We usually think of turkeys as the main course for Thanksgiving dinner, but 4- and 5-year-old students in Jane Gropel's Discovery Time preschool class have been thinking about how turkeys might celebrate the holiday.

They wore turkey headgear, which they had created in an earlier class, and pretended to be turkeys, which involved crouching down, flapping their wings and, of course, lots of gobbling.

Above, Gropel and the student turkeys prepare to enjoy a special turkey treat of pudding and snack mix. At right, Victoria Kalass sorts through her snack pack for just the right turkey tidbit.

There will be four senior members of Hills-Beaver Creek High School's girls' basketball team this winter. Left to right are Rachael DeHaan, Jamie Arp, Jamie Brandt and Shanna Tilstra.

By John Rittenhouse

The Hills-Beaver Creek girls are expecting to play a different brand of basketball during the 2000-01 season.

After spending recent years running post-oriented offenses to take advantage of talented centers, Patriot coach Tom Goehle will change gears this year and open things up.

Instead of trying to pound the ball inside to take advantage of their centers in recent years, Goehle is leaning toward an up-tempo style of play.

Although this change of philosophy has led to a bit of confusion, the Patriot coach feels it will be a change for the better - for his team and for H-BC basketball fans alike.

"We're going to be running a motion offense without (designated) posts or wings, so it's hard for me to classify which different positions the girls will be playing. I do think this will make us a team that is a lot of fun to watch play. We'll try to play an up-tempo style of basketball, and we'll try to make other teams work for everything they get against us," Goehle said.

Changing styles was more of a necessity than a choice for Goehle, who knew he would enter the season without a proven scorer in the post.

Graduation last spring claimed center Dana Sells, who led the Patriots in scoring and rebounding last year. The 1999-00 season featured the Patriots placing second in the Tri-County Conference with a 6-2 record and finishing the year with a 13-11 overall mark.

Last year's season featured a 53-34 win over Westbrook-Walnut Grove in the quarterfinal round of the Section 3A Tournament but ended with a 46-36 loss to eventual tournament champion Adrian, a team H-BC beat during the regular season, in the semifinals.

Sells, who was one of seven senior members of last year's team, was H-BC's go-to player on offense. She handled the responsibility well enough to earn a spot on the All-T-CC roster at season's end.

Sells was joined by three classmates who earned starting assignments for the Patriots last season.

Rachel Krull, a three-year starter at point guard, was H-BCÕs second leading scorer last winter.

Krull made the All-T-CC Team, as did classmate Nichole Top, a starting wing who was a key leader for the Patriots.

Darcie DeBoer, a starting forward who played outstanding defense in the low post, also was lost to graduation. She drew honorable mention from the T-CC coaches.

Sells, Krull, Top and DeBoer leave a big hole to be filled on the court for H-BC, and classmates Becky Mulder, Becky Nuffer and Kim DeNoble also will be missed by their former coach.

"Any time you lose that many girls from a personnel standpoint, you have to be concerned. When you lose seven seniors in general, you also lose a certain amount of continuity and a certain amount of leadership. There is inexperience at the varsity level with this year's team, but these girls are quick learners. They are quick to adjust to certain situations, and I donÕt think it will take them long to adjust to playing varsity basketball," Goehle said.

Goehle begins the year with a 10-player roster consisting of four seniors, five juniors and one freshman.

Seven of the roster members lettered for H-BC last year, and two drew starting assignments during the course of the season.

Senior Shanna Tilstra has to be considered H-BC's top returnee.

Tilstra started for H-BC at times during a junior season that had her missing four to six weeks of the regular season due to a stress fracture in her leg. A 5-9 wing, she has played with the varsity team since she was a freshman.

Becky Broesder, a 5-8 junior, also drew some starting assignments for the Patriots last winter.

Broesder is a guard who is second to Tilstra in overall varsity experience.
Senior Rachael DeHaan, juniors Brittney Olson and Jody DeNoble and freshman Erin Boeve picked up some playing time for H-BC last season.

DeHaan is a 5-8 post, DeNoble a 5-8 wing-post, and Olson a 5-7 guard.
Boeve's court time progressed as the season went along last year. A 6-0 wing-post, Boeve is the leading rebounder of the players returning from last year's team.

Senior Jamie Arp earned a varsity letter for the Patriots last winter, but the 5-8 post didn't gain a lot of playing time as a junior.

Jamie Brandt, another senior, is playing basketball for the first time since the eighth grade. The 5-3 Brandt is behind her peers as far as knowing Goehle's terminology, but she brings intensity and quickness to the floor.

Rounding out the roster are juniors Tonya Leenderts and LaDonna Sandstede, who didn't play at the varsity level last season.

Leenderts is a 5-8 wing, while Sandstede is a 5-5 guard.

Goehle said his 2000-01 Patriots have some endearing qualities.

"I've really been pleased with their intensity and work ethic. I think our overall team quickness and overall team intensity will be our strengths, and the fact that these girls play so well together. They pass and move the ball well, and that will be another one of their strengths," he said.

Goehle feels the Patriots also will benefit from what their new assistant coach, Brent Grengs, has to offer.

Grengs was the head boys' basketball coach in Farmington before moving to the H-BC School District with his wife, Kim, (H-BCÕs Elementary School principal) this year.

"Bringing someone with his kind of knowledge and intensity can only help the kids. It surly will make a big difference for our program," Goehle said.
Goehle feels Southwest Christian will be the team to beat in the T-CC, even though the E-Gals lost a number of players to graduation last spring.

Since Fulda returns all of its players from last year, Goehle feels the Raiders have to be considered to be the favorite in what should be a very balanced Section 3A field.

Although the Patriots are short on experience, the Patriot mentor feels his team should be able to offer a challenge to every squad on the schedule.

"Ever since I've been a coach, I've never gone into a game believing we couldn't win it, and that's the type of attitude we'll take into every game this season," he concluded.

Hills businesses would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to their customers by inviting them to Hills Appreciation Day beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2.

Those interested can stop by businesses for lunch. Ham sandwiches, potato chips, beans and a beverage will be served.

A program at the Tuff Home by Prairie Winds Zoo will begin at 1 p.m. with Santa arriving afterwards. Also, horse and buggy rides are planned throughout the day.

Development plans for golfing facilities on the southeast edge of Beaver Creek are proceeding.

Course layout plans and lot locations are finalized, according to investor Rod Scholten. Engineering has completed the layout on-site by staking the lots.
An outstanding layout was designed for the clubhouse/banquet facility/bar and grill, according to Scholten.

Projected cost of the project is not available. Scholten said there are too many variables to pin down a figure yet. The biggest variable is lot development costs. Investors hope to put special assessments on the lots and are negotiating with the city.

"We are pursuing another venue of financing but we still hope to have a functioning banquet facility, restaurant and driving range by late spring or early June," said investor Tim Lange.

Investors attended the Beaver Creek city council meeting last week to inform the council of the status of the project. Investors in the project are Mike Blank, Rodney Scholten, Leonard Scholten and Tim Lange.

Investors had hoped to begin construction on Oct. 1, but planners have enountered some delays.

"We have been very careful to make good business decisions, which makes the project appear to be behind in the short term, but makes the long-term project better," Scholten said.

"This project is a huge undertaking and will benefit the communities in and around Beaver Creek so substantially, that we want to make sure everything is in place."

Investors have extended the deadline to purchase lifetime memberships for the course. They originally planned to offer memberships until Dec. 1. A lifetime family membership sells for $4,000.

The annual fee to belong to the course is $375 for family membership and $275 for individual.

Questions about the golf course can be directed to Rod Scholten at 855-2292 or Mike Blank at 673-2271.

Progress is slow on the Tuff Home Assisted Living Apartments in Hills. Annexation, necessary so the city can provide services and utilities to the apartments, is delayed.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were Sept. 13, but at their meeting last Tuesday the Hills City Council refused to issue a building permit because the state had not yet approved annexation of the property. The council indicated it would have no problem approving the permit once it received word from the state.

Terms of the facility's construction loan state that Tuff must draw funds on its loan in the year 2000. It cannot draw unless the property is annexed by the city.
Winter weather has also been a contributing factor in the delays. Early heavy snowfall has given contractors fewer work days.

Tuff Home officials are optimistic, however, that problems will be resolved and the project will be complete by May 1 of next year.

They have been happy with the work of general contractor Design Craft of Luverne Inc. according to nursing home administrator Dana Dahlquist.

"We are a little behind. We didn't expect the snow to hit us like it did," said Curt Valnes, project manager for Design Craft. "We had hoped to have more cement poured, but we are running two to three weeks behind."

When the project is complete Tuff Assisted Living will boast eight one-bedroom apartments and four two-bedroom apartments with an assisted home care provider license.

This will enable financial assistance through Rock County Family Services for residents who meet income and asset guidelines. Tuff Home officials and Rock County Family Services are negotiating a contract for elderly wayward services. It will be the first facility in Rock County to offer this service.

"One key component to this project is we wanted to make it affordable for people," said Bonnie Hengeveld, assistant administrator and future manager of the apartments.

The Assisted Home Care License requires the facility to offer 24-hour supervision of residents, three meals a day, and to provide transportation of residents.

The facility is much larger than most assisted living apartments according to Hengeveld. Costs are still being evaluated, due to the change to continuous care.

The wave of the future is much shorter nursing home stays. The apartments currently have 26 people on their waiting list, although Hengeveld is quick to emphasize the list can quickly change with patient needs.

Dahlquist and Hengeveld would also like to emphasize that the Hills facility has been lucky to have some generous contributors.

"They would like to remain anonymous. They want no public recognition," said Hengeveld. "The community support has been there. We are very fortunate to have people who care so much about the elderly in their community."

By Lori Ehde
Rock County Hall of Fame member James Russell Wiggins died Sunday at his home in Brooklin, Maine.

Though he served a brief stint as ambassador to the United Nations, he was best known as a journalist and editor. During his 22 years at the Washington Post, Wiggins is credited with building the paper into a national voice.

His last 30 years were spent running a weekly newspaper in Maine, the Ellsworth American.

He was 96 years old and had been coming to work daily until July, when congestive heart failure confined him to his home.

The Rock County Hall of Fame honors Rock County natives who have gained national recognition.

Wiggins returned to Luverne in 1992 during the town's 125th celebration when the first wave of Hall of Fame members were inducted.

During his acceptance speech, Wiggins attributed his many accomplishments in the wider arenas of the state, the nation, the United Nations and beyond to what he learned during his early years.

His start at the Luverne High School Echo led him eventually to the Washington Post and a stint as ambassador to the United Nations before he retired to own and edit a weekly newspaper in Maine.

Throughout his long career he accumulated an impressive list of honors, awards and degrees for his work. He published a book entitled "Freedom or Secrecy" and was asked to contribute to other books. His resume takes several pages.

But when he accepted the Rock County Hall of Fame award in 1992, he didn't take it simply as another well-deserved trophy for the shelves in his den.

His eloquent acceptance speech in a sense returned the award to the people of Rock County.

He praised Rock County as a unique spot with fertile acres and a society with particular virtues that nurtured him. He expressed gratitude to the people of Rock County for providing a place where he and the other six recipients will be remembered.

Wiggins had high praise for the schools he attended. He said Ethel Gower, who was head of the English department at Luverne High School, was typical of his fine instructors. He said his education in the early 1920s would be the envy of any modern school, and he doubts it has been equaled since.

In fact, his formal education stopped after Luverne High School.

Wiggins was first hired at the Rock County Star by owners W.E.E. Green, a local architect, and J.B. Jensen. Wiggins worked in advertising and was a reporter. Jensen and Green sold the paper to him in 1925. He was 22 years old.

While he wrote and edited the Star, his talents were noticed outside the area.

He sold the Star in 1930 and went to the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch. Then he went to Washington as a correspondent for the Press. He returned to St. Paul as editor. After the war he went to the New York Times, and in 1947 he went to the Washington Post as managing editor where he stayed until he retired in 1968.

He was at the Post during many world-changing times. During his 1992 visit to Luverne, he recalled the McCarthy hearings. Wiggins characterized the Wisconsin senator as a "curious man," saying he was careless making accusations and was amazed at the reactions to them.

Wiggins said his 1957 book "Freedom or Secrecy" dealt with the federal government's classification of millions of documents as restricted, confidential, secret, top secret and most secret. All information seemed to be classified, in someone's opinion.

Wiggins worked with the American Society of News Editors, to which he belonged, to change the classification policy.

Wiggins commented on the changes he had seen in his years.

"For the first time in half a century we're free from the threat of nuclear war. No one could have imagined, at the time of Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, the war on which we embarked," he said in 1992.

Secretary of Defense William Cohen, former congressman and senator from Maine, issued a statement earlier this week after Wiggins' death.

"Of all the people I've known in more than 30 years of public service, Russ Wiggins had the greatest amount of intellectual curiosity and the most energetic interest in finding new ways to think about public issues," Cohen said.

"With his silver hair, spectacles and calm demeanor, Mr. Wiggins radiated a sense of goodwill and serious purpose. As a writer and speaker, he displayed a gift for classical rhetoric."

According to the Washington Post, Wiggins addressed a meeting of Maine officials in 1984 on questions facing the nation. His conclusion summarized the focus of his life:

"Americans will be tempted, in the years ahead, to sacrifice the principles that have made their country what it is. It will seem appropriate and convenient to meet the demands of the crisis by bending a little here and giving a little there. It is an inclination that will have to be resisted at the first trespass upon our freedoms, or other invasions of individuals rights will come swiftly upon us."

When Wiggins retired to Maine he bought a small newspaper, the Ellsworth American. "I intended to look in on it every week or so, but it didn't turn out that way. Newspapers are a jealous mistress," he said.

Although Wiggins' life had been largely lived outside Rock County, he always kept ties to his home.

Wiggins' parents, James and Edith (Binford) Wiggins, and his brother, Lester, continued to live in Luverne. They are all buried in Maplewood Cemetery.

Editor's note: Much of the information in this story came from the July 1992 story Carole Olson wrote for the Star Herald during Luverne's 125th celebration.

By Lori Ehde
For 15 years, the SHARE program has been the link between the generous and the needy at Christmastime.

SHARE, Sharing Hearts Are Helping Everyone, is the appropriately-named program that collects donations and distributes them to families who could use gifts and food during the holidays.

Last year, SHARE provided 129 families, consisting of 199 children and 139 adults, with groceries, cash, clothing and toys. On top of that, an undetermined number of people received clothing and other items from tables set aside for last-minute requests.

This is the 16th year of SHARE, and for 13 of those years, Del Brakke has contributed her time and efforts to the program. "I think from the time I became involved, I knew it was worthwhile," she said,

At one time, the equivalent of SHARE was operated out of Family Services. "I like the fact that it was opened up to other people. Even if families arenÕt on public assistance, they still may be struggling," Brakke said. "I felt really good about that."

Brakke said the response from Rock County churches, organizations and families has kept the program strong. "Some churches or groups bring in quilts, and those are wonderful," Brakke said. "The families appreciate them so much. It just makes you feel so good."

She said that organizing groups to sort all the donated items can be a little daunting. "It always comes together. You wonder if it will, but it always does," Brakke said.

The families that benefit from the SHARE program don't take the gifts for granted. "We've had situations where people received and their circumstances changed and they donate or volunteer," Brakke said.

With administration costs of the program being virtually non-existent, Brakke is glad that donations "go where they're supposed to go."

Brakke stepped down from the board of directors but hasnÕt cut ties to the group. "It really feels good to help the families."

How to donate:
Drop off unwrapped items at the Luverne Armory from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, and from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. Prior approval is required for donations of large household items or large appliances.
For cash donations, mail to SHARE, PO Box 792, Luverne, MN 56156.

How to receive:
Call 283-2810 or 283-9743 to get a form that is due by Dec. 1. Families will need to provide their names and addresses as well as family needs and household information such as the sex, age and size of family members. All information about recipients is kept confidential. Distribution day is Dec. 11.

Since Delwood's closed its doors three years ago, the city of Hardwick has been without a local gas station.

As of Oct. 1, Hardwick resident Dan Kindt has been filling that need. He opened the Hardwick Gas Stop one block east of the Hardwick Grain Company along the south side of County Road 7.

"Business has been better than what we thought it would be," Kindt said. "The people in Hardwick have been really good about using it."

It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week Ð self service only. There is no building on the lot. The gas and diesel pumps operate by credit card - accepting VISA, MasterCard, Discover and Cenex cards.

"It amazes me how many people get gas between 7 at night and 7 in the morning," he said, adding that credit card gas pumping was new for many Hardwick residents.

Kindt said the city of Hardwick had been looking for a way to get a gas station in town for the past few years. Since he drives truck for Rock County Co-Op Oil, he was a natural fit for Hardwick Gas Stop.

"It's not a get-rich-quick deal," he said, "but I've lived in Hardwick my whole life, and if that's what it takes to get gas here I'm willing to do it."

Kindt owns the station, but in order to have the Cenex designation, the business must be operated through Rock County Co-Op Oil.

The sign near the pumps reads, "Hardwick Gas Stop, Dan Kindt, Owner, Rock County Co-Op Oil, Site #2."

By Sara Quam

The Christmas spirit has already blossomed in the hearts of some Rock County residents, starting the season of giving a little early.

This year, 4 million children are expected to receive shoe boxes full of small presents through Operation Christmas Child. The organization grows each year as it sends gifts to youth in any number of needy countries.

One of the ways Rock County has been able to participate in Operation Christmas Child is through First Baptist Church, Luverne.

This year it gathered 154 boxes that were brought to Sioux Falls Monday, shipped to Minneapolis and, from there, will go to destinations around the globe.
Don Spease, First Baptist's care group coordinator, said the small gifts mean so much to the children who receive them.

"To these kids, Christmas is just another day to survive," Spease said.

The international program was started by Franklin Graham, son of the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, and has steadily increased its reach by almost doubling the number of boxes sent in two years.

Spease said video footage of children opening their shoeboxes of goodies is a moving sight. Most of the children are from Latin America, eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

This year distribution will be specifically made in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iran and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip along with almost 50 other countries. Often, the families who receive are recovering from natural disasters.

Other area churches also gave to the organization and the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center helped First Baptist's contributions increase by bringing in 45 boxes.

MJB residents and staff spent three days assembling the gift collections, including some homemade crocheted items.

Activities director Janice Fick said, "They were really excited to give back."
Chaplain Martha Fick said, "It was a real, hands-on project that they could participate in. It was a heartwarming experience for staff and residents É really beautiful."

Fick said that residents who lived through the Great Depression could relate to the children benefiting from the packages.

"It was very real to them. One woman shared the story that if an aunt hadnÕt sent them a few things one year, they wouldn't have had a Christmas. É A few tears were shed and it was a touching experience."

In the process of shipping the shoe boxes, Operation Christmas Child organizers put in a short explanation of the meaning of Christmas.

Although some of the children receiving packages arenÕt Christian, Fick said, "It's important to share God's love anywhere. We have so much and we can give."