Girl Scout Camp Elk River helped kick off what will be a yearlong celebration of the Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary.  More than 200 area scouts from 24 troops took a “Step Back in Time” at the winter encampment in Zimmerman that was designed to bring the girls back to the early days of Girl Scouting.     A Little History on the Girl Scouts:  Juliette Gordon Low spent several years searching for something useful to do with her life. Her search ended in 1911, when she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement. Afterwards, she channeled all her considerable energies into the fledgling movement. Less than a year later, she returned to the United States and made her historic telephone call to a friend (a distant co... 02/13/2012

Elk River will be hosting its 2nd annual Shiver Elk River on February 25th.  There will be events all over town: Handke Pit with hockey, Lake Orono for the Shiver Plunge and ERX Motor Park for snowmobile races for the kids.   The Shiver Elk River is sponsored by the Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce.   Here’s a rundown of events:   •A key feature is the Shiver Plunge. Last year 45 plungers raised more than $11,000 for 12 different local non-profits when they jumped into Lake Orono. An even larger number of jumpers is expected this year. The plunge begins at 10:30 a.m.   •Bring the family and be a People’s Choice judge for the 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off. Local restaurants and a few amateurs will cook up their chili recipes. The cook-off will be on the shore of Lake Orono starting at 11 ... 02/12/2012

Elk River Minnesota is developing a strategic plan for the Elk River Fire Department, the first step of which is to appoint  an Elk River Fire Service Task Force.  In addition to developing the strategic plan, the other goal is  to lay the foundation for meeting the community’s service needs with respect to fire/rescue capabilities and code enforcement/fire prevention, according to Fire Chief T. John Cunningham. The Elk River City Council approved the creation of the task force at the meeting on Monday, Feburary 6, 2012.   Mayor John Dietz and Council Member Jerry Gumphrey will serve on it. And other members will be Fire Chief Cunningham, Finance Director Tim Simon, an Elk River Police Department captain to be named, four representatives from the fire department and an outside fire chie... 02/09/2012

Elk River Minnesota will be the site to donate blood this February 21st.   Two Elk River businesses (HealthSource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab and Corral-A-Deal)  (ill be sponsoring the event at Corral-A-Deal from 2 to 7 pm.  This is a sanctioned American Red Cross blood drive so for those of you going for pins, this is the place to be.   Volunteer donors may stop by Corral-A-Deal, 16804 Highway 10, Elk River, to donate. For an appointment call Mindy at 763-441-0644, Gail at 763-241-8801 or visit www.redcrossblood.org. All donors who sign in will be able to receive a 10-minute chair massage as well as a coupon for $10 off $25 or $20 off $100 at Corral-A-Deal. For those who don’t wish to give blood, but would still like to contribute, HealthSource is offering free community service... 02/02/2012

Elk River is trying to win the nomination to be the host for Hockey Day Minnesota 2014, and officials for the Elk River Area School District along with other Elk River community leaders believe they have the winning combination in the Handke Pit and the community. There has been a great outpouring of support with leaders such as Elk River High School Principal  Terry Bizal and others working to make this happen.  After the end of Hockey Day Minnesota two weekends ago, School District Superintendent Mark Bezek along with Debbi Rydberg of the Elk River Area Chamber of the Commerce, Elk River City Administrator Cal Portner, Elk River Economic Development Director Annie Deckert started rallying for our local school to be the new site for Hockey Day Minnesota 2014. The goal is to take advant... 01/27/2012

Tomorrow, Saturday January 21st 2012, Hasford Homes (better known as Lindsey Hasford from Coldwell Banker Vision) will be hosting a sledding and cocoa party at Meadow Park in Elk River! We hope that you will be able to join the fun!!! This is but a small park with one hill, but it loves to be tromped on and enjoyed. For the first 50 that visit we will be sponsoring hot chocolate!!!! Hope that you'll be there. What: Sledding and Cocoa at Meadow ParkWhere: The corner of Evans and 2nd Street in Elk River (well, one house down but you'll see it!)When: Saturday, January 21st 2012 from 1-3pmWho: Anyone that wants to bundle up and head out for some sledding fun! (First 50 get hot chocolate!!!!)Don't forget to bring your own sled!!!!!! 01/20/2012

After having an Elk River, MN home listed for rent I am finding there is a big need for more single family home rentals in Elk River and the surrounding areas.  It took just over 2 weeks to rent the listing I had in December.  Since then I have received several calls requesting rentals.  On the Multiple Listing Service in the Elk River area there are only a few rentals out there and most of them are higher then the $1300-$1400 payment threshold most people are trying to stay under.  Even going through Craigslist ads I don't see many new options coming on the market. Thus if you have a home in Elk River and you don't know what to do with it, perhaps renting it out is an option.  If have been thinking about buying a rental home Elk River is an area that you should consider. There always s... 01/19/2012

A long time ago in an office far, far away, I worked with a man who was funny and had a lot going for him.  Read this from the pages of the Elk River Star News on reflections of last year.   Alan Sakry, the president of the Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce, was one of 45 individuals to jump into Lake Orono this past winter at the first Shiver Elk River celebration. The event raised more than $10,000 for organizations. The second annual event is being planned for Feb. 25, 2012. Now Alan is very seriously ill.  And, we are all hoping for the best.  But, for the life of me, I can't think of too many people who would do this.  And, he was always there for his clients, a good time, his family, his co-workers and the agents and brokers who worked with him because of his caring and attitude.... 01/16/2012

“The Yellow Ribbon program in the state of Minnesota is creating miracles all around Minnesota,” Annette Kuyper, the director of military outreach for the Minnesota Army National Guard, said as the keynote speaker at the January 7th Beyond the Yellow Ribbon community kickoff event, which was hosted by the members of a local steering committee and was open to the general public. “It’s creating a whole new way we can support military families — leading the way in the nation for how America can take care of its veterans.” Some of the groundwork for miracles has been laid and provided cause for celebration at the event. There are more than 180 members of the National Guard in the 55330 zip code alone.  Which means that for Elk River alone, this can be a great way for the public to assist an... 01/15/2012

Making resolutions is hard enough.... finding a way to make them happen can feel as possible as kissing a frog to find a prince. Ew, right? If your vision finds you wanting a home it IS possible. You just need the tools. With the tools in hand then you can set a plan and let the bells ring at the starting line. The race to the finish might take awhile, but at least you'll know how to get there. So.... Here I am again with my list of essentials. The essentials to buying a home in 2012. (I do realize that there might be complications in certain circumstances that make this near impossible right now... but these steps may still apply toward future purchases). First off.... if you haven't visited my list of ways to "Save for a Down Payment" you might want to start there. It's oober importan... 01/04/2012

  KEYS TO SAVING A DOWN PAYMENT FOR A HOME Buying a home, especially a first home, can be a really big deal. Often times it includes little money, big banks and lots of documentation. But, before you even start the process you have to have enough money in the piggy bank to take to the bank. So, how do you do it? How is it possible to save 5%, 10% or even 20% of a mortgage without going insane? The first key is to determine how much money you feel that you will need to buy. It’s somewhat of a mystery until you meet with a lender, but there are costs involved in purchasing that you can be prepared for even before your process begins…. The key is to know what the costs might be. 1. Earnest Money. That’s the money that you write toward your purchase at the time of writing an offer. 2. Home ... 01/02/2012

If you are thinking that touching a life is too hard... you just don't have 'enough' to make a difference for someone else let me help you out. It doesn't take much - mostly a creative touch. And, often, not even that. The biggest key is purpose. Purposing to go out of your way to help out a friend (or foe) and letting them know that they are special. If you live in the Elk River area and you are looking for a GREAT way to make a difference here are a few awesome options for touching a life... 10. Pack a bag of groceries and drop them off at the Caer Food Shelf. There need is incredibly high right now. With our economy in the tanks they are in desperate need to keep up with the demand. If you don't have a whole bag of goods? Just drop a thing or two. 9. Drop a gift at one of the local d... 12/16/2011

  19163 Evans CT NW Elk River, MN 55330   Description Clean 3 BR home with a fenced yard, large deck and patio. Main floor laundry. Large lower level family room with a computer area, and cabinets, walkout basement and large lower level bedroom. Located close to 169 and local shopping. Apply online. $1,450 Year Built 1999 Sq Footage 1,850 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 Lot Size getting Rooms Bedroom 1 18x10 Bedroom 2 11x10 Bedroom 3 20x11 Computer Room 8x7 Dining Room 8x9 Family Room 22x16 Kitchen 10x9 Living Room 16x13 Property Features Other 1450.00 2012-01-01 45.00 Smoking Permitted Y Pays Water Tenant Pays Pays Trash Tenant Pays Pays Heat Tenant Pays Pays Gas Tenant Pays Pays Electric Tenant Pays Pays Cable Tenant Pays Laundry In Unit Background Check Req Y Property Class Residential Renta... 12/09/2011

I don't have any pretty pictures (yet), but aim to get a few today.... when I stop by the Pompeii with my bag of food all in effort to try a piece of their awesome pizza that I keep hearing about. From 11am - 8pm tonight (Wednesday, December 7th, 2011) Pompeii Pizzeria in Elk River is giving away free Margarita Pizza to anyone that brings in a contribution for the CAER Food Shelf. Their Facebook Page lists the details of items that are badly needed right now and they are doing what they can to help the situation!Since I have a Realtor class today (with free lunch) I won't be able to be there early, but selfishly plan to attend in the afternoon. I have yet to take the opportunity to taste what I've heard is awesome pizza. Hopefully you'll be able to head out there too and support the com... 12/07/2011

I love Christmas Lights. Oh heck... I love Christmas. It's so special to drive around at night with the kids in the back seat enjoying their remarks over the beautiful scenery that we are passing by. Usually with Christmas music floating through the car and kids counting rapidly as the lights fly past. Because I can't seem to get enough of the season... I'm hosting a lights contest. If you live in Minnesota you are welcome to join in the fun. It's simple. Post your photo HERE (click the link) and whomever has the most likes on their photo wins a $25 gift certificate to the new Pizza Ranch restauraunt in town! Chances of winning are based on how many entrees there are. And, winner will be notified via message when contest ends. For more details check out my Facebook Page (Elk River Real... 11/30/2011

It seems that Santa is teaming up with the Elk River Star News this year for communication services. Sooooooo.... if you have a little one that either needs to hear from or to send Santa a letter it's all set up! For a mere $3 paypal payment your child could hear from Santa this year! Not only does it cover the cost of the correspondence but also gives to their Giving Tree! What a small price to pay for a gift that helps so many in our area. It's easy peazy.... You can either: 1. Head over to http://erstarnews.com/santa/ and let the elves at Santa's Workshop (AKA Elk River Star News) know that your child would like a word from Santa or 2. Have your child send a note to Santa via the Elves at Elk River Star News at: Star News CAC506 Freeport Ave.,  Suite A,Elk River, MN 55330If you choo... 11/28/2011

I'd love to take a poll someday and see how many folks still go meandering through the countryside on a Sunday afternoon. You know.... like those Sunday drivers? Somehow I get the feeling that it isn't quite as common as it used to be. Life is just too busy and who has the time to waste on a Sunday drive, right? It isn't very often that I make it out for a Sunday drive, but around this time of year I'm likely dubbed one of "those" drivers. I take the longest routes home from anywhere in hopes of a glimce at some beautiful Christmas lights decorating a yard or house. This year is already a pleasant surprise! Light spotting has never been more fun. With the oohs and ahhs in the backseat... who could resist?!?! That and the counting lessons. The kidlets have been counting how many they see... 11/27/2011

Winter parking restrictions are now in force in Elk River Minnesota.  Beginning November 15  through April 15, no vehicle may be left parked on a public roadway in the city of Elk River between the hours of 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.  The purpose of this restriction is to allow for the safe and efficient overnight removal of snow and ice as well as other seasonal road maintenance work. Since some snow and ice events are unforecast, these restrictions apply regardless of past, current or future weather conditions. The fine for a winter parking ticket is $30. The police understand that sometimes special situations occur which may necessitate leaving a vehicle on the street overnight. It is the responsibility of the vehicle owner to contact the police department (763-635-1200), before leaving a vehi... 11/05/2011

Are you running low on time? Feeling a little run down and low in the mornings?Do you feel like you could use an extra hour of sleep? Well.... this is your day!I can grant you your wish!!!!Tonight before you sleep simply turn your clock back an hour and enjoy 60 extra minutes of shut eye! That's right. It's that easy. This chance comes but once a year. If you squander the opportunity as you won't have another until next year.This is a ONE DAY special.....It's good for 11/6/2011 only so don't miss out!Don't forget!!!All you have to do is turn back your clock ONE HOUR tonight before you sleep and it'll give you an extra hour tomorrow.You can't go wrong with this deal!If you are hesitating remember that this deal offers you a few extra days of sunshine in the mornings when you wake for wo... 11/05/2011

This morning there was a frosty chill in the air. We have once again started the fireplace and rumors are flying all over the state of people giving in to turning on furnaces for a little added heat. As a child it was days like today that we would bake cookies and Mom would have the oven working from sunup to sundown. Now I understand that it was simply to pull the chill out of the air. Though the mornings are starting with frosty tips on the grass... it's still warming up nicely for daytime activities. This weekend will surely be busy in Minnesota with MEA in full session. Kids are out of school and families are taking last opportunities for those "fun things" that may otherwise not have been. From pumpkin patches to trips up north calendars of events are running the gamut. For us thi... 10/21/2011