Tina and Lena bring funny to Founders Day festivities

The community of Northwood will once again celebrate its heritage with the annual Founders Day festivities on Saturday, September 11. Included in the Founders Day fun will be a performance by a unique comedy act, known as Tina and Lena. A Tina and Lena show includes the following: spirited antics and gestures; clever to cornball comedy; a rich blend of musical harmony; contagious, jovial laughter; a celebration of the audience; and an engaging variety show. The comedy duo, “polished to mediocre Midwestern perfection,” perform over 100 times a year, at corporate banquets and conventions, fairs, festivals, concerts and theatres, as well as motivational presentations for educational and business functions. Tina and Lena celebrated 25 years of humor and harmony in 2009. Anette “Lena” Hustad has degrees in Music Therapy and Music Education. She taught K-12 music for 10 years and served on her local school board for 12 years. She lives in Glenwood, Minnesota, with husband Grant. They have four daughters, four “sons-in-love” and three granddaughters. Susan “Tina” Edwards taught K-12 Physical Education and Elementary Music and coached. She has also worked in radio and advertising for 15 years. Susan and her husband Allen live in Alexandria, Minnesota. They have five children, one “son-in-love,” a “daughter-in-love” and three granddaughters. Annette and Sue were high school classmates in Canby, Minnesota. In addition to their full time careers as “Tina and Lena,” they are very active in their churches and communities. They will be very active in the Northwood Community on Founders Day, as they bring their blend of comedy, musical harmony and spirited antics to the town. Other entertainment scheduled for Founders Day includes the return of magician Robert Swan and "The Old Time Magical Mystery Fun Show." Swan is a show business veteran of more than 40 years.  His show is described as one of the last touring vaudeville type stage shows that are still performing in small towns. The Old Time Magical Mystery Fun Show is a variety of magic and illusion, with a fine mix of music and dialogue, using live ducks, doves and a canary, and, of course, the conventional magic staple, the rabbit. Swan's act also includes an amazing demonstration of mind reading. Audience participation is also a big part of the show, with children and adults tak­ing part. Swan will perform his magical show beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in Northwood. Tina and Lena will bring the funny at 1 p.m. Other Founders Day activities include an omelet breakfast; the Aristocrats Classic Car Show; a chicken barbecue; the cemetery walk; museums, restaurants, stores and the Farmers Market; Norwegian goodies, root beer floats, cotton candy and mini donuts; street vendors; the Smiley Face Train; inflatables; a dodge ball tournament; a $1 movie; an All School celebration; and a sock hop. More information on Founders Day will be available in next week’s Northwood Anchor.

Council discusses property, attitudes

The Northwood City Council met last Tuesday for their regular meeting. Discussion centered on downtown properties, council attitudes and city services.

Downtown Properties

Discussion of downtown property included a request from Lisa Olson, owner of the old post office building. Olson addressed the council about concerns she has over water damage being caused by the neighboring building, commonly referred to as the Evans building. Olson described the damage, as well as handing out a contractor’s assessment of damage and showing pictures of a portion of the wall in her building that showed a result of the water damage. Olson said that her family has been working to repair the building, including a roof put on last year. She said that they had hoped to have it open for Founders Day. However, she said that the water damage has prevented further progress inside. Olson asked the council if there was a remedy for the problem. The immediate response from the council came from councilor Jane Bloomingdale, who said that the Council should get a legal opinion about the building’s ownership and who is ultimately responsible for the damage to the old post office. Later in the meeting councilor John Podgorniak readdressed the topic, saying that while they wait for legal advice, the old post office may be increasingly damaged, and that since the city has condemned the building, the City should act in an emergency capacity to protect the wall from additional water damage. Councilor Deen asked Olson if there was insurance on the building to help pay for the costs of repairing the water damage. Olson said that she is insured, but she did not know if that would cover the damage being caused. Several short term fixes were discussed, including tarps and temporary walls. The issue of old post office roof access, to put those fixes in place, was mentioned. Olson said that she would allow access to the roof, if the contractor involved was properly insured. Bloomingdale said that the City still needed to get a legal opinion to cover their own liability, in addition to finding a contractor to put in place a temporary fix. City superintendent Craig Toft and Mayor Randy Severson were to seek out the legal and contractor opinions. In terms of the Evans building, the council discussed the lack of further action by Rick Rosenberg, the developer that had met with the council in the past about his plans to build at the site. Part of that discussion included a request for $130,000 from the city, which he indicated at the time, would be a deciding factor in whether or not he preceded with his plans. Rosenberg’s request was to be added to the agenda for discussion at the council’s next regular meeting, which would take place on Tuesday, September 14. Other properties discussed at the meeting included those owned by Tom Capranos. Severson informed the council that a potential buyer had contacted Capranos about purchasing the building known as the Opera House, located to the west of City Hall. While a potential sale may be in the works, the city’s action against Capranos remained in the court system, awaiting action by a judge. Regardless of the fate of the Opera House, Severson informed the Council that Capranos was still interested in giving the vacant prop­erties next to City Hall back to the City. Podgorniak said that if Capranos is looking to get rid of the Opera House property, by selling to either the city or to the private buyer, that the City should consider acquiring the property via eminent domain, for urban renewal. Podgorniak said that doing so would involve assessing the property at a fair market value, to be paid to Capranos. Going through that process to get the property would allow the City to move forward sooner, Podgorniak added. Deen said that she believed the city was proceeding down that path with the citation and resulting legal process that was underway in regards to the Opera House. Severson echoed Deen’s thoughts, but said that he would set up a council workshop to discuss the city’s plans for the properties. Fourth Street South Also discussed at the meeting were potential plans for Fourth Street South. Toft addressed the council about estimates he had received for replacement of a culvert under Fourth Street South. Toft had been asked by the council to research cost differences between putting metal or concrete culverts. Toft said that metal pipe would be about $2,800; while concrete would be $5,600. The labor costs involved would be $4,700, more or less. Toft said that concrete may last longer, but that he would prefer if the city went with metal pipe, as it requires the road to be closed for about a day, as opposed to an overnight closure for the installation of a concrete pipe. Culvert work would also include road patching costs of $5,000- 6,000, said Toft. The Council also discussed plans for Fourth Street as a whole. At the previous regular meeting of the council, Toft had shared an estimate of $143,750 for an asphalt overlay on Fourth Street South. The Council discussed a bond received last year as a funding source for that road. Bloomingdale questioned whether the road work should be undertaken when the Council had discussed a possible replacement of the Turtle Creek Bridge on Fourth Street South, which would require tearing up any road work that took place before that project. She suggested that it would make more sense to take on both projects at the same time. A past bridge inspection had found the bridge “structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.” In the past year, that led the Council to consider, but ultimately set aside, plans to replace the bridge. Podgorniak said that he would like to see a new, more in depth inspection of that bridge. Deen added that she would like to know how long the bridge could last as is, to compare to the needs and life of the proposed street overlay. Regular inspections of the city’s bridges occur every two years, with inspections set for 2011. Toft said that he will review the previous inspection before the next council meeting.
Council attitudes
At last Tuesday’s regular meeting, Severson addressed the council about the attitudes and interactions at meetings. Severson worried that the council’s attitudes were hindering their progress as a group. Severson said that he had seen council members walk away from meetings mad at each other, carrying their hurt feelings beyond the council room. Severson said that the Council meetings should be a place to argue and discuss, but to not take those feelings home. He said that those around the council table should not get mad at each other for their opinions, and that it was important to respect those differing opinions and listen to and look at all sides of the discussion. Severson said that he has seen the group dynamic falling away and that they need to work on teamwork, noting that they were all there for the same reason- to improve Northwood, to work together for the town of Northwood and for the people that elected them. Severson’s comments were met with applause from those in attendance at the meetings. Podgorniak suggested that the City Council should consider meeting with a professional mediator. He also suggested that it may help the council discussions if the council takes courses and workshops on parliamentary procedure. In other business at their regular meeting, the Northwood City Council were notified by Toft that new warning sirens and poles had been received and would be put in place in the coming weeks. They will be activated after they have been wired and other necessary equipment had been installed, and were updated about mosquito spraying. Toft informed the Council that over the course of this summer the city crew had sprayed 19 times and used 200 gal­lons of spray. Combined with last year, $12,000 of spray had been pur­chased. So far this year, $3,353 of spray had been used, with more likely to be purchased before the end of the year. Toft said that the cost of spraying would likely overreach the budgeted amount, and that the council may need to revisit the monthly fee to pay for costs of the service in the future. Learned that no response had been received from the contractor initially approved for work on the steps in front of city hall. The initial bid had expired and the City Council approved hiring the other contractor that turned in a bid on the project. Further discussed the possibility of building a windmill in the city. Potential benefits could include revenue or lower energy costs for the city, as well as potential benefits when it comes time for the city to renew its electric service franchise agreement. Approved a housing assistance award of $637.50.

Whites reunite school with bell
By JoAnn Lower

It was 1923 when the shiny, new bell began calling children to Bolan’s one-room school. But, years later, when the bell was removed for re-roofing of the schoolhouse, it was not reinstalled but sold at auction. This year, on September 18, at the Eighth Annual Bolan Fall Market, that wonderful old bell will again ring from atop Bolan’s newly remodeled Schoolhouse and Cultural Center. Fortunately, the bell had only traveled one mile south of Bolan where it was given to Art and JoAnn White, by Art’s uncle on their 25th wedding anniversary. Now, some 38 years later, the Whites have generously donated the bell back to the school, where it happily sits in its rightful place. Art and JoAnn live on the 160-acre White family farm south of Bolan. Art retired in 1992 and now rents the land to a nephew’s son. He smiled, “This way it’s still in the family.” Art, who builds fine furniture and strikingly beautiful clocks, was Bolan’s electrician, carpenter and plumber for decades. JoAnn, retired from raising a neighbor’s hogs, loves gardening. The fruits of her labors are so evident in the beauty of her flowers. The Whites’ positive attitudes, wonderful smiles and constant commitment to the betterment of our community make them an inspiration to us all. The couple has two sons and a daughter: Bruce, who resides in Grafton, Danny in Arizona and Jo Dee in Oregon. They are also proud grandparents of two granddaughters who live in Arizona. Plan to attend Bolan’s eighth annual Fall Market and the dedication of the 1923 Barton No. 2 school bell, to be rung by the Whites. “It has a beautiful tone,” JoAnn smiled. “It sounds like Big Ben.”

All aboard

The Northwood swimming pool opened its final weekend of aquatic fun last Thursday with pool games for children of all ages. That included competitions to see who could hold their breath the longest, which could dive for the most pennies, races and tests of diving board prowess. Seen to the left are a group of youngsters taking part in the paddle board race. Seen above is Mike Waller, attempting to perform the best diving board trick.

Highway 65 roadwork underway

Roadwork was scheduled to begin on Monday on Highway 65, or 10th Street South in Northwood on Monday. The Iowa Department of Transportation is resurfacing both directions of the street, from the south city limits to Central Avenue/ Highway 105. Lane restrictions, including the use of flaggers and a pilot car, will be in place throughout the construction. A 12-foot lane width restriction will also be in place. The roadwork is expected to be completed by Thursday, September 30, weather permitting.

Tractor ride back for Founders festivities

Next Saturday, the community of Northwood will celebrate its annual Founders Day events. That will include the return of the tractor ride that has been a part of past Founders Day festivities. Registration for the tractor ride will take place from 7 to 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, September 11. The ride will get underway at 8 a.m., departing from the Farmers State Bank parking lot. The 40 mile route will travel north into southern Minnesota, with a break at Faith Lutheran Church in London. The tractors will return to Northwood around 12 noon, in time for the chicken barbecue lunch. Registration in the tractor ride is $25, which includes lunch. For more information about the Founders Day tractor ride, contact Pam Olson at 845-2522.