The town of Walker, Minn. is known as the Million Dollar Plus Town, the four-day weekend of the Eelpout Festival. This was the 34th annual festival, with the most people ever this year. At a conservative $100 spent per person and about 12, 000 attending, you do the math and get a million dollars plus.

The most unusual thing we saw was a man-made 35-foot-long eelpout out of snow and spray painted. The maker was sitting in a lawn chair on top of the head, with a rod and reel pointed down a hole he cut, and the rod bouncing like he had an eelpout on the end of the line.

We stayed at the Palace Casino Hotel in Cass Lake, Minn. As usual the Palace employees treated us like royalty: Vernae in Bingo; Toni at the gift shop; Becky and Michael as casino hosts; Bill the casino tech; Rodney the casino payer to jackpot winners; Christopher the casino cashier; Rickey in Guest Services; Kristin and David in Security; Josh, Reggie, Robert and Sheryl in the dining room; Jason and Karin in the snack bar; Monte in Maintenance; Charlie, Jessica, Chris, Betsy, Sara and Kortney at the hotel desk; plus many others.

Genie and I thank all the employees of the Palace for being most friendly.

We attended Sunday church at Trinity Lutheran Church on Highway 2 just west of Cass Lake. Pastor Peter is in the process of growing a beard. Genie and I couldn’t decide if we liked the new appearance or not, and neither of us wanted to tell their conclusion. We decided to keep our decision from each other so we cast a secret ballot. We are keeping the result a secret from each other. (In case you’re wondering, we voted the same way.)

Larry and Marilyn Glass of Trinity promised us soup on Wednesday, Feb. 20 for Lent. We had to beg a rain check, as we would be in Baudette that night. (Wild Rice Soup, with flatbread and hot blueberry pie filling is their delicacy.)

We left Monday, Feb. 18 and drove to Baudette, Minn. in a blizzard.

While in Baudette we enjoyed a dinner with our friend Carol Edstrom at Cyrus Resort. Once again thanks to Farmer Tim Toft for the corn we gave Carol to feed her deer.

We stopped in at Walleye Retreat Resort to say “Hi” to Terri and Pete, the owners. Tony the bombardier driver, was there also. Grandma Sherry stopped in to challenge us to a fishing contest when we are there in March.

A must-see if you’re in the Baudette area during the winter is “the Igloo” from Zippel Bay out on Lake of the Woods ice in about 20 feet of water. There are 16 holes for fishing plus food and beverage, with room for about 125 people – it’s standing room only on the weekends.

In closing, it was so cold (20 to 35 below) that the City Fathers renamed their town. It is now “Brrr-midji.”

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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.

Well so much for the scurs’ prediction of a slight chance of snow on Monday. Can you imagine what might’ve happened if it had been a good chance? Starting Wednesday, mostly clear. Highs near 25 and lows around 10. Partly cloudy for Thursday and Friday with highs in the lower 30’s and highs in the mid-20’s. Mostly cloudy for Saturday with highs near 30 and lows in the lower 20’s. Mostly cloudy for Sunday with a modest chance of rain and/or snow in the morning and a modest chance of rain in the afternoon.  Highs in the upper 30’s with lows around 30. Mostly cloudy for Monday and Tuesday with a chance of an occasional rain/snow mix both days. Highs of 35 – 40 and lows of 15 – 20. The normal high for March 9th is 36 and the normal low is 20. The scurs will be waiting for the glacier to recede so they can find their step ladder to set their clocks ahead an hour at precisely 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Ah yes, it’s time to face the dreaded time change once again. The proponents will trot out Ben Franklin as the Father of Daylight Saving Time and severely chastise anyone who dares call it Daylight Savings Time. I have several other names for it but that’s beside the point. You wouldn’t dare question the authority and brain trust of our almighty federal government in this day and age, now would you? This silly law has been in effect for most of my life, dating back to the days when seeing Studebakers, hearing sonic booms and eating at the Taystee Freeze were common. Somehow I think even Ben Franklin after seeing how much lost work time has resulted, how many accidents have been caused by falls while resetting clocks and how many heart attacks have been linked to this law would have to profoundly say “This is really stupid.”  Hard to believe the human race actually survived just fine without it for thousands of years.

Early week snowfall suddenly has increased the amount of water on the landscape. Measuring snowfall is not an exact science especially when it’s driven by the wind and blows much of it off the snow measuring board. Sometimes one has to improvise as was the case Monday morning. Turns out some of the hay bunks and tubs make handy collecting devices and can give one a relative idea of the approximate snowfall measurement. With most of the snow in drifts of varying depths that’s about the best one can do. Tuesday morning was a different story as the snow fell without the wind making it easy to cut a biscuit. We tallied about 3.6” of snow on Monday and 4.5” on Tuesday. Both snowfall events contained a lot of moisture as opposed to the last snow in February. That snow was about .07” of liquid equivalent per inch. The last two snowfalls were more dense, containing closer to .1” per inch on average. Moving it with the tractor was about like moving frozen cottage cheese. Yes, it’s all about food.

I am an extremely privileged man to be considered worthy of a phone call from Edna when the weather becomes potentially inclement. I have her on caller ID on the cell phone so it’s with a smile when I answer those calls concerning what the weather is going to do. After all, any one of us would hate to have her fall on the ice. I hate falling on the ice myself!

Speaking of that, the hockey rink and bobsled run that have comprised our yard much of the winter since January sometime have begun to subside. Oh sure there are still some spots where it’s possible to go down if you’re not careful but at least it’s not as treacherous as it was. Hopefully with the longer days any ice forming as a result of this latest snow will be short lived. It doesn’t look like we’ll be planting garden on St. Patrick’s Day or mowing lawn by the end of the month like last year however. It’s unlikely as well to be harvesting rhubarb on April 7th with the soils still frozen down 25” at the SROC in Waseca. 

Lambing season has been on hold as apparently the ewes and rams must’ve been on strike last September. The heat during the first part of that month appears to have been the culprit as warm temperatures can cause rams to lose their virility. Some of the ewes seem to wait until cooler weather to cycle as well. With their cycles occurring on average about every 16 days, it doesn’t take much to throw a monkey wrench into lambing progress down the road about 5 months later. Oh well, they’ll get here when they get here. At least those born almost a month ago are already huge. Someday when the snow leaves, they can go outside to play in the sunshine so the kids on Bus Driver Pam’s bus can see them.

Birds continue to be numerous at the feeders. Cardinals appear as regulars now, something unheard of since we moved in here some 28 years ago. Heard the chickadees doing their spring fee-bee call this past week at the ranch after hearing it the week prior in Bugtussle. Can’t fool a chickadee; they know it’ll be spring someday. The rooster pheasants have been making themselves known nearby with lots of crowing in the morning from various points on the landscape. And to the south about a mile some large black objects were on the move across the fields. Wild turkeys out enjoying a morning stroll in the sun while picking up some of the plentiful corn left behind from last fall. Should be some nice fat toms out there for hunters looking for a nice turkey dinner.

See you next week…real good then.

As basketball season hurtles through the playoffs and baseball gears up for spring, we are at the crossroads of the two sports I played growing up and the two sports that I have coached. One of my loyal readers asked if I would write about my coaching philosophy (yes, I do take requests!), so here goes.

When I started coaching in college, I thought everyone would be competitive like I was, and so I coached the way I had been coached. However, I quickly realized that not every athlete is cut from the same cloth, and coaching has been a constant adjustment over the years to the ever-changing youth athlete.

I coached three basketball teams while I was in college and then 11 years of junior high basketball at NRHEG. I also coached junior high baseball here for 13 years.

As I re-started my coaching career with my daughter’s grade when they began elementary basketball in 3rd grade, I really sat and thought about a plan for this group over the four years of elementary basketball. I talked with other coaches, including our head coaches here, to see if I was on the right track.

I knew some things that we absolutely needed to work on from my years coaching junior high. This was a nice advantage since I had seen what was needed at the next level up from elementary.

Here’s the trick: coaching your own child and the group of kids in that class is difficult. You become very invested and emotional because you really want to see your child succeed. However, the overriding goal always has to be the good of the group and the long-term viability of that team.

Whatever the sport, the beginning years should be focused on fundamentals. If a basketball player doesn’t have good shooting form, if a baseball player swings with an uppercut, if a football player doesn’t tackle properly, all is in vain. It’s hard to break bad habits in sports, so hammer home on those basics in the early years.

The tough part about that is keeping it fun too. Fundamentals are boring, so finding drills and activities that make things fun while still teaching the skills is key.

A coaching friend of mine told me that a coach’s goal should be that the same number of players that ends the year should want to play the next year. While that becomes more difficult the older kids get, it’s a laudable goal. Once kids hit high school, other things draw them away, including jobs and academic pursuits.

Too many times youth coaches want to whittle the numbers they have down to a manageable number. Let’s be honest; practices and games are difficult with hoards of kids running around. But the long-term viability I mentioned above makes it worthwhile. The more players you have now, the more potential and total numbers you will have when the games really count.

Todd Born and I have been coaching our current 5th-grade girls for basketball. We’ve tried to give lots of opportunities to see if this sport is for you. As tempting as it has been to take a top group and see what we can do, we’ve strived to divide the girls up equally and run two teams to different locations.

While trying to give kids opportunities, it’s also important to hold them to a high standard. Kids who only show up for practices when it’s convenient for them (or their parents) shouldn’t get the same considerations as those who are always there and working hard. If sports just become a social arena, the focus is lost. The skills you learn in athletics translate to the world outside of fields and courts. Teamwork, a good work ethic, and the ability to listen are valuable skills everywhere.

Wow, after I wrote my first draft this week, I realized I had enough material for two columns! Thus, I present to you my very first… to be continued!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is hagiarchy, which means a government ruled by people considered to be holy, as in, “Vatican City waited patiently for the election of a new pope to govern their hagiarchy.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Panthers top Hayfield for sub-section title

NRHEG girls' basketball players Katie Cole (14), Carlie Wagner (3) and Jade Schultz (12) hold the Section 2AA South Sub-Section championship trophy aloft after the Panthers defeated Hayfield 58-48 at Minnesota State-Mankato Wednesday night. The Panthers trailed at halftime and the game was close throughout until NRHEG pulled away in the final minutes. The win advanced the Panthers to the Section 2AA championship game Friday at 8 p.m. at Minnesota State. The winner of that game goes to the state tournament. "Hayfield did a great job defensively and held our fast break in check," said coach John Schultz of Wednesday's game. "We let our missed shots get to us. But defense and rebounds, the things we can control, we did a nice job with. I was proud of our efforts. Jade Schultz gave great effort all around to keep us in the game. Our kids had to play with adversity and come from behind to win. This should help us play with more poise next game." (Star Eagle photo by Jim Lutgens)

Panthers cruise to sub-section title game

NRHEG's Carlie Wagner steals the ball on her way to a fast-break layup during the NRHEG girls' basketball team's 63-28 victory over Blue Earth Area in the Section 2AA South Sub-Section semifinals at Mankato East High School Friday night. Wagner finished with 36 points as the Panthers advanced to the sub-section title game rescheduled for Wednesday, March 6 at 6 p.m. at Minnesota State-Mankato. (Star Eagle photo by Jim Lutgens)

Panthers trounce Maple River in tourney opener

FAST-BREAK BASKET — NRHEG eighth-grader Marnie Wagner (2) goes to the hoop for two points against Maple River's Molly Landsteiner (23) and Emily Spear (15) during the Panthers' sub-section tournament opener in New Richland Tuesday night. There were no postseason jitters for the Panthers, who led 49-5 at halftime and won 79-9, improving to 26-1. Marnie scored eight points, her twin sister Maddie added seven and big sister Carlie led with 27. The Panthers face Blue Earth Area at 6 p.m. Friday at Mankato East High School. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

Mikayla Lindell, a senior at NRHEG High School, signed with Winona State Wednesday, Feb. 27. Lindell received a scholarship to participate in throwing events for the Warriors' track and field team. Front from left: Jodie Lindell, Mikayla's step mother; Lindell, and Sheila Hay. Back: Chuck Crabtree, NRHEG throwing coach; Chad Lindell, Mikayla's father; and Duey Ferber, NRHEG head track and field coach. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

Community Education class rescheduled

The Facebook class offered by NRHEG Community Education has been rescheduled for Monday, March 25 starting at 6:30 in the NR Computer Room. If you are interested in signing up for the class, contact Marilyn Dobberstein at 417-2667. 

WARE to meet Monday

The Waseca Area Retired Educators (WARE) will meet on Monday, March 11, at 9:30 a.m. at Realife Cooperative in Waseca. Since there is a feel of spring in the air, the get-together will be more festive than usual. Free coffee and rolls will be provided for all persons who have paid their  WARE dues.  If dues have not been paid, educators may pay at the meeting and still qualify for the free coffee and roll. Legislative information will be provided concerning the pension plan. All area retired administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals are invited to attend.

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

The NRHEG Spring Band Concert will be a little jazzier than usual this year. It will also be a day earlier than planned.

The annual spring spectacular for band members grade 5-12 is set for Monday, March 11 — rescheduled from March 12 — at 7:30 p.m. in the NRHEG High School gymnasium in New Richland, and it includes some special attractions.

“It’s a bit of a unique concert,” said NRHEG Band Director Tim Siewert. “We’re going to have a couple guest artists play with us.”

The Bethany Lutheran College Jazz Band will perform a set and be joined by the NRHEG Jazz Band for another set.