Pioneer PINE CITY
THURSDAY, MARCH 28 , 2019
VOL. 134 NO. 13 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
FARMER INCOME: Study reports income for Minnesota farmers hit new low in 2018. P6
Spring flood dangers drop BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
Though waters continued to rise on the Snake River at Pine City on Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service reported that the chance of flooding in the Pine City area is less than 50 percent this spring. Melting snow caused the Snake River to rise steadily this past week, reaching 5.8 feet at the Snake River Bridge at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27. However, by Wednesday the Snake River upstream of Pine City appeared to be leveling off. National Weather Service hydrographs show that after reaching a high of 6.66 feet on March 25, Snake River water levels began falling below that point in Mora. The Snake River appeared to have crested in Grasston on the morning of March 26. PHOTO PROVIDED
Lions help kids roar for reading February was “I Love To Read Month,” and the Pine Area Lions headed to Pine City Elementary school to read their favorite books to young students. The Lions mascot “Roary” got in on the fun too.
HISTORIC CRESTS Though spring flooding is always a concern, recent high waters have come as a result of torrential summer rains. The Snake River crested at 8.32 feet on July 17, 2018. Exactly two years earlier, on SEE FLOOD, PAGE 15
‘Escape room’ experience comes to Pine City BY CJ GUSTAFSON NEWS@PINECITYMN.COM
It’s WWII and the US Army barracks somewhere in Europe are under attack. General Montgomery and his men were evacuated in a rush, accidentally leaving behind the official battle plans hidden in his bunker. Now it’s up to you and your team to retrieve the plans and save the platoon from certain defeat. According to the latest intel, the enemy is one hour away. Do you have the skill and aptitude to find the plans and get out safely before the barracks are overrun? America is counting on you. This was the scenario for the dozens of people who participated in Breakout Route’s mobile escape room, hosted by Nick Olson and Three Twenty Brewing Co. “We chose to host the Mobile Escape Room because we thought it would be a great opportunity for the community members to experience something new and unique without having to drive to Minneapolis or Duluth,” Olson said,
adding that prior to this event, he personally had never been in an escape room. “The experience far exceeded my expectations. It was very fun.” The idea of escape rooms is not new. They’ve been around for several years now, and according to Lisa and David Spira, who post escape room reviews on their website, roomescapeartist. com, there are over 2,300 escape rooms in the United States and the number is growing quickly. So what is the basic concept of an escape room? Small groups of people (usually four to eight) work together in a room filled with clues to solve interactive puzzles that eventually lead to a final solution to a story or problem, allowing escape from the room. Plot lines are as varied as the human imagination can conjure up, but typically involve a time-sensitive situation such as a ticking bomb, a sinking ship or invading bad guys. The key is figuring out what items in the room are clues CJ GUSTAFSON | THE PIONEER
SEE ESCAPE, PAGE 15
The escape room is full of clues and secrets which must be uncovered by investigators.
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