Member, Minnesota Newspaper Association (in spirit)
E-EditionArchiveAbout · Contact · Privacy · Terms · New Here? · RSSAdvertiseSubscribe
Vol. CXXIX — No. 36  •  Misquah, Minnesota  •  The Chain of Lakes
Tuesday, September 8, 2026  •  September 8 Edition
The Misquah Pilot-Independent loon seal
The Voice of the Chain of Lakes

The Misquah Pilot-Independent

“Where the coffee’s hot, the lakes are cold, and all the children are above average.” — Serving the Chain since 1897.

At press time74° · Big Pelican 64°One juvenile loon remainsGrouse opener Sat., Sept. 12Absentee voting opens Sept. 18Since Press Time →
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 · Current Edition

Schools

Classrooms, calendars, activities and the people who keep the doors open.

View No. 36 print-edition index →
Students arriving at Lakeside school on an early September morning
Students arrive at Lakeside on Tuesday morning for what many families described as a second first day after the Labor Day break. — Pilot-Independent photo

Schools

Three Days, a Holiday, and Then a Tuesday: The Strangest First Week Anybody Can Remember

Lakeside opened Wednesday before Labor Day for the first time in district history, ran three days, closed for the holiday, and started again this morning. Enrollment is 412. Nobody was late on Wednesday and eleven people were late today.

By Marvella Tollefson  •  September 8, 2026

MISQUAH — The first bell rang at 8:10 Wednesday morning, five days before Labor Day, and by every measure the district keeps, the day went the way first days go: 412 students, no bus later than nine minutes, one kindergartner who would not let go of a mother’s sleeve until 8:40 and who was fine by 8:50.

Read the full story →

First State Bank

Proud supporter of Lakeside students and the people who drive them there.

Daybreak Café

Teacher coffee available before the first bell.

Sorensen Hardware

Poster board, tape, twelve glue sticks if the list says twelve.

Local advertising
Breakfast starts early

Daybreak Café

Coffee • Eggs • Pie • Lunch

First bell or second first day, the grill is on.

Main & Birch