Joe Sowokinos is well known in the potato industry. He has published more than 70 scientific articles. He is an honorable life member of the Potato Association of America. He earned his doctorate degree at UND and was a professor of horticultural science at the University of Minnesota. And he has done research work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture worksite in East Grand Forks since 1969.
He will be grand marshal for the 2010 Potato Bowl parade Saturday. And he will be one of the speakers when the first Sioux Booster luncheon for all fans - young and old - is held at noon today in the Alerus Center. I am not sure if he will talk about potatoes or Sioux football. Naturally, he will hope that the UND football team can mash the team from Northeastern of Oklahoma. At his own home, I have learned Joe likes his potatoes mashed. He does not grow potatoes, but his wife, Janice, once planted some in a garden, and it was rather embarrassing. The potatoes did not flourish, and they were hampered by potato bugs.
Jaycees are engineers for the parade coming up Saturday: It will be the longest of any parade in Greater Grand Forks this year. One can only hope the kids will get plenty of candy, the horses will be at the end, and the Shriners will be there with their cars and crazy bikes and chanters. You can count on plenty of happy, smiling politicians because this is an election year.
The calendar on the wall says this is the last weekend of summer because autumn officially arrives next week. ...It's Yom Kippur on Saturday ... and the season finale is scheduled tonight at River Cities Speedway. ... Along with the parade, there will be plenty of action downtown Saturday, including the Farmers Market. ... The second-to-last Art & Wine Walk for this year will end Saturday with a champagne toast at Empire ARts Center. ... Sons of Norway will be flipping pancakes early Saturday, and the Rotary Club will hold its annual flapjack breakfast at Central High School.
Ask Marilyn
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Q. What's with this BRAdway show in Crookston?
A. Last year, there were 1,055 bras on display in October on a vacant downtown building in Crookston. This year, there will be even more bras hooked in long lines streaming from the top of the building. The bras are contributed by people who support the BRAdway cancer benefit. The second annual observance begins with a show tonight at Northland Inn with Renee Rongen as emcee and Minneapolis comedian Maxine Jeffries.
Shirley Reitmeyer, who engineers the activities to fight cancer, said 350 tickets have been sold for the event.
Reitmeyer, a breast cancer survivor, got the idea last fall for hanging bras in streamers as reminders from a promotion in Fargo. She's a vivacious, good-natured woman. The display caused a few raised eyebrows along with amusement a year ago in Crookston. The bottom line is that the bras seem to be a dramatic reminder of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Q. What is Ethiopia Reads all about?
A. It's a program supported in Grand Forks to help provide books for children in Ethiopia. The second day of a book fair at B. Dalton's in Columbia Mall is today. A percentage of sales here will go to the cause.
Randy, Cindy
Cheerful people of the week: Randy Brown, Cindy Johnson.
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Reach Hagerty at (701) 772-1055 or send e-mail to mhagerty@gra.midco.net .
