KANABEC COUNTY
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016 VOL. 133 NO. 29 www.moraminn.com $1.00
ST STORM AFTERMATH: See more flood photos, information inside. P10-11
Community gathers together to fight back flood waters TREVOR COKLEY | TIMES
Hill-In-A-Hole mud races drew nearly 3,000 spectators to last year’s event at Kanabec County Fair. The race started in 2014.
Fair event will raise funds for autism research BY ALICIA CHAPMAN NEWS@MORAMINN.COM
ANNETTE KRIST | TIMES
Willow Greenberg tends to the flood waters that have reached her home. Many volunteers gathered to sandbag businesses and homes hit by the floods. BY SCOTT MCKINNEY NEWS@MORAMINN.COM
Torrential rainfalls early last week resulted in major damage across East Central Minnesota, flooded roads and streets in Kanabec County – and an impressive community response. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network website estimated that 6 ½ inches of rain fell across Kanabec County between Monday and Tuesday, July 11 and 12. “Depending on where you were in the county, I heard that any-
where from five to 11 inches of rain fell,” said Kathy Burski, Health and Human Services Quality/Emergency Manager for Kanabec County. “North and east of us, in Aitkin and Pine counties, they got hit very hard.” The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced on Wednesday, July 13, that State Highway 65 would close south of Mora near the Ann Lake Bridge. The next day MnDOT announced that State Highway 70 would also close near the Rice Creek bridge. Highway 65 reopened on Friday,
July 15, while Highway 70 remained closed as of Monday, July 18. Other area highways remain closed; most notably CSAH 14 (Fish Lake Road) which remains severely flooded, as well as CSAH 24, CSAH 5, CR 77, and Plum Street at Mud Creek (as of publication time). “The water started to rise on Tuesday night,” Burski said. “In a fourhour time frame, it was amazing how much the lake and river levels came up. In the middle of the night, they had to put up road closures. The SEE FLOODS, PAGE 5
Mora Enduro events postponed due to flooding BY RACHEL SCHMELTZER NEWS@MORAMINN.COM
The 59th annual Mora Enduro and 3rd annual Family Enduro are coming up the weekend of July 30-31 (originally scheduled for July 23-24 but postponed due to recent flooding). These events are held north of Mora in the Snake River State Forest, with miles of well-maintained trails. It is the longest running Enduro in the state of Minnesota, and the main event is known to be one of the most arduous in the state. One hundred and ten riders competed last year, with only 56 completing the course.
An Enduro is a widely popular offroad dirt biking experience. They involve challenges and obstacles throughout the course. A time-card Enduro means riders have to reach certain marked checkpoints at a specific time. Riders typically begin in rows or groups, staggering the time they leave to reduce traffic. There are people at each checkpoint recording rider times, and penalty points are given for being too early or too late. At the end of the race the points are added up, and the person with the least penalties wins the trophy. The Mora Enduro consists of two separate events. The main event is for experienced riders. It is Sun-
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day, July 31, at 9 a.m., with signups beginning at 7 a.m. The entry fee is $40. It consists of one 60-mile loop (45 miles for C riders). This course is for those up to the challenge of serious off-roading. One of the reasons it’s so difficult is because “The trail sections are fairly long and intense. There is really not a break or let up of riding the terrain intensity. Just about the time you find your riding rhythm and pace, you are thrown into a whole different terrain and style,” stated trail boss, Rex Greenwald. However, it’s not nearly as tough as it used to be. Rex and his
The Kanabec County Fair takes place Wednesday through Sunday, July 27 through 31, at the fairgrounds in Mora with plenty of activities for fairgoers of all ages to partake in. A favorite of the fair last year, the Mud Rhythm “Hill in the Hole” mud race will return this year. Two years ago, Mud Rhythm kicked off its Hill in the Hole Mud Races event at the fair, drawing a decent crowd but after last year’s race drew nearly 3,000 spectators, the group decided to expand the event. This year, the races have been made into a four-part race series with 1 percent of the race proceeds going towards the Autism Society of Minnesota. The series was started to bring talented, professional and passionate people together to grow the sport of mud racing and benefit all parties involved. The first race of the season was held June 10 at Ogilvie Raceway, with over $800 raised for autism research. The second race was held July 16 at Aitkin Fairgrounds. The next race is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 29 at the Kanabec County Fair Grandstand. The final race of the series will be held Sept. 3 at Howie’s Mud Bog. Once Mud Rhythm said they wanted to donate a percentage of their race proceeds, some of their sponsors also joined in. For the Ogilvie race, Minnesota Truck Headquarters donated 20 cents for every ticket sold. They upped that to 50 cents for every ticket sold at the Aitkin race. The group is hoping for over 3,000 spectators at the event during the Kanabec County Fair, which could net a good donation for Autism Society of Minnesota. Grandstand events for the rest of the fair include RedNeck Beater Races on Thursday and Heartland Truck Pullers on Saturday. A new Grandstand event this year will be the Kids Activities from 12-4 p.m. on Sunday. This year’s fair will also have a Kids Tractor Pedal Pull on Thursday, square dancing on Friday, and Pine Derby races on Saturday. The Beer Garden will be hosting 340 Magnum, Dirt Road Dixie and The Groove. For a full schedule, see Page 19.
SEE ENDURO, PAGE 6
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