POP TABS FOR RONALD — Cole Schutrop hands over pop tabs to Ali Branch of the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. (Submitted photo)

By JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

McDonald’s is known world wide for its golden arches, fast food, and spokesman Ronald McDonald. Ronald has several houses around the country, which serve a wonderful purpose. They house families of children who are experiencing medical issues or treatments. At no cost, families are given a “home away from home” where they can relate with others the difficulties of dealing with different illnesses, and be close to their family members.

Recently, a young man from New Richland had the pleasure of giving back to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester for the time he and his parents spent there five short years ago.

Cole Schutrop was born September 26, 2006 in Albert Lea to proud parents Chad and Monica Schutrop. What started out as a normal birth turned into a nightmare for his family.

“The umbilical cord was wrapped twice around Cole’s neck,” said his mother Monica. “He was all blue and the decision was made to have him airlifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary’s in Rochester.”

THANKS AGSTAR — Bruce Holland (left) and Mark Scharf from AgStar present a $2,000 check to New Richland Fire Department Chief Jeremy Parpart as Cody Dobberstein looks on. The money will be used to purchase a rescue tube used in grain bin rescues. (Star Eagle photo by Jody Wynnemer)

By JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

AgStar representatives Mark Scharf and Bruce Holland visited the New Richland Fire Hall on Thursday evening, November 3. They brought along a check for $2,000 which will be used for a grain bin rescue tube. The rescue tube consists of ten aluminum panels which are placed around a victim so they won’t be engulfed in the grain. The tube works similar to a cofferdam. Grain can be shoveled out from around the victim prior to the victim being lifted to safety.

The AgStar Fund for Rural America, the corporate giving program of AgStar Financial Services, recently announced $99,919 in grants through their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant Program.

Ole Anderson     Andrew Anderson

Book details men from Norway who fought in America’s Civil War

By RODNEY HATLE

NRAHS

Not all soldiers who fought in the 1861-1865 American Civil War spoke English so very well. Ole spoke Norwegian better, but served with an Irish unit.

This is not a joke. It was life and death, and Ole in fact died of his wounds on his 18th birthday.

By that time, Ole Anderson had been in war two and a half years. He had walked from Waseca County to Madison, Wis., "To enlist in the all-Norwegian 15th Infantry," where he apparently assumed he would feel comfortable speaking with other Scandinavian-Americans.

However, "This unit had already left ... so he joined the 17th, an all-Irish regiment."

The first day of his three-year enlistment was March 5, 1862. He was "Wounded in the Battle for Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 2,1864 and died of his wounds eight days later [and lies] buried in the National Cemetery at Atlanta."

SUB-SECTION ACTION — NRHEG’s Anna Schlaak (9) and Harlee Vokoun (11) go up for a block as Kalana Shurson (3) and Tori Raimann (2) back up on a spike by LeSueur-Henderson’s Gretta Schultz (10) during the Section 2AA, Sub-Section South Volleyball finals at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter last Thursday. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

The Panthers’ Jade Schultz (7) spikes as LS-H’s Ali Pleiseis attempts a block. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

Second-year head coach Joel Kuechenmeister surveys the play during the sub-section finals. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

Volleyball team nearly takes LS-H to five games in sub-section finals

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

If only.

That’s what the NRHEG volleyball team was left to ponder after the Section 2AA South Sub-Section finals.

The Panthers came within a whisker of taking top-seeded LeSueur-Henderson to a fifth game, but fell tantalizingly close and lost 3-1 at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter last Thursday. The final for the Giants was 25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23.

"I was happy with how the girls came out and competed tonight,” said NRHEG coach Joe Kuechenmeister. “LeSueur-Henderson is a great team (ranked No. 5 in Class AA), yet we pressured them the entire match and that was a main reason we experienced success.”

But it was tough to take because the Panthers were so close to closing out game four.

AMONG THE ELITE — NRHEG sophomore T.J. Schiltz (18) finished the season in the state meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield Saturday. He placed 89th among 150 boys in Class A. (Photo by Nikki Erickson)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

T.J. Schiltz was hoping for a better showing, but his season could not have ended at a better place.

Schiltz, an NRHEG sophomore, finished 89th among 150 boys in the Minnesota Class A State Cross Country Meet Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield. His time was 17:42.4.

“T.J. had a wonderful season,” said Panthers coach Mike Weber.

Actually, it was a record-setting, history-making season. Schiltz set the school race record during the season and became the first NRHEG boy to qualify for the state cross country meet.

He and Weber were looking for a higher finish Saturday, but both are thankful.

Somebody once said, "The best thing you can have up your sleeve is your funny bone." Happiness is contagious. It is a fact. If you laugh more, you live more. And even if this wasn't true, at least you'd feel like you've lived longer and better.

Need something to do? How many good words can you make out of Happy Halloween? How many great events could you attend to celebrate?

Halloween, for me this year, was a four-day celebration. The Friday before Halloween, I was fortunate to take in the Halloween party at the elementary school in Ellendale. Though many costumes were bought, it is amazing to think of the all the creativity involved in costumes, games and activities. Each of the classes played a few games before the big "parade of costumes" took place in the gymnasium.

On Saturday, I attended the benefit for Cheryl Sauke, and many people in attendance, including Cheryl, came "dressed up" for Halloween. I later stopped at the Geneva Bar & Grill and George's for their Halloween parties as well, and once again saw some great costumes.

Then on Sunday, I was lucky enough to have my three daughters and three granddaughters "come home" for an early Halloween celebration. They all live close, but not that close, and they wanted to spend the afternoon together. They brought pizza and of course we had to take pictures of Mallory, Morgan and little Amelia, who is only one month old, in their Halloween costumes. 

Amelia had two costumes in fact. She first wore a pink skeleton suit, later changing into a little orange pumpkin costume that said, "Mommy’s cutest little pumpkin" on the front. The girls had fun pretending while they had their costumes on. We also enjoyed the afternoon looking back at the past in pictures of when my girls were babies. I don't have all the pictures in the order they should be, but I have a lot of them sorted by child. There was lots of laughter involved in seeing how each one grew.

Halloween officially arrived on Monday. Every place I went that day, people came dressed up as something but themselves.

The Ellendale United Methodist Church parking lot was host, for the fourth year in a row, for "Trunk or Treats." People lined up their vehicles in the church parking lot and opened up their trucks, or side doors of their vans, to show off how they decorated for Halloween. They also brought along fun goodies to share with the kids. Starting the event earlier in the day at 5:30 p.m. was great, especially for the little ones, so they could enjoy the holiday.

The church parking lot provided a great place to see how everyone dressed up for the big day. The hardest part was deciding how many cute pictures I could take. Many of the adults dressed up for the event too. I do think they were enjoying themselves just as much as the kids. Anything that makes you laugh and feel good is worth all the time and effort put into it.

Needless to say, I've changed my mind on Halloween after seeing how much enjoyment the children had in their costumes while they took part in the trick or treating events. The joy and expression on their faces and the interaction they had with their parents, teachers, friends and relatives was something to be proud of.

Kids really do enjoy Halloween and I don't think the rewards make any difference. There is fun in dressing up. Adults used to have just as much fun when they went "Yule-a-boking."

Forget about monsters and goblins and all that nasty stuff, except as costumes picked by the kids.  Everyone had fun!

Maybe Halloween has now become a fun day of celebration, not mischief making. It has also gone beyond the "grim and gory" and become more of a day of "let's pretend." For that brief moment of time, the little ones can fill that desire to be a princess, a pirate, an elf, a doctor, a butterfly, a fireman. And the list goes on. 

Trickery seems to have gone away more too and there is little thought of waxed windows, toilet paper or even more strenuous tricks that might border on vandalism. Hopefully it has become more of a childrens' and parents' day where visions of good things come into their heads.

The weather cooperated for the big holiday this year and for at least a little while, folks could put their cares aside and live it up!

Thank you, too, to those who have children under handicapped conditions and brought them out for the event as well. You made it fun for them. Their smiles were beautiful. There’s nothing cuter than a little red haired two-year-old in his stroller saying, "Cheese." Cute enough to be photographed many times.

Over the years, I have chose not to give out candy, and have given out pencils, or dimes. But I no longer give money as I felt it was too dangerous; a child might happen to put it in their mouth. They also might  easily lose it as they make their ways down the street as they go door to door.

This year, my mother met her match when she offered something different for Halloween to her great granddaughter who loves stuffed rabbits. Mom offered her a new rabbit, some money or a storybook. The little one replied, "Grandma, you're supposed to give candy treats." Grandma replied, "You know I don't buy candy for little girls." Her reply was, "Yes, I know, but there is candy in your drawer," and so there was. Never try to out wit a youngster.  

I hope that you too had a Happy Halloween!

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented that they like to read about the local happenings and family events such as family and school reunions, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and birth and wedding announcements.

In order to read about these important things, we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us, so we can then pass along the news to you. If you have news to share, please contact me.

  Also, if our NRHEG Star Eagle readers would like to share birthdays and anniversaries of your family and friends, or you know of some that should be deleted, or names have changed, please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P.O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

• Thursday, November 10th: Keith McDonald, Eric Anderson, Russell Reistad, Tomm Richards, Jennifer Zimprich, Jessica Kasper, Andrew Olson, Jessica (Johnson) & Dan Rebelein, Stan & Liz Reichl, Everett & Diane Jensen.

• Friday, November 11th: Jason Tracy, Kate Laudon, Agnes Christensen, Ione Hagen, Dale Hunt, Paula Swearingen, Jennifer Jacobs, Dawn Diemer, Rachel Gould, Dave & Linda Brandt, Amanda Schimdt, Tory Lee Christensen.

• Saturday, November 12th: Trinity Tracy Vulcan, Tatum Charlotte Vulcan, Samuel Henry Kaplan, Lois Johnson Aitchison, Jill Jensen, Holly Thompson, Craig Clausen, Helen Kellem, Scott & Jan Sorenson, Jill & Shannon Jensen.

• Sunday, November 13th: Geoffrey Nelson. Abbey Louise Titus, Bill Johnson, Jeffrey Nelson, Diane Brighton, Earl & Janis Klinger, Steve & Pennie Ladlie.

• Monday, November 14th: Cassandra Hill, Dakota Tracy, Kaye Larson Allen, Jill Ottesen Kehne, Kim Anderson, Gloria Tufte Keehn, Dawn Farr, Brandon Grunwald.

• Tuesday, November 15th: Sydney Ann Collins, Greg Riley, John Flor Jr., Daniel Mucha, Lee Waage, Cynthia Callahan, Jacob Douglas Bell.

• Wednesday, November 16th: Ross Sletten, Asa Daniel Russell Johnson, Matthew Marcus, Betty Brandt, Ronald Johnson, Fred Schmidt, Miranda Dubois.

Wherever this year takes you, may you feel happiness along the way!

Here we are, moving further and further into fall. Before we know it, we will be shoveling the white stuff once again. As I get ready to embrace the winter season, I have to wonder if the leaves will ever stop fluttering to the ground from the maples in my backyard. If I didn’t know that it was against natures plan, I’d swear that those trees are growing more leaves each and every day. The phrase “the gift that keeps on giving” — well this is the tree that keeps on giving.

This is the time of year when the hunters take to the woods and fields in search of deer. This year, the DNR predicted a very high deer population which should be good for those folks that hunt them. I have never been a deer hunter for whatever reason. But, I can definitely see why there are so many that do. For some, it’s about a trophy buck. For others, it’s all about the meat. Truthfully, I think the majority of the deer hunters hunt for tradition.

Deer hunting is a big part of our outdoor heritage in Minnesota. For many families, it has become a tradition that has been passed down for generations. I have witnessed first hand the camaraderie that exists among hunters in a deer camp. I don’t really think that there is another sport that bonds a group of sportsmen together like deer hunting.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to go on the first Governor’s Deer Hunting opener and witness this first hand. Although I didn’t hunt, I rode along with some folks from the DNR when they checked deer camps to find out how hunters were faring. After talking to hunters of all ages, I came away with a new respect for these folks and what they enjoy about the sport. 

One 15-year old girl was walking out of the woods when we stopped to talk to her. She was pretty tired from walking, but was so proud that her family had brought her to her first ever deer camp.

There was another group of four hunters that had bagged three deer that day. They were in the process of dragging them out of the woods. They said that it was quite a thrill for the oldest member of the party, as he was the father of the three other hunters and had shot all three deer that day. They said that in past years, they had all shot deer, but their Dad had never gotten one while hunting with them. They seemed happier for him than if they’d gotten them themselves.

Another sight that I witnessed was a young father with his two small sons walking a trail on the edge of a woods, hoping for a deer to be scared out into the open. He was indeed in the process of starting his own family tradition.

Whether you hunt, fish or just enjoy spending time in the outdoors, sharing the experience with our youth is important to the preservation of the future of our outdoors. Preserving our Minnesota heritage through wildlife management and creating more habitat is important to the future generations. We need to get our youth interested in the outdoors now because they are the future of our outdoors.

I am glad that my grandsons have a real interest in the outdoors, whether it be hunting or fishing. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smile on each of their faces when they caught their first fish.

One of the most positive things that we as citizens of this state have done to help preserve our outdoors heritage is voting for the Lessard-Sams bill. This has done much to help assure that there will be public land for us to enjoy for years to come.

With good news comes some bad news. There are always some folks out there that feel it is their “right” to take game out of season or take more than their limit. 

This past summer, I was fishing on a lake and noticed two guys casting which is not unusual, but I also noticed that they had bobbers floating not too far from their boat. I went close enough to them to make them feel uncomfortable. They soon laid their casting poles down in the boat. I’m sure only long enough for me to go past them and out of sight.

There are seemingly more and more people getting fined for fishing without a license. Is this just a slap on the hand or are they denied fishing privileges for a period of time? Then there are the over the limit guys or the taking game out of season guys that get fined and lose privileges for a time. All this is good when they are caught, but it doesn’t replace the game that they have taken. I would like to think that the money collected would be used for restocking or go to creating habitat. 

The following news release from the Minnesota DNR is just one story of hunting infractions that occur in our state.

Three cited for illegal hunting

Three individuals face multiple charges for allegedly illegally taking deer, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

A DNR conservation officer (CO) and an 1854 Tribal Band game warden were contacted shortly after two men and a woman registered a deer at a convenience store in Virginia Oct. 12. The caller noticed a large amount of blood in the back of a vehicle owned by one of the suspects. One of the individuals was overheard bragging about shooting the deer from the truck with a crossbow.

“The caller thought that the amount of blood in the truck’s box could not have possibly come from one deer, so we started our investigation,” said CO Matt Frericks of Virginia.

The investigation uncovered illegal party hunting, lending/borrowing licenses, failure to register big game animals, and illegal taking of three deer. Fine and restitution amount total nearly $2,800 with other charges possible.

Formal charges will be filed against the three suspects shortly with the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office. The woman is an 1854 Tribal Band member who will face charges through the Band’s legal system.

Anyone witnessing wildlife or fishing law violations is encouraged to contact the nearest conservation officer or law enforcement agency, or call the toll-free Turn-In-Poachers (TIP) hotline at 800-652-9093. Also, #TIP is available to most cell phone users in Minnesota.