Wander & Wonder

Photos: Minnesota theater marquees shine with lights, neon, action
In towns large and small across Minnesota, the bright, ornate marquees of historic theaters still beckon passersby to purchase tickets for a movie, concert or play. Here’s a look at some of the remaining beauties.
Near the Twin Cities, a hermitage invites all to embrace the silence
In the Isanti County woods, austere cabins at the Pacem in Terris center offer visitors silence, solitude and simplicity. Some people have profound spiritual experiences, some struggle with the silence while others simply crash and sleep for hours.
Faith in the water: Minnesota dowser in demand despite no scientific proof 
Jim Kuebelbeck can’t explain it, but he claims to sense the presence of underground water. There is no scientific basis for dowsing, but hundreds of people pay Kuebelbeck to help locate water. 
Young girls often struggle with self-esteem. This Minnesota native is ready to help
Worried about the negative effects of cultural messages on her daughters, Missy Heilman started a nonprofit to teach girls to value themselves. BIO Girls is now active in 120 communities across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
In NW Minnesota, she rescues dogs, then trains them to rescue veterans
Linda Wiedewitsch trains dogs to help military veterans deal with the psychological effects of war. Most of the dogs she trains come from pounds around Detroit Lakes. It’s a cycle of grace that’s helping rescue dogs and veterans.
She's on a mission to end human trafficking in rural Minnesota
Anne LaFrinier-Ritchie grew up in northern Minnesota wanting to be a journalist. Life led her instead to become a social worker and then to devote herself to protecting the state’s most vulnerable children. 
Lambs, family and garlic help this couple build a new life in rural Minnesota
Mark Anema and Kate Ritger met at a garlic harvest party, started a farm, got married and had a kid. For Anema, it meant a huge change from a life in finance to farming. It isn’t easier or more profitable, but he says changing his life has changed him for the better.
Grief brought her back to western Minnesota. Now she’s helping restore her hometown 
Kris Shelstad left Madison more than 30 years ago for a life in the Army. When tragedy struck, she returned to heal. When she saw Madison needed some restoration, too, she asked people what they wanted and then started building it.
In NW Minnesota, he turns gears, wire and marbles into art that moves
Jeffrey Zachmann’s built more than 1,000 kinetic sculptures — moving contraptions that fascinate those who come across them in public libraries, private collections and museums around the world. He loves the interaction with people who can't resist his work.
Fascinated by fossils, Minnesota man builds a small-town science museum bone by bone
Jim Pollard has loved fossil collecting since he was a kid. Now 70, he’s opened a natural history museum in a Blue Earth storefront to share his passion for paleontology and to make science more accessible to rural kids.
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