By Mavis Fodness
June 22, 2015
For the first time in 15 years, tillable land in Rock County decreased in market value.
That was one finding reported by Rock County Land Records Office Director Tom Houselog during the county’s Board of Appeals and Equalization meeting Tuesday night, June 16, in the Rock County Courthouse.
Rather than double-digit land value increases, which have occurred regularly in the past, tillable land…
By Mavis Fodness
June 22, 2015
More than a month after a fire at a New Horizon Farms facility east of Jasper killed two women, investigators gathered at the scene Tuesday, June 16, to determine a cause.
The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office was joined by as many as 15 other private fire investigators from across the United States.
About a dozen vehicles with licenses plates from Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin,…
By Lori Sorenson
June 22, 2015
LeRoy Veldkamp woke up his wife, Denise, shortly before 5 a.m. Monday and told her they needed to get to the basement.
That was a good call.
Moments later straight-line winds hammered their home, damaging the roof and sending debris through the south windows.
“A board came through and embedded itself in the north wall,” Denise Veldkamp said. The board struck not far from where they’d been…
By Mavis Fodness
June 22, 2015
After six days on the road, the Luverne High School marching band returned home full of stories, experiences, and for director Richard Owen the one and only copy of the group’s studio performance.
“I signed a whole lot of paperwork stating I can’t make a copy,” Owen said. “I have the one-and-only copy on a flash drive.”
During the group’s six-day trip, two days were spent at Disneyland in Anaheim…
By Mavis Fodness
June 22, 2015
The milk used to make the cheese sticks given out by 2015 Rock County Dairy Princess Calissa Lubben at area parades could have come from the 16-year-old’s family dairy farm in northeast Rock County.
After all, 8 million pounds of fluid milk from the Lubben dairy farm is produced yearly for Agropur Inc. in Hull, Iowa. The plant primarily makes cheese.
It’s also a plant Lubben said she has…
By Mavis Fodness
June 22, 2015
At the Minnesota Military Family Tribute (MFT), dedicated Saturday, June 13, there are 87 story stones, one to represent each county in the state.
On each of the stones is an inscription from correspondence between deployed soldiers and their families at home.
Rock County Veteran Service Officer Dave Haugom was notified by MFT organizers late last year to supply three sentences, with one being…
By Mavis Fodness
June 22, 2015
A Pipestone theater production of “Into the Woods” will feature a Luverne native playing one of its primarily characters.
Nathan Sparks, 24, plays Jack from the fairy tale, “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
The Dordt College theatre arts graduate said he wants to build a career in acting and had just wrapped up the Green Earth Players’ Production of “Moon Over Buffalo,” when the Calumet Players announced…
By Lori Sorenson
June 16, 2015
The population of Hills swelled over the weekend to welcome hundreds of visitors for the town’s celebration of its 125th anniversary.
The quasquicentennial party was timed with the town’s annual Friendship Days weekend, so there were the usual parades, games, food vendors and festivities.
In addition, volunteers hosted a meet and greet at the school, where some classes chose to organize class…
June 16, 2015
June 7-June 13 weather:
High temperature for the week: 98
Low temperature for the week: 55
Average temperature for the week: 72
Rain amount for the week: 1.94
Moisture total for June…
By Glenda McGaffee
June 16, 2015
The Hills Beaver Creek School Board approved the hiring of Tom Sandager as the district’s new high school agricultural teacher.
The board took action on the hiring at a special meeting Friday, June 12.
Sandager, who will start his duties for the 2015-16 school year, lives near Hills.
He will be taking over the duties of Greg DeWandel, who retired after 39 years of teaching in the district.
By Glenda McGaffee
June 16, 2015
Area residents hungry for the taste of fresh strawberries can find them at Hansen’s berry farm.
The Hansen Strawberry Farm is owned and operated by Kathy and Jerry Hansen near Beaver Creek.
This is their fifth year in operation.
Jerry Hansen said, “The berries are nice sized this year and the season should last two to three weeks.”
Hansen Strawberry Farm is open 7 a.m. to noon daily. Information…
By Lori Sorenson
June 16, 2015
Music lovers enjoyed a serene evening atop the Blue Mounds State Park Saturday night when musician Paul Imholte played a variety of stringed instruments at the Interpretive Center.
As part of the 2015 Life on the Prairie series of summer events, Saturday’s Concert on the Prairie featured the haunting sounds of unusual and original string instruments.
Imholte wrote the music in honor of the…
By Mavis Fodness
June 16, 2015
An electricity distribution upgrade between Hardwick and Kenneth will provide more power to customers along the four-mile area in northeastern Rock County.
Since June 2, workers from subcontractor Legacy Power Line Inc. of Wadena have been erecting wooden power poles along County Road 7 between 160th and 200th avenues in Battle Plain Township.
Once the poles are fully upright, workers from Sioux…
By Mavis Fodness
June 16, 2015
A Luverne native was able to rub elbows recently with the legendary rock n’ roll band, The Rolling Stones.
Katrina (Vander Kooi) Wallmeyer, a 2000 graduate of Luverne High School, is director of development and communications for the choral music programming organization VocalEssence.
Wallmeyer has worked for VocalEssence, Minneapolis, for almost seven years.
Last month VocalEssence founder…
By Lori Sorenson
June 16, 2015
Dave Knips isn’t on a mission to make people look 20 years younger, but with his new Medi Spa business, he said he enjoys helping people feel better about themselves.
“It’s not Joan Rivers and plastic surgery and big lips,” said Knips, who offers Botox and Dermafill treatments at his office in the Salon 75 building on South Highway 75.
“You want to look refreshed — good for your age — not 20…
By Mavis Fodness
June 16, 2015
Last year Father’s Day weekend celebrations were put on hold in Rock County as residents dealt with the aftereffects of severe flooding.
The persistent weather front helped the area recover from a yearlong drought, but it turned into too much of a good thing June 14-16, 2014, when more than 13 inches of rain caused the Rock River to swell to new record high levels.
No lives were lost, but Rock…
