Come out and support the Triathlon; Center City Days is this weekend

I really hope you come out and support the Chisago Lakes Triathlon this weekend. Remember the Kid Triathlon takes place on Saturday with registration at 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. The actual race begins at 9 a.m. Sunday is the big one. The race begins at Paradise Park with the swim at 7 a.m. followed by the bike and finally the run. As I mentioned last week, we are still in need of volunteers so please call 257-1177 to help. If not, just being along the route (map on page 9 in this paper) cheering would be greatly appreciated.

This weekend, the celebrations keep on rolling. Center City Days begins today with an indoor rummage sale at the Chisago Lake Lutheran Church. Make a side dish of your favorite recipe and head to Water Tower Park Friday at 6 p.m. for a community potluck dinner. Later head to the fire hall for a night of cash bingo. Saturday, you are invited to a craft fair at the Swedish Village Mall parking lot. There will be many vendors as well as inflatable games for the kids. The Swedish Village Restaurant will be offering great deals on brats, corn dogs and malts all day. They will also be the host of a cribbage tournament that begins at noon. Dress your young ones up and enter the kiddie parade which starts at 1;30 p.m. at City Hall. The River City Cloggers will take the main stage on Summit Avenue at 2 p.m. followed by Kosmic Kip Karaoke and then a street dance featuring Andrew Spreck & Bob Colbert. On Sunday, you are invited to a pancake breakfast at the fire hall. Then a classic car show will be held in the mall parking lot beginning at 11 a.m. Chisago Lake Lutheran will then host an ice cream social at 1:30 p.m. and finally, come to Lorens Park to view the Center Lakes Association Boat Parade at 3 p.m. So, as you can see, there is plenty to do for people of all ages.

The Vitalis family had the service for their son Alex last weekend. The outpouring of love and support was mind blowing. There must have been 300 people in line at the visitation when my family was there. They planned for overflow for the funeral because First United Lutheran Church is quite small. They had the Taylors Falls Elementary School gym for those who could not fit in the church. There was a video and audio feed for people to observe the service. Unfortunately, there were technical issues with the feed and sadly attendees were unable to see little if any feed from the service. The Vitalis family feels bad about the feed, and reserved the PAC Center at the High School for this Sunday evening. People who attended the funeral and people who might have been busy are encouraged to come and pay their respects. The full funeral will be broadcast at the PAC. It will be a time for people who didn’t get a chance to attend to pay their final respects.  The service will begin at 5 p.m. at the high school.

The awesome people at Edward Jones Chisago City and Lindstrom are once again doing something great. They are asking the community to help children less fortunate. They are asking for donations of school supplies. Back packs, pens, pencils, paper, calculators, if kids use it in school - they will take it. I remember a few years ago we had a story about a student teacher asking for backpacks for the same reason and we had over 80 backpacks donated. Let’s do the same thing this year. You can drop off your donations at either Edward Jones office or here at the Press.  Thank you.

Suicide occurs most often in those who suffer from mental illnesses. Depression is the most common mental illness. Depression is not just a bad mood or a phase; it is a serious medical condition. In most cases depression and other mental illnesses can be treated, but the problem needs to be diagnosed by a professional. Suicide can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities. While its causes are complex and determined by multiple factors, the goal of suicide prevention is simple: Reduce factors that increase risk, and increase factors that promote resilience. One of the most important aspects of suicide prevention is support. The person who is struggling needs to know that you support and love him or her, and that you are willing to help them find hope in life again. A few months back, I wrote about a tile ad and a wonderful organization that I have become associated with call Face It. They deal with mental illness - mainly depression and different ways (non traditional) of treating it.

A wonderful program that I hope at least one of you who is battling depression has looked into. I am proud to say that I have found another wonderful group that also cares about mental health in our area. The founders of Stomp Out Suicide are inviting the public to take part in the Alissa Haines Stomp Out Suicide 5k Run/Walk. The event takes place August 24, but the reason for early notice is to get pledges and block off a spot on your calendar now. I hope you can take part in this great event at Goodview Park in Wyoming and help people raise awareness at the same time.m Please see the tile ad on our website chisagocountypress.com.