My name is Anthony “Nino” Nardecchia. A 1967 graduate of White Bear Lake High School, I attended the United States Air Force Academy graduating in 1971. For the next 20 years, I served in the Air Force in many capacities including being an F-15 jet fighter pilot. After retiring from the Air Force in 1991…

At age four Patti would stand on a stool in the kitchen “helping” her mother to bake cookies and prepare mid century standards like Rice A Roni and tuna noodle hot dish. But even in the Midwest of the 1960s, she knew there were other ways to eat. Through her father, raised in an Orthodox…

In the early ’90s a friend took me on my first true Boundary Waters canoe camping trip – a group of women. The camaraderie, the laughter, the solitude for reflection, the joyful teamwork as we gently paddled and portaged the wilderness…I WAS HOOKED! I’ve now racked up some 25+ years of wilderness trail experience, leading…

Peter Foster is a local Marine on St. Croix resident who has been making his own beer and wine from kits for 10+ years, as well as hard ciders, country wines, and cordials. He was also a founding member of the Longfellow Home Brew Club in South Minneapolis, which evolved into BATCH (Benevolent Association of…

Peter Juhl has been balancing stones for twenty-five years. He creates and photographs the work along the North Shore of Lake Superior, where the spectacular beaches provide ideal raw materials as well as a clean and colorful backdrop. In 2013 he published the first widely available guidebook on the art form: Center of Gravity: A…

Randy Gildersleeve has decades of experience playing, teaching, and recording music in many genres. He currently performs with North Shore Trail (bluegrass/acoustic), Saints of Swing (big band jazz), St. Croix Crossings (classic rock), and the Hosanna Lutheran Forest Lake worship band. As a teacher, Randy gives private lessons in guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, and…

Ross Safford is a master baker. He has worked largely with at-risk youth and families, getting food to those in need. He currently works with at-risk youth in schools. He is a huge Boston Red Sox fan and loves to sing.  At MMFS, you can often find him teaching with Bryce Johnson, another community-focused baker.

Sara Grays has been knitting for 18 years and spinning for 13, has worked in two yarn stores, and enjoys designing her own patterns and making her own yarn. She’s taught children and adults alike to knit, with her easy-to-understand instructions and vast knowledge of fiber. She lives in Roseville with her wife, who lacks…