West End News: May 22

I’m sorry to report that Joyce Krueger, one of Tofte’s most beloved residents, took a nasty fall down her stairs and broke both ankles.  She was taken to Duluth for treatment and is now in a swing bed at the Care Center in Grand Marais.
 
Joyce is a life-long Cook County resident and has lived in Tofte for quite a bit more than 50 years.  She was a long serving postmaster at the Tofte Post Office before her retirement and was the undisputed ambassador of good will for Tofte all those years.
 
I’m sure Joyce would appreciate a quick visit or phone call while she’s recuperating at the Care Center.  The whole West End joins me in wishing her a speedy recovery.
 
There’s a fun event coming up at the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland.  On Saturday, June 7^th there is a dance, concert and food event to raise money to support the Community Center.  The event starts at 6:30 pm with tapas and appetizers.  The Spruce Roots will start playing at 7:30 pm for listening and dancing fun.  There is a suggested donation and you should RSVP at 218-535-0300 or at the Clair Nelson Community Center Facebook page.
 
The 2014 Gala for the Grove fundraising event for Birch Grove Community School is in the record books.  Once again, it was a sold-out affair and a lot of fun. 
 
Dennis Rysdahl and the staff at Surfside deserve a ton of thanks for donating the space and the food.
 
Colleen Brennan was the main organizer for the fourth year in a row.  She is claiming that she will pass the torch to someone else next year, but we’ll see.  In any case, she has done a wonderful job of organizing the biggest fundraiser of the year for Birch Grove.
 
There were too many acts of generosity at the Gala to recount here, but one particular generous act deserves special mention.  Two of the many items included in the live auction this year were a season ski-pass from Lutsen Mountains and a really nice pair of downhill skis donated by Lutsen Recreation.  Chuck Whiteside, of Schroeder, bought the season pass and Plamen Dimitrov, of Tofte, bought the skis. 
 
After the auction, I was chatting with Plamen who, along with his wife DD, are the parents of two young Birch Grove scholars and very reliable community volunteers in Tofte.  Chuck approached Plamen and asked if he had purchased the skis to use himself.  Plamen said that he had just learned to ski this year, but was planning to use the new skis frequently next season, now that his kids are old enough to ski.  Chuck responded by handing Plamen the season pass, saying “here’s your season pass, Plamen, thank you for all you do for the community.”
 
It was a touching moment that illustrates how the Birch Grove School and Community Center bring people together in the West End.