By Bill Anderson

From weather conditions that felt like early Fall on the weekend of August 19 & 20, then back to the heat and humidity of the tropics by Tuesday & Wednesday, August 22 & 23, the weather patterns continue to bounce back and forth between unseasonable and unreasonable. According to the weather gurus in the electronic media, however, the temperature and the humidity should be back into the reasonable and seasonable category for the final week of August. Well, when there’s nothing else to talk about, we’ve always got the weather.

A party of angling enthusiasts made up of Greg Donaldson of Rutland; Hal Nelson of Rutland; Harvey Dawson of Brampton; Rick Bosse of Brampton; and, South Dakota Joe of Somewhere, South Dakota; Departed Rutland on the morning of Monday, August 21, bound for Fargo to join a busload of fishermen & fisherwomen heading for Ballard’s Resort on Lake Of The Woods, to participate in the annual fishing trip sponsored by radio station KFGO AM790. The trip is hosted by several KFGO radio personalities, including Joel Heitkamp, host of the News & Views talk show on KFGO. Greg, Hal, Harvey, Rick & Joe expect to be back home on Thursday, August 24, with a 2 day limit of walleyes and an unlimited supply of new fishing stories.

Speaking of fishing, they just aren’t biting at any of the local lakes. The lack of action on the fishing front is attributed to the hot weather that has heated up the water and made the fish lazy, indolent and unwilling to fight with an erstwhile angler over a minnow or a night crawler. Rutland native Judie Seavert-Grohs, who makes her home on the west shore of Lake Traverse, near Rosholt SD, reports that even the bullheads aren’t biting this Summer. Fortunately for Judie and her husband, Steve, they still have some Texas Gulf Coast fish from last Winter in their freezer to get them past this hot spot in the weather pattern. Although the surface area of Lake Traverse is approximately 11,200 acres, it is shaped like an elongated bowl and is only about 12 feet deep at its deepest point. Right now, it is heated up to bathtub temperature, and the fish there are just too relaxed to bite on anything, according to Judie. What is needed is some cold weather to spice things up…oh, no! Not that, again!

Last Spring’s High School graduates are now this Fall’s college Freshmen, and Rutland’s members of the SCHS Class of 2023 are now embarked on their journey through the mysteries and adventures of higher education. On Saturday, August 19, Abby Erickson, eldest daughter of Rodney & Andrea Erickson, relocated from Mom & Dad’s house to a dormitory room at NDSU in Fargo. Abby plans to study the science of Dietetics. Tyson Siemieniewski, son of Brad & Heidi Siemieniewski, moved up to MSU-Moorhead on August 6 to begin fitness training. His classroom studies began on Monday, August 21. Tyson’s plan is to study Sports medicine and Coaching. Fletcher Willprecht, son of Kevin Willprecht and Wendy Willprecht, is enrolled at NDSU in Fargo, taking general courses aimed at a degree in Ag Economics. Fletcher’s classes began on Monday, August 21. Gaven Christianson, son of Barry & Jen Christianson, began work on the preliminary courses needed for a degree in Physical Education at NDSCS in Wahpeton on Tuesday, August 22. Gaven’s plan is to complete 2 years of study at NDSCS and then transfer to a 4-year college to complete his degree.  

The Rutland Sportsman’s Club was organized 50 years ago, back in 1973, and since then has established itself as a valuable member of the Rutland and Sargent County communities. This past weekend the Club put on its 25^th annual Youth Day, providing youngsters with the opportunity to handle firearms under proper supervision. According to Club Vice-President Kyle Mahrer, 306 Youngsters participated in Youth Day activities at The John Narum Memorial Trap & Rifle Range near the County Park at Silver Lake on the afternoon of Sunday, August 20. In addition to instructions in shooting, fishing and archery at no cost, the kids were also treated to hot dogs, bratwursts, soft drinks, and ice cream at no cost to them, as well. The next Rutland Sportsman’s Club Youth Day is scheduled for Sunday, August 18, 2024.

Rodney Erickson reports that he has been applying aerial spray on soybeans and corn for the past several weeks to control the insects and fungus that attack those crops. He also reports that the Postal Service has told him that they expect to begin getting the new Rutland Post Office ready in the next month or two. As of September 30, it will be 2 years since the old Rutland Post Office location was shut down by the Postal Service “for a few days” for health & safety reasons.

Speaking of the Post Office, Mr. Kevin Oland of rural Geneseo recently received a postcard from an old friend that made its way to Kevin’s mailbox in spite of, not because of, the address on the card. According to Kevin, the card was addressed to: “Mr. Kevin Oland, South Geneseo Road, Old Edwin Anderson Estate, Geneseo ND 58013.” The card bore no street number or PO box number. In fact, the only number on the card was the ZIP Code, and that was incorrect. The ZIP Code on the card was the code for Cayuga. Kevin’s current ZIP Code is 58053, the code for Lidgerwood. The old, original Geneseo ZIP Code was 58037. The only part of the address on the card that was correct was Kevin’s name. You would think that an organization that can deliver a post card to the person intended to receive it, even though the entire address was incorrect could figure out how to get a small town Post Office opened in less than 2 years, wouldn’t you? Well…maybe not.

This community was saddened on the morning of Tuesday, August 22, when it was learned that Rutland native Susan (Kulzer) Brummond of Monument CO had passed away at the age of 77 years, 5 months and 16 days on Friday, August 18. Susan Jane Kulzer was born on March 6, 1946, in rural North Dakota. She was the sixth (fourth surviving) child of Alphonse and Luella (Goff) Kulzer. She grew up in Rutland and on the family farm one mile east of town. She preferred being outside with her dad and brothers, and she developed a great love of horses. She attended elementary school, through the Eighth Grade in Rutland. Susan attended High School at St. Francis Academy in Hankinson, where she was a stand-out student and promising saxophone player. Susan is remembered by friends here as a fun-loving girl with a good sense of humor. One of her childhood friends, Pat (Anderson) Kulzer, recalls walking out to the Kulzer farm with another friend, Dianna (Preble) Anderson, along the Great Northern Railway tracks, to visit Susan and her sister, Mary, and join in some farm chores that doubled as play time. For most of her adult life, Susan lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota where she and her husband, Brad, stayed very busy with their five children. Throughout her career, she held many different positions including personal banker, retail wholesale shopper, bookkeeper, real estate agent, and MLS secretary. She was smart and meticulous about everything she did. Susan was an active member of her church. She spent a great deal of time volunteering at a therapeutic horse-riding center, working directly with disabled children, and helping Alzheimer’s patients. She also prided herself on maintaining a beautiful home for her family. Susan was incredibly social and a very loyal friend. Her family loved watching her work the floor at the country club after church — even if it meant they had to wait an hour to eat because everyone wanted to talk with her. In 2000, Susan and Brad moved to Monument, Colorado to retire. Susan had grown up visiting the state during her childhood and was excited to be closer to family. When her husband, Brad, died unexpectedly in 2008, she said, “I guess I’ll need to learn how to put the horse trailer on by myself.” Even through great sadness, Susan continued to be a go-getter who never stopped. In her 60’s, she went on countless adventures with her horse Reba, and even rode a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. She also regularly traveled in her RV to see her grandchildren. She was a beacon of strength, discipline, and kindness to everyone who knew her. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, granddaughters Anjuli Kerlin and Layla Leffler, great-granddaughter Madeline Zoelle, and son-in-law Howard Parker. She is survived by her loving children Tood (Jamie) Brummond, Stephanie (Paul) Coughlin, Kari Brummond, Kristyn (Jade) Leffler, and Jon (Dreama) Brummond; nine grandchildren, five great grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews & Cousins, and by a host of friends. The Funeral Mass will be on Monday, August 28, 2023, at 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM, at St. Peter Catholic Church, 55 North Jefferson Street, Monument, CO 80132. The family suggests that memorials be directed to: St. Peter Catholic School, 124 First Street, Monument, CO 80132; or, Alzheimer’s Association of Colorado, 455 Sherman Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80203, In Susan’s memory. The Rutland community extends its sympathy to the family and friends of Susan Brummond, a strong woman with a kind heart and a generous spirit.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, after several months of jockeying for position, the Republican candidates for the Party’s Presidential endorsement in 2024 are off and running, with their first debate, if you can call a multi-participant question and answer session a debate, in Milwaukee WI on Wednesday, August 23. The American people are quietly repeating a new version of “The Serenity Prayer,” Grant us the courage to endure hours of self-serving propaganda, the serenity to accept the fact that even otherwise intelligent people will go around acting like nitwits to impress the gullible, and the wisdom to hit the “OFF” button when the baloney goes over the top.” Just remember that there is an “OFF” switch. Good luck!

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week. For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, checkout 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.