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Surviving Valentine’s collected as folk art

Lifestyle Columns

For many of us receiving paper valentines may be the stuff of school days -- a piece of the past. The tradition goes back much further, of course, and wasn’t always just for kids. The first commercial valentines in America were made by Esther Howland in Massachusetts in 1850. They were made with paper lace and featured written verses. Before then, people exchanged homemade valentines. Surviving examples are collected as folk art today. The one shown here, preserved in a frame with fabric backing, dates to the mid-1800s and sold at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates for $279. It is an ...

Rabb shares basketball talent in Deutschland

Lifestyle Feature

Vishe’ Rabb isn’t unfamiliar with German culture, playing high school basketball in Springfield, Minnesota, a city established largely by Scandinavian, Irish and German settlers. The 2017 Springfield High School grad is, however, getting a much closer look at German culture now. Rabb, ...

Do Your Best Work

Lifestyle Columns

Yes, the library offers many recreational reads but you’ll find books and resources to support professional development, work and business at the library, too. Perhaps you want to improve your workplace culture, change a facet of your business, build stronger teams or bolster your emotional intelligence to become a stronger leader. Maybe you are curious about what cutting-edge organizations are doing to be successful. There is always something new to learn when you work with other people and the library can help. In addition to finding books at the library, check the library website at ...

Off the Shelf

Lifestyle Columns

Here we are at the beginning of February and tax season is here. The library has resources to help you complete this yearly task! If you choose to file your taxes yourself, we have the 1040/1040SR forms and instructions in English and Spanish. The tax forms and instruction booklets are located in the hallway near the Children’s Room; you are welcome to come in and help yourself. If you need additional forms, stop at the Service Desk and we can print them out for you for $.25 per side (double sided forms are $.50). If you have access to a computer, you can visit irs.gov to view, ...

Kilim rug quality provides multiple uses

Lifestyle Columns

A kilim is a type of rug that originated in Asia, falling into the broad category of Oriental rugs. The earliest known examples were found in China, and the most famous come from western Asia. Unlike pile-woven rugs, which have a thick, tufted texture made from thousands of knotted threads, kilims are flat woven, tapestry style, typically from wool. Their designs are usually geometric and often symbolic. Oriental rugs were introduced to western Europe and America by the 18th century. Thanks to the quality of the weaving and beauty of the designs, they quickly became fashionable luxury ...

THE GRAND HOTEL

Lifestyle Feature

NEW ULM - In November 2000, Anne Makepeace and her family bought the building that formerly housed The Grand Hotel at 210 North Minnesota St. for its historic significance dating back to 1956. Makepeace’s great-great-great grandfather Phillip H. Gross built New Ulm’s first hotel, the ...