By Bill Anderson

Sunday, March 9, brought in Daylight Savings Time and, with it, the first real Spring-like weather of the season. Daylight Savings Time is now in effect from early March to early November, so we now have 4 months of Standard Time and 8 months of Daylight Savings Time, the result being that Daylight Savings Time is now Standard and Standard time is now not. As it seems that, despite all of the saving of daylight we now do from March to November, we still don’t have any more daylight in December and January than we did before the current time regime went into effect, we should consider changing the name of Standard Time to Daylight Deficit Time, thereby prompting government studies and a Federal program to remedy the situation. Perhaps a Daylight Stimulus Plan, in which the government would borrow daylight from foreign countries and issue 300 lumen Daylight Stimulus checks, redeemable at Walmart for sunshine produced in China, to each taxpayer would help to increase the amount of available daylight in the good, old U.S.A. Well, it does seem to have been a long Winter. Sunshine and a southerly breeze brought the mercury up to the mid-40’s on Monday, March 10, and into the mid-50’s on Tuesday, March 11, lifting spirits and brightening attitudes. Pairs of Canada geese have also been observed, seeking good nesting sites near likely looking prospective soybean fields. This week’s Spring weather was preceded by Ten degrees below zero on the morning of Friday, March 7, and the weatherman is predicting another relapse into Winter by this coming weekend, just to keep us on our toes.

Six young men of this community passed the “First Responders” test which was given at the Rutland Fire Hall on the evening of Tuesday, March 4. The six, also members of the Rutland-Cayuga Volunteer Fire Department are: Doug Askerooth; Alan Murack; Cameron Gulleson; Jim Fust; Zach Temple; and, Rob Wyum. The Rutland community extends its congratulations to these community volunteers and thanks them for their service to their fellow citizens.

Doug Askerooth took off for Phoenix AZ this week to help his mother, Grace, celebrate her birthday on Thursday, March 13. Doug reports that his sisters and a number of friends will be getting together with Grace and Elvoy for a birthday party this coming weekend.

Janet Malstrom of this community has been a patient at the Lisbon Hospital for the past week, recovering from an attack of pneumonia. Joe Malstrom has been laid up at home with a bad foot this past week, too. Their many friends here wish the Malstroms a speedy recovery from their illnesses.

Beverly Kulzer, Joanne Harris and Janet Kiefer departed on Friday, March 7, bound for Austin TX and a visit at the home of Janet’s sister and brother-in-law, Dee Ann and Steve Paulson. The Three Amigos also planned to visit San Antonio and other sites of interest during their visit to the Lone Star State.

The 2008 Rutland Sportsmen’s Club Fish Fry is now history and the record shows that more than 500 ticket holders were served on Friday, march 7, in the annual event at the Rutland Town Hall. The fierce competition between the pan friers and the deep friers was, once again, nearly a dead heat with the deep fried northerns getting the nod from the public by the slightest of margins. Next year, same time, same place, the competition will continue. Winners of the raffle prizes were: Linda Holmgren of Forman, taking home a 60 inch high definition television set; and, Mike Mahrer of Rutland, winning an auto start remote starter for a car or pickup. The Sportsmen’s Club held the price of tickets at $10 this year, despite the fact that the cost of the northern pike fillets had doubled from last year. Sales of raffle tickets brought the net revenue back up, though, reports Club treasurer Travis Paeper. Proceeds of the annual fish fry are used to support the club’s activities and projects which include Youth Day and the maintenance of the John Narum Memorial Trap & Rifle Range near Silver Lake.

Former Rutland residents Jeff & Lee Anderson of Champlin MN drove up to Rutland to attend the Sportsmen’s Club annual fish fry and spent the weekend here visiting old friends. The Andersons had not been back to Rutland for a couple of years, and were impressed by the improvements made on Main Street since their last visit here. Lee reports that she is now employed as a nurse by physicians at the University of Minnesota. Last Summer she volunteered to participate in a medical mission to the Central American country of Nicaragua, and states that it was a very rewarding experience, despite the primitive living conditions, lack of sanitation and extreme poverty. The city of 20,000 where Lee and the other volunteers in her group were stationed is near the border with Honduras, and much of the damage done back in the 1980’s, during the civil war between the Sandinistas and the Contras, is still unrepaired, she reports. Lee has volunteered to go again this coming Summer, this time with Jeff accompanying her. Jeff is employed by Best Buy, where he oversees Department of Transportation compliance by the company’s fleet of trucks and drivers. The Andersons resided at 409 Anthony Street during their stay in the old home town.

Matt Cramton of Brookings SD and Nicole Lefebrve of Minneapolis were visitors at the home of Matt’s parents, Earl & Renee Cramton last weekend. Also visiting at the Cramton home was their son, Mark, of Fargo. Mark, Matt & Nicole all took in the Sportsmen’s Club fish fry on Friday evening.

Dick & Bonnie Anderson drove up to West Fargo on Saturday and attended a play at the Bonanzaville Opera House with friends on Saturday evening. According to Dick, the play was SSDT, a comedy.

Mark & Kathy Wyum of this community attended the Satellite Club supper and play at Milnor on the evening of Sunday, March 9. Mark reports that both the supper and the play were excellent.

Dakota Valley Electric Co-op, which supplies electricity to farms and rural homes in this area, held an information meeting for local patrons in the Rutland Town Hall at Noon on Tuesday, March 11. Those in attendance enjoyed a Noon lunch, also known as “dinner” in these parts, catered by the Rutland Café. Patrons were informed about the co-op’s operations and about a proposed 3% rate increase made necessary by rising costs. Ottertail Power Company’s customers in this area have seen their electric bills double this Winter, and they received neither a lunch nor a meeting. Just a bill.

Debbie Liermark reports that 200 advance tickets for the Rutland Community Club’s annual supper and play had been sold as of Monday, March 10. The barbecued rib supper and the ham acting will be served up on the evening of Friday, March 14, in the Rutland Town Hall. Those who did not get tickets in advance can still see the play, “Mr. Miss Rutland 2008”, on Friday evening, says Debbie. The price of an advance ticket for the supper and the play was $10.00. Admission for the play, only, will be $5.00. See you there.

Nordland Lutheran Church will be serving its annual Palm Sunday dinner on Sunday, March 16, at the Rutland Town Hall. Baked ham is on the menu, along with potatoes, vegetables, home-made bread and other items that are bound to be good because they are prepared by cooks who were taught how by their Grandmas. Don’t miss it.

Don’t miss Rutland’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com. There’s always something good there, too.

The following are excerpts from the L. S. Sanderson column of March 12, 1953: Spring arrived on Monday. Meadowlarks are the first arrivals but they are singing “The Gangs All Here.”…$2500 is the price the Hoflen Bros. Received for a yearling bull at the Valley City stock sale. Their herd is one of the best known in the state and is commanding top prices at all sales…Mrs. Andy Sundlie suffered a broken arm last week when she took a tumble from the back porch steps…Marcus Johnson and wife left on Saturday to attend the funeral of a niece at Enumclaw, Washington. Inga, the eldest of three daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Johnson resided in Ransom Township also in Rutland, before locating in Washington…Strand Bros. Have secured the services of Mrs. Julia Dyste who will be employed as housekeeper at their home. Mrs. Dyste has been at the home of her daughter in Claremont since the death of her husband…Harvey and Donald Lock have returned from Denver, where they have spend the past two months…Mr. And Mrs. O. H. Jacobson and Mr. and Mrs. Edd Evenson were Sunday visitors at the Jake Jacobson home in Wahpeton…Frank Goff suffered a relapse on Saturday and was taken to the hospital at Hankinson where he is still a patient….Mrs. Noble Nelson was taken violently ill last week and is still confined to home and under the care of Dr. Kuisk…We acknowledge a card from Herb Swanson and wife stating that they were in Mission Texas, that they were going to Mexico to see a bull fight in which bulls were to engage in a fight. We suspect that if the bulls were not killed, Herb would buy them.