MEMORIAL RIDE
A memorial ride will be held tomorrow to honor 3 Minnesota soldiers who died in Iraq. The motorcycle ride will start at the American Legion in Willmar at 10:30 tomorrow morning and will include a noon stop in Litchfield.

The motorcycles are expected to begin arriving at the Litchfield V-F-W shortly after noon tomorrow for a lunch stop. They’ll be arriving from West Highway 12 and will go past Central Park in downtown Litchfield before heading west on 3^rd Street for the stop at the V-F-W.

One of the ride organizers says it would be nice if people lined up by Central Park, waving flags and welcoming the riders to Litchfield.

Following the lunch break at the Litchfield V-F-W, the cyclists will head to Redwood Falls – arriving there between 5 and 6 o’clock tomorrow evening. There will be an evening meal there along with a D-J.

Sign-up for the motorcycle ride begins at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning at the Willmar American Legion – and it will go 150-miles. One of the soldiers being honored is Brent Koch from Morton. He was killed in June 2006 when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb which also injured Litchfield natives Gregory Brown and Willy Puckett.

ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH BAZAAR CAR SHOW
The St. Philip’s Church Bazaar is coming up on Sunday, August 10^th at the Meeker County Fairgrounds in Litchfield. The 5^th annual Car Show will be taking place during the Bazaar.

Don Shequen is helping to coordinate the Car Show again this year. He says anyone with a collectors car or antique automobile is welcome. Shequen says there will be several classes such as stock, street rods and foreign. He says there’s no registration fee.

Shequen says they had 80 cars last year and are expecting about 100 this year. He says anyone with a car to display can just show up at the south gate of the fairgrounds at 8 o’clock the morning of August 10^th.

Shequen says each participant will receive a dash plaque and the award ceremony will take place at 3 o’clock on August 10^th. He says Brodin Studios puts together very attractive trophies for the car show.

St. Philip’s Bazaar Chairman Pat Raiber says after the car show gets started on August 10^th at the Meeker County Fairgrounds, there will be mass at 10 a.m., followed by a turkey dinner from 11-to-2. He says there’s a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament at noon, bingo, a country store, pull tabs, Minnesota Archery bow-shoot, kids games, the Knights of Columbus hamburger stand, authentic Mexican food, live music and more.

Raiber says the St. Philip’s Church Bazaar is a major fundraiser for the church each year. He says everyone’s welcome. The Bazaar is coming up Sunday, August 10^th, at the Meeker County Fairgrounds. For more information about the car show, call Don at 693-3164 or Jim at 693-6442.

HORSES KILLED
At 3:03 this morning, the Meeker County Sheriff's Office took a report of an animal complaint on County State Aid Highway 9 and U-S Highway 12, just west of Darwin.  Five or six white and spotted hourses were loose on Highway 12.  The owner, Derrick Linz of Darwin, was contacted.  Before the horses were caught, two of the horses were struck and killed by a motor vehicle.  No injuries were reported to the driver.

UNCLAIMED MONEY
According to data recently released by the Internal Revenue Service, there are still 323 people in Meeker County who have not filed to obtain the 2008 Economic Stimulus Payment. There is a toll-free number that people can call – 1-800-333-2433 – if they think they might qualify for the payment, but did not receive a check.

Some low-income workers and recipients of Social Security, certain veteran’s benefits and certain railroad retirement benefits may qualify for economic stimulus payments this year from the federal government. Individuals who might not otherwise be required to file a 2007 tax return will need to file a return this year to receive the stimulus payment.

The tax return needs to show at least 3-thousand dollars in qualifying income. Qualifying income can include Social Security benefits, certain railroad retirement benefits and certain veterans benefits. The benefits will need to be reported on a 2007 tax return. The filing deadline is October 15^th.

Again, if you have questions, you can contact the Senior Link Age Line at 1-800-333-2433. The Senior Link Age Line is a service of the Minnesota Board on Aging and the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging.

RESCUE SQUAD CALENDAR WINNERS
This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

Roy and Marge Grabanski, Hicks Bus, Mike Manning, Tana Goihl, Daniel Minton, and Sandi Hirman – all of Litchfield.

Each of them will receive 20-dollars from the Litchfield Rescue Squad.

"ANNIE" GIRLS
"Annie" will be performed at the Litchfield High School Little Theatre tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Tonight’s show is sold out. You can order tickets for Friday and Saturday night by calling Litchfield Community Education at 693-2354.

Angela Likens Horwath is directing the Litchfield Community Theatre production of "Annie." She says rehearsals started the last week of May, and the cast and crew have been wonderful.

Likens Horwath says she chose to have two girls in the role of "Annie" because there are twice as many shows this year and it would be a bit overwhelming for one girl of 11 or 12 years old to do that many shows. She says Ali Richardson of Litchfield and Alison Basney have been taking turns in that role and on the night that one is not in the main role, she plays one of the orphans, so each girls is still on stage each night.

12-year-old Ali Richardson says she dyed her hair red for the role of "Annie." She says she’s been in four of the Litchfield Youth Theatre productions.

11-year-old Alison Basney naturally has red hair and freckles. She was in the "Wizard of Oz" last summer and will be in "Cinderella" next month at the Dassel-Cokato Performing Arts Center.

For "Annie" ticket information, call Litchfield Community Education at 693-2354.

JOHN CARLSON
2003 Litchfield High School graduate John Carlson will be playing his first NFL game as a Seattle Seahawks during a pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings on August 8^th in the Metrodome. A special ticket package is available from the Vikings which will help benefit the football program in Litchfield.

Litchfield High School Football Coach Jon Johnson says the Vikings are handling all of the details on their end, but there’s a link on the website: www.litchfieldfootball.org.

Johnson says there’s a deadline of August 4^th to mail or fax in your form for tickets to the August 8^th game. He says if there’s enough interest, a fan bus could maybe be coordinated. Johnson says he suspects that John Carlson will get to play a lot during the August 8^th game in the Metrodome and it would be neat to have a large group there from his home town.

"ANNIE" SHOW
The Litchfield Community Theatre production of "Annie" opened last weekend in the Litchfield High School Little Theatre. There are 3 more shows later this week – tomorrow night, Friday night and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. each evening.

Brian Wilson shaved his head as he’s in the role of Daddy Warbucks. He says his character is a billionaire bachelor who has only been interested in making money until an orphan enters his life. Wilson says the show teaches a lesson about what’s really important in life.

Wilson says his first time in a Litchfield Community Theatre production was last summer with "Forum" and he was in the Willmar Barn Theatre’s production of "My Fair Lady" this past April.

Natalie Davis says she’s marking her 5^th production in Litchfield Community Theatre with her role in Annie.

Davis says her character does a lot of singing. She says the production went well last weekend, and she encourages more people to see "Annie" this weekend. The show can be seen Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 in the Litchfield High School Little Theatre.

Entry Day at the Meeker County Fair is just one week from today – July 30^th. The fair will open July 31^st and will continue through August 3^rd.

MEEKER COUNTY FAIR
Meeker County Fair Board President Loree Schultz says there are many new things planned this year – including numerous events for children. She says Rock ‘n’ Recess will be on Friday, August 1^st from 7-to-9 in the Meeker County Fair Bandshell for children from pre-Kindergarten to 7^th grade.

Schultz says it will include music, dancing, contests and prizes. She says numerous events will be held on Saturday for children including the pedal pull, stick horse contest, Born to Read, the Scholastic Book Fair and more.

Schultz says there will be several musical acts in the bandshell and in the beer garden, and the 4-H Art-In performances throughout the weekend of the Meeker County Fair. She says there will be trolley rides again on Sunday afternoon.

Schultz says 4-Plus-1 will be performing during the church service on Sunday morning at the Meeker County Fair. She says the talent show will be Sunday afternoon – August 3^rd – with 3 divisions again – teen, pre-teen and open – and the winners who go on to the State Fair do not have to be Meeker County residents.

Schultz is also looking for contestants to play the Family Feud game Friday night, August 1^st. She can be contacted at Center Bank or next week – at the Meeker County Fair office. The Meeker County Fair is coming up July 31^st to August 3^rd.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING
A presentation on the Litchfield area transportation study dominated last night’s Litchfield City Council meeting. The study was coordinated by Mn/DOT, the City of Litchfield, Meeker County and Mid-Minnesota Development Commission.

Scott McBride from Mn/DOT says the purpose of the study was to anticipate future transportation needs in the Litchfield area, identify issues and concerns and develop solutions. He says the study shows that 91-percent of the passenger traffic begins or ends with a stop in Litchfield, while 60-percent of the truck traffic passes through without stopping, suggesting that a truck route should be part of the long-range plan.

McBride says congestion downtown is an issue and will only get worse, and the Highway 12 and 22 intersection continues to be a difficult spot for trucks to make turns. He says East Highway 12 from Sibley to Gorman Avenues has multiple access points and that some of those should probably be closed with access to properties to minor streets.

McBride says East Highway 12 to Walmart has a lack of supporting roads and there could possibly be more frontage and backage roads, and that Highway 34 could perhaps continue to the south – across the railroad tracks – connecting to Litchfield’s industrial park. He says the same presentation was given to the Chamber of Commerce yesterday and will be given in the near future to Meeker County, and the final report will be completed after August.

City Council member Connie Lies says a by-pass around Litchfield would alleviate all of the issues brought up by McBride.

Patrick Weidemann from Mn/DOT reminded the city council that a by-pass around Litchfield was rejected by Litchfield City officials back in the early 1990s and is a dead issue as finances for such a project wouldn’t be available for about 20 years. He says, in the meantime, the community is growing and the congestion issues on Highway 12 through Litchfield need to be addressed.

Also last night, the Litchfield City Council heard a report from Fire Chief Greg Gilbertson about the need for a new pumper truck which will cost about a half million dollars. The council accepted a bid from Delta Star for an electric project transformer for just a little over one-million dollars. The council approved closing down one block of Donnelly Avenue between 3^rd and 4^th Streets during the electric project. A ground-breaking ceremony for the project took place yesterday afternoon. The Litchfield City Council also approved the purchase of the VFW property for 446-thousand dollars, and heard a presentation from representatives of Ehlers and Associates.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM
Meeker County residents will soon have access to a prescription drug program through the Caremark Pharmacy Network. Cards for the program will be available August 4^th.

Meeker County Commissioner Amy Wilde says people can get more information about it at the Public Health booth during the Meeker County Fair. She says the National Association of Counties initiated the idea, and Meeker County is part of the Association.

Wilde says there’s a growing number of people without health insurance, or with little or no coverage for prescriptions. She says there are people who may have too many assets or a fluctuating income who could be helped by this program.

Wilde says if you have health insurance or Medicare Part D, you can see if those will cover your prescriptions first. She says 5 pharmacies in Meeker County will accept the program: Peterson’s in Dassel, and Econofoods, Medicine Shoppe, Pamida and Walmart – all in Litchfield.

Wilde says the program won’t cost the county or consumers anything. She says the average savings on prescriptions with Caremark should be around 20-percent, and there is pet medication coverage too.

Meeker County Social Services Director Clark Gustafson says he’s been on the Meeker County Emergency Food Shelf Board for over 20 years. He says he’s aware of the increasing number of people who have to choose between prescriptions and food.

Gustafson says the prescription drug program is for everyone, not just for people on assistance. He says the Caremark cards will be available at Social Services, Public Health, the Courthouse, various clinics, Meeker County Memorial Hospital, and Dassel Lakeside Home beginning August 4^th, and people can learn more at the Public Health booth during the Meeker County Fair.

WILLMAR STABBING
Two 17-year-old boys are accused in a weekend stabbing death in Willmar.  One of the teens is in custody at the Prairie Lakes Detention Center in Willmar on a charge of second-degree murder. The other teen faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing the legal process. Police say the stabbing happened early Sunday after a fight.  Authorities found 21-year-old Adam Milton of Willmar lying on a lawn with stab wounds to his chest. Police Sergeant Jim Felt says Milton was taken by ambulance to Rice Memorial Hospital, where he later died. Felt says the initial investigation indicates the victim and suspects knew each other.    
    
Information from: West Central Tribune, http://www.wctrib.com    
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

POPULATION
The State Demographer’s Office released 2007 population estimates last week. Meeker County Auditor Barb Loch included the information in the Meeker County Commissioners’ board packets.

Meeker County’s estimated total population as of April 1^st, 2007 is 23,371.

Litchfield’s population is now estimated to be 6,871, with Dassel at 1,333, Watkins at 947, Grove City at 621, Cosmos at 533, Darwin at 302, Kingston at 158 and Cedar Mills at 46.

Eden Valley is in both Meeker and Stearns Counties. The Meeker portion of Eden Valley is estimated at 544.

COKATO MUSEUM
A new display recently opened in the Cokato Museum called "You May Be Seated." It highlights the many churches that have served people in the Cokato area over the years.

Cokato Museum Director Mike Worcester (WOO’-ster) says it’s kind of a whimsical title for a serious topic, but there are few churches where the members do not hear the words "you may be seated" at some point during the worship services.

Worcester says there have been several churches in the Cokato area of various sizes – some with hundreds of members and others with just a few dozen. He says just about every Protestant denomination has been represented, but there has never been a Catholic church in the immediate Cokato or Dassel area.

Worcester says there’s a definite ethnic flavor in many of the churches as you research their histories and many of them still had services in their native languages well into the 20^th Century. He says the display will be up through the end of October at the Cokato Museum – at 175 West 4^th Street in Cokato.

YOUTH FOR CHRIST BICYCLISTS
Bryan Blomker of Atwater has been participating in a cross-country bike ride this summer with other people from Youth-For-Christ International. The group timed their ride so they would be in Willmar for the Sonshine Christian Music Festival.

Blomker says they left Washington State June 17^th and are now about half-way through – on their way to Bar Harbor, Maine. He says the 11 bike riders and 4 support people are expected to arrive on the East Coast on August 15^th.

Blomker says the bicyclists range in age from 18-to-62, and are from the U-S, Lebanon, England, Northern Ireland and Switzerland. He says it’s been a great experience so far, with good health, safe conditions and great weather.

Blomker says they’ve mostly been hosted by churches on their stops along the route. He says people can check out their progress and make donations to support the ride by going to www.yfcbikeride.org.

The Youth-For-Christ bicyclists will leave New London this morning and spend the night in Glencoe. They’ll travel tomorrow to Northfield and Lake City as they make their way to Iowa.

AUTO CRASH
The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office responded along with the Minnesota State Patrol to a 2-vehicle crash on Minnesota Highway 15 – about one mile north of County-State-Aid-Highway 21 – north of Dassel at 7:33 yesterday morning.  The crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Brett Thompson of Annandale.

Thompson was driving a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix, traveling southbound, which went over the center line and collided with a 2007 International semi truck, traveling northbound, driven by 51-year-old Sally Jaeger of Richmond.  Thompson was transported to the St. Cloud Hospital, and then to a Twin Cities hospital where he died.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash.  Gold Cross Ambulance, Dassel Fire Department and Dassel Rescue Squad also responded to the crash scene.

DETERT FILES
The filing deadline for state and county offices was Tuesday at 5 p.m. District 18-B incumbent Republican State Representative Dean Urdahl will be challenged for a 3rd time by Dr. David Detert from the DFL party.

A race is also shaping up in Meeker County’s 5th District.  Incumbent Roney Kutzke filed for re-election and will be challenged by Russ Peterson.

In the Meeker County Soil and Water districts, 3 seats are up, and the incumbents in the 1st, 2nd and 4th districts – Tom Burr, Robert Schiefelbein and Fred Behnke – all filed for re-election and have no challengers.

Most cities and school districts have filing periods from August 26th through September 9th.

DARRICK SCHMIDT BENEFIT
The Darrick Schmidt Benefit is coming up on July 27^th from noon to 6 at the Darwin Rod and Gun Club. Darrick was paralyzed last November after falling from his tree stand.

Darrick Schmidt’s sister, Terri Euerle from Litchfield, says Darrick moved away from Litchfield 5 years ago and now lives up north. She says the accident happened last November 27^th.

Euerle says Darrick is paralyzed, but still has limited ability to move his arms. She says he will attend the benefit on July 27^th at the Darwin Rod and Gun Club.

Euerle says there will be a meal of pulled pork sandwiches, macaroni salad, chips, bars and beverages – for a freewill donation; a silent auction and meat raffle. She says if anyone has items to donate for the silent auction, they can call her at 593-3151.

The Darrick Schmidt Benefit is from 12 o’clock noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 27^th.

RESCUE SQUAD CALENDAR WINNERS
This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

Joe Tacheny, Mark Holmgren, Countryside Glass, Roy and Marge Grabanski and the Dan Smith Agency – all of Litchfield, and Carol Pollock of Darwin.

Each of them will receive 20-dollars from the Litchfield Rescue Squad.

"ANNIE" CAST
The cast of "Annie" has been busy rehearsing for several weeks and now the public has an opportunity to see the show this weekend and next in the Litchfield High School Little Theatre. Litchfield Community Theatre will present the shows July 18^th and 19^th at 7:30 p.m., July 20^th at 2 p.m. and July 24^th, 25^th and 26^th at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for "Annie" are available at Litchfield Community Education. You can get more information or use your Visa or Mastercard to order tickets over the phone by calling 693-2354.

COUNTY BOARD MEETING
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners has approved the purchase of 15 radios for the Sheriff’s Office. The radios will be used during the Republican National Convention this summer in St. Paul and will be sold at a discount.

Chief Deputy Jeff Norlin says the radios are normally about 25-hundred dollars each but will be sold for $1,975 after their use during the convention. He says they are on a frequency that Meeker County will probably not be on for a couple of years yet, but the 15 radios can be placed in the squad cars and used to communicate with the surrounding counties – such as Stearns and Kandiyohi – who are already on that frequency.

The Commissioners also approved a contract with the Department of Corrections to house prisoners for up to 163-thousand dollars a year.

The Meeker County Board has approved a 2-year contract with the City of Dassel for law enforcement for 2009-to-2010.

Years-of-service awards were presented to Michael Brooks and Ken Fenner in the Sheriff’s Office and to Suz Pater in the Highway Department – all for 5-years.

When discussing the election filing deadline for public officials, Meeker County Auditor Barb Loch informed the Commissioners that Dr. David Detert has filed to run for State Representative in District 18-B. Incumbent State Representative Dean Urdahl filed for re-election last week.

Also, the Meeker County Board of Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for Dennis Grotto for moving in a double-wide trailer home on a piece of property north of Grove City, and gave County Engineer Ron Mortensen permission to advertise for L-P gas.

Commissioner Dave Gabrielson also reported on Monday night’s hospital board meeting. He says net income for the month of May was $126,598 and year-to-date net income is $611,279.

VFW
Members of the Litchfield V-F-W met Monday night, and a majority of them voted in favor of selling their building and property to the City of Litchfield.  The City is hoping to use the property for new rescue squad and fire hall facilities.

The Litchfield City Council approved a resolution last month to purchase the property for approximately 446-thousand dollars.  The council will address the VFW’s decision to sell during the next city council meeting on July 21st.

Litchfield V-F-W Commander Gary Smith says they are looking for alternative sites to relocate the V-F-W Club, but have a few months before they have to move out of the club on North Ramsey Avenue.  He says the V-F-W is still open at its current location.
 

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
The Litchfield School Board heard information last night on a proposed operating levy referendum. The Litchfield School District’s fund balance has been shrinking in recent years due to unfunded mandates and inflation.

Superintendent Bill Wold says the state and federal governments continue to mandate items – especially special education programs – without additional funding to pay for those requirements, and prices for items like fuel continue to escalate. He says they’ve been able to make reductions through attrition and have maintained class sizes and programs, but they can’t go into the fund balance any further.

Wold says a levy passed back in 2002 by a margin of 55-to-45-percent. He says the 10-year, 300-dollar per pupil levy has generated about 643-thousand dollars annually with 30-percent in state aid. He says a ballot question this time around would most likely ask voters to rescind the old levy and replace it with a larger amount. School board members will listen to feedback from the public and decide what to do at the July 28^th meeting.

Also last night, the Litchfield School Board evaluated Superintendent Wold during a closed meeting, prior to the regular meeting. Litchfield School Board Chairman Dan Dollerschell says it was a very good review and the board is pleased with the direction the school district is going. He says Wold does a very good job and has excellent rapport with the community and the media and promotes the Litchfield School District.

NEW WATERCADE ROYALTY
New Litchfield royalty was crowned Sunday night at the conclusion of the 52^nd annual Watercade celebration. Ashley Krug, daughter of Dean and Cindy Krug, is the new Miss Litchfield, and is sponsored by Heart Throb Exhaust.

Krug says she will attend Gustavus Adolphus College. She says she’s excited to represent the town. Krug says her first parade as Miss Litchfield is coming up already this Saturday forenoon in New London.

Krug says the judges asked each candidate about themselves and how they would handle various situations during their personal interviews on Saturday afternoon.

Natasha Reed was the first contestant named Sunday night as a princess during the Watercade coronation. Natasha is the daughter of Stacy and Socorro Reed and is sponsored by Doosan Bobcat Attachments.

Reed says she’ll be attending the University of Minnesota to study psychology.

Reed says the 11 candidates had to dress in multi-colored halter jumpsuits for the opening number during the coronation. The reigning royalty and 11 candidates danced to "Soul Train" inspired music from the 1970s. Kerrie Schaefer choreographed the routine.

Kayti Warpula was also crowned as a princess Sunday night. She’s the daughter of Michael and Rebecca Warpula and is sponsored by the Dairy Queen of Litchfield.

Warpula says she’ll be attending North Dakota State University to study nursing. Also Sunday night, Megan Lundin – daughter of Dan and Nancy Lundin – was named Miss Congeniality and received the formal gown award. Her sponsor was MidCountry Bank.

NEW MISS LITCHFIELD
A new Miss Litchfield was crowned last night – Ashley Krug.  The new princesses are Natasha Reed and Kayti Warpula.

Ashley Krug is the daughter of Dean and Cindy Krug and her sponsor is HeartThrob Exhaust.  Natasha Reed is the daughter of Stacy and Socorro Reed and is sponsored by  Doosan Bobcat Attachments.  Kayti Warpula is the daughter of Mike and Rebecca Warpula and is sponsored by the Dairy Queen of Litchfield.

Megan Lundin received the Miss Congeniality award – along with the evening gown award.  Megan is the daughter of Dan and Nancy Lundin and is sponsored by Mid-Country Bank.

The winning Watercade button numbers drawn were:  283, 711 and 1,306.

Glen Young received the honorary Minneapolis Aquatennial Commodore Award.  Young was recognized for his many volunteer contributions to the community including the Youth Hockey Program and the Wings of Mercy program.

CENTURY FARMS
The Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau are recognizing 170 Minnesota farms as 2008 Century Farms. A few farms from this area are being honored this year.

In Meeker County, the Kenneth Bergquist Farm from Dassel is being recognized. The farm has been in the Bergquist family since 1908.

Qualifying farms have to be in continuous family ownership for at least 100 years and are 50 acres or more.

Some of the other area farms include the Roland and Rita Maus farm of Kimball which has been in their family since 1875; the Ruehle family farm in South Haven which has been owned by that family since 1889; the Olson Farm of Cokato which has been family-owned since 1889; the Russel Johnson farm of Hector – dating back to 1899; and two Hutchinson farms – the Robert and Gloria Dobratz farm – established in 1908 and the Rusch family farm – going back to 1907.

Century Farm families receive a commemorative sign, as well as a certificate signed by the State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau presidents and Governor Pawlenty. Since the program began in 1976, over 8,600 Minnesota farms have been recognized as Century Farms. Check out the display at the Farm Bureau booth at the State Fair next month.

STORM DAMAGE
On Friday evening at 6:09, the Meeker County Sheriff's Office was notified by the National Weather Service that Meeker County was in a severe thunderstorm warning.  Damage was reported at a residence on 750th Avenue, southwest of Cokato.  A path of trees were down, a portion of a roof on a tin shed was blown off and a portion was caved in, shingles and roofing was damaged on the residence, power was lost to the residence, and there was a large amount of small boards, which were pieces of the house and barn, stuck into the ground vertically.  No one was home at the time of the storm and no injuries were reported.  At a residence on 240th Street, just north of Dassel, a small canvas shed was blown into a tree, trees were down that appeared to have been blown down by straight line winds, a television antenna and pole were damaged, and a canopy on a boatlift was blown off.  At Spring Lake Park on 240th Street by Dassel, trees were down and dugouts located at the baseball field were damaged.  All the damage in the park appeared to have been caused by straight-line winds coming from the south. 

JR ROYALTY
A new junior royal couple was crowned last night at Zion Lutheran Church to reign over the Litchfield Watercade weekend. Annika Grams and Hunter Wills were crowned as the new junior king and queen and will lead off the kiddie parade tomorrow morning at Lake Ripley Memorial Park at 11 a.m.

Hunter is the son of Dave and Shelly Eischens and Annika is the daughter of Mark and Betsy Grams.

The junior princesses crowned last night were Ashley Sangren, daughter of Mike and Angela Sangren, and Peyton Borchardt, daughter of Korey and Teresa Borchardt.

The new junior princes are Spencer Atkinson, son of Troy and Sarah Atkinson, and Matthew Miller, son of John and Donna Miller.

RON CHRISTENSEN BENEFIT
A cancer benefit and golf tournament is being coordinated for July 27^th at the Litchfield Golf Club. 1980 Litchfield High School graduate Ron Christensen has been battling colon cancer and the event will help him with his expenses.

Another Litchfield native, Jim Polingo, has been helping to organize the benefit for Ron Christensen. He says people from St. Philip’s Church have been a big help and Tangen Ford will provide an opportunity for golfers to win a vehicle in a hole-in-one contest.

Polingo says if people aren’t into golf, they can still show up at the Lions Shelter by Lake Ripley on July 27^th for a picnic to raise additional funds for Ron. He says Ron is in good spirits, despite the ordeal he’s been experiencing.

Polingo says there will also be kids games, a silent auction and a raffle on July 27^th at the Lions Shelter. The golf tournament begins at 3 o’clock that day, with registration at 2 o’clock, and people can R-S-V-P by calling Tom McKenzie at 612-310-5563. In case of rain, the picnic and silent auction will move to the Litchfield V-F-W.

SAND SCULPTURE CONTEST
Several of this year’s Watercade events are taking place at Lake Ripley. One of the events that will take place right on Lake Ripley Beach at noon tomorrow will be the sand sculpture contest.

Watercade Board member Nick Alt says Conway, Deuth and Schmeising is sponsoring the contest, and the prize money for the contest has been increased this year. He says the first place finisher will receive 150-dollars, with 100-dollars for second place and 50-dollars for third place.

Alt says there can be as many as 5 people on a sand sculpturing team and pre-registration forms are available on the website at www.watercade.com or contestants can begin registering at the beach at 11 o’clock tomorrow morning. He says the city brought in more sand to Lake Ripley Beach this year.

Watercade board member Darrel Mackedanz was busy yesterday with the Center Bank brat feed. He encourages people to attend the Queen Coronation Sunday night at 7 o’clock – sponsored by Unicel – in its new location – at Litchfield High School.

Mackedanz says there will be all kinds of athletic events throughout the weekend including the softball and tennis tournaments and the Lake Ripley run and walk. He says people will enjoy the fireworks show tonight and Sunday afternoon’s ski show.

For more Litchfield Watercade information, go to www.watercade.com

A RIPLEY HOME COMPANION
One of the highlights on Sunday during the Litchfield Watercade celebration will be "A Ripley Home Companion" at 3 o’clock in Central Park. Pastor David Sorensen will be doing his spoof on Garrison Keillor’s "A Prairie Home Companion" for the 3^rd year in a row.

Sorensen says he received permission from Keillor years ago to do these shows as long as he didn’t steal any material from "A Prairie Home Companion" and as long as the proceeds were used for charitable fundraising purposes. He says he’s done shows in the past such as "A Quarry Home Companion" in St. Cloud, "A Corny Home Companion" in Cokato, and "A Gusty Home Companion" at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Sorensen says the theme for Sunday’s show will be centered on Minnesota’s 150^th birthday with a visit from "Saul" Bunyan and other fun skits. He says past musical performers have included the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band and Monroe Crossing, and another great group will join them this year.

Sorensen says "A Ripley Home Companion" is free, but freewill donations will be accepted for the Lake Ripley Improvement Association. He says it starts at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon in Central Park, and in case of bad weather, it would move to First Lutheran Church.

WATERCADE FISHING CONTEST
Some of the main Litchfield Watercade events begin today. The Center Brat feed is from 4-to-6 p.m., followed by ice cream in Central Park at 6 o’clock – compliments of the Chamber of Commerce and Meeker County American Dairy Association – and the Junior Royalty Pageant at 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church – sponsored by the Hantge Chapel of Darwin.

Litchfield Watercade Board member Jason Zeppelin says people should thank the sponsors of the Watercade events when they see them. He says the fishing contest is being sponsored by Parts City Auto Parts.

Zeppelin says the fishing contest begins at 8 o’clock Saturday morning, with registration at 6:30 and pre-registration information is available at Lake Ripley Bait & Tackle. He says the weigh-in at the end of the contest will be on the other side of the lake this year.

Zeppelin says there will be great prizes and trophies in various categories. He says there will also be door prizes.

Litchfield Watercade Board member Dee Schuette says Meeker County Public Transit will provide rides between Central Park and Memorial Park on Saturday from 9:30 to 3:30 for one-dollar – or free for people wearing a Watercade button. She says the events on Saturday in Memorial Park will include the run, the walk, art-in-the-park, kiddie parade, sand sculpture contest, lip sync contest and more.

Schuette says people can pick up Watercade schedules at the chamber office, look for them in the Independent Review, or find them on-line at www.watercade.com. She says Watercade is made possible with significant contributions from several corporate sponsors.

RESCUE SQUAD CALENDAR WINNERS
This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

CONSUMER'S COOP
Consumer’s Co-op will be selling E-85 for a special price tomorrow. The Cenex c-store also has a special lemonade product available to help find a cure for childhood cancer.

First of all, E-85 will be sold for 85-cents less than normal per gallon tomorrow (Thursday) from 2-to-5 p.m. – up to 25-gallons for flexible fuel vehicles only. The promotion is sponsored by Meeker County Corn Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, General Motors Corporation, National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, U-S Department of Energy – Clean Cities, American Lung Association of Minnesota, and Minnesota Clean Air Choice Team.

Also at Cenex on East Highway 12 in Litchfield, a new product is available which is helping raise funds to help find a cure for childhood cancer. A young girl named Alexandra "Alex" Scott opened a lemonade stand at the age of 4 and donated the proceeds to her local hospital.

Alex battled cancer for 7 and a half years and died in 2004. Her family established Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and partnered with U-S-A Beverages to produce Alex’s Lemonade – with 23-percent of the proceeds going to children’s cancer research. There are 3 flavors: lemonade, pink lemonade and a lemonade/iced tea "Arnold Palmer" blend.

WATERCADE PARADE
The 52^nd annual Litchfield Watercade Celebration started Monday with the Medallion Hunt and will continue through Sunday. A couple of the main events on Saturday will be the parade and the Lake Ripley Walk.

Litchfield Watercade Board member Lori Bruggers says the walk will start at the Jaycees Shelter at 9:30 a.m. and no t-shirts will be given out before then. She says the walkers will go in the opposite direction this year.

Bruggers says if any walkers decide to start out before the official start time, they’re asked to respect the runners who may still be making their way around Lake Ripley. She says the Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday at 11, with registration at 10 a.m. and golfers can get registration information at the Litchfield Golf Club Pro Shop.

Litchfield Watercade Board Member Scott Marquardt says the parade will begin at 6 o’clock Saturday evening, with line-up beginning at the Litchfield Civic Arena parking lot at 4:30. He says it will follow the same route as last year – south on Gilman Avenue to 3^rd Street and then west to Marshall Avenue and north on Marshall to 10^th Street.

Marquardt says there are about 115-units in this year’s Watercade parade. He says there will be 4 drum lines, the Litchfield High School Marching Band, and a unique entry from Dan Winter who rides a horse as a wild west cowboy and performs skits.

Marquardt says the L-DC Hockey Association will be selling root beer floats along the parade route BEFORE the parade begins, and there will be bleachers set up in Central Park. He says this year’s fireworks display over Lake Ripley Friday night will be even bigger than last year’s.

For more Litchfield Watercade information, go to www.watercade.com.

MEEKER COUNTY BOARD MEETING
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners awarded the bid for the courthouse boiler project. Climate Makers had the low bid of $74,651.

The board also awarded an alternate bid to Climate Makers for Allerton controls for $19,700 for the courthouse boiler which will allow for remote control of the system.

The Board gave County Administrator Paul Virnig permission to negotiate for the purchase of the house at 308 North Ramsey Avenue. The house – south of the Law Enforcement Center – is now for sale.

The Commissioners approved the contract with Central Specialties for the County-State-Aid-Highway 15 project. County Engineer Ron Mortensen informed the Board that the court just awarded eminent domain to the county yesterday for the final parcel of land along the County-State-Aid-Highway project.

County Treasurer Sharon Euerle received permission to get proposals for investment services. The proposals will be back by mid-August.

The Commissioners approved a request from County Assessor Bob Anderson to hire Jeanne Geislinger as a part-time Assessor Technician.

The Meeker County Board approved the final payment for Donlar Construction for the State/County Highway building for $52,445. The state will cover 20-percent of it.

The Commissioners approved a federally-mandated contract for consulting services for actuarial studies for retirees. The services will cost 5-thousand dollars.

Also, the Meeker County Board of Commissioners approved a new payment schedule for the Litchfield School District for the Bernie Aaker Auditorium remodeling project. The School District will pay off its loan from the County for the project sooner than originally proposed – saving the District some interest costs.

WATERCADE ACTIVITES
Several Litchfield Watercade activities will be taking place this weekend at Memorial Park on Lake Ripley. Art in the Park will once again be out at Lake Ripley on Saturday from 9-to-5.

Litchfield Watercade Board member Tammy Minton says there will be a variety of booths with jewelry, art, soaps, craft items, homemade game calls and more. She says Meeker County Public Transit will provide free shuttle service from Central Park to Memorial Park from 9:30-to-3:30 on Saturday for people wearing a Watercade button. A ride will cost one-dollar without a button.

Minton says one of the first Watercade events is the Junior Royalty pageant. She says it begins at 7 o’clock Thursday evening at Zion Lutheran Church.

Minton says the queen candidates still have buttons to sell. She says the new Junior Royalty will lead off the kiddie parade Saturday forenoon at Memorial Park.

Litchfield Watercade Board member Amy Raiber encourages people to sign up for the Lip Sync contest by Thursday at 4 p.m. at Litchfield Community Education.

Raiber is hoping for a big audience to attend the Lip Sync contest Saturday afternoon at 1:30 at Lake Ripley Memorial Park.

For more Watercade information, go to www.watercade.com.

URDAHL FILES FOR RE-ELECTION
State Representative Dean Urdahl of Grove City has filed for re-election to District 18B.  He has served three terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Urdahl says he’s been honored to serve the people of 18B for six years and he looks forward to continuing to meet with them and to hearing their concerns in this campaign.  He says it’s especially rewarding to work with the communities and the people he represents in District 18B to solve problems.

District 18B includes all of Meeker County except for Collinwood and Cedar Mills townships, and western Wright County including the townships of Stockholm, Cokato, Middleville, Southside, French Lake, and Corinna.

LITCHFIELD CITY COUNCIL MEETING
The Litchfield City Council has awarded a bid for the 2008 street overlay improvement project. Mid-Minnesota Hot Mix had the low bid of just over 506-thousand dollars.

City Engineer Brad DeWolf says 4 bids were opened for the project on June 24^th, ranging from Mid-Minnesota’s low bid up to just under 650-thousand dollars. He says the engineer’s estimate was 555-thousand dollars.

The Litchfield City Council approved an on-sale liquor and Sunday liquor license for the Litchfield Bowling Center. Dan Walberg answered questions about the license last night which fits into a proposed plan for expanding and remodeling the bowling center.

Darlene Kotelnicki spoke to the council on behalf of the Downtown Historic Preservation Committee. She says the group would like to get 10-thousand dollars from the council to hire someone to study building conditions and economic development. She says the council may want to hear a presentation first from Dan Housington, a historical consultant from Roseville, who has worked with New Ulm, Winona and Henderson. Housington will be invited to a council meeting – probably in August.

Kevin Thompson gave a presentation on the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association workplace safety program. The council approved adoption of the "AWAIR" safety program. A model safety program was prepared by the City of Litchfield Safety Committee.

The Litchfield City Council also approved a 5-thousand dollar donation to Litchfield Area Rural Partners in Prevention. LARPP Chairperson Laura Lindeman says the group has asked the city for 2-thousand dollars each of the past 10 years, but upped the request to 5-thousand dollars this year. City Council Member Connie Lies commended LARPP for making their messages engaging, not preaching, as they sponsor prevention activities for youth. City Administrator Bruce Miller says the donation will come from the liquor store fund.

Miller also told the council last night that the VFW property purchase agreement will be back on the agenda in two weeks. VFW members are expected to vote next week on whether or not to sell their property to the city for a new rescue/fire hall. Also last night, the Litchfield City Council rejected a property purchase request from All Star Realty for a parcel on North Gorman Avenue.

2008 FARM FAMILY OF THE YEAR
The Huhn family of Litchfield has been named Meeker County’s "2008 Farm Family of the Year" by the University of Minnesota. Roger and Janet Huhn began crop farming in 1977 with 50 rented acres. Since then the farm has increased in size and management.

Today their sons, Ashley and Anthony, along with their families, assist in this 2,000 acre corn, soybean and wheat operation. On this multi-crop farm, they do all of their own planting, spraying, cultivating, combining, and equipment repairs. They also irrigate nearly one-third of their acres.

The entire Huhn family belongs to St. Philip’s Catholic Church, where they are active in various committees. They are also active in the Minnesota Corn and Soybean Growers Associations, MN Irrigators and Heartland Corn Products.

The family participates in the Peanut Butter & Milk Exchange Program, which is a sister city program of FFA students in which FFA members spend a week in Litchfield and in Hartford, Alabama, to share their agricultural experiences.

The Huhns are one of 64 farm families from around the state, one from each participating county, being honored by the University this year. The families will be officially recognized in a ceremony on August 7^th at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls.

MISS LITCHFIELD QUEEN AND PRINCESSES
Miss Litchfield Anna Haugo and Princesses Kirsten Rosenow and Bridget Judes will be busy next week reigning over the 52^nd annual Watercade celebration. The three will be crowning their successors at the end of the weekend on July 13^th.

Miss Litchfield Anna Haugo is the daughter of John and Kris Haugo and has been sponsored by Haugo Veterinary Clinic. She’s been attending Concordia College in Moorhead where she’s majoring in Speech Pathology. She says they had a busy winter attending parades, visiting nursing homes and schools and getting ready for this year’s Watercade celebration. Haugo says she enjoys all of the Watercade events each year.

Haugo says the queen coronation will be at 7 p.m. on July 13^th in the Litchfield High School gymnasium. She says she’ll be heading to Minneapolis for the Aquatennial the week of July20th where she’ll be one of 50 contestants in the Queen of the Lake pageant.

Litchfield Princess Kirsten Rosenow is the daughter of Brian and Kelly Rosenow and is sponsored by Doosan Bobcat. She’s also been attending Concordia College in Moorhead where she’s majoring in public relations and marketing. Rosenow says she’s especially enjoyed the lip sync contest and the parade each year during Watercade.

Rosenow says the junior royal couple – Jayden Nelson and Kylee Kohls – joined them on the Watercade float during the Paynesville parade last month. She says she’d advise this year’s queen candidates to be themselves, have fun, and take in every moment next week during Watercade because it goes so fast.

Litchfield Princess Bridget Judes is the daughter of Darron and Judy Judes and is sponsored by the Medicine Shoppe and will be a sophomore this fall at St. Cloud State University, majoring in Psychology. Judes encourages people to attend the junior royalty pageant on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church.

Judes says admission to the junior royalty coronation is a Watercade button. She says that she and Kirsten will be riding on the Litchfield Watercade float in the Minneapolis Aquatennial Torchlight parade on July 23^rd and will be cheering for Anna the rest of that week. For more Litchfield Watercade information, go to www.watercade.com.

WATERCADE CELEBRATION
The 52^nd annual Litchfield Watercade celebration will get started on Monday with the medallion hunt. The clues will be read each day at 10 a.m. on KLFD and posted at the Independent Review until it is found.

The Center Bank brat feed will be on Thursday from 4-to-6 p.m., followed by ice cream in Central Park at 6 p.m., and the Junior Royalty Pageant at 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church. A Watercade button is required to get in to the junior coronation.

The Litchfield Kiwanis Club will serve pancakes in Central Park on Friday, July 11^th from 6:30-to-12:30. Root beer floats will be served by the Meeker County American Dairy Association in the Wells Fargo parking lot next Friday at 4 p.m.

The Litchfield Rotary Club will start its brat feed at Ripley Memorial Park on Friday at 4. The D-W-P rock wall will be open from 5:30-to-9:30, the Beach Party will be from 6-to-9 p.m. at Lake Ripley Beach Friday night, the waterball fight will start at 6:30 at the Rescue Hall, and the fireworks display will be at dusk over Lake Ripley.

On Saturday, July 12^th, numerous Watercade events will take place including: the fishing contest, the Lake Ripley Run and Walk, Art in the Park at Ripley Memorial Park from 9-to-5, the Litchfield Rescue Squad beef feed from 10-to-2 at Ripley Memorial Park – along with pie from the First Lutheran M-S-T group, the kiddie parade at 11 – also at Ripley Memorial Park, Lip Sync Contest at 1:30 at Ripley Memorial Park and the Grand Parade at 6 p.m.

The parade will follow the same route as it did last year – with Dale Miller of ProWorks as the Grand Marshal. The parade will start with line-up at the Civic Arena and will go south on Gilman Avenue, then west on 3^rd Street and north on Marshall Avenue.

The M-S-T French Toast Breakfast will be at First Lutheran Church on July 13^th from 7:30-to-11:30. Also on Sunday, there’s the Taste of Meeker County at Ripley Memorial Park starting at 11 a.m., adventure games from 11-to-4, Little Crow waterski show at 1 p.m., a Ripley Home Companion in Central Park at 3 p.m., and the Queen Coronation at the Litchfield High School gymnasium at 7 p.m. Admission for the pageant is 5-dollars.

For more information about tournaments and more Litchfield Watercade events, go to www.watercade.com. The celebration is from July 10^th to the 13^th.

RESCUE SQUAD CALENDAR WINNERS
This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

Tom Manning, Keith Johnson and Kevin Piepenburg – all of Litchfield, Phronsie Swanson of Hutchinson and Devine Noendler of Waconia.

Each of them will receive 20-dollars from the Litchfield Rescue Squad.

There’s also a 100-dollar, end-of-the-month winner – Josie Hansen of Litchfield.

MORE MISS LITCHFIELD INTERVIEWS
The Litchfield Watercade Queen Coronation will be held in the Litchfield High School gymnasium this year. The pageant will be on Sunday, July 13^th at 7 p.m.

The 11 queen candidates have been interviewed this week on KLFD’s "Newsmaker" show and the final 4 were on yesterday’s program. Katlin Van Ort is the daughter of Rod and Cheryl Van Ort and is sponsored by Van Ort Electric. She says she looked up to the royalty in the past and thought she could be a role model to youngsters by running for Miss Litchfield. Van Ort says she’s always enjoyed the lip sync contest each year.

Van Ort invites people to register for the fishing contest which is July 12^th at 8 a.m., with registration at 6:30. Her high school activities have included dance line, track, cross-country, choir and Dragonaires, and she plans to go to Missouri State University to study business and chiropractic. Kayla Salo is the daughter of David and Laurie Salo and is sponsored by Cenex/Consumer’s Co-op. Her high school activities have included softball, volleyball and hockey. Salo says she decided to run for Miss Litchfield at the last minute. She says she’s enjoyed many of the Watercade events in the past.

Salo says the Watercade Medallion Hunt starts on Monday and the clues will be announced at 10 a.m. each day on KLFD and will be posted at the Independent Review. She says she’s going to the University of Minnesota-Duluth to study Biology. Perri Torkelson is the daughter of Tom and Shar Torkelson and is sponsored by Binsfeld Tiremaxx. Her high school activities included band, choir, swim team and cheerleading.

Torkelson says she’s going to Minn-West Community and Technical College in Jackson to study Cosmetology. She’d like to invite everyone to the beach party on July 11^th:.

Torkelson says she’s always thought about running for Miss Litchfield. She says she was in the junior royalty pageant, but wasn’t chosen. Megan Lundin is the daughter of Dan and Nancy Lundin and is sponsored by MidCountry Bank. She says she also ran for junior royalty when she was a child and wasn’t chosen. Lundin says her high school activities have included gymnastics, softball, and volleyball and she’s going to Gustavus Adolphus College to study Pharmacy. She’s also enjoyed many past Watercade events.

Lundin says adventure games will run throughout the weekend during the 52^nd annual Watercade celebration – July 10^th through the 13^th.

SPICER JULY 4TH CELEBRATION
The annual "4^th of July" celebration in Spicer gets started tomorrow with a flea market, pony rides, petting zoo, and Lions breakfast. The kiddie parade is at 9:30 tomorrow morning, followed by the grand day parade at 10:30.

The parade will follow its usual route down Lake Avenue South – ending at the Whistle Stop." Tomorrow night’s highlights in Spicer include the New London-Spicer Community Band concert at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m.

The flea market, petting zoo and pony rides continue on Saturday in Spicer. There’s also a kid’s pedal pull, sofball and volleyball tournaments and more on Saturday. The street dance will be at 8 o’clock Saturday night. The historical society will have a sesqui-centennial display throughout the weekend in Spicer.

The Green Lake Road Race is on Sunday – with an earlier start time this year – at 7 a.m. There’s also a church service Sunday on the beach at 10:30 a.m. For more details on this weekend’s celebration in Spicer, go to www.spicermn.com.

MISS LITCHFIELD CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS
A new Miss Litchfield will be crowned at the conclusion of the Watercade celebration. The coronation will be on Sunday, July 13^th in the Litchfield High School gymnasium.

The 11 queen candidates have been interviewed this week on KLFD’s "Newsmaker" show. Hannah Peterson, Brenna Magnuson, Ashley Krug, and Lindsey Ballard were on yesterday’s show. Lindsey Ballard is the daughter of Jeff and Lori Ballard and is sponsored by Litchfield Building Center. Her high school activities have included tennis, gymnastics, golf, band and National Honor Society, and she plans to go to Winona State to study nursing. Ballard says her favorite Watercade activities include the beach party, lip sync contest and the ski show.

Ballard says her dad encouraged her to run for Miss Litchfield and the candidates last year said it was a fun experience. She says representing the community would be a great experience. Ashley Krug is the daughter of Dean and Cindy Krug and is sponsored by HeartThrob Exhaust. Her high school activities have included tennis, basketball, softball, colorguard, marching band, Vision, yearbook and National Honor Society. Krug says she’ll attend Gustavus Adolphus College and her major is undecided. She says encourages people to attend Art in the Park during Watercade.

Krug also encourages people to check out a Taste of Meeker County on Sunday at Ripley Memorial Park. She says one of her friends ran for Miss Litchfield last year and thought it was fun, and she thought she’d learn more about the community by running herself.

Brenna Magnuson is the daughter of Ron and Lora Magnuson and is sponsored by Swan’s Café. She’s had to work a lot during high school, but was also involved in choir and taking track statistics. Magnuson says she’ll attend N-D-S-U to study architecture. She says the beach party and parade are among her favorite Watercade activities.

Magnuson says she thought about running for Miss Litchfield when she heard an announcement at school. She says it’s been fun getting to know the other girls in the contest better. Hannah Peterson is the daughter of Terry and Jeanne Peterson and is sponsored by Dee’s Family Hairstyling. Her high school activities included band, choir, and Carpenter’s Tools, and she’ll attend Ridgewater College in Willmar to study in photography. Peterson says she enjoys the beach party, fireworks and lip sync contest.

Peterson says being Miss Litchfield would enable her to give back to the community.

MARCHING BAND TRIP
The members of the Litchfield High School Marching Band left for their weeklong trip to Tennessee yesterday. They’ll be doing some river rafting this evening.

The band members will go to Dollywood Amusement Park in Pigeon Forge tomorrow. At midnight tomorrow, they’ll be getting ready to march in Gatlinburg for an early morning 4^th of July parade. The parade starts at 12:01 a.m.

The band will head to Nashville on the 4^th of July and attend a celebration at Riverfront Park with a fireworks display.

On Saturday, the band members will tour the Country Music Hall of Fame, and will go on a dinner cruise in the evening. They’ll go to Nashville Shores waterpark on July 6^th and then head back to Litchfield.

The students are scheduled to arrive back at the Litchfield Civic Arena in the early afternoon of July 7^th. The Litchfield High School Marching Band has its last performance of the season in Litchfield’s Watercade parade on July 12^th.

MEEKER COUNTY BOARD MEETING
The security issue last week at the Morrison County Courthouse came up this week during the Meeker County Board meeting as a topic of discussion. Meeker County Sheriff Mike Hirman initiated the discussion.

Hirman mentioned recent examples of threats that were called in to the Treasurer’s Office and a person who had to be tazered in the courtroom. He says the courthouse has multiple accesses and there is a camera system.

Commissioner Amy Wilde mentioned that some courthouses such as Wright County require people to walk through metal detectors. Commissioner Dave Gabrielson suggested having an officer attend county meetings.

County Attorney Stephanie Beckman says more people are expressing anger these days regarding land use issues. County Administrator Paul Virnig suggested that the Facilities Committee meet to look at different security scenarios.

Sheriff Hirman also brought the Canine Units to todays meeting to introduce them to the County Board. "Titan" is a 13-month-old German Shepherd from the Czech Republic who is used for tracking. "Sunny" is an 8-year-old black lab/spaniel mix who was rescued from the Humane Society and is used for drug detection.

The County Board approved a motion for Parks Superintendent Myron Dvorak to get quotes for extending the trail at Spring Lake Park. Dvorak says the trail ends in the southwest corner of the park, but should ideally extend to the picnic shelter, parking lot, restrooms and other areas within the park.

The Commissioners approved conditional use permits for John Piepenburg for selling and servicing cars in an A-1 area, and for Keith Nothnagel to have portable steel storage units on his site just west of Litchfield.

In personnel matters, the Meeker County Board approved the hiring of Brenda Isaacson and Kayla Kennedy at Public Health; approved hiring 4 part-time correctional officers for the Sheriff’s Office: Ashley Holmgren, Tanya Dotseth, Marlena Holtz and Timothy Bjur.

Also today, the Meeker County Board of Commissioners approved an 18-month feedlot program agreement and work plan; and heard a report from Administrator Virnig that the Cost Control Associates study of the county’s energy, cellular and telecom bills did not turn up any significant billing discrepancies. Bids were also opened for the courthouse boiler project. The bids will be reviewed.

GOLF CLUB FAMILY NIGHT
The Litchfield Golf Club will be hosting another family night this Sunday, July 6^th. Children can golf for free with a paid adult – any time after 3 o’clock.

Golf Club board member Lisa Schneider says it’s a good opportunity to bond with your children. She says there will be food and prizes.

Schneider says people can make a tee time by calling the Pro Shop at 693-6059. The family golf outing is this Sunday, July 6^th, at the Litchfield Golf Club. Another one is coming up on August 10^th.

MISS LITCHFIELD CANDIDATES
The 52^nd Litchfield Watercade celebration is coming up next weekend. Eleven recent Litchfield High School graduates are competing for the title of Miss Litchfield.

Each of them will be interviewed on KLFD’s "Newsmaker" show this week. Rachel Haugo, Natasha Reed and Kayti Warpula were on yesterday’s show. Kayti Warpula is the daughter of Michael and Rebecca Warpula and is sponsored by Litchfield Dairy Queen. She’s been involved in choir, band, colorguard and danceline in high school.

Warpula says she’s going to N-D-S-U this fall to major in nursing. She says the beach party has been one of her favorite Watercade events each year. .

Warpula says people should sign up at the pro shop if they want to participate in the Watercade golf tournament. She says she decided to run for Miss Litchfield because it looked like the girls who ran in past years were having fun.

Natasha Reed is the daughter of Stacy and Socorro Reed and is sponsored by Doosan Bobcat Attachments. She’s been involved in volleyball, basketball, yearbook, choir and National Honor Society in high school.

Reed says she’s attending the University of Minnesota to major in communications and psychology. She says she enjoys the beach party each year during Watercade and also encourages people to participate in the sand sculpture contest.:

Reed says being Miss Litchfield would enable her to give back to the community and be a role model for younger girls. Rachel Haugo is the daughter of Jim and Cathy Haugo and is sponsored by Haugo and Solbrack, DDS. She was in band, choir, golf, track and swimming in high school.

Haugo says she’ll be attending Gustavus Adolphus College this fall to major in math. She says her favorite Watercade events each year have included the beach party and the lip sync contest.

Haugo says it’s always been fun to see the queens in the parades in the past, and her cousin, Anna, is the current Miss Litchfield. She says Anna encouraged her to run.

A new Miss Litchfield will be crowned on July 13^th in the Litchfield High School gym.