Tag: Rutland Roosters

The Rooster Crows – March 10, 2023

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By Bill Anderson

As of Friday, March 10, the arrival of Spring, the Vernal Equinox, on Monday, March 20, will be only 10 days into the future. So far, though, there is no sign of the imminent arrival of spring-like weather conditions on the horizon. The weather gurus just predict more snow on more snow, without any letup in sight. The old timers used to advise that Spring, in all her glory, would not arrive until after Easter, which is on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox. In 2023 Easter will be on Sunday, April 9, so don’t look for any nice weather until then, unless an exception to “The Old Timers’ Rule” is found, and then all bets are off.

The actual snowfall amount from the blizzard of Tuesday February 28 and Wednesday, March 1, was higher than the 5 to 9 inches that had been originally predicted. Sargent County Sheriff Travis Paeper was of the opinion that about 10 inches of new snow had fallen on Forman and vicinity by Thursday afternoon. Rutland’s City snow removal specialist, Scott Haan, was of the opinion that Rutland had been blessed with more than 12 inches of the stuff. The snowfall on Sunday, March 5 and the early morning of Monday, March 6, deposited about 2 inches of new snow on the Rutland area, according to City Maintenance worker Scott Haan, with the amount decreasing to the north and east, while Havana reported 7 inches of new snow, with the amount increasing to the south and west. Rutland folks don’t mind being on the short end of snowfall totals at this time of year.

The United States, at least most of it, switches to Daylight Savings Time at 2:00 a.m. this coming Sunday, March 12. At 2:00 in the morning on the appointed day we will all spring one hour into the future, resetting our clocks and watches to 3:00 a.m. We will continue to live an hour ahead of where we would have been without Daylight Savings Time until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 5, when we will all fal back into the past one hour, regaining the hour of sleep we lost on the morning of March 12. One of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, first proposed Daylight Savings Time in America in an effort to save on candles during the Revolutionary War. As there were no Standard Time Zones at the time, though, and every community set its clocks, if it had any, by the Sun, the idea did not catch on. American and Canadian railroads adopted the Standard Time Zones on November 19, 1883, in an effort to keep their trains from running into each other. In 1918, during World War I, the Congress made the railroad’s Standard Time Zones the law of the land, and imposed Daylight Savings Time on the entire nation, as part of the war effort to save on energy. The Day light Savings Time provisions of that measure were repealed in 1919. During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt imposed Daylight Savings Time on the entire nation again, in February of 1942, proclaiming it to be “War Time”, and it remained in effect until the War ended in September of 1945. After World War II, some States continued to use Daylight Savings Time during the Summer months, usually between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and some States just stayed with Standard Time. Minnesota adopted the summer use of Daylight Savings Time, and some of North Dakota’s larger cities on its eastern border, such as Fargo, also adopted it. Later on, North Dakotans approved an initiated measure that outlawed Daylight Savings Time and made Standard Time, or, as Rutland’s John Narum called it, “God’s Time,” the official time of the State. In 1973, during the Arab oil embargo, President Nixon imposed year-round Daylight Savings Time on the entire country as an emergency measure to conserve energy. A lot of people, including John Narum, did not like Daylight Savings Time during the Winter months, and Congress later put Nixon’s proclamation aside with the adoption of the current National Law on the subject. The law has been modified from time to time, but, so far, it has caused no insurrections or revolutions in the Lower 48. John Narum never did adopt Daylight Savings Time, and kept his watch set on Standard Time to the end of his days, and, presumably beyond.

All roads led to Rutland on the evening of Friday, March 3, as fish fry aficionados headed for the little city that can to enjoy the most recent incarnation of the Rutland Sportsmen’s Club’s Annual Great Northern Pike Fish Fry at the Rutland Town Hall. According to Club President, Shannon Hajek, 246 free will donors contributed $4,263.00 for Sargent County’s Food Pantry. Once again, there was fierce competition between the pan fryers and the deep fryers for the public’s favor, and at least one pretty girl, a Rutland native, preferred the deep fried version. The competition is expected to continue into 2024, however, and both groups are fine-tuning their spices and techniques in preparation for next year’s fish fry on Friday, March 1, 2024. Don’t miss it. It’s the best known, and the best tasting, fish fry in the Tri-State region.

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The Rooster Crows – July 8, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

What would the 4th of July be without fireworks? There was quite a display of fireworks from every corner of Rutland commencing about 10:30 p.m. on the evening of Sunday, July 3, but Mother Nature topped off the evening an hour or so later with a Thunder & Lightning sound and light show of her own. She even added half an inch of rain for effect. 

The heat and humidity of recent weeks, coupled with plenty of soil moisture and a few timely rains, have had crops in this area literally jumping out of the ground. Despite having been planted only a little over a month ago, local cornfields had all surpassed the traditional “knee high by the 4th of July” indicator of a good crop coming. Well, a lot can happen between now and harvest time, and we don’t want to be counting our chickens before they’re hatched, or our corncobs before they’re picked.

Rutland’s City Election was held back on Tuesday, June 14, in conjunction with the North Dakota State Primary Election. The City had two 4-year terms on the Council up for election, and one 2-year term to fill out, Bert Siemieniewski’s unexpired term. Incumbents Rodney Erickson and Lori McLaen had filed petitions to be put on the ballot for the 4-year terms, and both were elected. No one had filed for the 2-year term, though, and some voters wrote in their choice for the position. The result was a tie, with Kathy Wyum and Bill Anderson each receiving four write-in votes. At the Council’s Reorganization meeting on Tuesday, June 28, the two names were put on slips of paper and placed in a bucket. The Council selected the winner by drawing out one name. Bill Anderson was declared to be the victor as the result of his name being drawn. No claims of election fraud, stolen election or shenanigans at the polling place have been made by either Kathy or Bill, and no riotous crowds have assaulted the Rutland Town Hall as the result of the election’s outcome. Bill had previously served on the Council from 1978 to 1985. He says that he intends to work with Mayor Mahrer; City Auditor Banish; and the other Council members: Rodney Erickson; Delores Lysne; and Lori McLaen; to maintain & improve Rutland’s services and infrastructure. In other business at the Reorganization meeting the Council set the first Monday of each month, with the exception of those months in which the first Monday is a legal holiday, as the Council’s regular meeting date; re-appointed Debbie Banish as City Auditor; re-appointed Mike Basingthwaite of Interstate Engineering as City Engineer; and, reappointed Attorney LeeAnn Even as City Attorney. The next meeting of the Rutland City Council is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 11, at the Rutland City Hall.

Rutland native Harold Young, now a resident of Mesa AZ, arrived in Rutland on the evening of Thursday, June 23, intending to vacation in his old hometown for a couple of weeks. Harold brought Arizona’s heat and North Dakota’s humidity together for a tropical experience. This is Harold’s first visit in Rutland since the Summer of 2019, pre-pandemic. This time, he was here for the interment ceremony for his mother, Gwendolyn (Prindiville) Young, on July 2, and said that he planned to start working his way back to Arizona on July 6.

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The Rooster Crows – June 17, 2022

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By Bill Anderon

Despite the wet Spring that had delayed field work until the end of May, this community was pleased to get the rain that fell on Friday night, June 10. As soon as it doesn’t rain for a few days, a true North Dakotan starts to worry that it will never rain again, or, that when it does rain it will be too much, too little or in the wrong place. It can’t be helped. It’s in the blood. Roger Pearson reported .3 of an inch in his rain gauge on Saturday morning, while his next-door neighbor, Norbert Kulzer, had .4 of an inch in his gauge a few feet away. Norbert’s reading was matched by the .4 in Lary Arneson’s gauge, 2 blocks to the west. Chuck Anderson reported .37 of an inch at his Weber Township farm6 miles southwest of town; Harvey Bergstrom reported .31 of an inch in the gauge at his farm 3 miles south of Cayuga; and, Kurt Breker had .3 of an inch in his gauge 1 mile south of Cayuga. Another .1 or .2 of an inch was scattered across the countryside on Sunday & Monday, helping to keep lawn mowers and mosquito swatters busy. Well, the old timers used to say that it always dries up after a wet spell. We’ll just have to find out if they knew what they were talking about.

The Annual Rutland Community Block Party opened up at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, with more than 100 community residents and over 3,000 water balloons on hand for the festivities. The Rutland Volunteer Fireman manned the grills, turning out burgers, bratwursts, and hot dogs for participants, and also provided water game facilities for the community’s youth. During the Block Party, Miss Abbie Erickson, daughter of Rodney & Andrea Erickson, and a Senior at Sargent Central High School, was crowned “Miss Rutland 2022; and, Corbin Carlson, son of Bryce & Casee (Hawkinson) Carlson, and Lilith Pavek, daughter of Corey & Sarah (McLaen) Pavek, were awarded the titles of Mr. & Miss Lefse for the coming year. All 3 of Rutland’s reigning royals will be in the 2022 Uff-Da Day Parade on Sunday, October 2, 2022. The Rutland Community Block Party is held each year to give the community’s present, former and future residents an opportunity to get acquainted and re-acquainted, to talk over old times and to make plans for future good times. Thanks to Rutland Community Club President Katie McLaen for the information in this report.

Katie McLaen also reports that the Rutland Community Club met at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 13, at the Rutland Town Hall. The meeting was short. It was reported that the stage curtains in the Town Hall had been repaired and cleaned; and, that lefse production for Uff-Da Day 2022 will commence with a morning and an evening session on Thursday, June 16. Check the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com and the Rutland Facebook page for more information about the dates and times for future sessions. Fourteen sessions have been scheduled between mid-June and mid-August, so far.

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The Rooster Crows – June 10, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

“There’s naught so rare as a day in June,” the late Earl W. Anderson used to say, and the first week of June 2022 proved the accuracy of his observation. Warm, sunny days, blue skies and gentle breezes replaced the cold, raging winds that were our constant companions throughout the Winter and Spring. Local farmers are still finding it difficult to locate fields that are dry enough to work in, but conditions are markedly improved from what they were in May. Mark Wyum reports that he has been “coltering” around sloughs in some fields in order to get them dried out enough to plant a few more acres. The piece of equipment that Mark is using for his task has shanks that are about a foot apart, and 2 colter blades attached per shank. Old timers remember a colter as a straight bladed disc that ran ahead of a plowshare, opening the ground to make it easier to keep the plow in the ground. Well, nobody plows any more, but the colter still has a use. The implement Mark is using is 41 feet wide and can cover a lot of territory when the need arises, as it has this Spring.

Despite some encouraging news about a month ago, the Post Office situation in Rutland has returned to the same old same old of no information; no action; no service; and no Post Office. Rodney Erickson reports that, as of Thursday, June 2, he has heard nothing further from the Postal Service office in Colorado that had previously informed him that it would be 1 or 2 months until they could get someone to Rutland to take a look at available facilities. One hundred sixty years ago, the Pony Express could deliver the U.S. Mail across the trackless wilderness from St. Joseph MO to San Francisco CA in 10 days. Of course, those horses are a lot older now, and may have slowed down some. Perhaps the Postal Service officials involved could hook a ride from Colorado to North Dakota on a Coors beer truck. Those trucks seem to be able to make the trip in a couple of days. The drivers must be properly motivated.

On the brighter side, the Waloch-Johnson Insurance Agency has informed this writer that Ms. Michelle Sagvold has been hired to run the agency’s Rutland office. Ms. Sagvold is still in the process of training and getting licensed, and a firm starting date for her take over of the Rutland office has not yet been set. Waloch-Johnson’s many clients in the Rutland community are looking forward to having a full-time agent in the local office once again.

Correction: The wedding of Miss Hailey Hamilton and Mr. Evan Wyum was on Friday, May 27, not on Saturday, May 28, as was reported in The Rooster Crows last week. Apologies for the error are extended to the bride & groom. Despite the incorrect information that appeared in this column last week, Hailey & Evan are definitely officially married and living happily ever after at their home in Fargo.

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The Rooster Crows – May 27, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Last Spring, it was too dry. This Spring, it’s too wet. On the average, though, it’s just right. This Spring, the weather has not been cooperating with the Spring planting plans of farmers in this area. Just when it seems that fields will get dry enough to allow the spring’s work to proceed, along comes another bolt of lightning, rumble of thunder and a quarter inch of rain to keep things at a standstill. With the market prices of wheat, corn and soybeans all in the high to higher range, this is the year to have a crop to sell. The fact that the weather is preventing that crop from getting planted is the cause of anxious impatience among local producers. About the only individuals more nervous about the situation than local farmers are local bankers. On the bright side, at least our farmers know that their bankers are concerned about their health, both physical and financial. The old timers used to say that whatever the weather was like on Memorial Day was a good indicator of what it would be like throughout the rest of the growing season, and every now and then the old timers were right.

Speaking of Memorial Day, Carolyn Christensen, an officer of the Rutland American Legion Auxiliary, says that the holiday will be back to normal in 2022, after 2 years of Covid-19 disruption. In Rutland, Memorial Day observances on the morning of Monday, May 30, will begin with military rites conducted by Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion at the Nordland Cemetery, 1½ mile east and ½ mile south of town, followed by military rites at the Rutland Cemetery on the east edge of town at 10:30 a.m. A program produced by the American Legion Auxiliary will be presented at 11:00 a.m. in the Rutland Town Hall, followed by the traditional community pot-luck dinner, also in the Town Hall. Everyone is invited to participate in Memorial Day observances in Rutland on Monday, May 30.

Bruce Burke of Seattle WA stopped in Rutland on the afternoon of Thursday, May 19, doing some research for a personal family history project. Mr. Burke grew up in Breckenridge MN, but the Burke family traces its history back to Rutland and the Great Northern Railway. Bruce’s parents were Harvey & Alice Burke; his grandparents were Rutland natives John & Anna (Spande) Burke; his great-aunt was the late Bertha (Spande) Penfield; and his great-grandparents were Knud & Alisa Spande. Knud & Alisa Spande owned & occupied the house at 309 Gay Street that is now owned by Paul Anderson, from 1918 until Alisa Spande’s death in 1958. The house had been built by Paul’s grandparents, Ole & Julia Anderson, back in 1909. Prior to moving to town, the Spandes had farmed south of Silver Lake. Bruce has a vivid memory of an event that occurred at the Spande house in Rutland back in the early 1950’s, when he was a small boy of about 4 or 5 years of age. It seems that there was an unused water well in the backyard that had been covered over with an old door. Being a boy of some energy, Bruce decided to take a run and jump on the center of that old door. When he did so, the deteriorated boards broke and down went Bruce. Fortunately, as he went through the door he stuck his elbows out and caught himself on the edges of the hole he had made, leaving his head sticking out, above the door, and his feet dangling just above the water in the well. He said that he can still remember looking down and seeing the cold water just beneath his feet. Bruce’s Dad, Harvey Burke, rushed to his assistance and pulled him to safety. Bruce said that he can’t remember just what his Dad said to his great-grandfather about the continued existence of that well, but he’s pretty sure that it was powerful. It had been Bruce’s intention to take a picture of the old well, if any evidence of it still existed. He could not find any trace of the well but was pleased to find that the house is in excellent condition and still looks much as it did back when his great-grandparents first bought it 104 years ago. Mr. Burke had taken the long way around to get to Rutland. He had driven through Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota to get here. He had stopped in New Mexico to take a look at the Air Force Base at which he had been stationed back in the late 60’s, and in Nebraska to visit some students he had taught there back in the 70’s. He was surprised to find that the teen-age students he remembered are now in their 60’s. Time marches on. Mr. Burke was visiting at the home of his cousin, the daughter of the late Jim & Nellie (Burke) McCulloch, at Ottertail Lake MN during his stay in this area. He planned to be heading back to Seattle on Saturday, May 21, and hoped to make it home in 3 or 4 days via I-94 & I-90.

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The Rooster Crows – July 16, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

It really rained after the rain was over. The rain showers started at about 10:00 p.m. on Friday, July 9, and, after about .1 to .2 of an inch had fallen here, the TV weather reporters declared that it was all over. No more rain for the foreseeable future. the weather gurus may have their charts, insights, incense and incantations to guide them, but the weather gods are not to be trifled with. No one tells them what to do. After the rain was officially over, the clouds opened up to give Rutland and vicinity another .5 to .8 of an inch of much needed precipitation. Norbert Kulzer reported a full 1 inch in his rain gauge, while next door neighbor, Roger Pearson, measured .75 of an inch in his. Chuck Sundlie reported .8 of an inch in his gauge on Saturday morning, but he had dumped out what he estimates to have been about .2 of an inch when the rain stopped the first time. Harvey Bergstrom reported .83 of an inch at his farm 2½ miles south of Cayuga; Kurt Breker measured .62 of an inch at his farm 1 mile south of Cayuga; Mark Wyum received .6 of an inch at his farm northeast of Rutland; Chuck Anderson came in with the low reading for the event of .43 of an inch at his farm in Weber Township, between Rutland & Havana; and, Cam Gulleson’s rain gauge 1½ mile east of town gets the prize for the highest reading at 1.11 inch on Saturday morning. Several of the Assembled Wise Men around the coffee table at the Rutland Seniors Center on Saturday morning even observed that the grass was beginning to turn green, again. So, in the “Every Silver Lining Has Its Cloud” department, now they will have to start mowing lawns, again.

The 26th District Democratic-NPL Party’s Executive Committee met at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 8, in the Community Room of the Stock Grower Bank’s Rutland Station. District Chairman Jim Dotzenrod of Wyndmere had called the meeting to discuss the need to plan for the re-drawing of District boundaries by the Legislature later this year, the need to prepare for a possible legislative election in the event new District boundaries result in a significant change in the population of the District; and, to plan for a rally/fund-raiser in cooperation with District #25 on Thursday, August 19 at the Joel Heitkamp residence at Lake Elsie, near Hankinson. About a dozen members of the Executive Committee were present, including former legislators Jerry Kelsh of Fullerton and Al Peterson of Forman. Notices of the upcoming Rally/Fund-Raiser will be published on-line, as well as in the local newspapers in Sargent, Dickey, Ransom & Richland Counties. Officers of the 26th District Dem-NPL for 2021-22 are: Jim Dotzenrod, Chairman; Jayne Pfau & Cameron Gulleson, Vice Chairpersons; Bryce Carlson, Secretary; and, Sheila Wyum, Treasurer.

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