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Trinity Church and some really great volunteers are doing something really special. They have been collecting coats and other winter clothing items to be given out in their annual OuterWear Fair.

The OuterWear Fair will be held in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lindstrom on Thursday and Friday, October 15-16 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturday, October 17 from 9 a.m. until noon. If you or someone you know is in need of winter clothing and has fallen upon tough times, please come to Trinity for the fair. There's all kinds of winter clothing available for kids, adults and babies.

All items are free, so please get there early. In the past, the crowds have been quite large and I expect much of the same this year.

The folks that put on the fair would like me to remind you that even though the fair is this week, you can still donate your winter items. You see, after the fair, the need for outerwear is still high. All winter long, winter wear is given to those in need. So, if you would like to donate, please bring your winter wear to Trinity Lutheran Church in Lindstrom. And most importantly, thank you.

If you read the Search Shopper this past weekend, you probably noticed our full color center spread. October is National Car Care Month. This means October is usually the time of year when people bring their vehicles in to ready them for winter. Many do-it-yourselfers use this time for oil changes, radiator flushes, windshield wiper changes etc.

We here at the Press are excited to present you the consumer some wonderful advertising from local automotive repair shops, automotive retail stores, car washes and of course, automotive dealers.

We have some really great automotive places of business in our area, which you will find in this edition of the Press. If your vehicle is in need of repair or if you are looking to upgrade your existing vehicle, please look in our Car Care section. I am positive you will find what you are looking for.

Please forgive the slimness of this edition of the Press. It seems the pre-winter sickness has struck the County Press. Last week we had a skeleton crew working, with the majority of employees home in bed. It looks like we are turning the corner this week, and we look forward to getting back into the swing of things for next week's edition.

If you would like to keep the memories about the Traveling Vietnam Wall that was in our area recently, you are in luck. Rich and Shari Bachman have compiled tons and tons of photos they took of all phases of the Wall experience.

You can now purchase a DVD with all of those powerful, moving memories. Look for the order form in the County Press and the Search Shopper, or call 651-257-9380. Supplies are limited.

Last week, when the Press employees started dropping like flies, I decided to make a decision. I decided to get a flu shot. I have only had the flu shot once before in my life, and as I recall, I came down with what seemed like the flu that year. This year, I decided that I really didn't want to put my children's health in jeopardy by me getting sick, so I got the shot.

After discussing it, we decided that maybe it would be a good idea for the whole family to get flu shots. Since we were visiting family in Minneapolis, we saw a sign for flu shots at a chain drugstore. After quite a bit of hemming and hawing from the backseat, we went in. While we were filling out the forms we were informed that anyone under 10 had to get their shot elsewhere. So we decided to get two shots anyway and would later figure out where to get my daughter immunized.

We were a little surprised when the pharmacist walked out with two needles and administered the shots. He told us that a registered nurse had to give shots to children under 10. Thinking we would have to wait and make an appointment with the clinic, he suggested we try the grocery store across the street.

Soon we were waiting in a grocery store for our last flu shot. As we were sitting there I couldn't help but wonder, is there anything you can't get at these massive grocery stores? As I looked around, I saw a grocery store, a video store, a bank, a pharmacy, a clinic, a booth that helps with Medicaid, and a tax booth. Sitting there, I realized how much I enjoy our small town atmosphere. Is this big box all in one shopping convenient? Yes. Is it comfortable, pleasant and personable?  Absolutely not.

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