Winner Community Playhouse will present a spring production

Winner Community Playhouse will present a spring production Feb. 23, 24, Feb. 29, March 1 and 2.

“The Hitchin Post” by Pat Cook is the play that has been chosen.

The cast includes Barb DeSersa, Doug Nelson, Cassie Shutt, Hayden McMurtrey, Mary Backus, Ken Teger, Ron High Rock, Emily Moser, Dan Patmore, Keith DeMers, Linda Nelson and Sandra York.

Ron High Rock is the director with Dan Patmore as the technical director.

The action in “Hitchin’ Post” centers around a general store in Flat Rock, Texas. It is a hilarious slice of life outside a Texas town.

Cracker Barrel in Winner

Persons who want to learn the latest legislative news should attend the cracker barrel in Winner on Saturday, Feb. 10. The event will be held at 4 p.m. at the Winner American Legion. Winner Legion Auxiliary will host the event.

Attending will be Dist. 21 lawmakers—Sen. Erin Tobin of Winner; Rep. Rocky Blare of Winner and Rep. Marty Overweg, New Holland.

National Guard band to perform in Winner

A small group of the 147th South Dakota Army National Guard band stationed out of Mitchell will perform in Winner on Feb. 8. They will perform in the Armory from 2:45 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. 

Winner is one of their stops on a tour of schools.

Mission Essential Brass is a nine member ensemble. The band plays a variety of music and has a high energy show.

The band is based in Mitchell and has seen overseas deployment to Guatemala in 1991, Panama in 1996 Nicaeragua in 2002 and Suriname in 2018.

The band performs for military and civilian functions throughout the region and is made up of musicians aged 17 to 60.

In addition to the concert and ceremonial bands, the 147th Band is comprised of four unique music performance teams: Sgt. Rock, FTX, Drive On and Mission Essential Brass.

Vandenbark wins state Patriot’s Pen

Submitted Photo
Ben Vandenbark, an 8th grader at Colome School, won first place in the state for the VFW Patriot’s Pen contest. He was the district winner that qualified him for the state competition in Pierre. Vandenbark is pictured with VFW officials. He represented Winner VFW Post 4674. His essay will be submitted to the national contest.

Ben Vandenbark, Colome, won first place in the state for the VFW Patriot’s Pen contest.

The Colome 8th grader is the son of Matt and Kate Vandenbark.

His essay goes to the national competition. The top placers then travel to Washington, D.C.

Vandenbark was the district winner which qualified him for the state meet in Pierre. He represented Winner VFW post and auxiliary.

“How are you inspired by America?” was the essay theme.

His essay was about veterans, his grandfather and first responders. He talked about how the veterans fought for our country and even when hurt continued to fight.

Vandenbark was inspired by his grandfather who served in the Navy. He wishes he could learn more about his grandfather’s time at sea and the ship he was on.

Vandenbark also wrote about how first responders put themselves in danger and help others. He noted how the first responders reacted during 9/11.

Patriot’s Pen gives 6th, 7th and 8th grade students the opportunity to express their opinion on a patriotic theme and improve their writing skills while they compete for awards and prizes.

Conducted nationwide, this VFW sponsored youth essay competition encourages students to use their minds and knowledge of America’s history and their experience of today’s American society to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme.

Mary Ann (Redl) Moorhead, 91

Mary Ann (Redl) Moorhead, 91, of Winner, SD passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the Winner Regional Nursing Home on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

A private family Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 at 10 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Winner, SD.  Burial  followed in the Winner City Cemetery.  An open public visitation was held on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 from 5-6 p.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with a rosary beginning at 6 p.m.

Mary Ann Redl was born in Iroquois, South Dakota to John and Marie (Brandrup) Redl on Oct. 26, 1932. Growing up in Deadwood, Mary Ann was an active Brownie Scout and social butterfly which continued throughout her life. She was proud to tell stories of her father playing Wild Bill Hickok in the shootout reenactments as well as riding side-saddle in the Days of ‘76 Parade, on her horse named Penny. She hosted her own radio show during her teenage years where her vocals sang any song requested. Her personality shined as a bartender helping her parents at the Inferno, which was built in an old mine shaft near Terry Peak.

On May 24, 1951, she married the love of her life, Gerald Dean Moorhead at the St. Ambrose Church in Deadwood. To this union, three children were born, John, Cindy, and Gerri.

Mary Ann and Gerald moved to Winner, South Dakota to manage Modern Cleaners raising their three children as Winner Warriors. They loved sports; most notably yelling at each other over the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Braves. In 2003, the couple lost their son on a family hunting trip, which Mary Ann never fully recovered from.

Known for her sugar cookies and silly jokes, Mary Ann could warm any room. Her giggle and smile was contagious and her inviting soul welcomed anyone to call her “Grandma.”  She loved to bowl (2005 SDWBA Hall of Fame Inductee), foster any animal (squirrels included), play cards, sing her school song, and spend time with family and friends alike. Her pure joy was watching and cheering on her grandkids and great grandkids no matter their accomplishments, big or small, in-person or on a live stream.

Mary Ann was an expert in the kitchen and in the woodshop with Gerald. Her famous kitchen recipes were: sugar cookies that melted in your mouth, pies that nobody could replicate, and egg rolls that caused family disagreements of who would get the last one. In the last months of her life, she was able to share her joy of cooking homemade noodles for the other residents at the nursing home.

She is survived by her daughters Cindy (Doug) Osborn, Winner; Gerri (Chuck) Mosset, Sioux Falls; special nephew, Billy (Amy) Reiser, Wagner; daughter-in-law, Lori Schrader, Winner, 12 grandchildren: Cody(Brandy), Casey (Laurie), TJ (Michele), Cassidy (Matt), Brady (Jamie), Jamie (Jason), Chelsey (Matt), Dustin, Corey, Rachele (Justin), Randi, and Becca along with 22 great grandchildren, her sister-in-law, Jan Redl, several nieces and nephews and anyone who would consider her their grandma.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Gerald, favorite son, John, parents John and Marie, her sister, Phyllis, and three brothers, Jack, Bill and Donny Redl.

Farm family of the year

Dan Bechtold/Winner Advocate Photo
Bill and Joan Ferguson were named the Winner Area Chamber of Commerce farm/ranch family of the year. The presentation was made by Cody Jorgensen. Pictured from left are Joan Ferguson, Mike Scott, executive director of the Chamber, Cody Jorgensen and Bill Ferguson.

The Winner Area Chamber of Commerce Farm family of the year   recently retired but they have proven to be excellent farmers and innovative in farming practices, expense control, crop rotation and conservation practices. Bill and Joan Ferguson have been married for 60 years.

Bill grew up in Idaho and Joan grew up in Quinn South Dakota. In Bill’s early years his family would come back to his grandfather’s farm in the Winner area to help with wheat harvest.

Bill is a graduate of South School of Mines. After college they lived in Indiana and later in Boston, Mass.  During that time Bill worked with computer control systems.

They decided to move to South Dakota in 1975 to start farming.

During 1975 to 1980 they mostly raised wheat, summer fallow and a little milo if needed.

Bill started to make some changes, still raising wheat and milo  but started being more involved in  eco farming and no till practices  Bill started to see the advantages of no till farming practices with improved health of the soil and better land conservation practices.

Another area Bill has been involved with starting back in 1996 was the implementation of precision ag practices. This was the time of the introduction of yield monitors in combines.

Starting in the 70s’ raising primarily wheat and then started raising corn in 2000 and followed shortly by soybeans.  Current crop rotation is winter wheat, milo, corn, soybeans, sun flowers and spring Wheat.

With Bill and Joan’s farming practices their land was ideal pheasant habitat. In 1997 they began doing paid hunting. They opened a hunting lodge in 2000. The Fergusons have some of the best wild pheasant hunting in the state of South Dakota. One of the things that Bill said that helped his pheasant population is the use of a stripper head during wheat harvest.

Bill and Joan have been great supporters of the Winner Area. In 2011 The Chamber started the Sharpshooter Classic, Bill and Joan were and are still strong supporters of the event. Bill and Joan sponsored the first Young Gun team ( a team of 6 kids 12 to 18 involved in shooting sports) that participated in the competition.  Bill and Joan are good farmers are great people.

Marty’s is the Chamber’s business of the year.

Dan Bechtold/Winner Advocate Photo
Marty’s was named the business of the year at the Winner Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet on Jan. 11. Marty Flakus, owner of the business, right, is presented a plaque by Mike Scott, executive director of the Chamber.

So many times, in our small communities we have the tendency to look at what we don’t have in our community ( Walmart, shopping malls, etc) instead of looking at what we do have and appreciate our businesses and what they do offer.

Winner Area Chamber of Commerce honored a  business  that most other small communities look at and  wish they had a business like this in their communities.

Marty’s is the Chamber’s business of the year.

This business began in Winner in 1989, by a local boy (Marty Flakus)  moving back to his hometown Winner.  At the time he was living in Superior, Wis., working for K Mart. He moved back to Winner and purchased the men’s store from Carl Sperling that was located where the  current Chamber office is. In 1994 he moved to the mini mall his current location and started carrying men’s & ladies fashion. Marty handles men’s, women, accessories, tux rentals, dry cleaning services (if you can remember back when we needed to get our film developed that is where you dropped our film  off to be printed).

In addition to a great selection of fashions to choose from he provides great service and honest opinions. That is how Marty has built his business with quality products, a well merchandised store, and excellent personal customer service.