Songs & Hymns from the Polka Mass, c. 1973

Father Frank Perkovich of the Resurrection Church in Eveleth, Minnesota, was looking for a new way to inspire his flock. And then it hit him: Why not add some worship music that reflected his Slovenian-Croatian roots? On May 5, 1973, Father Perk held his first “Polka Mass”—with music by Joe Cvek and the Polka Massters (get it?)—starting an Iron Range tradition that continues to this day.

Toni St. Pierre (Standing, Second from Left) and the 1973 Hopkins Eisenhower Cross Country Skiing Team

On April 18, 1973, a federal court in Minneapolis handed down a ruling that helped open up high school and college sports to girls and young women across the country. The case was brought by two athletes from different public high schools in Minnesota. Toni St. Pierre was a cross country skier and cross country runner at Hopkins Eisenhower. Peggy Brenden was a tennis player at St. Cloud Tech. Since neither school offered teams for girls in their chosen sports, they tried to join the boys’ teams, but they were stopped from doing so. The Minnesota State High School League prohibited girl athletes from competing against boy athletes. With help from the ACLU, Toni and Peggy sued the league in hopes of ending the ban and gaining the right to compete. In its decision, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the league’s policy was “arbitrary and unreasonable, in violation of the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment.” Within months, high schools across the state—and across the nation—began offering athletic programs for girls.

Photo via Minnesota Historical Society