The Star Post 04-19-2023

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Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Incredible come-from-behind victory

400 Block update

Melrose Area knowledge bowl team members Tanner Sand (front, from left), Cole Chellgren, Grant Hellermann, Austin Kelzer and Natalie Enright; and (back) coach Bill Leraas wear their first-place medals and display their trophy after winning the 2023 Class AA knowledge bowl state title April 14 at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd. This is the first state championship for a Melrose knowledge bowl team.

Melrose knowledge bowl team claims first state title

BY HERMAN LENSING | STAFF WRITER

Melrose Area knowledge bowl co-captain Grant Hellermann had no problem April 14 recalling the stunned feeling following their winning the 2023 Class AA knowledge bowl state title at Cragun’s Resort it Brainerd.

Carbajal remembers military bond, law enforcement brotherhood

with slain Deputy Owen

BY CAROL MOORMAN | STAFF WRITER

Albany Police Chief Ozzie Carbajal was among law enforcement officers in vehicles escorting the body of Pope County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua “Josh” Owen, in a flagged-draped casket in a black hearse, to Glenwood mid-morning April 17. Owen not only was Carbajal’s law enforcement brother, but a person with whom he had a military bond.

As the sun was starting to rise Monday, Commercial Contractors Company workers from Melrose were inside the Lisa’s On Main building working on securing the west wall

“It was an incredible come-from-behind victory,” Hellermann said. “In the final round, we needed to outscore the leading team by eight points.”

PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN

Other members, co-captain Austin Kelzer, Natalie Enright, Cole Chellgren and Tanner Sand, had similar feelings.

The tournament was an uphill battle. The official start was a 60-question written round among the 15 teams in Class AA. Prior to the written round, Melrose had drawn the No. 10 seed from a lottery, used to break ties after a round.

Based on written round scores, teams are assigned to one of five rooms for competition. Teams want to be assigned to one of the first three rooms.

“There is strength of scoring for bonus points,” Hellermann said. “The three teams in room one get 1.5 points per round. Those in room two get one point, those in room three get a half a point just for showing up there. It is more difficult in room one than in room two or room three.”

Knowledge bowl page 4

Showcasing the city of Melrose

Carbajal has known Owen since 2002 when they both served with the Sauk Centre National Guard unit during a deployment in Bosnia. On April 16, Carbajal visited with fellow soldiers about their friend who passed away April 15 following injuries received during an exchange of gunfire with a domestic assault suspect in Cyrus.

“He was the best of all of us,” Carbajal said. “Josh was never angry. Always smiling. He had this infectious laugh that was unmistakable. You could hear him everywhere. ... You know how you say he was a really nice guy, he was a really nice guy.”

Bzdok swings and sways

theStarliteway

LaVerne and the Starlites featured band at April 23 Holdingford Heartland event

BY CAROL MOORMAN STAFF WRITER

LaVerne Bzdok started performing when she was 14 with the Jolly Fisherman. Four years later she started her own band, The Starlites Orchestra, later changing the name to LaVerne and the Starlites, and they performed at ballrooms around the upper Midwest.

“It was wonderful back then and talk about experiences, glory and fame, it was all happening,” Bzdok said March 16, during a phone interview.

Melrose water and wastewater supervisor Tim Vogel asks resident Regine Muellner to guess what percent was solids and what percent was water in the sample during the April 13 open house at the Melrose City Center in Melrose. He told her the city tested for nitrates in several different brands of bottled water and the results were interesting, as many people believe bottled water is pure with no nitrates in them.

Melrose open house page 2

LaVerne and the Starlites is the featured band from 1-5 p.m., Sunday, April 23, during the Music of Our Heartland Old Time Celebration at the Holdingford American Legion, 560 Main St., in Holdingford. Fellow musicians are encouraged to bring their polka instruments for a jam session at 3 p.m.

Starlites page 3

PHOTO SUBMITTED

PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN

Deputy Owen page 2

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The Starlites Orchestra – Steve Molle (from left), of Little Falls, on guitar; Wayne Determan, of St. Cloud, on saxophone; Ron Schmidt, of Burtrum, on concertina; Ron Schley, of Sauk Centre, on drums; Jim Lampert, of Little Falls, on saxophone and accordion; and LaVerne Bzdok on guitar, piano and vocals – pose for a photo in the 1960s. The orchestra was formed in 1962 by Bzdok, who later changed the name to LaVerne and the Starlites.

‘He was the best ‘He was the best of all of us’

PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN

Melrose firefighters Joe Woeste (left) and Carl Worms salute as the hearse carrying the body of Pope County Deputy Josh Owen is escorted mid-morning April 17 by law enforcement down Interstate 94 near the Melrose exit. The flashing light motorcade was met by Pope County Sheriff ’s Office vehicles in Sauk Centre, which provided an escort the remainder of the route to Glenwood.

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Pope County Deputy Josh Owen served with the sheriff ’s office close to 12 years and built a bond with his K-9 officer, Karma. He was also a military veteran.

Makayla Kay Lubben

Living the Stations o f t h e C r o s s of the Cross

Jesus,

Deputy Owen from front

According to the Pope County Sheriff’s Office, shortly before 7:30 p.m., April 15, officers from the Glenwood and Starbuck police departments and the Pope County deputies were dispatched to a Cyrus residence on a domestic call. At one point during the attempted arrest, there was an exchange of gunfire between officers and a man at the home. One Starbuck officer and two Pope County deputies were struck by gunfire. The Starbuck officer was injured but was not hospitalized. One deputy

the fifth station -

was treated for injuries and released. Deputy Owen was transported to Glacial Ridge Hospital in Glenwood in critical condition and later passed away from his injuries.

The suspected shooter was also struck and killed during the exchange of gunfire. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident. Names of the other individuals involved have not been released.

Owen was a Pope County deputy close to 12 years and had built a bond with his K-9 officer, Karma.

Pope County Sheriff Tim Riley paid tribute to Owen April 16 during a press conference.

“Yesterday, April 15, Pope County law enforcement lost a brother,” Riley said. “Our sympathies and love are with Deputy Josh Owen’s family, and families of the other deputies and officers involved.”

Owen, who died on his 44th birthday, is survived by a wife and son.

“Deputy Owen had a heart as big as his stature,” Riley said. “He loved his family, his brotherhood and his community.”

Owen was a 1998 graduate of Albany Area High School and had been a stu-

dent there since about ninth grade.

“He had a laugh that could make anybody laugh,” said classmate Kurt Richter, of Albany. “He would do anything for anybody.”

He last saw Owen around 2017 when Richter was working in Glenwood.

“Somebody said, ‘Hey, Kurt,’ and I turned around and it was Josh,” Richter said.

Richter was among the classmates and Albany emergency personnel on the Albany overpass Monday morning as law enforcement vehicles escorted Owen’s body in a hearse down Interstate 94.

“The eyes were definitely watery,” he said.

Carbajal, who has been Albany Police Chief since 2012, was surprised to find out he was an Albany graduate. It was simply something they never talked about.

Carbajal called Owen a good soldier.

“He never complained a lot,” Carbajal said. “That wasn’t his nature.”

Carbajal said within the law enforcement community, you are a “brother doing the same thing and risking our lives, but that bond it so much stronger in the military when you are away from home, in a foreign country, and experiencing

Melrose open house from front

things and all you have is each other.”

Carbajal said they hung out a lot when deployed and played sports, although “Josh wasn’t much into sports.”

He last saw Owen close to five months ago.

Carbajal received a phone call late Saturday night informing him about the shooting of three officers in Cyrus.

“The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘Was it Josh?’” Carbajal said. “I prayed and said, ‘I hope everybody is OK.’”

In his 25th year in law enforcement, Carbajal admits there is always that lingering feeling in the back of his mind if his phone rings after 10 p.m. He figures he has responded to thousands of domestic calls during his career.

“What people don’t understand is we’re not doing this for the money,” he said. “We’re doing it because we want to help people. That’s the backbone of this job and it’s gotten more dangerous.”

The line of law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights activated stretched for miles April 17 as the hearse carrying Owen’s body made its way to Glenwood.

“We’ll take him all the way home,” Carbajal said.

PHOTOS BY CAROL MOORMAN

Resident Duane Hiltner (center) talks with Melrose city engineer Dave Blommel (left) and streets and parks supervisor Gary Middendorf about the proposed new campsites in the Sauk River Park during a two-hour open house April 13 at the Melrose City Center in Melrose. A diagram of the park project is displayed on the top left, and below that is a depiction of a new grant-funded sidewalk project connecting Daylight Court and Fifth Avenue.

PHOTOS BY CAROL MOORMAN

Soldiers Leo Kasper (from left) and Camren Gadacz; Ethan Hellickson, as Simon; and Jackson Gilk, as

depict

Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross – during the St. John’s-St. Andrew’s Catholic School’s “Living Stations of the Cross” April 4 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Meire Grove. The presentation was directed by Kari Kasper and Katelyn Groetsch with assistants and consultants Kevin Hoisington, Hope Schreifels, Mary Miller and Kristen Pattinson.

Ryan Hellickson (front) holds up a flower while he and fellow students sing “Rise and Shine” during the April 4 Living “Stations of the Cross” at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Meire Grove. Music teacher Emily Krogstad practiced with the students to prepare them for their performance.

Albany garbage hauler, collection update features interesting discussion

Council explains ordinance after resident asks open forum question

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER

Albany’s switch to solid waste hauler West Central Sanitation earlier this month was mostly uneventful.

Nevertheless, council members fielded an interesting question about the city’s refuse ordinance during an April 5 open forum.

What happens if a property owner hauls their garbage elsewhere for disposal?

Sam O’Hara and husband, Cole, have owned a home at 311 Sunset Court since 2019. The couple owns a business in Waite Park and takes their garbage and disposes it in a dumpster that’s on-site.

“We have not had garbage at our residence,” O’Hara said. She brought a bill to the April 5 Albany council meeting from West Central Sanitation showing payment for a dumpster that’s located

Starlites from front

The polka party, with city of Holdingford assistance, is funded by a grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, thanks to legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

This Music of Our Heartland program focuses on preserving and sharing the ethnic music of rural Stearns County. LaVerne and the Starlites was chosen this year because of the band members’ rich music heritage.

Bzdok said she grew up in a “house booming with music” in a fun loving family, who had the opportunity to share music with the public.

“My mom played accordion and harmonica, and my dad played guitar and piano accordion,” she said.

Bzdok is a self-taught musician, who plays by ear but can read notes.

“I play by ear because it’s more important to wave to the people than it is to play a number perfect,” she said. “They will remember LaVerne waving to them, but they may not remember a song that was played perfect.”

After performing with the Jolly Fishermen for four years, Bzdok met concertina player Alan Quade from Foley and formed her first band, The Starlites Orchestra, in 1962.

“We were playing ballrooms that I dreamed about, like the Bel Rae, Medina, Turf Ballroom and the Corn Palace and various other ballrooms in Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska,” she said.

Bzdok, at age 22, changed the band name to LaVerne and the Starlites when Quade left the band to pursue his professional working career.

Being a female band leader in those days was unusual Bzdok said, “not only to the ballroom owners but the dancers.”

By the early 1980s the band developed a following.

“I was approached by a large travel company out of Chicago, and they said, ‘How would you like to take your band to a polka festival in Europe, and all I had to do was sell it to 50 people, and it worked, and I was on my way to doing many cruises,” she said.

It was thanks to her music that LaVerne’s Travel started. Followers of the band suggested she arrange a bus trip to her performance in Florida for a polka festival. After that, LaVerne and husband George started ar-

outside the city.

O’Hara said her husband brings the couple’s residential garbage to Waite Park for disposal once a week.

“I’m already paying $115 a month for a dumpster,” she said. “I know I can select the minimum amount, but I don’t want to be paying for something I’m already paying for. I don’t want to pay for garbage twice.”

Clerk and administrator Tom Schneider responded to O’Hara’s concern during his council update later in the meeting.

“We have an ordinance that requires everybody to have collection,” Schneider said. “If they want to bring their garbage elsewhere, that’s up to them. They can select the minimum rates with West Central.”

Schneider said cities have to regulate where there garbage goes because it’s a public health concern.

Mayor Tom Kasner provided some refuse hauler history during his comments. Over the years, Kasner said the council has heard from a number of residents that had different contract hauler arrangements.

“When Ervin Bueckers took care of the garbage, he could strike up a deal with anybody,” Kasner recalled.

Kasner said there was an understanding if someone had a dumpster and they wanted to haul their garbage somewhere else.

“Waste Management honored that because they basically bought out Ervin’s contract,” he said.

O’Hara’s understood the city’s position.

“I get it,” she said. “I just don’t want to be paying another couple of hundred unnecessary dollars a year for something I’m already paying for.”

Kasner replied the

city receives similar questions and requests every time there’s a refuse hauler change.

“I’m sorry that this affects you the way that it is,” Kasner said. “You have to understand if we make this exception for you, we’ll have people left and right telling us they don’t need garbage cans.”

During their April 5 meeting, city leaders acted on another utility billing matter.

The council unanimously agreed to discontinue the practice of allowing water bill payments at Stearns Bank and Magnifi Financial.

“A lot of our customers are going to ACH payments or dropping off payments at city hall,” Schneider said.

Schneider said it’s challenging to have Albany Public Works staff walk or drive to the credit union to pick up checks they have to reconcile.

“It’s been done like that for 50 years. We need to change it,” he said.

Makayla Kay Lubben

Makayla Kay Lubben, daughter of Morgan and Chad Lubben, of Edgerton, and welcome by excited sisters Madelyn, 4, and MaKena, 23 months, was born at 4:43 p.m., March 30, 2023, at Sanford Medical Center in Laverne.

She weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 19.5 inches long.

Grandparents are Victor and Ann Uphoff, of Melrose; and Cal and Char Lubben, of Edgerton. Great-grandparents are Alphonse Hiltner, of

60th Wedding

Herb and Lori Thull

Herb and Lori Thull, of Melrose, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with an open house 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 22, at the Melrose American Legion in Melrose.

There will be a beef roast dinner at noon. The Jerry and Joyce Band will be entertaining from 2-4 p.m.

Herb and Lori (Gerads) Thull were married April 23, 1963, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in St. Francis.

IN MEMORY

In loving memory of Roman Schulzetenberg Jan. 30, 1919, to April 18, 2006

Remembered

Every Day.

We can’t believe it’s been 17 years.

Loved Always. Your Family P-16-1P

THANK YOU

Thank you

A sincere thank you from the family of Art Van Heel to Fr. Dan Walz and the staff at Sacred Heart Parish in Freeport, as well as all the volunteers who helped with the funeral in various ways. Thanks also to the Melrose American Legion for the military honors presentation. Kudos to family, friends, parishioners and community members for your tremendous support. It was greatly appreciated.

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What’s HAPPENING

ranging trips together. She said she has been blessed with many talented musicians who performed in her band or who she met along her musical journey, including Kenny Jensen, who played drums in Nashville for Tammy Wynette; Scott Nason, an excellent trumpet player, who now has a recording studio in Nashville; and Jay O’Donnell, who performs with the Fabulous Armadillos.

She talks about hiring the Dirkes’ brothers, Dean and Daryl, of Albany. At the time, Dean was 11 and Daryl 10.

Starlite Way” and “Walk With Me” featuring spiritual songs.

Bzdok has written many songs, including the music for country-polka Masses the band performs for.

“We’ve done Masses everywhere from St. Francis, to St. Stephen, to St. Rosa, to Sacred Heart in Freeport, Lastrup, Kimball and my home parish of Our Lady of Lourdes,” she said.

This month jam sessions started again at the Holdingford American Legion from 1-4 p.m. the second Thursday of the month, with anywhere from six to 13 musicians.

“Working with other musicians is wonderful,” Bzdok said.

With hundreds of songs in her band’s repertoire, the tunes are endless. She admits to having a few favorites – “Let’s Have a Polka Party” and “One Day at a Time.”

Chances are those songs, and plenty more, will be on the list April 23.

With a “music makes you happy” attitude, she is eager to pass on her passion.

Thursday, April 20, 7 p.m. – Melrose City Council Meeting. Melrose City Center, 225 First St., NE, Melrose.

Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m.-noon – Easter Egg Hunt Eagle’s Healing Nest, 310 Highway 71, Sauk Centre, Monday, April 24, 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Mental Health Support Group. CentraCare-Albany Clinic, 30 Railroad Ave., Albany. For information call the clinic at 320-845-2157.

Tuesday, April 25, 9:30 a.m. – Oak Hill Cemetery Association annual meeting. West Village Town Homes community center, 210 Eighth Ave. NW, Melrose.

GARAGE SALE

“They played with me in my band through high school and college and then got jobs and married and came back about 20 years ago, and they’re still with me,” Bzdok said.

LaVerne and the Starlites has entertained music lovers around Minnesota, the United States, Europe and on cruises. The band has produced six albums, including one with the catchy title, “Swing and Sway the

“I’m a very spiritual person. I told the Lord, ‘This is what I want,’” Bzdok said. “The Lord has blessed me so many times.”

Tuesday, April 25, noon – Helping Hands Outreach Senior Dining Meal. Holdingford City Hall, 420 Main St., Holdingford. Programs are open to the public. Call 320-746-9960 for more information.

Tuesday, April 25, 7 p.m. – Freeport City Council Meeting. Freeport City Hall, 125 E Main St., Freeport.

Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m. – AA Meetings. Back to Basic, at Tutti Frutti Marketplace, 38914 County Road 186, Sauk Centre. For more information, call 218240- 1076. Big Book, Melrose City Center, 225 First St., NE, Melrose. For more information, call 320-2413909.

Upcoming: Tuesday, May 2, 7 p.m. – Schanhaar-Otte Post 7050 and Auxiliary meetings. Melrose American Legion clubroom, 265 County Road 173, Melrose.

Tuesday, May 9, 7 p.m. – Melrose American Legion Post 101 and Auxiliary meetings. Melrose American Legion clubroom, 265 County Road 173, Melrose.

Makayla Kay Lubben

Melrose; Ed Lubben, of Leota; and Gradus and Caroline Kuipers, of Hull, Iowa.

The celebration will be hosted by the Thulls’ nine children.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

LaVerne and the Starlites band members Daryl Dirkes (from left), LaVerne Bzdok, Ross Scalise and Dean Dirkes, pictured last September at the Albany Golf Club in Albany, will be performing during the April 23 Music of Our Heartland Old Time Celebration at the Holdingford American Legion in Holdingford. The band was chosen because of the members’ rich music heritage.

Tikes ride on toy, Step 2 shopping cart, purses, Step 2 coupe car (fire engine), Wii game storage unit, electric griddle, Corelle plates, puppy playpen (barely used), craft kits (new),

Knowledge bowl

from front

Melrose scored 49 on the written test, the third best score of any of the teams, and was assigned to room two for oral rounds.

“We were nervous at first at buzzing,” Sand said. “We didn’t want to buzz in too fast. Then we kind of hit our groove in buzzing and being patient.”

Melrose correctly answered 12 of the next 45 questions, giving them 61 points. That was good enough for fourth place, and they remained in room two.

Teams can rotate players in and out between rounds, and Melrose did so. Hellermann, Kelzer and Enright played every round. Chellgren and Sand rotated in and out. Coach Bill Leraas left it up to the team to decide its oral round grouping.

For all but Sand, the state experience was not new.

“All but one of us were at state last year,” Enright said. “That helped, because we were less nervous.”

This year Melrose competed in Class AA as part of a three-class tournament. All 15 teams in the class received the same 45 questions in each round. After each round, total team scores were reviewed and teams were reranked into groups of three.

When round three ended, Melrose tied for third place; eight points behind Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School, one point behind New Ulm High School and tied with Glencoe-Silver Lake High School.

“In round four, we had 15 points,” Leraas said. “That moved us into second place and into room one.”

Their competition in the final round was against MVL, which was in first place, and New Ulm, which had defeated Melrose in two previous rounds. MVL had 105 points, Melrose 99 and New Ulm 97.

Hellermann, and most of the more than 20 fans supporting Melrose, knew it was actually more. At the end of the contest, the strength of scoring would be factored in. With those points, MVL had 112.5 points, Melrose 104.5 and New Ulm 103.5 points.

“We were down by eight points,” Hellermann said. “We had to outscore the leader by eight in the last 45 questions. That’s a lot to make up.”

Just what happened is something players and coaches could not explain. Melrose just started answering questions correctly. During questions 30-45, Melrose correctly answered eight questions. MVL and New Ulm each answered one.

“That’s when the momentum really changed,” Leraas said.

Melrose’s point totals climbed. When Melrose answered question 37 correctly, they were tied with MVL. With just eight questions left, Melrose answered two more and clinched the title. They outscored MVL 17-7 in the final round. New Ulm had earned 10 points

“I don’t know what the final answer was, but it was an easy question,” Sand said. “I think Austin answered it.”

Kelzer could not remember what he answered either.

“That last round is a blur,” he said.

When Kelzer answered, Leraas relaxed. His calculations showed, with the SOS factored in, the final announced scores were Melrose 121.5 points, MVL 119.5 points and New Ulm 113.5 points.

“I knew we had won,” Leraas said. “Then other emotions started taking over.”

Some on the team were not sure. Sand, for one, was focused on answers not scores.

“Mr. Leraas calculated the SOS into the final score and said we could win but it was close,” Sand said. “When they announced the second-place winner, we knew we won.”

That might have been when Enright really believed she would receive a first-place medal.

“When we got done, I looked at Brandon (Stalboerger), who was captain last year, and had graduated, and he said, ‘You won.’ I said, “Yeah, we did really good this round,’” she recalled. “Then I looked at Grant and it hit me, and I said, ‘Oh no, we actually won.’ For me, I had no clue as to what was going on until afterward.”

Melrose made history with the win, as the first Class AA champion in a three-class knowledge bowl tournament. The win qualified the team for an online national knowledge bowl contest, which they will play via computer April 22 at Leraas’ home.

Melrose has competed in the state knowledge bowl tournament in 1986, earning fourth in a oneclass tournament; 2012, earning 23rd in Class A; 2017, sending two teams, earning third and 11th in Class A; 2021, earning third in Class A; and 2022, earning fourth in Class A.

Those teams all displayed an ability to answer questions under pressure for correct answers. The 2023 state champion team was no different. But there was one question members were constantly asked, that they could not remember the answer to – what were the answers that clinched the winning points?

“I really don’t know,” said Hellermann with a grin. “Really, we asked everybody on the team. Nobody remembers – but we answered it correctly.”

Marilyn (Moening) Swenson

Marilyn Mae (Moening) Swenson, originally from Melrose, passed away March 2, 2023.

Born to Alvina and Albert Moening on the family dairy farm, Marilyn left the farm at 18. After short stints in Alexandria and Alamosa, Colorado, she settled in St. Paul, where she lived for more than 45 years. She became a true city girl.

Marilyn met her sweetie, Ray, at a party attended by other members of the “Laurel Gang.” They married in 1973 and bought a house on Osceola in St. Paul where they raised three children: Sarah, Kim and Anna. Marilyn loved parties and the house on Osceola was home to many of them, including gatherings with the “Card Group,” Chili Sundays, the annual May Party, leaf raking parties, football watching parties, back-to-school barbecues, the dice game and countless birthdays and holidays.

In 2014, Marilyn and Ray moved to the apartment on River Road in St. Paul, where they met a new group of wonderful friends. They enjoyed happy hours under the pergola, watching birds from their patio, progressive dinners, games of 500 and more family gatherings.

Marilyn worked hard. She raised three children and worked full-time. When asked if she took any leave when the girls were born, she said, “huh. I doubt it. Maybe a week.”

After Ray died in 2017, she surprised us all by apply-

Donald P. Hemmesch

Donald Peter “Donny” Hemmesch, 67, passed away peacefully at his home April 1, 2023. Mass of Christian Burial was April 12 at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church in Lake Henry. The Rev. Glenn Krystosek officiated. Burial was at St. Margaret’s Parish Cemetery.

Donny was born Nov. 28, 1955, in Melrose, to Alois and Elizabeth (Bertram) Hemmesch. He grew up on the family farm in Lake Henry. He graduated from Paynesville High School in 1973. He

Asha P. Gregory

Asha Paige Gregory, 34, of Greenwald, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family April 10, 2023, at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 22, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose with the Rev. Marvin Enneking officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date at St. Andrew’s Cemetery in Greenwald. The Mass will be livestreamed and can be viewed on YouTube channel: Church of St. Mary Melrose. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday, April 21, and 9-10 a.m. April 22 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Asha Paige Poepping was born Sept. 7, 1988, to Steve and Michele Poepping. She was their only daughter and the light of their life (right, Mom and Dad). She graduated from Albany High School in 2007. Many of her high school classmates remained her greatest friends throughout her life. She attended multiple colleges (St. Ben’s, SCTCC, CLC, St. Scholastica and SMSU) to climb the nursing ladder. She finished with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in teaching, learning and leadership and gained many other wonderful friends along

Donald P. Hemmesch married and later divorced Carol Schmitt, with whom he had three children. He loved all aspects of farming,

ing for her first passport. We took advantage of that and took a girls’ trip to Mexico. Just when we thought we had her figured out, she would surprise us.

Marilyn loved being outside soaking up the sun, but was equally happy walking in the snow or rain. Marilyn was a voracious reader, loved coffee, a warm bath and a good glass of white wine. She loved listening to music; John Prine and The Beatles were her favorites. But what she really loved was her family – Ray; Sarah and Dan; Kim, Brian, Abby, Owen and Evan; and Anna, Dusty, Henry and Miles. In addition to her immediate family, she enjoyed spending time with her siblings and their families. Beach side meals in California with JoAnn and Steve. Cocktail cruises with Bud and Pat. Dinners out and visits with Bill and Joan. Mountain hiking in Oregon with Mark and Kathy. Visits to the ranch in California with Charlie and Jane. Parties with Harry and Colleen. COVID-19 and cancer robbed her of her plans for retirement. A trip to see a concert at Red Rocks. A trip to visit her sister JoAnn and family in San Diego. Yoga classes and volunteering at school. Ireland. An Alaskan cruise with the family. More card games, more birthdays, more holidays. As a tribute to her, take the trip. Do the things. A celebration of life will be held May 20 at the house on Osceola. Email Sarah at skilibarda@icloud.com for information. P-16-1B

especially raking hay and hauling manure. His dogs were his best co-pilots for riding around on his side-byside to make sure everything was in its proper place, and he made sure Junior knew if it wasn’t. He spent many years shooting pool in league and with anyone who would take on “Lefty.” He enjoyed fishing trips with friends, playing cards at family get-togethers and reminiscing about the good ole days. Everyone knew they could always stop by and visit “Alfonse” at home to shoot the breeze and have a beer.

the ball playing co-rec softball, sharing her bountiful garden harvest each year and making the “world’s best” monster cookies. Asha also enjoyed fishing, hunting, scrapbooking and photography. If you ever had your photo taken by Asha, she hopes it is something you will always treasure.

Donny is survived by his children, Donald, Jr., (Megan), Angie (Ben Thelen) and Dale; grandchildren Carley, Owen, Olivia and Caleb Hemmesch and Jack, Madison and Eli Hemmesch; sisters Alice Schaefer and Janet (Donald) Schaefer; brother Richard (Mary Ann); and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Alois; his mother, Elizabeth; stepfather Alfred Rothstein and brother-in-law Herman Schaefer. P-16-1B

and those I didn’t know was unbelievable. A special thank you to the staff at Coborn Cancer Center, ICU and oncology for all of their care, the Poor Clares for their prayers and Father Mark for the spiritual care at the St. Cloud Hospital.

the way. Asha was the district nurse for Sartell-St. Stephen Schools for two years and then the district nurse for Albany Area Schools for the past nine years. School nursing was her passion. She loved to help and care for the students and watch them grow. She also worked as a home healthcare nurse for one treasured client “Mr. B” for more than13 years.

On June 28, 2014, Asha married her version of Prince Charming, Dustin Gregory, and they began their “happy ever after” in Greenwald. Daughter Willow was born in 2015, and son Nash completed the family in 2018. Asha loved her family more than anything. She is so proud of Willow and Nash and can’t wait to watch from above to see what their future will hold.

Asha will be remembered for her intense volleyball serve, hitting the heck out of

Throughout the years, Asha enjoyed volunteering at many places, including hundreds of hours at the St. Cloud Hospital. She was a member of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Greenwald.

Asha was especially excited to be greeted in heaven by her grandmother, Jeanette Maciejewski, and her friend, Leo Kohorst. She always had a positive attitude and always found the good things even on the hard days in her cancer battle. She was a planner, and she even wrote this obituary. Now that you know I wrote this, I can speak in the first person. I want you to find the “good things,” go on vacation, eat the cake, and know you can never have too many photos. Remember, nobody gets out of here alive, so live like you are dying (because you are).

Thank you to those who helped me along my cancer journey. The outpouring of prayers and support from coworkers, friends, family

If you could do one thing for me, I ask that you help make sure my mom and dad are taken care of, as well as Dustin and the kids. It’s going to be difficult for them without me physically with them. Being an only child and not being there to take care of my parents as they age, and not being there for my children as they grow up are the two things that I had the hardest time with.

Please celebrate my life.

Don’t be too sad because I’m gone sooner than we’d hoped. Remember the good times and smile. I promise to send some butterflies your way to help you know I am with you. When you see the butterflies, think of me and smile. Until we meet again, I love you. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred. Per Asha’s request, “nothing fancy, dress casual.” Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Services of Melrose.

P-16-1B

Avon council approves new lift station alarm dialers

City leaders learn about wastewater plant programmable logic controllers issue

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER

Automated alarm dialing systems will be installed in older lift stations maintained by Avon Public Works.

Water and wastewater foreman Justin Kurtz presented quotes for the dialers during an April 3 council meeting.

Kurtz also reported issues with the programmable logic controllers at the wastewater treatment plant.

City leaders authorized up to $5,000 for five dialers per a quote from Albany-based Preferred Controls.

“Right now, we rely on a police officer, home owner or resident who’s driving by to alert us,” Kurtz said.

Kurtz also reported a February issue occurred with a transfer switch failure at the Columbia Gear lift station. A pump ran dry for 14 hours until someone came in and did rounds. The pump is operating OK, he said.

“The pump is fine; we have not found any issues with it, and it’s running as it should, but we never got a notification,” Kurtz said.

Councilor Doug Schae-

fer said a pump failure would have been very expensive.

In late March, Avon Public Works received numerous headworks communication failure alarms at the wastewater treatment plant. A plant’s headworks plays a crucial role in the pretreatment influent.

The headworks removes sticks, stones, grit and sand from the wastewater stream to protect and reduce wear on the downstream process equipment.

Public works technician Ethan Smith was called 29 times by an automated system. Preferred Controls came in, and they reset the power on the two programmable logic controllers, Kurtz said.

“They advised us to get these electronics replaced because they are the operational brains to the plant,” he said. “If they go down, we are dead in the water.”

The main plant has approximately 20 such controllers, Kurtz said.

“We don’t have to do them all at once, but those PLCs are running on 20 years of life,” Kurtz said.

He said Preferred Controls recommended not rebuilding the old wastewater plant controllers because doing so would cost 10 times as much as new equipment.

Kurtz reported he would troubleshoot and work directly with Preferred Controls to determine the next steps.

Asha P. Gregory

Parks are a real plus

I took a stroll across the new bridge in Melrose Wednesday, overlooking the Sauk River Park. It was nice to see the water flowing freely under the bridge, at a quicker rate than we are used to other months of the year, and yet, staying within the Sauk River banks.

It wasn’t that many years ago when the river expanded out into the ball diamond during a rapid thaw in spring, flooding areas of the park. It was not a pretty sight, but one that decreased with time, leaving behind marshy areas that took time to dry up.

Not for all that jazz

From the Heart by Carol Moorman

The park will have a new look this year as the park board is in the midst of revamping areas with increased camping sites, a basketball court, new playground equipment and other amenities. I’m excited to see all these changes – which will take time – with hope the Sauk River Park will continue to be a vital part of our community, like it was years ago. Those of us, who are old enough, remember when the main softball diamond was near the entrance to the park, and people flocked to watch softball games five nights a week and on weekends when softball tournaments brought people to Melrose from many other towns, some even camping out in the park. Roger Raeker stood on the sidewalk watching softball games. Al Hinnenkamp sat in his vehicle watching this summertime activity. I have fond memories of talking to his brother, Elmer, leaning against a bleacher, watching his sons who played in the men’s league. People could park along the fence line and watch from their vehicles, if they wanted to. I remember more than one group of people sitting on the tailgate of their truck with a case (or two) of beer on the ground, watching a favorite summer pastime while indulging in refreshment, or two or three. The bleachers were filled with fans cheering on their favorite teams, at times trying to catch or dodge a foul ball that came over the backstop.

Women and men’s softball was a thriving sport. I spent many hundreds of hours in the dugout and on the diamond with teammates playing softball for the Buecker’s Sanitary Service softball team. It was a time of so-called innocence. Parents weren’t afraid to let their younger children head over to the playground equipment, at that time on the south side of the park, while they played ball or watched the game, content to check on them occasionally to make sure they were OK.

Oh, the fun we had in the concession stand, whether purchasing items or working in it. When my friends Joyce and JoAnn ran it, at the end of the night we’d close it up and enjoy a few refreshments inside the building – right, Izzy?

Children who came to ballgames with their parents grew up and became ball players themselves; mother and fathers played on teams with their sons and daughters.

Dave Hilger was the official scorekeeper. I can still see him walking from his home, a few blocks from the park, carrying a folded American flag carefully in his hands, and he would proudly raise the flag each night before the first ballgame. After each inning, he was in charge of adding the numbers to the scoreboard.

Children who fetched fly balls would receive a few cents for retrieving balls and returning them to the umpire. No wonder there was a mad dash each time the softball left the diamond.

The umpires were another story. There was a whole slough of them, each who had their own night to ump. Donny Wessel was often the ump for the women’s games. He crouched down right behind the catcher, who didn’t dare get up too fast or she would knock him over.

Once the games were done each night, we’d stick around and enjoy a brewski, thanks to Ervin and Berts, our sponsors, who bought us beer, and we drank it whether we were old enough or not.

It was all good, clean fun.

Someone mentioned to me a few years ago that we should hold a women’s softball reunion. I told her that would be fine if we could find someone to run the bases for us. Chances are, as experienced ball players, we could handle hitting the ball and playing defense, but running the bases might be another story.

Like any reunion, I’m sure it would be fun to catch up with other women who shared a real passion in their younger years. There might even be some who, later in life, are paying the price for all those years of playing softball with body parts – knees and hips – that are wearing out from all the bending, twisting and stretching when they thought they were invincible.

Parks were a real plus years ago and are today.

Kudos to the park board for tackling the park project. Yes, it’s going to cost money to do all of this, but you have to spend money to make money. The city did receive a large donation from the Melrose Lions for playground equipment, a Bernick Family grant for part of a basketball court and a more than $300,000 grant to connect residents on the northeast side of town to the park.

The park is a win-win – for the residents who can utilize the amenities and for the city as it entices people from other communities to our city to enjoy what we have to offer and visit our businesses.

Full benefit

A couple months ago I received a health scare when doctors found a lump in my neck area and immediately scheduled me for a CT scan. Life, as I knew it up to that point, was put on pause.

As a self-diagnosed hypochondriac, I thought the worst of the worst. I stalked the internet and diagnosed myself with nine different terminal ailments, all in stage 11. Only severe hypochondriacs can be self-diagnosed as stage 11.

After a full week of life flashing before my eyes, the heaviness of the very real possibility I could be experiencing the beginning of the end anchoring in the deepest part of my gut, I was given the best news I could have received. I felt extremely lucky because I know so many people who have gone through a similar experience and received different news. People I know, people I love, and people who are now gone.

In Other Words by Bryan

Zollman

At that point, at that moment, I decided I needed to change my life. And by that I mean I needed to change my mindset.

For too long I had been wondering about the past and worrying about the future. Very rarely was my mind ever in the now. Here I was, pushing a half-century, kids practically grown, staring down a silver wedding anniversary, and I was one phone call away from a life-changing diagnosis.

Let’s face it, we all are.

Even though the news was good, it was still life changing, because I knew I needed to make changes. Changes in lifestyle, diet and, most of all, mindset.

I recently read about the U.S. Navy Seals and a term they often use – full benefit.

The term doesn’t refer to their health insurance and whether or not they get dental and vision. It refers to adversity and their relentless pursuit of it.

The Navy Seals are the most highly-trained military team in the world. Every day is an unknown of physical and mental challenges that would make the common man cower in the corner and cry for his mommy.

You have to be a special person to be able to accomplish the things a Navy Seal accomplishes. It is for uncommon men with uncommon valor.

But you don’t have to be a physical specimen to adhere to their most basic trait – their willingness to confront adversity and their dedication to overcoming it knowing in the end it will make them better. In essence, Navy Seals are trained to embrace the suck.

The full benefit is that every instance, good or bad, is to be a chance to improve one’s self. As one writer put it, imagine running into a frigidly cold surf, fully clothed and then rolling around in the sand on the beach, and then being forced to climb a treacherous hill while wet and full of sand. Instead of running away from such an arduous task, the Seals attack it with vigor, knowing they will be better soldiers having been through the worst of worst conditions. Because they better themselves, they

STAFF

better their team.

Full benefit.

I can’t imagine anyone wanting to run 26.2 miles because it feels great. But marathon runners do it because it is a challenge that will better them as a person. Mile 4, 7, 12, 19 and 24 might really suck. But the suck leads to a full benefit.

Life, in itself, is an adventure, and sometimes we feel like we are climbing a steep, treacherous hill with sandy, wet clothes on and a backpack full of hockey pucks strapped to our shoulders. Deep down we know we can do it. The question is are we willing to do it? Do we want to see what is on the other side of the hill? Are will willing to embrace the suck to get the full benefit?

It all comes down to mindset.

Sometimes it isn’t soggy clothes and a steep hill. It might be something as simple as going to the gym or going to church. We may not want to do it in the moment, but if we are of the right mindset, we know there is a full benefit if we do.

So the next time you are faced with a challenge or with adversity, instead of looking at the negatives of the situation, look at the positive.

Whatever obstacle is in front of you, know your human spirit is stronger than you think. The suck is always on the surface. We have to dig down deep into that human spirit to truly change our mindset and to challenge ourselves to overcome the adversity thrown our way.

When we do that, we can live our life to its full benefit.

letter TO THE EDITOR

Work together to stop death by guns, death of babies

Robert and Karen St. Marie, Albany

It is time to stop the death by guns that are designed to kill many at one time and are killing our children. Also, stop the death of babies before they have a chance to live.

This can only be done if we work together. Our political system is stuck. One political party wants all babies to live but won’t try to help take care of them after they are born. The other political party would like to limit the accessibility to assault weapons, but some are under the impression hunting guns would eventually be taken. Is this true?

We must do more than just vote. Please make your voices heard by those who represent you.

Mark Klaphake ...................General Manager …………………………………mark.k@saukherald.com

Joyce Frericks .....................Business Manager …………………………………joyce@saukherald.com

Missy Traeger .....................Sales & Marketing Manager ………………………missy@saukherald.com

Natasha Barber ..................Managing Editor …………………………………natasha@saukherald.com

Nancy Powell......................Manager ……………………………………………nancy,p@star-pub.com

Tim Vos .................................Marketing …………………………………………tim.v@star-pub.com

Carol Moorman .................Editor/Writer ………………………………………carol.m@star-pub.com

Mike Kosik ...........................Writer ………………………………………………mike.k@star-pub.com

Herman Lensing................Writer ………………………………………………herman.l@star-pub.com

Evan Michealson ...............Writer ………………………………………………evan.m@star-pub.com

Tim Hennagir .....................Writer ………………………………………………tim.h@star-pub.com

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Kayla Hunstiger .................Special Section Coordinator ………………………kayla@saukherald.com Jill Borgerding....................Office Assistant ……………………………………jill.b@star-pub.com

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It would be interesting to know if any form of music was ever immediately accepted by the older generation.

A quick review of history shows at one time organ music in churches, country western music in concert halls and some of today’s classical pieces were criticized when they first premiered.

Lensing

A century ago, in the Albany area, some people looked with disapproval as jazz music was becoming one of the most popular forms of music in the nation. With its upbeat tempo, wide ranging melody variations and energetic beat, it pretty much epitomized the attitude of the 1920s. Another name for the Roaring 20s was the Jazz Age.

Locally, though, jazz was viewed with skepticism. To be fair, the music really wasn’t a product of the local area, but it is considered by some music historians to be the first truly American music. Jazz grew out of blending primarily African-American and Euro-American cultures. Blues, ragtime, quadrilles, church styles and Dixieland band music all affected the development of the music form.

There is a debate about just why the music was called jazz. It is thought to be related to a slang term “jasm,” meaning pep or energy, but no one really knows.

The music, like many evolving music forms, became associated with the less reputable side of society. When prohibition was the law of the land, from 1920 to 1933, the various brands of smuggled, homemade and always illegal alcohol flowed and were consumed as jazz music played in the background. Those same beginnings spawned the careers of some of the most popular musicians and bandleaders of the 1930 and 1940s.

The music went worldwide following World War I when importing American culture became cool. Jazz music was seen as about as American as you could get.

Something about its appeal was eclectic. Children of immigrants, slaves and established families all listened to jazz. It was among the first styles to really promote and celebrate women singers. The style laid the ground for rock and roll.

Not everyone saw this as a good trend. There were some who called jazz a threat to cultural values and saw it as contributing to the decline of America. One Princeton professor said it was not music but an irritation of nerves. There was even a story that a conductor died of a heart attack brought on by jazz.

The local area had some who would have thought those claims might have some merit. The Feb. 22, 1923, Albany Enterprise might have been speaking for those sentiments. A quick review of the paper showed no real promotion or support of jazz, but it did have two less than complimentary comments about jazz music. One noted, “The Washington Post says jazz provides proof that music appeals more to emotions than reason.” Does it really call jazz music? the writer asks. A second comment said, “A well-known composer says that jazz is still in its infancy. If he is right, then infanticide is not always a crime.”

Those sentiments didn’t really carry the day, and jazz became a contributing factor in the development of country western and other American music.

letter TO THE EDITOR

Crime victims should be heard, believed, supported

Barb Dinkel Goodrich, Hands of Hope Resource Center-Todd County lead advocate, Long Prairie Every year, millions of people’s lives are impacted by crime. Victimization and its aftermath may be one of the most difficult periods in a person’s life –and victims’ families, friends and communities often face their own challenges as well.

Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has been celebrated every year in April. Prior to this date, crime victims had no rights, access to crime victim compensation or services to help rebuild their lives. They were often excluded from courtrooms, treated as an afterthought by the criminal justice system and denied an opportunity to speak at sentencing. Yet, through decades of advocacy and hard work, we have come a long way. Today, all states have enacted crime victims’ rights laws and established crime victim compensation funds.

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week 2023, April 23-29, honors and celebrates the achievements made since 1981 in securing rights, protections and services for victims and their families. This year’s theme –Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change –calls upon communities to amplify the voices of survivors and commit to creating an environment where survivors have the confidence that they will be heard, believed, and supported.

If you are a victim of crime, or would like additional information regarding victim rights, contact Hands of Hope Resource Center at 320-732-2319.

Annual Subscription Rates Stearns, Todd, Douglas, Pope, & Morrison counties, $53. Elsewhere in Minnesota, $60. Elsewhere in the United States, $63. Official Legal Newspaper for the cities of Albany, Avon, Freeport, Melrose and Holdingford; Independent School Districts 745, 738 and 740; surrounding townships. Deadlines

The deadline for most news in The Star Post is 5 p.m. Friday. Exceptions are obituaries and reports of weekend events, which have a deadline of 10 a.m. Monday. The deadline for advertisements in The Star Post is 5 p.m. Friday, and in the Shopper and Classy Canary it is noon Wednesday.

Letters Letters to the editor are welcomed. Letters must be signed with first and last name and include address and phone number. Letters are limited 350 words. See political letters to the editor policy for additional guidelines.

Corrections/Clarifications

The Star Post strives for accuracy. If you would like to report a factual error, call 320-845-2700.

ISSN: Print: 2834-5916 Online: 2834-5924

A Peek at the Past by Herman

Albany baseball Head coach and how many athletes in the program: Grant Johnson, first year as head coach. There are 48 players out in grades 9-12.

Who are key returners from last year’s team? Tanner Reis, .295 batting average in 61 at-bats, six doubles, one triple, nine runs. He is an excellent athlete who has major power and can play multiple positions and is a good leader. Carter Voss, .318 batting average in 22 at-bats, nine innings pitched, 1-0 with a 3.23 ERA. Carter is a contact hitter who rarely strikes out. He will be one of our top pitchers. He has excellent control and improved velocity. Devin Hansen, .273 batting average in 66 at-bats, five doubles, 10 runs and 13 RBIs. Devin is so versatile defensively. Devin has some pop at the plate and is an excellent contact hitter. Izaac Hutchinson, 25 plate appearances, five walks, two hit-by-pitches. Izaac has a great eye and good speed. Izaac gets on base and can anchor one of our outfield positions.

Strengths to the team: One of our strengths as a program continues to be our numbers. With 48 athletes out for baseball this spring, we have a lot of kids pushing each other in practice. Our pitching depth is also a strength. The other day at practice, we had around 35 players throw their pitching sets. As the games pile up because of a long winter, we feel we have enough pitching arms to compete during the condensed schedule.

What is the biggest challenge your team is dealing with during the extended winter? We have to stay positive and engaged when we practice indoors. Indoor practice can get long and monotonous, and we can’t let the weather bring us down. We have a great relationship with track and field, softball and golf, so finding enough space to practice has been fine. When we do practice, we have to focus and get better with each rep. We could play tomorrow or we could play in two weeks, so we have to be ready to go whenever we get outside.

What will be some of the non-weather challenges facing your team? Our team will lack varsity experience. We lost nine seniors last year. The top five pitchers who logged the majority of our innings and our top five hitters who logged the majority of our at-bats are all gone to graduation. However, our underclassmen are hungry and eager to show what they can do this season.

MELROSE SPORTS PREVIEWS

Melrose baseball

Head coach and how many athletes in the program: Kyle Shaughnessy, 10th season as head coach. There are 41 athletes in the program.

Who are key returners from last year’s team? Devin Orbeck, senior pitcher/infielder; Max Wehlage, junior pitcher/infielder; Isaac Rosenberger, junior catcher; Hunter Goihl, senior first base; Ian Funk, senior infielder; Connor Anderson, junior outfielder/pitcher; Breydon Dobmeier, junior outfield; and Anthony Berscheit, junior outfield

Strengths to the team: The biggest strength of this team this season is experience. Aside from one graduate last season, we return everybody. Our entire lineup and pitching rotation from the majority of last season is completely intact. We had a strong year on the mound, with a team ERA of 2.82. With the luxury of returning all of our pitchers from last season and having some nice surprises to start this season with how solid some of our guys have looked, we will have a lot more pitching depth than we had a year ago.

What is the biggest challenge your team is dealing with during the extended winter? The only challenge that comes to mind is the eagerness to get outdoors and play the game we all love. Practices have been productive indoors, and we got to St. John’s University for a couple of days to give the guys a break from the gym. It was a neat experience for the guys and we got a lot done. Attitudes have been great, and the team has been focused on improving and getting themselves ready for the season.

What will be some of the non-weather challenges facing your team? The biggest challenge, like most schools will face, is that our first game will be played with minimal time outdoors on our field. We need to be ready to go, because that first game is going to come quickly, followed by the rest of the schedule which will hit everyone hard. We have the talent to have a nice season, so it’s going to be a matter of staying ready, and when the games hit, to start the season on a solid note. We can’t have any letdowns, especially early on, if we want to reach our goals as a team.

Your team will be successful if: Our team will be successful if we come out of the gates with confidence. Players and coaches have high expectations for this season, so coming into this season more experienced and one year older is exciting. The way these guys have developed since last spring is great to see. The pop our pitchers have had, and the sound of the ball off their bats have all been louder and more consistent than they were a year ago. We can’t wait to get going.

Conference and section outlook: We always have an overly-competitive conference and section in baseball. If we are at our best consistently, we should find ourselves in a nice spot come the end of May. But anything can happen in baseball. Every day is a new day and baseball is a weird sport. Nobody in our conference or section has the luxury of being able to look past one game to the next. We just need to control what we can control and take it game by game.

Melrose softball

Head coach and how many athletes in the program: Kristie Ekstrom, eighth season as head coach. We have 29 athletes.

Your team will be successful if: Our pitchers need to throw strikes. Our fielders need to make routine plays. Our hitters need to put the ball in play. Conference and section outlook: The Granite Ridge Conference and Section 6AA produces some of the best baseball in the state. Foley, Little Falls, Pierz and Cathedral will be contenders for the GRC. Foley, Pierz, Cathedral, Eden Valley-Watkins and Wadena-Deer Creek will be some of the top teams in Section 6AA.

Albany softball

Head coach and how many athletes in the program 9-12: Vance Ressler, 14th season as head coach. There are 45 participants in the program.

Who are key returners from last year’s team? Seniors Kendall Buerman, Audrey Rieland, Allie Thelen, Emily McLachlan, Carmen Eiynck, Sophia Schiffler and Mya McNamar; and juniors Shelby Horning, Alyssa Sand, Savanna Pelzer, Lauren Nett and Callie Holthaus.

Strengths to the team: We have a varsity team made of juniors and seniors. This should provide us with an experienced team for the season.

What is the biggest challenge your team is dealing with during the extended winter? Keeping the drills fresh and exciting. We are very fortunate to have excellent indoor facilities at Albany High School, so we have plenty of hitting and field work in, but the girls are definitely excited to get outside as soon as possible.

What will be some of the non-weather challenges facing your team? A challenge that most teams will face this year due to the weather is the anticipated doubleheader season. Doubleheaders can be a challenge and teams will need to stay focused and alert in order to bring their A-game to both contests.

Your team will be successful if: We continue to improve throughout the season, continue to grow as a team and continue to have fun as a team.

Conference and section outlook: The conference and section should be pretty tough top to bottom. Pierz and Cathedral return some of their key players, so I would suspect they would be considered the teams to beat in the conference, but other teams like Sauk Centre, Melrose, Eden Valley-Watkins and Pequot Lakes are always considered excellent programs that have great athletes. So, they will be tough teams as well.

Who are the key returners from last year’s team?

Kaydence Bertram, senior third base; Paige Gruber, senior first base; Ellie Heller, senior second base; Kari Rademacher, senior shortstop; Madi Kuechle, senior center field; Jazmin Finken, senior catcher; Ellie Grieve, sophomore pitcher. Others expected to play big roles are Hannah Hoppe, junior starting leftfield; Theresia Nathe, junior starting rightfield; Bryanne Feldewerd, junior catcher/infielder; Shantel Gruber, sophomore infielder and strong hitter; Allie Hoppe, freshman catcher and strong hitter; and Kaitlyn Klasen, freshman pitcher. Strengths of the team: We have a solid team in the field. We have speed and power. We have veterans who know the game and play smart. Ellie Grieve has been working hard in the offseason and has returned strong in the circle. I can’t wait to see what they can bring to the table.

What is the biggest challenge your team is dealing with during the extended winter? I feel like I am one of the only people who like time in the gym. It is where you can fine-tune things and get the reps in. Once we get outside it is game on top of game. We lose that opportunity. Time in the gym has us working together as one large family to help each other grow as a player but also as a teammate. It helps us as coaches get a closer look at how everyone is performing. The hardest part of the weather holding us back is it eats away from our seniors’ season. It goes by so quickly once we are outside. We have an amazing group of seniors this year who are positive, encouraging and want to do well.

What will be some of the non-weather challenges facing your team? Finding time to get all of our games in. We will have another condensed season this year. With this, it takes away from practice time to learn and grow from situations we have in past games, and it wears down the pitchers.

Your team will be successful if: We will be successful this year if our bats are strong and we continue to have that passion and winning attitude. The drive this team has is awesome, and I look forward to seeing what they can do once we get outside Conference and section outlook: As always, we have had a pretty competitive conference and section. I am optimistic we will do well this year with the leadership and talent of our veteran players and the skills and drive of the new and upcoming players.

Holdingford baseball

Head coach and how many athletes in the program: Jason Bruns, 16th season as head coach. There are 34 athletes in the program.

Who are key returners from last year’s team? Seniors Tanner Tomasek, CJ Clear, Gavin Johnson and Mason Streit; juniors Drew Lange, Dierks Opatz and Dominic Hoikka; and sophomores Luke Bieniek and Chase Lyon.

Strengths to the team: We have 90% of our innings pitched last season coming back and a lot of guys this year saw significant innings at the varsity level last year.

What is the biggest challenge your team is dealing with during the extended winter? Staying focused is always a challenge when you are indoors for this long, but I am pleased with the effort of the team.

What will be some of the non-weather challenges facing your team? We will basically have one outside practice before our first game and two outdoor practices before our first four games. So, finding that rhythm will have to come quickly.

Your team will be successful if: We throw strikes and play defense. We will have a lot of games this spring in a shortened season. Throwing strikes and making plays will be the key and will help with the pitch count. Conference and section outlook: Paynesville and Eden Valley-Watkins will be conference favorites. Section favorites are Albany, Foley, Eden Valley-Watkins, Pierz, Cathedral and Wadena-Deer Creek.

Holdingford softball

Head coach and how many athletes in the program: Dan Talberg, 14 years as head coach. We have nine athletes out this year in grades 9-12 and two eighth graders who join us when they can.

Who are key returners from last year’s team? Key returners are my outfield: left fielder Trista Popp, center fielder Lauren Soltis, right fielder Kenna Bartkowicz and also an infielder, Ayla Young. Aside from the eighth graders, the rest had some time on the varsity field last year. Strengths to the team: Team speed. Our first three in the line up – Trista Popp, Makadence Gallus and Lauren Soltis – are fairly fast and the rest are quick as well. Work ethic. This is a great bunch of young ladies and all of them listen and work hard.

What is the biggest challenge your team is dealing with during the extended winter? No practice on dirt. That’s tough. Our first day out was a game, so each game becomes a practice; we have five games next week and practice Wednesday. But we will get where we need to be defensively.

What will be some of the non-weather challenges facing your team? We have a young team and it will take some time to get consistent on how we play and to play at a high level. We also have a couple of young pitchers who work really hard but they need a few more varsity level games under their belt.

Your team will be successful if: We get better defensively and put more pressure offensively on our opponent. Conference and section outlook: Our conference could be tight this year. I see a bunch of teams splitting their double headers unless they have a senior or junior pitcher who throws well and has enough in the tank to throw both games. Sections look to be very competitive. We have played two games and faced two really good pitchers so far. I know a few other teams are stacked with pitching as well. We are just happy to be playing, and I have no doubt our young team will be ready to make a run in playoffs.