I had no idea there was such a thing, much less that it’s ongoing, or that members of the same family keep winning.

It may be a fashion no-no, but Brady Arneson wears his mullet with pride.

The 3-year-old Red Wing hockey player recently took first place in the 2008 Minnesota Mullet Contest put on by Hockey Moms Magazine.

Brady’s business in the front, party in the back style is family tradition. His older brother, Blake, won the same award in 2005….

“They had that nice baby hair that we didn’t want to cut off,” [Brady and Blake’s father] Scott said. “But we’re going to cut it off pretty soon and cool him down for the summer.”

I have two things to say.

1. We all like to be good at something, but is this a competition you really take pride in winning?
2. That poor child’s parents did that to him.

Where does it stop?!

Photo courtesy of Cody Buckalew/Republican Eagle.

Public Art Saint Paul and Saint Paul’s Department of Public Works are soliciting poems from the public to be permanently installed on Saint Paul sidewalks.

We are looking for short poems that provide a delightful moment of outdoor reading. Poems may be inspiring, funny, meaningful, cynical, mundane…anything appropriate for the general public.

You have to be a Saint Paul resident. 500-ish character limit. Up to 20 poems will be selected and winners get $150, their poem installed on a sidewalk, and also published in a book and on the project’s website. Deadline is April 25, 2008.

All the details are at Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk.

The kicker: $3 entry fee. So you have to actually mail that in. I don’t know who still writes checks these days, but the opportunity to have your work installed as public art — especially if you’re not an artist — is too good to pass up! Too bad I don’t live in Saint Paul. I’ll take a stab at it, though. Haiku is the perfect form for this one.

east of the river
quaint, classic, don’t forget we
have the capitol

I know y’all can do better.