Luverne’s 39th annual Buffalo Days Celebration is in the books after four days of events and activities that drew thousands of people to town.
The lineup featured classic Buffalo Days events like the Friday Night Cruise-In and the Saturday morning run, Main Street parade and vendor event in the Courthouse Square.
“Hats off to our community partners for doing their part to offer so many special things to do for the four-day weekend,” said Luverne Chamber Director Jane Lanphere.
The 33rd Classic Car Cruise-In had a rocky start with a 20-minute downpour just ahead of the 5 p.m. setup. However, the clouds cleared, the sun came out, and more than 150 classic vehicles found their way downtown.
The Starfire band provided live music near the beer garden and food court. Take 16 hosted a packed block party with Buffalo Gal concessions and music by Chavez and Friends.
Saturday morning’s Buffalo Days Run for a Cause, a benefit for Carson’s Cause, had 40 registered runners at the Luverne City Park (see related story), and the parade had over 70 entries for a crowded four blocks of Main Street.
“We had a terrific parade that was almost an hour and a half long,” Lanphere said.  
The Buffalo Days Expo in the Courthouse Square had 48 vendors, live music, family activities and 11 different food vendors.
“The Expo provides a wonderful opportunity to shop for handmade and unique items,” Lanphere said
“We had wonderful vendors and food trucks at the Courthouse Square.”
Throughout the weekend, more than 60 youth baseball teams were scheduled to compete in the Junior Legion Buffalo Days Tournament.
“Town was busy,” Lanphere said.
 
‘Tour de Loop’ adds fourth day to weekend
New to the Buffalo Days lineup this year was the Thursday night Tour de Loop, which will be an annual fourth day lead-in to the weekend.
It’s a community bicycle ride on Luverne’s Loop that features prizes awarded for stops on the seven-mile trail.
This year the community celebrated the recent trail completion with a ribbon-cutting and grand opening festivities.
“We had a great Tour de Loop and counted 189 riders,” Lanphere said. (See the related story on page 2)

Sampling will take place this fall to determine how old the water is within the Rock County Rural Water system.
System director Ryan Holtz stated May 2 to county commissioners he received a $50,000 grant from the state Department of Health.
The grant will pay for the collecting of water samples and testing at a Canadian company.
“They can actually age the water to tell how old it is so we would have a good idea if it is man-made fertilizers,” he said. “It would give us a good idea where our contaminants are coming from.”
Sampling will focus on the west edge of the system’s drinking water supply management area, where high nitrate issues persist on the west side of the Rock River.
“We’ve done a lot of implementation of grasses and cover crops and all these different things,” Holtz said.
“There is one question we’ve always come down to: ‘Where do they come from? Where are the nitrates at? Are they at 3 feet, 10 feet deep?’”
Water samples will be collected at 5-foot intervals down to 30 feet in depth.
“We will be able to tell the depth we find the nitrates and will be able to age the water as well — to find out if it came this year, last year or 20 years ago,” Holtz said.
Knowing the water’s age will pinpoint what cropping practices, if any, should be implemented and what restrictions, such as manure application, should be in place to keep water quality at drinkable levels.
Holtz said he will reapply for the same grant to resample next spring and compare the nitrate levels.
“We can hopefully pinpoint some of these things and clean up what we have and care for what we have,” he said.

Community leaders, residents and visitors celebrated the grand opening of the Luverne Loop Trail during a ribbon-cutting and “Tour de Loop” bike ride Thursday, June 1.
Mayor Pat Baustian congratulated local leaders and volunteers for their efforts in getting the local trail completed.
“Ten years ago we started putting money in the general fund to make this happen,” Baustian said. “We had a vision 10 years ago, and today is a culmination of many efforts of everybody here who made this happen.”
The Luverne Loop offers 7.4 miles of trail around the outskirts of the city, and by linking to the Blue Mound Trail, the combined route offers more than 13 miles of continuous paved path.
Baustian credited Luverne Economic Development Director Holly Sammons for her planning work and for applying for grants that helped get the trails built.
“Holly has done a phenomenal job on this; she deserves a lot of credit for her persistence and determination to make this happen,” he said.
“This whole project is about 60 percent grants and 40 percent local.”
Grant funding came primarily from the Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission in partnership with the Minnesota Legacy Fund and Minnesota DNR.
At Thursday’s ribbon-cutting Baustian credited local bicycling enthusiast Preston VerMeer for his role in the early stages of planning.
“I’d like to thank Preston VerMeer for all of his passion and vision,” Baustian said. “He said ‘Let’s get a bike trail,’ and he was definitely the driving force with the dream and the vision.”
VerMeer replied, “I love it. You did an awesome job.”
Baustian singled out several other local individuals and public officials, but said the trail was the result of many different people and groups working together.
“It takes a community to make this happen,” he said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve had everyone working toward this common goal. … It’s really a cool thing that ties our whole community together.
Bicyclists participating in the Tour de Loop could pick up ride maps and instructions for entering drawings at five individual stops for prizes that were drawn at 8 p.m.
The event at the trailhead building on East Main Street offered prizes for youth and adults totaling $2,500. They included Trek bikes, bike accessories, helmets, repair gift certificates and more.
“We’re going to try to make it an annual event that’s on the Thursday before Buffalo Days,” Chamber Director Jane Lanphere said about the Tour de Loop.
“It’s going to be a family-friendly community bike ride … and this year because we’re celebrating the completion of this beautiful trail system through our community, we pulled out all the stops.”

The city of Luverne’s population may have surpassed the 5,000-person threshold to qualify for more state and federal funding for public infrastructure.
That’s according to correspondence received by Luverne City Administrator Jill Wolf Thursday from Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower.
Despite efforts to publicize and encourage local participation in the 2020 census, Luverne’s official census count landed at 4,946.
It was a 4-percent increase over the 2010 census count, but still shy of the 5,000-person goal.
The demographer’s letter stated that Luverne’s April 1, 2022, population estimate is 5,033 with an estimated 2,099 households.
That was all the information in the memo, that had the subject line, “2022 Population and Household Estimates.” It was dated June 1.
“We are going to request more information and possibly a waiver on getting the state to formally recognize the increase,” Wolf said Monday.
“The city can receive more benefits from the state, such as local gas tax for road repairs, once the population is over 5,000.”
Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian said he, too, is encouraged by Brower’s letter.
“It’s great news,” he said. “This could mean a significant increase in state aid for us.” 
The demographer’s office is required by law to produce annual population and household estimates for Minnesota cities and townships.
The figures represent estimated population and household changes since the 2020 Census. The state uses data from sources such as the Census Bureau and building permits to estimate population. Broad changes in Rock County contributed to the increase in Luverne.
The estimates also have been sent to the county auditor for review and are subject to change. They are not considered final until released by the Minnesota Department of Revenue in July.
The city has reached out to the State regarding next steps to formalize the new population estimate.

Premium Iowa Pork has reportedly offered to pay $13 million for the bankrupt HyLife Foods pork processing plant in Windom.
The plant, which was converted from a beef processing facility in 2016, has the capacity to process 1.2 million hogs per year and employed more than 1,000 employees.
The outcome of the sale will hinge on proceedings in bankruptcy court, and PIP officials are withholding comment until those proceedings are complete.
The Hospers, Iowa, company spent $30 million in 2019 to establish its antibiotic-free pork processing business in Luverne.
Premium Minnesota Pork expanded the 78,000-square-foot building to 145,000 square feet and now processes 4,000 hogs per day with roughly 450 workers.
It later added a 10,000-square-foot, $7 million cooler to the operation.
The company is now considering an additional $70 million processing facility that would add more than 90 jobs in Luverne’s industrial park near its current pork processing facility along County Road 4 west of town.
PMP has not yet broken ground on that project that would process pork for bacon, smoked hams, case-ready products and ground pork.

Meetings
Battle Plain Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8, at the Edgerton Ag conference room. Call 507.220.0679 with questions.
Vienna Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at the Kenneth Community Center.
American Legion Auxiliary will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 14, at Pizza Ranch in Luverne. Call Dianna Tomlinson, 507-283-1934, with questions.
Sanford Luverne Pink Ladies will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 12, at Sanford Luverne. Call Sharon Zinnell, 507-227-3821 with questions.
 
‘Tin Can Phones and Typewriters’ at plaza June 8
The Rock County Historical Society will host “Tin Can Phones and Typewriters” from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, June 8, at the Plaza on Main as a free hands-on summer event for children.
 
Live music on plaza June 12
Local guitarists and vocalists Ron and Jane Cote will provide live music from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday, June 12, at the Plaza on Main.
Bring a chair and enjoy lunch from Wildflower’s Lunch Trailer.
 
 
‘Touch a Truck Night’ June 12
Meet the vehicles and drivers who keep Luverne moving. See, touch, explore, honk is a free event from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, June 12, at the Luverne School north parking lot. The event is free, and the first 200 kids receive a gift.
A burger meal for $5 will be available by Rock County Cattlemen & Rock County Historical Society as a fundraiser for the Historical Society.
 
Bloodmobile in Luverne June 13
The American Red Cross Bloodmobile will accept donations from noon to 6 p.m. June 13 at Living Rock Church on East Main Street in Luverne. Make an appointment through the donor app or through redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767.
 
SAIL classes in Magnolia
SAIL classes meet from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday mornings, June 6 through Aug. 24, in the Magnolia Post Office. The free classes, Stay Active and Independent for Life, improve strength and balance. Call A.C.E of Southwest Minnesota manager Linda Wenzel, 507-283-5064, or A.C.E. volunteer Connie Frahm, 507-220-3584.
 
Rock The Edge accepting service projects
Rock The Edge will host the local Service Over Self mission week June 26-29. If you have a project you need assistance with (painting, cleaning, yardwork, small construction, etc.) call 605-261-4000 or 507-227-1978. To volunteer as an adult, call 401-500-3427. Childcare provided upon request.
 
Community Ed
Community Education will offer the following classes in the next few weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to register.
Book Club may be for grades 2-4 (as attended during the 22-23 school year) will meet for four sessions starting on June 6. A snack and book will be provided. Fee is $30.
Defensive Driving 8-hour class will be Sept. 11 and 18 (four hours each evening). The Refresher four-hour classes are June 12 and July 10. 
Soccer League meets for four weeks in August for children ages 4 through grade 7 as attended during the 2022-23 school year. Fee is $30 if paid by June 12. After June 12 registrations are accepted only if spots on rosters are open and the fee is $60.
Grades 5 through adult, will get a basic introduction to working with clay on June 10. Fee is $20 plus $5 for materials paid to instructor at studio.  
 Grades K-4 during the 2022-23 school year will have fun at Paint and Snack Classes on June 12, July 17 and Aug. 14.  Sign up for one class or for all three.  Fee is $33/class.
Students grades 6-12, as attended during the 2022-23 school year, can learn basic yoga poses and breathing exercises at Teen Yoga for four sessions starting on June 12. Fee is $40.
Grade 5 through adult can work on a clay project with assistance from an instructor during Open Studio. Reserve two hour blocks of time on June 13, July 8 or August 12. Fee is $25 and covers all materials, glaze and firing.
Grades 9 through adult will get an introduction to the pottery wheel at Throwing on the Potter’s Wheel on June 17.  Fee is $30 plus a $10 material fee paid at class.
Sanford Luverne Summer Speed, Agility and Quickness (formerly Sanford Power) for grades 7-12 in the Luverne area starts June 21. Fee is $80 if paid by June 9.
 
Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com.
Story Time in the Park begins June 8 and will continue each Thursday through July in a different park in Luverne. The event begins at 10:30 a.m.
•June 8, Evergreen Park
•June 15, Kolbert Park
•June 29, Veterans Memorial Park.
•July 6, Evergreen Park
•July 13, Kolbert Park
•July 20, Veterans Memorial Park
•July 27, Hawkinson Park
Books on Tap takes place at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month at Take 16 in Luverne.
The 50 State Challenge for adults and older teens is currently underway where patrons are encouraged to read a book set in one of each of the 50 states through Jan. 1, 2024.
Trivia Night is at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Take 16 in Luverne. Team registration begins at 6 p.m.
Reminiscence Kits are available featuring various topics such as gardening, pets, baking, sewing, farming and hunting. The kits are designed to use with a loved one experiencing memory loss, encouraging the loved one to open up about activities they once loved in the past.
STEAM kits are also available checkout. Motion, lights, hydropower, robotics and magnets are among the kits.
 
Storytelling kits at library
Libraries in the Plum Creek Library System are rolling out their new Storytelling Kits in a wide range of subjects from ABCs to Zoos.
Each of the more than 130 kits contains a variety of materials based on the kit’s theme. Some include Wonderbooks, puppets, music CDs and DVDs. Various learning activities can also be found in the kits as well.
The initial checkout period for the kids is one week with two renewals.
 
Food Shelf evening hours
The Rock County Food Shelf is open for an additional evening shift from 5 to 6 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month. Call Mary at 507-227-5548 or Katie at 507-227-3531.
 
A.C.E. respite care available, volunteers needed
A.C.E. of SW Minnesota (A.C.E.) offers respite care services in Rock County for those needing a break from caring for a loved one.
The respite program offers short-term (1-3 hours), temporary care for families and caregivers by providing a brief period of reprieve from the daily cares they provide to their loved one.
Volunteers provide non-professional supportive services to caregivers to give them time for themselves, relieve their stress and help them remain healthy.
Respite care volunteers are also needed. Trained A.C.E. volunteers provide respite care to family caregivers of adults age 60 and older who are suffering from long-term health conditions.
Contact Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us.

Brothers Del and Robert Walraven will lead the Hills Friendship Days parade Saturday morning.
The parade begins at 10:30 a.m.
Each year, parade organizers honor a long-standing business owner as parade marshal. This year they chose two.
The brothers own Wally’s Nursery, located on 250th Avenue just outside Hills.
Older brother Robert agreed to be the parade marshal and told Del he also needed to be on the float.
“I haven’t gotten too excited about it yet,” Del said of the honor. “Been just too busy with things.”
Typically, during Friendship Day parades, Del said he stays at the nursery and landscape business to help customers who come to Hills for the activities.
Robert generally walks the parade route as part of the American Legion Honor Guard.
This year they will ride on a float the brothers organized this week.
Wally’s Nursery was started in 1967 by their father, Henry, who grew and sold garden plants to supplement the farm’s income.
In a matter of years, both brothers returned from college to join the family nursery operation and create a landscape business.
After 56 years in business, neither brother is ready for retirement.
“Both the mind and body need to stay active,” Del said. “It is not good to sit and watch out the window.”
 
Three days of Friendship activities planned
The Helping Build Communities Stronger (HBCS) committee has been busy planning activities for this weekend’s Hills Friendship Days.
“We sure hope to have something for almost everyone this year,” said HBCS treasurer Corey Metzger.
‘This can only be done with the many generous donations and a lot of volunteer work, so they deserve a huge shout out.”
Friday starts with a morning golf tournament at Meadow Acres in Larchwood.
At 5 p.m. the car show begins on Main Avenue that includes food trucks, a beer garden and live music. A little league tournament kicks off Friday evening.
A full day of activities is slated for Saturday beginning at 7 a.m. with a 1K and a 5K run/walk. The FFA alumni pancake breakfast also begins at 7 a.m.
The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by activities and a vendors fair taking place in Jacobson Park.
Saturday evening’s activities include a 6 p.m. all-pro wrestling event and an 8 p.m. street dance.
Sunday features worship in the park with Hills-Beaver Creek alum Tom Goehle as guest speaker. Registration for the kids’ fishing derby begins at noon.

Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota DNR are encouraging Minnesotans to get out in nature and enjoy the state’s outstanding outdoor opportunities by proclaiming June 2023 as Great Outdoors Month.
The proclamation cites the health and wellness benefits of spending time outdoors as one of the many reasons to encourage Minnesotans to get outdoors.
We couldn’t agree more.
The recently completed Legislative session is bringing more investment to state parks, trails, campgrounds, water areas and other public lands.
The newly enacted Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences) Initiative provides $110 million in transformational, one-time investments for enhanced outdoor recreation access ($25 million), modernization of camping experiences ($5 million), modernizing boat access ($35 million), modernizing fish hatcheries and fishing infrastructure ($35 million) and restoring streams and modernizing water-related infrastructure ($10 million).
Until those investments are complete, there are still plenty of existing amenities to enjoy outdoors.
During Great Outdoors Month, the DNR is offering special programs and incentives to encourage Minnesotans to get outdoors. June 9-11 is the annual Take a Kid Fishing weekend, when Minnesotans 16 or older who take a child 15 or younger fishing don’t need a fishing license. More information is available on the Take a Kid Fishing web page (mndnr.gov/takeakidfishing).
June 10-11 is also a no-registration riding weekend on motorized state and Grant-in-Aid trails. This weekend allows Minnesotans with an all-terrain vehicle registered for private or agricultural use to ride public trails without paying the registration fee. Find ATV trails on
the trail locations map (mndnr.gov/ohv/map.html).
On Saturday, June 10, the DNR will also host a Free Park Day, which allows free entrance to all 75 state parks and recreation areas in Minnesota. There’s a state park or recreation area within 30 miles of most Minnesotans.
In addition to offering popular activities such as hiking, biking, camping, swimming, paddling and birding, a variety of state park programs are open to all visitors. Programs are free, but some require preregistration. Find state park programs online at the state parks and trails events calendar (mndnr.gov/ptcalendar).
But remember one important detail about the state’s promotion for “Get Outdoors Month.”
The entrance fee waiver for Free Park Day does not cover amenity or
user fees for activities like camping, rentals, or special tours.
Details are on the Free Park Day web page, mndnr.gov/freeparkday.
Celebrated across the United States since 2008, Great Outdoors Month highlights the diversity of public lands throughout the country and the benefits they provide.
It is also a great message to remember all the local amenities that get us out in the great outdoors.

This column marks the beginning of my 10th summer working part time at the Star Herald.
In 2014, Editor Lori asked me if I could help as a part-time reporter for a few weeks that summer when the position was open.
General manager Rick agreed, and my temporary fill-in gig began.
It wasn’t quite as random as it may seem, however.
When I graduated high school, I thought journalism was going to be my college major before I decided to go into teaching.
I had been a fan of newspapers since Mr. Olson introduced us to the Star Tribune in his fifth-grade classroom.
My mom made sure to buy a Star Herald during her lunch break on Thursdays so it would be at home for me to read after school.
When I was in college, she saved the Star Heralds for me to read when I came home.
During the year I lived near the Twin Cities, I got a subscription to the Star Herald to make sure I kept up with the news from Luverne.
For much of my teaching career, I’ve requisitioned Star Tribune newspapers for use in my own classroom and continue to do so.
So, my relationship with newspapers, my love of writing, and my interest in sharing news from my hometown made the Star Herald a natural part-time job in the summer of 2014.
That summer I learned some tough lessons right away from Editor Lori.
Do not take photos for the paper without people in the photo.
Do not take photos for the paper with people’s feet “cut off.”
Do not write that an event “was held” in your articles.
And many more.
But I’m a relatively quick learner and was able to adapt quickly enough that they kept letting me write … and occasionally take photos.
By the next summer, reporter Mavis was hired (thankfully) and my Star Herald role moved into covering for vacations and other reporting jobs as needed.
Sports editor John always took vacation for two weeks in June, so I found my way into writing about sports.
After sports editor John retired, I morphed into the summer “sports guy” for a few years and began covering mostly Junior Legion, Legion and Redbirds baseball.
And now, here we are.
Thankfully, we have a “new” sports editor, Greg, who is doing great and is a far, far better photographer than I am. The sports pages look great!
I’m back to writing news articles and will be covering some local government and other features throughout the summer.
Looking back 10 years, it’s amazing how much things have changed … but also how much they have stayed the same.
Luverne continues to be an active place with lots of news that the Star Herald does an outstanding job covering and documenting.
And they still let me help do that in the summers — as long as there are people in photos and those people’s feet are in the frame.