Join us at No Name Bar on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:30pm for another great Nerd Nite – number #35! Our speakers:

Talk #1 – Paws Up: Intriguing Tails of a Sheriff’s K9 Career by Dave Potts
The audience will learn about police K9 officers, including their training, their work, and true life ‘tails’ of a K9 recognized as a top dog in the state and nation. While he did not work in the Winona area, this K9 had a close connection with Winona. Don’t miss this ‘pawsitively’ captivating presentation.

Retired Sheriff’s Sergeant Dave Potts, who also has a special connection to Winona, worked in law enforcement for 30 years. During his years as a patrol deputy, he also served as a field training officer, and SWAT team member. After his promotion to Sergeant, he served as the Department Training Coordinator, Contract Supervisor, Patrol Support Supervisor, and finished his career as a Patrol Sergeant. He was a K9 handler for 7 years and always considers those years to be the best of his career.

Talk #2 – Sign Have Parts by Paul Schollmeier
A very very short lesson on the phonology of American Sign Language (ASL). We will learn the basic parts of ASL and how it is language.

Paul Schollmeier is nerdy about ASL having been trained at St Paul College to be an Interpreter for the Deaf in the mid 90s. He worked as an Interpreter for the Deaf for 12 years primarily in classrooms until 2007.

Talk #3 – The Corn Identity: Minnesota’s Love of Crop Art by Aurora Jacobsen
Visiting the Crop Art Exhibit has always been a popular part of the Minnesota State Fair, but in the past few years, interest has exploded. Minnesotans’ obsession with this particular art form deserves a closer look, including the controversies you don’t see just walking by with a beer.

Aurora Jacobsen has had a long career in librarianship and only a little time as a Crop Artist. She is still learning from a group of strong, influential Crop Artist women she admires greatly.