The Burger is Back!

On By rutlandramblingsIn Rutland Community Club, Rutland HistoryLeave a comment

The burger is back. That’s right folks – and I’m not talking about the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. The Rutland griddle is back in its glory with a fresh coat of paint after spending most of 2024 as a plain black canvas. The first time the grill was painted was in 1985 when one side of the grill was erected at Sanderson Field, and it has been repainted several times. The Rutland Community Club had been working with a local printer to make a canvas to cover the grill as a more permanent solution, but that option fell through. The Community Club found a rostered artist with the ND Council on the Arts who was available to do the work. Marcus Tracy, a visual artist, muralist and teaching artist, spent only a few days in Rutland to complete the burger painting.

The Rutland grill at Sanderson Field is one-half of the skillet used to fry the (then) World’s Largest Hamburger in 1982. Each half of the skillet weighed more than a ton and had 201 square feet of grill space. The hamburger itself was 2½” thick and weighed 3,591 lbs. (raw). A homemade burner was used to cook the meat, and it was rolled flat with a 20-ft rolling pin that was also made by Rutland residents. Turning the burger was not a simple job. An identical plate was lowered by crane to the top of the burger, secured, and the burger was turned by crane and the upper plate removed. It took about two and one-half hours to cook the burger that was served to nearly 10,000 people. Be sure to check out the Rutland Centennial video on the City of Rutland, ND, YouTube channel. The burger is featured at about 13:20 in the video feed.

On July 7, 1982, the Guinness Book of Records of London awarded a Record Certificate stating that the “Rutland Community Club of Rutland, North Dakota, USA did break the Largest Beefburger record with a weight of 3,591 lbs. and diameter 16 feet.” The 1983 Guinness Book of World Records, p.325, still listed the Largest Hamburger (made of beef) on record of 3,020 lb. served in 13,083 portions in City Park, Towner, “Cattle Capitol of North Dakota” on June 18, 1981. However, in the Newly Verified Records section at the end of the book listed the “Largest Hamburger. A weight of 3,591 lb was registered for a hamburger 16 ft in diameter and 2½ in thick, made by the Community Club of Rutland, ND.”

There have been other hamburger records since then and even one flipped hamburger in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1988 when they cooked a 5,100 lb. burger on a 40-foot grill (comprised of 8-ft. sections) and firefighters used a crane to turn it one piece at a time onto smaller grills. That event was BYOB (bring your own buns). In my opinion, if they had a category for a flipped hamburger, Rutland would still hold the record!

Frisbee Golf in Rutland

On By rutlandramblingsIn Life In General1 Comment

This morning, October 12, 2024, several Rutland residents took the opportunity to check out the new Frisbee Golf course in Rutland. The 10-hole Disc Golf course has been under construction for several weeks thanks to the Rutland Park Board and the work of former resident Pete Fust. Pete Fust is a Disc Golf Course Designer who has been designing courses around the world in Europe, Uganda and other countries and throughout the United States for several years and a winner of the World Flying Disc Federation tournament in 1991. The Park Board will hold a dedication in the spring for the course but many residents have already been taking the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and get in some rounds of disc golf!

Rutland Ramblings – Feb. 9, 2024

On By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster Crows1 Comment

Rutland was a busy place again last weekend. On Friday, February 2, the Lariat Bar hosted the third monthly trivia contest. Local residents joined teams from Britton, Wahpeton, and other towns for the competition. At the end of the four rounds, the winning team members were all from Britton. Joey and Tanya Pierson, Jesse and Pat Bolzer, Tom and Bridget Shileny, Jackie Vetlin, and Ben Krista were awarded the trophy again this month and their photo will continue to be displayed on the winner’s shelf in The Lariat. The next round of trivia will be Friday, March 8, beginning promptly at 7 p.m. at the Lariat Bar. The March Trivia event has been postponed one week for the annual Rutland Sportsman’s Club Fish Fry on March 1. Tickets for the 39th Annual Fish Fry are available at the Lariat Bar. The cost is $10 for all you can eat Alaskan pollock, serving 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rutland Town Hall. Kids aged 7 and under eat free.

Fifty pinochle teams were present in the Rutland Town Hall on the morning of Saturday, February 3, when play commenced at the 28th Annual Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament. When the last cards were dealt at on Saturday afternoon, Dick and Larry Larson were declared the winners of the 28th Annual Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle tournament with a score of 1759 points. Local winners were Sam Smith, Wade Anderson, Roger McLaen, Dennis Goltz, Preston Avery, Wyatt Nelson, DeDe Cookson, Corinne Hanson, and Leonard Miller. Stella Bell and Roger McLaen who have played in all 28 tourneys, and Roger and Benita Ziegler have participated in 27 of the tournaments. Scalloped potatoes with ham, cooked carrots, and a variety of homemade desserts was served by the Rutland Community Club. This tournament is held in memory of the late Rudy and Edna Anderson who would have rejoiced in knowing that pinochle is still enjoyed by so many. As Rudy once said, “A place without pinochle may as well roll up the carpet and turn out the lights.” The invitation to the 29th tournament to be held on February 1, 2025, in the Rutland Town Hall was extended to all participants as they departed. Thanks to tournament organizer Sonja Christensen for the above report.

Bill Anderson had a brief hospital stay in Fargo and returned home over the weekend to recuperate. Paul Anderson headed back to Arizona on Sunday, February 4, to enjoy the slightly warmer weather there.

The Rutland City Office will be closed until Monday, March 4th, as the Auditor will be out of the office. Individuals are encouraged to contact the Mayor, Michael Mahrer, any Council member, or Scott Haan with any questions or concerns that need to be addressed during that time. The next Rutland City Council meeting will be Monday, March 11, starting at 5 p.m.

That is it for a while from this writer. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the fish fry. Keep up with Rutland happenings through the website and Facebook and find out the specials at the Lariat Bar on the bar’s Facebook Page. Hope everyone has enjoyed the brief warm spell as it appears that February will return to normal temperature by the end of the week.

Rutland Ramblings – Feb. 2, 2024

On By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

The Rutland City Council met on Monday, January 29, in lieu of a February meeting. The City Auditor informed the Council that two grant applications have been prepared to be submitted to the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District for the City sidewalk project and to replace the city street signs. The Council approved the applications. The Auditor will continue to seek other grant funding sources if these are not approved. There are two delinquent utility accounts in addition to one that is planned to go to small claims court. The City Auditor will not be available in February. The city voice mail will refer individuals to contact Mayor Mahrer or Scott for assistance. Individuals can contact Lori McLaen
regarding any Hall questions. The January water bills will be mailed out this week and the February utility bills will be mailed until after March 4. The next City Council meeting will be Monday, March 11.

The Rutland Vitalant blood drive was held on Tuesday, January 30, at the Rutland Community Center. Janet Kiefer reports that there were twenty donors, nine of whom were walk-in donors. Of those twenty, four were doubles for a total of 23 units of blood donated. There was one first time donor as well.

Bill Anderson was in the hospital in Fargo on Tuesday, January 30, for a brief stay. The report is that everything went well, and he is expected to return home on Thursday, February 1.

Sonja Christensen made her way to Rutland on Friday, February 2, to prepare for the big Anderson Pinochle tournament on Saturday, February 3, starting at 9 a.m. As of Wednesday, there were 49 teams registered according to Sonja, but she is expecting more by the end of the week. The Rutland Community Club will be preparing a scallop potatoes meal for the participants at the tournament. Watch for information on the results of the tournament next week.

That’s it for this week from Rutland. Be sure to check out the new Rutland app for upcoming events and activities. Good reviews have been coming in from users – especially for the weather updates (but then we’ve been having good weather!). Rutland activities and events can also be found on the city website.

Rutland Ramblings – Jan. 26, 2024

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It was a wild and crazy night on Friday, January 19th, when The Fun Pianos – Traveling Dueling Pianos rolled into town. Over 130 people attended the event at the Hall sponsored by the Rutland Community Club. The performers got the crowd involved and played many favorites submitted by those attending. The party, originally scheduled for two hours, rolled into three fun-filled, loud, and rowdy hours. Many of the party goers headed over to finish the night at The Lariat Bar.

Katie McLaen reported that she is Grandma – again – with the birth of Millie Eve LaCroix on Thursday, January 18th. Millie entered the world at 2:05 a.m. in Fargo weighing 7 lbs., 6 oz., and 19 inches long. Millie, named after “Millie” McLaen and Katherine “Eve” McLaen, joins older sister Charlotte. Proud parents are Catie and Cody LaCroix. Congratulations to the parents and grandparents on the new bundle of joy.

The Rutland City Council will hold its next meeting on Monday, January 29, starting at 5 p.m. in City Hall. The meeting is always open to the public and the agenda can be viewed on the City’s website. Be sure to check that out. Come attend the meeting to see what’s happening in town and what issues the Council is facing. If you are interested, be sure to grab the Petition for Nomination to run for a position on the City Council or Park Board. The positions of Mayor, two City Council Members, and three Park Board positions will be on the June ballot. Election petitions can be circulated and are due to the City Auditor by 4 p.m. on April 8, 2024.

The Rutland Vitalant Blood Drive will be held on Tuesday, January 30th, at Rutland City Hall starting at 2:45 p.m. If you haven’t already been called and are willing to donate, you can register online at Vitalant or just drop by the Hall before 6 p.m. to make your donation.

The teams are registering for the annual Anderson Pinochle tournament scheduled for Saturday, February 3, at the Rutland Hall. Sonja Christensen is organizing the event, and the Rutland Community Club will be serving the noon meal. Game time starts promptly at 9 a.m. If you are not yet registered, be sure to give Sonja a call at 701-642-6793. The cost is $40 per couple. The tournament is always a fun time and the teams are very competitive.

There is always something happening in Rutland. Remember to mark Friday, March 1, on your calendar for the annual Rutland Sportsmans Club Fish Fry that will be held that evening. Watch for information in the Teller.