What do you think of when you think of a troll? Do you think of the three billy goats gruff? Of a monster hiding under a bridge? Of Harry Potter? 

KFAI producer Rmay Rivard always thought of trolls as scary and mean. But she is excited to introduce her grandchildren to some friendlier trolls, thanks to the city of Detroit Lakes, MN. Detroit Lakes recently partnered with Danish artist Thomas Dambo and Project 412, to construct 5 fantastical – and friendly! – trolls out of recycled materials. But there's a twist: visitors have to play a game to figure out where the trolls are. The trolls have already attracted over 1000 "troll-hunters" to Detroit Lakes.

These whimsical creations are part of a permanent installation with a focus on environmental awareness. Rmay spoke with some local residents who shared their tips on finding the trolls.

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Hunt for a troll in Detroit Lakes

Last July, a stray cat showed up at producer Britt Aamodt's house. She took him in and named him Honey. 

But Honey was anything but sweet with her other two cats. She didn’t want to rehome him, so she called Joey Lusvardi, a Twin Cities-based cat behavior consultant who runs ClassAct Cats, to see if this cat tail could have a happy ending.

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. 

Fluent Meow

Season 9 of MinneCulture drops on March 27. This season features:

- lots of local food history
- stories about life and commerce along the Mississippi River
- a Minnesota woman who developed a new form of contact tracing for tuberculosis
- a barber and fiddler who helped run the Underground Railroad in Minnesota
- a haunting story about Minnesota's 20th-century sterilization program
- a jingle for pickles that will get stuck in your head
- ....and so much more!

Stories by Michelle Bruch, Gina Favano, John Gwinn, Lydia Moran, Sheila Regan, Matthew Schneeman, and Alison Young. Hosted by John Gebretatose. Edited by Julie Censullo.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

MinneCulture is a production of KFAI - Fresh Air Community Radio in Minneapolis, MN. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Season 9 of the MinneCulture podcast premieres March 27

From 1969-1978, Toni Hughes gave the weather report on Twin Cities WTCN-TV, now KARE 11.

Like most stations at the time, she was never an accredited meteorologist, but as a model and dancer – plus an alumna of St. Kate’s and the U – she looked and sounded great on camera and raised viewership and ratings.

Hiring her was a bold move for the station because Toni Hughes was an African-American woman, the first to appear regularly on weeknight newscasts in Minnesota. 

Sadly, a decade in, the station got caught up in the so-called “news wars” and felt pressured to hire a professional meteorologists. Claiming she was a “freelancer,” the station let Toni go without notice or severance.

Ms. Hughes went on to be a health director at Cigna Healthcare. She died young of a rare blood disease. 

KFAI producer Alison Young shares her story.

Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Toni Hughes: from weather "girl" to weather reporter

In the Mississippi River, between the Franklin Avenue and Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridges, sits an abandoned ruin. The ruin is almost invisible from the river bank. You may never know it exists unless you’re paddling directly on top of it, or avoiding its edges in a motor boat. The ghostly structure was once a fully operational lock and dam, the very first built on the Upper Mississippi River: The Meeker Island Lock and Dam.

In the season 9 premiere, producer Lydia Moran inspects this industrial ruin to understand why and how the slow moving river we know today was "invented" at the turn of the 20th century. Plans to remove the Upper Mississippi’s locks and dams might reinvent the river once again.

This episode was written and produced by Lydia Moran. Mixing by Kalen Keir. Special thanks to Paddle Bridge Kayak Tours.

The MinneCulture podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo.  Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Ghost of the Upper Mississippi River

Between 1925 and 1945, 2,204 people — 77% of whom were women — were eugenically sterilized in Minnesota. Minnesota's sterilization program targeted "sexually promiscuous" women and impoverished people. The intended goal of the program was to lessen poverty and welfare costs by ending the family lines of people deemed "immoral" or "feebleminded." 

Rose DeChaine was sterilized by this program, but her sterilization didn't end or fix any of her family's problems. Instead, Rose's time in the system set off a chain of hurt and dislocation that continues to echo throughout her family into the present day.

This story was written and produced by Matthew Schneeman. Special thanks to Molly Ladd-Taylor whose research inspired and shaped this piece. Ladd-Taylor also provided an introduction to John Erickson, whose family's story is featured prominently in this episode. 

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. 

The Long, Dark Shadow of Minnesota's Eugenic Sterilization Program

One of the most popular albums of all time is called “Chant,” a compilation album of music sung by Benedictine Monks. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and is certified double platinum. 

What grabbed people from every walk of life was the mystery and calmness in the music, as well as its ability to help them transcend the difficulties in their lives.

Benedictine monks, like all religious faiths, mark special days with celebrations as well as protocols like silence, prayer, fasting and service. 

But monks also mark the hours of each passing day. Called canonical hours, these seven services set the tone of the day. 

One such service is that of Compline. The word comes from the Latin, completorium which means completion. 

Saint John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Saint Paul has been presenting this simple half hour service every Thursday at 7:00 pm for many years, making it free and accessible to the larger community as a way to help us let go of the cares of the day and prepare to rest. 

With candles, incense and community singing, the service is especially lovely accompanied by the professional choir, Mirandola Ensemble. 

Closing the day with Compline

The M.A. Gedney Pickling Company was established in Minneapolis in 1881 by a man named Matthias Gedney. The Gedney Company contracted with hundreds of Minnesota farmers to grow the cucumbers used for their pickle products. Many of the farmers, in turn, ended up paying their children to pick the cucumbers as part of their summer chores, using the money to pay for school clothes and other needed items for the family. 

In the later 20th century, the Gedney Company identified itself as the Minnesota Pickle. The company partnered with the Minnesota State Fair to market it’s “State Fair” Pickle line, taking winning recipes from the Fair and selling them in stores. In this episode, Jeff and Carl Tuttle, 5th generation descendants of the company founder, tell the story of the M. A. Gedney PIckling Company. 

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. 

Bring Me Your Cucumbers

The Mississippi River is one of the defining geographic features of Minnesota. The river's headwaters begin up north in Lake Itasca and meander for 650 miles through the cities, bluffs, forests and iron ranges of Minnesota, before crossing the border into Wisconsin and Iowa. The River has long captured our imagination. And, for many, it has provided a home.

Boathouse communities, though less common today, have long formed up and down the river. These enclaves of shanty boats and floating homes provide affordable living and organic community for residents. Producer Gina Favano spent 10 years living in a boathouse on Latsch Island, home to the only legally sanctioned year round habitable boathouse community left on the Mississippi. She has documented the story of a floating neighborhood, their struggle to maintain their legality, and the people who call it home.

This story was written and produced by Gina Favano. Portions of this episode were originally published on Gina's podcast Back Channel Radio. Gina is currently writing a book about Latch Island based on her reporting, which you can learn more about here. Special thanks to Suzanne Hogan of KCUR in Kansas City, who was the original producer for the Back Channel Radio podcast.

Life on the Back Channel

When freedom seekers stepped off the steamboat in St. Paul, local people of color met them at the landing. Underground Railroad agents worked as barbers, musicians, laundresses, steamboat stewards and cooks. Some of these residents had never been enslaved and grew up in eastern cities. Others fled the South to settle in Minnesota — a territory that was supposed to be free, yet tolerated slavery within its borders. Local sheriffs and Southern enslavers spent weeks offering bribes to find people sheltered in places like the church belfry, the ice cream saloon, a horse stable hayloft and the home of William and Adeline Taylor. In the season 9 finale of MinneCulture, historians share the little-known story of St. Paul’s Underground Railroad. 



This episode was written and produced by Michelle Bruch. MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. 


Seeking Freedom in Minnesota

MinneCulture is KFAI’s award-winning audio storytelling program. We produce audio documentaries exploring Minnesota’s art, culture, and history — stories about musical sensations, small town heroes, cultural icons, local lore, and everything in between.

New tracks tagged #minneculture