The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on March 27, 1958.
 
Merchants To Hold Annual Easter Bunny Day Saturday
 
Free Candy For Children Ages 5 Through 12
Luverne’s second annual “Easter Bunny Day” will be held here Saturday, under the auspices of the Luverne Civic and Commerce Association promotion committee.
Free bags of Easter candy will be provided for youngsters ages 5 to 12, inclusive, and plans have been made to make the candy available to about 1,000 children from the Luverne trade area.
Two life-size Easter Bunnies will be on hand to help with the distribution of the candy, and to visit with the small fry, according to Stan Remme, promotion committee chairman.
In each bag of candy will be a slip of paper, or coupon, bearing the name of a Luverne business firm. These coupons should be signed by the child and brought to the business firm whose name is printed on it. In return for the coupon, the child will receive a ticket good for the Saturday afternoon matinee at the Palace Theatre the following Saturday.
Special Prizes
         There will be special prizes too – about 75 of them in all – which will be given by the participating business firms to the children who get the special coupons in their bags of candy.
         In addition, all the coupons will be collected and a drawing will be made between the afternoon shows on April 5, and the person whose name is drawn will receive a new bicycle.
         “Last year, when we tried this for the first time, everybody had a lot of fun,” said Mr. Remme, “and we hope to have the same kind of good time this year. We expect to have plenty of help so that children won’t have to wait in line too long for their bags of candy, and we’re planning on having some real good children’s movies the following week for those who come to get their free candy this week. Details as to the time of the movies will be announced next week.”
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on March 20, 1958.
 
Organization Of Industrial Group Completed
 
Corporation To Promote New Business Here
Articles of incorporation for the Luverne Industrial Corp. were completed this week and sent to the Minnesota Secretary of State for filing, it was reported yesterday.
The  new corporation is the group that will spearhead this community’s drive to obtain new industry and business. It will become an active, functioning body as soon as the secretary of state signs the certificate of incorporation.
Meeting Today
A meeting for members of the corporation and anyone else who is interested in promoting the community will be held at 4 p.m. today in the room above the city hall.
Membership to the new organization, which is strictly a non-profit group, is $25. That is a minimum but the top is “wide open.” All funds will be used for the betterment and development of the city of Luverne and for benevolent purposes.
The articles of incorporation point out that the organization is designed to encourage and promote development of industries and business, commercial and otherwise, to benefit the community. Income will not benefit members or directors.
Nine Directors
There are to be nine directors in the new corporation. The first directors, which are included in the articles, are Ray R. Frick, L. R. Brinkman, Lloyd Rapp, W. J. Brakke, Mort Skewes, Rodger Jensen, L. U. Tollefson, Magnus Christensen and Jack Smith.
Eight of the directors are elected by members, while the ninth director will automatically be the president of the Luverne Civic and Commerce Association, during his tenure in office. If he cannot accept the position, he may delegate it to another C & C officer.
Pilot Committee
Early interest in forming the corporation was initiated by the C & C’s business development committee, with Ray Frick and Larry Brinkman as co-chairmen. The committee has already contacted various business and industrial firms about the advantages of moving to Luverne.
Members who signed the articles of incorporation, besides the directors, are: R. H. Creeger, C. H. Hatting, W. J. Estenson, Dr. D. M. Odland, L. A. McClure, William J. Wendt, H. S. Hansen, Chester Holm and Donald Hanson.
Benefits that a city and its surrounding area receive from added industry and business has been outlined in talks here and has been a factor in the origination of industrial development corporations in many Minnesota cities.
Support Necessary
Strong support of Luverne’s corporation is the key to success, members of the group emphasize, and everyone is invited to join the group and contribute as much as they can.
The non-profit corporation will not subject its members to personal liability and no corporate stock will be issued. If it should dissolve at any time, funds left in the corporation’s treasury will revert to the C & C or its successor, and if there is no such group as that, the city of Luverne will inherit the funds.
Directors will elect their officers at a meeting as soon as the articles of incorporation are approved by the state. That is expected in a few days.
In the meantime, the public is invited to attend the meeting today to help chart the progress of the city and the surrounding community.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on February 25, 1954.
 
Board Sets Mar. 26 To Vote On School Bonds
 
To Cost about $22.30 For Each $1,000 Assessed Valuation
Continued from last week. 
New School, Two Stories High
The new building will be two stories high with the shops housed in one story units. Besides the regular classrooms, there will be special departments such as science, laboratories, economics rooms, FFA, etc.
The present high school building will be remodeled into an elementary building and will include two kindergarten units each consisting of two rooms, changing of several walls to increase the size of the rooms to adapt them to elementary needs, hot lunch facilities and remodeling of heating and ventilating.
The kindergarten rooms will have their own lavatories.
The elementary grades will include kindergarten, and grades one through six while the new building will include grades seven through 12. The new building will be approximately 554 feet long and 340 feet wide at its widest portion. It will be constructed of glass blocks with three foot aluminum windows at the base.
Calling for the bond election capped many months of research and fact finding on the parts of many persons, both in the rural districts and the city of Luverne.
The architects feel that this is the best possible school that the Luverne board can have built. State department officials were most enthusiastic in their approval of the preliminary plans for the new school and the remodeled elementary school.
It was on the suggestion of the state department of education that the Luverne school board consider converting the present high school to an elementary unit and constructing a new junior-senior high school.
Interested Groups Work
Throughout the fact finding and laying of preliminary plans, many interested persons voiced their opinions on the school set-up. Many questions and suggestions have been presented at countless school board, consolidation and other meetings.
Even after the bond issue is approved by the voters, the state department of education will have to okay and study each of the final plans with specifications.
During the time of construction a building inspector will be at the site on a full-time basis.
Next step following the okay of the bond issue would be for the architects to complete the final school plans with specifications and secure the approval from the state department of education.
The Luverne school board would then have to approve the final plans and then call for bids on the actual construction.
If construction were to start in September 1954, the new school would be ready for occupation sometime in the fall of 1955, school officials said.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

An 11-man crew arrived here this week to begin the construction of 84 miles of 161,000 KV transmission line for Northern States Power Company and Interstate Power Company.
The new line will serve as a connecting link between the two utilities lines, for standby service.
It will extend from a point north of Sioux Falls to Heron Lake.
According to L. W. Walentine, Lincoln, Nebr., superintendent of the project, the contract calls for completion of the line by August 31. The companies are furnishing their own materials. Construction will be done by Commonwealth Electric, Lincoln, and A. S. Schulman Electric, of Chicago.
Weather is Factor
The size of the crew will be determined by the weather, said Mr. Walentine. It will vary from its present size to possibly 40 men.
If there isn’t any more snow, there is a possibility that setting of the poles will begin as soon as the materials have been delivered to the grounds where the lines will be built.
There will be an average of seven “structures” per mile, Mr. Walentine said. A “structure” is an “H” type arrangement of two poles and a cross arm. The poles range from 55 to 85 feet in height.
For the most part, Luverne will be the headquarters for the working crew, Mr. Walentine stated. Materials have been unloaded at Magnolia and Beaver Creek in Rock county, and in other towns along the route. The Interstate portion, between Beaver Creek and Heron Lake, will be built first; that owned by Northern States leading from Beaver Creek to Sioux Falls last, according to present plans.
The contract calls for the use of union labor on the job, according to Mr. Walentine.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on October 30, 1952.
 
Street Banner Controversy Becomes Election Stimulus
 (This continues a story from last week about a political banner hung over Main Street bearing the words: “The Demos Say ‘You Never Had it So Good.’ Ask The Boys In Korea-Volunteers For Ike.” The banner, according to the 1952 story, provoked “more political comment, good and adverse, than has been heard here in a long time.”)
 
Motion Made, No Second
It appeared momentarily that they [the city council] might order it taken down, when Alderman Hinkly made a motion to that effect, after mayor Van Roekel told of how he had been “getting plenty of heat on the thing.” However, neither Alderman Rapp or Alderman Maxwell would second it, and Alderman Tuel was in no position to voice a second as he was presiding at the meeting in his capacity as chairman of the council. When it was apparent that a stalemate has been reached, it was recommended that the Civic and Commerce association, because it had been the organization which had originally been given permission to use street banners of this kind for publicizing their function, be given the responsibility of determining what should be done about the present banner, if anything, and to make recommendations as to future use.
The public affairs committee of the C and C, which consists of Dick Creeger as chairman, Otto Bierkamp, H.R. Cleland and Dr. C.L. Sherman, was then summoned to determine what should be done. All except Dr. C.L. Sherman were able to be present, and after discussing the matter, they formulated this statement:
“In as much as the Common Council of the City of Luverne have designated that any and all signs erected across Main street or any other street in Luverne shall be approved only by the Civic and Commerce Association.
“It is recommended to the Council that only public announcements of a civic nature be allowed. It is recommended that any announcements of a controversial nature such as political or religious, or events which will accrue profits to a private enterprise be prohibited.”
This recommendation was turned over to Mayor Van Roekel, who will submit it to the council for action at their next regular meeting.
Banner controversy article continues next week.

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on October 23, 1952.
 
Area’s Biggest Ears of Corn And Largest Eggs Will Vie In C and C Contest Friday
 
Merchants To Offer Host Of Special Values
 
The largest ears of corn and the largest hen’s eggs raised in the Luverne trade area will compete for $50 in cash prizes in a special “Luverne Day” contest sponsored by the Luverne Civic and Commerce association.
The contest is one of the feature attractions during “Luverne Days” which are being noted today, Friday and Saturday, by Luverne merchants.
Merchants Offer Special Values
A glance through the “Luverne Days” section of the Star-Herald this week is all that is needed as proof that the business firms of the city have gone all out to offer bargains in almost every type of merchandise. Early shopping, especially today and tomorrow, however will offer the best selection of these values, according to U. J. Lodermeier, chairman of he C and C retailers committee.
With corn picking operations completed or nearly completed on many farms in the area, there shouldn't be any difficulty in finding big ears of corn to enter into the contest. It was pointed out that the ears will be judged on size only and not on beauty or conformity as is generally the case in corn shows.
Prizes are $15 and $10
First prize is $15 in cash, and second prize is $10. The longest ear will be awarded first prize and the second longest will be awarded the second prize. In cases of tie, the longest ears with the largest circumference will be declared the winners.
The prize winning eggs will be determined by their weight. Prizes for eggs are also $15 and $10.
Entries may be made any time between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Friday at Smith’s Used Furniture store on Main street, and they will be on display for the public there all day Saturday and Saturday night. Owners need not return for their ears of corn or eggs, as those not called for will be given by the C and C to some worthy organization or institution. Prizes will be awarded to the winners Saturday night.
 
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 16, 1931, and is the last in a series about Luverne's Rock River bridge.
Senator Schall, after a brief statement concerning good roads, gave a political speech lasting an hour and a half. The following is the ending of his speech:
Rock river bridge was built by the Widell Construction Co., of Mankato, under the personal direction of G. A. Hildeen, and they completed their task more than ten days ago, when most of the contractor’s equipment and supplies were loaded and shipped back to headquarters. Since then a limited number of men have been engaged in clearing up the bridge area and putting the finishing touches on the bridge itself and nothing that would add to the appearance or the general surroundings was neglected. In fact, those who have paid particular attention to the activities of the contractors and their crews have been most agreeable surprised by the broad-minded, generous manner in which they consistently sought to please. The same attitude has been shown by the state highway department in every way possible.
Now that the trunk highway is open to travel the old township road that for many years provided the only entrance to the old fair grounds and race track, east of town, will likely be permanently abandoned, for this roadway now provides entrance only to the farm occupied by David Jones, and a more direct approach is available from the trunk highway.
Earlier in the grading operations, many were inclined to believe that the pronounced grade of the new highway would detract from the attractiveness of Luverne’s public park, but as things have been shaping themselves during the last few weeks a majority of these critics has become convinced that the road betterment has also resulted in added conveniences and picturesque features to the recreation grounds.
On a recent visit here, the chief officials of Minnesota’s highway department paid a visit to Luverne’s public park and Commissioner C. M. Babcock expressed the opinion that Luverne has one of the most attractive parks of limited area to be found anywhere in Southern Minnesota, and that with the improvements that are being made from year to year, it won’t be long until it will be noted as one of the outstanding pleasure grounds of this section. Incidentally, Mr. Babcock and his assistants have aided wherever possible in promoting this desirable result.
Through the combined efforts of fate and “wags,” the honor being the first one with a vehicle to cross the new Rock river bridge went to C. M. LaDue, with his sorrel pony and road cart.
-------
An adverse angle of the trunk highway improvement work east of Luverne was obtained Tuesday by many motorists who travelled the new Rock river grade, for the two days of rainy weather had softened the surface to a marked extent. As a result there were from one to eight cars stalled at a time, at almost any hour of the day, but the caterpillar tractors were brought into use, and everyone given a lift that needed it. The road was passable the following day.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 16, 1931, and is the third in a series about Luverne's Rock River bridge.
Senator Schall, after a bried statement concerning good roads, gave a political speech lasting an hour and a half. The following is the second part of this speech.
As originally surveyed by the highway engineers, a strip of approximately one-eighth of an acre extending westward to a sharp point, was left between the old and the new trunk highway routes, but before the grading of the new route had progressed too far, the highway department deemed it advisable to secure this narrow strip of land through condemnation proceedings. Although the owner, E. Top, had just finished refencing the small area, the enclosure was removed the last week so that the road graders would fill the depression that it enclosed.
This ditch was obstructed somewhat with a growth of less desirable trees and these were easily yanked out by the caterpillar tractors, and in place of the growths and the ditch a nice, smooth surface is now presented and makes a natural parking place for motorists, with their cars facing the park from the north.
At its widest point this parking space and driveway will be approximately 150 feet, which is immediately west of the main approaches to the park and the new highway from the river road. At the extreme east end of this driveway, in front of the old power house, the available space is probably less than seventy-five feet, but the high, well finished grade, together with the massive Rock river bridge, furnishes a natural, pleasing enclosure for the park area.
Taking advantage of conditions as they develop, Alderman Frank Peschon who is chairman of the park board, caused a dam to be installed last week at the north edge of the temporary bridge erected south of the new bridge, and as a result of this the water level in the lagoon on the north side of the grade was raised fully two feet by the following morning. One of the advantages of this dam is that it did not cost the city anything, for steel girders from the old bridge and voluntary labor from spectators completed the 60-ft. wide retaining wall within a short time and this can be widened as requirements necessitate. Piling for the temporary bridge serves to retain the dam and when this bridge is removed the north line of piling will be sawed off to conform with the spillway requirements.
Adequate facilities for lighting the big new bridge were provided by the construction engineers and the bridge itself has a wide walk for pedestrians along the south side, with a ramp leading to the park area on that side, so that those who walk to the park do no add to traffic complications on the bridge or at either approach.
In order to eliminate the grade crossing menace over the Rock Island, the grade is quite high in front of the municipal light and power plant, but this has a concrete retaining wall on the north side. While quite a little trouble is expected from the wind carrying dust into the power plant when it blows from the south or southwest, as soon as this highway is paved, much of this inconvenience will be eliminated.
The new grade also makes possible a marked improvement in the driveway area in front and along the east side of the Mannigel-Rathjen Grain company plant, and while it steepens off the old entrance to the Moi small acreage place south and west of the park, this situation has been met by provisions for the erection of a small bridge over Rock river leading direct from the Moi place into the park in quite direct line with the roadway to the trunk highway approach. In this instance materials from the dismantled Rock river bridge will be used in providing a private bridge. The bridge contractors assisted the city to the extent of driving the piling for this outlet while the necessary equipment was available.
In fact, both the bridge and the grading contractors have been more than generous in assisting the city in rearranging the park to conform to the new requirements imposed by the new trunk highway and the members of the council feel deeply grateful to contractors and also the construction crews for the public spiritedness they have shown from the outset in doing many tasks that did not give them a cent of added remuneration.
Next week: Schall's speech concludes.

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 16, 1931, and is the second in a series about Luverne's Rock River bridge.
Sen. Schall, after a brief statement concerning good roads, gave a political speech lasting an hour and a half. The following is the first part of this speech.
Southwestern Minnesota’s most prominent trunk highway improvement—the re-routing of No. 9 east of Luverne—insofar as grading and bridge installations are concerned, is now completed except for minor details. To fully realize the proportions that this project embraced one must travel over the four and one-half mile stretch that carries the highway along the north side of the railway from East Main street to a junction with the old route of trunk highway No. 9, in the center of Magnolia township.
The greatest amount of grading will be found over the mile and a half stretch through the Rock river valley where a grade, forty feet wide and at points 10 feet high, offers an adequate avenue of travel for all the traffic requirements that many years to come will impose. The bridge spanning Rock river, built on a level to conform with the East Main street grades, is generally conceded to be one of the finest structures of its kind built by the Minnesota highway department anywhere within the state, and within an area not over half a mile east are two smaller bridges that might be used as model structures on any average trunk highway. The Rock river bridge is 200 feet in length and consists of five 40-ft. spans, while the auxiliary bridges to the east which are designed to handle any excess water that may flow down the Rock river are 60-ft. steel girder spans.
Building of this new highway in reality lengthens Main street, as it is usually  referred to, approximately 600 feet, for one coming from the east gets a splendid view of the city’s principal business street fully two blocks quicker than was possible under the previous low grade of the curving highway. Recognition by the state highway department that nothing is more dangerous to motor travel than a grade railway crossing caused the engineers to extend the grade through Rock river valley at a level that it eliminates the incline at the Rock Island crossing.
In connection with the building of the new trunk highway the attractiveness and convenience of Luverne’s public park has been greatly enhanced through the plans of the highway engineers with but little, if any, cost to the municipality. The addition of a lagoon, more than three acres in extent, on the north side of the highway north of the park, and the graceful curve cut by Rock river, have likewise added much to the attractiveness of the park area.
The formation of this lagoon was rendered practical by the large amount of filling required in getting the necessary highway grade and when adequate dam facilities have been provided, it is quite certain that the lagoon will contain an adequate supply of water.
The nine-foot grade north of the park serves as an enclosure and when entirely finished will be quite attractive. The old winding highway now serves as a driveway for the recreation grounds with the sole connection to the new highway at the extreme east end of the park, just west of the old spillway. There a gently sloping, wide grade has been built from which traffic may leave the trunk highway of motorists coming from what used to be known as the river road, may connect with the new highway on their way to Luverne. Incidentally, the park entrance at the east end has been regraded to conform in line and width with the wide approach to the trunk highway. A slight re-routing of the driveway through the extreme east portion of the park is to service this purpose and also that of eliminating a pronounced depression created by the required grading.
Next week: Sen. Schall's speech continues.