The other day someone was talking disparagingly about Bob Dylan's singing voice in relation to a recent concert. This is not a unique comment as I know it's been echoed (and continues to be) in many conversations around the world. I did respond to this one though, with a good-natured, "Now, really, don't be hating. . .especially this close to his birthday!"
Of course this became a window to talk about Hibbing and one of my favorite community events that begins today, the annual Dylan Days celebration. If you've never been to any of the Dylan Days events, you really should go. Allow me to particularly recommend the singer/songwriter contest, which has grown so popular it's bloomed into two nights and one afternoon. I went one year when my brother was participating and Zimmy's was never so packed and filled with great music and people. I've also heard a lot of great things about the bus tour, although I've never experienced it myself.
But this blog post, isn't about all of the fabulous events of Dylan Days or even about Bob Dylan himself--although I really do enjoy a lot of his music and think he is a fabulous songwriter.
What I'd like this blog post to be about is how a local, independent business and a few people started something with a simple birthday celebration. As it says on the Dylan Days website, "Dylan Days began informally in 1991 at Zimmy's Bar and Restaurant in
Hibbing, Minnesota (Bob Dylan's hometown). The Dylan-themed
establishment hosted a small birthday gathering in Bob's honor that
included some impromptu musical performances." In 2001 the city got involved (along with the chamber and educational partners) and eventually Dylan Days grew into the event and non-profit arts organization organization it is today.
I like Bob Dylan, but I love how this event serves as a spotlight and source of support for "emerging writers, musicians, and artists in Northeastern Minnesota, especially Hibbing." Through celebrating the amazing accomplishments and talent of one native son, Hibbing can seize the opportunity to recognize and support the grow of artists of all kinds that call this place home. That's pretty powerful.
And to think it all started with a little birthday party. Inspiration, anyone? Today, I tip my proverbial hat to all of the fabulous people who started and sustain Dylan Days and I ask those of you who "heart" Hibbing out there on the interwebs--what (or perhaps who) else is out there that deserves a little cake and celebration? It could be the start of something great.
I encourage you to comment here or continue the conversation at the I Heart Hibbing Facebook page.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Bringing Fancy Back: The Idea
I love hearing my parents tell stories about what Hibbing was like long before I arrived on the scene. Stories from my Dad are great and usually involve some kind of shenanigans, but stories from my mom (who is not from the Range originally) also have a special quality.
One memory from my mother that sticks in my mind is her relating impressions of Hibbing when she was making the decision to take her first teaching job here after graduating from college in the 1960s. Her face always takes on something of a rosy glow talking about all of the ladies dress shops that were downtown at the time as well as The Golden Door Bookstore (which honestly just sounds enchanting). Apparently there was a sign up in the bookstore for an upcoming ballet to be held in the breathtaking Hibbing High School auditorium and that sealed that deal.
It's a story with very little plot and scant detail, but nonetheless I've always found it magical. I try to imagine what it was like for my mother, the excitement of one's first post-college job. To be in a little city where rough and tumble mining roots and realities stood side-by-side with beautiful dress shops, ballet performances, and auditoriums with velvet seats and chandeliers made of crystal imported from Belgium.
The Golden Door Bookstore came and went before my time, as did the multiple fancy ladies dress shops--although I do remember fun trips to Feldman's and staring through the glass at all of the fancy fashions in LaBoutique as a kid.
There is something inherently fun in getting dressed up, even if there is no preordained occasion. There's also something pretty fun about uncovering the fancy in Hibbing, especially when many claim it does not exist.
It genuinely makes me sad to hear women talk about loving a dress or a fancy piece of jewelry only to follow the statement with the idea that they can't possibly wear either around town. I glance over my shoulder at these comments wondering if some sort of posse has banded together since I've lived out of town that enforces a strict dress code in which blue jeans are queen and dresses are verboten. I'm pretty sure said posse does not exist, at least not outside our own minds, which perhaps become preoccupied with what those around us are wearing and thinking.
So, recognizing that pattern. I'm offering up a challenge. On the evening of Thursday, June 7, 2012 lets bring a little fancy back to Hibbing. Take some time for yourself. Get dressed up. Feel pretty. The occasion? No other reason other than it's Thursday and why not?
I don't know if anyone else will get on this train, but on that night I'm planning on doing my hair, putting on a dress that makes me feel fabulous, and hitting the streets of downtown Hibbing . I want to look at the city with fresh eyes and celebrate all of the beautiful things and people that make it great.
Care the join me? The more the merrier. Watch the new I Heart Hibbing Facebook page for event details within the next day or so.
One memory from my mother that sticks in my mind is her relating impressions of Hibbing when she was making the decision to take her first teaching job here after graduating from college in the 1960s. Her face always takes on something of a rosy glow talking about all of the ladies dress shops that were downtown at the time as well as The Golden Door Bookstore (which honestly just sounds enchanting). Apparently there was a sign up in the bookstore for an upcoming ballet to be held in the breathtaking Hibbing High School auditorium and that sealed that deal.
It's a story with very little plot and scant detail, but nonetheless I've always found it magical. I try to imagine what it was like for my mother, the excitement of one's first post-college job. To be in a little city where rough and tumble mining roots and realities stood side-by-side with beautiful dress shops, ballet performances, and auditoriums with velvet seats and chandeliers made of crystal imported from Belgium.
The Golden Door Bookstore came and went before my time, as did the multiple fancy ladies dress shops--although I do remember fun trips to Feldman's and staring through the glass at all of the fancy fashions in LaBoutique as a kid.
There is something inherently fun in getting dressed up, even if there is no preordained occasion. There's also something pretty fun about uncovering the fancy in Hibbing, especially when many claim it does not exist.
It genuinely makes me sad to hear women talk about loving a dress or a fancy piece of jewelry only to follow the statement with the idea that they can't possibly wear either around town. I glance over my shoulder at these comments wondering if some sort of posse has banded together since I've lived out of town that enforces a strict dress code in which blue jeans are queen and dresses are verboten. I'm pretty sure said posse does not exist, at least not outside our own minds, which perhaps become preoccupied with what those around us are wearing and thinking.
So, recognizing that pattern. I'm offering up a challenge. On the evening of Thursday, June 7, 2012 lets bring a little fancy back to Hibbing. Take some time for yourself. Get dressed up. Feel pretty. The occasion? No other reason other than it's Thursday and why not?
I don't know if anyone else will get on this train, but on that night I'm planning on doing my hair, putting on a dress that makes me feel fabulous, and hitting the streets of downtown Hibbing . I want to look at the city with fresh eyes and celebrate all of the beautiful things and people that make it great.
Care the join me? The more the merrier. Watch the new I Heart Hibbing Facebook page for event details within the next day or so.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Collectively Thinking (and Acting) Outside of the Box
My day job focuses on the idea of innovation. I went to a conference session a couple of months ago where the presenter talked about how organizations do or do not foster or accept innovation. Generally speaking systems are designed (and perpetuated) to create and maintain stability, and thus when new or different ideas are introduced into the system they are not necessarily well received. Oftentimes the only way for new and different ideas to avoid being immediately squashed is for them to exist outside of the system for a certain amount of time. In essence, people work around the system to do what they judge needs to be done, whether that is an opinion shared by the "Powers that Be" or not.
As I pondered how this idea affects my professional life, I also considered how the theory applies to creating positive change in Hibbing. We often seek to affect change through official channels, through city government and other official entities. This is great and makes complete sense, but the reality is that oftentimes ideas can stall out and die in these systems. I've also noticed how it can disengage people from a sense of personal responsibility, thinking that X is the job of so-and-so or a particular group. It's always easier to complain about the job someone else is doing than to take responsibility for making a positive, consistent impact.
So, while I believe that political engagement and thinking systematically are essential to long-lasting changes; I also believe firmly in the power of individuals to take action outside of official channels.
So, instead of pointing the finger at city officials or certain organizations and proclaiming what they should do, perhaps we should practice a little introspection and consider what each of us can do to make Hibbing a better place. Then, taking it a step further, consider how those individual actions can have power when we join forces as a group of like minded citizens, ex-pats, and Hibbing aficionados.
A tiny personal example of how this type of action can work happened in Hibbing last Thursday (May 3rd). Two days prior I networked with some friends via Facebook and together we plotted a cash mob for {moxie}, a women's clothing boutique located in the Reed Building on First Avenue (full disclosure: this store is owned and operated by my sister, hence the personal connection). The mob was a small success (particularly considering the short time frame), although it did not make the news, it was greatly encouraging for the store and also an opportunity for like-minded people to find each other and consider about how this kind of thing could spread community wide.
Breaking this event down, it focused on something individuals could do irrespective of politics or the bureaucracy of any particular organization, and it drew its strength from these individuals banding together. This is the conversation and action that I would like to help facilitate.
Is anyone interested in joining me? I plan on continuing the conversation here on this blog, and starting tonight on the blog's companion Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IHeartHibbing). I hope those of you who *heart* Hibbing will join me.
As I pondered how this idea affects my professional life, I also considered how the theory applies to creating positive change in Hibbing. We often seek to affect change through official channels, through city government and other official entities. This is great and makes complete sense, but the reality is that oftentimes ideas can stall out and die in these systems. I've also noticed how it can disengage people from a sense of personal responsibility, thinking that X is the job of so-and-so or a particular group. It's always easier to complain about the job someone else is doing than to take responsibility for making a positive, consistent impact.
So, while I believe that political engagement and thinking systematically are essential to long-lasting changes; I also believe firmly in the power of individuals to take action outside of official channels.
So, instead of pointing the finger at city officials or certain organizations and proclaiming what they should do, perhaps we should practice a little introspection and consider what each of us can do to make Hibbing a better place. Then, taking it a step further, consider how those individual actions can have power when we join forces as a group of like minded citizens, ex-pats, and Hibbing aficionados.
A tiny personal example of how this type of action can work happened in Hibbing last Thursday (May 3rd). Two days prior I networked with some friends via Facebook and together we plotted a cash mob for {moxie}, a women's clothing boutique located in the Reed Building on First Avenue (full disclosure: this store is owned and operated by my sister, hence the personal connection). The mob was a small success (particularly considering the short time frame), although it did not make the news, it was greatly encouraging for the store and also an opportunity for like-minded people to find each other and consider about how this kind of thing could spread community wide.
Breaking this event down, it focused on something individuals could do irrespective of politics or the bureaucracy of any particular organization, and it drew its strength from these individuals banding together. This is the conversation and action that I would like to help facilitate.
Is anyone interested in joining me? I plan on continuing the conversation here on this blog, and starting tonight on the blog's companion Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IHeartHibbing). I hope those of you who *heart* Hibbing will join me.
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