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PUBLIC SAFETY: Fire destroys townhome in Hugo PAGE 6
Centerville salon owner reflects on 25 years of business
Couple Q&A: Valentine’s Day edition Press Publications asked local couples a few questions about their love story. Dennis and Kathy Erno
Q: What was your first impression of him? A: “Handsome. A little forward, a little suspicious because I was a little younger.”
Q: How long have you been married? A: “57 years. We met in college. University of Wisconsin River Falls. We were exchanging classes. She was coming from a class, and I was going to a class. And we met on the stairs, and I wanted to meet her because I was attracted to her, so I asked her if she had a sister that went here, which was my opening line. So I asked her out. Our first date was at a Sadie Hawkins dance, which was supposed to be girls-ask-boys. That's how our relationship started.”
BY MADELINE DOLBY QUAD COMMUNITY PRESS EDITOR
Q: What’s the secret to that many years of marriage? A: “Just to know each other very well and don't give up. Discuss if you have a conflict and try to come up with a compromise or whatever.” “We have shared values. We’re both, I’d say, moderate progressives, and we have the same moral and religious and social values.” “And we love each other.”
Joshua Duckett and Kelly Jacobson
CENTERVILLE — When Gina Paar began to build her home in Centerville in 2001, she knew she wanted to have a salon in her home. Two months after her son, Dylan, was born, she opened Gina Paar Salon. This year, she will celebrate 25 CONTRIBUTED years in business. Gina Paar During her time as a hairstylist, Paar has gathered around 100 clients. Some, she said, have been with her since the very beginning. Before owning her own business, Paar rented a chair for five years at Shear Illusions in St. Paul. When Paar was around 13, she gave her first haircut. “It seemed really easy and looked pretty good when I was done,” she said. “You start to wonder, ‘What do I want to do?’ and it was kind of on my radar.” Paar’s sister began attending cosmetology school in high school through PSEO, and Paar became very interested in the program as well. When she was a junior at Roseville Area High School, Paar had the opportunity to enroll in cosmetology school and decided to take it. She began to attend school that summer and continued to take classes until the summer after her senior year. Six months later, in 1991, she received her licenses and took the state board. Her first job was at Rita Ambourn as Ambourn’s assistant, where she worked for three years.
Q: What's the secret to happiness in a relationship? A: “We have so much fun. I feel like we allow ourselves to be like the young and funny side and I think the really honest side.”
Q: How did you meet? A: “It'll be three years [of dating] on Valentine's Day exactly. We met online and I asked her out. She declined.” “At first because my friend also didn't have someone, so we wanted to have a girls Valentine's Day.” “So I convinced her to still have that girl's Valentines and come out.” “And it ended up being a really amazing night. We moved in with each other I want to say like a year later and we've been really, really happy.”
Q: What do you guys do for your Valentine's Day anniversary? A: “Sometimes we go back to the first place that we met. Nico's Tacos. But we mix it up depending on weather.” “Nothing too crazy.”
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SEE SALON ANNIVERSARY, PAGE 5
Winterfest features mix of new events, familiar favorites BY MADELINE DOLBY QUAD COMMUNITY PRESS EDITOR
Winterfest will return to the Quad community with a mix of new events and familiar favorites. The winter celebration will kick off on Feb.13 and run through Saturday, Feb. 21, offering a variety of activities for area residents and opportunities to support local businesses. “We are four cities, but one community. The Centennial Area Chamber
wanted to create an event that would bring the entire community together. We want to celebrate what there is to love about our community, help people enjoy winter and support local businesses during what can be a slow time of year,” said chamber President and CEO Michelle Koch. In its second year, the event is hosted by the Centennial Area Chamber along with local businesses and civic organizations. This year, there will be seven special and signature events.
“We are four cities, but one community. The Centennial Area Chamber wanted to create an event that would bring the entire community together.” Michelle Koch Chamber President and CEO The medallion hunt is scheduled to begin on Monday, Feb. 16. The first clue
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can be found on the chamber’s social media page (www.facebook.com/CentennialAreaChamber). Clues will be provided daily until the medallion is located. New events added to this year’s weeklong calendar include a bingo night on Friday, Feb. 13 at Renstrom Dental Studio, a community campfire and a coloring contest. Each event will be supported by a local business.
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