Thursday, March 28, 2024

July has been a busy month and it’s not over!

Most people have had one of those days when reality crowds out life itself. I’ve had one of those months and July is not over. It started out with the Fourth of July, our nation’s birthday. It was a rather uneventful day for most of us.

July Fourth is a big deal across the nation. However, Kasson, Mantorville, Dodge Center and Hayfield don’t have a traditional celebration with a parade, fireworks, picnics and activities that were part of many childhoods. (No big deal, it was on Sunday.)

It quickly went into high gear with preparation for the Dodge County FREE Fair. Then it slipped into West Concord’s Survival Days and next is Relay for Life at the Dodge County Fairgrounds next Friday.

The Dodge County Free Fair was, and is, a big deal. It seemed as though there was pent up demand to see farm animals, quilt projects (a double wedding band quilt caught my wife’s eye), demolition derby action, bull riding and the ribbon sale that brought in a record number for the sale of those ribbons kept everyone busy.

Byron folks had a shindig of their own with Byron Good Neighbor Days held July 15-18 featuring food, fun and fireworks to round out the town’s annual get together.

Last Thursday I spent the evening at the softball between Guns (cops) & Hoses (firefighters) at the West Concord Survival Days kick-off event.

Police department personnel were pitted against fire departments from Dodge County. It was a game of line drives, pop ups, infield errors, outfield fumbles and just plain fun for those of us on the sidelines.

August 6, the Relay for Life gets rolling at the Dodge County fairgrounds; starting at 6 p.m. Luminaries will be lit and a walk around the track will begin around 9 p.m. If anyone wants to be a part of this annual fundraiser and a chance remember someone who survived cancer or succumbed to the dreaded disease, put this event on your schedule. Relay for Life’s caregiver of the year is Len Rollins and Denise Hazuka is the honorary chair.

Something else to look forward to is Kasson’s Festival in the Park set to run the week of Aug. 9-15.

A medallion hunt begins on Monday, Aug. 9. Look for clues on the Dodge County Independent’s Facebook site and the DCI website: dodgecountyindependent.com. Finding the medallion will make the individual $250 for their efforts.

It’s not over, the busy summer run of activities, until the Minnesota State Fair winds up. This long-awaited state fair is set to kick off on Thursday, Aug. 26 and ends on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

Then, and only then, we’ll return to normalcy: football (high school, college and pro), cross country, fall musicals and plays, and a plethora of school activities that will keep the merry-go-round spinning.

LIFE

“Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.”

Will Rogers

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Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
Dodge County ADvantage
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

Dodge County Printing
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

507-634-7503
 
Hours: 
Monday-Thursday 10a.m.-3p.m.