By John RittenhouseWhen the time came for Paula Lammert to sign up for the Women’s Club Tournament, she made a partial commitment.She did place her team on the registration sheet, but she also scribbled down "maybe" behind her signature.The 1998 club champion’s hesitation to commit stemmed from another commitment — to a family vacation at Lake Darling near Alexandria.After receiving a phone call from some friends who were prodding her to come back and play in the 54th version of the tournament, Lammert decided to cut her vacation short."I almost didn’t come back," she went on record to say."I didn’t play golf for a week and a half because we were on vacation at a lake cabin near Alexandria. Then I got a call from some golfing buddies on Friday and decided to come back. I returned home about 10:30 Friday night."The way things played out in the championship flight Saturday, Lammert’s decision to play in the tournament was rewarded beyond her expectations.After making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to break a deadlock with Melissa Kopp, Lammert etched her name into the LCC annals as the 2006 club champion.While it was a spectacular birdie (it was Lammert’s only birdie of the tournament) that settled the issue, the champion admitted it wasn’t a great day of golf for anyone.The course was softened by rain early in the morning round, and a consistent southeasterly wind impeded all of the players in the afternoon.The conditions made for tough play on the course, which was reflected in scores registered by the entries."We all struggled," Lammert offered.Kopp, the club champion in 2003 and 2004, withstood the conditions the best during the opening round.Kopp made par three times during a 44-stroke effort that gave her a one-shot advantage over Lammert, who made par twice to help register a 45.Defending champion Kim Bennett and Sara Oldre were three shots behind Kopp at the turn with 47s, but they slipped out of contention by carding respective 48- and 49-stroke efforts during the second round.The title chase turned into a two-player race between Kopp and Lammert in the second round, and Lammert didn’t waste any time in improving her position in the field.After reaching the 10th green in two shots, Lammert completed the hole with two putts to make par.Kopp, who had trouble keeping her tee shots from fading into the right rough the entire second round, had her second shot on the 10th hole knocked to the ground when it struck a three branch in the right rough. The tough break led to Kopp taking a bogey, which left her tied with Lammert on the leader board.Lammert reached the par-5 11th green with three shots and made another two-putt par. The effort was good enough to give Lammert her first lead of the day when Kopp bogeyed the hole.A bogey on the par-4 13th hole was good enough to give Lammert a two-shot lead.Kopp reached the same green in three shots, but she needed three putts to complete the hole after missing a four-foot attempt for bogey.The difference remained at two strokes until play at the par-3 16th hole was complete.Lammert struck a low iron shot into the wind, and it came to rest 15 feet away from the pin on the right fringe of the green, where she proceeded to make par two putts later.Kopp lifted her tee shot up in the air, and the wind knocked the ball down short of the green. Her second shot rolled well past the pin, setting up a two-putt bogey that left Lammert sporting a three-shot advantage.With a three-shot cushion with two holes remaining, Lammert wanted to implement a play-it-safe philosophy. She did, but it didn’t work."The strategy was to stay out of trouble," she said. "I just wanted to hit the ball well and stay in the fairway."Lammert’s drive on the 17th hole found the right rough, but she chipped out of the rough onto the fairway near the 200-yard marker with her second shot. She then proceeded to hit two shots that dribbled through the rough on the left side of the fairway that led to the leader taking a double-bogey seven.Kopp also found the right rough from the 17th tee box, but she hit a remarkable second shot, which came to rest on the right fringe of the green. Two putts later, Kopp had a birdie and pulled even with Lammert.Both players hammered excellent drives into the fairway on the suddenly-important 18th hole.From inside the 100-yard marker, Lammert lifted an iron shot onto the right side of the green, leaving her a 20-foot downhill attempt for birdie.Kopp, who hit her second shot after Lammert, seemed to be in better position when her approach shot left her facing a four-foot uphill putt for birdie.Lammert, however, stunned the gallery when she steered her 20-foot putt into the center of the cup. The spectators became even more shocked when Kopp’s four-footer missed the mark."Making that putt was a dream come true," Lammert said after the tournament."I’ve probably made two 20-foot birdie putts all year, and that was one of them. It was 20-feet away, but it was pretty straight. It was the best putt I made all day, and I saved it for the key hole. If I would have missed that putt, I can almost guarantee you Melissa would have made her putt."Final scores of the championship flight: Lammert 45-42-87, Kopp 44-44-88, Lisa Dinger 50-45-95, Bennett 47-48-95, Oldre 47-49-96, Marlene Kopp 48-49 97.

Say good-bye to Don and BettyNext month Luverne will be losing two of the most liked and respected people in the community, Don and Betty Cashin.The Cashins moved to Luverne in August of 1981 when Don was appointed president of First Farmers and Merchants National Bank, then known as First Bank.Although the Cashins have been active in many things, probably the most notable was the start of the St. Patrick’s celebration in Luverne, an event which just celebrated its 25th anniversary this past March.To bid them farewell, the public is invited to an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, at First Farmers and Merchants. Cake, coffee and punch will be served, and you’ll have a chance to wish them well in their new venture.Their new destination is Albert Lea, where they lived before coming to Luverne back in ’81.Stoltenberg’s painted bison can be viewed on the InternetI had mentioned in an earlier column that Shelley Stoltenberg had been chosen to be one of 22 artists to paint a life-size bison for the Custer Stampede.The painted bison are now on display around Custer.If you happen to be going through the Custer area, Shelley’s bison, "Big Red," can be seen outside the Purple Pie Place on Hwy. 16.According to Shelley’s husband, Scott, the bison paintings will be auctioned off at the Custer Stampede on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Custer.On the Web site, Shelley said her goal "is to show the inner strength and beauty of Tatanka. In the Lakota culture the bison is represented by the color red. Red is the color of the direction North and it symbolizes sacrifice and purification. I believe that when people see the red Tatanka, they will instinctively feel the power and honor of this great animal. Red is not the only color I will use, but it will be dominant."If you would like to see Shelley’s painted bison as well as the others, you can view them at www/custerstampede.com, then click on 2006 artist.Lt. gov. candidate at Brandenburg Gallery todayMaureen Reed, the Independence Party’s candidate for lieutenant governor, will be at the Brandenburg Gallery from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight.The public is encouraged to attend to discuss issues of their concern and also to get her take on the various topics the state will be dealing with over the next four years.Reed is running with Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Hutchinson.Hutchinson is a former commissioner of finance in the Perpich administration and a deputy mayor of Minneapolis.Reed is a medical doctor who has served as medical director of HealthPartners and chaired the University Board of Regents.The candidate is in Luverne for both personal as well as political reasons. Her nephew, Denis Paquette, is getting married on Saturday in Luverne.Reed is the sister to Luverne’s Rosie Paquette.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

"In the beginning God," are the opening four words of the First Testament book we call Genesis. This is not only the most important statement we must remember — God is at the beginning of everything — but since this is my first article for a paper I had never read, in a community I had never visited, in a church I only knew about from an acquaintance before this summer, I needed to trust that God was in my beginning here. My beginning in Luverne was June 23, and it has been a wonderful experience to begin to get to know the people I have been called to serve. It has also been a joy to begin to become acquainted with the community at large. God has blessed Wanda, my wife, and me with wonderful neighbors and a city with a welcoming attitude.Beginnings are never easy — some we enjoy more than others. The start of summer is wonderful for young students. New activities abound and all that time to be with friends. I wonder if moms and dads are as excited as their children? Do the feelings reverse now that school is about to begin — from the sounds of a marching band that waft from the south through our front door in the mornings, some young people are preparing for school activities already. New beginnings always mean new challenges.This is the time of year when most people, especially the young and their parents, find scheduling a major concern. These next few weeks are the prelude to a new beginning. You may think or even hope that I will give you some suggestions for time management; however, what you are about to read will probably complicate your life even more. This article started with four words, "In the beginning God." So let me suggest that you keep God in the beginning of your planning. Since this community is considered a Christian community, then where does God fit into your life’s schedule? Here are six goals that our bishop, the Reverend Sally Dyck, has placed before the United Methodists — clergy and laity alike. Spend: 30 minutes per day in Bible study, devotion, and prayer1 to 2 hours per week in service to the church1 to 2 hours per week in small group discipleship1 to 2 hours per week in worship30 to 90 minutes per month in service and outreach8 to 16 hours per year in a spiritual retreatThese goals are not requirements for 2006-2007; they are aims which all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior should be working toward. Can each member of every congregation accomplish these goals or some similar formula? — Not without the help of God. Let me be so bold as to challenge you to look at September, Labor Day or the start of classes as a time to add some of these aims to your busy schedule, if they are not part of your life already. Let us not just write them on your refrigerator calendar, daily planner or palm pilot. Let us make them daily, weekly, monthly and yearly habits. As we begin again — Keep God in the beginning!

We have survived the drought of summer 2006 and now we are seeing the effects. When our lawns go dormant from heat and lack of moisture, crab grass gets the green light to invade, and that it has done! We recommend and sell a product named Trimec Plus. This spray will clean up both the crab grass and any other broadleaf weeds in your lawn. It is the most effective spray I’ve found if used according to directions: no rain or watering for 24 hours after application, and do not apply when the temperature is expected to exceed 85 during the 24 hours after application. For real problem weeds like creeping Charlie, several applications will be necessary for control. Doing the first application now will give you time to do two more applications before winter. A fall spray application is probably the best time of year for an effective clean-up … the weeds are growing actively, there is adequate moisture to get a good spray effect, and the weeds are eliminated before they have a chance to go to seed. Also, the ornamental plants adjacent to the lawns have mature foliage, so they are not quite as sensitive to "spray drift" as they are in the spring. This does not mean that you don’t have to use precaution to avoid spray damage! I am seeing blights show up big-time in tomato plants. Most varieties are resistant, but not immune, to getting blight. A spray application to control this will protect the foliage which protects the fruit from sunburn. It will also give you an extended harvest of good quality fruit. Daconil or Mancozeb are two fungicides we sell for control, and both are very effective if applied before there is significant foliage loss. The month of August is a good time to move or divide perennials. Getting this work done now allows the plants to become established before winter, and gives you a chance to clean up the area and do your planning while the color and blossom time are still fresh in your mind. Come spring, those plants are located where you want them to be and they are ready to give you a great season of color without the transplant interruption. August is time to divide or move both the standard peony and the fern leaf peony. Dividing the fern leaf peony requires care and patience. I wash the soil from the clump so I can see what I am doing, and then carefully untangle the tubers before cutting them apart. When replanting either type of peony, it is very important that the "eye" for next year’s growth is within one inch of the soil surface … too deep and they will not bloom … too shallow and they will not live. I know that gardening is great exercise and therapy, but take it easy so you don’t need therapy to follow your garden therapy! Enjoy the season.

(The hotel referred to in this article stood at the northwest corner of the Maple and Cedar Street intersection.)The Lu Verne HouseThe following appeared in the Rock County Herald on August 23, 1878:Lu Verne HouseOn Wednesday last, at the solicitation of Dr. W. E. Vary, we were shown through the Lu Verne House, of this city. The Dr. has recently built an addition to the main part thereby giving him an office 14x36; dining room 14x32; sample room; large size; two bedrooms on the first floor, and several closets, which, with the old part, makes a very spacious building. On the second floor he has six large bedrooms, together with clothes presses, and other conveniences for the accommodation of his guests. On the third floor is a large room that will accommodate a number of beds, and is called by the boys, the "School section," which is amply lighted, and has a pleasant appearance. The old part of the house has been renovated from cellar to garret, painted, papered and furnished new throughout. In fact, to sum the whole thing up in a nut shell, it is as good a house as is to be found in the country anywhere, and we wish the Dr. success. One more improvement that is worthy of mention is the elegant porch and nice sidewalk that has been added to the front, which sets the house off in grand style. Travelers will find this a good place to stop when in Luverne, and will find the Dr. a gentlemanly landlord.Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The leaders of the city of Luverne have me convinced they need a new city hall. That they need it in the former hospital space, I’m not so sure.Accessibility and quality workspaces for employees are the reasons the city is looking into the venture. The former hospital on Spring and Lincoln Streets is ideal for office spaces, because existing utilities and walls can remain where they are.The plans the council looked at Tuesday seem neat and tidy — and give some workers private restrooms — but I wonder if the amount of space is truly needed. Sure, City Hall workers are cramped now, and storage is so inadequate it’s laughable, but the space in the hospital almost doubles what the current City Hall has. Other than storage and use of the existing community room, there aren’t plans to use the 6,000 square feet in the basement of the hospital.In looking at the plans, I wish the city administrator’s office was closer to the public than the map storage area, copy machines and the break room. (He is closer to the rear exit this way, but I’m sure that’s not what John Call is aiming for.) Another question from me is why Public Works and Utilities have office space, when those department managers work with their crews out of their current shops? "Safety" has a room, which involves a once-a month visit from an instructor. There are two conference rooms, two "work areas" along with the Council Chambers and an "extra room."Perhaps the city should reconsider why there are plans for the mayor to have an office space as well. Luverne has a weak mayor and strong council government, and an office room designated as the mayor’s might contradict that. The mayor’s business should be conducted in open meetings, so I don’t see it fit to set aside an office for this elected person.In the end, the price of about $200,000 isn’t anything to complain about. The project just seems to be bigger and takes a better piece of real estate than many of us would prefer. When I said I’m convinced the dozen or so City Hall workers need a new space, I meant it. It appears the Council will soon vote to create that space in the former hospital.

I’ve never put much thought into reincarnation, but I now know what form I’ll take on if there’s any truth in the concept.I’ll return to this world as a dumb plow horse.You know which horse I mean. The one that has a carrot dangling in front of his face that looks too tasty to resist, but he never does get to take a bite of it until his work is complete.I had a tasty-looking carrot placed in front of my face a couple of weeks ago, and it was much too intriguing to ignore.In this case, the carrot I was pursuing came in the form of a head-to-head golf match against an outstanding young golfer from Larchwood named Jessica Snyders.She’s an employee of the Meadow Acres Country Club, and I’ve shared a number of casual conversations with this 20-year-old woman as I gulped down cold beverages after some of my less-than-inspiring efforts on the course.It was from those conversations I learned Ms. Snyders was more than a capable golfer in her own right.A 2004 graduate of West Lyon High School, Jess, as her friends call her, was a four-year letter winner for her school’s girls’ golf team. She was an All-Sioux Land Conference performer as a junior and senior and drew honorable mention honors in league play as a sophomore. As a senior, she won an individual title during district play and missed advancing to Iowa’s state tournament by one stroke in region competition.Heading into last weekend’s Women’s Club Tournament at MACC, Snyders entered the field as the two-time defending club champion. After shooting a course record (a one-under-par 35) a couple of weeks ago, she was tabbed as the prohibitive favorite to win the tournament again.Although her credentials were enough to intimidate a player of limited ability like me on their own, there’s a more impressive addition to Snyders’ golf resume.She has been a member of Minnesota State University-Mankato women’s golf program for the past two years, and rumor has it she’s on the verge of gaining a full scholarship (she currently is drawing partial scholarship funding now) with a good performance during the upcoming fall season.As for myself, I might not be the sharpest tack in the box, but I’m not the dullest one either.I wasn’t going to play this golfing machine without certain incentives. My first was to have Jess hit from the men’s tee boxes alongside me, and the second was to have her give me a four- or five-shot advantage before stepping on the course.I’m thinking Ms. Snyders would have accepted my terms, but she didn’t need to after some friends of mine placed an even bigger carrot in front of my face.Their suggestion, which both sides agreed to put in place for a nine-hole match, called for the college golfer to hit from the men’s tee boxes. I would hit from the women’s tee boxes and wouldn’t receive any incentive strokes.I honestly thought I had a chance to win the match staged last Thursday based on the yardage advantage I would receive by hitting from the shorter tee boxes.Although she probably won’t admit it, some self-doubt may have crept into my opponent’s mind when we matched scores on the first four holes before I gained a one-shot lead, thanks to a two-stroke penalty she incurred on the par-4 fifth hole.If Jess was second-guessing herself after five holes of play, it didn’t show over the final four holes. She reeled off three straight pars before taking a bogey five on the par-4 finishing hole.As anyone who has witnessed my no-talent swing has come to expect, my game abandoned me over the final four holes.My inability to strike an iron cleanly led to a double bogey and a one-shot deficit when the par-3 sixth hole was complete. I dropped another stroke on the seventh hole before totally falling apart on the eighth hole (which featured one swing and a miss when my tee shot found the shade underneath a tree) by taking a triple bogey.I did gain some gratification by making par (with the help of a tee shot that picked up additional yardage by bouncing off a cement cart path like it landed on a trampoline), but it wasn’t enough to keep me from coming up on the short end of a 41-45 tally.Before the day was complete, it became clear that the carrot I thought I would consume by hitting from the reds proved to be nothing more than an illusion.After shooting a 45 from the reds, I registered a 43 from the whites during a league match later in the afternoon.One doesn’t need to be much smarter than a plow horse to figure out I would have been much better off hitting from the whites and accepting some charity strokes from the college player.

With my 49th birthday looming just around the corner, it sure is a good thing that 50 is the new 40 and 40 is the new 30. I am not sure what all that means other than it’s apparently a new way of not admitting you’re getting older. It’s hard to say what we’ll be reporting on the week of my birthday, but I thought I would check back to see what the Star Herald was reporting on 49 years ago the week of my birthday. According to the Star Herald, Merle Geving had just been named the new City Superintendent. Gilbert Tuff had left between $100,000 to $150,000 dollars to build an "old folks" home. His will had two stipulations, and they were that construction on the home had to be started within two years and the new home was to be built in Hills. I wonder who suggested it be named after Mr. Tuff. I also found it interesting the paper published what other family members received in the will.Creegers was advertising men’s Hyde Park suits priced at $65; women’s HAVENMIST 100-percent wool fall coats sold for $65 as well. The local Piggly Wiggly had round steak on special for 69 cents a pound and coffee sold for 95 cents.Farm markets that week were posted at rye-$1.00, wheat- $2.02, soybeans-$2.06, No. 2 corn-$1.07 and No. 3 at $1.02.Back-to-school specials at Nelson’s Department store included denim jeans at $1.00 to $1.98 and Converse basketball shoes were priced at $6.98.Renfro Variety Store was offering a free bag of freshly roasted peanuts to school kids when they made a purchase of 50 cents or more.The Luverne Style Shop had a rack of cotton dresses on sale for $5 each.Herman Motors was having a sale on used cars. A 1951 Mercury Sedan was priced at $525. A 1949 Chevy Sedan with a radio was listed at $149 and you could get a 1949 Dodge Sedan for $95.On the subject of birthdays, at a recent birthday celebration, Bernie H. bought a round for friends. Apparently Bernie’s friends were so shocked by Bernie’s generosity that they requested we give Bernie a Thumps Up from the paper. Well, this isn’t a thumps up, but it’s close. And remember, Bernie, it’s always better to give than receive.

In response to your "Thumbs Down" Star Herald editorial of Aug. 3 for those who do not believe global warming is real, the August 2006 National Liberty Journal quotes scientists who also have doubts about its relevance and/or its effect upon the earth’s climate. For example, economist and educator Thomas Sowell said, "Back in the 1970s, the hysteria was about global cooling and the prospect of a new ice age. A National Academy of Sciences report back then led Science magazine to conclude in its March 1, 1975, issue that a long ‘ice age is a real possibility.’ According to the April 28, 1975, issue of Newsweek, ‘the earth’s climate seems to be cooling down.’ A note of urgency was part of the global-cooling hysteria then as much as it is part of today’s global-warming hysteria. According to the February 1973 issue of Science Digest, ‘Once the freeze starts, it will be too late.’ "In subject matters where the evidence is inconclusive or the impact of it is yet indeterminate, it may be advisable to withhold public comment until you get all the facts together. And while you are rethinking your science, you might also want to rethink your politics. Arvin RolfsBrooklyn Center