By Deborah Banish (and Bill Anderson)

Orvis & Alphie Pearson returned home after a winter in Arizona on Saturday, April 27. Orvis & Alphie have decided that they will spend next Winter with their friends and family in North Dakota. They are now in residence at Four Seasons Villa, the assisted living center in Forman, where they intend to make their home for the foreseeable future. Their grandson, Chris Pearson, is now residing on the Pearson family farm southeast of Rutland. Orvis & Alphie’s many friends here extend a hearty “Welcome Home!” to them.

Joanne Harris, Diana Anderson, Janet Kiefer, Bev Kulzer, and Janice Christensen attended the Sargent Central State Bound Music Concert on Monday, April 29, in Forman. They were among the many family and friends of the 35 extremely talented students who will compete in the State Music Region B Contest on Saturday, May 4^th, in Bismarck. The music and songs were beautifully performed by the talented youth. Everyone wishes them congratulations at starring at the Regional contest and wishes them luck as they compete at the State Level.

Monday, May 6^th, the Rutland City Council will meet with the City Engineer on the plans for the Emergency Lagoon Repair project. The bids for the project will be issued once the plans are approved and are ready to go. The project will repair the forcemain that is broken under the dike leaking untreated wastewater into the soil eroding the dike. It will also replace the transfer and discharge lines between the lagoon cells that have not be functioning properly. The City Council will also schedule a date for the City-wide clean-up day so be sure to watch for posted information on that early next week.

A pet clinic has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 7^th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Rutland Fire Hall. Dr. Kathy from the Sheyenne Valley Veterinary Services will be in town to vaccinate dogs and cats. The City Auditor will be at the Fire Hall to issue pet licenses during the Clinic. Licenses for spayed and neutered pets are $10.00 and $15.00 for non-spayed/neutered pets. Be sure to stop by with your pet for the vaccinations or simply stop to get your 2019 City pet license.

The Rutland American Legion Bergman-Evenson Post #215 and the American Legion Auxiliary are busy finalizing the Memorial Day Program for Monday, May 27^th.  Tentative times for Rutland’s program are: 10:15   a.m. at Nordland Cemetery; 10:30 a.m. Rutland Cemetery; and gathering for the program at 11:00 a.m. in the Town Hall. Watch for more information to be published in The Teller prior to Memorial Day.

Spring is having a hard time getting a good hold on the area, but it is coming, slowly but surely. Rutland and vicinity received ¼ inch of cold rain in the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 1, and the mercury struggled to get over the 40 mark by early afternoon, but we are are basking in warmth compared to some parts of the country. Janet Bradbury sent the following report from the Warren Ranch southeast of Rapid City SD on the morning of Wednesday, May 1: “I’m getting snow. Have about 2-3″ on the ground but it has been snowing since yesterday morning. Temps at or near freezing so it is wet. Have a great spring…” Thanks to Janet for the report. For once, no matter how miserable it is, the weather here is nicer than it is at Rapid City!

Upcoming events: Mother’s Day is May 12^th so be sure to get that gift purchased next week; Rutland Community Club meeting Monday, May 13^th at Rutland City Hall; Rutland Cemetery Association meets Wednesday, May 15, at the Rutland station of the Sargent County Bank; Saturday, May 18^th is the Rutland Community Theater presentation in the evening with a free-will supper provided by the Sargent Central Ambassadors; the final day of school at Sargent Central is Wednesday, May 22^nd;  Sargent Central High School Graduation Ceremony will be Sunday, May 26^th at 2:00 p.m. with several celebrations held following the program; Monday, May 27^th is the Memorial Day Program in Rutland.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, the Mueller Report on Russian involvement in the 2016 U. S. Presidential Campaign, juicy sections redacted, has been released; the Major League Baseball season is well underway and, believe it or not, the Minnesota Twins are doing very well; and, at least 20 candidates have thrown their hats, or headbands, into the contest for the Democratic Party’s 2020 Presidential Nomination. But, the real question on the minds of those who want to know is: what happened to The Rooster Crows? Rolf Odberg of Halden, Norway, wants to know how many weeks remain in the term of the current President of the United States; Mavis (Hoflen) Wold of Minneapolis MN wants to know what’s going on in her old home town; Dave Sundlie of Bismarck wants to know what kind of nonsense is coming out of the North Dakota State Legislature these days; and, there are a few others who just want to read about a community that stands on its own two feet, takes care of its own and still has a grip on the purposes, principles, values and heritage that have made this community a great place to live, and, with some luck and some nurturing, just might keep it great. Well, The Rooster Crows is alive and well, resting in the archives of The Sargent County Teller and the Rutland Community’s internet web site. The Rooster Crows made its first appearance in The Sargent County Teller in August of 1988, a local news and commentary column written in the style of the late Lou Sanderson of this community, intended to inform, entertain and infuriate, to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable, to remind readers that, as bad as conditions seem to be, we, as a community, have weathered worse in times past, and that, as good as conditions might seem to be, we, as a community, have the potential to do better. The column was originally intended to be part of this community’s celebration of the North Dakota State Centennial, and it continued until November of 1989, 107 years after the first homesteaders staked their claims in the Rutland area, 103 years after the Great Northern Railway arrived, making Rutland a junction point on its rail transportation system, and 100 years after North Dakota was admitted as the 39^th State in the Union of the United States of America. The column made a few appearances in 1990, during the crisis that resulted in the demise of the Rutland-Havana Farmers Co-operative Grain Co. at the hands of its commission firm, and then reappeared on a regular basis in April of 1997, after one of the most brutal winters in history, and in the midst of massive flooding that had made refugees of more than 10% of the State’s population. It continued on a weekly basis for 11 years, until April of 2008, when the author took a break, resuming the column in 2010 and continuing until February of 2019, when another break was called. Debbie Banish, Rutland City Auditor and an involved member of the Rutland community, has taken up the pen and written a very well-done weekly column since then under her own byline. Will The Rooster Crows return? Maybe, but it won’t be for a while. In the meantime, for information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out Rutland’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and Deb’s column on the Rutland blog. The website and the blog are linked, so you can go back and forth. Remember to patronize your local Post Office, and don’t forget to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE, 58067! As of Friday, May 3, 2019, there are 90 weeks remaining until January 20, 2021. If, on that date, America can’t do any better than what we have in the White House right now, may God help us all! Later.