Kettle River News

I would like to thank all the volunteers who made the Ma & Pa Kettle Days happen again this year. Covid played a part in making us start over from scratch and we are really trying to keep this event going. I also want to thank all the people who attended. I heard many people liked the new way we did the standstill parade. We nearly ran out of pies at the pie social and many people enjoyed the old-fashioned-style bingo with great prizes. There will be a Ma & Pa Kettle Days meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Kettle River Senior Center to plan for upcoming events. Please come with ideas and suggestions.

Speaking of attending important meetings, please come to the next Kettle River city council meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13 in the council room.

I am looking forward to attending the Finnish luncheon at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the senior center and seeing what we will have going on then. This is always a great time to visit with friends, enjoy good food and prize drawings. The last Finnish luncheon for the season will be Oct. 18.

Quilting begins at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 7. We will meet every Wednesday unless the weather is bad. You do not have to be a member of Holy Trinity to join us. Most of the quilts we make are donated to various charities. Donations of new cotton fabric are appreciated, and can be brought to the church during our quilting time or brought to me.

Shortly after I moved to Kettle River, I was asked to write the Kettle River News column for the Arrowhead Leader. When I first started writing the column in around 1990, it was mostly a gossip column of who visited who and that sort of information. These were the days before the internet and I would have to drive to Moose Lake each week to deliver my column. Then I was asked to also submit my column to the Star Gazette.

Eventually, I started changing the focus of the column, and it was just my opinion of different ideas. Many times I would become discouraged and wonder if I should just quit. Then someone would tell me something I wrote made them look at something differently, or would say, “The Kettle River news is the first thing I look for when I get the paper.” The first time I received a thank-you note in the mail, I actually cried.

I really want to thank all those who have supported me in this project and who have given me encouragement to continue. If there is something you would like included, just contact me.

Marcia Sarvela is a resident of Kettle River. Contact her at [email protected] or 218-273-4045.