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PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 9 CIRCLE PINES, MN
651-289-4300 2008 County Road E at White Bear Avenue
VOLUME 119 115 NUMBER 45 26
White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Mahtomedi, Hugo, Birchwood, Dellwood, Willernie, Gem Lake, Pine Springs & Grant WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER JANUARY 26,9,2011 2015
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Growing up above the Boat Works
At a
Glance 201
nity der mu nsi Com
by Debra Neutkens Regional Editor
Look inside for your Community Insider!
There are many things people don't know about Sylvia Johnson. Her grandfather was Johan O. "J.O." Johnson, founder of Johnson Boat Works on White Bear Lake. She grew up in an apartment above the business, the only child of Milton and Frieda. She is fluent in Japanese. She also just celebrated her 65th high school reunion, White Bear class of 1950. Johnson happened to marry a Johnson, something not that uncommon in a state full of Scandinavians. She met her late husband Dwight at Gustavus Adolphus College; he was a star football player from a small town and she was a sophomore majoring in elementary education. They were engaged five months after their first date and married before graduating. Her Norwegian-born grandfather did not approve of the marriage. Dwight was half Swede, which J.O. didn't like, "but he reluctantly gave his OK when he realized his great-grandchildren would be half Norwegian," Johnson said. When asked what she remembers about the grandfather who lived next door at the Boat
News inside See inside for the following news items: Mahtomedi’s 2016 tax increase will be 3 percent or less, insurance company is moving away, Lions Club in national magazine and Wildwood Artist Series 25th season to launch.
Busy Saturday There is an abundance of community and church festivals and other entertainment options happening this Saturday, Sept. 12. See inside for details about White Bear Township Day, the Grant tractor parade, Taste of White Bear Lake, Tour de Hugo, St. Jude’s cornfest and St. Mary’s fall festival.
Other events See page 6A for details on the following additional upcoming events: “Death by Design” premiers at Lakeshore Players, YMCA parent’s night out, Histio Walk fundraiser, Lake Country Chorus open house, town hall history presentation and a senior health expo.
Lake level
Works, Johnson said,, "his sense of humor. And he enjoyed joyed kids. He often took me on his cruiser on the St. Croix River r and he'd always let me drive." The patriarch of the he boatbuilding business had d three boatbuilding sons: Milton, by his first wife Mary who ho died in 1904, and Iver r and Walter "Buster" by his second wife Anna. a. Iver's son Skip Johnson eventually went on to be sole owner of the business, buying out Buster's son Steve, before selling the property to the city in 1999. Sylvia fondly refers to Skip as her "nasty kid brother" who delighted in teassing his cousin whenever ever she had a boyfriend.
Boat Works/see page 3A Sylvia Johnson shows the model her grandfather John O. Johnson made of the D boat built by her father Milton. Cousin Steve Johnson refurbished the replica for her, something she’s had since high school. The boat model is exactly to scale.
Big sign for Little Bar
White Bear Lake was 921.4 feet Sept. 4, according to the DNR. Records show its lowest recorded level was 918.8 in 2013 and its highest 926.7 feet in 1943, a difference of almost 8 feet. Levels have dropped slightly since a peak of 921.8 feet in mid-July.
Weather Tidbits
Week of Sept 9 - 15, 2015 Weather tidbit: Strong storms move through the state on September 13, 1990, with a tornado touching down briefly in an open area west of Hill City in Aitkin County. Year Ago this week: The first frost hit much of the state on September 11 with the first metro frost on September 13.
Weekly Averages High Low %Sun PCP 73° 54° 56% 0.88”
Don's Little Bar on Little Goose Lake is for sale. After suffering two "widow-maker strokes" three years ago, Mike Hardwick decided it was time for a career change. He's co-owned the restaurant and motel with brother Robert since their dad died in 2008. Don, who was their father, bought the business in 1998. "We've worked here ever since our dad bought it," said Hardwick, 52. "But health issues are forcing me to find a different line of work; something less stressful." The older of the two siblings, Hardwick said his brother can't afford to buy him out so they've agreed to sell the 2.8-acre property at 4150 Hoffman Road. The bar/restaurant includes a 13-unit motel that rents out mostly to longer-term tenants. One person has been there 35 years; some have been there a decade. "There has been a business here since 1858, according to the abstract," Hardwick said. Back in the 1940s, the restaurant was a boat rental business that turned into a bar in the ’50s. Goose Lake was whole at the time. It wasn't until 1957 when a new
Little Bar/see page 7A
(More weather on sports page)
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VT
– Photos by Paul Dols
Pull-tab fallout swells by Kristine Goodrich Editor VADNAIS HEIGHTS — A 3-2 City Council decision to block a hockey group from taking over a pull-tab booth spurred a rebuke from a dissenting council member and threat of legal action from the hockey association. At the Sept. 2 meeting, the divided council approved actions formalizing its Aug. 19 decisions denying a charitable gambling application and placing a moratorium on new applications while
it reviews its charitable gambling regulations. The White Bear Area Hockey Association had applied to take over the pull-tab booth at Jimmy's Food and Drink. That would force out the current operator — the Vadnais Heights Fire Relief Association, which donates proceeds to the city Fire Department. Attorneys for both the hockey association and Jimmy's submitted letters to the council members that call their decisions “arbitrary and capricious” and request reversal. The letter from the hockey association
threatens litigation. Councilman Bob Fletcher was very vocal last week about his displeasure with his colleagues' decisions and Councilman Craig Johnson also affirmed his objection. But the council majority — Mayor Marc Johannsen, Councilman Terry Nyblom and Councilman Jerry Auge — affirmed their belief they acted within their legal authority. The council majority denied the application because one of the forms in the application was
Gambling/see page 7A
‘Tomato Mike’ rakes in the ribbons by Kristine Goodrich Editor Of the dozens of ribbons Bernard Mike Tschida takes home annually from the Minnesota State Fair, he's proudest of his largest tomato. For the sixth consecutive year he won the blue ribbon for growing the most gargantuan tomato. This year he also added largest bell pepper to his long list of vegetable-growing accolades. And as of press time before the vegetable contests closed, it appeared Tschida might finally take home the sweepstakes prize as the fair's most-winning vegetable producer. For the Vadnais Heights man known as “Tomato Mike,” plotting to win blue ribbons has become an almost full-time, year-round pursuit. The retired carpenter spends his fall and early winter drying seeds, deciding which fair contests to enter, plotting how to best use
every inch of his garden and making other plans. Come March he plants his seeds and after a few weeks moves his hundreds of seedlings to a dedicated room of his garage with grow lights. In April the meticulously labeled plants get moved to a greenhouse until the soil is warm enough to replant them outside, usually around Memorial Day. This year he grew 75 tomato and 75 pepper plants as well as a few carrots, onions and much more. Of his tomatoes and peppers, 25 each were attempts to win the largest contest. Tschida's largest tomato this year, which also is his largest ever, was 25 and 22 inches in diameter and weighed in at nearly 4 pounds 12 ounces. He's not sure what the measurements were for his winning pepper. After reading a book over the winter containing tips for growing gargantuan tomatoes (yes, there really is an entire book devoted to the topic), he entered his first tomato into the fair's largest contest in 2009.
Tomato/see page 7A
– Submitted photo
Mike Tschida’s largest 2015 tomato was a variety called Big Zac. It weighed in at nearly 4 pounds 12 ounces.
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