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Pep Rally for Paris with KARE 11 Sunrise
For the next few weeks, KARE 11 Sunrise invites viewers to experience the people and places who helped shape Minnesota’s elite Olympic athletes competing in Paris.
MINNEAPOLIS — Beret? Check. Crepes? Check.
Pep Rally for Paris plans? CHECK.
For the next few weeks, KARE 11 Sunrise invites viewers to experience the people and places who helped shape Minnesota’s elite Olympic athletes — through somewhat of each competitor’s lens.
Join the KARE 11 Sunrise team as they broadcast live from locations across the state, talking with friends, family and community members cheering on their respective hometown heroes.
Monday, July 29:
- Who? Swimmer Regan Smith
- Where? Antlers Park, Lakeville
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Join KARE 11 News at Noon anchor Alexis Rogers for a celebration of Lakeville native and second-time Olympic swimmer, Regan Smith.
Pep bands from both Lakeville and Lakeville North High Schools will perform at the event, while special guests are scheduled to include Lakeville Mayor Luke Hellier and Paralympic champion Josh Cinnamo.
Food and drinks will also be available for purchase from LBC on the Lake.
Tuesday, July 30
- Who? Gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee
- Where? Battle Creek Elementary School, St. Paul
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
KARE 11 News anchor and reporter Morgan Wolfe will MC a gathering to celebrate the achievements of St. Paul native and reigning Olympics all-around champion Sunisa “Suni” Lee at her alma mater, Battle Creek Elementary School.
Special guests include Suni’s friends, family, former teachers, and members of her former gym, as well as appearances from more of St. Paul’s finest: Nordy with the Minnesota Wild and St. Paul Saints mascot Mudonna.
Wednesday, July 31
- Who? BMX cyclist Alise (Post) Willoughby
- Where? Pineview Park BMX, St. Cloud
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
St. Cloud’s Alise (Post) Willoughby is on her way to the Olympics for the fourth time, representing Team USA in cycling BMX racing this year in Paris.
Pineview Park BMX will host a pep rally for the three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist, MC’d by KARE 11 anchor and reporter Morgan Wolfe.
The public is encouraged to attend, with the opportunity for riders to showcase their skills, and help send positive vibes to Paris.
Coffee and donuts will be available, as well as sign-making tools to show your support.
For more information, click here.
Thursday, Aug. 1
- Who? Shot-putter Payton Otterdahl
- Where? Central Park, Rosemount
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Show your pride for Payton Otterdahl in his hometown of Rosemount with KARE 11’s Morgan Wolfe!
The two-time NCAA champion shot-putter will make his second appearance at the Olympic Games after coming in 10th place in Tokyo’s 2020 games.
Fans are already planning to show up and show out for Otterdahl, as his pep rally includes performances from the high school percussion line and brass band, cheer team and Irishettes dance team.
Additionally, organizers said the public can try their hand at throwing shot put. Like they say, when in Rome — er, Paris!
Free coffee and cookies, as well as a food truck, will also be on hand for the celebration.
You can find all of the details here.
Tuesday, Aug. 6
- Who? Sailor Lara-Dallman-Weiss
- Where? White Bear Lake Yacht Club
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Shoreview native Lara Dallman-Weiss is heading to the Olympic Games for the second time, looking to improve on her Tokyo 2020 12th-place finish.
Although Dallman-Weiss’ pep rally at the White Bear Lake Yacht Club isn’t open to the public, you can follow along with her Olympics journey on Sunrise with KARE 11’s Alexis Rogers.
Thursday, Aug. 8
- Who? Dakotah Lindwurm
- Where? St. Francis High School, St. Francis
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Distance runner Dakotah Lindwurm enters the 2024 Olympic Games with a third-place finish at this year’s U.S. Marathon Team Trials — and a whole lot of support from her fans in St. Francis.
Join them and KARE 11’s Alexis Rogers at St. Francis High School for a celebration featuring interviews with local city and school representatives, and get even more hype with selections from A Blazin’ Trails coffee truck.
Visit this link for more.
Friday, Aug. 9
- Who? Break Dancing Party
- Where? House of Dance Twin Cities, Edina
- When? 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
KARE 11’s Alexis Rogers will go live on Sunrise from House of Dance Twin Cities in Edina to celebrate the introduction of break dancing into the Olympic Games.
The gathering features dancers of various abilities from the school, who are expected to showcase their skills and educate viewers on what to watch for during the event in Paris.
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
