Jim Lutgens
Time is now to plan May Basket
Do you think “Tis better to give than receive” or “Tis better to receive than give”?
The following is how you can have it both ways.
You must be a sophisticated AARP qualified significant other with ties to the Ellendale-Geneva area and your last name is one of the following: Altern, Aitchison, Arnfelt, Brekke, Broskoff, Buckingham, Christensen, Cornelius, Crabtree, Dahl, DenHerder, Evans, Fogel, Groth, Grunwald, Hagen, Hanson, Holland, Ingram, Jensen, Johnson, Kaplan, Keyes, Kottke, Klemmensen, Korman, LaFrance, Larson, Lee, Lerberg, Mrotz, Mucha, Nelson, Newell, Pecht, Sommers, Sorenson, Swearingen, Thompson, Toft, Torgerson, Wayne, White or Worrell.
As Clint Eastwood said “Go ahead, make my day.” Here is your chance, make a 1st of May basket for that significant other. (Dandelions will be just fine for the flower.) If you’re a female make a big “May 10” or a male make a big “June 21” and put in the basket with no signature. And deliver mysteriously.
Come the day you put in the basket, you will get your reward.
If no reward, that person is just like the northbound vehicle on I-35 as it passes the Hope exit. “Beyond Hope.”
March came in like a lamb and went out like a lamb. Mama Robin has had snow on her back three times since arriving here. The ice is out of the lake. Gulls are getting fries in McDonald’s parking lot. All this tells us spring has sprung.
It makes one proud to observe rural America. For example:
In March the Willows restaurant and lounge donated to the area Girl Scouts from their brunch on Sunday, March 15. They also donated to the Area Food Shelf from their brunch on Sunday, March 22.
An info. ad, the “Wagner Watch” appeared each week of the Big Ten season for the Minnesota women’s basketball team in the Star Eagle.
The big kitty in the Star Eagle office will completely ignore you.
This is the fourteenth year of this column. I have decided not to write every week but will continue as long as I’m able on a yearround basis.
Trivia:
A pair of bald eagles are nesting within the city limits of Albert Lea.
The Red Leaf Café in New Richland does catering.
Tootsie Roll Pop suckers are also now shaped like Easter eggs.
The roof on the grandstand at the Fairgrounds in Albert Lea is red, white and blue.
All ages can give a May Day basket.
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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.
Exceptionally exceptional
Sometimes, you have to wonder when Robin Eder gets the time to breathe
WHEN DOES SHE SIT DOWN? — NRHEG Schools Student Success Coordinator Robin Eder doesn’t sit much in school, helping with a wide variety of tasks. (Star Eagle photo by Nicole Billing)
By MARK DOMEIER
Contributing Writer
Teachers matter. Good teachers make a difference. Exceptional teachers impact lives for years after graduation.
NRHEG has been fortunate to have one of those exceptional teachers for over two decades in Robin Eder. Eder has taught middle school and high school special education, and this past year she shifted to the newly-created Student Success Coordinator position in the secondary school.
Initially thinking that she wanted to be a math teacher when she started at St. Cloud State University, Eder soon shifted to special education. She hearkened back to some experiences helping on the playground in elementary school with special needs students. That had stuck with her over the years and helped her make the decision that she wanted to work with those students all the time.
Ella Danea Krenke, 91
Ella Danea Krenke, age 91 of Waseca, died peacefully on Friday, April 17, 2015 at the Lake Shore Inn in Waseca.
She will be sadly missed by two daughters, Darla (Larry) Kokoschke of Faribault, and Donna (Terry) Ewert of Delano; one son, Duane Krenke of Waseca; eight grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by both of her parents, Paul and Ella (Rudolph) Roeglin; her husband of 59 years Harvey Krenke in 2005; three brothers, Gerald Roeglin in 1991, Orville Roeglin in 2007, and Robert (Jean) Roeglin in 2013; and one sister, Helen (Walter) Suemnick in 1997.
Comments invited on LeSueur River water restoration
Mankato, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) invites comments on two reports outlining strategies to restore the LeSueur River and other waters in its drainage area, also called a watershed. The reports are open for comment through April 29.
This watershed is one of the most polluted watersheds in Minnesota, according to data collected statewide. Impairments — waters that fail to meet standards — are common throughout the watershed.
The Le Sueur watershed covers 711,000 acres in South Central Minnesota. It drains parts of Blue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, Steele and Waseca counties. This river meets the Blue Earth River near Mankato, where drinking water wells extract water from below the Blue Earth River.
Actors look forward to presenting play
Performances set for Friday, Saturday
Cast members Lizzy Hagen, Bailey Burg, Justin Mortensen, Solveig Stafford, and Katherine Lewer with some of the props and set pieces from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, set to be performed Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18 at NRHEG High School. (Submitted photo)
“Flying is going to be a bit difficult,” admits Will Rudau, who plays Grandpa Joe in the upcoming NRHEG performance of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “But I think the audience is really going to enjoy it,” adds Nicole Wallin, who has been cast in the role of Charlie.
The cast and crew of the play have been as busy as Oompa-Loompas, especially over the last couple weeks as the three performances have been coming nearer. The play will be presented Friday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m., and at 2:30 and 7:30 on Saturday. With 20 different sets and even more musical numbers, the production promises to be an extravaganza of color, sound, and—to the absolute delight of everyone involved—surprises.
“There’s something here for children and adults,” says cast member Nicole Edon. Jessica Nafe agrees: “This is very much a family show,” she says. “There’s more humor in it than I realized, and while some of it is aimed at children, some of it is definitely more for adults.”
Actors look forward to presenting play
Performances set for Friday, Saturday
Cast members Lizzy Hagen, Bailey Burg, Justin Mortensen, Solveig Stafford, and Katherine Lewer with some of the props and set pieces from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, set to be performed Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18 at NRHEG High School. (Submitted photo)
“Flying is going to be a bit difficult,” admits Will Rudau, who plays Grandpa Joe in the upcoming NRHEG performance of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “But I think the audience is really going to enjoy it,” adds Nicole Wallin, who has been cast in the role of Charlie.
The cast and crew of the play have been as busy as Oompa-Loompas, especially over the last couple weeks as the three performances have been coming nearer. The play will be presented Friday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m., and at 2:30 and 7:30 on Saturday. With 20 different sets and even more musical numbers, the production promises to be an extravaganza of color, sound, and—to the absolute delight of everyone involved—surprises.
“There’s something here for children and adults,” says cast member Nicole Edon. Jessica Nafe agrees: “This is very much a family show,” she says. “There’s more humor in it than I realized, and while some of it is aimed at children, some of it is definitely more for adults.”
Holocaust survivor to speak April 26 in Ellendale
An ecumenical group is sponsoring a holocaust survivor, Anita Dittman, who has written a book entitled, “Trapped in Hitler’s Hell.”
Anita was born in 1927 in Breslau, Germany to a German father and a Jewish mother. In the 1930’s, when Hitler’s control of Germany became stronger, their family was more and more threatened. The father left the family; her sister who was 4 years older, was able to escape to England, leaving only Anita and her mother who ended up in different concentration camps. Her story of how faith got her through is remarkable.
She now lives in Ham Lake, MN and will speak Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m. at First Lutheran Church in Ellendale. This will be an amazing opportunity to hear her story first hand.
Winter sports awards presented
NRHEG High School winter sports award winners were named at Sunday night’s awards ceremony in the high school gymnasium in New Richland.
They were, by sport:
Boys’ Basketball
• Panther Award — Spencer Tollefson
• Most Improved — John Cole
• Defensive Award — Macoy Schwierjohann
• Practice Player Award — Brady Beenken
• All-Conference — Tollefson, Trevor Tracy, Kevin Kalis, Oakley Baker
• Captains — Tollefson, Tracy, Kalis, Schwierjohann
Baseball Panthers upset BA, 5-4
Admittedly, the prospects were not bright for the NRHEG High School baseball team in its season opener.
The Panthers, coming off a four-win season and led by their third head coach in three years, traveled to Faribault Monday, April 6 to face Bethlehem Academy, one of the favorites to win the Gopher Conference championship this spring, and came home with a 5-4 win in Drew Paukert’s varsity coaching debut.
“Overall, the team played well,” said Paukert. We were able to make the plays when we needed to.”
A big play came in the top of the fourth inning, when Panther senior Dakota Thiele stole home with two outs.
John Hubly, a junior, came up with a big hit in the sixth, doubling off the fence to score Matt Jensen with what wouldSoftball Panthers edged at BA, 9-8
The NRHEG High School softball team nearly brought back a win in Coy Hupfeld’s varsity coaching debut, falling one out short in a 9-8 loss to Bethlehem Academy at Faribault Monday, April 16.
If the game was any indication of what to expect for the season, Panther fans can expect to see plenty of offense.
NRHEG took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but that was quickly erased as the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the first and took a 3-2 lead in the second.
The Panthers put three more runs on the board in the top of the third and sixth innings and took an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh.