Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
The Strib's Night In Minneapolis
Whether you're a Fox News regurgitating exurbanite, a Twitter leftist who posts about Grimace ad nauseam, or somewhere in between, it's absolutely worth your time to read the Star Tribune's Sunday A1 feature. In it, "more than a dozen" reporters and photogs set out to document Minneapolis from early evening until past bar close.
They found moments of joy, like the piñata/mechanical bull party in Powderhorn Park; they found moments of pain, like the heartbreakingly humanizing portrait of a homeless fentanyl addict who just wanted to feel beautiful in a thrifted dress; they found a diverse city on the rebound from a historic tragedy, and the newsroom bosses mostly let their reporters break free from stiff newspaper writing conventions. The resulting article? An especially moving snapshot of Minneapolis, one that acknowledges the warts while pushing back against the bad-faith ghouls who wield our city as a told-ya-so ideological cudgel.
We asked reporter Andy Mannix for some behind-the-scenes insight into the ambitious project:
"We’ve all seen the lazy or ill-meaning attempts to cast Minneapolis as some kind of Mad Max dystopia in the past two years. Crime is definitely up. Those issues are real, and we cover them a lot. But to pretend that defines an entire city of 425,000 people is just absurd. We wanted to create a record of what Minneapolis is actually like during this weird summer, and add some context to the public safety conversations. It was an experiment, and we turned the whole thing around in less than a week. But I was thrilled with how many reporters volunteered to spend their Saturday night roaming the city talking to strangers, and they came back with so much great material. Everyone understood the assignment. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and I think—hope?—that’s because we captured a flicker of the diversity of experiences that make up this city."
Minnesota Rapper’s Existence Baffles the Elderly
Many people so famous even your grandpa has heard of ’em showed up at MTV’s somehow still-extant VMAs last night: you know, Taylor Swift, Snoop Dogg, and thus forth. But plenty of folks on social media seemed not just stumped but downright outraged by the appearance of Yung Gravy, the Minnesota rapper who Racket readers already know all about and who endured a “Who is Bonnie Bear?” moment last night.
The reasons behind of the outrage was unclear: Were people just mad that his name is goofy, or the fact that they didn’t know he existed, or the fact that they were “expected” to know they existed, or the fact that they have to text their children to remind them of their WiFi password, or their ever-hastening proximity to the grave? (Personally I’m pretty TikTok avoidant, but I know just enough to realize that smooching Addison Rae’s mom is a pretty good bit. Just don’t ask me to listen to Mr. Gravy.) Anyway, Racket readers can bask in the satisfaction of knowing more about popular culture that your average adult.
The Great Minnesota Get High Together
The weird man in the chicken suit isn’t the only person not allowed within the State Fair gates. Vendors of recently legalized THC edibles cannot peddle their mood-altering wares within the Fairgrounds’ sacred confines. Not yet, at least. But this year, thanks to Minnesota's surprise legalization legislation, multiple vendors are renting space from fair-adjacent homeowners to operate booths nearby, adding a fun new wrinkle to the fair experience. "When you see multiple alcohol stands and people walking around being able to consume that without any issue, as long as they can regulate [THC] right, I think it can be a thing in the future," a vendor named Michael told Bring Me the News.
A Somber Yeehaw as Schatzlein Saddle Shop Trots Off to Retail Heaven
Schatzlein Saddle Shop, the 115-year-old Minneapolis Western paraphernalia destination, is headed to the big glue factory in the sky—aka Retail Heaven. Writing via Facebook, the Schatzlein family announced the impending closure Sunday: “It is with a heavy heart, we have decided the time has come to close Schatzlein Saddle Shop… now is the time for some of the family members to retire. It's been an incredible ride. Ultimately we would love to stay open, but at this time it is not possible.” Starting today, there’s a big ol’ liquidation sale at 413 W. Lake St., with discounts of up to 25% on riding gear, cowperson apparel (hats, books, jeans), and ornate belt buckles as big as small plates. No exact closing date was disclosed; click here for hours and inventory. And click here to read Cathy Wurzer's 2007 conversation with proprietor Jerry Schatzlien and daughter Jean about the bygone era when horses roamed Lake Street.
