Wanted: Annandale ambassadors
The Annandale Ambassador Program is now accepting candidates for the 2015-2016 year. Candidates must be 17 to 22 years of age by Sept. 1. Prospective candidates must also be an Annandale High School graduate by this date, currently enrolled at Annandale High School, or have been a resident of the Annandale School District for a minimum of one year.
Candidates will be accepted until Friday, March 20. For more information on the candidate program or sponsorship opportunities, contact Jill Starke Gruys at Jill.Gruys@target.com or 612-508-2459.
Bloodmobile here Thurday, Feb. 26
Would you like to be a lifesaver? Just spend one hour of your time and give one pint of your blood. If you are in good health and 16 years old, with parental permission, or older and weigh at least 110 pounds, you are eligible to give blood. Every time you donate just one pint, you can help to save up to three people.
There is always a very great need for blood of all types. In fact, approximately every two seconds someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion. During winter blood drive organizers encounter bad weather, illness and people who just don’t show up to donate. As a result, there is a severe shortage of blood right now.
To help save lives, take the following steps:
■ Mark Thursday, Feb. 26, on your calendar.
■ Call Valerie Kaz at 274-5531 to set up an appointment.
■ Eat plenty of red and-or organ meat, dark green leafy vegetables and fresh and dried fruits to get your iron levels (hemoglobin) up. Try oatmeal and raisins for a nice warm breakfast on a cold morning.
■ Come to St. Ignatius Catholic Church at your appointment time, or just come in between 1 and 7 p.m.
■ Give blood, relax, and enjoy a snack. You’ll be glad you did.
Improvement club thinking spring
The Annandale Improvement Club will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, at St. John’s Lutheran Church. The program, featuring master gardener Gary Cobus, will help participants begin to think of spring. The focus is on best practices for pruning and planting, the advantages of bees to gardens, and how to attract bees to the garden.
Cobus has lived in St. Michael for over 18 years, and has a unique background. A Wright County master gardener since 2000, he is the editor of the Wright County master gardener newsletter and a past president. He also became a beekeeper in 2011 and currently has two hives. Last year he also became a Minnesota Tree Care Advisor.
As additional background, Cobus earned a Bachelor of Science degree in radio and television engineering and lived in Texas, where he worked for 11 years in the telecommunications industry. Currently, Cobus works in the firmware engineering department of Starkey Hearing Technologies in Eden Prairie. He’s a past president of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association, and plays the banjo in a bluegrass band.
The club’s donations this month will help support the work of the Wright County master gardener program.
The public is welcome to enjoy the program, which follows the business meeting. There is a fee for lunch, and reservations are required. RSVP to Ardis at 274-5339 by noon on Monday, March 2.
Nearly time for seedlings to arise
It’s nearly time to for old winter to march out and for ladies to march in to the "Seedlings, Arise!" brunch at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 12, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Annandale.
Leslie Koehler and Stephanie Smith from the Rustic Garden Center in Buffalo will get participants thinking of seeds, soil, flowers and veggies. Flautist Yvonne Rammel of Cokato will delight listeners’ musical senses, and speaker Jan Ostroot of South Haven will send all home with thoughts of how to have peace in any circumstance.
All women are encouraged to invite their friends and make reservations by calling Amanda at 612-670-4702, Dawn at 612-723-3905 or emailing lilred.schramm@gmail.com. This event is sponsored by Stonecroft Ministries.
Law library offers legal services
The Wright County Law Library, located within the Wright County Government Center, is open to the public. It also hosts a law clinic from noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday in cooperation with Central Minnesota Legal Services.
Anyone with a legal issue in Wright County who is looking for free legal advice is welcome to attend the clinic. Clinics typically book up a week in advance. Each person that signs up for the law clinic will meet one-on-one with a volunteer attorney for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Call the Wright County Law Library to schedule an appointment at 763-682-7592. Law library hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursdays the hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Master gardeners plan spring expo
The University of Minnesota Master Gardeners of Wright County invite gardners of all skill levels to join them for the Spring Days Workshop and Garden Expo from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West. Sessions will be held on rain gardens, frugal gardening, square foot gardening, herbs, moonlight gardens, pollinators backyard composting and more. Book signings, vendors, a silent auction, and the popular master gardener answer booth will provide the tools needed to succeed in the garden.
Dr. Karen Oberhauser, University of Minnesota Monarch butterfly expert, will discuss the declining Monarch butterfly populations. Monarchs are negatively impacted by many human activities, including habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, invasive species and pathogens. In this presentation, Dr. Oberhauser will describe the amazing biology of Monarchs, discuss threats to their survival and potential responses to these threats.
There is a fee. Email sand0671@umn.edu or call the U of MN Extension, Wright County at 763-682-7394.