Home Care In Silver Lake, MN

MCLEOD COUNTY, Minn. – A young man with a new home is hitting some serious roadblocks with his driveway.

Monday afternoon, Silver Lake city crews bulldozed his driveway, cutting off access from the street in front of his home on Grand Avenue. City officials said it was their property and he must enter his lot from another street in Hale Township.

"I don't even want to live here anymore because like all the problems I've been having," Aaron Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen bought a uniquely shaped lot in Hale Township that sits on the edge of Silver Lake. He initially received an address on Grand Avenue in Silver Lake, but the city isn't allowing him to cut the curb for his driveway.

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"I went to the city council and asked for a permit and I offered to replace the whole curb, pay $500 a year to use the road, agree to all the city ordinances, be annexed," he said.

The city denied his request for a driveway citing zoning issues because of his modular home with a septic system.

"I don't get what the big issue is, it seems like I'm doing something crazy, but it's just a driveway!" he said.

The city of Silver Lake said Rasmussen could build a driveway but it would need to be on the Railroad Street side in Hale Township where his property is located. Because of the shape of the lot, he says the driveway would cut through his entire backyard, go under power lines, through trees and cost him upwards of $20,000.

"I don't see why all of a sudden they would make such a deal over this," his grandfather Don Kielas said.

Now with no driveway, Rasmussen worries about his grandfather and a lack of emergency vehicle access.

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"If I knew about this, I would have never built the house here," he said.

Rasmussen said he got all of the proper permits in Hale Township before purchasing the lot. Last week, crews removed his Grand Avenue address and he was issued a new one in Hale Township off Railroad Street, where he currently does not have a driveway.

"I think I'm pretty much just stuck at this point, I don't know," he said.

The city of Silver Lake directed questions to its attorney. Rasmussen also has also obtained legal counsel.

Kirsten Mitchell

Kirsten Mitchell joined the WCCO team as a reporter in November of 2021. A Saint Paul native, Kirsten is proud to tell stories in her home state. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Go Gophs!) and interned at WCCO during her time there.

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The town of Silver Lake recently had to close its pool due to a dangerously rough surface, but it's about to reopen thanks to a lot of help.

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SILVER LAKE, Minn. — Kids in the small, western Minnesota town of Silver Lake rejoiced on Tuesday as their beloved community pool came one step closer to a re-opening, something they didn't think would be possible just a week ago.

"It's a beautiful day to help," said Brooklyn Posusta. "The whole city wanted to join to get the pool back this year."

Brooklyn and many other kids in town showed up by 7:30 a.m. to get a pool side seat as five neighboring fire departments took turns pumping water in the pool, which abruptly closed less than a week ago, due to a rough surface below the surface.

"It felt like my foot was getting scratched by sandpaper," Brooklyn Posusta said. "Everyone was scraping their feet on the bottom (of the pool) and getting bloody toes."

Brooklyn's uncle Brent Posusta says the issue led to a call to the Minnesota Department of Health, which eventually closed the pool due to health and safety concerns.

"The day that it closed, there were 25 kids that had feet reported that were cut and bleeding in the pool," he said.

Initially, Brent Posusta says city leaders anticipated that they would have to close the pool for the rest of the season as they looked to have the pool professionally resurfaced.

"One quote was $110,000 and the other quote was $180,000," Posusta said.

But after draining the pool late last week, Posusta realized that a temporary solution could help them buy time and save the summer.

Brent Posusta: "The roughness was caused by a mineral buildup on the pool that was just almost like sandpaper."

Kent Erdahl: "And you know a few things about sandpaper."

Posusta: "Yes, I'm a professional flooring contractor of 25 years, and I just looked at a pool surface as just being another type of concrete surface, that we could very likely come up with a game plan."

Erdahl: "So how do you fight a sandpaper bottom pool? With sandpaper?"

Posusta: "Yes, you actually do. The tool for the job ended up being 120 grit, mesh, sandpaper on a drywall sanding block, and many hands made for light work."

He's not kidding. After one call for help on Facebook, he says it didn't take long for the community to show how much grit it has.

"I'm telling you, within 10 minutes of going live (on Facebook), people were walking in from every angle saying, 'What can I do to help?'" Brent Posusta said. "We had more than 20 people sanding, and within two days, every inch of that surface was smooth."

On Monday, the Health Department returned for an inspection and gave the town the go-ahead to re-open.

That's when another group of volunteers rushed in.

Silver Lake Fire Chief Dale Kosek helped coordinate a pool filling parade of fire trucks to speed up the reopening.

"We are purchasing water from the city of Hutchinson, eight miles down the road," Kosek said. "Silver Lake doesn't have an iron removal plant, so our water has a lot of iron in it, usually it takes us a good two weeks or three weeks to get everything filtered out and cleaned up."

But thanks to the water from Hutch, and assistance from five neighboring departments, the pool will now be back open by Friday at the latest.

"I put out the call and everybody said, 'We'll be there,'" Kosek said. "It's just the way we do things out here. You know, I've got grandkids who are taking swimming lessons, so I didn't want to see it close for another year either."

Now that the pool is filled, Brooklyn Posusta and her friends are having trouble containing their excitement for later this week.

"Since it's going to be open pretty soon, we're going to have way more than fun," she said. "Way more than fun."

Despite everything that they have pulled off in the last week, Brent Posusta says the sanding work is just a temporary solution. He says the pool will still need a new surface in the very near future.

The community still has a lot of fundraising to do make it happen. If you'd like to help, click here for more information.

SILVER LAKE, Minn. -- Fire trucks from several communities joined forces Tuesday to help get a community pool back open.

The pool in Silver Lake was forced, last week, to close due to recurring issues with swimmers getting their feet cut on the bottom surface. The city says the 18-year-old surface only had a 15-year life but didn't present any issues until this summer.

"When we cleaned the pool this spring, you know, we weren't walking around in there barefooted," Dale Kosek, with Silver Lake Public Works, said. "We couldn't tell by looking at it. It's fine. But you get the little guys in there and they're in there two, three hours, skin starts to get soft and it was starting to irritate them."

The pool tried to fix the issue by requiring swimmers to wear shoes, but the Minnesota Department of Health stepped in.

Community members joined forces over the weekend to resurface the pool floor.

"Me being a professional tile contractor, I understand how to get surfaces smooth. I've got all the equipment with my business on sanding equipment of concrete surfaces. So I was able to take my skill set and apply it to the pool. I just needed able bodies to help doing it," Brent Posusta said.

With the smoothing work done, fire trucks from around Silver Lake came in to refill the pool and prepare it to reopen, although officials recognize this is a "Band-Aid" fix.

That fresh water now has to be chemically treated with chlorine before the pool can reopen.

The city hopes it will be ready to reopen on Friday.

Allen Henry

Allen Henry is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who joined WCCO as a reporter in August 2022.

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Silver Lake, Minnesota, United States--The Giant Floating Loon floating on Silver Lake, Minnesota, the annual Land of the Loon Ethnic Arts and Crafts Festival, is fiberglass over a metal frame, tethered to the bottom of the lake by a long cable, far, far out in the water, spinning and bobbing merrily in the wind-whipped waves; it's 20 feet long, thus setting the world record for being the World's Largest Floating Loon, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Photos: Facebook/City Of Virginia Government

City of Virginia, MN, says.

"The World's Largest Floating Loon is fiberglass over a metal frame, tethered to the bottom of the lake by a long cable, far, far out in the water, spinning and bobbing merrily in the wind-whipped waves. It's 20 feet long, although you'd never know it, because at this distance it might as well be a life-size loon. The loon floats on Silver Lake, one of two lakes located in the heart of Virginia. The loon recently underwent renovation in the winter of 2010.

"Rumor has it that the loon has obtained “Worlds Largest Floating Decoy” from the Guiness Book of World Records, but have not found this record. However, we still us the tagline – “World’s Largest Floating Loon”!

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE LOON

"World’s Largest Floating Loon"Year built: 1982Height: 9 feetLength: 21 feetWidth: 8 feetBuilt by: William "Bill" Martin

"You don’t have to look hard in Minnesota to spot the loon, its state bird. But only one small city boasts the honor of being the nesting grounds for the world’s largest floating loon," the Atlas Obscura says.

"The 20-foot-long loon was devised in 1982 as an attraction to draw visitors to the annual Land of the Loon Ethnic Arts and Crafts Festival. The fiberglass and metal statue was built by local artist William Martin and is launched into Silver Lake every spring.

"The big bird bobs in the waves all summer, though it can’t go too far. A strong cable anchored to the bottom of the lake keeps the loon from floating too far from shore. Once the weather grows cold, the statue is hauled back onto solid ground and put in storage for the season."

"Land of the Loon Ethnic Arts and Crafts Festival celebrates the culture and customs of the diverse people who settled in Northeastern Minnesota. The colorful traditions and flavors of the early immigrants and settlers are re-created by a melting pot of artisans, crafters, musicians, entertainers, and welcoming volunteers," the Land of the Loon Festival says.

The two-day festival kicks off the third full weekend in June on Saturday morning with an eighty-unit parade down Chestnut Street and Fifth Avenue in the historic heart of Virginia.

"Then the activities shift north to beautiful Olcott Park where the crowds sample the delicious ethnic foods, listen to the colorful music from countries around the world, browse among the hundreds of exquisite art and craft booths, and celebrate the weekend-long family entertainment hosted by Iron Range volunteers."

Explore UpNorth says.

"What might be surprising is how easy it is to spot Ginny, the world’s biggest loon. This 21’ floating loon resides in the middle of Silver Lake in Virginia. She was built in 1982 by the “Land of the Loon” festival committee and local artist William Martin.

"Each year, the Land of the Loon Festival celebrates ethnic arts, crafts, culture, and customs of those who have settled in Northeastern Minnesota. It is a two-day festival in June that hosts a parade through the historic part of Virginia. You can experience authentic foods, music, and entertainment in the park that allows you to experience the culture of countries from around the world."

Olio in Iowa says.

"Located overlooking the scenic Long Lake in Vergas Park, the giant loon was built in the early 1960s by the Vergas Fire Department. Standing at 20 feet tall, the World’s Largest Loon is a great photo op whether you’re exploring the area or just passing through.

"Over the years, the World’s Largest Loon has had some competition. But Vergas has managed to hold onto its title. Though you can find other large loons around the region like the World’s Largest Talking Loon in Mercer, Wisconsin and the World’s Largest Floating Loon in Virginia, Minnesota. Each August, the town hosts an annual Looney Days festival, which features a parade, live music and more."

"Take a peak across Silver Lake in Virgina, Minnesota during the summer months and you'll likely spot a giant loon! After a two-year hiatus for repairs to damage by a shotgun blast, the 21-foot loon - reportedly the largest in the world - now floats happily in the lake!

"If you go: The loon can be viewed at any time during the warmer months from several vantage points around Silver Lake. It is hauled out during the winter months when the lake is frozen," the RoadTrip America says.

"The Land of the Loon festival, which takes place each June, is a excellent time to visit. A nice walking trail loops around Virginia Lake, just to the north of Silver Lake across 2nd Avenue."

Opera lover Miluska Novota of Minneapolis says she’s “saltando en dos patitas — jumping on two feet” for joy as she looks forward to seeing Venessa Becerra in Minnesota Opera’s “Elixir of Love.”

Novota loved the soprano’s performance in “The Daughter of the Regiment,” and she’s happy to see a Latina performer take the lead role as Adina.

In Gaetano Donizetti’s popular comedic opera, lowly farmer Nemorino (Andrew Stenston), tries to win the heart of the beautiful, strong-willed Adina, and a love potion feels like just the way to go. It’s a plot worth of a telenovela, says Novota, but with beautiful arias.

Novota appreciates that the Minnesota Opera has been “doing such a good job … recruiting singers of color, and bringing communities that may not have felt welcome in the classical world and in opera.”

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The production is set in 1916 California. It will be sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage. The show opens Saturday, Jan. 27, and runs through Feb. 4.

Minneapolis-based performer Sam Johnson has long followed the work of choreographer Morgan Thorson, and he’s looking forward to watching her newest creation this Saturday night. “Untitled Night” stands out for its location: it takes place on a frozen lake at night.

“She often tackles these big, huge issues, concepts that we're all dealing with in our lives. But she comes at it in this in a really interesting, very dance-centric way that I really appreciate.”

The 30-minute dance performance investigates our relationship with winter and the night sky, performed as a collaboration of a dozen interdisciplinary artists. There are two shows at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Silver Lake in St. Anthony.

This performance is part of The Great Northern, a Twin Cities Arts festival that runs Jan. 25 through Feb. 4.

Art lover Marc Robinson of Northfield is looking forward to seeing the third and final installment of an interdisciplinary art project traveling southeast Minnesota that investigates the concept of home.

Artist Cecilia Cornejo Sotelo created a traveling recording studio, and she interviewed people in Northfield, Lanesboro and Red Wing about home, belonging and community.

In each town, their words were transcribed, and community members embroidered selected phrases onto squares that were then pieced together into a giant quilt. Red Wing’s exhibit includes three large quilts with the Mississippi running across all three, uniting them.

“Embroidering Red Wing: stories of home told with needle and thread” is on view at the Red Wing Arts Depot Gallery through Feb. 24. There is a public reception Saturday, Jan. 27 from 2-4 p.m.

“Embroidering Red Wing” also features an interactive touchscreen, that allows the public to listen to the original, anonymous recording made in 2022, on which the embroidered work is based.

The exhibition also includes The Wandering House - Sonic Archive, a repository of testimonials and ambient sounds designed as an exploration of home from a rural perspective. The archive comprises testimonials that Cornejo has been recording since 2019 with community members in Northfield, Lanesboro and Red Wing.