As a young boy growing up in Maplewood, the sight of a police car excited Mike Duzan like nothing else could. At a time when most kids would be wary of an approaching officer, Duzan couldn’t wait to see who was wearing the badge inside.

“I’d see the squad car pull up and I’d look to see if it was Uncle Joe,” he said.

A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, smothered with secret sauce.

Trying to get answers to who or what The Gateway Label is, can only lead to more questions. And for the members of The Gateway Label – whoever they are – that’s just fine with them.

Lyle and Barbara Marquis could be accused of leading a double life. Most days they appear to be an average 63-year-old couple with regular jobs, adult children and a comfortable house to call home. But then there are the days they trade it all in for a white canvas tent and a cleared field in the middle of nowhere.

“To get away from the 21st century is so relaxing,” said Barbara Marquis.

There is a gaping hole in Shawn Hargis’ bed where, each night, her son Vaughn used to sit alongside his sister Raye and hash out the day.

The close-knit trio started and ended most days that way, piling into the bed to share stories from the day and look ahead to the future.

“We were always talking,” said Shawn.

Sometimes Vaughn chattered so much that his family didn’t dare interrupt him.

There may not be a jukebox blaring the sounds of “Rockin’ Robin” or “Rock Around the Clock.” There may not be waitresses gliding along on roller skates with trays perched high on their shoulders. There may not be boys in letter jackets giving girls in poodle skirts their class rings.

Tommy’s may not have any of that, but there’s no denying this is a malt shop.

Ryan Dungey was just 5 years old when his father Troy plopped him on his first dirt bike.

At an age when most kids are learning to ride a regular bicycle, Dungey was already motoring around the family’s Belle Plaine yard.

“Oh yeah, you can even put training wheels on,” he answered when asked if they make dirt bikes for kids that young.

For Dungey, it was love at first ride.

“It was fun. I enjoyed it,” he recalled. “There’s nothing like riding a dirt bike.”

For Sophie White, Saturdays are truly something to look forward to.

The pint-sized pixie wakes up early to pull together her ensemble for the day – a black leotard, pink skirt, leggings and a pair of black ballet shoes.

Gary Hjellming was just 10 years old when a television chef donning a tall white hat and a gold medallion sparked his interest in the culinary arts.

“I thought that’s kind of cool,” he recalled.

Hjellming, of Burnsville, is now the head pastry chef at Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center in Chaska. Almost four decades after making that fateful decision to enter the world of food, Hjellming still doesn’t regret his choice.

On a warm June day in 1961, 21 men gathered in the auditorium at Guardian Angels Catholic Church for the opening meeting of the Chaska Rotary.

Dr. Thomas Sutcliffe was among those founding members.

“It was a warm month, there was no air conditioning there,” he recalled. “And all the women were dressed to the nines.”

Nearly five decades later, Sutcliffe is the sole holdout from that group to remain a member of the rotary.

“We had a high drop out rate that first year,” he said. “We got down to 12 members.”

The historic Athletic Park baseball field may be covered with snow right now, but in Wally Quass’s version, it’s always summer.

Quass, a longtime Chaska resident and former owner of Wally’s Sports in downtown, recently completed a miniature model of Athletic Park’s grandstand and field. In total, the project took about three weeks to finish. He started by drawing plans out on paper and then, using miniature power tools, brought his vision to life.