Halloween is becoming one of the most popular holidays for collectors. Of course, children still dress in costumes and go door to door for treats, but the holiday’s collectors are more interested in the “trick or treat” bags or decorations that are created each year. Carved pumpkin ...

At the time of printing this article, it should be just one week away from Halloween. I loved the night as a child. I loved all the preparation that went into finding or making the perfect costume for trick or treating each year. As a young mother I think I had even more fun dressing my ...

Although your focus is probably on providing care for your loved one, it is important to think about and prepare for your own future caregiving needs. Long-term care insurance (LTCI) is a hot topic these days as the more than 76 million baby boomers approach retirement. Statistics say that ...

By Terry and Kim Kovel Experts can identify antique dishes in many unexpected ways. There are several ways to tell if a dish is pottery or porcelain. If your dish is chipped porcelain, the chip is shell-shaped. Pottery is opaque; light does shine through a piece of porcelain. Pottery breaks ...

Thanks, Community Education Pro Kinship for Kids Board of Directors and youth would like to take this time to thank Independent School District #88 Community Education for their grant to us to support our educational field trip. The mission of Pro Kinship for Kids is to improve lives by ...

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. With more people working online and many students participating in school online, it is important that we all take the time to consider how secure and safe our devices and digital information are. Just about every week here at the library, we ...

By Terry and Kim Kovel Children’s toys are often miniature copies of full-sized objects in the house. They like to imitate Mom and Dad’s work. A recent Bertoia auction sold the toy icebox with its original pristine box for $1,440. The Gurney toy refrigerator made by Arcade is only 5 1/2 ...

You may have some questions about voting, especially this year! I will be sharing information from the Minnesota Secretary of State website (mnvotes.org). If you have access to the website, you will find lots of voting information and answers to any questions you may have. We also have printed ...

October 1, 2020 Brown County exceeded 200 cases of confirmed COVID-19 among residents since the first reported case in March. School has started, fall sports are expanding to include football and volleyball, annual fall celebrations, such as Oktoberfest, are occurring and holidays are right ...

The bathroom is routinely cited as the most dangerous room in the house for seniors. Countless slips and falls occur in the bathroom, causing a difficult (and sometimes embarrassing) situation for families. Because so many falls occur in the bathroom, caregivers are encouraged to take a ...

A table has three or four or more legs and a flat top. But some modern designers can make furniture that is almost unrecognizable but still serve the same purpose. Cottone Auctions had a recent sale featuring a collection of modern furniture, including pieces by Gianfranco Frattini (1926-2004). ...

Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. I love the cool crisp air, the falling of leaves, and the changing of colors. It makes for a magical time before the blitz of winter’s arrival. As we begin the last quarter of the year, it’s a time to ponder what’s ahead for us at the library. ...

The Recreation Center is open; walking track, fitness equipment and fitness classes for those age 15 years and up. People may also play basketball, racquetball, pickleball and use open gym (limit of 25), but must be at least 10 years of age or with a parent. Maintain 6-foot physical distance as ...

We’ve added some great books to our collection in the past couple of months. I’ve had the pleasure of reading many that I really enjoyed. Maybe one or two of them will pique your interest! Leena Cotton has just been put on a two-month paid leave from her job in London after bombing an ...

Many of us have used an antique egg cup to hold a boiled breakfast egg, but few have ever seen an egg cup frame with six egg cups and spoons made of sterling silver over 200 years ago. New Orleans Auctions had many unusual serving pieces in an auction, and the rare 7-inch-high by 8-inch-wide ...

Fall is just around the corner. On Tuesday, September 22, the autumnal equinox occurs. The word “equinox” comes from the Latin words “aequus” meaning “equal” and “nox” which means “night”. So “equal night”, simply put, is the time when daylight hours are roughly the same ...

Everyone knows what a bench is, but what is a window bench? Many homes in earlier centuries had windows set in alcoves in a large open room like a hall or living room. The bench was narrow enough, and a seat low enough to avoid blocking the window. The typical French bench had curved or turned ...

Red Cross On behalf of the American Red Cross we would like to thank all the donors who gave blood at our Civic Center blood drive. Thanks to all the volunteers for their help. A special thanks to the following businesses who made donations: Kwik Trip, McDonald’s Burger King, Casey’s ...

It seems strange today that early wooden tea caddies (special boxes for tea) were made with a lock and key. Tea was a very expensive drink in the 1600s. It gave added energy and after the addition of sugar, milk and sometimes lemon, it had a pleasing taste. The earliest tea caddies in ...

September is an important month in regards to emergency preparedness efforts. We encourage people to continue to take all the appropriate precautions to protect themselves and continue to move forward on the long journey related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities have many great attributes. ...