By Deborah Banish

Last weekend was the big celebration of the 35^th Annual Uffda Day. The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing but there was a large crowd of visitors. With the great weather, people came as far as Arizona and in-State as far as Pembina and Bismarck for the festivities. There were more vendors than prior years and they overflowed into the streets and alleys so there was a lot to see and do. The kids always enjoy the jump houses and the train rides, and the adults enjoy the company, the food, the vendors, and watching the kids. About 500 people took advantage of the homecooked scalloped potatoes and ham dinner at the Hall, while others enjoyed the Uffda tacos, brats, abelskievers and rommegrot. The parade had some new entries and old standbys and after the parade kids jumped at the opportunity to scramble for Nickels and do their best at the pedal pull. The evening ended with the Norsk-Ski competition that was won by the team of Philip Breker, Maria and Vance Zacharias and Corey Arnold. Needless to say, everyone was tired by the end of the day – even the troll in front of the Hall looked well-worn out on Monday morning.

The Rutland City Council held its monthly meeting on Monday, October 7, and received an update from the City Engineer on the emergency lagoon repair project. The lagoon is functional and ready for use. The contractor will be seeding grass, repairing the fence and cleaning up the project area. The Council adopted the 2020 budget and approved the bond sale for the lagoon project as recommended by City bond counsel. The Council also approved participation in the Sargent County Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census. The Council discussed the condition of the City streets and stated that a repair or overlay will be needed next year which may require another special assessment. The next meeting will be Monday, November 4.

The Sargent County Commissioners approved a resolution for establishment of a Sargent County Complete Count Committee. The Rutland City Council is seeking residents to serve on the Committee. Members will be required to attend training on November 6th (Wednesday) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Gwinner Community Center. From January- April 2020 members will get the word out, plan local events, and meet every two weeks to a month until May 2020. If you are interested, please contact City Auditor Deborah Banish as soon as possible by email at rutlandnd@drtel.net or by telephone at 701-724-3081. We need Rutland representation!

The 91^st Annual North Dakota Water & Pollution Control Conference was held in Bismarck on October 8 and 9^th. This an annual conference that has been organized for the educational and scientific advancement of water, wastewater and stormwater systems. The event promotes and encourages the exchange of ideas and experiences among attendees, the protection of public health and operator education and certification. The Municipal Facilities Inspectors nominated Ron Narum as Operator of the Year and he was selected to win the award. Unfortunately, Ron Narum was unable to attend due to his busy schedule. Congratulations Ronnie on the Award!

Something will be cooking in Rutland. On Wednesday, October 16 and October 23, the Rutland Community Club is sponsoring cooking classes. The classes filled up quickly with eager participants. If you missed the chance to do some cooking (or even if you are cooking), be sure to attend the November 3^rd session of Zumba. Classes will continue on the first Sunday of each month starting at 5 p.m. in Rutland City Hall.

On Sunday, October 20^th, the Rutland American Legion will host a pancake breakfast and the Auxiliary will be hosting a freewill bake sale. Make sure you get over between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. to get a great breakfast and get some baked goods. They do go fast!

That’s it for this week. Stay warm and let’s hope this predicted winter weather event is not as bad as forecasted as of Wednesday, October 9!

Be sure to keep up with the Rutland news through the Rutland Facebook page and the Rutland website at www.rutlandnd.com. We’ll try to keep it up to date for you with all the activities and events coming up in Rutland.