Bright Spot

Allison Barta will share butterfly photos and her enthusiasm at a presentation 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, at Watermark Art Center in Bemidji.

The University of Minnesota Extension is offering a series of healthy aging webinars in September, plus they offer other online resources all year long on the topic.

The Bemidji Community Latin Block Party is 4:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, at the American Indian Resource Center on the BSU campus. It's an inclusive space with free local food, games, dancing and more.

Happy Dancing Turtle is a nonprofit in Pine River dedicated to growing good stewards of the planet. The organization's nature class for 4- and 5-year-olds begins Sept. 8, 2025.

Healthy people ages 18-35 can go to the Dairy Queen in Grand Rapids on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. Cheek swabs will be provided to see if you can be a match to save a life.

The lounge operates in Central Square Mall in Grand Rapids in conjunction with Hero's Heart Animal Rescue. Time slots are available for hanging out with cats — adoption optional.

The North Central Minnesota Farm & Antique Association's 41st Annual Threshing and Antique Show is Aug. 9 and 10 at the Blackberry Farm just east of Grand Rapids.

This year's Miss Minnesota, Emma Vrieze, hails from the Park Rapids area. She will compete in the Miss America pageant with a platform of "Swim with Safety: Water Knowledge."

Adam Jacobson is a rising senior at Grand Rapids High School. He recently took 10th place at National History Day in the category of Senior Individual Performance.

The Judy Garland Festival in Grand Rapids and the nonprofit Mobility Mania plan to break a Guinness World Record for the most wheelchairs dancing at once on June 21.