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My daughter and I decided last Saturday to venture over to Ojiketa Regional Park and check out the Halloween Festival that Chisago City was putting on for the youth in our area.

Wow. I could not believe how many people were there. There had to be 400 people there and we went at the very end of the festival. There were kids doing Halloween crafts, getting Halloween tattoos, kids making smoke in a cauldron, kids playing games and most importantly, kids trick or treating from one cabin to another. There was a huge line of people waiting to take a horse and carriage ride around the park grounds.

What an unbelievable job by Doris Zacho and all of the great people who helped with this year's celebration. The kids were having a blast and from what I could see, so were the adults. Thank you.

We here at the Press are once again beginning to work on our annual Chisago Lakes Community and Visitors guide. We are always looking for ideas on how to really showcase our area, whether it is photos or articles. This is where you come in. We are looking for wonderful story ideas that would be great additions to our guide. Maybe you know the history about a really neat area that few people even know exists. Maybe you have an idea on what visitors might look for when visiting our area.

We are also looking for some great photos to be included in our guide this year. Last year I solicited the readers and only got a few responses. So if you get a chance to look through your photos, we are looking for Chisago Lakes area photos that really signify Chisago Lakes. You are encouraged to send them to: Chisago County Press attn: Community Guide, PO Box 748, Lindstrom MN, 55045. We promise to to look at each and every photo we receive. If your photo is used in the guide, we will give you full photo credit under the picture.

There are still tickets remaining for the first annual Wrestling Fundraiser. The fundraiser takes place tomorrow (Fri.) at the Chisago City Community Center. The cost of the event is $100, which gets you two dinners, drink tickets and entry into the raffle. The raffle features quite a few drawings that include firearms, jewelry, cash and of course the grand prize of $10,000.

Money raised from the fundraiser will go directly back into the Chisago Lakes wrestling programs for items such as uniforms, equipment, and mats.

If you would still like to go, please call Joe Virga at 651-257-1000 to purchase your tickets.

I have long said that we have some of the greatest advertisers in the world in our area. Once again, I am proven right.

I hope you had a chance to read the article about The Refuge last week. The Refuge operates a shelter for women and children who have been and currently are dealing with domestic violence.

How does The Refuge tie in with one of our advertisers? Forest Lake Cleaners saw the article and decided they could help. Lisa, who runs Forest Lake Cleaners, has offered to clean any business formal or business casual items to be donated to the Refuge. She has also offered to clean any blankets that will be donated. Not only will they clean the items, they are willing to do it for free. So please, if you are planning on donating to The Refuge, let Lisa and the Forest Lake Cleaners help out. Thank you Lisa. Forest Lake Cleaners are located behind White Castle off of Broadway, in Forest Lake.

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