Category: Minnesota

October 14, 2020

The Road to the Barn: Story of the 1971 THHS Basketball Team

The house-lights inside Williams Arena were dimmed.  Long-time public address announcer Jules Perlt’s voice reverberated through the decades-old speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second game of the Class A afternoon session.  Representing Region 6, with a record of 21 and two, last year’s consolation winner, the Melrose Dutchmen.”

“And from Region 7, also with a record of 21 and two, the Two Harbors Agates.”

“First, let’s meet the Agates.”

June 12, 2020

Emergence: Girls Sports at Two Harbors High School

“We also had GAA in Chisholm during my high school years—it had been going on for quite some time. We had a group of girls who would play basketball together—often just for fun—sometimes during gym class. We were only allowed to play half-court basketball. That was frustrating. I always felt like “we can run like the boys; why are you telling me that we can’t run full court?” We enjoyed playing kickball and touch football during gym class, but we’d occasionally organize some games ourselves.” — Clarine Northey

November 3, 2025

Moose, Elk, Trout & the Best High School Football Fields in America

When I walk onto those football fields, aside from taking in the view, I’m thinking “this is where fun has happened in this town.”  This is one place where countless people in International Falls, Minnesota have had fun. This is where people 1,700 miles south in Marfa, Texas have been having fun for decades.  Same thing goes for those who grew up 998 miles east of Marfa in Philadelphia, Mississippi. That’s what I’m thinking about while walking from one end zone to the next. 

February 19, 2021

An “Up North” Treasure

Amid a half-century of athletics involvement in Two Harbors, Minnesota, he never scored a touchdown on the gridiron, a goal on the ice, or field goal on the court. Never won a diving competition, golf tournament, or 100-yard dash. He was never the head coach of a varsity athletic team. The Lake County Chronicle never touted his athletic exploits. Despite all of this, this sports and outdoors enthusiast has lived a sporting life as quintessential to northern Minnesota–unsurpassed by any Two Harbors citizen. An “Up North” Legacy – Fred Kallio.

October 30, 2025

Excerpt: “Sideline to Bedside”

On Friday nights, one trail of curiosity led to the football field.  There, we were presented with one of countless “You mean, I can grow up to do that someday?” lessons.  At halftime, I stood on the hill to watch them run in and out of the warming house of the outdoor skating rink, which also served as the football locker room. White pants with maroon-and-gold stripes.  Maroon jerseys with gold, embroidered numbers. Jersey numbers stickered on the sides of the helmets, just like that team down in Alabama. It looked like fun. Would I ever become big enough—good enough—to wear one of those uniforms? 

July 16, 2023

Reunions Revisited

During our events on Friday and Saturday, I mentioned to a few people that I felt an inordinately strong emotional/sentimental attachment to Two Harbors and our classmates. I doubt that I’m alone. Whether it’s Two Harbors, the Twin Ports or the Twin Cities, home is home. North Pacific salmon swim upstream to return to their birthplace after four or five years. North Shore graduates return to Two Harbors every 10.

Nature mandates it.

I could write it all off with a two word explanation. “It’s home.”

It would be easy to stay in the shallow end of that pool but cross-country windshield time pulled me deeper.

April 29, 2025

67 Seconds / It Persists

“The one thing I want to say is that in 30 years, I probably won’t remember all these memories we shared tonight, but I can say that I truly feel like you will never forget the way a person—or a group of people—made you feel at a certain time in your life. Even if I don’t remember getting pudding at St. Thomas in 30 years, I will always remember how my team treated me when I went through one of the hardest times in my life.”

“I just…I love you guys so much.”