A special Halloween-themed concert is coming up at the Litchfield Opera House on Saturday, October 17th. The Hexenball will get started with a taco bar at 6 p.m. and music at 7 p.m.
Connie Lies says the concert is $10, and then it’s $10 extra if you want the tacos, beverage and dessert, and if you do plan to eat, she would appreciate a call at 320-221-6679 so that she can order enough food. She says the concert will feature Hannibal Alchemista, Waar Party, Blaq Justice and Moonshie Sax.
Lies says Hannibal is our acupuncturist in Litchfield and he was playing the piano one day at the Litchfield Opera House and she told him he should perform some time at the Opera House and they continued talking about other people he knew who played instruments and the idea came together to have a Halloween-themed concert. She says the proceeds will go toward the continuing preservation of the Litchfield Opera House as there is always something that needs updating.
Lies says the balcony is now open and they are saving money to eventually put on a new roof. She says the Opera House will also be hosting its annual Craft Fair on November 14th and they could use more vendors, so again, call 320-221-6679 for more details.
The Litchfield Rotary Club has been taking orders the past few weeks for roses and fall bouquets. The annual sale is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Litchfield Rotary Club which uses those funds for all kinds of local projects.
Steve Kess says they’ve placed their order for the flowers which can be picked up at Davis Auto Body on October 29th, 30th and 31st, but they always order extra, so if you still want to get flowers, contact any Rotary member. He says they use the funds for all kinds of projects such as the Beds for Kids project, and they’ve given over 300 beds to children around Meeker County who do not have a bed of their own.
Kess says the Litchfield Rotary Club started in 1979 and their first project was to help get a helipad at Meeker Memorial Hospital and they helped develop Prairie Park on the south side of Litchfield. He says they mainly use their funds for projects around Litchfield, but they have also been involved in projects around the world.
Kess says one of their more recent projects involved raising over $30,000 for the audio enhancement project at Lake Ripley Elementary School. Rotary member Tom Springer says that project enabled them to get a microphone and speakers installed in several of the classrooms which helps save on the teachers’ voices and helps the students hear what is being said as well. He says the Rotary Club has also installed three outdoor AEDs around Litchfield in recent years.
Springer says the Rotary Club also provides dictionaries to all 3rd graders around Meeker County and the Club partnered with the City of Litchfield to get the Splash Pad installed at Memorial Park by Lake Ripley. He says they can always use new members, and the Rotary Club meets every Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. at the Litchfield Rescue Hall. If you ordered flowers from the Litchfield Rotary Club, the pick-up times at Davis Auto Body are October 29th and 30th from 11:30-to-1 and from 4-to-6 p.m. and October 31st from 9-to-noon.
On Monday afternoon at 1:20, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a medical emergency at the Lake Washington boat access in the 68000 block of 215th Street in Ellsworth Township. 56-year-old Edward Chabot of Watertown and his wife had been working on bringing a pontoon to the boat landing. Through a preliminary investigation and autopsy, the manner and cause of death for Mr. Chabot was determined to be accidental drowning.
Meeker County Deputies, Meeker County Community Paramedic, MN Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer, Dassel Rescue and Allina Ambulance all responded to the scene. Chabot had been standing in the water working on the pontoon when he went under the water. Chabot was brought to shore and life-saving measures were performed. Chabot was transported to Hutchinson Hospital by Allina Ambulance, where he was later pronounced dead.