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As we near the dead of winter, that can only mean two things. The Celebration of the Lakes and the Home, Garden and Business Show are just around the corner.

The Celebration of the Lakes will take place at the end of this month on North Center Lake in Center City. If you have never attended the Celebration of the Lakes event, ask anyone who has. They will tell you that it is one of the most entertaining, laid back, and picturesque events our area has.

Judging by the hundreds and hundreds of people at the celebration last year, I think the word had gotten out. We had spectacular weather last year, and hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate again this year. Keep an eye on the Press in the next few weeks, we will have ads letting you know when events are taking place and how you can participate in them.

The 2010 Home, Garden and Business Show is at the end of February and also saw huge numbers last year. This year, we are looking to build on an already great show, and we need your help. If you own a business or you know someone who owns a business that you think the public would really enjoy learning about, I encourage you to contact Chisago Lakes Community Ed at 651-213-2600 or call the Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce at 651-257-1177.

The Home Show is a wonderful convention that has so many different types of businesses, shouldn't your business be there as well?

Keeping on the Home Show subject. We are still looking for a few more entertainment slots to fill the show. If you have a talent, maybe musical, or maybe you want to do a demonstration that is related to your business, and you would be interested in performing at the Home Show, please call the numbers I listed earlier.

If your business is going to be in the show, a great opportunity to get your name out there is to advertise in our 2010 Home, Garden and Business tabloid. We are in the process of gathering ads and valuable information for our tab. The circular allows you to advertise your business a few weeks prior to the show and also will be available at the entrance of the show. The great thing about the tabloid is that people will take it home after the show and use it to call businesses that interested them. Don't miss your chance to get in this year's tab, please call 651-257-5115 and one of our sales people will be glad to help you create an inviting message to get the public through your front door.

I need to clarify something that I had written in previous articles. I have been asking you if you had any used medical equipment or exercise equipment to be donated to the Health Equipment Lending Program (HELP).

I apologize, I never should have included exercise equipment in the discussion. They are only looking for medical equipment, not exercise equipment.

If you do have any medical equipment that you would like to donate, you are encouraged to call 651-257-4306. Someone will be more than glad to help you out.

We are nearing the inevitable, no, not the end of the world, I am referring to split pairs in Lindstrom. I have had a few meetings with both local government officials and our Chamber of Commerce. We have decided that the City of Lindstrom needs to be proactive about the upcoming construction, rather than sit back and hope for the best.

What we decided, is that we (as a community) need to figure out ways to bring people to the City of Lindstrom during construction time. Maybe it is some kind of weekly event that would offer incentives for people to come, or maybe incentives to the businesses of Lindstrom to help them weather the construction. Here is where we need your help. We would like to hear your ideas. We have some outstanding, creative people in our community that I know can think of fun ways to get people into Lindstrom during construction. Maybe you think a monster truck race down Highway 8 would be fun, who knows? I will promise you that every suggestion will be looked at and taken into consideration.

You can email your ideas to [email protected]. Please put Highway 8 idea in the subject line. Thanks, and hopefully we use some of your ideas.

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