The event is free and takes place all over Annandale.  So grab your favorite spoon and head to town this Saturday, May 28th.

INFORMATION:

Chamber’s 9th Annual Chili Cook-Off  will be held this Saturday, May 28th, throughout Annandale. Visit the booths at City Hall Square, and other participating business downtown and along Highway 55, to sample their chili from 12-3 p.m. Then cast your vote at City Hall Square for the People’s Choice Award. We won Judge’s Choice in 2010!

I know many are wondering the same thing…well, I know most towns have banners hanging from their light poles distinguishing one district or area from the next and welcoming visitors, but in A-Town things are “special.”

It gets pretty blah brown this time of the year.  No longer do wreathes decorate the town, or garland hang from the canopies.  It’s not quite time for the American Flag, I think that will go up after Memorial day, meanwhile unfortunately the city’s gorgeous hanging flower pots have been eliminated (thank you economy bust).

Consequently, Discover Downtown with the financial support of the Annandale Improvement Club members wanted to do something to show that there is good energy in the historic district and people who care, so we quickly proposed adding some colored flags to the light poles.  Why not just put the old banners up?  Well, that’s complicated and a sensitive issue.

Honestly, I don’t even want to go there…

Basically, upon hearing some complaints about how difficult the banner brackets are to insert, and how some have taken the paint off the poles, we decided to work with the city employees and use the system of flags they prefer.

We were limited to specific size and our color options were pretty limited if we wanted fast turn around- we went with blue because it reminded us of water and the lakes.  I know we won’t make everyone happy, but if you’re asking the question, your noticing something new and hopefully so are the folks driving by, deciding to get out of the car, and see all that this unique area has to offer.

Stay tuned, because summer is just around the corner and that means exciting things are going to start happening here in the Heart of the Lakes!

Want to know more?  Want to make a difference in your local community?

You don’t have to own a business to become a member, we encourage and welcome participation from all Annandale folks.

Volunteer information is on our homepage-www.downtownannandale.org, we’d love to hear from you.

It’s that time of the year again.  Monarch butterflies are heading South on an incredible multi-generational trek from Minnesota to Mexico.

All morning I sat and watched the amazing flight of several dozen monarch butterflies who appeared to be enjoying the festive morning farmers market and sounds.  Meanwhile, this Saturday Annandale Farmers market guests and vendors and butterflies were treated to a magical soundtrack of lovely live harp music.

Days like today, surrounded by good music, good food, and a awe inspiring Nature are like jeweled memories.   I will hold these in my pockets through our harsh winter until next season; when the miracles of the Monarch will happen all over again.

To learn more about Monarch butterflies and their activity and health, check out the Drake University website: Save the Monarch.

The new facelift and vibrancy they have given the town is just amazing!  Kudos to business owners who are taking an initiative and beautifying downtown Annandale.  I can’t believe what a few cans of paint or stain, or color for that matter can do.

Cheers!

Every Saturday from eight a.m. to noon you can find Lemke’s Havarti, Gouda, Smoked Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Cheddar, and Mozzarella for around $10 per pound.  We’ll have free samples of most cheeses so you can try it out before you buy.

Here’s some info about Farmer Lemke and his cheesy business.  :)

After retiring from being a chemist and managing a research group for Cargill, Daniel Lemke decided to follow his dream of becoming a dairy farmer and making quality cheese.

Lemke and his family moved from Pennsylvania to a farm northwest of Cokato in 2001.

He decided to follow the adage, “Choose what you like,” which in this case, was eating, specifically, natural products like cheese and ice cream.

Not only does Lemke enjoy eating, but he enjoys the science of food – quality-tasting food that is, he said.

Since cheese is very difficult to process, Lemke decided he was up for the challenge.

In order to make good cheese, one needs quality dairy cows. Lemke currently has around 25 Brown Swiss Holsteins, that are 100 percent pastured on a rotational grazing system.

Lemke insists the best cheeses are made from Brown Swiss Holsteins, especially if they are grazed and grass-fed cows.

David Nyquist has been instrumental with herd management, which Lemke finds essential to his operation.

Lemke also found the finest tradesmen in the area to do the extensive design work for the building where he makes the cheese, he said.

“The building has a lot of technology specifically to make the finest of cheeses,” Lemke said.

With a background in chemistry, making cheese uses much of the knowledge Lemke already has, but for more specifics, he consulted with some of the master cheese makers, he said.

He also gives credit to his wife, Janelle.

“My wife is my inspiration,” Lemke said. “She inspires me to run the race,” he added.

With Lemke focusing on aged cheese, quality cheese takes time, he said.

Since aged cheese is lower in fat, Lemke needed an outlet for cream. He decided to use the extra cream to make ice cream.

Sunny Road is the name of his business. Lemke thought it went well with the name of his farm, Morning Star. Sunny Road is derived from the hymn song “Stepping in the Light,” combined with the farm’s name, which is derived from the proverb, “The path of righteous is like the gleam of dawn,” according to Lemke.

“The morning star is sometimes referred to as the ‘first gleam of dawn,’” he explained.

Lemke considers this venture as a platform to do God’s work.

“How many people do you think I will talk to? A lot,” Lemke said, explaining he is not in this for the money. If anything, he hopes to just break even and maybe in the process, make some award-winning cheeses.

Lemke makes ice cream from all- natural products including cane sugar, Holland cocoa, Madagascar vanilla, as well as all natural flavors.

Aside from ice cream, Lemke makes Italian ice, which uses non-dairy products and is popular in Europe, he said.

For more information about Sunny Road products, contact Daniel or Janelle Lemke at (320) 275-0168.

The band, led by longtime director Ken Rudolph, played a selection of its signature marches and concert band music starting at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12, in Annandale Municipal Park.

The second concert this month will feature singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Marienne Kreitlow of Howard Lake on Friday, June 26, performing mostly original songs, including a few about one of her favorite things, garlic.

The series of six concerts is sponsored by the Arts Committee of the Annandale Area Community Team and paid for by fundraising events.

As in past seasons, the concerts will all begin at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays in June, July and August.

They’ll be presented on the city’s portable stage at the north end of Oak Avenue, or Main Street, alongside the park and the shores of Pleasant Lake.

The community band opened the series’ first season in 2005 and three others since then and has performed every year for appreciative listeners.

The Annandale Farmers Market is now open!  Every Saturday, from 8 a.m. to Noon the centrally located downtown Farmers Market is ready for business.  The market is located in the heart of downtown, off Oak Avenue near the library and city hall in City Hall Square.  Parking is available on Oak Avenue aka Main Street or in the St. Ignatius Catholic church parking lot.

This year marks the second season of the downtown Farmers Market.  New at the market this season is the Farmers Market General Store which will showcase local products such as, honey, canvas bags with the market logo, hats, visors, plants, syrup, etc…  Also, this year the Annandale Arts & Culture committee is sponsoring “Music at the Market.”  Once a month, special musicians will play for patrons of the market.  We hope to demo more cooking this year at the market too!  Stay tuned for updates and announcements!

This year we have a variety of quality vendors, some which you might recognize from last season.  At the market for 2009 look for:

Artisan breads, scones, and caramel rolls from Garrett of Diamond City Bread!

Papa Tom’s of Lake Sylvia is back with his world famous sticky buns and fresh cookies!

Basic Care and Kim Gregoire is the person to turn to for any of your natural bath needs, and she is such a wise woman!

Organic produce is available from George Martin & Mary Heinz.

Fairhaven farm will be selling scones, pies, jams, syrups, apples, and berries again this year.

Denny & Julie will provide beautiful produce again this year (see pictures below, that’s their cabbage & tomatoes-yummy!).

New at the market this year is Leslie & Janelle Hoffman selling farm fresh eggs from happy hens, and homemade dog biscuits and pies.

Back again with those magic fingers is massage therapist Lori who is offering chair massage.  

Hollie Dagner will be offering make-overs and chemical free mineral make-up again this year.

Come and check out your local Farmers Market in downtown  Annandale!  Thanks for supporting local businesses.

Here is a recent article from the Annandale Advocate:

ACT plans ‘re-visioning’ get-together Tuesday, July 29, 2008 By Chuck Sterling Circle Thursday, Aug. 21, on your calendar, Laura Hood Beckman says, and when you have dinner, leave room for a piece of pie.  Beckman chairs the Annandale Area Community Team, and it’s having a “re-visioning” session from 6:30 to 8:30 that night at the Annandale Municipal Park pavilion.  ’It’s going to be a pie social,” she said. “There will be complimentary pie and lemonade or coffee for those who attend.”  The meeting will take place exactly five years to the day that ACT first invited community residents to a “visioning” session to suggest improvement projects to make the Annandale area better than it is.  This time the group hopes to expand interest and volunteers in existing projects that developed out of the first session as well as identify new initiatives.  ACT grew out of leadership training for about 20 area volunteers under the Healthy Communities Partnership Program of the Initiative Foundation of Little Falls.  About 120 people attended the original visioning event, Beckman said. “That’s our goal, and if we can exceed that goal that’s wonderful.”  She pointed out the community covers the whole Annandale School District including Annandale, South Haven and the rural areas around them up to Clearwater.  Nadine Schnettler, a professional facilitator with the Initiative Foundation, will conduct the re-visioning.  ”It is very important for a community to take the time to, every five years, look at where things are and where they’d like them to go,” Beckman said.  Things change. “Our community is different than it was five years ago.”  Not many communities take the time to have a grass-roots gathering of citizens to discuss what their priorities are, she said. “So this is pretty special.”  Visioning sessions are also an opportunity for people to weigh in on what’s important to them and what areas they’re interested in participating in, she said.  ”We’re going to spend a little bit of time celebrating all of the accomplishments of the last five years.”   An information display will show the progress made including the purchase of a portable performance stage, establishment of a summer concert series and ongoing efforts toward a community center, trail system and skateboard park.  Beckman said she hopes the session will expand the interest in and the number of volunteers working on existing projects.  ”Re-energize” is a good way to describe it, she said.  She expects some new initiatives will emerge as well, but ACT will “absolutely not” abandon the old ones.  What new projects come out of the session is up to the community, Beckman said.  ACT invites ideas for new initiatives and people interested in working on them, she said, referring to “new ideas and the people power” to achieve them.  ”We have such a rich tradition of working together and volunteering to make things better, and this is a byproduct of that.”  Beckman listed the purchase of the portable stage by ACT’s Arts and Culture Committee in 2004 as “a huge accomplishment.” The stage, bought with donations raised by the committee and turned over to the city, continues to be used for area events.  Creation of the Annandale Area Chamber of Commerce’s Art Crawl each October has been important for the area, she said.   ”It also really showcases area artists and gives people the opportunity to visit them and see their art.”  Arts available  The series of free Friday night concerts in the park now in its fourth season “makes arts and culture available to everybody,” Beckman said.  A grass-roots effort by area youth established the skateboard park group, but new volunteers are needed, she said.  Seed money the group received from an Initiative Foundation grant is still available to help build a park if and when land is found.  ”The community center (committee) is working toward their goal,” Beckman said.  That project was the most popular and ambitious to emerge from the first visioning session.  The committee’s goal is to have something built or in the process of being built within the next 10 years, according to the members.  But two obstacles it will have to overcome are the need for land, which is scarce, and money, which will likely amount to millions of dollars.  The Heart of the Lakes Trails Committee has secured a state grant to establish a walking-biking trail along County Road 38, the extension of West Harrison Street, out to Southbrook, she said.  ”The time is right and it’s ripe to invest in those trails.”   People need to tell county and state leaders they want to see more trails for health, safety and economic reasons, Beckman said.

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This is too bad, but without the Chamber’s help with this event, I can not see it attaining success.

Hopefully, we can work out a partnership some time in the future.