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BEAR SIGHTINGS ON THE RISE: How to coexist PAGE 10
Mahtomedi woman raises $2K for food shelf with hometown notecards
Poppy purpose In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
AMERICAN LEGION POST 168 2210 3RD ST., WHITE BEAR LAKE 651-429-5700 AMERICANLEGION.ORG
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BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER
Lt.Col. John McCrae – Dec. 8, 1915
What are those little red flowers? Following World War I, then called “the Great War,” the poppy flourished in Europe. Scientists attributed the growth to soils in France and Belgium becoming enriched with lime from the rubble left by the war. From the dirt and mud grew a beautiful red poppy. Following the publication of the wartime poem, “In Flanders Fields,” the red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed during battle. The poem was written by Lt.-Col. John McCrae, a Canadian doctor, while he served on the front lines. He
died of pneumonia near the end of the war. On Sept. 27, 1920, the poppy became the official flower of The American Legion family to memorialize the soldiers who fought and died during the war. In 1924, the distribution of poppies became a national program of The American Legion. Led by the American Legion Auxiliary, each year members of The American Legion Family distribute poppies with a request that the person receiving the flower make a donation to support the future of veterans, active-duty military personnel
and their families with medical and fi nancial needs. Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is known for its Buddy Poppy program. Before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW conducted its fi rst poppy distribution. Shortly thereafter, the poppy was adopted as the official memorial flower of the U.S. VFW. During its 1923 encampment, Buddy Poppies were assembled by disabled and needy veterans who would be paid for their work to provide them with
On an average day, Karen Eian can be found in her Mahtomedi backyard garden, visiting White Bear Lake city landmarks or peering into dead logs at Katherine Abbott Park for puffball mushrooms. Every new place is a potential opportunity to appreciate the little things, bring people together and to provide help to those who need it most. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Eian has raised about $2,000 for the White Bear Lake Area Food Shelf by selling her homemade notecards, which feature photographs she has taken around the White Bear Lake community. During the early days of the pandemic, Eian wanted to spread a little joy by sharing photos daily with a group of friends through text messages. The idea came from a book she’d read called “Striped Bears and Polka Dots: The Art of Being Happy,” by painter Kirsten Sevig. Eian is now retired, but previously worked for the White Bear Lake school district, where she directed the senior citizens program and worked in the media centers at North and South Campus. The project encouraged Eian to get outdoors and explore the White Bear Lake community, as well as local parks and other landmarks such as the Como Conservatory, more closely than she ever had before. She recalled being wowed by the incredible scenery when the whole region was coated in rime frost in early January. “We had such wonderful weather when we’ve been tucked away with nothing to do; I got some wonderful close-ups of trees with great frost on them,” Eian said. She started posting her photos in the Facebook group, “You know you are from White Bear if …” The response was overwhelming
SEE POPPY, PAGE 11
SEE NOTE CARDS, PAGE 13
Erosion control happening at Bellaire Beach Two watershed districts, Rice Creek and Ramsey County Soil and Water Conservation, pitched in $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, to fund the $38,000 project. The improvements, which include a sandy play area, will be completed by Memorial Day, when the beach opens. Matoska Park dog beach is also getting riprap along 180 feet of shoreline. City Environmental Engineer Connie Taillon said numerous factors contributed to shoreline erosion at the site, including high lake levels, wave action, heavy foot traffic and a lack of deep-rooted vegetation. That project, too, was awarded a Rice Creek Watershed District cost share grant. Debra Neutkens
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Because of erosion concerns, White Bear Township hired Sandstrom Land Management to place 130 tons of boulders to “armor” the shoreline at the popular beach.
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WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP — When the lake was low, there was a sand beach at Bellaire. Now that the lake level has returned to normal, the beach has disappeared and, following suit, the shoreline. Wave action, wind and ice dams are eroding lake frontage at the popular park, so the township hired a landscaping company to stop it. Sandstrom Land Management brought in heavy equipment to place 130 tons of boulders to "armor" the shoreline, as company owner Ryan Sandstrom described it. The riprap will be followed by native plantings in a 10-foot swath to further prevent erosion on each side of the paved access. Based in Roseville, Sandstrom's company specializes in landscaping and native restoration as well as rain garden installation and erosion control.