Vol. 21, No. 30; Thursday, May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021 | Parker's Midweek Update | 3 comments

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“The greatest joys in life are found not only in what we do and feel but also in our quiet hopes and labors for others.”
— Bryant McGill

FOOTBALL UPDATE

FCS championship: The national championship game between #1 South Dakota State and #2 Sam Houston State at Frisco, Texas, will kick off at 1 p.m. CDT Sunday on ABC-TV. The Jackrabbits overpowered Delaware, 33-3, in the semifinal in Brookings Saturday.

Sioux Falls Storm: The Indoor Football League season kicks off Saturday with the Storm at home vs. Iowa.

South Dakota State football: Here is the revised fall schedule for the Jackrabbits (home games in capital letters):
Sept. 4: at Colorado State.
Sept. 11: LINDENWOOD (Mo.).
Sept. 18: Idle.
Sept. 25: at Indiana State.
Oct. 2: DIXIE STATE (Utah).
Oct. 9: SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
Oct. 16: at Western Illinois.
Oct. 23: NORTHERN IOWA (Hobo Day).
Oct. 30: at Youngstown State.
Nov. 6: NORTH DAKOTA STATE.
Nov. 13: at USD.
Nov. 20: NORTH DAKOTA.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Sept. 12: at Cincinnati
Sept. 19: at Arizona
Sept. 26: Seattle
Oct. 3: Cleveland
Oct. 10: Detroit
Oct. 17: at Carolina
Oct. 31: Dallas (Sunday night)
Nov. 7: at Baltimore
Nov. 14: at Los Angeles Chargers
Nov. 21: Green Bay
Nov. 28: at San Francisco
Dec. 5: at Detroit
Dec. 9: Pittsburgh (Thursday night)
Dec. 20: at Chicago (Monday night)
Dec. 26: Los Angeles Rams
Jan. 2: at Green Bay (Sunday night)
Jan. 9: Chicago
(VIKINGS PRESEASON: Aug. 13 or 14, Denver; Aug. 20 or 21, Indianapolis; Aug. 27 or 28, at Kansas City)

DENVER BRONCOS
Sept. 12: at New York Giants
Sept. 19: at Jacksonville
Sept. 26: New York Jets
Oct. 3: Baltimore
Oct. 10: at Pittsburgh
Oct. 17: Las Vegas
Oct. 21: at Cleveland (Thursday night)
Oct. 31: Washington
Nov. 7: at Dallas
Nov. 14: Philadelphia
Nov. 28: Los Angeles Chargers
Dec. 5: at Kansas City
Dec. 12: Detroit
Dec. 19: Cincinnati
Dec. 26: at Las Vegas
Jan. 2: at Los Angeles Chargers
Jan. 9: Kansas City
(BRONCOS PRESEASON: Aug. 13 or 14, at Minnesota; Aug. 20 or 21, at Seattle; Aug. 27 or 28, Los Angeles Rams)

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— FRIDAY
Girls golf: at Mitchell invitational, 10:30 a.m.
Baseball: home vs. Sioux Falls Washington, 5 and 7 p.m.

— SATURDAY
Track-field: at ESD conference meet, Aberdeen, 11:30 a.m.
Baseball: home vs. Sioux Falls Lincoln, 1 and 3 p.m.
— MONDAY
Boys tennis: at state tournament, Sioux Falls, 8 a.m.
— TUESDAY
Boys tennis: at state tournament, Sioux Falls, 8 a.m.

Athletes of the Week: Last week Autumn Iverson and Lincoln Kienholz of the track and field teams were named Athletes of the Week by the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association.

Boys basketball: It was announced last week that Terry Becker has resigned as head boys basketball coach and a search has begun for his replacement in that capacity. Becker plans to remain at Riggs High School as a teacher.

Baseball: Saturday’s twinbill against Brandon Valley was canceled due to the weather. On Sunday Pierre swept Sturgis, 8-6 and 4-0. In the opener a six-run fourth inning saved the day. Jacob Mayer was starting pitcher, followed on the mound by Elliot Leif, Isaac Polak and Bennett Dean with Dean earning the save. Matt Hanson, Andy Gordon and Jayden Wiebe each had two hits. The nightcap saw Brady Getz throw a complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits while striking out five over his seven innings of work. Dean had two hits. The Governors’ record stands at 16-4 heading into this weekend’s four home games, the last games of the regular season.

Girls golf: At the Huron invitational last Thursday Pierre finished seventh among eight schools with a 385. O’Gorman was team champion. Ellie Jo Simpson had a 93, Hadley Hart 95, Madilyn Brakke 97 and Haley Nadeau 100. On Friday at Yankton’s invitational the team tied for fifth among 14 schools.

Boys tennis: The Governors won all three duals last Thursday, beating Rapid City Christian 5-4 and taking down Lennox and St. Thomas More by 6-3 scores. Luke Leingang went 6-0 for the day, winning all three of his singles and all three of his doubles matches. Spencer Kelly went 5-0, and the Matt Hanson/Blake Judson team was 4-2. In the Pierre tournament on Friday the Governors were the first-placer team with Lennox second and Rapid City Christian third. The Kelly-Leingang doubles team won first place, and both men won their singles titles. Carter Schulz was second in his singles flight and Denton Beck/Jacob Mayer were second in their doubles flight. On Tuesday at the ESD Conference tournament Pierre finished in seventh place. Brandon Valley was the team champion with Huron next. Luke Leingang placed third in Flight 3 of the singles. He and Spencer Kelly were third in Flight 2 of the doubles, and Matt Hanson and Blake Judson finished third in Flight 1 doubles.

Track-field: Pierre competed against Aberdeen Central and Watertown at the Al Sahli meet in Aberdeen Saturday. Winners in boys’ events were Spencer Skjonsberg in the high jump at 5’9″ and Canyon Jones in the pole vault at 11’3″. Pierre’s second-place medalists were Cade Kaiser in the high jump at 5’5″, Tucker Putzier in the 100 at :11.27 and in the 200 in :24.06, Josh Strand in the 400 in :53.36, Chase Carda in the pole vault at 10’3″ and the 4×800 relay team in 9:09.56. The runners on that quartet were Mason Dell, Ethan Martinmaas, Isaac Polak and Hayden Shaffer. Pierre had four first-places in the girls’ division of the meet. Jessica Lutmer won the 800 in 2:31.16. Addison Cumbow won the 100-meter hurdles in :16.51. Aleise Christopherson won the long jump at 15’7 1/4″. The 4×800 relay team of Autumn Iverson, Lutmer, Jazzlyn Rombough and Brianne Sargent won its race in 10:20.73. Second-places went to Christopherson in the triple jump at 32’5″, Lilly Sanchez in the 400 in 1:05.07 and Ryann Barry in the high jump at 4’9″.

Track-field: At the Capital City Qualifier meet Tuesday, winners in girls’ events were Addison Cumbow in both hurdles events, Jessica Lutmer in the 1000-meter run, Marissa Matthews in the pole vault and Aleise Christopher in the long jump. The 4×200 relay team of Christopherson, Sydney Uhrig, Cameron Larsson and Cumbow won their event, and the 4×100 team of Christopherson, Ryann Barry, Larson and Uhrig also broke the tape. The Governor boys team accounted for 10 first-place finishes. Jack Merkwan won both hurdles events, Hayden Shaffer the 1000, Canyon Jones the pole vault, Lincoln Kienholz the high jump and the long jump, Houston Lunde the discus and Josh Strand the 400. The 4×200 relay team of Austin Foley, Vick Becker, Josh Strand and Tucker Putzier won their race. The 4×100 team of Cole Petersen, Becker, Putzier and Caden Thompson also captured first place.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“In Maine we have no voter ID laws; we have same-day registration; we have no-excuse absentee voting; we have mail-in voting; we have early voting; we have 24/7 drop boxes, and we have virtually no fraud. Expanding ballot access doesn’t encourage fraud. It encourages voting.”
— U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— FRIDAY
Track-field: at Kimball.
— MONDAY
Golf: at pre-region meet, Huron.

Track-field: At the Capital City Qualifier meet Tuesday, Evan Nordstrom was the winner in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Nathan Cook was the shot put champion.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Golf: at Central Conference meet, Faulkton.
— SATURDAY
Track-field: home for Central Conference meet.
— MONDAY
Golf: at pre-region meet, Huron.

Golf: The Charger boys finished second behind only Potter County in the Yellowstone Trail Conference tournament at Eureka with a team score of 256. Caleb Chicoine finished second individually with an 80, Gavin Colson was fifth at 83, Marshall Wittler eighth at 93, and Thomas Farries posted a 101. In the girls’ tournament Olivia Olson played the course in 119 and Ally Wittler in 124 strokes.

Track-field: At the Capital City Qualifier meet in Pierre Tuesday, Stevie Wittler won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles events. The boys medley relay team of Garrett Petersen, Collin Bradberry, Blaine Hill and Griffin Petersen won their race.

WEDDING DAYS

June 18: Chris Rumrill/Katya Vakshteyn.
June 18: Shaun Keller/Brittney Ware.
June 26: William Fairbanks/Valori Kunsman.
July 31: Jack Carpenter/Leesa Johnson.
Sept. 25: Nick Jung/Natalie Nagle.
Oct. 2: Jordan Lamb/Abbey Fjeldheim.

COUNTDOWN

2 days: Riggs High parent-senior party (May 15).
3 days: FCS national championship football game, Frisco, Texas (May 16).
5 days: NBA playoffs begin (May 18).
7 days: State AA boys tennis tournament, Sioux Falls (May 20-21).
9 days: Sully Buttes High School graduation, 1 p.m. (May 22).
10 days: Stanley County High School graduation, noon (May 23).
10 days: Riggs High School graduation, 2 p.m. (May 23).
12 days: Pierre Trappers baseball opener (May 25).
15 days: State track meets, AA Sturgis, A Spearfish, B Rapid City (May 28-29).
16 days: State high school baseball tournament, Sioux Falls (May 29).
18 days: Memorial Day (May 31).
19 days: Post 8 baseball season openers (June 1).
23 days: Casey Tibbs Match of Champions (June 5).
24 days: Kennedy Center Honors, CBS-TV (June 6).
25 days: State AA girls golf tournament, Sioux Falls (June 7-8).
25 days: State B boys/golf tournaments, Brookings (June 7-8).
26 days: Pierre city/school elections (June 8).
33 days: State high school finals rodeo, Fort Pierre (June 15-19).
36 days: Oahe Days (June 18-19).
38 days: Fathers Day (June 20).

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Shame at our own dependence on the underpaid labor of others. When someone works for less pay than she can live on and when she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently, then she has made a great sacrifice for you. The working poor are the major philanthropists of our society.”
— Barbara Ehrenreich

BASEBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Twins schedule:
— Thursday: at Chicago White Sox, 1:10 p.m., BSN.
— Friday: Oakland, 7:10 p.m., BSN.
— Saturday: Oakland, 3:05 p.m., BSN and FS1.
— Sunday: Oakland, 1:10 p.m., BSN.
— Monday: Chicago White Sox, 6:40 p.m., BSN.
— Tuesday: Chicago White Sox, 6:40 p.m., BSN.
— Wednesday: Chicago White Sox, 12:10 p.m., BSN and MLB Network.
— Thursday: at Los Angeles Angels, 3:07 p.m., FS1 and BSN, and 6:07 p.m., BSN.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins lost four of five games this past week. After a 4-3 10-inning loss to Texas, the Twins split two games in Detroit, winning 7-3 and losing 7-2. Most recently the Twins lost two to the White Sox, 9-3 and 13-8.

Pierre Trappers: Added to the 2021 roster this week were right-handed pitcher Nick McCollum and infielder Tyler Skelton, both from Georgia Southwestern. Nick is from Richmond Hill, Ga., and Tyler from McDonough, Ga.

Pierre Trappers early-season schedule:
— May 25-26-27: home vs. Hastings.
— May 28-29: home vs. Western Nebraska.
— May 31-June 1: at Spearfish.
— June 4: at Sioux Falls.
— June 5-6-7: home vs. Sioux Falls.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: With five straight losses, including the latest a pair of 5-1 and 3-2 losses to Utah, the Rush have fallen three games behind the final playoff spot. Rapid City faces Friday, Saturday and Sunday games at Wichita.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings dominated Minnesota Wilderness, 7-1 and 7-2. Aberdeen is home Friday and Saturday vs. Minot.

Minnesota Wild: Minnesota beat Anaheim twice in overtime by the same 4-3 score, then last night lost to St. Louis, 4-0. The regular season ends tonight (Thursday) vs. St. Louis. The Wild will finish as the #3 seed in the West and will face Colorado in the first round of the playoffs.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: After four straight losses to open the season, the Loons won last night in a 1-0 cliff-hanger over Vancouver. Now 1-4, Minnesota is home Saturday vs. Dallas FC.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): At the first of the five majors on the Champions Tour, the Regions at Birmingham, Ala., Tom tied for 35th place with a 2-over-par scorecard of 74-74-69-73=290, earning $14,687.50. The winner’s score was a 270 for Alex Cejka. The Champions Tour moves over to Duluth, Ga., this weekend for the Mitsubishi event.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves lost to Miami, 121-112, but then defeated Orlando, 128-96, and Detroit, 119-100. Minnesota finishes the NBA season with home games Thursday vs. Denver and Saturday vs. Boston and a road game at Dallas Sunday.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: pineapple.
Friday-Sunday: strawberry butter.
Monday-Tuesday: orange.
Wednesday-Thursday: laffy taffy.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, May 13:
John Beranek, Jameson Linn, Terry Buchholz, Keira Ryan, Terri Iverson, Sarena (Nuttall) Beastrom, Joanne (Berg) Hight, Pat Libby, Shane Bartels, Garry Schrank, Emersyn Tilberg, Kate Vogel, Kristen (Berg) Grohs,
— 21st anniversary, Rob/Michelle Dvorak.
— 15th anniversary, Josh/Amanda Ellis.
— 10th anniversary, Jeremy/Laura (Hansen) Mikkelsen.

Friday, May 14:
Preston Scott, Micah Bohle, Dustin Byrum, Lora (Den Ouden) Moore, Paulette Petersenm, Kate Harm, Mindy (Stearns) Sivage, Paula (Roddewig) Ruedebusch, Bodhi Hindman, Tayson Mitchell, Bryant Naylor, Jenna Paxton, Tyler Stoeser, Tom Kallemeyn.
— 16th anniversary, Guy/Ellen Erlenbusch.
— 5th anniversary, Matthew/Stacy (Zeigler) Cwach.
— 16th anniversary, Patrick/Holly (Lunn) Miles.
— 16th anniversary, Steve/Brittney Novotny.

Saturday, May 15:
Carson Kemnitz, Barb Mitchell, Ava Vermeulen, Brian Graves, Cody Stoeser, Russell Hofeldt, Ellen Dulas, Carol Van Roekel, Deb (Stoeser) Schiefelbein, Jared Lindbloom, Brooke Anglin, Emmy Anderson, Zach Erickson, Nathanial Smith.
— Anniversary, Jerry/Monica Ortbahn.
— 11th anniversary, John/Lisa (Wallace) Peary.
— 17th anniversary, Matt/Heather (Hageman) Elwood.
— 17th anniversary, Damon/Jo Lynn Parks.
— 17th anniversary, Jason/Amanda Dodson.

Sunday, May 16:
Jack Shines, Nick Jung, Becky DeYonge, Whitney Jandreau, Cody Nicholas, Emma Lusk, Paul Kenefick-Aschoff, Jett Zabel, Grady Larson, Brent Baumberger, Colleen (Colson) Pool, Scott Kennedy, Tammy Williams.
— 12th anniversary, Jay/Kasey (Anderson) Cappellano.

Monday, May 17:
Josh Davis, Eileen Bertsch, Gus Terveen, Bill Squires, Angie (Wire) Fouts, Diana Melvin, Calla Ellis, Blair Krueger, Mat Ripperger, Tyler Hoffman, Uncle Matt Schatz, Lanete (McFarling) Kotilnek, Meshanna Heckenlaible.
— 7th anniversary, Charlie/Stephanie Moore.
— 12th anniversary, Matt/Blair (Simon) Picchietti.
— 18th anniversary, Arlo/Chandra (Miller) Brower.
— 18th anniversary, Dan/Sarah (Shepherd) Schulte.
— 7th anniversary, Cole/Jennifer (Glanzman) Uecker.
— 41st anniversary, Hal/Marie Rumpca.

Tuesday, May 18:
Joanne Andersen, Bryce Herr, Will Hansen, Josh Zellmer, Sommar (Jastorff) Nelson, Sara (Tillman) Anderson, Clay Roberts, Doug Marsh.

Wednesday, May 19:
Darin Boe, Jack Runyan, Julie Smith, Gordon Woods, Tim Davis, Onie Neuharth (#93), Nola Terveen, Jeff Hayward, Paula Welch, Mike Yackley, Casey Templeton, Michelle (Beemer) DeWitt, Shawna (Miller) Lizotte, Emily Swanstrom, Casey Hight, Matt Koester.
— 14th anniversary, Tim/Melissa Schumacher.
— 37th anniversary, Tim/Barb Bjorneberg.
— 42nd anniversary, Kevin/Brenda Goeden.
— 9th anniversary, Seth/Karae (Englehart) Parsons.

Thursday, May 20:
Renessa Williams, Mark Leiferman, Polly Gill, Caleb Kuszmaul, Murray Thompson, Katie (Hallock) Moberg, Taynen Stout, Lisa Chamley, Maggie Lanning, Callum carr, Owen Joy, Elliesia Nelson, Dave O’Connell, Deanna Smith, Chad Johnson, Ainsley Askew.
— 16th anniversary, Doug/Krista (Beastrom) Stevens.
— 65th anniversary, Cliff/Genita (Bush) DeSautell.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Black Hills State women’s basketball: Onida senior Racquel Wientjes was named to the Academic All-District 6 Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Racquel has a 3.83 grade-point average in economics/finance and accounting. On the court she led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in scoring with 457 points this past season. She led the BHSU team in minutes played, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game.

South Dakota State track-field (Addy Eisenbeisz): The Jackrabbits go to Vermillion for the Summit League outdoor championship meet Thursday through Saturday.

Augustana track-field (Elizabeth Schaefer): The Vikings’ next meet is the NSIC conference outdoor championships at Duluth Saturday.

Rochester Community & Technical College baseball (Cade Hinkle): The Yellowjackets concluded their regular season with a record of 23-16-1 overall and 6-6 in conference play. They begin Region XIII tournament play today (Thursday) with Rochester playing its first game against Rainy River CC. There are 10 teams involved, five in each of two pools. The winner advances to a super regional next week, also at St. Cloud. RCTC split a pair of games with St. Cloud Technical CC, winning 4-2 and losing 6-2. Cade was 0-for-1 and walked once in the win and went 0-for-2 in the loss. In the final game RCTC won 13-3 over Minnesota State C&TC at Fergus Falls. Cade didn’t play in that game.

Northern baseball (Spencer Sarringar): The Wolves ended their season with a record of 15-22 overall and 14-19 in the NSIC. Spencer was 0-for-3 in a 6-1 loss to Mary. In a 4-3 loss he was 0-for-3 but walked once and later had an RBI on an infield ground-out. He didn’t play in the final game, a 6-3 loss to Mary.

Iowa Western baseball (Peyton Zabel): In the first round of their conference tournament the Reivers beat Marshalltown CC, 5-2 and 8-2, to win the best-of-three series and advance to the next round this coming weekend. In the opener of the series Iowa Westgern was down 2-1 but scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Peyton pitched in the second game, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, two runs and one walk while striking out six. Fourteen of the 19 outs were ground-outs to the infield, and five of them were to Peyton to give him five assists. Iowa Western led 3-2 when he was relieved, so he got the pitching win. The Reivers scored two insurance runs in the eighth and added three more in the ninth. The championship best-of-three series starts with two games Friday and continues, if necessary, with a single game Saturday against Indian Hills CC from Ottumwa, Iowa, at home in Council Bluffs. The winner advances to the national region tournament, the final step before the Junior College World Series two weeks from now in Grand Junction, Colo.

Northern track-field (Rachel Guthmiller): At the USD meet Rachel placed sixth in the javelin throw at 121’7 1/4″. The Wolves go to Duluth for the NSIC outdoor championship meet this weekend.

South Dakota State baseball (Landon Badger, Garrett Stout): The Jacks were idle last weekend. They finish the Summit League regular season at NDSU with two games Friday and single contests Saturday and Sunday.

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The Red Raiders, who played their regular season last fall and then had to wait for the postseason playoffs moved to spring by the NAIA, nevertheless won three playoff games to reach the national championship game in Grambling, La., Monday night. However, there Northwestern lost to Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 45-13, to finish the season with an 11-2 record. The only prior loss was last September to #1 Morningside, a defeat which Northwestern avenged in the national semifinals. This was the sophomore season at Northwestern for Onida’s Hofer, who played linebacker.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

  • Considering all the justifiable excitement surrounding the SDSU football team and the fact that almost the entire roster will be back for this fall, make note on your fall calendar that the SDSU-USD game in Vermillion will take place early on the same Saturday as the high school football championships will be underway at the DakotaDome.
  • Jeff and Becky Lamb, start making your travel plans for Thanksgiving week. Chloe and the rest of the USD women’s basketball team will spend Nov. 25-27 at the Paradise Jam tournament at the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Coyotes will be joined by an array of major-college teams—DePaul, Northwestern, Arizona, Pitt, Rutgers, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
  • I staunchly defend the South Dakota media in almost every situation, but I have a beef with them. Whenever one of our intrepid trio in Congress introduces a bill or just co-sponsors one, his office floods the South Dakota media (print especially) with news releases about this spectacular bill introduction, they eat it up as if it is actual news, and we get to see the same smiling photo of the Congressman as if he has accomplished something. It makes it appear that he is hard at work for us. I would suggest the news releases from the respective offices wait until the Congressman’s bill is PASSED and becomes law. Now THAT is an accomplishment. Maybe it never happens?
  • Every year, once the Super Bowl champion is determined, I suggest whom that team will play in its NFL Opening Night game. Back in February after the Buccaneers won, knowing which teams would be on their 2021 schedule, I said the best option for the league to send to Tampa for that game would be the Dallas Cowboys. Bingo! Tampa Bay will host Dallas on Thursday, Sept. 9, in the NFL season opener. Go, Brady, Gronk and Bucs!
  • And one game that should get block-buster ratings will be Tampa Bay at New England when Brady and Gronk return to face Belichick. That will be Sunday night, Oct. 3.
  • The NFL is smart enough to never schedule any major games on Thanksgiving Day because they know we suckers will watch whatever is on TV that day. Nevertheless, this fall’s Thanksgiving games will be: Chicago at Detroit early, Las Vegas at Dallas mid-afternoon, Buffalo at New Orleans evening. Christmas falls on a Saturday this coming winter, and the NFL will give us a doubleheader—Cleveland at Green Bay and Indianapolis at Arizona.
  • Black Hills Community Theater this week is announcing the shows that will comprise its 2021-22 season beginning this fall. The announcements are being made on the BHCT Facebook page at 8 p.m. CDT each night, and the fifth and final show will be announced tonight (Thursday). So far the shows listed for the upcoming season are Roald Dahl’s “Matilda the Musical” for September, William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” for November, “Men on Boats” by Jacklyn Backhaus for January, and “Urinetown the Musical” for next spring.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Sully Buttes High alumnus Kole Pickner is one of four South Dakota School of Mines recipients of Department of Energy research experiences at Department of Energy laboratories.

Seb Axtman updates us with the whereabouts of Greg and Sarah (Adam) Axtman’s boys. Oldest son August is playing professional soccer in Philadelphia. Middle son John is a student at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Youngest son Eric is a junior at Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pa., where the Axtmans live. Eric plays soccer and volleyball and is on the swim team. Meanwhile, Seb and his wife Carol in Pierre are awaiting their 64th wedding anniversary on Aug. 24.

Beverly (Lawrence) Huckins, 90, passed away May 21. Her funeral was held Monday at First Congregational United Church of Christ where Bev was a church pianist and choir director for more than 30 years. A native of Dupree, she married Robert Huckins in 1951, and they raised seven children. Bev graduated from Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls in 1952 with a bachelor of arts degree in music and history. She worked for 20 years as a secretary and accountant at the Department of Game, Fish and Parks. She was an active participant in numerous local organizations. Survivors include her husband, Bob Huckins; seven children, Ellen (Lonnie) Landrum, Scott (Pam) Huckins, Kathy (Charlie) Schock, Brian Huckins, Marc Huckins, Kent Huckins and Mary (Robb Heaton) Huckins; 16 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren, and a sister, Barbara Stradinger.

The new mayor of Onida is LaJena (Johnson) Gruis. She was appointed by fellow city council members to succeed Gary Wickersham, who fulfilled the mayor’s job for more than 20 years. (News courtesy of The Onida Watchman)

The Riggs High band will close the school year with its “Final Hurrah” concert tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. in the Riggs theater. Awards for the band program from the school year will also be presented.

Pandemic-related news:
— The 1880 Train at Hill City and Keystone will begin its summer runs this coming weekend.
— The Valleyfair amusement park in Savage, Minn., will open for the season May 22.
— The Rapid City school board Monday night decided to retain the mask mandate for the remainder of the school year (11 days). Almost immediately the outrage from the anti-maskers began.
— The Pierre school board Monday night voted to maintain the current ongoing COVID-19 protocols for the 7 1/2 days remaining in the school year.
— “Hamilton,” “Wicked” and “The Lion King” will reopen on Broadway Sept. 14.
— Wednesday’s daily report from the state Department of Health noted that seven more deaths in the previous 24 hours raised the South Dakota COVID-19 toll to 1988, only 12 away from the magic number of 2,000 fatalities. The report said that there are 1,004 active cases still ongoing with 66 current hospitalizations. Fifty percent of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated.
— The United States death toll is down to an average of ONLY 600 deaths daily. Party time!

Brianne (Barnett) Roby of Minneapolis ran a personal best 3:28 in the Lake Wobegon Marathon last week and in so doing qualified for the Boston Marathon. The latest race was Bri’s first live race in over a year.

Pierre native Jared Lindbloom, who is a musician in New York City, got a compliment from an unimpeachable source this week. After hearing Jared’s cover of the Bee Gees song, “To Love Somebody,” which was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of that legendary music group, Barry Gibb himself responded to Jared on Twitter, “Keep sharing your covers. I enjoy seeing them and hearing them.”

Adam Taylor, son of former Pierre residents Carter and Anne Taylor of Rapid City, graduated from the College of Music at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley last weekend. The Taylors’ other son, Jack, is assistant band director at Central High School in Rapid City.

Marvin Olson, 94, died at Avera Maryhouse on May 11. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 16, at the Isburg Funeral Chapel, and Masonic rites will start there at 5:30. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 17, at Lutheran Memorial Church. Marvin was born at Sansarc in Stanley County. He served during World War II as an automobile mechanic, part of his tour of duty being in Korea at the end of the war. He married Marge Warnka in Texas in 1948. They ranched in Stanley and Haakon counties until retiring in 1990. Over the years they lived at Hayes, Pierre, Fort Pierre and Apache Junction, Ariz. Marvin was especially active in Shriners, Masons and the Eastern Star. He was one of the founders of American State Bank. He is survived by four children, Char Morrison (Roland Ritter), Roberta (Lee) Holmes, Fred Olson and Susan West (Steve Spitler); 10 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and a sister, Elsie. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, a great-grandson and six siblings.

When the Pierre Educational Foundation hosted Pierre’s top students and educators at the annual Evening of Excellence last Thursday night, several major scholarships were presented:

  • The Spilde Family Scholarship, which goes to a student who plans to attend a vocational or technical school, went to Khia White Eyes, who plans to attend Lake Area Technical College to study to be a occupational therapy assistant.
  • The Edith and Richard Warder Scholarship, which annually is awarded to a student with an interest in political science or law, was presented to Nolan Rounds, who plans to attend SDSU to major in biochemistry, business administration or law.
  • The Schliessman Family Scholarship goes to a student pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). This year’s recipient is Hannah Schochenmaier, who plans to attend SDSU to major in animal science and pre-veterinary medicine.
  • The James and Gertrude Mueller Scholarship, which goes to a student pursuing a career in the medical field, was received by Emma Lusk, who plans to go to SDSU to major in human biology and biomedical engineering with the goal of eventually attending medical school.
  • Emma also received the Pierre Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship, which goes to a student intending to enter the medical field.
  • The Charles “Lindy” and Shirley Feeney Scholarship, which goes each year to a dedicated track and field athlete, was awarded to Kenzie Gronlund, who is headed to SDSU to major in math with a specialization in education and a minor in coaching.
  • The Emde Family Scholarship, which goes to a senior pursuing an education degree, was won by Seneca Hertel, who plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Kearney to major in communication disorders and minor in special education with an eye on an eventual master’s in speech-language pathology.
  • The Shaw Family Scholarship, which is given each year in memory of long-time Pierre residents MIke and Marilyn Shaw, was presented to Delaney Engbrecht, who plans to attend Southeast Technical College for a degree to become an invasive cardiovascular technologist.
  • The Shaw Family Scholarship was also presented to Levi McKinley, who intends to attend SDSU to study to become a veterinarian.
  • Another Shaw Family Scholarship went to Paige Pollreisz, who will be attending USD.
  • The Mortenson Family Scholarship, which is awarded to a Native American senior pursuing a post-secondary education, went to Taylee Agard, who will be going to USD to pursue a career in health sciences and kinesiology.

Sully Buttes High School’s delegates to Boys State 2021 will be a pair of brothers—senior Garrett Petersen and junior Griffin Petersen. Since Boys State was canceled last year, the sponsoring American Legion opened this year’s Boys State to seniors as well as juniors. (News courtesy of The Onida Watchman)

Pierre native Pat Burchill, who retired from USBank last summer after a 43-year career in Rapid City, was awarded an honorary doctor’s degree from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology at last weekend’s commencement exercises.

Terri (Ulmen) Johnson was honored as BankWest Educator of Excellence for the 2020-21 school year. Her selection was revealed at last Thursday’s Evening of Excellence hosted by the Pierre Educational Foundation. Terri is a mentor for the Governor-to-Governor program at Riggs High School. She will receive a $1,500 grant to go toward continuing education.

Doris (Brooking) Vos, 97, passed away May 4 at home in White River. Services were held Monday at the White River Community Center. Doris grew up on the Brooking farm northwest of Onida. She graduated from Gettysburg High School in 1941 and earned a home economics degree at South Dakota State College. She met James Vos there while troops were stationed on campus during World War II. They were married in 1947. While Jim pastored Methodist churches, Doris taught home ec and music at Philip, Conde, Gary, White River and Selby. They retired in White River. She is survived by five children, Becky (Joe) Dougherty of Cheyenne, Wyo., Andy (Jodi Hanson) Vos of Sioux Falls, Phil (Joyce) Vos of Sioux Falls, Martha (Byron) Janke of Sturgis and Phoebe (Dan) Krogman of White River; 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Deb (Raue) Evans posted on her Facebook page Monday that her brother Scott Raue’s kidneys had begun shutting down and that he may have to go on dialysis. Scott underwent heart surgery the week before last and suffered a heart attack while the operation was in progress.

Austin and Kari Lucas’ youngest daughter, Harper, who is 3, has undergone 2 1/2 years of cancer treatments. On his Facebook page this week Austin gives details on how to contribute to the Kids Cup 2021 golf tournament in Rochester. The tournament raises funds for families going through tough times right now due to medical issues through the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center and the Olmsted Medical Center.

Allyson Sahr of Madison, daughter of Bob and Christine (Blasius) Sahr, is one of 17 recipients of First Premier Bank’s $2,000 Community Scholarship. Ally plans to attend USD for nursing school with the further goal of attending graduate school to become a nurse anesthetist. The Sahrs also have a younger daughter, Calista.

Heather Mangan officially completed her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Roosevelt University. Heather and her husband, Ethan Fife, live in Chicago.

LeRoy Hofer, 90, Pahrump, Nev., died there May 4. His funeral will take place at 10:30 a.m. this Friday, May 14, at Feigum Funeral Home. The son of Sam and Katie Hofer graduated from Onida High School in 1949 and married Darlene Tschetter in 1956. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1955 and attended Huron College and National College of Business. He spent a long career in banking, most of it at Hot Springs, and was a former president of the South Dakota Banking Association. He is survived by three children, Preston (Marjorie) Hofer of Denver, Quinten (Julie) Hofer of Cedar Rapids Iowa and Pamela Hofer in Rapid City; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Among those preceding him in death were his parents; his brother, Dwayne Hofer; his daughter, Kathy, and his wife of 56 years.

Jessi (Huber) Herrscherr revealed on Facebook this week that she, her husband Eric and their children will be moving from the western suburbs of Minneapolis to a new home in Idaho near Boise next month. Jessi and Eric will both be teaching high school biology at their new school. They have both been teachers in Minnesota.

Congratulations to Kim Hipple, who this week became engaged to Seth Hastings. They live at Howard where Kim is pastor of the United Methodist Church.

Sully Buttes High alumnus Jalen Lamb graduated last week from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va. and is now a doctor of osteopathic. He and his wife, the former Tiera Feller, have one daughter.

Chuck Welke, who coached Warner in the 1992 state “B” boys basketball championship game won by Harrold, died Tuesday at a Sioux Falls hospital. He was also a former one-term state legislator.

A memorial celebration of the life of Shirley English, 95, who died last November, will be held next Monday, May 17, at 11 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church. Inurnment will take place at Salida, Colo. Shirley is survived by two daughters, Char (Jim) Russell of Pierre and Cheryl Peery in Middleburg, Fla.; one son, Greg Dirkcs of Middleburg; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Tori Thorpe, who graduated from Northern State University last weekend, revealed she will be attending the University of South Dakota to pursue her doctorate in physical therapy.

Sarah (Kringel) Hibbitts, a library media specialist at Ridgeview Elementary School in Keller, Texas, has been selected as a 2021 State 4-H Volunteer Award recipient in the state of Texas.

Steven and Katie Bollinger of Columbia, Mo., revealed on Facebook that they are expecting their third child in September. The Bollingers have a daughter and a son.

Lucile Nuttall passed away at the age of 102 on May 7. Her funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Friday, May 14, at Community Bible Church. Martha Lucile Bass was born in Texas in 1918. She left a family baseball game in 1933 to elope with Nolan Nuttall, a friend of her brother. They became the parents of six sons and a stillborn daughter. In 1955 the Nuttalls moved to South Dakota where Nolan and Lucile settled along Okobojo Creek between Onida and Agar. Her husband died in 1987 after a long bout with Parkinson’s Disease. Recently Lucile had been a resident at Avera Maryhouse. She is survived by two of her sons Dale (Diane) Nuttall of Greybull, Wyo., and Jack (Carla) Nuttall of Clovis, N.M.; three daughters-in-law, Sharon Nuttall, Sue Nuttall and Juanita Nuttall; 14 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren and 39 great-great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded her in death were her husband and four sons, A.L. Porter, Delvin and Byran Nuttall.

Bradley Dean graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University last weekend with a bachelor of science business administration degree.

Former Pierre resident Debra Bollinger, who has worked in Richmond, Va., for two decades, has been making a cross-country trek with her brother, Scott, at the wheel this week. Debra is depositing many of her possessions in Arizona, which will be her winter home henceforth, before coming to South Dakota for the summer. Debra plans to live summers at a cabin in the Black Hills.

A reminder: The deadline to be sure your voter registration is intact so you can vote in the June 8 Pierre school board and city commission elections is Monday, May 24.

Abby Lingle graduated from SDSU last weekend, having completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She will be headed to Kansas City to do her pharmacy residency at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Another graduate of the SDSU pharmacy school, Dr. Greg Schaefer, who did his pharmacy residency at St. Cloud, Minn., for the past two years will be returning to his hometown of Rapid City to join the pharmacy staff at Monument Health.

Madie Brink, a 2017 graduate of Riggs High School, has acquired a new job in sports operations at the University of Washington in Seattle. Madie graduated from Presentation College in Aberdeen where she studied sports management and coaching. She and her fiancee, Lenessa Nelson, a native of Washington state who also attended Presentation, live in Puyallup, Wash.

Long-time Sully County residents Cliff (Butch) and Genita DeSautell of Onida will mark their 65th wedding anniversary next Thursday, May 20. Greetings can be sent to them at P.O. Box 403, Onida SD 57564. Their daughters are Denise Garber and Deneen Clausen.

Alison Kennedy, daughter of Dr. Scott Kennedy (Riggs ’94) and his wife Dawn of Spearfish, is only an eighth grader, but she is a quality golfer! Alison won the individual title at the Black Hills Conference varsity girls golf tournament this week on her home course, beating her nearest rival by 15 strokes. Her 2-over-par 74 led Spearfish to its first conference championship since 2015.

Megan Robertson posted on Facebook this week that her mother, Carol Robertson, is back at her home at Edgewood Vista Memory Care in Sioux Falls and is receiving additional care from Avera Hospice. Megan’s home base is Santa Rosa, Calif., and is currently traveling in the far western United States. The other two Robertson girls—Molly Golla and Kate Bartel—are both mothers of two children. Molly and her family live in Luverne, Minn., and Kate is in Anchorage, Alaska. The Robertson girls’ dad, John, is double-retired from the state health department in 2005 and from Avera in 2014. For many years the Robertson family lived at the far north end of Highland Avenue in Pierre.

Given the chance to perform onstage for one final time as high school students, the seniors in the Riggs High theater department will present “Night of Comedy” at 7 p.m. Monday, May 17, in the Riggs theater. Prior to their performances, the seniors will join in presenting the year’s theater department awards. There is no admission charge for the evening although a free-will donation opportunity will be given.

PONDER THIS

“We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will not know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.”
— C. JoyBell C.

3 Comments

  1. Carol Uecker

    Parker – you mistakenly titled this week’s edition March 13, 2021 . . . .

    Reply
  2. Loretta Siwik

    I enjoy reading your email newsletter that a friend passes on to me. Wondering if your readers are aware of the fact that L. Frank Baum author of “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” lived in Aberdeen, SD. from 1888-1891. https://theclio.com/entry/27447

    Reply

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