Month: March 2024

Crookston Home Delivered meals will be delivered by the Eagles Lodge and Sunrich through Friday, March 15.

The Golden Link Senior Center will have Pinochle and Recycled Cards this afternoon, starting at 1:00 p.m., followed by a SAIL class starting at 2:30 p.m.

The Crookston Public Library will have STEMsational Tuesday for Kindergarten through grade 5 this afternoon from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. Explore science, technology, engineering, and math activities.

The Golden Link Senior Center will host a VFW meeting tonight, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Get ready for Poetry Month by joining the Crookston Public Library for a poetry reading featuring past Wisconsin Poet Laureate and Mahnomen High School graduate Kimberly Blaeser, taking place tonight from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Climax Public Library.

The Crookston Eagles Club will host the Crookston High School Hockey Banquet tonight at 6:00 p.m.

The Crookston Blue Line Club will be offering the following programs this spring: The Crookston Blue Line Club is partnering with Nissa Brekken and Mike Enright this spring for Power Skating for Mite/8U through Bantams. MITE/8U Power Skating will be Tuesdays, March 12-April 23, from 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. Squirt/10U, Peewee/12U, and Bantam Power Skating will be Wednesdays, March 12-April 24, from 6:15 to 7:00 a.m. Cost is $75 for Mite/8U and $100 for Squirt/10U, Peewee/ 12U and Bantams. 3v3 Stanley Cup, Wednesdays, March 27-April 24 from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. for Squirts/10U, Peewee/12U and Bantams, BHS and GHS from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.  Cost is $75, register and pay online, goalies are free. Go to crookstonbluelinehockey.com for registration. The deadline to register is Sunday, March 24. 

The Fisher American Legion will have a SAL Smear tournament tonight starting at 7:00 p.m.

The Louisville Town Board Annual Meeting will be held tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall in Dorothy. All residents of Louisville and Red Lake Falls Townships are welcome to attend.

Highland PTO will meet tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Highland School.

Andover Township will hold its annual meeting this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at the CHS Ag Services office to determine the levy for the coming year and review quotes for gravel and other businesses to come before the board. In case of inclement weather, the meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 19.

Crookston School District Staff Appreciation Week Planning meeting will take place tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Highland School.  All parents from Washington, Highland, Middle School, & High School are invited to help plan Staff Appreciation Week activities for all schools in May.

Buy your tickets now for the 16^th Annual Crookston High School Triple A Academics, Arts, and Athletics Senior Recognition Banquet will be Monday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m. in the CHS Commons. Tickets must be purchased by Monday, April 22 and can be purchased at the Crookston High School, KROX or Wonderful Life Foods. The cost of tickets is $17. Make checks payable to Triple A. If you have any special dietary needs, please contact Irishman’s Shanty at 281-9912. Sponsored by Crookston Rotary, Crookston Lions, Pirate Fine Arts Boosters and Pirate Boosters.

The Golden Link Senior Center will have Men’s Cards on Wednesday, March 13, at 8:00 a.m., followed by a board meeting at 9:00 a.m., Cribbage at 10:00 a.m., and Bridge at 12:30 p.m.

The Golden Link Senior Center will be showing the movie “The Quiet Man” on Wednesday, March 13 (Correction from the Golden Links recent newsletter, which states the movie will be shown on March 17).

The Crookston American Legion will have a meeting on Wednesday, March 13, at 7:00 p.m., at the Golden Link Senior Center.

The Fisher American Legion will have Wednesday Burger Night on Wednesday, March 13.

The Golden Link Senior Center will have Foot Care on Thursday, March 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followed by Smear at 1:00 p.m. and SAIL at 2:30 p.m.

The Crookston Public Library will have Storytime for ages 0 through 6 on Thursday, March 14, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Come celebrate Pi(e) Day with Crookston FFA on Thursday, March 14, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Crookston Eagles Club.  FFA teams will have hands-on activities for all ages, burger baskets, pie with a free-will donation, and a silent auction, including student projects.  All funds raised will help send qualified teams to the Minnesota FFA State Convention in April.  Contact crookstonffaalumni@gmail.com for more information.

The Crookston Eagles Club will host Bar Bingo on Thursday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. The kitchen will serve baskets.

RiverView Health will be offering a CPR class on Thursday, March 14, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the RiverView Home Care Building, 721 South Minnesota Street in Crookston. The cost is $55 for those needing certification, and for those not needing certification, the class is free. To register, call 218-281-9536. No walk-ins will be allowed.

The Crookston Eagles Club will not have Bar Bingo on Friday, March 15.

The Crookston Blue Line Club Fun Night will be held Friday, March 15, at the Crookston Eagles. The social starts at 5:00 p.m., and dinner of prime rib, walleye, or chicken parmesan will be served at 6:00 p.m.  There will be games, raffles, a silent auction, and dancing to benefit youth hockey in Crookston.  Individual tickets are $40, a couples ticket is $60, and must be purchased by March 9 by calling Katie Fee at 470-0423 or email crookstonhockey@gmail.com. Everyone is welcome to attend.

All Veterans are invited to the Golden Link Senior Center on Saturday, March 16, at 10:00 a.m. Fargo Memorial Honor Guard Representatives Jim Graalum and Jason Hicks will present information regarding the Fargo Veterans Cemetery Facilities. This event is sponsored by the Crookston American Legion Post 20 and the Crookston American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 20.

The Crookston Eagles Club will have Bar Bingo on Saturday, March 16, starting at 2:00 p.m.

The Crookston Civic Music League’s 2023-2024 Entertainment Series will host the Sinta Quartet at the Crookston High School Auditorium on Saturday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. For ticket and membership information in the Crookston Civic Music League, please call  Elaine Metzger at 218-281-2681, Emily Luckow at 218-281-5907, or Alvern Wentzel at 218-281-7873. Admission is by season ticket only.  For transportation, call THE BUS 281-0700.

The Mr. CHS contest will be held on Sunday, March 17, at 2:00 p.m. at the Crookston High School Auditorium. Admission is $4.

The University of Minnesota Crookston Campus will have its International Dinner Series featuring different menus from various countries. This event will take place on Monday, March 18, and March 25.  The dinners will be served at 6:00 p.m. at the Bede Ballroom. Tickets are $25 for adults, under 18 are $20. $10  per UMC students who don’t have a meal plan.   The series ticket package for all 3 dinners is $75 for adults and $60 for those under 18. $30 for UMC students who do not have a meal plan. A limited number of tickets are available; get yours today by going to z.umn.edu/MIC2024Dinners. If you have questions, contact Rae French at rfrench@crk.umn.edu or 218-281-8339.

The Fisher American Legion will host a SAL Smear tournament on Tuesday, March 19, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Fertile Public Library’s Resolute Readers Book Club will meet this month to discuss “Fly Girls” by Keith O’Brien. The book shares the untold story of five women who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s and won! The group will meet on Wednesday, March 20, at 4:00 p.m. at the Fertile Public Library, located at 101 Mill St. S. All are welcome.

The Fisher American Legion will have a SAL Smear tournament on Wednesday, March 20, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Downtown Crookston Development Partnership will present Broadway at the Grand on Thursday, March 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Grand Theatre. There will be a free showing of Bandstand, and concessions will be available.  The next showing will be Into the Woods on Thursday, April 18.

The Dream Boutique’s final shopping event will take place on Tuesday, March 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Local girls going to prom can shop for prom dresses, shoes, and jewelry at 107 East 2nd Street in Crookston, the old Opticare building across from Crookston City Hall.

Notice is hereby given to the qualified voters of Hammond Township, County of Polk, State of Minnesota, will hold their election and annual meeting on Tuesday, March 12, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to elect one supervisor for a three-year term and one clerk for a two-year term. The annual meeting will follow to determine the levy for the coming year, review quotes for road maintenance, and any other business to come before the board. In case of inclement weather, the meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 19.

The Crookston Public Library will have Storytime for ages 0 through 6 on Thursday, March 21, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Join the Reading By the Red Book Club at the Crookston Public Library on Tuesday, March 26, at 6:00 pm. They will be discussing “The Secret Book of Flora Lea.” Tuesday, April 23, at 6:00 pm, will be Books and Brews at Drafts discussing “Solito” by Javier Zamora.

The Red Lake Electric Cooperative will have its Annual  Meeting for members on Wednesday, March 27, at 10:30 a.m. at the Legacy Event Center in Thief River Falls. The meeting agenda includes the year 2023 in review, financial reports, and election of directors. Door prizes will be awarded, and a lunch will be served.

The Crookston Public Library will have Storytime for ages 0 through 6 on Thursday, March 28, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

CONTINUING ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Crookston March pool hours Monday through Friday are – lap swim  6:00 to 9:00 a.m., aqua aerobics 9:00 to 10:00, homeschool open swim 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Fridays only, and open swim 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, open swim from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., birthday party slots from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., call 218-1242 for reservations.  Closed on Sundays. Costs are: Open swim $5 a person, aqua aerobics $5 a person, lap swim $5 a person, and aqua and lap swim membership is $36 a month.

The Knights of Columbus Fish Fry suppers will be on Friday nights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral Church through Friday, March 22nd. It will be dine-in or drive-thru.  The menu is deep-fried walleye, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, cole slaw, and roll. Desserts will be for sale and served by service groups.  Drive thru will serve a cookie. Adult Walleye meal is $17, and extra walleye fillet is $8.00.

DNR Hunter Safety Traning for ages 11 and older will take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays beginning May 7. The classes will be held at the Crookston Gun Club. To register, contact Youth Activities Coordinator Steve Videen at 218-289-2115 or by email at stevevideen@yahoo.com

The Driftbusters Snowmobile Club has a $500 scholarship available to children of all club members who have successfully completed snowmobile safety training and submitted the application form. Applications are available at the Crookston High School or by emailing joelleb21@yahoo.com. Applications must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2024 to be eligible.  

The 2024 Crookston Firefighters Association Memorial Scholarship Award is now taking applications. This scholarship is for a graduating high school senior residing in Crookston or one of the townships served by the Crookston Firefighters Association. Applicants must plan to attend a 2-year community college or a 4-year college or university. Applications must be received by April 15, 2024. Applications can be downloaded at www.crookstonfirefightersassociation.org. Please submit questions to firereserve@crookston.mn.us.

The Crookston Eagles Auxiliary #873 awards a $500 scholarship annually. Applications are available at the Crookston High School or by contacting Sheila Menard at 218-289-3212 or by email at crookstoneaglesauxiliary.873@gmail.com. Applicants must have a relative who is a member of the Crookston Auxiliary but does not need to attend school in Crookston. Applications must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2024.

As the Crookston Care and Share expands its women’s dormitories are in need of twin bed frames, dressers, lamps, and end tables. Donate: call 218-281-2644.

The Crookston Squadron Civil Air Patrol meets every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Call 218-281-3954 for more information.

Parents of children are invited to register their children for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program provides one book every month to your child for FREE from when you enroll until they turn five. Crookston Public School manages the program, and you can register at www.ImaginationLibrary.com.

The Crookston Care and Share is now accepting donations of Women’s, Men’s, and children’s clothing, toiletries, and other everyday items. Donations may be dropped off at the Care and Share Center at 220 East Third Street or call 281-2644. The Donation Room is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Fridays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Polk County Public Health and ECFE will host a Newborn Baby Talk event for parents with babies newborn to 12 weeks every Tuesday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the Crookston Public Library. There will be 2-12 week sessions. January 9-March 26, and April 2-June 18. A public health nurse, parent educator and lactation specialist will be available to answer questions about your newborn and provide support and information on your journey of parenting. A facilitated discussion will cover feeding, attachment, sleep, development, family changes, and returning to work. You can have your baby weighed too.

Every Tuesday (except for Federal Holidays), The Crookston Public Library will host New Born Baby Talk from 9:30 am. to 11:00 a.m. This is for parents with babies 0-12 weeks old. A public health nurse, parent educator, and lactation specialist will be available to answer questions about your newborn and provide support and information on your new journey of parenting.

The Crookston Public Library’s Books & Brews Book Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of every other month at 6:00 p.m. at Drafts Sports Bar and Grill. They will discuss books and enjoy beverages. Appetizers are provided by the Friends of the Crookston Public Library; participants are responsible for the cost of their food and drinks. All are welcome.

The Crookston Public Library’s Reading by the Red Book Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of every other month at 6:00 p.m. They will discuss books and enjoy beverages.

The Crookston Public Library will have StoryTime every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

The Golden Link is serving noon lunch Monday through Friday. All are welcome to dine in between the hours of 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Crookston Friends of the Library meet on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

The Crookston Library Board meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:15 p.m.

The Cove Youth Center in Crookston is open Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Students and parents should call ahead to check the availability of the youth center at 218-470-0149.

The Crookston Care and Share Center’s Donation and New Hope Food Shelf will be open every Monday and Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and every Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. For more information or to donate, call 218-277-0000.

The Crookston City Council met on Monday in the City Hall council chambers.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CITY’S ALCOHOL ORDINANCE

The meeting began with a public hearing regarding citizen input for the proposed changes to the city’s alcohol ordinance. Previously, the council members indicated interest in breweries and micro-breweries. The current city ordinance shows that breweries and organizations as such cannot operate in Crookston, and the council charged City Administrator Corky Reynolds to review changes that could be made to allow such businesses to possibly begin operations in the future.

“One proposal that we reviewed was adopting the state statute. There is a state law on breweries,” said City Administrator Corky Reynolds, “This allowed breweries, micro-breweries, and in-house brewing and consuming. But this did define what a restaurant was.”

Crookston bar owners Dave Thompson (Captain Crooks), Paul Gregg (Former owner of Irishman’s Shanty), and Mike Paul (owner of IC Muggs) spoke at the public hearing. They addressed the council, stating that if the city adopted the state ordinance, it could affect our local bars and liquor stores financially if both off-sale and on-sale weren’t stated in the city statute. A common example that the bar owners explained was that a larger corporation (for example, Walmart) could simply come to town and place an off-sale location, which could take business away.

Each owner recommended that the council leave the ordinance while allowing brew pubs or independent entities to begin operations that sell take-home products from their business. “We don’t want to allow the devaluation to our businesses,” said Paul Gregg, “Or to water down what we have stood by for all of these years, which is having an on-sale and off-sale together. We’ve all served the community for many years, and I don’t think Crookston wants any of the stand-alone off-sales or businesses that would devalue all of the local businesses we have here.”

Along with changing the current city statute stating liquor-selling businesses must operate as on-sale and off-sale, a change including what is considered a restaurant would come with it. After reviewing state statutes, it was determined that IC Muggs and Captain Crooks do not meet restaurant requirements. Therefore, they wouldn’t be able to sell liquor on Sundays. “They were concerned about that,” said Reynolds. “They expressed that they have operated under this city ordinance, interpreted more broadly that they must sell more meals. They wanted me, the city, and the city attorney to be more aware of that.”

The council has charged Reynolds to review and ultimately adopt the state statute while changing the definition of what is classified as a restaurant to accommodate both IC Muggs and Captain Crooks. If approved, both businesses will be able to sell liquor on Sundays.

REGULAR AGENDA

The meeting continued with the council approving the resolution regarding the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Citizen Participation Plan, which pertains to renovation and allocating money for downtown single-family homes, rental units, and apartments. The city has applied for $1.4 million for this project.

“We can renovate such things as windows siding,” said Reynolds, “Just bring them up so that they’re more habitual. The council acted on four components tonight. We as a city needed to be sponsors, authorize the application to be signed by the mayor and city administrator, and adopt a citizen participation plan that outlines the steps the city will follow in terms of getting citizen input.”

The council also held a discussion that needed action to be taken regarding the discussion on submission of material before future city council meetings. The city has developed a new policy for community members who want to present any material to the council that they submit the material/items to the city hall (whether electronically/or on paper) before 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the week before each council meeting. “There is considerable work that goes into establishing an agenda,” said Reynolds, “Preparing resolutions relevant to the materials being presented and also for presentation to the council. We want the materials here so the I.T. department can appropriately deliver to council members computers as well as the larger screen T.V.’s.” The council unanimously approved the new policy for material submissions, and it was agreed upon that this new system would allow each council member to review the material and each department to digest the points in question or need to be studied prior to meetings.

The final item that was approved was the resolution regarding CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, providing assistance concerning the 2023 audit preparations, procedures, and services. This company has also been approved to assist the city and its Finance Department with the recent resignation of former city Finance Director Audrey Passa.

The consent agenda included the approval of minutes from the February 26 council meeting and the approval of bills and disbursements in the amount of $353,109.76. It also included the approval of acceptance regarding a donation from the Crookston Baseball Association to the Crookston Parks and Recreation Department.

The Crookston City Council will meet next on Monday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chambers.

To go back and watch the full council meeting, click here.

It takes a special person to not only come up with new ideas for fundraising, but see those ideas all the way through to the end. However, Judie Kanten, of Crookston, is praised for making it all look effortless as she helps prepare for and carry out these fundraisers as part of the RiverView Health Auxiliary.

For those efforts, Judie was recently awarded the RiverView Health Auxiliary’s 2023 Alta Hermodson Heart and Soul Award for volunteerism.

“Judie works tirelessly to ensure fundraising events are well prepared for and are as successful as they can be,’’ stated one of the nominations in her honor. “ She comes up with new fundraising ideas and puts them into motion. She serves at many different organizations and her actions appear effortless. She can persuade many people to be a part of any team she is on, and she makes it fun.’’

Currently, in her second term as a member-at-large on the Auxiliary Board of Directors, Judie is also a longtime volunteer at the Limited Addition Gift Shop, serving well over 25 years.

“Judie is an exceptional volunteer and is one of the first to lend a helping hand,’’ another nomination stated.

The annual Heart and Soul Award goes to a RiverView volunteer(s) who exemplifies the Auxiliary’s mission of volunteerism and service to RiverView Health, just as Alta Hermodson did. Hermodson was a lifelong resident of Hammond Township, located east of Eldred and Climax. She was involved in her church, library, hospital, nursing home, and museum. She truly gave of herself and volunteered at places in which she believed. The award in Hermodson’s honor was created in 2003. Hermodson passed away in 2006.