column
By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 06, 2024My friend Wendy and I have a daily standing date to walk the gravel roads in our neighborhood — sometimes near my home, sometimes near hers. Sometimes it’s in the afternoon, sometimes in the evening. Often this time of year it’s in the dark. (We wear reflective vests.) Typically, we go four miles — five if we’ve had a rough weekend of too much chocolate or pizza. And we keep a close eye on our…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianNovember 06, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on June 7, 1945. For Mr. and Mrs. Carl A. Werlich, the year 1945 marks the reaching of an important milestone in their lives. On April 11, this year,…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterOctober 30, 2024As the junior member in my 37-year marriage, I’ve often joked with and about our seven-year age difference. It's always felt pretty good that I’m always going to be younger in the relationship. Recently the tables turned as he is now retired and enjoys doing his favorite activities on a daily basis and only working when it suits him. I, on the other hand, continue to work full time whether I…
By RIck Peterson, general managerOctober 30, 2024Thursday is Halloween and Saturday we set the clocks back an hour. That’s right, clocks. At the Star Herald office we have five wall clocks and a time clock. At home we have seven clocks that need attention twice a year. Sure, we gain an extra hour of sleep Saturday night, but we lose an hour of daylight in the evening until we get it back in the spring. If it’s Daylight Saving Time in March it…- By Pastor Praveen Muthsuamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchOctober 30, 2024Ask an average American on the street, ‘What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of October 31?” You will generally hear, ‘It’s Halloween.’ Ask an Evangelical Christian, a Protestant Christian the same question you would probably get the same answer. Halloween is so widely celebrated in America that even the churches that call themselves Protestants have embraced celebrating…
By Brenda Winter, columnistOctober 23, 2024My otherwise socially accomplished husband addresses groups of small children with a stuffed toy moose on his head. The moose is part of the photographer schtick he uses to get little kids to have a natural smile for their school pictures. Many little kids arrive at picture day offering a fake “cheese!” smile that actually makes them look like snarling badgers. So, with a moose on his head,…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 23, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on March 8, 1945. (Elinor and Henry Gertz continue their life stories. Henry explains when he first began farming in Rock County, he traveled 200…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 16, 2024My girlfriends and my sisters know I don’t like to dress up, and I hate shopping, which is why they closely monitored my preparations as Mother of the Groom. No, Lori, you can’t wear your 20-year-old, suitable-for-all-fancy-occasions black dress. Mothers of the Groom don’t wear black. Who knew? I found an appropriately fancy Mother of the Groom dress on Facebook marketplace (it has sequins)…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 16, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on March 8, 1945. A well known Luverne couple, Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Gertz, will observe their fiftieth wedding anniversary at their home at 509…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterOctober 09, 2024Remember as children when life seemed worry-free? I’ve had glimpses of those simpler times as I divide my time among my six grandchildren. I’ve even named them to keep references simple: Iowa grands, Minnesota grands and South Dakota grands. During the most recent visit with the Iowa grands, who are the oldest at 7 and 5, they introduced me to the public “petting zoo” in Schaller, Iowa. There…
By Rick Peterson, general managerOctober 09, 2024It’s harvest season, football season, soon to be pheasant hunting season, but right now it’s pumpkin-buying season, and that is taking center stage. Back in the day, the pumpkin selection was limited to a big orange or a little orange pumpkin. Today the selection is unlimited. At the Peterson household we entered the pumpkin-buying season with a purchasing cap of maybe three or four. – At last…
By Brenda Winter, columnistOctober 02, 2024So, I tried out for the Green Earth play and I got a part. As I learn my lines, I'm also learning that my 61-year-old brain is not as able to memorize as was my 18-year-old brain. That's how long it's been since I was in a Green Earth play. It was 1981. I played Mrs. Smith in “The Bald Soprano.” “She always styles her hair the same way." Mr. Smith was played by the late great Rod Iveland. The…
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 25, 2024On Sept. 13 we marked Carson’s two-year heaven-versary, and at the Sept. 14 suicide prevention walk in Luverne, I remembered him as I walked alongside many others walking for loved ones gone too soon. Those of us “in the same boat,” talked about “how we’re getting along.” My short answer is, “I miss him, but I’m blessed to be surrounded by really good people.” But there’s a longer explanation…
By RIck Peterson, general managerSeptember 25, 2024It’s not just a flagpole. It’s a sign of strength and stability and patriotism We put up a new flagpole in front of the Peterson household a week or so ago. It got me to thinking about iconic flagpoles. For me one of the two most iconic flagpoles is first and foremost the pole that held the flag that the six United States Marines raised up atop Mount Suribachi on the small island of Iwo Jima…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianSeptember 25, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Dec. 28, 1944. Perhaps one of the best known of that almost extinct group of artists, the genuine old time fiddlers, is Jens Nelson, Luverne.…
By Esther Frakes, copy editorSeptember 17, 2024This proofreader, at age 81, is still being humored and tolerated at the Star Herald office. It’s been 20 years … 20 delightful years of working with an outstanding staff! I get to see firsthand the effort that goes into each edition and the careful attention to detail and accuracy. Stories are checked with sources before going to print. My job has become somewhat easier with Google. When I…
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