Chicago is known as the windy city but when the wind blows on the plains there is no stopping it. Friday we had that kind of wind that blew and blew and you could spend the next day picking up branches and looking for things that the wind decided to move. It reminded me of the dirty ‘30s when the wind blew so hard and the dust blew so much that we had dust banks instead of snow banks in our ditches. The dust did not respect anything or anybody and most of us were living in older houses and we had to dust every day to survive. When I think back to those years everyone had their own windmill and everyone had their own ancient water supply. The wind chargers that we see appearing on our landscapes today remind me that I am a firm believer in wind power. For all of us who live here know there is never a shortage of wind! Before we had electricity on the farm we had wind chargers in our homes for our electricity and, of course, the windmills provided the water supply outdoors. Everyone was self sufficient in those years and I think that there was certainly nothing wrong with that. I think it is time for us to get more windmills going for our power. If we have to endure the wind we might as well reap the benefits from it as well. Vacation Bible School will begin on Monday, June 9, and continue through Friday, June 13, at Steen Reformed Church.Gary and Carlotte Paulsen, Ogden, Iowa, were brief visitors in the home of his mother, Mildred Paulsen, on Wednesday, May 28. Jane Bonnema entered Luverne Community Hospital last Monday and was able to return to her home on Wednesday. However, she re-entered the hospital on Sunday and remains a patient there at this time. Malena Boeve was transferred from the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center to the Tuff Home in Hills on Wednesday to recuperate from her fall. Friday afternoon guests in the Jo Aykens home were her cousins, Rick and Audrey DeBoer, Sioux City, Iowa.Dries and Laura May Bosch left for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to visit in the home of their son, Gregg and Anita Bosch on Friday, May 23. While there they also visited with Gregg’s sons, Chad and Sheri Bosch, and their daughter, Mickayla, who also live in Cedar Rapids, and their son, Ryan and Amy, Sioux Falls. Their son, Steven Bosch, drove down from the Cities and their son, Jeff and his son, Bo, from Ohio, came to complete the family gathering. Kathleen Esselink was admitted to Sioux Valley Hospital Sunday. She was able to return home on Wednesday.Kendell and Kim Paulsen, Conner and Courtney, Ogden, Iowa, visited in the home of their grandmother, Mildred Paulsen, on Friday. Steen Senior Citizens had their June meeting on Monday at the Community Building in Steen. Games and cards were played. Lunch was served by Harold Wissink and his sister, Joan Hoogeveen. A Doyle family gathering was at the Magnolia Steak House Saturday night. Those attending were Alice and Ron Ehrisman, Wagner, S.D., Margaret and Harold Schlimgren, Edwina and Ron Rust, all from Luverne, Kay Cox, Adrian, and Dries and Laura May Bosch, Steen. The Girls’ League of Steen Reformed Church had their father/daughter cook out in the Fellowship Hall of Steen Reformed Church at noon. I am having a difficult time making myself believe this school year is over. Where does the time go? Those little beginners only a few years ago are now going to join a group that I did not realize existed but I know it is true. When they are 10, 11, and 12 years old they are not old enough to be a teenager so they join a group called the In Betweens. They are no longer 10 but not quite in their teens. They are in the middle. They are:"Between cowboys and Indians and kiss and tell!Being told, "Oh, doesn’t he say the cutest things" and … Be quiet.Between an allowance … and a job.Between playing with marbles … and using their marbles.Between their father coming home from the office with a surprise toy for them … and their father coming home with, "Have you done your homework yet?"Between bubble gum … and breath mints.Between frogs and puppy dog tales … and the birds and the bees. Between parents reading bedtime stories to them until all hours of the night … and being told to go to bed at 8 p.m. to keep them off the streets.Between the bicycle … and the family car.Between baby talk … and locker room conversations in gym class. Between cookies and milk … and pizza and coke. Between Saturday morning cartoons … and Saturday night dates.Between freckles … and pimples.Between a steady friend … and a steady date.Between their first catcher’s mitt … and their first kiss!Between getting candy from relatives … and giving candy to girlfriends. Between being cute … and being handsome.Between the Apache War Dance … and a high school dance. Between comic books … and Shakespeare.But most of all, between the backyard … and the world."Isn’t it a shame that a between-ager can’t jump straight from 10 to 13. This was taken from an article written by Dan Valentine Jr. My thanks to him!

Villagers were entertained by the Luverne Kitchen Band after bingo one day. The band was in exceptionally good form. Martha’s niece and her husband from Clarion, Iowa, were in the audience as we clapped and sang to the old favorites. Our guests wondered what the next generation will remember about today’s music. He thought popular tunes sound like singers gargling. We do enjoy the kitchen band and invite them to come often. On this date we were not aware of their coming but the dining room filled up quickly when they heard the music.Many Villagers were in the audience when 28 students graduated from H-BC. The school sent the floral bouquet that graced the stage to the Village by way of Robert Hellerud. It was beautiful. Red, white and blue blooms in a large white basket. In Pastor Berg’s address he advised graduates to be all that you can be.The Bushes had four grandchildren graduate. Donna (Connie’s) in Holstein, Iowa, Angela (Tom’s) and Jessica (Coleen’s) in Hills and Shawn (Brad’s) in Winsted. The past three weekends family gathered to celebrate. The TV got switched on when at the motel, following Shawn’s party and Art Linkletter was a guest of Pastor Schuller. This 90-year-old entertainer told of his life. He interviewed thousands of children and his favorite story was the boy who told of Jesus dying and being put in a cave with a big rock in front of the opening. Later when the rock was rolled away Jesus came out. "What happened then?" Art quizzed. "Well, the boy said," Jesus saw his shadow and went back in the cave." Another little boy was exceptionally sad and when Art asked him why he learned his dog died. Art sympathized and told how he’d see his pet in heaven. The boy replied, "Why would God want a dead dog."Signe spent Sunday at the farm and later went to Sioux Falls to a graduation where she saw many friends from Hendricks, Canby, and Minneapolis. Picturing her account of getting in and out of the van was comical. She happily reported how she was pushed, shoved and lifted into the modern day vehicle as she reminisced of a wonderful day.The Feucht’s have lots of company for their daughter Rose Ann Fraden and her family are visiting from Florida. This prompts other family members to come see their sister. The Marlene Stueven’s and family of Jackson, Ron and his family from Hills, and the Jerry Feucht family from Lester, Iowa.Marcella’s winning spelling bee word was not serendipity as I reported but precipitous. A duck and six little ones trailing behind made several attempts before getting across the road near the Village. Erma’s daughter Carolyn and her husband were interviewed and pictures shown of the restoration of their home following a fire on the TV program, "Home and Garden." We all got to see the video of the event. Pastor Klassen came to visit, bringing his son Jim with him who was encouraged to play the piano for us. We found him to be a very talented musician. Jim Theis is being missed now that he has returned to his Washington home for he called bingo and played cards with the tenants.I’ll keep you posted.

Thank goodness we’ve been receiving plenty of rain. With drier conditions, it would have been only a matter of time before someone would bring up the idea of having naked rain dancers. In March, Reuters news services reported, "Hundreds of Australian women danced naked at a secluded location amid drought-ravaged farmland in a ritual intended to bring rain." The dancers weren’t actually identified. We can only presume they were wives and daughters of farmers, and possibly sympathetic women from the community, willing to boogie for a good cause. "The dance was held alongside regional family day activities," continued the article, "with the women taken by buses to a secret location to complete the dance either naked or partially clothed, in sarongs." One organizer for the dance, who expected rain to fall within a week, noted, "It has been a great day for community connectedness and positive mental health for people in drought-affected areas." A great day, of course, if you’re not an easily embarrassed teenager who is reluctant to even accompany a mother to the grocery store out of fear she might sing along with the store’s Muzak system. It might be difficult to accept the mental picture of a mother baring it all in broad daylight. Community connectedness involving nudity might not be a top priority in other parts of the world where law enforcement officers are trained to recognize indecent exposure for what it really is. The ritual might have been a good idea for some dress store owner who, instead of receiving one case of non-returnable sarongs in a spring shipment, had to sign for one shipload of the garments. That’s a bad situation when few women can remember or care to resemble movie actress Dorothy Lamour, who often wore sarongs. Naked rain dancing might not be well-received in many of our own communities, where community connectedness is normally associated with church and school activities — bazaars, bingo games, fund-raising bake sales and potluck suppers. The rain dances might have been good news for bus drivers with wide-angle and close-up camera lenses and a market for grainy photos of dancing nymphs with stretch marks and other imperfections. After all, regular women were dancing, not Las Vegas showgirls. In our country, we have historically battled droughts with no-nonsense praying, salting clouds and hiring rainmakers. On extreme occasions, when we really can use some rain, we hang out laundry to dry, wash our cars, reserve tee times at a golf course, plan an outdoor wedding or clean every window in sight. All of those activities are guaranteed to produce torrential downpours. The Australian rain dances might have brightened the lives of the farmers worried about their crops. Perhaps the idea of their wives dancing around in their birthday suits and howling at the hot noonday sun was enough to make them temporarily forget their troubles and anxieties. In addition, there was always the possibility it might rain.

10 years ago (1993)"Tornadoes cut a path through Rock County Monday night leaving a path of destruction in its wake. No one was injured, but trees were uprooted, buildings flattened and power lines downed. The first funnel cloud in Rock County reportedly touched down two to three miles south and three miles west of Luverne at 5:50 p.m., according to Rock County dispatcher Connie Wieneke."25 years ago (1978)"Luverne City Council is studying three alternate truck routes from Interstate 90 at the industrial park and Iowa Beef Processors. Two dozen city residents, most from the Hatting Avenue area, attended the council meeting Tuesday to obtain information about proposed alternate routes and to offer comments.The alternate routes include an east-west route from IBP to a point halfway between Hatting and Koen Avenue through the Gabrielson Addition, a west extension of Hatting Avenue and a connection to Koehn Avenue."50 years ago (1953)"Luverne and Rock Rapids will have natural gas by the time it is needed for heating in the fall of 1954.This was the unqualified statement made this week by Fred Gefke, president of the Iowa Minnesota Natural Gas Company, which holds the natural gas franchise for the two cities."75 years ago (1928)"A class of 48 young people, 32 young ladies and 16 young men, will be graduated from the Luverne High School and receive their diplomas at the 41st annual commencement exercises, to be held this evening at the high school auditorium. A class of 13, 12 young ladies and one young man, will also receive teachers’ certificates as a result of having completed their studies in the normal department."100 years ago (1903)"The Baptist church parsonage has been selected as the site of the Carnegie library building. For $1,200, the amount of the Popendick donation, the library board has bought the 122 feet of the parsonage lot fronting on Freeman Avenue and extending back 100 feet. The remainder of the lot has been bought by a number of citizens and it is held by them subject to an option by which the village may buy the property for use as a public park."

Conference Room 9:00 A.M.Rock County Human Services Building May 20, 2003Chair Boyenga called the meeting to order with all Commissioners present.Motion by Hoime, seconded by Bakken, to approve the May 20, 2003 County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve the May 6, 2003 County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Wildung, to approve the following consent agenda items, declared carried on a voice vote.1. Appoint the Luverne Fire Department Chief (Don Deutsch) to the E911 Committee2. Contract 22-533-03 with Southwestern Youth Services (formerly Pinnacle Programs Inc) to provide Non Secure residential treatment and Detention services. Contract effective 7-1-03 to 6-30-04.3. Day Care Licensing — Kairie Franken; Sherri Ladd4. Day Care Relicensing — Kathie Henrichs, Darla RiersonPat Saum, IT Director at First Farmers & Merchants Bank in Luverne presented a review of the Community Strategic Technology Plan. After the presentation, motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to provide county support for the Community Technology Committee and their efforts in building a community wide strategic plan, declared carried on a voice vote. Randy Ehlers, Family Services Director, introduced new employees Stacy DeBates, Financial Worker and D’Lisa McKenzie, Child Protection Worker. The County Board welcomed them to Rock County. Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented the following solid waste abatements: oParcel No. 20-1615-000 located in Lot 10 & W 2 1/2’ of Lot 11 Block 10 of the Warren & Kniss Addition in the City of Luverne - $106.00 oParcel No. 20-1609-000 located in Lot 3 Block 10 of the Warren & Kniss Addition of the City of Luverne - $74.00Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve the solid waste abatements as both parties have been changed classifications from a residential to commercial, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion Bakken, seconded by Hoime, to approve the following rural water split resolutions, declared carried on a voice vote. oResolution No. 22-03, rural water split on parcel 02-0270-000 located in the NW 1/4 of 35-102-47 and S 1/2 S 1/2 SW 1/4 of 26-0102-47; Petitioners Alvin K. Erickson and Michael L Vis oResolution 23-03, rural water split on parcel 08-0225-000 located in the W 1/2 of NW 1/4 of 11-101-47; Petitioners Stensland-Bos & Kessler.Motion by Hoime, seconded by Wildung to raise the fixed asset dollar amount from $300.00 to $5,000.00 effective 12/31/02, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion by Wildung, seconded by Hoime, to approve the claims as presented by the Auditor/Treasurer, declared carried on a voice vote. A complete listing of claims is available at the Auditor/Treasurer’s Office. General $ 29,044.44LEC 71.30Road & Bridge 29,900.04Welfare 77,389.53Landfill 635.63TOTAL $137,040.94The County Board acknowledged receipt of the fund balance report.Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to allow the over expenditure of the HazMat Fund with reimbursement to come from a grant through the Division of Emergency Management. Mike Winkels, Sheriff, requested to hire (2) Part-time Officers with an anticipated cost of $3,000 - $5,000 per officer for uniforms and training; motion by Hoime, seconded Bakken, to authorize the (2) Part-time positions, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board requested from the Sheriff and the County Administrator to present a Law Enforcement revenue and expenditure history. The County Board reviewed a 13-month claims report regarding the activity of Rock County’s health insurance group; no action was taken. The County Board acknowledged receipt of a video from AMC.The County Board acknowledged receipt of a letter from the University of Minnesota Extension; local Extension Committee will be meeting to discuss the information presented from the University of Minnesota Extension prior to any recommendation coming to the County Board. George Eilertson, Vice President/Partner of Northland Securities and County Attorney Don Klosterbuer presented Resolution No. 21-03, a resolution providing for the issuance and sale of $295,000 General Obligation Courthouse Bonds, Series 2003 and Levying a Tax for the payment thereof; motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to adopt Resolution No. 21-03, declared carried on a voice vote. Tabulation of Bids $295,000 General Obligation Courthouse Bonds, Series 2003First National Bank of Luverne, Minnesota1.80% 2005 2.05% 2006 2.45% 2007 2.75% 2008 3.05% 2009 Purchase Price: $295,000 Net Interest Cost: $28,071.33 (2.60268%)Minnwest Bank of Luverne, Minnesota 2.00% 2005 2.25% 2006 2.50% 2007 2.75% 2008 3.00% 2009 Purchase Price: $295,000 Net Interest Cost: $28,504.44 (2.64284%)The bid was awarded to First National Bank of Luverne, Minnesota.The County Board reviewed and discussed Resolution No. 20-03, a resolution approving special legislation to make the Office of Rock County Recorder an appointed office; motion by Jarchow, seconded by Wildung, to approve Resolution No. 20-03, declared carried on a voice vote.The County Board requested that the County Recorder attend the next meeting to discuss any concerns he may have regarding the legislation. There was a discussion of developing an ordinance for the decontamination of drug houses; the County Board directed the County Attorney research the matter. The County Board discussed Minnesota Statute 13.37, a statute providing for classifying data as private that the county would deem as sensitive. It was determined that further discussion will take place at the AMC District VIII meeting scheduled for June 5th. Motion by Hoime, seconded by Jarchow, to support the Florentine Film request and to authorize any county staff to assist the film crew with informational request. The County Board received information that the State of Minnesota Rest Areas will remain open through the year of 2005. The County Board directed to move the Board of Equalization to June 17th @ 8:30 A.M.; the County Assessor is responsible for the public notification. Commissioner Jarchow stated that he had attended the Private Industry Council meeting and they extended a thank you to the County Collaborative for the Job Councilor grant. Currently, they are working at the RDC on receiving appraisals on the building and are waiting for the Commissioner of Finance to make the determination as to whether or not the sale would be allowed. Commissioner Wildung informed the County Board that Julie Wynia has resigned as the Big Buddy Coordinator and the Rock County Collaborative Executive Director. Commissioner Wildung requested that Doug Bos, Assistant Director at the Land Management Office attend a future board meeting to discuss municipal solid waste alternatives. With no further business to come before the County Board, the meeting was declared adjourned. Ron Boyenga, Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(6-5)

Star Herald reporterscouldn’t get away with making up newsJayson Blair did for journalism what the Rodney King beatings did for the Los Angeles Police Department. One bad example can ruin a lot of reputations.Blair is the reporter for the New York Times who was recently fired for making up stories, quotes and entire itineraries for the job.Sometimes it’s too bad we don’t need a license to write. Journalism is the type of profession that’s a learned craft, unique to whomever practices it. The corner of the world the Rock County Star Herald covers can take comfort in the fact that we couldn’t get away with the same things that Blair did.We couldn’t make up sources. Reporters qualify their information by naming a source. It wouldn’t take long for people to realize a fictitious name in our paper.Falsified quotes would be difficult to pass off on readers. Sometimes our sources will claim they were misquoted because they wish they hadn’t said what they did. But to my face, no one has ever accused me of putting words in their mouth. And our readers know our sources, so we couldn’t have them saying something totally out of character. We couldn’t list travel itineraries and not prove we left the office. With a fairly thin paper, it would be difficult to miss what supposedly went on at an assignment.Beyond being dishonest, I think we are far less manipulative than some would like to think. I can count on one hand the number of letters to the editor that have been withheld in the past four years, for example.I like to remember that I get more thank-you notes than hate mail.People may disagree with our opinions or think we missed an angle, but in this paper, you won’t find us lying. We have too many opportunities to share real stories to spend time making them up.Hats off to gradsI’d like to be one of those people who gets invited to speak at a graduation ceremony, giving sound advice to young people about to leave home. I’ll need at least 30 years to prepare for the speech because now the only advice I can think of is that cheap champagne and Reeses peanut butter cups don’t mix well. Maybe if I really try I can think of a few more tidbits of useful information.oDon’t do drugs or become an avid drinker. Young adults will probably always drink before they’re 21, but keep in mind that drinking and drugs never got anyone far.oIf you go to college, it’s great to be energized by professors, but don’t ride an intellectual high-horse just because you learn a little about the Hopi Indians. Take it easy on those of us who don’t listen to inspirational lectures every day.oFor safety reasons, tell someone where you’re going and when you’re expected back. It’s a common courtesy that your roommates, co-workers or family will appreciate.oFor the college-bound or not, stay away from credit cards.oIf you’re on a meal plan at a university, don’t blame the lunch ladies for your 20-pound weight gain. It’s really from the study-time snacks and post-exam beers you consume long after the dining hall is closed.

Modern Woodmen of America Royal Neighbors of AmericaThe following was printed in the Rose History of 1911:"One of the largest and strongest fraternal organizations in Luverne is Red Jasper Camp No. 154, Modern Woodmen of America, which numbered 228 members on its rolls at the last report. The lodge was instituted June 15, 1891, with the following first officers and charter members: L.S. Nelson, V.C.; D.E. Hermon, W.A.; W.H. Randall, clerk; C.A. Delameter, watchman; F.A. Baker, sentry; J.B. Croft, banker; M.J. Phinney, C.N. Philbrick and I. Krimbill, managers; L.J. Philbrick, Henry Meyers, M.G. Pearson, A.G. Bonnett, E.E. Aney, L.K. Lee, D.N. Kutsforth, J.H. Graaf, E.G. Schmidt, E.M. Griffith, Oscar Kilgore, Henry Ferguson, I.M. Cady, Henry Fisher and G.H. Henton."The Royal Neighbors of America, auxiliary to the Modern Woodmen, is an active organization." We have a uniform from the Modern Woodmen of America in the museum.The Royal Neighbors of America also have many items there. There is still an active chapter of the Royal Neighbors of America. Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Can we create a church without walls? A church that knows no boundaries for its ministries? Where do we start?These questions plague the church of today. With stories of famines and wars and people oppressed by dictators and lords, how do we respond to the needs of the world? Can we, as a small church in Luverne, Minnesota, reach out and touch the lives of all people?Paul, in his letter to the Romans, in Chapter 14:13, states that we should never be stumbling blocks in the path of our brothers. This means that as an influencing nation of the world, we must be very careful to not build walls between us and other nations. I think of the tireless work of missionaries and their quest to spread the Word of God to all peoples. Only a few are chosen or called to do this evangelism. But we all are called to serve God.So, let’s all be a church without walls. That does not mean we all need to be missionaries in foreign lands or put our lives at risk as martyrs of the Word of God, but rather to step outside the doors of our church or our homes and love our neighbors. We must not be hemmed in by the boundaries of our fears and ignorance and must reach our hands out to all people. See the teen on Main Street? Say hello. See the mother with three kids try to shop in the grocery store. Smile at her and offer to help. See the walker slowly enter the crosswalk. Stop and smile as they make their way across the street. Don’t make others feel less because you can do more. Love the unlovable. Join a civic group in town and make a difference in Luverne. Take the walls down from your church and go out and do the tasks needed to share God’s Word to all of God’s people.And, lastly, expect no reward on earth. Trust in God’s Grace to sustain you. Is it possible, a Church without walls? I believe so.

My niece Kelly, one of the famous Bremer-girls, is graduating from high school this year. She will leave home, move into an apartment, continue her education, and proceed with the business of living ... I hate that. I want to go back 15 years to when she was just a little girl of three. She stayed at my house for several days while Mother Faye attended a business seminar. We always played Barbie and Ken. Ken’s arm would fall off. We’d grab the pretend-phone and call a pretend Dr. Morgan. He always prescribed the same thing — give Ken a shot in the butt. This was very funny to us. Barbie gave Ken the shot and the arm was repaired. Then it would fall out again and we would repeat the whole sequence over and over. Sometimes we’d do it in opera.After her bath it was time to sit on the couch and read Rootie Kazootie and the Pineapple Tree. "It wasn’t a pine tree. It wasn’t an apple tree. It wasn’t even a pineapple tree. It was a Pineapple Pie Tree!!" I clearly recall how she looked up at me with her little face flushed from the warm bath and her damp blond hair in little ringlets, giggling about some line in the story. We loved each other. That was the same night she got sick and threw up on the bed. I woke up, turned on the light, and we observed a rather minimal mess. I checked to see if she had a fever. She didn’t, so I threw a towel over the mess and we went back to sleep. This was when God said to me: "Glenda you are not mother-material." Several days later she was back home. When it was time to go to bed that night, she sobbed inconsolably and cried to her mother, "How can I go sleep without Glenda?" If the truth were to be known, I didn’t sleep very well that night either. As graduation looms on the horizon, we are proud of our graduates. We encourage their plans for the future and pray for their success in the world. But, Kelly, if you don’t like it out there, come back to Luverne and move in with me. We’ll play Barbie dolls and add a stall on the garage for your car. I desperately need a good book to take my mind off graduation. "Ties That Bind" by Philip Margolin just might do the trick. Success is fleeting; nobody knows this better than lawyer Amanda Jaffe. She had been the undisputed rising star of Portland's legal community, but the same case that put her on the map — the Cardoni trial, left her traumatized, doubting her instincts, and shunning the limelight. This reticence ends when Amanda agrees to handle the case no one else will touch. Jon Dupre, who runs an upscale escort service, is accused of murdering a U.S. senator. Dupre claims to possess proof of the existence of a secret society of powerful men who have banded together for a commonly held political agenda. The rite of passage that binds them together — the initiation into this powerful brotherhood — is murder. To Amanda these seem the desperate claims of a man who will lie to save his own skin — until she is pressured to walk away from the case. She refuses to abandon her investigation … a decision that will place her directly in the path of a deadly juggernaut with ambitions that extend all the way to the presidency of the United States. (This book is also available as a Book on Cassette and a Book on CD.