It won't be long before you will be able to smell coffee brewing at the Starbucks in Faribault.

Work has moved along well this late summer and early fall. Very shortly the interior fit-up will take place. The building looks great and will serve the community well. Curbs are in, asphalt drive areas will be installed shortly, followed by signage and landscaping.

Everyone at Northfield Construction Company has done a fine job seeing that the project remains on schedule for the owner.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:06 AM | Link

 
This Sunday Northfield residents will once again have a chance to participate in CROP walk. This is a community based ecumenical event raising funds to help address needs for housing, medical care and hunger. Twenty-five percent of the funds raised stay in Northfield and seventy-five percent are used globally by Church World Services.

Two things are special for CROP walk this year. The first is that a significant portion of funds raised will go to assist victims of hurricane Katrina. There is a huge need for support in the southern part of the United States where Katrina caused so much damage. The second aspect of CROP walk this year is that the majority of the local CROP allocation will be used to support Health Finders Collaborative. Health Finders provides medical services to low-income and needs residents of Rice County and is currently operating in Little Prairie Methodist Church in rural Dundas.

The Northfield CRPO walk has set a goal of raising $30,000 this year. Many area businesses such as College City Beverage, Holden Farms, First National Bank, as well as Northfield Construction Company, have donated funds to CROP walk. Many area churches as well as college organizations have also supported CROP walk. The City of Northfield has officially proclaimed September 25th as CROP Walk Day and has also given financial support.

If you want to participate in this fun event and help raise funds for important human services, meet at 1:00PM at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Sumner Street this Sunday. CROP walk is for people of all ages and donations of all sizes are welcome.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:20 AM | Link

 
Ellen and I will be attending the Laura Baker Services GALA on October 8th. Having attended this event for several years now, I know it will be a great evening.

Laura Baker Services provides care for developmentally and mentally handicapped people. They have been a part of the Northfield community for years....well over 100, having started operations in 1897. The GALA event is their major fundraiser for the year. Tables are sold to community members and there will be a silent and live auction. I'm again donating a birdhouse that I made for the event. This one has a dormered 'annex' and a hand cut wood shingle roof complete with copper valleys.

Contact Laura Baker Services at 507-645-8866 if you are interested in attending the GALA and supporting a great organization doing important work.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:18 AM | Link

 
Last night Ellen and I, along with about 300 area residents, attended the Defeat of Jesse James Days ‘Joseph Lee Heywood Award Banquet’. The event was held at the Northfield American Legion where we were able to enjoy good food and good conversation. Defeat of Jesse James Days is one of the largest community events in Minnesota. With good weather, well over 100,000 people will visit Northfield during the event. We have everything from tractor pulls and classic car shows, to juried arts shows, to rodeos over the long weekend.

We were gathered last night to honor Gene Finger, this year’s recipient of the Joseph Lee Heywood Award, shown on the right in this photo along with long time Northfield resident Helen Albers.

The award is presented annually to someone that has worked hard to make our community and society better. Through his years of dedicated service in the Sertoma Club, Defeat of Jesse James Days committee work, and many other volunteer functions, Gene has worked to make Northfield a great place to live and raise a family. The community came out in force to honor Gene.

We were greeted at the door by the Defeat of Jesse James Days (DJJD) royalty, including Queen Sarah Larscheid. These young women will represent Northfield at various neighboring town festivals during the next year.

The DJJD junior royalty was also at the dinner, dressed appropriately and doing a great job greeting people.

Fred Rogers, Vice President and Treasure at Carleton College gave a brief history of Joseph Lee Heywood. While many of us long time Northfield residents know that Heywood protected the funds of the First National Bank with his life when the James Gang came to rob it, I always learn something new from historical talks. Fred Rogers told us that 459 banks across Canada and the US contributed $12,600 to the widow of Heywood. There was no Federal Deposit Corporation Insurance for bank funds at the time….when robbers stole from a bank the money was forever lost. The banks across the land honored Heywood’s heroic act at protecting the funds of the community by making this contribution to his widow. In today’s dollars, that would be the equivalent of slightly more than $1.5 million.

It was fun to gather with other community members and honor Gene Finger for his excellent community service. There are lots of other DJJD activities planned for the rest of the week….attend some of them if you can.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:07 AM | Link

 
Work has moved along very well on the Starbucks cafe we are building in Faribault.

In just a few short weeks we went from the foundation to having the walls erected, roof installed and stucco applied. We will soon install masonry brickwork, curbs, asphalt, doors, signage...and soon be serving coffee!

The building is not large...about 2,500 square feet, but it should make a very nice coffee shop.

Posted by Ray Cox at 11:18 AM | Link