March 2017 St. Croix Valley Magazine

In the March issue we're celebrating modern history with a feature on a 100-year-old loft in downtown Hudson that has been repurposed by design guru Kelli Kaufer.

On the upper story of the 129-year-old Town Hall in Marine on St. Croix—a floor above the city offices and the library—more than 100 fold-out chairs sit before a 9-by-16-foot screen.

 

Chef and owner Jeffrey Lundmark has a long history of working in kitchens, dating back to his childhood when he’d bike to work at a burger and taco stand in his hometown of St. Croix Falls, Wis.

 

Nancy “Nan” Hansen enjoyed gardening; she tended a crop of tomatoes in her yard. In 1970, her tomatoes yielded a bumper crop and she decided to create her own bloody Mary.

 

Located on the corner of Walnut Street and Second Avenue, the law firm of Eckberg Lammers P.C. is in the historic Goss-Boyden building, built in 1871. As the firm was looking to renovate their office space, they also wanted to preserve the historical look and feel as much as possible.

 

Stillwater-based Valley Outreach is a nonprofit emergency program for people in financial crisis, and it serves one of the wealthiest counties in the country.

 

In a front room of a two-story house in River Falls, Wis., a basket of children’s toys sits on the bottom shelf of a bookcase.

 

On a small farm in Stillwater, a local business attracts customers from around the world. Loome Theological Booksellers specializes in rare religious texts, primarily relating to Christianity.

 

After a full 2016 season and January off, Chateau St. Croix has reopened under new management with regular hours and events that celebrate local wine, art, cheeses and gourmet foods. Nestled in rolling hills north of St.

 

Stephanie Schulze has a 3½-year-old daughter, while most of her friends have sons around 7 or 8. Daughter Rayana still plays with the “rough-and-tumble” boys, but Schulze wanted her to meet kids her age, too.

 

The St. Croix Valley is quaint and, as such, both adored and overlooked by tourists. Tourism guides Explore Minnesota and Travel Wisconsin highlight state strongholds, while tourism-ready businesses in Marine on St. Croix (Minn.) or Dresser (Wis.), may feel drowned out in the din.

 

When a seat opened on the Minnesota Supreme Court last year, Minnesota Bar Association president and Stillwater resident Robin Wolpert “was out talking with members of the public,” she says. She considers Minnesotans educated and engaged, but “it seemed that the court was largely a mystery.

 

The Sara Collar fits around the base of your neck. It’s a 15-inch gold chain. Four simple gold tabs dangle just above the collarbone. Designer Christine Zezza would like you to know: The $72 necklace will not turn your neck green.