Thanks to a donation from Backus firefighter Ross Borman and his wife, Alicia, in memory of Ross’ late father, Pat, and mother, Patty, the Backus Fire Department had four new fryers for its annual smelt fry fundraiser Saturday, May 4.

At the beginning of the May 4 event, Fire Chief Jason Smith dedicated the 48th annual Backus Smelt Fry to Pat and Patty.

“As far as I’m concerned, Pat and Patty are cooking for us tonight,” he said.

This year’s fundraiser brought in 565 attendants, which is lower than normal likely due to scheduling conflicts and weather.

Heartland Animal Rescue Team’s (HART) annual Hoofin it for HART on Saturday, May 4, in Nisswa raised money and awareness with a Cinco De Bow-Wow theme.

The event, held at the Nisswa Community Center and on the Paul Bunyan Trail, raised funds to support animal care. The goal was $30,000, as of May 7 the total was about $17,000 with donations still coming in.

HART set out to raise the money through a silent auction featuring sombreros filled with goodies, sale of HART apparel, donations, walking tacos, concessions and sale of pet photos taken in front of a Mexican backdrop.

I’ve appreciated the work done by the members of the Backus Fire Department for a while, so when some of my friends suggested that I should join the department, I said yes.

This has been a little of a nuisance to my fellow workers, as training, meetings and other responsibilities have demanded my absence on days when my fellow workers are working late or covering city council meetings in my area. Thankfully, they are all very understanding.

Pine River-Backus Band Director Nick Bunio took eight Pine River-Backus Elementary School students to a Beginning Band Festival at Horizon Middle School in Moorhead on Saturday, April 27.

Less than half of all students nominated are selected to participate.

Performing PRBE students included fifth-graders Jordan Cunningham, Keenan Dahl and Anna Felthous, and sixth-graders Camilla Blanchard, Gabrialla Heck, Shayna Moore, Jada Oliver and Suzanne Redding.