By Bill Anderson

Mother Nature gave Rutland and vicinity a 2 day reprieve from the siege of Arctic weather on Friday and Saturday, February 1 & 2, just enough time for the Ground Hog and about 120 pinochle players to make their annual appearance in the little city that can. The Ground Hog was pretty quiet. The pinochle players, though…well, they’re another story. The following report was received from Sonja (Anderson) Christensen, one of the organizers of the 24^th Annual Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament: “As the sun rose at 7:48 a.m. on February 2 in Rutland ND, Mr. Groundhog, aka Rutland Roscoe, was busy checking out the weather conditions. Seeing his shadow, he jumped right back into his hole after he saw all 120 pinochle players arriving in town.  Mother Nature knew how important the first Saturday of February is to all of those eager pinochle players. Raising the temperature from minus 36 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, She cranked the thermostat up into the plus 20’s for pilgrims to make their way to the 24^th Annual Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tourney on Saturday. Jason Hayen formerly of Cogswell, now living in Oklahoma, traveled to Rutland just for the weekend to play his favorite card game with his mother Kathy. Judie Seavert flew in from Port Aransas TX to partner up with her niece, Jessica Hayen of Fargo, for the tourney. Two newcomers were Charlie Makovsky and his daughter Madison from Grand Forks. Madison was recognized as the youngest player, saying, “This was so much fun. I will be back next year.” When asked how they knew about the day of pinochle, Charlie said he read it on the Rutland website. Due to Madison’s participation, players ranged in age from 20 years to 97 years, the latter honor going to Heb Diederick of Wahpeton, an All-Star baseball player back in the 1940’s & 50’s who is a contemporary of the late Leif Sundlie, Harvey Shasky and the other great players of Rutland Rooster fame. Sadly missed was Jack Brummond of Havana, The Sage Of Weber Township, who passed away shortly before the tourney, on January 29. Jack had played in the first 20 tournaments and must have decided he couldn’t stand to miss any more pinochle, so he wanted to be there in spirit to assist his former partner, Roger McLaen. Playing in all 24 tournaments were Roger McLaen, Norman Preble, and Stella Bell. Their devotion to hand after hand of pinochle is to be admired, as they teach others the love for the game. Roger and Benita Ziegler of Forman took first place with 1,818 points. Benita said, “It only took 23 years but we finally made it!” Congratulations to the persistent couple. Like the little train who kept saying, “I think I can, I think I can,” they made it to the top. Former Rutland residents who returned for the big day were Harvey Preble, Joel Hoistad, George Resler, Judie Seavert, and Norman Preble. Despite Harvey’s regular partner, Ed Christensen, not being able to make it to Rutland for the day, he quickly found a partner from Ellendale, Darlene Schock, to put up with his sense of humor and infectious attitude, reminding many of his days back in Rutland High.

Once again the Rutland Community Club endured the many pats on their backs for the famous scalloped potatoes and ham with real ND cream. Players often say they come for lunch and the cards are OK, too.

Partners and brothers Vern and Dave Shasky, Rutland Consolidated School alumni, are often asked if they are relatives of Ronnie and Harvey Shasky who were among those who led the Rutland Roosters to baseball fame. These guys are the sons of Paul Shasky and they listen as stories of uncles Ronnie Shasky who played 1^st base and Harvey Shasky, the 3^rd baseman and also the home run hitter. Lois Case’s mom Alma Flados promised Harvey a kiss if he hit a home run. WHACK! The ball went flying over the fence. After his foot hit home plate, he went right to the fence and got that promised kiss.

Back to pinochle — the Sargent County residents placing in the top money were: 2018 Champions Becky Chapin and Brenda Peterson at 5^th place; Marlene Hogness and Mary Engst 7^th; Marshall Thol & Dana Peterson 8^th; DeDe Cookson & Corinne Hanson 14^th; Wyatt Nelson & Preston Avery 16^th.

The Anderson family & the Rutland Community Club thank everyone who participated in the pinochle tourney. In addition to the players, the following were key helpers who made the tournament fun for all: Bryce & Casee Carlson, who set up the tables and chairs; Stephanie Watson, keeping stats on the computer, and Hilary Mehrer and Diane Smith who set up the computer on which the stats were kept; Joanne Harris, Bev Kulzer, Diana Anderson & Bonnie Anderson, score checkers; Diana Anderson & Joanne Harris who also helped with registration; Wendy Jacobson, who led the troops in the kitchen; and, many additional faithful volunteers from the Rutland Community. It is only through these faithful people, both players and staff, who return year after year that the tourney is a success! Believe it or not all who attended are already waiting for February 1, 2020, the 25^th anniversary of the Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament, not far from being a national holiday. Thanks to all for another great tournament, and another great time. Sonja” Thanks to Sonja for the report, and to all who contributed to making the 24^th Annual Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament another community success.

It was reported here last week that longtime Havana area farmer, and frequent Rutland visitor, Jack Brummond, the Sage of Weber Township, had departed this life on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, at Wheatcrest Hills in Britton SD. He had attained the age of 86 years 6 months and 25 days at the time of his death. John Jordan (Jack) Brummond was born July 4, 1932 in Britton, South Dakota to John H. and Mildred (Jordan) Brummond. Jack grew up on the family farm east of Havana that had been homesteaded by his grandfather, Carl Brummond in 1882. He graduated from Havana High School in 1950 and from The North Dakota Agricultural College, now North Dakota State University, in 1954, with a major in Agricultural Education. While attending college, Jack was a member of the U. S. Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and Theta Chi Fraternity. He earned his commission as an officer in the U. S. Army Chemical Corps and served in Germany during his two years on active duty. In 1956-57 Jack taught Vocational Agriculture in Britton, SD where he met Beverly Turner, the love of his life, who was teaching Home Economics there. Jack and Beverly were united in marriage July 10, 1957 in Faulkton, SD. The Brummonds moved to Middle River MN, where they both taught school. They moved back to Havana in1961 to take over the family farm. The farm was honored as a North Dakota Centennial Farm during the North Dakota Centennial celebration in 1988-89. Applying the lessons learned in formal education and a lifetime of experience in farming, Jack and Bev earned the designation as “Outstanding Sargent County Agriculturalist. His reputation for frugality was legendary, and he went out of his way to cultivate the image for his own enjoyment, as well as to humor, or annoy, others. Jack contributed much time and talent to his community. He served on the Sargent Central School Board, Sargent County District Board of Health and the Rutland-Havana Farmers Co-op Elevator Board. During the 1970’s, he taught the Sargent County Veterans Agriculture class for Vietnam War era veterans who were, or were planning to be, involved in farming. Jack was a member of the Havana Congregational Church, the American Legion, and a life member of the VFW. Jack sold a lot of fund-raising raffle tickets for the Britton VFW, and whenever a ticket purchaser from Havana or Rutland won a prize, Jack would personally deliver it, so he could point out to the purchaser what a wise investment it was to buy a raffle ticket from Jack Brummond, a guy who had no luck because he gave it all away. He was an avid card player. He met many friends playing Bridge, Pinochle, and Texas Hold ‘Em in Havana, Rutland, Forman, Britton and any other place where a deck of playing cards might be found. Jack was a regular participant in Rutland’s Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament until declining health forced him to miss out on one of his favorite events. He also enjoyed visiting at the local cafes over coffee and cookies, and became a frequent visitor in Rutland, where he earned his title as “The Sage Of Weber Township” for his contributions to the discussions of The Assembled Wise Men at the Round Table. Jack is survived by his wife, Beverly Brummond of Britton; by three children: Kimberley Brummond of Dickinson ND; Bradley Brummond of Park River ND; and, Boyd Brummond of Havana ND; by 6 grandchildren; by many friends; and, by The Assembled Wise Men. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Rose Marie. The funeral for John J. “Jack” Brummond will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2019, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Havana, with Pastor Nicholas Rohde officiating. Spring interment will be in the Havana Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour preceding the funeral at the church. Price Funeral Chapel of Britton is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be directed to the family in care of Boyd Brummond, 13369 102nd St SE, Havana ND 58043. An online guestbook and obituary is available at www.pricefuneralchapel.net.

Old friends here were saddened, again, last week when word was received here that former Rutland resident Francis “Franny” Maly had passed away on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, at Four Seasons Healthcare Center in Forman. He had attained the age of 84 years, 4 months and 23 days at the time of his death. Francis Lee Maly was born September 6, 1934 in Forbes, ND to Frank and Lyla (Fuller) Maly. The Maly family moved to a farm east of Havana, south of Rutland, in 1936. In 1952, Francis graduated from Havana High School and began farming. On February 17, 1958 he was united in marriage with Rozilla Bernice Morris at Britton, SD. They moved to Toole UT where they lived for a few years and began their family. In 1962 they returned to North Dakota and Francis was again engaged in farming in the Havana-Rutland area. Eventually, Francis took over the family farm and resided there until retiring. Franny always had an interest in mechanics and could fix just about anything that had an engine. In addition to doing “shade tree mechanic” work for himself and his neighbors on the farm, he worked in the shop at Kiefer Brothers Implement in Cayuga for several years. While still farming, Francis also started driving the Star Route for the U. S. Postal Service, delivering the mail to Post Offices from Wahpeton to Havana, including the offices in Lidgerwood, Geneseo, Cayuga and Rutland, a job he continued until retirement. In 2006 Franny & Rozilla moved from the farm to an apartment in Forman. Rozilla passed away August 7, 2010. Francis then moved to an apartment in Rutland and lived here until moving to Four Seasons in Forman about 2 years ago. In his younger years, Francis greatly enjoyed fishing and would often take the family along. He was an avid card player and particularly enjoyed pinochle. While he lived in Rutland, Francis was active in the Rutland Senior Citizens, and could often be found playing cards at the Seniors Center on Main Street. He greatly enjoyed watching his boys and grandchildren play softball and baseball. He is survived by 3 sons: Pat Maly of Denver CO; Kenneth Maly of Chinook MT; Kevin Maly of Forman ND; five grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; 5 step-grandchildren; and by a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife and 1 son, Francis Lee “Franny” Maly, Jr. The funeral for Francis L. Maly, Sr. was at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, February 4, 2019, at Trinity Lutheran Church of Havana, with Pastor Nicholas Rohde officiating. Spring interment will be in the Havana Cemetery. Condolences may be directed to the family in care of Betty Maly, 105 3rd St. SW, Forman ND 58032. Price Funeral Chapel of Britton SD was in charge of arrangements. An online guestbook and obituary is available at www.pricefuneralchapel.net.

Betsy Anderson of Lincoln NE drove up to Rutland on Saturday, February 2, to enjoy Ground Hog’s Day in Rutland and to celebrate her Dad’s birthday at a party in the dining room of The Lariat Bar that evening. Betsy’s father is Paul Anderson of this community. In addition to Betsy, some of those from a distance who participated in Paul’s birthday celebration were: Carol Fridgen of Nevis MN; Sonja Christensen of Wahpeton; Judie Seavert from Port Aransas TX; Stephanie Watson from Rogers MN; Claire Brakke from Grand Forks ND; and, Harvey Preble from Egan MN. Paul’s youngest sister, Pat Kulzer of Condon MT, sent a cake for the party, and Carol Fridgen brought another. No cake survived the party. Paul was born on February 4, back in “The Good Old Days,” just 15 days after President Harry Truman was sworn in as President following his stunning upset election victory over Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York.

The Rutland City Council met at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2019, with Mayor Ronald Narum; City Auditor Debbie Banish; and, Council Members: Rodney Erickson; Delores Lysne; Mike Mahrer; and, Bertha Siemieniewski; present. The City Engineer, Tracy Eslinger of Moore Engineering in Fargo; local resident Paul Anderson; and, local resident Bill Anderson were also present. The financial report showed all funds to be in the black, with more than $88,800 in the General Fund and $207,000 in all funds. Mayor Narum reported that the City’s snow plow truck had died while plowing snow on Monday, January 28, and that it had been towed to the A & W Diesel shop in Gwinner for repairs on Sunday, February 3. In addition to a faulty fuel filter, the truck was also found to be in need of a replacement rear tire and replacement of a broken front spring. The snowplow truck will be back on the job as soon as A & W completes the necessary repairs. Arrangements have been made to have Bernard Mahrer Construction Co. of Rutland use its road maintainer to keep the streets open until the truck is returned to service. The Council decided to contract with Bernard Mahrer Construction to perform snow removal operations on a standby basis, at times when the City’s equipment may not be up to the task. A draft agreement between the City and Mahrers will be presented for consideration at the March meeting. The Council reviewed the proposed purchase and installation of radar actuated electronic speed limit signs to be placed on the north and south ends of First Street, also described as Main Street and County #10. Total price for the 2 signs is approximately $9,700, and a substantial percentage of that amount has already been pledged by several civic organizations. Tracy Eslinger of Moore Engineering reported that the application for an Emergency Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help fund the necessary repairs to the Municipal Sewer Lagoon had been forwarded to Bismarck last week, where it is being reviewed to determine whether the project qualifies for the Governor’s Emergency CDBG grant program. After reviewing the City’s bills and authorizing payment, the meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m. The next meeting of the Rutland City Council is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4, in the Rutland Town Hall.

Renee Cramton reports that she has a brand new granddaughter, Luella Brynn Cramton, who was born on Sunday, January 27, 2019, in a hospital in Minneapolis MN. According to Grandma Renee, little Luella weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces, and stood 19½ inches tall in her bare feet on the day she was born. She will be making her home in Ramsey MN with her parents, Matt and Nicole Cramton. Renee has not yet been informed of when Luella’s first visit to Grandma’s house in Rutland will occur, but she will get her first lefse rolling lesson as soon as it can be scheduled.

Doris Hoistad has been a patient in the Oakes Hospital since the evening of Tuesday, January 29. As of Wednesday, February 6, she was occupying a swing bed at the hospital, and was hoping to be back home soon.

Well, that’s The Rooster Crows for this week. For the next several weeks The Rooster Crows column will be taking a break while the author recharges batteries and takes care of some other obligations. In the meantime, whenever you want to know what’s going on in the little city that can, read the pages of The Teller, check out the Rutland internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and stop by the Rutland blog and Facebook page, too. Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office and remember to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and North Dakota’s Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! Later.