Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1542712
Dental care for the entire family Our dentists offer the utmost care to moms, dads and kids of all ages. We provide personalized care, flexible hours and 98% patient satisfaction. Proud partner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association parkdental.com Schedule an appointment today. Collegiate Hockey Association hondomagic.com | 612-867-0875 Gold medal magic Power-play your party with Hondo! Jump-start your next company event, sales meeting or private party with The Amazing Hondo. This MN Hall-of-Fame Speaker will blend a message with his magic perfectly suited to your occasion. With lots of audience engagement, laughter and amazement, Hondo's your hat trick! Call today! 17 JAN/FEB 2 0 2 6 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M evolved into a fun weekend with food and hockey-themed activities, a pancake breakfast, and two volunteer-led out- door rinks, the association truly relies on local families. "Everybody knows this is a special place," said Seguin. " We have a great core group of people to help out. We do fundraising activities like selling raffle tickets and bingo. There are a few things we do in Pike Lake, fun things like Trunk or Treating. It's huge for recruiting and helps us get the word out." HAVING FUN IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS TAHA advertises itself as "a tradition built on outdoor ice," and while being mostly limited to outdoor ice can some- times be less than ideal, it also adds to the charm of the Twig hockey experience. "I would say that our mission is to preserve the spirit of 'old time hockey' by bringing our community together on the out- door rinks where the game began," said Seguin. Twig has three outdoor rinks, one of which is public. When weather is poor, the organization often has access to the St. Luke's Sports & Event Center in Proctor. "Last year was a crazy winter, it was either too warm or too cold," said Seguin. "If it's warm, you don't want to wreck the ice and if it's too cold, well, it's just not as fun if you have a frostbit face. If we get a big dumping of snow, it's always a challenge. But moms and dads and kids grab a shovel. It can take a lot of elbow grease to keep them skating." 50 YEARS AND COUNTING Coming together as a community has been the way in Twig for a long time. In fact, TAHA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. According to Seguin, TAHA was officially granted organizational status back in 1969. Unofficially, Twig 's hockey program dates back long before that. "To be able to serve the kids of this area for that long is really awesome," said Seguin. "The numbers have ebbed and flowed throughout the years. But the hard work has been consistent." Seguin has high hopes for a bright hockey future in Twig. He'd love to someday see covered ice to keep the sun off and enable the kids to practice in adverse conditions. In the short term, his goal is to continue to increase registration numbers. " We have a new board of directors, new ideas, and an opportunity to create some lifelong memories for these kids, complete with cold faces and melting skates in front of a heater," he said. "That's how I grew up. My best friends were formed in the face of mother nature. That's all I want for my kid. To be able to look back and say, 'man, did we have fun.'"