By Bill Anderson

Thursday, May 27, was a cold and somber day, with a high temperature of 49 degrees and intermittent rain showers, probably better described as a steady, misty drizzle accompanied by occasional bouts of real rain,  throughout the day. Rainfall varied from .5 of an inch in Roger Pearson’s rain gauge to .6 of an inch in everybody elses’s gauges, from Rick Bosse at Brampton to Roger McLaen at Forman to Jesse Brakke at rural Rutland and Kurt Breker at Cayuga. It was a good rain, that came slow enough to soak in and do some good where it fell.  Since then, the temperature has been on the rise, and the forecast for the coming weekend is for temperatures at or near 100 above, accompanied by wind that will put some stress on the newly emerging corn and soybean crops.  Well, if they’re going to live in North Dakota, they had better be tough. 

The Rutland-Cayuga Fire Department was called out on the morning of Monday, May 24, to assist the Forman-Havana Fire Department with a fire at the Aberle farmstead in Dunbar Township, northeast of Forman.  According to reports, a shift in the wind direction, accompanied by an increase in velocity, had blown embers from a burn pit into the dry grass in the farm’s tree belt. The firefighters were successful in extinguishing the flames before any structures on the farm were damaged. Way to go firemen!

Congregate dining at the Rutland Seniors’ Center resumed on Tuesday, May 25, after a 14 month hiatus due to the covid-19 pandemic. Special guest for the first dinner of Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and home-grown asparagus was Ransom-Sargent Seniors’ Services Director Morgan Biss from the Lisbon office.  Ten seniors were present for dinner, and several Meals On Wheels were also delivered. Head chef Janny Kiefer said that it was good to be getting back to normal.

Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, presented the area with the most pleasant Memorial Day weather experienced here during the past several years.  Accompanied by sunshine, clear blue skies, temperature already in the mid-60’s on its way to 74 above  and a light breeze, the ceremonial detail from Rutland’s Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of The American Legion performed military rites honoring the memory of departed comrades at the Nordland Cemetery southeast of Rutland at 10:15 a.m. and at the Rutland Cemetery on the east edge of town at 10:30 a.m. Large numbers of people, old and young, were present to observe the ceremonies at both cemeteries. The traditional program and pot-luck dinner at the Rutland Town Hall were not held, again, this year due to concerns about the covid-19 pandemic. The program and the dinner are back on the schedule for next year, though. Members of the ceremonial detail were: Larry Christensen; Doug Olstad; Roger McLaen; Andrew Harris; Doug Spieker; Bill Anderson; Roger Pearson, Bugler; Ted Lee, Chaplain; Andrew Hoflen & Tom Manley, Color Bearers; and, Calvin Jacobson, Sergeant At Arms. Both Tom and Calvin are still recuperating from recent injuries, but, like the good soldiers they are, they toughed it out and performed their duties in admirable fashion.

Some of those from out of town who were present for Memorial Day observances in Rutland were: Corrine (Narum) Romereim of Wahpeton; Sonja (Anderson) Christensen of Wahpeton; Judie (Anderson/Seavert) Grohs & Steve Grohs of Rosholt SD; Shirley (Olson) Mahrer of Hankinson; Orvis Pearson of Forman; Dan & Cindy (Pearson) Tobkin of Mesa AZ; Jim & Paula (Seavert) Pearson of Anthem AZ; Boyd Jacobson Jr. of starbuck MN; Richard Meyers of Sun City AZ; Kathy (Harris) Stout of Iowa City IA; Dr. Gerald Parker of Casselton ND; and, many, many more.

Carolyn Christensen reports that she and her 2 brothers and 2 sisters, all 5 of the children of the late Boyd & Catherine Jacobson of this community, gathered at the Christensen residence on the southeast corner of town for dinner on Memorial Day. The 5 are: Carolyn Christensen; Boyd Jacobson Jr.; Calvin Jacobson; Diane Smith; and, Pam Maloney.  They were also joined for the day by a number of other family members, including children and grandchildren. 

Rutland native Richard “Dick” Meyers of Sun City AZ arrived back in his old home town on Friday, May 28, and is once again making his Summer home at “The Bunkhouse” on Main Street. He reported that he had flown, via Southwest Airlines, from Phoenix to Hubert Humphrey Airport in Minneapolis several days earlier, and had gradually migrated from one daughter’s home to another until he got past St. Cloud and made the break for Rutland. Dick says that he is currently boycotting Delta Airlines and coca-Cola due to their support of Major League Baseball moving the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver. He plans to participate in the Seniors’ Golf Tour in Southeastern North Dakota again this year, and has already been over to the Forman Golf Course to get in some practice swings. While sorting through some boxes that had been in storage for quite a while, Dick says he came across a Marine Corps utility uniform shirt, still starched, pressed and folded, just as it had been when he put it away back when the Marines restored him to civilian status back in 1954. Dick tried the shirt on, and, as he is still at his “fighting weight,” the shirt still fit.  It had not shrunk, as so many uniforms do after being stored for a while. The shirt, with Dick’s Sergeant’s stripes still sewn on the sleeves, was worn by him on Memorial Day in Rutland, in honor of all those who had worn the uniform of their country in honorable service.  Dick, a member of RHS Class of 1950, is a combat veteran of the Korean War, a conflict in which he was wounded in action while serving as a machine gunner with Howe Co., 2^nd Battalion, 7^th Marine Regiment. Welcome home, Dick!  Great to have you with us again. 

June Blood Drive Coordinator Janet Kiefer reports that 24 volunteer donors showed up and donated 20 units of 100% Grade A American blood for use by those who need it. The blood drive was held in the Rutland Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1.  Janet Kiefer, Sheila Wyum and Diane Smith had done the calling to schedule donation times. Bev Kulzer, Renee Cramton and Janet Kiefer assisted blood drive staff with clerical duties on the day of the drive. Cookies and bars for the donors’ lunch were prepared by Sheila Wyum & Janet Kiefer, and served by Sheila on the day of the drive. The next blood drive in Rutland will be scheduled during the month of February, 2022. Get ready to roll up your sleeve.

Action at Lou Sanderson Field is another sign that Summer is upon us. The Rutland Roosters Men’s Slowpitch Softball team met the Gwinner team in a home game on the evening of Tuesday, June 1.  There was a lot of action, but the Roosters came up on the short end of the score in the match, going down to defeat by a score of 25 to 13. We’ll get ‘em next time, though. The Rutland Park District is once again operating the concession stand, doing such a good job that the fans had consumed all of the bratwursts  before the game concluded. Well, there’ll be more bratwursts next time, too. Hot dogs, barbecue sandwiches and other treats were also available.  Working the concession stand on June 1 were: Larry Christensen; Hal Nelson; and, Mac Pherson. They were having fun, too.  The next game scheduled for the Roosters is on Tuesday, June 8, at Lou Sanderson Field. Come on out and root for the home team!

Rutland native Mike Kulzer, now a resident of Fargo, visited friends and family here on Tuesday & Wednesday, June 1 & 2. Mike reported that he and Diane had driven over to the home of their son & daughter-in-law, Chad & Angela Kulzer, at New Richmond WI for the Memorial Day weekend. Mike said that Angela’s parents, Gary & Kathy Grant, also of New Richmond, were also at Chad & Angela’s home on Memorial Day. While visiting with the Grants, Mike said that he had mentioned that a young man from Rutland, James Brakke, was the pharmacist in charge of the Wallmart Pharmacy in New Richmond, and was pleased to find out that the Grants not only knew James, but that they were very impressed with his professionalism, knowledge and ability to communicate with his customers. Mike headed back to Fargo on Wednesday morning, but not before stopping in at the Rutland Post Office to buy a roll of stamps. Mike says that, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.”

Don’t forget these events coming up in Rutland during the next week: Rutland City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 7, at the Rutland Town Hall; Rutland Roosters soft ball game commencing at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8, at Lou Sanderson Field in Rutland; Rutland Community Block Party sponsored by the Rutland Community Club, commencing at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 10, in the City Park adjacent to the Rutland Town Hall; and, the first Farmers Market of 2021, sponsored by the Rutland Community Club, commencing at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 13, in the City Park adjacent to the Rutland Town Hall.  The sun always shines on Rutland, so come on over and have a good time.

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week. For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and take a look at the Rutland Facebook page while you’re at it, too. 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!  Later.