View the eclipse safely! Find out how at eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

So, unless you’ve been living under a moon rock, you know that this Monday the United States will be experiencing a very rare type of solar eclipse.

Here in the St. Michael–Albertville area, we will have the opportunity to see a partial eclipse, meaning that about 83% of the sun’s light will be covered by the moon at the peak of the event. The eclipse will be visible from 11:45 to 2:30, with the maximum eclipse taking place at 1:05 p.m.

This weekend is the annual St. Michael Daze & Knights Festival—a two-day event featuring, as the tagline says, “something for everyone!”

At the festival you’ll find fun family events, food, live music, a craft and farmer’s market, parade, car show, and lots more. Here are some things to look forward to if you plan on attending with your kids.

Schedule highlights for families with kids:

This Saturday is the 13th annual Hanover Harvest Festival, taking place in and around Settler’s Park and Hanover City Hall.

The festival aims to promote community through an array of events including music, contests, a 5K race, parade, car show, craft show/market, and fireworks.

Here are some of the events that will be great for kids:
Click here to view full schedule

Kids Fun Run – 9:30am
Starts at BankWest (click for details) 

Parade – 11am
Click here to view parade route

What does it take, as a mother, to turn personal tragedy into an opportunity to change others’ lives for the better?

In early 2013, local mom Katrina Witschen and her husband Matt were thrilled to find out they were expecting identical twin girls. But their joy was soon dampened by the doctors’ discovery that, not only were the girls in danger because they were sharing one amniotic sac, one of their daughters had anencephaly, a serious birth defect that would prevent her from surviving more than a short time outside of the womb. The two girls were delivered at 32 weeks. Valencia, whose name means “healthy and strong,” was born just so and will celebrate her 4th birthday next month. Laurencia, whose name means “victory,” lived for just 15 minutes before passing victoriously into Heaven.

Laurencia’s death, it turns out, was not as much an end as it was a new beginning. In 2014 the Witschen family started a nonprofit called Laurencia’s Victory that honors her life and memory by providing support to orphaned children and adoptive families.

Here’s a list of events for kids and families taking place this week at Eastman Nature Center, which is located within Elm Creek Park of Maple Grove:

Preschool Book Worms Story Hour: “Nature Goes Boom”
Tuesday, July 4  10-11 am
Discover nature on your bookshelf with your preschooler. (Ages 2-6) Explore nature-learning stations, a picture book story, hands-on activities and more. End with a short hike, craft, or other activity. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Reservations required. Cost: $4/child
Register here