A follow-up from last week: The big 100th celebration at the local bank was a real hit. Two WT's each won $100 bonds in the drawings. Congratulations to Helen S. and Elsie. Does that mean they have to buy coffee for all of us? No--we can just bask in their glory!
The bank gave $1,000 to the Northern Lights Music Festival (their third year of support for this event). There is a photo of the bank president presenting the check to Laurie's husband. Don't forget to check out our link on the right for the festival which will be held June 28th through July 16th. There will be ten concerts and they are free of charge. These concerts are phenomenal and folks should try to make it up to our area to enjoy them!
Two big holidays are coming up. One is "legit" and the other is unique to Minnesota:
First of all, Mother's Day is coming up next Sunday, May 14th. There are several ads for that celebration. The floral shop has a big ad: "Say Thanks fo your Mom." There are floral arrangements and gift certificates available for the big day. "The Ben" (Ben Franklin) has some gift ideas plus Hallmark cards.
The local restaurants have buffets, brunches, lunches, and dinners. The A&W has a free sundae for Moms.
The other "holiday" is the Fishing Opener and there are several ads for that also. The sporting goods store has its Summer Fishing contest. We can weigh in our catch each week and prizes will be awarded for the largest fish in several categories. Prizes are then given by various local businesses. The grocery stores have some specials for the fishermen and fisherwomen. We can "hook" a bargain at the local liquor store and we hope the fisher folks wait to imbibe until they are off the lake . Most of the ads wish all the anglers the best of luck!
On Saturday, May 13th, Laurie's niece Bobbi Jo, is being feted at a party. Hers is a wonderful success story: When the mines laid off everyone and closed down, there were many people who needed to find different options. Bobbi Jo had been waitressing at the WT "Club House," when she started thinking about going to college. We encouraged her and now, 6 years later, she has completed her Master's Degree and is a Speech-Language Pathologist. We are all thrilled for her and have enjoyed wathcing her blossom throughout this endeavor! Congratulations, Bobbi Jo!
The First Annual Jazz Concert takes place at the school next Sunday, May 14th, at 2:00 p.m. We are encouraged to "Jazz up" our lives and attend and enjoy the concert. Many of us will do just that.
The Bike Rodeo is coming up this Friday, May 12th, at the park (rain or shine), sponsored by the local PTO and area businesses and organizations. There will be bike safety information, bike inspection, prizes (the Lion's Club is giving away a new bicycle!), and, of course, refreshments! Sounds like a great community event.
There's a Smelt/Fish Fry at a nearby community center sponsored by their Volunteer Fire Department. That's a little different than the usual spaghetti feeds, so it will probably be well-attended. This year Lake Superior produced quite a few smelt.
The local communities are trying to organize an all-city picnic and there is an organizational meeting for that on Wednesday, May 10th.
Saturday, May 13th, is the annual USPS Letter Carrier Food Drive. Can't tell if it is for all three communities or just the one. We'll have to check on that.
There are some meetings set up to plan class reunions. Most of the reunions happen around the Fourth of July when most folks come "home." Speaking of the Fourth, they are still looking for donations for the celebration. This week they have an "Honor Roll"--those who have made donations to the event. This is a smart move as most people like to get their names on such a list!
Someone is selling an electric sauna stove with rocks for $250. Most purists prefer a wood stove, but this sounds interesting. Someone else is still looking for that rotted cow or chicken manure, no dirt/straw, please. Hope they find it soon since we are all starting to get our gardens ready.
"R.V." is playing at the theatre and "M:I:3" starts on Thursday.
Have a wonderful week. Get out and enjoy the spring weather. We can almost hear the grass growing these days--for sure, we can hear folks muttering already about having to mow! We don't dare plant our flowers yet as there will probably be several frosty nights--probably well into June!
