Have you heard of GENEALOGY TOURISM?

Are you retired or close to retirement and want to plan a memorable trip where every stop along the way has significance? Genealogy tourism, also known as roots tourism, might appeal to you.

WHAT IS IT?

Genealogy tourism involves choosing a holiday location linked to your generational past. For example, you could visit a town or country where your ancestors lived before emigrating to your birthplace. The aim is to admire places where former family members lived to learn more about your origins and yourself.

Genealogy tourism is a chance to discover the home country of your ancestors. It’s also an excellent opportunity to learn about the experiences of certain relatives who lived during difficult or historically significant times.

How To Plan A Trip

Planning a genealogical trip is more complex than planning a traditional holiday. For example, you may need to meet with a local historian or genealogy expert recommended by your hotel. You can also contact a travel agency to create a personalized trip or use a company that develops themed group trips.

If you prefer going on an unforgettable trip rather than sifting through historical documents to discover your heri- tage, genealogy tourism is for you. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when planning your trip to the past.

Areyouover60 yearsold? Yes _Doyouownyour home? Yes

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EXAMPLES INCLUDE,BUT ARENOTLIMITEDTO :

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Contactusfor moreinformationaboutthe In HomeRepairProgram:

Bethany: 218-685-7077

Heather: 218-685-7006

Website:www.wcmca.org

Thisproject ismadepossible inpart,under the Federal Older American ’s Act through acontract with the NWRDC under anArea Planapprovedbythe Minnesota BoardonAging.

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Applications forthe 2023 -2024 programyearwillbecome availableinFall 2023 bothonlineand by mail

Visitwww.wcmca.orgormn.gov/commerce/energy for moreinformation.

If youwereapprovedfor Energy Assistancefor the2022-2023 program year, fundingfor past duewaterand wastewater billsisavailableuntil August31st,2023.

Wadena Rotary Club members helped install a tranquility garden out side the Maslowski Well ness and Research Center. The project is another ex ample of how the club gives back to the community.

File photo

Folkestad

Continued from 13 two customers they had. They supplied the service at a loss until demand started growing. Then Howard took over the fur niture store, while Roger took over the gas business.

“I worked like a fool,” he recalled. “I almost had a nervous breakdown. ... I had a good business but there were nights where I’d go home and eat supper and go back to the office.” He’d fall asleep on the office Davenport, waking up when employees arrived in the morning.

He was married with children, and he speaks lovingly about his wife Marie, who died in 2021, after 75 years of marriage.

He ended up selling off the business to a company in Alexandria. He had no idea what he would do next. He was in his early 30s. He ended up buying a floundering insurance and real estate business. He hired a receptionist and watched month after month as his business lost money.

It was at that time that a member of the Rotary Club thought he would make a good addition to the club.

“I was invited in by the owner of Lyle’s Shoe Store, Goodrich by name,” he said. “I enjoyed it. And it was a means of me making business contacts with the community although I was no stranger here.”

He was a busy guy. A father of six, with a struggling business, and he was working hard for his church, too, sometimes traveling out of state to determine whether a community would be a good place to plant an Alliance church. But he found time, businessmen and pitch in with the causes they supported.

And it was, at that time, all businessmen. Rotary clubs globally didn’t admit women until 1989.

Folkestad remembered “mixed feelings” in the Wadena club about including women.

“The first woman that joined the Rotary Club in Wadena, she was the county agent,” he said. “She came in with a great attitude, that if it caused any problems, she’d resign. There were mixed feelings. I had feelings about it personally, too. I thought it could cause problems but it’s been beneficial. ... Women have been a plus to Rotary in Wadena.”

Rotary introduced him to a global view of things. It distributed polio and measles vaccines around the world. On a visit to Africa to visit his son, a doctor who specialized in tropical diseases, just the mention of the words “polio” and “Rotary” opened doors for them. The top official at the local hospital told him he was very pleased with the vaccinations, and that even though it was the height of the measles season there, they had very few measles cases in the hospital.

Through Rotary, he met a businessman from the Philippines who invited him to visit if he was ever in that part of the world. So when he flew to Asia, again to see his man. He was struck by the hospitality he encountered there. The businessman, who was supposed to undergo eye surgery for a sports injury, delayed the surgery until he knew that Folkestad was being taken care of. He made his limousine and chauffeur available for Folkestad’s use.

Folkestad said he’s never been one to seek the limelight. He prefers staying in the background while helping. He agreed to this article, he said, because he thought it might help Rotary.

Mike Craig, a retired financial planner, said Folkestad was one of the people who welcomed him in 1990 after he moved to Wadena from Chicago, not knowing a soul, to take over a franchise.

He quickly joined the Wadena Rotary Club, and on the first day, Folkestad was one of the first few people he met, along with Rex McDonald, Miles Rowe and Reg Mead.

“They invited me to sit at a table,” he recalled. “They were asking me questions about who I was and why I was there. They were so excited. They pointed to Roger and said, ‘Roger’s in the real estate business, he’ll help you find a place to live.’”

Before he knew it, Folkestad was introducing him to the local dentist and other professionals.

“Pretty soon I had met a whole network of professional and business people and this all happened in a matter of minutes and I was made to feel right at home,” Craig said. “I realized that when you’re in Rotary, you’re welcome anywhere in the world.”

Folkestad has survived cancer and a triple bypass. He still lives independently and drives, and he makes sure to continue to attend the weekly Rotary meetings. He enjoys keeping tabs on the community pulse.

“These rural towns of the last few years have taken a beating,” he said. “Dairy used to be the big thing here. When we lost the creameries we lost an awful lot.”

Wadena lacks the recreational lakes that have generated wealth for resort communities. And it’s one of the poorest counties in the state, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Still, its main street has added new shops and kept older ones, and it has regained some of the population it lost. That gives Folkestad hope for his hometown.

“We are a good, solid community and we want to see things advance,” he said. “I would like to see people become interested and giving some of your time back to the community. Because that’s what Rotary is, giving some of your time back to the community.”

The truth is, Folkestad could have dropped out of Rotary at any time. People often do after they retire, and he hasn’t been in business for more than 30 years. So why keep going week after week?

He tips his head back and says, sounding a bit surprised, “Because I like it.”

Sunglasses are meant to protect your eyes from ultraviolet (UV) rays and prevent glare from reflective surfaces. Although you should wear sunglasses all year round, it’s even more important to wear them during the summer, when you spend more time outdoors in the heat. Here are a few good reasons to protect your eyes.

Dangers Associated With Uv Rays

Not wearing sunglasses or wearing ones that don’t provide adequate UV protection can increase your risk of the following: