By TRISTAN JENSEN
Editorial Assistant
Geneva and Ellendale held their annual National Night Out festivities last Tuesday night.
Ellendale's National Night Out festivities took place at the city park, with activities perfect for a hot day. It took place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1. Allie Larson of the Lions Club called the gathered crowd an excellent turnout, and revealed the Lions had to purchase additional food partway through the event. Official visitors included the Ellendale Fire Department, Ellendale Ambulance, and the Steele County Sheriff's office. Each had trucks present with representatives standing by to greet attendees and answer questions.
Activities included a “foam machine,” which created large amounts of dense bubble foam to play in, a sprinkler and a water balloon launcher. There was also a water balloon toss, with a water balloon fight following, and a game where participants attempted to throw a ball into a bucket to win small prizes. Attendees also enjoyed playing cornhole on the park's permanent equipment for the game.
The Lions Club provided dinner, with brats and hot dogs, chips, water and pop purchased from Steve's Meat Market and Lerberg's Foods. The Lions asked for a free-will donation, the funds from which support their community projects. The Lions Club has been a part of Ellendale's National Night Out since the first event was sponsored, and are glad to see so many people take part in community events for the town. Other treats for the night included root beer floats, provided by the Ellendale City Council, and cotton candy from the Ellendale Days committee.
United Way of Steele County had a booth at the event. They gave away children's books, made possible by a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. In addition to the books, visitors to the booth were provided with bags of informational resources on the United Way and the services it provides. They also gave away coloring pages for kids. The United Way of Steele County attends as many community events in the county as possible to give out books and resources. National Night Out was of particular interest to the United Way of Steele County because of the focus on safety and the tie-in to the Coalition for Healthy Youth, which the United Way oversees.
Jerry Ibberson, the emergency manager for Ellendale, had a booth looking to sign people up for “Everbridge,” which is Steele County's phone alerts for emergency situations, as well as a series of classes on first aid, safety and emergency management for “CERT,” a volunteer-based secondary response team which has in the past helped with search and rescue efforts, teaching basic first aid, and missing persons cases. Ibberson also sponsored two drawings, with a prize of a flashlight for children and a weather radio for adults.
Geneva
National Night Out in Geneva was a lively affair for the community, with plenty of activities and around sixty people in attendance. The event was held at the city park on Tuesday, August 1 from 5-7 p.m.
There was a “rock find” to participate in, with three age categories, where participants searched for a painted rock in the park. The first to find it received a sizable prize package. Attendees could also participate in a “rubber chicken toss,” with two difficulties available for “beginners” and “professional chicken tossers.” Everyone who participated received a candy sucker, and score was kept for fun. Michael Pederson Photography sponsored a face painting station, and NRHEG schools organized the opportunity for kids and adults alike to hit someone in the face with a whipped cream “pie.” Many representatives of the school took a turn to get pied. A free-will donation was requested, with funds supporting the NRHEG Eagle Bluff program.
The event also included free food. There were hot dogs, purchased from Geneva Meats, chips and water, and Sandy Jensen of the Farmers Insurance – Dave Jensen Agency donated ice cream bars.
Visitors from Geneva Fire and Rescue and the Ellendale Ambulance Service mingled with the crowd, free to enjoy the night with friends and family.