Stratton earns degree at DSU
Logan Stratton, Luverne, received a Master of Science in Computer Science – Cyber degree following the Spring 2021 semester at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota.

10 years ago (2011)
•Legislation dealing with concussions in school sports is dictating how coaches decide when or if an injured athlete should return to the game.
Laws passed in more than 30 states this summer essentially prevent coaches and trainers from allowing athletes with head injuries to return to play without proper medical clearance.
The law was passed in response to a growing field of medical research that points to the long-term and debilitating symptoms of head injuries.
 
25 years ago (1996)
•The former Berkley Information System office on South Freeman Street will likely change hands this fall.
F & L Management and Development bought the building for $87,500. The sale was negotiated by the Luverne Community Economic Development Corporation, with assistance from the Luverne Economic Development Authority and the city.
Tom Serie said he will move the F & L Management office from the Rock County Agriculture building on Gabrielson Road into the downtown building soon, because county officers related to agriculture, the environment and Extension need more space.
 
50 years ago (1971)
•After teaching for 10 years in a conventional, average school system, Dorothy Ricehill, former Magnolia resident and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Kroontje, Luverne, decided to try something a little more challenging.
Following her graduation in 1959 from Hope College in Holland, Mich., Mrs. Ricehill taught elementary education at Storm Lake, Iowa. Last year she accepted a position as assistant missionary at the Red Bird Mission located in Beverly, Ky.
The Red Bird Mission was founded in the mountainous Appalachia region of Kentucky in 1921. It provides an educational, medical, social and religious  center for a five-county area.
 
75 years ago (1946)
•Dick Creeger, local golfer, won first place and a new radio in the “pitching” contest held Sunday in connection with the Pipestone golf tournament.
Each tournament entry had the same opportunity to win, and each one had three tries. The drive was 150 yards at the eighth hole. Creeger’s winning drive was just 10 feet, three inches from the cup.
Creeger was one of nine Luverne golfers in attendance at the meet. In all, 84 golfers participated, the winner being the former amateur champion of Hawaii, who is now visiting at Madison, S. D.
Other Luverne golfers in attendance were Dr. O. W. Anderson, Andy Solberg, Albert Birdsey, Lorren Church, Roger Pengra, Hugh Connell, Joe Peterson and John Carstens.
 
100 years ago (1921)
•John Engebretson was elected president; Theo. Torgrimson, John Colbeck and Nels Hovland, trustees; Carl E. Olson, treasurer; O. P. Remme, clerk; John Jacobson, justice of the peace; and Ed Knowlton constable; at a special election held Tuesday at Kenneth.
These officers were selected in recognition of the recent decision of the people of Kenneth to incorporate, which was decided by a unanimous vote, and the men above named have the honor of being the first officers of that village.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on March 8, 1935.
 
Taking of Muskrats Unlawful this Year
 
State Game and Fish Division Issues Prohibitory Order After Dangers of Undue Depletion are Shown
Trapping of muskrats or taking of them in any other manner will be unlawful throughout this year, according to an official statement received by County Auditor Ray Koehn from Erling Swenson, director of the division of game and fish of the Minnesota department of conservation. This order was issued following an investigation in which it was shown that muskrats in the state are in danger of undue depletion.
It takes effect at once, and shall be in force until December 31st, 1935. Specification is made that “no muskrats may be taken in the state of Minnesota in any manner except as may be provided by orders issued pursuant to Mason’s statutes 1927, section 5544, during the year 1935.”
A survey of the muskrat situation was recently conducted by all game wardens in the state, within their respective districts. The nature of the reports sent in to the division of game and fish led the state department to issue its latest order, to protect these fur-bearers from possible extinction.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The Rock County 4-H Youth Development Program concluded the 2021 summer day camp program on Aug. 13 with “Summer Fun” at the Rock County Fairgrounds in Luverne. Nine campers in grades 1-4 captured the sun’s energy in an attempt to roast marshmellows for s’mores, read and shared campfire stories, learned about fireflies and played games. Pizza Ranch of Luverne provided the pizza boxes for the solar ovens. Pictured above are Harper Hulstein (from left), Ian Meyeraan and Tucker Thone, who carefully cover their pizza boxes with aluminum foil for their solar ovens.

The Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers Board recently donated a full set of tires to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office as part of a promotion for using soybean oil in tire treads.
Goodyear’s soy-based “Eagle Enforcer All Weather” tires are designed for extreme climates.
 According to state soybean promoters, soybean oil in a tire’s tread compound creates low glass transition temperatures, helping to improve tire flexibility and provide better traction in colder temperatures.
“The Rock County Growers Board is proud to donate tires made with a product that we grow locally,” said Lucas Peters, Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers chair.
“We were happy to promote the innovative use of soybeans while also supporting our county sheriff’s department.”
Rock County farmers and their soybean checkoff dollars are giving back to local emergency responders and also promoting the diverse uses of soybeans.
“We see the value of promoting the soy-based tires to be able to show consumers that soybeans are more versatile than people think when it comes to being used in household and industrial products,” said Gary Gertz, Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers board member and MSGA Director.
“I hope this draws people’s attention and has them checking the labels of products in their homes.”
Goodyear has increased its use of soybeans by 73 percent since 2018 and pledged to fully replace all of its petroleum-driven oils with soybean oil by 2040.
The Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers Association is affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff dollars on behalf of the nearly 28,000 soybean farmers in Minnesota.
The money is used to promote, educate and develop market opportunities for soybeans.

Lewis "Lewey" Kruger, 66, Lennox, South Dakota, died Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, at Sanford USD Medical Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, following a short battle with cancer.
A memorial service was Wednesday, Aug. 18, at Central Church in Sioux Falls.
Lewis Lee Kruger was born on Sept. 9, 1954, to Harvey and Carol (Petit) Kruger at Valley Springs, South Dakota. He grew up and attended school in Luverne, Woodstock, Pipestone and Trout Haven, South Dakota, before returning to Luverne. After high school, Lewis earned a degree in heavy equipment operation in South Carolina.
On Sept. 3, 1971, he married Barbara Kafka in Sioux Falls. The couple lived in Luverne, Sioux City, Iowa, Ricketts, Iowa, Beaver Creek, and Sioux Falls before making their home in Lennox for the past 33 years. Lewis began work erecting silos, then as a welder, farmer, garage door installer and general contractor. He then began a 37-year career in diesel mechanics for J & W Diesel and Truck Services, Sioux Falls.
Lewey was a devoted husband and father whose passion was helping family or friends in need. He was a self-taught fixer and inventor of anything that could be constructed or driven. From specialty tools to custom tree houses, go-carts or adult big wheels, he could build it or fix it. He enjoyed woodworking and then painting his projects. He loved camping, travel and motorcycles.
Lewey is survived by his wife, Barb; children Shannon Kruger, Lewis "Rusty" Kruger, both of Springfield, South Dakota, and Amanda Kruger (Tony Barnes) of Harrisburg, South Dakota; seven grandchildren, Skye, Hayden, Payton “Paypay”, Payton, Kaden, Colton and Ethan; great-grandson Kasen; his mother, Carol (Bill) Poppenga, Lennox; siblings Dean (Deb) Kruger, Brandon, Kathy (Charlie) Crow, Lake Crystal, John Kruger, Warsaw, Missouri, Bill (Donna) Kruger, Sioux Falls, Trudy (Dave) Tollefson, Duncan, Florida, and Robbie (Gigi) Moore, Lennox, as well as a host of other relatives and friends. 
He was preceded in death by his father, Harvey, and one brother, Paul Kruger.
Arrangements were provided by Dindot-Klusmann Funeral Home of Lennox, dindotklusmann.com.
(0819 F)

Ethel B. Ten Hove, 95, Pipestone, died Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Community of Pipestone.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, at the Hartquist Funeral Home in Pipestone. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, at the Woodstock American Reformed Church in Woodstock, with interment prior to the service at 10 a.m. at the Chandler Memorial Cemetery in Chandler.
Ethel Beatrice Ten Hove was born to Thomas and Etta (Beers) Scotting on November 29, 1925, on a farm in Lorain Township of Nobles County, Minnesota. When she was four years old, her mother died and her father married his wife’s sister, Margaret. They lived on farms near Lake Wilson and Reading, Minnesota. Upon completion of her education, she worked for various families in the area.
Ethel married Henry Van Veldhuizen and lived in Boyden, Iowa. To this union they had two sons, Richard and Alan. Henry died in 1953 from ataxia.
In December of 1954, Ethel married Joe Ten Hove. Along with farming, Ethel and Joe owned and operated Ten Hove Grocery in Woodstock, Minnesota, for nine years. In 1992 Ethel and Joe moved to Pipestone, Minnesota. Joe preceded Ethel in death on July 23, 2011. She continued to reside in Pipestone and was recently a resident at the Ridgeview Estates and The Good Samaritan Community in Pipestone, where she died on August 8, 2021, at the age of 95 years, eight months, and 11 days.
     Ethel was a member of the American Reformed Church in Woodstock. She enjoyed cooking, baking, flower gardening, and playing cards.
     Ethel is lovingly remembered by her granddaughter, Darla Brockus of Jurupa Valley, California; great-grandson, Nathan Brockus of Azusa, California; daughter-in-law, Elaine (Van Veldhuizen) Hansen and her husband, Raymond, of Luverne, Minnesota; three half-sisters, Bess Lingen of Tyler, Minnesota, Francis DeRuyter of Ruthton, Minnesota, and Cindy (Pat) Engbarth of Ruthton; two half-brothers, Sidney (Kathy) Scotting of Watertown, South Dakota, and Lloyd (Mary) Scotting of Venice, Florida; and extended family, Adam, Tracy, Lauren, and Joshua Hansen.
Ethel was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Henry Van Veldhuizen and Joe Ten Hove; sons Richard and Alan Van Veldhuizen; granddaughter Kaylene Van Veldhuizen; grandson Kevin Van Veldhuizen-August; sister and brother-in-law Grace and Herb Baumgard; half-sisters Pearl (Dale) Hibma and Ruth (Raymond) Johnson; and brothers-in-law Vaughn Lingen and Richard DeRuyter.
     In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the National Ataxia Foundation in memory of Henry, Richard, Alan, and Kevin.
Arrangements are provided by Hartquist Funeral Home – Pipestone Chapel, hartquistfuneral.com.
(0819 V)

William “Bill” Beimers, age 84, of Luverne, Minnesota, died peacefully on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.
Visitation will be Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Funeral service will be Thursday, Aug. 19, at 10:30 a.m. at the American Reformed Church in Luverne. Burial with military flag presentation will follow at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. To sign an online registry, please visit hartquistfuneral.com.
William “Bill” Junior Beimers passed from this life peacefully on Aug. 14, 2021, surrounded by family and friends at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne, Minnesota.
Bill was born on Aug. 2, 1937, to William and Louisa (Feenstra) Beimers on a farm east of Hospers, Iowa. He was baptized at Hospers Christian Reformed Church. When he was three, the family moved into the town of Sibley, Iowa. When he was age 14, the family moved to a farm near Sanborn, Iowa, where they resided for three years. Bill often reminisced about adding corncobs to the stove in the middle of the night to keep the farmhouse warm. The family later moved to Sioux Center, Iowa, where Bill was confirmed at the First Christian Reformed Church. After graduating from Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa in 1955, Bill was employed as a mechanic at South Side Service in Sioux Center.
Bill met his future spouse, Esther Van Gorp, when her family’s car fortuitously broke down in Sioux Center while on their way to drop Esther off at Dordt College. Bill lent the Van Gorps his car to finish the journey while they waited for a part to arrive from Sioux City, and then called on Esther a couple days later to invite her out on a double date to the Clay County Fair. In March 1960, Bill was drafted into the United States Army where he served in South Carolina during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Bill frequently drove back to Iowa to see Esther, and on Sept. 2, 1962, they were united in marriage at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa.
After completing his military service, Bill became the service manager at Merit Motors in Sioux Center. In 1969 Bill and Esther moved to Blue Earth, Minnesota, where he taught auto mechanics at South Central Vocational Center and also worked part time at Yeager Implement. Always a hard worker, Bill attended college at Mankato State in the evenings, eventually earning a master’s degree in vocational education and administration.
In 1975 the family moved to Tyler, Minnesota, where Bill became director for a newly established vocational center.
In 1976 they moved to Luverne, and Bill became administrator at Blue Mound Vocational Center, where he also taught auto mechanics and auto body classes and provided donuts to a generation of students. In 1981 Bill and Esther purchased the Luverne Laundromat & Dry Cleaners, where they enjoyed 18 years of serving customers from Luverne and the surrounding community.
An early riser from his farm days, Bill also handled local newspaper delivery for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and Minneapolis StarTribune. Bill and Esther sold the Laundromat in 1999, and Bill continued working part time as a bus driver for the Luverne Public Schools until his final retirement in 2014.
Bill believed in giving back to the community and was active with the Luverne Hospital Board, the Luverne City Council, and Rotary Club. He was also a member of the American Reformed Church in Luverne.
Bill’s hobbies involved riding and working on motorcycles, restoring antique cars, and woodworking.
Bill is lovingly remembered by his wife Esther of Luverne; two children, Tom (Jo-Anne) of Orono, Minnesota, and David (Sarah) of Northfield, Minnesota; seven grandchildren, Cory (24) and Cole (21) Hummel; Oliver (5) and Charlotte (2) Beimers; and Henry (24), William (24), and Ann (20) Beimers; and sister, Dorothy Andersen of Sioux City, Iowa.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Louisa Beimers; sisters Theresa Riemersma and Katherine Kuiper; brothers-in-law Wilbur Riemersma, Louis Kuiper, and Howard Andersen; and sisters-in-law Donna (Howard) King and Bette (Darrell) Kelderman.
The family will be establishing a memorial through Luverne Dollars for Scholars to support post-secondary vocational and technical education.
(0819 V)

Dirt track race car drivers from Rock County placed at three local tracks this weekend.
 Regular weekly races were staged at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Murray County Speedway in Slayton on Friday.
On Saturday night, Worthington Speedway hosted its weekly races while Rapid Speedway was the location of the third LSR (Luverne-Slayton-Rock Rapids) Enduro series race of 2021.  
 
Rapid Speedway
Colton Arends, Luverne, won his second Stock Car A Feature race in as many weeks at Rapid Speedway Friday night.
Scott Overgaard and Thomas Kracht, both of Luverne, finished fourth and fifth respectively in the same race.
Eric Gaul, also of Luverne, placed third in the Hobby Stocks A Feature race in Rock Rapids. Brandon Boeve, Beaver Creek, finished fifth.
Rapid Speedway also hosted the third race of the LSR Enduro series Saturday night.
Stacy Krohnberg, Walters, continued his dominance of the series, winning for the third time.
Jasmine Kalass, Luverne, finished third and Chase Overgaard, also of Luverne, placed sixth in the enduro race.
 
Murray County Speedway
Two Rock County racers competed in Slayton at Murray County Speedway Friday night.
Dylan Fitzpatrick, Magnolia, finished seventh in the Hobby Stocks A Feature race while Hardwick’s Silas Top placed seventh in the Bombers class.
 
Worthington Speedway
Top was the lone local driver to race at Worthington Speedway Saturday night.
Top competed in the Bombers class and finished in second place in the A Feature race.
Below are the full results from Rock County drivers from Aug. 13-14.
 
Rapid Speedway – Aug. 13
Sportsman’s A Feature

Brandon Boeve

Beaver Creek

  5

 
USRA Hobby Stocks A Feature

Eric Gaul

Luverne

  3

Cadyn Wessels

Luverne

10

Katie Kracht

Luverne

15

 
USRA B-Modifieds A Feature 1

Ryan Walker

Luverne

11

Trevor Kracht

Luverne

13

 
USRA Stock Cars A Feature

Colton Arends

Luverne

  1

Scott Overgaard

Luverne

  4

Thomas Kracht

Luverne

  5

Kevin Kremin

Kenneth

  9

Spencer Kalass

Luverne

10

 
LSR Enduro Series – Aug. 14

Laps

Place

Jasmine Kalass

Luverne

200

3

Chase Overgaard

Luverne

191

6

Tony Fluit

Luverne

170

11

Hunter Fluit

Luverne

149

12

 
Murray County Speedway – Aug. 13
IMCA Hobby Stocks A Feature

Dylan Fitzpatrick

Magnolia

  7

 
MCRA Bombers A Feature

Silas Top

Hardwick

    7

 
Worthington Speedway – Aug. 14
Bombers A Feature

Silas Top

Hardwick

  2