By Unsie Zuege

It’s time to dispel the rumors.

The question comes up every year, said Mike Jensen, Carver County Fair manager. “Is the county fair going to leave Waconia and go farther west?” County board fair budget cuts this year have further fueled such talk.

The Scott Carver Threshers held its 46th Annual Old-time Harvest Steam & Gas Engine Festival July 31-Aug. 2

The event, held in Jordan, is a showcase for steam engines and old farming equipmement. This year, the show featured Ford/Fordson tractors. Read a related story here.

Neighbors united across Chaska Tuesday night in celebration of National Night Out.

Clover Field Marketplace was just one of more than 35 Chaska neighborhoods that organized parties Tuesday.

Spirits were high at Clover Field Marketplace, where warm weather and clear skies contributed to a perfect evening. Residents flocked to the apartment complex’s plaza and tot lot to enjoy food and fun.

National Night Out will take place Tuesday, Aug. 4. The event is designed to increase awareness for crime prevention in community neighborhoods.

Nationally, the 25-year-old event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. Locally, it is co-sponsored by the Chaska Police Department.

Residents are asked to “lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police” from 5-10 p.m. In the past, Chaska neighborhoods have hosted barbeques, picnics and ice cream socials to commemorate National Night Out.

The City of Chaska is giving away 7,500 free tickets to the 2009 PGA Championship starting Monday.

Chaska residents can pick up a pair of tickets to the first three days of the event by stopping by the front desk at City Hall (One City Hall Plaza). Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.

The first three days of the PGA Championship are the practice rounds. It is the only time cameras and autographs are allowed during the competition.

Suburban sprawl may be inching its way toward Jordan, but there is at least one place in town where rural traditions still run strong.

Each year during the first weekend of August, Threshers Park comes alive with the roar of tractors, threshers and combines.

“You have to see it to believe it,” said John Schultz, a member of the Scott-Carver Threshers Association.

This year marks the 46th annual Old-Time Harvest Steam & Gas Engine Festival. Schultz, who lives in Carver, has experienced most of them.

There was no doubt that hometown runner Ben Sathre would repeat as the winner of the River City Days 5K run on Saturday.

Sathre, a 2008 Chaska High School graduate, had no challengers as he completed the course in 15 minutes, 44 seconds.

Adam Arveson of Maple Plain was second in 17:45, followed by Romeo Benich of Duluth.

Sathre won last year's RCD 5K in 15:35, shortly after making the state high school competitions in track and cross country as a Hawk senior.

Sathre now competes on the track and cross country teams at the University of St. Thomas.

When Sally Barris moved to Nashville 17 years ago, she dreamed simply of putting out her own recording someday.

These days, the Chaska native is celebrating a Grammy nomination for one of her songs and touring for her third album. She’ll return to the Twin Cities on July 24 to perform with Brandon Sampson at the 318 Café in Excelsior.

“I’m still pinching myself,” said Barris who couldn’t be happier with her choice to move to Nashville to pursue a career in music.

It’s that time of year again – time for Chaskans to head to City Square Park to celebrate the annual River City Days festivities.

In the final week before the event kicks off, organizer Tim Sebenaler is a whirlwind of activity, barely able to collect his thoughts at times.

“Some people do marathons,” he said. “This is my marathon.”