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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Clover Contest Winner!
Wendell Meyer
Monday, March 30, 2015
Houston SB “Willie’s” discusses CAD makes history page 10
page 9
Volume 30 Issue 27
Fillmore Central receives donations
Stop in to Wild Red’s Canton Pub
page 12
page 19
Canton l Chatfield l Fountain l Harmony l Lanesboro l Mabel l Ostrander l Peterson l Preston l Rushford l Rushford Village l Spring Valley l Whalan l Wykoff
Bergey Boys Blazing BBQ Team Half century of service take cook-outs to a new level celebrated By K aren R eisner
karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Phil Abrahamson won re-election for another term after a half century of service as Holt Township’s treasurer on March 10. Abrahamson expected to once again take his oath of office, but was surprised by a gathering of friends, a beautiful cake, and gifts to honor his 50 year milestone. Board chairman Loren Berge, supervisors Robert Knutson and Don Ruen, and clerk Chris Gudmundson, all of rural Lanesboro, joined with him, his family, and friends in the celebration. Abrahamson took his first oath of office in March of 1965 at age 25. He took on the office of treasurer after his father, Arnold, retired after decades of service in the same position. Phil and his wife, Ruth, own and operate Sunnyslope Angus,
their registered black Angus cattle farming operation. Registered Angus cattle have been bred and raised on this farm, dotting its slopes, since 1898. Over the years the family has grown as has the farming operation. Corn, hay, oats, and barley are raised on about 750 acres which includes some rented land. A little over half of the acreage is in crop production, while the remainder is in pasture and building sites. The Abrahamsons will host their annual open house at the farm on Sunday, May 31. On Monday, June 1, their 38th Annual Registered Angus Sale will be held at the Lanesboro Sales Commission featuring Angus breeding stock. Phil and Ruth have two daughters. Julie and her husband, Keith Ekstrom, farm in partnership with her parents and have three children. Jess See CELEBRATED Page 13
Bids accepted for Spring Valley Industrial Park project By R ich Wicks rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Brady, Brandon, Brock, and Don Bergey at the 2014 Boomer Backyard Cook-Off during Canton Days. Photo courtesy of the Bergey Boys BBQ team By Morgan McM animon - Myers morgan@fillmorecountyjournal.com
How good is your barbeque? Would you take it to a nationwide competition? That’s just what the men of the Bergey family aimed to do when they entered the “Fire and Ice” bar-
beque competition on a frozen lake in Brainerd just a few weeks ago. The family of cook-out enthusiasts competed against nearly 50 teams in a 24-hour competition during which they had to prepare and present four categories of barbeque – chicken, pork ribs, pork butt, and beef brisket – within a strict time
frame of thirty-minute intervals. Entries were judged based on appearance, tenderness, and taste. The team took home the Grand Champion prize in the “Anything Alcohol” category for their S’mores Shooters – a chocolate pudding, Irish cream, See BERGEY Page 3
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session on March 23, attended by all members (Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Bill Bires, Jeff Vehrenkamp, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Tom Wente gave a summary of the Audit Report on the city of Spring Valley, prepared by the accounting firm of Smith Schafer & Associates, Ltd. The audit gave an “unmodified, clean opinion”
for 2014, and found no legal compliance exceptions.The council approved the minutes of the March 9 meeting, and approved March Final Accounts Payable, then opened the floor to visitors, but none had signed up to speak to the council. The council voted to accept the Audit report as submitted, and considered the purchase of the Kathy Foster property. Deb Zimmer explained that the owner had asked if the city might be interested in buying the property for any reason. See PART PROJECT Page 2
Prices Effective: March 30th - April 4th Closed on easter sunday