April 2022
From the Editor’s Desk
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Art Norby, an author and artist who resides in Arizona, but was raised in Montevideo. Mr. Norby has authored a number of books, and chooses his hometown of Montevideo to be the setting for them. He and I had a discussion about “serials”, and I’m sure he was quite surprised to know that I am a big fan of them. If you’ve never heard about “serials”, they’re really quite interesting. In the good ol’ days, “serials” were how many authors got their start. Stephen King started his writing career with them, and even the local newspapers had them. “Serials” are works of fiction - novels - that are published in installments. In a newspaper, that usually looked like a chapter a week in print. They’ve also appeared in literary magazines and periodicals. Sometimes they were written specifically for that kind of print, sometimes they were written as full-length novels and later broken up into “serials”. In the late 1800s and early 1920s, they were very popular in newspapers.
Boys basketball alumni tournament held Easter weekend
On Saturday morning, Montevideo High School boys basketball alumni gathered at the school’s gymnasium for a tournament that boy’s basketball coach Derek Webb hopes to make an annual event. This was the second time the event was held, as it was originally held in 2019, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was postponed in subsequent years until now.
Live Well, Age Wisely: Legacy
If you have asked about me about writing a will or have been thinking that it would be a good idea to get that legal document in place, I have great news for you! Last week I received an email from Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) about a new partnership they have formed with FreeWill, an online tool to write a legal will at no personal cost. SWIF is an independent community foundation whose mission is connecting people, investing in ideas, and building communities. They support many initiatives in our region, in fact, my position at Prairie Five is funded in part with a grant from SWIF.
Alex Meixner, Rory Hoffman to perform in Montevideo
Alex Meixner travels from Texas this week to perform alongside Rory Hoffmann at the United Methodist Church as a part of a duo performance made possible through the Minnesota Valley Community Concert Association. The show was originally to take place in 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The show will now take place on Thursday, April 21st from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Montevideo. Tickets are available at the door.
Knutson Farms expands beef sales to local restaurant menu
Randy Knutson worked alongside his father Lowell since the age of 14, helping out part-time on the family farm to raise cattle. The farm, purchased in 1960, is where Randy now works full time to raise cattle for beef with some assistance from his brother and a neighbor. It wasn’t what Randy always thought he would be doing. Lowell purchased the farm in 1960 and raised beef cattle until he was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. Doctors told Lowell he could no longer work outside, and so Randy stepped in to take the reins. Shortly before Lowell passed in October of 2014, he asked Randy if he would continue to care for the cattle, but Randy was still unsure. Until one day, as he stood in one of the cattle lots in a snow storm looking over the cattle bunk, he realized that continuing the family tradition was what he would do. “The snow was drifting up over the cattle bunk where the cattle always stand to eat. It was getting buried in the snow. I was sitting there thinking, and I grabbed my cell phone and called my banker and said I’m going to buy 75 cattle,” he says. “There was a long hesitation and then he says, you know what happens when you start that? I said, yeah, you don’t stop. My father worked all his life for that setup, and I just couldn’t let it sit empty. Couldn’t do it.”
Flood of Jazz to go on
MHS Flood of Jazz Commitee The 21st Annual Flood of Jazz show takes the stage Friday, April 29, at the Hollywood on Main in Montevideo. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., show begins at 6:30 p.m.
National Weather Service news
National Weather Service How heavy was the rain overnight? How much snow fell during the winter storm? How bad is the drought this year? The National Weather Service is looking for additional volunteers to record and share measurements of precipitation. The addition of even a few observers across the area will lead to a more accurate picture of the weather’s impact.
Annual meeting for Friends for the Upper Sioux Agency State Park is April 27th
Friends for the Upper Sioux Agency State Park Learn about the beautiful prairie landscape of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park, and how to create a little bit of the prairie’s magic in your backyard to benefit pollinators, when the Friends for the Upper Sioux Agency State Park hosts its annual meeting. Everyone is welcome at the meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m.
Gunshot fired in Clarkfield home results in arrest over weekend
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Eighth Judicial District Court, Christopher Lee, of Clarkfield, was arrested on April 15th on allegations of Second-Degree Assault as well as Reckless Discharge of a Firearm, and Domestic Assault. Lee was at the time of his arrest, the Upper Sioux Community Chief of Police.
Montevideo Middle School honor roll announced
The third-quarter honor roll has been announced for Montevideo Middle School. Students making the honor roll are listed below: A Honor Roll 4th grade students: Anderson, Jonas; Baukol Thea; Blommel, Ranger; Bollman Thatcher; Bossert, Reagan; Canning, Idabel; Dahl, Sawyer; Dirksen, Kayla; Dresbach, Kolton; Ellingson, Warrick; Gardner, Lucy; Gilbertson, Greta; Goslee, Drew; Guzman Bueso, Josue; Guzman Menjivar, Debora; Harrington, MaKena; Haugen, Brylee; Herfendal, Ashley; Hernandez Murillo, Angel; Holien, Lucille; Honzay, Haeden; Johnson, Madelyn; Johnson, Tori; Jorges, Annika; Koenen, Kolton; Koenen, Liam; Koosmann, Emily; Lange, Shaylene; Magnuson, Russell; Martinez, Yazmin; Medina Cornejo, Nathaly; Page, Cara; Sonstegard, Esten; Soto, Guillermo; Spray, Ava; Strand, London; Tazelaar, M’Kayla; Templer, Treyton; Tostenson, Noah; Weiss, Blake 5th Grade students: Akiuo, Kendee; Andrews, Callie; Anspach, Joya; Bauler, Ava; Beatty, Jackson; Burdorf, Thomas; Christ, Shelby; Coudron, Alonzo; Danielson, Austin; Drexler, Kylee; Eisenlohr, Hayden; Godfrey, Aiden; Golden, Elle; Gonzalez, Benjamin; Heidecker, Bailey; Huber, Asher; Huseby, Nya; Johnson, Joseph; Johnson, Roderick; Joyce, Creed; Kistler, Abilene; Koenen, Caleb; Lanphear, Addyson; Loehr, Jack; Longhenry, Lillianna; Maher, Reese; Martinez, Emmanuel, Meisner, Alex; Mejia Sosa, Josue; Miller, Jonnathan; Nguyen, Kairo; Ohmacht, Ayden; Remund, Kingsley; Reszel, Addison; Richardson, Adrian; Ricke, Tate; Roelike, Ashleigh; Sachariason, Daisy; Santjer, Lincoln; Sharp, Magdelyn; Shourds, Brooklyn; Stamps, Svea; Staton, Kason; Wellnitz, Bentley; Williamson, Alexis; Williamson, Nora.