MPR’s John Rabe presents the Second Annual Minnesota Public Radio Snowman Burning. Program celebrates winter’s demise and the coming of spring with poetry from listeners, music from the Cafe Accordion Orchestra, weather with Mark Seeley, ritual tales from Brandi Parisi, the humor of Kevin Kling, and the ritual burning of an eight foot snowman with color commentary from MPR’s Dan Olson.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) Monticello taking on recur e and Minneapolis North versus Rochester male all should be some very good games coming up today. The championship will be played on Saturday night. You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. 29 degrees under sunny skies at the FM New Station KN o WF M 91.1 Minneapolis-Saint Paul Twin Cities weather for today calls for windy conditions with northeasterly winds at 15 to 30 miles per hour and a high temperature right around 37 degrees little bit warmer tomorrow. I'm John Ray be welcome to the second annual Minnesota Public Radio snowman burning. During the foggy trickling gurgling dripping night winter runs away
(00:00:54) water drips incessantly from the roof in late winter. The air feels warm and a refreshing
(00:01:02) coolness Wass up from The Disappearing snow today is the first day of spring and in the next
(00:01:09) half hour, we'll
(00:01:10) celebrate Winters demise and the coming of spring with poetry from listeners music from the cafe accordion Orchestra the humor of Kevin Kling and the ritual burning of an 8 foot
(00:01:21) snowman death of winter. It dies while
(00:01:24) sleeping this giant the Assassins circles about shoving the warm blade into the cold corpse
(00:01:30) the Man burning coming up after this
(00:01:32) news. from national public radio news in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell President Clinton is meeting this morning at the White House with the Congressional leadership to discuss the budget White House aides described the meeting as a last chance to move toward an agreement Chief of Staff Leon Panetta told Fox morning news that the window of opportunity for an agreement is open only until the Summers party conventions Senate Majority Leader, Bob Dole says, he is ready for Meaningful discussions if the president is serious the talks of the first Level budget discussions in two months dull wrapped up all for Midwestern presidential primaries last night winning decisively in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin fresh from his winds. However, he was confronted with possible troubling news Ross Perot says, he's back in politics NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports as Dole declared yet. Another Victory Ross Perot said he's interested in running to Dulles spent months securing delegates for the official Republican nomination. Nation pero simply announced to his supporters yesterday. If members of his new Reform Party ask him. He'll be their nominee Dole said he would try to talk pero out of it, but he admitted he was concerned. He helps Bill Clinton Dole said last night in a television interview pero voters and independents in general have not been flocking to the polls in great numbers those who did vote in yesterdays primary split between dull and Patrick Buchanan Dolan Buchanan both campaign this week in California at the site of next Tuesday's primary perrault's Party has already secured a place on the ballot there in the fall. I'm Elizabeth Arnold in Washington the Senate today revisits a controversial bill that would limit the damage Awards and faulty product lawsuits. President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill and Republican leaders and some senior Democrats have expressed outrage NPR's chitra raghavan has more the house senate compromise bill. Would Place caps on punitive damages the extra sums of money awarded to plaintiffs by juries. To punish manufacturers who knowingly put faulty or dangerous products on the market. The bill also would protect product Sellers from lawsuits unless they also manufacture the products and it would give consumers a 15-year limit to sue manufacturers over faulty Goods manufacturers support the bill consumer groups and the American Trial Lawyers Association opposed it President Clinton has threatened to veto it saying it's anti-consumer. But yesterday house Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested. The president has caved in to the trial lawyers. That has contributed heavily to his campaigns and to senior Democrats have accused the president of playing election-year politics. I'm chitra raghavan in Washington on the New York Stock Exchange at this hour the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 13 points to 5656 .51 creating his active on a volume of 115 million shares. The NASDAQ composite index is down five point five three to 1100 6.97. This is NPR news support for national. And public radio comes from the William T Grant Foundation supporting research on the development of children adolescents and youth. Good morning. I'm Karen Bardo with news from Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota house ethics panel has Delayed Action on discipline for representative Jeff Bertram. The committee's legal adviser retired Justice Peter Popovich was hospitalized yesterday because of complications related to oral surgery committee chair Edgar Olson expects to bring in a new Sir, and resume deliberations before the end of the week Charley Weaver, the Anoka Republican who filed the complaint against Bertram says the legislature is running low on time to discipline the Painesville dfl, er every day that goes by and we are closer to a German I get a little more nervous about whether or not the Democrats are serious about punishing. Mr. Bertram, but I don't think we're in the bottom of the ninth yet. Bertram is accused of a half dozen incidents of intimidation and spreading of as rumors another campaign to free Leonard Peltier from prison will begin with a demonstration this afternoon at the federal court building in Minneapolis. Peltier was convicted in 1977 of killing two FBI agents during a shootout in June 1975 at the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota activists. A Peltier is innocent a conference committee will meet tonight to put together Wetlands legislation State House and Senate negotiators are trying to decide whether to stray from a list. Changes to Minnesota's Wetlands law agreed upon by several interest groups the state forecast today. Mostly sunny with highs in the 30s and for the Twin Cities Sunny with a high in the middle to upper 30s tonight clear with a low around 14. It's sunny around the region and dilute. The current temperature is 24 degrees. It's 26 in Rochester st. Claude reporting 25 and in the Twin Cities at Sonny and 31. That's news from Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Karen Barta. Welcome to the second annual Minnesota Public Radio snowman burning.
(00:06:53) I'm John Ray V. We're broadcasting from the st. Paul fire training center in the shadow of the saint Stadium. Just south of the State fairgrounds in st. Paul. We have an air temperature of 30 degrees. Sunny skies put a wind chill of four, but that's all going to change in less than 30 minutes when my dad returned from the Cold War appropriately named during which he ran a propaganda unit that dropped leaflets on Soviet soldiers and got back from Germany. He brought with him a story about how some Germans celebrated the end of winter they'd burn a big Effigy Of A Snowman in the town square and tell the kids that if they didn't behave they wouldn't burn this. Oh man, and winter would not end this by the way is all true. My dad's story is true. And it's a fact that if we don't burn this 8-foot tall chicken wire and newspaper snowman today winter will never end. My Dad burned a Snowman and sue sainte-marie for 20 years. They're going to be doing it again today on the campus of Lake Superior State University in Saint Marie just about an hour from now in the next 20 minutes or so. We'll burn the Snowman next to me with the help of the st. Paul fire department will listen to the music of the cafe accordion Orchestra here from special guest Kevin Kling and climatologists marks a lie find out about other end of winter rituals around the world from Brandi Parisi and here change of season poems written. Our listeners and that's the real highlight today. This is the second annual Minnesota Public Radio snowman burning.
(00:08:45) I asked listeners to facts in poems and and listeners did it like crazy? We got several hundred poems some of the best are here today and some of the best poets that is the first is a guy named Joe Muldoon from St. Paul. How are you? I'm doing fine. Would you read your palm for us stopping by Woods during a slump in the market whose woods these are I think I know I bet that I could bit it low and up the ante if he stalls, but either way, I'll make it go. A Syndicate from West st. Paul wants to build a shopping mall. They'll be needing what I've got for excavation in the fall. I'll just hold it till it's hot make a killing in one shot. If they don't bite then I can break it into residential lots. These Woods are lovely. No mistake. I am on the go and on the take with many millions yet to make and many millions yet to make. That's Joe Muldoon of st. Paul and now introduce Shannon Luckett. Where are you from originally Milwaukee, but I live in Minneapolis now. Could you read us your poem is called Long March. The Russians are out tonight circling the Twilight Park and geriatric pairs park bench white popcorn gray Wings cutting Sky dull Comforts and plaintive cries against endings day and see Susan poised on edges The Dana more of a Homeland in the stale Melancholy of Yearning Slavic Hearts arthritic with memory may sharpen main. Um, but no finally that winter is on its Wayne. One of the fixtures of Minnesota public radio's Morning Edition is Bob Potter's Friday morning conversations with University of Minnesota. Climatologists, Mark, Seeley Mark has agreed to I'm sorry. I'm Stephen as Applause Mark Seeley. Mark has agreed to join us here on the Snowman burning to explain what happened this winter and better yet. What the spring holds? Thank you very much good old-fashioned winter this year. Well, there's some striking features John one is we started awfully early. We started snowfall accumulation in northern Minnesota in October. We started - 40 wind chills in November and then of course we had the ice. Storm in January which smothered the landscape in ice and I suppose we'll see evidence of vegetation damage. Maybe as we recover in the spring. We also had the January 30 to February 5 period which is historic. It was the average temperature over the state for that whole week was minus 20, which you had to go back to 1899 to find and so we survived that and now we've started a out March first 10 days of March were 15 degrees colder than normal and despite the warmth and the loss of most of the ice we accumulated. It looks like the rest of the months going to stay colder than normal to so we're going to have to be patient. You have some inspiration for us though in a form of a poem first crocus back here a daily. Yes, and I hope that I can read this well with none numb lips here. I should say to that. Carol lives up in Bagley and didn't want to drive the four hours or whatever. It takes to come down from Bagley. So Mark standing it. Okay. Here we go. First crocus a crocus seem cuts open the hibernating Turf a new realm breathes through breathe faster are shaking down spouts chuckling with Crispy showers. The driest scalp we tread upon will soothe itself with verdant Franz. That's a nice image. I think we'll maybe look forward to that in April John. Thanks very much U of M climatologists Mark Seeley. The the extra burst of Applause you here is because the friend School of Minnesota is here represented by a class and one of their students is here to read a poem. Hello. How are you? I'm fine. How are you? Not bad little chilly to tell you the truth. You are Edwin home Vig Johnson and of the French School of Minnesota, you've written a poem that actually refers to a weatherman. So we thought we'd have you on to read it. Could you read it for us? What's it called snowfall? I tie up my boots with great excitement for the snow has fallen 2 to 3 inches the bald man on the TV says I put on my boots step outside and oh I sent the refreshing cold my ears and face are stung ever. So gently by the crisp Winter Wind. I love this winter the snow this white blessings from above terrific. Thanks for coming.
(00:14:11) The ritual burning of a put chicken wire a newspaper snowman is what's so odd or violent? When you consider some of the
(00:14:18) other ways Europeans recognize the coming of spring. I've heard one Scandinavian tradition involving a straw man and dynamite the length and
(00:14:27) fertility of the growing season
(00:14:29) is predicted by the distance the dynamite blows the head off the body and old Slavic Legend is right out of Days of Our Lives mother. Spring and father
(00:14:39) Frost get together and the product of their Union is a lovely little girl known
(00:14:44) as the snow Maiden. But the first time she goes out alone. The sun is so jealous of her beauty. He melts her in Germany and tradition right out of Calvin and Hobbes
(00:14:54) a young woman
(00:14:55) will call Susie would represent spring carrying apples and decorating herself with Ivy. She has a snowball fight with a character will call O Calvin who represents winter in Legend Fraulein Susie always beats hair Calvin That's Brandi Parisi. Another listener poem now from listener poets Patrice Clark Kelch. Thank you for coming. This is a short poem by a very short person. It's called February waning. This is a day to wrap your tongue around the world to lick the mud and ice and wafer leaves to snap the hollow stalks with your fingers to set your green boots dancing on the broken Waters of spring. The Poetry of Patrice Clark Kelch on mid-morning today, you're listening to the second annual Minnesota Public Radio snowman burning to my right your left is a big snowman made out of chicken wire and two by fours and a little bit of industrial tubing and a plastic bucket for ahead and a rather surprised expression on its face. We're going to charge this with the help of the st. Paul fire department entirely safely and just a few minutes to stay tuned for that for our listeners at home who weren't brave enough to Brave. The weather got a crowd of about looks like 60 people here. So thanks very much. Everybody was out here. You can hear them and thanks for listeners at home to who are probably feeling the bitter cold out here. One of our best poems was from Annika felsted who again, the audience response indicating that she's a teacher at the Friends School of Minnesota. Thanks for coming greetings. My poem is called walking past a poem a spring afternoon in Detroit beer bottles and curses breed beside the tire Jacks dead cars sport for sale signs at Clark Park The Flower Man spray paints the chrysanthemums the Knights of Columbus wait for hurry drivers to drop their guilt and Court. into bleach jars, the neighbors winter the neighbors winter fights spread to porches everything will blow over especially the trash April 80s trick the street people into donating their coats to charity the high school girls blossom into pink Fashions and black leather boyfriend's young hands, escape the still Chilly Winds inside each other's jacket cuffs sprawling school's empty themselves into orange buses father's beg for kisses as their babies stroll with lunch boxes too quickly towards independence old sofas are in Ali's chicken wire Gates get left ajar. Even mothers let themselves forget. This is Detroit bird songs awaken empty warehouses Shadows slant steeper and days grow longer even in a vacant lot a magnolia is a magnolia. The Poetry of Annika feel stead of the Friends School of Minnesota a poem called walking past a poem spring afternoon in Detroit and just a few moments we're going to check in with our special guest star Kevin Kling that's coming up in just a second. Our house band and they are literally a house band today because they are in this building out here at the fire training center that the firemen routinely set on fire and then and then put out the way they learn how to put out fires in the building is the cafe accordion Orchestra, which actually has a gig coming up Tuesday at the luring in Minneapolis. They never played a song all the way through on last year's show we never let them but this year we've decided we want to hear a tune. Dan Newton is their leader Dan. Can you tell us what the song is it? In here. All right, Daisy. Rondelle's the return of The Nightingales. The music of the cafe accordion Orchestra who play Tuesday at the Loring. It's now my pleasure to introduce our special guest star Kevin Kling howdy. Well, what do you think if you ever seen an event quite like this? No, I have to admit. I don't know. This is a new one for me. Vernon is no man. Yeah, let him go. What have you brat to read for us? I got a poem by Wendell Berry one of my favorite authors. And this is a poem called a purification Let. Er Rip. Yes, sir. All righty at the start of spring. I open a trench in the ground. I put into it the winters accumulation of paper pages. I do not want to read again useless words fragments errors and I put into it the contents of the Outhouse light of the Growth of the ground finished with one of their Journeys to the sky to the wind then and to the faithful trees. I confess my sins that I have not been happy enough considering my good-luck have listened to too much noise have been inattentive to wonders have lusted after praise and then upon the gathered refuse of Mind and Body I closed the trench folding shut again the dark the deathless Earth. Earth beneath that seal the old escapes into the new Kevin Kling on the Snowman burning, why'd you pick that what I picked this because it's time to start again. It's time to open the windows and say I've had enough and listen to the Jets go over. All right. Thanks for coming up. Thank you.
(00:23:59) I'm Brandy Parisi snowman burning is a German tradition. But Germans do not have a monopoly on unique end of winter rituals other countries get just as an see for the warm weather in Italy a strapping young man would wear black on one side of his body and white on the other symbolizing
(00:24:18) light emerging from
(00:24:19) Darkness. He wears a belt decorated
(00:24:21) with stars and Carries flowers and
(00:24:24) Over his shoulders in Japan. The beginning of Spring is actually celebrated January
(00:24:29) 1st. Every Buddhist temple tolls the bell 108
(00:24:33) times the tolling of the Bells in Japan takes more than an hour in Beijing the beating of the spring and the gnawing of the spring the emperor would receive
(00:24:43) an effigy of the spring Ox
(00:24:46) the ox was then dragged and beaten to ward off pestilence
(00:24:50) and encourage field workers to be
(00:24:52) industrious. Meanwhile, the women would eat turnips in order to ward off fatigue. I'm Brandy carisi.
(00:25:09) This is the Snowman burning on Minnesota Public Radio. We're interrupting mid-morning to bring you this odd little ritual that as we said started in Germany long ago moved to Sue Saint Marie where they're going to burn a Snowman in just an hour or so on the campus of lakes Lake Superior State University and then just a few minutes with the help of the the fire. Assembled here. We are going to burn the chicken wire and 2x4 and newspaper snowman doesn't look so much like a snowman as a upside down popsicle of some sort, but it's a snowman we asked listeners to fax in their poems vaccine because it's so expedient and we got a great poem from Sarah Shrewsbury, who is the daughter of Mary Paul and David. Thanks for coming in. Hi. This is called Spring the snow melts the return flowers bloom and trees bud yet still people died still pollution still drugs. The air is warmer. The ice is gone Easter comes happy faces yet still teen pregnancy still domestic violence still child abuse still tears cheesin seasons change, so why can't we it's terrific?
(00:26:19) Thank you.
(00:26:27) And just a second. We're going to hear a poem by Steve Swanson who drove up from Northfield. I think you have Steve Swanson the distance record today driving up from Northfield, but I'm going to read a poem that comes from a guy who couldn't make it in because he's on vacation. He's gone to Orlando or something. So this is a Kevin Stevens poem and I don't even have a title for it. I think the top of the facts got cut off but here it is. Anyway where I am from we don't have winter. No, that's not exactly true. We do have a winner. In Las Vegas winter happens on a Thursday afternoon about 4:30. There isn't a snowplow within 400 miles. It did snow this year in Las Vegas. Just like it did in my junior year in high school everything shut down all for less than six inches of snow. This was my first real winter. The first time that I made a snow angel never before had I felt a tingle in my nose when I inhaled I almost wish that I didn't know that it was my mucus freezing. I kind of enjoyed the feeling before they told me All eyes were upon me during this first winter in the fall when I told people that I had never had a winner before the look on their faces was of Untold joy and Glee describing to me in exacting detail. What would happen to me and how miserable I would be they were wrong. I now live for the clarity that a winter night brings me the cold flows through me and invigorates me. I walk play absorb. I can't wait for the next one maybe this time. Will learn to drive in it Kevin Stevens poem about winter where he comes
(00:28:02) from and in his adopted
(00:28:04) home. It's time to go now to Steve Swanson lovely poem called Springs first moth. as this lifelong winter ends the Springs first moth who dives around my lamp dissolves in April, ah, my August tendency to swat and all within me that would crush or slap or trap is happy now to live with study and protect that life which by July will fly and crawl and Na and sting and everything will change and I will kill Amen to that It's now my pleasure to introduce again a fellow who made the journey out here last year and bore the cold weather the assistant fire chief of st. Paul Warren shop. Hello. Good morning, John. Good morning everybody. Well, you let us do this out here last year at the fire training center. And and honestly, you got to feel calls from people who thought that maybe we're encouraging unsafe fire practices. So I thought we might as well be frank and address that question here. What we're doing here is probably it might be a little crazy but it's safe at the same time. Well, that's correct. We have training fires out here all through the year. This area is also monitored by the pollution control agency. We keep Standard checklist for safety issues out here the Personnel that work out here are familiar with not only putting out fires as a profession but starting them for training purposes. So it's a completely safe environment right here. What are they going to do in the next few minutes with this snowman? Could you tell us describe it for us? Well, as soon as the order is given they will torch off the Snowman and we'll celebrate The Rite of Spring if you've doused it with diesel fuel to right. Yes, sir. So that should help. Things along but it's not going to explode or anything like that. Gee I hope not John. Alright, thanks very much. And now Dan Olson is going to come in place to do our color commentary our play-by-play Danielson of Minnesota Public Radio often known as The Velvet
(00:30:35) Fog. Are you ready? Dan
(00:30:41) and Mike are we ready to go with Dan? Okay and Warren Schaub, you will give the signal in just a second. I'm going to run over to the the scene of the fire and see if we can get a little sound of the Flames but go ahead and give the signal Captain Hawkinson one of our training assistance. There will torch it off Captain Hawkinson. Go ahead. And now firefighter Hawkinson is setting the flame from the torch from st. Paul firefighting
(00:31:08) crew the Snowman Effigy sitting Atop The Oak palette now here we see the first burst of tongues of orange Flames coming up from behind the so figures out engulfing and intensely orange flame under a clear blue canopy as Sky ashes Rising into the sky black smoke swirling around the audience. We're ducking and dodging the ashes from the figure. It's almost all burned. Now it's chicken mesh screening hanging disconsolately off the figure the Flames licking away now going down to the feet going down going down. Thank you. Put that fire out. I can't afford to lose any more hair and the Flames are taking the last few inches off the Effigy. I'm stepping back from the planes now and the firefighters are standing by watching carefully exact measures in place just to make sure no innocent audience members are high by this a V formation of in the sky a swarm of robins there heralding the onset of spring. There's a column of Monarch butterflies just coming in now damage is almost gone. It is truly spraying in, Minnesota. I feel warmer, but I think that's because I was
(00:33:00) over miking the fireman I would like to at this point to put in a special. Thank you to my friend John 40 who helped me build this snowman that is still burning terrific. It does feel a bit warmer here and thanks also to Minnesota public radio's Danielson. We closed last year's snowman burning with a poem by visit. Ramzan Donnie a native of India who now lives in the Twin Cities. Last year, he read us a poem called Minnesota nice consideration of Minnesota Social depth and other things. Today he joins us again to read a poem called trans migrations, please welcome back snowman burning Poet Laureate visit ramzan, Donnie. Thanks, Don. I don't know if I deserve the honor what I just got back from India. Actually, this guy track me down. I came back specially and this piece is a is was inspired by my trip. I just experienced a beautiful spring in Northern India and I come back to Spring in America and it's a lot about searching and starting over. So my piece is called trans migrations. Mostly the meaning of home is the feeling of spring sprouting from the gnarled roots of beginning. Endings lost and found in a fragile peace with our pasts and lovingly preserved amid, the duty-free Spoils of many. Jetlag Journeys Between Worlds Beyond culture and the change of seasons. There is the safety of attachment to All Things familiar the smell of Papa's leather keychain the sound of the first rain before the monsoon the site of scarlet Rhododendrons in full bloom on a mammalian Hillside the chorus of an old song singing. We're on our way home. We're going home. No way back home. Mostly the meaning of home is chance to bond in musty closets lined with portable lives and Vivid histories dusted down and transported in socks and shoe boxes across time zones and lost luggage full of old letters and Pockets of here and mottled mugshots on green cards enshrined and safe places. We have come with gypsies in our bones looking for a patch of ground to seed with the flowers of old Gardens left to the fragrance of time searching for the spirit of place and a touch of Grace that is mostly the meaning of home a gaggle of voices Between Worlds where two accents become a third and English as a second language. It make it any easier to understand the weather in Minnesota nor for that matter the magic moments that come from belonging to this feeling of spring this land of possibilities this Harvest of a million tender Visions called America. Thank you. The poet laureate of the Minnesota Public Radio snowman burning visit. Ramzan, Donnie Sarah Anderson. Could you make sure everybody has a song sheet because after I read the credits I'm going to ask all of you to sing with us Frosty the Snowman to say a final goodbye to our friend who served as well over the last half hour here at the Snowman burning. So we're just about at the end of another snowman burning. Thanks to our listener poets. Thanks to Kevin Kling and Mark Seeley. Thanks to the students and teachers of the Friends School of Minnesota. Thanks to the st. Paul fire department and the fire training center the cafe accordion Orchestra to led by Dan Newton to carry Johnson Michael herb-lore reprieves Tony Bull from a marketing department play-by-play Man Dan Olson Brandy Parisi our folklore expert. Thanks to I got a producer Mel summer mid-morning producer Pro tem, Stephanie Curtis and audio Engineers Rick heads in ski Danny Hanson Kevin Middleton, those three guys out here very early this morning also the cliff Bentley back at the station. I'm John Ray V. Thanks for tuning in. And now let's hear Frosty the Snowman. Hit it Dan.
(00:38:52) The Snowman is dead long live
(00:38:53) spring. We now resume our regular scheduled programming. Thank
(00:38:57) you. Thank thank you to
(00:39:00) John Ray be what a terrific program hearing all those poems written by listeners Kevin Kling Mark Seeley John Ray be all the folks out there. Thanks a lot for burning the Snowman and so we can get on with spring here. This is mid-morning on the FM.