Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
"Two Words: Full Recovery"
Remember in the NBA playoffs last year, when Wolves fever was at an all-time high and two fellas started offering $20 "Naz Reid" tattoos? Well, we stumbled across some sad news in the Timberwolves subreddit today: One of said fellas, JC Stroebel, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Stroebel, who has two young sons with his wife Annie, has what doctors believe is a grade 3 or 4 glioma, according to a GoFundMe that's been set up to support the family. "JC is a self-employed tattoo artist with no paid sick leave or time off, and will be unable to work during recovery and treatment," the GoFundMe reads. "Annie, a public special education teacher will also need to step away from work to be JC's primary caregiver."
To quote one of the supporters in that GFM, "Two words: full recovery." If you have a little extra to give during this holiday season, you can support a guy who brought a lot of joy to the Twin Cities here.
Where Have All the Fireplaces Gone?
“There is no substitute for fire.” So says a 1977 book on architecture quoted in this charming story on public fireplaces by Alex V. Cipolle for MPR. Cipolle goes on to round up the state’s last few remaining indoor public wood-burning fireplaces. W.A. Frost in St. Paul has three; Brit’s Pub has two. There are more options up north, including a 27-foot-tall fireplace at the Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center. Sadly, according to Cipolle, many historical fireplaces are no longer in use, and many have been replaced with gas inserts. Says Rolf Andersen, the president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, of the gas fireplace: “It doesn’t even seem like a fireplace anymore.”
Impressively, the word “hygge” does not appear until nearly 20 paragraphs into the story.
Bye-Bye, Butter Bakery Cafe
After more than two decades, Butter Bakery Cafe at at Nicollet and 37th in south Minneapolis will close at the end of the year, according to a post on the cafe's website. Owner Daniel Swenson-Klatt, who earlier this year announced he was looking for a new person to helm the cafe, is retiring.
Here's a nice victory lap from the bakery's closing announcement:
These past 20 years have provided our community much to be proud of. Through your ongoing support, Butter served over 100,000 biscuit sandwiches and 100,000 scones. The eclairs filled a beloved corner of our display case daily. With your investments, we helped transform a neighborhood commercial corridor and a local food economy. We were the nudge behind the roll-out of city-wide composting. We advocated for and witnessed Earned Sick and Safe Time and Paid Family and Medical Leave become available to all Minnesota workers. Over the past 13 years, we provided the opportunity for thousands of working hours for the residents of Nicollet Square, with 67 residents calling Butter a place to learn and grow, and 19 of these joining a staff that included 230 of our neighbors.
Check Out This Christmas Tune from Jerry Beck
For 20 years, delightfully sweet husband-and-wife team Viva and Jerry Beck hosted a weekly Minneapolis public access show, Viva and Jerry's Country Music Videos, where they would share music they liked, attend events like Twin Cities Pride and Open Streets, and talk about their favorite garage-sale finds. When Viva died in 2018 of a stroke at age 79, followed by Jerry in 2019, the Twin Cities lost some good ones.
While going through its archives SPEAK MPLS, which turned 40 this year, discovered a real treat: A 1986 performance from Jerry singing "All I Need For Christmas Dear is You." Take a listen to this locally made tune below.
