State Fair Grandstand Donut Booth – Fair opens a week from TODAY! Please share with anyone that you think would enjoy a free ticket to the fair and help us in the booth!
We still have open shifts to fill for our SD support:
Aug 25th, 3rd shift – need 3 more people to join Betsy!
Aug 26th, 1st shift – need 4 more people to join me, Dan, George & Elaine
Aug 26th, 3rd shift – need 3 more people to join Betsy!
Why should you volunteer?
First time fundraiser – joining other SDs to fundraise through our volunteering.
Free Ticket to the Fair!
Free donuts!
Have fun with other SD31 folks and meet some new DFLers!
It’s like you’re purchasing a ticket to work – pick the shift you’d like to work and the position and “buy your ticket” – No cost! It sends you a receipt, but I will give you your actual Fair Ticket.
After you sign-up I’ll send you some additional details on what to expect, light training info etc.
If you’re interested to see the operation before the fair starts, there will be a drop-in “when you can”, training this Sunday the 17th from 1-4PM.
let me know if you’re planning to go this Sunday and I can give you some parking instructions
About the shifts: about 6 hrs. long, you’ll get breaks, there will be a Manager on Duty (paid staff), but each shift will have 8 people per shift, we’re trying to fill 4 of the 8, however, there are several other opportunities to fill in other areas if the shifts we have to fill are full.
This is all brand new for our SD31, but I think it is an exciting opportunity and can be fun if you have a couple people you’d like to work with!
Appreciate everything you all do and look forward to a fun time at the fair!
Summer is a time for fairs and community days and DFL Senate District 31 is looking for interested persons to participate. Here is your chance to meet neighbors and make new friends. Do your part to build a joyful, strong community where all belong!
Volunteers are needed to staff our booth and/or march in the parade on September 6th. Bring a friend (or two) to join in on the fun! Parade line up starts @ 10:00 am but please be there by 10:30 for 11:00 am parade start. Please come; would like as many marchers as possible!
Don’t miss out on a chance to make a difference in your community. Sign up HERE today for Saturday, September 6th!
Greetings, DFL Friends– High summer is upon us — many are getting away from the heat to lakes, cabins, rivers like our own Rum, or even just lawn sprinklers! And the news from DC continues to be hot and heavy. It can be a real relief to focus on things closer to home. Among the main challenges locally are school board races — more on that below.
Also, a number of picnics, parades, and similar events are on tap for late summer, and many need more support — so check the lists below and on our website, and get out with other progressives.
It is amazing to see that truth and facts now are seen as having a liberal bias. As this is being written, the EPA is planning to revoke its finding that greenhouse gases are dangerous. As portrayed in the book “1984,” we are being told that black is white, hot is cold, and wrong is right. A test of MAGA membership is the ability to “believe” something you know is false. (By the way, “1984” is now being banned by MAGA groups, just as was done by the Soviet Union. And it is easy to see why.)
To counter that, here is a recent reminder from Thom Hartmann.
The problem, of course, is that reality has a well-known leftwing bias. That’s because reality, unlike rightwing ideology, is rooted in facts. For example:
Trickle-down economics has never helped the working class; it’s a scam to transfer wealth to the rich.
Immigrants are not more likely to commit crimes; they’re less likely.
Late-term abortions are rare and almost always involve severe fetal abnormalities or risks to the mother; women don’t “love getting abortions” or do so with little thought.
Unions raise wages and reduce inequality; they don’t “steal from workers.”
Climate change is real and accelerating, and fossil fuel companies and Republicans have known it — and spent billions to cover it up — for decades.
Renewable energy is cheaper than coal, gas, or oil in most of the world.
People on public assistance are usually not “lazy” but are either disabled, working or actively seeking work, or living in areas where there is no work.
Raising the minimum wage doesn’t increase unemployment; it boosts the economy which increases employment.
Universal healthcare works in every other developed nation; it’s not “impossible” to implement here in America.”
The U.S. was not founded as a Christian nation, but as a secular republic.”
So let’s hold on to the truth, verifiable facts, and to our connections with each other — to weave a community fabric that can resist all the lies, hate, and corruption. We need each other, every one of us, to make it through this difficult time!
Major Events for SD-31– and some volunteer opportunities too…
Take a look at these opportunities and sign up — enjoy the company of fellow progressives and speak out to our community.
July 30, Wednesday
ABBEY PAYEUR for Anoka-Hennepin School Board
Reading Book Fundraiser
9 am to 6 pm
14001 Silverod St. NW, Andover, MN 55304
Meet Abbey and choose from hundreds of free, gently used books for kids and adults. Then make an optional donation to Abbey Payeur for Anoka-Hennepin School Board. Book donations are also accepted at DFL Saturday Morning Coffee every Saturday from 8:30am to 11:00am at Starbucks inside Andover’s Target. Donated books are also accepted at 16381 Inca St. NW, Andover. (Leave them on the porch if no one is home.)
From CD6: “Join us for the second event in our CD6 Candidate Forum Series as we work together to find the strongest candidate to unseat Congressman Emmer in 2026.”
Several potential candidates will be on hand.
Topics will include:
Rural and Farming Issues
Second Amendment Issues
Justice and Public Safety
The Role of a Member of Congress
“Bring a friend, come with questions, and be ready to engage. Let’s build a campaign rooted in grassroots energy, informed decisions, and collective strength.”
Our biggest fundraiser of the year, and a chance to get together with other DFL’ers from nearby districts. Lots of good food and good friends. Sign up to volunteer, and/or send us your info for silent auction items. Every cent from these items goes to SD31, so submit an item or two to the auction!
For Silent Auction — print and fill in the Bid Sheet (below). We need name, address, and value of the item to be donated (for our reports). This can be dropped off with the item at the Picnic.
Bidsheet for SD31 DFL at North Metro Picnic —Tuesday August 12
This year SD31 is working with other DFL Districts to run a Donut Booth at the State Fair. And we share in the proceeds. Shifts are 5-6 hours in length. We have openings on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of Fair week — one morning and 3 afternoon times are available. Sign up here:
[NO SD31 MEETING IN AUGUST DUE TO NORTH METRO PICNIC]
Next: Tuesday, September 9
6 pm Social Gathering; 6:30 Business
August- 2nd & 3rd Weekends
Ramsey Game Fair
September 6, Saturday
Ramsey Happy Days – Parade!
And
Linwood Family Fun Days
School Board Meetings
Anoka-Hennepin
Work Sessions allow for observation only— but we need people to watch what is happening! Major decisions are often made in these meetings, without a written record.
Work Sessions- Second Mondays, 5:30 pm
Education Services Center, 2727 Ferry St, Anoka
Next: 8/11
Regular School Board Meetings- Fourth Mondays, 6:30 pm
Sandburg Ed. Center, Anoka 1902 2nd Ave
Next: 8/25
If you cannot make the meetings in person you can also watch live. The agenda and streaming link are posted here:
Heather Cox Richardson Posts https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/ The website states that there is a free Subscription option; access to comment requires a paid Subscription.
You can also hear Thom Hartmann from 11am to 2 pm daily on the radio (and lots of other progressive programs) on the Twin Cities progressive radio station, AM 950 (KTNF)
FREE! CONTRIBUTE to SD31— FOR FREE!
Make a donation of any size to SD31 and get a full refund— before the legislature takes it away!
Contribute whatever you can– and then GET A FULL REFUND for any amount up to $75 per person. If you make smaller donations, save your receipts and submit them together— this is a one-time refund per person. Each member of a couple can get the full $75 refund.
After donating atVoteBlueMN.org, just print and fill the following document and send it in with your receipt. The address is on the form.
Email Updates and Submissions Newsletters and other Emails from SD31 DFL will typically be sent out on Monday or Tuesday, once or twice a month. If you have an item to share, please submit it by noon on Friday to:
We also welcome longer items for our website if you have articles, blogs, or letters that you would like to share! Check the site out at VoteBlueMN.org.
THANK YOU for every effort you are able to make— no matter how large or small. Stay connected with us as we struggle to resist the authoritarian extremists and to make our communities, state and country better.
Let your voice be heard!
SD31 DFL Core Values and Guideposts:
A Good Economy for Working Families
Fighting Hatred and Racism
Liberty and Justice for ALL— including Women’s rights and reproductive freedom
Taking care of our Home– the Earth
Love Your Neighbor
Truth, Justice and Compassion
Non-Violence
Showing up to Do Your Part
… and because even though it should be obvious in the USA, they seem to have forgotten:
According to the St. Francis School District website on July 24th, A Special Election for one seat on the St. Francis Area Schools (SFAS) School Board will happen on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The filing period for interested candidates runs from Tuesday, July 29 to Tuesday, August 12. The interim Board Member is Jessica Bakken-Kleven who replaced Andrea Anson after she resigned on June 6. The winner of the special election will step in after certification of the election results and serve until January 8, 2029. Instructions for filing are found here.
To qualify as a candidate, you must:
Be an eligible voter
Be 21 years of age or older
Have been a resident of the school district for 30 days before the general election
For the first time, good people will have the opportunity to volunteer at the Grandstand Donuts booth at this years Minnesota State Fair and raise money for Senate District 31! Four shifts are available:
*Saturday, August 23 *Monday, Aug. 25 *Tuesday, August 26 *Thursday, August 28
Those that volunteer for the six hour shift will earn a free ticket to the fair.
Here is another GREAT chance to get out, have a good time, and volunteer with other DFL folks, close to home…
Anoka County Fair starts soon!
SD31 is working with other districts, especially nearby SD35, to provide volunteer support for the DFL booth at the fair.
As was said in our last email, every little step helps build the civic community we need so much right now— a community where “justice and mercy can have their day… a civic community sufficiently united to know our own will and hold those who govern accountable to it.”
To make these changes a reality, we need and REALLY APPRECIATE your help!
July 22 (Tuesday) to July 27 (Sunday)
ANOKA COUNTY FAIR
3200 St Francis Blvd, Anoka MN, 55303
Volunteer Shifts at the booth are from 2.5 – 3 hours. Previous volunteers will tell you that doing a shift at the fair can be pretty fun. Talking with neighbors can actually be done in a relaxed way— and you only talk with people who choose to come over to the booth!
Volunteers pay to enter the fair, but are able to get discounted tickets.
Thank you, and keep up the good work. Let your voice be heard!
Our Core Values and Guideposts: A Good Economy for Working Families Fighting Hatred and Racism Liberty and Justice for ALL— including Women’s rights and reproductive freedom Taking care of our Home– the Earth Love Your Neighbor Truth, Justice and Compassion Non-Violence Showing up to Do Your Part … and because even though it should be obvious in the USA, they seem to have forgotten: The Rule Of Law The Constitution Of The United States
Abbey Payeur, Mom of three, brings experience and expertise to the role of school board member. Running in District 4 of Anoka-Hennepin, Abbey is in it to win. She is busy meeting community members and speaking about the importance of making school boards use evidence-based decision-making. Board members must use their positions to make good decisions for the wellbeing of the kids and to strengthen our community. Abbey had a booth at the Ham Lake Freedom Festival on Saturday, June 28th and also attended the Andover Family Fun Fest on July 11th and 12th. A Town Hall (TBA) is coming soon.
Future events will be posted here and on Abbey’s website.
Across the country, authoritarian forces are getting bolder and more dangerous. Trump and his allies are not hiding their agenda: mass deportations, rollbacks of civil rights, weaponized courts, and full-scale attacks on our democracy. …
That’s why this summer, we’re launching One Million Rising—a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as the basics of community organizing and campaign design.
This is important. Protests, no matter how big and frequent, are not enough. If this movement is something that interests you, please consider the trainings listed below. If you know anyone who may be interested, please pass this message on. If you are able to post this information anywhere else, please do so.
Sessions (sign up): Session 1: The Moment & Your Mission – July 16 Get oriented to making meaning of this moment and the role you can play in coordinated strategic action.
Session 2: How to Make it Happen – July 30 This train-the-trainer session is how we get to one million. Learn not just our strategy, but how you can train others and get them on board. You’ll host your first community resistance gathering after this session.
Session 3: What Now? – August 13 You’ll be onboarded to basic campaign design and learn how to implement it locally as well as get plugged into our next national campaign work. Your second community resistance gathering will move this action forward.
