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To the Editor:

Terry and I want to thank everyone for coming down to the first ever Victoria Bayfront Art Fair. We were blessed with a picture perfect day all around.

Thanks to the guys at the Victoria House for sampling their famous pepperoni soup, Dale and Janet Riley from Fresh Seasons for handing out free water bottles and donut holes, Brandon at School of the Wise for donating free coffee and muffins, Cathy at Mackenthun’s for offering her BBQ beef sandwiches, and ABC Chiropractic for balloons to all the little ones. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Thank you to our musicians -- Jamie Nelson from Chaska, Don Strong from Hopkins, and Karli Rodgers from Fargo. These musicians donated their time and talents that added greatly to the atmosphere of the day. Special thanks to Holly, Don, and Bruce at the City of Victoria for their service, cooperation, and assistance regarding insurance, power, and permitting.

Thanks also to all the vendors and artists whose talents and inspirations are gifts to all of us. We look forward to seeing all of you next year. Thanks again.

Terry and Monica Hartman

Victoria, Minnesota

To the Editor:

I noticed your photos in the Remember When section of the September 2008 issue of the Gazette. The Number One photo is indeed the former DX Station. The station was run by my father, Paul Hartmann Sr., until we moved from Victoria about 1950.

My parents lived in a house that was in the way of the, then, relocation of Highway 5. I think it was perhaps the only house that was affected but it was surely traumatic for my family. There is (was?) a gas station (perhaps the Holiday Station mentioned in your caption) on the site of my parent’s house.

I don’t often get to Victoria, but each time I am there I wonder at the decision to route Highway 5 through the middle of this little town. It surely created a problem for my parents, but it still seems to me to be a problem in that it cuts this town in half. I have often wondered how and why this decision was made.

Bob Hartmann

Aptos, California

To the Editor:

Even in tough economic times, Americans need to reach out to help their neighbors in need through the American Red Cross.

There are hundreds of thousands of people the Red Cross has helped during the recent back-to-back hurricanes (Gustav and Ike), nearly the biggest relief operations in Red Cross history. More than 20,000 Red Cross volunteers have been on the ground providing cots and blankets, hot meals, and hope.

More than 900 evacuation centers were opened in 17 states, sheltering nearly 60,000 people at the park. More than 80,000 people were provided with health and mental health services. While the storms have passed and the media has moved on, the Red Cross is still there helping.

This year has put a tremendous strain on Red Cross resources. In addition to the string of storms named Dolly, Fay, Hannah, Gusva, and Ike, the Red Cross has responded to a record number of tornadoes, the worst flooding the Midwest in 15 years, and an active wildfire season. Before the year is out, we likely will have responded to more than 70,000 disasters in communities nationwide, most of them home fires.

At the same time that we are responding to a record number of disasters, the entire country has been hit by an economic storm that makes fundraising all the more challenging. As a result, the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund is depleted, putting our ability to help disaster victims in jeopardy.

We have cut expenses whenever possible and redoubled our fundraising efforts. The American people are responding generously, but we still need to raise more. In the interim, we are borrowing money to cover our costs and fast approaching our borrowing limit.

The American Red Cross has been there at each and every disaster because the American people expect us to be there and because they have always supported us. But we need your help now more than ever.

Please support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. This fund ensures relief services such as food, shelter, and other basic necessities are available immediately to victims of disasters. Your gift will allow the Red Cross to continue to help families whenever and wherever disasters strike. To donate please go to RedCross.org or call 1-800-733-2767.

LaVonne Kroells, Executive Director

Carver County, Minnesota

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