Becker County Food Pantry opens doors to new facility to clients Tuesday afternoon

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Becker County Food Pantry opened their new building for distribution to their first clients on Tuesday afternoon.

The new food pantry building, located on Terry Street, north of Highway 34 on Richwood Road, is about twice the size of their old building and Brad Carlson, executive director of the Becker County Food Pantry, said the move wouldn’t have been possible without the tremendous community support they’ve received over the last couple weeks, which included the brutish lifting strength of the Detroit Lakes football team.

“The Lion’s Club asked the football team to show up and they carried the heavy weights,” said Carlson. “We can’t believe the muscles that were on those guys, but we sure appreciated those muscles.”

Other community groups and businesses helping with the food pantry move included:

• Mid-west Bank
• Walmart
• Absolute Ice
• Becker County Sentence to Serve Program
• Lakeshirts

Carlson also said he’s was touched by the outpouring of generosity during the food pantry’s fundraising efforts to pay for their new building and some of the donations made came from unsuspecting places.

“Before we really got started, I had a gentleman show up at the food shelf, and he said dad always gives each of us kids $100 for Christmas and he asked if they could just write out a check for $500 to the food bank,” he said.

Carlson said he told the kids and their father they were raising money for a new building and they agreed their donation would be perfect for their fundraising effort.

“And he showed up the next day with a check for $1,500,” said Carlson.

As far as the new computer systems and other operations at the new building, Carlson said, they’ll be getting all the kinks out over the next couple of weeks.

“We hope it goes well,” he said. “The next several days are going to be a learning curve because we’ve done it the same way for so long that it’s like the teacher at school getting a new book.”

The Becker County Food Pantry plans to conduct their regular drop-off and distribution times going forward. The new facility is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

The food pantry will also be holding an open house to the public on Nov. 15, he said, which would be a good time for anyone who wants to come check out their new location to stop by.

17-year-old Pelican Rapids teen injured in single-vehicle crash

A 17-year-old Pelican Rapids teenager was injured in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 59 Tuesday morning.

On Oct. 31 at 8:02 a.m., a 2004 Ford F150, driven by 17-year-old Benjamin Steven Lyon of Pelican Rapids, was northbound on Highway 59, near Elizabeth, Minn., when his vehicle left the roadway and entered a roadside ditch during icy conditions.

The vehicle rolled over and came to rest near Pelican Street.

Lyon suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the crash and was transported to a medical clinic in Fergus Falls for treatment.

Lyon was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and law enforcement believes alcohol did not factor into the incident.

$10k Arvig donation keeps Perham’s Lights In The Pines lit for 2023 holiday season

A popular holiday season lights display is returning to Perham for its second year, thanks in large part to a $10,000 donation from Arvig, the event’s newest local sponsor.

Lights in the Pines will be presented by Perham Boy Scouts Troop 321 in conjunction with Arvig.

The winter event will once again illuminate Perham’s Pioneer Village during the 2023 holiday season with Arvig’s donation covering the event’s current and future capital expenditures—including construction of the display tunnels and the electrical costs.

Allen Arvig, CEO and President of Arvig, said they were proud to support the second annual Lights In The Pines.

Arvig said: “We hope that this donation helps secure a bright future for Lights in the Pines and that it continues to grow and prosper in Perham for years to come.”

Lights in the Pines will be open to the public starting Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving, and will remain open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Dec. 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Organizers are asking for a free-will donation to enter with all proceeds going toward adventure trips for the Scouts, including a planned excursion to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

This year, the event will also feature 40 unique vendor-sponsored display areas, which is double last year’s total. 

Local groups, businesses or nonprofits are invited to sponsor their own display, but spots are limited. Each display will be connected by a string of tunnels lit up with Christmas lights. 

Nearly 5,000 people attended the event last year

Chris Menz, one of the event’s organizers and a Troop 321 Scout leader, said he is looking forward to another successful 2023 season and having the infrastructure costs covered will let them focus on volunteering and building great displays.

The public is invited to freely stroll the grounds, enjoy Christmas music and hot chocolate and visit Santa, Mrs. Claus and their workshop. 

The Clauses will be on-hand for photos, with treats and other goodies offered to attendees.  

For the latest event updates, follow the Lights in the Pines page on Facebook. 

Kensingers step away from Detroit Lakes Dairy Queen after nearly 32 years

After nearly 32 years, the Lee and Ellen Kensinger have sold the beloved Detroit Lakes Dairy Queen Grill and Chill in McKinley Plaza in Detroit Lakes.

The Kensingers said the new owners, Michael and Abigale Griffin, were friends with their son and, after seeing how passionate they were about running the business, Lee said 66 was close enough to retirement age to begin his next chapter.

“My son called me two years ago and said, ‘you know, Michael (Griffin) would really like to buy the Dairy Queen,” said Lee Kensinger. “And I said, we’d think about it. And as time progressed, I planned to retire at 67 and I’m only 66, but Michael was pushing because he really wants it … so it just seemed to be time. And I think it’s great that we can turn it over to someone who’s going to treat it the way that we did and be a member of the community. And Michael is going to do a great job.”

Ellen Kensinger said the couple didn’t realize how much of an impact they had on Detroit Lakes and the community because it’s difficult to see when you just go to work every day.

“It’s hard to put into words, really, because you don’t realize how much of an impact you are making on a community when you are just going to work every day,” said Ellen Kensinger. “But over the years we’ve met so many people and been involved in so many community activities … I’m always amazed at how many people we know through the business because we’ve been going to work every day and doing our job. “

Lee said he and Ellen met when he was the general manager at the Dairy Queen located at the Minnesota Zoo.

Over the years, the couple began to notice some of the kids of their former employees showing up to apply for their first jobs

“I was telling our children that we need to quit now because we hired somebody that was one of their classmate’s kids,” said Ellen Kensinger. “And I said, well, we’ve come full circle and it’s time for us to get out and let someone younger do it. But that has also been a privilege to be able to hire so many people … and they have enjoyed it enough that they are going to have their kids work for us. So that means a lot to us.”

Lee said one thing he’ll always remember is giving away free blizzards to snow removal workers during a snowstorm in 2019.

“Four years ago, we had a really big blizzard and it was January 2019,” said Lee Kensinger. “And I left my house and I knew the roads were really bad, but my road was cleared and then the next road I was on was cleared and the guys were clearing the lot at the Dairy Queen, so I didn’t have any problem getting to work. So I put a post on Facebook that if you cleared snow for the county, state, for the city, if you shoveled your neighbor’s driveway … come on in, I’ve got a blizzard for you. We had 100,000 hits from that on social media … and that was a really cool thing. It wasn’t that big of deal for us, but it sure made an impact around.”

The Kensingers said they plan to travel a little bit with some of their new found free time, but, once they get back, they plan on relaxing a little bit.

“Other than that, relaxing,” said Lee Kensinger. “Instead of doing what we have to do, do what we want to do.”

Both Lee and Ellen Kensinger said their business and all businesses depend on good managers and they had some of the best.

“A couple managers have been with me a long time,” he said. “Kim Christenson has been with me 26 years. Matt … 11 years. It’s really great to have those loyal people.”

The Kensingers also said they hope the community shows Michael and Abigale Griffin the same love and support they received as they take over operations of the restaurant. 

Fire causes significant damage to Fergus Falls home

A house fire in Fergus Falls Monday morning caused significant damage and caused the residents to be temporarily displaced.

On Oct. 30 at 10:35 a.m., the Fergus Falls Fire Department responded to a residential fire on the 1000 block of South Sheridan Street.

Smoke was seen coming from the roof and attic of the home through a roof vent and soffit.

The occupants were evacuated first responders.

Fire crews used thermal imaging cameras to look for hot spots in the ceiling of the home.

Crews pulled the ceiling in two rooms to expose the burning area and extinguish the fire. 

With the fire starting in the attic structural components, fire fighters were required to significantly overhaul and remove smoldering insulation. The area where the fire originated had fire damage to the rafters and the electrical wiring.

The rest of the home experienced smoke damage. 

The American Red Cross worked with the displaced occupants to find temporary housing.

A preliminary damage estimate puts the cost of repairs at $60,000. 

Investigators ruled the fire was unintentional and instigated from an electrical wire in the attic.

No injuries were reported at the scene.

Story by Dave Bishop / KBRF

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