Events/Public Service Announcements

LIONS CLUBS

The Pequot Lakes/Breezy Point Lions meet the second Monday of every month at the Pelican Lakes Conservation Club house in Breezy Point. They are a family friendly club, so you can take your kids to the meetings. For more information call Gary at 562-4850.

The Deerwood Lakes Lions Club has announced its annual scholarship program for seniors in the Crosby-Ironton and Aitkin High Schools. The club will award a $500.00 scholarship to a high school senior graduating from each school in 2010. In addition, they are offering up to two $500.00 vocational/technical scholarships to be awarded to students from either the Crosby-Ironton or Aitkin High Schools. Applications are available from school counselors or by contacting Lori Podany, PO Box 8, Deerwood MN 56444. Deadline for submitting an application is March 27, 2010.

United Way Sponsors Free Screening/Tests

HEART DISEASE IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF WOMEN IN AMERICA. UNITED WAY WOMEN’S WELLNESS, MINNEAPOLIS HEART INSTITUTE, AND QUEST LABS HAVE COMBINED EFFORTS TO PROVIDE FULL CARDIAC PANEL TESTS FREE TO LOCAL UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED WOMEN. CALL UNITED WAY AT 218-829-2619 TO RESERVE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY. SPACE IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST TWO HUNDRED QUALIFIED APPLICANTS.

AARP Safe Driving Classes Scheduled

The AARP Safe Driving Program (formerly known for as 55 ALIVE) has announced its class schedule in Cass and Crow Wing Counties. The first time a participant must take a full 8 hour class. Then every 3 years the participant must take a 4 hour refresher class to maintain their insurance discount. The class is $10.00 per participant.

The following are four hour refresher classes

3/25/2010    Noon - 4P      Brainerd Lakes Senior Ctr (R)

For Nisswa Classes at (218) 820-9117

For Lakes Area Senior Center classes in Brainerd call (218) 829-9345

Upcoming Pequot Lakes Community Education Events

Tae Kwon Do - Korean martial arts classes for ages 4 through adult (on going)

Vinyasa Yoga - All Levels (on going)

Adult Basic Education (ABE) & GED Classes (on going)

Talent Search for Community Class Teachers (on going)

Driver Improvement, 4-hour refresher class, 5:00pm - 9:00pm, March 25.

For more information on these classes, call Pequot Lakes Community Education at 218-568-9200.

Lakes Area Senior Activity Center

Weeks are jam-packed with activities at the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center in Brainerd, from exercising classes to great dining to Bingo. For a complete list of activities, Call the center at 218-829-9345.

Drivers Sought For Senior Van In Pequot Lakes

Drivers are scheduled to drive the van on a monthly basis. The number of times a driver is responsible for driving is up to the individual driver. The driver can choose to drive once a month, once a week or more. For more information, call Ivanna at 218-562-6109. Seniors citizens needing a ride, should call Erika at 218-568-4555.

2010 AARP Tax Aide Program Schedule

Commerce Building in Aitkin 2nd Floor, Wednesdays, 9am - Noon.

First Lutheran Church in Akeley, 1pm - 5pm, Tuesdays; Backus City Hall, Tuesdays, 10am - 2pm; Leech Lake Tribal College, Wednesdays, 9am - 3pm; Outing Town Hall, Wednesdays, 3pm - 7pm; Emily City Hall, Mondays, 3pm - 7pm; Hackensack Senior Citizens Building, Wednesdays, 9am -1pm; Hill City, call 697-2750 for dates; Longville Woodland Bank, Thursdays, 10am - 2pm; Sylvan Town Hall, Thursdays, 10am - 2pm; Pine River/Backus Family Center, appointments at 587-4292; Remer - The Depot, Thursdays, 9am - 1pm; Walker City Fire Station, Fridays & Saturdays, 10am - 2pm; Woodrow Town Hall, Tuesdays, 12pm - 4pm.

Open to low and middle income tax payers, senior citizens & handicapped individuals of any age, free of charge. No appointments necessary except for the McGregor VFW.

For more information, contact the Senior Office: 218-927-3811

Community Events:

Crow Wing County Community Services Health Division will be holding a Walk In Flu Clinic (H1N1 and Seasonal) at the Crow Wing County Public Health office located at 204 Laurel Street, Suite 12, Brainerd MN from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM on March 31st. For more information please call the Crow Wing County 24 Hour Flu Hotline at (218) 822-7022 or (218) 824-1080

On Friday, March 19, at 7:00pm, there will be a concert at the Malmo Evangelical Free Church featuring the combined groups of "Playin' Truth" and "Hawkinson & Friends." The event is free, but a free-will offering will be taken. The church is located near the junction of Highways 47 & 18 near the northeast corner of Mille Lacs Lake.

The Pine River-Backus Renaissance Festival will be held on Friday, March 19 at the Pine River-Backus Commons & Gym from 5:00pm - 8:30pm. $2.00 donation at the door with a $10.00 maximum for a family attending the event. There will be food, concessions and the Madrigal Chorus featuring high school students, faculty and recent alumni and community members.

The Greater Lakes Area Performing Arts (GLAPA) season of shows continues with the world renowned Minneapolis Guitar Quartet at the Pequot Lakes High School Theatre on Saturday, March 20. The show begins at 7:30pm. Adult tickets are $14.00 with Senior tickets priced at $12.00 and youth tickets at $10.00. For more information, call Community Education at 218-568-9200.

On The big screen at the Warehouse in Pine River is "The Princess & The Frog," & "ET: The Extra=Terrestrial" on Saturday, March 20 from 6:00pm - 10:00pm. Students 4th grade and under must attend and view the movie with someone 5th grade and older. For more information, call 587-5404.

There will be a cooking demonstration, featuring quick & easy Crock Pot Meals on Sunday, March 21 from 3:00pm - 4:30pm at Share & Care, Highway 371 in Hackensack. Please us the rear entrance. This event called "Mooove Over Meat," will feature plant powered recipes to help prevent and reverse heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and depression. Admission is free. For more information, call Linda at 218-675-3557.

Robert Robinson, Minnesota's master male vocalist, will be featured in concert on Sunday, March 21 at 2:00pm at the Centennial Auditorium in Staples. Tickets are $12.00 in advance, $15.00 at the door. $6.00 & $7.00 for students. For more information, call 1-800-213-6877.

The Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota Presents its Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser, Pasta, Pipes, and Pedals and Organ Recital on Monday, March 22 5:00pm - 7:00pm at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Brainerd. $7 Adults, $3 Children under 12. For more information, go to www.legacychorale.org

The Crow Wing County Land Services Department has initiated a project to develop a comprehensive recreation trails plan for county-managed public lands. The plan will be informed by an evaluation of potential high conservation value forests under the county’s management. A first meeting of the project advisory group is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23 at 6pm in Meeting Room 2 of the Land Services Building (322 Laurel Street, Brainerd, MN 56401).

There will be a beekeeping class on Tuesday March 23 at the Hunt Utilities Group Campus, west of Pine River on Highway 2. For more information, call Jim Etzel at 218-587-5001.

9th Annual Chili Cook-Off takes place Tuesday, March 23 with serving from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the Hallett Center Arena. The cost to sample some of the best chili that you’ll ever taste is only $4.00 for adults, $2.00 for youth and children under 6 are free. The cost to enter your own world class chili is only $10.00. As always, the proceeds from the Hallett Center & Kinship Partners Chili Cook-Off go to help underwrite HCC Kidz programs and to the Kinship Partner program for area children and mentors. Trophies will be awarded to the two top entries in each of the following categories: Judges’ Picks, People’s Choice and Best Booth Presentation.

The Brainerd American Legion will host its 1st Annual "Fishing Frenzy" on Wednesday, March 24. For tickets, call 218-829-2249.

Dr. William Faber, Natural Resources Instructor at Central Lakes College will give a pesentation, "Louisiana Coastal Marshes Restoration Project," on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00pm at the Northland Arboretum in Brainerd. The program is sponsored by the Lakes Area Audubon Society and free to everyone. For more information, contact Pam Perry at pkperry@brainerd.net.

The Crow Wing County Genealogy Society will meet from 6:00pm - 9:00pm on Thursday, March 25 at the Family History Center, 101 Buffalo Hills Lane in Brainerd. Socity at 6:00pm. Pat Quinn will speak on Genealogy 101 at 7:00pm. For more information, call 218-825-7825 or 218-829-8502.

The Melissa Wooden Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser, in the form of a spaghetti dinner & silent auction will be held on Friday, March 26 from 4:00pm - 7:00pm. The event will be held at the Brainerd Eagles Club. Pre-sale tickets are $7.00 with those 4-7 $5.00. Under 3 years of age, free. Prices higher at the door.

Pequot Lakes author Candace Simar will vist the Margaret Welch Memorial Library on Friday, March 26 at 2:00pm. Candace Simar's visit is part of the Kitchigami Reads/Kitchigami Writes project, made possible with funding from the State of Minnesota Legacy Fund to preserve arts and cultural heritage.

Grand Casino Mille Lacs is hosting a job fair to fill various hospitality positions on Saturday, March 27, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Events & Convention Center.

“This is an opportunity to come and learn about the types of employment and benefits that Grand Casino Mille Lacs has to offer, and share resumes and fill out applications for current or future jobs,” said Lana Oswaldson, vice president of human resources for Grand Casino Mille Lacs. “We know there are a lot of talented people looking for work, and we hope they will consider this opportunity to try something new.”

Those interested in a career at Grand Casino Mille Lacs may apply on site on March 27. Applicants are asked to bring two forms of identification; one must be a photo ID. Resumes will be collected and background checks, along with drug and alcohol tests, will be performed.

Grand Casino Mille Lacs offers competitive compensation, a fun work environment, and great benefits including flexible scheduling, comprehensive health and dental coverage, and a 401(K) match up to 5%. Other benefits include:

Optional benefits such as Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability
Education programs
Wellness programs
Employee assistance programs
Life insurance
Prepaid legal services
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Holiday pay

For more information on the job fair or open positions, please contact Deb Matthews at 800-626-5825, ext. 8325.

The 5th Annual Family Education Program, "Raptors of Minnesota," will be held at the Northland Arboretum Visitor Center in Brainerd/Baxter on Saturday, March 27 at 10:30am. Learn about the role Minnesota Raptors play in our environment. There will be a majestic Bald Eagle and three other beautiful raptors from the Minnesota Raptor Center on display. Fee is $10.00 per family for "Arb" members and $20.00 per family for non-members. No registration is required and doors open at 9:45am.

The Mille Lacs Indian Museum & Trading Post will hold a Maple Syrup Harvest Demonstration on Saturday, March 27. Participants will observe the process of gathering maple sap, then boiling it into syrup and sugar. Cost is $10.00 for the general public & band members. For more information and reservations, call 320-532-3632.

There will be a Kids Easter Party at the Backus American Legion on Saturday, March 27 from 11:30am - 1:00pm at the Legion for children 12 and under. There will be Easter Picture coloring, Easter Egg Hunt, Fish pond, Dart throw and Bean bag throw. Lunch will be provided.

There will be a Quilt & Ham Bingo at the Holy Family Catholic Church at Bulldog Lake in Hillman on Sunday, March 28 beginning at 1:30pm. Bring the whole family and the building is handicapped accessible. The event is sponsored by St. Elizabeth's Council.

The Pine River-Backus Boy Scout Troop #73 will hold its Annual Pancake Breakfast at the Pine River American Legion on Sunday, March 28 from 8:30am - 1:00pm. Breakfast consists of pancakes, sausage, coffee, milk or juice. Cost is $5.00 for adults; $3.00 for children 4 - 10 and 3 and under, free. Tickets will be available at the door.

Applications for the next Minnesota Agriculture & Rural Leadership Program are due on Wednesday, March 31. Details can be found at www.marlprogram.org or call director, Tim Alcorn at 800-642-0684.

United Blood Services will hold a blood drive in Pine River at the American Legion on Monday, April 5 from 12:30PM - 5:30PM. For an appointment, call Don Fowler at 218-947-3861 or visit www.bloodhero.com com and enter "pineriver" under sponsor code.

The Mission Possible Senior Club wil meet at 12 Noon on Wednesday, April 7 at the Mission Town Hall. A potluck will be followed by Shelly Boser from Landsburg Nursery. For more information, call Glenn at 765-3265 or Dolores at 765-3713.

The Pequot Lakes Festival of the Arts has been a community wide celebration of artistic talent for 27-years and will be held on Thursday, April 8 at 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Local artists are encouraged to set up a display and show their artistry. Visual artists who would like a table, should call Dave Guenther at 218-568-9252. Performing artists or groups should call Chris Nick at 218-562-6170.

"An Evening Of Country Music" will take place at the Northern Lites Event Center in Walker on Thursday, April 8 at 7:00pm. This is a fundraiser for FAITH IN ACTION OF CASS COUNTY. A free-will offering will be taken at the door with a suggested donation of $10.00. For more information, call Theresa at 218-675-5435 or Eli at 218-760-2116.

The Friends of the Little Falls Library’s used book sale will be held at the Little Falls Library, 108 Third Street NE, Little Falls. Sale dates are Thursday, April 8, 10 AM to 8 PM, Friday, April 9, noon to 6 PM and Saturday April 10, noon to 5 PM. Saturday is a dollar a bag day. The Friends are going green; please bring your own bags. For more information, call Pinky Charon at 320-749-2382.

Riverwood Healthcare Center is hosting a 6-week Grief support group, which will be held on Thursday evenings, April 8 through May 13. The group will meet from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Riverwood's hospital conference rooms A & B at 200 Bunker Hill Drive in Aitkin. To register, call Riverwood Social Services at (218) 927-5524.

Crow Wing County Master Gardeners are sponsoring their 9th annual Ready, Set, Grow! Garden Expo 2010 on Saturday, April 10 at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. The event is from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm. The morning keynote presentation is "The Truth About Garden Remedies" by Jeff Gillman (U of M) and the afternoon keynote presentation is "New Plants for 2010" by Shelly Boser (Landsburg Landscape Nursery). There will be two break-out sessions including: "Lilies","Irises", "The Truth about Organic Gardening", "Ornamental Grasses", "Mulching", "Composting", "Vegetable Gardening 101", "Emerald Ash Borer", "Basic Landscape Design", "Adding Natives to Your Landscape", "Roses" and "Preserving Your Harvest". Vendors - Exhibits - Door Prizes - Silent Auction -Morning Coffee and Refreshments - Lunch.....all for $25. To download a registration form and for more information visit our website at www.extension.umn.edu/county/crowwing/mg, call 218-824-1068, or email Jackie Froemming at froem022@umn.edu

An Early Childhood Coalition Community Visioning Session will be held on Tuesday, April 13 in the Pine River-Backs Commons Area, across from the High School Gymnasium in Pine River. The event will be from 5:00pm - 8:00pm. There will be free child care and dinner will be provided. This event is sponsored by the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative Foundation. For more information, call 218-587-2080.

The 14th Annual Family Fun Night is scheduled for Friday, April 16 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm in the Pine River-Backus Commons/Cafeteria in Pine River. This activity is being provided as a community service, a fund raiser and to promote family fun. The event is being organized this year by the Pine River-Backus PTO. Donations are being sought for bingo prizes and drawings. For more information, call Dawn Bergerson at 218-587-2510.

Pine River Market Square: a local growers’ and crafters’ market is busy preparing for the 2010 season. The market will run Fridays, May 28-Septembert 24 and potentially October Fridays, weather pending. The times have changed to 2:30-6:30pm and will be on the same site downtown Pine River, Barclay Ave and Third Street. Farmers and crafters who qualify and are within 50 miles of Pine River are welcome for the up-coming season.. A Market Vendor Information Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20, 6:30pm at the Hunt Utilities Group campus located on Co Rd 2 in Pine River off Hwy 371. Vendor application forms and guidelines are available on-line at www.prmarketsquare.wordpress.com. Members and sponsors for the 2010 market are also being accepted and forms can be found on the web site. Sue Stroinski, Quinn Swanson, and Dave Thomas. For further information on the market go to www.prmarketsquare.wordpress.com, or call 218-587-3199.

Central Lakes College invites “green” exhibitors to reserve space for its Earth Day Fair and Living Green Expo on Thursday, April 22 at the Brainerd campus. The Green Team and student Green Club are coordinating the free, public event, which includes a green job fair, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Among the registered exhibitors are agencies from county, state, and local governments as well as private and non-profit businesses associated with wind energy, water resources, alternative fuels, and solar heating products and services. A panel of six subject-matter experts will address the state of green initiatives, worldwide to local, in the cafeteria from 10 to 11 a.m., with moderator Cheryl Hills from the Region Five Development Commission. A question-answer period follows. To reserve a free exhibit space for this event contact Bob Hanson at (218) 855-8149, bhanson@clcmn.edu

The 3rd Annual Purses for Partners, a luncheon and purse auction to benefit Kinship Partners, will be held on Saturday, April 24 in the Gull Lake Center at Grand View Resort. Purse viewing and silent auction will be going at 11:00am and lunch will be served at noon. Tickets are $25.00 each and are available by calling The Brainerd Kinship Office at 218-454-8012 or 1-877-730-5437. Our own Blenda will serve as Master of Ceremonies for this event.

The Fifth Annual Heartland Symphony benefit fundraiser, “Symphony of Spring Fashions Luncheon and Style Show,” will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2010In addition to the luncheon and style show there will be a silent auction, door prizes and grand prizes.The event starts at 11:00am with a social hour and time to bid on the silent auction items. After the luncheon at noon, the style show begins and after the style show the door prizes, grand prizes and auction winners are announced. This all happens at First United Church (across from St Gabriel’s Hospital), 1000 First Street SE, Little Falls. The cost is $20.00 per ticket and tickets are available from Heartland Symphony Board Members or call Collette 218-829-4804. For more information, please call 1-800-826-1997, or visit our website at heartlandsymphony.org.

Traveling exhibits at the ITOW Veterans Museum in Perham include "Questionable Issue- Nazi scrip from WWII concentration camps," through April 30. For more information concerning hours and times of operation, call 218-346-7678 or visit www.itowmuseum.org.

Continuing Education

Open House & Registration is being conducted at the Family of Christ Lutheran School on Tuesday, February 23. The event will take place from 6:00pm - 8:00pm for pre-school to 4th Grade. For more information, visit www.focls.org.

Roseanne Reed is offering several dance classes in Pequot Lakes. Dance, Tumble, Open Ballet and Lyrical classes are being offered. Call Roseanne for placement and availability information at 218-851-7626. These classes are being offered under the auspices of Pequot lakes Community Education.

The Pequot Lakes Adult Basic Education (ABE) program is for adults who are interested in working to earn a GED (General Educational Development) diploma. The class meets once a week for two hours. For more information, call 568-9366.

Crosby Ironton Community Education offers Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Education Diploma (GED) classes at the Hallett Library in Crosby, each Monday that the library is open. Classes are held from 4-6PM and are individually paced and offered at no cost. For more information, call C-I Community Education at 218-545-8822.

The NWS Peace Program, a non-profit and CSIET approved program is seeking caring families in the area to host high school students from Ecuador, Turkey, Brazil, Vietnam, Belgium, Finland and other countries. The students, 15-18 years of age will be arriving in August to spend the upcoming 5-10 months with a caring family while attending local high schools. For more information, cal 1-866-846-3977 or visit www.nw-services.com.

General Announcements

Deep Portage Learning Center near Hackensack, offers a wide variety of Summer Camps to suit almost any interest. Whether a child is interested in fishing , hunting, aquatics, adventure or expanding their scientific horizons, there is a camp for them. For more information on these upcoming camps, call Deep Portage at 218-682-2325 or visit www.deep-portage.org.

Meals on Wheels is available for Pine River and surrounding area residents. LSS Senior Nutrition is serving the community out of Heartland Apartments at 445 Snell Avenue in Pine River. For more information, call Sande at 218-587-2921. EBT cards are accepted and gift cards are always available.

The Kitchigami Regional Library's Mobile Library Winter/Spring 2010 Schedule (January - May) is now available on the mobile library itself or at your local library.

Are you living with a compulsive gambler? Has your life been affected by someone who has a gambling problem? Gam-Anon Meetings are held every Monday at 7:00pm at the First Congregational Church at 415 Juniper in Brainerd. For more information, call Colleen at 218-851-3543.

The ITOW Veterans Museum, located in Perham, is open Monday - Saturday, 11:00am - 4:00pm, Sundays 1:00pm - 4:00pm. For more information, call 218-346-7678 or visit www.itowmuseum.org.

An eating disorders support group meets the first Monday of each month at the Lord of Life Church in Baxter from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. The meeting is set up with the first hour being education and the second hour splitting into groups for discussion. For more information, call Justina at 218-963-7421.

Families Anonymous is a support group for any family member or friend who is concerned with a loved one's problem with alcohol, drugs or behavior issues. Weekly meetings take place on Mondays 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on Highway 371, Pequot Lakes, just south of the traffic light. For more information, contact Sue at 218-831-2364.

Circle of Parents hold parenting support groups in Crow Wing County with the Brainerd Group meeting every Monday evening from 5:30pm - 7:00pm at Bridges of Hope at First Lutheran Church, 424 South 8th Street...use the Norwood Street entrance. The Pequot Lakes Group meets every Tuesday evening from 6:00 - 7:30pm at the Pequot Lakes Trailside Center, next to the Baptist Church. The Crosby Group meets every Friday morning from 9:30am - 10:30am at the Crosby-Ironton Presbyterian Church, across from the Hallett Library. These meetings are free and confidential. No registration is required. Childcare provided while parents meet. For more information, call Joan at 218-821-6429.

A reminder to individuals needing assistance in navigating through resources for persons with disabilities that assistance is available. The Brainerd Public Library and Disability Linkage Line Of Central Minnesota sponsors a "Minnesota Help Network" site to help individuals navigate through resources and systems. The Minnesota Help Network site is held the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month from 10:00am - 1:00pm at the Brainerd Public Library in Brainerd. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments can also be made by calling Sharon or Keith at 1-866-333-2466 or 218-317-1010. The service is made possible by the Brainerd Public Library, Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Southeastern Minnesota Center for Independent Living.

Faith in Action for Cass County is looking for interested volunteers to help with rides to medical appointments and errands, shopping for groceries and many other activities. For more information, call 218-675-5435 or toll free at 866-675-5435.

There are many people living on fixed incomes, such as Social Security Disability, who may not have resources to rely on with sky rocketing gas prices and fuel oil. The Disability Linkage Line of Minnesota will help locate disability services and information for persons with special needs with a simple phone call. For more information, call 1-866-333-2466, one of the call centers for this service is in Brainerd.

The Brainerd Area Crisis Line needs volunteers. The mission of the Crisis Line and Referral Service is to provide confidential and anonymous telephone support to people in distress and crisis, and to serve as a lifeline for positive change by connecting their clients to area resources. The Crisis Line is currently recruiting line volunteers. If you're interested in giving back to your community right from home, call the Crisis Line Executive Director, Mary Marana at 218-828-4515.