On Sunday afternoon at 3:25, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a road rage incident on U.S. Highway 12 near MN Highway 15 in Dassel. It was reported that a vehicle, driven by 42-year-old Jordan Isakson of Dassel, cut off and struck another vehicle.
The vehicles stopped on the side of the road. Isakson punched the victim’s vehicle and made threats of violence toward the occupants of the victim’s vehicle. Isakson was located at his home in Dassel and was arrested on multiple charges, including felony threats of violence and damage to property. Isakson is being held in the Meeker County Jail pending his first appearance in Meeker County District Court.
On this day in music, June 29, 2003, Beyoncé entered both the UK and US album charts at No.1 with her debut Dangerously in Love. Released while Destiny’s Child was on hiatus, the album found the singer breaking out as an international mega-star, thanks to such chart-topping singles as “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy.” Widely acclaimed, Dangerously in Love would go on to win numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and was later included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 200 Definitive Albums that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
In 1985, Mick Jagger and David Bowie arrived at London’s Westside Studios to record a spirited rendition of the Motown classic, “Dancing in the Street” (first made famous by Martha and the Vandellas). The frequently covered song (which was also recorded by the likes of Van Halen and the Grateful Dead) was recorded by the duo to raise funds for Live Aid’s famine relief fund. Released that August, the single was an instant hit, topping the UK pop chart and hitting No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1968, Tammy Wynnette topped the Billboard Country chart with one of her signature hits, “D-I-V-O-R-C-E.” The song – which is sung from a wife and mother’s point of view, as she contemplates the end of her marriage – finds her spelling out the dreaded “D” word, to protect her children.
In 2002, singer and actress Rosemary Clooney passed away at the age of 74. Clooney scored multiple hit singles throughout the 50s, including “Come On-a My House,” “Half As Much,” and “Mambo Italiano,” and appeared in the enduring holiday classic, White Christmas. In the late 70s, the jazz singer enjoyed a career revival and continued to record and perform until her death. Her nephew, actor George Clooney, served as a pallbearer during her funeral.
In 1984, Bruce Springsteen kicked off his Born in the U.S.A. tour in Saint Paul, MN. The 157-date run, which included stops in Asia, Europe, and Australia, was the first to feature Nils Lofgren and Springsteen’s future wife, Patti Scialfa.
In 1975, 28-year-old singer-songwriter Tim Buckley died from an overdose. The versatile artist, whose work ranged from folk and avant-garde to funk and psychedelia, released nine studio albums during his life. His son, Jeff Buckley, would follow in his father’s footsteps as a singer-songwriter, though his life would also be cut tragically short.
In 1994, Oasis made their first of several appearances on Top of the Pops, performing “Shakermaker,” the second single off their debut album, Definitely Maybe.
BORN ON JUNE 29
1945: Little Eva
1947: Eric Wrixon (Them, Thin Lizzy)
1948: Ian Paice (Deep Purple)
1953: Colin Hay (Men at Work)
1978: Nicole Scherzinger (The Pussycat Dolls)
1979: Richard Breen (Five)
The Songs of Summer Festival will be held on August 14th at Memorial Park by Lake Ripley. The gates will open at 4 p.m. and there will be three bands performing – beginning at 5 p.m. and wrapping up by 11:30.
Cammy Moses says Vintage Revival will get the music started, followed by South 40, and then there will be a new headline band this year – Shirts and Skins. She says there will be several vendors there selling food and beverages, and the raffle drawing winners will be announced in the middle of the evening.
Moses says the raffle tickets are $20 and they are selling just 400 of them. Amanda Nelson says the raffle tickets help to raise funds for the grants that they award to various youth-related organizations each year and they are available for sale right now.
Nelson says last year’s grants went to the Spitfire Special Olympics, Boy Scout Troop 353 and to the 4H Dog project participants. She says they have a lot of great sponsors who help make the Songs of Summer Festival possible, and they also accept freewill donations at the event – but it is a free event – so mark your calendars for August 14th, and remember to bring your lawn chairs that evening.
One of this summer’s music concerts in Litchfield’s Central Park will celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The West Central Barbershop Chorus will present “250 years of American Music” on July 2nd from 6-to-8 p.m.
Chorus member Rick Sandry says they will be wearing their tuxedos that evening. He says the concert is made possible with a Southwest Minnesota Arts Council grant.
Sandry says he began singing barbershop music in 1976, took a few years off to drive semi, but has been back at it the past 35 years. Jon Schmidt says he joined the West Central Barbershop Chorus about 10 years ago. He says there are close to 18 members and they will sing about 9 numbers – mostly from the last century.
Schmidt says they will sing the set that they performed in Willmar last spring, and it’s all memorized. Bob Starz says the West Central Barbershop Chorus has performed in several other states and in Canada. He says barbershop is fun music that can be heard all over the world.
Starz says he started performing barbershop music in 1978 and was in a chorus in Upstate New York, then moved back to Minnesota and performed in Rochester and then in Willmar. He says people should attend their concert on July 2nd at 6 p.m. in Litchfield’s Central Park and celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
The Litchfield Marching Dragons did very well in their last parade of the season on Sunday. Litchfield took first place in Class-AAA in Alexandria.
The Marching Dragons also got best color guard in their class, along with best drumline and best winds. Overall, among the 4 classes, Litchfield came in second place and got first place for best visual performance and first place in the music general effect category.
On Friday, detectives with the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at a residence in the 13600 block of 90th Avenue Southeast in Lake Lillian. The search warrant was part of an ongoing investigation of an adult sending explicit images to a juvenile through social media. The victim attends the same school where the adult works.
Detectives seized electronic devices during the execution of the search warrant. Upon completion of the search warrant, an arrest warrant was sought and obtained from the court. 26-year-old Sutton Junkermeier of rural Lake Lillian was then taken into custody later that day.
Junkermeier faces multiple counts of harassment, including felony-level charges of sexual intent. He’s currently being held in the Meeker County Jail pending his initial appearance in Meeker County District Court. The investigation remains open.