Wright/Cromwell news

On the Fourth of July, my son Curtis, friend Shirley Goodin and I went to the “compound” at Sherriff Lake (land owned by Sharon Lake’s kids Robin and Eric) to help celebrate Sharon’s graduation from the University of Minnesota Duluth. We held a graduation ceremony complete with commencement speech and presentation of awards and diploma, because UMD did not have a ceremony this year due to COVID-19.

Sharon was surprised, as it was kept a secret, almost. I gave the commencement speech and got her a valedictorian medal from Cromwell School because they didn’t give the awards the year she graduated in 1980. I even had it engraved, “Sharon Dahlberg - CHS - 1980” and then “Sharon Lake - summa cum laude - UMD - 2020.” She thanked her kids for encouraging her to get her accounting degree after leaving college 36 years ago to get married. So it was a really special day for all who attended. Robin and Eric and their family planned and carried out a great lunch, which was enjoyed by all.

The 55th annual Wrong Days in Wright is a go, and will be taking place on the weekend of July 17-19 in Wright with a scaled-back list of events. Masks and social distancing are encouraged. Read all about it on Page 2 of this week’s Pine Knot News.

Congratulations to John and Ashley Parrott of Wright, who recently opened the Sweetly Kismet candy store on Highway 210 in Carlton, just off Interstate 35. I went there on Friday — it’s quite a store, and you must experience it for yourself. Take the Carlton-Cromwell exit and head east, or if coming from the Wright area, just go past the Kwik Trip and follow the dirt road to the north through a lovely wooded area to the store.

The Cromwell-Wright school board has three four-year terms to be filled beginning Jan. 20, 2021. If you are interested in having your name on the ballot stop in the school office during the July 28 to Aug. 11 filing period to pick one up. The terms of Angela Anderson, Tim Homstad and Brian Granholm are up.

The YOT dance in Cromwell will not be held this month, since there is a limit of 30 people in the pavilion, the governor may shut down the state again, and there would not be a chance of social distancing with folks dancing close together. Also, at least 60 attendees would be required to make it profitable, and the required sanitizing after the dance would add to the cost. Sorry, but they will try for a dance in August.

God’s blessings to Andrew Kachinske, son of Sara and Jake Kachinske, who was confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wright on July 5.

Wes Heikkila, longtime resident of Wright, died June 25, at age 87. Visitation is scheduled for 1 p.m. until the 2 p.m. funeral July 15 at Atkins Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet. There will be no lunch due to COVID-19. Inurnment will be at the Prairie Lake Cemetery in the Heikkila plot with Wesley’s parents, grandparents and uncles. Send cards to the family at P. O. Box 123, Wright MN 55798.

Congratulations to Anja Schoenberg of the Cromwell-Wright Class of 2020, recipient of the Les Beach Memorial Scholarship from Lake Country Power. The $4,000 scholarship will be issued $500 per semester for four years. LCP awards 28 of these scholarships each year, one for each school district in the LCP service area.

Please consider donating to the Wright Seniors. Donations can be sent to President Connie Woelfel (218-391-4113) at 47559 157th Ave., Tamarack MN 55787. Regular meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month, and the center is open for games 1-4 p.m. the remaining Wednesdays of the month.

I was supposed to have a total left knee replacement July 6 at Cloquet Memorial Hospital, but my surgeon had been exposed to COVID-19 so they postponed it for a third time. That’s OK, because I don’t want the to be sick when my husband, Bob, gets to come home from the nursing home in West Duluth.

We visit him almost every day. He is starting to get tired of being there, and we don’t know how much longer he will or should stay. Medicare will pay for the first 100 days in a nursing home if he does therapy and continues to improve, which so far he is doing. This getting old sure isn’t for sissies. He had a lot of tests and they didn’t seem to find anything wrong, just slowing down. This past winter has been hard on him. He spends most of his time sitting in the recliner and hardly doing any walking or moving around. And that’s not good.

Thanks for all your cards of encouragement and prayers.

That’s all the news from the Edge of Wright. Stay safe.