June 14, 2007 at 7:19 a.m.
Midsummer Days and sidewalk sales -- summer must be here
Midsummer Days and sidewalk sales -- summer must be here
If you are looking for more fun this summer, be sure to check out Midsummer Days in North Branch. One of the oldest and the best celebrations around, Midsummer Days has something for everyone. Kicking off the celebration is a block party held at the Northgate Plaza on Wednesday afternoon. There will be a carnival in the park from Wednesday until Sunday. Friday has the Midsummer Queen Coronation which has very good attendance. Saturday is probably the busiest day, there is an appreciation lunch, a golf tournament, a kiddie parade, water fights and it is all capped off with a street dance.
The event runs from Wednesday until Sunday night so you and your family will have many opportunities to take in some of the fun.
It seems these days that the hot button issue is the potential ball fields proposed at the sewer plant. The proposal has the fields located adjacent to the sewer plant and has the potential to house two ball fields with plenty of room for each.
Here is my take (for what it is worth). There is no doubt whatsoever that Chisago County could use some more ball fields. Being a coach of two teams, I have seen first hand how teams have been forced to scour the area just to find an open field. In fact, we have been kicked off several fields that are "dedicated softball league fields." Hmmm, dedicated softball fields. If you were to count all of the ball fields in the county, I think you would be surprised at the number of fields. Here in lies the problem.
One of the issues that Wyoming is concerned about is that the proposed fields will be sucked up into the softball vacuum (see Ki Chi Saga Park, Rick Doyle ball fields, and Roger Johnson Memorial Park) and kids will be forced once again to go searching for an open field to use. Granted, the softball leagues have every right to use the fields, but should the leagues have a monopoly on ball fields?
What I think would really help this area out would be to incorporate a county-wide recreation program. Think about it, one central source in charge of scheduling all fields. This is not a landmark idea folks. There are many, many counties and cities that have recreation associations. And, you know what? They are doing just fine. People schedule the fields ahead of time and it just works out. Something to think about.
Well we have finally done it. We (Minnesota) have moved out of the top 10 most taxed states in the union. Not since 1979 have we been out of this prestigious category. Sadly, we have only dropped a couple of spots to number 12, but hey that's progress. It is a sign that both state and local governments are doing a good job of staying in check and carefully monitoring their expenses.
This Sunday is Father's Day. I hope you take some time out of your busy schedule to see or call your father and tell him how special he is and how much you love him. Although a lot of dads aren't around as much as they would like to be, usually they are working hard to provide a nice life for their families. Take it from someone who has lost his father, now is the time to tell your dad how you feel about him, not later. Trust me.
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