Category Archives: News

Work continues on Pix Theater

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Dan Bechtold/Winner Advocate Photo
Members of the Winner VFW Auxiliary presented a $2,000 donation to the board of the Winner Pix Theater. The donation was made possible because of the annual holiday wreath fundraiser sales the auxiliary does each fall. The auxiliary voted to give back to the community for all the support they have given. Pictured in front from left are Jack Burns of the theater board, Rosemary Connot and Marsha Risseeuw of the VFW Auxiliary. In back from left are Don Tuttle of the theater board, Jana Pravecek of VFW auxiliary and Brenda Klein of the theater board.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Work is progressing on the  Pix Theater with plans for it to open early this summer.

The popular theater sustained two fires and since the last fire in October the theater board made plans to repair the building.

The first fire was in September  in a vacant building next to the theater. The Pix sustained water and smoke damage.

Then in October there was a fire inside the theater which caused a lot of damage.

Brenda Klein and Jack Burns, theater board members, talk recently about the progress on the building.

The electrical work is mostly completed. The carpentry work is 90 percent done.

The flooring company returned April 3 to refinish the flooring.

There is a new screen wall and there will be a new picture screen.

The speakers are here but have not been installed.

Klein explained around the second week of April the speakers will be installed.

The new seats will arrive the first week in May. Burns and Klein said the seats are much nicer and will  have a higher back and will be wider.

The new popcorn machine is here and also the ice machine for the concession stand.

Klein said the work has gone well. She noted board members and community volunteers have put in a lot of hours getting the theater back into shape. Several Winner High School students helped and used it for community service hours for National Honor Society.

Burns said there will be an Eagle scout who will use installing the seating as his Eagle project.

A month before the theater opens the board will be looking to hire part-time concession staff and possibly a manager.

Klein said the theater will be very impressive when it opens. There will be a fresh coat of paint and new doors.

“The layout of the theater has not changed a lot. It will be fresher, brighter and newer,” said Burns.

Serving on the theater board are: Klein, president; Jon Schlomer, vice president; Lynnelle Anderson, secretary; Don Tuttle, treasurer, board members Burns, Sarah Taggart, Molly Knutelski, Val Ewing and Deb Moeller.

Soon (this summer) the Pix Theater will re-open. Persons will be able to see their favorite movies and enjoy that great concession stand popcorn.

The Pix Theater has been a staple of the Winner community and persons have worked hard so that the theater downtown remains a vital part of the community.

Gregory (Pete) Gayle Petersen, 73

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Gregory (Pete) Gayle Petersen, 73, of Burke, South Dakota, passed away on March 28, 2023, after a hard-fought 2 ½ year battle with cancer.

Funeral services were held April 1 at the Grace Lutheran Church in Burke. Burial was in Graceland Cemetery.

Greg was born on March 29, 1949 in Burke, South Dakota, to Orris and Ruth (Evans) Petersen. Many don’t know this, but Greg was baptized in the Burke hospital on April 2, 1949 due to being premature. Fourteen years later on June 9, 1963, Greg was confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Burke where he recited Psalm 103:1-2 as his confirmation verse—”Bless the Lord, oh my soul.”

Greg spent his younger years helping his family own and operate the feed mill in Burke – Petersen Produce. His summers were filled playing baseball with his pals. Baseball wasn’t the only sport Greg had a knack for; He picked up his first golf club at the age of 10 and was a natural. He would go on to excel at golf, winning many tournaments throughout his younger days while enjoying numerous 4-men scrambles as he grew older.

 A proud Bulldog, Greg graduated from BHS in 1967. From there he went on to major in political science and minor in music at South Dakota State University.  From a young age Greg was an accomplished pianist; a talent that earned him the honor of accompanying SDSU’s men’s choir The Statesmen for several years during college.  After four years of driving his Olds Cutlass back and forth to Brookings, Greg graduated from SDSU in 1971 and has remained a lifelong Jackrabbit fan ever since.

After graduation, Greg returned to Burke and began working for Doc McKenzie at the Burke Vet Clinic. Little did he know that he would meet his wife, Kathy, while working there. Kathy was attending North Carolina State for animal science and her college friend, Betsy Senter, convinced Kathy to visit Burke in January 1980. She ended up taking a job at the same vet clinic where Greg worked, and the rest was history.

On Sept. 20, 1980, Greg and Kathy were united in marriage at Grace Lutheran Church. Greg soon transitioned to work alongside his dad on the family farm just south of Burke. While farming was the work, Greg’s proudest achievement in life was being “dad” to James and Courtney. They both would grow up sharing a passion for two of Greg’s favorite hobbies, golf and piano. He never missed an opportunity to share about his kids with anyone who would listen.

While Greg would argue that he never really quit farming, it soon became his ‘part time’ job as he took the last load of Petersen Charolais cattle to town in the early 2000’s. It didn’t take long for Greg to fill his time with his third favorite hobby, any kind of game that involved a friendly wager. Known as ‘Pete’ to his beloved wagering friends, he loved a good game of Hold’em and he never missed the chance to participate in a sports league bracket. Even after being diagnosed with cancer, playing cards with his friends was the highlight of his week.

Greg kicked off his last full-time job, being a grandpa, in 2012. He absolutely adored his grandchildren Hattie (10), Nora (7), and Walter (3). He never made a visit without bringing treats, and he was notorious for offering ice cream before Grandma could get food on the table. He always grinned when Nora would say, “well grandpa said we could!” Some of their best memories with grandpa were being taught how to light a firecracker (and run) and learning how to drive his “Jackrabbit” golf cart.

Greg will be missed and remembered by many for his big heart, his pranks, his quick wit, his love of the Jackrabbits, his amazing piano talent, his clutch putter when money was on the line, and his passion for lighting up the neighborhood with fireworks on the 4th of July. And while his journey here on earth was shorter than we would like, we can’t help but think he is already teeing off on heaven’s best course.

Greg is survived by wife Kathy, son James of Vancouver, WA, daughter Courtney (Mike) of Mount Vernon, SD, and his beloved grandchildren Hattie, Nora, and Walter. He was preceded in death by his parents, Orris and Ruth Petersen.

Donald Moosmeier, 89

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Donald Moosmeier, 89, of Winner, SD passed away on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, Dakota State Veterans Cemetery in Sioux Falls at a later date.  A visitation was  held on Wednesday, March, 29, 2023 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church from 6-7 p.m.  with a rosary beginning at 7 p.m.

Donald Wayne Moosmeier was born in Vermillion, South Dakota on April 1, 1933 to John and Katie (Langle) Moosmeier. He was raised on a farm near Dixon, SD and graduated from high school in Winner in 1951, having been a part of the boxing team, Future Farmers of America, and the National Honor Society. He then went to college at South Dakota State University studying agriculture.

In 1953, he was drafted into the Army, spending time in Texas and New Jersey. After his time in the Army, he came back to the farm to help his father.

In 1956, he met Donna Earll in downtown Winner. After dating for one and a half years, they married on Nov. 23, 1957. To this union, four children were born – Deb, Dan, DeEtte, and Darla.

Don enjoyed being active in his community, starting with 4-H as a child. He became a 4-H leader, and also served on the Co-Op board, the Sully Township board, Winner School Board and the REA board. His 20 years in the REA afforded him the opportunity to take annual trips around the country, enriching his American experience, and broadening his appreciation for and commitment to his local community, Don was also a member of the Elks, the American Legion, and the Knights of Columbus.

He loved bowling and all of the social interaction that came with playing in league bowling. At the height of this activity, Don enjoyed bowling in 5 different shifts a week, including a mixed shift with Donna. Many of the friendships formed went well beyond just bowling and you could find Don and Donna playing cards with their friends, as well as spending weekends going camping and fishing at the Missouri River. Don created many memories going camping and fishing with his children and grandchildren too.

Don was a huge fan of the Minnesota Twins, and would often have their games playing on the radio as he maintained and repaired his farm machinery. As much as he loved following Twins baseball and the Vikings football, Don had a unique appreciation for local sports, both men and women sports, and he was an even bigger fan of his grandchildren in all of their sports activities.  He and Donna would travel the state to watch their games.

Don was a “here and now” kind of guy, a genuine man with his own mind, not overly influenced by media narratives and noise, and not needing to impose his thoughts on others. He lived by the Golden Rule, accepted others as they were, and had a knack for enjoying whomever he was with at the time. His smile and laughter made friendships easy to have with him and he was always open to playing a game with you, especially card games – especially Cribbage.

Don is survived by his wife, Donna, and four children – Deb Piper, Dan Moosmeier, DeEtte (Randy) Bell, and Darla (Duane) Bachmann; eight grandchildren – Emily Piper, Sara (Shawn) Renshaw, Heidi Moosmeier, Preston Bell, Nick Bell, Brandon (Sadie) Bell, Jacob (Myra) Bachmann, Luke (Liz) Bachmann; and ten great-grandchildren – Payton, Landon, Ethan, Hannah, Benjamin, Briggs, Brinkley, Julie, Ben, Darla Erin, and a girl on the way.

He was preceded in death by his parents John and Katie, and his sister Elaine.

SD.  A memorial service was held on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 10 a.m.  at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Winner, SD.

Touch a Tractor

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Dan Bechtold/Winner Advocate Photo
Jay Myers of Myers Grain and Livestock explains his business to Winner Elementary students at the Winner Area Chamber of Commerce Touch a Tractor. Several pieces of farm machinery were displayed at the event on March 23. The students learned about agriculture during Ag Appreciation Week.

Southern Plains adds new addition

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Dan Bechtold/Winner Advocate Photo
Southern Plains Behavioral Health Services is expanding with the addition of a new building. The second part of the building was moved onto the foundation on March 22.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Southern Plains Behavioral Health is getting an addition to its building in Winner.

The 52×82 addition will be attached to the north of the current building.

Southern Plains found there was not enough space in their current building for staff and thus the need to grow.

The expansion will allow the clinical staff to each have their own office.

The new addition will have 20 offices, family room, a room that can be used for life skills or small groups, two bathrooms and a large utility room. There is also a full kitchen and the small group room will open into the kitchen area. The kitchen will be used for Life Skills classes and teaching persons how to cook.

There will be a breezeway which will connect the two buildings.

The main entrance will remain the same as well as the parking. However, there will be additional parking to the west of the new building. This will have 14 parking spaces.

“Currently we have people sharing offices and some are three to an office. When sharing an office it is not conducive to doing a therapy session,” explained Lindsey McCarthy, executive director of Southern Plains.

The new addition was made by Custom Touch Homes of Madison and came to Winner in two sections. “We are all excited to have it here,” said McCarthy. “We have some staff who have never had an office to call their own. They have been patient in waiting for a space to call their own,” added the director.

McCarthy said the new addition will be adequate space for the services currently offered by Southern Plains.

The expansion will also provide room to grow.

Southern Plains serves a four county area of Tripp, Todd, Mellette and Gregory counties.

McCarthy explained the new building has been ready since September but due to site  work not ready and all the snow and bad weather it could not get to Winner. McCarthy explained several years ago Southern Plains had plans for a new building but the project ever got done. “When we were out of space we had the old plans and were able to make some modifications,” she explained.

WHS honor roll

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Seniors

Honor – Kendyl Bachmann, Mali Beehler, Amanda Blare, Brindy Bolander, Melanie Brozik, Faith Covey, Shayne Day, Maggie DeMers, Kiley Felix, Justin Hausmann, Ainsley Henderson, Trista Kierstead, Joselin Kludt, Jack Kruger, Tessa Mann, Kelbi Meiners, Aleya Miller, Pierce Nelson, Hunter Osborn, Dalton Petersen, Rylee Root, Clay Sell, Mallory Thayer, Blake Volmer, Leah Wiechelman

Merit – Ethan Bartels, Illyanna Crabb, Tayden Mathis, Riley Orel, Jack Peters, Cody Wheadon

Juniors

Honor – Leila Balsiger, Aiden Barfuss, Noah Best, Maxton Brozik, Kendall Dice, Bailey Fairbanks, Payton Fisher, Ellison Kaiser, Alexis Klein, Ashlynn McPhee, Jude Sargent, Samuel Scholz, Saylor Schuyler, Cassandra Shutt, Braden Tarrell, Cecilia Watson

Merit – Conroy Chasing Hawk, Karlee Cihak-Brozik, Miranda Fisher, SierraAnn McCall, Stratton Morehart, Baronn Niehus, Garret Phillips, Emily Sachtjen, Rylee Schroeder, Cassidy Seeking Land, Aiden Tunnissen

Sophomores

Honor – Jackson Bachmann, August Bartels, Ava Craven, Broden Duffy, Bo Hurley, Karson Keiser, Keelie Kuil, Hayden McMurtrey, Cora Moss, Preslie Petersek, Aiden Semrad Schroeder, Tessa Sieh

Merit – Evan Bartels, Kierra Bainter, Austin Blare, Matthew Brozik, Landon Calhoon, Kellen Cihak-Brozik, Kadin Eli, Shawn Hammerbeck, Randa Heinzman, Andrew Henderson, Kyla Mammen, Jacob Manke, Adam Miller, Konner Osborn, Hunter Shippy

Freshmen

Honor – Joseph Anderson, Livia Audiss, Lillian Barfuss, Matthew Calhoon, Jasmine Crow Eagle, Amanda Edwards, Brianna Gilchrist, Addison Heenan, Noah Manke, Roper Moore, Zachary Olson, Ryken Orel, Gracie Root, Kylie Sachtjen, Paige Sachtjen, Kaylele Soles, Sadie Tegethoff, Sierra Wise

Merit – Hanna Danford, Derek Fenenga, Bailey Fisher, Abe Kaiser, Parker Mathis, Quincy Phillips, Gregory Seeking Land, Olivia Swedlund

Eighth Grade

Honor – Suchi Chaudhari, Carter Craven, Willima Jorgensen

Merit – Camdyn Anderson, Evan Balsiger, Masen Beehler, Jedediah Blare, Chase Blotsky, Mason Curtis, Lena DeMers, Carter Foster, Brooke Headrick, Aidan Hespe, Hunter Kahler, Landon LaCompte, Evan Littau, Piper Mortenson, Elzabeth Moser, Reven Moss, Peydin Peterson, Maree Pravecek, Shannon Rank, Oren Sargent, Bailey Shelbourn, Coy Shelbourn, Chloe Taggart

Seventh Grade

Honor – Alexis Bennett, Evan Bice, Macey Hammerbeck, Levi Heenan, Nadia Millian, Katie Pederson, Hudson Peters, Payton Sargent

Merit – Jaelyn Assman, Legend Benedict, Tanner Bunker, Jamisyn Crow Eagle, Madelyn Danford, Langston Dutt, Kendall Engel, Kahler Gesinger, Reese Halligan, Paisley Hossle, Josiah Klein, Cater McKenzie, Riley Peppel, Kacie Petersen, Savanna Swedlund, Jalen Tideman, Dillian Woods

Sixth Grade

Honor – Avery Antelope, Amelia Boerner, Jori Fenenga, Jacob Gregg, Allie Henderson, Allie Littau, Avery Manke, Cameron Olson, Adyson Sharp, Evan Taggart, Kynslie Tegethoff, Sharlotte Tuttle

Merit – Rylan Assman, Logan Calhoon, Alexis Crabb, Cooper Craven, Kage Day, Weston Foster, Lacinda His Law, Presley McCall, Kinley Meek, Avery Miller, Roukyn Robbins, Teegan Shelbourn, Tatum Swan, Ryan VanDerWerff, Apollo Willuweit, Brayden Woods

Colome Honor Roll

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A’s

Senior – Devan Dougherty, Morgan Gill, Ashlyn Hoffine, Landi Krumpus, Aidan Muller, Taylor Nelsen, Paige Paulson, Jordyn Ring, Libbie Petersek, Sully Shippy

Junior – Shaleena Kingsley, Joseph Laprath, Tianna Larson, Lilly Nelson, Emma Vandenbark

Sophomore – Westlie Cahoy, Lane Leighton

Freshmen – Seth Heath, Gracie Rohde

Eighth Grade – Addison Muller

Seventh Grade – Benjamin Vandenbark

A’s and B’s (No C’s)

Senior – Kash Heath, Kaden Pechota

Junior – Jordyn Harter

Sophomore – Raylynn Dehning, Raelynn Kingsley

Freshmen – Rystan DeSmet, Alex Larson, Emme Nelsen, William Slaymaker

Eighth Grade – Summer Cerv, Tila Harter

Seventh Grade – Bode Kingsley, Berkley Meeder

Sixth Grade – Olivia Feyereisen, Brooke Jarrett, Tenlie Rohde, Harley Supik, Emma Watzel

B Average (No D’s)

Senior – Sophie Hofeldt, Taitin Ringing Shield, Toree Ringing Shield, Burner Schenefeld

Junior – Jack Anderson, Klayton Heath, Kalene Preslicka

Sophomore – Hadley Harruff, Aspyn McKenzie, Jonah Musser, Dustin Sund, Alana Suplik

Freshmen – Sam Brandsgaard, Keasha Kartak, Madison Dufek, Aleah Musser, Savannah O’Bryan

Seventh Grade – MaKayla Chambers, Anika Musser, Bentley Samuel, Oakley Schenefeld, Rayma Vobr, Rihanna Widow

Sixth Grade – Kyler Vobr

AAU wrestlers place at state

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Several Winner AAU wrestlers placed in the state tournament in Aberdeen this weekend.

Legend Benedict and Apollo Willuweit were both crowned champions in the schoolboy division.

Benedict won first place with a 12-6 decision over Caleb Cuka of Bon Homme.

Willuweit won first place with a pin over Will Norman of Sioux Falls O’Gorman in 3:25.

Also placing were:

Lawson Helkenn, 4th; Lucchese Helkenn. 6th; Rhogan Robbins, 2nd; Bridger Stirling, 3rd; Bentley Moser, 8th; Talon Labahn, 2nd; JadeLynn McCall, 8th; Jaelyn Assman, 4th; Blayden Stirling, 8th; Cooper Craven, 2nd; Roukyn Robbins, 2nd; Max Fiesterman, 8th; Evan Littau, 6th. 

Phase III of the Highway 18 reconstruction project

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Northern Plains Construction of Winner works on laying pipe on the west end of Winner as Phase III of the Highway 18 reconstruction project has begun. Traffic is now reduced to one lane from Van Buren Street to the bridge west of Winner. The public is asked to drive with care in the construction zone. Reede Construction of Aberdeen is the prime contractor.