Caledonia Argus

Pianos saved from serious damage

Posted: 2/19/02

A serendipitous turn of events last Thursday meant the difference between a small setback and total disaster for Joel Lidstrom.

Late in the afternoon, Lidstrom debated whether to help his daughter with her piano lesson or finish tuning a piano in his nearby workshop. He opted for the latter, and headed out towards the shop where he restores Steinway grand pianos. As he rounded the corner, he saw that the south side of the building was on fire.

As his wife, Liz Wanschura, called 911, Lidstrom tried to control the fire himself by throwing buckets of water from a five gallon pail on the flames. On his first attempt, he slipped on some ice and spilled the water. As the minutes slipped by, he continued to throw buckets of water. The fire department was on its way, but he didnít know how long it would take to reach his house eight miles from Caledonia.

ìAfter the first 10 or 15 minutes, I thought we had no hope,î said Lidstrom.

The fire was burning inside the walls of the structure, and Lidstrom said he thinks he threw about 10 buckets of water before the fire was under control. Fire departments from Caledonia, Eitzen and New Albin arrived to finish the job.

The pianos were all spared serious damage. Among those that were in the workshop at the time was a priceless 1875 Rosewood Steinway with hand-carved legs, said Lidstrom.

Another twist to the story is that the family had originally planned to leave at 2 p.m. for a concert in St. Paul, but the performer had cancelled his appearance. Another performer was to appear in his place, but the family decided to stay home. Had they gone anyway, the building certainly would have been destroyed, said Lidstrom. And even if he had spent a half hour helping his daughter with her piano, he would probably not have seen the fire until it was too late.

ìI feel like Iíve gotten a wonderful gift,î Lidstrom said. ìWeíre very fortunate.î

Top of Page