The legendary Sid Hartman was sportswriter/columnist extraordinaire and there will never be another one like him. He never bought into using the technology that was available to him. All he needed was a pad of paper, a pen or two and his trusty tape recorder. He also had a very deliberate yet all over the place style of writing his column, and to pay a bit of homage to someone who I looked forward to listening to every Sunday morning for as long as I remember, I will be writing this column in “Sid” fashion.

Do not think twice about going to Sam’s Christmas Village in Somerset, Wisconsin next year… just do it. On the grounds of Float-Rite Park, a mile plus saunter on a trail adorned with over 6,000,000 lights, decorations, a huge LED tree that changes colors to the music being played over the public address system that has speakers throughout the trail and a large “Castle of Lights” that you can walk through. The walk down into the village is much easier than the walk back up at the end. Same hill, but different. I especially was impressed with the tribute area to our military and first-responders; it was very well done and patriotic. The village is nestled along the banks of the Apple River and having General Sam’s Bar and Grill was a bonus with good food and beverages. Date night, family fun night, get together with a bunch of friends… This place is a gem.

Got out for a little ice fishing on North Lake, just southeast of Hastings and I wish I could report a heavy bite. My old wrestling coach Don Miller used to say, “If wishes were fishes, the oceans would be full.” I am pretty sure that North is still full because in four plus hours we left empty handed. This does not mean we were skunked but, it was as close to it as all we had to show was a small Sunfish and two Northern Pike caught on tip-ups. The pike were about two and four pounds, which failed in comparison to the shack down the way from us. Tyler Heyda of Bloomington, MN landed a 37.5” whopper Northern that I would estimate to be between 13 and 14 pounds. As the old saying goes, it is only true if you have a photo, which we have. Tyler returned the beast back to the water… and reported that this was the only fish he caught all day. Lots of people fishing… did not look like a lot of catching going on. Still, many will say that “a bad day fishing is better than a good day working.”

The Vikings won on Sunday, as did the Packers. Good times in Minnesconsin for those who elected to stay in the house instead of enjoying the great outdoors this past weekend. Good luck to the Packers in the playoffs. For us Vikings fans, the plan is to hit Facebook and prognosticate about how bad the front office will screw up the draft this time. For those who missed it, Justin Jefferson broke the single season reception yards by a rookie… the Vikings record (held by Randy Moss) AND the NFL record which was held by Anquan Boldin. Maybe us armchair “General Managers” should just sit back and let things happen… naw, that would not be any fun. We know more than those front office folks who are engaged in the practice of evaluating talent, character and how they fit into the plan of the organization. Let’s go keyboard warriors!!

I was able to put an “X” next to “Fun Run with Sadie” on the list I started for 2021 of “must do’s.” Not sure I would call it fun for me, but Sadie had a blast. We went to the ponding basin behind the Cub Foods store in Hastings. The fresh snow provided for an additional challenge for both of us. Sadie got a bit “birdie” once and I thought we may have stumbled across a rural pheasant that took refuge in town. As I got closer to her point, I noticed the tracks of mice and bunnies… no pheasants. She quickly broke away and started exploring again. Just like the hill at Sam’s Christmas Village… the one behind Cub is much easier to go down than up. I only biffed it once and the snow softened the fall so, all good here.

The snowmobile is running great and just hoping for some more fresh powder so the trails can be groomed. I know a lot of you do not like the snow and cold. There are people who live for it too and, as the overused phrase goes, “we’re all in this together.” Smile… it’s a joke. Honestly, I am looking forward to heading out to Miesville to check out the new King’s Place Drive Thru. I am pretty sure that I will not be the first sled to go through. King’s has always been a destination for sled-heads looking for a bite to eat, a cold beverage to warm up (hmmmm?) or just a place to hang out INSIDE with friends. While things may be a bit different, if we all make the best of it, it will be just fine.

This list thing that I started at the New Year seems to be working well and I am accomplishing a lot more than I even thought I would. Ice Fishing, Sam’s Christmas Village and the Sadie Fun Run were all on my list beginning January First of 2021… and I have accomplished all of them. My legs let me know that they were not overly happy about such intense exercise, nor were they ready for it. I let my legs know that they should get used to it because two of the three will be happening more often as the weeks move on. The Christmas Village is closed, but ice fishing and getting Sadie out remain on the list, as does snowmobiling and exploring a few area hiking spots. While they are not happy, my legs and the rest of my body agree to comply and in time, maybe even enjoy it more. The scale in the bathroom seems to appreciate it.

Next week, I will be sharing a story about two opportunities for area Seniors, Disabled, Physically Challenged and Shut-In’s to enjoy themselves… OUTDOORS. I will also be sharing ways that others can help with these opportunities. Stay tuned but now, you have something to look forward to. Until next week… I hope you can GET OUT AND ENJOY THE GREAT OUTDOORS.