Sponsors and Donors

Named le lac supérieur (the upper lake, i e , above Lake Huron) by French explorers, its name became Anglicized by the British to Superior, “on account of its being superior in magnitude to any of the lakes on that vast continent."  The Ojibwe name for the lake is pronounced gitchi-gami, meaning “great sea." Surrounded by pine forests and abundant waterfalls, its dramatic beauty inspires musicians, poets, authors, and artists who encounter its shores.

• Augustino Hiram Zuccaro Foundation

• Charlie Johnson

If you’re from Minnesota, a cozy dish with a mix-ture of protein, starch, cheese, condensed soup or a sauce, and sometimes vegetables, is a hotdish. Not to be confused with a casserole . Winning hotdish recipes in the Minnesota Congressional Hot Dish Competition include “Taconite Tater Tot Hot Dish,” “Mom’s Mahnomen Madness Hotdish,” and “Hermann the German Hotdish .” Hotdish pairs well with Green River soda, potato salad, coleslaw, Jello salad, and bars for dessert.

• Dee Ann and Kent Crossley

The walleye (Sander vitreus) is the most sought-after fish in Minnesota Its thick, white fillets, handsome shape and coloring, and elusive nature make it the ultimate prize among anglers. Walleye are the largest members of the perch family. They have excellent night vision, so they prefer to be in cloudy or deep water In their natural wild habitat,

their average life span is between 15 and 20 years.

• Anonymous

• Jeremy Haug

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources declares that Minnesota has 14,380 lakes, if you count lakes that cross the US–Canada border and do not count a few lakes that are mostly in other states Lake Minnetonka, with a maximum depth of 113 feet and a sprawling footprint that covers more than 14,000 acres, is the largest lake near the Twin Cities. In 1868, on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, a Minnesota horticulturist named Peter Gideon successfully bred a species of apple that could withstand Minnesota’s harsh winters. This breakthrough made possible the later developments of the Haralson and Honeycrisp apples.

• Phil Asgian

• John Setterlund

• St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

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The Norway pine (or red pine, Pinus resinosa) became the official Minnesota state tree in 1953 Red pines, native to North America, are tall, stately trees that reach heights of 60 to nearly 150 feet. Their trunks are straight and uniform and may grow to nearly four feet in diameter. The USDA Forest Service, the University of Minnesota, and Leech Lake Tribal College are studying old growth red pine stands in northern Minnesota to learn how the Ojibwe managed the land with fire by examining tree rings preserved in fire-scarred red pine stumps and core samples collected from

living red pine. This historical forest record reaches back to the seventeenth century.

• Robert Bergford

• David Jenkins 

• Lewtak Organ Builders, Mocksville, NC

• Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Excelsior, MN

• Saint Paul Cathedral Heritage Foundation

• University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, MN

In Minnesota, the classic children’s game Duck, Duck, Goose is called Duck, Duck, Gray Duck It was likely brought to Minnesota by Swedish immigrants as the game anka, anka, grå anka.  A much more interesting challenge, the game requires good listening skills to distinguish a playful, drawn-out “grrreen,” “grrrand,” or any adjective that starts with “gr,” from “gray duck."

• Anonymous

• Carolyn Diamond

• Nils Halker

• John Nuechterlein

• Mary Schaffner and Robert Lee

• Casey Smith & Eric Burmeister, in honor of Sarah Garner

Uff da means everything and nothing in Minnesota and other parts of the Upper Midwest where it’s a stereotypical expression. The phrase is used to express surprise, annoyance, relief, exhaustion, disappointment, astonishment, exasperation, and dismay. People use the word when things are good and when things are bad. Of Norwegian origin, “uff” is an onomatopoeia meant to represent a sigh, and “da” is the Norwegian equivalent of “then."

• Anonymous

• William Barnes

• Jamie Bobb

• David Fienen

• Stephen Woodland

• Ju Young Lee

The common loon (Gavia immer) is anything but common More at home in the water than on land, their striking black and white plumage and evocative calls in the evening are iconic elements of Minnesota. They can fly 75 miles an hour, and they are able to dive 250 feet deep in search of food, staying underwater for up to five minutes It became the official state bird of Minnesota by an act of the Minnesota legislature of 1961. 

• Jim Hild

• Becky Lynch

• Richard Olson