News

The Litchfield Area Mentorship Program has Turkey Bingo on Friday, November 22nd at 6 p.m. at the Litchfield Eagles Club. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the Litchfield Kiwanis Club is again sponsoring the event.

Kiwanis member Jared Taber says you will want to get there plenty early to make sure you get a seat and then you can order supper while you wait for the bingo to start. He says the cost is $1 per game or $20 for 20 games and you can purchase tickets for chances to win raffle baskets.

Judy Hulterstrum says there are several baskets that will be raffled including a basket that will contain all of the items to accompany your Thanksgiving dinner, and then hopefully you will win one of the 20 turkeys that will be given away. She says there will also be lots of prizes for children.

Joel McCann says the LAMP Turkey Bingo is just one of several ways that the Litchfield Kiwanis Club supports children in the area. He says some of their fundraising events include the pancake breakfast during the Watercade celebration, a cash raffle drawing, and the collection of aluminum cans in the Kans for Kids project – with proceeds from these events going to youth-related programs.

The Litchfield Visitors Bureau has been busy with the Light Up Litchfield contest, and the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce is promoting the Keep the Cheer Here promotion. The deadline for businesses to enter a lighting contest was this past Friday; and there will be a lighting ceremony coming up in Central Park on November 30th.

Janaye Prieve says Small Business Saturday is on November 30th and there will be business specials that day in Litchfield, and events in Central Park from 3-to-5 p.m. including carolers, candy canes, a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Claus, carriage rides, and then the lighting ceremony at 5:30. She says the lighting contest for participating businesses will continue through December 13th and there will be a QR code on a sign at each business for people to vote, and then the top 3 will receive prizes and a trophy.

Prieve says shoppers will want to take advantage of the Keep the Cheer Here promotion – through December 13th – for a chance to win cash prizes. She says shoppers will receive a bingo card to be stamped at the participating businesses.

Prieve says you can find more details at litchfieldmn.com or on Facebook.

Meeker County lost a couple of community promoters in the past few weeks. The obituaries for Jeanie Doran of Litchfield and Jerry Reckdahl – formerly of Grove City – are listed on the Johnson-Hagglund website.

Jeanie Shoultz Doran passed away on October 7th at the age of 90. She was born in Litchfield and had deep roots in the community. One of her great grandfathers served in the Civil War and another was the owner of the Lenhardt hotel in downtown Litchfield. She had a passion for music and after graduating from Litchfield High School in 1952, she pursued her dream of teaching at St. Cloud Teachers College and went on to teach 4th grade and music in Sartell.

In 1957, Jeanie married Frank Doran and moved to St. Paul, and became the mother of two sons – Michael and John. She managed the family-owned Inwood Resort on Gull Lake in Nisswa, and worked at Cardiac Pacemakers (now Boston Scientific), where she was responsible for the accuracy of engineering drawings and specifications. She also served as a music therapy assistant at Courage Center and as an activity coordinator/music specialist at Maplewood Care Center, where she played a wide range of instruments, including autoharp, ukulele, piano and organ.

After retiring in 1999, she returned to her hometown of Litchfield, where she continued to bring joy to others through her music, performing regularly at local nursing homes, community events, and church services. She was very involved in the community through organizations like the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the GAR Hall/Meeker County Historical Society, and the Opera House Association. She was an advocate for the senior population, and wrote many articles and letters to the editor and served on advisory committees for the Wellness/Recreation Center and the Downtown Litchfield Committee. At the age of 80, she received the Meeker County Senior Citizen of the Year award. No memorial service has been planned, as of yet, for Jeanie Doran.

Jerome Reckdahl was also a past recipient of the Meeker County Senior Citizen of the year award. He was a long-time math teacher at Grove City High School and – later – at Ridgewater College. Reckdahl was also a long-time mayor of Grove City. He and his wife, Joan, were very active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City before moving to Hutchinson in later years. He passed away at the age of 89 at Riley Crossing Assisted Living in Chanhassen on November 2nd. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., with visitation at 10 a.m. and lunch afterward, on Saturday, November 23rd, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City.