How did meat raffles become a Minnesota tradition?

Meat raffles are a beloved Minnesota bar tradition: Buy a ticket, watch the wheel spin, and maybe go home with steaks, brats or ground beef for dinner. But where did this unusual game of chance come from? In this episode of Curious Minnesota, host Erica Pearson talks with reporter Eleanor Hildebrandt about the surprisingly rich history of meat raffles, from their earliest roots in Wisconsin to their role in Minnesota’s charitable gambling scene today. Along the way, they uncover tales of banned raffles, “fallen off a truck” beef, packed small-town bars and why this quirky game has become such a social ritual across the Upper Midwest. Plus: how recent law changes could make meat raffles more valuable for nonprofits — and more tempting for players.

Minnesota’s license plates proudly proclaim the state as the land of “10,000 lakes.” But some Wisconsinites insist their state has even more. So who’s right? In this Curious Minnesota episode, Erica Pearson dives into lake science, state pride and a surprisingly fierce border rivalry to explain why Minnesota and Wisconsin count their lakes differently — and what actually makes a lake a lake.

A small white shack near the entrance to Interstate 94 has puzzled Minneapolis commuters for years. It's boarded up, rarely noticed, and easy to dismiss as an abandoned shed. But behind it lies a heartwarming city story. After a Curious Minnesota listener asked about the structure, reporter Alicia Eller discovered it was once a thriving newsstand run by Arne Paulson, a legally blind newspaper vendor whose determination inspired an entire community. Café owners, waitresses, and neighborhood regulars raised money and built the stand for him in 1963, helping him launch a business that served Minneapolis for more than a decade and a half. Host Erica Pearson and reporter Alicia Eler explore Arne's life, his impact on the neighborhood, and why this modest little building remains standing today as a quiet reminder of a different era.

What happens when a fishing trip turns into a foraging question? Recording live at the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Strib Unbound Festival, Curious Minnesota investigates whether the weeds growing in Minnesota lakes are actually edible. Inspired by a listener who wondered if the plants tangled on fishing hooks could be eaten like seaweed snacks, host Erica Pearson sits down with food reporter Sharyn Jackson to separate myth from meal. Drawing on interviews with foraging experts, chefs, and ethnobotanists, the episode explores the surprising world of aquatic plants — including eelgrass, algae, wild rice, cattails, lotus roots, and wapato (also known as “rat potato”). Along the way, they discuss food traditions, Indigenous knowledge, toxic lookalikes, water safety, and why the most abundant wild foods are often found where land and water meet. It’s a conversation about curiosity, ecosystems, and the hidden buffet growing around Minnesota lakes.

In this episode, Curious Minnesota goes live, recording from the Strib Unbound festival at Theodore Wirth Park. Reporter Bob Timmons joins host Erica Pearson to explain why the number of Minnesota’s state parks dropped from 66 to 64 in recent years - and what it will take to get a new one.

A pair of Ancient Egyptian mummies once were a main reason for visits to Minneapolis' Central Library. They were on display there from the 1880s to the 1980s. But where did they go when the library got out of the museum business? And why were they in Minnesota in the first place? Eleanor Hildebrandt shares their tale with host Erica Pearson.

When the Titanic went down 114 years ago this month, there were 35 Minnesotans on board. Sixteen of them survived, including newlyweds on their way back from a European honeymoon and a young Duluth woman traveling on her own. Reporter Christa Lawler shares their stories with host Erica Pearson.

Back in the 1970s, a Canadian ice researcher developed a formula to determine how thick lake ice needed to be for logging trucks to drive across. It helps inform the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' ice safety guidelines today. Reporter Kim Hyatt talks with host Erica Pearson about the history and science of ice roads.

You’ve heard of Stonehenge in England ― but what about Minnesota’s own Basshenge? Reporter Alicia Eler shares its story with host Erica Pearson. The 2001 piece of public art celebrates an instrument — the double bass. Located off Hwy. 11 west of International Falls in the northernmost part of Minnesota, it was created by a musician who spent his later years in the area.

The Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the federal government headquarters for U.S. Immigration Court and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, isn’t part of Historic Fort Snelling, but it sits on a small, unincorporated swath of land known as the Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory. Reporter Chris Vondracek talks with host Erica Pearson about the troubled history of that land, including the first arrival of the U.S. government to this area.