2020 Year In Review...

June 24:

On Flag Day, June 14, the Plummer American Legion Post 623 held a flag disposal ceremony next to the Legion Post. Past Commander Clarence Gagner served as emcee and began the program by welcoming everyone

Since 1970 there has been activities to celebrate the 4th of July in Trail. But this year, they decided that they wouldn't celebrate this year due to coronavirus.

Wednesday night the weather got quite wild. There were strong winds, thunder and lightning for hours. We got one inch and three tenths in town.

Wednesday evening, Rick, Bonnie, Gracie and Carter brought supper to Mike and Sandy Greenwald's. It was a kind of birthday celebration for Sandy. Her 70th birthday was Thursday.

July 1:

Both sides of Falls Cinema are looking quite different these days. The business, owned by Jeff Lund and his son, Daniel, is getting completing renovated on both sides of the theater, which will soon house luxury loungers...take a minute to appreciate how comfortable that sounds...In addition to the new seating, bigger, wider, taller screens will be in place, along with new curtains and updates to the sound system.

On a beautiful Sunday evening in Oklee, people who had been cooped up due to lots of rain, wind and heat over several days were out enjoying what Oklee has to offer! All 3 pickleball courts were busy as Oklee area people came to play pickleball. The Lady Rebels volleyball team was taking advantage of the sand courts near the pickleball courts.

Sunday afternoon, Jerry Mattison rode his horse into town and visited his brother Alan. His dog came along also.

July 8:

The construction work is almost over for the city of Oklee. Work has been going on for several weeks putting in the new fiber optic lines. Fiber optics are expensive and time consuming and Garden Valley is getting the job done.

Derek Peterson with his 1447 Rebel career point basketball. Derek also received and Minnesota State Academic All State plaque. 

One of the few places in our area that had Fireworks on the Fourth of July was Trail. They started at around 10:30 and it was well attended.

Emma, Natalee, and Lola Hendrickson recently competed in a Junior Golf Tournament at Mahnomen. Natalee got 1st place, and Emma got 3rd place in their division.

Well, the Fourth of July is over and we are all back tonormal if you can call it that. Well, it is normal for the times.

July 15:

Ron and Sharon Weiss started farming in 1977. They have been growing asparagus for the last 15 years. The family’s 13 acres of asparagus is in addition to about 1,100 acres of wheat and soybeans raised on the Weiss farm in northwestern Minnesota. The Weiss family sells fresh and pickled asparagus at the Mentor Farmers Market and area grocery stores.

McIntosh Senior Living had some exciting news. MSL is  now being allowed by the department of health to allow outdoor visits!! 

We had the nicest weekend of the summer this past weekend. The temperatures were perfect, the humidity was perfect, etc. No rain, no windy conditions. Perfect!

July 22:

On Friday evening Oklee was hit with a derecho storm that caused damage around NW Minnesota. Oklee was lucky with very little damage. Thief River Falls and Argyle were hit with power outages and lots of damage.

Benjamin and Mikayla Tabert, Red Lake Falls, received special recognition on June 30th, during an online recognition event for the Emerging Leadership Program. They, along with individuals from 15 other counties in northwestern and west central Minnesota, were honored for completing the leadership program and for their commitment to leadership in their community.

Local Grygla artist publishes children’s book, titled Jacob Goes to the Moon.

Iona Berry will have her last column in the Oklee Herald for the Senior Site News & Other Things. She has done a great job of keeping everyone apprised of the activities and going ons at the Senior Site and the area. She has been a big part of the Senior Site over the years, and been a part of Oklee in other roles also.

We were fortunate to get very little rain this week and last. It’s hard to say what Friday will bring or Saturday.  The crops look pretty good in some areas.

Many friends and other relatives went to Moorhead to help Father Duane Pribula celebrate his 50th Anniversary of priesthood. At St. Joseph’s Church, where masks are mandatory, social distancing was practiced and a beautiful day all lead into a very wonderful celebratory event for Father Duane.

July 29:

The Knights of Columbus held a Junior Golf Tournament on July 20, 2020. There were 45 participants, 40 boys and 5 girls. They came from 10 different towns.

It was announced that  the Oklee Market Day went ahead with plans to hold it on August 1st, 2020. They will be following the CDC guidelines and everyone's safety is their first concern.

Watchdog organizations like the Better Business Bureau warn against donating to charities over the telephone, but reports indicate that fraudsters are still utilizing robocalls to great effect as they prey on donors' generous natures.

Ione Berry wrote her “Goodbye” to writing the “Senior Site News and Other Things.” When she came to Oklee she was hired by Mr. Beito for a position at the Oklee Bank. It was scary as she had a lot to learn. She  had just finished graduation at Fosston High School.

Well, the Governor has asked us to all wear masks in public. I hope this tamps down the epidemic some for the hospitals and health care units to be able to keep up. We were told that a couple of people in Red Lake Falls has contracted the virus. It seems they went to a funeral out of the area and brought it home.

August 5:

On August 1, 2020, the statewide tobacco sale age will change to 21. Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation celebrates the landmark Tobacco 21 law, which is the result of broad efforts from bipartisan leaders, local communities and a nationwide movement to protect kids.

The Cozy Bar and Grill in Brooks, MN has been updated once again with great new look on the outside and inside, some features which the customer doesn’t see, but it makes the business of providing delicious meals run smoother. A Grand Re-Opening is planned for August 7th.

Oklee Market Day had a great day for weather and a good turnout of people. As usual there were old fashioned games, a car show, craft show, sidewalk caulk contest, and other fun stuff. The quilt show as a virtual quilt show and the winners were featured in a poster on the front of Oklee Quilting.

Sample ballots for the Primary were in the papers. 

We have had a spate of great weather these past few days.The cool mornings and nights are refreshing and the not so hot days have allowed at least comfortable temps for working outside. Kudos to mother nature these days. We could use rain though, at least a half of an inch.

August 12:

The winners of the Hero Hustle 5K at Oklee Market Day were: 1st place winners: 12 & Under: Men: Callen Carriere (34:07). Women: Alexa Chervestad (27:18). 12-29: Men. Owen Chervestad (21:15). Women: Kate Holmstrom (25:13). 30-49: Men: Greg Melin (45:58). Women: Andi Sherman (32:44). 50 & Up: Men: Dave Olson (30.21), Women: Holly Spong (29.51)

Venders at Oklee Market Day were: Bridget Erlandson from Oklee, a Thirty-One dealer and had a nice display of bags; Jodi's County Side Creations, from Goodridge,  had beautiful pieces of jewelry and other items; and Jessie Hamrum and Natalie Hamrum had many beautiful handmade cards for sale, just to name a few.

The rain yesterday saved a few gardening dreams. The tomatoes got a much needed drink as did the flowers. It has been a nice summer for gardening. From some of the reports on food supplies we may need more gardening in the future. 

August 19: 

Carlson (Fosslid) celebrated being a Century Farm and has been in the family since 1902.

There were three spots in Oklee where the "Yield" signs were changed to "Stop" signs. This was done because there have been concerns that motorists are not yielding properly at these corners and stopping traffic at those corners would help.

Yes, as of now, RLCC Schools will begin on September 8th. The School Board approved the "In Person" Learning model as the base model to start the school year with.

Cornhole Tournament winners were 1st: Zeke & Worm; 2nd: Nick & Tyler; and 3rd: Eric & Derek.

It had rained one inch and three tenths the previous Sunday. It was a hard fast rain but the ground absorbed it like sponge. I would guess wheat will be combined soon.

Continued Next week...