1

Multiple 5k races

Race to Remember, a 5k run/walk benefitting Alzheimer’s research will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds Outdoor Arena.

Registration for the race will start at 7:30 a.m. The cost for the race is $25 in the days prior to the event or $35 on the day of the race. Each participant will receive a T-shirt with registration. The Sunset Saddle Club has added this race to its list of activities in this year’s Alzheimer’s Disease/Hope for a Cure benefit.

The benefit will begin Friday afternoon and continue throughout the day on Saturday. There will also be barrel racing, an Alzheimer’s pledge race, open/youth and peewee running races, a silent auction and food sold on the grounds. From 9:30 to 11 a.m., there will be fidget blanket making at the fairgrounds. The Freeborn County Fairgrounds is at 1031 Bridge Ave. in Albert Lea.

There will be a 5k run/walk benefiting Habitat for Humanity from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Frank Hall Park. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the race will start at 9 a.m. Those interested in participating in the competition should register at the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce in the days prior to the event or at Frank Hall Park prior to the race Saturday. The cost of participation is $20 in advance or $25 the day of the event. Habitat for Humanity of Freeborn and Mower Counties’ mission statement, as found on their website, reads “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.”

For more information on the event or the organization, call 507-433-1349 or visit www.habitatfreebornmower.org.

2

Young Eagles event

Local Vintage Chapter 13 of the Experimental Aircraft Association will host a Young Eagles event from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. The organization will provide free airplane rides for children between the ages of 8 and 17 at the Albert Lea airport.

According to the organization’s website, the Young Eagles program has dedicated nearly 25 years to giving youth their first free ride in an airplane. It claims to be the only program of its kind; their sole mission is to introduce and inspire kids in the world of aviation.

Those interested in the event should register the day of the event at the airport. Participants should meet at the flight school hangar. Those with questions about the event should contact Chuck Sandager at 507-377-9405.

3

Freeborn County Arts Initiative Open Stage summer series

The Freeborn County Arts Initiative will host open mic nights throughout the summer to focus on performance artists throughout the community, including movement or dance artists, musicians and poets. This Friday, the Arts Initiative will host touring folk artist singer and songwriter Alissa Klein.

The event will start at 7 p.m. and wrap up around 8:30 p.m. The summer series will be hosted at 224 S. Broadway. Artists will be featured on various nights throughout the summer.

Those interested in participating in open mic nights should sign up at www.fcai.us.

4

Project Earth at Harmony Park

This summer is filled with a variety of events taking place at Harmony Park Music Garden in Clarks Grove. Situated between Geneva Lake and the Burr Oak forest, the venue owners want to be Minnesota’s foremost outdoor, events destination.

Attendees of the Project Earth festival this weekend can expect a unique and interactive event. The segment will consist of two nights of music on Friday and Saturday, camping and more. One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit International Relief Charities. The event is a collective effort between Harmony Park Music Garden and WookieFoot. WookieFoot’s nonprofit, Be the Change, produces the event. According to its webpage, Be the Change is a collective of conscious artists sharing a belief in the good of humanity. Its mission is to raise funds for international relief projects as well as to connect artists to broadcast information about the issues affecting the planet. Only 900 tickets will be sold to the family-friendly event, and children between the ages of 12 to 15 can attend the event at no charge. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal adult.

5

Oatmeal Days

As home to Malt-O-Meal and Grain Millers processing plants, St. Ansgar, Iowa, has plenty of reasons to celebrate oatmeal, which is exactly what it does every year during its annual Oatmeal Days Festival.

The activities start on Friday when the St. Ansgar Fire Department will host a waterfall fight.

Activities will pick up Saturday with a 2×4 bike ride. Registration will be at 7 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church parking lot. The ride starts at 8 a.m.

There will be a free Zumba class for all ages on Fourth Street.

Home-based businesses will have displays of their merchandise on Fourth Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be a variety of inflatables and other fun activities on Fourth Street during this time. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the city park will host bingo, as well as entertainment by Cedar Summerstock Theater.

A 3-on-3 basketball tournament will take place at 9:30 a.m. with a 9 a.m. registration time. Division classes will be students going into fifth and sixth grade, seventh and eighth grade, ninth through 12th grade and adult.

A bean bag tournament will on Fourth Street at C.B. Brandt’s at 11 a.m. Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m.

United Methodist Church will host a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A 5k color run/walk will start at 2 p.m. from the city park. Registration begins at 1 p.m.

The Firemen’s Pork Chop Feed will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the fire station and the crowning of Miss, Lil Miss and Lil Mister St. Ansgar will be at 6 p.m.

The activities will conclude with the Oatmeal Days Parade at 7 p.m.