Kitchens of the Great Midwest’s Pat Prager lovingly crafts her Peanut Butter Bars to compete at her local fair. After some success, friends convince her to apply for a more elite competition. When she arrives, she is greeted by perhaps the most negative stereotype of the foodie snob and uber locavores. Her competition seems obsessed […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: General
The Science of Taste
One of the enjoyable factors to Kitchens of the Great Midwest is the change in perspective and narrator that each chapter brings. In the only chapter that is from Eva’s point of view, she is a young girl, experimenting in the growth of chili peppers and breeding for the hottest possible. In her bedroom closet. […]
Continue readingDontcha know where the Midwest is?
Location, location, location. In some books, the sense of place becomes its own character. The location provides a meaning and impact all its own, contributing to the actions of the characters as well as the readers’ understanding of them. Kitchens of the Great Midwest is one such book. The first giveaway, of course, is the […]
Continue readingNo football this weekend? No problem!
Here are some options (pun intended) for your viewing pleasure. Broncos: The Complete History, 2006 Denver Broncos Greatest Moments, 2013 Broncos 3 Greatest Games, 2008 America’s Game: Denver Broncos Collection, 2007
Continue reading2016 One Book, One Mesa County kicks off celebration of “Kitchens of the Great Midwest”
The 2016 edition of Mesa County Libraries One Book, One Mesa County will present a tasty lineup of special events in February and March centered on “Kitchens of the Great Midwest,” the debut novel of author J. Ryan Stradal. The novel is a coming-of-age story about an orphaned girl with extraordinary culinary abilities. Mesa County […]
Continue readingBefore the Grand Mesa National Forest Existed
Many residents of western Colorado recognize the Grand Mesa as one of the dominant landmarks in the Grand Valley. It rises to over 10,000 feet in elevation and contributes to the overall beauty of our region. The Grand Mesa National Forest was established on March, 11 1924 but it didn’t always go by that name. In […]
Continue readingPhilip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle
The Man in the High Castle is one of Philip K. Dick’s most well-known books. In 1963 it won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The book is an alternate history in which World War II lasted until 1947 and the United States is ruled by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in present day 1962. […]
Continue readingArchaic Cultures in Colorado
The Archaic time period ranged from 6,500 BC to 200 AD and Western Colorado was home to humans during this era. These people lived after the Paleo-Indians but much earlier than the Utes, who were in Colorado as early as 1500 AD. Much is not known about the Archaic cultures when compared to the Ute. […]
Continue readingA New Way to Access 19th Century Daily Sentinel Articles
Daily Sentinel issues from 1897 and 1898 are now available digitally on the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. This collection contains over 200 newspapers published between 1859 and 1923. Over 690,000 pages are available to search and browse, making it a great resource for history enthusiasts and researchers. Check out the Sentinel articles here. Other Mesa […]
Continue readingRuby Lee Reservoir – A Remnant From The Year 1911
The name Garmesa sounds made up but it is derived from the border of Garfield and Mesa County. Garmesa was a corporate ranching community that operated from 1911 to 1920. For it’s time it was state of the art with funding from the Quaker Oats Corporation. In order for the ranch to succeed it needed […]
Continue reading