Luke Smith studies music industry at Minnesota State University, Mankato, but he never collaborated with other musicians on a project until COVID-19 shut his campus down.

Three more music events — one with roots nearly a century old, the other a popular blues event in lower North Mankato, the third a relative newcomer to the music scene — have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

I never like to have trees cut down unless it is necessary. Some deciding factors are obvious like damage from storms or equipment. Or, have grown too close to your home or other buildings.

You show up at the ball field early, and the only things keeping you company are the backstop, its gray links heroically keeping foul tips from caroming off mom’s head, the worn benches that nicely accommodate a dozen little league fannies, the green, freshly-mowed grass of the infield and, …

The community mural that was once upon Bellissimo Paint and Coating’s wall has vanished.

We needed some drywall stuff the other day to fix up our wall. The wallpaper — which once barely hung on to its life on the wall — was ripped off one night a few years ago.

Summer reading programs slated

So it’s not everyday a traveling salesman sits sweating in an empty ballpark in Mankato and bangs out the first chapter of his debut novel.

The Mankato Makerspace had closed its doors for two months as Minnesota dialed back on its social gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joyous rain! You can almost hear the plants growing, especially the weeds!

Evel Knievel jumping a motorcycle over a pit of zombies. An octopus woman wrapping her arms around a terrified fisherman on the beach.

It’s probably safe to say we have maxed out on bingeing through our favorite shows on Netflix or Hulu. There are only so many times that you can re-watch “The Office” and “The X-Files” (or maybe that’s just us). Or circling through the streaming services over and over again for hours until y…

It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic impact on education. And perhaps no place is that more evident than in the arts.

The Twin Rivers Council for the Arts in Mankato announced this week its current executive director, Noelle Lawton, has stepped down and that an interim executive director will take her place.

If you’ve had enough, if you’re just sick and tired of being cooped up, if you just need a laugh at this virus’ expense, have no fear: Milo Bobbins is here to save the day.

I’ve set up a home office. It’s nothing special, but it suits me.

Brooklynn Linde was the catalyst in the Linde household to start painting rocks.

(This revised version corrects the day a living history presenter will be at Le Center Sportsmen Club).

Haikus, man. Why are they so hard to do?

Everyone’s been adjusting to the “new normal.” People are working remotely. The streets are mostly empty and stores — the ones allowed to be open — are filled with masked patrons.

For years, the Minnesota Fringe Festival has been helping artists get some much needed exposure for their work. It provides venues, volunteers and a little bit of cash for the artists chosen to perform during the ultra-hip Twin Cities festival.

Kids’ design contest announced

It’s not a great photo. A little grainy. I was too far away. But when I saw it this morning, it didn’t really matter to me how good or bad it was. What mattered was that it happened.

It may be a stretch to call it “the day the music died.”

Ah, Cinco de Mayo. Perhaps one of this nation’s favorite holidays.

When Olivia Kreykes’ English teacher at Loyola High School informed students they’d be required to write an essay for the annual Laws of Life essay contest, she had no idea what to write about.

“What’s Cookin’ Mankato” premiered Monday evening on Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center’s Facebook page.

It’s time for most of us to start up the mowers and be a slave to the yard for the next six months.

OK, so here’s the deal: I wasn’t gonna bring this up, didn’t want to stoke controversy, would have been happy to, as they say, let sleeping dogs lie.

Last mid-September, I stepped outside for a moment to glance at the stars in Fairmont. The wind was warm and hit my face as I tried to orient myself in the sky.

Minnesota is officially at a full month of the shelter-in-place executive order.

When you’re in a lockdown/shelter-in-place/social distance situation, might as well go through some stuff in storage, right?

For musicians around the world, performing online has become the only way they can reach listeners and fans.

For those of us who had raked off our perennials, you may have noticed that some of the new growth is discolored and damaged from the recent snow over Easter weekend.

The Free Press

Death.

I must have looked like a creep that day, hiding behind a tree and eavesdropping on a private moment.

The Free Press

In high school, I was awarded with one the best titles: “Most Sarcastic.”

Innovation comes naturally to Mankato Playhouse, and its latest cabaret performance — which will stream 7 p.m today on Facebook — is no exception.

ST. PETER — The deadline has been extended for a juried fall exhibition at Gustavus Adolphus College's Hillstrom Museum of Art.

The day before it snowed, I decided to dig an asparagus plant up to give to a family member. The plants were 20 years old, so I was curious if it could be dug by hand or would I need a front-end loader?

I got into journalism because I thought I could make a difference. I wanted to right wrongs, fight for the little guy, root out government corruption, dig deep into conspiracies and cover-ups. I knew it would never really be a lucrative career, but I didn’t care. I wanted my work to have pur…

Long-awaited festivals, such as Coachella in California and South by Southwest in Texas, have been postponed. Sadly, The Rolling Stones tour has also been postponed.

In a tiny room in the upper level of Hosanna Lutheran Church in Mankato, 11 high school students spread out across three teams sit with rapt attention as they listen to a woman reading trivia questions.