PRSRT STD ECR WSS US. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 70 MADELIA, MN 56062
Fillmore County Fair
POSTAL PATRON
July 23-27, 2013 Check out the inside for stories and a schedule of events!
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Garage Variances Approved Pages 6-12
page
Monday, July 22, 2013
Houston Schools discuss changes
11
page
13
Volume 28 Issue 42
There will be drama at Kingsland page
24
Rushford Village seeks tighter definitions page
28
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
A leaner National Trout Center By K aren R eisner karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Taking registrations for the Survivor Tea are in back- Lavonne Mensink and Linda Marzolf. In front are Beth Ann Broadwater, Kathy Broadwater, and Charlene Mensink. Photo by Barb Jeffers
Love Lights the Way at Relay for Life By Barb Jeffers barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Relay for Life of Fillmore County took place on Friday, July 12, 2013 beginning at 4pm and ended July 13, at 5am. The event took place in Harmony, Minn. with hundreds of people attending the very meaningful event. The Relay for Life was held at the Community Center in Harmony, which worked perfectly for the many activities that took place. The kick-off began with a Survivor/Caregiver Tea. Emcee’s James Wilcox of KAALTV and Jay Masters welcomed
everyone to the event and introduced Pastor Mary Waudby, Pastor at Scheie & Trinity Lutheran Churches, to give the opening blessing. Loretta Ascheman is a cancer survivor who traveled from Spring Valley, Minn., to enjoy the tea along with others from all around the area. Speaker Chris Hanson, who began her battle with cancer in 2002, shared her story in a very interesting and humorous way during the Survivor Tea. Chris said she has learned to advocate for herself through her experience and added that she had participated in a drug trial and would do it again. Chris Han-
son manages to put a positive spin on her medical issues by saying she has had good things happen. “There is hope for all of us walking the cancer trail giving inspiration to many in the audience,” Hanson said. She also thanked her husband and her son for being her caretakers. “Caretakers are heroes to us for always being there and offering encouragement.” Chris then read a very special poem: I Walked For You, I Walked For Me I walked around a track today: I walked to help a disease go See RELAY FOR LIFE Page 3
New LaNdING behind outfitters for tubing Tuesday is Tubing
101 Parkway Ave. S. Lanesboro • 507-467-3400
two-for-tuesday
The Preston City Council at its July 13 meeting after a long discussion concerning the past and future of the National Trout Center voted to approve the revised, leaner budget for the center. Councilman David Harrison was absent. The NTC was founded in 2009 via a resolution passed by the EDA establishing the NTC. Dan Christianson, board member and chief financial officer for the NTC, declared, “We made a mistake.” He admitted that taking the step to hire a full time person as the director of programs and operations may have been premature. Heath Sershen who has served in that position is actually a city employee. Christianson said we will have to take a couple of steps back in order to move forward. Christianson encouraged the
city council to help address the mistake and move forward toward a positive result for the community and the region. NTC chairman George Spangler offered the revised budget for the rest of 2013. The board has been faced with a revenue shortfall. As of June 30 the city’s 251 account for the center shows a deficit of $2,947. He noted that the board of directors had met on July 11 and after considering options to reduce expenditures, the board recommended the termination of the director of programs and operations position effective at the end of July. The single largest expenditure for the center is the salary and associated benefits for this one full time employee. Spangler explained that they had included in the revised budget the retention of communications officer Kathy Dahl at 12 hours per week. The center will be largely staffed during its See LEANER NTC Page 23
Chatfield Schools discuss Athletic Department reform ties have been approved. In a report to the school board mitchell@fillmorecountyjournal.com at the July 16 regular monthly In a little over one month meeting, Schindler explained Chatfield’s athletic and activi- that the coach evaluations are ties director, Dan Schindler, has just a piece of the puzzle that made significant changes in the will improve the district’s promanagement of oversight of grams and will help the coaches the Chatfield School District’s themselves. Schindler said that extracurricular programs. Along there were holes in the commuwith the help of school board nication between coaches and activities committee members administrators, holes that will and administrators, a coaching be attempted to be patched with evaluation system is in effect See CHATFIELD Page 25 and modifications to the activiBy Mitchell Walbridge
Summer Music!
Wed., July 24TH • 5-9pm • Charlie Warner Sat., July 27TH • 8-11:30pm • Steve McCloone Sun., July 28TH • 5-9pm • Pine Box Duo Wed., July 31ST • 5-9pm • CBB Jazz Band
Dirty
Martini
Lounge
109 S. Parkway, Lanesboro, MN 55949 www.riversideontheroot.com