Bad economy? Don't tell the city of Harris; please give to the local food shelf if you can

There is something really cool happening in Harris.  That’s right Harris.  The Country Charm Mercantile has just opened its doors in downtown Harris.  Under the same roof, you will find the Organic Bulk Pantry which offers organic products for baking and cooking.  There is also a business called 2nd Time Around Thrift Store.  2nd Time Around sells clean, slightly used items.  There is also a store called Shirley’s Forget Me Not Antiques which features hand made items and consignment antiques.

I personally know the person who has spearheaded this business growth spurt in Harris.  Many of you do as well.  It is Cathy Gervais from the Lindstrom Post Office.  Those of you who know her, know she is one of the greatest people in the world.  Cathy is my mentor, my friend and my sounding board.  I am telling you this folks, if you come out to Harris, you will not be disappointed.

If your family is looking for a little bit of entertainment and you don’t feel like traveling, come to the Chisago Lakes High School.  That is where you will find the 2012 Chisago Lakes Talent Show.  The show will feature great high school kids performing some amazing acts.  You will see singing, music acts, skits and much more.  The shows run March 22 - 24 at 7 p.m.

Please remember that March is National Food Share Month.  This means the need for donations is at its highest and we can help.  I know I badger you about this all the time, but if there is one thing that I am totally passionate about it is our local food shelves.  Why?  Look at it this way, if you make a food donation albeit large or small, that donation is guaranteed to be on one of your neighbor’s dinner table sometime soon.  How much more of a direct corelation could there possibly be?  What you give helps people around you.  You may think that you have nothing to give, but if you take a close look in your pantry, I guarantee you will find at least one non-perishable food item that you can part with.  Your neighbors will thank you for it, the food shelf will thank you for it, and I thank you for it.

If you recently received an email from my home email, please do not open it.  Steve, the owner of Pizza Man in Lindstrom called to let me know he did receive one such email.  The email talks about making your website into a mobile website, but when you click on the sample website it crashes your computer.  If you did receive an email from my home account and opened it, I apologize.  Apparently these people hacked into our email and used our accounts to send the emails out.   It all gets back to having a tough password to crack.  Apparently your last name and then 1234 is not very difficult to track.  The folks at Frontier told me to change our password every few months or so.  

On April 1, Palm Sunday, there will be a very special concert in Center City.  The Gustavus Adolphus College Choir will be performing at the Chisago Lake Lutheran Church in Center City.  Please make plans to attend the concert which is celebrating their 150th year in existence.

  My family went on what I like to call a “micro” vacation last weekend.  We spent a few days up north not doing anything, mostly just relaxing and enjoying each other along with some friends.  On Wednesday when I got back to work, I had a gentleman waiting to discuss a few things with me.  Once in my office, he began to tell me just how horrible the paper is and how he’s never seen a paper this bad in his entire life (Don’t worry, I’m a big boy, I can handle complaints).  After listening to him, he finished with a comment on how my dad would have never done something like this.  

  After he left, I got to thinking.  It really sparks me when people bring my dad up.  Especially when I am being compared to him.  Who in their right mind can tell me what my dad would be thinking?  I like to think I knew him the best, after all, I spent 35 years of my life with him.  How does someone know how a person who has been deceased for almost 10 years now would react to something this week?  I can’t ever remember telling someone that their deceased mother would be so disappointed in what they are doing now.  

  As far as my dad truly feeling disappointed in how I am running the Press now, you have to believe me folks, if he were to walk through the door right now, I would gladly hand him the keys and say have at it.  I didn’t buy the Press.  I didn’t plan on ever working here.  I didn’t inherit it in a will.  I simply tried to keep it running while at the same time supporting the 11 employees who work here.  I have every year set goals for making this a better paper and for the most part have done so (I guess it depends whom you ask).  Is this newspaper perfect?  No.  Is any newspaper perfect?  No.  But you have my word that we are trying like mad to make it the best paper in the State.  I know I can’t please everyone, apparently not even my dad. 

There is something really cool happening in Harris.  That’s right Harris.  The Country Charm Mercantile has just opened its doors in downtown Harris.  Under the same roof, you will find the Organic Bulk Pantry which offers organic products for baking and cooking.  There is also a business called 2nd Time Around Thrift Store.  2nd Time Around sells clean, slightly used items.  There is also a store called Shirley’s Forget Me Not Antiques which features hand made items and consignment antiques.

I personally know the person who has spearheaded this business growth spurt in
Harris.  Many of you do as well.  It is Cathy Gervais from the Lindstrom Post Office.  Those of you who know her, know she is one of the greatest people in the world.  Cathy is my mentor, my friend and my sounding board.  I am telling you this folks, if you come out to Harris, you will not be disappointed.

If your family is looking for a little bit of entertainment and you don’t feel like traveling, come to the Chisago Lakes High School.  That is where you will find the 2012 Chisago Lakes Talent Show.  The show will feature great high school kids performing some amazing acts.  You will see singing, music acts, skits and much more.  The shows run March 22 - 24 at 7 p.m.

Please remember that March is National Food Share Month.  This means the need for donations is at its highest and we can help.  I know I badger you about this all the time, but if there is one thing that I am totally passionate about it is our local food shelves.  Why?  Look at it this way, if you make a food donation albeit large or small, that donation is guaranteed to be on one of your neighbor’s dinner table sometime soon.  How much more of a direct corelation could there possibly be?  What you give helps people around you.  You may think that you have nothing to give, but if you take a close look in your pantry, I guarantee you will find at least one non-perishable food item that you can part with.  Your neighbors will thank you for it, the food shelf will thank you for it, and I thank you for it.

If you recently received an email from my home email, please do not open it.  Steve, the owner of Pizza Man in Lindstrom called to let me know he did receive one such email.  The email talks about making your website into a mobile website, but when you click on the sample website it crashes your computer.  If you did receive an email from my home account and opened it, I apologize.  Apparently these people hacked into our email and used our accounts to send the emails out.   It all gets back to having a tough password to crack.  Apparently your last name and then 1234 is not very difficult to track.  The folks at Frontier told me to change our password every few months or so.  

On April 1, Palm Sunday, there will be a very special concert in Center City.  The Gustavus Adolphus College Choir will be performing at the Chisago Lake Lutheran Church in Center City.  Please make plans to attend the concert which is celebrating their 150th year in existence.

  My family went on what I like to call a “micro” vacation last weekend.  We spent a few days up north not doing anything, mostly just relaxing and enjoying each other along with some friends.  On Wednesday when I got back to work, I had a gentleman waiting to discuss a few things with me.  Once in my office, he began to tell me just how horrible the paper is and how he’s never seen a paper this bad in his entire life (Don’t worry, I’m a big boy, I can handle complaints).  After listening to him, he finished with a comment on how my dad would have never done something like this.  
 

  After he left, I got to thinking.  It really sparks me when people bring my dad up.  Especially when I am being compared to him.  Who in their right mind can tell me what my dad would be thinking?  I like to think I knew him the best, after all, I spent 35 years of my life with him.  How does someone know how a person who has been deceased for almost 10 years now would react to something this week?  I can’t ever remember telling someone that their deceased mother would be so disappointed in what they are doing now.  
 

  As far as my dad truly feeling disappointed in how I am running the Press now, you have to believe me folks, if he were to walk through the door right now, I would gladly hand him the keys and say have at it.  I didn’t buy the Press.  I didn’t plan on ever working here.  I didn’t inherit it in a will.  I simply tried to keep it running while at the same time supporting the 11 employees who work here.  I have every year set goals for making this a better paper and for the most part have done so (I guess it depends whom you ask).  Is this newspaper perfect?  No.  Is any newspaper perfect?  No.  But you have my word that we are trying like mad to make it the best paper in the State.  I know I can’t please everyone, apparently not even my dad.