Minnesota's Wild and Woolly Prohibition Day - Arn Kind
With the 100th anniversary of the Volstead Act fast approaching, we will take a step back in time to learn how Minnesota participated in the passage of the 18th Amendment--and how we subsequently disregarded the very law we helped create. In the course of prohibition's 13 years, Minnesota steeped itself in the gangster culture and went on to produce some of the "best corn liquor in the Nation."
34 participated
Awareness of how laws are created, the advocacy behind them, and the unintended consequences resulting from them are important to every American if democracy will survive. By diving into Minnesota's past culture of a time when money was tight and tough choices were made, stakeholders will better understand that there are many sides to an issue. The hope is that this new knowledge will help us to better navigate our approach to current day issues. Further, Minnesota Department of Education reports indicate that Pipestone area residents don't have a solid educational foundation in social studies. The Prohibition is a fun and fascinating era that will engage the general public and potentially ignite an interest in other monumental events--locally, state wide, and nationally. Arn Kind's program will be followed by an escape room on prohibition that will continue the education and discussion on prohibition in Minnesota. As part of our programming series, we would like to introduce the broader picture of alcohol use by pairing with our Coalition on underage drinking. By partaking in our prohibition escape room, youth will learn facts surrounding our state's relationship with alcohol and will discuss the pattern of use from a historical time through today, thus removing some of the romanticism attached to alcohol. Youth who enjoy our escape room will be more likely to attend Arn Kind's program for a deeper look into this era. Participant evaluations and anecdotal responses will be collected.
Many participants were surprised at the excessive use of alcohol at the turn of the century and what kind of role prohibition and temperance played in the history of lawmaking. This awareness brought about discussions of the unintended consequences of trying to do the "right" thing. Over the course of several weeks, as we continued to host events related to Arn Kind's presentation, community conversations occurred about the tough choices we face in protecting our own interests and families versus following the letter of the law.
In addition, many individuals pointed to family members who were caught up in the prohibition law-breaking, not because they wanted to be, but because they felt they were forced into it for survival. This created a broad understanding of the impact laws have on society. These conversations took place in two book clubs, as well as through our three escape rooms, to include another measurable 75 individuals. We had several participants of both Arn Kind's program and our escape room who stated they "remember the answers to the (escape room) puzzles from Arn's program." They were excited about the connections they had made and the information they had learned along the way. Our collective programming was so successful that we had a business ask us to put on a mini-escape room/Roaring 20's program for their employees. Additionally, a youngster in the audience was so enthralled with the era that he wrote his competitive speech for the season on prohibition and the choices people faced. He did heavy research on the subject to make his creative piece as accurate as possible--including the limited jail time gangsters received.
As a whole, Arn Kind's program kicked off an avalanche of community conversation around the prohibition era and into the issues we face today.
Some commentary from the program evaluation forms include:
"More corruption, death, etc., than I thought."
"How far back--Puritans-- that drinking was so much a part of the culture."
"It was so impressive and informative. Presented very differently but so memorable."
"The demonstrations were priceless."
"I had no idea how big a part Minnesota played in prohibition, and the impact it had on our culture. My grandpa and uncle made moonshine, but I never knew they had been forced to make such a tough decision."
"This issue feels timely. We are currently facing so many tough choices in our legislature that can easily be translated into the 1920's framework. What a cautionary tale that we must heed if we don't want to sway too far either way."
"This program has definitely changed the way I think about some of our current policies. It takes some of the right and wrong, black and white out of the issues and makes them more nuanced and therefore more important to understand all perspectives."
"My mom always told me that every action has consequences--most of them unintended. This program definitely showed the truth in that statement!"
Friends of the Library, KLOH Radio, Pipestone Star Newspaper, City of Pipestone, Pipestone Area School, Neighborhood Assist Grant, Pipestone Area Coalition, Pipestone Country Club