Vicki Gerdes
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Staff writer at Detroit Lakes Newspapers for the past 16 years, currently editor of the entertainment and community pages as well as covering city council and the Lake Park-Audubon School Board. Living in DL with my cat, Smokey.
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Detroit Lakes' fifth annual Parkfest celebration is slated to take place this Thursday, May 17 at the DL City Park & Pavilion, from 4 to 7 p.m.
For many people, Memorial Day is a chance to experience the joy of a three-day weekend to start out the summer. It's a day for fishing, or maybe hanging out at the lake with family. For others, it's a day to take advantage of all the special holiday sales offered by retailers. Some will say it's a day for parades and other public displays of patriotism.
It's tradition in Minnesota: Mother's Day falls on the same weekend as the state's fishing opener. For those who aren't planning to check out the fishing action on area lakes from dawn to dusk on Saturday, there are plenty of other things to see and do. Aspiring thespians might want to try their hand at taking on the grandfather of English theater, William Shakespeare, as auditions for the Bard's most famous romantic tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet," take place both tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Everywhere you look, the streets of downtown Detroit Lakes are steeped in history. Every building, every street sign, every statue has a story behind it -- but as the town's residents drive past them on their way to and from their destination each day, those little details often go unnoticed. It's those stories of Detroit Lakes' past that will be the focus of a Historic Downtown Walking Tour hosted by the Washington Square Mall and the Becker County Historical Society this coming week. There will be one downtown tour offered each day on Thursday, May 17, Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May
May 2012 is an historic month for the state of Minnesota: For the first time this year, Gov. Mark Dayton has designated May as Minnesota Museum Month. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the state has more than 600 museums within its borders -- including the Becker County Historical Society Museum, located at 814 Summit Ave. in Detroit Lakes. "We have twice the average number of museums per capita as any other state in the nation," said Amy Degerstrom, executive director of the local museum.
Cancer is a disease that truly does not discriminate: It affects both sexes, all ages, all races and ethnicities, and people from every kind of socioeconomic background. Yes, even kids can get cancer.
It was 25 years ago this summer that 21 trumpeter swans were taken by a military transport plane from Carlos Avery National Wildlife Refuge near Stacey, Minn., to their new home on the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge near Rochert. That marked the first release of the swan restoration project that would become one of Minnesota's biggest wildlife success stories -- and Carrol Henderson was one of the people who helped revive the once-depleted population of this majestic bird in Minnesota. "I wrote the original trumpeter swan restoration plan for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Once upon a time, in the days before broadcast television and streaming media on the Internet, local radio was the place to go for community residents to hear not only nightly news and music requests, but also for dramatic readings and even the occasional theatrical production. The 20-odd members of a local home school group are seeking to recreate the days of radio theater with their play, "Camping Catastrophe," which will make its debut with a live broadcast on KDLM Radio on Thursday, May 19. The play, which was created by the students with help from their parents, tells the story of a c
This year, for the fourth annual Shakespeare in the Park production at Detroit Lakes' City Park, director Nikki Caulfield has decided to take on the Bard's most iconic romantic tragedy -- "Romeo & Juliet." "I felt that we needed to do something well known and popular," Caulfield explained. Though many familiar with Shakespeare's plays may have heard of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (the 2010 Detroit Lakes production) and "All's Well That Ends Well" (2011) -- "everyone has heard of 'Romeo and Juliet,'" she added. It's the ultimate tale of "star-crossed lovers" -- and while romantic, it's a
Though it's been a little over four years since Linda Wagner was crowned as the 2007 Ms.