‘Darby’s Miracle’ focuses on the love of the river

NEW ULM — A crowd filled the Grand Center for Arts and Culture in downtown New Ulm Thursday night for “For Love of a River Revival,” an evening of music, film and discussion focused on the Minnesota River and ongoing efforts to restore and protect it.

Organized by the Coalition for a Clean Minnesota River, the event featured the launch of the book “For Love of a River” by the late Darby Nelson, a screening of the 2011 documentary “River Revival,” and a panel discussion on water storage solutions and the proposed Minnesota River Coordinating Commission.

Geri Nelson and editor John Hickman opened the evening with a presentation of Darby Nelson’s book, which chronicles paddling journeys down the Minnesota River from Browns Valley to its confluence with the Mississippi. Nelson, an aquatic ec