Luverne’s annual Winterfest celebration returns this weekend, live and in person following last year’s pandemic restricted events.
“We haven’t done it for a year, and people have kind of forgotten what to do,” said Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere. “But we’ve had a lot of people step up, and we have added things to do.”
Many traditional Winterfest offerings will be on deck, including arts and crafts, Santa at school, the nutcracker scavenger hunt, Christmas Cantata, Hinkly House displays and others.
However, several new offerings join the Winterfest lineup this year, Lanphere said.
“Hats go off to the businesses and organizations – we’ve had people step up this year who haven’t before,” she said. “It’s nice that people are adding things to do.”
For example, an open house at St. John Lutheran Church Saturday will have on display more than 100 nativities at “Festival of Nativities.” Take 16 will host Vinyl Night and hotdish cookoff, the Eagles Club is adding a soup supper to its annual cribbage tournament, and Blue Mound Liquor will sponsor a Jack and Jill Beard Contest with its wine and beer tasting.
Lanphere said the pandemic prompted the loss of many longtime traditions, but it inspired new ones, such as the cookie contest and the library’s virtual puppet show.
“It’s wonderful to live in a community where we have everyone rowing the same direction and willing to give their time and talents,” she said. “We’re pretty blessed.”
The full lineup of Winterfest events and activities with times and locations are listed in the back-page ad and on the Chamber’s website, luvernechamber.com. The phone number is 507-283-4061.

Property near Luverne’s industrial park will soon have a 235,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse for food products requiring temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 degrees.
Lineage Logistics is proposing to purchase two tracts of land owned by the Luverne Economic Development Authority along the Minnesota Southern Railroad.
The purchase price of the city land, totaling 5.43 acres, is roughly $118,265. The LEDA will consider the sale of the property at a Dec. 13 public hearing at 8 a.m. at the Luverne City Hall.
According to plans shared with city leaders, Lineage will acquire additional, larger tracts of property from Driftless Meats near Premium Minnesota Pork in a separate private transaction.
Lineage has indicated it will create up to 75 new “quality paying” jobs in the community to support the operation.
The warehouse, with an estimated construction value of more than $50 million, will be roughly the size of four football fields and will contain approximately 31,000 pallet positions. For illustrative purposes, the average grocers’ semitrailer is 53 feet long with a capacity for 26 standard 48-by-40-inch pallets.
The company expects to break ground in early 2022 and complete construction by early 2023. 
 
About the company
Lineage Logistics, headquartered in Michigan, is the world’s largest refrigerated warehousing company and logistics solutions provider.
It handles more than 8 percent of the global food supply through its network of over 400 facilities totaling over 2 billion cubic feet of capacity spanning 19 countries across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Lineage’s expertise in end-to-end logistical solutions, along with its real estate network and technology, is said to make product distribution more efficient and thereby minimize supply chain waste.
The company is also a visionary partner of Feeding America, a nonprofit network of more than 200 food banks nationwide that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other community-based agencies.

Meetings
Rock County Association of Townships annual meeting is at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, at the Rock County Library.
Parkinson’s Support Group will meet at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, at Poplar Creek in Luverne.  Masks are required.  Call Diane Karlstad at 507-530-3307 with questions.
Springwater Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the town hall.
Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the township hall.
American Legion Auxiliary Post #123 will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, at the Pizza Ranch. Bring an item for the food shelf.  Call Dianna Tomlinson 283-1934 with questions.
 
Mobile dental clinic Dec. 1-2
#Luv1LuvAll's Rock County Oral Health Task Force has organized a mobile dental clinic in Luverne on Wednesday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Rock County Health and Human Services building community room. These clinics provide dental care for ADULTS and children of all ages. Call 612-746-1530 to schedule an appointment. All forms of insurance are accepted.
 
Hospice tree lighting Dec. 2
Hospice Tree Lighting Ceremony will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at the corner of Main Street and Highway 75 in Luverne. A special candle lighting will be part of the ceremony as submitted names are read in honor of or in memory of loved ones. Hot cider and cookies will be served. Call 507-283-1805 with questions.
 
Library presents virtual puppet show
The Rock County Library personnel will premiere an original puppet show, “The Prize Trip to the North Pole,” at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 3, on the library’s Facebook page. The virtual show kicks off Luverne’s Winterfest activities.
 
Festival of Nativities Dec. 4
St. John Lutheran Church will host a Festival of Nativities from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. More than 100 handcrafted nativities of every size and shape — international, children's sets and more — will be on display to walk through and enjoy. Refreshments will be served, and commemorative gifts will be handed out while supplies last. Free admission and handicap accessible. Location is 803 N. Cedar St., Luverne.
 
Holidays at the Hinkly House Dec. 4 and Dec. 11
Hinkly House committee members Diane Jauert, Shirley Harrison and Janet Burger will host a Holiday Open House at the Victorial Luverne home for two weekends, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. The holiday displays this year are paper glitter and music boxes.
 
Game Plan 4 Hope open house Dec. 7
An open house is planned from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, for the Team E Fieldhouse of Hope at 312 W. 3rd St. in Hills to celebrate meeting area, volunteer center and equipment workshop that were combined into one building. Game Plan 4 Hope is a non-profit organization that supports families undergoing life-altering events.
 
Southwestern Youth Services Angel Trees
The annual Southwestern Youth Services Angel Trees are available at Lewis Drug, Bomgaars and in the SYS front lobby, south door in Magnolia. Cards are on the trees with requests from residents who are away from family during the holidays. With community support, separation is made a little easier.  The SYS Facebook page has an Amazon wish list. Call 507-283-4425 with questions.
 
Bell ringers needed for kettle campaign
Volunteer bell ringers are needed for the 2021 Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign now through Dec. 24 at Sunshine Foods in Luverne. Sign up for two-hour increments between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Use the link https://signup.com/go/ARwFTiC or call Carrie Soto, 507-220-8897 with questions.
 
Fourth-graders present ‘It’s Winter’ Dec. 16
Luverne Elementary fourth-grade students will present their music program, "It's Winter," at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, in the Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to come celebrate the fun winter brings.
 
Second-graders present ‘Nutcracker in 20 Minutes or Less’ Dec. 16
Luverne Elementary second grade students will present their music program, "The Nutcracker in 20 Minutes or Less," at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16, in the Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to come and see if they can tell the story of the Nutcracker in under 20 minutes.
 
Snowmobile safety
Luverne Community Education will offer Snowmobile Safety class on Dec. 11 for ages 12 and older by Dec. 31. Register by Dec. 1. Call 507-283-4724 or visit the website: comed.isd2184.net.
 
Library happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email at rockcountystaff@gmail.com
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.
 
Nominations sought for Rock County Hall of Fame
The Rock County Historical Society’s Hall of Fame Committee is seeking nominations for the 2022 induction of current and former residents. Nominees must have a significant identity with Rock County and have made an exceptional contribution to society, achieved exceptional success, and brought honor and prestige beyond the borders of Minnesota. Nominations are accepted now through Feb. 28, 2022. Forms are available at The History Center, Luverne Area Chamber or online at www.rockcountyhistorical.com or www.luvernechamber.com. An awards presentation is scheduled for July 17, 2022.

Luverne School Board members have received another student request for basketball cheerleading after a 16-year hiatus.
Senior Syndal Pick made the request, both written and in person, for the activity’s return.
“I am asking for basketball cheerleading — because with only one season of football cheerleading — not a lot of girls have an option to join,” she said at the school board’s regular meeting Nov. 23.
“A lot of these girls who want to join have been in a fall sport and can’t join.”
Accompanying Pick at the meeting were six other students and one parent in support of cheerleading at home basketball games for both the girls’ and boys’ teams.
Pick explained six cheerleaders would make up one squad, based on the space in the gym.
The fall football cheering squad had a dozen members.
Leah Radisewitz, the football cheerleading coach, has said she is willing to be the adult adviser for winter cheerleading.
She also outlined what participating in a team activity has meant to her.
Pick said she was invited to join the football cheerleading squad three years ago and said cheerleading offered friendships, a sense of belonging to a team, and determination, confidence and patience.
She credited the 13 years of experience coach Radisewitz brings to cheerleading for her continued participation in the cheer program.
“She has taught me everything I know and has made this sport or activity important to me and to all these girls who are also here with me,” she told board members.
Pick said the cheerleaders received new uniforms and pom-poms this year for the football season, and the uniforms would be used during the basketball season as well. Signs to decorate hallways and the gym would also be supported from the fall season’s supplies.
“We have the girls, a coach and the equipment needed,” she wrote. “We just need your approval.”
Because the matter wasn’t on the board’s agenda, no formal action was taken. But consensus from the six members present (clerk Reva Sehr wasn’t in attendance) supported reinstating the winter activity.
“There is a different (more upbeat) atmosphere with cheerleaders there,” said vice chairman Tim Jarchow.
Cost for the football cheerleading adviser was $1,470.
An informal petition with 70 signatures from students and staff was presented to the School Board members at the Nov. 21, 2017, meeting.
At that time, senior Ashlee Boltjes and junior Jacinda Hustoft asked board members to reinstate cheerleading as a winter sport; however, no formal board action was taken.

Luverne School Board members gave Superintendent Craig Oftedahl a final grade of “accomplished” for his performance in the 2020-21 school year.
Each of the seven board members scored Oftedahl on a four-point scale in six areas.
Four dealt with district goals and two were about personal goals.
A 4 is “distinguished,” 3 is “accomplished,” 2 is “satisfactory” and 1 is “unsatisfactory.”
Board members met in an Oct. 28 closed session with Oftedahl for a final evaluation interview.
Board Chairman Eric Hartman delivered a message to Oftedahl at the Nov. 23 board meeting.
“I want to personally thank you for your leadership, your guidance, under less-than-ideal circumstances in the last year especially and the last few years,” Hartman said.
“Covid and a building project — is there anything else we could have added to the mix of things?”
The construction and remodeling project started with long-range planning in 2016 (Oftedahl was hired in July 2015) with the actual construction beginning in 2019 and is in the finishing stages this fall.
The $31 million project is coming within budget, according to business manager Tyler Reisch, who reported on the construction budget at the Oct. 28 meeting.
As of the Nov. 23 meeting, $730,107 remains in the construction account.
Other district goals and Oftedahl’s score in each include:
•provide leadership for the district during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2.86.
•provide leadership in the area of finances, 3.14.
•continue to cultivate community partnerships, 3.71.
The overall score toward district goals was 3.35.
For the personal goals the score include:
•strengthen communication on a consistent basis, 2.71.
•lead the process to improve efficiency of the district, 3.29.
Overall personal score toward district goals: 3.0.
 
In other business at the Nov. 23 meeting, the board approved the following personnel:
•hired Savannah Siebenahler as middle-high school paraprofessional beginning Nov. 29, Tara Sudenga as middle school girls’ basketball coach, and Mike Gonnerman as middle school boys’ basketball coach.
•transferred Danielle Ganun from middle-high school paraprofessional to preschool paraprofessional.
•accepted the retirement of Brenda Fodness as middle-high school cook effective Nov. 30.
•approved the following volunteers: boys’ hockey, Kaden Erickson; gymnastics, Cody Gehrke; and wrestling, Joel Evans, Lance Ripka, Matt Fodness and Jeremy Hough.

This is the time of year for celebrations with family and friends. We eat, we talk, we play games, we laugh, we hug.
Over 9,100 Minnesotans have died from COVID-19. There were 723 Minnesotans who died by suicide in 2020. Over 1,000 Minnesotans died from an overdose.
So, for many of us, the approaching holidays will be hard. Memories come flooding back, providing moments of immense sadness, not joy. When we gather and there is an empty chair, we are reminded of their death.
Having unexpectedly lost my husband of over 40 years in May, I am apprehensive as the holiday season approaches. We’ve spent the last 43 years celebrating holidays together so his not being here will have a profound impact.
There are also people who struggle during the holidays due to the impact of mental illnesses or substance use disorders. There’s ambiguous loss, reminders of what might have been.
There’s the difficulty of engaging when your symptoms are overwhelming. There’s the difficulty of trying to cope with a loved one’s symptoms and illnesses.
While we see the beautiful ads about wonderful holidays, they aren’t always wonderful, and we might feel even more pressured to make them wonderful and more disappointed when they aren’t.
I have no great words of advice for surviving the holidays. It is going to be hard. But here are several things to keep in mind:
•Sit with the grief. Grieving takes time. It’s not about getting better, especially the first year; it’s about getting through it. Don’t try to “fix” someone. Sit by them; allow them to cry, to reminisce, to be sad.
•Reach in. Whether it’s grief or the symptoms of a mental illness, it’s hard to reach out for help. Reach in, offer something specific – a ride, a meal, some fresh flowers, a walk. Send a note that you are thinking of them.
•Let it go. Now’s not the time to complain, to talk about adhering to treatment plans, to fight over what should happen in the future. Just be a family member or a friend. There will be time to have those discussions in the future. But make these holidays a time to be a family that loves each other unconditionally – that truly cares about each other.
•Say “No.” Not all families are healthy. Abuse exists. It’s okay to say “no” to attending events that will be detrimental to your mental health and safety. We have families of origin and families of creation. Some people have to redefine their family.
•Keep it simple. Ban perfection. It’s so easy to get stressed about having everything be perfect – the gifts, meals, or the decorations. What do you remember most about holidays in the past? My guess is it wasn’t all the extra “stuff” but the people and the feelings and emotions.
I know that the coming holidays will be very different and difficult for me. So, I’m planning ahead. I’m writing down the things and activities that will help my grief and my missing him. I’m going to try a SAD light, I’m going to take walks if it isn’t too cold, I’m going to journal, I’m keeping my expectations low and not doing a lot of decorating or gift buying. I’m connecting to the people who know me and help me. 
However you are entering this season, just remember it’s not easy for everyone. Be kind to people who seem to be behaving badly or have a short fuse. There might be a reason that they are struggling during this time, and an act of kindness could help.
 
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families through its programs of education, support and advocacy.

After nearly a month of roaming Rock County, a wayward moose may be gone.
I write “may be” because I don’t want the last social media post about a young male moose lying in a ditch near Tea, South Dakota, to be the same young male moose that’s been roaming Rock County.
Sightings of the Rock County moose began around Halloween when the first pictures of the young moose surfaced. The most startling sighting was a video of the young moose trotting down Highway 75 near the Luverne Farm Store a day or two later.
Every four to five days since then, pictures of the moose were shared. At one point, a spotter suggested naming the moose “Murray.”
Murray wasn’t the only moose on the loose, so to speak.
On Nov. 5, news accounts showed a young moose roaming through the SDSU football stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. While it’s possible it could have been Murray, the distance may be a little too far, as the Brookings moose was reported heading west, farther into South Dakota.
Wandering moose are not unusual, said Barb Keller, the big game program director with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. A wandering moose in southwest Minnesota, while not out of the question, is a little unusual.
Keller suspects the moose may be from northwest Minnesota, where about 100 head are known to live.
Young males are more likely to take an excursion as they leave their native surroundings. While they usually don’t wander hundreds of miles outside their birth places, it is not that uncommon for some moose to be more adventurous — say, complete a jaunt through southwestern Minnesota, which is a little more unusual.
Our Murray has been quite the traveler as he wandered to the Lismore area, only to be spotted back in the Hills area a week later. The Hills-Steen area seems to be his favorite place to be.
His wandering may be in search of food that he is more familiar with. Keller said the moose can subsist on an unusual diet of prairie grass and corn, but his usual diet is tree leaves and plant shoots found in the forested areas farther north.
More disappointing may be that Murray is suffering from brainworm, which affects an animal’s nervous system. Affected animals seek open areas for prolonged periods of time. They move in circles with a noticeable head tilt and apparent blindness. While brainworm is not likely to kill the moose, it makes the animal more susceptible to predators.
From the pictures and videos I’ve seen of Murray, he appears to be healthy. The last reported social media sighting of Murray was posted Nov. 23 in the Hills area.
This week would be the longest stretch between sightings since Murray first surfaced.
Let’s hope our mild weather convinced the heavy-coated young moose to travel farther north where it’s cooler and where other moose live.

White lights or colored lights? Blinking lights or non-blinking lights? Real tree or artificial? Open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
These are the questions that are causing more than a few discussions or debates in our household, and yours as well, I suspect.
I’ll cut right to the chase. The Petersons prefer white lights, the non-blinking kind.
The real tree/artificial tree debate ends up as a compromise with one of each, but mostly artificial.
As far as gift opening, here again a little bit of both. A few get opened on Christmas Eve but most are opened on Christmas morning.
It’s been a couple of years since the Peterson clan has come together on Christmas Day. Recently COVID-19, and before that, busy family and work schedules have made it difficult to gather on Christmas Day.
Again this year we will be celebrating Christmas while most of you will still be shopping for presents.
For me it’s kind of like the lights, tree and gift-opening debate — or even the date. As long as you are celebrating Christmas with family, nothing else really matters.
 Sorry this column is a little short, but I have to finish up my last-minute gift shopping.
This might be a little early for most of you, but Merry Christmas.

Dispatch report
Nov. 19
•Complainant on W. Main Street reported someone broke into their home.
•School requested deputy assistance.
•MN Department of Corrections requested deputy assistance in Beaver Creek.
Nov. 20
•Assistance from another department was of service westbound on Interstate 90, at the Luverne exit.
•Complainant on N. Water Avenue, Hills, reported a subject with a warrant at location.
•Complainant on 30th Avenue, Hills, reported a mower on fire at location.
•Complainant on 60th Avenue, Hills, reported a subject with Rock County warrant.
Nov. 21
•Deputy out with parked vehicle at location on E. Barck Avenue and N. Blue Mound Avenue.
•Theft was reported at location on W. Interstate Drive.
•Complainant on E. Barck Avenue reported a scam.
•Complainant on N. Esty Street requested a deputy.
Nov. 22
•Complainant in Vermillion, South Dakota, requested information on a child custody matter.
•Complainant on Commerce Road reported a parking issue.
•Complainant on 2nd Street W., Jasper, reported a verbal dispute.
•Complainant in Luverne reported a check fraud.
•Subject on W. Mead Court with Rock County warrant.
Nov. 23
•Complainant on 40th Avenue, Beaver Creek, reported theft at location.
•Complainant on 131st Street, Luverne, reported three to four vehicles driving on her land/property.
•Complainant on Main Street reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on Highway 23, mile marker 6, Beaver Creek, reported a driving complaint.
•Deputy assisted state patrol on a vehicle search eastbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 13, Luverne.
Nov. 24
•Subject located on 1st Street NE, Austin, was arrested on Rock County warrant.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported stolen skid loader in Rock County.
•Complainant on E. Luverne Street requested to make a report.
•Complainant on E. Luverne Street reported threats from another tenant.
•Complainant on W. Mead Court reported a vulnerable adult situation.
•Complainant on W. Mead Court reported loud music.
Nov. 25
•Counterfeit money was received at location on S. Kniss Avenue.
•Outage at location.
Nov. 26
•Complainant on W. Church Avenue, Steen, reported harassing communication.
In addition, officers responded to 6 motor vehicle accidents, 2 deer accidents, 4 escorts, 17 ambulance runs, 3 paper services, 4 animal complaints, 2 fingerprint requests, 5 burn permits, 1 driver’s license check, 1 gas drive-off, 2 alarms, 4 drug court tests, 5 purchase and carry permits, 11 traffic stops, 9 abandoned 911 calls, 2 tests and 1 follow-up.