Vicki Nelson, Mankato, spent Labor Day weekend with her parents, Ray and Lois Nelson, who attended an annual meeting at MRCI with Vicki. They also attended "Bears" at the Sioux Falls CineDome Theater on Saturday. Aric Sundem, Maple Grove, spent the weekend in the home of his parents, Orval and Bonnie Sundem. Fran Sandager flew to Ft. Thomas, Ky., to attend the wedding of Lindsay Goehle, daughter of Jim and Chris Goehle, on Sept. 1. Edyth Briggs went to Luverne Tuesday of last week to attend a luncheon at Sharkee’s at which Doris Busby of Texas and Joyce Wessels and Lois Ahrendt, both of Luverne, attended. Lois Nelson, Al Berdahl and Stan Nelson played their 38th and final concert of 2003 with the Sioux Falls Municipal Band Saturday morning just outside the Washington Pavilion as a part of the Sidewalk Arts Festival. Jo Wulf, Herrick, S.D., and her parents, Sheldon and Ellie Sandager, motored to Ft. Thomas, Ky., to attend the wedding on Labor Day of the granddaughter of Leona Goehle, Lindsay Goehle and Henry Bronwyn of Hill City, S.D. Both the bride and groom are airplane pilots. En route, they stopped at an antique airplane center which sported a 1946 plane that Sheldon was permitted to take to the airway for a few minutes of flying. Wilmer and Betty Elbers went to New Hampton, Iowa, on Friday to attend the Honda Bike Rally.Ray and Lois Nelson were Sunday night dinner guests of Jean Hanson in Sioux Falls, along with her sister and husband, Jackie and Erling Linde, Moorhead. Erling was the former band director there for 30 years.Don and Edyth Briggs motored to Rochester to attend their Conclave of Sovereign Mason Order of the Temple of Jerusalem on Saturday and Sunday and the banquet following at Gaylord. It was the 50th anniversary of the Mason band which included 60 bands. Friday afternoon Joanne Goehle met her sister and husband, Carole and Marvin Gies, Gregory, S.D., in Sioux Falls and enjoyed lunch together and visiting. Marv and June Albers returned home Thursday from Salisbury, Mo., where they spent six days visiting Marv’s Army buddies.Joanne Goehle spent Saturday in the home of Mark and Brenda Hadler at Edgerton and on Sunday she visited in the home of Leanne and Steve Carmany and family in Tyler. Wendell and Kathryn Erickson attended the State Republican Convention in St. Cloud Saturday. Sunday they attended Wendell’s home church which his great-grandfather founded in 1866 at Stanchfield. Sunday afternoon they attended a legislative alumni meeting which included a cruise on the Mississippi River.Vicki and Jay Meier, Daniel and Meggie, Cedar Bluffs, Iowa, spent from Thursday until Sunday in the home of Duane and Marilyn Nelson. Vicki is the daughter of Wendell and Donna Marshall, former Hills residents when Wendell was superintendent at the Hills school.

Our weather has been very unpredictable this entire year. This spring we had more than our share of wet, cold weather and everyone was wondering if the farmers would get in the fields to get their crops planted in time. Of course they did, but then came a long, hot, dry spell and everyone was concerned about the crops that were badly in need of rain. Many of the crops are maturing early because of the lack of moisture and consequently, the yields will be down. There may be other crops that have not been able to withstand the heat and dry temperatures and probably will not have anything to harvest.Talk about a gambler, I think the farmer is No. 1 on the list. In the spring he invests all of his money in his fields and hopes to have returns enough to pay his expenses and have enough to live on until the next harvest. I guess I would prefer to call it faith in the land. But who knows what is going to happen? Because I grew up on a farm I think just like the farmers, "Next year will be better!" It is all worth it in the evening when the golden harvest moon comes up and ascends into the sky turning the cornfields to sparkling silver. It reminds me of the old song, "By the Light of the Silvery Moon." So much for memories.The locusts have been singing for many weeks and they are the first ones to help us to face the fact that frost is on the way so we better be prepared. Temperatures have been going up and down rather drastically and have been very unpredictable, so who knows, it may be later than we think!Steen Senior Citizens met on Monday, a week later than their regular meeting day due to Labor Day. Cards and games were played. Bill and Bertha Bosch served the lunch. The Glen and Ann Boeve family attended the wedding of Ann’s niece, Julie Leenderts, at the Methodist Church in Aberdeen, SD., on Saturday. A reception followed the ceremony. Those attending were Glen and Ann Boeve, Erin Boeve, Tara Boeve and friend, Derek Vennega, Little Rock, Iowa, and Matthew Boeve and friend, Andrea Roth. They returned home on Sunday.Monday morning coffee guests in the Arnold and Jane Bonnema home were Mr. and Mr. Warren Kleinwaldering, Orange City, Iowa. Orrin and Bernice Aukes attended the Homesteader Days Sunday afternoon at their site south of Brandon, S.D., near Beaver Creek. It was their 25th anniversary and a large crowd came to help them celebrate. Dries and Laura May Bosch attended worship services at Community Reformed Church in Sioux Falls Sunday morning. Their granddaughter, Emma Bosch, daughter of Tom and Amy Bosch, Sioux Falls, who is 8-years-old, received her Bible from the church that morning. An outdoor service was followed by a dinner at the church. Dick Hup celebrated his birthday at the Brandon Steak House recently. Those attending were Dick and Gert Hup, Hills, Darlene and Cornie Bosch, Betty Boeve, all from Luverne, and Dries and Laura May Bosch, Steen. Orrin and Bernice Aukes attended the Teune family reunion Saturday evening at Luverne Pizza Ranch. Steen Reformed Church will host the Golden Agers, age 65 or older, Wednesday afternoon at the church. The speaker will be Jennia Gotnor. I know Grandparents Day was last week but I decided Labor Day and the softball tournament should have their day and the grandparents can enjoy Grandparents Day this week. Many of us are grandparents and think we know all about it. However, I found this article titled, "What is a Grandparent?" and thought we might learn a thing or two."Grandparents can always be counted on to buy anything you are selling from all purpose greeting cards to peanut butter — flower seeds to cookies — from magazines to 10 chances on a pony. A grandparent buys you gifts your mother says you don’t need. A grandparent pretends he doesn’t know who you are on Halloween. A grandparent puts a sweater on you when she is cold, feeds you when she is hungry and puts you to bed when she is tired. A grandparent is the only baby-sitter who does not charge money to keep you.A grandparent believes you can read when you have the book upside down. When someone says ‘What a cute baby!’ the grandparent replies, ‘She will be Miss America some day!’When a grandchild says, ‘Grandma, how come you don’t have any children?’ A grandparent will fight back the tears as they feel their grandchildren are theirs!"

If you drove by the Village on Sunday you might have wondered why a party. In observance of National Assisted Living Week the Village had an "open house." A chance for you to visit and look us over. We had coffee and treats, even Erma’s Krumkaka. Apartments were open for inspection with the use of Arnold T.’s wonderful doorstops. A devise with a long handle so you don’t have to bend over and it works every time. "Need a lift?" call Arnold T.Our dining room did look nice, for all the tables had little bouquets of asters from Kathryn Fikse. I called the blooms zinnias last week but I was wrong, they are asters, but are a look alike to zinnias. Blooms were all the same size and arranged in pretty little glass bowls. Our 100-year-old Villager, Marie, moved across the street for more care. We want her to be happy with the move but we miss her already. Now we wait and wonder who our new Villager will be. Mary picked a bushel of tomatoes from our garden. Village ladies made tomato soup and tomato juice out of them. Our plums from Deb’s yard became jelly. Another favorite treat brought to us by the caregivers of the Olson’s were dill pickles. Little ones made by a "Home" in Sioux Falls as a fund-raiser. Rose brought us homemade thick applesauce and one morning we had waffles.Our Bible study every Tuesday afternoon by Pastor Berg is beginning a new series on "Aspects of the Christian Life." We’ll learn of stories told by generation to generation, "God’s" gifts to us through the scriptures. At our last session we examined a book written in Hebrew. You begin at the back with the title page, table of contents and introduction to proceed to the front, reading from left to right to the back. Our study is in videos with Pastor Berg’s comments. Isn’t there an old saying, "What the Lord giveth the Lord taketh away?" Well, He gave us Katie McGaffee. She’ll join Ashley and Jason in meal assistance and, "ugh," dishwashing. Heidi has taken a job at the hospital and will only be on call when we need her. We will surely miss her. Alice has shared her peaches, the delicious Colorado ones from Ace Hardware. We’ve had our nails shaped and polished. The Community Club met here one evening. We sang with Glenna. Arnold S. has returned home.I’ll keep you posted.

Legendary vampires disliked mirrors because they couldn’t see their reflections. The Wicked Queen in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" became quite nasty after looking into a mirror and asking, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of us all?" If we want to feel better about ourselves, perhaps we should follow their examples and ban mirrors forever. According to a Canadian study recently published in the journal Health Psychology, wall-to-wall mirrors in gyms and dance studios discourage women from getting the exercise they need because they quickly feel tired and discouraged. "The mirrors make women more self-aware," noted one of the researchers, "and they think of their shortcomings." Tell us something we didn’t know. You don’t have to be a mental giant to understand that mirrors are bad for most women’s self-esteem and that looking into a mirror can often be a painful experience. No matter how a woman takes care of herself, mirrors constantly remind her for the first half of her life how much she looks like her mother. During the second half of her life, she resembles her grandmother. No, not the skinny one who line-dances every Saturday night and still has all of her teeth, but the other one. Mirrors on fitting room walls in clothing stores are the worst. The most they can show is a close-up view of a woman’s body, standing less than a foot away in a tiny cubicle. By contorting her body this way and that, a woman of average proportions (the average woman in the U.S. wears a size 14) can only hope to catch a glimpse of an elbow, a hip or a partial thigh at a time. That’s all a woman can expect to see, provided the mirror, located inches from her face, hasn’t been fogged over with her breath. A better designed fitting room mirror would be located at least 20 feet away and the woman trying on clothes would look relatively smaller. Mirrors aren’t the only things tarnishing women’s self-esteem. Reflective glass windows on storefronts show more than they have to. Store owners should consider installing the type of non-glare glass already available with photo frames. TV commercials with beautiful 20-somethings attributing their flawless hands, bodies and faces to various skin care products should be run out of town. Show us real women with their wrinkles ironed out and their age spots erased, thanks to a certain cream or lotion, and we might be interested. During TV newscasts, why not show us the female counterparts of those veteran, male news anchors with weathered faces? As long as he has a winning smile and a gift of gab, it appears that a male news anchor can have a spare tire, gray hair and ear-to-ear wrinkles. Disproportionate ages are also found on the big screen. Richard Gere, Michael Douglas and Sean Connery always seem to be falling in love with women young enough to be their daughters or granddaughters. Finally, let’s do away with this "truth in labeling" nonsense. It certainly wouldn’t hurt our self-esteem if size tags were switched at the clothing factories once in a while. Many women would feel much happier wearing a size three or, for that matter, any single-digit size. Meanwhile, getting rid of mirrors would be a good first step in building up the self-esteem of many women.

By Sara StrongThe State Transportation Committee has awarded grants to municipal airports — including $150,000 to Luverne’s.First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht announced the grants in his district.He said, "Transportation infrastructure is critical to rural development. Using taxpayer dollars to improve our airports is an important investment in Greater Minnesota."The grants were given for snow removal equipment, land acquisition, runway rehabilitation, runway seal coating, airport beacon replacement and other related projects. Luverne will be using its grant money for snow removal equipment.Other airports receiving grants were: Blue Earth — $163,312New Ulm — $146,800St. James — $14,202Springfield — $102,285Waseca — $13,500Worthington — $500,000Other airport businessThe Luverne City Council last week amended the agreement with engineering firm Bolton & Menk to complete the Environmental Assessment for the airport runway expansion.That is the phase the project is currently stalled at.The Minnesota Department of Transportation Aeronautics Environmental Service, the Federal Aviation Agency and review agencies requested more information: an analysis of the flood plain impacts, a wildlife analysis of the county park area east of Highway 75, and to develop and update land use estimates for now and over time.The analysis of the flood plain impacts is to measure the impacts to the 100-year flood plain of Rock Creek due to the proposed runway construction. The wildlife analysis to determine whether there are any specific endangered species that would be negatively impacted by the airport improvement project. The land use estimate is to update the operations at the airport to verify the 500 operations needed to justify the 4,200 feet runway request.The city’s cost for the extra requests is $3,200.

By Lori EhdeIn the media frenzy to cover every angle of Congressman Bill Janklow’s charges, family members of Hardwick’s Randy Scott continue to mourn his loss.They’ve been notably quiet on the issue of justice, but they released a statement Friday."The Scott family would like to thank the South Dakota State Patrol for its efforts during the investigation of this tragedy," the statement read. "We would also like to thank the Moody County State's Attorney for his thoughtful consideration of criminal charges."Former South Dakota Governor Janklow was charged Friday with second-degree manslaughter in Scott’s death.According to the accident report, Janklow allegedly ran a stop sign with his Cadillac at more than 70 mph and struck Scott on his Harley Davidson.The accident happened at a rural Moody County, S.D., intersection, near Trent. The intersection was specifically at 240th Street and 481th Avenue.The South Dakota State Patrol found that neither driver had been drinking."Although no judge or jury can bring Randy back to us, we view the criminal charges as both reasonable and appropriate," the Scott statement continued. "We continue to appreciate the privacy afforded to our family by the media as we grieve Randy's loss."The statement was signed, "Marcella Scott and Family."Second-degree manslaughter is a felony offense carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.Janklow was also charged with misdemeanor counts of failure to stop, going 71 mph in a 55 mph zone and reckless driving. His initial court appearance was Tuesday in Flandreau, and his next hearing is set for Sept. 25.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton cross country teams opened the 2003 season at the Wolverine Invitational in Mountain Lake Wednesday, Aug. 27.The Patriots fielded complete teams for the boys’ varsity and junior varsity races, and the girls’ junior varsity race.H-BC-E-E had one entry in the girls’ varsity race, as Cassi Tilstra placed 23rd in the event with a time of 17:07.The Patriot boys placed eighth out of 14 complete varsity squads at the meet. H-BC-E-E tallied 222 points, finishing 143 points off the pace set by team champion Mounds View (49 points).Tyler Bush experienced a nice start to the season by earning a medal with a fourth-place finish individually. Bush recorded a time of 16:46.Kale Wiertzema (39th in 18:42), Todd Alberty (42nd in 19:00), Derek Haak (55th in 19:46) and John Sandbulte (82nd in 21:40) also ran with the varsity squad.The H-BC-E-E girls placed second in the junior varsity team competition. Fairmont topped the Patriots 50-93 to win the team title.Amanda Tilstra and Mya Mann set the pace for H-BC-E-E by finishing second and third with respective 5:51 and 5:59 times.Amanda Connors (22nd in 6:33), Jill Weitgenant (29th in 6:40), Rayna Sandoval (37th in 6:49) and Darian Herman (77th in 11:30) also ran in the junior varsity race.H-BC-E-E’s boys’ junior varsity squad finished third in team competition with 173 points. Mounds View (15 points) and Martin County West (133) points topped the Patriots.Lee Jackson led the junior varsity squad by finishing 10th in 11:58.Dustin Verhey (23rd in 12:45), Devin DeBoer (32nd in 13:00). Adam Finke (37th in 13:07), Kerry Fink (56th in 13:46), Michael Bos (63rd in 14:03), Jared Drenth (70th in 14:16), Tom Nolte (89th in 15:27), Luke Tiesler (90th in 15:27), Grant Hoogendoorn (104th in 16:21), Dustin Walters (115th in 19:00) and Derek Drenth (117th in 19:11) ran in the junior varsity race for the boys.

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to win its 2003 football opener in Glenville Thursday, Aug. 28.Trailing 6-0 after Glenville-Emmons scored a touchdown late in the first half, the Patriots needed to show some life in the final two quarters to avoid being blanked in the opener.H-BC-E met the challenge by scoring seven points with its first possession of the second half before icing the contest with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Considering the Patriots are a young team (four seniors on the roster) that made some mistakes (six fumbles, two which were lost, and seven penalties) in the first game, being able to rally in the second half to win the contest showed spunk."We played a good second half," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "We’re playing with a lot of young kids this year, so we’re going to have some growing pains. Fumbles and penalties are things we’ll just have to work through."The Patriots forced G-E to punt to end the host’s opening possession.H-BC-E’s offense took over on its own 45-yard line and overcame two penalties during a 55-yard drive that ended with quarterback Curt Schilling scoring on a one-yard keeper at the 3:40 mark of the third quarter. When Zach Wysong added the extra point, the Patriots gained their first lead of the season at 7-6.The score didn’t change until late in the fourth quarter, when G-E tried to gain a first down deep inside its own territory on a fourth-down situation.G-E lost the ball on downs at the 10, and Patriot running back Tom LeBoutiller ran four yards for a touchdown two plays later. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Patriots with a 13-6 lead with 1:00 left to play.H-BC-E senior defender Drew Spykerboer settled the issue moments later when he intercepted a pass to end G-E’s final offensive possession.G-E’s touchdown came with 1:08 left in the first half. A 20-yard touchdown pass, G-E’s lone pass completion of the game, gave it a 6-0 lead.H-BC-E did have two good scoring opportunities that yielded no points.The Patriots lost the ball on downs on the G-E seven-yard line in the first quarter. Another drive stalled on downs on the G-E five early in the fourth quarter.H-BC-E will host 0-1 United South Central at 7 p.m. Saturday in Hills.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 210 rushing yards, 59 passing yards, 269 total yards, 20 first downs, seven penalties for 40 yards, three turnovers.G-E: 109 rushing yards, 20 passing yards, 129 total yards, 15 first downs, two penalties for 10 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutiller 19-123, Wysong 8-42, Travis Broesder 5-17, Lee Jackson 5-15, Schilling 3-13.Passing: Schilling 7-15 for 59 yards.Receiving: Wysong 3-22, Spykerboer 2-19, Chris Nuffer 1-12, Broesder 1-7.Defense: Schilling 13 tackles and one sack, Brian Gacke 11 tackles, Cody Scholten six tackles, Spykerboer one interception.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton cross country runners received their second taste of competition this year at the Adrian Invitational Tuesday.The Patriots still have some work to do in order to regain their place as one of the area’s top programs, but they are making progress in the mind of coach Tom Goehle."I thought this was a great practice meet for us," he said. "It was a good opportunity to get in a hard run and do it competitively. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re on the right track."H-BC-E-E’s boys placed third in varsity team competition with 84 points. Southwest Christian (31) and Luverne (53) topped the Patriots in the standings. Adrian (101), Pipestone (140) and Southwest United (190) capped the field.Tyler Bush led the Patriots during the meet by winning the varsity race with a time of 17:54.Todd Alberty (11th in 19:33), Kale Wiertzema (15th in 20:00), Derek Haak (24th in 21:24) and Adam Finke (33rd in 22:14) made contributions to the team effort.John Sandbulte (38th in 22:47), Devin DeBoer (42nd in 23:35), Jared Drenth (43rd in 23:41) and Michael Bos (45th in 24:18) also ran in the varsity race.With Dustin Verhey leading the way, the H-BC-E-E boys’ junior varsity squad placed second as a team in Adrian. No point totals were available.Verhey won the race in 6:17.Cody Penning (11th in 6:59), Steven Harsma (12th in 7:01), Grant Hoogendoorn (16th in 7:23) and Luke Tiesler (18th in 7:26) padded the team tally.Derek Drenth (20th in 7:45), B.J. Kruse (21st in 7:50) and Dustin Walters (26th in 9:01) ran in the junior high race without influencing the scoring.H-BC-E-E’s Cassi and Amanda Tilstra placed fourth and 10th with respective 17:42 and 18:47 times in the girls’ varsity race.Patriots Rayna Sandoval (third in 6:56), Amanda Connors (fourth in 6:56), Jill Weitgenant (sixth in 6:59) and Darian Herman (eighth in 11:54) ran in the girls’ junior high event.The H-BC-E-E runners will attend a meet in Garretson, S.D., Monday.