By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Zach Wysong experienced a Fourth of July weekend full of baseball.As a member of the Luverne American Legion team, Wysong and the Cardinals played five games between Friday and Sunday at the Brookings (S.D.) Tournament.Luverne went 2-3 at the event.Wysong went 3-16 at the plate, scored two runs and drove in one during the tournament. As a pitcher, he earned one save and received one loss during two mound appearances.Luverne opened the tournament by dropping an 8-0 decision to Pipestone Friday morning. Wysong went 1-3 at the dish against the Arrows.The Cardinals bounced back to nip Cokato 2-0 in a tilt played Friday afternoon. Wysong, who was 0-3 at the plate, walked and scored Luverne’s first run in the first inning.Coon Rapids handed the Cards a 14-4 setback Saturday. Wysong picked up one hit in three trips to the plate.Luverne notched its second win of the event by nipping Mayville (N.D.) 8-7 Sunday afternoon. Wysong, who went 1-2 at the plate, recorded the final two outs of the game as a pitcher to gain a save. He yielded one hit and one run and fanned one batter.Brookings nipped the Cards 2-1 in the tournament finale Sunday night. Wysong went 0-34 at the plate, and took the loss after pitching four innings of seven-hit, two-run relief.The 10-6 Cardinals host Edgerton Friday and New Ulm Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseHe may be handicapped, but Hills’ resident Roy Francis isn’t afraid to try new things.Francis has been using a wheelchair since being injured in a truck accident nearly 12 years ago, but that didn’t stop the 62-year-old from bowling in Eden Prairie June 25-26.The Brunswick Center, located in the Twin Cities suburb, was the site of the 2005 Minnesota Paralized Veterans of America Ramp Bowling Tournament.Francis, who started competing in the sport 18 months earlier, turned in his second consecutive solid performance at the event."I placed sixth out of 14 bowlers," Francis said from his home in Hills. "We all played 12 games, and our places were based on total pins. I was in the neighborhood of being less than 100 pins short of the winner."All things considered, Francis was satisfied with his performance.With the help of his wife, Nonie, who collected balls from the return and placed them on his ramp, Francis rolled 203- and 201-pin games during his appearance in Eden Prairie.Those efforts fell short of his career-high 226 rolled during the same event last year, but the big games helped Francis place sixth in the tournament field for the second straight year.For a man who was fortunate to survive a near-fatal accident, placing sixth at a bowling tournament feels just about as good as winning one.It was early August in 1993 when Roy and Nonie were returning to their home in the Black Hills of South Dakota after dropping off their daughter at a Bible Camp in Montana.The Francises were inside their Ford Ranger in Butte County, S.D., when a bump on a gravel road sent the vehicle out of control. The Ranger, driven by Roy, spun around on the gravel road a couple of times before hitting the shoulder of the road and rolling over.Nonie received a bruised hand during the accident. Roy’s life was changed forever."I broke my neck. It was a complete dissection of my spinal cord (at the Cervical 6 Vertebrate). I’m quadriplegic, and I’ll always be this way," he said.Being close to his family and finding a new challenge in bowling have helped Francis cope with his physical limitations.Ron and Nonie moved to Hills three years ago, a place where one of their daughters (Vicki Virkus) calls home. Another daughter (Jessica Pigott) lives in Sioux Falls, and son Scott lives in Pipestone, where he owns and operates a bowling alley. Ron’s mother, Mary Francis, is a resident at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills.Bowling will continue to be a part of Francis’ life, too.Ron plans to compete in a PVA Mixed League for a second time this fall. The league matches are staged on Saturdays at Empire Bowl in Sioux Falls.League play starts in October and continues through April, and it presents Francis with a challenge he has grown to love."I really like bowling. The difficulty of mastering it presents a challenge. It looks pretty straightforward, but a whole lot can go wrong between releasing the ball from your hand and hitting the pins," he said.

By Lexi MooreThe Blue Ribbon 4-H Club meets the third week of the month in the Hills area. Their June meeting was at Rez Park and included project demonstrations and updates on plans for the upcoming Rock County Fair.The 4-H Club makes community pride a large part of their organization. Throughout the year, they complete projects under the supervision of 4-H volunteer director Shelli Van Weston."We’ve made lap quilts for hospice, walked ditches and have made door decorations for the Tuff Memorial Home."Last year the club designed, built and installed a play set at the Rez Park. The play set has multiple slides, swings and ladders.The funds to build the play set came from various fund-raisers during the year. This year the club raised money from sales of baked goods.The club boasts 23 members from 11 different families in and around the Hills and Steen area. Participants range from first grade to college.At monthly meetings, members participate in presentations on a variety of topics. Guest speakers teach the members new skills. At a recent meeting they learned how to operate a spinning wheel to make thread. During meetings, members take turns reporting on their projects or giving project demonstrations. Parents feel this activity develops better speaking and presentation skills.Among the projects demonstrated at the June meeting were Maleeka Sandager’s rug project and Meagan Stueven’s wall hanging made from fabrics.Many of the members are working on projects that they will submit at the Rock County Fair. Van Westen tells them that their success at the fair isn’t as important as what they have learned in their preparation.Families interested in joining 4-H can contact the Rock County Extension Office in Luverne.

By Lexi MooreHills resident Luella Schleuter will retire from the news industry after making local information her business for nearly half a century."Hills Local News," her column, has been published weekly in the Hills Crescent for decades. She began writing for the paper when her husband, George, was publisher in the mid-1900’s.Shortly after relocating to Hills with George, Luella began her role as Hills correspondent. "I decided to help, so I went around to businesses and asked for news," said Schleuter in a 2001 Hills Crescent story.In addition, she gathered news about residents’ travels and visitors for each week’s paper.Two weeks ago, Schleuter informed Crescent editor Lexi Moore that she intended to retire at the end of the month."I will be moving into an apartment and starting a new part of my life," she said. "I need to retire. I just can’t do everything anymore."Even after her retirement, Schleuter believed local families and businesses of Hills would continue to call her with news if the Crescent did not hire a new columnist to cover local news. Not long after beginning her search for the right candidate, Schleuter contacted Cheryl Pavel.Pavel has been a Hills resident since 1994 when she and her husband, Rich, relocated here from Valley Springs."We always liked the Hills area and decided we would go get a house there instead of putting money into our old home," Cheryl said.Rich and Cheryl were raising their five-year-old granddaughter until Rich passed away in the fall of 2005. After Rich’s death, Cheryl assumed sole custody of the little girl and became a single mother. In dealing with her many changes in life, Cheryl had decided to try some new things and was eager to accept Luella’s offer."I felt very honored she thought of me," she said. "This is something totally different than what I have done in the past. It sounded really fun."Although Cheryl doesn’t have prior experience as a columnist, Tollefson Publishing hired her as the new "Hills Local News" columnist based on her enthusiasm and interest in Hills.Her first column, with the assistance of Schleuter, appears in this week’s issue.Residents are encouraged to call or write her with local news, events and visitors at 962-3344.Although the Crescent will miss having Schleuter on staff, staff members are looking forward to a long business relationship with Cheryl.

By Lexi MooreRoste Funeral Home changed hands on Friday. Owners Rich and Sue Roste sold the Roste and Walton-Roste funeral homes in the communities of Rock Rapids, Larchwood, George, Sibley, and Ashton, Iowa, and Hills to Jerry and Amy Jurrens of George.Rich worked 25 years in Rock Rapids and the surrounding communities. During these years, the Rostes have expanded their businesses to include six facilities.The Hills location opened during the summer of 1996.Roste’s decision to retire resulted in the purchase of the business by Roste employee Jerry Jurrens.Jerry started his funeral-directing career in October 1996 with the Roste and Walton-Roste Funeral Homes and said he has always dreamed of owning his own funeral home.Jurrens took possession of these businesses on July 1.Jerry’s wife, Amy, will remain a communications instructor at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa. The couple said the only aspects of the business that will change are the owners."The name, service and staff will all remain the same. We will run the business in the same manner of professionalism and dignity that people have come to expect from the Roste name," Jerry said.Business ownership is new to Jerry, but he said he can handle the added responsibilities and is welcoming the challenge.

By Lexi MooreThe Hills-Beaver Creek Independent School District began accepting affidavits for candidacy on Tuesday.During their June 6 meeting, the board approved a resolution establishing the dates for filing affidavits of candidacy for the fall general election, which will be Tuesday, Nov. 8.At that time, four members will be elected to the school board for terms of four years each. Three of the seats are currently occupied by board members Tim Baker, Alan Harnack and Lois Leuthold. The fourth seat is held by former board member Roland Crawford.Crawford was asked by the board to fill the seat vacated by Matt Larson, who resigned in May. Crawford accepted his appointment at the school board meeting on June 30.All current members are eligible to file for re-election.Residents living in the district who are interested in running for office in November have until 4 p.m. July 19 to file an affidavit of candidacy for the office of school board member with the school district clerk at the H-BC high school.Candidates for office are required to pay the $2 filing fee and must be eligible voters and age 21 or older.Additional mandates state that the individual must have been a resident of the school district from which the candidate seeks election for 30 days before the general election and have no other affidavit on file for any other office at the same general election.ECSU contractDuring the June 30 meeting, the board approved the H-BC Educational Cooperative Service Unit contract for the 2005-2006 school year. H-BC contracts for 10 services through ECSU, including special ed, technology, drug and alcohol management, health and safety assistance, media services and their environmental/OSHA program.The approved contract totaled $37,186.33 for the 10 services. Last year the contract with ECSU was for $35,857.60. The board felt the 4 percent increase was understandable and approved the contract as it was presented.

10 years ago (1995)
At a strategic planning meeting, the Luverne City Council discussed promoting Main Street development and increasing downtown’s visibility.
Anthropologists from the Science Museum of Minnesota drove from St. Paul to the John Cronberg farm west of Luverne because Cronberg found a spearhead there 20 years ago.25 years ago (1980)
A large barn was destroyed Saturday on the Elmer Wellendorf farm four miles west of Ellsworth. Ninety pigs were also lost in the blaze.
The American Reformed Church of Luverne is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Guest speakers and special events are scheduled through November, according to Rev. William Hoffman, pastor. 50 years ago (1955)
Featured speaker at the Rock County Historical Society’s picnic will be Chief White Buffalo Bull, a Sioux Indian. He will give a talk on early Indian history and present several tribal dances.
Many fields of corn in Rock County are now knee-high.
Gordon Toft was awarded the Jaycee Key Man award at the Junior Chamber of Commerce annual banquet.75 years ago (1930)
Lightening started a barn fire at 10 a.m. on a farm operated by John Lund. The barn was practically new and was destroyed before firefighters reached the scene.
Steam locomotives have temporarily taken the place of the gas-electric engines on the Omaha passenger trains.
Mrs. J.L. Hogan, of Cherokee, Iowa, a former resident of this city and mother of Harold Hogan, in whose honor Dell-Hogan Post is named, was one of the Gold Star mothers who accepted the U.S. government’s invitation to visit the World War cemeteries in France. In a letter to her son, William, she wrote, "I am sitting on the ground beside Harold’s grave. You could never imagine a place so beautiful and so peaceful. They furnished each of us with a nice wreath for the graves and the government has placed two flags, French and American, three poppies and two palms on each grave."100 years ago (1905)
Will McDermott, who lives near the Mounds, shot a large raccoon in his yard near the house Tuesday evening. The animal is the first of its kind seen in this section for a good many years.
The members of the Keaffee Klatsch birthday club were delightfully entertained in honor of Mrs. W.C. Schwartz Saturday afternoon, at the home of Mrs. J.P. Coffey, on North Freeman Avenue.

By John RittenhouseA weekend full of racing action yielded one feature victory for an area driver.Luverne’s Jesse Akkerman picked up a feature title Saturday at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D.Competing in the late model street stock class, Akkerman won the second heat race before winning his first feature event at the track this season.Five other area drivers won heat races over the weekend.Luverne’s Chad Overgaard, who was competing against Akkerman in Madison, won the first heat race before finishing 13th in the feature.Ellsworth’s Greg Roemen and former Rock County resident Darrin Korthals posted heat wins at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Friday.Roemen won the first heat race in the sportsmen class before placing fifth in the feature. Korthals won the second heat race before placing second in the street stock feature.Ash Creek’s Marlin Kracht won the third heat race before placing fourth in the modified feature at Murray County Speedway in Slayton Sunday.Kanaranzi’s Colter Deutsch won the third heat race and placed third in the A feature at Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, S.D., Sunday.Here is a look at the rest of the results turned in by area drivers over the Fourth of July Weekend.Rapid Speedway.Rock Rapids, IowaFriday’s resultsStreet stock: Scott Overgaard, Luverne, second in first heat and ninth in A feature; Mark DeBoer, Adrian, third in first heat and sixth in A feature; Colter Deutsch, Kanaranzi, fourth in first heat and seventh in A feature; Korthals, Rock Rapids, first in second heat and second in A feature; C.Overgaard, second in second heat and fifth in A feature.Sportsmen: Roemen, first in first heat and fifth in A feature.Hobby stock: Nick VanBelle, Luverne, sixth in first heat and ninth in A feature; Andy Gabrielson, Luverne, seventh in first heat and 14th in A feature; Amanda Deutsch, Kanaranzi, sixth in second heat and eighth in A feature.Factory stock: Adam Jenniges, Ellsworth, second in first heat and sixth in A feature; Daniel DeBeer, Adrian, third in first heat and third in A feature; Ron McClure, Luverne, fifth in first heat and fourth in A feature.Nobles County SpeedwayWorthingtonSaturday’s resultsSportsmen: Cliff Lynn, Adrian, second in A feature.A modified: Josh Klay, Magnolia, third in A feature.Murray County SpeedwaySlaytonSunday’s resultsHobby stock: Jeff Haubrich, Luverne, first in heat, third in A feature.Modified: Kracht, first in third heat and fourth in A feature; Josh Reisch, Luverne, third in A feature.Huset’s SpeedwayBrandon, S.D.Monday’s resultsStreet stock: Korthals, third in first heat and third in A feature; Akkerman, second in second heat and eighth in A feature.C.Deutsch, Kanaranzi, third in third heat and 13th in A feature.Hobby stock: Greg Brandt, Luverne, sixth in second heat and 10th in A feature.Huset’s SpeedwayBrandon, S.D.Sunday’s resultsStreet stock: Korthals, second in second heat and second in A feature; C.Deutsch, first in third heat and third in A feature; Akkerman, second in third heat and 14th in A feature.Hobby stock: Brandt, third in first heat and sixth in A feature; Gabrielson, sixth in first heat and 13th in A feature.Lake County SpeedwayMadison, S.D.Saturday’s resultsStreet stock: C.Overgaard, first in first heat and 13th in A feature; S.Overgaard, fourth in first heat and fourth in A feature; Akkerman, first in second heat and first in A feature; C.Deutsch, second in second heat and seventh in A feature.Sportsmen: Roemen, second in first heat and fourth in A feature.Hobby stock: Brandt, fourth in second heat and 12th in A feature.Jackson County SpeedwayJacksonSaturday’s resultsHobby stock: Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, third in A feature.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne American Legion team played nearly .500 baseball during a three-day tournament in Brookings, S.D.The Cardinals beat teams from Cokato and Mayville, N.D. Losses to Pipestone, Coon Rapids and Brookings left Luverne with a 2-3 record during the tournament, which was staged Friday through Sunday.Luverne sports a 10-5 record at event’s end.Brookings 2, Luverne 1In a rare opportunity, Luverne was in a position to win a game while being no-hit during Sunday’s tournament finale in Brookings.Luverne plated one unearned run in the top of the third inning when Jared Pick was hit by a pitch and scored on an error to give the Cards a 1-0 lead.Brookings, however, plated single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull out a one-run victory.Pick blanked Brookings during three innings of work as the starting pitcher, allowing two hits and two walks. Zach Wysong took the loss during a four-inning stint on the mound as a relief pitcher. Wysong surrendered seven hits, one walk and two runs.Box score AB R H BIPick 3 1 0 0Bruynes 3 0 0 0Oeding 3 0 0 0Wysong 3 0 0 0Nath 3 0 0 0Lundgren 3 0 0 0Schepel 3 0 0 0Goembel 2 0 0 0Petersen 2 0 0 0Luverne 8, Mayville 7The Cardinals withstood a late challenge from Mayville to post a one-run win during Sunday’s first game.After falling behind 1-0, Luverne scored eight consecutive runs (one in the bottom of the second inning, four in the fourth and three in the seventh) to gain a seven-run cushion at 8-1.Mayville rallied to score six runs in the top of the seventh, but Luverne recorded the final out of the game before yielding a potential tying run.Brett Lundgren, who picked up the pitching win, tied the game at one with an RBI single in the second inning.Kelsey Petersen slapped a two-run single, Pick tripled home a run and J.T. Bruynes delivered a run-scoring single during Luverne’s four-run fourth inning. Craig Oeding doubled home two runs and Wysong slapped an RBI single during a three-run rally in the sixth.Lundgren pitched six and one-third innings of eight-hit, six-run, four-walk and four-strikeout ball during a winning effort. Wysong recorded the final two outs, yielding one run and one hit, to record a save.Box score AB R H BIPick 4 1 1 1J.Bruynes 4 1 2 1Oeding 3 1 1 2Wysong 4 1 1 1Nath 4 0 1 0Schepel 3 1 1 0Lundgren 3 0 1 1Goembel 3 1 0 0Petersen 3 2 2 2CR 14, Luverne 4Coon Rapids disposed of the Cardinals by 10 runs during a tournament game Saturday afternoon.CR took a 6-0 lead after three and one-half innings of play before icing the contest with eight runs in the top of the seventh.After yielding two runs in the third inning and four in the fourth, Luverne put together a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth to trail by two (6-4).Bruynes singled home two runs, Kelsey Petersen doubled home a run and Seth Goembel delivered an RBI single in the fourth for Luverne.Bruynes, who replaced starting pitcher Pick on the mound when Pick was struck by a batted ball, yielded 12 runs in four innings. He surrendered four hits and five walks. Pick was charged with two runs in three innings as the starter, walking two batters and allowing three hits.Box score AB R H BIPick 1 0 0 0C.Bruynes 2 0 0 0J.Bruynes 3 0 1 2Wysong 3 0 1 0Nath 3 0 0 0Lundgren 4 0 0 0Oeding 4 1 0 0Boler 3 1 0 0Petersen 3 1 1 1Goembel 3 1 2 1Luverne 2, Cokato 0Ben Nath carried the Cardinals to a two-run victory over Cokato in Friday’s second game.Nath tossed a seven-inning shutout and drove in the game-winning run in the top half of the first inning.Nath fanned eight batters and allowed three hits and three walks during his complete game.After Wysong walked and stole second base in the top of the first, Nath slapped an RBI single to give the Cards a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.Marc Boelman was hit by a pitch and scored on a squeeze bunt by Lundgren to account for Luverne’s final run in the third inning.Box score AB R H BIPick 4 0 0 0Wysong 3 1 0 0Boelman 4 1 2 0Nath 3 0 2 1Schepel 4 0 0 0Oeding 4 0 0 0Lundgren 3 0 2 1Goembel 3 0 0 0Petersen 3 0 0 0Pipestone 8, Luverne 0The Cardinals were unable to generate an offense during the tournament opener against Pipestone Friday.Luverne was limited to five singles in the game without scoring a run.After scoring once in the top of the first inning, Pipestone took advantage of three Luverne errors to score seven runs in the third inning to put the game away.Boleman pitched all seven innings for Luverne, surrendering two walks during an eight-strikeout effort.Box score AB R H BIPick 3 0 0 0J.Bruynes 1 0 0 0Fitzer 2 0 0 0Wysong 3 0 1 0Boelman 3 0 1 0Schepel 3 0 1 0Nath 3 0 1 0Oeding 3 0 1 0Lundgren 2 0 0 0Clark 1 0 0 0Goembel 1 0 0 0