Hat's Off, America!
America's Good Stories
Hats Off, America, to the family and friends of the late Cynthia Wahlen! They gathered to celebrate her life cut short by domestic violence. Leigh Wahlen, Cynthia’s daughter, was 13-years old when her mother was murdered. Leigh is now a Social Worker in Human Services at Polk County, Wisconsin. This…
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Tucker Helstrom died after a heroic battle with osteosarcoma 5-years ago, but his impact on the City of Hopkins lives on. During his weeks in the hospital, Tucker noticed that some children didn’t have any visitors, and the organization in his memory, PlayLaughLove.org, wants to change that. To honor Tucker’s…
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The ICA Food Shelf is celebrating 50 years of distributing food to those in need in the Hopkins/Minnetonka community. “ICA” stands for Intercongregation Communities Association. The food shelf was incorporated fifty years ago by a coalition of churches in Hopkins and Minnetonka. It started at a house in downtown Hopkins,…
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On June 30, 2013, the Yarnell Hill Fire killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. It was one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires. To memorialize the horrific events of that day, the Arizona Public Service Foundation invested in the Hotshot Memorial Trail as a place to remember and heal. As you…
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The Terry Bison Ranch Resort in Cheyenne, WY is a great bargain adventure with the kids. The train tour of the buffalo is $15 for adults and $7.50 for children. Check the Price List at their website since they can vary seasonally. We have done the train tour twice in…
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Feeding the Hungry in a Pandemic The dauntless Jennifer Bearheart coordinates efforts for the weekly food giveaway program. As the Aging Unit Director for the Saint Croix Band of Chippewa, she and her colleagues jumped at the chance to coordinate food giveaway for the area. Every Thursday morning, trucks roll…
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Photographing the beauty of the South Dakota Black Hills We never miss a chance to drive through the Black Hills. On this trip, it was a little quiet driving through the Black Hills in December 2020, especially during the pandemic. Traffic was light and most of the area businesses were…
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Hats off to Kevin Kunkel, author of the children’s book, The World We Choose. How do you explain to children that all of the bad things they see or hear about on the news are not likely to happen to them? How can we make the world less scary? Watching…
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And Hats off to Steve from Eden Prairie, Minnesota! On March 9, 2020, we had a close encounter with a rattlesnake hiking at Pinnacle Peak, a city park in Scottsdale, Arizona near Phoenix. We were hiking with our good friends, Lyn and Steve, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. When we started…
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Winter Hiking One of the best reasons to visit the Phoenix area in the winter months is to take advantage of the winter hiking season. December through February, the weather is perfect for hiking, typically reaching highs in the 60s and low 70s. If you are afraid of hiking in…
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