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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
A packed week of Snow Week events at NRHEG included five dress-up days, a dodgeball tournament, the crowning of the King and Queen, and concluded with a dance in the high school gymnasium
Royalty gathered together in the NRHEG high school gymnasium Tuesday afternoon, January 30 to find out who among them would be crowned King and Queen.
Malonna Wilson and Danny Deniz-Clark were crowned 2024 Snow Week King and Queen by the NRHEG 2023 Homecoming King and Queen William Tuttle and Hallie Schultz.
Serving as the emcees, Hallie Schultz and Isabel Stadheim welcomed hundreds of students, faculty, friends and family, introduced winter sports coaches and instructors to speak, and finally introduced the 2024 Snow Court.
The following introduction was read aloud, introducing the queen and king, followed by the rest of the 2024 Snow Court.
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Lerberg’s Fitness open house February 10
By RACHAEL JAEGER
Staff Writer
Wendy Schultz, NRHEG physical education teacher and coach, runs Lerberg’s Fitness in Ellendale with her husband, John. A former Lerberg, Wendy is the daughter of Andy and Mary who used to be owners of Lerberg’s Foods; in March 2017, Wendy and John opened a gym next door to Lerberg’s Foods that they called Lerbeg’s Fitness.
Schultz recalls the Ellendale storefront used to house a “variety store” where Mary offered knickknacks and decorations for sale. After her work days ended, Mary frequently traveled to Owatonna to use fitness facilities there. The idea entered her head to turn the variety store into a fitness center. Once she discussed the possibility with Andy and Wendy, they visited different facilities to see what approaches others had used.
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Ellendale Area’s Angie Knutson owns studio in Owatonna
By RACHAEL JAEGER
Staff Writer
Self-taught family photographer Angie Knutson of rural Ellendale owns a photography studio out of Owatonna. She’s enthusiastic about her work, especially when her sessions involve babies or children.
Knutson took every art class in high school and later acquired an Associate of Arts degree at Riverland Community College in Albert Lea. She described being “super stoked” when she was able to invest in her first professional-grade camera.
Soon afterward, in 2009, Knutson’s oldest sister had her first daughter, providing the inspiration for her first photography experience. Those first pictures snowballed as Knutson received requests from her own friends and friends of her sister. Fifteen years later, the passion and energy have never stopped.
She revealed that the majority of her clientele is from the NRHEG area. “It’s interesting to work with people I've known since kindergarten,” Knutson said. She’s also been pleased with how social media has broadened her connections, helping expand her customer base as far as the Metro.
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
“What other small town can say it has more than 10 thriving businesses on its main street?” asked Kellie Mrotz, member of the Ellendale Gathering Place Mural Committee.
“We have that today because of the strong history of our community and the strong connections among the people who live here.”
About 25 people, including representatives from three newspapers, attended an informational session regarding the committee’s work so far toward erecting a mural in an unoccupied lot along Highway 30 within sight of the town’s community center. Those in attendance were told the Ellendale Area Heritage Society had applied for a “Small Town Grant” from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) and been awarded the maximum amount: $10,000. The grant is earmarked for supplies, printing and installation costs to create and display the mural.
The group was introduced to artist Chandler Anderson, who has painted murals all across southern Minnesota, both indoors and out. Many have been for schools: Among the samples of his work shown in a slide show were a Wellcome Memorial Knight and an extreme closeup of a tiger’s face which brought the most attention to its eyes.
According to a message from Anderson published in the evening’s handout, numerous members of his family–his great-grandfather Thor Emstad and great-grand-uncle Knute Emstad, worked on buildings and projects still standing in the community.
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More than $25,000 donated from Wild Game Feed
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
The Geneva Bar and Grill was filled to capacity, possibly as many as 250 people, both Friday and Saturday, January 5 and 6, as the fortieth Geneva Cancer Auction began. Whitey Hagen, 91, originator and long-time spokesperson for the event, welcomed crowd members and thanked them for their willingness to carry on “the good fight” to end cancer. Hagen spoke every once in a while as the auction proceeded to introduce special guests or call attention to particular happenings.
One such introduction was for David Thompson, coordinator of Geneva’s annual Wild Game Feed, held this past year on Dec. 2. Thompson presented Whitey with $25,000 raised during the “feed.”
With the donation, the total raised from the Geneva Cancer Auction since its inception is $2.34 million. 
As always, the 2024 auction is being held over two weekends, starting at 7 p.m. on both Friday evenings and at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoons. The dates are always the first and second weekends of January, ending just in time to present the collective donations during the Eagles Cancer Telethon, held the second Sunday in January–this year on January 14. A representative from the Geneva event–for the past few years, Whitey’s granddaughter Jenna Hagen–makes the trip to Rochester to announce the donation live.
During the hours of the auction, dozens of items go up for sale ranging from homemade candy, foods, crafts and even furniture, to gift certificates for everyday services such as oil changes.
Chelsea Hanson, who has been an employee at the bar for about five years, admits that staff must put in a lot of time and effort to prepare for the gathering, but says the fun and excitement make it all worthwhile. For Hanson, an annual highlight is the sale of an apple pie, homemade by Geneva area residents Doug and Sandy Selt, who lost a daughter to cancer. Hanson says that in her experience the pie has sold for as much as $1,000.
The energy and positive mood of the crowd, she says, outweigh the challenges waiters and bartenders face as they navigate the packed room.
Geneva resident Kathy Paulson has put together a first-person narrative describing events and highlights from this past weekend and inviting people to take part in the continued excitement this coming Friday and Saturday. For more information, see her piece on Page 5.