BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 VOL. 55 NO. 53 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
CHECK HARVESTFEST & FAIR SCHEDULES PGS. 31 - 32
Central Burnett County Fair turns 100 BY SEAN DEVLIN EDITOR@BURNETCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
STACY COY | SENTINEL
Pumpkin winners The Wood River Garden Store had an impressive 44 entries in their annual Great Pumpkin Contest with entrants bringing their pumpkins to the Grantoberfest celebration on Saturday to be weighed. This year’s winners include (front, left to right): Hayden Holonie, 4th place, 200 lbs; Liesl Olson, 5th place, 196 lbs; Travis Gaspar, 3rd place, 202 lbs; Ben Fowler, 1st place, 229 lbs. Back: Kaden Fowler, most creative pumpkin; Gabrielle Crandall, prettiest pumpkin; Owen Fowler, 2nd place, 224 lbs. More photos from Grantoberfest on pages 15-16.
WEBSTER— “I just hope people look forward to the Fair each year,” said a longtime Webster Fair Board member, one that chooses to remain anonymous. This board member followed with, “It’s not about me.” Fairs, like any widely enjoyed event, have to be meticulously planned. The people who attend are swept up in the pageantry and marvel at the grandeur that appears to have materialized overnight. That is the way the organizers want people to feel: like the fair is a natural part of the community, one that takes long naps and awakes for a few days in its traditional clad but always with a few new bells and whistles. The Central Burnett County Fair will awake for the one hundredth time on Sept. 22-24. In recent years, the Fair has taken place in July but due to the difficulty in scheduling a carnival, the festivities were moved to late September— the time of year it was held originally. After all, carnivals are not as abundant as they were in the past. “What’s a fair without a carnival?” exclaimed the board member.
Mrs. Polzine’s creative solutions BY SEAN DEVLIN EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
GRANTSBURG— It is safe to say the community cares about education. Nell Polzine is a second grade teacher at Grantsburg Elementary and with the help of several community members, local businesses and a couple other generous individuals she received $1,896.35 to purchase a total of 18 Learniture stools and five Zenergy Ball Chairs (core strengthening seating). Learniture is flexible seating for students; the stool is designed to help increase student engagement and encourage productive movement while still proactively participating in class. After all, the youngsters have a lot of energy. These chairs have the potential to allow for natural movement while children listen to their instructor. Polzine began this project last April after seeing an adult version used by another faculty member during a meeting. She then thought the chair would be good for all students. Soon after, Polzine set up an account on Donorschoose.org, a website for teachers looking
for funding for projects such as this. She titled her initiative “We like to move it move it.” Polzine made her profile and did everything she could to share the link with as many people as possible. The teacher even hosted a summer garage sale to raise funds and while she did that, her kindergarten daughter, Maizie, raised a grand total of $45 by way of lemonade sales. Maizie describes the chairs as fun because they wobble. All but one donor were local, Polzine is happy to report. The one outside donor was an Edina man who gave the final $25 needed. In a post on the fundraising page he said, “I have a daughter with lots of energy so sitting still is challenging for her. When her teacher gave her something to get her wiggles out at her desk, she was better able to focus on her school work. I want the same for all of you! Happy moving and learning!” Between April and the beginning of the school year, the goal was reached with the help of 25 donors. Local businesses such as Parker, Wood River Pharmacy, Jensen Sunquist, Village Floral donated
Some things will be the same. Entries will begin to build on Thursday followed by judging on the following days and many 4-H’ers and other community members will sport ribbons and celebrate with funnel cake and mini donuts. On Saturday, the grandstand will erupt with cheers from the demolition derby and the beer garden will flow.
SEE CHAIRS, PAGE 8
SEE 100 YEARS, PAGE 7
SENTINEL AUGUST 6, 1980
“Young Devin Cramer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Cramer of Webster, didn’t quite know what to make of the boat ride at the Webster Fair.”
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