Crowds who came to hear Luverne native Rick Olson's band filled the Eagles Club to capacity Friday night and spilled out into the parking lot.

The Armory had the same pleasant problem Saturday night as crowds from the dance found extra space on the front lawn.

Parade spectators packed both sides of Main Street Saturday morning and trickled over into side streets to view the 76 entries.

New faces in city hall
In terms of most local impact and longest-term affects, the local elections undoubtedly stand out as a 2000 highlight.

With a record-breaking 90-percent voter turnout, Rock County voters cast their ballots in the historic presidential election that wouldn't be decided until mid-December.

Locally, decisions were made more swiftly, and with far-reaching implications.

Luverne's mayoral race drew the most attention, with challenger Glen Gust ousting incumbent Bill Weber by a count of 1,460 to 1,006.

Two other newcomers join the City Council. Challengers Dave Hauge and Tom Martius will take their places in council chambers next month.

Jubilee expansion
There's nothing like a local controversy to stir interest in public office.

When the city of Luverne approved tax increment financing for the Jubilee Foods expansion and relocation project, it drew sharp criticism from some local residents.

Some of the most vocal opposition came from Glen's Food Center owner Glen Gust (now mayor-elect Glen Gust).

The project falls well within the legal parameters of TIF requirements, but critics said TIF should be used to draw in new businesses, not benefit the ones already here.

The new $3-million store opened in August between Cedar and McKenzie streets.

Fledgling Field debate
Another issue that drew public involvement in city business was the zoning of Fledgling Field.

Cornerstone Construction purchased the land from the school district for $41,000 in an April auction. Cornerstone specializes in architectural services and construction management for designing and building funeral homes. Dingmann Funeral Home has said it will buy the constructed building, if developed.

Neighbors objected to a conditional use request to operate a business in a residential district saying they preferred to see the lot stay green.
Cornerstone has said that if the conditional use permit isn't granted, it will develop as many single or two-family dwellings as space allows.

Gravel controversy
Speaking of controversy, in another case of residents influencing public decision, Luverne Township residents organized an articulate vocal opposition to a gravel pit in their rural neighborhood.

The county Planning and Zoning Commission at first approved Henning Construction's request for a conditional use permit to mine gravel south of Luverne.

But after hearing about 30 residents' concerns about safety, noise, dust and decreased property values, the County Board denied the permit.

Commissioners later voted to hold action on all new permit requests for one year to allow time to study gravel issues.

Ethanol smell
The Luverne business community was thrilled by the economic benefit of Luverne's Agri-Energy ethanol plant which started operations in 1998.

Residents in the southwest part of town, however, have been less than thrilled by what they consider an offensive odor emitted by the plant's grain drying process.

Earlier this month, a new 175-foot-stack was erected that is 30 percent taller than the original and will disperse emissions a greater distance before odors fall on the city.

The plant will continue working with residents to measure the success of the new stack.

All day every day kindergarten
Following the theme of people's voices in public issues, the district's approval of all day every day kindergarten drew plenty of local involvement.

Proponents of the plan said the all day every day environment provides a more stable, consistent learning environment for children that tends to be less stressful.

Opponents worried that kindergarten-age children are too young for all day every day school and should be allowed to stay young and carefree that first year of school
A survey indicated 75 percent of local respondents were in favor of all day every day kindergarten.

School Board members approved the measure in May, and kindergarten students this fall attended classes all day every day.

Hospital sale
Though residents were less involved in this public decision, the sale of Luverne Community Hospital to Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System generated a fair amount of concern.

Citing economic stability and increased access to better resources, the hospital board approved the sale following a Jan. 20 public meeting that drew about 30 interested community members.

The Luverne City Council later put its stamp of approval on the purchase agreement, which has reportedly carried through without incident.

Gold'n Plump two-time carbon dioxide leak
Gold'n Plump evacuated its Luverne plant in late December 1999 and mid July 2000 as a result of temporary worker illness.

The December worker illness was linked to a natural gas line outside the building that leaked gas into the plant production floor.

Six of the 189 shift workers were hospitalized.

The July illness was blamed on high CO2 levels. Chicken comes to the Luverne plant cleaned for processing and is packed in a form of solid CO2 used as a coolant. Evaporation of the solid and inadequate ventilation combined to poison the air.

That event affected 21 of the 140 on shift.

Andrew the king
He wasn't quite king of the world, but for a week in September, it's safe to say Luverne homecoming king Andrew Dooyema felt on top of the world.

When the Associated Press wire picked up the news of Andrew's homecoming reign, newspapers nationwide reprinted the touching story of a Down's syndrome boy whose dream came true.

When asked how it feels to know his name has been printed in major newspapers from coast to coast, he said slyly, "There's a lot of girls in all those states."

While it was newsworthy that a boy with Down's syndrome would be selected homecoming king, the bigger story was the compassion of his peers and the message of inspiration to others with disabilities.

The year 2000 dawned quietly in Rock County with none of the dreaded Y2K problems long predicted. The next thousand years weren't launched, however, without observation.

As the early months thawed into summer local residents poured their hearts and souls (and every free volunteer minute) into a millennium celebration that would stand out in local history books.

That party, staged July 20-26, tops the annual Star Herald review of news highlights for the year.

Party of the millennium
If numbers of people are a good indicator of an event's success, the Rock County Millennium Celebration will undoubtedly go down in history as the party of the millennium.

For example, Saturday night's all-school reunion program drew more than 1,200 people, with dinner registrations totaling nearly 1,000.
The little town of Kenneth, with a population of 87, swelled to more than 1,600 Saturday for its Centennial Parade that touted 90 entries.

After 47 years in the banking industry, Wendell Bengtson will retire on at the end of the year as executive vice president of Exchange State Bank, Hills.

Wendell began his career in the fall of 1953 after returning from Korea where he served as a medic in the 3rd Infantry Division for the U.S. Army.

His first banking job was at the State Bank & Trust Company, Nevada, Iowa. He began as a teller and soon moved up to manager of a branch bank.

Bengtson lived in his home town of Colo, Iowa, until he married his wife, Wilma, on Aug. 3, 1957, in Osceola, Iowa. They purchased a home in McCallsburg, Iowa. The Bengtsons have two children, Noreen and Brian.

In 1961 Bengtson returned to Colo as manager of the bank. The Colo bank sold insurance products, so this offered Bengtson experience in this area. It soon became apparent that there were no opportunities for advancement at the Colo State Bank and Trust. So Bengtson accepted the position of cashier at the Farmers State Bank of Delavan, Minn. He also served on the board of directors.

His hopes to purchase the Delavan bank never materialized, so Bengtson again began looking for a different position. The spring of 1971 saw Bengtson move to Norway, Iowa, to become the cashier and director of the Benton County Savings Bank.

After the bank in Delavan was repeatedly sold throughout the seven years he worked there, Bengtson decided it was time to move on again.

This time he and his family moved to Hills. In May 1978, he arrived at the Exchange State Bank. This was shortly after the Bonanders purchased the bank from D.A. Roning.

Bengtson was cashier, sold insurance, prepared taxes and served on the board of directors.

The bank was located on the corner of Main Street where the little park is now, according to Bengtson. Other employees when he started work were Rodney Bonander, Gene Sundem, Dorothy Thorin, and Carol Nelson.

The bank built at its current location in 1980.

Bengtson has seen many changes in the financial industry. "Back yonder everything was done with posting machines like adding machines," he said. "Now everything is computerized."

Bengtson said demand for financial services has changed, with all kinds of avenues for people to invest money.

In agriculture, the number of farmers has decreased drastically. "Farmers are a lot bigger, and it takes more money to keep going," he said.

Regulation and competition have both increased in the banking industry.

Bengtson is quick to say he has many good memories and would love to do it all over again. He thanks the Exchange State Bank for being a good employer for 22 years, all the people he has worked with and all his loyal customers.

He and Wilma plan to remain in Hills after he retires.

Offered by Hills-Beaver Creek Community Education, the Christmas stocking craft class Wednesday and Friday last week was a big hit with kids in the third through sixth grades. Above, Adviser Jodi Ackerman shows Justin Brandt the stitch to sew his stocking together.

By Jolene Farley
The goal of the Rock County Emergency Food Shelf is to ensure no one in Rock County goes hungry. Dorothy Dorn, Luverne, and several other volunteers have done their best to further this goal.

Dorn first volunteered at the Food Shelf in 1984. She is now the volunteer coordinator who schedules the volunteers needed to keep the Food Shelf running smoothly.

The Rock County Emergency Food Shelf has been in operation since 1983, when it was started by the Rock County Ministerial Association in response to economic hardships in the rural economy.

It is currently operated out of the basement of United Methodist Church, Luverne. It depends on churches, civic organizations, local businesses, social service agencies and concerned individuals for donations of food and money.

People hear about the Food Shelf through their churches, social service organizations or through family and friends. In an emergency situation, every Rock County resident is eligible for help from the Food Shelf.

Visitors are asked to fill out a confidential questionnaire with the recipient’s name, address, age and names of those in the household. The person then selects food based on personal preference and the size of the family served.

Recipients are asked to not visit the Food Shelf more than once a month. A two- to three-day supply of food is given at each visit.

The Food Shelf served 307 Rock County families from January to November of this year, an average of 28 families per month. The 1,023 individuals (some duplicates) received 16,638 items from the Food Shelf.

The Food Shelf is supported mostly by donations. Area churches choose a month to support the project. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Hills, is responsible for the month of December this year.

August, September and October are slow donation months at the Food Shelf. Dorn said people tend to give more around Christmas. So except for a few items, the Food Shelf is currently well stocked.

Donations of canned meat are needed. Meat cannot be fresh or home-canned. Spam, canned chicken and canned ham are good choices.

Just being able to help people when they need it is the most rewarding part of her job, according to Dorn.

"I would like to thank everyone for donating to the Food Shelf, for helping their neighbors," said Dorn. "Rock County residents are very, very generous in their giving."

The Rock County Food Shelf is open every Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the basement of United Methodist Church.

By Lori Ehde
When the forecast calls for bad weather, Luverne School Transportation Director Lon Remme doesn't get much sleep. Neither does Superintendent Vince Schaefer.

"This morning, I left about 4 and rode around in some of the spots that tend to be rough, and I do some road checks myself," Remme said on a recent stormy day. "When I got back at 5, the superintendent was waiting for me."

Then, he and Schaefer get on the phone with other school districts to decide on a course of action.

"The weather can be perfect in Hills, and you head over the ridge by Hardwick and it's terrible," Remme said. He admitted the decisions to call off school are never easy.

"When you're sandwiched between two districts that have already decided on late starts, it puts you in a liability situation if you don't."

He said they rely heavily on weather forecasts, which aren't always so reliable.

"The last time we called school off for the day, the weather men weren't exactly right, and it turned out to be a beautiful day," Remme said. Sometimes the crystal ball doesn't work so well."

Regardless of the decision, it's never popular, according to Schaefer, who makes the final call. For example, snow days put strain on parents with day-care concerns, and it puts a strain on the sports and activities program, which needs to reschedule missed events.

If he makes the call to not cancel school, he's subject to criticism from safety pundits.

"I'm like a politician," he said. "You're subject to all that criticism.

He said he never pays attention to the activities schedule when making the decision.

"The bottom line is safety. We ask ourselves, what would you do for your own children?" he said.

"I always hope there will be another day for an activity, but if we lose a life trying to have an activity or event, we lose that person forever."

Painting seems to be Thomas's medium of choice with her Luverne home's walls graced with framed canvases. She also paints ceramics with Christmas as her standard theme. That theme includes numerous Santas, four complete villages and so many ornaments that her tree is decorated only with her own.

"Some are quite plain, and others are fancy," Thomas said of her Santa collection.

The Santa Claus figurines are represented by almost every country she can think of - including Native American, Spanish and Eastern European versions.

Thomas purchases the Santas as greenware (she likes the brand Kimple) and paints them after they've been fired. Each project is then sealed and often becomes a Christmas gift for one of her six children. One daughter recently counted 14 Santas from Thomas.

She started painting 30 years ago under the influence of her older sister. As her own talent blossomed, she included unique art throughout her home - famous artist Mary Renfro painted a lattice and flower mural in her dining room before murals returned to popularity.

"I enjoy doing it," Thomas said. "I like to see them turn out."

Standard versions of Christmas decorations aren't quite what Thomas has in mind when starting a project. "Some people like to have everything matching, but I guess I'm kind of different," she said.

As a stay-at-home mom, Thomas said her children kept her busy, but when they were playing with neighborhood kids, she found time to improve her skills and build a collection.

The hobby keeps Thomas busy year-round. With a stash of unpainted ceramics handy and six children who appreciate her craft, she said she's not stopping anytime soon.

"They're so different. You can use your imagination with the colors - and besides that, they're pretty," Thomas said.

By Sara Quam
Some artists are lofty or snobbish. Others, like Harriet Thomas, just enjoy creating. To her, art projects are another way to share love with her family and fill the hours of the day.

By Lori Ehde
With all the recent snow days, students and staff at area school districts are wondering how much the make-up days will cut into their summer vacation.

In addition to late starts and early dismissals, Luverne School District has so far missed three full days of classes because of bad weather.

According to Superintendent Vince Schaefer, no snow days were built into the school calendar this year, with the intent that any missed days would be made up at the end of the year.

School was originally set to dismiss for summer on Wednesday, May 30, with graduation set for Sunday, June 3.

At this rate, snow days will be made up on Thursday and Friday, May 31 and June 1, and the following Monday, June 4, after graduation on June 3.

Because some semester high school courses may suffer from the missed days this semester, Schaefer said administration is considering lengthening the first semester.

It wouldn't mean scheduling classes on holidays or other planned days off, it would simply mean changing the official cut-off; date for the semester. Right now it's scheduled to end Jan. 22.

The state allows districts a great deal of flexibility in scheduling their calendar year. In Luverne, the calendar calls for 175 student contact days, and as long as that is satisfied, it doesn't matter if snow days are built into the calendar or tacked on in the spring.

With recent mild winters, a committee of teachers, staff and administrators decided to set up snow days at the end of the year this year.

Missed school becomes a problem not only for teachers and students working to meet graduation standards, but it factors into labor union contracts.

"The expectation is if we sign the teachers on for 182 days, they get paid for 182 days, and it really complicates the schedule," Schaefer said.

"With missed days, you run into the possibility of paying staff for days they haven't actually worked."

Schaefer said the district is nearing a point where instead of calling off school, it may call for buses to run on plowed routes only.

"We're at that point now," he said. "There are parents who will choose not to send their kids on snow days, and we respect that."

He said parents have already been good about calling bus drivers when roads are closed or calling the school when they’re keeping their children home.

"It takes a lot of communication with this kind of weather," Schaefer said.