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Fridley's Blum sets Luther strikeout record, area graduates excel in spring college seasons
Some of the area highlights and achievements for area graduates in the 2024 spring college season: Fridley’s Harry Blum, a senior pitcher for Luther baseball, was named All-American Rivers Conference. Blum worked a team-high 78 1/3 innings for the 28-16 Norse, going 7-3 with a 3.91 ERA. Blum set a single-season school record for strikeouts this season with 84, and finished second all-time with 219. Anoka’s Madison Spah, a junior...
Champs! Pitching spurs Totino-Grace baseball to state title
It was a season that began with frustration, unable to get little bounces to go its way in an 0-5 start. The tough start gave way to resilience midway through the spring, winning 12 of 15 the rest of the regular season. It ended with perfection for Totino-Grace baseball, the final team standing in Class AAA. The last standing, and then celebrating, crashing together in a swarmed heap of jubilation...
‘Kinky Boots’ to close Lyric Arts 2023-24 season
Lyric Arts in Anoka has announced the cast of the Twin Cities premiere of the musical “Kinky Boots,” which will run on the Main Street Stage July 12-Aug. 11. The rocking, glamorous and heartfelt show will be directed by Vanessa Brooke Agnes. “Kinky Boots is a dazzling story about inclusivity, love and acceptance of someone for who they are,” Agnes said. “I’ve always been inspired and fascinated by the art...
Bunker Hills to host MN 100 golf tourney Aug. 6
The MN 100 Club golf tournament will be held on Aug. 6 at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids. The event will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony featuring a flyover by the T6 Thunder. Golfers will play an 18-hole scramble and enjoy entertainment, dinner and a live auction following golf. Anyone interested in playing in the event or becoming a sponsor can get more information at www.mn100club.org. To help fill the gap left by lost wages and funeral expenses, the...
Bunker Hills' Peterson wins Public Links Championship
By MGA Coming off the 36th state victory of his career at the Minnesota Golf Association Mid-Players’ Championship at Deacon’s Lodge on June 12, Bunker Hills’ Trent Peterson wasted little time winning his 37th tournament, shooting 5-under 139 at Highland National Golf Course Sunday to win the 20th Minnesota Public Golf Association Mid Public Links Championship June 15-16. Peterson carded a final-round 71 to claim a two-stroke victory over Yarri...
Sports Recap: Spring Lake Park's Birdwells earn 5th at state, Totino-Grace baseball reaches state finals, Andover and SLP boys volleyball top 4
The Spring Lake Park duo of Jake Birdwell and Chase Birdwell tied for fifth place overall to lead area golfers during the Class AAA boys state golf tournament held at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids June 11-12. The pair both shot 143 for the tournament, coming in eight strokes off the pace. Anoka’s Tyler Gandrud shot 153 for the tournament to finish in 30th place, while Anoka’s Jack Schmitz and Spring Lake Park’s Austin Roloff tied for 58th place with matching scores of 160. In...
‘Rock and Rollerskate’ set to open at Rumriver June 15
Rumriver Art Center in Anoka is set to present a new gallery show titled “Rock and Rollerskate” by Rachel Coyne. The gallery opening will take place in the 21 Step Gallery, 2665 fourth Ave., Suite 201 on Saturday, June 15 from 2-4 p.m. The gallery show will feature acrylic paintings on paper reminiscing about roller skating. Coyne will also host an artist talk on Saturday, June 29 from 1-2 p.m., where attendees can meet her, learn about her life as an artist, and the creative...
Softball: St. Francis earns 3rd at state
A five-run seventh inning put an exclamation point on a third-place Class AAA state tournament finish for the St. Francis softball team at Caswell Park in North Mankato June 5-7. St. Francis defeated Winona 8-2 in the third-place game to close the tournament. The game was scoreless after two innings, before the Saints took the lead with a pair of runs in the third. Winona drew even at 2-2 after four, before St. Francis quickly regained the lead with a run in the fifth, then...
Sports Recap: Totino-Grace baseball, Andover girls lacrosse reach state; area golfers in hunt after day 1
Legacy Christian Academy was in third place, just four strokes behind the leader, following the opening round of the Class A state boys golf tournament at Pebble Creek in Becker June 11. The final round of state meets for all three classes was scheduled for June 12. Legacy’s Tanner McNamee was tied for 15th place with a first round score of 78. Braylon Ylkanen was just a shot back in 17th place with a 79, followed by Elijah Wade (82), Trevor Zenk (85), Miles Greer...
State champs! Fridley boys, Anoka's Salami win track and field championships
Seven. Six. Five. Two. One. Seven podium performances, put together by six superstar performers. Five top-three finishes, including two individual state titles. A weekend of eye-popping numbers, all adding up to one: Fridley boys track and field as the final team standing at the Class AA Track and Field Championships at St. Michael-Albertville June 6-8,...
‘Trash to Treasure’ set to open at Rumriver Art Center June 15
Rumriver Art Center in Anoka’s June Jan Johansen gallery show “Trash to Treasure” will open Saturday, June 15, from 2-4 p.m. This was Rumriver Art Center’s Summer Call for Entry, where 66 regional artists entered 111 pieces of artwork. Judges chose 56 pieces of artwork to showcase a variety of mediums and ideas around the theme of taking unwanted items and turning them into a piece of artwork. Among the mediums included are weaving, metal sculptures, acrylic paint with found objects, clay, polymer clay, found objects assembled in a variety of ways and more. The show will be on display through Wednesday, July 3, at Rumriver Art Center, and then it will be moving to Northtown Library to be on display from July 8 to Aug. 29.
Area Track and Field: Blaine, Spring Lake Park win section titles as deep area group advances to state meet
Blaine boys and girls track and field swept the team titles during the Section 7AAA Championships in Forest Lake May 29-31, headlining a deep group of area state qualifiers onto the upcoming state meet June 6-8 at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Section champions for the Blaine boys were River Santiago in the 1,600-meter (4:25.01), the 4x100 relay team (Jamareon Douglas, Samuel Shaughnessy, Michael Olomiyete and Michael Douglas) in 43.00, and the 4x800 relay team (Nathan Taylor, Connor Bialka, Jack Zellmer and Evan Koerber) in 7:54.55....
Sports Recap: Totino-Grace boys, Legacy girls golf to state; baseball teams stay alive; Andover girls lacrosse to section finals
Spring Lake Park boys golf finished as the team runner-up, Blaine earned fourth and Coon Rapids earned ninth at the Section 5AAA Tournament at Bunker Hills May 28-29. SLP advanced three individuals in runner-up Chase Birdwell, Jake Birdwell in fourth and Austin Roloff in eighth. Ben Anderson and Jayson Zenz tied for 16th, and Lincoln Smith earned 24th for the Panthers. Blaine was led by Tyler Buffo in 18th, Nathan Lagoon in 23rd and Ethan Boortz in 24th. Coon Rapids was led by Noah Law in 24th. ...
Softball: St. Francis state-bound for first time in 41 years
Clutch hitting. Shutdown pitching. And in the end, domination. Added all up, it equaled the Section 5AAA title, and the first trip to state for St. Francis softball in 41 years, as the second-seeded Saints shut out top-seeded Delano 7-0 in the championship game May 30 in Elk River, completing a perfect 4-0 run through the tournament. It was the second win in a row for the Saints over Delano,...
Sports Recap: Columbia Heights synchro teams make state, Blaine tennis finishes at 7AA runner-up, Andover and St. Francis softball to section finals
Columbia Heights synchronized swim had three routines qualify for the state meet: Lilam Taly Palma in Short Solo; Simone Edstrom, Cheirdi McClellan and Sage Dalzell in Short Trio; and Genevieve DuRose, Katelynn Hackett, Liliam Taly Palma, Sage Dalzell, Cheirdi McClellan, Simone Edstrom and Sheryn Narvaez Piza in Short Team. Girls golf The Northwest Suburban Conference season concluded May 24, with Totino-Grace finishing as the season runner-up, Andover earning fifth, Spring...
Spring Lake Park's Johnson, Birmingham shining in debut UFL season
It’s a league built to provide opportunities, created for those determined to work for their dreams. A perfect match for 2014 Spring Lake Park High School graduate Zack Johnson. In the inaugural season of the United Football League, a merger of the previous XFL and USFL, Johnson has helped lead the Birmingham Stallions to an 8-1 record, with a final regular season game remaining June 1. Johnson will also return...
Track and Field: Blaine sweeps NWSC titles, Spring Lake Park girls and Anoka boys finish 2nd
The Blaine boys and girls track and field teams came away with a title sweep during the Northwest Suburban Conference Championships held in Elk River May 22-23, with runner-up finishes by the Anoka boys and Spring Lake Park girls. NWSC boys The Blaine boys won four events, led by Evan Koerber in the 800-meter run in 1:55.27; the 4x100 relay team of Zachary Larson, Samuel Shaughnessy, Michael Olomiyete and Michael...
PACT performs Austen classic ‘Emma’ May 30-June 2
The beloved, adored, and self-proclaimed charmed Emma of Jane Austen fame makes her way to the area stage, as PACT Drama brings the play “Emma” to life May 30-June 2. While Austen opened the classic novel by saying Emma has had “very little to vex or distress her” in life, her matchmaking meddling soon leads to a series of comedic misadventures. “I look for stories that will impact both students...
Crooners hosts 2nd annual comedy festival June 5-8
Crooners Supper Club in Fridley will present its second annual Loons on the Lake Comedy Festival June 5-8. The show will be headlined by Maureen Langan (Wednesday, June 5 from 7-8:30 p.m.); Jamie Kennedy (Thursday, June 6 from 7-8:30 p.m.); Quinn Dale (Friday, June 7 from 7-8:30 p.m.); Don McMillan (Saturday, June 8 from 6-7:30 p.m.) and Tom Cotter (Saturday, June 8 from 8:30-10 p.m). Langan is a comedian, broadcaster,...
North Suburban Center for the Arts youth exhibition opens June 1
North Suburban Center for the Arts in Fridley opens its youth exhibition June 1, running through June 16. The exhibit features works by local artists 18 and under. There will be an opening ceremony on Saturday, June 1 from noon-3 p.m. Pictured are “Sunset Birch” by Katy K. (age 11), and “A Sunny Day” by Reagan F. (age 8). Submissions for North Suburban’s upcoming gallery “Dialogue: Communicating through Photography” are due June 14. The exhibition will focus on photography and its ability to communicate ideas, messages and abstract concepts in a visual format. Artists are welcome to submit prints created by all forms of photography, including digital, analog and smart phone. Potential submissions may include: photojournalism and/or documentary photography; portraiture; landscape and/or nature photography; macro photography; and abstract photography. Vendor and craft instructor applications close on May 31 for North Suburban’s “Burbfest” that is being held July 13, with more information at northsuburbanarts.org/burbfest-2024.
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ABC Newspapers is comprised of Anoka County UnionHerald and Blaine/Spring Lake Park/ Columbia Heights/ Fridley Life newspapers. Published Fridays by APG of East Central Minnesota dating back to 1865. 24/7 local coverage found online at www.abcnewspapers.com
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