The Base Ball Champions of Minnesota are back!  That is right, everyone’s favorite vintage base ball team, the Northfield Silver Stars have announced their 2012 schedule.

• Saturday, June 23 — versus St. Croix Base Ball Club in Stillwater. This will be a combination of base ball and beer tasting. We each have our own label now.

• Wednesday, July 4 — versus St. Croix in Northfield. I p.m. St. Olaf College, Old Main Field

• Saturday, July 28 — Rochester Exhibition, Olmsted County History Center, three 50-minute matches, all day.

• Saturday, Aug. 18 — versus Rochester Roosters at the Rice County Fairgrounds in Faribault, 1 p.m.

• Saturday, Sept. 8 — versus St. Croix at Old Memorial Field, 1 p.m. Defeat of Jesse James Days.

The rules of 1860 have some very interesting differences to today’s game. The players do not wear gloves; if the ball is caught on the first bounce the batter is out; there are no balls or strikes called by the umpire – although a batter can still strike out if he swings and misses three times; foul balls are not considered strikes; and the base runners can be tagged out if they over run first base.

The last few weeks, I have received many calls and emails asking for the Jim Machacek presentation on the history of trains he gave a few months ago.

Here it is,  and enjoy!

On May 22 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.  we will host an open house to honor our two Volunteers of the Year, Devyn Gardner and Debby Larsen!

Student Volunteer of the Year

This year’s youth volunteer of the year, Devyn Gardner, has been contributing to the Northfield Historical Society’s mission since she was in seventh grade. She entered as a member of the Junior Curator program, went on to serve as a tour guide, helped edit “Caught In A Storm” and most recently collected and organized photos for the “History of Northfield,” a textbook written for elementary students.

Earl Weinmann, director of the NHS Education Program, calls her his “go-to girl.”

Competent and conscientious, he can count on her to follow through and get things done.

Now looking back as she finishes a stellar high school career, Devyn said it was a Civil War road trip with her Dad that laid the foundation for her interest in history. She was in sixth grade when, over a spring break, they visited a number of key Civil War battlegrounds and presidential libraries. Then, a class with Mr. Weinmann opened the door to NHS, and Devyn found a place to cultivate her new passion.

Her six years with NHS has given her an appreciation for local history, the commonplace as well as the dramatic.

“I’ve just really gotten an appreciation for even small pieces of history,” she said.

Devyn is the daughter of Ron and Becky Gardner. She plans on attending college next year — campus still to be determined — and explore a degree in economics and international relations.

Adult Volunteer of the Year

For Debby Larsen, this year’s Adult Volunteer of the Year, volunteering at Northfield Historical Society has been a journey of discovery.

Come learn about the basic techniques of scanning photographs and then sharing them with your family and friends. The workshop is sponsored by the Northfield History Collaborative and will be held at the Northfield Public Library on Sat. April 28, 1-3 PM. Bring your photos and we’ll scan as many as time allows. The event is free but registration is required and will be limited to 30 people. Call the library reference desk at 645-1802 by Wed. April 25.

Today, the Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee announced the 2012 Joseph Lee Heywood Distinguished Service Award Winner, Molly Woehrlin with a surprise party at NHS.

Molly Woehrlin’s finger prints are all over Northfield. It is hard to scratch the surface of almost any organization or issue in Northfield without finding Molly Woerhlin prominently featured.

She has been a catalyst for institutional and social change here for the last 50 years. Her role has been that of educator, advocate, politician and community organizer. Her habit has been to help convene people around important issues, start an organization or a movement, and once it is up and running, she moves on.

Her interests are many and varied. She has been an advocate for children with special needs. She has been involved in environmental issues. She was once a Rice County commissioner. She has been actively involved with the ABC program, the Northfield Historical Society board, the East Side Neighborhood Association, League of Women Voters, First UCC church and many, many other groups that have had a major impact on the life of this community

Through her imagination, leadership and sense of civic responsibility, Molly has helped shape the community culture that makes Northfield unique.

Congratulations Molly!

This year’s annual Ole and Lena Joke Night will take place Saturday, April 14, beginning at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30). In response to last year’s large audience, the event has been moved to the Grand Event Center. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the event or, in advance, at the Northfield Historical Society If you would like to reserve a table for 10, please call NHS. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be open.

This year’s humor marathon will feature a “new” Lena, plus the addition of “Tina,” transforming the performance into an Ole, Lena, and Tina extravaganza. The three will joke on stage for 90 minutes, followed by contributions from the audience.

Here is a taste of what is to come!

Ole is getting ready to celebrate his 50th anniversary and Sven says,
“Vhat are you going to do for
your anniversary?”

Ole says “Vell, for my 20th
anniversary I took Lena to Norvay”.

Sven says, “Dats nice, so vhat
are you going to do to top dat?”

Ole says, “I tink I’ll go pick her up.”

We are looking for tour guides at the Northfield Historical Society to tell our story of the bank that was robbed by the James and Younger Gang.  We call ourselves the Adult Posse and are always looking for new members to help spread the word about the momentous events in Northfield on September 7, 1876.

Our Adult Posse meets for training one day a week for one and a half hours.  The training sessions begin the first week of April and run to the end of May.  We will have lively discussions about the James and Younger Gang, from their violent background to their association with Minnesota and beyond.  You don’t have to be a history buff to join.  All that is required is an interest in telling our story to visitors from all over the world.  Please consider joining our posse so we can nab all those visitors riding into Northfield and tell them our story of this unique town and its brave citizens.  If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a tour guide in the Northfield Historical Society or wish more information, please contact Earl Weinmann (507.645-9488).

Left to Right: David, Marion and Susan Hvistendahl

We are pleased to announced that we will hold our 37^th Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at the Great Hall on the campus of Carleton College.  Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for a social hour, program starts at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is open to all members of the Northfield Historical Society and attendees need only sign up for membership on the evening of the event if they are not currently a member.

We are hoping to have our best turnout ever as we have just launched our 1,000-member Campaign. We will also be honoring the Hvistendahl family at the event. We are delighted to be honoring Marion, David and Susan Hvistendahl. They have been long-time supporters of the historical society and they have really made it a family affair. I can’t think of a more deserving trio to be honored.

Marion retired to Northfield in 1990 with her husband, Jake, following rich and varied college teaching careers. She volunteered in the Museum Store and brought local historical figure Ann North to life as part of her Women in History presentations. Marion has also teamed with Brad Ness to present Ole and Lena Night, an NHS benefit.

Susan, a St. Olaf College graduate, has done extensive historical research since moving to Northfield in 2004. She chaired NHS’s Oral History Committee, edited a publication written by Alvin Houston on Lewiston, a local ghost town, and, in 2010, published a book on the Lyceum Building, the second publication of the NHS History Series. Susan is a regular contributor on local history to the Northfield Entertainment Guide.

Civil War enthusiast and amateur historian Jim Stark will discuss the origins of the American Civil War in his presentation, “Why the Civil War was Fought: The Antebellum Period,” Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. at the newly renovated Northfield Historical Society. The event, sponsored by KYMN Radio and the Northfield News, is the first of a series of discussions about the Civil War during the war’s ongoing sesquicentennial.

After reading extensively about Civil War battles and leaders, Stark, a former president of the Northfield and Rice County historical societies, says he wanted to learn more about the causes of the war. “How could a nation that fought for its freedom, and whose people spoke the same language and worshipped the same god find itself wanting to separate in the middle of the 19th century?” he asks.

This is history turned upside down, the James-Youngers actually donating money to Northfield.

It came in the form of a $1,400 check delivered by Jason Markkula of Bank Beer Company. He is the brew master who developed the James-Younger 1876 Rye Ale last summer for a Northfield Historical Society (NHS) fundraiser. It was unveiled at Defeat of Jesse James Days and received good reviews.

The money is a donation based on Markkula brewing and distributing, with the help of College City Beverage, some 200 cases and 16 kegs of the specialty rye ale. “This turned out to be a great fundraiser for Northfield Historical Society,” said Hayes Scriven, executive director of NHS. “It injected a new wrinkle into the celebration, generated some great publicity and brought a return to the historical society.” Markkula is a fundraiser at heart. Beer is his medium. His company, Bank Beer, has helped Pheasants Forever build wildlife areas through a similar project. Since 2003, they have purchased 3,000 acres. “Sometimes companies plan on giving back to the community once they have turned a profit,” Markkula said. “We just make it a higher priority.”