2011 Year in Review, Part 4 of 4

Compiled by JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

OCTOBER

• The one-year anniversary of the New Richland flood of September 2010 was observed at the Care Center. After a blessing by Pastor Andree, Mikenzi Hebel released Monarch butterflies.

• Harold “Hap” Hagen of New Richland as his license plate says is a HAP-E-1. He received his nickname from his high school basketball coach.

• The Labor Day Harvest Festival Association of Freeborn collected over 45,000 aluminum can tabs which were given to the Miller Coors Brewing Co. as part of their “Give a Veteran a Piece of the High Life” program.

• Beaver Lake Fact or Fiction writer Bob Hanson bids Semper Fi to Russ Anderson, a classmate and former Marine who recently passed away.

• Gene Dodge’s 1936 hospital bill from Albert Lea’s Naeve hospital totaled $36.25 for removing Gene’s appendix. The average cost today would be around $20,761.

• A last-minute touchdown spoiled the NRHEG Panthers’ homecoming celebration. Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial edged the home team 13-12.

• Ag students at NRHEG have been busy tending to their school garden. The garden featured tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes.

• The Minnesota Twins “stepped up to the plate” for the Quad Cities Baseball Association with a $6,000 grant for the baseball field.

• New Richland City Clerk Wayne Billing enjoys the “organized chaos” of his job at City Hall.

• A local farmer who wished to remain anonymous donated 3,700 bushels of corn to the New Richland Area Foundation Fund.

• NRHEG graduate Ashley Misgen qualified for the 2013 Boston Marathon.

• Georges of Geneva celebrated their 4th anniversary. “Bad Monkey” provided the music.

• Barb McKinney and Jack Kuchenbecker invite everyone to come and help celebrate their marriage.

• The Ellendale Lions Club planted a tree in memory of Loren (Bud) Waage, a charter member of the Ellendale Lions.

• New Richland Area WWII Veterans Harold Eaton, Kenneth Eaton, Dr. Albert Flor, Francis Misgen and A. Gordon Peterson were aboard the Honor Flight to see their memorial in Washington, DC.

• NRHEG Elementary teacher Jamie Radtke was the recipient of a $1,000 in school supplies from OfficeMax as part of their “A Day Made Better” program.

• Anita Maloney and Kiley Beenken were selected for the “Making the Cut” program at NRHEG. They were rewarded by cutting off the ties of Paul Cyr and Mark Domeier.

• Breast Cancer survivor Laina Rajala tells of her ordeal after being diagnosed with the disease.

• Volunteers from the New Richland Area Food Shelf gathered 515 pounds of food and $393.70 in cash donations at Wagner’s Foods.

• The First National Bank’s Panther Debit Card program donated $7,500 to NRHEG Schools. The funds will go toward the purchase of iPads for student use.

• T. J. Schiltz places second in the Gopher Valley Conference cross country meet at Madelia.

NOVEMBER

• Assistant City Clerk Corrine Schuller says she enjoys her job and life in her hometown of New Richland.

• Halloween didn’t scare bowler Al Waldhauser who rolled his sixth 300 game of his career at Trapper’s Lanes.

• Cargill donates $250 to plant trees in New Richland. Bernie Anderson is photographed accepting the donation.

• New Richland artist Betty McShane paints a pumpkin with a likeness of long-time New Richland resident Paul Stennes.

• The staff of Farmer’s State Bank in Freeborn all dressed up as characters from the movie “Toy Story” for Halloween.

• The Ellendale City Council approved assessments for street improvement projects totaling $97,959.81.

• Whatever Comes to Mind columnist Kathy Paulsen asks, “How legal is it to drive with your parking lights on?

• The Olson brothers tell how they answered the call of their country. All six brothers served in the military at some point. Roger, the second oldest, spent a total of 30 years in the Army.

• Cole Schutrop returned to Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. This time his family was just visiting. Cole brought along a gallon jug full of aluminum tabs as a way of paying back for the kindness his family was shown shortly after his birth.

• The Panther volleyball team takes second place in the Sub-Section finals at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.

• AgStar donates $2,500 to the New Richland Fire Department for the purchase of grain bin rescue equipment.

• 42 area veterans are pictured in the Star Eagle’s annual Veterans Day tribute pages.

• The Harvest Run for Hunger raised $2,300 for four area food shelves.

• Former US Congressman Tim Penny addressed the students as part of the Veterans Day observance.

• Anna Schlaak signs a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Concordia College in St. Paul.

• Neighbor Dale Mulske, a meat cutter at Morgan’s Meats, was a two-time North Dakota state wrestling champion.

• Hannah Haroldson and Krista Schulenberg were named Students of the Month for November at NRHEG.

• The New Richland Liquor Company held a Ladies Day Out to benefit the area food shelf.

• 15 NRHEG students are inducted into the National Honor Society.

• Allie Larson of the Ellendale Lions Club announced that Sadie Mortenson’s Peace poster was selected first at the district level competition. 

• Vibrant Life Assembly of God Church in Ellendale bids farewell to Pastor Janich.

• Nancy Jane Klecker says, “I just love to bake” as she celebrates the second anniversary of Nancy Jane’s Bakery. 

DECEMBER

• Lyle “Fred” Byrne says he takes one day at a time and that “you gotta’ live a good clean life.”

• The 24th Annual Christmas in the Country in Ellendale featured horse-drawn wagon rides and a visit from Santa.

• Neighbor and collectables expert Wayne Wenzel says his favorite show is “American Pickers.”

• The Freeborn Cancer Auction raises over $40,000 during the two-day auction.

• The Panther wrestlers take sixth place in their opening tournament of the season. 

• The K-2 Elementary Christmas Concert played to a packed house of parents, grand parents and others.

• Fire destroyed the home of Mark and Sara Misgen of Ellendale; luckily the Misgens were not home at the time of the blaze.

• The Geneva Wild Game Feed attracted over 1,000 hungry folks. It is the 27th year of the event. Even a person from Chicago made the trip to sample the many varieties of food.

• The New Richland City Council approves the 2012 tax levy. It represents a 1.51% increase from 2011.

• Ellendale 5th graders graduate from the D.A.R.E program in a ceremony held at the school.

• The New Richland Lions put on another one of their signature Benefit Pancake Breakfasts to help the family of Brenda Grabau.

• 1965 New Richland-Hartland grad Sandra Esch debuts her first novel “Tracks in the Snow.”

• Donald Hamilton joins the Century Club as he turns 100 years young.

• The Ellendale Elementary Student Council sponsors a toy drive, which collects 191 items for kids less fortunate.

• The FFA Corn drive donates funds to area food shelves and humane societies besides their annual contribution to Camp Courage.

• Residents are warned of phone scams targeting senior citizens. Scammers pretend to be grandchildren needing money to get out of jail, car repairs, etc.

• Ron Deckard of New Richland was named to the Minnesota All-State Trap Shooting Team in the Senior Veterans Division.

• Clarks Grove Fire Chief Carl Anderson plans to bid farewell after 35 years of service to his community.

• The NRHEG School Board plans to move the 6th grade to New Richland for the next school year.

• Neighbor Scott Murphy, who grew up in Waseca, claims to have held the Waseca school record in the 880-yd run.

• The Geneva Commercial Club sponsored kids bingo and a visit from Santa.

• For the coming year, the Casual Observer hopes not to be so judgmental, and “to laugh more and cry less.” 

• In keeping with the season of giving, NRHEG third-grade students decided to buy food for the food shelf instead of buying gifts for each other.