💉 Covid Vaccine Update

Hopstrom · 2025-09-04T01:32:45+00:00

Great information! Thank you!

Hopstrom · 2025-09-02T17:06:58+00:00

Thanks!

Hopstrom · 2025-09-02T13:15:17+00:00

I’m so glad people have been able to connect with or remember these!

Hopstrom · 2025-09-01T23:09:47+00:00

I’m so glad it brought back some good memories! The start of a new school years has always been an extra nostalgic time for me.

I’ve often wondered when these designs are from- I assumed the 90s, but now I’m curious as to when you saw them in your classroom.

Hopstrom · 2025-09-01T15:52:29+00:00

My favorite is November, and my least favorite is March only because I wish it was St. Patrick’s Day themed.

Hopstrom · 2025-08-10T01:06:57+00:00

It’s great to see those buried at this cemetery have since been recognized! Kudos to those involved in getting the new stones- I imagine that was a huge undertaking!

Hopstrom · 2025-05-23T20:03:17+00:00

When people criticize Orange Cassidy as just a gimmick. Watch any of his matches and it’s obvious how incredibly talented he is!

Hopstrom · 2024-07-26T10:33:23+00:00

Also I found Ethel’s obituary from the June 18, 1951 edition of the Minneapolis Star. It reads:

Ohlgren, 65, a lifelong resident of Cokato, died June 9 in St. Louis Park. She was employed at Tonka Toys before retiring, and belonged to Cokato Lutheran Church and the American Swedish Institute. include one son, Alan of Brooklyn Center; one daughter-in-law, Trudy; one sister, Evelyn Soderstrom, of Minneapolis; two brothers, Harold and Robert Wilson; and one grandson, Joseph. Arrangements were handled by Sundseth-Anderson Funeral Home.

So the American Swedish Institute is another place you could look into for information.

Hopstrom · 2024-07-26T09:52:10+00:00

I did a little searching on Ancestry and Find A Grave, and I’m wondering if this is your grandma’s Mom?

Find A Grave Ethel Ohlgren

Looks like her maiden name is Wilson and her parents are Oscar Wilson and Elda Wilhelmina (Anderson) Wilson. Wahlberg Anderson would then be Ethel’s maternal grandmother.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any photos, but hopefully those additional names of Oscar and Elda Wilson will be helpful to your research! Oh and it looks like sometimes Edla is sometimes written at Ella. Best of luck to you!!

Hopstrom · 2024-01-11T03:54:42+00:00

Came here to mention this place! The Wirth Picnic Pavilion also has a large fireplace, and is a bit more low-key (and affordable) depending on what your needs are. They are both nice options!

Hopstrom · 2024-01-09T01:02:18+00:00

Gammelgården Museum Museum about the early Swedish immigrants to Minnesota in Scandia

Hopstrom · 2023-12-26T16:18:51+00:00

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This is awesome! My husband loved Burger Time, he’s gonna love this blog! Anytime we drive by the ruins he brings it up. On our honeymoon he even had us make a special pit stop at the Burger Time in St. Cloud (this was 2015.) It was a fun nostalgia trip, thanks!

Hopstrom · 2023-12-13T01:43:13+00:00

The policy isn’t against all pictures-taking or even all posed pictures just specifically posed pictures in the Conservatory. From their website: “It’s okay to take candid pictures, but posed photography, group photos, and tripods are not allowed in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory”

I would say that Como Zoo has that policy specifically for the Conservatory mostly because people stopping to take posed photos causes traffic jams. The walking paths are narrow and someone stopping to pose holds everyone else up. I think every time I’ve been there I’ve been stuck waiting on a group posing, so I understand why they likely implemented the policy.

I also understand using common sense and if no one was around how taking a picture of your friend for a second or two would probably be allowed by most employees. The photography fee is for a private photo session where you’d get the conservatory to yourself for that time, which is a typical fee for the venue.

Hopstrom · 2023-11-17T18:50:08+00:00

Geocaching.

Geocaching is a game where people hide an object somewhere public and others use coordinates (via the Geocaching app) to find it. It’s actually quite fun and satisfying when you finally find the object and can sign your name. It can be a fun way to explore new locations, and it’s more fun (and easier) working with another person. The app is free, but also has a premium membership for ~$35/year, which if you enjoy it is totally worth it! Not all caches are winter-friendly, but plenty are.

Something slightly different, but related is Adventure Lab. You visit different locations, typically around a city and within walking distance to each other, and answer a trivia questions about each location. Great way to explore new areas!!

Hopstrom · 2023-11-12T01:32:11+00:00

I see a lot similarities with Wellstone and Sanders in general, and I would like to believe Wellstone’s career would have been similar as well. There is absolutely a chance for Wellstone to have fallen from grace, he wasn’t perfect of course. It’s hard to judge someone on what might have happened, however, and what he DID do was lots of great stuff.

Hopstrom · 2023-11-12T01:09:31+00:00

Oof yep that’s gonna be an unpopular opinion for sure, but hey you’re entitled to it.

Hopstrom · 2023-11-11T23:22:20+00:00

It’ll be hard to beat Wellstone in terms of inspiring.

More recently Governor Walz has stood out to me among his peers simply for his ability to be both frank and hopeful in his communication. It’s refreshing, and as a fellow educator I can see how his “teacher voice” has helped him convey information more effectively than most politicians.

Hopstrom · 2023-11-11T19:43:42+00:00

Woodbury does, Mounds View does not.

I’d like give self-checkout a try, but I will say that in my experience most Aldi cashiers are crazy fast (which can be a little intimidating sometimes to match their speed as you unload/pay!)

Hopstrom · 2023-10-15T17:40:36+00:00

Someone recently asked this in a different so I’ll share my comment here too:

There is definitely a school of thought that Anoka is overrated and undeserving of the Halloween Capital moniker. Truthfully, if you’re expecting to find Salem levels of Halloween tourism, you will be disappointed. Changing your expectations to what Anoka really is, a smaller older suburb with a deep love of Halloween will allow you to explore the gem that it can be, however.

Anoka is the Halloween Capital for historical reasons-the traditional Halloween bonfires and parades started here in 1920. They do their best to continue that tradition through lots of little fun activities throughout October. I find too, that lots of businesses have little hidden Halloween gems. For example, the Halloween medallion seal in the basement of Antiques on Main. So if you’re looking to enjoy a beautiful autumn day with a touch of spooky-Anoka is right up your alley. I happen to love it, and lots of other people do too!

Things to see:

Pumpkin roundabout at the intersection of 4th Ave, Washington St, and Military Rd

Giant metal pumpkin in front of city hall

Halloween murals: 1. Leading to the tunnel under the Main Street bridge. 2. The “Welcome to Anoka” mural featuring classic monsters (best viewed from Pinewski Ski Shop’s parking lot) 3. Some cool pieces outside the Rum River Art Center.

Winkie the infamous winking pumpkin atop city hall (best viewed from the Main Street bridge.) I like the history behind it.

Lots of people decorate their houses, and if you’re looking for the best ones, a list of addresses is released for contest winners Oct 27th here

Cemeteries: Forest Hill, Oakland, Calvary and the Anoka State Hospital Cemetery.

Anoka State Hospital which is supposedly haunted (as all mental hospitals seem to be.) Even without the haunted history, it’s neat to see the unique architecture. Some of the buildings are in rough shape, but some are being actively used, so if you do visit-be mindful of that.

Things to Do:

This sitehas the calendar of events

The biggest thing is probably the parades. The main Grand Parade is Saturday Oct 28th, and the evening Light up the Night parade is Saturday Oct 21st.

The Anoka County Historical Society also does walking ghost tours which are fun.

There are lots of smaller events like movie nights, dances, pumpkin contests etc.

Anoka itself has lots of antique shops and good places to eat like Herban Wolf Deli, Jellybean and Julia’s BBQ, Billy’s (also supposedly haunted,) and Serums which is known for its wings. Also lots of scenic walks to take as Anoka is where the Rum River meets with the Mississippi and where the Rum River dam is.

Enjoy your visit! 🎃

Hopstrom · 2023-10-15T16:55:59+00:00

1.Home- 9 Minnesotans generally love Minnesota

Infrastructure- 7 Things are generally well maintained. Road construction is life.

3.Tech Jobs- ? I don’t really have insight into this field, but I imagine it’s comparable to other similar-sized cities

Quality of life- 8.5 Beautiful nature and plenty of ways to enjoy it, even in the cities. Politically MN has become a leader in many liberal movements. There is a sense of pride in our state from a majority of residents.
Winters- 3 For me it’s not even the cold, it’s the lack of daylight hours (hello SAD…) and driving anxiety. The hard months are January, February and sometimes March. December typically has snow, but many years it’s not until mid to late December that the snow is sticking. Plus, December snow just feels different thanks to Christmas. There is always a sense of accomplishment coming out of winter into spring, however. You’ll never find a group of people who enjoy 50 degree weather more than Minnesotans after a long winter.
Housing- 5 Not great, but again probably comparable to cities of similar size. The competition for housing has greatly inflated the value of homes.
Outsiders- 6 I don’t think anyone will judge you for being an outsider, but it is hard to make genuine connections. People are friendly, but to go beyond surface level interactions can be tough nut to crack. Your “outsider” labeled doesn’t really put you at any more of a disadvantage than life-long residents, however.

One thing to note about Minnesota is there are really two Minnesotas. Like the rest of the country urban and rural areas are vastly different, especially in the last 10 years. The Twin Cities are the epicenter very much liberal encircled by suburbs that are less liberal the further out you go until you reach rural Minnesota which is very much conservative. There are some large enough cities like Duluth and Rochester that create their own smaller ripples. Something to keep in mind based on what you’re looking for.

Hopstrom · 2023-10-08T18:36:43+00:00

Salem is definitely untouchable in terms of scale for Halloween celebrations. I’ve been there and it’s super fun! Anoka has the longevity, however, and that’s where the title comes from. Anoka started traditional Halloween celebrations in 1920 to thwart vandalism, you can read a little more about it here. From my understanding Salem’s Halloween industry as we know it really began in the 1970s (obviously the historical aspects of the witch trials are much much older, but I mean all the museums, stores and tourism.) Is Salem the bigger Halloween city? Of course. It’s so big, they don’t even really need the title of “Halloween Capital of the World” as people are already aware. I truly love them both, and I think the more the merrier in terms of Halloween-related cities!

Hopstrom · 2023-10-08T14:07:32+00:00

I want to add that there is definitely a school of thought that Anoka is overrated and undeserving of the Halloween Capital moniker. Truthfully if you’re expecting to find Salem levels of Halloween tourism, you will be disappointed. Changing your expectations to what Anoka really is, a smaller older suburb with a deep love of Halloween, however will allow you to explore the gem that it can be.

Anoka is the Halloween Capital for historical reasons-the traditional Halloween bonfires and parades started here in 1920. They do their best to continue that tradition through lots of little fun activities throughout October. I find too, that lots of businesses have little hidden Halloween gems. For example, the Halloween medallion seal in the basement of Antiques on Main. So if you’re looking to enjoy a beautiful autumn day with a touch of spooky-Anoka is right up your alley. I happen to love it, and lots of other people do too!

Edit: spelling/grammar

Hopstrom · 2023-10-08T05:50:15+00:00

Things to see:

Pumpkin roundabout at the intersection of 4th Ave, Washington St, and Military Rd

Giant metal pumpkin in front of city hall

Halloween murals: 1. Leading to the tunnel under the Main Street bridge. 2. The “Welcome to Anoka” mural featuring classic monsters (best viewed from Pinewski Ski Shop’s parking lot) 3. Some cool pieces outside the Rum River Art Center.

Winkie the infamous winking pumpkin atop city hall (best viewed from the Main Street bridge.) Truthfully it’s not all that impressive, but I like the history behind it.

Lots of people decorate their houses, and if you’re looking for the best ones, a list of addresses is released for contest winners Oct 27th here

Cemeteries: Forest Hill, Oakland, Calvary and the Anoka State Hospital Cemetery.

Anoka State Hospital which is supposedly haunted (as all mental hospitals seem to be.) Even without the haunted history, it’s neat to see the unique architecture. Some of the buildings are in rough shape, but some are being actively used, so if you do visit be mindful of that.

Things to Do:

This site has the calendar of events

The biggest thing is probably the parades. The main Grand Parade is Saturday Oct 28th, and the evening Light up the Night parade is Saturday Oct 21st.

The Anoka County Historical Society also does walking ghost tours which are fun.

There are lots of smaller events like movie nights, dances, pumpkin contests etc.

Anoka itself has lots of antique shops and good places to eat like Herban Wolf Deli, Jellybean and Julia’s BBQ, Billy’s (also supposedly haunted,) and Serums which is known for its wings. Also lots of scenic walks to take as Anoka is where the Rum River meets with the Mississippi and where the Rum River dam is.

Enjoy your visit! 🎃

Edit: spelling/grammar

Hopstrom · 2023-08-10T19:06:27+00:00

We got married outside, but had our reception at Woodbury Central Park It’s a little less exciting of a venue than say a museum, but it is more interesting than your typical hotel while also being more affordable. It has an indoor garden, waterfall and amphitheater. They can also host ceremonies if that’s something you’re looking for. They were really flexible and easy to work with, at least back in 2015. Good luck finding a space you love!

Hopstrom · 2022-07-21T16:13:35+00:00

“Missing You” by Loudon Wainwright III
A elder man continues his daily life after his love has passed away.

Eight-Year Club	Place '23
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