Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, July 21, 1949
• Albert Rieck suffered a very painful injury last Friday when he fell and broke his right heel. Albert was shingling on Mrs. Della Ryan’s home when he started to come down off the roof to talk to someone, caught his overall trousers on a nail which threw him off balance and made him fall and hit his heel on a cement step so hard that it broke his right heel badly. Otto Rieck was called and rushed him to the Bertha Hospital where x-rays revealed it too bad a break for them to take care of and he was advised to go to Minneapolis.
• Hear Ye! Official Proclamation to all citizens of Wadena County! In cooperation with the Little Round Hill Centennial Celebration we hereby proclaim the “Robin Hood” hat the official head gear for the Little Round Hill Celebration—failure to comply with the proclamation will necessitate a fine of fifty cents. Signed Lester J. Marquardt, Mayor of Verndale and A. P. Lindblom, Mayor of Aldrich.
• Mrs. Alvin Benson, our West Lyons reporter, sent in the news of a tame pigeon coming to the Ted Holmen farm last Saturday. The pigeon carries a sterling band identification tag number AU47-RAM651 around one of its legs. Just where the pigeon came from remains a mystery.
40 Years Ago, July 25, 1984
• Electricity was out for over an hour in a large area on Sunday after lightning struck a transformer at the REA substation about a mile and a half east of Verndale. Clocks in the neighborhood went off at 9:35 and when power was returned, began again at 10:50 a.m. REA crews removed burned up wires and the pole across the road to the west showed a large scorched area as a result of the strike. Two miles east, four head of cattle died as a result of lightning. Merlyn Winterfeld lost two milk cows and two steers. They were found lying in a row in the pasture near a tree.
• Crowning Wadena County Outstanding Senior Citizens on Sunday at the Wadena County Fair were Clara Howard of Nimrod and Amos Brown of Verndale. Placing the crowns was Representative Jerry Graba from Sebeka, and Evelyn Erckenbrack of Verndale read the prize-winning essay on grandparents written by Kari Bounds of Verndale.
• Beginners in 4-H dog projects competing at this year’s county fair were Jennifer Geray with her dog, Sam, who amassed a total of 175 points; Barb Leonard, who, with Charlie, earned 178 points; and Connie Nanik with Freckles, won first place with 194 and a half points.
• 4-H demonstrations were given throughout the day on Saturday, providing youth with the opportunity to appear before the public and gain poise. Pictured, Sheri McClure, in her fourth year, demonstrated how to decorate your home if you have little time to devote to it by providing greenery through indoor gardening, via terrariums.
15 Years Ago, July 23, 2009
• “This is an activity that brings the kids together just like a team sport. It is amazing what these directors can do with the kids in four days,” said Sandie Cottrell, who is a part of the summer theatre community education project now in its third year. In four days the performers—who range from school age kids to adults—transform not only themselves but the school stage into a different world. This year the performance will be Tom Sawyer based on the legendary writing of Mark Twain.
• The “boys of summer” are back in full swing. However, these ‘boys’ are now men, but their hearts are still young for the game of baseball. In 1979, a league was developed for players that were 35 and older, known as the Minnesota Senior Men’s Amateur Baseball Association. There are 29 teams statewide now. Speaking to Gary Kern from the Verndale area, who is the secretary for the NW Minnesota league, he explained that the Relics got started by three brothers, Randy, Brian and Mark Burkman, a pitcher for the “Relics” who gave them the name.
• Two weeks ago, the Verndale Bison’s playoff pulse was just barely beating. The buzzards were circling the herd. Impressive back to back Sunday wins helped the ailing Bison get well, putting them into the Lake and Pine Playoffs. In Sunday’s 10-0 win over the Sebeka Stingers, Bison ace pitcher Ryan Greenwood was at the top of his game, and had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning.
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