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Teen raises money for rescue boat for FD
Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 Volume 2, Issue 34 Est. 2015
Town Crier
by Mollie Rushmeyer news@thenewsleaders.com
Market Monday open, harvest is plentiful
Market Monday is open from 3-6:30 p.m. Labor Day, Sept. 5 at Riverside Plaza, 101 Seventh St. N., Sartell. Harvest is in full swing with a wide variety of summer vegetables available. Fall crops are starting to arrive with apples, grapes and squash arriving weekly. Market Monday runs through Oct. 17; make it part of your back-to-school routine. Also available every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. at CentraCare Plaza, 1900 CentraCare Circle, St. Cloud.
Classes offered to reduce stress, depression
Learn ways to manage the demands and stress you face in life and how to live life with increased contentment by participating in an eight-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction course from 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 27-Nov. 15, in the Meditation Prayer Room at CentraCare Health Plaza. This clinically-proven program is designed for and can be especially helpful to those who experience the following: anxiety and depression, attention deficit disorder, chronic pain and illness, cardiac disease, the demands of care-giving, grief, life transitions, spiritual emptiness and all who find it difficult to establish balance in their everyday lifestyles. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Sept. 2 criers.
Show your support for law enforcement
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was approached by local business SignMax, who offered to donate “We Support Law Enforcement” yard signs and sell them for a law-enforcement fundraiser. The Sheriff’s Office accepted the offer and has designated any raised funds will be applied to the purchase of bullet-proof vests for uniformed non-licensed staff. The Sheriff’s Office employs approximately 80 uniformed staff that have jail, court security and transport duties. These positions are not provided bullet-proof vests and the Sheriff’s Office would like to increase their level of safety. The vests individually cost $800$1,000 and all funds raised will be applied to these purchases. SignMax is donating all proceeds. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Sept. 2 criers.
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contributed photo
Madelyn Adamski, 16, of Sauk Rapids, stands next to a fire engine at the Sauk Rapids Fire Department where she has spearheaded a fundraiser throughout the past year to purchase a fan-propelled rescue boat for the department.
While many of her peers were basking in the freedom of summer break and taking time off from deadlines, Madelyn Adamski, a 16-year-old from Sauk Rapids, spent her summer vacation raising money for the Sauk Rapids Fire Department to purchase a new emergency rescue boat by Sept. 10. So far, Adamski has raised an impressive $66,756 of the $75,000 needed for the fan-propelled boat that will make water rescues more efficient and – more importantly – safer for the rescuer and victim in emergency situations. “It’s important for people to know,” Adamski said, “the boat is not a trophy piece for the fire department. It’s going to help the city and surrounding area.”
Adamski first thought of the idea for a new rescue boat while assisting her dad, Jason Adamski, a 17-year veteran on the volunteer firefighters’ team in Sauk Rapids, along with other firefighters at the Sauk Rapids Fire Department food stand at last year’s Benton County Fair. She heard the firefighters talk about a water rescue carried out with their current boats, and how difficult and dangerous the situation became because of the limited maneuverability. That’s when she decided to take the matter into her own hands and begin a year-long process to raise the money, saying she wanted to make sure they got this boat to benefit everyone in the region. Her father was a little surprised by her decision, saying it was a lot of money for the Teen • page 3
ISD 47 earns high marks on programs, planning by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
June 30 of this year and is now about two months into the new 2017 fiscal year. It is also the beginning of a new school year with school actively commencing shortly after Labor Day. With the two different beginnings for the school district, the Newsleader decided it might be the right time to review some past performance and to look ahead for what the future might
The Sauk Rapids-Rice Independent School District 47 has just concluded the 2016 fiscal year as of Bittman
hold for ISD 47. We were able to contact ISD 47 Superintendent Dr. Dan Bittman in a phone interview for his assessments as to the state of ISD 47. The following is an edited version of that conversation. It’s important to understand Bittman is a strong believer in education and the power of education to effect change on both a personal and a societal level. This
Softball team captures two championships by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
A local Rice softball team sponsored by O’Brien’s Pub and C & L Excavating recently won the Minnesota Sports Federation 2016 Class E Men’s Slowpitch East State Championships Aug. 13-14 held in Stacy. The team also won the Minnesota Sports Federation 2016 Masters M 35-Over Slowpitch State Championships July 30 at Bob Cross Field in Sauk Rapids. What makes the wins even more remarkable is the team is comprised mainly of players who are more than 35 years old. In fact, a few of them are over 50, said Chuck Acker-
is Bittman’s seventh year with ISD 47. Previously he worked in the Minnesota Department of Education, and as Director of Elementary and Secondary Schools in Centennial. Prior to that he was the director of elementary schools for Clark County in Las Vegas, the nation’s fifth-largest school district. “I think education is critical Marks • page 3
man, a spokesperson for the team. “We’ve got a mixture of some young guys and some old guys,” Ackerman said. “We’ve been playing for a number of years out here – 20plus years.”
Make up of a team
What makes them want to play a boys’ game at age 35 and older? “It’s the competitive juices,” Ackerman said. “Guys just don’t want to hang it up yet. I’m a 44-year-old softball player and I still want to. I think I can play like a sophomore in high school. But Team • back page
photo by Dave DeMars
Four members of the championship winning softball team sponsored by O’Brien’s Pub and C & L Excavating proudly show off two of the latest trophy plaques won this season in tournament competition. From left to right are Kyle Wehrs, Chuck Ackerman, Todd Sand and Justin Weller.
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Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
Small towns must change to find new life, vitality by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
Our rural towns and villages are not dying, they are merely victims of the narrative used to describe them. It’s a narrative that is straight out of the 1950s, according to Ben Winchester of the Center for Community Vitality, which is part of the University of Minnesota Extension program. Winchester presented his ideas at an Aug. 17 presentation at Peace Lutheran Church in Cold Spring. About 35 people from Cold Spring, Avon, Collegeville and St. Joseph gathered to hear Winchester present data gathered throughout the years that demonstrates the picture of the dying small town is mostly anecdotal. Most small towns are really thriving, though many are changing or in transition from the type of “Mayberry RFD” existence we fondly remember to a different kind of town. What we think we know of small-town life is largely the result of what Winchester referred to as “anecdata.” “Anecdata is information which is presented as if it were based on serious research, but is in fact based on someone’s opinion and what they wish was true,” Winchester said. “Everything I present today is going to be based on solid research.” Winchester described and documented the kind of change that was and is taking place in area small towns in Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin and in Minnesota in such places as Sauk Rapids, Rice, Sartell, St. Stephen and St. Joseph using a data-driven approach.
The past
Back in the 1950s, most of the rural small towns were fairly isolated and were still highly
Winchester dependent on agriculture. Many of the kids who graduated from high school left for the big city, causing what some rural-life biographers described as a “brain drain.” But Winchester disputes that contention, saying what was going on was a normal evolution that was part of globalization brought on by changes in technology. Three areas Winchester said were especially affected were the following: agriculture became highly mechanized, roads and transportation were greatly upgraded, and education expansion and promotion created new vistas of possibility. The 1950s saw the establishment of the interstate highway system under President Eisenhower, and Winchester said that was a major event in the life of small towns. No longer were small towns isolated and more or less self-contained units. Now they became part of the larger world, and that brought changes of all sorts. Small-town life and main street was restructured, schools were consolidated, small-town hospitals were closed, regional medical centers sprang up, and rural towns saw the closing of many churches. “Post WWII saw for the first time rural residents were able to get a college degree,” Winchester said. “The G.I. Bill allowed veterans to get a college degree
for free. And we do know rural Americans are over-represented in the military.” Small towns also saw the closing of many small businesses such as grocery stores, hardware stores, gas stations and other small-town institutions. “These mainstays were ultimately doomed to fail because of the improved transportation system,” Winchester said. ”Small towns lost a lot of wealth. But for every gas station that closed in a small town, there was one that closed in the metro, too. So change that happened in small towns also happened in large cities, Winchester said. It just wasn’t as noticeable because of the number of gas stations in the metro areas. Because of the changes in roads and transportation, we saw the establishment of regional centers of commerce – places such as St. Cloud, Willmar, Fergus Falls, Worthington and Marshall. Lots of school consolidation took place in the name of efficiency and opportunity. Bus transportation became part of the American way of education. “In 1990 there were 432 school districts in Minnesota. By 2010, there were only 337,” Worthington said. “This was hard because towns were struggling with identity issues because ‘we are losing our high school.’” All of the information is grist for the narrative mill about smalltown life disappearing. To illustrate, Winchester told the story about a metro-area newspaper that decided to do a story about the impact the loss of a particular post office would have. The reporter used one quote in particular that skewed the narrative in a negative direction. “The post office is the social hub of our community,” Winchester quoted the reporter. “I don’t know what we are going to do without it.”
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Then he asked how many of the audience ever went to their local post office as a place for social gatherings. “I never go to the post office to hang out with my friends,” said Winchester, drawing a big laugh from the audience. It’s not that rural towns are dying, it’s simply that they are changing and becoming more diversified as a result of the restructuring. But the media doesn’t do a good job of reporting the changes taking place, Winchester said. The big-city media report things like murders, tornadoes, plant closures and other depressing events. If there were any uplifting stories, they went unreported or were buried inside, Winchester maintained. “If there were good stories it was like ‘Jane SoandSo started a business in Watkins and I can’t believe she did that,’” Winchester said, drawing another laugh. Winchester said in Minnesota only three towns have been dissolved during the last 50 years. The last town to do so was the town of Tenney – population 3. They voted to dissolve and join nearby Campbell. In fact, rural Minnesota has seen an 11-percent population increase since 1970, Winchester said. What has declined is the percentage of persons who live in a rural place. That has happened because as more of the population moves to a rural area, the area is no longer considered rural, and it is reclassified.
Movement to rural areas
Winchester said the reason people are moving to the country is because of a perceived improvement in the quality of life. But the new small-town folks have distinct differences from those who lived there in the past. Winchester cited the following differences in newcomers to rural towns: 68 percent have bachelor’s degrees, 67 percent have incomes of $50,000 or more, 51 percent have children in the household, many are leaving career jobs or are underemployed. One other interesting fact is 36 percent of newcomers are actually not newcomers; they are simply moving back to their roots after having gone away. Winchester said the average American moves 12 times in a
lifetime, and that number is increasing. We are becoming more mobile and thus more diverse as a people. That is important, Winchester said, because it changes the social, political, religious, work and social-interest makeup of the towns to which the newcomers move. Long-established organizations, such as the chamber of commerce, the Kiwanis, the Lions or Women of Today either change to accommodate new-member interest or wither into non-existence. To measure the change, Winchester looked at the demand for people to fill leadership positions in town organizations such as government, and non-profit institutions. What he found was surprising. “In the U.S., while the population increased 10 percent, the number of non-profits increased 32 percent,” Winchester said. While the need for leadership exists, the way in which people are relating and getting involved in the non-profits is changing, just as the make-up of the population changed, Winchester said. In part this is true because social organizations have changed. They now cover wide geographical areas, have narrowly focused goals, have diverse social interests and make use of technology like social media. Were it not for immigration and the movement of people from place to place, what would become of our economies? Winchester dealt with the needs for goods by newcomers to an area and how that need translates into purchases of goods, purchases of homes, and the transfer of receipts from one generation to another, and from one group to another. “The model is who is moving in, who is moving out, and who is moving over?” Winchester said.
The new economy
We are on the verge of a new economic narrative, Winchester said, and the characteristics of this new economic narrative is different than that of the past. And this narrative will affect and is affecting all rural communities throughout the country. The new economy has the following characteristics: brick Towns • page 7
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Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
Marks from front page for preparing our kids for what lies ahead after the K-12 experience,” Bittman said. “I believe those partnerships with our families and our businesses as well as K-12 educators are just crucial in what we do every single day.”
High points, low points
Newsleader: What were some of the high points during the past year in ISD 47? Bittman: We are really blessed in ISD 47 because we have an amazingly engaged community, we have school board members who are very much committed to doing great things for kids, our businesses have been really, really involved, and we continue to see great things happening in every school, both academically, emotionally, even with athletics and activities. So I feel blessed to be part of a wonderful district with amazing people. Our ACT scores (American College Testing) and other achievement scores in a number of different areas continue to grow as we continue to support kids. As we finished our initial implementation of one-to-one in terms of providing devices for students to access curriculum through technology. The school board was recognized nationally with two different awards, and this was the second year in a row they were recognized nationally for their great work. We also conducted a facilities study the last two years to look at our needs. Between 75 and 100 community members took part and worked throughout the year to make recommendations to the school board in terms of what the next 10 years should look like from a facilities standpoint. We asked difficult questions and asked the community members to search through the information and data and to come up with recommendations for the board to consider. Newsleader: Any low points or difficulties in the last year? Bittman: You know what? Not really. In terms of difficulties, it’s always difficult to be sure you are meeting the needs of every child. We are in a difficult position in terms of space. We cannot continue to meet the needs, in terms of growth rate, of our district residents. So even our district resident rate is growing faster than what our district can handle. That is why our facilities study was so important – to figure out how we can plan for the next three or four years as well as the next 10 to 15 years. That was the real challenge.
The need to build
Newsleader: We are at the start of a new fiscal year now. What kinds of changes do you look forward to or can you foresee in terms of new programs,
Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com new buildings? Bittman: This year will be exciting because the school board continues to focus on ways to lower classroom sizes. They agreed to add several positions to provide more support for our families, so that’s exciting that we can continue to do that as the needs of our students and families increase. We recently received a $618,000 grant to specifically work with at-risk students. That will provide individual personal instruction for kids, so that will help a certain type of kid to better prepare for post-secondary and career success. We’ll also have listening sessions with our community in September, October and November to present the recommendation the community group put forward in terms of facilities so every community member has the information the task force submitted and has the opportunity to share what they like and what they don’t like. Newsleader: There have been announcements that new schools are in the works. Pleasantview in particular has been mentioned as needing to be replaced. Can you speak to the issue of new buildings, and will new buildings make for better students? Bittman: A couple of clarifications. The school board has not made any decisions regarding building. There is no new building or buildings being built. What has happened is that this spring, the community task force – the community members not the district – put forth recommendations for the board to consider. The board has now directed me as superintendent to do widespread community listening sessions in September, October and November to decide if they are going to do anything with those recommendations. No decisions have been made about building. The school board, administration and myself would really like to learn from the community about what they would like this district to look like in the next 10 to 15 years. Concerning building, we have the state demographer come out and do projections and we got various organizations to evaluate the district as to its needs. Every single one of them has said the district needs to have space for our resident students. If enrollment continues to grow like it is, there will not be any room. And that’s at the elementary level. The state demographer said we could expect up to a 17.3-percent increase, if not more, in the next five to 10 years. If we do nothing, we will be in trouble in the elementary, but we would be OK in middle school and high school for the near future. No one I’ve talked to at any parent meeting says the space is not needed. The only discussion is how are we going to accommodate it. Based on feedback from the listening sessions, I will make recommendations to the board. More information can be
found on the district website under the heading “Facility Study.” Newsleader: Do you care to comment on teaching/staff relationships and negotiations? Bittman: We are in between negotiation years right now. Actually our teachers have contracts through 2019, so we won’t negotiate until then. We have a really good relationship with our unions – all of them. The only group we will be negotiating with is the clerical unit. We try to operate and negotiate on a cycle. Newsleader: Are the number of families choosing to homeschool an item for concern? Nationwide more families are choosing to pursue that option. Bittman: We are not concerned about the number of families that choose to home school. We think educational choices are up to the individual families, and our parents know best on how to meet their child’s needs. We believe in central Minnesota, all of our school districts provide great education. For some, home-schooling is a wonderful opportunity for them. If all of the home-school students and students who get schooled elsewhere would decide to enroll in the current school, we would have an even a more difficult time finding room for them. We are having a difficult time finding room as it is, space-wise.
Teen from front page type of boat they required. But soon he saw her commitment and helped her organize the fundraiser. She worked with her dad to first sort out all the monetary aspects with a bank, then formed a committee of five firefighters to begin talking with businesses and people all around the Sauk Rapids/ St. Cloud area for donations. Now nearing the end of their goal, they are also looking into possible discounts with the manufacturer. “I’m feeling good about the goal,” Adamski said, referring to the Sept. 10 deadline she forecasted for the fundraiser. “I think we’re going to make it.” The boat itself, Adamski would like people to know, will not replace the two boats that are available at the station now, but rather would be an additional tool for the Sauk Rapids and surrounding fire and rescue departments to use as necessary. The boat will be a part of the mutual-aid agreement with other cities and
Race, religious issues
Newsleader: Some schools in other cities have experienced issues in the areas of race and religion. Are there any issues resulting from race and religious issues in Sauk Rapids? Bittman: There are not. We are a very different district than say St. Cloud in terms of demographics. We have no concern about that. We work really hard to make everyone who comes to Sauk Rapids-Rice feel comfortable and welcome in our schools. Biodiversity has been very beneficial to our schools and to the community.
School security
Newsleader: Does Sauk Rapids-Rice have any issues with school security, and what can be done to create a more comfortable environment? Bittman: We are very lucky in Sauk Rapids and we work closely with local police on this matter. In addition, we have a local school security group who helps us to make sure we are meeting the needs and are most secure. This summer we did an assessment of our security in our buildings. We looked at the buildings, the practices and all of that to make sure we are doing things well and staying on top of it. We have a state-of-the-art system in place right now. We have cameras within the schools and work with Geocom on 3-Dtype systems connecting us not only to the city but also with the county.
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3 will be housed at the Sauk Rapids Fire Department. Then when an emergency is called in that warrants the use of the fan-propelled boat that can scoot across land and water, the boat will be sent wherever it’s needed along with the staff specially trained to use it. “It has been very rewarding,” Adamski said about the whole experience. “It’s just so exciting to help out.” She also added for those still deciding whether to donate or not: “No donation is too small. Really anything helps.” People can continue giving to the fundraiser up to and beyond the deadline of Sept. 10 by several ways. • By going to this website: www.youcaring.com/ sauk-rapids-fire-department-community-425454 • By calling the Sauk Rapids Fire Department and asking for Jason Adamski: 320-2559058. • Or by writing a check payable to the City of Sauk Rapids (in the memo please write “boat fundraiser”) and mail it to: Sauk Rapids Fire Department, 408 N. Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids, Minn. 56379.
Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
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Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
contributed photo contributed photo
These are two bottles of “Minnesota 13” moonshine whiskey that were confiscated during the Prohibition Era.
Teacher and author Elaine Davis, who died in 2015, wrote a book about “Minnesota 13” moonshine that will be the topic of a documentary on that subject, premiering Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Paramount Center for the Arts.
contributed photos
Filmmakers Norah Shapiro (left) and Kelly Nathe (right).
Movie explores Stearns County – Moonshine Capital by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
photo by Kelly Nathe
Above: This is a photo by moviemaker Kelly Nathe of an old copper moonshine still that still shows the axe gashes made by federal agents who raided the Bieniek family farm near Holdingford in the 1920s. The Holdingford area during the Prohibition era (1920-1933) was considered the “capital” for the production of “Minnesota 13,” widely considered the best home-distilled corn whiskey in the world at that time.
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Stearns County moonshine, once known as the best in the world, is the subject of a new movie, which will premiere at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown St. Cloud. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Paramount box office or online at www. paramountarts.org. The documentary, Minnesota 13: From Grain to Glass, was co-directed by Norah Shapiro and Kelly Nathe, with help from late author Elaine Davis and the staff of the Stearns History Museum. Shapiro hails from Minneapolis; Nathe is based in Los Angeles and has many family connections in Stearns County, including in places where moonshine was made. Davis, who died just last year at 59 of pancreatic cancer, was a St. Cloud State University management professor, a dancer, intrepid world traveler,
mother of three and author. In 2007, she published Minnesota 13: Stearns County’s Wet Wild Prohibition Days. The book, in text and photos, explored Stearns County’s role in the production of the finest illegal whiskey created during the Prohibition years, 1920 to 1933, when all sales and consumption of alcohol was banned in the United States. Raised near Lake Park, Davis’s own relatives had been involved in moonshining, and that was one reason she decided to research the subject, and write her interesting and entertaining book. The Stearns County “moonshine” was so superior in quality to the usual rot gut, bathtub gin and white-lightning that it was widely sought by speakeasies throughout the world. A speakeasy was a place where illegal liquor was imbibed on the sly. One of the prime networks for distribution of “Minnesota 13,” as it came to be known, was none other than the network run by famed gangster and bootlegger Al Capone. He
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and his “boys” would make trips to Central Minnesota to check out the supply and to arrange for deliveries to his vast distribution network.
Home brew
Farmers, including those in Central Minnesota, sold millions of tons of corn and grains on world markets during the years of World War I, which ended in 1918. After the war, farm commodity prices fell through the bottom. Farmers and their families began to suffer severe financial deprivations. A farmer could fetch $5 to sell a calf and could get $5 for a gallon of moonshine. It didn’t take many farmers long to figure out which was more lucrative – farming or moonshine-making. As a result, hidden or buried stills were created on farms far and wide throughout Stearns County but mostly on its eastern side where there were plenty of woods, hills and even caves in which to hide the
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Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 stills and the production. In 1920, the national Prohibition Act was passed by the U.S. Congress, forbidding the manufacture, sale or consumption of alcohol products. Despite the risks, the farmers, law enforcement and priests of Stearns County thumbed their noses at Prohibition. In fact, as the demand for moonshine increased because of its illegality, the more the surreptitious business boomed for the corn-growers/distillers in Stearns County. Priests were often complicit and encouraging in the production of corn liquor. For one thing, they had compassion and empathy for farm families hurting because of depressed farm-product prices and for another the German and Polish cultural heritages, including the Catholic Church, always involved beer-drinking and, in the church, sacramental wine at Mass. Local law enforcement also turned a blind eye to moonshining. It was only federal agents who would come down hard: smashing stills, destroying casks or bottles of distilled whisky, and running amok on farm property in search of the forbidden liquid. Most often, there were fines for first offenses. But after subsequent offenses, the farmer-makers could be jailed, usually in the 38-cell Stearns County Jail. Davis, in an interview, told of the time the sheriff was out of town. Prisoners at the jail would hoist up bottles of Minnesota 13 from a jail window, brought to them from moonshining emissaries still in the free world. When the sheriff returned to the jail, he heard the sounds of loud talk and raucous laughter, the sounds of roaringly drunken inmates. The sheriff had a sign made that said, “No passing things through the windows!” that was posted in the jail, as if that would solve the problem. (It didn’t.) In some cases, when the biggest moonshiners were nabbed by the feds, they were placed in prisons, such as at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., or in one near Duluth.
Thanks to the lax and permissive local law enforcement, the sympathetic priests and the wink-and-nod behavior of just about everybody in Stearns County, the moonshine business flourished, with a sly and expert network of marketing and distribution run by do-ityourself entrepreneurs. And farmers were proud of their superior whiskey product, which was often double-distilled and then aged in oak barrels. It was a micro-brewery phenomenon that would dwarf the current trend of micro-brewries, including the dozens now functioning in the St. Cloud area.
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People save colony of 45 cats
Where?
There’s hardly a town in Stearns County that wasn’t touched by moonshining or “cooking,”as it was commonly called. Davis’s own uncles “cooked” in Albany, as did her grandmother. The busiest “Minnesota 13” production occurred in Albany, Avon, St. Wendel, St. Rosa and Holdingford – especially Holdingford, where hidden stills pockmarked the hills and woods. At one time, the “cooking” went on right in the basement of a Polish Catholic church in Holdingford. Speakeasies also flourished in the towns of Stearns County. Anton’s in Waite Park, which used to be called Brickies, was a speakeasy back in the 1920s. The password phrase to get into the joint was “Joe sent me.” Once inside, patrons could have a good time drinking, socializing and raising up some fun. There were hotels in St. Cloud that also harbored speakeasies. Nowadays, nearly a century later, those speakeasies – the scores of them all throughout the county – are long gone and so are most people who would remember them. However, the legends and lore surrounding “Minnesota 13” are alive and well, at least in the history books and in the movie that will premiere Oct. 2 at the Paramount Center for the Arts.
contributed photos
Above: Three kittens huddle together in a corner of the abandoned “cat colony.” At right: A severely undernourished and exhausted kitten sprawls as her kittens try to get milk from her. These were just some of the 50 cats left abandoned at a “cat colony” when personal circumstances caused the residence’s owner to leave the premises. (Editor’s note: This story, written in the first person by St. Joseph resident Kari Cedergren, came to the attention of the Newsleader via the Tri-County Humane Society. The Newsleader decided to publish it because it points to a serious animal-welfare problem, and it’s a heartwarming example of how people, working together, can help save suffering animals.) In May 2016, my realtor and friend, Rebecca from Cartwright Realty, contacted me about a property her clients wanted to buy. But there was an issue. The clients would not close on the property unless the community of accumulated cats was removed. The selling realtor was supposed to “take care” of the animals but had not. With only weeks left until closing, Rebecca took matters into her own hands. She estimated there were 50 cats in this colony that needed homes – and fast. As an animal lover, volunteer and sustaining patron of the TriCounty Humane Society and Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition, I wanted to help my friend, Rebecca, and save some feline lives. A saintly soul, Susan, the property’s owner, loved her outdoor cats. She built shelters for them in old sheds and filled them with mattresses, blankets and straw. She housed and fed her furry friends, and they were fruitful and multiplied. Susan never considered what might happen when she was no longer able to care for them herself. When she had to be moved into a nursing home, her beloved colony of cats had to fend for themselves. Not surprisingly, the situation went from bad to worse for the poor cats. Rebecca caught most of them and placed them with various humane agencies. Of the 50 cats, 45 or so were saved; some who were dying had to be “put down.” Thankfully, there are local organizations to help concerned citizens do what is best for unwanted animals. Tri-County Humane Society does incredible work in the St. Cloud area. Its building is small, but the staff and many volunteers help the same number of animals as in institutions twice the size. Through a few phone calls and some coordination, TCHS helped with the majority of Susan’s cats. The kittens and a few more of the friendlier cats were adopted out as house cats, and a large number were placed through TCHS’ Barn Cat program. The Barn Cat program places cats that are unfit to live indoors for various reasons. These cats are spayed or neutered by
the humane society. They go on to live fruitful lives but do not multiply. Obviously, there are costs to spay and neuter animals. I wanted to find a way to help cover some of TCHS’ costs for fixing Susan’s cats. Feline Rescue in St. Paul is a nonprofit that has three programs: Adoption, Foster and Outreach. The focus of the Outreach Program is to help concerned citizens cover some of the costs associated with trapping, neutering and returning outdoor cats back into the community. The Outreach Program of Feline Rescue is supported by donations, grants and volunteer hours. Grant money the Outreach Program received from Chuck & Don’s Pet Food & Supplies was used to help cover a portion of the cost of spaying/neutering Susan’s cats. Twenty-five years ago, cats and kittens like Susan’s would have been destroyed. Thanks to the dedication of the Tri-County Humane Society and the willingness of the Outreach Program at Feline Rescue to share their grant money from Chuck & Don’s Pet Food & Supplies, Susan’s cats are now enjoying life in their new locations. Those 50 cats, however, point to a much bigger problem in the State of Minnesota. There are many, many more cat colonies that are being fed by concerned citizens like Susan, and the task of trapping, neutering and returning them – or better yet, finding them indoor homes – is a large one. If you’d like to take action by adopting, donating, volunteering or fostering an animal in transition to a new home, please contact the Tri-County Humane Society by visiting its website www.tricountyhumanesociety.org or by calling 320-252-0896. If you would like to donate to the Trap Neuter Return program for colony cats through Feline Rescue’s Outreach Program, please visit its website at www.felinerescue.org or call 651-642-5900. Please designate your donation to “Outreach Program.” Through awareness, concerned citizens now have more humane options for handling outdoor cats. We help animals and so can you.
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Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Our View A great Minnesotan leaves legacy of selfless public service
Food discoveries last a lifetime
A selfless public servant – a Minnesotan no less – has died, reminding us all once again how important true public servants are to the destiny of this nation. Gen. John William Vessey Jr. died Aug. 18 at his home in North Oaks at the age of 94. At the time of his retirement from active military service, in 1985, Vessey was at that time the longest-serving active-duty member of the U.S. Army. President Ronald Reagan appointed Vessey to be the 10th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he held from 1982-85. Born in Minneapolis, he graduated from Roosevelt High School and enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard. He served in Europe during World War II and took part in the beachfront bloody-but-decisive invasion of Anzio, Italy in January 1944. At that time, Italy was in the grip of the fascists, backed by Nazi Germany. Later, Vessey served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He was the last four-star combat veteran of World War II to remain in active service that long. Even after retirement, Vessey served selflessly. At the request of three presidents, right up through President Bill Clinton, Vessey gladly served as an emissary, trying to resolve issues surrounding prisoner-of-war, missing-in-action U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War. He made six trips to Vietnam, and his tireless work helped make possible the identification of the remains or the last-seen whereabouts of so many soldiers whose families could finally find a bit of solace and closure. Vessey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992, just one of many medals and honors that virtually punctuated his long, distinguished years of service. Among the medals was a Purple Heart for being wounded in action. Last year, Avis, his wife of 69 years, died. They have three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Vessey was buried Sept. 1 in the Minnesota State Veterans’ Cemetery in Stillwater. Vessey loved Minnesota and lived at various times at Whitefish Lake, Garrison and North Oaks. All who knew Vessey praised him for his being down-to-earth, unpretentious, level-headed, a man who rolled up his sleeves and got the job done. He was also admired widely for relating to well, like a brother, to all soldiers. This is what President Reagan said of Vessey during a tribute: “Jack Vessey always remembered the soldiers in the ranks; he understood those soldiers are the backbone of the army. He noticed them, spoke to them, looked out for them. Jack Vessey never forgot what it was like to be an enlisted man, to be just a G.I.” We often hear the young adults of the World War II years constituted the “Best Generation.” Vessey – a true patriot and a public servant in every sense of the word – was among the best of those best. It can truly be said of him, “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”
The ideas expressed in the letters to the editor and of the guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Newsleaders. Letters to the editor may be sent to news@thenewsleaders.com or P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374. Deadline is noon Monday. Please include your full name for publication (and address and phone number for verification only.) Letters must be 350 words or less. We reserve the right to edit for space.
Opinion
Once upon a time, there were only salt and pepper and cinnamon to spice up your food – that was it. That was the extent of mom’s seasonings. Just the other day, while shopping in the ethnic foods section in a grocery store, it occurred to me, once again, how I’d had what you might call a “spice-deprived childhood.” Now, I have a huge spice rack on my kitchen wall containing every spice and dried herb imaginable – from achiote seeds to Zanzibar nutmeg. Cooking – with lots of herbs and spices – has long been a favorite hobby. Raised on a farm near Benson, mom was a very good cook who made endless variations of meat, potatoes and vegetables. Lots of cakes and cookies. Tasty casseroles. She was, however, an unadventurous cook. I think the only reason she had cinnamon was for the cinnamon-sugar toast we kids loved to eat with our morning cocoa and Cheerios. Our meals were good but not exactly exciting. Our idea of a culinary thrill was to be able to eat at the OK Café, a Chinese restaurant in downtown St. Cloud. Italian food, to us, meant spaghetti, the only “ethnic” entrée that ever showed up on our plates. We’d never heard of pizza. But that was fine; we didn’t miss what we didn’t know. Then, one day, my 10th-grade Spanish class took a field trip – to La Casa Coronado, a Mexican restaurant in Minneapolis. The variety plate I was served (tacos, enchiladas, refried beans and rice) I can only describe as a palatethrilling revelation. I had never eaten anything so good, and I hadn’t known such food existed. Fantastico! The earthy flavors, the spices, the almostchewy texture of the tortillas that were a bit crisp on the edges, the peppery heat, the gooey melted cheese on the surface.
Dennis Dalman Editor It was an ecstatic experience never to be forgotten. And I didn’t forget that meal. Oh, no! I have been in pursuit of that meal, or one as good, all of my life. After La Casa Coronado, I made up my mind to seek out foods of other cultures. I explored nooks and crannies of the supermarkets, always in search of “foreign” ingredients, new flavors, new textures, new spices. I checked out cookbooks from the library and tried various ethnic dishes, without much success, partly because I had to try to approximate the ingredients not available in St. Cloud. I remember so well bringing “foreign” ingredients home, and mom casting a look of leery suspicion as I unloaded the grocery bag. You’d think I’d brought home a bag full of crazy little animals with contagious diseases. “What in the world are those oddlooking things?” she asked. “Corn tortillas,” I said. “I’m going to make tacos.” I started making them, frying and folding the tortillas. She watched with a kind of dreadful fascination. “Way too many spices!” she practically yelled. “We’re going to get sick.” Rousing her courage, she nervously bit into a taco. “Spicy!” she gasped, pausing. “But good! They’re so good! Make some more. But go easy on the spices.” The tacos were also a hit with the rest of my family. Much later, I was happy when Mexi-
Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
can and Vietnamese immigrants moved to Central Minnesota because that meant a cornucopia of foreign food ingredients in local markets: lemongrass, egg-roll wrappers, Oriental dipping sauces, cilantro, a wonderful array of chili peppers, mole sauce, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, tomatillos, pickled cactus and dozens of spices I’d never heard of. Oh, what fun it was to “play with” those foods, like a kid with new toys. Aiming for perfection, for years I kept trying to make the best enchiladas, trying to recapture the magic of that phenomenal meal so long ago at La Casa Coronado. I didn’t even come close, although my enchiladas were tasty enough, delicious in their own way. In the mid-1990s, I drove through Texas on a vacation: Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. I often joke I ate my way through Texas because that TexMex food was so good I was constantly stopping at restaurants and truck stops to enjoy meal after meal. At some truck stop near Waco, I had a huge plate of huevos rancheros that was a revelation comparable to the supreme variety plate at La Casa Coronado 40 years earlier. Four years ago, I came across a cookbook called The Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh. It was then I had another revelation. That book’s recipe for spicy chili gravy as the basis for enchiladas was exactly what my homemade enchiladas had been missing for so many years. That same gravy is also out of this world with huevos rancheros. I’ve come a long way from the spice-less days of my youth. Thanks to Walsh’s cookbook, to this day my favorite meal is a heaping platter of enchiladas with refried beans and Spanish rice. If anyone wants that chili gravy recipe, just email me at editor@ thenewsleaders.com and I’ll be glad to send it, mi amigo.
Education in Minnesota: a report card Minnesota is often considered to be one of the best places to live in the United States. We have the secondhighest life expectancy in the nation (81.1 years) after Hawaii (81.3 years), and our health care is considered to be some of the best in the country, including such names as the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota. Our schools are also frequently cited in good terms. According to a recent study by WalletHub, Minnesota has the 10thbest school system in the nation. The study took into account many factors, which I have highlighted below. WalletHub’s statistics are based on 17 key metrics that were combined to make a weighted average resulting in our 10th-place score out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Minnesota scored high on many of these metrics. Our math test scores (second) and average SAT score (fourth) are among the highest in the nation. Strong showings are also reflected in Minnesota’s average ACT score (12th) and reading test scores (14th). For our money, Minnesota schools are efficient. Minnesota takes 17th place in education spending for a 10th place overall school rating. Compare that to Alaska, which ranks fourth in spending, but gets 49th overall. There are also some downsides, however; Minnesota is average on the percentage of licensed public K-12 teachers (23rd) and on disciplinary incidents (24th). As a student, these numbers seem very promising to me. Of course, I would most certainly rank Minnesota
Connor Kockler Guest Writer higher. Education on the local level in and around the St. Cloud area has always impressed me. Some of my favorite high-school and middle-school memories have come from participating in Knowledge Bowl tournaments. Minnesota has one of the most developed programs in the nation, and it’s easy to see why. I have met so many intelligent and hard-working students throughout three years of competition, and some of the top teams include local names such as Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell-St. Stephen and St. John’s Prep. New technology such as laptops and iPads have also been introduced in area schools. Though I was at first skeptical of the program, knowing my generation’s obsession with all things digital, seeing them in action at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School has changed my view. Classroom engagement and accountability have increased dramatically in a number of ways. Gone are the days where missing a day of school required calling up a friend about the assignment or losing out on an important lecture. Homework assignments are now available for printing straight off the computer, and daily lesson plans and due dates are listed on an online
calendar. There is no longer much of an excuse for not turning in an assignment. Laptops also increase participation and promote equal opportunity as every student now has access to tools such as word processing and presentation software, as well as Internet access for those who may not have it at home. Textbooks can also be logged into and read on the laptops, reducing the weight and space requirement in a backpack to a fraction of what they would usually take up. Though there are still some problems with the system, the vast majority of teachers and students I’ve met and worked with are amazing people. It always disheartens me when we hear talk about the dismal state of education and children these days. Those who take pride in their schoolwork and the education profession often go unnoticed in their efforts. Studies like the one I summarized go to show good performance is not always publicized. Education is sometimes a forgotten priority, but we cannot forget how important it is. Without strong and vibrant schools, we would not have as many of the outstanding people we see in the area today. Education is an investment in the future of our state and our nation. Without it, we would slip even further down the wrong path. Connor Kockler is a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School student. He enjoys writing, politics and news, among other interests.
Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
Towns from page 2 and mortar does not equal economic success; it’s more people focused with more self-employment and more (1099) consultant work for short periods of time; there are more diversified jobs and occupations; more multiple-job holding, job sharing and self employment; recruitment revolves around more than just job and work-re-
Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com lated benefits. People in the new rural economy want a kind of emotional fulfillment as well as dollars from their jobs. Winchester said based on data he has examined, there is going to be a severe labor shortage in the future and he said he believes that analysis of why looks at the wrong items to explain it. If small towns want to thrive, then they must understand how they will need to change to accommodate those people who would like to move there. They must look to the
future, not the past. It isn’t just building housing for workers or even raising the minimum wage. It’s creating a satisfying environment within which people can live and thrive rather than just be counted as a warm body. The bottom line for rural towns is a simple one, Winchester said. “People want to live and move here for what you are today and will be tomorrow, not what you may have been.”
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photo by Dave DeMars
Audience members took a break to discuss and share insights after hearing part of the presentation on “Rewriting the Rural Narrative” Aug. 17 at Peace Lutheran Church in Cold Spring. The presentation by Benjamin Winchester of the Center for Community Vitality dealt with changes small towns experience.
Community Calendar Is your event listed? Send your information to: Newsleader Calendar, P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374; fax it to 320-363-4195; or, e-mail it to news@thenewsleaders. com. Friday, Sept. 2 Benton County Historical Society, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org. St. Joseph Area Historical Society open, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Old City Hall, 25 First Ave. NW. stjosephhistoricalmn.org. St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 3-6:30 p.m., near the Wobegon Trail Center, C.R. 2 Saturday, Sept. 3 Sauk Rapids Farmers’ Market, 8 a.m.-noon, First Street and Second Avenue next to Manea’s Meats, downtown Sauk Rapids.
REAL ESTATE PLAT BOOKS with 911 addresses, legal descriptions. Stearns County. Other counties available by order. Available at the Newsleaders, 32 1st Ave. NW, St. Joseph. Regular price $40; $30 spiral bound. NO REFUNDS. tfn-f AU TO M O B I L E S / M OTO RC Y C L E S WANTED MOTORCYCLES: TOP CASH PAID! For Old Motorcycles! 1900-1979. DEAD OR ALIVE! 920-371-0494 (MCN)
Monday, Sept. 5 Market Monday, 3-6:30 p.m., parking lot of Hardware Hank, Seventh St. N., Sartell. marketmonday. org. Tuesday, Sept. 6 Benton County Historical Society, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org. 55+ Driver-improvement program (four-hour refresher course), 5-9 p.m., Apollo High School, 1000 44th Ave. N., St. Cloud. 1-888234-1294. Optional online courses: mnsafetycenter.org. Sauk Rapids HRA Board, 6 p.m., council chambers, Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. 320-258-5300. ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us. Rice City Council, 7 p.m., council chambers, Rice City Hall, 205 Main St. E. 320-393-2280. Sauk Rapids Planning Com-
CRAFT-VENDOR SALES Saturday, Sept. 10 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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Exotic jerky available for purchase today only.
Downtown Rice INSIDE Rice Old City Hall Building 30 Main St. E.
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mission, 7 p.m., council chambers, Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. 320-258-5300. ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us. Watab Township Board, 7 p.m., 660 75th St. NW, Sauk Rapids. watabtownship.com. Benton Telecommunications channel 3. Wednesday, Sept. 7 St. Joseph Area Historical Society meeting, 7 p.m., Old City Hall, 25 First Ave NW. stjosephhistoricalmn.org.
nior discussion group, 9 a.m., Country Manor, 520 First St. NE, Sartell. Sartell-Sauk Rapids Moms’ Club, 9-10:30 a.m., Celebration Lutheran Church, 1500 Pinecone Road N., Sartell. Family Farmers’ Market, 2-6 p.m., River East parking lot, CentraCare Health Plaza, 1900 CentraCare Circle, St. Cloud. 320-2522422. St. Cloud Area Mothers of Multiples, 7 p.m., VFW Granite Post 428, 9 18th Ave. N., St. Cloud.
Thursday, Sept. 8 Coffee and Conversation, a se-
Friday, Sept. 9 Benton County Historical Soci-
ety, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org. St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 3-6:30 p.m., near the Wobegon Trail Center, C.R. 2 Saturday, Sept. 10 Sauk Rapids Farmers’ Market, 8 a.m.-noon, First Street and Second Avenue next to Manea’s Meats, downtown Sauk Rapids. Central Minnesota Chapter of the Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, 12:30 p.m., American Legion, 17 Second Ave. N., Waite Park.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Saint John’s Preparatory School is accepting applications for an administrative assistant to the Headmaster. This position is responsible for supporting the Headmaster. Minimum qualifications: post-secondary education with two years of experience, high degree of discretion and organizational ability and proficient computer skills.
Applications are accepted online at:
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Hazel is a spayed, 3-year-old calico who came to the shelter with her friend, Otis, due to allergies in the home. Hazel’s been around children and other cats and lived easily with them. She’s quite affectionate and enjoys ear and chin rubs. Hazel likes to chase around jingle balls and small, stuffed animal toys. Her real passion is playing in cardboard boxes. She is used to having access to a scratching post. Hazel’s adoption fee would be waived for a senior citizen or veteran. “Helping one animal won’t change the world … but it will change the world for that one animal!” Dogs - 13 Kittens - 36
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Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
8
Team from front page really the draw is to win, and your teammates (have) got your back, and when that happens you want to do it for the next guy. So that’s part of the draw.” Kyle Wehrs, who coaches with Ackerman, echoed that same idea. Wehrs, who is also 44, said he retired from active playing two years ago but found he couldn’t stay away. “It’s just getting together with the guys, and I’m kind of competitive,” he said. The team is part of a league that operates in and around the Rice area and plays throughout the summer practicing and honing the skills they learned when they were in high school. The games are weekly and call for dedication throughout the late spring and into latter part of summer. That’s when tournament time rolls around, and that stretches the season to Labor Day and a bit beyond.
Championship caliber
To be good enough to win at the state level tournaments takes dedication. “It takes a lot of practice and lots of get-togethers,” Ackerman said. “All the guys have to be on the same page, and each guy has got to love playing ball. It takes a lot of sacrifice being committed to ball and having fun with the guys. If you got that, you’ll probably have a pretty good team.” Ackerman said in the latest tournament, they brought in a couple of ringers. It’s not unusual since occasionally a team may have too many injuries or players who can’t commit to a weekend tournament. Then it’s important to be able to borrow a player or two from another team. That happened when the team competed in the Sauk
Rapids 35-and-over tournament, and it helped the team to win the Minnesota Sports Federation 2016 Masters M 35Over Slowpitch State Championships July 30. “We combined with another team and they helped us win,” Ackerman said.
Slow-pitch changes
Slow pitch has changed throughout the years, Ackerman said. It used to be a team would load up with power hitters and when they got up to bat they could hit 10 or 15 home runs. A single or a double was almost laughable. To prevent that kind of boring slaughter ball, a new rule was installed. Now a team may be allowed two or three home runs for the entire game. Anymore than the allowed number counts as an out. The idea is to get teams to play good ball and not simply pound the ball over the fence. Not every guy can do that, Ackerman noted. But most guys can hit singles and doubles, and now they have to run and play the game the way it was meant to be played, he said. “In the Class E tournament, we were allowed only one home run,” he said. “So now, you have to have good defense and you have to have guys that can base-hit. It’s done so teams don’t sandbag and only bring home-run hitters. It’s a good rule because it keeps a level playing field.” Tournament play is not as simple as playing a game one night a week during the regular season. Tournaments are a kind of endurance trial with teams playing three back-toback games on Saturdays and returning on Sundays for three more back-to-back games. Six games in two days makes for sore muscles and lots of bruises and injuries. Winning a tournament is really an accomplishment. Winning two tournaments in a season, as the guys from Rice did, is remarkable.
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Woofstock hopes to raise $62,500 by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
The goal of the 28th annual Tri-County Humane Society’s Woofstock Companion Walk is to raise $62,500, an increase of 25 percent from last year’s goal. The event will take place from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Wilson Park in St. Cloud. The actual 5K walk will start at 10 a.m. Organizers of the event are encouraging people to form walking teams and to start raising funds as soon as possible. For information on how best to do it, go to tricountyhumanesociety. org/events/companion-walk. Or call Marit Ortega, TCHS director of philanthropy, at 320252-0896, ext. 14. Many people set up their team’s fundraising page online. People can also donate, any time, via the TCHS website, where there are photos and descriptions of pets up for adoption. Woofstock is one of the local humane society’s most important fundraisers, vital to allow-
ing the organization to continue helping animals and finding them good adoptee homes. The increased fundraising goal is necessary because as more animals are brought to the shelter in east St. Cloud, the more the expenses increase. The TCHS has a 93.5 percent animal-placement rate, which is considered outstanding statewide and nationwide. Despite the superior placement rate, the TCHS ranks 29th among similar-sized humane society’s for its annual budget. Those shelters with adoption/ placement rates in the 90s, like the TCHS, have average annual budgets of $2.5 million whereas the TCHS budget is a mere $930,000, almost onethird less than what it should be ideally. TCHS provides services for more than 3,000 animals (mostly cats and dogs) every year, and as stated above, almost 95 percent of them find new, happy homes. At the TCHS headquarters/ shelter, each animal that comes in is evaluated, examined for
problems (fleas, for instance), de-wormed if needed, spayed/ neutered, and treated for sicknesses or injuries. A lot of time and tender-loving care goes into the process. There is no time limit for an animal in the care of TCHS. On average, a pet is adopted out within 10 days of when the staff deems it ready for a new home. Without donations, the TCHS staff and volunteers could not do their work. Even small donations add up and contribute to making the following possible: $10 is enough to vaccinate a shelter pet; $25 is enough to microchip a pet; $50 is enough to spay/neuter a pet; and $100 is enough to X-ray an injured pet. At the Sept. 10 Woofstock Companion Walk, there will be prizes for the top 40 fundraisers, a special prize for the top fundraising team, games for pets and people, food, a silent auction, pet demonstrations, a hotdog-eating contest, exhibits, music and a costume contest for best dressed pet and best dressed human.