Too much rain? Depends on who you ask; Svens is opening a beautiful new store

Can you believe just how much rain we have gotten in the last week or so? We intentionally left our rain guage after the first big rains early last week. Yesterday, after the brief deluge that came out of nowhere, our guage read five and a half inches of rain. Unbelieveable.

The lakes have risen which is great news for fishermen and lake home owners. The down side to all of this rain is that our newly formed lakes on First Street have also grown. If you have been through Lindstrom in the last week, you surely have seen the lakes behind Goldstar Printworks, in front of the Post Office, and behind Koehn Auto. The road construction was moving along great before the rains hit. And hit. And hit. Speaking of construction, I need to remind you that every business is being affected by the road construction. You would think that just Lindstrom businesses are feeling the crunch of construction, but all Chisago Lakes businesses are feeling it. There are people, for whatever reason, who are avoiding the area completely. I am here to ask you, no implore you to do whatever you can to help. Any dollar that you can spend locally is desperately needed right now. You spending locally will not fatten some already wealthy business owner’s wallet. It will simply help them pay the bills and stay open during these tough times. If you remember, a few weeks back I asked you to take part in a buy local program. While some of you have been (and I thank you for that), there are still plenty of people out there that have yet to apply this principle. It is simple, if we commit to spending $25 per week locally, we will make a huge difference in ensuring our town(s) survive not only road construction, but the tough economic times as well. $25.

If you think about it, you can spend $25 in the blink of an eye, whether it be at the grocery store, gas station, restaurant or gift shop. So why on earth would we go somewhere else when we can keep those monies in our backyard?

If you attended one of the many Memorial services this weekend, thank you. A huge thank you to the service men and women who took part in these services. I always make a point to take my family with, and at the very least one of my children. This year, my son attended the service with me. He asked why we always go to the services. I explained how it was the very least we could do to honor the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. I fully believe he understands the magnitude of the sacrifices made. After the ceremony, we made a pact. He gave me his word that he would continue to attend Memorial Services no matter where he was in life. Whether he is a busy college student or trying to raise a couple of kids, he agreed to make the time to honor our fallen soldiers. If I have ever ingrained anything into his head, hopefully this is one of those times.

Speaking of my son, I learned something interesting this week. Apparently his sixth grade english teacher has been having a little fun at my expense. It seems they like to take Matt Silver’s weekly article and pick it apart to see how many mistakes they can find. This has been going on for months, and my son just decided to tell me now. If there is ever a person who can take some teasing, it would be me. I am just glad I got to help with her curriculum this year. My daughter will be in the same class next year sooo.. I hop yu kidz enjoi reden thiss and hav a grate summr mrz forcier.

Something very special has taken place in Chisago City. Sven’s, whom we all know as the shoe/gift shop just west of Chisago City has opened a new store. The store is located in front of Brink’s Market in the same building the car wash used to operate in. If you thought the old store was neat, you will be in for a major surprise. This store is incredible. It’s beautiful, it’s huge, and it’s very easy to get to. Marie and her wonderful group of employees would love for you to stop by and see what a marvelous store they have built. Svens has long been a staple in our community and we are lucky to have them. Their grand opening is Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3. They will be giving out free hot dogs and refreshments.

Local resident and business person M.J. Savaiano is planning a trip. Not a trip like you and I would take. Not a trip up north to a cabin. She is taking a trip with a group of students to India. The trip is being called “Road to the Himalayas”. She and her students will embark soon for their month long trip and they would like to invite you. Before you get your passports ready and your clothes packed, they are inviting you to follow them on Facebook. They have set us a really neat, interactive Facebook page that will be updated daily and visitors are asked to corespond with the group. It is a really great way to experience a trip to a foreign land from right here in Chisago County.

The group will be posting photos daily and offering opinions on what they have seen that day. We have created a link on our website for you to follow them. Just go to our home page and on the left side you will see a link that reads: FOLLOW STUDENTS IN INDIA. Just click on the link and you will be directed to their Facebook page. You are encouraged to participate in converstaions with the group. I think it sounds like an exciting trip that we can all watch from our computers.