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  • By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical Society
    June 22, 2021
    The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Aug. 17, 1877. At a meeting of the St. Paul board of education held recently, a contract was entered into with Wilson, Hinkle, & Co., of Cincinnati, by which text books are to be furnished the city schools at one-half the rates formerly paid for the same books. The Superintendent was duly authorized, and directed to furnish an estimate to…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    June 15, 2021
    Monday night, a dedicated group of 4-H horse project leaders assembled new portable bleachers for the horse arena at the Rock County Fairgrounds. It’s no small undertaking. The bleachers arrived last week in a tidy box filled with hundreds of bolts, rivets and aluminum pieces. When assembled, they become a safe and secure public seating area. The old wood and steel bleachers can hopefully benefit…
  • By Rick Peterson, Tollefson Publishing general manager
    June 15, 2021
    Sunday is Father’s Day and the funny thing about Father’s Day for me is I don’t consider it a day set aside for me as a father. I know that sounds rather confusing, but what I am trying to say is Father’s Day for me is more about three other very important fathers in my life. First is my father, or Dad, as I called him. He died of cancer at the age of 47 some 40 years ago. I think about him often…
  • By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical Society
    June 15, 2021
    The following appeared in The Rock County Star-Herald on March 17, 1949.   County Pioneer Growth of Certified Southern Type Brome Seed in State Rock county has gained distinction as being one of the pioneer counties in raising certified Fischer and Lincoln brome grass, a plant of vital importance to soil conservation. Soil Conservationist Jerry Simpson said this week that Luverne was the only…
  • By George Bonnema, Luverne Horticulturalist
    June 15, 2021
    The lilacs have finished blooming so if you need to prune them, this is the time to get that done. Remember to cut them back far enough to give them room to grow to the size you will want them to be. If there are no leaves on the stems when you have finished the task, that’s OK. They will develop new leaves on the stems that have been cut back. I noticed black spots showing up on Goldsrum…
  • By Scott Rall, outdoors columnist
    June 15, 2021
    For those of you who have a hunting dog or just have a dog around as a pet, you know how much time and energy that can take. Multiply that times four and you can live in my world. For most folks it is not all that hard to find someone to watch the pooch when you want to be gone. Others will pay a boarding outfit the $35 a day to be sure that they get some attention and get let out to do their…
  • By Jason Berghorst, reporter
    June 08, 2021
    Recently a friend sent me a link to a satire video that had some fun with graduation open houses.  “So spot on,” the friend remarked in the text.  The video highlighted the most universal aspects of the traditional open house: •Hastily cleaned garages with the normal garage items hidden behind a tarp. •Display boards of photos from childhood — extra credit if the yearly school photos are lined up…
  • By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical Society
    June 08, 2021
    The following appeared in The Rock County Star-Herald on Feb. 9, 1950.   Lunch Program Inaugurated at Hardwick School   Hot Dish, Sandwich, Dessert and Milk Now Are Served to Children The traditional lunch bucket — as important to the pupil as pencils and books in years gone by — has vanished from the Hardwick public school scene. The cold lunches, which for years were a part of the everyday life…
  • By Scott Rall, outdoors columnist
    June 08, 2021
    I recently made the seven-hour drive to Upper Red Lake in Minnesota. I figured this was about the 15th time I had made this annual trip to the best walleye fishing in North America. It is a father-son experience I cherish. For those of you who can remember back that far, the walleye fishing on Upper Red Lake collapsed from overnetting and to some extent overfishing by anglers back in about 2000.…
  • By Brenda Winter, columnist
    June 01, 2021
    It’s been five years. Five years ago, I completed treatment for anal cancer and was told the cancer was gone. I was also told, in so many words, “If you make it five years, you’ll be considered cancer-free.” (They don’t say “cured” anymore.) So here I am five years later.  I made it. A friend once told me, “A day will come when you don’t even think about cancer.” I’m still waiting. It seems…
  • By Rick Peterson, general manager
    June 01, 2021
    Last year COVID-19 put the kibosh on my annual three-day fishing trip. For the past six years a couple of my buddies and I have been spending a few days fishing Lake Sharp on the Missouri River. We camp at the West Bend State Park in South Dakota. It’s not really camping when one of those buddies has a 40-foot RV. As good fortune would have it, the other buddy has a 20-foot Lund that we fish out…
  • By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical Society
    June 01, 2021
    The following appeared in The Rock County Star-Herald on Feb. 2, 1950.   County Receives Larger Allotment For 1950 Soil Conservation Practices   No Definite Information Available as Yet About 1950 Corn Acreage Cuts The 1950 appropriations for agriculture conservation practices in Rock county will be $51,600, about $2,000 more than in 1949, Leonard Arp, Rock county PMA chairman, announced on…
  • By Scott Rall, outdoors columnist
    June 01, 2021
    I never really figured out what I wanted to do after high school until I was about 28 years old. After graduation I took a few years off from schooling in the sales and marketing arena. I sold cars and then newspaper subscriptions. At age 28 I decided I wanted to be a regional fisheries manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. However, this would have required six more years of…
  • By Lori Sorenson, editor
    May 25, 2021
    Hunting season is upon us, and I don’t mean pheasants or deer. I’m talking about asparagus — spotting it in its natural environment, camouflaged in roadside ditches and grassy field driveways. Asparagus hunting involves special wild game hunting instincts not utilized with big game or birds. It requires an eagle eye and heightened peripheral vision in order to spot a single green stalk among tall…
  • By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota Highway Patrol
    May 25, 2021
    Question: Do I need an oversize or wide-load permit to haul a boatlift that is over 9 feet wide to my cabin? Answer: You would need to obtain a permit because the width is over 8 feet 6 inches. Hauling oversized items without a permit or escorts (if required) can be dangerous and is illegal. Troopers and private escort companies are required to be trained and certified. An oversize and/or…
  • By George Bonnema, Luverne Horticulturalist
    May 25, 2021
    If you applied systemic rose care as I advised earlier, that was six weeks ago so now is the time to make a second application. All forms of pine trees and shrubs are making their new growth now. That new growth is called a candle. For the more compact varieties of pines like Mugho and Tannenbaum, cutting off 1/2 to 3/4 of that new growth will result in a much fuller and compact plant. Completing…
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