Fin and Fit Crookston will be hosting its second annual Holiday fundraiser, featuring a pasta bar and a huge bake sale, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral dining room in Crookston. Fin and Fit continues its outstanding support of the Crookston Community Pool and helping the City of Crookston keep it running.
“As everybody knows, we need a lot of improvements at the pool. However, Scott at Parks and Recreation has been excellent to work with and has really helped us identify the needs. We’re working in the same direction, so we can keep the pool going as long as possible and maintain a safe and healthy environment. So that is a big part of the purpose for our fundraising, as well as the community spirit,” said Fin and Fit member Carol Gregg. “I mean, last year when we had that Christmas fundraiser, it was so exciting, and energizing to see people there and so excited about the pool. And one of the things too that we’re doing this year is we’re doing a mega bake sale related to the pool. And I have to say, the quantity and quality of the bake sale items are impressive. I want to encourage those who are kind of on the fence about baking for holidays, not to bother. Just come to the bake sale because it’s just fantastic.”
The fundraiser is being held to raise money for the repair of the filtration system at the Crookston Community Pool. “We’ve been working really hard for the last two years to raise awareness about the pool, and the response has just been tremendous. One thing I also want to point out is that we continually set goals in terms of our fundraising, and our vision is to keep the pool open and safe for as long as possible. Obviously, different people have different ideas about how that will transpire. But for now, this is really the most realistic opportunity for us to maintain this pool,” said Gregg. “We are also trying to build a fund so that in the event something significant goes down, we have resources to help with that. So, it’s not quite as immediate as what you might suggest, but right now we’re working, especially with Parks and Scott, to identify the intermediate steps that need to be taken. And as he’s… Doing the maintenance and the cleaning this, you know, over the holiday weekend, and identifying something that really needs to be taken care of. You know, we’re here. We’re here to help and make that happen.”
The pasta bar includes penne and Cavatappi pastas (with gluten-free options), red sauce with locally raised (and donated) ground beef, white sauce with chicken, garlic toast, mixed salad greens, and butter mints. If you cannot dine in, take-out containers are at the buffet table. The bake sale features a variety of homemade baked goods, including candies, salty snacks, seasoned pretzels, jellies, preserves, salsa, muffins, quick breads, and sourdough breads. There will be seasonal items like lefse, krumkake, spritzes, cookies, gifts in a jar, nonperishable items, and much more. The Ness Cafe of Erskine will even donate a homemade pie. “The pasta bar, along with the bake sale, is going to be offered from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. So you don’t even have to go home. You can come straight from school, stock up on the bake sale items, and eat your heart out with with the pasta offerings. We have gluten-free options, we’ve been working with Shawn at Wonderful Life Foods. We will also be offering takeout. So if you don’t have time to eat but want to grab a box of pasta, we’ll have it ready for you.”
The dinner cost is $15 for an adult with a free will-offering for kids under 10. “We are pre-selling tickets for $15 for an adult. And in an effort to encourage families, we are asking for a free-will offering for kids under 10. So bring the whole gang and get your tickets early or get tickets at the door,” said Gregg. “We would really like to see a good effort to support our pool because we know that’s important, and it’s an essential resource for us our community.”
