Motor sports will form two-thirds of the grandstand lineup during the 2001 Rock County Fair.

After the Johnny Holm Band performs for the first grandstand show tonight, Friday and Saturday evenings will be taken over by two different motor sports.

Sioux Valley Southwestern Electric will sponsor the fair's first Garden Tractor Pull tomorrow night. The Rock County Fair Board and the Rock County Corn and Soybean Association will present the annual Enduro Race on Saturday. Both shows begin at 7 p.m.

The Garden Tractor Pull is new to the lineup, replacing the Tractor Pull from the 2000 fair.

According to Randy Kruse, an Adrian man who has helped put on similar shows in the towns of Adrian, Hardwick, Dundee and Rushmore this summer, the Garden Tractor Pull is an event that will provide entertainment to people of all ages.

There will be four classes of competition, including a special class for the children.

"We have a special class for kids the age of 12 and under, which is really fun for them," Kruse said. "We furnish the lawn mowers and the skid (the gear-driven weight box all the tractors will be pulling tomorrow night) for this class. WeÕll even put the tractor in gear for the kids as well as operate the clutch. We'll be with them the whole way. Basically, all the kids have to do is steer."

The children competing in the 12-and-Under Class will all receive ribbons for their efforts. The two children who produce the longest pulls get trophies.

After the children leave the infield, competition in the Stock Class, the Stock Modified Class and the Modified Class will take center stage.

The Stock Class features normal lawn-mowing tractors which will be pulling in weight classes of 800, 900, 1,000 and 1,200 pounds.

Bigger tires and weights will be allowed on the tractors that will be competing in the Stock Modified Class. Weight classes in that division include 800, 950, 1,050 and 1,200 pounds.

Anything with an unaltered mower frame will be allowed to compete in the Modified Class. Motorcycle or snowmobile engines are allowed to power these tractors, which will be the feature event of the night.

Residents are encouraged to bring their tractors to the competition Friday. Fans can watch the event for $2 from the grandstands or $5 from the pit. Children 8 and under are admitted free.

The Enduro Race, always one of the fair's best draws, takes the spotlight on Saturday. Admission is $7. Children 8 and under are admitted free.

The Enduro Race will be a two-hour race, or a 200-lap event. The first driver to complete 200 laps in less than two hours is the winner. If no driver can complete 200 laps in two hours, the winner will be the driver who has completed the most laps at that point.

As of early this week, last year's Enduro Race champion had not registered for the 2001 version of the event.

Rock Rapids, Iowa, driver Curt Dieren completed 135 laps to take top honors in the 2000 race, which attracted 45 drivers.

Dieren may not compete this year, but four of the top 10 finishers from the 2001 race have pre-registered for the event.

Adrian's Randy Kruse (second place), Sioux Falls' Randy Harms (fourth place), Rock Rapids' Todd Dieren (fifth place) and EdgertonÕs Owen Tinklenberg (seventh place) will be on the track.

Forty-two cars pre-registered for the 2001 race as of early this week, and 25 of them are drivers from the Star Herald coverage area.

LuverneÕs Travis Van Santen, Jason Chesley, Perry Schneekloth, Nick Mann, Josh Vanden Hoek, Jared Rowden, Adam Kinsinger, and Josh DeKam are on the list, as are MagnoliaÕs Brian Schneekloth, Mark Knips, Jason DeBeer and Josh Klay.

Hardwick and Ellsworth will be represented by Brent Hulstein and Kevin DeBeer respectively.

Adrian's Kruse, Brad Lonneman, Brent Henning, Colt Bullerman, Justin Wieneke, Chris Kruger, Brad Bullerman, Tim Banck, Will Nytes and Marty Weiss are also signed up to compete.

All Rock County residents are encouraged to come out and watch their friends and neighbors compete in the motor sports events at this year's Fair.

By Jolene Farley
Anyone considering running for the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board will soon have the opportunity.

Candidates may begin filing affidavits of candidacy on Tuesday, Aug. 28, for four vacancies on the board. Each term is for four years.

A general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 6, for the spots on the board held by Lois Leuthold, Rollie Crawford, Dave Roozenboom and Al Harnack.

When contacted by phone, Leuthold said she will seek re-election to the board. However, Roozenboom will not run again. Crawford and Harnack did not return phone calls.

Candidates must be eligible to vote, must be 21 years of age or more upon assuming office, must have been a resident of the district from which the candidate seeks election for 30 days before the general election, and they must have no other affidavit on file for any other position at the same general election in order to run for office.

For those who intend to run, a $2 filing fee and Affidavit of Candidacy must be filed in the office of the school district clerk prior to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Affidavits of candidacy are available from Hills-Beaver Creek District clerk Dave Roozenboom, RR1 Box 9, Steen, MN 56173.

By Jolene Farley
Steen resident Anthony Reese was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit of Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, last Saturday, July 28, after 29 days, according to his father, Alan Reese.
Coincidentally, Saturday was also Reese's 21st birthday.

Reese's condition is critical but stable now, according to his father. Doctors were forced to amputate one of his legs but are hoping the other can be saved. Although his liver is working now, doctors say it will be some time before it functions normally. Reese's kidneys shut down for four days, but they are also functioning again.

He was injured in a head-on collision four miles south of Luverne Friday, June 29. His vehicle, a 1997 Jeep Cherokee, was totaled in the accident.

Reese suffered a broken left arm and shoulder, a right leg broken in two places and a left leg broken knee to ankle. His spleen and gall bladder were removed immediately after the accident. His kidneys and heart were bruised.

"It's a day by day thing," said Alan Reese. "You hope and pray." He said doctors told him every day in the ICU equates to one week of recuperation at home. "He has a lot of mending to do. It is going to take months."

Family friend Cory Nowka said friends and family continue to show support for Reese by visiting him daily and reading cards and notes from a tablet that was started to let him know people were thinking of him.

The driver of the other vehicle, Ralph Edward Kingery, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Passenger Mary Theresa Elliot, 41, died of head and internal injuries the day after the accident.

By Jolene Farley
The Hills City Council meeting went late Tuesday night as the council reviewed a rough draft of the proposed budget for 2002.

Council members worked their way through each accounting area trying to estimate what expenses would total for the next accounting year.

Wage and benefit increases for city employee, Wayne Ward, caused lengthy discussion. Insurance premiums have drastically increased because of age and health concerns for people covered under the plan. Ward received no wage increase last year because of increased insurance costs.

Insurance premiums for Ward will increase from the current rate of $683 per month to $944 on Oct. 1, with another increase to $1,074 per month in January.

Ward came armed with wage and benefit information for his position from cities of comparable size.
"I do think he should get some kind of a wage increase," said Councilman Dana Dahlquist.

All parties involved settled for a 5-percent wage increase to $12.24 per hour and a 70-percent city, 30-percent employee co-pay on insurance premiums.

This led to discussion on how to compensate other city employees.

"Do you want to give out wage increases equal to health insurance?" asked Leenderts, arguing to keep wages and benefits separate. "Health insurance is a benefit."

"We are not the reason Wayne is using the insurance," said Mayor George Langford. "How are we going to compensate the rest of the employees, the council, the garbage haulers?"

It was decided City Clerk Connie Wiertzema would received a 5.3-percent wage increase to $14 per hour. Wiertzema is the only other city employee eligible for health insurance coverage.

All other city employees received a 4-percent increase across the board.

Moving on, the council budgeted $2,000 for expenses associated with moving the post office into the city office building. Because of post office budget constraints, the decision to move into the city office is on hold until the end of the post office's fiscal year in September.

The council allocated $5,000 toward a new pickup for the street department. This amount was added to $5,000 allocated last year.

Seal coating streets in Hills is expected to cost $25,000 to $30,000. The council anticipates replacing the city's dump truck at $10,000 to $15,000.

Discussion about the Community Hall or American Legion building was lengthy. The list of repairs needed on the building is extensive.

Councilman Arlen Leenderts suggested looking into new construction instead of spending so much to repair an old building. Leenderts suggested a survey be sent out to determine the public's opinion.

The council decided to budget $10,000 for new wiring in the building, because of safety concerns.

After discussion, a motion passed to increase water rates by 50 cents per 1,000 gallons.

"It would be something to see the water fund in the black," said Mayor George Langford.

Although the sewer fund showed a profit of $1,210 last year, the council voted to increase sewer rates by $1 per hookup. The large-user rate will increase by $10.

In other business...
Extending North Water Avenue was tabled until legal descriptions are finished for the area. "If we do the street, are we going to have it in the right place for the legal description?" asked Langford. "I would hate to start grading the road, then have to move it."

The council voted to donate $150 toward Old Fashioned Saturday Night.

The date for fall junk pickup was set for Sept. 22.

The council reviewed a bid from Wally's Nursery for landscape work by the fire hall. Council members want to reduce the $1,500 bid to the $500 to $700 range. Wally's Nursery will be asked for a new bid.

By Katrina Vander Kooi
"It's pretty much been a bachelor farm," Harley Christiansen, Beaver Creek, said about his farm. "During the 100 years there has never been a child born on this place," Christiansen said.

This year Christiansen's 159-acre farm, located a couple miles northwest of Beaver Creek, was designated a 2001 Century Farm by the Minnesota State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau.

To qualify for the award, families must have had continuous family ownership of a farm at least 100 years and the farm must be at least 50 acres in size.

Christiansen's farm was first bought on Sept. 1, 1900, by his grandfather, John Sandstede. Sandstede lived on the farm from 1900 to 1907, and after he passed on, his wife, Hannah, owned the farm until 1926.

In 1926 it changed hands again to Ida Sandstede, John's sister, and she owned the farm until 1959 when Christiansen bought it. "During the 100 years there have been more mortgages than you could shake a stick at," Christiansen said.

He still lives there today and rents out the farmland. "I have lived there longer than the rest of them and paid more than the rest of them," Christiansen said smiling.

Through 100 years of changes, there are still two historical buildings on the farm. "There were no buildings on the land when my grandfather got here, so he brought buildings over from Beaver Creek," Christiansen said.

The barn and house were moved onto the property. "The house used to be the judge's chamber in Beaver Creek," Christiansen said.

Even though the farm was 100 years old in September 2000, Christiansen couldn't apply for distinction last year. "I couldn't qualify last year because the application had to be in by July, and the farm wouldn't be a century farm until September," Christiansen said.

Besides the aluminum building sign and a commemorative certificate signed by the president of the State Fair and governor of Minnesota, one of Christiansen's relatives built him a large sign out of wood that reads "Century Farm" and it has the dates, Sept. 1, 1900, to Sept. 1, 2000.

Christiansen hopes to keep the farm in the family after he is gone. He is a bachelor, but his sisters have children who could carry on ownership of the family farm.

Teacher Michele Baker removes her alphabet train from the wall of one of the kindergarten classrooms at Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School. Baker is preparing her new classroom down the hall for the start of school on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Services for Herman Knock will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, at First Reformed Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., with burial at Delaware Reformed Cemetery, Lennox, S.D. Visitation begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at George Boom Funeral Home in Sioux Falls with the family present from 7 to 8 p.m.

Herman E. Knock, 91, Hills, formerly of Sioux Falls, died Sunday, Aug. 12, 2001, at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills.

Herman Knock was born to Harm and Fenna (Niggendyker) Knock on March 16, 1910, in Dempster, S.D. He grew up on the family farm.

He married Gertie Hyronimus on March 3, 1937, in Worthing, S.D. The couple built a country store and gas station six miles south of Lennox, S.D., which they owned and operated until 1946. They moved to Sioux Falls where he worked in the shipping department at Manchester Biscuit Company until it closed in 1958.

He then worked for R-B Tank Company in Sioux Falls making redwood stock tanks. He retired from R-B Tank in 1972 but still sold tanks part-time from his home until moving to Tuff Memorial Home in Hills in the early 1990s. He was elected King of Tuff Memorial Home this past spring.

Mr. Knock was a member of First Reformed Church in Sioux Falls.

Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Elnora "Ellie" and Sheldon Sandager, Hills; five grandchildren, Elizabeth Sandager and her husband, Tadashi Ide, Japan, Robert Sandager and his wife, Dawn, Eugene Sandager and his wife, Shirley, Michael Sandager and his wife, Nancy, all of Hills, Jo Wulf and her husband, Floyd, Luverne; 13 great-grandchildren; one sister, Clara Westerman and her husband, Jabbo, Chokio; and two sisters-in-law, Joyce Knock, Clear Lake, S.D., and Louise Knock, Marietta.

Mr. Knock was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Gertie, on April 19, 1985, three brothers, Abraham, Nicholas, and Freddie, and three sisters, Lizzie Marsh, Maggie Iwerks and Anna Lumberg.

George Boom Funeral Home, Sioux Falls, is in charge of arrangements.

Lester Calvin Janshen, 76, Adrian, formerly of Rushmore, died Friday, Aug.10, 2001, at Arnold Memorial Hospital in Adrian.

Services were Monday, Aug. 13, at First Presbyterian Church in Rushmore. The Rev. Robert Bartlett officiated. Burial was in Sunset Rest Cemetery in Rushmore.

Lester Janshen was born to George and Henrietta (Groenewold) Janshen on March 6, 1925, in Little Rock Township, Minnesota. He attended country school south of Rushmore.

He married Ruby Stevens on Dec. 4, 1948, in Sioux City, Iowa. After their marriage the couple farmed south of Rushmore on the family farm. After his stroke in 1987 they moved to Rushmore. He became a resident of Arnold Memorial Nursing Home in 1996.

Mr. Janshen was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Rushmore. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and making wood furniture for his grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Ruby Janshen, Rushmore; three sons and daughters-in-law, Larry and Susan Janshen, Swanville, Earl and Marlette Janshen, Clements, and Jim and Rose Janshen, rural Rushmore; one daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Bob Heikes, Ellsworth; 15 grandchildren, Rhonda, Mike, Deb, Darrick, Jason, Kris, Jeff, Roger, Jamie, Jackie, Travis, Sherri, Kim, Calvin and Mindy; 23 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Helen Heidebrink, Slayton, and Jean (Leo) Pomranke, Worthington.

Mr. Jahnsen was preceded in death by his parents and two infant brothers.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Adrian, was in charge of arrangements.

Anthony Reese, 21, Steen, died Monday, Aug. 20 at Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls. Services will be Thursday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Luverne, with Rev. Dell Sanderson officiating. Burial will be at 1 p.m. at Adrian Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday, Aug. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne.