REMINDER: Wal*Mart's Littlest Pet Shop Parade Today!

Today from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm the Hutchinson Wal*Mart will be having a "Littlest Pet Shop Parade"!

A parade will be held around the store every 10-20 minutes where fans of the Littlest Pet Shop can line up and parade around the store.

There will be special products available for purchase, free giveaways, stickers and more!

Sounds like a very cute and fun event if you have a fan in your family.  There is no cost for this.

Click HERE to visit Wal*Mart's page which includes more details.

Valentine's Day in Hutchinson, MN

Here are some deals and events happening around town this Valentine's Day....

• $7.99 Large Heart Shaped Pepperoni Pizza at Papa Murphy's.  No coupon, no limit.  Available now through Valentine's Day.
• $12.95 Prime Rib Sweetheart Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 13 5:30-8:30 at the Elk's.
• The Hair Lounge is having some great deals on spa services, $30 to $55
• The American Legion is hosting a Valentine's Day Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 5:30-8:30, prices range from $12.50 to $14.50 depending on entree.  A band will play from 9:00 pm to close.
• Prime Rib, Seafood and Stuffed Chicken dinners on Saturday, Feb. 13 at McCormick's. 4 pm - close.
• Pot Roast, Seafood and Stuffed Pork Chop dinners on Sunday, Feb. 14 at McCormick's.  11 am - close.
• $13.95 Steak and Shrimp Dinner at Bonfire Bar & Grille on Snday, Feb. 14, all day.
• Lang's Meat Market has specials this week on Filet Mignon, $8.99/lb. and Lobster Tail, $13.90 to $25.90.
• $26.95 dinner for 2 on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 5:30 pm at the VFW.
• $7.99 Medium Super Cheesy pizza ($2 more for a large) at Godfather's Pizza.
• $7.99 Medium Heart Shaped, up to 3 topping, pizza at Godfather's Pizza.
• Country Kitchen, Feb. 12-14 Choice of 2 entrees (from a set list), including a beverage and one dessert for $24.99.

Did you hear about another deal going on for the holiday?  Please let me know!

Wal*Mart's "Littlest Pet Shop" Parade

On Saturday, February 13 from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm the Hutchinson Wal*Mart (and many other Wal*Mart's across the nation) will be having a "Littlest Pet Shop Parade"!

A parade will be held around the store every 10-20 minutes where fans of the Littlest Pet Shop can line up and parade around the store.

There will be special products available for purchase, free giveaways, stickers and more!

Sounds like a very cute and fun event if you have a fan in your family.  There is no cost for this.

Click HERE to visit Wal*Mart's page which includes more details.

Hutchinson Rec Center's Indoor Playground

Remember the post I had here about the indoor playground at the Hutchinson Rec Center?

Today, Henry and I finally made it over there.  I had no idea what to expect.  I paid our $1 at the door and we turned the corner and found a young child's wonderland!  There were many different push type cars, frisbees, "big kid" bikes, balls, play mats, basketballs and a low hoop, a few wagons, 3 different pieces of equipment with slides, a few teeter-totters and lots of room to just run and play.  Henry had a blast!!

For $1.00 (or $2.00 for a family if you have more than one child), this is a great bargain.  It runs from 9:30 am to 11:30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through April.

We'll be back!

Indoor Playground at Hutchinson Rec Center

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 am to 11:30 am there is an Indoor Playground at the Hutchinson Rec Center.  The cost is just $1 per child / $2 per family - or a $35 family pass good through April 30, 2010.

I've never been to this, so I'm not sure what kind of playground equipment they have, but it sounds like it would be a great way to spend some of these cold winter days!

There are quite a few other activities going on at the Rec Center as well, check out the full schedule HERE

2009 Holiday Train Coming Soon!

A reminder that the Holiday Train will be in New Ulm this coming Wednesday, December 9 from 7:45 - 8:15 pm.  The train stops at 224 Third Street North, Public Utilities empty lot between German Park and the railroad tracks.

If you can't make it to New Ulm, next Monday, December 14 the train will be making a few more stops fairly close to Hutchinson:

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - Buffalo, 612 NE Third Avenue behind McDonald's on Highway 55
7:30 - 8:00 pm - Annandale, West side of downtown park over Oak Avenue railroad crossing
9:15 - 9:45 pm - Eden Valley, Main Street railroad crossing, State Highway 22


Click HERE to read my orginal post about the Holiday Train

2009 Holiday Train Route

In case you have never heard of the Holiday Train, or aren't sure what it is....it's a normal train from the Canadian Pacific railway that is decorated in holiday lights and features a variety of entertainment in a coverted boxcar at its stops along the route.  It's a free and fun activity for the entire family.

The Holiday train collects food and money for the local food banks along it's route.  Last year the Holiday Train collected $500,000 and 250,000 pounds of food!

Here are the stops that are closest to Hutchinson:

Wednesday, December 9, 7:45 pm - 8:15 pm
New Ulm, 224 Third Street North, Public Utilities empty lot between German Park and the railroad tracks

Monday, December 14
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - Buffalo, 612 NE Third Avenue behind McDonald's on Highway 55
7:30 - 8:00 pm - Annandale, West side of downtown park over Oak Avenue railroad crossing
9:15 - 9:45 pm - Eden Valley, Main Street railroad crossing, State Highway 22

Odds & Ends:

• All times are approximate
• Plan to arrive 15 minutes early
• You can see the entire schedule for the train, and the line up of entertainers HERE on the Canadian Pacific railway's website
  
• You can become a fan of the Holiday Train on Facebook HERE 
• There is a video of the train HERE on the official Holiday Train blog
  

Visit the Governor's Residence - Free Holiday Activity

Not a Hutch activity, but might be a fun one if you happen to already be in the Cities.

The Governor's Residence has been decorated for the holidays and will be open to the public for tours on Tuesday, December 1; Tuesday, December 8; and Tuesday, December 15 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.


The Governor's residence is located at 1006 Summit Ave. in St. Paul.

Free Dassel Activity - Smithsonian Exhibit

In case you haven't heard a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian is in Dassel.

Yes, Dassel.

Kinda took me by surprise too!  It is actually created for small, rural communities, which I think is really cool.

The exhibit is called "Between Fences" and there is no charge to visit it.  It is located at the  Dassel Area Historical Society, 901 First Street, and will be there until December 5, 2009.

The hours are as follows:
Monday: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Tuesday - Friday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am-1:00 pm
Sunday: 12:30 - 3:00 pm


About the Exhibit: We live Between Fences. We may hardly notice them, but they are dominant features in our lives and in our history. Built of hedge, concrete, wood and metal, fences skirt our properties and are central to the American landscape. We use them to enclose our houses and neighborhoods. They are decorative structures that are as much part of the landscape as trees and flowers. Industry and agriculture without fences would be difficult to imagine. Private ownership of land would be an abstract concept. But fences are more than functional objects. They are powerful symbols. The way we define ourselves as individuals and as a nation becomes concrete in how we build fences. Through an examination of boundaries, place, and space, Between Fences will explore how neighbors and nations divide, protect, offend, and defend through the boundaries they build.

Free Hutchinson Event

Santa Claus will be at Cash Wise Foods starting at 10:00 am this coming Saturday, November 21.  No ending time was given.

My guess is he'll be found in the cookie aisle. ;)

WCI Thrift Shop

Today I had the opportunity to finally scope out the new thrift store in town.  It is a "West Central Industries" business, which means, (pulled from their website):

We provide employment training for hard working people who have disabilities, and then connect them with businesses in West Central Minnesota who need workers. We work with people from nine counties and have people working in over 113 businesses.

Good cause!

Good thrift shop!!!

I'm selective about my thrift shops.  I'll go into any of them, but am often very disappointed due to the price tags.  This is a TRUE THRIFT SHOP!  The prices were very low.  I purchased a brand new shirt for $2, a Pluto stuffed animal (tag still on) for a quarter for Henry, and a 1970's Walt Disney World book for another $0.25.  The store is chock full of vintage furniture and accessories.  I found a very awesome green chair for only $4!  I very much want(ed) it, but honestly do not have a spot.  There were crazy cool old-style kitchen chairs with chrome legs for a buck a piece!  A neat flowered plate and bowl for $2.  Really nutsy (and some just plain hideous) artwork, all priced around a buck or less.  The most expensive thing I saw was the $4 chair.

And they have sales.  Everyday it's something different.  Wednesday's Seniors get 50% off.

Nothing is clean and fancy, but it's a real thrift shop with real thrift shop prices.  I will be back!

Sonora's Mexican Restaurant Lunch Buffet

 A personal review:

This family loves us some Mexican food.

And there is NONE better than our local joint, Sonora's.  Everything is fresh, hot, and delicious.  I've never had a bad meal from there.  In addition to that, the owners are local.  I love supporting a local family.

And they are nice.  Very, very nice.  They "know" us.  They know what we order.  They greet us like an old friend when we walk in.

To our delight, they are now offering a lunch buffet!  For $7.50, an all you can eat Mexican buffet.

Joe, Henry and I went today.  Because Henry is 2 (and under), he is free.  The buffet was loaded with various dishes, along with some "traditional" buffet food of fruit, salad, etc.

Nachos, refried beans, rice, quesadillas, fajitas, burritos, chimichangas, and more.

We all ate, and ate, and ate.  Hot and delicious.  I don't think we are going to need dinner tonight! :)

Our bill was $15.98 with tax.  We usually end up spending almost that much at McDonald's or Quiznos.  What a great addition to Hutchinson's lunch options!

Free activity in Hutchinson - Family Storytime

I'm starting to reserach what there is to do in Hutchinson.  I'll be a SAHM starting at 5:01 pm on Friday, October 16, and am a bit nervous about our wicked cold long winters and being stuck inside.

Here is one I learned about quite a long time ago, but always seem to forget about.  Joe has practice at church on Thursday nights, and I'm always trying to figure out something to do with Henry.  This is perfect!!!

Family Storytime is offered at the Hutchinson Public Library, 50 Hassan St. S.E., at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month. The next Family Storytime will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. This program is open to all preschool children. There is no registration required, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Children are encouraged to come in their pajamas and ready for bed. There's no charge to attend this program. For more information, call Sherry Lund, children's librarian, at (320) 587-2368.