Communities Go To Place Shuts Down After 77 Years

After 77 years the Anderson Drug Store in Cambridge closed its doors for the last time on February 11, 2010. Anderson Drug’s history came with a soda fountain which served limeades and ice cream sodas and lots of gossip and news. This is where locals came to hash out the remnants of the day and where high school kids had a job after school creating a great tradition for tales in years to come. People with the names of Chickie, Sonny, and Lou were heard called out when Don, Charlie, or Jim the three owners needed their help. The staff was always gracious and cheerful to all that came in for their wares or a tidbit of the local news.

Fridays were big for gathering information because that is when the farmers came in to do their shopping and swap stories about the crops, potato bugs, other farmers who had uneven planted rows, or they’d talk about a new piece of machinery that was purchased by a rogue farmer and then surmised how rich they were to purchase that. The Mayor of Cambridge would have his own time and stool at the counter to talk about his community insights to the cronies. State politicians would walk through and shake hands when they were campaigning, and if time permitted.sit at the soda fountain awhile to gather votes.

In 2006 Anderson Drug Store moved to a smaller more efficient store still downtown, but where there was no soda fountain to sit around. Charlie and Jim had sold it to an outside company; Don Anderson the founder had died years before this and they now wanted to retire. The new store seemed homey in the old Hardies building on the corner which they beautifully remodeled. They now had a drive up window courtesy of the former tenants. Because Kevin the Pharmacist was from Cambridge and Dave the Pharmacist Manager was a fine fit we all felt it was okay, local life was continuing.

It was nice going in there and seeing a smiling face you knew and you could still chat about the community. You see in Cambridge to be considered a true local you need 20 years under your belt to be taken seriously. The new owners by keeping all the same counter help made all the locals feel better that our community roots were intact even if the big box stores were crushing in all around us.

The big boss that bought Anderson Drug lives in Texas. He decided one day to sell. Done, finished, sold he gave the staff a 6 days’ notice. All prescriptions were sold and moved to Walgreen's which is out of downtown close to the other big box stores. The newly remodeled building would now be put up for sale. No warning. We were told by a worker that there was no severance pay for the counter workers and techs many of them have worked there over 20 years. The worst of the closing was that it happened so fast and the community could not say goodbye. Big business once again wins with its huge profits gods being fed and its un-ceremonial dismissal of people.

For the community of Cambridge, Anderson Drug Store was a place where you got your news, where you saw friends, bought birthday cards, talked to local politicians and felt a part of a community. I guess everything has to move on with the times, but sometimes it painful for the soul of the community to lose part of its identity.

Minnesotans trounce January and Fighting February.

Minnesotans trounce January and Fighting February. There was no whining this last January 2010 as Minnesotans took on the weather with relish. Snow fell like scoopfuls in December at Christmas time. There were not many complaints as many embraced the quiet of a beautiful snow gilded landscape. East Central Minnesotans were polled on slippery snow banks on the corner of their street how they fared this January. Neighbors seized the opportunity of weather stories such as frozen pipes, slippery sidewalk spills, smashed in fenders, and collapsed roofs telling how they put these setbacks in prospective. They have seen worse and they are forging ahead to a spring outlook.

The end of December the big snowstorm came and went and we of the North Star State waited for the Big Chill with baited icy breath. The Chill whipped 20 to 25 below after the 1^st of January and lasted awhile. It looked like we were heading for the record book, which grizzly Minnesotans love to talk about breaking; but alas it got too mild in mid-January to put any tally marks up. Chris Shaffer weather blog from WCCO reported the Big Chill came back at the end of January trying to give us a spanking, but we blew it off when we went into February. The real demise in record setting came with our snow fall; we did not have any significant snow as Kare 11 has reported on Groundhog Day about the January shortfall. We were cold but no significant snow fell in the usually snowiest month of the year.

Minnesota's demeanor is filled with overcoming; some call it brain freeze, with our ice fishing contest, snow carnivals, winter parades, snow sports and our travel stories about driving during a snow storm. A social and meeting time is snow blowing and helping shovel the sidewalks on a Saturday morning. Stories are swapped about local news and then back to the igloo for nourishment. The stories are then retold to the family with hopes that things will go better for the ones that have been bit by the cold of January.

This year many pipes have busted on houses kept at 50 degrees with no one living there as reported by Servicemaster representative. This happened across the street from me in Cambridge in an empty house that was newly remodeled. The house had ruined floors and walls due to furnace shutdowns or the pipes just got too cold. So sad. Snow is also causing ice dams on our roofs. Channel 11 weather reported ice dams are building up on homes and how dangerous it has been. Recently a newly remodeled restaurant in Long Lake was destroyed by the ice dams and snow getting to heavy for its roof. It was reported by the owner that all the walls and flooring were destroyed to this new owner’s dismay. Cars have been sliding into each other because of icy conditions; recently outside my house two cars had a kissing accident due to pallid conditions.

These property losses costs make Minnesotans a little weak in the knees; but they brace up and continue on the trail, steadfast to face the next January in 2011. After all the Groundhog on February 2^nd may not always be right; spring is within sight for many of the true overcomers from the North.