LOCAL BRIEFS

A candlelight ski event is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Saturday at Father Hennepin State Park near Isle.

Skiers will start at the Lakeview shelter and have the option of skiing a one-mile or 1.5-mile loop. Refreshments are available in the shelter and ski rentals are available at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park near Onamia.

A Minnesota state park vehicle permit is required for entry into the park and a Minnesota Ski Pass is required for those age 16 and older. Both may be purchased the night of the event at the shelter.

Nisswa Garden Club to meet

NISSWA - The Nisswa Garden Club will meet Feb. 25 at the Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa.

Social hour begins at noon with a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. followed by the business meeting and program.

Debra Keiser, who is affiliated with Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud, will present the program on roses. Call Jan at 568-6116 for reservations.

Coordinator for the meeting is Jim Sherwood. Hostesses are Betty Hornung and Joan Weston.

Go to www.nisswagardenclub.org for information on the club.

Hackensack Lions support Faith in Action

The Hackensack Lions Club recently donated $300 to Faith in Action for Cass County.

Faith in Action volunteers give rides, build ramps and give hope to many who want to remain living independently in their own homes. They offer rides to the food shelf, doctor and grocery store and assist with difficult tasks and lend a hand in times of crisis.

For more information about Faith in Action, call (218) 675-5435 or (866) 675-5435 or go to www.faithinactioncass.com.

Staples Library grand opening set Feb. 25-27

STAPLES - The Staples Public Library grand opening will kick off at 2 p.m. Feb. 25 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new library at 122 6th St. N.E., Staples.

Ribbon-cutting guests will include Staples mayor Chris Etzler, Staples Friends of the Library president Gloria Palmer, Great River Regional Library director Kirsty Smith and State Librarian Suzanne Miller. Everyone is invited to join in the celebration that will include library tours and refreshments.

The grand opening will run for three days with special programming beginning at 6:30-7:15 p.m. Feb. 25 with a Wizard School. Children of all ages are invited to attend a fun Wizard School program funded by the Friends of the Library.

For more information on grand opening activities, contact the Staples Public Library at GRRL's Web site at www.griver.org.

New DNR license-buying system goes online

Those who buy their hunting, fishing and other DNR licenses at retail outlets will soon do so via a new electronic licensing system.

Effective Thursday, DNR retail license sales will be available on new touch-screen terminals that allow sales clerks to be more efficient when inputting data and outputting licenses. In addition to the new terminals:

• Later this year, the transaction fee for resident licenses that do not require a registration tag and are purchased from the DNR's Web site will drop from $3.50 to 3 percent of the cost of the license, plus a $1 agent fee. The transaction fee for a resident annual fishing license, for example, will be only 54 cents. That's likely less than it would cost to drive to a license vendor.

• Possessing a Minnesota driver's license or State of Minnesota identification card will be mandatory for adults age 21 or older to purchase a resident license.