September 2022

The Pot-Pourri of sports opinion! Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! Stay safe, and enjoy a break for yourself! All of a sudden, the Minnesota Twins are back in the middle of MLB playoff conversations. After an indifferent early August, and after examining their remaining schedule, I concluded that their chances for a playoff spot weren't looking too good.

Measuring Climate, Part 2 Last week, I talked about the Cooperative Observer Program, run by the National Weather Service, a network critical to recording and understanding the diverse climate of the United States. In Lake County there are currently four or five active stations, and historically as many as seven– although some of these were of short duration.

Now that we’re going to the moon again… Given the current global financial situation, the boys at the shack recently gazed up at a full moon and figured it was the place to be. A lunar getaway, free of the clutter of political ads and any atmosphere at all, was once again put on the drawing boards. After the semi-successful launch of an unmanned 1958 Buick back in 1966, the Camp Shack Space Integration and Nimble Kingdoms program (SINK) had been downsized and nearly written out of existence due to employee disinterest and the flight of highly trained engineers to more lucrative jobs in the investment banking business. The “deer camp orbiter” as the old Buick is warmly remembered, is still in use on Lake County back roads and trails, a testament to recycling and the credit derivatives market that insured the space program against default and federal regulators. Painted with flat black house paint and creased with just enough chrome to give it a slight magnetic field, the orbiter will again be hauled to the highest bluff and sent skyward from the launch pad located close to a favorite deer stand.

Part of what we do regarding Small Town Stories is spotlight and celebrate ways how Chamber members are active in Lake County communities. That said, it’s hard to attend events in the area and not see how Sonju Motors of Two Harbors is there to help make them happen. We spoke with Bill Antilla, General Manager at Sonju since 2019, and found out how they have become such a large part of Lake County events, and the reason why it’s so important.

Jessica Stölen-Jacobson, Montevideo America News jstolen-jacobson@cherryroad.com This month, a walk was held in Marshall, hosted by the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, both to raise awareness of the foundation's efforts, as well as to celebrate the recently passed legislation regarding 'Seizure Smart Schools'. Seizure Smart Schools is an effort that began nearly a dozen years ago.