Why, yes, as a matter of fact it has also been graduation time locally!  🙂  And so we take this opportunity, on behalf of Super Fans everywhere, to thank all the graduating seniors who have entertained us over the years both musically and athletically.  We wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors.  (We’re not done yet – June is not over.  Look for supplements to this post at some unforeseen future time.)

And from Lake Carlos to Lake Mary . . .

And after the graduations, and a tour of the ecohouses, there’s always our musical interludes at the winery to take a load off (Annie?).

[Where’s Annie?]

[Presenting, with additional adieu, The Salty Dogs.]

[Annie and Bruce battle gale force winds, typical of the season.]

Iko Iko by The Salty Dogs (Carlos Creek Winery, June 9, 2012).  Of significance at this time because The Dixie Cups made this song a hit in 1965, the high school graduation year for all 65-year olds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtjpYZTUiKk

Runnin’ Scared by The Salty Dogs (another one just for fun):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIy1-ev-9D4

As long as I have the floor, please allow me to also put in a plug for the Adult Education matinee movies (they are not adult movies . . . OK, maybe a little bit adult).  It’s tough for the kids to provide full-time Super Fan entertainment all by themselves, so once a month we have matinee movies at the theatre in Grand Arbor.  What fun!  It’s in the afternoon, so we generally can stay awake.  And we have popcorn – and ended the season with a potluck and “beverages” of our own choice.  It will start again in September – and has been the first Monday of each month.

And now a final send-off to the spring sports season.  The girls’ golf and track teams both won sections and advanced to state.  I don’t know how many times the golf team has gone to state now – but they placed 7th this year with a very young team.  Good for them!  The track team amazingly took 2nd place in state for the 3rd year in a row.  As with golf, the future continues to look bright there as well.  And the softball team had a great season – until the playoffs.  But, again, a very young team with almost everyone back and support from a 9th-grade team that went undefeated this year.  Congratulations to all of them!

[Amanda Bigger and Shelby Iverson will both be back next year.  And Shelby will be a key player in what should be a very good hockey team next winter.  Echo Press photos.]

[Taylor Ellingson will be back to pitch for the softball team.  And help Shelby lead the hockey team.  Echo Press photo.]

[Congrats to Jamie Piepenburg on her stellar career.  She has the section records for both the 1,600 and 3,200.  She placed 2nd in state in the 1,600 and 3rd in the 3,200.  Next year she will be a Gopher.  Echo Press photos.]

Section 8AA Girls 3,200 Finals.  Jamie Piepenburg set a new conference record in this race – but you hardly see her.  The video was shot by the Bemidji coach, so he concentrated on the race for 2nd place, a group that included his daughter.  Alex 8th-graders Megan Hasz and Bethany Hasz finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.  All three then went on to state:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07MX9R08HKo

Secton 8AA Girls 4×800 Relay Final.  Julia Sieling, the Hasz, and Karly Betterman, all under classmen, won and went on to state.  Karly was the anchor, lost the lead going into the final turn, back came back to win it!  🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vwBfbL0_Ek&feature=relmfu

[Echo Press photo of Karly in that race.  She will also be a force on the basketball team this winter.]

[Wunderkind 8th-grader Wensia Johnson came in 2nd in 100, 1st in the 200, and was lead-off for the 3rd place 4 x 100 team in state.  What a future!  And she has a 6th-grade sister who will joining her soon on the varsity track team.  Echo Press photo.]

[Madi Urman anchored the 3rd place 4 x 100 team.  And everybody is back next year:  Wensia, Gabby Koel, Briquelle Bowden, and Madi.  Echo Press photo.] 

[The other wunderkind 8th-graders, Bethany (above) and Megan Hasz, made state in the 1,600, the 3,200, and the 4 x 800 relay.  As they say, their future is all ahead of them.  😉  Echo Press photo.]

[The senior captains, now (above), and then (below, by the staff photographer, 2007)]

Iko Iko by the Dixie Cups (1965):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6rDdWPYdgg&feature=em-share_video_user

[The Dixie Cups of more recent vintage.  While doing deep research on the song, I learned it was recorded by accident.  The mikes just happened to be on when the group was singing and the drummers were playing on table tops and ashtrays!  I also discovered that some fuddy-duddy had it on his list of all-time worst songs.  Boo!]

[And may you all just have a great summer (stolen from Brother Cam’s over-the-top answering machine)!  Echo Press photo.]