The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 17, 1958.
 
Luverne Lions Club begins
         The Luverne Lions Club came to life officially last Wednesday night when John Lutter, Lions District Governor, presented the new group’s charter to its president, Donald Stoterau, at left. Charter members of the Luverne Lions Club and their wives attended the charter banquet. The Pipestone Lions club sponsored the banquet. Worthington members were also present.
Officers of the Luverne club, above are left to right, Dr. G. N. Getman, 2nd vice president; Jim Jarchow, secretary-treasurer; Stoterau; Garland Anderson, 3rd vice president; Rev. Wesley Drummond, 1st vice president; Mr. Lutter; Tony Tesarek; Lions public relations, and Herb Hansen, Lion Tamer. Missing from the picture is Gene Blair, Tail Twister. (Star-Herald photo.)
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

Only 15 cities with more than 2,500 population in the State of Minnesota have a lower tax rate than Luverne. Only one of them is in southwestern Minnesota.
         According to an announcement by the Minnesota Taxpayers Association, Luverne’s tax rate for 1957, payable in 1958, is 180.36 mills, which is lower than its neighboring cities.
         Nearby cities that have a higher tax rate include Pipestone, 186.51 mills; Worthington, 200 mills; Tracy, 204.73 mills; St. James, 220.57 mills; Marshall, 198.39 mills; and Windom, 211.37 mills. Only area city that is lower than Luverne is Jackson, with a levy of 177.71 mills.
Three Fourths over 200
         More than three fourths of the 101 cities and villages with more than 2,500 residents have property tax rates higher than 200 mills this year, the tax association  reports. Highest rate is 577.12 in Eveleth (in the northeast part of the State), and the lowest is 142.63 at New Ulm.
         Luverne’s low tax rate, compared to other cities, is especially notable in view of the fact that the city has a new junior-senior high school, a new sewage disposal plant; completed an ambitious program of applying hard surface to several blocks of city streets last year, and has completed a tie-in power line with Interstate Power Co. A new community hospital was also completed here last year.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 10, 1958.
 
County Road Improvement Contracts Total $162,437
         Rock county’s Board of Commissions Tuesday awarded a total of $162,437.27 in three contracts for road improvement this year.
         Major projects will be the installation of a gravel base and bituminous surface costing $102,898.67 for 10.7 miles on C.S.A. No. 5. That is the county road going west from Luverne on Dodge St.
         Winning contractor on the gravel base and blacktopping job was McLaughlin and Schulz, of Marshall. Next lowest bid was submitted by Judd Brown, for the amount of $106,905.48. Work will begin as soon as the weather permits.
Regravelling Contract
         Regravelling of several miles of county roads accounts for a contract of $40,940, awarded to Hogan and Faber, of Rock Rapids. Second low bidder on that job was F.S. McLaughlin, with a bid of $43,000.
Seal Coat
         The other contract let Tuesday was on a bid of $18,598.70 for a seal coat to be applied to various blacktop surfaced roads in the county. The seal coat will provide a smoother surface on the roads that have previously been blacktopped. Winner of that contract was the Hi-Way Surfacing Co., of Minnesota. Next low bidder was the Minnesota Valley Improvement Co., with a bid of $19,763.20.
         The county doesn’t have to go into debt on the road improvement program, for money from regular funds has been embarked for the projects.
Other Contracts Awarded
         The Rock County Board of Commissioners awarded three contracts at its regular meeting last week.
         A bid of $8,329.20 for seal coating on the blacktop road from Highway 75 to Jasper along the county line submitted by McLaughlin and Schulz, Marshall. This was a joint agreement with the Pipestone county board.
         The county awarded a contract to the Connell Chevrolet, of Luverne, for a new carry-all panel type truck on a bid of $1,776.52. Other bidders on the truck were Schoon Motor Sales, $2,200, and Mark Jacobson, $1,900.
         In other bidding action, the commissioners awarded a contract for Isopropyl Ester Weed Killer to Lyon Chemical, Inc., of St. Paul, on a bid of $2.74 per galloon.
Welfare Term Expires
         Commissioners were advised by the Public Welfare Department of the State of Minnesota that the term of Mrs. Florence Wellendorf as a member of the county welfare board expires July 19 and asked them to submit a panel of three names to fill the post. Names submitted will be Mrs. Leonard Lein, Mrs. R. C. Juhl and Mrs. Curtis R. Paulsen.
         The commissioners agreed to hold a hearing at 8 p.m. May 7 on the granting of two petitions for the reconstruction of sections of county roads. One petition seeks the alteration of C. S. A. No. 1 through Clinton and Kanaranzi townships, connecting U. S.                 No. 75 on the west, then east for 6 miles. The other petition seeks the alteration of C. S. A. No. 17 connecting Highway 23 on the west, then east along or near section lines terminating at U. S. No. 16 at Beaver Creek.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 10, 1958.
 
Phone Subscribers Will Get Call Explaining Dial System
         Starting Monday, April 14, Northwestern Bell Telephone Company will start calling all Luverne telephone customers, according to N. C. Johnson, local manager.
         “The reason for these calls is to explain the new dial service which will start Sunday, May 4, to provide helpful information on the use of dial equipment, and to answer questions regarding dial operation,” he said.
Some Care Helpful
         Johnson pointed out that when the new dial system starts, a little can save a lot of time and confusion. Starting on May 4th, telephone users here will no longer ask the operator to connect them with a desired number. Instead, they will dial the number themselves.
         However, it is possible to get the wrong number under certain conditions. This is most likely to come about when the caller doesn’t know the correct number. Or a wrong number may ring when the dial isn’t manipulated properly. For these reasons, Johnson suggests that Luverne telephone users follow this procedure when dialing:
All New Numbers
         Consult the new telephone directory for the correct number. Because of the change to dial, all Luverne customers are getting new numbers. The telephone company offers this advice.
         Start dialing as soon as you hear the dial tone, a steady humming sound coming from the receiver when it is lifted from its resting position on the telephone instrument. Dial the last 5 digits for a local call at Luverne and the last 4 digits for a local call at Beaver Creek in the order it appears in the directory, letting the dial return to rest at its own speed before dialing the next figure of the number. It will take five pulls on the dial to make a call at Luverne and four pulls on the dial to make a call at Beaver Creek.
         “If you get the drug store instead of Aunt Minnie, don’t be too hasty to blame our new switching equipment,” Johnson said. “Relays, switches and connections in the central office have been checked and tested thoroughly and if wrong numbers are obtained, guess work and hurry dialing will probably be the real culprits.”
         Johnson also said that if your finger slips while dialing or if you think you’ve dialed incorrectly, hang up before dialing again. This is very important, because the dial apparatus goes back to “normal” only when you hang up. Likewise, it is important to hang up at the end of a call before dialing a new number.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 10, 1958.
 
Past Week’s Precipitation Totals 1.14 In.
After an unusually dry period the first three months of 1958, Rock County came in for some brisk rainfall in the past week.
Starting last Thursday and continuing intermittently through Sunday a total of 1.14 inches of moisture was recorded at the Luverne precipitation gauge.
The moisture received in the past week falls  just slightly over a  half inch less than was recorded here for the entire period of January, February and March this year.
The first thunder and lightning of the year accompanied the rain late Friday and early Saturday.
Sunday’s wet snow, which ruined hopes for an opportunity of an “Easter parade” in the county, spared the Luverne area compared to parts of the country north of here.
Snow plows cleared paths thru the snow in the Canby area Sunday and the snow filled the ditches as high as the fence posts in some sections of that area. More snow reportedly fell in Magnolia and Kenneth than in Luverne, also.
A brisk wind dried the snow here late Sunday afternoon and a bright day Monday, which saw the temperature climb to a high of 55 brought a real feeling of Spring to the air.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 10, 1958.
 
City May Rent South Air Strip
         Luverne’s airport committee was authorized to negotiate for a lease of the landing strip south of the city on U.S. Highway No. 75 by the City Council Tuesday night.
         Benjamin Vander Kooi, representing the city’s airport committee, appeared before the council and urged the city to rent the eight-acre airstrip from the landowner, Tallak Vegge. Boyd Rolph, of Minneapolis, has been leasing the strip, but Mr. Vander Kooi said the lease expired April 1.
Gentleman’s Agreement
         Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Vander Kooi said there was a “gentleman’s agreement” between the committee and Mr. Vegge on rental of the airport. Negotiations were not completed, however, and neither party had signed an agreement.
         A factor for the city to consider will be the amount of liability that the city would incur if they were to rent the airstrip. City Attorney Rodger Jensen is to study that. If insurance costs are not prohibitive, and the airport committee works out a satisfactory agreement with Mr. Vegge there is a good chance Luverne will have an airstrip.
         Vander Kooi told the council he understood Mr. Vegge would rent the land for one year and give the city an option to rent it another year.
         Members of the airport committee, besides Vander Kooi, include D. M. Lippi, Larry Brinkman, William Mohr and Glenn Jensen.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 3, 1958.
 
Special Good Friday and Easter Services Are Planned
         Most Rock county churches will have special Good Friday Easter Festival services tomorrow and Sunday. There will be no Community Good Friday services this year.
         This year individual churches have scheduled Good Friday services or will go together with other congregations to have a joint service. Most churches will hold Easter services at their regular hours of worship Sunday.
Business To Close 12-2 p.m.
         The Luverne Civic and Commerce Association announced that Luverne business places will be closed from 12 noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, in observance of Good Friday.   A three-hour service will be sponsored by the Kenneth, Blue Mound, Luverne Zion and Grace Lutheran churches from 12 to 3 p.m. tomorrow in the Grace Lutheran church. Four laymen and three pastors will preach on the “Seven Last Words” of Christ from the Cross. Music will be provided by four church choirs and other groups.
Various Speakers
         The first half hour of the joint service at Grace Lutheran will be quiet meditation with a background of hymns, with the service proper beginning at 12:30 p.m., with a processional of the four choirs. Speakers at the service include: Ray Paulson, Howard Fitzer, Dr. D. M. Odland, Elmer Hovland, Pastor Martin Ford, Pastor Russell Quanbeck and Pastor Gilford Helegsen.
         Special Good Friday music will be provided by the Zion Lutheran choir, Kenneth Lutheran choir, junior and senior choirs of Grace Lutheran church, John Miller, Jean Helland and the Kenneth Lutheran Quartet.             
         Those who cannot stay for the entire joint service may leave approximately every 17 minutes. Those who enter between periods will be seated in the chapel until time to enter the sanctuary. The public may attend all or part of the service.
         A special Good Friday service will be held at 1 p.m. in the First Presbyterian church. The robed choir will assist in the worship service.
To Sing Carols
         Young people of the Grace Lutheran church will sing Easter carols for the sick and shut-ins starting at 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning. Participating in this will be the Junior and Senior Leagues and college students. They will have a youth fellowship breakfast and devotional program at the church after the caroling. Easter services at Grace Lutheran will be held at 6:15 and 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
         Presbyterian and Methodist young people will lead a sunrise service at 6:15 a.m. Easter at the Presbyterian church. An Easter breakfast will follow. Regular Easter services will be held at 8:15 and 10:45 a.m. at the Presbyterian church and at 10 a.m. in the Methodist church.
Joint Sunrise Service
         The Palisade Lutheran and First Lutheran church, Valley Springs, will hold joint League Sunrise services at 6 a.m. Sunday in the Valley Springs church. A League breakfast will follow there at 9:30 a.m. Worship services Easter will be held at 8 a.m. in the First Lutheran and 9:30 a.m. in the Palisade Lutheran church.
         The Steen Evangelical United Brethren church will hold an Easter sunrise service at 6 a.m. Sunday, with the Rev. Henry Vander Schaaf, of the Steen Reformed church speaking.
St. Catherine’s Catholic church will have three Masses Easter morning. Mass will be said at 6, 8 and 10 a.m.
         A complete listing of church services is on the Church Page of the Star-Herald.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 3, 1958.
 
Free Movies For Children Saturday
         A free movie extravaganza of cartoons will be enjoyed by Luverne area youngsters Saturday at the Palace Theater here at two special matinee movies.
         There will be one youngster who is going to be made especially happy. A shiny $40 bicycle will be won by a lucky boy or girl.
         The first show will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will end at 3 p.m., when the second show will begin. Drawing for the bicycle will be held between the two shows.
         Several cartoons will be shown to the children in a program entitled “Cartoon Parade.” Each showing will be the same, so town and country children may choose the one they can best attend. The bicycle goes to the child whose name is drawn first.
         Tickets to the free shows were obtained by almost 1,000 children 5 to 12 inclusive who got free bags of Easter candy last Saturday. Enclosed in the bag of candy were coupons with the name of a store on them and the children simply exchanged the signed coupon for their free ticket and their coupon gives them a chance at the bicycle.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.
 

The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on March 27, 1958.
 
Frick Elected To Head New Business Corp.
Officers and committee heads were elected by the Luverne Industrial Corporation at a meeting here last week.
Named as president of the newly incorporated group is Ray Frick. Larry Brinkman is vice president; Magnus Christensen, secretary-treasurer, and Merle Geving, executive secretary. All are members of the board of directors, but Mr. Geving, who is city administrative assistant.
Other directors appointed to head various committees of the organization are Lloyd Rapp, new industry; Lester Tollefson, existing industry; W. J. (Bill) Brakke, attracting new residents; Gene Blair, housing; Rodger Jensen and Mort Skewes, legal, and Jack Smith, Civic and Commerce association.
Committee charimen will choose assistants to help them develop their particular phase in the corporation.
Purpose of the new organization is to promote and develop business and industry in Luverne to benefit the entire community. It is a non-profit group.
Membership to the corporation is open to anyone who wants to help promote and develop the progress of the community. Minimum membership fee is $25, but larger amounts may be contributed to the work of the corporation.
The organization will supply prospective residents and businesses with complete information on the facilities that they can find here, and will endeavor to do what it can to provide special needs for an industry that would consider moving to Luverne.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.