Stillwater Current - Community News. Local Views.

The St. Croix River Crossing will open to traffic at 8 p.m. today, Gov. Mark Dayton announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning. Three MnDOT vehicles will be the first to cross, Kevin Gutknecht, an agency spokesman told the Pioneer Press. Mark Desch, a longtime Stillwater business owner and classic-car collector, will be the last to cross the Stillwater Lift Bridge driving his 1931 Stutz DV-32 Convertible Sedan. The city of Stillwater will commemorate the official closing of the Lift Bridge with the Cruisin’ to Closure event beginning at at 6 p.m. in Lowell Park. Continue Reading →

The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed the Highway 243 bridge between Franconia Township and Osceola this afternoon after a hole was discovered in the deck. MnDOT bridge maintenance staff are on the scene and are assessing bridge damage. It will remain closed through the weekend until repairs are made. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes to reach their destinations. It is recommended that travelers use the Highway 8 bridge at Taylors Falls/St. Continue Reading →

Stillwater Lumberjack Days 2017 is on. The vendor market, activities and the Lumberkids area open at 10 a.m. Friday. The Shackletons, Porcupine, Crankshaft and HALEY close out the night on the main stage. Here’s a look at Friday’s schedule:

11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Helicopter Rides (Riverside Park – just South along the trail)

Noon-6 p.m. — Pontoon and Gondola Rides ($5 each)

1-4 p.m. — Bingo in the Park (Beer Garden)

1 p.m. — Reading of 2nd Clue for the Medallion Hunt at the Warden’s House Museum

2-5 p.m. — Lumberjack Days Down Hill Derby on 2nd Street

4-7- p.m. — Lumberjack Demonstrations

Live Music:

Michelle Katz: National Anthem 5
 p.m.

The Shackletons 5-6 p.m.

Porcupine 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Crankshaft 8-9:15 p.m.

HALEY 9:45-11 p.m.

Continue Reading →

The Stillwater Lumberjack Days Historic Medallion Hunt is on. The first clue was read Thursday night at the Ice Cream Social. Here it is:

Clue #1

Good Evening Hunters! The time is upon us

To play the giant game of clues and discuss. We hunters are a curious breed

We seek out of fun, not out of need. Continue Reading →

Stillwater Lumberjack Days kicks off Thursday with an Ice Cream Social at the Washington County Historic Courthouse. The Ice Cream Social begins at 5 p.m.

The first clue in the Lumberjack Days Historic Medallion Hunt will be read at 7 p.m. during the Ice Cream Social. Buttons will be sold until 6:59 p.m.

There will be live music by Scrapegoat Skin & Bones and Blue Groove Bluegrass, as well as a petting zoo, children’s games and activities. The Civil War exhibit is open in the Historic Courthouse, and you can take jail tours. There will also be hotdogs and brats, $.50 root beer floats, doughnuts and penny candy. Continue Reading →

The Locals are still looking for volunteers to help with Lumberjack Days. The Locals are looking for help setting up the Lumberjack Days music stage at the corner of Water and Myrtle streets starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. The Locals are also looking for help as set-up and tear-down crew members, volunteers for the downhill derby, music stage hands and helping with the parade. Check out the available times and positions, and sign up to help

Lumberjack Days is happening this week, July 21-23, in downtown Stillwater. Continue Reading →

Stars of the Week for July 16:

The Dave’s Sport Shop Hitter of the Week is Isaac Schlichting. Isaac hit a clutch lead-off triple in the bottom of the last inning of a tied game and eventually scored the winning run walk-off style. Sam Olson and Andy Wiederholt are the Stillwater Motors Players of the Week. The 12A players played with the 13A team who needed a couple players and combined for 3 hits, 7 RBI’s and a fantastic catch in CF. Reece Bastyr is the Bayport Printing House Sportsmanship Star of the Week. Continue Reading →

Powerful storms that moved through the area early Wednesday morning left thousands of people without power. Xcel Energy reported that about 14,000 customers in Washington County were without power, including more than 5,700 in the Stillwater area. Crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. You can check the Xcel Energy Power Outage map for updates. Continue Reading →

Stillwater announced plans for a couple of events to celebrate the closure of the Stillwater Lift Bridge to automobile traffic next month. “We don’t know what time MnDOT will throw up the ‘Bridge Closed’ sign and do the permanent traffic shift, but we’ll be downtown celebrating until they do,” Kozlowski said in a news release. “This is a significant moment in the history of our town, and we know people are going to want to get together and be part of it. It’s going to be one of those events that you’ll tell your grandchildren you attended.”

City leaders will reconvene in south Lowell Park at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 2 for a public festival being called “Cruisin’ to Closure.”

Cruisin’ to Closure adds to the already-scheduled Cruisin’ on the Croix classic car show, to accommodate the large crowds expected to gather downtown for the final closure of the bridge to automobile traffic. Continue Reading →

Needed: Your nominations for stars of the week. Even though regular season and tournament season are now ending, we will continue Stars of the Week for the next two weeks through playoffs and state tournaments. Please continue to submit nominations at goo.gl/GzAhkJ. Stars of the Week for July 9:

Quinten Howe is the Bayport Printing House Sportsmanship Star of the Week. Quinten is enthusiastic, never loses his smile, the first to cheer his teammates on. Continue Reading →

Summer Tuesdays kicks off this week in Lowell Park with LEGO Batman on the big screen, and music by Lars Carlson & the Secondhand Hipsters. The Summer Tuesdays marketplace opens at 5 p.m. Live music begins at 6 p.m. and the movie starts about 10 minutes after sunset in north Lowell Park. Now in its 15th year, Summer Tuesdays will run through Aug. 22. Here’s a look at this year’s lineup:

July 11

Music: Lars Carlson & the Secondhand Hipsters

Movie: LEGO Batman

July 18

Music: Scrapegoat

Movie: Princess Bride

July 25

Music: 40 Below

Movie: Moana

August 1

Music: Vinny Rose

Movie: Trolls

August 8

Music: Tommy Bentz Band

Movie: Finding Dory

August 15

Music: Third Wheel Project

Movie: Sing

August 22

Music: Army Band

Movie: The Sandlot Continue Reading →

If you’re planning on taking in Fourth of July fireworks from a boat on the St. Croix River on Tuesday, you’ll want to note these changes to the Stillwater Lift Bridge schedule. Link: The 411 on Stillwater’s Fourth of July Celebration: Fireworks, Music, Parking and Parades

To accommodate an increase in downtown vehicle traffic, the Stillwater Lift Bridge will remain in the down position at 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4. The 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. lifts will still take place. The fireworks will start at about 10 p.m. Continue Reading →

MnDOT crews worked through the night, and were able to temporarily repair the Stillwater Lift Bridge to reopen for Wednesday morning’s commute. The Lift Bridge reopened just before 4:30 a.m. The normal lift schedule also resumed this morning. The bridge will close again at 10 p.m. tonight to allow crews to make permanent repairs to the bridge’s main power cable. The Lift Bridge will remain closed until 6 a.m. Thursday. In the case of inclement weather, the permanent repairs will be postponed until Thursday night. Continue Reading →

MNDoT crews will work through the night in an attempt to get the Stillwater Lift Bridge working before Wednesday morning’s commute. “Well…it’s a good news, bad news situation tonight with the Stillwater Lift Bridge,” said Kent Barnard, a MnDOT spokesperson. Crews were able to fix the damaged electrical meter and socket before 8:30 p.m. and were testing the bridge when additional electrical problems were discovered. “Although power was restored to the bridge shortly before 8:30 p.m., after workers lowered the bridge and then attempted to lift it again, the lift span halted halfway up and remains in that position,” Barnard said. Several employees from MnDOT’s Electrical Services Section (ESS) and the bridge tender were on the bridge when it became stalled the second time. Continue Reading →