Sheldon Theatre - Holiday Stroll photo booth follow-up

Sheldon Theatre Fundraiser: Exhausting and Fun

This year's fundraiser for the Sheldon Theatre was just like last year's—exhausting and fun at the same time. The small army of diligent photography volunteers formed a well-oiled machine, and the clients were steady all evening. We raised about $500, which is a 30% increase over last year.

The theme was a bit different this time: early morning Christmas in the 1950s. The best images were those where clients fully engaged in the fun. For example, above, Matt (my carpenter in real life) re-creates his proposal to his fiancée.

See? Fun.

Old is still the new new

Retro-Christmas Family Photo Event at The Sheldon Theatre

Last year marked the first year we held a fundraiser for The Sheldon Theatre the Friday after Thanksgiving. We opened the doors of The Sheldon to the public during the Downtown Red Wing Holiday Stroll and used their set and costume departments to re-create a family photo at a 1950's Macy's department store.

This year, we are excited to work with The Sheldon again on another retro-Christmas family photo event. We will re-create the excitement of Christmas morning, circa 1955. To put it in proper perspective, think of the set of The Honeymooners—a Brooklyn apartment with a table, chairs, and a table-top tree. Throw on an old-fashioned robe (maybe with a nightcap or hair curlers) and a few slippers. The photos will be printed using a very dated look (black and white, complete with creases).

This will be way too cool for school. And all for $5.00!

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.

Today was a good day

A Pleasant Surprise from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

This morning, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune business columnist Dick Youngblood wrote a very favorable column about our business here in Red Wing. It was a lot of fun getting to know Dick over several conversations and meetings, and I really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, I was very happy and a bit embarrassed by the attention.

But it was the sub-headline on the second page of the hard-copy article that really made me smile. For many years, I thought I was a "washed-up sales rep" when, in fact, I was only a "burned-out sales rep." Imagine my relief.

You gotta love it. 😊

The article can be found here.

Thanks for the article, Dick, and thanks for the support, Dave Murphy from Red Wing Shoes.

Flyway Film Festival countdown

2nd Annual Flyway Film Festival

This weekend is the much-anticipated 2nd annual Flyway Film Festival. The event kicks off on Thursday night with a meet-and-greet reception, and the opening night of movies begins on Friday night with "Storm," followed by "Ink." In many cases, both actors and the directors of the films will be at the festival to answer questions. Over the course of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, more than 30 independent films will be shown.

Saturday will be a bit different, featuring a one-day, genre-specific event of classic and cutting-edge independent zombie films. And everybody loves a good movie about the undead :)

We are proud to be a red carpet sponsor of this ambitious art endeavor and to have provided the large format graphics to promote this event.

Details are available at FlywayFilmFestival.org. See you in Stockholm this weekend!

Why don't you take a picture? It will last longer.

Capturing Moments Before They Disappear

For the humor-deprived, the title might seem borderline inappropriate, but it's actually quite fitting.

Photographers have a duty to document the world as it is. Many iconic pieces of our existence are vanishing, and once they're gone, they're gone forever. A drive-in movie theater, for example, lasts only as long as the economics of local development allow. Once the land becomes more valuable for another purpose, adios drive-in movie theater.

Pay attention to everything and take nothing for granted. Don't tell yourself that you'll take a certain photo someday. Take it today.

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.