(upbeat music) - [Announcer] On this episode of "Postcards".

- I don't know that it's a Nigerian event proper if there's no music and dance and it doesn't have to be organized, you know, it's just happening.

- It's taken me up and down in life.

It's very rewarding.

To be able to get to do this as a hobby, there's no other one out there like it.

(gentle music) - It has been about a 16 year process to get the building here, to get the Veterans Home located here in Montevideo.

(dramatic lively music) (dramatic lively music continues) (dramatic lively music swells) - [Announcer] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by: Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies; Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Wyndham, Minnesota, on the web at shalomhillfarm.org; Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

A better future starts now.

West Central Initiative empowers communities with resources, funding and support for a thriving region, more at wcif.org.

(happy upbeat music) - In the very beginning, God created heaven and earth, I'm just kidding.

In the beginning of Afrocontigbo, we actually, well I started the company in 2014.

But prior to that at Winona State University, that's where I got the idea when I was going to college.

Because there seemed like there had to be, there was something missing.

(happy upbeat music) So that's when I really realized that there's a need for it, not just a need for us as the Africans in diaspora to get together and celebrate our culture, but there's a desire for the residents around us to be a part of that, to understand it, to share it with us.

So of course, I had to go to school and graduate and get my master's degree and I was following the corporate ladder path.

But then after a while I wanted to get back to dancing.

But I didn't have that school community, so we had to kind of start from scratch.

(happy upbeat music) I was born in Nigeria and I identify as Nigerian American now.

I left the country in 2002 after I finished high school, we call it secondary school, and I came here to college in Winona State University.

My mom, my dad, my other sister, my other brother, you know their families, my cousins and everyone else is in Nigeria.

So you do get kind of homesick.

But yeah, Nigeria is my country.

And in Nigeria I'm from the southeast, which is the Igbo, Igboland, I'm Igbo.

My village is called Owerri, Imo State.

Over there we speak Igbo and we do Igbo things.

We're Igbo and part of that is what defines me and it actually informed the company name, which is Afrocontigbo.

Afrocontigbo means African contemporary Igbo.

So all of our dances, whenever I have like an hour workshop, there's always some kind of education about my Igbo roots and we always do like a couple Igbo songs as well.

- The head dancer at Afrocontigbo and that is no other person but Korma Aguah-Stuckmayer!

(audience applauds) (audience cheers) - Hi, guys, we are very excited to present eme ememe to you today.

Eme ememe means to celebrate.

There's so much that's happening in the world that can kind of halt your celebration, right?

But one thing about a lot of people from my tribe, we're Igbo, we like to enjoy life.

We like to enjoy life to the fullest.

(speaking in foreign language)?

- Yes!

- Hey, right here.

So the red beads is very Nigerian and very Igbo.

So in my culture we wear a lot of red beads, especially the women.

The men wear it too, but the women wear it, it's just a thing for fun, beauty.

So whenever we're dancing, a lot of times the Igbo dance you would see a red bead either on the waist, hand, sometimes on your hair as well.

But yeah, we're really fond of our red beads.

(chuckles) (gentle upbeat music) Now, I remember going way, way back to like when I was really young and my grandma was alive and she would always dance.

Whenever you go visit grandma right at the door, she welcomes you with a dance.

We'd come in.

She's just excited, dancing.

All of her daughters were also dancers and they just enjoyed dancing.

So to me that was like a part of what we did.

Not necessarily like scheduling an hour to dance.

It's just dance whenever you get a chance to.

And she's actually the one who inspires me the most because while I was young dancing with her, she told me I was a good dancer.

So now I'm like nobody can tell me I'm not a good dancer.

If grandma already (claps) put a stamp on it, right?

So it's like this is it.

(upbeat music) The Nigerian culture I think we can all agree, and I'm not speaking for all Nigerians but I kinda am, the perspective of which we have of ourselves is one of joy, greatness, pride in our culture, right.

It's kind of like if you're going to eat a frog, don't just eat the frog leg, eat the whole frog, you know.

So like whatever it is that we want to do, we tend to put our whole heart and mind into it.

The hardest part is just having the desire to do it.

But as soon as we desire that, we tend to overdo it.

(joyful upbeat music) My name is Korma, the full name is Katukaokma, which means talk about good things.

So I always try to talk about good things and sometimes I can't help it.

I have to say a few bad words or talk about bad things.

But then I feel bad because my whole life, my whole name is talk about good things.

You know so it's kinda like a burden, but it's also like who we are and I enjoy it.

I love that part of our culture.

(lively rhythmic music) (lively rhythmic music continues) This is a very popular drink back home.

Vita Malt, actually, the one we have is just called Maltina and it's very yummy.

But if you've never had it before is like a learned taste.

Kind of like coffee, you know, you don't like it at first and then you get addicted.

Oh hold on, it's a twist off.

What are we doing?

Okay, ta-da.

(bottle cap clinks) (chuckles) All right, now if you're gluten free you can't have it, but it's very yummy.

So you guys are gonna try it.

(upbeat music) It is also nutrition.

Like people that if you haven't eaten all day and you have a bottle of this, it probably hold you up for a little bit until your next meal, so.

(glasses clink) (lively upbeat music swells) Part of the reason I love Minnesota is that the arts and culture scene is thriving.

Last year November marked a big milestone for Afrocontigbo.

We are 10 years old and it was amazing because we didn't know for sure how we're gonna go about it.

But we had a grant from the Minnesota Arts Board to do this film, the 3-D film.

And so we were gonna be able to watch the film with some light entertainment.

So we figured, oh, why not merge it with our 10-year own anniversary?

So it worked out, it was perfect.

(audience applauds) (audience cheers) - Give it up Afrocontigbo, everybody.

(audience applauds) (audience cheers) 10 years of celebrating culture through dance.

- We invited a hip-hop dancer here in the Twin Cities, Darrius, he did his thing.

Carolyne Naomi, she's a guitarist and a vocalist.

She's amazing.

She came and she performed as well.

And then we did our thing, which is getting everyone to dance.

(lively upbeat music) I don't know that it's a Nigerian event proper if there's no music and dance and it doesn't have to be organized, you know, it's just happening.

(lively upbeat music) My company, even though I'm Nigerian, it's actually a big mix and there are only two Nigerians on our team.

That's myself who's Igbo and Kemi is Yoruba.

Everybody else is from somewhere else.

We have Togo, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, so it's a nice mix.

But if you're looking for a Nigerian community and you found Afrocontigbo, we're a good place to start 'cause we can point you in the right direction, yeah.

So it looks like we're not there, but we are.

(gentle upbeat music) I think Afrocontigbo has really helped me with staying focused with being well, my health and wellness goals.

So it helps me take better care of myself.

It also helps me stay engaged with my community because Afrocontigbo relies on the community, because without the community there's no Afrocontigbo.

And I think that the community relies on Afrocontigbo to bring them great music, great routines, great joy, great choreographers.

And so the amount of people that I have met while doing Afrocontingbo is immense.

(gentle upbeat music) I really hope that my baby, my 2-year-old, that he does love his Igbo side.

But being who I am, I know that he's gonna stay connected.

Even though we don't really, in Nigeria the women are not really known to like own land and then pass it on to inherit it, but fortunately for me, my dad gave me land and so what am I gonna do with that land?

I'm gonna give it to my boy.

So he's going to have a nice foot in, in Nigeria in his mother's village.

So that's the goal.

(gentle upbeat music) I feel like it's making such an impact and that helps me I think, in general, just to be like a better human person because I feel like I'm giving back to the community so much.

(lively upbeat music) (gentle calm music) (gentle calm music continues) - We'll ride rain or shine.

The only time we've ever had rodeos canceled or postponed is lightning hitting down in the arena or a tornado, that is about it.

It is a rain and shine sport.

(gentle calm music) I ain't gonna melt anyway.

I ain't sweet enough.

(laughs) I ain't sweet enough, ♪ Such a long way from home ♪ Far away from the place I belong ♪ ♪ And I ain't got nobody ♪ But one thing I still carry ♪ The sweet scent of your memory, your memory ♪ - I got into breakaway roping when I was probably about nine, 10 years old.

It started being offered in 4-H and we started roping all the time at home.

It wasn't until later in life that I really started enjoying roping.

When I was a kid my dad was, is still a rancher and it was more of a job than it was fun.

But now it's become very, very fun.

I work full time.

I'm a bookkeeper and do everything on the farm too.

So this is what I get to do on the side.

(gentle calm music) So this is my roping can.

This is where all my ropes go.

Unique, my friend Casey painted it for me.

So I travel with my son and my boyfriend.

He is also a team roper, but we do this as a family deal.

Where the bull riding and the saddle broncs and the barebacks, they get to just pretty much take their gear and go onto the next rodeo, where we gotta pack up a whole rig.

And we pretty much live out of our trailer the whole weekend we're gone.

And it might start on a Thursday and we'll get home Sunday night.

We put on a lot of miles, a lot of late night miles.

(upbeat music) (dramatic lively music) What breakaway calf roping consists of is that it is a girl's event.

Instead of having to get off and tie, we just have to rope the calf and our rope is tied to our saddle horn with a piece of string and we have a flag on the end of our rope.

When we rope the calf clean around the neck and it breaks away, that is our time.

I've competed at different events down in Las Vegas.

I've been to the Rope for the Crown twice.

I've been down there.

I mean I can rope with the big dogs.

(dramatic lively music) It's kind of a cool feeling, coming from Minnesota, the first time I went down to Vegas it was pretty sweet 'cause I am the only one from Minnesota and everybody else is from Texas, Oklahoma.

They get to rope year round and I'm in Minnesota where snow flies usually in October and doesn't leave until April, but (laughs).

(dramatic lively music) - [Event Announcer] Katie Bell from Wabasso, Minnesota.

(lively music) (event announcer speaking faintly) (dramatic lively music) We gotta take our own horses with us 'cause they're our teammate.

I actually have two of them.

Cheddar in the background here.

He is my go-to.

He's my old trusty and I have a young one, Reno.

He is at home, but he is starting to really step up to the plate, which is pretty awesome to have two horses to take, so that I can give one a break.

A lot of my friends go, "Oh, where's Cheddar?"

If I don't bring him people go, "What did you do with Cheddar?"

I'm like, "Ah, he's at home.

I'm just taking the young one."

"Oh, we thought something happen to Cheddar."

"No, no, Cheddar got a break."

(laughs) (gentle calm music) - [Interviewer] Do you think you're gonna win tonight?

- I'm gonna go and have fun and do the best I can do.

Would I like to win?

Definitely, that's icing on the cake, but there's a lot of variables.

(gentle reflective music) - [Event Announcer] Let's go right here, it's Katie Bell.

(people shouting) (gentle tense music) - [Event Announcer] Ah, man.

Yeah, (speaking faintly).

(gentle solemn music) - Ah, no, I'll have a no time.

There was a couple things that went wrong in my run.

It happens.

It's been raining, it's muddy out.

- Good.

- What do you think, Cheddar?

He's like, I did my part, I'm chowing.

(chuckles) (event announcer speaking faintly) (gentle reflective music) I was told by a good friend of mine.

He said, "Once that calf leaves the arena, that run is done and over and you go on to the next one."

- Kind of how life goes.

What's done and over, that's the past.

Let it go and bright future ahead.

(gentle reflective music) My and dad worked for a couple ranchers and my mom and dad were building their own herd and we had just bought a place of our own.

My mom and dad had bought a place of their own finally.

And my mom was killed in a car accident when I was nine.

So about the same age as my son.

And I raised my little sister for a couple years and then my dad remarried and she had two kids.

So those were my stepbrother and stepsister and they had a boy together, which was my half-brother.

And they divorced when I was like a junior, sophomore in high school.

I started school, got really, really sick with mono and decided I was going to pay off my doctor bills, so I went and started working instead of going back to school and I've worked ever since.

(gentle reflective music) I also support some friends that were killed last year.

I actually wear River's bands on my wrist everywhere I go.

He was 14.

He was a kid that had a big, big, big influence on my life when he was a kid, like little, little like my son's age.

(gentle reflective music) I've gotten through a lot of hard times with my horses, my horses and my dogs.

They've brought me through a lot of things.

(event announcer speaking faintly) (hooves plodding) (gentle reflective music) So.

You know, I've mentored a lot of kids, I guess, especially in the last few years.

Mallory's, actually, one of them.

She's our neighbor kid.

She just qualified to go down to Nationals, high school Nationals in the breakaway.

(gentle inspiring music) It's a family affair.

Ain't it, bud?

- Yeah, for the most part.

- (laughs) I do hope to pass the love of rodeo down to my son, but I want it to be his choice.

I don't want him forced into it.

He knows the ropes of it pretty well already, so.

- [Son] Good luck, mom.

You're gonna need it.

Looks like a frickin' bomb went off of water.

(gentle upbeat music) - Yep, gonna need the boots.

(dramatic upbeat music) It's taken me up and down in life.

It's also been very, very rewarding.

I have met a lot of people, good people throughout the United States and it's very rewarding.

To be able to get to do this as a hobby, there's no other one out there like it.

(gentle upbeat music) (rain pattering) - We're standing in the cold October rain at the site when the Senate Investment Committee came to Montevideo and the community as a whole.

Commissioner Lindsay, I cannot say enough about the fine staff at this home.

They go above and beyond.

(gentle tranquil music) - The veterans home is a great thing.

There are quite a number of veterans throughout the state and so they have an alternative to living alone and toughing it out, you know, and I think it's just wonderful.

- We opened up in January of 2024.

It has been about a 16-year process to get the building here, to get the veterans home located here in Montevideo.

We'll serve only veterans and 10% spouses.

We really focus our care on them.

We want to respect and honor our veterans and be a team and give them a place to call home.

- It's a wonderful place.

It's not only nice to look at, the people are just super.

Everybody's treated with a lot of respect and I have a lot of admiration for every one of them.

They're just like family.

- There's almost anything available here.

We have our own little physical therapy gymnasium.

The dentist comes and the traveling doctors come.

Barber comes every other Thursday.

I've had my hair cut three times here already.

They just do everything excellent here.

- I have family that comes and visits me quite often.

I get out with them quite a bit.

Go out to their house for a meal.

That's always fun.

- [Bill] I've always been a people person, so I like to visit with all the different guys.

I've got to know all of them real good.

- The companionship, the camaraderie with the fellow veterans and the people made it quite easy to make the change.

- You know, I've been with the same lady for 75 years, but I got accustomed to it pretty fast and we get together still constantly.

So I wasn't deserting my wife.

It's that all of my family wanted to come here.

(dramatic inspiring music) - The dedication was really to just honor the building itself and all of its accomplishments.

You know, it was a very long process to get the Veterans Home here.

We had the right amount of people showed up for the dedication.

The weather was absolutely beautiful.

Marv Garbe was the ring leader in all of this that they felt that since there was a community care clinic already here located in Montevideo, that having a veterans home would make the most sense for them to have this as their location.

- A small group of us started this in 2007.

During this time our research indicated there were 1,500 plus veterans in Minnesota that could be placed in a veterans home.

Our mission was to have a veterans home constructed in Montevideo so our veterans had a place in their area for care and in reasonable traveling distance for the families to visit.

This is what it's all about.

A home for our veterans, a place that is close so their family and friends can visit.

May God bless America, our service members, all our veterans, all construction workers and those employees that will serve our veterans.

Thank you.

(audience applauds) - The governor was here and no politics involved.

(laughs) Yeah, it was a good program.

- This community of Montevideo took on a responsibility that will be there as long as this great nation stands.

We will be here every single day and we will care for this nation's veterans from every single era as long as it takes.

- [Bill] Then all of us that are living here, we had the front two rows.

So everybody was just staring us in the face when they were speaking.

- The veterans who stand here in front of us and those that serve right now, you heard it, less than 1%.

There's less than a few percent of people who serve.

But Americans all want to serve and I'm gonna give a thank you to administrator and to these folks you see wearing the red shirts.

All of these folks here know this is not just a job for them, this is a passion and a calling to care for our loved ones.

So I wanna say a thank you to you.

(audience applauds) - Our staff all worked together to make this such an organized program.

And to me it was just overwhelming, like I could not believe that our staff could pitch in that much and we could accomplish this for, roughly, 350 people that we could have them in our home and out of our home.

We're trying to create our own culture here.

What kind of culture do we want and what kind of culture do we wanna give to our veterans?

And that really just showed at that dedication.

- For any veterans, you could not find a better place to come to.

They take care of us from morning till night and they just treat us wonderful.

Every one of the staff, I always call them every one of the crew, they're just wonderful.

(dramatic inspiring music) (dramatic inspiring music fades) (dramatic lively music) (dramatic lively music continues) - [Announcer] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by: Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies; Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Wyndham, Minnesota, on the web at shalomhillfarm.org; Alexandria, Minnesota a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

A better future starts now.

West Central Initiative empowers communities with resources, funding and support for a thriving region, more at wcif.org.

(dramatic lively music) (dramatic lively music fades)