Jim Harsma and his daughter, Marisa, work their way through the Hula Hoop obstacle course Monday night during Gym Night with Dad in the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary gym. Sponsored by H-BC Early Childhood Family Education (E.C.F.E.) 104 students and 68 dads, grandpas or uncles ate pizza and enjoyed various activities, including basketball, volleyball, jump rope, toss-n-catch, parachute, hopscotch, threw balls or rode toys.

Submitted photo

More than 80 people attended the World Day of Prayer program Friday, hosted by the Steen Reformed Church in Steen. Those attending joined many others around the world in worship with special prayers, a speaker and music. At right, Courtney Hoogendoorn, one of many providing the special music for the afternoon, sings a solo.

Submitted photo

‘Chased by the Light’ broadcast this week on PBS
On Sept. 23, 1994, Luverne native Jim Brandenburg set out on a photographic journey that resulted in the book "Chased by the Light."

Now, Twin Cities Public Television is airing a documentary of the book’s creation.

The hour-long documentary takes Brandenburg from his early days growing up on the prairie in Rock County, through his years with National Geographic.

It then focuses on his creation of "Chased by the Light," which was the result of taking one picture each day from the first day of fall to the first day of winter.

The program will air at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15, and at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16. It can be seen locally on Channel 2 on Mediacom and Channel 97 on PrairieWave.

After April 1 the documentary can be purchased at Luverne’s Brandenburg Gallery in either VHS or DVD format.

Rock River Gobblers raise money for turkey habitat
The Rock River Gobblers had a very successful seventh annual turkey banquet last Friday.

The event drew about 185 people to Sharkee’s, according to banquet chairman Dan Pick.

Between banquet tickets, auction items and other forms of donations, the event raised nearly $13,000.

Twenty-five items were auctioned this year. A new item on the auction block was a print donated by "Outdoor News."

All money raised is sent to the National Turkey Federation, which then sends funds back to its chapters help fund local projects around the country.

One of the local projects the national organization helped fund is the purchase of 153 acres from Paul Arends.

When Russ Blanford died, a percentage of his estate went to the Turkey Federation.

Arends purchased the from the Blanford estate and then resold it to the Turkey Federation, which was interested in the property for wildlife habitat.

‘Skating through TV Land’
"Skating through TV Land" will be the theme of the 12th annual Blue Mound Figure Skater’s annual ice show.

Some of the old TV shows skaters will perform include: "Petticoat Junction," "Daniel Boone," "Charlie’s Angels," "Monday Night Football" and "The Pink Panther."

According to Karen Willers, this year’s show will feature a large father-daughter number, as well as a feature performance by the 16-member Senior Synchronized Skating Team.

In past years, graduating high school seniors would each perform a feature solo performance. This year however, with seven senior girls, they will perform together due to time constraints.

The performance will start to the music of "Pomp and Circumstance" and then switch to the theme song from "Friends."

The Blue Mound Figure Skaters were originally formed in 1991 with about 35 members.

This season, 120 skaters signed up for lessons, making it the biggest year ever for the group.

The skaters range in age from 5 to 18 years old.

Their 12th annual show will be at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 15, in the Blue Mound Ice Arena.

‘Good Sam’ to collect items for ‘Uncle Sam’
If you would like to donate to our military personnel, the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center is coordinating that effort.

According to Nancy Kaczrowski, all you need to do is bring items in to the Mary Jane Brown Home, and they will box things up and mail them off.
--pens, pencils
--notebooks
--batteries
--books to read
--soups in packages (not cans)
--treats/candy
--bottled water
--vacuumed items
--microwave popcorn
--newspapers/magazines
--cards/letters
--Q-tips/shampoo
--washcloths/soap
--stamps for letters to send to us back home
--other items that can bring fond memories of home

If you have any questions, contact Nancy at 283-2375.

Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Another pointless
Pledge bill?
Gimme a break

I see our House Republicans are busy making themselves busy again.

In the true spirit of reinventing the wheel, our Rep. Doug Magnus has authored a bill that would require all students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom at least once a week.

Reciting the Pledge in the classroom is a time-honored tradition that teaches students patriotism to their country. I feel it’s an important ritual that should be continued for centuries to come.

Children need to understand the importance of honoring the flag and the freedoms it represents — freedom that was fought for by men and women who paid for it with their lives.

But it shouldn’t have to be mandated by law.

There are countless classroom traditions I feel strongly about, but I wouldn’t introduce legislation requiring schools to offer kindergarten naps or milk breaks. There are some things we should simply trust our local school boards and teachers to implement out of common sense.

I realize there are some Minnesota schools (obviously lacking this common sense) that have banned the Pledge of Allegiance due to its reference to God.

But this law wouldn’t change the rules in these districts anyway.

The proposed legislation permits schools to opt out of the pledge requirement with a simple majority vote of the local school board. It would also allow any student who objects to participating in the Pledge to be excused without penalty.

On the flip side, families in districts where the Pledge is banned need only lobby their school board members to get the rule changed.

These options at the local level already exist.

Our representatives in St. Paul don’t need to waste their time micromanaging classroom activities.

Rerun of a rerun
If this column sounds like a rerun, that’s because it is.

But so is the bill. And it doesn’t make any more sense now than it did when it was introduced last year at this time.

It’s the sort of happy, feel-good legislation that lawmakers fall all over themselves to sign on to. I just hope our new governor sees through the popularity contest that our former governor saw when he vetoed it last time around.

Our representatives need to get the message that we want them working on practical legislation that will actually help us, not on re-introducing failed bills that serve only to improve their political reputations.

If patriotism is truly the goal, I would call on our lawmakers to work instead on protecting education funding so that students can continue receiving adequate instruction on, say, the history of our great nation.

Published March 6, 2003.

Obed Herman Bakken, 90, Hills, formerly of Luverne, died Friday, March 7, 2003, in Luverne Hospice Cottage.

Services were Monday, March 10, at Palisade Lutheran Church, rural Rock County. The Rev. Ray Heidenson officiated.

Obed Bakken was born to Halvor and Tillie (Berkeland) Bakken on March 14, 1912, on the family farm in Martin Township, Rock County. He lived there with his family until he was 8 when his family moved to a farm in Beaver Creek Township. He attended country school District #10 near there. After his education, he worked for R.C. Juhl until 1940 when he started to farm on his own west of Luverne.

He married Martha Lunde on June 26, 1940, in Luverne. They continued to live and farm in Beaver Creek Township until they retired to The Oaks at Luverne in 1997. They then moved to Tuff Village at Hills in April 2002.

Mr. Bakken enjoyed farming and raising livestock, and he was recognized for his soil conservation in Rock County. He was an active member of Palisade Lutheran Church. He served on the Beaver Creek School Board and on the Beaver Creek Elevator Board of Directors.

Survivors include his wife, Martha Bakken, Hills; two sons and their wives, Howard (Mary Ann) Bakken, St. Charles, Ill.; and Richard (Linda) Bakken, Garretson, S.D.; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one sister, Gladys Eitreim, Luverne; one sister-in-law, Arla Bakken, Luverne; and many other relatives and friends.

Mr. Bakken was preceded in death by his brother, Helmer.

Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson, was in charge of arrangements.

Norman A. Aanenson, 81, Luverne, died Friday, March 7, 2003, at Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Tuesday, March 11, at Grace Lutheran Church. The Revs. Maurice E. Hagen and Dell B. Sanderson officiated.

Norman Aanenson was born to Ole and Otelia (Olson) Aanenson on Oct. 30, 1921, in Luverne. He attended school in Magnolia. At the age of 13 he went to live with his oldest sister, Thelma, where he helped on the farm near Magnolia. When he was 18 he began working at Christenson Trucking in Kanaranzi.

He married Ellen M. Aanenson on Feb. 14, 1948, in Luverne. After their marriage, they farmed near Ellsworth. They moved to the Currie farm northwest of Kanaranzi in 1949. They retired and moved to Luverne in 1985.

Mr. Aanenson was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. He enjoyed farming and took great pride in his farm and livestock.

Survivors include his wife, Ellen Aanenson, Luverne; five children and their spouses, Jane (Jim) Nelson, Magnolia, Jean (Neil) Hoven, Luverne, Bob (Kaylene) Aanenson, Cokato, Sharlene Tutsch and her friend, Wayne Hillestad, Brookings, S.D., and Marlene (Tom) Kopp, Luverne; 11 grandchildren, Chad, Corey and Susan Nelson, Perry, Staci and Stephani Hoven, Jade and Lyndsay Aanenson, Jonathon Tutsch, and Matthew and Melissa Kopp; two great-grandchildren, Taylor and Jaxon Nelson, two brothers, Gordie (Gloria) Aanenson, Kanaranzi, and Howard (Lavanelle) Aanenson, Pipestone; and five sisters, Alfie Brandenburg, Alma Ellsworth, both of Hills, Monie (Bill) Skidmore, Anoka, Orla (Bill) Powell, Virginia, and Joann (Gary) Barmore, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Mr. Aanenson was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Orville Aanenson, three sisters, Thelma Bonnett, Olga Brandenburg and Norma Zimmerman, and an infant sister.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Etta Plucker, 93, Luverne, formerly of Adrian, died Sunday, March 9, 2003, at Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Wednesday, March 12, at Engebretson Funeral Chapel in Luverne. The Revs. Gordon Johnson and John Strunk officiated. Burial was at Ebenezer State Line Cemetery near Ellsworth.

Etta Klosterbuer was born to Rudolf and Lena (Ubben) Klosterbuer on June 7, 1909, in Kanaranzi Township, Rock County. She attended country school through the eighth grade.

She married Albert W. Plucker on March 3, 1936, in Sioux Falls, S.D. The couple farmed in various places and last lived in Magnolia before moving to Adrian in 1971. She was a homemaker. Mr. Plucker died on Aug. 17, 1975. She moved to Luverne in 1997 and then to Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in 2001.

Mrs. Plucker was a member of United Methodist Church in Adrian. She enjoyed sewing and crocheting. She was also an avid gardener and enjoyed canning.

Survivors include two sisters-in-law, Mildred Klosterbuer, Luverne, and Bertha Plucker, Sioux Falls; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces and great- nephews.

Mrs. Plucker was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Albert, five brothers, Henry, Onno, Walter, John, an infant brother, also named Walter, and one sister, Grace Moeller.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Mary E. McPherson, 90, Luverne, died Wednesday, March 5, 2003, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Saturday, March 8, at United Methodist Church in Luverne. The Rev. Bart Fletcher officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Mary Nelson was born to Victor and Nellie (Weldy) Nelson on May 12, 1912, in Hamlin, Iowa. She received her education in rural Audubon County, Iowa, and graduated from Audubon High School in 1931.

She married Oliver McPherson on Oct. 17, 1941, in Des Moines, Iowa. She worked at the Ankeny Ordinance Plant in Ankeny, Iowa, during World War II. Later, she worked in the diet department at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. The family moved to Pipestone in 1960 and to Luverne in 1968.

Mrs. McPherson was a member of United Methodist Church in Luverne, the Luverne Ladies Legion Auxiliary and Luverne VFW.

Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Ruth and Anthony Spera, Staten Island, N.Y.; one grandson, Michael (Joey Lynn) Spera, Middletown, N.J.; one granddaughter, Donna (Michael) Mazzarisi, Boca Raton Fla.; two great-grandchildren, Lauren Mazzarisi and Casey Spera.

Mrs. McPherson was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Oliver, in September 1993, and one sister, Mildred Keith.

Dingmann Funeral home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Alice J. Heffele, 75, Adrian, died Saturday, March 8, 2003, at her daughter’s home in Randolph, Neb.
Services were Tuesday, March 11, at St. Adrian Catholic Church in Adrian. The Rev. Gerald Kosse officiated. Burial was in the Parish Cemetery.

Alice Johannes was born to Jake P. and Mary (Seivert) Johannes on Jan. 3, 1928, in rural Ashton, Iowa. She graduated from St. Joseph’s School in Ashton. She later attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

She married Alban Heffele on Sept. 24, 1946, in Ashton. After their marriage, the couple lived in Adrian. She did bookkeeping for Becker Lumber Co., Adrian Lumber Co., and Ellsworth Lumber Mart. She also worked 26 years at Adrian Co-op Oil. She and her husband also owned and operated Adrian Variety from 1960 to 1980.

Mrs. Heffele was a member of St. Adrian Catholic Church, Catholic Daughters of America, the Council of Catholic Women and Christian Mothers.

Survivors include three children and their spouses, Mary Jo (James) Kilburn, Randolph, James Heffele, Oaks, N.D., and Ann (Steve) Schiedel, Yankton, S.D.; three grandchildren, Jeremy Kilburn, Julie (Josh) Schreiber and Jennifer Kilburn; one great-grandchild, Joelie Schreiber; one brother, Laurence (Joan) Johannes, Sibley, Iowa; and three sisters, Zita Thiele, Sibley, Iowa, Helen Swanson, Minneapolis, and Rosemary Seivert, Sheldon, Iowa.

Mrs. Heffele was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Alban, in 2002, two brothers, Martin and John Johannes, and two sisters, Viola Trei and Laura Jungers.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Adrian, was in charge of arrangements.