Brainerd Lakes Real Estate News

With the Fourth of July quickly approaching - I thought everyone should know the special offerings our area has for this exciting time of the year.

How does your family celebrate Independence Day? Do you participate in a parade - either on land or lake? Does your family make a commitment to reunite at the lake cabin every Fourth of July? Do you have favorite, traditional recipes you share on this holiday? Do you make it your tradition to try to be top dog in the milk carton boat races in your lake?

Tell us what traditions you and your family follow on the Fourth of July.

For all the young up-coming musicians in the Brainerd Lakes Area the Battle of the Bands is a hot night.  This will take place on Don Adamson Field by the Brainerd High School.  Along with music there will be food. The contest is from 4-11 PM and is sponsored by Youth As Resources and Community Action. Admission is advance $5, at the gate $8.

 Our family will be participating in the Miss Brainerd Lakes Scholarship Pageant on June 30th at 7 PM in Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd. I will be helping do whatever, my husband will on the stage crew and our daughter Allison (Miss Brainerd Lakes 2005) will be singing the National Anthem for the opening number. After the crowning , comes the cleaning and the crying- both happy and sad.

Allison Lordbock, Miss Brainerd Lakes 2005  & Bill The King" Musel 

 July 1st is  the 33rd Anniversary of Arts in the Park.  This will be held at Gregory Park - 10AM-4:30 PM.   Artisans, food, entertainment, and the Century of Cars Show.  Free admission.

Tuesday, July 3 is our Annual Gospel Night at the Heritage Assembly of God Church in Baxter, MN.

For information contact River of Life Productions 829-0065 or 829-9098.

That brings us to the 4th of July - American Celebration

Don Adamson Field

• JC's Free Corn on the Cob Feed - noon
• Parade - 4PM   Who will win this year?
  
• Entertainment MC & Opening Act - Brainerd's own Bill "The King" Musel   Headliner:  Boogie Wonderland
• Allison Lordbock, former Miss Brainerd Lakes, singing the National Anthem A'Cappella at 10:00 and then
  
• World Class Fireworks - 10:15 PM  Set to Music  Did I say world class!! Better that Epcot's and free.
  

     Highway 210 in The Brainerd Lakes area is getting a new look. Right now all I can see are flagmen and lines of cars. Already completed construction includes  the removal of existing curb, gutter and sidewalks from between the Mississippi River Bridge and South 6th Street/Business 371. The drainage catch basins are rebuilt, lighting standards installed and curb and gutters are finished.

     The sidewalks will be going down next, then loop detectors which control traffic signal operations on the abutting side streets.

     Paving the S 6th Street to the bridge segment started in June.  All work progress is based on the weather according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.  

     The second segment of the project, according to Paul Koenig, MN DOT project supervisor, will be the area between SE 13th Street,/Crow Wing County Road 45 and the Southbound leg of Highway 25. Motorists should be prepared for delays and sudden stops.

    On Highway 210 at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, the crews will begin construction on the new center left turn lanes near the entrance of the airport. On Highway 210  at the Lum Park entrance the outside lane of westbound traffic will remain closed in the Lum Park area, in Northeast Brainerd, as crews continue widening the highway shoulders.
 

     All projects are expected to be complete by Labor Day and that is when all the traffic decreases also!

     To find information on the weather, road conditions , and traffic incidents, anyone can call 511 or log onto www.511mn.org.  To get e-mails on project updates and the Highway 210 construction go to MN DOT project updates.

 Instructions are posted on how to subscribe to the e-mail project updates.
 

 Photo by Rachelskirts

• When: Music will be performed on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from June through August 2007.
• Time:  Music starts at 6:30pm and goes until 9:00pm featuring two groups each night.
• Where: Crosby Memorial Park on gorgeous Serpent Lake (there's a fine swimming beach, picnic tables, camping facilities, toilets, and a skateboard park).
• Food & Beverages: Local fund raiser groups will be on hand to sell food and beverages to make your evening complete.
• Music: A variety of music will be performed by regional musicians covering a broad spectrum of genres.
• What to Bring: Lawn chairs, blankets, umbrella, cooler, lots of friends and family!

Camp Noah: A Soldier's Coming Home, the week-long, faith-based day camp developed by Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is designed to help children identify  what they have within themselves to help make a successful reunion when their parent returns from war and build on the resilience they have already shown while their parent was away, some for two years.

The camp is free to any child kindergarten through sixth grade whose parent is a deployed member of the Minnesota National Guard.

All camps run from 9 AM to 3 PM and transportation assistance may be available to those needing it.  The Brainerd/Baxter area camp will be June 25-29 at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter.

To register your child, call Judith Becker at 800-987-0061 or 651-969-2257. 

In reading our Sunday magazine distributed before service I came across a thought provoking article on how children learn behaviors and thus came about writing this blog.  At least weekly, my grown daughters remind me of something  we did or said or were involved with.  It could be a vacation, or a time of losing a family member,  or when the tornado destroyed our  stable & how we witnessed to those who came to help, but they remember something from this and it became a part of them. They probably graciously don't say other things they may remember as we parents are not perfect at all times.

Children tend to imitate what they see more that they follow what they hear. It is one thing for parents to tell children what to do and quite another for them to model Christlike behavior and priorities.

" A parent's words may fade, but the memory of his or her life lasts a lifetime."    Hal Donaldson

Parents can influence their child's future by modeling the following 15 things (not ranked in order of importance  - do them all)

1. Faithfulness:  Attend church regularly, pray and read the Bible daily, and stay true to the teachings of Christ (Hebrews 10:24, 25)
2.  Fullness : Be full of the Holy Spirit and aware of his promptings and guidance in your life. (John 16:5-16)
3. Friendship:  Reach out to unbelievers and be an encourager to your friends (John 15:13,14)
4. Fulfillment:  Demonstrate that following Christ is the only way to a fulfilling life (Philippians 4:4-9)
   
5. Following:  Be a servant, one who is willing to follow others (John 13:1-17)
   
6.  Freshness:  Let the Lord renew your strength and give you stamina (Isaiah 40:31)
7. Fear:  Have a healthy fear of the Lord that keeps you  from sin (Proverbs 1:7)
8. Fearlessness  Be strong and courageous, with confidence the Holy Spirit is going before you (Joshua 1:9)
9. Frugality : Do not waste resources, but be generous toward others in need (2 Corinthians 9:6)
10. Fairness:  Treat everyone with respect regardless of one's rank or status (James 2:1-7)
11. Fidelity:  Remain faithful to your spouse, honoring him or her in both word and deed (Ephesians 5:22-33)
12. Forgiveness :  Forgive those who hurt you (Ephesians 4:32)
13. Fun:  Be joyful, for Christ is alive in you (Genesis 21:6)
14. Freedom:  Refrain from legalism (Romans 8:1)
15. Faith:  Believe God for the miraculous (Mark 9:23)
    

OK - so now you know- I love cast offs, the abandoned & forlorn objects of other people's wrath. A ding, a nick - that is nothing to me. Replace a table top - sure in fact, I have 4 legs that need a top - presto, table.

This talent (obsession) started when I was but a wee lass.  My father was a very talented inventor and re-purposer.  Almost everything would "Come in handy " someday and a lot of things did.  I rescued an old wooden bench from our local dump along with two puppies that I found homes for.  The bench I painted, decal-ed, and sold for $90.00.  What encouragement to this young entrepreneur.

Now when a church or other organization has a Vacation Bible School program, a Christmas musical. wedding or other event - I am the "go to" person.  Need  retro clocks - how many?  Top hats, fur capes and Victorian caroler's costumes - got those.  What I don't have. we will make.  Did you know that louvered bi-fold doors zip-tied together make a great background for an Indian Jones style marketplace? I have great ideas for  Fourth of July floats

A lot of rescued items make great decorative objects for staging.  Stained damask tablecloth - make pillows.  Salvaged architectural corbels look stunning hung on the wall with a pillar candle or vase of flowers on top. A  iron fence section makes a unusual headboard.

If we can do this with trash, just think of what we can do with your treasures!

Contact Re$ale Design and Home Staging to let us work our magic on your home whether you are selling or staying.  We specialize in your design dilemmas. 

 The Simple Truths of Memorable Service.

Put your personal signature on the job.

Think about something you can do for your customer to make them feel special -

                      a memory that will make them come back. 

Video on Johnny the Bagger - please watch, you will be glad you did

                                                                                           photo by twgiv
 

  Photo by MeraM

Bob Bourassa graduated with the Class of 1954 - kind of.  He did not have enough credits to graduate and get the diploma because he had suffered a severe burn injury at the end of his senior year. At the time of the ceremony he got an empty folder, which would be filled when his missing three credits were made up.

Fifty-three years later, Bob walked across the stage at the Brainerd High School District Learning Center and fulfilled his dream of graduating from high school."It's really neat," said his wife. Beryl.  "It's something he's wanted to do for a long time."

When Bob was 18 - he and his sister were left in charge of their 3 younger siblings while their parents made an out of town trip.  During the night the fire in the furnace went out and Bob went downstairs to  start a new fire.  He used a small sprinkling can filled with gasoline to start it faster.  The fire fared up  resulting in severe burns to his right hand and the right side of his body.  He spent 2 weeks in the hospital and two weeks at home . When he returned  to school in May, he had difficulty writing with his injured hand. Two of his teachers created multiple choice questions for the final, so he only had to circle the correct answer. Three other teachers didn't and gave him  an incomplete, because he couldn't do the work, Bob said.

He became the foreman in a construction company making $400/month. 

On January 17, 1955 he enlisted in the US Air Force  and served four years in the Air Force.  When he returned to Brainerd he got a job at Potlatch Paper  Mill (formerly Northwest)and worked there 38 1/2 years. He wanted to return to school then but ended up caring for his aging parents until his father died in 2000. Then he tended to his mother Lorraine's home.  Bob himself got sick and then underwent a few surgeries, one being hip replacement.

Upon recovering, he went back to school. "It has always been on my mind all these years," Bourassa said of receiving his diploma.  "I never forgot it, you know."  Bob advises others to never give up on their goals.  It's never too late, he said.  "Don't go to bed at night or die without fulfilling your dream," he said.

Kathleen Lordbock

Re$ale Design and Home Staging

Help selling your home.

"We create the style that sells !"

* Pastor Kara Craine  is standing on the right in this photo*

Pastor Kara and Eric Craine will be leaving their ministry positions at the Heritage Assembly of God Church in Baxter, Minnesota.  Kara's last day as Music Pastor will be June 10th, 2007. She and her husband Eric, have dedicated 6 years of service to all those at Heritage and to the surrounding communities.

Kara is the Worship Leader, Choir Director, coordinator of special music and ensembles, and director of numerous productions including her last one , the" Freedom Celebration" honoring service personnel.

A gifted musician playing both piano and violin, she can sing too.  Although expecting the couple's first child in a few months, she worked tirelessly on the memorial weekend production pulling together lighting, sound. and several video productions.

Eric has spent many hours in past years building sets, appearing in productions and working with the sound system.  He was a Jr. High class Sunday School teacher and he and Kara were Youth Sponsors.  Kara's pre-teen group called themselves the  Super Chicks.

The Craine's will be missed in their leadership positions but everyone is looking forward to welcoming Baby Craine.  They should  have no trouble finding child care. 

Nisswa-stämman June 8, 9, 2007

8th annual Scandinavian Folk Music Festival in the Pines

The 8th annual Nisswa-stamman Scandinavian folk music festival will be held June 8, 9, 2007 at the Nisswa Pioneer village in Nisswa, Minnesota, (a 3 hour drive north of Minneapolis/St. Paul). In just 7 years, Nisswa-stamman has grown into one of the largest traditional Scandinavian music festivals in the upper Midwest. This year approximately 150 folk musicians are expected, among them Haugaard & Hoirup, 7 time Danish Grammy award winners, world class duo on fiddle and guitar from Denmark; Alvdalens spelmanslag, 20 fiddlers strong from Alvdalen, Sweden; and Marie Klapbakken & Olaug Furusaeter, talented young fiddlers from Norway. Special guests from Maryland are Hoag, Kelley & Pilzer, grammy nominated trio playing Scandinavian folk music. Midwestern groups and soloists include the ASI Spelmanslag, Skal Klubben, the Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag, Finn Hall, the Twin Cities Hardingfelelag, Paul Dahlin, Skalmusik, Ole Olsson's Oldtime Orkestra, Footnotes trio, Swedes in the Weeds, LiljeDiket, Nordic Jam, Karen Solgard, Ross Sutter, Arna Rennan, Georganne Hunter, Kip Peltoniemi, Arne Salli, Duane Swanson and many, many others. Dancers take note.... all day and late-into-the-night dancing opportunities, and an intimate, log "dance barn" with dance teaching and open dancing "shoulder to shoulder" just like they do in Scandinavia. Family fun included .... Professional performers and educators Rose and Val Arrowsmith lead activities and performances at the special children's tent all day long. Food lovers listen up .... Nisswa-stamman features lots of Scandinavian food and a great smörgåsbord. For more information, call Paul Wilson, 218-764-2994, pwilson@brainerd.net, Information on Nisswa-Stamman Festival.

Norwegian, Swedish and Danish style fiddle, guitar and dance workshops at Nisswa-stamman!

Instrumental and dance workshops will be offered by several visiting Scandinavian musicians on Friday June 8, 2007, in Nisswa, Mn.
From Denmark: Harald Haugaard -- Danish fiddling; Morten Hoirup -- accompaniment styles for Danish tunes on Guitar or whatever instrument you use
From Sweden: members of Alvdalens Spelmanslag --- teach polska fiddle tunes from Alvdalen and surrounding regions
From Norway: Marie Klapbakken -- Norwegian flat fiddling
From USA: Mary Hegge teaching Alvdalens polska

for more info, go to Nisswa- Stamman Workshops

Call or write Paul Wilson for more info and to register. 218-764-2994, pwilson@brainerd.net

Concert, Friday, June 8

Concert: Admission $10 adults, children 12 and under, $5. Tickets available at the door only, sales starting at 6 pm. 7 pm concert featuring all of the visiting Scandinavian musicians and several other selected stamma musicians at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, south of Nisswa on County Road 13. The church is just east of Hwy 371 at Sportland Corners (Hwy 371 at County Roads 13 & 77), 1.6 miles south of Nisswa and 11.6 miles north of the Paul Bunyan corner (Hwy 210) in Brainerd.

Dance: The concert will be followed by an oldtime dance featuring many stamma bands at the Pequot Lakes Seniors Center, downtown Pequot Lakes, starting at 10 pm. Admission free for concert goers, $5 for others. Tickets available at the door only.

Saturday, June 9 - Stamman

Admission $10 adults, $1 children 15 - 5, children under 5 free. Fiddlers parade starts at 10 am in downtown Nisswa, and leads to the Nisswa Pioneer Village, site of the stamma. 10:15 am, ongoing folk music presentations on 5 stages, dance teaching in the barn, lots of jamming and all day dancing, special children's tent with day-long cultural activities, a 4:30 pm smorgasbord at the Nisswa Community Center - $15 (tickets available on Friday night at the concert and on the grounds of the stamma on Saturday) and a late-into-the-night oldtime dance starting at 7 pm at the American Legion Club in Nisswa. Uffda! Is it okay for us to have this much fun?

Tickets: All tickets are available only at the door of the events. No advance sales. Saturday smorgasbord tickets will be available on Friday night at the concert and on Saturday inside the grounds of the festival.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Five Wings Arts Council with funds provided through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature. We are grateful to the Anderson and Mills foundations for their generous support and to the Crossing Arts Alliance of Brainerd, a 501c3 organization, for their services as our fiscal agent.

For more information please contact Paul Wilson at 218-764-2994, pwilson@brainerd.net

HOUSING: For information about housing call the Nisswa Chamber of Commerce at 800 950 9610 .