Free Series Highlighting Minnesota’s Lesser-Known Landscapes Returns to Minnesota History Center

For Immediate Release

Release dated: October 4, 2023

MNHS media contacts: Allison Ortiz, 651-259-3051, allison.ortiz@mnhs.org or Jack Bernstein, 651-259-3058, jack.bernstein@mnhs.org

Family-friendly North Star Voices series kicks off October 7

ST. PAUL, Minn (October 4, 2023) – A unique series highlighting some of Minnesota’s hidden, forgotten, or otherwise off-pavement landscapes is coming to the Minnesota History Center this fall.

North Star Voices returns for a free four-part series beginning October 7. Attendees of all ages are invited to attend a diverse selection of presentations and author talks. Although North Star Voices events are free, registration is strongly encouraged. All series events run from 2 pm–3:30 pm.

Series events include:

  • October 7th: Minescapes with Pete Kero  - The lands of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota hold both riches and beauty, and over the decades people approached these offerings in different ways. Author and environmental engineer Pete Kero will share stories that highlight the challenges of competing needs on lands that offer opportunities for both mining and recreation.
  • November 4th: Minnesota Marvels: Roadside Attractions That Are Larger Than Life - Join regional travel expert Eric Dregni on a slightly off-center tour of the bizarre and the beautiful across Minnesota, highlighting the one-of-a-kind oddities that cause drivers to turn off the interstate in awe. After the presentation, author Eric Dregni will be available to sign books.
  • December 9th: Endurance and Identity with Alexandera Houchin - Join Alexandera Houchin as she discusses her hopes to increase representation of Indigenous people in all spaces, including in parks and on trails everywhere. You'll hear her story as an unexpected athlete, her drive for shattering barriers, and how she became a young biking champion.
  • January 13th: Minnesota Trolleys: The Rise & Fall - See the city as it once was and dive into the history of the trolleys that traversed Minnesota’s landscape. Horse cars were the first public transit system in the Twin Cities. Some connected cities with each other and even crossed state lines into Wisconsin and North Dakota. Most disappeared by the 1930s, but the Twin Cities system lasted until 1954, and is now Metro Transit. 

For more information or to set up an interview, please email jack.bernstein@mnhs.org. 

Support for this program has been provided by the Charles A. Lindbergh Fund. Funding also provided by the State of Minnesota's Legacy Amendment, through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008, and our generous donors and members. 

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves, and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.