Saturday, March 10, 2007

Wright News

03/10/2007

Wright News by Jennie K. Hanson March 12, 2007

Update

Dean and Brenda (Heaser) Nyberg are the proud parents of their first child, Dylan Dean.  He was born Feb. 4, 2007.  He was 6 lbs. 6 ½ oz. and 19 ¼ inches long.  His grandparents are Don and Cherie’ Nyberg and Mick and Annie Heaser.  Ebba Hedin is his great-grandmother.  There will be an “Open House” baby shower for Dylan on Saturday, March 17 at the Bethany Lutheran Church at 1 p.m.

Hi, are you enjoying that extra hour of daylight at night yet?  I guess it’s a whole lot of commotion about nothing.  Oh, well our national legislators seem to think they know what they are doing.  I turned our clocks on Saturday morning, so lost the hour early in the day.  It will still be hard to go to bed early though.

There is still time to attend some of the Lenten services in the area churches.  The next Big Event is coming up on March 28th at Bethany in Cromwell is when Lorie and Bill Bastion will put on a concert of special music.  Bill is a premiere tenor in Minnesota and his concert will surely delight anyone who attends.  Let’s all turn out for this one and fill the church!  Remember Soup Suppers at 6 PM and services start at 7 PM.

St. John’s is meeting at 5:30 PM for mid-week Lenten services on Thursdays. Are you in The Class of 1957?  Well, if you are, you will be celebrating your 50th Class Reunion this summer.  Remember the Statler Brothers famous song, “Class of 57”?  I bet they get a lot of requests for that song this year.  You can go on their website and find all kinds of information about them and even order their CD’s if you wish.

Speaking of Anniversaries. The Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wright will be 95 years old this summer.  They will celebrate their 100th Anniversary in 2012.  That’s only 5 years away.

Marion and Sheldon Larsen are happy to say that their little twin granddaughter, Paige Larsen is continuing to improve from her Sturge Webber Disease.  The little tike is now14 months old and weighs 19 pounds.  Doctors are trying to keep her condition under control and the prayers for this little one are very much appreciated and still needed.  The family thanks everyone for keeping Paige in their thoughts and prayers.

Rod Walli is also very appreciative for all the prayers for him since he fell and hurt his back.  He reports that the brace is off and he has started running again.  Looks like a complete recovery is in store for him.

Nicole Suhonen will be traveling to South Africa with Campus Crusade for Christ on a 10 – 12 day mission trip.  She is a little concerned about the 16 - hour flight, but hopes it goes well.  Maybe she can get some sleep on the way.  She asks for prayers that the whole trip will go well for her and the 26 others in the group and that God would use them in ways they could only imagine and that ultimately the people in South Africa would see His Love through them!  Nicole is sure this will be a life changing experience!

There will be an informal get together after church at Bethlehem Lutheran in Wright for Art Aho as he celebrates his 90th Birthday on March 25th. Friends are welcome to attend, but not gifts please.  Cards and greetings will be appreciated though.  WOW! 90 years old!  What a milestone for Art. Congratulations on many more.

Don’t forget the Senior Citizen’s BINGO in Wright on Saturday night the 12th, from 7 – 9 PM.  Refreshments will be served. The Senior Citizen’s of Wright meet at the center on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM for their regular meeting, and at 1 PM on the other Wednesdays for cards and games.  Everyone welcome!  You don’t have to be a member to visit.

There are two important Benefits coming up in the area.  First, this Saturday, March 17th is the Pancake Breakfast Benefit for the Roger and Mary Rose Varo Family at the Cromwell Park Pavilion from 8 AM to 1 PM and then on Saturday, March 31st at the Cromwell Park Pavilion for Mike Nobis, serving a Chili Supper from 4 – 7 PM.  These deserving folks deserve our support so let’s come out and help them.

I’m hoping that all my readers enjoy St. Patrick’s and St. Urho’s Day this week. There is quite a history behind both holidays, but thought I’d include some about St. Urho’s as most people don’t know too much about that one. The History of Saint Urho’s Day

The legend of St. Urho was the invention of a Finnish-American named Richard Mattson, who worked at Ketola’s Department Store in Virginia, Minnesota in spring of 1956. Mattson later recounted that he invented St. Urho when he was questioned by coworker Gene McCavic about the Finns’ lack of a saint like the Irish St. Patrick, whose feat of casting the snakes out of Ireland is remembered on St. Patrick’s Day.

According to the original “Ode to St. Urho” written by Gene McCavic and Richard Mattson, St. Urho was supposed to have cast “tose ‘Rogs” (those frogs) out of Finland by the power of his loud voice, which he obtained by drinking “feelia sour” (sour whole milk) and eating “kala mojakka” (fish soup).

The original “Ode to St. Urho” identified St. Urho’s Day as taking place on May 24. Later the date was changed to March 16, the day before St. Patrick’s Day. St. Urho’s feast is supposed to be celebrated by wearing the colors Royal Purple and Nile Green. Other details of the invented legend also changed, apparently under the influence of Dr. Sulo Havumäki, a psychology professor at Bemidji State College in Bemidji, Minnesota. The legend now states that St. Urho drove away grasshoppers (rather than frogs) from Finland using the incantation “Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen!” ("Grasshopper, grasshopper, go from hence to H_ _ _!"), thus saving the Finnish grape crops.

The “Ode to St. Urho” has been modified to reflect these changes in the feast day and legend. The Ode is written in a self-parodying form of English as spoken by Finnish immigrants. There is also a “Ballad of St. Urho” written by Sally Karttunen.

The selection of the name Urho as the saint’s name was probably influenced by the accession of Urho Kekkonen to the presidency of Finland in 1956. Urho in the Finnish language also has the meaning of hero.

There are St. Urho fan clubs in Canada and Finland as well as the U.S., and the festival is celebrated on March 16 in many American and Canadian communities with Finnish roots. The original statue of St. Urho is located in Menahga, Minnesota. There is a beer restaurant called St. Urho’s Pub in central Helsinki, Finland. A 200l book, The Legend of St. Urho by Joanne Asala, presents much of the folklore surrounding St. Urho and includes an essay by Richard Mattson on the “birth” of St. Urho. This is probably a lot more than you would ever wanted to know, but I thought it was interesting!

This week’s Trivia:  There are 20 answers found on the Icosahedron (that’s a 20 sided figure) Magic 8-Ball.  They are: As I see it, yes; Ask again later; Better not tell you now; Cannot predict now; Concentrate and ask again; Can’t count on it; It is certain; It is decidedly so; Most Likely; My reply is no; My sources say no; Outlook not so good; Outlook good; Reply hazy, try again; Signs point to yes; Very doubtful; Without a doubt, Yes; Yes – definitely; and You may rely on it.

I guess these are the same answers I use with my grandkids most of the time! But they missed “Maybe; Go ask your Mom; Not now; You’re kidding;” and my favorite: “We’ll see!”

Household Hint:  Protect fine china by inserting paper doilies between plates when stacking.  You could also use paper plates between the china ones.  If you don’t have fine china, just eat off the paper plates.  (I’m trying to be funny!)

Bible Verse:  Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30 I guess by now you may have figured out that I love my new computer.  I don’t know what I’d do without it.  Remember all the whiteout we had to use before computers or we even had to retype a whole page because of a major mess-up?  Now all we do is “Delete” or “Cut and Paste” to repair or rearrange a word or sentence.  I love it!!  If you ask kids what carbon paper is, they couldn’t tell you! How times have changed!

That’s all the news from Lake Letthatsnowkeepmelting and Hello to all Art Aho and all his family!

Monday, March 05, 2007

Wright News

03/05/2007

UPDATE

There will be free winter coats and sweaters given away at the Area Clothing Depot in Wright until further notice; and that while you’re at the Clothing Depot stock up on clothing, housewares and or books still all at a dollar and a half a bag, again until further notice.  Once they get moved to the new area, the $3.00 price a bag will resume except for the 1st Saturday and 1st Tuesday of the month.

WRIGHT NEWS BY JENNIE K. HANSON March 5, 2007

“In Like a Lion, out like a lamb”.  That’s the old saying about March and now it seems to be coming true.  We sure had a big storm on March 1st.  We got over a foot of snow in our area and many others got a lot more.  The drifting was the worst.  With the high winds, some places got drifts of over 5 feet high.  Did you see the pictures of Park Point in Duluth?  There were drifts and snow banks over 8 feet high.  The aerial lift bridge was even closed, isolating the Park Point residents for over 24 hours.  So, now I guess we can say we really had winter in 2007.  The TV personalities even had to stay over night in the studios for 2 nights.  All area schools were closed for 2 days, also.  I think I can safely say that this is the first time in this century that our school closed for 2 days in a row for weather related causes.

According to the school calendar, these days will be made up during Spring Break on April 2nd and 3rd, but we will have to see what the administration decides to do and look for information on the bus bulletin. I know that some folks had made plans for that week off in April, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

The next Jubilent Service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wright on Wednesday March 14th at 7 PM with Mary Rose Varo as Special Guest music/speaker.  The Soup Supper will begin at 6:00 PM.  These soup suppers and services are a wonderful way to get together with neighbors and friends.

Lenten services continue at St. John’s on Thursdays at 5:30 PM.

Many events were canceled or postponed because of the stormy weather, so watch for the next Bus bulletin for reschedules.

Our sympathy to the family of Lorraine Hemmila (Jane Heikkila’s mother). She died recently and will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Daylight Savings Time will begin at 2 AM on March 11th, so turn those clocks ahead on Saturday night.  I usually turn mine during the day on Saturday so I get used to it a little more.  Daylight Savings ends on November 4th. There are only 2 states that don’t go to DST.  I think they are Arizona and Hawaii.

Here is an explanation of how and when DST began and how it continues.

History of Daylight Time in the U.S.

Although standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads in 1883, it was not established in U.S. law until the Act of March 19, 1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act. The act also established daylight saving time, a contentious idea then. Daylight saving time was repealed in 1919, but standard time in time zones remained in law. Daylight time became a local matter. It was re-established nationally early in World War II, and was continuously observed from February 9, 1942 to September 20, 1945. After the war its use varied among states and localities. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided standardization in the dates of beginning and end of daylight time in the U.S. but allowed for local exemptions from its observance. The act provided that daylight time begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October, with the changeover to occur at 2 a.m. local time.

During the “energy crisis” years, Congress enacted earlier starting dates for daylight time. In 1974, daylight time began on January 6th and in 1975 it began on February 23rd. After those two years the starting date reverted back to the last Sunday in April. In 1986, a law was passed that shifted the starting date of daylight time to the first Sunday in April, beginning in 1987. The ending date of daylight time was not subject to such changes, and remained the last Sunday in October. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed both the starting and ending dates. Beginning in 2007, daylight time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Just thought you’d enjoy this information!

Happy Belated “Golden Birthday” to little Ryann Rose Schultz, daughter of Wade and Courtney Schultz on 3-2-2007.  Since she’s only 2 years old, she probably won’t remember her Golden Birthday, but she can read about it in the paper if her parents save this for her.

The Senior Citizen’s are planning a St. Patrick’s / St. Urho’s BINGO on Saturday, March 17th at 7 – 9 PM at the Senior Center in Wright.

Congratulations to Kailo (Kai) Aho and Shannon Spolar on their recent engagement.  They will be married on June 23, 2007 at Bethany Lutheran church in Cromwell, Mn.

Her parents are Debbie Spolar of Virginia and the late Timothy Spolar.  His parents are Milton and Lois Aho of Cromwell/Cloquet.

Kailo work at Northland Constructors in Duluth as a carpenter and Shannon works for K-1 Sportswear in Cloquet.

There will be a Mary Rose and Roger Varo and Family Benefit at the Cromwell Park Pavilion on Saturday, March 17th from 8 AM – 1PM.  The Varo’s had to move from their home recently because of a mold issues.  Bring a “Silent Auction” item, too if you can.

The next Senior Dance will be held at the Cromwell Park Pavilion on Thursday, March 22 from 1 – 4 PM.  Lorren Lindevig will be providing the dance music.

On Tuesday, March 13th, the YOT will meet at the Cromwell Pavilion for their regular 1:00 p.m. meeting.  Our guest speakers at 2:30 will be representatives from Mercy Hospital of Moose Lake, to describe what services they have to offer.  All are welcome to join us.  Also, the next YOT dance will be held on Thursday, March 22 from 1:00 – 4:00.  Be sure to mark your calendars!

This weekend, you’ll see many daffodils appearing in the Cromwell-Wright area.  No, they aren’t coming up through the snow, but will be available for a $8 contribution to the American Cancer Society.  If you’d like some, please contact Carolyn Krogh 644-3670 before they are all gone!  They will give that refreshing look to any business, home or church event.  Look around town, you’ll see the bunches (10 stems) available in various places, March 8 and 9.

Grace and Carolyn Krogh were traveling for 10 days to get out of the cold. Grace went to visit with Mary & Raymond Walz, in Redwood Falls while Carolyn went to a Computer Users Conference in St. Louis, MO.  Grace had a busy time attending “The Church Basement Ladies” in the Twin Cities, helping out at the Walz Law Office and playing for sing-alongs at the Redwood Falls Hospital.  In her spare time, she attended church services and spring parties with Mary and her friends.  (Both Grace and Carolyn were astonished to come back to SNOW!  But they’ve recovered from the shock.)

Did you know that March is “Food Shelf Month?  Please try to donate to the food Shelf of your choice this month and all year through.

Trivia:  Have you ever used an octothorp?  I bet you have.  It’s the name given to the # sign.  aka: the pound or number sign.

What does the C stand for in J.C. Penney?  It’s Cash!  Ironic don’t you think?  The full name of J. C. Penney was James Cash Penney!

One more.  Are you a conchologist?  That’s the technical term for an expert in or a collector of seashells.

Household Hint:  Save hours of oven cleaning time.  Always keep a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven to catch spills.  IF YOU HAVE AN ELECTRIC OVEN, BE SURE THE FOIL DOES NOT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE ELECTRIC COILS.

Bible Verse:  I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

That’s all the news from Lake Shovelallthatsnow and I hope you’re not suffering from onychocryptosis!  That’s suffering from ingrown toenails.