Project 412 get preliminary thumbs-up for surprise, tiny art murals around Detroit Lakes

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Project 412 has some bite-size art projects on the horizon for Detroit Lakes.

During the city council meeting on Aug. 8, Mary Beth Gilsdorf, a member of the Lake Region Arts Council, said the group plans on putting up 10 smaller, tiny art pieces around highly trafficked areas of the city.

She also said the pieces will all feature a QR-code so people will know the art piece is legitimate and not graffiti.

“We’re calling them art surprises, which I would define them as tiny murals,” said Gilsdorf. “Most of them are going to go in different little public areas. They are all going to have QR codes like this, so people know that they are legit and not graffiti. And we’re looking for 10 of them and right now we have four of them (to go) on public buildings.”

Gilsdorf also presented the preliminary designs for the art surprises, that were created by Hannah Spry, to the city council.

Some of the ideas include:

• A UFO shining a beam down on the ground for possible selfie opportunities on the side of the Precision Printing building.
• A mouse relaxing in a the hole created by a broken brick in the Holiday Haven flower bed.
• A snowboarding polar bear grinding the railing outside the Pemberton Law and Counselor Realty courtyard.
• And a green tentacle monster moving a manhole cover near the Ace Hardware building.

Gilsdorf said the designs are subject to change, but the group wanted to start the approval process for getting the city’s go-ahead for placing art pieces on some parcels of city-owned property.

“I don’t know if we have to present specific this design in this space, but we at least wanted to start getting the process started for your approval to put some of these fun things on public way,” she said.

The tiny mural, art surprises are being paid for by the same Blandin Foundation grant that is responsible for the larger building murals around Detroit Lakes and the utility box wrapping project.

Otter Tail County Public Health receives national creative award for post-pandemic diaries

Otter Tail County Public Health received a national creative work award from the National Association of County and City Health Officials for their collaborative art exhibit titled, “Return to Normal? COVID Diaries from Local Youth.” 

County health officials received the Promising Practices award from the organization, which is given to health departments nationwide that, quote, “demonstrate exemplary and replicable outcomes in response to an identified public health need.”

In a news release, Otter Tail County Public Health Director Jody Lien stated that partnerships are the core of public health.

Lien said, quote: “This unique partnership opportunity and the learnings along the way from the artists and youth are a highlight of my career to date. The project was a true opportunity to see and hear a variety of perspectives on the impacts of COVID-19.”

The exhibit featured various multimedia artworks that were each youth created, including pieces from five area high school students: Holly Gutzmer, Aurora Lindahl, Maria Myrhe, Sylvia Pesch, and Alex Ramirez.

Local interdisciplinary artist Naomi Schliesman and multimedia artist Wesley Fawcett Creigh worked with the students to explore the emotional toll of the pandemic on frontline workers through testimonials and identifying common phrases.

The award-winning exhibit was crafted through a working partnership with: Springboard for the Arts, the Otter Tail County Historical Society and Otter Tail County Public Health.

Wadena man injured in motorcycle-deer crash on Highway 10

A Wadena man was injured Tuesday morning when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a deer on Highway 10.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, on Aug. 8 at 7:41 a.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of a motorcycle versus deer crash with possible injuries about 2 miles east of the city of Wadena.

Upon arrival, first responders found 30-year-old Marcus Robert Rohr of Wadena had suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the crash and Rohr was transported to Tri-County Hospital in Wadena for treatment.

A preliminary crash report indicates Rohr was eastbound on Highway 10 while riding a 2000 Kawasaki Cruiser when it collided with a deer near 141st Avenue in Wadena Township.

Rohr was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Road conditions were dry at the time of the collision and law enforcement believes alcohol did not play a factor in the incident.

Wild rice harvesting season opens Aug. 15; DNR warns not to harvest ‘green’ rice

Wild rice harvesting season officially opens on Aug. 15, however, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding harvesters that rice stands must be ripe before they can be legally harvested.

According to a news release, the agency said Minnesota’s green rice law makes it illegal to harvest unripe or “green” rice, even within the dates of the harvest season. So, although rice beds might look like they are ready, ricers must make sure the grain is ripe and falling easily from the stalk before attempting to harvest it. 

Nicholas Snavely, Fergus Falls area wildlife supervisor for the DNR , who has more than a decade of experience seeding wild rice for the agency, explained how to identify “green” rice during a DNR-hosted webinar in 2022.

“Harvest of green, unripe rice, is unlawful,” said Snavely, during the presentation. “Green rice is defined as any wild rice that contains more than 15% of the grain still in the milk. So that’s pretty specific … if it’s really got that milky look to it and it doesn’t look like it’s firmed up into a starch, it’s probably well into that stage where it’s not ready to be harvested yet.”

Early reports from Minnesota DNR and tribal biologists indicate average to great rice stands across central and northern Minnesota, but conditions are variable for individual waters.

Snavely said Minnesota has more natural wild rice than any other state in the U.S. with most of the harvestable water crop located in northern and northeastern Minnesota.

“Minnesota has more natural wild rice than any other state in the nation,” said Snavely. “Approximately 2,100 lakes and rivers in Minnesota have it. It’s most abundant in northeastern Minnesota, especially in Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca and St. Louis Counties.”

The wild rice conditions report is available each year on the Minnesota DNR’s wild rice management webpage, along with license, regulation and safety information.

Fosston and Crookston to receive $1.4 million in DEED grants for infrastructure

The cities of Fosston and Crookston with be receiving a combined $1.4 million in state infrastructure grants from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

According to a Wednesday news release, the agency announced Fosston will be receiving $960,460 from DEED’s Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program (BDPI). The grant will assist with constructing streets and utilities to expand the town’s industrial park.

The expansion is expected to draw in up to four additional businesses to the area, including Great Northern Ingredients, a food manufacturer, and bring an additional 100 workers to Fosston. The city estimates the taxable value of those properties to increase by $5.7 million within the next five years.

The agency also awarded the city of Crookston $452,000 from DEED’s Innovative Business Development Public Infrastructure Program (IBDPI) to assist with constructing streets and utilities to the Ag Innovation Campus (AIC), a specialty soybean crush facility.

Ag innovation Campus will also research higher-quality specialty soybeans as well as new strains of oil seed crops. AIC has committed to invest $30 million in the facility and that will create about new 40 jobs. 

In the news release, DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek stated: “Public infrastructure grants like these help foster economic development in communities throughout Minnesota. We’re excited these grants will help Fosston and Crookston create and retain good-paying jobs.”

Highway 34 work begins in Barnesville on Aug. 11; drivers should expect delays

Starting Friday, Aug. 11, weather permitting, motorists traveling on Highway 34 near Barnesville will encounter periodic stops and long delays with flaggers at the Highway 34 and Highway 9 intersection in Barnesville, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Crews will begin paving the first phase of the Highway 9 reconstruction project, from Main Avenue through the Highway 34 intersection. Flaggers will direct traffic, which may be stopped for up to 15 minutes during paving. The work is expected to take approximately two days to complete.

Highway 9 thru-traffic remains detoured to Interstate 94 and County Road 30 until the project is complete in September.

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