Let's Get Together and Feel All Right

Our second annual Spread the Love party and fundraiser is coming up on Sat., Feb 5th at the Blue Ox Bar and Grill in downtown Bemidji starting at 6pm. Come on out for fun and games, live music and find out how you can help spread the love for KBXE!

We'll have love themed Green Cheese Trivia and prizes with Brandon Chase and Julie Crabb. Big thanks to the Bar Bell Bee Ranch, KD Floral and Gardens and Chocolates Plus for providing the prizes. Plus, we'll have a couple copies of The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex to give away - how's that for love themed prizes? ;)

And we are really excited to have The Limns joining us that night for some excellent live music. Out of Minneapolis, the Limns are a high energy reggae-rock band with more than enough love to go around.

There will also be a taco bar and veggie alternatives. We'll start with trivia after food, then The Limns will rock out, then another round of trivia before The Limns rock out the rest of the night.

Join us on Sat., Feb 5th to Spread the Love for KBXE. You can RSVP here on Facebook.

Video: KBXE and the 2010 Night We Light Parade

"Winner of the Blue Ox Film Festival 2010, Filmmaker Jamie Hall, aka the Video Ninja, has made an awesome film that is both funny and entertaining, following KBXE's journey from building a float in an old, dirty garage to a bright ride in the Night We Light parade in downtown Bemidji."

Jamie Hall, the Video Ninja, volunteers his time and skills to Northern Community Radio, and he submitted this as his final project for a production class at BSU. He got 290/300. Why the -10? "The video was only supposed to be 6 minutes long - but I refused to edit any more of the video out. I guess I went a little 'Peter Jackson' with it."

Big thanks to the KBXE Publicity Committee and Jamie Hall!!!

More info:
http://www.kbxe.org
http://www.kaxe.org

So Bright You Might Need Shades

by Doug MacRostie

Last year was KBXE's first time in the Night We Light parade in downtown Bemidji. We had cute kids in a truck with our mock-tower on the trailer covered in glow sticks next to a mock-radio studio, homemade banners on the side outlined by strings of lights - all run from an inverter. It was a very fun and cool thing. Then we saw the rest of the floats and in terms of the "light" part of the parade, we were the dimmest.

WELL NOT THIS YEAR!!! Come out and see the spectacle, starting at 6pm on Friday, the 26th in downtown Bemidji.

Last Sunday, members of the community and the KBXE Publicity gathered to put together this years float. We have upped the ante with a giant, reflective cornucopia that will have a pile of radios pouring out. Plus, a generator. Why a generator? Well...

We'll be hooking up some speakers and blasting tunes. And we've got 4 professional, sturdy, die cast aluminum, multi-color stage lights combining for a total of 144 high powered LEDs to wash our float with colorful light. Factor in the multiple 4' x 5' LED light spreads for the cornucopia, the flashing light on top of the tower and the brake lights and you might just want to bring your sunglasses.

No, we will not be the dimmest float this year! Oh, and we'll have cute kids again too :)

Like last year, we'll be doing a video of our adventure, and this time the Video Ninja will be capturing the footage so be sure to get nice and loud when you see the float. I'm talking big excitement. Screaming, waving your hands, perhaps feigning a faint, you get the idea.

We'll be meeting at 3pm on Friday the 26th to finish up the float at the KBXE Studios (3rd and America) - stop out if you would like to help, OR if you have any radios/stereos we can use on the float drop them off between 3 and 4:30. It would be a good idea to put a piece of tape on the bottom of the radio with your name and phone # so we can make sure it gets back to you.

If you would like to walk with us in the parade, be to the staging ground (behind the County buildings in Bemidji) between 5:30 and 6 - we'll have candy, KBXE info, buttons and stickers for you to hand out.

90.5 KBXE is a new public radio station being built by Northern Community Radio, who's mission to build community in Northern MN through radio broadcasts, cultural events and interactive media. Northern Community Radio has been operating 91.7 KAXE for almost 35 years (available at 105.3fm in Bemijdi) - 90.5 KBXE is intended to expand and enhance our service to that region, and has to be on the air by March of 2012. More info at http://www.kbxe.org.

Ever See a Giant Cornucopia Pouring Out Radios?

90.5 KBXE will have a float again this year in the Night We Light parade in Bemidji on Friday, Nov. 26th (the day after Thanksgiving). Last year we had a glowing tower and radio station and a truck full of "cute enthusiast." This year we plan to make things bigger and better with a giant cornucopia with radios pouring out (and more).

If you would like to help spread the news and excitement about 90.5 KBXE you can help us assemble the float on Sunday, Nov. 21st at Noon at the future KBXE Studios on 3rd and America in downtown Bemidji (RSVP on Facebook). Bring a snack to share, hands to help, and any old radios or stereos we can use in the float. We'll be using chicken-fencing and fabric to make the cornucopia, which we'll pull behind a truck in a trailer (full of cute enthusiast, obviously). We'll also have a generator to power music and lights, including some professional stage lights :D

You can also walk with us in the parade, which starts at 6pm on Friday the 26th - arrive a little early! (RSVP on Facebook). We'll have stickers and 90.5 KBXE info to hand out, as well as candy! The more, the merrier. Give us a call if you have any questions, 800-662-5799 or email comments@kbxe.org.

90.5 KBXE is a new independent public radio station being built by Northern Community Radio which has been operating 91.7 KAXE for almost 35 years (at 105.3fm in Bemidji). 90.5 KBXE will enhance and expand the local, community coverage of Northern Community Radio. Give KAXE a listen if you haven't, we're streaming live at http://www.kaxe.org.

Here's a video of our experience last year:

VIDEO: KBXE Zombie Crawl in Downtown Bemidji

The KBXE Zombie Crawl & Guerrilla Theater video was captured and produced by volunteer Jamie Hall, aka the Video Ninja. Thanks to the mass of zombies who dragged themselves around downtown Bemidji for the KBXE Zombie Crawl!!!

What is KBXE?

Zombies Flood Bemidji to Build Community

When word spread around Northern Community Radio that Lara Gerhardson and Mike Bredon were planning to close a street in downtown Bemidji to shoot a mass zombie scene for their film Lazarus at the same time KBXE was planning to host a Zombie Crawl in downtown Bemidji, we knew it was going to be a very cool thing. We joined forces and yeah, it was. Check out pix in our photo album.

On Sat. Oct 23rd 2010, hundreds of zombies gathered for the Lazarus film shoot on Beltrami Avenue NW and for 2 hours we dragged ourselves through the streets, mobbed a truck and had a lot of fun. Everyone involved was very happy to be there and from the film crew & producers to the security and zombies, it was all smiles between takes. The zombies ranged from young kids to grandparents.

Director Mike Bredon said that the shooting went excellent before climbing into the truck for one last mass-mob shot. "You guys have been amazing and thank you so much for being here." Local producer Gary Burger said that he was impressed by the seriousness of the the zombie participants, "I didn't see anyone goofing off at a camera, or smiling and laughing out of character. No horsing around or interrupting, just serious zombies. And that makes it so much easier for us."

Immediately following the filming was the KBXE Zombie Crawl which lead many of the undead all around Bemidji for coffee and drink specials and a little guerrilla theater (video coming soon :D). Chants of "What do we want? BRAINS! When do you want them? BRAINS!" could be heard throughout the night, and Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl" was played on multiple jukeboxes. The mob got bigger as the they crawled on and Brigid's Cross was packed with Zombies for live music to rock out the night.

"It's great seeing so many young people at a community radio event" said KBXE producer Doug MacRostie, "I think the zombie's helped a lot." The Zombie Crawl was to support Northern Community Radio's new station, KBXE. When it is built, KBXE will provide a new and powerful signal to people who live near Bemidji and Bagley.

Please contact us if you would like to help build KBXE!

We Came, We Flash Mobbed, We Left

So wow, the KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob was a HUGE success. With over 50 people coming together dressed as Paul Bunyan, a lot of smiles and double-takes at Art in the Park, and a video that has over 1,300 views in the first week it was an eye-catching event, and a lot of fun. Not sure what I'm talking about? The Video is at the bottom of this blog.

The video and story of the KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob was picked up around the internet including The World News Network (see screen shot), Minnesota Brown, MinnPost, ICTV, the FlickrRiver, it was the most popular story on Northern Community Internet, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Strong Towns Blog, Roy C. Booth's Myspace page, and many other content repeaters :) Not to mention the people who watched on the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce Paul & Babe webcam :) There was also a clear impact on the KBXE Facebook page; compared to the previous week, our monthly active users was up 141.3%, total fans up +13.9%, interactions up 722.2%, and overall page views up 123.5%.

If you can think of anyone or anyone else who should cover this story, feel free to encourage them to do so ;) Will we do another Flash Mob? Join the Publicity Committee to find out :D

This was the latest event from the KBXE Publicity Committee, a group of volunteers working to raise public awareness and build support for 90.5 KBXE - a new independent community radio station that will serve Bagley, Bemidji and beyond. Please contact us if you would like to get involved the the Publicity Committee (email Sarah MacRostie, sdemac@paulbunyan.net), or any of the other ways you can help - call Northern Community Radio at 800-662-5799.

The KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob

It was a beautiful day in downtown Bemidji. The sun was shining and people were enjoying Art in Park when a Paul Bunyan walked by. What? A Paul Bunyan? There's another! And three more! They're everywhere, what's going on here?

It was Northern Minnesota's first ever flash mob, courtesy of 90.5 KBXE. On Sunday, July 18th 2010, a group of over 50 people gathered at Diamond Point Park in Bemidji for pizza and planning. Then the group set off for the Lake Bemidji Waterfront, dressed in red and black flannel shirts, blue jeans (rolled up of course), a painted mustache and a dark knit cap. The group slowly trickled through Art in the Park, turning a lot of heads and getting even more smiles. The Mobbers then drifted to the Paul and Babe statue, where they froze one at a time. What started as a couple of frozen Paul Bunyan's grew into dozens and people stopped to watch and take pictures while passing cars honked their horns.
Members of the Flash Mob ranged in age from 88 to 1, or "older than the Paul Bunyan statue to younger than it's latest paint job." There was even a Paul Bunyan on a bicycle, and families of Paul Bunyans.

After remaining frozen as a group - they suddenly turned away from the statue and pulled open their flannel shirts to reveal KBXE Bumper Stickers to a cheer from the gathered crowd.
The KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob was conducted by the Publicity Committee of KBXE - a soon-to-be-built independent community radio station that will serve Bagley, Bemidji, Fosston, Gonvick, Clearbrook, Debs, Erskine, Zerkel and beyond. Lead organizer Sarah MacRostie said, "KBXE’s publicity committee has been working hard to raise awareness in area communities in creative ways - from a phenology walk in Clearbrook to being in the Debs 4th of July parade. Getting members from the community to perform guerrilla theater in the form of a Paul Bunyan Flash Mob seemed like a perfect fit for the First City of the Arts, and a great way to get peoples' attention."

90.5 KBXE has to be broadcasting by March of 2012, and you can help make it happen! Contact us if you'd like more information or would like to join one of the committees working on this project. KBXE is being built by Northern Community Radio, whose mission is to "Build Community in Northern Minnesota through radio broadcasts, cultural events and interactive media." Northern Community Radio operates 91.7 KAXE, which is celebrating over 34 years of independent community radio with studios in Grand Rapids, and translators at 89.9 in Brainerd and 105.3 in Bemidji. KBXE is being pursued as a way to preserve community radio for that region.
More info: kbxe.org

Thanks:
The KBXE Publicity Committee

Video:
Jamie Hall

Photos:
Jeremy Anway

Food:
Papa Murphy's Pizza, Bemidji

And of course, all you Mobbers :D

Press Leak: KBXE Flash Mob

ATTENTION: Group of Volunteers Plan “Flash” Event for Bemidji’s Art in the Park

On Sunday, July 18th, during Art in the Park in downtown Bemidji, something amazing is going to happen. That something will start at 1pm and last for a matter of minutes, gathering at the Paul and Babe statue. And it’s something you should cover. Have your cameras pointed & reporters posted for Northern MN’s first ever Flash Mob, courtesy of KBXE.

At first you’ll see one or two…, then there will be one or two more…, and three more after that…and then more… what is it? Be there to find out!

Think of it as community guerrilla theater by volunteers of 90.5 KBXE, a soon to be built community radio station serving Bagley, Bemidji, Fosston, Gonvick, Clearbrook, Debs, Erskine, Zerkel and beyond.

This information is embargoed until culmination of the event on July 18th and should not be announced in advance. Contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks and see ya there,
Doug

Doug MacRostie
Northern Community Radio
260 NE 2nd St
Grand Rapids MN 55744
218/326-1234
800/662-5799
mac@kaxe.org

91.7 KAXE www.kaxe.org
90.5 KBXE www.kbxe.org
www.northerncommunityinternet.org

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P.S. If you want to be involved with this event, get in touch with KBXE Publicity Committee by contacting Sarah MacRostie at sdemac@paulbunyan.net.