Threshing show is your chance to re-live farming of yesteryear

Can you possibly fathom that Ki Chi Saga Days are here? Ki Chi Saga Days to me always signified the end of summer. Yes, there were always a few weeks before school began, but it usually meant the State Fair was right behind. This has been one seriously odd summer. Maybe it was the fact that I spent four months on a baseball diamond. Maybe it was the fact that I was mowing my lawn at the end of May in snow. I'm not really sure, but either way the summer has flown by.

I digress, something fun is coming our way. The annual Almelund Threshing Show is here. The show begins Friday with a youth tractor safety clinic. Friday at 5 p.m., the Threshing grounds will get a little more crowded. That's because the tractor pull and dance are two of the most popular events at the show. Saturday there is a kids pedal tractor pull that you can enter you child in. I have some friends that did this and their kids made it to the national pedal tractor pull in Fargo. Don't miss the tractor parade either, it takes place every day at 1 p.m. and features hundreds of tractors, new and old, driving in a line around the threshing grounds. Saturday there is another round of tractor pulls and the Killer Hayseeds will be the headline band in the beer garden. Sunday, if you are worried about missing church, you can attend a service right on the threshing grounds at 9 a.m. There is a garden tractor pull that begins at 10 and then an antique tractor pull that begins at 2 p.m. If it sounds like all that's there is tractors, I apologize.

There are a ton of things to do for families. There is a petting zoo, a flea market, glass blowing, kids games, quilt exhibits, a blacksmith shop, a car show, a barber shop just to list a few. It is literally a step back in time. I would encourage your family to come out and please bring the camera. Speaking of the Threshing Show, Marge Strand runs the collectibles exhibit at the show. Visitors walk through and judge the best antique collection displayed in the historic courthouse building. If you have a hidden gem that you would like to safely display, please give Marge a call at 651 442 6310. The summer is quickly coming to an end, and kids are getting antsy. They all want to do something “fun” before school starts. Apparently mowing the lawn and putting laundry away doesn’t qualify as “fun”. Here is a great idea that is local and “fun”.

Why not take the kids to Wild Mountain? We took our kids their recently and they had an absolute blast. There are waterslides of every level, go-carts, alpine slides, and my favorite, the lazy river. This is a great way for you to shine in your kid’s eyes. This Sunday marks the 58th annual Chisago Lakes Sportsmen’s Picnic. There will be a huge hole this year with Sherwin Johnson not there. But the show must go on, so everyone at the picnic is determined to make this the best picnic ever as a tribute to Sherwin. Because the picnic is at the Sportsmen’s Club, doesn’t mean the picnic is limited to members. In fact, the public is invited and encouraged to attend the picnic. The picnic is filled with fun stuff for families of all ages. You can take part in trap shooting, volleyball, horseshoes, bingo and kids games.

There is even a turtle race where your children can win prizes if their turtle is the fastest. Kids will also take part in the ever-popular aerial candy drop, where candy drops out of the sky and the kids scramble to collect as much as possible. The picnic begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 5:30 p.m. I hope you can make it. In two weeks Ki Chi Saga Days comes to town. I will have more about it next week, but there are a few events that require your attention now. One of those is the Little Miss Ki Chi Saga pageant. Girls in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade are encouraged to write an essay abut the importance of local growers and how they affect our local businesss and cities. You are encouraged to go to the Chisago City website and download the entry form. The entry must be received by August 9. There is still time for vendors and people hoping to participate in the grand day parade to join. Again, please visit the city website for registration details.