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Lifestyle Columns

Pumpkin spice: A joke today, used for centuries

For the past few years, the arrival of fall has meant two things: pumpkin spice in everything and jokes about pumpkin spice in everything. The flavor may have exploded in popularity during the last decade or so, but it’s been around much longer than that. This tin by the Frank Tea and Spice ...

National Friends of the Library Week

October 20-26, 2024 is National Friends of Libraries Week. It is a chance for libraries throughout the United States to recognize the contributions of their Friends of Libraries groups to their communities. New Ulm Public Library is grateful to have an active group of library Friends who ...

Fall

Fall has just begun. On Sunday, September 22, the autumnal equinox occured. The word “equinox” comes from the Latin words “aequus” meaning “equal” and “nox” which means “night”. So “equal night,” simply put, is the time when daylight hours are roughly the same length as ...

When a $2,000 barrel isn’t a barrel

For thousands of years, artisans have found ways to make one material look like another. The history of furniture is filled with examples, like wood painted to resemble marble, metal, lacquer or other expensive or exotic materials. Sometimes, other materials are sculpted or painted to look like ...

Climate Prep Week

This past week is designated as Climate Preparedness Week. Many organizations across the country host informative or practical events to better understand weather or to prepare for emergencies. Our big event each year is the New Ulm Emergency Preparedness Fair held, for the past two years, in ...

Form vs function: Debate surfaces over teapot

By Terry and Kim Kovel Artists of all levels, critics and admirers alike have long wondered: What is art? Collectors of ceramics face a slightly more specific question: What is art pottery? To a collector, the term “art pottery” usually refers to a kind of pottery made in the U.S. from ...