C hanhassen

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016

Villager

$1

PRINCE
PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
1958-2016

OF

C H A N H A S S E N

A variety of artwork, flowers and

stuffed animals Grace Paisley Park
in Chanhassen on April 21.
PHOTO BY KARLA WENNERSTROM

COVERAGE INSIDE:
PAGES 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
14, 15, 16, 28.

Princes Purple Rain motorcycle

in its original brown color,
before its movie make-over.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF PESHEK

INDEX
OPINION/ 6
SPORTS/ 9
CLASSIFIEDS/ 22

Remembering a good neighbor

BY UNSIE ZUEGE
uzuege@swpub.com

Musical superstar Prince

Rogers Nelson could have lived
anywhere in the world. But
he chose Chanhassen. Unlike
other Minnesota-born musicians, actors, and celebrities,
Prince maintained his Minnesota roots, and made his home
in Chanhassen. Wherever he
toured and traveled around the
world, he always came back to
Chanhassen.
He bought proper ty and
built a home off Lake Lucy
Road in the early 1980s. While
the home no longer exists,

Prince still kept ownership

of the property; he also built
Paisley Park, his recording
studio nearby, on Highway 5
and Audubon Road.
Among the reasons Prince
stayed in Chanhassen may
be that residents didnt treat
him like a celebrity but as a
member of the community. He
dropped in for coffee at Caribou Coffee near Office Max,
grocery shopped at 3 a.m. at
the Chan Cub Foods, rode his
bike on the local trails and into
downtown Chanhassen, did
his dry-cleaning in Excelsior,
took in late night movies at
the Chanhassen Cinema, and

was seen pumping his own gas

at the local stations. He even
shared typical suburban concerns like how to keep the deer
from eating his hostas, and
complaining that local taxes
were too high.
We asked readers to share
their favorite Prince stories,
and they did:
Did you ever wonder, how
Prince chose Chanhassen as
his home and international
headquarters for his world renowned music recording studio
Paisley Park?
According to Lee Clark of
Victoria, a former Twin Cities realtor, a group of top real

estate agents had an informal

advisory board called Distinctive Homes, designed to
provide a sounding board, and
give advice to other agents.
In 1982, Clark remembers an
agent in the group was describing the difficulty in finding the
right location for a high-profile
client who was looking for a
home. The obvious choices
were around Lake Minnetonka: Ferndale, Wayzata, Orono.
But none of those communities
seemed exactly right. Where
was she going to put him? The
agents brainstormed: Eden

Prince to 14 

OBITUARIES/ 8
CALENDAR/ 18
LIBRARY/ 27

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14 | April 28, 2016

www.chanvillager.com | Chanhassen Villager

PRINCE
O F

C H A N H A S S E N

PRINCE
 continued from 1

Prairie, Hopkins, Minnetonka?

Clark suggested Chanhassen.
Ive always looked at real estate
as an investment, Clark said. I
said, I think Chanhassen is up and
coming. Its a good place to invest.
The client was Prince, and he
did buy Chanhassen property, on
Lake Lucy where he built a house;
later he bought property off Highway 5 and Arboretum Road, where
Paisley Park is located.

GENEROSITY
Back in the late 1990s and early
2000s I worked at the Chanhassen Public Library. One evening,
I answered a phone call from a
librarian in a small community in
one of the Southern states who was
trying to solve a mystery. Her library had received an anonymous
gift ($12,000) with no explanation,
in the form of a very large check.
The check had a Chanhassen address [7801 Audubon Road], and
the account name was listed as
Love 4 One Another Charities. I
told the woman that I suspected
that the donation came from our
local purple royalty, Prince. The
librarian explained that her community didnt have money to
sustain the arts and that she had
difficulty in putting new books on
the shelves of the library. She had
no idea how Prince connected with
her community but she told me
that his generosity would make a
huge difference.
Princes death has saddened me
in a personal way since I have always thought of him as a neighbor
rather than a rock star. Community and people mattered to him.
Kristin Raymakers, Chanhassen
Editors note: Prince donated
$12,000 by check dated Sept. 15,
2001, to the Louisville Free Public
Librarys Western Branch Library,
which in 1905 became the first
library in the nation operated by
and serving African Americans.
The donation arrived in 2001 but
word of the gift spread only Thursday, after a Louisville library
supporter posted about it on social
media.
Source: Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky., and Insider
Louisville

PRINCE ROGERS NELSON

1958-2016

THE PURPLE PROWLER

Growing up just a couple miles
from his estate, Prince was everything to me. I used to chase the
purple prowler around town. And
one time just once he pulled
up next to us at a stoplight on Powers Boulevard and Highway 5. Me
being me, went crazy and started
screaming at him. He slowly rolled
down his tinted window, gave us
a wink with the most mysterious
smile, and sped off through the
red light. I will never forget that
moment. And his parties at Paisley Park were probably the most
exciting nights for any teenager.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered
here today to get through this
thing called life. Prince. Thank
you and sweet dreams.
Reid Harmsen, Chaska High
School alumni

MAN ABOUT TOWN

I was so incredibly sad to hear
about Princes death ... It didnt
seem real until I saw and heard everybody talking about it. As a kid
I would always hear stories about
him roaming around Chanhassen and last summer I was lucky
enough to go inside Paisley Park
and watch the legend himself perform. Even though it was only for a
brief moment I feel so blessed that
I was able to witness his talents. It
was just this last Saturday that my
sister called to tell me that on her
drive home she saw Prince biking
into Paisley. I never wouldve imagined he would be gone today. While
singing Purple Summer tonight
in Spring Awakening all I could
think of was Purple Rain, and just
how influential we as performers
can be.
Lauren Hugh, Chanhassen, a
musical theater student at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

A CUP OF CARIBOU
Jody Schepers, of Chanhassen,
recalls that her son Van worked
at Caribou Coffee next to the
Hair District. Van was age 16 at
the time and had just started; the
first fancy coffee drink he made
on the job was for Prince. When
asked what he remembered about
Princes visits to Caribou, Van,
now 21, and studying in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, said, I really
dont have much. The only words I
remember hearing from him were

WHY DID HE LOCATE

HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
I like Minnesota, Prince said in a
2001 interview at Paisley Park, when he
was asked why he continued to live and
work here. They did a survey and it was
one of the healthiest places in the world.
He cited the lower level of stress here
and a clearer environment for music.
Theres less pressure here to produce
a certain type of sound or reflect other
musical influences, he said, compared
to spending time in New York or Los
Angeles. Hes also harped about local
property taxes.
Chanhassen has grown up around
Paisley Park. Thousands have moved
here long since Princes top hits were
recorded.

TOP HITS
Prince was inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of fame in 2004. His top
hits:
SUBMITTED PHOTO

A birds-eye view of Princes estate on Lake Lucy, and his

former mansion, which was razed.

MORE ONLINE

TO READ MORE
RESIDENTS
MEMORIES OF PRINCE GO TO

www.chanvillager.com
chocolate cooler, no kidding. He
was always dressed up very fashionably and confident as hell as a
very little dude.

FRESH FLOWERS
My Prince Story: Routinely,
P ri nces persona l at tenda nt
would stop at the [Chanhassen]
floral shop where I worked. She
stopped right before closing
time when we were not busy and
would have Prince on the phone,
describing the flowers and colors
to him. He usually just wanted
an arrangement for next to his
sink in his bathroom. Nothing
extravagant, just something
fresh.
B arb S ch ar fenb erg,
Chanhassen

PURPLE RAIN MOTORCYCLE

The motorcycle Prince rode
in his film Purple Rain was
first owned by Jeff Peshek of
Chanhassen.
I bought this motorcycle new
in 1976, Peshek said. It was a
Honda 550... I rode this bike until
my wife and I were expecting
our first child. Barb (my wife)
said, Why dont you sell it?
So I put it out on Ray Kerbers
farm by Highway 5 and Dell

Road. Within a couple hours, I

got a call. Chick (Huntsberry),
Princes bodyguard (who lived
in Chanhassen Estates) came
by with his wife and kids. Were
filming a movie, Chick said,
and we need that motorcycle.
Its exactly what we want.
I was selling it for $1,200 and
what impressed me, Jeff said,
he didnt try to talk the price
down. Chick just peeled off a
bunch of $100 bills. Im not sure
Chick knew how to drive it. He
had me start it and put it in gear
for him, and I thought, Oh boy.
...after the movie came out,
a friend of mine called and said,
I just saw your bike in a movie.
So we went to the movie,
Jef f said. And there it was,
only they had painted it purple.
I heard stories that when Prince
was learning to ride it, he was
so little, when he came to a stop
light, hed stop next to the curb
so he wouldnt fall over.
B a rb a n d J e f f P e s h e k ,
Chanhassen

LAMPSHADE
Several years ago, I bought
it [a lampshade from Princes
Chanhassen home] from our
friend Annette Hentz at Carver
Flowers, who had it in the shop
to sell for her former brotherin-law. He got the shade when
cleaning out some things for
Prince, who he did work for. It
might have been about the time
Prince demolished his Chanhassen mansion.
John von Walter, Carver

1. When Doves Cry, 1984, No. 1

2. Kiss, 1986, No. 1
3. Lets Go Crazy, 1984, No. 1
4. Cream, 1991, No. 1
5. Batdance, 1989, No. 1
6. Raspberry Beret, 1985, No. 2
7. U Got the Look, 1987, No. 2
8. Purple Rain, 1984, No. 2
9. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,
1994, No. 3
10. Sign O the Times, 1987, No. 3
11. Little Red Corvette, 1983, No. 6
12. Diamonds and Pearls, 1992, No. 3
13. Thieves in the Temple, 1990, No. 6
14. Pop Life, 1985, No. 7
15. Delirious, 1983, No. 8
16. I Would Die 4 U, 1985, No. 8
17. 7, 1993, No. 7
18. Alphabet St., 1988, No. 8
19. I Could Never Take the Place of Your
Man, 1988, No. 10
20. 1999, 1983, No. 12
21. I Wanna Be Your Lover, 1980, No. 11
22. Partyman, 1989, No. 18
23. Gett Off, 1991, No. 21
24. Mountains, 1986, No. 23
25. Take Me With You, 1985, No. 25
26. The Arms of Orion, 1989, No. 36
27. Money Dont Matter 2 Night, 1992,
No. 23
28.I Hate U, 1995, No. 12
29. LetItGo, 1994, No. 31
30. America, 1985, No. 46
31. The Morning Papers, 1993, No. 44
32. Anotherloverholenyohead, 1986, No.
63
33. Lets Pretend Were Married/Irresistible Bitch, 1984, No. 52
34. My Name Is Prince, 1992, No. 36
35. Hot Thing, 1988, No. 63
36. Pink Cashmere, 1993, No. 50
37. Controversy, 1981, No. 70
38. Call My Name, 2004, No. 75
39. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold,
2000, No. 63
40. New Power Generation, 1990, No. 64
Source: Billboard

Farewell, Prince. Thank you for all you did for this
community and for music lovers everywhere.
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April 28, 2016 | 15

www.chanvillager.com | Chanhassen Villager

PRINCE
O F

Officials react
PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
1958-2016

C H A N H A S S E N

Toxicology tests
pending in Prince
death investigation
BY RICHARD CRAWFORD
dcrawford@swpub.com

A s t he i nvesti gation i nto

Princes death awaited results
of final toxicology tests, Paisley
Park in Chanhassen became
ground zero for fans and media
members.
Thousands of people came
to Chanhassen to take part in
memoria l events for P rince,
who was found dead at his home
and recording studio Thursday,
April 21.
Prince was alone when he
apparently collapsed inside an
elevator at Paisley Park where
he was found clothed and unresponsive Thursday morning, according to Carver County Sheriff
Jim Olson.
Olson said Prince was last seen
alive at about 8 p.m. Wednesday
night, April 20, when he was
dropped off by an acquaintance

at Paisley Park.
Staff members became concerned about Prince and went to
Paisley Park Thursday and a 911
call was placed at 9:43 a.m. He was
pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.
Shortly after 1 p.m., the Carver
County Sheri f f s Of f ice confirmed via Twitter that Prince
had died.
Prince Rogers Nelson (57)
found dead at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN. We are
investigating the circumstances
of his death, according to the
Tweet.
Traffic was congested along
Highway 5 and Audubon Road
was partially shut down as people
streamed to Paisley Park this
past week.
Princes body was cremated
and a private ceremony was held
inside Paisley Park on Saturday.
No cause of death has been
determined as this edition went

A strong spirit transcends rules,

Prince once said and nobodys
spirit was stronger, bolder,
or more creative.
President Barack Obama

PHOTO BY RICHARD CRAWFORD

Fans gathered at Paisley Park in Chanhassen on April 24

where the fence was adorned with purple balloons and other
mementos paying tribute to Prince.
to press. Olson said there were no
signs of trauma and no indication
it was a suicide.
Prior to Thursday, Olson said
there had been no Sheriffs Office
calls to Paisley Park in the past
year. Olson described Prince as a
long-time resident of the commu-

nity who was a good neighbor.

In front of more than 50 members of the media, Olson said
investigators will leave no stone
unturned in the investigation
and its more important that we
do it well, than fast.

Prince was major landholder in city

Topaz Dr

Wyn
son
g

s Dr
ngacr e
Lo

Lake Lucy

Ln

117

PRINCE
PROPERTY

Fa wn Hill Rd

Lake Ann

a r k Dr

nP

Majestic Way

Windmill Dr

Prince was not only an international music star, he also was

a significant landholder in the
city of Chanhassen.
A l re ady fa mi ly memb ers
and friends have indicated that
Prince wanted to turn Paisley
Park into some type of music
museum, and thats something
city leaders said is possible.
Land zoning where Paisley
Park is located at Audubon Road
and Highway 5 could accommodate a museum, according to
Chanhassen City Manager Todd
Gerhardt.
The city wants to be respectful
of the familys wishes, according
to Chanhassen Mayor Denny
Laufenburger, and the city expects it will take time before
any plans surface for Princes

property.
Prince owned a large swath
179 acres of property on
the west side of Lake Ann, in an
area that is zoned residential,
Gerhardt said April 25.
Gerhardt said the city cant
dictate what happens with the
property. Ultimately, if plans
come forward, as long as the development meets city zoning rules
it likely will be allowed.
Assuming the land next to
Lake Ann would be a residential
development, it could accommodate hundreds of homes. Gerhardt said not all of the acreage is
developable because of wetlands.
Its up to the family, Gerhardt said. It could be a significant development. But you wont
see anything for a long time.
On Tuesday, Princes sister
filed a motion for a special administrator to oversee Princes estate

Brinker St
Walnut Curve

Source: Carver County

because there was no known will.

According to county property
records, Prince owned $30 million worth of property in the

Graphic by:
Carrie Rood

La

BY RICHARD CRAWFORD
dcrawford@swpub.com

An
ke

LAKE
ANN
PARK

county, including Paisley Park,

the property next to Lake Ann,
and individual properties elsewhere in Chanhassen.

Music icon fiercely guarded his privacy

Prince was known as someone
who fiercely guarded his privacy.
He reportedly shopped at local
grocery stores in the wee hours
of the morning; attended the local
movie theater after-hours; and occasionally wore disguises so as not
to attract attention out in public.
His desire for privacy resulted
in an unusual event back in 2001

when he hosted a press conference

at Paisley Park to promote his second annual music bash known
as Prince A Celebration: The
Rainbow Children.
The press event, which included
reporters from the Chanhassen
Villager and Chaska Herald, was
meant to publicize the upcoming
festival.

Today, the world lost a creative icon.

Michelle and I join millions of fans
from around the world in mourning
the sudden death of Prince. Few
artists have influenced the sound and
trajectory of popular music more
distinctly, or touched quite so many
people with their talent. As one of the
most gifted and prolific musicians of
our time, Prince did it all. Funk. R&B.
Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso
instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader,
and an electrifying performer.

But as a requirement for attending the press conference,

journalists were asked to sign a
broad confidentiality agreement
that if read literally would have
prevented them from saying anything about the upcoming event.
Under the Promise Not To Disclose Information section of the
confidentiality agreement, it read:

I hereby agree that I shall not at

any time use or disclose, directly or
indirectly, any information in any
way relating to Paisley .
The four-page confidentially
agreement also prevented journalists from photographing or recording any likenesses, performance
or activities at Paisley.
Richard Crawford

Prince, and his music, defined

an era. His tremendous talent was
matched only by his generosity
and commitment to improving
his community. Minnesotans and
our nation mourn the loss of a
great artist today; one who has left
an unforgettable mark on music
history, and whose contributions to
the betterment of our state will be
remembered for years to come.
Gov. Mark Dayton

It is with heavy hearts that the city

of Chanhassen extends our deepest
condolences to Princes family, friends
and fans around the world.
We are very proud that he built his
studio Paisley Park in Chanhassen,
but even prouder that he
called us his neighbors.
In Princes life, his talent and
vision for music, performance
and entertainment made him a
universally recognized and celebrated
icon. His talent and persona has
inspired thousands of people, young
and old, to find, develop and perfect
their individual talent and amaze the
world, exactly as Prince did.
As we all mourn his passing, let us
not forget that his bold and highly
successful career motivated many to
reach far beyond their grasp.
That legacy of doing more than the
predictable will stand the test of time!
His presence in Chanhassen for
more than 30 years has helped to
shape the character and quality of our
community; he will be remembered
with warm affection
for generations to come.
Chanhassen Mayor
Denny Laufenburger

16 | April 28, 2016

www.chanvillager.com | Chanhassen Villager

PRINCE
O F

PRINCE ROGERS NELSON

1958-2016

C H A N H A S S E N

BY UNSIE ZUEGE
uzuege@swpub.com

800 miles to witness

the awesomeness
BY MARK W. OLSON
editor@chaskaherald.com

Among the thousands

of visitors to Paisley Park
on Sunday were Charles
Muhammad and daughter
Paisley Muhammad. The
pair had traveled all the
way from Memphis, Tenn.,
to take part in the tributes.
At an early age, Muhammads mother barred him
from listening to Princes
music. But he persevered
and became such a huge
f a n t h at he n a me d h i s
d aug hter Paisley, a f ter
P r i nc es s on g Pa i s ley
Park.
P a i s ley P a rk wa s a

song that was just with me

the whole time and I knew
five years before she was
born what I would name
her, he recalled.
Muhammad drew comparisons between visiting
Paisley Park in Chanhassen and visiting Graceland
in Memphis, home of Rock
icon Elvis Presley.
Mu h a m m ad s aid he
was once apt to ridicule
those who traveled to visit
Graceland. Now I see the
c omp a r i s on , b e c au s e I
came some 800 miles just
to witness this awesomeness of Prince. So yes, Ive
come full circle, Muhammad said.

PHOTO BY MARK W. OLSON

Prince superfan Charles Muhammad, right, knew

in 1986, before his daughter Paisley, left, was even
born what he would name her. On Sunday, the pair
visited Princes home and studio at Paisley Park in
Chanhassen, traveling all the way from Memphis,
Tenn.

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She chose a legend

for her history project
For Eliana Rimmereide,
age 13 , a n eig ht h- g rader
at Chaska Midd le School
West, choosing international
music phenomenon Prince
Rogers Nelson as her subject
for her National History Day
project, made perfect sense.
And it was even more interesting because he lived right
down the road, so to speak, as
Eliana and her family live in
Carver.
In January, she and her
mother Ingrid were fortunate
enough to attend his concert
billed as Prince: Piano &
a Microphone Concert at
Paisley Park. Little did she
know that it would be such
a history-making show it
was just Prince and a piano,
telling his life story through
his music and anecdotes. Or,
that it would be her last time
to see him perform.
E l i a n a le a r n e d ab out
Princes death from her history teacher.

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Eliana Rimmereide chose

Prince as her subject for a
school history project.
I didnt believe it until he
showed me multiple articles,
Eliana said by email. I was
in shock. I couldnt believe it.
It was very strange.
We wanted to learn more
about Elianas love for music,
what led her to do a research
project on Prince, and what
she learned. She responded
by email.
Q: Why did you choose
Prince?
A: As soon as my teachers
started talking about History
Day, I knew that I wanted to
do music. It started out as a
three-way tie between The
Beatles, David Bowie, and
Prince. I quickly decided not
to do The Beatles, because I
knew that would be a popular
topic. It was very tough to
decide between David Bowie
and Prince, but I eventually
decided that I would do my
project on Prince because of
the local connection.
Q: What did you learn
f r o m y o u r p r oj e c t o n
Prince?
A: A lot. I truly didnt know
anything about Prince prior
to History Day. I learned that
his home life wasnt great,
I learned that he was very
young when he first got into
music, I learned how much
he really did affect the world
today.
Q: Did you visit Paisley
Park last week? What was
it like for you?
A: I went to Paisley Park
the same day he died. It was
very surreal; my mom and
I bought some cards and
purple flowers to put there
in honor of him. There were
so many cameras, and media
there; it felt a little bit ironic
for someone who tried so
hard to stay out of the publics eye.
Q: What do you feel is
Princes legacy?
A: Everything. The impact
he left on the music industry,
his movie, his style of music,
his style of clothing, everything.
Q : F avo r it e s o n g o r
songs?
A: I really love Raspberry
Beret.