Luverne’s Perry Schnnekloth poses for a picture in front of his winning car, an Oldsmobile Cutlass, after winning the Enduro Race at the Rock County Fair Saturday. Schneekloth completed 188 laps in two hours to claim the top position in a record-setting field of 57 cars that competed in the 2003 version of the event.By John RittenhouseA Luverne driver emerged as the champion of the Rock County Fair’s largest Enduro Race Saturday night.Perry Schneekloth bested a record field of 57 cars to win the 2003 version of the Enduro Race, which is sponsored by the Rock County Corn & Soybean Association and Agri-Energy, LCC.Driving his Oldsmobile Cutlass, Schneekloth completed 188 laps to win his first Rock County Fair title.Schneekloth’s winning performance was witnessed by many.According to Burdette Braun, one of the event organizers, Saturday’s race attracted 1,090 fans to the grandstands. Add another estimated 300 to 400 people working in the pits, and the result was one of the most well-attended grandstand shows in the history of the local fair."We had a record field of 57 cars at the start of the race, and 90 percent of the field was made up of local drivers," Braun said. "There were 21 cars still running at the end of the race."The Enduro Race runs under a 200-lap, two-hour time limit, whichever comes first.With 57 cars on a small track to start the race, not surprisingly, it was the two-hour time limit that settled the issue.Schneekloth topped the second-place performance turned in by Valley Springs driver Jeremy Skadden by seven laps. Skadden completed 181 laps.Luverne drivers Travis Van Santen and Adam Kinsinger placed third and fourth respectively.Van Santen completed 176 laps in his Oldsmobile Delta 88. Kinsinger racked up 175 laps in his Pontiac Grand Prix.Randy Sasker, a Luverne High School graduate who now lives in Worthington, completed 173 laps in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo to place fifth.Rock County residents Greg Vande Velde and Matt Sandbulte cracked the Top-10 at race’s end.Luverne’s Vande Velde placed sixth in his Dodge Diplomat. Sandbulte finished eighth in his Chevrolet Caprice.Area drivers Cliff Lynn and Gene Schoep placed ninth and 10th respectively. Lynn is from Adrian. Schoep is from Edgerton.Sioux Falls driver Eric Schultz rounds out the Top-10 by finishing in the seventh slot.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds were backed against the wall when they traveled to Granite Falls for a Region 13C Playoff game Wednesday, Aug. 6.Luverne posted a three-run win against Fairmont in the region opener at Redbird Field Friday, but the Redbirds lost a seven-run decision in Granite Falls Sunday.The 17-11 Redbirds need to beat Granite Falls twice to earn a berth in the state tournament.Luverne was facing elimination with a loss in Granite Falls Aug. 6. A win in that game would force a championship game to be played 7:30 p.m. at Redbird Field Friday.GF 7, Luverne 0The defending state Class C champions had little trouble disposing of the Redbirds by seven runs during Sunday’s game played in Granite Falls.Granite Falls blanked the Redbirds for nine innings while limiting Luverne to four singles in the game.The hosts produced runs in five of eight innings they appeared at the plate, setting the stage for a lopsided win.Granite Falls plated singled runs in the first and second innings to gain an early advantage before making it 5-0 with two runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth. A two-run eighth inning for the hosts put the game out of reach.Luverne’s best scoring chances came in the second, sixth and ninth innings, but the Redbirds stranded two runners on base in all three innings.Luverne’s singles came from Jeff Sehr in the second inning, Derek Ohme in the sixth and Mike Wenninger and Terry Eernisse in the ninth.Wilmont draftee Ben Morrison pitched the first six innings and took the loss. He allowed 11 hits and five runs (two were earned). Cole Johnson, another Wilmont draftee, pitched two innings of two-hit, two-run ball in relief of Morrison.Box score AB R H BIOhme 3 0 1 0Reisch 2 0 0 0M.Sehr 2 0 0 0Schneider 0 0 0 0Wenninger 4 0 1 0J.Sehr 4 0 1 0Weber 3 0 0 0Edstrom 2 0 0 0Tr.Eernisse 2 0 1 0Iveland 2 0 0 0Winkels 2 0 0 0Fisher 2 0 0 0Sandbulte 1 0 0 0Luverne 5, Fairmont 2An outstanding pitching performance by Jon Jarchow led the Redbirds to a three-run win during the region opener in Luverne Friday.Jarchow pitched nine innings of one-hit ball to pick up the victory.Jarchow overpowered Fairmont by recording 13 strikeouts. He walked four batters and hit another in the game. The lone hit Jarchow surrendered was a double in the sixth inning.Luverne opened a 2-0 cushion in the bottom of the first inning and never lost the lead as the game progressed.Ohme and Ben Winkels reached base on errors to start the first inning for Luverne. Sehr singled home Ohme, and Winkels scored when Brian Weber grounded out.Fairmont scored once in the top of the second before the Redbirds countered with a run in the bottom of the second to make it 3-1.James Fisher tripled and scored Luverne’s run on a fielder’s choice by Ohme.Fairmont trimmed the difference to one run (3-2) in the top of the sixth before Luverne iced the game with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings.Luke Iveland singled and scored on a ground out by Winkels in the seventh. Billy Schneider walked and scored on a double off the bat of Eric Edstrom in the eighth.Box score AB R H BIOhme 3 1 0 1Winkels 4 1 0 1M.Sehr 3 0 0 0Reisch 0 0 0 0J.Sehr 4 0 1 1Weber 4 0 1 1Schneider 0 1 0 0Edstrom 3 0 2 1Sandbulte 3 0 0 0Eernisse 0 0 0 0Iveland 4 1 1 0Fisher 3 1 1 0

By Jolene FarleyA new fire hall, city shop and city offices will soon be a reality for Beaver Creek residents. The old fire hall and Beaver Creek Township offices were demolished Thursday to make way for a new 130-by-200-foot, two-tone steel building on the same site. The Beaver Creek City Council hasn’t decided what colors the building will be yet, according to city employee Lloyd DeBoer.The total project, which has been in the works for three or four years, is expected to cost around $280,000. DeBoer said money was the main reason the project wasn’t started sooner. The city was in the middle of the golf course and other projects, he said."We finally got ‘er going. It took a little bit, but we’re going," DeBoer said. Hoppe Construction, Sioux Center, Iowa, is general contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of October.The new structure will extend within about four feet of the Beaver Creek Post Office building.The new fire hall will have 14-by-14-foot overhead doors. "It’s (the fire hall) going to have a fill valve for water and it’s going to have bigger doors," said DeBoer. DeBoer said it was sometimes difficult backing equipment into the narrow doors on the old buildings.The new city offices will have a meeting area for the city council and fire department. The city shop will have 12-by-14-foot doors. The current city offices are rented from Beaver Creek Township. The township plans to use the vacated space for its offices. Beaver Creek Fire Department volunteers stripped the buildings before the demolition. Some items were salvaged for installation in the new building such as overhead heaters, gear hangers and a blackboard.Items that officials didn’t expect to reuse were auctioned off or taken to the landfill.DeBoer said residents shouldn’t worry about fire protection during the construction phase. The fire department is "still ready to roll" when needed, even though equipment is housed in different buildings around town.

By Jolene FarleyA dead crow found in Hills tested positive for the West Nile Virus, according to information from the Minnesota Department of Health.Hills resident Melvin Heckt found the bird alive and told his neighbor Wendell Erickson. The pair kept watch over the bird and after it died, reported it to Nobles/Rock Public Health. "We’d been watching this bird for two days," Erickson said. "It was very sick. We didn’t think it was going to live very long."Erickson said they tried to fence the animal in to keep it in the area. The bird escaped the makeshift corral but was so sick it didn’t make it far.The dead bird was submitted to the Department of Health. It is one of 75 West Nile-positive birds found in the state, according to Dave Neitzel, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health."West Nile Virus is pretty wide-spread throughout the state this year," he said.West Nile Virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito to birds, horses and humans. The virus cannot be spread by contact with an infected person. Most of the 2003 cases are found in southern or central Minnesota. Once a county has a positive test result and the presence of the virus has been established, the Health Department usually doesn’t test more animals, according to Neitzel. In 2002, 48 human cases of West Nile virus infection were reported in Minnesota, with no deaths.The virus generally peaks in mid-to-late August and is transmitted by a type of mosquito active mainly at dusk or dawn, according to Neitzel."Right now we’re getting to the higher risk time of year," he said. After the Minnesota Department of Health officials have positive test results, they contact local public health departments and update the MDH Web site at www.health.state.mn.us to notify travelers of higher risk areas. * * * pull this section:West Nile risk is lowAlthough the threat of a person becoming ill from the West Nile Virus is low, the Minnesota Department of Health advises Minnesotans to take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Most mosquitoes don’t carry the virus, so most people bit will not be exposed to the virus. Of those infected, most people have no symptoms at all or display only mild symptoms.Less than one out of 150 people infected will get severely ill. Severe cases tend to occur more frequently in the elderly.Symptoms usually show up three to 15 days after being bitten. They can include headache, high fever, muscle weakness, stiff neck, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, paralysis and coma.To reduce your risk of being bitten:oUse a good mosquito repellent while outside among mosquitoes.oWear long-sleeve shirts and long pants if you have to spend time in an area where mosquitoes are biting.oAvoid outdoor activities at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are feeding. oEliminate possible mosquito-breeding sites on and around property – including items such as old tires, buckets, clogged rain gutters, cans and other containers and anything else that can hold a small amount of water. Change the water in birdbaths and horse troughs at least weekly.

By Jolene FarleyThree Rock County residents are recovering from injuries they received in a two-vehicle accident northwest of Hills Thursday.A 1998 Buick Park Avenue driven by Sherryl Knobloch, 55, of rural Hills, and a 1994 Chevrolet pickup driven by Ryan Burgers, 25, Luverne, collided at a blind, unmarked intersection about 4 1/2 miles northwest of Hills.Chris Louwagie, 28, Luverne, was a passenger in Burger’s vehicle.After the collision, Burgers walked to the Marlin DeNoble’s farm about a half mile away from the scene, and DeNoble called officials, according to Burgers.The Rock County Sheriff’s Department responded at 7:46 a.m. to the intersection of 30th Avenue and 51st Street. The Hills Fire Department, Rock County Ambulance, Avera McKennan Careflight, Sioux Valley Trauma I and the Minnesota Highway Patrol also responded. Knobloch was airlifted to Avera McKennan Hospital and Louwagie was airlifted to Sioux Valley Hospital, both in Sioux Falls.Burgers was transported by ground ambulance to Avera McKennan Hospital.Burgers said Monday that doctors anticipate he’ll be released from the hospital Wednesday or today. He had a bleeding spleen and is "stiff and sore." Knobloch has been moved to a private hospital room from the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors may release her by the end of the week to recover at home, according to her daughter-in-law, Amy Knobloch.Her injuries include a stabilized fracture in her neck, a punctured lung, broken ribs, cuts on her eyelid and head, and bruises and scrapes. Knobloch will wear a neck brace for eight to 12 weeks instead of having surgery for the fracture in her neck, according to Amy. Louwagie, a teacher in the Hills-Beaver Creek School district, is still in the Intensive Care Unit at Sioux Valley Hospital, according to his wife, Laura. "He has chest and back injuries," she said from the hospital waiting room."He is able to move all his limbs, and his condition is improving daily." Burgers said he was impressed with the way rescue workers responded to the accident. "I think the Hills Fire Department did an outstanding job," he said from his hospital bed Monday. "They were there quickly and they did a very good job."

10 years ago (1993)"The Hills City Council granted a big wish to the Hills-Beaver Creek-Steen Baseball Association Tuesday night.The city fathers agreed to purchase four acres of land directly south of the Hills Christian School. The agreement is the first step in making the ‘Field of Dreams’ a reality."25 years ago (1978)"Bud Bush was officially named the new mayor of Hills by the Hills City Council Tuesday night.Former mayor Bob Kirsch, who was himself named to fill the vacancy in the mayor’s chair just a few months ago, has been forced to resign because of a job transfer."50 years ago (1953)"In the process of remodeling the outside appearance of the Exchange State Bank building, which entailed the removal of an entire coat of roughcast plaster (stucco), a huge sign, approximately 15x25 feet, identifying the building as The Farmers State Bank and advertising Farm Loans and Insurance, appeared on the north wall, after the stucco had been removed.Referring to an old-timer present in the crowd, it was learned that the sign was painted by ‘Ike’ Jacobson in the year 1913 or 1914, and the artist’s remuneration was $25." 75 years ago (1928)"Prof. Fleming is back on the job and no doubt is busy laying plans for the opening of the big Hills Consolidated School one month hence. Quite a job to supervise a dozen teachers and about 300 pupils. We don’t know how the professor does it — but he does."100 years ago (1903)"Yesterday was an exciting day for the Hills youngsters. A genuine tent show dropped into town in the morning, and if mothers wanted an errand done, they either had to do it themselves or hunt the kid up around the big tent."

Villagers have been enjoying the fruits of the harvest. Fresh vegetables have been shared with us from abundant lush looking gardens. We’ve been given yellow beans from the Wayne Beyenhof’s that we added to our own green beans. Cucumbers, too, have arrived. The first were from Joan in St. Paul. We ate them every way we know how to make them. Alice made their cukes with vinegar, sugar and onions. Ione’s were equal parts of mayo and sugar. Then Rita brought two huge grocery sacks that Carolyn, Ione and friend Coleen Martens cut up to eat at the table and to make refrigerator pickles. Sarah’s Judy is supplying the recipe for pickles to be kept in the refrigerator. Sweet corn, too, has been on the menu. Berdella’s daughter Mary and our nurse Mary brought corn for meals. Arnold T. makes corn to be eaten before bedtime in the microwave. I tried it and it works.When Arnold T. came to the Village to live he sold his home to a young mother. Kelli Hellerud. Kelly has a beautiful garden. She prepared a huge basket of vegetables and took them to the county fair. There she became the grand champion. The basket was beautiful and she brought it over for Arnold to see. That gal had purple, bell and banana peppers, red onions, plum, orange and red plum tomatoes. Everything needed to make salsa. She included a jar of her homemade salsa in the basket. Arnold told her how he noticed her bountiful garden of unusual plants every time he went by. "I really don’t know why it grows so well," Kelly said. "Well" Arnold replied, "that’s the area where the outhouse sat years ago." Now Kelly didn’t want me to tell you that for she thought people wouldn’t eat her tomatoes that she shared. No problem, I investigated.Alice is sharing Colorado peaches she buys each year from Ace Hardware in Sioux Falls. They are so juicy and delicious, the way we remember lug peaches to be in our canning days. Her daughter-in-law, Peggy, made a rhubarb cake with raisins, nuts and coconut that was so good. So you see, we do eat well with such generous friends.Gardens have also produced flowers. Palma went to visit friends where she once lived and returned with a bouquet of huge, full snowballs. Gladys Eitreim and Arla Bakken brought white and yellow gladiolas. We talked how these blooms were so much work. Planting bulbs in the spring and digging up the roots in the fall. Audrey Heidenson shares many of the blooms of her garden. The rose bushes in the patio are unusually beautiful this year. Jim Bush sent roses from the market as well. Karen Soehl and Laura Hoogeveen were the delivery persons. We were glad about that for Laura played the piano for us while here. It was Christmas in August at our Wednesday sing-along with Glenda. We didn’t sound too bad singing the hymns of the season.Deb wanted each of us to put a centerpiece of our own choosing on the dining table. Along with the plants and flowers Arnold S. was a statue of a man with the paper in front of his face while at breakfast — entitled "World’s best husband." Prior to that he had a row of nuts with eyes saying, "We’re all a little nuts." Marie is still sharing flowers from her birthday party.Earl’s been gone on a trip with his daughter. Visitors have been from Texas and Arizona to see Arnold S., Roger and Carol Torkelson from Coon Rapids to see Martha as well as her granddaughter Sara and her husband Eric Lee from Austin, and Corney Verhey from Sioux Falls to renew friendships with Bud and Arnold T. Emil’s family was here this past weekend. The Helgeson’s swung through the parking lot in their camper entitled "The Griswold’s" on their way to Newton Hills for the weekend. Carolyn went to the county fair with her son Clair, returning after 11 p.m. Imagine. We extend our deepest sympathy to Caroline D. on the death of a brother, living in Morris.That’s plenty for now. I’ll keep you posted.

Enterprising dairy farmers in Switzerland are milking a new business for all it’s worth. They’re renting out their cows. Reuters reports that cheese lovers around Zurich "can now lease their own cow on an Alpine pasture to provide the personal touch that store-bought products just can’t offer." At least 25 people, "primarily city slickers," are seriously interested in the rental plan. Customers pay a fee of 380 Swiss francs ($275) per summer plus 40 Swiss cents for each liter of milk their rented cows produce. In return, the customers receive the cows’ milk, in the form of 150 to 250 pounds of cheese. Farmhands milk the cows and do the cheesemaking. The only catch is that the customers have to work at least one day in the meadow to earn their cheese in the fall. There’s always a catch. It won’t be long before cow rentals will resemble car rentals. In fact, if you say the two expressions — "car chassis" and "cow cheeses" — together enough times with a mouthful of crackers and Cheddar, they sound very similar. Cheese rental categories may eventually be divided into luxury, standard and economy classes, with negotiable upgrades available for frequent cow renters. Dairy farmers will scramble to register the most exciting names for their new rent-a-cow businesses. "Udder Delight," "Cash and Dairy" and "Gouda for You" are only a few possibilities. Luxury class customers won’t be expected to show up for the one day of milking. The cheese would be carefully shipped to their homes in the fall by special delivery. Their packages would include exotic varieties of cheese, along with complimentary gourmet crackers, cheese spreaders and slicers and handcrafted cutting boards. Behind their backs, these customers would be referred to as "the big cheeses." Standard class customers will have the basic package. One day of milking, a shipment of very ordinary cheese and nothing else. If the dairy farmer is feeling particularly generous on shipment day, the Standards might also receive complimentary packages of soda crackers. Economy class customers, the cheesiest group of all, will be required to report to the farms everyday and do all of the work from start to finish. They will be asked to provide their own pails and milking stools. Unless they happen to have cheesemaking supplies of their own, they will pay extra for cheesecloth, finishing waxes and the use of cheese presses. Milking the cows and then separating the curds from the whey will keep them so busy they will have little time for other activities during the entire summer. Jobs, social lives and time for personal grooming habits will be forfeited for the sake of saving a little money and acquiring permanently chapped hands. The Economy class will be little more than signing up as a farmhand and receiving cheese for pay. As a final insult, small print in the rental contract might specify that the arrangement won’t expire until 50,000 gallons of milk, or 10 years or whatever happens first. Economy customers will have more reason than anyone else to cry over spilt milk.

August has arrived! And I am not ready for it! However, it brings back lots of memories of days gone by when everyone had small grain and it began to ripen in August. Some would remember cutting the grain and shocking it into little tepees, at least that is what they looked like, waiting for the threshing machine. The sunflowers were usually doing very well about that time of year, popping up everywhere, especially where you didn’t want them, with their golden yellow flowers. When autumn arrives it brings back many memories!So far, we haven’t received much rain. We had a light shower on Tuesday evening and that has been all of the moisture we have received of late. This means that we have to get out and water our gardens and flowers in the evening. It is not quite like having it rain but it is better than nothing. The crops are looking very good. They seem to have done well even when moisture was very much needed. No longer is there much, if any, small grain planted in this area so threshing is about a thing of the past. Hopefully, the temperatures remain on the cool side so things can mature and be harvested at the right time. Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Spronk, Pipestone, and Bertha Christoffels were coffee guests in the Bill and Bertha Bosch home Friday afternoon. Other guests were Mildred Keunen and Jo Aykens. Those who returned home on Aug. 8 from a mission trip with the FCA to Guatemala and El Salvador are Cassi Tilstra, Erin Boeve, Kelly Mulder, Ashley Bosch, Dustin Bonnema, Kale Wiertzema, Lee Jackson and David Top and their sponsors, Randy Mulder and Shanna Tilstra. Welcome home!Dries and Laura May Bosch, Nathan and Erin, Sioux Falls, and Paul and Diane Bosch, Brandon, S.D., attended the Irish Fest at Terrace Park in Sioux Falls on Saturday evening.Guests in the Arnold and Jane Bonnema home Friday evening were George Bonnema and family, Luverne, Dan and Carol Bonnema, Hull, Iowa, Milton Bonnema and Lowell and Glenda Bonnema, Steen, to help Arnold celebrate his birthday. Dries and Laura May Bosch met their son, Tom and Amy, and children, Emma and Isabel Bosch, Sioux Falls, at the Rock County Fair in Luverne Friday evening. The most important news that I have this week is that I just got home from a four-day vacation. I can’t remember when I went somewhere just because I wanted to. It is usually because I have a meeting to attend. However, I joined a group for a big trip to Iowa. Now that shouldn’t be such a big deal as I only live one mile from the Iowa state line. However, I enjoyed every minute of it.As we traveled through the farming country it was just like a picture. The corn was a brilliant green and was beginning to tassel. The trees were lush and loaded with leaves. When we looked up into the azure blue sky there were fluffy white clouds sailing along. I can’t think of anything more beautiful. I decided right then and there that you do not have to travel many miles to enjoy a beautiful and relaxing vacation.As you think back, maybe you can remember a few things from your past if you have lived on the farm. For instance the softness of a baby chick in the palm of your hand. Some memories that were not so pleasant were running after the hogs or cattle that had managed to get out. I think we can all remember how it was, and remembering I am so happy. This is my Father’s world, and it is good, very good! He has given us a sense of appreciation, so we can experience some of his happiness from the beautiful things he has created.