In 2022, British indie rockers Glass Animals topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Heat Waves.” After its initial chart entry in 2021, the Mercury Prize-nominated quartet’s slow-burning sleeper hit took a long road to the top, hitting the summit of the US charts in its 59th week, eclipsing the previously held record by Mariah Carey, whose “All I Want For Christmas Is You” took 35 weeks to ascend to the No.1 spot in 1994. By September 2022, “Heat Waves,” which peaked at No.5 in the UK, had accrued over two billion streams on Spotify. The record’s longevity has been attributed to the influence of social media, in particular TikTok.
In 1965, The Temptations scored their first US No.1 single with “My Girl,” released on Berry Gordy’s Motown label. The enduring hit was the Detroit vocal quintet’s first single featuring singer David Ruffin and was co-written and produced by labelmate and leader of The Miracles, Smokey Robinson.
In 1966, The Rolling Stones began recording their single “Paint It, Black” in Los Angeles’ RCA Studios. A psychedelic-tinged number featuring Brian Jones on sitar, the song came at a key juncture in the group’s development, when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were beginning to write all the band’s material. The track rose to No.1 in both the US and UK pop charts.
In 1990, Phil Collins’ …But Seriously began a fifteen-week run at the summit of the UK albums chart. The Genesis drummer-turned-singer’s fourth solo LP also enjoyed a month at No.1 on The Billboard 200. Collins released six singles from the album, the most successful of which was “Another Day In Paradise,” a US No.1 hit.
In 1951, the noted Welsh composer, singer, and actor Ivor Novello died, aged 58. Born in Cardiff, he rose to fame by writing “Keep The Home Fires Burning,” a popular song during World War I. The Ivor Novello Awards, honoring songwriters and composers, began in 1955 and has been an annual fixture of the music calendar ever since.
In 2021, 94-year-old Lou Ottens, the inventor of the tape cassette, died. Born Lodewijk Frederik Ottens in Holland, he worked at Philips, the Dutch electronics company, for many years and was also involved in the development of the compact disc. “We didn’t feel like we were doing anything big,” he said of the cassette. “We were little boys who had fun playing.”
BORN ON MARCH 6
1893: Walter ‘Furry’ Lewis
1923: Wes Montgomery
1944: Mary Wilson (The Supremes)
1946: David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
1947: Kiki Dee
1974: Guy Garvey (Elbow)
1984: Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend)
March is Food Share Month and it’s an important time for the Meeker Area Food Shelf to receive donations. Minnesota Food Share provides grants to food shelves around the state based on the number of pounds of food and cash donations received from March 1st through April 6th.
Meeker Area Food Shelf Coordinator Jamie Revermann says we are blessed to be in a community that is so supportive. She says there is a significant amount of people who rely on the Food Shelf.
Revermann says cash donations – which may be sent to 118 North Sibley Avenue in Litchfield – are very important as she’s able to get about $4 worth of food for every $1 donated from Second Harvest food bank. She says if people want to donate actual items, they can always use cooking supplies, condiments, healthy snacks, peanut butter and home and personal cleaning items. A needs list is posted at meekercountyfood.org and on the Meeker Area Food Shelf Facebook page.
Jena Levandowski says she and her husband, Aron, are coordinating the Empty Bowl fundraiser again at the Dassel History Center on March 16th from 11-to-1:30 to help raise funds for the Meeker Area Food Shelf. She says a $15 donation will get you a bowl of soup – and you get to keep the bowl, bread, cookie and beverage. She says this will be their 3rd time hosting the event.
Levandowski says they will also be collecting items for the Food Shelf at the Empty Bowl fundraiser. The Meeker Area Food Shelf in Litchfield is open Mondays from 11-to-6 and Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10-to-3, and in Dassel on Tuesdays from 10-to-3 and Thursdays from 3-to-6. There’s also a mobile food shelf. For more details, call 693-7661.
Minnesota’s 1,776 townships will hold their annual meetings on Tuesday, March 11th. Known as Township Day, these annual meetings are held every year on the second Tuesday in March and sets townships apart from other forms of local government.
At this meeting, residents of the townships will meet to voice their opinions about local issues with other township residents and also vote directly on their annual tax levy. Citizens attending annual meetings also often discuss and vote on other local issues.
Many of the state’s townships will hold their township officer elections on Tuesday’s Township Day. You can find the location and time by checking the published notice in the local newspaper, township website, or by contacting your township clerk.
