Fewer sports divas
Maybe Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game is just what sports fans need this week. In other words, something a little less intense, a little more lighthearted, with a little less emotion. The World Cup final was played on Sunday, and for sports fans who checked out some or all of the game, it was high drama because of the close contest itself, but also high drama thanks to the players themselves, who acted like they’d been shot every time they were knocked to the ground. What theatrics! In soccer, the action rarely stops, but if you followed the referee on your TV screen, you saw that he was almost always getting chased by a player or two, hands in the air and screaming, because they’d apparently been physically assaulted once again by an opponent. And on the occasion that he’d stop play to raise a yellow card, he’d invariably have a handful of players in his face, screaming and pleading their case. It was all a bit…exhausting. But now it’s over. Congratulations, Spain. May the next four years creep slowly by.
A Crazy Day on Thursday
Crookston’s retail sector will be all abuzz on Thursday, which is the annual Crazy Days sales and other festivities in the community. There are lots of things going on downtown, but businesses all over town will have discounts and other promotions, too. So venture out, browse, buy, grab a bite to eat or just enjoy a great day of people-watching. It’s never to early to start back-to-school shopping, either, even if students find that thought depressing.
Another successful RYLA camp
It’s the middle of the summer, so it must be time again for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award camp at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. It’s really quite a camp, and every year features several Crookston kids along with dozens of other kids from the region. Students arrived Sunday on campus, and every day this week they have a full schedule of events, activities and challenging and stimulating leadership exercises designed to make them tomorrow’s success stories. And RYLA is a success story. These kids, if you happen to cross paths with them at a later date in life – say, for example, they’re making some kind of speech or something – they almost always mention the RYLA camp as being a springboard toward the young adult that they became. You might see some RYLA campers around town this week, too, doing a good deed or two. Say hi to them.
