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My Point of View by Robert Hoffman

Come join us.

The Freeborn County Republicans’ kick-off to our nicer-weather activities have started (even if the nicer weather hasn’t.) Join us! We have a lot planned all summer long. Come be a part of things early in the season with us. This weekend on Sunday, April 30, we will be doing our spring Adopt-a-Highway cleanup. We will be meeting at the Edgewater Bay Pavilion parking lot for two sessions at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Wear boots, bring gloves and we will supply safety vests and garbage bags.

We adopted the stretch of Interstate 90 that goes over Highway 13, including the on and off ramps to Highway 13 from I-90. We chose this section as our Adopt-a-Highway stretch for Congressman Jim Hagedorn. Congressman Hagedorn traveled this section of I-90 through Albert Lea for his cancer treatments. If Jim was coming to Albert Lea’s Mayo campus, he would exit here at Highway 13, and if he was going to Rochester he would travel through our section of I-90. Either way, when Jim was heading to Mayo or home, he was greeted by our Freeborn County Republicans signs, and we did our best to keep our little stretch of I-90 looking nice for him and all who traveled in Albert Lea and Freeborn County.

This Sunday we will be focusing on the cleanup of the on and off ramps to Highway 13 from I-90. We like to brag a little about how great of a place we have here to live, work, invest in and visit, and we will keep the entrance to our community welcoming to all. Pride is in no shortage from our Freeborn County Republicans, and even our clean on-ramps to the interstate will leave a positive lasting impression to those that just said to themselves, “I’m looking forward to coming back again soon.”

Join us this Sunday, April 30, at the Edgewater Bay Pavilion at both 12:30 and 3 p.m. if you can, or just one of the sessions if you’d like. There will also be a group that will remain at the Edgewater Bay Pavilion parking lot for those who want to come out and visit but may not want to walk for an hour. All are welcome, join us. This is a great chance to talk with others and meet new people early in the season. We have a lot planned for this summer, join up early. It is very likely we will talk a little politics this Sunday, especially while out cleaning up other people’s messes!

We’ve all seen the mess a little north of us on I-35 in St. Paul. Thank goodness we have State Reps. Patty Mueller, Peggy Bennett and our friend just to the west of us state Rep. Bjorn Olson willing to do their own “Adopt-a-Highway, Elected Official Edition” along with our Sen. Gene Dornink during these tough legislative sessions that are creating more messes than they are progress. We are going to need much bigger bags to clean up the messes being created in St. Paul. Messes that the rest of the state is being left to clean up.

On Monday, May 8, we are also having both our county Republicans meeting in downtown Albert Lea at 5 p.m. and our entire Congressional district’s (CD-1) meeting at 7 p.m. at Wedgewood Cove (dinner starts at 6.) Albert Lea is the place to be that Monday! We get to congratulate Aaron Farris at his 1st meeting since his re-election as our CD-1 chairman that Monday evening at our congressional district meeting at 7 p.m. also.

State Rep Bjorn Olson and I had the honor of giving Aaron’s nominating speeches at this month’s Congressional District Convention. I meant it when I said that “you will not out-work Aaron Farris” and that he is the state’s best congressional district chairman. I am proud of this young man, and we as a community can be proud of the person our community helped mold.

Along with the meetings on Monday, May 8, in Albert Lea, save these dates: The Freeborn County Republicans are excited to be in this year’s Alden Morin Lake Days Parade again on June 17th and the Albert Lea Third of July Parade. The Republican’s Freeborn County Fair booth will be a blast this Aug. 1through the 6. Glenville Days is celebrating its 125th anniversary, and we are pumped to be in their Aug. 12 Glenville Days Parade. Our annual county picnic is scheduled for Monday evening, Aug. 14, at the Edgewater Bay Pavilion and is always a great gathering. This Sunday’s Adopt-a-Highway clean-up is just the kickoff — join us!

Robert Hoffman is the Freeborn County GOP chairman.