COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
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CLASSON : 'My signature look' PAGE 5
Gammelgarden Museum goes virtual for summer 2020 BY C.L. SILL EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER
The Gammelgarden museum in Scandia, Minn. has adjusted their summer event schedule to suit the COVID-19 era. The museum will remain closed until September due to the pandemic, but has shifted their focus to online events and other virtual gatherings. Communications coordinator Sarah Porubcansky said the pandemic has given the museum a whole new set of challenges to overcome, but that they’re working through how to best serve their patrons while adhering to pandemic closures. “We have not been a museum that’s been very digitized at all,” she said. “We’re a small local museum, but we’re now in this new world. We’re immigrants. We’re learning new languages and new ways to live and work.” The museum staff, like other organizations throughout the country, has been communicating through Zoom and other online meeting platforms to discover new ways to interact with local residents. The museum’s biggest summertime events are the Midsummer Festival at the end of June and Fiddlefest in August. Both are now off the table, but Porubcansky is developing replacement content, which isn’t easy when your major focus is large, in-person gatherings. “We’re all about food and gathering people together and touring old, small buildings,” she said. “So it’s really hard.” Social media will be a major focus this summer. The museum
BY LESLIE MACKENZIE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Board of Supervisors meeting for May Township, held on Thursday, May 7, was an exercise in uncertainty. With thousands of Minnesotans out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are concerns that the township will not receive its full portion of county property taxes. First quarter property taxes are due May 15 so it won’t be known for several weeks if the township budget will be negatively impacted.
Dogs
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The lending library at the Gammelgarden museum will have weekly activity packets available for children throughout the summer.
recently brought on Sophia Nienaber as their summer intern. She’ll help develop the museum’s online presence over the course of the next few months. “Everybody’s having to learn how to do Google docs and how to figure out Instagram and Facebook and how to do more social media than we’ve been doing,” Porubcansky said. “We’re very blessed to have Sophia as an intern. (Social media) was her mission originally when she was hired, but it’s even more
important now.” Porubcansky is also working with museum staff to put together more long form online content, including a recipe blog and storytelling videos. They’ve also started putting activity packs for children in the museum’s lending library. “It’s just little activities to do,” she said. “This week it was about food foraging.” The Butik on the museum’s SEE MUSEUM, PAGE 8
Country Messenger hires intern for Summer BY C.L. SILL EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER
The Osceola Sun and Country Messenger has hired Dan Johnson of New Richmond, Wisc. as a summer intern. Johnson is just finishing his junior year at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn., where he studies communication and English. Johnson spent the first part of his life in the Twin Cities, before moving to Hammond Wisc. and later to New Richmond, Wisc. Johnsons’ interest in writing started when
Revenue uncertainty overshadows May Township supervisors meeting
Johnson
he was very young. He began writing his first novel ‘War on the Great Sea’ when he was 8-years-old and NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
self-published it when he was 13. “Ever since I can remember I was super into storytelling,” he said. “Especially writing.” Johnson has published two fantasy novels total, and recently finished a draft for a third. He said long form storytelling is so appealing in part because the work can ebb and flow as you write. “I had a plan in mind, but the story kind of takes on its own form,” he said. “It felt like I was more discovering it than writing it. That ADVERTISING 651-433-3845 ads@osceolasun.com
sense of discovery is what motivates me.” Johnson brings a good foundation of news-writing knowledge and the natural curiositiy and creativity necessary to become a capable journalist to the Sun and Country Messenger. He hopes to use his experience and education to pursue a career in any form of writing. I would love to be a journalist,” he said. “Especially writing the less prominent stories. I’d love to just do anything in writing.”
PUBLIC NOTICES 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
Two dogs residing at 14890 Ostrum Trail were responsible for the deaths of a neighbor’s chickens. A dog-at-large charge had been brought against the owner previously. Due to the killing of a domestic animal (chickens) while off their owners’ property, the dogs have now been designated as “dangerous dogs.” The township lawyer pointed out that May Township is unusual in that its ordinance states that dangerous dogs cannot be kept in the township at all. The dogs have already been impounded for 10 days and the owners paid to get their dogs back, but if the ordinance is enforced the dogs need to be moved from the township. The township is waiting to hear if Washington County is going to take action. The neighbor stated that she has had to install a fence to protect her property and she wanted to know how to get reimbursed for her losses. She was advised that she has a right to compensation. She can send a letter to her neighbor or take her case to small claims court. Potentially Dangerous Dog: A second complaint involved a dog-at-large attacking a smaller dog being walked on a leash, resulting in significant injuries. The owners of the dog, which resides at 11271-148th Street, were sent a letter by the county informing them that the dog had been designated a “potentially dangerous dog.” The next step is for the township to ensure owners are informed of and meeting the conditions for continued ownership, which includes proper enclosure and microchipping. Down-and-Out Dogs: New township resident Annette Friedheim applied for an interim use permit for a private kennel at 16740 Norell Ave. Town code allows for three dogs on a property, anything more is allowed as a private kennel or a small business kennel. Friedheim owns four dogs. She provides “foster care” service for dogs awaiting adoption through Midwest Animal Rescue. Friedheim explained as a result of COVID-19, animal welfare is changing. Shelters are closing and more animals are being moved into foster homes. These are not technically her dogs and they are only in her care for a few weeks to a few months before they find a new home. She does not sell dogs and people will not be coming to her home to pick up a dog. Animal foster care could be described as “boarding service,” which is only allowed with a small business kennel. Township code requires that a small business kennel have 10 acres of land and Friedheim only owns five acres. The cost for small business kennel is also significantly higher. The supervisors expressed sympathy for the SEE MAY, PAGE 11
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