Hat's Off, America!
America's Good Stories
Starting with a Vision – Ending with a Giant Ladybug Josh and Shannon envisioned the giant ladybug intersection painting project, and artist Tara Aiken brought it to life. Josh Montgomery and Shannon Draper live in the small suburban town of Hopkins, Minnesota in a neighborhood called, “The Avenues”. The Avenues…
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St. Paul to Seattle on the Empire Builder It has always been one of our bucket list trips to take the Empire Builder from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington. For the trip we rented a “roomette” which is the smallest and cheapest sleeper car. On this trip we learned…
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Dozens of artists, authors and musicians demonstrated their outstanding work at this annual fall event again this year, the weekend right after Thanksgiving. The festival is a juried show, meaning you have to show your work to earn the nod of approval to get in. It is a collection of…
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Tribe completes a $4.1 Million property purchase for future recovery center The property is over 800 acres and includes a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom house, an equestrian center, and two private lakes. The leading idea of the tribal council is to convert it into a substance abuse center. One consideration…
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National Coffee with a Cop day is the day that cops go to local coffee shops to meet with the public. Hats Off America celebrated the event in Lindstrom, Minnesota with Northwoods Roasterie and Lakes Area PD which serves Lindstrom and Chisago City. Police Chief Bill Schlumbohm says “police officers…
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Hat’s Off to those involved in the tremendously important field of kidney organ donations. 17 people die per day waiting for a life-saving kidney, and 100,000 Americans are on the waiting list!
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The race makes every effort to make triathlons accessible to everyone by offering a Mini-Sprint and Sprint levels. You can choose your own distance. For example, if you are more comfortable with the biking portion, you can do the longer segment, but do the shorter segment for the running portion.
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The 48th Wild Rice Powwow was held in Danbury, Wisconsin at the St. Croix Casino headquarters. Numerous singing groups performed and tribal elder Jean Songetay was honored at age 101.
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Hat’s off to the Homemade Pie Capital of Minnesota In 1990, Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich declared the little city of Braham to be the “Homemade Pie Capital of Minnesota”. Braham Pie Day was born! Before Interstate 35 was built, Twin Cities residents drove through Braham, Minnesota, on their way to their lake homes.…
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The 2022 Raspberry Festival was the best one yet! The Hopkins Raspberry festival started in 1935, when growing raspberries was a key part of farming in the area. Even now, when you walk through the alleys of Hopkins you see many residents growing their own. The Raspberry Festival is held…
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Hats Off, America, to the Wright Carver Breakfast on the Farm fun event on Saturday, June 11th. A tip of the hat also to BOB Country, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), Halquist Farms, Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle and many others who made it all possible. Thank…
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Hats Off to the Ukrainian Church of Minneapolis, who held a highly successful fundraiser to raise money for Ukraine. People lined up at their church for the opportunity to purchase Ukrainian perogies, kabobs, chicken and sweet treats! Thousands of people attended the event. Who knows better than immigrants from Ukraine…
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Hopkins Commercial Historic District is officially on the National Register of Historic Places The Hopkins Commercial Historic District has been placed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. The historic area includes Mainstreet between, 8th and 11th avenues. If you walk down Mainstreet, you will notice very…
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This Minnesota author recently published his latest book, Dangerous Straits Hats Off, America, interviewed Chris Norbury about his latest book at the GSR Fine Arts Festival. Chris talked less about himself and more about how new authors can write publish their first book. “If you have a story inside you,…
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Hike Through History and Recent Fire Devastation One of our favorite hikes near the Phoenix area are the Sears-Kay Indian ruins in the Tonto National Forest. The Sears-Kay Indian Ruins are a short drive North of Phoenix. The area was victim to a terrible forest fire in September 2020, and…
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Hats off, America, to Doug Foote, who walked 200 miles to bring to light fire fighter health awareness Bob Metoxen from Hats Off, America, interviewed Doug Foote in Hopkins, Minnesota towards the end of his 200 mile walk the summer of 2021. Fire Fighter Doug Foote from Chanhassen, MN, started…
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Each year the Hopkins Police Department coordinates the delivery of groceries for Thanksgiving to families in need. Bob Metoxen interviewed Chief Brent Johnson, Driskills General Manager Deb Beckman, and Sam Stiele, of the Hopkins Rotary.
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A small community with a stellar art show Tom Bliese, Co-Director of the GSR Fine Art Festival, talks about the thriving community of artists in the Mankato area. The GSR Fine Art Festival is an opportunity to feature the fine arts in southern Minnesota. The show for 2022 will be…
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At Sundown Saloon Bar and Grill in Lewis, Wisconsin Every summer, the Sundown Saloon hosts the Party for a Lifetime to raise money to help cancer victims in the community. A cancer diagnosis is not only challenging medically but also can lead to major unexpected expenses or loss of income.…
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Hats Off, America, to the family and friends of the late Cynthia Wahlen! They gathered to celebrate her life cut short by domestic violence. Leigh Wahlen, Cynthia’s daughter, was 13-years old when her mother was murdered. Leigh is now a Social Worker in Human Services at Polk County, Wisconsin. This…
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