Washington County Fair: The place to be in 2023

The Washington County Fair has been bringing fun to all ages since 1871. The fair kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 2, and ends Sunday, Aug. 6 at the fairgrounds located at 12300 North 40th Street in Stillwater.

The midway will be back with carnival rides. There will be many exhibits including arts, quilts, woodworking, goats, cows and more. Horse lovers can enjoy a horse show and there will be plenty of food.

Live bands this year on the Craft Brew Haus stage are as follows:

• 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 4: Heartbreaker

• 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 5: Them Pesky Kids

• 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 6: Firewater Gospel Choir

• For motorsports enthusiasts, the fair will have a truck pull, motokazie, demo

Obituary

derby and tractor pull

• The Washington County Master Gardener volunteers will have daily demonstrations and hands-on activities at the Fairest Garden. According to the fair Facebook page, the bag

Karen Freed

76, passed away on July 13, 2023 from the fast moving effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Her beautiful smile and wonderful laugh brought joy to everyone she met.

Karen Jo Bennett was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 1, 1947 to Rose Marie (Boehm) and Paul Clement Bennett. She & her father were very proud of their Danish heritage, including his birth name: Herluf Poul Debel Klokker. She traced her Danish family heritage back to her great-great grandfather Count Christian Johan Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (1789-1856) and enjoyed being a Countess.

Karen lived in Edina until marrying Larry Schroeder. Several years later,

School Brief

River Grove is growing full speed ahead

tournaments will look slightly different this year as there will be tournaments for both prizes and money. The bag tournaments will be at noon on Sunday. Signup for the tournaments will begin at 11 a.m. at the Craft Brew Haus.

they moved to Columbus, MN. During this time, she worked as a grocery clerk in Forest Lake. After Karen and her second husband, David E. Mattson were married, she worked as a restaurant server and then chiropractic assistant. They then owned Hardwood Construction & Hardwood Handlers, which built and sold houses and processed lumber for building materials suppliers.

Karen and John Freed blended their families when they were married in 2001 and lived in Columbus, MN. The two of them enjoyed spending winters at their home in Travelers Rest near Dade City, Florida with many good friends.

She was active in the Lakes Area Business Association since its inception in 1994, serving as its secretary. She enjoyed getting to know other Forest Lake business owners who worked toward a better business climate together.

Karen enjoyed outdoor activities like hunting, camping, horseback riding, walking and cutting wood. She was proficient with firearms and enjoyed teaching gun safety to girls.

It was always special to get family together to make the Prussian heritage

For more information and a list of events, go to https:// washingtoncountyfair. org/.

Noelle Olson

River Grove School’s new home base is on the north end of downtown Stillwater and will be a springboard to new opportunities. Renovations of the Zephyr Theatre building — now the Manitou Fund Education and Arts Center — are underway. The architectural firm MSR Design is developing a versatile building that will fit the school’s needs. The interiors feature light-filled spaces with a natural, soothing color palette and state-of-the-art functionality and security. The location provides access to many local natural spaces immediately adjacent in Stillwater and in the greater St. Croix River Valley area, historical sites and community partnerships. At River Grove, students engage in both indoor and outdoor environments to expand their learning opportunities.

recipe for kasnip and to play Shanghai Rummy. Karen loved celebrating holidays, especially hosting the annual Labor Day party. She & John enjoyed traveling, including a trip to Denmark to trace Karen’s familyheritage and a cruise to Alaska.

Karen loved to sing and dance at Travelers Rest and enjoyed leading a Bible study there for several years. For nearly 20 years she worked at From the Heart Bible and Gift store and was blessed by its service to the community. The owners, Barb and Mike Nowicki and her coworkers, were close friends in Christ. Karen’s strong Christian faith was very important to her and she is now in her special room in Heaven as the Bible promised.

Karen is survived by her loving husband, John and her wonderful children, Steve (Wendy) Schroeder, Michelle (partner Peter Gaylord) Schroeder, and Rob (Mindi) Schroeder and David P. (Jessica) Mattson. Her 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren brought her so much joy. John’s children, Josh (Jenny) Freed, Becky (Corey) Brown and Matt (Pippin) Freed, and his 8 grandchildren were also such a blessing.