Tag: The Old Parsonage

The Rooster Crows – December 14, 2018

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By Bill Anderson

Santa Claus is coming to town! Jolly old St. Nick is scheduled to arrive in Rutland shortly after 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 15, making his 73rd pre-Christmas visit to the community since flight restrictions were eased after the end of World War II. He might have some tough sledding, though, as a warm-up has been scheduled for the weekend, and the daytime high in Rutland on Friday & Saturday is predicted to be in the upper 30’s. Well, Santa is a clever fellow, and he’ll figure out how to cope with any adversity. The Rutland Community Club will host Santa in the Rutland Town Hall with a reception featuring a soup & sandwich supper, BINGO, crafts and games for the kids, and a chance for the jolly old elf to visit with local children and have his picture taken with them. Christmas hams donated for the event by local Rutland businesses will also be awarded to the lucky winners. Everyone in the community is invited to participate in Santa Claus Day activities in Rutland on Saturday, December 15.

A large and enthusiastic crowd of family and friends gathered in the dining room of The Lariat Bar in Rutland on the evening of Friday, November 30, to celebrate the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Jim & Ione Lunneborg of this community. Those in attendance enjoyed a delicious supper of pulled pork, baked potatoes and salads catered by the staff at the bar, as well as reminiscing with good friends about good times throughout the evening. The following report was furnished by Ione: “We were married November 30, 1968, at the Lutheran Church in Cogswell. We lived and worked in Fargo until Jim was drafted, and we then spent a year in Germany where he was stationed at a U. S. Army Base. We returned to the states and moved to the Rutland area in the Fall and started farming in 1971. We moved to our current home place in Shuman Township in October of 1976. Our kids, Eric and Sherry Lunneborg and Marne and Aaron Franklin hosted our celebration at the Lariat. Friends and family joined us to share memories and wish us well. The kids along with our grandson, Noah Ward, were guests at our home for a few days over the weekend. We enjoyed every minute of it!” Thanks to Ione for the report, and congratulations to Jim & Ione for 50 years on the path of life together.

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The Rooster Crows – November 16, 2018

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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.

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The Rooster Crows – November 9, 2018

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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.

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The Rooster Crows – October 26, 2018

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By Bill Anderson

Soybean harvest has been going strong since Wednesday, October 17. The temperature climbed way up to 73 on Thursday, October 18, 60 on Friday, October 19, but only 37 on Saturday, the 20th, before climbing back up into the high 40’s and mid-50’s through Wednesday, the 24th. Mark Wyum reports that yields are fluctuating from 40 bu. Per acre to 60 bu. Per acre, with the average being somewhere in the mid to upper 40’s range. Mark states that he made the mistake of harvesting his best fields first, so he has been disappointed with the declining per acre average yield of the bean harvest since then. Cameron Gulleson reports results similar to those reported from the Wyum Farm, with the average running about 47 bushels per acre. The yields would be considered to be good, if commodity prices were at their pre-tariff, pre-trade war levels. Depressed prices and rising interest rates – we have been down this route before. A philosopher once made the statement, “Those who will not learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.” Is that a school bell, or an alarm bell, we hear ringing? Either way, there could be a lesson coming at us.

Rutland natives David & Pat Kulzer, accompanied by their dog, Buster, departed Rutland, bound for their home on the west slope of the Rocky Mountains, in the Swan River Valley of northwestern Montana, on Friday, October 12. They arrived at their mountain home on Sunday, October 14, and the following report was received from Pat: “…Weary Dave & I arrived home about 3 pm yesterday. We decided to take the shortest route home, via Highway 200, but the cold northwest wind on Saturday made it a long day’s drive from Dickinson to Lewistown. Today begins a weather warmup and for the next week we’re supposed to enjoy temps in the high 60s. Having so recently experienced rain, wind, cold, snow, more wind & blizzard, we will definitely enjoy this Indian Summer! The tamaracks and aspens are bright gold now, so the scenery is beautiful, too…” Thanks to Pat for the report, and the Rutland community thanks the Kulzers for helping out during Uff-Da Day activities on Sunday, October 7.Jesse & Marcia Brakke of this community headed for Stillwater MN on the afternoon of Thursday, October 11 to help with wedding preparations for Jesse’s son, James Brakke of Stillwater, and James’ fiancé, Miss Sydney Koch, a native of Fargo ND. The couple were married on the afternoon of Saturday, October 13, in a ceremony at a Unitarian Church near Stillwater. The groom is the son of Jesse Brakke of Rutland and the late Michelle (Garot) Brakke. The bride is the daughter of Randy & Jean Koch of Fargo. Among those who traveled from a distance to celebrate with the bride & groom were James’ maternal grandparents, James & Diana Garot of Oceanside CA, James’ uncle, Bob Garot of New York City NY, and John Welch, a lifelong friend, from Charleston SC. James, a 2010 graduate of SCHS and a 2016 graduate of the NDSU School of Pharmacy, is employed as a pharmacist at the Walmart Pharmacy in New Richmond WI. The couple will be making their home in Stillwater MN. Their many friends in Rutland extend their congratulations to James & Sydney on the occasion of their wedding, and best wishes to them for a long and happy life together.

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The Rooster Crows – October 5, 2018

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By Bill Anderson

The 34th Annual Uff-Da Day Fall Festival in Rutland is coming up this Sunday, October 7. There has been some concern expressed about the weather, but, the old saying is, “The Sun always shines on Rutland, even when it’s raining!” and this year will be no exception. Rain or shine; warm, cold or somewhere in between; the show will go on! Uff-Da Day will begin with the Uff-Da Day Classic 5k Run/Walk, commencing at the intersection of First and Cooper Streets (County #10 and #3) at 8:00 a.m. followed by the opening of the craft booths by 10:00 a.m. Demonstrations, food stands and dinner at the Rutland Town Hall are all scheduled to be up and running by 11:00 a.m. The Uff-Da Day Parade will be stepping off at its assembly area on Dakota Street at 1:00 p.m., with candidates for public office of all political persuasions, from County Commission to U.S. Senate being prominently featured, and the Kids Pedal Tractor Pull is scheduled to take place on Main Street, right after the parade and the Nickel Scramble, at about 2:00 p.m. There will also be one of the best antique and classic car shows in the region, horse drawn wagon and buggy rides throughout the day, as well as inflatable games for the kids. Demonstrations of pioneer crafts will be going on throughout the day. At 3:00 p.m. the First Annual Uff-Da Day Nor-Ski competition will pit teams of 4 cross country skiers against each other with the winning team to receive bragging rights for 1 year and other fabulous trophies. Unlike most cross-country ski races, though, this one will put all 4 team members on the same pair of skis at the same time. The Kulzer Family Team of Kalispell MT has challenged all comers, so get your teams and strap on those skis! Lefse Lena and the Rommegrot Queen will be on hand all day long at the Senior’s Center to show folks how to create those Scandinavian staples the old-fashioned way, the way Grandma made them. Over in the Rutland Fire Hall, the Park Board will be serving up Uff-Da Tacos, something that Grandma and Grandpa never heard of, but which they would have wished that they had. Visitors can pick up a free copy of the 2018 issue of The Rutland Leader that contains more information about Uff-Da Day activities and events, as well as local history, at the Information Booth on Main Street. Uff-Da Day XXXIV chairperson Marcia Brakke, and the entire Uff-Da Day Committee, invite everyone who enjoys good food, good friends and a good time to come on over to Rutland on Sunday, October 7, for Uff-Da Day XXXIV. Uff-Da Day XXXV is scheduled for the first Sunday in October, October 6, 2019.

The Prairiewood Vineyard & Winery of Elliot ND has presented an Uff-Da Day wine tasting display of its North Dakota vintages on the porch of The Old Parsonage for the past several years, but, with The Old Parsonage up in the air, the Uff-Da Day wine tasting will be held in the Pioneer House, just south of The Rutland Depot Museum, on the west side of Main Street. John & Julie Steffes, owners of Prairiewood Vineyard & Winery will also have their North Dakota wines on sale, by the bottle or by the case. Try it, you’ll like it.

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The Rooster Crows – September 28, 2018

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By Bill Anderson

The rain that began on Wednesday evening, September 19, and continued throughout Thursday and into the early hours of Friday, September 21, proved once again that while it may rain on the just and the unjust, alike, it does not rain in equal amounts. Neighbors Norbert Kulzer and Roger Pearson report .9 of an inch and .8 of an inch respectively, while a block down the street Paul Anderson’s electronic gauge measured 1.11 inch of precipitation. Jim Lunneborg reported “an even inch” at his farm in Shuman Township, and Mark Wyum’s rain gauge also recorded an inch at his Ransom Township farm. It was raining “pennies from Heaven,” in Havana, though, reports Rutland Bank Station Manager Shawn Klein, as her rain gauge showed 1.4 inch of precipitation on Friday morning. After 3 days of pleasant weather for the weekend, a drizzly rain settled in on Monday and Tuesday, September 24 & 25, bringing harvest activities to a halt, but only leaving ¼ of an inch of precipitation in its wake. The weather forecasters are projecting the first frost of the season for this weekend, and that should get the combines rolling at full speed. Soybean growers have been informed that the $12 Billion Trump Tariff Bail-out fund will pay $1.62 per bushel on ½ of their soybean bushels, or ½ of $1.62 on all of their bushels, whichever makes them feel better. The cost bases for beans in Sargent County is now at $1.75 per bushel, so it won’t come close to making anyone whole, but, as the old-timers would say, “It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.” Can’t argue with that.

Nineteen volunteers, some veterans of the 2018 Uff-Da Day Lefse Campaign along with some new trainees, gathered at the Rutland Town Hall on the morning of Thursday, September 20, and made 1,261 sand cakes for this year’s Uff-Da Day event. Another crew of similar composition worked on Krumkake, those paper-thin cone shaped pastries, on Tuesday, September 25. The following report was obtained from Uff-Da Day Chairperson Marcia Brakke: “… We made 917 krumkake on Tuesday, September 25, in the Town Hall kitchen. Half were packaged for sale in packages of 5 and the rest went into tins to serve at the Scandinavian Dinner at the town hall on Uffda Day. We finished this task in approximately 2 hours, made 11 double batches, and had fun to boot. Takk skal de ha!” There is no report on how many sandkaker and Krumkake had to be taste tested by Quality Control at the time they were made, but it appears that all involved had an enjoyable time, and justifiably so. The schedule for Uff-Da Day XXXIV on Sunday, October 7, is as follows: 8 AM The “Uff-Da Day Classic” 5K Walk/Run commences at the City Maintenance Building on the south end of Main Street, at the corner of First & Cooper; All Day – Rutland Depot Museum and 1 room School House exhibit on Main Street; All Day – antique, classic and downright interesting Car Show on Gay Street; 10 AM Craft Booths at Bank, Rutland Oil Co. building, Erickson Building (the former Ink’s/Bohn’s/Lariat Bar building) and at other locations in the downtown area of metropolitan Rutland; 10 AM Sale of Packaged Lefse, Sandkaker, Krumkake and Uffda Day 2018 T-Shirts at Legion Hall/Rutland Fitness Center on the corner of Gay & Bagley Streets; 11 AM Old Parsonage Antiques & collectibles shop, with Wine Tasting on the Front Porch at 217 First Street; 11 AM “Bounce house” games for kids on Gay Street, across from the Rutland Town Hall; 11 AM Scandinavian treats, Demonstrations & sale, at Senior Center on Main Street, with Live Musical Entertainment; 11 AM Abelskivers, hot from the pan, in front of the Legion Hall/Fitness Center; 11 AM Uffda Tacos at the Rutland Fire Hall on Bagley Street; 11 AM Scandinavian dinner Featuring Rutland Scalloped Potatoes, made with real Hand-cut Ham, real potatoes and real Cream, Scandinavian Delicacies and Live musical Entertainment; 1 PM Uffda Day Parade commencing on Dakota Street, west on Gay Street, north on Ross Street, west on Front Street and south on Main Street; 1:45 PM Nickel Scramble on Main Street, in front of the Depot Museum and the Erickson Building; 2 PM Pedal Pull Challenge on Main Street; 3 PM “Nor-Ski” 1st Annual Competition at the corner of Bagley & Gay Streets. There’s Free Parking all over town; Handicapped Spaces are Available at convenient locations; and there’s an Information Booth on Main Street in case you get lost and need a hug. Come early and stay late! Rutland is the place to be, and Uff-Da Day is the event to see, on Sunday, October 7, 2018.

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