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7 Second Avenue Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weeklyy Newspaper”
Vol. 161, No. 37
Sauk Rapids, p Benton County, Minnesota 56379
(USPS 482-240)
Merry Christmas
Pflipping for llamas
A continuation ti ti off th the F Frontiersman, ti The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
December 23, 2015
Pflipsen Pfarm has fleecy herd by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
Up the long driveway to Terry and Cheryl Pflipsen’s residence northeast of Sauk Rapids, 42 ears perk up and gather at the fence with curiosity. The animals won’t bark or bellow, nicker or bleat. They’ll stand patiently with noses raised, waiting to greet visitors with a sniff of their face. The animals are lamas. Lama—although it looks to be a misspelled version—is the all-inclusive word used to recognize the genus species of animals which includes both llamas and alpacas. The Pflipsen Llama Pfarm has both. Their herd consists of 20 llamas and one Suri alpaca. “We started raising them about 12 years ago when we PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER sold our first breeding pair,” Llamas are naturally curious animals that are generally easy Cheryl said. “We saw them at the Benton County Fair. to care for and make little noise. They were so unique. People
City stresses ordinances by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
Rice business owner Dave Watts will have to remove a sign or reduce its size in order for it to remain in its position along Highway 10 according to the Rice City Council at the Dec. 21 meeting. The sign, which advertises Watts’s Little Rock Boat Works business, is too large and isn’t in compliance with city ordinance. The Rice city ordinance claims signs shall not exceed 50 square feet per side and have a maximum face total of 100 feet. In other council news: - Approved additional warming house/rink attendants for the 2015-16 season. - Approved the Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute registration and attendance May 2-6. - Approved fire contracts for Langola and Graham townships for the 2016-17 calendar years. - Discussed the local board of review date set by Benton County - Progress will proceed as planned after the asbestos inspection of the Bender House was completed. Little asbestos was found. The report will be submitted and demolition scheduled.
didn’t know what they were or used for. Their faces just kind of drew you in with their big eyes.” Cheryl and her family have been passionate about their lamas ever since. Each animal has its own name and its own personality, Cheryl said. Lamas are intelligent animals with generally a mild temperament. They can be used for a range of things from pets and companions to working guard animals. The animals can weigh up to about 450 pounds and stand close to six feet at the top of their heads. Indigenous to South America, the animals are cousins to camels. The Pflipsens have socialized their herd and they are able to take their animals into the community for parades, festivals, school events or care homes to provide therapy for the elderly. “I haven’t found anything hard aboutt rraising aisi ai sinng tthem. hem. he m They are ve very sself-suffi elfel f-ssuffi suffi fficccient. ient ient n . Wee stay
It’s beginning to look a lot like kee PHOTOS BY ANNA SALDANA
The Taubers’ home on Mayhew Lake Road is lit up with 12,000 Christmas light bulbs, casting a pleasant glow around the area.
by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER Driving through town provides a shining, colorful sight this time of year as homeowners display their best Christmas lights for others to see. Tom and Darlene Tauber’s home, near the high school on Mayhew Lake Road, is no exception. In fact, it’s considered a tourist attraction during the month of December for the past 20 years. “We’ve had tour buses driving by and they pull in to see all the lights,” Darlene said. “When it gets closer to Christmas, sometimes there are cars lined up to look at the lights.” “There’s been times where we come home and they were lined up and we’d have to wait to get in our own driveway,” Tom said with a chuckle. For groups of elderly, it’s even been a destination. “We’ve had a bus full of residents from Good Shepherd here. They came to our house to look at the lights, and when they were done, they went back to Good Shepherd,” Darlene said. Each year, Tom and Dar-
lene have their display up Dec. 1, and it stays lit until the first weekend in January. One of the unique things about their display is that, because they have so many lights, they have different areas: Santa’s workshop, the Nativity scene, North Pole, gingerbread men in a row and an area just for white lights. To add to the magic of the lights, the Taubers are looking for one key ingredient: snow. “There was one year where I put up the lights and we got a big snowstorm the next day. We had all sorts of people stopping, but once the snow melted, we only had a few,” Tom said. “Snow attracts more people.” In their front yard, there are approximately 12,000 light bulbs that are lit each night, which brings their circuits to their maximum amount. “We don’t add any more because we’d have to add another circuit,” Tom said. “It’s right at the limit.” When they started putting up that many lights, word gets around. It’s such an attraction that people often thank the Taubers, but not necessarily in person.
Nathen Pflipsen stands with his mom, Cheryl Pflipsen, and two of their 20 llamas on the Pflipsen Llama Pfarm. on a good tight schedule for dewormings and shots because of the deer in the area and they have their maintenance of clippings and shearings, but they’re easier than horses, and they mainly eat grass and hay,” Cheryl said. “It’s really important for our animals to be socialized all surroundings soci so ciali lized ed tto o al ll su surr rrou ound ndings
so when they are in the community they behave without problems and can adapt to new situations.” Pflipsens and their sons, Adam and Nathen, have been involved with 4-H from early
Pflipsen Llama PFarm continued on pg. 4
Christmas
“Last year, we came home and there was a note and a cookie platter on our front step. It was just a simple ‘thank you for doing the display.’ But we aren’t in it for that,” Darlene said. One of the most unique things they’ve received has become an addition to the display: two little bells. This year, the bells are hanging on the tree near the end of their driveway. “We wanted to put it front and center so the lady can see it,” Darlene said. Tom and Darlene joke that they’ve built their own fan base, but they hope to continue to do the light display for as long as they can. “I think some people would be disappointed if we didn’t do it,” Tom said. “We really do it for the community.” The Taubers were one of the winners in this years’ Sauk Rapids holiday lights contest, for the Best Holiday Theme. In the Best Multi-color display, a home on Welsh Court won. The home has colored lights running from roof to ground, as well as colored lights in the trees.
Darlene and Tom Tauber experience a great joy in their hearts by putting up their large display each year.
A home on Fifth Avenue several pine trees in the yard, won for Best One Color. Lights on the house, and a star is at the are strung around the bases of top of one of the pine trees.
Families adopting families by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
Many students at Mississippi Heights are learning lessons of giving this season and making Christmas a little brighter for others. Students and their families are a part of the adopta-family project through the school. The project is in its fifth year and has helped out countless families for the Christmas season, including 45 families this year alone. “It’s good to give back locally and give a direct impact where we work, live and play,” said Ryan Butkowski, Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) president at Mississippi Heights. When his son was in kindergarten, Butkowski was at a PTA meeting when he pitched the idea for the project, with the notion that families need more than just toys, but shoes, PHOTOS BY ANNA SALDANA socks, pants, and other fundaRyan Butkowski and his son, Gavin, have been avid mental needs. participants in the adopt-a-family project at Mississippi Butkowski and his son Heights Elementary School since the project started five years have adopted a family in all ago. five years of the project, and
they plan to continue adopting for as long as they can. “My son gets excited to go shopping and buy all of these things for other people,” Butkowski said. “It’s a great lesson for him.” When adopting a family, a list is presented from the family in need of things that each member wants, needs, and what their interests are. Typically, Butkowski spends $800-1000 on the family each year, and gets most everything on the list, making sure that each member gets what they need and want for Christmas. Tara Prom, social worker at Mississippi Heights, agreed with the fact that people are usually attentive to the lists. “I’ve never seen people who are disappointed with getting clothing for Christmas, but of course they get some toys and fun gifts too. People are very generous,” Prom said. After a few years of getting the project going, the response has been tremendous and the families receiving the gifts are grateful.
While most of the sponsors are families in the school, members of the community have caught on to the project as well, and are beginning to sponsor families. Prom has high hopes that the project will continue to grow in this area. “I’ve had moms come in to pick up the gifts and when she sees the pile, she has tears in her eyes,” said Prom “We’ve had a ton of families offering to help, it was just a matter of finding those families that we wanted to offer the help to.” While the kids usually get the toys and fun gifts, parents of families in need often get cash, gift cards, and other things that will help out the family financially. Usually, families adopting never meet the family they sponsor, as it adds a “secret Santa” feel to the project. If both families request to meet each other, the request is typically granted. “It shows the car-
ing, kind and compassionate people that we have in our community,” Prom said. “It shows how people want to take care of other people, especially during the holidays. I’ve seen families spend a thousand dollars on another family and it’s unreal. People are extremely generous.”
Wrapped gifts line the walls in the Mississippi Heights Elementary School main office. The project sponsored 45 families in need this year.