Filing dates set for election to Dist. 671 School Board 
NOTICE OF FILING DATES FOR ELECTION TO THE SCHOOL BOARD
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 671
HILLS-BEAVER CREEK PUBLIC SCHOOLS
STATE OF MINNESOTA
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the period for filing affidavits of candidacy for the office of school board member of Independent School District No. 671 shall begin on August 2, 2022, and shall close at 5:00 o'clock p.m. on August 16, 2022.
The general election shall be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. At that election, four (4) members will be elected to the School Board for terms of four (4) years each.
Affidavits of Candidacy are available from the school district clerk, 301 N. Summit Ave, Hills, MN. The filing fee for this office is $2.00. A candidate for this office must be an eligible voter, must be 21 years of age or more on assuming office, must have been a resident of the school district from which the candidate seeks election for thirty (30) days before the general election, and must have no other affidavit on file for any other office at the same primary or next ensuing general election.
The affidavits of candidacy must be filed in the office of the school district clerk and the filing fee paid prior to 5:00 o'clock p.m. on August 16, 2022.
Dated: June 27, 2022
BY ORDER OF THE SCHOOL BOARD
/s/ Tamara Rauk
School District Clerk
(07-07, 07-14)

Local organizers are working hard to finalize plans for the Division II Minnesota American Legion Baseball State Tournament. 
The tournament will be played at Redbird Field in Luverne July 29-31. 
According to Luverne Baseball Association (LBA) president and tournament chairperson Don Dinger, the event will bring eight teams and hundreds of fans to Luverne. 
“This is a great chance to show people from all around the state the good things going on in Luverne and to get them into local businesses,” Dinger said. 
As the host community, Luverne’s Senior American Legion baseball team will automatically qualify for the tournament. 
Luverne last hosted the event in 2014, the year that Rock River flooding caused major damage to Redbird Field in early June. 
With the help of city of Luverne staff and many LBA and other volunteers, the field was repaired in time for the late July tournament that year. 
“It was amazing how that tournament was still able to happen,” said Dinger, who was also a lead organizer of the event eight years ago. 
“The people were impressed with that tournament and how we were able to still host it, so we knew we wanted to do it again.”
Luverne was originally scheduled to host the tournament in 2021, but when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament, the host locations were moved back one year. 
According to Dinger, there are eight different subcommittees working on plans for the four-day event. 
"In all, it takes about 60-75 volunteers to make this tournament a success," he said. 
Primary volunteer duties include field workers, concessions, beer garden and ticket takers. 
“Fundraising is the most important thing when it comes to preparing for the tournament,"” Dinger said. “We have to raise about $25,000 to break even.”
Dinger said the Luverne community has been very supportive already and the fundraising continues. 
“We appreciate the businesses that purchase ads in the tournament booklet and make other donations,” he said. “We also receive great support from American Legion posts.” 
The tournament will include an opening banquet at Big Top events on Thursday, July 28. The banquet is open to the public. 
The featured speaker at the banquet is Brian Raabe, New Ulm native, former Major League Baseball player and current head baseball coach at Bethel University in the Twin Cities. 
“That will be a great event,” Dinger said. “He’ll have a great message for all the players and parents and others who attend.”
Another highlight of the tournament will be the opening ceremonies on Friday night. 
Dinger said all of the teams are lined up on the field in uniform and various military officials are on the field for the ceremony. All active and past military members will be admitted for free. 
“We really encourage people to attend that opening ceremony,” Dinger said. “It’s really something to see, and they do a great job honoring all the military.” 
Dinger said extra bleachers will be brought in for the tournament and there will be two concession stands serving customers. 
Recent improvements to Redbird Field will also enhance the state tournament experience. 
Dinger said the LBA and the city of Luverne have partnered to expand the concession stand building at Redbird Field, to add new concrete, and to improve the field of play, among other projects. 
“The city of Luverne is great to work with. They own the ballpark and make sure that it’s one of the best around.” 
“We’re good at running tournaments, but without the great facility these tournaments wouldn’t come to Luverne,” Dinger said. 
Support for hosting the tournament also comes from the Luverne Area Chamber. 
“The Chamber promotes the tournament and we make sure to push all the events and businesses in Luverne,” Dinger said.  
Tournament organizers point out that the local hotels will be full and restaurants and other local businesses and attractions will all benefit from the many visitors coming to town. 
“It’s a real honor for our town to host this tournament. We’re excited for people from all around Minnesota to be welcomed to Luverne,” Dinger said.

Word of mouth is credited for increasing volunteerism in Rock County in 2021.
Michelle Baumhoefer, A.C.E. executive director, recently updated County Board members about the seven-county volunteer program. With her was Linda Wenzel, who manages the Rock County program.
“I can’t put into words the wonderful job she (Wenzel) has been doing in getting the word spread around the county and people involved with volunteer hours and getting them registered,” Baumhoefer said.
In 2021, the 590 Rock County volunteers provided 44,917 hours to 59 service locations.
Among the counties of Rock, Lyon, Nobles, Redwood, Murray, Lincoln and Cottonwood, Wenzel enrolled the highest number of new volunteers (147) in the last year and had the largest increase in volunteer hours in one year (11,107).
Leading the local list of 2021 logged volunteer hours is ATLAS of Rock County and its Redeemed Remnants store in Luverne.
ATLAS/Redeemed Remnants had 5,422 hours logged by 58 volunteers.
Eighteen Grace Quilters volunteers had 4,199 hours, followed by 30 Rock County Historical Society volunteers with 3,167 hours.
Baumhoefer said in Rock County alone, the volunteer hours are equivalent to 21.5 full-time employees.
“You guys have really rocked the volunteer program,” she said. “Everybody in Rock County should be very proud of what has been developed here.”
Within A.C.E. of Southwest Minnesota, the equivalent is 110 full-time employees.
Thrift stores like Redeemed Remnants operate in all seven counties, according to the A.C.E. report. Many couldn’t operate effectively without volunteers.
“This confirms that volunteers play a crucial role in providing essential services in all our communities,” Baumhoefer included in her report.
“Additionally, volunteers help build capacity and improve sustainability for the organizations that they serve and are vital resources in helping nonprofits deliver on their mission.”
Wenzel said 2020 and the Covid pandemic forced some of her volunteers from the program due to health concerns as well as closure of some of the volunteer stations.
As a result, she developed a welcome kit for all new volunteers.
“Educating volunteers, I think, is key and reporting volunteer hours because it helps local nonprofits and helps to tell their story of service to our community,” Wenzel said.
She’s also tapped into the youth volunteerism in Rock County.
The youth group, Rock the Edge-Service Over Self, logged 2,184 hours with 89 volunteers, the fourth-largest contribution in the county.
With the inclusion of the youth, the average volunteer age in Rock County is 62. Among the other six A.C.E. counties, the average age is 69.

Thirteen students gathered in Morgan Van Holland’s elementary music classroom last week for a bucket drumming class through Luverne Community Education.
“(Director) Lisa Nath approached me with the idea of bucket drumming,” Van Holland said. “She noticed that there was a group in Sioux Falls and realized we have not done anything like that in our community.”
The third- through fifth-grade students will conclude the class with a public performance at Luverne’s Hot Dog Night.
The 15-minute performance will be at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, July 14, prior to the wiener dog races.
At the first one-hour class, Van Holland, who began teaching at Luverne Elementary in 2019, introduced students to basic percussion techniques and the parts of the five-gallon bucket that can be hit.
Subsequent classes taught students how to read music for bucket drumming.
“We thought offering a bucket drumming course would be popular with students because it was something different,” she said.
“The last three years that I have been here we have not used buckets in the music room, and this was something different for the students to learn.”
The July 14 performance will also help students learn.
“Students feel pride after working really hard on a piece of music and performing in front of an audience. They also gain a level of experience of how to handle emotions during a performance,” Van Holland said.
She admits that even professionals feel nervous and have a level of anxiety before performing.
“The more they perform, the more skills and confidence they build from the performance,” Van Holland said.

“Magic Zac” Tenneboe promoted the Rock County Library’s summer reading program, “Reading is Magic,” Tuesday afternoon, June 28, to a large group of children and adults gathered in the library basement. He used various magic tricks to entertain the audience and encourage children to pick up a book and read. The Friends of the Library sponsored an ice cream social on the front lawn after the event.

Local fire and rescue crews were dispatched to Hills Monday morning for a fire in the Hills Storage Center at Church and Fourth streets.
At around 9:45 a.m. officials with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad reported they heard an explosion and saw thick black smoke coming from the building.
Hills Fire and Rescue responded, along with mutual aid from Luverne and Beaver Creek departments.
The blaze was quickly extinguished, but damage was extensive in at least two of the garage bays in the structure owned by Ross Metzger and Kelly Leuthold.
Metzger said he had been in the building just an hour before the fire and hadn’t smelled anything or noticed anything unusual.
It was determined that a 2007 9400 International semitrailer owned by Harlan Stueven, Hills, had started on fire in the building. “This isn’t how we hoped to spend the Fourth of July,” Sue Stueven said.
Fire officials said the explosion that was heard came from the semi’s front right front tire that gave way from the heat of the fire.
Arlyn Metzger keeps his semitrailer in the unit next to Stuevens’, but he had backed it out at 7:15 a.m. to haul a load of distillers grain in Sioux Center.
“I usually park my vehicle in here when I’m gone, but thankfully today I didn’t,” said Metzger, who said he also stores a 1988 Camaro in one of the units.
It’s unknown the amount of damage to property in the other units, but smoke damage was extensive.
The Rock County Ambulance was also paged to the scene. No one was injured, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Luverne’s 2022 Fourth of July Celebration at The Lake didn’t disappoint, as hundreds of people flocked to the beach for festivities.
Steamy 90-degree temperatures also made lake activities like the log rolling contest more attractive, and dozens of participants signed up in the children’s and adult divisions.
Dozens of local businesses and organizations donated funds for the Fourth of July celebration, which allowed the Chamber and July 4 Committee members to keep events and attractions free for participants.
Competition results are on the Chamber website and more photos can be found online at www.star-herald.com.

Fareway Stores Inc. is remodeling the former W-2’s Quality Meats store at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 75 in Luverne to open a meat market this fall.
The company is also requesting an option to purchase property and is seeking a loan to facilitate the new store opening.
If the business goes well with the small meat market, Fareway officials have told city leaders they would like to acquire the property diagonal to the existing location to build a brand new stand-alone meat market store.
The city owns three parcels on the corner of Main and Highway 75 (102 S. Kniss Ave., formerly known as Remmedez, 108 S. Kniss Ave. and 309 W. Main St.) and is willing to sign an Option and Right of First Refusal with Fareway to purchase the property for $125,000.
The Option gives Fareway the exclusive right to purchase the property until January 1, 2024.
If the option is not exercised by then, Fareway still has a right of first refusal to purchase the property by Jan. 1, 2025, in the event that the city has a legitimate offer from a third party.
If Fareway elects to purchase the property at any point within those time frames, a development agreement would stipulate that the property must be developed within two years of acquisition.
The company is requesting financial assistance in the form of a $25,000 loan with the commitment of creating two new full-time jobs at the renovated location.
Fareway agrees to create two full-time jobs by Oct. 1, 2022, and maintain the jobs for two years. For each year that the two full-time jobs are maintained, 50 percent of the principal and accrued interest will be forgiven.
The loan agreement offers a short-term incentive for the startup, while the option and right of first refusal offers a long-term incentive for Fareway to invest in new construction in the future.
At their Tuesday, June 28, meeting, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the execution of a loan agreement and option agreement with Fareway Stores Inc.

Meetings
 Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 11, in the township hall in Beaver Creek.
Vienna Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, in the Kenneth Community Center.
 
Prairie Ally looking for workers
Volunteer workers are needed from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Prairie Ally public food forest for a variety of maintenance tasks. No RSVP necessary. Other work opportunities are available by appointment by contacting info@projectfoodforest.org. Donations are also welcome for Prairie Ally, which is located along Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne.
 
‘Service Over Self’
Camp July 20 at Inspiration Hills
Rock the Edge is coordinating a Service-Over-Self-inspired work day on July 20 at Inspiration Hills Camp in Inwood, Iowa. Youth who have completed grades 8 through 12 are welcome to register, with adult volunteers also needed. Deadline to register is July 14. To request a registration form, call 507-283-2316 or rocktheedgemn@gmail.com.
 
Senior Nutrition Program July 21
A.C.E. of SW MN will offer Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors 60 & older from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 21, as a drive thru distribution in the parking lot off Maple Street at the new A.C.E. office on the east side of Generations Event Center.  Pre-registration is required. Call 507-283-5064.
 
Food distribution is June 21
New Life Celebration Church’s third Thursday monthly food giveaway is now at the Atlas building at 101 W. Maple St. in Luverne. The next distribution is 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 21, until the food is gone.
Enter from Maple Street and stay along the west side of the building. Parking lot opens at 3 p.m. Do not block the Redeemed Remnants parking lot, intersection or alley entrance. Food will be loaded into vehicles, which then exit via the alley going west toward Estey Street.
Call 507-283-8963 or 507-283-4366 with questions.
 
Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com.
The Adult Summer Reading Program is currently underway at the Rock County Library. For every five books read between now and Aug. 15, an entry may be placed in the drawing to win one of four gift baskets. The program is open to ages 18 and older and includes e-books and e-audiobooks.
Storytime @ the Park will be 10:30 a.m. Thursdays in various parks in Luverne.  Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Dates and parks are:
•July 7, Luverne City.
•July 14, Kolbert.
•July 21, Veterans Memorial.
•July 28, Hawkinson.
Teens in Action (grades 5-12) will meet from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. A different activity will be featured each week.
Michael Albert and POP ART program will be Friday, July 15. Registration is required.
Movie and Snacks for The Lorax begins 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 19. The movie is 1 hr. 35 min., rated G. All ages are welcome.
A naturalist from Prairie Ecology Bus Center will present the program “Animals Can Do What?” from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, for grades K-4.
The summer reading program, “Camp iRead: Read Beyond the Beaten Path,” continues to Aug. 1.
Readers in grades K-4 who completed all eight weeks of the summer program will be invited to an End of Summer Pizza Party at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4.
Teens (grades 5-12) who complete a bingo card will be invited to a pizza/prize party at 3 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 5.
Seed library is open and available to anyone in the public who wants to plant a garden. Flowers, fruit and vegetable seeds are available for free.
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.
 
Register by July 14 for Luverne
Community Ed
Community Education office will be closed for two weeks, from July 15-29. Please watch registration deadlines carefully.
Register now for Discovery Time preschool starting in September for children 3-5 years of age. Early Learning Scholarships may be available to those who qualify.
 Friday morning Adventure Day Camps are at the fairgrounds for students who completed grades 1-4. July 8 is “Cows, Pigs, Pets, Oh My!” August 5 is “Blast Off!” Fee is $15/day.
Missoula Children’s Theatre returns to Luverne on August 15-20! There are openings yet for participants ages Kdg (as attended during 21-22 school year) through age 7 and ages 12-18 to take part in the live production of Hansel & Gretel.  Fee is $35 paid by July 14.
Participants who attended grade 5 this past school year through adult are welcome to reserve Open Studio two-hour blocks of time on July 9 or August 6. Fee is $25 and covers all materials, glaze and firing.
 
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.