By Wanda Swenson
I spent last Friday night with the Rocket Man and three family members who enjoyed him as much as I did. My daughter gifted us with birthday/Christmas/retirement/etc. tickets to the sold-out Elton John concert at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, and I think it was the best gift I have ever received.
After late afternoon wine tasting and then dinner at Johnny Carino’s, we and over 12,000 other concert-goers wound our way through the concert venue to our seats in the front row of the second tier. At just after 8 p.m., Elton John entered the stage and didn’t leave again until he had finished his concert over two hours later. He also came back for an encore performance of “Crocodile Rock”, which was the one song we had not yet heard. Before he sang that, he spent almost 10 minutes putting his autograph on pictures, shirts, hats and whatever was handed to him by those lucky enough and wealthy enough to have a spot right next to the stage.
At nearly 10:30 p.m., we watched him walk out of sight for the last time between his four bodyguards. What an amazing amount of time for a 68 year-old man to sing and play piano onstage without breaks. He did sip water from time to time and visit with the audience to share insights into the next song, but most of the time, he was in performance mode.
The age range of the audience was noticeable and interesting. People older than myself, younger than my daughter, and children who were not yet in middle school would probably include most of them. Some were dressed in the earlier Elton John era of bright, colorful clothes, boas and large-shaped glasses. He did have a long dark coat on with lots of sequins providing a good amount of bling under the lights, but his glasses were the red-tinted granny glasses that he seems to have permanently adopted.
Elton’s Web site gives ovation to his prodigious talent that was discovered when he surprised his family at the age of three by playing The Skater’s Waltz by ear…that means with no music and having had no instruction. At present, Elton John “is one of the most acclaimed and successful solo artists of all time, achieving 37 gold and 27 multi-platinum albums, has sold over 250 million records worldwide, and holds the record for the biggest selling single of all time,” which was “Candle in the Wind” in 1997. “Over the five decades since his career began in 1969, he has played more than 3,500 concerts in over 80 countries.”
His breakthrough hit was “Your Song,” followed by “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” “Daniel” and others, all written in the 1970s. He performed John Lennon’s comeback hit, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” in 1974 with Lennon at Madison Square Garden, which would be Lennon’s last concert performance, and resonates with Elton John as the most memorable of his own career.
Elton John sang all of those songs and many more Friday night with a voice that seemed not to have aged over the last five decades. And he played his Yamaha piano with the same passion and competence he has always had, which drew sincere admiration from the audience. It was truly an amazing performance that was so worth the money and the trip for all of us. My Christmas list will include a CD of his music, which I should have bought years ago.
After some shopping in Sioux Falls and Mitchell the following day, we traveled back to Sanborn County with a memorable weekend experience in our hearts and plans to attend another concert at the Premier Center in the future. Our only objection was the few exits that are in the building. It took 15-20 minutes for those on the upper levels to get to the main floor and out of the building, but those on the lower levels had their wait as they tried to get out of the parking lot.

Dear Editor,
Last Friday, the Blackhawks football team avenged their loss at the Dome last year to Gregory.  I was unable to make the game, which was a first for me in about eight years. My two sons have played varsity football for that long, and, as a parent, you always want to be there for them. I no longer have any kids playing football, but still like following the team when I can.
That is why I was very glad to to hear that the game was going to broadcast on Q107 radio. Throughout the years when games have been broadcast I have had relatives listen to the game from all over the country.  In order for that to happen, the radio station needs sponsors for their advertising. It is long overdue that I and the community thank the businesses that pay for advertising so that our football and basketball games can be heard by people who are unable to make it to the games. Some of these same businesses have been doing this for at least 30 plus years when I was in school.  I doubt that they expect thanks, but I’m sure that they would appreciate it when you see them.
Last year, I criticized some of the local radio stations for not coming to our games, when both of Mitchell’s stations were at the same ballgame someplace else. They said that it was due to lack of sponsors.  Last Friday, we had at least six different sponsors, so I don’t believe that their excuse holds water.  Our teams have always had our businesses’ support, and as a parent of past and present athletes, I would like to thank them for that.
I also want to thank Sanborn Weekly Journal staff for all of their pictures, game summaries and stats that fill our kid’s scrap books.  It is very evident that you take interest and pride in the Blackhawks as well.
Thank you,
John Bechen
Letcher

Subject: Belated birthday trip
Destination: River towns, changing fall colors
Assembled Girl Pack:
Kahuna, Pam, Gay, Anastasia Beaverhausen and me.
We were sad to leave Georgia behind, but she was suffering from a bad case of “Renter-itis.” Ask her about it!
Gay and I were supposed to pick up Anastasia at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, but being the early birds we are, we arrived at 6:30 a.m. We rang the doorbell, knocked vigorously and, with our faces pressed to the door windows, we used the cell phone. A female form came flying by in a “state of disarray,” shall we put it. Anastasia was furious at us, but Gay told her, “I live for moments like this!”
Pam had called earlier in the week to see if I had the reservations intact. I related that we were flying by the seat of our pants. The line went dead — both Gay and Pam are the organizers of our group. They dislike my chaos. First stop was Rochester, Minn., where we were sucked into the downdraft of the Apache Mall. We arrived in Winona, Minn. that night and found rooms were sparse. I was waiting to be berated if we ended up at the Sugar Loaf Motel. (Thankfully, not.) It was at Winona that I posted a picture on Facebook of a rock cliff that I said we climbed before breakfast. Actually, we were in a shoe store.
Next stop was Wabasha, where they have an Eagle Education Center to visit and the whole downtown is decorated with pumpkins, scarecrows and Halloween cats, witches and corn shocks. It was excellent and Gay is thinking we should do the same in Woony to be more festive. (Heather did point out that when they put pumpkins on the street in high school, they got in trouble.) Plus, Minnesota pumpkins lying around were weighing in the range of 200-1,000 pounds. Kahuna is not into stopping at rural business places with decorations. At one such spot she sarcastically commented, “Well, this is a happening place, they have a porta-potty.”
We pooped out on Friday night and stopped at Red Wing, Minn., where we barely got a room! Seems there was a pumpkin festival on Saturday that draws in 30,000 people. We did make time to stop at Falconer Winery for some tasting. Our wine guide was a complete “ditz”. The tasting was $6 and Kahuna gave her a $10 bill for pop and cheese curds, too. She had to go to the till three times to figure it out and then read each description off the wine bottle to us like school children, even though it was on the paper in front of us.
That really rattled us, so we went downtown and found the historic St. James Hotel that was built in 1875. We discovered the old bar on the fifth floor (elevator) had comfy chairs and Bloody Mary’s, and we got our “chat” in gear. Drinking always leads to eating, so we found Smokin’ Oak Rotisserie Grill, popular evidently, with a long line. Kahuna waltzed right up to the hostess and told her that we had called for a reservation 45 minutes earlier. They say “the truth shall set you free,” but by golly, a little white lie comes in handy.
Later that night, we were trudging up to our second floor room when Gay’s suitcase had a mind of its own and cartwheeled end over end back down the stairs. Esther said, “I think you were aiming for me!” Gay replied, “Sometimes I think you know me better than myself.”
Saturday arrived with a brisk wind and we were up early to beat the festival customers. I had a revelation while watching Pam eat a banana, that there really is no proper way to eat one in public, unless you cut it up with a fork. We had a hey-day looking at about 200 vendors. (They said 500, but that’s doubtful.) Kahuna had purchased a fluffy bag of kettle corn and I had an irresistible urge to kick it like a football. Kahuna dampened my urge by saying, “Try it and find out what happens.”
We traveled on north and dabbled a bit on the Wisconsin side, happily munching on cheese curds. Next stop was Stillwater, and it was jammed with shops and antique stores. Once again they were having a pumpkin festival by the river with vendors, music, pie-eating contest and the giant pumpkin weigh-in. (I’m telling you, pumpkins are exciting to Minnesotans.)
We found our niche to sit on the porch of the old Waterstreet Inn, which had the BEST Bloody Mary’s and smoking-hot — at least a three alarm fire in the mouth. We witnessed the weigh-in on the biggest pumpkin—2,185 pounds. We were so overcome with emotion that Kahuna sat down at the baby grand in the lobby and played a bit of “Beautiful Dreamer.” We will now refer to her as Piano Jan.
Pam took the wheel from our steadfast driver, Gay, and guided us the rest of the way into Minneapolis. Much to Esther’s surprise, she discovered her friend Bev, from vo-tech and her wedding personal attendant, was one floor above us in the same hotel. Our group had a quiet last supperm since we all knew we would be returning to the real world by Monday.
Breakfast is our favorite meal and we dined at one of the best “Hell’s Kitchen.” Take the time to check it out if you happen to be in the city. Three of us just had the giant pecan caramel roll as our meal. Coffee is very bold and could almost grow hair on your chest. (Cream to the rescue.)
Trizzle, trizzle, trazzle, trone…Time for this one to go home.          – Dee Baby