WE'RE WIENERS!!!!!

“Just returned from the Minnesota Newspaper Association convention in the Twin Cities.

Our weekly paper WON THE GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD for our circulation category (under 1,500)!!! This is the **TOP** award given at the state level and highly coveted (I have an ex-boss who would KILL to win a "general excellence" award.... hehee)

They look at everything: news, columns, editorials, photos, ads, classified ads, graphics, layout, etc. The judges did make some comment on MY areas, however (lol):

* "News writing is defnitely a cut above the rest, as is the good variety of coverage, from a district court trial to city and county government news, to the harvest, to a devastating downtown fire..."

* "'Trail Mix,' a regular feature about users of a local bike trail, is both interesting and a unique and fun idea." (lizs' note: Trail Mix features a photo of people on the trail or visiting because of the trail. I then interview them in a slight smart-ass style, to make it entertaining. Nothing mean, just fun stuff!)

YAHHHHHHHOOOOOOOO!

Also, we won:

* Second place in "general reporting:" "A close second. Writing is solid and interesting."

* My boss won first place for "editorial page as a whole."

* I won second place in sports features, on a cross-country coach who lost the use of his legs in a car accident maybe five years ago... how he coaches the team and the great relationship he has with the team (for example, he takes his racing wheelchair out on the golf course, to go running with them): "Informative, entertaining, and well-written. Often stories are written about disabled athletes, but few about coaches who have overcome obstacles and thus become an inspiration."

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO! (And I can remember Lipstick Hiker used to think I was a troll on here... and that I surely couldn't write, cuz I used a lot of statements with understood subjects... lololol!!)”

“congrats!










troll! How do we know you really exist?”

“I bet your headline writers came in dead last ;)”

“Congrats Lizs!!! Very cool! :-)”

“That is great! Proud of you! Can we have an exerpt of your interview "slightly sarcastic" style? Please.”

“I got a letter like that from Ed McMahon once...

"You May Already Be A Weiner"”

“liz, that's wonderful. and you are lucky to be on sich a great team. keep up the good work....




wonder if i can ever learn to be only 'slightly' sarcastic....















NAAAAAAAAAW!”

“Remember she said "We're Weiners!" No doubt about it--no "MAY"--she's a real weiner! None of this fake Ed Weiners!”

“Space Ghost Strikes From Afar!

Hey, I wonder what Brak's been up to lately?

”

“YAY!!!!!


Under 1500? Jesus!

:)”

“oy vey!

”

“space ghost was second only to johnny quest....”

“Space ghost IS johnny quest in disguise.”

“where's haji?




i'm sure liz is gonna love us trashin her thread, lmao!”

“I don't know..... it's more conversational, on the order of questions and answers. And if they say something funny, when I write it, I'll set it up with the use of a "question."

I don't have very many of these on my home computers... and the ones I'm seeing aren't quite indicative of what I try to do... although there are brief glimpses of the "style."

Originally I thought of this idea to get MYSELF out on the trail! Due to time restrictions, however, I catch most people either at the trailheads, or camping, fishing, walking etc.

Also, the intent was just to show the variety of people on the trail. It's great system and brings in people from all over.

I felt the feature could serve both to show the economic impact from the trail (where they are staying and what they are doing and buying... See, some "locals" -- even yet today -- could really do without all the tourists and the strong element of newcomers to serve the tourist trade who now live in at least one of the towns. Although the town was next to dead before the trail's creation) and also to build community pride.

Also, local people are sometimes the subject, so it shows how the trail helps the community overall.

I've become very good at walking up with a camera and saying, "Say, how would you like to be in the paper??" With a big smile! lol

-------------------------------

5-30-02
Meet the trail users of SE Minnesota
TRAIL MIX

NAMES: We have no names for you this week since we just plain couldn’t catch up with the fourth grade students from the Mabel-Canton School District as they sped away from the trailhead in Preston. However, teacher Susie Munroe told us the group included 23 students and a number of par-ents as chaperones.

BIG TREK: The students were picked up and taken by school bus to the Harmony-Preston Valley Trailhead in Harmony May 21, where they hooked up with their bikes. One of the chaperones transported the bikes by trailer that day to the start and finish locations. Then it was off to Preston, where the youths ate lunch at the trailhead. The final leg of their journey was to the Old Barn Resort, where they capped the big ride with a swim.

AND THAT WOULD BE HOW FAR? Munroe said a few of the students had biked some distances before and most thought it would be a fun day, when she first told them about it. Then she told them the distance would be 17 miles (12 from Harmony to Preston, and 5 from Preston to the Old Barn). She laughed and recalled hearing a few surprised “Oh!”s at the mileage.

TAKING OFF FROM HARMONY: The students had taken in a few rolling hills outside Harmony and Munroe said they started talking about tired legs already. “They were ready to pedal, pedal, pedal. Then they noticed some weren’t pedaling as fast. I told them to go leisurely and not all ‘bore,’” said Munroe.

THE INFAMOUS HARMONY HILL: The boys took off down it at a good pace, Munroe said, while some students took it very easy, showing caution.

AT PRESTON: The bus met the students at Preston with their lunches, so the kids didn’t have to carry anything extra on their bikes. Munroe said they played various ball games and also rested.

TIME TO HEAD OUT: The students then wondered just how much farther it could be to the Old Barn and some told Munroe they had biked so much they “couldn’t even feel” their legs. She assured them it was a flatter trail and not so far.

GETTING THERE: They did seem to enjoy the almost level ride along the Root River. At the Old Barn Resort, “the swimming was really nice with the heated pool,” said Munroe.

TRAIL COMMENTS: The Mabel-Canton fourth graders at first wondered when the trail would leave the roadside and get under the trees. Then they commented on how cool and shady it was. They noticed numerous horses along it.

YOUNG OR OLD, IT’S ALWAYS THE SAME: Munroe asked her students the day after their ride if they were stiff. She chuckled, noting a good number said, “No, but my butt hurts.”

DO IT AGAIN? Munroe took her fourth graders on the trail three or four years ago, and then did it last year with a class almost twice the size of this year’s. She hopes to make it an annual event for the Mabel-Canton fourth grade students.

----------------------------------

9-5-02
Meet the trail users of SE Minnesota
TRAIL MIX

NAMES: Ed and Linda Emerick.

FROM: Waltham.

OCCUPATIONS: Ed is an accountant and Linda is a receptionist in a dental office. They also farm.

FOUND: They were returning paddles and life jackets to the Little River General Store in Lanesboro after taking their rental canoe from the dam in Lanesboro down the Root River to Whalan.

A ‘GORGEOUS’ TRIP: The trip in the Root River, with its current low water level, took two and a half hours. Linda and Ed couldn’t say enough good thing about it: “It was very relaxing… gorgeous.”

THIS COUPLE LOOKED EXCEPTIONALLY HAPPY: Perhaps it was because they were celebrating their 29th wed-ding anniversary with this trip

PLANS INCLUDED: Staying at the Historic Scanlan House Bed & Breakfast, taking in the play at Commonweal Theatre, and biking on the Root River Trail the following day. They enjoy bicycling both ways from Lanesboro.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL: Ed and Linda noted they also like to stop at Preston and bike the Harmony-Preston Valley Trail, especially liking the ride along Camp Creek toward Harmony. Ed made it up the “infamous hill,” while Linda stopped halfway up. “We wanted to see what was there,” they laughed about the trail.

YET ONE MORE ENJOYMENT: They said they like to bike to and stop in Whalan for the pie. Linda said, “You exercise,” and Ed added, “Then you can justify the pie.”

ON THEIR WAY: Then they were off to get Commonweal tickets.

---------------------------------

10-31-02
(photo of a bike, which is pulling behind what looks like a keg.. BUT it's hidden in a goose design. This is the first photo to ever run without a person in it)

Meet the trail users of SE Minnesota
TRAIL MIX

NAMES: Hey, it’s just a bike.

FROM: No definitive point of origination was given.

FOUND: It was sitting at the Old Barn early Saturday evening

SEASONAL FUN: The bike was decorated for the Pumpkin Ride.

FOR A LOT MORE INFORMATION ON THE 9TH ANNUAL PUMPKIN RIDE: See the story elsewhere in this issue.”

“Haji is the picture above space ghost.

Lizs could typeset this thread and publish it. She wouldn't have to work so hard on Monday. :)”

“lolz phaeddy.


liz, you should do one for a big TT outing.....”

“One thing lizs, you should change the name of your pice to "trail talk". Give some props to the hood ya come from!”

“piece that is.


My typing gets worse with each martini!

:)

X)”

“yeah liz, we should get a lil credit for something.....at least for being a bad influence

8P



hydrocodones n beer here phaed, lol...might explain my train of thought gettin derailed ...”

“Circulation under 1500??? Cripes, where ya live, Fostbite Falls??? Lake Wobegone??? My Eagles Lodge newsletter has a bigger circulation than that!







j/k Congrats!!!”

“Sounds like you suffer from 'wiener envy'....”

“Frostbite Falls? LOL

Is Lizs planning beeg trouble for moose and squirrel?”

“Da, Boris...”

“I always wanted to do Natasha”

“Morons and dorks!!! lololol.....
:-P”

“Coolness lizs! Congratulations.”

“i think we'de be better classified as mordorks and dorkons lizzypoo....”

“Congrads lizs!!!
That's very cool.
I'm sure you are out buying new hats, since your old ones will know longer fit due to your swelled head. Hee Hee.”

“Allright lizs!!!

And that'd be, "moose and sqVirrel"

Geez!”

“great job lizs!
i almost didn't read this thread because i thought it was some diatribe on male anatomy or sausages.

journalists rule!!

ok probably a lot don't..actually i know a lot don't. congratulations.

lizs rules!!”

“She's a BABE!”

“Congrats to lizs! Good writing is like taking a good poop, eh?!? You are certainly a top weiner around here!”

“No guts, no story!

Right? <G>




(yeah, yeah... okay... 'sqVirrel'... EVERYbody's a copy editor!)”

“Way to go Lizs!

8)”

“Congredulitions! Gladd two sea somebuddy can right around hear....”

“Good job!”

“Congratulations Lizs, from one who knows what it takes.”

“will say it here...congrats, now ask for a raise and full time status with all the perks that go with the job.”

“So she can support you in the manner in which you would like to become accustomed???”

“Journalists can barely support themselves, much less anybody else. Hint: we don't all make what Tom Brokaw makes!”

“Thanks all. You should have read the story (ahem, make that PRESS RELEASE) I wrote about it all.

I had asked my boss some questions, to try to lead to quotes I wanted. Then I just said, to heck with it, and put in the type of things I was hoping he'd say and told him to change it or whatever.

He writes back, "I could never say all that. Use it. I'll just change things, if I think of anything to change, when I edit it."

So... I'm good at NEWS and PR too!!! LOL!! Any takers with good, cushy jobs out there??!?? LOL!”

“K! We're wieners in some way, shape or form again, either stories or photos, in the Minnesota Newspaper Association Contest.

Gotta wait till Jan. 26th to see if it's one lowly third place or a first, or more than one (dream on, lizs! LOL)

Always good to hear on a bleak, ole Monday!!”

“Be careful how you sling around that "we" part.”

“You come from Vienna?”

“LOL, I just thought of that image with Sunshine with the hotdog in her mouth from Prosecutor's canoe trip.

LOLOLOL... Bearmagnet oughta be all over that!”

“Hot Dogs

Lizs - Do you have any more information? How did you learn this much?”

“I know you are, but what am I?
I know you are, but what am I?
I know you are, but what am I?
I know you are, but what am I?
I know you are, but what am I?
I know you are, but what am I?

Pee Wee Rules!”