Blizzard Warning

Oh, baby it's cold outside. The weatherperson says: "Blizzard warning. Stay home."

Doing just that.  The home office is mostly closed.  Today is all about reading magazines and doing other stuff - baking bread, making homemade crackers, noshing on cheese and chutneys and pickles, and knitting a neck warmer. And as always planning and thinking about some projects, and mulling over writing projects. What are you doing?  Leave a comment to report on your activities, won'tcha please.

SD Weather vs New Year's Eve Party

The New Year's Eve Party scheduled for Dec. 31, 3 p.m. at the Kimball Senior Center is postponed due to the weather forecast. Details will be announced as soon as we have it figured out.

Broken Resolve

Broken Resolve performing at Kimball Protestant Parish, 8 p.m., Dec. 29.

Free will offering to get in.  T-shirts for sale.

Hoping the Weather Doesn't Catch Us...

Sure hoping the weather doesn't catch us, because we have lots going on in the next couple days.

Tournament action this week.

Plankinton hosts the first day of the Boys and Girls Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament - Wednesday, December 29, starting at noon.  Kimball hosts the second day, Thursday, December 30, again starting at noon.

The McCook Invitational Wresting Tournament starts at 9 a.m. in Salem.

Come on out and support our youth athletes and partake of the concessions.

Population

Well, it's official. The US Census Bureau has determined that the population of South Dakota exceeds 800,000. The 7.9 percent increase since the 2000 Census puts the final count at 814,180. This news made me pause.

The Census Bureau also listed South Dakota as one of the five least populated states and one of the five states with the lowest population density.  Another pause.

I've lived in cities with higher populations.

Tournament Action

Looking forward to the tournament action this week.

Plankinton hosts the first day of the Boys and Girls Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament - Wednesday, December 29, starting at noon.  Kimball hosts the second day, Thursday, December 30, again starting at noon.

The McCook Invitational Wresting Tournament starts at 9 a.m. in Salem.

Come on out and support our youth athletes and partake of the concessions.

DZIENKUJE

Dzienkuje, Thank you, to everyone for the wonderful Community Christmas Dinner. There is just nothing like old friends and newly made friends combined with incredible food and stories to make for a wonderful community Christmas meal.

I know a few folks knocked themselves out baking all day to make the delicious desserts and treats, homemade pies, candied sweet potatoes and dressing to go along with the turkey and ham and smashed potatoes.  Dzienkuje.

Dzienkuje (jeen-koo-yeh), Polish for Thank You.

Those pies were so good, Soozi!

Community Christmas Dinner & New Year's Eve Party

Yup, you read that right. A Community Christmas Dinner and a Community New Year's Eve Party. Details:

Help us spread the word..

Community Christmas Dinner - Everyone Welcome
2 - 4 p.m. Christmas Day at Kimball Protestant Parish
Ham provided, and turkey, too
Pickles and other stuff to nibble on
Potluck welcomed, but not required
Needed:
Folks who want to eat Christmas dinner in a community setting
Volunteers to help set up, clean up, serve and deliver home meals
A gathering of good folks eating good food

Community New Year's Eve Party - Everyone Welcome
 3 - 9 p.m. Kimball Senior Center
3 p.m. - coffee
4 p.m. - Polka Czechs
5 p.m. - Light supper (bring a dish to pass if you wish - but not required)
6 p.m. - Bingo (prize donations appreciated)

We'll be eating whatever it is we gather in donations.  Bingo will go until all prizes are gone or we're sick of playing - we'll decide that night. And...no alcohol at this event.

Christmas Recital

Current and former vocal and instrumental instructors at Kimball School will perform during a Christmas Recital, Sunday, 7 p.m. at St. Margaret Church. Kimball Music Ambassadors, who are headed to Europe in the Summer of 2011, will also perform.

St. Margaret Church is a magnificent array of Christmas greens, wreaths and lights.  This is a spectacular event.

Trees and Nativities

In 2009 the South Dakota Hall of Fame began what I hope is a long tradition of featuring decorated Christmas trees and nativity scenes.  Thirteen trees and over a hundred nativity scenes are on display until early January.  Enjoy... Just received word that the nativity scenes will stay on display until the end of January...now you can really enjoy! 

 #1 - Oak by Amish and Vaad Framing

 #2 Bent Spatula

#3 - River City Band Festival

#4 - 4-H Extension Office

#5 – Chamber of Commerce and Dayle Chilson

#6 – Prime CattleWomen

#7 – South Dakota Hall of Fame

#8 – Pat Blum - nativity scenes. Just a few of the over 100 on display.

#9 – Blum Brothers

#10 – River City Wood Carvers - People's Choice Award Winner

#11 – Welcome West Plaza

#12 – Sanford Hospital

#13 – Kiwanis

#14 – Dakota Milestones

Spectacular, huh?

People's Choice Award

For the second year, the South Dakota Hall of Fame featured Christmas trees decorated by area individuals and organizations. This year's display included 13 trees and about a hundred nativity scenes.

New to the event this year is a People's Choice award.  And the winner is.....River City Wood Carvers.  Hall of Fame President and CEO, Todd Knutson presented the award to Dr. Tom Stone of the River City Wood Carvers.

The winning tree was decorated with hand carved and painted wooden ornaments, large wood shaving curls and hand painted gourds - a lovely South Dakota tree.

Kram the Kanyon

Kram the Kanyon is an activity of the National Honor Society at Kimball School.  This year the sixth grade class will be running the concessions - a potato bar.  I'm telling you - I cannot wait.

Last year was my first experience with this event.  To put it in simple terms - WOW! The whole town turns out for the girls basketball game.  Donations are taken for K-6 outerwear and items for Kimball Center, which manages the local food pantry.  Pretty much it's standing room only, lots of stuff is collected, and come early to eat.

Need more info? Check out the Kimball School website.

We'll be seein' ya' there.

Saint Lucy's Day

Scandinavians and others around the world today are celebrating St. Lucia's Day or St. Lucy's Day - the day of light. Such a lovely celebration it is with young girls processing whilst holding a lighted candle, led by a young maiden with a lit-candle studded wreath upon her head.  Spectacular.

St. Lucia is the patron of blindness. Her feast, resplendent with candlelight, is held on December 13, the longest night of the year on the traditional Julian calendar. In some Swedish homes, a daughter dresses in a white dress adorned with a red sash, the evergreen wreath on her head holding lighted candles. She bears a tray holding a hot drink and lussekatter, Lucian buns made with saffron. She offers these gifts as treats to family members as she awakens them from their sleep.

Trying a little experiment

If you know me, you know I like trying new things. I've become a huge fan and user of Face Book - the cream of social networking as far as I'm concerned. And how, exactly, do I benefit from such a venture?

Well, let me tell you...I've been able to stay in contact with folks in the other places I've lived. I stay in touch with folks I've met in one place or another. And, I have friends on Face Book that I've never met face to face.  I know some people disagree with that. But where else would I meet and have the opportunity to have a conversation with a young design professional in....let's say Mumbai, India?  We chat every once-in-a-while, and I get to see some of the most upbeat and fresh designs ever--something I truly enjoy.

The very best part of social networking is the fact that I can help build social and economic networks. And really, that's it in a nutshell for me - building relationships and networks, having quick exchanges of ideas and most importantly having just plain ol' fun.

So, along those lines, here's a really cool, new Face Book site to check out and "friend."  Kimball, South Dakota features nice little tidbits and news about my new hometown.  And no, I'm not the person behind the site.  I'm one of the persons behind the person behind the site.  So let's all give some support to that person.  A "like" would be appreciated.

Third Place

What's a third place anyway?  Well, a first place is home, a second place is work. A third place is the place where we gather for fun, perhaps a drink, something sweet or a sandwich. A place where we meet friends, old and new. Perhaps, we can listen to music there, have access to wi-fi, and even conduct a bit of business.

A favorite third place for me is  Stumpjack Coffee Company.  Incredible nirvana hot or cold coffee drinks, nirvana atmosphere, handcrafted lunches, great companionship, incredible music, art shows and conversation - and way more - the list is long. And the business that was done there which abundant and varied and fun. Actually budgeted money each week for spending at this wonderful place (and I miss is severely). And let me tell you, there was plenty of planning and implementing of community "things" in that third place.

I can't tell you how many times I'd be talking with someone about a potential community event only to have another person or two walk in for coffee and then spontaneously join the conversation.

I'm in agreement with the folks over at the Kimball, South Dakota Face Book page who think it's time for Kimball to have it's own third place, a coffee shop, sweet shoppe, sandwich emporium and meeting place.

Our Hearts are Broken

On Monday we are saying goodbye to a wonderful man and the community Santa.  We are all stunned and our hearts are broken.