Citywide garage sale set next weekend
The St. Joseph City Wide Garage Sale, sponsored by the St. Joseph Jaycees, will be held Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. Maps are available at Sentry Bank and all gas stations in St. Joseph.
Farmers’ Market opens today
Lemonade, Laughter hosts author V.J. Smith
Author V.J. Smith will speak during the fifth annual Lemonade and Laughter, sponsored by the Sartell Senior Connection, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 in the Gathering Place in St. Francis Xavier Church, Sartell. Smith is the author of “The Richest Man in Town,” which is based on the life of “Marty,” a memorable man who ran a cash register at Wal-Mart. He was considered rich because he was loved and respected. Audience members will go on an emotional roller coaster ride when they hear about Marty’s philosophies. Tickets will be sold at the door for a nominal fee. Come early to enjoy refreshments and visit the Regifting and Local Authors’ Tables. For more information, call Sartell-St. Stephen Community Education at 320-253-4036. The event is co-hosted by community education and the Waterford.
Athletic Hall of Fame accepting nominations
Sartell High School is currently accepting nominations for the Sartell High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame will recognize individuals in three categories: Student/Player/Athlete – An individual who has excelled in athletics and has been out of school for at least five years; Coach – A coach who has made a positive impact on the Sartell athletic tradition; and Community Member at Large – A member of the school or community who has made significant contributions to Sartell High School athletics. For a nomination form, visit www.sartell.k12.mn.us, and click on Latest News. Deadline is Wednesday, May 15.
A Stearns County Master Gardener plant sale will be held from 8:30-11 a.m. Saturday, May 18 in the Riverside Park shelter, St. Cloud. “When Things Go Wrong,” a master gardener’s library seminar, will be held from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 at the Great River Regional Library, St. Cloud.
For more information, visit www.extension.umn.edu.
Motivation to Move seminars set May 16
After walking and running seven times across America, Robert Sweetgall, will visit St. Cloud to speak on subjects he knows best – walking, physical activity and the motivation to move – from 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16 in various locations throughout St. Cloud.
The following events are scheduled:
“Worksite Wellness on a Zero Budget” for business owners and managers from 7:30-9 a.m. in the Mississippi Room at the Great River Regional Library, 1300 W St. Germain St., St. Cloud. A light breakfast is available.
“Fitting 6,000 Steps into your Wild Workday” for health care staff from noon-1 p.m. in the Windfeldt Room at CentraCare Plaza, 1900 Centracare Circle, St. Cloud.
“Longevity, Aging and the Meaning of Life” for seniors and senior service providers from 1:30-3 p.m. in the Olson Room at Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud.
“Healthy Habits Kids” from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Boys and Girls Club.
“Motivation to Move: Five Activities for Reducing Weight, Stress, Diabetes, Heart Disease and your Rate of Aging for the general public from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Olson Room, Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud.
These programs are generously supported by the Greater St. Cloud Development Corp.; Wellness Corps; HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics; CentraCare Health; the City of St. Cloud; Better Living, Exercise and Nutrition Daily; and Whitney Senior Center.
For more information, call 320-252-5203.
Lake Wobegon Marathon set Saturday
More than 400 runners are registered for the sixth annual Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon, sponsored by the St. Cloud River Runners, to be held at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 11. The race begins in Holdingford. Participants run on the trail through Albany and Avon to finish in St. Joseph. From 3-6 p.m. on the eve of the race, Friday, May 10, events will include a “Recovery from Marathon/Endurance Events” seminar with local professionals, a pre-race dinner, sale of Boston Tribute shirts and registration packet pickup at Gorecki Center on the College of St. Benedict.The race website is www.lakewobegontrailmarathon.org.
At more than 200 members the St. Cloud River Runners is the largest running club in Minnesota north of the Twin Cities. The club has been in existence for 30 years and its purpose is to promote running and running-related events in the area. The club believes in and promotes running as part of a healthy lifestyle, as a recreational activity and as a competitive sport. For more information, visit www.scrr.org.
How to grow sweet potatoes in Minnesota
If you would like to learn some free information on growing sweet potatoes, here is your chance to talk to a sweet-potato grower. Ken Ramler will have a display at the Sartell Farmers Market from 3-6:30 p.m. Monday, May 13 in the city hall parking lot.
The first half of the 2013 real estate tax is due and payable by Wednesday, May 15. This is the last day to pay the first half without penalty.
To make paying taxes more convenient, Stearns County has several payment options. Residents can pay their property taxes online on Stearns County’s website at co.stearns.mn.us. Taxes can be paid online with either E-Check or credit card.
ACH payment plans are available. Payments are automatically deducted from a checking or savings account. This spreads payments out over either a quarterly or 10-month period. It saves time and there’s no check to write. No lost or misplaced statements and payments are always on time. There are no late charges. It saves on postage. It’s easy to sign up for, and easy to cancel. Call 320-656-3870 and ask for the Direct Payment Plan.
Tax payments can be made in person at either the Stearns County Service Center in Waite Park, at 3301 County Road 138, about one block west of Mills Fleet Farm off 28th Avenue South, or downtown St. Cloud at the Treasurer’s Office in the Stearns County Administration Center at 705 Courthouse Square, Room 136. Offices are open Monday through Friday. The Treasurer’s Office in downtown is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. License Center West is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., with a drive-through window that can be used to drop off payments.
When mailing a tax payment, it must be postmarked by the post office, not a private postage meter machine, no later than May 15 in order to avoid penalties. State law does not allow any exceptions. Penalty rate information is shown on the reverse side of the tax statements. To ensure proper credit, the stub portion of the tax statement must be mailed along with a check or money order.
Residents can now sign up for paperless statements. To receive tax statements by email instead of mail delivery, sign up on the Stearns County web site at co.stearns.mn.us. Go to the Property and Roads tab at the top of the page and then click on Request an Electronic Property Tax Statement in the blue box in the middle of the page.
If you have any questions, call the Treasurer’s Department at 320-656-3870 or e-mail [email protected].