Looking Back - 2005: Ken Burns to come to Luverne for 'The War'

One year ago

The windpower company Suzlon announced it would lay off half its workforce (a total of 160 employees) at its Pipestone turbine blade plant.

District 518 was considering adding a 10th section of kindergarten to Prairie Elementary for the 2009-2010 school year.

A sixth-month investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension culminated with the arrest of six people, all charged with various controlled substance crimes.

Ellsworth, Nobles County's southwestern-most city, marked its 125th anniversary with a weekend celebration, Family Fun Days. McKenna Hinrichs was crowned Little Miss Ellsworth as part of the festivities.

Despite persistent rain, the 10th annual Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival proceeded as planned, with 40 windsurfers racing.

Five years ago

The city of Worthington was cracking down on citizens parking vehicles on lawns and reinforced the following: "City ordinance states that vehicles cannot be parked in the front yard unless on a driveway or parking area. Residents in violation of the ordinance will receive a $25 ticket."

Union Pacific passenger coaches carried eager riders from the Worthington depot to just over the Iowa border and back again as part of the railroad's Operation Lifesaver Ride for Safety, which promoted rail/grade crossing safety.

Barry Kuball, Fulda, a veteran landscaper and patio builder, opened his own business, Concrete Escapes.

Florentine Film, owned by nationally renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, prepared to spend time in Luverne in late June to film portions of its new seven-part documentary, "The War."

10 years ago

Worthington Public Utilities, along with Red Rock Rural Water and Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water, agreed to cooperatively conduct a study to search for water in this area.

After three years without a fixed-base operator at Worthington Municipal Airport, John Armstrong was hired and started work June 1.

The Slayton City Council approved a payment of $51,221 to Salonek Construction and Concrete for work on the new swimming pool, which was scheduled to open June 16.

The Sibley-Ocheyedan High School Band, under the direction of Kelly Jacobsma, took first place in the parade contest at the 51st annual Sherburne, N.Y., Pageant of Bands.

Lang's Bakery of Worthington was sold after having been operated by the Lang family for 54 years.

25 years ago

Worthington Community College graduated 133 students Friday night. They walked into the gymnasium to the slow cadence of the "Pachelbel Canon in D" before being greeted by college president Dr. Joanne L. Pertz. Nobles County court judge Jeffrey Flynn was the featured speaker.

Bill Simpson, director of the Worthington YMCA for the past 16 years, announced this week he had accepted the post of business administrator for First Lutheran Church of Sioux Falls.

Jack Elder, owner of Elder Rexall Drug, Fulda, last week closed the store that had served community residents for the past 90 years. Diane's Craft Shoppe was expected to move to the location by July 1.

Dorthy Rickers' "Mixing and musing" column this week featured four different recipes for fruit pizza.

Jim Nickel and Wally Verdugt of the H. I. Metz Agency this week announced the purchase of the property and casualty business from the Standafer Insurance Agency. The transaction was effective June 2.

50 years ago

Darrel Wallen, a trainer of American saddlebred horses, was helping put Slayton on the map as a leading training center for horses. Wallen was manager of the Blue Moon Stables on the Dr. R. F. Pierson farm on the edge of Slayton. The stable had grown into a $250,000 investment in horses, equipment and facilities, with 30 registered horses on site. Wallen presently had horses in training from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Hibbing, Minneapolis, and other points within a 400-mile radius of Slayton.

Mrs. Frank F. Barker of Des Moines, Iowa, addressed the Worthington High School and Worthington Junior College Classes of 1960, (161 and 53 graduates, respectively) as well as an audience of about 2,500, at commencement exercises in the Worthington High School gymnasium. Mrs. Barker was the first woman to deliver a commencement address at Worthington.

To date in 1960, Worthington had been host to five pedestrian traffic mishaps, four of them in May and all of them involving children. "Especially with classes dismissed for the summer in the schools," Police A. W. Shelquist commented, "we have a problem that requires constant alertness."

75 years ago

Nine Nobles County 4-H boys and girls were enjoying the festivities of 4-H club week at University Farm, St. Paul. Taking the trip were Duane Jenkins, Round Lake; Violet Good, Rushmore; William Brickson, Adrian; and Helen Redder, Ellsworth. Club delegates were Marian Russell, Bigelow; Adrian Van Hofwegen, Worthington; Gladys Fritz, Bigelow; and Doris Hansen, Worthington.

Relatives and friends of the 100 members of the Worthington High School Class of 1935 overtaxed the capacity of the Memorial Auditorium Friday evening. Speaker of the evening was the Rev. W. R. Keesey of Keokuk, Iowa, who urged upon his young auditors the virtue of close application to the business of finding the proper niche and fitting themselves into it, averring that though there is considerable over-crowding in the various professions, there is never an over-supply of leadership.

Within the week, Worthington parted with two of its most prominent citizens, John A. Albinson, veteran lumber dealer, and David Anderson, real estate man and city council member. Both deaths were due to heart trouble. Both men had for years been heart and soul in civic activities, and both were closely identified with the growth of Worthington. Both had years of service on the city council to their credit, and both chanced to be members of the board of trustees of Westminster Presbyterian church.