COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 35 NO. 38 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
SURPRISING FIND: Water softeners a source of chloride in lake, streams, groundwater PAGE 6
May Township budget hearing set
Chili Cookoff supports growing program, Green Grocery Shares BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
From a savory chocolate molé to a creamy homage to Swedish cuisine, there was a chili to suit almost every taste bud at the inaugural Vinterfest Chili Cookoff last year. The competition, hosted by Elim Lutheran Church, offers Vinterfest goers a chance to fill their bellies and doubles as a fundraiser for the church’s Green Grocery Shares program. Soon to enter its fourth year, Green Grocery Shares help area residents afford fresh produce at the Scandia Farmers Market. According to Elim’s associate pastor, Meredith McGrath, the program is growing. “The last couple years the number of folks we’ve been giving shares to has gone up a ton,” McGrath said. “Last year we didn’t end up doing much advertising because looking at the trajectory we had, we knew the money we had to support the program would get used.” In 2018, people in need of Green Grocery cash spent just shy of $8,000. “I’m really glad people are finding us,” she said. “It means folks have access to fresh food and get to make more decisions about which food fits their family’s need. Still, you recognize that if need is going on, what’s going on in our community that folks are struggling?” In support of the program, market shoppers bought shares totaling $2,100 last year. Although shares given and
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Officials in May Township have set a public hearing to discuss the annual budget. The meeting is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at the May Town Hall (13939 Norell Avenue North).
Garages and sheds The township’s ongoing discussion about garages and sheds will continue at the plan commission’s regular meeting, 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the May Town Hall.
Other business • The town board continues to seek a collaborative solution with the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District for water management on a pothole prone stretch of Panorama Avenue. SEE MAY, PAGE 12
Last year’s Vinterfest Chili Cookoff raised more than $300 for the Green Grocery Share program.
shares purchased don’t need to balance, if need continues to outstrip funding the church may have to reduce the amount it offers those requesting shares. “I don’t think our intent was ever that the program would be sustaining in itself,” McGrath said. “But we did feel it was important to include that piece. By having some people purchase shares it creates an environment where those using the shares don’t feel as marked. To a vendor they’re just another person shopping at the market.” Buying shares is also a way of pledging
to support local farmers and craftspeople, McGrath noted. And that number is rising too. “Every year the number of people purchasing shares has gone up,” McGrath said. “We have a nice enough core of people buying.” To help fill the gap, organizers founded the chili cook off. Last year they asked for $1 a cup. This year, a freewill offering lets visitors taste them all. “Everybody will get a preset sample SEE CHILI, PAGE 2
Marine Documentary Night: Season ends with ‘Science Fair’ The Marine Film Society and the Marine Community Library have announced the final documentary of the Marine Documentary Night season, “Science Fair,” a National Geographic documentary production that offers an inspiring look at some of the brightest young minds in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). “Science Fair” follows nine
high school students from around the globe as they navigate rivalries and setbacks on their journey to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair. As 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries face off, only one will be named Best in Fair. The film offers a front row seat of the victories, defeats and motivations of an incred-
ible group of young women and men who are on a path to change their lives, and the world, through science. Said co-director Cristina Costantini, “’Science Fair’ is a love letter to the subculture that saved me. As a dweeby kid growing up in a sports-obsessed high school in Wisconsin, the international science fair became my lifeboat. It validated my passion for science,
taught me how to dedicate myself to a goal and set my life on a trajectory that would have otherwise been totally impossible. But most important, science fair is where I found my tribe.” Costantini worked with Darren and Mariana Foster on an investigative TV documentary, “Death by Fentanyl.” Afterward, she suggested they document the International
Science and Engineering Fair. “By the end of [‘Death by Fentanyl’], I needed a break from investigative work,” said Darren Foster. “I was definitely looking for something different. That’s when Cristina told me about her idea of a documentary on science fair. I was a science kid, too, and participated in science fair, SEE SCIENCE FAIR, PAGE 2
100% OPEN with 12”-96” on the slopes! & Snow tubing! #1
TUES & THURS AFTER 5pm SPECIAL: 2 LIFTS W/RENTAL $40 SKI & RIDE ‘TIL 3AM FRIDAYS: $20 9pm-3am NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
ADVERTISING 651-433-3845 sales@osceolasun.com
PUBLIC NOTICES 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS 651-433-3845 office@osceolasun.com
BREAKING NEWS, UPDATES Whenever, wherever you are! Scan me with your smartphone