COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
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FOLK SCHOOL TO RELOCATE: Former elementary school buildling likely destination . PAGE 8
Gammelgården to host events during Almelund Threshing Show
Scandia Clinic opens Walk-In Clinic
history of the St. Croix River Valley. The lunchtime hours will feature classic schoolyard games such as “Duck, Duck, Grey Duck” — never, of course, call it “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Arts and crafts will take place in the early afternoon, followed by a presentation by intern Tess Walker on how immigrant children learn new languages, and finally, an old-fashioned
Starting July 8, Scandia Clinic opened its doors to a new Walk-In Clinic service at 21150 Ozark Court North, offering the community convenient care to common illnesses and injuries for anyone two months and older. The new clinic will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and no appointment is needed. “Our new service will help increase access to convenient, high-quality health care for people who live and work in the Scandia area,” said Misty Charlier, clinic administrative officer at Osceola Medical Center and Scandia Clinic. “We’re excited to provide another health care service to the community, when and where they need us.” “If you are a parent with a sick child or someone concerned about your health, you don’t have to think twice about trying to schedule an appointment,” added Lisa Marcellus, RN, Scandia Clinic supervisor. “Just walk in and you’ll be seen.” Scandia’s Walk-In Clinic will be staffed by the clinic’s two newest family medicine providers, Valerie Saladin, PA-C, and Georgeanna Knutson, NP, who can treat common illnesses from strep throat to ear and eye infections. Minor wounds and abrasions, sprains and strains, and joint pain can also be treated. If follow up care is needed, patients will have the chance to schedule with one of our providers at Scandia Clinic or Osceola Medical Center. To learn more about our Walk-In Clinic, visit MyOMC.org/Walk-In. OMC’s Scandia Clinic has been providing comprehensive family health care in Scandia since 2010. The staff can care for everything from primary and routine care, to complex
SEE GAMMELGÅRDEN PAGE 6
SEE CLINIC PAGE 6
BY KELLY HOLM CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Summer may be slipping by at what feels like record speed, but before you have to bring out the rake comes an August milestone, the annual Almelund Threshing Show. There, people of all ages can reminisce and imagine rural farming life more than a hundred years ago in the presence of authentic, original buildings and equipment from that period in history. Of course, Scandia’s Gammelgården Museum wants to take part. As America’s only open-air Swedish heritage museum, featuring restored buildings and genuine artifacts of long-ago immigrants, their mission and purpose aligns closely with that of historic Almelund. In previous years, they’ve participated in the show by setting up a Swedish crafts station on the second floor of the courthouse, but this year, a window has opened up for them to run a longer program in the Clover Blossom
PRESS PUBS | FILE PHOTO
CUTLINE: It takes a village to demonstrate what life was like years ago. At the Almelund threshing grounds there are examples of a mercantile store, a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse and more.
School. “We weren’t getting much action with our crafts and whatnot,” said Gammelgården’s director, Lynne Blomstrand Moratzka. However, a group that typically organized an event in the one-room schoolhouse decided not to continue this year. “So the people at Almelund came to the museum and said, “would you be happy in the Clover Blossom School?” Moratzka recalled.
Gammelgården was enthusiastic, to say the least. This year, their programming features more than crafts, although it still includes the opportunity to paint Dala horses and create May baskets. Each day’s activities begin at 10 a.m. with memory exercises similar to those that might have been done in the days of one-room schoolhouses, such as spelling, mental math bees and a trivia contest about the
Constituents crowd Emmer's town hall to talk health care, environment BY ELIZABETH CALLEN STAFF WRITER
Constituents from Minnesota's 6th Congressional District filled Scandia City Hall last week for a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R). Questions covered a range of concerns, from gun safety in schools to war with Iran to mining in the Boundary Waters. Emmer, a former state representative, has represented Minnesota's 6th District since 2015. He secured a third term in 2018, winning his re-election
bid against DFL challenger Ian Todd with 61% of the votes. Emmer serves on the House Financial Services Committee and chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which recruits Republican candidates and works to elect Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Among the topics raised by constituents at the July 31 meeting, health care and the environment dominated much of the conversation. Joan Del Rio, of Stacy, urged Emmer to address the rising cost of health
insurance premiums. “I pay $560 (for health insurance) every month … and it covers nothing except for some preventive testing until I then throw in another $6,650. I can't go to the doctor, even though I pay $560 a month because I go and I incur more bills, and my income is finite,” she said. “Please do something about that.” Emmer blamed the Affordable Care Act for costly health insurance premiums. “The Affordable Care Act SEE EMMER, PAGE 2
ELIZABETH CALLEN | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Wendy Ward, of Marine on St. Croix, addresses U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer during a town hall meeting at Scandia City Hall on July 31.
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