Hinkemeyer Tree Farm page 1B
Saturday, December 5, 2020
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What’s Happening page 11
Vol. 166, No. 35
BENTON AG Section B
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Same Local Coverage Since 1854.
2 Second Ave. S., Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
County reschedules truth-in-taxation meeting Mail notifying residents not reaching mailboxes BY JAKOB KOUNKEL STAFF WRITER
Benton County page 3
PHOTO BY ELLARRY PRENTICE
The Behrendt family – Kendra (front, from left) and Christopher; Crystal (back, from left), Andy, Justin, Destiny and Alyssa – stand among their display of holiday lights inflatables Nov. 24 in Sauk Rapids. The Behrendts decorated their property, on the corner of 10th Avenue and 11th Street, in a single day, starting at 4 a.m. Nov. 1.
Letters and lights:
Sauk Rapids family makes Christmas bright In a single day, Behrendts illuminate yard, decorate with inflatables, Santa mailbox BY ELLARRY PRENTICE | STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – When Andy and Crystal Behrendt went to sleep the night of Oct. 31, their yard was teeming with spooky décor. By the following evening, their property had transformed into a dazzling Christmas extravaganza that is turning heads in their Sauk Rapids neighborhood. “The neighbor said, ‘I go to work, it’s Halloween. I wake up, it’s Christmas,’” Crystal said of their yard, which she and Andy and their five children, ages 4 to 15, decorated in a single day. The work began shortly after 4 a.m. Nov. 1, when Andy, too excited to sleep, roused his wife and kids out of bed to help take down the Halloween décor and put
PUBLIC NOTICES
FOLEY – When county commissioners took their seats the evening of Dec. 1 to conduct its annual truthin-taxation public meeting, Benton County Administrator Monty Headley reported he found out earlier in the day that mail notices, also called parcel-specific notices, for the meeting never reached the mailboxes of the county’s residents. The truth-in-taxation meeting is meant for public comment on the county’s proposed 2021 budget and levy. Benton County pairs its first December meeting of the month with its truth-intaxation meeting, which has to take place by Dec. 30. Commissioners rescheduled the meeting for Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. because they wanted to give taxpayers an opportunity to comment on the budget and levy for 2021. They were also unsure of the legal consequences of approving the budget and levy without having mailed out notices.
a colossal Christmas scene in place of it. The transformation from scary to merry not only caught the attention of neighbors, but quickly became the talk of the town. It did not take long before eyes widened, jaws dropped and more red lights appeared – behind vehicles. “All of a sudden you’ll just see the brakes slam and people stop to look,” Andy said of their massive display of lights and inflatables. “We’ve been called the Griswolds a few times already.” A lifelong Sauk Rapids resident, Andy is not only Clark Griswold but an elf with an important job this month. On the Behrendt property, at 1101 10th Ave. N., beside the driveway, is a mailbox for letters to Santa. Kids can safely place their letter in the “North Pole Express Mail” slot (without having to touch a handle) and
• Amendment to Assumed Name - Solutions made Simple - pg. 13 • Mortgage Foreclosure - pg. 13 • Mayhew Lake Township Meeting Notice - pg. 13 • City of Sauk Rapids Notice of Public Hearing - pg. 13 • Benton County Truth in Taxation Notice - pg. 12 • Probate Notice - Zipp - pg. 13
Santa will personally respond to each letter with an address provided. Andy, who is a garbage collector, will hand deliver the letters to Santa when he picks up his trash each week. “I’ve always told our kids that’s how I make sure their letters get to Santa, ‘cause I see him at least once a week,” he said. The Behrendts’ whimsical wonderland features 30,000 lights and projectors that display Christmas scenes on their house. In addition to string lights, illuminated trees, candy canes, stars, wreaths and reindeer adorn the property. With the kids’ playhouse as the store, they transformed their backyard into “Santa’s Tree Farm,” making several light-up trees and hoops by hand to reduce cost.
OBITUARIES • Lisa A. Novak • Alex Rademacher • Robert J. Rogers • Janice Ann Williams
Behrendts page 3
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