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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Fillmore County Fair July 17-22 Inside this issue
Rushford seeking changes page
Monday, July 16, 2018
Spring Valley sets hearing on ATV usage
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page
15
Volume 33 Issue 43
Harmony library to receive proceeds page
21
Swimming pool construction page
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Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Navy Seaman First Class Joseph M. Johnson now rests in peace By Barb Jeffers barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency “gives new meaning to no man left behind,” stated Patricia Farinacci, during a tribute to her uncle, Joseph M. Johnson, whose remains were escorted back home to Rushford, Minn., 76 years and 7 months after his death at Pearl Harbor. Joseph Morris Johnson (“Joe”) was born on February 4, 1919, to Helmer and Marie (Sande) Johnson in Columbus, N. Dak. Joe was the oldest of four children, with younger siblings Marilyn, Lucille and Glenn. “When Joe was 14 the family moved to Rushford,” stated Farinacci. “Joe played baseball, was in the band, was a member of
the 1935 championship football team. He loved music and played piano by ear,” she added. After graduating with the Rushford Class of 1939, Joe enlisted in the Navy on April 23, 1940. He attended basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois and then received further training as a radioman in the State of Washington. Joe reported for duty aboard the USS Oklahoma in Hawaii and was on duty when Pearl Harbor was attacked on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941. The first attack was a torpedo attack and the USS Oklahoma was the first ship to be hit. Having been hit by six
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See JOHNSON Page 2
Navy Seaman First Class Joseph M. Johnson was finally laid to rest, more than 76 years after he was killed aboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. Photo by Barb Jeffers
End of an era as Herman’s Standard closes Wykoff group seeks to to the current location at 131 By Barb Jeffers
barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Hwy 52 in Fountain. With a larger parking lot area and more service bays, the business was able to handle a larger volume of vehicles for service work. When asked why they wanted to own their own business, Herman replied, “An opportunity arose and we took it,” and the Miller’s worked hard to make that business a success. Herman’s Standard has employed countless high school kids, giving many of them their first real job, and enjoyed each and every one of those kids. “We had a lot of them,” states Linda, saying it would be difficult for them to come up with an exact number as See HERMAN’s Page 6
repurpose empty school By R ich Wicks rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
There was “standing room only” at the public hearing and regular meeting of the Wykoff City Council on July 9. Council members in attendance included Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, City Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett and Richard Gleason. Rocky Vreeman was absent. The public hearing was held first, regarding the Main Street assessment. Daren Sikkink, representing WHKS, gave a presentation about the project, which will include one block of South Main Street, between Centennial and South Streets. He explained that this was the final assessment hearing, so anyone who wished
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to file an appeal would have to indicate that before the end of the meeting. He also explained the appeal process, and gave an overview of the project, which includes installing curb and gutter, which will widen the street slightly (to 33 feet) and upgrading the sanitary sewer to an eightinch pipe. Sikkink explained that Wykoff’s standard process is to assess 20% of the assessable costs to the property owners impacted. He said in this case, the “typical assessment” comes out to $89.04 per foot of frontage on the street. He also outlined the payment options that these property owners would have. Sikkink said the project See EMPTY SCHOOL Page 11
Since 1856
Since 1901
“It’s going to be different,” says Herman Miller, owner of Herman’s Standard Station in Fountain, Minn., about his upcoming retirement and closure of the business on Friday, July 27, 2018, after 47 years in business. Herman and his wife Linda, who own and operate the business together, will both be retiring after decades of serving the residents of Fillmore County. “In this business you’re never really done,” he explains, between vehicles needing service and a 24/7 tow truck service. So it will be nice “to be done with work for once,” Herman notes. In 1964, Duaine Bacon had
a gas station on the west side of Fountain which is now a private residence. “That’s where I started pumping gas when I was in high school,” states Herman. In 1966, Bacon moved from that location to the Skelly Station on the east side of Fountain where K & R Equipment is now located. “I went with him down there,” says Herman, working for Bacon for several more years. In 1971, they started on their own, says Herman, as Linda explains, “We bought the business, not the building, from Duaine and Bernie (Bernita) Bacon,” which was the start of Herman’s Standard Service. January 1978 brought about a big change as Herman and Linda moved their business