How a chapel and garden are intertwined in a Minnesota town
In the United States, there are 13 different towns named Long Beach. The one in Minnesota is the smallest, but it's found a colorful way to stand out.
"It's small, it's stretched out, yes. But it's a great bunch of people," said Terry Duhn. "It's a little tranquility. A little piece of mind."
Duhn's talking about Morning Glory Gardens on the shores of Lake Minnewaska. It was created in the 1960s when a newspaper editor named Ed Barsness got sick of seeing an ugly marsh next to a beautiful lake.
"He writes in the newspaper about how when he would drive by here, it would smell. Just a swamp in the springtime," said Duhn.
So, they filled the swamp and created a 100-foot-long garden that's been here ever since. Each year carnations, geraniums and black-eyed Susans are a common site.
"We have begonias. And there are decorative cabbages this year," said Duhn.
Duhn is the caretaker, but he gets an assist from more than 30 volunteers who help clean and weed.
"It makes me beam. It's a labor of love," said Duhn.
The garden sits in the shadow of the Morning Glory chapel. It moved in a few years after the flowers did.
Duhn said the little church seats 16 people comfortably, but 12 is ideal. It has an altar, a padded kneeler and a guestbook which includes signatures from across the country.
The chapel once stood where a local hospital is now. In 1981, it found a new home near the garden.
Four to eight weddings are held there each year. They typically start in May and end in the fall.
As small as it is, this place of prayer is massive compared to six-seater churches in the towns of Luverne and Dawson. A church in Oslo, in Marshall County, seats just four people. But it's the site, not the size, that gets your attention.
"It gives them a place to go where they can reflect. They can get a little tranquility or serenity," said Long Beach Mayor Mike Pfeiffer. "It means different things to different people."
In Long Beach, the chapel and garden go together. During sunrise, you see how this place got its name.
"It is just brilliant. When it comes up, it's to God's glory," said Duhn.
FFA students at Minnewaska High School helped design this year's garden.
Later this month, the Morning Glory Gardens will get new pavers. Anyone who wants to get married at the chapel can do so, for a $150 donation.
John Lauritsen is an Emmy award-winning reporter from Montevideo, Minn. He joined WCCO-TV in late-July of 2007. Two days after he started, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed.
