Month: August 2021

The band Poitin is known for its spirits, in this case, spirited music. The band from the Fargo/Moorhead area will be entertaining at the Chautauqua and French-Canadian/Metis Festival.

Poitin (pah-CHEEN) will perform Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28 and 29, at 1 p.m. daily in the big tent at Old Crossing and Treaty Park near Huot. It’s appropriate that the band is called Poitin (Gaelic for homemade whiskey) because their music is a spirited blend of Irish, Celtic, French-Canadian, and Metis music.

The six-piece band plays fiddle, banjos, guitars, mandolins, Irish bouzouki, bodhran, harmonica, bass, and drums. The Metis music of the Red River country dates from the early days of the fur trade, well into the early part of the 17th Century.

Some traders were fiddlers in their native Ireland or France or Scotland or Britain, or eastern Canada. Some of the trappers and traders took Native American women as wives. Their descendants, called Metis (may-TEE) or “Mixed,” inherited many musical traditions.

Poitin is committed to helping preserve some of this traditional music by performing and recording it. Poitin released their fifth album “Banks of Red River’ in 2013, highlighting the correlations between the Irish and the Metis Red River traditional music. If the travelers who camped at the Old Crossing more than two centuries ago could hear Poitin’s music, it would sound familiar to them. Modern-day visitors to the festival will also recognize some of the toe-tapping tunes.

The festival opens on Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. with a potluck picnic followed by a bonfire with music by Dan Schmitz. Throughout the weekend, there will be activities for children, displays, and demonstrations. French food such a Tourtiere (meat pie) and bread made in the earth oven will be available.

Silent auctions will be held Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free, and the public is welcome to all events in the park. The Old Crossing and Treaty Park are on Red Lake Co. Road 3 and seven miles northeast of Gentilly on County Road 11 or 10 miles southwest of Red Lake Falls.  The festival, presented by AFRAN (Association of the French of the North), emphasizes the French heritage of the Red River Valley.

For more information on the Chautauqua and French Festival at Huot, MN., visit www.frenchcanadianafran.org or contact Jerry Amiot at 218-289-8889 or Virgil Benoit at 218-253-2270.

This activity is funded, in part, by a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature from the vote on Nov. 4, 2008.

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The Crookston Ox Cart Days Rotary Duck Drop was held this past Sunday in the Drafts Sports Bar & Grill Parking lot. The event was put on by the Crookston Rotary Club, and all proceeds from the event will stay in the community and go towards UMC Scholarships, CHS Scholarships, and Community Beautification.

The winners and prizes from the event were as follows.

• 1st Place: Jeff Benoit ($500)
• 2nd Place: Cass Hanson ($350)
• 3rd Place: Carrie Larson ($150)

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The University of Minnesota Crookston invited students back on campus earlier this week, with the first day of classes taking place yesterday. Due to COVID-19, all UMC students must be vaccinated to attend school this fall.

With the new regulations in place and students officially back on campus, Vice-Chancellor of Academic & Student affairs John Hoffman discussed how the first day went. “The energy has been great; you can just feel it in the air,” said Hoffman. “There is just positive energy. It’s a great feeling to have people back; we opened up this week with the theme of “welcome back,” and it’s just good to have everyone back.”

The official enrollment numbers will come out in a few weeks; however, Hoffman did say that on day 1, they had 1,582 students on campus. He also expects this number to change in the next weeks as students continue to arrive this week and other students potentially decide to leave UMC. Enrollment numbers are down over the course of the last two years due to COVID-19 and not being able to have students on campus. UMC is expecting those numbers to start rising again.

UMC is an affiliate with the University of Minnesota and will be following the guidelines in place by the U of M this fall regarding COVID-19. Hoffman explained what went into the decision-making. “From the very beginning, our top priority has been the health and well-being of all the members in the community,” said Hoffman. “I have sat in meetings with some of the top scientific experts in the world, talking about the virus, so we’re being able to use the best information possible in making these decisions.”

All students must be vaccinated to attend classes this fall, with no exceptions.

Some students may not be vaccinated due to resources and not having the time after the announcement was made. Hoffman explained these circumstances and when the students must be vaccinated by. “Will be sending information out later this week, maybe earlier next week, so all our students can receive instructions on how to meet the requirements,” said Hoffman. “It’s real clear, students will have six weeks to complete the process, and if not, then we will put a registration hold on their account. It’s a good opportunity to educate people about the science, and I’m confident once people see all the information, they’ll realize that this was a good decision.”

It will be a busy rest of the first week welcoming all the students back, and Hoffman says there is still plenty of activities that will take place. “We’ve got so many different things going on this week,” said Hoffman. “We have a full host of programming for the students, including weekend programming. A couple of other things we’re excited about is our Women’s Soccer team is playing this Friday, and one event later in September on the 18th will be a 9:30 a.m. recognition tailgate for our Baseball team since we weren’t able to celebrate them the right way this spring.”

As of now, the regulations appear to be set in stone for the 2021-2022 school year, but things could change as more information continues to be released. Regardless UMC is happy to have students officially back for the year and for all their events to start taking place.

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The Golden Link in Crookston crowned three winners for their Ox Cart Days cookie decorating contest last week. The winners of the event were

• Keltie Chaska for Most Hawaiian
• Kylie Raboin for Most Colorful
• Tammy Parkin for Most Creative

All three winners received $50.00 worth of Chambers Bucks.

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Today, Governor Tim Walz announced that the state of Minnesota will offer $100 Visa gift cards on-site to Minnesotans who get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the Minnesota State Fair.

“If you’ve waited to get your shot, there’s never been a better opportunity: You can walk away with a $100 Visa gift card in hand if you get your first COVID-19 dose at the State Fair,” said Governor Walz. “We continue to be committed to meeting Minnesotans where they are and making it as convenient as possible to get a shot, including right at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. If you’re going to the State Fair and still need your first dose, just swing by the North End Event Center, get your shot, and get $100.”

The incentive comes after the conclusion of Minnesota’s successful $100 COVID-19 vaccine incentive program, with nearly 80,000 Minnesotans who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since July 30 signing up for the reward.

The first 3,600 Minnesotans to get their first dose of vaccine at the State Fair will be able to claim a $100 Visa gift card immediately after getting their shot.

“Getting vaccinated is absolutely critical for protecting our children and our communities from the Delta variant,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “With the school year just around the corner, it’s never been more important that we make sure everyone who can get vaccinated does so. To everyone going to the State Fair who still needs their first COVID-19 vaccine: take advantage of this opportunity to get $100 on the spot and help keep our state safe.”

How to Get Vaccinated at the State Fair:

• Walk-ins are welcome, or Fairgoers can make an appointment beforehand at https://my.primary.health/r/statefair. The Community Vaccine Clinic will be open daily 9 a.m. — 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. — 8 p.m. on Labor Day. State Fair tickets are required to enter State Fairgrounds.

The Minnesota Department of Health, Ramsey County, and Homeland Health will be offering all eligible Fairgoers the chance to roll up their sleeves and get their free COVID-19 vaccine at the State Fairgrounds. The Community Vaccine Clinic will be located at the North End Event Center, North of Murphy Avenue. No appointment, identification, or insurance will be necessary to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Anyone 12 years of age and older who needs their first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can get vaccinated at the clinic. The Community Vaccine Clinic will be offering both the Pfizer vaccine and single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Only Minnesotans receiving their first dose of the vaccine will qualify for the $100 Visa Gift Card.

A map directing Fairgoers to the Fair vaccination clinic can be found here. More information can be found at https://mn.gov/covid19/statefairvaccine/.

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