Monday, April 24: Asian chicken, rice pilaf, peas and carrots, peaches, bread.
Tuesday, April 25: Pasta in meat sauce, green beans, pineapple chunks, bread stick, dessert.
Wednesday, April 26: Meatloaf, baked potato with sour cream, pears, bread, bar.
Thursday, April 27:
Roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, California Normandy, bread, fresh fruit.
Friday, April 28: Chicken ala king, brown rice, broccoli cuts, fruit cocktail, cookie.
LSS Dining offers well-balanced and affordable meals in a community atmosphere.
Call Pam Franken at 283-9846, extension 11 to reserve one day prior, to arrange to pick up a dinner or for home-delivered meals.
Gift certificates are available at the meal site or online at www.lssmn.org/nutrition.

Earlier in March I gave you nature indicators when to plant what for your vegetable garden.
I was reminded when I saw all the pre-emergent crabgrass preventer in stores that I had not given you that indicator, which is when the lilac buds are ready to open, but not yet open.
Crabgrass is an annual weed, and the seed will not germinate until the ground is warm. These preventers are pre-emergent, meaning that you have to have it applied prior to the seeds germinating … too late and it isn’t effective, too early and rain could potentially move it down into the soil too deep to be preventative. If you’re on schedule, the lilacs don’t and won’t lie!
If you have summer- to fall-blooming perennials that need to be thinned or moved, ie: asters, daylilies, phlox, ornamental grass, hosta, sedum, mums, etc., get that job done in the next week, or wait until late summer. For spring-blooming perennials like peonies and bearded iris, wait to transplant or thin until mid-August.
     While cleaning up your flower garden, if you have had a problem with iris borers in your German bearded iris, now is when you want to do a thorough cleanup of ALL of last year’s stems and leaves.  The borers lay their eggs in the leaves, and that carries them into the next season.  Getting rid of all of those leaves now will likely eliminate most reinfections by the pest.
If you have a strawberry patch that is getting too thick, you can thin it now.
My experience is that after the plants have been producing for four years, they tend to become too thick, resulting in a decline in production and quality of the berries. I plan for this by rooting runners in 1-quart pots of soil in August. After about four to six weeks, those new plants will have become established and those babies can be planted in a new area.
It is best when renewing strawberries to move the patch to a new area to eliminate root and leaf diseases that can and will plague older plants. Thus, my thinning is actually a total renewal.
Yes, it is work but if I’m after quality berries, it is so worth the effort.
I grow a variety called Seascape, which is an everbearer, meaning that the plants bloom and produce a crop in June and then come back into production in August and continue until cold weather prevents their ripening.

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older.
The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on September 16, 1943.
(Continued from last week.)
Mr. and Mrs. Scott (Abraham and Lou) were married at Gettysburg, Pa., March 3, 1890, and then moved to Dixon, Ill., where they lived 16 years, seven of which they lived on a dairy farm owned by the Borden Company. They milked 36 cows by hand and when they were done, they had 11 ten-gallon cans filled to capacity. Their morning milking would be done by 6 a.m. and then Mr. Scott would load the cans into a wagon and drive to Dixon where the condensed milk factory was located.
“I really had some cold trips sometimes,” Mr. Scott recalls. “In the winter time, especially when the wind was cold, I really hated to cross the bridge there at Dixon, as that seemed to be colder than any other place in the country.”
Mr. and Mrs. Scott worked in partnership with I.B. Countryman in Illinois, and it was he who induced them to come to Minnesota to live. He had a farm near Hardwick, and in 1905, they moved there. They were almost ready to turn back after their first year, because it was such a change from what they were accustomed to in either Illinois or Pennsylvania. Their first corn crop turned out to produce nothing but husk, and the land was not as desirable as it later was because it had not been tiled. Conditions improved the following year, and they finally made up their minds to stay.
They farmed until 1920, and then moved to Hardwick, which has since been their home. It was there they observed their golden wedding anniversary three years ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Scott were the parents of four sons, only one of whom is now living. He is Byron J. Scott, of Hardwick. They have five grandchildren.
Mrs. Scott has two brothers living. They are Frank Manahan, of Dayton, Ohio. There were five in the family at one time. Mr. Scott has two sisters living. They are Mrs. Mary De Lapp, and Elizabeth Scott, both of Harrisburg, Pa. There were seven children in the Scott family.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

10 years ago (2013)
•Stacy Riphagen, owner of Luverne’s newest business at 206 E. Main St., is busy unpacking boxes for her store opening at the end of April.
Her store, Dragonfly, will feature home décor, lighting and furniture.
Riphagen said she and her husband, David, and sons Spencer and Carter have worked hard to repurpose much of the former Renfro Variety Store furnishings.
Plaster has been removed to expose original brick walls, the oak floor has been refinished and a bead board ceiling was discovered after two lower ceilings were removed.
Old shelving has been turned into baseboards. Riphagen said one “bittersweet” aspect of the restoration was repurposing the front desk that Margaret Vegge used for her 50-some years at Renfro’s.
The Dragonfly first day open will be Saturday, April 27, and a grand opening is planned for later this spring.
 
25 years ago (1998)
•With prom only a week away, Luverne School Board members were faced with a difficult decision about after-prom plans at their Thursday, April 23, meeting.
Students approached board members about excusing them from class on Monday, April 27, because they’ll be tired from prom and after-prom activities.
Students attending after-prom activities will spend Sunday, April 26, at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City. Roughly 120 students will board three chartered buses at about 2 a.m. Sunday after their Saturday night dance wraps up at 1 a.m.
They plan to arrive in Kansas City at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, so they can enter the park when the doors open at 10 a.m.
 
50 years ago (1973)
•Mr. and Mrs. Henry Smith of Hills, Minn., were among more than 100 farm couples who attended a national farm business conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, recently, sponsored by Farm Wife News magazine.
The conference consisted of special seminars on farm management techniques, goal setting and agri-estate planning, plus tours of selected livestock and cropping facilities.
The farm couples flew to Hawaii in a giant 747 jumbo jet and stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, located on Waikiki Beach at the edge of the Pacific. The conference included a mid-week flight to the island of Maui, where the farm group toured the research facilities of a major seed firm, and viewed no-tillage plots especially planted for the conference to show no-till crops in the growing state.
 
75 years ago (1948)
•Burglars netted $75 in two break-ins Sunday night at Kenneth.
At the Farmers Elevator Co. office the burglars broke a padlock on the office door and then opened the safe. They took $60 in cash but left the checks, according to L. Dietrich, manager of the elevator.
At the Kenneth Liquor store the thieves gained entrance and then took $15 from the till. No liquor was stolen according to Floyd Fritz, owner of the store.
 
100 years ago (1923)
•Luverne’s high school this year will have the smallest graduating class in recent years. The seniors now number twenty-five, the greater majority of whom are girls, and even though all of the class should be granted their diplomas, which at this time is considered doubtful, it would still fall below the average-sized graduating class of this school.
Class honors were announced on Thursday evening of last week. Ruth Engelking, having the highest average, is the valedictorian; Ella Anderson won the place of salutatorian by holding second rank, and Emma and Effie Anderson received their and fourth places, respectively. These honors are determined by computing the average of all studies taken up during the four years of high school, up to the second semester’s work in the senior year.

Patricia LaVon “Patti” Swenson, 66, of rural Beaver Creek, died peacefully on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage in Luverne.
A funeral service was Friday, April 14, at Palisade Lutheran Church, rural Garretson, South Dakota. Burial followed in Palisade Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Rock Ranch for the Equine Assisted Therapy Program.
Patricia Wenzel was born on June 1, 1956, to Arnold and Jessie (Ellefson) Wenzel in Luverne. She grew up on a small family farm near Hardwick and attended Luverne Public School. She was baptized and confirmed at the Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. She graduated from Luverne High School and then moved to Worthington, and then to Rochester, where she worked as an LPN at St. Mary’s Hospital.
In February of 1977, Patti traveled to Porta Velho, Brazil, as a missionary nurse on base with Paymui Tribe with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She returned to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in August of 1977, working as an LPN for Avera McKennan Hospital on 1E. In May of 1978, Patti transferred to a Central Plains family practice clinic with Dr. Clark, where she remained until January of 1981.
In October of 1979, Patti married David Swenson at the Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. The couple moved to Luverne. Patti began working as a receptionist for Rock County Family Services while she obtained her RN (registered nurse) degree at Augustana University. After becoming a licensed RN, Patti worked at Avera McKennan Hospital in the hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplant units.
In December of 1989 she moved to her home in Beaver Creek, where she remained through the rest of her life. She continued working at Avera until March of 2020.
After retirement, her love and passion for horses continued.  She had been serving as a volunteer at Rock Ranch and upon retirement she took the necessary training to become an equine therapist.  As this passion grew, she started caring for the horses at Valley Springs Farms and became part of their family.
Patti was an active member of the Palisade Lutheran Church in rural Garretson, South Dakota, serving as a deacon, attending Bible studies and retreats, and serving as a delegate to the church-wide synod assemblies. She volunteered riding lessons at the Rock Ranch and deeply enjoyed riding horses. She also enjoyed shade gardening and worked hard to sow beauty into everything she did. She was especially fond of her family and loved to spend time with them.
Patti is survived by her husband, David Swenson of Beaver Creek; siblings Dean (Linda) Wenzel of Luverne, Richard (Deb) Wenzel of Garretson, and Paulette (Randy) Richters of Luverne; and many nieces, nephews, Avera family, and horse-loving friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Robert Wenzel.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(0420 F)

On Aug. 1, 1946, I was born in the hospital in Luverne, Minnesota, to John and Margaret (Moore) Cooney and joined my big brother, Judd. I attended Luverne Public School and graduated in 1964, the year Luverne won the Minnesota state basketball tournament. Upon graduation I attended the Minneapolis School of Art and Design and finished my art education at Mankato State University. I received my Bachelor in Art Education and later I added elementary education to my resumé.
While growing up in Luverne, I worked at the Blue Mounds State Park as a lifeguard and one summer traveled to Estes Park, Colorado, with relatives who had a cabin. I worked as a maid in a motel, which brought me to the realization that this was something I was not going to pursue.
After graduating from college, my first teaching job was in Ellsworth, Minnesota. I had a great teaching experience in this smaller school and the job in Ellsworth expanded to Magnolia. I then moved to Luverne where I expanded my love of teaching art to elementary and middle school students. I found teaching art to be my passion until my retirement in 2009.
My husband, David, and I were married on July 11, 1970, and enjoyed 52 years together. We loved to travel and spent a number of vacations in Estes Park. Our special travels included the fall colors in Vermont and New Hampshire and enjoying our 25th anniversary touring the coast of Maine, and a cruise to Alaska, followed by two vacations to Hawaii. Our marriage also brought us wonderful changes with the birth of our two children, Carrie and Mark. Mark left us too early but the addition of three grandchildren by Carrie and her husband Chad have been a true blessing that brightens up our lives.
I have been blessed by the experiences of my lifetime and the wonderful people I have met. I have especially enjoyed coffee every Wednesday with a group of wonderful ladies that share their stories, laughs, and friendship. I hope that I will be remembered for my love of art and my willingness to share it with others.
My greatest joy is my family that have supported me and been at my side through the good times and bad. Our two children, Carrie and Mark, were always very special and although Mark left us too early, he is always with us. Chad has been there for constant help and support along with Nathan, Connor, and Zachary, who have been a very special part of my life, and I hope they feel the same.
Surviving me are my husband, David; my daughter, Carrie, and her husband, Chad Overgaard; grandsons Nathan, Connor and Zachary Overgaard; and my brother, Judd Cooney of Castina, Iowa.
My parents and son, Mark, have preceded me in death.
A time of fellowship will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. A memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 28, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to 2184 Legacy fund.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home of Luverne, dingmannandsons.com.
(0420 V)

Evelyn Harmsen, 95, Luverne, died Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22, with a memorial service to follow at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. A private burial will be arranged by the family at a later date.
Arrangements are provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(0420 DN)

A memorial service for Lee Alexander, a longtime resident of Luverne, who passed away in January 2022 in Rolla, Missouri, will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Luverne United Methodist Church in Luverne.
(0420 DN)

Luverne A Honor Roll
Quarter 3
Seniors: Justis Ahrendt, Mariam Alinizi, Micah Anderson, Abigail Anderson, Brock Behrend, Ross Bergman, Emma Beyer, Parker Carbonneau, Phoebe DeBates, Ashton Eitreim, Marcus Feit, Egypt Forrest, Emmanuel Gonzalez, Jacie Graham, Lauren Hansen, Nicholas Hansen, Jadyn Hart, Jocelyn Hart, Tori Hemme, Camden Hoven, Camden Janiszeski, Anja Jarchow, Ashlyn Johnson, Katharine Kelm, Tiana Lais, Reese Louwagie, Lacey Morseman, Ethan Nath, Logan Ommen, Austin Ossefoort, Isabella Oye, Joseph Remme, Alyia Renken, Averill Sehr, Krystyn Skindelien, Cedar Viessman, Ava Vortherms, Christina Wagner, Elizabeth Wagner.
Juniors: Morgan Ahrendt, Tyler Arends, Alexsis Berg, Zoey Berghorst, Abby Boltjes, Morgan Bonnett, Brynn Boyenga, Kai Buss, Cassandra Chesley, Jenna DeBates, Elle Halverson, Henry Hartquist, Roselynn Hartshorn, Kyliauna Hendricksen, Uriel Hernandez, Julia Hoogland, Addison Huiskes, Kira John, Patrick Kroski, Maya Limones Gonzalez, Jacob Madison, Evan McCrary, Makena Nelson, Dennie Sandbulte, Sawyer Sasker, Tori Serie, Elizabeth Smidt, Sarah Stegenga, Skylar VanderSteen, Brooklyn Wicks.
Sophomores: Keaton Ahrendt, Zachary Brown, Jaycee Chapa, Audrie DeBates, Zariah Holmgren, Katia Jarchow, William Johnson, Caitlin Kindt, Brianna Kinsinger, Nora Louwagie, Andrea Luitjens, Xavier McKenzie, Liam Murphy, Emma Nath, Janica Oechsle, Corynn Oye, Hallie Pergande, Katherine Pizel, Maria Rops, Hannah Sneller, Kylie Vander Lugt, Sage Viessman, Piper Wynia.
Freshmen: Anna Banck, Rhiannon Bartels, Julia Beyer, Connor Bose, Zander Carbonneau, Fox Forrest, Thomas Held, Tyler Hodge, Ella Hoogendoorn, Hanna Kempema, Allie Kracht, Addyson Mann, Logan Mann, Nicholas Mann, Greta McClure, Cameron McCrary, Nardy Merida, Elizabeth Mulder, Gabriella Nath-Huls, Makayla Oechsle, Jordyn Reisch, Adelyn Rodriguez, Emma Saarloos, Ella Schmuck, Ava Sieve, Zoey Smeins, Jessika Tunnissen, Brooke Vos, Hannah Woodley.
 
B Honor Roll
Quarter 3
Seniors: Josie Anderson, Brady Bork, Tyson Cowell, Zachary DeBoer, Lily Ehlers, Sarah Gehrke, Yoselyn Gonzalez Quintana, Andy Halverson, Lucas Hansen, Kaleb Hein, Isabella Lanoue, Kaysie Lenz, Jocelynn Mann, Priscilla Muehr, Deziree Nath, Mallory Nelson, Carly Olson, Monica Padilla, Lola Peterson, Travis Schempp, Riley Sneller, Ryenn Stegenga, Carsen Tofteland, Myles Trimble, Harrison Uithoven, Kamryn Van Batavia, Daylin Velasquez, Mallory Von Tersch, Ryan Vos, Harley Wendland
Juniors: Tucker Banck, Kayla Bloemendaal, Anika Boll, Cash Bonnett, Zakada Bradley, Conner Connell, Sarah de Cesare, Isaac DeBates, Gavin DeBeer, Elliot Domagala, Brendan Eidem, Ryan Fick, Kenedee Franken, Morgan Hadler, Izabel Honerman, Cade Kracht, Spencer Kracht, Ava Loosbrock, Emma Lusty, Gracie Nath, Alyssa Petroff, Tyler Rolfs, Kiesli Smith, Owen Sudenga, Zachary Terrio, Perceyis Trierweiler, Josie Voorhees, Steven Woods.
Sophomores: Masyn Akkerman, Jaelyn Arp, Bethany Behr, Payton Behr, Kaelyn Braun, Kaitlin Conger, Amira Cowell, Lucky Dara, Trevor DeBates, Marcos Diaz, Jack Gangestad, David Happeny, Kaleb Hemme, Ashton Hood, Leif Ingebretsen, Owen Janiszeski, Ryker Johnson, Linkon Knorr, Christopher Matthiesen, Elijah McLendon, Augusta Papik, Ella Reisdorfer, Blaycie Remme, Tucker Remme, Layne Sasker, Carter Sehr, Maren Stegenga, Coulter Thone, Kendra Thorson, Marcus Vortherms, Zane Walgrave, Elijah Woodley.
Freshmen: Azeez Ahmed, Jocelyn Altman, Ella Apel, Nicole Areualo, Alexander Booe, Lucas Brockberg, Kasey Buss, Maddux Domagala, Joshua Hansen, Elijah Henricks, Samuel Hinz, Dawson Holtz, Rebecca Hoogland, Gavin Hoven, Jaydon Johnson, Aaron Kindt, Caleb Kracht, Jaxon Lais, Landyn Lais, Paula Martinez, Xander Remme, Riley Ripka, Jace Rozeboom, Austin Sandbulte, Blake Sauer, Traytan Sayavong, Madison Schepel, Blake Swenson, Jace Tofteland, Katelynn Van Belle, Hadley Vanderburg, Hannah Wieneke, Kianna Winter, Aaliyah Xaysongkham.