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I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy Ki Chi Saga Days last weekend. The weather was spectacular once again. I was in town six or seven times during the celebration and every time I was there it was absolutely packed.

My family attended the sand castle contest and there had to be 12 to 15 teams building their dream castle. I cannot recall 12 to 15 teams ever entering the contest before. The kids fishing tournament had tons of kids who all seemed to be catching fish on Saturday morning.

Congratulations to Jenae Carlson. Jenae is the new Little Miss Ki Chi Saga. Her essay was picked and she will now represent Ki Chi Saga Days in upcoming events.

All in all, the weekend was a huge success. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Thanks to the Ki Chi Saga Days committee for all their hard work and countless hours of volunteering to make this year's event so great.

We attended this year's Jack Doepke production " The Ghost of Camp Ojiketa" on Saturday night. It was held in Strom Hall on the grounds of Ojiketa Regional Park. What a fantastic place to hold a play. It seated close to 200 people and there was not a bad seat in the house.

The pageant which calls itself an oddball mystery was just that. It mixed in very funny local actors portraying campers from Camp Ojiketa along with boys from the old YMCA Camp and camp directors, and the police chief. I will say one thing about these pageants, they are very informative. Throughout the play, the narrators Alice Magnuson (who plays a mean bugle) and Mike Siemsen explain the history of Ojiketa and its surroundings. The narration is accompanied by wonderful slides showing photos from the past.

The crowd was greeted by a group of women who had camped at Ojiketa when they were girls. There is just something special about these productions. Maybe it's the intimate settings or maybe it's the actors who everyone knows because they reside here, either way, it is just plain fun. Nice job to the cast and to Jack for all your hard work.

Now that the State Fair is up and running, that can only mean one thing, school starts soon. As much as our kids are in denial and refuse to talk about the "S" word, we as parents know parents serenity is just around the corner.

The one constant here is the need for school supplies. I am talking about clothing, shoes, backpacks, and supplies. Why am I stating the obvious? Everyone knows kids need new stuff for school, I have not cracked the DaVinci Code here. The reason I am writing this is to remind you to please, please try shopping local before you venture into the big city. I don't need to reiterate how tough times are for businesses, but these local businesses are your neighbors. They are your kids friend's parents, and they need our support. We have some truly amazing businesses locally that offer high quality merchandise at affordable pricing. Give them a try before you spend an extra $15 in gas to "save" a buck on a pair of shoes.

If your family is like ours, we're trying to fit in all the summer activities we haven't done yet. Here is another great opportunity for some fun. Wild Mountain is helping out the LARA fast pitch softball program by offering family discounts on Superday Passes, boat tours, and canoe or kayak rentals. For every activity booked online Wild Mountain will donate a portion of the sales to LARA fast pitch softball. Register at wildmoun tain.com and use the code FSLE for Superday passes, YT56 for the boat tours, and 26ZN for the canoe or kayak rental. Have fun!

If you are a golfer and you are looking for a fun tournament to enter with your friends, look no further. The Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual community golf tournament on September 1. Held at the Chisago Lakes Golf Estates, the tournament is a four person scramble which features tons of door prizes as well as a silent auction filled with wonderful items. The entry fee includes dinner afterwards in the Gallery Bar and Grill. Please call 651-257-1177 for more details or to register.

There is a great program taking place in October. Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit organization committed to feeding hungry children around the world. I am sure you have seen snippets of the organization on television. It involves Children and adults hand packing meals that are specifically formulated for malnourished children. The meals are packaged on site and then shipped to over 70 countries around the world.

Chisago Lakes will be hosting their mobile pack on October 28 &29 at the Chisago Lakes Free Church by the high school. Friday, the shift will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and a second shift will begin at 8:30 and run until 10:30 p.m. Saturday the first shift will run 9 to 11 a.m. and the second will begin at 11:30 a.m. and run until 1:30 p.m. You may register for a packing shift on September 7 at www.fmsc.org Donations for the program are always welcome and you can donate by going to www.lakesfree.org and clicking on Feed My Starving Children. If you would like to mail a check, please send it to Lakes Free Church, PO Box 777, Lindstrom, MN 55045. Please write Event # 1110-111. Thanks and hopefully we will see you there.

It was a very emotional time last week. Nick Spehar, a local war hero, was tragically killed in the war in Afghanistan.

Never really having been through something like this, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was absolutely blown away with the hundreds and hundreds of people that came out to show their respects for Nick. They came out when Nick was brought back to our area. They came out for his visitation. They even came out when the procession to Saint Paul left town.

It gives me goosebumps thinking how much love and respect this community has for our service people and for great kids like Nick Spehar. Thank you for your support and thank you Nick for our freedom.

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