By Betty MannRock County Historical Society PresidentKDUV Dance Hall at KanaranziThe following appeared in the Rock County Herald on February 18, 1927:The masquerade held in the K. D. U. V. hall Saturday evening was well attended and also a large number masked. Those receiving prizes were: First group — cards — Mrs. A. P. Wiese, Mrs. Roney Wiese, Mrs. Fred Mikkleson, Mrs. Thorwald Hanson, $7.00; Second group — tulips — Susan Meester, Grace and Lena Reemts and Mathilda Arp, $5.00; Third best group — Schlitz club — Ernest Willroth, Sr., Ernest Willroth, Jr., Dorothy and Elsie Hamann. Fourth best group — four sailors; first character, gent, accordion player, Helmer Schultz; second character — lady actress, Mrs. Ray Wiggins; prettiest costumes — George and Martha Washington — Harm Hisken and Engle Meester; best comic character — two faced — Mrs. Ernest Willroth; two boy hoboes, Clarence and Lawrence Akkerman; Easter rabbit, Loren Meyer; valentines, Lucille Untiedt, Celia Staack and Mildred Sindt; dude coons, Elmer Meyer and Raymond Johnson; Clown, Ernest Hamann. The Harmony Club orchestra, of Luverne, furnished the music.

Sowing Good SeedBy Rev. Roger Sparks, PastorLuverne Christian Reformed ChurchSince this is my first column for the Star Herald, let me introduce myself. I am the new pastor of the Christian Reformed Church in Luverne. My family and I moved to the community late last May and I began my pastoral duties in June. Previously I served congregations in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada and in Rock Valley, Iowa. My wife and I have four children, three of whom are still at home. We’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with the Luverne community, and we look forward to working among you. During my recent transition to Luverne, I paused to reflect on what a pastor is supposed to do. I have to agree with whoever said that a pastor’s task is to afflict the comfortable, and to comfort the afflicted. Yes, to those who are comfortable with lives of sin we announce, with Jesus, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And to those who are weary and burdened and broken, we proclaim Christ’s comforting invitation, "Come unto Me and rest." Does everyone want to hear these truths which afflict and comfort? No. Jesus said as much when he compared preaching to the broadcast method of sowing seed. Some seed falls on hardpan dirt, where birds can easily eat it. Some seed sprouts in shallow dirt, where it withers under the summer sun. Some seed gets choked by weeds. But when the good seed falls on fertile soil, it grows and bears fruit. Which means that it changes lives and prepares us for eternity.So as a pastor I’m a bit like a farmer. Whenever I preach or teach the Gospel, I sow good seed. And like a farmer, I watch and wait to see what God will do with the seed. For in the end, it’s God who works, using His truth both to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted.

I was putting my dirty coffee mug into the kitchen sink, about to leave home for a Luverne Economic Development Authority meeting. At that time, the number "nine-eleven" meant nothing, and al Queda wasn’t even pronounceable.It was 8:46 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City when the World Trade Center, North Tower, was struck between the 93rd and 99th floors by the hijacked Boeing 767, American Airlines Flight No. 11. I clicked off The Today Show and grabbed my purse, locking the door, and I remember being curious about what Matt Lauer had just said — something like, "It’s almost like that couldn’t happen without a pilot trying to hit it."I drove on to LEDA that morning, where even the pop music station on my car stereo was airing news. I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of "accident" occurred, I’d catch up on the news later. At 9:03 a.m., New York time, a hijacked Boeing 767, United Airlines Flight No. 175, crashed into the South Tower.Then, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight No. 77 flew into the Pentagon.At 10:03 a.m. in the Northeast, United Airlines Flight No. 93 dove to the ground near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.At about that time, I was in a Rock County Commissioners meeting where the preliminary levy was set at a 3-percent increase.Later that afternoon, after I watched footage of people jumping to their death to avoid being burned alive, the Luverne City Council decided to put the former Britz house at the corner of Main and Highway 75 up for sale to be moved.People who escaped the buildings alive later told of horrors inside. I remember a man telling a live broadcaster on a New York street how badly he felt that he and others trying to save themselves left behind a man in a wheelchair.That day 2,749 died at the World Trade Center and another 184 were killed in the Pentagon.Today, cancer and chronic illnesses plague surviving rescue workers who labored in toxic air and debris. At least 2,670 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003.How we remember Sept. 11 and what happened afterward is different for all of us. After five years, the intense fear and initial sadness is slipping. Some people are now irritated by stories of 9/11 widows and widowers getting millions in fund-raisers and government payments while other single parents across the country struggle on their own.Faith in security in general isn’t what it used to be. Others are just plain tired of security measures that are supposed to make us feel safe, such as in airports, but which investigative reporters are able to breach. How to battle terrorist groups, and whether entire nations should be named enemies is under debate.As for me, I remember a few specific things from 2001: I bought my first house, Alicia Keys debuted an awesome CD; Shrek, Hannibal and Bridget Jones’ Diary were in theaters; and four airplanes were turned into the only weapons of mass destruction that have hit the U.S.

Crop walk set for Sept 24th Crop Walk will celebrate their 10th anniversary this year, and the committee recently announced their plans for the day.The crop walk represents an "action arm" of the Church World Service.According to the local Crop Walk organization, the funds raised are given to CWS, who distributes 100 percent of the funds to fight hunger and hunger-related causes.The money is returned to the organization, with international relief, national relief, Minnesota relief and the Rock County Food Shelf each getting 25 percent.For the 10th anniversary, the local effort will be to raise $10,000 during the walk.To make the event a little more festive, the group will enjoy live music during the walk and root beer floats following the walk.If you want to participate, you may choose to walk either 1.5 miles or 3 miles.This year’s walk will begin at the Luverne High School, with registration at 1 p.m. and the walk starting at 2 p.m.Ride for the troopsA ride for the troops is being organized for Saturday, Sept. 23rd.Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Howling Dog Saloon, with the ride leaving at noon and returning at approximately 5 p.m.The ride is not limited to motorcycles. If you are not a motorcycle person, people are also encouraged to join the group in cars and truck.Cost to participate in the ride is $10, with proceeds from the ride going to purchase Christmas gifts for children who have a parent stationed overseas.Either cash or gifts can be dropped off at the Howling Dog the entire week of Sept. 18-23.The gifts can be for children of all ages, or you can donate wrapping paper to help wrap the gifts.The gifts will be distributed between the Luverne guard unit and the closest South Dakota and Iowa units.Calling all former cheerleadersIt’s time for former cheerleaders to get back in their uniforms.Shawn Hustoft, the new Luverne cheerleading coach, wants to invite former Luverne cheerleaders to perform the school song with the current squad at the Homecoming game on October 6th.Hustoft said, "I believe Homecoming is about those coming home to celebrate as well as the current student body."For those who participate, Glen’s will donate T-shirts which will have the year they graduated or the years they cheered.Hustoft will also be sending out DVDs of the school song to any former cheerleaders who sign up just to refresh their memory.So if you’re a former cheerleader and want to give it another try, or if you know someone who may be interested, you can contact Shawn Hustoft at shustoft@iw.net.Roadwork on I-90If you’re traveling in the westbound lane between Rushmore and Adrian, you’ll have to slow down starting Friday.MnDOT announced lane restrictions due to a resurfacing project. Duininck Brothers was awarded the $752,834 project.If you don’t slow down, remember fines are double in work zones.A completion date is set for September or early October, depending on the weather.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

The Luverne girls’ cross country team placed third at the Augustana College Meet of Champions staged in Sioux Falls Saturday.Luverne and Sioux Falls Lincoln actually finished the varsity race with 102 points each. The Cardinals were awarded third place based on a tie-breaker.Yankton and Rapid City Stevens placed first and second with 22 and 66 points respectively.Lexi Heitkamp placed sixth individually in 16:00 to lead the Cards at the event.Kayla Raddle placed 14th in 16:27, Allison Henke 29th in 17:14, Debbie Schneiderman 35th in 17:25, Katie Schneiderman 43rd in 17:39, Amanda Kannas 58th in 18:10 and Rachel Saum 80th in 19:57.The LHS boys fielded an incomplete varsity team for the meet.Kirk Oldre set the pace for the Cards by placing 74th in 21:29.Devin Richters and Brandon Schultz finished 77th and 90th with respective 21:51 and 23:03 times.Junior varsity resultsLuverne girls: Paige Nath, 10th, 18:09; Katlyn Sawtelle, 12th, 18:10; Tara Muck, 44th, 19:50; Ashlie Hess, 45th, 19:50; Morgan Jacobsma, 53rd, 20:17; Stephanie Schultz, 86th, 23:00; Ashley Kraetsch, 92nd, 23:42; Macy Oldre, 94th, 23:54. Luverne placed fifth as a team.Luverne boys: Nathan Stensland-Bos, 66th, 16:58; Zach Sanderson, 98th, 17:58; Matt Syphokham, 128th, 21:24. Matt Christensen and Davontae Maine ran in the race, but their results were unavailable.

The Ellsworth volleyball team opened the 2006 season by competing at a pair of events late last week.The Panthers lost a three-game decision to open conference play against Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in Round Lake Thursday. EHS went 0-3 at Saturday’s Central Lyon Tournament in Rock Rapids, Iowa.Ellsworth, 0-4 overall, hosts Red Rock Central tonight.CL tourneyThe Panthers dropped three consecutive matches during Saturday’s tournament in Rock Rapids.EHS played a good match against Boyden-Hull to end the day, but they struggled early against Sheldon and George-Little Rock."Our blocking wasn’t there and our serving hurt us in the first two matches," said Panther coach Leah Christie."The girls really pulled together and worked hard in the third match. We had a lot of long volleys, but we just couldn’t get over the top."The Panthers opened the event by dropping 21-11 and 21-15 decisions to Sheldon.Brooke Kramer recorded five kills and five digs in the opener. Amanda Conners charted six set assists. Molly Kramer and Mya Mann served one ace each.G-LR saddled EHS with 21-15 and 21-14 setbacks in the second round.Mann served three aces and registered one kill, while Conners served three aces and charted two set assists. Molly Kramer led the team with four digs. Brooke Kix chipped in one kill.B-H upended the Panthers by 27-25 and 22-25 scores in the finale.Conners, who had five set assists, and Molly Kramer served two aces each. Brooke Kramer and Amanda DeBoer registered two kills each. Mann had seven digs.SV-RL-B 3, Ellsworth 0The Panther girls opened the 2006 season by playing in their first Red Rock Conference match in school history Thursday in Round Lake.Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster didn’t prove to be a gracious host as the Raiders welcomed EHS to the new league by handing them 25-12, 25-21 and 25-16 setbacks.Ellsworth hurt itself during the match by missing 14 serves, but Panther coach Christie was happy with her team’s performance overall."It was a match of a lot of long volleys. We just couldn’t finish many of those volleys off. I thought we played well for the first time out. Now we just have to work on some of the little things," she said.Brooke Kramer led the Panthers with five kills and 10 blocks. Amanda DeBoer, who served two aces, charted two kills along with Brooke Kix.Mya Mann registered seven digs and completed seven of seven serves with two aces. Amanda Connors recorded nine set assists.

The Luverne tennis team remained at the .500 mark for the season after splitting two matches at different sites.Luverne secured a three-point home win over Brandon Valley Thursday. The Cardinals dropped a three-point match decision Monday in Marshall.The 3-3 Cards play Yellow Medicine East in Pipestone Saturday before traveling to Worthington Tuesday.Marshall 5, Luverne 2The Cards slipped to 1-2 in Southwest Conference play after falling by three points Monday in Marshall.LHS won a pair of singles matches, but a talented Tiger team captured the remaining five points on their home courts."We played very well against a good Marshall team," said LHS coach Greg Antoine."Normally, the bus ride on a Monday does us in, but we really came ready to play. We took advantage of some of their errors and made good points out of them."Luverne’s Alyssa Klein and Tabitha Sanderson produced wins at No. 2 and No. 4 singles.After dropping the first set (6-7, 5-7 in the tiebreaker) to Courtney St. Aubin, Klein rallied to record 7-5 and 6-3 wins in the final two sets. Sanderson fell 2-6 in the first set against Eryn Dunlap before posting a pair of 6-3 wins to earn a team point.Marshall’s Rachelle Kunde saddled Samantha Gacke with a pair of 6-4 losses at first singles, and Jess Henderson topped Kaitlyn Deragisch 6-3, 6-2 at third singles.All three doubles matches went to MHS.Kristi Clark and Kiki Lecy bested Amy Herman and Krista Van Dyk 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at No. 1, Dani Louwagie and Bethany Arends notched 6-0 and 6-3 victories over Whitney Maine and Maleeka Sandager at No. 2 and Sarah Schneekloth and Kristi Ziegenhagen earned 6-1 and 6-0 wins against Anissa Hanson and Kelby Robinson at No. 3.Luverne 5, BV 2The adjusting of the lineup paid off for the Cardinals when they posted a three-point home win over the Lynx Thursday.Luverne used new combinations in all three doubles slots and had two new players competing at singles, and two others playing at different singles positions."We needed a change," said Cardinal coach Antoine."I needed to see what some of the girls could do in different situations."Klein and Deragisch played their first matches at No. 1 and No. 2 singles this season. Klein handed Ashley Ruben a pair of 6-3 setbacks, while Deragisch saddled Megan Taggert with a pair of 6-4 losses.Luverne also received a 5-7, 6-1, 10-4 (the third set was a super tiebreaker) from Van Dyk, who played her first No. 4 singles match against Becky Duncan.Gacke and Herman teamed up to record 6-1 and 6-2 wins over BV’s Jessica Ramse and Megan Maassen at first doubles, while Hanson and Alex Lovett notched a 7-6 (7-1 in the tiebreaker), 6-1 victory at third doubles over Becky Bly and Cassie Zomer.BV’s Ally VanderWeide topped Sandager 6-2 and 6-3 at third singles. Alyce Haugen and Jami Koens prevailed by 6-2 and 6-3 tallies against Maine and Sanderson at second doubles.

The Adrian football team turned in a dominating performance during Friday’s home opener.The Dragons ran for 491 yards and finished the game with 591 total yards during a 50-6 rout of Ortonville.Defensively, the Dragons pounded the Trojans into submission. The stingy AHS defense limited Ortonville to 156 yards and seven first downs in what turned into a lopsided contest."I think we surprised them," said Adrian coach Randy Strand, who considered the Trojans to be one of the Little Sioux Conference’s top teams heading into the contest."It probably was one of the hardest hitting games I’ve ever seen. We’ve had some big hits in games before, but not as many as we had in this one."It was Adrian’s physical play on both sides of the ball that enabled the Dragons to open a 30-0 halftime lead.The Dragons led 21-0 after scoring the first three times they possessed the ball in the first quarter.Adrian moved the ball 76 yards in four plays with Glen Kruger scoring on a 40-yard run at the 8:38 of the first period. Adam Diekmann added the extra point to make it 7-0.The Dragons marched 60 yards in 10 plays the second time they controlled the ball. Quarterback Cody Kontz capped the drive with a three-yard run, and Jesse Brake carried in a two-point conversion to make it a 15-0 game at 3:12 of the first quarter.Kontz came up with a big play defensively when he intercepted a pass on Ortonville’s 48-yard line as the first period progressed.Kontz then hooked up with Tyler Wagner for a 52-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the possession, making it a 21-0 game.Adrian’s assault continued in the second quarter when a 30-yard punt return by Diekmann set up a 33-yard drive during the team’s fourth offensive possession. Joey Bertrand capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run at the 9:48 mark of the stanza, and Diekmann added the extra point to give AHS a 28-0 cushion.The Dragons capped their 30-point first half by receiving a safety when a bad snap rolled out of the back of the end zone when Ortonville was trying to punt the ball with 7:42 left in the first half.After Diekmann intercepted a pass in the third quarter, the AHS offense moved the ball 67 yards in six plays with its second possession of the third quarter.Brake scored on a seven-yard run to make it a 36-0 game with 3:26 remaining in the third period.An interception by Brake set up an eight-play, 68-yard drive ending with Bertrand finding the end zone at the end of a three-yard run at the 11:29 mark of the fourth quarter. Diekmann’s extra point extended the lead to 43-0.Ortonville ended Adrian’s shutout bid when Trojan quarterback Kole Mastel tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Travis Radermacher with 2:25 left in the game.Adrian’s Tony Thier blocked Ortonville’s ensuing extra-point attempt, and he booted an extra point after Tanner Loosbrock capped the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds remaining in the game."We beat them with our play on the offensive and defensive lines," Strand said."They didn’t stop us. We stopped ourselves, which is something we have to get better at because we had too many fumbles."The 2-0 Dragons host 0-2 Fulda Friday.Team statisticsAdrian: 491 rushing yards, 100 passing yards, 591 total yards, 22 first downs, seven penalties for 65 yards, four turnovers.Ortonville: 59 rushing yards, 97 passing yards, 156 total yards, seven first downs, six penalties for 55 yards, four turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Brake 10-102, Brandon Diekmann 6-71, Bertrand 15-111, Kruger 9-71, Brett Nowotny1-15, Kontz 5-50, Thier 4-39, A.Diekmann 1-10, Loosbrock 2-14.Passing: Kontz 3-10 for 100 yards.Receiving: Wagner 2-81, Ryan Lonneman 1-19.Defense: Will Lutmer 10 tackles and two sacks, Mitchell Cox eight tackles and one sack, Lonneman one sack, Zach Reker nine tackles, Kontz one interception, A.Diekmann one interception, Brake one interception, Matt Gades one fumble recovery.

The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team evened its record at 1-1 after posting a 42-7 victory over Lincoln HI-Lake Benton Saturday in Hills.Senior running back Jon Klaassen carried the ball for 194 yards and four touchdowns during the contest, which H-BC-E controlled from beginning to end.The Patriots opened a 21-0 lead by scoring touchdowns with three of their first four offensive possessions of the game. When H-BC-E outscored the Rebels 21-7 in the second half, the rout was complete.According to H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson, striking fast against the Rebels made things easy for the Patriots."Scoring early was the key," he said."Scoring right away without having to struggle to do so was big."The Patriots didn’t waste any time in assuming control of the contest.After forcing LH-LB to punt four plays into the game, the H-BC-E offense moved the ball 51 yards in five plays with Klaassen scoring on a 17-yard run to cap the drive. Klaassen carried in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 at the 8:35 mark of the opening period.Patriot lineman Aaron Esselink, who turned in a fantastic defensive effort by registering five sacks, came up with his first one to force the Rebels to punt four plays into their second offensive series of the game.H-BC-E offense took over on its own 29-yard line and moved the ball 71 yards in eight plays with quarterback Adam Finke scoring on a two-yard run with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter. Finke added the extra point to give the Patriots a 15-0 cushion.The Patriots lost a fumble during their third offensive possession, but they made up for it the fourth time they controlled the ball. On the first play of H-BC-E’s fourth possession, Klaassen raced 84 yards for a touchdown at the 8:13 mark of the second quarter.The ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked, but the Patriots sported a 21-0 advantage they would carry into the second half.Klaassen iced the contest by scoring on runs of 11 and 15 yards in the third quarter.The first touchdown was followed by a missed extra-point attempt, but Finke’s boot was true after the second touchdown of the period, making it a 34-0 difference.Casey Van Midden Dorp found the end zone at the end of a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter for H-BC-E, and Finke carried in the two-point conversion to cap the scoring for the hosts.LH-LB’s Clint Schindler kept the Rebels from being shut out by scoring the final touchdown of the game in the fourth period."We were really happy with the way we played. We thought we were very aggressive. It was a great game to play well in," Ellingson said.H-BC-E plays Cedar Mountain-Comfrey in Ellsworth Friday. The contest will be Ellsworth’s Homecoming contest.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 293 rushing yards, 58 passing yards, 351 total yards, four penalties for 32 yards, four turnovers.LH-LB: 77 rushing yards, 106 passing yards, 183 total yards, three penalties for 30 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Klaassen 16-194, Tom Leuthold 6-29, Finke 7-22, Van Midden Dorp 9-40, Jonah Lingen 3-9, Kale Leuthold 2-4, Chris Luze 1-minus 1.Passing: Finke 7-12 for 58 yards, Luze 0-1 for zero yards.Receiving: Cody Rozeboom 1-18, Adam Van Der Stoep 1-18, K.Leuthold 2-17, Klaassen 3-5.Defense: Esselink five sacks, T.Leuthold 13 tackles and one and 1/2 sacks, Klaassen one sack and one fumble recovery, Jordan Hinrichs one-half of one sack, Rozeboom one fumble recovery, Van Der Stoep one fumble recovery, K.Leuthold eight tackles.