By John Rittenhouse
Twenty Hills-Beaver Creek athletes competed at the Hershey's District Track and Field Meet staged in Pipestone Saturday.

The H-BC entries were present in the meet's three age divisons (9-10, 11-12 and 13-14), winning four district championships and placing second in two other events.

In Hershey's District competition, the two relays and individuals advance to the Minnesota State meet, which will be in Pipestone July 7.

Seven H-BC athletes moved on to state competition Saturday.

Karic Wiertzema and Tyler Bush will advance as district champions.

Competing in the 13-14 division, Bush won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs.

Wiertzema is the 9-10 champion of the softball throw and the 400-meter dash.

Wiertzema is also a member of H-BC's 400-meter relay, which won a district title in the 9-10 division. Cory Tilstra, Caleb Ellingson and Andrew Scholten are the other members of the team.

Scholten also advanced to state by placing second in the 9-10 softball throw.

Chelsi Fink and Melinda Feucht are the girls who earned berths in the state meet.

Feucht was second in the standing long jump in the 13-14 division. Fink was second in the softball throw in the 11-12 division.

By Jolene Farley
No matter whom you talk to in Adrian, they are tired. It's a good tired though - the tiredness that comes from a weekend full of fun events. A weekend full of catching up with family and friends.

Adrian celebrated its quasquicentennial or 125th birthday over last weekend, June 15, 16 and 17.
Since many cannot pronounce "quasquicentennial," it is safer to just call it the 125th celebration.

Local organizations and volunteers began planning for the celebration months ago. Mel Kroon, Chamber of Commerce president, took on the monumental task of coordinating all the events for the four-day celebration.

It all paid off. The weekend was full of fun things to do. Friday evening included a beard contest, among other things. Many women and men in the community were relieved when that event was over. The men were itchy and hot. The women were staying away from the men.

Five of the men from the beard contest offered to let the highest bidder shave them on stage in the Grizzly Adams Shave Off. An Adrian wife proved just how tired she was of her husband's beard by bidding about $250 to shave it off.

The Shave Off was followed by the Drag-On Review. I found this event the most hilarious. Ten men dressed as women vied for the title of Miss Drag-On Review.

It was sweet revenge to watch those men try to stumble around in high heels. I am assuming high heels are the reason Miss Singapore Sling wore kneepads.

Miss Crystal Springs borrowed my shoes. I find it disturbing when a man dressed as a woman looks better in my shoes than I do.

The Saturday evening parade had floats from each street in Adrian, bands and something for everyone with approximately 100 entries. I love a parade!

Both Friday and Saturday evening musical entertainment was offered under the tents on Maine Avenue. Saturday the streets and sidewalks were full of young and old, friend and stranger.

Many Adrianites were able to talk with friends and relatives they rarely see unless an event like this is going on.

The grand finale was the fireworks display on Sunday evening. My home was perfectly located to view the display shot off from the Adrian Golf Course. It was a wondrous sight.

Fireworks were the perfect end to the festivities. My sentiments were echoed by two young children seated next to us, who chorused "Ohhh" then "Ahhh," "Ohhh" then "Ahhh," after each burst of fireworks surpassed the last.

I just touched on what I enjoyed the most, so I certainly didn't list everything that was going on last weekend.

Organizers and everyone who helped make this celebration a reality should pat themselves on the back for creating an enjoyable weekend for all, then take a deep breath and RELAX!

P.S. I would like to thank my fellow members of the history book committee, all of whom donated many hours of their time toward making the 125th history book a reality. Thank you to Jackie Probst, Meredith Vaselaar, Barb Strassburg and Marian Kruger. Your work is appreciated!

By Jolene Farley
Hills residents Wendell and Kathryn Erickson returned from a nine-day tour of China earlier this month. The couple visited the cities of Beijing and Chongquing, cruised the Yangtze River with a stop at Wanxian and visited Shanghai.

From 1965 to 1986, Wendell served as a state representative in St. Paul. In 1987 a professor from China stayed in the Ericksons' home for three weeks as part of a Minnesota and China teacher exchange program that started when Wendell was Chairman of the Education Committee in 1985. This visit "made them curious."

While in office, Wendell also hosted the Secretary of Education from China for a breakfast during the secretaryÕs visit to the Twin Cities.

Then this year, "We saw the trip advertised, and the price was right so we decided to give it a try," said Wendell.

Before leaving on May 25, the couple had to be vaccinated for typhoid and Hepatitis B and make sure their visas and passports were in order. They took a 13-and one-half-hour nonstop flight from Detroit to Beijing.

When asked about differences between China and the United States, the Ericksons mentioned medicine.

Natural healing, using herbs and acupuncture, is widely practiced in China. The Chinese think Americans are too impatient and want a cure too quickly, according to the Ericksons.

The couple doesn't recall seeing a single Christian church while in China. During the 19th century, missionaries were sent to China, but the country has remained mostly Buddhist.

Children's Day is celebrated on June 1 in China, and the Ericksons say it was interesting to see parents bringing their one child to eat at Pizza Hut or McDonald's. They said the lines were about two blocks long. In China the government limits each family to one child, usually a boy.

Young people in China are taught English as a second language. "I was surprised how many of the signs and billboards had both English and Chinese on them," Kathryn said.

Chinese cities are modern but have a lot of poverty. Markets consist of "tens of thousands of shops about the size of a single-car garage" Wendell said.

Merchants pull down a door to close at night, and the Ericksons suspected the merchants live in their shops. Everything is bartered for in the markets. The Ericksons were advised to start at one-third of the asking price and meet somewhere in between.

The population of China is about 1.3 billion with most people in the larger cities. The eastern edge of China is part of the Gobi Desert, and other parts are very mountainous so few people live in those areas.

The Ericksons stopped at Sandoupiong for a tour of the Three Gorges Dam site, a controversial immense dam that is the largest hydroelectric and flood-control project in the world. The 366-mile-long lake created by the dam will displace 1.2 million people, flood 69,000 acres of land and submerge most of the Three Gorges by the year 2009, when the dam is scheduled to be complete.

Citizens have very little power to protest in China, according to Wendell. Some of the affected rice paddies and fruit orchards have been in existence for thousands of years.

"That is why we thought it was important to get over there before these sights were flooded," Wendell said.

"They (the government) is doing everything possible to get the Olympics in 2008 and to join the World Trade Organization," said Wendell. "Everywhere you go there is propaganda. They try to portray this as an advantage to the United States."

The couple also walked on the Great Wall of China. Built for defense purposes, the wall is 3,000 miles long and is the only manmade object on earth visible from space. The wall was constructed by slaves, beginning in 221 B.C., with additions until the 16th century.

As mementos of their trip, the Ericksons purchased some silk, a jade locket and some hand-painted kites for their grandchildren. They were limited in the amount of luggage they could bring on the plane so they didnÕt buy a lot.

This is not the first trip abroad for the couple. They traveled to Scandinavia twice and toured France, England, Canada and much of the United States.

Eight-year-old Jayme Plimpton started her business Rockin' Rocks June 3. Jayme decorates rocks by melting crayons onto rocks to create her original designs. She began marketing her rocks by hanging up posters and sending e-mails about her product to everyone in her parents' e-mail address book. She occasionally sets up a stand in front of her home in Hills.

Photo by Jolene Farley

By Katrina Vander Kooi
Twelve hundred people came to watch aerialists, African elephants, a clown, and many other acts last Friday at the Culpepper-Merriweather Circus.

"We were very pleased with the event," Dave Smith, Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce director, said. "They put on a very good show."

Barbara, one of the two the African elephants, started off the circus' visit to Luverne by raising the tent Friday morning.

At 5:30 and 7 p.m., the big top was filled with spectators ready to enjoy a night of entertainment. An aerialist, a juggler, a contortionist, a ringmistress, an animal trainer, a clown, a trapeze artist and two balancing artists all had a part in the show.

Life in the circus
Tavana Luvas, the single trapeze artist, is a fourth generation circus performer. Since she was born, she has traveled with the circus. "I thought it was normal," Luvas said. "I learned from my parents just as a carpenter might teach his or her children."

Her family's circus legacy started with her great-grandfather and was passed to her through her father.

In her third season with the Culpepper-Merriweather Circus, Luvas sees her art as one of the last forms of live family entertainment left. "I am very proud of our little show," she said.

Being born into the business isn't the only way to join a circus, though.

Luvas' husband, Danny Kerry, also performs in the Culpepper-Merriweather Circus. "I started at a dancing school," Kerry said.

"It's a lot like being an actor," Luvas said. Kerry was spotted by an agent and has been in the circus ever since.

Kerry's acts in the circus include Rolla Bolla (where he balances on a circular object) and plate spinning. The married couple works together during their performances.

Taking on a character for performing is a part of circus life. Even names aren't quite what they appear to be. "These are just our stage names," Luvas said. "We have a legal married name."

Not 9 to 5
The day starts at 6 a.m. when everyone gets up to drive to the next town. There is a "24-hour crew" that travels about a day ahead of the circus to inspect the circus grounds and decide where everything goes. Once the trucks arrive, setup takes about four hours.

There are typically two shows in the evening, and after the shows the crew takes down the circus in about two hours. The evening is free for the people to do laundry, home schooling and other tasks. Then it's time for bed so they can get up at 6 a.m. the next morning to travel to another town.

The members follow this schedule seven days a week for 32 weeks of the year - from March to October.

This particular circus travels mostly to small towns. The smallest town it's performed in had a population of about 600 people.

Four families perform in the show and there are no understudies. When a performer is sick, the other performers have to add acts.

"We all know how to do other acts," Luvas said. "We are multi-talented and multi-purpose."

In the off season, repairs are made to the equipment, and the performers are free to do independent work such as Christmas parties or other circuses.

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne Redbirds went 1-1 during amateur baseball play in Jackson Sunday.

Luverne rolled to a 26-10 win over Heron Lake in Game 1 before losing a 14-13 decision to Jackson in the finale.

The 6-4 Redbirds play in Hills Sunday.

Luverne 26, HL 10
The Redbirds pounded out 18 hits and scored 26 runs while besting Heron Lake by 16 runs in five innings Sunday in Jackson.

Playing as the visiting team, Luverne scored 16 runs in the first three innings (three in the first, eight in the second and five in the third) before putting the game away with a 10-run fifth inning.

HL did its damage by scoring four runs in the first inning and adding six more in the fourth.

Terry Eernisse, who pitched one and one-third scoreless innings of relief to end the game, led Luverne at the plate by slapping three hits and driving in four runs. His big blow was a three-run homer in the third inning.

Jesse Reisch added five RBIs with two hits. He doubled home two runs in the second inning before scoring three runs with a triple in the fifth.

Mike Wenninger added two hits to the cause, including a two-run double in the second. Jeff Sehr chased home three runs with a double in the fifth.

Jon Jarchow started the game on the hill but left the mound after recording one out and surrendering four runs. Micky Sehr tossed three and one-third innings of six-run, six-hit ball to pick up the win.

Box score AB R H BI
Ohme 3 4 1 0
Wenninger 2 3 2 2
Arends 2 1 1 0
J.Sehr 3 5 1 3
Irish 3 1 2 3
Shelton 2 1 1 0
M.Sehr 4 2 2 1
Eernisse 5 3 3 4
Reisch 5 2 2 5
Jarchow 3 1 2 1
Weber 1 0 0 0
Boen 3 2 1 0

Jackson 14, Luverne 13
A great start led the home-standing Bulls to a one-run win over the Redbirds in Sunday's second game.

Jackson scored 14 runs in the first three innings and held off a late charge by the Redbirds to prevail.

Jackson scored five runs in the first inning, one in the second and eight in the third inning of a game it never trailed in.

Luverne did battle back, but it never did recover from Jackson's early surge.

A four-run second inning featuring Derek OhmeÕs two-run triple and Mike Boen's RBI single cut Jackson's lead to one run (5-4) at the time, but the Bulls scored once in the bottom of the second to make it a 6-4 difference.

EernisseÕs RBI ground out in the third brought the Redbirds within one run at 6-5, but the Bulls erupted for eight runs in the bottom half of the frame to open a 14-5 advantage.

Luverne scored three runs in the fourth to trail 14-8 before adding five runs in the sixth to make it a one-run difference at 14-13. The Redbirds, however, were blanked in the seventh to end the game.

Mike Wenninger, who took the pitching loss for Luverne, doubled home a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Jarchow tripled home a run, while Reisch, Ohme and Jeff Sehr added RBI singles in the sixth.

Box score AB R H BI
Ohme 4 3 4 3
Wenninger 3 1 2 3
J.Sehr 5 0 2 1
Irish 5 2 2 0
M.Sehr 5 0 0 0
Eernisse 5 1 2 1
Reisch 5 1 2 1
Jarchow 4 2 1 1
Boen 3 3 2 1
Arends 0 0 0 0

By Katrina Vander Kooi, summer intern
A new contemporary church is on the drawing board in Luverne.

The Rev. J.R. Henderson was hired by the Reformed Church of America in Minnesota to plant new churches in southwest Minnesota. RCA's goal is to start 80 new churches by 2005 and increase churchgoing by 10 percent.

"Ninety-four percent of Americans believe in God, but 70 percent of Americans no longer accept Jesus or the Bible as a way of life," Henderson said.

Henderson believes America is where missionaries are needed the most. "America has one third of the largest mission fields in the world, and it is the fastest growing," Henderson said. "Our own backyard is our mission field."

Henderson said he thinks there needs to be another option besides traditional churches in a community to draw in other members. That's why he hopes to start a contemporary church in Luverne.

"We want to reach out to another segment of the community," Henderson said. "The church will be culturally relevant, non-liturgical, expressive in worship, and have a strong basis in fellowship and fun."

Henderson thinks the words relevant or innovative are better words to use than contemporary. "Today's contemporary is tomorrow's tradition," he said.

Why Luverne?
There is a process for choosing a church location. Henderson researches communities to determine the number of people who attend church. He surveys the churches in the area to find the average attendance on a given Sunday. He then compares that number to the number of people in a community.

By his calculations, he found that 49 percent of Luverne residents do not attend church. "Luverne is actually one of your greater church-going areas," Henderson said. But, he believes there is a need in the community for another option for worship.

Henderson has now moved to Luverne in order to work more closely on the project. He has a wife, Terri, three daughters, one son, and one granddaughter. Henderson is originally from Kansas City, Kan., but has pastored for 20 years in areas throughout the country. His last call was in Archer, Iowa.

Henderson has pastored in traditional and contemporary churches. He has chosen to form a contemporary church because "that's just where the largest segment of the population is at," Henderson said.

He has planted two other churches, not affiliated with the RCA, in Oklahoma and Kansas, but this a new position for him.

The church is one foundation
To start a church, Henderson needs a core group of about 12 to 15 families. After two years, the church would be ready to hire a full-time pastor. Once that happens, Henderson plans to stay in Luverne but set up churches in different communities in southwest Minnesota.

At the moment, the church is meeting with a group of families from the American Reformed Church in Luverne to form a core group.

A few years ago, the American Reformed Church talked about forming another church. When Henderson came, he asked if any families in the church were interested in forming a new one. A few families were interested, and currently, they meet weekly with Henderson in different homes to discuss options and worship. Worship is informal and includes a variety of music. Henderson is planning to start a praise band where local musicians can join in the service.

One of the members is Randy Ehlers. "Traditional churches are not well prepared to bring people to a loving relationship with Christ," Ehlers said. "New contemporary churches have been more successful in this area."

At the moment, only members from the American Reformed Church are participating, but Ehlers said, "We welcome anyone in Luverne to join us."

For more information contact J.R. Henderson at 507-283-4475.

By Sara Quam
It looks as though Luverne's economy is getting a boost from a business with local ties.

Netbriefings, an Internet Webcasting services company, announced June 21 that it will expand in Luverne. The Luverne Economic Development Authority is offering a $250,000 loan pending council approval and agreement upon loan conditions.

But even without final approval, all signs point to Netbriefings' new customer and product service center coming to Luverne.

Gary Anderson, CEO of Netbriefings, said, "I'm happy to be able to expand my business in the community where my parents live and the area where I was raised. This will allow our company to conduct our national product and services rollout by drawing upon the hard working and strong pool of talented people that Luverne provides."

Anderson's parents, Wayne and LaVonne Anderson, still live outside of Luverne, and his younger brothers are Luverne graduates. Anderson said he feels comfortable in southwest Minnesota as he spent most of his childhood in Slayton. He also preferred the Luverne location because of the access to Sioux Falls and its airport in particular.

In addition to the LEDA's financial support, Netbriefings is looking for funding from the Southwest Minnesota Foundation, a Small Business Administration loan and private capital.

The St. Paul company came to Luverne's attention through Patrick Pelstring, who also has Luverne ties.

Pelstring hosts meetings in which businesses and cities come together to find the right match. It's a tool the city of Luverne has used for some time to make contacts.

Anderson said that after meeting with six other cities, Luverne started to feel right. "We did a session and only visited Hibbing and Luverne. The chemistry was just there. I think part of it was the LEDA being such a good group to work with," he said.

As a Webcasting company, Netbriefings streams live audio and video for corporations wanting to have meetings in different locations. The company can also archive the meetings for large companies that may have employees who need to catch up.

LEDA Director Tony Chladek said he looks forward to the company's Luverne expansion.

"It can be risky," Chladek said, "but I think it's the type of company Luverne's been asking for, and it could be the one that brings back some of our graduates."

Netbriefings expects to hire a manager after finding the right office space. Within a year, Anderson estimates he'll need five to six employees at the most. He expects that number to increase to 31 after three years. The process of finding a manager could start as early as September.

By Jolene Farley
Superintendent Tom Knoll officially tendered his resignation at the Monday Hills-Beaver Creek School Board meeting.

All board members had been notified of KnollÕs intention to resign by letter prior to the June 11 board meeting. The board voted unanimously to accept the resignation.

Daryl Williams, Dell Rapids, S.D., has been hired as interim superintendent. Williams is a retired superintendent who is willing to fill in for as long as needed, according to board member Gary Esselink.

The month of July will be a transition period for the Hills-Beaver Creek district. Williams will work two to three days a week. Knoll has accrued vacation time so he will likely not be working at Hills-Beaver Creek every day during the month.

In other board business:
o The board voted to hire Brent Steinert as band and music instructor. He has taught music in the Avon, S.D., school district for the past two or three years, according to Esselink. The hiring committee "was quite impressed with him," Esselink said. He graduated from Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD.