Vol. 20, No. 43; Thursday, July 2, 2020

Jul 2, 2020 | Parker's Midweek Update | 2 comments

Fort Pierre Tourism and Promotion Council

Fort Pierre Tourism
and Promotion Council
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Hewitt Land Company

Hewitt Land Company
(605) 791-2300
http://www.hewittlandcompany.com/

Brittney Schiefelbein American Family Insurance

Brittney Schiefelbein
American Family Insurance
(605) 224-6627

BASEBALL UPDATE

Pierre Post 8 schedule:
— Thursday: home triangular vs. Mitchell, 4 p.m., and Sturgis, 8:30 p.m. (Mitchell vs. Sturgis at 6 p.m.)
— Monday: home triangular vs. Minot and Sioux Falls East.
— Tuesday: home vs. Minot, afternoon single game.
— July 10-12: at New Dakota Classic, Sioux Falls.
— July 14: at Harrisburg, doubleheader.
— July 16-19: at Rapid City Veterans Classic.

Post 8 vs. East Grand Forks: In the first game at the Minot tournament Pierre scored all three of its runs in the fourth on two hits and two errors, then held on to win 3-1. Bennett Dean pitched a complete seven-inning game, allowing six hits and one run and striking out three. Cade Hinkle had two hits.

Post 8 vs. Bismarck: Pierre let a 7-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings slip away in an 8-7 loss. Fortunately no loss against an out-of-state team counts in the South Dakota seed-point standings for the upcoming playoffs. Pierre scored three in the third on four hits and four more in the fifth on three hits and two errors, the last two runs coming on Andrew Coverdale’s two-run hit. But Bismarck answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to come to within 7-6, then scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. Pierre was retired in the seventh to end the game. Garrett Stout pitched three innings, walking none, striking out four and allowing three hits and one run. Jake Mayer took the loss, going three innings and giving up nine hits and seven runs while fanning one. Pierre had 11 hits and Bismarck 12. Grey Zabel, River Iverson, A.J. Goeden and Coverdale each had two hits.

Post 8 vs. Mandan: The team Pierre had swept at home three days earlier took a 7-1 lead over Post 8 after four innings. A Stout double in the fifth brought Pierre back to within 7-3. In their last at-bat Post 8 almost rallied to tie the game. A two-run Zabel triple brought the tying run to the plate. Iverson hit an RBI single to make it a one-run game, but Mandan got the final out to leave Pierre a run short in a 7-6 loss. Pierre had 12 hits and stranded seven but made three costly errors. Goeden had a 4-for-4 game at the plate.

Post 8 vs. Minot: Going into their fourth game at the Heilman tournament in Minot, the Post 8 boys had to win, had to score at least six runs to get ahead of Bismarck in a tournament tie-breaker statistic and then had to get help in games later in the day Saturday. They accomplished the first and accomplished the second, but they didn’t get enough help from elsewhere, thus coming home with a 2-2 record in the tournament. Pierre won the game, 6-3, pounding out 12 hits to Minot’s three. A sacrifice fly by Andy Gordon put Pierre on the board early. An RBI single by Lincoln Kienholz in the fourth made it 2-0. Another Gordon RBI and a Zabel RBI grounder in the fifth put Pierre up 4-0. But Minot came back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs on a costly Pierre throwing error and an RBI hit. Pierre made it to the magic six-run mark with two in the sixth on three hits. Goeden went four innings and got the pitching win, and Elliot Leif picked up the save for going three innings and allowing only one hit. Stout enjoyed a 4-for-4 game as a hitter. After the game Pierre was slightly alive to finish as first or second in the standings and thus earn a spot in Sunday’s title game but needed Bismarck to lose to East Grand Forks and get shut out and then for EGF to lose to Minot. That was all too much to ask. Pierre’s record became 16-6.

Post 8 vs. Watertown: Pierre had nine hits and Watertown only three, but a three-run home run in the fifth inning was all Watertown needed for a 3-2 win over Post 8. Pierre left nine men stranded on the bases. Gordon had three hits. Jack Van Camp pitched six innings, giving up those three runs and three hits along with four walks and five strikeouts.

Post 8 vs. Fargo: Against the defending national runners-up, Fargo Post 2 (record of 23-2), in Watertown yesterday, Bennett Dean shut out Fargo through six innings on five hits, and Pierre had no hits, yet Pierre had a 1-0 lead into the seventh because a Fargo runner was cut down at home plate in the bottom of the sixth on a relay from Matt Lusk in the outfield to Garrett Stout at third and on to home. Pierre was retired in the top of the seventh, remaining hitless in the game. In the bottom of the seventh Dean returned to the mound but could make only 14 pitches due to the pitch-count rule. The first Fargo batter walked and went to second base on a wild pitch. On a 3-2 pitch the sixth Fargo hit, a double, tied the game, ended Dean’s stint on the mound and brought in Goeden with nobody out and the winning run at second base. A bunted ball back to the mound was misplayed by Goeden, so the winning run advanced to third. A fly to short left field was caught for the first out. An intentional walk loaded the bases, creating a force situation at any base, but Fargo took care of that strategy with a game-ending hit. Thus Pierre lost 2-1 and was no-hit. The season record is now 16-8.

Legion baseball standings: This year for the first time, instead of regional tournaments being played, the postseason matchups will be determined by a seed-point system, the same way basketball and volleyball teams are seeded for postseason play in high school athletics. The top eight teams will host best-of-three regionals on July 28-29. Those eight winners will play in super-regionals Aug. 3-4. Those four winners will qualify for the state tournament Aug. 7-9 on the home field of the highest-remaining seed. Seed points are earned only from wins over South Dakota Class “A” Legion teams. Games against “B” teams or any out-of-state teams do not count for these purposes. As of Tuesday morning of this week, according to The Mitchell Republic, this was the order of teams in the seed-point standings along with their records against South Dakota opponents:
(1) Brandon Valley 6-1
(2) Rapid City Post 22 12-2
(3) Renner 3-3
(4) Pierre 12-4 (now 12-5 after yesterday’s loss)
(5) Harrisburg 6-5
(6) Sioux Falls West 3-4
(7) Watertown 7-4
(8) Mitchell 8-6
(9) Brookings 5-4
(10) Rapid City Post 320 1-5
(11) Aberdeen 3-11
(12) Sturgis 4-6
(13) Yankton 0-6
(14) Huron 0-4
(15) Spearfish

Pierre Trappers schedule:
— Thursday: at Western Nebraska
— Friday-Saturday-Sunday: home vs. Hastings
— Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday: at Badlands (Dickinson)
— July 9-12: home vs. Badlands

Pierre Trappers: Peyton Zabel will be starting pitcher for the Trappers’ home opener Friday night. There will be a fireworks display following the game. The Pierre Athletic Coaches Association will have its fund-raising night, taking orders for their driveway painting project.

Pierre Trappers:
— Western Nebraska 5, Pierre 4; Carter Howell and Alex Gonzales homered for the Trappers in the opening-night loss at Gering.
— Western Nebraska 23, Pierre 5: Michael Herrera hit a home run in the loss as Pierre pitchers gave up 15 walks.
— Pierre 15, Western Nebraska 6: Cooper McMurray hit a grand slam, Gonzales a two-run homer and Mitch Stroh a three-run homer. Dominick Parkhurst was winning pitcher.
— Fremont 6, Pierre 3: Howell and McMurray had RBI doubles in this loss; the pitchers walked eight Moo batters.
— Pierre 15, Fremont 13: Gonzales had two hits, two runs batted in and three walks as the Trappers’ record grew to 2-3. Tyler Ranel homered, and Nick Grossman had three RBIs. Pierre drew 10 walks off Moo pitching.

Sioux Falls Canaries: The American Association season opens this weekend with Sioux Falls, Fargo and Milwaukee serving as hub cities, the only places where games will be played this season. Joining the Canaries in their new home-away-from-home are the Saint Paul Saints. The Canaries’ schedule this week with St. Paul as the opponent in all of these games—July 3, 7:05; July 4, 6:05; July 5, 5:05; July 7, 7:05; July 8, 12:05; July 9, 7:05.

Four Corners amateur baseball: Pony Hills League amateur baseball standings—Kimball/White Lake 6-1, Plankinton 5-2, South Central -2, Colome 4-3, Four Corners 2-5, Miller/Wessington 1-4, Chamberlain 0-6.

Minnesota Twins: The schedule for the 60-game season has not been released yet, but it matters not whether the Twins are home or away because you can’t get in to see their games anyway. So far no Twins players have announced they are opting out of the 2020 season, but a few players have made that decision for their own and their families’ best interests. Among them are Ian Desmond of the Rockies, Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross of the Nationals and Mike Leake of the Diamondbacks.

PONDER THIS

“A real leader is somebody who can get us to do better, harder things than we can get ourselves to do on our own.”

— David Foster Wallace

“But now, when good leadership is absent, we have to try to do the better, harder things anyway.”

— Julie Beck, The Atlantic

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons will play the Columbus Crew in a pre-tournament friendly match next Wednesday, July 8, prior to the beginning of the “MLS is Back” tournament. In that tournament the Loons’ group-stage opponents will be Sporting Kansas City on July 12, Real Salt Lake on July 17 and Colorado on July 22.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves were left out of the restart of the NBA season, which will involve 22 teams playing seeding games between July 30 and Aug. 14. The postseason playoffs begin Aug. 17.

COUNTDOWN

1 day: Fort Pierre Fourth of July rodeos (July 3-4).
1 day: Pierre Trappers home opener (July 3).
6 days: Major League Soccer season reopens (July 8).
17 days: National High School Finals rodeo, Guthrie, Okla. (July 19-23).
21 days: Major League Baseball season opener (July 23).
25 days: Legion baseball playoffs begin (July 27).
28 days: NBA season resumes (July 30).
28 days: NHL season resumes (July 30).
29 days: Sioux Empire Fair, Sioux Falls (July 31-Aug. 8).
34 days: State amateur baseball tournament, Mitchell (Aug. 5-16).
36 days: Sully County Fair, Onida (Aug. 7-9).
36 days: Sturgis motorcycle rally (Aug. 7-16).
36 days: Pierre Players’ “Native Gardens” (Aug. 7-9, 13-15).
36 days: State ‘A’ Legion baseball tournament, site to be determined (Aug. 7-9).
43 days: State 4-H FInals rodeo, Fort Pierre (Aug. 14-16).
46 days: Democratic National Convention, Milwaukee (Aug. 17-20).
46 days: NBA playoffs begin (Aug. 17).
49 days: First day of school in Pierre (Aug. 20).
50 days: Central States Fair, Rapid City (Aug. 21-30).
52 days: Indianapolis 500 race (Aug. 23).
53 days: Republican National Convention, Jacksonville (Aug. 24-27).
53 days: First day of school at Stanley County (Aug. 24).
57 days: National March on Washington (Aug. 28).
63 days: State Fair, Huron (Sept. 3-7).
64 days: PGA Tour championship, Atlanta (Sept. 4-7).
65 days: Kentucky Derby (Sept. 5).
67 days: Sanford International golf tournament, Sioux Falls (Sept. 7-13).
70 days: NFL season opener (Sept. 10).
71 days: S.D. Hall of Fame induction events, Chamberlain/Oacoma (Sept. 11-12).
71 days: Stratobowl Historic Hot Air Balloon Launch (Sept. 11-13).
73 days: Minnesota Vikings home opener (Sept. 13).
77 days: U.S. Open golf tournament, Mamaroneck, N.Y. (Sept. 17-20).
78 days: Absentee voting for general election begins (Sept. 18).
78 days: Pierre High School Class of 1960 reunion (Sept. 18-20).
79 days: “M” Day at School of Mines (Sept.19).
79 days: Homecoming at Northwestern College, Iowa (Sept. 19).
85 days: Custer State Park buffalo roundup (Sept. 25).
86 days: Brule’ concert at Crazy Horse Memorial (Sept. 26).
86 days: Blue & White Day at Dakota Wesleyan (Sept. 26).
86 days: Gypsy Day at Northern (Sept. 26).
86 days: Homecoming at U. of Minnesota (Sept. 26).
87 days: Spring commencement at Dakota Wesleyan (Sept. 27).
89 days: First presidential candidates debate (Sept. 29).

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: grape.
Friday-Sunday: tutti fruitti.
Monday-Tuesday: lime.
Wednesday-Thursday: blackberry.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Directions: Draw a box of 16 squares, 4×4. Number the boxes in the top row 1, 2, 3 and 4 from left to right. Number the boxes in the left-hand row 1, 5, 6 and 7 from top to bottom.

Clues:
ACROSS—
(1) Choral directors’ group
(5) “—- score and seven years ago”
(6) Cinnamon —.
(7) Norway capital
DOWN—
(1) Curly textured hair style
(2) —- Bay on Oregon coast
(3) Not sharp
(4) Security camera brand

Answer to the puzzle at the bottom of this Midweek Update.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

  • There is a definite Pierre connection to the 1997-98 Mount Marty College men’s basketball team which was the subject of the “Where Are They Now?” feature on the sports pages of The Yankton Press & Dakotan last week. Among the players who regularly came off the bench for that team were Avon junior Terry Becker, who has been the head boys basketball coach of the Pierre Governors for many years, and Parkston sophomore Chris Maxwell, who is now a Pierre-Fort Pierre businessman. That 1998 Lancer team, which was the very last of the 32 teams selected for the tournament field, made a magical run in the NAIA national tournament held in Nampa, Idaho. After having its flight out of Omaha canceled by winter weather and delayed by a day, the team nevertheless won three games in three days, beating a Florida team in the first round, a Michigan team in the second round by one point and an Ohio team in the quarterfinals. The game that still sticks in the craws of these men is the national semifinal where Mount Marty led Bethel (Ind.) by double digits but lost by two points. The starters were some names still memorable from their high school basketball careers—Landon Klock, Mac Rops and Brock Rops, all from Lennox; Ryan Krempges of Howard, and Aaron Kranz from Watertown. Mac Rops was a first-team All-American twice. Head coach of that ballclub was Jim Thorson, who spent 18 seasons at MMC but who earlier had coached in our area up at Gettysburg and later had a state championship team at Webster. MMC hasn’t been back to the national NAIA tournament since that winter of 1998, but their program has been on the upswing the past couple of seasons.
  • Down below among the news items you can read where Sue Ford’s kids, who grew up in Pierre, are now. I got that information because I asked her, but it would make for fun reading for our long-time Pierre readers if more of you would take it upon yourselves to tell me where you are now, where your children are, what they are doing and what they have for families. The whole purpose of The Midweek Update is not to cover sports, despite what you might think, but to keep former and present Pierre-Fort Pierre-Onida-Blunt residents updated on people they know. So send me your details. The world wants to know!
  • Our family’s friend, Zach Curtis of Rapid City, took a road trip into Nebraska this week. On Monday he posted, “After being in Nebraska for eight hours, I have seen two people wearing masks, and they were both in the same place.”
  • There was a story last month that the infamous Trump/Noem fireworks Friday night would be discharged from the base of the Mount Rushmore memorial rather than from up on top of the presidents’ heads and thus those outside of the memorial grounds might not see as much as in past displays there. However, I saw a Facebook photo yesterday that shows bundles of fireworks being lifted by highline up to the top, so perhaps the display will be visible to those stuck in traffic on surrounding roads after all. I hope you all get out of there in time for breakfast Saturday.
  • Yesterday was July 1, and every year that means that Bobby Bonilla gets another $1.19 million from the New York Mets. The big slugger hasn’t played a baseball game since 2001, but because of his contract, he gets $1.19 million every July 1 every year from 2011 to 2035 when he will be 72. That is not a bad gig at all.
  • This is the summer Major League Baseball scheduled a regular-season game on the “Field of Dreams” setting near Dyersville, Iowa. MLB says there still will be a game there on Aug. 13, but it can’t be a White Sox-Yankees game as planned because under the new 60-game schedule those two teams don’t play each other. There is a rumor the Cardinals may be one of the participating teams since they are only a state away. How about the Twins or the Brewers?
  • OK, you are assuming there will be football, correct? So far the NFL has canceled its Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, which was to be just over a month from now. Just this week the NFL is calling off two of the four weeks of the preseason, so each team will now have just one home game and one road game during the preseason. Do you feel a move coming to cut into the start of the NFL regular season? I doubt that even Trump can demand the NFL have a season although he may try.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We have to vote like our life depends on it because it does.”

— Beyonce’

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, July 2:
Heather (Nuttall) Westover, Taylor Smalley, Matt Clark, Kelly Mikkelsen, Gerry Barnes-Baucom, Kellie Parker, Eric Juhala, Luke Edwards, Linda Steele, Sandi (Hindman) Laird, Ashlie Tisland, Grace Kachelmyer.
— 1st anniversary, Drew/Heather Osnes.
— 9th anniversary, Jeff/Kim Marso.
— 4th anniversary, Devin/Laranda Bruns.
— 4th anniversary, Chad/Andrea (Bartel) Sharkey.
— 12th anniversary, Chris/Aftin (Riehle) Eich.

Friday, July 3:
Trace Franks, Dave Sayler, Claire (Garry) Peschong, Jenah Feiler, Judy Perry, Chip King, Ryan Bear, Walker Jacob, Bethanna (Feist) Baloun, Dana Martin-Hess, Mike Dierks, Rick Dockter, Ally (Kraemer) Formanek, T.J. Gabriel, Jody Ryland, Craig Schochenmaier.
— 4th anniversary, Aaron/Erin Bumann.
— 52nd anniversary, Roger/Jean Easland.
— 15th anniversary, Jason/Michelle Glodt.
— 49th anniversary, Jerry/Eileen Krom.
— 11th anniversary, Nathan/Carrie (Schlaak) Barnes.

Saturday, July 4:
Peggy Huber, Zach Clark, Jason Bucholz, Joshua Dutt, Dax Salmonson, Aurora Zakahi, Shalista (Wendt) Anderson.
— 50th anniversary, Daryl/Linda Johnson.
— Anniversary, Scott/Gina (Kotilnek) Hickenbotham.
— 11th anniversary, John/Annie (Fuller) BonneCarre.

Sunday, July 5:
Terry Fisher, Marina (Baltzell) Rawls, Sarah Hawkins, Billy Beesley, Kayla (Johnson) Koob, Jim Telford, Kyle Richards, Amber (Anderson) Edelen, Jason Bisbee, Jessica Anderson, Morgan Shaffer, Devin Kampfe, Dylan Workman, Angelica Lasley.
— 45th anniversary, Chuck/Susan Quinn.
— 6th anniversary, Jeff/Kristin (Rau) Hayward.
— 18th anniversary, Bill/Jamie (Breske) McEntaffer.
— 18th anniversary, Joe/Julia (Guhin) Yach.
— 12th anniversary, Pat/Sara (Tillman) Anderson.
— 17th anniversary, Chris/Lindsay (Peitz) Rounds.
— 6th anniversary, Trent/Linsey (Peterson) Robbins.

Monday, July 6:
Jolene Kern, Michael Buhl, Dalton Blair, Tyler Johnson, Ericka Williams, Clara Marsh, Tynell Grant, Jude Nill, Isaiah Grant, Ella Durick, Jon Ellenbecker, Winney Belle Denton, Jessica (Melvin) Moore.
— 18th anniversary, Jayson/Jennifer (Thorson) Nedrebo.
— 7th anniversary, Steve/Becky (Markley) Wosick.
— 8th anniversary, Nathan/Catherine Chicoine.
— 7th anniversary, Will/Jenna (Deutscher) Hansen.

Tuesday, July 7:
Austin Christopherson, Michelle Moreno, Chelsea (Neuhauser) Hoy, Marylinn Baker, Derald Gross, Kris Monroe, Lucas Solberg, Crayton Bouchie, Jessica Nicholas, Kirk Albertson, Derek Newcomb, Brydon Denton.
— 3rd anniversary, Zach/Christina Merrill.
— 2nd anniversary, Matt/Korie Tetzlaff.
— 69th anniversary, Marvin/Dorothy Massey.
— 8th anniversary, Jared/Courtney (Thompson) Geigle.
— 30th anniversary, Jeff/Gea (Gjesdal) Eckhoiff.
— 8th anniversary, Austin/Kristy Unruh.
— 13th anniversary, James/Audra (Meyer) Cardwell.
— 13th anniversary, Darin/Molly (Huber) Hausmann.

Wednesday, July 8:
Bret Graves, Megan (Snow) Fischer, Kolton Knox, Paul Denton, Henry Clegg, A.J. Domeyer, Traci Corcoran, Jaden Griese, Rachel Propst, Kaelyn Konechne, Kayla Gabriel, Jeannette Schipper, Angie Bishop, Cooper Stoeser.
— 3rd anniversary, Cole/Sierra Oakley.
— 31st anniversary, Dennis/Dorothy Gibbs.
— 14th anniversary, Joe/Beth Stolp.

Thursday, July 9:
Adeline Bollinger, Andrea Johnson, Thomas Butler, Lindsey (Haskins) Philips, Ryan Mikkelsen, Liz Markley, Allen Geuther, Michael Hanson, Maurya Petrick, Drew Palmer, Trigg Townsend, Bryan Adams, Matt Tetzlaff, Nick Nuttall, Carol Carney
— 9th anniversary, Darrin/Anna (Schreiner) Galinat.
— 9th anniversary, Dylan/Susan (Zabel) Dowling.
— 59th anniversary, David/Judy Perry.
— 32nd anniversary, Clark/Jayne (Knox) Kraemer.
— 9th anniversary, Paul/Amy (Hyde Peterson) Kolb.
— 4th anniversary, Shawn/Whitney (Stoeser) Schnabel.
— 16th anniversary, Jon/Christina (Zellmer) Nath.

SCARY FACT OF LIFE FOR THESE TIMES

Just wait a second. So what you’re telling me is that my chance of surviving all this is directly linked to the common sense of others?

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Openings/reopenings:
(1) Central States Fair in Rapid City announced it is a “go” for this summer. The fair runs Aug. 21-30.
(2) Governor Kristi Noem said there will be no social distancing among the crowd at Mount Rushmore for the fireworks display and President Trump’s rally Friday night. She said people who have concerns about the coronavirus can stay home.
(3) Bob’s Lounge in downtown Pierre, which last week closed temporarily for fears that employees had acquired the coronavirus, has reopened after learning that all employees tested negative.

Cancellations:
(1) The NFL has canceled this year’s Cowboys-Steelers Hall of Fame game and induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, scheduled for Aug. 6.
(2) The Turner County Fair at Parker, S.D., has been canceled for this summer.
(3) The city of Los Angeles has closed its beaches and banned all fireworks displays for the holiday weekend.
(4) The state of Oregon has mandated that masks be worn statewide.
(5) President Trump ordered his national convention out of Charlotte because North Carolina officials were demanding too many restrictions on crowds, social distancing and responsible behavior. So wide-open Florida welcomed him and his convention to Jacksonville. Now that city has ordered that masks be worn indoors.
(6) Broadway theaters in New York will remain closed until at least Jan. 3, 2021.
(7) Augustana’s huge twilight cross-country meet in September has been canceled for this year.
(8) The South Dakota Discovery Center in Pierre is again discontinuing in-person camps and will be offering virtual programs instead.
(9) Black Hills State University has canceled its on-campus sports camps for July.
(10) The Rapid City school district canceled the in-person graduations scheduled for July 24 and 26.
(11) All minor league baseball in the country, involving 160 teams, was canceled for the season.
(12) Indoor dining at all New York City restaurants has again been banned.

Don Sandal will be honorary grand marshal for Saturday morning’s Fourth of July parade in Fort Pierre.

The Dean’s List for the spring semester at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln includes these local students: Garrett Vizcarra, senior economics major; Emily Kist, junior finance major; Madison Nelson, sophomore elementary/special education major; Emily Petersen, senior biochemistry major; Jessica Weber, junior finance/economics major.

Wayne and Colleen Winter hosted their daughters and their families last weekend, the first time in a long while the whole group has been able to be together. Older daughter Laura, her husband Mitch Anderson and their children, Leah and Jace, came from out of town to join her parents along with her sister Liz, her husband Nick Marso, and their son Calvin.

Judy Blair died June 26 at Highmore Healthcare. A graveside service was held Wednesday at Riverside Cemetery. She grew up on the Bloomenrader ranch south of Highmore and graduated from Highmore High School in 1956. She married Earl Blair in 1961, and she became an instant mom to six kids ranging in age from 1 to 9. After the family moved to Pierre, Judy worked for Dr. Spears at Pierre Clinic, Dr. Huber at Dakota Plains Clinic and Dr. Linn at Linn Medical Clinic. She retired in 2010. Judy is survived by her son, Ron Blair and his wife Lana; four daughters, Connie Blair, Carol Valland and her husband Steve, Carla Boyle and her husband Mike, and Colleen Dryden and her husband Terry; her daughter-in-law Sharon Blair; 24 grandchildren; 54 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; two brothers, Scott Bloomenrader of Billings, Mont., and Bret Bloomenrader of Highmore, and a sister, Ricki Bloomenrader of Pierre. Among those who preceded her in death were her husband and a son, Rory Blair.

Carl Rathbun, a former Fort Pierre city council member, won his way back on to the council in Tuesday’s Ward II election, garnering 39 votes. He will take the seat now occupied by David LaRoche, who received 34 votes. The other candidate, Scott Deal, received 33 votes.

Pierre native Patty (Schlekeway) McClemans began work yesterday as an assistant principal at Watertown High School.

The Capital City Band’s season-opening concert will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday night so that the music ends about the time the Fort Pierre fireworks display begins. The rest of the band’s concerts in July will start at the usual time of 8 p.m.

Pierre golfer Glenda Woodburn aced a hole-in-one on Hole #4 at Hillsview Golf Course early this week, using a 6-iron.

The Mount Vernon Mustangs amateur baseball team for whom Bradley Dean is playing this summer hit five home runs all of last season. Through last weekend the Mustangs had 13 home runs in 14 games this summer and a 12-2 overall record. The Sunshine League standings showed Mount Vernon at 6-2, a game behind Alexandria and a half-game ahead of Winner-Colome. Bradley has three of those 13 homers. Team manager Deric Denning, in a story in The Mitchell Republic, credits time Brad spent in the batting cage during DWU’s shortened baseball season. Brad also pitches, and in 23 2/3 innings up to last weekend, he had an earned-run average of only 1.14.

Former Pierre resident Sue Ford, who spends fall, winter and spring in Mesa, Ariz., and summer on the lake at Lindstrom, Minn., had the chance to get together with all of her children and grandchildren recently. Seeing the photo on Facebook, we asked Sue what she and her kids are doing these days, and she obliged with the information. Since retiring from the position of CEO of SME Sioux Falls in December 2018, Sue has been sewing and most recently making masks and headbands when not fishing. Sue’s oldest, Josh Ford, and his wife Malene live in suburban Blaine, Minn., with their children—Aidan, 13; Zoe, 12; Edward, 8, and George, 5. Josh is the sales administrator with Chromebooks, and Malene is a doctor of nursing anesthesia and teaches at the University of Minnesota. Amanda (Ford) DeMeritt and her husband, Greg, live in Tucson, Ariz., with their children—Cooper, 13; Nora, 7; Isla, 3, and Bauer, 8 months. Greg is a software engineer, and Amanda is a family nurse practitioner. Kiel Ford and his wife, Emily, live in Rogers, Minn. Kiel is principal engineer in the monitoring and diagnostics center at Xcel Energy. Emily just finished her family nurse practitioner degree from Georgetown and passed her board exams. She works for Alina hospitals in St. Paul as a charge nurse but will seek a new position now that her boards are in the past.

Pierre native Adam Venner (son of Bruce and Lori) appeared on national cable television last week on The Food Network. Adam, chef at the Deadwood Social Club, hosted the network’s Casey Webb, who travels the country in search of America’s most delicious dishes. In Adam’s kitchen Webb was treated to a tomahawk pork chop dish with fry bread.

Patrick Lee Lechtenberg is the new son of Jon and Torri (Ice) Lechtenberg. He was born June 25, weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and measuring 20 inches. The Lechtenbergs live at Imperial, Neb., where Jon is a principal and Torri teaches middle school math in the Chase County School District. Their other children are Ella, 14; Benjamin, 6, and Samuel, 3.

Ann Thompson, now of Rapid City, accompanied by her son, Dr. Murray Thompson of Pierre, was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., last week. Ann had been diagnosed with cancer in June, the third time she has faced that challenge, but she posted on Facebook that her specialist “got it all,” and she will not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation as she did 20 years ago. Ann made it through her lung surgery and went back home to Rapid City, only to end up at the Monument Health hospital there due to complications and pneumonia. McLean (Thompson) Kerver, who lives in Rapid City, took over from Murray as Ann’s on-hand support system. Ann is now back home, and friends have been keeping her well-fed and encouraged. “Angels come when we need them,” Ann said. Friends can send her greetings at 2229 Tower Court, Rapid City SD 57701.

At the South Dakota Golf Association’s husband-wife championship tournament last weekend, Bob and Jennifer Stalley of Pierre shot a 159, tying them for second place in the senior division, 10 shots behind the winners, Mike and Mary Neuroth of Watertown. In the open division Adam and Cassidy (Rogers) Kulesa of Pierre placed ninth with a 160, 17 strokes behind the champions.

A welcome staple in the downtown Pierre business community for many years, the Prairie Pages bookstore, closed its doors for good on July 1.

Graveside services for Judi Hostler, 79, Blunt, are being held this (Thursday) morning at 10 a.m. at Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Blunt. She passed away June 24. Judi grew up at Dell Rapids and graduated from high school there in 1958. She moved to Pierre to enroll in St. Mary’s Hospital’s licensed practical nursing program. She continued into the post-graduate pediatrics and OB program. Judi married John Hostler in 1972, and Judi continued her nursing career at Medical Associates Clinic. She became a stay-at-home mother when their son, Shawn, was born. Judi kept busy in many local organizations and community activities in Blunt and Pierre. John and Judi spent 20 winters at Port Isabel, Texas. She is survived by her husband, John Hostler of Blunt; their son, Shawn Hostler and his wife Tracy of Brookings; their daughter, Shelbi Schimpf and her husband Rich of Belmont, Mass.; three grandchildren; two sisters, Betty Haak of Dell Rapids and Barb Stahl of Onida, and many nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces. Among those who preceded her in death was her infant son, Beau, in 1975.

Matt and Kacy (Hutchinson) Gill became parents for the first time on June 26. Their son, Coy Robert Gill, weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces.

If there were ever any doubt that the state of South Dakota has opened up to everyone, look at what Pat and Kelli Buscher learned when they took a drive and ended up at Wall Drug the other day. In 20 minutes of driving around that small town, they saw license plates from 38 states. They were missing only Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Kentucky, West Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, Delaware, Alaska and Hawaii. Then they drove through the Badlands and erased six more states from that list.

Lawrence (Larry) Ice, died June 25 at the age of 91, on the same day as the birth of his newest great-grandchild. A memorial service will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, at the gazebo in Griffin Park. Larry graduated from Marshall, Minn., High School in 1947 and earned a civil engineering degree from SDSU. He married Nancy Pickett in 1950, and they raised three sons. He served with the U.S. Air Force in Japan from 1952 to 1954. He worked for the Corps of Engineers on Gavins Point Dam at Yankton, then worked for the highway department at Miller. The Ices moved to Pierre in 1960. Larry spent 35 years with the Department of Transportation as an operations engineer and later a regional engineer. Among those who preceded him in death were his wife, Nancy, and their son, Bryan. He is survived by two sons, Dwayne Ice and his wife Barb and Warren Ice and his wife Bobbi; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren with three more great-grandchildren expected yet this year.

Onida native and Sully Buttes alumnus Tim Hawkins became superintendent and elementary principal of the Ethan School District as of July 1. Tim has been at Ethan for 27 years, most recently spending eight years as high school principal. His first 19 years there saw him as a middle school/high school math teacher, and he added the position of activities director to his workload later. For 28 years he has been an assistant football coach with the Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan co-operative, but he will give up that job as he becomes superintendent. Tim and his wife, Gina, have two children. Rachel, who was a star on Ethan’s state “B” championship team when she was in high school, is finishing her nursing degree and expects to graduate next May. Brady, who was star quarterback for B-E/E’s state championship team last fall, is headed to SDSU as a freshman this fall and will play baseball for the Jackrabbits.

Speaking of Brady Hawkins, he and his college roommate starting this fall, Garrett Stout of Pierre, will be on opposite teams when Pierre Post 8 plays Mitchell today at Hyde Stadium. Both were incredible quarterbacks in football in high school, but both intend to play baseball at SDSU. But if they get on to the same intramural football team, there might be quite a quarterback controversy!

The rodeo family of Jim and Julie Sutton of Sully County have been named grand marshals of this weekend’s Sitting Bull Stampede rodeo at Mobridge.

Rex Jefferson Decker is the newborn son of Harry and Emily (Goeden) Decker. He was born June 26, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and measuring 10 3/4 inches. He joins his sister, Evie, 5, and his brother, Jack, 3, in the Decker family.

Sid and Bethany (Goeden) Intorn are expecting a baby boy in November.

Carol (McFarland) McKee updated us on the whereabouts of her and Randy’s boys and what they are doing. Connor McKee is head women’s soccer coach at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., a job he has held for three years. Prior to that he was associate head coach at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Connor’s wife, Liz, is director of alumni engagement for the NIU Alumni Association. Carol herself works in registration and records for NIU and is also a graduate student. She will have her master’s in higher education and student affairs in May 2021. Ramsay McKee and his wife, Sara, live in Salt Lake City where Ramsay is senior product owner of the technology development group DynoNobel. Sara is an accountant for a construction company. Their daughter, Piercey, is scheduled to start preschool this fall.

The two performances of the Fort Pierre rodeo start at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, not 7:30.

Yesterday was the first day Colorado University athletes were allowed back on the campus in Boulder since the pandemic shut down school in March. Pierre native Kari Kebach, an athletic trainer at CU, works with the women’s soccer team among others. She posted that the CU sports medicine team since the March shutdown has been developing policies and procedures to allow students back and keep them safe. A photo on Kari’s post showed the women’s soccer players wearing masks even though they were outdoors.

Alberta (Olson) Flansburg, who lives at Black Hawk, was airlifted to the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls on Sunday night with multiple blood clots in her lungs, probably caused by recent knee surgery. She has had angiograms this week. Her daughter posted yesterday that Alberta might be released Friday if all goes well.

Steve Bumann of BankWest, Inc., based in Pierre will serve as chair of the South Dakota Banking Association for 2020-21. He began his banking career with BankWest in 1984. He and his wife, Deb, have four adult children—Aaron and his wife Erin in Kansas City, Michael and his wife Kimmie in Chicago, Brian in Minneapolis, and Elizabeth and her husband Chris Larson in Rapid City—and five grandchildren.

A THOUGHT OF HOPE TO END THE WEEK

“In this ‘I didn’t see that coming’ year—a year that has brought so much pain and hurt to so many, a year that has left so many unemployed, scared and anxious, a year that has been unpredictable in every way—may we each find something to celebrate in another. May we each find something we can do for another. May we each try to make another’s path forward a little bit better. I feel that our country is much like a new child brimming with excitement, joy and frustration, and we are the parents trying to guide it toward its best future. What a gift that is! What an opportunity we have! Let’s all do our best to get it right.”

— Maria Shriver

DAY BY DAY

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
I read an article the other day which stressed that wearing your shoes inside your house, especially if you have been out and about to anywhere where the coronavirus might be spread, is one of the worst things you can do if you’re trying to avoid catching the virus. A lot of you likely live in a house where you are under orders to remove your shoes at the door, no matter the situation, so you’re already doing it. Others of you likely consider it your “God-given constitutional right” to leave your shoes on. I trust medical experts, and one of my sons-in-law is in the thick of the virus battle in the ICUs at Monument Health. He bought a pair of shoes to wear only at the hospital. He leaves them there when he gets off work. In fact, he changes clothes before heading home, then showers at home before coming in contact with his wife and kids. But what would he know! Ask your neighborhood politician instead.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Some days a person wakes up, takes the first breath of the summer heat already coming through the window and wonders what this day will bring. CNN’s “Good Stuff” free newsletter, which is available via e-mail once a week to anyone who wants to subscribe, suggests what is called the 4-7-8 breathing technique to release some weekday tension. The first step is to breathe in through one’s nose with mouth closed for four seconds. Hold that breath for seven seconds. Then release that breath slowly through your mouth over eight seconds. Let every bit of breath escape. Repeat the technique up to seven times or until you feel relaxed. Go outside under the shade tree with coffee in hand and don’t think about anything!

SATURDAY, JUNE 27
I have mentioned before the series of “View from My Window” photos people were posting on Facebook back in March and April during the first few weeks of the worldwide pandemic. What beautiful places there are all over the world! I had to chuckle when I read one participant’s description of what lives were like in her country of South Africa at that time. South Dakotans could not and would not be able to handle this. South Africa had one of the most stringent lockdowns in the world. People could leave their homes only to get food and medical supplies. No outdoor exercising! No dog walks! No purchasing anything not considered essential, and that includes alcohol and cigarettes! Soft Americans would consider those regulations against their “God-given” rights, of course.

SUNDAY, JUNE 28
This was another Sunday without church as we know it, but like almost anything else, it is coming back to stay for at least a little while. There are extremes to reopening churches as there are in every other phase of life these days. For example, there’s one of those megachurches in Texas where Vice President Pence and a few thousand people attended last week’s service. Masks? Social distancing? Are you kidding me? What about religious freedoms! The choir itself at that place involved 100 singers, none of whom wore a mask, of course. I see that Oahe Presbyterian Church out on the east end of Capitol Avenue will get back to in-person worship on July 5, but they are mandating social distancing and masks. According to the guidelines they posted, if people want to have conversations, they will take them outdoors! Good for you! The church of which I am a member, First United Methodist in downtown Rapid City, will give it a go for the first time on July 5 as well. We have two services, and the church will allow no more than 30 worshippers per service, even though we have a large sanctuary that holds several hundred. So who gets in? A lottery system is under way. People RSVP to the church office, and a lottery will determine who falls within the groups of 30. Each person entering the church will wear a mask. Every other pew will be kept vacant. Offering plates, bulletins and other materials will not be passed and shared. There will not be congregational singing. The balcony will be closed. Those who miss out on the lottery will be shifted to the top of the list for the following week, and they can watch the streamed services online at home anyway. Between the two services everything will be cleaned—bathrooms, water fountains, door handles, etc. It’s going to be strange until it becomes the norm.

MONDAY, JUNE 29
My mother-in-law, Fran Welch, who looks better at 90 than most women do at 50 (sorry, ladies, but that’s a fact!), celebrated that milestone birthday Sunday. Her daughters and son had a come-and-go gathering in her honor in Pierre. Those of us in Rapid City chose not to go because of the danger of spreading the virus to those people back there or getting it from them, but Fran did have some of her few surviving relatives from the Peterson family come from as far away as southern California for her birthday weekend.
We hope she has several more birthday bashes and that conditions will allow all of us to attend.

TUESDAY, JUNE 30
When Dr. Lori Simon, Rapid City’s school superintendent, posted a message online this evening that the indoor graduation ceremonies for Central and Stevens high schools scheduled for July 24 and 26 in the civic center have been canceled, within seconds the vitriol began flowing from the poor wounded mommies and daddies who won’t get to see their little darlings walk across the stage. They won’t get to put on their blue jeans, carry in their air horns and whistles and then get up in front of everybody and parade out as soon as their seniors’ names have been called. Stevens and Central both had filmed diploma presentations shown on local television, but the continued daily presence of new cases of the coronavirus in this county make people with any degree of common sense understand that indoor gatherings of hundreds of people aren’t very smart right now. But the Facebook comments beneath Dr. Simon’s message and sincere apology called for her to resign, leave town and/or be fired. If my granddaughter is typical of the local seniors, she is done with this school year, sick and tired of it all and ready to start something new like college. A few parents agree. Rapid City has the Trump visit, the onslaught of tourists from everywhere, the thousands of locals who refuse to get away from their own selfishness and self-centeredness, the motorcycle rally and the Central States Fair. We don’t need one more major crowd event.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
I apparently have to admit, though it pains me, that I have become an old fogey, a no-fun 81-year-old. Yet I fail now to understand, just as I have failed to understand for decades, why Fourth of July fireworks have to be discharged on June 27, June 28, June 29, June 30, July 1, July 2 and July 3. It seems to be July 4 would be sufficient. (But of course it’s great for the South Dakota economy.) Most dogs in my neighborhood would agree that one night is enough though I am somewhat surprised that of my three dogs, one is almost deaf and the other two seem oblivious to the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air every afternoon and every night in our redneck part of the world. I won’t be joining The Donald and Kristi and those like them anywhere near Mount Rushmore on Friday. I may, however, watch a video of his speech to verify that it is nothing more than a campaign event for which South Dakota tax dollars should not have to pay. On Saturday I will get my fill of fireworks after the Post 22 game, sitting in the bleachers at the ballpark. I will, however, have to carefully make my way back home where hopefully the neighbors’ fireworks extravaganza will not yet have set fire to our house. Likely I will have to park a couple blocks down the street rather than out front because in the middle of the street there will be kids waving sparklers and grown adults setting off bombs and Roman candles, all of them oblivious to anything resembling an automobile trying to move down a city street. Then come Sunday morning the remains of those fireworks, blown to smithereens, will be all over the streets and the yards. Oh well. It’s another of those “God-given” constitutional rights I hear so much about these days.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWER

A C D A
F O U R
R O L L
O S L O

AN APACHE BLESSING

May the sun bring you new energy for the day.
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the rain wash away your worries.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.

2 Comments

  1. Juanita McKeever

    Thank you for sharing once again Parker. Try to continue to stay healthy & safe in these crazy times!!

    Reply
  2. Judi West

    Thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply

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