I remember my first car. It was a yellow and black 1973 Plymouth Duster, and I remember saving the $866 to buy it from Suburban Chrysler Plymouth on Suburban Ave. in St. Paul. I was in awe of the freedom it brought me—driving to my friends’ houses, cruising around downtown North St. Paul, and driving it to work in the summer of 1980, with Boston, or something like it, playing on the radio. I also remember, on one particularly icy January evening, slip-sliding on a patch of ice and hitting a fire hydrant, knocking it over; luckily, the water didn’t come gushing out. No one was hurt, and even though I was learning, the value of having that car and those experiences cannot be overstated.
I know how important cars are to get around, to navigating life and its many responsibilities. And so, when I heard about the “Wheels for Women” program and how Richard Herod III, owner of White Bear Mitsubishi, helped single moms get cars, I knew we’d have to include a story about them in this issue; you can find it on page 14.
You’ll also find a fun story on White Bear Meadery, a spring fashion primer from Primp, a super uplifting story about Solid Ground and a huge grant it received from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund and much more.
Here’s to the promise and wonder of spring!
-Nancy Eike, guest editor
