MARILYN HAGERTY: On the Red River, it's 27.2 miles to Oslo, Minn.

This has turned into a different year on the Red River. It's high. It's interesting. Last year there was almost no current.

That's what Scott Jensen told me when I plied him with questions about swimming the Red. He will be one of 26 solo swimmers in the Extreme North Dakota swimming and paddling race from Grand Forks to Oslo, Minn., Saturday.

And because the river is so swift, the swimmers will be starting at 8 a.m. rather than at 7 a.m., according to Andy Magness, director of END Racing. I am thinking it would be highly interesting to stand on the Sorlie Bridge and watch them start from the Cabela's boat ramp.

When you go by car, it's about 17 miles to Oslo. By river, it's 27.2 miles. So you wonder, why do they swim anyway?

They say it's the fun, the challenge, the adventure the Red presents.

Jensen is a local lawyer who thrives on challenges such as swimming the Red and biking in the snow. The other Grand Forks entry is Caleb Kobilansky, who got his start on a relay team last year.

Jensen will be the first to tell you that the river is not safe for everyone. People need to obey the city law against swimming in the Red in the city limits.

Jensen knows the river so well. Last year he saw only one abandoned old car along the banks. He has occasionally and accidentally gulped some of the water, and he says it tastes very clean. Well, maybe a little muddy.

When he swims by himself, Jensen has a buoy attached to a rope with food and drink in it. And he says you can get dehydrated when swimming the river. He told me, "You can get dehydrated in water."

The sponsors say there is a map showing a bluff where spectators can check on the swimmers midway to Oslo. It's under endracing.com/end-wet.

Christmas in July

The weekend arrives and the river calls -- along with the golf courses and lakes.

And Christmas in July is coming up Monday for the Adams Family.

That's when friends of Kim and Dave Adams are holding a fundraiser featuring all kinds of gift items.

The purpose is to help with the expenses of adoption proceedings under way --- so the Adams family can bring a couple of orphaned children from East Africa into their home in Grand Forks.

You wonder why Kim and Dave Adams would want to do this. They already have twin daughters, Jensen and Kylie, who will be 6 in September. And they have a son, Caleb, 3.

And then you visit with Kim. Along with her husband, Dave, she is on the youth staff at Calvary Lutheran Church. On travels, she has seen firsthand the need of homes for orphaned children. And with her family and the help of friends, she is moving toward adoption of two young boys.

Adoption, she says, is a long, vulnerable process filled with joy and pain, and bumps along the road. And she believes it is a sacred journey. She carries with her a picture of the two boys in an orphanage on the other side of the world. Boys who are waiting for a home.

We can't all adopt. But some can help those who are helping the widows and the orphans in this world. The fundraiser for the adoptions is set for 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday at Calvary Lutheran Church.

Ask Marilyn

Q. Is Dickey's Barbecue on South Washington Street, closed or what?

A. That seems to be the question of the week. I called the health department and found out it was not closed for any sanitary reason. I drove over to the restaurant and saw a sign that said: "Dickey's Barbecue closed due to mechanical problems and will re-open in a few days. We are sorry for the inconvenience." As I left the parking lot I saw another sign saying: "Re-open August 1. Thank you."

Patsy and Judy

Cheerful people of the week: Patsy Heggen, Stephen, Minn., and Judy Troftgruben, Park River, N.D.

Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or (701) 772-1055.