Rutland won the vote for Town of the Week. Check out the broadcast.
Just remember – Uffda Day is the First Sunday (not Saturday!) and the Rutland General Store is closed (sorry, no breakfasts there).
Rutland, ND Town of the Week 12-11-18
Author: rutlandramblings
This is a blog for Rutland, North Dakota, area news and events. This blog is supported and paid for by the Rutland Community Club. For official information from the City, please see the City website at rutlandnd.com
The Rooster Crows – December 7, 2018
By Bill Anderson
The cold weather of the past several weeks has thickened the ice on local lakes to 7 inches or more, enough to support the weight of ice fishermen and ice fishing houses. Norbert Kulzer reported that there were three ice fishing houses on Buffalo Lake on Tuesday, December 4, and one on Consolidated Lake, along with a couple of fishermen out on the ice in cold weather fishing gear. Several houses were on the ice at Silver Lake last week, but they had picked up and moved to some other location by Tuesday afternoon. No reports of fishing success have been received, and when fishermen aren’t talking it usually means that they are catching fish and don’t want anyone else to find out about it. Of course, it could mean that there just aren’t many fish being caught, but that’s not as interesting.
Rutland native Dan Narum, Presiding Judge of North Dakota’s Southeast Judicial District for the past several years, was preparing to deliver jury instructions at the conclusion of a trial in the Dickey County Courthouse in Ellendale last Tuesday, November 27, when he stood up from his desk and discovered that his right leg was numb. A terrible pain in his back put him to the floor. Ever the professional, the Judge got himself back to his desk, called the 2 attorneys in the case into his office, explained the situation to them, then delivered the jury instructions to the waiting jurors in written form, and had himself taken to the hospital. He was first taken to Aberdeen, the closest hospital, where a serious back problem was diagnosed. Immediate surgery was necessary, but a surgeon capable of performing it was not available, so Dan made a trip to Sanford Hospital in Fargo where the surgery was performed on Tuesday night. Tests indicated that the surgery had been successful, and, “…when I moved my toes about ¼ of an inch, they really got excited,” Dan reported. On Friday, November 30, he moved to Sanford’s Physical Therapy Unit on South University Drive for what was expected to be 2 weeks of intensive physical therapy, but his recovery and progress was so rapid that he was scheduled to be released from the hospital to return to his home in Lamoure on Wednesday, December 5. Dan states that he has an elk hunt booked in northeastern New Mexico beginning on January 1, and is still planning, and hoping, to be able to make it happen. Well, Dan is a tough and determined guy. If he can’t make it to New Mexico, maybe he can issue a judicial order, and have the elk brought to him. In the meantime, he is recuperating at home, in the care of his wife, Caroline, and their 2 children. Dan’s many friends in Rutland wish him a speedy and complete recovery, and a good hunt, too.
Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – December 7, 2018”The Rooster Crows – November 30, 2018
By Bill Anderson
It is the consensus of The Assembled Wise Men that the chances of an Indian Summer this Fall are getting pretty slim. The long-range forecasters are predicting that El Nino will produce a warm up by February. Wow! Is that good news, or what?!
A number of local farmers have completed the harvest of their 2018 soybean and corn crops, but due to wet conditions in some areas and other vagaries of fortune, there are still quite a few acres remaining to be harvested. Mark Wyum states that he does not mind an extended harvest season, though. “As long as the combines are working, there is still the potential for more income.” So, keep those big wheels turning.
The Rutland Community Club met at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 19, in the Rutland Town Hall with President Bonnie Anderson presiding. Secretary Andrea Erickson presented the Minutes of the October meeting, and Treasurer Hal Nelson reported that the Club currently has more than $20,000 on hand for community projects. Club members discussed the follow up to Uff-Da Day, and a few clean up issues that need to be dealt with prior to Uff-Da Day XXXV on the first Sunday in October of 2019. Katie McLaen reported that the 2 “Freezer Meals” sessions that were held in the Town Hall kitchen on October 10 & 17 were very successful, and that more will be planned. She also reported that another “Kids In The Kitchen” program will be held in January. Members discussed the community play and decided to look into contracting with the Missoula Summer Theater program for Children’s Summer Theater in 2019, if grant funding is available. Members voted to authorize Bonnie Anderson to purchase replacement electric roasters for the Town Hall, along with replacement roaster liners for those that are missing, and authorized the expenditure of up to $500.00 for that purpose. Members also voted to contribute $1,000 to support the 5 local students who are participating in the International Ambassadors of Music tour of Europe in the Summer of 2019, and also approved a donation of $1,000 to the City of Rutland for the acquisition and installation of a radar speed limit sign to be installed at the north edge of the City. That donation was in response to a request from the Rutland City Council. The Council explained that the problem of speeding through Main Street has gotten much worse this year, with many drivers, both local and those from out of the area, showing no respect for the posted Speed Limit and little or no concern for children, bike riders and pedestrians on the street. In one instance local law enforcement stopped and ticketed 8 speeders in less than half an hour, and, according to the letter, at least 10 more vehicles tore through the street at a high rate of speed within a few minutes after the officer had departed the scene. The estimated cost of the new Radar Speed Limit sign is $4,200, which the Council plans to fund with a combination of taxpayer’s money and grants from civic groups. One fellow who doesn’t have to be concerned about ground speed limits is Santa Claus, who travels at super-sonic speeds in a sleigh pulled by 8 reindeer, a method of transportation that should be checked out by some metropolitan transit authorities. Katie McLaen reported that Santa Claus is planning to make his 73rd pre-Christmas visit to Rutland since the end of WW II amid festivities that are scheduled to commence at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 15, in the Rutland Town Hall. Santa has promised to consult with kids on their Christmas lists, distribute gift bags of candy , and hand out the Christmas hams donated by local businesses. A soup & sandwich supper, BINGO and crafts for the kids are also on the agenda for Santa Claus Day. Cher Spieker reported that a Community Christmas tree will be provided by the Coteau des Prairies Lodge, the family of Joe & Patty Breker and the family of Doug & Cher Spieker. The tree is expected to be in town before the end of November and will be put up and decorated at the corner of First & Arthur Streets by Santa’s helpers as soon as possible after that. The next meeting of the Rutland Community Club is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 10, in the Rutland Town Hall.
Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – November 30, 2018”The Rooster Crows – November 23, 2018
By Bill Anderson
We’re getting used to Winter. The cold temperatures and 4”-6” inch snowfall that caused a lot of excitement back on October 10 would barely raise an eyebrow these days. The mercury climbed back up into the mid-40’s on Wednesday & Thursday, November 14 & 15, but hit the skids on Friday and has been bumping along in the single digits for morning lows since then. Monday morning’s wind chill reading of -13 did have some of the locals looking for the gloves they had put away at the end of April, and even inspired a few to don a cap. The rain, sleet & snow that arrived on Friday, November 16, brought with it some Slick roads and hazardous driving conditions. Mayor Narum got the worst of it cleared off the City’s streets on Saturday morning, but one hapless driver on ND Highway #11 lost control of his eastbound vehicle while going around the curve on the south side of the Crappie Crossing Slough about 1½ mile east of the intersection with ND Highway #32. The gray mini-van went through the ice amid the cattails on the south side of the highway, proving that 4” of ice is not enough to bear the weight of a vehicle. The mini-van was partially submerged, but reports are that the driver was uninjured. All’s well that ends well.
Joel Susag headed up to Fargo on Friday, November 16, with his brother, Ivan. Ivan & Joel picked up Ivan’s horse trailer and 2 horses at Ivan’s farmstead near Fargo and then started south for Ivan’s winter homestead in Arizona. Joel plans to be at the home of his sister, Sandy, for Thanksgiving, and to return home via Allegiant Airlines on Thursday, November 29. Joel wants to get out of the desert and back to North Dakota before he becomes accustomed to the warm weather and loses his northern prairie toughness.
Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – November 23, 2018”The Rooster Crows – November 16, 2018
By Bill Anderson
Mother Nature has been supplying all of the cold, snow, wind and ice we ever wanted, and more. Tuesday, November 13, registered the lowest temperature of the season, so far, at -1, but that won’t even register on the discomfort scale in a few weeks. Right now, here in Sargent County, we have a bin-busting soybean crop and the most bountiful corn crop in history in the process of being harvested. From cold to corn, we have everything in abundance in North Dakota. You sure can’t beat that!
Roger Pearson and Mac Pherson report that the siege of cold weather has put ice on all of the local lakes and sloughs which had been producing fish a few weeks ago, putting an end to both fishing from a boat and fishing from shore. Mac estimated that the ice on Sprague Lake could be as thick as 4 inches on Tuesday, November 13, which some ice fishing enthusiasts claim is thick enough to walk on. Mac, however, is a little more cautious, preferring at least 6 inches of ice before he ventures out. Roger has no illusions at all about his ability to walk on water, even if it is frozen, and prefers to wait for warm weather and open water, so he can catch his fish while both feet are firmly planted on dry land.
Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – November 16, 2018”The Rooster Crows – November 9, 2018
By Bill Anderson
Snow, wind & cold, those dreaded 4 letter words, hit with certainty on the evening of Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, and the following morning. An inch of snow, a 19-degree temperature and a 5-degree wind chill on Wednesday morning left no doubt that Old Man Winter is well armed for the season. The cold, wet weather has again delayed completion of harvest activities for many farmers, but some are getting close to the finish line. Colin Sundquist reported that 35 acres of soybeans remained to be harvested on the Sundquist farm north of Forman as of Sunday, November 4, and Mike Walstead reported that the soybean harvest had been completed and only 100 acres of corn remained to be threshed out on his Rutland Township farm as of Tuesday, November 6. Mike stated that the 2018 yields were the best he has seen since he started farming nearly 40 years ago. He didn’t want to boast, but if someone accused him of a soybean average of over 50 and a corn average of more than 200, he would have to plead “guilty!” He only wishes that he could plead guilty to $12 beans and $5 corn, and he would gladly accept his sentence with no remorse at all.
Harvey Bergstrom reports that he and Judy were at the Clarion Hotel in Minot on Saturday, November 3, to attend a meeting and banquet sponsored by the Farm Rescue organization. Harvey had suffered a heart attack a year ago, and Farm Rescue stepped in to help get his 900 acres of soybeans planted this past Spring. During the banquet on Saturday evening, several farmers from across the State, including Harvey, spoke of the assistance they had received from Farm Rescue and of their appreciation for what the organization had done. Harvey says that it is a good organization to have by your side, if and when the need arises.
Construction workers have been making progress on The Old Parsonage renovation project at 217 First Street this past week, despite the weather. Calvin Jacobson had his excavator at work and got the foundation and basement excavated, removing more than 600 cubic yards of dirt, clay and rocks. No buried evangelists, dinosaur bones or treasure chests have been discovered, at least none that Calvin is talking about. Strege Construction of Wyndmere had the footing Forms set on Friday, November 2 and the footings were poured on Monday, November 5. The next step is to install plumbing and in-floor heating prior to pouring the basement floor, and then the basement walls will be poured. It is estimated that the old house will be moved onto the new foundation within a week after the basement walls have been installed. After that, it will be a winter project for Buskohl Construction.
Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – November 9, 2018”
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