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ISD #2184 School Board meets Jan. 5

JANUARY 5, 2005MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2184, ROCK COUNTY, LUVERNE, MINNESOTA.A special meeting of the Board of Education, ISD #2184, was held in the District Office on Wednesday, January 5, 2005, at 12:00 p.m. The following members were present: Vicki Baartman, Colleen Deutsch, Laura Herman, Dan Kopp, Cary Radisewitz, Bill Stegemann, and Becky Walgrave. Also present: Superintendent Vince Schaefer and Marlene Mann. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Becky Walgrave. Motion by Kopp, second by Radisewitz, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to approve the school board minutes of December 16, 2004. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Baartman, to cast a unanimous ballot for the following officers: Chairperson – Becky Walgrave, Vice-Chairperson – Bill Stegemann, Clerk – Colleen Deutsch, and Treasurer – Cary Radisewitz. Motion unanimously carried. Chairperson Walgrave read the Oath of Office for newly elected members Baartman and Herman. Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to establish committee assignments as presented with one change of Herman on the Technology/Internet Committee rather than Radisewitz. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Herman, to appoint Superintendent Schaefer to serve on the Luverne Community Economic Development committee. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Deutsch, to approve a maternity leave for Jill Wagner from approximately May 12 through the remainder of the 2004-05 school year. Motion unanimously carried. No committee reports were given.The upcoming meeting dates were reviewed.Chairperson Walgrave reviewed the role of school board members.Motion by Stegemann, second by Kopp, to adjourn the meeting. Motion unanimously carried.Dated: January 5, 2005Colleen Deutsch, Clerk(2-3)

Patriots take two of three home games

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek girls basketball team bounced back from a tough home loss last Thursday to post a pair of impressive home wins early this week.Murray County Central nipped the Patriots by two points in Hills Thursday. H-BC then handed Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Southwest Christian 11- and 18-point setbacks on Monday and Tuesday respectively.H-BC, 13-8 overall, hosts Edgerton Public Friday.H-BC 41, SWC 23Outstanding play on defense enabled the Patriots to hand Southwest Christian its second loss of the season Tuesday in Hills.H-BC limited the E-Gals to two points in the first quarter and six points in the second period while opening a 24-8 lead.The difference remained at 16 points (34-18) before H-BC used a 7-5 scoring edge in the fourth quarter to win by 18."Our girls did a fantastic job of playing team defense," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "We played extremely smart on defense. Our spacing was good and our awareness was excellent."Cassi Tilsta led H-BC with 16 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Mulder collected six rebounds and blocked five shots. Melinda Feucht charted four steals.Box scoreRozeboom 2 0 3-4 7, Fransman 0 1 0-0 3, Bush 0 1 0-0 3, Feucht 4 0 0-1 8, Tilstra 6 1 1-1 16, Mulder 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsH-BC: 17 of 40 field goals (43 percent), four of six free throws (67 percent), 28 rebounds, 16 turnovers.SWC: 10 of 46 field goals (22 percent), two of five free throws (40 percent), 22 rebounds, 17 turnovers.H-BC 54, R-T-R 43A strong second half helped the Patriots turn a close game into an 11-point victory when they squared off against the Knights in Hills Monday.H-BC sported five- and three-point cushions at the end of the first and second quarters respectively. The Patriots, however, outscored R-T-R 34-26 in the second half to win handily.The Knights scored the first two points of the second half to trim what was a 20-17 lead for the Patriots to one point (20-19). H-BC answered the challenge by mounting a 20-6 run capped by Chelsi Fink’s three-point shot with 1:06 left in the third quarter to open a 15-point (40-25) advantage.The Patriots increased their lead to 18 points (48-40) when Stacy Bush drained a three-point shot at the 6:09 mark of the third quarter, but the Knights battled back with a 10-0 run to trail 48-40 with 2:58 left to play.H-BC thwarted the late challenge by R-T-R by outscoring the visitors 6-3 the rest of the way to ice its 12th win of the season.Tilstra scored 15 points and recorded eight assists to lead the Patriots in both categories. Kerri Fransman, who charted three steals, and Mulder ripped down eight rebounds each.Box scoreRozeboom 2 1 0-0 7, Fransman 0 3 0-0 9, Bush 2 1 2-4 9, Feucht 2 0 3-4 7, Fink 1 1 0-0 5, Tilstra 5 1 2-2 15, Koozenboom 0 0 0-0 0, Mulder 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsH-BC: 20 of 55 field goals (36 percent), seven of 10 free throws (70 percent), 30 rebounds, 13 turnovers.R-T-R: 16 of 48 field goals (33 percent), five of 18 free throws (28 percent), 29 rebounds, 20 turnovers.MCC 39, H-BC 37A cold night of shooting for the Patriots led to a two-point setback when they squared off against the Rebels in Hills Thursday.Being limited to 28 percent shooting from the floor and converting less than 50 percent of its free throws sealed H-BC’s fate."We outplayed them in every facet most of the game. We just didn’t shoot the ball very well," said Patriot coach Goehle.H-BC did trim a 29-22 deficit entering the fourth quarter to two points (39-37) when Fink converted a free throw with 30 seconds remaining in the game. The Patriots, however, missed out on a bid to tie the game when two field-goal attempts in the final 10 seconds missed the mark.Tilstra scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists for H-BC. Mulder added seven rebounds and blocked three shots.Box scoreRozeboom 1 01-4 3, Fransman 0 1 0-0 3, Bush 1 1 0-0 5, Feucht 0 0 2-2 2, Fink 0 0 1-2 1, Tilstra 7 0 2-5 16, Mulder 3 0 1-2 7.Team statisticsH-BC: 14 of 50 field goals (28 percent), seven of 15 free throws (47 percent), 28 rebounds, 10 turnovers.MCC: 18 of 39 field goals (46 percent), three of six free throws (50 percent), 26 rebounds, 14 turnovers.

Panthers secure coveted victory

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys basketball team broke even in games against Camden Conference foes.The Panthers lost a 13-point decision in Canby Friday before beating Dawson-Boyd by five points in Ellsworth Tuesday.Ellsworth, 10-9 overall, plays road games against Lake Benton and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Friday and Tuesday. The Panthers host Lincoln HI Saturday.Ellsworth 69, D-B 64A rally in the second half led the Panthers to a five-point home win Tuesday.Playing a D-B team that is challenging for the CC title, Ellsworth erased a 41-36 halftime deficit by outscoring the Blackjacks 33-27 in the third and fourth quarters of what EHS coach Ken Kvaale said was his team’s biggest win of the season."It was the big win we wanted to get against a quality team."Darrin Weikamp recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.Bryan Kramer, who made all six of his shots from the field in the first half, pitched in a season-high 17 points. Cody Schilling added 13 points and nine assists to the winning cause. Aaron Van Der Stoep scored 11 points and Ben Herman registered seven assists.Box scoreKramer 8 0 1-2 17, DeBerg 2 0 0-0 4, Schilling 5 0 2-3 13, Weikamp 5 1 8-10 21, Klaassen 0 0 0-0 0, Van Der Stoep 2 2 1-1 11, Herman 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsEllsworth: 46 percent field goals (totals were unavailable), 12 of 18 free throws (67 percent), 31 rebounds, 14 turnovers.Canby 71, Ellsworth 58The Lancers rallied from a halftime deficit to best the Panthers by 13 points in Canby Friday.Ellsworth played its way into a 32-27 lead by the end of the second quarter, but Canby outscored the Panthers 44-26 in the second half to win handily."Cold shooting and the fact that we didn’t continue to make some of the defensive adjustments that helped us be successful in the first half did us in," said Panther coach Kvaale.Weikamp, who led the Panthers with eight rebounds, scored 10 of his 12 points to help the Panthers open a five-point halftime lead.Schilling netted 12 points and collected six rebounds. Van Der Stoep scored 12 points and passed for six assists. Kramer added 10 points to Ellsworth’s cause.Box scoreDeutsch 0 0 1-2 1, Kramer 5 0 0-0 10, DeBerg 1 0 0-0 2, Schilling 3 1 3-4 12, Weikamp 3 1 3-5 12, Van Der Stoep 2 2 2-2 12, Herman 2 1 2-2 9.Team statisticsEllsworth: 41 percent field goals (no totals available), 11 of 15 free throws (73 percent), 24 rebounds, 18 turnovers.

Redwood Valley denies LHS again

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys basketball team broke even when playing a pair of road games late last week.The Cardinals notched a 12-point win against Lincoln HI in Ivanhoe Thursday before falling by one point in Redwood Falls Friday.Luverne, 12-6 overall, plays in Windom Friday before hosting West Central Saturday.RWV 42, Luverne 41A surge in the final minute by host Redwood Valley led to a one-point loss for the Luverne Cardinals Friday in Redwood Falls.Luverne led 41-38 and possessed the ball with 38 seconds left to play when a pair of crucial turnovers burned the Cardinals. RWV turned both turnovers into baskets, including what proved to be the game-winning field goal with seven seconds remaining, to steal a victory."It was a close game that came down to the final three or four possessions," said LHS coach Tom Rops. "Unfortunately, we didn’t make the plays when we needed to. We did everything right to be in a position to win the game. We just had some bad luck in the final minute."Luverne, which sported leads at the first three quarter breaks, received a 14-point effort from John Tofteland. Brandon Deragisch scored 10 points, nabbed five rebounds and charted four steals for the Cards. Jake Hendricks passed for three assists.Box scorePick 1 0 3-4 5, Herman 2 0 0-0 4, Deragisch 1 2 2-3 10, Antoine 1 0 0-0 2, Tofteland 3 2 2-3 14, Hendricks 0 1 2-2 5, Heronimus 0 0 1-4 1.Team statisticsLuverne: 14 of 31 field goals (45 percent), 10 of 15 free throws (67 percent), 17 rebounds, 18 turnovers.RWV: 19 of 35 field goals (54 percent), 24 rebounds, 13 turnovers.Luverne 72, LH 60A strong defensive effort and a decisive advantage at the free-throw line gave the Cardinals a 12-point win over Lincoln HI in Ivanhoe Thursday.Luverne forced the Rebels to turn the ball over 20 times in the game and outscored LH 23-8 at the charity stripe as the Cards picked up their 12th win."We were in control of the game for the most part, but LH never gave up," said LHS coach Rops. "Getting to the free-throw line and causing the turnovers we did were the keys."With Deragisch scoring 20 of his team-high 22 points and Tofteland adding 10 of his 17 points in the first half, Luverne opened a 42-26 halftime cushion. LH trimmed the difference to 11 points (56-45) by the end of the third quarter before falling by 12 points at game’s end.Deragisch led the Cards with seven rebounds and five steals.Box scorePick 4 0 1-4 9, Herman 4 0 0-2 8, Deragisch 4 1 11-14 22, Antoine 1 0 4-8 6, Tofteland 4 2 3-5 17, Haakenson 0 1 0-0 3, Hendricks 0 1 3-4 6, Heronimus 0 0 1-2 1.Team statisticsLuverne: 21 of 42 field goals (50 percent), 23 of 38 free throws (61 percent), 29 rebounds, seven turnovers.LH: 22 of 35 field goals (63 percent), eight of 17 free throws (47 percent), 22 rebounds, 20 turnovers.

Dragons post RRC victories

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian boys basketball team notched a pair of Red Rock Conference wins at different sites.The Dragons rolled to a 30-point home win over Westbrook-Walnut Grove Friday before nipping Southwest Christian by three points in Edgerton Tuesday.Adrian, 10-6 overall, plays in Fulda tonight before hosting Red Rock Central and Southwest Star Concept Friday and Monday respectively.Adrian 57, SWC 54The Dragons used a solid shooting performance to knock off the Eagles in Edgerton Tuesday.The Dragons canned 50 percent of their field goals to highlight a game that featured AHS sporting a lead at every quarter break."We hit a lot of big shots," said Adrian coach Chris Rozell. "We didn’t handle their pressure very well, but we hit some big shots to keep us in the driver’s seat."Adrian, which sported 14-13, 27-23 and 38-35 leads at the first three quarter breaks, fell behind by one point late in the fourth quarter. The Dragons regained a one-point lead before Brett Block capped a 20-point, 10-rebound effort with a pair of free throws in the final seconds to ice the win.Casey Knips scored 12 points and nabbed 13 rebounds for AHS.Box scoreKlaassen 0 1 0-0 3, Block 3 3 5-8 20, Weidert 1 1 0-0 5, Stover 3 1 0-0 9, Brake 4 0 0-0 8, Knips 5 0 2-3 12.Team statisticsAdrian: 22 of 44 field goals (50 percent), seven of 11 free throws (64 percent), 35 rebounds, 20 turnovers.SWC: 22 of 62 field goals (35 percent), five of eight free throws (63 percent), 20 rebounds, 11 turnovers.Adrian 69, W-WG 39The Dragons outscored the Chargers 60-33 in the final three quarters to set the stage for a 30-point home win Friday.After falling behind 4-3 early in the first quarter, Adrian moved in front 9-6 by period’s end before going on a 28-12 run in the second period to assume a 37-19 halftime advantage.The Dragons led by as many as 31 points in the second half before settling with a 30-point victory at game’s end.Lee Stover and Block came up big for the Dragons during the decisive second quarter. Block, who charted six assists and four steals for the winners, netted eight of his team-high 18 points in the second period. Stover scored 10 of his 17 points in the same quarter.Knips and Tyler Engelkes added 14 and seven rebounds to the winning cause.Box scoreSwayze 0 0 0-0 0, Lonneman 1 0 6-6 8, Klaassen 2 0 0-0 4, Haken 0 0 0-0 0, Tjepkes 0 0 0-0 0, Block 4 2 4-6 18, Weidert 0 1 2-2 5, Engelkes 1 0 1-3 3, Stover 4 2 3-4 17, Brake 4 0 0-1 8, Knips 3 0 0-0 6.Team statisticsAdrian: 24 of 58 field goals (41 percent), 16 of 22 free throws (73 percent), 41 rebounds, 15 turnovers.W-WG: 17 of 55 field goals (31 percent), five of six free throws (83 percent), 21 rebounds, 20 turnovers.

Adrian wins battle of ranked teams

By John RittenhouseA late push by the Adrian wrestling team gave the Dragons a 30-29 win in Albert Lea Saturday.In a match featuring two state-ranked teams (Adrian is third in Class 2A, and AL third in Class 3A), Adrian received clutch wins from Brandon and Dusty Bullerman late in the match to pull out a one-point victory.A five-match winning streak from 103 to 130 pounds gave AL a 22-21 edge with four matches remaining. Brandon Bullerman pinned Brandon Mellang 37 seconds into the second period and Dusty Bullerman nipped Jared Butter 1-0 to help the Dragons outscore AL 9-7 in the final four bouts.Adrian scored the first 15 points of the contest with Nate Engelkes (5:18 over Cory Frerk) and Levi Bullerman (3:51 over Alex Paul), and Cody Reverts adding a 2-0 decision win over Alex Hansen.The score was 21-3 when Adrian’s Cody Lutmer pinned Tony Malespy, but AL countered with its five-match run to gain a 22-21 lead.Match wrap-up160 (A) Engelkes pins Frerk.171 (A) Reverts 2-0 Hansen.189 (A) L.Bullerman pins Paul.215 (AL) Berhow 7-4 W.Lutmer.275 (A) C.Lutmer pins Malespy.103 (AL) Kortan t.f. Loosbrock.112 (AL) Hansen 3-0 J.Bullerman.119 (AL) Hansen 12-4 Thier.125 (AL) Johnson 10-4 Croat.130 (AL McGinnis 16-6 Reker.135 (A) B.Bullerman pins Mellang.140 (AL) Morris 9-1 Heitkamp.145 (A) D.Bullerman 1-0 Butter.152 (AL) Klukow 2-1 Sauer.

One-goal win sends Luverne to New Ulm

By John RittenhouseLuverne advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Section 1A Girls Hockey Tournament after nipping Waseca by one goal during an opening-round game played in Luverne Tuesday.Prior to playing the tournament game, Luverne lost a home game to Marshall Thursday before ending the regular season with a home win over Morris-Benson Saturday.The 16-7-1 Cardinals will play No. 2 New Ulm at 7 p.m. tonight in the section quarterfinals.Luverne 2, Waseca 1The seventh-seeded Cardinals earned the right to move on in tournament play by nipping No. 10 Waseca Tuesday in Luverne.Natalie Domagala scored both goals for the Cards, who also received a solid effort in net from Sarah Schneekloth. Schneekloth stopped 33 of the 34 shots she faced.Domagala opened the scoring with 2:45 remaining in the first period after being set up by Sadie Dietrich.With two Waseca players sitting in the penalty box, Domagala scored her second goal of the game at the 7:52 mark of the third period to give LHS a 2-0 cushion.Waseca’s Jenna Sopowiak finally pushed a puck past Schneekloth with 3:34 remaining in the game, but the Cards blanked the Blue Jays the rest of the way to win by one.Luverne 6, M-B 3The Cardinals capped a 15-7-1 regular season by posting a three-goal home win over Morris-Benson Saturday.Domagala scored all six goals for the Cards in the game, including three in a span of 10:37 of the third period that snapped what was a deadlock at three.Domagala gave LHS a 2-0 lead with goals at 10:41 and 8:59 of the first period before M-B cut the lead in half (2-1) with a counter late in the stanza.Domagala gave the Cards a 3-1 cushion with a power-play goal at 8:01 of the second period, but the Storm tied the game at three with a second-period tally and another goal at the 13:07 mark of the third period.Domagala broke the tie with an unassisted effort with 11:43 left to play before adding two more goals to ice the win.Luverne’s Dietrich recorded three assists and Paige Olson and Natalie Morgan received credit for one assist each. Schneekloth made 32 saves for the Cards, who were outshot 35-27 in the game.Marshall 7, Luverne 5Luverne’s bid to gain a share of the SWC title fell two goals short when the Cardinals entertained the Tigers Thursday.A three-goal run in the second period gave the Cardinals a 5-4 lead, but Marshall’s Alyssa Issackson tied the game at five with 2:33 remaining in the second period before netting the eventual game-winning goal at the 12:39 mark of the third period.The win gave Marshall, which outshot the Cards 46-25 in the game, an outright SWC championship.Domagala, who scored three goals for LHS, tied the game at one after being set up by Dietrich, with a counter at the 8:57 mark of the first period. Marshall scored goals 1:10 apart to gain a 3-1 lead before the first period was complete.The teams exchanged goals in the first 4:05 of the second period before the Cards moved in front 5-4 with a three-goal spurt.Unassisted goals by Dietrich and Domagala knotted the score at four with 11:07 left in the second period. With an assist going to Domagala, Dietrich gave the Cards a one-goal lead at 3:45.Schneekloth made 20 saves in net for LHS.

Did you hear?

Farm Bureau celebrates Food Check-Out DayAs of Feb 7, next Monday, you (the average family) will have earned enough income to pay for your family’s entire food supply for 2005.You’re going to have to work a little longer to pay for the year’s tax bill, however.The purpose of the Food Check-Out Day is to point out to the American people the low cost of food in our country.According to the latest statistics compiled by the Agricultural Department’s Economic Research Service, American families and individuals currently spend, on average, 10 percent of their disposable personal income for food.So, the average family is able to pay for its annual food supply in just 37 days.The Bureau goes on to point out that the tax freedom day takes over 100 days to reach, falling somewhere in mid- April.I’m all in favor of cheap food, but I’m not sure the comparison is fair.While food is a very important aspect of our lives, taxes go toward a variety of things, including education, roads and bridges, public safety, human services and the defense of our country, including homeland security.I think the Farm Bureau Federation should stick to pointing out what a great job they do at raising high- quality inexpensive food and forget about irrelevant comparisons.4-H members hit the streetsA couple of weeks ago I was telling you to expect a knock on the door from our local Girl Scouts out on their annual cookie sales.Now it’s the 4-H members’ turn, only they are selling "fruit and more."Fruit has always been the staple of the 4-H fund-raiser, with apples, oranges, pears and grapefruit in the mix.Over the years, other things have been added to their sales arsenal.In addition to fruit, this year’s items will include popcorn, cheese, beef sticks, pickled herring and a variety of frozen foods.If a 4-H’er doesn’t contact you, and you would like to make a purchase, you can call the Rock County Extension office at 283-1320 by Feb. 21 to place your order.The "Fruit and More" sale is the major fund-raiser used by local 4-H’ers to help support their local activities, some of which include summer day camps, overnight camps, after-school and summer project days, leadership training, communication contests and the many activities at the county and state fairs.Downtown Council to meet with State Historic Preservation OfficeOn Friday, Feb. 4, the recently formed Downtown Business Council will meet with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office to discuss historic preservation in the downtown district.According to Jill Wolf, Luverne’s economic development director, the discussion will focus on how to obtain funding, historic tax credits, getting on the National Register of Historic Places and the benefits of a historic tax district.As she has done at past meetings, Betty Mann will give the history of two of Luverne’s downtown buildings/businesses.The meeting will start at 9:00 a.m. at the Luverne Pizza Ranch.Welcome spring with DaffodilsThe American Cancer Society hopes you will welcome in spring with some daffodils.The annual daffodil sale is used by the American Cancer Society to help support cancer research, education and service programs.If you would like to preorder the daffodils, you must do so by Feb. 16 by calling 283-4039 or 283-8311.The flowers are scheduled to arrive March 7.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Bits by Betty

The following appeared in the Rock County Weekly on July 25, 1884:Monday’s MisfortuneThe Terrors of a Fierce Tornado Visited Upon Portions of Dakota and Southwestern Minnesota — One Man Killed in Rock County and Others Seriously Injured — One Death Near Adrian — The Most Violent Tempest and the First Destructive Storm Ever Known In This Section — Houses and Outbuildings Demolished Throughout the County and Crops Considerably Injured — A Large Amount of Property Destroyed in Luverne but Fortunately no one Seriously Injured — The Loss Occasioned in Luverne Variously Estimated at From $8.000 to $12,000.A Serious CalamityThe Facts in General:Later reports concerning the havoc wrought by Monday’s tornado indicate that portions of Rock County most seriously damaged were in the townships of Springwater, Beaver Creek, Luverne and Magnolia. Considerable damage was done in Martin township and, in fact, in all other parts of the county, but the storm seems to have been less severe throughout the north and the south tier of townships. As thus far reported, the number of lives lost in Minnehaha county, Dak., is six. One man in Rock County, and one lady in Nobles County were killed, and several others were seriously injured. The damage at Dell Rapids is estimated at $100,000 and at Valley Springs at $50,000. No reliable estimate of the damage in Rock County can be made at present. The loss from building destroyed will be considerable, but it is believed that the damage to crops will not be so great as was feared at first.Fatal Results: Eight Lives LostThe deaths in Minnehaha County, Dak., occasioned by the storm, were as follows: Mrs. A. Scott, of Lyon township, killed by lightning; Mrs. John Hale of Highland township also killed by lightning; a child of Peter Digre was killed in the ruins of its father’s house near Highland. Mrs. Digre was seriously injured; two children were killed near Dell Rapids in a schoolhouse which was blown to pieces. A child of S. Dacken was also killed by the wind in the same neighborhood.L. Lassessen, a Sioux Falls carpenter employed on the new church in Martin township, which was torn to pieces, was buried under the debris and instantly killed.Mrs. Graff, daughter of one of the Nobles County commissioners, was killed five miles north of Adrian.[This article is longer and will be continued next week.]Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.

Letters from the farm

Manufacturers of store mannequins are taking a full-hip swing –— not to mention a first step — in the right direction. Their latest models will strongly resemble entertainers Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce and lesser-knowns such as, well, most American women. The new mannequins have become what Reuters refers to as "bootylicious figures" with "well-rounded backsides." Since Macy’s of Manhattan placed the new mannequins in their juniors’ department almost two years ago, sales have tripled. We’ve had reality checks in the news and reality TV shows. It was only a matter of time before realism would affect the way we buy clothes. We apparently like seeing possible clothing purchases stretched out over 38-inch, plastic hips. Let’s face it. The average clothing size for women in our country is a size 14, not the tiny size one worn by some emaciated store mannequin. We are real women, not models, and we do enjoy eating. The new trend in mannequins might explain why young women feel good about themselves as they proudly appear in public with sausage-skin tight low-rise jeans and what appears to be excess sausage stuffing and a pierced navel overflowing their waistbands. It’s definitely a different look and one that would have sent earlier generations reeling. As a direct result of the new, full-figured store mannequins, we should expect to see many changes. Most noticeably, store display windows, which formerly could showcase four or five of the plastic models, will now only have hip room for one or two. Instead of the plaintive looks on yesterday’s rail thin mannequins — starving looks that said, "I would do anything to be left alone in a room with a Krispy Kreme" — the new mannequins might actually have contented smiles on their faces. Salespeople in clothing stores will no longer have to bite their lips and try to stifle their laughter as they did when we asked, "I would like to try on what that mannequin’s wearing, but in my size." We will be the same size as the mannequins, and what we see will be what we get. The new mannequins might eliminate much of the fitting-room anguish for women trying on clothes. There will be fewer surprises. For the first time in our lives we will be able to say, "Hey, if those jeans look that great on the mannequin, imagine how wonderful they will look on me!" Personal confidence and self-esteem will soar to new heights. Perhaps shoe stores will follow suit and display shoes in more realistic, larger sizes. They might stop using infinitesimally small, size five shoes and instead show what the styles look like in size 11 or 12. They should realize that the few women wearing tiny shoes are either real-life Barbie dolls, modified through drastic surgery, or unfortunate women who have had all of their frozen toes amputated following some freakish snowstorm. If it’s realism they’re after, the window people preparing the new, full-bodied mannequins for display could go a few steps further. A piece of french fry might still cling to the corner of one mannequin’s mouth. A dab of ketchup or fryer grease might be applied, tastefully of course, to another mannequin’s chin. An extra grande Mocha latte with whipping cream, artistically dribbled down the front of a mannequin’s outfit, would provide an exquisite, finishing touch of realism. Prepare yourself for a brave new world of clothing store mannequins.

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