2022 Vol 16, Issue 7 November Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 Gem Lake Loses a Jewel – Lorraine Birkeland (Continued from page 1) “In those days, no one had a dime,” said Lorraine. “He stood out as a kind and generous man.” Thanks in part to his help, the Wohletz family survived their disastrous first year in Gem Lake. In the midst of economic conditions that are unmatched in history, their small glass greenhouse was destroyed by hail. “I don’t know where we would have been without him— and we weren’t the only ones he helped,” said Lorraine. That legacy of generosity helped them survive and thrive through the following 90 years! And, for much of that time, Lorraine worked at the business on a daily basis. Lorraine married Arthur Birkeland and had two children, Cindy and John. They lived next door to the greenhouse and Lorraine often tended children while working at the family business. (Arthur died in 1988.) Some changes in the business happened in the early 1950’s when the state did a major realignment of Highway 61. Formerly the highway ran right in front of White Bear Floral on what is now called Hoffman Road. It then curved around and ran in front of the soon to be extinct Village Restaurant, and then back behind White Bear Rental on what is also now called Hoffman Road. The road was so curvy that many accidents resulted. The State of Minnesota was determined to make the road safer to travel and created the current highway path in what had formerly been cornfields. One major consequence of the Highway 61 straightening was to reroute traffic away from a major part of the Gem Lake business district and in front of a new car dealership called Tousley Ford. While Tousley Ford (which opened after the construction project) was later happy, the owners of the Hoffman’s Corner businesses, such as White Bear Floral, were not quite as overjoyed. “We saw a drop off in traffic,” said Lorraine. “It wasn’t right away, but within 6-8 months, it was apparent that things had changed.” However, the business survived and thrived. Until a few years ago, Lorraine was a daily fixture at the business, tending to plants and waiting on customers. A bad fall within her home slowed things down as she recovered. Lorraine’s son gave her a grand send off with a celebration of her life, held on September 30 at the greenhouse. The service included numerous funny stories about Lorraine and lunch for all attendees. She will be greatly missed within the community!! Republic Services Now Gem Lake Recycling Hauler By now you should have received your new 95 gallon recycling bin from Republic Services. Republic is now the official recycling hauler for the City of Gem Lake. The first pick-up occurred October 26, and then every other Wednesday thereafter. Please note that this is a calendar switch from our former recycling hauler, Waste Management, who would have picked up the following Wednesday. If you find you need a second Republic Services bin, no problem. Call or email Melissa Lawrence at Heritage Hall and she will take care of your request. Also, your green and yellow recycling bin from Waste Management should have been picked up the week of October 17. If it is still sitting at the end of your driveway, please let us know. Election Day is November 8 If you live in Gem Lake, you don’t need to search around for information on where your polling place is - we only have one. Heritage Hall is located at 4200 Otter Lake Road. It will be open for voting from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. These are standard voting hours all through Minnesota. In addition to state and county elections, Gem Lake has two city council positions on the ballot. The candidates for the two spots are Jim Lindner and Len Cacioppo. Gem Lake shares this building with White Bear Township as a polling place. Because of that, the parking lot can get crowded at times. However, you will typically be able to get in and out very quickly. Happy Election Day!