This weekend we got the most incredible message from one of our listeners, Colleen:
Hey Cities 97, I wanted to tell you what the Sampler meant to me. I've been an avid Sampler
collector for way more years than I could guess. I remember the first year that I picked one up in Target. Was I in high school or college? I don't recall but I remember the songs. In fact I could look up the year but I like it living in a fuzzy memory instead. For years, I would pick up the Sampler religiously. In fact, there were years that I took off work to wait in line at the Eden Prairie Target. We'd have fun waiting, just talking music with pretty cool people until we got in. 7 years ago, I moved to Wisconsin (yeah, I know...). But I didn't have to give up on the Sampler. My cool Dad would walk from his office to the Nicollet Mall Target. He would make sure that I got the Sampler year after year. This fall, my Dad got seriously ill. Without some amazing doctors and nurses, we would have lost him. He spent many weeks recovering in the hospital and later at home. Honestly, in the midst of everything, I never considered the Sampler. This weekend, I visited home and I saw my Dad up and about and starting to make incredible recoveries. To my complete amazement, he pulled out this year's Sampler. He said that one of his co-workers remembered that he picked up a copy every year for his daughter and she got one to make sure that this year would not be missed. I started tearing up. Then to hear the cover of the Cranberries song Zombie, I cried like a baby. It was a song that my Dad and I would listen to when I was in high school. Thank you, Cities 97! I want you to know that these samplers meant more than just the music!