On June 20, 1948, the TV variety show “Toast of the Town” premiered. It later changed its name to the “Ed Sullivan Show.”
Also in 1948, Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First” routine was first seen in the film “Naughty 90′s.”
In 1969, David Bowie began recording “Space Oddity.” He delayed finishing it for a few days because he had conjunctivitis.
In 1977, Steve Winwood released his first solo album, called “Steve Winwood.”
In 1980, “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” became Billy Joel’s first number-one hit.
In 1996, the first Furthur Festival kicked off in Atlanta. It was the first time the members of the Grateful Dead toured together since the death of singer Jerry Garcia.
Also in 1996, Paul Anka ended a Las Vegas concert early after he spit the crown of his tooth into the audience. He later sued his dentist for malpractice.
In 1997, singer Lawrence Payton of the Four Tops died of liver cancer in Detroit. He was 59.
In 2011, singer Leslie West of Mountain had an emergency amputation of his leg while on tour in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bonnie Bartlett (“St. Elsewhere,” ″Once and Again”) is 94. Actor James Tolkan (“Back to the Future” films) is 92. Musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys is 81. Actor John McCook (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 79. Singer Anne Murray is 78. Home repair show host Bob Vila is 77. Classical pianist Andre Watts is 77. Actor Candy Clark (“American Graffiti”) is 76. Singer Lionel Richie is 74. Actor John Goodman is 71. Bassist Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot) is 69. Bassist John Taylor of Duran Duran is 63. Keyboardist Mark degli Antoni (Soul Coughing) is 61. Guitarist Jerome Fontamillas (font-ah-MIL’-as) of Switchfoot is 56. Bassist Murphy Karges of Sugar Ray is 56. Actor Nicole Kidman is 56. Singer Dan Tyminski of Alison Krauss and Union Station is 56. Actor Peter Paige (“Queer as Folk”) is 54. Actor Josh Lucas (“Sweet Home Alabama,” ″A Beautiful Mind”) is 52. Bassist Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson) is 52. Singer Chino Moreno is 50. Singer Amos Lee is 46. Actor Tika Sumpter (“The Have and the Have Nots”) is 43. Drummer Chris Thompson of The Eli Young Band is 43. Singer-actor Alisan Porter (“The Voice,” ″Curly Sue”) is 42. Keyboardist Chris Dudley of Underoath is 40. Singer Grace Potter of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is 40. Actor Mark Saul (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 38. Actor Dreama Walker (film’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” TV’s “Gossip Girl”) is 37. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse (“Superbad”) is 34. Actor Maria Lark (TV’s “Medium”) is 26.
The Songs of Summer Festival is coming up at the Litchfield Civic Arena on August 18th, and that date will also mark the starting weekend of the State Amateur Baseball Tournament in Litchfield. The Litchfield Baseball Association is also getting prepared for its Town Ball Tour Night on June 28th.
Sarah Jones says the June 28th event will include pork chops served by Bruce Hamm, Meeker County dairy princesses serving ice cream, the Watercade Royalty, a petting zoo, a performance by the Litchfield High School marching band at 6:45 p.m. and booths with the Songs of Summer Festival Committee and the Litchfield Downtown Council. She says it would be a great night for people to check out the improvements at Optimist Park.
Jones says the start of the State Amateur Baseball Tournament will overlap with the Songs of Summer Festival on August 18th at the Litchfield Civic Arena, but they are working together to provide parking spots and shuttle services in the northeast part of Litchfield.
Paulette Liestman says they have a lot of vendors coming to the Songs of Summer Festival on August 18th. She says they’re hoping to be able to have the event outdoors this year and there will be lots of great music.
Liestman says they will be selling raffle tickets during the Litchfield Watercade Art-in-the-Park event on July 8th. She says they will be ready to announce soon who the grant recipients will be for this year’s Songs of Summer Festival.
Having lived her whole life on a farm in the presence of animals, planting, gardening, cooking and writing, Julianne Johnson could not help but pull together a collection of her favorite recipes along with stories about her feathered and furry friends. The former Grove City resident has just released a book titled “Food, Feathers and Fur – Cooking and Critters from the Farm at Cricket Meadow” – published by Archway Publishing.
The collection of essays and recipes gives a glimpse into Johnson’s experiences at country living with a variety of birds and animals and savoring the bounty of the annual harvest from the garden, field and forest combined with some of her favorite – tried and true – kitchen delights.
Johnson says this is a homey and cozy collection of writings about rural life, gardening and wildlife surrounded by pets and kids from a lifelong country dweller. She says it is pure honesty and a marriage of the ugly truth interspersed with sprinkles of beauty.
Johnson says she hopes readers will see how much joy can be taken in the very simplest of things, how honest a friend a pet can be and how the cycles of the seasons provide newness and hope. For more details about “Food, Feathers and Fur,” go to archwaypublishing.com. The book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a 2-vehicle crash in Paynesville Township Monday morning at 11:36. The vehicles were both westbound on Highway 55 and collided near 399th Street.
A 2022 Ford Bronco was driven by 62-year-old Gregory Joseph Jonsen of Bloomington. Neither Jonsen nor his passenger – 63-year-old Shannon Marie Schmidt of Bloomington – were injured. A 2008 Chevy Impala was driven by 56-year-old Jeffery Edmond Teicher of Eden Valley. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the Paynesville Hospital. A passenger in his vehicle – 19-year-old Amanda Mae Garvey of Eden Valley – was not injured. Also responding to the scene at 26529 Highway 55 were Paynesville Fire Dept. and CentraCare ambulance.
