Feature Stories from the Star Eagle pages.
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Uhlenkamp family remembers family on Memorial Day
By RACHAEL JAEGER
Staff Writer
Alivia Uhlenkamp, 15, and a member of the V.F.W.’s Junior Veterans of Foreign Wars in Waldorf, traveled with her family from Green Isle to attend the Memorial Day service at the Community Center. Following the program, she laid a wreath she made at the grave of her great-grandfather Gerald Kipp, who is buried at the First Lutheran Cemetery.
Every year, the Legion arranges to lay a wreath at one grave in the community cemetery and one in First Lutheran’s; the two cemeteries are next to each other with only a road between them. The wreath at the grave is symbolic of laying one at all veterans’ graves.
This year Gerald, buried in First Lutheran, and Jerry Treynor, buried at Waldorf Community Cemetery, were selected as recipients for the wreaths; last year Robert Kipp, Alivia’s grandfather, and Jerry Stencel were the recipients. Since Alivia is a junior auxiliary member at the Legion, she’s been able to participate in laying these wreaths for the last two years.
Three years ago, Alivia designed ceremonial wreaths for a 4-H project to honor grandfather Robert and his service after the second world war with the fifty-sixth armored infantry battalion.
Pam Uhlenkamp, Robert’s daughter and Alivia’s mother, once lived just south of Waldorf, and faithfully attended the community’s Memorial Day service for many years. She moved away in 2000 when she went to the University of Minnesota to study agricultural education. Since her job took her to Sibley County following her graduation, she has lived elsewhere ever since.
Gerald died when Pam was a senior in high school. She described, however, that he stressed the importance of Memorial Day all through her childhood. In observance of his feelings, she played Taps during his funeral.
During the 2021 Memorial Day program, Pam and her cousin Julie Tesch noted how tattered and worn the memorial wreaths looked; the two speculated they were probably around fifty years old. Together they came up with the idea that replacing the wreaths would be a good 4-H project for Alivia.
“She talked to my mom, who is an auxiliary member, about what should be in [the wreaths],” Pam continued. Artificial blue roses and red poppies were selected as decoration.
Robert was drafted at the tail end of World War II and never served in battle. Instead he was sent to Giessen, Germany, where he was part of the communications team and also trained as an artillery specialist. He spent most of his time rebuilding the community electrical infrastructure, including tasks like putting up telephone poles.
Pam remembered that during her childhood, her father seldom took any days off from his job as a milkman delivery driver, but was always sure to have Memorial Day set aside to remember, honor, and give back to the veterans who sacrificed for their families.
Growing up with that example never left Pam, so, although she never served in the military herself, her children participated in the Memorial Day program with their grandfather until he died on January 1, 2023. The family has continued their Memorial Day program tradition. This year her son Oliver read the tribute dedicated to Prisoners of War (POW) and those Missing in Action (MIA).
Just in the last three courses of her recent history in school, Alivia learned about wars and their significance. Knowing that she had great-uncles and grandfathers who served in these wars prompted her interest in her own history. Based on information she was able to gather from official scanned documents which described Gerald and Robert’s services, Alivia was able to put together a short memory book about them.
Although Gerald died before Alivia was born, Alivia became interested in her history when Robert shared his military experience with her.
“He was only in training and reserves, so he never had to serve in action as the war ended,” Pam said, speaking of Gerald’s service and adding that he played a part in the cleanup of the war efforts at the military base in Texas.
When Alivia created the memorial wreaths identical to each other, she intended to give one to Robert, who didn’t know what she was doing at the time. She took it as a 4-H project to the Sibley County Fair in August 2021. When she presented the wreaths and her memory book to Robert, he found it deeply meaningful.
“He was always a marcher, a gunman, and he would do funeral services,” Pam said.
Pam and her children fondly recall what a character Robert was, doing their best to keep his memory alive. Robert had one-liners he liked to use that now they sometimes take turns surprising each other with. Robert also had some plastic pink flamingos in his yard that he moved around the yard whenever he mowed.
“My dad had a big personality and knew everybody,” Pam said. “He was a social butterfly and he was kind of a goofball. We miss him.”
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Friends and family gathered May 5, 2024 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of New Richland’s Red Leaf Cafe.
The celebration was small, the company plentiful. Cupcakes were handed out to each of the nearly 100 patrons who stopped to extend their congratulations.
“I can’t remember if our first day was busy or not,” owner Theresa Grubstad recalled. “But every day we come in, we have the support of the community.”
“The same guys have been coming in every morning for 10 years,” owner Dean Grubstad said. “If I’ve noticed anything, it's the customers. They are so much more than that. They’re like family and extended family.”
Dean listed a group of regulars too numerous to provide here.
“We’ve lost some [who have died],” Dean continued. “They will never be forgotten.”
Theresa said she and Dean “feel the love people have here.”
“You don’t get that at all [coming from a bigger city]. People would step on you there if they could,” Dean said.
The Grubstads’ gratitude for their local “family” continued.
“Every step of the way, Pam and Larry [Goering] have been there with us,” Theresa said. “It wasn’t, ‘If’ you need help, it was ‘when.’
“It was, ‘What can we do to help?”’
What does the future hold for the loving couple and their restaurant? Are they still excited to come to work?
“We’ve never been late,” Theresa answered, speculating that she and Dean are likely to “start retiring in about 10 years.”
The two described the affection and support they felt on Monday as “overwhelming.”
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By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Copy Editor
The Albert Lea Municipal Airport was a hub of activity on Saturday, May 4 as several members of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) greeted guests who arrived on a rainy 8:30 a.m. to participate in the annual Eagle Flights program.
EAA Eagle Flights is a program designed to welcome and encourage newcomers who are interested in learning to fly, but may not know how to begin. The event on Saturday gave all those in attendance the opportunity to fill in the blanks, learning from the experts who've been flying the friendly skies for decades, as well as a free six-month membership to the EAA.
The conference room at the airport was filled to capacity as those gathered learned about the history of the EAA Vintage Chapter 13 in Albert Lea. They had the opportunity to meet several current members, who engaged in the topic and answered questions with enthusiasm.
Marcy Drescher recalled pretending to be a pilot as a child. She grew up to be a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and member of The Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots founded in 1929, whose first president was Amelia Earhart.
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
For the second year, students in the NRHEG ProStart program will be preparing and serving a meal following the Memorial Day ceremony taking place in the high school gym. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 27; it will feature New Richland resident Gordy Loverink, a Vietnam Veteran, as a speaker. NRHEG students Halle Schultz and Will Tuttle will be reading “In Flanders Fields” and the Gettysburg address.
The ceremony is free and open to the public; veterans are especially invited to be present, in uniform if they wish.
The New Richland American Legion organization is sponsoring the meal, which will consist of pulled pork sandwiches, pasta salad, a pickle spear, cupcakes, lemonade and coffee. Cost for the lunch will be $10; serving will continue until about 1 p.m. or until the food is gone. Organizer Georgia Dinneen says the intent of offering a meal on site is to create an opportunity for those in attendance to visit, share experiences, and simply enjoy one another's company.
Wendy Garcia-Gutierrez, who was born and spent part of her childhood in Mexico, is among the students who helped serve the meal last year and who will be working there again. Wendy mentions the event was meaningful to her because she recognizes that people in the United States have more freedoms and opportunities. She said she was proud to be serving soldiers who helped create and defend those freedoms.
She also appreciated how polite and grateful everyone was as she helped serve the meal and took care of various tasks.
NRHEG Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Kelly Delacruz, the ProStart advisor, explains that all 18 ProStart participants will help with the preparation of food–including baking and frosting the cupcakes, during their regular class times; a group of eight students has signed up to decorate the school’s “upper” cafeteria for the event, set up the serving line and dish up the plates, and then to clean up afterward. Helping that day will be Pierce Anderson, Erik Nelson, Gavin Sletten, Wendy and Adrianna Gutierrez-Chesley, Madison Corkill and Zoe Wilson.
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By TRISTAN GEHRING
Staff Writer
Michelle Peterson, owner of Sonshine Gardens greenhouse in Clarks Grove, says she is often asked about the business name. “It has a double meaning – we have three boys, and we also wanted it to be an expression of our faith in the Son of God.” The greenhouse is open every year from mid-April to mid-June. “It's not a long time. I feel like we're kind of a hidden secret,” says Peterson. “If you didn't know we were here, check us out. It's worth the drive.” Sonshine Gardens greenhouse is located at 200 First Ave SW, Clarks Grove. Beginning in May, hours are Monday-Friday from 9 to 5, Saturday from 9-3, and Sunday from 11-3.
Michelle is the daughter of Nancy and Ken Gordman; both she and her husband, Mike, grew up in Clarks Grove and attended Albert Lea High School, although they didn't meet until after both of them had graduated. Michelle's best friend married Mike's brother, she explained, and the two met at that wedding. About a year later, they had their own wedding. They raised their three boys together, who are now 27, 33, and 35 years old, and started the business together around the same time their first son was born. “We used to do hydroponic tomatoes.” In 1997, Mike decided to focus on his excavating business – Peterson Excavating – and Michelle took over the majority of the operations for Sonshine Gardens, leading to its evolution into what it is today. “I like flowers more than tomatoes,” she said.
Peterson's hobbies are gardening, going to wineries, reading, and travel. She's been to about 40 of the 50 U.S. states, she says, and attends mission trips in Honduras. Michelle and her husband live in rural Clarks Grove on his family's farm and attend First Baptist Church. They are very active there – in addition to missions, both serve on numerous boards. Michelle teaches the younger kids, and they help support a religious camp in Iowa. Faith is very important to them both, Michelle says. While she's only ever left the country to go to Honduras so far, Michelle says her “bucket list” includes a trip to Italy. Her reading list includes a wide range of books – but her one rule is that it must have a happy ending. Michelle's favorite thing to do, she added, is to care for her three grandbabies. Michelle lives by the old adage, “Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.”
“I love this,” she said, gesturing to the greenhouse. “My favorite part is the excitement of other people when they come in and want to talk flowers.”
Sonshine Gardens sells everything typically offered at a greenhouse – from hanging baskets and bedding plants to herb and vegetable starts, perennials and shrubs. Everything sold in the greenhouse is grown there; the building was recently remodeled and expanded to accommodate more plants. Peterson also offers custom planting: If customers bring in a pot’ she will fill it any way they like. “We consider ourselves to be the best local prices,” she also explained. And because both husband and wife are also locally grown - “You get a little extra hometown service.”
As a successful business owner, Michelle has this advice for young people: “Don't be afraid to try something you wouldn't have thought you could do – I didn't have any training or anything for this. I just decided I wanted to.
“And, I think, try to stay humble.”