Winner Area dance team placed sixth at the state meet in Sioux Falls on Friday.
Both hip hop and pom placed fourth.
Coach Sarah Taggart said the team gave their best performance of the year. “They executed the routines cleanly and performed with emotion. We were definitely disappointed by our scores, especially hip hop. We are still trying to figure out what the judges comments mean,” said the coach.
Named all state were Emily Sachtjen and Bailey Fairbanks.
Taggart said the team had a fun weekend and all got to end the season knowing they have given their all and can walk away with no regrets.
Taggart will miss the six seniors. “They all were great leaders and great dancers. We will be a young team next year with no seniors and only two juniors so we will really be focusing on developing our skills and strong motions.”
The Rosebud chapter Pheasants Forever will hold its annual banquet on Friday, Oct. 27 at the middle school auditorium. The social hour and games will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The dinner will be at 7:30 p.m. and will be catered by County Fair Food.
Following the dinner will be be the live auction. There will be over 70 guns given away at this event. Mike Scott, president of the local Pheasants Forever, feels good about the selection of guns.
Also featured will be a puppy donated by Tresh Swedlund that will be auctioned off.
Persons can obtain tickets from any board member, Winner Area Chamber of Commerce, Farmers Union Insurance or at the door.
The board members are: Jeremy Clay, Mike Scott, Tom Mathis, James Mathis, Doug Long, Ray Neyens, Marty Morstenson, Brad Whitley, Brad Assman, Tom Meiners, Cody Kartak, Will Engel, Tim Pravecek and Ethan Ernest.
All are welcome to attend. Money raised helps with local Pheasant Forever programs.
Funeral services for Jeannine Johnson age 93 of Des Moines, IA formerly of Gregory, SD will be held on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. at the Methodist Church, Gregory, SD. Burial will follow in the Colome City Cemetery. There is a visitation Friday night from 6-8 p.m. at the church.
Memorial services for Robert Dykeman age 82 of Mesa, AZ will be held on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. at Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home, Gregory, SD. Burial will follow in the Colome City Cemetery.
Roland Wayne Piper, 96, of Hot Springs, SD, passed away on Oct. 11, 2023, at his residence surrounded by family.
Roland was born on Feb. 18, 1927 to Verne and Beatrice (Casey) Piper at Carter, SD. He was the first of five boys born into this family. During his early years, the family lived on ranches near Wood, SD. He attended country school for eight years then went to Wood High School where he graduated in 1945 as Salutatorian. Roland married his high school sweetheart, Twila O’Connor, on Sept. 21, 1946 in Winner, SD. They lived on a farm in the area until 1949, when they moved to Rapid City where Roland managed a Phillips 66 service station. From 1951-1958 they resided on various farms near Draper, SD and Vivian, SD. Together they milked cows and cared for a very large flock of sheep along with feeding a few thousand market lambs.
In 1958, they purchased a ranch south of Hot Springs, SD where they lived for nearly 30 years. During this time their son was born. Together they maintained a sizeable herd of cattle and sheep while working full time jobs in town. Roland started his building construction company, doing all types of carpentry and masonry projects in the local area until his retirement in 1989.
He married DeAnna Wotier in 1988, and operated an irrigated farm near Oral, SD from 1989-1996. To that union, two sons were born.
Roland was baptized into the Lutheran Church after moving to Hot Springs. He was an active member of both Bethesda Lutheran Church and then later, Grace Lutheran Church serving various leadership roles in both congregations.
Roland didn’t shy away from a hard day’s work during his lifetime, although he enjoyed spending time with his sons and their activities. He had a passion for family history and believed in carrying forward our family stories. He was also an avid player of cribbage and card games, he enjoyed watching rodeoes and antique tractor shows. But above all, Roland loved socializing, especially dancing. He spent many Thursday afternoons at the Minneluzahan Center in Rapid City, along with any dance in the region he could attend. He was also a member of the Black Hills German Good Time Club.
Grateful for sharing Roland’s life include his survivors, sons, Randy (Karmen) Piper of Sioux Falls; Wayne Piper of Edgemont; Drake (LaShia) Piper of Fort Pierre; chosen daughter, Jazmine (Piper) Tarant of Hot Springs; twin granddaughters, Erika Piper of Omaha, NE; Brooke Piper of Sioux Falls, brothers, Don Piper of Osage, WY; Harold (Charlotte) Piper of Wood; Rodney Piper of Wood; sister-in-law, Dorothy Piper of Winner; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Twila Piper; one brother, Edward Piper; sisters-in-laws, Ina Piper; Nancy Piper; Gwendolyn Sherwood; brother-in-law, Glen Sherwood Jr. and a nephew, Roger Sherwood
Visitation will be held 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, at Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Hot Springs, SD.
Funeral service will be held 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at Grace Lutheran Church in Hot Springs, SD.
Committal services will be held 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at the Wood Community Hall and Evergreen Cemetery in Wood, SD.
Arrangements have been placed in the care of Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Hot Springs, SD.
By Dan Bechtold
Editor
The population of Tripp County will increase this weekend as the opening of the state pheasant season is Saturday, Oct. 21.
Hunters from across the country flock to Tripp County which is one of the best pheasant hunting areas in the state.
Hotels and motels will see added guests and lodges will be full with hunters.
The hunting season runs from Oct. 21 to Jan. 31. Shooting hours are 10 a.m. to sunset.
The daily limit is three rooster pheasants with a possession limit of 15 rooster pheasants.
The resident only season was Oct. 14-16 on public lands only.
Places in Winner where persons can obtain a pheasant hunting license are: Winner True Value, Runnings, Jeff’s Gun Vault, Gus Stop and Buche Hardware.
Winner Area Chamber of Commerce is ready to welcome hunters. Banners have been placed on Main Street. The Chamber has information on the community at local motels.
The Chamber is asking business employees to wear orange or Hunt SD t-shirts on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. “This is a way to show uniformity in the community. It lets hunters know they are welcome and we appreciate them for coming here to hunt,” said Mike Scott, executive director of the Chamber.
Scott added the Chamber will have the doors open if hunters have questions on lodging, restaurants, gun service, vet service or helping them find hunting land.
“I think it will be a strong year for bird numbers,” said Scott.
Conservation officer Dillon Bates says bird numbers should be good. However, he was so sure as he looked out of his office window in February. Winner had a punishing winter with lots of snow.
“Winter was rough and that knocked our numbers down,” said Bates who has been in Winner for three years.
“We really had a good spring and summer so the broods we did have were big. There was a lot of moisture and bugs which was good for the pheasant chicks,” he said. Bates noted hunters are going to see a lot of young birds this year.
He said numbers wise it is going to be close to last year. “We are sitting ok. It is a lot better than I thought we were going to be in February,” Bates said.
The conservation officer says it is hard to tell how many hunters are coming until the day they get here. “I have not had as many calls as I usually have.”
In looking at concentration of birds in Tripp County, Bates says there are more birds in the northern part of the county. He explained the Ideal area is the epicenter of the pheasant population.
“It looks like the weather is going to be good for the opening weekend with weather maybe 60-65 degrees. I am excited,” he said.
Bates says Winner is a great town to work in. “People are super nice to me and glad to see me around. They are very welcoming. It has made it easy for me. It is good to see people come back to the area year after year.”
When asked what he enjoys about the pheasant season, he said: “What I like most is how it brings the community together. Everyone is excited about it and everyone is having a great day. I like being part of it all. I get to be outside and while I am not hunting pheasants I am watching everyone else having fun. It is always enjoyable to me.”
When asked what he wants hunters to remember, Bates said to read the rules and regulations before going hunting. If road hunting, remember to pull over to the side of the road, shut the door and get out of vehicle. “We don’t want guns going off in a vehicle,” Bates said.
The economics of pheasant hunting is big for South Dakota. Tripp County is one of the areas where total dollars spent is high.
In 2022, $11.8 million was the total dollars spent in Tripp County. This includes $2.5 million by resident hunters and $9.4 million by non-resident.
The total number of non-resident hunters last year in Tripp County was 4,151 according to GFP.
Total birds harvested in Tripp County was 48,088 including 34,709 by non-resident and 13,379 by resident.
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