The Cokato Town & Country Club is offering a $2,000 reward for information that will help solve the mystery of who cut down a century-old tree at the golf course over the weekend. Authorities believe the tree was cut down in the overnight hours sometime between May 8th and 9th. No one witnessed the act of vandalism. One resident reported possibly hearing a chainsaw in the middle of the night.
The Litchfield Area Mentorship Program will be involved in several community events over the summer months. The organization is always looking for more people to become mentors.
Judy Hulterstrum says they are also looking for a new board member right now, and they are seeking people who can also be lunch buddies as that program will start up again in the fall in the Litchfield, Dassel-Cokato, ACGC and Eden Valley-Watkins school districts. She says one of the first summer events that LAMP will be involved in is the Parade of Bands on June 16th where they will have a popcorn and dirty soda booth.
Hulterstrum says LAMP will have a drive-through pork chop supper on July 7th at the Fieldgate pavilion parking lot near the Sibley Avenue/Depot Street intersection. She says they will also have a young artists exhibit at Art-in-the-Park during the Litchfield Watercade celebratioin; they will again have the Great LAMP Adventure at the Meeker County Fair on August 1st and they will have a booth at the Songs of Summer Festival on August 14th.
Pastor Bill Kerr has been involved in LAMP since 2010 as a board member, mentor and a lunch buddy. He says he would encourage anyone to get involved as it’s a great way to get involved in the lives of young people in the community.
Pastor Kerr says LAMP board members help with the fundraising activities of the organization which is another way to connect with the community. He says mentors are just required to commit 4 hours a month to their mentees and he would often take his mentees to baseball games and took one of them along on a church trip to the BWCA. For more details, call 320-699-1616 or email info@lampkinship.org.
The Meeker County Horticulture Society will have its annual plant sale on Saturday, May 16th from 9-to-11 a.m. in the 4H Building at the Meeker County Fairgrounds in Litchfield. There will be all kinds of plants and other garden items at reasonable prices.
Connie Johnson says there will be annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, bushes, grasses and much more. She says they put them in pots and there are tags with information about the plants like you would find at a nursery.
Johnson says the plant sale on May 16th will also include items like planters, tools, bird feeders, books and more; and there will be a couple of Master Gardener interns there to answer questions. She says the proceeds from the plant sale help with expenses that come up with the Garden Gala and Garden Tour, for library books, to pay for speakers at their meetings and other items.
Johnson says if anyone has plants that they would like to donate to the sale, they may call her at 693-3556. She says you should bring boxes to the plant sale in which to place your purchases. A couple of other plant sales will also be held in the area on Saturday – at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City from 9-to-1 where freewill donations will be accepted; and a plant and bake sale from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Eden Valley.
The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating a fatal one-vehicle crash that occurred on Highway 22 in Greenleaf Township Wednesday night at 9:51 at 180th Street in Greenleaf Township. It involved an unbelted/unrestrained occupant.
The crash involved a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu which was traveling north on Highway 22 when it left the roadway and rolled coming to rest in the ditch. The driver was a 39-year-old Litchfield woman and the passenger was a 40-year-old Hutchinson woman. More details are expected to be released at 10 p.m. Friday. Also responding to the scene were the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, Litchfield Fire Dept., Litchfield Police, Mayo Ambulance, Cosmos Ambulance, Allina Ambulance, and Life Link.
The clean-up day for Litchfield residents is coming up this Saturday from 8-to-10:30 a.m. It will be held in the parking lot near the Litchfield High School Football Field this year at East 6th Street and North Gilman Avenue.
Litchfield Lions Club member Keith Johnson says the annual clean-up program began back in 2012 and it was normally held in the Civic Arena parking lot, but an event has been scheduled at the arena this year which is why they found a new location. He says people should line up with their loads on 6th Street – facing east, and try not to block the driveways of residents in that area.
Johnson says it’s just $25 per load which is very reasonable and it’s a good way to clean up your residence or property. He says you will need to show proof that you are a Litchfield resident and they will inspect your load to make sure there are not any hazardous items.
Johnson says the Lions are coordinating the event with the City of Litchfield and they have volunteers helping them including Jeff Wollin’s baseball players, and if anyone else is willing to help, that would be appreciated. He says younger residents may consider helping their elderly neighbors with their clean-up efforts.
