Month: April 2022

Six local churches in Crookston will be holding an event for seventh through twelfth-grade students at the Crookston High School known as “Common Ground!” to give students a fun night of games and connections on Wednesday, April 6, from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. The participating churches are Harvest Church, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Trinity Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian, Our Saviors Lutheran Church, and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

The event was planned by Harvest Church Youth Director Reilly Stroot, who was inspired by a book he read over the summer called “Until Unity” by Francis Chan. “What Francis Chan is writing about is God’s heart for unity of his one church, and the fact of how each church makes themselves almost their own body and separate when we’re meant to be one church.” Stroot explained, “Even though we have our differences, we can focus on our Common Ground, that we are worshipping the same God, and that was how the name of this event came about.” With the idea of a combined church event in mind, Stroot began reaching out to the other five church’s Youth Directors on an event involving all the students and was surprised to hear that many of them had similar thoughts for an event. The Directors began meeting in early December to plan this event as well as other activities together. They’ve since met every month to plan out the events, with them solidifying the plans for this event in early February and over texts and e-mails.

The night will be full of group games, a short church worship and message, and lots of time to hang out and talk with people. The event will also be partnered with Alluma’s Homeless Service Resource Coordinator, Sheril Schluchter, for their Care Kit project to help raise awareness and funds and collect items for people experiencing homelessness. Students are requested to bring anything from a list of items to donate to the project and local homeless shelters. The items include backpacks, socks, gloves, toothbrushes and toothpaste, nail clippers, wet wipes/large bandages, comb/brushes, and single-serve snacks like Trail Mix, jerky, crackers, and dried fruit.

Stroot and the rest of the Youth Directors are very excited for the event and plan to make it an annual event around the year. “As of now, the conversations are going where we’re hoping to have one event in the spring semester, one in the summer, and one in the fall.” Stroot explained, “So as we’ve been planning this event, we’ve also been looking forward to possibilities of summer events and another one happening in the fall, and we’d like to make it three to four times a year event.” And with the chance to hold more of these events, Stroot and the other Youth Directors are hopeful that other churches in the area will join them for future “Common Grounds,” “For future events, if there are other churches that would like to be a part of events going forward, we would love to include whoever is interested,”

The Common Ground event will be held on Wednesday, April 6, from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. at the Crookston High School. Students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to come to a night of fun, games, and connections, with any donated items going to Alluma’s Care Kit Project. If you have any questions about the event, you can contact Harvest Church Youth Director Reilly Stroot at 218-242-2067 or reillystroot@gmail.com.

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The Severe Weather Awareness Week Topic for Monday is Weather Alerts and Warnings with Crookston Firefighter Christopher Klawitter. According to Klawitter, the National Weather Service (NWS) has three types of alerts to issue severe weather to the public. Those being a Weather Watch, Warning, and Advisory, which can be in effect for severe thunderstorms, blizzards, high winds, tornados, high heat, flooding, etc. All warnings are issued by the National Weather Service.

The first alert, one that Crookston sees the most in the winter, is a Weather Advisory alert, which is defined as a low hazardous weather condition or less specific location. “It may still pose a significant risk or travel problem.” Firefighter Christopher Klawitter explained, “Situations could possibly be life-threatening or damage property. It’s a precursor to something that will happen somewhere, probably to a lesser extent than a Watch or Warning, but the possibility of severe weather is still there.”

A Weather Watch means that weather conditions are favorable for a hazardous weather event, and one may be possible with the present conditions. The National Weather Service will upgrade an advisory to a watch to try and get the public prepared for the coming weather and that conditions for them are more favorable for them to happen. “What you need to do is just be alert,” Klawitter explained, “Keep an eye on the changing conditions, have a backup plan for what you’re doing if the weather is going to affect them, and be aware of shelter options and evacuation routes if they become necessary.”

When a Watch turns into a Weather Warning, that means a dangerous weather event is occurring or is about to occur in the area soon. That there is a strong possibility of a significant threat to life or property. “You should take protective actions immediately,” Klawitter explains, “Whether that is to seek shelter, get off the roads, or whatever it takes to make yourself safe.” In the case of a dangerous weather event, warning sirens are operated by each County, and the County or City can set them off on their own as a checks and balances system.

The Weather Warning sirens are tested on the first Wednesday of every month around 1:00 p.m. and sound for about two to three minutes before they time out and go silent. They will go off during a Weather Emergency to warn anybody outside of dangerous weather and immediately take shelter. Either in their private shelters or in public shelters such as the basement of City Hall. Klawitter also wanted to clarify that there is no such thing as an “All-Clear” siren, so even when the Weather Warning sirens time out and go silent, it does not mean that it is safe to go back outside. So, he advises everyone to listen to their media sources, NOAA Weather Radios, and other sources to know about the ends of dangerous weather events and when it is safe for people to go outside again. “In this day and age, we have a lot of different outlets to get our information.” Klawitter explained, “Like television, radio, social media, and everybody I know has a Weather App like AccuWeather, ones from TV stations, and other weather apps that will give you text messages and IMs when it comes to weather alerts. Our County even has a system that sends out alerts when there are blizzard warnings or severe weather events that are going on to keep everyone aware.”

Klawitter and the Crookston Fire Department encourage all residents to register for the Polk County alert system, Everbridge, which will send out weather alerts and other information about the weather. If you haven’t signed up for the Polk County alert system, you can do so here at https://member.everbridge.net/892807736729932/login.

Minnesota’s statewide tornado drill will take place on Thursday, April 7. Outdoor warning sirens and NOAA Weather Radios across the state will be sounded at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.

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The Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) is proud to share the Little House of Books with our community. These free, public libraries focus on the importance of literacy for young children and build community using the concept of ‘take a book, leave a book”. The first “Little House of Books” began in the spring of 2015 at Castle Park. The second soon appeared at the Crookston Sports Center, followed by Evergreen Park and Landslide Park. This approach to a free-standing library is coordinated and funded by the Early Childhood Initiative and available to all children.
Whether you are visiting Evergreen Park, exploring at the Castle Park Natural Play Space, walking the track at the CSC, or viewing the river from Landslide Park, the ECI committee wants to encourage you to check out the Little House of Books Library. Visitors are welcome to TAKE any book/s home, with no obligation to return! On the other hand, in order to sustain our library and our efforts, we hope some visitors also stop by to LEAVE a gently-used book or two as well! Donations from our valued partners also help to keep these libraries well-stocked.
The ECI is hopeful that this initiative will result in more books to enter more homes in our community. Other positive outcomes of the Little House of Books Library will be opportunities for children to read independently or with their caregivers, resulting in MORE children reaping the benefits of reading or being read to!
The ability to read is tied to all aspects of our lives and has a major impact on the developing brain of young children. Literacy is essential to a child’s success in school as well as a positive self-image. Reading aloud to children at a young age is an effective way to expand a child’s vocabulary and stimulates their imagination, laying the foundation for success in school and life.
Happy Reading Everyone!
If you wish to donate to the Crookston ECI’s annual fundraiser, go online to https://www.nwmf.org/give-now/.

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Each year, three awards are given by the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council to recognize artists and arts advocates within our seven-county region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Of the Year Award winners were nominated by area residents. 

Of the Year Award Winners include:

Ross Hier of Crookston will be awarded the Northwest Artist of the Year Award for Visual Arts. A self-taught artist, he is a watercolor painter and works in pen and ink. Nature provides Hier with unlimited subject matter, and his painted subjects are wide-ranging. His watercolors have been exhibited at numerous venues in both the Dakotas and Minnesota, including many NWMAC exhibits. He also makes wooden, working duck decoys and other creations. The Artist of the Year award can be given to any discipline artist, including visual, performing, or creative writing who are emerging or at a mid-way point in their artistic endeavors. It is a cash award of $500.

Philip McKenzie of Thief River Falls will be awarded the Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year Award. McKenzie is a musician and actively promotes the arts in the region and statewide. He is the Chair of the Minnesota State Art Board, an adjunct oboe faculty at UND and NDSU, and hosts a weekly radio show – Northern Classics on Pioneer 90.1. He was an executive director of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra. He has served on the board of Thief River Falls Community Theater, Greater Grand Forks Sympathy, and the Sheridan Chamber Players. He has conducted numerous musicals in Thief River Falls. The Arts Advocate of the Year award is $500 and includes arts from all disciplines.

LaVonne Forsberg of Thief River Falls will receive the Northwest Star Award. Forsberg is a Visual Artist known for watercolor paintings and stained glass. For many years, she owned Country Class Arts downtown Thief River Falls, which offered framing services, classes, and art supplies. Forsberg has received awards in past NWMAC exhibits and other statewide exhibits for her art. You can find her stained-glass work throughout our region at 13 churches and at the Carnegie Library in Thief River Falls, and her paintings at the University of Minnesota Crookston. She was commissioned by the state of Minnesota to design and paint the Old Mill State Park entrance permit and collector’s mug in 200l. This award comes with $5,000. Artists can only receive our Northwest Star Award once as a lifetime achievement award.

These awards will be presented on Wednesday, April 27, in Thief River Falls at Northland Community and Technical College in the cafeteria. Mingling, dessert, and live music begins at 7 p.m., and the program at 7:30 p.m. The event is free of charge and open to everyone. The reception is a wonderful day to celebrate the arts in our region.

For more information about these awards, see our website at http://www.northwestminnesotaartscouncil.org/

Funding for Northwest Star and Northwest Artist of the Year comes from The McKnight Foundation. Funding for Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year comes from the Minnesota State Legislature.

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