THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“The vast majority of people are kind, loving and good. The vast majority of people want to be of service to others. That’s where the true connection lies. The vast majority want to create a better world with what we know and with who is living alongside us.”
— Maria Shriver

BASEBALL UPDATE

Pierre Post 8: After 15 losses in a row to open the season, Post 8 found a way to win twice in the past week and now stands at 2-18. In a 9-0 win over St. Peter, Minn., at the Dakota Classic in Sioux Falls, Miles Doyle pitched a complete-game no-hitter and was one batter away from a perfect game. The only baserunner against Pierre came about on a fourth-inning error. The other win came in a doubleheader split against Mitchell on Monday as Pierre won in that one, 10-3. Cooper Terwilliger was winning pitcher, working five innings with eight strikeouts, four hits and three walks. He also had a pair of RBIs to help his own cause. Carter Sanderson also drove in a pair while Matt Hanson, Nolan Peterson, Matthew Coverdale, Jonny Lyons and Spencer Easland each had one RBI.

Post 8 scores in the past two weeks:
L Rapid City Post 22 15-5
L Casper 11-3
L Rapid City Post 22 9-8
L Watertown 7-6
L Watertown 10-8
L Rapid City Post 320 16-2
L Rapid City Post 320 18-6
L Columbus 10-5
W St. Peter 9-0
L Brandon Valley 10-0
L Omaha North 10-3
L Mitchell 4-3
W Mitchell 10-3

Upcoming Post 8 games:
Thursday: home vs. Sioux Falls West doubleheader.
Monday: home vs. Huron doubleheader.
Wednesday: home vs. Rapid City Post 22 doubleheader.
June 30, July 1-2: at Minot tournament.

Four Corners: The amateur team’s schedule calls for a road game at Plankinton tonight, a home game vs. Colome Sunday, a game at Kimball-White Lake next Thursday and a home game vs. Chamberlain on July 6.

Oahe Zap: The Zap won twice in the past two weeks. Here are their scores since the last Update:
L Fremont 10-6
L Hastings 14-1
W Hastings 8-2
L Hastings 9-0
W Hastings 3-2
L Hastings 11-6
L Hastings 12-3
L Spearfish 18-3

Upcoming Oahe Zap games:
Thursday: at Spearfish (2).
Friday: home vs. Spearfish.
Saturday: home vs. Spearfish (2).
Sunday: home vs. Spearfish.
Tuesday: at Casper.
Wednesday: at Casper.
Thursday: at Casper.
June 30, July 1-2: at Fremont.
July 3-4-5: home vs. Nebraska.

Minnesota Twins: Though their record has dipped below the .500 mark, the Twins have managed to keep first place in the woeful AL Central Division. Here are the Twins’ scores from the past two weeks:
L Tampa Bay 4-2
W Toronto 3-2 (10)
W Toronto 9-4
L Toronto 7-6
W Milwaukee 7-5
W Milwaukee 4-2
L Detroit 8-4
L Detroit 7-1
W. Detroit 2-0
L Detroit 6-4
L Boston 9-3
L Boston 10-4
W Boston 5-4 (10)

Upcoming games for the Twins:
Thursday: Boston (BSN).
Friday: at Detroit (BSN).
Saturday: at Detroit (Fox).
Sunday: at Detroit (BSN)
Monday: at Atlanta (BSN, MLBN).
Tuesday: at Atlanta (TBS).
Wednesday: at Atlanta (BSN, MLBN).
June 30: at Baltimore (BSN).
July 1: at Baltimore (BSN).
July 2: at Baltimore (Peacock).
July 3: Kansas City (BSN).
July 4: Kansas City (BSN).
July 5: Kansas City (BSN).

Sioux Falls Canaries: The Birds won only four games in the past two weeks. Here are the scores of Canaries games since the last Update:
L Sioux City 5-1
L Lincoln 3-2
L Lincoln 8-2
L Lincoln 2-1
L Winnipeg 6-2
W Winnipeg 19-0
W Winnipeg 7-5
L Fargo-Moorhead 9-2
L Fargo-Moorhead 9-4
W Fargo-Moorhead 10-8
L Milwaukee 4-3
W Milwaukee 5-3

Upcoming games for the Canaries:
Thursday: at Milwaukee
Friday-Saturday-Sunday: Lincoln.
Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday: at Sioux City.
June 30, July 1-2: at Chicago.
July 3-4-5: at Kansas City.

COUNTDOWN

1 day: Pierre FolkFest concert (June 23).
12 days: Independence Day (July 4).
17 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” opens (July 9-23).
19 days: Baseball All-Star Game, Seattle (July 11).
28 days: Women’s soccer World Cup opens, Australia/New Zealand (July 20).
34 days: State ‘A’ Legion baseball tournament, Yankton (July 26-30).
37 days: Sioux Falls air show (July 29-30).
38 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “9 to 5: The Musical” opens (July 30-Aug. 12).
41 days: Legion baseball Central Plains Regional tournament, Rapid City (Aug. 2-6).
58 days: BluntFest (Aug. 19).

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Rollins College baseball (Spencer Sarringar): Spencer’s last year of college baseball concluded when the Rollins College (Fla.) team went all the way to the championship game of the NCAA Division II national tournament at Cary, N.C. At the tournament after an opening-round win Rollins lost to Cal State-San Bernardino, 16-11. In that game Spencer was 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in four runs on singles in the fourth, sixth and ninth innings. Rollins then turned the tables on Cal State-San Bernardino in a 10-8 win in which Spencer had a walk, a single, struck out once and grounded out. That put Rollins into the championship round against Angelo State (Texas) where Rollins would have had to beat Angelo twice for the national title. In their first meeting Rollins was down 6-2 in the top of the ninth inning when things began to happen. After a single, three walks and a single cut the deficit to 6-5, the game ended on a strikeout, and the Tars had to settle for runners-up honors. Spencer was named to the all-tournament team.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”
— President Abraham Lincoln

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: pineapple.
Friday-Sunday: cherry.
Monday-Tuesday: blueberry.
Wednesday-Thursday: coffee.
June 30-July 2: huckleberry.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Lynx: The Lynx lost to Indiana, 71-69; lost to Las Vegas, 93-62, and beat Los Angeles three times, 91-86, 77-72 and 67-61. Minnesota is home vs. Connecticut Friday, home vs. Seattle next Wednesday, on the road at Seattle June 30 and on to Phoenix July 2.

SOCCER UPDATE

Men’s Gold Cup: If you enjoy following the U.S. men’s national team when they are involved in tournaments, here comes your next chance. The CONCACAF Gold Cup has begun, and the USA is in Group A pool with Jamaica, Trinidad/Tobago and St. Kitts & Nevis. The first USA game is vs. Jamaica at 8:30 p.m. CDT this Saturday, June 24, at Soldier Field in Chicago on FS1. The U.S. will play St. Kitts & Nevis at 8:30 p.m. next Wednesday, June 28, in St. Louis and will play Trinidad/Tobago in Charlotte at 6 p.m. July 2. The quarterfinals will be July 9, the semifinals July 12 and the final July 16. There are 16 teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean region involved, divided into four pools of four teams each. The first- and second-place teams from each pool advance to the single-elimination knockout round. CONCACAF stands for Confederation Of North, Central America and Caribbean Area Football.

Minnesota United FC: In their only game in the past two weeks the Loons lost to Montreal, 4-0. Last night’s match vs. New England was postponed. Minnesota plays at Real Salt Lake on Saturday and at home vs. Portland July 1.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Storm: The Storm lost to Frisco, 54-51, and defeated Tulsa, 35-34. Now 6-5, Sioux Falls plays at home vs. Green Bay Friday, then goes to Frisco July 1.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• Almost everyone who has ever visited Denver for any length of time has gone to Casa Bonita for dinner. The fabulous destination restaurant on West Colfax Avenue has undergone a $40 million renovation and is now reopening. According to The New York Times, it took crews 27 tries to match the exact shade of “Pepto-Bismol pink” on the exterior of the building.
• I had met Larry Luitjens a couple of times prior to joining the staff of the Custer Chronicle from January 2005 to April 2007. But during that time as one who worked daily in Custer he became a friend. Never mind all his coaching accomplishments and the achievements his teams posted, he was such a gentleman, good person and pillar of the community. He is in the record books as the winningest coach in South Dakota basketball history with 748 wins. After playing ball himself for Britton High School in the state “B” tournament and at Northern, he went to De Smet as a coach, and the 1969 state “B” championship game in which his Bulldogs fought the undefeated Onida team tooth and nail before falling in a memorable 93-90 contest will never be forgotten by those who were there. De Smet won the “B” the next two years in 1970 and 1971. Luitjens went up to St. Mary’s High School at New England, N.D., for a year until a priest there fired him when his team was upset in a district tournament. Custer found him available, and as they say, the rest is history. He coached Wildcats teams for 40 seasons from 1973 to 2014 during which stretch Custer won five state championships in 1990, 1992 1993, 1998 and 2002, played in 14 state tournaments and in 13 championship games and won the Lakota Nation Invitational seven times. Luitjens passed away last weekend at the age of 81. The term “legend” is thrown around loosely, but Larry was the real thing.
• The outstanding band from Stevens High School in Rapid City is on a tour to the East Coast, including Washington, D.C. If anybody in New York City is reading this, you should know that the Blue Raider Band will play at 11 a.m. this Saturday, June 24, at the aircraft carrier Intrepid.
• Feeling the state wrestling tournaments as they are now conducted have become too cumbersome, the SDHSAA Board of Control has voted to move the team dual state tournaments earlier to Feb. 10 next year, two weeks prior to the boys’ and girls’ individual state wrestling tournaments.

ONE YEAR AGO IN THE MIDWEEK UPDATE

June 23, 2022: The final three statues comprising Pierre’s Trail of Governors were unveiled. Those were the likenesses of Frank Byrne, Andrew Lee and William Bulow.

June 30, 2022: Pierre Post 8 defeated Rapid City Post 22 in a 3-0 seven-inning complete game thrown by Lincoln Kienholz, who struck out 15, walked one and allowed only four hits and no runs. He also drove in a run and Bennett Dean hit a solo homer.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”
— Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Department of Transportation secretary

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, June 22:
Brian Englund, Matt Englund, Vada Thielen, Bridget Dowling-Stoeser, Kyle Englehart, Ed Welch, Tane Owens, Andrew Pietrus, Rainer Westall, Caitlin (Wagner) Graves, Portia (Hurney) Corbin, Stephane (Farries) Judson.
— 10th anniversary, Sam/Kelli (Livermont) Olson.
— 32nd anniversary, Bob/Lori Sutton.
— 21st anniversary, Dustin/Regan (Schanzenbach) Byrum.
— 10th anniversary, Willie/Sara (Kindopp) Gloe.

Friday, June 23:
Kirsten Marshall, Deb (Sorenson) Neilan, Ty Hardwick, Leanne Neuhauser, Cleo Hilding, Taylor Brock, Summer (Pitlick) Mersinger, Luke Shoup, Brianne (Barnett) Roby, Beckett Reilly, Kevin Lors, Diane Smith, Kila Vogel, Brandon LaBrie, A.Jay Heiss, Trevor DeSchepper, Shawn Flottmeyer, Carhy Barringer.
— 11th anniversary, Jerid/Jeanine (Van Ash) Maskovich.
— 22nd anniversary, Mark/Kelly (Larson) Anawski.
— 23rd anniversary, Elton/Karla (Richards) Blemaster.
— 16th anniversary, Davd/Emily (Naylor) Franks.
— 17th anniversary, Aaron/Amanda (Wharton) Brown.
— 11th anniversary, Brody/Andi (Pond) Andresen.

Saturday, June 24:
Kylie Husted, Grayson Miller, Genny McMath, Dennis Gibbs, Dallas Prater, Jim Patten, Jacob Parsons, Nikki (Koenig) Sullivan, Cora Jeffries, Elliot Riis, Jarren Deal, Gavin Wilson, Andrew Wulf.
— Anniversary, Ricky/Vicki (Fosheim) Dant.
— 18th anniversary, Chance/Erika (Rounds) Stoeser.
— 17th anniversary, Andy/Kari (Kietzmann) Potter.
— 17th anniversary, Jason/Stephanie (Tveidt) Knapp.
— 17th anniversary, Brent/Jennifer Sogaard.
— 12th anniversary, Kiel/Emily (Auch) Ford.
— 7th anniversary, Chuck/Alexa (Edman) Miesbauer.
— 6th anniversary, Jody/Sydney Lutz.
— 6th anniversary, Andru/Brittany (Guindon) Meiners.
— 6th anniversary, Blake/Ashley (Brotsky) Hemminger.

Sunday, June 25:
Blair Zimmerman, Piper Word, Patrick Lechtenberg, Joe Schueller, Drew Brandner, Muryl Paxton, Katie (Lakner) Dill, Steph Flyger, Krista Smith, Diane Kehrwald, Shavonne Mitchell, Larry Mosiman, Shelby Smith, Brett Stewart, Jenny (Sprenkle) Terveen, Adam Mentele, Dayna (Ludwig)( Husman.
— 12th anniversary, Alex/Rachel Beckwith.
— 17th anniversary, Philip/Nicole (Krueger) Whitesitt.
— 18th anniversary, Tyler/Jessica (Wood) Steele.
— 12th anniversary, Brad/Rachel Lowery.
— 13th anniversary, Lucas/Jenna Oehlerking.
— 2nd anniversary, Quentin/Kayla (Nagle) Johler.
— 7th anniversary, Brian/Amy Pope.
— 7th anniversary, Neil/Kelsey Nemec.
— 7th anniversary, Andy/Brittany Hansen.

Monday, June 26:
Rex Decker, Matthew Kachelmyer, Todd Taylor, Dick Stolp, Ed King, Grace Dozark, Alex Roberts, Deb (Micklos) Nelon, Steve Bass, Ryan Kennedy, Landon Miller, Ryan Bass Jenna Everson, Jase Blair, Jesse Martin, Jason Fuhrer, Ashley Fosness, Linda (Matzen) Aaker, Elizabeth Weber, Coy Gill, Jodi (Cowan) Harder.
— 2nd anniversary, William/Valori (Kunsman) Fairbanks.
— 19th anniversary, Matt/Kendra Hall.
— 19th anniversary, Chris/Jodie (Reede) Crutcher.
— 19th anniversary, Jeremy/Jodie Hand.
— 19th anniversary, Mark/Julia Schlekeway.
— 19th anniversary, Joshua/Heather (Konechne) Proff.
— 19th anniversary, Jesse/Whitney (Palmer) Flottmeyer.
— 13th anniversary, Chad/Amanda (Cerney) Johnson.
— Anniversary, Scott/Sandra (Kern) Mollman.
— We fondly remember Darlene Grace Harmon.

Tuesday, June 27:
Byron Reed, Craig Keller, Jenna Nielsen, Carrie Messer, Gordon Van Ash, Keith Weigandt, Justin Kraemer, Kannon Lamb, Heidi Vogel, Willard St. Claire.
— 8th anniversary, Michael/Sarah Jo (Even) Tveidt.
— 20th anniversary, Corey/Tiffany (Winkler) Carr.
— 14th anniversary, Darin/Heather Noyes.
— 14th anniversary, Jafar/Jessia Karim.
— 42nd anniversary, Jerry/Jo Mikkelsen.
— 25th anniversary, Trent/Krista (Lovald) Miller.
— 53rd anniversary John/Roberta Lovald.

Wednesday, June 28:
Torin Coolidge, Kathryn Rich, Kari Porch, Brendan Newman, Hilary Gray, Brooke (Drewes) Dozark, Leah Ahartz, Pam (Welch) Wenbourne, Brent Sutton, Clayton Colson, Derrick Haskins, Kathy Sarvis, Amanda Fredericksen, Spencer Wedin, Samantha Bahe, Nick Formanek, Addison Van Houten, McKayla Kirkpatrick, Cole Uecker, Marcia Mentele, Zach Kunsman, Trey Johnson, Fran Welch (#93).
— 26th anniversary, Eric/Julie (Shangreaux) Sibson.
— 26th anniversary, Cory/Dawn (Henderson) Holmes.
— 9th anniversary, Zach/Alisha Kemink.
— 15th anniversary Michael/Heather Herman.
— 10th anniversary, Cody/Aimee (Vogel) Van Houten.
— 59th anniversary, Bob/Janet Judson.
— 59th anniversary, Arden/Judy Rapp.
— 9th anniversary, Matt/Allison Englund.
— Anniversary, Monni/Karen Karim.

Thursday, June 29:
Laurie (Koehn) Gilman, Leo Storms, Scott Rislov, Mya Parsons, Addison Eisenbeisz, Corbin Heiss, Jessica (Wilson) Bosma, Craig Dilley, Quinn Palmer, Hudsn Stoeser, Tyler Smith, Daphne Jones, Matt Joens, Mike Clegg, Mark Knudson, Aaron Denton, Esther Barnes.
— 5th anniversary, Jack/Eileen (Leong) Markel.
— 4th anniversary, Cody/Kashia (Axthelm) Rosenau.
— 27th anniversary, Todd/Roberta Peterson.
— 49th anniversary Don/Darla (Pollman) Rogers.
— 49th anniversary, Jay/Beverly Mickelson.
— 10th anniversary, James/Mandy (Jung) Moisan.
— 10th anniversary, Bryon/Karen (Engbrecht) Reiser.
— 10th anniversary, Josh/Alana Breske.
— 21st anniversary, Troy/Kristina (Buxcel) Fredde.
— 10th anniversary, Chris/Tracy (Shangreaux) Boom.

Friday, June 30:
Sequoyah Chavez, Melita Hauge, Laurie Gill, Ross Wright, Wesley Huxford, Dylan Nielsen, June Hansen, Phyllis (Bollweg) Perkovich, Taylor Anderson, Parker Merriam, Arick Graham, Chris Williams, Trait Thorne, Lillian Bell, Dick Bradley, Raury Cruse, Maggie Thorne, Zane Erickson, Deryn Beck, Greg Adams.
— 61st anniversary, Lou/Pauline Manus.
— 17th anniversary, Derek/Michelle Hunsley.
— 11th anniversary, Tyler/Jill Merriam.
— 16th anniversary, Josh/Katie (Shoup) Nebelsick.
— 16th anniversary, Ty/Cathy (Comes) Richter.
— 5th anniversary, Blake/Nicole Simon.
— 33rd anniversary, Revi/Kea (Boyd) Warne.

Saturday, July 1:
Ryan Hansen, Trevor Samuelson, Quinn Reimers, Nadine Kepford, Eleanor Berghorst, Hazel Leidholt, Catie Schroeder, Nathan Dyden, Dennis Ries, Cathy (Comes) Richter, Beckett Larson, Misty (Keller) Skinner, Crystal Dvorak, Reese Richardson, Owen LeBeau, Jodi Hartmann, Joseph Nebelsick.
— 18th anniversary, Justin/Shawna (Claussen) Diedrich.
— 18th anniversary, Jeremy/Amy Webb.
— 61st anniversary, Ron/Marlys Mullivan.

Sunday, July 2:
Heather (Nuttall) Westover, Taylor (Smalley) Cordingly, Matt Clark, Kellie Parker, Eric Juhala, Luke Edwards, Linda Steele, Kelly Mikkelsen, Gerry Barnes-Baucom, Ashlie Tisland, Grace Kachelmyer, Sandi (Hindman) Laird.
— 4th anniversary, Drew/Heather Osnes.
— 12th anniversary, Jeff/Kim Marso.
— 12th anniversary, Dan/Susan (Gregory) Walker.
— 7th anniversary, Devin/Laranda Bruns.
— 7th anniversary, Chad/Andrea (Bartel) Sharkey.
— 18th anniversary, Chris/Aftin (Riehle) Eich.

Monday, July 3:
Trace Franks, Dave Sayler, Claire (Garry) Peschong, Jenah Feiler, Judy Perry, Rick Dockter, Mike Dierks, Dana Martin-Hess, Bethanna (Feist) Baloun, Walker Jacob, Ryan Bear, Chip King, Craig Schochenmaier, Jody Ryland, T.J. Gabriel, Ally (Kraemer) Formanek.
— 55th anniversary, Roger/Jean Easland.
— 18th anniversary, Jason/Michelle Glodt.
— 52nd anniversary, Jerr/Eileen Krom.
— 14th anniversary, Nathan/Carrie (Schlaak) Barnes.
— 2nd anniversary, Chris/Casey Markley.
— 7th anniversary, Aaron/Erin Bumann.

Tuesday, July 4:
Zach Clark, Peggy Huber, Jason Bucholz, Dax Salmonson, Joshua Dutt, Aurora Zakahi, Shalista (Wendt) Anderson.
— 14th anniversary, John/Annie (Fuller) BonneCarre.
— Anniversary, Scott/Gina (Kotilnek) Hickenbotham.
— 53rd anniversary, Daryl/Linda Johnson.

Wednesday, July 5:
Terry Fisher, Marina (Baltzell) Rawls, Sarah (Hawkins) Pekarski, Billy Beesley, Kayla (Johnson) Koob, Jim Telford, Kyle Richards, Amber (Anderson) Edelen, Jason Bisbee, Jessica Anderson, Morgan Shaffer, Devin Kampfe, Dylan Workman, Angelica Laskey.
— 9th anniversary, Jeff/Kristin (Rau) Hayward.
— 21st anniversary, Bill/Jamie (Breske) McEntaffer.
— 21st anniversary, Joe/Julia (Guhin) Yach.
— 15th anniversary, Pat/Sara (Tillman) Anderson.
— 20th anniversary, Chris/Lindsay (Peitz) Rounds.
— 9th anniversary, Trent/Linsey (Peterson) Robbins.
— 48th anniversary, Chuck/Susan Quinn.

Thursday, July 6:
Michael Buhl, Dalton Blair, Jolene Kern, Ericka Williams, Sara Marsh, Tynell Grant, Jude Nill, Isaiah Grant, Ella Durick, Jon Ellenbecker, Winney Belle Dalton, Jessica (Melvin) Moore.
— 10th anniversary, Steve/Becky (Markley) Wosick.
— 11th anniversary, Nathan/Catherine Chicoine.
— 21st anniversary, Jayson/Jennifer (Thorson) Nedrebo.
— 10th anniversary, Will/Jenna (Deutscher) Hansen.

SUNDAYS AT THE LEGION

Music happens on the deck of the American Legion cabin from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays. The upcoming performers:
— June 25: Lance Spears.
— July 2: Ham & Cheese.
— July 4: Sidehackers.

CAPITAL CITY BAND

The band plays its concerts at 8 p.m. each Wednesday at the Steamboat Park amphitheater. The upcoming themes:
— June 28: “Celtic Holiday.”
— Tuesday, July 4: “Happy Birthday, America.” (This concert starts at 9 p.m.)

BLACK HILLS PLAYHOUSE

“The Lifespan of a Fact” continues its run at the Playhouse in Custer State Park with shows at 7:30 p.m. June 24, 28, 29 and 30 and a 2 p.m. matinee June 25.

“Silent Sky” is also running simultaneously at the Playhouse with shows at 7:30 p.m. June 22 and 23 and July 1 and 2 p.m. matinees June 27 and 28 and July 2.

These performances conclude these two shows. After the Playhouse is dark July 3-7, “The Drowsy Chaperone” opens July 8 and continues through July 23. For show times go to www.blackhillsplayhouse.com. For ticket reservations call (605) 255-4141 between 10 a.m. and noon and 1 and 4 p.m. MDT.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Former Pierre coach Barb Felderman will receive the Kretchman Coaching Award from Northern State University during Gypsy Day homecoming weekend Oct. 6. She is a 1973 alumna of Northern. Barb coached at Kadoka and Pierre, then the University of Wyoming and Ball State before going to the School of Mines where she coached from 1981 to 2013. Her women’s basketball teams won 11 conference championships at Mines, qualified for the NAIA national tournament nine times and twice reached that event’s final four. She coached volleyball for 13 seasons, and her Mines teams won seven conference titles. Barb has already been honored in the NSU Hall of Fame, the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame, the South Dakota Softball Hall of Fame, the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and the School of Mines Hall of Fame.

The Class of 1994 of Riggs High School is planning for its 30-year reunion next summer. The dates will be July 5-6, 2024. Class members and families can follow details or seek information at the Facebook page entitled Pierre T.F. Riggs Class of 1994.

A Pierre resident for 39 years, Priscilla Schmidt, 81, died at home in Rapid City June 6. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date in Rapid City. Priscilla graduated from Huron High School in 1959, attended St. Catherine’s College in St. Paul for a year and transferred to the University of North Dakota from where she graduated as homecoming queen with a double major in French and art. She worked in Kansas City at Hallmark headquarters and reconnected there with fellow UND alumnus Ron Schmidt. They were married in 1964. They and their infant son, Ethan, came to Pierre in 1965 where he served as director of the Legislative Research Council. The Schmidts’ daughters, Ingrid and Eva, were born in Pierre. Priscilla was appointed by Gov. Nils Boe as a charter member of the first South Dakota Arts Council in 1966. She formed Pierre Fine Arts, and a grant from that organization helped form the Pierre Players community theater organization. She was also involved in the ArtPlus program, Artrain and Up With Art at St. Joseph Elementary School. In 1983 Priscilla partnered with Joyce Koth to create the Special Friends greeting card company. She was also involved on the Rawlins Library board and in P.E.O., AAUW and the Pierre Concert Series board. When she was with the AAUW, she helped co-found its preschool. She volunteered with the Cultural Heritage Center. The Schmidts permanently relocated to Rapid City in 2004. She is survived by her husband, Ron Schmidt of Rapid CIty; her sister, Ann Hames of Minneapolis; her brother, Mark (Carolyn) Schmidt of Sahuarita, Ariz.; her son, Ethan Schmidt of Rapid City; her daughters, Ingrid Schmidt of Los Angeles and Eva Schmidt Reed of Minneapolis, and four grandchildren. Condolences can be sent to 11551 West Highway 44, Rapid City SD 57702.

Claire Kachelmyer, daughter of Nikki (Peterson) and Nathan Kachelmyer, who just completed her junior year at Apple Valley (Minn.) High School, left for France on an exchange program through her French class. She is spending three weeks in the family home of a French boy who lived with the Kachelmyers in Minnesota for three weeks during the past school year.

Hughes County native Mike “Mitch” Mitchell is one of this year’s honorees in the Hall of Fame class at Ruidoso Downs Race Track in New Mexico. Induction ceremonies will take place at the track June 29. Mike is being inducted in the category of racing official. He recently retired after a long stint as Ruidoso Downs’ outrider. He went there in the mid-1980s and began work on the track’s gate crew for 15 years. Then after an injury he switched jobs to become the track’s outrider and held that position for the next 20 years until retiring in 2021. Among his relatives still in the local area are his sisters, Mary Kebach and Katie Mitchell-Boe.

Patrick Wellner for the second straight year placed first in the men’s solo division of the Two Paddles Canoe and Kayak Races on the 48-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between Clearwater and Coon Rapids, Minn. His time was 6 hours, 37 minutes.

Judy Gretschmann died June 16 at Edgewood Living in Pierre. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, June 23, at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Judy was raised and graduated from high school at Newell. She married Arthur Dean Gretschmann. Judy worked for the Department of Transportation for more than 30 years as a secretary and a word processing supervisor. She is survived by her husband, Dean; her sisters, Janbet Friedel, Mary Hade and Esther Fischer and many other relatives. Among those who preceded her in death were her parents; brothers Dale and Kenneth, and sister Catherine.

The dates for the next Fort Pierre/Stanley County all-school reunion two years from now are set so mark them down somewhere. The dates are June 20-22, 2025.

Pierre Players Community Theatre will host a script reading of “Inconsequential Dreams,” a new play by South Dakota playwright Michelle Schaunaman. The reading will take place at the Grand Opera House at 7 p.m. July 17. Pierre Players will stage the play in September, and auditions will be held later in the summer. However, those who might consider auditioning as well as the general public can hear the play read at this reading.

Kasey Broers, who just graduated from Riggs High School, has been accepted into the Class of 2027 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Fort Pierre natives Steven Cronin and Terry Larsen were honored at the national conference of Pizza Ranch as Franchisee of the Year. Steve and Terry operate a pair of Pizza Ranch restaurants on the north and south sides of Rapid City.

Russell Beck, 89, died Feb. 26. A graveside celebration of his life was held June 15 at the Murdo cemetery. He and his wife, Betty, were married in 1956 and raised four children in Murdo. He worked for local contractors, as a lineman for the Milwaukee Road railroad and as a mechanic for the state Department of Transportation. The Becks moved to Pierre retirement and became active in the Community Bible Church and Grand Avenue Wesleyan Church. He is survived by three children, Bernadine (Randy) Headley of Kennebec, Darsey (Sharada) Beck of Riverside, Calif., and Robin (John) New of Pierre; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren, and a sister, Betty Long of Spring Mills, Pa.

Delton and Vicky Tipton observed their golden wedding anniversary on June 9.

The Dean’s List for the spring semester at South Dakota State University includes these local students: JD Carter, Trey Frost, Mataya Geppert, Jordyn Sosa, Taylee Stroup, Daysen Titze (4.0), Reid Wieczorek (4.0), Cade Currier (4.0), Josh Lamb (4.0), Jesse Schall, Shalie Weinheimer (4.0), Clay Ambach, Marshall Brown (4.0), Jessica Buntrock (4.0), Jenna Bush (4.0), Bennett Dean, Marlee Dravland (4.0), Jade Evans (4.0), RyLee Fischer, Talon Griese, Hatte Gronlund (4.0), Kenzie Gronlund (4.0), Jonathan Herman, Ruth Howard (4.0), Michael Jackley, Allison Johnson, Kyla Keyes (4.0), Abbigail Kitts (4.0), Claire Koenecke, Adisyn Kuxhaus (4.0), Sawyer Lee (4.0), Spencer Letellier, Emily Lingle (4.0), Nick Loe, Emma Lusk (4.0), Daniel Magee (4.0), Levi McKinley, Dmitri Mutchelknaus, Catie Natvig (4.0), Morgan Nelson, Megan Pease, Selah Rilliing (4.0), Jasmine Rounds, Taryn Senger (4.0), Hattie Shaffer (4.0), Nathan Shoup, Ellie Simpson, Addy Smith (4.0), Noah Smith, Garrett Stout, Jordan Thompson (4.0), Kylee Thorpe, Layne Uecker (4.0), Jack Walsh, Ryan Warne, Draux Wyatt (4.0), Deni Zeeb (4.0), Gracie Zeeb (4.0).

Marge Schlichenmayer, 87, died at home May 29. She was the oldest of six children of Melvin and Jessie (Woolidge) Hall and graduated from Riggs High School in 1954. While in high school, she was the first cashier and later an assistant manager at the newly-opened State Theater. She and Eugene Schlichenmayer were married in 1956. Marge was a life-long babysitter until retiring in 2009. Survivors include three daughters, Susan Schlichenmayer, Julia (Tom) Kongslien and Gena (Reed) Boren, and three grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

The first day-long Folk Fest concert festival will be held this Saturday, June 24, at the Missouri Avenue Event Center. To learn more about each performer, go to www.pierremusic.org/folkfest. Here is the schedule of musicians:
— 12 noon: Doug Sargent.
— 2 p.m.: Andrea Royer, Amanda Sherer, Jennifer and Patrick Baker.
— 4 p.m.: Lance Spears.
— 6 p.m.: Nick Burke.
— 8 p.m.: Riverbank.

Bryan Walz retired from the Pierre Police Department after 25 years in law enforcement.

Vicki Rivenes, 57, Onida, died from the effects of COPD at home June 2. A memorial service was held June 19 at Feigum Funeral Home. She graduated from Sully Buttes High School in 1984 and worked for the Department of Revenue for 19 years. She beat cancer twice. Vicki moved back to Onida to care for her father, who died in 2020. She is survived by her son, Kenden Rivenes; her aunts, Susan (Dan) Hagan of Deadwood, Marlys (Jerald) Salathe of New York Mills, Minn., Janice (Don) Ortmeier of Minneapolis and Gail (Marvin) Morford of Belle Fourche, and his uncle, Jack (Sharon) Kelley of Hayward, Wis. Among those who preceded her in death were her parents and her brothers, Kenny and Dennis Rivenes.

In the Sully Buttes school board election earlier this month, voters in the district’s Area 4 elected Scott Currier to the seat held by Tom Yackley. Currier polled 98 votes and Yackley 17.

Pierre school board member Randy Hartmann will take a seat on the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s board of control in July. He was the only candidate for the seat reserved for a large-school school board member.

A private family service will be held at a later date for Harper Hupp, the seven-month-old daughter of Trevor and Kelsey (Richter) Hupp of rural Fort Pierre. She died May 24 when the Hupp home was totally destroyed in an explosion. Besides her parents, Harper is survived by her brothers, Myles and Royce; her grandparents, Troy and Dawn Richter; her great-grandmothers, Neoma Richter and Carole Gaer, and many uncles, aunts and cousins.

The spring semester Dean’s List at Augustana University includes these local students and students with local connections: Theodora Crawford, Morgan Eckert, Adisyn Gray, Colton Hartford, Natalie Mohr, Eli Schipper.

Albert Engelhaupt, 79, died in Sioux Falls June 16. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday, June 26, at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, preceded by an hour of visitation at the church. Albert came with his family to Fort Pierre in 1955 and over to Pierre in 1956. Albert was a client of OAHE Inc. for many years until moving to Chamberlain. While in Pierre, he delivered papers for the Capital Journal for many years and also worked for Korner Grocery and Tour Ice. He is survived by 11 siblings, Ted (Ruby) Engelhaupt of Oakdale, Minn., Rita (James) Wehri of Red Wing, Minn., Josephine (Lee) Stertz of Hampton, Minn., Joseph Engelhaupt of Chamberlain, Louisa (Kenneth) Light of Pierre, Marvin (Vicky) Engelhaupt of Pierre, Doris Engelhaupt of Chamberlain, Bernice (Tony) Trayson of Hudson, Wis., Agnes Grosz of St. Paul, Regina Mullaney of Sun City, Ariz., and Dorthy Adams of Pierre. He was preceded in death by his parents,Ambrose and Vera Engelhaupt; his brothers, Martin, Bernard and Alvin, and his sisters, Audrey Way and Charlotte Mills.

Four local hockey players have been selected for Team South Dakota rosters for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Devin Dodson will play on the 16U boys team, Katie Reiss and Brylee Kafka with the 16U girls team and Ava Lavinger for the 14U girls team.

Fran Welch will observe her 93rd birthday next Wednesday, June 28. Friends can send cards to her at 302 E. Wynoka, Pierre SD 57501.

Chris Iverson and his wife, Nina, who live in Washington, D.C., became parents for the first time on April 17. Their son, Mateo Daniel, weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 20 1/2 inches in length. Mateo’s paternal grandparents, Jim and Rosa Iverson of Pierre, are in Washington this week meeting their first grandson for the first time.

Among the six nominees for South Dakota boys golf Coach of the Year are Tiffany Benham of Pierre and Randy Pool of Sully Buttes. Randy has already been named Region 5 golf Coach of the Year.

Toby Putzier, 83, died June 6 at Avera Maryhouse. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 24, at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. There will be a luncheon at the Pierre Senior Center after inurnment at Riverside Cemetery. The son of Orval and Loretta Putzier came with his family to Pierre in 1957, and he graduated from Riggs High School in 1958. He and Evelyn Longland were married in 1959. Toby worked at several jobs until 1979 when he purchased a farm east of Pierre. Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Putzier; his sons, Jeff (Jackie) Putzier and Mike (Lynne) Putzier; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren, and his siblings, Pat (Alan) Winters and Monte Putzier.

Riggs High alumnus Dr. Justin Stephens will join Rapid City musicians Judy Vidal and Dan Brusseau for a benefit concert at the Journey Museum in Rapid City at 7 p.m. Monday, June 26. There is no charge for the concert, but a $20 donation is encouraged for WAVI (Women Against Violence, Inc.). Justin grew up in Pierre as a young pianist and organist and has continued as such as an adult in the Black Hills area.

The Taper Theatre in Los Angeles has closed down for a year due to money problems. The show affected by the closure is Larissa FastHorse’s “Fake It Until You Make It,” which was scheduled to open Aug. 2. Meanwhile, Larissa’s “The Democracy Project” begins a one-month trial run at Federal Hall in New York City this week.

Speaking of plays, Ryan Parker Knox has had a unique twist happen in his month-long stay in Hannibal, Mo. The Stephen King play in which he has a lead role was scheduled to open last weekend. However, the female lead was fired three days before Opening Night! A replacement actress was immediately hired by long distance, but she is currently directing a play in Houston. So the cast in Hannibal and the new actress in Houston have been rehearsing by Zoom for the past few days. She was not expected to arrive in Hannibal until yesterday (Wednesday), and the show opens its revised five-performance schedule tonight (Thursday). After the weekend Ryan will return home to Tucson, Ariz.

Long-time Pierre resident Conrad Otterness, 88, Sioux Falls, died at home June 12. A memorial service was held June 19 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. Conrad grew up on a farm near Garretson and graduated from Garretson High School in 1953. He served in the U.S. Army from then until 1957. He began a 27-year banking career with National Bank of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, continuing with First Bank System at several locations. He married Alta Miller in 1961. They lived in Sioux Falls, Corsica and Wheaton, Minn., before coming to Pierre. While in Pierre he left banking to work at the state attorney general’s office, retiring in 2000. He is survived by his wife, Alta Otterness of Sioux Falls; his children, Andrea (David) Johnson of Glendale, Ariz., Conrad (Noina) Otterness Jr. of Tumwater, Wash., and Kimberly Otterness of Brookings; two grandchildren; two sisters, Christine Wilfahrt of Sioux Falls and Gloria (Robert) Sanders of Garretson, and a brother, Kenneth (Terri) Otterness of Bourbonnais, Ill.

The Little Players, a youth group of young actors sponsored by Pierre Players Community Theatre will perform their musical, “Winnie the Pooh,” at Grand Opera House at 7 p.m. this Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The play features a cast of 25 children between the ages of 5 and 13.

Rowan Hibbard, a student at Rapid City Central High School who is now known in the music world as Rowan Grace after her appearances on national television last winter, will be the featured entertainer at this year’s Kiwanis benefit concert, which raises money for scholarships and the other youth programs the Pierre/Fort Pierre Kiwanis Club supports. The concert is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Riggs theater. The opening act that night will be Katie Dwyer.

A new GoFundMe page has been established by her family to help Marquette (Spaid) Brink pay for the upcoming medical expenses and travel, etc., as she begins a second fight against breast cancer. Facebook posts this week indicated that after five cancer-free years Marquette has had the cancer return and it has metastasized into her bones. The GoFundMe page has a title of Brink Strong Fundraiser. Besides being the owner of the local Beyond the Classroom business, Marquette has been a teacher for many years in the Sully Buttes district and St. Joseph Elementary School. The daughter of Neil and Andrea (Hinckley) Spaid is a native of the Blunt community.

Lloyd Kannegieter, 91, died at Avera Maryhouse on May 30. A celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date. Lloyd and Leona Warwick were married in 1949 and raised two children. In 1951 Lloyd’s parents both died in a plane crash en route home from a celebration of their silver anniversary in California. At the age of 19 Lloyd and his wife became responsible for the family farming operations near Willow Lake. Eventually Lloyd took a job at the local locker plant and learned the art of cutting meat. They lived in Vienna, Huron and Mitchell before coming to Pierre when he was offered the job of meat market manager at Red Owl, later Dakotamart. Lloyd and Leona were charter members of Oahe Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his sister, Shirley (Ken) Erickson of Watertown; his daughter, Linda (Rick) of Roswell, N.M.; hgis son, Layne (Melissa) Kannegieter of Goleta, Calif; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Leona Kannegieter, and a special friend, Bonnie Aasby.

Tom and Lita Magedanz posted Facebook photos this week of a family vacation earlier this year in which they were joined at Banff, Alberta, by son Charlie and his family and daughter Stephanie Bartsch and her family.

A host of Pierre high school musicians are part of the South Dakota Ambassadors of Music tour group arriving in Europe today. The chorus and band will spend 15 days in England, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria and make five performances. Pierre members of the chorus include sopranos Dani DeVaney, Maren Houdyshell, Megan Rose, Claire Steffensen and Kara Weiss; altos Ashlyn Pitlick, Kate Mullett and Lillie Keller; tenors Nathan Kist, Tyler Want and Bryce Bowman, and basses Jack Baker, Patrick Valentine, Henry Thronson and Xzaylin Henderson. The band includes some of those singers as well as others. The Pierre instrumentalists include Maren Houdyshell on oboe, Jazmine Fennell on clarinet, Lillie Kellar on alto saxophone, Gracelyn Bowman on French horn, Megan Rose on bass clarinet, Emma Reitzel on percussion, Bryce Bowman and Braedon Cunningham on trumpet and Nathan Kist on baritone saxophone. Rodd and Megan Bauck are along on the trip as members of the tour staff as are some local parents. Taryn Kenzy of Sully Buttes is also a member of the chorus.

Jon Kotilnek, who played hockey with the Oahe Capitals while in high school until he graduated from Riggs High in 2002, is taking on the duties of coaching director for the Oahe Hockey Association, replacing Jim Wedin, who is leaving that job but staying on as head coach of the girls varsity. Jon will continue also as one of the assistants to Steve Steele with the boys varsity. Jon has been an assistant coach since the 2019-20 season. (News courtesy of KCCR Sports)

The Independence Day celebration in Fort Pierre will start with a session of the rodeo at 7 p.m. Monday, July 3. On July 4 the “4 on the 4th” walk/run starts at 8 a.m., followed by the traditional parade at 10 a.m. A flyover from Ellsworth AFB is set for about 12:15 p.m. (coming down the river from the dam and then flying directly over Deadwood Avenue). The second rodeo session starts at 7 p.m. that night, followed by fireworks. For details on the walk/run, go to the Facebook page called 4 on the 4th in Fort Pierre.

PONDER THIS

“Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand; by dividing we fall.”
— John Dickinson