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“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper” Vol. 162, No. 38
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
January 5, 2016
Gackes rescue escaped rooster A party of
Foley
Feathery friend makes for best story in 2016 by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — It has been a tradition for the Gackes, of Sauk Rapids, to share the best story of the year amongst family members during the Christmas season. It just so happens, the tale which made the 2016 cut happened only days earlier for the couple. Tom and Pam Gacke were on their way home the evening of Dec. 18 when they noticed a feathered animal on a sidewalk two blocks from their house on Broadway Avenue South. “When we saw it, we thought it was an owl on the sidewalk. We had forgotten about the rooster,”
Tom said. The rooster in reference, and the one the Gackes found near their home that cold winter day, had escaped from the Benton County Fair almost Àve months earlier. A Foley family had entered their free-range farm rooster into the crowing competition at the Cottonwood Stage Aug. 6 when it escaped. “We were transferring the rooster from an older cage provided to us for competition,” said Ryan Sand, original owner of the Barred Rock rooster. “He Áew right through the hinges.” The fairground commotion was too much for the bird, and the Sands didn’t have a chance to catch the family’s fowl. The rooster had literally Áown its coop. “I was standing right
there and in a Áash it was gone,” said Karen Sakry, of the Benton County Agricultural Society. Sand said the chicken took off running, and the family knew it was highly unlikely they’d get their rooster back. Over the course of late summer and fall, the escaped rooster was spotted multiple times in the surrounding neighborhood. He made occasional appearances on the fairgrounds and was witnessed spending time at Wilson Park. The rooster even signaled daybreak with its early morning crow. But as winter set it, signs of the rooster dwindled and the rooster memory elapsed. When the Gackes found the rooster that Sunday evening, they took immediate action. Temperatures had dipped more than 20 degrees below zero and the animal was in dire need of help. The Gackes went back to their house, found a tote to contain the rooster, Àlled it with a blanket and returned to rescue the bird. “We felt bad right away,” Pam said. “It didn’t matter what kind of animal it was. We didn’t know if it
was going to make it. It was frozen. Its legs were in weird positions. And it let Tom walk right up, pick it up and carry it. It didn’t struggle at all. I think he was very close to being dead.” Exposed to the elements, the rooster’s eyes were frozen over and looked as if he had cataracts. Parts of his comb had been frostbitten and were missing. His feathers were sopping wet from the icy, blowing snow. Living in town, the Gackes’ home was no place for a chicken, but they placed the tote and rooster in their guest bedroom and awaited its recovery. “He just laid there for the longest time and we kept looking in at him,” Pam said. “All of a sudden he was up and about, running around, and had [made a mess]. I thought, ‘Oh no, this won’t work.’” Within an hour, the rooster had recuperated, and they began looking for a new home. Pam, who also volunteers at the Tri-County Humane Society, tried the organization Àrst, but they could not help. The humane society didn’t work with barn animals. They suggest-
Rooster continued on pg. 3
snowmen
Barthels display 30 winter statues each year by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Outside Vern and Betty Barthel’s home at 4745 Fifth Ave. NE, 30 snowmen are lined up for nearly a month each winter, awaiting their next visitors. “It looks like a bit of a party out there,” Vern said. “I don’t think we ever thought it would get to this point, but we love it.” Their grandkids love it even more. “The joy on their faces when they go up to each snowman and give it hugs with a big smile is all we need to continue this,” Betty said. “The kids will spend a lot of time out there, playing in the snow and using their imaginations to make the snowmen come to life.” The Barthels have been collecting blow-mold snowmen for 33 years. Each one is different in some way. But their collection began with different winter icons entirely. Their Àrst purchase was the Santa and Mrs. Claus that adorns their front
step. “It seems like a lot, but we really average less than one new snowman per year,” Vern said. “When I’m searching, I look for something I don’t have. Some of them may be the same mold, but painted differently or have some different characteristic.” Vern states he’s always looking for a new addition, Ànding it on sale if he can. “Most of these are from Menards, but we have a couple from Mills Fleet, one from Target, one from Sears and one from a garage sale,”
Barthels continued on pg. 2
Sauk Rapids
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Vern and Betty Barthel are known for their collection of 30 snowmen lined up from small to tall. This snowman, along with Santa and Mrs. Claus, started the collection 33 years ago. Kimball
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
(Above)Brad Donnay, of Kimball, took in the Barred Rock rooster, which had lived in Sauk Rapids since its escape at the 2016 Benton County Fair. (Left) Tom and Pam Gacke, with their dog Chase, rescued the lost rooster from the elements Dec. 18 two blocks from their home.
Elementary teams qualify for state by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
ST. CLOUD — Elementary students from across the Sauk Rapids-Rice District competed in the state qualifying competition for Vex IQ Dec. 29 at the St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC.) Three Storm teams, one from each elementary school, all advanced to state and will compete at the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center Feb. 4. VEX IQ is the robotics competition available to those in second through sixth grades. It involves snap-together plastic models rather than metal, nuts and bolts. The objective of this year’s
competition was called Crossover and involved competing in a 60-second long teamwork match. Teams did not choose their partners and points were tallied by working collaboratively rather than against one another. The teams also competed in two additional challenges which tested their autonomous programming skills as well as their skills as drivers of their robot. Each team worked at placing colored Hexballs in their scoring zones and balancing on a bridge in the middle of the rectangular competition Àeld. “When we Àrst started [robotics] about Àve years
Vex IQ continued on pg. 2
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Third-grader Levi Brenny (left), 9, and Àfth-grader Jacob Waytashek, 10, make up the Rice Elementary team for Storm Robotics. The Sauk Rapids-Rice District brought three teams to the VEX IQ competition Dec. 29 at the St. Cloud Technical and Community College.