So what can the state do for me?The 2005-07 edition of the Minnesota Guidebook to State Agency Services is available from the Minnesota bookstore online at www.minnesotasbookstore.com.The 10th edition of the guide lists nearly all state government agencies and provides contact information that includes locations, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail and Web site addresses.You may also purchase a printed 403-page version of the guide for $14.95.The new guidebook contains a 75-page index of most state license and permit requirements, brochures, directories, newsletters, publications, reports, speakers, stores and fax and Web services available from state agencies.Students will also find information about scholarships, laboratories, seminars, workshops, videos, training, museums, grants, research, databases, conferences, libraries, hotlines and help lines.The Internet address for the online guidebook is: www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/files/GB2004%20121440.pdf.Planters for Luverne businessesAccording to the Luverne Chamber of Commerce, Prairie Smoke Floral and M-M Distributing are partnering to put large planters in front of Luverne businesses this spring.The planters will promote the Luverne theme of "Minnesota’s Prairie Playground."Hanging plants similar to those used last year are also going to be available.Omaha couple collecting history of area dance bands from 30s through 50sAn Omaha couple, Carl Dalstrom and Kay Calamé Dalstrom, are working on a history of dance bands and dancing in rural and small town Minnesota from the 1930s through the 1950s.Since Kay’s father, Bob Calamé, had his own band, Bob Calamé and His Music, her memories of her childhood traveling with her dad in the summertime made her put the history of that time down on paper.Bob Calamé was a co-author of Laurence Welk’s theme song, "Bubbles in the Wine."Carl Dalstrom’s background as a history professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha made him a perfect fit to work on the project with his wife.The couple have previously published articles on this subject in the historical society journals in Nebraska, South and North Dakota.With encouragement from the Minnesota Historical Society, they are now extending that work to Minnesota.To accomplish their mission, they need your help. Some of the places they would like your memories of include the Armory in Luverne, the Gem in Hardwick, the Hollyhock in Hatfield and the Playmor in Pipestone.Other area hot spots that cross over state lines include the Dell Rapids Pavilion and the Flandreau Park Ballroom, the Arkota Ballroom in Sioux Falls and the Roof Garden in Arnold’s Park — and was there a dance place in Lester, Iowa?What kind of information do the Dalstroms want? In a letter to the Star Herald, they said, "We would like to know about such matters as crowd size, age groups at dances, whether parents brought children, distances traveled to dances, memorable features of ballrooms or pavilions, food and refreshments, and decorum. What happened to the dance places in later years?"Individuals they would like to hear stories about include Luverne’s own Jimmy Thomas, Jimmy Barnett, Clem Brau, Al Menke, Al Hudson, Lee Williams and Bob Calamé.Popular old-time bands such as Whoopee John, the Six Fat Dutchmen, the WNAX Bohemian band, the Jolly Lumberjack and the Vikings are also of interest.Ads for the dances from publications such as the Star Herald are common, but they need personal recollections and photographs for their submission to the Minnesota Historical Society.If you have information you think would be helpful, you can contact the Dalstroms at 3022 Rainwood Road, Omaha, 68112 or by e-mail at kdalstrom@msn.com.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
