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There are still a few tickets available for the Chisago Lakes Rotary’s “Love Boat Cruisino”.  It’s a great night filled with bingo, a full fledged casino (not real money), live music with a cash bar and snacks.  It all takes place Friday evening at Frankie’s Marine’s new showroom and runs from 6 - 11 pm.  

Your ticket ($25) gets you $1,000 casino bucks, a drink ticket and snacks.  You are invited to dress as your favorite Love Boat Character but they won’t turn you away if you don’t.  For those of you who don’t know where Frankie’s is, it’s located at 10680 South Avenue in Chisago City.

Don’t look now, but the snowmobile radar runs are back!  This Saturday, on North Center Lake in Center City, the Wild River Snowmobile Club will host its super-popular radar run. Yes, if you thought it used to be held during the Celebration of the Lakes you are correct.  But the warm weather and the ice conditions cancelled it that week.  

The runs start at 10 am with registration opening at 9:30 am.  You can take your sled, ATV or dirt bike for three runs for only $20.  The runs should have a great turn out and will support the Wild River Snowmobile club and the local grant-in-aid program.  We will see you there!

Also this weekend, Frankie’s will hold the annual Minnesota State Pan Fishing tournament.  The tournament will take place on Chisago and South Lindstrom Lakes with pre-fishing on Saturday and the main competition taking place on Sunday.  There is a limit of 75 teams and the payouts are amazing.  Frankie’s will be awarding over $20,000 in cash and prizes with 100 percent cash payouts.  There is a rules meeting at Frankie’s Saturday evening at 5 with a BBQ to follow.

Sunday, the public is invited to come take part in the weigh-in back at Frankie’s at 1:30pm. There will be food and drinks available for purchase along with some hot drinks to warm you up.

This week is School Board Recognition Week. A week to thank the men and women who serve on our great school boards in Chisago Lakes and North Branch.  

Everyone thinks serving on a school board is a piece of cake and you just attend meetings and collect your per diem, and nothing could be further from the truth.  These women and men have to make decisions (majority are financial) that affect every employee in their district as well as you and I on our taxes.  Not exactly a walk in the park.  These people have the unenviable job of trying to satisfy employees, students and tax payers while trying to be fiscally responsible.

That is why I would like to say thank you to Lori Berg, Dani Strenke, Mark Leigh, Brenda Carlson, Melissa Donovan and Jerry Vitalis for their great work on the Chisago Lakes School Board.
   
I would like to thank Kirby Ekstrom, Daryl Goebel, Sarah Grovender, Tim MacMillan Heather Osagiede and Kevin Bollman for their dedication and hard work as North Branch School Board,
 
Both of these boards are amazing and are doing a wonderful job. If you see them on the street or in a store, take a minute to stop and say thank you,

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