Work up an appetite for July 14thThe Luverne Chamber of Commerce has set July 14 for its date for the 43rd annual Hot Dog Night.Each year, participating Luverne businesses grill over 10,000 hot dogs and provide more than 300 gallons of drink.The annual event, which has received national attention in past years, was started in 1961 as a customer appreciation night from local merchants to the community.This year, in addition to the dogs and drink, entertainment will also be provided as it has been in recent years.This year’s entertainment will include the Spotlight Dancers, Tae Kwon Do demonstrations and mini-train rides.Also, the 2nd annual wiener dog races will take center stage at this year’s event.Anyone with a Dachshund dog is eligible to enter the contest at no charge.A 1st place trophy will be awarded to the fastest dog. The races will start at 7:00 p.m. in front of the Brandenburg Gallery.If you would like more information concerning the contest, contact the Chamber at 283-4061.More Chamber newsThe Chamber would also like you to know that the theme for this year’s Winterfest will be "A Fairytale Christmas."With that in mind, you can now start planning your float.Sioux Valley sets date for open houseThe Sioux Valley Medical Center has set the date for their public open house.The name "Sioux Valley Medical Center" is the new name for the entire medical campus, which includes both the hospital and clinic.The hospital’s new name is "Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital" and the clinic’s new name is "Sioux Valley Clinic – Luverne."The open house will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 17. The day’s activities will include a flag-raising ceremony by the VFW, tours of the new facility and free refreshments and gifts.The hospital portion of the $18 million facility is a 25-bed unit with birthing suites, a large outpatient rehabilitation area, in-house CAT technology and a lot more comfort and privacy, according to hospital spokesperson Nikki Terveer.The clinic portion of the building will have 36 exam rooms, four procedure rooms and ten physician offices.Troopers crack down on seat beltsI told you a while ago there was going to be a statewide crackdown on people not using their seat belts.I happen to have been driving to the Black Hills that weekend, and I can report that the seat belt enforcement went beyond our state borders.But the numbers for our part of Minnesota are now in.According to Brian West, spokesperson for the Marshall office of the Minnesota Highway Patrol, 265 motorists were issued citations during the enforcement period.Troopers also stopped 455 drivers for other violations, resulting in over 500 warnings during the campaign.More than 450 agencies were involved in the buckle up campaign.Last year 462 people died in vehicle traffic crashes, with more that half not wearing their seat belts.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
