Monthly Archives: July 2017

Glenn Wendt, 85

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wendt obit

Glenn “Dale” Wendt was born on Aug. 13, 1931 to Theodore William Wendt & Hulda Marie “Galinat” Wendt/Luedtke on the Wendt homestead in Hoskins, Neb. He attended rural school district 49 in Wayne Co. through 8th grade. He then attended 1 year of high school at Hoskins & had to quit when his brothers went to war, to help his mom on the farm & later attained his GED. He eventually became a manager at Gambles Stores in Norfolk, McCook, Broken Bow, Fremont, York, & Valentine, Neb. After Gambles closed, he became a Century Welder salesman and eventually opened his own shop in Valentine. On May 25t 1953, he married Marie Evelyn “Gillaspie” & to this union 4 children were born- Bonnie, Arjean, Chuck, & Janet.

Due to complications from a stroke, Dale entered the Pine View Nursing Home in November of 2007 & remained there until his death. He was considered the greeter there as he always had a “Hello” for everybody. Dale was a long time member of the Valentine Sheriff’s possee & the Volunteer Fire Dept. Dale’s hobbies were golfing, fishing, camping and traveling a lot & made the most out of everything he did.

Happy 200th, Fort Pierre

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Ft Pierre

It’s birthday season for several South Dakota towns, but the biggest celebration this year will be for Fort Pierre, the state’s first community to turn 200. But take note, our oldest town is not resting on its historical laurels. The Missouri River city aims to start its third century with a bang.

Two hundred years ago, the site of today’s Fort Pierre became a community of sorts when Joseph LaFramboise opened a trading post at the junction of the Bad and Missouri rivers. It was just 74 years after the Verendrye brothers had buried a lead plate on a nearby bluff claiming the region for France.

Fort LaFramboise eventually fizzled but in 1832 it was rebuilt as Fort Pierre Chouteau, named for a principal owner of the famed American Fur Company. Chouteau’s post prospered for decades, and became the midway meeting place connecting St. Louis with a number of smaller posts to the north and west in today’s Montana and North Dakota.

Chouteau pioneered the use of steamboats on the long and treacherous Missouri. Though boat captains and crews were befuddled by high water, low water, strong currents and submerged stumps, their cargo of pelts and hides made Chouteau a rich man until the beaver and buffalo began to disappear. By 1855, he was losing money so he sold the site to the U.S. government for use as a frontier army post.

Mayor Gloria Hanson puts Fort Pierre’s early history in perspective like this: “Thirty three years before the Declaration of Independence was signed two French guys claimed it,” she says. “When the Fort was established, Napoleon was occupying Europe, The War of 1812 was raging, Lewis and Clark were making their trek, the Louisiana Purchase was being negotiated and then you have Fort Pierre being settled. The history just blows me away,” she says.

Local historian John Duffy says the Bicentennial will help reinforce knowledge of Fort Pierre’s history along with new development by connecting people. “The anniversary draws people to become involved and is bringing the town together. We have a lot of young families, retired families, and professionals. Eighty-five percent of residents work in Pierre. This is the time to draw everyone together.”

Hanson agrees that the celebration is time to move Fort Pierre in a new direction. “We have never done a good job of capitalizing on our rich history. Last year, for example, for a history field trip, students went to Pierre. I want our kids to have a ‘Don’t mess with Texas’ attitude about their hometown. So if they see trash in the street it would make them mad. I want to develop a passion for this place with everyone understanding how unique and special Fort Pierre is.”

The town has big plans for the 200th celebration, being held September 15-17. But, in anticipation of the birthday, music is planned throughout the summer. The Silver Spur has been holding concerts near the patio that overlooks the river. Country act Diamond Rio is booked for August 4. Drifter’s, the new convention center, has local bands scheduled throughout the summer. And for the finale in September, the community will hold a weekend-long celebration with a wagon train, parade, steak feed, arts festival, Suzy Bogguss concert, helicopter rides and a rodeo. For more event information visit www.fortpierre.com.

Katie Hunhoff is the editor and co-publisher of South Dakota Magazine, a print publication featuring the people and places of our favorite state. Visit www.southdakotamagazine.com for more information.

THE WALL THAT HEALS COMING TO CHAMBERLAIN, SD AUGUST 9-13

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WALLHEAL

The Wall That Heals, a 250-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along with a mobile Education Center, is coming to Chamberlain on Aug. 9-13 at the Chamberlain Rest Area and Information Center (I-90 Exit 264) and will be open 24-hours a day and free to the public. The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited memorials in our nation’s capital, with more than 5.6 million visitors each year. However, many Americans have not been able to visit what has become known to many as “The Wall.” The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the organization that built The Wall in 1982, wants to give all veterans and their family members all across America an opportunity to see the Memorial.

“Taking The Wall That Heals on the road gives thousands more veterans and their family members an opportunity to see The Wall and honor those who have served and sacrificed so much,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF. “It helps veterans from all of America’s conflicts to find healing and a powerful connection through their common military experiences.”

South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) is the coordinating host for this stop on the national tour. Julie Overgaard, SDPB Executive Director, said more than 200 volunteers are assisting with the project and will be staffing the exhibit, providing education and directing visitors to names.

“The Wall That Heals is on display during Bike Week and will be available for visitors from South Dakota and across the nation who are visiting our state for the Sturgis Rally,” Overgaard said. “Nearly $10,000 was raised from supporters across the state, including Scull Construction Service, Inc., to support this activity.”
More than 200,000 people visited The Wall That Heals in 2016. Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in nearly 500 U.S. communities in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. Hosting The Wall That Heals provides a community with a multi-day experience that includes an educational experience for local schools and organizations on the history of the Vietnam era and The Wall. The exhibit includes The Wall replica and a mobile Education Center comprised of: digital displays of photos of service members whose names are on The Wall; letters and memorabilia left­ at The Wall in D.C.; a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the Vietnam War. The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era surrounding the conflict, and are designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.

SDPB’s hosting of The Wall That Heals is being done in conjunction with the documentary THE VIETNAM WAR, a 10-part film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that will air in September on SDPB and PBS stations nationally. THE VIETNAM WAR tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. It premieres Sunday, September 17 on SDPB.

VVMF coordinates local stops of The Wall That Heals and the accompanying mobile Education Center. The current schedule and more information can be found at: www.thewallthatheals.org. The 2017 national The Wall That Heals tour is hauled through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and generously sponsored by: USAA, PBS, and GEICO. Local sponsors are Scull Construction Service, Inc. and Friends of SDPB.

Heenan Promoted to Vice President

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rusty heenan

Rusty Heenan has bee promoted to vice president at First Fidelity Bank of Winner.

Heenan has worked at the bank as a loan officer since Dec. 26, 2012. He works mostly with ag loans.

“I like being able to help people succeed at what they are trying to do,” he said.

Heenan says he gets to deal with a lot of good people.

He has been in banking for 10 years.

Prior to joining the bank in Winner, Heenan worked at BankWest in Kennebec. He worked in Kennebec for 4.5 years.

Prior to his career in banking, Heenan was the assistant manager of Winner Circle Feed Yard for 10 ½ years.

Heenan’s wife, Penny works at Community Connections.

The couple have two grown children: Casey who lives in Pierre and works for First Dakota Bank and Jimmi Watts who works for the Omaha, Neb., School District.

The Heenans have three grandchildren.

When he is not at the bank, persons can see Rusty working at rodeos and just this past Friday he was working the Tripp County 4-H Rodeo.
Also during the summer, Heenan is a baseball umpire.

Shooting Sports Members Compete at National

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george clark

Tripp County 4-H shooting sports members took part in the national shooting sports championships June 26-30 in Grand Island, Neb.

There were 117 kids in shotgun, 46 in air pistol, 90 in .22 rifle, 63 in .22 pistol. There were 715 kids from 36 states competing.

South Dakota placed fourth as a team in rapid fire air pistol.  Wade McClanahan placed 13th in rapid fire air pistol.
Cody Amidon placed 45th in .22 rifle.
South Dakota placed 24th as a team in sporting clays with Luke Hennebold placing 92nd.
South Dakota placed seventh as a team in slow fire.22 pistol and Tane Pravecek placed 31st in slow fire .22 pistol.
South Dakota placed third as a team in air pistol silhouette and Wade McClanahan placed 16th in air pistol silhouette.
South Dakota placed 10th in CMP (.22 rifle) as a team.
Cody Amison placed 87th in CMP.
South Dakota placed 13th in .22 silhouette as a tam and Tane Pravecek placed 44th in .22 pistol silhouette.
South Dakota placed 26th in skeet as a team and Luke Hennebold placed 82nd in skeet.
South Dakota placed 3rd in air pistol slow fire as a team and Wade McClanahan placed 11th in slow fire air pistol.
South Dakota placed 9th as a team in 3P rifle and Cody Amidon placed 49th in 3P rifle.
South Dakota placed 5th in Camp Perry in .22 rifle as a team and Tane Pravecek placed 61st in Camp Perry .22 pistol.
South Dakota placed 7th in trap as a team.
Luke Hennebold placed 11th in trap.

In the overall awards, McClanahan placed 11th in air pistol, Amidon placed 61st in .22 rifle, Hennebold placed 70th in shotgun, Pravecek placed 51st in .22 pistol.

Petersek Named Jr. Boys All-Around at 4-H Rodeo

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saige schuyler

Linkyn Petersek was the junior boys all-around at the 49th annual Tripp County 4-H Rodeo on Friday.  Riley Shippy was the junior boys runner-up all around.

Saige Schuyler was the senior girls runner-up all around.

The senior girls all around was Jenna Fulton and the senior boys all around was Dylan Suhr and the runner up was Blasé Steffen.

The junior girls all around was Jessica Woodward and the runner-up was a tie between Layni Stevens and Shada Beeson.

The senior ambassador was Jami Bergeson. There was a tie for first and second runner up between Arista Kaiser and Ashley Hohn.
The congeniality award went to Bergeson and she also won the horsemanship.

The junior ambassador was Avery Schacht and first runner up was Kayla Mammen. The congeniality award went to Schacht and Mammen and the horsemanship went to Mammen.

The rodeo results include:

Junior Girls
Goat tying—Layni Stevens, 9.350; tie Jessica Woodward and Saydee Heath, 9.530 and Trica Lammers, 10.520
Pole bending—Shada Beenson, 22.016, Tricia Lammers, 22.875; Josie Anthony, 23.030, Ramee Jo Hanson, 23.27
Breakaway roping—Saydee Heath, 3.50; Layni Stevens, 3.78; Jessica Woodward, 5.78 and Kate Weborg, 6.49
Barrel racing—Sidney McCord, 17.947; Shada Beeson, 10.030; Taryn Starr, 18.346 and Tatum Carey, 18.472

Junior boys
Flag race—Swade Reis, 8.337; Matthew Heathershaw, 8.476; Seth Heath, 8.589; Linkyn Petersek, 8.743
Goat tying—Riley Shippy, 9.16; Petersek, 10.38; Wyatt Olson, 11.87; Josh Heckenlaible, 12.52
Break away roping—Petersek, 3.18; Heathershaw, 3.39; Heath, 4.33 and Wyatt Olson 4.54
Cattle riding—Shippy, 48; Steve Garrigan, 43

Senior girls
Ribbon roping—Josi Stevens, 8.16; Savannah Krogman, 8.79; Jenna Fulton, 9.56; Shelby Hiller, 19.69
Breakaway roping—Schuyler, 3.15; Fulton, 3.70; Josi Stevens, 4.04; Payton Eagle, 11.90
Goat tying—Schuyler, 9.85; Fulton, 9.88; Lainee Schonebaum, 10.71; Shelby Hiller, 11.25
Barrel racing—Fulton, 18.284; Bailey Bosworth, 18.292; Payton Eagle, 18.626 Karsyn Krause, 18.645
Pole bending—Fulton, 21.853; Brooke Iott, 22.941; Krogman, 23.058; Schuyler 23.157

Senior boys
Saddle bronc riding—Kolton Salonen, 50; Dylan Suhr, 44
Bull riding—Riggin Shippy, 50; J. W. Frederick, 47
Tie down calf roping—Austin Olson, 11.98; Blasé Steffen, 12.94; Taygen Knippling, 13.89; Suhr, 19.55
Steer wrestling—Beau Dean, 8.23; Suhr, 10.25
Dally team roping—Kade Starr and Dawson Phillips, 18.18 and Blasé Steffen and Jamin Dougherty, 21.68

The stock was provided by Hollenbeck Rodeo Co of Winner.

Two Place in Archery Meet

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wade mcclanahan

Wade McClanahan and George Clark participated in the Midwest Outdoor Sectional archery tournament in Yankton June 17-18.

McClanahan placed first in the young adult freestyle with a score of 1116 109 x’s. Clark placed 2nd in the youth male free style with a score of 1047 51 x’s. In the two day event a perfect score is 1134 with 168 x’s.

Locally, both McClanahan and Clark participate in Tripp County 4-H shooting sports and Tripp County range robins Junior Olympic Archery Development program.

The two are always training/conditioning and traveling to different events.

Both are participating in events around the United States. In the next couple of weeks they will be participating in the state 3-D in Sioux Falls, youth high performance compound academy at the NFAA Center in Yankton, NFAA outdoor field nationals in Yankton and state outdoor field in Sioux Falls.

Volunteers Work Hard Preparing for State B Legion

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leahy bowl new bleachers

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

The Winner community is getting ready to roll out the red carpet to welcome fans to the state Class B American Legion baseball tournament.
The tourney starts July 21 and runs until July 25.

The last time Winner hosted the state tournament was in 2011 and 2006.

Since February, a committee has been working hard preparing for the state meet. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of volunteer help but things are coming together.

On recent nights when there have been ball game at Leahy Bowl, there has been some type of committee meeting putting on the final touches to make this a great tournament and a very enjoyable experience for those traveling to Winner.

Fueled by the experience parents had last year at the state meet in Webster, they want to duplicate that effort.

Leahy Bowl is looking good and there has been a lot of volunteer hours working the field.

There have been several improvements made to Leahy Bowl. There are new light towers, new seating with a canopy over a portion of the stadium seats.

There is playground equipment for children to enjoy while their parents are watching the game.

There is a new colorful sign at the entrance of Leahy Bowl. A beautiful sight will be the 19 flags that line the the road to the baseball field. The Winner Rotary Club purchased the signs.

Mardi Pederson, a member of the organizing committee, said there will be welcome signs posted at Leahy Bowl. In addition, to add a little color, there will be large flower pots dotted around the baseball complex.

Pederson said the parent group has put in a lot of time working on the field.

“I am hoping that the people who come to Winner will have the same experience we had last year in Webster. I hope the visitors come away feeling like Winner really rolled out the red carpet and were very welcoming to them,” said Pederson.

She said at the ball field, several volunteers will be wearing Winner/Colome t shirts so visitors know who to go to if they have questions.

Pederson added the committee will make one final sweep of the ball field and the Leahy Bowl grounds Thursday evening to take sure everything is in place for the opening game on Friday.

The opening ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Here are the pairings for the first round games on Friday.
10 a.m.—Groton vs. Vermillion
30 min after first game—Milbank vs. Spearfish
5 p.m.—Dell Rapids vs. Platte/Geddes
7:30—Winner/Colome vs. McCook/Miner

The tournament will continue Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

12U Boys Baseball Team Takes 4th place at State VFW

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better resolution 12U team

The Winner 12U Baseball team finished in fourth place at the State VFW 12U Class A Tournament in Humboldt on July 14, 15, and 16.

In the first game of pool play, the boys defeated Baltic 9-5. Silas Chasing Hawk and Ethan Bartels combined for the pitching in this game. Aiden Barfuss hit two home runs in this game.

In the second game of pool play, the Winner team defeated Dell Rapids by a score of 19-7. Blake Volmer, Aiden Barfuss, and Karson Keiser combined to do the pitching in this game. The Winner boys had 15 hits including two more home runs by Aiden Barfuss.

In the final game of pool play, the Winner team defeated Milbank by a score of 13-2. Silas Chasing Hawk and Ethan Bartels combined to do the pitching in this game. Silas Chasing Hawk had 4 hits with 4 runs scored and Karson Keiser had 4 walks with 4 runs scored as well.

As the Winner team won their pool, they played 2 games in Sunday’s medal round.

The semifinal game was with West Central 12’s team. The Winner youth lost by a score of 6-1, while stranding 9 runners on base over 6 innings.

“We just couldn’t seem to come up with a hit at several key times in this game,” said coach Mike Calhoon.  The West Central team had defeated every pool play opponent by the 10 run rule and only gave up 6 runs over all 5 of their games on the way to the State Championship.

In the third place game, the Winner boys were defeated by the West Central 11’s by a score of 6-2.

“We led this game going into the bottom of the fourth inning but West Central erupted for 5 runs in the home half of the fourth and we were unable to mount much of a scoring threat in our final two innings,” said Calhoon.

Throughout the tournament, Winner utilized five different pitchers. All players performed very well with every player getting at least one hit. The Winner defense also played error free ball for the 3 pool play games and had numerous outfield assists for put outs in this tournament.

This team was a combination of Winner Gold, Winner Purple, and Clearfield Majors. The coaches from each of those teams selected the players for this squad. This team was coached by Mike Calhoon, Kevin Keiser, and Keven Morehart. “The coaches appreciate the players and their parents for committing to this tournament at late notice as we weren’t accepted until about a week prior to this tournament,” explained Calhoon. He said the Winner Youth Baseball program was a big help in purchasing jerseys for the players to use during the tournament. Also, to T-Bones Treehouse sponsored Winner’s page in the program.

“ Hopefully, the players had fun and learned that they are able to compete at a high level within the state,” said Calhoon.

4-H Rodeo in the Heat

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rodeo stetson shelbourn

This past weekend, rodeo families participated in three 100+ degree days of rodeo starting on Friday in Winner, Saturday in Chamberlain and Sunday in Kennebec, it was hot outside, but the contestants had great times and solid performances.

Contestants want to place in the top four to earn a place in the State 4-H Rodeo held in Fort Pierre on August 18, 19 and 20th, and place in the top 10 to earn points for the all around. As the weekend continued, more 4-Hers got qualified and some keep improving their times and scores.
On Saturday the Rodeo was held at the Missouri Valley Horsemen’s Club Arena at Chamberlain.

In the Junior Boys events: Breakaway: Linkyn Petersek 3.68, Grady Aasby 4.010, Seth Heath 4.070, Swade Reis 19.640, Garret Phillips 26.680. Flag Race: 3rd, Linkyn Petersek 8.303, 6th Garret Phillips 8.715, 10th Wyatt Olson 9.263. Goat Tying: 2nd Linkyn Petersek 11.96, 5th Seth Heath 14.40. Linkyn Petersek won the Junior Boys All Around.

In the Junior Girls events: Barrels: 10th Saylor Schuyler 17.971. Goat Tying: 1st Saydee Heath 9.350, 2nd Ramee Jo Hanson 9.840, 7th Piper Hanson 12.980. Pole Bending: 3rd Saylor Schuyler 24.132, 8th Taryn Starr 25.844.

Chamberlin also had a Junior Junior Division were 8-10 year olds could enter while the Junior events could be 8-13 year olds. If you enter Jr. Jr. Events, your times will not qualify you for state but it makes for more age appropriate competition. Results of Junior Junior Events: Barrels: 2nd Athena Willuweit 17.528, 6th Kyla Mammen 19.490. Goat Tail Untying: 1st Preslie Petersek 6.410, 3rd Athena Willuweit 8.110, 7th Kyla Mammen 8.704. Poles: 2nd Kyla Mammen 25.584, 7th Westlie Cahoy 28.411, 9th Preslie Petersek 29.833.

In the Senior Boys Events: Steer Wrestling: 2nd Finn Hanson 18.160; Tie-Down Roping: 4th Kade Starr 35.260; Team Roping: 1st Kade Starr & Dawson Phillips 14.320, 2nd Payton Eagle & Austin Olson 15.450. Kade Starr was Reserve All Around.

In the Senior Girls Events: Barrels: 3rd Sydney Hollenbeck 17.074, 4th Karsyn Krouse 17.323, 8th Payton Eagle 17.952, 9th Saige Schuyler 18.298. Breakaway: 4th Payton Eagle 5.820. Goat Tying: 2nd Lainee Schonebaum 9.36, 7th Arista Kaiser 12.060, 8th Payton Eagle 12.560, 9th Saige Schuyler12.640. Pole Bending: 1st Payton Eagle 22.355, 2nd Saige Schuyler 22.519, 6th Lainee Schoenbaum 27.164. Ribbon Roping: 1st Lainee Schoenebaum 6.43. Payton Eagle won the Senior All Around and Lainee Schoenebaum won Reserve All Around.

Kennebec rounded off the three day weekend of rodeo on Sunday, it was another hot day but that didn’t stop good times.

Junior Girls Events: Breakaway: 4th Kate Weborg 8.035, 6th Ramee Jo Hanson 20.460. Barrels: 5th Ashlyn Hoffine 16.454, 6th Ramee Jo Hanson 16.459, 10th Athena Willuweit 16.616. Goat Tying: 4th Ramee Jo Hanson 11.390, 5th Ashlyn Hoffine 12.025. Pole Bending: 3rd Saydee Heath 22.626, 4th Ramee Jo Hanson 22.815, 7th Saylor Schuyler 23.429, 10th Ashlyn Hoffine 23.599. Ramee Jo Hanson was Runner Up All Around.

Junior Boys Events: Goat Tying: 1st Linkyn Petersek 10.185, 7th Wyatt Olson 14.000, 8th Stetson Shelbourn 14.120, 9th Garret Phillips 15.480. Breakaway: 1st Linkyn Petersek 2.23, 4th Seth Heath 4.720, 8th Burner Schenefeld 7.000, 10th Tucker Even 20.105. Flag Race: 5th Teigan Vanderpol 8.667, 6th Linkyn Petersek 8.694, 8th Garret Phillips 8.911, 9th Seth Heath 8.964. Linkyn won the Junior Boys All Around.

Senior Girls Events: Barrels: 7th Lainee Schoenebaum 16.543, 8th Baylie Hoffine 16.565, 9th Sydney Hollenbeck 16.793, 10th Karsyn Krouse 16.924. Breakaway: 1st Lainee Schonebaum 2.95, 3rd Saige Schuyler 5.075. Goat Tying: 2nd Saige Schuyler 10.640, 3rd Arista Kaiser 11.165, 7th Payton Eagle 12.560, 8th Karsyn Krouse 12.620, 10th Lainee Schoenebaum 12.940. Saige Schuyler was Runner Up All Around.

Senior Boys Events: Tie Down Roping: 1st Beau Dean 14.530, 2nd Austin Olson 17.660, 3rd Dawson Phillips 17.800. Steer Wrestling: Beau Dean 5.310, 2nd Finn Hanson 5.560, 3rd Wyatt Cahoy 6.280. Team Roping: 1st Rich Marone & Beau Dean 11. 87. Beau Dean won the All Around.

Our south central South Dakota has some strong rodeo athletes. There is one month left of 4-H Rodeo, some are sharpening their skills, some are still trying to get qualified, either way, the bond between animal and athlete grows. It takes a lot of volunteers and workers at each rodeo and all three rodeos need commended for their hard work!