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The Chisago Lakes Lions Club has just a few tickets left for their annual Dinner Saturday at the Uncommon Loon Brewery.  The event opens its doors at 4:30 p.m. for happy hour with the dinner catered by Jon Ekstrom,  and the fun beginning at 6pm following the party for the Kentucky Derby.  Tickets can be purchased at the door, but I would recommend calling 612-501-1504 prior, to ensure you get a spot at the dinner.  See you there!

Saturday morning is one of my favorite days of the year, community clean-up day.  AAA Appliance will be accepting your rubbish at Chisago Lake Lutheran Church for a small fee Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  There is a list of accepted items in their ad in this edition of the Press.  I can’t wait to get rid of that broken TV that has been staring me in the face all winter long.

Another wonderful option  this weekend,  for you and your family, is the Taylors Falls Smelt Fry.  Always held at the Taylors Falls Fire Department, the smelt fry features smelt, hot dog, beans, french fries, coleslaw, dinner roll and a beverage.  This is the 79th year the fry has taken place and once you taste their smelt, you will understand why the event is as popular as ever.  The fry begins at 4 p.m. and runs until 7:30 p.m.  They do have to-go containers for those of you who would like to take it home.

We lost another community gem last week.  Tom Warner who lived in Lindstrom, for decades, passed away at their retirement home in Arizona.  Tom served on the Lindstrom City Council and other boards for many years.  He was one of the first “politicians” that reached out to me after my dad passed away and we remained friends ever since.  Tom was a great person with lots of opinions, but he had such a calming demeanor that even when he was upset, he would hear what you had to say. Tom will be missed dearly.

I admit to getting caught sneaking onto the Timberwolves playoff success bandwagon.  I followed the Wolves a lot when I was younger, but their less-than mediocre 15 year run, soured me.  I always attributed it to the shallow pockets of the owner, who funny, now that they are good, pulled the sale of the team off the table.  

I will say, it has been refreshing to watch a Minnesota team and expect them to win instead of just hoping to win.  

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