The Litchfield Area Mentorship Program has lots of summer events coming up. Members of the organization will be involved in the Parade of Bands next Tuesday, Litchfield’s Watercade celebration, the Meeker County Fair, and they will have a pork chop supper on July 7th.
Judy Hulterstrum says LAMP will have a booth on 6th Street next Tuesday during the Parade of Bands – starting at 4 p.m. – where they will sell dirty sodas and popcorn, and then they will have a drive-through pork chop supper on July 7th from 4:30-to-6:30 p.m. near the Fieldgate pavilion. She says they will be handing out sunglasses during the Watercade Kiddie Parade on July 11th and they will have a booth at the Watercade Art-in-the-Park event on July 11th.
Hulterstrum says they will have kids decorate white ceramic mugs at their booth and they can also do a reverse tie-dye project in which they will spray a water and bleach solution on a stencil onto a dark-colored t-shirt. She says LAMP will also have the Great LAMP adventure again at the Meeker County Fair in which teams go on a scavenger hunt around the fairgrounds.
Hulterstrum says LAMP has 4 new mentors, but they also have 8 children on a waiting list waiting to be matched with an adult, so more mentors are needed. She says donations to LAMP may be sent to P.O. Box 82, Litchfield, MN 55355, and for more information, call 320-699-1616 or email info@lampkinship.org.
Volunteers from All Saints Lutheran Church in Darwin are currently seeking donations for the 2nd Annual Garage Sale at the Lake Marion Ballroom which is coming up August 5th, 6th and 7th and 8th. Proceeds from the sale help fund the Angel Dress Program.
Since 2017, the Angel Dress Program has served grieving families whose babies were stillborn or passed away shortly after birth. The volunteers create handmade dresses, blankets, wraps, hats and keepsakes so families can receive these items at no cost during an unimaginable time.
The mission of the volunteers is to provide comfort, dignity and remembrance to families experiencing the loss of a baby by creating and donating handmade items free of charge. Once a month, the volunteers gather at All Saints Lutheran Church in Darwin to prepare packages for hospitals and funeral homes across the United States – including Alaska and Hawaii. They ship about 15-to-30 boxes per month to facilities that request them.
The volunteers make angel gowns for boys and girls made from donated wedding dresses, formal gowns and specialty fabrics; blanket wraps for babies under 1.5-pounds; hats that are knitted, crocheted or made from stretchy fabric; blankets that are knitted, crocheted, quilted or sewn; and keepsakes that include tiny hats, crosses, angels, hearts, prayer squares and other handmade remembrance items.
People can help the Angel Dress Program with donations and by supporting the fundraising efforts of the volunteers. Donations of wedding dresses, formal dresses, cotton fabric, fleece, flannel, ribbon, lace, yarn and sewing and crafting supplies is appreciated.
The 2nd Annual Garage Sale at Lake Marion Ballroom will be on August 5th, 6th and 7th from 9-to-5 and August 8th from 9-to-2. They are looking for donations of garage sale items (no large furniture, no large appliances and no electronics), along with plants, baked goods, gift cards and baskets. Call Gayle Maurer at 320-582-0156 or Patty Hauer at 320-420-3290 for drop off or pick up locations. The event in August will also include a basket drawing, raffle drawing, and hot dogs, beverages and snacks to purchase.
Litchfield Community Education summer activities for youth are in full swing. Baseball, golf, tennis, basketball, hockey and more have all started or will begin very soon.
Litchfield Community Education Director Grant Solem says it’s nice with modern technology for him and the coaches to spread the word about rain issues or rescheduling with mass text messages to all of the participants. He says they don’t offer many adult activities in the summer because people are so busy with other things, but they do have a bus trip coming up for adults to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater in September.
Solem says Litchfield Community Theatre will be presenting “Mary Poppins” July 23rd through the 26th. He says rehearsals are already underway, with Tim Nelson directing, and tickets will go on sale soon.
Solem says they sent summer activity booklets home with K-6 students in May, but if anyone would like to get a copy, they’re available in the Litchfield Community Education office in the Wagner Building on East 6th Street. He says if anyone has questions, they’re welcome to call 693-2354.