Heather's Recipe for a Good Morning
Step 1: Turn on the radio.
Step 2: Combine the following in a large travel mug with a secure lid:
- 2 cups of really strong, cold, black coffee
- A generous dollop of goofing around with family
- 1 tablespoon of gentle bickering about music with coworkers (can substitute bickering about movies)
Step 3: With lid firmly in place, air guitar for 3 minutes to thoroughly blend. Consume while sharing some laughs with KAXE members.
We're Up Early and Up North!
The KAXE Morning Show crew (Heidi, Jennifer, Andrew, John, Charlie, Steve, Sarah, Dan, Larissa, Kari, Malachy, and sometimes even me!) gets up with the birds each weekday to spend the morning with you, sharing news, conversations, humor, music, and the little connections that make up your Recipe for a Good Day.
From the hosts and cohosts to the contributors, listeners, and supporters who make it all possible, the Morning Show is a team effort. This year, the Minnesota Broadcasters Association recognized the KAXE Morning Show with its 2026 Content Creators Award, and Andrew Dziengel was recognized as MBA's Young Professional of the Year. We're proud of that recognition, but the most important part of making great radio is you.
Your gift of $100, $500, or $1,000 keeps all of our programming going strong. Will you give now to help us reach our $60,000 goal? If you believe in people-powered radio, donate now.
You are the most important ingredient
We want you to chime in! Share your photos of a great tater tot hotdish, the low temperature from your deer stand, or a church cookbook from your childhood. Tell us how to make a good day, and help us celebrate the people, food, and traditions that make this place home.
Can you help KAXE raise $60,000 during this week?
Thanks to some confidential members, your donation can be doubled. Listen for matching funds challenges!
When public media lost federal funding last year, you helped us recover. Because of our members, KAXE is here for you every day.
We still need your support. Donate now to get our fall member drive off to a strong start.
The fun stuff!
Ham Radio: Cooking with Amy Thielen returns on Friday, November 13th! Topics include church cookbooks, crazy recipes, holiday food tips, and more.
Hotdish Time Machine returns, and this time we're spinning tunes decade by decade, beginning with 1976!
"Up Early. Up North" T-shirt is available now!
Choose our new "Up Early. Up North." T-shirt with your donation of at least $20/month or $240. (Design collab between me, Heather, and my brilliant friend Sam.)
We have new stickers, designed by our very own producer, Morning Show host, and resident frog artist, Andrew Dziengel!
Listen for matches from members like you to make your donation go even further.
Cheese Alert: KAXE Director of Content and Morning Show host Heidi Holtan will join Julie and Betsy Crabb on Green Cheese trivia, Saturday, November 14th.
Food, Friends, Family, and Reflection
Recipes are about much more than instructions. No matter how many times I make my mom's Danish kringle recipe to a T, it will never taste the same as when she made it. But it still makes me think of busy Thanksgiving mornings and keeps her memory close. Recipes, like radio, are opportunities to connect, to remember, and to learn.
And the best recipes, like the best radio stations (not that I'm biased), are reliable. KAXE has been on the air for 50 years, and listener donations help to make everything we do possible.
I can't wait to chat with you! We’re so glad that you are part of this amazing radio community.
- Heather Johnson
KAXE Membership Coordinator
What's the one ingredient your recipe for a good day just wouldn't work without? Email me!
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Contributed/Dawn RossbachPark Rapids artist Dawn Rossbach's latest work "The Blind Mind" will be on display at the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji from Nov. 13 – Jan. 30, 2027. -
Marine veteran Merwin Perkins, who served in the Korean War battle in the Chosin Reservoir, is among those memorialized with a mannequin and display at the Camp Ripley museum. He is also Chelsey's great-uncle. -
Contributed/Perkins familyMerwin Perkins was a Marine who served in the Korean War. This includes operating a mortar in the Chosin Reservoir during one of the most brutal, and brutally cold, battles in the history of the Marines. -
Contributed/Minnesota Department of Natural ResourcesThe Pokegama Lake access is now the Tom Neustrom Memorial Tioga Public Water Access. -
Contributed/Hape Monaheng via PexelsThe MPCA says Crosslake Construction Demolition Debris Facility, Inc. had multiple violations during facility inspections between 2020 and 2022. -
Contributed/Park Rapids Panthers Cross CountryPark Rapids senior Christian Thorson and junior Jack Mitteness also medaled from the Northland. -
Contributed/Polina Tankilevitch via PexelsIn Minnesota, 139 cases of measles have been reported in 2026 as of Nov. 5. Most cases are concentrated in Todd County. -
Contributed/Aitkin FootballMountain Iron-Buhl returns to state after missing last year while adjusting to a new class. Also returning for the 2026 tournament from the Northland are Grand Rapids, Cromwell-Wright, Kittson County Central and Cook County. -
Contributed/Full Range MediaEast Grand Forks and Sacred Heart will compete in the tournament, set for Nov. 11-14, 2026, along with Chisholm and Pine River-Backus. -
Contributed/Dawn EspeGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from On The River host and volunteer, Dawn Espe.
