LOCAL BRIEFS

Heartland Hospice of Brainerd coordinated an adventure for two local women - for an adventure of a lifetime on the cool waters of Lake Mille Lacs.

Heartland Hospice of Brainerd partnered with Dennis and Cathy Hofmeister, owners of St. Alban's Resort, for an afternoon of fishing, fun, food and fellowship.

On a sunny afternoon, the launch departed from St. Alban's Bay, with Captain Dennis at the helm. Accompanying the ladies were 24 family members and friends. Fifteen of the fish caught were keepers, but more importantly, Karen Wiser and Ruth Swanson spent a cherished afternoon with their families.

Those interested in volunteering for Heartland Hospice may call 829-1252.

Bus trip scheduled around Mille Lacs

GARRISON - "Ancient Mille Lacs: A Circle Tour" bus trip is scheduled from 1-5 p.m. Oct. 25.

The bus stops at archaeological sites and geological features around Mille Lacs. The trip is sponsored by Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Management Group and Mille Lacs Kathio State Park.

The tour is free but registration is required. The tour will leave at 1 p.m. from the Sha Bush Kung Bay public boat access located between Onamia and Garrison, just north of Grand Casino Mille Lacs on U.S. Highway 169.

To register, call Barbara Macioch at (320) 684-2170 and leave your name, phone number and number of people attending.

Wine tasting slated Oct. 23

AITKIN - The Northern Lights Wine Club will present a "Wines from Around the World" wine-tasting class at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Beanery Internet Cafe, 209 Minnesota Ave. N., in Aitkin.

Cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. A small assortment of appetizers will be served.

The class will compare and contrast wines, and students will discover the characteristics of grapes from around the world.

For more information, visit www.northern lightswine.com.

Educational workshop scheduled Oct. 30

This educational workshop "Invasive Species and Forest Health" is scheduled from 2-4:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.

This workshop is a Woodland Advisor elective class and is approved for continuing education hours for Master Gardeners and Woodland Advisors. The public is invited to attend. Cost is $20.

Woodland Advisor is a program of the Minnesota Forestry Association, the University of Minnesota Extension and the DNR Division of Forestry. Partial funding support is provided by the Forest Stewardship Program.

For more information on the workshop, contact Diomy Zamora at 828-2332 or zamor015@umn.edu or visit http://cfc.cfans.umn.edu/wa/. To register for the class, contact Sue Crotty at (888) 241-0720 or crott012@umn.edu. Pre-registration is required.

Nisswa Garden Club to meet Oct. 23

NISSWA - The Nisswa Garden Club will meet Oct. 23 at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa.

Speaker Jane Kimball of Blue Heron Gardenworks will present the program titled "Hosta-less shade gardening." The meeting will begin at noon with registration, lunch, a short business meeting and the program.

Those interested in attending should call Marie at 963-7494 by noon Monday to make a reservation. Hosts will be Carol Alverson, Betty Nordlund and Alice Schmidt.

Five from area to compete in pageant

Five area dancers will compete in the Miss Dance Team Minnesota Pageant on Oct. 25 at Eastview High School in Apple Valley.

The dancers - Kelsey Villwock, Taylor Rozinka, Kayelee Gill Davidge, Brittney Schubert and Emily Holland - must perform a solo routine, demonstrate technical skills in a star five-point pattern and answer questions in an interview. More than 60 dancers are entered.

Great Pumpkin Festival Saturday in Brainerd

The second annual Great Pumpkin Festival is scheduled from 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Gregory Park in Brainerd.

All activities are free and include three-legged races, sack races, wheelbarrow races, pumpkin rolling, bobbing for apples, a hula-hoop contest, a water relay and a pie-eating contest.

Children will be divided into three groups: Ages 6 and under, 7 to 11 and 12 and older. Included in the events is a chance for parents or guardians to participate with their children.

Also scheduled are youth and adult pie-eating contests and a pie-throwing contest featuring pastors from area churches.

A drawing will be held for free pumpkins. Also, Crossing Arts Alliance/Flip Side will provide a haunted house, mask-making and spooky food.

Children must be accompanied by a family member age 18 or older.

Food will include Wendy's chili, Giovanni's pizza, hot dogs, polish sausage, cookies, Sloppy Joe's, caramel apples, hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee and pop.

The event is sponsored by the Brainerd Parks and Recreation Department, Brainerd Kiwanis Club, Crossing Arts Alliance/Flip Side, Winner's Trophy & Engraving, Baxter Wal-Mart, Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, Giovanni's Pizza and the Central Lakes College men's basketball team.

For more information, call the Brainerd Parks and Recreation Department at 828-2320.

Crosslake official to share stories

Ken Anderson, community development director for the city of Crosslake, will share his challenges and stories at the Tuesday meeting of the Pine River Watershed Alliance.

Anderson's half-hour presentation begins at 7 p.m. at the Ideal Town Hall, located behind the fire station on Crow Wing County Road 16 in Ideal Corners.

"I look forward to discussing the issues surrounding the diverse challenges of running a planning and zoning department at a time when we have so many pressures to respond to residential and commercial growth opportunities, protect our natural resources, and at the same time, be much more efficient with our increasingly limited property tax and fee revenues," Anderson said.

Following the presentation, visitors and guests are welcome to stay for the regular meeting of the PRWA.

For more on the PRWA or attending its meetings, contact Ron Meyer at prwater shed@crosslake.net or (218) 692-1020.

Civilian handgun certification offered

Central Lakes College is offering a certification class from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 for individuals applying for the civilian handgun permit.

This course meets certification standards for State of Minnesota legislation on carry and conceal. Participants must show experience with handguns through a previous handgun permit, completion of an NRA course, DNR course, law enforcement courses/experience or military experience.

This course will consist of 3.5 hours of classroom information and 4.5 hours on firearm certification at a shooting range. The lab will consist of 100 rounds of practice. Only unaltered firearms in original configuration can be used for the certification process.

Participants must supply their firearm, 100 rounds of ammunition, a holster, hat/cap, ear protection, safety glasses and rain gear (optional).

The fee is $85, including textbook ("Basic Personal Protection in the Home"). The course is conducted on the Brainerd campus and at the Crow Wing County firing range.

Deadline to register is Friday. Payment is required at the time of registration.

For information or to register, call (800) 933-0346, ext. 8142, or (218) 855-8142.

Abortion is topic Sunday in Walker

Shelly Stone, coordinator of Rachel's Vineyard, a healing retreat for women and men who have experienced abortion in their lives, will speak about abortion at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Agnes Church, 210 Division St. S. Walker.

For more information, contact Beth at (218) 547-0481 or bohannon.beth@ yahoo.com.