West End News November 2

West End News 11/2/2017
 
A big thank you to all the volunteers who made this year’s Birch Grove Halloween carnival such a success. The rooms and hallways were packed full of costumed kids playing games, doing crafts, and even building bat houses thanks to the US Forest Service. I hadn’t been to the carnival since I was a costumed kid, and it was fun to see that it really is just as big and fun as I remember it.
 
There’s no rest for these industrious volunteers though, as the annual Birch Grove benefit at Papa Charlies is coming right up! The event will be on Friday, November 17^th. There is a lasagna dinner and silent auction that will run from 5 to 8pm. Music by Mysterious Ways will be happening from 7:30 to 9:30. This event isn’t limited to Birch Grove families, everyone is welcome to come check out the great silent auction items and enjoy some socializing with your neighbors.
 
I must tell you that the rumors are true, we do in fact have quite the blanket of white fluffy snow up here in the woods. We got almost 7 inches overnight last week and have had about another inch since then. I’d say we were about 95% ready for the snow, the canoes are in storage and the water drained from our summer buildings. Of course, there were a few odd ladders and other things that did get buried. We’d been telling ourselves that we’d finish the last round up of outdoor things once this first snowfall inevitably melts. After waiting a week and closely watching the forecast though, we resorted to winter jackets and shovels. The lakes are not yet frozen, of course, so we have a somewhat unique window where there is open water but very wintery woods. The trees are covered in white and the water is a dark grey. It’s beautiful, but not particularly inviting.
 
All this snow, and the passing of Halloween, has got me in the mood for the holidays. Don’t hold it against me, but I’m ready for twinkly lights, cookies, caroles, the whole bit! Lucky for me, I can get some Christmas shopping in at the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland this weekend. The Finland Community Bazaar will be on Saturday, November 4^th from 10am to 3pm. The Bazaar features many local vendors and crafters, as well as food and music.
 
Speaking of Finland, we had a lovely couple from the actual country visit the outfitter recently. They were staying on the shore for a portion of their US vacation. I of course asked if they had heard of Finland, Minnesota. In fact, they had! They had visited the town just the day before, purely because they saw the name on a map and had to see it for themselves. They said they very much enjoyed their visit and got a real kick out of all the, quote unquote, “Finnish” wording used around town. They reported that while the spelling and grammar were creative, they were able to understand the meaning most of the time.
 
 
For WTIP, I’m Clare Shirley with the West End News.