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This weekend is the very popular Almelund Threshing Show.  The show is a trip back in time to when farming ruled our communities.  A simpler (not easier) time where hard work was dominant not technology.  People lived off of the land, and it showed in how they took pride in their farms and their land.  The Threshing Show takes you back to those days.  You will feel like you have traveled back 70 years.
 
If you have never attended the show, I would encourage you to bring your friends and family.  Your senses will be treated to beautiful old tractors, farming equipment (most working still), a functioning Blossom County School, glass blowing, blacksmithing, and of course threshing exhibits.  

As if that is not enough, there is daily entertainment like tractor pulls, garden tractor pulls, a dance with the band "Killer Hayseeds", a dance with the "Rockin Hollywoods", a tractor raffle, and everyone's favorite, a tractor parade that meanders throughout the grounds.  This is the year I am going to win the tractor.  I'm going to park it right in my garage.

  There is wonderful food, everybody is in great moods, it's just a super relaxed great time.  I hope you can make it out.

Another great event this weekend is the Chisago Lakes Sportsmen's Club Family Picnic on Sunday.  Please do not let the name fool you.  It is not and I repeat not, an exclusive picnic.  Absolutely everyone is invited to attend.  The grounds open at 11 and the club features trap shooting, turkey spatter board, horseshoe competitions, volleyball, kids games, bingo and turtle races.  The club is located across the highway from the Library, between Lindstrom and Chisago City.  There will be great food and beverages as well.

Please remember to get out and vote on Tuesday.  I know it is just a Primary, but they are very important too.  If you have someone you hope makes it into office, this is your chance to support them.  This is your chance to shape the political landscape.  There is a list of polling places on pages 1 and  2 of this edition.

Thanks to all the folks who have taken advantage of our free want ad in the Search Shopper.  You too can get rid of anything you like priced under $750.  Think about it, you can sell your riding lawn mower, your ten-speed bike, your fishing boat, you name it.  All for free.  It is simple, all you have to do is fill out the form located on page 18 of this Press, drop it off here or at Brink’s Market, and boom, your ad will be seen by over 20,000 people per week. All you have to lose is clutter.

Restaurants, if you would like to be listed in our Restaurant Guide (see page 8), it is very simple.  Just call us at 651 257 5115 for your free listing.  It is a helpful guide that will attract customers to your restaurant.  What do you have to lose? Nothing.  What do you have to gain? More customers.

My family took a short trip to the North Shore last week.  With nothing planned, we set out with the intent of unwinding after a summer filled with baseball, and gymnastics.  The North Shore is one of my favorite places in the world.  There are so many places to explore and the best part is - they are all free or cheap.
We absolutely love hiking along the rivers that empty into Lake Superior.  Gooseberry Falls is a staple, but we have found that small rivers such as the Beaver River in Beaver Bay are so much fun to hike along.  

  We have had a few "You know what we should do" moments.  Such as, a person could open a bakery in Silver Bay and make a killing.  The only place to get a doughnut is at the Holiday.   Another revelation was to open a good mid-level restaurant between Silver Bay and Grand Marais.  There are either hole in the wall restaurants or resort white-linen restaurants, there is no in between.  So there you have it, I have given you an idea to get rich.  

Another would be, if you head to Grand Marais soon, plan on an extra three or four hour ride.  The whole stretch north of Silver Bay is ripped up and is single lane.  If you happen to eventually make it to Grand Marais, keep your eyes peeled for celebrities.  When we were there, we saw the very famous food writer Alice Nelson enjoying a doughnut.  She was a little distressed that the paparazzi had found her so far from home.

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