Friday, March 29, 2024

Time to celebrate spring in Dodge County

Just a week from today is St. Patrick’s Day. There are a lot of stories about St. Patrick and some of them are true.

However, there will be a St. Paddy’s Day this Saturday as part of the Kasson Downtown Task Force. From 3 to 7 p.m. businesses on Main Street will be open and celebrating St. Paddy’s Day—not to be confused with St. Patrick’s Day.

Even though the Dodge County Independent is no longer located on Main Street, we are supporting the efforts of the task force.

Kasson Variety has graciously allowed the DCI to display and give away to St. Paddy’s Day-goers two canvas prints. One is a canvas photo of Tiger Woods (yes, that Tiger Woods) pitching out of a bunker at Torrey Pines. The other is a canvas photo of the Dodge County Wildcat’s own goal tender, Dale Isaac. There will be forms at Kasson Variety to register to win one of these two prints.

With spring only 10 days away, there will be more events to put on your calendar. Area towns will be hosting Easter events—egg hunts for the kids and plenty of activities with area churches.

Fortunately, this year there will be the traditional fish fries that draw scores of folks during this season of Lent. Look for ads announcing these annual dinners at area churches in the DCI. Fish Fries have been shut down with the rest of social activities for the past two years because of the pandemic. Not this year!

Before long, we’ll be enjoying the sound of the bats cracking on area baseball diamonds and the pitching of wedges from roughs at area golf courses. (There is no end in sight to Major League Baseball’s contractual battle being waged with the Major League Baseball Players Association.)

While the billionaires slug it out with the millionaire baseball players, we’ll be able to enjoy America’s game played by high school players in our neck-of-the-woods. For baseball junkies of all ages, watching kids play ‘America’s Game’ for the fun of running the bases, fouling off fastballs and catching a fly ball to deep center field is enough to wet appetites for hard core fans of the game.

As I’ve been gaining more knowledge of the region, I was impressed and encouraged to find out that area kids have opportunities that I only dreamt about as a kid—trap shooting and fishing teams that are all part of the Minnesota State High School League. It’s great to see sportsmen and women enjoying some of the lesser-publicized activities in our schools.

Sure, we have the other team sports—baseball, football, hockey, track & field, wrestling, softball, cross country—but there are sports like the two just mentioned along with gymnastics, dance and some I’m sure I missed.

We have a great group of volunteer photographers who have made an impact on all winter sports. We’d love to add to the list if anyone out there who has a hankering to photograph any teams sports not being covered in the DCI. Just contact the DCI and we will publish submissions.

BASEBALL

Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd; Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don’t win, it’s a shame. For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out, At the old ball game.

—Lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, 1908

 

 

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.