USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

IMPORTANT: Check Your Time Zone

sapphirestar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:22:55 +0000

I think having Daylight Savings on the first day of Nano may have screwed up the time zone settings for many of us. Which could be a problem if you end up writing down to the wire on November 30th.

Check your settings now to make sure they're correct. Just go to My Nanowrimo, click on Edit User Settings, and scroll down to Locale Settings: Time Zone. And then click Submit.

When I did this, I found that mine was an hour off.

I now return you to your novel writing in progress...
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Theresa, aka Sapphirestar
Twin Cities ML
http://sapphire.albatross.org
2003: Out of Houdini's Trunk
2004: Rita, Not the Hurricane
2005: Days of Confinement
2006: My Name Is Shay
2007: After 50 Years
2008: The Fat Lady Sings

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Details About the TGIO Party

sapphirestar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:08:22 +0000

Our Thank God It's Over Party is coming soon! Everyone is welcome, whether you cross the 50k finish line or not. This is about celebrating our attempts and excitement and all the work we put into Nano 2009.

Tuesday, Dec. 1
6:00 - 9:00 pm
at The Loft performance hall-- 2nd floor of the Open Book Center
1011 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis
(Directions and Parking info: http://loft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=245)

The party is potluck, so bring a dish or a snack to share (some people try for novel-themed food, but it's totally optional).
Beverages can be purchased in the Coffee Gallery (1st floor) until 8 pm.

A favorite part of the evening is the reading of Nano novel excerpts. Wrimos can bring 2-3 Double-Spaced pages of their novel to read aloud... this is totally optional. We have a lot of people who like to read, so we have to keep the excerpts on the short-side.

If you don't want to read outloud, another option is to bring an excerpt that others can read... we will have a table for excerpts that people can read at their leisure during the party.

If you're shy or unsure or haven't been to a write-in all November, please do come anyway. We are very friendly and everyone is just so excited and happy at this party... it's a wonderful way to end a great month.

Thanks again to The Loft for letting us have our party in their fabulous space! Hope to see you there!

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Theresa, aka Sapphirestar
Twin Cities ML
http://sapphire.albatross.org
2003: Out of Houdini's Trunk
2004: Rita, Not the Hurricane
2005: Days of Confinement
2006: My Name Is Shay
2007: After 50 Years
2008: The Fat Lady Sings

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Write-ins: set up information

nellmorningstar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:56:42 +0000

Welcome all Twin City Wrimos!
One of the best parts of our regions, is how many active participants we have, and it grows each year. With an area as large as ours, it is to be expected that we would have write-ins throughout the entire region, and the only way to do this is by asking all interested participants to consider hosting write-ins when and where convenient to them.

Write-ins are a useful way to get out of your ordinary environment full of distracting excuses not to write. Coffee shops, libraries, café areas in bookstores, and common study areas in colleges are all possibilities. Any public space, which provides tables, outlets, access to food and drink and doesn’t mind a group taking up space for a few hours can work. Other things to consider might be accessibility, parking etc.

At a write-in, primarily we write. The host will have an area marked with a sign so we know how to find each other, and after some initial introductions, silence falls (although some of us bring earphones in case conversations around us are too distracting) and we write. Most rimes bring laptops, but a few brave souls have pen to notebook. Word wars (short timed blocks of a few minutes for all out writing) and dares might be exchanged, and often yield large word increases for all involved.

So, the steps to hosting a successful write-in:

1 – choose a location.
2 – choose a date, just one day, or every Saturday.
3 – choose the time, both beginning and ending.
4 – post your write-in information here in this thread so one of the Mills can post it to our calendar.
5 – be there, a few minutes before your start time so you can be ready with signs etc.

A few niceties, call your location before the write-in to give them a heads up. Also, consider bringing a power strip, or asking someone else planning to join you to bring one. Also, check to see if another participant is hosting a write-in next door at the same time on the same day, team up and do it together.

Feel free to ask any questions here.

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"The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected." Swedish proverb

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

What is your MC up to right NOW?

shuamort — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:12:48 +0000

I completely stole this idea from one of the fora out there.

Mine is quite gross, so you may want to skip down and just write yours:

My MC just threw up. The reason? He was hiding in the snow when one of the monk's from the abbey was trying to hunt down his sister and him. Sister took a shot with a gun and just missed the monk. The monk raised his rifle to kill Sister and MC emerged from the snow and jammed a fireplace poker through the monk's perineum. That crushed the pelvic bone and set the inards pouring out when he withdrew the poker. And that's why he threw up.

I almost threw up writing it too.
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Wednesday, Nov. 25: The race is on!

ShildeInMn — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:51:57 +0000

Ok, the race has been on for some time now, but now it's time to go for the burn. I had some productive hours this afternoon at Shish on Grand Ave. (near Macalester -- delicious Middle Eastern food!) and racked up another 2K+ words. But I don't know how I am going to keep that up. Still, I know I have worked miracles in the past. However, NEXT YEAR, I am not going to be a slacker at the beginning of the month.

OK, wait, if you find out that you're probably going to be laid off by the end of the year, and you find out all of a sudden that your brother-in-law is going to have brain surgery, and you're trying to enjoy yourself in a sunny beach resort -- yeah, that's not so much being a slacker as it is being a freaked-out human bean, right?

So much for my excuses; what're yours?

Actually, the more I've been writing lately, the more I've been liking my story, and THAT is different. I'm not saying the writing or the story are any GOOD, mind you, but ... it's fun.
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Just put one word after another.

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

VOTE Time: IHOP or Blue Moon on Nov. 30th?

kyteroo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:47:58 +0000

We need to get a numbers count and vote for WRITE-IN on LAST day,November 30th, Monday.
Keeping in mind that...
1) some people may need to write until 11:58 and quickly validate
2) Blue Moon closes at 11pm, cutting off internet for those who need it.
3) IHOP is on a bus line, and I can give 3 people ride home if needed.

Will you show up for IHOP? Or do you need Blue Moon?

[Just a heads up, some people didn't think Old Chicago would work due to noise level and Football crowds.]

Thanks!
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

The Fondue at the 50,000 Finish Line!

BenPanced — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:48:07 +0000

Or "I'm making this post just so Brian will STFU about 'all the work' he does around here"

Just for this special occasion, being you -- yes, YOU -- having crossed the 50,000 word mark, music composer Vangelis has just unearthed the unused lyrics to his Oscar-winning Theme From "Chariots of Fire"!

Now we are running.
We're running real fast.
Our shoes are all wet
And so are our shorts.

Wow. Don't quit your day job, Van.

Anyway, park your carcass in here for a bit, and get an expert hand and wrist massage. Fresh squeezed orange, carrot, grape, and eggplant juices are available, along with three different chocolate fountains (dark, milk, and white) and...FONDUE! We haven't had fondue in a while, so I think we're ready for some! Help yourself. We've got bread, strawberries, pineapple, beef chunks, peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant to dip into two different kinds of cheeses (white and orange) and hot oil.

And cake. Lots and lots of CAKE. Wow. Dip it into the chocolate fountains, into the fondue, or have it as is. Just don't try to do any swan dives into it. Buttercream doesn't get out of carpet that easily.
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2009 - Black Mirror Broken - WINNER!

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Coffee Shop Review Thread?

SweetUsagi — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:14:18 +0000

It's a little late this year, but I was driving around today and I thought how many weird little out-of-the-way places are hiding from us that could be potential write-in spots? We should have a thread where people can post when they go somewhere new and tell us how it went. See the Bad Waitress thread.
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

*** Special Donation Day... SO THANKFUL for Nanowrimo!!

sapphirestar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:15:38 +0000

Thanksgiving is this week (really!), and my thoughts are starting to turn toward all the things I'm thankful for. And today is a great day to be thankful for Nano because we have a great opportunity to SHOW how grateful we are that Nano has been a part of our lives.

In case you haven't heard, Nano's head office, the Office of Letters and Light (which covers Nano, the Young Writers Program and Script Frenzy) is having a big fundraising day today (https://store.lettersandlight.org) They have the impressive goal of trying to earn $100,000 in one day--- today, November 24. If the goal is met, then founder and great guy Chris Baty has promised to write a song. Here's what he says:

"If NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program can raise $100,000 in donations through our online Donation Station on Tuesday the 24th, I will write a song about the fundraising drive—tentatively entitled "That Beautiful Tuesday"—and perform it on NaNoVideo with staff musical accompaniment and Lindsey doing an interpretive dance alongside us.

"This video will be a keepsake that NaNoWriMo participants of all ages can treasure and wince at for decades to come. Better still, your donations will mean we can bring back NaNoWriMo and the YWP for another great year of inspiration and encouragement in 2010."

How fun is that?!

So today I will be sending in 2 donations. One will be my personal donation--- usually I donate at the start of Nano, but my husband didn't have a job then so I put it off, and now I'm glad to have this special day to donate on. The other donation will be the contents of the donation bucket I've been carrying around to all the write-ins (and Annette of the Monday Loft write-ins also collected a good chunk of this amount, too)--- so far, we've collected $74.47! So I will make sure that gets donated today! Woo hoo!

And here's why I make a donation to Nanowrimo every year-- this is my 7th year of participating in Nano, and it has brought SO MUCH to my life. I have made so many friend through Nano-- people who understand why I want to write, who understand why I'd want to even try the craziness of writing a novel in a month. I don't get that strange look (you know what I mean) when I'm among Nano people. I get to be among people who are excited about writing and reading and who just "get it."

Some friends I just see every November, as we all pop out of the woodwork and into cafes. November is like a big writing reunion. But I've made some special and wonderful friends I see and talk to all the time now, and that is an amazing gift. I wouldn't have met them without Nano!

And I have 7 crappy novel drafts! Some much less crappy than others and some I want to really work on and turn into a real completed work. I've gained a lot of confidence in myself as a writer, learned about deadlines and just what I can achieve in a short amount of time.

So that's why I donate. I can't imagine my life without Nano. I don't want it to go away... and they really do need our money to continue. Every year, they make new improvements, making the websites better, more user-friendly, coming up with new ways to encourge writers, young and old.

Can you imagine if The Office of Letters and Light next year just brushed their hands and said, "well, sorry, it was good while it lasted, but we just can't afford to keep this going anymore. Good luck." I'd be heartbroken. Sure I could write a novel next November anyway, but it wouldn't be the same.

So, if you can possibly make a donation today, please do! And if you want to post here about why you're thankful for Nano and what it has meant to you, great!

Donate here: https://store.lettersandlight.org/

And a final thanks to all of you for participating in Nano and being a part of our region. You are awesome!

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

The coffee bar at 40,000 words

BenPanced — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:46:35 +0000

So far, we've had a traveling sandwich cart and the Mystery Object, so I'm here to announce the stop at 40,000 is a lot of peoples' favorite:

The coffee bar.

Stop in and get your caffeine fix. If you're not into it, don't worry. Plenty of decaf to go around, including your favorite herbal teas.

Not into coffee or tea? There's plenty of carbonated water, milk, and pop in the cooler.

Snickerdoodles abound, as well as other baked goods including biscotti, Rice Krispie treats, cake, and pie.

Don't worry about coffeehouse sandwiches and whatnot. It's all about the coffee and the cookies and the relaxing right now. You can get something to eat later.

Me? I'm having a large Kenya AA and a slice of banana cream pie.
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2009 - Black Mirror Broken - WINNER!

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Tuesday Nov. 24 - Let's get it started

Mreauow — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:25:32 +0000

Imagine my surprise to log in this morning and find that no one had started the daily thread. Obviously you're all out there writing your fingers off.

Let this be a good day to write.
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It's not about the words, it's about the meaning - the words are just there to hold it all together.
2007 - Hands Down - winner
2008 - Natural Spirits - winner
2009 - The Queen's Own - ?

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

November 30th Countdown to the End Write-In Party - Muy Importante

SynapticJam — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:52:18 +0000

Alright everybody. Let's go ahead and recap, shall we?

We had the Countdown to Nov 1st party where I personally wracked up 2,072 words but I know some wrote thousands more.

We had the Great TC Writer's Tour! The grueling toure deforce spanning 28 hours and 8 stops! It's amazing what happens to your thought process when suffering from severe sleep deprivation.

Now it's time to turn our sights to the Countdown to the end write-in! NOTE: Not to be confused with teh TGIO party! This is a different function and in no way mitigates your requirement to attend that shindig!

My initial approach was to organize this bad boy, but as my wife informed me the other day November the 30th is daughter 2of4's 16th birthday. Ooops...

I therefore am looking for a hearty volunteer! The duties are actually quite lite. Simple help on deciding the site, swing by a wekk or so prior and glad hand with the proprietor, and then a simple followup closer to the day.

Requirements: wrote:

Requirements:
24 hour establishment - A must. If we can't count down to zero, it can't be a countdown write in.

Seating space - Or maybe a nice gyn with a mat that we can all sit on to sing kumbaya on.

Power - I would think this one would tip over into the requirements collumn although powerstrips will be brought by NaNoWriMos to be sure.

Wifi - At a normal write-in this one would be optional, but in this case, for those who are working desparately on crossing the finish line, the ability to update word count is paramount!

The organizer will use their cell phone or whatever method they deem best to do the countdown. Cris Baty willing, everyone there will be over the 50K mark and can simply take their fingers off the keys and raise their hands in celebration!

So who among you would like to take on this awesome responsibility? The requirements are quite simple.

As for location, I've actually grown quite partial to the IHOP. Either that or the Perkins. Although I wasn't there for the entire time on the writer's tour, the time I did spend there seemed extremely positive with a great creative vibe. Perhaps those brave ones who were there for the entire Perkins leg of the writer's tour could comment.

This grand and insane undertaking known as NaNoWriMo stands alone as one of this year's greatest achievements for me. I feel so honored that I was able to usher in this particular season of NaNo at the stroke of Midnight. I was also honored to accompany CallipygianKing on over 17 hours worth of the tour. I would desparately love to be there to count down to the end. Finish it write. haha.

It's an amazing journey everyone. Self discovery, heartache, suffering, and ultimately - victory.

Together, we are mighty!

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2008 - winner Compensating Control
Jim / SynapticJam - Hhhmmm... Tastes just like chicken!

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Need previous winner input...

_trixie_ — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:25:46 +0000

I was about to validate my novel, but I realized that I don't have cover art or a title! Help!

So, um, how did any of you A) find a title, and B) create cover art?

Thanks!
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My 2 favorite fortune-cookie fortunes:
Do that which your heart tells you.
Creativity is your ace in the hole.

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

The scenic overlook at 35,000 words

expatrie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:55:34 +0000

Well, here it is.

What do you see from here?

Can you see the end? Can you see the beginning of the end? What does the trail between 25,000 and 35,000 look like now that you're at a high enough point to see it from here?

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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo07 - Fever ->65,670 won.
NaNoWriMo08 - Abracadabra - >72,663 won

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Any one doing Dunn Bros. Anoka tonight?

kyteroo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:08:29 +0000

Any one going to be at the write-in tonight in Anoka?
(Dunn Bros. Ferry st. and bunker lake blvd.)
Ferry st. is open, so no detours this time.
Thanks!
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Wednesday write-ins (11/25)

Dejana Talis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:38:42 +0000

I have some cooking and stuff to roll on tomorrow, but I know I probably won't write on Thursday, and if I don't get out somewhere to get my words in I probably won't write tomorrow either. I can't afford to lose two days. So I'm hoping to make time for a write-in, but I don't want to drive across town and find nobody there.

Is anyone planning to go to a write-in tomorrow? If so, where and when? If there's no one else interested, I'll go to the Panera down the street or something.
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"Ach, the muse is a terrible thing to have happen to ye."
-Rob Anybody, "The Wee Free Men" by Terry Pratchett

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

The travelling sandwich bar at 30,000

expatrie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:51:15 +0000

I have no idea what this was last year. Maybe it was a train car with all kinds of free drinks and a jukebox.

Or maybe that was the writer's Lounge.

Anyway, here it is. Feel free to invent strange sandwiches.

Mine's got pepperoni, banana peppers, grilled onions and mushrooms, Italian sausage, prime rib, and oh, yeah, provolone and swiss and gorgonzola and roquefort and some kind of toasted bread. And lots of garlic. And forks to pick up all the good stuff that falls out of it. I hate those paper wrappers. And then there are the garlic and olive oil fries with the gravy or au jus dipping sauce.

Note: You're not behind on getting to the sandwich bar until the 18th or so, so there's plenty of time to get here in time to make your own sandwich on the grill.

- Brian

Not that I beat Andy here, but apparently he's too lazy to set up the sandwich bar for everyone else.

Now, last person through is responsible for cleaning the dishes and shutting off the fryers.
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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo07 - Fever ->65,670 won.
NaNoWriMo08 - Abracadabra - >72,663 won

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Curiosity: How many people doing Roving write-in Nov27th?

kyteroo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:50:30 +0000

I was just curious as to how many people are doing the Roving Write-In this Friday on the 27th? It will be Black Friday. So, just curious. I'll be there with my Sister (and No Nephew as he will be at his dads' :D ).
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

45,000 words - this is where the cheering Parisian squirrels start showing up.

expatrie — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:14:06 +0000

So they told me.

Well, that's about the way it worked for two years for me. It's supposed to get easier once you hit 45,000.

This year I seem to have a certain cross-contamination, what with the Parisian squirrels being switched out for ahem-throwing screech monkeys, but you might get squirrels, I guess it depends on when you run through this area.

Maybe the Parisian squirrels have swine flue and they've sent the screech monkeys in as a "surrogate band." If you know what I mean.

- Brian.

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

The Bright Shiny Thing at 41,717

expatrie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:25:04 +0000

Note: Due to construction on the path, the Bright Shiny Thing has been moved. And somebody forgot to turn it on.....

Point! cou-(andy)-gh!

Thanks for the reminder at the sandwich bar, Sherri.

I'm going to put on my Joo Janta Super Chromatic Peril Sensitive sunglasses first. And over that a pair of welder's goggles.

This thing's going to be bright, even though it's running on temporary power.

- Brian @ 41,727

Now, I just need to dust it off and it'll take a minute or two to warm up. Until then, it's the pale red glow at 41,717.

Anyway.....

Click!

(loud hummmmmmmm)

AAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Sh--! Run for it! I think she's gonna blow!
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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo07 - Fever ->65,670 won.
NaNoWriMo08 - Abracadabra - >72,663 won

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Post-NaNo Writing Groups?

Dejana Talis — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:53:50 +0000

So, we're coming up on the finish line here. Another week and the community will once again scatter to the winds. Sad, but true.

I've been thinking it would be nice to get some kind of regular writing group going after November. For me to be consistently involved, it would have to meet Sunday evenings, due to my work schedule. Probably at the Blue Moon or Nina's, since there's not much else open late on Sundays and I can't afford to keep going to IHOP/Perkins every weekend, haha. Beyond that I haven't given it a whole lot of thought.

What I'd basically like to know at this point is:

a) Who else might be interested in a group that meets on Sundays and
b) What kind of group you'd like it to be. Just get together and write? Editing/critique? Weekly discussions of topics related to writing? Something else entirely?

Please weigh in if you're at all interested. :)
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"Ach, the muse is a terrible thing to have happen to ye."
-Rob Anybody, "The Wee Free Men" by Terry Pratchett

USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Donations

affert — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:52:32 +0000

We're *really* close to being in the top 10 for regions in amount donated. We're just $10 back right now. Let's get those halos and push ourselves up that list!
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

The Edge Coffee write in tomorrow?

KnitChick — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:04:26 +0000

Hi!
I plan on going to the edge coffee tomorrow for the write in the morning. when I clicked on 'more information', it said that 'this page doesn't exist anymore, or the event may have been deleted." I just wanted to make sure that it is still happening. Thanks!

~Sarah
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Thread for the pitifully behind

SweetUsagi — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:27:07 +0000

I don't need to keep up with quota! I keep telling myself I need to stay a certain amount behind so that I can justify going to all the stops on the 28 hour write-in so that I can catch up my word count.
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USA :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Preschool Playdate & Writer's Write-In

kyteroo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:09:44 +0000

Anyone who can write amongst NOISE, feel free to join thula7 and I at Burger King off of Bass Lake Road.

--> KIDS WELCOMED <--
Kids play, while We write away.

3201 County Road 10 (Bass Lake Road)
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429-3052
(763) 561-4790

Exit on Shingle Creek pkwy
go SOUTH to Bass Lake Road.
Right on Bass Lake rd.
BK is near Cub, and Caribou

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