VIKING SPEEDWAYRacing NATIONAL SAFE BOATING WEEK May 20-26

The 58th racing season at the Viking Speedway gets underway on May 13, and racers and fans will continue to see action this summer on the 1/2-mile track.

The speedway has been home to stock car racing at its finest, featuring WISSOTA sanctioned classes –Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks – since 1953. Racing is normally held every Saturday night from the beginning of May through Labor Day, along with a few other specials throughout the summer.

The Viking Speedway is located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Alexandria, approximately 3/4 mile west of State Highway 29 on County Road 82.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. Racing action gets underway at

6:30 p.m. Pit gate admission is $30, and $10 for children 10 and younger. Those children younger than 15 must have a parent complete and sign a waiver before being admitted.

Grandstand admission for regular race events is $12 for senior and college students, $15 for adults, with free admission for children 17 and younger. Admission prices in both the grandstand and the pits may vary for special events.

For more information and the latest schedule, visit the website vikingspeedwaymn.com/.

As the summer approaches, Minnesotans are getting ready to pull out their boats and take to the water. National Safe Boating Week, May 20-26, seeks to remind people about the importance of being safe while on the water.

Wear a life jacket. No matter what activity you have planned, always remember to wear a life jacket every time you are on the water. Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved, appropriate for your water activity and fits properly.

Always follow navigation rules. Know the “rules of the road,” such as operator’s responsibility, maintaining a proper lookout, safe speed, crossing, meeting head-on and overtaking situations.

Don’t drink while you boat. A BUI (boating under the influence) is involved in one-third of all recreational boating fatalities.

Keep in touch. Be sure to have at least two communication devices that work when wet, such as satellite phones, emergency position indicating radio beacons, VHF radios and personal locator beacons. Cell phones are not reliable in an emergency situation.

Take a boating safety course. Learn valuable tips that can help save your life in unexpected situations by taking a National Association of Boating Law Administrators approved boating safety course. Many courses are online, and will save you money on your boat insurance.

Always file a float plan. File a float plan with someone you trust that includes details about the trip, boat, persons, towing or trailer vehicle, communication equipment and emergency contacts. Find out more at www.floatplancentral.org.

Perhaps one of the most eye-catching landmarks in Alexandria is Big Ole – a 28-foot tall Viking statue that stands at the north end of Broadway, along Second Avenue. Born in 1965, the Viking has become a much-beloved resident in the lakes area.

The idea for the statue began in January of 1964 when North Star World’s Fair Corporation in Osseo began working on an addition to the Minnesota display for the New York World’s Fair. The display was to feature the historical Kensington Runestone in an animated scene titled “Minnesota, Birthplace of America.” The new item to coincide with this display was the 28-foot, four-ton Viking statue.

Big Ole was created by fiberglass sculptor Gordon Schumaker of Minneapolis in April of 1965 and was transported to New York just in time for the World’s Fair. When the fair ended, Big Ole was moved to Alexandria, where he stands today.

Originally placed at the north end of Broadway Street in front of the Runestone Museum, Big Ole was moved from

KENSINGTON Runestone

It’s a controversy more than 100 years in the making: Did an immigrant Swedish farmer find a buried rock in 1898 that contained an ancient runic message carved by Viking explorers 100 years before Columbus landed in America? Or is the whole thing a hoax, perpetrated by the farmer or some other prankster?

The Kensington Runestone is housed inside the Runestone Museum, but a very large replica of it is located at a small, wayside rest at the east end of Sixth Avenue in Alexandria. Visitors can read the inscription and take a photo with the replica.

the intersection of 3rd and Broadway to a new location one-half block north in 1980 to make way for a new stoplight. He was moved once more in 2002 to his current location at the head of the Central Lakes Trail on the south shore of Lake Agnes.

Throughout the years, Big Ole has had several repairs made and new coats of paint applied. And, his beard has changed from gray to yellow to brown.

Locals and visitors alike can stop by Big Ole and take a selfie using the Big Ole webcam that is found on the ALP Utilities website – www.alputilities.com/big-ole-webcam/.