A few weeks ago our church hosted a “Christmas in July” Sunday just for fun.
Adrian’s town celebration is known as “Christmas in July.”
Of course, there’s Christmas in July on the Hallmark Channel.
And, not surprisingly, more stores are offering “Christmas in July” sales.
All of this Christmas talk caused me to think of a wish list.
I’ve written about my personal wish list for Luverne in previous columns, and some of those wishes have come true.
Other wishes are still on my list. Here’s my current Top 5 Wish List for Luverne:
5. Dar’s Pizza.
It’s hard to admit that Pipestone has some things better than Luverne, but Dar’s is a no-brainer.
I would love to see – and taste – Dar’s II, Dar’s South, or whatever they’d want to call it, open in the old Bluestem restaurant.
Just think of the business they could do along the interstate and being closer to Sioux Falls.
4. Kwik Trip.
Anyone who travels around much of Minnesota knows there are convenience stores and then there are Kwik Trips.
To say that the arrival of a Kwik Trip in your town changes your life might be an exaggeration, but every time I stop in a Kwik Trip, or when I am in Luverne’s small, crowded Casey’s, I think of how great it would be for Kwik Trip to build on the old Sharkee’s lot.
3. A larger Lewis Drug.
The loss of Shopko was a major setback for Luverne.
The condition and current hours of Luverne’s other discount retailer makes it difficult to shop there.
I now find myself buying most household goods at the newer, smaller Lewis Drug stores in Sioux Falls.
And each time I do, I feel guilty and wish we had a larger Lewis in Luverne with more merchandise so that I could shop locally.
2. A permanent Star Herald sports reporter.
This is the second summer in a row that I’ve filled in as a sports reporter while the Star Herald looks for a permanent one.
I’ve learned that people still read the sports pages and care about the coverage that our local teams receive.
I really do, too.
1. A normal school year.
This one is my real wish. Newspaper reporter is my summer job. Teaching social studies is my vocation and my passion.
I want nothing more than a school year that allows all kids to go school every day. … Preferably without wearing masks and social distancing.
So, I guess my real wish is that the people of Rock County and all of America would come together to make that possible.
To do so, we all need to leave politics (both sides), cable news (all of the channels) and social media out of it and just get back to trusting our local doctors and health care experts.
If we do, maybe at least one wish on my list will come true.
That would be even better than Kwik Trip or Dar’s Pizza.