For those I have not met yet, I am Jeff Sampson, Superintendent of Cannon Falls Area Schools. I was fortunate enough to start my position as Superintendent on July 1, 2019. My family and I moved to the area and my daughter attends Cannon Falls Area Schools. We have enjoyed meeting differen…
The Vasa Museum will have its 34th annual soup luncheon on Saturday, March 6, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Lunches are available for pick-up only at the Lutheran Center due to the pandemic. Reserve your soup choice ahead of time by calling or emailing the church office: vegetable beef, chicken…
A lawyer asked Jesus: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor …
I grew up on the south side of Cannon Falls near Hwy 52 and Co. Rd. 9. I am currently farming with my family in that area, raising corn and soybeans. I also work for Merchants Bank as a lender and crop insurance agent.
This year Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent, began on February 17 just three days after Valentine’s Day. I make mention of this because we think of Valentine’s Day as a day of love. Think back to grade school and those cheesy valentine’s cards we handed out to our classmates or …
We really are in the deep freeze of winter now. After a pretty long mild spell until a couple of weeks ago, we saw negative 23 degrees on our thermometer on Sunday morning. The forecast still has some numbers below zero. Brrrrr! Taking poor Doggie outside to do her necessaries has been a…
Question: What is the law about pickup trucks with flashing amber lights? I noticed some of them traveling down the road when they are not actively plowing. Also, is there a law against plowing or blowing snow onto a public road?
Thank you, Cannon Falls area communities, for your unbelievable support of our 4th Annual Military Care Package Event. Everyone rallied to make this event a huge success with the COVID-19 restrictions.
The 2021 legislative session is in full swing. Most hearings and activities are still being conducted remotely due to the pandemic, but the pace is as frenetic as any other year.
We really are in the deep freeze of winter now. After a pretty long mild spell until last week, we saw negative 18 degrees on our thermometer on Sunday morning. The forecast has lots of numbers in the single digits, both above and below zero, for the foreseeable future. Brrrrr! Taking po…
Addiction is a complicated brain disease. As it progresses, it can change the way an affected person thinks and makes decisions. A person in the throes of a full-blown addiction can’t choose whether they are going to use their drug of choice. No matter what else happens, the addiction always…
What does Jesus say? - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40
Question: Is it illegal for a person to travel with their hazard lights on in inclement weather such as a blizzard, fog or a hard rain?
The dates for the annual Vasa Rummage Sale have been set for April 23 and 24. Since we're still home much of the time, awaiting a vaccine, we can think about looking through the closets, attics, basements, and garages for items to donate.
Responding to Shannon Bauer’s letter, “What is truth,” January 21, 2021. I agree that truth can be hard to discern these days.
February evenings offer some of the best conditions for viewing the famous winter constellations. This year they approach Mars from the east, ending the month with the Pleiades star cluster closing in on the red planet. Meanwhile, the rising of Scorpius brings a hint of summer to the morning sky.
When the Apostle Paul preached in Philippi, he was accused of “advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” When he preached in Thessalonica the charge was that Paul was “defying Caesar’s decrees” by “saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”
My wife sent me a letter to the editor from last week’s paper written by Paul Anderson. Many things have changed in Cannon Falls over the last several years, not necessarily for the best. He may not be old enough to remember Ole Hallanger. He was our Police Chief for decades and was of sou…
God’s church is made up of all people who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior. We are called to be members of one body with Christ as its head. The Apostle Paul instructs us to: “…lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with…
Vasa Lutheran Church has resumed its in-person worship services at 9 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Of course social distancing and mask wearing are required. The Sunday morning services are recorded and available on the church's YouTube channel. The Wednesday evening services have resumed on ZOOM…
William Gairdner, in the “Epoch Times,” a newspaper dedicated to truth as much as the sick “[New York] Times” is dedicated to fake news, wrote “The Four F’s are freedom, free enterprise, family and faith. The Four G’s are government, groups, grants and godlessness.” Welcome to the Four G adm…
My wife and I moved back to Cannon in September. The new year, four months of experience, and pandemic winter has me reflecting on the changes. Changes for us and for the town we grew up in. Julie and I are CF graduates, class of '88. We turned 50 this year, and our youngest of 3 boys le…
One of the assigned readings from our church’s association for this week is Isaiah 8:19-20. It reads, “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the Law and to the…
Thank you to those who have engaged in conversation with me regarding the two December 24 articles I submitted. The core theme for the two submitted articles is that as Christians our allegiance must first be to God above anything else regardless of the political party we support or oppose.
In response to Karen Stiehl’s letter, “Thanking Pastor Bauer,” January 14, 2021. I apologize to Ms Stiehl for my assumption that President-elect Joe Biden is a devout Catholic, based only on reported attendance at Mass, as I am not in a position to make such a judgement. This determination i…
Warm temperatures, rain, several inches of slushy snow, and then cold. That was what Mother Nature delivered to us a few days ago. There is ice under everything. We have to be careful when venturing outside for chores and other necessities.
On Tuesday the 12th of Jan. Hampton City Council proved that everything that's corrupt, unjust and completely wrong in Washington D.C. can be found right in the local level of government. Council members allowed a tyrant the opportunity to manipulate and twist a narrative to paint a picture …
The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at the Lutheran Center in Vasa on Thursday, Jan. 21, and Friday, Jan. 22.
What church do you go to? It turns out there is only one church. “The Body of Christ” headed by Jesus Christ is the one and only Christian Church on planet Earth. “He put all things in subjection under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body...” (Ephesi…
In the early morning hours of Thursday, January 7, after rioters had been cleared from the Capitol grounds and Congress reconvened to finish its work of certifying the election, Senate Chaplain Barry Black opened the Senate’s proceedings with a prayer: "Lord of our lives and sovereign of our…
We are off to a great start for our 4th Annual Military Care Package Event.
I would first like to thank Pastor Bauer for his bold and thought provoking articles regarding the government and where Christians need to take a stand. It gave me hope. Our allegiance must always remain first to God in every circumstance because the freedoms we enjoy are given by Him alone,…
Free Land Stewardship Project classes available
Welcome to 2021! This year is an especially good time to look ahead with fresh hope and new possibilities for the future. One lesson I think we can all learn from 2020 is the truth of this statement from the Apostle James: “Some of you say, ‘Today or tomorrow will go to some city. We will s…
The Cannon Valley Senior Center is looking for new board members.
Wow 2020 has been a challenging year! I can't say I'm sorry to see it go, but there were some bright spots. My dad always told me to look at the bright side, so here are a few. Husband Bob always says that this isn't the Hjermstad family column, so I don't often share family news. I'm makin…
This is in response to Pastor Shannon Bauer’s article in the December 24, 2020 Beacon.
Fear is a persuasive and destructive emotion.
It's a weird holiday season to top off a very unusual year. Certainly there are others who are less fortunate than we may be, and the pandemic only multiplies difficulties. If we are able, this would be a very good time to send a monetary donation to a local food shelf. People will need to b…
Here is a powerful story of a God-centered response to government control and fear.
COVID-19 has challenged all of us this year, especially our active duty military.
December is upon us and so is winter. I absolutely love winter! I love the snow, the cold weather, and the warmth of our homes and churches on a typical winter day.
The Cannon Valley Senior Center would like to thank everyone for all the support in your generous donations this year.
A virtual children’s program
For the month of December, the Cannon Falls Library has pulled back to contactless curbside service while maintaining our regular hours of operation. I realize that this decision has created hardships for some members of our community but due to COVID-19, it was unavoidable. In late November…
John Adams, second President of the United States, wrote at the age of twenty-five, in his diary, “I must judge for myself, but how can I judge, how can any man judge, unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading.”
This December has begun with mild temperatures hovering above freezing during the day and dipping below freezing at night. We have had some sunny days, but many have been quite cloudy. We are all staying home as much as possible as the pandemic expands, and daily counts of cases and deaths a…
The community dinner committee regrets that it must cancel the December 9 free dinner. While keeping in mind the need, they feel it is just too risky with the increase in community spread of the virus. The volunteer workers, delivery volunteers, and the dinner recipients all are potentially …
The public is invited to sing Christmas carols at the Gazebo in the park across from Family Fare Sunday, December 6 at 3 p.m.
In the last nine months, there has been an unprecedented usage of the word “unprecedented.” Not without reason, of course, as we are in the throes of a continuing pandemic and new records of lives lost to this invisible killer are being set almost daily. While the coronavirus is indeed “no…
I am very thankful for the people of this community. In 2018, after living fifty years around Rochester, I sold my home there and moved permanently to rural Cannon Falls. How this all came about is another story. Since then I have seen a host of things here to be thankful for. All the people…
