“From what I could see, the soldiers were all smiles at the picnic. They looked really appreciative of what the city had done and that they had a chance to have some fun with their family and friends before leaving,” said an anonymous scout who cheered for the soldiers on their way to the picnic.

Many members of the community were involved in making the day a memorable display of admiration for the soldiers, including Governor Tim Pawlenty and area Boy Scouts who lined the street as the soldiers and families traveled down 80^th on the way to the Armory. In total there were approximately 120 scouts from 12 different units lining the street, spread out, holding American flags and cheering the soldiers on as they passed. Troop 286, 777, and Venture Crew 781, all which include several members from Park were standing at City Hall, in front of Culver’s, and near All Saint’s Church, respectively, along with the other Cub Scouts and Scout troops throughout the street. The scouts were met with much appreciation from the passing soldiers, receiving many friendly waves and “thank you”s in return for the youth’s cheering.

“It was a pretty decent turn out for a Friday morning,” stated Faith Anderson, leader of Venture Crew 781 who was involved in checking in the scouts. “There were even some cheerleaders from Park High School near the ice arena. It was cool that many members of the community were involved.”

The deployment ceremony also sparked the imagination of Matthew Tianen, one local Boy Scout who took the opportunity to finish his eagle project of planting a yellow ribbon garden near the entrance of the Armory. This approximately five foot garden made out of various yellow perennials in the shape of a ribbon is a small display that with its creative design should bring many years of awe.

“While not many people saw the ribbon garden because the picnic was in the back, I still think that it was a nice display and very much valued,” stated one anonymous female.  

Overall, it appeared that the deployment ceremony served its purpose well. Cottage Grove will surely keep in contact with the troops and wishes them well in their endeavors.

The Cottage Grove Royalty Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for 2009- 2010.  The Coronation will be held on June 18^th at 7:00pm at Cottage Grove Junior High during the weekend of The Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest

(June 18th – June 21st).  Contestants compete in the following age categories:

 Age Groups for the Contestants:

9 – 11  – Little Miss Cottage Grove

12 – 16  – Junior Miss Cottage Grove

17 – and older  – Miss Cottage Grove

If you are interested acquiring an application, Please feel free to browse our website at: www.cgroyalty.com or send an email to: committee@cgroyalty.com

Also… If you have questions about the program, the awards, or the responsibilities of selected candidates, please visit: 

http://www.cgroyalty.com/files/2009_CGR_Contestant_Frequently_Asked_Questions.pdf

 The Cottage Grove Royalty Scholarship Program Committee looks forward to hearing from you!

            “They are going to have grass on the roofs and a windmill.” This statement is almost true. South Washington County school districts have put together a wish list to ensure the energy efficiency of our schools. This includes new windows, updating heating and electrical systems, a wind turbine at East Ridge, and more. This wish list racks up a bill of about $22.7 million dollars. None of these plans set in stone, as it is only a WISH LIST. So yes, this rumor is not a complete lie, there is a possibility of a wind turbine at East Ridge.

            “They are going to have laptops for every single student and a SMART board in all the classrooms” This is a half truth. Yes laptops will be available for students to use but not enough for everyone to check out. According to Gretchen Romain, former art teacher at Park and intern at East Ridge, “Our library will have a college feel.  Students can come in and checkout laptops and chill while they study and research. Our whole site is wireless, so many kids will bring in their laptops from home (since we will not have enough for the whole student body to checkout)” Also, there will be SMART boards in most of the classrooms, but not all.

            “The coaches aren’t teachers!” This is true. The coaches have been selecting from around Minnesota to have the best, but they will not be teaching the students they coach. The girl’s tennis coach is the #1 ranked wheelchair tennis player in the world and is a two-time Paralympian (2004 & 2008) and an eight-time United States Wheelchair World Cup team member. A list of the coaches can be found on the East Ridge High homepage. http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ERHS/

            “Their bathrooms have glistening, golden urinals!” Not a chance. As great as this new facility is, there will not be golden urinals with the funny water fountain. But they do have some pretty great automatic hand dryers that Romain said are, “strong and efficient,” but you can check that out for yourself.

            It seems there may be some truth in the rumors going around. Just don’t let it get the best of you Park. This is still the home of the Wolfpack.