Looking Back: Five years ago - New Lakefield aquatics center opens

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One year ago

The 2011 Worthington Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival got under way, with the forecast predicting a sunny day on Saturday.

Former Minnesota First Lady Mary Pawlenty visited Glen’s Coffee Clique at Glen’s Food Center in Luverne on Tuesday afternoon.

The “Amazing” Worthington City Band opened its 2011 season of Wednesday evening concerts at Chautauqua Park.

The Sportsman’s Lounge, an adjacent liquor store and a screen printing shop in Rock Rapids, Iowa, stood in ruins Monday after fire broke out shortly after the noon rush in a vacant upstairs apartment in the historic downtown building.

A “Save Our Police” movement was under way in Jackson, as residents gathered signatures for a petition asking the Jackson City Council not to disband the Jackson Police Department.

Firearms safety instructor Wayne Samp was presented with a gift from the Minnesota DNR in recognition of his 30 years of teaching and service.

Sanford Worthington Medical Center added an Acute Care service, adding to the acute services already locally offered by Avera Medical Group Worthington.

Five years ago

The Worthington Police Department responded to a call at 3:49 p.m. Sunday after shots were reported being fired on North Spring Avenue. A man was taken to Worthington Regional Hospital with a gunshot wound in the back. Ultimately, eight people were arrested in connection with the incident.

Lakefield opened its new, $1.5 million aquatic center with a 12:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.

One of the men who vandalized the St. Columba Cemetery in Iona was sentenced Monday for that crime and two other incidents. The cemetery vandalism resulted in $53,000 in damages.

The annual Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival in Worthington started off with great weather. The Prairie Ecology Bus was on the scene as part of the weekend’s activities.

Sy Schaap, Edgerton, recounted her recent adventures as part of the “Dancing with the Moms” contest on “Good Morning, America.”

10 years ago

A crowd estimated at more than 10,000 attended the 15th annual Buffalo Days celebration in Luverne.

Four 900-kilowatt wind turbines were being constructed west of Worthington and were expected to be operational by July 1. Worthington Public Utilities customers interested in supporting wind energy were invited to sign up for the River Winds program to buy 100-kilowatt hour blocks of wind energy for $2 each.

Artists performing at the Unvarnished Music Festival as part of the Worthington Windsurfing Regatta Weekend included PH Pederson, Time Travelers, Mary Molitor and Greg Alston, Bob Brozman, Musica Tropicale and Constelacion.

25 years ago

Dorthy Rickers’ “Mixing and Musing” column included recipes for “Mother-in-Law Bars,” “Wild and Cheesy Chicken,” “Leftover Roast Beef Casserole,” and “Rainbow Ice Cream Dessert.”

Playing this week at Worthington’s Northland Cinema were “Harry and the Hendersons” and “Ernest Goes to Camp.”

The average age of teachers in District 518 dropped over the past five years from 45 year of age to an average of 42 years of age. Most schools in southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa were reporting that their teaching staffs averaged in the 35 to 45-year age category, although the number of older adults was growing nationally.

Advertised specials at the Worthington Hy-Vee store this week included one dozen Grade “A” large eggs for 39 cents, a 16-ounce can of Bush’s Baked Beans for 44 cents, a half-pint of blueberries for $2.99, a 12-ounce package of shredded mozzarella cheese for $1.79, a 16-ounce package of bologna for 99 cents, and three 40-pound bags of softener salt for $5.49.

50 years ago

The congregation of Luverne’s First Presbyterian Church approved the appointment of the Rev. Wayne Hoffman, currently a pastor in Grundy Center, Iowa, to fill the pulpit left vacant several months ago when the Rev. Wesley J. Drummond left for a pastorate in Montana. Hoffman’s wife was the former Helga Tofteland, daughter of Mrs. Reinert Tofteland, Luverne.

An open house at the new First National Bank of Wilmont attracted a crowd of more than 600 people. President E.L. Meyer said the visitors consumed 55 dozen doughnuts, 160 cartons of milk and uncounted gallons of coffee.

Hardy Rickbeil of Worthington was a member of one of the panel discussion groups at a three-day meeting of leading appliance dealers in Louisville, Ky. Rickbeil was chosen for the program due to his membership on the Dealer Advisory Board of MART Magazine, a national appliance business publication.

Worthington recorded the same number of accidents —22 — during May 1962 as during May 1961. The mishaps during the past month, however, resulted in twice as many personal injuries and included one pedestrian mishap, the local police department reported.

Jackson Sheriff’s officers joined a group of farmers living northwest of Jackson for a cattle roundup. About 100 steers, weighing between 900 and 1,000 pounds each, broke out of a feed lot at the Ellsworth Nasby farm 1½ miles northwest of town. Officers were called around midnight when it was feared the animals might wander onto Highway 16. Rain, and later dense fog, hampered efforts to locate the cattle.

75 years ago

Habicht & Habicht advertised Palm Beach suits for $16.75 each, with “extra slacks” costing $5.

Playing this week at Worthington’s State Theatre were “Woman Chases Man” and “Two Wise Maids.”

The Boote produce division, Worthington, installed a cream-buying department, which opened under the management of Tony Downs, who came to the Boote industry from Winner, S.D., in 1934 after being connected for a year with turkey ranch operations there.

A fire Thursday evening in a brooder house at the farm of the Linderman brothers suffocated about 250 chicks that were only a few days old. Not much damage was done to the building, the fire being extinguished before the fire department arrived on the scene.

The Misses Rose and Marian Whipkey announced the purchase of the ready-to-wear department of Landers’ store. Mrs. Landers was to retain the millinery department. Miss Rose Whipkey taught during the past year in the school at Mitchell, S.D., while her sister, Marian, taught the third grade in the Worthington schools.

A family reunion of the Pfeil family was Sunday afternoon at the Rich Johnson home to celebrate Grandpa Henry Pfeil’s 77th birthday. Forty-five members of the family were present at the celebration. A dinner was served, and Grandpa Pfeil received many congratulations and returns of the day.

Tags: looking back, lifestyle, columns, reminiscing