On August 7, 1997, Garth Brooks set a new record by playing to the largest crowd ever in New York’s Central Park. An estimated one million people attended the live concert with an additional 14.6 million viewing live on HBO.
In 1982, Dexy’s Midnight Runners landed at the top of the UK Pop chart with “Come On Eileen,” a single off their bestselling album, Too-Rye-Ay. The song would go on to be the UK’s best-selling single of the year. The following April, “Come On Eileen” hit No.1 in the US, and won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards.
In 1970, the Goose Lake International Music Festival kicked off in Leoni, MI. During the three-day event, more than 200,000 attendees enjoyed sets by Bob Seger, Jethro Tull, 10 Years After, Mountain, Chicago, Rod Stewart, James Gang, Flying Burrito Brothers, the MC5, and The Stooges with Iggy Pop, among many others.
On this day in 1971, the Bee Gees scored their first US No.1 with “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.” One year later, soul star Al Green would draw critical acclaim for his own rendition of the tune.
In 1957, The Quarrymen (who would soon evolve into The Beatles) played a memorable show at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. While the venue was considered a jazz club, skiffle was tolerated. That evening, however, John Lennon added rock’n’roll songs like “Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes” to the set list, causing quite the stir with the owner.
And in 1980, John Lennon entered the Hit Factory in New York City to begin recording his final studio album, Double Fantasy.
BORN ON AUGUST 7
1925: Felice Bryant (songwriter, who penned hits for the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly)
1920: Herb Reed (vocalist in The Platters)
1942: BJ Thomas
1950: Rodney Crowelll (Guitarist and songwriter)
1958: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
1966: Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses, 50FOOTWAVE)
Thrivent representative Paul White of Litchfield went on his 8th Thrivent Builds trip to Guatemala in July. Thrivent Financial teams with Habitat for Humanity in the Thrivent Builds program and gives the organization $25-million each year for building projects.
White says he first went to Guatemala in 2007 and went every other year up to 2019, but then COVID put an end to that, so the July 6th through 12th trip was his first time back in the third world country in 6 years. He says each time there can be a different type of building project, and this time he was part of a team that spent 4 days installing concrete floors in 20 homes in a remote part of the country.
White says the weather was hot and humid, some of the team members didn’t feel well from the food they were eating, there was an earthquake about 4 hours away from where they were working and there were protesters blocking the roadway as they were upset with the government for the condition of their roads. He says the most important part of the trip is to build relationships with the other team members and with the local people and the team members reflected on how fortunate many people in the United States are economically compared to the people they were helping in Guatemala.
White says they treated the families they were helping to a meal at a café at the end of the week and none of them had ever eaten in a café before. He says it took him 28 hours to get back to Minnesota as there was supposed to be a connecting flight in Texas, but the flooding had just taken place there.
White says he knew there were people praying for him and he definitely felt that he was being looked out for from above. He says if anyone has an interest in being part of a future Thrivent Builds trip, they can get more information by calling him at Thrivent at 593-2846.
The Cokato Museum is proud to announce the opening of a compelling new exhibit, “Deep Roots: The History of Farming in Cokato,” It explores the vital role agriculture has played in shaping the community and the economy of the Cokato area.
Set to open during the Cokato Corn Carnival on August 11th, Deep Roots connects visitors to local farming with stories, historical artifacts, and vintage photographs from the early days of homesteading to today’s modern agri-businesses.
Cokato Museum Director Johanna Ellison says this exhibit showcases how deeply farming is woven into the fabric of Cokato. She says it explores everything from the rise of local grain elevators and equipment dealerships to the ripple effects farming had on local businesses.
Be sure to see the new exhibit and discover how agriculture continues to shape Cokato’s character and economy today. Admission to the Cokato Museum is free. Go to the museum’s website at www.cokatomuseum.org to see the special hours during the week of the Cokato Corn Carnival or call 320-286-2427. Museum hours are normally Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Cokato Museum will be open on Monday, August 11th from 5-to-9 p.m. and then on Tuesday and Wednesday – August 12th and 13th – from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Litchfield City Council approved of plans for the sewer separation project on Monday evening and authorized the city engineer to seek bids for the project. Mayor Ron Dingmann says there will be a separate dedicated line for First District Association for transporting its industrial waste for pretreatment to the wastewater treatment plant.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council also authorized a wastewater rate study on Monday evening as the wastewater project will cost around $40-million and rates will need to increase. He says the City is also facing a transmission line upgrade project.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of an agreement on Monday evening with SMMPA and Great River Energy for the transmission line project. He says the Council also approved of a priority list for several community projects and now the administration can move forward on implementing these projects.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council has set a grand opening date for the afternoon of September 7th for the Litchfield Area Recreation Center so that the public can tour the new facility. He says the Council also approved of rental rates for use of the building which will include $120 per hour if it’s rented for more than 6 hours, and $150 per hour for renting it less than 6 hours for events such as basketball tournaments.