My Stories Of Life

Classic Snowmobile Racing

2008-01-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

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The 400 Club in Rockville Minnesota hosted their annual vintage snowmobile race on Pleasant Lake. It was the coldest day of the winter this year, but that didn’t stop the racers or spectators from coming out and seeing some fantastic racing. This event serves as a warm-up for many of the riders who are also participating in one of the regions biggest snowmobile races of the year, the One Lunger 100. Congratulations to all that participated in this event and special thanks to the 400 Club for a wonderful job hosting all of the racers and their families.

Meet Wildlife Artist Scot Storm

2007-12-04T12:54:00.000-06:00

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Ryan Water-Crossing Snake River

2007-03-04T21:54:00.000-06:00

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This story will provide a flash back for many who watch it.
Back a dozen or so years ago, my brother-in-law and my
brother were riding snowmobiles on the Snake River between
Pine City, MN and Lake Pokegama... about 5 miles west of town.
It was at night and my brother-in-law mistakenly went
too wide on the river as he was approaching the lake and
ended up driving right into open water. The video you're
about to watch shows the same location he went in at but
during the day. It also shows his nephew, Ryan, purposely
crossing the water on his snowmobile.

Here's Ryan's quote about snowmobiling on water...

"When first going for it you know that if you go down
there are going to be some big problems!! It was just
me and Matt Furlong no other spectators except a van
stopped with it's family on top of the bridge to
watch. Huge risk factor on the river and it gets your
heart pumping. You even get short of breath when
thinking over it. BUT THE FEELING GOING ACROSS IS
EXHILARATING. It was pretty neat that the snowmobile
didn't slow on the water, in fact it still accelerates
while going across. A few trips across later I was
able to back off to half throttle."

Sand River Hilton V (clearing trees)

2007-03-04T21:06:00.000-06:00

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A year ago, the Sand River Hilton V trailer was hauled onto the property. Last spring we took a first try at leveling the 70 foot building, last fall we put in the two gas heaters and the new front door, and in this story we clear the trees around it to allow more sunlight in to keep things dry and to prevent trees from falling on the trailer. This six minute story demonstrates how to fell a tree that is only 4-6 feet away from the trailer you're trying to protect.

On The Road To Sand River V

2007-02-07T05:51:00.000-06:00

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Here's a quick story where Duane sets the stage for the Kansas/Tree Felling weekend. Duane is on the road to the Sand River Hilton passing through the towns of Olglvie, Mora and Quamba. He's listening to Kansas all along the way and is pretty hyped for the coming weekend.

Waiting for the "KANSAS" Concert

2007-01-30T07:22:00.000-06:00

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Here's a short little clip I took with my video phone just before we were headed in to see the KANSAS concert at the casino on the southwest end of Milacs Lake. Todd, Jerry, Duane, Jason and Jason's buddy Jesse.

Our journey actually began back at the Sand River Hilton hunting shack where we all gathered that Friday afternoon. The picture to the left shows Jesse and Todd riding in the back seat of Duane's 1995 Cadillac. Our 65 mile road trip which took us from Sandstone through Finlayson, across to the west side of Lake Milacs and finally around the south side of Milacs through Isle, Wahkon and Cove until finally arriving at the Grand Casino.

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Here's a favorite of many a KANSAS fan. Carry On Our Wayward Son. Although the video is pretty funky, I think most will enjoy the sound track.

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Here Todd and Jerry chat a little about how the concert went as they leave the hall.

During the concert each of us were seated in different spots scattered throughout the hall. Jesse, Jason's good buddy, made his way to the front row and before the night was over, grabbed himself one of the drummer's drum sticks as it was flying through the air. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Duane & Lori Kuss SLIP N SLIDING

2006-02-05T14:42:00.000-06:00

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Here is another 8MM film clips from back in 1962. Duane Kuss is SLIP N SLIDING with the rest of the neighborhood kids. Rick, Gary & Dennis Vohnutka and Vic Sang are joining Duane in the running, leaping and belly sliding. Lori Jo Kuss also shows up when her father Daune throws her down the Slip N Slide for her first experience. In the very end you'll see a great clip of Lori and Arla (pregnant with Todd).

Kuss Family Water Skiing 1959 & 1963

2006-01-23T07:38:00.000-06:00

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Here are some 8MM film clips from back in 1959 and 1963. They show Arla & Daune Kuss along with their good friend and business partner John Godava (Uncle John). This film was shot at C.R. & Selma Moore's lake home on Pokegama Lake just outside Pine City, Minnesota. They were all water skiing behind a wood boat that Daune and John built themselves called the Lori Jo.

The Monarch Butterfly Visit...

2005-09-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

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Have you ever had an encounter with mother nature that has you wondering what she's trying to communicate. This little story about a monarch butterfly that came to visit us on Labor Day weekend might have a message for you too.

Tell Them With A Parade!

2005-08-26T12:11:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had something very exciting to share with an entire community? If you did, how would you do it. We chose to do it in a parade. A simple approach to launching a totally new online media company called DigElogROCORI. It was lots of fun!

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Granite Country USA Festival 2005

2005-08-23T20:49:00.000-05:00

Cold Spring, the town where I live, is in the heart of what is known as Granite Country USA. From granite quarrys to granite manufacturing, we live in a place where the stone is king and celebrated each year at the Granite Country USA Festival.

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26th Annual Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival

2005-08-22T15:52:00.000-05:00

Get a taste of what it was like to be at the Bluegrass Festival just north of Richmond, MN on August 11-14, 2005. Hear about how young kids pick up an instrument and a few years later become State Champions.

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Making A Granite Work Of Art

2005-08-19T18:48:00.000-05:00

Granite sculpture artist George Kurjanowicz was commissioned to create a piece for the 2nd Annual Granite Country Festival at the Stearns History Museum in St. Cloud, Minnesota. George had expected to work on a rough stone much smaller in size. Hear his story as he talks about working with a piece of granite 3X3X5 feet in size. Imagine facing a rock that size and having the skills to make it into a work of art.

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ANYTHING GOES... the local inside story

2005-08-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

The director and cast talk about the play "Anything Goes", a production recently conducted at the Glanville Smith Auditorium at the ROCORI High School in Cold Spring, MN. The 55 member cast performed 6 nights to a packed house of attentive theatre goers. Hear the inside story as to what it takes to put on a show of this magnitude.

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Leroy Glazier's Hand-Made Guitar

2005-08-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

Leroy Glazier is one of the Midwest's greatest country guitar players. Here's an interview with him and a chance to hear him play his magic with the hand-made guitar his brother crafted for him 5 years ago.

OTHER RELATED SITES:
Midwest Rock Country Hall Of Fame Website
Stearns County Museum
St. Cloud Times article on the event

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The Sistine Chapel (ROME ITALY)

2005-08-16T05:08:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2001. Vatican City, Rome, Italy. The tour of the Vatican Museum culminates with the majasty of the Sistine Chapel. Something this magnificant could only be created by angels here on earth. From the storys of Moses to Christ conducting judgement day... it's all here down to the smallest detail.

OTHER VATICAN STORIES
A Tour Of The Vatican Museum
Singing For Pope John Paul II

A Tour Of The Vatican Museum (ROME, ITALY)

2005-08-12T06:38:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2001. Vatican City, Rome, Italy. Earlier that morning I had sung for Pope John Paul II. After, we took a tour of the Vatican Museum. You'll be amazed at priceless art the Vatican has collected over the years.

OTHER VATICAN STORIES

Singing For Pope John Paul II.

Herb Theis... MY PURPOSE IN LIFE (VLOG)

2005-08-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

Early in 2005 I had the chance to interview Herbert ( HERBIE) Theis, a local historian, who told me about many aspects of his life. At that time, Herbie had been diagnosed with cancer and wasn't expected to live more than a few months. Herb talks about his purpose in life and his nephew Tom tells about Herbie's philosophy of giving unto others. If only more of us could be like Herbie.

Other HERB (Herbie) THEIS Stories.

The House On The River

Why Did They Come To America

"THE PRAYER", a beautiful live music duet (PODCAST MP4)

2005-08-09T14:29:00.000-05:00

Looking for a nice break in your day? Something soothingly pleasant to listen to? This might be just the ticket. Duane Kuss and Karla Reichel sing a wonderful duet to the song "The Prayer". This starts very slow and builds to the point of sending chills down your spine.

PODCAST MP4

"THE PRAYER", a beautiful music video

2005-08-09T11:15:00.000-05:00

Looking for a nice break in your day? Something soothingly pleasant to listen to? This might be just the ticket. Duane Kuss and Karla Reichel sing a wonderful duet to the song "The Prayer". This starts very slow and builds to the point of sending chills down your spine.

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4 Ways To Say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2005-08-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

Today is my son Jason's 26th birthday. As you can see in the photo above he's a good size boy. So how do you say "Happy Birthday!" to a man of this size and stature. You're bound to crack a smile and laugh at this one.

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Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2000 PART II

2005-08-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

Between August 4th and August 9th of the year 2000, I was on a trip with my brother and two oldest son's to Sturgis South Dakota for the annual motorcycle rally. If you like great scenery and the excitement of motorcycles, and hill climbing, you'll love this second edition of the two part series.

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Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2000

2005-08-05T07:58:00.000-05:00

August 4th is my birthday and it's a time that I look back and reflect on many aspects of life. Today my personal reflection brought me back to a trip I took to Sturgis South Dakota for the annual motorcycle rally. If you like great scenery and the excitement of motorcycles, you'll love this two part series.

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Hometown Pride Days... music, food, brewery tours

2005-08-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

Every July, Cold Spring hosts a spectacular "small town" festival. Hometown Pride brings together friends and neighbors to celebrate Cold Spring's rich history and wonderful people. Here is a taste of what happened this year.

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Wedding Rituals... how did they begin?

2005-08-02T19:34:00.000-05:00

Summer is a great time for weddings. Do you remember the last one you were at? Did they happen to throw some flowers in the air and maybe found a garter underneath the brides beautiful gown? In today's video you'll find out how this tradition began and why these strange rituals exist even today.

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