AREA WIDE CONNECTIONVol. 27, No. 2 • Published by Second Century Publishing Inc, Box 950, Freeman, SD 57029 - 605-925-7033 • Tuesday, January 15, 2013

POSTAL PATRONECRWWS

PRESORT STDU.S. Postage Paid

Freeman, SD 57029Permit 31

POSTAL PATRONECRWWS

PRESORT STDU.S. Postage Paid

Freeman, SD 57029Permit 31

Freeman regional HealtH ServiceS Foundation

Featuring Holly Hoffman - Sat. Jan. 26More Details About This Event In Freeman On Page 5 Downtown Freeman

STOCK-UPTHE SAVINGS SALE

Look For Our Book Of CouponsContinues thru Feb. 4; See Page 7

APPETIZERS:Gourmet cheese display, proscuitto wrapped melon,

chocolate covered strawberries, bruschetta: crab, brie androasted red pepper, and more; assorted flatbread, wonton

shrimp salad, chicken satays, mini beef wellingtonsENTREES:

Prime rib w/creamy horseradish sauce, triple crownpork loin, baked cod in lemon pepper cream sauce

SIDES:Wild mushroom risotto, parisienne honey dill glazedcarrots, grilled asparagus, roasted fingerling potatoes

DESSERTS:Mini cream puffs, petit fours, trifles,

mini cheesecakes, mini crepesThe above food items are provided by Chef Dave Friesen

Menu Is Subject To Change

Breads by Jenelle Miller and Coffee providedby Kris Carlson & Anita Eisenbeis

LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE

A MIDWINTER

DININGEXTRAVAGANZA

FREEMAN ACADEMY CAMPUS - PIONEER HALL DINING ROOM

Saturday, February 9 - 6 p.m.An elegant dinner

featuring the culinary art of Chef Dave Friesen

— SPECIAL DINNER MUSIC —Live Music By Dan Graber

— ART AUCTION —Featuring Original Works By:

Kevin Gross, Erin Wollmann, Sara Friesen, Jane Kleinsasser,Dawn Stahl, Susan Schmeichel, Michelle Hofer, Jaden Miller,

Tim Waltner, LaVern Waltner & Ruby Waltner.

A fundraiser for Freeman Academy - $45.00 per personLIMITED SEATING & TICKETS AVAILABLE

More information can be found at:www.freemanacademy.org

TICKET ORDER FORMPlease send this order form and payment to:

Dining Extravaganza, Freeman AcademyPO Box 1000, Freeman, SD 57029

Please indicate with whom you would like to be seated.

Quantity Total Amount

Tickets @ $45.00 each =Name

Address

City/State/Zip

Phone

TICKETS ARE NONREFUNDABLE

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AREA WIDE CONNECTION u January 15, 2013 u Page 2

2012 Quiltfest schedule of eventsFRIDAY, JUNE 291 p.m. Show opens2 p.m. “A Quilter’s Journey”by June Pullman4 p.m. “If Quilts Could Talk”by Phyllis Schrag5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Supper – Pioneer Hall7 p.m. “Upcycling” by Becky Waltner9 p.m. Show concludesSATURDAY, JUNE 309 a.m. Show opens10 a.m. “A Quilter’s Journey”11 a.m. “If Quilts Could Talk”11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch – Pioneer Hall1 p.m. “Upcycling” 3 p.m. Show concludes

Wednesday, June 27, 2012Volume 112 • Number 12

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 11Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ..................................................p. 14Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

14 pages

INSIDE:AnnouncedFACT to hold children’sworkshop for third year ■ p 3

Signed-upSummer Reading Program response is overwhelming ■ p 3

Title IXGoing beyond the game;an opinion ■ p 4

Prairie painInformation about, waysto control, annoying thistles ■ p 5

Recipe from afarFreeman native weighsin from Indianapolis ■ p 6

81 BombersGood showing in Omahafor regional baseball team ■ p 9

3-9Black Sox fall to Irene, Tabor,Parkston, on ball diamond ■ p 9

Fireworks permitted in town starting this week

The city of Freeman is allowing fireworks to be discharged in city limits beginning Wednesday, June 27 and continuing through Thurs-day, July 5, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day.

In accordance with the city ordinance, it is illegal to set off fireworks from a moving vehicle, and they are not allowed to be dis-charged in the business district on Main Street.

A note aboutnext week’s Freeman Courier

While the deadline for the July 4 Courier remains unchanged, sub-scribers should note next week’s issue may not be available to them in their mailboxes until Thursday, July 5, because the post office is closed in observance of Indepen-dence Day.

While the Courier will also be closed July 4, counter copies will be available at Freeman’s grocery stores and convenience stores as usual.

FA to host creative artsworkshop June 30

A free creative arts workshop is being provided by Freeman Acad-emy Saturday, June 30 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for children in grades 4 through 8 (2012-13 school year).

The afternoon will consist of three sessions – visual art with Joe Mason, musical rhythm/drumming with Amy Hofer-Vetch, and dance as it pertains to musical theater with Kathryn Reimler. All of the ses-sions will be held in the Music Hall building on the Freeman Academy campus.

There is no charge for the work-shop. Please preregister by Wednes-day, June 27 as space is limited.

For more information and to reg-ister contact Bonnie Young at by-oung@freemanacademy.org or by calling 925-4237.

Farmer’s market set to return to Freeman July 11

The agricultural committee of the Freeman Community Devel-opment Corporation is once again sponsoring a farmer’s market in the Freeman community.

Organizer Bob Wollmann said the summer season — the eighth for the Freeman Farmer’s Market — is scheduled to begin Wednes-day, July 11, and will continue Wednesdays throughout the sum-mer months.

The farmer’s market will be held at a new location in 2012 — the Lemme Trucking parking lot on Sixth Street located between the Sioux Nation Ag veterinary hospi-tal and Smidt Furniture and Appli-ance.

Vendors are being sought. Any-one interested is asked to contact Wollmann at 605-925-7135 or 605-661-5166.

The Freeman Farmer’s Market began in 2005.

� e Hole-In-One Club■ Aces aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, but you’d never know it at Valley View Golf Course. Ask these � ve.

by Jeremy WaltnerJoan Dreessen had to smile last week when

she opened her birthday present from husband Dean — a box of yellow Titleist golf balls. It was, after all, the perfect gift and a fitting hom-age to a milestone moment for the Freeman woman and league golfer, who on Tuesday, June 5, scored her first-ever hole-in-one using an 8-iron and — yep — a yellow Titleist.

Dreessen aced the par-3 second hole at Free-man’s Valley View Golf course during league play earlier this month, becoming part of an un-official hole-in-one club formed by an inexpli-cable string of luck at the local course.

Five golfers from the community — Drees-sen, Roger Aman, Randy Koerner, Scott Stern and Paul Wynia — have pulled off the greatest shot in golf so far this season, all in matter of weeks, and all for the first time. Two — Aman and Stern — are lefties.

And, incidentally, all five are members of St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Three of them did it on consecutive nights; Dreessen got hers June 5, Wynia scored his Wednesday, June 6, and Koerner got his Thurs-day, June 7.

Add to the mix Stern’s hole-in-one on No. 8 the second week of May and Aman’s on hole No. 2 Friday, June 15, and that brings the total number of aces to five in this young season.

“That’s more than a year’s worth,” said Aman, whose hole-in-one was delivered by a pitching wedge and Titleist ProVI and was witnessed by John Weier. “I don’t want to forget about all the people in the last 20 years who have had a hole-in-one, but this is an unusual situation.”

After watching his shot, Aman wasn’t sure the ball had found the cup, but Weier was.

“I saw it hit the green and take a bounce,” said Aman. “John said, ‘That went in.’”

Like the other four members of the Hole-In-One-Club, Aman’s ace was his first.

“I’ve holed out on a par-4 for an eagle, and that was great, but a hole-in-one is special,” he said.

Koerner agrees. He’s come close to writing a 1 down on his scorecard a number of times but

Transitservicedelayeda week

by Jeremy WaltnerThe bus service that was expect-

ed to begin in the Freeman com-munity Monday, July 2, has been delayed to allow the hired drivers more time to complete their CDL training.

“They could not schedule the driving test until next week Monday in Scotland,” said Norm Kaufman, who chairs Freeman Community Transit. “It wouldn’t be prudent for us to start it that week.”

Instead, he said, the service is expected to begin Monday, July 9, a start date contingent on the re-sults of the CDL testing.

Four drivers — two regulars and two substitutes — have been hired by the Rural Office of Community Services (ROCS), which is part-nering with Freeman Community Transit in offering the bus service locally.

Additional information has been announced.■ Those wishing to use the transit service must make an appointment one day in advance before 6 p.m. by calling 605-661-6545.■ The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sun-day.■ In addition to the standard one-way rate of $1.50 per trip, in-town fee options include a $5 day pass, a $30 punchcard good for 20 rides and a $50 punchcard good for 10 day passes.■ Out-of-town trips to Bridgewa-ter, Marion and Menno will begin in August. Those rates are $20/hour plus $5 per person.■ Special group trips may also be scheduled at a rate of $10/per-son (minimum of eight) for up to 2 hours, $15 per person for 2-4 hours (minimum of eight), $20 per per-son for 4-6 hours (minimum of 10) and $25 per person for 6-8 hours (minimum of 12).

Quilters showcasePhyllis Schrag returns this week for Freeman’s quilt show

by Jeremy WaltnerSylvia Kortemeyer never got a chance to finish

“Grandmother’s Flower Garden.” That particular quilt took a back seat in the early

1940s, when she and her husband, Fred, began rais-ing a family on their farm near Chan-cellor.

Sylvia never revisited “Grandmoth-er’s Flower Garden.”

In fact, she never revisited quilting.“She was a working woman both

inside and outside the home,” says daughter Phyl-lis Schrag, one of six children raised by Sylvia and Fred. “My mother was a quilter, yes, but she quit because she started having babies.”

Yet, despite the development that ended Syliva’s

career as a quilter, “Grandmother’s Flower Garden” remains alive and well thanks to Schrag, who to-day is in the process of finishing what her mother started a generation ago. In fact, she’ll be working toward that end this weekend, when she takes her place as the featured quilter at the 21st Quiltfest on

the campus of Freeman Academy Fri-day and Saturday, June 29 and 30.

“I’ll have it with,” said Schrag, who together with her husband, Larry, called the Freeman community home from 1973 to 1985 before moving to

Sioux Falls, where they continue to live today. “I suppose, when there’s some down time, I’ll work on it.”

Make that, if there’s some down time.Schrag will no doubt be a center of attention

thanks to a showcase of 75 pieces she has com-pleted during her nearly 40 years as an enthusiastic quilter. Fifteen of those are on loan to Schrag from those who have purchased them over the years. The other 60 will be sold during Quiltfest hours — 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday — with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Free-man Academy. Those purchasing quilts may pick them up at the conclusion of the show.

Schrag’s array of pieces range from potholders

the campus of Freeman Academy Fri-day and Saturday, June 29 and 30.

who together with her husband, Larry, called the Freeman community home from 1973 to 1985 before moving to

2012QUILTFEST

continued on page 14: Quiltfest

Each of these five golfers has scored the greatest shot in golf in this young season. They include (left to right), Scott Stern, who started the run with an ace on No. 8 on May 9, Paul Wynia (June 6), Joan Dreessen (June 5), Randy Koerner (June 7) and Roger Aman (June 15), who got their holes-in-one on No. 2. All five happen to be members of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Freeman. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNERcontinued on page 14: Club

Freeman to celebrate the 4th Sundayby Jeremy Waltner

Expanded activities for children and a delicacy enjoyed by some adults — Rocky Mountain Oysters — have been added to the traditional elements of Freeman’s Independence Day cel-ebration, which this year will be held Sunday, July 1.

“We wanted to have more events for the kids to help make the day a bigger celebration,” said Emily Hofer, who works with the Freeman Athletic Association. “We want people to stay

and enjoy the activities all day long.”Hofer says an inflatable obstacle

course, a sand pit loaded with sev-eral hundred dollars in coins and free swimming offered by the city of Free-man will help accomplish that and will nicely complement the rest of the day’s activities.

Those activites include softball and baseball games beginning at 1 p.m., the traditional Freeman Black Sox/Tabor amateur game starting at 7:30 p.m., and fireworks to follow.

As in year’s past, the chislic stand

is sponsored by Merchants State Bank and the fireworks display is sponsored by CorTrust Bank.

The rest of the celebration, from the Rocky Mountain Oysters to the money in the sand pit, is made possi-ble by funding from the Freeman Ath-letic Association and local businesses.

Schedule of activitiesNoon: Chislic/Rocky MountainOyster stand opensNoon: Inflatable obstacle course and sand pit opens

Noon: Rugrats baseball vs. Tabor (softball field)1 p.m. PeeWee baseball vs. Tabor (softball field)2 p.m. 8-and-under softball vs. Parker (softball field)3 p.m. Midget baseball vs. Tabor (baseball field)4 p.m. Menno-Freeman Tenners vs. Alex-Emery (baseball field)5 p.m. 18-and-under softball vs. Marion (softball field)7:30 p.m. Black Sox vs. TaborDark: Fireworks

Ribs at the Ranch returns to FA SaturdayFor the fifth year in a row, ribs will be the main

dish — and a rib cook-off the main event — in the parking lot of Freeman Academy as the school once again hosts Ribs at the Ranch Saturday, June 30.

Serving will begin at 4:30 p.m. and continue until 9 p.m. Cooks include Blaine Saarie, Bob and Cher-yl Wollmann, Rob and Michelle Ness and WNAX broadcaster Fred Forman. Several other entries are pending.

In an effort to give the public a chance to sample more ribs, organizers are offering a sampler ticket good for one rib from each chef. Only those pur-chasing the sampler ticket may vote in the people’s choice contest.

Side dishes, homemade ice cream and 1919 Root Beer will also be available.

Other activities are planned as part of FA’s Ribs

at the Ranch.■ The Running of the Pigs, a 5K fun run, will be held Saturday morning. Registration is in the park-ing lot south of Pioneer Hall at 7:30 a.m. with the run scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration is not necessary. Contact Ashley Unruh at 605-759-6499 for more information.■ A car show will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. north of Pioneer Hall. Contact Kevin Waltner at 605-661-4958 for more details.■ Free games and activities for children will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.■ Music will be provided by Kathy Waltner, Soul-mates and The Creekbusters beginning around 5:30 p.m. on the east side of the north Pioneer Hall park-ing lot.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012Volume 112 • Number 13

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 13Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections .....................................................p. 7Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ............................................................p. 11

14 pages

INSIDE:Bach, MozartSwiss Choral Societyannounces fall works ■ p 3

WiemanArea auctioneer inductedinto SDAA Hall of Fame ■ p 3

IntegritySupreme Court ruling reveals journalistic flaws; an opinion ■ p 4

Fly controlWays to prevent pestsas summer season arrives ■ p 5

BaklavaLearning to love — and make —traditional Greek dish ■ p 6

Photo spreadA look at Freeman Academy’s fifth Ribs and the Ranch ■ p 14

Transit service update: bus to start running next week

by Jeremy WaltnerWith all four drivers hired for the

Freeman transit bus service suc-cessfully earning their CDLs, the two, 16-passenger buses that will transport residents to and from var-ious appointments will begin next week.

Norm Kaufman, chair of Free-man Transit Service, said Monday everything is on track for the buses to make their inaugural run Thurs-day morning, July 12. Those inter-ested in using the transit service must make an appointment one day in advance — before 6 p.m. — by calling 605-661-6545. That means appointments can first be made Wednesday, July 11.

The hours of operation for the Freeman transit service will be Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

More details and information about the service will be printed in the July 11 edition of the Courier.

Golf tournament July 14 to benefit Kahlen Salis family

A two-person best-ball golf tour-nament with pin prizes and a silent auction will be held Saturday, July 14, at Valley View Golf Course as a benefit for the Kahlen Salis family.

Kahlen, the 3-year-old daughter of Walter and Kris Salis of Free-man, is in need of a bone marrow transplant following the diagnosis of a rare and progressive blood dis-ease called Dyskeratosis Congeni-tal (DKC). Patients with DKC are predisposed to bone marrow fail-ure, some cancers and pulmonary problems.

The July 14 benefit will begin at 1:30 p.m. A sign-up sheet is available at the Valley View club-house, although pre-registration is not required. An entry fee will be assessed to all teams with all pro-ceeds going to the Salis family.

For more information, or to do-nate an item for the silent auction, contact Craig Derry at 605-660-3015.

See next week’s Courier for more on the Salis family and Kahlen’s medical needs.

Freeman Farmer’s Market returns next Wednesday

The agricultural committee of the Freeman Community Devel-opment Corporation is once again sponsoring a farmer’s market in the Freeman community.

Organizer Bob Wollmann said the summer season — the eighth for the Freeman Farmer’s Market — is scheduled to begin Wednes-day, July 11, and will continue Wednesdays throughout the sum-mer months.

The farmer’s market will be held at a new location in 2012 — the Lemme Trucking parking lot on Sixth Street located between the Sioux Nation Ag veterinary hospi-tal and Smidt Furniture and Appli-ance.

Vendors are being sought. Any-one interested is asked to contact Wollmann at 605-925-7135 or 605-661-5166.

The Freeman Farmer’s Market began in 2005.

continued on page 3: Cervi

Publisher recognized forservice to newspaper industryWaltner honored by ISWNE with prestigious Cervi Award

by Jeremy WaltnerWere it not for a phone call to Freeman Courier Publisher

Glenn Gering 35 years ago, Tim Waltner’s longstanding relation-ship with his hometown newspaper — and the newspaper indus-try as a whole — might not have ever happened.

In was 1977 when Waltner made that call to inform Gering, whom Waltner had worked for in 1972 and 1973, that he and his young family would be moving from Ohio to Mankato, Minn., a community within a day’s drive of his family back in Freeman and his wife, Mary’s, family in Bluffton, Ohio.

Gering’s response changed everything.“If ever there was a time to consider coming back to Freeman,

this is the time,” Gering told Waltner, encouraging the then-26-year-old to reconsider taking a job at a graphic design company in Mankato and, instead, bring his skills back to the Courier and Gering’s printing operation, Pine Hill Printery.

The lure was strong and enough to tip the scales; three months later Waltner was named editor of the Courier, thus beginning his fulltime relationship with the Freeman weekly and the news-

paper industry that has achieved state, national and international acclaim.

Waltner, 61, was recognized for that relationship with the pres-tigious Cervi Award, presented by the International Society of Newspaper Editors (ISWNE) at the organization’s annual sum-mer conference held in Bellingham, Wash., June 25-July 1.

The Cervi Award is given in honor and memory of Eugene Cervi of Denver’s Rocky Mountain Journal, who said “good journalism begets good government.” According to the ISWNE, it is presented “for a career of outstanding public service through community journalism and for adhering to the highest standards of the craft with deep reverence for the English language that was the hallmark of Eugene Cervi’s writing.”

The award also recognizes consistently aggressive reporting of government at the grassroots level and interpretation of local affairs.

Those nominating Waltner included Dr. Richard W. Lee, pro-fessor emeritus of journalism and former head of the journalism This photo from 1987 shows Tim Waltner seated at the

front desk in the Courier offi ce when it was located in the small building at the corner of Main and Railway.

Big blast, looming drought

Fireworks explode over Freeman after 10 p.m.

Sunday, July 1 — a colorful and spectacular finale to a Fourth of July

celebration in the local community. The day

was filled with all the traditional elements of

Freeman’s Independence Day celebration (ball games and chislic) as

well as several new ones (activities for children and Rocky Mountain

Oysters). And while the level of enjoyment

appeared to be high, the temperatures that reached the high-90s

reflected a very real concern in the area.

There is significant worry in this ag-based

community that the hot temperatures and lack of moisture will have a severe impact on how grain crops — like the corn pictured here —

will fare in the days and weeks to come. Early

this week, temperatures were expected to reach

nearly 100 degrees each day through Friday, with

only a slight chance of thunderstorms through

the weekend.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE JULY 1 CELEBRATION, SEE PAGE 13

Art, heritage on displayNumbers down, but quality of quilts, presentations high

by Jeremy WaltnerCanton resident Marlene VanMeeteren and

friends Diane Grayson and Mavis Stearns, both of Worthing, are no strangers to quilt shows. They’ve been to Quiltfest before, and two months before re-turning to Freeman’s quilt show last week, all three had been to a large show in Brookings.

Even little old Freeman has a leg up on other, larger quilt exhibitions.

“This is where you have to come to see hand quilting,” said Stearns. “Ev-erything else is done by machine.”

Added VanMeeteren: “This is a lost art.”

That art, that homage to the craft in its original form, is a big part of what defines Quiltfest, which began in 1983 and has been held 20 times since — including last week’s show held in Sterling Hall on the Freeman Academy campus Friday and Satur-day, June 29 and 30.

Indeed, many of the 200 quilts and wall-hang-ings on display throughout the Sterling Hall au-ditorium were made by hand by area women for whom quilting is a way of life, a social outlet, a vehicle for creation, a part of who they are.

“Freeman is a very strong quilting community,” June Pullman told those gathered for her presenta-tion, “A Quilter’s Journey,” which was part of the programming last week. “What is different about Quiltfest than most other quilt shows is there is no quilting guild in Freeman. This is just quilts that come in from the area ladies.”

Pullman, who co-chaired this year’s Quiltfest

alongside daughter Joy Arhart, said she was pleased with the number of quilts on display, the quality of the work, the vendors on hand and the number of people who took interest in the three presentations offered each day. And she was thrilled that several of the quilts displayed by featured quilter Phyllis Schrag sold, with all proceeds going to quilt-show sponsor Freeman Academy.

“It brought enough that it’s something we need to look at doing again,” Pullman said.

But numbers at this year’s show were down from previous years, with preliminary figures showing an es-timated 350 in attendance over two days.

“I think we took a hit attendance-wise because of a variety of other things going on,” Pullman said, noting that members of the Quiltfest commit-tee — which includes several newcomers — will take a hard look at the dates for the next quilt show in 2014.

“That’s something we’re really going to have to talk about,” she said.

In addition to the quality of the quilts on display, Pullman said this year’s show was highlighted by the presence of Schrag. In addition to the 70 quilts and wall-hangings she had on display — many of which were for sale — the former Freeman com-munity resident presented “If Quilts Could Talk,” generating large crowds both Friday and Saturday.

“Phyllis just has that personality that draws peo-ple in,” said Pullman.

For Schrag, Quiltfest was a ball.“I had a grand time,” she said. “I love being

around people who love quilting, and that’s who was there. Everybody seemed to be interested and enthusiastic.”

For Schrag, being able to present “If Quilts Could Talk” — a bed turning in which 25 quilts were shown with their story told — was a high-light.

“Stories are what keeps us going,” she said. “Even think about Jesus; he told stories and para-bles to help people hear, not just see.”

She continued:“Each quilt is unique and beautiful in its own

way, and many have survived.”Schrag said, not only do the quilts each tell a

story, they, collectively, offer tremendous payback to society.

“Think of how a quilt comforts,” she continued. “It wraps you up, it keeps you warm and makes you feel safe, and in the pioneer days it could pro-tect you from the elements. And they are celebra-tory. You use them to celebrate a wedding or a birth or a retirement.

“They’re commemorative.”Schrag said “If Quilts Could Talk” gave her an

opportunity to learn and share some of the stories associated with each of the 25 quilts while using her skills as an extrovert.

Pullman and Freeman resident Becky Waltner had a similar opportunity through their presenta-tions, “A Quilter’s Journey” and “Upcycling.”

For a recap of those presentations, as well as a look at more pictures from Quiltfest, turn to pages 8 and 9.

to look at doing again,” Pullman said.

were down from previous years, with preliminary figures showing an es-timated 350 in attendance over two days.

2012QUILTFEST

Grades 1-4 classroom coming to FA

by Jeremy WaltnerA new chapter in the history of

Freeman Academy will begin this fall with what school officials call an in-novative approach to learning.

The private, Christian-based school founded in 1900 is planning to add a one-room classroom for students in grades 1-4 to its current 5-12 curricu-lum, and wants to have it in place in time for the 2012-13 school year.

An advertisement printed on page 12 seeks an elementary school teacher for grades 1-4 “for a non-traditional classroom based on project learning.”

The classroom would be located in the former band room on the first floor of Music Hall.

Pam Tieszen, administrator at FA, said the move comes out of discus-sions by the school board the past two months.

“We, initially, decided to see what the interest was,” Tieszen said, “and felt there was enough to make it go.”

She said, barring an unforeseen de-velopment, the classroom based on a one-room schoolhouse concept will open this fall.

“Even if it’s a smaller class for the first year, that’s OK,” she said.

A meeting for interested parents is scheduled for Tuesday, July 10, at 7 p.m. in Music Hall.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012Volume 112 • Number 14

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 10Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 7Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections .............................................p. 3, 11Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

INSIDE:Grass firesFire department responds twicein last week; nothing major ■ p 3

Wheels in motionTransit service reflects larger effort; an opinion ■ p 4

BBQEpp’s love for grillingleads to own sauce for ribs ■ p 6

ResultsFA announced winners of2012 Running of the Pigs ■ p 9

A hole-in-oneagain; Freeman native joins the fun

by Jeremy WaltnerA season on the links that has

seen an unprecedented string of holes-in-one at Valley View Golf Course saw another one last week.

Freeman native Scott Schultz, who graduated from FHS in 1985 and today lives with his family in Emery, was responsible for the sixth ace of the 2012 season at the local golf course.

Schultz’s hole-in-one came on the par-4 hole No. 4 following his league match Thursday, July 5. Schultz used a driver off the 285-yard tee-box, watched it fly through the trees that hide the fourth green, bounce, and disappear.

“We spent some time looking and couldn’t find it,” said Schultz, who teaches and coaches at Bridge-water-Emery.

Finally, he said, league partner Wade Lager walked over and found it in the cup.

“I said, ‘Nah, you’re full of it,” Schultz said. “I walked over and, sure enough.”

The hole-in-one was witnessed by three others: Barry Uecker, Twix Waltner and Paul Wynia.

Schultz has two things in com-mon with the five others who have all had aces this season: Scott Stern, Joan Dreessen, Wynia, Randy Ko-erner and Roger Aman.

1. This was his first.2. He’s a Lutheran, too — Mis-

souri Synod, to be exact.“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe

we golf too much.”Schultz said shock was followed

by jubilation after the ace settled in.“If you’re a golfer you know

just how hard it is to hit a hole-in-one,” he said, “and how much luck it takes.”

Freeman Farmer’s Market opens on Sixth Street today

The first installment of this year’s Freeman Farmer’s Market is scheduled for today, Wednesday, July 11.

Vendors will be set up in a new location in 2012 — the Lemme Trucking parking lot on Sixth Street located between the Sioux Nation Ag veterinary hospital and Smidt Furniture and Appliance.

Sales will begin at 5 p.m.The farmer’s market is a project

of the agricultural committee of the Freeman Community Development Corporation that began in 2005.

Those interested in being a ven-dor should contact Bob Wollmann at 605-925-7135 or 605-661-5166.

Hutchinson County implements banon open burning

The hot and dry conditions that have area grain and livestock pro-ducers concerned for the health and well-being of their commodi-ties have prompted the Hutchinson County Commission to implement an open burn ban.

The commission issued the ban on open fires — including fire pits — while meeting July 2. It does not, however, include gas/propane or charcoal grills. The ban, which includes all cities in the county, went into effect July 5.

Meanwhile, the area continues to wait for rain with none in the foreseeable future. Freeman was without moisture as highs hit triple digits last week, and rainfall in Freeman city limits for the month of June was 1.21 inches — more than 2 inches below normal.

Freeman hasn’t had an inch or more of rain at one time since May 19, when 1.10 fell.

continued on page 12: Hope

CITYCOUNCIL

LIFE & DEATH Part 1: Kahlen Salis fights to live | Part 2: Mary Manson prepares to die | Part 3: The bigger picture

LIFE & DEATH | A 3-part series by Jeremy Waltner - Courier News Editor

The Power of HopeKahlen Salis will spend the rest of her summer — and into the fall — with her mother, Kris, at the Amplatz Children’s Hospital at the University of Minnesota. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Even as bone marrow failure threatens the life of 3-year-old Kahlen Salis, a pending transplant later this summer is a beacon of light for one Freeman family.

ou wouldn’t know it by looking at her, and that’s one of the things that eats away inside her father, Walter Salis.

Look at the girl’s hair, exactly like a 3-year-olds should look — straight, tickling the shoulder blades, so blond that, in the right light, it’s practically white. Look at those twinkling blue eyes, alive and active and saying every bit as much as her voice.

Her voice. Cartwheels are no match for the enthusiasm she shows when she speaks. In her world, shyness takes a backseat as exuberance drives. Ask her a question and she’ll take it from there. Smile. You can’t help but not.

But there are bruises all over her body; have been for more than a year. One gentle knock against a coffee table or accidental brush against a doorframe leaves a mark it

shouldn’t leave. That’s what tipped her parents off last year that there may be a larger problem.

And, now that you mention it, she does look a little pale. Even children with lighter complexions don’t appear this washed out. Part of that may be due to the fact she can’t be out in the sun for very long.

But other than that, other than the bruises and the pale skin, Freeman youngster Kahlen Salis comes off as a per-fectly healthy child, full of life and vigor.

“That’s what’s so hard,” says Walter, speaking also for his wife, Kris, and 5-year-old son, Ricky, and fighting off tears to do so. “You see how vibrant and energetic she is. You can’t understand it.”

The Salis family has spent the last six months trying to understand it. Heck, just learning how to pronounce the words — Dyskeratosis Congenita — has been a struggle.

But Dyskeratosis Congenita is the reality that belongs to Kahlen and her family since she was diagnosed with the bone marrow deficiency earlier this year. Simply put, the bone marrow Kahlen was born with is unable to regenerate the platelets, white and red blood cells she needs to live, at a fast-enough rate.

Without a bone marrow transplant, she’ll die.“You just hope and pray that doesn’t happen, but it’s a

possibility,” says Kris, a 1996 graduate of Freeman High

School who grew up in this community as Kris Henrichs. “We’re just trying to stay positive through the whole thing.”

But positivity has been a hard friend to find since doctors told the Salis family in January that Kahlen’s platelet count was alarmingly low — 31 when it should have been 140. The inadequacy in the cell fragments, which are part of the bone marrow structure and a natural source of growth fac-tors, means Kahlen is susceptible to internal bleeding, blood clots and eventually an inability to reproduce white and red blood cells.

But there is good news.Even as hard as those words, Dyskeratosis Congenita,

are to swallow — much less pronounce — and even as tears continue to well up in Kris and Walter’s eyes, hope hovers over the Salis family.

You see, a donor is out there. Not in the form of a living breathing person, but rather in the form of a frozen umbili-cal cord given to medicine for this very purpose. The blood inside the cord is a perfect match with Kahlen’s and opens up the path for a transplant.

Best-case scenario?“We come home in November and she goes on to live a

normal life,” says Kris. “And the chances of that happening

Y

Street project changesspark concerns about processStern upset with repair add-ons not approved by council

by Tim L WaltnerRepair of streets in Freeman prompted consider-

able discussion at the July 2 meeting of the Freeman City Council. Councilor Scott Stern, who chairs the city’s street committee, voiced concern that repairs were made to more streets than the council had ap-proved the previous month. Stern also questioned why the project was done by Double H Paving rather than the Hutchinson Coun-ty Highway Department as in the past, and why the project was not put out on bids.

And Stern was particularly troubled that neither he nor councilor Randy Broders — a member of the committee — was consulted or made aware of the changes in the project until after the fact.

Meeting a month earlier, June 4, and acting on a list of possible street repairs submitted by street superintendent Carroll Vizecky, the council had prioritized the list to include four ditching projects, chip and seal work on designated streets, and repair

of portions of three of nine designated streets. The council took pains to specify the areas to be ad-dressed to stay within budget. That’s because the list of all the suggested projects is estimated at nearly $200,000 and there is only $83,000 in the budget for this year.

But, last week, the council learned that portions of four streets not part of the original list had also been included, and that the projects had been done by Double H Paving, a Mitchell company, rather than Hutchinson County, which has typically done those projects in Freeman.

The projects the city authorized in June, includ-ing ditching, totaled $79,542. The updated list of projects either completed or still to be completed now totals $81,834. That does not include the ditch-ing that the council had OK’d but now will need to be done by the city rather than an outside contractor to stay within the $83,000 street budget.

Following the meeting, Mayor Sam Sorensen told the Courier the decision to change the scope of the project was made by street superintendent Carroll Vizecky, city administrator Dennis Nelsen and himself. While Sorensen defended the decisions

made to include additional streets in the repairs and having Double H Paving do the work, he acknowl-edged a breakdown in communication that left Stern and Broders out of the loop.

“Randy and Scott should have been notified,” he said. “Scott is chair of the street committee, and should have been part of this.” He added even if they were unavailable when the decision was made, they should have been informed of the changes im-mediately.

“It was an oversight, a lack of communication,” Sorensen said.

Sorensen said there were portions of streets that had not been approved initially that needed to be re-paired to proceed with other streets in an economi-cal and efficient manner.

“We were in a dilemma,” he said.Sorensen said Vizecky recommended using a dif-

ferent asphalt mix for the repairs than the county uses; that was something Double H could do. So-rensen said the immediate availability of Double H Paving to do the work — which, he noted, has done work for the city in the past — and the need to repair streets before the chip and seal project prompted the change. It made sense to do the repairs at one time rather than in separate pieces, and the county was unable to do the job until late this summer, he said.

While the projects deviated from the council’s pri-orities set last month, Sorensen said the street work done thus far and the remaining repairs and chip and seal project are within budget. But, he added, that means that the ditching, which the council approved last month at an estimated cost of $23,586, will now need to be done by city workers.

At last, bus setto runAfter 18 monthsof talk and delays, Thursday is the day

by Jeremy WaltnerIt’s been a while coming, but

bus service is finally set to start in Freeman.

The 16-passenger, handicap-ac-cessible bus will hit the streets for the first time Thursday, July 12, meaning appointments can now be made. Those wishing to use the service must make arrange-ments by call-ing 661-6545 prior to 6 p.m. the day be-fore.

While that is good news, those working with the Free-man Community Transit Service say the process of bringing bus transportation to the community has been every bit as frustrating as it has been rewarding. Norm Kaufman, chair of the commit-tee, says differing information and poor communication from mul-tiple agencies has contributed to the challenge of getting the tran-sit service off the ground and has contributed to multiple delays.

“We were ready to roll this out

Officials narrow search for new chief of policeFreeman city officials continue to review appli-

cations for chief of police. The council accepted the resignation of Free-

man Police Chief Doris Higgins last month; her last day was Sunday, June 10. The city advertised for a replacement starting in early June and Mayor Sam Sorensen said 14 applications were submitted. City officials have been narrowing the pool of applicants

and interviewing the finalists; another interview was scheduled for July 10.

City Administrator Dennis Nelsen said the city is hiring temporary part-time on-call law enforcement to assist Maurice Waltner, the only officer on the force since Higgin’s resignation in the interim.

City officials hope to name a new chief this month, Nelsen said. continued on page 12: City continued on page 3: Bus

Wednesday, July 18, 2012Volume 112 • Number 15

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 10Public Notice .......................................p. 11, 13Reflections ...........................................p. 11, 14Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

14 pages

INSIDE:CouncilConcerns about street repairs return at special meeting ■ p 3

Easy being greenA recipe for guacamolefrom a Freeman native ■ p 6

Little LeagueFreeman Midgets, Pee-Wee’sfinish up successful seasons ■ p 9

Geo’s sold,to be renamedThird Street Grill

by Jeremy WaltnerGeo’s Bar and Grill, which has

operated in the former VFW build-ing on Third Street under the own-ership of George Cokins since De-cember 2005, has been sold to Mike Sayler and his fiance, Tina Balbin.

They are scheduled to take own-ership Aug. 13 and rename the busi-ness, Third Street Bar and Grill.

Balbin, who will assume the pri-mary management responsibilities, said she and Sayler are planning a major remodel to the building’s in-terior with a focus on family dining using the slogan, “Where the locals go.”

She said they plan to close for a week sometime in August to work on the renovation.

Cokins, who also works at Smidt Appliance and Furniture, said hav-ing two full-time jobs was too much.

“I want to have time to spend with my grand kids,” he said.

Geo’s Bar and Grill was previ-ously the Broken Spoke, and was Rumours before that. But the build-ing at 175 W. Third Street, built in 1950, is perhaps best known as the home to the VFW until it closed in the late-1990s.

Freeman to face Menno in amateur district tournament

The Freeman Black Sox will face rival Menno in the first round of the District 6B Amateur Base-ball Tournament, which begins this week in Menno.

Freeman, the No. 8 seed, will take on the No. 9 Mad Frogs Thurs-day, July 19 beginning at 7 p.m. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals Saturday, July 21, against No. 1 Crofton, beginning at 5 p.m.

The loser of the Freeman/Menno game will play in the loser’s brack-et Saturday, July 21, at 2 p.m. in an elimination game against either No. 2 Wynot or No. 7 Scotland.

For a closer look at the entire District 2B schedule, turn to page 9.

Public invited to attend Star Party in Freeman July 25

The Freeman Public Library, in conjunction with its 2012 Summer Reading Program, is inviting the public to attend what is being billed as a Star Party next week Wednes-day, July 25, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Amy Larsen, who heads the Summer Reading Program, said the event is designed as entertainment and education, but also to give peo-ple a chance to see what the chil-dren are discovering through the Summer Reading Program.

The outdoor event will be held south of the Freeman Elementary School playground equipment and will be facilitated by the Sioux Em-pire Astronomy Club. A brief orien-tation will be given and telescopes will be available for the public to use. Also, those with smart phones are encouraged to download a star gazing app to aid them as they watch the sky. The public is asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

“It’s going to be pretty informal,” said Larsen. “People can come and go as they please.”

Concerns swell with hot, dry weather

It was another week without rain for the larger Freeman community, which is in the midst of the hottest and driest summer in recent mem-ory. Highs have been in the upper-90s on a regular basis — in some instances, triple digits — with the last significant rainfall May 19.

Watch next week’s Courier for a look at what it all means.

continued on page 14: Peace

SCHOOL BOARD

LIFE & DEATH Part 1: Kahlen Salis fights to live | Part 2: Mary Manson prepares to die | Part 3: The bigger picture

LIFE & DEATH | A 3-part series by Jeremy Waltner - Courier News Editor

Peace Lives HereMary Manson, 56, was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer fi ve years ago. She expects this summer to be the last of her earthly life. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

The prospect of death is no match for Mary Manson, whose inspiring outlook and inner comfort overshadows the gall bladder cancer that is taking her away

ringe at the word cancer and other words associated with it, words like chemo and radiation and — the mother of them all — death. Cringe, because they are ugly and nauseating, painful and unimaginable for those who do not live them, for those whom the

words do not own.Go ahead and cringe. Cringe for Mary Manson.Because she will not.Instead, the 56-year-old Marion resident and longtime

nurse practitioner with Rural Medical Clinics, smiles. Some-how, through the ugliness that is the “C” word and what it

means for her — impending death — Mary finds a warm and twinkling smile, as if she just won the lottery.

Ask her, and she will tell you she has.“I know where I’m going,” she says with soft-spoken en-

thusiasm and unmistakable peace that comes through unflap-pable faith. “Jesus is my savior and I’m going to have eternal life with him. Heaven is a very real place for me and I’m very excited to go exploring.”

Her death is pending. Diagnosed with the time-limiting gall bladder cancer in June 2007 at the age of 51, Mary expects to make her ascension to heaven later this year. She says she’s been told she has three to six months to live, “but of course you never know.”

Nobody does.“The Bible says our days are numbered and that God

knows the time we have,” Mary says. “I’m not going to fret about those days because I’m not going to change it.”

But she knows the sickness is getting worse and, in that, death is closing in.

“I can tell the cancer is growing and spreading,” Mary says. “I can’t eat like I used to. I’m starting to lose weight. I’m los-

ing energy.”But she’s still scrapbooking, gardening, going out with

friends, hanging out with her children and reading the murder mysteries she so dearly loves. She recently took a trip to Min-neapolis with her daughter and daughters-in-law — some-thing she always wanted to do — and plans on camping with Mark, her husband of 34 years, yet this summer.

Mary has two prayers.“That I have a decent summer to goof off,” she says, “and

when the time comes, it goes fast.”Mary pauses, and then says, “I know. That’s kind of a self-

ish thing.”

Purpose driven lifeA Marion native, Manson started at Rural Medical Clin-

ics in 1979 as a nurse, took some time off to have children, returned to work in 1988 and then went to South Dakota State University to earn a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner — that is, a nurse who is able to see, diagnose and treat patients

C

continued on page 14: School

Officials offer formal thanks to food service employeesAction comes as part of reorganizational meeting July 9; Tschetter re-elected president

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School Board last week

formally offered its thanks to three former mem-bers of the district’s food service program who elected not to take jobs with CBM Managed Services, the company hired by the district in June to oversee its hot lunch program.

Of the four district employees who had been working in food service at Freeman Public, only Peggy Preheim accepted an offer for employ-ment with CBM. Three others — head cook

Judy Schrag, Patty Olesen and Kay Tjaden — did not.

“They gave a lot of years of service,” Hotch-kiss told the board at its monthly meeting Monday, July 9. “We owe them our thanks.”

Schrag, a kitchen staff employee at Freeman Public for 37 years, says she leaves with mixed feelings.

“I am going to miss it so much,” she told the Courier. “It was my home and my public school family. I enjoyed all of it; it was just time for me

to step away.”Hotchkiss spoke to the issue of food service

personnel at Monday’s meeting and discounted the idea that the staff was dismissed.

“The perception is out there that we fired them,” he said. “That’s not really how it happened.”

While the partnership with CBM, approved unanimously by the board

June 11, meant the district would not offer new contracts to food service personnel, all staff were given first opportunity to work for the new

company. That meant they would remain part of the hot lunch program at Freeman Public, even though they were no long employees of the dis-trict.

Shane Sejnoha, CBM vice-president of op-erations, said last month that current salary and benefits would be matched.

“Whatever we have to do,” he told the board.The conversation with CBM, however, re-

vealed that there would be a reduction of about

‘There’s a lot of energy’Grades 1-4 classroom could be game-changer for Freeman Academy

by Jeremy WaltnerPaul and Janet Balzer have always planned on

sending their youngest, Seth, to Freeman Academy, the private, Christian middle school and high school where their oldest, Jesse, will be an eighth-grader and their middle child, Philip, will be a fifth-grader.

They’ll get their chance sooner than expected.Seth, who will be a second-grader when the new

school year starts, is one of more than 10 students expected to par-ticipate in FA’s inaugural grade school program coming this fall — a grades 1-4 classroom that focuses on project-based learning using the one-room schoolhouse model.

“We like the idea of learning hands-on,” said Janet. “Some of the things they have in mind sound like fun and will help them learn in the kind of way they’ll learn later in life.”

Janet says younger students interacting with old-er students in the same classroom will be of benefit, too.

“I think they can learn from the others how to act and what they have to look forward to,” she said. “And the family atmosphere at the Academy that already exists will be passed down to the younger ones.”

This fresh outlook is all part of the newest chapter in the long and winding history of Freeman Acade-my, an institution founded in 1900 that launched its first classes in 1903. The school operated as a high school and junior college through 1986, when Free-man Junior College closed and Freeman Academy expanded its grades 9-12 program to 7-12. A middle

school program (grades five and six) was added in 1992.

Freeman Academy briefly discussed adding a K-4 pro-

gram to its curriculum in 2008 and even held an informational

meeting, but those talks faded.This is different, says FA administrator Pam

Tieszen, because it’s an entirely new model that es-tablishes project-based learning at a young age and appears to have broad support from the school’s constituency.

“There’s a lot of energy,” said Tieszen. “I like where this starts — at the ground level. That’s where it needs to be.”

Tieszen says between 10 and 15 students are ex-pected to enroll the first year, “and it could easily go beyond that.

“For me,” she continued, “(10 to 15) is the per-fect number.”

For most, Freeman Academy’s decision to imple-ment a grades 1-4 classroom, announced publicly two weeks ago, was a surprising move that grew out of parental interest. Tieszen told the Courier it’s not a product of the school’s in-depth strategic planning sessions conducted more than a year ago, nor did it derive from ongoing discussions around the school board table.

It’s strictly parent-driven, she says.While tuition will be assessed to all families, “this

is not a money maker for the school,” said Tieszen. “This is about offering a different approach to learn-ing. We have to be innovative and creative in what we offer.”

continued on page 14: Academy

City hires Seitz aspolice chief

by Tim L. WaltnerEric M. Seitz will be Freeman’s

new police chief. The Freeman City Council voted 5-0 to hire Seitz in special session held Mon-day July 16; Councilor Eva Olsen was absent. Seitz, who is currently a child support enforcement in-vestigations officer with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas, Nev., is expected to begin in his new position here the first week of August.

Seitz replaces former Police Chief Doris Higgins, who re-signed her position effective June 10. Maurice Waltner, the city’s remaining full-time police officer, has been serving alone in the in-terim; he will continue as a full-time police officer with the city.

Seitz was born in Tiffin, Ohio continued on page 3: Chief

Wednesday, July 25, 2012Volume 112 • Number 16

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 7Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ...........................................p. 10, 11Social .................................................................p. 6Sports ...............................................................p. 9

14 pages

InsIde:County newsCommission dealingwith difficult issues n p 3, 11

AgainGun massacre promptsrevisit of editorial from 1999 n p 4

DroughtFind ways to managestressed tress and shrubs n p 6

Public invited to attend Star Party in Freeman July 25

The Freeman Public Library, in conjunction with its 2012 Summer Reading Program, is inviting the public to attend what is being billed as a Star Party today, Wednesday, July 25, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Amy Larsen, who heads the Summer Reading Program, said the event is designed as entertainment and education, but also to give peo-ple a chance to see what the chil-dren are discovering through the Summer Reading Program.

The outdoor event will be held south of the Freeman Elementary School playground equipment and will be facilitated by the Sioux Em-pire Astronomy Club. A brief orien-tation will be given and telescopes will be available for the public to use. Also, those with smart phones are encouraged to download a star gazing app to aid them as they watch the sky. The public is asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

“It’s going to be pretty informal,” said Larsen. “People can come and go as they please.”

Children’s theatre workshop comingto Freeman Aug. 6

Freeman Area Community The-atre (FACT) is encouraging stu-dents in grade school through high school to sign up for its third annual children’s theater workshop, which is once again coming to Freeman Elementary School the first full week of August.

Dates for the workshop are Aug. 6-10, with practices for the short musical, Imagine Nation, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., each afternoon and a public performance beginning at 7 p.m. Aug. 10.

Unlike in past years, this year’s workshop calls for participation from students in high school. Pen-ny Saarie, president of the FACT board of directors, said this is a great opportunity for older, more experienced actors to mentor to young children.

“This is designed to be a teach-ing tool,” Saarie said about the children’s theater workshop, which is being conducted by the Dakota Players. “What a better way for young children to learn about the-ater than to work with older peers who have been there before.”

Registration forms are available at the Freeman Public Library.

This residency in Freeman is made possible by FACT with sup-port from Freeman-area businesses, the state of South Dakota, the South Dakota Arts Council and the Na-tional Endowment for the Arts. For more information contact Saarie at 925-4901.

Music in the Park returns toFreeman Aug. 11

Freeman’s fourth annual Mu-sic in the Park is coming to Valley View Golf Course Saturday, Aug. 11.

The event organized by Freeman native Trevor Schmidt will feature a lineup of three artists beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing into the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 12.

The Hegg Brothers (piano/vo-cals) will take the stage from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by Noah Hoehn (harmonica/marimba/percussion/vocals) from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Andy Gibson Band, which headlined Music in the Park last summer, returns and will play a host of country and rock covers and originals from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The event will take place on the driving range east of the club house.

Music in the Park is being pre-sented this year by Alan Maloney Excavating with gold-level spon-sorship from Jason Aanenson, DDC, PC.

continued on page 14: Perspective

LIFE & DEATH Part 1: Kahlen Salis fights to live | Part 2: Mary Manson prepares to die | Part 3: The bigger picture

LIFE & DEATH | A 3-part series by Jeremy Waltner - Courier News Editor

Finding PerspectiveJennifer and Aaron Thompson and their children, Sam and Emily, hold pictures of their 4-year-old son and brother, Isaac, who died in March. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Two families, the Salises and the Mansons, are dealing with an unwelcome guest. One Freeman family, the Thompsons, have said goodbye and are moving on

erspective takes on different forms, doesn’t it?And when our day-to-day, run of the mill perspec-

tive is held up against life and death, how often is it trivial?

You’re an athlete preparing for the biggest game of your life. You prepare. You stretch. You focus. You’ve done the work. Now go win.

You’re a journalist working on a story. You’ve conducted your interviews, reviewed your notes and formed an outline, but all you hear is the ticking of that deadline clock. There’s work to do but not a lot of time to do it. Write now.

You’re a farmer awaiting rain. Acres upon acres of grain crops are desperately in need, but it’s so hot and so dry. It’s all

you think about. Please, Lord, let it rain.You’re a presidential candidate, it’s four months from Elec-

tion Day, and the race is tight. What does your next campaign speech look like? Who are your endorsers? What garbage is the opposing candidate going to pull out next, and from where? Stick to the message. Don’t make a fatal mistake. Get yourself elected.

Does any of this matter?Depends on your perspective.But ask the Walter and Kris Salis family, or Mary Manson

and hers, about what’s really important — about what really matters — and they won’t talk about the lack of rain or the upcoming election.

They’ll talk about life and death.For the Salis family, perspective takes on the form of hope

and belief that 3-year-old Kahlen — a daughter, granddaugh-ter, sister, cousin and friend — will see a successful bone mar-row transplant in Minneapolis next month and win her battle against a life-threatening deficiency.

Kahlen and her mother, Kris, left for Minneapolis July 15 to begin preparation for Kahlen’s bone marrow transplant at the Amplatz Children’s Hospital on the campus of the University of Minnesota, but are back in Freeman this week as the hospi-

tal awaits the arrival of the umbilical cord that will be used for the transplant. Kris and Kahlen will return to Amplatz Friday, July 27 where Kahlen will begin a week of chemotherapy and a day of radiation in preparation for the transplant, scheduled for Aug. 7. Both are expected to be away from their loved ones — including husband and father Walter and 5-year-old Ricky, as well as a host of extended family — for the bet-ter part of the rest of 2012. By November, they should know Kahlen’s chances of survival.

Perspective.For Mary Manson, perspective is peace with her mortal-

ity; that, save a miracle, the year 2012 will be the last of her earthly life and that, when gall bladder cancer finally takes her away, she will spend eternity with her savior.

Manson, who on May 31 stepped away from her work as a nurse practitioner with Rural Medical Clinics, is choosing

PEDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final part of the Courier’s three-part series, Life & Death. To read the first two in-stallments, published July 11 and July 18, visit the eEdi-tion archives at freemansd.com.

Crop failure loomsby Jeremy Waltner

Three years ago, area farmers were anticipat-ing bringing in what would turn out to be, for many, a historic crop.

“The best ever,” was what one hired man and retired farmer, Raymond Becker, termed the harvest of 2009, which would be followed by strong yields again in 2010 and 2011.

How different it looks today.Today, grain and livestock producers are feel-

ing the impact of relentless heat and a dismal

record of moisture that dates back to last fall — conditions that are teaming up to spell trou-ble for the farming community and beyond.

Becker says he hasn’t yet assessed the corn and bean crop that is withering away under the heat of 90- and 100-degree days, but he knows it’s bad.

“Each decade seems to have some real bad years, some average years and a couple of poor ones,” said Becker, who started farming in 1956 and faced some difficult harvests early on. “We’re in the poor years. I suspect this will go

on for a year or two and then get better.”It’s a silver-lining outlook from an experi-

enced farmer, but one that’s hard to find in a community of agricultural producers anticipat-ing the first widespread crop failure in genera-tions.

“It’s as bad as I’ve seen it in my lifetime, both in terms of heat and lack of rain,” said Vernon P. Hofer, who at 77 is retired but continues to dab-ble in farming as a hobby with his son, Colin, west of Freeman. “The corn has had it. They’re already cutting silage out our way.”

While rainfall has been spotty and hit and miss across the larger Freeman community, the constant has been lack of sufficient moisture coupled with temperatures that have consistent-ly been in the upper-90s and lower triple digits.

Rainfall totals in Freeman show just 0.61 for all of June and just 0.20 in July, all of which came during Sunday’s overnight hours. The lack of rainfall during what are typically the wetter months has only been exacerbated by a dry pat-

continued on page 14: Drought

Many calling hot and dryconditions worst they’ve seen

Black Sox eliminatedFreeman beats Menno but then falls twice

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Black Sox saw their season

come to a conclusion in the third game of the District 6B Amateur Baseball Tournament over the weekend, when the local town team fell to Irene 5-1 in an elimination game Sunday, July 22 in Menno.

The Black Sox ended their season 5-20 and will miss the state tournament for the third time in four seasons.

For No 7-seed Freeman, the district tourna-ment started off well enough thanks to a 5-1 win over No. 8 Menno in the opener Thursday, July 19. The Black Sox beat the Mad Frogs behind a strong, complete-game effort from Brett Scher-schligt, who struck out 11 and allowed eight singles, and a good night at the plate from Lee Scherschligt, who broke open a 3-1 game with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth.

That victory moved the Black Sox to a sec-ond-round showdown with No. 1 Crofton on Saturday. There, Freeman found itself in the game, trailing just 5-3 after six innings, but the Bluejays added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to come away with an 8-3 victory and advance to the semifinals against Avon. That game was scheduled for Tuesday night.

Freeman needed to defeat Irene on Sunday to give themselves a shot to play for a state tour-nament berth this week, but the Cardinals held the Black Sox to just one run on four hits while scoring three of their own in the second and two more in the fifth en route to victory.

Brett Scherschligt tossed a complete game against Menno in the district opener last

week Tuesday, helping lead Freeman to a 5-1 win. PHOTO BY ERIK KAUFMAN

Wednesday, August 1, 2012Volume 112 • Number 17

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 10Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 2Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections ..................................................p. 12Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

INSIDE:SingersThirteen from Freeman schools singing in SD Honor’s Choir ■ p 3

ResponseFreeman EMTs, firefighters called to accident west of town ■ p 3

ProduceFresh vegetables makeGreek Summer Salad sing ■ p 6

HorseshoesFreeman league standingsafter Week 7 ■ p 9

City issuesbuilding permitfor Casey’s General

by Jeremy WaltnerThe city of Freeman has issued

a permit for Casey’s General Store to construct a new building at the corner of Sixth Street and Highway 81, says Freeman City Administra-tor Dennis Nelsen.

Casey’s announced plans in spring to vacate its current home at the corner of Cherry and Fifth streets, which it has occupied since opening in Freeman in 1979.

While preliminary planning is underway with the city, there re-mains no timetable for site work or construction, said Bill Walljasper, Casey’s senior vice-president and CFO.

“So we obviously don’t know when we’re going to open,” he said.

Nelsen said the building plan shows the new store sitting at an angle on the corner lot, which was previously used by Huber Motor.

Access to the store will be off both Sixth Street and Highway 81, he said.

New Freeman chief of police expected to start next week

by Jeremy WaltnerEric M. Seitz, whom the Free-

man City Council hired last month to replace Doris Higgins as chief of police, is expected to begin his new job sometime next week — pos-sibly as early as Monday, Aug. 6, according to Freeman City Admin-istrator Dennis Nelsen.

He will join police officer Mau-rice Waltner on the force.

Nelsen said Seitz was due to ar-rive in Freeman this week to begin settling into the community. He most recently worked as a child support enforcement investigations officer in Las Vegas, Nev.

2012 FJC/FAAlumni Banquet to be held Saturday

Alumni and community mem-bers are invited to attend the an-nual FJC and FA Alumni Banquet on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Hall Dining Hall. Ivan Friesen (FJC ’62) will be the fea-tured speaker.

Honored classes this year in-clude 1937, 1942, 1952, 1962, 1987, 2002 and 2012. Advance reservations were due Friday, July 27. Call 925-4237 for ticket infor-mation.

Music in the Park returns toFreeman Aug. 11

Freeman’s fourth annual Mu-sic in the Park is coming to Valley View Golf Course Saturday, Aug. 11.

The event organized by Freeman native Trevor Schmidt will feature a lineup of three artists beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing into the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 12.

The Hegg Brothers (piano/vo-cals) will take the stage from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by Noah Hoehn (harmonica/marimba/percussion/vocals) from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Andy Gibson Band, which headlined Music in the Park last summer, returns and will play a host of country and rock covers and originals from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The event will take place on the driving range east of the club house.

Music in the Park is being pre-sented by Alan Maloney Excavat-ing with gold-level sponsorship from Jason Aanenson, DDC, PC.

continued on page 12: Dairy

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is included in the most recent edition of The Dairy Star, a free newspaper sent to 12,000 dairy producers in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northern Iowa and eastern South Dakota, and reprinted here with permission. The Dairy Star is published twice a month and is based out of Sauk Centre, Minn.

An Murder Mystery

These photos were made using an iPhone and the popular app, Instagram, which pro-vides users a series of filters designed to give their images a retro flare. The pictures were taken during Freeman Public Library’s murder mystery held Monday evening, July

30, and show several of the faces and characters that made up the theatrical event. The mur-der mystery hosted by the library, “Murder High Class Reunion,” tells the story of a 25th class reunion of the Class of 1985 that features guests who have made a name for themselves, including the math team captain now worth millions, the valedictorian who continues to strive to be the best and the class president-turned candidate for United States president. According to promotional materials for “Murder High Class Reunion,” “It’s a reunion you won’t

forget — if you live to tell about it.” Those pictured above include (clockwise from upper left) , Ronda Bodewitz as B.A. Barricade, the punk; Collin Waltner and Becky Waltner as Judd Jenson, the class stud, and Molly Ringworm, the drama queen; Blaine Saarie and Matt Miller as Joe Nebraska and Byron P. Keaton, the class jock and math team captain; Penny Saarie as Cindy Crawfish, the class flirt; Digna Miller and Judy Graber as Danny Drums and Natalie Nebraska, marching band member and cheerleader; and Anna Waltner and Jeremy Waltner as Pamala Abdul and Nick Nixon, the queen of dance and class president. To see a group photo of the Murder High School Class of 1985, turn to page 11. And for more pictures from Monday’s murder mystery at the library, click on the Photo Galleries link at freemansd.com.

Schultz: ‘Everyone around here is giving up’Grain and livestock producers struggle to manage operations as drought now grips 90 percent of state

by Andrea BorgerdingThe Dairy Star

Mik e Schultz has been farming his entire life in South Dakota – this is the worst drought he has seen grip such a large area.

“We have received five inches of rain from July 2011 until now,” Schultz said. “We had no moisture through the winter and we haven’t

had rain all spring and summer. We farm heavy black dirt and there is no subsoil moisture left.”

Schultz raises 3,000 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa near Freeman, S.D. in Hutchinson County. He sells feed to his two sons, John and Jeff, who milk 1,400 cows. As of July 24, the U.S. Drought Monitor has 90 per-cent of South Dakota’s land area in a drought. Southeastern South Dakota, where the Schultzes farm, has been downgraded to an extreme drought.

For the year to date, precipitation is below 80 percent of average for most of the state, with some areas closer to 50 percent of average.

“Most of the southern half of the state is in a severe to extreme drought,” said Dennis Todey, SDSU Extension State Climatologist. “Drought condi-tions are the worst since 2006, and

corn belt wide the worst since 1988.”Todey said the lack of precipitation

last fall created an easy harvest sea-son in South Dakota. But it also failed to refill the soil moisture profile over most of the state for the first time in many years.

“Eastern areas of the state were over three inches below average last fall,” Todey said. “A major driver of this drought has been temperatures, which have been running consistently warm since the spring and winter. In-creased temperatures have increased plant water use and exhausted limited soil moisture reserves.”

The continued above-average tem-peratures in combination with grow-ing precipitation deficits is taking its toll on row crops.

Mike Schultz (left) surveys a cornfield with his son, Jeff. Mike raises crops for his sons, Jeff and John, who milk 1,400 cows near Freeman. The Schultzes are working to salvage what feed they can from crops that are drying up from higher than average temperatures and lack of moisture. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

FA hires teacherfor 1-4 classroomJared Goede is ‘08 graduate of Augustana College; as of last week, nine had enrolled

by Jeremy WaltnerA 2008 graduate of Augustana

College, who last worked at a char-ter school in Washington D.C., has been hired to be the teacher for Free-man Academy’s inaugural grades 1-4 classroom set to open later this month.

Pam Tieszen, administrator at Freeman Academy, said Jared Goede was one of four applicants for the teaching position and accepted the job offer Friday morning, July 27. Tieszen describes Goede as someone with “a passion for students, build-ing community and project-based learning.

“He’s excited about building this classroom,” she said. “He will be a nice addition to our staff.”

Tiezsen said Goede is expected to move back to the area with his wife, Jessica — a recent graduate of the University of Sioux Falls — early next week.

Developing the curriculum for the grades 1-4 classroom will be an on-going collaborative effort between Goede and FA officials.

“He’s coming out of a place where he’s got some experience with this type of learning,” said Tieszen. “He’s going to bring a lot to the table about how to go about this, but I’m prepared to take some of the pressure off him as he gets settled.”

Tieszen also said she has been working on strategies with Lorie Preheim, a 1984 Freeman Junior College graduate who today lives in Washington, D.C., and helps start charter schools.

At Preheim’s advice, Tieszen said she hopes to have a support/advisory team in place to help steer Freeman Academy through the beginning stages of this new chapter.

The grades 1-4 classroom was unanimously approved by the Free-man Academy board of directors earlier this summer and is being de-signed using the one-room school-house model.

Tieszen said late last week nine students had enrolled so far, and she expects to have up to 13 by the time school starts.

“There’s still time for the parents to make that decision.”

Meanwhile, Freeman Academy continues to move forward with ex-citement for the new classroom and what project-based learning could mean for the school.

“I know there are some naysay-ers out there and some waiting to see how it goes,” says Tieszen, “but we’re excited.”

The grades 1-4 classroom will get its official start Thursday, Aug. 23 — the day that all Freeman students return to their respective classrooms for the 2012-13 term.

FACT’s children’s theater workshop returns next week

by Jeremy WaltnerWhen 11-year-old Journey Mehl-

haf was a little girl, she and her friend, Kaylee Auch, would make up and perform plays for family mem-bers thanks to a love for theater that dates back as long as she can remem-ber.

Next week, the sixth-grader will have another opportunity to nurture that growing appreciation for drama.

Mehlhaf, the daughter of David and Nicole, will be one of what is expected to be several dozen

youngsters taking part in the third-annual children’s theater workshop, a weeklong residency organized by Freeman Area Community Theatre (FACT) and facilitated by the Da-kota Players.

The workshop will be held from Monday, Aug. 6 through Friday, Aug. 10, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each afternoon at the Freeman Elementary Gym. During that time, participants will learn about all aspects of theater as they prepare the short musical,

continued on page 12: Theater

Wednesday, August 8, 2012Volume 112 • Number 18

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds .............................................p. 12, 13Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ................................................p. 3, 8Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ............................................................p. 11

14 pages

INSIDE:TextingTime for state to step upand ban dangerous practice ■ p 4

Recipe with loveLois Wollman’s Cheesy Corn Casserole holds special spot ■ p 6

Girls of summerFreeman’s three softballteams of 2012 pictured ■ p 11

Fiddler on the Roofnamed 2013 Schmeckfest musical

The program committee of the Freeman Academy Auxiliary is pleased to announce that Fiddler on the Roof will be presented as the 2013 Schmeckfest musical produc-tion. John Koch will direct the pro-duction. The 2013 show will be the 11th Schmeckfest production under Koch’s directorship, who says part of the beauty of this show is the availability of parts for all ages.

Fiddler on the Roof is set in the little village of Anatevka in Tsar-ist Russia in 1905 and is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales). The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish re-ligious traditions while outside in-fluences encroach upon their lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters — each one’s choice of husband moves further away from the customs of his faith — and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.

The musical’s title stems from the painting “The Fiddler.” The fiddler is a metaphor for survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance. The show features songs loved the world over such as “Sunrise, Sun-set,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker,” to name a few.

Fiddler on the Roof remains Broadway’s 15th longest-running show in history running a total of 3,242 performances and is consid-ered by many to be the last show of Broadway’s “Golden Age.”

Fiddler on the Roof will be pre-sented each evening of Schmeck-fest 2013, which will be held in Freeman March 15, 16, 22 and 23. There will also be a fifth perfor-mance Thursday, March 21 with no other Schmeckfest activities sched-uled for that day. The show will be presented through special arrange-ment with Music Theatre Interna-tional, 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019.

More details about the 2013 Schmeckfest production will be an-nounced in upcoming weeks.

Children’s theaterresidency this week; performance Friday

Freeman Area Community The-ater’s (FACT) third-annual chil-dren’s theater workshop is being held at Freeman Elementary this week, with more than two dozen registered youngsters preparing the short musical, Imagine Nation, for performance.

The show will be given Friday evening, Aug. 10, beginning at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

The residency is being held in partnership with the Dakota Play-ers, which is working with the chil-dren during the week-long work-shop that began Monday, Aug. 5.

In addition to FACT, the chil-dren’s theater workshop is made possible with support from Free-man area businesses, the South Da-kota Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Watch for coverage of Imagine Nation in next week’s Courier.

Turner County Fair begins next week

South Dakota’s oldest county fair returns to Parker next week.

The Turner County Fair will be held Sunday, Aug. 12 through Thursday, Aug. 16, and is once again offering free admission.

The fair includes a host of exhib-its, vendors and attractions, includ-ing the D.C. Lynch midway and evening entertainment that includes a tractor pull, Enduro and Figure 8 races, as well as the Demolition Derby.

For more information, see the ad on page 9.

Music in the Park heads to Valley ViewChange in venue, stellar musical lineup could mean big year for fourth festival

by Jeremy WaltnerTrevor Schmidt believes all the right ele-

ments are in place for a most successful Music in the Park to date.

A new venue, Valley View Golf Course, will provide a comfortable atmosphere.

A shuttle service set to run from downtown to Valley View every hour on the hour will make getting to and from the festival a breeze.

And this year’s musical lineup is, in Schmidt’s opinion, not only the best he’s had in his four years organizing and planning his music festi-val, but the best you’ll find anywhere.

All that needs to happen now is for the people to come.

“This is good for the Freeman community,” says Schmidt, who will oversee his fourth-an-nual Music in the Park this Saturday, Aug. 11,

starting at 6 p.m. on the driving range of Valley View Golf Course east of the clubhouse. “Hope-fully the local people come and support it.”

That hasn’t been the case the past three sum-mers — at least not on the level Schmidt would prefer. Attendance topped out at around 300 in both 2009 and 2011 and was but half that in 2010.

But that has done little to deter Schmidt from bringing the festival back and working to reinvent it along the way. In 2010, the sec-ond year, he eliminated afternoon activities and vendors and moved Music in the Park from its original location at Lion’s Park, and last sum-mer Schmidt introduced local sponsorship and brought the stage and the people closer together to give the festival a more intimate feel.

Perhaps the most significant change yet takes place this year thanks to a move to Valley View.

“It’s just a beautiful location,” says Schmidt. “I just didn’t like the atmosphere at the softball field and it was time to move it to a friendlier environment.

“With the trees and the grass, it’s just a much cozier atmosphere.”

Dave’s Grille, the restaurant associated with Valley View, will be serving food and drink throughout the evening.

The Music in the Park founder says the new venue isn’t the only aspect of this year’s festival that could make it one of the best. He believes his lineup of musicians, too, is second to none.

“It’s hard to put something like this together anywhere,” Schmidt says of the three acts that will take the stage, beginning with the Hegg Brothers at 6 p.m.

“Those guys alone — they’re just amazing piano players,” Schmidt says, noting the piano/

vocal duo will be joined by Noah Hoehn, “who plays a mean harmonica. He’s just phenomenal.”

PoolplayThe oppressive and relentless temperatures of one of the hottest summers on record may be causing extreme concern for farmers in dire need of moisture to save the soy bean crop, but the heat has been good for swimmers like Blake Stahl, the 7-year-old son of Corey and Kristi Stahl of Freeman. Blake, who will be a Freeman Elementary fi rst-grader when school starts later this month, has been among those taking advantage of the Freeman Swimming Pool this summer — among the only forms of outdoor relief during what was a brutally hot July. Temperatures vaulted into the 90s all but eight days during the month and topped 100 degrees nine times. The worst stretch of July came from the 15th through the 24th, when highs in Freeman went 98, 102, 100, 94, 100, 101, 96, 100, 100, 103. While the big rain needed to salvage at least a partial crop remains elusive, there is good news in that temperatures appear to be taking a turn. So far in August, high temperatures have been closer to 80 than they have 100, and another comfortable week — albeit another rain-free one — is in the forecast.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

If you’re goingWHAT: Fourth annual Music in the ParkWHEN: Saturday, Aug. 11, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.WHERE: Valley View Golf CourseADMISSION: At the gateSHUTTLE: From Main and Third every hour on the hourMUSIC: Hegg Brothers, Noah Hoehn, Andy GibsonFOOD & DRINK: Served by Dave’s Grille; no coolers

continued on page 12: Music

RussianRevelationsIt’s been almost two months since Katherine Kaufman and Taylor Waltner spent time overseas with the SDSU Women’s Choir. But the lessons are fresh

by Jeremy WaltnerFind a college student, ask what

they did during their summer off, and hear the answers. Most are ex-pected and commonplace.

Went home. Worked. Slept. Spent time with family. Hung out with friends. Went fishing. Went shop-ping. Went camping. Nothing.

Find Katherine Kaufman and Taylor Waltner, though, and ask them. While some of the above will no doubt be included on their re-spective lists, there’s a good chance that none make the top.

So what does?In all likelihood, these two South

Dakota State University juniors-to-be won’t have to think about it for long.

“Went to Russia” rolls right off the tongue.

Kaufman and Waltner, both 2010 graduates of Freeman High School, were part of the 30-voice SDSU Women’s Choir who embarked on a weeklong choir tour of Russia June 16 that took them from Mos-cow to Novgorod to St. Petersburg for three concerts. There were hours upon hours of tours to places like Moscow’s Kremlin, the Winter Palace and an orphanage in St. Pe-tersburg, and to the Mariinsky The-atre for what Kaufman describes as a “breathtaking” performance of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake.

Both say the experience was un-forgettable.

“Anytime you take a trip overseas and see all these different people and places, it’s hard to describe that

RevelationsIt’s been almost two months since Katherine Kaufman and Taylor Waltner spent time overseas with the SDSU Women’s Choir. But the lessons are fresh

Katherine Kaufman, left, and Taylor Waltner, both 2010 graduates of Freeman High School, are pictured with items they brought back from Russia, including a traditional scarf, Russian nesting doll and photo made for them by one of the orphans in St. Petersburg.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER continued on page 14: Russia

Sternresigns ascouncilor

by Tim L. WaltnerScott Stern has resigned from the

Freeman City Council.Mayor Sam Sorensen read Stern’s

letter of resignation as the council met for its regular meeting Monday, Aug. 6. The news came as a surprise to the entire body; Sorensen told the council he had received the letter shortly before meeting. Stern’s letter noted the resignation was immediate and that he would not be attending Monday’s meeting.

Tuesday, Aug. 7, Stern told the Courier, “My resignation is due to a professional relocation. I wish the council and the community nothing but continued success. It has been an honor representing the citizens of Freeman and I am proud to call Free-man my home.”

Stern has served as a councilor since May 2001. He also served a single term in the mid 90s.

The council accepted Stern’s res-ignation Monday. Sorensen said he wants the council to be part of the process to name a replacement. Stern, who represented Ward III, is in the second year of his two-year term. His replacement will serve through the next city election and the seat will again be open next spring.

Watch for a complete report from Monday’s city council meeting, in-cluding a report on a 12.5 percent in-crease in water rates, in next week’s issue of the Courier.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012Volume 112 • Number 19

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds .............................................p. 14, 15Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 7Public Notice ...............................p. 11, 13, 15Reflections ..................................................p. 12Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ............................................................p. 11

16 pages

InsIde:Music in the ParkArtists play, but Mother Nature “destroys” festival n p 3

The Odd CoupleActors needed to round outcast of classic comedy n p 3

Hats offFACT’s theater workshopa big hit; an opinion n p 4

Ice creamTurner Co. Fair means homemade delight; the recipe n p 6

Pile it upCattle feeders from NW Iowacut 4,000 acres of silage n p 8

AAUPair of Freeman standouts wrestle for SD at Jr. Olympics n p 11

School starts in Freemannext Thursday

For several hundred students planning to attend Freeman Acad-emy or Freeman Public Schools, summer vacation is just about over.

The 2012-13 school year is set to begin at both of Freeman’s ed-ucational institutions next week Thursday, Aug. 23. That includes Freeman Academy’s inaugural grades 1-4 classroom, FA’s middle school and high school programs, Freeman Elementary and Freeman Junior-Senior High School.

Freeman Academy will hold a full day of classes; students at Free-man Public will be dismissed at 1 p.m., and will return for their first full day of classes Friday, Aug. 24.

Convation for Freeman Acad-emy is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 19. See page 3 for details.

AthleticsThe lead-up to the start of the

new academic year also means the beginning of a new sports season. Practices for all fall prep sports teams are now underway; the FA soccer team took the field for the first time last week Monday, Aug. 6, while the cross-country and vol-leyball teams from both schools, as well as the FHS football team, began practice this past Monday, Aug. 13.

Competition gets underway this Saturday, Aug. 18, when the Bob-cats will face Mitchell Public under the lights at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex in Mitchell beginning at 8 p.m. The soccer team is again under coaching leadership of Dan Haggerty.

The start of competition for the rest of the fall sports teams is as fol-lows.

Both the FA and FHS cross-country teams will begin their sea-sons at the Beresford Invitational Aug. 24 in a meet that begins at 10 a.m. Veteran coaches Suzanne Ko-erner and Rory Hermsen are again heading up the teams at FA and FHS, respectively.

The FHS football team opens its season at home against Bridge-water-Emery-Ethan Friday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. The Flyers are again under the leadership of head coach Jim Kaufman.

The FHS volleyball team starts its season at Alcester against Al-cester-Hudson Aug. 27. Junior var-sity competition begins at 6:15 p.m. The Flyers are under first-year head volleyball coach Ronda Rinehart.

Finally, the FA volleyball team will open its season at home against Dakota Christian Aug. 28, with the junior varsity match starting at 6:15 p.m. The Bobcats are led by second-year head coach Larry Tim-merman.

Turner County Fair continues this week

South Dakota’s oldest county fair, which began in Parker Sunday, Aug. 12, continues through Thurs-day, Aug. 16.

The Turner County Fair includes a host of exhibits, vendors, attrac-tions and rides, as well as evening entertainment in the grandstand. That includes the Figure 8 Races tonight, Aug. 15, and the Demoli-tion Derby Thursday, Aug. 16. Both begin at 7 p.m. The fair will con-clude with a fireworks exhibition in the grandstand area.

A complete schedule of events was printed in last week’s Courier.

‘This is where I want to be’New police chief welcomes opportunity small town law enforcement provides

by Jeremy WaltnerFour boys sat in the office of the Freeman Po-

lice Department last Friday morning across from Eric Seitz, the town’s new chief of police. Seitz, in full uniform, was seated at his desk with the young boys in chairs across the small room.

The scene raises the question: What did these boys do?

At closer listen, though, you’ll hear a conver-sation about football, and then about Las Vegas, where Seitz previously worked as a law enforce-ment officer, and soon you’ll discover that the four boys — brothers Ethan Balvin, Hunter Bal-vin and their friends, Tegan Derry and Conner Koppman — just popped in to chat.

Turns out Seitz had been throwing around the football with them the day before during a break from patrolling the streets of Freeman, and the boys just wanted to say hi.

It’s that kind of relationship with the children of the community — and the community as a whole — that Freeman’s new police chief wants to nurture in the weeks, months and years to come.

“To me, a lot of being a police officer is com-munity policing,” said Seitz, 34, “and by that I mean being out in the community, whether it’s stopping into a shop to say hello or being out with the kids playing ball.”

It’s a welcome change for Seitz, who didn’t have much of an opportunity to utilize those skills as a law enforcement officer in the Las Vegas area, where he has spent most of his last 12 years in the profession.

“In Vegas, when you’re in law enforcement, you really don’t have a lot of time to do those things,” he said. “You’re basically going call to call or you’re busy involved in some other call that happened in the past.”

The fact that Seitz was born in Tiffin, Ohio, a community closer in population to Freeman than Las Vegas, gives him an appreciation for the lifestyle and the pace he has found here since taking over as chief of police Friday, Aug. 3.

continued on page 16: Seitz

New Freeman Police Chief Eric Seitz shows a group of boys the “Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on his office computer. The boys — from left, Connor Koppman of Marion, Tegan Derry, Ethan Balvin and Hunter Balvin, all of Freeman — stopped in to see Seitz after throwing around the football with him the day before. “Being a law enforcement officer isn’t always about making arrests or giving tickets,” said Seitz, who joined Maurice Waltner on the Freeman force Friday, Aug. 3. “It’s also about being part of the community.” PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

City council plans increase in water ratesby Tim L. Waltner

With a 42 percent increase in the cost of wa-ter from B-Y Water, the Freeman City Council last week held first reading on an increase in local water rates. The proposed increase raises the minimum rate (the first 1,000 gallons) from $15 to $16 and the per 1,000 gallon rate from $4 to $4.50. That translates to an increase of 12.5 percent.

The council will finalize the rate when it adopts the new pricing structure; the plan is to implement the increase Jan. 1. The proposal in-cludes a 12.5 percent increase in the industrial rate — more than 500,000 gallons a month — from $2.63 to $2.96 per 1,000 gallons.

The higher cost of water from B-Y took ef-fect earlier this year, going from 75 cents per 1,000 gallons to $1.07. B-Y last raised the rate to Freeman from 68 cents to 75 cents in 2009. The city did not raise local rates at that time. B-Y

increased rate is frozen for two years, city of-ficials noted.

Based on projections compiled by City Fi-nance Officer Lisa Edelman, the increase would keep the city’s water budget, which includes all local operating costs as well as routine mainte-nance and repairs, in the black through 2017.

Water tower lease gets OKThe council approved a lease agreement with

Freeman Regional Health Services to mount communication equipment for Rural Medical Clinics on the Freeman water tower.

The action comes about a year after FRHS of-ficials approached the city about plans to place microwave antennas on the railing at the top of the water tower that would enable high-speed data exchange between the Freeman clinic and the satellite clinics in Bridgewater, Marion and Menno. The system is designed to provide faster communication including immediate diagnostic

and X-ray services between the clinics.The lease agreement between the city and

FRHS outlines details including use, liability and cost. It includes language that gives FRHS use of the water tower for this project without limiting the potential benefits that structure might have in the future. FRHS will pay the city $200 a year for use of the water tower; it is for five years with the right to extend it for another five years with the rate increased by 15 percent.

Last fall, the city granted FRHS a variance to construct a tower at FRHS as part of the proj-ect. Last week, Neil Frizzell, CFO of Freeman Regional Health Services, told the council those plans are moving forward, but the tower will now be located adjacent to the hospital rather than built on top of it as originally proposed. The tower is required for the line-of-sight signal from the water tower, which will link FRHS and the satellite clinics.

The variance was for a 60’ tower on top of

the hospital in Freeman. City regulations limit towers to 35’ and, together with the height of the hospital, the tower required a 40’ variance for a total height of 75 feet. City officials asked City Attorney Dale Strasser to review the variance to see if it will apply to the revised plans for the tower. If not, FRHS will need to apply for a new variance.

“We hope to have everything done in two to three months,” Frizzell told the council.

Council puts brakeson noise ordinance

The council decided not to pursue banning dynamic engine braking, often called “jake braking,” on highways on the perimeter of Free-man. The council has discussed the issue for the past two meetings. Councilor Eva Olsen brought the issue to the table after receiving complaints

continued on page 16: City

FACT, Dakota Players deliverTheater-based organizations team up to offer lessons that transcend the stage

by Jeremy WaltnerTo the delight of those looking on, Gabrielle

Cross wove her way through a handful of chil-dren who had not been eliminated from this par-ticular round of “Night in the Museum,” a game where the players must stay still and silent for as long as possible.

Cross, one of two young adult directors lead-ing 36 children through last week’s theater workshop sponsored by Freeman Area Commu-nity Theatre, did her finest to get the last stand-

ing to break by using funny voices, wild anima-tion and nose-to-nose interaction.

“You’re being weird,” said one of the children who had been eliminated from the game after Cross caught them moving.

“Of course I’m weird,” Cross proclaimed loudly and proudly. “I’m a theater major!”

The children giggled some more.While “Night in the Museum” saw Cross at

her “weirdest” and proved to be a whole lot of fun for the children taking part, the game was designed as a theatrical teaching tool to teach

young thespians the importance of poise off-stage.

“The goal is to help reinforce the idea of, when they’re backstage, to be respectful of the actors on stage, silent and still,” said Jared Mitchell, who along with Cross works with the Dakota Players — formerly called the Children’s The-atre Company of South Dakota — in bringing theater residencies to communities across South Dakota. “We did our best to get them to break.”

“Night in the Museum” was part of the fun — and one of many lessons learned — dur-

ing Mitchell and Cross’s five days in Freeman Aug. 13-17. The residency was made possible by FACT for the third year in a row with sup-port from the local business community and the South Dakota Arts Council, and focused on the preparation and performance of the short musi-cal, Imagine Nation.

“It’s so much fun,” Cross said of the Dakota Players’ efforts to teach kids what is, for some, Theater 101 and, for others, yet another show. “It’s all about exposing the kids to the stage and all the joys that go along with that.”

Mitchell says that, while the focus on these residencies is preparing a theatrical production, lessons learned can transcend the stage.

“It helps kids develop public speaking skills and an ability to interact with other kids in a col-laborative effort,” he says, “to think as a group and work as a group.”

And there are a host of lessons inside Imag-ine Nation, too — a musical written in 2004 that tells the story of a family going to a family re-union. Bored to death at their grandmother’s old farm, the three children are forced to be creative and make their own entertainment.

“It’s cool to see what the kids can create,” says Cross. “It’s all about using your imagina-tion.”

“It gets the kids thinking about a lot of things,” says Mitchell. “If I didn’t have the use of a TV, what would I do?’”

Preparation for Imagine Nation included an audition process and first look at the scripts on Monday, followed by an intense rehearsal schedule that demanded four hours of practice

continued on page 16: Theater

Gabrielle Cross tries to get Madeline Hofer to break during the game, “Night in the Museum,” which was used as a teaching tool during last week’s theater workshop in Freeman. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, August 22, 2012Volume 112 • Number 20

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds .............................................p. 10, 11Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Public Notice .........................................p. 9, 11Reflections .....................................................p. 3Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

InsIde:Sign offHuber Motor “used cars” signat Sixth and 81 comes down n p 3

Back to schoolStart of new year prompts call for parents, public; an opinion n p 4

Pastures and hayWays to manage youracres during drought n p 5

‘Sinful’Freeman woman offersaward-winning recipe n p 6

Morning gloryTips and tricks to getchildren off to school easier n p 6

HorseshoesFreeman league standingsafter Week 10 n p 9

Open house at Freeman Public Thursday, Aug. 23

Students and parents at Freeman Elementary School are invited to an open house from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23 — the first day of school. Those attending are welcome to visit the elementary school anytime during the 90 min-utes; parents and students are en-couraged to attend, visit the class-rooms and meet with teachers who will be on hand.

There will also be an open house at the junior-senior high school on Aug. 23 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Freeman High School Gym. This will provide parents the opportu-nity to visit their students’ class-rooms; teachers will also be on hand to meet with district patrons.

For more information contact the business office at Freeman Elemen-tary at 925-4216 or the business of-fice at Freeman Junior-Senior High School at 925-4214.

Deadline Aug. 31to sign up to cook for chili contest

Chefs are being sought to partici-pate in the sixth annual Chili Cook-off to be held Friday, Sept. 14, and have until Friday, Aug. 31, to sign up. Applications and instructions may be picked up at the Freeman Public Library.

The event will be held prior to Freeman High School’s homecom-ing parade.

Ten local chefs will be serving up their secret recipes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the old fire station at Freeman City Hall.

A panel of judges will present a trophy for the most unique chili while those tasting the various reci-pes will vote for their favorite re-sulting in the awarding of first and second place trophies for People’s Choice. In addition, first and sec-ond place trophies will be presented to two chefs with the jazziest booth decorations. Freeman Friends of the Library will be hosting the fundraiser with proceeds from the event going toward expanding the children’s programs at the library.

Freeman Fun Day being planned for Sept. 8

The public is invited to Free-man Fun Day, scheduled on Satur-day, Sept. 8. Events for all ages are scheduled from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the south end of Main Street. All events are free to the public.

Scheduled events include a ping pong ball drop, movies at the li-brary, inflatables and carnival games, lawn mower drag races and a Dakota Kids pedal pull. Other ac-tivities include a farmers market, bingo and tours of Heritage Hall Museum, Wildcat Manufacturing and Mannes Floral.

A meet and greet will also be held at select businesses. Anyone interested in having a home-based business showcased at the event contact Meranda at meranda@thekairos.net. Fundraiser carnival booth space is available by contact-ing Donna at ddwaltner@gmail.com by Aug. 29.

The Freeman Fun Day is spon-sored by the Freeman Commerce Committee and Freeman area busi-nesses. Watch for more information in upcoming issues of the Freeman Courier.

New teacher’s philosophy fits with Freeman Academy’s 1-4 classroom

by Jeremy WaltnerFor many, Thursday, Aug. 23, is just another

start to another school year in Freeman, and nothing out of the ordinary. After all, between the two educational institutions in this com-munity, there have been more than 230 “first days.”

But at Freeman Academy, the private school founded as South Dakota Mennonite College in 1900, the start of the 2012-13 term marks a special time. In fact, it could be a milestone and game-changing moment in the life and times of the institution, because it is the beginning of a bold expansion: the addition of a grades 1-4 classroom anchored by a project-based learning philosophy.

The move came quickly and was initially driven by parents interested in a twist on tra-ditional learning that included the one-room schoolhouse model. The idea was introduced to

the FA Board of Directors in early summer, met with widespread support and enthusiasm, and was formally approved by a unanimous vote. FA announced the program in early July. It is the first significant addition to the curriculum offered at the school since the middle school program was added in 1992.

Late last week, volunteers were making good progress in preparing the former band room in Music Hall — the original college building that is perhaps the most iconic structure in town — for the 13 students that will call it their class-room.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Jared Goede, hired last month as the grades 1-4 teacher, was in an empty room across the hall establishing the cur-riculum and roadmap that will help him and the Freeman Academy community navigate this departure from traditional learning.

Enrollment at Freeman Elementary takes hitPreliminary numbers show students in grades K-6 down 21 from May projections

by Jeremy WaltnerWhile numbers won’t be finalized until the

first day of classes Aug. 23, enrollment at Free-man Elementary School appears to have taken a hit heading into the 2012-13 school year.

According to a report distributed at the regular monthly meeting of the Freeman Public School board last week Monday, Aug. 13, an enrollment of 142 was expected in grades K-6 (that does not include Wolf Creek and Tschetter colonies).

That’s a significant drop from this past May, when projections showed 163 students in those classrooms.

At the start of last school year, students in grades K-6 totaled 165.

Elementary principal Shane Voss, who dis-tributed the report, intimated that the addition of a grades 1-4 classroom at Freeman Academy has factored into the 21-student decrease.

“We’ve had quite a few requests for records from kids going over to Freeman Academy,” Voss told the board.

Thirteen students have registered for the new classroom at FA.

At Freeman Elementary, the largest classes appear to be the incoming kindergarten (split into two sections) and sixth graders, both of

which have 24. The report shows three classes have fewer than 20 students: second grade (18), third grade (16) and fifth grade (17).

In his administrative report, secondary prin-cipal Kim Krull addressed projected enrollment figures at the junior-senior high school, which indicates a slight decrease.

The report handed out by Krull shows 161 students in grades 7-12 compared to 167 at the start of the 2011-12 school year. Class sizes range from a low of 19 in eighth grade to a high of 35 in the senior class.

A comprehensive breakdown of enrollment at all Freeman schools will be printed in the Aug.

29 edition of the Courier.

A la carteThe Freeman Public School Board voted to

increase the cost of a la carte seconds that are part of the new food service program from 75 cents to $1.65, and the cost of milk from 35 to 40 cents.

The board had, at its reorganizational meeting in July, voted to set those prices at 75 cents and 35 cents but made the change in response to an increased fee assessed by CBM Managed Sys-

continued on page 12: Goede

Where optimism rules the dayAs a new sports season dawns in Freeman, hope is common denominator

One of the enduring qualities of spring train-ing and the start of the baseball season is the widespread feeling that all is new again. Flowers are blooming. Leaves are bud-ding. The grass is turning green. It’s a new season, and anybody and every-body associated with the America’s Game — coaches, players and fans alike — feel like they’ve got a fighting chance.

That same feeling of renewal and optimism so prevalent as baseball begins in April can be felt this year throughout the Freeman com-munity as August ticks away and high school sports teams embark on a new season.

Anybody and everybody feels like they’ve got a fighting chance.

That means, as practices give way to games,

matches and meets, there is an overwhelming sense of optimism blooming at both Freeman Academy and Freeman Public, from the volley-ball court to the football field, even as gardens go dry and, soon, leaves trickle down.

Yep, we’re at the time of year when the growth seen in spring withers away even more than it has during this drought-infected sum-mer, yet growth and maturity runs rampant where the prep athletes play.

As a community, we should be proud that continued on page 9: Analysis

AnalysisJeremy Waltner

This photo showing six of Freeman’s top prep athletes is the cover image on the fall sports preview, an eight-page publication

included with this week’s issue of the Courier. Pictured are, from left, Clara Koerner, Andrew Munkvold, Dina Soulek, Chris Miller, Caroline

Schrag and Rebecca Eberts.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

The 2012-13 school year begins in Freeman Thursday, Aug. 23.At Freeman Academy and Freeman Elementary, this week marks

NEW BEGINNINGS

Energy of youth motivates new principal at Freeman Elementary

by Jeremy WaltnerAccording to a study, on average, what word

will a child between the ages of 3 and 5 repeat 450,000 times?

“Why.”It’s that thirst for knowledge and quest for

learning that gives Shane Voss a love for the elementary school setting and has him thrilled to be back in the saddle and focused on being a principal at the grade school level.

“If you can’t get yourself motivated in seeing that excitement every day, you shouldn’t be in the building,” said Voss, who has taken over for Ryan Mors as the top administrator at Freeman Elementary. “I’d like to bottle some of that en-ergy and save it for 2 in the afternoon.”

Voss will get a renewed exposure to that en-ergy this week when students in Freeman report for the 2012-13 school term. Freeman Public Schools begins the year with a half-day Thurs-

day, Aug. 23, following by the first full day of classes Aug. 24.

An open house is planned at both Freeman Elementary and Freeman Junior-Senior High School Thursday, Aug. 23. The open house at the elementary school runs from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. At the junior-senior high school, students and parents are asked to meet in the FHS Gym at 7 p.m. See the chimney on the left side of this page for more.

The new year marks a notable shift for the 42-year-old Voss, who spent the last three years as both the superintendent and elementary prin-cipal at Alcester-Hudson, a job in which he says the first interfered with the second.

“I’m excited to be going back to doing what I love,” says Voss, who also spent 10 years in administration in his home community of Hur-ley, where he continues to live with his wife and

continued on page 12: Voss

continued on page 12: School

Jared Goede, 26, stands in the reading area in the southwest corner of what was once the band room inside Freeman Academy’s Music Hall, which has been converted into a class-room for students in grades one through four. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Shane Voss, 42, spent 10 years in administration at Hurley and the past three years as super-intendent and elementary principal at Alcester-Hudson before taking his new position at Freeman Elementary, where he replaces Ryan Mors. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, August 29, 2012Volume 112 • Number 21

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 8Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 10Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 11Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections ...........................................p. 11, 12Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

InsIde:County newsWith dry weather continuing, burn ban remains in effect n p 3

Akin’s bold moveCandidate’s reluctance to quitsays a lot about the man n p 4

PancakesGrandmother, grandsonteam up in the kitchen n p 6

Cross-countryRunners from both schools excel at Beresford Invitational n p 9

Deadline Aug. 31to sign up to cook for chili contest

Chefs are being sought to partici-pate in the sixth annual Chili Cook-off to be held Friday, Sept. 14, and have until Friday, Aug. 31, to sign up. Applications and instructions may be picked up at the Freeman Public Library.

The event will be held prior to Freeman High School’s homecom-ing parade.

Ten local chefs will be serving up their secret recipes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the old fire station at Freeman City Hall.

A panel of judges will present a trophy for the most unique chili while those tasting the various reci-pes will vote for their favorite re-sulting in the awarding of first and second place trophies for People’s Choice. In addition, first and sec-ond place trophies will be presented to two chefs with the jazziest booth decorations. Freeman Friends of the Library will be hosting the fundraiser with proceeds from the event going toward expanding the children’s programs at the library.

Freeman Fun Day being planned for Sept. 8

The public is invited to Free-man Fun Day, scheduled on Satur-day, Sept. 8. Events for all ages are scheduled from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the south end of Main Street. All events are free to the public.

Scheduled events include a ping pong ball drop, movies at the li-brary, inflatables and carnival games, lawn mower drag races and a Dakota Kids pedal pull. Other activities include a farmers mar-ket, bingo and tours of Heritage Hall Museum, Wildcat Manufac-turing and a make/take seminar by Mannes Floral.

A meet and greet will also be held at select businesses. Anyone interested in having a home-based business showcased at the event contact Meranda at meranda@thekairos.net. Fundraiser carnival booth space is available by contact-ing Donna at ddwaltner@gmail.com by Aug. 29.

The Freeman Fun Day is spon-sored by the Freeman Commerce Committee and Freeman area busi-nesses. Watch for more information in upcoming issues of the Freeman Courier.

Labor Day holiday means early deadlines for SCPI

Second Century Publishing, Inc. is calling for an early deadline for all four of its publications because of the upcoming Labor Day holiday Monday, Sept. 3.

All advertising copy for the Area Wide Connection and Dakota Ac-tion Rocket is due Thursday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. The deadline for all advertising and news copy for the Freeman Courier and Hutchinson Herald is Friday, Aug. 31 at 5 p.m.

Both the Courier office and the Herald office in Menno will be closed both Saturday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 3.

Businesses to observe Labor Day

Most Freeman businesses will be closed on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 3. That includes Freeman City Hall and the Freeman Post Office’s window service and rural delivery.

Businesses that will be open in-clude Ampride, Bake’s, Casey’s, Dave’s Grille, Dollar General, Freeman Shopping Center and Third Street Grill. Jamboree Foods will be open until noon.

Orlando to D.C.and back again

The National FCCLA Leadership Conference and Girls Nation made for a busy summer for one FHS senior who is establishing quite a resume.

by Jeremy WaltnerLike the rest of the students who attend Free-

man schools, Dana Kaufman, a senior at Free-man Public, returned to class last week Thurs-day, Aug. 23.

Finally, something normal.You might not typically associate the start of

a senior year in high school with normal, but Kaufman has had an anything but normal sum-mer that has taken her from Orlando, Fla., to Washington D.C., not to mention the time she spent counseling at Swan Lake Christian Camp and the weight she has carried dealing with a se-ries of family deaths.

“It was a pretty mind-blowing expe-rience,” says Kaufman, the 17-year-old daughter of Kim and Loren Kaufman who turns 18 in October. “Not a lot of people get to spend a week in Orlando and then turn around and go straight to Washington, D.C.”

Those opportunities came to Kaufman thanks to her state-level involvement with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), which took her to Orlando for the organization’s 2012 National Leadership Conference, and with South Dakota Girls State, where she was chosen as one of two to represent her home state at Girls Nation, held at the nation’s capital July 21-28.

She also counseled at Swan Lake Christian Camp from July 29 to Aug. 3, and has joined the rest of her family in grieving the loss of her grandmother, uncle and her mother’s cousin, who died of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and a brain tumor, respectively, all this past summer.

It’s no wonder that, when asked what her favorite moment of the summer was, she says the time she and a friend spent part of a day at Disney World.

“Even if it was just a few hours, we got to run around and do whatever we wanted,” she says. “Usually there was a schedule where I had to run from one place to another.”

Kaufman is not complaining.“If I had to do it all over again I

would,” she says. “I got to meet a lot of great people and learn a lot of things.”

The opportunities afforded Kaufman this past summer came from involvement and opportu-nity at Freeman High School. She earned a trip to FCCLA nationals by winning her STAR (Stu-dents Taking Action with Recognition) event at the state level in April 2011, and was chosen by Freeman Public staff to represent the school at South Dakota Girls State in May, which led to her election to Girls Nation.

“She has accomplished a lot and has a lot to be proud of,” says Kim Krull, principal at FHS. “She has achieved success through her own do-ing, but also accepted the help of others and learned her lessons.

“As an educator it makes you feel good,”

Krull continues. “This is one of the times when you can look at what has happened and say, ‘This is what it’s all about.’”

First, OrlandoGo back to the winter of 2011 and you’ll find

a sign of things to come for Kaufman. That’s when FHS hosted the meeting of FCCLA’s District 4, where Kaufman was elected district chair. With that, she became one of nine state officers, and at the annual state meeting in May of that year, she was elected vice-president of membership. While her participation in office at the state level has nothing to do with how she ended up in Orlando, it illustrates the character

and capabilities that has driven Kaufman to success.

It was at the state convention 15 months ago that Kaufman competed in a STAR Event, FCCLA’s trademark com-petition designed to build proficiency and achievement in leadership and job-related skills. The category Kaufman competed in was career investigation, which focuses on the student’s ability to self-assess, research and explore a career, set goals and create a plan to achieve those goals.

Given Kaufman’s interest in radiol-ogy — the course of study she plans to pursue at the University of Sioux Falls, a decision she says stems largely from the cancer that has impacted her extended family — that’s the career she chose to study for her STAR Event.

She won, becoming one of 3,600 stu-dents across the nation to qualify for STAR Events in 15 categories at the na-tional convention.

In Orlando, Kaufman finished sev-enth.

“I had a good run,” says the senior, who represents the last in a long line of successful FCCLA participants from Freeman High School since the program fell victim to budget cuts last year. “It was my dream to make it to nationals.”

Kaufman was one of 50 from South Dakota and nearly 7,000 from across the nation — including FCCLA members, advisors, alumni and friends — to attend

continued on page 12: Kaufman

Opening ceremonyMembers of the Freeman High School football team stand at attention during the playing of the National Anthem prior to last week’s season-opener against Bridgewater-Emery-Ethan. Friday, Aug. 24 was a beautiful night for football, but a tough go for the Flyers on their home field as the defending 9AA champion Seahawks rolled to a 60-6 win. The bright spot for Free-man was its lone score of the game — a 67-yard touchdown pass from Arron Lickteig to Bren-nan Schmidt in the second quarter. But there were few highlights for the Flyers, who are look-

ing to get back to the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. The fall prep sports season is officially now underway for all teams and athletes in Freeman; the FA soccer team has already played three games, cross-country teams from both FA and FHS started their season at the Beresford Invitational Friday, and volleyball teams from both schools kicked off their seasons early this week, with the Flyers taking the court Monday and the Bobcats opening their sea-son Tuesday. For more on the opening games, see page 9. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Travelwritersvisit SD,

FreemanJournalists from around

the country come to region as part of Travel Media Showcase, call

Freeman a ‘hidden gem’by Jeremy Waltner

Judith Fein has made it her life’s work to bust through the walls that separate her and her Santa Fe life from people, places and ex-periences different from her own, and share them with readers around the world. As a freelance journalist and editor of the web-site yourlifeisatrip.com, she has documented life-changing experiences in places like Mi-cronesia, Nova Scotia, Turkey and Switzer-land …

What she wouldn’t give to spend an ex-tended amount of time in Freeman.

Fein was one of 11 top travel writers from around the country who made a quick stop in Freeman last Friday and into Saturday, Aug. 24 and 25, in association with Travel Media Showcase, an organization that affords travel journalists a chance to explore their country while providing exposure for the destination communities.

Last week’s target destination wasn’t Freeman but rather Sioux Falls, where 60 writers associated with this year’s Trav-el Media Showcase converged Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 21-23. But Freeman was included as one of four tours designed to put the writers in the heart of off-the-beaten-path America; other communities visited in-cluded De Smet, Madison, Mitchell, Vermil-lion and Yankton.

“This is right up our alley,” said Fein, who made the trip to South Dakota with friend Paul Ross, during a walk through the Prairie Arboretum late Friday afternoon. “I would love to find out what you have and what makes your community something that so many people are yearning for.”

“The idea is to get them out into commu-nities and situations they never thought they could write about,” said Cathy Buchheim, who is involved with the Sioux Falls Con-vention and Visitors Bureau, and is president of the board of directors for the Southeast

continued on page 3: Writers

Seventeen-year-old Dana Kaufman poses for a photo with United States Senator Tim Johnson, a longtime lawmaker from South Dakota. The photo opportunity was just one small part of an unforgettable summer for the FHS senior.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012Volume 112 • Number 22

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 10Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 11Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections ................................................p. 2, 7Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

INSIDE:Down 10Numbers from Freeman’s schools show decline in enrollment ■ p 3

ColumnNews editor recalls emotionof first day of kindergarten ■ p 4

CautionCareful when feeding livestock corn grown in drought ■ p 5

PreventionWays to cut down on the risk of a heart attack ■ p 5

‘Tried and true’Freeman businesswoman pleased to share Van Ningen favorite ■ p 6

First winSoccer team from FA blanksMitchell Christian 3-0 ■ p 9

Lineup announced for 12-13 Studio Subscription Series

The Freeman Academy Studio Subscription Series is pleased to announce its 10th anniversary sea-son for 2012-2013. Once again the season will consist of five perfor-mances throughout the school year on the Freeman Academy campus.

■ Eugenio Zapata, interdisci-plinary concert pianist and educa-tor, makes his second appearance as part of the Studio Subscription Series, Sunday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. His multimedia performances ex-plore themes such as gender, race, religion, culture, war and social justice. These themes are integrated into shows he designs that include dance, theatre, video, acting, pho-tography, poetry and animation along with the music performed. He will be performing his new in-terdisciplinary show “Fantasies & Illusions” which will feature music ranging from the Romantic period to the 21st century.

■ On Sunday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., Rachel Ries will share her music that has been described as “prairie swing and city folk.” Ries is classi-cally trained in piano, voice, violin and viola. She is also self-taught on guitar. Her songs range from the ro-mantic simplicity of jazz standards to the distilled intensity of poet Anne Sexton. (rachelries.com)

■ In November, the South Da-kota Brass Quintet will perform a variety of brass repertoire. A date is yet to be determined.

■ East of Westerville, the Com-fort Theatre Co., finds its way to the Academy campus Sunday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. East of Westerville is a four-member band featuring acous-tic guitar, upright bass and vocals. An ever changing mix of music filled with humor drawing on mem-ories of days gone by, their songs feature themes of family, love, God and faith.

■ The final concert of the sea-son hails from Minnesota where Home Free Vocal Band was born. With a musical style they call “an eclectic mix of everything” they have taken a cappella in a direc-tion that caters to every generation. (homefreevocalband.com). Home Free Vocal Band will be performing Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m.

All performances are scheduled to take place in Pioneer Hall on the Freeman Academy campus.

Season tickets for both adults and students are available or individual tickets may be purchased prior to each concert. A dessert reception will follow each performance and is included in the entrance fee. For additional information please call Amy Hofer Vetch at 605-925-4237 ext. 240.

Preheim to present program on trees, drought Sept. 15

A workshop being presented in partnership with the Freeman Tree City Committee and the Prairie Arboretum will feature a presenta-tion by Lyle Preheim, who will talk about this summer’s drought and its impact on trees.

The program will be held Satur-day, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. at the Prai-rie Arboretum Interpretive Center in Freeman.

The discussion will include ways to help trees survive the drought, which will be followed by a tour of the arboretum. The workshop is free and open to the public.

continued on page 3: Welding

Homecoming returnsto Freeman next weekMonday’s coronation begins at 7:30 p.m. in FHS Gym

Freeman High School is set to kick off an-other week of “Flyer pride” with coronation Monday, Sept. 10 — the official start to home-coming 2012.

The traditional ceremony that includ es the introduction of teams and class skits begins at 7:30 p.m., and will be highlighted by the crown-ing of king and queen. This year’s candidates for FHS royalty are, for queen, Shelby Bauer, Carli Lager and Dina Soulek and, for king, Ca-leb Lang, Andrew Munkvold and Derek Scher-schligt.

Homecoming activities continue through the week with spirit days at Freeman Junior-Senior High School and a number of home athletic

events, including the Flyer Cross-Country In-vitational Wednesday, Sept. 12, and volleyball matches against Bridgewater-Emery Tuesday, Sept. 11 and against Tripp-Delmont-Armour Thursday, Sept. 13.

Homecoming week will culminate Friday, Sept. 14, with several marquee events, includ-ing the community parade (theme: movies) be-ginning at 1 p.m., the music department’s pork barbecue beginning at 5 p.m., and the evening football game against Chester beginning at 7 p.m.

Watch for more information, including cov-erage of Monday’s coronation, in next week’s Courier.

This year’s royalty candidates at Freeman High School are, from left, Derek Scherschligt, Shel-by Bauer, Caleb Lang, Dina Soulek, Andrew Munkvold and Carli Lager. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Welding classes tobe o� ered in Freeman Opportunity coming later this month

by Tim L. WaltnerArea residents will have the opportunity

to attend a welding class in Freeman starting Sept. 28 and continuing the first three week-ends of October.

The introductory 48-hour course is being offered through the Regional Educational Technical Center (RTEC) of Yankton with support from the Freeman Community De-velopment Corporation. Classes will be held at Wildcat Manufacturing on Fridays (4 p.m.-9 p.m.) and Saturdays (7 a.m.-2 p.m.) Sept. 28/29 through Oct. 19/20.

A promotional flyer notes, “Whether you want to expand your welding knowledge or you are starting from scratch, you’ll receive a great introduction during RTEC’s welding basics class.” The training is hands-on and RTEC provides the equipment and supplies for the course.

The basics that will be taught include:■ Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) also

known as wire welding ■ Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW)

also known as stick welding ■ Safe operation and use of oxyfuel cut-

tingOther topics include:■ Welding positions ■ Weld defects and repair ■ Welding symbols■ Basic types of material ■ Brazing and gas“If you’re interested in learning to weld,

we’re here to help you,” said Josh Svatos, general manager of RTEC, the Yankton or-ganization that has a partnership with both Mitchell Technical Institute and Black Hills State.

Svatos said eight is the optimum class size to ensure everyone receives the one-on-one

instruction and personal attention.“For anyone who is a least age 18, this is

the real deal,” he said.For more information or to apply, contact

Dennis Nelsen in the Freeman City Adminis-trator’s Office at City Hall, 185 E. 3rd St., or at (605) 925-7127. Financial assistance may be available. Contact Dustin Larsen at the SD Department of Labor and Regulation Of-fice in Yankton at 3113 Spruce St., Suite 124 or at (605) 668-2900 to see if you qualify.

Space is limited and the deadline to enroll is Sept. 24.

Part of larger e� ortThis class is the second phase of a multi-

faceted partnership on the local and regional level designed to stimulate job opportunities — and potential job growth — in Freeman.

The project began this summer with RTEC working with Rural Manufacturing and Wildcat Manufacturing and giving each of the Freeman companies the opportunity to sharpen their welding skills.

“This is about business and industry com-ing together and creating educational oppor-tunities,” Svatos said in a Courier story an-nouncing that program earlier this summer. “It’s about providing opportunities across the board.”

Now those opportunities are being offered to the larger community through the 48-hour class scheduled for Friday late afternoon/evening and Saturday morning/early after-noon.

RTEC approached Freeman about devel-oping this form of rural outreach, which has also been launched in Gregory, thanks large-ly to a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant.

Chiropractor expands to FreemanPractice opening on Fifth Street near downtown this week

by Jeremy WaltnerA chiropractor who has spent nearly two de-

cades operating a clinic out of Salem has been, for the past few years, considering opening a satellite office in a nearby community.

The future is now and the place is here.Debra Cheeseman, an Elk Point native who

received her undergraduate degree from Dakota Wesleyan in 1989 and her doctor of chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University (Bloomington, Minn.) in 1993, is opening Free-man Chiropractic Solutions this week.

The business is located in the southern por-tion of the Fifth Street building used by Dan Haggerty for his business, Everence Financial, which for many years served as the Freeman

dental clinic.Initially, she and her associate of 1½ years,

Dr. John Bosch, will work in Freeman Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Friday morn-ings, but she fully expects to expand those hours — and, ultimately, her operation — over time.

“This is a service community where a lot of people come for different things,” said Cheese-man, who exudes an energetic and outgoing per-sonality. “It only makes sense that you have a fulltime chiropractor.”

The service aspect of Freeman was one of the draws as Cheeseman and Bosch began looking in the area for a community in which to open a satellite office.

“We want to make sure we’re in an area where we can grow; that is, obviously, the goal,”

she said. “I’m not here to be in and out. That’s not my intention at all.”

She also said the community’s welcoming spirit was evident from the first time she made an inquiry with City Hall in late-spring, and con-tinued last week as she was setting up for busi-ness.

“I was greeted very nicely,” said Cheeseman. “We looked at a number of surrounding com-munities and Freeman seemed to be the one that fit the best.”

The space that will function as Freeman Chi-ropractic Solutions isn’t sprawling — she has a reception area, therapy room and treatment room — but it’s sufficient. In fact, Cheeseman

continued on page 3: Cheeseman

Local businesses to take center stage Saturday

by Jeremy WaltnerIn an effort to build relations between busi-

nesses and consumers, and as a way to say “thank you” to those who embrace local commerce, a day be-ing billed as Freeman Fun Day will unfold Saturday, Sept. 8.

All events are free and open to the public and will take place on the southern end of the Main Street business district.

“The idea behind it is to highlight our busi-ness community; that’s how this all started,”

continued on page 3: Fun

FREEMANFUN DAY

RESCUE ON MAIN; FIRST-RESPONDERS RECEIVE HIGH-TECH TRAININGFreeman EMT Sheila Rigo tends to a “victim” involved in a bad, two-car crash that set the stage for a mock disaster drill on the north end of Main Street last week Tuesday, Aug. 28. The exercise was orchestrated by SIM-SD (Simulation in Motion-South Dakota), a mobile educa-tion unit that uses technologically-advanced mannequins to help train first-responders like firefighters and EMS personnel. The mannequins behave just as real victims might; they have pulses, exhibit symptoms, can blink, talk and respond to treatment. “There was the emotional part of it, too,” said Matt Rigo, a local EMT and flight paramedic with Sanford Health who helped coordinate last week’s mock disaster. “One of the mannequins kept asking how his

friend was.” More than 30 Freeman EMTs and volunteer firefighters took part in last week’s rescue, all of which was video taped by officials with SIM-SD and watched and discussed af-terward to enhance the educational aspect of the training. Those taking part also had interac-tion with a flight crew from Sanford Health, which landed an air ambulance near the accident site to bring yet another element to the training. “Hearsay afterwards indicated it was the best training anyone had been through,” said Matt Rigo. For more on the Aug. 28 training, see the back page. For more images taken during the exercise, visit the photo gallery available through freemansd.com. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, September 12, 2012Volume 112 • Number 23

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Area News ......................................................p. 2Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 10Public Notice .......................................p. 11, 13Reflections .............................................p. 7, 13Social .................................................................p. 7Sports .......................................................p. 9, 14

14 pages

INSIDE:Music & danceStudio Subscription Seriesbeginning new year soon ■ p 3

Own itMake politics relevant by making it local; an opinion ■ p 4

CookiesThey’re different, they’re delicious and they’re from Santa Fe ■ p 6

HinckleyJunior impressive in FHSwin over Gayville-Volin ■ p 9

MillerSenior’s late goal gives FA tie against St. Thomas More ■ p 14

Flyer InvitationalFHS hosting cross-countymeet at Valley View today ■ p 14

Board accepts resignation from Strasser; changein bus servicemay be coming

by Jeremy WaltnerThe search is on for a new ad-

ministrative assistant at Freeman Elementary following the resigna-tion of Ruth Strasser, which was accepted by the Freeman Public School Board Monday morning, Sept. 10.

Strasser, whose resignation is effective Friday, Sept. 21, has ac-cepted the job as director of the Freeman Regional Health Services Foundation. She has been on staff at Freeman Elementary in a full-time capacity since 1994 and has been the elementary administrative assistant since the fall of 2000.

The school district has started advertising for Strasser’s replace-ment immediately. An advertise-ment is printed on page 12.

Bus serviceThe Sept. 10 meeting of the

school board also included a discus-sion about the possibility of elimi-nating a bus route — either that of Kirby Baltzer or Caroline Baltzer, whose routes serve the region east/southeast of Freeman.

Superintendent Don Hotchkiss presented that possibility to the board and said it would be a way for the district to absorb some of the loss in per-student aid attrib-uted to the opening of the Freeman Academy 1-4 classroom this fall. The number of students enrolled in that classroom is 13; that, plus ad-ditional transfers to FA at the older grade levels, makes for a student loss of around 20, Hotchkiss said, and translates into a loss in state aid of approximately $99,500.

“Make no mistake, with all those kids leaving at one time, that’s a big financial impact on us,” Hotchkiss told the board. “We have to deal with that in some way.”

A possible revision in bus route service could also mean discontinu-ing the practice of transporting FA students to town.

Hotchkiss shared with the board South Dakota Codified Law 13-29-1.2, which says that, while districts are allowed to transport non-public school students if no additional funds are expended, “No school district, however, is required under this section to provide transporta-tion to non-public school students.”

The board also met in closed session to discuss correspondence with school attorney Tom Harmon as it relates to this matter.

Preheim to present program on trees, drought Sept. 15

A workshop being presented in partnership with the Freeman Tree City Committee and the Prairie Arboretum will feature a presenta-tion by Lyle Preheim, who will talk about this summer’s drought and its impact on trees.

The program will be held Satur-day, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. at the Prai-rie Arboretum Interpretive Center in Freeman.

The discussion will include ways to help trees survive the drought, which will be followed by a tour of the arboretum. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Lang,Bauer reign

FHS seniors crowned; parade, football game

on tap for FridayCaleb Lang and Shelby Bauer were crowned

royalty Monday night, Sept. 10, as Freeman High School kicked off this week’s homecoming cel-ebration with coronation.

Lang and Bauer were voted king and queen by FHS students in grades 9-12 and were part of a court that also included Andrew Munkvold, Derek Scherschligt, Dina Soulek and Carli Lager. They will be featured during the community parade scheduled for Fri-day, Sept. 14 and also at halftime of that eve-ning’s football game against Chester.

The parade and football game will high-light the week. The parade will carry the theme “movies” and begins at 1 p.m. from the FHS parking lot. It will feature the FHS marching band and class floats and will follow the tradi-tional route down Wipf Street, west on Seventh Street, north on Main and back south through

continued on back page: Homecoming

FLYERPRIDE

City action paves way fornew Casey’s General StoreCouncil also approves projects at Ralph’s Feed, FRHS

by Tim L. WaltnerMeeting in regular session Tuesday, Sept. 4

the Freeman City Council approved requests from three businesses that want to expand their services, including Casey’s General Store, which is gearing up for a major building proj-ect on the east side of town.

The council ap-proved a variance to Casey’s that will al-low the convenience store to install two canopies (one for gasoline pumps and one for diesel pumps) at the compa-ny’s new location at the northwest intersection of Sixth Street and Highway 81. The variance was required because the canopies exceed the square-footage of the store itself; that falls out-side the scope of the zoning ordinance.

City officials offered no objections to the request; rather they noted the plans for a new convenience store at the site would be a wel-come improvement.

Casey’s announced earlier this year that a new store will be built on the former Huber Motor lot along Highway 81, replacing the store that has been located at Fifth and Cherry since its opening in Freeman in 1979.

At last week’s meeting the council got its first look at the blueprint of the new Casey’s layout and how it will be positioned on that cor-

CITYCOUNCIL

Auch replaces Stern as Ward III councilorby Tim L. Waltner

Kevin Auch has joined the Freeman City Council, replacing Scott Stern as a councilor from Ward III. He was appointed to the po-sition as the council met in regular session Tuesday, Sept. 4; Mayor Sam Sorensen recom-mended Auch and the council affirmed the de-cision. Stern, who is leaving Freeman, resigned his position in August.

Sorensen noted the 12-plus years of service Stern gave to the city.

“We thank him and wish him and his family

all the best,” Sorensen said.Auch has been a sales representative for

Ralph’s Feed in Freeman for 20 years. He and his wife, Brenda have been Freeman residents for 15 years; they have three children. Auch said he had thought about serving on the coun-cil prior to this but didn’t act on it until So-rensen approached him last month about filling the seat vacated by Stern’s resignation.

“I didn’t say yes right away, but I told Sam I would consider it,” he said.

After discussing it with his wife, he agreed to fill out the rest of Stern’s term and took his

oath of office Tuesday night.Auch, who is a member of his church coun-

cil and is secretary of the Freeman Volunteer Fire Department, said he feels a responsibility to serve his community. “It’s a commitment for seven months,” he said and if he wants to continue, he will have the option of running for elected office in spring.

The council also elected Charley Gering as the council vice president; Stern held that post. Following the meeting, Sorensen told the Cou-rier he appointed Auch to assume the commit-tee assignments Stern held.

Sixth Street

Hig

hway

81Casey’s

Gasoline

Diesel

N ✒

This graphic is based on the blueprint that is part of legal description for the property at 1206 E. Sixth Street and shows the layout for the new Casey’s General Store scheduled to be built in Freeman. The store itself, identifi ed in solid black, measures 43 feet x 76 feet.The four gasolinepumps includea canopy measuring54x64; a second canopyover two dieselpumps measure30x36. As indicatedin the graphic, accessto the Casey’s lot can begained from both SixthStreet and Highway 81.

‘Fun’ hitsMain StreetJoyce Hofer rides her John Deere F725 down the 140-foot stretch on Main Street that served as the track for the lawn mower races held as part of Freeman Fun Day Saturday, Sept. 8, an event held as a way to promote the local business community while encouraging those taking part to have a good time. That was done in several ways; certainly the lawn mower races — as evident in the joy on Hofer’s face — delighted those involved. But there were also infl atables and games for children, popcorn and lemonade, the opportunity for the public to interact with members of the business community and the marquee event of the fi ve-hour fun day — a ping-pong ball drop over the south end of Main Street that saw the release of 700 balls courtesy of Mettler Fertilizer. Four hundred of those ping-pong balls bore the name of Freeman businesses off ering giveaways for those bringing them in, an eff ort designed to give members of the public a chance to visit businesses they might not otherwise visit. For more on Freeman Fun Day, turn to page 3. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Third Street Grill owners to focus on diningFreeman downtown establishment to mark opening with Friday night celebration

by Jeremy WaltnerMike Sayler always wanted his own business.

His fiancé, Tina Balvin, always wanted her own restaurant.

So earlier this summer, when George Cokens made them an offer to buy his Third Street es-tablishment, Geo’s Bar and Grill, they couldn’t refuse.

The result is a makeover, new focus and new name for the building one block west of Main Street that long served as the Freeman VFW.

Third Street Grill has been open for business since Aug. 20 following a week’s closure for a significant cosmetic renovation. The exterior face and interior layout remains the same, but new paint on the walls and ceiling tile, new col-or on the dining room walls and new flooring in some areas have given it a fresh look and feel.

All of that will be celebrated this Friday, Sept. 14 with an open house that will feature ribs, drink specials and live music. The event formal-ly begins at 7 p.m.

While Friday’s celebration will cater to the

nightlife crowd, and while they will continue to serve beer and spirits, Balvin and Sayler both say the focus of Third Street Grill will be on din-ing. They made a conscious decision to leave the word “bar” out of the name of their establish-ment, and gone in the dining area are the beer signs and other wall-hangings often associated with a bar.

The idea, they say, is to make Third Street Grill a family-friendly experience.

“People said they didn’t feel comfortable bringing their kids in here,” said Balvin, who

worked at The Schnitz in Menno for three years before spending a year working for Cokens at Geo’s Bar and Grill. “A lot of people have said, ‘You have a good thing going here, but you need to keep it as a restaurant.’”

The new owners say the plan is to keep the menu simple — burgers, wraps, salads and piz-zas. They will be open for breakfast every morn-ing at 6 a.m. and plan on offering a buffet every day, including Sundays.

continued on back page: Grill

continued on back page: CouncilChili feed/cook-off returns this Friday

The public will have a chance to taste 10 dif-ferent brands of chili when the Friends of the Freeman Public Library hosts its sixth annual chili feed/cook-off this Friday, Sept. 14. The feed will be held at the old fire station in Free-man City Hall in the hours leading up to the Freeman High School homecoming parade — from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Awards will be given in three areas. Those filling up on chili will cast their votes for peo-ple’s choice, and a panel of judges will also give awards for “most unique” and “best booth deco-ration.”

Proceeds from Friday’s event will be used for the expansion of children’s programs at Free-man Public Library.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012Volume 112 • Number 24

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Area News ......................................................p. 2Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 7Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ..................................................p. 10Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

14 pages

InsIde:ViolenceTroublesome act in Sioux Falls creates awareness n p 4

Most uniqueMSB wins again at chili cook-off, shares recipe n p 6

FA boysBobcats run strong atFlyer Cross-Country Invite n p 9

Cornbelt Volleyball Tournament in Marion Saturday

Freeman High School will be one of eight teams competing in the Cornbelt Conference Volleyball Tournament Saturday, Sept. 22.

All matches will be played in Marion; the tournament was origi-nally to be held in Menno, but was moved because Marion could better accommodate the format.

Two nets will be used through-out the entire tournament with the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds and No. 4 and No. 5 seeds beginning play at 9 a.m. Those matches will be fol-lowed by No. 3 facing No. 6 and No. 2 facing No. 7.

Semifinal matches will follow, and the tournament will conclude with seventh-, fifth-, third and first-place matches.

Seeds had not been announced as of early this week.

Other teams taking part are Bridgewater-Emery, Canistota, Hanson, Howard, Marion, Menno and Oldham-Ramona-Rutland.

Commerce committee to meetat library Sept. 20

Anyone interested in promoting business in the local community is invited to attend the monthly meet-ing of the Freeman Commerce Committee. This month the meet-ing will be held Thursday, Sept. 20 at noon in the Freeman Public Li-brary meeting room.

This invitation is open to busi-ness owners, employees and com-munity members with an interest in the Freeman business community.

Contact Vernetta Waltner at vwaltner@freemanacademy.org for more information.

FJC/FA Corporationto hold annual meeting Sept. 24

The Freeman Junior College and Freeman Academy Corpora-tion will hold its annual meeting on Monday, Sept. 24 in the Pioneer Hall Dining Hall. The business meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Pie and coffee will be served.

Historical society event planned at museum Sept. 26

A special event will take place on Wednesday Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. for the Heritage Hall Historical Society and greater Freeman community.

S. Roy Kaufman and Norman Hofer will share stories about some of the people who are pictured on the north wall in the archives. It will be an entertaining evening of storytelling in the Bethel Church on the musuem’s campus with rolls and coffee to follow.

There will be a chance to become a member of the Historical Society for those who have not done so. The public is welcome to attend.

Swiss Choral rehearsals begin; singers still needed

Rehearsals for this fall’s Swiss Choral Society production of Bach’s Komm, Jesu, Komm and Mozart’s Solemn Vespers are un-derway. The group is looking for new members and veteran singers.

The concert, directed by Dan Graber, will be given Nov. 23, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Re-hearsals are on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. at the Salem-Zion (North) Church. There is a membership fee, but music is included.

Support is provided through the Department of Tourism and State Development, and the National En-dowment for the Arts.

SCHOOLBOARD

Freeman Public maystop busing FA studentsAction would allow district to combine two routes into one, save money

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School Board could de-

cide as early as next month to eliminate one of its five bus routes, a move that would dovetail with the district’s proposal to no longer provide route bus service to students who attend Free-man Academy.

Should the board act on that decision, the change would begin as soon as possible.

“We’d give notice, but there would be no point in waiting,” Freeman Superintendent Don Hotchkiss told the Courier. “If we can save money, we’d start pretty much right away.”

Saving money is at the heart of the discus-sion, which emerged as the school board met in regular session last week Monday, Sept. 10. At the meeting, Hotchkiss reported the district took a substantial hit in student state aid with the opening of FA’s grades 1-4 classroom, which resulted in a loss of 13 elementary students. That exodus, coupled with a handful of others trans-ferring at the older grade levels, means Freeman Public loses about $99,500 in per-student finan-cial support at the state level this school year.

Freeman Public loses students to Freeman Academy every year, but rarely at that quantity.

“Make no mistake, with all those kids leaving at one time, that’s a big financial impact on us,” Hotchkiss told the board. “We have to deal with that in some way.”

By discontinuing the longstanding process of transporting students who attend Freeman Acad-emy, Hotchkiss told the board the district would be able to combine two routes into one, thus

saving more than $10,000 in one driver’s salary plus the cost of fuel and maintenance.

Hotchkiss said last week he did not yet know what that savings would be.

Freeman Academy has 41 students living along Freeman Public bus routes. Of those 41, 25 are regular or semi-regular passengers with the majority on one of two routes under consid-eration for elimination — the ones that run east and southeast of Freeman and driven by Carolyn and Kirby Baltzer.

Without FA students riding that leaves nine everyday riders on Carolyn’s route and 14 on Kirby’s route; factoring in those who ride occa-sionally (what the district refers to as “call” rid-ers), those numbers jump to 13 riders for Caro-lyn and 23 for Kirby.

Even when factoring in 100 percent of the “call” riders, one of Freeman Public’s 53-pas-senger buses could easily accommodate the 36 students.

Absorbing one of those routes would mean a restructuring of pickup times before school and drop-off times after, but Hotchkiss said all Freeman Public students currently riding one of those two routes would be transported.

Hotchkiss notes that money the district could save by eliminating a route would help cut into the loss in per-student dollars resulting largely from the FA 1-4 classroom. The nearly $100,000 is of particular concern since the district already slashed more than $300,000 in its general fund in the wake of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s 8 per-cent cut in K-12 funding in 2011.

“One of the things we talked about was elimi-nating bus service if we were going to make an-other big cut,” Hotchkiss told the board. “This might be something we could do to recoup some

of that $99,500.”Hotchkiss expressed some concern that Free-

man Public wasn’t notified earlier of the pro-posed 1-4 classroom at Freeman Academy. He told the board the first he heard of it came from FA administrator Pam Tieszen the day before the story broke in the Courier.

“There was pretty much nothing said to us be-fore it came out in the paper,” Hotchkiss told the board. “In hindsight, it would have been nice to have a little more advanced notice.”

The money lost to Freeman Public has no im-pact on Freeman Academy, the superintendent continued, “but that affects what we are able to do in a rather significant way.”

By South Dakota law, public school districts are not required to transport parochial school students on their bus routes. In fact, if doing so is a financial burden, public schools are asked not to.

According to South Dakota Codified Law 13-29-1.2, which Hotchkiss shared with the board at last week’s meeting, “School districts may provide transportation to nonpublic school students if no additional public funds are ex-pended to provide the transportation. No school district, however, is required under this section to provide transportation to nonpublic school students.”

Other businessn Reviewed the current enrollment numbers

at Freeman Junior-Senior High School, which show 165 students in grades 7-12, up slightly over a year ago. Those numbers include three large classes at the top — 36 seniors, 31 juniors and 35 sophomores. “We’ve got some large classes there,” Secondary Principal Kim Krull

told the board. “The largest since I’ve been here.”

n Declared 22 accounting textbooks surplus property at no value.

n Learned from Krull that the cast for The Music Man has been named; that’s published on page 3 of this issue.

n Learned the junior class was scheduled to begin T-shirt sales Tuesday, Sept. 18. Those sales go a long way in funding prom each year, Krull said.

n Voted to approve a contract with Keith Andersen as a special education paraprofes-sional at Freeman Elementary, and approved a lane change for the contract of first-grade teach-er Karla Rupp from masters plus 12 to masters plus 24.

n Accepted a resignation from elementary administrative aide Ruth Strasser, who has ac-cepted a job as Freeman Regional Health Servic-es Foundation Director. Strasser’s resignation is effective Sept. 21; the district began advertising for her replacement last week.

n Approved the tax levy request for 2013-14: $2.322/$1,000 on agricultural land; $4,029/$1,000 on owner-occupied land and $8,628/$1,000 on other. The capital outlay levy is $2.70/$1,000, special education is $1.40/$1,000 and pension is 30 cents/$1,000. The levy for next school year is the same as for this year.

n Met in closed session to discuss legal cor-respondence with school attorney Tom Harmon.

Minutes of the board’s Sept. 10 meeting are printed on page 13.

Marching To The Beat Of HomecomingFreeman High School’s Grant Preheim leads the marching band down Main Street during the homecoming parade Friday, Sept. 14 — the community highlight of a week of school spirit at Freeman Public. Also pictured are flag girls (left, from front) Grace Gering, Riley Mehlhaf, Christina Hora, (right, from front) Lexi Graber, Megan Eisenbeis and Kailey Petty. In addition to the marching band, the parade featured class floats, businesses, organizations and politi-cal candidates. And, like all of Homecoming Friday, it was marked by perfect weather that

catered to big crowds — particularly for the band boosters’ pork barbecue later in the day and the football game Friday evening. While the weather was ideal, the outcome of the gridiron contest was not for Freeman fans hoping to see their team win, as Chester rolled to a 57-28 victory. Homecoming at FHS also included coronation Monday night, home athletic events throughout the week and the traditional “spirit days.” For more photos, turn to the back page. See also the photo gallery available at freemansd.com. PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

Hutchinson County considering opt-out Move would allow officials to reverse trend of fewer dollars in highway budget

by Wendy RoystonParkston Advance

Citing a trend of reduced spending in the highway depart-ment, Hutchinson County Commissioners earlier this month began discussions about a potential opt-out that would pro-vide additional tax dollars from property owners living in the county.

“We can’t keep running a highway department based on what we have done last year and this year,” commissioner Glenn Harnisch of rural Milltown said Sept. 4. “It’s going to come back to haunt future county commissioners. We can’t be in a maintenance mode with the highway department forever.”

The highway budget adopted by the county the past few years shows a trend of reduced spending.

In 2011 it was $2,905,937. This year’s budget includes

$2,305,315 for the highway department — a reduction of 20 percent — and the 2013 budget shows $2,251,328 for highway spending, a decrease of nearly $54,000.

The new budget is expected to be adopted by commissioners Sept. 24.

“We can’t do this forever,” Harnish said of the reduction in spending. “I’m more concerned about being proactive and get-ting that highway department back out there and doing some things that need to be done to keep up with future growth.”

Discussion of a possible opt-out of the property tax freeze began when county auditor Jeanie Simonsen informed com-missioners they were unable to budget additional funds for capital outlay.

“It’s a part of your budget that you set aside,” she told com-missioners. “You can’t add anything for it.”

If an opt-out is approved to supplement the capital outlay

budget, funds must be sought for more than two years, accord-ing to Simonsen.

“They figure … you’re working on your budget,” she said. “You pick a project that you’re going to use it for.”

But Harnisch said he was interested in opting out to supple-ment the general fund, although as the newest member of the commission, he admitted he still is learning how budgeting works.

“I don’t even want to look at capital outlay. It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “We need the money to spend right now, be-cause we have the highway department way down.”

It’s too late to opt-out for 2013, according to officials, be-cause the due date has passed, and a needs assessment must first be completed.

continued on page 3: County

Wednesday, September 26, 2012Volume 112 • Number 25

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Area News ......................................................p. 2Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds .............................................p. 10, 11Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 7Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections ......................................p. 2, 11, 12Social .................................................................p. 6Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

InsIde:StatementMusic and dance provides eclectic look at culture n p 3

FiresLocal units called to combine fire, corn fire, RMC last week n p 3

GratitudeThanks is due for health care foresight; an opinion n p 4

ECPAssistance through disaster program now available n p 5

SoupRecipe comes straight fromPerchtoldsdorf, Austria n p 6

SoccerFreeman Academy nets pairof wins to move to 3-5-1 n p 9

FlyersFHS girls win Cornbelt XC meet, fifth in volleyball tourney n p 9

Historical society event at Bethel Church tonight

A special event will take place tonight, Wednesday Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the Heri-tage Hall Historical Society.

Museum curator S. Roy Kaufman and local historian Norman Hofer will share stories about some of the people who are pictured on the north wall in the archives.

Kaufman will share about the picture taken in 1923 of the General Conference meetings held in Free-man that year and also about the picture taken in 1924 of the 50-year immigrant survivors from 1874.

Hofer will share the story of Mi-chael “Rutschel” Hofer, a man who lived to 103 when the life expec-tancy of a man at that time was less than 50 years.

Please join museum personnel for an entertaining evening of story telling in the Bethel Church on the museum’s campus with rolls and coffee to follow.

There will also be an opportunity to become a member of the Histori-cal Society.

The public is cordially invited to attend.

FA co-hosting first round of Tri-Valley tournament

Freeman Academy will co-host the opening round of the Tri-Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament, which will be played Thursday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 29.

Matches begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with Baltic facing Cen-terville and Freeman Academy playing Ponca, Neb. Both matches will be played simultaneously in Sterling Hall.

The winners and losers of the first matches will play each other 20 minutes after the opening round has concluded. Both Sterling Hall and Pioneer Hall will be used for those second-round matches.

Alcester-Hudson will also co-host the first round Thursday. In those matches, Baltic will face Centerville and Alcester-Hudson will play Viborg-Hurley.

Seventh-, fifth-, third-place and championship matches will all be played in Centerville Saturday, be-ginning at 4 p.m.

Native American Day prompts early SCPI deadline

The Monday, Oct. 8 Native American/Columbus Day holi-day is prompting Second Century Publishing Inc., to call for an early deadline for both the Area Wide Connection and Dakota Action Rocket.

All advertising copy must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. The deadline for the Oct. 10 edi-tion of both the Freeman Courier and Hutchinson Herald remains Monday at noon.

Additionally, the Courier and Herald offices in Freeman and Menno will remain open on Native American/Columbus Day.

Watch next week’s Courier for a list of businesses that will be closed in observance of the holiday.

First, The FallBurnt orange islandsspread across a meadow-green leaf like fire working its way across the dry prairie; Soon the maple tree accessory will be pulled down by gravity and join othersin clogging gutters and culvertsthat stand in their way;Piles of color and texture will represent afternoons of work for grown-upsand serve as a playground for children; both will pull their light-weight jackets or sweatshirts up around their bare-skin necks and over their webbed hands to fight the shiver that complementsthe crunch of the maple tree accessoriesunderneath shoes and boots;Trailers and pickup beds will take the fallen to their graveyardas the landscape is wiped cleanin time for the winter’s chill;But not yet;First, the fall.

Jeremy WaltnerCourier News Editor

The heart of the matterThe Cardiac Rehab Olympics offered fanfare and fun for the participants, but the

rehabilitation programs at Freeman Regional Health Services are serious businessby Jeremy Waltner

The familiar and triumphant sounds of “Olympic Fanfare and Theme,” composed by John Williams for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, played from the iPod dock as the winners stepped forward to receive their medals.

It doesn’t matter that the medals weren’t real, instead made of blue ribbon and paper that had been colored gold, silver and bronze. Doesn’t matter, because it’s not the weight or the value that matters in a medal, but rather what that medal repre-sents: that is, honor, achievement, pride.

That was the rea-son for this Olym-pic-themed medal ceremony held two weeks ago in the physical therapy room at Freeman Regional Health Ser-vices, the local health care institution now in its 60th year of service.

One by one the honorees — area patients re-covering from heart disease and other chronic health problems — came forward to receive their paper medals and take a spot on the makeshift platform underneath the handmade sign that read, “2012 Cardiac Rehab Olym-pics.”

They were there to be recognized following an August challenge presented by health care officials who work with the Cardiac Rehab and Health Track programs at Freeman Re-gional: to improve their level of difficulty on

the facility’s NuStep machine, which pro-vides an exercise regimen that focuses on the users’ arms and legs. Progress was measured by the increase in re-sistance; those who

showed the most improvement from the start of the month to the end earned gold, silver and

continued on page 3: Rehab

Delmer Hofer waves to the other participants in the Cardiac Rehab Olympics after being recognized as the top medal winner Sept. 12. Hofer has suffered two heart attacks the past seven years.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Droughthits trees hard, tooPreheim offers tips in conjunction withTree City Committee

by Tim L. WaltnerAmong the potential casualties of

the drought of 2012 are trees. A program on what people can do

to avoid losing trees to the lack of water was held in Freeman Sept. 15. Sponsored by Freeman’s Tree City Committee and the Prairie Arbore-tum, the Saturday morning program attracted several dozen people to the Prairie Arboretum Interpretive Center where Lyle Preheim shared informa-tion about what steps should be taken to improve the chances of trees sur-viving the drought.

Preheim, who has been a driving force behind the establishment and development of the local arboretum, has a wealth of experience and exper-tise in planting and maintaining trees.

“If there are trees you’re concerned about, take the time to water them,” he told the group. “You have to decide

continued on back page: Trees

No shock; harvest badSome are getting a crop, but at a fraction of what has been

by Jeremy Waltner“A reality check.”That’s how Nick Schrag describes this fall’s

harvest — or lack thereof — that has area farm-ers shaking their head and swallowing hard as they bring in what little crop exists following a damag-ing hot and dry summer.

“When I moved back to farm with my family I was putting corn into the combine that even my dad had never seen,” says Schrag, who returned to his home community in May 2009 and saw a corn crop that produced between 200 and 220 bushels per acre and, at its best, soared into the upper 200s. “It rivaled what they were doing in Illinois and Indiana.

“And then you have a year like this.”This month, Schrag is joining others that are

part of the family farming operation in getting all they can out of an area crop that is, at its worst, a complete failure and, at its best, just plain bad.

Schrag said his best corn yielded 65 bushels per acre and his beans are in the mid- to high-teens.

And he knows he’s one of the lucky ones.“I was talking to somebody in town who said

they were getting three to five bushels per acre of corn,” he recalls. “I said, ‘Three to five?’ So what we’re getting is a lot better than some places.”

Rodney Strand, county executive director with the Turner County Farm Service Agency, said he’s hearing reports of corn yields anywhere from zero to 80 and bean reports anywhere from zero to 25.

“It varies a lot, even within the fields,” said Strand. “Any way you look at it, it’s a tough year.”

“They’re getting what they can,” said Donna Webb with the Farm Service Agency office out of Hutchinson County, noting the highest corn yield she’s heard from county producers was 50 bushels per acre. Reports have yet to come in on the soy-

bean harvest, she said.Webb said the lack of

traffic through her office is as good an indicator as anything as to the condi-tions in the fields.

“Usually I’ve got people coming in all the time working with grain

loans,” she said. “It’s been quiet.”Strand says the relentless high temperatures of

the summer impacted the quality and quantity of the crops as much as the lack of rain.

“The heat has had as much to do with it as any-thing,” says Strand, who notes that since June 1 the Parker area had 45 days that were over 95 degrees and nine days where highs topped 100.

“Those 100-degree days fried everything.”The Freeman area saw a similar trend of high

heat, particularly in July. Temperatures reached 95 degrees or higher 17 times during the month and

topped 100 degrees nine times. The stretch from July 16 to July 24 was particularly bad, when highs went 102, 100, 94, 100, 101, 96, 100, 100, 103.

Conditions remained unfavorable as the cal-endar page turned to August. In addition to lack of substantial rainfall, temperatures continued to climb into the 90s on a regular basis, reading 101 on Aug. 1, 97 on both Aug. 3 and Aug. 6, 94 on Aug. 7 and then hit 99, 103 and 100 to close out the month.

The first four days of September saw highs of 93, 96, 92 and 94.

Strand says it’s not just the grain farmers that are feeling the impact. Area elevators aren’t seeing nearly the quantity — and therefore the profits — and the livestock producers are struggling to man-age everyday necessities like feed and water.

“It’s tough on those guys; I feel sorry for the cow man and the dairy farmer that has to buy all his feed,” Strand says, noting the expense involved in buying $8 corn, $200 grass hay and $300 alfalfa. “I used to be one of those guys. That’s tough.”

As for the transportation of water, he says famers can put in pipelines and drill wells, “But where’s the water going to come from?”

That speaks to the lack of moisture, certainly this past summer and all the way back to last fall, when the pattern of significant rainfall took a turn.

Moisture totals were less than 2 inches from October through December, and less than 3 inches

continued on back page: Harvest

”“The heat has had as much to do with it as anything. Those 100-degree days fried everything. RODNEY STRAND, TURNER COUNTY FSA

Wednesday, October 3, 2012Volume 112 • Number 26

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Area News ......................................................p. 2Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds .............................................p. 10, 11Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ...............................................p. 2, 12Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections .............................................p. 3, 12Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 pages

InsIde:We should careCalling it Native American Day matters; an opinion n p 4

Kabobs!Dynamite marinade kicks up familiar dinner option n p 6

PackingTips and ideas for a healthy and safe school lunch n p 6

0-5Football team remains winless after Friday loss to Marion n p 9

Eleutian Technology continues to show interest in Freeman

by Tim L. WaltnerFour months ago the Freeman

city officials learned Freeman is among six communities under con-sideration by Eleutian Technology as a new location for its online lan-guage instruction program. That in-cluded a proposal to the Wyoming-based company to lease a portion of the Freeman Community Center as a teaching center.

At the council’s Oct. 1 meeting City Administrator Dennis Nelsen reported the company has been reviewing its program and its op-tions in the past months. Nelsen received and forwarded to coun-selors an email from Mike Moore of Eleutian Technology. The com-pany indicates continued interest in expanding its operation to Free-man although it is considering new models for training and operations.

While that may no longer in-clude leasing the community center as originally intended, Nelsen told the council he is encouraged that the company has provided Freeman with the recent update and stated its continued interest in expanding and offering jobs in the community.

“Freeman is the only town to re-ceive it,” he told the council.

Nelsen’s update came during a meeting that included a decision by the council to accept the lone bid for a new garbage truck. The fully equipped truck will cost the city $208,970; that includes a trade-in credit of $30,000 for the truck now in use. Delivery will take four to six months.

The council also granted off-sale licenses to Dollar General to sell malt beverages and wine.

Look for more details from Mon-day’s meeting in next week’s editon of the Courier.

Region 3Bcross-countrymeet here Oct. 10

Fourteen cross-country teams, including Freeman Academy and Freeman Public, will take part in the Region 3B Cross-Country Meet at Valley View Golf Course next Wednesday, Oct. 10.

The meet will begin with the var-sity boys at 1 p.m., followed by the varsity girls. An awards presenta-tion will follow.

Native American Day prompts early SCPI deadline

The Monday, Oct. 8 Native American/Columbus Day holiday is prompting Second Century Pub-lishing to call for an early deadline for both the Area Wide Connection and Dakota Action Rocket.

All advertising copy must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. The deadline for the Oct. 10 edi-tion of the Freeman Courier re-mains Monday at noon and, for the Hutchinson Herald, Monday at 10 a.m.

The Courier and Herald offices will both remain open on Native American/Columbus Day.

Rubble/appliance site notes fall hours

Fall hours are in effect at the city of Freeman’s rubble and appliance site located ½ mile west of Freeman on North County Road. The site is now open Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. These hours will re-main in effect through October.

Kahlen Salis; an updateTwo months after a bone marrow transplant designed to save her life,4-year-old Freeman girl nearing a full recovery and a return trip home

by Jeremy WaltnerExtend an arm and shake the hands of Wal-

ter and Kris Salis.Nah, go ahead and give ’em a hug.Looks like their little girl might just be OK.Nine months after alarming news came

down that the Walter and Kris’s 3-year-old daughter had a se-vere deficiency in her platelet and white blood cell counts and needed a bone mar-row transplant for survival, Kahlen Salis is on the up and up. She was dis-charged from the Amplatz Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis three weeks ago and is cur-rently living with her mother at the Ronald McDonald House.

Kahlen and Kris could return to their Free-man home as early as next month.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, but right now they’re very pleased with the way things are going,” says Walter, who along with son,

Ricky, has watched his daughter’s progress from afar while Kris and Kahlen have called Minneapolis home since heading there this past summer. “Right now everything is look-ing good.”

The Courier first shared Kalen’s story the second week of July, just as she and her mother were preparing to leave for Minne-

apolis to embark on a multi-month road back to good health. That was the hope, anyway, and the only option. Fact is, the Freeman family had no other choice than to fight the Dyskera-

tosis Congenita — the bone marrow deficien-cy that prevented Kahlen’s body from regen-erating platelets at a fast enough rate — with action.

The crux of that action was a bone marrow transplant on Aug. 7, the day after Kahlen’s fourth birthday. It wasn’t the kind of transplant you may think of, a grand operation in a big, scary room with expensive machines and stoic

doctors.This was more along the lines of a blood

transfusion — a small packet of bone marrow given to Kahlen.

“They put it right into her body just like they were giving her a unit of blood,” says Walter, who along with Ricky and his in-laws, were present for the procedure.

The relatively casual nature of it all doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary.

Walter says the transplant itself has been the most traumatic of the entire Minneapolis experience. It would have been anyway; then a minor complication ensued.

Walter explains that the unit of bone mar-row was extremely cold; frozen, in fact, right up until the transplant. Kahlen was half asleep at the time and jolted awake by the shock of the infusion. That alone was startling enough, says Walter. Then she reacted negatively to a preservative in the new bone marrow and be-gan swelling up and turning purple.

“It was very traumatic for all of us,” says Walter. “We had no idea what was going on.”

Looking back he says there was no real cause for alarm, but at the time it was alarm-

ing. “They gave her Benadryl and the swell-

ing went down,” Walter recalls. “Two hours later she was back to her old self and actually smiled a little bit. By the end of the night she was giggling.”

Other than that mild reaction ini-tially, there have been no negative effects from the transplant — good news for sure. And while it took lon-ger than originally thought, Kahlen’s numbers began to take a turn for the better several weeks after the procedure.

That’s when Kahlen’s body began generat-ing new platelets on its own, the top objec-tive. While health care workers have needed to supplement her white blood cells in the

continued on page 3: Recovery

”“We’re not out of the woods yet, but right now they’re very pleased with the way things are going. WALTER SALIS, KAHLEN’S DAD

Atyour serviceFreeman Academy freshman Sarah Miller serves against Ponca, Neb., in the opening round of the Tri-Valley Conference Tournament, which was co-hosted by Freeman Academy Thursday, Sept. 27. Miller was the server for 10 points against the Lady Indians in the first game of the tournament — a team best — but the Bobcats fell in straight sets, and then lost to Irene-Wakonda in the second round that evening. But Miller and the ‘Cats had reason to cheer on Saturday when they came back to sweep Centerville in the seventh-place match to claim their first win of the season. “Like 50 monkeys jumping off our back simultaneously,” is how head coach Larry Timmerman describes his team’s victory. “There was a lot of emotion; they finally came together and finally got what we were looking for. I was very happy for the girls.” The Bobcats will face Centerville again at home Thursday, Oct. 4. For more on the FA volleyball team, as well as all other sports news from last week, see page 9.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Read more about Kahlen’s story onlinen facebook.com/KahlensPagen caringbridge.org/visit/kahlensalis

Transit bus service adapts to meet needsSix-passenger van now part of fleet

by Jeremy WaltnerFreeman Community Transit, which has

been offering bus service in the Freeman com-munity since July, has announced expanded services that include the addition of a six-pas-senger van and extended hours of operation.

The van has been provided to the commu-nity through the Rural Office of Community Services (ROCS), which is partnering with the Freeman community in implementing the service locally. The fleet of vehicles associ-ated with Freeman Community Transit also in-cludes a nine-passenger bus that was donated by Freeman Regional Health Service, and the original 14-passenger bus, both of which are wheelchair accessible.

In addition to the new van, the hours of op-eration have been expanded. Buses will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Fri-day and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday.

The changes are part of Freeman Commu-

nity Transit’s effort to best serve the people of Freeman and surrounding towns, says Norm Kaufman, chair of the local organization.

“We’re trying to be as effective and efficient as possible,” said Kaufman, who notes that round trips to and from the Bridgewater, Mar-ion and Menno communities are now offered on an appointment-only basis Monday through Saturday. “That means we have to adapt; we can’t fit into one model.”

Going to area communities as needed in-stead of through an established route is part of that process.

So is the acquisition of the six-passenger van, which will be used when fewer people need to make medical trips to Mitchell, Sioux Falls or Yankton. The new van offers the best gas mileage of any in the fleet and is newer than the nine-passenger unit.

“There’s a much larger need for out-of-town medical appointments than we first expected,

SDPB’s Dakota Life to featureAmerican Indian effigy in ‘gulches’

by Tim L. WaltnerThe larger Freeman community will be fea-

tured this week as part of Dakota Life, a televi-sion program produced by South Dakota Public Broadcasting. The episode scheduled to broad-cast Thursday evening, Oct. 4 starting at 8:30 p.m., will include a visit to the site of an Ameri-can Indian stone effigy located in the “gulches” region in Childstown Township in southwestern Turner County.

An effigy is a monument or marker that shows an image or rep-resentation of a person or animal.

Chad Andersen, an associate Da-kota Life producer, is including the formation as part of a segment on animal stone effigies in South Da-kota.

Andersen grew up in the Wessington Springs area, which also has stone effigies, and had read about an eagle effigy located southeast of Free-man. He told the Courier his search led him to Lyle Preheim, who lives southeast of Freeman and is familiar with the local site and helped ar-

range the onsite visit.“We’re not sure where it came from,” Ander-

sen said of the local effigy. He said according to Dr. Larry Bradley, professor of anthropology at the University of South Dakota, “it’s hard to date and know the meaning of. But it’s pretty rare.”

About eight minutes of the upcoming Dakota Life program are devoted to the topic and, in addition to the Turner County effigy, will also include sites near Snake Butte, Tulare and Wessington Springs.

This week’s segment includes another local connection. The Turner County Fair is also part of the program scheduled for telecast Thursday evening. Dakota Life producer Brian Gevik, who put to-gether the Turner County Fair, said

that portion of the program — about 4 1/2 min-utes — focuses on “the amazing history” of the oldest fair in South Dakota.

In addition to the Thursday telecast, Dakota Life is scheduled to be repeated at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7.continued on page 2: Transit

Wednesday, October 10, 2012Volume 112 • Number 27

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Area News ......................................................p. 2Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 14Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 8Public Notice ...............................p. 12, 13, 15Reflections .....................................................p. 8Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ............................................................p. 11

16 pages

InsIde:AanensonFreeman woman electedto LHS Hall of Fame n p 3

Fire awarenessBe ready, be prepared for life-saving measures; an opinion n p 4

Butterfinger goodFreeman woman shares recipe that is ‘simply delicious’ n p 6

Revised permitHutchinson County officials deal with drainage management n p 7

So close ...At 6-9, FHS volleyball teamlooks to put it all together n p 11

New deputyDan Schulte assumes postin county law enforcement n p 15

Region 3Bcross-countrymeet here Oct. 10

Fourteen cross-country teams, including Freeman Academy and Freeman Public, will take part in the Region 3B Cross-Country Meet at Valley View Golf Course today, Wednesday, Oct. 10.

The meet will begin with the var-sity boys at 1 p.m., followed by the varsity girls. An awards presenta-tion will follow.

Individuals placing in the top 20 will earn a spot in the state meet scheduled for next week Saturday, Oct. 20, at Broadland Creek Golf Course in Huron. Additionally, schools finishing in the top three spots in both the boys and girls di-visions automatically qualify their entire teams for state.

In addition to FA and FHS, Region 3B teams include Alces-ter-Hudson, Avon, Centerville, Gayville-Volin, Irene-Wakonda, Marion, Marty Indian, Menno, Parker, Scotland, South Central and Viborg-Hurley.

FRHS Auxiliary Soup Day, bake sale set Oct. 19

The Freeman Regional Health Services Auxiliary has scheduled its 2012 Soup Day for Friday, Oct. 19 at the Freeman Senior Citizen Center. The auxiliary will be serv-ing the usual menu of taverns, hot chicken sandwiches, noodle and vegetable soup, pie, coffee and milk from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The annual event is a major source of money for special proj-ects that benefit the hospital and Oakview Terrace. This year’s proj-ect has not yet been chosen.

During the 2011-12 year the aux-iliary has paid for a new treadmill for the physical therapy department ($3,640), bought a spirometer/EKG for the clinic ($2,195) and recently purchased a videolaryngoscope, which can be used both in the emer-gency room and the operating room ($1,209.21). Total expenditure was $7,044.21.

An added feature of Soup Day will be the bake sale. Donations of items for this from active and inac-tive members, as well as from the general public are appreciated.

The auxiliary will again accept cash donations for the meal. How-ever the baked goods donated for the bake sale will be marked with a price and sold as in previous years.

Turner, Hutchinson counties remain under burn ban

Turner County has issued a re-minder that a burn ban remains in effect due to dry conditions and a high fire danger.

“That means absolutely no burn-ing,” said Linda Georgenson of the Turner County Emergency Services Association. “If you burn and a fire results causing a fire department to be called, you may be subject to a fine.”

Those with questions are asked to contact a local emergency man-ager, county commissioners or any officer associated with the TCESA.

Hutchinson County remains un-der a burn ban, as well, according to county auditor Jeanie Simenson, who on Tuesday morning called the burn ban “active.”

continued on back page: Huber

”“You can blame a lot of people in your community for pulling us over here. NEIL MUENCHOW, BLACK WIDOW CUSTOMS

Orville Huber, left, and his brother, Reno, scan the crowd Wednesday morning, Oct. 3, during the sale at the former downtown location of their business, Huber Motor. The auction began with the sale of the corner lot and eventually moved out to the property off Sixth Street

near Highway 81 that long served as a used car lot. In addition to the downtown property, the auction included the sale of cars, trucks and thousands of parts and accessories. “I haven’t cried yet,” Reno said Wednesday morning. “I haven’t had time.” PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

One Last LookOct. 3 auctioncloses the book on the legendary Huber Motor

by Jeremy WaltnerIf you scan the crowd you’ll see faces of all

kinds, some familiar, some not, all brought to-gether for a historic moment in time as classic as a 1922 Model T. Most are men, and some of them have bidding cards with numbers wrapped in their hands or stuffed in their pockets.

The others are here strictly out of curiosity; an auction sale at a former car dealership and service station is bound to bring out those who like to get their hands dirty.

Run your eyes over the crowd at Main and Fourth and, later, at the lot just off Sixth Street, and see the men (many in overalls and me-chanic shirts) and, yes, the women who dress up the crowd (they’re there, too). Finally, rest your gaze on a man who’s always visiting with somebody and has vested interest in the sale. If you know him, you know him as Orville Huber.

His brother, Reno, calls him Orv. Reno is there, too, sporting a blue cap with

white lettering that reads “Huber Motor” and carrying the Ford Mercury logo.

You can’t help but notice the brothers among the throng of bidders and onlookers, because this day belongs to them and their families. Want to shake their hands? Better get in line.

The thing you notice about Reno and Orv is that their eyes are scanning the crowd, too. Af-ter all, they’re as interested as anybody in see-ing who is here on this beautiful October day, because this is their property, their sale, Huber Motor Company was their business, and this is the closing chapter of one of their greatest life stories.

So it all played out Wednesday, Oct. 3 — 76 years after Orville and Reno’s father, Alvin, started Huber Standard, 10 years after giving up the Ford franchise and seven years after the

Door opens for Black Widow CustomsVehicle restoration business to move onto former Huber Motor corner lot

by Jeremy WaltnerWednesday, Oct. 3 wasn’t only a milestone

day for the descendants of Alvin Huber and their families.

It was one also for Neil and Sarah Muenchow and Sarah’s brother, Chris Van Roeken.

That’s the trio that owns and oper-ates Black Widow Customs, a two-year-old vehicle restoration business that purchased the former Huber Motor property at Main and Fourth during last week’s public auction.

“We couldn’t pass up this opportunity,” said Sarah shortly after Black Widow Customs was named the successful bidder on the 75 x 142 foot corner lot that served as Huber Motor beginning in 1944, and as the Kaufman Hotel before that. “This is the right place at the right time.”

The purchase means that Van Roeken and the Muenchows, all originally from Minnesota, will move their business from rural Monroe

to the heart of downtown Freeman, a process that will begin as soon as they are able to get into the building.

“We’ve been working out of barns and two-stall garages,” said Van Roeken, who in 2010 started the business that focuses on the restora-tion of old cars and tractors. “It’s always been a dream to have a shop of our own. Now, to have more than enough room is amazing.”

Neil calls Black Widow Customs, which has roots as a hobby that dates back 25 years, a “dream job.”

Now they’ve got a big building in a small town, which they say is perfect.

“Love small towns,” says Neil. “People are easy to work with and you really get to know your customers.”

He also says he’s looking forward to working with the other car-related businesses in town, mentioning Troy Herlyn at Specialty Auto, Saa-

rie Auto Body and Mr. G’s Tires, by name.“You’ve got to have a good working relation-

ship with all the businesses,” he said. “We want those guys to grow, too.”

It’s that attitude that has the Hubers thrilled.“We like the fact that they’re coming in want-

ing to work with the other businesses,” says Or-ville, who is equally pleased that a vehicle res-toration business will now occupy their former business. “This is right in our line.”

The support from the Hubers is similar to what Black Widow Customs have experienced from Freeman as a whole.

“You can blame a lot of people in your com-munity for pulling us over here,” smiles Neil.

Added Sarah: “A lot of people were on our side.”

Council talks trashCity purchases garbage truck, discusses crowded rubble site

by Tim L. WaltnerHow the city deals with garbage topped the

agenda as the Freeman City Council met in regular session Monday, Oct. 1. The city voted to purchase a new garbage truck similar to the truck now in use from Northern Truck of Sioux Falls and also discussed options for the dimin-ishing space at the city’s rubble site west of town.

The city had agreed to advertise for bids for the new truck earlier this year as part of a

planned replacement/upgrade for the truck that makes regular weekly pickups in Freeman as well as contracts to serve Olivet. The refuse col-lected is taken to the regional landfill in Mitch-ell.

The new truck will have the same style load-ing system now in place and in use since the municipal garbage collection system was estab-lished in 1991. It will be mounted on a Peterbilt chassis.

Northern Truck provided the only bid of $238,970. Including $30,000 credit for trad-

ing in the truck now in use reduces the cost to $208,970. The city used the cash in a vehicle re-serve fund in place for this purchase to finance the balance. Northern Truck offered 3 percent fi-nancing and both Home Federal Bank and Mer-chants State Bank submitted bids for financing. City officials are reviewing the financing op-tions, but voted to accept the bid for the truck so it can be ordered. It is expected to arrive in four to six months.

The city last purchased a new garbage truck in 2006. That truck, including the loading sys-tem and several options, cost the city $162,720. Increase in the cost of steel along with new emission controls contributed to the higher cost, said John Wartenbee of Northern Truck, who at-tended the meeting.

The discussion about the city’s rubble/appli-ance site was a continuation of the council’s dis-cussion at the September meeting, when it voted to hire Vern Arens, who has engineered major projects for the city, to assess the status and pos-

continued on page 3: Council

The Freeman Rubble and Appliance Site west of town is a receptacle for a host of items, from old computers and televisions to wood and iron. The Freeman City Council is talking about ways it may be able to address crowding conditions to extend the life of the property. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Districtto combinebus routesMonday action means FAstudents will no longer ride

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School Board voted

4-0 Monday night, Oct. 8, to combine two bus routes into one and eliminate transporting pri-vate school students to and from locations both in and out of town.

The decision means the district will terminate the contract of a bus driver; the routes that will be combined are south and east of town and cur-rently driven by Kirby and Caroline Baltzer.

All bus routes will continue as they have been through Friday, Nov. 2, to give school officials a chance to notify those impacted by the decision.

The new route — and the practice of no lon-ger transporting Freeman Academy students — takes effect Monday, Nov. 5.

“This is a business decision,” said board pres-ident Darnell Tschetter, a reference to the dis-trict’s estimation it will save between $20,000 and $25,000 a year in salary, fuel, insurance and maintenance. That savings is crucial, said Tschetter, because of the loss of nearly $99,500 in state aid resulting largely from FA’s 1-4 class-room that began this school year. “You don’t lose $100,000 and not do anything about it.”

Watch for a full report from the Oct. 8 meet-ing in next week’s Courier.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012Volume 112 • Number 28

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Area News ......................................................p. 2Agriculture .....................................................p. 7Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds .............................................p. 12, 13Forum ..........................................................p. 4, 5Home ................................................................p. 8Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 6Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ................................................p. 2, 3Social .................................................................p. 9Sports ............................................................p. 11

14 pages

InsIde:Soup DayHospital auxiliary hostingannual fall event Friday n p 3

Amendment PCon explanation publishedfollowing court order n p 3

PerspectiveAre school lunch mandates as bad as people say? An opinion n p 4

OmeletTasty and filling egg entreeis all in the technique n p 8

Another lossPositives slip away for Flyerswith 53-6 gridiron loss n p 11

FHS to host annual All-State Chorus Extravaganza

Approximately 100 students from 15 high schools will gather on Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Freeman High School Gym to participate in the annual All-State Chorus Ex-travaganza. The students will meet together to rehearse and perform a public concert in preparation for the All-State Chorus and Orchestra event that will convene in Rapid City on Oct. 26 and 27.

The guest conductor for this year’s extravaganza is Dr. Paul Nesheim, conductor of the Augus-tana Choir at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. He also serves as the director of the adult choir at First Lutheran Church of Sioux Falls and has taught on the faculties of Min-nesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Lawrence University Con-servatory of Music in Appleton, Wis., and Northern State University in Aberdeen. He has held positions conducting high school, church and community choirs in Minnesota, California, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ari-zona and South Dakota.

Schools participating in this year’s All-State Chorus Ex-travaganza are: Armour, Avon, Bridgewater-Emery, Canistota, Centerville, Dakota Valley, Ethan, Hanson, Kimball, Marion, Mon-trose, Tripp-Delmont, Tri-Valley, White Lake and Freeman Public.

Students from Freeman Public who will participate as All-State Chorus delegates are: Shelby Bauer, Katie Petts, Grant Preheim and Justin Eisenbeis, and All-State Chorus alternates are: Dina Soulek, Lexi Graber, Derek Scherschligt and Caleb Lang. Organizing the event is Kaye Waltner, the choral director at FHS.

The concert will feature selec-tions by Rene Clausen, Joseph Martin, David Dickau, Randall Thompson and Joshua Shank and will be presented at 1:30 p.m. in the Freeman High School Gymnasium. The public is cordially invited to at-tend the free concert.

Fall Harvest Festivalcoming Saturday to community center

Adults and children alike are in-vited to the Freeman Community Center this Saturday, Oct. 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the building fundraising committee’s Fall Har-vest Festival. The committee hopes to reach a goal of $3,000 from the event that will go toward remodel-ing the kitchen area and for a wire-less sound system expansion in the building that formerly served as the Freeman Elementary School gym, music room and lunchroom.

Saturday’s Fall Harvest Festival will include a host of events for the family, including a climbing wall, an obstacle course, bingo, sand art and more. Prizes will be given away and lunch will be served.

The fundraising committee is also planning to host the Harlem Ambassadors basketball team — similar to the Harlem Globetrot-ters — Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Freeman High School Gym. The Ambassadors will take on the Da-kota All-Stars, a team of men and women from within the surround-ing community. More information about the Harlem Ambassadors can be found on page 3 of this week’s Courier.

For more information, contact fundraising committee chair Car-roll Vizecky at 605-660-3083 or carroll.vizecky@gmail.com.

National Fire Prevention Week observed Oct. 7-13Rylee Peters, the 3-year-old daughter of Jenny and Chris Peters, gets to wear a firefighter’s helmet during a visit to the Freeman Emer-gency Services Building last week Tuesday, Oct. 9, with her Growing Dreams Learning Center preschool class. The tour of the local fire hall was led by Freeman Fire Chief Blaine Saarie (also pictured) and held in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week observed Oct.

7-13. The time with Saarie included an up-close look at the trucks and gear worn by the firefighters and provided an opportunity for the fire chief to talk about fire safety. “You go through the basics with them,” said Saarie. “Who do you call, what do you do if there’s a fire, what do you not do if there’s a fire? The teachers always do a great job of preparing and teaching the kids.” PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

SCHOOLBOARD

Academy boys ridingmomentum to Huron

by Jeremy WaltnerBen Brockmueller’s first appearance at a

state cross-country meet came as a seventh grader five years ago on the coattails of a larg-er, older and faster Freeman Academy team that had finished second in the region com-petition.

The circle has come full.Brockmueller will run in his sixth and final

state meet in Huron Saturday, Oct. 20, after leading the Bobcats to a runner-up finish at

the Region 3B meet Wednesday, Oct. 10 — the team’s best region finish since that 2007 season. He will join four others from Freeman Academy — fellow senior Matthew Graber, junior Cole Hofer, freshman Ryan Haggerty and seventh-grader Brennan Haggerty — looking to cap a memorable season with one, final memorable meet.

Race time is 2 p.m.“Going to state as a team is exciting,” said

Brockmueller, who finished a team-best sev-enth in 19:05.72 at last week’s region meet in

a race that head coach Suzanne Koerner said may have been the best of his career. “I think we’ve got a shot to place pretty high; that’s what we’re going to go out and try to do.”

FA may just have the runners — and the

momentum — to pull it off.The 2012 season has been a memorable one

for the Freeman Academy boys, who have

Bobcats XC team eyes strong finishat state after solid Region 3B effort

Koerner to represent FA againby Jeremy Waltner

Like her cousin Ben Brockmueller, Clara Koerner is no stranger to state cross-country meets.

And she’s only a sophomore.Koerner will once again represent Freeman

Academy in the girls division at state Sat-urday in Huron. She qualified by running a strong race in the Region 3B meet last week, finishing sixth in the field of 52 runners.

“It felt really good,” she said of the 4,000 meter course, which she ran in 16:30.87. “I just wanted to run my best.”

Koerner said that was, in fact, her best, and

credits the conditions and the stakes for her outstanding performance.

“I think it was a mix of the weather — I love running when it’s cold — and I was men-tally prepared for it.”

She hopes that carries over to Huron.“Top 25 has been my goal every year,” said

Koerner, who was 29th in 2009, 27th in 2010 and 41st in 2011. “I haven’t quite made it; I just want to run the best race that I can.”

And while she’s excited to run at state, she’s eager to cheer on her teammates.

“It makes me really excited for the state meet,” Koerner said. “I’m really happy for the boys.”

The boys team from Freeman Academy is pictured following its runner-up finish at last week’s region meet. Pictured are, from left, Brennan Haggerty, Cole Hofer, Ben Brockm-ueller, Matthew Graber and Ryan Haggerty. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

continued on back page: FA boys

Districtadjusts to new lunch mandates

by Jeremy WaltnerA recent survey of South Dakota superin-

tendents shows a high number of districts are feeling the impact of new school lunch man-dates announced last January by First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tim Vilsack.

The new regula-tions limit the amount of calories, trans fat and sodium while requiring a wider variety of fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

Many have been critical of the change.According to the survey distributed by

Freeman Superintendent Don Hotchkiss at the Freeman School Board’s Oct. 8 meeting, 90 percent of those responding say the new mandates have impacted their lunch program. More than 70 percent say students are com-plaining about not getting enough to eat, 62 percent are concerned about the amount of waste being generated and 72 percent say they support a freeze on the new policies to allow for further study.

Total response to the survey was 99 out of 152 of the state’s public school superinten-dents.

The negative response doesn’t surprise school officials at Freeman Public.

Secondary Principal Kim Krull says he has heard complaints from the students and seen more lunches brought into school from the outside; that goes for both students and staff.

“The biggest complaint I’m hearing is that they’re not getting enough to eat — that the servings aren’t large enough,” said Krull, who quickly dismisses any criticism directed toward the new lunch provider at Freeman Public, CBM Managed Services, which the district entered into an agreement with over the summer. “The new federal guidelines tie the hands of the people who prepare the food. Whether we had CBM or Minerva’s here making our meals, the commodities they are able to use limit what they’re able to provide.”

USDA requirements state that the aver-age school meal must contain no more than 30 percent of calories from fat, no more than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat and provide one-third of the Dietary Reference In-takes for calories, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium.

Under the calorie guidelines, students in

continued on back page: School

Roth, Eberts returning to state for Flyersby Jeremy Waltner

The outstanding Caily Roth and Rebecca Eberts have been the only show in town for the Freeman High School girls cross-country team for most of the season, but they had company at last Wednesday’s Region 3B meet at Valley View Golf Course.

It earned the Flyers third place.Roth and Eberts, who along with sopho-

more Cody Roth will represent the Flyers at state on Saturday, were joined by Shelby Jen-sen, Dina Soulek and Karen Schamber at the Oct. 10 region meet. The FHS girls finished with 33 team points on the heels of a third- and fifth-place finish from Roth (15:50.56) and Eberts (16:26.74) and well ahead of fourth-place Scotland. Gayville-Volin was the champion with 11 and South Central was the runner-up with 20.

Jensen finished 29th (18:32.06) and Soulek was 33rd (18:51.40). Schamber did not finish the race.

“I was pleased with Shelby, Dina and Karen to give it a try at the region,” said FHS coach Rory Hermsen. “I thought they ran as hard as possible and did what they needed to do.”

Hermsen said that, while FHS’s third-place finish last week qualified the team for state, only Roth and Eberts plan on running.

“It’s a bit disappointing,” said Hermsen, who notes that Soulek is battling an ankle in-jury, Schamber is recovering from surgery for compartmental syndrome and Jensen doesn’t feel comfortable running with limited train-ing. Two other runners from FHS — Rebecca Eberts and Erika Sage — are also dealing with injuries.

continued on back page: Flyers

Wednesday, October 24, 2012Volume 112 • Number 29

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture ................................................. p. 7AChurch News .............................................p. 4BClassifieds ....................................................p. 6BForum ................................................... p. 4A, 5AHome ............................................................ p. 8AMiscellanea ................................................ p. 2AObituaries ....................................................p. 3BPublic Notice ...........................................p. 12AReflections ..................................................p. 5BSocial ............................................................. p. 9ASports ..............................................p. 11A, 12A

2 SECTIONS18 PAGES

InsIde:All-StateFifteen students from Freemanto take part in music event n p 3A

McGovernVisit to Freeman part of publisher’s recollections; a column n p 5A

Fall HarvestPhotos from fundraiserat community center n p 6A, 9A

UpsetFreeman girls take down Marion on volleyball court n p 12A

St. Paul Lutheranbazaar set Nov. 1

St. Paul Lutheran Church of Freeman will host its 48th annual bazaar in the fellowship hall on Nov. 1. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Features include a country store, crafts and stitchery and a lunch counter. The menu includes soups, hot sandwiches, desserts and sal-ads. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Garrity to speakon local food systems Nov. 1

Patrick Garrity of Yankton will be addressing the topic of com-munity food systems. This public meeting will be held in Freeman at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Freeman Community Center, (210 S. Wipf St.). Having owned a fruit orchard, Garrity Gardens near Yankton, Garrity now partners with the SD Value-Added Ag Develop-ment Center, coordinating the SD chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local.

A three-step effort will be dis-cussed to develop a viable and sustainable food system within a community. The Midwest farming community has slowly lost its most important asset, the local consumer. This area has some of the most fer-tile soil in the world, a reasonable growing season and excellent pro-ducers.

Questions addressed at the pub-lic meeting will be why we import 90 percent of the food we eat over 1500 miles, why we base food choices mostly on price and why family farms are disappearing.

This event is co-sponsored by the Freeman Community Development Corporation and Rural Revival. All interested individuals are welcome to attend.

Nov. 1 deadline for FCF grant applications nears

The Freeman Community Foun-dation (FCF) is currently accept-ing grant applications. Application guidelines and applications are available on the foundation’s web-site www.freemancommunityfoun-dation.org.

Mail completed applications to: FCF, PO Box 412, Freeman, SD, 57029. Applications may also be picked up and returned to Mer-chants State Bank. The deadline for submission is Nov. 1. For more, contact Emily at 605-925-4222.

District 7B volleyball begins next Tuesday

Freeman Academy will host the District 7B Volleyball Tournament beginning next week Tuesday, Oct. 30, and continuing Thursday and Friday, Nov. 1 and 2.

No. 4 Freeman will play No. 5 Canistota and No. 3 Bridgewater-Emery will play No. 6 Freeman Academy in the opening round. Parker and Marion hold the top two spots. Match times were not avail-able as of Tuesday morning.

Freeman AcademyCommunity Service Day Nov. 9

Freeman Academy Community Service Day will be Friday, Nov. 9. Students and staff will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to do yard and household projects for persons who need assistance with strenuous work and who live in Freeman.

All work is volunteer – no pay-ment is accepted for the work. Call the school office, 925-4237, by noon on Nov. 7 to schedule a job.

STATECROSSCOUNTRY

Pictured, from left: Brennan Haggerty, Ryan Haggerty, Matthew Graber, Ben Brockmueller, Cole Hofer and coach Suzanne Koerner. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Smiles All AroundBrockmueller, Graber lead FA boys to fourth place in all of Class B

by Jeremy WaltnerThree weeks ago hopes for a solid finish to

what had been a fantastic boys cross-country season at Freeman Academy dimmed thanks to a hip injury sustained by senior Matthew Graber, who had been challenging classmate Ben Brockmueller as the team’s top runner.

Then Cole Hofer, who also had been surg-ing, developed discomfort in his knee.

Suddenly and without mercy, two of the team’s top four runners were less than full

strength, and a season on the verge of some-thing special looked instead — at least inter-nally — like a season that might be slipping

away. “It felt like it was

coming out of our grasp,” said head coach Suzanne Ko-erner. “So, then it was a matter of, ‘Let’s just go out and

run the best race we can.’”“The best race we can” proved to be pretty

darn good for these Bobcats.The FA boys, through injuries and all, fol-

lowed up on their Region 3B runner-up finish the week before with a fourth-place showing at the 2012 State Cross-Country Meet in Hu-

ron Saturday, Oct. 20, the best FA boys team showing at a South Dakota High School Ac-tivities Association-sanctioned state event in 30 years.

The Bobcats edged South Central by three points on the shoulders of medal-winning performances by the team’s two seniors — Brockmueller, who was 16th, and Graber, 23rd — and strong pushes by Hofer and fresh-man Ryan Haggerty, who placed 35th and 38th in the 114-runner field.

FA tallied 53 team points.Dupree finished with 50, its top three run-

ners finishing seventh, 18th and 25th.Estelline was second (third, 11th, 20th)

with 34 points, and Duane Jongleing and Parker ran away with their third consecutive Class B title (first, fifth and 13th) with 19

team points.But, after the race, you would have been

hard-pressed to find a more joyful team camp than the one occupied by Freeman Academy.

“I’m so happy for the guys,” Koerner said through an infectious smile as the players and parents sipped tea within earshot. “They wanted that so bad.”

“To have the two seniors medal?” she con-tinued. “I couldn’t have written that better.”

Even before the team totals were an-nounced and just minutes after the 3.1-mile race, smiles were in ample supply on the faces of those from Freeman Academy. That was particularly true of Brockmueller, whose 16th-place finish earned him his first state

continued on page 11A: FA boys

continued on page 10A: Winter Fair

FA’s Clara Koerner 18th - Page 11A; FHS’s Cailey Roth 9th, Rebecca Eberts 15th - Page 12A

Golden Rule drives Freeman Winter FairSince 1977, craft show has had win-win-win appeal

by Jeremy WaltnerThere’s the hospital auxiliary and the prai-

rie arboretum, the senior citizen center and the schools, the swimming pool and the commu-nity center, the summer rec program and the fire department, the ambulance service and the city parks …

Go ahead and name an organization or an entity in the Freeman community, and there’s a better than not chance that it has been a ben-eficiary of a project built on a Golden Rule of sorts; that it is better to give than to receive.

If the Freeman Winter Fair had an official slogan, that would assuredly be it.

“We’ve given money to everything that moves,” laughs Gladys Simantel, who has been an active organizer of the annual arts and crafts show every year since its debut in November of 1977. “Since the beginning we’ve been very community-minded and have always felt it’s better to serve others than it is to be served.”

That will be the case again this Saturday, Oct. 27, when the Winter Fair is held for the 35th consecutive time. The 2012 event, which will take place at the Freeman High School Gym from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., marks

This is how the Freeman Courier covered the first Freeman Winter Fair, which was held at what is now the Freeman Community Center on Nov. 19 and 20, 1977. The Winter Fair has been held every year since and will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 at the FHS Gym, where it has been held since 2005.

District 19 candidates respond to questionnaireby Erik Kaufman

Candidates for District 19 seats in the South Dakota state house and senate responded re-cently to a questionnaire prepared by weekly newspapers inside the legislative district. Those responses are printed on pages 1B and 2B of this issue of the Freeman Courier.

Voters in District 19 will select one senator and two representatives from a total of five can-didates when they head to the polls Tuesday,

Nov. 6, for the 2012 general election.In the race for the lone District 19 senate seat,

Frank Kloucek, a Democrat from Scotland, will face Bill Van Gerpen, a Republican from Tyn-dall. Kloucek, a long-time district lawmaker and current District 19 representative, is running for the senate after term limiting out of the house. Van Gerpen is a former state lawmaker who served eight years in the house of representa-tives.

Three candidates, all relative newcomers to

District 19 politics, will vie for the two seats up for grabs in the District 19 house of repre-sentatives race. Alan Fenner, a Democrat from Menno, will take on Stace Nelson, a Republican from Salem and Kyle Schoenfish, a Republican from Scotland.

Nelson is currently serving as state represen-tative for District 25, but redistricting in 2010 changed the boundaries for many state legisla-tive districts across the state, including District 19. The change brought Nelson into District

19. Schoenfish previously ran for a District 19 house seat in 2010 as a Democrat but lost to Ed-ward Van Gerpen and Kloucek. Fenner is seek-ing his first term in the state legislature.

The 15 weekly newspapers throughout Dis-trict 19 prepared the questions for the candi-dates. Candidates were given a word limit for their response to each question and their re-sponses have been printed as they were received

continued on page 10A: Election

FHS ranks No. 2 among S.D. schools

by Jeremy WaltnerFreeman High School has received the second

highest score among all public high schools in South Dakota for its math and reading scores, graduation rate and ACT scores, all of which help make up South Dakota’s new School Per-formance Index.

Seven high schools were listed as top per-formers by the state of South Dakota last week Friday, Oct. 19; Freeman ranked second with 87.84 points out of a possible 100 behind only Scotland, which scored 90.80. Other high schools included Rosholt, Stickney, Webster, Wall, South Central and Bonesteel.

In addition to the seven high schools, the state identified 23 elementary and middle schools that scored in the top 5 percent among public schools in South Dakota, a requirement of the state’s waiver for No Child Left Behind.

The School Performance Index (SPI) is a new, more thorough way of measuring progress that steps away from the federal No Child Left Be-hind law, a measure implemented in 2001 but criticized because of its broad stroke standard-ization based on once-a-year tests.

The South Dakota Department of Education has taken advantage of an allowance from the President Obama administration that gives states a chance to come up with a replacement system for NCLB; South Dakota’s School Performance Index has gained approval from federal and state

continued on page 10A: Schools

Wednesday, October 31, 2012Volume 112 • Number 30

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 7Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 14Forum ..........................................................p. 4, 5Home ................................................................p. 8Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 15Public Notice .......................................p. 12, 13Reflections ...........................................p. 12, 13Social .................................................................p. 9Sports ............................................................p. 11

16 PAGES

InsIde:MusicFreeman native Rachel Riesreturns for SSS concert n p 3

Don’t vote ...Unless you’re informed;an opinion n p 4

Fall dessertPumpkin cheesecakeis well worth the effort n p 8

District 7B Tournament underway at FA

Freeman Academy is hosting the District 7B Volleyball Tournament this week. Action began Tuesday, Oct. 30, with No. 4 Freeman High School (9-11) taking on No. 5 Can-istota (7-19) and No. 3 Bridgewa-ter-Emery (11-13) playing No. 6 Freeman Academy (2-18).

Matches continue Thursday, Nov. 1, at 5:30 p.m. with No. 1 Parker (29-0) playing the winner of the FHS/Canistota match. No. 2 Marion (22-5) plays the winner of the FA/B-E match at 7 p.m.

Thursday’s winners will meet for the District 7B championship Fri-day, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

All matches will be played in Sterling Hall.

Parker was third at state last sea-son and is No. 2 in all of Class B, behind only Warner.

Freeman care facilities welcometrick-or-treaters

Halloween trick-or-treaters are invited to the Salem Mennonite Home and Oakview Terrace on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Salem Home residents will be handing out treats in the east lobby from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please enter through the east lobby door on the front porch.

At Oakview Terrace, ghosts and goblins are invited between 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Just follow the dino-saur footprints that will lead to the resident dining room from the busi-ness office lobby.

Garrity to speakon local foodsystems Nov. 1

Patrick Garrity of Yankton will be addressing the topic of com-munity food systems. This public meeting will be held in Freeman at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Freeman Community Center, (210 S. Wipf St.). Having owned a fruit orchard, Garrity Gardens near Yankton, Garrity now partners with the SD Value-Added Ag Develop-ment Center, coordinating the SD chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local.

A three-step effort will be dis-cussed to develop a viable and sustainable food system within a community. The Midwest farming community has slowly lost its most important asset, the local consumer. This area has some of the most fer-tile soil in the world, a reasonable growing season and excellent pro-ducers.

Questions addressed at the pub-lic meeting will be why we import 90 percent of the food we eat over 1500 miles, why we base food choices mostly on price and why family farms are disappearing.

This event is co-sponsored by the Freeman Community Development Corporation and Rural Revival. All are welcome to attend.

St. Paul Lutheranbazaar Thursday

St. Paul Lutheran Church of Freeman will host its 48th annual bazaar in the fellowship hall Thurs-day, Nov. 1. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Features include a country store, crafts and stitchery and a lunch counter. The menu includes soups, hot sandwiches, desserts and sal-ads. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday

Daylight Saving Time will end at 2 a.m. this coming Sunday, Nov. 4. The public is reminded to set their clocks back one hour before retir-ing for the night Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

continued on back page: Threat

‘We hit two home runs’Community residents Brian Miller and Dustin Randall are settling in as new certified

nurse practitioners at Rural Medical Clinics. Hard to say for whom the fit is better.by Jeremy Waltner

When Freeman Regional Health Services officials began looking at bringing two new staff members on board to join the medical team at Rural Medical Clinics, they didn’t have to look far.

Nurse practitioners Brian Miller and Dustin Randall were right in their backyard.

Miller, who lives with his young family in the East Free-man commu-nity, and Ran-dall, who lives in town with his, began see-ing patients at Rural Medi-cal Clinics in August. Miller spends the majority of his days at the satellite clinic in Marion and Randall is located primar-ily in Freeman.

“They’re just salt of the earth people,” said Dan Gran, CEO of Freeman Regional Health Services, which owns Rural Medical Clinics

in partnership with Avera. “We hit two home runs.”

Miller was hired to replace Mary Manson as the primary certified nurse practitioner (CNP) at the clinic in Marion, and Randall came on as an additional provider in Freeman, where Rural Medical Clinics is based.

Rural Medical Clinics also has satellite of-fices in Bridgewater and Menno.

“We obviously have plans to continue to grow the prac-tice,” says Gran, who notes the facil-ity will next year say good-bye to a retir-ing Dr. Dennis Ries. Ries has been on staff

for three decades. “The time to prepare for all of that is now.”

Indeed, bringing Miller and Randall on as CNPs has been part of a deliberate effort

continued on back page: CNPs

Brian Miller, left, and Dustin Randall began as CNPs at Rural Medical Clinics this past summer. Both live in the community, and Dan Gran, CEO of Freeman Regional Health Services, calls both men “salt of the earth.”PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Charges filedin online threat against FHS staff

by Jeremy WaltnerTwo juveniles are being charged with misde-

meanor crimes for a threat against staff at Free-man High School earlier this month, according to Hutchinson County State’s Attorney Glenn Roth.

The threat of violence was made online dur-ing school hours Thursday, Oct. 18.

School officials did not go into details and are not releasing the names of the students, although Secondary Principal Kim Krull said the district has taken the threat seriously.

“We wouldn’t do anything differently,” Krull said of the school’s response, which included immediate contact with Freeman Police that led to an investigation by the South Dakota Depart-ment of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and, ulti-mately, legal action.

“As a public servant we have an obligation to the staff that work here, the students that attend here and to the parents of those students, to do the best that we can to provide a safe and caring learning environment,” Krull said.

The two students identified as making the threats are serving out-of-school suspensions. Krull said expulsion is also “on the table” and that school officials, including the Freeman Board of Education, “will continue to operate under advice from legal counsel.”

Classes have continued uninterrupted follow-ing the incident and staff members have been as-

Baseball pro returning to FreemanSaturday camps in Sterling Hall will focus on fundamentals

by Jeremy WaltnerLocal and area baseball players in grades

3-12 will have an opportunity to sharpen their skills this Saturday, Nov. 3, when the Elite Baseball Academy returns to Freeman.

The first of two camps, which focuses on pitcher-catcher and infielder fundamentals, is for those in grades 3-9 and runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The second camp, which focuses on hitting, is for those in grades 3-12 and runs from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Both camps will be led by professional base-ball player Darin Everson and will take place in Sterling Hall at Freeman Academy.

Preregistration is required by Nov. 1. Those

interested may do so at elitebaseballacademy.com.

Freeman resident Jason Aanenson, who has brought the camp to Freeman each of the last four years, says this is a rare opportunity for youth to work closely and intimately with a proven player and coach in Everson, as well as a staff that only multiplies the years worth of high-level experience.

“The day allows players to work on both their offensive and defensive skills with a coaching staff that has worked with young players for many years,” said Aanenson. “They know how to help kids improve.”

This year’s fielding fundamentals camp will allow participants to choose a specific position

and then work with a coach on those position-specific skills. Like in other camps conducted by Everson and the Elite Baseball Academy, Aanenson says those taking part can expect to see notable improvement.

“The participants in previous years have seen how much improvement can come from work-ing on a few basic parts of the game,” he said.

In addition to improving skills, Aanenson also said this Saturday’s camps will increase interest in baseball locally.

“I think it is unfortunate that there is no lon-ger enough local interest to support a teener or legion team,” he said. “I would like to see in-creased interest and give those kids the skills they need to continue to play at a high level.”

Activity everywhere at the 2012 Freeman Winter FairThe Pampered Chef booth, stationed by Peggy Waltner (right of center) and her daughter, Shannon, (seated) was among a maze of booths that packed the Freeman High School gym floor Saturday, Oct. 27, for the 2012 Winter Fair. This year’s installment of the annual arts and crafts show was, by many accounts, one of the biggest ever, with 80 booth spaces occupied by 60 vendors. From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., several hundred visitors to the fair browsed, shopped, visited and ate, making for a festive, friendly atmosphere. That is one of the trademark quali-

ties of the Freeman Winter Fair, says Gladys Simantel, who has been active in the event since it debuted as a project of the Jaycettes in 1977. “It’s just a good environment,” said Siman-tel, who called Saturday’s event “fantastic” and said “everything gelled.” Simantel is part of a larger committee responsible for the Winter Fair that includes Rita Becker, Kim Kaufman, Peggy Muchmore and Shelley Weber, as well as two associate members, Twila Kribell and Penny Smidt. For more on Saturday’s Winter Fair, see page 5. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Voters head to the polls Nov. 6District 19 races among those to be decided next Tuesday

by Erik KaufmanVoters in South Dakota will head to the polls

next week Tuesday, Nov. 6 to decide a number of regional, statewide and national races.

Polls will be open for the 2012 general elec-tion from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters will be asked to provide a photo ID.

Results of the Nov. 6 election — specifically the races for state legislative seats in District 19 and District 17 — will be available at free-mansd.com as soon as the votes are tallied and made official.

Complete coverage will first be available in the print edition of the Courier Nov. 14.

Here’s a rundown of the regional, state and national races that will be decided next week.

District 19Five candidates will vie for three District 19

seats in the South Dakota House of Representa-tives and the South Dakota Senate.

District 19 includes all of Hutchinson, Mc-Cook, Hanson and Douglas counties and most of Bon Homme County.

In the race for state senate, current District

19 Representative Frank Kloucek, a Democrat from Scotland, will face off against former state legislator Bill Van Gerpen, a Republican from

More election coverage inside:• Where to vote - Page 3• Editorial - Page 4• Letters to the editor - Pages 4 and 5• Facsimile ballots - Pages 12 and 13

continued on back page: Election

Wednesday, November 7, 2012Volume 112 • Number 31

308 S. Main, Box 950 • Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

twitter@freemancourier

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INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 8Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ................................................p. 2, 7Sports .....................................................p. 11, 13

14 PAGES

InsIde:School musicalsFHS’s The Music Man next week; FA’s Babes In Toyland follows n p 3

BrassMusic returns to Pioneer Hallfor another SSS concert n p 3

SandyStorm a reminder of nature’s power; an opinion n p 4

High riskLack of soil moisture could mean trouble in 2013 n p 5

Healthy eatingAmerican Heart Associationaims to raise awareness n p 6

JH footballFreeman ends season with winning record n p 11

District 7BFA swept by B-E; FHS beats CHS, loses to Parker n p 11, 13

OctoberA number of faces and scenes from a colorful month n p 14

FA Community Service Day tobe held Nov. 9

Freeman Academy Community Service Day will be Friday, Nov. 9. Students and staff will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to do yard and household projects for persons who need assistance with strenuous work and who live in Freeman.

All work is volunteer — no pay-ment is accepted for the work. Call the school office, 925-4237, by noon on Nov. 7 to schedule a job.

MCC Meat Canner returns to Freeman Nov. 12-13

The Mennonite Central Commit-tee’s mobile meat canner unit and crew will be in Freeman on Mon-day, and Tuesday, Nov. 12 and 13 for the annual meat canning done by volunteers from area churches and communities.

Canning will be done at the John Deere dealership on U.S. Highway 81. Work runs all day, from 6 a.m. into the evenings as needed. Walk-in volunteers are always welcome.

Some to observe Veteran’s Day Monday, Nov. 12

Freeman City Hall, Freeman Public Library and the Freeman Post Office will all be closed Mon-day, Nov. 12, in observance of Vet-eran’s Day, which this year falls on Sunday, Nov. 11.

Home Federal Bank and Mer-chants State Bank will also be closed in observance of the holiday.

There will also be an early dead-line for the Area Wide Connec-tion and Dakota Action Rocket of Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m., and the Courier office will be closed Satur-day, Nov. 10.

The deadline for next week’s Courier remains Monday at noon, although those sending information by mail should remember there will be no delivery on Nov. 12.

Change in hours at post office, rubble site, musuem

A number of Freeman institu-tions have changed their hours be-ginning this month.

In a change that began Nov. 3, the Freeman Post Office window hours are now Monday-Friday from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Window hours on Saturday are 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Winter hours began at the Free-man Rubble and Allience Site west of Freeman Nov. 1. Hours through the winter are Wednesday and Sat-urday from noon to 4 p.m.

Heritage Hall Museum is now closed for the regular season, but will open by appointment. Call 888-595-9755 for more informa-tion. The museum will resume reg-ular hours Tuesday through Sunday Memorial Day weekend.

Election in the booksStudents fill out ballots, too

by Jeremy WaltnerVoters in the Freeman area, across

Hutchinson County, the state of South Dakota and all of the United States visited the polls Tuesday, Nov. 6 to cast their ballots in the 2012 general election.

This issue of the Courier was print-ed early Tuesday afternoon and well before all the votes had been tallied. For results of the most localized races — senate and house seats in Districts 17 and 19 — visit freemansd.com.

Tuesday’s election saw a number of other state and national races, as well

as a host of ballot issues. A complete recap will be published

in the Nov. 14 edition of the Courier.

Students voteIn conjunction with the Nov. 6 gen-

eral election, high school students at both Freeman Academy and Freeman Public filled out facsimile ballots.

In the race for U.S. President, the Romney/Ryan ticket won among all Freeman students in grades 9-12, al-though students at Freeman Academy gave their nod to Obama/Biden.

Results of the ballots cast by 9-12 students are printed below.

2012 GENERAL ELECTION4 Freeman Students - Grades 9-12

FA FHS TOTALU.S. President Obama/Biden 18 44 62 (43.6%) Goode/Clymer 2 0 2 (0.1%) 4 Romney/Ryan 8 72 80 (56.3%) Johnson/Gray 0 0 0 (0%)

U.S. Rep. Matt Varilek 19 26 45 (31%) 4 Kristi Noem 9 91 100 (68.9%)

PUC - 6 yr Matt McGoven 11 33 44 (32.1%) 4 Kristie Fiegen 8 73 81 (59.1%) Russell Clark 2 10 12 (8.7%)

PUC - 4 yr Nick Nemec 11 19 30 (23.2%) 4 Chris Nelson 13 86 99 (76.7%)

D19 Senator Frank Kloucek 13 35 48 (35.8%) 4 Bill Van Gerpen 8 78 86 (64.1%)

D19 Rep. Alan Fenner 11 46 57 (24.1%) 4 Kyle Schoenfish 11 83 94 (39.8%) 4 Stace Nelson 8 77 85 (36.0%)

Judge 4 Severson Yes 16 78 94 (70.1%)Retention Severson No 8 32 40 (29.8%)

Amend M Yes 6 59 65 (48.5%)(Corporations) 4 No 16 53 69 (51.4%)

Amend N 4 Yes 10 68 78 (59.5%)(Travel) No 11 42 53 (40.4%)

Amend O 4 Yes 11 67 78 (59.0%)(Cement Plant) No 10 44 54 (40.9%)

Amend P 4 Yes 13 79 92 (69.6%)(Balanced Bud) No 7 33 40 (30.3%)

Init. Measure 15 4 Yes 12 72 84 (63.1%)(1% Sales Tax) No 10 39 49 (36.8%)

Ref. Law 14 4 Yes 8 61 69 (52.6%)(Development) No 13 49 62 (47.3%)

Init. Measure 16 4 Yes 12 55 67 (58.7%)(Education Reform) No 10 37 47 (41.2%)

Growingthe local marketGarrity encourages growers to work together

by Tim L. WaltnerThere are opportunities for people

who produce foods and want to mar-ket them locally and expand their markets if they are willing to work together and build marketing strate-gies.

That was the message from Pat Garrity, who spoke to about two dozen people at the meeting room of the Freeman Community Center Thursday evening, Nov. 1.

Garrity, who lives in Yankton, is the coordinator for the South Dakota chapter of Buy Fresh, Buy Local. He brings practical experience to the discussion; he and his wife, Jan, established and operated a fruit or-chard near Yankton, Garrity Prairie Gardens, for two decades. Thurs-day’s program in Freeman was co-sponsored by the Freeman Commu-nity Development Corporation and Rural Revival, a local organization that seeks to promote local food pro-duction, encourage young farmers and provide educational programs that support rural communities.

Garrity provided background on consumer shopping habits and ex-pectations that local producers will have to meet in order to expand their customer base.

Why do we buy?The average American spends

about $3,000 per year on food; that’s a $444 billion economy. That’s a larger business than the software business, he noted.

“What makes us buy food other than being hungry?” he asked rhetor-ically as he went on to detail factors that people consider when purchas-ing food.

Influences include if the food is organic, if it supports sustainable ag-riculture, if it’s considered healthy, if it has transparency of growing prac-tices, if it’s flavorful, if it’s produced with animal welfare and worker wel-fare in mind and its ecological im-pact.

But the number one factor that in-fluences consumer food purchases is price.

“Price is driving the show,” Gar-rity said.

While that’s an understandable reality, Garrity said too often people ignore other factors associated with what he called an “unreasonably cheap food policy” that has become an established and accepted way of life in the nation. While the lower prices are attractive, they come with

a cost, he said.That includes lower wages and

benefits for workers and reliance on fossil fuels to replace human energy and nutrient inputs and for delivery in a huge national and international food distribution system.

And transportation is a huge fac-tor.

“We import 97 percent of the food we eat,” he said. “Most of our food travels 1,500 miles to reach our ta-ble.”

A big part of that, he said, is con-sumer expectation.

“We don’t eat seasonally,” he said. Consumers have come to expect to eat any food any time of the year. Even if produce isn’t available lo-cally because it’s out of season here, consumers want it and that means bringing it in from somewhere else.

Not only does importing food cost money for transportation and pro-cessing, but it also sends money out of the community that would remain in the community if purchased from local producers.

Garrity cited a study that shows Freeman community residents spend $13,217,740 on food every year. If just 10 percent of that came from local producers, that would add $1.3 million to the local economy. It would help support local families and provide new employment oppor-tunities.

“We’re already buying this stuff,” he said. “We should be buying it lo-cally.”

Today South Dakota is buying about $36 million of food from lo-cal producers, which also includes larger local operations like Cimpls and Dimock Cheese, he said. That comprises about 3 percent of food purchases in the state.

“That money stays here,” he said. “That money stays in your commu-nity.”

The local factorIncreasing the percentage of foods

purchased in the communities in which they are produced is directly related to the ability of rural com-munities to not only survive, but also thrive, he said.

“One the biggest things we have to face in South Dakota right now is our rural fabric,” he said. “We need the youth to come back. We need people who are out there who are members of our school board, members of our church, members of our commis-sioners, members of our community. If we don’t maintain something that

keeps them here, we’ll be losing our communities.”

“I look at a lot of our farmsteads out there that could be very produc-tive ground if we gave them (local food entrepreneurs) an opportunity to make a living.”

Farmers markets are an obvious way that local food producers market their produce. Garrity noted that the number of farmers markets in South Dakota has tripled in the past two years. But partnerships with institu-tional consumers are another impor-tant part of the marketing strategy.

In 10 years, he said, “I’d like to see our hospitals and nursing homes, our schools, our grocery stores offer-ing more food from local producers and having a system that can make that happen.”

Garrity said a healthy working re-lationship between local producers and grocery stores has proven to be mutually beneficial.

“One attracts the other,” he said. “Every place I’ve seen a vibrant farmers market, I’ve seen vibrant grocery stores. The whole thing starts to rise.”

Cooperation between local com-munity-based food producers is a key goal. It offers both an essential united front in promoting local foods and creates a broad-based supply to provide variety to meet consumer demands. Garrity encouraged devel-oping even broader cooperative mar-keting programs.

“South Dakota’s climate is diverse enough to provide an extended food system,” he said. Working together with other communities in the state to grow produce that doesn’t grow in other areas can help develop a more comprehensive approach to local foods.

Producers must be realistic, Gar-rity said.

“We have to be reliable.“The consumer is driven by

price,” he said. “But as a grower you have all the control.”

That means educating the public on the value of local foods. It means personalizing the story of local foods and why it matters to the community.

There may be only 10 percent of the population that embraces the idea of local foods, he said, but that’s where to build momentum.

“Focus on the 10 percent — those who care about quality, nutrition, health and their local community,” Garrity said. “We’re kind of on the pioneer end of this, but that’s an ex-citing place to be.”

Freeman Police apprehendman with knife Halloween night

by Jeremy WaltnerCharges are expected to be filed

against an adult male in conjunction with a Halloween night incident in Freeman in which the suspect was reportedly chasing teenagers with a knife, according to Freeman Police Chief Eric Seitz.

Seitz told the Courier early this week that he responded to a call around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31 from local youth who said they were being chased by a man with a knife, and that the knife was be-lieved to be real.

“They claimed they saw sparks,” said Seitz.

Seitz said when he arrived on scene the suspect had disappeared

into the neighborhood; a descrip-tion by the victims and a call to the Hutchinson County Sheriff’s Depart-ment and the South Dakota Highway Patrol led to communitywide search and, finally, an apprehension at Pine Tree Apartments on Sixth Street around 11 p.m. that night.

“We all came together and got it done,” he said. “We weren’t going to give up. We weren’t stopping.”

Seitz would not say what led them to the apartment and did not release the suspect’s name or age.

“The case is pending,” he said, noting the suspect has been released.

Seitz also said he does not know if the incident was merely a Halloween prank, but believes that is irrelevant to how the agencies handled the case

that night.“It could have been (a joke), but

it’s not something we take lightly,” he said. “We don’t joke around. It could have gotten serious.”

The Halloween night incident was the first opportunity for Seitz, who came to Freeman from Las Vegas in August, to work with neighboring agencies in a serious situation.

He said it could not have gone bet-ter.

“I got on the radio, they came from the other side of the county and we went to work,” Seitz said. “Those guys are awesome; we think alike and know how to handle business.”

Watch the Courier for updates on this case.

Pat Garrity, who operated a fruit orchard near Yankton for two decades, spoke to a group of local producers at the Freeman Community Center Thursday evening, Nov. 1. PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

Amy Larsen files her ballot after voting in City Hall Tuesday morning. Local election workers said nearly 100 people had voted in the first 90 minutes and some were waiting in line as early as 6:30 a.m. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, November 14, 2012Volume 112 • Number 32

308 S. Main, Box 950 • Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

twitter@freemancourier

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INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 8Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections .............................................p. 3, 11Social Notes ...................................................p. 7Sports ............................................................p. 11

14 PAGES

InsIde:Babes in ToylandFreeman Academy to presentits 2012 musical this week n p 3

31Freeman instrumentalists named to Region 1 Honor Band n p 3

What ‘local’ meansCommunity must get behind effort; an opinion n p 4

CountyOfficials want more vigilance about right-of-way laws n p 8

LangFHS senior named to Cornbelt’sAll-Conference First Team n p 11

Charges filed in knife scare Halloween night

by Jeremy WaltnerAlex Flores, an 18-year-old from

Freeman, has been charged with simple assault in a Halloween night incident in which he reportedly chased teenagers with a knife in Freeman city limits.

Hutchinson County State’s At-torney informed the Courier of the charges Monday, Nov. 12 and said the charge was a Class 1 misde-meanor.

The charges come less than a week after a report from Freeman Police Chief Eric Seitz was filed with the state’s attorney and two weeks after the suspect was ap-prehended by Freeman Police, the Hutchinson County Sheriff’s Of-fice and the South Dakota Highway Patrol late Oct. 31.

Freeman Police were informed of a man with a knife by fright-ened teenagers around 8:15 p.m. Halloween night. Law enforce-ment made contact with the victims shortly thereafter and spent close to three hours looking for the suspect before locating him at Pine Tree Apartments on Sixth Street.

Postseason arrives for Freemanoral interp students

by Jeremy WaltnerA dozen students from Free-

man Academy and Freeman High School were scheduled to compete in the Region 2B oral interpretation competition at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell Tuesday, Nov. 13. Those advancing through the region will compete at the state festival at Yankton High School Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Competing at Tuesday’s region competition from Freeman Acad-emy were:

n Lizzie Davis - serious prosen Oliva Boese and Brooklyn Ries - duetn Boese, Ries, Polly Carlson and Bethany Wollman – reader’s theaterThose from Freeman High

School were:n Dana Kaufman - oratoryn Jasmine Blue - playsn Grant Preheim - humorousn Megan Eisenbeis and Pre-heim - duetn Blue, Kaufman, Grace Ger-ing, MeKayla Pravecek, Preheim and Derek Scherschligt – read-er’s theaterAll advanced to the region com-

petition by finishing at or near the top at the District 3B competition in Mitchell Nov. 6.

FHS’s oral interpretation team won first place in the district for the second year in a row. In addition to both Freeman schools, District 3B includes Avon, Bridgewater-Em-ery, Hanson, Menno, Scotland and Tripp-Delmont.

Freeman Lions to host Pancake Day this Friday

The Freeman Lions Club will hold its annual Pancake Day on Fri-day, Nov. 16 at the Senior Citizen Center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The menu includes all the pancakes you can eat, one or two sausage patties, pie and a drink.

Freewill donations will be taken and the proceeds will be designated to the Freeman Summer Recre-ational Program and to other local youth projects.

continued on page 13: Game

AmbassadorsP vs. All-Stars P

SATURDAY, NOV. 17, 7 P.M. P FREEMAN HIGH SCHOOL GYMby Jeremy Waltner

Aaaaaand now, taking the court for an eve-ning of basketball action and entertainment, all the way from Fort Collins, Colo., the Har-lem Ambassadors!

(Cheers and applause)Save some of that enthusiasm, folks, be-

cause you’ll also want to give it up for the men and women you know and love — your very own Dakota All-Stars!

(More cheers and applause)So grab some popcorn, sit

back and enjoy the game. It’s going to be a wild one!

You may or may not hear something along those lines as the Harlem Ambassadors get ready to face off against the Da-kota All-Stars at the Freeman High School Gym Saturday evening, Nov. 17. But the con-test — a fundraiser for the Free-man Community Center — will assuredly be a popcorn-worthy affair. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy themselves with a bag of kernels while watching mem-bers of the larger community do their best against a high-flying and fancy team that does come-dy as well as it does basketball? The Freeman Community Cen-ter fundraising committee, for one, is banking on a big crowd.

“We’re hoping for 1,100 people,” said Carroll Vizecky, fundraising committee chair, explaining that would cover the expenses of Saturday night’s event. Beyond the revenue from the admission, Vizecky said the committee is hoping for ad-ditional contributions which would go toward the purchase of tables and chairs; about $4,000 is still needed.

While raising funds is the catalyst for bringing the Harlem Ambassadors to town, Vizecky said the secondary objective is to provide high quality enter-tainment to people of all ages.

“This is a good opportunity for everybody to get together and have a lot of fun,” he said. “There’s going to be huge interaction between the youth (in the audience), the adults that are part of the team and the Harlem Ambas-sadors.”

That interaction — similar in nature to what the Harlem Globetrotters have done since the

late 1920s — is the Ambassadors’ trademark.“It’s a lot of fun and great for the whole

family,” says Andria Simons, director of me-dia relations with the Harlem Ambassadors. “It’s age appropriate for kids and for kids at heart.”

Simons said the level of entertainment, both in terms of basketball skill and comedy,

is second to none because of the quality of players.

“These are men and women from across the country,” she says. “They’re great comics and great basketball players, they’ve won awards, been VIPs, have college degrees and they’ve all played at the college level.”

Like audiences around the country, those in Freeman can expect competitive basketball, showmanship, ball tricks, inter-action with the youngsters in the crowd, banter with the referees and skits. After the 90-minute game has finished up, the players will sign autographs.

“Everybody will have a chance to meet the Ambassadors,” Si-mons says.

Best of all, she says, profits from the event go to the event or-ganizer; in this case the Freeman Community Center fundraising committee.

“They benefit directly,” she says. “The money raised stays in the community.”

That’s the deal the Ambas-sadors have been making with organizations around the world since first taking the court 15 years ago. They play 250 games during their September-through-May season, have visited all 50 states and 20 countries and ben-efited more than 2,000 non-profit organizations.

Freeman Community Center fundraising officials expect their project to be added to that list.

“We need to continue to keep that in the public’s eye,” said Vizecky, who notes the improve-

Meet the Dakota All-StarsCoach: Bob Pidde, FreemanPlayers: Russell Becker, Freeman; Queena Getskow, Parker; Jill Haberman, Olivet; Gerald (Jerry) Hofer, Marion; Kerry Hofer, Freeman; Adam Lee, Freeman; Christie Mehlhaf, Menno; Patti Mehlhaf, Menno; Kristi Nogelmeier, Parker; Dennis Schrock, Freeman; Eric Seitz, Freeman; Chad Soulek, Freeman; Roberta Stoebner, Menno; Aaron Thompson, Freeman; Ginger Waltner, Marion; Rachel Weiland, Bridgewater; Troy Weiland, Bridgewater; Ryan Wieman, Marion; Doug Weber, Bridgewater; Mitch Wollmann, FreemanReferees: John Schultz, Freeman; Nathan Walter, Freeman; Brian Weber, BridgewaterScoreboard: Paul Wynia, Freeman

Certified referees Nathan Walter (left) and John Schultz, along with Brian Weber of Bridgewater, will be officiating Saturday’s game. Tick-ets will be available at the door. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

The Women of The Music ManA group of women from River City rehearses an eccentric dance for the ice cream social to open the second act of The Music Man, presented by Freeman High School Monday and Tues-day, Nov. 12 and 13. The ladies, portrayed by (from left) Jasmine Blue, Grace Gering, Shelby Bauer, Lexi Graber and Dina Soulek, were among a host of men and women whose lives were impacted by the arrival of Harold Hill, the traveling swindler who promises the towns he visits

the formation of a boys band, only to leave the people short-changed. FHS’s The Music Man saw participation from more than 80 students who worked on stage and behind the scenes, and was under the direction of Sheila Wipf and Kaye Waltner. The production was of high quality and included colorful costumes, entertaining choreography, well-designed sets and solid acting. For more photos from the show, see the back page. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Councilpreparesfor snow

by Tim L. WaltnerAnticipating the potentially imminent ar-

rival of winter, the Freeman City Council last week voted to purchase a new snowblower for city workers to clear sidewalks and areas around city property.

The action came af-ter a protracted discus-sion at the council’s regular monthly meeting held Nov. 5, that fo-cused on whether to purchase new equipment or repair the city’s riding lawnmower/snowblower now in use. In the end — although divided on the issue — the council voted to do both.

The city’s John Deere F925 mower is seven years old and has been used for both mowing grass in summer and blowing snow in winter. City officials said while it has about 2,000 hours of use, both the lawnmower/tractor unit and the snowblower attachment are in need of signifi-cant repairs. The city sought quotes from both Fred Haar Co., Inc., Freeman, and Noteboom Implement, Parkston. Estimates for repairs by Fred Haar Co., Inc., were more than $3,000 for the tractor (excluding the mower deck) and more than $2,000 for the snowblower.

Councilor Charly Waltner recommended keeping and repairing the existing lawnmower/tractor — a 2004 John Deere F925 to blow snow and purchasing a new snowblower attachment — but to also purchase a new lawnmower. Walt-ner suggested using the old one for snow, since

continued on page 13: City

Voters give nodto Van Gerpen,Schoenfish, Nelson

by Erik KaufmanVoters in District 19 chose three Republicans

to represent them in Pierre when they selected Bill Van Gerpen to serve in the South Dakota Senate and Kyle Schoenfish and Stace Nelson to serve in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

All three were elected in the 2012 general election held in conjunction with other state and national races Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Van Gerpen defeated longtime Democratic lawmaker Frank Kloucek in the senate race by a vote of 7,024 to 4,677 for a percentage of 60.03 percent to 39.97 percent. Voters throughout District 19 favored Van Gerpen with the excep-tion of Kloucek’s home county of Bon Homme,

continued on page 9: Election

2012ELECTION

CITYCOUNCIL

Ambassadors bring show to FreemanAs many as 725 take in Saturday evening of basketball, entertainment

by Jeremy WaltnerFor those looking for a fundamentally sound,

competitive game of basketball, the Freeman High School Gym was not the place to be Sat-urday night.

For those looking for pure, feel-good enter-tainment, there may have been no better spot for miles around.

Indeed, the Harlem Ambassadors’ visit to Freeman Nov. 17 for an exhibition basketball game against area residents was a smash hit, giv-ing a mostly-full gymnasium plenty of opportu-nity to mix cheers and applause with laughter and appreciation. For two hours the Ambassa-dors — a collection of players from across the country who once played at the college level and today travel the world in support of community projects — shared their brand of showcase bas-ketball loaded with sideshow antics, from inter-action with referees and audience members to more slam dunks than the FHS Gym has seen in 20-plus years of basketball games combined.

There were games for kids, prizes and, at the end, a message about the importance of a col-lege education and drug-free lifestyle.

“I was in disbelief with the amount of enthu-siasm the Ambassadors brought,” said Carroll

Vizecky, chair of the Freeman Community Cen-ter fundraising committee, the group responsible for Saturday’s event. “I think everyone of all ages had a good time.”

Vizecky believes up to 725 people attended the contest, filling the FHS Gym to an estimated two-thirds capacity. The turnout was terrific, Vizecky continued, and will help pay for the tables and chairs for the Freeman Community Center — the ultimate goal of the evening.

He said Monday the committee couldn’t yet say how much revenue Saturday’s event gener-ated.

“At this point we haven’t sifted through the information to even make an estimate,” Vizecky said.

While the Ambassadors were the hottest show in town on Saturday night, their opponent, the Dakota All-Stars, provided plenty of entertain-ment, as well. Well-known men and women from the Freeman community and surrounding towns provided the platform from which the Ambassadors could work. While the Dakota All-Stars were clearly outmatched (they lost 102-82 but were given an additional 60 points going into the third period), all displayed a good

Wednesday, November 21, 2012Volume 112 • Number 33

308 S. Main, Box 950 • Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

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INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ..........................................................p. 4, 5Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 2Public Notice .......................................p. 11, 13Reflections ................................................p. 8, 9Social Notes ...................................................p. 7

14 PAGES

InsIde:School boardOfficals say ‘no’ to requestfor early dismissal Nov. 21 n p 3

ConcertsFACC, FHS to perform first week of December n p 3

‘Thank you’Plenty to mention when listing Freeman’s best; an opinion n p 4

CredibilityNewspaper official addresses controversial issue n p 5

Ag issueTalk to employees during tough climate conditions n p 5

Turkey tipsWhat to do when preparingthe big bird for the feast n p 6

Schmeckfest ticket sales to begin in late November

Advertising and promotional ef-forts for the 2013 Schmeckfest are expected to begin the last week of November. That includes providing information about ticket sales for the 55th annual Schmeckfest to be held in Freeman March 15-16 and 22-23 next year.

With tickets going on sale about a week later than in previous years, a random drawing will be held Dec. 10 to process all orders received prior to that date. That is later than the traditional Dec. 1 drawing. The delay is designed to coordinate the orders with the later-than-usual start of the ticket sale campaign.

The popular festival began in 1959 with an ethnic German meal and has grown to a multifaceted festival now held on two consecu-tive weekends. All meal tickets are sold by advance sale only – either by mail or online orders. The musi-cal production for 2013 is Fiddler on the Roof. Look for an order form for both the meal and musical in the Courier the week of Nov. 28.

Freeman Regional to hold craft/bake sale Nov. 30

The Freeman Regional Health Services Foundation and Market-ing departments will host a craft fair and bake sale Friday, Nov. 30, at Merchants State Bank in Free-man, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The public is invited to come and browse, or stock up on your favor-ite baked items for Christmas, and purchase a gift for a friend or fam-ily member.

This is a great opportunity to support the FRHS Foundation and the work the organization is doing to provide ongoing quality health care services to Freeman and the surrounding communities.

Girls basketball, wrestling practices begin

The early stages of the winter sports season — first practices — have arrived.

Girls basketball teams from both Freeman Academy and Freeman High School officially started their 2012-13 campaigns Monday, Nov. 19 — the first day they are allowed to practice by the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

Boys basketball practice will be-gin next week Monday, Nov. 26.

Prep wrestlers, which includes the Marion-Freeman Rebels, were allowed to begin Monday, Nov. 12.

All of it will lead up to the com-petition phase of the season, which is just around the corner.

n The Marion-Freeman Rebels will host an early bird quadrangular in Marion Tuesday, Nov. 27.

n The FHS girls will open their season Tuesday, Dec. 4 at Parkston.

n The FHS boys will begin Fri-day, Dec. 7 when they host Viborg-Hurley.

n Both the boys and girls bas-ketball teams from Freeman Acad-emy will start their season with a home doubleheader against Alces-ter-Hudson Friday, Dec. 7.

The Courier is planning to pub-lish its winter sports preview the first week of December, which will include photos, stories, schedules and predictions.

continued on page 11: Basketball

Freeman Academy brings Babes in Toyland to lifeHard-hitting pirates Gonzorgo and Rodrigo (sophomore Olivia Boese, left, and senior Lizzie Davis) go through great lengths to explain to Barnaby (junior Ian Hofer) the methods they used to murder Tom-Tom (he didn’t really die) in the Act I number, “Now Tom-Tom’s Gone” of Freeman Academy’s production of Babes in Toyland. The all-school musical was staged in Pioneer Hall Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17 and featured a myriad of Mother Goose char-

acters banding together in the wake of Barnaby’s threat to foreclose the mortgage on the old woman’s shoe. With Christmas on the line and with the help of the Master Toymaker (who can do anything) and Mother Goose’s famous cookies, the ensemble manages to one-up the village miser, save the old woman’s shoe and, in that, the Christmas holiday. For more photos from the show, see the back page. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Troy Weiland, a pastor from Bridgewater, gets some assistance from Lade Majic, who founded the Harlem Ambassadors prior to shooting a free throw during Saturday’s basketball game. Weiland was one of 20 area residents who played for the Dakota All-Stars. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

OratorsadvanceStudents will present pieces next week Monday

by Jeremy WaltnerEight students from Freeman will participate

in the State Oral Interpretation Festival in Yank-ton late next week, earning their spot at the Re-gion 2B festival in Mitchell Tuesday, Nov. 13.

The state qualifiers will all present their piec-es at a public event next week Monday, Nov. 26, at the music room of the Freeman Community Center beginning at 7 p.m.

The event is being organized by Freeman Area Community Theatre.

Those moving on to the state competition, which will take place Nov. 30 and Dec 1, in-clude Freeman Academy’s Lizzie Davis in seri-ous plays. The senior will present “Franciose” from Picasso’s Women by Brian McAvera.

Freeman High School will be represented in four categories.

Juniors Grant Preheim and Megan Eisenbeis

continued on page 9: Orators

Swiss Choral performance tofeature classical heavyweightsFriday’s concert another milestone for group that began in 1932

by Jeremy WaltnerWhen it comes to greats in classical music, it

doesn’t get any better than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

That’s the opinion of Dan Graber, who has the privilege of directing one of his favorite composer’s works this Friday, Nov. 23, when the Swiss Choral Society presents Solemn Ves-pers as the centerpiece of its annual Thanksgiv-ing concert.

The concert — the 80th presented by the Swiss Choral Society — begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Salem-Zion (North) Mennonite Church.

“Mozart, across the board, is celebratory and exciting,” says Graber, a community na-tive and Freeman area resident who is directing his fourth consecutive Swiss Choral concert. “From beginning to end, it’s just all-out, really fun music.”

Graber describes Solemn Vespers as a “ser-vice of psalms” broken into six movements.

Composed by Mozart in Salzburg, Austria in 1779, the work features text entirely in Latin.

The vocal narrative was a challenge to learn, he says, but came quickly.

“Once you figure it out you realize every-thing is pure vowels,” Graber says. “It’s almost easier to sing than English.”

While Solemn Vespers is solid from front to back, Graber says the piece is marked by the fifth movement, “Laudate Dominum,” which is based on Psalm 117 and features soprano solo-ist Whitney Fretham.

“It’s absolutely heavenly,” Graber says of the movement. “Listening to it you know there must be some sort of supreme being at work.”

Solemn Vespers will also feature organist Debra Schmeichel, alto Lisa Knutson, tenor Ken Mannes, bass Jim Graber, as well as the South Dakota Symphony’s Christian Zamora and Sonja Bundy on violin and Maria-Elaine Gagnon on cello.

“We’ve got three of the best string players in

the state,” says Graber, “which will, of course, help our overall product.”

As will the talented singers from the larger community. While the 29-voice choir is among the smallest there has been in the 80-year his-tory of the choir, Graber says the group is more than capable of putting on a tremendous per-formance.

“As long as you have good voices,” he says, “you’re alright.”

Here is what Ken Mannes, vice-president of the Swiss Choral Executive Committee, says about Solemn Vespers:

“The first Psalm 110 begins in a joyful tem-po in C major. The next, “Beatus vir,” is also full of life and energy. Later, the “Exaltabitur” (or “shall be exalted”) brings even more energy to the piece. The famous “Laudate Dominum” with the lovely, lyrical soprano solo accompa-nied by the choir is followed by the reassur-

continued on page 3: Concert

Wednesday, November 28, 2012Volume 112 • Number 34

308 S. Main, Box 950 • Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

twitter@freemancourier

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INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 10Forum ..............................................................p. 4,Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 11Public Notice ..............................................p. 11Reflections ................................................p. 3, 7Social Notes ...................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

12 PAGES

InsIde:ConcertsFACC, FHS to performSunday and Monday n p 3

80thSwiss Choral Societypresents another concert n p 3

CompromiseNow is the time to come together; an opinion n p 4

Good ideaExtension agent saysgrazing corn a smart move n p 5

MVPFHS senior Dina Soulek honored as best in the Cornbelt n p 9

Courier notes changes at freemansd.com

Beginning this week, those visit-ing the Freeman Courier’s website, freemansd.com, will see something brand-new.

A redesign has changed both the way the site looks and functions, al-lowing readers to browse headlines and introductory paragraphs, view the online-only “Photo of the Day,” while finding easy access to our eEdition, which allows subscrib-ers to see a digital copy of the print edition. There are also links, banner ads and the weekly online question.

For more on the switch and what it means, read the Letter from the Editor and Publisher on page 4.

Freeman Regional to hold craft/bake sale Nov. 30

The Freeman Regional Health Services Foundation and Market-ing departments will host a craft fair and bake sale Friday, Nov. 30, at Merchants State Bank in Free-man, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The public is invited to come and browse, or stock up on your favor-ite baked items for Christmas, and purchase a gift for a friend or fam-ily member.

This is a great opportunity to support the FRHS Foundation and the work the organization is doing to provide ongoing quality health care services to Freeman and the surrounding communities.

Deadline tosign up for FACT bus trip nearing

Those who want to join the Free-man Area Community Theatre’s bus trip to Yankton to see Irving Berlin’s classic musical, White Christmas, must make their reser-vation by Saturday, Dec. 1.

FACT’s Cindy Hofer said Mon-day there’s still room for those who want to take advantage of this op-portunity.

The package includes bus trans-portation utilizing the services of Freeman Community Transit and reserved seats for the 7:30 p.m. performance at the Lewis and Clark Playhouse in downtown Yankton Friday, Dec. 7.

Those making the trip are being asked to gather at the parking lot of the Freeman Country Inn at 6:15 p.m. The bus will leave at 6:30 p.m. A single ticket includes reserved seat for the show and round trip transportation from Freeman.

For more information or to make a reservation, call Hofer at 925-4446 by Dec. 1.

Holiday brunchplanned at Prairie Arboretum Dec. 1

A holiday brunch will be held to celebrate the Christmas season on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Prairie Arboretum.

Each of the tables will be deco-rated in a holiday theme. Table viewing will begin at 9:45 a.m. Choose a favorite spot to sit and enjoy brunch, Christmas music and visiting with friends.

Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance by Wednes-day, Nov. 28. Call Cheryl at 925-4204 or Deb at 605-351-4747, for ticket prices and reservations. Proceeds from this event will go toward expenses at the arboretum.

continued on back page: Neufeld sisters

HigHer groundAlison and Renee Neufeld take on the Appalachian Trail

If you were to tell Alison and Renee Neufeld to “go take a hike,” you might just be surprised by what that prompts them to do.

“Taking a hike” is exactly what they did on April 4 when the two sisters started their journey in Georgia; 175

days and 2,184.2 miles later, on Sept. 25, their adventure con-cluded in Maine. The hike came on the Appalachian Trail (AT), a marked hiking trail between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine that passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The AT was conceived by Benton MacKaye, a forester who suggested a grand trail that would connect a series of farms and wilderness work/study camps for city-dwellers. Most of the trail passes through wilderness, although some portions go through towns and along roads.

Trail hikers who attempt to complete the entire trail in a single season are called “thru-hikers.” Those who hike only portions are known as “section-hikers.” Since 1930, more than 13,000 have made the full distance.

Knowing the challenge of the rugged terrain, uncertain weather, potential for illness or injury and the physical demands of the AT, the Neufeld sisters had realistic expectations as they began seriously planning their adventure nearly two years ago. But they were committed to give it their all.

The sisters grew up in the Freeman community. Both are graduates of Freeman Academy — Renee in1998 and Alison in 2001 — and went on to attend Hesston (Kan) College.

Renee started taking a serious look at the AT when she was a student at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. She graduated in 2002 with a degree in recreation and outdoor ministries. Hiking the trail “sounded like fun,” she recalls, think-ing, “I’d like to do that some day.”

After graduating from EMU, Renee returned to her home community and worked at Swan Lake Christian Camp near Viborg as program director. It was there that Swan Lake Camp director Jerry Kroeker encouraged Renee to consider hiking the AT. Ultimately, Renee decided she would do it and, in spring 2011, gave a full year’s notice that she would be leaving her position at Swan Lake Camp.

“I missed the mountains and I like hiking,” she says and de-cided the time was right to take on the longest hike of her life.

“But,” she said, “I didn’t want to do this by myself.”Renee and Alison have been close since high school. And as

they visited about Renee’s interest in the AT, Alison encouraged her as well.

“You always wanted to do the trail,” Alison told her, and said that if Renee wanted to pursue that, she would consider being her hiking partner.

Alison, who graduated from Hesston College with a nursing degree, works as a traveling nurse. That has enabled her to work in a wide variety of temporary positions. She says she has been bitten by the travel bug, which has taken her to places around the United States as well as Africa and New Zealand. Her work gave her the flexibility of time to join Renee on the AT adven-ture.

“We enjoy each other’s company,” Renee said, and the thought of sharing a six-month adventure with her sister was intriguing enough that they began talking about it more and more. In early 2011, the two agreed to plan on hiking the AT the

following year.Renee is the more athletic of the two; she’s run 25 mara-

thons and has considerably more hiking experience. But Alison wanted to not only support her sister but also do something for herself.

“I know my physical limitations,” she said, “but I wanted to challenge myself.”

“I gave Alison as many outs as I could,” Renee recalls, but Alison was committed; the plans to hike the AT were set and the sisters began preparations.

“We did a lot of research,” Alison said, “on gear and things about the trail.”

Planning a trip that involves carrying all your equipment on your back that will last months, not days, and cover more than 2,000 miles, is daunting. Traveling light is an obvious goal, but lighter equipment is more expensive. Knowing what to take is the key, they said.

The temperature extremes on the trail — both the range in

by Tim L. Waltner

Tickets for 55th Schmeckfest on saleCommunity to host 2013 festival next March; Fiddler on the Roof to be presented

Orders are now being accepted for tickets for the 55th annual Schmeckfest to be held in Free-man March 15, 16 and 22, 23, 2013.

The popular festival, which began in 1959 with an ethnic German meal, has grown to a multifaceted festival now held on two consecu-tive weekends. A full three-course meal featur-ing the traditional foods of the Freeman com-munity is served family style to 1,000 guests each night. Tickets for the meal are sold advance order only.

Tickets are also on sale for reserved seats for the 2013 Schmeckfest musical production, Fid-dler on the Roof. It will be presented each night of Schmeckfest with an 8 p.m. curtain at Pioneer Hall. This is the third time the popular musi-cal will be staged as a Schmeckfest musical; it was performed in 1972 and 1987. In addition to

the performances scheduled during Schmeck-fest, Fiddler on the Roof will also be presented Thursday, March 21; no Schmeckfest activities will be held on Thursday.

Tickets for the meal and reserved seats for the musical are available by writing Schmeckfest, Box S, Freeman, SD 57029 or online at www.schmeckfest.com where credit card orders can be placed directly or an order form can be print-ed and mailed.

The festival also includes demonstrations of culinary arts, which are held at Sterling Hall on the Freeman Academy campus. The Country Kitchen bake sale and foods for sampling will also be located in Sterling Hall, which is handi-cap accessible and is located northeast of Pio-neer Hall.

The Freeman Academy Auxiliary, which

sponsors Schmeckfest, will again provide free admission to the Heritage Hall Museum com-plex which houses the Plains Indian Artifacts Display and thousands of items from the his-tory of pioneer settlers and early life in South Dakota. Demonstrations of early pioneer activi-ties can be found throughout the museum during Schmeckfest.

As in past years, the festival also includes free historical and musical presentations.

A random drawing is held Dec. 10 to process all orders received prior to that date. Ticket or-ders received after Dec. 10 are processed daily with first-choice preference given when avail-able. All mail orders for tickets should include a check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Schmeckfest — a German word meaning “tasting festival” — was started in 1959 as a

one-time, one-day event by the Freeman Acad-emy and Junior College Women’s Auxiliary to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It featured the fa-vorite dishes of the Mennonite people who im-migrated to the area from Russia in the 1870s. That first Schmeckfest proved to be so popular that it was repeated the following year, and the year after that, and it quickly became an annual affair. It soon expanded to two days, then to three days and, in 2005, two weekends. The event has become known nationally for its celebration of tradition and culture and is held annually in late March or early April.

Proceeds from Schmeckfest go to benefit Freeman Academy, a Christian, coeducational school for grades 1-12. It is affiliated with Men-nonite churches in the area and was established in 1900.

Orators to represent Freeman this weekEight from FA, FHS to compete at state festival in Yankton Friday, Saturday

by Jeremy WaltnerGrant Preheim had better get a good night’s

rest Thursday, Nov. 29.He’s going to be busy on Friday.The Freeman High School junior will com-

pete three times at the State Oral Interpreta-tion Festival in Yankton Nov. 30, taking his place among other Class B competitors in the categories of Humorous, Duet Interpretation and Readers Theatre at 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“It’s going to be hard keeping my energy up all day, especially since all the pieces are comedies,” says Preheim, who will compete at state in the Humorous category for the sec-ond year in a row. “But once I get in the heat of the moment, I think I’ll be ready. I’m re-ally excited and all my pieces are really well-prepared.”

Preheim’s heavy participation at this week-end’s festival at Yankton High School, which concludes Saturday, Dec. 1, is indicative of the kind of oral interpretation season he and others from Freeman High School have en-joyed. The Flyers won the District 3B com-petition earlier this month and saw a nearly flawless showing at the Region 2B competi-tion Nov. 13, where Preheim and seven others earned a spot at the state festival.

Those from Freeman taking part in the 2012 State Oral Interp Festival include, clockwise from upper left, Grant Preheim, Derek Scherschligt, Grace Gering, MeKayla Pravecek, Lizzie Davis, Megan Eisenbeis, Jasmine Blue and Dana Kaufman.PHOTO BYJEREMY WALTNER

For sisters Alison (left) and Renee Neufeld, 2012 was marked in large part by their efforts to hike the Appalachian Trail in the eastern part of the United States. Renee completed the 2,184.2-mile journey in Maine on Sept. 25. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

FA’s Lizzie Daviseyes strong finish

by Jeremy WaltnerFreeman Academy senior Lizzie Davis

first tried her hand at oral interpretation as a junior last fall and found success, advancing through the local and district competition to the region.

But she just missed out on state.“I was really disappointed,” Davis says

now, looking back, “so this year I worked re-ally hard.”

It paid off.continued on page 3: Davis continued on page 3: State

Wednesday, December 5, 2012Volume 112 • Number 35

308 S. Main, Box 950 • Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

twitter@freemancourier

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 9Public Notice ..............................................p. 13Reflections ................................................p. 7, 8Social Notes ...................................................p. 7Sports ............................................................p. 11

14 PAGES

InsIde:Charged45-year-old steals $67, charged with burglary n p 3

FCFLocal organization gives to VFW, Freeman Transit, arboretum n p 3

SchrockColumnist recalls effort on court against Ambassadors n p 4

ProducedReport shows corn, soybeans exceeded expectations n p 5

Oh Christmas treeTips for selectingthe perfect one n p 6

PhotographedPictures show participantsin Region Honor Band n p 13

Santa to make appearance at library Thursday

Santa Claus, known also as St. Nick, Father Christmas and Kris Kringle and who lives in the North Pole when he’s not delivering pres-ents to children on Christmas Eve, will make an appearance at the Freeman Public Library this Thurs-day, Dec. 6.

Santa will be on hand from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The jolly old fellow’s visit to Freeman comes in conjunction with Holidazzle, a shopping promotion that will take place at participating businesses Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This year’s Holidazzle will fea-ture in-home businesses set up at different locations throughout the retail community. A number of re-tail businesses will also have sales throughout the promotional event.

Details were included in the ad-vertisement in the Nov. 28 edition of the Courier.

Boys, girls basketball seasons begin this week

This week Friday, Dec. 7, will be a big night in Freeman as Free-man Academy opens its basketball season with a doubleheader against Alcester-Hudson and the Freeman High School boys begin their 2012-13 campaign by hosting Viborg-Hurley.

The doubleheader begins with the boys junior varsity game at 5 p.m. (there is no girls JV team) fol-lowed by the varsity girls and, fi-nally, the varsity boys.

At Freeman High School on Fri-day, action begins with the junior varsity at 6:15 p.m.

The Freeman High School girls basketball team was scheduled to open Tuesday, Dec. 4, on the road against Parkston.

The Marion-Freeman wrestling season is underway, too, with a pair of matches already in the books. The Rebels hosted a quadrangular in Marion Nov. 27 and took part in the Kimball Tournament Saturday, Dec. 1. M-F will compete again Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Crofton Triangular in Crofton, Neb.

A full schedule for Freeman’s winter sports teams is printed on page 11. The Courier is planning to include its winter sports preview with the Dec. 12 edition — one week later than usual because of the recent launch of its redesigned website found at freemansd.com.

Watch that site, as well as Twit-ter and Facebook, for updates on the new sports season throughout the winter.

Elementary Christmas concert Dec. 11

The Freeman Elementary School will perform their annual Christ-mas music program Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the elementary gym. Traditional Christmas carols will be presented by the kindergarten through grade six students, and the sixth grade band. “Silent Night,” “Go Tell It On the Mountain,” “O Come, Little Children,” “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Angel Band” are some of the se-lections which will be performed.

Everyone is welcomed.

continued on page 14: Customs

5 for 5; Freeman aces festivalFA, FHS orators win gold every time; FHS takes team excellence award

by Jeremy WaltnerDana Kaufman had been in this position three

times before — a chance to win gold at the high-est level — but never with the stakes so high.

On Saturday, Dec. 1, competing at the 2012 State Oral Interpretation Festival in Yankton, the Freeman High School senior was the only person standing in the way of a clean sweep for Freeman High School, a perfect and unprec-edented four for four showing.

A two-time superior winner before, there was no better candidate to bring it home for Freeman — and that’s exactly what she did.

Kaufman’s gold medal performance for “Learn to Listen with Your Heart” in the cat-egory of Non-Original Oratory gave Freeman students a remarkable clean sweep at the state

festival that included a winning performance of “Franciose’” from Picasso’s Women by Freeman Academy’s Lizzie Davis in the category of Seri-ous Plays.

Other superior performances included:Grant Preheim for “The Book of Awesome”

in Humorous;Preheim and Megan Eisenbeis for “World

Wide Fans” in Duet Interpretation;The FHS readers theater team of Preheim,

Kaufman, Jasmine Blue, Grace Gering, MeKay-la Pravecek and Derek Scherschligt for “Meet Susie.”

“I was thrilled with all of them; they per-formed so well and had such a good reception,” says FHS coach Kristina Sage, noting how tough the competition is during the oral inter-pretation postseason that also includes district

and regions. “It’s difficult, there’s no doubt,” Sage con-

tinued. “Just getting (to state) is an accomplish-ment.”

For FA’s Davis, Saturday’s superior perfor-mance was the apex of a newfound love of the stage that first began last year. As a junior she enjoyed a successful season in oral interpreta-tion, just missing a spot at the state festival, and was then cast as the lead in FA’s musical, Anne of Green Gables.

This year’s oral interpreation season was all about the Picasso’s Women piece she and her coach, Todd Jones, decided in 2011 would best suit her one year later.

“We agreed to hold on to it, take a Non-Origi-nal Oratory piece instead and get some competi-tion under her belt.”

The strategy appeared to be a good one as Davis made it through the local, district and re-gional competitions with flying colors.

Jones said, following Davis’ performance at state on Saturday, she told him she felt like she had done her best.

“I said, ‘As long as you feel that way, it doesn’t matter from here on out.’ I think both of us were content with whatever was going to happen.”

But when Davis’ name was called with the rest of the superior winners in the Serious Plays Class B division, disbelief gave way to pure joy.

“I think she was stunned,” Jones said. “She looked at me like, ‘Did I just hear that?’ It was a big moment. I was very proud of her. She

Custom FitWith business up and running in downtown Freeman,life couldn’t get much better for Black Widow Customs

by Jeremy WaltnerYou don’t have to be a car lover to take

notice of the sweet ride that gleams through the large windows facing Freeman’s Main Street at the corner of Main and Fourth — a brilliant blue 1958 DeSoto Firesweep in near perfect condition that looks right at home on the showroom floor.

A silver racing stripe that runs the length of the car and right up the back fins gives it edge, its two-door design with power brakes, power steering and a rare 350 Chrysler en-gine gives it its value.

This car holds a powerful sense of history and pride for its owner, Barry Preheim. It was purchased brand-new by his uncle, Ray, who gifted it to Barry’s father, Neil.

“It was actually my parents’ honeymoon car,” says Barry, who has remained in pos-session of the Firesweep over the years and taken great interest in making sure it’s the best car it can be.

Barry has Black Widow Customs to thank.In March, eight months before the car

restoration business moved from rural Mon-roe into the former Huber Motor complex at Main and Fourth in downtown Freeman, Barry turned the keys over to husband and wife Neil and Sarah Muenchow and Sarah’s brother, Chris Van Roeken, ages 38, 41 and 40.

“It was still pretty nice for an original car, but the motor was bad,” recalls Barry, who had Black Widow Customs rebuild both the 350 en-gine and transmis-sion and give it new skin — that brilliant blue paint job with that sweet racing stripe up its side.

The folks at Black Widow Customs worked on the car through the summer and into the fall, honing their sharp skills and making sure they were doing justice to a car that carries historic significance.

“All they ever said was, ‘I hope you’re happy with what we’re doing,’” says Barry, who never once worried. “They do phenom-enal work, just phenomenal.”

That work is now on full display behind those big glass windows that face Main Street and will be through at least the win-ter months. Barry says he plans to take it out and about now and then — possibly take it to some shows — but he’s more than happy to see it shine right where it sits, where the com-munity can take notice.

There’s work to doBarry’s Firesweep represents everything

good about Black Widow Customs, the fam-ily business built from the ground up two years ago that quickly found a market in the restoration of old vehicles. Neil and Chris met in a body shop class at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, became fast friends and worked on cars as a hobby for more than 20 years before starting Black Widow Cus-toms with Sarah.

Love for the work and an ability to do the job well quickly earned them a solid

reputation among vintage car lovers — a close-knit, club-like group made

up of strangers who often become friends.

“By the grace of God, it just exploded,” Sar-ah says of the business, which moved from a

single stall build-ing to a four-stall ga-

rage with attached paint booth in rural Monroe

before winning the spacious former Huber Motor property on auction Oct. 3.

It’s a good thing, too, because business is booming.

“Lately it feels like it’s been all work, and I’m grateful for that,” says Sarah, who leaves the mechanics and the detail jobs to Neil and Chris and, instead, focuses on the management of Black Widow Customs. She got a perfect view of the Firesweep, by the way, from her office just off the showroom floor. “If there’s one thing I can say about our business, it’s that it’s fun. If we can’t have fun while we’re here, then this isn’t working.”

There’s plenty of fun to be had at Black Widow Customs, and there’s no mistaking the work that happens inside as you make your way through the sprawling property with overhead doors facing Fourth Street to the north, that corner slab that once upon a time housed fuel pumps, and the front show-room and office area that faces Main Street to the west.

Go down the line and see the jobs at hand:The 1928 McCormick Deering 1020 that

needs a paint job and a big boost to get it run-ning;

The 1991 S10 with air ride suspension and a 5.3 liter LSI V8 in need of paint and graph-ics that Neil describes as a “hot rod low-rid-er;”

The 1968 Road Runner that awaits a full restoration “from front to back, top to bot-tom;”

The 1968 Charger to work out the rust;The 1965 GTO that also awaits a full res-

toration. “The owner drove it in here,” says Neil, “but he fell through the floor.”

The 1971 Nova that needs new brakes and a paint job;

The 1957 Pontiac Chieftain that will get a new motor and new brakes;

The 1935 Chevy with suicide doors, bad

Sarah and Neil Muenchow, left, and Chris Van Roeken stand next to Barry Preheim’s 1958 DeSoto Firesweep that’s on display at the front room of their new Freeman business, Black Widow Customs. “They do phenomenal work, just phenomenal,” says Preheim, who had the team rebuild the car’s rare 350 liter engine, replace its suspension and restore the paint work. Like Preheim, the folks at Black Widow Customs think highly of the vintage auto; notice none of the three are touching the car. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

continued on page 3: State

TeenSpiriTLike those they cheer for, the girls are hard at it, too, as the sports season nears

by Jeremy WaltnerOn Friday night, when the boys basketball

season at Freeman High School opens against Viborg-Hurley, they’ll put on their uniforms, lace up their sneakers and run through pregame warm-ups.

These first weeks of practice have all led up to this, their discipline and talent on full display in front of an expected large home crowd.

We’re not talking about the boys.We’re talking about the girls.The cheerleaders are the players’ dedicated

companion, the ying to their yang, the ebb to their flow. Through good times and bad, home and away, from the announcement of the line-ups through the final buzzer, from Game 1 until Game 20 and whatever may follow, the cheer team will be there, loyal as the day is long.

“They realize they are a support system for whatever team they’re cheering for,” says Ron-da Rinehart, who has led, refined and worked to improve the FHS cheer team each of the last seven years. She’s coming off a fall sports sea-son that involved 10 football cheerleaders — some of them cheering for the very last time — and has been working with the six who will perform for the boys basketball season since practices began Monday, Nov. 26.

If you stop by the junior-senior high school anytime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., Monday through Friday, you’ll find them practicing.

Such was the case last week Friday, when Rinehart and the girls were working on a new lift for the very first time that may or may not be incorporated into one of their regular routines.

“This is the first time we’ve tried it,” said Rinehart after watching her team repeatedly hoist junior Maranda Egan into the air — a ma-neuver called “elevator from an extension” — with more success than failure. “Based on what I’m seeing today I think it’s probably something we’ll do.”

Ronda Rinehart and her cheer team work on a lift of junior Maranda Egan called “elevator from an extension” during cheer practice Fri-day morning, Nov. 30. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

continued on page 14: Spirit

Wednesday, December 12, 2012Volume 112 • Number 36

308 S. Main, Box 950 • Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

twitter@freemancourier

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News .............................................p. 12Classifieds ....................................................p. 14Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 11Public Notice ..............................................p. 15Reflections ...........................................p. 10, 11Social Notes ...................................................p. 7Sports .......................................................p. 9, 13

16 PAGES

InsIde:$100,000Freeman Community Foundation reaches milestone goal n p 3

Lasting giftModern Woodmen plant twotrees at Freeman ballpark n p 3

Cold cowsWays to manage the herdwhen the mercury drops n p 5

Living treeChristmas symbol can finda home outdoors, as well n p 6

HumphreyArea GFP officer honoredfor 15 years of service n p 9

Box scoresA look at the first week of action on the basketball court n p 13

FA’s to present ‘Renaissance Yuletide’ Dec. 13, 14

The Freeman Academy music department will present their an-nual Christmas concert with a meal, “A Renaissance Yuletide,” Dec. 13 and 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Pioneer Hall. Performing groups for the evening will feature Renaissance Christmas songs along with contemporary Christmas selections. The perform-ing groups are under the direction of Donna Ries, band, and Amy Hofer Vetch, choir.

The meal, prepared by David Friesen and Patti Graber and served by the Freeman Academy Auxiliary will include French onion soup, pot roast, oven roasted potatoes, green beans and bread pudding with a berry sauce.

Reservations are needed for this event. For more information and ticket availability call the Freeman Academy office at 925-4237.

Christmas Cookie Walk planned Dec. 14

The annual Christmas Cookie Walk will take place on Friday, Dec. 14, (snow date Monday, Dec. 17) from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Senior Citizen Center.

Bring your own container or purchase one on site. Sponsored by the Hutterthal Mennonite Women, funds raised will be designated to help the Salis family with expenses incurred when their daughter was under medical treatment in Minne-apolis for several months.

Holidays prompt early deadlines for SCPI publications

With Christmas and New Year’s Day both falling on Tuesdays, early deadlines for all publications by Second Century Publishing, Inc., are required.

Because of an early printing schedule, holiday deadlines for the Area Wide Connection and Dakota Action Rocket will be Thursday at noon on both Dec. 20 and Dec. 27.

The deadline for all news and advertising copy for the Freeman Courier will be Friday at 10 a.m. on both Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.

All publications will be in mail-boxes and on news stands as usu-al both Wednesday, Dec. 26 and Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Deadlines for this coming week’s publications are not impacted by the holiday.

Subscriptions come due at end of the year

As has been the case since 1901, all subscriptions to the Freeman Courier will come due at the end of the calendar year.

Those wishing to renew can do so in person by stopping in the Courier’s downtown office located at 308 S. Main.

Credit cards are also accepted by calling 605-925-7033; readers may also renew their subscription online at freemansd.com.

Rates for 2013 are as follows:Print/eEdition in state ............... $56Print/eEdition out of state ........ $58Eedition only ............................ $30

Please feel free to contact the Courier with any questions.

continued on page 8: Council

Variance for twin home tabledException for rear setback would allow for construction on Green Meadow Lane

by Tim L. WaltnerAfter hearing comments both supporting and

opposing a zoning variance that would allow construction of a twin home on Green Mead-ow Lane, the Freeman City Council tabled action until its January meeting.

Don Cooper and his wife, Terry Walter, built two twin homes as MiStar Enterprises on the west side of Green Meadow Lane several years ago. Cooper attended the Dec. 4 meeting of the

council and explained he was representing his mother-in-law, Martha Walter, who wants to construct a twin home on the east side of Green Meadow Lane.

“It’s an investment for my mother-in-law,” Cooper told the council, noting that she has been generous to the community with support for the local hospital and museum.

“She really wants to invest further in the com-munity,” he said.

The proposed twin home is based on the mar-ket demand, Cooper said, which calls for two three-bedroom, two-bath units.

The proposal came before the council be-

cause the home, as designed, will not fit on the east side of Green Meadow Lane without a vari-ance to reduce the rear setback from the eastern boundary of the property from 20 feet to 4 feet. The adjoining property is city property that in-cludes the 60-foot wide ditch that collects water from Sixth Street and carries it north to North County Road. The twin home would also re-quire a variance on the west side facing Green Meadow Lane. The zoning ordinance calls for 25 feet from the property line to the structure; this would be reduced to about 20 feet, similar to a variance granted for construction of the two twin homes MiStar built on the west side of the

street.The point of contention is the variance re-

quest for the rear setback on the east side of the proposed twin home.

Jason and Jill Aanenson, whose home is lo-cated on the east side of the city’s ditch, attended the meeting and Jill Aanenson spoke in opposi-tion to the request.

Aanenson urged the council to abide by the zoning laws that are in place.

“The laws are there to protect the privacy and investment of property owners,” she said.

Arms of an angelRecess took on a whole new look and feel for Freeman Elementary fourth-grader Maddie Kribell and other grade school students who trekked out onto a snow-covered playground Monday, Dec. 10. The sun shone brightly as the new week started and greeted students like Maddie, the 10-year-old daughter of Sheila and Royce Brenneman, who were all smiles as they frolicked in the glistening white blanket provided by Mother Nature. There was little care that it was cold, or that barely an inch of snow had fallen over the weekend, but instead thrills

as they played. Light snow began falling during the day Saturday and continued on and off through Sunday, a day marked by high winds and, at times, blizzard conditions. The commu-nity’s first taste of winter weather prompted both schools to start late Monday morning and gave those hoping for a white Christmas — or at least some snow to play in during recess — reason to smile. For a closer look at the most recent run of cold weather and much needed moisture, see the weather breakdown on page 2. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

CITYCOUNCIL

Officials address pending Marion-Menno football co-opby Jeremy Waltner

With a new football cooperative between Marion and Menno nearly a done deal, school officials from Freeman Public addressed a let-ter sent to them several months ago by officials from Marion inquiring about the possibility of collaborating in athletics — specifically foot-ball.

Meeting in regular session Friday morning, Dec. 7, Hotchkiss told the board he had a lengthy

conversation with Marion superintendent Adam Shaw after the letter was received and was told Marion wasn’t interested in pursuing an athletic cooperative with Freeman after all.

“He said, realistically, they were only looking at football and they did not want to play 11-man football, and I’m not sure we want to play 11-man football,” Hotchkiss told the board, noting a Marion-Freeman football cooperative would put them above the 112.5 student ADM (Aver-age Daily Membership in grades 9-11) used by the SDHSAA to measure football classifica-tions.

Hotchkiss said Shaw also told him, “‘And, by

the way, we’re going to form a football coopera-tive with Menno and we want to get back in the (Cornbelt) conference,’ so that’s what they’re doing.”

A Marion-Menno football cooperative would keep their ADM below 112.5 and a 9-man status.

Freeman Public school officials had said pre-viously they would be interested in setting up a special meeting to discuss the request from Mar-ion. Last Friday, given the comments to Hotch-kiss about not wanting to play 11-man football, local officials appeared perplexed — and a little irritated — that Marion would contact Freeman in the first place.

“So we were never an option for them?” board member Laverne Diede said. “They never wanted us?”

“Correct,” replied Hotchkiss.“Then why send us the letter?” board presi-

dent Darnell Tschetter asked. “It gets the town all riled up and makes us look like you-know-what.”

Shaw told the Courier Monday morning the letter was sent to Freeman with the best inten-tions.

“We didn’t realize we would get pushed that

SCHOOLBOARD

continued on page 8: School

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From left: Chelsea Wentz, Dina Soulek, Ben Carlson and Jordan RinehartPublished as a supplement to the Dec. 12, 2012 edition of the Freeman Courier.

Stories, photos, analysis and predictions by Jeremy Waltner

This eight-page basketball preview

profiling each of Freeman’s four

teams is included with this week’s

Courier. It features stories, schedules,

rosters, photos, an analysis and predictions, all by news editor

Jeremy Waltner. It is also available

for reading in color at the

Courier’s eEdition website, which

can be found at freemansd.com.

Sayler hopes to build wrestling programby Jeremy Waltner

Chris Sayler keeps in his coach’s bag a sense of real-ism when it comes to the new wrestling season under-way for the Marion-Freeman Rebels, but the competi-tive nature that lies within the fifth-year coach can’t help but sneak out.

“We’re not going to be at the top,” Sayler says of his young team’s chances competing in tournaments over the course of the next six weeks, “but I don’t want to be at the bottom, either.”

Therein lies both the reality and the challenge for high school grapplers taking the mat for a Marion-Freeman wrestling cooperative now in its 22nd year. With the horses from last year’s team gone — Dylan Cotton, Slade Mutchelknaus and Bryce Sayler — it’s back to the drawing board for a Rebels varsity team that num-bers 10, four of whom have never before wrestled at that level.

“The saying goes, ‘It’s a rebuilding year,’ but that’s exactly what it is,” says the coach. “The expectations we

have this year are different from what we had.”In fact, a very difficult Region 2, which is among the

most competitive in all of Class B, could very well mean a season in which Marion-Freeman does not send a rep-resentative to the State B Wrestling Tournament — a rarity for a program that has seen its fair share of suc-cess over the years.

“Maybe if we were in a region out west, but our re-gion is so tough,” says Sayler. “Lack of experience is just going to kill us.”

And so Sayler will use the small steps forward as a way to instill confidence and help build the program.

“Sometimes it’s just getting a takedown or wrestling for six minutes,” says the coach. “It’s those little things; they can be victories, too.”

This season of uncertainty is representative of a pro-gram Sayler hopes to build in the years to come. Not since Gary Wallman has Freeman had a wrestling coach with the school system, and Sayler’s presence here and

continued on page 13: Wrestling

Front page news: July-December, 2012Freeman Courier / January 9, 2013 / page 16

Wednesday, January 4, 2012Volume 111 • Number 39308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ................................. p. 12Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries ...................................p. 11Public Notice .............................. p. 13Reflections ..................................p. 11Social ............................................p. 7 Sports ..........................................p. 11

14 pages

InsIde:Fiddle tunes First SSS concert of ’12coming to Pioneer Hall n p 3

Controversy Drainage issues promptdiscussion at county table n p 3

2012 priority City needs to give attentionto industrial park; an opinion n p 4

Winners Mutchelknaus, Saylerwin on the mat in Salem n p 9

Kloucek holding public meetingsin Freeman today

South Dakota Representative Frank Kloucek will host a public listening meeting at Ampride in Freeman today, Wednesday, Jan. 4, beginning at 2 p.m.

Kloucek will also meet with the public at Ampride in Parkston at 9 a.m. and Bud’s Tavern in Marion at 3:30 p.m., Jan. 4.

“This is your opportunity to get involved,” Kloucek said in a press release. “You can make a difference for the good of South Dakota.”

The Wizard of Oz auditions concludeThursday, Friday

The second and third night of auditions for the Schmeckfest mu-sical, The Wizard of Oz, will take place in Music Hall on the Freeman Academy campus this week Thurs-day and Friday, Jan. 5 and 6.

Auditions got underway Tues-day, Jan. 3 for the parts of Dorothy and the lead Munchkins.

Thursday’s and Friday’s audi-tions begin at 6:30 p.m. and for all other parts, including Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, the Scarecrow, Tin-man and Lion, Glinda and the Wicked Witch, the Wizard and oth-er supporting cast members. Those auditioning are required to sign up for a time slot at the Freeman Pub-lic Library. Sign-up sheets will be available until 5 p.m. Thursday.

A casting call was printed in the Nov. 30 issue of the Courier.

Those with questions are encour-aged to contact director Jeremy Waltner at jeremywaltner@gmail.com or 351-6097.

Update: Most floor seats for Oz sold out first weekend

While all front reserved seats for the 2012 musical, The Wizard of Oz, are sold out each night of Schmeckfest, March 23, 24, 30 and 31, rear reserved floor seats remain available each of the four nights.

However, ticket availability for rear reserved floor seats the first Friday and Saturday of the two-weekend festival was changed to “limited” early this week.

The Wizard of Oz will also be presented Thursday, March 29, even though no other Schmeckfest activities are being held that day. Both front and rear reserved floor seats are available for that perfor-mance.

Reserved bleacher seats are available for all five performances.

Meal tickets are also available for all four days of Schmeckfest.

Tickets may be purchased by go-ing online to schmeckfest.com.

For more information, call 605-925-4542.

Final issue for thosenot renewed

All subscriptions to the Freeman Courier came due at the conclusion of 2011. For those who have not renewed for 2012, this is a compli-mentary issue and the final one that will be mailed. To renew:

• Stop in the Courier office in downtown Freeman; the address is 308 S. Main.

• Send payment to PO Box 950, Freeman, SD 57029

• Pay with a credit card online at freemansd.com.

Rates are $55 for in-state and $57 for out-of-state subscribers.

Online subscriptions only are available for $27.

In Transition: A Look Back2011 was another active year in the Freeman community markedby notable shifts from one thing to another. Even gender saw change.

by Jeremy WaltnerQuick quiz.What do Cheryle Gering, Rural Medi-

cal Clinics, Family and Consumer Sciences at Freeman High School and Russ Becker’s complexion all have in common?

All went through notable transitions in 2011.

Gering’s appointment to circuit court judge, the clinic’s transfer in ownership from a physician’s group to a larger health care fa-cility, the elimination of FACS and Becker’s participation in a beauty pageant for men were all part of a year marked by shifts from something to something else.

Indeed, transitions dotted the weeks and months of last year, and they went well be-yond those examples mentioned above. There was a significant change at Valley View Golf Course (Dave’s Grille opens), a new member of the Freeman City Council (Charles Gering defeats Tom Stolp), the shocking announce-ment that a landmark Freeman business would change hands (Fred Haar Company is sold) and an establishment of a new music contest locally (no more Tripp Music Contest for Freeman students), and there was the es-tablishment of Rural Revival, an agricultural-based group focused on, in part, the transition from one way of thinking to another.

And that was just in the first six months of the year!

This week, in what has become a tradi-tion, the Courier looks back on those stories and more through its year in review. Because of the ongoing active nature of the Freeman community, we’re once again splitting our retrospective into two parts, concluding with July through December in the Jan. 11 edition.

So sit back and have a look at 2011; you’ll be amazed at the variety of transitions that have taken place in 12 short months.

JANUARY• The Freeman City Council voted Mon-

day, Jan. 3 to extend the deadline for the fun-draising effort to convert the former elemen-tary school gym into a community center to June 1. The deadline to raise the $311,000 had been Dec. 31, 2010, but as of the Jan. 3 meet-ing, just $57,360 in donations and pledges had been secured. Carroll Vizecky, chair of the fundraising committee, proposed the proj-ect be completed in several phases and that the June 1 goal be lowered to $141,000. That would allow for the installation of a heading and cooling system and electrical work in time for the winter of 2011-12.

• Freeman firefighters and EMTs were called to a dangerous situation southeast of Freeman Jan. 6 when Larry Waltner became trapped in a bin full of corn. The 73-year-old had been emptying 800 bushels when he climbed in to push the corn down. Before long he had found himself knee-deep and unable to get out. Waltner’s saving grace may have been his cell phone kept in his shirt pocket, which he was able to reach and call his wife, Kay, for help. At no time after first-responders arrived on scene was Waltner in any immedi-ate danger and he was extracted less than an hour after Kay had called 911. “It wasn’t his time,” said Kay. “The Lord has more for him to do.”

• While the community had been peppered with moderate snowfalls in the months prior, the first substantial shot of winter hit Freeman Sunday and Monday, Jan. 9 and 10, bringing with it close to a foot of snow and resulting in cancelled classes at Freeman schools both Jan. 10 and 11.

• Meeting Jan. 10, the Freeman Public School Board accepted the resignation of longtime kindergarten teacher Renee Hart-man, who had been a staff member at Free-man Public for three decades. She bowed out

at the conclusion of the 2010-11 school year.• Also at the Jan. 10 meeting, school offi-

cials addressed an issue that would mark 2011 for Freeman Public and other school districts

in the state: a possible 10 percent cut in fund-ing proposed by new South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard. “We are looking at several possible funding scenarios as we speak,” Su-perintendent Don Hotchkiss told the Courier. “A cut the size of what is being predicted will certainly prompt staff reduction and addition-al cuts to staff and programs at our school.”

• Greater Tuna, a two-man play starring Will Ortman and Jeremy Waltner, opened its five-night run Jan. 14. Presented by Freeman Area Community Theatre, the comedy was staged in the 4.twenty.3 Events Center on Main Street. The show continued Jan. 15, 21, 22 and 23 and played to sold out crowds every time.

• Freeman High School senior Brianna Bauer presided over the District 4 meeting of Family Career and Community Leaders of America hosted by her school Jan. 24. At that meeting, Bauer passed the gavel to school-mate Dana Kaufman, who was voted the in-coming chair of District 4. Bauer became the third-straight FHS student to hold that honor, following Bauer and Tyson Lager before her.

• January was the start of a busy year for Doug McCune, Steve Friesen and David Fri-esen, the new owners of Valley View Golf Course and Dave’s Grille. The first month of the new year included the start of a ma-jor renovation to the Valley View Clubhouse, which included an expanded kitchen and a en-tirely new “feel” for those visiting the restau-rant. The Friesens — Back Nine LLC — ac-quired the course one mile south of Freeman from Merchants State Bank, which had held ownership since 2005. “Everyone is going to be welcomed,” said McCune. “This is not a country club; this will be a place for everyone in the community to enjoy.”

• With the new year came the beginning of a plan for growth at Freeman Academy — a strategy which grew out of planning meetings in the final months of 2010. The systematic approach to growth included five areas and ideals for the 110-year-old school: size/enroll-ment, personnel/staff, curriculum, co-curricu-lar and facilities. “We want to be proactive, not reactive,” said administrator Pam Tieszen. “We need to keep molding; we need to keep moving forward.”

• South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard was the guest of honor at the Free-man Regional Health Services Foundation Gala at 4.twenty.3 Events Center the night of

Winter’shibernation

by Jeremy WaltnerNew Year’s Day was an ugly one across the

Freeman community, largely because high wind gusts made it feel much colder than it actually was. And, on Monday, Jan. 2, residents woke to a frigid morning in which temperatures were but in the teens.

Few are likely complaining. As uncomfortable as it was to be outside Sun-

day, Jan. 1, 2012 and as the new week started, the region continues to make its way through what has been a comfortable winter season void of snow and marked by temperatures well above normal. Even on Sunday, the 50 mile-per-hour wind gusts came with highs in the 30s, a far cry from a season that often sees the mercury hover around zero — if not below.

In Freeman, December’s highs reached into the 50s in the days before and after Christ-mas and have been in the 30s or 40s regularly throughout the month. And, with the exception

of several days early in December, even over-night lows have been in double-digits. Add to that the absence of snow, and a unique winter is in the making.

“It’s so unusual,” says farmer and Pioneer seed dealer Stuart Preheim. “It’s the main topic of discussion when I visit with my neighbors and is especially meaningful to livestock own-ers.”

Preheim says the fact that the cattle are clean and able to feast on fields save producers sig-nificant money, “and the gains are phenomenal.”

Grain producers are seeing savings, too, even if it’s just in the cost of cleaning their farmyards and the ease in which they are able to get around.

“You just smile,” he says. “It’s so much fun to have this savings. It’s a perk.”

The most visible anomaly so far this winter is the brown landscape. With the exception of a dusting in early December, snow has been no-where to be found this season. There have been no cancelled schooldays, no difficulty in travel

and no need for snow removal in or out of town. That includes at Freeman Public, where the dis-trict budgets $8,500 annually out of its general fund for Doyle Becker to clear its parking lots and, to date, has used exactly zero of that.

Business manager Ronda Rinehart says a nor-mal winter season, especially the hard ones the community has seen in recent years, would have given way to multiple snow removals by now. Not this year.

“These are pleasant things to deal with,” she said. “I’m sure we’ve already cut (what we nor-mally would spend) by a third.”

And, unless it’s a rough spring, that’s some-thing that will equate to a big savings for the lo-cal public school district.

Still, says Rinehart, “it doesn’t mean we can budget for less next year.”

The mild winter is impacting people and plac-es elsewhere.

From a brown Christmas to temperatures well above normal, it’s been an unseasonable season for the Freeman area. So what does it all mean?

Bus service hinges on local fundingn If fundraising effort issuccessful, service couldbe implemented this year

by Jeremy WaltnerDespite the setback of being denied state

funding, efforts to bring local bus transpor-tation to the Freeman community are still alive, and those working with the project hope enough local funding can be secured to begin the service sometime in 2012.

“There’s a need and we’re going to try to pull this off,” said Dan Gran, CEO of Free-man Regional Health Services and chair of a local committee that has been working with the Rural Office of Community Service, Inc. (ROCS) for more than a year to bring bus service to Freeman. “A lot of work has been done up to this point. Now it’s all about the money; where is it going to come from?”

For much of 2011, the primary funding source for the bus service appeared to be ROCS itself, a private nonprofit agency in Lake Andes that provides assistance to low-income, elderly and handicapped clients in a 22-county service area in southeastern and south central South Dakota.

Under the initial plan, ROCS would have funded about two-thirds of the cost for the initial phase, estimated at $20,000 annually. FRHS has committed $2,000 to the project, the Freeman Lions Club has donated $1,400 and the Freeman Community Foundation awarded the project a $2,500 grant for mar-keting and promotion of the services. The city of Freeman has been approached about helping fund the program but no commit-ment has been made.

In early December, however, the commit-tee learned that a cut in state funding for the ROCS program meant the Freeman project is not included in the 2012 budget, leaving a significant hole in the project’s funding.

While it would not provide funding for operating expenses in 2012, ROCS has said

In this photo, published in the March 16 Freeman Courier, Larry Schmidt (left) and Steve Graber rehearse their lines for the 2011 Schmeckfest musical, Kiss Me, Kate. Schmidt and Graber returned to the stage last spring to reprise their roles as Kiss Me, Kate’s Gangsters, the comic duo they played when the musical was performed for Schmeckfest in 1990.

continued on page 8: 2011

In 2011, Cailey Roth transitioned from a young runner with an abundance of potential to one who had arrived. She is seen here an-choring the FHS 3,200 relay team to victory at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in May.

continued on page 3: Buscontinued on page 3: Winter

Wednesday, January 11, 2012Volume 111 • Number 40308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ................................. p. 14Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .................................. p. 12Public Notice ........................ p. 13, 15Reflections ............................. p. 7, 13Social ............................................p. 7 Sports ....................................p. 11, 12

16 pages

INSIDE:Cast announced A look at who’s whoin The Wizard of Oz ■ p 3

Representing Frank Kloucek holdslistening session at Ampride ■ p 3

Texting and driving Don’t do it - lives are at stake; an opinion ■ p 4

Partnership USDA establishes advisoryboard for Native Americans ■ p 5

Wuchdich Joyce Hofer shares an oldand forgotten German dish ■ p 6

Girls hoops Freeman Academy falls toMitchell Christian at home ■ p 11

FA hostingTri-Valley Classicthis Saturday

Twelve boys basketball teams will take the Sterling Hall court this coming Saturday, Jan. 14 as part of the all-day Tri-Valley Classic.

Games begin at 11:30 a.m. and will continue through the evening.

The schedule is as follows:• 11:30 a.m. Lake Preston vs. Alceseter-Hudson• 1 p.m. West Sioux vs. Gayville-Volin• 2:30 p.m. Colman-Egan vs. Irene-Wakonda• 4 p.m. S.F. Roosevent JV vs. Centerville• 5:30 p.m. Mt. Vernon vs. Viborg-Hurley• 7 p.m. Bridgewater-Emery vs. Freeman Academy

Admission is good for all day.Freeman Academy will also host

the girls Tri-Valley Classic Jan. 28.Also on Jan. 28, Freeman High

School will be the site of the boys and girls Cornbelt Classic.

Schedules of those games will be forthcoming.

M-F Rebel Triangular moved to Freeman

The Marion-Freeman Wrestling Triangular scheduled for Thurday, Jan. 19, has been moved from Mar-ion to Freeman. Because of a sched-uled boys basketball game against Menno at the Freeman High School Gym, wrestlers will compete at the Freeman Elementary Gym.

Weigh-ins will begin at 5 p.m.The Jan. 19 triangular is also par-

ent’s night for the wrestlers.Marion-Freeman was scheduled

to host in Marion its first of two wrestling events Tuesday; watch next week’s Courier for a report.

Friends of the Freeman Libraryto meet Jan. 19

The Freeman chapter of Friends of the Library is holding its first meeting of 2012 on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. in the Freeman Public Library, a meeting that will also serve to kick-off the 2012 membership drive. Community residents can advocate for the Freeman Public Library by becoming a member and involving themselves in the many programs offered through the library. Mem-bership forms may be picked up in the library.

Meeting for communitygarden planned

Anyone interested in using or working with a community garden is encouraged to come to an infor-mational meeting on Monday, Jan. 16 at Freeman Public Library at 5 p.m., or call 925-7021 or 925-7845.

Most businesses open Monday

While most businesses will be open as usual for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which will be ob-served Monday, Jan. 16, the postal holiday requires an early deadline for the Area Wide Connection and Dakota Action Rocket. That dead-line is Thursday, Jan. 12 at 5 p.m.

In Transition: A Look BackThe second half of 2011 was just as busy as the first in terms of activity. And, especially late in the year, the business community took center stage.

by Jeremy WaltnerThe establishment of the Freeman Growth

Foundation, the dramatic transformation of eight acres of tree-laden property along High-way 81 and — finally — work to begin con-verting the old Freeman Elementary Gym into a community center marked the second half of 2011, a year that saw a number of transitions in the Freeman community.

If there was a theme for 2011, that was it; transitions could be seen everywhere through-out the past 12 months, from people to places to events. But perhaps nowhere was that more keenly seen and felt than in a business com-munity that took big steps forward, and where family emerged as a secondary theme. The Kairos was sold and kept in the family. Fred Haar Company was sold and passed on to an-other family business. The Pink Grasshopper opened across from the Freeman Post Office thanks to the help and support of family. And Tschetter Tiling — a family of brothers and others — had its busiest year ever in this ag-based community.

There’s plenty more to talk about from the second half of the year. We do so now in the second part of our annual year in review.

JULY• The first week of July saw the begin-

ning of a major upgrade by communications provider Golden West Telecommunications, which began making preparations for the in-stallation of more than 300 miles of fiber op-tics cable to its rural customers near Freeman. The cable reaches roughly 400 subscribers, allowing for a significant increase in speed of their Internet connection.

• A Kansas man who was working on a 1955 Greyhound bus in the parking lot of the Freeman Shopping Center July 2 became trapped beneath it when the frame bent, pin-ning him just beneath the waist. Local fire-fighters and EMTs were called to the scene to free 47-year-old Tom Gilreath and did so in about 30 minutes. The rescue was tricky;

“The fact that the bus was so rotted away, we needed to find a good spot to secure (for lift-ing),” said ambulance director Josh Andersen. Gary Block, the owner of FSC who initially heard Gilreath yelling for help, speculated that if Gilreath had been in a different posi-tion under the bus when it gave way, the out-come could have been different. “He probably would have been killed,” Block said. “He’s lucky.”

• The Freeman community celebrated In-dependence Day Sunday, July 3 in traditional fashion, with afternoon softball and baseball games, chislic, an evening showdown be-tween the Freeman Black Sox and the Tabor Bluebirds (Tabor won 13-2) and a fireworks show after dark.

• Cheryle Gering was officially installed as a judge of the First Circuit Court of South Dakota July 5. The Freeman woman had been appointed to the bench by Governor Dennis Daugaard earlier in the year.

• Making “little things large” was the theme of a message delivered by Jules Glan-zer Saturday evening, July 9, as the Salem Mennonite Brethren Church of rural Bridge-water celebrated 125 years. Glanzer, a child of Salem MB who today is the president of Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., was one of a number of guest speakers at the celebra-tion, which concluded with a full morning and afternoon of worship, food and fellow-ship Sunday, July 10. “I have never been to a church that has celebrated 125 years before,

so I don’t fully understand it — but I like it,” said 13-year-old Maddi Seyfarth, the grand-daughter of longtime Salem MB Pastor Phil Glanzer. “Everybody treats everybody else like family.”

• The Freeman Public School Board started the new fiscal year in regular session Monday, July 11, with a discussion that would linger for several months: whether to spend $83,000 for the installation of an elevator in the Freeman High School Gym. At issue was an earlier citation by the Office of Civil Rights, which said if an elevator was not in-stalled, the gym’s mezzanine could no longer be used for the school’s concessions stand or weight room. Board member Chris Lickteig was outspoken in his opposition to the eleva-tor. “That’s a ton of money,” he said of the $83,000, then referring to the reduction in staff and programs the district had made ear-lier in the year. “I think it’s crazy to cut pro-grams and put in an $83,000 elevator and I’m not going to vote for it.”

• Tyson Lager, a 2011 graduate of Freeman High School, received a gold medal for his participation in a STAR Event at the National FCCLA Leadership Convention in Anaheim, Calif., July 14.

• The July 20 issue of the Courier carried a story called “Saving the homes of the Dakota Dunes,” which profiled Freeman contractor Kelly Knodel’s work in building a huge le-vee 8,000-feet long, 60-feet wide and 20-feet high to protect homes in the North Sioux City community. Knodel’s crew included 14 men and 17 pieces of equipment, which worked together with other contractors for nearly two weeks as the Missouri River swelled to dangerous heights. “Intense would be a good word for it,” Knodel said. “’Near-chaotic also fits. Unless you saw it, it’s hard to wrap your hands around what it was like.”

• Thirteen students from Freeman schools took part in the 38th-annual Honor Choir in

Among the biggest changes in retail in 2011 came at The Kairos, the longtime Christian re-source center on Freeman’s Main Street. In fall, original owner Julie Huber (right) agreed to sell the business to her niece, Meranda Van Ningen, who moved to the community with her family in October and offi cially assumed ownership of The Kairos Jan. 1.

continued on page 8: 2011

City denies permission to drain into ditchOffi cials fear fi eld tiling project would put Cedar Street roadbed at risk

by Tim L. WaltnerAfter tabling action for two consecutive meet-

ings, the Freeman City Council last week said no to a request to approve a drainage plan from property outside of city limits south of Freeman that would empty into the ditch on the west side of Cedar Street.

The decision came on a split vote at the coun-cil’s Jan. 5 meeting after a lengthy discussion that included Larry Tschetter of Tschetter Tiling Inc., who engineered the project and Vern Arens, the city’s engineer. The overriding concern is the potential impact the runoff from the tile into the west Cedar Street ditch would have on adjacent roadbed. The council’s decision was forwarded to Hutchinson County officials.

Lonnie Mayer, drainage supervisor for Hutchinson County, said the city’s decision de-nying permission stops the project as proposed.

“You can’t drain water off your property onto a downstream landowner’s property without their permission,” he told the Courier following the meeting. “It’s a done deal.”

“But,” he said, “there are a lot of options for that project. It’s a rural project and they need to stay rural.”

The project would install drainage tile in farmland on the south side of 279th Street, the east-west county road on the south edge of Freeman. One area includes two parcels on the southwest corner of 279th and Cedar streets — one owned by Freeman Academy and the other by Geraldine Peters. The other includes two par-cels on the southeast corner of 279th and Cedar streets — one owned by Darryll Graber and the other by Kevin Waltner. The Waltner property

is already tiled and empties into the south ditch along 279th Street; this project would extend til-ing in that area to include the Graber property.

Installing the tile is not designed to reroute the water from those areas. Runoff from the south-eastern property would continue to flow north through a culvert beneath 279th Street through the Prairie Arboretum and empty into the Cedar Street ditches. Runoff from the southwestern property would drain into a dugout on the west side of Koerner Construction and the property on the northwest corner of 279th Street and emp-ty into the west ditch along Cedar Street. While the project would not change where the water would flow, it is designed to slow the flow of the runoff.

And that is the concern of the council; the fear that the slow-moving water would collect and stand in the ditch rather than flow and empty, and thus soften and weaken the base of the ad-

jacent roadway.Tschetter challenged the idea that water will

collect in the ditch because of the tiling project.“No way is water going to stand in that ditch,”

he said. “That water is going to run.”Tschetter noted that there is a drop of at least

28 feet from the site of Koerner Construction to Railway Street, where the water flows out of the Cedar Street ditch.

“It isn’t realistic to think it isn’t going to run.”Furthermore, he said, there is only one foot

drop from the east end to the west end of 279th Street (South County Road) — Papa’s to Cedar Street — and even with the increased likelihood of standing water in those ditches, there has not been a deterioration of that roadbed.

Arens told the council he had looked at other municipalities and had not found any that had

continued on page 12: City

Playground unit on its wayFreeman Elementary students will have new equipment this coming fall

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman School Board has approved a

contract with Midwest Playscapes Inc. in the amount of $34,711.83 for the purchase and in-stallation of new playground equipment at Free-man Elementary.

While the equipment is scheduled to be de-livered in the next month, it won’t be installed until June.

It is being paid for exclusively through fundraising by students at Freeman Elemen-tary and donations from the larger community. Cash in hand for the equipment totals roughly $31,000; Freeman Elementary Principal Ryan Mors told the school board at its regular meeting Monday, Jan. 9 that several larger donors have stepped forward to cover the balance.

The equipment purchased by the district is different than the unit that was being considered late last year through a grant with BCI Burk Company. Mors told the Courier that, even with the percentage off offered by the Wisconsin-based company, that unit was cost prohibitive and he elected to move forward with a purchase now rather than wait another year or two.

“This one is scaled back and will hold fewer kids,” Mors said, “but with the rest of our equip-ment already in place it will be adequate.”

Mors also noted that Midwest Playscapes sold the equipment to the district at a discount of around 40 percent.

Freeman Superintendent Don Hotchkiss said

the district has worked closely with Midwest Playscapes on details of the purchase.

“We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the phone with them to make sure what we have meets all the legal parameters for doing this,” Hotchkiss told the board Monday.

And while there has been some administra-

tive work required from him and the business of-fice, he said the credit goes to those at Freeman Elementary itself.

“Mr. Mors, the students and the parents have done a nice job of putting together a package that I think will be a nice addition to our play-ground,” Hotchkiss said.

The playground package will be approxi-mately 58 feet by 51 feet and will be installed north of the concrete basketball court and south of the new pine trees recently planted near the elementary school parking lot. It will include

This playground setup will be coming to Freeman Elementary school grounds this June. It has been purchased through Midwest Playscapes, Inc. for $34,711.83 and will be installed north of the concrete basketball

court. In addition to the large all-in-one unit, the setup includes an over-drive (circular freestanding piece) and monorail (also pictured) designed for students to hang on and develop upper body strength.

continued on page 8: School

CITYCOUNCIL

SCHOOLBOARD

Wednesday, January 18, 2012Volume 111 • Number 41308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ............................p. 10, 11Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 7Public Notice ...............................p. 11Reflections ....................................p. 6Sports ..................................... p. 9, 12

12 pages

InsIde:18 Host of local studentsnamed to elite choir n p 3

Good grades Freeman Public announces nine weeks, semester honor roll n p 3

Dough! Master of whole wheat pizzacrust shares his recipe n p 6

Settling in Top wrestlers from M-F finding their groove n p 9

Roundup Recap from busy weekon basketball court n p 9, 12

Petitions for city/school election available this week

There are a number of vacancies on both the Freeman City Council and the Freeman Public School Board in 2012, and a joint city/school election has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 10.

Vacancies on the city council in-clude the two-year term of mayor (currently held by Lonnie Tjaden) and two-year terms in Ward 1 (Royce Breneman), Ward II (Ran-dy Broders) and Ward III (Loren Tschetter).

There are two vacancies on the Freeman Public School Board, both for a three-year term that can be filled by any registered voter liv-ing in the Freeman School District. Those positions are currently be-ing held by Darnell Tschetter, who serves as board president, and Chris Lickteig.

Nominating petitions for both the city and school vacancies can be taken out beginning Friday, Jan. 27. Petitions for city councilors are available at Freeman City Hall; for school board members, paperwork may be picked up at the business office of the junior-senior high school. The deadline to submit the petitions is the end of the day Fri-day, Feb. 24.

M-F Rebel Triangular in Freeman Thursday

The Marion-Freeman Wrestling Triangular scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19, has been moved from Mari-on to Freeman. Because of a sched-uled boys basketball game against Menno at the Freeman High School Gym, wrestlers will compete at the Freeman Elementary Gym.

Weigh-ins will begin at 5 p.m.The Jan. 19 triangular is also par-

ent’s night for the wrestlers.

Friends of the Freeman Libraryto meet Jan. 19

The Freeman chapter of Friends of the Library is holding its first meeting of 2012 on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. in the Freeman Public Library, a meeting that will also serve to kick-off the 2012 membership drive. Community residents can advocate for the Freeman Public Library by becoming a member and involving themselves in the many programs offered through the library. Mem-bership forms may be picked up in the library.

Wizard of Ozfloor seats for March 24 sold out

All floor seats for the Saturday, March 24 performance of the 2012 Schmeckfest musical, The Wizard of Oz, are sold out.

Only limited rear reserved seats remain for the Friday, March 23 performance.

Rear reserved seats are also available for the March 29, 30 and 31 performances.

Front reserved seats remain available for Thursday, March 29. No other Schmeckfest activities are scheduled for that day.

Meal tickets also remain for each night of Schmeckfest, which is be-ing held for the 54th consecutive year March 23, 24, 30 and 31.

For more information, go to www.schmeckfest.com.

Janklow:Friend toFreemann Much has been said, good and bad,about the former governor since his death last week. But when it comes to his impact on this community, there is little debate.

by Jeremy WaltnerFormer South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow, who

died of brain cancer last week and who is being laid to rest today, Wednesday, Jan. 18, is being remembered as a brash but effective man who left an impressive imprint on the state he served.

That includes the Freeman community.Janklow made a number of memorable appearances

here during his tenure as South Dakota governor, a seat he occupied from 1979-1987 and again from 1995 to 2002. His visit here in 1986 to help welcome FCI (Fil-ters Company, Inc.), a sewing operation that represent-ed industry and employment in Freeman for a decade, showed the governor as a man who took care of the business of the day.

Ten years later he was back and standing in front of the entire student body at Freeman Elementary for an impromptu Q&A, a remarkable display of a man who was able to set aside the business of the day and focus on the intangibly valuable.

“I really appreciated you folks and that you invited me,” Janklow told the student body. “I still have your letters.” (See the back page for a look back on that Nov. 5, 1996 visit to Freeman Elementary.)

Freeman Mayor Lonnie Tjaden said Janklow was a man who had his detractors, but also his fans.

“I, for one, didn’t care for his leadership style,” Tjaden said. “But I guess he was a good governor. He had to be to be in office for 16 years.”

Janklow’s connection with the Freeman commu-nity over the years — from Schmeckfest appearances to keynote speeches — cannot be overlooked or dis-counted.

“Probably the best governor the city has ever expe-rienced,” said Tjaden, “because he did things that were not strictly money involved.”

Indeed, there have been numerous examples locally of a Bill Janklow who was every bit as personal as he was professional.

In 1998 he walked into the basement of the Bethany

Mennonite Church because second-grader Justin Rat-zlaff had invited the governor to his adoption party.

“That adoption party, the thing that impressed me was that it was not a matter of routine responsibility,” Justin’s father, Willis Ratlzlaff, recalls today. “He was one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. He made an afternoon of it, and he didn’t have to.”

Ratzlaff was on the receiving end of another visit from Janklow in 2009, this one with far more somber overtones, when he attended a tribute to Willis and his wife, Sharon, who were honored for more than four decades of work with the foster program that resulted in care for 151 children. The tribute to the Ratzlaffs was held in the same Bethany Church basement that Justin’s adoption party was held and came in the final weeks of Sharon’s life.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” said Janklow, no longer an elected official but instead a lawyer. “Neither one of you ever grew so tall that you couldn’t stoop to help another child.”

Sharon died of cancer less than two months after Janklow’s final official visit to Freeman and three years before he himself suffered the same fate.

Janklow’s presence at the 2009 tribute to the Rat-zlaffs meant a great deal to Sharon, said Willis, who was at the VA hospital in Sioux Falls when news of Janklow’s death on Jan. 12 began spreading.

“A lot of people were really surprised,” Willis said. “There was a lot of sadness.”

The final chapter of Janklow’s life — the chapter that began with his stunning and tearful announce-ment last November that he had an inoperable brain tumor — was vastly different from previous chapters marked by a strong-willed commitment to his state and its communities.

Again, Freeman saw it firsthand.In 1999 Janklow accepted an invitation to be the

keynote speaker at the dedication of the Freeman Area Veteran’s Memorial and spoke eloquently from the po-

continued on back page: Janklow

On June 12, 1986, Governor Bill Janklow announced that FCI would be opening in Freeman. “This is the fastest move and fastest startup I’ve ever seen,” said Janklow. Also pictured here is LeRoy Kaufman, left, Leonard Wiens and Chet Sorensen, right.

Left: Bill Janklow greets Freeman Elementary students following an informal Q&A with them Nov. 5, 1996.

Below: On Sept. 14,

2002, firefighters presented

Bill Janklow with three

peach pies — a request

from the governor in

exchange for $124,000 to help build a

new fire hall.

Since late last week,

flags across South Dakota, including this

one at the Emergency

Services Building in Freeman,

have been flying at half-staff

in memory of Bill Janklow, who died of

brain cancer last Thursday

morning at the age of 72,

Jan. 12. The former two-

term governor is being laid to

rest Wednesday, Jan. 18 at

Our Savior’s Lutheran in Sioux Falls.

BOTTOM PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER / TOP PHOTOS FROM COURIER ARCHIVES

Big setback; Uecker goes down and outFHS girls feel pain of another torn ACL

by Jeremy WaltnerA team with aspirations of bring-

ing home Freeman High School’s first-ever girls basketball championship was dealt a significant blow last week when starting senior forward Carly Uecker went down and out with a torn ACL.

Whether Uecker returns this season is in doubt. Even if she does, her ability to contribute will be severely handicapped by the injury.

“She wouldn’t be the same, obviously,” said head coach Ryan Mors. “Still, a Carly Uecker at 50 percent is better than no Carly Uecker at all.”

This is the second major setback of

the season for FHS girls; junior Carli Lager, expected to be a key defender and shooter on this year’s team, tore her ACL in volleyball last fall and is

sidelined for the year.Uecker’s injury occurred

in the third quarter of the Flyers’ road game against Bon Homme, when Ueck-er’s knee gave way in a hard move toward the bas-ket. The news the following day of a torn ACL was the worst-possible scenario for a Flyers team without much depth and in need of every game — and every min-

ute — it can get from its key players. That certainly includes Uecker, who

Carly Uecker

continued on back page: Uecker

Addition of product lineamong changes at WildcatImprovements at Highway 81 facility include more jobs

by Jeremy WaltnerIn the past few months a number

of significant changes have taken place at Wildcat Manufacturing, the Freeman business that has long had a significant presence in the manu-facturing industry locally, and those changes go far beyond a new sign along Highway 81 that announces Wildcat as “A Vermeer Company.”

Both Vermeer Corporation and its subsidiary, Wildcat, have announced that the production of the MX125 and MX240 modular drilling fluid systems has been moved from Pella, Iowa to the Freeman facility.

Vermeer officials say that, not only will the production of these machines create jobs in the area, but will also

attract talent to Wildcat and Vermeer. The decision to move production

of mix systems from Pella to Free-man was made during 2011 as a way to use the space more efficiently and create more jobs in the area. Ranging in capacity from 300 to 1,000 gallons (1135.6 to 3785.4 L), the systems are specifically designed for mixing and containment of drilling fluid to sup-port horizontal directional drilling operations. Horizontal directional drills are most generally used to in-stall underground pipes, conduit and cables while causing little impact at the surface when trenching or exca-vating is not possible.

Other improvements have been made at Wildcat to help it move into the future, including:

Introducing state-of-the-art spray painting operations with high-effi-ciency air protection equipment;

Installing process wash water pre-treatment equipment and city sewer services;

Upgrading lighting, material han-dling, electrical service and distribu-tion equipment;

Installing top-quality storage facil-ities with secondary containment for all materials considered hazardous;

Implementing recycling programs to add to the protection of the envi-ronment and needed raw materials.

According to a press release:“Wildcat, a Vermeer Company,

has made a commitment to the com-

continued on page 5: Wildcat

Wednesday, January 25, 2012Volume 111 • Number 42308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ...........................p. 12, 13Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 8Public Notice ........................p. 13, 14Reflections ............................... p. 8, 9Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ....................................p. 11, 13

14 pages

InsIde:County News on redistricting,debate over drainage work n p 3

Tourism Opportunity remains stronglocally; an opinion n p 4

Shrimp A closer look at aclassic southern dish n p 6

Myth buster The claims and realitiesof space heater benefits n p 6

Regrouping A look inside the boys teamfrom Freeman Academy n p 11

KOC Winners of local free-throw competition named n p 13

FA, FHS hosting basketball classics this Saturday

Local fans of high school hoops will have plenty to feast their eyes on this coming Saturday, Jan. 28, when 24 teams — count ‘em, 24 — take to the courts in Freeman.

The Cornbelt Classic makes its debut at Freeman High School and will feature boys and girls games from each of the six schools that make up the athletic conference. Action begins at 11 a.m. and con-tinues nonstop into the evening. All games will be played in the FHS Gym.

Across town, Freeman Academy will host the girls Tri-Valley Clas-sic featuring 12 regional teams, some of which have made up the Tri-Valley Conference. Tipoff is at 11:30 a.m. with games continuing throughout the afternoon and eve-ning. All games will be played in Sterling Hall.

Freeman Academy hosted the boys Tri-Valley Classic earlier this month.

This year’s classics are in lieu of traditional conference tournaments.

Here’s the schedule.

Cornbelt Classic11 a.m. Girls No. 5 Menno vs.No. 6 Marion12:30 p.m. Boys No. 5 Menno vs. No. 6 Marion2 p.m. Girls No. 3 Canistota vs.No. 4 Bridgewater-Emery3:30 p.m. Boys No. 3 Bridgewater-Emery vs. No. 4 Freeman5 p.m. Girls No. 1 Freeman vs.No. 2 Hanson6:30 p.m. Boys No. 1 Canistota vs. No. 2 Hanson

Tri-Valley Classic (girls only)11:30 a.m. Mt. Vernon vs. Gayville-Volin1 p.m. Colman-Egan vs.Irene-Wakonda2:30 p.m. Scotland vs.Alcester-Hudson4 p.m. Kimball-White Lake vs. Centerville.5:30 p.m. West Sioux vs.Viborg-Hurley7 p.m. Dell Rapids St. Mary vs. Freeman Academy.

Petitions for city/school election available this week

Nominating petitions for vacan-cies on the Freeman City Council and Freeman Public School Board can be taken out beginning this week Friday, Jan. 27. Petitions for city councilors are available at Freeman City Hall; for school board members, paperwork may be picked up at the business office of the junior-senior high school. The deadline to submit the petitions is the end of the day Friday, Feb. 24.

Vacancies on the city council in-clude the two-year term of mayor (currently held by Lonnie Tjaden) and two-year terms in Ward 1 (Royce Breneman), Ward II (Ran-dy Broders) and Ward III (Loren Tschetter).

There are two vacancies on the Freeman Public School Board, both for a three-year term that can be filled by any registered voter liv-ing in the Freeman School District. Those positions are currently be-ing held by Darnell Tschetter, who serves as board president, and Chris Lickteig.

The heatis onTigh Teeslink of Climate Systems uses a laptop to check the “brains” of the geothermal energy system that has been installed at the former Freeman Elementary School Gym. Climate Systems, a Sioux Falls company, was on hand all of last week to get the system up and running as part of the effort to convert the former gym and annex into a community center. Work on the heating/cooling and electrical installation is scheduled to wrap up this week and general contractor Dan Engebretson of Westmar Construction said the project has gone better than expected. “Just like I would have drawn it up,” he told the Courier last Friday. “It was well-engineered and we were able to make improvements as we got into it. I think the coordination and cooperation from the city was exceptional. It was a good performance from everybody involved.” Freeman Mayor Lonnie Tjaden says among the next steps is to officially name the building. While it has been referred to as the “city center,” he believes it should be called a community center to reflect the broader support for the project. Tjaden said he plans to make that recommendation when the council meets next month.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Famous coach to keynote gala Don Meyer to speak Saturday; food, drink and auction part of formal event

by Jeremy WaltnerIn June 2009, then-Northern State Universi-

ty’s men’s basketball coach Don Meyer was on the Nokia Theater stage in Los Angeles accept-ing the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance from sports giant ESPN.

This Saturday, Jan. 28, Meyer will speak at 4.twenty.3 Events Center in downtown Freeman at the third-annual Freeman Regional Health Services (FRHS) Foundation Gala fundraiser.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and Meyer will be on hand signing copies of his biography, How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don Meyer, written by ESPN columnist Buster Ol-ney. Limited copies are available.

Tickets for the gala must be purchased in advance; a limited number remain available through the FRHS business office. Ticket sales end Friday at noon.

DetailsThe gala itself begins at 6 p.m. and features

a wine reception, hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by local chef David Friesen and a silent

and verbal auction. Meyer is scheduled to key-note the event later in the evening.

The opportunity to host a nationally-known figure like Meyer, whose career coaching record of 923-324 is among the best-ever in the NCAA and NAIA and who suffered a life-changing car accident in 2008, is special, says Mary Waltner, director of the FRHS Foundation.

“We are very fortunate to have him,” says Waltner. “He’s smart, he’s interesting and he has a very personal and emotional story that will resonate with our guests.”

Meyer’s appearance is made possible through support from Freeman’s CorTrust Bank, Home Federal Bank and Merchants State Bank, and Farmer’s State Bank in Bridgewater and Marion.

In addition to Meyer’s address, the gala will be marked by an auction featuring items that have been donated from within the community. The silent auction will feature a number of gift baskets and gift certificates from businesses in the Freeman, Bridgewater, Marion and Menno communities; the verbal auction will include high-end items like a diamond necklace, origi-nal painting by local artist Michelle Hofer, a

pie-per-month from the Hein Sisters and a Sch-meckfest gift basket for Friday, March 30 that includes four director’s tickets (front-and-center) to The Wizard of Oz.

FundraisingThe FRHS Foundation Gala,

which debuted in 2010 as the foundation’s primary fundraiser, has generated about $12,000 in its first two years. Those funds have helped make possible a whirlpool tub project at Oakview Terrace with construction scheduled to be-gin this week.

“We have been able to raise sig-nificant money for the foundation, and those funds have gone back into our facility,” says Waltner. “That’s the bot-tom line. That’s what this is all about.”

Money raised at this year’s gala will go to-ward a new project at Freeman Regional Health Services that will be announced Saturday night.

Waltner is looking forward to the event.

“It’s evolved into something that’s a little higher end,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for

guests to dress up, to eat great food, drink great wine and mingle. I call it the social event of the season.”

The fact that it benefits a great cause makes it a win-win night.

“I credit its success to the peo-ple who attend the gala and the communities that are represented through their donations,” says Waltner, who also notes the foun-dation committee assists with the planning and facilitation of the gala. “The committee has been so valuable to the mission of this foundation.”

In addition to Waltner, the FRHS Foundation committee includes

Dean Dreessen, Katie Fokken, Dan Gran, Tony Miller, Paul Richards, Staci Stern and Donna Waltner.

“I appreciate all those who have helped the foundation move forward,” she said.

Touch of color, burst of lifeNew owner Meranda Van Ningen has The Kairos reenergized

by Jeremy WaltnerUpside down or right side up, how has

Meranda Van Ningen’s life been turned?Hear her story and you’ll find the answer;

it’s a little bit of both.Van Ningen, Freeman’s newest business

owner who reopened Freeman’s downtown Christian-inspired boutique center, The Kairos, to rave reviews

last week, has experienced a whirlwind of ups and downs the past several months that has her spinning.

Let’s take stock.Since last August the former Twin Cities

resident has purchased The Kairos from her aunt, Julie Huber, moved with her family to the Freeman community, renovated the fam-ily farm on which she and her family now live, made plans for a significant renova-tion of the Main Street business, grieved the sudden loss of her father-in-law over the New Year’s holiday, been moved to tears by the help and support of newfound friends in Freeman, worked feverishly to ready her store for a grand reopening and – finally last week Tuesday — unlocked the door and welcomed in the public.

There’s hardly been time for a deep breath.

“I can’t describe it,” says Van Ningen, who has long wanted to own her own business but, until The Kairos came along, couldn’t find the right fit. “It is all so obvi-

ously God-driven.”That’s been the feeling from the begin-

Christian-inspired boutique center, The Kairos, to rave reviews

GRANDREOPENING

Meranda Van Ningen stands in front of a new mural painted by Michelle Hofer and behind a relocated sales counter inside The Kairos, the Freeman Main Street business she took own-ership of Jan. 1 of this year. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

continued on back page: Kairos

House OKsplan to boostag-tax valuesat faster pace

by Bob MercerCommunity News Service

Assessed values of farm and ranch lands in many parts of South Dakota would be allowed to increase or decrease at a much faster rate for property tax purposes, under legislation that gained widespread ap-proval Friday from the state House of Repre-sentatives.

The plan, which now moves to the Senate for consideration, is an attempt to smooth the tran-sition from a system that was based on market values to one that reflects productivity and soil types.

The legislation would allow annual increases and decreases ranging as high as 15 to 25 per-cent for cropland and non-cropland. The current law limits those changes to no more than 10 per-cent per year.

The problem that developed in recent years is 10 percent isn’t sufficient for adjusting assessed values fast enough in many counties, especially

FROMPIERRE

continued on back page: Pierre

EDTIOR’S NOTE: The Courier is bringing to its readers reports from Pierre throughout the 2012 legislative session via Community News Service (CNS), a project of the South Dakota Newspaper Association. Reporters are Elizabeth ‘Sam’ Grosz and Bob Mercer.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012Volume 111 • Number 43308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 7Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ................................. p. 12Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Public Notice .............................. p. 13Reflections ..................................p. 11Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ..................................... p. 9, 10

14 pages

InsIde:Term limits Consideration of constitutionalchange overdue; an opinion n p 4

Pad Thai Year in Thailand helpscook perfect traditional dish n p 6

Inside look A basketball report fromFreeman High School n p 9, 10

FA one act play advances to state festival this week

Freeman Academy was one of two competing schools in Region 1 selected to take part in the State One Act Festival at Northern State University this week. This is the fourth year in a row FA has ad-vanced to the festival.

FA received its ticket to state after presenting We Loathe Our Customers by Bradley Walton at Brandon Valley Wednesday, Jan. 25. Seven other schools took part in the Region 1 competition; FA and Chester advanced.

FA will perform at 1:15 p.m. Sat-urday, Feb. 4.

Those taking part are members of the FA theater class and under the direction of Gwen Ortman.

The plot centers around two clerks who love to torment their customers but must change their ways after learning that their boss is making visits to his stores, in dis-guise, to check on his employees.

Those involved in FA’s play in-clude cast members Olivia Boese, Emily Epp, Christina Hofer, Brook-lyn Ries, Austin VanDiepen and Brennan Waltner, and crew mem-bers Ben Carlson, Matthew Graber, Calvin Janssen and Sarah Miller.

Epp, Hofer and Waltner all re-ceived individual acting awards af-ter the Region 1 competition.

Hofer is also serving as assistant director to Ortman.

Open house planned at new community center

The Freeman Community Center Fundraising Committee is pleased to announce an open house for the public to be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of converting the former Freeman El-ementary Gym to a multi-use com-munity center.

Phase one included the installa-tion of a geo-thermal heating/cool-ing system made possible through grants, city funds and widespread community support that totalled more than $650,000.

The open house will showcase the heating/cooling system, new ceilings and light fixtures that have been installed in the front lobby and in the rooms east of the stage. Community volunteers have come forward to clean and paint all the rooms and are working on other cosmetic improvements. The facil-ity, located on 224 S. Wipf Street, is now available for rental purposes.

The fundraising committee, Dan Engebretson, general contractor of Westmar Construction, and Free-man City officials will be available to answer questions. Refreshments will be served.

Floor seats for The Wizard of Oz nearly sold out

Floor seats for the 2012 Sch-meckfest musical production of The Wizard of Oz are close to being sold out entirely.

Only a limited number of rear reserved floor seats remain for Fri-day, March 23 and Friday, March 30. All floor seats for the The Wiz-ard of Oz Saturday, March 24 and Saturday, March 31, are sold out.

The best chance at floor seats for the musical are on Thursday, March 29; no other Schmeckfest activi-ties will be held that day. A limited number of front reserved seats and a good supply of tickets for the front rear section remained avail-able for the March 29 performance early this week.

Tickets for the Schmeckfest meal March 23, 24, 30 and 31 re-main for sale and, like the musical, can be purchased by going to www.schmeckfest.com.

continued on back page: Museum

Open governmentamong topics in PierreChief of staff Dusty Johnson also visits with South Dakota journalists about efforts to bolster rural economic development

by Elizabeth “Sam” GroszCommunity News Service

with additional reporting by Tim L. WaltnerMore open government was a key talking

point at the South Dakota Newspaper Associa-tion meeting with state legislators and officials Thursday.

The governor’s chief of staff, Dusty Johnson, highlighted open government efforts by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Among the list were the state releasing invite lists and guest lists to government events, in-creasing online access to information and mak-ing Open SD – a database of government infor-mation including salaries – more usable.

However, he said the most important items are changing the culture of government and committing to continued improvement in pro-viding access to information.

“It is about understanding that it belongs to the people,” he said.

The newspaper association quizzed Republi-can and Democrat leaders in the House and Sen-ate about their feelings on a variety of issues, with education dominating the discussion.

Republican leaders said they liked Daugaard’s proposed initiative to offer merit pay for teach-ers.

“The idea of compensating performance makes intuitive sense,” House Majority Leader David Lust, R-Rapid City, said.

Democrats brought the new education plan to the news conference. One of the portions of the plan calls for school investments to be tied to state revenues.

“Our proposal simply suggests that when the

state revenues are doing well, the schools should share in the increases so they can make up lost ground,” the news release said.

Johnson responded to a question about what can be done to help bolster the smaller commu-nities across the state, most of which continue to lose population.

“We have some plans for what that looks like from an economic development standpoint,”

Johnson said. “We’re really focused on the workforce piece, the South Dakota WINS initia-tive the governor talked about in the state of the state.” (See related story).

“This problem we’ve got is so big that we’re not going to be able to solve it by doing the same old same old,” he said

Governor announcesworkforceinitiatives

by Tim L. WaltnerIn his state of the state message last

month, Gov. Daugaard announced his “South Dakota WINS,” which stands for “South Dakota Workforce Initiatives.” The governor said the 24-point program has four primary categories, each designed “to get more South Dakotans trained and ready to work in a rapidly growing and changing South Dakota economy.”

The four areas Daugaard noted are: Pre-paring our children; Training for skilled jobs; Promoting rural health occupations; New South Dakotans.

Education is a key first step, the gover-nor said.

“South Dakota wins when our students are prepared to compete in a modern, high-tech economy….The first component of South Dakota WINS emphasizes math and science education by rewarding math and science teachers for teaching in this high-demand field.”

Another component is preparing for skilled jobs, the governor said.

“South Dakota wins when our work-force is qualified and prepared for all types of careers. An economy needs more than engineers and doctors to flourish. We need skilled and trained technicians who know how to make things.”

The governor said he is reallocating nearly $1 million a year in Community De-velopment Block Grants toward workforce

The kid and the coach Former Northern State University men’s basketball coach Don Meyer, who holds the record for most career wins at any level of NCAA basketball, visits with Tristan Kellar at the third-annual Freeman Regional Health Services Foundation Gala Saturday evening, Jan. 28, before autographing his biography for the Freeman sixth-grader. Meyer was the keynote speaker at the gala, a fundraiser for the foundation held at 4.twenty.3 Events Center on Freeman’s Main Street, and was available beforehand to sign copies of his book, How Lucky You Can Be, written by ESPN’s Buster Olney. The famed coach spoke for about 45 minutes to a sold-out crowd of 115 guests, weaving humor into his inspiring message focused on teamwork and doing your best. The formal gala was also marked by a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and a silent and verbal auction made possible by contributions from individuals and businesses from Freeman and the surrounding area. The gala generated $20,000, which included a $10,000 gift from Dawn Stahl in honor of her father, Dr. Ernest J. Hofer. Mary Waltner, director of the FRHS Foundation, was once again pleased with the gala. “It takes so many people to make an event like this work,” she said. For more on Saturday’s fundraiser, including a closer look at Meyer’s comments, see the story on page 3.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Museum eyes major expansionBoard approves project that would give Heritage Hall new front side, identity

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Heritage Hall Museum Board of Direc-

tors hopes to build a 6,000 square-foot addition to the west side of its existing building, dramati-cally changing the front-side appearance of the tourist attraction and adding updated amenities like a new entrance and reception area, audio/visual center and featured rotating display.

Meeting Thursday, Jan. 26, the museum board approved a plan for the project designed by Mannes Architects of Yankton totaling nearly $700,000. That action garnered support of the Freeman Academy Board of Directors, which oversees the operation of Heritage Hall Muse-

um, on Monday, Jan. 30.Museum officials say they will proceed with

the project when sufficient funding has been se-cured; a fundraising effort is expected to begin soon and continue through the summer.

Marlan Kaufman, vice-chair of the museum’s board of directors, believes the project being pursued by Heritage Hall will be of significant benefit, not only to the museum, but also the community.

“The board has taken a long period of time in thinking about the needs of the museum both now and in our future,” he said. “This project would allow us to do a better job of preserving our artifacts, create special displays, broaden

our range of programing and expand the educa-tional opportunities we offer.”

Heritage Hall Museum has already commit-ted $225,000 to the project thanks to two large donations earmarked for a building project; Raymond and Frances Becker have given the museum $100,000 and Martha Walter has given $125,000 from the estate of her late husband, Isaac. That accounts for about 30 percent of the project’s cost, estimated at $687,000.

Museum officials expect to begin a fundrais-ing effort in the next month with the goal of raising the remainder — $462,000 — through private and corporate contributions, as well as grants and matching fund opportunities.

The museum board voted to hire Mannes Ar-chitects last fall, and a building committee made up of community residents and Heritage Hall of-ficials has been working with the Yankton-based firm in assessing needs and a possible design for an expansion project since. (There is a con-nection between Mannes Architects and Free-man residents Ken and Mary Mannes; Ken and Glenn Mannes, founder and CEO of Mannes Architects, are first cousins.)

The working design calls for a 6,000 square-foot addition to the west that would serve the museum in a number of ways, including as

Dusty Johnson, chief of staff for South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, speaks to journalists about open government efforts in Pierre Jan. 26. PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

continued on back page: Pierre

continued on back page: WINS

Wednesday, February 8, 2012Volume 111 • Number 44308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ................................. p. 10Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries ...................................p. 11Public Notice ...............................p. 11Reflections ............................... p. 3, 7Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ..................................... p. 9, 12

12 pages

INSIDE:Honored Students from Freemannamed to elite choirs ■ p 3

Community center Effort is par for the course;an opinion ■ p 4

CRP Department of ag hostingconservation program ■ p 5

1-2-3 A recipe so easyyou won’t believe it ■ p 6

Endgame Improved FA girls teamhas eyes on postseason ■ p 9

On to state Erika Sage making markfrom free-throw line ■ p 12

Marion-Freeman competing in districts Saturday

Wrestlers from Marion-Freeman will take the mat this Saturday for the first installment of the 2011-2012 winter sports postseason.

The Rebels will be one of six teams participating in the District 4B Wrestling Tournament, which begins in Alcester at 11 a.m. Feb. 11. The top four wrestlers in each division advance to the region com-petition the following weekend. The state tournament will be held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City Feb. 24 and 25.

Nine from Marion-Freeman will compete. They are listed here, along with their records.

113 - Nic Watson, 11-20132 - Michael Cremer, 20-22138 - Wesley York, 7-24145 - Dylan Cotton, 27-3152 - Seth York, 6-15170 - Jacob Smith, 8-27182 - Slade Mutchelknaus, 34-6195 - Bryce Sayler, 28-5285 - Chris Splett, 6-15District 4B includes Alcester-

Hudson, Beresford, Canton, Elk Point-Jefferson, Marion-Freeman and Parker.

Basketball postseasonBoys and girls teams from Free-

man Academy and Freeman High School are also nearing the ends of their regular seasons.

The girls will begin postseason play first; both FA and FHS will take part in the District 7B Tourna-ment in Tea Feb. 18, 21 and 24.

The boys will take part in Dis-trict 7B competition Feb. 25, 28 and March 2. Those games will also be played in Tea.

Food pantry item accepted forFHS game Feb. 20

On Monday, Feb. 20, admis-sion to Freeman Public’s home basketball game against Ethan will be waived for all spectators in ex-change for a food item to be donat-ed to the local food pantry.

The boys junior varsity game will start at 6:15 p.m., followed by the boys varsity game.

Freeman Academy fans are espe-cially encouraged to come out and support the Flyers.

Lineup for 2012 Music in the Park announced

The fourth-annual Music in the Park, an event developed and or-ganized by Trevor Schmidt, will be once again held in Freeman Aug. 11, as an evening activity.

Schmidt has secured his music lineup for the event, which will include The Andy Gibson Band, which headlined Music in the Park 2011. The Andy Gibson Band will serve as the headliner again this year, playing from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Other musicians include The Hegg Brothers, who played at Mu-sic in the Park in 2010, and Noah Hoehn, a harmonica player and per-cussionist from Minneapolis.

They will play both as separate acts and together beginning at 6 p.m.

Watch the Courier for more on Music in the Park 2012.

continued on back page: Center

Long road leads toSunday open house

by Jeremy WaltnerYou wouldn’t know it by driving by, and even

a look inside isn’t necessarily a dead giveaway, but a significant step toward converting the for-mer Freeman Elementary School Gym and An-nex into a multiuse community center has been completed.

On Sunday, it will be celebrated.The public is invited to an

open house this Sunday, Feb. 12, at what is being called the Freeman Community Center located at 224 S. Wipf Street. A cake-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m.; it will include comments from those involved with the project. General contractor Dan Engebretson of Westmar Construction and Freeman city officials are expected to be on hand to answer questions about the project de-signed to significantly improve the inner work-ings of the building.

While the exterior and interior of the building remain largely unchanged — the old basketball court no doubt harkens to a time gone by — a new geothermal energy system provides for a renewed purpose. New ceilings and light fix-tures in the front entry and in the rooms east of the stage represent what is designed to be an ef-fort to update the facility in other ways.

“Once we got going, it was easy,” said Free-man Mayor Lonnie Tjaden. “For the city it was pretty much hands off. (Westmar Construction)

did the job and did it well.”Carol Vizecky, who chaired a fundraising

committee that ultimately secured $173,500 that prompted city officials to approve the project, said the enthusiasm and support for the project has been rewarding.

“The enthusiasm of all the contributors has been phenomenal,” said Vizecky, who says the money given for the project has, today, swelled

to close to $200,000. “Given that the taxpayers came for-ward with money once (for the original construction of the gym), and then contrib-uted another $196,000, that says a lot for Freeman.”

Vizecky also credited the city council for approving the project last fall — “I complement the city council in supporting the effort to move forward with the project” — and the volunteers who have helped prepare the fa-cility for Sunday’s open house.

“Along with the construction, there has been a need for cleaning and wiping things down, which is no different than any other construc-tion project,” Vizecky said. “That has consumed a vast amount of time and many volunteers have stepped forward.

“We have used 75 gallons of paint, the major-ity of which was donated,” he continued. “There again, many volunteers have helped.

“It’s been a win-win type thing.”Finally, Vizecky called Westmar Construc-

tion “one of the best contractors I have worked

with.”That the project has reached this point is no

doubt a relief to those who have invested time, energy and money. There were, after all, times when its success was in question as the Freeman City Council — in whose hands its status ulti-mately rested — weighed the benefits of such a project against funding in place. Only a late push for additional funds that included a signifi-cant contribution from Westmar Construction resulted in council approval to move forward last September.

Tjaden admits the city took a cautions ap-proach to moving forward with the project, but only in an effort to be fiscally responsible.

“The city was operating no differently than it did with the library or fire hall,” he said. “The city had made a commitment of $90,000 and applied for grants; the rest needed to be raised by the citizens that totally embraced this project and wanted it to move forward.”

The fundraising campaign originally de-signed to raise $311,000 was a tedious one that included a series of ups and downs; while the level of enthusiasm from those behind the proj-ect — namely a fundraising committee and its supporters — was high, the project was threat-ened as fundraising efforts fell short.

“Our main concern was not having enough money,” said Tjaden. “There are still some con-cerns about how much this is going to cost the city on an annual basis just to run.”

Uncertainty as to how the building will be used in the future — and what kind of revenue

stream that will produce for the city — is par for the course in a project that has been marked by uncertainty.

While Sunday’s open house is certainly a cause for celebration for those in support of the project, the ins and outs of it dating back to the summer of 2009 include a series of challenges, questions and — ultimately — resolution and execution.

Indeed, it’s been a long and winding road. Here’s a look back.

June 29, 2009: In conjunction with construc-tion of a new Freeman Elementary and how it would deal with its existing school property on Wipf Street, the Freeman School Board offers to sell the elementary school gym (built in 1957) and annex (added in 1965) to the Freeman Vol-unteer Fire Department for $20,000.

July 13, 2009: Responding to concerns raised by city officials that the asking price of $20,000 might be a problem, the school board agrees to, instead, gift the entire two-block property used as the elementary school campus to the city of Freeman. That offer includes the gym and an-nex, school building itself and surrounding land.

July 27, 2009: City officials express no inter-est in accepting the school board’s offer of the entire two-block parcel — including the vacated classroom building — instead focusing their efforts on exploring the feasibility of using the gym and annex as a community event center. The school board, meanwhile, proceeds with

A look back at the discussionsand challenges that have markedphase one of the effort to convertold gym into community center

to close to $200,000. “Given that the taxpayers came for-ward with money once (for the original construction of the gym), and then contrib-uted another $196,000, that says a lot for Freeman.”

FORMERELEMENTARYSCHOOL GYM

Fair opportunity at Freeman ElementaryFreeman third-grader Katelyn Walz, the daughter of Dawn and Darren Walz, browses books at the Scholastic Book Fair Monday morning, Feb. 6 — an event that’s ongoing at Free-man Elementary through the week. Organized by parents of local grade-school students, the fair provides the opportunity for youngsters to look over and buy some of the newest titles available spanning a wide range of subjects. If $2,000 worth of book orders is placed, Scholastic will give 50 percent back

to the school to purchase books for its own library. “This is a great way for kids to get books in their hands and for the school to expand its offerings,” said Jill Aanenson, one of the parents behind the effort. The book fair will be open to stu-dents throughout the week beginning at 8 a.m. and continu-ing until 4 p.m. Then on Friday, Feb. 10, the general public is invited to browse and buy books as well, with proceeds going toward the $2,000 goal. “This will be available for any-

body, whether it’s grandparents or preschool families.” The Scholastic Book Fair will be open Friday from 3 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. in room 124 at Freeman Elementary. Aanenson said Monday, as students fi ltered through the book fair for the fi rst time, the enthusiasm for the opportunity was great. “They’re loving it,” she said. “They’ve been waiting and wait-ing for this week for a long time.”

PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Cast and crew from FA’s one-act play included (clockwise from upper left) Calvin Janssen, Brennan Waltner, Austin VanDiepen, Matthew Graber, Ben Carlson, Gwen Ortman, Sara Miller, Emily Epp, Christina Hofer, Brooklyn Ries and Olivia Boese.SUBMITTED PHOTO

FA competes in StateOne-Act Play Festival

by Jeremy WaltnerThe individual acting awards doled out

at the State One-Act Play Festival last week were announced prior to the group superior honors, and when Freeman Academy drama instructor Gwen Ortman heard that four of her students received individual accolades, she couldn’t help but think the best.

“I thought for sure they had gotten a supe-rior,” Ortman said.

Turns out she was mistaken.FA’s one-act play, We Loathe Our Cus-

tomers, missed the superior mark following its performance in Aberdeen Saturday after-noon, Feb. 4, even though actors Emily Epp, Christina Hofer, Brooklyn Ries and Brennan Waltner each garnered individual honors.

It was the fourth year in a row Hofer was named an oustanding actor at State One-Act Play Festival.

Despite being one of five of the 14 par-ticipating Class B schools not receiving a superior, Ortman was proud of her team of 10, which in addition to the cast of six (Epp, Hofer, Ries, Waltner, Olivia Boese and Aus-tin VanDiepen), included a running crew of four (Ben Carlson, Matthew Graber, Calvin Janssen and Sarah Miller).

Hofer was the only actor who will gradu-ate; the others are all freshmen.

“We were mostly very inexperienced,” said Ortman, who notes that Hofer assumed much of the directing responsibility for the show. “It’s going to be exciting to watch them grow from freshmen into seniors.”

Wednesday, February 15, 2012Volume 111 • Number 45308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ................................. p. 12Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 8Public Notice ........................p. 12, 13Reflections ....................................p. 9Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ..........................................p. 11

14 pages

INSIDE:Lucky Stern Oil driversurvives ugly crash ■ p 3

Religious liberty A discussion worth having;an opinion ■ p 4

Dairy Governor pushes forindustry development ■ p 5

Twist on lasagnaA new take on atraditional recipe ■ p 6

Young champs Sixth graders beat Centervillefor tournament title ■ p 11

Girls District 7B Tournament starts Saturday in Salem

Girls teams from Freeman Acad-emy and Freeman High School will take part in the District 7B Tourna-ment in Salem beginning Saturday, Feb. 18.

District games continue in Tea Feb. 21 and 24.

Freeman Academy will enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Bridgewater-Emery to open the tournament; tipoff is 6:30 p.m. Saturday. That game will be followed by No. 3 Canistota against No. 6 Marion.

Freeman High School enters district play as the No. 2 seed and earns a first-round bye, as does No. 1 Parker.

The Flyers will play the winner of the FA/B-E game at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21, followed by Parker against either Canistota or Marion.

Winners face off in the district championship at 7 p.m. Feb. 24.

The District 7B Tournament for the boys will be played Feb. 25, 28 and March 2. All games will be hosted by Tea.

Petitions takenout for city council, school board

As of Monday, Feb. 13, two peti-tions for reelection have been filed with the Freeman City Finance Of-fice — one for mayor by Lonnie Tjaden and another for Ward III councilor by Randy Broders. Both are currently serving in those cap-acities.

City Finance Officer Lisa Edel-man told the Courier Monday that three other petitions have been taken out but have not been turned in — one for the vacancy in Ward I (currently held by Royce Brene-man) and two for the vacancy in Ward III (currently held by Loren Tschetter).

At Freeman Public Schools, two vacancies will need to be filled in the upcoming election. Both are three-year terms currently held by Chris Lickteig and Darnell Tschet-ter.

Business Manager Ronda Rine-hart told the Courier that, as of Monday, Tschetter was the only one to have taken out a petition.

The deadline to take out nomina-tion petitions from either the city or the school is the end of the day Fri-day, Feb. 24.

The joint city/school election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10.

Presidents Day holiday Monday; early deadline

Because of the Feb. 20 postal holiday Presidents Day, an early deadline will be required for both the Area Wide Connection and Dakota Action Rocket. Copy for next week’s issues is due by 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16.

The Courier’s Main Street office will be closed Saturday, Feb. 18.

While the Courier deadline is unaffected and remains Monday at noon, people are reminded the post-al holiday will delay any incoming mail for next week’s issue.

Most Freeman businesses will be open as usual Monday. Exceptions include the three Freeman banks and the Freeman Post Office, which will not have box office, window or rural delivery service.

There will be no classes at Free-man Elementary or Freeman Jun-ior-Senior High School Feb. 20.

Freeman city officialsname facility, governing board

by Tim L. WaltnerWith the project to install a geothermal heat-

ing/cooling system in the former Freeman El-ementary School Gym/Annex recently complet-ed, the Freeman City Council discussed some of the next steps for the facility as it met in regular session Mon-day, Feb. 6. That included officially naming it the Free-man Community Center and appointing mem-bers to a governing board to oversee operations of the community center,

Caroll Vizecky, who chaired the fundraising committee that successfully solicited private contributions and pledges to help fund the proj-ect, told the committee a total of $195,558 has been committed for the project. That, along with

allocated city funds and a state grant, covers the $636,670 cost of phase one, which includes electrical upgrades, the heating/cooling system, and renovation in both the front lobby and east annex.

Vizecky, who is also the city water superin-tendent, told city officials training for the opera-tion of the new heating/cooling system will take place “in the next few weeks.”

Donna Waltner, a member of the fundrais-ing committee, asked city officials to consider providing access to the east side of the facility from Relanto Street. When the school used the property, a driveway provided access to a park-ing area east of the classroom building. After the classroom building was razed in September 2009, the driveway was removed.

The lack of a driveway “is a liability for peo-ple who want to use that area,” she said. “If that area is a rental area, that is a need,” adding there

is interest in renting that area of the facility for events.

Mayor Lonnie Tjaden said access will be pro-vided when Third Street is extended across the former school property from Wipf to Relanto. However that project is not included in the 2012 city budget.

But, Tjaden acknowledged, “that’s an issue that has to be addressed.”

Councilor Scott Stern said it may call for both “a short-term fix and a long-term solution.”

“It doesn’t mean we can’t put in a driveway until we put in Third Street,” Tjaden said.

Tjaden announced he has asked and received consent to from four people to serve on a five-member governing board to oversee the opera-tion of the community center. Two are represen-tatives of the city council, Royce Breneman and

Old gym gets ‘second chance’Sunday open house affords opportunity to see results of $630,000 project

by Jeremy WaltnerIn the southeast corner of what used to be the

music room at Freeman Elementary, photos and newspaper clippings documenting the transfor-mation of the old school gym and annex into a community center were on display for open house guests to study.

Among those documents and snapshots were personal notes and memories from those who contributed to the successful fundraising cam-paign that ultimately led to Sunday afternoon, Feb. 12, when the first phase of the community center project was publically commemorated.

One note was from 81-year-old Alvin Bruck-lacher, a Freeman High School alumnus and re-tired pastor in the community. Dated Nov. 23, 2010, it read, in part:

“I am glad to hear that the school in Freeman where I attended and graduated from in 1948 is under increasing consideration to be saved and used for a year around activity center. To help this dream come true I am enclosing a check for $100.”

The note closed with, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”

That optimistic outlook — certainly the fi-nancial contribution from Brucklacher — is the kind of glass-half-full attitude that helped energize the citizen-led fundraising committee and its supporters, who are quick to say that the Freeman Community Center is a product of the people and for the people.

“Although some of us struggled to keep this project alive, we didn’t give up,” Carroll Vizecky, head of the fundraising committee, said in prepared remarks at Sunday’s open house. “A community center is a sum of its parts … we are truly grateful for everyone who put time into this project.”

ShowcaseOn display Sunday was a climate-controlled

facility made so by a $636,731 improvement project taken on by the city that included the in-stallation of geothermal energy system, electri-cal upgrade and new ceilings in the front lobby and two large rooms behind the gym’s stage.

Vizecky said the project marks “a second chance” for the former gym built in 1957 and vacated in the fall of 2009, when the new Free-man Elementary opened six blocks to its south.

“Why is this second chance so important?” he asked. “Because each of you have believed in a dream. We are here today celebrating how a small community and its neighbors should work in unison for a better tomorrow.”

Sunday’s open house was designed to show-case the project from one end to the other. Guests were treated to a light lunch in a revital-ized back room that throngs of students used as a lunchroom throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s; the former music room, also given new life with fresh paint, new lighting and ceiling grid, featured the documents, photos and memories; the stage and backstage area, flanked by the huge maroon curtain that still reads FHS across its top, was open for people to walk across and through; and the main area, still easily recogniz-able as a former gym by a basketball court with bleachers on each side, now includes two huge silver ducts extending from north to south as part of the new energy system that is the center-piece of the project.

All of it was made possible when the Freeman School District vacated the property for a new elementary school on the south side of town and gifted the building — and the two-block parcel

of land it sits on — to the city.It was funded in part by the city ($90,000) and

largely by a block grant from the state of South Dakota ($369,375), but made possible thanks to private donations and pledges. The two larg-est donors were Ted Hofer of Merchants State Bank and general contractor Dan Engebretson of Westmar Construction, both of whom con-

tributed $30,000 and were the cake-cutters at a ceremonial act Sunday afternoon. But it was contributions from more than 200 others that tipped the scales and prompted the council to approve the project last September.

“We are truly grateful to everyone who con-tributed to this project,” Vizecky said, who listed “a number of organizations (which) have

considered this an important project.”Those he mentioned included the FHS re-

union group of 2010, Freeman Lions Club, Free-man Community Foundation, Freeman Red Hat Society, Freeman Boy Scouts, Freeman Winter Fair Committee, Freeman Community Devel-

With fundraising committee chair Carroll Vizecky, left, and general contractor Dan Engebretson looking on, Ted Hofer takes part in the ceremonial cake-cutting at the Freeman Community Center Sunday afternoon, Feb. 12. Hofer and Engebretson were the two largest donors to the project that saw the former Freeman Elementary School Gym and Annex converted to a year-round multiuse facility, each contributing $30,000 on behalf of their businesses, Merchants State Bank and Westmar Construction. Sunday’s open house was held from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.; it included a light lunch and provided the public a chance to see the energy and aesthetic upgrades at the Wipf Street building. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

continued on back page: Celebration

continued on back page: Council

CITYCOUNCIL

Best feet forwardMarion-Freeman qualifi es all eight for region tourney

by Jeremy WaltnerEight is not only enough, it’s all they could

have asked for.Competing at the District 4B Wrestling Tour-

nament in Alcester Saturday, Marion-Freeman qualified its entire postseason roster for the re-gion competition this weekend in Tea. The Reb-els did so thanks to top-four finishes by each of their eight grapplers, including Freeman High School senior Bryce Sayler, who won the 195 lb. weight class with ease, and his classmate Slade Mutchelknaus, who lost a tough 7-5 decision in the 182 lb. title match.

Other Rebels who advanced to the Region 2B Tournament in Tea this Saturday, Feb. 18 include:

■ Nic Watson at 113 lbs., who finished fourth on Saturday;

■ Michael Cremer at 132, who was third;

■ Wesley York at 138, who also finished third;

■ Dylan Cotton at 145, who forfeited the championship match because of a torn labrum in his shoulder;

■ Seth York at 160, who was fourth;■ Chris Splett at heavyweight, who also fin-

ished fourth.Marion-Freeman finished fourth in the six-

team tournament.“It was a good day; we got everybody

through,” said Rebels coach Chris Sayler. “But it’s going to be a lot tougher at regions.”

While the majority of the team was expected to advance through the district, Sayler

made several adjustments to his postseason ros-ter that helped Marion-Freeman qualify its full

through,” said Rebels coach Chris Sayler. “But it’s going to be a lot tougher at regions.”

team was expected to advance through the district, Sayler

DISTRICTWRESTLING

FHS senior Bryce Sayler

pins his opponent in just 37

seconds in the 195. lb. district fi nal

on Saturday. Sayler earned

a fi rst-round bye and won his semifi nal

match by pinning his foe in 31 seconds,

making his total time on

the mat 68 seconds.PHOTO BY

JEREMY WALTNER

Marion-Freeman cooperativein question■ School offi cials wonderwhat a Marion-Parker sports co-op would mean for wrestling in Freeman

by Jeremy WaltnerTwo days after the Marion-Freeman Rebels

qualified their entire postseason roster for the Region 2B Tournament in Tea, head coach Chris Sayler met with the Freeman School Board to discuss the future of the 20-year-old coop-erative — specifically, what FHS would do if Marion and Parker join forces through a sports cooperative under consideration.

Marion and Parker joining forces in all sports has been on the table since their school boards met jointly last November, according to Marion Superintendent Adam Shaw.

Shaw told the Courier Monday that a decision would be made in March.

“If we’re going to do it,” he said, “we’re go-ing to do all sports.”

In anticipation of that decision, Freeman Su-perintendent Don Hotchkiss and head wrestling coach Chris Sayler asked the Freeman School Board to begin considering what that could mean for wrestling locally.

“We don’t need a decision today,” Hotchkiss said as the board met in regular session Mon-day morning, Feb. 13, “but we need to be on the

continued on page 11: Wrestling

continued on page 13: School

SCHOOLBOARD

Wednesday, February 22, 2012Volume 111 • Number 46308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ................................. p. 10Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 2Public Notice ...............................p. 11Reflections ....................................p. 3Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ............................... p. 9, 11, 12

12 pages

INSIDE:Scouts Three from Freemanreceive First Class Rank ■ p 3

Bill 177 In the name of health care,pass it; an opinion ■ p 4

Chef David Businessman shares recipe for Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon ■ p 6

RoundupBox scores from fi nalgames at FA, FHS ■ p 11, 12

Deadline tofile petitions for election Friday

Those wishing to file a petition for the city/school election Tues-day, April 10 have until the end of the day Friday, Feb. 24 to do so.

Two seats will be open on the Freeman Public School Board; Chris Lickteig and Darnell Tschet-ter currently fill those three-year terms and both have taken out pe-titions, said Freeman Public Busi-ness Manager Ronda Rinehart.

Vacancies among elected city of-ficials include the mayor and repre-sentatives in Wards I, II and III.

Incumbent Mayor Lonnie Tjaden, Ward I Councilor Royce Breneman and Ward II Councilor Randy Broders have all filed peti-tions, said Freeman City Finance Officer Lisa Edelman. Three other petitions are outstanding, she said.

First Saturday Schmeckfest meal close to selling out

Only a limited number of tickets remain for the Schmeckfest meal Saturday, March 24, according to a report issued early this week.

An ample supply of meal tickets remain for all other nights of Sch-meckfest — March 23, 30 and 31.

Tickets for The Wizard of Oz continue to sell well.

Floor seats have sold out for the musical each night of Schmeckfest, although reserved rear seats remain available for the encore perfor-mance Thursday, March 29.

Reserved bleacher seats are available for all five performances, and general admission tickets will be available at the door.

To order tickets go to schmeck-fest.com or call 605-925-4542.

FHS studentsto present variety show March 5

The Freeman High School Mu-sic Department will present a va-riety show Monday, March 5, at 7 p.m. The program will be held in the Freeman Elementary Gym and feature ensembles from vocal and instrumental contest, and other acts.

There will not be an admission charged, however there will be a freewill offering which will go to the FHS music department.

The public is invited to attend the evening of entertainment.

Cheese pocketsto be made Feb. 28 for Schmeckfest

In preparation for Schmeckfest, cottage cheese pockets will be made Feb. 28 and March 6, start-ing at 9 a.m. at Pioneer Hall, on the Freeman Academy campus. The only needed supply will be a rolling pin. Lunch will be provided.

Other food preparation days are scheduled. See page 3 for more.

Account to aid Thompson familyat Home Federal

A benefit account has been es-tablished at Home Federal Bank for the Aaron and Jennifer Thompson family for their son Isaac, who has a rare form of leukemia. Wellspring Wholistic Care Center is planning a future fundraising event for the family and would welcome any and all assistance and/or suggestions in planning and executing this event.

Contact Sherri Zachariasen, Wellspring representative, at Home Federal Bank, 925-4239.

THE SPORTS REPORTThe winter postseason is here at last. Here’s what’s happening.

BOYSDISTRICTS

continued on back page: Wrestling

FA, FHS to meetin District 7B action Saturday evening

For the first time since 2004, Freeman Academy and Free-man High School will square off in boys basketball action. The crosstown rivals will meet in the opening round of the District 7B Tourna-ment in Tea Saturday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.

FHS heads into the game with a 9-11 record and as the district’s No. 4 seed. The Flyers finished their regular sea-son with a 36-58 loss to Ethan Monday night. FA is the dis-trict’s No. 5 seed and closed out its regular season with a win over Marion last week. The Bobcats enter postseason play with a 3-16 mark.

The winner of the FA/FHS game will play No. 1 Canis-tota (17-3) Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday’s other District 7B game will follow the FA/FHS contest and feature No. 3 Parker (11-9) against No. 6 Marion (1-19). The winner will face No. 2 Bridgewater-Emery (13-7) in the Feb. 28 late game.

The District 7B championship is scheduled for Friday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

All games are being played in Tea.

GIRLSDISTRICTS

Season over for Bobcats; Flyers enter district play Tuesday as No. 2 seed

The 2011-12 girls basketball season at Freeman Acad-emy came to a disappointing end in Salem Saturday, Feb. 18, when the No. 5 Bobcats lost to No. 4 Bridgewater-Emery 40-36 in the open-ing round of the District 7B Tournament.

For FA, the defeat was particularly tough because the Bobcats were in a position to upset the Huskies; they led midway through the fourth quarter but couldn’t hang on down the stretch. FA ended its season 4-15 while B-E improved to 10-11.

A full game report is printed on page 9. Freeman High School was scheduled to open its postsea-

son in District 7B semifinal action early this week in Tea. The No. 2 Flyers (13-7) were slated to face No. 3 Canistota (12-8) Tuesday, Feb. 21. Canistota defeated Marion (2-20) 51-37 in the opening round.

In Tuesday’s other semifinal game, B-E was scheduled to take on No. 1 Parker (13-7).

Tuesday’s winners will face off in the District 7B cham-pionship in Tea Friday, Feb. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Flyers are three-time defending district champs.

POSTSEASON WRESTLING

Cotton, Sayler,Mutchelknaus advance to State ‘B’ Tournament

As expected, Marion-Freeman’s top three wrestlers ad-vanced through the Region 2B competition and onto the State ‘B’ Tournament with top finishes in Tea Saturday, Feb. 18.

Marion senior Dylan Cotton finished second in the 145 lb. division and Freeman High School seniors Bryce Sayler and Slade Mutchelknaus finished second and third at 195 and 182 lbs., respectively, and will take the mat at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City this weekend. The state tourna-ment begins Friday, Feb. 24 and concludes Saturday, Feb. 25.

Also competing for the Rebels at Saturday’s region tour-nament were FHS’s Nic Watson (113) and Chris Splett (hwt.) and Marion’s Michael Cremer (132), Wesley York (138) and Seth York (160). Splett won his first-round wres-tleback but was eliminated in the match that would have sent him to state, finishing the tournament 1-2. All others finished 0-2.

Officials pleased with first Cornbelt ClassicRevenue strong enough to cover conference expenses; FHS to host again in 2013

by Jeremy WaltnerThe report from the inaugural Cornbelt Clas-

sic is in, the numbers are solid and conference officials are planning to do it again in 2013.

Freeman Superintendent Don Hotchkiss re-ported to the Freeman Public School Board Monday, Feb. 13 that the all-day boys and girls basketball event, hosted by Freeman Public Sat-urday, Jan. 28, generated strong interest, good games and a gate of $3,800.

“We did quite well,” Hotchkiss told the board. “We’re happy with how things turned out.”

The Cornbelt Classic featured all 12 boys and girls teams taking the court over the course of

eight hours; it was as much exhibition as it was competition and held in lieu of the traditional boys and girls conference tournaments, which had been played in tra-ditional bracket fash-ion, each spanning three days.

While the traditional format generated a gate significantly larger than last month’s $3,800 — over the last four years, the boys and girls tour-naments together produced an average of $9,561 — a six-team conference made a bracket format difficult and required participation from junior varsity teams outside of the conference.

Cornbelt officials hoped that moving to a classic format would generate more buzz and enough revenue to allow the cash-strapped ath-letic conference to function for another year.

“We needed to be able to show that we can make enough to pay our bills,” Hotchkiss told the Courier. “We did that.”

Like Hotchkiss, Kristina Sage, secretary of the conference, said the response to last month’s Cornbelt Classic was positive.

“I heard many favorable comments,” she said, “and the size of the crowd was encouraging.”

Freeman Public Business Manager Ronda Rinehart said the gate showed 602 paying adults and 202 paying students in attendance. Those at-

tendance figures do not include those who used conference passes.

A second Cornbelt Classic will be held next year; the date is Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Its makeup, however, is in flux. While Bridgewa-ter-Emery, Canistota, Freeman, Hanson and Menno will be back, Marion is considering an athletic cooperative with Parker that would take them out of the Cornbelt. Howard, meanwhile, will join the conference in all sports starting next school year.

Freeman Public will host the 2013 event, but will charge the conference a rental fee, which

SCHOOL BOARD

continued on page 3: Board

Lea Grabergoes to WashingtonFreeman 17-year-old returns from fi ve-month stint as United States Senate Page

by Jeremy WaltnerThe question renders silence.The silence speaks volumes.Lea Graber’s eyes dart back and forth as the

wheels grab for traction. Where is her mind go-ing? To Washington, D.C., no doubt, but it’s a big city and there’s a lot to experience, especial-ly when you’re working as one of 30 pages for the United States Senate.

To be fair, the question — “What was the best moment?” — is as big as the District of Colum-bia, and with as many possibilities. The silent deliberation that follows the question is under-standable as her mind connects the dots of the past five months. Is the 17-year-old thinking about the flight out last September that came two months after she learned she had success-fully navigated the rigid application process?

When anticipation rode shotgun? When the idea that she would be working in step with the nation’s lawmakers released butterflies? When the excitement swelled?

Or maybe it was the first time she set foot inside the senate chamber in the north wing of the United States Capitol and took in the history, where she and other pages would find them-selves every time lawmakers gathered to discuss policy and other business items of the day.

What was the best moment?The friends she made? The policy she

learned? The places she saw? The hands she shook, including that of President Obama’s after his State of the Union address late last month?

Lea pauses a long time as she thinks it over, not because there were so few, but because there were so many.

Finally, she responds. She has two.The first, Lea says, came early on in her work

as a U.S. Senate Page after lawmakers approved an amendment that changed the voting regula-tions for cloture — a procedure that places a time limit on consideration of a bill, thereby overcoming a filibuster — from a simple major-ity to 60 percent. “That was monumental,” she

says now, “and I was the one who got to file it.” That meant her signature — Lea Graber — is etched onto the official congressional document.

The second came late in her work, the second-to-last day of her term as a page, a Thursday, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pub-lically thanked the pages in front of the entire senate. “It was really big,” Lea says. “It was re-ally special because it seemed like what we were doing was such a thankless job.”

A day’s workLea, of course, didn’t sign up to be thanked,

and when she was appointed to her post as a senate page by Sen. Tim Johnson, a lawmaker from her home state, it quickly became all about the job. It’s a fair bet that none of Lea’s 29 col-leagues were in it for the recognition or public-ity either, but rather for the experience of work-ing alongside the top elected officials in the land while learning a little something about govern-ment along the way.

That’s what the last five months have been about for Lea, regardless of whether they were best moments, worst moments or those in be-tween.

“There really was a lot to learn,” says Lea, the daughter of Krista and Stewart Graber, who articulates with the maturity of an adult some of the life lessons she brought home.

“I learned how important it is to cooperate with the people you work with,” she says.

“I learned you really do have to manage your time well in order to get things done. There are

continued on back page: Graber

Lea Graber, a junior at Freeman Academy, has always been interested in politics, which is why she applied to be a United States Senate

Page in the fi rst place. Now that her time in the nation’s capital is done, that calling is stronger

than ever. “There are a lot of people who are working for really good things in Washington,

D.C.,” she says. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, February 29, 2012Volume 111 • Number 47308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ................................. p. 12Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries ...................................p. 11Public Notice .........................p. 11, 13Reflections ..............................p. 7, 11Social Notes .................................p. 6Sports ..................................... p. 9, 10

14 pages

INSIDE:On the organ Studio Subscription Seriesgoes to the North Church ■ p 3

Students Ten to take part in MiddleSchool All-State Band ■ p 3

SB 170 Lawmakers’ work-around misguided; an opinion ■ p 4

Simple Mary Mannes shares philosophy, recipe ■ p 6

You could callthis, Feb. 29, 2012, a leap issue

This week’s issue of the Cou-rier is a rarity; only once in every 28 years is there a fifth issue of the weekly newspaper published in the month of February.

Five issues in a month is not rare. On the contrary, that’s what the calendar dictates. With 52 is-sues a year and 12 months, there are four months in every year when we have five issues in a given month. That works out pretty evenly for 11 months but with only 28 days in February for three of every four years, the second month of the year gets short-changed.

However during leap year (those years divisible by four) February gets a chance to join the ranks of a five-issue month. Of course that works only when there are five Wednesdays in the month and that’s the case this year. The last time it happened was in 1984. It won’t happen again until 2040 and then again in 2068, etc.

- EDITORS

Baking days coming up for54th Schmeckfest

Volunteers are being asked to do-nate time and energy to a number of events scheduled in anticipation of the 54th Schmeckfest, which will be held on the Freeman Academy campus March 23, 24, 30 and 31.

All baking days will be held in the basement of Pioneer Hall. Here’s a closer look.

KuchenBaking days for making Sch-

meckfest kuchen have been set: March 2, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (no school at FA) and March 5, 8, 12 and 15 from 1 to 7 p.m. each day.

The committee would appreciate the use of 9-inch glass pie plates and rolling pins during these baking days. Please label all equipment. Donations of fruit for the filling would be welcomed. Most popular varieties include poppyseed, cherry, peach, mulberry, rhubarb, apricot and prune. Volunteers are welcome for all or any part of the days to as-sist with making dough, etc., until the kuchen is cooled, packaged and in the freezers.

About 10 persons are needed for each baking day. While drop-in help is always appreciated, it would be helpful to know in advance those who are able to commit to specific dates and/or times. Contact Vernet-ta Waltner, 925-7620 or waltners@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Cheese pocketsIn preparation for Schmeckfest,

cottage cheese pockets will be made March 6, starting at 9 a.m. at Pioneer Hall, on the Freeman Acad-emy campus. The only needed sup-ply will be a rolling pin. Lunch will be provided.

Whole wheat noodlesEveryone is invited to help make

whole wheat organic noodles for Schmeckfest on Saturday, March 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pioneer Hall dining hall. Soup will be pro-vided at noon. For more informa-tion call 925-7292.

Knepf Knepf will be made Saturday,

March 10 at the Pioneer Hall dining hall. Start time is 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 80 gallons are made. Folks of all ages are encouraged to help; families are welcome.

Cash donations will be accepted to defray the cost of ingredients. Lunch will be provided. Contact Vernetta Waltner, 925-7620, for more information.

continued on back page: State

STATEWRESTLING

Medal-WorthyPerformances

With eighth- and fourth-place fi nishes, Slade Mutchelknaus and Bryce Sayler end prep wrestling careers on the podium

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JEREMY WALTNER / COURIER NEWS EDITOR

For Freeman High School seniors Slade Mutchelknaus and Bryce Sayler, the final moments of their prep wrestling careers didn’t come on the mat.

They came on the podium.Competing at 182 lbs., Mutchelknaus won

a thrilling first-round match that set him on a course for eighth place while Sayler, wrestling at 195 lbs., won his first two matches before settling in at fourth. Both joined the other top wrestlers from their divisions on the medal stand Saturday night, Feb. 25, as the 2012 State ‘B’ Wrestling Tournament, which be-gan Friday, Feb. 24, drew to a close.

“You couldn’t ask for a better tournament — well, yeah you could — but all in all it was awe-some,” Mutchelknaus said after settling into his seat to watch the championship matches Satur-day night. “A lot of guys don’t make it here. I’m happy I made it; happy I placed.”

“It hit me when I got home that it was over,” said Sayler. “It was totally worth it, all the sweat and the pain, to be up on that podium.”

It was the best duo finish for wrestlers from Freeman High School since 1993 — the year the Rebels won the ‘B’ title — and the conclusion of a fun and exciting season for Mutchelknaus and Sayler, who joined Marion senior Dylan Cotton as a strong anchor for the young Rebels.

Cotton competed in Rapid City last week, too, but was hindered by a severe shoulder injury that

kept him from advancing to the medal round. Cotton, who suffered a torn labrum Jan. 19 and had lost just twice before that, might have other-wise been wrestling for a title at 145 lbs. Instead he finished 0-2 with a first-round loss to Chan-dler Sudbeck (28-9) of Philip Area, and then a 5-4 defeat at the hands of Devon Gnat (31-14) of Miller-Highmore-Harrold in the wrestle back — a match in which Cotton appeared to be in excruciating pain.

When asked if he considered quitting because of the injury, Cotton shook his head.

“I’ve got to have surgery anyway,” he said, estimating his pain level at eight on a 1-10 scale. “I figured I would see what I could do.”

For Cotton, it was a disappointing end to a solid prep career that saw three state tourna-ments that included a fourth-place finish in 2011.

“I had a lot of coaches tell me if he wasn’t hurt he’s a state finalist,” said Marion-Freeman head coach Chris Sayler. “It’s a (tough) way to go out, but I told him that wrestling was a small part of life.”

That same “bigger than wrestling theme” was echoed as the coach addressed Mutchelknaus and Sayler prior to Saturday’s final round.

“I told them, go out and have fun,” he said, “but leave it all on the mat. If you go out there

Tjaden, Breneman facing challenge

by Jeremy WaltnerSam Sorensen will challenge Freeman Mayor

Lonnie Tjaden and Donna Waltner will take on Ward I Councilor Royce Breneman in the up-coming city election scheduled for April 10.

Additionally, Eva Olson has turned in a peti-tion for Ward III Councilor, a seat currently held by Loren Tschet-ter. City Financer Lisa Edelman said Tschetter had turned in a petition, but it was thrown out because Tschetter signed it in De-cember. Petitions cannot be signed prior to Jan. 27, Edelman said.

The other vacancy on the city council is in Ward II. Incumbent Randy Broders is the only candidate to file a petition for that vacancy.

Two seats — both three-year terms — will come vacant on the Freeman School Board. In-cumbents Chris Lickteig and Darnell Tschetter have both filed petitions and are unopposed in their reelection bid.

The Courier is planning extensive coverage in its March 28 edition in preparation for the April 10 election. It is designed to give candi-dates a chance to share their views on a range of subjects, including the question, “Why are you the best candidate for office?” Candidate profiles and an interview with Courier editors, the narrative of which will be published, is also being planned for that issue.

The Courier is also encouraging readers to submit letters to the editor in advance of the election. For more on that, see the column by Courier Publisher Tim L. Waltner on page 4.

Freeman Community Transit to beestablishedFormation of legal entity critical step in bringing bus service to town by spring

by Jeremy WaltnerEfforts to bring local bus transportation to the

Freeman community starting this spring have taken a significant step forward.

Last week, a core group of people working on the project agreed to establish Freeman Com-munity Transit as a legal entity. Norm Kaufman has been elected president, Mary Mannes vice president and Dan Gran secretary-treasurer. Those steps are required for the Freeman project to be part of the transportation program of Ru-ral Office of Community Services, Inc. (ROCS). With headquarters in Lake Andes, ROCS — a private nonprofit agency — provides assistance to low-income, elderly and handicapped clients in a 22-county service area in southeastern and south central South Dakota. That includes trans-portation services.

Although the Freeman project is not included in ROCS’s 2012 budget, the agency has offered to assist the project by providing a 16-passenger bus and the related administrative services.

“To me, there’s no doubt this is going to be a reality,” said Kaufman. “Now we’ve just got to try to figure out all the aspects of getting it up and running. I think it’s going to be a very good thing for the community.”

Kaufman noted that the transit bus service will be launched without the aid of federal funds. The fact that ongoing expenses can be covered by the local community bodes well for the years to come.

“If it works the way it’s supposed to, this is financially sound,” he said, “and good for the future.”

While there is no charge for the bus itself, all operating costs will need to be funded by the Freeman community. ROCS plans to include Freeman in its 2013 budget request, although since that budget is dependent on state funding, there is no guarantee that the Freeman project will be funded. A committee, chaired by Gran, CEO of Freeman Regional Health Services (FRHS), has been working for more than a year

CITYELECTION

End arrives early for FHS girlsby Jeremy Waltner

Had author Lemony Snicket not already taken the name, the Freeman High School girls bas-ketball team could collectively write their own book; it would be called A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Unlike Snicket’s fictional se-ries for children, though, the Fly-ers version would be true. Pain-fully, stunningly true.

The FHS girls have turned in their uniforms and turned their backs on a 2011-12 season that once held the promise of a cymbal crash

but ended with a jarring thud. That came in the semifinals of the District 7B Tournament in Tea last week Tuesday, Feb. 21, when No. 3 Canis-tota upset the No. 2 Flyers 53-46.

The Hawks (14-9) went on to lose to Parker (15-7) in the dis-trict championship.

Freeman ended its season 13-8. This was the first year since 2004 the FHS girls did not compete for

a district championship.“A disappointing end to a disappointing sea-

son,” said head coach Ryan Mors, who coached

lose to Parker (15-7) in the dis-trict championship.

This was the first year since 2004 the FHS girls did not compete for

GIRLSDISTRICTS

FHS boys take out FA in district action; season over for Bobcats - Page 10

continued on page 9: FHS girls

continued on page 3: Transit

Larson named administrator of Salem HomeLongtime nursing home official to begin work at assisted living facility Monday, March 5

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Salem Mennonite Home Board of Direc-

tors has named Lee Larson the new administra-tor of the Salem Mennonite Home.

Larson, who lives in Freeman with his wife, Kris, officially begins his duties at the local 52-bed assisted care facility Monday, March 5 and replaces Stewart Hofer, who has been the ad-ministrator the past 16 years.

Hofer announced to the board of directors last year that he intended to step down and that they should begin a search for his replacement.

“After 16 years its time for a fresh perspective at the top,” Hofer told the Courier last week.

“Otherwise, organizations can grow stagnant.”The board found Hofer’s replacement in Lar-

son, who has 25 years of experience in nursing home administration, most recently serving as the administrator and executive director at Sce-nic Living Communities in Iowa Falls, Iowa. He has also spent time at the Good Samaritan Soci-ety in South Dakota and Wisconsin, Welcare In-ternational Management in Michigan and South Dakota. He began his administrative career at Beverly Enterprises, where he worked in census development and marketing strategies in South Dakota and Wisconsin.

“He just has got a wealth of experience,” said Steve Graber, chair of the Salem Home Board

of Directors. “He’s done this a good part of his life. In his interview we were very, very impressed; he knows a lot of people.”

Hofer applauds the de-cision of the board to hire Larson.

“The board has always been supportive and set a good course for the home,” Hofer said. “The board is comprised of people from the community, and they’ve always had a good sense of where we are and where we’re headed.”

Larson received his bachelor’s degree in edu-cation and business from Dakota State Universi-ty and master’s in administration from Northern State University. In addition to his work in nurs-ing home administration, Larson also worked as a business teacher and athletic director at Howard Public, principal and coach at Doland Junior-Senior High School and an activities therapist at Redfield State Hospital and School.

Larson held a meet-and-greet with residents of the Salem Home Monday, Feb. 27 in antici-pation if his first day on the job one week later.

Watch next week’s Courier for more on Lar-son, as well as Hofer’s tenure at the Salem Men-nonite Home.

Lee Larson

Seniors Bryce Sayler, left, and Slade

Mutchelknaus’ showing at last

week’s State ‘B’ Wrestling Tournament

was the best of any Freeman High School

wrestling duo since

the Marion-Freeman

Rebels won it all in 1993 and fi rst time since

2006 that an FHS grappler returned from

state with a medal. Alex

Wollmann fi nished

third in the heavyweight

division that year.

Sayler and Mutchelknaus

began their prep careers

together as seventh-

graders and were, at the

time, the only wrestlers from Freeman High

School.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012Volume 111 • Number 48308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 9Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ............................p. 10, 11Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries ...................................p. 11Public Notice .............................. p. 12Reflections ....................................p. 3Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ............................................p. 9

12 pages

INSIDE:Hear the people sing Several music opportunities coming to community ■ p 3

Good in Pierre State lawmakers laudedfor process; an opinion ■ p 4

Steak and citrus Kim Jones sharesrecipe for unique salad ■ p 6

2nd Erika Sage runner-up atstate free-throw contest ■ p 9

Heritage Hall to unveil plans atprogram March 18

Heritage Hall Museum will be offering a look at its past — as well as a glimpse into its future — dur-ing a Sunday, March 18 program in the historic Bethel Church that is part of the museum campus.

The program begins at 1:30 p.m. and is free to members of the Heri-tage Hall Historical Society. Ad-mission will otherwise be charged.

The March 18 program will be a history lesson, reflecting on the beginning of the Freeman museum that saw its start in a geology and mineral class that was part of the Freeman College curriculum in the 1930s. The museum moved to several locations over the decades before settling into its current home in 1975.

The program will also offer a look at and explanation of the building project being pursued by the current museum board of direc-tors — a 6,000 square-foot addition to the front (west) of the current fa-cility. Museum officials will unveil for the first time the floor plan for the addition and provide informa-tion on a fundraising effort that will be launched this spring.

The cost of the project is estimat-ed at $687,000.

Watch next week’s Courier for more details on the March 18 pro-gram.

Baking days for54th Schmeckfest continue this week

Baking days will continue this week and next in advance of the 54th Schmeckfest, which will be held on the Freeman Academy campus March 23, 24, 30 and 31.

All baking days will be held in the basement of Pioneer Hall. Here’s a closer look.

KuchenVolunteers are needed to con-

tinue making kuchen, a process that began last week and will continue March 8, 12 and 15 from 1 to 7 p.m.

The committee would appreciate the use of 9-inch glass pie plates and rolling pins during these bak-ing days. Donations of fruit would be welcomed. Most popular vari-eties include poppyseed, cherry, peach, mulberry, rhubarb, apricot and prune.

Contact Vernetta Waltner, 925-7620 or waltners@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Knepf Knepf will be made Saturday,

March 10 at the Pioneer Hall dining hall. Start time is 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 80 gallons are made. Folks of all ages are encouraged to help; families are welcome.

Cash donations will be accepted to defray the cost of ingredients. Lunch will be provided. Contact Vernetta Waltner, 925-7620, for more information.

Ticket updates: Saturday meal tickets nearly gone

Only a limited number of Sch-meckfest meal tickets remain for Saturday, March 31. All meal tick-ets for Saturday, March 24 are sold out. Tickets remain for both the March 23 and March 30 meal.

All floor seats for The Wizard of Oz have sold out with the exception of the extra performance Thursday, March 29. Only a limited number of reserved bleacher seats are avail-able for March 24 and 31.

For more on tickets, see page 2 or visit schmeckfest.com.

County, legislativeseats up for grabs in ’12

by Erik KaufmanNominating petitions for county and state

elected positions may now be taken out, accord-ing to Jeanie Simonsen, auditor for Hutchinson County.

A number of terms on various seats expire this year, and qualified applicants have until March 27 to file their nominating petitions if they intend to run for the position.

Elections will be held Nov. 6.

County po-sitions up for grabs include the District 2 seat on the Hutchinson County Com-mission, which is currently held by Gillas Stern of Freeman. Also expiring this year is the com-mission position for District 4, currently held by Brad Henke of Parkston. District 2 includes the city of Freeman, Grandview Township and Sil-ver Lake Township. District 4 includes the city of Parkston.

All commission seats are for four-year terms.Also expiring this year is the term for

Hutchinson County Treasurer, a position cur-rently held by Tamara Miller; Hutchinson Coun-ty States Attorney, currently held by Glenn Roth and Hutchinson County Coroner, currently held by Roger Simonsen.

Those positions are also four-year terms.Other vacancies include the Heartland Con-

sumer Power District Director Subdivision 1 and three delegates each to the Republican Par-ty State Convention and the Democratic Party State Convention.

Candidates seeking one of the above posi-tions should file their nominating petitions at the Hutchinson County Courthouse, 140 Euclid, Room 128 in Olivet during business hours.

Three local lawmaker positions will open up in District 19 this year. The positions currently held by Rep. Frank Kloucek, Rep. Ed Van Ger-pen and Sen. Jim Putnam all expire this year. Those seats are two year terms.

The U.S. House seat currently held by Rep. Kristi Noem also opens up in 2012. That term is for two years.

Candidates seeking the positions of U.S. Rep-resentative or District 19 lawmaker should file their nominating petitions with the South Dakota Secretary of State at the State Capitol Building in Pierre between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

UPCOMINGELECTION

Kuchen for Schmeckfestudy Kaufman adds the custard

fi lling that is a trademark of the traditional German dessert called kuchen Friday morning, March 2. Kaufman was part of a volunteer team that assembled in the Pioneer Hall kitchen Friday for the fi rst of fi ve kuchen-baking days that will generate 1,200 of the popular desserts. All will be either sold in the Schmeckfest Country Kitchen or served as part of the meal when the 54th “festival of tasting” commences in Freeman March 23, 24, 30 and 31. This is the second year in which kuchen is being made on-site rather than brought in by bakers from the outside, as regulated by the Department of Health. “We learned a lot last year in terms of quantity baking,” said Vernetta Waltner, who is helping coordinate the kuchen baking days. “And we’re still learning.” Volunteers made kuchen again March 5, and additional days are scheduled for March 8, 12 and 15. Volunteers are also spending time making cheese pockets, noodles and knepf in quantity. PHOTO BYJEREMY WALTNER

J

New era dawns forSalem Mennonite Home

by Jeremy WaltnerFor the past 16 years the Salem Mennonite

Home has been steered in new directions by Stewart Hofer, who took over as administra-tor in 1995 and began implementing a series of changes that gave the assisted liv ing facility a feel that was more “home” than “institution.”

Now, it’s Lee Larson’s turn to take the wheel and drive.

Armed with more than 25 years of experience in the long-term care health industry and fueled by a deep appreciation and respect for those the industry serves, Larson brings a mix of compas-sion and commitment to the job.

“Our elderly are walking history books,” says

Larson, who began his tenure as Salem Men-nonite Home Administrator Monday, March 5. “We owe them so much.”

That appreciation and approach has Larson looking closely at the needs of the long-term care facility both today and in the future. It’s ob-vious what the Salem Mennonite Home’s calling is: to provide a comfortable and safe environ-ment for those in need of a living environment somewhere between assisted living and skilled care.

It’s what the Salem Mennonite Home has been doing since it was established in 1949. See the related story for a brief history.

Goals and dreamsLarson, 57, believes the Salem Mennonite

Home fits comfortably in this community and is a perfect complement to the larger health care industry that thrives here; namely, Freeman

Regional Health Services, which includes Ru-ral Medical Clinics, Freeman Medical Center, Oakview Terrace and Dewald and Walnut Street Villages.

“That’s what I see in this community; the ‘ag-ing in place’ concept,” says Larson. “How many people out there who have lived in Freeman would retire or move back here, in their own town, if they could?”

Many have. And many more will.But Larson sees opportunity for the Salem

Mennonite Home — and, in that, the larger Freeman community — to advance to another level. Indeed, he says, the time may be nearing to take a serious look at building a new facility.

“The Salem Home has a longstanding tradi-tion,” he says. “The quality of care it offers is known throughout the health care industry. But I

Lee Larson sees a bright future for longstanding assisted living facility and believes the time may benear for a major physical change

Building an ‘Old People’s Home’The roots of the Salem Mennonite Home

date back to 1943, when members of the Mennonite Ministerium expressed a need in the community for Christian care for senior citizens. According to the history of the Salem Mennonite Home — originally referred to as an “Old People’s Home” — as written by Sam J. Schmidt in 1967, “It was mutally agreed that

every minister should seek to arouse interest and enthusiasm within his own parish, also, that representation should be chosen from each church, to be present at the June 20, 1943 ses-sion, where additional foundational decisions would proceed.”

continued on back page: Futurecontinued on back page: Past

City election reminderby Jeremy Waltner

In addition to the state and county races listed above, the 2012 election season will also include two races in the city of Freeman — mayor and Ward I Councilor. That election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10.

Sam Sorensen is challenging Freeman Mayor Lonnie Tjaden and Donna Waltner is challeng-ing Ward 1 Representative Royce Breneman.

Eva Olson is running unopposed for a va-cancy in Ward III. That seat is currently held by Loren Tschetter.

The Courier is planning comprehensive local pre-election coverage in its March 28 edition.

Flyers bow to Class B No. 5 Canistotaby Jeremy Waltner

The postseason track record for the Freeman High School boys basketball program is quite good all things considered. Even in years of great struggle, the Flyers have been able to make their effort count when it matters most.

Last season, for exam-ple, a three-win Flyers team routed high-er-seed Menno and then nearly upset top-seed Avon in the district semifinals. And rewind to 2005, when an 0-19 FHS squad

found a way to knock off Tripp-Delmont and then top-seed Bridgewater-Emery be-fore falling six points short of an improb-able district title against Menno.

“Great struggle” may be a stretch when defining this regular season, but many would say the Freeman boys have underachieved. Talent, athleticism and depth gave way to promise

as the season began, but the Flyers stag-gered to a 9-11 regular-season finish de-fined largely by a four-game losing streak and a head-scratching final three in which

they lost to Irene-Wakonda, Avon and Ethan by a combined 57 points.

Would the postseason pendulum swing the other way like it had in past years? It did against Freeman Academy in the first round of the District 7B Tournament Feb. a stretch when defining this

regular season, but many would say the Freeman boys have underachieved. Talent, athleticism and depth gave way to promise

BOYS 7BDISTRICTS

continued on page 9: Districts

Junior Arron Lickteig battles Canistota’s Tyler Decker in the lane in District 7B

action Friday. The Hawks defeated the Flyers 71-45 and then beat Bridgewater-

Emery Saturday to claim the district crown. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, March 14, 2012Volume 111 • Number 49308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ................................. p. 12Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 8Public Notice .........................p. 11, 13Reflections ....................................p. 8Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ..........................................p. 11

14 pages

INSIDE:Essay winners FA students named regional winners of MCC contest ■ p 3

Election prep Not too early for Freeman votersto prepare; an opinion ■ p 4

Green meat Schrag brothers sharetheir own, unique recipe ■ p 6

The best Herrboldt, Uecker top players in the Cornbelt ■ p 9

Mors Freeman 9-year-old runner-up in big competition ■ p 9

Local singers to take part in men’s festival March 20

There will be a high school Men’s Choir Festival in Freeman on Tuesday, March 20, featuring high school boys from around the state of South Dakota. The guest conductor for the event will be Dr. Tim Peter, from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Peter conducts the Collegiate Chorale, a 90-voice se-lect junior-senior choral ensemble and Luther’s first-year 90-voice men’s choir, The Norsemen.

The approximately 80-voice choir will include students from Aberdeen Central, Dakota Val-ley, Freeman Academy, Freeman Public, Hurley, Kimball, Lead-Deadwood, Sioux Valley, Viborg and White Lake. The choir will be rehearsing during the day on Tues-day in preparation for the afternoon concert, which is slated for 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, March 20 at the Freeman High School Gym.

Students attending the festi-val from Freeman High School are: Justin Eisenbeis, Jefrey Flores, Cody Gronewold, Thomas Kaufman, Jesse Kotilinek, Ca-leb Lang, Slade Mutchelknaus, Cole Paulson, Matt Peterson, An-drew Petts, Grant Preheim, Trevor Schaeffer, Brian Schamber, Derek Scherschligt, Travis Schnabel and Seth York. Students attending the festival from Freeman Academy are: Tristan Ashwell, Jordan Bar-ton, Gabriel Eisenbeis, Matthew Graber, Cole Hofer, Chris Miller, Adam Unruh, Austin VanDiepen, Michael VanDiepen, Brennan Walt-ner and Noah Yoder.

The festival choir will perform four selections, including “Loch Lomond,” arranged by Jonathan Quick; “Rise Up O Men of God,” by Kenneth Jennings; “The Man-sions of the Lord,” by Randall Wallace and Nick Glennie-Smith; and “Fergus and Molly,” by Vijay Singh. Also featured at the concert will be a men’s ensemble from the Freeman community, the East Free-man Men’s Nine.

The choral event is organized to promote men singing not only in their high school years, but throughout their lives as well. The public is cordially invited to attend the afternoon concert.

Final day tobake kuchen for’Fest March 15

A final baking day for making Schmeckfest kuchen will be held March 15 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Donations of fruit for the fill-ing would also be welcomed. Most popular varieties include poppy-seed, cherry, peach, mulberry, rhu-barb, apricot and prune. Volunteers are welcome for all or any part of the baking days to assist with mak-ing dough, etc., until the kuchen is cooled, packaged and in the freez-ers.

Contact Vernetta Waltner, 925-7620 or waltners@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Donations sought for Schmeckfest Country Kitchen

The Schmeckfest Country Kitch-en is asking for donations of food items for March 23, 24, 30 and 31. Poppyseed rolls, fruit pockets, pumpkin rolls, caramel rolls, jams, horseradish and summer savory sell especially well. Items should be la-beled.

FEATUREDARTIST

continued on back page: Museum

Sunday will be ‘milestone’ at museumProgram will focus on history of Heritage Hall, detail new building project

by Jeremy WaltnerThe public will get its first chance to see the

proposed floor plan for a major expansion proj-ect at Heritage Hall Museum at a Sunday after-noon event that will look to the future, even as it takes time to honor the past.

The March 18 program that will be part his-tory lesson, part “look ahead,” and will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Bethel Church that is part of the museum complex that rests between the Free-man Academy campus and the Freeman Prairie Arboretum. The public will also have a chance to tour Heritage Hall, which includes a recent addition of old printing equipment that was once part of Pine Hill Printery donated by Glenn and Vivian Gering.

Refreshments will also be served.Kevin Albrecht, who chairs Heritage Hall’s

nine-member board of directors, says Sunday’s program is a “milestone in the life of the mu-seum” that dates back to the 1930s.

“It’s an 80-year-history that continues to de-velop,” says Albrecht, himself eager to hear ac-counts recalled by Clellan Becker. Also, Cleon Graber will share his memories in a private, pre-

event interview with Norman Hofer that will be recounted Sunday.

“The story of the museum is almost as inter-esting as some of the things we have on display at Heritage Hall,” Albrecht continued. “This is as perfect a time to talk about the museum as it has been, because we’re looking toward the future.”

The future is an exciting one, says Albrecht, because the museum board hopes to build a 6,000 square-foot addition to the west side of Heritage Hall, creating a new “front side” en-trance area that would dramatically change the way the museum looks and feels. The board of directors earlier this year approved the design by Mannes Architects and a fundraising campaign for the $687,000 project. Of that, $225,000 has already been committed thanks to contributions from the Ray and Frances Becker family and the estate of Isaac I. Walter.

The fundraising campaign is expected to go public this spring.

While an exterior rendering was published in the Courier last month, Sunday’s program will

This rendering by Mannes Architects shows the proposed exterior for the building project be-ing pursued by the board of directors at Heritage Hall Museum. Sunday’s program at the Bethel Church will include details about building and fundraising plans and a look at the proposed interior of the 6,000 square-foot project. COURTESY OF MANNES ARCHITECTS AND HERITAGE HALL MUSEUM

Where art meets science■ 1979 FA graduate Kevin Gross to bringfractals to festival March 23, 24, 30, 31

by Jeremy WaltnerAnybody who wants to try their hand

at creating fractals — computer-gener-ated, mathematically-based images that use color and shapes to form striking designs — can easily do so.

A host of software programs, some free, are available and relatively easy to use, even for the most non-scientific minds. But for those who want to try it, Kevin Gross offers this caution.

“Be warned,” he says. “They can be addicting.”

Gross has certainly felt that pull. The 50-year-old Freeman native and former information technology guru who today lives in Goshen, Ind., has put his math and science skills to a new use by crossing over into the world of art. He’s been creating fractals on one level or another for about 20 years and today owns Spirit Fire Images, a company he started a year-and-a-half ago to market his artwork.

Later this month, Gross will showcase his new and colorful side as the featured artist at Schmeckfest, which will be held on the campus of Freeman Academy March 23, 24, 30 and 31.

The display will be set up in Music Hall across from the coffee shop and will include a number of large pieces, some of them as big as 24 inches by 36 inches.

“When they’re larger, they make a bigger statement,” says Gross, the son of John D. and Ardella Gross who gradu-ated from Freeman Academy in 1979. “When you really get up close and look, you can follow so many patterns and see so many interesting things going on.”

SCHMECKFEST 2012

continued on back page: Art

Study: Upgrades needed to sewer systemby Tim L. Waltner

Freeman city officials have received a major study of the city’s sewer and wastewater treat-ment plant that shows the need for significant upgrades. While not a crisis, the analysis shows there is significant need for improvements to both the sewer lines in the city and the wastewa-ter plant located west of the city.

City officials noted the study as they met in regular session, Tuesday, March 6. The study was completed by Short Elliott Henderickson Inc., (SHE), a Sioux Falls engineering firm that specializes in municipal projects.

Excerpts from the study are printed on the back page.

City Administrator Dennis Nelsen said the study was part of the city’s decision last year to become part of the state water plan. Becoming part of the plan opens the door for possible fund-ing and grants through the state.

The comprehensive study was funded with an

$8,000 grant from the South Dakota Department of Natural Resources, a $1,500 grant from the Lower James River Water District and $2,500 in city funds.

Mayor Lonnie Tjaden told the city that while there is no immedi-ate need to act, the city needs to begin preparing for mak-ing improvements. The estimated cost

of the project outlined in the report ranges from $2.2 million to $5.2 million.

“It’s a matter of keeping up with it,” Tjaden said. “It’s going to be a ‘pick and choose’ pro-cess. We’ll have to save money and do what we can do.”

“The good thing is that in 1980 the fathers built this system for 2,500 people,” he said.

The report, 158 pages long, includes detailed information about the city’s sewer system and makes use of the city’s practice of using a cam-

era to literally scope out the underground sewer lines on an annual basis.

The study notes “In general, Freeman’s sani-tary sewer system serves the city well and is not in need of major revisions to its operation. The condition of the system and the associated I & I (infiltration and inflow) are the greatest prob-lems facing the city. Much of the infiltration will be repaired as pipes are rehabbed and re-placed. The inflow could be corrected by install-ing storm sewer, allowing the roof drains, sump pumps and foundations drains to be disconnect-ed from the sanitary sewer, or by conducting home inspections to enforce an ordinance that clean water be discharged over land and not into the sanitary sewer.

“In addition to the identified projects we rec-ommend the remaining sewers in town be tele-vised and evaluated to determine their condition and suitability for continued use. At the time of the television inspection, it would be practical to also perform manhole inventories to better

evaluate the condition of the structures. “The city of Freeman should correct as many

of the known sanitary sewer related concerns as possible. Timely replacement will allow for lower treatment costs, longer treatment facility life, and less risk of backups. The two potential projects identified in this report are not meant to be an exhaustive list of tasks to fix the deterio-rated collection system, but only a plan to start working toward that goal. After completion of these two projects, the city should continue to plan additional replacement projects. The pro-posed projects will replace a majority of the pipe that is in poor condition, but there are additional segments of pipe that will need to be replaced eventually.”

Freeman Community CenterCity officials discussed several issues related

to the Freeman Community Center, which is

there is no immedi-ate need to act, the city needs to begin preparing for mak-ing improvements. The estimated cost

of the project outlined in the report ranges from

CITYCOUNCIL

continued on back page: City

To Oz!by Erik Kaufman

Few stories are as well known.Dorothy Gale, a young orphan girl who

lives with her aunt and uncle on a Dust Bowl era Kansas farm, is suddenly swept up in a tornado and whisked away to a magical realm known as Oz. There, she undertakes an ad-venture that has charmed audiences of all ages since the first publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum in 1900 and its most popular subsequent adaptation, the MGM film The Wizard Oz of 1939.

The film went on to become one of the most popular American tales of the 20th cen-tury, making a star out of Judy Garland and introducing audiences to some of the most memorable and beloved musical numbers ever put on celluloid. Even today, the film can be found broadcast on any number of cable television channels and recently enjoyed a high-definition release on Blu-ray, ensuring

the timeless tale will continue to delight view-ers for the foreseeable future.

Next week, it comes to the Schmeckfest stage.

The Wizard of Oz will be presented each night of Sch-meckfest March 23, 24, 30 and 31, as well as Thursday, March 29. Curtain is at 8 p.m. each night. A limited number of tickets are available; go to schmeckfest.com or call 925-4542 for more information.

Something for everyoneThe presentation promises to be something

for everyone, said director Jeremy Waltner, who is taking a leadership role in his second Schmeckfest musical; he and friend Will Ortman directed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat two years ago.

“I’ve always thought that it would be fun to see what Schmeckfest could do with an iconic show like The Wizard of Oz,” said Waltner, 35. “Schmeckfest musicals have a rich history and strong reputation for being very well done. This show lends itself to the kind of technical magic that this community is capable of demonstrating.”

While a classic of the silver screen and a popular stage show for theater groups of all talent levels, The Wizard of Oz has remained off the radar when it comes to Schmeckfest performances. While the popular production has been performed by both Freeman Acad-emy and Freeman High School in the past 15 years, 45 past stage productions (begin-ning with The Red Mill in 1967) have been performed before this year’s Oz.

Waltner recommended the show to the Sch-meckfest program committee last summer and was then tapped to direct it. With its family-friendly plot and familiar scenes, Waltner said

the choice of the musical made sense.

“It is a little surprising that we’ve gone for a half-century without seeing it (on the Schmeckfest stage),” he said. “It is such a fun, recognizable show for people of all ages. I can’t think of another musical that suits both a 5-year-old and an 80-year-old. To span those generations is amazing.”

As familiar and beloved as the story is, Waltner said there were more than a few hurdles to overcome once production began.

“I didn’t realize what I was stepping into,” he admits. “I thought it was a familiar show with a relatively small cast and

Set designer Michelle Hofer (left) and director Jeremy Waltner (right) stand with the leads for the Schmeckfest musical, The Wizard of Oz. They include, from left, Lori Hofer (Dorothy), Evan Waltner (Scarecrow), Collin Waltner (Tinman) and Jerry Hofer (Lion). PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

continued on page 9: Oz

Cast and crew put in hundreds of combined hours en route to the famous Emerald City

2012MUSICAL

Wednesday, March 21, 2012Volume 111 • Number 50308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ........................... p. 12, 13Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 9Public Notice .................. p. 10, 11, 13Reflections ....................................p. 3Social Notes .................................p. 7

14 pages

INSIDE:Band’s best Five Freeman studentsnamed to all-state festival ■ p 3

Fires First responders calledto grass fi res west of town ■ p 3

Welcome To Freeman’s Schmeckfestguests; an opinion ■ p 4

Tip of the week How to managelameness in dairy heifers ■ p 5

Student favorite Freeman Public cook sharesrecipe for talked-about dish ■ p 6

Spring sports season right around corner

The track team at Freeman Acad-emy will usher in the local spring sports season when it takes part in the Lounsbery Early Bird In-vitational in Centerville Tuesday, March 27 — the start of a season that will continue through most of May.

Freeman High School will begin its track season in Centerville, too, but at the Turner County Relays Thursday, April 5.

Golf teams at both FA and FHS will being their season Thursday, March 29, when both schools hit the links at Fox Run in Yankton for the Irene-Wakonda Small Schools Invitational.

Other notable dates for the up-coming golf and track seasons are as follows.■ April 3 – Freeman Academy Golf Meet, Valley View■ April 18 – Cornbelt Conference Golf Meet, ParMar■ April 19 – Flyer Track Invitational, FHS■ April 30 - Wizard Relays (junior high only), FHS■ May 1 – Don Diede Relays, FHS■ May 8 – Tri-Valley Conference Track Meet, Centerville■ May 10 – Cornbelt Conference Track Meet, Freeman■ May 14 – Region 3B Golf Meet, Elmwood■ May 15 – Region 4B Track Meet, Centerville■ May 21, 22 – State ‘B’ Golf Meet, Rapid City■ May 25, 26 – State ‘B’ Track Meet, Rapid City

Full schedules and a golf and track preview will be printed in the March 28 Courier.

Full election coverage coming next week

The Courier is planning to pro-vide its readers with comprehen-sive coverage in anticipation of the April 10 city election in Free-man. Two races are planned: Sam Sorensen is challenging incumbent Lonnie Tjaden for the seat of mayor while Donna Waltner is challenging incumbent Royce Breneman for a seat in Ward I.

No other races are planned; Eva Olson is running unchallenged for the vacancy in Ward III (incumbent Loren Tschetter incorrectly filed his petition for re-election) and incumbent Randy Broders is run-ning unchallenged for re-election in Ward II.

On the school board, incumbents Chris Lickteig and Darnell Tschet-ter were the only candidates to file a petition for two open seats.

Next week’s election coverage will include bios, photos and a short story about all four candidates run-ning for city election. It will also in-clude the narrative of a 15-minute discussion the Courier hosted with each candidate; each were asked the same five questions.

The Courier is also making its opinion page available to those wishing to write letters in sup-port of one candidate or another and welcome letters from the can-didates themselves. However, in the final issue before the election — April 4 — if a letter is submit-ted that poses a new challenge or issue, the Courier will withhold it from publication in fairness to the other candidate or candidates who would not have a chance to respond in print.

Mors stepping down as principal, coachby Jeremy Waltner

Ryan Mors, the last principal to work at the old elementary school and the first to christen the new, and who helped establish a dynamic girls basketball program, will resign from Free-man Public Schools at the end of this school year.

Mors has accepted a job as activities director and assistant principal at Yankton High School, a job he will begin in July. He was notified Monday, March 12 that he got the job .

“It was too good an opportunity to pass up,” said Mors, whose resignation won’t become official until the school board accepts it at its April meeting. “I had no inclination of leaving, but this opportunity presented itself and all the pieces fell into place.”

Aimee Mors, Ryan’s wife who teaches sci-ence, junior high reading and health at Freeman High School and is an assis-tant varsity track coach, has not announced plans to step down from Freeman Public.

Freeman Superintendent Don Hotchkiss and Sec-ondary Principal Kim Krull both laud Mors’ decision to accept the position in Yank-ton and say it’s a big step forward in his career.

“I think it’s a great pro-fessional move,” said Hotchkiss.

Said Krull: “I’m really happy for Ryan. He’s at the height of his professional career and this is a good fit.”

Mors says he and his family have enjoyed being part of the school system and community since moving here in 2007.

“We have made a lot of friends here and we leave with a lot of mixed emotions,” he said. “The staff has been wonderful, the community has been great and the students are doing well. I’ve enjoyed every moment through ups and downs. There have been fantastic memories that myself, my wife and my boys will always re-member.”

Among those, says Mors, is settling into a brand-new elementary school two years after arriving in Freeman.

“When I got here we were in an old, decrepit building,” he said. “Now we’re in a beautiful fa-cility that’s as nice as anywhere.”

By next school year, with Mors and his fam-

ily living 30 miles south of Freeman, students at Freeman Elementary will be enjoying new play-ground equipment thanks to a fundraising effort that Mors helped spearhead.

“I’m proud of that,” he says.And, of course, Mors says he will leave with

cherished memories of the girls basketball pro-gram at Freeman High School, which he took from a middle-of-the-road outfit to a premiere program in two short years. The Flyers won district championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011 after years of coming up just short and played in state tournaments in 2009 and 2010.

“That’s one of the reasons I got into coaching, to see those players experience that kind of suc-cess,” said Mors. “Experiencing it right along with them is something I’ll never forget.”

Ryan Mors

Les Rensink, left, and Nick Schrag prepare the tables for the sausage demonstration in the Freeman Academy maintenance building Saturday afternoon. Sausage is one of the most

popular — and longest-standing — demonstrations at Schmeckfest. This year, offi cials ex-pect to sell 11,000 lbs. of the traditional German food. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

COMPLETE SCHEDULE, TICKET INFORMATION - BACK PAGE

From past to present to futureSunday program offers history, closer look at plan for museum

by Tim L. WaltnerThe historic Bethel Church, located on the

Heritage Hall Museum campus, was the setting for a Sunday afternoon program that blended the past, present and future of the local mu-seum. The presentations included a review of the 80-year history of the museum, a chronology of improvements and addi-tions to the complex and more details about a major expansion project.

The nine-member board of directors recently announced plans for a 6,000 square-foot addition to the northwest side of Heritage Hall. Kevin Albrecht, who chairs the board, shared the floor plan of the addition March 18. In addition to providing a new entrance — and a new look — the addi-tion includes space for short-term and rotat-

ing displays. It has a presentation/audio/video room that would seat up to 75 people and would be equipped to provide multimedia orientation and educational programs for visitors. Albrecht noted the addition is located on the northwest portion of the existing museum and allows for potential expansion to the south.

The project also includes better access to and through the existing museum, new restrooms, a patio and a di-rect route to the four histor-ic buildings on the museum campus.

“We took time to incorporate everything that we have so it all works together,” Albrecht said of the design by Mannes Architects that was ap-proved by both the museum board of directors and the Freeman Academy Board of Directors — which ultimately oversees the operation of Heritage Hall — earlier this year.

Albrecht said the project also marks a change in the focus of the museum and how it serves the community and visitors by making it more user-friendly and accessible. That effort has al-ready begun; the museum now has a paid ad-ministrative position currently held by Stacey Waltner, a paid curator position that is yet to be filled, and established the Heritage Hall His-torical Society almost three years ago.

The proposed building project is a continua-tion of that growth.

A review of the history of the museum re-veals — mostly likely by coincidence — that a major expansion project has come about every 20 years.

The plans for the 6,000 square foot addition continues that tradition.

Marlan Kaufman, a member of the museum board of trustees, said the expansion project de-

better access to and through the existing museum, new restrooms, a patio and a di-rect route to the four histor-ic buildings on the museum campus.

HERITAGEHALL MUSEUM

The tables of traditionFreeman’s biggest festival, now in its 54th year, starts Friday

by Jeremy WaltnerIf it feels like this has happened before, it’s

because it has — 53 times prior.To that end, the ins and outs and nuts and

bolts of the 2012 Schmeckfest, which begins in Freeman Friday, March 23 and continues March 24, 30 and 31, remain largely un-changed.

Several thousand guests will enjoy a tradi-tional German meal served family style in the Pioneer Hall basement, hundreds will take in the musical presented each evening in the Pio-neer Hall auditorium and an unknown number will weave through the buildings on the Free-man Academy campus looking at the demon-strations and displays offered by the hands and hearts of this community.

But there is one notable change this year that few attending Schmeckfest will know about — a behind-the-scene development that is a historic moment in this historical tradition.

For the first time since Schmeckfest de-

buted in 1959, a man is in charge.That man is Stewart Hofer, whose grand-

mother, Adina Hofer, was the vice-president of the Freeman College Women’s Auxiliary when the auxiliary was founded in 1949, and whose mother, Alvina Hofer, was president of the auxiliary in 2002.

Hofer isn’t the first third-generation figure with an important pres-ence on the auxiliary; Celia Fliginger, Betty Schmeichel and Vernetta Waltner served as auxiliary presidents in 1959, 1990 and 2008. But his role as No. 1 in charge is a first — and a noteworthy one at that.

Stewart just laughs when asked about being the first man to wear that hat of auxiliary pres-ident and makes jokes about getting it right for fear that he’ll be the only man to ever serve in that capacity.

But this is Schmeckfest, an operation that all but runs itself, and after 53 years, it’s tough

for anybody to get it wrong.“After 54 years, the remarkable thing is that

there’s not something newsworthy or out of the ordinary,” says Hofer, who oversees five well-organized committees each in charge of one element of Schmeckfest. “Everybody has

their own niche, they’re comfortable in that role and — most importantly — good at it.”

All of it makes Free-man’s “festival of tasting” go off without a hitch each

year, and that will certainly be the case when Schmeckfest begins its two-weekend run Fri-day afternoon.

Hofer says there are few concerns.“For the most part, everything is going ac-

cording to plan,” he said last week. “It’s the end of March, so you always worry about the weather, but you’re cautiously optimistic that the weather will be much like we’ve seen.”

And while officials were still searching

for a few volunteers to work the Schmeck-fest meal, Hofer says it has all come together beautifully.

“A lot of time is spent contacting people,” he says. “What is amazing is that, when you call, people say, ‘I know why you’re calling and I’m happy to help.’ That sense of volun-teerism communitywide is phenomenal and humbling. It takes so many people to host Schmeckfest, and the people willingly give of their time, resources and effort.”

That’s been the norm since 1959, when the festival debuted as a one-night smorgasbord featuring foods of the three ethnic groups that settled in the Freeman community: Hutterites, Low Germans and Swiss. Schmeckfest wasn’t initially designed to be an annual event, but rather a one-time commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the Freeman Junior Col-lege Women’s Auxiliary with proceeds to go toward kitchen upgrades in Pioneer Hall —

their own niche, they’re comfortable in that role and — most importantly — good at it.”

man’s “festival of tasting” go off without a hitch each

2012SCHMECKFEST

District to explore changein food service

by Jeremy WaltnerIt’s preliminary, but school officials from

Freeman Public want to see if it’s in the dis-trict’s best financial interest to change the way it operates its school lunch program.

Meeting Monday, March 12, the Freeman Public School Board gave its OK to explore the possibility of contracting for its lunch service with Taher, Inc., of Minnetonka, Minn., a food service management company that works with both the Baltic and Canton school districts, as well as host of other clients in 10 states.

Superintendent Don Hotchkiss said the food service staff in place at Freeman Public would

continued on back page: Schmeckfest

continued on back page: Museum

SCHOOLBOARD

continued on back page: School

Wednesday, March 28, 2012Volume 111 • Number 51308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ...........................p. 14, 15Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries ...................................p. 11Public Notice .............................. p. 15Reflections ................................. p. 13Social Notes .................................p. 7Sports ..........................................p. 11

16 pages

InsIde:Boys to men Waltner, FHS hostschoral festival last week n p 3

Poppies, poppies ... Dowden women share recipefor popular German treat n p 6

Sports A look at schedules,local athletes to watch n p 11

Election forDistrict 19taking shape

The reshaping of South Dakota’s Legislative districts already is be-ginning to impact District 19.

Changing the shape of the local representation area brings with it a change in the pool of potential can-didates.

Stacey “Stace” Nelson (R) of Fulton – formerly part of District 25 in Hanson County – is one of four candidates who has returned petitions for seats in the Legislature representing District 19.

Legislative hopeful Kyle Schoenfish swapped parties this election. Having made a run for the House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2010, he now is run-ning as a Republican.

Former Rep. Bill Van Gerpen (R-Tyndall) also turned in a petition for the Senate, after just one term out of office.

Nelson and Schoenfish are run-ning for seats currently held by either Rep. Frank Kloucek (D-Scotland) or Rep. Edward Van Gerpen (R-Avon). Bill Van Gerpen is running for the seat currently oc-cupied by Sen. J.E. “Jim” Putnam (R-Armour).

Kloucek, a farmer, has served in the legislature since 1991, so far spending three terms in the house of representatives and two in the senate. He filed to run for the sen-ate earlier this week.

Alan Fenner (D-Menno), a farm-er, is a new candidate this year.

Edward Van Gerpen, a farmer and truck driver, has served three separate terms in the House, 1985-1988, 1993-1996 and 2011-2012. He is not eligible for re-election to represent District 19, due to the leg-islative re-districting.

Donations sought for Schmeckfest Country Kitchen

The Schmeckfest Country Kitch-en is asking for donations of food items for March 30 and 31. Poppy-seed rolls, fruit pockets, pumpkin rolls, caramel rolls, jams, horserad-ish and summer savory sell espe-cially well. Items should be labeled.

FHS musicians to present spring concert April 2

The Freeman High School Mu-sic Department will be presenting a concert entitled “Sounds of Spring” on Monday, April 2 at 7 p.m. The concert will be held in the Freeman High School Gym. Ensembles to be featured at the concert are the high school band, boys chorus, girls chorus, and mixed chorus.

A varied program of selections will be performed, including a march, multi-cultural, folk, celtic, classical, and gospel styles. The public is cordially invited to attend the evening concert.

Lions to hold Easter egg hunt, games April 7

The Freeman Lions Club is sponsoring an Easter event on Sat-urday, April 7. The event will start at 2 p.m. at the Freeman Commu-nity Center. All youth under the age of 12 are invited to participate and must be accompanied by an adult. The event will include indoor/out-door games along with the hunt for eggs. The Easter Bunny plans to at-tend to join in the fun.

This year, the Lions will be pro-moting physical activity and team-work in an effort to instill healthy habits in youth and to educate them on the growing problem of diabe-tes in young people. For more in-formation, contact President Donna Waltner, 605-925-7121 or Mary Mannes, 605-925-7938.

Election for mayor, Ward I councilor nears

by Jeremy WaltnerTwo Freeman residents eager to step in as

elected officials are challenging a pair of in-cumbents in the upcoming city election slated for Tuesday, April 10.

Registered voters citywide will cast their ballots in a race featuring challenger Sam So-rensen’s bid to unseat six-term mayor Lonnie Tjaden, and voters in Ward I will choose be-tween challenger Donna Waltner and incumbent Royce Breneman, appointed to the council a year-and-a-half ago.

Neither Sorensen nor Waltner have previous experience in city government, although both say they have held leadership positions that make them good candidates for the job.

“I have not had any government experience, but I have a lot of experience in managing

people,” Sorensen said in an interview with the Courier several weeks ago, noting he works in a leadership position with Genex Farm Systems, which provides farmstead and milking products to agricultural producers throughout the upper Midwest. Sorensen noted that a recent leader-ship course taken through his work has helped him sharpen those skills.

“I’ve got people under me,” Sorensen said, “and I learned how to communicate a lot better and work to get to the end result.”

Waltner, a Freeman business owner since 2000, has been an active participant in a host of organizations in the community, from the Lions Club to the commerce committee and develop-ment corporation.

“I think I have a good overview of the needs in the community because of those organizations I’ve been involved in,” Waltner told the Cou-

rier. “I’ve worked with people, had to identify not only the different needs, but people who had different strengths to make those things happen. I’ve had to show leadership and good communi-cation and I feel that is a strength I have.”

Both Tjaden and Breneman both say experi-ence in city government is an asset.

“I was on the city council six years before I ran for mayor,” said Tjaden, a second-genera-tion business owner at Tote, Inc., a trucking company in Freeman. “It takes time to learn, time to understand people, time to see where you’re at as far as what this city needs to do and where it needs to go.

“We spend our money wisely, we improve things, we improve the quality of life, and I want that to continue,” Tjaden said. “I feel like I’m the person who can do that; I think I’ve got enough experience and enough contacts — and

I still enjoy the job.”Breneman, who is employed by Associ-

ated Milk Producers, Inc., and Casey’s General Store, said he has learned a lot since being ap-pointed to the council in October 2010.

“It’s an advantage to have experience,” he said. “It’s different when you’re on the outside looking in. I think experience will help me learn and listen and have an open mind, trying to work with everyone.”

Those elected in the April 10 election will join a city leadership team that includes city administrator Dennis Nelsen, city finance of-ficer Lisa Edelman, councilors Randy Broders, Charles Gering, Scott Stern, Charly Waltner, and Eva Olson, a newcomer who is running un-opposed for a councilor seat currently held by Loren Tschetter. Tschetter filed a petition for re-election, but did so incorrectly.

The spring in Schmeckfest’s stepWarm weather marks opening weekend; festival continues March 30 and 31

by Jeremy WaltnerThe mildest Schmeckfest weather in recent

memory — and possibly ever — greeted several thousand guests from near and far visiting the first weekend of Freeman’s “tasting festival” Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24.

Schmeckfest continues this Friday and Satur-

day, March 30 and 31.Temperatures topped 70 degrees Friday and

neared 80 on Saturday, and with sunny skies and little wind adding to the “wow” factor, talk of the weather drifted through the campus of Freeman Academy, mixing with the smell of sausage and sauerkraut.

“Probably some of the nicest weather I’ve ever seen,” said Rudy Brockmueller, who han-dles ticket sales with his wife, LaVonne. “I’d look outside and see little clusters of people all over the place, standing around and visiting; it was great they could do that.”

Stewart Hofer, president of the Freeman Academy Auxiliary which has overseen Sch-meckfest since its debut in 1959, said the beau-

tiful weather only contributed to an otherwise great opening weekend.

“It was almost too warm,” he said Monday, no doubt a reference to the temperature inside the dining hall and Pioneer Hall auditorium, where hundreds gathered for the traditional German meal and this year’s musical produc-tion, The Wizard of Oz, and where air condition-ers simply couldn’t keep up.

Not that he was complaining.“When people don’t have to trudge around

outside with winter overcoats, or worry about what they’re going to do with that when they get inside, it makes for a good experience for

Council OKs charge forcommunity center board

by Tim L. WaltnerMeeting Monday, March 19, the Freeman

City Council approved the charge of respon-sibilities for the Freeman Community Center Governing Board. The six-member board ap-pointed by city officials earlier this year was created to oversee the use of the former school property that is now a city-owned community center. The goals of the board, as written in the charge adopted by the city, includes maxi-mizing use of the facility, generat-ing revenue to support its opera-tion and upkeep, and continuing to make physical improvements to the facility. The charge also gives the board authority for setting fundrais-ing priorities and the individuals and commit-tees formed for fundraising efforts.

The governing board has elected John Koch as its chair and Koch outlined some of the tasks the committee will pursue. That in-cludes reviewing policies, establishing fund-raising priorities, establishing mechanisms for control and management and seeking public input for more use of the facility. The board has scheduled a regular public noon meeting every third Friday of the month.

Like the board of trustees that oversees the city’s public library, the governing board for the community center will ultimately be ac-countable to the city council, which will re-view and approve financial reports and bud-gets.

Water ratesThe council reviewed a March 2 letter from

the B-Y Water District announcing an increase in the price the city will pay for water start-ing April 1. The per-1000 gallon rate, which will go from 75¢ to $1.07, was approved by the U.S. Department of Rural Development. City officials agreed to hold off on increasing the rates for city residents at this time but will likely adjust the rates starting next year.

“This is the second increase for them,” Mayor Lonnie Tjaden told the Courier, “and the city did not increase the rates for the first one.” Tjaden said the current rates are provid-

continued on page 12: City

CITYCOUNCILcontinued on back page: Schmeckfest

Incumbents being challenged byresidents seekingfirst-ever city seat

CANDIDATES FOR MAYORIncumbent Lonnie TjadenDate of birth: July 25, 1962Occupation: Second generation owner of Tote, Inc. a transportation business located in Freeman since 1974.Family: Wife Kay, daughter Ashley Hofwolt, Sioux Falls; son Joshua Tjaden, Vermillion; daughter Arial Tjaden, student Augustana College.Elected official experience: 18 years combined city council, city mayor of Freeman. Leadership/Organizational Experience: Planning and Development District III Executive board member. Freeman Community Development Corporation board member. Freeman Revolving Loan Fund board member. Commander VFW Post 3728, Commander American Legion Post 248. Retired First Sergeant United States Army ReserveCommunity Involvement: Acting as a city liaison for any group that requires city or governmental assistance.

Challenger Sam SorensenDate of birth: February 8, 1949Occupation: Professional salesman for Genex Farm Systems, a subsidiary of Cooperative Resources International.Family: Wife Linda, children Shelly, Jason, Kerri, Ryan; grandchildren Austin, Ashley, Abigail, Makenzie, Tyler, Jalen, Bradey, Tate, Brody, and another on the way.Elected official experience: VFW Wilde Post 3728 Commander, VFW District 1 Commissioner, VFW National Special Aide-De-Camp, State Penitentiary Heating and Air Conditioning Board, Swan Lake Christian Camp (SLCC) advisory board.Leadership/Organizational Experience: VFW, SLCC, Awana, Christian education, deacon chair, manager of personnel for Genex, Reach 1 & 2 Leadership Education.Community Involvement: Former firefighter, Freeman Fishing Derby, Awana, Freeman Food Pantry.

CANDIDATES FOR WARD IIncumbent Royce BrenemanDate of birth: March 1, 1982Occupation: Milk truck unloader at Associated Milk Producers, Inc.; pizza maker at Casey’s General Store.Family: Wife Sheila, children Kaylee and Maddie.Elected official experience: Freeman City Council - appointed October 2010.Community involvement: Volunteer at Et Cetera Shoppe; Friends of the Freeman Public Library board.

Challenger Donna WaltnerDate of birth: January 5, 1958Occupation: Owner of Printed Impressions Family: Son Tim M. Waltner and wife Crystal, their daughters Sway, Teera; daughter Jennifer J. and husband Dave Stofferahn. Leadership/Organizational Experience: Started Printed Impressions in 2000. Manages four employees, workflow, sales, inventory, production, all financials; Cub Scout leader; Extension Club - president, secretary; Jaycees - president, secretary; Chamber of Commerce - president, secretary; 125th celebration - co-chair; Lions Club - president (2 terms), secretary (3), board (8); Community Center Task Force & Fundraising Committee; church - Sunday school teacher, Awana leader, library chair, photo directory chair; workshops like District III Leadership Plenty and Lions Leadership Institute.Community Involvement: Cub Scouts, Jaycees, Chamber of Commerce, community development corporation, Lions Club, Freeman Regional Health Services board, community center fundraising committee.

Election information• All registered voters living in Freeman city limits may vote for mayor in the April 10 election. Only those living in Ward I may vote for the vacant councilor position. A map is on page 12.• Polls will be open in Freeman City Hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.• Much more from the candidates is printed on pages 8 and 9.

MORE 2012 CITY ELECTION COVERAGE: PAGES 4, 8, 9, 12

Jackets and stocking caps — more often than not required for at least a portion of a Schmeckfest weekend — were replaced with shorts and short sleeves as the 54th festival enjoyed a warm first weekend. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, April 4, 2012Volume 111 • Number 52308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ............................. p. 12Classifieds ................................. p. 14Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .................................. p. 15Public Notice ........................p. 13, 15Reflections ....................................p. 7Sports ......................................... p. 13

16 pages

InsIde:Candidates More on those runningfor a seat in District 19 n p 3

Lessons, choicesThe Wizard of Oz, upcoming election sparks editorials n p 4

Say cheese (pockets) June Pullman offers recipe for popular food n p 6

Prep sports Season starts forFA track, FHS golf n p 13

Lions to hold Easter egg hunt, games April 7

The Freeman Lions Club is sponsoring an Easter event on Sat-urday, April 7. The event will start at 2 p.m. at the Freeman Commu-nity Center. All youth under the age of 12 are invited to participate and must be accompanied by an adult. The event will include indoor/out-door games along with the hunt for eggs. The Easter Bunny plans to at-tend to join in the fun.

This year, the Lions will be pro-moting physical activity and team-work in an effort to instill healthy habits in youth and to educate them on the growing problem of diabe-tes in young people. For more in-formation, contact President Donna Waltner, 605-925-7121 or Mary Mannes, 605-925-7938.

City hall, library closed April 6for Good Friday

Freeman City Hall and the Free-man Public Library will be closed this week Friday, April 6, in obser-vance of Good Friday.

However, many of Freeman’s businesses will be open as usual. That includes the post office — which will have regular window and delivery service — and banks CorTrust and Home Federal. Both grocery stores, convenience stores, all eating establishments and a number of retail businesses, are planning to be open on April 6. Because some businesses will be closed, people are encouraged to call and ask.

Ann’s Place and Papa’s are closed Easter Sunday, April 8.

Kindergarten registration tobe held April 16

Any child that will be five years old by Sept. 1, 2012, is welcome to come to Kindergarten registration for the 2012-2013 school year on Monday, April 16.

The 20-minute appointments will be scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Regularly scheduled Kin-dergarten classes will be cancelled for the day.

The following records are need-ed before the first day of school. If possible, please bring them to Kin-dergarten registration on April 16:

A copy of your child’s state is-sued birth certificate

A copy of the social security cardImmunization record updated as

required by statePlease call the office at Freeman

Elementary School, 605-925-4216, to schedule an appointment or for more information.

Freeman Public plans preschool screening April 16

The Freeman Public School Dis-trict in cooperation with the Corn-belt Educational Cooperative and Head Start is pleased to announce a preschool screening scheduled for Monday, April 16, for all children birth to five years old.

The purpose of the screening is to provide the parent or guardian and the school district with infor-mation relating to the child’s de-velopment. This screening is not for children who will be attending kindergarten next year.

The screening is the responsibil-ity of the local school district and will be provided at no cost to all participating children.

To register a child/children and set up a screening time contact: Ruth Strasser, Freeman Elemen-tary School, Box 220, Freeman, SD

Theme from musical resonates as hundreds return for ‘tasting festival’

Toward the end of The Wizard of Oz, in one of the story’s most recognizable scenes, Dorothy Gale of Kansas clicks together the heels of her ruby red slip-

pers three times and says, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home …”

For hundreds of community natives who return to Schmeckfest year in and year out — which they did again during the festival’s suc-cessful and memorable 54th consecutive run March 23, 24, 30 and 31 — the “no place like home” reference is fitting.

“Everyone comes back because everyone else comes back,” said 25-year-old Freeman native Charles Schrag, who today lives in Seattle and returned to Freeman last weekend along with family from afar that included brother Adam (Minneapolis), parents Rick and Barb (Akron, Pa.) and aunt and uncle John and Sara (Santa Fe). “People talk about what weekend they’re going to Schmeckfest and this critical mass de-velops.”

Schrag says, for those from the Freeman com-munity, Schmeckfest has become something more than just an annual event.

“People refer to Schmeckfest as a holiday,” he said. “They do it without even thinking about it; it’s not even a joke or exaggeration. It should be paid time off.”

Kate Friesen, a 2007 graduate of Freeman Academy who today lives in Sioux Falls, an-swers quickly when asked why she returns for Schmeckfest every year.

“Because it’s home,” she said last Saturday as she joined throngs of others in Heritage Hall Museum to peruse the artifacts and the tradition-al demonstrations that have become as much a part of Freeman’s “tasting festival” as the meal and the musical. “I love watching people experi-ence Schmeckfest and hearing people say things like, ‘How does such a small town put on some-

thing so huge and so lasting?’”The answer is through practice, teamwork

and a remarkable sense of community spirit. The practice part is inherent to the festival because, after 54 years of welcoming guests from near and far, those responsible for organizing and managing Schmeckfest have had plenty of time to figure out what works.

“The record-keeping is the key,” said Vernetta Waltner, whose grandmother, Celia Fliginger, is often credited with the idea for Schmeckfest. “Somebody asked me if the next generation will carry this on, and I sometimes wonder that too, but when the time is right, the notes will be there. We are always trying to improve our notes and instructions.”

The teamwork can be seen in all corners of campus — and in places unseen. Several hun-dred volunteers are required to operate Sch-meckfest each day, from those preparing and serving food in the kitchen to those work-ing as hosts and ushers to those demonstrat-ing traditional foods and crafts like noodle-making, cheese pockets, spinning and quilting. And the number of people who contribute to the festival in other ways, whether it’s through food or monetary donations, pushes the number of volunteers well into the hundreds.

“We appreciate so many people who help make this a success,” said Pam Tieszen, su-perintendent at Freeman Academy. “This may be a school event, but everybody else plugs in. People of the community want to make this a success as much as we do.”

Indeed, it’s the sense of community and com-munity spirit that perhaps best defines Sch-meckfest, and that’s something that has grown as much as Schmeckfest itself. While the festi-

val began in 1959 as a way to commemorate the Freeman Junior College Women’s Auxiliary’s 10th-anniversary — and while it continues to function primarily as a fundraiser for Freeman Academy — it has become an event in which religious and school loyalties are pushed aside for the benefit of something larger.

“It’s a great way to contribute to the commu-nity and help Freeman Academy,” said Cheryl Korn, who has worked as either a server or usher alongside her husband, Robert, for close to 20 years, and did both in 2012. “It’s really encour-aging to see the community come together and work for a great cause.”

Version 54In typical fashion, Schmeckfest again un-

folded in a routine manner with unremarkable developments — relatively speaking. No major

problems were report-ed and large crowds gathered at the festi-val’s high points; more than 3,700 people took in the traditional Ger-man meal served fam-ily style in the Pioneer

Hall dining room and more than 4,200 watched the 2012 musical production, The Wizard of Oz (that includes a Thursday, March 29 perfor-mance). A breakdown of ticket sales is included in the “Notes, quotes and observations” section later in the story.

If the 54th festival is to be distinguished by something — remembered by in the years to come — it will no doubt be the remarkable and unusual weather Schmeckfest guests enjoyed all four days.

Temperatures reached into the 70s each day and surpassed 80 the final Saturday. Sunny skies and but a gentle breeze only added to the feeling of spring (and summer) that marked Schmeck-

fest’s two-weekend run.Stewart Hofer, president of the Freeman Acad-

emy Auxiliary, said what was the nicest weather Schmeckfest has ever seen no doubt contributed to the excitement and spirit on campus. And while the unusually warm weather posed unusu-al challenges for Schmeckfest — the air condi-tioning in the dining hall and auditorium simply couldn’t keep up with the hundreds of guests, and many lingering outside chose to eat later, making for longer waits — Hofer indicated he would take the mild weather in a heartbeat.

“The benefits out-weighed the challenges by far,” he said.

Hofer was also quick to point out that the mild climate is just a small part of the story.

“People genuinely enjoyed coming to Sch-meckfest this year, but it was more than the weather,” he said. “It was the hospitality of the Freeman community.”

Hofer said he has heard nothing but positives about the festival’s 54th run.

“Feedback indicates that everyone had a very enjoyable time,” he said. “The meal was great, the musical production was phenomenal, the demonstrations and the presenters … people are genuinely overwhelmed by what it takes to host an event like Schmeckfest. They are blown away by the music and theatrical talent here and surprised that our community has such wonder-ful resources like Heritage Hall Museum and the Prairie Arboretum.”

Notes, quotes, observationsAs a way to show the depth and intricacies

that is Schmeckfest, the Courier is again pub-lishing a random collection of news and infor-mation gathered during the 54th festival. It il-lustrates the color and spirit that helps make the festival thrive year after year, generation after

continued on back page: Schmeckfest

Freeman city election next Tuesdayby Jeremy Waltner

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. next week Tuesday, April 10, as Freeman city resi-dents cast their ballots in a race for mayor and Ward I representative.

Voting will take place in the council chambers inside Freeman City Hall. Results will be posted

at freemansd.com as soon as the votes are tallied and confirmed.

A sample ballot is printed on page 15.In the mayor’s race, Sam Sorensen is chal-

lenging incumbent Lonnie Tjaden, a Freeman business owner who became mayor in 1998 and has served every term since with the exception of 2008-10. Sorensen works for Genex Farm

Systems and has more than 40 years of experi-ence in leadership and sales.

All registered voters living in the city of Free-man may vote for mayor.

In the race for Ward I councilor, Freeman businesswoman Donna Waltner is challenging incumbent Royce Breneman, who was appoint-ed to the council in October 2010. Breneman is

employed by Associated Milk Producers, Inc., and Casey’s General Store.

Only registered voters living in Ward I (areas north of Railway, Third and Fourth streets) may vote in the election for councilor.

Comprehensive coverage of next week’s elec-tion, including an in-depth conversation with each candidate, was printed last week.

In the scene that sends Dorothy (played by Lori Hofer) from the Emerald City back to Kansas, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (played by Sonja Waltner), instructs the girl to close her eyes, click her heels together three times and repeat, “There’s no place like home.” The iconic scene was part of the 2012 Schmeckfest musical, The Wizard of Oz, which played to more than 4,200 during its five-night run. The idea of “going home” is one that no doubt resonates with community natives who often return to Freeman for Schmeckfest, which last weekend concluded its 54th-consecutive run.FOR THE COURIER BY DAVE EGGEN / INERTIA

continued on page 7: Election

NoPlace

LikeHome

SCHMECKFEST 2012by Jeremy Waltner

A review and photos of Schmeckfest’s The Wizard of Oz - Pages 8 and 9

”“People refer to Schmeckfest as a holiday ... it should be paid time off. CHARLES SCHRAG, SEATTLE

Races in District 19, Hutchinson County coming up by Erik Kaufman

The face of the 2012 election is taking shape for area voters with four primary races set to ap-pear on the June 5 primary ballot.

Winners of those elections will move forward to take part in the Nov. 6 general election.

Republicans from District 19 will head to the polls June 5 to select a candidate for state repre-sentative. Voters will choose between J.E. “Jim” Putnam of Armour, Roger Hofer of Bridgewa-ter and Kyle Schoenfish of Scotland. Putnam is currently serving as a senator for District 19 and is running for the senate due to term limits.

Democrats Stace Nelson, Fulton, and Alan

Fenner, Menno, will not face off in the primary and will move on to the general election to face the two top finishers in the Republican primary race as well as any independant candidates who happen to file to run.

The only primary race at the county level will be for Hutchinson County Commission District 2, which will see incumbent Gillas J. Stern of Freeman take on Steven J. Friesen of Freeman. Both candidates are Republicans. District 2 rep-resents the city of Freeman.

All county commission seats are for four-year terms.

Other primary contests will take place at the state and national level.

In the Republican primary race for United States President, a four-way election will take place featuring Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Whoever wins that election will advance to face Democrat in-cumbent Barack Obama in the general election, as well as any other independent candidates who happen to file.

At the state level, a Democratic United States Representative primary will take place between Matt Varilek of Sioux Falls and Jeff Barth, also of Sioux Falls. The winner of that contest will advance to face incumbent Republican Kristi Noem in the general election.

The term for United States Representative is

for two years.Other candidates for various elected positions

but will not face a vote in the primary election.In the race for District 19 senator, Frank

Kloucek, Democrat, will face Bill Van Gerpen, Republican, in the general election. Kloucek is coming off a term in the District 19 house and is now running for the senate due to term limits.

Brad Henke filed the only petition to run for District 4 of the Hutchinson County Com-mission. That district represents the city of Parkston. Also filing petitions and running un-opposed in the primary are Hutchinson County

Wednesday, April 11, 2012Volume 112 • Number 1308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ................................. p. 10Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 9Public Notice ...............................p. 11Reflections ................................. p. 12Sports ............................................p. 9Social ............................................p. 7

12 pages

InsIde:County Commissioners stand by decision to modify zoning position n p 3

OutrageSaints’ bounty scandal reflects larger problem; an opinion n p 4

From Mom Freeman resident continues mother’s baking tradition n p 6

Roth Freshman wins thriceas Flyers begin season n p 9

Tschetter FA senior wins high jumptwice, qualifies for state n p 9

City election results availableat freemansd.com

Because this week’s edition of the Courier went to press Tuesday afternoon, results of the Tuesday, April 10 city election were not known in time for publication this week.

However, results may be found online at freemansd.com.

In the race for Freeman mayor, incumbent Lonnie Tjaden was chal-lenged by Sam Sorensen, and in the race for Ward I council, incumbent Royce Breneman was challenged by Donna Waltner.

Watch for full post-election cov-erage in the April 18 print edition.

Kindergarten registration tobe held April 16

Any child that will be five years old by Sept. 1, 2012, is welcome to come to kindergarten registration for the 2012-2013 school year on Monday, April 16.

The 20-minute appointments will be scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Regularly scheduled kin-dergarten classes will be cancelled for the day.

The following records are need-ed before the first day of school. If possible, please bring them to kin-dergarten registration on April 16:

A copy of your child’s state is-sued birth certificate

A copy of the social security cardImmunization record updated as

required by statePlease call the office at Free-

man Elementary School, 925-4216, to schedule an appointment or for more information.

Freeman Public plans preschool screening April 16

The Freeman Public School Dis-trict in cooperation with the Corn-belt Educational Cooperative and Head Start is pleased to announce a preschool screening scheduled for Monday, April 16, for all children birth to five years old.

The purpose of the screening is to provide the parent or guardian and the school district with infor-mation relating to the child’s de-velopment. This screening is not for children who will be attending kindergarten next year.

The screening is the responsibil-ity of the local school district and will be provided at no cost to all participating children.

To register a child/children and set up a screening time contact: Ruth Strasser, Freeman Elemen-tary School, Box 220, Freeman, SD 57029, 925-4216.

Rest-of-year subscriptions to Courier available

While all subscriptions to the Freeman Courier come due at the end of each calendar year, a prorat-ed rate is available for those wish-ing to receive the Freeman weekly through the rest of 2012.

For those living in South Da-kota, that rate is $41.24. The rate for those living outside the state is $42.75.

Subscribe by calling 605-925-7033, stop in our downtown office in Freeman at 308 S. Main, or sub-scribe online at freemansd.com.

Subscriptions for online access only are also available. Contact the Courier for more information.

Local vet clinic now Sioux Nation AgChange in ownership effective April 1; little will change at Sixth Street business

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Canistota-Freeman Veterinary Hospital

may have changed ownership April 1, but it’s business as usual — and will continue to be business as usual — at the Sixth Street animal clinic.

“We want to keep everything the same, and that includes the high quality of work that’s being done,” said Joe Swenson, president and owner of Sioux Nation Ag Center, the Sioux Falls-based business that purchased the vet hos-pital from Dr. Roy Peters. “Now, there’s just go-ing to be more to it, more resources and services available.”

Swenson said the name of the business, Canistota-Freeman Veterinary Hospital, is now Sioux Nation Ag Center.

Peters, who began his veterinary career in 1981 and has been an owner since the early 1990s, says the growth of the business coupled with his age — he’s nearing 60 — prompted him to look at selling.

“I was the sole owner and we had grown to eight employees, plus myself,” Peters told the Courier last week. “The administrative and

management portions were a lot for me to han-dle.”

Selling to Sioux Nation Ag shifted those re-sponsibilities to a business with more resources, he said, while providing security and stability for the local veterinary hospital with a 57-year-old owner.

“My wife would ask me, ‘What should I do if something happens to you?’” Peters said. “This was the best of both worlds; I get to keep doing what I love to do and our clients continue to get great service.”

And, he said, the fact that all Canistota-Free-man Veterinary Hospital staff has been retained makes this a “win-win for everybody.

“This allows my staff to keep their jobs, stay in the community and keep their wages in the community,” Peters said.

Swenson is the third-generation owner of Sioux Nation Ag Center, which got its start as an animal house in 1960 and expanded into the feed business in the mid-90s. He said the busi-ness’s first veterinarian came on board in the early 2000s, “and we grew from there.”

Today, Sioux Nation Ag Center has vet hos-pitals in Viborg, Scotland, Kimball, Sioux Falls,

and now Canistota and Freeman.“Our business model is to provide everything

our livestock producers need,” Swenson said.

“The idea is that everybody works together with everybody’s best interest in mind.”

For more, go to siouxnationag.com.

While the sign still reads Freeman veterinary clinic, as of April 1 the local animal hospital has been under the ownership of Sioux Falls-based Sioux Nation Ag Center.

HappyEasterThere were plenty of smiles as the Freeman Lions Club hosted an Easter fun event at the Freeman Community Center Saturday afternoon, April 7. Among those grinning from ear to ear were (pictured) Easter Bunny Cindy Hofer and Emma-Bailey Mullinix of Freeman, who attended Saturday’s festivities with her mother, Alicia. An opportunity to pose for a picture with the Easter Bunny was just one of the activities Saturday afternoon; others included games and prizes and an Easter egg hunt. Donna Waltner, a member of the Freeman Lions Club who helped organize Saturday’s event along with Mary Mannes, said organizers were very pleased with the response; more than 100 youngsters registered for the fun. “It was great,” she said. “We were very pleased by the response and it was nice to be able to incorporate both indoor and outdoor activities.” Waltner added that organizers tried to promote health and fitness on Saturday. While candy-filled plastic eggs were part of it, so were healthy snacks like trail mix, provided by Home Federal Bank, and toothbrushes courtesy of Freeman Dental Center.PHOTO BYJEREMY WALTNER

Councilor: Reconsider denial of drainage planTschetter says city’s action to reject tiling project could hurt relations with property owner

by Tim L. WaltnerThree months after the Freeman City Council

rejected a drainage plan for property outside of city limits south of Freeman to be tiled and emp-ty into the ditch on the west side of Cedar Street, the proposal returned to the city’s agenda.

Meeting in regular session April 3, Councilor Loren Tschetter told the council there is concern among some community residents that the city’s rejection of the plan could harm what has been a good working relationship between the city and Freeman Academy on other projects; the land on which the tiling is proposed is owned by the private school.

“This is going to cause hard feelings between the city and Freeman Academy supporters,” said Tschetter, who asked the council to reconsider

its action.Mayor Lonnie Tjaden responded that owner-

ship of the land was not the issue in the city’s decision.

“I hope they don’t feel that way,” he said. “The council took the action because the majority felt it was in the best interest of the city.”

Following the city’s decision in January, Hutchinson County officials denied the drainage permit for the proj-ect. The city’s decision to oppose the plan, in which runoff from property proposed to be tiled south and southwest of city limits would flow into the west Cedar Street ditch, came Jan. 5 after a lengthy discussion that included Larry Tschet-

ter of Tschetter Tiling Inc., who engineered the project; Larry Tschetter and Loren Tschetter are brothers and partners in Tschetter Tiling Inc., the company that would do the work.

Loren Tschetter was excused from the earlier discussions and vote because of his conflict of interest. The council was divided on the Jan. 5 vote against the request. Councilors Royce Breneman, Randy Broders and Scott Stern voted to deny it while Councilors Charles Gering and Charly Waltner voted against the motion to deny it.

Stern, who was absent from last week’s meet-ing, was the most vocal opponent of the plan. Stern felt the slow-moving runoff from the tiled system could collect and stand in the ditch rather than flow and empty as is the case with normal runoff, and thus soften and weaken the base of

the adjacent roadway.“The city is taking on all the liability and po-

tential,” he said in January. “Financially, we get nothing. It’s not fair to the city or the taxpayers. I don’t think it’s the right thing for our commu-nity.”

Larry Tschetter, who did not attend the April 3 meeting, had challenged the idea that water will collect in the ditch because of the tiling project, noting there is a drop of at least 28 feet from the site of Koerner Construction to Railway Street, where the water flows out of the Cedar Street ditch.

“That water is going to run,” he told the coun-cil in January.

Last week City Attorney Dale Strasser asked continued on back page: City

“The council took the action because the majority felt it was in the best interest of the city.”

CITYCOUNCIL

Dry conditions spark open burn ban in countyby Jeremy Waltner

All open burning in Hutchinson County is off limits until the Hutchinson County Commission says otherwise.

That’s the word from county officials, who responded to extremely dry conditions last week by implementing an open burn ban inside coun-ty borders. Any burning done that is not covered is in violation of the county resolution — which

passed 5-0 Tuesday, April 3 — and is subject to a fine.

Hoffman said the commission passed the res-olution at the recommendation of himself and area fire departments; Bon Homme County has been under an open burn ban for about a month.

“It’s a safety measure is all it is,” said Dave Hoffman, Hutchinson County Emergency Man-ager. “It’s on until we get some moisture.”

Hoffman said the county is not prohibiting all

burning, just burns that produce an open flame. Burning garbage in a barrel, for example, is al-lowed but only if it has a cover; the same holds true of charcoal grills.

“It’s just common sense,” says Hoffman. “We’re dry. Just ask anybody who’s had a con-trolled burn that got out of control. It doesn’t take much. We’ve got fire departments are out there running around when they don’t need to be.

“Until we get some moisture in the ground, the burn ban will stay on.”

After a mild and unusually dry winter, the Freeman community received less than a half-inch of moisture in March, and nearly three weeks have passed without measurable rainfall.

The full county resolution outlining the open burn ban is published on page 11. The Hutchin-son County Commission is scheduled to meet again Tuesday, April 17.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012Volume 112 • Number 2308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ............................p. 10, 11Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 9Public Notice ...............................p. 11Reflections ............................. p. 3, 12Sports ............................................p. 9Social ............................................p. 6

12 pages

InsIde:On tour Freeman Academy chamber choir travels to Ohio n p 3

TransitionA post-election City Hall;an opinion n p 4

Stoup Freeman cook shares her Schmeckfest-inspired dish n p 6

Top golfer Freeman junior Arron Lickteighas yet to lose this season n p 9

FA, FHS track teams to run at Flyer Invitational

Weather permitting, Freeman High School will host its first of two home track meets — the Flyer Invitational — this week Thursday, April 19. Field events begin at 1 p.m. with running events slated to start at 3 p.m.

In addition to Freeman Academy and Freeman High School, teams scheduled to participate include Hanson, Howard, Marion, Menno, Parker, Tripp-Delmont-Armour and Viborg-Hurley.

For Freeman fans, one of the races to watch will be the 800, which features two top runners in Freeman Academy freshman Clara Koerner and Freeman High School freshman Cailey Roth. Koerner has competed strong in the event early this season, winning the event at both the Scotland Invitational and Centerville Rotary Relays. Roth is the defending Class B champion in the 800 and was the only runner to finish ahead of Koerner in the event at the Turner County Relays.

The 800 is scheduled to begin at 5:50 p.m.

Thursday’s full schedule is as follows:1 p.m. Girls high jump, girls shot put, girls triple jump, boys discus, boys long jump, boys pole vault2 p.m. Boys high jump, boys shot put, boys triple jump, girls discus, girls long jump, girls pole vault3 p.m. Girls 100 hurdles3:05 p.m. Boys 110 hurdles3:15 p.m. Girls, boys 3,200 relay3:40 p.m. Girls, boys 1004 p.m. Girls, boys 800 relay4:10 p.m. Girls, boys 1,6004:40 p.m. Girls, boys 400 relay4:55 p.m. Girls, boys 4005:15 p.m. Girls, boys 300 hurdles5:30 p.m. Girls, boys medley5:50 p.m. Girls, boys 8006 p.m. Girls, boys 2006:20 p.m. Co-ed weight relay6:30 p.m. Girls, boys 3,2007 p.m. Girls, boys 1,600 relay

South DakotaFirst Lady toread to students

Linda Daugaard, South Dakota First Lady, will be in Freeman this week Friday, April 20, to speak to third, fourth and fifth graders at Freeman Elementary.

Daugaard will spend time in in-dividual classrooms from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The First Lady was in Menno reading to students there Wednesday, April 4.

April 22 Spring Sing to be heldas benefit for MCC

Salem-Zion Mennonite Church will be hosting an evening of en-tertainment on April 22, at 7:30 p.m. Local men’s choirs and small groups will be sharing their tal-ents at the Spring Sing fundraising event for the Minn-Kota Festival for Mennonite Central Committee. As there will not be the Minn-Kota Festival and Auction this summer, Spring Sing is one of the new ac-tivities taking place to raise funds for MCC where a freewill offering will be received.

Freeman groups planning to take part include: Salem Menno-nite (South) Church Men’s Choir, Salem-Zion Mennonite (North) Church Men’s Choir, East Free-man Men’s Nine, Fortis, the Half Ton Quartet and Soulmates. Con-tact Elizabeth Janssen in the MCC office at 925-4859 for more infor-mation. Salem-Zion Mennonite Church is located at 27844 443rd Ave, 4 miles east and 1⁄2 mile south of Fensel’s.

Shift atCity Hall

by Jeremy WaltnerWhen the Freeman City Council convenes

for a new fiscal year Monday, May 7, the makeup of elected officials seated around the table will take on a notably different look.

That’s because, on Tuesday, April 10, vot-ers elected two newcomers to represent the citizens of Freeman. Challengers Sam So-rensen and Donna Waltner defeated incum-bents Lonnie Tjaden and Royce Breneman in the race for mayor and Ward I representative, respectively, and will be joined by a third new councilor — Eva Olson — who ran unop-posed for a seat in Ward III.

Voter turnout was 39 percent for mayor and 43 percent for Ward I.

The city council officially canvassed the vote Monday, April 16.

Sorensen, Olson and Waltner will join councilors Randy Broders — who was un-challenged in Ward II in last week’s election — Charles Gering, Scott Stern and Charly Waltner as the city’s body of elected officials.

The leadership team also includes City Ad-ministrator Dennis Nelsen and Finance Offi-cer Lisa Edelman.

“I went out and I talked to a lot of people,” said Sorensen, who defeated Tjaden 240-129. “I’m a straight shooter and I’ve always been a fair person, and I think a lot of people know that and went out and voted.”

Sorensen admits he was surprised by the nearly 2-to-1 margin of victory over Tjaden, who has 18 consecutive years of city govern-ment experience in Freeman — including six terms as mayor.

“A lot of people felt it was time for a change; I think that was a lot of it,” said So-rensen, who spoke highly of Tjaden and his service to the community. “I think a lot of Lonnie. I think he’s a good man and I would like to keep him involved in some way if he wants to be. I could use his expertise.

“I feel we’re friends and I hope we remain friends.”

Sorensen’s upcoming two-year term as

mayor will be his first as an elected city of-ficial and he knows he’s got homework to do.

“I’ve got a lot to learn,” he said. “I don’t expect to change a lot of things; I think Lon-nie was doing a good job. Maybe I’ll use a little different tactic.”

Sorensen says he plans to visit with city workers and officials in the upcoming weeks and months, including Freeman City Admin-istrator Dennis Nelsen and others in City Hall.

“Those are the people who do all the work,” he says. “My job is going to be to run the meetings and try to keep things going in the right direction. I’ve got a council and we’ve got to work together.

“Everybody’s got to work together.”Tjaden’s response to the election was mat-

ter-of-fact and he expressed no bitterness.“I got beat; that’s the way it is,” he told the

Courier. “I don’t know of an incumbent in these small towns that didn’t. It’s the mood of the people.

“Evidently it was time for me to take a little break, whether I wanted to or not,” he contin-ued. “There’s a reason I didn’t make it, and I don’t think it was a bad reason. People just wanted something different.”

Tjaden said he plans to stay involved; he will continue to work with District III Plan-ning and Development and the Freeman Community Development Corporation and plans to attend city council meetings in the weeks and months to come.

“To stay in the loop,” he said, “you need to be there.”

Tjaden also told the Courier he plans to run again in the near future but was unsure wheth-er that means as councilor or mayor.

“Whatever opportunity comes along, I want to be involved one way or another,” he said. “I’ve got time; I’m not even 50.”

Like Sorensen, Waltner will be a first-timer to city government and, like Sorensen, is ea-ger to learn.

“I’m really looking forward to this chal-lenge,” said Waltner, who defeated Breneman 73-62 in the Ward I vote. “I’m excited about it and am already starting to dig in.”

Waltner said her homework will include the study of city ordinances and minutes, and “I’d like to visit with some of the city employ-ees and learn more about their responsibilities and some of the needs in the community.”

Waltner was particularly pleased with the 43 percent voter turnout in Ward I.

“That’s encouraging,” she said. “It shows people are interested in what’s happening.”

Breneman, who was appointed to the coun-cil a year-and-a-half ago, told the Courier his experience in city government was a good one and he plans to run again.

“The journey’s just beginning,” he said. “In two years, I’ll try again.”

He said he felt the Ward I election would be close and was pleased with the support voters showed.

“I’m not discouraged at all,” he said. “I feel like I can learn from this. In the future I’ll change some things that didn’t work and keep doing the things that did.”

FOR FREEMAN MAYOR

Sam Sorensen3 240 / 65 percent

Lonnie Tjaden129 / 35 percent

VOTER TURNOUT 39 PERCENT

Donna Waltner3 73 / 54 percent

Royce Breneman62 / 46 percent

FOR WARD I COUNCILOR

VOTER TURNOUT 43 PERCENT

Challengers Sorensen, Waltner win electionin race for mayor, Ward I councilor, will assume office May 7

Election workers (from left) Corrine Handel, Judy Walter and Glennis Hofer tabulate votes in the council chambers at City Hall Tuesday evening, April 10. PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

Teacherto board:amend transfer policy

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School Board heard an

impassioned request from one of its teachers to include staff in any discussions related to a shift in teaching responsibilities from one grade level to another — also called transfers.

The request came from Kirsten Wieman, who has felt firsthand what it’s like to switch classrooms without being given the opportunity to provide input. Wie-man, who has taught third grade at Freeman Elementary the past five years, will next year in-stead teach first grade — a decision made by administration at Free-man Public.

“I love third grade and it’s been a great fit for me,” Wieman told the school board at its regu-lar monthly meeting Monday, April 9, adding she has spent considerable time and money of her own to build an effective third-grade class-room. “I’m disappointed in the decision.”

Wieman has agreed to switch classrooms nonetheless — “I’m not here to beg for my job back,” she said — but appeared before the board last week to encourage a change in the way transfers are handled.

“I am here to ask you to look at your transfer policy and include the teacher (in your discus-sions),” she said. “If you truly respect the em-ployees you hire, you would want to know their opinions.”

The district’s transfer policy reads: “Trans-fers may be requested by the board or by profes-sional staff members. When by the board, the transfer is mandatory; when by the staff mem-ber, the transfer will be optional by the board. In any transfer, the best interests of the students will always be served.”

Wieman said she did not know the decision to move her to first grade had been made until it was approved by the board at the recommenda-tion of Elementary Principal Ryan Mors.

“If I had felt my third-grade position was in jeopardy,” she said, “I would have been in here sooner.”

Wieman’s discussion with the board was warm and cordial; “I’ve always felt very sup-ported by my administrations,” she said. “I’m just asking you to look at your policy and give the teachers the respect they deserve.”

And board president Darnell Tschetter af-firmed Wieman.

“I appreciate your concern,” he said. “We re-spect you very much as a teacher and I’m sorry if we offended you in any way.

“We’ll see if we can correct this in the fu-ture.”

Community service dayAlmost four months after indicating it would

not be interested in joining Freeman Academy in its traditional community service leaf-raking day, school officials from Freeman Public last week restated their position.

The brief discussion at the April 9 meeting came on the heels of a recent phone call to

SCHOOLBOARD

continued on back page: School

Preschool screening; building a resumeGuss Timmerman, the 19-month-old son of Larry and Nicole Timmerman, stacks blocks as part of the preschool screening process Monday afternoon, April 16. Guss joined his twin sister, Rylea, at Freeman Elementary for the screening conducted by South Central Early Childhood Services of Tyndall, which assessed and documented the development of 15 birth-to-three-year olds and

26 youngsters age 3 to 5 — including Guss and Rylea’s older sister, Savanna. April 16 was also Kindergarten Roundup at Freeman Elementary; while numbers aren’t yet finalized, 26 children took part in the roundup on Monday, and school officials say the incoming class could include upward of 30. Two sections are planned. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, April 25, 2012Volume 112 • Number 3308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ..................................p. 11Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ................................ p. 10,Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Public Notice ...............................p. 11Reflections ....................................p. 7Sports ..................................... p. 9, 12Social ............................................p. 6

12 pages

InsIde:In Minneapolis Freeman Academy studentstake part in service project n p 3

WeatherBe prepared for a seasonof severe storms; an opinion n p 4

Powdered chicken Courier news editor sharesone of his best recipes n p 6

Champions No shortage of winners fromFHS at Cornbelt golf meet n p 9

Schmeckfest to be featured on PBS Thursday night

South Dakota Public Television will air a segment on Schmeckfest as part of its series, “Dakota Life,” Thursday, May 3, beginning at 8 p.m.

Producer Brian Gevik was in at-tendance the second week of last month’s Schmeckfest filming for the production.

In addition to its spot on PBS, “Dakota Life” airs on RFD-TV, a cable and satellite network carried by many providers.

FHS to hostDon Diede Relays next week Tuesday

Freeman High School’s pre-miere sporting event of the spring, the Don Diede Relays, will be held next Tuesday, May 1, with field events beginning at 1 p.m. and track events starting at 3 p.m.

More than a dozen teams, in-cluding Freeman Academy, will participate.

The schedule of events is as fol-lows.1 p.m. Girls high jump, girls shot put, girls triple jump, boys discus, boys long jump, boys pole vault2 p.m. Boys high jump, boys shot put, boys triple jump, girls discus, girls long jump, girls pole vault3 p.m. Girls 100 hurdles3:15 p.m. Boys 110 hurdles3:30 p.m. Girls, boys 3,200 relay4 p.m. Girls, boys 1004:25 p.m. Girls, boys 800 relay4:45 p.m. Girls, boys 1,6005:10 p.m. Girls, boys 400 relay5:25 p.m. Girls, boys 4006:15 p.m. Girls, boys 300 hurdles6:40 p.m. Girls, boys medley7:05 p.m. Girls, boys 8007:25 p.m. Girls, boys 2007:55 p.m. Co-ed weight relay8 p.m. Girls, boys 3,2008:25 p.m. Girls, boys 1,600 relay

Freeman EMTsto hold porkBBQ April 28

The Freeman Ambulance is plan-ning a pork barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, April 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Freeman Fire Station. A freewill donation will be taken with proceeds directed to the ambulance service.

Arbor Day to be observed inFreeman this week

The city of Freeman’s Tree City Committee will hold a short Arbor Day program Friday, April 27, in-cluding planting a tree in front of Freeman Elementary School at 3:10 p.m.

The city’s 2012 Arbor Day ac-tivities also include displays of art projects from elementary school students. The first graders’ art will be on display this week at Freeman Shopping Center and the second graders’ project at Jamboree.

Summer hoursat rubble sitebegin next week

The city of Freeman’s rubble site will be changing to summer hours beginning next week Wednesday, May 2. Summer hours are effective from May through August, when the site west of Freeman is open Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

A tipping fee is required for each trip to the site.

The city’s tree and branch site is open to the public all day, every day; there is no charge to use it.

continued on page 3: Foundation

South Dakota First Lady LInda Daugaard reads to Freeman Elementary fourth graders Friday afternoon, April 20. Daugaard’s visit was part of her effort to improve literacy and promote reading among South Dakota students by visiting third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms across the state. “It isn’t every day that you have the governor’s wife in your building,” said Elementary Principal Ryan Mors.PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Milestones mark 2012 forFreeman Community Foundation

by Jeremy WaltnerNot one, not two, but three notable accom-

plishments are on the horizon for one local orga-nization where pride in giving back to its com-munity runs deep.

The organization is the Freeman Community Foundation, the pride is in the dollars it has given to local non-profits and the depth can be found in three milestones that will be met in 2012.

The FCF is celebrating its 15th year.The FCF will reach $100,000 in grants

awarded locally.The FCF endowment that makes those grants

possible is expected to hit $500,000 by year’s end.

“I cannot find a demographic in town that has not been served by this,” said Emily Hofer, who

has been on the FCF board of directors since 2005. “The Freeman Community Foundation is here for the community. It doesn’t have a narrow focus; everybody is touched by it.”

A rundown of grant recipients dating back to 2000 — the first year funds were given back to the community — proves Hofer correct. Orga-nizations benefiting from the FCF range from the Freeman Lions Club to Freeman fire and ambulance to Freeman schools to organizations like the development corporation, friends of the library and commerce committee.

Five Freeman seniors have also been awarded service scholarships through the FCF since 2010, including Class of 2012 recipients Brittney Ries and Kaitlyn Stern.

All told, $85,600 has been given locally with another $20,000 to $25,000 expected to be awarded this year.

The FCF will announce the recipients after May 1 — the deadline for the first cycle of this year’s grant applications. Grant recipients and scholarship winners will be honored Thursday, May 3, at the organization’s spring banquet at the Prairie Arboretum Visitor’s Center. The event includes a dessert reception beginning at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

The local community foundation was estab-lished in 1997 after being challenged by the McKnight Foundation to raise $100,000 by July 1, 2000. The McKnight Foundation agreed to

First Lady in the classroomDaugaard visits Freeman Elementary in statewide effort to promote reading

by Jeremy WaltnerLinda Daugaard stood before the young stu-

dents last week exhibiting the kind of warmth you’d find in a teacher and a love for books you’d find a librarian.

This should come as no surprise; the South Dakota First Lady has been both in the com-munity from which she graduated high school in 1971 — Dell Rapids — and has served on the Minnehaha Rural Library Board, Siouxland Library Board and State Library Board.

Now, she is returning to schools and class-rooms across the state in an effort to promote

reading.Daugaard spent several hours in Freeman

last Friday, April 20, with third, fourth and fifth graders at Freeman Elementary, encouraging them to continue their relationships with books.

The First Lady acknowledged that reading comes easy as a young child; she named her favorite books growing up, shared with the students the stories her own children loved — The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak — and revealed her husband’s favorite book when he was young. Turns out South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard couldn’t get enough of The

Little Engine That Could.But, she said, as children mature, that love

affair with reading can wane.“Third, fourth and fifth grade is around the

time many students lose interest in reading,” Daugaard said in a press release. “It is impor-tant to spread enthusiasm about reading at this crucial point in the child’s development.”

Speaking to fifth graders on Friday, Daugaard asked the students to name several activities that can take time away from reading; answers like “video games,” “sports” and “the Internet” came quickly.

“It’s so important to keep reading,” she told

the students. “Ask your parents, ask your prin-cipal, ask your friends what it is they’re reading and what’s so special about it.”

Freeman Elementary was the 128th district Daugaard has visited since she embarked on her statewide tour of classrooms in April 2011. The First Lady visits nine schools every week during the months of March, April, May, Sep-tember, October and November, and will have visited more than 400 districts by the time her reading initiative ends.

Daugaard doesn’t have to look far to see the

2000 Salem Mennonite Home Communications center $5002000 Freeman Lions Club Playground equipment $1,0002002 Freeman Ambulance Training mannequin $1,0002002 Growing Dreams Computer/equipment/shelving $1,0002002 Colby Stucky/Boy Scout Sidewalk project $1,0002004 Growing Dreams Playground equipment $2,0002004 Freeman Fire Department Helmet equipment $2,0002004 Salem Mennonite Home Digital camera and printer $3302004 Summer Rec Concessions stand and storage $2,0002004 Freeman Public Library Capital fund drive $8,0002005 Heritage Action group Community tourism events $5002006 Ag Action Group Farmers market and seminars $1,5002006 Freeman Ambulance EMT training $1,5002006 Friends of the Library Furniture drive $1,0002006 Baseball Association Start-up costs for teams $2,0002006 Prairie Arboretum Sound/projection equipment $1,0002007 Freeman Academy Sterling Hall building project $2,5002007 Heritage Action Group Destination Germanation $1,0002007 Growing Dreams Scholarship program $1,0002007 RMD House/Delta Dental Dental Care Mobile $2,0002007 SDSU Coop Extension Aging Healthy, Happy & Wise $1,0002007 Heritage Action Group Elderhostel $1,0002008 FRHS Auxiliary Stove for dietary department $2,0002008 Senior Citizen Center Ceiling repair $1,0002008 Friends of the Library Whiteboard and restrooms $1,250

2008 Lois Kaufman Mango Language Program $1,0002008 Commerce Committee Freeman First campaign $1,5002008 Cemetery Association Storage shed $1,7502009 Freeman Academy Auxiliary Wireless microphones $2,6002009 Freeman Public Classroom SMART board $2,6002009 Prairie Arboretum Locks for interpretive center $9002009 Friends of the Library Mango Language Program $1,0502009 FACT Start-up costs $2,5002010 Dawson Waltner FCF Service Scholarship - FHS $1,0002010 Freeman Ambulance Stryker Pro Power Cot $2,5002010 FCDC Sign $8002010 FCDC/Heritage Hall Phone system $1,8002010 Elementary Student Council Play system $5,0002010 Development Foundation Seed money $2,5002010 Development Foundation Community center $5,0002011 Lillie Koerner FCF Service Scholarship - FA $1,0002011 Tyson Lager FCF Service Scholarship - FHS $1,0002011 FCDC ROCS transportation bus $2,5002011 Freeman Academy Auxiliary Sound mixer $1,3502011 Kaye Waltner/FHS choral Men’s choral festival $7502011 VFW/American Legion Ceremonial bugel $4202011 Community Corporation Community Center $5,0002012 Kaitlyn Stern FCF Service Scholarship - FHS $1,0002012 Brittney Ries FCF Service Scholarship - FA $1,000Total in grants and scholarships ........................................................$85,600

Since 2000 the FCF has awarded more than $85,000 in grants locally. Here’s a closer look.

continued on page 3: Reading

Farmers take to the fields with eye to the skyby Jeremy Waltner

The winter and spring weather has been as unseasonably mild as ever.

The planting? Right on time.While some have already started, the vast ma-

jority of local and area producers are expected to hit the fields this week to begin planting corn, a seasonal rite of passage to spring for this agri-cultural-based community.

“We’re going to be at the first of May next Tuesday, so it’s time,” said Mike Sayler of Cen-tral Farmers Cooperative. “They’re saying this week — if it doesn’t rain. Guys will at least be

getting ready, getting fertilizer in the ground.”The rain element is a tricky one for farmers

eager to get started in the fields while, at the same time, anxious for needed moisture. While the community has been on the receiving end of substantial rains the past few weeks, they have done little to replenish depleted subsoil mois-ture.

“We just didn’t have any snow,” said Sayler. “The rivers are down, the dugouts are down, even the slews have just a little bit of water. This time of the year the creeks should be running.”

Sayler said he was planting trees over the weekend and saw firsthand how dry it was.

“We went down a foot and a half and it was powder dry,” he said. “Last year we planted trees in the same area and we had water running in the hole.”

While the moisture below ground level is down significantly from an ideal situation, the rains of the second weekend of April and the middle part of last week came as a big relief.

“We were very dry,” said Joey Graber, a seed dealer and local farmer. “I pulled out some old tress that had died and it was powder dry.”

Graber says that farmers could be planting this week even had those recent rains not come, but all it would take is a few more weeks of dry

weather for concerns to escalate.“You go several weeks or a month without

rain and the stress is going to come a whole lot quicker,” he said.

As it is now, Graber says, “surface wise it’s nearly perfect.”

Sayler says additional rains would be a wel-come sight, even as farmers turn their attention to planting.

“We need a nice, slow two-day rain to let it soak in,” he said.

The community may just get it; on Monday the forecast showed a chance of rain Friday, Sat-urday and Sunday.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012Volume 112 • Number 4308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 9Church News ............................. p. 10Classifieds ........................... p. 12, 13Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 2Public Notice .............................. p. 13Reflections ............................... p. 8, 9Sports ..........................................p. 11Social ............................................p. 6

14 pages

INSIDE:In bloom Tree City, city of Freemanoffi cials mark Arbor Day ■ p 3

Ortman and Co.Renowed performersto play Pioneer Hall ■ p 3

Saucy waffles From one mom to the next,a recipe that delights ■ p 6

Eberts Freeman eighth-graderqualifi es for state in 3,200 ■ p 11

FCF to hold spring banquet Thursday at visitor’s center

The Freeman Community Foun-dation will recognize its most re-cent grant recipients, as well as this year’s scholarship winners from Freeman Academy and Freeman High School, at its spring banquet Thursday, May 3.

The banquet will begain at 7 p.m. in the visitor’s center on the grounds of the Freeman Prairie Ar-boretum.

The banquet will also include a dessert reception catered by Dave Friesen. The public is invited to at-tend; there is no charge.

Schmeckfest to be featured on PBS this Thursday

South Dakota Public Television will air a segment on Schmeckfest as part of its series, Dakota Life, Thursday, May 3, beginning at 8 p.m.

Producer Brian Gevik was in at-tendance the second weekend of Schmeckfest in March filming for the production.

In addition to its spot on PBS, Dakota Life airs on RFD-TV, a ca-ble and satellite network carried by many providers.

Freeman junior high students to present concert

The Freeman Public School ju-nior high students will present a spring concert on Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Freeman Elemen-tary Gym.

The concert will feature the ju-nior high band and chorus as well as some selections from the music contest. The public is invited.

Freeman Publicto hold musiccontest May 4

Freeman Public will be holding its second-annual music contest on Friday, May 4 beginning at 8 a.m. at Freeman Elementary School.

Schools from Freeman Public, Freeman Academy, Hurley, Mon-trose, Parkston and Tea will be performing instrumental and vocal solos and ensembles throughout the day. The public is invited to attend.

Turkey Ridge Storesoutheast of Freeman closes

Last week Saturday, April 28 was the final day of operation for the Turkey Ridge Store.

In an advertisement published on page 13 of this week’s Courier, owners Bruce and Becky Ebbesen acknowledge the closing was “a very, very hard decision” and called it a “privilege” to serve their cus-tomers. They also make it clear that the closing of the Turkey Ridge Store does not mean the end of Turkey Ridge Oil or Ridge Kitchen Lunchwagon. Those businesses, they say, will continue.

The Turkey Ridge Store was lo-cated 8 miles south and 7 miles east of Freeman. Its official address was 44579 US Highway 18, Hurley.

New hours in effect at archives

Heritage Hall Archives will be open Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. the second week of May through the third week of October. That is in addition to the archives’ year-round hours of Wednesday from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

continued on page 3: Casey’s

Consider thisSlogans from a century agoOne hundred years ago, in May of

1912, one of the pressing mat-ters in the community of Free-

man came courtesy of the Commercial Club and its effort to implement a new slogan for the town. The club was scheduled to hold a meeting at the Freeman Opera House May 17 of that year where a list of possibilities was to be reviewed and voted upon. The issue of the Courier from 100 years ago that corresponds exactly with this week’s issue — May 2, 1912 — carried the list of slogans for consideration (printed to the right exactly as it appeared) along with the following announcement.“The Commercial Club assigned to us the task of presenting a list of slogans and from that list the club intends to select one if there is a suitable one. We thought it would be the proper thing to give a list in the paper as some benefit may be derived by knowing them before you come to the meeting. In selecting a slogan have in mind it should be a watchword for us and attract attention to outsiders. In course of time the club will probably have that slo-gan an emblem on buttons or you will find it on the stationery of our businessmen.”

Incidentally, a reminder of the Com-mercial Club’s “important business” was printed in the Courier the follow-ing week, May 9, but in the weeks fol-lowing the May 17 event, publisher J.J. Mendel never printed how the meeting turned out, nor the results of the slogan contest.

As we page through the 1912 Couri-ers for our weekly Reflections section in the months to come, we’ll keep our eyes open for the results. We’re as curi-ous as anybody. - EDITORS

Casey’s planningmove to Highway 81

by Jeremy WaltnerCasey’s General Store, which has anchored the

corner of Cherry and Fifth streets since opening amid controversy in 1979, is planning a move to the highway.

Bill Walljasper, Casey’s senior vice-president and CFO, confirmed with the Courier last Friday that the convenience store franchise is planning to replace its current building near downtown Free-man with a new and larger store on the northwest corner of Highway 81 and Sixth Street.

The property was previously used as a car lot for Huber Motor.

“This is a very recent purchase and we’re in the very early stages,” Walljasper said, “but our intent is to replace that store.”

Walljasper said the decision came so Casey’s could provide better service.

“We believe we are currently not providing ad-equately for the community,” he said. “We are re-placing our store with the largest store footprint we have.”

He said the new Casey’s planned for Freeman

will have additional services and amenities such as freshly-made sub sandwiches and a seating area for customers, adding that the community’s support of the store has enabled the franchise to move forward with this significant move and expansion.

“It’s obviously been a good store for us or we wouldn’t be replacing it,” he said. “We’re looking forward to getting started.”

Walljasper did not indicate when the move would take place, only that it would be “down the road.”

“It varies so much from community to commu-nity,” he said. “I don’t know yet what all we have to go through.”

Reno Huber, whose father, Alvin, started Huber Motor in 1936, and who managed the Ford deal-ership and garage with his brother, Orville, from 1970 until its closing in 2005, told the Courier he is pleased to see the corner lot will be developed.

“It’s super good,” said Reno. “There was a time when we had intent to use it for a new garage, but we’re getting up there in age and asked if it was worth it to invest the money.

District names new principalVoss to replace Mors at Freeman Elementary, brings 20 years experience to job

by Jeremy WaltnerShane Voss will replace Ryan Mors as the

principal at Freeman Elementary starting next school year.

The Wessington native, who spent 10 years in administration at Hurley and the last three as superintendent and elementary principal at Alcester-Hudson, has accepted a job offer from Freeman Public Schools.

He will also be the district’s Title 1 director, but will not take over the coaching positions — that of head golf and girls basketball — held by Mors.

Voss was among 23 applicants and one of six interviewed for the job currently held by Mors, who came to Freeman in 2007. He is leaving at

the end of this school year to be the new activi-ties director and assistant principal at Yankton High School.

Voss lives in Hurley with his wife and three daughters and brings to Freeman El-ementary 20 years in edu-cation — 17 of which have been in administration.

Freeman Superintendent Don Hotchkiss said it is his experience that made Voss the right choice for the job.

“We had good candidates; it was a difficult decision,” Hotchkiss said. “It was his experience; he’s got a lot of it as an elementary principal, secondary

principal, Title I director and superintendent.”Voss told the Courier the field of education is

the only one he ever wanted to be in.“Some kids grew up on a farm; I grew up in a

school,” he said, noting his father had more than 45 years experience in administration, and other close family members were teachers.

He added he’s eager to leave behind his re-sponsibilities as a superintendent and focus on his role as an elementary principal.

“I’m excited to go back to doing what I love,” Voss said. “Elementary students are always ex-cited to come to school and learn. I start every day in the kindergarten room.”

Voss, who received his degree in elementary education from Dakota State in 1992 and mas-ter’s from USD in 1995, called the facilities at

Freeman Public “some of the best around.”“I don’t know if you can get much nicer,” he

said. “And the Freeman community is very at-tractive.”

Voss said he and his family will continue to live in Hurley, where he served as an elementary and secondary principal and superintendent in that school district during his tenure there from 1998-2008.

He said because his daughters have grown up in that school system, they will continue to at-tend school in Hurley. Danielle will be a senior, Cassandra will be a freshman and Sydney will be a fourth grader. His wife, Jayna, works in Sioux Falls.

The Freeman Public School Board is expect-ed to formally hire Voss at its May 14 meeting.

Shane Voss

Onthebox

Freeman High School freshman Megan Egan

watches a beautiful drive off the third tee

box at Valley View Golf Course Thursday, April

26, as part of the Huskie Invitational hosted by

Bridgewater-Emery. Egan’s picture perfect drive on the third hole was no anomaly; she went on to fi nish with

an 89 and win the girls division by 8 strokes and lift the Freeman

girls to a team victory.FHS’s Shelby Bauer

fi nished second in the girls division with a 97

and Freeman Academy’s Chelsea Wentz was third with a 100. Egan wasn’t

the only champion for the Flyers. Arron Lickteig

was again tops in the boys fi eld with a 68 —

good enough for fi rst by 13 strokes. It was the

junior’s fi fth victory in as many tries this season. Like the girls, the FHS

boys took top honors at the Huskie Invitational. For more, see page 11.

PHOTO BYJEREMY WALTNER

Plans are in the works

to transform this empty

lot at the corner of

Sixth Street and Highway

81 into a new location

for Casey’s General

Store. This photo was

taken looking straight

north.PHOTO BY

JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, May 9, 2012Volume 112 • Number 5308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................p. 5Area News ....................................p. 2Church News ................................p. 8Classifieds ...........................p. 14, 15Forum ...........................................p. 4Home ............................................p. 6Miscellanea ...................................p. 2Obituaries .....................................p. 2Public Notice ........................p. 12, 15Reflections ................................. p. 16Sports ......................................... p. 10Social ............................................p. 7

16 pages

INSIDE:Music contest Local grade school studentssing, play in Freeman ■ p 3

SaturdayFreeman native bringingtrio of musicians back home ■ p 3

MCA A look at the life and deathof an infl uencial musician ■ p 4

Don Diede Relays A look inside FHS’s biggest sports event of the spring ■ p 10

FHS hostingCornbelt track meet Thursday

Seven teams, including Freeman High School, are scheduled to take part in the 2012 Cornbelt Confer-ence Track Meet in Freeman this week Thursday, May 10.

Field events begin at 1 p.m. with running events slated to start at 3 p.m.

Other participating teams in-clude Bridgewater-Emery, Canis-tota, Hanson, Marion, McCrossan Boys Ranch (new to the Cornbelt Conference this year) and Menno.

The meet will include varsity, junior varsity and junior high com-petition.

The last event, the 1,600 relay, is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Freeman Academy was sched-uled to take part in the Tri Valley Conference Track Meet Tuesday, May 8.

Both FA and FHS will take part in the Region 3B Track Meet in Centerville Thursday, May 17.

The state meet will be held in Rapid City Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26.

FA, FHS to take part in region golf meet in Sioux Falls

Golfers from Freeman Academy and Freeman High School will take part in the Region 3B Tournament in Sioux Falls next Monday, May 14.

Elmwood will be the location for both the boys and girls.

Other schools competing in Re-gion 3B are Alcester-Hudson, Bal-tic, Bridgewater-Emery, Canistota, Centerville, Garretson, Gayville-Volin, Irene-Wakonda, Marion, McCook Central-Montrose, Parker and Viborg-Hurley.

Individuals placing in the top 20 will advance to the state tourna-ment. In addition, teams that finish first or second in the final standings may take an entire squad to state.

The State ‘B’ Golf Tournament will be held in Rapid City Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22. The boys will compete at Hart Ranch while the girls will compete at the Elks.

FHS competed in the pre-region meet at Central Valley in Hartford Monday, May 7. Results were not available in time for publication.

Freeman Fishing Derby returning to arboretum June 16

The eighth-annual Freeman Fishing Derby is scheduled to take place Saturday, June 18 at the Free-man Prairie Arboretum.

Youth through age 15 are invited to participate; fishing gear will be available for those who do not have their own.

Prizes will be awarded for fish caught in three age divisions.

Watch the Courier in the weeks to come for more information.

The Freeman Fishing Derby was started in 2005 by Chet Sorensen and Tom Stolp. Stolp continues to organize the event thanks to broad support from the business commu-nity.

Citywide rummage planned June 9

The Freeman Citywide Rum-mage Sale will take place Saturday, June 9 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Freeman Athletic Association is once again organizing the event. Information and registration sheets are available at Merchants State Bank. The registration deadline is Friday, June 1. For more informa-tion call Emily Hofer at 925-7223.

continued on back page: Foundation

Down in the valleyA photo essay by Jeremy Waltner Down in the valley, around a gentle bend in the road, was a store. Its simple stature was out-simplified only by its name, and its impact on the area was far deeper than even the valley in which it rested. The Turkey Ridge Store never had a town per se to call its own; rather, it was a heart among the charcoal veins of the land, connecting the people of one community to the next. The final owner called it the “hub.”East and slightly north stands the community of Hurley, east and slightly south, Swan Lake. Spring Valley is straight south, Menno straight west, Marion straight north and Freeman to the northwest. You can add Irene and Viborg to the neighborhood, too.How many farmers and housewives, children and passersby in between stopped at the Turkey Ridge Store to eat a candy bar, drain a Mountain Dew, pick up a bag of feed, can of beans, jug of milk or gallon of gas?Not anymore. No, the Turkey Ridge Store of Turkey Ridge, nestled in the heart of the Turkey Ridge Valley on Highway 18, run by a family devoted to the community, is closed. The front door is locked. The American flag waving to cars and trucks scream-ing by has been taken down. Mind you, other enterprises owned and operated by Bruce and Becky Ebbesen — the last to own the Turkey Ridge Store — are still viable. Yep, Turkey Ridge Oil and Ridge Kitchen Lunchwagon are still going strong.But not the store.Its closing Saturday, April 28, marked the end of a colorful chapter in the history of the store that dates all the way back to 1927 and no doubt stirred up some kind of emotion in those who remember buying dried goods, drinks, hardware, tires, feed and seed there, or taking a seat at the restaurant-style booth in the corner, where, as Becky puts it through the emotion of the day, “we solved the world’s problems.”The history is rich. The pictures document today. Turn to page 9.

Return on investmentFreeman Community Foundation honors localorganizations, scholarship winners at banquet

by Jeremy WaltnerIn what Emily Hofer referred to as “our highlight,” the

Freeman Community Foundation (FCF) formally honored its most recent grant recipients and scholarship winners at a dessert reception at the Prairie Arboretum Interpretive Center Thursday evening, May 3.

Hofer, secretary of the FCF, and Nathan Walter, FCF board president, both of-fered comments at last week’s gathering. And while the event was in recognition of those on the receiving end of the local community foun-dation, Hofer and Walter both spoke of the value of the organization now in its 15th year.

“What a great idea for a foundation,” Walter said; “an endowment that will perpetually give back to the greater Freeman community.”

Walter said one of the goals of FCF officials is to pro-mote the organization in an effort to strengthen its vis-ibility in the community, and admitted that when he was first approached to be on the board of directors four years ago by past president Jill Aanenson, his first question was, “What is the Freeman Community Foundation?”

“How is it possible I had never heard of this nearly half-million dollar foundation that has had such a broad impact on Freeman?” Walter said, noting that 44 grants and five service scholarships totalling nearly $100,000 have been awarded since 2000.

“We believe there’s room for us to make a larger impact in Freeman,” he continued. “Unfortunately, most people

know about us much as I did four years ago. I think board member Ruth Strasser stated it best when she said, ‘I think the Freeman Community Foundation is really Freeman’s best kept secret.’”

Future gifts to the FCF will help its endowment grow and benefit the community for years to come, Walter said.

“One of our strategic goals as a board is to increase awareness of the wonderful and vital impact this foun-dation has made on the lives of the citizens of Freeman. Although there are many local organizations and charities that are extremely valuable and important to this commu-nity, the foundation differentiates itself in two significant ways.”

The first, he said, is that the FCF has far-reaching im-pact.

“There’s really no segment of the community that hasn’t benefited from the foundation,” he said.

The second, Walter continued, is that the contributions made to the organization are long lasting.

“Your resources make the Freeman community a better place to live for many generations to come.”

Hofer recognized the board members who helped found the FCF in 1997 by name: Jackie Goosen, Stephen Rous-sos, Sharon Schamber, Dewayne Kieper, Brian Field, Lar-ry Horner, Glenn Roth and the late Pam Ortman.

Roth, who has remained a board member every year since and will leave his post in 2012 because of term lim-its, was on hand at Thursday’s reception. Hofer addressed him directly.

“Fifteen years ago, did you know the impact this foundation would have on the community?” she asked.

2012RECEPTION

Big boostfor the busThanks to unexpected funds from ROCS, transportationservice set to begin in June

by Jeremy Waltner“All good news.”That’s how Norm Kaufman de-

scribes the latest developments in the Freeman community’s effort to establish a bus transportation ser-vice to assist residents with errands and appointments, from a trip to the grocery store to the doctor’s office.

It appears that service should be available by the first week of June — ahead of the schedule beset by funding limitations.

An advertisement for drivers be-gins running this week, just as the articles of incorporation for Free-man Community Transit have been submitted to the state for approval.

All of this comes on the heels of last week’s surprising news that Freeman Community Transit would be included in 2012 funding through ROCS (Rural Office of Community Services), which provides assis-tance to low-income, elderly and

handicap clients in southeastern and south central South Dakota.

Freeman was not scheduled to be part of the budget in 2012, leaving those involved with the local ROCS project seeking other financial sup-port.

“It’s not like we were not going to have bus service available, but this pushes us further ahead than we an-ticipated,” said Kaufman, president of Freeman Community Transit. “We’ll also be able to broaden the scope of the service we offer; that’s the big thing.”

The ROCS funding, which comes on top of local financial support al-ready committed, “really opens up the possibilities,” he said.

While details — including rider fees — have yet to be worked out, those expanded services could in-clude at least one additional hand-icap-accessible minivan to supple-

continued on back page: Bus

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

ith a city of Freeman ward map and the South Dakota state seal behind him, n ew Freeman Mayor Sam Sorensen is administered the oath of offi ce by city attorney Dale Strasser Monday evening, May 7, the fi rst meeting of a new year for local city government. Sorensen, who defeated Lonnie Tjaden in the incumbent’s bid for re-

election last month, on Monday took his seat at the head of a table made up of old and new councilors alike; in addition to Randy Broders, Charles Gering, Scott Stern and Charly Waltner, the new council includes Eva Olson and Donna Waltner, who replace Loren Tschetter and Royce Breneman. In his opening remarks to city offi cials, Sorensen called for hard work among elected

offi cials and spoke of a desire to come together for the good of the community. “We must remem-ber, as city offi cials, we are in this together for the betterment of the city of Freeman. We must have continuity as a council, have a healthy environment for the community and work together with each other for the common good of Freeman.” Sorensen’s fi rst meeting included the eyes and ears of a notable audience member — his father, Chet, who 35 years ago took the oath of of-fi ce as mayor of Freeman, a position he served for 12 years that became part of a 30-year career in local city government. For more on Sam Sorensen, his seat at the city table and the special connection he now shares with his father, see next weeks’ Courier. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

W

Wednesday, May 16, 2012Volume 112 • Number 6308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 9Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 8Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 2Public Notice ...............................p. 11, 13, 14Reflections .....................................................p. 3Sports ............................................................p. 11Social .................................................................p. 9

14 pages

INSIDE:Lessons Here’s to the Class of 2012;an opinion ■ p 4

Anthrax Include vaccine in programfor cattle this summer ■ p 5

Child’s play 12-year-old off ers recipe forfamily-favorite potato dish ■ p 8

May 13-19 Care facilities to celebrateNational Nursing Home Week ■ p 8

Region 4B Track athletes head toCenterville Thursday ■ p 11

Graduationat FA, FHSthis Saturday

Twenty-nine Freeman seniors will walk across their respective gymnasium stage this week Satur-day, May 19, as Freeman Academy and Freeman High School hold their graduation ceremonies for 2012.

Eight seniors will graduate from from Freeman Academy in a cer-emony that begins at 6 p.m. in Pio-neer Hall.

At Freeman High School, 21 seniors will participate in a com-mencement ceremony that begins at 2 p.m. at the FHS Gym. Bacca-laureate at FHS is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 16.

The Courier is honoring Free-man graduates in this week’s issue; turn to pages 6 and 7. Additionally, an editorial and letter to the editor pertaining to this year’s graduates are printed on page 4.

Museum planning summer kickofflater this month

Heritage Hall Museum of Free-man is planning to hold its 2012 summer season kickoff event Tues-day, May 29, beginning at 7 p.m. in the historic Bethel Church on the museum campus.

The evening program will in-clude a look at what Heritage Hall officials consider some of the most overlooked items in the museum, including the first Schmeckfest sign welcoming guests to the fes-tival in 1959, wedding dresses that date back to 1826, the Stephen R. Riggs collection that is part of the Plains Indian Artifact Display and a closer look at a unique Model T.

The evening program will also include the formal introduction of S. Roy Kaufman, who has been named the new curator at Heritage Hall. He joins administrator Stacey Waltner as staff at the museum.

The May 29 program is free to members of the Heritage Hall His-torical Society. More information about the society, and a chance to sign up, will be available at the summer kickoff event.

Freeman Fishing Derby returning to arboretum June 16

The eighth-annual Freeman Fishing Derby is scheduled to take place Saturday, June 18 at the Free-man Prairie Arboretum.

Youth through age 15 are invited to participate; fishing gear will be available for those who do not have their own.

Prizes will be awarded for fish caught in three age divisions.

Watch the Courier in the weeks to come for more information.

The Freeman Fishing Derby was started in 2005 by Chet Sorensen and Tom Stolp. Stolp continues to organize the event thanks to broad support from the business commu-nity.

Citywide rummage planned June 9

The Freeman Citywide Rum-mage Sale will take place Saturday, June 9 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Freeman Athletic Association is once again organizing the event.

Information and registration sheets are available at Merchants State Bank. The registration dead-line is Friday, June 1.

For more information call Emily Hofer at 925-7223.

CITYCOUNCIL

continued on back page: City

Sorensen takes overTjaden leaves City Hall, re-elected to District III board

by Tim L. WaltnerIt was a smooth transition at Freeman City

Hall May 7 as outgoing Mayor Lonnie Tjaden concluded his term with a review of the city’s recent accomplishments, and incoming Mayor Sam Sorensen’s pledge to continue efforts to work for a bright future for Freeman.

The May 7 meeting marked a significant shift in the makeup of Freeman’s governing board with, not only a new mayor, but two new councilors. Eva Olsen replaces Loren Tschet-ter from Ward II and Donna Waltner replaces Royce Breneman from Ward I. Both Tjaden and Tschetter have served in city government for nearly two decades. Olson, Sorensen and Walt-ner all come to the table without experience as elected city officials; Olson served as a member of the Freeman School Board.

The transition was accomplished with two meetings; the first conducted by Tjaden, the second by Sorensen.

In the first meeting of the evening, the coun-cil voted to have Tjaden continue to serve as a member of the governing board of District III. The council felt it was in the city’s best inter-est to have Tjaden, who has represented Free-

man on the board as both mayor and a business owner, continue in that position. Tjaden said the office of mayor was not a requirement and that both incoming Mayor Sorensen and District III officials encouraged him to continue to serve. Freeman and Winner are the only cities in the District III area that are represented on the Dis-trict III board at this time.

“I appreciate the fact that my council wants me to be on that board,” Tjaden said. “If I leave someone else will get it and it won’t be Free-man.”

Tjaden said serving on the board, along with his continued involvement in the Freeman Community Development Corporation, will help maintain the strong working relationship between District III and Freeman.

In his final meeting as mayor, Tjaden noted that seven of the 10 goals he presented to the council when he took office in 2010 had been accomplished and discussions are continuing about the remaining three.

2010 city goals accomplished■ Cedar Street Drainage Project■ Haar Annexation Sewer Project■ Tennis court remodel■ Acquire a new sanding truck body■ Analyze Freeman user fees■ Finalize community center (let bids)

■ New apron at Freeman Swimming Pool

In process/discussion■ Sell south half of gifted property (former el-ementary school campus)■ Establish a Freeman industrial park■ Additional landfill area procurement

Those three include the sale of a portion of the former school property given to the city and which city officials hope to sell and use the pro-ceeds to help build an industrial park on the east side of Highway 81.

Selling the south half of the former school property is an important step, he said.

“My goal was to dovetail that into the indus-trial park. Without jobs we’ve got nothing in this town, literally,” he said. “We’ve got to get that land (along Highway 81) bought.”

Sorensen assumes o� ceAfter taking his oath of office and in his first

meeting as mayor, Sorensen said he wants to continue the progress made in recent years.

“I’m very proud and honored to work with all of you for the bright future of Freeman,” So-rensen said as he began the meeting. He asked that the returning council help him and the new members of the council “come up to speed with

Some Enchanted EveningShannon Kessler Dooley, recently invited to join the New York Metropolitan Opera, fi lls Pio-neer Hall with the soaring sounds of Traviata Suite by Giuseppe Verdi, arranged by Stanley Smith. The dramatic piece had the attention of a large audience and was part of the fi nal installment of the 2012 Studio Subscription Series Saturday night, May 12. The program, titled Mory Ortman and Company, was named for the community native who today works as a freelance musician in New York City. Ortman returned last week with Kessler Dooley, her hus-band, John Dooley, and Martha Bartz, all of whom helped make Saturday’s program a rousing

success. Ortman spoke highly of all three as acclaimed musicians, “and I’m also blessed to call them friends.” Sunday’s program featured a number of opera selections, but was marked by show tunes, many of which have been performed as part of Schmeckfest musicals. “Growing up in Freeman,” said Ortman, “ Schmeckfest was more important that Christmas.” Amy Hofer Vetch, who works with the Studio Subscription Series, said Ortman and Company was “by far” the largest audience she is aware of in the nine-year history of the Studio Subscription Series, drawing about 240 guests. For more on the concert, turn to page 3. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Citysonby Jeremy Waltner

When Sam Sorensen was contem-plating a run for mayor of Freeman earlier this year, he didn’t have to look far to find a sounding board or one-man advisory committee.

He didn’t have to travel far, either.His father lives just up the street.“Oh yeah, he was over in the eve-

nings quite a bit, trying to figure out what to do,” said Chet Sorensen, who lives on Main Street seven blocks north of his son. “I told him the bad parts first, but then I told him there are a lot of good things about it, too.”

Chet should know. He served as Freeman mayor from 1977 to 1989 and then spent another 18 years as a mem-ber of the city council. Last week Mon-day, May 7, the 86-year-old watched his son take the same oath of office he had taken 35 years earlier.

“I’m proud of him,” said Chet. “I’m Exactly 35 years after his father took offi ce, Sam Sorensen, left, assumed the role of mayor. Chet, pictured right, ended up logging 30 years of city experience. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNERcontinued on back page: Son

Lickteig tomake pushfor state title

by Jeremy WaltnerArron Lickteig is a junior at Freeman High

School and already has three state golf tourna-ment medals to his name — including a pair of silvers earned in 2009 and 2011.

He’ll be eying gold out west next week.

Lickteig will lead a group of three Freeman golfers at the 2012 State ‘B’ Golf Meet in Rapid City next week Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22. Lickteig earned his spot in the state meet field with a championship performance at the Region 3B Golf Meet at Elm-wood in Sioux Falls Monday, May 14.

Others from Freeman to qualify include FHS junior Shelby Bauer, who finished second in the region competition with a 96, and FA senior

continued on page 11: Golf

Arron Lickteig

Wiemanleaving postat FreemanElementary

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School Board accepted

two staff resignations at its regular monthly meeting Monday, May 14, including that of for-mer third-grade teacher Kirsten Wieman.

Wieman was set to be moved from third grade to first grade next school year and, last month, appeared before the board asking school offi-cials to seek input from staff when considering a transfer such as hers. At the time, she indicated she would accept the first grade teaching position even though that was not her preference.

“I’m not begging for my job back,” she told the board at its May meeting.

Monday night, the board accepted her resigna-tion without discussion.

In a phone call following the meeting, Wie-man would not comment further on her decision to leave Freeman Public or her future plans.

The other teaching resignation accepted Mon-day night was from Freeman High School math teacher and head volleyball coach Abbie Hob-bick, who has accepted a position in Parkston, her home community.

The board also accepted a resignation from Ai-mee Mors as assistant track coach.

Freeman Public is advertising for a replace-ment for both Wieman and Hobbick; Superinten-dent Don Hotchkiss said he expects both posi-tions could be filled as early as next month.

Watch next week’s Courier for more on the board’s May 14 meeting.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012Volume 112 • Number 7308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds ....................................................p. 14Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 9Public Notice .......................................p. 12, 15Reflections ..................................................p. 16Sports ............................................................p. 11Social .................................................................p. 7

16 pages

InsIde:Injury x4First-responders calledto 44/Bridgewater Road n p 3

Safe streetsSummer is near, watch outfor kids; an opinion n p 4

Appetizer Josh Andersen loves the kitchen and his Armadillo Balls n p 6

Ol’ ball game Freeman town teamseason nears; the schedule n p 11

Disappointment A look back at what shouldhave been an FA state title n p 16

Memorial Dayto be observed inFreeman Monday

Lieutenant Colonel Reid Chris-topherson, a 37-year veteran of the United States Air Force and Air National Guard, will be the keynote speaker at Freeman’s Memorial Day program Monday, May 28.

The observance will begin at 7 p.m. at the Freeman Area Veteran’s Memorial on Sixth Street; the pub-lic is asked to bring lawn chairs. In case of inclement weather, the Me-morial Day program will be held at the Freeman High School Gym.

Christopherson serves as the wing executive support officer for the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard in Sioux Falls. His service with the military has taken him to Suri-name, Panama, Portugal, England, Belgium, Jamaica, Turkey, Iraq and Kuwait. He was also the coordina-tor for the South Dakota National Guard’s medical response to the tornado in Spencer in 1998.

In addition to Christopherson’s address, Monday’s program will include music and readings by stu-dents of Freeman High School and other elements traditional to a Me-morial Day service, including the Roll Call by MC Lonnie Graber.

Monday’s service will be con-ducted as follows:

n Prelude by Tom Ulmer and Dale Weiss

n Welcome by Lonnie Grabern Star Spangled Banner

performed by FHS Mixed Ensemblen Invocation by pastor Mike

Pettsn Placing of the wreathn This Is My Word performed

by FHS Mixed Ensemblen Remembering Their All

presented by Grace Geringn Bringing Him Home

performed by Grant Preheim on English horn

n Address by Lt. Col. Reid A. Christopherson

n Memorial presented by Riley Mehlhaf

n Roll Call by Lonnie Grabern Drum Roll performed by

Andrew Pettsn Taps performed by Megan

Eisenbeisn Echo by Kaitlyn Mehlhafn Mansions of the Lord

performed by FHS Boys Ensemblen Benediction by pastor Mike

Petts

Museum planning summer kickoffTuesday evening

Heritage Hall Museum of Free-man is planning to hold its 2012 summer season kickoff event Tues-day, May 29, beginning at 7 p.m. in the historic Bethel Church on the museum campus.

The evening program will in-clude a look at what Heritage Hall officials consider some of the most overlooked items in the museum, including the first Schmeckfest sign welcoming guests to the fes-tival in 1959, wedding dresses that date back to 1826, the Stephen R. Riggs collection that is part of the Plains Indian Artifact Display and a closer look at a unique Model T.

The evening program will also include the formal introduction of S. Roy Kaufman, who has been named the new curator at Heritage Hall. He joins administrator Stacey Waltner as staff at the museum.

The May 29 program is free to members of the Heritage Hall His-torical Society. More information about the society, and a chance to sign up, will be available at the summer kickoff event.

A hugfor theroadFreeman High School graduate Allyson Roth embraces Paige Herrboldt as the two return to their seats after presenting roses to their parents, a traditional act that is often the most emotional part of graduation. That was true again at Freeman High School as 21 seniors received their diplomas at the conclusion of the afternoon commencement ceremony — one of two held in Freeman Saturday, May 19. Across town at Freeman Academy, eight seniors took their turn to walk across the stage Saturday evening. As was the case at FHS earlier in the day, graduation at FA included student remarks, music and a PowerPoint presentation. See the back page for more from FA.PHOTO BYJEREMY WALTNER

STATETRACK

continued on page 13: Track

Running for the HillsAthletes from Freeman Academy, Freeman Public look to

generate memorable performances this weekend in Rapid Cityby Jeremy Waltner

All season long, Cailey Roth has had her eyes on a runner she’s never seen.

That would be Ipswich seventh-grade sensa-tion Macy Heinz, who comes out of nowhere as one of the runners to watch at this week’s State ‘B’ Track Meet, which opens at the School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City Friday morning, May 25, and closes the following afternoon.

Heinz joins Roth as one of the top competi-tors in three open events — the 400, 800 and

1,600 — and will be among Roth’s biggest chal-lenges out west this weekend.

“I’ve been on the computer all the time see-ing what her times are,” said Roth, the Freeman High School freshman standout who is the de-fending Class B champion in the 800 and is al-ready above her quota of state meet hardware. “She’s been running a lot better than I ever have.”

Indeed, Heinz heads to Rapid City with the top incoming time in both the 800 and 1,600, and would also be best in the 400 were it not for a measly .07.

But Roth is among the best, too. She heads to state second in the 800 (2:22.3 to Heinz’s 2:17.2), third in the 1,600 (5:28.9 to Kadoka Tia Carlson’s 5:25.5 and Heinz’s sick 5:04.5) and fourth in the 400 (just over a second separates the top four in that field).

If anybody is up for the challenge it is Roth, who herself has built quite a resume in three short years running for the Flyers.

This season she has won either the 400, 800 or 1,600 16 times. Last season, in addition to her state meet victory in the 800, she finished sev-enth at state in the 1,600 and also anchored both the 1,600 and 3,200 relays to medals, and as a seventh grader Roth earned fourth in the open 800. And then there’s cross country, where she finished 13 at state as an eighth grader — her first year out for the sport — and then third as a freshman this past fall.

Roth looks forward to getting her first look at Heinz out west this weekend and the showdown that awaits. Mostly, she’s looking forward to the challenge.

“There hasn’t been much competition here in

‘B’,” says Roth. “This last year, without (Free-man Academy’s) Lillie Koerner and (Center-ville’s) Becca Steadman and all the others, a lot of pressure was taken off me.”

Not anymore.Roth’s resume makes her a candidate for a

big-time showing at state this weekend, and her own expectations are high. She doesn’t talk spe-cifics, but Roth’s competitive fire will be on full display, no doubt bolstered by a seventh-grader from Ipswich.

Freeman AcademyRoth isn’t the only student-athlete from Free-

man who will face the state’s best competition in Rapid City. A dozen others — two from Free-man Academy and 10 from Freeman Public — will hit the track running (and jumping) at the

School of Mines and Technology this weekend.Among them is FA senior Jaime Tschetter,

who will compete at state in the high jump for the third year in a row. She tied for eighth in 2011.

The senior doesn’t say anything about placing in the event again this year, but rather about a personal goal she wants badly.

“I want my mom’s record.”That would be the Freeman Academy school

record of 5 feet 2 inches set by Pam Tieszen in 1982. Tschetter already owns a piece of the record thanks to a jump of 5-2 at the Bobcats’ first track meet of the season — the Dan Lennon Invitational March 27 — that tied her mom’s mark.

But she wants 5-3 and flashes a wide smile when asked about it.

“She wants me to get it,” says Tschetter, who is one of seven state-meet qualifiers who has cleared 5-1. “She’d be happy for me.”

Setting the school record in the high jump would be a fitting finish to a memorable prep career for Tschetter, who emerged in basket-ball as one of the most dominant inside players around and has come on strong in her final years of track, as well.

“The season’s been good,” says the senior. “I have really enjoyed being able to jump all four years and am glad to have qualified for state.”

Should Tschetter clear 5-3, not only would she set the school record, she’d likely take a spot high on the podium. Just three state competitors have jumped higher than 5-1; — Herreid-Selby Area’s Haylee Biel (5-2), Andes Central’s Pay-

Who’s who at theState ‘B’ Track Meetn James DeJarnette FA 11 - 300 hurdlesn Rebecca Eberts FHS 8 – 3,200n Shelby Jensen FHS 9 – 800, 1,600 relay, medleyn Carli Lager FHS 11 – 1,600 relay, medley relayn Andrew Munkvold FHS 11 – medley, pole vaultn Slade Mutchelknaus FHS 12 - medley relayn Kristina Nash FHS 11 – medley relayn Grant Preheim FHS 10 - triple jumpn Jordan Rinehart FHS 11 - medley relayn Cailey Roth FHS 9 – 400, 800, 1,600, 1,600 relayn Brennan Schmidt FHS 9 – 200, 400, medleyn Dina Soulek FHS 11 – 1,600 relay, medley relayn Jaime Tschetter FA 12 – high jump

State golf results onlineThe 2012 State ‘B’ Golf Meet in Rapid City

concluded Tuesday afternoon — several hours after this week’s issue was printed.

However, a recap of how Freeman’s three participants fared in the two-day competition can be found at the Courier’s website, free-mansd.com.

After the first round of play Monday, May 21, Freeman High School junior Arron Lick-teig — a contender to win the boys division — was two strokes behind Cal Wiess of Howard with an 18-hole total of 78. Freeman Academy senior Adam Unruh shot a 96. In the girls divi-sion, FHS junior Shelby Bauer was tied for 13th with a 92.

In addition to the Courier’s coverage online, watch next week’s print edition for a full report — including photos.

Hotchkiss, Krull dispel rumorsby Jeremy Waltner

Top administrators from Freeman Public School went on the record last week to clear up rumors that have been circulating pertaining to their future in the local public school system.

Superintendent Don Hotchkiss and Secondary Principal Kim Krull both told the Freeman Public School Board at its regular monthly meeting Monday, May 14, they have no current plans to end their tenures at Freeman Public any time soon.

“I would like to dispel a rumor that I’m retir-ing in a year or two,” Krull said. “I have made no such comment to anybody; I heard that from a student and have no idea where it came from.”

Hotchkiss was next, telling the board he is not leaving to become the new superintendent in Tea. He has not applied for the job, much less been hired, and he’s not getting “a huge raise.”

“No to all of the above,” he said firmly.

Hotchkiss did not elaborate on where or how the rumors got started, but warned board mem-bers to be careful what they say or speculate in public. Commenting to the public at large per-taining to what’s happening within the school system — particularly if in reference to what has been discussed in an executive session (where personnel, student and legal issues are permitted to be discussed) — can be dangerous.

“You could be opening yourselves up to li-ability issues,” Hotchkiss said.

Budget hearingThe May 14 meeting also included the first

of three readings for the 2012-13 budget. Much work remains, said Business Man-

ager Ronda Rinehart, but she told school offi-cials that the new budget will show an increase thanks largely to an increase in state aid of about $41,000. The increase comes one year after the state cut education for public funding by 6.6 percent.

“Any increase we have to cover expenses is good,” said Rinehart.

Hotchkiss said, when considering a budget that exceeds $2 million, $41,000 is a very small percentage.

“But it’s better than going the other way.”Rinehart also noted land valuations have in-

creased and “the (TransCanada) pipeline is part of it.”

The board will review the new budget again in June and will approve it at a final budget hearing in July, when the new fiscal year be-gins.

Open enrollment/athleticsFreeman Public school officials threw their

support toward a proposal by the South Dakota High School Activities Association that prohib-its students who open enroll from participating in varsity athletics for one school year.

The proposal applies only to varsity sports and no other extra-curricular activity — includ-ing junior high athletics.

“I do actually think it’s a good amendment,”

SCHOOL BOARD

Candidates for county office respond to Q&A

by Jeremy WaltnerGillas Stern, the current chair of the

Hutchinson County Commission who has logged 20 years on the county’s governing board, is facing a challenge from Freeman area farmer Steve Friesen.

All registered voters living in Hutchinson County are eligible to cast a ballot in the up-coming primary election Tuesday, June 5.

Friesen has never served on the county commission but has experience on the coun-ty’s weed and drainage control board, as well as the Freeman Public School Board, where he served as president from 2003 to 2005.

Stern is CEO of Stern Oil Company; he and Friesen both call the Freeman community home, are married and have grown children.

In preparation for the upcoming primary election, the Freeman Courier is publishing a Q&A with the candidates; see page 3.continued on page 13: School

Wednesday, May 30, 2012Volume 112 • Number 8308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Public Notice .......................................p. 10, 11Reflections ...........................................p. 10, 14Sports .....................................................p. 10, 14Social .................................................................p. 7

14 pages

INSIDE:GrantedFreeman Community Foundation names 2012 recipients ■ p 3

Honor rollFreeman Public names best in academics ■ p 3

Bowles & SimpsonPolitical leaders an example for all; an opinion ■ p 4

Big in Texas Judy Graber shares a favorite family recipe ■ p 6

Higgins to resignas Freeman Chief of Police

Freeman Police Chief Doris Hig-gins has submitted her letter of res-ignation; her last day will be June 10, said City Administrator Dennis Nelsen. City officials are expected to act on her resignation when the Freeman City Council meets June 4. The city is advertising for her re-placement starting this week.

Higgins joined the force in 2000 and was named chief in early 2003.

FACC to presentCinderella Fridayin Pioneer Hall

The Freeman Area Children’s Choir will present its annual spring dessert theater this week Friday, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Pioneer Hall, located on the Freeman Academy campus. This year’s musical is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinder-ella.

The show is directed by Kris Carlson, artistic, Mavis Ortman, music, and Marnette Ortman and Sonja Waltner, assistant directors, and will be accompanied by Barb Yoder.

The public is cordially invited to enjoy this production, as well as dessert following the show. Tickets will be available at the door.

See page 3 for a photo of those playing leads in the show.

Freeman Swimming Poolto open Friday

The rite of passage into summer for many children — swimming — can officially begin in Freeman Fri-day, June 1. That’s when the local swimming pool will open for the 2012 season.

Pool hours will be daily from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Seven levels of swimming les-sons will be held in two sessions. The first is scheduled for July 9-20 and the second July 30-Aug. 10.

Visitors to the pool will this sum-mer be greeted by new concrete decking and new sidewalks around the perimeter of the pool, a project taken on by the city.

The city also had an epoxy coat-ing applied to the south end of the pool as part of its general mainte-nance.

For more on the upcoming sea-son at the pool, see the advertise-ment on page 6.

Freeman Citywide Rummage Saleplanned June 9

The Freeman Citywide Rum-mage Sale will take place Saturday, June 9 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Freeman Athletic Association is once again organizing the event.

Information and registration sheets are available at Merchants State Bank. The registration dead-line is Friday, June 1.

For more information call Emily Hofer at 925-7223.

Subscriptions available forrest of 2012

Those wishing to subscribe to the Freeman Courier may do so for the rest of 2012 at the prorated rate of $32.08 in South Dakota and $33.25 out of state.

Subscriptions are available via credit card at freemansd.com, by stopping in the Courier’s office lo-cated at 308 S. Main in Freeman, or by sending a check to PO Box 950, Freeman, SD 57029.

All subscriptions come due at the end of the calendar year.

Chris Lickteig embraces his son, Arron, following the Freeman High School junior’s dramatic sudden-death win over Howard’s Cal Weiss in the Class ‘B’ State Golf Tournament in Rapid City Tuesday, May 22. Lickteig rallied from 6 strokes back — he trailed Weiss by a stroke heading

into the 18th and fi nal hole of regulation — to force a playoff and then won the tournament on the third hole of sudden death. “I couldn’t be prouder,” said Chris. “It’s been fun to watch him grow up. You couldn’t ask for anything else.” PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

STATEGOLF

The kid is the champArron Lickteig rallies to steal the ‘B’ title in dramatic fashion

by Jeremy WaltnerGive a 3-year-old a golf club and see what he

can do. Look, first, for God-made talent and then

interest, then start thinking about skill. As you

watch him grow, keep your eye out for resil-ience, heart, steely-eyed determination, and nur-ture that like it’s your own. See what the kid can do.

Then, when it matters most, when you’re on a golf course with the beautiful Black Hills

of South Dakota as your backdrop, maybe, if you’re lucky — no, if he’s great — you might just find yourself standing on a green embrac-ing your son in a misty-eyed, once-in-a-lifetime moment.

That’s what you do when the kid wins his first state golf championship.

That’s what happened on the 10th hole of the Hart Ranch Golf Course as evening broke last week Tuesday — the 39th hole of a 36-hole State ‘B’ Golf Tournament that wasn’t quite long enough. That’s when and where Lickteig turned from a boy who’s got the stuff to someday win a state title to a young man who actually did, rallying to defeat Howard’s Cal Weiss in a sudden death playoff soaked with tension.

“That was real crazy,” Lickteig said after-ward. “I don’t know what happened. It all hap-pened so fast.”

His parents would agree about the “crazy” part, but probably not the “fast.” For them, the

tension of the state tournament — particularly the final day — moved it forward at a glacial pace.

“It was hard to watch; I aged 20 years to-day,” said Lickteig’s mom, Gwen, not long after watching her son finally put Weiss away by par-ing the third hole of the playoff. “It was good to have friends and other people around you. Emo-tionally, it was pretty overwhelming.”

Indeed, the battle between Lickteig and Weiss was a slow, 16-hour burn over two days Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22, that culminated with the back nine of the final round. It was as painstakingly maddening for those with vested interest as it was delightfully exhilarating for the growing gallery that watched. Most expected the race to the top of the Class ‘B’ leaderboard would be between these two seniors-to-be, but who could have imagined this kind of tug-of-war?

Weiss, the defending champion, had a slight

Bauer repeats as medalistFHS junior ties for 14th in fourth state tournament

by Jeremy WaltnerAs the only prep golfer representing Freeman

in the girls division of last week’s State ‘B’ Golf Tournament, Shelby Bauer made it count.

One year after finishing 22nd in the state tour-nament field, the Freeman High School junior tied for 14th to earn her second-straight state golf tournament medal in her fourth-straight ap-pearance.

Bauer posted a 36-hole total of 186 — 9 strokes better than her sophomore season. This year’s total was made thanks to a 92 the first round Monday, May 21 and a 94 the follow-ing day. She wasn’t thrilled with her finish, but didn’t appear disappointed, either.

Instead, afterward, she shrugged her shoul-ders.

continued on page 14: Bauer continued on page 14: Lickteig

Eberts, FHS girls medley steal showby Jeremy Waltner

Few would consider the weather at last week’s State Track Meet in Rapid City “really nice.” Most, in fact, would probably say the wet con-ditions and temperatures that barely reached 50 de-grees flat out stunk.

Not Rebecca Eberts.“Really nice” is how the Freeman Public

eighth-grader described the weather that helped carry her to a fifth-place finish in the 3200-me-ter run — one of seven medals earned by Free-man athletes at O’Harra Stadium at the School

of Mines and Technology Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26.

“It was really cool so that helped with my speed and time,” said Eberts, whose impres-sive run saw her compete alongside proven (and more experienced) distance runners Tori Moore of Ipswich, Mindy Kraft of Wessington Springs and Tia Carlson of Kadoka Area. “I normally try to get up in the front and be one of the leaders. “I was hoping to get on the podium and I accom-plished that, so I’m just really happy with how I did and proud to be here.”

Eberts turned in a time of 12:14.09 that was within 31 seconds of Moore (11:43.17), Kraft (11:48.14) and Carlson (11:53.03) — widely

considered the top distance runners in Class B — as well as fellow eighth-grader Genevieve Clark (11:51.95) of Gayville-Volin.

“I was very surprised with myself,” Eberts said after the race. “Those girls are amazing. They’re great runners and great people to stick with.”

This year’s state meet — and the entire track season, really — saw a vastly improved run-ner in Eberts, who also competed in the 3200 at state as a seventh-grader but did not place. And whereas last season she qualified for state by finishing second in the region meet, this year

STATETRACK

How they didJames DeJarnette: 300 hurdles, dnp (*45.82)Rebecca Eberts: 3200, 5th (12:14.09)Andrew Munkvold: Pole vault, dnp (no height)Grant Preheim: Triple jump, dnp (36-9 1/4)Cailey Roth: 400, 8th (*1:00.98/1:07.57);800, 4th (2:24.61); 1600, dnp (5:46.59)Brennan Schmidt: 200, dnp (*24.2); 400 7th (*52.0/52.06) Jaime Tschetter: High jump, t8th (4-11)FHS 1600 relay: 8th (*4:18.23/4:24.94)FHS girls medley: 5th (*4:33.56/4:34.07)FHS boys medley: dnp (*3:56.05)

*preliminary roundcontinued on page 9: Track

Voters to hitpolls Tuesday

by Erik KaufmanRegistered voters from across the state will select can-

didates for a number of statewide, regional and local races in this year’s primary election, which will be held Tues-day, June 5. Winners at the primary level will advance to the Nov. 6 general election vote.

A list of polling places in Hutchinson, Turner and Mc-Cook counties is printed on page 3.

Among the races to be decided next Tuesday is the District 19 Republican state representative primary. Four candidates will compete for two positions in the general election, as two candidates per party are allowed in the general election.

Newcomers Kyle Schoenfish, Scotland, and Roger Hofer, Bridgewater, will take on current state legislators Jim Putnam and Stace Nelson. Putnam most recently served in South Dakota Senate during the last session, but

PRIMARYELECTION

continued on page 3: Election

Military leader o� ers poetic perspectiveChristopherson shares personal words at Monday program

by Jeremy WaltnerAfter a year off due to lack of volun-

teer support, the sights and sounds of Freeman’s traditional Memorial Day ob-servance returned to the Freeman Area Veteran’s Memorial on Sixth Street Monday evening, May 28.

The honor guard ad-vanced the colors. Poetry paid tribute. The roll call was punctuated by a snare drum. A 21-gun salute followed. The sound of Taps broke the cool evening air. And a decorated and longstanding member of the military offered perspective on the day set aside to memorialize those who have lost their lives in service to America.

Lieutenant Colonel Reid Christopher-

son, a 37-year veteran of the United States Air Force and Air National Guard, shared in his Monday evening address a personal and heartfelt testimonial about sacrifice and loss of life. In 2009, Christopherson

returned to active duty for six months as the deputy director of pub-lic affairs in the country of Qatar. It was in that roll, Christopherson said,

that he was reminded of the ultimate price paid by members of military.

“Perhaps the toughest of the times working in that environment is penning the press release that announces the death of another man, another woman, who wore the same uniform as I, who would

returned to active duty for six months as the deputy director of pub-lic affairs in the country of Qatar. It was in that roll, Christopherson said,

MEMORIAL DAYIN FREEMAN

continued on page 13: Memorial

Lieutenant Colonel Reid Christopher-son speaks at Freeman’s Memorial Day program. PHOTO BY JEREMY WALTNER

Wednesday, June 6, 2012Volume 112 • Number 9308 S. Main, PO Box 950

Freeman, SD 57029www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Church News .............................................p. 10Classifieds .............................................p. 12, 13Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .............................................p. 11, 13Reflections .....................................................p. 8Sports ............................................................p. 11Social .................................................................p. 7

14 pages

InsIde:BenefitLocal teen begins program for Ronald McDonald House n p 3

EyesoresLet’s clean up Freeman — for real;an opinion n p 4

Camp cookSLCC summer staff picks oneof Mary Anderson’s best n p 6

Slow startWin over Menno only brightspot for Sox in first five n p 11

City acceptsHiggins’resignation

by Tim L. WaltnerAs expected, the Freeman City

Council Monday night, June 4, ac-cepted the resignation of Freeman Police Chief Doris Higgins. Her last day will be Sunday, June 10.

In her letter of resignation deliv-ered to City Administrator Dennis Nelsen in May, Higgins said, “I appreciate the opportunities that have been provided me the last 12 years.”

In addition to accepting Hig-gins’ resignation Monday night, the council met with her behind closed doors for an exit interview.

Higgins told the Courier she has no immediate future plans and had no comment about her decision to step down, other than to say “I en-joyed the last 12 years very much. I enjoyed every day of it.”

Higgins joined the force in 2000 and was named chief in early 2003.

The city began advertising for a replacement last week and already has two applicants, said Mayor Sam Sorensen, who noted Higgins said she’s willing to assist with the transition if necessary. City offi-cials are also exploring other op-tions to help cover law enforcement needs in the city until a new chief is named. Maurice Waltner is the only other officer on the force.

The council’s action came at the end of a three-hour meeting Mon-day night that included discussion on a variety of issues — including policies and fees for renting the community center.

The council also authorized Nelsen to work with the Freeman Community Development Corpo-ration (FCDC) in negotiating a pro-posal that could result in a lease of the former music room portion of the community center to a business wanting to expand in eastern South Dakota. Freeman is one of six com-munities in the state under consid-eration by Eleutian Technology, a Wyoming-based company that pro-vides online language instruction for global business and education entities. According to its website, Eleutian Technology operates nine teaching centers throughout the western U.S that employ more than 300 U.S. certified school teachers.

Working from local call centers, group and private teaching sessions are broadcast around the world via fiber optic networks and state-of-the-art video technology.

Dean Dreessen and Stewart Hofer represented the FCDC at Monday’s meeting to share infor-mation about the project. They, along with Nelsen and Sorensen, who have been working on the project in recent weeks, encouraged city officials to consider leasing a portion of the community center as part of the community’s proposal to bring the company to Freeman. The company would employ 10 people initially with potential to expand, Dreessen said.

The council voted unanimously to authorize Nelsen to proceed. If the project comes to Freeman it is expected to move forward this summer.

Freeman Citywide Rummage Salethis Saturday

More than 30 rummage sales will take place across the Freeman community this Saturday, June 9, when the Freeman Citywide Rum-mage Sale begins at 8:30 a.m.

The Freeman Athletic Associa-tion is once again organizing the event; among the sales will be the Barter Bargain Barn for Black Sox, which will be a negotiated sale that includes a raffle for a flat screen TV. Proceeds will go toward the amateur baseball team. For more on that sale and a list of others, see the advertisement on page 13.

Performing in their final Freeman Area Children’s Choir (FACC) musical, eighth-graders (from left) Bethany Wollman, Polly Carlson and Kaitlyn Mehlhaf sing “A Lovely Night” during Cinderella, which was staged in Pioneer Hall last week Friday, June 1 as the FACC’s

annual spring musical. Carlson, the Stepmother, and Mehlhaf and Wollman, stepsisters Joy and Portia, were part of the 37-member cast that presented the classic fairy tale to a large

crowd. Director Kris Carlson estimated more than 500 attended the production, which makes it one of the most popular FACC musicals since they debuted in 1994. In addition to the cast made up of fourth-through-eighth-graders, Cinderella included a production team of more than a dozen students and adults — including FACC founder and music director Mavis Ort-man. Cinderella was also presented by the FACC in 1999. PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

continued on page 3: Post office

DRAMA QUEENS

Area postoffices facereduced hoursNo change in Freeman, but pair of HutchinsonCounty offices impacted

by Tim Waltner and Erik Kaufman

The U.S. Postal Service last month announced a new plan for providing rural residents with new options for keeping their local post offices. Rather than closing about 3,700 unprofitable offices, it intends to offer communi-ties the opportunity to keep the offices open, but with re-duced window hours. It has identified more than 13,000 rural mail facilities — including 222 in South Dakota — that could see operations reduced between two and six hours a week.

While the Freeman Post Office is not impacted by the reduction in hours, two in Hutchinson County — Menno and Olivet — are.

The Postal Service, which has been hit by high pension costs and a decline in mail deliveries as communication and bill payments have shift-ed to the Internet, said no post offices would be closed under its proposal.

That comes as good news to those communities who would have lost their post offices. But that means that many more post offices will now feel the impact with cur-tailed window service.

For residents in Olivet, the news that their post office will be open two hours a day is welcome considering that the post office in the Hutchin-son County seat was on the list of facilities that were to be closed. The Menno Post Office, which had not been a candidate for closure previ-ously, also had its hours re-duced from eight hours a day to six under the new plan.

Pete Nowacki, a USPS spokesman to whom inqui-ries on the new plan and its effect on the two local offices were directed, said the pub-lic will have a chance to air their concerns about the reduced hours at both the Menno and Olivet post offices at public meetings in the coming months.

“(No changes in hours will take place) before Labor Day, and nothing before public meetings would take

This is a list of South Dakota post offices scheduled for a reduction in hours. The chart shows the current and planned hours in each affected community.

ARMOUR 8 6AVON 8 6BRIDGEWATER 8 4DELMONT 8 4DIMOCK 4 2CANISTOTA 8 6CENTERVILLE 8 6CHANCELLOR 8 4DAVIS 6 2EMERY 8 4ETHAN 8 4HURLEY 8 4IRENE 8 4LESTERVILLE 8 4MENNO 8 6MONTROSE 8 4OLIVET 6 2SCOTLAND 8 6SPRINGFIELD 8 6TABOR 8 4TRIPP 8 6UTICA 8 2VIBORG 8 6VOLIN 6 2WAKONDA 8 4WORTHING 8 4

FOR MORE PHOTOS, TURN TO THE BACK PAGE AND VISIT THE PHOTO GALLERY AT FREEMANSD.COM

Welding jobs to get boostPartnership between RTEC, Freeman entities and businesses could lead to continuing educational opportunities in future

by Jeremy WaltnerA multi-faceted partnership on the local

and regional level is expected to stimulate job opportunities — and possibly lead to job growth — in the months to come in Free-man.

The project is spearheaded and led by the Regional Educational Technical Center (RTEC) of Yankton and with enthusiastic support from the Freeman Community De-velopment Corporation, Rural Manufactur-ing, Wildcat Manufacturing and both Free-man schools. Organizers hope this summer in Freeman marks what could be the begin-ning of a long-term approach to adult educa-tional opportunities in the community.

At the very least, and in the near future, this new partnership will offer employees at both Rural Manufacturing and Wildcat Manufacturing the opportunity to sharpen their welding skills.

“This is about business and industry com-ing together and creating educational oppor-tunities,” said Josh Svatos, general manager of RTEC, the Yankton organization that has a partnership with both Mitchell Technical Institute and Black Hills State. “It’s about providing opportunities across the board.”

The short-term plan is for RTEC to bring a certified welding instructor to Rural Man-ufacturing in July to work with existing em-ployees on improving and expanding their skills. The same is expected to happen at Wildcat later this summer.

“Our guys know how to weld,” says Co-lin Hofer, second-generation owner of Rural Manufacturing. “But they work in areas of safety, and we want to get our guys more qualified in other types of welding to diver-

sify a little more.”Training will be a 48-hour, hands-on

course at both Rural and Wildcat using a machine that simulates welding without us-ing any consumables.

“It never hurts to brush up on your skills, no matter what profession you’re in,” said Hofer. “The idea is to make our employees more productive; that’s what we’re looking for — productivity.”

“We want our businesses to have good employees, but successful and productive,” said Dean Dreessen, who chairs the eco-nomic development subcommittee of the Freeman Community Development Corpo-ration, which has been working with RTEC since the start of the year and has contrib-uted $5,000 to help develop the program lo-cally. “We want our businesses to continue to be an important part of this community.”

Scott Eberts, general manager at Wildcat Manufacturing, agrees.

“The direct benefits to this program are to provide a training option for our employees, training to potential new employees from the region, and to provide exposure to what we do here at Wildcat,” said Eberts.

RTEC first approached Freeman about developing this form of rural outreach, which has also been launched in Gregory, thanks largely to a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant. In addition to the $5,000 from the FCDC, financial sup-port is also being offered by participating manufacturers.

“You folks are vested in manufacturing,” Svatos said. “You have a lot going on in Freeman, it’s a progressive community and there seems to be a real need and opportu-nity there. We want to help you out.”

While the training at Rural Manufac-turing in July will be for its employees, RTEC’s involvement in the community could very well lead to opportunities for the larger public.

“It’s about sustainability,” said Svatos. “This is not a one-and-done. The more peo-ple we can put to work, the more doors we can open.”

“There’s every reason to believe that, at some point in time, this can turn into con-tinuing education for adults in the commu-nity,” said Dreessen. “The GOED (Gover-nor’s Office of Economic Development) will tell you the biggest shortage they have is in welding and fabrication; there just isn’t the labor force.”

“There is a definite need for qualified welders in this region,” said Eberts. “We ex-pect to grow and this will continue to create an increased need.”

Dreessen said the FCDC is approaching this using a three-prong approach.

The first, he said, is continuing education.Secondly, Dreessen said the FCDC hopes

the welding simulator can be used at Free-man Academy and Freeman Public to help identify and encourage young people who may be looking at welding or metal fabrica-tion as a career.

Finally, he said, the FCDC would like to work with RTEC to set up a scholarship en-dowment to help with tuition for those inter-ested in the educational opportunity.

Dreessen said the partnership between RTEC, the manufacturers and the schools is key to any long-term effort that unfolds.

“That’s the big thing,” he said. “People working together can help the community come out ahead.”

SDHSAA recognizes RinehartBridgewater native, FHS booster honored for involvement

by Jeremy WaltnerLet’s rewind the tape for a review of Free-

man High School athletic events that have unfolded on court, course, track and field since the fall of 2005. Look at the ath-letes who have come and gone, the teams that have won and lost, the memorable moments of elation and disappointment that mark sports.

The players themselves stand out, don’t they? They’re the ones we were left talking about following the final buzzer or that marathon five-setter, the 1600-meter relay or the 18th hole. Our review at the tape reminds us of who they were and how much

enjoyment they gave us.But who’s that walking courtside in the

background? The one with the maroon Fly-ers pullover, the visor pulled down tight near

the eyes, the wide, infectious smile? She shows up in video after video, event

and event, and she’s always — al-ways, it seems — working.

Probably because she is.That’s what Ronda Rinehart

does — she works. Works for the school that employs her, but also for the good of high school sports. Her name on the Free-

man Public Schools letterhead identifies her as Ronda Rinehart,

Business Manager, but it might as well identify her also as Ronda Rinehart, Athletic

Booster. The Bridgewater native is known district-wide and beyond as much for her in-volvement in the life and times of athletics as she is for her work behind a desk in the FHS business office — maybe more.

It is for this love and commitment to prep sports that dates back well before she arrived at Freeman Public seven years ago that Rinehart was publicly recognized over the weekend by the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

Rinehart was one of nine adults honored at the SDHSAA’s 19th (and final) South Dakota Girls and Women in Sports Awards Banquet for her longstanding commitment to high school athletics. The banquet was

continued on page 3: Rinehart

Wednesday, June 13, 2012Volume 112 • Number 10

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds .............................................p. 12, 13Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries .......................................................p. 7Public Notice .......................................p. 11, 13Reflections .............................................p. 3, 14Sports ...............................................................p. 9

14 pages

INSIDE:She says ...Courier editor goes insidehome improvement project ■ p 4

ClosuresMore South Dakota FSAoffices are shutting down ■ p 4

From KentuckyFormer Freeman girl off ersperfect summertime recipe ■ p 6

Girls softballFreeman team places thirdin tournament in Emery ■ p 9

District hiresCBM to managefood service

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School

Board voted 5-0 Monday, June 11, to hire CBM Managed Services to operate and oversee the hot lunch program at both Freeman Elemen-tary and Freeman Junior-Senior High School.

All food service staff currently in place at Freeman Public Schools will be offered jobs with CBM at their current salary and benefits.

The contract food management service is expected to save the lo-cal school district at least $20,000 annually, which was the primary factor in the school board voting to make the switch. Since 2006, Free-man Public has had to transfer an average of close to $30,000 from its general fund into its food service account.

“The decision would be a little easier if we didn’t have such a good hot lunch program,” said board member Laverne Diede, “but we have to be fiscally responsible.”

“If (our employees) get the same salary and benefits, we’d be crazy not to try it,” said board member Chris Lickteig. “The quality is good, the price is right and we’re not kicking in money every year.”

Speaking to the board Monday night, Shane Sejnoha, vice-pres-ident of operations with CMB, told school officials the Sioux Falls-based company prides itself on healthy options, education and hands-on service. That includes a 12-week nutrition program con-ducted in tandem with the district’s health and physical education cur-riculum.

“We want kids to be able to make a healthy choice,” Sejnoha said, “and be able to say, ‘I’d rather have that baked chicken over the slice of pizza, because I understand what the labels mean.’”

Lunch prices are expected to re-main the same.

For more on Monday’s discus-sion about food service, more about CBM Managed Services and other issues facing the district — includ-ing the key policy that allows pa-trons to check out keys to the FHS Gym and weight room — see next week’s Courier.

Summer Reading Program sign-up next Wednesday

Children through age 12 are in-vited to sign up next week for the Summer Reading Program at Free-man Public Library. The program will include activities Wednesdays through Aug. 8. Children ages 2-5 will meet from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and those ages 6-12 will meet from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Registration for “Dream Big — Read!” will be held at the library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, June 20. Sign-up is also available through the library’s website, free-manlibrary.org.

A list of planned activities was published on page 3 of the June 6 edition of the Courier.Adult program

Freeman Public Library is also hosting a Summer Adult Reading Program Monday evenings from June 18 to July 30.

The adult program is called “Be-tween the Covers” and includes planned activities during the Mon-day evening gatherings. Prizes — including an e-reader — will also be awarded to those who enter.

Registration is not necessary, al-though several of the activities may require advanced notice from those planning to attend.

A list of weekly activities for the adult reading program is printed in the advertisement on page 6.

continued on page 14: Election

Friesen wins; Stern steps downChallenger defeats incumbent for District 2 seat on Hutchinson County Commission

by Jeremy WaltnerVeteran Hutchinson County Commissioner

Gillas Stern, who was defeated by Steve Friesen in last week’s primary election after 20 years in county government, won’t be leaving office when the county reor-ganizes for a new year next January.

He’s already stepped down.Stern says, in an effort to make the transition

in Hutchinson County smooth and efficient, he has resigned from his seat on the commission, effective immediately.

Stern, who was defeated by Friesen 198-83 for a seat in District 2 in the June 5 primary, submitted his letter of resignation to the county Wednesday, June 6.

“I talked to my wife, my son and my daugh-ter-in-law and we felt this was best,” Stern told the Freeman Courier, noting county officials have several important issues on the table. The upcoming agenda includes union negotiations and what he says is going to be a difficult bud-get to manage, “and it’s best for me not to get involved in those issues.

“It looks like sour grapes,” he continued, “but that’s not it at all.”

Stern’s term wasn’t due to expire until the end of the calendar year and his immediate departure paves the way for Friesen to get involved prior to 2013, when his term officially begins.

Hutchinson County Auditor Jeanie Simonsen said the Hutchinson County Commission voted Thursday, June 7 to appoint Friesen to fill the balance of Stern’s term. Friesen’s first meeting will be Tuesday, July 3.

“The learning curve has gotten pretty short,”

Friesen said of the earlier-than-expected respon-sibility. “I’ve got a lot of homework to do. As a county resident you don’t always realize how much there is to do.”

While Friesen comes in as a 59-year-old rookie on the county commission, he is not with-out experience as an elected official. He was a veteran member of the Freeman Public School Board when he stepped down in 2005, and spent nearly 10 years working as the Hutchinson County Weed and Drainage Supervisor.

“It still comes back to working with people,” he said. “If you’ve got the right people in place, things should fall into line.”

Still, he knows there is important and difficult work ahead for the five-member commission.

“There’s a lot of things going on,” he said, specifically mentioning the budget, salaries and drainage. “It’s a new chapter for me; hopefully I can do a good job.”

As part of his preparation, Friesen spent time at the Hutchinson County Courthouse last week and has been in touch with a number of county officials. He has also visited with Stern, whom Friesen commended for his longstanding com-mitment to the county.

“He was my boss when I was weed and drain-age supervisor and I always enjoyed working for him; we had a good relationship,” said Friesen. “He’s done a lot of good for the county over the years.”

Stern said he enjoyed his two decades with Hutchinson County and that voters in District 2 — that is, the city of Freeman, Grandview and Silver Lake townships — have sent a clear mes-sage that his time in office was over.

“Elected officials have a shelf life, and my shelf life is up,” said Stern, who was firm in say-

JUNE 5PRIMARY

Hot sales

Justice Mehlhaf, the 6-year-

old daughter of David and

Nicole Mehlhaf, tries on a pair

of shoes at the Ken and Tonda

Kirton rummage sale Saturday

morning, June 9. Justice, her

mother and her sister, Journey,

were among hundreds to take advantage of the

Freeman Citywide Rummage Sale

on Saturday, held amidst

hot and windy conditions. More

than 30 sales took place across the community and

drew patrons from Freeman

and surrounding towns. The sale was organized

by the Freeman Athletic

Association.PHOTO BY

JEREMY WALTNER

Fishing derbyreturns Saturday

by Jeremy WaltnerThe banks of the Freeman Prairie

Arboretum will once again be lined with children, parents and grandpar-ents as one of this community’s pre-miere summer events, the Freeman Fishing Derby, makes it’s eighth ap-pearance Saturday morning, June 16.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with fishing from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All children through age 15 are invited to participate and are asked to bring their own rods and reels if pos-sible; equipment will be made available to those without. Bait will be pro-vided to everyone regis-tered. Up to 150 children are expected.

“I look forward to see-ing the kids out there and watching them having a good time,” says or-ganizer Tom Stolp, who founded the derby with friend Chet Sorensen in 2006 and has been the chief man in charge every year since. “It’s the rea-son I do what I do.

“As long as there are kids in this world,” Stolp continues, “I hope to work with them.”

Saturday’s derby will feature the sprawling ponds of the arboretum stocked with bass, bluegill, bullhead,

crappie, perch, sunfish and walleye. In addition to those that typically call the waters home, fish have been brought in thanks to the efforts of the Turkey Ridge Wildlife Club and the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.

Last year, more than 1,000 fish were reeled in.

The Freeman Fishing Derby is once again being made possible thanks to widespread support from the greater business community, which offers fi-nancial contributions to cover the cost of essentials like insurance, supplies,

prizes and advertising. Nearly 100 sponsors make the derby go; a list is included with the ad-vertisement on page 11.

It is also made possi-ble thanks to nearly two dozen volunteers who help at the registration tent and also navigate the perimeters of the ponds documenting what fish are caught and by whom.

Prizes are awarded in each age divi-sion (1-5, 6-10 and 11-15) for the first of each species caught and for the most fish caught.

Stolp is quick to praise those who help make the derby happen.

“I don’t deserve the credit,” he said. “It’s the sponsors and all the volun-teers who deserve the credit.”

IF YOU’RE GOINGWhat: 8th-annual Freeman Fishing DerbyWhen: Saturday, June 16Where: Prairie ArboretumTime: Registration 8:30-9:30, Fishing 9:30-11:30 a.m.For: Children through age 15 and their familiesCost: Free

Council OKs use ofcommunity centerin business proposalEleutian Technology considering Freeman, woulduse former music room for online education program

by Tim L. WaltnerIf a Wyoming-based online edu-

cation company wanting to expand to eastern South Dakota decides on Freeman as the location, the former music room at the Free-man Community Center is where it would begin its operations locally.

The Freeman City Council last week voted unanimously to authorize City Ad-ministrator Dennis Nelsen to negoti-ate a lease for the property as part of a proposal to Eleutian Technology. The company operates nine teaching centers throughout the western U.S.

that uses fiber optic networks and state-of-the-art video technology to connect a staff of about 300 teachers with people around the world want-ing to learn English.

Freeman is among six communi-ties under consideration by Eleutian Technology as a new location.

At the council’s regu-lar monthly meeting, June 4, Nelsen, Mayor

Sam Sorensen and representatives of the Freeman Community Devel-opment Corporation (FCDC) shared details about Eleutian Technology’s plans to expand. Representatives of the city and the development cor-

poration, which have been working with the South Dakota Governors Office of Economic Development (GOED) in recent weeks, believe Freeman is well-positioned to be-come home to the company, which would start with 10 employees with the potential to expand to 30. The three requirements are a building (minimum of 1,000 square feet), broadband and a workforce of quali-fied teachers.

City officials said Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative is able to provide the required fiber optic network to provide broadband services to the facility.

A South Dakota Department of Labor survey shows there are more than 250 people with college de-grees (associate to doctorate) in the area that are actively seeking jobs (including more than 30 with teach-ing backgrounds and degrees). A local survey shows that 87 percent of the workers in the Freeman area have a minimum of a high school education and more than half have attended or graduated from college. It also shows that there are 336 cer-tified teachers in 13 schools in the larger Freeman area; the Eleutian Technology program includes part-time positions.

Representatives of the city and FCDC concluded the best option for location is the community center, which provides available open space

by Eleutian Technology as a new location.

lar monthly meeting, June 4, Nelsen, Mayor

CITYCOUNCIL

City officials reviewcommunity center policies

by Tim L. WaltnerThe Freeman Community Cen-

ter, which was put into full use this spring with the installation of a geo-thermal heating/cooling system, was the subject of considerable discus-sion at the June 4 meeting of the Freeman City Council.

John Koch, who chairs the com-munity center’s governing board — a blend of city representatives and at-large community members — shared detailed guidelines and poli-cies the board has been refining.

The city council approved the

policies with an understanding they can and will be revised as needed.

The new policies include a res-ervation policy in which all reser-vations are made through Freeman City Hall. It outlines responsibilities for custodial services and cleanup by people renting the facility. It in-cludes policies on smoking (prohib-ited inside the facility) and alcohol (allowed under specific conditions, including following all city policies and permit processes).

“We want this building to be

continued on page 14: Policies continued on page 14: Council

Wednesday, June 20, 2012Volume 112 • Number 11

308 S. Main, PO Box 950Freeman, SD 57029

www.freemansd.com

95¢

INSIDE -Agriculture .....................................................p. 5Area News ......................................................p. 2Church News ................................................p. 8Classifieds ....................................................p. 12Forum ...............................................................p. 4Home ................................................................p. 6Miscellanea ....................................................p. 2Obituaries ....................................................p. 11Public Notice .......................................p. 11, 13Reflections .............................................p. 3, 14Social .................................................................p. 7Sports ...............................................................p. 9

14 pages

INSIDE:In RussiaTwo recent FHS gradsoverseas with SDSU choir ■ p 3

eEditionPublisher off ers insighton digital advancement ■ p 4

Team HoferFor West Freeman couple,food is big part of fellowship ■ p 6

Sox winFreeman town teamhangs on to beat Lesterville ■ p 9

Kaufman to represent S.D. at Girls Nation in D.C.

by Jeremy WaltnerDana Kaufman, who will be a

senior at Freeman High School in fall, has been chosen as one of two girls to represent South Dakota at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., July 21-28.

Kaufman, 17, and Kayla Sylves-ter of Yankton High School were chosen among more than 400 girls taking part in South Dakota Girls State, hosted by the American Le-gion at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion the last week of May. They were selected based on their interest in Girls Nation, participation at Girls State and an interview with Girls State officials.

“I was completely blown away,” said Kaufman, who also recently completed a term as a state officer with Family Career and Commu-nity Leaders of America (FCCLA). “It’s a great honor.”

Kaufman is the first student from FHS ever to represent South Da-kota at Girls Nation and will be one of 98 girls to attend; Hawaii is the only state that does not participate.

While there, Girls Nation partici-pants will take part in a mock sen-ate where they will introduce and pass bills on the mock senate floor.

They will also meet and have their picture taken with President Obama, watch the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cem-etery, have lunch with wounded veteran’s at the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center.

Kaufman’s time at Girls Nation comes the week following a trip to Orlando, Fl., for the FCCLA Na-tional Leadership Conference.

Summer Reading Program sign-up today, June 20

Children through age 12 are in-vited to sign up today, Wednesday, June 20, for the Summer Reading Program at Freeman Public Library.

Registration for “Dream Big — Read!” will be held at the library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sign-up is also available through the library’s website, freemanlibrary.org.

The program will include activi-ties Wednesdays through Aug. 8. Children ages 2-5 will meet from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and ages 6-12 will meet from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Lions Clubto hold BBQ atLions Park June 23

The Freeman Lions Club will hold its annual pork barbeque on Saturday, June 23 at the Freeman Lions Park from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Freeman Elementary Gym will serve as an alternate location in the event of bad weather conditions.

The menu includes pork loin sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, chips and beverage. Freewill dona-tions will be taken and the proceeds will go toward local Lions projects.

Freeman Baseball Association to host July 1 celebration

The Freeman Baseball Associa-tion is hosting its annual Indepen-dence Day celebration Sunday, July 1. Activities will include all-day softball and baseball games, concluding with a Freeman Black Sox game and fireworks. The chis-lic and mountain oyster booth will open with the first game of the day.

Activities for children 18 and under will include a bouncy ob-stacle course, sand pit with coins and free swimming. Watch next week’s Courier for a full schedule.

Down by the water■ For the eighth time in eight years, youngsters, families hit the ponds of the arboretum for an age-old hobby

by Jeremy WaltnerIn each year since the Freeman

Fishing Derby debuted in 2005, Jack Beachler, the grandson of organizer Tom Stolp, has been one of the dozens of youngsters taking part in the popu-lar summer event that annually draws more than 100 registered children and up to 300 kids and adults alike.

This year’s derby, held Saturday, June 16 at the Freeman Prairie Arbore-tum, was Bachler’s last as an active participant. Next summer he’ll be 16 and too old to fish in the derby.

“That’s OK, Grandpa,” the Can-ton boy told Stolp on Saturday. “Next year I’ll come and work for you.”

It’s that brand of enthusiasm that does Stolp’s heart good and helps fuel the local fishing derby, which on Sat-urday completed its eighth year and, once again, proved to be one of the area’s marquee summertime events.

One hundred twenty registered children through age 15 represent-ing 18 communities reeled in at least 1,032 fish during the two-hour fishing derby Saturday morning. In many cas-es, young children were assisted by parents and grandparents, a sight that both pleased Stolp and fulfilled the vi-sion of the Freeman Fishing Derby.

“Part of our mission is to promote the sport of fishing,” said Stolp, who in 2005 helped found the local derby along with friend Chet Sorensen. “It is also to promote camaraderie among children, parents and grandparents. I think they have as much fun as the kids.”

Saturday’s Freeman Fishing Derby was made possible thanks largely to Stolp’s organization and effort in find-ing support from the business com-munity; this year, nearly 90 sponsors provided financial backing for door prizes, insurance, advertising and promotion. In his eight years of doing

this, Stolp says sponsorship support remains strong.

So does volunteer power.From those at the registration table

to those working the perimeter of the ponds to the Freeman Boy Scouts who sell refreshments, seeing those from the community helping out is reward-ing.

He also noted the pres-ence of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Freeman Police and the Hutchinson County Sher-iff’s office as important.

All three agencies were represented at the arboretum Saturday assisting chil-dren and helping oversee the derby.

“It shows these kids that these are good guys,” said Stolp, “not bad guys with badges and guns.”

He specifically mentioned Brian Humphrey of the GPF.

“I cannot say enough about him,” said Stolp. “He comes out, he works with the kids, he works with us ahead of time, he provides us with rods and reels, fish ID cards, just a whole myr-iad of stuff.”

Credit also, of course, goes to Stolp himself, who was recognized at the conclusion of Saturday’s fishing der-by with a cap and jacket by Chet So-rensen and Chet’s son, Sam, both on-going volunteers at the summertime event. Stolp, of course, was grateful.

“I felt like I was at Augusta Nation-al,” he told the Courier. “Instead of a green jacket I got a blue one.”

And, on Saturday following the awarding of prizes, Stolp said, “I have just one question. Did you have enough fun that you want to do this again next year?”

Children and their family members responded with applause.

“OK,” Stolp said. “We’ll do it again next year. Same time, same place.”

Expect to see Jack Beachler there. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.

For more from the fishing derby, turn to page 11.

ence of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Freeman Police and the Hutchinson County Sher-iff’s office as important.

FISHING DERBY

Transit service expectedto start July 2

by Jeremy WaltnerThose eager to take advantage of the bus ser-

vice being made available by Freeman Commu-nity Transit won’t have to wait much longer.

Two 16-passenger buses, both with wheelchair accessibility, are expected to be in operation Mon-day, July 2.

That’s according to Velda Bentson, transit di-rector for the Rural Office of Community Services (ROCS), which is partnering with the Freeman community in implementing the service locally.

“Everybody we talk to is really positive about everything and anxious to get the wheels on the road,” said Bentson, who also calls public support “very positive.”

Four drivers have been hired following inter-views that began the first full week of June. Bent-son said Anna Munkvold and Bill Waltner will be the primary drivers and Tim Graber and Dale Sedlezky will work as substitutes.

All are required to earn their CDL before the bus service can begin.

Norm Kaufman, chair of Freeman Communi-ty Transit, said the transit service will run seven days a week and will eventually include routes to Bridgewater, Marion and Menno. Passengers can pay $1.50 per one-way trip or $5 for a day pass.

Kaufman said trips to Sioux Falls and Yankton will also be available, but are not expected to be-gin right away.

Those wishing to ride the bus must schedule an appointment one day in advance before 6 p.m., by calling a designated number. The number to call has not yet been determined.

“This is not a taxi service,” Kaufman said. “We’d rather have the drivers be able to plan out their day’s schedule in advance.”

Kaufman is pleased to be just weeks away from introducing the transit service locally; officials from Freeman have been working out logistics and funding details with ROCS for more than a year.

“We’ve still got a few things to do, but it looks like we’re pretty much ready to go,” said Kaufman. “It’s coming up quick.”

The transit service is being funded by ROCS, private contributions that include business sup-port, and by user fees.

Watch next week’s Courier for more on the Freeman Community Transit and the logistics of the bus service.

Decision, decisionAfter long deliberation, Freeman Public School District renews public access key policy, OKs contract with food service agency

by Jeremy WaltnerThe Freeman Public School Board took ac-

tion on a pair of decisions at its monthly meet-ing Monday, June 11.

1. The board voted to keep its longstanding policy in place that allows the public to check out keys and gain access to the Freeman High School Gym and weight room. The affirma-tion of the popular policy among district pa-trons came in light of a prank in May that saw

students gain access to the school via one of the checked-out keys, park a car in the hallway and deflate the tires.

2. The board voted to hire CBM Managed Services to oversee its hot lunch program at both Freeman Elementary and Freeman Ju-nior-Senior High School. The action followed a presentation by Shane Sejnoha, vice-presi-dent of operations at CBM, who detailed the company’s approach to service that includes nutritional education, healthy choices and a

hands-on approach. The board’s decision to take on a contract approach to its food service was primarily financial and is expected to save the district at least $20,000 annually.

The issues of the public access key policy and what direction to take with its food service program drew significant deliberation and dis-cussion and ended with unanimous votes from the five-member board.

Below is a closer look at the two issues that drew significant attention June 11.

SCHOOLBOARD

continued on page 14: Key policy

Key policy renewedhe discussion regarding the district’s key policy included a review of the terms that allow patrons 18 and older to check out keys to gain access to the gym and weight room (located off the gym mezzanine) in exchange for a $50 deposit and signed agreement.

The board had previously reviewed — and, ultimately, OK’d — the policy in 2007 that states any resident of the Freeman School District may check out a building key provided they pay a $50 deposit and are 18 years or older and not attending high school. The policy also states, in part, that direct adult supervision of students in the gym and/or weight room is a requirement.

The issue was revisited last week in response to a graduation week-end prank that saw students gain access inside the junior-se-nior high school, drive a small car in through the shop garage door after backing the school’s Suburban out, park the car in a hallway on the other side of the building and let the air out of the tires.

While they don’t know for certain who all was involved in the prank, school administrators say the students gained access to the school using a key that had been checked out to a community member.

More than 50 keys were in circulation per the district’s agreement when the car prank occurred.

“This shows us how vulnerable we are by having keys out in our community,” Superintendent Don Hotchkiss told the board, “even though 99.9 percent of those key holders do a good job of managing those keys.”

In response to the car prank and what it considered “unauthorized use of a school key,” the district immediately took out the locks allow-ing access to the gym — and, ultimately, the school — and sent a letter to its key-holders stating its intentions, signed by Hotchkiss.

“There will be no access to the Freeman Public School facilities until at least after the June 11, 2012 board meeting,” the letter stated. “All current keys may be destroyed or discarded. Those keys will no longer provide access to the school buildings. All key deposits are

CBM gets nodsignificant change is coming to the hot lunch program at Freeman Public Schools after the school board voted last week to enter into a contract with CBM Managed Services.

While district patrons won’t see a difference in how much they pay for daily lunches, several other changes will

be evident, including the number of entree selections offered each day, as well as an emphasis placed on health and nutritional information from the food service provider.

“It’s about educating our kids about things like reading labels, un-derstanding fat and sodium, and the difference between drinking choc-olate and white milk,” said Shane Sejnoha, vice-president of opera-tions with CBM. “We want our kids to be able to make good choices.

That’s where we’re different.”CBM has offered jobs to all current kitchen staff, and Se-

jnoha said at last Monday’s meeting that the company would match all salaries and benefits. However, in the days fol-lowing the June 11 meeting, there was some question as to the health insurance benefits offered by CBM and how they

compare to what was offered by the district.Early this week, Freeman Public Superintendent Don Hotchkiss

said details were still being worked out and it was unclear whether the kitchen staff in place would stay on board as employees of CBM. Should they choose not to, CBM would have the responsibility of hir-ing its own employees.

Hotchkiss said CBM has given food staff employess until Friday, June 22 to make their decision.

“I couldn’t tell you one way or another what they’re going to do,” Hotchkiss told the Courier Monday.

Sejnoha’s presentation to the Freeman Public School Board last Monday followed a call for bids from an outside food management service. The local district sought information in response to an ongoing shortfall in its Food Service Budget, which has required a transfer from its general fund of an average of $30,000 in recent years.

CBM Managed Services was the only company to provide a bid.

T A

With assistance from their grandmother Gloria Graber, brothers Solomon and Christian Ortman, ages 4 and 2, watch their fishing line at the Freeman Fishing Derby Saturday morning, June 16. The Ortman boys were joined by older brother Liam, 6, and their grandfather Gary at the annual event that drew 120 registered youngsters. Gloria and Gary were in town visiting family — Will and Sherilyn Ortman and the boys — from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and helped make up a broad geographic representation at the fishing derby. PHOTO BY TIM L. WALTNER

continued on page 14: Food service

Front page news: January-June, 2012Freeman Courier / January 2, 2013 / page 12

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AREA WIDE CONNECTION ◆ January 15, 2013 ◆ Page 3

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AREA WIDE CONNECTION u January 15, 2013 u Page 5

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17Runza w/ Hot German Potato Salad (Pumpkin Pie)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18Cavitini w/ Garden Salad (Lemon Meringue Pie)

MONDAY, JANUARY 21Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup & Bread Pudding (PB Fudge Pie)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 22Cheese Pockets w/ Praline Sweet Potatoes (Sour Cream Raisin Pie)

CLOTHING SALE: 25% Off EverythingJulie Huber is our guest cook on Thursday, Jan. 17 - See if she’s still got it!

239 S. Main St., Freeman, SD • 925-4344 • www.thekairos.net

SPECIALESPRESSO

SHOT$1.00

good 1/14 to 1/18

COUPON25% OFF

ALLCLOTHING

expires 1/21/13

Discover Freeman Resources at freemansd.com

AREA WIDE CONNECTION u January 15, 2013 u Page 6

Word Ads: 25 words for $5.00. Ad-ditional words 20¢ each. Next three weeks, your ad runs at half price. Area Wide Connection Box 950, Freeman, SD 57029.

D & D Construction - Commercial & residential. Free estimates. New buildings, remodeling, siding, roof-ing, including barns, garages, etc. Quality workmanship. 605-680-0777, cell; 605-648-2705, home. n

Copies - If you need photocopies, come to the Courier office. We can enlarge or reduce, sizes to 11x17. Freeman Courier, 308 S. Main.

Order the Freeman Courier for 2013 at our office, by mail or online. $56 in South Dakota for all of 2013. That includes both the print edition mailed to you weekly and full access to our online edition. Stop in at our office at 308 S. Main or go to free-mansd.com. We accept Visa and Mastercard. 605-925-7033.

POSITION OPENING

PART-TIMECOMMUNITY

HEALTH NURSEPick up an application

at the business office ordownload from website at

www.freemanregional.comor call Carolyn Preheim

at 925-4000.

510 East 8th StreetPO Box 370

Freeman, SD 57029“This institution is an equal

opportunity provider and employer.”

Wildcat Manufacturing, a Vermeer company, is a manufac-turer of industry-leading composting equipment. Wildcatoffers a competitive benefits package. If you would likeyour career to be with a progressive organization offeringmany satisfying challenges, rewards and a competitivebenefits package, then consider joining our team!

AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES . . . • Full-Time Technical Writer• Full-Time EHS/HR Generalist• Full-Time Material Handler

These positions will be located in FREEMAN, SDA post-offer criminal background check, physical anddrug-screening will be required prior to employment.High school diploma or GED is also required.For more information and to apply online please visit:

www.vermeerjobs.comWildcat Manufacturing is an EEO/AAP/M/F/V/D employer

One of the advantages of congregate living at Walnut Street and Dewald Street Villages in Freemanis not having to deal with shoveling snow and clearing ice from your sidewalks and driveways.

Experience the Comfortof Congregate Living!

Walnut Street Village and Dewald Street Villagein Freeman are part of an independent apartment complexowned and operated by Freeman Regional Health Services

AMENITIES INCLUDE:• Emergency response system and building security• Continental breakfast every morning provided by the FRHS dietary department• Fitness room open 24/7 to all residents• Maintenance and upkeep of buildings and grounds• Commons area available for parties and family gatherings• Availability of physical therapy and maintenance nursing.

NEW PAYMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLEFor additional information call FreemanRegional Health Services at 605-925-4000and ask for Mary Waltner or Dan Gran.

510 E. 8th • Freeman, S.D. • 605-925-4000 • www.freemanregional.com

Ann’sPLACE

Homemade FoodServed In GenerousPortions And VeryReasonably Priced!

DAILYSPECIALS

If you are not sure ifyou can handle the

generous portions ofthe daily special

we offer the:

VALUE MEALA Smaller Portion

Of The Daily SpecialAt A Value Price!MONDAYS Closed

TUESDAY - SATURDAY8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.SUNDAYS - Lunch Only

11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Main Street, Freeman

605-925-7254

CLIP AND SAVE

Downtown Freeman, S.D. - 925-7313

BOB’S DAILY SPECIALSShurfresh

Monday WHITE BREAD ................1-1/2 Lb. $129

Land O Lakes

Tuesday 1%, 2%, SKIM MILK ...................Gal. $329

Land O Lakes

Wednesday ORANGE JUICE ..........................$229

Land O Lakes

Thursday WHOLE MILK ....................1/2 Gal. $199

Shurfresh

Friday BUTTER ..................................... Lb. $259

Farm Fresh Large A

Saturday EGGS .......................................Dozen $159

Remember To Check Out The Back Page For This Week’s

JAMBOREE GROCERY SPECIALSCLIP AND SAVE

EVERY

EVERY

EVERY

EVERY

EVERY

EVERY

Oil Special - 15-40 only $9.39 gal-lon; Universal hyd. only $8.79 gallon. Bring in your containers. 30 gal. mini-mum. Country Pride Coop, Freeman 605-925-4254 or Menno 605-387-5151. n

Wanted - Older style Westendorf grapple fork. Chris Eisenbeis. 605-661-8335 or 605-925-4619. 2-02

For Sale - Vexiler FL8SE, like new. $250. 605-925-7232, Melvin Graber. 1-02

VISA, Mastercard accepted when you place your ad in the Area Wide Connection, Box 950 Freeman, SD 57029. 605-925-7033.

Move to Freeman - Subsidized housing, R&S Village. One bedroom apartments. Utilities paid. Moving ex-penses paid to qualified applicants. Local pharmacies and grocery stores deliver. Call Rob 605-359-5364. n

Forklifts For Sale - 8000 lb. Yale, $5000; 7000 lb. Yale, $2500; 5000 lb. Toyota, $5000; 3000 lb. Hyster, $2500. 605-660-3084. 2-03

For Sale - 1977 Chevy pickup w/hy-draulic box, needs little maintenance. $2500 O.B.O. Call Connie 414-731-8223. Can be seen in Dolton. 1-02

AREA WIDE CONNECTION u January 15, 2013 u Page 7

SWEET FANCY ORANGES2/$1 Lg. 72 Ct.

72 Ct. Box .............................$25.0036 Ct. 1/2 Box .......................$14.00

Charmin - 12 Roll

BATH TISSUE$699

Bounty Towels ..................8 Roll $8.99Prego

PASTASAUCE ............................24 Oz.

2/$4All

CREMETTEPASTA .....................12-16 Oz.

$129All

THIRST QUENCHINGGATORADE .................32 Oz. 99¢Cookie’s

BBQSAUCE .........................18 Oz.

$229

Congratulations toRay Woehl, this week’s

$50 MagicDollar Winnerat Jamboree!

Golden Ripe - Lb.

BANANAS

49¢Avocados .........................................Ea. 89¢

Sweet

NAVELORANGES .............8 Lb. Bag

$599

THIS WEEK’S JAMBOREE SHOPPER STOPPER

SALE DAYS:Wed.-Tues., 1/16/13-1/22/13Mon- Fri.: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday: Closed for Church & Family

Friendly Home Town ServiceFree Home Deliveries M-W-F

We Accept Food Stamps & WICWhile Quantities Last

Not Responsible for Typographical Errors Downtown Freeman, S.D. - 925-7313

THIS WEEK’S JAMBOREE SUPER COUPON

Fresh Farm - A, Lg., Doz.

EGGS

99¢Coupon Good W/$10 Purchase At Jamboree Foods In Freeman Thru 1/22/13 — Limit 1 Please

Extra Fancy Apples - Lb.

JAZZ or PINK LADY$169

Blueberries ........................16 Oz. $2.99Sweet

YELLOWONIONS ...............................Lb. 79¢

Nebraska

RUSSET POTATOES

99¢ 5 Lbs.

Fancy Yams ....................................Lb. 79¢Ready to Eat

BABYCARROTS .....................16 Oz. 99¢

85% Lean - 3# Value Pack

GROUND CHUCK$299

Lb.

Ten Pound Tube ...................Lb. $2.89U.S. Choice

BEEFCHUCK ROAST ............Lb.

$359Tenderized

PORKCUTLETS .........................Lb.

$299Always Tender

BONELESS - HALFPORK LOIN .....................Lb.

$249

Tyson Natural Boneless/Skinless - Lb.

CHICKEN BREASTS$179

Chicken Wings ......................Lb. $2.49Bluebird

GERMANSAUSAGE ........................Lb.

$399John Morrell

HOTDOGS ..............................12 Oz. 99¢Van de Kamp Fish

FILLETS, STICKS,SQUARES .............19-22 Oz.

$399

Dimock - Lb.

COLBY CHEESE$379

1/2 Horns ..................................Lb. $3.49Deli

PASTRAMI orCORNED BEEF .............Lb.

$599Deli

PITHAM ....................................Lb.

$459New

KAYLORDRIED BEEF ..................Lb.

$799Loft House

BAKERY COOKIES$299

SF English Muffins .......................... 99¢Sara Lee

HONEY WHEATBREAD ............................Loaf

$249Bags

FRITO LAYDORITOS .........................Bags

2/$5Old Dutch

RESTAURANTETORTILLAS ....................Bags

2/$512 Pack Cans

ALL PEPSIPRODUCTS ............12 Pk.

3/$12

LOL - 2%, 1%, Skim — Gal.

MILK$359

Chocolate Milk .....................Gal. $3.99Land O Lakes

SOURCREAM .........................16 Oz.

$149Philly

CREAMCHEESE ...........................8 Oz.

2/$3All

HOTPOCKETS ...................Ea.

5/$10Jack’s

ORIGINALPIZZA ............................Ea.

4/$10

CHECK OUT OUR DAILY SPECIALS ON PAGE 6

Call925-7313