Odd & ends 11-9-2019

There are some changes happening downtown. The Station at Embers is going under the dome.

 The domes are made by a company called Gardenigloo and can be used as greenhouses, gazebos, or as private dining areas. Each of the three will have a different decor. For more about them, see here.

 The Briar Patch, which not too long ago was on McKinley and Vine, has reopened on Rutsen across from the Post Office. Everything is Christmas themed.

 The front of the Horton Building has been boarded up. When the boards are removed, the building should have new windows. The renovation is scheduled for completion in April and will house the offices of Sean Yallaly.

 If you look to the top of the building, you will see that the Yallalys have added their name to the building.

 On Saturday there were two big special sales. The Prairie Arts Council had its Annual Art Show and Sale in the Carnegie Center. Lots of attractive art objects were available.

 The Fair Association hosted  the Mistletoe Magic Holiday Bazaar. It filled three buildings with vendors and each was crowded with people.

 You'll Never Guess was one of the vendors. The company does 3-D printing and one of the products they make is cookie cutters. They have between 2000 and 3000 different designs for cookie cutters. If you need an unusual cookie cutter, contact them.

 Returning from Mistletoe Magic, I saw a combine at work next to the road so I took a picture.

 It was a John Deere and that reminds me, Deere is offering a 18-rotor drone for crop dusting. You can read about it here.

In park news, the future concession stand for the new ball fields now has a concrete floor. This week electricians were trenching electrical cables in for the lights that will allow night games. The December 7 tree lighting is part of a larger event that is called Frosty Fest.

A bicycle tour for next year that this blog has mentioned now has an event page on Facebook. The First Annual Jasper Jaunt will be held on August 8. For more information, see here.

The new surface has been installed on the SR 114 bridge over the Iroquois. It is not concrete but some kind of latex material that is harder than concrete. On Saturday heat was being sent under the plastic to help the surface finish curing. The bit you see that is not under the plastic is the approach and it is concrete. The gap at the bottom needs to be filled with asphalt and that is supposed to be done next week, though I am not sure when they will be able to do it with the forecast temperatures. (I see a 9º for a low next week.) But if the weather cooperates and the remaining tasks get done, garbage trucks will soon once again be rolling through Rensselaer.

Monday is Veterans Day. There will be a ceremony at 11:00 in Weston Cemetery.