Wright News

06/21/2006

Hi, how’s it going?  Fine I hope.  When I sit down to type the news, it sometimes feels like I’m writing a letter to a friend.  I hope my readers also feel like they are getting a letter from a friend, too.

There’s not much time left now till Wrong Days in Wright.  Remember its on July 14th, 15th and 16th with all the usual activities and events taking place.  Watch for the signs to see what is going on, or how you can help out.

There was a mix-up in the names I reported for the Wrong Days in Wright Queen Candidates.  They are Tara Cieluch, Mandy Egge, Ally Cahoon, and Kaylan Risacher.

Eddie and Angela Dahlman Luna will be coming to visit her parents, Mark and Linda Dahlman and family, July 13th - 27th.  It will be nice to have them around especially since they will be bringing their new son, Mateo Allan.

Our sympathy is extended to the family of Stanley J. Tabako, Sr., 92, who died on June 14, 2006 at the Mercy Health Care Center in Moose Lake, MN. His wife Mary died in 2002.  His funeral was held at the Northland funeral Home in Cloquet on June 17th.  He will be missed by his daughters, Kathleen (Chester) Thomas and Rebecca (David) Stenson both of Wright, Patricia Tabako and Roberta (Tom) Meister both of Mpls., sons, Stanley, Jr. and wife Irene, and Edward of California.  The Tabako family has lived in the area for years and years and have contributed a lot to the community over these years and they still do.  Our sincere sympathy to you all on the passing of elder generation of your family.  Parents are always deeply missed!

I see in the Duluth News Tribune that Kyle Smith completed the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth last weekend with a great time of less than 4 hours.  If there were others from the area, please let me know.

Congratulations to Margy Harp of Cromwell on being promoted to Internal Auditor Assistant at the Members Cooperative Credit Union in Cloquet.  She has been at the credit union for the past 22 years and has worked in the operations and lending departments.

Thrivent Financial for Lutheran is holding their annual Picnic at Chub Lake Park on Wednesday, July 19th.  Loren Lindevig will provide the music and B&B Catering will provide the brats and hamburgers.  All attending are asked to bring a Pot Luck dish to share (usually a favorite dessert).  Because of limited seating, you may want to bring your lawn chairs, too.  Please RSVP before July 14 so they will know how much food to plan for.  Call Steve at 218-384-4400 or 1-877-584-4440.

If you are planning on going to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in Walnut Grove, MN, the dates are set for July 7-8-9, 14-15-16, and 21-22-23, of this year.  I have been to this pageant and it is really great.  It starts at about 8 PM and lasts till 11 PM.  The most impressive part of the Pageant is when you can see a covered wagon coming from way across the field and it’s almost like seeing the real Ingalls’ family.  Bring blankets to keep warm, and enjoy this wonderful event.  There are also many other things to see in town that were very interesting.

It took two nights to come up with a winner in the 5th Annual Villa Vista Spelling Bee.  I have been holding a Spelling Bee at the Villa for the past 5 years and this year the winner was Joanne Mapes.  She had some stiff competition from 2nd Place Winner, Gladys Clark and 3rd Place Winner, Francis Phillips.  Betty Johnson had held the winners spot for the past 3 years.  The 1st winner was Lucille Nyberg who has since passed away.  The other participants were 4th Place: Betty Johnson, 5th: Elizabeth Hanson, 6th: Sonja Eggerdahl, tied for 6th: Earl, Hilda Nivala and George Balsness, 7th: Wanda Woolums and 8th Place to Hulda Hill.  It’s always amazing how well they try and how well these residents can spell.  There are never any hard feelings and they are happy for the winners.

Lake Country Power has announced that the return envelope you receive with your bill is bar coded to Lake Country Power’s Virginia service Center.  If you use this envelope for payments other than your Lake Country Power bill, it will be delivered to the Virginia office and not to the business you intended it to go to.  Please use the return envelope only for your Lake Country Power bill.

When we were on out trip to California in April, I was amazed at all the semi truck traffic.  I guess they really do keep our country in food and goods.  One thing I did notice, though was a sign on the back of the Covenant Transport Trucks, it said and I quote, “IT IS NOT A CHOICE, IT IS A CHILD.” That really struck at my heartstrings.

Last week my husband, Bob, gave some of his homegrown leaf lettuce to the Purcells in Wright.  That prompted Mary to tell me that the leaf lettuce had reminded her of one of her favorite sandwiches she used to make in the Pre 1940’s (now you can guess how old she is).  She says, “Don’t gag, but I made the sandwich out of bread, butter, salad dressing, peanut butter, and leaf lettuce!” Mary said she is tempted to try one of those sandwiches now, but is she sure her taste buds have changed since childhood so maybe she should just keep the memories.

She would also dip a stalk of rhubarb in a mixture of salt, pepper, and sugar.  Her Mom said it would set her teeth on edge just to watch Mary eat it.  Mary would read while eating rhubarb, and one book she especially remembers reading was “Little Women”.  She also says, “ The older I get, the more memories come coming back”.

Rosie Purcell is living in Iisle, Illinois and is a beautician.  James Purcell and his wife Angie live in Auburn California and have just bought a house.  He is working with disabled adults.  His goal is to be a Special Education Teacher.

Larry and Mary Purcell’s son Dan is now cancer free.

I’ll let you know more about the Purcell family next week.  With 8 children, many grand children and great grandchildren; there are lots to tell.

A big thank you goes out to Gil and Dawn Kinnunen for donating over 5,000 pop tabs to the 4th grade.  The 4th graders want to collect one million and one tabs for the Ronald McDonald House to help house families of kids with cancer.  At this time, they are over half way there.  So if you are saving the tabs, great, if not, please consider starting.  Thanks!

The Cromwell Class of 1955 and 1956 will be meeting at the Fireside in McGregor on the Saturday of Wrong Days, That’s July 15th at 1:30 PM.  NOTE THE AFTERNOON TIME NOT EVENING.

The Cromwell Class of 1965 and 1966 will be getting together for a Class Reunion during Harvest Fest in September.  If you know of other reunions please let me know.

Congratulations to the following individuals who were baptized at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wright on June 18, 2006.  Emmalee Grace Hoover and Levi Allan Hoover, whose parents are Jeremy and Mindy Hoover, Emmalee’s sponsors are Mason Hansen and Tabitha (Houck) and Jonathan Webster, Levi’s sponsors are Thomas Hansen, and Steve and Cherie (Houck) Stodieck: Kyle Wayne Webster whose parents are Jonathan and Tabitha Webster and his sponsors are Steve and Cherie Stodieck.  They celebrated with family at the Hoover home after services.  God Bless these newly baptized children and welcome to the family of believers.

July 9th will be a special day at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cromwell as the group “Higher Power” will be putting on the service that day.  This quartet will be performing at the 10:30 AM.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Ray Lally and the Memorial Blood Centers have asked me to say a huge “Thank You” to everyone who donated blood at the last Blood Drive on June 13th. There were 32 people registered and 28 were able to give blood.  They had to defer 4 people and one person was a first time donor.  One unit of blood can help as many as 3 people, so 83 patients could be benefiting from the units collected at this blood drive.  Blood donors are special people for truly giving of themselves so that others might live!

I got up at 5 AM today, June 21st and went for a mile long walk.  The sun wasn’t up yet, and it was a great time to walk and watch it rise.  This is also the longest day of the year.

Household Hint: The quickest way to clear the air in the bathroom is to light a match!  (Hopefully there won’t be an explosion!)

“Lord prepare me for what you are preparing for me!” This is a quote I heard at the NE MN Women’s Synodical Convention in Duluth over the weekend of June 8-9th. I thought it was great!

That’s all the news from Lake Happy Juhannus and Hello to all my Finnish Friends.  That’s (Juhannus) the first day of Summer!!  June 21st.  Have a great week!