Zest For 50+ Living

Zest For 50+ living

History buffs focus on the family

MARCH 2017

FREE

Margaret Hoffman, Marlys Fredrick and Bob Allison share their knowledge of genealogy at the McLeod County Historical Society & Museum

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Grove City Area C.A.R.E. to present Senior Health Expo

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Caregiver program available in Litchfield

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Hutchinson’s One Book, One Community studies Hinckley fire

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS MARCH

APRIL

‘Singing for the Cows’

Spring Fling Brunch

“Singing for the Cows: Homesteading a Dream,” is a dynamic onewoman show that takes the stage at 7 p.m. March 11 at Dassel History Center. The show is a reflective musical scrapbook. Tickets are $10; seating is general admission.

‘Fame: A Music Tribute’ Meeker County Historical Society presents “Fame,” a 1960s country and rock music tribute from 7 to 9 p.m. March 18 at the Litchfield Opera House, 136 Marshall Ave. N. The evening will feature four Hall of Fame musicians — Pat Curto of Canoise; Mike Shaw of Shaw Allen Shaw and The Original Shaw Band; Danny Grossnickle of Shaw Allen Shaw and the Rockin’ Hollywoods; and Tom Stark of Just Enuff, Second Generation, Mid-Life Crisis, and Pappa Shaw. Cost is $5 per person, with a free-will offering for light refreshments.

Ecumen of Litchfield will have a Spring Fling Brunch from 8 to 10 a.m. April 1 in the Gloria Dei Dining Room, 200 Holcombe Ave. N., Litchfield. Cost is $6 per person.

Minnesota State Band The 50-piece Minnesota State Band will return to the historic Litchfield Opera House. Tickets are $5 for the 4 p.m. concert April 1.

Proceeds benefit the opera house’s floor and furnace fund. The opera house is at 136 Marshall Ave. N. For information, call or text 320-5350829, or email lichopera@yahoo.com.

Hospice Dinner & Auction Ecumen Home Care & Hospice of Litchfield will have its annual Hospice Dinner & Auction at 5:30 p.m. April 7 at Peter’s on Lake Ripley in Litchfield. Cost is $60. For more information, call Nicole Larson at 320-373-6604.

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ZEST | MARCH 2017

MUSEUMS Cokato Museum and Akerlund Studio 175 Fourth St. W., Cokato. For information, call 320-286-2427.

Dassel History Center and Ergot Museum 901 First St. N., Dassel. For information, call 320-275-3077.

Hutchinson Center for the Arts 15 Franklin St. SW., Hutchinson.

For information, call 320-587-7278.

McLeod County Historical Society & Museum 380 School Road NW, Hutchinson.

For information, call 320-587-2109.

Meeker County Historical Society Museum, G.A.R. Hall 380 Marshall Ave. N., Litchfield.

For information, call 320-693-8911.

To submit an event for this free listing, call Juliana Thill at 320-593-4808 or email information to thill@independentreview.net.

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CONTENTS

Zest For 50+ living

MARCH 2017 Vol. 9 No. 1

PUBLISHED BY

Litchfield Independent Review P.O. Box 307, Litchfield, MN 55355 320-693-3266 Hutchinson Leader 170 Shady Ridge Road NW, Suite 100 Hutchinson, MN 55350 320-587-5000

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PUBLISHER

Brent Schacherer • 320-234-4143 schacherer@hutchinsonleader.com

story: The McLeod County genealogy “Dream 8 Cover Team,” Margaret Hoffman, Marlys Fredrick and Bob Allison, teach people how to research their family history

NEWS

Juliana Thill, editor thill@independentreview.net 320-593-4808 Litchfield office 320-234-4172 Hutchinson office

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Expo; Heartland Hospice seeks volunteers; and Program for caregivers teaches powerful tools

ADVERTISING

Kevin True, advertising director true@hutchinsonleader.com 320-234-4141 Sales representatives Paul Becker • 320-234-4147 becker@hutchinsonleader.com Colleen Piechowski • 320-234-4146 piechowski@hutchinsonleader.com Joy Schmitz • 320-234-4140 schmitz@hutchinsonleader.com Greg McManus • 320-593-4804 mcmanus@independentreview.net Sarah Esser • 320-593-4803 esser@independentreview.net

In the news: Grove City 5 C.A.R.E. offers Senior Health

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In the news:

Hutchinson’s One Book, One Community reads about Hinckley fire

SUBSCRIPTION OR ADDRESS CHANGE

Michelle Magnuson • 320-234-4142 magnuson@hutchinsonleader.com

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PRINTED BY

12 Money matters: Avoid financial roadblocks to retirement

Crow River Press 170 Shady Ridge Road NW Hutchinson, MN 55350 Zest is published monthly by the Litchfield Independent Review and Hutchinson Leader newspapers. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior consent of the publisher.

In the news: AARP volunteers offer free tax help to seniors

13 Medicare: Notices offer key information about your plan 14 Recipes: With lots going on in March, enjoy Magic Lemon Pie, Alaska Pollock Fish Stick Tacos, Grape and Salmon Power Salad, and Breakfast-To-Go Grape Smoothie MARCH 2017 | ZEST

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A WARM WELCOME

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ob Allison, Margaret Hoffman and Marlys Fredrick share a similar love of history and genealogy, and now they’re sharing what they know with others.

The three volunteer at the McLeod County Historical Society & Museum in Hutchinson, where they help as researchers during the day. On some evenings, they have been the primary instructors of the museum’s Family History Research Series of classes. These classes, which are free, are available across McLeod County — in Brownton, Glencoe, Hutchinson and Winsted — working in conjunction with McLeod County public libraries. The classes focus on topics and current methods in genealogy history and research. The first set of classes started in the fall of 2016. The second set of classes is underway, and the final set of classes will begin in September.

Allison, who devotes hours to genealogy every day, says his family tree contains about 27,000 relatives. He has made some interesting discoveries along the way. Read my cover story to find out what he has learned, as well as how you can research your family history.

Also in the magazine, we have information about a senior health expo in Grove City, how to become a hospice volunteer, classes for caregivers, AARP volunteers who are willing to help older adults with their taxes at no cost, and much more.

Finally, if you missed our February edition of Zest, be

sure to stop at the Hutchinson Leader office or the Litchfield Independent Review office to pick up a free copy for yourself and one for a friend or relative. Each February, instead of printing our regular Zest magazine, we publish a resource guide called Silver Pages for older adults, their caregivers, and others to use. It has a wealth of information, stories, phone numbers, Juliana Thill addresses and websites on subjects Editor ranging from state and county agencies to senior housing options, and from hospice care to volunteering. We encourage you to keep Silver Pages in a handy spot and use it as a resource guide throughout the year.

Clarification In our February edition, we listed local senior dining and Meals on Wheels programs. We inadvertently omitted information about one of the Meals on Wheels programs available in Hutchinson. Hutchinson Meals on Wheels are provided by Hutchinson Health, 1095 Highway 15 S. Meals are delivered by volunteer drivers between 11:15 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. For more information or to sign up for meals, call 320-484-4570

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IN THE NEWS Grove City Area C.A.R.E to sponsor Senior Health Expo

Powerful Tools for Caregivers program begins in March

Grove City Area C.A.R.E. will sponsor a Senior Health Expo from 9 to 11:30 a.m. March 8 at Trinity Lutheran Church’s fellowship hall in Grove City.

There will be a free continental breakfast and door prizes. People are welcome to attend to learn about health services and programs offered in the area.

For more information, call the C.A.R.E. office at 320-857-2274.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an educational program designed to provide caregivers with the tools they need to take care of themselves.

Whether caregivers provide care for a family member or friend in their home or at a distance, this class can help. Caregivers will learn how to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, better communicate their feelings, balance their life, increase their ability to make tough decisions, and locate helpful resources.

The classes will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. every Thursday for six weeks, from March 2 through April 6 at Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield.

Pre-registration is necessary; contact Barb Alsleben at 320-221-3747 or Sarah Doering at 320-221-4513. The classes are offered by Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Minnesota River Agency on Aging.

A similar program will take place in Sibley County. Call Barb or Sarah for more information on that class.

Heartland Hospice seeks volunteers to help serve terminally ill patients, their families Heartland Hospice is looking for caring and dedicated people with an interest in serving terminally ill patients and their families in Litchfield and the outlying communities.

Volunteers provide services such as friendly visiting, pet visits, musical enrichment, art enrichment, veteran-to-veteran visits, and clerical services. Volunteer classes are available to fit each person’s schedule. Call Keshia Kettler at Heartland Hospice at 320-654-1136 for more information.

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IN THE NEWS

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“As the onrushing wave of fire broke over Hinckley, the winds that propelled it reached hurricane strength and flames towered 200 feet over the surrounding forest. Enormous bubbles of glowing gas drifted in over the town and then suddenly ignited over the heads of the town’s terrified citizens, raining fire down on their heads.”

— from the book,“Under the Flaming Sky”

One Book, One Community reads about Hinckley fire The next program will be March 12 at Hutchinson Fire Station, with speakers talking about whether a firestorm, similar to the one that occurred in 1894 in Hinckley, could happen again

D

uring the heyday of Minnesota’s logging industry — 1890 to about 1930 — lumberjacks used a technique known as cut-and-run. They left brush and stumps behind, which, under the right conditions, were fodder for fire.

Sparks from burning stumps ignited the Hinckley firestorm on Sept. 1, 1894.

The fire burned 350,000 acres and more than 400 people lost their lives.

Now, 123 years later, Hutchinson’s One Book, One Community is reading about the Hinckley fire. The One Book, One Community committee selected “Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894,” as its 2017 book.

The first of three events about the book took place in February. The second program will be in March and the third and final program in April.

What is a firestorm? It’s when a fire attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. The temperature at Hinckley reached 2,000 degrees. It was so hot that barrels of nails melted into one mass and the wheels of railroad cars fused with the tracks.

Hinckley is an example of a natural firestorm. Manmade firestorms would be, for example, the bombing of Hamburg and Dresden, and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, all during World War II. Could the Hinckley fire happen today?

That’s the subject of the second program.

It will feature speakers Wade Mapes, Department of Natural Resources wildlife prevention specialist, and Mike Schumann, Hutchinson Fire chief at 2 p.m. March 12 at Hutchinson Fire Station, 205 Third Ave. S.E. The final program will bring the tragedy to life when Carl Jerdin, a volunteer at the Hinckley Fire Museum, takes the stage at 2 p.m.

April 2 at the Hutchinson Event Center. He will show a video and talk about the disaster.

Copies of “Under the Flaming Sky” might still be available to borrow from the Hutchinson Public Library or for purchase at The Village Shop, Cash Wise, and McLeod County Historical Society & Museum.

The One Book, One Community program is sponsored by the Heart of Hutch Connect Wholeheartedly committee. The event is a way to draw family, friends and others together around the shared experience of reading the same book.

Grant to help low-income, older adults who want to rejoin workforce

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entral Minnesota Jobs and Training Services Inc. received a grant of $758,844 from Senior Service America Inc., aimed at helping older adults.

Almost 90 percent of the grant — originally from the U.S. Department of Labor — will provide temporary employment to at least 114 low-income older adults living in McLeod and Meeker counties, as well as Aitkin, Carlton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright counties.

These older adults will participate

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in the Senior Community Service Employment Program, a major program of the Older Americans Act. “The SCSEP program delivers a triple win for older adults and the entire community,” said Barbara Chaffee, chief executive officer of Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services Inc. First, SCSEP participants are helping more than 50 local community, faith-based, and public agencies carry out their mission. Second, older workers are receiving on-the-job training to enhance their skills. And third, older

workers are keeping healthy by remaining connected and not isolated in their community.

“Many low-income older adults want and need paid work, said Donna Satterthwaite, Senior Service America director of employment services. “By serving their community, older workers receive renewed skills, as well as renewed hope, knowing that they are not forgotten. Older Minnesotans are fortunate to be given the opportunity through SCSEP and the dedicated staff of Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services.”

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IN THE NEWS

AARP offers free tax assistance; filing deadline moved to April 18 Choosing direct deposit helps ensure security of a return

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ncome tax season is in full swing, and there are sites across the state offering free tax assistance for those filing income tax and property tax refund returns, the Minnesota Department of Revenue announced.

The AARP Tax-Aide program offers free tax preparation for all taxpayers, particularly those who are age 50 or older. AARP Tax-Aide sites do not have income restrictions.

“Qualifying taxpayers should take advantage of the hundreds of certified volunteers who are offering their time to ensure taxpayers are able to file their taxes accurately and on time while receiving the refundable credits they may qualify for,” Revenue Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly said.

The filing deadline to submit 2016

AARP Tax-Aide AARP volunteers are assisting AARP members and senior citizens with tax preparation: ◆ Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Viking Room at Emmaus Place, 200 Holcombe Ave. N., Litchfield. Assistance is available March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; and April 5, 12.

Taxpayers should have all necessary papers with them, including photo identification, Social Security card and all income documentation.An interview sheet will be given upon arrival at the site to be completed prior to the start of tax preparation.

Appointments are not necessary, but they help to avoid long waiting times and will be honored ahead of walk-in clients.To make an appointment, call 320693-2430. state and federal tax returns is April 18, rather than the traditional April 15 date.

Taxpayers can call 651-297-3724 or tollfree 800-657-3989 to search for a site by phone.

Bauerly reminds taxpayers that fil-

ing electronically and choosing direct deposit helps improve the accuracy and security of your return.

“Protecting Minnesotan’s refunds and ensuring the right refund amount goes to the right person is our top priority,” Bauerly said.

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PHOTOS BY JULIANA THILL

Margaret Hoffman, Marlys Fredrick and Bob Allison have experience with researching family history, and share their knowledge as volunteers at the McLeod County Historical Society & Museum in Hutchinson.They also are leading a Family History Research Series of classes through a partnership with McLeod County Public Libraries.

A love of history fuels their passion for genealogy 8

ZEST | MARCH 2017

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ob Allison’s love for genealogy started when he was a child, still in school and eager to learn about history.

“I was a big history buff in school. I would get my school books before school started and read the history book before I got to school. I knew it frontwards and backwards, before I got to class,” he said.

However, Allison, 65, didn’t start working on his genealogy until about 25 years ago.

“I got seriously into it because I was adopted.

There was a general in the Civil War that had the same

By Juliana Thill last name as mine. That’s EDITOR what got me started. I wanted to find out, was my family related to that general. I eventually found out they weren’t,” he said.

But that didn’t deter him from researching his family history. Instead, it ignited his passion to learn more.

“That’s what got me hooked on it. I found out who my biological parents were and started working back from there. I’ve got my biological parents’ side done.

I’ve got my adoptive parents’ side done. I’ve got my

step-parents’ side done. I’m back past the 1700s.”

His research has allowed him to create a family tree that includes about 27,000 relatives.

He is not alone in his passion for genealogy, though. He, Margaret Hoffman and Marlys Fredrick all volunteer at the McLeod County Historical Society & Museum, where they help as researchers. The three share a similar love of history and genealogy and now, primarily, are leading the museum’s Family History Research Series of classes.

These classes are available across McLeod County — Brownton, Glencoe, Hutchinson and Winsted — and offer instruction on researching genealogy.

“One of the things we’ve seen is a growth in people being interested in genealogy,” said Lori Pickell-Stangel, executive director at McLeod County Historical Society & Museum in Hutchinson. “Genealogy has always been pretty popular for places like county historical societies.”

In addition, McLeod County libraries had people who were interested in learning more about genealogy. However, since there is so much to teach and to learn, the two staffs realized they couldn’t accomplish the education in one class, Pickell-Stangel said. So, the McLeod County Historical Society & Museum wrote a grant, and the McLeod County Public Libraries submitted it and received funding from the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment through the Pioneerland Library System.

“It was a really good fit of their mission and our mission,” Pickell-Stangel said.

“We had something they really needed, which is this great resource of people, who do this and know about it,” she said. “I jokingly call them (Allison, Hoffman and Fredrick) my Dream Team because they all have expertise in genealogy in different areas. They also all volunteer at the McLeod County Historical Society in different capacities to help guests, either with research or dealing with the collection directly. They’ve all been doing genealogy for years and years.”

The museum and libraries decided to offer a program series that “would take a more all-encompassing look at genealogy from beginner to intermedi-

ate to advanced ... and do it countywide,” she said.

The Family History Research classes and the handouts are free, paid for through the Legacy grant. The classes started in the fall of 2016, covering the basics. The intermediate classes are underway, and the advance classes begin in September.

“By no means are we covering everything, but we are covering more than what your one-time typical genealogy program could ever cover. Hopefully, we built in enough time for questions and answers at the end to address at the end,” she said.

If a question wasn’t addressed, or people want to do something outside of the scope of the program, or just want individual help with their family research, they can call the museum to set up a time to meet with Allison, Hoffman or Fredrick to delve deeper into genealogy.

After the beginner class, the staff surveyed those who attended, and comments included, “I had no idea there were such knowledgeable people and so many resources here at the museum,” Pickell-Stangel said.

Museum resources Regardless of whether people attend the classes, they are welcome to do their own research using the computers, library and archives available at the Historical Society & Museum.

The museum’s computers have access to microfilm to search McLeod County newspapers, Census records and naturalization records. The museum also holds a large, walk-in archive section filled with photos, maps, video and audio tapes, and original documents.

“We collect family histories. Our mission is to preserve not only the county history but the individual history of those who are from here,” Pickell-Stangel said.

In addition, the museum’s computers have internet access that people can use to search the website, Ancestry.com, an online family history resource. The museum has access to Ancestry.com’s Library Edition, which is available to libraries, schools and other institutions, and enhances the offerings of a library.

“Even if your research starts in

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COVER STORY

McLeod County, you’re going to eventually leave McLeod County,” PickellStangel said. “You’re going to need that tool. These people (Allison, Hoffman and Fredrick) are a great resource in the library, and now with the tool of Ancestry.com, to help people in McLeod County research their family history,” she said.

Allison said an older couple recently came into the museum with all of their genealogy on paper and didn’t know how to use a computer, so he helped them in both areas.

“They show up on Tuesday and had just bought a new laptop. They came in here and wanted me to show them how to use it. I’m showing him how to get in and get into Ancestry.com, and how to do things. I did one side of his dad’s tree, and I asked him if he felt comfortable doing it himself. They said yes, but I told them to come back Thursday if they needed help. That’s part of what we do,” he said.

Use of the museum’s research library is free if people have a museum membership, which is $25 annually for an individual. Or the museum’s research library can be used by nonmembers for a fee of $5 per hour.

“We give them access to our full collection here,” Pickell-Stangel said.

“Over 60,000 records are available on McLeod County history. We’ve been working on this for about 10 years.

Now, we’re at the point where we have more in the system than not in the system.

“We estimate our collection at around 80,000. We say ‘estimate’ because things come in all the time, every day. We have probably 7,000 to 8,000 volunteer hours each year with 80 percent of those hours going toward just imputing information or tweaking it,” she said.

The museum has actual documents people can look at, but by preserving information digitally, it cuts down on how many people are handling a delicate, historic document.

“We still have a foot in both worlds — on paper and digitally. We want to make sure we can meet the public’s demand with whatever they prefer.

Digital is where it’s going to end up being. You can search it by keyword, object, descriptive terms, family names,” she said. “It’s extremely expensive (to upload to digital). A huge

MARCH 2017 | ZEST

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COVER STORY

Bob Allison, Margaret Hoffman and Marlys Fredrick lead a Family History Research class recently at the McLeod County Historical Society & Museum in Hutchinson. Classes continue in March and then resume in the fall. portion of our budget goes to backup of this information.”

The museum’s website, www.mcleod history.org, features about 20,000 of these records for the public to access.

“Part of the purpose of the historical society and a good share of the purpose of the library is educating, keeping people literate, keeping people informed and making materials available to inform people,” Hoffman said.

Margaret Hoffman Like Allison, Hoffman said she, too, is a history buff.

“My dad was relatively interested in genealogy. My grandfather had kept all kinds of information on his family and his wife’s family. And thank goodness he did because when I started, there were five Andrew Andersons in McLeod County. Without my grandfather’s meticulous record-keeping, I could have easily gone down the wrong trail,” she said.

When Hoffman started researching her family tree, her four children were still young. So, the time she spent researching was sporadic.

“At that time, you had to travel to find your information,” she said.

When her kids were grown and she retired as a librarian from the Gaylord Public Library, she began spending more time tracking down her family tree. She discovered information shared by The Church of Jesus Christ

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of Latter-Day Saints’ Family History Centers, which are located in Minnesota, across the country and around the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist the public in research and study of genealogy and family history.

“I saw what they had and was amazed. I am a first-generation American on my father’s side. I had to figure out how I was going to cross that ocean (to continue family research),” she said. The microfilm available at the Family History Center in St. Cloud “opened up a whole new world for me.”

“So much is available now on the computer — original records. All of the Scandinavian countries have them online, Germany has been adding them. When I say original records, I mean, most of the European records are church records. They were the legal records before the civic records.

These are important if you’re doing genealogy because it’s the proof.”

Hoffman, 80, who lives in Hutchinson, has researched her family tree to include about 3,000 relatives.

“The information on Ancestry is correct. What isn’t correct is what people post as their own,” Hoffman said, so she warned people not to believe someone else’s research.

Working on one’s family tree is like piecing together a puzzle, she said.

“You find a piece and need to find

another piece,” she said. “It’s the thrill of the chase. The chase for me is everything. I get excited verifying or not verifying information.”

Marlys Fredrick Fredrick’s interest in history also goes back to when she was child and in school.

“They would cover a little bit of genealogy and do two, three generations of your immediate family. That’s what started it,” she said. “I’ve always liked history. I could have taken a whole school day of history instead of English and science and all the other things.”

Fredrick, 78, of Hutchinson, started researching her family history as a hobby in the 1990s. After she retired in 2003 from a career in retail, “it became a full-time job, and I’m still not done with it,” she said.

She has not discovered many surprises among her relatives.

“They were just normal people, nothing spectacular,” she said, but she is thankful to have a better grasp on her family history. “I’m finding more stuff all the time.”

She was able to see where some of her husband’s relatives came from when her son, who was traveling for business, took a side trip through parts of Germany.

“When 9/11 occurred, my son flew out of New York that morning on a

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COVER STORY business trip and went London, flew to Stockholm and had a meeting, flew to Belgium, and that’s when he found out about 9/11. He took a side trip to southern Germany at that time. He went around to five to seven villages where my husband’s side of the family, the Hoffmans, came from, and took a lot of pictures,” she said.

Bob Allison In researching his family tree, Allison, 65, discovered, “I had a couple of ancestors in the Revolutionary War, one was a captain and one was lieutenant. I found out Sir Francis Drake was in our family. (Drake was an English sea captain in the 1500s. He carried out the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition from 1577 to 1580). And a couple of kings were in the family at some point,” he said. “The best thing about working on genealogy, is you never know what you’re going to find.”

Allison’s biological family came to America in 1754, when two brothers arrived in Pennsylvania. And he recently discovered a new twist to his family tree when he was doing research for Pickell-Stangel.

“Two weeks ago, she asked me to help do her family history with her mother’s side,” Allison said. “I found out that Lori and I are cousins — seventh-generation cousins. She was born and raised in Nebraska. I was born and raised in Virginia. But her family came into Virginia at Jamestown, Pennsylvania, and that family coming in there were tied together — two brothers. One brother is her side. One brother is my side.”

Allison, who lives in Glencoe, retired from a career in retail in 2004, and now he spends much of his working hours researching family history.

“I work on this six to eight hours a day, every day,” he said.

Allison said many people who come to the museum for genealogy are older than 50. He would like to see parents encouraging their children to become involved in researching their family history, “so we can have a younger group working on it. Because that’s what it’s going to take — the younger generation are more computer literate.

Most of the stuff is on the computer now, so they’d be perfect to get into genealogy and start doing searches

Family History Research Series McLeod County Historical Society and Museum teamed up with McLeod County public libraries to provide a series of genealogy classes titled the “Family History Research Series.”

The series of classes are divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Beginner classes, which took place in the fall, walked people through how to begin a family history search, do family interviews and what local resources are available offline.

Intermediate classes took place in February in Brownton and Hutchinson, and continue in March in Glencoe and Winsted. Advanced classes are available in September and October. People can sign up for one or all the classes in the series.All programs are free. Pre-registration is preferred for planning purposes.

Intermediate classes This set of programs gives people a hands-on look at using microfilm/fiche readers, available genealogical software programs, and how to navigate the online free and fee-for-use research sites. Participants also will look at country of origin, cultural and historical aspects that can aid people's searches.

Remaining intermediate classes: ◆ Winsted — 7 p.m. Monday, March 6, at McLeod County Museum; and 7 p.m. Mondays, March 13 and 20 at Winsted Arts Center, 141 Main Ave.W. (March 27 is a back-up date.)

Call 320-485-3909 to RSVP. ◆ Glencoe — 7 p.m. Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, at Glencoe Public Library, 1107 11th St. E. (March 23 is a

and looking for their history,” he said.

Pickell-Stangel’s theory for why younger people aren’t as interested in genealogy is, “when you’re young, you have all of this future in front of you to look forward to, and as you get older, you don’t want to look ahead so much; you want to look back because that’s where the good stuff is. So, the interest

back-up date.)Call 320-864-3919 to RSVP.

Advanced classes Advanced family history research classes will focus on ways to use and share your family history information.

Presenters will explore the different ways to write and publish your family’s history, how to join and prepare the paperwork needed to join the many historical societies, and how to prepare for a virtual or real overseas research trip.

Advance classes: ◆ Brownton — 7 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 11, 18, 25 at Brownton Public Library, 335 Third St. S. (Oct. 2 is a back-up date.) Call 320-328-5900 to RSVP. ◆ Hutchinson — 7 p.m.Thursdays, Sept. 7, 14, 21 at McLeod County Historical Museum, 380 School Road NW, Hutchinson. (Sept. 28 is a backup date.) Call 320-587-2368 to RSVP. ◆ Winsted — 7 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 2, 9, 16 at Winsted Arts Center, 141 Main Ave.W. (Oct. 23 is a backup date.) Call 320-485-3909 to RSVP. ◆ Glencoe — 7 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 5, 12, 19, at Glencoe Public Library, 1107 11th St. E. (Oct. 26 is a back-up date.) Call 320-864-3919 to RSVP.

More information The program is funded by a grant from the Minnesota Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment.

For more information about the classes or to set up a one-on-one research session, call the McLeod County Museum at 320-587-2109.

changes as people get older,” she said.

“This grant has provided a great opportunity for us to show the public how much is available here at the museum,” Pickell-Stangel added. “I’m hoping this will lead to us (the museum and libraries) working together more on programs.” ■

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MONEY MATTERS

Overcome financial roadblocks to reach comfortable retirement Don’t underestimate your longevity; establish suitable withdrawal rates

By Edward Jones financial advisers

I

n your life, you will want to take many journeys. Some are physical — perhaps you’ll finally visit the French Riviera or the Caribbean. Others involve personal growth — one day, you’ll finally become fluent in that foreign language you’ve been studying. But of all the destinations you can identify, few will be as important as retirement — specifically, a comfortable retirement.

And that’s why it’s so important to consider the “roadblocks” you might encounter on your road to the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned.

Here are five of the most common obstacles: 1. Insufficient investments — Few of us have ever reported investing “too much” for their retirement.

But a great many people regret that they saved and invested too little.

Don’t make that mistake. Contribute as much as you can afford to your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan, and increase your contributions whenever your salary goes up. Even if you do participate in your retirement plan at work, you might also still be eligible to fund an IRA, so take advantage of that opportunity, too. And always look for other ways to cut expenses and direct this “found” money toward your retirement.

2. Underestimating your longevity — You can’t predict how long you’ll live, but you can make some reasonable guesses. You might be surprised at your prospects.

According to the Social Security Administration, men reaching age 65

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Look for ways to cut expenses and create a long-term saving, investing and spending strategies to help overcome roadblocks to a comfortable retirement. today can expect to live, on average, until age 84.3, while women turning age 65 today can anticipate living, on average, until age 86.6. That’s a lot of years — and you’ll need to plan for them when you create long-term saving, investing and spending strategies.

3. Not establishing a suitable withdrawal rate — Once you are retired, you will likely need to start withdrawing money from your 401(k), IRA and other retirement accounts.

It’s essential that you don’t withdraw too much each year. You don’t want to run the risk of outliving your resources. That’s why you need to establish an annual withdrawal rate that’s appropriate for your situation, incorporating variables such as your age, the value of your retirement accounts, your estimated lifestyle expenses, and so on. Calculating such a withdrawal rate can be challenging, so you may want to consult with a professional financial advisor.

4. Taking Social Security at the

wrong time — You can start taking Social Security as early as age 62, but your checks will be bigger if you wait until your full retirement age, which will probably be 66 or 67, or when your payments “max out” at 70. You might not be able to afford to wait until then, but by postponing the date you begin taking withdrawals, you could help yourself considerably.

5. Ignoring inflation — It’s been low in recent years, but inflation hasn’t disappeared, and it could rise at exactly the wrong time — when you’re retired. That’s why you’ll want your portfolio to include some investments with the potential to outpace inflation, even during your retirement years.

By being aware of these roadblocks, and taking steps to overcome them, you can help smooth your journey toward retirement; and once you get there, you might enjoy it more.

This article was written by Edward Jones.

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MEDICARE

Medicare notices offer key information about a person’s health care plan Dear Marci, Most months my insurance company sends me Medicare notices in the mail. I have difficulty keeping up with them, and last week I told my neighbor that I usually ignore everything. She told me I should read each notice carefully and take appropriate action. So what have I been missing?

— Walter Dear Walter, You should be carefully reading each of your insurer’s notices as most contain important information on your Medicare private health plan.These notices are designed to inform you about important changes to your health coverage that could affect what doctors you want to see, or whether you want to switch plans.

Most beneficiaries can only change their plan once a year during the Fall Open Enrollment Period, but doctors, hospitals, and other providers can leave your plan’s network at any time. This is important because you might pay more if you see doctors and use medical facilities that are outside your plan’s network. When a provider is leaving a plan’s network, the plan must try to send all the plan members who use that provider a written notice at least 30 days before the provider leaves the network.

If your Medicare prescription drug plan makes changes to its formulary during the year, you have certain notice rights depending on why the plan made the change. If a medication is taken off your plan’s formulary because it was declared unsafe by the Food and Drug Administration, your plan must notify anyone who might be affected. Plans must also send notices informing you of maintenance changes, including covering a generic drug instead of a brand-name drug, adding quantity limits for drugs that the FDA adds warnings to, and making formulary changes based on clinical best practices and safety concerns.

If you have the same Medicare Advantage Plan or Part D Prescription Drug plan in 2017 as you did in 2016, your plan should have sent you an Annual Notice of Change or Evidence of Coverage notice explaining any changes for the coming year.

The last thing you should do is ignore a notice sent to you by your Medicare private health plan. If you need help understanding these notices, your rights as a beneficiary, and what action you should take, there is free information and assistance that you can access.

— Marci

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“Dear Marci” is a service of the Medicare Rights Center, the largest independent source of Medicare information and assistance in the United States. For more information, call the center’s toll-free helpline at 800-333-4114.

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FOOD & FUN Magic Lemon Pie

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk) 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract 2 eggs, separated 1 (8- or 9-inch) graham cracker or baked pie crust 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 4 tablespoons sugar Preheat oven to 325. In medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon rind or extract and egg yolks; stir until mixture thickens. Pour into chilled graham cracker crust or cooled pie crust. In medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high

WWW. CULINARY. NET/EAGLE BRAND SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed, 1 tablespoon at a time; beat 4 minutes longer or until sugar is dissolved and stiff glossy peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, carefully sealing to edge of crust to prevent meringue from shrinking. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Cool.

Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Crossword puzzle Across 1. Chest protector 4.“Dang!”

8. Back talk 12. Coastal raptor 13. Its motto is “Lux et veritas” 14. Grant 16. Covet 17. Barbra’s “A Star Is Born” co-star 18. Car dealer’s offering 19. Barely get, with “out” 20. Drone, e.g.

21.“For shame!”

23.Ale holder 24. Conductor Koussevitzky 26. Cable network 28. Back, in a way 30.Appropriate 32. Buttonhole, e.g.

36. Clash 39.At liberty 41. Conceal 42. ___ and cheese 43. Beat 45. Barbie’s beau 46. ...

48. Banquet 49. Fly, e.g.

50. French door part 51. Golf ball support 52. Car accessory 54.“The Three Faces of ___” 56. Relating to algae 60.“Chicago” lyricist 63. Setting for TV’s

14

Crossword puzzle answer on Page 15 “Newhart” 65. Convened 67.“___ to Billie Joe” 68. Semisynthetic textile filament 70.Airy 72.“How ___!”

73.Admittance 74. Cost of living?

75. Long, long time 76. Fall (over) 77. Buddy 78.The “p” in m.p.g.

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Down 1. Slow 2. ___ tube 3.“Wanna ___?”

4.An embankment 5. Pink, as a steak 6.“Aladdin” prince 7. Makeup, e.g.

8. Corporate department 9.A pint, maybe 10. High-five, e.g.

11. Comme ci, comme ca (hyphenated)

12. Lady bighorns 15.All ___ 20. Beseech 22.Away 25. Gangster’s gun 27. ___ Wednesday 29.“How ___ Has the Banshee Cried” (Thomas Moore poem) 30. Cliffside dwelling 31. Hammer part 33. Go for 34. Bad day for Caesar 35. Camping gear 36. FedEx, say 37. Legal prefix 38. Call from the flock 40. Carnival attraction 44. Center of a ball?

47.“Comprende?”

49.Amigo 51. Big ___ Conference 53. Backstabber 55.What records are made of 57. Overcharge 58. Calculator, at times 59. Bottom of the barrel 60.“... ___ he drove out of sight” 61. Billiard cushion 62. Information unit 64.“Cheers” regular 65. Cast 66.A chip, maybe 69. Bauxite, e.g.

71. ___ green 72. 50 Cent piece

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FOOD & FUN â–˛

March is a busy month with Ash Wednesday, March Madness, Daylight Saving Time, St. Patrick’s Day, and the first day of spring Grape and Salmon Power Salad 3/4 cup pearled barley 3 cups firmly packed kale leaves, torn and sliced into ribbons 1 cup halved, red or black seedless California grapes 8 ounces cold, cooked salmon, skin and bones removed 1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted, coarsely chopped

CULINARY.NET

Alaska Pollock Fish Stick Tacos 8 frozen Alaska Pollock fish sticks (about .75 ounces each) or 4 frozen breaded/battered fish fillets (about 1.5 ounces each) 8 taco shells or flour tortillas (5- to 6-inch each) 2 cups shredded lettuce 1 cup prepared guacamole 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 teaspoon Mexican or taco seasoning 1 lime, cut in 8 wedges 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/4 cup sliced green onions Prepare fish sticks/fillets according to package directions. In each taco shell, layer 1/4 cup lettuce, 2 tablespoons guacamole, 2 tablespoons tomato, and 2 fish sticks or 1 fish fillet. Sprinkle on small amount of Mexican or taco seasoning. Squeeze juice of a lime wedge over fish. Top with 1 tablespoon cilantro and 1/2 tablespoon green onions. Serves four.

Answer to Crossword Puzzle published on Page 14

Dressing 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 clove garlic, mashed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch cayenne pepper 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil Cook barley according to package directions, or in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for about 35 to 45 minutes until it is plump and tender, and still slightly chewy.

CULINARY.NET Drain and cool.

Tenderize kale by blanching it in boiling water for 2 to 3 seconds or cooking in the microwave for 1 minute. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking, and squeeze dry. Fluff and uncrimp dry kale pieces with your fingers. In a medium bowl, mix together barley, kale, grapes, salmon and walnuts. To prepare dressing: In small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne. Gradually mix in olive oil. Pour onto salad and fold gently to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Makes six servings.

Breakfast-To-Go Grape Smoothie 1 1/2 cups frozen grapes 1 banana, sliced 1/2 cup vanilla or honey lowfat Greek yogurt 1/2 cup grape juice 1/4 cup wheat flake cereal Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for one minute. Serve immediately. Makes two 1/3-cups.

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We’re here for one reason.

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• Short-term & outpatient rehabilitation therapy • Home health rehabilitation • Mobility courtyard • State-of-the-art equipment • Long-term skilled nursing care

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320-485-2151