Folklorists study the informal ways we learn, and our everyday expressions of what we find beautiful and important in life -- from making a quilt to celebrate a special occasion, to creating art from tools and objects we find around us, to planting corn in straight, perfect rows. In our stories, we also choose whats most important to us. And our stories happen in places important to us: our living rooms and kitchens, our churches and taverns, our workshops and barns. -- Ruth Olson, Associate Director, Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures. One of four parts.