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VOL. 18 NO. 4 www.readthecitizen.com $1.00
CENTERVILLE: Unrest leads to ordinance discussion PAGES 3
Lions Park: First look at refined concept
Love finds a way for 50th anniversary celebration Getting Frisbees and paper airplanes thrown at you outside the church where you were married is not the usual way for anniversary celebrations to go, but that is exactly how John and Peggy Parenteau of White Bear Lake celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The Parenteaus had originally planned a party with 250 guests for the occasion, but the risks of COVID-19 put a dent in this long-awaited plan. Instead, Peggy’s lifelong friend and sister-in-law Mary Parenteau, with the help of John and Peggy’s daughter, came up with a different kind of celebration—a drive-by anniversary. Guests were invited to drive past the gathering to shout their congratulations and toss their well wishes written on pop-open Frisbees and folded paper planes. Father Frank Talbot was able to provide a blessing, both in the Parenteaus’ driveway near the church and later at the drive-by celebration. “I felt just blessed we were able to see all these people and go out with our family, to go to church together,” Peggy said. “I know so many people that have gotten their 50th anniversary blessed via the computer, or have somebody sick so they can’t even go get it. We feel lucky we’re healthy and be able to do as much as we did.” Following the celebration, the Parenteaus were able to share a special dinner with their children, grandchildren and one greatgrandchild at Tinucci’s Restaurant in
Newport. John and Peggy first met at a hockey game at Aldrich Arena in 1967, when Peggy was a senior in high school and John was newly graduated. “Her best friend was going with my brother,” John said. “That was where we kind of caught sight of each other.” The pair ended up going to Jerry’s Drive-In on White Bear Avenue together, and hit it off. They were already engaged when John deployed to Vietnam with the U.S. Air Force. From May of 1968, the pair sent letters back and forth while Peggy planned the wedding for March 1971. They were able to visit each other in Hawaii in October 1970, and learned just a few weeks later that John was being sent home early—American forces were being withdrawn from Vietnam under President Richard Nixon. The Parenteaus’ wedding ended up being abruptly shifted three months sooner, but with a little creative thinking and help from friends and family, the wedding took place on Jan. 23, 1971. Peggy recalled every detail of the day: they were married at the church at 10:30 in the morning, followed by a family meal at the parish center. Then, off to Como Conservatory for wedding photos, and a reception at the Rod and Gun Club. A week later, John and Peggy were in Alexandria, Louisiana, where John was stationed at the England Air Force base. After four years of service were up, the Parenteaus returned to White Bear Lake. Eleven years later,
HUGO — A refined design for Lions Park has been presented to the City Council. It may come with a $7 million price tag. The City Council has approved the design for the park and pavilion. Last fall, three stakeholder committees were formed to design the playground, pavilion and overall site. Each of the committees met at least three times to discuss priorities and develop a design concept. Matt Lysne, of HCM Architects, and Candace Amberg, of WSB, presented the results of those stakeholder committee groups to the council Feb. 1. The pavilion, which is estimated to cost roughly $2.8 million, would include a large community gathering room, covered picnic shelter, large and small meeting rooms, indoor and outdoor restrooms, storage space and a concession area with an outside service window. The building would have a modern look designed to blend in well with City Hall. Council Member Becky Petryk said, “I was envisioning a much more traditional building with a nod to our rural character … I’m surprised by the very modern take of the building.” Council Member Mike Miron said he agreed that the design was not what he was expecting. “The pavilion design is different than what I expected it to be, but that doesn’t make it wrong or undesirable; it just isn’t what I had in mind,” he said. “But it has been vetted through the steering committee and Parks Commission, so I trust their judgment.” Council Member Phil Klein added, “I know this is a new look, a new vision, but in some respects I kind of like it. I think it will be helpful to have some new design to show the forward thinking of our community as we continue to grow.” The rest of the park will feature an inclusive playground, trails, green space, fire pit, different kinds of seating and more. The design also includes space for a double pickleball court, half basketball court and a tennis court. The park improvements are estimated to cost $4.2 million, not including the $278,000 estimate for the development of the sport court area. “We wanted to create a lot of opportunities to support the great park activities as well as what may be going on in the building,” Amberg explained. The current play structure, which was replaced in 2018, will be relocated. At one point, the Parks Commission discussed relocating the equipment to Beaver Ponds Park, which is next on the list for replacements. Miron, who sat on the playground stakeholder committee, said the group’s focus was on the playground space. “We wanted to have multiple areas for children to be able to play and grow in the park. The park can grow with them as they develop,” he explained. “We wanted families to feel safe and comfortable here, have places where they can supervise and watch
PHOTOS BY PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The couple hugs after a brief ceremony conducted by St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church Pastor Ralph Talbot.
John entered the Air Force Reserve, and was enlisted for another 22 years. In all that time, John and Peggy have learned a few things about how to strike the right balance in a marriage of 50 years. “She has things she likes to do, I have things I like to do,” John said. “But then we have things that we enjoy doing together. She lets me go my way, I let her go her way. It’s just been a nice balance.” “I’m very talkative and he’s real quiet, but the more we’re married, you just appreciate you’re each other’s balance,” Peggy said. “We laugh a lot and have a good time. Don’t stop dating and don’t stop holding hands.” Both expressed their gratitude to their friends and family, showing up to support them even in a difficult time. “We were just glad we could do something, even if it was scaled down,” Peggy said. See more photos online at presspubs.com.
SEE LIONS PARK, PAGE 3
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