The Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild will be hosting a “Festival of Quilts” in conjunction with DeAnn’s Country Village Shoppe’s “Festival of Trees” today, Friday and Saturday in the old Very Vintage building. It’s free and it will be open today and tomorrow from 10-to-4 and Saturday from 9-to-3.
Julie Pennertz says the Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild began as a Community Education class and has been meeting for about 30 years. She says the Festival of Quilts will give the public a chance to see all kinds of quilted items.
Pennertz says the Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild is also sponsoring a trunk show on Monday, November 18th at 6:30 p.m. in the old Cricket Meadow Tea building – featuring fabric and pattern designer Heather Mulder Peterson of “Anka’s Treasures.” She says Heather is from the Willmar/Spicer area and the cost to attend the trunk show is $5. For more information about the Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild and these events, contact Julie at mrsp57@nutelecom.net.
The Litchfield High School Hall of Fame ceremony is coming up on Friday evening – just before the 7 o’clock Marching Band Indoor Concert. One of this year’s inductees is 1989 Litchfield High School graduate Jon Lovald who had a distinguished 25-year military career.
Lovald was born in Litchfield and grew up near Darwin and says he enjoyed his time at Litchfield High School, especially playing the tuba in the Marching Band. He says he joined the U.S. Army right out of high school and his first overseas tour was in Korea.
Lovald says after 4 years in the Army, he attended St. Cloud State University, was in the ROTC and served in the National Guard – with deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. He says he retired as a Lt. Colonel.
Lovald says he joined the Excelsior Fire Department after retiring from the Army, and is active in the American Legion and VFW. He says he has been the chief operating officer of the MN Assistance Council for Veterans for the past 7 years, helping to end veteran homelessness.
Lovald’s wife, Nicole, is originally from Hutchinson and they have two children – Jackson who is a junior and Sofia who is an 8th grader in the Minnetonka school district. He says he was lucky to be able to grow up near Darwin, attend Litchfield Schools and have great adult role models at that time that formed the foundation that helped set him on his life’s path.
The Litchfield City Council has approved of a land use map showing the locations where cannabis retailers could locate their businesses within the city limits. The establishments have to be so many feet away from schools and daycare facilities.
Mayor Ron Dingmann says the City Council approved of deferring regulation and enforcement of cannabis sales to Meeker County and the attorneys are still working out the language for an ordinance. He says the Council approved of moving forward on several construction projects on Monday evening, including the replacement of the floor at the Civic Arena.
Mayor Dingmann says the City will be getting numbers together for the Civic Arena floor project which is estimated to cost $1.75-million, with the dasher boards costing an additional $495,000 and the project is expected to begin in the spring. He says the Council approved of a $44,880 project for improving the roof at the Circle 6 hangar at the airport with Airport Rescue funds covering most of the cost of that project; and approved of having the city attorney draft a developer’s agreement with Gregg Schilling for the property at 181 North Gorman Avenue where he plans to construct a housing development. A public hearing will be scheduled for that sale of public property.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of moving forward with a project to extend Johnson Drive to 260th Street on the west side of Walmart and to widen 260th Street from Johnson Drive to Highway 34 and add a walking/bike path. He says that project is estimated to cost $3-million, but the city received a Local Road Improvement Program grant to cover $1.5-million. That project will begin next year and probably continue into 2026.