Podcasts about lyndale

A harrowing personal story from Curt Myran of Whittier, who talks about how his life changed the day they rearranged the Aldi at 26th and Lyndale. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Dan and Al begin their hunt for a new producer after the tragic removal of Joe Sheehan (lost episode). The duo will host open tryouts at Tacos El Kevin food truck on the corner of Lyndale and 36th st. on Thursday August 15th. Hannah S. also appears on this episode.  Audio Intro: “Pantyhose” by TV GirlFrom the Free Music ArchiveCC BY NC 4.0Audio Outro: “Pantyhose” by TV GirlFrom the Free Music ArchiveCC BY NC 4.0

John is joined by Julie Johnson and Katie Jones to talk about the "Livable Lyndale" campaign to fix a terrible, no good, super fast, dangerous, hostile to humans, neighborhood street. Right now in 2024 is our once in a lifetime chance to fix a street that hasn't had a full reconstruction since the 1930s. Hennepin County, who controls this street, is scheduled to publish design options soon. They need to hear from you. Final approval of a layout is expected this summer. Don't wait another 90 years to get involved! You'll be dead by then! The time to fix Lyndale Ave is now. We talk about the recent history of activism on the street, inspired by Ted Ferrara, who died crossing Lyndale on foot after getting out of a car; the 2022 4-to-3 lane conversion that worked despite years of naysaying from the county and other opponents; how Lyndale's super wide dimensions make it easier to fit pedestrian, bike, and transit amenities; and how you can get involved. For more information on the Livable Lyndale campaign: https://livablelyndale.org Engage with Hennepin County's Lyndale Ave reconstruction project page: https://www.hennepin.us/residents/transportation/lyndale-avenue-safety Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A spontaneous unscheduled episode recorded with John's dear old friend Anton Schieffer at Open Streets on Lyndale Avenue. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

On this week's episode host Aaron Schilb is joined by our first married guests! Minnesota natives and founding members of country rock band "Lake & Lyndale", Channing and Jon Krentz are trailblazing an original sound in Nashville, Tennessee. With hints of Americana, folk, blues, and rock, L&L is a force to be reckoned with. Tune in to hear Channing talk about her first job as a Bird Lady Witch, what it's like to be married and also work in the music industry, how they maintain their relationship and band dynamic with the other core group members, and a whole heck of a lot of laughing on this episode.Find them on the web at lakeandlyndale.com and on social media at @lakeandlyndale.Follow us at Nashville Tour Stop on social media at @nashvilletourstop and find our full live event calendar at nashvilletourstop.com! Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The results are in: the new 3-lane Lyndale Avenue is a big improvement over the 4-lane version. Data collected by Hennepin County regarding their pilot project are impressive. But if you've spent any time walking, biking, driving, just living near Lyndale from Franklin to Lake, you didn't need numbers to convince you. Crashes are down by more than half, pedestrian crossings have nearly doubled at the most problematic intersections, drivers are actually stopping for pedestrians. As a result of this redesign, car traffic has done the unimaginable -- it's moving at the speed limit. John is joined by Melody Hoffmann (https://southwestvoices.news) to talk about these results and what comes next, with the planning for a full reconstruction of Lyndale coming up soon. We also talk about the sudden and unexpected end to the city council's deliberation over rent stabilization policy; the loss of our freedom to exist in public spaces due to our society's inability to cope with larger societal and environmental issues; and Melody's award-eligible Farmer's Market Report. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

It's our not-quite monthly appointment with Dr. Melody Hoffmann, PhD. Melody starts us off with the farmers market report. We talk about the massive fire that destroyed a 25-unit, 100 year old apartment building at 24th and Lyndale in the Wedge -- and whether city hall failed to properly intervene to stop a public safety threat that neighbors had been predicting for months. We talk about a failed effort to put $200,000 in the city's 2023 budget for a municipal sidewalk snow clearing pilot. John makes the case that the dream of a dense pedestrianized, climate-friendly city, where people drive less, falls apart if it's not safe for people to use the sidewalks all year long. John expresses skepticism about the crime-fighting impacts of MPD's Operation Endeavor, the results of which are being celebrated on the TV news. During the underwhelming gift guide portion of the episode, we find out if Melody's use of the phrase "neighbor-friend" is actually a euphemism for something a bit more intimate. You can find Melody on Twitter at @MelodySWV and https://southwestvoices.news Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Gov Walz releases Climate Change plan. It is a predictable and unknowable bunch of boilerplate hogwash. GL takes issue with Rev Tim on the issue of crime at Lyndale and Broadway. Tree equity becomes major concern in Minneapolis. “REFERENCED ON THE SHOW” Hole In The Sky Where A Tree Once Stood

Interview by Haze of DGB https://www.instagram.com/mike_tall We recently sat down with Kansas rapper Lyndale for an exclusive “Off The Porch” interview! During our conversation he discussed growing up in Kansas, his childhood, being banned from performing in Kansas City, moving to California, the music scene in Kansas City, his new single “Not Me”, dropping two EPs this year, “Money Gang Baby 2”, and “Before I Miss My Shot”, the grind of being a independent artist, fatherhood, new music, and much more! 

In the late 1940s, Anthony Brutus Cassius was the first Black man to obtain a liquor license in the city of Minneapolis. He went on to create safe social spaces, specifically bars, for Black people for 47 consecutive years. After producing a radio documentary about his life in 2021, I found myself wondering, what is his legacy? Would Cassius be satisfied if he were alive today?  Courtesy of the John F. Glanton Collection via the Hennepin County Library A.B. Cassius smiles for a photo after being granted a liquor license for his cafe in Minneapolis. He was the first Black man granted a liquor license in the city. For decades, the Dreamland Café in South Minneapolis was often the place to be if you were Black and wanted to socialize. When Nat King Cole came to town in the 1940s, he played the Dreamland.  In many ways, the Dreamland grew out of Cassius's experiences growing up. Cassius was just 13 when he arrived in Minnesota in 1922. He came from Oklahoma, put on a train by his father just months after the Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed much of the city's vibrant and prosperous Black community, known to many as ‘Black Wall Street.' On his first night in St. Paul, he got a porter job at the Merchant Hotel at the top of Kellogg Hill and slept on a mattress in the basement. That would remain his home until he graduated from Central High School.  Solvejg Wastvedt | MPR News file St. Paul's Central High School stands on the site of the school Anthony Brutus Cassius attended in the 1920s. In his 70s, Cassius recorded an oral history for the Minnesota Historical Society, looking back at his life and accomplishments. He described his impressions of the Twin Cities when he first arrived:  “This was a prejudiced town, St. Paul-Minneapolis.” His voice sounds strong and angry. “Back then the only thing you could do was go to school. There was no prejudice in the school system. Because there wasn't enough [of us] to constitute a threat. The class I graduated in was 1,200, and there were only two or three colored in the whole school.”  Because few job opportunities were open to Black men at the time, Cassius went on to wait tables in hotels. This was even though he graduated from college as a top athlete and student at a time when having a college degree was a rarity for Black men. But he soon ran into extreme racial inequities in that industry. So he went and formed the first all-Black waiters union in Minneapolis. Eventually, he began working for his liquor license. It took two years. “But through persistence, I got it,” he said in the oral history.  Listen to Cassius The Godfather of Black Space in Minneapolis Over 47 consecutive years, he owned three bars. They were known as some of the first, and most consistent, integrated spaces in Minneapolis.  But Cassius opened these bars for a specific reason. He wanted to give Black people a place to be, to socialize, to conspire and to dream. Finding safe space for Black people to gather was a precious commodity in 1940s and ‘50s America. In the oral history, Cassius spoke about forming the Minnesota Club, a group of civil rights activists who organized to protest the screening of D.W. Griffiths' now notorious “The Birth of A Nation” in downtown Minneapolis, among many other movements.  “There were about eight of us,” he explained in the history.  We met once a month in Fosters Sweet Shoppe on 6th and Lyndale. We met in the back. And all they wanted us to do if we met there was to buy a dish of ice cream.”  At the end of the quote, you can hear him emit a gasp of incredulous laughter, as though the thought of being allowed to gather over a dish of ice cream was still a bit amazing to him. Nicole Neri for MPR News Flowered curtains cover the windows of the former Dreamland social space May 5. The shell of the old Dreamland Café, Cassius' first bar, still stands on 38th street in the old southside of Minneapolis. Once a thriving Black community, cars noisily speed by the dilapidated intersection. But there's a new dream unfolding for the space, and like Cassius' original vision, it's a dream with a purpose. Anthony Taylor is the community development lead of the Cultural Wellness Center. It's a Minneapolis-based social justice organization with a mission to support the idea that active living and green space are crucial to the wellbeing of Black people. His organization wants to bring back the old Dreamland space, in a true evolution of Cassius' vision.  Nicole Neri for MPR News Anthony Taylor walks through the neighborhood which used to be served by the Dreamland social space May 5. “‘Dreamland on 38th' is actually a revitalization of this entire community, as an African American legacy community,” he explained. “Fortunately, or unfortunately, the murder of George Floyd anchored that for us. We are now three blocks from there. So what we see is a connection between this development, what will emerge at 38th and Chicago, and we really see it as a destination for human rights and social justice fighters from all over the world.”  The vision for the project is ultimately a place to eat and drink. But the fact Taylor is imagining Dreamland as a destination for international social justice fighters, punctuates the importance of such spaces.  “We're saying ‘social' right now, but in my head I substitute ‘safe,'” he said. “Creating spaces that the community knows are safe for them to be themselves that are anchored in their own renewal, regeneration and socialization, that is really the conscious development of a safe space. And really, there's a challenge around that for Black people. There's still a challenge for that.”  Several recent mass shootings have been identified as racially motivated hate crimes, including the May 14 killing of 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York. Safe spaces for Black people seem as crucial as they've ever been.  Nicole Neri for MPR News The former Dreamland social space stands empty May 5, 2022. “I think what people don't realize is there is an energetic cost of being Black in white dominated spaces all the time,” Taylor emphasized.  If we can agree that these spaces are crucial, how, really, are we doing in the city of Minneapolis? I posed the question to other Black owners and operators of social spaces, as well as some patrons.  There is a new generation of Black-owned space in Minneapolis, and with them comes a new outlook and sensibility, too.  Nicole Neri for MPR News Gene Sanguma, co-owner of Ties Lounge & Rooftop, poses for a portrait on the rooftop of his club. Gene Sanguma is part of a collective of 20-something best friends who came together over a common bond: having a good time. But not any old kind of good time. A safe good time. On a recent sunny spring day in the middle of downtown Minneapolis, sitting on the third floor patio at Ties Lounge and Rooftop, their new downtown Minneapolis nightclub, he recalled the energy that went into its creation.  “We [thought we could] provide fun, and safety. We said, ‘Let's do it. Let's come up with something.'” “Something” ended up being the multi-story venue on the Nicollet Mall in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. You can eat, you can drink and you can dance. But you can also grab a quiet table with friends and talk into the night. It's like an anti-nightclub that still manages to operate with nightlife and good times at the forefront. “Ties is a community,” he went on. “We wanted to make it so it doesn't matter where you come from, what aspirations you may have in your life — you come into Ties, you feel welcomed. We wanted to provide a safe space for all people to come together and just enjoy themselves and network. We felt like the city really, really needed it.” Ties feels like an echo of what Cassius wanted to build. Dreamland on 38th's Anthony Taylor realized this about Cassius' mission, too. “When young Black people are allowed to congregate, they start to look outward and organize themselves,” he told me. “When you're creating spaces where Black people feel emotionally safe, you can imagine a future that includes you.”  The exclusion of Black people from public spaces is part of America's fabric. As Taylor put it, Black people are afraid of public space. Because when it goes wrong? It goes really wrong. “It's not a skinned knee,” he said.   Euan Kerr | MPR News The exterior of Palmer's Bar in Minneapolis. The bar which opened in 1906 is a West Bank institution, and the only actual bar left in what was once a thriving entertainment area adjacent to the University of Minnesota. As a young person, I gravitated to Palmer's Bar on the West Bank of Minneapolis. Though the dive bar institution has a rough and tumble façade and reputation, I immediately found that it was one of the most welcoming spaces I had ever been to.  Tony Zaccardi has owned Palmer's for four years, but he says it's long attracted a seriously diverse mix of customers.  “I always tell people, my motto of what Palmer's is, it's Black, white, gay, straight, trans, left, right, rich, poor. So on and so forth,” he said. Then he added “Everyone is welcome until you're an a-hole.”  But there's something else about Zaccardi. He's a Black man, and his ownership adds another layer of meaning to the already storied place.  I put the question to him: would Cassius be satisfied if he were alive today? “I think he'd be disappointed as hell at Black bar ownership and Black representation in bars. Restaurants are a little better, but it's still not at all where it could or should be. But I think he'd be proud of me. I just started tearing up when I said that. I think he'd be proud of me.”  Euan Kerr | MPR News When Tony Zaccardi bought Palmer's Bar in 2018 he became the only Black bar owner in the city of Minneapolis. I think Cassius would be proud of Tony too. I'm proud of Tony. But this is a story about whether or not Cassius would be proud of the Twin Cities. I happened to catch Wain McFarlane, longtime fixture of the Twin Cities music scene and frontman of internationally known reggae-rock band, “Ipso Facto,” on the patio of Palmer's, where he's a regular. He didn't think Cassius would be satisfied, either. “I'd say we still haven't made the progress. It's still controlled by another entity,” he told me from a table he's sharing with his son. “But at least Tony (Zaccardi) finally owns something.”  McFarlane mentioned how difficult it is to get a foothold into the business, and he believes it's time for something to change.  “I think we need some sort of financial institution to allow us to have our dream and help us manage it. You know, we don't want to waste the money,” he said.  I approached a group of other Black patrons on the patio. Zaccardi said one of them is in every day. I asked what it is about Palmer's that makes them feel safe, and what keeps them coming back. A guy with long braids named Caezar told me, “A cat can hang out with a dog here. Nobody would pay attention to it. It's like everybody's welcome. We're all family. For real. We love each other.”  At the same table, a woman named Keisha agreed. “When you come here it's so comfortable and laid back. It's just very peaceful. I've been to other bars, but at Palmer's we have fun. We have a ball.” Euan Kerr | MPR News Pianist Cornbread Harris has been a fixture of Sunday afternoons at Palmer's Bar in Minneapolis for several years. In fact he claimed, with a laugh, during this session photographed on June 18 that he is the reason the bar remains open. The bar does attract customers on all other days of the week. Black people feeling comfortable, laid back, peaceful and having a ball? It's a much taller order than it should be in America, as Cassius attested to all those years ago. There's an energetic cost to getting there, as Anthony Taylor so eloquently put it. We're not there yet. These things run deep. Tony Zaccardi tells a story of hanging out at Mortimers, another south Minneapolis institution, chatting with the owner, and a friend.  “Somebody walked in wearing a Palmer's Bar T-shirt,” he remembered. “And she said, ‘Palmers! I haven't been there in years, but I heard a brother owns it.' And [the owner said] ‘Yeah, the guy standing right next to you, he's the guy that owns it.' And she started bawling. And then I started bawling. And I was like, ‘OK, this is actually something that's pretty special.' It was astonishing. It really touched my heart and I realized why it's so important to a lot of people.” It's so important to a lot of people because still, in 2022, Black people cannot take safe social space for granted. Places like Palmer's, and people like Tony Zaccardi, are providing a service that goes far beyond pouring a drink. And Cassius would be proud — some 80 years after opening the Dreamland Bar & Café, these spaces are his legacy.  But I think he would be prouder if we were able to drop the word “safe” from social space.  What should we cover next? Pass the Mic

The first installment of a many part series recorded during the Lyndale Avenue edition of Open Streets Minneapolis on June 5, 2022. We haven't Open Streets on Lyndale in June since 2019. To mark the occasion, John has borrowed a four-wheeled recumbent bicycle with side-by-side seating, and transformed it into what he's calling "the world's first pedal-powered podcast." Our first two guests are Ash Narayanan, executive director of Our Streets Minneapolis, and Elissa Schufman, a transportation advocate and board member at Our Streets (the non-profit organization that organizes Open Streets Minneapolis events). We talk about the history and significance of Open Streets, how this event has shaped the way we think about street projects, the future of Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues, and much more. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John is joined by Melody Hoffman (@MelodySWV) for an episode recorded smack in the middle of four lanes of traffic on Lyndale Avenue (27th Street intersection) in south Minneapolis. Did we capture any usable audio? Listen to find out. This episode is best experienced on YouTube. Special thanks to Conrad Zbikowski (@ConradZbikowski) for his behind the camera work. This episode would not have been possible without his technical wizardry. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John is joined by co-host Jason Garcia for a conversation with Aisha Chughtai, who's running for Minneapolis City Council. We start with an inappropriate degree of fawning from an uninvited special guest. Aisha wants to know how long this show will go (we have no good answers). Aisha talks about balancing work and running for office as she enters the heart of the campaign. And what it's like to be a running as a woman of color during an intense, sometimes angry, time in our city. What's her vision for public safety? How to campaign in an ideologically and racially diverse place like Ward 10? What's she hearing from voters? What are some campaign metrics, money, volunteers, etc? As with most episodes, we talk about the self-induced disintegration of MPD. John gets heated over the strong mayor charter amendment (or "mayoral power grab") and misinformation in the local news ecosystem. Do voters know the mayor has full control over MPD? Aisha says largely no. We talk about housing, the 2040 plan, rent control. What do we do about terrible streets like Lyndale and Hennepin Avenues? Aisha talks about her labor priorities if elected. John forces Aisha to say one nice thing about each of her Ward 10 competitors (special bonus round featuring Park Board President Jono Cowgill's hair). Jason wants to know about favorite Ward 10 restaurants and bars. John reminisces about bike lane protests of yesteryear. We close out the episode talking about the joys of turtlenecks and Aisha's other recommendations. Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John is joined by guests Ash Narayanan and Elissa Schufman to talk about what's wrong with Minneapolis streets and how to fix them. Ash is educated as a civil and traffic engineer, but decided to use those powers for good, as the executive director of Our Streets Minneapolis. Our Streets is an organization that "works for a city where biking, walking, and rolling are easy and comfortable for everyone." Elissa (who is also a board member at Our Streets) has a day job in transportation advocacy. Among the topics: What's a 4-to-3 lane conversion and why is it better and safer? Why do we value moving tens of thousands of cars at high speed through very dense neighborhoods like the Wedge and Whittier, instead of creating livable streets for the tens of thousands of people who live there? What government entity (city vs. county) is in charge of our most dangerous streets and how do we know who to hassle (elected official or unelected public works official) to get them fixed? How do we get the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County to stick to some of the truly impressive transportation/climate plans and policies they've adopted in recent years? Why is it important that Minneapolis hire a visionary public works director to fill the position currently occupied by an interim director? What do you say to a person who shouts angrily at a public meeting, "electric cars are coming online!" as an argument against a less car-centric transportation system? Also: John debunks the myth of the $900 million bike lane. Elissa introduces us to the concept of "human infrastructure" and talks about Minnesota's status as a nation leader in road miles per person (and by land area). Episode recorded on May 28, 2021. Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Nov. 28-29, 1979: The days that told the future Disco was the ticket at Uncle Sam's in the late '70s. But the club's destiny changed course in Nov. 1979, when the Ramones and Pat Benatar rocked the Mainroom on back-to-back nights. In this episode, hosted by Zoo Animal's Holly Hansen, we learn how First Ave became a rock 'n' roll sanctuary. This is the second episode of The Current Rewind's First Avenue season. If you missed the first one, catch up here. Transcript of The Current Rewind season 2, episode 2: "Nov. 28-29, 1979" [Pat Benatar, "Heartbreaker"] Mark Wheat VO: [over Benatar] It's 1979, and Pat Benatar is on stage at Uncle Sam's, jumping up and down with a microphone in her hand. The crowd has been waiting for this one, the single from her new album, and as the guitar builds, so does the energy on the floor. ["Heartbreaker" fades up for a few lines, fades down while Icetep's "Hive Sound" fades up] Mark Wheat VO: Like most emerging rock stars, Pat is wearing all black — and behind her, a guitar crunches through the chorus. From the dance floor to the balcony, people are cheering and nodding to the beat. For us, this is a glimpse of the past — but people at that '79 Benatar show were seeing the future. As Pat performed at the Uncle Sam's disco in downtown Minneapolis, the club's corporate management had their eye on an exit. Thanks to her and others, the venue's next chapter would turn out a lot less Saturday Night Fever and a lot more rock and roll. I'm Mark Wheat. This is The Current Rewind, the show putting music's unsung stories on the map. For our second season, we're exploring the history of First Avenue, the downtown Minneapolis venue that has become one of the Twin Cities' — and the country's — greatest clubs. In our first episode, we covered the beginning of First Ave's life as a music venue...which hit a few bumps right away. When the Depot filed for bankruptcy in the summer of '71, it stayed closed for a year — before an out-of-town company turned it into a disco. That scheme stayed alive until 1979, when two rock shows — the Ramones and Pat Benatar, playing back-to-back nights — set the table for First Avenue's future. For this second episode, we're excited to introduce Holly Hansen, the musician behind Zoo Animal. Holly will help us tell the story of First Ave's second incarnation — as a suburban disco in the middle of downtown Minneapolis — and the people who, in 1979, turned it into a, quote, "New Wave Experience." [rewind noise] Holly Hansen VO: The two most vivid memories I have of First Avenue both involve intimacy, but in very different ways. I was standing at the side of the stage during a Kevin Drew show, and a stagehand made eye contact with me and waved me over. Next thing I knew, I was slow-dancing with Kevin on stage, thinking, "Why me?" I seriously think there are many people in that room who would've loved to be on that stage holding his sweaty body, but here I was, simply being a good sport. [Zoo Animal's "Black and Charred" fades up, plays under VO] Holly Hansen VO: A few years later, I released the Zoo Animal album Departure, some of the most personal music I'd ever written, and the release show was at the 7th St Entry. I don't know how to explain what was going on that night, but it felt very different. It was so quiet and focused; it was like the audience took up part of the weight of the songs. I had never felt so connected with an audience before or since. I feel myself at First Avenue because it's ready for any experience, always centered on music. It's a place where no matter who you are or what you like, the audience and performer can be one. In the late 1970s, First Ave wasn't known as a venue for intimate performances. And then punk happened. Back in the summer of 1972, the Depot had been shut down for a year. Then, in July, it reopened under new management. Instead of a black exterior, the former Greyhound station was now painted red, white, and blue. The Depot's owners hadn't sold the company, but American Avents, a company based in Cincinnati, took over its operation, turning it into one of several Uncle Sam's franchises throughout the U.S. Chris Riemenschneider: I think they had like eight or nine by the time that Uncle Sam's opened here. Holly Hansen VO: Chris Riemenschneider is the author of First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom. Chris Riemenschneider: And in fact, the first year or two of the Uncle Sam's, they struggled a bit early on, apparently. But one of the things that really helped it was in maybe about '75 or '76, they changed the liquor law to — Minnesota went from 21 to 18 and up, drinking, and obviously, that was a big boost to the place. Andy Sturdevant: By the late '70s, you've got the heyday of kind of the seedy downtown Hennepin strip. Holly Hansen VO: Andy Sturdevant is the co-author of the book Closing Time, a history of Twin Cities bars. Andy Sturdevant: Like, that's the place that you're talking about when you're going to school and the taunt that you hear is, "Aw, your mom works on Hennepin!" This is that era. And so, you've got that whole strip, and there's still a couple of bars just barely hanging on from that older era. But you've mostly got strip clubs; you've got porno shops; you've got clubs. That's where the gay bathhouses are. Holly Hansen VO: And Uncle Sam's was one of the roughest bars near the Hennepin strip. The manager was a U of M dropout named Steve McClellan. Steve McClellan: My name's Steven McClellan, and I worked in a nightclub downtown from 1973 to 2004. [4:00] Holly Hansen VO: Steve met with The Current Rewind's producer, Cecilia Johnson, for two separate interviews. For the first, he brought LeeAnn Weimar, First Avenue's former director of marketing. For the second, he came with Richard Luka, who started as a doorperson and ended up designing First Ave's logo. Steve had a story about everyone. [supercut of Steve McClellan exclaiming names: "Dave Ahl. Tom Spiegel! Cara Lewis. Gary Rue! Pat Lyons. Kevin Sadowski [ph]. Mark Downey!"] Holly Hansen VO: And as you might hope, Steve McClellan is one of live music's biggest fans. One of his favorite quotes is from Frank Zappa: "Once you record it, you've sold out." He says he picked up this attitude as a college kid. Steve McClellan: I'm a West Bank guy. I remember when people would go to the West Bank when I was going to the U. I lived on the West Bank from '68, '69 to '73. And you had five, six venues doing live music. Holly Hansen VO: Steve was on the West Bank attending the University of Minnesota, but dropped out in the mid-'70s. Before that, though, he started working the bar at Uncle Sam's. Steve McClellan: My feeling is in '75 they put me in management training. I had been bartending probably since late 1973. And after they sent me to the management-training thing, I was ready to go back to school. I was fed up with the corporate nature of it. And then I came back, and I was pulled out of training early because Pat Lyons, who was managing Minneapolis at the time, got promoted. They pulled me out of training and gave me First Avenue. Holly Hansen VO: Even after Steve's promotion, he and his bosses didn't always get along. Steve McClellan: You wanna get me on a rant when I put the first black doorman at the door when American Avents hated it, and all the people involved couldn't believe I had a black doorman? Ah, women in management — I put a woman named Marsha Lear in the Uncle Sam's management program, and I wish I could find her again, because I owe her an apology. American Avents was totally not gonna have a female manager back in the '70s and I realized I sent her — I went through their management program. It's a good old boy network. I hated it. But looking back and seeing how their management meetings went and all that, it would be like you were being run by a — I never went to a fraternity, but back in college I always thought they were kind of a weird group — frat guys. Pretty elite group, they drink a lot of beer. And my image of that whole upper management at American Avents reminded me like they were all from Buffalo, New York. It was one big frat running the company. Holly Hansen VO: The music at Uncle Sam's was largely DJs playing safe pop hits, as dictated by the national office. Chris Riemenschneider: They had this deal where there would be DJs with a live drummer, and this was actually where Bobby Z, later of Prince and the Revolution, first played the club. He was like 18 or 19, on dance night, and, you know, just playing along to recorded music. They used to have another guy, Denny Craswell, who performed with a jungle theme. He had drums built like into, like, logs — it was like this jungle vibe. Pretty cheesy stuff, from what I can tell, but it was a big hit. They only had concerts once in a while — they would bring in some local and regional stuff. And then later on, after McClellan got a little more involved, in the late '70s they brought in stuff that was more Top 40 . . . [Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight": "Skyrockets in flight/Afternoon delight"] Chris Riemenschneider: . . . that stuff didn't do well. Holly Hansen VO: One feature at Uncle Sam's that brought repeat business was its Sunday-night teen dances. One of the regulars there was the future Time member and hit-making producer Jimmy Jam, as he told Pete Scholtes of City Pages in 2003. Jimmy Jam: Yeah, it was a disco, and it was packed, man. I know they had at least a thousand people every Sunday. There was a crowd, that was sort of a roller skating crowd that I used to hang out with at the Roller Gardens, and I think the Roller Gardens was like a big Friday night thing. So you'd go to the Gardens on Friday night, and Saturday there was a whole lot of different options, and then Sunday was always Uncle Sam's. But it was a lot of the same people you'd see, just kinda from my circle. I went to Washburn High, and so all sort of that crowd from there. But really, the crowd came to Uncle Sam's from everywhere. I mean, back when Hopkins was really a suburb and like seemed like it was on the other side of the world, kids from Hopkins and Minnetonka and Wayzata, and it was basically like a sort of a melting pot of races and ages, but mostly a lot of cute girls, and it was just a fun place to hang out. Holly Hansen VO: The history of disco is complicated, and although it has roots in black and queer culture, Uncle Sam's' version was decidedly mainstream. Chris Riemenschneider: At that point, it really wasn't city kids as much as a lot of the suburban kids were coming downtown to hit Uncle Sam's. It kind of was that kind of place, yeah, a little bit more of a shot bar kind of vibe, and that's when they had the Firecracker drinks, which apparently was just basically red food dye or red coloring and vodka. Nobody talks about those drinks fondly, but for some reason, they were ubiquitous there, and people still have the Firecracker glasses, which I guess goes with the patriotic Uncle Sam's idea. Holly Hansen VO: Most of the bands that played Uncle Sam's did covers. But there was the occasional local band playing originals. The Suicide Commandos, one of the Twin Cities' first punk groups, formed in 1974. Later, the Commandos would become regulars at a new club called Jay's Longhorn, where Peter Jesperson worked as house DJ. Peter Jesperson: It opened in June of '77, and I think the DJ booth - it was a Naugahyde disco unit that they rented until they built a booth for me in the corner. But at the time, yeah, we rented this Naugahyde disco thing with flashing lights that we never used, and it was on wheels so it wasn't very sturdy, and people would bump into it and records would skip and I'd be screaming at people. Holly Hansen VO: The Longhorn was where you went if you lived in the Twin Cities and identified in some way as "punk." Bands that played there included Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, the Police, and the B-52's. The Longhorn was a world away from Uncle Sam's. Steve McClellan: I kind of really felt an outsider to that whole Longhorn scene. I was not part of it. Holly Hansen VO: But soon, Steve would hire someone who was. Kevin Cole: I'm Kevin Cole. I am chief content officer at KEXP in Seattle. Holly Hansen VO: Kevin was a Longhorn regular who worked at Hot Licks, a record shop downtown, where one of his coworkers was a young Jimmy Jam. Kevin Cole: I was hired in '78. I worked at First Ave/Uncle Sam's from '78 to '91. I was brought in to help usher in a change, and I was a total misfit for the club at that time. It was a pretty mainstream suburban Saturday Night Fever-type disco, and that era was starting to die. And I think also in part because Steve Egsgard, the DJ who had kind of reigned supreme during that '70s disco heyday, was leaving, so they needed a DJ. I remember going to the back door and meeting Steve. At that time I — Joey Ramone was my idol, so I looked like one of the Ramones — long hair, ripped jeans, tennis shoes. And Steve and I had a great conversation, but I didn't know, really, how it went. And then like a week later he called and he's like, "Hey, can you start in like two days?" So I think they had a need. [Kevin laughs] Holly Hansen VO: In fact, they did. Steve McClellan: I could tell American Avents, at the time, was already planning on dumping Minneapolis, but didn't tell anybody. That's my gut feeling when I look at paperwork and stuff. So that brings us through the turmoil in the transition from Uncle Sam's to Sam's. We were kind of just dumped. Allan was jilted. Holly Hansen VO: That's Allan Fingerhut, who still co-owned the club at that point. Steve's plan was to bring Jack Meyers, a lawyer who Steve knew from Catholic school, on board for damage control. Steve McClellan: When American Avents pulled out and Allan was deciding to have both Byron and Mel Orenstein, the attorney, telling him, "Close the club, we can't lose any more money," there was two of the big hoops I had to hurdle. I do remember I took a half cut, [of] whatever American Avents was paying me at the time, because I wanted to add Jack to the management team. And then of course, American Avents pulled out by sucking all the money out and putting no improvements in. So when we had taken over the club, we were like $60,000 in debt with no backup revenue source. That's a huge amount of money. Holly Hansen VO: Money was the big difference between Steve and Jack's management styles. Steve McClellan: I always wanted to spend money. Jack always wanted to save money. And that was our whole working relationship. I had just taken over as manager, and I started getting bills from people for stuff that happened in '70 and '71. And I couldn't — this is at the time American Avents had pulled out. If there's any reason for that club being open financially, it would be Jack. He went through years of stressful deposits and non-deposits and the financial end. LeeAnn Weimar: It went to, replacing light bulbs was an issue sometimes. Steve McClellan: Oh yeah, because we had the big fluorescent tubes that were expensive and just putting them up was a pain in the butt. Holly Hansen VO: The turning point for Uncle Sam's came on November 28, 1979. That night, Steve had booked the Ramones. It was the New York punk heroes' third show in the Twin Cities. Peter Jesperson, the Longhorn DJ and co-founder of Twin/Tone Records, who also worked the counter at the Lyndale Avenue record store Oar Folk-joke-opus, saw the first. Peter Jesperson: Oh, you know, Kelly's Pub in '77. But of course, I was at every Ramones show I'm sure they ever did in Minneapolis. We did in-stores with them when they were in town at Oar Folk for each of the first three albums. By the third time the Ramones were there, I think that we had several where they got so crowded the police came, and that was one of them because people were spilling out all over the corner there at 26th and Lyndale. They got bigger each time, and some people came because they were a curiosity, and other people came because they were just such a great band. But they were super nice. They were so friendly - loved hanging around the store, [and] they all bought records. Holly Hansen VO: The one time Jesperson skipped seeing the Ramones was in November of 1978, at the St. Paul Civic Center, when they opened for Foreigner. The longtime Minneapolis Tribune critic Michael Anthony remembers cringing at that show. Michael Anthony: What it suggested to me was an elemental truth about pop music and the venue — how important the venue is because their brand of punk, those short quick tunes, works only in a club. It has to have a small thing and boom-boom-boom-boom. You can't do that in a big cavernous room. Whereas Foreigner wrote music that was meant to be played in an arena. Holly Hansen VO: But the Ramones didn't just sound better in a club. Their whole vibe felt better in a smaller room. Punk rock was a tight-knit subculture, and McClellan responded instantly to its do-it-yourself ethos. He booked the Ramones and Pat Benatar on consecutive nights, through the booking agency Premiere in New York. He says this was a total coincidence. Steve McClellan: Now understand that I got along with very few major agents at the time, but both of those shows came from a guy named George Cavado [ph] at Premiere Agency, which was, at the time, Premiere had Bruce Springsteen. That's how I got my U2 dates, was through Premiere. George was an exception to the rule. I hated the big agents. They were so pretentious — arrogant. George wasn't. Holly Hansen VO: Steve didn't get along with several booking agents in town. He also struggled to work with the Minneapolis Police Department. This becomes a key part of the story once the Ramones show up at Uncle Sam's. Steve McClellan: When I took over as management, the Minneapolis Police Department were the security there. At that time, you needed them. Otherwise, if you had trouble, you couldn't — they wouldn't come to you. But it was a Drink and Drown night, one of those pay $5 and get a dime drink [nights]. There was one night when the police kind of overreacted. Something they had instigated blew up and they had fights on the street — 7th Street. There was, like, 22 arrests. The police just started arresting people. And as it turns out, a lot of was, they were just arresting people without merit, and they ended up dropping it all. But the city officially decided we were a club that the Minneapolis Police could not work for, unless they were bonded, and we couldn't afford bonding. It was ridiculously too expensive. But I breathed a sigh of relief, 'cause I couldn't tell them what to do. Holly Hansen VO: From then on, Uncle Sam's had to hire its own security staff. Enter Richard Luka, who worked the door from '75 to '93. Richard Luka: At the time, I was a competitive bodybuilder and on the track team of the U of M. I was 260 pounds, and they had a Wednesday night Drink and Drown night, where you pay $5 at the cover, and drinks were a dime. So I came in and I walked in and I looked around and somebody said, "Hey, you — would you like to work here?" And I said, "Do I get free drinks?" I said, "Okay, all right." [Steve laughs] Steve McClellan: We were just hoping we could keep it open another day. Richard Luka: Okay. Alright. Yeah, just don't beat anybody up; just don't drink too much. That's all it was. Steve McClellan: When people came in for security, A, they always assumed we wanted a bouncer. I took the term "bouncer" out of the job descriptions after American Avents left. They wanted big bouncer guys to be on staff. And remember, we inherited a police force that were bouncers. That was their job: kick butt. And they took seriousness in it, back in the Mayor Stenvig days. They were the best bouncers you could have, because they were armed and they had a whole police force they could call. But the way they handled security stuff was not what you wanted. MUSIC: "Blitzkrieg Bop - Live at Rainbow Theatre, London, 12/31/77; 2019 Remaster" Holly Hansen VO: Working security at the Ramones and Pat Benatar shows changed Richard Luka's life. Richard Luka: About that specific night, it was seeing disco one night and then all of a sudden, "Who are these people in the black leather jackets and the green hair? Who the hell are these people?" And this band comes out and I'm thinking, this is just gonna be like any concert. They're gonna do a couple of songs and then they're gonna slow it down. It was like [Richard laughs] they're not slowing this thing down! This crowd is crushing us, and they're yelling and screaming, and people are climbing over us, and we're looking for people trying to spit on them. And at the end of it I said, "This is so awesome." [Richard and Steve laugh] And my ex-wife was there, and she was totally into disco. She looked around and said, "These people are disgusting. Disco's never gonna die." And she said, "I'm expecting you home immediately," and she left and I went, "F*** you. I'm gonna help the band load out." And I helped the Ramones and their road crew load up, and I stayed there until like three in the morning. They gave me a Ramones t-shirt, and I wore it to work the next day, and then I had to show up the next night for Pat Benatar. Holly Hansen VO: The Benatar tickets cost $1.92. That in itself was unusual — Uncle Sam's usually didn't have a cover charge. LeeAnn Weimar: Yeah, but Pat Benatar was a sex symbol then. She was a rock chick, and every guy I knew wanted to see that show. Steve McClellan: I still say it was a really good show. LeeAnn Weimar: I'm sure it was. Steve McClellan: Live show-wise, and I didn't understand the Ramones because they had no radio play. Why did they sell out? LeeAnn Weimar: She's still out there doing it. Well, because the Ramones were the Ramones. Steve McClellan: I didn't know that. Holly Hansen VO: Kevin Cole DJ'd both shows. Kevin Cole: At that point in time, it was still the old-school Uncle Sam's DJ set-up, which was on the stage. So during the Uncle Sam's heyday, the DJ would be on the stage; there'd be dancers on the stage; a lot of times, there'd be a drummer on the stage drumming along to whatever the DJ was spinning. I'd be spinning before they went on, and when it came time for the band to play, [I] would make the announcement and literally duck. And I would just sit back there onstage as the band was playing.And both were really incredible high-energy shows. I remember after the Pat Benatar show, getting them to sign this standup from the store. And it was pretty funny. They wrote something like "Keep rockin' into the '80s, man." [Prince's "Head"] Holly Hansen VO: The same week as First Avenue's first Ramones show, a young Minneapolis R&B singer performed his first headlining concert away from home. On November 26, 1979, Prince performed at the Roxy in Hollywood. Before they went onstage, Prince told his group, "I'm going to personify sex in every possible way." That tour, he debuted the song "Head," a risqué, as-yet unrecorded track influenced by the New Wave. [Prince's "Head" fades up, plays for a few seconds before fading out under Holly's voiceover] Holly Hansen VO: Uncle Sam's was ready to embrace a new wave, too. Back home, the Ramones and Pat Benatar shows did so well that Steve McClellan won a prize. Steve McClellan: This is where I got an award one year, because I did Pat Benatar and the Ramones the same week and they both sold out, and I was the highest-grossing of all fifteen clubs for that one week. Now, that is not really amazing when you consider admission prices and stuff, and when you do two $1,500 shows. Holly Hansen VO: The two shows also set the stage for Kevin Cole, along with DJs Roy Freedom and Paul Spangrud, to revamp First Avenue's dance nights. Kevin Cole: It was a real transitional period, and I think another thing that's significant about those two back-to-back shows is what happened right after those shows. So the Ramones were on November 28, Pat Benatar on the 29th, and then in the Mainroom, Roy and I presented, on Friday and Saturday, "A New Wave Experience," which is how it was billed at the time. And that was, in part, part of this big statement of like, "Hey, we're changing. Here's two national bands that we're really excited about." And, "Here's what we're doing on the dance nights." And Friday and Saturday nights were the bread and butter of Uncle Sam's and Sam's and First Avenue. We were going from the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever to playing the Clash and the Talking Heads and Blondie and Iggy Pop and Gang of Four and Devo and B-52's, and so it made for a really interesting challenge. And that was some of the most vital music being made. But part of what made ultimately, I think, First Avenue really successful was this philosophy that Steve really, really supported, and it was this idea that we were gonna play an eclectic mix of dance music. [Kevin takes a deep breath] It was a challenge. I mean, early on we'd clear the floor. [Kevin laughs] Holly Hansen VO: In order to pay the bills, Steve made it his mission to fill Uncle Sam's calendar, with DJs and live bands. Steve McClellan: You have this amount of money you gotta cover if you're open seven days a week. "Geez, $300, I can make that happen. If we do a college night with mud wrestling, we'll get $300, right?" And I knew if I was only open five days a week, well, take $2,100 and divide it by five instead of seven. Every day I was closed, to me, cost us money. Holly Hansen VO: In addition to big-name headliners, Uncle Sam's booked openers from around the Twin Cities, forming ties that would only get stronger. [Curtiss A's "Land of the Free"] Kevin Cole: The Pat Benatar show, Curtiss A opened. So we were developing those relationships with those bands already and working toward ultimately where we got to, which is a space where live bands could play. Daniel Corrigan: So, Micah, who used to work here, once said that First Avenue is a pirate ship that doesn't go anywhere. Holly Hansen VO: That's Daniel Corrigan, First Avenue's official photographer, quoting Micah Ailie. When Cecilia mentioned this to Steve and LeeAnn Weimar, they had a ready response. Steve McClellan: Not only was it a pirate ship, but it had a captain that didn't know where he was heading, or which shore we were heading for, or . . . LeeAnn Weimar: Or where the Bermuda Triangle was. Steve McClellan: Yeah! And we were constantly lost. [Steve laughs] Bermuda Triangle! LeeAnn Weimar: But god, we had a good time. [Icetep's "Hive Sound" fades up] Mark Wheat VO: In 1980, the crew dropped the "Uncle" and just went by "Sam's," a name that would last a couple of years. Next episode, you'll meet the newly christened "First Avenue" in a heyday of historic shows — few more significant than Bad Brains, Sweet Taste of Afrika, and Husker Du. Did you see the Ramones or Pat Benatar at First Avenue? If so, or if you'd like to share another memory, send it to us via email or voice memo at rewind@thecurrent.org. If you enjoyed this story, please mention it in a review of The Current Rewind on Apple Podcasts, or share it with the music lovers in your life. Also, we're happy to provide transcripts of each episode of this show. If you'd like to check them out, head over to TheCurrent.org/rewind. This episode of The Current Rewind was hosted by Holly Hansen and me, Mark Wheat. It was produced by Cecilia Johnson and scripted by our head writer, Michaelangelo Matos. Marisa Morseth is our research assistant, and Jay Gabler is our editor. Our theme music is the song "Hive Sound" by Icetep. This episode was mixed by Corey Schreppel. Thanks to Brett Baldwin, Rick Carlson, Shelby Sachs, David Safar, and Peter Scholtes for additional support. [Producer's note: We also owe Jeanne Andersen and her website Twin Cities Music Highlights a debt of gratitude for her original research and archiving.] The Current Rewind is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. It is a production of Minnesota Public Radio's The Current. The Current Rewind goes to First Avenue

We get the privilege to sit down with the great Alkis Arambadjis and Erik Johnson of It's Greek to Me Taverna and Parea. Traditional Gyros, beautiful outdoor spaces, historical food here and in Greece; between all those things, it makes us so happy to be a part of showcasing this one of a kind gem. Located on the corner of Lyndale and Lake! Make sure to check out their website! Or give them a call! www.itsgreektomempls.com 612-825-4151 Or just show up! They are on the corner of Lyndale and Lake in Minneapolis 626 West Lake St, Minneapolis MN 55408 We love them and we know you will too! For more content and goodies go to our patreon and sign up for one of our various tiers at www.patreon.com/minnesotawelldone Like! SUBSCRIBE! Share! Thankyou so much for watching!

As we near the second three week cycle of Distance Learning, we interviewed 5 teachers from Lyndale about their experience implementing a new way to teach.  

Michelle Fischbach joins Justice & Drew to discuss caucusing in Minnesota as well as the CD7 race against Collin Peterson before they hash out details on a supposed "fight" to make Minneapolis streets safer around Lyndale avenue. Later, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka joins them over the phone to share an update on the Minnesota Legislative Session.

TVI Toolbox: Success Stories, Tools for Success - #BeMyEyes App, Meet Jeff Mihiletch  Blind Abilities presents the TVI Toolbox. Where the collaboration between Teachers, Counselors, Parents, Agencies and the Students themselves help enhance the opportunities for success. Transitioning from high school to college and the workplace is  a major step and the beginning of lifetime goals and aspirations. As Jeff Mihiletch, this month’s featured interview in the Success Stories portion of this podcast, puts it, “Braille is a tool he wished he would have given a better chance.”    From the TVI’s to the Agency counselor’s and program specialist, working together along with parents as well, is creating more opportunities and successes for Transition age students. Sharing experiences through Success Stories, sharing programs that make a positive impact, sharing ideas, findings, upcoming events and the Tools for Success all play a part in making the transition process a natural progression and better understood by all.     On The Horizon is a bulletin space for upcoming events, information and resources submitted by listeners and our staff. You can submit to On the Horizon by emailing Jessica Hodges. The Success Stories feature an experience of a Transition Student, whether they are attending college, preparing for college or are now employed, the Success Stories brings a positive and a sharing of the experience of transitioning from high school to college and the work place.   Here are the links to the information we bring to this episode.   Scholarships from the National Federation of the Blind   Perkins Program for Students   Blind, Inc Summer Programs   Summer Transition Program (STP) Extended School Year Program Deb Peterson at DPeterson@916schools.org     Check out your State Services by searching the Services Directory on the AFB.org web site.   State Services for the Blind of Minnesota   We offer tools and training for employment and for helping seniors remain independent and active. As Minnesota’s accessible reading source we also transcribe books and other materials into alternative formats, including audio and braille. We assist Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, losing vision, or who have another disability that makes it difficult to read print. I hope you find what you need here. We've also created a Tips for Using Our New Website page. If you’d like to apply for services, learn more, or have more questions, just give us a call. You’ll find contact information for all of our offices on our contact page, or you can call our main office at 651-539-2300.   You can submit to the On The Horizons segment by email to jessica.Hodges@state.mn.us Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.   Full Transcript:   TVI Toolbox: Success Stories, Tools for Success - #BeMyEyes App, Meet Jeff Mihiletch (Music)     Dacia: It's your job, disability or not, to know what you bring to the table, and sell that. That's your job.   Narrator: Welcome to the blind abilities TVI Toolbox. I'm Jeff Thompson.   Dacia: Because they don't have any experience with vision loss, so they're thinking to themselves, "I don't know if I could do that if I couldn't see right. I'm not sure that they're going to be able to do that." That's what... there inner monologue isn't about you, it's about what they think that you can't do, and their bias.   Narrator: TVI toolbox is a tool for teachers, for agencies, for clients to enhance the opportunity and the understanding of transition services. Professionals talking about the services they provide. Teachers of the visually impaired talking about topics of transitioning from high school, to college, to the work place. Students talking about their journeys, there successes, and some of the barricades and brick walls that were in there way, and solutions, tips, and tricks on how they got through it.   Dasha: We try to help them develop resumes right from the beginning. We would like some body that even as young as fifteen sixteen to have a resume that they can continuously add to, to build on. It really puts in front of them a more realistic view of "Ok, well I can add this to my resume. I can do this because I can add that. This is going to bring value." It kind of gives them more of an ownership of there experience.   Narrator: That's (probable spelling mistake here,) Dasha van Alstine. She's an employment program specialist at state services for the blind, working with clients, counselors, and employees, to optimize the opportunities for successful employment.   Dasha: I always tell people, if you go into an interview, and you're thinking that you're not the best candidate, you're probably not.   Narrator: On this episode of TVI Toolbox, we'll be talking about employment. We'll be hearing more from Dasha van Alstine, and the success story today features Jeff Mihiletch, with A BS degree in Business Administration. And Jessica Hodges with On the Horizon, where she brings you recent news and events with particular interest in the transition process with a blindness perspective. And the tools for success spotlight is Be My Eyes. It's an ap that, well, kind of speaks for itself. Now, here's employment program specialist Dasha van Alstine. Dasha, welcome to blind abilities. Can you tell our listeners what your roll is at state services?   Dasha: Hi Jeff. I am a program specialist for the employment team at state services for the blind.   Narrator: Tell us a little more about the employment team.   Dasha: The employment team works with various counselors and customers on anything from the very beginning of how to choose a job goal, all the way up to when it's time to close your case. So are you ready, do you have everything you need, do you need additional training, we're there all along the way. Whereas a counselor looks at an entire situation, we look at everything from absolute employment   Narrator: Dasha, for a transition student, what would a first meeting with the employment team look like?   Dasha: That can be at any type of stage, it depends on... if somebody has done a lot of research various...market information on their own, we might not meet with any of us until later. Someone who really needs some help and some direction with trying to figure out what they want to be, and what that's going to look like, and where the doors are going to open, they might meet with us right away.   Narrator: So first they work with state services, then when it comes time to think about employment, that's when they get handed off to the employment team?   Dasha: Well, preferably, they wouldn't just get handed off to our team. We would want to have some sort of relationship with them from the beginning. I'll give you an example. A college student, someone who knows that they're college bound know they want to go to college to get to a career, we'll look at them right before it happens and say, "Ok, what is your job goal? What do you want to do? What are the various avenues to get there." We'll work on what is the most appropriate way from point A to point B, for you, with college in the middle there. And then, in college, a lot of times there will be some check ins. We'll check on them, hey, how's it going? Have you thought about an internship yet? Are you working during school? Do you need help finding something. You know, what can we do to assist you?" We make connections for them, and sometimes we help them find part time employment, or find there internship. A lot of times, we'll work with the school to try to figure that out with them, to try to get them more independent and not depending on us. And then, when they're getting ready to graduate, sometime before the last semester, we help the figure out, you know, it's time to start looking. Because ideally, you want a job before you graduate, you want that job to be ready for you.   Narrator: Dasha: With the age of transition students, I imagine that a lot of them have not had too much job experience. Does the employment team have a component for people to learn about job interviews and filling out resumes?   Dasha: It's different for each person. That begins whenever appropriate. Some people, especially our young people, We try to help them develop resumes right from the beginning. We would like some body that even as young as fifteen sixteen to have a resume that they can continuously add to, to build on. It really puts in front of them a more realistic view of "Ok, well I can add this to my resume. I can do this because I can add that. This is going to bring value." It kind of gives them more of an ownership of there experience. Every aspect of every case is so different. There are some people that need us to do the resume and then walk them through what we did. There's other people that we just give some guidance to, and they do it. you know, everything is so individualized, it's wherever it's appropriate for each individual case.   Narrator: That's great. Dasha, there's a saying, don't judge a book by it's cover, but in the employment situation, in job interviews, can you tell us a little bit about first impressions?   Dasha: First impressions are really important, especially if you have a vision loss, because there's a really good chance that whoever you're meeting has never met someone with a vision loss before. There's no back ground there. They're going to base whatever experience they have with you, and project that onto every other person that they ever meet in the future who has a vision loss. When you meet somebody, especially if you're going in for an interview, you want to make sure that first of all, you're nice to the receptionist, because if you're not nice to the receptionist, the person interviewing you is going to find out, and you're not going to get that job. Just saying, the receptionist, that's the barrier there. Be nice to them. And second of all, once you do meet somebody, and if you have to follow them, make sure that you're comfortable, and don't be afraid to ask for information. Left or right? Where's the room? Don't be afraid to ask those kinds of directions.. With first impressions, you want to make sure that you are well put together. You want to make sure that you don't go into a business with saggy clothes, or with dirty clothes. You want to make sure that your hair is, you know, presentable, that you're not wearing baseball caps. You also want to make sure that you can speak clearly, concisely, have some confidence, that's going to be really important to an employer. Even if you're just walking in to pick up an application. Just go to the receptionist, be nice, "Hi, you know, my name is so and so. I was wondering if you're hiring. Can I get an application? Even something as simple as that. That goes a a long way. You also want to make sure that when you do talk to somebody, especially if it's an interview, you're going to get that, "Tell me about yourself." You could even get that when you meet an employer at a job fair, or an internship fair. Tell me about yourself. You want to make sure, especially if you have more of an obvious disability, you want to make sure that you kind of address that in a way that makes it so they're not thinking about that, they're thinking about your skills. A lot of people make the mistake of never saying anything, and then an employer, the whole time that they're talking is thinking well... Because they don't have any experience with vision loss, so they're thinking to themselves, "I don't know if I could do that if I couldn't see right. I'm not sure that they're going to be able to do that." That's what... there inner monologue isn't about you, it's about what they think that you can't do, and their bias.  So it's up to you to make sure that you sell yourself. Sell your skills. Tell how you do things. Go into it with confidence. Know what your skills are ahead of time. Know what you have to offer  the employer, and just go into it that way. And this is not just with employers. This is also useful with your professors.   Narrator: Dasha, I was just doing an interview with a business owner, Susan Robinson. She said that she'd never hired a person because they had sight. She always hired a person because she felt they could best do the job that she needed to get done   Dasha: Yes, it's all about the what can you do for me. Employers hire because they have a job that they have to get done. They don't hire because they want to feel good. They don't hire because they want to spend a bunch of money. They do it because they have a job, and they have to get it done. So your job is to make sure that they know you can do that job, and not only that, but you can bring stuff to the table so you're the person can help them get that done. You're the best candidate, and this is why I always tell people, if you go into an interview, and you're thinking that you're not the best candidate, you're probably not. If you're going into an interview, and you can't even think of what you bring to offer to the table, the employer's not going to know. It's your job, disability or not, to know what you bring to the table, and sell that. That's your job.   Narrator: Selling it!"   Dasha: "Selling it."   Narrator: "That's what it comes down to, selling yourself, letting the employer know that you have a set of abilities that will help their company succeed. Well, there's that sound, so let's turn it over to Jessica Hodges with On the Horizon.   Jessica: "Good day to you all. There are many, many lovely events coming up on the horizon. First of all, the national federation of the blind has some awesome scholarships for students both nationally and state wide. To find out more about scholarships both in your state and at the national level, you can visit www.nfb.org. On the subject of college, Perkins has a program for college students where you live on there campus for nine months, and attend school close to them. It's a good way for college students to kind of get there feet underneath them and make sure that they are really ready, and it's a great way to get started with college. You can visit there webcite to find out more. The national braille press has a guide for those who are interested in apple watches called, "You and Your Apple Watch," by Anna Dresner. You can find that on their webcite, nbp.org. Blind incorporated, the well renown training center for the national federation of the blind in Minnesota has there summer programs coming up, and that means they are looking for both students and counselors. For more information on those, you can go to their webcite, www.blindinc.org. For the style program, ,they're looking for people from July Tenth through August fifteenth, and the buddy program is also looking for people from July Tenth through August Fifteenth. For the prep counselor positions, they are looking for people from June Tenth, to August Fifteenth. The prep is the young adult program, the style is a young adult program here in Minnesota, and the buddy program is the younger children. So, if you would like to know more about that ,visit their webcite, www.blindinc.org. Minnesota has a lovely program for transition aged students called the STP program. An extended school year program, the STP, or summer transition program, is a program designed for students between tenth and eleventh grade who are planning on working competitively and working independently. To get a brochure or have paperwork sent to your school, contact Deb Peterson, dpeterson@916schools.org. If you have any events you'd like included on the next horizon, please email jessica.hodges@state.mn.us. Thank you for staying tuned, and please listen to next time, as we'll have more events on your horizon.   Narrator: Well thank you Jessica Hodges. And for more information on all the events mentioned, check the show notes. for the links. And now, our tools for success spotlight. We bring you Be My Eyes. It's an application that hooks the phone to a person that will see through your camera what you're looking at and describe it for you. It's a personal assistant. It's free from the app store, and on Android. So we're going to demonstrate the iOS device on Apple, here's Be My Eyes. Siri? Open be my eyes.   VoiceOver: Be My Eyes. Call first available volunteer, button.   Narrator: It's ready to go. With a single finger double tap, you're activated, and you're ready to call. But lets swipe right, single finger swipe left to right.   VoiceOver: Settings, button.   Narrator: Double tap here   VoiceOver: Settings, heading.   Narrator: Now a flick to the right.   VoiceOver: Done, button.  Profile, heading. Personal details, Jeff Thompson, button   Narrator: Swipe to the right.   VoiceOver: Change email, button. Password, button. Languages, heading. Primary language, English, button. Other languages, button. Send us feedback, button. Frequently asked questions, button. Terms and privacy policy, button. Share be my eyes, button. Rate be my eyes, button. Connect with us, heading. Facebook, button. Twitter, button. Instagram, button. Youtube, button. Version: 2.1   Narrator: So this is upgraded, and as you can see you can share this, you can go follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest of the stuffs there. But one important thing here is this.   VoiceOver: Send us feedback, button.   Narrator: Send us feedback. This allows you to connect up right with the developers of the app in case you have an issue. You don't have to tweet it out on Twitter and complain or anything like that on Facebook. You can just go here, and send it straight to the main office. There you go. So let's go back. I'm going to do a four finger single tap, near the top of the screen.   VoiceOver: Settings, heading.   Narrator: Swipe once to the right.   VoiceOver: Done, button.   Narrator: Single finger double tap.   VoiceOver: Call first available volunteer, button.   Narrator: All right, so at this point, if I single finger double tap, I'm getting online, so I'd better have something ready for them to do for this demonstration. I think it's coffee time.       VoiceOver Using the rear camera. Please wait. Finding the first available volunteer.   (ringing sounds)   Narrator: And this is where the be my eyes app. ..   VoiceOver: We are still trying to find an available volunteer.   Narrator: searches for someone that speaks English, someone that's in my time zone. So it searches the world basically, and tries to come up with someone who is best suited for answering my questions. Now this time varies. I've had people pick up in twelve seconds. I've had people pick up in... oh...two minutes. But typically, it's around that thirty second mark. And for privacy reasons, I've changed the voice of the volunteer so it's not detectible.   VoiceOver: Connected.   Volunteer: "Hello." (there was another word there but I couldn't for the life of me make it out.)   Narrator: Hello. Hi, how are you?   Volunteer: I'm all right, how about yourself?   Narrator: I'm all right. I have a question. I have a kurig machine here, this one.   Volunteer: Yep.   Narrator: And when I push this down, it's supposed to give me a choice here for ounces.   Volunteer: The light is hitting in a way I can't read. I think the... ok, that's better. You have... it says it's ten ounce, and there's an arrow at the top and an arrow at the bottom.   Narrator: So down here?   Volunteer: Up a little hire. Right there is where it says ten ounce, yep now it's at eight ounces. You're pushing the down button. How do you want it to be?   Narrator: I want it at eight. Is that it?   Volunteer: Ok.   Narrator: So then the other buttons up here, what are they?   Volunteer: Well, that would be increasing the amount,   Narrator: Ok,   Volunteer: and when you're ready, then you move your finger to the left   Narrator: Ok.   Volunteer: And use this button to make it go, let's see what happens.   (kurig noises)   Volunteer: It's brewing.   Narrator: Well there we go. Thank you very much.   Volunteer: You're very welcome.Have a good day."   Narrator: You too.   VoiceOver: End call, button. Alert. Are you sure you want to disconnect? No. Yes. Yes button.   Narrator: And that was a very nice volunteer. And it wasn't mini mouse, believe me. That voice was changed. And there we go. We got hot cocoa coming. All right, so after the experience is over, this is what we get.   VoiceOver: Review your experience, heading.. Thanks for your call. Please let us know if you had any problems during this call, be it either technical or personal. I experienced problems, button. I had a good call, button.   Narrator: And that's it. that's all there is to this free app. it's be my eyes in app store, and be my eyes on android in the google play store. And in this success story, we bring you Jeff Mihiletch, who has utilized the services of state services for the blind for many years, from elementary school, high school, college, and the work place. Jeff has found success, and is currently employed, and invited us down to his south Minneapolis office to chat with us. So please welcome Jeff Mihiletch. We hope you in joy.   Narrator: Welcome to blind abilities, I'm Jeff Thompson, and I'm downtown south Minneapolis with Jeff Mihiletch, and he is employed and has used state services for the blind before. How are you doing Jeff?   Jeff: Good morning, I'm doing good.   Narrator: Can you tell us a little bit about your job and what you do?   Narrator: I am Jeff Mihiletch. I work in the snap employment and training program, and that is about people that receive food support, snap benefits that they used to call food stamps. If you are an able bodied adult without dependants, it's mandatory now that you be job searching, and my team does the job searching orientation classes and case management for clients that are in that sector of the snap program. I was originally hired for data management, so my job is to look at the referrals every day of new clients coming in, all the different elements, who they are, nationality, when there orientation class is, location and time, and I put it all in a spreadsheet. Then I take that spread sheet, move it into a different spread sheet so it's statistically meant for the entire year, and that's my daily task that I do. I also have broadened my job duties a little bit. My team does orientation class three times a week for new people that are coming onto the snap EMt program. I help out here at the sabathanie center with the Tuesday morning orientation class. So it's a chance for me to get up in front of a group and talk, and move around, helps give my coworkers a little break, because they need to do that orientation class three times a week, and as you can imagine it gets a little repetitive, so they were totally thrilled when I decided to volunteer myself to help out with that orientation class.   Narrator: So Jeff, on a daily basis, what kind of accessible devices or tools do you utilize for your job?   Jeff: I use Jaws extensively. I have a little bit of vision, so I do use zoomtext sometimes, but only for spot reading, if I can't find a formula or something in my excel sheet with jaws. Primarily though, it is Jaws, almost probably ninety five, ninety eight percent of the time.   Narrator: What about in your personal life. Do you use a smart phone with access to it?   Jeff: Yeah, in my personal life I have an iPhone seven. I use VoiceOver, a couple different voices, one for Siri, one for the VoiceOver functionality of it. My work, I have a phone for my work, because the phone that is in everyone's laptops, the soft phone from Sisco, is not screen reader accessible, and so that's a reasonable accommodation, my employer provides me an iPhone for my work. So I feel kind of a little geekish, because I walk around with two phones when I'm at work, my personal phone and my work phone.   Narrator: that's status isn't it?   Jeff: I'm glad that they were able to make that accommodation and provide an iPhone for my work phone calling.   Narrator: Now Jeff, when you applied here, how did you  get the job? how did accommodations work for you and what was that process like?   Jeff: The way I found the job was I had a friend of mien who was blind who works for the county, has been with the county for almost thirty years, and he got a phone call from someone, my boss, who was looking to fill a position, a newly created position. My job did not exist before. And she specifically was looking for someone that had a visual disability. And so she reached out to my friend who was blind and worked for the company to find out and assess any barriers that their were, to see how successful he was at doing his job, and to see how many barriers there were, and from there, he told me about the fact that she was looking for someone who was visually impaired to take this new job. I kind of jumped on that band wagon, and followed up with her, and long story short had an interview, and was hired. My job is not a permanent job. It's a two year contract. I'm a limited duration person, and the snap program, the food stamp program is federal funded. So the county writes my check, but salary comes from the feds, from the agricultural program.   Narrator: So Jeff, in your career, education, did you utilize state services for the blind?   Jeff: Yeah, I did. All through my education. Elementary school I had a rehab counselor that used state services for the blind all the way through that, through college went to (spelling) babija university, BS in business administration, and minor in psychology and chemical dependency. And state services for the blind helped me out with tuition and books, and that type of thing.   Narrator: Great. What is transportation like for you, working in south Minneapolis here?   Jeff: In he morning to go into work, I take metro mobility, because it's a relatively direct shot, although sometimes I can get to work in ten minutes, and sometimes two hours, so that's the downside of metro mobility. Going home at night, I do take a city bus. I have to go downtown, and transfer to an express. That's how I do transportation. Not looking forward to winter time, I will say.   Narrator: Great. So Jeff, Being someone that has used state services, who has transferred from high school to college to the work place, what suggestions would you have for someone who is in those shoes today looking towards there future?   Jeff: I would say if you are a braille user, or have the potential to be a braille user, but also use screen readers, I would really highly recommend still doing the braille thing.   Narrator: You said you use Jaws and PC. Now, in the workplace, there's always the debate, you know, should people have a PC or a Mack, and I found out myself that most businesses are Microsoft based, so what would you suggest for someone who's learning technology?   Jeff: The county uses PCs, HP brand. Actually, we just rolled out new laptops and we moved to Microsoft 2010 and office 2016. I mean it all depends on the work environment, but you are correct most of the time that it's PC based.   Narrator: Jeff, do you want to talk about some of your past jobs?   Jeff: Sure. A lot of my job history is kind of broken into clumps. The first is social service, working with developmentally delayed adults, and the second chunk of job history is kind of more customer service type. So the first part, the social service, I kind of fell into that. I moved to Minneapolis after finishing my degree at Bemidji state university, and was really-really desperate for a job, couldn't find one, and it was to the point that I couldn't afford my apartment. I took a job as a live in in a group home for developmentally delayed adults. A good chunk is a little more customer service related, I worked in a large call center for computer hardware dispatch, so I was doing in bound calls with customers and technicians out in the field. Some other jobs I had over the years. I had a really really short gig. I was a very small commodities broker. I found the job through one of the venders that state services for the blind hires. They were looking for someone to do phone work and I was hired and given the job. But the screen reader didn't work at all with their customer management web page that they had. We tried to make it work. After six weeks they let me go, just because it wasn't working out. I also worked for a guy who ran one of the vending stands in saintpaul, and I would fill in for him in the concessions stand while he was out in the field filling vending machines. Did that for a while, and some other kind of odd jobs. I actually at one time was self employed. I went to massage school, became a massage therapist, and tried to do that to make a living. It's a really hard field. It's very seasonal. So that's a little overview of some of my job history.   Narrator: Sounds like you're a real go getter. people feel insecure about going into job interviews and that process. And it can be daunting to someone that hasn't done it before. What's your experience like when you go into a job interview?   Jeff: The interview process itself, I mean, I'm a partial vision, and it's always difficult to know whether to disclose that up front or not. And though there were times in my life when I would disclose that on the phone up front, and then there were other times when I did not. And it's hard to know if disclosing it up front would automatically disqualify me even before I walked in, or if walking in with a white cane and bumping against a desk or a coffee table or something would have disqualified me. It's always a big debate when you're a partial whether or not to disclose it. that was the one nice thing about my current job. My boss is aware of my current disability and I did not have to deal with that disclosure type thing. I had to deal with coworkers a little bit, and that was a challenge. Again, because I'm partial, I can see to navigate a little bit, but you know, I can't figure out who people are until they say something. When you're a partial, it's harder for other people to grasp of what you can and can't see.   Narrator: Jeff, did you ever go through a training center?   Jeff: I did. When I was in seventh grade I did a summer school thing at fairbolt. As an adult I did a couple different stints at VLR, adjustment to blindness training program. The focus for both of those times when I went was Jaws and screen readers. But I also did cooking class, the independent skills, worked in the wood shop, which was a really eye opening experience so to speak. I'd never used a table saw. I'd never used a router, that kind of thing. And it was so cool to actually create something myself out of a chunk of wood and have the skill set to do that. Yeah, I've been to VLR a couple times, they do really good stuff. I highly recommend them. And they were the ones the second time through. They were the ones that got me to Jaws. Because before, I would really try to use zoomtext as much as I could, and it was causing headaches and back strain, because I was leaning forward too much. So the second time I went through, I said, "I really want to get to the point where I can faze out magnification and just do jaws mostly. And so they got me to the point where I could use it exclusively and functionally. Yeah, the adjustment to blindness centers were very helpful.   Narrator: That's vision loss resources on Franklin and Lyndale down in Minneapolis. Well, I want to thank you for coming on to blind abilities and sharing your story, your journey, thank you very much.   Jeff: You are welcome. Hopefully my perspective is useful and helpful for you young people out there, you know, in the path of education and early job searching. Good luck to you, and I wish I would have had this technology when I was going to college. It would have made my college experience much easier, much less stressful, maybe a few less gray hairs.   Narrator: I don't think we can get around the hairs, we can blame it on whatever we want but... well thank you very much Jeff.   Jeff: Thank you very much   Narrator: It was a real pleasure talking to Jeff Mihiletch and learning about his transitional journey from high school to college to the workplace, and his experiences job to job. And you can find out more about state services for the blind and the services they can offer you on the web at https://mn.gov/deed/ssb. And in other states, be sure to contact your state services, and see what services they have for you. And be sure to check the show notes for the American foundation of the blind. They have a link to all the state services in all the states. Stay tuned next month where we bring you episode three of TVI toolbox. And a big thank you goes out to CheeChau for his beautiful music that we use for the podcast. Thank you CheeChau. You can follow Cheechau on Twitter @lcheechau. Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed, and until next time, by by.

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