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VOL. 50 NO. 42 www.vadnaisheightspress.com $1.50
PUBLIC SAFETY: Local man sentenced for deadly hit and run PAGE 6
The Wall That Heals assembles in Polar Lakes Park BY LOGAN GION STAFF WRITER
In Washington D.C., a black-granite wall exists, 493.5 feet long, with 58,318 names etched into it. It is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which the National Parks Service maintains, 1,104 miles away from White Bear Lake. The first week of August, a similar wall, 375 feet long, with the same 58,318 names etched into it, will come to Polar Lakes Park
in White Bear Township. It is The Wall That Heals, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica and mobile education center. According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website, The Wall That Heals gets its name from the healing process veterans can find by seeing the memorial in their own communities, among their own friends and family. VFW Fourth District Commander Gary Carlberg remembered the cold response Vietnam veterans
received when they came back to America. “I had friends whose brothers who came home injured, mentally, physically, or didn’t come home at all. (Because of) the way that America treated the Vietnam vets, the Vietnam vets made sure that never happened to my group,” Carlberg said. “When I deployed to the Middle East, the VFWs and (American) Legions had welcome
CONTRIBUTED
A young visitor to the Wall That Heals sees herself reflected in the names etched upon the granite.
SEE THE WALL THAT HEALS, PAGE 22
Brothers expand a family-focused business with purchase of Lee’s Pro Shop BY TRACY LEBRUN PINE CITY PIONEER EDITOR
Heartbeat for Hunger returns
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The second annual Heartbeat for Hunger beach concert is scheduled for 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 1, at White Bear Lake County Park. The headliner will be NUNNABOVE with special guests Frankie Torres. There will also be food trucks, beer and seltzer stands on site. All proceeds from the event will go to the White Bear Area Food Shelf. For more information, see page 3.
The family-run nature of Lee’s Pro Shop has continued with new ownership in brothers Dan Ponsolle and Joe Ponsolle. The brothers bring a decade of retail experience and a passion for sports to Lee’s, expanding the reach of their Vadnais Heights-based business, Revolution Sporting Goods. The Ponsolles, who founded Revolution Sporting Goods 10 years ago, recently acquired Lee’s Pro Shop and plans to maintain its name and identity within the community. The brothers launched Revolution Sporting Goods from the ground up after years of working in retail and managing Play It Again Sports stores. “We have always loved sports,” said Joe. “We have always thought there was a gap in small shops, catering to local families and offering good customer service.” They view the Pine City location as a key part of the company’s future growth. “We see this purchase of Lee’s Pro Shop as our production foundation,” Joe said. “It will allow us to add more sales and take care of more families from Pine City to the Twin Cities.” Lee’s will continue to provide sporting goods and custom apparel. For equipment, they sell baseball, softball, soccer, hockey, basketball, wrestling, football and volleyball apparel. For custom apparel, they can embroider, sew, laser engrave, screen print and heat press. They also SEE NEW CHAPTER, PAGE 12
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