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What a bizarre winter we are having. One week we are dealing with sub, sub-arctic temps and the next week I see motorcycles everywhere. I hope our lack of snow doesn’t lead to some form of drought this spring and summer. Last year we had a very snowy March. Hopefully nature will repeat itself this year.

The Press is getting ready to put together our annual Home and Business/Sports Show insert. Last year’s shows were very successful, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever. If you are planning to have your business in either of the shows and would like to get your message out to the public, I urge you to call us here at the Press, we would love to help you create the right message for promoting your business. Please keep in mind that our deadline for all ads is this Friday at 4 pm.

We also have just one more week before we pick the winners of the 2005 Celebration of the Lakes Photo Contest. There will be three prizes given out for the three best photos taken at the celebration. Your photos are starting to trickle in more and more, but we need everybody’s by Friday at 4 p.m. So, come on and get them in, you just might win.

Still on the subject of the Celebration of the Lakes, I would like to congratulate Sue Wilson, of Lindstrom, for winning the 2005 Community Ambassador Award. If you have ever been to the public library, you know that Sue is a staple of our community. Speaking personally, Sue is the first person I met when we moved here in 1980. I’m proud to say she still is a very good friend of our family. Congratulations Sue, I couldn’t imagine a better person for this award.

Last week I had the privilege of attending a downtown Lindstrom Business meeting. In these times of big businesses choking out small town businesses, it is terrific to see the strength and tightness between the downtown businesses. These people care about keeping Lindstrom unique with shopping choices that do not end with Club or Mart. These business owners are committed to you the shopper and truly committed to keeping our community wonderfully different. Please remember to shop locally, after all, these are our neighbors and we hope they stay put forever.

If you are looking to get another celebration fix, I would urge you to take a drive to North Branch this weekend. Like the Celebration of the Lakes, Winter Fest will have many, many fun and exciting activities for all ages. It all starts on Friday. Please see this Press for a detailed list of events.

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