Anyone with young children, make sure to come out and visit Santa at the Early Childhood and Family Education Center out at the high school Saturday morning from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Who knows, they may get their photo in the newspaper!
Monthly Archive for November, 2007
In this age of convenience and excess, I am wondering if small, locally owned business owners can survive. With the hardware store closing in Dassel and the grocery store closing in Howard Lake, will our overly busy lives and schedules eclipse the “overall picture” — are we too wrapped up in our own worlds to care about keeping the pieces of our former towns together? It takes six weeks to form a habit, and consumer studies have shown that people will shop where they are used to going. If you bothered to check out the deals at the small shops, you’d find that many of the items they have for sale are comparable, especially when you take into account gas money.
One other thought: you can’t be a small retail business owner and be active in city council any longer. It will cost you your livelihood, as Gerry Smith, the former mayor of Howard Lake, found out. This is a huge resource of active people who have been cut out of the public service equation.
I saw a vehicle heading south on Wright County Road 3 from Cokato this morning that was a real day brightener. It had a penguin wearing a Santa cap attached to the front grill. It never ceases to amaze me at the imagination and creativity people have.
I recently got out my Christmas decorations including my 3-foot tree (it’s a big one). Packed away was my Christmas CDs – you can’t decorate for the holidays without some Christmas music. Among my collection is Jewel’s “Joy: A Holiday Collection,” Sarah Mclachlan’s “Wintersong,” Frank Sinatra, and a collection of the Christmas classics like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Other recommendations are Kenny G, Amy Grant, and Manaheim Steamrollers. What other good Christmas albums are out there?
The Wright County Board heard a report from Katie Zintek of the U of M Extension Service this morning indicating that the 4-H program in Wright County is going strong.
Zirtek said Wright County 4-H enrollment reached 531 members in the 2006-2007 program year, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. Zirtek said both the total membership and the number of new members have grown over the past three years, and she attributes this to factors including state support, the level of volunteer committment, and the variety of programs offered in the 22 4-H clubs throughout the county. Board Chair Jack Russek said he was impressed by the growth of the program, particularly in view of competition from youth sports, which can require a significant committment of time by participants.
Check out the interior of Cokato Licensing, formerly Howard E. Morris Agency, in Cokato. Over the weekend it was remodeled. It looks completely different. There are four modules where licenses are processed. New owners Ramona and Steve Strolberg are hosting an open house Friday, Dec. 7 so you can have refreshments while you look over the new digs. The full story about the new owners will be in the Dec, 3 Enterprise Dispatch.
The Des Moines Register reported that the Iowa Department of Revenue has hit upon a new way to squeeze money out of taxpayers.
Apparently, these dedicated public servants discovered that some people are buying pumpkins not to eat, but to use as decorations.
This shocking revelation set them to thinking. Pumpkins, as a food item, were not subject to state sales tax. On the other hand, if they are used as a decoration, rather than as an edible squash, they must be taxable. The department adopted a new policy and began taxing pumpkins if they are advertised for use as jack-o’-lanterns or decorations.
If an Iowan wishes to eat a pumkin, as in a pumpkin pie or other seasonal treat, he can avoid paying sales tax – if he fills out an Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate form. Pumpkins purchased with food stamps are also exempt from the tax.
I have not checked Minnesota tax law pertaining to this issue, but this state never misses an opportunity to raise a tax, so if Minnesota is not already taxing pumpkin sales, the Minnesota Department of Revenue will not doubt leap on the bandwagon as soon as it gets wind of the Iowa decision.
There are millions of people in this country who pay no tax at all. There are loopholes in the tax code big enough to drive a bus through which allow corporations to avoid certain taxes. But, apparently, at least in Iowa, tax officials have nothing better to do than burden growers and retailers by forcing them to detemine if consumers plan to eat a pumpkin or carve a face on it and set it on their porch.
There has been no report indicating whether or not pumpkin owners will be eligible for a tax refund when vandals steal their pumpkins and smash them in the street.
The folks in Boston had a party to protest tariffs on tea. Maybe the good people of Des Moines will be staging a pumpkin party some day soon.
The engineers from Bolton & Menk, who are designing Dassel’s new water tower, are asking for suggestions from the city council and residents on what to paint on the tank. The city has an official logo including the name “Dassel,” with some pine trees and a lake next to it. I like the red rooster the city uses to represent Red Rooster Days. Minnesota has such long winters, that looking at the bright red rooster on the tower will be a relief from all the drab, gray, beige days we get.
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