Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful celebration with loved ones and like me, have so many blessings to be grateful for today. Check out Current Focus to see what some of your neighbors are thankful for in our community.

Need a discussion topic for the meal table? How about telling everyone about Redwood Current? Locals and ex-residents alike love an opportunity to stay caught up on all the happenings in their hometown! Shoutout to my subscribers in Iowa, South Dakota, and California! If you’re from out-of-state, reply and let me know where.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held last week for the Redwood Falls Public Library expansion project. Construction is set to begin next spring. (Redwood Gazette)

The 22nd annual Freezin’ for Food drive is next Wednesday through Friday, with a goal of collecting a combined 20,000 pounds of food and dollars for area food shelves. Drop off food or money at Weelborg Ford in Redwood Falls or purchase pre-made donation bags at The Market in Redwood Falls. Area food shelves benefiting include Redwood Area Food Shelf and Lower Sioux Food Agency.

🎁 Gift Wrapping Fundraiser, 4:00 PM-7:00 PM, Evangelical Free Church, Redwood Falls, Pricing varies by package size
📅 Save

🤼‍♀️ RV Girls Wrestling at Invitational, 10:00 AM, Hutchinson High School Whalen Gymnasium, Hutchinson
📅 Save

🎄 Make & Take Ornaments, 10:00 AM, Redwood Area Arts, Redwood Falls, $5-$8
📅 Save

🎁 Gift Wrapping Fundraiser, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM, Evangelical Free Church, Redwood Falls, Pricing varies by package size
📅 Save

📖 Author Talk with Elizabeth Johanneck, 12:00 PM-3:00 PM, Chapter Two, Redwood Falls, Free - Redwood County native will be introducing her first book of fiction, a historical novel set in SW Minnesota during the Great Depression, entitled "Come to Minneapolis with Me”, talk starts at 1:00
📅 Save

🧝 Elfin' Magic Craft Show, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM, National Guard Armory, Redwood Falls, Free - Vendors, crafters, concessions, Santa. Food shelf donation appreciated
📅 Save

🛍️ Pop-up Holiday Market, 8:30 AM-5:30 PM, Cansayapi Wicoicage Oti-Cultural Incubator, Lower Sioux Indian Community - Vendors, plus silent auction fundraiser for Redwood Valley United National Indian Tribal Youth conference trip to Oklahoma City
📅 Save

🎉 Redwood Area Community Center 25th Anniversary Celebration, 9:00 AM-11:00 AM, Community Center Lobby, Redwood Falls, Free - Cookies, coffee, and hot cider
📅 Save

🏛️ County Board Meeting, 8:30 AM, County Government Center, Redwood Falls
📅 Save

🏛️ Redwood Falls City Council Meeting, 5:00 PM, City Hall, Redwood Falls
📅 Save

⛹️‍♀️ RV Girls Basketball vs. St. James Area, 6:00 PM, RV High School Gymnasium, Redwood Falls
📅 Save

🏒 RV Hockey vs. Luverne, 7:00 PM, RF Civic Arena, Redwood Falls
📅 Save

⛹️‍♂️ RV Boys Basketball vs. St. James Area, 7:30 PM, RV High School Gymnasium, Redwood Falls
📅 Save

🩸 Blood Drive, 1:00 PM-6:00 PM, Odeon Hall, Belview
✅ Appointments 📅 Save

🤼‍♂️ RV Boys Wrestling at Triangular, 5:00 PM, Luverne High School Classic Gymnasium, Luverne
📅 Save

🤼‍♀️ RV Girls Wrestling at Triangular, 5:00 PM, Luverne High School Classic Gymnasium, Luverne
📅 Save

⛹️‍♂️ RV Boys Basketball vs. Fairmont, 7:30 PM, Fairmont High School Main Gymnasium, Fairmont
📅 Save

Duffy's Riverside Saloon - They have a Hamburger Steak Special every Wednesday night starting at 5:00 PM.

Pizza Ranch - Earn double points for Black Friday on qualifying purchases up to $100!

The Golden Rule Coffee House - Open until 3:00 PM for Small Business Saturday with a live piano performance from Beth Hansen playing Christmas music from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Leading up to Thanksgiving Day, I asked you to tell us what you are thankful for in your community. Here are a few responses I received:

Reader from Minneapolis: “Very thankful to have Garnette Gardens as a wonderful eldercare resource in Redwood Falls. The facility is great and the staff members are so kind and involved with the Garnette residents. My mom has really thrived since moving to Garnette last year! And [I] am always grateful for the fantastic Ramsey Park. Every time I visit Redwood I take my mom for a drive through the park to watch the bison and elk at the Zoo and see Ramsey Falls and the swayback bridge.“

Pari, Belview: “I’m thankful for the people of Belview, who look out for each other, work to keep the town running, and are always striving for excellence. From Parkview Home to the Booster Club, from the churches in town to the Legion, businesses to the bank: this is a good place.“

Michelle, Redwood Falls: “I’m thankful to live here because I see the daily effort from so many of the residents to make Redwood a great place to live. The schools work hard to give a safe, quality education. New businesses and scenic areas are being orchestrated in downtown. We have community events for every season that bring us all together, whether you are volunteering or attending. And our beautiful park and animals are well taken care of! It takes a village, and everyone is here for it!“

Thank you all very much for your responses! I am thankful for such thoughtful readers!

If family is staying at your place and is planning to leave Saturday, kick them out Friday or let them stay until Sunday. Snow is expected to start Friday evening and continue through Saturday afternoon. Several inches of snow could cause dangerous travel conditions. It’s going to be even colder post-system, gradually warming up mid-week, but still well below average with no significant warmup in sight.

Averages: Low: 18° • High: 35°

I sincerely want to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! It’s been less than a month and over 200 of your neighbors have joined you in signing up for this newsletter. I’m so grateful for your support!

Whether or not you have to announce what you are thankful for at the dinner table, I do hope you will join me in spending time today and every day reflecting on all the positive things in your life, your family and friends, your community, state, country, and world. It can be so easy to focus on what’s wrong, but when you think more about what’s right, the other stuff doesn’t seem so bad.

-Justin