COUNTRY
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015 VOL. 32 NO. 17 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
EMERGENCY SERVICE: Extended wait times for ambulance in Marine. PAGE 6 CRYSTAL SPRING SNA
Taco Daze: Avast, ye fun-loving landlubbers
SUBMITTED
Taco Daze will feature appearances by Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator Chris Misener, apt for the theme, "Pirates of the Scandiaribbean."
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While a festival celebrating tacos seems unlikely in a town with a Scandinavian heritage, the 40th Annual Taco Daze will commence again in Scandia Saturday, Sept. 12. This year's theme? "Pirates of the Scandiaribbean" featuring appearances by Forest Lake-based Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator Chris Misener. Also on tap at the event sponsored by the Scandia-Marine Lions Club are favorites from the past including arts and crafts, a parade, music by the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band, a farmers market, car and tractor show, kids' activities, a dodgeball tournament, a beer garden and concessions – including the
ubiquitous tacos served up by local Boy Scouts. Perhaps the seminal event of the festival will be the fifth annual Running of the Meatballs fundraiser at 3:45 p.m. at Elim Lutheran Church, just before the 4 p.m. parade. Participants pay $20 for five numbered golf balls (representing meatballs) that race down a chute for a shot at crossing the finish line first. Prizes include $500, and proceeds this year help fund restoration of logs making up the Prast Hus (an 1868 parsonage building) at the Gammelgarden Museum. Tickets can be bought by on-site volunteers at Elim Church, or purchased ahead of time at Gammelgarden, Security State Bank or Ironwood Golf Range.
State
BY MICHELLE MIRON EDITOR, THE LOWDOWN
WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN
Map Created by The Trust for Public Land on June 5, 2015 Created in ESRI ArcMap 10.1®. Copyright © 2015 The Trust for Public Land. TPL, The Trust for Public Land, and The Trust for Public Land logo are trademarks of The Trust for Public Land.
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Crystal Spring SNA Project Area MN State Highway
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Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community
TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND
An aerial photo shows the location of the proposed Scientific and Natural Area.
New State Natural Area coming to Scandia
SEE TACO DAZE, PAGE 6 BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
you think you got in? A: I didn't submit my pies on a stick. The trend this year is more travel-able foods. My pie is easy to share. Dennis from the state fair had also seen me at many events and liked my products. I'm sure events like the Irish Fair and Bacon Bash and (my) three years of farmers market experience helped too. Q: What's been the greatest challenge so far? A: Making the high quantity of pies. Everything has to be made in the bakery; we make them and freeze them raw. It's like 20 hours
If all goes according to plan, 38 acres of prime St. Croix River real estate in Scandia will soon become a state-owned nature preserve. The land, which is near the intersection of Highways 95 and 97 just north of the Zavoral gravel mine, will be dedicated as the Crystal Spring Scientific and Natural Area [SNA]. Geographic and aesthetic qualities of the land include native plant communities, several rare species of plants, a cold-water stream and a waterfall. The land is also believed to be habitat for two endangered birds: the red-shouldered hawk and the Louisiana waterthrush. “This is the type of property that makes people want to move out here and live here,” council member Chris Ness said in support of the project. Planners from the Trust For Public Land and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources asked for, and received, a resolution of support for the project from the Scandia City Council last week. The project will go before the Washington County Board for formal approval Aug. 25.
SEE TIPSY PIES, PAGE 5
SEE NATURAL AREA, PAGE 5
Marine baker served up with fair booth BY MICHELLE MIRON EDITOR, THE LOWDOWN
After applying for the first time this spring, Oak Park Heights resident Sara Hayden snagged the OK to bring her local pie-baking operation Sara's Tipsy Pies to the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 27 to Sept. 7. Since early July she and her staff have been preparing and freezing some 2,500 single-portion pies weekly. The pies made from Hayden's mother's crust recipe are unique in that they include locally produced alcohol. The Lowdown asked the Oak Park Heights mother of five, 42, how fair plans are rolling out for her four-year-
Sara Hayden
old business. Q: Competition to be a fair vendor is notoriously tough. Why do
Free Health Seminar
Topic: A beginner’s guide to freezer meals If you are finding it difficult to prepare healthy meals at dinner time, tryy your hand at nutritious freezer meals. Learn more September er 1. Space is limited, call 715-294-4936.
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