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Thank you so much to the great men and women who put together this year's OuterWear Fair. Held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lindstrom, the OuterWear Fair collected hundreds and hundreds of outerwear items ranging from winter jackets to winter boots. These items were then separated into kinds of clothing and sizes.

I took a photo of just some of the organizers on the first day of the fair. I was blown away with all of the coats, gloves, and boots that people had donated. I noticed that this year there was a new pile of items in the middle of the room. I was told that these were donated blankets that were to be given out. They also pointed out that there were a whole bunch of fleece throw blankets in those piles of blankets. These throws were made especially for the OuterWear Fair by some great people from Trinity.

Friday night my son and I dropped off a bag of winter wear for the fair and I could not believe my eyes. There was so much winter wear gone in just one afternoon of dispersement. Last year over 107 families took advantage of the OuterWear Fair. I have yet to hear this year's numbers, I am guessing that they will be much greater than last year.

If you donated to the fair this year, thank you so much. Your donations were greatly appreciated. If you were one of the many volunteers who helped make this year's OuterWear Fair such a success, god bless you. We have some unbelievable people in our community, and they never rest.

One of my favorite community events has to be the annual Celebration of the Lakes festival. As most of you know, it has become a fan favorite of locals, which is evident in the ever increasing attendance numbers. Sadly, we have just one year left with one of the most important cogs in the Celebration of the Lakes machine.

John Schmidt who has served as the balloon event coordinator is going to step down after this year's Celebration of the Lakes. John has been instrumental in the scheduling of hot air balloons as well as pilot communication and much much more.

To say John will be sorely missed, well that would be the understatement of the year, but at the same time, it opens the door for a new opportunity for someone. The Chamber of Commerce is looking for that someone. If you, or someone you know, have a passion for hot air balloons, local celebrations, and love to coordinate, you could be the one they are looking for. If the Chamber finds the right person in time, they will be lucky enough to have that person train under John for this year's celebration of the Lakes. John is a wonderful person, and training with him will be a pleasure for whomever takes the coordinator position. If interested, you are encouraged to call the Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce at 651-257-1177.

We apparently had some County Presses that either didn't get delivered in time or not at all last week. It seems like it was mostly a North Branch route that was affected. We have checked into it, and the papers did in fact go out in the mail. For whatever reason they did not make it to some reader's mail boxes. I would like to personally apologize to those readers for not getting their papers. I take full responsibility for the mishap and I will take all the steps necessary to make sure it does not happen again.

As we near Halloween, parents and kids are always looking for Halloween entertainment. This year, Chisago City along with some really great volunteers, have put together something really special. You and your family and friends are invited to Ojiketa Regional Park for their first ever Haunted House. Held mostly in the Zonta Hall, you will find spooky creatures throughout the park. There will be a bonfire, treats available for purchase, and even a classic movie. The cost is only $2, which goes towards next year's haunted house. Check out the ad in this Press and the next Search Shopper.

The haunted house opens today and runs Thursday through Saturdays this and next weekend. We hope to see you there!

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