Toast of Tamarac draws 250 to Detroit Lakes for outdoor education programs fundraiser

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Supporters of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Tamarac, a nonprofit support organization for the wilderness area, packed Lakeside Tavern and Brewery in Detroit Lakes Sunday afternoon for their annual Toast of Tamarac fundraiser.

The event had been held at Richwood Winery in recent years, but moved to a new home this year since the winery closed last September.

Kelly Blackledge, visitor services coordinator for the refuge, said she thinks the attendance for the banquet seems to keep growing every year. 

“We have people that always come every year, so they are regular supporters and we love that,” said Blackledge. “And then some new people that we haven’t seen out here. Some people that just happened by. So we are really glad to have all kinds of new people join us this year.”

She also said the silent auction seemed more active than previous fundraisers and the group would post the final donation tally once it becomes available on Monday. 

Blackledge added the money raised during event will go to continue funding Tamarac’s youth education programs.

“All of these funds will help fund out educational programs, so it’ll keep kids coming out to the refuge,” she said. “There’s a few snow shoes that we need to replace and then some of the equipment that we use, it’s so fun, we’ve been doing environmental education for a lot of years, so it’s kind of fun to see some of our equipment wear out because we are getting so much use out of it. So this is really going to help us out.”

Tina Pierce, co-owner of Lakeside Tavern and Brewery, is also a Friends of Tamarac board member and said she loves seeing the awestruck looks on the face of third graders when they see the seasons change.

“When I was a kid, anytime I got to go anywhere outdoors, that was ‘it’,” said Pierce. “And that’s what I loved learning and participating in. I love volunteering with the environmental education program, especially the third graders that come out three time per year. It’s super exciting to see how enthusiastic they are about getting out there, and when they learn certain things that they never knew before and they get to see the  different seasons change.”

Years ago, Pierce actually worked for a summer at Tamarac as a park ranger and will always remember her time there as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“You get paid to be out on the trails hiking and doing all the things that you love,” she said. “And interacting with guests, I just loved working in the visitor’s center, and watching all the birds at the bird feeders, and talking to people who come in from different states who have never seen chipmunks before or ground squirrels, or certain birds … and just the families that come in, and the kids especially. Their minds are blown by everything that’s out there.”

The Friends of Tamarac will continue selling raffle tickets for a 3-person Eskimo fish house and other prizes over the next few weeks to continue their fundraising efforts. Raffle tickets can be purchased by emailing: info@tamaracfriends.org; by reaching out to a Friends of Tamarac Board Member; or through the group’s Facebook page.

Dick Beardsley Races draw more than 1,000 runners to Detroit Lakes on Saturday

Dick Beardsley started the first race of the 28th Annual Dick Beardsley Races in Detroit Lakes on Saturday morning. More than 1,000 runners participated in the 25K, half marathon, 10K, 5K and kids race.

Beardsley, who made a name for himself in the 1980s with record finishes in the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, a victory in the inaugural London Marathon in 1981 and a second-place finish in the legendary Duel in the Sun Boston Marathon in 1982, ran the half-marathon on Saturday in honor of race director Mark Knutson, who was killed in a bicycle accident last July.

“Mark was a dear friend of mine for more than 20 years,” Beardsley told the crowd of runners before the race began. “I shouldn’t even be running the half-marathon today, but I’m going to in honor and memory of Mark. And if I finish in under two-and-a-half hours I’ll be tickled pink!”

Beardsley accomplished his goal of finishing the race in under two and a half hours, completing the half marathon in two hours and twenty minutes. You can find complete race results on the Lakes Area Radio app.

GoFundMe page created for 2 women killed in Breezy Point murder-suicide

A fundraiser has been launched on behalf of the two women who were killed last week in a murder-suicide at a Crow Wing County resort.

Melanie Jansen, 54, and her 29-year-old daughter Hannah Nicole Parmenter, both of Maple Grove, were found shot to death at Whitebirch Resort in Breezy Point on Tuesday, Sept. 5. 

Investigators say Jansen’s partner Michael Charles Toner, 59, killed the women before taking his own life. The bodies were discovered by Jansen’s 28-year-old son as he arrived at the property to visit his mother and sister. 

In two days, the GoFundMe has garnered over $7,000 against a $10,000 fundraising goal.

Authorities have not yet specified a motive in the killings. 

If you know anyone who is affected by domestic violence, you can find more information on services available here, via the Minnesota DPS.You can also call the Day One Crisis Hotline at 1-866-223-1111.

Perham woman killed in Highway 10 crash in Otter Tail County Friday night

A 64-year-old Perham woman died in a crash in Otter Tail County Friday night just before 7 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 10 and County Road 60. 

The State Patrol said Dianne Tyge of Perham, MN, was driving a 2006 Toyota Scion eastbound on Highway 10, about five miles northwest of Perham when it struck a westbound 2013 Ford F150, driven by 67-year-old David Goble of Eden Prairie, who was turning onto County Road 60 when the two vehicles collided.  

Tyge was pronounced dead at the scene, and Goble suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Perham Hospital.

Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash and law enforcement believes alcohol did not factor into the incident.

Man arrested at scene of Moorhead house fire on Saturday

The Moorhead fire and police units responded to reports of a house fire Saturday afternoon just before 1:30 p.m. on the 800 block of 7th Avenue South in Moorhead.

Upon arrival, police noted a man had run back into the burning building, emerging on the home’s roof. While the fire department was actively fighting the fire, the man refused to come down, threatening to jump if anyone approached.

The fire crews extinguished the fire while police continued communicating with the Moorhead man, identified as 41-year-old Sean Ahrenholtz. 

During the investigation, it was determined he had been involved in a disturbance with a woman who lived in the home. 

Red River Valley SWAT Negotiators and officers were able to take Ahrenholtz into custody at approximately 9:00 p.m., nearly eight hours after the fire was initially reported

Ahrenholtz is currently held at the Clay County Corrections Facility on a long-form complaint requesting charges for Felony first-degree arson, false imprisonment, third-degree assault, and fifth-degree domestic assault. 

No one was injured during this incident and the investigation remains ongoing.

Gas prices spike over the weekend; regular unleaded averages $3.97 per gallon in MN

Gas prices in Minnesota spiked over the weekend. 

GasBuddy Analyst Patrick DeHaan says: “There’s very much been a squeeze on the supply of summer gasoline as a result of these refinery outages and that has pushed up the wholesale price of gasoline considerably by 40 to 60 cents a gallon.”

He says prices should stabilize early this week and starting next Saturday, stations can start selling their cheaper, winter gasoline blends. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Minnesota is $3.97, more than ten cents above the current national average.

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