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Submitted photoThe 12U Rangers will test themselves against elite competition this month. Front row, left to right: Ruby Lamere, Julia Stanek. Middle row: Greta Reifschneider, Aryn Blumenthal, Madison Larrabee, Madelyn Sandstrom. Back row: coach Matt Arntzen, Ella Arntzen, coach Tom Zak, Katie Zak, Brooklyn Hansen, Bethany Weiss, Bailey Thomas, Amber Dunaski, coach Mike Dunaski.
From the youth level up to the high school varsity squad, there is a quite a lot of softball talent in Forest Lake.
One team among many that demonstrate that fact is the 12U Rangers squad, which recently qualified to compete in both state and national tournaments later this month.broadstreet.zone(48036);
“The girls push themselves to be the best they can be,” coach Mike Dunaski said. “They realize that as the top 12U team they’re the cream of the crop, but they know that to keep that status they have to work for it.”
The 12U squad finished at the top

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Photo submitted by Emily Anderson
Emily Anderson, of Forest Lake, wishes to thank the friendly stranger, pictured right, who lent a helping hand at the Lakeside Memorial Park boat landing. On June 24, Anderson’s 13-year-old son Gavin Penaz, left, hooked a 41-inch muskie. Gavin was able to reel in and beach the fish, but needed a hand in lifting it up to the dock. The stranger, who was returning his boat to the landing, helped Gavin lift the fish and get photographic proof of his big catch. “It’s nice to have caring, friendly people in our community!” Anderson writes.

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The Forest Lake Area Athletic Association invites the community to an evening of fun Thursday, July 13, at Fenway Fields, 5530 206th St. N., in support of the Forest Lake Public Safety groups.
The main event will be a pair of softball games pitting a team of Forest Lake Police and Fire Department officers against a team of FLAAA coaches. Afterward, families can watch the movie “Moana” on the field.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Admission to the Community Get Together is free, but attendees can support the local community on three fronts. Cash donations for the public safety groups will be accepted, and a Chuck-A-Ball contest will be held between the two games, with the cash prize split between the winner and the city’s pubic safety. Nonperishable food items will be accepted for donation to local food shelves, and proceeds from concessions will go toward Fenway Fields improvements.
The Get Together will begin at 7 p.m. In

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File photoAllen “Bud” Simmons was a prominent baker in Forest Lake for many years, and many of his children followed in his footsteps.
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part series about the oft-forgotten influence of the Simmons family on the Forest Lake area. Part one, “A forgotten founding family of Forest Lake” was published here.
Cliff Buchan
ECM Staff Writer
In the mid-20th century, Forest Lake was a bustling town for commerce, and the Simmons family was a big part of it.broadstreet.zone(48036);
“There were four, probably five, grocery stores in Forest Lake at the time,” said Joe Houle, son of Ray Houle, who ran a grocery in the downtown. “There was plenty of competition. They (the Simmons team) were good businessmen.”
Mitt Simmons, who was 82 when he died in 1955, spent time in J.L. Simmons’ dry goods business (covered in part one) and at the turn of the 20th century owned

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