By Deborah Banish

Rutland was the place to over the weekend of July 5-6 when over 100 former Rutland School students gathered for the all-school reunion.  Rutland High School closed in 1963 but anyone who ever went to school in Rutland was invited to the reunion.  Steve Wyum, Earl Fust, Eugene Breker and Bill Anderson, the Rutland Brothers – not to be confused with the Statler Brothers – performed at the banquet on Saturday evening. Everyone had a great time and all look forward to the next all-school reunion.

The Sargent Central Ambassadors – Tyler Banish and Thomas Mehrer of Rutland and Eric and Ethan Bergman and Kiauna Bergh of Forman – spent July 5^th through 8^th at NDSU to join nearly 300 other youth from North Dakota and Montana for intense rehearsals in preparation for their European Tour. All the members of the International Ambassadors of Music presented a concert on Monday, July 8^th, with performances by the choir, jazz band and the concert band. The concert band is comprised of so many students that they were divided into two bands for the concert as the Reineke Fine Arts Center at NDSU was too small for the group. The students flew out and arrived in London on July 10^th in the early morning. Their first performance in Europe will be Friday, July 12, in St. John the Baptist Windsor Parish Church and the Band will be at Royal Windsor outside the Windsor Castle. They will head on to France, Venice, Italy and then other countries during their performances.

The City of Rutland held a public bid opening on the Emergency Lagoon Repair project on Tuesday, July 9^th, and opened two bids on the project; both bids exceeded the City Engineer’s estimates. The Engineer will review the bids and present his recommendation to the City Council at a special meeting held July 11^th at 6 p.m. The City Council has the right to accept or reject any or all of the bids.

The Rutland Community Club Art in the Park event was held Wednesday, July 10^th, despite the recent rains. Attendees of all ages took part in the tie-dye event. More on this next week.

The Four Seasons Health Care Center Private Room Addition received the final construction inspection letter and will be moving in to the space that includes a Chapel, an activity/volunteer room, and private care rooms. It is a beautiful addition to the Center so be sure to get over for a tour when you can.

Junk Fest and Rib Fest will be held Saturday, August 3, and vendors and ribbers are still wanted for both events. Information for vendors for Junk Fest can be found on the Rutland website or by contacting Rutland City Hall at 701-724-3081 or by email at rutlandnd@drtel.net. Ribbers contact The Lariat Bar and Grill at 701-724-3610. Ribs will be served starting at 3 p.m. until gone. The Rutland American Legion Auxiliary will be serving pie and ice cream at the Rutland Senior Center starting around 4 p.m. until gone. Be sure to get to Rutland. There is something just about every month!

That’s it for short and sweet. Life is hectic and everyone in Rutland keeps busy. Stay safe and take time to enjoy the summer.

Upcoming events in Rutland: Monday, August 5^th, Rutland City Council meets at 5 p.m. to adopt a preliminary 2020 budget; August 12^th, Rutland Community Club meeting at 5 p.m. Stay-tuned for dates and times for lefse making – yep, it’s time to shift gears to prepare for Uffda Day!!