Clock on National Bank of LuverneThe following appeared in the Rock County Herald on July 28, 1916: (The bank referred to was in the former building at the site of the present City Hall location.)THE CHIMESLord, through this hour Be Thou our guide,So, by Thy power,No foot shall slide.Everyone who has lived within sound of the Bells of Westminster is familiar with the verse given above. The origin of the carillon has never been positively established. Some writers accredit it to a Mr. Crouch, who was a pupil of Dr. Randall, Regius Professor of Music. This, however, is disputed by other writers who accredit it to Dr. Randall’s conception of the idea taken from a movement in the fifth bar of the opening of Haendel’s Symphony, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." The Chimes were first fitted to the Clock of University church, St. Mary’s the Great, in Cambridge, but were not copied until they were reproduced on a very large scale in the Victoria Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament.As a home institution serving the people of this locality — enjoying your good will and business favors, we have in the past endeavored to show our appreciation by presenting our patrons with calendars and novelties and otherwise recognizing your co-operation in making this a serviceable and successful banking house.Years of prosperous banking have been made possible only by your support. We wanted to show our appreciation in a substantial way and have therefore purchased of the manufacturers, the McClintock-Loomis Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota, including the exclusive rights for this city, a large handsome clock combined with a set of the softest and most beautiful chimes ever heard in any city of the old or new world.At the quarter, half and three-quarter hour, these Chimes will ring out in various musical combinations; at quarter past the hour, four strokes — Westminster; at half past the hour, eight strokes — Reveille; at three quarters past the hour, twelve strokes — Cathedral peal; and on the hour 16 strokes — Westminster, followed by the striking of the full hour, in a clear, vibrant tone.May we hope that the Chimes will mean something to all of our people — that they will have a message for the youngster on his way to school; a thought for the business man who hustles through his day; a solace for the old.Every day of the week the chimes will be sounding their message — the note of warning spoken in time; the chime of rejoicing; the lament in time of sorrow. This chime will be all things to all men for it is going to belong not to us alone, but to men and women and children of our community.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.

Looking beyond the front tireMy lawn tractor isn’t much — just a little 8-horse John Deere that was new when I was 4 years old. But despite its age and its small size, it serves well in the modest tasks I give it. And that tractor is a delight to my children. They love to play on it. And when I let them, they absolutely love to drive it. A while back, I was pulling our (also small) lawn trailer to the dump, and one of my sons came along for the ride. As a treat, I let him steer. Despite his best efforts, he was utterly unable to hold a straight course. We weaved first to one side, then to the other. When I suggested that he keep to one side of the road, he responded with frustration: "But Dad, I’m trying!"It was only when I observed his method of navigation that I recognized my son’s problem. He wasn’t looking beyond the front tire. His eyes were focused on one front tire, and he was doing his best to keep it facing in the right direction. But by keeping his eye on something so close, he couldn’t see the tractor drifting this way or that until the change had become drastic. By the time he did notice, his correction also had to be drastic. Once I understood the problem, I was able to help him correct it. He needed to raise his line of sight and aim for something distant — a house, a car, even a pothole. He would need to check the front tires now and then — they are important! — but he needed to worry more about the direction of the entire tractor. He tried it. We still meandered a bit on the pavement — but as he focused on the bigger picture, he was able to adjust to the minor changes more easily. All because he started looking forward more than down. There’s a parable in that little adventure. It’s quite easy to focus on the "front tire," whether we’re talking about family or work or church. The front tire is the "stuff" that’s right there — this month’s grocery bill at home; the timing of a shipment at work; the wording of a policy at church — and the view of that front tire can easily blot out every other view. I don’t mean to imply that the "front tire" is unimportant. The small stuff — the details of life — can have a significant impact on our destination. If ignored, the result could be disastrous. But we don’t stare at our front tires; we glance at them to ensure that they are helping us to reach our bigger goal. Otherwise our energy will be consumed with drastic responses to one crisis after another, never allowing us to make any actual headway.But our attention must fall on the bigger picture: how the family is using its resources to glorify God; how the business is serving its customers and employees; how the church is discipling the nations, equipping the saints and glorifying God. In other words, God calls us to focus on serving Him with all the gifts He entrusts to us. Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness." (Matt. 6:33)That means our focus must be on serving God — every day, in every way. Seek first the Kingdom –— and the front tire will take care of itself.

These are interesting days … you start the day wearing a jacket with your shorts! But those cool nights are a real blessing for plants. That reprieve from the heat gives them a chance to replenish the water in the tissue that is lost during the warm days.During the heat of the day, the roots cannot replace the water in the plant tissue as fast as the warm air is taking it out. We call that transpiration for plants … sweating for people! As summer progresses, we often don’t get these cool nights, and then the plants that do not have real heat tolerance start complaining … loudly … they really want to go into the air conditioning with you! Your best bet, aside taking them in with you, is make sure they get watered thoroughly in the evening … while you have time and while you remember to do it! Get the water into the pot, not on the foliage if possible.If you like to douse the leaves, morning watering is better because the foliage dries rapidly so leaf diseases don’t have a chance to get started. Obviously, nature doesn’t follow my advice, and we still get to battle the disease problems. Rule of thumb for watering anything is a thorough watering and then allow the growing medium to become dry to touch. Dry to the touch means there will still be moisture down deeper in the container. Most plants like to stay moist and so when I say "moist like a cake is moist," most people understand what I am saying. If you tip the cake pan on its side, water should not be running out! Neither do you want to be choking when you eat it.And while we are addressing the plant/moisture issue, I need to remind you of the importance of feeding those plants. You would not do well on a diet of water and the plants won’t either. Here at the greenhouse they get fed with at least every other watering, so if you want to keep that energy level high and the growth and blooms coming, feeding is not an option. We sell both water soluble and time-rleasee fertilizers. The water-soluble nutrients are available immediately to the plant. Time-release fertilizer dissolves gradually over a specified period of time, so the feeding is in limited quantity, but available continuously. These products can be used simultaneously for maximum potential … be sure to follow instructions so you don’t burn the roots off your plants! We’ll coach you on the products if you stop out. This Sunday is Father’s Day, and I can suggest some great gifts for dads! I’ve told you before about our fabulous pruning shears that will make Dad enjoy the task at hand! We also have root feeders that will make that shade tree he is waiting to sit under grow much faster. And speaking of the shade of trees, if he hasn’t got a tree to sit under, we can help you pick out a good one to go with the root feeder! We also have some neat new birdhouses and birdbaths that will look great in the garden he is so proud of! Or maybe a container garden with glorious color where he can practice all this free advice I’ve been giving!Happy Father’s Day, dads!

We can’t all be inspiring, but we can be inspired by the ones who are I had the privilege this week of interviewing Tyler Scheidt about his experiences at the prestigious West Point military academy (see page 1A). As a reporter, writing the story was a daunting task. Here was the "small town kid done good" story, but each of his accomplishments at West Point is a story in itself.The daunting part was to scrape the surface of his exciting four years at West Point and condense it into a news story that fits onto the standard quarter page or less. (We thought Tyler was more than standard, so we gave him a lot more space.)The writing was difficult, but the interview was fun.I couldn’t help but feel I was in the presence of greatness. Tyler will undoubtedly go on to accomplish even greater things.Mostly, though, I just felt glad to know him. Despite his impressive resumé, he’s genuinely modest. It’s not that he isn’t proud; he just clearly understands the value of character as well.His mother, Pat, shared that when people asked him where he went to school, he often just said, "New York," instead of mentioning his prestigious West Point education.As the proud owner of a four-year college degree (and a respectable GPA), I know all about time management and focusing priorities. I also remember 2 a.m. homework and deciding that the assignment would just have to be good enough as is. I didn’t have it in me to do better.Tyler always had it in him to do better. … Thus, his 4.1 GPA.When I asked Tyler if he was ever tempted to let that happen, he said, "That just isn’t in me to turn in an assignment that way." Further, he never let his deadlines get that close. "It’s all about time management," he said.When I asked him if he ever thought about not passing a difficult course, he said, "Failure just wasn’t an option."For most of us, Tyler’s pretty amazing. He succeeded — even excelled — in everything he tackled at West Point and still had time to accomplish great things outside of class and military training.To him, success is easy: Work hard, and strive to be the best. "It’s a mindset," he said.It’s simple, really.I may not write a Pulitzer Prize-winning story, but why not strive for that?I may not be Mom of the Year, but why not live as though I am?We can’t all be Tyler Scheidt, but we can sure be inspired by his West Point story and by his approach to life in general.

Luverne High School track coach Craig Nelson is having a pretty good year.It started with his accepting the Minnesota State Track and Field Coaches Association’s Class A Coach of the Year Award (for the 2005 season) during a ceremony in Brooklyn in late January.Since then, Nelson guided the Cardinals through another sensational regular season that was highlighted by a return trip to the Minnesota State Class A True Team Championships in late May.Repeating as the Section 3A True Team champions probably carried a lot of weight when Nelson was named the Section 3A Coach of the Year after LHS won the team championship at the section event in Pipestone two weeks ago.Then came last weekend, when a group of seven Nelson-led LHS boys accomplished something no other Cardinal track team has in the history of the school — winning a team championship at the state meet.All things considered, I think winning the state championship will be what Nelson holds in his heart the longest when he has time to reflect on this special year.The championship was not earned by only some special athletes who will go down in history as some of Luverne’s best runners of all time. It also was a product of good coaching from a staff that had the foresight to put the athletes in the best possible position to succeed.Nelson and his staff earned my respect two weeks before the state meet.I was a little disappointed when the Cardinals were unable to win the Sub-Section 10 team title in late May.Nelson and his coaching staff were not concerned in the least after placing second to Southwest Christian at the sub-section event. Instead, they had their eyes on bigger prizes."To be honest, we were not trying to win the sub-section meet. In fact, this was the first year we didn’t enter kids in five events for as long as I’ve been the coach," he said."We were focusing on getting our best athletes together in relays and placing them in individual events that we thought they had the best chance to do well in at the state meet."Needless to say, the coaching strategy worked.The best decision the staff made was not to adjust anything when it came to seniors Jake Hendricks, Jordan Siebenahler, Mike Kunstle and Tom Ward.All they did the last two years was set school records in the 400- and 800-meter relays that will be tough to beat any time soon, and they did it at the expense of sacrificing potential success in individual events.The coaching staff also deserves credit for putting together a formidable 1,600-meter relay team, which clinched the state title by placing fourth on Saturday.Nelson and everyone else who follows the program know Luverne has a jewel in sophomore hurdler Chris Ashby.Ashby also has the potential to succeed in short sprints, but the coaching staff thought putting him in the 1,600-meter relay with Ward, senior Tim Miller and junior Ben Uphoff was the best move for the team this year.The coaching staff proved to be right with every decision they made, and the end result was a team championship that wasn’t so unexpected as some might think."We thought we had a chance to win with this group way back at the beginning of the year," he said."The state meet was suited to the type of team we have. To be successful at state, you need to have quality athletes. With this particular group of kids, who are some outstanding sprinters, we thought we had a chance to win it, and we did."Along with being exceptional athletes, the seven LHS boys who brought home a state title on Saturday have another special trait.They are very coachable athletes who are not afraid to try new things."To win a state championship the way we did, you need to have the right type of kids who are willing to buy into what the coaching staff is selling,"

MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATECERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAMEMinnesota Statutes Chapter 333The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable consumers to be able to identify the true owner of a business.1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted:Southwest Sealcoating2. State the address of the principal place of business. A complete street address or rural route and rural route box number is required; the address cannot be a P.O. Box.109 Buckingham Ave. Hardwick MN 561343. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name or if the business is a corporation, provide the legal corporate name and registered office address of the corporation.Shawn Staples 109 Buckingham Ave Hardwick MN 561344. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statutes section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath. /s/ Shawn Staples5/15/06 Shawn Ray Staples OwnerDate Shawn Staples (507) 215-1739Contact Person Daytime Phone Number(6-8, 6-15)

The Rock County Highway Department (RCHD) will be applying chemicals in our roadway ditches to control noxious weeds starting in late spring and continuing throughout the summer and fall of 2006. The RCHD uses a combination of HiDep IVM and Tordon 22k for noxious weed control. The RCHD strictly adheres to the wind restrictions for spraying which limits any chemical application if the winds are above 10 mph. The RCHD does limit our broadcast spraying to areas adjacent to corn fields and pastures. We will not apply our chemicals next to bean fields unless our personnel identify an area of noxious weeds. It is very helpful if the landowners/renters address any noxious weeds in the fence line to minimize the risk of crop damage from our chemical application. RCHD Chemical Harvesting Restrictions HiDep IVM: Contains 2-4-D and this has a 30-day pre-harvest interval for hay. If the plant is cut before the 30-day interval the chemical does not break down and should not be fed to dairy cattle. Tordon 22k: Contains picloram and this has a 14-day waiting period for harvesting for hay. Hay harvested before the waiting period and fed to livestock can cause damage to beans when the manure from the livestock is spread on ground intended for beans. If a County roadway ditch is to be cut for hay, please contact Mr. Walter Stearns, Highway Maintenance Supervisor, at (507) 283-5013 to determine if we have applied our chemicals to the roadway ditch in question. If a landowner/renter does not wish the roadway ditch adjacent to their land to be sprayed for noxious weeds, they must contact Walter Stearns, Highway Maintenance Supervisor, at (507) 283-5013. If the RCHD does not apply chemicals to a roadway ditch it will be the adjacent property landowner’s/renter’s responsibility to eliminate any noxious weeds.Mark R. Sehr, PERock County Highway Engineer(6-8, 6-15)

PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURT—COUNTY COURTPROBATE DIVISIONORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION FORADJUDICATION OF INTESTACY, DETERMINATION OF HEIRSHIPAND APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKIn Re: Estate of Rodney A. Viland, DeceasedTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS:It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 26th day of June, 2006, at 3:30 O’clock P.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the adjudication of intestacy and determination of heirship and for the appointment of James L. Viland, whose address is 410 E. Brown Street, Luverne, MN 56156, as administrator of the estate of the above named decedent in supervised administration, and that any objections thereto must be filed with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are filed, said administrator will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate. Upon completion of the administration, the administrator shall file a final account for the allowance and shall distribute the estate to the person thereto entitled as ordered by the Court, and close the estate. Pursuant to Minnesota Statute Section 524.3-403 Subd. (a) notice is hereby given that the Petitioner, James L. Viland, has reason to believe that the original will of the decedent has been lost or destroyed. Petitioner also states that an authentic copy of said will has been presented to the Court for formal probate. Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said administrator or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred. Dated: May 31, 2006 /s/Timothy K. Connell District Court Judge/s/ Douglas E. Eisma /s/Douglas E. Eisma Sandra L. VrtacnikAttorney for Petitioner Deputy Court Administrator Eisma and Eisma130 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507) 283-4828I.D. #158343(6-8, 6-15)

PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURT—COUNTY COURTPROBATE DIVISIONORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING FOR FORMAL PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKIn Re: Estate of James Herman Ask, DeceasedTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS:It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 26th day of June, 2006, at 3:30 O’clock P.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of the above named deceased, dated April 25, 1989, and for the appointment of Loren Lynn Ask, whose address is 2074 190th Avenue, Kenneth, Minnesota 56147, as personal representative of the estate of the above named decedent in supervised administration, and that any objections thereto must be filed with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are filed, said personal representative will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate. Upon completion of the administration, the representative shall file a final account for the allowance and shall distribute the estate to the persons thereto entitled as ordered by the Court, and close the estate. Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said personal representative or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred.Dated: June 6, 2006 /s/ Timothy K. ConnellTimothy K. ConnellDistrict Court Judge/s/ Douglas E. Eisma /s/ Sandra L. VrtacnikDouglas E. Eisma Sandra L. VrtacnikAttorney for Petitioner Court AdministratorEisma and Eisma130 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507)283-4828I.D. #158343(6-8, 6-15)