Graham way off base

To the Editor:

I like to rely on the Sentinel, to bring me information that is accurate and useful. Most of the time you succeed, but sometimes not. Case in point: Last Thursday’s rant by columnist Tim Graham about how Michelle Obama is excessively pampered. In my opinion, anyone who has such difficulty understanding why Michelle Obama is treated with such reverence and respect does not have much to contribute.

Harriett Richards

Fairmont

Troubling numbers

To the Editor:

The Sentinel gave us one number over the weekend: $686,000. Then the City Council gave us another: 11.5 percent.

Does anyone really believe that if we hadn’t frittered away the first number on personal grudges and conspiracy theories we would still be asked to pay the second number more on next year’s taxes?

It’s time for a different council. One that won’t waste hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. One without Tom Hawkins and Ruth Cyphers on it.

Jay Maynard

Fairmont

Opera House needs you

To the Editor:

Last weekend, the Fairmont Opera House hosted the first annual Bacon Town Throwdown at the Fairmont Raceway — three great nights of live music in a safe, outdoor environment.

While COVID-19 has turned our world upside down, the Opera House remains committed to bringing fun and safe events to our community. Like many organizations with limited resources, we are working hard to adapt to operating during a pandemic.

We love our community and want to see people safely enjoying themselves, but we need your help to continue serving you. Joining us at the events we host is one great way to support us.

Did you know that the Fairmont Opera House, established in 1901, is the oldest operating theater in Minnesota? Very few small towns have such a community asset offering first-rate arts and entertainment.

Due to coronavirus, up to 60 percent of arts and culture institutions nationwide are expected to shut down by the end of the year. We are determined to remain open and continue the legacy so many people have fought to preserve. Today, we are asking three things of our community:

1) Help us get the word out about upcoming events. Go to wwww.fairmontoperahouse.org or follow any of our social media sites for upcoming events all over town. We maintain safety protocols to keep everyone comfortable.

2) Come join us. Help us dispel the myth that there is nothing to do in Fairmont by participating in our events. Affordable tickets and flex passes are available through our box office.

3) Lastly, please consider making a donation. We understand these are difficult times for so many of our community members, so we are only asking those who are able to contribute.

The Fairmont Opera House is so thankful for the many people who partner with us to create lasting memories through the arts in Fairmont.

Blake Potthoff

Fairmont

For the common good

To the Editor:

In a time when it seems like our country is more divided than ever, a great coming together of community groups for the common good occurred this past weekend. A group of public and private entities joined together to host four showings of the movie “Silo” at the Sherburn Theatre. It proved to be a great example of how several groups of people can come together for the common good.

“Silo” is a film about a teenage boy who became entrapped in corn, inside a grain bin, and the community’s response to try to save him. The story was gut-wrenching at times, but provided an eye-opening first-hand look of just how dangerous these situations can be. According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, eight people died in Minnesota in 2019 in grain bin accidents. Purdue University has been tracking all grain-bin related incidents for decades, and they have found that Minnesota is among the top three states with reported cases. Farm safety will continue to be a topic that needs to be discussed and should remain at the forefront of people’s minds as they work in agricultural settings.

More than 200 people, ages 5 to 85, attended one of the four showings of the movie and listened to a short presentation on rescue equipment from the Sherburn Fire Department. Thank you to all who attended.

I would like to personally thank the groups that were involved throughout the weekend. Thank you to Fairmont Farmers Mutual Insurance for sponsoring the movie. Its generosity and their commitment to educating others about safety is commendable. Thank you to the Martin County Farm Bureau for sponsoring the refreshments and the safety harness that was given away. Each person from a farm family who attended the movie was entered into a drawing for the harness, and the lucky winner was Cliff Anderson of Trimont. Another thank you goes out to the Sherburn Fire Department. It had a rescue truck with its grain rescue equipment at each showing of the movie, and they stayed around after the show to answer questions. Lastly, thank you to the FFA officers Gabby Lange and Jacob Fiala, who introduced the movie, and to the FFA members and their families who attended.

In closing, if one person was impacted this weekend in a positive way, whether it was to teach a young child the dangers of entering a bin filled with grain, or to remind someone to request a spotter or hook up a safety harness before they enter a grain bin, I think the weekend can be considered a success.

Stephanie Wohlhuter,

Martin County West FFA adviser

Sherburn