Kiwanis awards scholarships to students

By Tammy Mathison
hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

The Hendricks Kiwanis held their annual ice cream social on Friday, Aug. 27. Proceeds from events such as the ice cream social help fund community and school projects and scholarships that are given by the Kiwanis. - Photo by Tammy Mathison

The Hendricks Kiwanis recently awarded scholarships to 12 students from the ISD 402 School District. The scholarship recipients are recent graduates of Lincoln HI, Deubrook and Estelline High Schools.

Megan Buller, Peder Digre, Megan Evert, April Lisowski, Brian Lawberg, James Lawberg, Erika Mathison, Danielle Nelson, Miranda Nelson, Monica Nelson, Greg Olson and Kendra Tomaszewski were the recipients of $100 scholarships from the Kiwanis. All were graduates of the Class of 2009, except for Greg Olson, who graduated in 2008.

“We’re playing a little catch up,” said Kiwanis President Duane Hogie. “We decided that rather than awarding two scholarships in the amount of $600 each, we would give these twelve students $100 each.”

The money for the scholarships and other school and community projects comes from fundraising that the Kiwanis does, such as the recent Annual Ice Cream Social held on Friday, Aug. 27, the Annual Belgian Waffle Feed in the spring and the collection of aluminum cans throughout the year.

Ivanhoe School Board August 23 meeting

By Tammy Mathison
hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

The ISD 403 Ivanhoe School Board met for their regular monthly meeting on Monday, Aug. 23.
Music Instructor Mrs. Deb Larson spoke to the board during the “opportunity for citizens to speak” portion of the meeting, informing the board that rather than having the students in shop build cabinets for her classroom as previously discussed, she has found cabinetry at Lowes to use for storage in her classroom. By purchasing the pre-made cabinets, this will cost less than having them built by about $300. Larson also suggested to the board that these same type cabinets would fit well in the area by the elevator to be used as storage, since the lack of storage in the building has been discussed. The board thanked her for her suggestion and will look into it further.

Margaret Swanson also spoke to the board and told them that the trophies had been boxed and put upstairs to be stored. Swanson also told the board that after the final count of attendees of the All–School Reunion that there were over 600 people. The initial report of over 500 was an estimate. The board thanked her for packing them away and for all that she did in regard to the All-School Reunion.

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Wedding means taking a trip to America

By Violet Nelson
vanelson@yahoo.com

Rob Bultinck, son of Arletta Bultinck of Hendricks and brother of Kelly Stewart of Lake Shaokatan, and Gabrielle Maria Yvonne Jaberg live in Stuttgart, Germany.

Saturday afternoon, Aug. 14, the pair were united in marriage at Christ Lutheran Church in Hendricks by Rev. G. Duane Baun.

The celebration was amplified by having a handful of people present, immediate family, only those nearest and dearest.
Scott Stewart, brother-in-law of the groom and photographer, captured the beauty of the day.  “She was a beautiful bride,” he said.

Rob, a contractor for Eucom, and Gabriele, energy supplier employee, found each other on the internet. “I found the best one in Germany,” he said. He proposed to her near Fernsehturm Stuttgart, the world’s first TV tower, built in 1954.

A number of “Aha!” moments followed.

“Maybe we should be married  near the tower’s base,” Gabrielle said.  “From the tower’s observation deck we get a beautiful view of Stuttgart and on clear days the beautiful Swiss Alps are visible.” The couple encountered problems with paperwork and license.

“What about going to America to get married,” he said.

As Rob and Gabrielle worked on plans to get married in America, setting a wedding date was exciting for them. Choosing a place for the reception was even more exciting. Roger Bultinck, Rob’s father,  had  built the Lighthouse, which was once a supper club by Lake Shaokatan. “This was the perfect place,” they decided,  “and the present owners agreed.”

The couple was especially happy to have her daughter and his two daughters and son present. Gabriele said it was her daughter’s first visit to America. Arletta, Rob’s mother, was equally excited “It was fun to have the family all together. I’ll always remember this day,” she said.

Celebrating 110 years of Astoria

By Violet Nelson

Andeline Ameson Reed and Mary Ameson Santon are pictured above during the Astoria celebration. - Photo by Violet Nelson

Astoria, S.D. observed its 110th anniversary July 30, 31 and Aug. 1 at a celebration hosted by locals. The event, which showed a strong sense of community, was pulled off without a hitch. The weather was good and everybody had a wonderful time getting reacquainted.

The community was named after Astoria, Ore. In 2000 the population was approximately 155.
I learned to love the little town early on. My parents farmed five miles southeast of Astoria, so we spent many hours involved in Astoria activities and socializing.

My earlier recollections of the town were going Christmas shopping. We would shop at the Coast to Coast store located across the street from the Astoria Village Inn. During my high school days, Erickson’s Cafe was the place to hang out. It was so much fun to drive up and down main street and socialize with the kids my age.

When my mother, sister and I would make our weekly trip to Gina Trooien’s Drygoods Store, it seemed as if we always came home with a piece of fabric. Gina stocked her fabric on shelves behind the counter and in the back of the store she sold shoes and boots. She stocked a line of men’s work clothes, gifts, clothing, school supplies, toiletries and greeting cards. The trip to Astoria was fun. Occasionally we made a stop at Matt Kruse’s service station for, I suppose, a dollar or two of gas. Matt would pump gas, come over to the window, put his arm on the roof of our car and kindly chat with all of us.  Otterdahl’s Grocery Store was another stop we usually had to make. I’ll never forget winning fifty cents in a sixth grade poppy poster contest and buying a box of potato chips from Lloyd Otterdahl with the prize money. I also remember not sharing them with anyone, not even my sister. These were mine.

The auditorium hosted class plays and the Astoria Comets basketball team. We would have to go quite early to get a seat because there were bleachers on only one side. Later on, our children would roller skate on Saturday nights in the auditorium.  PTO Fun Nights were probably the last events held there.

Other people also learned to love the little town. They returned back to the community last weekend with heartfelt stories to tell.

Donna Aaberg Lenander, class of 1958, came from Yucca Valley, Calif. to attend the all-school-reunion. It had been twenty years since she had been in the area and she was estatic about seeing her old friends.

Bonnie Aaberg Gilbertson and her husband Harvey Gilbertson formerly from Hendricks, who live by Pelican Lake, still have feelings for the area. They marveled at the wonderful attendance. “Hat’s off to the great committee,” Bonnie said.

Mary Arneson Stanton, Rapid City, and her sister, Andeline Arneson Reed, San Jose, Calif., not only came special for the town’s 110th, but they got to see each other. “Our parents are no longer living,” Mary said, “we had an excuse to come back.”  At the all-school reunion, Andeline received the honor of coming the farthest.

Mary Erickson Arneson and her husband John Arneson, Chicago, both attended Astoria Public School, but different years. They marveled at the large attendance. “The committee did a tremendous job,” Mary said.

Ninety two year-old Ohmar Solem was the oldest attendee at the reunion. “It was the best of times when I was in school,” he said. “I have many good memories of time long past.”

Making things right

By Tammy Mathison
hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

In an era that finds most teens glued to a television or computer, fifteen-year-old Andrew Puetz of Clear Lake, S.D. has found a better use for his time and has set his sights on being in league with such notable people as astronaut Neal Armstrong and former President Gerald Ford.

For the past year-and-a-half, Andrew has been working at achieving the rank of Eagle Scout – the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America; a rank that, since 1911, only two percent of the entire Boy Scout membership ever achieves.
According to Wikipdia™ “Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than two million young men. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, thus giving rise to the phrase “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.”

Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout spirit through the Boy Scout oath and law, service and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads and manages. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout. Additional recognition can be earned through Eagle Palms, awarded for completing additional tenure, leadership and merit badge requirements.”

Andrew has already more than met most of the requirement, having earned 46 merit badges. What remains is completing a service project and meeting with the (Boy Scout) Council.

For his service project, Andrew chose to do some work in the New Grove Cemetery located southeast of Hendricks.
“My great, great, great-grandparents are buried here,” said Andrew.

“I wanted to do a project that, 50 years from now, if I ever bring back my kids, I can show them what I did and bring back the memories of what my grandparents showed me – to show them the memories I had when I was a kid.”

Andrew’s parents, John and Lori Puetz said that they have been coming to the cemetery for over 25 years on Memorial weekend to plant flowers by the headstones of Lori’s relatives.

During their yearly visits, the Puetz family, John, Lori, Andrew and Eric, took notice of the aging condition of the cemetery. Andrew thought that fixing up the cemetery would be a good Eagle Scout project.

As part of his project, Andrew, with help from his family, spent over 300 hours cleaning all of the headstones, at times a painstaking process much like an archeologist will clean a fossil. Appropriate, gentle cleansers and scrubbing tools were used along with a plastic scraper and toothbrushes to remove the buildup of lichen  from the headstones.

Once they were cleaned up and readable, Andrew was able to plot the cemetery to make a new directory as the original directory was lost in the fire in 1927 when the New Grove Church burned down. He plans to either have a laser engraved or book-type directory  in a metal box available at the cemetery.

Preparing to go to the Fair

by Tammy Mathison
hpioneer@itctel.com

Emily and Joseph Rybinski practice walking their calves with a lead rope to prepare for showing them at the Lincoln County Fair.

From young Cloverbud and 4-H members to the most seasoned participant, throughout Lincoln County people of all ages are getting ready for the 2010 Lincoln County Free Fair, which will be held July 29-31 and Aug. 1 in Tyler.

At 91, last year’s Lincoln County Senior Citizen of the Year, Leona Christianson of Hendricks, has also been recognized for being the oldest fair participant. Christianson said that while neither she nor her children were ever in 4-H, over the years she has entered many items including cookies, embroidery and quilts for judging at the fair.
Gail Kvernmo of Hendricks has been participating in the Lincoln County Fair since the ‘40s and ‘50s, beginning with her own experience as a 4-H member. “It was so much more detailed in my day,” said Kvernmo. “In November we knew what we would take the following year to the fair. Today it is more relaxed. The records aren’t as detailed as they used to be either.”

Through the years she has remained involved with 4-H and the fair with her children as members and now her grandchildren. Kvernmo and Karen Zylstra are the Superintendents of the Kitchen and Pantry at the Lincoln County Fair and Kvernmo judges at the Pipestone, Lyon and Yellow Medicine county fairs and at the Minnesota State Fair. In addition to working with the fair, Kvernmo also participates, entering items of her own to be judged in the Open Class division. She pointed out several freshly made jars of jelly that she will be entering in the fair. “I get excited,” Kvernmo said. “Right now I am looking at the premium and making a list of what to bring.” She said she will also be checking her flowers and garden regularly to see what to bring.

Kvernmo commented on some of the changes she has seen in the 4-H program over the years. “You know, 4-H started out as a rural program and for animals, you could only take cows, sheep or pigs. They have since added small animals and horses and the projects are more modern. There is entomology for example and the clothing can be purchased now in addition to handmade items. The kids learn how to read labels and compare the cost and time compared to making the item by hand. Knitting and crocheting can also be done by machine. It encourages kids to use the sewing machine in a different way.  Cooking is another thing. Today there is Modern Baking, where you can use mixes. And, we can cook healthy. Back in my day, we had cream and eggs. Who read labels back in my day? Today they are learning to read labels and look at the sugar and carbs,” said Kvernmo.

“We are keeping old skills alive, but changing the way of thinking,” said Kvernmo. “There is change taking place and we had to do that on the premium list,” said Kvernmo. Kvernmo said that she and Zylstra look at the premium lists from the surrounding county fairs to see what they are doing and make changes to the Lincoln County premium list as needed.

“I love it. I love working with kids,” said Kvernmo commenting on her judging experiences at the fairs. “You do drink a lot of water,” she said with a smile. “I try to be constructive in my judging and I tell them ‘see you next year’ and I hope I do see them the next year,” said Kvernmo.

Kvernmo is a strong advocate and supporter of the fair, and encourages others, like Leona Christianson to enter items and brings them down to the fair herself. “I’ll call about 50 people to see if they got the premium list,” said Kvernmo. “Then I will ask them what they are taking this year, and let them know to get it to my house by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 28th,” said Kvernmo. “If anyone wants to send something to the fair, just give me a call and have it out to my house by no later than 6 p.m. on the 28th,” Kvernmo said. “I’ll take it down.”

As Cloverbuds,  Emily and Joseph Rybinski, children of Shelly (Orren) and Joe Rybinski are just getting started on their Fair experiences.

They, with some help from their parents, have been busy getting their calves ready to show at the Lincoln County Fair.
When Cloverbuds show their animals, it is required that an adult also have a hand on the lead rope, however, the judges do direct the questions to the child.

While Joseph said that he is “kind of nervous” about the fair since this is his first time, Emily, a second year fair goer, is excited. The children explained that they have been walking with their calves a couple of times a day to train them on the rope and their next step will be giving the calves their first bath. “We’ll use baby shampoo and brushes,” said Emily.
“It’s fun,” said their mother, Shelly commenting on being in 4-H. “We like it. It’s so family oriented. It involves the whole family and we have some good times. I enjoyed 4-H as a kid and that’s one of the reasons I wanted my kids in it. There is so much variety.”

Adopt a Norwegian or two

By Violet Nelson

Hendricks residents are serving as hosts to visitors from Norway. More visitors are on their way, looking for a place to stay.

Area residents hosted hundreds and hundreds of visitors over the July 4th weekend. But the area’s hosting activities are not through for the year. Eighty-one Norwegians have set their sites on the little town by the lake.

An association of Norwegian genealogists have long offered free assistance to Americans tracing their Norwegian roots. In fact, a countless number of local people have benefitted from this group. On behalf of all Norwegian Americans, Hendricks is given a chance to thank these 81 volunteers when they visit town in late September. But we need a little help.

International visitors typically remain in metro areas where large hotels are located. But this group wanted to experience a small town and our local Norwegian Heritage Committee thought this a wonderful opportunity for new friendships to be made. So the committee is asking local residents to “Adopt a Norwegian or two” for the night of Sept. 30.

The visitors will be broken into groups of two to five people. Each group will contain a visitor proficient in English to act as a translator for the rest. Anyone can adopt a group of two, three, four, five or any other number to stay with them. Adoption certificates will be issued to the Norwegians and the host families.

The group arrives in Hendricks around 6 p.m. on Sept. 30. They’ll be arriving from the Minot Host Fest, so the Norwegian Committee is still working out what activities they’d most enjoy after this long bus trip. Soon after they arrive, they’ll meet up with their host families.

When a host family “Adopts a Norwegian or two,” they simply need only visit and offer a place to sleep for the night. Being able to transport your adoptees is nice, but remains optional.

So onto the big question… why did this group choose Hendricks?

Though thousands of towns have Norwegian ancestors, many Norwegian genealogists have long been fascinated with the Hendricks area and their unique roots to the old country. The Hendricks and Fish Lake settlements were unique in that a group of immigrants from one small Norwegian area would choose to settle as a group in America. The Hendricks area is the only example of this, so our town is a fabled one for Norwegian genealogists.

Those interested in adopting a Norwegian or two need only speak with Sharon Vettrus. She can be reached at 275-3665 or emailed at vettrus@itctel.com. Over 40 Norwegians have already been adopted, so just 35 remain.

Fr. Ron Huberty joins community

By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com

Fr. Ron Huberty arrived in the area this past week to serve the Catholic parishes in Lake Benton, Tyler, Ivanhoe and Wilno.

Fr. Ron comes to the Catholic community here from the Franklin, Fairfax, Gibbon and Winthrop areas along the Highway 19 corridor, after seven years of service to those communities.

“I’ve been a Priest for 20 years,” said Fr. Huberty. “I have experience working with multiple parishes and that’s why the Diocese sent me here.”

Fr. Huberty had spent the previous 13 years serving in Marshall, New Ulm and the Murdock-Benson cluster prior to his last assignment.

“Though the distance between towns is farther out here with a bigger territory and more driving, I look forward to finding a way to bring all of these communities together in the spirit of honoring and celebrating what they are already doing,” said Fr. Huberty. “Bringing the four communities together is a challenge, but gives us more opportunities to share resources.”

Fr. Huberty is currently moving into his home, the rectory in Ivanhoe, and dealing with all of the things moving and getting set up entails. Fr. Huberty has already experienced a busy schedule in the area as he attended the Mass for Fr. Wiering in Tyler on July 3, and the festival in Wilno on the Fourth of July, in addition to serving Mass in each community since then.

Fr. Huberty is originally from Watkins, Minn., and comes from a family of four brothers and no sisters. He is the second oldest of five boys.

He attended St. Thomas University in St. Paul from 1982 to 1986 and graduated from that institution. He then attended the seminary at St. Vianney from 1986 to 1990, next to the College of St. Thomas.

“It’s exciting to be coming to these new parishes,” said Fr. Huberty. “I look forward to being here, serving and working with the people of this area.”

Fr. Ron enjoys the lakes, fishing and golf in addition to cheering on the Minnesota Vikings and Twins in his fun time. He looks forward to becoming involved in school activities and maybe helping out as a referee in some games in the area.

“Visiting coaches get a kick out of yelling at the ref, knowing it’s a Priest sometimes,” said Fr. Huberty. “I don’t mind because it’s part of the game.”

Fr. Ron has experienced some friendly meetings and coffee with people in Lake Benton’s St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church and the surrounding area since he has been here.

“Now, I’ve got to remember 1,673 names, which is the number of parishioners on the roster in the four churches I’ll be serving,” said Fr. Huberty.

Summerfest pictures

Find more photos from Summerfest here.

Buchholz, Hovde presented with Hendricks Community Spirit Awards

By Tammy Mathison
hpioneer@itctel.com

Harvey Buchholz was one of the winners of the Hendricks Community Spirit Award, which was presented to him during the All School Reunion. With him is his son, Kevin. As Harvey was brought forward to receive the award the crowd gave him a well deserved standing ovation. - Photo by Tammy Mathison

Russel “Tut” Smith, President of the Hendricks Community Foundation, presented the first Community Spirit Awards to Harvey L. Buchholz and (posthumously) Towee Hovde as part of the formal program during the All School Reunion held on Saturday, July 3.

The following background information on the award was provided by Smith.

“From the time of its founding until the present day, the Hendricks community has been blessed with citizens who have created and sustained a tradition of commitment, compassion and love of community. All who have gone before and all who are present today have shaped our values and made Hendricks the wonderful place that it is; therefore the Community Spirit Award is not intended to honor some and not others. However, there is a need to thank and honor certain extraordinary individuals and so the Community Spirit Award recognizes two individuals per year – one from the past who will be honored posthumously and one contemporary who is making contributions today. It takes everyone to make a community such as Hendricks a strong, caring one where people are happy to live. Each year we will be able to recognize just two of these individuals, but the entire community deserves thanks for what it has accomplished and the spirit it demonstrates.”

Smith then read the following resolutions:

Whereas Harvey L. Buchholz has served the community of Hendricks, Minnesota since graduation from the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy in 1950, and has distinguished himself as the pharmacist in residence for 47 years serving the needs of citizens of Hendricks, and continuing his profession to serve other communities now marking over 60 years and

Whereas Mr. Buchholz has demonstrated a keen sense of civic responsibility by serving as Mayor for 37 years, a Charter Member and Secretary for the Kiwanis Club, spearheading the creation and development of the Hendricks Golf Club, serving many years as its President and Treasurer, as well as volunteering as President of The Lincoln County Cancer Society, Lincoln County Community Chest and later the City Community Chest, Treasurer of the Hendricks Housing Authority, the Service Club and the Boy Scouts of America, and

Whereas, Mr. Buchholz has served the Western Community Action Agency  in an exemplary manner for a total of 45 years, an agency dedicated to providing basic human needs for the less fortunate.

Now Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the City Council of Hendricks and the Hendricks Community Foundation Board of Directors do hereby express their heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Harvey L. Buchholz for his distinguished service and outstanding contributions to Hendricks and to the wider community.

Resolved, Further, that the joint boards bestow upon Harvey L. Buchholz the “Hendricks Community Spirit Award” for 2010.

The resolution is signed by Mayor Rick Hamer and HCF President Russel Smith.

Buchholz was very surprised to find himself the recipient of the award and received a standing ovation from the crowd as his son, Kevin, wheeled him to the front of the gymnasium where Gary Johnson, member of the Hendricks Community Foundation, presented him with the award.

Smith also read the following resolution which awarded Towee Hovde the Award posthumously.

Whereas, Towee Hovde served the Community of Hendricks over a period of five decades as a volunteer and inspiration to the youth of Hendricks as a mentor and ice skating teacher to every young person wanting to engage in this winter sport and in so doing gave the youth a lifetime of cherished memories while learning to appreciate winter and its rigors at a time when the Depression and post-Depression economics in a small town with long, cold winters provided few alternatives for wholesome and active entertainment, and

Whereas, Mr. Hovde personally took charge of site selection, building ice rinks in the town as well as supervising, clearing snow and providing a warming house, and

Whereas Mr. Hovde was a veteran of World War II serving in France and upon returning from the military service he single-handedly constructed a unique home modeled after a structure in France which became a Hendricks landmark known affectionately as The Chateau, and as a self-taught photographer documented his favorite subjects, the young ice skaters of town, and

Now Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the City Council of Hendricks and the Hendricks Community Foundation Board of Directors do hereby express their heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Towee Hovde for his distinguished service and outstanding contributions to the youth of Hendricks.

Resolved Further, that the joint boards posthumously bestow upon Towee Hovde the “Hendricks Community Spirit Award” for 2010.

This resolution also was signed by Mayor Hamer and President Smith.

As there were no family members to accept Hovde’s award, it will hang in City Hall. Buchholz will also be represented as a recipient of the Community Spirit Award on a wall in City Hall.