The NRHEG cross country teams braved hot conditions for the Stewartville Invitational Thursday, Sept. 3.

The boys finished 15th among 16 schools with 389 points. Rochester Area Home School won with 64 and Ottertail Central was second with 69.

Senior Tyler Schlaak led the Panthers, finishing 62nd with a time of 12:41. Following for the Panthers were Ben Lewer, 85th, 13:21; Zach Mely, 86th, 13:22; Aaron Fleming, 107th, 14:32; Jorey Fischer, 116th, 14:32; Orin Mely, 119th, 16:24; and Aaron Seath, 126th, 17:15.

“Tyler led the boys, placing in the upper half of this big meet,” said NRHEG coach Mike Weber. “It was extremely muggy, but all the varsity athletes gave a good effort. Ben continues to run well. He continues to impress. Zach was right behind Ben with another good race. Aaron got his first varsity run and did very well. Rounding out the scoring was Jorey Fischer. As a first-year cross country runner, I think Jorey has been doing everything we have asked and he has been giving a great effort this early season.”

By RODNEY HATLE

Contributing Writer

Accepting the reasonable suggestion printed in the August 6 Star Eagle, two donors for renovating the former hotel have allowed a picture of their gift money.

A letter from the chair and president for Area Food Shelf of New Richland, Larry Goehring, recommended that people “empty the change” from pockets and purses and give to the cause.

The money will be multiplied by the State Bank of New Richland’s Matching Funds Challenge, “pledged up to $20,000.”

This offer will continue to Oct. 15, 2015.

At the August meeting of New Richland Area Historical Society, a container was tipped on the table to display contents of a can crammed with a variety of coins.

I can think of the number of times I should have said “thank you” and didn't, but it is about time I do.

I want to thank our NRHEG Star Eagle paper staff for providing us with a good home town paper. I know news has to be reported in the big papers, but it so nice to be able to pick up our paper without all the tragic events one doesn't expect to see in Minnesota news, tragic events that shouldn't happen that sadden the news. I thank God for a positive newspaper. 

If I were to say thank you to all those I should, it would fill the paper and then some. It isn't that we forget to say thank you. Sometimes we take for granted the many people who do things for us. Yes, in our mind we think "thank you," but we don't always say it. I guess it is something like, "I Love You." We feel it, but we don't always express our feelings in words. "Thank you" are warm little words that most often fill another's heart and lets them know they are appreciated.  You can never say "thank you" or "I love you" enough. Never assume someone knows how much you care and appreciate them. They may know, but it is not the same as hearing those words.

I do appreciate our local paper because it is such a positive projection of the good things that are continuing to happen in our communities. It gives honor and recognition to nice things that happen. I know big papers more or less have to publicize the “nasty” things that happen in the world — but I am glad we don't.

I could never thank our local  firemen, first responders and ambulance crew members enough for being there for the many things they are called upon to do above an beyond the many volunteer things they do.

And then there are the merchants and business men and women that lending a helping hand when someone needs assistance. Their support can make such a difference. Do we always think of how many we solicit for items of goods and money?

Thank yous should also be extended to people like our local historical society too, who are thinking of the next generation and the importance of preserving artifacts from the past.

Thank you to those who govern our cities, counties and states. 

And we can't forget those who plan and execute fun things, those who welcome and are always looking for ways to enhance.

You only have to think and you will find as I did that we have wonderful people out there and some are in strange places, but they are there. Love thy neighbor.

There are always extra little things — or big things — that others do for us. There are those who give their time, money and empathy. I suppose this is true of other areas too, but it seems like these relativity small towns are like family, maybe more so. Families don't even always embrace their families like they could, or should.

I recall my Aunt Helyn. She was so grateful for those who remembered her when she was struggling with her eyesight. Ann Marie was such a great person to remember people in the community with cards and letters that pleased her ever so much. There were others too, but Ann was a perfect example.

My mother still feels guilty about not sending a note to Alex Beenken when he came to rescue her when she fell and split her forehead open. She often thinks of how fast he took charge and stopped the blood flow. Smiling, her doctor commented what a wonderful job that he had done. He was there and may have saved her life, and we will always be grateful. Thank you, Alex!

We thank those who send thank yous. I do appreciate and should thank those who are kind enough to let me know about news events that have or will be occurring that I might not have known about. I can't begin to tell you how many people come to mind, and I am sorry if I forget to say thank you.

Thanks for sharing, and for caring and for being there. I hope you know if I don't always say it, I think it many, many times over.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements. In order to be able to read about these important events we need our faithful readers to pass along the information tous.  Also, if you have an idea for a story that you think would be of interest for our readers, please contact me.

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like to include in our weekly column, or news to share 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 56035-0192, or telephone, 507-256-4405.

This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

• Thursday, September 10th:  Arnold Lund, his 97th; Taya RaeAnn Lembke, Emily Crabtree, Caden Jensen, Curtis Blouin, Craig Blouin, Pauline Fetterly, Steve Granowski, Kathy Kundson, Sally Utpadel Waknitz, Connie Krusemark, Charlie & Diane Marlin

• Friday, September 11th: Geoffrey Stieglbauer, Andy Arends, Dawn Misgen Meier, Craig Torgerson, Matthew Mueller, Kathy Nelson, Kathy Nelson, Mark Calverly, Paul & Jo Otto, Steve & Mary Bailey, Leanna & Jared Peterson, Tim & Angie Butler, Brian & Jodi Wayne, Rich & Linda Weckwerth

• Saturday, September 12th: Stacy Kubiatowicz, Joanne  Vanden Heuvel, Chloe Sue Walterman, David Wacek, Robert Kasper, Courtney Thostenson, Nikolas Zimprich, Eric Hunnicutt, Jennifer Wallerich, David Jepson, Tuyen Vu, Kris Klocek

• Sunday, September 13th: Jaelyn Elizabeth Mckinney, 2013; Reece Ellingworth Drinkall, 2013; Tali Wayne, Jaxon Richards, Russell Goette, Jason Ingvaldson, James Plunkett, Clifford Tufte, Sherre Utpadel, Lisa Zamora, Andrew Zinke, Korey Peterson, Amber Stohr, Lisa Ritz, Ruby Troxel, Ann & Rodney Hamilton, Rhonda & Derike Shelton, Carrie & Brian Farr

• Monday, September 14th: Rick Wangsness, Reece Breidenbach, Issac Wacek, Chris Hanson, Linda Pederson, Jill Peterson, Jack Jensen, Caleb Lunning, Ethan Lunning, Johnny White, Rick & Charlotte Miller

• Tuesday, September 15th: Korbin Wayne, Aiden McClasky, Daniel Hemingway, Ryan Johnson, Nancy Nelson, Tyrel Peterson, Wendy Schultz, Eric Nelson, Jarred Hanson, Dorothy Reichl, Roger & Patty Langlie

• Wednesday, September 16th: Evon Damon Lucas, David L. Christenson, Carmon Fetterly, Emily Laudon, Howard & Carrie Peterson, Shane & Kelly Christensen

• Thursday, September 17th: Duane Edwardson, Karen Hemingway Core, Al Routh, Kara Ladlie, Allen Brandt, Sue Tasker, Brock David Routh, Terry & Marlys Van Kampen

• Friday, September 18th: Torsten Wayne, Laura Groth, Carla  Scripture, Kevin Christenson, Ron Farr, Chris Larson, Becky Axmann, Laura Davis, Julia Spande, Randy & Cindy Horan, Andrea & Nick Miller, Todd & Mary Wayne, David & Malinda Hanson, Jill & Brian Wolff, Nicholas & Katie Wayne

• Saturday, September 19th: Vicki Hill Kress, Carol Anderson, David Deml, Ben Cerney, Dan Underland, Kristine Sorenson, Bill Hatch, Jennifer Johnson, Gerald Trandem, Cindy Morris Erickson, Scott & Tracy Tracy, Kelly & David Wacek, Jill & Dustin Johammsem

May your special day be filled with sunshine and smiles.

Firearms and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer throughout much of Minnesota this hunting season are reminded they must purchase their license and apply for an antlerless permit by Thursday, Sept. 10, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.

Antlerless deer permits are issued by lottery in designated permit areas. Some areas that have not been in the lottery classification in recent years are in that classification this year, primarily as a result of new deer population goals. “Hunters should review the hunting and trapping regulation book now,” said Leslie McInenly, big game program leader with the DNR. “The lottery applies to over half of the state permit areas this year, and it’s important to start planning for the season.”

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued by lottery, and the application deadline is Sept. 10. More information on deer permit areas and special hunts is in the DNR hunting regulations handbook, found  at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/deer>online.

— — —

With the hot steamy weather that we seem destined to endure for what seems like an eternity I have really lost my desire to do much fishing. A normal August used to have hot days and cool nights which made for good early morning and late evening fishing, not to mention great sleeping. Now it seems like every day is hot and humid and the nights are damp and steamy. Well, that’s about all the whining I will do for this week and I hope it is the last weather-related whine you will hear from me for this year.

My oldest grandson Trevor and I had been planning on going to the cabin for the long weekend but after checking and rechecking the forecast we decided to postpone it until the weather was more favorable. I couldn’t justify driving all that way just to sit in the cabin for two of the four days watching it rain. At my age I can make that adjustment but Trevor, like his dad, isn’t much for sitting around and always has to be doing something.

Thinking about typical August weather reminds me of the times when I would be on the lake early while the blanket of fog that was covering the lake waited patiently for the sun to give it the all clear. Ahhh, there is nothing better than early morning fishing with the cool of the night still making it feel like jacket weather. There is also that magical sound of fish jumping and feeding on the surface with that early morning fog leaving only your imagination and rabbit like hearing to guess their location. I am so ready for fall weather!

— — —

A couple of weeks ago my son Brian asked me if I would like to go to Forest City to attend Operation Z which was being put on to honor Vietnam Veterans. He said that his brother Brad and two of my grandsons, Taylor and Dylan were also going to go. I had heard it advertised on the radio and thought that I’d like to go if for no other reason than to see “the traveling wall”. There were also helicopter rides, a car show and an air show on the Sunday that I was able to attend.

Operation LZ was a welcoming home for Viet Nam vets that we never received when we came back some forty-plus years earlier. The event was a joint effort by volunteers from nine North Iowa Counties and it was a humbling experience. I spoke with one of the organizers who said that it was a year and a half in the making and cost around $300,000 to pull it off. I can’t say how much it was appreciated not only by myself but other vets that I spoke with  who were in attendance. I had always wanted to see the wall to search for some names and thanks to these fine folks I was able to do just that. Seeing the 58,000 names and the amount of space it took to display them was a very humbling experience. I was glad that Brian had planned this trip and that I was able to share it with him and my other son Brad along with grandsons Taylor and Dylan; it really meant a lot. Thanks again to all the fine folks for all the hard work that made this event possible.

Until next time, just keep in mind that we will eventually have those cool evenings and early mornings; which means that there will still be plenty of fishing to enjoy.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

Why must you be so cantankerous?

I’m not. I’m a people person.

No, you’re not.

Yes, I am. I’m just not an idiot person.

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: There is an unending stockpile of people who want to be president of this fine country. Life is a walk in the park, sometimes one where no one picks up after their dogs. It's hard to lose weight when you own silverware.

The cafe chronicles

The waitress spilled my tea. That was good. I was too tired to do it myself. The cook had buttered the toast on both sides so that my lower lip could enjoy it, too.

I scream. You scream. We all scream. It wasn't for ice cream. It was because Old Man McGinty, the youngest Old Man McGinty ever, had left his hearing aids at home. He determined that it was important that he let us all know that he didn't like hotdish because it looked like someone had already eaten it. I asked him, "To what do you attribute your longevity?"

He smiled, it may have been gas, and said, "My birthdate."

An alligator would have spit

I’d returned from telling tales in Louisiana. A friend asked if I’d seen any alligators. I’d seen a congregation of them. I was told that is the most commonly used collective noun. The friend asked what was the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? The difference is when you see them. You'll see a crocodile in a while and an alligator you will see later.

I was happy to see a lucky 10-year-old relative carry the rosin bag to the pitcher’s mound at the start of a Minnesota Twins baseball game. As one who loves baseball, he was a happy camper, but I’m sure several in the family breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t spit before leaving the mound. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the Twins have a spitting coach.

Poutine on the grits

I saw a mobile food stand headed down the highway. OOf-da Tacos of Erskine, Minnesota. The name made me smile and say, "Uffda!"

I’ve not had an OOf-da Taco, but I’ve eaten poutine in Canada and in Minnesota. It’s french fries and cheese curds covered in brown gravy. Gravy covers a multitude of sins. I’ve eaten grits in the south and here. Grits have become available almost everywhere. Hominy grits are coarsely ground, hulled corn that is boiled and served as a breakfast dish. The first time I ordered breakfast that came with grits was a long time ago. I didn’t know what it was. I asked and the waitress told me that it was grits. I said that I hadn’t ordered grits. She replied, "Honey, if you didn’t want grits, you shouldn’t have ordered breakfast."

I should have asked her how to eat grits. I had the part about using silverware to shovel it into my mouth figured out, but that was it. I had to wait until the guy at the table next to me got his grits for breakfast so I could see what to do. He put butter and salt on them.

A good Midwesterner might assume you put milk and sugar on them like oatmeal, creating a sweet porridge. That’s good, but maybe not the best way to eat grits. Grits have a corny taste, somewhat like corn chips. They are meant to be served as a savory hot dish. You can top them with bacon or cheese. I know they’d be good covered in brown gravy or maple syrup. Everything is.

How are grits? They are as good as grits.

Nature notes

Duane Swenson of Waseca asked if all grasshoppers could fly. There are more than 10,000 species of grasshoppers. Most of them can fly, but not all of them. They develop wings as adults.

"How can I get the boxelder bugs off the siding of my house?" If you asked them nicely to scram and they didn't, mix an ounce of dish soap to a quart of water or 1/2 cup to a gallon of water and spray it on them. That should send them to the happy house wall in the sky.

Meeting adjourned

"The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” — Mark Twain

Once again, it’s time for one of the two “must attend” local social events of the year. There will be handshaking, back patting, and a friendly, “How are you?” Along with, “It’s good to see you.” All this will accompany a pleasant smile at the same time.

There will be old and young and in-between ages of males and females. All those attending are in the VIP classification – including you! Representatives of the Freeborn County Hospice Program and the Nepal Disaster Relief headed by Dr. Earl Thompson will be there to greet “the great you” at the door.

You are such an important person that they will let you enter through a special door. You will even be just ahead of the person behind you. 

This is an eating event, so get those taste buds ready. If you’re a light eater, fast for at least a day before attending. If you’re a heavy eater, fast for at least two days. A word to the wise: “Be sure your undergarment has good elasticity.”

Live background music by local celebrities will be featured prior to your eating.

Wild rice, chili, potato and chicken noodle soups will be served; key lime, chocolate, apple and pumpkin are some of the pie choices, along with vanilla ice cream. Norwegian juice (coffee), lemonade, water and 1919 root bear will be available for your beverage choice.

Ah yes, all for your presence, so come on down! Put on your eating shoes and boogie on over. The parking lot attendants (Bob Hanson, Wayne Indrelie, Barry Moszer, and Gene Wangen) are waiting for your vehicle. Their motto is, “a full driver is a happy driver.”

Many of you know what I’m referring to, you just don’t know when. This year the soup and pie supper at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church (just north of Albert Lea) will be from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, Sept.21. Be one of the first 700 and you won’t have to worry about running out of food as we’re planning on 700-plus.

The net proceeds of the soup and pie supper will benefit the Freeborn County Hospice program and Nepal Disaster Relief with supplemented funds by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Please bring a non-perishable food item or two to help support the local food shelves.

If you’re unable to attend (you’re in the hospital or at a funeral – your own) a donation would be most appreciated.

Short shorts:

A. This is a food event with no counting of calories.

B. Gluten-free food items will be availbable.

C. What you hear here, doesn’t have to stay here – you hear.

———

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.

I don’t know how to pronounce the word meme. You know, those funny little pictures with catchy sayings that are littered across social media. It seems there are more of those than there are actual status updates.

And so many of them are angry. Any time there’s even a minor controversy in the news, new memes appear quicker than a CNN update. And when something really big happens? There is a meme explosion! However, be cautioned: As the Daily Lounge Web site espouses (in a meme, naturally), “If you want to know what’s going on in the world you probably shouldn’t get your news from Internet memes.”

We’re a quick-reaction society. As soon as many of us see something that grabs our attention, we tend to think along the same lines. Before you know it, people are commenting on potentially inflammatory pictures and sharing these to their own personal pages on Facebook, Twitter, etc. The unfortunate part, I think, is that many people make up their mind on an issue before really looking into the entire story.

Let’s look at one example: police killing unarmed miscreants. It seems like this has been a headline way too much. Immediately, it seems to take on a new life online, claiming racism and/or police brutality. But before we just lump all these incidents into one or the other of those categories, why not take a look at the entire story?

Are there some of these police items that involve racism or police going above what they should do? I’m sure there are. But there are many others where I’ll read about constant threats from the civilian. If you fear for your safety, you might react in a similar way. Or you might not. If you wave a weapon of any kind at a cop, you’d best expect the possibility of lethal force.

Every life is sacred; it’s never good when someone gets shot, no matter what he or she was doing. But let’s not just jump on the latest bandwagon. I’ve written in the past about looking at both sides of an issue; sometimes we need to read past the first paragraph of a news story. At the very least, we should read past the funny meme we see on Facebook.

The President is another easy target. It seems no matter what Mr. Obama does or does not do, someone will target him. Did he lower the flag to half-staff as soon as he possibly could to acknowledge the loss of someone? Oops, no he didn’t, but he sure lit up the White House in rainbow colors after the SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage – meme it up! I even saw one decrying a Marine holding an umbrella over the President’s head during a speech when it was raining. Is that really worth getting worked up over? Would we see the same attacks if a Republican were in the White House, from the same people? I have a feeling the answer is yes; some people look for any reason to get outraged, no matter who’s in charge.

And these things escalate quickly. I’ve seen people comment on some of these memes, trying to give information on the other side of the issue or just plain refuting the idea. Those people get slammed immediately, which is what keeps me from commenting on any of them. I just want folks to stop and think before really putting out something that often ends up being offensive in retrospect.

And isn’t that the biggest problem with the Internet? It’s so easy to click a button and then realize you can’t take it back. Some of you are out there reading this and thinking, “This guy is full of it. He writes things that offend me. Why doesn’t he follow his own advice?” I’m glad you asked. I do follow that advice. I have yet to send my first draft of a column to the paper. I write it, put it aside for a couple of days, read it again, make revisions, and then send it in. I always ask myself if I really believe some of the more volatile opinions I put out there.  Do I know the whole story? Often, on a second reading, I’ll dig a little deeper in research before finally sending it off.

For example, when I wrote about the Confederate Flag kerfuffle in Albert Lea, I bet I went over that section ten times and even asked Michelle if I was getting across the point I hoped to. I had seen so much nonsense online from both sides of the issue that I hoped to be very clear. I fear though, that in our quicker all the time world, the normal gut reaction will continue to cause problems.

By the way, I looked up how to pronounce meme. It’s a long e sound and rhymes with seem. Now I have to train myself to say it that way. Maybe I should make a meme about it.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is fribble, which means to fritter away, as in, “The social media follower fribbled away much time looking for memes to slander people he didn’t like.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The Weather Eye apparently benefitted from the Studebaker windshield washer bag, predicting the showers and thunderstorms with deadly accuracy. Will the scurs secret fall into NOAA’s hands or will they continue to fly under the radar? (pun intended). Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm by evening. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Thursday, partly sunny with a moderate chance for daytime showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Mostly sunny Friday and cooler with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with a slight chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Monday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the low 70’s wand lows in the low 50’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler for Tuesday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for September 15th is 73 and the normal low is 50. The scurs will be on the lookout for those large yellow livestock haulers. Yes boys and girls, school is back in session!

The hot humid conditions of this past week pushed crop maturity along at a rapid pace. The milk line on the corn in some early planted early maturing hybrids was nearly gone by week’s end, putting it out of the danger of an early frost. Early planted early maturing fields of soybeans were starting to move out of R6 into R7 in the same timeframe. The heat is not exactly what we wanted as moving the maturity along too quickly tends to take test weight off of corn and reduce soybean seed size and weight. Luckily temperatures have moderated and a slower pace is more in line with reaching the potential we have left.

After dipping under 13 hours of daylight back on the 5th, we continue to lose daylight at nearly 3 minutes a day. The signs of fall that were starting to show last week are becoming less subtle and more pronounced. Canada geese are grouped up and looking for picked sweet corn fields or in our neighborhood, for a dinner date with a field of dry peas that was recently harvested. The leaves on the walnut tree are already turning at the ranch and with a slight breeze beginning to flutter to the ground. Other trees including the silver and Autumn Blaze maples are starting to show initial signs of their fall colors. It won’t be long and certainly not long enough.

Still, there are signs that summer may not be totally done just yet. Hummingbirds are constantly on our blooming plants. While it’s pretty clear they’re migrating, the flowers on the plants are at their peak. Orioles were still at the jelly feeders as of the 7th with four males in their bright orange plumage still keeping things hopping yet on the 6th. The monarch butterflies, the demise of which the handwringers have been blaming various boogiemen for, appear to be as bountiful as ever as this growing season comes to a close. Even the bumblebees are numerous this early September. Could it be we are not as close to the entomological apocalypse as some would have us believe? 

On the subject of insects, I consulted with the Boy Entomologist the other day to confirm I knew what I was talking about. The dark colored moths everyone keeps asking about are green cloverworm moths. A large portion of them likely came out of the soybean fields. There was an extremely heavy migration of these moths into Minnesota this spring. Most sprayed the soybeans for aphids, which in most cases controlled the larvae of the cloverworms. However the residual only lasts a couple weeks at best on most products and a day or two on others. Most products are not ovicidal and it's unlikely that they would control pupae, which are frequently on undersides of the leaves. Each generation of cloverworms takes about a month and there are several generations once they arrive here in Minnesota. Hence, the situation we're in now. There are also some lighter colored specimens I've been questioned about. Those are likely forage loopers, coming from the soybean fields as well. The good thing about them is they leave less of a mark on a light colored wall when you squash them.

The recent warm and wet conditions certainly didn’t slow the lawn mowing much. Have taken the recent lawn mowing advice in the Star Eagle to heart and for fall have started leaving the mower deck set at about 3 inches. It does seem to get the lawn out of the blocks a little faster next spring. The between mowings period appears to be shortened so it’s not a perfect tradeoff. The Border Collie poo also tends to stay on top more rather than becoming nestled down between the blades of grass. Since it’s been so wet, it also tends to stay juicy longer. Have to be vigilant, making note of where the dogs are doing their business and exercise caution when one strolls about the grounds. 

Mom would’ve turned 90 this past week. Time has flown since her passing in 2013, but the memories of spending time with her on her birthday have become precious beyond enumeration. It’s not surprising as she was one of those who was just tickled you’d thought of her no matter what you’d bring for a gift. Among her favorites were things out of the garden and writing cards, especially if they included wildlife or in later years Border Collies. Her dog Fudgie is still with us and serves as a reminder of those days not all that long ago when we could get together and relax while enjoying the day together. It frequently included a trip to the local Dairy Queen or A&W and watching the birds afterwards, especially the hummingbirds as they’d come to the window feeder on the kitchen window. Those were special days, something to always treasure as we move into fall and beyond.

See you next week…real good then.

By JESSICA LUTGENS

Staff Writer

Forty years is a good amount of time for any business to be in operation, and this Sunday, Sept. 13, the public is welcome to join the New Richland Care Center for its 40th Anniversary celebration.

Through the years, the New Richland Care Center has built a reputation as not only one of the best care facilities in the area, but the state, thanks to the high quality of care it offers its residents. The last year has especially brought improvements to the care center, and under the direction of administrator Don Alexander, the NRCC is doing better than ever.

The 40th Anniversary celebration will begin at noon Saturday at the care center (or the NRHEG High School gym, in case of bad weather), featuring performances from The Bankesters, Dunnell Lenort, Just Friends, and the NRHEG Panther Band. A large tent will be set up for the event, along with picnic tables and a platform for the performers and guest speakers.

Food vendors for the day will include the Red Leaf Café, George’s of Geneva, mini donuts, and kettle corn. Beverages will be provided by the care center. The NRHEG Cheerleaders will be doing crazy hair and face painting, as well. 

The Annual Fall Fair is happening at Farmamerica on September 12-13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The two-day event combines a variety of unique agricultural demonstrations with a bit of fun for the whole family. All this for $1!

Saturday starts off with a tractor pull featuring classes ranging from antique to pro-stock. Then the wagon train arrives around noon for lunch.

Sunday features the Mankato Baltics taking on the Red Socks in the gentleman’s 1860 baseball tradition, dressed for the part and playing without gloves. The day starts with a church service at 11 a.m. 

Both days are loaded with demonstrations. The antique farm equipment will be running, harvesting corn, threshing oats, baling straw, working the ground, pressing apples and combining flax.  The latest equipment will also be on hand to show off how technology has helped farming evolve from survival to a market economy. Wool spinners from the Twilight Treadlers and quilters from the Stitchers in Time Quilt Guild will be plying their trade, no pun intended. Vincent the gypsy horse will be on hand.