Litchfield Community Education is in the middle of a busy summer season. They are now promoting the Litchfield Community Theatre production of “Mary Poppins.”
Litchfield Community Education Director Grant Solem says the show can be seen July 23rd, 24th and 25th at 7 p.m. and July 26th at 2 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium. He says auditions were held at the end of May and the cast and crew have been busy with rehearsals since that time and Tim Nelson is once again back in Litchfield, directing the summer musical.
Solem says tickets for the main floor are $20 and they are $15 for balcony seats and they’re available at litchfieldcommunitytheatre.com, on the Litchfield Community Education website, or you can stop at the office on East 6th Street or call 693-2354 for more information. He says you can take a chance on getting tickets at the door, but there’s always a chance that the performances would sell out, and if you get tickets in advance, you’re better able to sit where you’d like.
Solem says Litchfield Community Education is offering more swimming lessons which will start on July 20th; will be offering fall sports soon for youth; and has a country western line dancing class coming up. He says Litchfield Community Education also has a Mississippi boat cruise coming up which is full, but they’re trying to get some more tickets.
Litchfield School Board member Darrin Anderson has announced that he has decided not to seek reelection to the Litchfield School Board. He says serving the Litchfield School District for the past 12 years has been one of the greatest honors of his life.
Anderson says during that time, we have accomplished so much together by investing in our students, our schools, and the future of our community. From enhancing our learning environments in traditional classrooms to expanding opportunities through our agriculture and business education spaces, these achievements reflect the collective vision and commitment of our students, staff, families, and community.
Anderson says, like every school district, we have faced our share of challenges – yet time and again, our community came together with resilience, compassion, and determination. He says he’s incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and confident that our district will continue to build on that strong foundation.
Anderson says the relationships he’s formed over these past 12 years are among the most meaningful gifts of this experience. They have strengthened his commitment to continue advocating for our schools and the Litchfield community in new ways. He says he’s deeply grateful for the trust that the community placed in him and for the privilege of serving the students, staff, families, and residents of the Litchfield School District.
Anderson concluded his announcement, “Thank you for allowing me to be part of this important work. It has been a privilege to serve, and I will always cherish the opportunity and the memories we created together.”
New royalty was crowned on Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of the 70th annual Litchfield Watercade celebration. Emma Wuotila was crowned as the new Miss Litchfield and Bianca Forsberg and Ellivia Woods were crowned as the new princesses.
Emma Wuotila is the daughter of Duane & Wendy Wuotila and is sponsored by Wuotila Lawn Care. She will be a senior at Litchfield High School where she’s been involved in tennis, dance and FCA, and she’s planning to attend UMD after high school to major in occupational therapy.
Emma says it felt like she was dreaming when she was crowned and describes it as the best moment of her life. She says she was asked on stage Sunday afternoon about her most impactful moment playing tennis and then she got a fishbowl question about a lesson she’s learned living in Litchfield and she said that a smile goes a long way.
Emma says she and Ellivia and Bianca got to shop for dresses yesterday after visiting with their sponsors. She says their first parade is coming up this Saturday in Lester Prairie.
Ellivia Woods is the daughter of Taryn & James Woods and is sponsored by Farm Bureau Financial Services. She just graduated from Litchfield High School where she was involved in dance, NHS, yearbook and golf, and will be heading to the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities this fall and will study kinesiology. She says she got asked a question during Sunday’s coronation about a season-ending injury in dance her junior year and got a fishbowl question about a community pride event during Watercade and she mentioned the bike dig.
Bianca Forsberg is the daughter of Bridget & Andy Forsberg and is sponsored by First District Association. She will be a senior at Litchfield High School where she’s involved in FFA, band, marching band and dance. Bianca says she’s planning to go to SDSU after high school to major in Agricultural Education. She says she was asked during the coronation about serving on a youth advisory council and got a fishbowl question about one word that would describe Litchfield and she said “diversity.”
The junior royalty crowned on Sunday afternoon include Jewel Kargas – daughter of Jeremy Kargas and Raihna Mathews, and Gabbi Husmann – daughter of Gary Husmann and Missi Voigt. Gabbi is sponsored by Herradura Food Truck and Jewel is sponsored by Basement Water Solutions.
The Litchfield Lion Club members have been selling tickets for the last couple of months in preparation for the annual raffle drawing. One hundred twenty five tickets sold at $100 each. Proceeds from the raffle go to support LHS Breakfast of Champions and other various Lions causes. The Litchfield Lions would like to thank everyone that helped support the fundraising event.
The winners are:
$2,500 – Orlin Harbarth
$1,000 – Stacy Shoultz
$500 – Drew Kotzer
$500 – Mike Hamm
$250 – Joyce Kiehn
$250 – Jason Cross
$250 – Brenda Grates
$250- Charlie Hamm
$100 – Annie Tipka
$100 – Jeff Grates
$100 – Lori Boettcher
$100 – Deb Van Overeer
$100 – Jeremy Borowicz