Wrestle up some cash

Soaring high: Public school funding is ever more difficult to secure.

The latest example comes from Red Wing High School. Agriculture department and FFA leaders say the school's greenhouse needs a makeover and its classroom needs new computers if they are to facilitate new classes next year.

It comes as little surprise that the one vehicle to accomplish the goal isn't in place: Funding.

But school leaders applied a little creative financing — a knock-down, drag-out pro wrestling match. They hope to put 2,000 fans in the seats Saturday, which at $10 a seat could raise some serious cash for the greenhouse.

It's unfortunate that solid programs like the agriculture department have to scratch and claw — or body slam — their way toward project funding. But as Supt. Stan Slessor reminds us, such "voluntary fundraising" will likely become a fixture in the community, at least until school districts can pin state and federal lawmakers to the funding mat.

Soaring high: Thanksgiving seems to get the short shrift. That's no reason to ignore the work that local organizations and volunteers did to provide Thanksgiving meals Thursday to those less fortunate.

The effort is not new, but then neither is our national day of giving thanks. One behalf of those who wouldn't have had all the fixings —especially most recently affected by the economic downturn — we say, thank you.

Soaring high: Holiday Stroll did Thursday what it has done so well since its inception: Bring thousands of people downtown Red Wing for a joyous occasion.

Just how many thousand is difficult to tell. Some organizers estimated 7,000 early on. A couple people guessed the final crowd was closer to 12,000 strong.

Does the actual number really matter? What counts is that thousands of families and friends, near and far, kicked off the holidays with old-fashioned flare and enjoyed a taste of what our historic community has to offer.

Tags: soaring high, opinion, editorials