Travels to Waseca

My sister, Jane Lucas, sent me this from Paris this morning: “We were having dinner with our Parisian friend Sandrine in her home when her brother dropped by. He talked about working in his family fashion business in Hong Kong establishing the business in China. I asked him about his work in Hong Kong and said that we knew a friend from our home town who had developed a business designing and manufacturing rugs in the silk factories in China…I did not finish my sentence before he said, “Is his name Brad Davis?”. He said that he knew Brad well. AND that Brad was now visiting and staying in their home for a few days. He invited Craig and me to drop by to see Brad after dinner that night, and Sandrine took us there. What a surprise when Brad saw us! It seems that Brad, Janis, and son lived next door to Sandrine’s brother’s family in the same building in Hong Kong. Craig has a picture we will send you. By the way, they had a huge and beautiful Brad/Janis rug in their living room. Try to top that for a small world story.”

Hear Rae Katherine Eighmey, well known Food Editor and Writer, speak on her book, Food Will Win the War—Minnesota Crops, Cooks and Conservation During World War I, at the final Spring Lunch-Lecture at the Waseca County Historical Society next week, Thursday, May 27, 12-1 p.m.

This engaging case study of food, conservation, and life during World War I brings alive the unparalleled, mostly voluntary efforts made by everyday Minnesotans to help win the war.

Meatless Mondays, Wheatless Wednesdays, vegetable gardens and chickens in every empty lot. When the United States entered World War I, Minnesotans responded to appeals for personal sacrifice and changed the way they cooked and ate in order to conserve food for the boys “over there.” Baking with corn and rye, eating simple meals based on locally grown food, consuming fewer calories, and wasting nothing in the kitchen became civic acts. High-energy foods and calories unconsumed on the American home front could help the food-starved, war-torn American Allies eat another day and fight another battle.

Food historian Rae Katherine Eighmey engages readers with wide research and recipes drawn from rarely viewed letters, diaries, recipe books, newspaper accounts, government pamphlets, and public service fliers. She brings alive the unknown but unparalleled efforts to win the war made by ordinary “citizen soldiers”—farmers and city dwellers, lumberjacks and homemakers—who rolled up their sleeves to apply can-do ingenuity coupled with must-do drive. Their remarkable efforts transformed everyday life and set the stage for the United States’ postwar economic and political ascendance.

Rae Katherine Eighmey is a food historian who has written several historical recipe books and coauthored Potluck Paradise: Favorite Fare from Church and Community Cookbooks.

Paid reservations due by May 25. WCHS Members, $11; Non-members, $16 Call 507-835-7700 for more information.

There’s a FREE workshop called “Preserve Your Family History” Tuesday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Waseca County Historical Society Museum, 315 Second Ave. N.E., Waseca.

The workshop will be put on by Minnesota Historical Society’s outreach conservator, Bob Herskovitz, in conjunction with the Waseca County Historical Society. This FREE workshop will help you preserve your family heirlooms for generations to come.

Bring personal items for one-on-one expert advice about how to take good care of your family treasures! Learn practical methods for preserving family letters, papers, and photos, or the American flag that flew over your family farm. Discover the rich history of your community with friends and neighbors.

The Waseca County Historical Society is part of the program planned at a fundraiser dinner for Farmamerica on Tuesday, April 13.  New Executive Director, Jim Gibson, is working hard to make this happen.

There’ll be a marvelous dinner, entertainment by “Northern Drawl”, and a program including Pat Beckmann, Executive Director of the Waseca Arts Council presenting six new artworks by six artists created of Farmamerica activities and the people who volunteer and visit.

Joan Mooney and Sheila Morris, WCHS Co-directors, will be presenting the framed color photographs from the WCHS Collection—of Doug Ohman’s “Barns of Waseca County”, on loan to Farmamerica.

Farmamerica needs to raise funds to match a grant from Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council—that made the new artwork possible.  Enjoy the reception at 5:30 p.m., the dinner at 6:30 p.m., and entertainment at 7:30 p.m. The program following will be brief. $25 per person, call Farmamerica at 507-835-2052, or WCHS at 507-835-7700 for tickets.

The attendance was sparse but a good time was had by all when metro area Wasecans, and other Wasecans, gathered September 15th at the Creeks Bend Golf Course near New Prague for an afternoon of golf followed by a lunch and social. The weather was great; the course was great; the golf was fair.

If you’re interested in attending future events for Wasecans living in the metro area (or if you’re willing to travel to the metro area for an event), please email us to be added to the list to be contacted.

The Waseca Athletic Hall of Fame has announced five new members to be inducted this year. This will give the Hall 34 members since its beginning in 2005.

This year’s inductees are Mike Larson (1983), Greg Vilt (1987), Bill Lechner (1961), Jacob Conway (1996) and the Waseca High School 1990 State Champion Baseball Team.

Mike Larson was a three-sport athlete, earning 7 varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball. Greg Vilt, a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball earned 8 varsity letters. Bill Lechner was a Student Manager for football, basketball and track, earning 10 varsity letters. Jacob Conway earned 9 varsity letters as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. The 1990 Waseca High School Baseball Team is the only boy’s athletic team of modern time to win a state championship.

This year’s induction banquet will be held September 26 at the Waseca VFW Club. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and program at 6:30 p.m. The new inductees will also be recognized during half time at the Homecoming Football Game.

Banquet ticket cost is $20 per person and includes your choice of rib eye steak or chicken breast over wild rice.

Tickets can be purchased at the Waseca High School Activities Office or by calling Scott Shafer at 507-835-5535.

The initial Hall of Fame class included Jo Arvesen, Manny Beckmann, John Bendix, Jerry Cawley, Monte Dufault, Gene Glynn, Shyde Krause and Tink Larson. The 2006 class included Wayne Breck, Steve Cunningham, Rolf Iversen, Jami Jager, Jason O’Brien and Jerry Slattery. The 2007 class included Charles Dunn, John King, Bob Johnson, Jill Hanson, Amy Buschow, Joel O’Brien and Bruce Wessman. Last year’s inductees included Dwain “Whitey” Aamot, Lisa Broughton, Dr. Al Rieck, Todd Mann, Don Miller, Roger Paschall, Terry Gilbertson and the 1918 State Champion Boys Basketball Team.

A golf scramble and social gathering for Wasecans at the Creeks Bend Golf Course near New Prague is being planned for Tuesday, September 15, 2009. Although the details haven’t been finalized, it’s planned that the tee time for golf will be about noon and the social gathering will begin about 5 p.m. People who don’t want to golf are invited to attend just the social gathering. We need more golfers!

The purpose of this event is to get as many Wasecans as possible together in the Twin Cities metro area to have some fun and share “old times.” If you’re interested in attending, please email Dick Sommerstad or call him at 612-865-9933.

Please pass this information on to the Wasecans you know and have them email or call Sommerstad to register for this event or to be added to a list of Wasecans who will be contacted for future events.

We’re looking forward to this September outing for Wasecans and we hope to see you there.

Creeks Bend Golf Course

WASECA, Minn. — Boyd Fuller has received the Personal Service Award from the University of Minnesota, Waseca and Southern School of Agriculture Alumni Association. The association also gave its Minnesota Ag Award to Harlan Holmquist, the retired executive director of Farmamerica.

Fuller and Homlquist will be honored Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. during a ceremony on the Farmamerca grounds in Waseca.

I spent last weekend in Waseca with my WHS59 classmates celebrating our 50 year reunion. Many of us arrived on Friday and lunched and socialized at the Boat House in the afternoon and had dinner at the Starfire Grill at the Miller Armstrong Building.

Saturday we again met at the Boat House for lunch. Early in the afternoon classmate Sharon Connolley Batt mustered a crew to create floral bouquets for the tables from flowers she donated. Later in the afternoon, Supt. Rottke led our classmates on a tour through Central School where he gave us souvenir pieces of the stair railing. Following the tour, we met up with Mrs. Elaine Fox (nee Biese), our kindergarten teacher, and had our photo taken on the steps of the main entrance. The photo replicated our 1947 kindergarten graduation photo.

Saturday evening we had our reunion dinner at the Miller Armstrong banquet room on 3rd floor. (I’d highly recommend the facility for smallish reunions and other events.) Forty-three classmates of our 66 living classmates attended, plus many spouses and companions. Mr. and Mrs. Jim and Elaine Fox were honored guests. Dick Sommerstad, class vice president, was master of ceremonies and speakers included Bruce Dowlin, class president; Larry Olson, class speaker; Knut Gerlach, our German foreign exchange student and the first AFS student at Waseca High School. Mrs. Fox spoke and distributed our Kindergarten Graduation Program to kindergarten graduates.

Sunday morning we met for brunch at the Starfire Grill before parting company. It was great to see all my classmates.

Paul Andrejewski, a long-time Waseca High School teacher and coach died this past week. Other than having Mr. Adrejewski as a homeroom teacher in junior high, I didn’t have a class with him but I did have him as a wrestling and tennis coach. To say he didn’t know much about wrestling or tennis would be an understatement but, in spite of that, some great wrestlers and tennis players emerged from his programs.

We had invited him to attend our WHS 1959 50 year class reunion later this summer. He will be missed.

Here’s a link to his obituary: http://www.asimas.com/ASIMAS/kohlmcraith/obituaryDescription.jsp?domain_id=322&deceased_id=197666

Gertrude McLoone Brozik recently celebrated her 104th birthday at the Atria Bayside Landing senior living facility in Stockton, CA. Gertrude was the wife of Joseph Brozik, her high school sweetheart. Here’s a link to the story:

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090107/A_NEWS/901070314

I’m sitting here listening to and occasionally watching the live feed of the Canvassing Board’s review of challenged ballots in MN’s U.S. Senate race. What a fascinating process and moment in MN history. The process is laborious but, in my opinion, it’s working. If you’re interested in following it yourself, here’s the link to the Star Tribune’s live feed while the Canvassing Board is in session:

http://www.startribune.com/video/?ls1=1?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUycaEacyU

One of the highlights of the All-School Reunion weekend for me was the Trowbridge Park Reunion. The reunion was the brain-child of Judy Loomer Giese and anyone who considered themselves part of the Trowbridge Park neighborhood was invited.

Trowbridge Park Reunion on Saturday, July 5, 2008, during the All-School Reunion (l to r): Donna Lutgens Hansen, John Bendix, Chuck Lucas, Korrinne Kanne, Vernon Ferch, Jane Lucas, Dale Paulson, Jane Ferch Kroeger, Carol ‘Cookie’ Olson Rausch, Mike McLoone, Karen Kanne Kolas, Stephanie Crawford Kadrie, Jerry McLoone, Susan Hackett James, Betty Guyer Rafferty, Sharon Guyer Weckwerth, Bob Koehler, Judy Loomer Giese, Tom Engel, Don Loomer, Dale Lucas, Steve McLoone. Others from the neighborhood who I know came to the park during the gathering but weren’t in the photo were Carol Powell Wobschall, Rachel Wobschall, and Jim Geraghty. Other Wasecans who came to the park from outside the neighborhood were Dennis Anderson, Jim Torbert, Roger Volkmann. And, of course, there were spouses.

Carol ‘Cookie’ Olson Rausch and Don Loomer chat at the Trowbridge Park Reunion.

Carol Powell Wobschall tries to ’splain something to someone while daughter Rachel Wobschall talks to someone at the Trowbridge Park Reunion.

Three McLoones at the Trowbridge Park Reunion: Steve, Mike, and Jerry.

Bob Koehler, Vernon Ferch, Dale Lucas, Dennis Anderson, and Jane Ferch Kroeger at the Trowbridge Park Reunion.

  Waseca will be the site of the 58th Annual Waseca Sleigh & Cutter Festival, beginning this weekend. Events are scheduled February 1 – 3   &   5 – 10   &   15 – 18, 2008. There should be sufficient snow this year. For more information on the festival, check out their web site: Sleign ‘N Cutter Festival I drove down to attend the Ice Harvesting on Clear Lake last year only to discover it had been cancelled due to the extreme cold weather that day. I may try to see it again this year. It’s scheduled for 9-2:30 on Wednesday. The weather is expected to cooperate. The Ice Harvest is an educational event sponsored by the Waseca County Historical Society.If I go, I plan to have lunch at the Boat House. Stop in and say ‘Hi’ if you’re in the area. 

I received my Waseca 2008 All-School, All-Year Reunion registration materials in yesterday’s mail. If you are an alumnus of a Waseca school and don’t receive your registration packet soon, contact me to be mailed or emailed a packet or download the registration forms that I’ve posted on the Waseca Alums site at www.WasecaAlums.com.