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Ethanol pays big dividends

By Sara QuamThe Agri-Energy ethanol plant in Luverne is a mystery to many who know little more than the fact that it uses corn to make car fuel. For the 220 members of the limited liability corporation, however, it’s been as close to a gold mine as they’d find in Rock County.Agri-Energy Business Development Director David Kolsrud wouldn’t say exactly how much investors have been paid in the eight years that the plant has been up and running. He did say that the stock has increased in value "several times."Kolsrud also specified that Agri-Energy has paid more than $5 million in employee salaries, dividends and locally purchased goods since it opened. The main point people should remember about Agri-Energy, Kolsrud said, is, "Our farmers are benefiting all the while we are lessening our dependence on foreign oil."Eyes on the roadEthanol has gotten a lot of attention lately. Gas prices are high as the summer travel season is starting, and ethanol blends are slightly cheaper per gallon than standard fuel. Minnesota has the largest number of ethanol pumps, but more plants are starting production so the blend will probably be more frequently used than ever.The price of ethanol is based more on the price of crude oil than it is on corn, so it isn’t much cheaper than regular gas. Demand for the 10 percent blends is almost exceeding the supply now. Ethanol gets slightly lower mileage than regular gas, so consumers benefit most when it’s at least 30 percent cheaper than regular gas.Most vehicles can use 10 percent ethanol blended gasoline. It’s the 85 percent blend that is specific to only certain vehicles.Kolsrud said, "E-85 blends are being held low now because we want to increase demand."Golden opportunitiesAgri-Energy has invested in other plants, which Kolsrud said isn’t the most popular thing to come out of the business.Expanding in Luverne hasn’t proven feasible, but the limited liability corporation (LLC) is at least partial owner of three other plants — one in Nebraska and two in Kansas.Still, Agri-Energy is by far the highest taxpayer in the county, with $157,394 payable in 2006.Agri-Energy’s plant was started with help from being designated as a tax increment financing project."This community has been good to us," Kolsrud said. Next year, when the TIF expires, tax collecting governments will see even more of the taxes generated from Agri-Energy. (For 2006, $94,536 of the tax bill will go to pay off the TIF.)Just as the community has been good to the ethanol plant, Kolsrud says the business is equally good for the community.It has 28 employees, most of whom live and shop in Luverne, too.Plant Manager Jay Sommers lives in Luverne with his wife and three children. He came here from Idaho when the plant opened but is originally from Gaylord."It’s a nice city with a good school system," Sommers said. "We like the community, even though we don’t like that there’s no lake here."Sommers says it is important to remember that plant odors were eliminated during production as technology was developed.Each year, the Luverne plant produces 21 million gallons of ethanol. That’s enough to travel 4.2 trillion miles on a 10 percent blend. Five days a week, the plant takes in 30 semi-trucks of corn. The ethanol plant has been a supporter of the local railroad, as its biggest customer.Kolsrud said the relationship is mutually beneficial.He said, "Minnesota Southern Railway has been very significant in our success because it allows us to move to two major rail lines, which allows us to market to both coasts." In fact, almost all of Agri-Enery’s product ends up in New Jersey.In the end, Sommers and Kolsrud said they hope the support and interest in ethanol continues for the good of the community, Agri-Energy investors and to decrease the national dependence on fossil fuels.

Did you hear?

Good numbers for Buffalo DaysWith great weather and good participation, ’06 will go down as one of the nicest Buffalo Days Luverne has had, and that is saying something, because we’ve had a lot of nice Buffalo Day weekends.With temperatures in the mid 80s, the weekend started out with the Friday night cruise-in at a new location.This year’s cruise-in was located on Luverne’s Main Street with a total of 143 cars registered for the event. They filled both sides of Main Street for two blocks from Freeman Street to McKenzie, with a little spillover on the side of the Palace Theatre.In addition to the usual attractions, the Eagles Club set up a beer garden between Minnwest Bank and the Pizza Ranch, and the Luverne Hockey Association peddled brats and root beer floats . At dusk, the event was illuminated by Luverne’s really cool new downtown lights.Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital sponsored the 5- and 10-K run/walk utilizing the new Blue Mounds Hiking and Biking Trail for the first time. According to event coordinator Darci Pap, 140 people participated in the event.This year the participants were bussed to the Blue Mounds State Park and ran back into town.You may be interested in a few other results of Buffalo Days:
260 people participated in the Dad’s Belgian Waffle feed sponsored by the Southwest Chapter of the America Red Cross.
100 vendors sold their products to large crowds at Arts in the Park. Other Arts in the Park events included The Zoo Man, the Spot Light Dancers, Tae Kwon Do Club demonstrations, and the buffalo chip throwing contest sponsored by Green Earth Players.
1,200 free buffalo burgers were distributed at the Blue Mounds State Park within an hour Sunday. The Buffalo Days free burger feed is offered in conjunction with the state park’s annual open house.Interpretive Center will now be an information centerThree years ago the State of Minnesota cut the funding for the naturalist at the Blue Mounds State Park, resulting in closing the Interpretive Center, the former Manfred home.Now, thanks to a fund-raising effort by the Blue Mounds State Park Partners, the building will once again be open to visitors.The Park Partners managed to raise $5,000, which, according to park manager Rick White, will allow the facility to be open from noon to 4 p.m. every Wednesday through Sunday until Labor Day for the next two years.Because the state did not hire a nature interpreter to staff the facility, it will be considered an information center, not an interpretive center.However, the state did agree to provide maintenance for the building and guidance training for the employee.Power outage goes more quickly than expectedTuesday’s power outage, which affected everything north of the high school and west of Highway 75, went much faster than the worst-case eight-hour scenario talked about in the Star Herald last week.Rick Hoftiezer, line maintenance foreman for Missouri River Energy Services, told the Star Herald last week that the project could take up to eight hours, but the juice was off at 8 a.m. sharp and back on before noon, an outage of less than four hours.Now the next upgrade is already being planned. The affected area will also be located in the northern part of town, in close proximity to Cashin Drive and N. Kniss Ave.The outage will take place on Tuesday, June 13, beginning at 8 a.m. and is expected to last approximately five hours.Affected residents will be getting reminders hung on their doors this week.Again the outage on the 13th is necessary to upgrade both cable and equipment.

From the pulpit

America is a land of immigrants. Every one of our ancestors came here from some other place. (Even "Native Americans" traveled to this land from some place else, just earlier than the rest of us.) They came for many different reasons: freedom of religion, economic, political, health, and ambition just to name a few. This land welcomed them and gave them opportunity to find what they were seeking.With this as part of our history, America has been sensitive to the needs of immigrants. The success of this nation is due to its ability to blend all of these people into one nation. People working together and helping each other to succeed provides an atmosphere of success for all. No one person or group can claim that they alone are the reason that this nation has become the greatest nation on earth. All have played important roles down through our history. How can we now turn our backs on those still wanting to come to this land for the same reasons that our ancestors came so long ago?The Lord Himself set the standard for responding to "the stranger in our midst." Jesus Christ sought out, welcomed, and cared for people in need. He acted in mercy without respect to ethnicity, religion, or nationality. Christians need to respond in similar manner and in accord with His Word, which teaches, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). We express love toward immigrants not only as individual and corporate Christians, but also as individual and corporate citizens of this nation, which we love. Today, issues related to immigration and immigration laws are causing distress in our land. As corporate citizens of this nation, we recognize that solutions to the problem of illegal immigration are complex. There are many factors that deserve consideration, each exhibiting its own value. Secure borders, national security, policy enforcement, national stability, inexpensive labor, decent income, budget limits, human rights, and work opportunities are only the beginning of the long list.As Christians, we do affirm the right, responsibility, and authority of the government to act as God's agent, according to what is reasonable and just, in the creation and enforcement of laws (Romans 13:1-7). It follows that we recognize and affirm the responsibility of the government to regulate immigration in a godly manner while considering the many factors that deserve careful attention.Millions of undocumented persons have come to the United States for many and various reasons. They have come to flee oppression of many sorts, including extreme poverty and hunger. They have come in order to make provision for their loved ones. They have come in order to end separation from loved ones. They have come illegally because they have deemed that the legal route is nearly impossible to maneuver. They have come because they can work, and they find dignity in labor. We recognize also that a small percentage have come for malevolent reasons.Christians equally committed to God's Word may reasonably arrive at different conclusions on specific aspects of these issues and their resolution. However, this much is certain: God, in His Word, consistently shows His loving concern for "the stranger in our midst" and directs His people to do the same. The Children of Israel were told, "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:18-19). God told Moses to tell the people, "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19:33-34). Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). We are reminded in Hebrews 13:2, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." The challenges of illegal immigration are real and solutions must be found. While we accept our Christian responsibility to care for those in need, it is not the role of the church to specify particular civil legislation, either to its own constituency or to the government. We do, however, pray that God will grant wisdom and discernment to our nation's elected leaders as they endeavor to provide appropriate solutions to this very real dilemma.Meanwhile, in order to fulfill our Christian obligation, we also request that the charitable act of providing assistance to undocumented aliens not otherwise engaged in illegal activity not be criminalized ipso facto. We pray that appropriate solutions may be found, so that our assistance to those in need can also include helping persons become legal residents and citizens of this land of freedom and opportunity in which God has so richly blessed us.

From the library

Can a woman who’s lived in Rock County most of her life get lost driving to Beaver Creek? It can happen and I blame my father for it. My dad built roads for several years before we came to Luverne. So he felt at home on road surfaces that most people would avoid. Every time we drove somewhere and came upon a Road Closed or Construction Ahead or Detour Ahead sign, he would say, "Oh I think we can make it through that." And every time we tried. I actually had to get out of the car once to move a road barrier so my dad could get through. Sometimes we made it. Sometimes we didn’t. But we always had to try. I always take County Road 4 (Old Hwy 16) when I go to Beaver Creek. I was unaware of the construction going on until I got to the edge of town where a sign warned me: Road Closed Ahead. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I heard the phrase, "Oh, I think we can make it through that." So I ignored the sign and continued down the pavement. When I reached the actual construction site and the road barriers, I heard the same phrase again. However, I decided to heed the warning and I turned south on a gravel road. I went one mile and turned west on another gravel road hoping it would take me to Beaver Creek. I ended up at a dead-end farmstead where an old, old dog barked at me incessantly. The old beast probably hadn’t seen a strange vehicle by his house for 10 years. I retraced my steps, then went another mile south and turned west at the first opportunity. If I ran into another dead-end, I would follow in my father’s footsteps and drive through whatever lay in front of me. The gravel road went on forever. I finally called Jessica at the library to see if she could run a MapQuest search to save me from wandering the back roads of Rock County for the rest of my life. But just as she answered the phone, I came to the paved road that goes past the Beaver Creek Golf Course. I was saved. The library can save you in many ways: save you money, save you time, save you from getting lost and save your kids from getting bored this summer. It’s sign-up week for the "Catch the Beat" summer reading program. We have something for all ages. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 13, Mr. Twister will be here with magic, stories and balloon animals. All ages are invited. Check out this fabulous new novel for your summer reading pleasure. "Pretty Girl Gone" by David Housewright. Mac McKenzie has a lot of old girlfriends, but only one went on to marry Jack Barrett, the current governor of Minnesota. She calls him with a desperate request to meet in secret. Lindsay Barrett is carrying an anonymous e-mail that contains an ugly rumor about her husband. They have evidence that Jack Barrett killed his high school sweetheart. Lindsay says it’s an outright lie, but the truth lies buried in the small town where the governor grew up. Mac packs up and drives straight into the governor’s past with the brilliantly conceived plan to poke around and stir up a little information. But a nasty little group of political movers and shakers aren’t above kidnapping and murder to protect their interests. He continues shifting through a complex web of interlocking secrets and lies. It’s up to Mac to sort truth from untruth before a vicious rumor becomes a political nightmare — or worse, the "outright lie" is proved a solid, irrefutable fact.

Know it and grow it

I got my little pond filled and running last week … the fish got moved from a 10-gallon aquarium to a 70-gallon outdoor pond … they’re happy, too.Keeping the pond from getting green with string moss is an ongoing battle if the moss gets started before you take action to prevent it. Have you heard me preach on that theme before? In past years, I’ve had good success with barley straw. That straw has an enzyme that inhibits the growth of mosses, but to be effective, you have to have it in the water before the moss starts growing. This year we are selling a new product that is a liquid barley straw extract … much easier to work with and no clean up later. I’ll keep you posted on how well it works. Having a lot of floating water plants also helps control moss growth because the plant leaves block the sunlight the moss needs to grow. The plants also give the fish a place to hide from predators. I’m suggesting that you’ll want to be putting out slug bait soon to prevent those critters from chewing your hosta leaves to shreds. Once the leaves have holes in them, you get to look at the damage for the rest of the season. Putting the bait out now will prevent the damage, and you can take pride in knowing you beat them to the draw! Now is also the time to prune lilacs and the old fashioned bridal wreath spirea. Pruning now gives the new growth a chance to mature and establish next year’s flower buds before winter. Spring or fall pruning cuts off the flower buds that you are waiting to see. Not getting that job done soon will result in new growth without flowers for next season. Yes … my tomatoes are getting orange! The "wall o’ water" worked and I’ll have ripe fruit before the first of July. Tomatoes like heat and uniform moisture. Watering them excessively will result in lush vine growth at the expense of fruit. If that plant is just happy to be growing, it doesn’t feel the urgency to reproduce … so you will wait longer for the fruit you want. Allowing it to dry down between waterings will encourage it to bloom sooner. Excessive water or lack of water will cause problems too. Blossom end rot happens when the moisture level varies too drastically. We do have a spray product to help prevent that dilemma … it’s maddening to have that first ripe tomato look so appetizing only to discover that it is rotten on the bottom! I wouldn’t have the heart to tell you if that happened to my first one!

Room with a view

Monday afternoon I was talking to a couple of old, retired teachers and I remembered how education was one of my few final choices when I was deciding on a career.I guess I decided that I liked school so much that I decided to make a career of taking notes wherever I go.I can call these former teachers old because they’re in their late 80s, by the way. That’s not to say we didn’t chat like schoolgirls, however.Anyway, talking with them, I remembered how I had many great teachers and I bet these ladies’ former students say the same thing about them. One big difference between these former teachers and my teachers is that they had students many years in a row, in their one-room schoolhouses, or country schools.(Their remembrances of the old teacher days will be in next week’s "Mature Lifestyles" insert in the Star Herald.)The former teachers, Margaret Vegge and Gladys Eitrem, talked about being strict, yet participating with the children at recess, and how they taught every subject — from art to math. It was like talking to Miss Beadle from "Little House on the Prairie." They talked about making sure their students were warm and fed during the day and how they often joined families at home for visits and supper and some overnight stays. They also talked about how they did janitorial duties.Some of their students still keep in touch and count them as great influences on their lives. My best teachers did more than help me learn. They made me realize my talents. I wanted good grades to impress them as much as my parents. I learned to be proud of my accomplishments and that’s something we should all remember as adults, whether it’s pride in work, hobbies, relationships or home.Students no longer spend multiple years with the same teacher — eating, playing and learning together — but teachers are still a major influence on children.Even though teachers are on a little summer break now, it’s good to remember that.

From the sidelines

A pretty impressive streak that few people know about came to an abrupt end on Sunday.While this event wouldn’t appear as a blip on a radar screen compared with attractions like the section track meet and baseball tournament games I covered this week in terms of significance, it was a big deal for some current and former Rock County residents — including myself.After nine years of taking golf beatings from Brian DeJongh and my 12-year-old son, Nick, it feels great to say I’m no longer their personal whipping boy.On Sunday, with my partners Jill Meier and Wendi Schalekamp leading the way, our threesome was able to celebrate a nine-hole scrambler win over my boy and Brian.Playing with many different partners, I’ve squared off against these worthy opponents more than 30 times.While there were some competitive matches over the years, the outcome always remained the same. Brian would be wearing the smile of a winner, and his laugh could be heard from one end of the course to the other after he ordered Nick to prance around the green with the pin once their victory was secured.Winning these matches became a common occurrence for the Brian-Nick combination. As their conquests became repetitive, they started referring to themselves as "The Dominators."On Sunday, The Dominators truly were dominant during the first nine-hole round of play.By converting two birdies and one eagle, they coasted to an easy 6-1 win under our match play scoring rules.They were red hot, and we felt fortunate to tie them on the third and seventh holes of the competition before securing our lone point on the ninth hole.The win, however, caused our opponents to become complacent.While Jill was asking The Dominators to give us some strokes as the first round played out, I was devising a different course of action.I even held my tongue when The Dominators were saying things like "beating three girls wasn’t one of their greatest triumphs." I took their barbs in stride because my plan was designed to take advantage of the overconfidence they were displaying.So, as we entered the clubhouse for a between-round beverage, I laid the bait.Much to Jill’s displeasure, I told The Dominators that they didn’t have to give us any stroke advantages for the second round.Then I went on record to say that they should award us one-half of one point for every hole we match scores on during the final round.Feeling giddy about their lop-sided rout in the first round, Nick accepted the challenge without hesitation. Nick balked about the terms a little bit, but he soon fell in line with his partner.The funny thing about golf is how fortunes can change from one round to the next. If The Dominators didn’t realize this before Sunday, they do now.Instead of sporting the two-point lead they enjoyed after two holes of play during the front nine, our opponents found themselves facing a one-point deficit when we matched their scores on the back nine.Some doubt seemed to creep into their thinking at that point, and they decided we shouldn’t be awarded a half-point if we happened to match their score on ensuing par-3.We agreed to their request to throw out the half-point clause on par-3s, but it didn’t matter. Wendi’s tee shot on the third hole came to rest four feet away from the pin, and she drained the birdie putt to give us a two-point advantage.The Dominators did battle back to earn points on two of the next four holes, but they trailed by one-half point with two holes left to play.When we made par on the eighth hole and our opponents recorded a bogey five, eight years of frustration was washed away as Jill and I took turns prancing around the green with the pin waving wildly in our hands.On second thought, I wish I wouldn’t have taken part in that Terrell Owen-type of celebration on the eighth green. I was always told to act like you’ve been there before when an unlikely win falls in your lap, and I should have acted like that.On the other hand, I’ve never been on the winning side of a golf match against Brian and Nick before, and I decided the time was right to barb my opponents as we dined in the clubhouse after the match.After Brian raised a glass to toast The Dominators and their extended winning streak spanning over nine summers, I could hold my tongue no longer.After interrupting the toast, I unveiled their new team name."The Dominated."

For what it's worth

Big Loser II is now completed and once again the weight loses are amazing. The before and after pictures of the losers are in this issue of the Star Herald on pages 6 and 7 as well as comments from some of the participants on page 1B. The success of the first two programs in large part is due to Dietitian Marg Kuiper from the Sioux Valley Clinic Luverne. In addition to her dietary expertise, she also is our main motivator and encourager over the course of the 16 weeks.Kyle Oldre has raised the bar for all future Big Loser participants by losing an astonishing 88.6 pounds. Leading the lady losers was Gerry Sandstede dropping 47.6 pounds. In all, 15 of the 16 participants lost weight; 12 of the 16 lost 20 pounds or more and five of those lost over 50 pounds. In addition to the weight, the inches melted away as well. Rick Dawson, who actually gained 2 pounds, lost a total of 6 inches from his neck, chest, waist and hips and at the same time dropped his cholesterol by 21 points.There is no question — in order to achieve the results these folks have, you need to make changes in your diet and exercise programs. However, that doesn’t means you have to stop enjoying life or going out to eat. Orv Green is proof of that. He lost 51.4 pounds, a total of 18.5 inches, dropped his blood pressure by 10 points, dropped his cholesterol by 27 points, dropped his triglycerides by 201 points, lowered his fasting blood sugar count by 30 points, all the while eating at Sharkey’s every day. Someone else commented to me that they wanted to know how Steve Top was able to lose over 56 pounds when it seemed to them every time they saw him, he was eating at Sharkey’s. Steve will tell you just to look at the salad menu, order and enjoy.Congratulations to all the Big Losers, and for those of you who might be interested in Big Loser III, plans are underway to start sometime this fall. If you would like to shed a pound or two or 50, give me a call at the Star Herald office, 283-2333.

To the Editor:

Memorial Day Services – 2006Once again I had the privilege to participate in the Memorial Day Services at Maplewood Cemetery. I only stood by the Rock County VFW 2757 Auxiliary flag, but what an organization it represents. I have belonged for 54 years and I believe I have helped at Memorial Day at least 50 of those years, plus that many years of poppy sales. Do you remember when we used to serve breakfast at the VFW at 7:30 a.m., then a parade — on to the Palace Theatre for the program — then to Maplewood Cemetery for the tribute to the war dead? Then on to Beaver Creek to render the same salute.And now we have the Avenue of Flags. What a thrill to go out at 7 a.m. — put up the flags — have the program and salute — on to Beaver Creek — back for a potluck dinner. Later, at 7 p.m. go back to the cemetery and help fold the flags and put them in storage for another year. There are approximately 120 flags at Maplewood Cemetery, 30 at the Catholic Cemetery and 30 at Minnesota Veterans Home, all with deceased veteran’s names printed on them. That’s a lot of flags and poles to put away.The idea of the Avenue of Flags was started by LeRoy Luitjens, the late Charles Braa and Ron Maxwell and was dedicated in 1976, 30 years ago. The memorial site where the program is conducted was dedicated in 1974. All were funded by the American Legion and the VFW.I gathered some of this information from Leroy Luitjens, Dorothy Maxwell and Luella Braa and the all important dates from the Rock County Star Herald. I’ve gone through back papers many times to find information I needed. I thank my friend, Roger Tollefson, for allowing these records to be so readily available. I personally want to say "thanks" to Rick Peterson for his wonderful speech about patriotism, citizenship and respect for all of our veterans. I heard nothing but praise for his words of wisdom. I also share his memories and have tried to teach my children the respect for the flag, the flag I am so proud of when I’m able to put it next to my husband’s (Red Iveland) grave on Memorial Day. A flag I proudly carry in parades as long as I am still able.Betty IvelandLuverne

Hundreds expected to attend weekend activities

By Lexi MooreAfter months of planning meetings, fund-raising and organizing, Friendship Days has arrived.This year the Hills Community Club has worked overtime to make the weekend as big and as much fun as possible. Many new events are planned, in addition to old favorites, and the Community Club also worked with the All-School Reunion planners to make things like parking easier for visitors.Free shuttle service around townBeginning at 9 a.m. a free shuttle service will begin from the H-BC football field on the south side of Hills. Visitors and residents are welcome to park at the field and use the service to get around town.School buses will stop at the field, the high school and the Rez throughout the day. Event organizers encourage attendees to use the service because many of the roads in town will not be open for parking.Streets used in the parade route will not be available for parking, and traffic will be blocked from entering Main Street for most of the day.New events for children and adultsDonna and Stacen Burgers, owners of Around the Clock Fitness and Tanning, have organized a fun 5K run/walk on Saturday morning. Individuals interested in participating can still register that morning at the fitness center on Main Ave. The fun race starts at 7 a.m.The kiddie parade, which has been absent from the Friendship Days schedule for several years, is back this year. This is an opportunity for youth in the area to decorate their bikes, wagons, scooters, or power wheels and star in the parade. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the high school and is free. The kiddie parade will head down Main Street at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Friendship Days Parade at 10 a.m.The Community Club secured additional funding from area city councils to bring in several marching bands to make the parade extra special for the weekend.Local businesses and the H-BC junior high band will also take to the street that morning.As carloads of families pull into the football field, they will notice several inflatable carnival rides in bright colors being set up in the Hills Softball field. The inflatables will be open to area children at a cost of $5 for the afternoon.A dunk tank in the City Park features familiar Hills-Beaver Creek faces from the past and present. Alumni can try their luck at drenching their favorite.H-BC Junior Class Parents After-Prom Committee is manning a jail in the park from 12 - 3 p.m. Members of the committee will be selling "get out of jail free" passes around town in the morning and early afternoon.Visitors and residents without passes will be forced to spend time in the jail. Family and friends will have to pay bail before being released if they are taken as prisoners. The group is using the jail to raise money for the 2007 after-prom party.Visitors are encouraged to head back to Hills after they have their reunion meal for an all-ages street dance on Main Street.Beverages will be served by the Community Club, and Donatello’s, a local diner and café, will stay open late to serve hungry patrons. Local celebrity and DJ Ben Davis will provide music for the event.The weekend will conclude with a Sunday morning coffee service in the H-BC high school gym. The service will be led by the H-BC Fellowship of Christian Athletes.Old favoritesOrganizers kept many of the weekend’s favorites on the schedule. FFA alumni will be flipping pancakes, the Hills Christian School children will man carnival booths in the park, volleyball players will face off and train rides will still be free. A complete list of activities and times, including the tractor pull and fishing seminar, can be found on page 12 of the Crescent.

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