The Songs of Summer Festival is scheduled for August 15th in Memorial Park on Lake Ripley. The gates will open at 4 p.m. and there will be music from 3 different acts beginning at 5 p.m.
Sarah Jones says the local band South 40 will get things started, and Michael Shynes will be returning, followed by the Fabulous Armadillos who will play until 11 p.m. She says they received a lot of great feedback about the event being in Memorial Park last year, despite the rain – with the handicapped parking, restrooms, playground and splash pad for the children and lots of great food vendors.
Jones says they accept freewill donations with the proceeds going to youth-related groups in the community. She says last year, funds went to the Litchfield Area Mentorship Program, the 4H Equestrian Club and St. Philip’s School.
Amanda Nelson says non-profit groups that benefit youth in the areas of health and wellness, mental health, safety and education have until June 1st to apply for a grant from this year’s festival. She says the event is made possible each year with the help of lots of great sponsors and there is already a long list of sponsors for this year’s Songs of Summer Festival.
Nelson says they’ve given out $15,000 in the past two years to youth-related non-profit organizations. She says any groups interested in applying for a grant may contact her at amandasosf@gmail.com.
Scott Gottschalk of Kimball is embarking on an epic journey from May 25th through September 18th – covering over 120,000 miles on his motorcycle – in an effort to stop human trafficking. The No Boundaries Tour will begin in Miami, Florida and will result in the setting of a world record for the longest journey by an individual motorcyclist in a single country.
Gottschalk recently released a book, “No Boundaries Tour: The Fight Against Human Trafficking” which provides many details about the upcoming trip and all of the logistical planning that has taken place over the past 4 years as Scott has been preparing. The book includes fascinating details of how he first fell in love with motorcycles and used a motorcycle for transportation during his years at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. He goes on to tell about some of the harrowing cross-country rides he’s taken over the years – encountering a grizzly bear, and hitting a mule deer at 70 mph at 2 a.m. in the Nevada desert back in 2009 and not being discovered until 5 hours after the crash – an event that resulted in numerous broken bones and in which he nearly died.
Gottschalk says he was looking for a cause that would really get him upset in which he could raise funds, and after seeing the movie “The Sound of Freedom,” he developed a passion for fighting human trafficking. He says in order to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records, he will be satellite-tracked during his 120-day journey.
Proceeds from the tour will benefit Motivational Missions, a 501c3 non-profit, non-religious organization designed to help children around the world with a media campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking. Scott is hoping to accomplish the tour in time for his 70th birthday. He turns 70 on September 16th and will have a finale event on September 18th at the Vikingland Harley Davidson dealership in Sauk Rapids.
For more information about the No Boundaries Tour, or to make a donation, go to NoBoundariesTour.com. Scott’s book is available at Amazon.com.
The Shepherd of Souls Area Faith Community has a special week of Lenton Mission events coming up to get the season of Lent started. It will take place March 9th through the 12th with Father Phil Schotzko speaking each evening at St. Philip’s Church in Litchfield.
Fr. Jeff Horejsi says each evening will begin with adoration at 5 p.m., followed by a meal at 6, and Fr. Phil speaking at 7. He says Fr. Phil Schotzko is retired, but spent the early part of his career in Guatemala and has a real sense of missions, and will address a different topic each evening.
Fr. Jeff says there will also be mass at 8:30 a.m., followed by coffee and rolls and Q&A with Fr. Phil – on March 10th at St. John’s in Darwin, March 11th at St. Anthony’s in Watkins and March 12th at Our Lady in Manannah. He says this is open to everyone – not just Catholics and no registration is required. For more details, go to shepherdofsouls.org.
The Pioneerland Libraries in Meeker County have lots of events scheduled for the month of March. All 4 libraries (Litchfield, Dassel, Grove City and Cosmos) will end their Adult Winter Reading Program on March 15th.
In Litchfield, Baby/Toddler Story Time in on Wednesdays from 10:15-to-10:45 a.m.; Preschool Storyhour is on Fridays from10-to-11 a.m.; Teen Dungeons & Dragons is on Tuesday, March 4th from 4-to-6 p.m.; the Teen Program: Superhero glove-making will be on Saturday, March 8th from 1:30-to-3:30 p.m.; the Adult Book Club: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women will be on Tuesday, March 11th at noon; LEGO Night is on Tuesday, March 11th from 6:30-to-7:30 p.m.; Crafterdark will be on Wednesday, March 12th from 6:30-to-7:30 p.m.; Diamond art – with sign-up required – is on Thursday, March 13th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the Friends of the Library book sale will be on Saturday, March 15th from 10-to-2; Kids’ Craft Club is on Tuesday, March 18th from 4-to-5 p.m.; Mystery Book Club, The Madness of Crowds will be on Wednesday, March 19th at 7 p.m.; Knitting Club will be on Thursday, March 20th from 12:30-to-1:30 p.m.; and the Teen Program: Collaborative console gaming will be on Saturday, March 29th from 1:30-to-3:30 p.m.
In Dassel, story hour is on Fridays at 10 a.m., but there will be no story hour on March 28th;
and Adult Book Club: The Stranger in the Woods is on Tuesday, March 25th at 1 p.m.
In Grove City, Crafternoon is on Thursdays from 3-to-5 p.m.; the Think Spring card-making class – with sign-up required – is on Thursday, March 6th at 3 p.m.; Storytime is on Tuesday, March 11th at 2 p.m.; the ATGC Book Club: The Outsiders is on Tuesday, March 18th at 7 p.m.
and Knitting Club will be on Thursday, March 20th at 4 p.m.
In Cosmos, Dr. Seuss Saturday is on March 15th from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Cosmos Creation Club is on Monday, March 17th from 2-to-3 p.m.; and Tech Time is on Saturday, March 22nd, from 10:30 a.m.-to-12:30 p.m. If you have questions about any events, call 693-2483.