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To the Freeborn County Fair Board, staff and volunteers.

Thanks to all who have played a role in organizing this year’s Freeborn County Fair.

By all accounts, this has been another successful fair, and many memories have been made for both young and old.

Whether it was organizing logistics, entertainment, 4-Hers, vendors, cleanup, fair judging or anything in between, we know it takes many for the fair to go on.

The fair is one of the highlights of living in Albert Lea each year, and we are grateful we have such a vibrant event in our community.

To Freeborn County’s 2021 Outstanding Senior Citizens of the Year.

Congratulations to Albert Leans Rose Olmsted and Glen Parsons, who were named Freeborn County’s 2021 Outstanding Senior Citizens of the Year on Wednesday at the fair.

Both Olmsted and Parsons have and will continue to make a lasting impact on the community through a variety of efforts, and we are grateful for their willingness to serve.

For Olmsted, her focus for decades has been on helping people who have endured crisis, whether it be through the Freeborn County Crime Victims Crisis Center, the American Red Cross or other organizations. Most recently she has served as a mental health volunteer with people who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 across the country.

Parsons, a former teacher, has been involved in numerous efforts to not only improve the quality of life for people already living in Albert Lea but to encourage visitors to come here as well. He is probably one of the community’s biggest cheerleaders.

We were not surprised to hear either of their names when the winners were announced.

We encourage others to get involved as these two have done in efforts that reflect their interests. There are many opportunities available to better the community.

To the “high” transmission of COVID-19 taking place in Freeborn County.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week labeled Freeborn County as a county with “high” level of community transmission of COVID-19.

The transmission level looks at the total number of new cases for 100,000 people within the last seven days and the percentage of positive tests during the last seven days.

For a county to have a “high” transmission, it means it has more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population or a cumulative positivity rate greater than 10% in the past seven days.

The CDC encourages people in the county to wear face coverings, whether vaccinated or not, while in indoor public settings.

We hope people are aware of the rising cases and make smart decisions moving forward in the coming weeks.