The Roadhouse

Local guitarist Pete K is back on the Roadhouse with more signature rocking tunes.

Fred Anderson of Lutsen makes his return to the Roadhouse with a new set of virtuostic guitar performances.

Cook County Resident Lee Bergstrom has just returned from a trip biking across New Zealand from northern to southern tip with her husband, Scott. She speaks with Dick Swanson on the Roadhouse.

Growing fresh produce is not only good for your health and budget, it's also great for Mother Earth. But, what if you live in the land of 10,000 lakes with short growing seasons. Fear not, Deep Winter Greenhouses may be here to help. Utilizing stored radiant heat from the sun and built to site specific specs, a deep winter greenhouse extends the growing season, while minimizing external energy inputs. Here to tell us more is Greg Schweser,Associate Director of Local Foods and Sustainable Agriculture of the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships.

The University of Minnesota just released its latest cold-hardy wine grape, named Itasca, which will be used to make dry white wines. Here to tell us more is U of M grape breeder Matt Clark. 

His research focuses on using both traditional and molecular plant breeding approaches to develop improved grape cultivars for cold climate wine production. One key area of research is studying the genetics behind the unique resistances to common grapevine pests such as powdery mildew, phylloxera, downy mildew, and black rot in our hybrid germplasm. Our goal is to develop new grape varieties with multiple resistances so that growers can reduce the amounts of pesticides applied in a season.
 

Keri Huber is the archivist specialist for the MN State Fair. She’ll give a presentation on State Fair History, filled with stories, photos, and tidbits, next Friday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at the Grand Marais Public Library. She joins us now by phone to give us a preview and talk about what must be a fun job, working to preserve the history of the Fair.

Keri  has worked at the Minnesota State Fair as an archivist for the past six years. With over 22,000 photos in the State Fair’s collection, her background in visual arts has proven useful in finding images that tell a story and bring history to life. She collaborates with the Minnesota Historical Society (History Walking Tour and the State Fair’s History & Heritage Center) and has worked with TPT (State Fair Stories; Lost Twin Cities; Almanac; Gracious Spaces; Clarence H. Johnston, Minnesota Architect) and national programs such as Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. She too has been interviewed by local newspapers, television and radio stations about the State Fair, and enjoys sharing fair stories learned through research and by the connections she has made.
 
 

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has spent a lifetime observing other creatures and other cultures, from the African savannah to her own backyard. You may recognize her as the author of the NYT best-seller, "The Hidden Life of Dogs." Now she has written a book about her own life--"Dreaming of Lions: My Life in the Wild Places." She joined Ann Possis recently on The Roadhouse.

Greg Nichols is part of the Sawtooth Mountain Maple Syrup Company in Lutsen--currently the largest sugarbush in Minnesota. He sat down with Dave Seaton recently to explain the intricacies of organic maple syrup production. You can see their Facebook page to learn more.

Local explorer Lonnie Dupre stopped by Studio A April 8 to chat with Dave about his next adventure--climbing Begguya, the steepest and most technical of the three great peaks in Denali National Park. He talked about his team, the challenges involved, and much more. You can follow his journey, which begins April 22, here.

Gordon Thorne stopped by The Roadhouse April 1 to play a few tunes and chat. The main topic of conversation was the sixth annual Fingerstyle Masters Weekend, coming up April 8 & 9 at Bluefin Bay in Tofte, and featuring guitarist Pat Donohue, along with fiddler Tom Schaefer. You can learn more here.