Albert Lea's parade

We volunteered to help with the July 3rd parade in Albert Lea. It was great weather, lots of interesting entries, and appreciative crowds. It was a great way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the USA.

A page is turned

We celebrated Charles' “retirement” (from the itinerant UMC ministry) with a visit to the Farmers Market in town and then supper at our favorite place in Albert Lea. A bonus was sharing a slice of dense cheesecake! To be clear - Charles is continuing to work as the chaplain at Thorne Crest Senior Living Community and also as the pastor of Glenville United Methodist Church.

More buttons!

We met up with our friend, Judy Clark today (and two of Judy's friends) for supper, and Charles was thrilled to be presented with 24 buttons from the recent Minnesota Annual Conference!

Looking great!

We got some cool t-shirts to show our support for Charles' run for Albert Lea City Council. The campaign is underway and these shirts will be worn all around the city!

Charles' sign!

We got Charles' campaign sign in the mail today and it's already up, welcoming passersby on Garfield Ave.

Today at Central Park

 

We had an enjoyable afternoon at the Albert Lea Pride Festival in Central Park. Belinda was on hand with the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce. Charles in the meantime was manning the table for the Albert Lea Art Center.

Albert Lea's nightlife

Photo-op in New Denmark Park

 

Eddie Cochran painting at the AL Art Center

A classic!

Cool!

Lots to look at tonight

We took in some of the sights and sounds of the Eddie Cochran Festival tonight in downtown Albert Lea. It was nice to see Broadway alive with people of all ages, taking in the amazing cars as the community honors the local legen.

Mountain Sky Annual Conference, pt. 2

At this morning's Clergy Session, Charles was among those approved for retirement. For us, this is not retirement in the traditional sense but just means that Charles is no longer part of the itinerancy system in The UMC.

Mountain Sky Annual Conference, pt.1

Watching AC online

Charles' retirement video is played at AC

Charles is participating in this year's Mountain Sky Conference (being held in Billings, Montana) via computer in his office at Thorne Crest. This afternoon, his retirement video was played to the Annual Conference.

Things are happening!

We were involved in two community events tonight! Belinda took part in Wind Down Wednesday (happens on the second Wednesday of each month during the summer) as part of her duties with the Chamber of Commerce while Charles attended dedication of flags gathering at the fairgrounds.

On the road with Belinda

Belinda had the privilege of leading the "Day Apart" women's retreat for Minnesota's Prairie Winds United Women in Faith (UWFaith) Area (District) yesterday! - Retreat Theme: "Finding & Building Peace in an Anxious World" - Check out the blog posts for it!

https://prairiewindsuwf.blogspot.com/search?q=Day+Apart+-+June+9,+2026+-+Part&max-results=20&by-date=true

Making music in Albert Lea

We had the pleasure of attending a concert by Lake Song Chorus this afternoon.

From the Facebook post:

About the Chorus

Diane Heaney is the director, and piano accompanist is Robert Tewes.

The group has about 50 members ranging in age from 12 to 98. The choir was formed to celebrate the joy of making music despite memory loss for those with dementia, their care partners, and community volunteers.

Music is one of the last things our brains forget, and so we sing to remember and to feel the joy of singing together in community.

Please help us spread the word by adding your Facebook Friends to the event Invite list.

A bear in church!

Thanks to the AI skills of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce's Executive Director, Glenville UMC is now part of the local social media interest in Todd the Bear!

Todd, a real black bear, began hanging around Todd Park in Austin, Minnesota a few days ago and has been spotted in Freeborn County. And now, he has begun "appearing" via social media in settings across southern Minnesota!

Big news in Albert Lea!

Charles took a big step into the public eye yesterday by filing for one of the Albert Lea city council seats! An article in the Albert Lea Tribune (about half-way down the page) has a write-up and Charles' photo. 

Note: A surprise was ours when on Thursday, the incumbent withdrew from the race, making the primary unnecessary. Charles will be on the November ballot!

19th Annual Thorne Crest Car Show

19th Annual Car Show

A good time was had by all

Sid T. (from Glenville UMC) was there!

Residents and visitors alike enjoyed the show

1928 Model A Ford

We were happy to see the annual car show hosted each year by Thorne Crest. One of the Glenville UMC members, Sid Troutner, was there with his beautiful Corvette!

Memorial Day art project

Charles was down in the basement studio this morning, putting gesso on the first batch of ninety-nine light switch and outlet covers. The covers will eventually be painted with rainbow colors and will be sold at the Albert Lea Art Center's booth at the Albert Lea Pride Festival in June.

A stormy night

For the third time, we spent some time in the basement due to the threat of tornados in the area. We are fortunate to have a place where we can wait out the weather with Wesley.

A busy day in Glenville

Our church is that way!

Welcoming the 2026 Patriot Tour riders

167 cycles came along Main Street in Glenville!!

Items of every sort.

A steady stream of customers.

In addition to the Art Center's Church Tour today, there was a lot happening in Glenville. The Nation of Patriots 2026 Patriot Tour began its 17th annual ride across the USA today in Glenville and we saw 160 motorcycles pass by on Main Street. Also taking place this morning was Glenville's annual bulk trash collection. This just happened to take place right across the street from the church and was quite the sight! 

Church Tour 2026

Come and see!

A beautiful morning in Glenville

A friendly smile!

Lots to share!

Belinda greets visitors

The Albert Lea Art Center (Charles is a board member) held its first Church Tour fundraiser today with six churches taking part. We were both present at the Glenville UMC to share with visitors some of what makes our church so wonderful!