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11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper” Vol. 162, No. 12
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
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Crowning
(USPS 482-240)
June 30, 2016
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more photos on page 12
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Two-year-old Jase Schlien enjoys an orange-flavored frozen treat before the Rapids River Days Parade June 24.
Manea’s expanding by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — Manea’s Meats is expanding. The retail and meat processing plant in downtown Sauk Rapids was given approval by the city council Monday to expand their facility. The new 9,600 square foot addition will align adjacent to Second Street North and progress east over a now vacated alleyway and onto property at Third Avenue North. According to Community Development Director Todd Schultz, the expansion sought the council’s approval of a planned unit development, vacation request and site plan due to the nature of the business expansion. In accordance with the city’s plan, Sauk Rapids would not normally allow a meat processing plant in the downtown area, but because Manea’s is meeting the conditions of the agreement, the council approved. The enhancement will be made to look like multiple buildings per city code. Multiple colors, building setbacks, varying roof elevations and additional glazing (or windows) will help achieve this look. Manea’s has purchased the home at 109 Third Avenue North and will use the space for a park-
ing lot. Color schemes and materials will be brought back to the city for approval before construction begins. In other council news: • Sauk Rapids will see two new faces on its police force this summer. Jacob Galvin, of St. Cloud, and Benjamin Behrendt, of Rice, were appointed to the Sauk Rapids Police Department as full-time officers. Galvin’s tentative start date is July 5 and Behrendt’s July 18. • Awarded the bid for overhead to underground electrical service conversion work to Electrical Solutions, Inc. in the amount of $18,500. The work will cost approximately half of what city engineers originally expected. Council person Steve Heinen abstained from this vote. • Approved an annexation request for the property east of 1990 15th Street NE. • Approved purchase of mobile computer Law Enforcement Technology Group software for the newest squad cars. This will ensure the car is equipped as the rest of the Sauk Rapids Police Department fleet. • Approved the purchase of two Automatic Electronic Defibrillators. • Approved sending Officers Welsh, Gales, and Lund to additional trainings.
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Sydney Burk (left), Allyson Walz and Clo Meyer were selected as the 2016-17 Sauk Rapids Community Ambassadors at the pageant which kicked off Rapids River Days June 23.
Burk, Walz and Meyer begin reign as Sauk Rapids Ambassadors by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — As the auditorium lights dimmed June 23, the 2015-16 Sauk Rapids ambassadors Nikki Bukowski, Kelsey Christensen and Tana Hendrickson said their goodbyes and handed over their crowns to a new reign of young women. Sydney Burk, Clo Meyer and Allyson Walz were selected as the 2016-17 Sauk Rapids Ambassadors during the community pageant this past Thursday. Family members, friends, neighborhood residents and royalty gathered in the Sauk Rapids-Rice Performing Arts Center as six sponsored candidates competed for three equally-weighted crowns. “I was really excited when I heard Sydney’s name,” said Walz, who was crowned following the coronation of her best friend Burk. “I bribed her with Starbucks and dragged her into this candidacy, so it was really exciting to see her win. I was excited when I got it, but I was more excited for her.” And the crowd could tell. Cameras zoomed into Walz’s jaw-dropped face, only to re-
alize that the first name called was actually none other than the girl standing next to her. Burk stood stunned. “It wasn’t something I expected at all. It was nice to have Allyson by my side,” said Burk. Meyer was just as ecstatic. After already winning the award for Best Dress, Meyer was selected as the third ambassador. “I started to cry,” Meyer said. “I was super happy. I had wanted to participate last year but didn’t.” Meyer, daughter of Todd and Jody and sponsored by Fairview Gardens, was the only graduating Sauk RapidsRice High School senior who participated in the candidacy program this year. The other five will all be seniors at the school this fall. Burk is the daughter of Jason and Brenda and was sponsored by Furniture Closeout Center and Walz is the daughter of Kelly and sponsored by Bernick’s. Another candidate, Alexys Benner, daughter of Melissa and Dana Mayo, was honored with Miss Congeniality. The recipient of this award is chosen by those participating in the candidacy. “I’m really honored and happy to receive the award. It
Alexys Benner was awarded Miss Congeniality by her peers at the Sauk Rapids Community Ambassador Organization’s pageant June 23.
means a lot to be chosen by your peers,” Benner said. Ally Hallonquist, daughter of Jason and Ann, and Mary Malikowski, daughter of John and Deidre Allen, also participated in the ambassadorship candidacy. Burk, Meyer, Walz and Miss Congeniality Benner kicked off the new ambassadors’ reign by joining in the Rapids River Days Parade along with elementaryaged participants from the first Sauk Rapids Princess
Program which was held in May. The three ambassadors spent Saturday making appearances at the Tanner’s Team 5K Walk/Run, Granite City Days Parade and Rapids River Food Fest. They volunteered alongside the ambassador program’s scholarship providers, the Sauk Rapids Lions, and Walz even made it to her travel soccer team’s
Ambassadors continued on pg. 3
A passion framed in nature by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – David Barthel got his first camera when he was eight-years-old and he’s had a camera in his hand ever since. Barthel, the owner of North Shore Images Photography of Sauk Rapids, started the business eight years ago after a stint as an engineer. “I graduated with an electrical engineering degree from St. Cloud State University and was an engineer in Pequot Lakes for two and a half years before my job was eliminated by the Great Recession in 2008. That’s when the transition happened,” Barthel said. PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA While many landscape David Barthel shows his photograph to an interested passerby photographers come to phoat the Lemonade Concert and Art Fair June 23, explaining tography from an interest in where he took his photo.
the outdoors, Barthel is different. He became interesed in the outdoors because of photography. Barthel works as a nature photographer, focusing on unique landscape throughout Minnesota and the United States. “I like the slower pace of nature and landscape photography. It has some stunning visual elements that often come together to make a great photograph,” Barthel said. “I really like that I can take my time and have a more contemplative approach to finding the design elements in nature that will make a great shot as opposed to other types of photography.” Barthel has traveled to various places in the United States over the past few years, most notably the Southwest
and the Pacific Northwest. “My favorite place to shoot in Minnesota would have to be along the Lake Superior coastline, where it’s rocky and you can get unique shots,” Barthel said. “Aside from there, I really love Oregon because of the variety of landscapes.” One of his favorite shots is of the Multnomah Falls in Oregon, where he used a tiltshift lens to capture the 620foot waterfall in one photo. “It’s been one of my bestsellers,” Barthel said. “I get a lot of comments on it and it was fun to shoot.” He also enjoys capturing photos at nighttime, particularly when the Northern Lights make an appearance. One of his most unique experiences was late at night when he was camping up on the
North Shore. “I had heard chatter about the lights being out that night and just as I was ready to go to bed, I saw the glow to the north, so I went to a spot a few miles away and shot the lights for a few hours, all by myself on the edge of this cliff,” Barthel said. Barthel had continued to increase his skill level and recognizes his growth since he started his photography. “When I first started landscape photography, I shot a lot of easy subjects that are the postcard shots everyone goes for,” Barthel said. “Now I look for more design elements in my shots – I look at the foreground, elements like patterns in the rocks or how
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