Fall is really coming
I think a lot of us have been trying to avoid the obvious but now we have to face it. Summer is over and fall activities have started.
It was a big weekend this past Saturday and Sunday with Marigold Days and the Big Iron Classic. Both of those events dry big crowds but we have to admit that they are the last of the summer celebrations and we can now turn our attention to fall.
An obvious sign of the change of seasons is Homecoming. All of the schools in the DCI coverage area have Homecoming events scheduled in quick succession.
Byron is first in line with Homecoming activities going on this week with the Homecoming game scheduled for Friday night against Winona. Next up is Hayfield with the Vikings Homecoming game scheduled for next Friday, September 22, against Kenyon-Wanamingo.
The last week of the month will be busy as both Kasson-Mantorville and Triton have their Homecoming football games scheduled for Friday, September 29. K-M will go against Winona Senior High School, while the Triton Cobras meet St. Charles.
Of course, there is more to Homecoming than football and all the schools will have a variety of events throughout the week.
Another harbinger of fall is the arrival of what we could call the church supper season. A story in this week’s DCI highlights St. John’s Lutheran Church’s annual Lutefisk dinner but that is hardly the only one.
Also scheduled in upcoming weeks are church suppers at St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church in Dodge Center, the United Methodist Church in Dodge Center, and Hegre Lutheran in rural Kenyon.
St. John Baptist de la Salle is planning a turkey dinner with all the fixings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 17. This is their 30th annual dinner. Hegre has scheduled their annual Swedish Meatball Supper for 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, September 20. They offer take-out and curb-side pickup with picnic tables available.
United Methodist in Dodge Center is taking a different route with their supper, serving a free dinner for anyone interested in the community on Wednesday, September 20 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. (serving until the food is gone.) Their dinner features pork loin with dine-in and curbside service available and free will donations accepted.
There may very well be others scheduled in the area so if these suppers are your thing you have a season of good food coming up.
A couple other activities planned for fall include the Oktoberfest celebration in Kasson on Saturday, September 29, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. It was a fun event last year and will be again this year, especially with the addition of Weiner Dog races. Full disclosure: I have a Weiner Dog named Frankie so I am not impartial.
And the last Saturday in October the action moves to Mantorville for their Fall Festival which includes the Haunted Hustle 5k and Family Fun Run sponsored by Dodge Refreshed.
All of this is simply to say, don’t be too upset that summer is over because there are still many fun activities coming up.