Harkening Back
News from Clarissa's Past
25 Years Ago
January 14, 1998
Dennis Cuchna and his partner, Howard Hansen who lives in Burnsville, began their business venture, Battle Lake Outdoors in the summer of 1988. Cuchna, who is a 1976 graduate of Clarissa High School, got into this business because of his love for the outdoors. He began making his own sporting bags to use when he was hiking or biking. Eventually, he was making the bags for friends. Cuchna and Hansen began their shop in Clarissa in what was formerly the old theater building and have now expanded to the old grocery store next door. Battle Lake Outdoors has six full-time employees. They are: Dennis, Howard, Roz Cuchna, Laurie Connolly, Debra Kunerth and Sharilyn Remer. Dennis’ wife Julia also helps out with some of the trade shows.
**********
The Clarissa City Council and John Meyer, the city’s grant writer, huddled with Tim and Jeff from the engineering firm Widseth Smith and Nolting last Thursday evening. The engineers proposed a $2,437,000 water improvement project for the city. By the end of the night, the engineers said that the priorities set by the council increased the cost of the project rather than lowering it. Meyer said all we can do is present our best case and see what kind of response the city will get from the granting agencies.
50 Years Ago
January 11, 1973
“Grandma” Sumey quietly marked her 100th birthday on New Year’s Day at the Shady Lane Rest Home in Wadena. She seemed unmoved by the century event. To her, it was just another day. The only thing that really bothered her as she looked out the window in her room was the snow, “she wished it’d go away.”
**********
Vernon Holmquist, a 44-year-old farmer who lives two miles south of town, began a series of rabies shots last Tuesday as the result of contact with a rabid animal. The contact happened when Holmquist was feeding his young stock on New Year’s Eve, in an outside pole barn. He noticed a Holstein steer was having difficulty chewing hay. He presumed the steer was choking on the hay and reached into his mouth to pull the hay out. Later he noticed the same steer again having difficulty chewing and expected something unusual when much saliva was running out of the steer’s mouth—this is a sign of rabies.
Comments