TREE LIGHTING DECEMBER 1 AT CITY HALL

Thanksgiving is gone, and Black Friday too, which might leave you wondering, ‘what should I do?’ If that describes you, the Holiday Lights Display listing is up to add your address for those with light displays to share or see just where the lights are this Christmas season.

More directly, the listing is open at the city website of www.cottagegrovemn. gov for those residents who want to share their hard work with those on a holiday light tour. Residents can add their addresses to a mapped route for Holiday Lights Display, at the city website. The map will then take residents on a tour of the city that starts at City Hall, otherwise known as 12800 Ravine Parkway South, and around Cottage Grove. Residents can take a picture with the city hall tree before heading out to see the lights.

As to other holiday events going on this season, City Recreation Services Manager Molly Pietruszewski gave a run down at the November 17 Council meeting.

“Thank you Mayor Bailey, Council, for inviting us tonight to share,” Pietruszewski started out, before going on.

Skipping over the November events already past and looking forward, there is a River Oaks Pop Up Restaurant Event December 10 at Eagles Grill. The event due to take place by reservation only will feature steak, fish, chicken, and pasta among its many offerings for those seeking something to whet their palate. Should you miss the opportunity December 10, three other events will be held, on January 21, Febru­ary 4 and February 18 of the coming year.

Also in December for Cottage Grove residents to enjoy is the December 1 Tree Lighting at City Hall. Whereas last year was virtual this year the city is inviting residents to come, with the Park High School Choir at City Hall as well. A large Adirondack Chair will be outside next to the Christmas Tree for a photo opportunity, along with a red mailbox to send letters to Santa. That said, there are still a few echoes of COVID.

Among them is that the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train has opted to not make its annual stop in Cottage Grove, though a virtual link is posted at https://www.cpr.ca/ holiday-train/schedule-united- states. Those looking to tune in can do so via the link or at Facebook and Youtube on December 18 at 7 p.m. local time. The one-time event will play across several time zones simultaneously, being at 6 p.m. Mountain Time and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

In the meanwhile, the Friends in Need Food Shelf serving the South Washington County communities of Newport, Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park, and Grey Cloud Island still needs help. Residents wishing to make a donation to the Friends in Need Food Shelf may donate directly to the Food shelf or send a check by mail to P. O. Box 6, Cottage Grove 55016, along with options to donate by credit card or Paypal, with an online address of www.Finfood.org/donate. The charity is most in need of paper donation items and cash currently, with all funds raised by the city to go to the local 501(c) 3 charity.

In order to help support the Friends in Need Food Shelf, the city will be hosting Fill a Fire Truck once again this year on December 11.

Included in the Fill a Fire Truck event is an online Silent Auction running now through December 10, with over 100 items from local businesses to bid on.

As to the Fill a Fire Truck event itself, it will be held December 11 from 10 to Noon at Hamlet Park. City staff along with Santa and Mrs. Claus will be accepting toilet paper, paper towels and cash to benefit the pantry. Food items, meanwhile, are discouraged at present, while residents will also be able to pick up their Silent Auction Winning Bid items.

Following the Fill a Fire Truck event, there will be a Breakfast with Santa event at River Oaks Golf Course. The reservation only event will take place December 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission will include a North Pole breakfast, getting a picture with Santa, a sleigh ride and s’mores! Residents need to call the golf course directly for this event as opposed to signing up online.

“And last but not least we do want to remind everybody to get outside and play this winter,” Pietruszewski shared, letting residents know that the parks, trails, warming houses, skating rinks, sledding hills, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing “stay open all winter long.”