By Sara Quam
The voice of Emily Lodine Overgaard has become a welcome presence at some local events, but the songs didn't last long enough for some of her fans. Now, her mezzo-soprano expressions are captured on CD for repeated listening.

Depending on the song, her warm voice can wrap around listeners like a comforting quilt, make hearts tight with grief or speed pulses with delight.

The concert Sunday will include a sampling of songs from the CD but will also include some Christmas favorites to meld with this weekend's Winterfest celebration.

"The concert will be very informal," Lodine said. "I'm probably going to talk a little between songs, and there's a reception and CD signing afterward. But people have to take the plastic off for us."

Area proceeds from sales go to the Council for Arts and Humanities in Rock County.

Lodine, rural Magnolia, is accompanied by Karen Carr on piano for both the CD and concert. They connected two years ago in Okaboji, Iowa, at the Lakes Art Center.

When CAHRC asked Lodine to record a CD, Carr became a natural choice as she lives in Milford, Iowa.

Like Lodine, Carr is known for her musical talents outside the region. As a Florida native, Carr was winning competitions at the age of 10 and later attended the University of Tampa on a full music scholarship.

She attended the French Piano Institute in Paris and has been a private instructor in Milford since moving there in 1969.

Carr said, "A lot of the CD is first takes." Re-recording too much of the material would have been difficult on Lodine's voice.

She gives most of the recognition for the quality of the CD to Lodine, but Lodine credits Carr as well.

Lodine came to Rock County after marrying Gary Overgaard in 1996, and her already growing career flourished.

As an Illinois native, she graduated from Indiana University with a degree in music theory. She keeps a busy schedule that has her performing in Chicago on a regular basis as well as St. Paul, Omaha, Jacksonville, Phoenix and Milwaukee.

When she was choosing the repertoire for the CD, Lodine was almost set on a selection of French operas.

She describes the final choices as a collection of "heartland favorites." Lodine said those made sense to sell locally because the content wouldnÕt be so foreign.

"We didn't want it sitting in a warehouse somewhere," Lodine said.

The content is varied on the CD, but Lodine and Carr said the hour of music is easy to listen to.

"It's pretty unified, and the sections break it up well," Lodine said.

The songs are grouped into similar styles on the hourlong CD. Some will be familiar such as "The LordÕs Prayer" and "Pineapple Rag," but the CD also includes music from the Ken Burns Civil War series and Norwegian favorites.

People may recognize the cover of the CD, a reproduction of "Indian Grass," by Luverne native photographer Jim Brandenburg.

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Dianne Headrick's fourth-grade class is the featured classroom of the week. Pictured are (front row, from left) Brett Van Meeteren, Derek Petersen, Cody Kalkman, Bobbie Cowell, Jasmine Marshall, Joshua Baker, Jon Fodness, (second row) Ryan Hoff, Kelsey Theesfeld, Meghann Stanley, Shannon DeBoer, Kayla Hector, Brittany Teunissen, Cody Vander Ziel, Alexandra Lovett, Zackery Staeffler, (third row) Merphy Syphokham, Tressa Oehlerts, Britton Dyer, Tanner Horn, Alyssa Stegenga, Kaitlyn Kraayenhof, Jordan Cowell, Robert Balsavage, Brooke Thode and (back) Mrs. Headrick.

Zackery Staeffler provides a report on his class: In reading we are reading "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." In science we are studying the rainforest. In social studies we are studying the southeast states. In math we are learning multiplication and story problems. In English we write in our journals every day. In spelling we have different letter combinations.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Luverne's Main Street looked like this for much of Monday and Tuesday while crews worked to catch up with citywide snow removal. The extended fall season abruptly ended this week when more than a foot of snow fell on the region just in time for Luverne's annual Winterfest celebration.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Gordon Overgaard, 81, Luverne, died Saurday, Nov. 17 at Luverne Hospice Cottage. Services will be Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Luverne, with Rev. Maurice Hagen and Rev. Dell Sanderson officiating. Bural will be in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday, Nov. 19 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home.

Jennie Uithoven, 93, Valley Springs, died Thursday, Nov. 15 at Luverne Community Hospital. Services will be Saturday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. at Valley Springs Reformed Church with Rev. Burton Blair officiating. Interment will be in Pleasant View Cemetery, Valley Springs. Visitation will be Friday, Nov. 16 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 7 to 8 p.m. at Engebretson Funeral Home.

Jennie Uithoven, 93, Hills, died Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001, in Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Saturday, Nov. 17, at Valley Springs Reformed Church in Valley Springs. The Rev. Burton Blair officiated. Burial was in Pleasant View Cemetery, Valley Springs.

Jennie Ruiter was born to Dick and Wilhelmina (Rodenburg) Ruiter on July 28, 1908, in the Netherlands. She came to America with her parents at an early age. She lived in Boyden, Iowa, later moving with her parents to Valley Springs.

She married Jake Uithoven on Feb. 22, 1929. They farmed in the Valley Springs area until 1951 when they retired and moved to Leota until 1954. They returned to Valley Springs where they began an upholstery business which they enjoyed a number of years. Mr. Uithoven died on Feb. 28, 1979. In April 1992 she entered Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. On Nov. 10 she entered Luverne Community Hospital.

Mrs. Uithoven was a lifetime member of Valley Springs Reformed Church where she was active in church circles. She gained much enjoyment from her crocheting and gardening.

Survivors include two sons and one daughter-in-law, Marcus and Viola Uithoven, Luverne, and Dick Uithoven, Bozeman, Mont.; seven grandchildren, Gary (Marcia) Uithoven, Edgerton, Greg (Marilyn) Uithoven, Luverne, Leanne (Jim) Zarling, Fairmont, Glen Uithoven, Worthington, Lisa Uithoven, Sioux City, Iowa, Paul Uithoven, Bozeman, Scott Uithoven, Belden, Miss.; 12 great-grandchildren, Heather McCracken, Shannon, Megan, Marcus, Amanda, Adam, Annie, Aric Uithoven, Katie and Tom Siebert, Chandler and Jessica Uithoven; three great-great-grandchildren, Shawn McCracken, Mira and Adayla Uithoven; three brothers, Dick Ruiter, Chandler, Henry Ruiter, Pipestone, and Sam Ruiter, Yankton, S.D.; three sisters, Tracy Baartman, Grand Rapids, Mich., Clazina Prins, Worthington, and Johanna Bothof, Slayton; and several nieces, nephews and friends.

Mrs. Uithoven was preceded in death by her parents, husband, three brothers one sister and one great-grandson.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Steve Esselink completes a dunk during Midnight Madness in Williams Arena Oct. 12. Esselink will be a sophomore guard for the University of Minnesota's men's basketball team this winter. Although he started at the No. 2 guard position during the team's first exhibition game two weeks ago, Gopher Coach Dan Monson said Esselink will be the team's reserve shooting guard in 2001-02.

By John Rittenhouse
When talking from his dorm room on the University of Minnesota campus the night of Nov. 7, Steve Esselink admitted he was nervous about playing a basketball game the next night.

Considering Esselink is Hills-Beaver Creek High School's all-time leading scorer, it seemed strange he would be jumpy about playing in an exhibition game.

On the other hand, the 1999 H-BC graduate's apprehension about performing against the Harlem Globetrotters had a foundation.

Not only would it be his debut in Williams Arena as a member of the Golden Gopher men's basketball program, but Esselink learned earlier in the day that he would be the starting No. 2 guard (senior Treverous Bennett, the projected starter in the Gopher's two-guard slot this season, was nursing a knee injury at the time) in the exhibition opener.

"I can't tell you the date, but the last time I played in a game was in late February of 2000," Esselink recalled. "It was my last game with Augustana, at USD."

The Augustana- University of South Dakota tilt proved to be Esselink's final one as a freshman member of the Vikings program during the 1999-00 season.

A prize recruit landed by the college in Sioux Falls made a stunning decision shortly after that game played in Vermillion, S.D.

Rather than finish his four-year college career at the North Central Collegiate school less than 20 miles away from his family's farm by Hills, Esselink swapped the security of playing close to home to transfer to the U of M to follow a lifelong dream of playing basketball for the Gophers.

The exhibition game against the Globetrotters, a six-point performance that featured two-of-four shooting from the floor and a two-of-three effort at the charity stripe, was the start of Esselink's dreams coming true.

Although Bennett is expected to replace the former Patriot in Minnesota's starting five, Rock County fans of the Gophers can expect to see a lot of Esselink on the court during televised games.

"Steve's in our nine-player rotation," said Gopher coach Dan Monson, the day after the Nov. 8 exhibition game.

"He'll mostly play as a shooting guard, and he might get some playing time as a small forward. It will be a game-to-game thing with how many minutes he plays, but I foresee Steve playing in every game and becoming an integral part of what we are trying to do this year."

Getting the opportunity to play at all has Esselink fired up about the basketball season.

With NCAA rules requiring transfer student-athletes to be red-shirted for one full season, Esselink spent the last year and one-half practicing with the Gophers instead of playing in games.

"I've been doing a lot of practicing since then," Esselink said about his life at the U of M since arriving from Augustana. "Last year I practiced with the team every day. I was on the scout team in practice, and I played the role of the primary scorer for whatever team we happened to be playing at the time. I'm glad I got the opportunity to sit out a year after transferring. It was good preparation in helping me adjust to playing basketball at a higher level."

Practicing with a Division 1 basketball team is a challenge all by itself.

Esselink said small groups of players have been developing their skills under the coaching staff since school started in September. There were some two-a-day practice sessions when the season officially started with Midnight Madness on Oct. 12, but they have since given way to the normal practices (from 2 to 5 p.m. daily)."

Monson said Esselink handled his red-shirt season well.

"We're very happy with the progress Steve has made. I think that year off really helped him. He's a lot stronger and more mature now. It's very difficult for a kid to take a full year off. For most of them, it probably is the first year they have not played in basketball games since the third grade. Steve worked very hard last year. In practice he usually was guarded by one of our seniors (J.B. Bickerstaff), and Steve actually had some offensive success against him."

"I'm the type of coach who likes a kid who can put the ball into the basket, and Steve is the kind of guy who fits that profile," Monson continued. "If you know Steve, there are no questions about his offensive ability. You have to remember that he's only a sophomore in our program, and he needs more time to adjust to playing defense at this level, and to our system overall. We're really happy with the progress he has made so far."

Monson likes Esselink for what he can do offensively, and the player likes the coach for his philosophy.

"He's a really good guy to play for," Esselink said of the Gopher coach, who is entering this third season with the Minnesota program. "Coach likes to play an up-tempo, get-after-it style of basketball. I like to play that type of game."

Prognosticators are not picking the Gophers to win national or Big 10 championships this year, but Esselink and coach Monson do expect to field an improved team that should finish in the middle of the pack in a strong Big 10 Conference.

When Big 10 play begins in January, Esselink will fully realize his dream of playing big-time college basketball.

"They're giving me an opportunity to play, and I can't ask for more than that. I'm still trying to learn the system and trying to work hard in practice. It will be pretty exciting for me when we start playing Big 10 games. We'll be playing against guys like Frank Williams from Illinois, and a lot of other guys I've gotten to see on television before. IÕm still kind of in awe about all this, but it's going to be exciting," Esselink said.

Esselink and the coach are taking the one-game-at-a-time approach to the season. No team goals have been established, but a bid for a berth in the NCAA Tournament at season's end appears to be something both would like to realize.

"We definitely want to make it into the NCAA Tournament," Esselink said. "We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves right now. We have to concentrate on playing one game at a time and not worry about whatever comes along after that."

If the Gophers do make the NCAA's field of 64 teams for the post-season tournament known as March Madness, Rock County residents will be able to take pride in knowing that one of their own helped the University of Minnesota get there.

Men's Basketball
2001-2002 Schedule
Dec. 1: Texas-Pan American-Home
Dec. 4 North Carolina-Wilmington-Home
Dec. 7: Georgia - Away
Dec. 10: Oregon - Home
Dec. 13: Maryland-Eastern Shore - Home
Dec. 22: Nebraska - Home
Dec. 30: Texas Tech - Away
Jan. 2: Illinois - Away
Jan. 5: Michigan State - Home
Jan. 9: Michigan - Home
Jan. 12: Purdue - Away
Jan. 16: Wisconsin - Away
Jan. 19: Michigan - Away
Jan. 26: Ohio State - Home
Jan. 30: Penn State - Home
Feb. 2: Indiana - Home
Feb. 9: Iowa - Away
Feb. 13: Northwestern - Away
Feb. 16: Wisconsin - Home
Feb. 21: Michigan State - Away
Feb. 23: Penn State - Away
Feb. 27: Northwestern - Home
March 3: Illinois - Home
March 7: Big 10 Tournament - Indiana

The 2001-02 Hills-Beaver Creek girlsÕ basketball roster features three senior team members. Left to right are: Becky Broesder, Jody DeNoble and Brittney Olson.

By John Rittenhouse
A battle-tested group of athletes will lead the Hills-Beaver Creek girls' basketball team into a promising 2001-02 season.

With four players returning with starting experience from last year's squad and three more girls with varsity exposure in 2000-01 back in the ranks, H-BC has to be considered a veteran team.

The unique thing about H-BC's situation is that it will be a young team, too.

Patriot coach Tom Goehle will open the year with a 10-player roster (three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen), and half of the charges are sophomores or younger.

"We have some quality experience," Goehle said. "When you look at our roster as a whole, you would think that we are a very young team with three seniors. I like the amount of experience we'll bring to the court this year. That's always an advantage, especially early in the season."

Many of the Patriots who will play for Goehle this winter were key members of a team that made a bid for a .500 record in a rebuilding season that ended with H-BC sporting an 11-13 overall record.

The Patriots placed third in the Tri-County Conference with a 5-3 league mark, and they beat Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster 56-27 in the first round of the South Section 3A Tournament before nearly upsetting No. 2-seeded Southwest Christian (falling 40-38) in the quarterfinals.

Graduation claimed three players who assumed very important roles for the 2000-01 team.

Shanna Tilstra, a starting wing, played her way onto the final All-T-CC Team as a senior.

Rachael DeHaan and Jamie Arp played forward positions for the team, either starting games or coming off the bench in Goehle's player rotation.

While the H-BC coach will miss last year's seniors, Goehle thinks the Patriots will be able to overcome their departure with his salty, 10-player roster.

"We have seven letter winners coming back with at least one year of varsity experience, and some of them have two or three years of experience. They will be the ones who will help us get out of the gate this season. I expect all 10 of the girls to help out as the season progresses. As the new girls gain more experience and confidence, I expect to use all 10 of our players," he said.

The coach expects seniors Becky Broesder, Jody DeNoble and Brittney Olson to play key roles for the 2001-02 team. All three girls drew starting assignments at times last season.

Broesder, a 5-8 guard-forward, has to be considered the top returning senior. She made the All-T-CC roster as a junior.

DeNoble, a 5-10 post, and Olson, a 5-7 guard, also bring experience to the table.

"It's nice having seniors coming back with the amount of experience these three have. Not only did they play a lot last year, they played quite a bit as sophomores," Goehle said.

Juniors Jody Rentschler and Sarah Rozeboom, sophomore Erin Boeve, and freshman Cassi Tilstra are the other players who lettered for the Patriots last season.

Boeve, who has played at the varsity level since the eighth grade, is a player opposing teams will fear.

A 6-0 post, Boeve led the Patriots in rebounding and scoring during a freshman season that ended with her being selected to the All-T-CC squad.

Rentschler, a 5-7 guard-forward, hit a game-winning shot for the Patriots during a contest early last season. Rentschler and Cassi Tilstra, a 5-8 guard, gained even more playing time late in the year.

Rozeboom didn't play as much as the other returning letter winners did in 2000-01, but that will change for the 5-5 guard this winter.

The seven letter winners will give Goehle different options on how to play different opponents H-BC will be facing.

"With the experience we have, we'll have some versatility to run a couple of different offenses. We have the experience to run a patient, deliberate offense, and we have the athletic ability to run if we want to push the ball. The same thing is true on defense. We'll have different options," he said.

Sophomore Amanda Olson and freshmen Brittney Rozeboom and Melinda Feucht are newcomers to the team. Their impact at the varsity level is expected to increase as the season progresses.

H-BC will play in the Red Rock Conference for the first time this winter. The Patriots will play two games each against the teams in the western half of the division (Edgerton, SWC, Adrian, Murray County Central, Fulda), and one game each against the teams from the eastern half of the conference (Comfrey, Red Rock Central, Southwest Star Concept, Sioux Valley-Round-Lake-Brewster, Westbrook-Walnut Grove, Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin).

Goehle is looking forward to playing in the RRC and to H-BC's season overall.

"We're excited about being in the RRC. It's an added challenge. It will make trying to obtain a conference championship more meaningful because there are more teams involved. I think we're going to have a great year. We'll let the games take care of themselves, but I think weÕll have a great season," he concluded.

The Patriots host Edgerton in the RRC opener tomorrow.