There's More Than Cold and Snow Here

   The Superbowl is in Minneapolis this year. All this week there have been activities for people of all ages to enjoy. Lots of people who have never set foot in this state before are coming in droves. Most of what I see written about  Minnesota puts a lot of emphasis on the weather, particularly the winter weather. It seems that many people outside the state know only four things about Minnesota: snow, cold, the Vikings and Fargo.
   There's much more to Minnesota then the four above mentioned items. I'd like to write about a few of them. I'd also like to get a few of the stereotypes straightened out.
   The first thing I'd like to tackle is the movie Fargo. Fargo is a lovely city in North Dakota. There is no Fargo in Minnesota. The vast majority of people from Minnesota trace their ethnic background from Germany, not Norway. The people that speak with German or Norwegian accents are few and far between.
   Outstate is North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. If you are referring to the area outside the Twin Cities metro then you say southern, northern, or western Minnesota. Outstate means out of the state. The last time I checked the state borders did not end at Burnsville, Anoka, Shakopee or Woodbury.
   The snow does melt here. I know this may be hard for some to believe, but it does. We actually have grass, trees and flowers. In fact, many farmers in Minnesota grow crops like sugar beets, sweet corn, oats and peas.
   The coldest city in the United States is not in Minnesota. It is Fairbanks Alaska.
    Minnesota is home to many companies. Caribou and Dairy Queen are based here. General Mills, Land O'Lakes and Famous Dave's all call Minnesota home. (I didn't mention 3M, Ecolab, Target or Best Buy.)
   Minnesota has a lot of beautiful places. The North Shore has waterfalls, bluffs, beaches and the famous Gunflint Trail. The Boundry Waters are a popular place to camp and canoe. There are many rivers in Minnesota. The area around these rivers offers lovely scenery and places of historical interest. My personal favourite is the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi around five miles away. The confluence is a place of special spiritual significance to local Native American tribes.
  I wanted to find famous people with ties to the state. There were a few surprises. The Andrews Sisters, a popular singing group during World War II were born in Minnesota. J. Paul Getty, Jane Russell, Lea Thompson and Cheryl Tiegs were born in Minnesota. Warren Burger, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, came from Minnesota. Mike Farrell who played B.J. Hunnicutt in the TV series MASH was born in Minnesota. I saw several people who had ties to Minnesota. Two of them are Billy Graham, who was once president of Northwest Bible College and Kelsey Grammar,who was an actor at the Guthrie Theatre.
   I think you can see that Minnesota has more to offer than cold weather, snow and the Minnesota Vikings.....