By Bill Anderson

Rain all the time! Can’t get a thing done! The most recent rain event, on Thursday, September 2, brought the total precipitation since August 20 up to 5” for Rutland and vicinity, give or take a tenth or two, and depending on whose rain gauge you choose to read. For Thursday’s rain, Roger Pearson’s gauge at 409 Gay Street showed 1.5”, while the gauge of his next door neighbor, Norbert Kulzer, showed 1.6” and that of Chuck Sundlie, just 2 blocks south,  read 1.7”. Two miles south of Cayuga, Harvey Bergstrom had 1.15” of rain in his gauge, and Kurt Breker’s rain gauge, just 1 mile south of Cayuga held 1.5”. In Shuman Township, between Rutland and Milnor, Randy Pearson’s rain gauge showed  1¼”, and Shawn Klein topped the list with more than 2” at her home in Havana. The rainfall amounts may vary, but one thing is the same all over the area, the moisture and cooler weather have resurrected and rejuvenated lawns that had been written off as dead or dormant for the remainder of the year, keeping law mowers busy trying to stay ahead of the fast growing grass. With the boys and girls who had been mowing lawns earlier in the Summer now back in school, that’s one more labor shortage the economy has to deal with. Harvey Dawson, who owns a considerable chunk of real estate in the townsite of Brampton, has a flock of sheep on retainer to keep the grass and weeds down on his holdings, an alternative we may have to consider here. Well, when the world is green and growing, we can deal with anything.

Mike Kulzer was in Rutland on Monday, August 30, and stopped in at the Rutland Seniors’ Center for morning coffee and a consultation with The Assembled Wise Men. Mike was in town to assist with some maintenance work at the home of his mother-in-law, Phyllis Erickson, and to do some work on the deer stands he plans to use during the whitetail deer rifle season this coming November. This prompted Mike’s cousin, Norbert Kulzer, to reminisce about his first deer hunt with his brother, Kurt, and father, Romey, back in the early 1950’s. The whitetail deer population in this area at that time was slim to none, so Romey had arranged to take his boys hunting in the sandhills near McLeod, where the whitetails were plentiful. Norbert and Kurt were equipped with shotguns firing slugs, and Romey had the deer hunter’s special, a 30-30 Winchester. Romey positioned the boys in likely spots and told them to keep a sharp eye open for any deer that might come by. It was cold, Norbert recalled, but he had a spot in the sun and out of the wind and he soon dozed off. He suddenly awoke to find a whitetail doe staring at him from just a few feet away. Norbert wanted a buck, so he didn’t shoot. He dozed off, again, and awoke to find himself face to face with a whitetail buck. It wasn’t “The Turty Point Buck,” but it was close. Norbert fumbled with his shotgun and the deer took off. He fired, and the 12 gauge slug hit the deer in the front quarter, rolling him over, but he rolled right back onto his feet and took off running, again. Norbert shot again, hit the deer again, but it kept on going, over the top of a dune and temporarily out of sight. Romey came running over to Norbert’s position to see what all the shooting was about, and the two of them took off after the buck, running for all they were worth. Norbert said that they must have run 2 miles, first one way and then another, until they finally caught up with the deer. “It turned around and charged us!” Norbert said. Romey yelled, “Step aside!  Get out of his way!” and Norbert jumped out of the big buck’s path. As the deer went by, Romey put a 30-30 bullet into him, and he went down for good. “I’ll dress this deer out. You go back and get the pickup,” Romey told Norbert. Norbert started walking, and soon realized that he had no idea where he was, where the pickup was or even where Romey and the deer were at.  Everything looked the same. He just kept walking, figuring that he must eventually find something familiar, but having some doubts. He finally came upon another deer hunter, and asked him if he had seen a newer green & black Dodge pickup. The hunter said that he had seen a beat up old pickup over the next hill, not too far away. Norbert thought that it was probably not their pickup, but it was worth a look. It was the right pickup. It wasn’t beat up, but it was dirty and mud covered from the trip over gravel and dirt roads from Rutland to the sandhills. Norbert said that he still didn’t know where he was, or where Romey or Kurt were, but he drove around until he eventually spotted his Dad and knew that the day was a success. The next year, Romey bought brand new Marlin .35 caliber lever action rifles for Kurt and Norbert. Norbert still has his Marlin, and still uses it during deer season, if he gets a license, a reminder of good days and simpler times.

Rutland Community Club President Katie McLaen reports that preparations for Uff-Da Day XXXVI continue to roll right along. As of this weekend, there is only one lefse making session remaining, at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14 in the Rutland Town Hall kitchen. First time learners are invited to come in and learn the art of lefse making from experienced “Old Hands” who were first timers themselves at one time, learning the art from their Grandmas. Also, the Uff-Da Day Parade Committee reminds all that the Uff-Da Day XXXVI parade will once again form up on Dakota Street, on the east side of town, and will start promptly at 1:00 p.m., sharp. Everyone is invited to participate.

Ron “Red” Bauman of Fergus Falls MN, his son, Jim Bauman of Sioux Falls SD, and grandson, Elliot, of Fargo ND were weekend guests at the Jesse Brakke farm on Saturday & Sunday, September 4 & 5. The four enjoyed some dove hunting on the opening weekend of the North Dakota Mourning Dove season.  Although mourning doves are notoriously easy to miss, they did bag enough birds on Saturday for Elliot to prepare a dove supper for himself. Everyone else had a hamburger prepared by Red.

Steven Wyum, Mark Wyum , Joel Susag, Dale McLaen, and Mike Banish were among those from Rutland who took in  the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers’ Reunion at Rollag MN over the Labor Day weekend. Hart-Parr and Oliver tractors and farm equipment were featured in this year’s exhibition.

Dan & Cindy (Pearson) Tobkin, who have been headquartering in Rutland while visiting family and friends in this area throughout the Summer, departed this community on Monday, September 6, bound for their home at Golden Valley AZ, near Phoenix. The Tobkins were residing in their motor home for most of the season, and had it parked in the Rutland RV Park while here. Dan is a native of Veblen SD and attended the 50th Anniversary Reunion of Veblen High’s Class of ’71 in mid-summer. Cindy is the daughter of Orvis Pearson of this community and the late Alphie (Johnson) Pearson. She had the opportunity to attend her Dad’s 96^th birthday party at the end of May. The Tobkins many friends in Rutland wish them a smooth trip back to AZ and hope to see them again next Summer. The Welcome mat is always out.

Cliff Kiefer of Cayuga accompanied his wife, Janet, over to the Rutland Seniors Center on Labor Day morning, Monday, September 6, and stopped for coffee and conversation with the Assembled Wise Men.  Cliff said that, at age 71, he is in good health and still driving an over the road truck full time. Much of the hauling he has been doing in recent months involves transporting agricultural commodities from the United States into Canada. Although travel between Canada and the U. S. was restricted for most of 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic, as a commercial hauler of essential products, Cliff’s border crossings, both coming and going, were relatively free of constraint, he reports. “A little more paperwork, and a little more patience got the job done,” he stated. Cliff is a member of the SCHS Class of ’68. His parents were the late Joe & Lois Kiefer who farmed in Tewaukon Township, south of Cayuga. His wife, Janet, is one of the daughters of the late Clarence & Adeline (Syverson) Breker of this community, and is also the head chef at the Rutland Seniors Center. 

Guests at the Aaron & Silvia Brooks home on Labor Day afternoon, Monday, September 6, were Nate & Jess Warner of Forman, Jaden Qualle of Gwinner, Cameron Qualle of Gwinner and Bill Anderson of Rutland.  Guests enjoyed a delicious afternoon dinner prepared by Aaron & Silvia that featured 15 bean soup; potato salad; baked potato; corn on the cob; ribs & chicken from the grill; cornbread; and, appropriate beverages. Aaron reported to friends that he has recently started a new business, TLC Detailing. The Mission of TLC Detailing is to give cars, pickups and trucks the deep cleaning which they don’t get often enough. Give Aaron a call at 701-680-8019 to discuss options and set up an appointment to give your vehicle the TLC it deserves.

“There’s only two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and home grown tomatoes,” the old saying goes, but that number will be reduced to one on Sunday, September 12, in Rutland. The last Rutland Farmers Market of 2021 will be held on Sunday, September 12, in the City Park adjacent to the Rutland Town Hall, commencing at 5:00 p.m. There will be plenty of home grown tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, melons and other home grown produce for sale, as well as home made arts and crafts, kitchen aids and other interesting items. The Trinity-Nordland-Trinity (TNT) Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) will be serving supper on the grounds, too. While true love will not be on sale, home grown tomatoes are the next best thing.  They won’t be around much longer, so get ‘em while you can.

The Rutland City Council met at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, September 7, in the Rutland Town Hall with Mayor Mike Mahrer; City Auditor Deb Banish; and, City Council members Colton Corry; Rodney Erickson; Delores Lysne; and Lori McLaen; present. Also present were City Engineer Mike Basingthwaite from Interstate Engineering, Wahpeton; and, Rutland resident Bill Anderson. Anderson discussed the Sargent County Jobs Development Authority’s (SC JDA) program to stimulate housing construction in Sargent County.  Currently there is an ample supply of jobs in Sargent County, but people who work in Sargent County are having a hard time finding acceptable housing. The SC JDA works with major lenders such as The Bank of North Dakota, Lake Agassiz Regional Development, commercial lenders and other entities to make financing available for contractors to build homes in the County. One developer, Riverside Building Center (RBC) of Lisbon, is planning to build 3 new homes in communities in Sargent County, providing employment for construction workers as well as new housing for new residents. It is projected that 3 houses will be under construction all the time, with a new project being started as soon as one is sold.  Anderson urged the Rutland City Council and local development groups to be in contact with RBC regarding available building sites in Rutland. City Engineer Mike Basingthwaite discussed the replacement of the sidewalk on the east side of First Street, a/k/a Main Street, from Front Street to Gay Street and the potential for grant funding to assist with the project. Engineer Basingthwaite also discussed the condition of the water tower and possibilities for replacement of the current structure with a new one. He suggested contacting Southeast Water Users to discuss a cooperative venture on tower replacement.  Auditor Banish reported that Rutland is eligible to receive up to $24,500 in American Recovery program Act funding from the Federal government over the next 2 years. The funding must be used for infrastructure projects, the projects must be identified by 2024 and the funds must be spent by 2026. The Council approved the City’s participation in Sargent County’s Emergency Management Plan. Participation in the Emergency Management Plan is one of the requirements to receive Federal funding for disaster response and other projects. The Auditor also reported that a Building Permit for construction of a 20’ X 20’ storage building at 217 Arthur Street had been issued to Brad Siemieniewski. In other matters, the Auditor reported that there are currently 3 delinquent water, sewer & garbage collection accounts that will require action if not paid by September 15; and, requested guidance from the Council on how to deal with a situation in which a resident has more household pets (dogs & cats) than are allowed by the current City Ordinance. The limit now is 5 pets per household, but the new resident has 6, plus 2 that are less than 6 months old. The Council decided that all owners of pets in excess of 5 will be required to pay a surcharge of $75 per pet, plus the regular pet license fee. The limit of pets, including those being surcharged will be 7. After reviewing financial reports and bills submitted, the Council authorized the payment of the City’s bills. The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m.  The next meeting of the Rutland City Council is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 4, at the Rutland Town Hall. All meetings of the Rutland City Council are open to the public, and City residents are invited to stop by to watch their City government in action.

Mike & Deb Banish are planning a 12 day trip to Ireland, commencing on Saturday, September 11. Their itinerary will take them, via American Airlines, from Fargo to Chicago, then to Philadelphia and then on to Dublin on the Emerald Isle, Deb reported. After 10 days touring the sites, they will return on a flight from Dublin to Chicago, with their final destination at Fargo. Mike says he intends to kiss the Blarney Stone and check out the Jamiesons distillery while he’s there. They also plan to visit the City of Limerick, which has given its name to a distinctive type of poetry. There’s an interesting couple named Banish; Who for 12 days are intending to vanish; They’ll see sites in Eire; They’ll be traveling by air; This interesting couple named Banish.

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. Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office, and remember to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! Later.