TO THE CLASS OF 2022

You are the greatest miracle in the world.
You have the power to think.
You have the power to love.
You have the power to will.
You have the power to laugh.
You have the power to imagine.
You have the power to create.
You have the power to plan.
You have the power to speak.
You have the power to pray.
You have the power to choose.

Use wisely that power to choose.
Choose to love rather than hate.
Choose to laugh rather than cry.
Choose to create rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere rather than quit.
Choose to praise rather than gossip.
Choose to heal rather than wound.
Choose to give rather than steal.
Choose to act rather than procrastinate.
Choose to grow rather than rot.
Choose to pray rather than curse.
Choose to live rather than die.

You are more than a human being. You are a human becoming.

You are capable of great wonders. Your potential is unlimited.

Enjoy this day today and tomorrow tomorrow.

Now like a butterfly from its chrysalis, you can fly . . . fly as high as you wish, and neither the wasps nor dragonflies nor mantises of mankind shall obstruct your mission, your search for the true riches of life.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Always remember you are braver than you believe,
Stronger than you seem,
Smarter than you think,
Loved more than you know.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Track/field: In boys’ events at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, Pierre earned points in six events. Canyon Jones tied for sixth in the pole vault at 13’0:. The 4×200 relay team of Cole Peterson, Tucker Putzier, Landon Bertram and Caden Thompson placed seventh in 1:32.45. The medley team of Putzier, Peterson, Carson Steser and Hayden Shaffer placed eighth in 3:47.06. Jack Merkwan was eighth in the 300-meter hurdles in :41.63, Aaron Campbell eighth in the javelin throw at 148’8″ and Putzier eighth in the 100 in :17.82.

Girls golf: Pierre placed fourth among 15 teams at Yankton’s invitational with a 352 score, 17 strokes off first-place Harrisburg’s pace. Ellie Jo Sipson had Pierre’s best score with a 12-over 84. Other scores: Hadley Hart 88, Andrea Mosteller 89, Haley Nadeau 91, Madilyn Brakke 92, Morgan Lisburg 105.

This week’s schedules:
— FRIDAY
Girls golf: at Mitchell invitational, 10:30 a.m.
Baseball: home vs. Sioux Falls Jefferson, 5 and 7 p.m.
— SATURDAY
Track/field: at ESD conference meet, Yankton, 11:30 a.m.
— SUNDAY
Baseball: home vs. Mitchell, 1 and 3 p.m.
— MONDAY
Boys tennis: at state tournament, Rapid City, 8 a.m.
— TUESDAY
Boys tennis: at state tournament, Rapid City, 8 a.m.
Girls golf: at Watertown invitational, 10 a.m.
— THURSDAY, MAY 19
Girls golf: at Brookings invitational, 10 a.m.
Track/field: at Huron meet, 3:30 p.m.
— SATURDAY, MAY 21
Baseball: regional tournament (opponents, site, time to be announced).
— TUESDAY, MAY 24
Girls golf: home for ESD conference tournament at Hillsview, 10 a.m.

Boys track/field: At O’Gorman’s meet last Friday Pierre’s 4×400 relay team of Trevor Rounds, Brayden Houlette, Brady Gere and Tayshaun Agard won their event in 3:44.90. The 4×200 team of Rylan Derry, Devon Flottmeyer, Agard and Cordell Schlichenmayer placed sixth in 1:36.54. Andrew Campea tied for fifth in the high jump at 5’10:

Girls track/field: At O’Gorman’s meet Hannah Lemieux placed fifth in the discus at 113’6″, Remi Price third in the 300-meter hurdles in :51.55, Ryann Barry seventh in the long jump at 15’6″ and Maira Tafoya third in the 200 in :27.06. The 4×400 relay team of Katelyn Harris, Remi Price, Brianna Sargent and Sydney Uhrig placed fourth in :35.69.

Baseball: The Governors swept a twinbill from O’Gorman, 4-0 and 13-4, then suffered the same fate at the hands of #1 Roosevelt, losing 12-2 and 9-2. Jett Zabel pitched a complete game in the shutout win over O’Gorman, striking out 11, walking one and giving up seven hits. In the second win Cade Kaiser had five RBIs on a single, a double and a triple. Gary Nedved pitched 3 2/3 innings, fanning five, walking six and allowing three hits and three runs. Jayden Wiebe threw two innings of one-hit relief. In the Roosevelt doubleheader the Govs managed only eight hits all day. Kaiser had the lone RBI in the first-game loss, and Lincoln Kienholz and Jonathon Lyons each drove in a run in the nightcap. Pierre’s record is 10-10. Last week the Governors beat Rapid City Stevens, 8-4, behind 5 2/3 innings of relief pitching by Brecken Krueger after starting pitcher Spencer Easland sustained an injury.

Baseball: Pierre is 11-11 with four regular-season games left this weekend. On Tuesday the Govs split with Brookings, winning 4-1 and losing 11-3. Lincoln Kienholz pitched a complete game in the win, striking out 10, walking only two, allowing three hits and giving up one earned run. George Stalley had an RBI triple and Brecken Krueger an RBI double among Pierre’s total of three hits. Two other runs scored on Brookings errors. In the loss Pierre was outhit 15-5. Among those five hits were triples by Kienholz and Jayden Wiebe.

Boys tennis: Pierre placed third in the team standings in a home meet last week as Rapid City Christian won the team title with Sioux Falls Christian second. Spencer Kelly and Luke Leingang won Flight 2 of the doubles, and Kelly was the winner of Flight 5 in singles. Matt Hanson placed second in Flight 1 singles.

Track/field: At Pierre;s last-chance meet Tuesday there were seven Governor first-place finishes in girls events, including Kali Ringstmeyer in the 100 and 200, Addison Cumbow in the 100-meter hurdles, Maya Shorter in the javelin, Marissa Matthews in the pole vault, Aleise Christopherson in the long jump and MaKayla Sherwood in the triple jump. In boys events Governor winners were Landon Bertram in the 100, Jack Merkwan in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, Blake Wagner in the discus, Matthew Coverdale in the javelin, Andrew Campea in the high jump, Brock Moser in the pole vault and the 4×100 relay team of Trevor Rounds, Tayshaun Agard, Jett Zabel and Brayden Houlette.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— FRIDAY
Track/field: at Kimball meet, 1 p.m.
— MONDAY
Girls golf: at Pierre meet. 9 a.m.
Boys golf: at Pierre meet, 9 a.m.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Track/field: At the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls, Lydia Hill placed fourth in the shot put with a personal-best distance of 39’10”. The Sully Buttes girls’ 4×100 relay team of Tahnie Yellowhawk, Courtnie Weinheimer, Olivia Olson and Stevie Wittler placed eighth in :54.72.

Track/field: At Pierre’s last-chance meet Tuesday Jesse Schall won the shot put. Stevie Wittler won the 300-meter hurdles, and Lydia Hill was the winner of both the shot put and the discus.

COUNTDOWN

2 days: Ellsworth Air Force Base air show (May 14-15).
4 days: State boys tennis tournament, Rapid City (May 16-17).
9 days: High school baseball regional tournament (May 21).
10 days: Riggs High School graduation (May 22).
10 days: Stanley County High School graduation (May 22).
11 days: Voter registration deadline for June 7 primary elections (May 23).
12 days: “This Is Us” final episode, NBC-TV (May 24).
14 days: Pierre Trappers season opener (May 26).
14 days: State track meets, Sioux Falls (May 26-28).
16 days: State ‘A’ high school baseball tournament, Sioux Falls (May 28).
18 days: Memorial Day (May 30).
21 days: NBA Finals begins (June 2).
22 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “The Mountaintop” (June 3-12).
23 days: Casey Tibbs Match of Champions (June 4).
25 days: State ‘AA’ girls golf tournament, Brookings (June 6-7).
25 days: State ‘B’ boys/girls golf tournaments, Rapid City (June 6-7).
26 days: Primary elections (June 7).
31 days: Tony Awards, CBS-TV (June 12).

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: lemon.
Friday-Sunday: black cherry.
Monday-Tuesday: laffy taffy.
Wednesday-Thursday: almond.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): The Bobcats swept Louisiana-Monroe over the weekend, winning by 5-4, 9-1 and 5-4. In the first win Texas State scored three runs in the top of the ninth to rally from behind. In the 9-1 win it was a six-run eighth that did the job. Peyton did not pitch in these games. Now 38-11 overall and 20-4 in league play, Texas State is home vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then hosts Houston Baptist on Tuesday.

South Dakota State track/field (Addison Eisenbeisz): Addy placed fifth in the high jump at USD’s meet at 5’5″. Jackrabbit athletes compete in the Summit League meet in Tulsa Thursday through Saturday.

Iowa Central CC baseball (Jack Van Camp): The Tritons swept Marshalltown CC by scores of 9-3, 15-4 and 12-9. Jack did not play in those games. The ICCC season ended with a 38-18 record.

Northern State baseball (Spencer Sarringar): The season ended for the Wolves with a three-game sweep at the hands of Southwest Minnesota State. Spencer was 1-for-3 in a 6-0 loss, 0-for-4 in a 5-1 defeat and 0-for-5 in a 6-4 loss. In the middle game he did have an RBI on a fielder’s choice. NSU finishes the year at 15-26 overall and 10-18 in NSIC play.

USF track/field (Jessica Lutmer): At USD’s meet Jessica placed 14th in the 800 in 2:21.31. The Cougars compete in the NSIC conference meet in Aberdeen Thursday through Saturday.

Northern State track/field (Rachel Guthmiller): At USD’s last-chance meet Rachel placed fourth in the javelin at 133’1/2″, fifth in the discus at 146’6 1/4″ and 27th in the hammer throw at 140’3 1/2″. Northern hosts the NSIC conference meet Thursday through Saturday.

Dakota State track/field (Houston Lunde): At USD’s meet Houston placed 30th in the hammer throw at 135’8″, 18th in the discus at 126’5 1/2″ and 22nd in the shot put at 39’4″. The Trojans go to their NSAA conference meet in Valley City Thursday and Friday.

WORDS OF WISDOM

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.
— Chinese proverb

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• If you happen to be shopping in Rapid City at the Scheel’s store, look around for Todd Palmer. I ran into the former Pierre teacher/coach out there last weekend. He works there part-time as his job as athletic director at Sturgis Brown High School winds to a close.
• The deadline for getting your voter registration in proper order for the June 7 primary elections is just around the corner, 11 days away on Monday, May 23. If you are registered as a Republican for this election, you can vote on several races. If you are a registered Democrat or Independent, you likely have only Constitutional Amendment C on which to vote. Make sure to go vote even if that is your only decision, and vote “no.” It is imperative that those among the state’s Republican “leaders” don’t get away with putting this issue on the primary ballots when fewer people normally vote. You can vote prior to Election Day any time your county auditor’s office is open, and it takes only a minute.
• If you are a friend or fan of distinguished playwright Larissa FastHorse and have been following her accomplishments since leaving Pierre, here is something you may wish to consider. The first show in Black Hills Community Theatre’s 2022-23 season this fall will be Larissa’s “Average Family” over three weekends starting Sept. 23 and Oct. 9. What’s more, Larissa herself will be in Rapid City during the play’s run to engage BHCT audiences with a playwright workshop and talk-back sessions after the play. Larissa’s artist-in-residence period, generously supported by the South Dakota Arts Council, will actually begin next month in June when Cornerstone Theater’s D/N/Lakota Theatre Project and “Talking Circle: A First Glimpse at the D/N/Lakota Project” programs take place. In October the residency will include a youth workshop for BHCT’s youth group, the Cherry Street Players, and invited Indigenous youth. Next April there will be a public reading of Larissa’s “What Would Crazy Horse Do?” But let’s get back to the play which BHCT will perform this fall. “Average Family” dep[icts a reality TV show featuring two families—one Indigenous and one white—whose members are challenged to live for a summer with only the materials that would have been accessible to them in the early 19th century. This dark comedy conveys the marginalization of Indigenous people in a growing America while also pointing to their erasure from American history.
• Black Hills Community Theatre revealed the entire 2022-23 season last weekend. After Larissa’s “Average Family” Sept. 23-Oct. 9, the second show of their season will be “Shrek the Musical” Nov. 4-13. The midwinter show will be “She Kills Monsters” Jan 27-Feb. 12. The musical “Sister Act” will be performed March 17-26. Concluding the BHCT season will be “Death by Design” May 5-21 next year.
• Circumstances are such that we will have to take next week off, so your next Midweek Update should appear two weeks from today on Thursday, May 26. In the meantime, congratulations to all of our area high school graduates who will celebrate over the next two weekends.
• I have been a loyal fan of quarterback Tom Brady ever since he and his Patriots won their first Super Bowl two decades ago. But really I cannot believe the ridiculous 10-year, $375 million contract he persuaded the Fox television network to pay him for becoming their lead NFL analyst when he ends his football playing career. Nobody is worth $375 million no matter what work he does. By the way, in case you didn’t know, the lead Fox NFL team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have left Fox to do the ESPN Monday night games. Buck’s place as lead NFL broadcaster for Fox will be taken by Kevin Burkhardt, and now Aikman’s spot goes to Brady when he is available.
• The full NFL schedule for this coming fall will be revealed on the NFL Network tonight (Thursday). We already know the Vikings will play the Eagles in the Monday night game in Week 2 and will play in London against the Saints in October. The NFL will also have three games on Christmas Day this year on a holiday which traditionally has had little TV sports except five meaningless NBA games.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings defeated St. Cloud in overtime, 5-4, in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series, then lost 6-2 in Game 2. With the series tied at 1-1, play resumes in Games 3 and 4 in Aberdeen Friday and Saturday. If a fifth and deciding game is necessary, it will be in St. Cloud Monday.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild took a 2-1 series lead over St. Louis with a 5-1 win Friday, but since then the Blues have won two 5-2 games. Game 6 will be Thursday in St. Louis. If the WIld can win it and force a deciding seventh game, that would be Saturday back in St. Paul.

Rapid City Rush: Trailing Utah in their second-round playoff series 3 games to none, the Rush won 6-5 in overtime Tuesday to prolong the series into a fifth game last night. If Rapid City won again, Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7, will be played back in Utah. The Rush lost Game 1 by 5-1, and they gave away Game 2, 5-4, when in the final minute of the game Rush penalties gave Utah a 5-on-3 man advantage and the Grizzlies scored the tying and winning goals.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Twins schedule:
Thursday: Houston, 12:10 p.m.
Friday: Cleveland, 7:10 p.m.
Saturday: Cleveland, 6:10 p.m.
Sunday: Cleveland, 1:10 p.m.
Monday: at Oakland, 8:40 p.m.
Tuesday: at Oakland, 8:40 p.m.
Wednesday: at Oakland, 2:37 p.m.

Pierre Trappers: Another addition to this summer’s Trappers roster is Connor Bendeck, infielder from Spring Hill College, whose hometown is New Orleans.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons lost to Cincinnati FC, 1-0. Minnesota plays at Seattle at 3 p.m. CDT Sunday.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): At the Mitsubishi tournament in Duluth, Ga., Tom tied for 71st place, earning $1,422 for his 11-over-par weekend of 80-77-70=227. The Champions Tour for players 50 and older moves to the Regions Tradition tournament at Birmingham, Ala., this weekend.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Rapid City Marshals: The first-year Marshals lost to Southwest Kansas, 40-27. The team hosts Billings Sunday.

Sioux Falls Storm: Idle last weekend, the Storm hosts Frisco Saturday.

HIGH SCHOOL 2022 FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

(Note: The dates listed below are all Fridays, but the exact dates of these games have not been determined but will be scheduled by the schools involved. Some games could be on Thursdays or Saturdays as well as Fridays.)

PIERRE GOVERNORS
Weekend of Aug. 19: Open.
Weekend of Aug. 26: home vs. Aberdeen Central.
Weekend of Sept. 2: at Brookings.
Weekend of Sept. 9: home vs. Mitchell.
Weekend of Sept. 16: home vs. Yankton.
Weekend of Sept. 23: at Watertown.
Weekend of Sept. 30: at Brandon Valley.
Weekend of Oct. 7: at Huron.
Weekend of Oct. 14: home vs. Tea Area.
Thursday, Oct. 20: at Douglas.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES
Weekend of Aug. 19: home vs. Sully Buttes.
Weekend of Aug. 26: at De Smet.
Weekend of Sept. 2: home vs. Dupree.
Weekend of Sept. 9: Open.
Weekend of Sept. 16: at Bon Homme.
Weekend of Sept. 23: home vs. White River.
Weekend of Sept. 30: at Timber Lake.
Weekend of Oct. 7: at Lemmon/McIntosh.
Weekend of Oct. 14: home vs. Faith.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS
Weekend of Aug. 19: at Stanley County.
Weekend of Aug. 26: home vs. Potter County.
Weekend of Sept. 2: at Langford Area.
Weekend of Sept. 9: home vs. Sunshine Bible.
Weekend of Sept. 16: at Colome.
Weekend of Sept. 23: home vs. Herreid/Selby Area.
Weekend of Sept. 30: Open.
Weekend of Oct. 7: at Lyman.
Weekend of Oct. 14: home vs. Corsica-Stickney.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.”
— George Jean Nathan

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, May 12:
Kelley Fouts, Valerie Melmer, Carly Bass, Clay Pearson, Kay (Calkins) Venjohn, Chris Fry, Ashley Heikes, Jarret Ripperger.
— 15th anniversary, Greg/Wanda Goodman.
— 10th anniversary, Luke/Danielle (Magorien) Kaiser.
— 10th anniversary, Charlie/Kamila Magedanz.
— Anniversary, Bomer/Christi Kuiper.
— 15th anniversary, Josh/Jody (Maberry) Sting.

Friday, May 13:
Shane Bartels, Garry Schrank, Pat Libby, Shane Bartels, Joanne (Berg) Hight, Ty Norman, Kate Vogel, Emersyn Tilberg, Kristen (Berg) Grohs, Sarena (Nuttall) Beastrom, Jameson Linn, Terry Buchholz, John Beranek, Keira Ryan, Terri Iverson.
— 11th anniversary, Jeremy/Laura (Hansen) Mikkelsen.
— 22nd anniversary, Rob/Michelle Dvorak.
— 15th anniversary, Josh/Amanda Ellis.

Saturday, May 14:
Kati Harm, Bodhi Hindman, Paula (Roddewig) Ruedebusch, Mindy (Stearns) Sivage, Micah Bohle, Paulette Petersen, Lora (Den Ouden) Moore, Dustin Byrum, Tom Kallemeyn, Tyler Stoeser, Jenna Paxton, Bryant Naylor, Tayson Mitchell, Preston Scott.
— 17th anniversary, Patrck/Holly (Lunn) Miles.
— 17th anniversary, Steve/Brittany Novotny.
— 6th anniversary, Matthew/Stacy (Zeigler) Cwach.
— 17th anniversary, Guy/Ellen Erlenbusch.

Sunday, May 15:
Barb Mitchell, Ava Vermeulen, Brian Graves, Cody Stoeser, Emmy Anderson, Russell Hofeldt, Ellen Dulas, Carol Van Roekel, Deb (Stoeser) Schiefelbein, Jared Lindbloom, Brooke Anglin, Zach Erickson, Nate Smith, Carson Kemnitz.
— Anniversary, Jerry/Monica Ortbahn.
— 12th anniversary, John/Lisa (Wallace) Peary.
— 18th anniversary, Damon/Jo Lynn Parks.
— 18th anniversary, Matt/Heather (Hageman) Elwood.
— 18th anniversary, Jason/Amanda Dodson.

Monday, May 16:
Cody Nicholas, Emma Lusk, Paul Kenefick-Aschoff, Whitney Jandreau, Jack Shives, Nick Jung, Becky DeYonge, Tammy Williams, Scott Kennedy, Colleen (Colson) Pool, Brent Baumberger, Grady Larson, Jett Zabel.
— 13th anniversary, Jay/Kasey (Anderson) Cappellano.

Tuesday, May 17:
Josh Davis, Bill Squires, Eileen Bertsch, Gus Terveen, Angie (Wire) Fouts, Calla Ellis, Diana Melvin, Blair Krueger, Mat Ripperger, Tyler Hoffman, Uncle Matt Schatz, Meshanna Heckenlaible, Lanete (McFarling) Kotilnek.
— 19th anniversary, Arlo/Chandra (Miller) Brower.
— 19th anniversary, Dan/Sarah (Shepherd) Schulte.
— 8th anniversary, Cole/Jennifer (Glanzman) Uecker.
— 42nd anniversary, Hal/Marie Rumpca.
— 8th anniversary, Charlie/Stephanie Moore.
— 13th anniversary, Matt/Blair (Simon) Picchietti.

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

Thursday, May 19:
Darin Boe, Julie Smith, Jack Runyan, Casey HIght, Matt Koester, Emily Swanstrom, Shawna (Miller) Lizotte, Michelle (Beemer) DeWitt, Gordon Woods, Tim Davis, Onie Neuharth (#93), Nola Terveen, Jeff Hayward, Paula Welch, Mike Yackley, Casey Templeton.
— 15th anniversary, Tim/Melissa Schumacher.
— 10th anniversary, Seth/Karae (Englehart) Parsons.
— 43rd anniversary, Kevin/Brenda Goeden.
— 38th anniversary, Tim/Barb Bjorneberg.

Friday, May 20:
Lisa Chamley, Maggie Lanning, Taynen Stout, Katie (Hallock) Moberg, Murray Thompson, Polly Gill, Caleb Kuszmaul, Mark Leiferman, Renessa Williams, Caelum Carr, Owen Joy, Elliesia Nelson, Dave O’Connell, Deanna Smith, Chad Johnson, Ainsley Askew.
— 17th anniversary, Doug/Krista (Beastrom) Stevens.

Saturday, May 21:
Boomer Kuiper, Tessa (Heiss) Krueger, Lindsey Kozel, Hsyse Moore, Tara (Hyde) White, Bob McCarty, Garrett Weber, McKenna Halverson, Sam Booker.
— 6th anniversary, Tyler/Erika Tordsen.
— 18th anniversary, Josh/Kelli (Snow) Rohrer.
— 45th anniversary, Mark/Sheryl Nielsen.
— 11th anniversary, Mark/Alysia Livermont.
— 11th anniversary, Harry/Emily (Goeden) Decker.
— 28th anniversary, Paul/Toni Kenefick-Aschoff.
— 6th anniversary, Cliff/Alexis (Yackley) Warner.

Sunday, May 22:
Christopher Carter, Scott Aker, Kim (Merkwan) Schaefer, Nicole Royer, Pat Snow, Tennyson Newman, Brian Bumann, Mandy (Hill) Johnson, Dick Koester, Elliot Jean Bertsch, Michell (Knoll) Peterson, Macy (Welsh) Kaiser.
— 12th anniversary, Kipp/Kelsee (Larsen) Stahl.
— 13th anniversary, Joe/Amy (Robinson) Ryan.

Monday, May 23:
Caroline Zebroski, Hunter Canode, Matt Gill, Kade Binegar, Bob Jeffries, Billy Serbousek, Morgan Freidel, Jenny (Gors) Hodges.
— 7th anniversary, Aaron/Claire Rumpca.
— 7th anniversary, Dmitri/Brittni Melius.
— 69th anniversary, Darrell/Sue Robbins.
— 30th anniversary, John/Heather Forney.
— 10th anniversary, Maxx/Mary Vaudrin.
— 7th anniversary, Dustin/Tarin James.
— 13th anniversary, Neils/Kara (Gloe) Christoffersen.

Tuesday, May 24:
Stephanie Paul, Betsy Valnes, Luke Schanzenbach, Gio Cappellano, Adrian Freidel, Tony Jockheck, Hannah Maxwell, Cameron Pottorff, Kellen Pottorff.
— 19th anniversary, Gary/Molly Redden.
— 8th anniversary, Mick/Jenny (Ness) Hofer.
— 8th anniversary, Cody/Darcy (Unruh) Keiser.

Wednesday, May 25:
Michael Lyons, Kristen (Hanson) Ganske, Jennifer (Duba) Erlandson, Bronson Schiefelbein, Kris Schneider, Caitlin Reimers, Ronda (Zebroski) Kline, Dave Mack, Jessica Smith, Ryan Russell.

Thursday, May 26:
Chuck Quinn, Conor Cruse, Chad Gran, Tom Harmon, Abby Kennison, Bergen Osterkamp, Beth (Yackley) Rinehart, Adrie Frame, Jackie (Schall) Shepherd, Brandon Christianson, Ryan Goehring, Will Mortenson, Jessica Lomheim, Isabel Gander.
— 27th anniversary, Derk/Teresa (Tassler) Campbell.
— 10th anniversary, Mike/McLean (Thompson) Kerver.
— Anniversary, Eric/Laurie Feiler.
— 9th anniversary, Tim/Rachel (Knutrson) Steece.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

In a week in which Matt Blaseg graduated from Southern School of Optometry in Memphis and earned his doctor of optometry status and Brittanie (Blaseg) Rezac received BankWest’s Educator of the Year recognition, Nate Blaseg and his wife, Elise, officially became doctors as well, graduating from USD’s School of Medicine. Dr. Nate Blaseg will begin a residency in pediatrics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and Dr. Elise Blaseg will be beginning a residency in family medicine at St. Mark’s Hospital there.

The Edith and Richard Warder Scholarship, which goes to a senior interested in political science or law, was awarded to Claire Koenecke at the Pierre Educational Foundation’s Evening of Excellence last week. The Pierre Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship, for one who will enter the medical field, went to Jenna Bush. The Emde Family Scholarship for a student planning to pursue a degree in education went to Addison Cumbow. Vick Becker was the recipient of the Lindy and Shirley Feeney Scholarship, which goes each year to a track and field athlete to assist in his secondary education. The Dennis and Shirley Eisnach Scholarship, given to one who has demonstrated a high level of commitment to voluntary service in the community was awarded to Adisyn Kuxhaus. Receiving the Mortenson Family Scholarship, which goes to a Native American senior who demonstrates academic achievement and the desire to pursue post-secondary education was Samantha Sevier. The Marjorie and Fritz Forney Scholarship for a student planning a degree in engineering or finance at USD or the School of Mines was presented to Alexis Moran. The Shaw Family Scholarship which goes to students who show faith-driven servant leadership and intend to remain in South Dakota after college graduation was given to Vick Becker, Spencer Letellier and Jenna Bush. The Swan Family Scholarship, which is awarded to a Native American student pursuing further education after high school, was received by Teyah Lewis.

There is now an election contest for Hughes County Commission seats. Four candidates are vying for three available seats. They are Travis Dovre, Connie Hohn, Bill Abernathy and Rob Fines.

Sully Buttes alumna Marinda Archer graduated from SDSU Saturday with magna cum laude honors. She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing with a minor in human development and family studies. Next she plans to pass the NCLEX and then begin practicing as a registered nurse in the brain and spine unit at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Pierre eighth grader Carter Sanderson, who was a star for the Oahe Capitals hockey varsity this past winter, signed to play high school-age hockey at Northstar Christian Academy in Alexandria, Minn.

Onida native Ryan Yackley will begin his first head coaching job this coming winter when he coaches the girls basketball team at Herreid-Selby Area. Ryan graduated from Mitchell HIgh School in 2011 after transferring from Sully Buttes after his sophomore year there. He played baseball at SDSU and basketball at Dakota Wesleyan.

Pierre native Kris Monroe is not only a member of the cast of Black Hills Community Theatre’s current show, “33 Variations.” but he has a new job there. Kris, who holds a double bachelor of arts degree in graphic design and theater with a minor in music, has begun work as communications and box office manager for the Performing Arts Center of Rapid City.

Rylea Baumberger, daughter of Onida natives Brent and Misti (Currier) Baumberger, graduated from Northern Colorado with a degree in elementary education. She will begin teaching this fall in a second-grade classroom at Chinook Trail Elementary in Colorado Springs.

Cassandra Ryckman graduated summa cum laude from Black Hills State with a bachelor of science degree in business administration/accounting. Meanwhile, Sam Ryckman graduated from the School of Mines, also summa cum laude, with degrees in computer science and mechanical engineering.

Among the local students who graduated from Northern State University last weekend were:
* Rachel Guthmiller, bachelor of science in biology.
* Callie Heath, bachelor of science in banking and financial services.
* Spencer Sarringar, bachelor of science in finance/management, cum laude.
* Catherine Woodmansey, master of music education.

Steve Pirner of Pierre, who graduated from the School of Mines with a civil engineering degree in 1972, was part of the 50-year class of 1972 graduates honored at the Mines commencement last weekend. Another graduate at Mines that year was Pierre High graduate Bruce Bad Moccasin, now of Rapid City, who also earned a civil engineering degree that year.

Among the School of Mines graduates who got their degrees at last Saturday’s commencement were Aaron Hoelscher of Pierre with a mechanical engineering degree and Cole Pickner of Onida, who earned a mechanical engineering degree and graduated cum laude. The commencement speaker was legendary Olympic distance champion Billy Mills.

The winner of the June 7 Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives nomination between incumbent Dusty Johnson and challenger Taffy Howard will not face a Democratic candidate in November but will have opposition in the form of Collin Duprel, a Libertarian rancher from the Sturgis area.

Dan Maciejczak, who has been head football coach at Douglas High School in Box Elder for the past decade, has resigned his position there and will become a member of the coaching staff of the Pierre Governors. His wife, Rebecca, has secured a position as a kindergarten teacher in the Pierre district. Their son, Jason, an outstanding offensive lineman in football, will join his parents in Pierre and will be a senior at Riggs High School. Dan Maciejczak is also serving as an assistant coach for the Rapid City Marshals team in indoor football this spring.

At one of the three commencement exercises at South Dakota State last Saturday, the student speaker was Sami Gortmaker of Pierre. She graduated with a degree in economics with minors in history and legal studies. During her years at SDSU Sami served as cadet corps wing commander in the U.S. Air Force ROTC Detachment 780. She will commission as an officer with a master’s degree in economics next year. Sami plans to serve her country in the military, then go to law school. At State she has been a worship leader in several ministry groups and sang as an alto in the SDSU Concert Choir. Sami spoke at the graduation of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Addison Eisenbeisz had a track meet with SDSU last Friday and the conference meet this coming weekend. In between she graduated Saturday with a bachelor of fine arts degree in architecture. She plans to return to SDSU this fall to begin work toward a master of architecture degree.

Remember the pancake/sausage breakfast and silent auction for the benefit of brain tumor patient Laura (Pottratz) Waack this Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Masonic Temple (next door to the east from Zesto).

Calvin Jones and his wife, who escaped from Ukraine at the beginning of Russia’s attack on that nation, are nearing the end of the 90-day period during which they can stay in the country of Montenegro, so they are thinking of their next destination. A friend of theirs made it back into Kiev and was able to enter the Joneses’ apartment and retrieve some of their belongings for them. Meanwhile, Calvin is lining up piano concert dates in the United States for this coming September and October. If you or your organization is interested in that, contact him via his Facebook page.

At Riggs High’s recent Scholarship Awards Night, the following seniors were recipients of the R. E. Rawlins Memorial Scholarship: Draix Wyatt, Aydan Johnson, Devin Strutt, Isaak Rombough, Kayla Petersen, Nevaeh Starr, Griffin Gates (alternate Steven Juhas).

PARKER’S COLUMN

With high school graduations taking place over the next two weekends, it is time to bring back segments from one of my old Capital Journal newspaper columns from more than 20 years ago.

My friend Shirley Eisnach and I continue to joke about that gastronomical experience known as graduation open-house weekend. We called it the weekend when we ate our way back and forth across Pierre.

Shirley taught a generation of junior high English students. A quarter-century worth of high school kids had scrapbooks full of my newspaper stories, so out of a senior class of about 200 kids, Shirley and I always had a minimum of 40 or 50 receptions to attend, and more often than not, they were the same seniors, so we kept bumping into each other in graduating seniors’ homes. From Saturday morning through Sunday night, it was a wonderful time. We joked about leaving our cars running out at the curb, sprinting into a house to shake a graduate’s hand, throwing a card into his basket, grabbing a sandwich or a carrot stick and racing back to the car and on to the next stop.

Especially in the rush of receptions in the three hours after graduation itself, it was necessary to plan one’s route on a Pierre city map, then take the receptions on the east side in order first, then to midtown, then to those in homes along the river. The final stop was always the Ramkota where the largest convention center room had about 10 seniors having their receptions all in one place. A real gas-saver for Shirley and me!

Do you remember the Parkie Awards I presented in my column every year? In the spring of 1998, Shirley and I came up with the idea of presenting, following graduation weekend, a special batch of Parkie Awards to the best receptions. The problem this time was that, by the end of Saturday’s schedule of receptions, I had usually stopped eating. By the time I had visited the 14th or 15th home in one day, I wasn’t accepting so much as a cup of punch. So how could I give a four-star award to one home for its reception when I didn’t dabble in any of the goodies from the table at somebody else’s party?

Scrumptious as they were, how could I dare say Ginny Schlekeway’s sliced turkey sandwiches at her son’s party were better than somebody else’s whose buns I hadn’t tried? (I’m really sorry Mark is her youngest, however.)

Mouth-watering as it was, how could I give an award to Deb Schiefelbein’s rhubarb crunch when I hadn’t tasted some other senior mother’s dessert?

Even if Virginia Lors’ graduation cake was smooth and moist and tasty, which it certainly was, maybe somebody else’s which I hadn’t eaten was just as good!

Or the tacos at Pat Clark’s—great idea! Or the barbecued beef sandwiches at Jean Denton’s—delicious! Or the punch at Carol Clausen’s—get that recipe!

Usually by the end of graduation weekend, I couldn’t look one more cheeseball in the face. Or one more crockpot of steaming Little Smokies. Or one more sugar cookie with green and white Governor frosting. Believe me, I tried, but I couldn’t.

But in preparation for the next year’s round of graduation parties to which I hoped to be invited or which I intended to crash, I began to take mental notes of categories in which awards could be bestowed:

* Best hostess.
* Most hospitable senior.
* Best fruit punch.
* Most comfortable chairs.
* Sunniest (or shadiest) deck on which to sit on comfortable chairs.
* Most harried senior mother.
* Proudest-as-a-peacock senior father.
* Best company with whom to munch chips and dip.
* Best arrangement of 13 years of school photos on a living room wall.
* Senior most obviously desiring to be anywhere else but where he was.
* Most relaxed atmosphere.
* Reception most like a zoo (although zoos are nice sometimes).
* Senior mother taking herself and this situation least seriously.
* Longest food line.
* Home having undergone the greatest change from its normal appearance to what it looked like on graduation day.
* Home most obviously totally gutted and renovated in time for graduation.
* Person with whom I came in contact the most times in one day at graduation receptions.
* Quickest food service.
* Greatest height to which any one senior’s gifts were stacked without their tipping over.
* Friendliest family dog mingling among, under and on the laps of reception guests.
* Best sticky rolls at a graduation brunch.
* Senior’s younger brothers and sisters best trained in carting off gifts and garbage.
* Most parking space available for easy access to and quick departure from graduation receptions.
* Least parking space available.
* Senior who gave the best tour of his spic-and-span bedroom.
* Senior whose bedroom was most obviously locked and off-limits to guests.
* Freshest whole strawberries and melon balls.
* Carpet onto which I spilled the most whole strawberries and melon balls.
* Most scrapbooks accessible to interested page-flippers.
* Least space available on comfortable couches to page through scrapbooks.
* Senior mother most active with a flash camera.
* Senior father most active with a video camera.
* Hardest-working out-of-town grandmother from the greatest distance stuck in the kitchen doing the dirty work.
* Reception hosts distributing the most welcome antacid tablets on the way out.
* Best reception with a backyard gazebo in which a live band was playing.
* Reception at a location with the best view of the river.

At the end of graduation weekend of 1998, there were a few awards which would have been won hands-down, even if I had attended every one of the 181 seniors’ receptions, to-wit:

• For first place among watermelons carved into the shape of the Chicago Blackhawks’ logo, Jay Mickelson would have won without a doubt. (That guy really needed something more to do.)
• For the best band playing outdoors in her garage and for waking up the neighborhood on a quiet Sunday morning, Meredith Lee would have won the award for having invited over the men of His Trusty Steed. (Feed ’em and those guys will play anywhere, any time.)
• For serving Neiman-Marcus cookies using sunflower seeds instead of chocolate chips and whole wheat flour instead of white, Jay Davis deserved four stars. (Absolutely delectable cookies!)
• For doing their best to promote world understanding, the award would certainly have gone to the Vogels where there were Christian Rapp and his father from Germany and Yoshi Fukazawa from Japan along with all of us American types.

But as for the majority of the awards, I let this wonderful opportunity pass until the following year. I challenged the mothers of 1999 seniors to take note. I told them the pressure was on them already to achieve!

My greatest personal concern, however, is how I would juggle a pen and notebook on which to make notes for the awards. It was difficult enough this time around, carrying paper plate in one hand and punch up in the other. As it turned out, I never did give out those Parkie Awards. Even this long after leaving there, I still miss Pierre’s graduation weekend when I ate my way across town.

PONDER THIS

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
— President John F. Kennedy