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GEP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’If you are available this weekend or next, don’t forget to take in the Green Earth Players first Shakespeare production.GEP’s version of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" will be performed at the Palace Theatre the next two weekends.Curtain time for the play is 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.If you don’t already have your tickets, the Carnegie Cultural Center is serving as the box office.Ticket sales are now open to the public, and box office hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.For more information, call the Carnegie at 283-8294.St. Patrick’s Day ParadeThe 25th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be this Friday, March 17.The celebration, which was originally organized by Don Cashin, has been run by Katie Connell Baustian for the past five years.This year’s royalty will include:
Grand Marshal: Mike Cronin
Grand Marshalette: Meg Connell Nelson
Queen of Leprechauns; Sandy Sietsema
King of Leprechauns: Brian Sietsema
Junior Royalty: Charlie and Erin SietsemaEveryone is encouraged to participate in the parade. If you are so inclined, gather at the Sears parking lot at 3:30 p.m. this Friday. Parade time will be at 4 p.m.Something to consider: After five years of organizing the parade, Katie is thinking about turning the project over to someone else. If you would like to consider being the parade organizer for 2007, let her know.AgStar announces scholarship programAgStar announced it will again give away $1,000 scholarships to ten high school seniors who plan to continue their education to pursue careers in agricultural or related fields.Applications will be accepted through April 1, 2006.Scholarships will be awarded to eligible seniors based on academic record, vocational promise, community service and leadership qualities.Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.Two scholarships will be awarded in each of AgStar’s five regions in Minnesota and Wisconsin.Applicants must be residents of one of the counties AgStar serves, which includes Rock County.Avoid the rush, get your gun safety training out of the way nowIf you will need classes to get your hunting permit, the DNR is encouraging hunters to sign up for classes now.Hunters can’t buy hunting licenses in Minnesota and many other states unless they have completed the training.According to Mike Hammer, DNR hunter education coordinator, "Now is the time to start planning for the fall by registering for a spring class today."In Minnesota, hunters born after Dec. 31, 1979, must complete a DNR firearms safety-training course or equivalent course from another state before purchasing a license for big or small game.According to Hammer, every year there are some hunters who don’t plan ahead and run out of time to take the necessary classes before hunting season starts.Since most of the volunteer instructors are also hunters, they want to have the classes they teach completed prior to the small game opener.If you would like to have more information about the availability of classes, you can contact the DNR at www.dnr.state,mn.us, or by calling 1-888-646-6367.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com