WELCOME — There will be an American Red Cross blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, June 21, at the Fairmont American Legion, 300 Downtown Plaza in Fairmont. Also, St. Paul’s Church in Welcome will have a blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. on July 15. To make an appointment or check out blood drives near you, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), go online to www.redcrossblood.org or text BLOODAPP to 90999. Blood is urgently needed now so give if you are able. Thank you.

There will be a public hearing with the Planning and Zoning committee at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 24, at Welcome City Hall. The purpose of the public hearing is to discuss the plan for Sinn Funeral group to use St. Paul’s Church in Welcome as a funeral home. The congregation will be able to continue services similar to the Sinn Funeral Home in Trimont at the Methodist church.

There will be a special fundraiser for the Healing Hearts Housing from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, June 22, in the Martin County Arena at the Martin County Fairgrounds, Fairmont. The event will feature a concert by the musical group ‘Heart Song’ at 6 p.m. along with a hog roast barbecue at 5 p.m. and activities for children like Bouncy Houses, a silent auction and raffle. There is a Healing Hearts Recovery House for women in Sherburn which provides a place to call home, certified peer recovery support, sober activities, crafts, a full gym, transportation and access to professional services to help recovery from addiction. For more information contact HealingHearts56171@gmail.com or call (507) 848-6307 or (507) 236-3103 or write PO Box 58, Sherburn, MN 56171. You can also follow then on Facebook.

The burn site in Welcome will be open 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 22. Tree trimmings, brush and lawn clippings only. No large tree stumps or any garbage or metal please. The site is usually open from 8 a.m. to noon the second and fourth Saturdays and 6-8 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month. Thank you for your cooperation.

Tuesday coffee hours for June continue one more week from 8:30-10 a.m. on June 25, at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Sherburn. Tuesday coffee hours for the month of July will be held the same times at the Regional Worship Center just south of I-90 in Sherburn. Watch signs for access through the Hwy. 4 construction.

Congratulations to Don and Rhonda Rudolph who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday, June 22.

Congratulations to Royal Redenius who will celebrate his 90th birthday on Saturday, June 22. Cards will reach him at 1398 105th St., Fairmont, MN 56031.

It won’t be long before the Welcome Festival weekend is here. Anyone planning a garage/rummage sale that weekend should send information to Pat Schmidtke at pat_schmidtke@yahoo.com or call her at (507) 236-4874 to be listed on the flyer which will be available at Casey’s and Welcome City Hall prior to the dates. Please tell Pat the name and address and the times open and any special item for sale.

The Welcome Festival is planned for July 19-21. There will also be a 5K fun run and walk sponsored by Valero on July 20. Proceeds will go to Welcome Fire Relief. Registration is $25 and includes a t-shirt if registered by July 5. You may register by sending name and address and shirt size to tonya.klunder@valero.com. The fun run walk will meet 7:30 a.m. on July 20 at Hansen-Keck Park in Welcome. Refreshments and snacks will be provided after the race.

City of Welcome is asking that residents check to make sure their sump pumps are discharging on the lawn. It is illegal to discharge it into the sewer during the summer months. With recent rains, the sewer is at capacity. Thank you for your cooperation.