Enduro cars to run this SaturdayA pre-fair Enduro race is in the planning stages.The race is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at the Rock County Fairgrounds. The race will run for two hours or 200 laps, whichever comes first.The field is limited to the first 60 cars to enter, with a $500 first-place prize based on a 40-car field.Do you have a talent?The 4th annual talent contest is planned for this year’s Rock County Fair, which runs from August 3-6.The talent show will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 4, at the grandstand. Local and regional residents are encouraged to participate in the event, but the show is for amateurs only.The contest is divided into three categories: preteen for children under the age of 12, a teen division for kids ages 12 to 18, and an open class for participants of all ages.Each category will offer cash prizes of $100, $75 and $50 for first, second, and third place, respectively.The first-place winners will be invited to participate in the Minnesota State Fair talent contest, which is scheduled for various dates during the State Fair from August 25 to September 3.The stage, sound system and lighting are provided for the county fair participants. A $10 entry fee is also required.Each act can last no longer than four minutes to comply with the state contest rules.Last year 23 acts performed for a crowd of more that 400 people.Registration deadline is Thursday, July 28.For more information or to get registration materials, contact Jane Wildung at 507-283-4691.Community Ed plans another Twins outingCommunity Ed is organizing another charter trip to a Minnesota Twins game.This time you will see the Twins take on the Boston Red Sox.The game is at 1:10 p.m. Sunday, August 7.Participants will join the tour guides, Jim Harner and John Rath, in the Community Ed parking lot at 7:30 a.m.The bus will make a quick stop for breakfast on the way up and stop at Old Country Buffet in Mankato on the way back.The ticket and bus fee are $40, with meals on your own.Deadline to reserve your space is July 18.For more information contact Community Education at 283-4724.When the state shuts down, do we save money?No. In fact, according to a recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, shutting down the state government costs the state $4.68 million per day.A little more than half that number is employee compensation and benefits to the 14,700 workers who are deemed unessential and who are not working.About 1.8 million is from lost revenue from license charges and other fees not processed.If special legislation had not been passed to keep the state parks open, an additional $60,000 per day would have been lost.State officials told the Star Tribune the state would have to be shut down for over six months before the state could realize any cost savings.State workers who are currently affected by the shutdown have agreed to a 14-day period in which they will use accrued vacation and sick time.According to Cal Ludeman, commissioner of the Department of Employee Relations, the average state worker has accumulated 151 hours of unused vacation.Total unused vacation time owed to state workers is worth about $60 million.The average pay for workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is about $35,000.Preparing for the shutdown also had a price.Approximately $2 million was spent for things like shutting down computer systems and putting up barriers at the 88 rest stops.When a settlement is figured out and state government opens, restarting the various computer systems is estimated at $300,000.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
