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• Additions to Lodi Street Faire impress, but chamber seeks improvements for next year

• Lodi, Galt churches consecrate critters at Blessing of the Animals

• Dustin Road closed several hours

• Public Meetings

February 9th, 2010

• Middle College High School rated one of the best — and a bargain, to boot

• Lodi decathlon boasts top team in county

• Man who sparked counterfeit case pleads guilty

• Local businessman will visit Haiti to look for family

• Man who claimed to be Yosemite Sam pleads guilty to meth charge

• David Harmer seeks Republican congressional nod

• Lack of evidence in case against suspect in 'drug deal' stabbing

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Regional Roundup

February 2nd, 2010

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Correction

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Jumpers across California

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• President Obama's first year (45)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (44)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

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Lodi, Galt churches consecrate critters at Blessing of the Animals

Music director Randy Knutson was leading a hymn at the beginning of a special service on Sunday at St. John's Episcopal Church, but he got some extra help.

Several dogs joined in, howling seemingly in unison through the hymn. The pooches were having a good time at the special outdoor service.

Maybe it was because they were about to receive God's blessing.

St. John's in Lodi and St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Galt celebrated their annual Blessing of the Animals, a tradition started by St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 12th century and is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

St. John's second service on Sunday, usually indoors in the sanctuary, was a shortened service outside behind the church near the historic chapel. The animals, especially the many dogs attending, seemed to be ready for the blessing.

"Why are we doing this outside?" Father Harold Clinehens said. "Because it's fun."

After the opening hymn and a psalm, lay minister Bob Gorczyca gave thanks to God for the animals he provides.

"We thank you for the richness of animal life, for fish and birds, insects, microbes, reptiles, for creatures that are cute and cuddly, and those that are not," Gorczyca said.

"We thank you for the animals that both serve us and provide faithful companionship, joy when we are happy and comfort when we are sad or ill," he said. "Help us to show the same kindness toward them as they do toward us."

Beth Ellwood, coordinator of the Acolyte team at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lodi, sprays holy water onto Nemo, a Basenji dog, during Sunday's Blessing of the Animals. Kevin Byrne, right, is holding Nemo. Father Harold Clinehens is in the middle. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)

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Then the masters took their pets one by one to the makeshift pulpit, where Clinehens, a retired priest and lay ministers sprayed them with holy water sent a waft of incense their way.

Most of the blessed were dogs, but there were some cats — mostly kept in their cages — as well as pigeons, a turtle, a tarantula and a horse. In the case of the horse, Clinehens went to him.

"It's nice that they take the approach that we're stewards of God's creatures," Lodi resident Kevin Byrne said after the blessing of his dog, Nemo, a barkless hunting dog from Africa called a Basenji.

"The neighbors love him," Byrne said of his barkless dog.

The dogs, who dutifully sat through much of the service, got a little restless as their masters accepted Communion. Instead of the traditional wafer, parishioners were given animal crackers.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Retired Episcopal Priest George Ross, who now lives in Woodbridge, shakes some incense over the container of a frog owned by Petty Moos of Lodi during Blessing of the Animals on Sunday at St. John's Episcopal Church. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)