Richfield Bloomington Credit Union - Putting Their Best Foot Forward

Flabergasted, that was my  initial reaction as I made my deposit yesterday at the Richfield branch.  I needed to get a deposit into my account to pay the rent.  Part of the deposit was coins.  When I got to the credit union the coin machine was down, so I went up to the teller with my deposit including coins in hand.  I asked the teller if he had a coin machine in the back.  The response was no.  I asked what the next option was.  He said he would count it, but if it were more coins I would have to go to another one of the branches.  I was very surprised that the bank would tell me to use gas, a costly measure, to deposit legal  cash to my account at a different location.   At that point, another more experienced teller stepped in and said that the option would be to either leave the coins or go to another branch.  That made more sense to me.  My question is where is the customer service in this situation? 

Telebration 2010

Telebration was a fine day of quality speakers. It was orchestrated in a finely tuned manner. It was equally impressive by those who attended and the absence of seasoned storytellers who have a history of attendance. If there was any disappointment, it was in the lack luster of the performance of those whom I had built up expectations.

The evening concert was a fast paced arrangement of stories built around a river theme. My favorite was the lady who shared her experience of seeing the Ganges River. All in all, kudos to Paula Nancarrow and those who worked with her to bring about a successful event.

2011 Dakota Tour

I am planning a tour of the Dakotas in January 2011. So far I will be at the Trade Show in Fargo January 15 & 16 and at the history festival in Brookings January 28 &29. If you would like a speaker please let me know. Have gotten excellent reviews on An Immigrant's Tale, a program on 19th Century Norwegian immigration.

It Has Been Awhile

Wow! It has been awhile since I visited my blog. Sorry for the lack of updates. Things are tough in this economy and I am sure many of you are feeling the pinch. Fortunately, there are many activities going on in our home state of 10,000 lakes. Hope to see you at some of them.

Today's Music

Ever eaten food that fell to the ground and wasn't completely rinsed off? Ever feel the grit of sand or gravel between your bare feet? This is how I would describe today's music. With all the electronic cadgets that serve as backdrop for the songs, it leaves a din that subtracts from the quality of the number.

Secondly, it seems that music is going back to the dark ages where they sang acapella in chants. Where is the musical variety? So much of the music is so monotone today.

I went to a concert last night that I would describe as contemporary and on the edge. Thankfully it was an orchestra playing, so the auditorium wasn't filled with all the clutter that electronic background leaves in its wake. The performers did an outstanding job with the music, but the music didn't have much variety and was difficult to hear the lyrics. It was this concert that encouraged me to write this blog. How else was I going to let my opinion be known without offending someone.

Bloomington River Rendezvous Comments

The Bloomington River Rendezvous was once again a great success. We had several new demonstrators who provided a little different flavor to this event. As in past years, I once again gave my program on 19th Century Norwegian Immigration. Here are some comments made by teachers who attended my presentation:

"Oh my goodness! Your program was the favorite one of the day! The kids were still talking about you when we got back to school! We loved the way you connected it with real family life. Maybe some more "young kid" stories would be good. Toys, food, chores, etc. You were awesome and the kids can totally count to 10 in Norwegian...we did it on the way home in the bus! Great job! Thanks for sharing your heritage with our "city kids." We loved it!"

"I like how you appeared to be very stoic and proper and were actually hilarious. Your teaching of the counting to 10 was brilliant. Your presentation of facts was fascinating due to your entertaining presentation. You were the highlight of our stops. Thanks for asking."

"The class and I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. As a teacher, I thought you made the kids think and problem solve while getting out your info. I wouldn't change a thing. The use of humor was also a gift to us. I'm sure my students will remember your presentation. I'm sure they will never look at nails without thinking how precious they were at one time. I was very glad you were on our schedule. My grandfather came to America on a fishing boat and there was dock strike so he just stayed. He was from an island farm named Mellingen outside of Bergen so it was very personal to me."

"Honestly I think you were the best. Of course, I am Norwegian and I got a lot of your jokes! But seriously you did a great job of introducing the Norwegian language and I loved how you had them translate. I especially liked how you stopped when two of my students had an issue because it caught my attention to what was going on... I guess I was too involved in your presentation to notice. I do apologize for thier behavior. They forget, in those situations, how to be problem solvers. I thik it was great for the time allowed. Maybe you could make it longer? I woudl stay and listen forever! I wish you could see our presentations today. My students are sharing their big book pages and their page includes a mangle board, a chest (three D) and the backpacks that the children would wear. It also highlights the need to packl tools first! Also, how much food you would need to pack. They obviously learned a lot from you."

"Thanks so much for being patient with my class. My class consists of third and fourth grades, therefore, when you asked the difference of immigrants and immigrate a lot of them had no clue. We will be working on Social Studies and learn more about the vocabulary. We love the accent you have. It shows how people can still carry their tradition...mother tongue is one of the important aspects of who you are and we are today. We like that you talked about your traditions and how you came to the United States. Just wish that we could have mroe time to learn a couple of Norwegian vocabularies. Thank you for all the good time we havd in River Rendezvous."

"I personally thought that your program was the best that we encountered!!! We enjoyed how you acted like you really lived in that time. You had some very interesting details about your character and your presentation was PERFECT! I don't have any suggestions for improvement! You were superb!"

"We very much enjoyed your program. My students voted your program as their overall favorite of the day. They liked counting to ten, your stories, the traditions, and the many artifacts you had.
I loved your stories, but especially your interaction with the children. My theory is that you have been doing this for many years, and also must have children and grandchildren of your own as you connected with them in a special way. Thank you for your time and expertise. I'll be requesting you again next year."