Carlton News

Happy Independence Day. I hope folks will celebrate safely with family and friends now that most of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted.

About three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to have a get-together with family and friends to celebrate my 75th birthday and even enjoy a visit from my son and daughter-in-law from California. We ate a lot of food, took family pictures and played some lawn games, including molkky — a gift from the Lance Seboe family. Molkky, aka finska, is a popular Finnish game played with sticks (skittles). The outdoor lawn game was invented by a Finnish company, Lahden Paikka, in 1996. It can be played by people of all ages and skills. The word “molkky” does not have a meaning in the Finnish language. The inventors actually coined the term themselves.

It was fun for everyone who played.

A group of community members are still making plastic mats for the homeless out of clean plastic shopping bags, as featured in the Pine Knot News a few years ago. Volunteers started about three years ago, cutting plastic shopping bags into strips, rolling them into balls and crocheting the strips into mats. It takes about 700 bags to complete a mat about 6 feet long. The group meets at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Carlton on Tuesdays 9 to 11 a.m. Bring bag donations to Northwoods Credit Union in Moose Lake and Cloquet, and Bethesda Lutheran Church. Volunteers are invited to contact Mary Saarela, 218-393-2693, for more information.

It’s happening again. Mark your calendars for Carlton Daze, July 23-25. We’ll have a parade, softball, basketball, golf, crafts, a footrace, street dances, bingo, kids’ theater and more. If you have an event for the schedule, contact me at 218-310-6065 or email [email protected].

The Carlton VFW and Auxiliary will be accepting donations for the fifth annual garage sale through Sept. 8. The sale is set for Sept. 10-11 at the Four Seasons complex. Donations are needed (no clothing). Call Linda Kaehler at 218-428-0496.

The Carlton VFW customer appreciation day is July 17. There will be a band, door prizes, raffles, food and a gun raffle.

The Honey Bee Festival is coming to the Oldenburg House August 6 and 7. The Bee Friendly Art Camp runs Aug. 2-6 at the County Seat Theater and Dunlap Island in advance of the festival. For more information about festival events, the Bee Friendly corridor or to register for the camp, visit http://www.oacc.us.

If you know of a community event or someone in Carlton who should be recognized, contact Leola Rodd at 218-310-6065 or [email protected].