9 minute read
DOING GOOD Fore
Fore!
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BEAR’ly Open celebrates winter for a good cause.
BY AVA PUTTING THE FUN IN
DIAZ FUNDRAISING, White Bear Lake’s BEAR’ly Open event does so in true Minnesota fashion as an official Winter Carnival event. Celebrating its 14th year, BEAR’ly Open invites hundreds of local residents to Ramsey County Beach on the frozen White Bear Lake to enjoy rounds of golf on ice.
Established in 2008 by members of the Rotary Club of White Bear Lake and White Bear Events, BEAR’ly Open was created as a way to celebrate the community and support the White Bear Area Food Shelf (WBAFS). Typically equipped with two nine-hole courses, a variety of delicious food, a hospitality tent, music and a Community Dance, there is no shortage of entertainment during this jam-packed weekend. But due to the pandemic, this year's event will look a little different. "There will be no sponsor tents or congregating of any kind," said Ken Galloway, founder and current chair of BEAR'ly Open. "Instead, we will have the course open on Friday and Saturday, February 5th and 6th. We will sell tee times in groups of four and spaced out 10 minutes apart; golfers will register and pay for their tee time in advance on our website."
The event will also include a virtual Gala on Friday night, February 5th, as well as an online auction that will run for four days up until Friday.
And, as always, it's about giving back; all of the proceeds of this event go toward the WBAFS.
Providing support to the area since 1977, the food shelf is a critical resource for local families striving to live a healthy, nourished lifestyle.
Through their partnerships with various nonprofits and local businesses, the
food shelf is able to multiply and increase the value of the donations. “For every dollar you would spend at a grocery store, we would be able to buy eight dollars’ worth of food through our connections,” says Perry Petersen, executive director of WBAFS.
To date, the BEAR’ly Open event has raised over $200,000, which equates to more than $1.6 million in food for community members in need.
With a lofty goal of reaching $2 million this year, Galloway says this event “has really made quite the impact,” and that he would love to see BEAR’ly Open continue to expand and reach more people.
EVENT INFORMATION: Please visit bearlyopen.org for up-tothe-minute updates on how to reserve your tee time, the virtual Gala and the online auction.
GALLOWAY CULINARY In addition to his work as a Rotary club member and an organizer of this event, Galloway also started Galloway Culinary in an effort to combine his experience in management with his passion for food.
With an emphasis on healthful cooking, he creates gourmet, multi-course meals for customers—and teaches private cooking classes. Look for a full Tastemakers story, devoted to Galloway and his culinary talents, in the March/April issue of White Bear Lake Magazine.
WHITE BEAR AREA FOOD SHELF 1884 Whitaker St.; 651.407.5310; whitebearfoodshelf.org White Bear Area Food Shelf @WBLfoodshelf
BEAR’LY OPEN 651.983.5202; bearlyopen.org BEAR’ly Open
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Community Driven, Community Focused
BY
SAMANTHA DE LEON
PHOTOS BY LISA
BEECROFT
WHEN DOWNTOWN WHITE BEAR LAKE FACED THE BRUNT OF THE PANDEMIC IN EARLY
SPRING, ReGrow White Bear Lake stepped up to the plate to help the many shops, eateries and businesses that help make the area such a great place to live, work and play.
The campaign is a community-wide partnership of several groups, including the city of White Bear Lake, White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Organization, Explore White Bear and White Bear Lake Economic Development Corporation. They came together to help find a way for business owners to survive and reopen; within several weeks, ReGrow invited several local business owners to join.
They use events, such as WBL Bear Hunt, Plant Party and Picnic in the Park, to help bring folks to the area to dine and shop; they’re also working on building resources to promote smaller businesses and safe dine-in and takeout options for restaurants. In fact, several restaurants are collaborating on a pledge to commit to safety for their business and their customers.
“We’re changing how we do things, smaller and more intimate, but in a way to celebrate community,” says Lisa Beecroft who is a ReGrow White Bear Lake committee member and volunteers at Explore White Bear. Beecroft says the collaborative effort is also resulting in a webinar series to assist businesses, technologically, such as online ordering.
Generosity from local business owners and volunteers have helped make those events, Plant Party and Picnic in the Park and others, possible.
Left to right: Social distance sign on Lake Ave., Plant Party pretties, Bear Hunt sign at Mixx Salon
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See all that your community has to off er.
Check out our Community Directory! All of the best resources at your fingertips. whitebearlakemag.com
ReGrow White Bear Lake encourages folks to get involved by dining and shopping local, using #ReGrowWBL when posting those outings to social media, supporting local nonprofits and checking the ReGrow White Bear Lake website for upcoming events, contests and updates.
REGROW WHITE BEAR LAKE 4701 Highway 61; info@regrow-wbl.com regrow-wbl.com Explore White Bear @explorewhitebear @ExploreWBL
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Namaste
Find your calm at Zen Fitness and Wellness.
BY WHITE BEAR LAKE MADELINE KOPIECKI RESIDENT BRITTANY TOBIN happened upon yoga
PHOTOS at a particularly pivotal time
BY CHRIS EMEOTT in her life. “I actually found yoga when I was pregnant with my son, about seven years ago; I did prenatal yoga. It helped with my back pain, everything, and I’ve been falling in love with it since then.”
Tobin kept at it, taking more classes herself, and introducing the practice to her friends and family through yogain-the-park lessons. After becoming a certified instructor, Tobin’s next step was to open her own studio, Zen Fitness and Wellness. “I think the biggest shock was how surreal it was at first,” says Tobin. “Now I have people who love to come to the studio—which feels great—and I just love hearing their stories.”
The people who attend Tobin’s classes come from all walks of life, with students as young as 12, and others getting started on their yoga practice in their 60s. Tobin says that no matter your age or prior experience, it’s never too late to learn.
“When people tell me that they don’t think yoga is for them, I’ll either get, ‘I’m not flexible at all,’ or ‘I have horrible balance,’ or ‘I like an intense workout.’ But yoga isn’t about flexibility,” Tobin notes. “It’s about stretching. It’s stretching the muscles in ways you aren’t used to, which has so many benefits. Inside the body, there’s blood flow and circulation. And with all of us on more screen time, especially now, it helps with the neck strain and calming your mind.”
To help her clients, Tobin also offers a complimentary wellness profile with any class purchase. “I do a full body scan,
it’ s a
to serve you!
Are you interested in starting a new fitness routine but don’t know where to begin? Check out zenfitnessandwellness.com for a full class schedule, including classes like HIIT FIT, Bootcamp, and Cardio Drumming (Pilates and Zumba classes coming soon!), in addition to yoga classes for all experience levels.
I scan their water weight, muscle weight and BMI,” she says. “A lot of people, when they look at a regular scale, say, ‘I’m not losing weight.’ But they’ve actually gained six pounds of muscle because they’ve been working out.”
Tobin says yoga also helps to ease anxieties. “I have a lady who comes in, and she says, ‘I’m so stressed, and my body’s so stiff. I take your class and after the final pose I feel like a whole new person. I can breathe, I can move my body more.’ And I just love to hear that.”
Note: Due to the ever-changing pandemic situation, please head to zenfitnessandwellness.com for the most up-to-date studio information.
ZEN FITNESS AND WELLNESS 1350 Highway 96 E. Suite 9; 651.341.4694 zenfitnessandwellness.com Zen Fitness and Wellness @zen_fitness_and_wellness
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