The Northfield City Council, including the newly minted councilor from the First Ward, Sean Allen, who was sworn in last night, will meet for a work session tonight at the Northfield Police Station.
Allen was selected by the council last week to fill out the remainder of the term for the seat that was vacated last month when Councilor Suzie Nakasian retired.
The council will review and discuss the 2023 Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service budget which is expected to grow by as much as $400,000 next year. They will also discuss a resolution requesting the Northfield School District add an ice arena to the Northfield School District High School Master Plan Priority in collaboration with the City of Northfield. Finally, the council will begin the 2023-2024 budgeting process with a review of personal services, debt service preliminary summaries and strategic priorities
As always, the City Council and the Northfield City Staff are eager to hear the opinions of the public on any matter, whether the subject is on the Council agenda or not. The meeting tonight is a work session, so the Council will not hear from the public. However, those who do wish to make a point, air an opinion or ask a question can email their councilor directly or make use of the eComment function which can be found in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The meeting will begin tonight at 6pm.
New and familiar attractions ready for the Rice County Fair
The Rice County Fair will begin tomorrow. Marking just past the halfway point of the summer, the fair will offer all of the traditional
attractions and favorites that locals have come to expect as well as a few new entertainment options and points of interest.
The 4H Barn will be busy each day of the fair, showing everything from cows and swine to rabbits and llamas. Having received the “all-clear” signal from the state after the recent avian flu outbreak, poultry will be shown at the fair as well.
This year, the grandstand events are starting off with the Enduro Auto races on Wednesday night. That will be followed on Thursday by Midwest All-Star Wrestling, an event that is new to the fair this year. The Barnes PRCA Rodeo is set for Friday night, the truck and tractor pull will be on Saturday, and things will wrap up on Sunday with the demolition derby.
All of the Grandstand events will be ticketed, but as always, there is quite a bit of free entertainment and live music this year, including the Whitesidewalls who will be appearing at the Rice County Fair for the 17th time.
Rice County will have several informational booths set up over the fair’s five day run. The Environmental Services Department will be on hand with information about water quality, recycling and the disposal of hazardous waste. The Public Health Department will be on hand to discuss the benefits of physical activity and nutrition. They will also have a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday from 3:30-6pm, providing vaccinations to those 6 months and older.
The Rice County Sheriff’s Office area will offer a first aid table and information about public safety. Working with the Rice County Safe Roads coalition, the Sheriff’s office is also sponsoring a Traffic Safety Fair on Friday morning from 8:30 until 11:30.
The Rice County Fair begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday. The buildings open at 11am and will close at 10pm daily.
For a full schedule on all events and Grandstand tickets visit ricecountyfair.net
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Fair Manager John Dvorak can be heard here
Tour de SAVE to mark 20 years
The 20th Annual Tour de SAVE is set for the end of the month. The bicycle ride to support the organization Suicide Voices of Education
(SAVE) has become a Northfield tradition, turning tragedy into something that supports those who have lost someone to suicide, as well as an organization working to prevent suicide.
Bill Metz, one of the founders of the ride, said the idea came shortly after a friend of his and a fellow bicycle enthusiast, Nick Sansome, died of suicide in 2003. In the early days, the ride was called the “Tour de Nick,” and was a fully volunteer effort that was intended to honor a friend’s memory and raise a little money.
After a chance encounter with Dr. Dan Reidenberg, the executive director of SAVE, the organizers decided to give the ride even more purpose by raising money for the organization. Now in its twentieth year, the ride will have more than 250 participants this year, and the organizers hope to raise $50,000 for the cause.
This year there will be five separate routes, three blacktop rides that run 7 miles, 25 miles and 50 miles, and two on gravel that run 33 miles and 58 miles. In a change from years past, the rides will begin at staggered times in the hope to bring all participants together for a 20th anniversary celebratory lunch in the early afternoon.
Jeff Christensen, another of the organizers, said that isn’t the only change for this year.
“The other thing that we’re introducing this year is an app that we’re encouraging all of the riders to download onto their phones. This helps us to keep track of where phones are on the route – last year we had a rider who wound up adding about ten additional miles to his ride because he wasn’t well acquainted with the area – and so, with the app, people can hail the support vehicle more simply than in the past.”
The Tour de Save will be Saturday, July 30th at Sechler Park. The earliest start time at 8am for the 50-mile blacktop and 58-mile gravel rides. Those wanting to register on the morning of the ride are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start time of their chosen route. Jerseys will be available for sale at the event. Helmets are mandatory.
For registration and more information visit save.org
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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