Grandpa Harold ‘had all kinds of stories’
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
Dave Russel grew up hearing stories his Grandpa Harold, born in 1908, would tell about driving Model T cars. “He had all kinds of stories,” Dave remembers. “He would talk about riding in them, driving them. He made it sound somehow special.”
Harold died in 1983, two years before Dave graduated from New Richland-Hartland High School. “The idea of owning a Model T just stuck with me,” he says. Son of local farmers Curtis and Darlene, Dave joined his parents operating the family farm along Hound Street northwest of New Richland. In 2010, his memories of Harold’s stories was still strong enough that “I had the chance to buy a Model T, and I decided I might as well do it.”
Though he admits some might not see the sense in owning a vehicle which must be cranked to start and has a top comfortable speed of between 30 and 35 mph, he says he has never regretted acquiring the vehicle.
For one thing, he admires its engineering. “The simplicity is a connection to another time,” he observes. The Model T’s four-cylinder engine is small compared to a modern vehicle’s. It has headlights, but no tail lights or signals. His particular model, from 1919, has only one door allowing access to the front seat, from the passenger side.
The accelerator is a sliding lever mounted just below the steering wheel. There are three floor pedals–one is the brake, one is reverse, and the other puts the car in low gear when pressed to the floor but becomes high gear when it’s released.
“It’s a bunch of details you can understand right away,” he comments. “But when you’re driving down the road, you have to remind yourself; you get a feel for it.
“Trouble is, the pedals are small, and I’ve got big feet.”
Starting the car requires a crank. “You turn the key, then you turn the crank and hope,” he jokes. “Sometimes it takes a few cranks before it gets going.”
Asked to compare the physical exertion needed to turn the crank, Dave suggests it requires about as much effort as lifting a heavy snow shovel full of snow. Another similarity: one shovel of snow is not exhausting, but it doesn’t take many consecutive scoops before the work is difficult. The same might be true of turning the crank. Though many might believe the crank can be turned repeatedly, the practice is actually to give it one turn at a time.
Dave says he has never had much training as a mechanic, except that he has lived on a farm his entire life. “Getting old equipment through another season, that teaches you to fix things,” he observes. In the 14 years he’s owned the Model T, he has fixed the fan belt and fan blades, replaced some of the wiring, and repaired some of the wooden spokes in the wheels.
He says it is surprisingly easy to acquire replacement parts. For one thing, the Model T was mass produced from 1908 to 1927. Parts are fairly interchangeable across years. For another, the Ford corporate website reports more than 15 million were made. He also says he enjoys the straightforward nature of the repairs. The simplicity of the machine and the humble engineering make it a pleasant task.
Also pleasant, he says, is an unhurried ride with the top down along a country road.
“You see everything differently that way,” he observes. “You can’t help thinking about the way things used to be.” Another reason to take it easy while driving, Dave observes, is because the vehicle has springs, but no shock absorbers. Bumps, and especially washboards, lead to what Dave jokingly calls “a funny kind of dancing” along the road.
Dave mentions he has been impressed with the longevity of the Model T, which celebrated its hundredth anniversary in 2019–the same year it won “best in show” at the New Richland Farm and City Days car show, its one scheduled outing each year. He figures the car has many more good years in it.
And though he jokes the car “gets about an hour of driving a year” he mentions some pleasant rides with friends and family members.
“It gets a fair amount of attention when it’s out in public,” he admits. He says people ask questions about how the car starts, how fast it can go, and, of course, how old it is. When he meets other cars while driving, he says, “I never fail to get a wave.”
One last way the car’s simplicity comes into play, perhaps, is the many connections the car provides to Dave’s roots and his farm family. For that reason, even though the Model T would probably bring $10,000 or so if it were offered for sale, Dave indicates he is “simply” not planning to sell anytime soon.
Laundromat opens in New Richland
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New Richland Farm and Home Supply, formerly Gambles, owner Bruce Meyer opened what he calls a “basic and efficient” laundromat along New Richland’s main street earlier this summer. He says he is glad it was an option for those who had extra cleanup to do after recent flooding, and for those whose washers or dryers may have been damaged. He points out customers can accomplish their work more quickly at the laundromat because they can use more than one machine at a time.
Entry to the facility is right next to the entry to the Gambles store. Inside are four high-capacity washers, four dryers, and a raised counter for folding laundry. Meyer has observed that, over the two months it’s been open, the amount of use it’s receiving has been increasing.
The retail store, which offers a broad line of products for household upkeep and repair, is open Monday through Saturday until 3 p.m.
The laundromat has its own hours, with doors which are automatically controlled to be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Meyer warns, however, that the lock engages at 7:30 p.m.
He mentions customers may want to be careful of a situation encountered by one customer who carried the first basket of her laundry to her car, then realized 7:30 had passed and she could not re-enter the space. Getting back in was accomplished with the assistance of the police department, who got in touch with Meyer.
Fifth Annual New Richland Night Out
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Several dozen people attended New Richland’s Fifth Annual Night to Unite celebration Tuesday evening, August 6, 2024 at New Richland City Park.
“Night to Unite” is meant to honor law enforcement officers and first responders, including medical personnel and firefighters.
“The weather was beautiful tonight,” New Richland City Tanyce Bruegger said. “You can’t beat a free meal, some good fun and a chance to meet some new people… Plus there were no mosquitoes!”
This year’s event had the addition of a pony, Ava, provided by the Waseca County Sheriff’s posse who attended this year.
The event was mainly run by the New Richland Fire Department, first responders, ambulance, and police volunteers. It was hard to tell exactly who the volunteers were with representatives from many local agencies attending simply because they wanted to.
Bruegger credited the three departments for the setup. Chad Neitzel helped grill hot
dogs again this year. Other volunteers helped serve.
Hot dogs donated by Neighbors Meats of New Richland were enjoyed on buns supplied by Wagner Foods. Chips were donated by the Willows, along with cookies from Casey’s.
Firefighters assisted kids in a target practice event with a fire hose typically used for “grass fires” which can shoot up to 50 gallons of water per minute, but was powered down to about 10 gallons per minute in order to make it safe for children to use. There were also coloring books for kids to color during the two-hour get-together.
This year’s attendance was significantly higher than last year’s, which was also higher than the year prior. Bruegger said she hopes this annual event continues to grow better and better each year. In total about 80 hot dogs were served.
Starting small and growing , Matawan Landscape Supply
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff writer
Tyler Baumann, 37, opened Matawan Landscape Supply for a range of reasons. Perhaps lowest on the list is pulling in a large profit margin. “I like helping people,” says Baumann. “I like being outside.
“I love the feeling of gratification when a project turns out,” he says enthusiastically. “It can transform a whole yard.”
Residents of Matawan, Baumann and his partner Amanda Weckwerth have been working together all through the past four months to build their landscaping business. Posted on the garage, which is in the process of becoming their showroom, is a huge sign saying “Under Construction.” An additional note enthuses “Exciting improvements ahead.”
Their business is located in the far southeast corner of the county in the small, but once-thriving town of Matawan. Some of the company’s products can be seen displayed on a triangular piece of property along Matawan Avenue which they believe was once a city park. Getting ready to open their business included revitalizing part of the one-acre area, since a former owner had left things in a bit of disarray.
The area now has regained its park-like appearance; mounds of various types of mulches, sands and soil display some of the materials Matawan Landscape Supply has to offer. Galvanized edging for raised garden beds glints in the sun; white cedar planter boxes sport a variety of thriving plants. However, Baumann and Weckwerth explain, there is even more to their business than can be seen from the street.
Their website, www.matawanlandscapesupply.com, lists a variety of landscaping equipment which can be rented at a flat fee for four hours at a time: trailers, tillers, a power broom, a pressure washer, pole saw, and more. Also not visible to a passerby are some of the items kept indoors, including grass seed, fertilizer, erosion control fabric, edging, and the like.
But perhaps the most significant offerings are the experience and goodwill of Baumann and Weckwerth themselves. The two have worked together “flipping” houses and also own some rental property. They explain landscaping has been a significant element of those enterprises, including as many as a dozen projects a year. They say they have already used the contacts, knowledge and experience they have gained in helping some of their customers who have less practice.
“We’ll give people whatever level of help they need,” says Baumann. “We can help them get a good price on the supplies, we can do some of the more labor intensive work and let them finish up, or we can do the whole job for them.
“Our goal is to give them that same level of satisfaction we always feel when the job is done and the project looks good.”
Baumann says he loves the idea of being approached by a customer who has been told his or her project is “impossible.”
“I would just love to prove that wrong,” he comments.
Weckwerth and Baumann mention that, through the spring and first part of the summer, their business has been building only gradually. The year’s odd weather set a number of projects back, and kept Baumann busier than usual with his rental properties.
Still, Baumann says, they have helped quite a number of property owners with a range of projects. He and Weckwerth are happy with their progress so far and intend to keep expanding. Their 24-foot by 32-foot garage, for example, is on its way to becoming a showroom where even more products will be displayed.
“It’s a long-term goal to be more full service,” Baumann speculates. “We would like to have seasonal employees who go out and do these projects all over the area.”
By this time of the year, Baumann says, many people have either completed their intended projects or the end-of-summer temperatures have led them to postpone them to next year. Grass seeding or fertilizing to take care of bare spots will be best left to fall, since grass does not propagate well in the heat.
“We’re here for people who still have projects,” he assures. “And we’ll have even more to offer next spring.”
“I’m excited,” observes Weckwerth. “We’re open. We’re helping people, and we have an even bigger future ahead.”
At this time, Matawan Landscape Supply is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Baumann is also open to receiving phone calls both during business hours and at other reasonable times: available numbers are 507-340-1247 or 507-200-4674. He also encourages folks to visit the matawanlandscapingsupply.com website to find out more.