St. Stephen to hold car show July 21
The St. Stephen Car Show will be held from 3-8 p.m. Friday, July 21 in the parking lot of the St. Stephen Church, 103 CR 2 in St. Stephen. There is free admission for participants and spectators and no advanced registration is required. The show will feature 14 classes, including pre-war cars and trucks, collectors, muscle cars, convertibles, street rods and machines, trucks, rat rods and motorcycles. Food and refreshments available. First-, second- and third-place trophies will be awarded at 8 p.m. For more information, contact Tom Vouk at 320-654-9511.
Newsleader to close for June 26-30
The Newsleader office will be closed June 26-30. A June 30 edition will not be published. The office will reopen on July 3 and will resume weekly publications beginning July 7.
Free summer kickoff to promote county parks
A free summer kickoff event to promote Stearns County parks will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, June 16 at Warner Lake County Park, 1485 CR 143, Clearwater. Bring a picnic, paddle a 34-foot voyageur canoe, climb the portable climbing wall, check out the Yellow Boats project and enjoy a performance of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax by the Prairie Woods Puppet Theatre. No advance registration is required.
Park Hop to explore three county parks
A Park Hop with Hikehoppers will explore Kraemer Lake-Wildwood, Rockville and Quarry parks beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 17. Each hike is family friendly with hikes under two miles. Dogs on leashes welcome. There will also be a scavenger hunt for children 3-12. Help raise money for local parks while enjoying them. A lunch and vendor expo will follow.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. at Quarry Park and Reserve, with the first hike starting at 8 a.m. Each hike is family friendly with hikes under two miles. Dogs are welcome as long as they stay on a leash, and a scavenger hunt along each trail is provided for children. Adult participants will receive waived park fees for the day, lunch and a T-shirt. Upon completion of the hike, adults are awarded a hand-made HIKEHopper Vibe bracelet. Children ages 3-12 are invited to participate in the scavenger hunt during the hike, make their very own VIBE bracelet and enjoy Kid’s Corner activities following lunch (also provided). T-shirts can be purchased for an additional cost. All children ages 2 and under are FREE. Lunch will be served at noon, and a Minnesota Arts and Crafts Expo featuring local crafters will be open until 3 p.m. Be sure to check out our local artists and crafters for one-of-a-kind works! For more information, visit hikehoppers.org.
New MN bicycling handbook rolls out for summer cycling
More people than ever before are riding bicycles in Minnesota. That’s why the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota is rolling out the first-ever Minnesota Bicycling Handbook. The handbook is a comprehensive informational resource that equips bicyclists to safely enjoy Minnesota’s roads and trails and to know their rights. The handbook also provides guidance for motorists on what to expect from bicyclists and how to safely drive when bikes are around.
“2016 was a challenging year for motor vehicle and bicycle crashes, and that really pushed us to make this new resource available for free to all Minnesotans,” said Dorian Grilley, executive director of BikeMN. “There clearly needs to be more education for both motorists and bicyclists about how to share Minnesota’s roads and trails safely. We think this resource does just that.”
Many bicyclists feel Minnesota bike law is not straightforward and it can be challenging to ride a bicycle both safely and legally, especially given some of the nuances in state statutes around bicycling. The Minnesota Bicycling Handbook provides 36 pages of Minnesota-specific information and digs into the details of many complicated topics, such as lane positioning, roadway and bike-lane markings, bike law, equipment, bicyclists’ rights and more.
This is the first time all of this information has been captured and put in one place. BikeMN printed 20,000 handbooks and is in the process of distributing them across the state. The handbook is available to view, download and order at www.bikemn.org/handbook.
The 2017 handbook is made possible with support from the American Heart Association, BlueCross BlueShield Center for Prevention, DERO, Hennepin County, Minnesota Department of Health, Pedal Fergus Falls, QBP, Twin Cities Bicycling Club, the University of Minnesota, We Bike Rochester and Willmar Bikes.
More about BikeMN
The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota is working to make Minnesota a place where bicycling is easy, safe and fun for everyone. The mission of BikeMN is to unite and strengthen bicycle advocacy, provide education and work for a more bicycle-friendly Minnesota. Visit www.bikemn.org for more information.
BLEND announces Fit Kids Series events
Parents looking to instill in their children a lifelong love of health and fitness can find inspiration in the BLEND Fit Kids Series, which rewards children (12 years and younger) for being active throughout the year.
The 2017 series includes the following:
• Freedom Days, June 17, Becker
• Building a Healthy Community, June 17, Long Prairie
• Tanner’s Team 5K/1K, June 24, Sauk Rapids
• Run Your Sauks Off, July 15, Sauk Centre
• Red River Run, July 29, Cold Spring
• Rise Above Seizures Walk, Aug. 3, St. Cloud
• Clearwater Heritage Days, Aug. 5, Clearwater
• ATS Rock your Sole Trail Run, Aug. 12, St. Cloud
• Kiwanis Kids Triathlon, Aug. 26, Baxter
• St. Francis Franny Flyer, Sept. 23, Sartell
• Pleasantview 5K/1K, Sept. 23, Sauk Rapids
• Sacred Heart 5K/1K, Sept. 30, Freeport
• Sneakers and Wheels, Sept. 30, St. Cloud
• Harvest Fest, Oct. 7, Becker
• Run for a Reason, Oct. 7, St. Cloud
• Jingle Bell Run, Nov. 18, St. Cloud
• Feeling Good MN Wishbone Run, Nov. 23, St. Cloud, Series Finale
To register for the Fit Kids Series, visit feelinggoodmn.org/blend/initiatives/fit-kids-series or call 320-251-2700, ext 77523. Registering your child for the Fit Kids Series does not automatically register them for the events listed above. You must still register for individual races on the race web sites.
About BLEND
Better Living: Exercise and Nutrition Daily, an initiative of Feeling Good Minnesota, powered by CentraCare Health, is committed to improving the health of children in Central Minnesota by reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity. A coalition of medical professionals, parents and health-care advocates works in four focus areas: physical activity, nutrition, medical community and advocacy.
United Way Volunteer Opportunities
Outing assistant
Go on excursions into the community with residents at Country Manor. Become an outing assistant today. Help our activities assistants take a small group of our residents out into the community to take part in an activity. Outings often include shopping trips, lunch outings, fishing, movies, bowling, garden tours, scenic drives and more. Contact Caitlin Tierney, Country Manor volunteer coordinator, at 320-258-8936.
ReStore volunteer (Habitat for Humanity’s thrift store)
The ReStore is a discount home-improvement retail store owned and operated by Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity. Individuals and businesses donate new and used home-improvement and building materials that are sold at a fraction of the retail price. Volunteers can come for a one-time experience or on a regular basis. One-time volunteers help with general store tasks such as loading/unloading items, cleaning and stocking the floor. Volunteers looking for regular opportunities have the option of being trained in any these roles: cashier, customer service, donations/receiving bay, riding on the truck for picking up items and more. Volunteer shifts are available Tuesdays-Saturdays, and three- to four-hour shifts are available. Visit cmhfh.org to register as a volunteer, view the online volunteer calendar and sign up for a shift. Contact Melanie Blake, volunteer manager, at 320-248-8256.
Senior dining
Catholic Charities Senior Dining provides flexible volunteer opportunities to assist with meal operations, delivery of Meals on Wheels and serve on planning committees. Generally, volunteers are ages 18 and older and must have a valid driver’s license to deliver Meals on Wheels. Catholic Charities provides a nutritious meal to seniors, promotes wellness by providing seniors with the opportunity to interact with others, and connects seniors with services that assist them in living independently in their homes. Catholic Charities Meals on Wheels delivers meals five to seven days a week to persons who are homebound or in need of rehabilitation time from surgery, injury or illness. Contact Becky or Amy, Catholic Charities senior dining, at 320-229-4584.
Assist with Pokeno
The Good Shepherd is looking for volunteers to be a Pokeno caller. Pokeno is a card/board game that’s fast-paced and easy to pick up. This game is a combination of Poker and Keno (or Lotto) and is similar to the game Bingo in several aspects. Contact Jenny, Good Shepherd volunteer coordinator, at 320-252-6525.
For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator, at 320-223-7991 or [email protected].