Zest December Issue

Zest For 50+ living

DECEMBER 2014

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Rennie Malinski demonstrates how art can imitate life

Myra Kohls crochets tree skirt for U.S. Capitol Tree project

Dorothy Bullert shares her Christmas memories

A passion for pioneer life Betty & Bob Hermann have shared their love of history for 35 years by volunteering at the Forest City Stockade

Calendar of events Trees and Traditions Trees and Traditions, a holiday event in Hutchinson, will feature Christmas trees, table settings, collections, music, quilts, lefse and krumkake demonstrations, country store, bake shop, coffee bar, and train display from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 6 at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1040 South Grade Road, SW. A light lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Forest City Pioneer Christmas The 19th annual Pioneer Christmas will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dec. 6 at the Forest City Stockade, 6 miles north of Litchfield on Minnesota Highway 22. Admission is $3 for adults, free for kids 12 and younger. A variety of activities are planned — crafts, visits with Santa, Christmas carolers, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and demonstrations of candlemaking, blacksmithing, spinning and weaving.

Tour historic buildings and dine on stew, fry bread, lefse and ice cream.

‘Holiday Showcase’ Litchfield Community Theatre pres-

ents its annual “Holiday Showcase,” at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at Bernie Aaker Auditorium, inside the Meeker County Family Service Center, 114 Holcombe Ave. N., Litchfield. The “Holiday Showcase” will feature holiday songs and music performed by local residents. Tickets are $10 for lower-level reserved seats and $8 for general admission balcony seats. To buy tickets, call Litchfield Community Education at 320-693-2354 or online to http://litchfieldcommunitytheatre.com /tickets.html.

‘A Christmas Carol’ Dassel-Cokato Arts Association presents “A Christmas Carol,” at 4 p.m. Dec. 7 at Dassel-Cokato Performing Arts Center, 4852 Reardon Ave. SW, Cokato. Charles Dickens’ adaptation of this story is brought to life by a professional theater touring company featuring a cast of 23, live musicians and Broadway-style scenery and costumes. Reserved tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for youth. Purchase tickets online at www.dc.k12.mn.us/pac/, by phone at 320-286-4120, or in person at D-C Community Education Office.

DINING & entertainment Advertise your dining/entertainment business here!

Call Advertising Director Kevin True at 320-234-4141 today!

‘Mark Twain: Life on the Mississippi’ Dassel-Cokato Arts Association welcomes Don Shelby’s one-man show, “Mark Twain: Life on the Mississippi” to the stage at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at Dassel-Cokato Performing Arts Center, 4852 Reardon Ave. SW, Cokato. Shelby, a former WCCO-TV news anchor, portrays Twain and tells stories with home-spun humor and detail. Reserved seats are $20 for adults and $7 for youth. Member ticket sales begin Dec. 22, and public ticket sales begin Dec. 23. Tickets will be available online at www.dc.k12.mn.us/ pac/, by phone at 320-286-4120, or in person at D-C Community Education Office in the D-C High School.

Have a calendar item to submit? To be included in this free listing, send information about the event, including the time, date, place, cost, a contact person’s name and phone number. Email information to Juliana Thill at thill@independentreview.net or call 320-593-4808 or 320-234-4172.

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Zest For 50+ living

Betty and Bob Hermann have spent countless hours volunteering at the Forest City Stockade to help share its history with thousands of visitors each year

PUBLISHED BY Litchfield Independent Review P.O. Box 921, Litchfield, MN 55355 320-693-3266

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

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Cover story:

DECEMBER 2014 Vol. 5 No. 10

Hutchinson Leader 170 Shady Ridge Road NW, Suite 100 Hutchinson, MN 55350 320-587-5000

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CONTENTS

Senior spotlight: Rennie Malinski wins first place at the Midwest Porcelain Art Show for her sunset painting

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EDITOR Juliana Thill thill@independentreview.net 320-593-4808 Litchfield office 320-234-4172 Hutchinson office CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kay Johnson, Dorothy Bullert ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kevin True true@hutchinsonleader.com 320-234-4141

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SUBSCRIPTION OR ADDRESS CHANGE Michelle Magnuson 320-234-4142 magnuson@hutchinsonleader.com PRINTED BY 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 the prior consent of the publisher.

8 Senior spotlight:

Myra Kohls’ crocheted tree skirt heads to Washington, D.C.

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In the news: New mobile app aims to help seniors live well at home and increase awareness of risk factors

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In the news: Booklet helps seniors make Medicare decisions

9

Christmas memories: Reader Dorothy Bullert shares some of her favorite Christmas memories

14 Recipes: Decorative jars make great gifts when filled with dry ingredients to make Chocolate Chip Cookies or Hot Cocoa DECEMBER 2014 | ZEST

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A WARM HELLO

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hen people share their time, talent and treasures, others are blessed. Such is the case with Bob and Betty Hermann, whom we’ve featured as our cover story this month. The Forest City couple has volunteered with the Forest City Stockade for 35 years.

The stockade comes alive twice a year, summer and winter, when volunteers dress in time-period clothing and help visitors feel like they’ve stepped back in time to the 1860s, when the original stockade was built.

The Hermanns, along with hundreds of volunteers, work throughout the year and during the events to help share the area’s history with the thousands of people who walk through the wooden gates. Read more about their dedication to the stockade and their love of history.

Also in this magazine, we have a special contribution.

Zest reader Dorothy Bullert of Hutchinson took time to hand-write a two-page letter sharing some of her favorite Christmas memories, which we’ve included. I’m sure some of her recollections will spark familiar memories for our readers of Christmases past.

It’s always fun to see how talented so many of our seniors are in this area. Rennie Malinski of Litchfield recently won first place for her porcelain painting at the Midwest Porcelain Art Show in Austin, Minn. And Myra Kohls, formerly of Hutchinson, crocheted a tree skirt which was

sent to Washington, D.C., as part of the U.S. Capitol Tree project. Read more about both women in this month’s magazine.

For many people, this time of year is filled with traditions, celebrations and special times with family and friends. For others, it can be a lonely time.

Even if your children are grown or grandchildren don’t live near, you Juliana Thill can still attend a local school’s choir Editor and band concerts. They usually are free, and the students in this area are so talented. The music will help put you — or keep you — in the holiday spirit. The youth all dressed up and sharing their musical gifts are sure to put a smile on your face and warm even Scrooge’s heart. If you’re looking for additional holiday happenings, we’ve listed several events in our calendar on Page 3.

As the year winds to a close, we appreciate our loyal readers and thank our advertisers for their support throughout the year. All of you contribute to our success.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season. We’ll see you in 2015!

IN THE NEWS

Minnesota’s Board on Aging’s mobile app, Live Well at Home, receives national award

Booklet to help seniors make wise Medicare choices

A mobile app developed for the Minnesota Board on Aging’s Live Well at Home initiative with support from the Minnesota Department of Human Services recently received a merit award in the 23rd annual National Mature Media Awards Program.

The app, available at no cost through the Apple Store and Google Play, features a seven-question quiz to help users identify their own risks or another’s risk for moving permanently from their home. The app is designed to support older Minnesotans to live successfully at home by increasing awareness of risk factors.

The app poses questions about issues such as need for help with everyday tasks, availability of family members and friends to help, whether the person lives alone, memory concerns and whether the person is considering a move to assisted living or a nursing home to get more help.

“Using the Live Well at Home app and answering the quiz is a gateway to a wealth of information and tools on the Live Well at Home website (www.mnlivewellat home.org),” said Jean Wood, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging. “We are pleased to receive national recognition for this part of our effort to help Minnesotans plan to stay at home as they age, if they wish and if possible.”

The Minnesota Board on Aging published its 2015 edition of Health Care Choices for Minnesotans on Medicare booklet. Now in its sixth edition, the annual guide contains comprehensive information about Medicare health care plan options in Minnesota.

“Health Care Choices is a useful resource for older adults and family members making decisions during the Medicare open enrollment, which runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2014,” said Jean Wood, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging.

“After Dec. 7, a change can only be made in a few special circumstances so it is important to use this time to make the best decision possible. Any changes made will take effect Jan. 1, 2015.”

Health Care Choices is available online, by calling the Senior LinkAge Line: A One Stop Shop for Minnesota Seniors at 800333-2433, or by visiting www.MinnesotaHelp.info and using the chat live feature or leaving an email after business hours.

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ZEST | DECEMBER 2014

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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Art imitates life on porcelain tile Rennie Malinski wins first place at the Midwest Porcelain Art Show for her painting of a sunset scene. She was inspired by a similar photo that appeared in the Litchfield newspaper.

Rennie Malinski of Litchfield, who belongs to the West Central Porcelain Artists that meets in Grove City during the summer, has been painting since 1975. She recently entered her sunset painting, done on a porcelain tile, in the Midwest Porcelain Art Show and won first place in the Life on the Lake category.

By Juliana Thill EDITOR

A

s Rennie Malinski read the Litchfield Independent Review in July, she was drawn to a color photo at the top of the Community page.

The photo showed a red, yellow and orange sky as the sun set over Lake Ripley. In the foreground people appear as silhouettes, busily playing and interacting on the sandy beach during Watercade, Litchfield’s annual summer celebration.

“It’s gorgeous with the sunset,” Malinski said.

For Malinski of Litchfield, it was the perfect image to paint on a porcelain tile that she could enter in a contest at the Midwest Porcelain Art Show.

“I wasn’t going to enter, and then the picture got in the paper. It just came to me after the picture ran in the paper,” Malinski said.

The photo was taken by Litchfield resident Lesha Johanneck, who submitted it to the newspaper. Malinski called Johanneck to talk to her about the photo, “and she said she would be happy if I painted it,” Malinski said.

Malinski spent several weeks painting the tile, firing it seven times in her kiln.

“I did the background first,” she said, spending time getting the colors of the sunset just right before painting the silhouetted people.

“It takes lots of time and tinkering.”

Besides the beautiful sunset, one of the reasons Malinski likes the photo is that almost every person in the photo is doing something.

Malinski even asked Johanneck if she set up the photo before taking it, but Johanneck said she didn’t.

“It’s so unique. It’s good advertising for Litchfield, this picture is. The Chamber should use it,” Malinski said.

Malinski made a few changes to her painting from what the photo shows. For example, a person on the right side of the photo doesn’t appear to be doing anything, so Malinski painted a bicycle next to the person. She also moved the boat, that sits in the water at the

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ZEST | DECEMBER 2014

PHOTO BY JULIANA THILL

horizon, down a little so it could be better seen.

Malinski entered her painting in the Midwest Porcelain Art Show in mid-October in Austin, Minn., and won first place in the category, Life on the Lake.

“I was surprised to get that,” she said of the first-place finish.

Her painted tile “was different than anybody else’s entry they had there,” she said. Of the six to eight entries in the Life on the Lake category, some were of a loon or a duck, but not a picturesque scene. “They (the judges) said, ‘It looks like so much fun. We’d like to join the party. Lovely painting.’”

The Midwest Porcelain Art Show is made up of artists from four states — Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Malinski paid a $5 entry fee and won $15 for her first-place finish, but prize money wasn’t the reason to enter. “It’s for the fun of it,” she said.

At 84, Malinski isn’t sure her health will allow her to attend the show again in two years, so she was pleased to end her show attendance on a high note.

Malinski, who has been painting since 1975 and began attending Midwest Porcelain Art Shows shortly after that, won’t give up her hobby, though. “It’s fun and relaxing. I can sit and do it all day,” she said.

“

I wasn’t going to enter (the contest), and then the picture got in the paper.

It just came to me after the picture ran in the paper.

RENNIE MALINSKI

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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Kohls finds creative way to skirt the issue Myra Kohls crochets tree skirt for U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree project. Her creation is marked to encircle a tree in U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office.

Myra Kohls, formerly of Hutchinson, displays the handcrafted tree skirt she made earlier this year. Kohls’ work will grace a Christmas tree in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

By Kay Johnson CONTRIBUTING WRITER

F

ormer Hutchin-son resident Myra Kohls has been in the Christmas spirit since March.

Kohls, 95, who lived in the Hutchinson area for 89 years, moved to Walker, Minn., six years ago to be closer to her daughter.

In March, U.S. Forest Service employee Mary Nordeen visited the May Creek Senior Center in Walker and talked to residents about the 2014 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree project.

This year’s tree was taken from Minnesota’s Chippewa National Forest, and Nordeen talked about ways Minnesotans could get involved with the national event. Opportunities included helping to make 10,000 ornaments for the 88-foot Christmas tree.

The Forest Service also was looking for individuals to make 12 tree skirts.

That is when Kohls stepped up. She crocheted a tree skirt, and presented it to Nordeen in July.

“I finished just before I turned 95. It took me about 1 1/2 months to make it,” Kohls said. “It was my biggest challenge. I had very little to go on. When you use directions, it tells you how many stitches to make. I had to do a lot of figuring to get the right sizes.”

Kohls was told the tree skirt had to be 35 inches in diameter, one side must open so it could go around the tree, and she had to use Chippewa Forest colors of brown and green.

She used dark brown fabric on which she sewed eight crocheted green evergreen trees. She finished the edge with ecru lace.

“I had some cardinals, so I put them on the trees,” she said.

Nordeen said Kohls’ tree skirt, as well as a second one made by May Creek residents, are “unique and craft-

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SUBMITTED PHOTO

ed by people with strong ties to northern Minnesota. Everyone is so proud to be part of Capitol Tree, and we truly appreciate the time and love put into each item.”

‘The People’s Tree’ Known as “The People’s Tree,” the tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree started in 1964. However, it wasn’t until 1970 when the U.S. Forest Service was asked to provide a Christmas tree. It comes from a different national forest each year.

Minnesota provided a white spruce in 1977, when it came from the Nemadji State Forest; in 1984, when it came from the Superior National Forest; and in 1992, when it came from the Chippewa National Forest.

The Chippewa National Forest, in partnership with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Choose Outdoors, hosted a public cutting ceremony Oct. 29

for this year’s Capitol Christmas tree, a white spruce. The Capitol Christmas tree-lighting ceremony will take place Dec. 2.

In addition to the selected tree, the Minnesota Tree Farmers Association sent 70 smaller trees to Washington, D.C., which will be used to decorate the inside of the Capitol.

Some of those trees will be placed inside offices of Minnesota legislators.

This is where Kohls’ tree skirt will be used. According to Nordeen, Kohls’ tree skirt is marked for the office of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Kohls is excited to have her artwork shown in Washington, D.C. “It’s one of the biggest achievements in my life,” Kohls said. “I put a lot of hours into making this. When I told my son my work was going to D.C., he couldn’t believe it.”

Kay Johnson is a staff writer at the Hutchinson Leader.

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CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Christmas brings back memories of Sunday school programs, time with family and good food

By Dorothy Bullert For over 70 years, Christmas Eve has been spent at my hometown and church in Belle Plaine, Minn.

It started with the Sunday school Christmas program at St. John’s Lutheran Church. My brother, Don, and I worked every day before the program learning our piece and Christmas songs. It also was a time when we got new clothes, which was rare in poor farm families. After Mom died in 1954, my Aunt Irene would make me a Christmas dress.

Following the Christmas Eve service, all the Sunday school children received a paper bag full of inthe-shell peanuts, an apple or orange, and some hard candy. Then, Dad and Mom drove the half-block south of the church to Grandma’s house. Often, my brother and I walked, enjoying the gentle snow SUBMITTED PHOTO falling on our faces.

I don’t remember the light lunch Dorothy (StoppelGrandma and her two maiden mann) Bullert of daughters served, nor what our Hutchinson was in fourth grade in gifts were. But, I do remember that our family always gave them 1951.

2 pounds of butter. It was always my brother’s “job” to carry it in the house. And Grandma, who always knew what was in the brown paper bag, still would always teasingly ask her only grandson at the time, “What’s in there?”

Of course, Don always answered, “butter!”

After Grandma’s passing, the light lunch became a full meal supper. And it included a “rare” green that most people had never heard of — watercress — which my Aunt Elsie cut in the cold, spring water running through the cow pasture at the family farm. After she painstakingly cleaned it, it was ready to be served in a large bowl with a Miracle Whip/milk dressing in another bowl.

When Aunt Irene, who was the chief cook, candy and cookie-maker passed, the cooking duties were taken over by my daughter and myself. And when Aunt Elsie moved to Kingsway in Belle Plaine, the tradition still continued.

Aunt Elsie passed in 2012, and there was fear that the tradition was over. No, now we walk a half-block east to my cousin Carol’s home. No more watercress or turkey and all the fixings. Papa Murphy provides the three kinds of pizza, daughter Kyla and her three daughters bake and decorate the many cookies, and the men (husband, Randy, and son-in-law, Dan) provide the drinks.

How many more Christmas Eves in Belle Plaine? I’m not sure, but we have many, many years of memories of the ones we have had.

— Dorothy (Stoppelmann) Bullert lives in Hutchinson

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Sharing a passion for pioneer life PHOTO BY JULIANA THILL

Bob and Betty Hermann of Forest City have a love for history and a passion for sharing it with others. For 35 years, they’ve helped visitors at the Forest City Stockade feel like they’ve stepped back in time as they experience life in the 1860s. The Hermanns also visit classrooms, bringing their own historic items for display to educate children about the past. The couple, along with more than 100 volunteers, are preparing for the 19th annual Pioneer Christmas, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at the stockade.

Bob and Betty Hermann volunteer countless hours at the Forest City Stockade and visit classrooms to educate others about what life was like in the 1860s 10

ZEST | DECEMBER 2014

By Juliana Thill EDITOR

B

ob and Betty Hermann wear their love for the Forest City Stockade on their 1860s-era sleeve.

For 35 years, the Forest City couple have rolled up their sleeves and worked hard behind the scenes to help preserve the Meeker County landmark. They also are busy helping during the stockade’s summer Rendezvous and winter Pioneer Christmas events, which allow visitors to feel like they’ve stepped back in time and experience life in the 1860s.

Betty’s love for baking lefse, homemade bread and gingerbread cookies for visitors is seen on her sleeves, which

become dusted with flour as she rolls out dough in the stockade’s bakery.

Bob’s love for the stockade shows on his billowy shirt that collects dust and dirt as he helps wherever needed on the stockade grounds.

“This (the stockade) is our life when we’re not living this life,” Bob said.

The Hermanns became involved and stayed involved with the stockade for one simple reason, Betty said, “Our love for history.”

They share their passion for history with others by devoting countless hours to the stockade, so visitors can see, hear, taste, smell and touch items from the past.

In addition to the summer and winter celebrations, the stockade draws about 1,000 school children from

across the state each year for historical tours that Bob and other stockade committee members lead.

The Hermanns also give classroom presentations at local schools, bringing their own collection of historic items for children to have a hands-on look at history.

The Hermanns’ dedication to sharing history impresses even their daughter, Tami Watt of Forest City.

“One of my dad’s favorite quotes is, ‘If I can teach one student about history, I’ve done my job.’ And that’s how he lives,” Watt said.

“Yet, it’s thousands and thousands of kids they’ve come in contact with (at the schools and stockade). Dad puts his farming on hold in the spring because he’s arranging for all these school kids to come to the stockade (for a tour). He knows in May, that’s when the school kids can come out, so he might not cut hay because he’s at the stockade,” Watt said. “Anyone who’s willing to listen, he’ll tell you the story.

My Mom will, too, but my dad is more the driving force with the tours. I always say he was born in the wrong era. This is his passion. He eats, sleeps and thinks the stockade.”

The Hermanns are happy to share their love of history because it’s something they enjoy, and they think it’s important for others to know.

“The best part of life is being able to give back to the people and community we love,” Bob said.

Their passion for the pioneer way of life was sparked in the 1970s, when Meeker County led an effort to rebuild the Forest City Stockade, which was originally built in 1862 during the U.S.-Dakota Conflict. The restoration of the stockade was a bicentennial project for the county in 1976. The stockade and the two-story cabin museum within its walls were constructed as a memorial to the pioneers who settled in Forest City and sought safety within its walls more than 150 years ago.

“I’ve loved stockades since I was a sixth-grader. So, when they were talking about building this one down here, I thought, ‘Life doesn’t doesn’t get any better than that, to have a stockade in your backyard,’” Bob said. “It had such momentum going when they put it up that we enjoyed going down there to visit. About three years into it, we wondered what their long-range plan

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COVER STORY

FILE PHOTO

Bob Hermann, right, helps attach the American flag to a wood pole before its raised at the Forest City Stockade during a summer Rendezvous. really was. We were at that stage in life when your head is full of ideas.”

Sharing a love of history The Hermanns joined the stockade committee, shared their ideas and soon moved into more of a leadership role. In 1979, “that’s when we got started with the Rendezvous. That’s been going on for 31 years,” Bob said.

“The first year we worked with the Rendezvous, we had 200 people come, and we thought, ‘Man, did we have a crowd,’” Betty recalled. “We were so excited.”

Through the years, the stockade committee has expanded the Rendezvous experience, adding new food items, new activities and new buildings to tour. Just as the stockade and its activities have grown, so have the crowds that attend.

Two years ago, the stockade had 5,000 people walk through the gates during the two-day Rendezvous. The winter Pioneer Christmas has drawn as many as 1,700 visitors on its one day.

The committee added the Pioneer Christmas 19 years ago, and it is similar to the Rendezvous but offers a few different activities such as holiday crafts and visits with Santa.

The summer Rendezvous, which is on the third weekend of August, and Pioneer Christmas, which takes place on the first Saturday of December, are designed to be enjoyable, educational events for all ages. After paying admis-

sion, visitors are free to roam the stockade grounds and tour all the buildings, including a general store, gunsmith store, blacksmith shop, woodwright shop, newspaper office, U.S. Land Office, chapel and schoolhouse.

Volunteers dress in 1860s-era clothing and offer pioneer activities such as horse-drawn wagon rides (sleigh rides in the winter if there’s snow), kids games, as well as a variety of demonstrations such as blacksmithing, candlemaking, horseshoeing, ropemaking, wheat weaving, yarn spinning and pottery throwing.

An assortment of food and beverages are served, including buffalo beef sandwiches and sweet corn in the summer or stew and lefse in the winter, as well as buffalo jerky, pickled eggs, fry bread, homemade ice cream, and apple cider. Each year, the Hermanns drive to Ipswich, S.D., to buy the 400 pounds of buffalo meat needed to make the buffalo sandwiches served at the Rendezvous.

Visitors also can listen to live musicians, whether it’s a bagpiper or Christmas carolers, and visit the buck skinners, a group that the stockade committee invites to set up camp outside the stockade to do demonstrations and sell various wares.

Betty, 71, who has volunteered in the kitchen or where needed at the stockade, now can be found in the bakery,

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COVER STORY

which was built about five years ago.

There she rolls out dough, cuts out gingerbread men, bakes them and gives out free samples of warm cookies.

“That I really like,” she said.

Meanwhile, Bob, 72, ventures around the stockade grounds in his pioneer clothing — donning a long, brown wool coat and fur hat in the winter — checking on the volunteers, chatting with visitors and giving out free bear hugs.

“They truly step into that era. When they put their (stockade) clothing on, they’re living it,” Watt said smiling because she knows this is what her parents live for each year.

“I’ve always told my kids, ‘Grandma and Grandpa are not defined by the car they drive or the house they live in.

They live their life serving and helping others,’” Watt said.

Family ties to the area The Hermanns’ family history in the area goes back to just after the original stockade’s construction.

Bob grew up four miles east of the two-story farm house he and Betty live in, and Betty grew up about four miles south.

“My mother’s family came in the 1860s, and my dad’s family came in the 1880s when my great-grandpa came,” Betty said.

Bob’s side of the family has lived in the Forest City area almost as long, with his mother’s family settling in the 1800s, and his dad’s family arriving in the late 1930s.

“We both have a pretty long history,” Betty said. “Our families have always been here. We’ve always stayed right here. We like it. This is home.”

Bob and Betty attended country school together and then Litchfield High School, with Bob graduating in 1960 and Betty in 1961.

“We rode the same school bus. We were good friends all through high school, but never dated,” Betty said, not until a few years later.

The two reunited after Bob returned from Texas, where he completed basic training with the Air National Guard.

While in Texas, “a tornado hit the base at 10:30 in the morning. I remember very plainly. I thought I’d never see Minnesota again. We had no basements. I was just sitting in the classroom. It got dark out, and you could

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ZEST | DECEMBER 2014

FILE PHOTO

Betty Hermann keeps busy in the bakery at the Forest City Stockade, rolling and cutting out gingerbread dough, baking cookies and giving away samples to visitors. Learn about the stockade online at www.forestcitystockade.org. hear the howl of the tornado. I thought, ‘any minute, it’s going to lift us up in the air.’ It didn’t,” he said, recalling how scared he was at the time.

“You go through a thinking process, and I said, ‘If I ever make it to Minnesota again, farming would be my occupation, and I would look very seriously for a wife,’” he said, getting choked up thinking back on the frightening time and realizing how quickly life can slip away.

He returned to Forest City, “and began to check who was available,” he said breaking into a laugh. “I had gone to a party Betty was at. One of my buddies put on a little party after I got home from the service. I had gone (to the party) with another girl that evening, but shortly after that started dating Betty.”

“And that was history,” Betty said with a smile.

They married in 1966, and moved into a “rundown, rickety old farm house,” Bob said, where they still live today, after having fixed it up from top to bottom.

“I was all fired up because Dad helped me buy this farm,” Bob said of their 400 acres, where he grows corn

and soybeans and raises 100 beef cattle.

After buying it, Bob brought Betty over to show her the farm, but she didn’t share his enthusiasm for the house.

“It was bad; it was really bad,” Betty recalled. “Filthy, filthy dirty. The hardwood floors were coal black. We didn’t know if it was wood or linoleum. Every single ceiling hung. There were cracks and big pieces of plaster hanging down. Cracks on every single wall.”

It wasn’t until eight years later that Betty told Bob what she really thought of the house.

“I said to Bob, ‘I knew I loved him, but I really questioned whether I loved him enough to live in that house,’” she said laughing.

However, after spending years refurbishing their house, which is 130 years old, “we’ve love it,” she said.

“We’ve raised our kids here, and this has been our home. It’s not our house, it’s a home for us.”

“That’s why it works so good to be at the stockade because we’ve lived in a house that’s almost as old,” Bob said.

Their appreciation for history and beauty of the area extends to the Crow River that winds its way through Forest City. For about 40 years, the Hermanns have owned Forest City Canoe Rental, which is operated out of Riverside Store in Forest City. The Hermanns rent canoes so people can paddle along the Crow River.

“It introduces a lot of people to canoeing,” Bob said. “Everybody always talks about going up to northern Minnesota to go canoeing, and I always felt that people should have the opportunity to go canoeing on the Crow River because it’s such a neat river. There’s so many beautiful things to see there. And you don’t know when you’re back on the river, are we way up north or are we in Meeker County.”

Generations involved Volunteering with the stockade has become a family affair for many, Betty said, with several volunteers having three generations participating.

“It’s a neat way to keep the program going,” Bob said, because that appreciation for history is handed down to the younger generations.

Such is the case with Bob and Betty’s daughter, Tami, and her children, Dylan and Sophie, who grew up at the stockade and continue to volunteer

during the two annual celebrations.

While Dylan works in the blacksmith shop, Tami and Sophie staff the oldfashioned root beer stand in the summer, and make lefse in the cabin’s kitchen in the winter.

The Hermanns’ son, Todd, also was involved at the stockade for a number of years.

“He was the first rope-maker,” Betty said. “He bought that first rope-maker out of his own money. He had seen it at a flea market, and he asked, ‘Is that something I can do (at the stockade)?’

He was probably 12, 13 at the time.”

Todd enjoyed showing visitors how to make rope, but he also was a competitive person and organized pioneer kid games, from two-people wheel-barrow races to pie-eating contests. He also was an excellent black powder shooter and craftsman. He helped construct some of the buildings at the stockade, and made tomahawks, bows and arrows. His involvement in the stockade was cut short, though, when he died in a motorcycle accident in 1997.

Following Todd’s death, “the first

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COVER STORY

that it’s not their efforts that have made the stockade successful, but rather the work of hundreds of volunteers. Stockade committee members volunteer and are responsible for all of the design, construction and reconstruction, fundraising and maintenance at the stockade. Those who work behind the scenes, as well as the volunteers who work during the stockade’s two events are key to keeping the stockade open for visitors.

“The volunteers are a big part of our program. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have a program. They are who make it happen. We have the utmost respect for them,” Bob said.

The Hermanns are pleased with the success of the Rendezvous and Pioneer Christmas, as well as the community’s support through the years.

Keeping history alive and relevant is important to the Hermanns.

“Unless history lives in the present, it will not live in the future,” Bob said.

“If we wouldn’t be doing this now, it wouldn’t carry on into the next generation.” I

couple Rendezvous were very difficult for me,” Betty said, “because Todd was such a big part of it. To watch the ropemaker, to see somebody else do that, and to hear the black powder guns go off ...,’” she said, her voice trailing off as tears welled up in her eyes.

However, as more time has passed, Betty views the stockade differently.

“Now, I’d say, it’s more of a comfort because I knew his love for it,” she said.

Early on, “there were thoughts, ‘Should we quit and give it up,’” Bob said, choking up as he recalled how difficult it was coping with the sudden loss of their only son. But Bob sees their involvement as continuing something Todd loved.

Todd’s memory lives on in various parts of the stockade, and his family keeps him close at heart. The bead necklaces Bob, Betty and Tami wear during stockade events were ones Todd made.

Keeping history alive Bob and Betty are quick to point out

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FOOD & FUN

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix In A Jar 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Place flour mixture in 1-quart jar.

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