“It’s kind of like a magnet … one person comes and it seems like more show up.”
That’s how Dave Shelton, Luverne, explains the camaraderie among those who rent plots at the Luverne Community Gardens.
“It’s beautiful out here in the mornings and others come in the evening to avoid the heat of the day,” he said about the busier times of day.
Lynette Jauert, Luverne, coordinates the community gardens on city-owned land on the edge of town on East Dodge Street.
“We exchange ideas, give each other tips, check out all the other plants,” she said.
“I also hear conversations about vacation plans, updates on family members, all that stuff.”
Community gardener Terry Althoff agreed.
“We talk about gardening, but not all the talk is about gardening,” he said.
And they share in the work, as well as the information.
Althoff, for example, made green sticks for gardeners to mark their plots to indicate they are on vacation and others can water their plants.
There are sixteen 10’ by 10’ plots in each of the three gardens. Gardeners rent one or more plots for $15 per season.
There were a couple of open plots this season and Jauert encouraged anyone interested in renting space at the community gardens for next year to contact City Hall to get on a waiting list. 
A tiller, weed eater, mower, gardening tools, kneeling bench, grass clippings for mulch and a water source with a hose and wheel are all included.
“Holly Sammons at the city was a driving force behind this, and most of it is funded by grants,” Jauert said.
Current gardeners are the best advertisers.
“The soil is fantastic here, there’s plenty of sun, and they provide everything you need,” Althoff said, “it’s easy and convenient.”
A wide variety of ages take advantage of the community gardens, according to Jauert.
“We have some families that garden together, even one family that has three generations out here,”Jauert said. “We also have a lot of retired teachers and retirees in general; there’s a real nice mix.”
Althoff is one of those retired teachers who have a passion for the community gardens.
“We really appreciate how it’s all organic; there are no pesticides,” he said. “We like having fresh produce and knowing where it comes from. That’s important to us.”
He and his wife, Deb, have been gardening at the community gardens for six seasons. He built two trellis arches that allow him to grow three varieties of squash vertically.
“My wife lays out our plots and plants them, and then I come out through the season and weed and take care of it,” Althoff said.
Althoff and Shelton both have smaller gardens at home, but they said the community gardens offer more opportunity to enjoy their hobby.
“Certain plants need more sun; squash, onions and others do really well out here in the sun,” Shelton said. 
Shelton is growing cabbage, pumpkins and other vegetables in his plots.
“I grew up a farm kid and this is as close as I can get to farming now,” he said.
“It’s my hobby. Some guys golf, but I’m not good at that,” Shelton said. “So I stick to gardening.”

Luverne Farmers Market finished the first month of the 2021 season with good participation in a new program.
Now organizers are lifting coronavirus prevention measures — like no touching the produce — that have been in place for a year.
Corrine Bonnema is the member-elected president of the Luverne Farmers Market.
“This year they get to squeeze the tomatoes (touch the produce),” she said.
However, some of the measures — such as drive-up buying — are now common practice.
 
PoP Plus proves to be popular event
The children-focused Power of Produce (PoP) program returned this year, along with PoP Plus, which is directed toward adults 60 and older.
PoP educates participants on the nutritional value of eating market items. The children, ages 4 through 12, receive a weekly $2 token to spend on produce at the market.
Pop Plus registrants receive $4 tokens each week.
Bonnema said funding for the PoP Plus program is through the Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging, which received legislative funding Wednesday.
“If the legislature didn’t approve the money, we would have been suspending the program,” she said.
Since its start in early June, the program has 60 registered adults.
In-person activities also resume for the PoP programs as a result of the lift in coronavirus restrictions.
 
Drought affecting produce supply
First-year vendor Andrew Ainsworth owns Kanaranzi Greens, which specializes in leafy greens and root vegetables in rural Rock County.
“It’s been a difficult year,” Ainsworth admitted.
With Rock County under severe drought conditions, yields have not been as abundant.
Ainsworth said his garden started as a food source for his growing family with the over-production offered at the farmers market.
“Everything we grow, we pull,” he said.
After preparing produce for the market, the produce parts not meant for human consumption are fed to the family’s laying hens and soon-to-be ready broilers.
Ainsworth said attendees at the Luverne Farmers Market have been “fantastic” supporters.
He’s learned more about which produce is preferred by customers and how to more effectively grow that produce under a variety of weather conditions.
 
Customers drop by weekly
Because produce and other items brought to the market vary from week to week, customers have a weekly habit of dropping by the Thursday evening event.
For Terry and Amy Lou Reisch of Luverne, the stop took a matter of minutes.
Amy Lou said the couple didn’t plant a garden and instead buy what’s available from farmers market vendors.
On Thursday they purchased turnips from Ainsworth and they checked with other vendors to see what was coming up in the following weeks.
Luverne Farmers Market is open Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at Redbird Field on East Main Street.

Dave Sternborg is the new branch manager at First Farmers and Merchants Bank in Luverne after 10 years of driving by on I-90 during his commute between Sioux Falls and Worthington.
“It’s a piece-of-cake drive compared with what I was doing,” said Sternborg, whose mother grew up in the Ellsworth area.
He began working for FF&M on June 10, replacing Ryan Wynia, who decided this spring to pursue a local career in production agriculture.
Previously, Sternborg was the senior ag lender with the Fulda Area Credit Union and also worked in various banks in Huron and Dell Rapids and Slayton since graduating from South Dakota State University in 1982.
In the month that he’s been working in Luverne, Sternborg attended Chamber events welcoming improvements to Rock County.
“I am impressed how the communities take care themselves,” he said. “A lot of towns don’t do anything —many just complain and won’t do anything about it. Here they work at it and get it fixed.”
In his position as branch manager, Sternborg said the bank’s role is to help people succeed. “We want the focus to be on our customers and we want them to be as successful as they can be,” Sternborg said.
In the process of helping customers with home ownership or business expansion, he said it’s his job to find practical lending solutions and to steer borrowers toward achievable goals.
For most of his childhood, Sternborg dreamed of becoming a farmer, following in his dad’s footsteps on the family farm near Estherville, Iowa.
However, the early 1980s financial crisis was not a good time to begin farming.
“Thank God I didn’t try to start farming; I would have taken my dad down,” he said, but added that he’s wistful during spring planting for what might have been.
One of Sternborg’s personal interests for more than 25 years has been barbershop music in quartets and chorues, both as a singer and more recently as a director.
“My family likes music, and that particular genre caught my ear,” he said.
Sternborg enjoys spending time with his family — his wife, Lori, and their two adult children and two grandchildren. All live in Sioux Falls.

Meetings
Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 12, in the township hall. 
Blue Mound Cemetery Association will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, for a potluck supper at the Blue Mound Church.
Vienna Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, in the Kenneth Community Center.
 
Prairie Ally tree care workshop July 10
Prairie Alley Outdoor Center and Project Food Forest will host a free tree care workshop from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at 308 N Blue Mound Ave, Luverne.
AmeriCorps Community Forestry Corps member Berty Stearns lead the workshop, which will address a variety of topics, from selecting the right trees to problems that may arise over time. RSVP through info@projectfoodforest.org. Donations welcome at https://donorbox.org/support-pff.
 
Summer beef tour July 13
Rock and Nobles county cattlemen will host the 40th Annual Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association Summer Beef Tour Tuesday, July 13, to showcase local livestock innovations and to educate the public on sustainable and environmentally sound practices.
Participants from all backgrounds — farming or non-farming, are encouraged to register at www.mnsca.org or by contacting Bakken at jsbakken918@gmail.com
Tour buses will stop at the operations of Grant and Eric Binford, Luverne; Glen and Matt Boeve, Steen; Brad VanDeBerg, Hills; Dave Mente, Adrian; Ryan Thier, Rushmore; Russ and Brian Penning, Wilmont; Brake Feedyards, Wilmont; and Bullerman (3B Farms) Adrian.
 
Athletic events coming in July
Registration is open for the following events:
•July 10, Tour de Donut Minnesota: 7 a.m. 55-mile start, 7 :30 a.m. 35-mile start, and 8 a.m. 10- and 19-mile starts.
•July 15, Wienerman World Championships, compete as an individual or a four-person, relay team during Luverne’s Hot Dog Night, 7 p.m. start.
To register go to www.allsportscentral.com and www. wienermanevents.com.
For more information contact Dave Duffy at dduffy@rconnect.com or call 507-920-3345.
 
Free food for seniors July 15
A.C.E. of SW MN will offer its Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors 60 and older from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 15, in the parking lot at  319 E. Lincoln, Luverne, as a drive-through distribution. Call Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 to pre-register and for more information.
 
Free food offered July 15
New Life Celebration Church will offer free food at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, July 15, at the Generations Building on East Lincoln Street in Luverne. Vehicles should enter the west parking lot from Lincoln Street and drive to the double glass doors on the west side of the building where volunteers will load groceries into cars. Walkers should receive their pre-packaged groceries on the east side of the building. Call 507-283-4366. 
 
Community Education announcements
Luverne Community Education will offer the following activities and classes in coming weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to sign up. See comed.isd2184.net to view the brochure and list of offerings.
Create three wooden games at Beginning Wood Working on July 6 and 8 and then enjoy playing the games at class.  Open to anyone grade 2 (completed) through adult. Fee is $25.
Friday morning Adventure Day Camps will be at the Rock County Fairgrounds this summer. Events included July 9, Go for the Gold, and Aug. 13, End of Summer Fun. Fee is $15 per day. Limited to 15 students in grades 1-4 as attended during the 2020-21 school year.
Reclaimed Wood Art class on July 13 will give you an opportunity to make an unique “string art deco” piece to enjoy a home or give as a gift. Open to any grad 2 through adult. Fee is $18/person.
Have fun cooking at Kids in the Kitchen this summer for grades K-8. New added classes include Snack Attack, July 15, and Bakery Fun, Aug. 19. Fee is $16/child.
Crazy About Science on July 19, 20 and 21 will be filled with exciting experiments. Open to students who attended grades 1-4 during the past school year. New classes added. Fee is $30.
Kids in grades 1-3 (completed) can sign up for Paint and Snack Classes on July 22. Fee is $33.
Students ages 8-13 may attend Boot Camp the week of Aug. 2-6. Learn how to muster, march and drill, about military history and the American flag, complete service projects, hear guest speakers who were in the military and more. Cost is $60.
Art Camp is three days of creativity for students who added grades K-5 during the past school year. Dates are Aug. 10, 11 and 12. Cost is $100.
Grades K through adult will Learn to Play Chess on Aug. 10, 17, 24 and 26. Use grade attended through the 2020-21 school year. Last class is a tournament. Great adult/child activity. Fee is $15.
Taking Defensive Driving Classes allow adults aged 55 or older to save on insurance premiums. After the beginning eight-hour class, a four-hour fresher class must be taken every three years to receive the reduced premium benefit. Beginning class is Nov. 11 and 18. Four-hour refresher is Sept. 16
 
Library Happenings
The Rock County Library is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. For additional questions, contact library personnel at 507-449-5040 or rocklibrarystaff@gmail.com.
Summer Reading Program, “Reading Colors Your World,” registration is now along with the adult summer reading program. Pick up a reading log at the library.
Monthly trivia nights with locally written questions are the first Thursdays of the month at Take 16 on East Main Street in Luverne for teams of one or more individuals. No pre-registration is necessary. Library personnel conduct the event.
Story Time at the Park will feature songs and stories with children’s library Bronwyn Wenzel each Tuesday through June and July at a different park in Luverne. The events begin at 10:30 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. The schedule will be:
•July 6, Evergreen Park, North Blue Mound Avenue.
•July 13, Kolbert Park, 801 W. Warren St.
•July 20, Veterans Park, 1211 N. Elm St.
•July 27, Hawkinson Park, East Adams Avenue.
Zoom Man @ the Park takes place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 22, at Hawkinson Park.
Toby Kid presents “Color Your World” with interactive comedy, magic, puppetry and silliness at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at library.
 
Southwest Crisis Center offers trauma-informed yoga
The Southwest Crisis Center yoga support group is expanding this summer to weekly sessions from noon to 12:45 p.m. Tuesdays through July 13 at the Luverne City Park. Bring a yoga mat as limited qualities will be available. Sessions are directed by Rock County advocate Jennifer Lindsey and is free and open to the public. Contact Lindsey at 507-283-9917 or Jennifer@mnswcc.org with questions.
 
Explore Prairie Ally
Free guided tours at Prairie Ally Outdoor Center (308 N. Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne) are Thursdays at 6, 6:30, and 7 p.m. through August or by appointment. Volunteers are needed Tuesdays from 10a.m. to noon and Thursdays at 5:30 June through September. A workshop on edible perennials will be Aug. 19. Contact: prairieallymn@gmail.com, 605-951-0227. Also, visit projectfoodforest.org/events.
 
Take and Make bird treat kits
Stop by the Luverne Area Chamber at 213 East Luverne Street to pick up one or more Take and Make bird treat kits. Kits are free, but a $5 to $10 donation is welcome to benefit Project Food Forest in Rock County. (Or donate online at https://donorbox.org/support-pff)

The Reclaim Community, which is working to preserve the historic Jasper school, will host three events for this weekend’s Jasper Quartzsiter Days celebration.
The July 9-11 weekend features a Friday night classic car cruise-in and barbecue meal, a Saturday vendor fair and farmers market followed by a community meal and evening parade.
Tents will be set up along Main (Wall) Street for the vendor fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They may move to the park if necessary.
Also on Saturday local “athletes” can participate in the popular Quartzsiter 0.5k UN-run “race” for donuts and beer.
“If you’re barely willing to put in any athletic effort, and you enjoy carbs, this is the event for you,” states the online event promotion.
“It’s all inclusive — no need for talent or hard work, and you can be rewarded with a T-shirt, medal and flashy car sticker to show off how much community spirit you have.”
Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/MN/Jasper/QuartzsiterPoint5k.
Proceeds from these events will support Reclaim Community’s efforts to secure grants for preserving Jasper’s historic quartzite buildings and help pay for repairs and maintenance through the construction planning process.
Reclaim Community is working with the Quartzsiter Club to host Jasper’s celebration, along with the Lions, Historical Society and other volunteers and groups.
 
 
Progress so far and future plans
Architectural blueprints are nearly finished for Bauman Hall, as is the Historic Structure Report to evaluate the conditions and repair needs of the Jasper School.
To date the group has raised over $148,000 in grant funds and $120,000 in private donations that have been reinvested in projects in Jasper,
Volunteers are also hoping to start a new community fund to assist historic building owners with funding to help with costs of repairing their historic buildings.
The fund would support a “30-30-30 split” of grant funding, low interest community loans and owner investment to preserve and renovate downtown buildings.
The group describes it as “a powerful economic strategy of creating jobs and providing affordable business spaces and residences, as well as dramatically increasing property tax base for the city and attracting more investment.”
More details about Quartzsiter Days and about Reclaim Community can be found at reclaimcommunity.org.

Preliminary figures from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety show 202 people have died on Minnesota roads since Jan. 1, compared to 148 last year at this time.
The state reported its 200th traffic death on July 1, the earliest since 2009, and State Patrol Lt. Matt Sorenson said this is unacceptable.
“Most tragedies on the road can be prevented, and we’re working to remind motorists to slow down — for their own benefit and others they share the road with,” said Sorenson, who oversees the 13 southwest Minnesota counties in District 2300.
“Many crashes could have been prevented had drivers not been speeding. Higher rates of speed exacerbate what might have otherwise been near misses, because reaction time is diminished and impacts are more devastating.”
To remind motorists to slow down, the The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (DPS-OTS) is coordinating extra speed patrols during the month of July.
 
Recent deaths on Minnesota roads include:
•A 17-year-old male driver who died when he was hit head-on by a speeding vehicle in Polk County.
•A 26-year-old unbelted male driver speeding on a county road in Scott County died when he crashed into a concrete barrier.
•A 44-year-old motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet was allegedly speeding on a county road in Anoka County when he hit a car making a left turn out of a parking lot driveway. The rider died.
•A 42-year-old motorcyclist riding in Ramsey County died when he ran off the road, hitting a chain-link fence. The rider was allegedly speeding and not wearing a helmet.
The first 202 traffic fatalities include:
•142 motor vehicle occupants compared with 109 reported this time last year.
•26 motorcyclists compared with 18 reported this time last year.
•23 pedestrians compared with 18 reported this time last year.
•Three bicyclists compared with three reported this time last year.
 
Bad choices lead to tragic results
For the first 202 traffic fatalities, preliminary information shows:
•80 speed-related deaths (40 percent) compared with 49 this time last year (33 percent).
•45 alcohol-related deaths (22 percent) compared with 60 this time last year (28 percent).
•5 distracted-related deaths (2 percent) compared with 9 this time last year (6 percent).
•46 unbelted motorist deaths (32 percent) compared with 37 this time last year (34 percent).
“Exactly halfway through 2021, and I’m at a loss for words. What is it going to take for drivers to understand the importance of driving smart?” asked Mike Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety.
“Two hundred traffic fatalities by July 1 is just unacceptable. You’re at much greater risk of planning a funeral now than in the past because of what’s happening on our roads. We all need to drive smart to help protect each other while out on the roads.”

“Things happen in threes.”
I’ve heard that phrase, or variations of it, numerous times over the years, most often referencing deaths or other bad circumstances and events.
I usually dismiss “happens in threes” as simple superstition.
If you wait long enough, eventually three people you know are going to die or three unfortunate things will happen to your family.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m superstitious in other ways, just not when it comes to three bad events happening together.
At least not until this month.
I’ve had a chance this summer to do all kinds of things I have missed doing for the last year and a half.
And that means that I’ve been driving a lot.
Maybe that’s why I’m now hoping things really do happen in threes.
Three times in the last two or three weeks I’ve had what I would call “close calls” for accidents while driving.
The first driving scare of the summer was actually more of a lesson in government spending than driving for me.
I was driving on Highway 169 between Jordan and Belle Plaine when I noticed a cloud of dust and debris on the other side of the highway.
A car was off the roadway, bouncing along a median barrier that was built to prevent traffic from colliding with oncoming traffic. It was working exactly as promoted.
Although the driver’s side of the car was getting shredded, the barrier bent but didn’t break. The car didn’t flip, bounce back in the driving lane or cross the median into my lane.
My thought was, “Wow, those things really work!”
I also couldn’t help but think what might have happened in the absence of the median barrier.
The second incident in Sioux Falls was a much closer call.
I was driving with a friend on Interstate 229 entering a construction zone. While traffic had slowed, we were still going about 35 to 40 mph.
While visiting with my passenger, we heard the unmistakable sound of a crash and I immediately, instinctively hit my brakes and safely swerved onto the shoulder — narrowly avoiding the SUV in front of us that had just rear-ended the car in front of it.
I must say I was pretty rattled by that close call, but also pretty impressed by my driving instincts.
As I left for a Fourth of July weekend excursion that would involve a lot of driving, I cautiously considered the “happens in threes” superstition.
When a pickup ran a red light about 50 yards in front of my car in downtown Hutchinson Saturday, I actually felt a sense of relief.
I considered this to be the final incident of the “things happen in threes” theory, and I’m now looking forward to less eventful driving for the rest of the summer.
… Knock on wood.

Question: What is the law with regard to insurance cards?  I was told it must always be available in the vehicle and then I was told that if you do not have it, there is no fine if you produce it within three days. What exactly are the statutes with regard to having your driver's license on you while driving? 
Answer:
The driver of the vehicle is required to provide current proof of insurance on a vehicle. The proof can be a hard copy or electronic proof of insurance. If the driver is issued a citation for no proof of insurance, the owner of the vehicle must provide proof of insurance stating the vehicle was properly insured at the time of the stop. This must be completed no later than the date and time specified on the citation. Court will dismiss and there will be no fine. The required proof of insurance may be sent by mail or presented in person at courthouse. If there is no proof of insurance provided, the citation remains a no insurance citation.  (State Sub. 2a)
Proof of insurance may be presented electronically pursuant to Minn. Stat. sec. 60A.139, subd. 2.  "Delivered by electronic means" includes, delivery to an e-mail address at which a party has consented to receive notices or documents or posting on an electronic network or website accessible via the internet, mobile application, computer, mobile device, tablet or other electronic device, together with separate notice of posting, which must be provided by electronic mail to the address at which the party has consented to receive notice or by any other delivery method that has been consented to by the party.
If your electronic device is not working (dead battery on your phone, website not accessible, no service, etc.), you could be cited for “no proof of insurance.” I recommend that you print a copy of your insurance card in case your electronic equipment is unable to display your proof of insurance, and keep it in your vehicle.
You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober.  Help us drive Minnesota toward zero deaths.
If you have any questions concerning traffic-related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Sgt. Troy Christianson – Minnesota State Patrol at Statue 169.791 2900 48th Street NW, Rochester MN 55901-5848.  (Or reach him at, Troy.Christianson@state.mn.us)

'Thumbs down' to Star Herald for 'snarky comment'
To the Editor:
A big thumbs down to the Star Herald June 24 edition for their thumbs column.
Why did you feel the need to publish the snarky comment about the covid shot?
Do you really believe it’s your heroic efforts that have allowed things to open up? Would you vilify someone who opted not to receive chemo for the cancer they have, or someone who takes a holistic approach to their health?
Maybe it’s time to do some unbiased journalism and do some investigation into both sides of the story.
It seems to me that attacking 50 percent of your target audience is simply bad business, not to mention attacking Dollar General, a business in our community.
God bless America!
Todd Meinerts,
Luverne