THOUGHT FOR TODAY

This is the coolest summer you will ever experience.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Early-season schedules of fall sports teams:

GIRLS TENNIS: Aug. 11-12, home invitational.

BOYS/GIRLS SOCCER: Aug. 11, at Douglas; Aug. 15, home vs. Sioux Falls Roosevelt.

VOLLEYBALL: Aug. 22, at Watertown.

CROSS COUNTRY: Aug. 25, home invitational.

BOYS GOLF: Aug. 14, at Brandon Valley invitational; Aug. 15, at Sioux Falls Washington invitational; Aug. 17, at Rapid City invitational.

FOOTBALL: Aug. 25, at Aberdeen Central.

CHEER/DANCE: Aug. 26, at Aberdeen Central invitational.

SUNDAYS AT THE LEGION

Only a month of music remaining on the deck of the American Legion cabin on Sunday evenings. The music goes from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Upcoming performers:
— Aug. 6: Rodd and Joey.
— Aug. 13: Amanda Sherer.

BLACK HILLS PLAYHOUSE

“9 to 5: The Musical” continues its run and ends the season at the Playhouse in Custer State Park. Remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12 and at 2 p.m. Aug. 6, 8, 9 and 12. Call 605/255-4141 between 10 a.m. and noon and 1 and 4 p.m. MDt or visit www.blackhillsplayhouse.com for ticket reservations.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: key lime.
Friday-Saturday-Sunday: blackberry cheesecake.
Monday-Tuesday: blueberry.
Wednesday-Thursday: lime.
Aug. 11-12-13: cherry.
Aug. 14-15: grape.
Aug. 16-17: coffee.

COUNTDOWN

1 day: Sturgis motorcycle rally (Aug. 4-13).
1 day: Sioux Empire Fair, Sioux Falls (Aug. 4-12).
7 days: Sully County Fair, Onida (Aug. 10-13).
8 days: Trader Days, Fort Pierre (Aug. 11-13).
13 days: First day of school at Stanley County (Aug. 16).
14 days: First day of school in Pierre (Aug. 17).
14 days: Central States Fair, Rapid City (Aug. 17-26).
16 days: BluntFest, Blunt (Aug. 19).
19 days: First day of school at Sully Buttes (Aug. 22).
27 days: State Fair, Huron (Aug. 30-Sept. 3).

BASEBALL UPDATE

Little League baseball: At the South Dakota state tournament the Capital City Little League all-star team lost its opening game to Rapid City Youth Baseball, 3-0, but then won two elimination games—11-2 over Rapid City Harney LL and 10-0 over the same Rapid City team to whom they had lost earlier. That put Capital City into the championship round where they would have had to beat Sioux Falls Little League twice, but Sioux Falls won the title game, 3-1, to advance to the Midwest Region in Indianapolis.

Pierre Post 8 baseball: In the best-of-three play-in series to get to the state tournament, Post 8 lost twice at Rapid City Post 22, ending their season with a 9-28 record. In the first game a four-run second inning, helped by two Pierre errors, propelled the Hardhats into the lead. Spencer Easland had the only RBI for Pierre in a 6-1 loss. In the must-win Game 2 of the series Pierre trailed 6-1 after a five-run second inning by the Hardhats that included three hit batters. But Pierre scored four runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Matt Hanson, a two-run single by Jett Zabel and a wild pitch. Jonny Lyons had earned an RBI earlier on a first-inning fielder’s choice. The rally left Post 8 short by 6-5, which was the final score. In later news Brian White is resigning as head coach of the Post 8 varsity team. His clubs made the state tournament eight of his nine years at the helm, and his Post 8 team won the state championship in 2017

Four Corners: The Four Corners amateur team not only won the Pony Hills League regular-season championship but also won their district tournament championship. Their first game at the state “B” amateur tournament in Mitchell comes tonight (Thursday) at 7:30 p.m. against Mount Vernon. If they win, the next game would be Monday evening at 5:30 against Winner/Colome or Plankinton.

Oahe Zap: Completing their first year of existence in the Independence League, the Zap lost 13 of their last 14 games and finished with a record of 15-42.

Sioux Falls Canaries: The Birds have gone 5-5 in the past two weeks and now stand at 32-38 for the season, fifth in the West Division of the American Association. Sioux Falls plays at Gary-South Shore tonight and at Fargo-Moorhead Friday through Sunday. They will be home vs. Kane County Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, home vs. Milwaukee Aug. 11-12-13 and on the road to Kansas City Aug. 15-16-17.

Minnesota Twins: After a four-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep of the White Sox, the Twins reverted to a five-game losing streak, falling twice to Seattle and being swept at Kansas City. Somehow they are still in first place over Cleveland. The Twins finish a St. Louis series tonight; will be home vs. Arizona Friday, Saturday and Sunday; at Detroit Monday through Thursday; at Philadelphia Aug. 11-12-13 and home vs. Detroit Aug. 15-16.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Lynx: The Lynx beat Los Angeles; lost to Las Vegas, won three straight over Washington, New York and Connecticut and lost to Connecticut. Minnesota is home vs. New York Friday, at Chicago Tuesday and at Indiana next Thursday.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“In these noisy times we must know what we’re fighting for and what we’re not. I’ve learned it’s helpful to pause before speaking. Grant yourself time and space to get quiet. Allow yourself to be astonished by the everyday. Go declutter if that helps you see your life in a new light. Rest your brain so that it can serve you in a manner that is good, hopeful and positive.”
— Maria Shriver

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons defeated Club Puebla, 4-0, and lost to Chicago, 3-2. The next MLS game for the Loons will be at New York City FC Aug. 20. Meanwhile, the Leagues Cup tournament continues, and the Loons will play at Columbus in the Round of 32 Saturday.

Women’s World Cup: By the skin of their teeth the USA Women’s National Team finished runner-up in the group stage and remains alive into the knockout stage, the Round of 16. Their first match will be at 4 a.m. Sunday our time, probably against one of the toughest possible opponents, Sweden. The quarterfinals will be Friday of next week, the semifinals Aug. 15 and 16 and the final Aug. 20. In Group E the USA defeated Vietnam, 3-0 but then came up only with a pair of draws, 1-1 against Netherlands and 0-0 against Portugal.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Denver Broncos: The Broncos’ first preseason game will be at Arizona at 9 p.m. CDT Friday, Aug. 11, live on NFL Network.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings’ preseason opener at Seattle can be seen at 9 p.m. CDT next Thursday, Aug. 10, on KSFY-TV and on NFL Network.

NFL preseason games on live TV:
* Tonight (Thursday): New York Jets-Cleveland, 7 p.m., NBC.
* Aug. 10: Houston-New England, 6 p.m., NFLN.
* Aug. 10: Minnesota-Seattle, 9 p.m., NFLN and KSFY-TV.
* Aug. 11: Green Bay-Cincinnati, 6 p.m., NFLN and KDLT-TV.
* Aug. 11: Denver-Arizona, 9 p.m., NFLN.
* Aug. 12: Tennessee-Chicago, noon, NFLN.
* Aug. 12: New York Jets-Carolina, 3 p.m., NFLN.
* Aug. 12: Philadelphia-Baltimore, 6 p.m., NFLN.
* Aug. 12: Los Angeles Chargers-Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m., NFLN.
* Aug. 13: Kansas City-New Orleans, noon, NFLN.
* Aug. 13: San Francisco-Las Vegas, 3 p.m., NFLN.

Sioux Falls Storm: In the first round of the IFL playoffs, the Storm, down by 19 in the second half, rallied to stun Massachusetts in the final minute, 42-39. That earned Sioux Falls a spot in the Eastern Conference championship at the home field of the top seed, Frisco, Texas. Down there the Storm, down 27-7, scored a touchdown in the final 12 seconds and added a necessary two-point conversion to oust Frisco, 45-44. So now the Storm moves to the IFL championship game in Henderson, Nev., against Bay Area. You can watch it at 3:05 p.m. this Saturday on CBS Sports Network.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• Our first football contest of the season will show up in the Midweek Update’s next issue two weeks from today on Aug. 17. Or you can see the list of 10 games to be picked on the Parker Knox page on Facebook the previous Sunday evening, Aug. 13. Everyone is welcome to participate. Just pick the winners of 10 games and send them in by e-mail to parkerhome16@hotmail.com.
• This will be our last two-week break for the Midweek Update. When our Aug. 17 issue shows up two weeks from now, we will be here every Thursday.
• The Twins are tough to watch sometimes. Just when they go on a winning streak and build a four-game lead in their division, they go to lowly Kansas City and get swept. But if you can stand the baseball, it might be fun to watch the telecast of this Sunday’s game. That is the day Joe Mauer will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame, and his introduction will come from his long-time friend, former roommate and teammate Justin Morneau.

ONE YEAR AGO IN THE MIDWEEK UPDATE

July 25, 2022: In the second game of the Legion baseball play-in series at Renner with Pierre Post 8 leading 1 game to none in the best-of-3 series, Pierre led 9-3, then 9-5 with two out and two out in the final inning. Jack Merkwan came in as a second relief pitcher, and the first batter he faced hit a come-backer to him. His flip to first base sent Pierre to the state tournament.

Aug. 4, 2022: When Dr. Matt Blaseg began his first day of work as one of the optometrists at Central Dakota Eyecare, his first patient was his mother, Darla Mayer.

Aug. 11, 2022: Spencer Sarringar was one of four Bismarck Larks players participating in a major-league showcase at LaCrosse, Wis., in front of scouts.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“When summer opens I see how fast it matures and fear it will be short, but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, August 3:
Eric Titze, Scott Bailey, Brad Urbach, Robyn Thorpe, Faun Van Bockel, Karen (Strickland) Jones.
— 38th anniversary, Guy/Kim DiBenedetto.
— 21st anniversary, Rob/Jan Kittay.
— 21st anniversary, David/Jennifer (Lomheim) Sieveking.
— 21st anniversary, Richard/Lynn (McQuistion) Siedschlaw.
— 49th anniversary, Chuck/Kathy Anderson.

Friday, August 4:
Laurel Holcomb, Mike Powell, Jessica Olson, Sadie Lund, Kayla Trebesch, Karen Palmer, Kellen Casanova, Kimberly (Bartels) Malone.
— 11th anniversary, Luke/Kristen Edwards.

Saturday, August 5:
Lukas Erlenbusch, Jameson Merrill, Sara (Schneider) Odden, Gabe Vogt, Rachel Guthmiller, Derik Wright, Jerry Jarvis, Tanner Steele.
— 51st anniversary, Bob/Carolyn Riter.
— 51st anniversary, Jerry/Myra Duba.
— 6th anniversary, Brian/Tara (Hyde) White.
— 6th anniversary, Travis/Nicole Rinehart.
— 17th anniversary, Ross/Anna (Van Duzer) Yost.
— 18th anniversary, Hunter/Stephanie Roberts.
— 56th anniversary, Milt/Dawn Morris.

Sunday, August 6:
Patti (Mercer) Jordre, Tenley Fitzke, Janet (Schuh) Fulk, Nick Bengs, Boston Bryant, Samantha Flynn, Justin Williams, Lynette McCarty, Chris Brinkman, Matthew Booth, Kipp Stahl, Greg Byrum, Michelle Dvorak, Ryan Yackley, Lincoln Schoenhard, David Perry, Lois Byrum.
— 7th anniversary, Scott/Bailey (Armstrong) Wagner.
— 18th anniversary, Travis/Becky Lindekugel.
— 46th anniversary, John/Mary Hoover.
— 57th anniversary, Jim/Judy Ulmen.
— 1st anniversary, Kyle/Mistie (O’Daniel) McKeever.
— 12th anniversary, Jacob/Chez Shoup.
— 18th anniversary, Mike/Corinna (Bevers) Christopher.
— Anniversary, Rod/Terry Fisher.

Monday, August 7:
Reese Fisher, Rylan Ludemann, Sylvia Jo Imsland, Sam Fjelstad, Jeremy Hamm, Judi West, Jane Naylor, Leighton Hoover, Suzanne Stahl, Bob Tobin, Tate Rinehart, Chev Hackett, Rick Swanson.
— 47th anniversary, Myron/Deb Bryant.
— 19th anniversary, Roby/Krista Bass.
— 40th anniversary, Geoff/Beth (Pospisil) Simon.
— 19th anniversary, Benjamin/Shannon (Dykstra) Herbert.
— 19th anniversary, Josh/Jessica (Wilson) Bosma.
— 58th anniversary, Ken/Diane Stofferahn.
— Anniversary, John/Jan Artz.
— 47th anniversary, Myron/Anita Rau.
— 13th anniversary, Garrett/Kelsey (Bartel) Glynn.
— 13th anniversary, Chad/Winter (Nicholas) Hendrickson.
— 13th anniversary, Wayne/Melissa (Stewart) Crawford.
— 13th anniversary, Lucas/Mary (Holm) Keahey
— 14th anniversary, Justin/Stacey Briese.
— 14th anniversary, John/Laura Williams.

Tuesday, August 8:
Drew White, Mike Herman, Korina Deal, Jayce Tetzlaff, Patrick Gengler, Declan Pope, Daniel Timmons, Sam Holden, Dantae Dvorak, Dylan Dowling, Kristen Job, Molly Kreycik, Roger Johnson, Brody Mullett, Marla Willard.
— 8th anniversary, Ryan/Cassie Blake.
— 8th anniversary, Ali/Rachel (LeBeau) Hachem.
— 25th anniversary, Jonathan/Andrea (Viken) Urbach.
— 25th anniversary, Nathan/Jill (Storsteen) Weber.
— 14th anniversary, Max/Lisa Huber.

Wednesday, August 9:
Remington Reilly, Brynn Sogaard, Collin Livermont, Rebecca (Zebroski) Neises, Jenny Hallenbeck-Orr, Megan (Joachim) Jaeger, Mary Sieck.
— 37th anniversary, Jeff/Lisa Mammenga.
— 9th anniversary, Ryan/Kelly (Lingle) Royer.
— 26th anniversary, Chuck/Hope (Hoover) Brenny.
— 15th anniversary, Justin/Stephanie (Mutschler) Pierson.
— 20th anniversary, Nick/Brittany (Bailey) Jarecke.
— 48th anniversary, Terry/Janet (Stahl) Hofer.
— 59th anniversary, John/Linda Knox.
— 20th anniversary, Chris/Jenny Derry.
— 26th anniversary, Chris/Sarah (Kringel) Hibbitts.

Thursday, August 10:
Kyndal Van Zee, Gracie Weinheimer, Sue Light, Christopher Nath, Stella Lindbloom, Stephanie Bengs, Ron Lutz, Laynee Brandt, Kaydee Hewlett, Liv Smith.
— 21st anniversary, Toby/Amber Bryant.
— 21st anniversary, Brett/Stacy Anderson.
— 21st anniversary, Joseph/Michelle (Maskovich) Soulek.
— 21st anniversary, Thomas/Dulcie (Bellander) Stotts.
— 11th anniversary, Dustin/Cidna Pitlick.

Friday, August 11:
Mike Snyder, JoAnn Nelsen, Scott Lamb, Tom Opoien, Susan Quinn, Alex Ludemann, Archie Haag, Courtney Sheffield, Terry Becker.
— 23rd anniversary, Mark/Meghann (O’Day) Kjolsrud.
— 11th anniversary, Jim/Lindsey (Jungwirth) Costello.
— 38th anniversary, Dave/Denette (Eisnach) Becker.
— 17th anniversary, A.J./Amanda (Huck) Stoeser.
— 16th anniversary, Clinton/Missy (Drew) Figland.
— 16th anniversary, Austin/Lindsey Schneider.
— 16th anniversary, Jonathan/Sarah (Yackley) Ploeger.
— 5th anniversary, Steve/Cassie Long.
— 5th anniversary, Nick/Sasha (Kean) Bishop.
— We respectfully remember firefighter Trampus Haskvitz, who died in the line of duty 12 years ago today.

Saturday, August 12:
Courtney Zander, Cooper Hogan, Taylor Murtland, Molly (Wilbur) Budmayr, Lindsay Ambur, Kari Anderson, Bo Rosane, Mary (Holm) Keahey.
— 6th anniversary, Chris/Ashlee Voller.
— 44th anniversary, Dave/Marcia Mack.
— 17th anniversary, Tim/Lindsey (Simons) Ferber.
— 23rd anniversary, Christopher/Jessica (Yost) Cox.
— 23rd anniversary, Kevin/Julie Lors.
— 17th anniversary, Jeff/Jamie (Stokke) Lemire.

Sunday, August 13:
Kory Davis, Misti (Currier) Baumberger, Sam Herrscher, Charissa Howard, Bobbi (West) Meyer Hanson, Andi Mancuso, Leto Knudson, Finn Meiners.
— 7th anniversary, Jerry/Ali Bollinger.
— 12th anniversary, A.J./Tisa Wharton.

Monday, August 14:
Spencer Thomas, Ethan Harder, Wyatt Rumrill, Eloise Cermak, George Summerside, Kristi Barnhart, Andrew Johnson, Mike Walton, Mike Zellmer, Rebecca Cruse, Tim Maher, Michaela Stroup, Jackson Goodman, Jordyn Ripperger, Heath Stoeser, Gay Rhoades, Jonathan Pfleger.
— 13th anniversary, Chris/Victoria Bell.
— 13th anniversary, Justin/Jill (Sickler) Gilmore.
— 42nd anniversary, Tony/Sheila Mangan.
— 18th anniversary, Nate/Tracie (Seyfer) Vogel.
— 19th anniversary, Rick/Katie (Skrondahl) Melius.
— 36th anniversary, Doug/Deb Smith.
— 53rd anniversary, Mike/Diana Vogel.
— We fondly remember Phil Trautner, who passed away 20 years ago today.

Tuesday, August 15:
Kathy (Hoover) Pautz, Meredith (Lee) Roebuck, Hunter Roberts, Jason Christenson, Danny Snow, Jesse Nystrom, Heath Houdek, Jack Steece, Brian Kemnitz, Jared Dutton, Ellie Knudson, Autumn Iverson, Dianne Weyer.
— 43rd anniversary, Mark/Glennis (Parsons) Zarecky.
— 14th anniversary, JD/Amanda Lauing.
— 16th anniversary, Sam/Amber (LaBrie) Shaw.

Wednesday, August 16:
Terry Keller, Gaylon Gerber, Mike Vogel, Brittney (Nuttall) Binger, Ann (Schroyer) Schwartz, Nancy Shoup, Susan Culberson, Dustin Van Balen, Melanie (Bunkowske) Cruse, Trudie (King) Feldman.
— 20th anniversary, Jerry/Doralynn (Micklos) Jarvis.
— 15th anniversary, Robert/Samantha (Merrill) Pietz.
— 20th anniversary, Tom/Jill (Novotny) Hart.
— 20th anniversary, Eric/Misty (Doll) Brenden.
— 20th anniversary, Devin/Kimberly (Bartels) Malone.
— 15th anniversary, Terry/Brenda (Crandell) Carroll.
— 37th anniversary, Rodney/Marla Mosiman.
— 54th anniversary, Monte/Barb Hillestad.
— 9th anniversary, Derek/Natalie Van Roekel.

Thursday, August 17:
Olive Williams, Asher Williams, Rachel (Hermanson) Knutson, Lois Telford, Stepihanie (Colwill) Harmon, Adam Snow, Karen Stengle, Brad Curtis, Ryan Callahan.
— 10th anniversary, Mitchell/Casi (Hizenga) Popko.
— 16th anniversary, Jesse/Megan Ahlers.
— 22nd anniversary, Jeremy/Penny Ripperger.
— 21st anniversary, Bob/Cara (Roseland) Gray.
— 21st anniversary, Josh/Katie Melgaard.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Katherine (Katie Schaack) Olsen, 53, passed away July 26 at Every Step Kavanaugh Hospice House in Des Moines, Iowa, She had fought metastasizing breast cancer since 2019. Funeral Mass is being celebrated this (Thursday) morning at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church at 1230 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. The daughter of Ken and Karon (Lampy) Schaack was born in 1970 in Marshall, Minn. The family moved to Pierre in 1975. Katie attended St. Joseph Elementary School and graduated in 1989 from Riggs High School where she excelled in band, chorus, All-State Orchestra, National Honor Society and Odyssey of the Mind. She spent six years at Drake University in Des Moines, participating there in concert band, flag corps, Chi Omega sorority and Mortar Board and completing a doctor of pharmacy degree in 1995. She married fellow Drake graduate Kevin Olsen in 1996 They made their home in suburban Clive, Iowa, and raised four children—Emily, a graduate student at Marquette University in Milwaukee; Tobias, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Anna Rose, an entering freshman at St. Louis University, and Benjamin, a sophomore at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines. Katie began her career as a pharmacist at Lakeview Medical Plaza pharmacy in Des Moines. She is survived by her husband, Kevin Olsen, and their four children; her mother, Karon Schaack of Rapid City; her sister, Ann (Yohance) Humphery and their daughter Ellery of Reno, Nev.; her brother, Dr. John (Dr. Tara) Schaack and their daughters, Lilibeth, Cecily and Astrid, of Rapid City; her parents-in-law, Gary and Connie Olsen of Cherokee, Iowa; Kevin’s brothers, Kory (Suzie) Olsen and Kyle (Yvonne) Olsen, and many other relatives. Katie was preceded in death by her father; a baby sister, Amy, and her grandparents. Condolences can be sent to 5707 Pioneer Circle, Rapid City SD 57702.

Here is a schedule of the main events at the Sully County Fair in Onida next week:

• Thursday, Aug. 10: Supper at the fairgrounds, 6 p.m.; Dueling Duo concert, 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 11: Pedal tractor pull, 4 p.m.; PRCA rodeo, 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 12: Alumni rolls/coffee/visiting at the Phoenix Center, 8 a.m.; Magician Magic Joe, 11 a.m.; talent show, 1 p.m.; poker run for golf carts and scooters, 1 p.m.; frying pan and tire toss, 3:30 p.m.; cow pattie bingo, 4 p.m.; Barstool Boys concert, 4:30 p.m.; chili and rib feed, 5 p.m.; PRCA rodeo, 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 13: All-faiths community church service, 10:30 a.m.; alumni/community potluck picnic, 11:30 a.m.; cardboard boat races, noon; antique tractor pull, 1 p.m.; fire hose battle, 2 p.m.

Long-time Pierre attorney Ron Schmidt, 86, died at home in Rapid City July 16, just weeks after his wife, Priscilla, passed away. A celebration of Ron’s life is being planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Rapid City. Condolences can be sent to 11551 W. Highway 44, Rapid City SD 57702. Ron graduated from high school in Minot, N.D., in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army, then spent several years with the Army Reserve. He was stationed at the Pentagon during which time he enrolled in courses at George Washington University. He attended the University of North Dakota, earning a bachelor’s degree there in 1961 and a law degree in 1963. Ron began his law career in Kansas City where he reconnected with fellow UND alumna Priscilla Schmidt. They were married in Huron in 1964. In 1965 the Schmidts moved to Pierre where Ron became the director of the Legislative Research Council, the Constitutional Revision Commission and the Local Government Study Commission. In 1970 he opened his own law practice. He worked as a lobbyist representing many organizations for more than 30 years, and he served on many state boards and commissions. Politically he held several leadership roles in the Republican Party. In 1972 he was the party’s nominee for attorney general, and in 1998 he won the primary election and ran for the U.S. Senate. He was a Republican National Committeeman for 16 years. From 1973 to 1979 while in Pierre Ron was co-founding board president of the Oahe YMCA and held local and national YMCA positions and honors. In 2004 the Schmidts relocated to Rapid City, and Ron continued his work with Schmidt Schroyer Moreno Lee and Bachand. In 2014 he joined Gunderson Palmer Nelson Ashmore. He is survived by his son, Ethan Schmidt of Rapid City; his daughters, Ingrid Schmidt of Los Angeles and Eva Reed of Minneapolis, and four grandchildren.

Chas Olson, who graduated from Riggs High School in 2002 and later from USD, has been heading up the South Dakota Housing Development Authority in the interim since the former director left this spring, has now been named the new executive director of the HDA.

Pierre Players Community Theater has announced that the cast members of this fall’s next show, “Inconsequential Dreams,” are Shelby Bergeson, Lydia Kanz, Jack Mortenson and Denny Nelson. Performance dates will be Sept. 15-17 and 21-23. Later in the fall “All Is Calm” will be the last show of the year Nov. 10-12 and 16-18.

Meanwhile, Pierre Players’ Storybook Land Theatre’s performance of “The Perfect Dog” will be this Saturday, Aug. 5, at 1 p.m. at the Grand Opera House. Tickets are $5 at the door.

Monte Curry, 91, died July 14 at the Avantara nursing home in Pierre. A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Lutheran Memorial Church. A private family burial will take place at the Deep Creek Lutheran Church cemetery in Haakon County. Monte graduated from Pierre High School in 1951 and married his high school sweetheart, Kitty Berry, in 1952. Monte served during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954. The Currys raised their five children in Pierre, and Monte started his own construction company. He is survived by his children, Mona (Rick) Deering, Holli (Scott) Gould, Jay Curry and Kathy (Keith) Farber; his sister, Ruth Hyde; his daughters-in-law, Suzanne Curry and Cathy (Nold) Curry; 13 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Ryan Parker Knox, who is again part of the resident ensemble of actors at The Rogue Theatre in Tucson, Ariz., had a role in “The Boys in the Band,” which was the first of four shows in the theater’s play-reading season.

Six Onida women—Kim Sutton, Lexie Rausch, Lynn Senftner, Susan Lamb, Mary Sieck and Sherise Wittler—spent a week in New York. One of their highlights was having a selfie taken with and by “Today Show” co-host Hoda Kotb on Rockefeller Plaza outside the NBC studios.

Cynthia Fuller, 100, died at home in Fort Pierre July 18. Her funeral was held July 31 at Trinity Episcopal Church. Cynthia was the 12th child of Otto and Inez Huckfeldt. She grew up in southern Stanley County and graduated from Pierre High School in 1941. After earning a teaching certificate at Northern State Teachers College, she taught in several rural schools. Cynthia married Bruce Fuller in 1946 after he returned from service during World War II. They lived in California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and South Dakota. While in Pierre she worked at the Lucas & Theim store from 1976 until the store closed. She is survived by her children, Mark (Jean) Fuller of Danbury, Wis., Franzisca (Tom) Christianson of Hamel, Minn., Roger (Marla) Fuller of Fort Pierre, Elmer (Jan Holtz) Fuller of St. Paul, Minn., and Marlys (Bob) Fratzke of Fort Pierre; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 31 years, her parents and 11 siblings.

Among the USD student-athletes named to the Summit League’s Academic Honor Roll for the past school year are Max Burchill of Sioux Falls in men’s basketball and Janaina Zanin of Pierre in women’s soccer.

Darwin Ripley, 71, died July 22. His funeral took place yesterday at Faith Lutheran Church. The son of Delmar and Deloris (Weischedel) Ripley graduated from Sully Buttes High School in 1970. He married Virginia Jochim of Lantry in 1975. Darwin worked as a mechanic at Harding Motors, now Capital City Ford Toyota, for many years. He later was a large equipment mechanic for the Department of Transportation’s regional office. He is survived by his wife, Virginia; his children, Alicia (Dustin) Schoenhard and Brett (McKenna) Ripley; five grandchildren; his brothers, Doug (Kathy) Ripley, Barry (Eva) Ripley, Merlin (Kim) Ripley, Tom Riipley and Mark Jochim (Twyla Reede), and several nephews and nieces.

Regina Stoeser, whose parents are Chance and Erika (Rounds) Stoeser, took third place at the Junior and 16U National Wrestling Championships in Fargo. She also earned all-American honors. Regina attends Harrisburg High School where she won a state high school wrestling championship last winter.

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development announced the promotion of Adam Molseed to the position of business development director. A state employee for 16 years, Adam for the last six years has been a public relations representative.

Lauren (Lori) Bourk, 74 died at home in Blunt July 12. A celebration of her life was held outdoors in Blunt. Lori graduated from Highmore High School in 1967. She married Harlan Smith that year, and they raised three children on a farm north of Harrold. In the mid-1980s Lori worked for the state in the Bureau of Administration and the Office of Property Management. She married Mike Bourk in 1990, gaining two more children. They lived for 10 years in Montana, then came back to Blunt. Lori worked for a time at the Runnings store in Pierre. She was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 62. Her survivors include her husband, Mike Bourk of Blunt; her daughters, Audrey (Milton) Lewis of Newport, Neb., and Lehla (Justin) Pietz of Watertown; her son, Travis (Natasha) Smith of Harrold; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; her stepdaughter, Audra Bourk of Langdon, N.D.; her stepson, Jess (Sonia) Bourk of Highmore; three step-grandchildren and eight nephews and nieces.

Lincoln Kienholz, who just graduated from Riggs High School and is now on the Ohio State campus as an incoming freshman football player, this week was named the national High School Boys Athlete of the Year by USA Today. As anyone in Pierre knows, Kienholz was a star in football, basketball and baseball in Pierre.

If you think the schools are opening far too early here in central South Dakota, consider the Nashville area of Tennessee. Andy and Janelle (Kvislen) Carda’s two kids began their school year Monday, Aug. 1. Son Chase is a high school junior, and daughter Lavin is an eighth grader. Janelle says the early start is offset by long breaks in the fall, at Christmas and in the spring.

The South Dakota Army National Guard promoted Halsey Hall of Rapid City to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Five, the highest rank achievable in the warrant officer corps. He enlisted in 1988 in the 842nd Engineer Company as a material control and accounting specialist. He works full-time for the Guard as the Force Integration and Readiness Officer. Halsey is the son of former Blunt residents Cedric and Lorita Hall.

Bessie “Dolly” Nafus died July 30 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. Visitation will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Her funeral is set for 10 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church. Dolly grew up in the Robbs Flat area and graduated from Pierre High School. She married Gale Nafus in 1943 in Pensacola, Fla., where he was stationed with the U.S. Navy. They made their home in Pierre and raised their seven children here. Early in her adult life Dolly worked as a waitress at the St. Charles and as a bookkeeper at Montgomery Ward. For more than 60 years she worked with her husband in the family propane business. She finally retired at the age of 96. Dolly is survived by five children, Connie Wilhelm, Mary Nafus, Chuck (Vicki) Nafus, Mark Nafus and Steve (Colleen) Nafus; her daughter-in-law, Song Nafus; her son-in-law, Tom Lewis; 13 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded her in death were her husband, parents, grandparents, twin sister Dimp Olson and two of her children, Judy and Jack.

Pierre native Barry Johnson and his wife, Janeen, of Stillwater, Okla., are first-time grandparents. The Johnsons’ son Zach and his wife, Meredith, have a baby daughter, Margaret Joan (Margot) Johnson, who was born July 27.

PONDER THIS

“In the middle of the speed and the noise of this life; in the dizzying parade that we defiantly strut through every day, trying to fool people into believing that we’re all okay, it can be a challenge to remember that we’re all not okay. I hope you will remember though because it will change the way you walk the rest of the journey. Today find your place in this great congregation of flawed, wounded souls and feel right at home here. Join us in a new religion of authenticity. The Church of the Hurting. Welcome!”
— John Pavlovitz