2011 Year in Review

Part 2 of 4


Compiled by JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

APRIL

• New Richland’s Edna Erdmann knows it’s time to retire at age 87. The owner of the Do-It-Best Hardware store has kept things going for the last 57 years.

• The Winter family is chosen Waseca County Farm Family of The Year. They own and operate the Indian Island Winery southwest of Janesville. Patrick Gregor was selected as Outstanding Young Farmer.

• Brittini Wangsness and Thomas Camerer announce their engagement.

• Steve’s Meat Market of Ellendale wins several awards at the state Meat Processors convention in Rochester, MN.

• Jake Papinski and Jackie Freschette were the top chili cooks at the 3rd Annual New Richland Liquor Company Chili Cook-off. The event raised 30 pounds of food and $260 for the NR Area Food Shelf.

• Both New Richland and Ellendale Food Shelves surpass their March Foodshare Month goals. NR collected 3,998 pounds and $13,399.38. Ellendale collected a combined total of $5,237.20.

• NR Lion Bob Frisk is selected Lion of the Year for Zone 8.

• Ellendale and Geneva firefighters attend Skywarn Spotter training. About 30 members of both departments were in attendance.

• NRHEG Knowledge Bowl teams, under the direction of Mary Sack, have a successful season.

• Three area churches and one New Richland business were burglarized the week of April 12. Thieves stole the PA system at Le Sueur River Lutheran Church.

• Melissa Warner, the new Director of Nursing at the New Richland Care Center, says “Smiling is a big part of my day; making sure that there is a pleasant and happy environment is the key to a smooth operating team.”

• The New Richland Garden Club seeks volunteers. Their garden plot near the ditch which runs through town was inundated by flood waters in September. All the mulch members had laid down was washed away.

• The Quad Cities Baseball Association is selling Twins and Vikings jerseys to raise funds to help pay for damages to the equipment at the concession stand at Legion Field. 

• The Panther softball team hammers JWP 11-0. Tara Simon went 3-3 with 2 RBIs. Jade Schultz struck out ten batters.

• The Geneva Mini Cancer Auction raises $6,000 plus. This event is held to auction off any items left over from the January two-weekend affair.

• The New Richland-Hartland class of 1967 donates a plaque and three trees to honor the long-time teacher, coach and athletic director at the local school.

• Morgan’s Meats of New Richland continued its tradition of bringing home awards from the state Meat Processors convention. The store was heavily damaged by the September  2010 flooding event and was closed for three months.

• The New Richland City Council gave its approval for a Rain Garden project at St. Olaf Lake Park.

• The NRHEG School Board approved purchases of a new bus, a lawn tractor for Ellendale, and 241 new student lockers.

MAY

• Maryann Schlaak received gifts from a soldier stationed in Iraq as part of the Operation Minnesota Nice campaign.

• John and Sean Darcy share a special bond. Sean’s seventh-grade essay nominating dad John for Father of the Year is recognized by the Minnesota Twins.

• The New Richland Liquor Company won the Wednesday night bowling league at Trapper’s Lanes in New Richland. Members included Shannon Young, Karl Proehl, Dick Root, Al Waldhauser, Mark Routh and Wayne Billing.

• Local Girl Scouts Betsy Schoenrock, Taytum Ihrke and Emma Tollefson earned the Bronze Award. The award is the highest honor a Junior (grades 4-5) Girl Scout can achieve.

• NRHEG now has a clay target shooting team which is part of the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League.

• Cargill donates $1,500 to the New Richland Fire Department for the purchase of grain bin rescue equipment.

• The NR Area Food Shelf “Mission Impossible” team received bobbleheads for their efforts at the Minnesota Foodshare Celebration lunch in Brooklyn Park, MN.

• A retirement ceremony for Dale Agrimson will be held at Riverview Campground in Owatonna, MN. Dale retired from the Federal Correctional Facility in Waseca.

• NRHEG English teacher Mark Domeier completes his first novel titled “Heroics 101.” “I always wanted to do this, but thought it was rather daunting,” said Domeier.

• Al Batt says “Anytime the Yankees lose, it’s a good day!”

• Marie Querna is congratulated on her 90th birthday.

• Bikers and clergy come together for the 2nd Annual Blessing of the Bikes in New Richland on May 15.

• The New Richland Area Foundation Fund receives a $25,000 anonymous donation. The donor-advised fund is called “By The Grace of God” Fund.

• Ellendale United Methodist Church confirmed six: Kiel Sletten, Jade Hill, Jordon Mueller, Adam Anderson, Miranda Richards and Brittany Blaschko.

• Harmony Piepho, Gracie William and Caden Beauvais were the winners of the Spring Coloring Contest sponsored by the First National Bank’s Ellendale branch.

• NR Ambulance members Laura Hager, Jennie Johnson and Mandy Root graduated from the paramedic program at South Central College.

JUNE

• The class of 2011, numbering 66, graduates from New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School. Commencement speakers were Evan Ferber, Shauntel Thiele and Pieter Majeske.

• Paul Cyr was inducted into the NRHEG FFA Chapter as he was awarded an honorary chapter degree. Since the following day was Cyr’s birthday, FFA banquet attendees sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

• 11 year-old Rayna Crosson held a garage sale so she could raise money to attend Girl Scout Camp. After all of her hard work, her total was $63. She decided to donate the money to the New Richland Food shelf as the total was far short of the amount needed for her to attend camp. “They [food shelf] have to buy a lot of food for everybody,” said Crosson. “Besides, we got rid of a lot of stuff we don’t use anymore.” (The Star Eagle is glad to report someone came forward after reading this story and made sure Rayna had the funds for Girl Scout Camp.)

• Seven Panther girls’ and eight of the boys’ track team members advance to section finals. Maddy Reed and Brina Bergland advance for the girls’ golf team.

• Sylvia Dodge and Avis Rugroden were pictured working on a quilt at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. Since 1930, church members have made and donated a total of 13,000 quilts.

• Thomas Desmond Donnelly IV, “Digger” is a native of Ireland who has seen and dug a lot in his 60 years. 

• Mark Bernard tells of the showdown between his dog Ruby and “Alvin,” a chipmunk who decided to test the digging capability of Bernard’s faithful canine.

• Freshman Carlie Wagner qualified for the State Track Meet with a high jump of 5’3,” good for second place in the section meet at Mankato West High School. 

• Neighbor Bob Wayne says he would like to have lunch with Jesus Christ, “but not quite yet.”

• Buck “Rock-n-Roll” Zumhoff is one of the featured wrestlers at R & L Pitstop in Hope.

• Carol Ann Schumacher of Ellendale landed a 22-1/4” large mouth bass on the west end of Beaver Lake. The state record for large mouth bass is 23 inches.

• New Richland resident Earl Parriott is surrounded by the emergency response team who helped save his life during a heart attack at his home southwest of town.   

• The students at NRHEG gave a warm sendoff to Kermit Kalke. Kermit was responsible for the safe transportation of students via school bus for 32 years. He says now he will have more time to spend with family but “I will miss the kids.”

• The congregation of Le Sueur River Lutheran Church had a huge turnout as they celebrated their 150th anniversary.

• The New Richland Jazz baseball team is on a five-game winning streak.

• Despite a torrential downpour, the 2011 Taste of the Farm was a success at the Greg and Sue Harguth farm south of Waseca.

• Vandals strike area cemeteries. Flowers are taken from gravesites in several locations. “These acts of mischief disgrace us all,” said one cemetery caretaker.

• New playground items are dedicated at St. Olaf Lake Park. George and Joanne Klug, along with John Rasmussen donated almost $5,000 in memory of their daughter and wife Kari to purchase the new equipment.

• Hailey Stenzel’s drawing is chosen for the Farm and City Days Button design. 

• Roger and Joyce Wayne will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on July 1.

• The NRHEG School District budget is in the black for the fourth consecutive year.