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TRUNK OR TREAT: Spotted around town PAGE 8

Pumpkin competition blossoms into yearly tradition

Business as usual for monsters BY KELLY JO MCDONNELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

outteach the teacher.” Mark, a Maplewood resident, started growing pumpkins back in 2001 as part of a contest with his brother-in-law to see who could grow the largest pumpkin. “It has just grown from there,” Mark explained.

Organizing and executing a large entertainment show complete with over 270 employees, 175 of whom are actors, is no small feat, whether you’re a theater show or a haunted attraction. Rolling out the show during a pandemic is something else entirely. But the show must go on. Jeremy Hastings, owner of The Dead End Hayride, knows this better than anyone. In 2020, the venue was open and adhering to the state’s COVID restrictions. “We’ve gotten pretty good at keeping groups that come together separated from the other groups,” explained Hastings. “The major hurdle was we had to fi gure out how we were going to keep the crowd size under the 250 number that the governor set in the queue line.” On a normal night, the hayride has 1,500 to 2,000 people waiting to get in. The team had adapted “timed ticketing” in 2019, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Keeping the tickets timed to certain slots and groups helped with crowd control. It also helped keep the show more controlled for the actors, allowing them to perform better. This year, it’s business as usual for the monsters. “We’ve still adapted some of the changes in 2020, such as the cleaning measures, hand sanitizing stations; they are all still in play. And we’re still doing timed ticketing. I see that as a real positive for the overall customer

SEE GIANT PUMPKINS, PAGE 7

SEE DEAD END, PAGE 7

CONTRIBUTED

Hugo resident Jeff LeClair tries to outdo himself, and his father Mark LeClair, when it comes to pumpkin weight each year. Jeff is pictured with his children 7-year-old Hunter and 3-year-old Brynley. BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR

Every year, a father and son try to outdo each other in weight — that is, when it comes to growing pumpkins. For the past five years, Hugo resident Jeff LeClair has tried

to grow a pumpkin that not only beats his previous year’s pumpkin, but eventually his father Mark LeClair’s pumpkin. Mark has been honing his pumpkin growing skills for quite some time, but son Jeff said he hopes it eventually gets to the point where “the student can

Coalition members celebrate completion of I-35W project BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR

After more than two decades of gathering funds, planning and designing, and three years of construction, the north metro has a lot to celebrate now that the improvements to I-35W from Sunset Avenue in Lino Lakes to County Road C in Roseville are complete.

The Circle Pines City Council recently recognized numerous individuals who were involved on the project, many of whom served on the North Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition. MnDOT Metro Deputy District Engineer Sheila Kauppi has been working on the corridor since 2012. “When there is not a pandemic, there is about

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150,000 motorists that drive on that roadway. Local residents, commuters from the region, travelers, freight haulers, transit riders, carpoolers. It is a busy road,” she said. “About 25 years ago we started this journey. We began working with a group of very dedicated civic leaders … Having that momentum and backing SEE 35W PROJECT COMPLETE, PAGE 9

CONTRIBUTED

The Circle Pines City Council recognizes many of the individuals who were instrumental in the completion of the I-35W project. Pictured (from left) are: MnDOT Project Manager Jerome Adams, former Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan, former New Brighton Mayor Bob Benke, Circle Pines Mayor Dave Bartholomay, former Blaine City Council Member Dick Swanson and MnDOT Metro Deputy District Engineer Sheila Kauppi.

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