Elk River, MN

Elk River Minnesota will be the site to donate blood this February 21st.

Two Elk River businesses (HealthSource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab and Corral-A-Deal) (ill be sponsoring the event at Corral-A-Deal from 2 to 7 pm. This is a sanctioned American Red Cross blood drive so for those of you going for pins, this is the place to be.

Volunteer donors may stop by Corral-A-Deal, 16804 Highway 10, Elk River, to donate.

For an appointment call Mindy at 763-441-0644, Gail at 763-241-8801 or visit www.redcrossblood.org.

All donors who sign in will be able to receive a 10-minute chair massage as well as a coupon for $10 off $25 or $20 off $100 at Corral-A-Deal.

For those who don’t wish to give blood, but would still like to contribute, HealthSource is offering free community service health screenings (a $200 value) in exchange for a $10 donation to the Red Cross.

According to the Red Cross, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.

Elk River is trying to win the nomination to be the host for Hockey Day Minnesota 2014, and officials for the Elk River Area School District along with other Elk River community leaders believe they have the winning combination in the Handke Pit and the community.

There has been a great outpouring of support with leaders such as Elk River High School Principal Terry Bizal and others working to make this happen.

After the end of Hockey Day Minnesota two weekends ago, School District Superintendent Mark Bezek along with Debbi Rydberg of the Elk River Area Chamber of the Commerce, Elk River City Administrator Cal Portner, Elk River Economic Development Director Annie Deckert started rallying for our local school to be the new site for Hockey Day Minnesota 2014.

The goal is to take advantage of the glacier-formed bowl stadium that has been home to thousands of hockey players, including four NHL hockey players.

“We are the iconic hockey town,” Rydberg said. “Hockey is in our veins! Between Handke stadium and the success of our hockey program producing NHL players, we are powered by hockey.”

Hockey Day Minnesota takes the State of Hockey back to its origins.

The Handke stadium was dedicated in 1925 and enlarged as part of the New Deal, the Handke (formerly Elk River High School) Pit is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bezek said organizers have two big requirements, including a good hockey program and a unique venue.

The 2013 event will be held at Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids. The exact date will be announced this summer.

So root for our local community to be the host for what could be a great business booster. And, take part in rallying!

Tomorrow, Saturday January 21st 2012, Hasford Homes (better known as Lindsey Hasford from Coldwell Banker Vision) will be hosting a sledding and cocoa party at Meadow Park in Elk River!

We hope that you will be able to join the fun!!! This is but a small park with one hill, but it loves to be tromped on and enjoyed.

For the first 50 that visit we will be sponsoring hot chocolate!!!!

Hope that you'll be there.

What: Sledding and Cocoa at Meadow Park
Where: The corner of Evans and 2nd Street in Elk River (well, one house down but you'll see it!)
When: Saturday, January 21st 2012 from 1-3pm
Who: Anyone that wants to bundle up and head out for some sledding fun! (First 50 get hot chocolate!!!!)

Don't forget to bring your own sled!!!!!!

After having an Elk River, MN home listed for rent I am finding there is a big need for more single family home rentals in Elk River and the surrounding areas. It took just over 2 weeks to rent the listing I had in December. Since then I have received several calls requesting rentals.

On the Multiple Listing Service in the Elk River area there are only a few rentals out there and most of them are higher then the $1300-$1400 payment threshold most people are trying to stay under. Even going through Craigslist ads I don't see many new options coming on the market.

Thus if you have a home in Elk River and you don't know what to do with it, perhaps renting it out is an option. If have been thinking about buying a rental home Elk River is an area that you should consider. There always seems to be a few great deals on the market!

If you would like to invest in Real Estate and are not sure where to begin, feel free to contact me and we can talk about your situation and answer your questions!

A long time ago in an office far, far away, I worked with a man who was funny and had a lot going for him. Read this from the pages of the Elk River Star News on reflections of last year.

Alan Sakry, the president of the Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce, was one of 45 individuals to jump into Lake Orono this past winter at the first Shiver Elk River celebration. The event raised more than $10,000 for organizations. The second annual event is being planned for Feb. 25, 2012.

Now Alan is very seriously ill. And, we are all hoping for the best. But, for the life of me, I can't think of too many people who would do this. And, he was always there for his clients, a good time, his family, his co-workers and the agents and brokers who worked with him because of his caring and attitude.

Here is a link to his Caring Bridge site. If you can say a prayer for his family and his recovery, I know it would be heard and appreciated.