Central Park Bandshell is almost 99% complete. The railings still need to be anchored, and the grass requires one last mowing. It seems perfectly sized for the park—not too big and not too small.
Bandshell-front
The six side walls pivot open when needed, and the inside ceiling has a complete lighting system. The purpose of the two round towers on each side isn't clear. They each have doors that, when opened, close the gap between the towers and the shell. These might serve as dressing rooms and off-stage space. One fascinating aspect of this location is that you can see a church steeple in every direction.
From the Bandshell
This is the view from the bandshell looking out. The balustrade wall was built in 1880 when Hamline University owned this land.
Bandshell-behind
Even the view behind the Bandshell is impressive. The activities begin on July 4th at 3 pm with The Sheldon Phoenix Theatre, followed by performances from Rosanne Cash, Roomful of Blues, and the Sheldon Brass Band at 9 pm (complete with cannon), culminating in fireworks over the Mississippi River. It's going to be awesome.