tschram

tschram

  • Joined: August 30, 2022
  • Articles: 3879

Honoring labor

The annual Labor Day Picnic at Smokey Bear Park Monday recognized the role the American worker has played in the development of the nation. Singers performed from the Pete Peterson Bandshell, as Dan Snidarich and Dan Manick, Local ’49, prepared corn for the picnic. Other members of local unions and organizations also got involved, including Kristie LaVigne, with the Falls School District, handling grilling duties. The picnic is offered free to the community by the Koochiching Labor Assembly and the city of International Falls.

Minnesota ranks 23 in the most puppy loving states

The pandemic has spurred many lifestyle changes and one of them has been that Americans have been adopting more puppies than ever. Tracking that information has been TOP Data Marketing Agency, a research-agency who collects and analyzes information and broadcast its findings via news media. Noting that National Dog Day was Friday August 26, a big day for dog owners, TOP Data unleashed a report about puppy loving states, and the report found that Minnesota ranks 23rd on the U.S. list of most puppy loving states. Taking the top spot was New Hampshire, number 1, followed by Oregon and Nevada. Folks in Mississippi were the least interested in adopting a puppy since the start of the pandemic. That said, folks in Mississippi might have been rich in dogs before the pandemic. Who knows?

Mike Hanson

Inexplicable Frank, Part 3 Frank and his son George lived eight miles south of Stratton, Ontario, and on the way to their homesteads there were miles of muskeg and moss or tamarack swamps from shoe-mouth to boottop deep. Frank penned in a letter to home that “we are back to nature all right,” other ruminations included that there isn’t a horse in here nor can one get one in here until it freezes up but some neighbors have oxen.

Looking Back

The Falls High School Broncos defeated the Virginia Blue Devils in a thriller, 3022, on Friday night at Sports Stadium. Raphy Gelo led all Bronco rushers in the game with 160 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Tyler Wier ended his night with 94 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Senior Devin Clark, playing in place of injured starter Jake Casareto, was 2 for 10 passing with 37 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Josh Mastin finished the game with 37 yards receiving and the game-winning touchdown, scored with just 15.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Gelo would run in his third two-point conversion for a 30-22 lead. “We had some great team efforts,” Coach Stuart Nordquist said.

@ YOUR LIBRARY

Hope everyone’s first week of back to school has gone well and routines are being established that will help everyone be successful this year. Don’t forget that beginning tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 10, the library will be open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fall programming begins next week. Tuesday afternoons we will put out a new LIBRATORY bag for elementary families to pick up and do together. We would love to have you register for a bag as it will make it much easier to plan quantities. Please stop by the library or call 218-283-8051 to register for a weekly activity bag. Thursday at 10:30 a.m is Storytime followed by early learning playtime. Storytime is about 30 minutes of stories, rhymes and more around a loose theme each week. We will start the Storytime year off with stories about the self followed the next week with stories about family. Storytime is aimed at the under 3 crowd but will work for any child first grade and under. Caregivers are encouraged to participate in Storytime as their youngsters will follow their lead. The library then puts out a variety of early learning toys that are focused on science, technology, engineering and math for little ones. Some of the toys encourage cooperative play and others are geared towards individual play, allowing children to play and learn at their own pace. The days are definitely getting shorter and while I hope we can have a beautiful, sunny fall I am enjoying some fall reading including a new book that is encouraging me to get out into the woods around me. “Forest Walking: discovering the trees and woodlands of North America” by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst teaches us how to decode nature’s signs and dive deeply into the ecosystem around us. I have also really enjoyed “52 Ways to Walk: the surprising science of walking for wellness and joy” by Annabel Streets. Between the two, I think I might be ready to explore “The Complete Guide to Winter Camping” by Kevin Callan or “Rock Climbing Minnesot

No mow, less mow, and alternatives

Minnesotans are proud of our natural resources. We want to protect our water, land, and all the wildlife they support. To ensure the future of these natural treasures, we need to re-examine and modify our lawn care practices.

Bronco football

The International Falls football team opened their season Sept. 1 with a game in Chisholm. The Bluestreaks struck first as they scored with 2:30 left in the first quarter and added to that just over 3 minutes into the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead. On the ensuing drive, the Bronco would score on this 32-yard run by Jake Olson.

SPORTS NOTEBOOK

The North Central Stars opened their season with a game on the road at Cromwell- Wright on Friday, Sept. 2.

Back to school

NIKKI ROLANDO PHOTO Falls teacher and dad Don Rolando walks Ella to the Falls Elementary School playground before the first day of school Tuesday. .