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As Halloween draws closer, so builds the excitement in the children. We have one that has just exited the trick-or-treating age and is a challenge to keep interested. Luckily, our area has some terriffic events that are right up his alley.

If corn mazes interest you, you are in luck. We have some really great ones. If it is haunted houses you yearn for, look no further than Ojiketa Regional Park. Beginning this weekend, you can brave the haunted walk and house that is filled with famous monsters you remember from horror films. The haunt runs Friday and Saturday evenings and cost is $5 or $3 if you bring a canned food donation.

For the younger children, Ojiketa Park will be hosting their annual Falloween Festival. The festival will feature hayrides, a child friendly haunted house, a treasure hunt, trick-or-treating, face painting, a magic show, and a costume contest. Bring your children all dressed for Halloween and remember to bring a food shelf donation. The festival begins at 2:30 and runs until 4:30 p.m.

Please remember the Kids Outerwear Fair will be up and running next week. Beginning on Thursday October 27, the Fair will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The clothes will be distributed to those in need with no questions asked. The fair is held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lindstrom. Please see the ad in this Press.

Have you ever heard that old saying "Where were you?" It is always attached to some sort of significant point in time. You know what I mean.. the Royal Wedding, O.J. Simpson's incredibly slow police chase, Twins winning the World Series for the second time... I could go on and on. As I was sitting in our living room Sunday evening, I was reflecting on just how busy our lives have become. I won't bore you with the details, because most of you have lives that make mine look like I have nothing going. Anyway, I was sitting watching the television with my family. We had the Minnesota Vikings game on and even allowed our kids to stay up a little later than normal. They eventually started to nod off and we ushered them to bed. Pretty soon I was alone. Just me and the big screen. The Vikings were losing by ten points. Their quarterback had one decent drive the entire night and things were looking somewhat brighter. Then it happened. He skipped what seems like his twentieth ball at our receiver's feet. Three and out. The punter comes in and kicks an eighteen yard punt. Eighteen yards? At that very moment, I turn and look at the microwave clock in the kitchen. The clock read 9:19 p.m. That is "Where I was" when I officially jumped off the Viking bandwagon. If you happen to drive by my house during a Viking game, odds are you will see me out in the yard doing anything but watching the Vikes.

In this weekend's Search Shopper, you will find our third annual Education Tab. The tab is filled with great information about post high school options as well as options for adults who are considering a career change.

The tab is filled with advertising from some great post secondary schools that are just a short drive from here. We hope you enjoy the tab and hope it serves as a reference tool for you.

If you are in the mood to get out in the beautiful sunshine this weekend, why not go pick up some pumpkins? We have quite a few pumpkin patches in our area and they all have great things to offer.

One of our other favorite fall things to do is to pick apples. Okay, I lied. We don't pick apples, but we do go to the orchards and pick them up. The apples are unbelievably tasty right now. It's like eating a piece of candy that's good for you.

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