Longtime Rochester residents might recognize the antique display case pictured here.

It was built about 1915, according to John Kruesel, who owns Kruesel's General Merchandise and Auction Company on Historic Third Street S.W.

Kruesel, a Rochester native who is one of the community's leading preservation advocates, acquired the decrepit case when some downtown buildings were torn down about 20 years ago.

The case sat in his barn for years before he decided several months ago to have it restored. A local woodworker, Al Hayes, stripped the piece, rebuilt parts of it and painted the display case its original color.

The case, which Kruesel is donating back to the community to be used for its original purpose -- a community message board -- is now hanging on the Bilotti's Italian Village building at the corner of Third Street and First Avenue S.W.

Here's my trivia question for the month. Where was the lighted message board located for most of its 94-year existence?

If you know, send me an e-mail. In my next column, I'll shower with praise all of those with the correct answer.

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I never realized how many graduates of the college formerly known as Moorhead State University there are in southeastern Minnesota. I think I heard from every single one of them after they read my Tuesday column about my recent visit to Fargo-Moorhead.

Several of them e-mailed to point out an error. Among them was Bob Nelson (Moorhead State University class of 1979.)

"Greg, there is no such place as University of Minnesota Moorhead," he wrote. "The University of Minnesota has campuses in Duluth, Crookston, Rochester, Morris and the Twin Cities. Minnesota State University Moorhead is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, which is a different entity than the U of M."

You are absolutely correct, Bob. Bonehead mistake on my part.

I'll never get used to the not-so-new-anymore names for what used to be Moorhead State and Mankato State universities. I don't know why they had to change their names while other MnScu colleges in Winona, Bemidji and St. Cloud have opted to keep their tried and true old names.

...By the way, I think Moorhead High School has the best team nickname in Minnesota -- the Spuds.

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Another Minnesota State Moorhead graduate, Val Lochner, said she's OK with my suggestion that Rochester/Mayo Clinic establish a world-class medical museum. But she has what she believes is an even better idea.

"Add a museum dedicated to corn to capitalize on our other icon," she wrote in an e-mail. "If Austin has Spam and La Crosse beer, we could fit the gap between with corn! There's tons of possibilities for exhibits, no pun intended."

Greg Sellnow writes Tuesdays and Saturdays in the print edition. In his next column, he'll discuss what it's like to be a grownup.

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