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I had the opportunity to take in an open house that was put on by this year's first Lego League robotics champions of Minnesota, a group of local kids.

Not knowing what to expect, and not expecting a big turnout, we decided to see what Lego robotics was all about. We were greeted by the four team members as we entered the Chisago Lakes Area Library. Each one of these kids was very friendly and very approachable which put the visiting children at ease.

These kids really put on a show. They displayed all of the jobs they have to complete in a certain amount of time using all Legos and a Lego engine they pre-program using a computer. All of these jobs have to be done in a very short time and the placement of objects has to be perfect or their score is docked. All of the kids at the open house were enthralled with these "big kids" and how they could make Legos do robot-like work.

After the demonstration, the group "Pixelation" did a brief skit that was their rendition of the hit television show Extreme Makeover. Their makeover was not on a house, but on the Chisago Lakes Library. Their skit was comical, but made some wonderful points on how to save energy heating the library. Pixelation met with the architect of the building, as well as engineers in the field of commercial heating and cooling and came up with some legitimate ways to ease the exorbitant library heating bills.

There is already a Lego program in the Primary School, but we were told that there is not a program available for youth of the same age as Pixilation (Pixilation consists of four home-schooled children). The Lego program would love to have sessions for older children, all they need is one thing -- someone to oversee it. If a parent or teacher would like to take the time, finding participants wouldn't be very difficult. The kids from Pixelation have offered their services as mentors or to help in any way they can. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, I encourage you to contact the school (either Lakeside or the Middle School). You have the chance to make some kids very happy.

March is Minnesota Food Share Month. While the need for food is constantly casting a shadow over the local pantries this month, this issue is in the spotlight because it is statewide. The good folks at the food shelf, along with the Lions Club, have set up drop bins around the area for your convenience. They are asking for non-perishable food donations of any sort. If you are like me, you have plenty of cans just sitting in your pantry that you will probably never eat. Why not take a minute to clean out your clutter and help someone at the same time?

Here are some of the places where you can make a donation: RiverBank, US Bank, Security State Bank, Lake Area Bank, Mainstreet Bank, Chisago Lakes Library, Chisago Lakes Chamber of Commerce and the Chisago County Press. I am very passionate about our food shelves, so I hope you can find the time to help some needy people.

We here at the Press would like to wish the Chisago Lakes Girls U12 B hockey team all the luck in the world. These awesome girls have skated all the way to the state finals. To tell you how good they are, there are only eight teams remaining playing for the title. The tournament begins this Friday night at 6 p.m. in Richfield. Good luck girls!

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