New Commercial Building in Marcell  

It was a busy summer for Cheryl and Dave Ritter.

All three of their children were married; Dustin, Deanne and Jason in June, August and November. Then on Nov. 17 they broke ground on a brand new commercial building in Marcell ... and moved their realty business in 90 days later.

“Local contractors stepped up to the plate,” said Dave Ritter. They did what they said they would do, and came when they said they would come, he said. And, with the cooperation of the weather and inside finishing work with the help of his sons, the doors opened on Valentine’s Day.

The Ritters are used to the challenge of making things happen. Over the years they had made trips up to Cheryl’s family cabin on North Star Lake from Cottage Grove where they ran a group home for teenage boys. In 2000, they purchased a cabin of their own and wondered how they could make it a permanent home.

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March 15 in Squaw Lake...  

Perchjerkers

There are prizes; lots of door prizes, a prize for each child and prizes for the contest. There is food. And, of course, there is the fishing itself.

This year the annual Perchjerkers ice fishing contest on Round Lake will be held on Saturday, March 15 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The contest area can be reached from the north access on County 149 just north of Squaw Lake. Holes are predrilled. Entry fee is $7, with children 12 and under free.

The first fish caught will win a prize, as well as the smallest, largest, biggest 10. The largest prize will be for the tenth largest fish – an ice auger. A portable fish house and art prints will also be given away as well as cash and other prizes.

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RoundUp® applications due  

Are you part of a community or nonprofit group which needs a little extra money to complete a project? Many members of North Itasca Electric Cooperative make it possible to provide those dollars by generously rounding up their bills over the year and donating the pennies to the North Itasca Electric Community Trust. Those pennies add up to dollars; about $20,000 over a year. An independent board in turn distributes these dollars twice a year to local projects which help enhance quality of life.

RoundUp applications for the spring granting session are due in North Itasca Cooperative offices by April 4. The grants will be awarded on April 16.

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Roxanne's Sales Talk  

North Itasca Electric has decided to sell G.E. appliances again along with the Fridigaire brand that we already carry!

We have signed the contract with G.E. and are in the process of getting an order ready. Anthony Aieky is the owner of A.A Appliance, out of Hibbing and he has agreed to do all our warranty work. He is certified for both Fridigaire and G.E. as well as some other brands. North Itasca Electric hopes that by adding G.E. along with Fridigaire, the two will complement each other and give our customers more choices.

G.E. carries the bottom freezer refrigerators and Fridigaire doesn’t. They also have more Energy Star appliances to choose from. Between the two brands we are hoping everyone should be able to find something to their liking as well as within their price range. GE has some very interesting pieces, for instance, a side by side refrigerator that can give you precise water measurements, or a bottom freezer/refrigerator with not one but two pull out drawers of freezer room. These are just a couple pieces we are excited about; there are many more. Make sure to stop in and see for yourself!

Native plants available to Itasca County residents  

Want to plant native conservation grade plants shrubs, flowers and trees, but not sure where to find them? Itasca County Soil and Water District is offering a spring sale of these native species to county landowners. Plants are chosen that are adapted to the growing conditions found locally.

Deadline for ordering is April 18, orders under $50 must be prepaid. Plants can be picked up at the Itasca County Fairgrounds in Grand Rapids on Thursday or Friday, May 1 and 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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