PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper” Vol. 162, No. 20
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
(USPS 482-240)
September 1, 2016
Combining dance, nature PHOTO SUBMITTED BY DANCE ACROSS THE USA
Gonzalez participated in both a sunset and sunrise photoshoot on Rainy Lake in Voyageurs National Park. The project has released teaser images and plans on using different images in the book set to be released early 2017.
Gonzalez stars in Dance Across the USA
Sacred Heart Festival
by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — A 16-year-old Sauk Rapids resident has landed herself a role in a project and book receiving national attention — and it was not because of for her writing ability. Ashley Gonzalez, a local tap dancer, was selected out of nearly 2,800 applicants nationwide to participate in Dance Across the USA, a project which combines the talents of regional dancers
ing trained lessons in ballet dented 90-day, 22,000-mile, sota,” Gonzalez said. Like many dancers, at 2 years old and continued 56-location historic trip across the contiguous U.S., Gonzalez’s story begins at Gonzalez Alaska and Hawaii. He plans a young age. She began takcontinued on pg. 2 to eventually combine his captured images into a book, which will be sold to beneÀt both the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Arts. Gonzalez, the daughter of Sal and Stephanie Gonzalez, along with three other dancers were selected to represent Minnesota in photos that were captured at Voyageurs National Park Aug. 19 and 20, on the cusp of the National Parks Service’s 100th anniversary. “It’s really cool because Jonathan is incorporating dancing, but he’s broadening his setting to include national parks in every state. It’ll bring awareness, and it’s an honor to represent MinnePHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids resident Ashley Gonzalez, 16, was selected from 2,800 applicants nationwide to participate in Dance Across the USA, a project which combines the artistry of dance with the beauty of the nation’s parks and historic locations.
with the beauty of the country’s parks and historic locations. “By photographing talented dancers in these nationally signiÀcant locations, we will both increase interest in dance, as well
as expose people to the accessibility and majesty of our country,” said Jonathan Givens, project founder and photographer. Owner of Entertainment Photography Specialists, Givens is on an unprece-
From cutting paper to cutting hair
Fleck opens barbershop on Second Avenue N
Aiden Guggenberger, 2, of Sauk Rapids, throws a ring toward glass bottles in hopes of winning a prize Aug. 28 at the Sacred Heart Parish Festival.
More photos continued on pg. 2
Partial intersection closed at Summit Ave N
by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — When the explosion at Sartell’s Verso Paper Mill happened in August 2012, it ended over a century of papermaking in the community. Approximately 260 employees lost their jobs and one man lost his life. “That was a stressful time,” said Lyle Fleck, the former president of Local 274, the Steelworkers Union. “My reaction was what could I do to make sure all the people I represented got the best they could. But you could see the sadness in people’s faces. Those were good jobs, well-paying jobs. A lot of those people had 40 years in. There was a lot of uncertainty as to what we were going to do.” Fleck, who had worked at the mill for 31 years, answered his question with cutting hair. Lyle’s Barbershop opened for business in Sauk Rapids on Second Avenue North last week. The shop will provide men’s and kids’ cuts; hot towel shaves and beard trims; and head shaves on Tuesdays through Saturdays. When Fleck and others lost their jobs at the mill, they received help Ànding jobs and additional schooling from Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development and the St. Cloud Workforce Center.
Detour along Stearns Dr. N.
Detour along 9th Ave. N.
Summit Ave. N. closed on N. side of intersection with 2nd St. N.
GRAPHIC SUBMITTED
Residents will need to detour while the north leg of the intersection of Summit Ave. N. and Second Street N. is closed due to ongoing construction.
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Lyle Fleck, of Sartell, opened his business, Lyle’s Barbershop, in downtown Sauk Rapids last week. A former Verso Paper Mill employee, Fleck went back to school to learn how to cut hair.
“At 58, I knew it would be hard to start over at an entry-level job and I was unsure whether I could handle some of the manual labor. I had cut hair for people like my father a little bit, so I had a good idea of what I wanted to do. It was a short course and I could be back into the workforce quickly. Plus it seemed like a good job to have. My biggest challenge
was making sure I could achieve it,” Fleck said. Before entering the workforce, Fleck visited local barbershops and spoke with the men working about whether or not they liked what they were doing. Most of them did and no one told Fleck it was a horrible job. So he enrolled in Moler Barber School of Minneapolis (which has since expanded
to the St. Cloud area) and began his nine-month training. But schooling didn’t come easily. Fleck failed his Àrst exam by two questions. “I graduated from high school in 1972 and never took a test on anything in between. It was a lot of work...a lot of work,” Fleck said. “I knew it was going to
Fleck continued on pg. 3
SAUK RAPIDS — Road construction progress continues in Sauk Rapids. This week, the north leg of the Summit Avenue and Second Street N. intersection is closed due to the installation of a water main and storm sewer followed by construction of a new roadway. TrafÀc should use Ninth Ave. N. and Stearns Drive N. as alternate routes. Stearns Drive N. is open for trafÀc and the driving surface will remain gravel over the next few weeks until curb, gutter and pavement is placed. Construction between Summit Ave. N. and Stearns Drive N continues. • A poured-in-place retaining wall near the Sauk Rapids Government center is
expected to be completed by the weekend. • The new sanitary lift station construction is approximately 50 percent complete, with the installation of the new force main piping to begin soon. • Roadway construction is following immediately behind the water main and storm sewer pipe installation. • Concrete curb and gutter, followed by bituminous surfacing, will follow in the next few weeks. • The Àrst course of the bituminous bike trail has been installed west of Summit Ave N.; the portion east of Summit Ave. N. to the Holiday gas station will begin in late September/early October.