Aberdeen Magazine March/April 2022

FUELING THE MINDS OF THE FUTURE

➼ Lunchtime Solutions partners with Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic school systems to provide nutritional meals and educate students on healthy habits. Pictured are Shari Holmes and Erika McLeod, two women who help make the food programs successful in Aberdeen.

Feelin’

REGULARS

04 FROM THE EDITOR

06 WHAT’S NEW

Your source for what’s happening in Aberdeen.

14 THEN & NOW

Capturing the change and growth of our city through photos.

18 CALENDAR

Never miss an event in the Hub City.

20 STUDENT-ATHLETES GIVE BACK

United Way partners with Northern State University student-athletes and coaches for two decades of community service.

42 NURSE FOR A DAY

Presentation College offers a unique, hands-on experience for high school students in the area who are interested in a career in nursing.

50 TASTE

If you are interested in cooking an authentic Irish meal for St. Patrick’s Day, consider pairing it with this traditional Irish soda bread recipe.

76 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Aberdeen Magazine wants to hear from its readers!

76 COMIC

The Pen by Anna Jahraus

ON THE COVER

➼ The team at Interior Design Concepts (IDC)—Greg Petersen (left), Jill Fonder, and Dave Arlt—continues the creative legacy that began in 1973 with D&D Paint & Frame. Even with all the business changes from the names and locations to services and ownerships, Interior Design Concept has stayed on Main Street through it all. Continue reading about IDC on page 62. Photo by Troy McQuillen.

THE LEGACY OF LINCOLN HALL

➼ Isaac Lincoln played a significant role in the establishment of Northern and the growth of Aberdeen. Read his story to see how his legacy continues with NSU’s Lincoln Hall Project.

PROMOTING ARTS IN OUR COMMUNITY

➼ The Aberdeen Area Arts Council initiates, encourages, and advocates for the arts in Aberdeen.

FEATURED CONTENT

22 ABERDEEN ROOTS: DAN NOBLE

Aberdeen native, Dan Noble, recalls the impact of his childhood in Aberdeen as he leads an international architecture firm in Dallas.

26 IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

In recognition of Earth Day, Patrick Gallagher walks us through a variety of ways people and businesses in Aberdeen work to improve the environment.

36 GET TO KNOW: KRISTIE MARTIN

Follow along with this Q and A session with Kristie Martin, who was recently named Market President at Dacotah Bank in Aberdeen.

52 BEAUTY IN BLOOM

JoAnn Richter describes the styles and assembles outfits that are trending for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

62 DESIGNING ON MAIN STREET

Take a step back and see how Interior Design Concepts transformed from D&D Paint & Frame to a well-known design studio on Main Street.

66 ABBIE GARDNER: FRAMING MEMORIES

Abbie Gardner was captured in 1857 by Lake Okoboji in Iowa, and she was released 200 miles north near the James River and Turtle Creek by Redfield. Turn to this feature to discover the story behind the historic markers on Highway 281.

hen Jenny Roth, the former editor of Aberdeen Magazine, wrote last year’s editor’s note for the March/April 2021 issue, she took a look back on the impact of the pandemic on our community and our magazine. She was hopeful that by the time this issue was published the virus would be an afterthought. I feel like we have all shared that hope at some point throughout this pandemic.

COVID has been at the forefront of our lives for two years now, and while a portion of our stories have directly focused on the changes caused by the virus, the businesses and individuals we highlight on our pages have shown resilience to the unexpected situations they encounter. In a community like Aberdeen, I have found it easy to find stories that are uplifting, even when COVID is discussed.

Josie Clemens MANAGING EDITOR

As you flip through this magazine, you will notice a few mentions of how the pandemic has impacted our community. These stories signify how we can adapt and create new opportunities. You will also find features that reveal the lasting, positive impact of childhood experiences in Aberdeen and stories highlighting groups with passionate workers and a mission to enhance the quality of life in our community.

At the start of our 10th year of publication, I can say that I am optimistic to see what the future holds for Aberdeen because of the amazing people that I have had the chance to meet and learn about during my time here with Aberdeen Magazine. The people in this community have shown immeasurable efforts to enhance this town, but what they truly created in the process is a home. //

CONTRIBUTORS

 PETER CARRELS is an Aberdeen native who writes in Sioux Falls, where he lives with his wife, Mary.

 PATRICK GALLAGHER is a regular contributor commenting on Aberdeen’s personality, food options, and history.

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 2 • MAR/APR 2022

ISSN 2378-3060

MANAGING EDITOR

Josie Clemens josie@aberdeenmag.com

PUBLISHER

Troy McQuillen

troy@mcquillencreative.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Eliot Lucas

eliot@mcquillencreative.com

AD SALES

Julie Lillis julie.aberdeenmag@gmail.com

INTERN

Brandon Heim

PUBLICATION OFFICE

McQuillen Creative Group

423 S. Main St., Suite 1 Aberdeen SD, 57401 605.226.3481

PRINTING

Midstates Printing

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS from interested parties will be considered. Please submit to the editor at josie@aberdeenmag.com

 BRANDON HEIM is a magician, writer, swing dance teacher, and a fifth-year student at NSU studying English with a creative writing emphasis. You can find him dancing with his wife Winter or meeting someone for coffee.

 INDIA KLIPFEL is the Director of Admissions at Presentation College and was born and raised in Aberdeen. She loves her family, higher education, and collaboration to bring positive change.

 JOANN RICHTER is the owner of Boho Closet Boutique, and most days you will find her there. She has spent the last two decades sharing a love of fashion and friendship with her clients.

 ANNA JAHRAUS is a designer at McQuillen Creative Group and an Aberdeen local. She fiddles around in many artistic mediums with an expressive graphic style. Shape, color, and animals are a few of her favorite things.

 KAYLYN MEHLHAFF is a freelance editor, writer, and publicist. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, you can find her walking around downtown Aberdeen with her husband, Joe, and their fluff-ball of a dog, Belle.

 CHRISTINA SHILMAN is wife, mom, mental health therapist, and owner of Paisley Tree Photography. Christina enjoys capturing families, children, seniors, and weddings through portrait and lifestyle sessions and recently started offering family films.

PRIVACY STATEMENT Any personal information, email addresses, or contact submitted to the editorial office or online via our Facebook page will not be sold or distributed. Aberdeen Magazine does wish to publish public comments and attitudes regarding Aberdeen, therefore written submissions and comments on our Facebook page implies permission to utilize said information in editorial content.

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COPYRIGHT 2022 Aberdeen Magazine is produced exclusively in Aberdeen, South Dakota. All content is copyright with all rights reserved. No content may be shared, copied, scanned, or posted online without permission. Please just ask us first. We're pretty flexible. PUBLISHED BY

www.mcquillencreative.com

 ANGIE CLEBERG and AARON SCHULTZ are on the executive team at the United Way of Northeastern South Dakota. The United Way is instrumental in providing support for health and human service programs in our community.

New Owner at Colorful Creations

There is a new creative behind Colorful Creations on 207 S. Main St. Demi Truebenbach took over ownership of the studio on Nov. 1, 2021. The founder of Colorful Creations, Carly Pochop, opened the studio in 2015 to provide a space for people to create. Demi has the same aspirations for the business as Carly and is very passionate about the studio and giving people the opportunity to relax and feel inspired by the art around them.

“Whether you’re bringing your kids in to paint, you’re on a date night, you’re with

your friends, or by yourself, art is a source of therapy for people to express themselves while making something they can cherish forever,” Demi explained.

Colorful Creations offers pottery, canvas, and wood sign options, and groups can book party packages at the studio. Join the weekend fun with themed classes that can be anything from a canvas class to themed trivia. // —Josie Clemens

 Colorful Creations is open Wednesday-Saturday 10:00 AM-9:00 PM and Sunday 12:00PM-4:00 PM. Call 605-725-2529 for more information.

2022 Spring Style Show

Aberdeen Magazine is hosting its 2022 Spring Style Show at the Dakota Event Center on April 24 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. This is an event you do not want to miss! Local boutiques will present their spring and summer styles on the runway. See firsthand what is trending this season. You can also browse through vendors set up around the event that are showcasing a wide range of products and services from fashion to health and beauty and more. Tickets are available to purchase in advance for $20 online at www.aberdeenmag.com or in person at participating boutiques. Each ticket includes fresh appetizers and one bar drink. // —Josie Clemens

 Check out photos from our last Style Show at www.aberdeenmag.com.

Stop the Bleed 100th Seminar

Stop the Bleed taught its 100th class in Aberdeen on Jan. 31. This one-hour course is designed to teach the public how to recognize and control life-threatening bleeding until help arrives. Dr. Jason Spjut and Dr. Amy Hiuser from Sanford lead the courses in the Aberdeen area and are passionate about giving the community the opportunity to learn life-saving skills in case of emergencies such as car and farming

accidents and injuries from bad weather. Stop the Bleed courses have been taught at every public and private school in Aberdeen and a Stop the Bleed kit has been placed in every school in South Dakota. // —Josie

Clemens

 Classes are open to the public. Check the schedule online for upcoming courses at cms.bleedingcontrol. org/class/search. For more information about Stop the Bleed call 605-626-4308.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

 Dr. Jason Spjut demonstrates how to apply a tourniquet at the 100th Stop the Bleed course.

 Demi Truebenbach, owner of Colorful Creations.

A Modern Day Move

Modern Day Health Care in Aberdeen relocated its facilities to 1206 S. Main St. on Dec. 13, 2021. The larger space supports an expansion of services and extends their availability for their clients. The company was founded in South Dakota to fill a need in health care for rural areas, offering in-home, in-clinic, and online medical, therapy, and wellness services. The flexibility in health care options caters to the convenience of their clients and creates a quality experience for everyone.

“With our new location, we are excited to be able to serve more people in the region and offer additional services such as women’s health and urgent care. Our unique care delivery options will create new opportunities for our community to have convenient access to caring and expert health care,” Director of Therapies Mikala Simon said. // —Josie Clemens

 To learn more about Modern Day Health Care, call 605-250-1200 or visit their website www.moderndayhealthcare.com.

Mila Belle & Co.

Open Saturdays

In 2020, Cathy Christenson and Lynda Solum were looking for a creative outlet for their interest in crafting and home decor. They opened Mila Belle & Co. in October 2020 as a way to share their passion with the community and bring unique, handmade decorations to Aberdeen. Mila Belle & Co. is located at 1023 Sixth Ave. NE and is currently open only on Saturdays or by appointment.

Cathy and Lynda’s store offers everything that they love to create from centerpieces to painted furniture to seasonal items. They also sell a line of paint called Junk Monkey Paint to provide an opportunity for people to design and create their own projects. Not only do Cathy and Lynda sell handmade items, they also started a weekly Facebook live stream to give people tips on decorating and painting and update their customers on what is happening in their store. // —Josie Clemens

 To learn more about Mila Belle & Co., visit their Facebook page at Mila Belle Company or call 605-380-4675.

A One-Stop Shop

If you live on the northwest side of Aberdeen, you know how much effort it is to drive to the other side of town to run errands. Thankfully, Mulligan’s Sports Bar & Casino at 715 N. 10th St. has got you covered. Officially opening their doors on Nov. 23, 2021, Toby and Liz Doeden and Kevin and Kara Pharis saw the need for many kinds of services on the northwest side of town. They were on a mission to turn the old Max & Erma’s building into the Swiss Army Knife of businesses.

On the west side of the building, the Doedens and Pharises built the Street Corner, which adds a convenience store and gas station to the bar and casino. They strive to be unique by hosting events, taking suggestions from the community, and even adding things to their menu via requests. // —Brandon Heim

 Mulligan’s is open Sunday-Thursday 11:00 AM-10:00 PM and Friday-Saturday 11:00 AM-11:00 PM. Find their events on Facebook @MulligansAberdeen or reach out with questions by calling 605-725-4053.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

 Storefront of Mulligan’s Sports Bar & Casino.

 Members of the MDHC team: (from top left) Lauren Morgan, WHNP; Nina Hanna, Aberdeen Manager; Annie Donaway, PhD, MS, RN, CEO; Lindsay Peterson, CNP, Medical Director; and Jamie Forrest, PT. (From bottom left) Mikala Simon, DPT, Director of Therapies and Kelcey Geditz, CNP.

 Co-owners of Mila Belle & Co. Cathy Christenson (left) and Lynda Solum.

Photo by Brandon Heim

Blessings Big and Small

Blessings Big & Small is a Christian store that first opened in May 2014 in Watertown. The owner, Heide Kuhlman, recently saw the need for a Christian store here in Aberdeen. In November 2021, Blessings Big & Small opened for Christmas in the Uptown Aberdeen mall and was well-received by the community. On the heels of Aberdeen’s excitement, Heidi opened the doors permanently on Jan. 17. A Grand Opening is scheduled for the first week of March.

Blessings Big & Small strives to carry products for all denominations of Christian faiths. The products they carry include special occasion gifts, books and Bibles, greeting cards, jewelry, music boxes, and much more. They offer discounts for churches and do special orders of specific items for customers by request. // —Brandon

Heim

 Store hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM-4:00 PM. Call 605-725-2537 for more information or check them out on Facebook at Blessings Big and Small Christian Stores.

Chivilla Bay Expands

Chivilla Bay moved to a new location in the Uptown Aberdeen mall. With JB’s Country Store leaving the mall in late January, an opportunity opened for owners Rhonda and Bruce May to expand. The larger store provided room to combine Rhonda’s studio and Chivilla Bay’s storefront in one location. Rhonda can build product and do custom requests more efficiently because the equipment is now on site.

The retail area will hold Rhonda and Bruce’s hand crafted home decor and gifts along with seasonal pieces, garden items, corn hole boards, t-shirts, blankets, just to name a few things. In addition to the new workshop area, Chivilla Bay has a dedicated classroom for various craft classes that Rhonda and Bruce are also looking to expand in 2022. // —Josie Clemens  Chivilla Bay is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. You can also shop online at ChivillaBay.com.

Classes Begin at West Oak

West Oak was started in 2015 by Allison Kiner with woodworking, but Allison quickly turned her business into a metaphysical store to help people in the area have access to alternative healing options. West Oak has only grown from there. Allison has not only expanded her retail space and products she offers, but her customers’ curiosity about her supplies inspired her to start classes at her store in the Uptown Aberdeen mall. Allison’s first class took place on Jan. 18.

“We are offering classes that teach how to read Tarot, what crystals to use for emotional healing, success, and other everyday challenges, as well as classes on chakras, divination, sacred holidays, world religions, and fun home decor make and takes too,” Allison explained.

Classes are meant for all experience levels. The cost of each class varies from free to a small fee, depending on the interactive materials used. // —Josie Clemens

 For more information about the classes and how to sign-up, visit West Oak SD on Facebook or call 605-725-1555.

 Heide Kuhlman

 Store owner Allison Kiner discusses tarot card reading with students at a recent class she offered.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

Photo by Brandon Heim

 Bruce and Rhonda May

A New Look for UKB Showroom

When helping people put together their puzzle of new kitchen and bath flooring, countertops, and cabinets or finding inspiration for current projects, you need a good amount of space. DeAnn Reif, who founded Ultimate Kitchen & Bath (UKB) in 2010, thought the same thing and decided to expand her showroom. The previous space on 418 S. Second St. was a bit cramped for three designers and all their displays and samples. Since outward expansion wasn’t possible, DeAnn went upward. The expansion process took an extra amount of time because UKB was also busy with client work. But the wait was well worth it. A new ADA accessible lift, a great view of downtown, and most importantly, more room to work and breathe—both for the clients and the designers—is now available in the UKB showroom. // —Brandon Heim  Call 605-725-6864 for service and questions.

Welcome Downtown Nutrition!

There’s a new shake shop in town. Downtown Nutrition is located on 14 Second Ave. SW, right behind Habitat for Humanity. The owner, Miranda Wright, opened Downtown Nutrition in February to share her love for Herbalife products with more people and help guide anyone looking to join a similar lifestyle. Some of the different kinds of products that her store offers includes shakes, tea, aloe, energy drinks, and protein bars. Downtown Nutrition also provides personalized programs for weight loss using a body scan in the store. // —Josie Clemens

 Go to the store’s Facebook page at Downtown Nutrition for more details.

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

The Aberdeen Family YMCA is hosting its annual Healthy Kids Day event on April 29. Healthy Kids Day is a national YMCA initiative, promoting the health and wellbeing of children and families. During the event, the YMCA offers interactive games that allow families to be creative and engage with activities that promote a healthy lifestyle. One of those activities includes learning about healthy snack ideas. Healthy Kids Day is also used to provide summer activity ideas that children and families can participate in at the YMCA.

Part of YMCA’s mission is to create and encourage programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for people of all ages. “Healthy kids and families are a huge benefit to any community, and we love hosting events like this to promote a healthy spirit, mind, and body!” YMCA Membership Director Kaitlyn Lundebrek said. // —Josie Clemens  This event is open to the community at no cost. Stay tuned for more details about Healthy Kids Day at www.aberdeenymca.org.

 Aberdeen Family YMCA hosts many summer activities that are promoted during Healthy Kids Day.

 DeAnn Reif

 Miranda Wright

Photo by Brandon Heim

Photo by Stephanie Staab

Photo courtesy of Aberdeen YMCA

 HISTORY | THEN & NOW

1911. There’s a lot of history packed into this view of Main Street. This is the east side of the 500 block, across the street from what is now the Chamber of Commerce. The brick building in the middle was the first building built for the Dakota Farmer newspaper. The building on the right, with the arched windows, was built as the second headquarters for Dakota Farmer at 517 S. Main St. in 1906. The newspaper abandoned this building only after a few years, building a much larger headquarters at 1216 S. Main St. (currently apartments).

The next building to the left and slightly behind the brick building is the Masonic Temple as it was originally built. It is reported that the Temple was intentionally built small because it was across the street from the Grain Palace. After Dakota Farmer moved, the Elks used the building as its headquarters. In June 1911, Aberdeen hosted the state Elks convention. This photo, dated June 7, was taken during the height of the convention that ran until the next day.

Photo by Nicholas A. Brothers. // —Troy McQuillen

2022. The same view today shows the Dakota Farmer/Elks building still standing. The brick building is gone, replaced with a one-story version for Parsch Hardware. It eventually became home to Taylor Music which also uses the arched-window building. The Aberdeen Crockery building, void from both images, was built in the empty lot between the Temple and Parsch building but was torn down around 2007. After the Grain Palace burned, the Temple was enlarged to what we see today. Photo by Stephanie Staab. //

2022

MARCH & APRIL 06

march

HUB CITY RADIO BRIDAL SHOWCASE

March 6

12:00 - 3:00 PM

Dakota Event Center

YMCA LUAU

FAMILY FUN NIGHT

March 4

6:00 - 8:00 PM

Aberdeen YMCA

 It’s a family night of “summer” fun with games, inflatables, and more. Free for YMCA members and $10 for nonmember families.

 605-225-4910

AHBA HOME & GARDEN EXPERIENCE

March 4-6

Holum Expo Building, Fairgrounds

 Browse through vendors and connect with the best professionals for all your project needs to turn your house and yard into a home. Check out the daily show times on the event Facebook page.

 Aberdeen HBA

BOW WOW BOOGIE

March 5

5:30 - 9:30 PM

Ramkota Convention Center

$45 per person

 One of the largest fundraisers for the Aberdeen Area Humane Society, a ticket to this event includes a delicious dinner, silent auction, and games. www.anewleashonlife.net/bowwow

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

March 5

7:30 PM

NSU Johnson Fine Arts Center

 Featuring NSU students, faculty, and alumni, this concert showcases a variety of opera scenes that will make you laugh and warm your heart.

 605-626-2497

17

 For all the brides-to-be, this showcase presented by Revive Day Spa is one event you won’t want to miss. Meet with an assortment of bridal vendors from across the region who can help with all your planning needs.

 605-229-3632

SPRING JAZZ CONCERT

March 10

7:30 PM

NSU Johnson Fine Arts Center

 Join the Northern State University School of Fine Arts for a night of live jazz music.

 605-626-2497

HANDMADE MARKET

March 12

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Dakota Event Center

 Shop a collection of handcrafted items, repurposed furniture, and farmer’s market goods from various vendors.

www.dakotaeventcenter.com

NASHVILLE AMERICANA:

TIM WOLF

March 12

7:00 PM

Red Rooster Coffee House

$5 cover charge

 Huron-born musician Tim Wolf showcases his new album Everything I Learned in Grade School. And with a love for the Americana/Alternative style, he will share his inspirations from Johnny Cash, John Mayer, and more!

 Red Rooster Coffee House

17

LIVE CLUE

March 17-18

11:00 AM - 6:30 PM

K.O. Lee Library

Free; registration required

 Use your sleuthing skills to eliminate suspects and gain evidence as you become one of the game’s characters and navigate a life-size board game. Group sizes can be three to six players. www.aberdeen.sd.us/library

STATE ‘B’ BOYS BASKETBALL

March 17-19

NSU Barnett Center

 Cheer on the top ‘B’ boys basketball teams as they compete for the state title. To see the complete team roster and game schedule, visit the SD High School Activities Association website. www.sdhsaa.com

RONCALLI BALL

March 26

Dakota Event Center

 Don’t miss this school fundraiser featuring delicious food, music, and auction items! The Ball supports teacher salaries and instructional expenses at Roncalli. www.aberdeenroncalli.org

SPRING BIG BOY TOY SHOW

March 26-27

Sat. 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Sun. 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Holum Expo Building, Fairgrounds

 Plan your summer fun and browse through campers, ATVs, boats, and other larger-than-life outdoor accessories.  605-229-3632

2022 SPRING JOB FAIR

March 29

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

NSU Barnett Center

 Open to all community job seekers! www.VisitAberdeenSD.com/event

FAIRYTALES ON ICE

March 29

7:00 PM

Aberdeen Civic Theatre

 Perfect for the entire family, experience the art of figure skating with professional skaters and sensational music, featuring the spinning tales of Little Mermaid and Pirate Adventures. www.AberdeenAreaArtsCouncil.com

 Let's Rock Broadway Concert starring The Diamonds

 Tim Wolf

YOUR TOWN TOUR

April 1

6:00 PM

Aberdeen Civic Arena

 Your Town Tour is presented by ND Country Fest. Come out to the Civic Arena and listen to David Lee Murphy, Julia Cole, Diamonds and Whiskey, and Out of Line in this event for all ages.

 2022 Your Town Tour - Aberdeen, SD

NPRA BULL RIDING CLASSIC

April 8

7:00 PM

Holum Expo Building, Fairgrounds

 You won’t want to miss this event with two nights of high-intensity bull riding and clown acts that are sure to make you laugh.

www.visitaberdeensd.com

SHOP TILL YOUR SHOES FALL OFF

April 9

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Dakota Event Center

 Many vendors to shop! You’ll find crafts, health and beauty, clothing, kitchen and home items. Looking to become a vendor at the event? Call Tammie at Hub City Radio.

 605-229-3632

KNIGHT FOR A PRINCESS

April 9

4:00 PM

Aberdeen Central High School

 Dads, grandpas, and uncles can escort the young princesses in their lives to an evening of cupcakes, dancing, photos, activities, and crafts. Ticket prices available online.

www.aberdeen.k12.sd.us/page/knightfor-a-princess

LET’S ROCK BROADWAY CONCERT

April 9

7:00 PM

NSU Johnson Fine Arts Center

 Starring The Diamonds, this concert includes hits from Broadway musicals along with some of the band’s top hits like “Little Darlin’” and “The Stroll.” www.AberdeenCommunityConcerts.org

YELDUZ SHRINE CIRCUS

April 14-15: 4:00 & 8:00 PM

April 16: 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM, & 7:00 PM

Aberdeen Civic Arena

 Be amazed by some of your favorite circus animals, BMX stunts, trapeze artists, and much more!

www.yelduz.com/circus

DAKOTA STUDENT ART EXHIBITION: GALLERY SHOW

April 20

4:00 - 8:00 PM

ARCC Auditorium

 View the artwork made by 7-12 grade students from North Dakota and South Dakota schools in this fine arts exhibition presented by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. There will be six media categories and nearly 100 creative pieces on display.

 605-626-7117

WINEFEST RENAISSANCE

April 23

6:00 - 9:00 PM

Aberdeen Boys & Girls Club

 Sample wines from across the country, seasonal and craft beer and spirits, and delicious hors d’oeuvres and food pairings from area restaurants. Tickets available at the Boys and Girls Club of Aberdeen Area.

 605-225-8714

STARBURST

April 23

7:30 PM

NSU Johnson Fine Arts Center

Adults, $10; Students, Free

 Aberdeen University/Civic Symphony presents Montgomery with Aberdeen Central High School Orchestra, Kodály, winners of the NSU Concerto-Aria Competition, Poulenc with NSU Choirs and Darci Bultema. www.aberdeensymphony.org

SPRING STYLE SHOW

April 24

2:00 - 5:00 PM

Dakota Event Center

 Check out the stylish spring and summer pieces from local boutiques and clothing stores. Tickets are $20 when purchased in advance and include appetizers and one drink ticket. www.aberdeenmag.com

YMCA HEALTHY KIDS DAY

April 29

Time TBD

Aberdeen YMCA

 Participate in creative activities and interactive games to help the Aberdeen Family YMCA celebrate Healthy Kids Day, a national initiative to promote health and well-being in children and families.

 605-225-4910

ABERDEEN WINGS

MARCH/APRIL 2022 SCHEDULE

MARCH

FRI.-SAT., MARCH 4-5 @ ST. CLOUD

FRI.-SAT., MARCH 11-12 VS BISMARCK

FRI.-SAT., MARCH 18-19 @ NORTH IOWA

FRI.-SAT., MARCH 25-26 VS AUSTIN

APRIL

FRI., APRIL 1 VS BISMARCK

SAT., APRIL 2 @ BISMARCK

FRI.-SAT., APRIL 8-9 @ AUSTIN

FRI.-SAT., APRIL 15-16 VS AUSTIN

Stay tuned to AberdeenWings.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for playoff information!

Red denotes home game Get a jump on next year’s season tickets or call today for marketing opportunities!

Aaron: 605-380-5852

Megan: 605-216-7533

Get your tickets online at tickets.AberdeenWings.com!

Daily Med Packs

Skip the pill planner. We sort your meds for you at no extra cost. Organized by date, time and dose. No more wondering what to take when.

Plaza Pharmacy

Ken’s Superfair Foods 605.225.6344

PHARMACY

AberdeenPharmacy.com

StudentAthletes Give Back

United Way and Northern State University celebrate 20 years of NSU Day of Champions.

by UNITED WAY STAFF

Late April on any college campus typically means end of semester papers and finals just around the corner. For the past 20 years, for Northern State University (NSU) student-athletes, it also marks a day of service in our region. The tradition began as a day of giving from the NSU football team and quickly was adopted as an athletic department activity that partnered with United Way of Northeastern South Dakota (United Way). United Way handles the logistics of coordinating

Can you imagine being an 8-year-old kid and finding out the college athletes you watch on the court and look up to came by and scrubbed your floors, organized your closets, and cleaned your locker? Knowing your heroes care about you and are working to help you succeed means the world to these kids. Nearly two decades of support from the NSU athletes to our club members is a lot to be thankful for.

– Mike Herman, Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Aberdeen Area

the service opportunities, the NSU coaches, staff, and studentathletes provide the muscle to get the jobs done.

Since 2002, a total of 2,735 NSU student-athletes have worked on more than 219 projects with 18,630 hours of labor—which equates to over $200,000 worth of donated labor. “This goes beyond picking up a rake or shovel and getting a job done,” Executive Director of United Way Aaron Schultz said. “We ask our partner agencies to talk about their mission and how they make this region a better place to live, work, and go to school.”

projects for Day of Champions. Seeing the communities that make up our region is a great experience for the young men and women, and many are treated to the small-town hospitality that is well known for this region. Often NSU student-athletes come home with plates full of brownies, cupcakes, and other baked goods that local folks are only too happy to share with the visiting workers. This year’s NSU Day of Champions event is scheduled for April 23. //

– Gina Karst, Director of Safe

This sentiment is echoed by NSU’s President Dr. Neal Schnoor. “Our Wolves student-athletes and athletic department are again excited to partner with the United Way of Northeastern South Dakota,” he said. “We look forward to giving back to our community, which supports us like no other, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Service projects go beyond the borders of Aberdeen. The communities of Ipswich, Frederick, Groton, and Britton have all held

What’s even more valuable than all the incredible work the students accomplish is the chance for them to see our mission at work firsthand. These students will be leaders in the communities they settle in. For us, getting an opportunity to share our purpose and teach them why we do the work we do is priceless.

Harbor

Photos courtesy of United Way Staff

 Several student-athletes from Northern team up with Habitat for Humanity for a service project during the 2018 Day of Champions.

 Three NSU student-athletes help Fallout Creative Community during Day of Champions in 2021.

 NSU student-athletes working on the landscape at Sanford in 2021.

Aberdeen Roots:

Dan Noble

by PETER CARRELS

Following his sophomore year at Roncalli High School, Dan Noble and his cross-country teammates were challenged by their coach. Run 1,000 miles this summer, came the daunting directive. “That’s 12 miles each day,” Dan recalled.

When the team gathered in fall for the 1976 running season, Dan discovered he was the only runner who’d met the ambitious goal. “I found a couple 12-mile routes that summer,” he said, “and I religiously followed them.” Dan also contributed to basketball and track and field teams while in high school, including running a leg on a school-record 3200-meter relay.

“Sports taught me much that helps me in business,” Dan explained, now President and CEO of the nation’s thirdlargest architectural firm. “Working hard to get better, embracing responsibility and leadership, and valuing teamwork are all characteristics I learned while competing as an athlete at Roncalli.”

From an early age, Dan aspired to a career in architecture. He built treehouses and tinkered with tools, but his curiosity sought bigger learning. “I remember biking around Aberdeen as a fifth and sixth grader, closely watching how homes and buildings were built,” he said. One homeowner found the youngster examining her new home under construction. “She asked my name and told me to leave,” he chuckled, “and then she visited my parents to make sure I was harmless.”

During his education at North Dakota State University, Dan discovered a mentor—a charismatic freethinker who emphasized esoteric concepts like designing buildings to enrich human behavior. “This was new to me,” Dan said, “but it made sense. I gravitated toward conceptual design in college and came to understand that design must be thoughtful toward the people it serves and harmonious to a building’s surroundings.”

Dan fondly remembers working a summer during college with Aberdeen architect Monty Lamont to help design projects in his hometown, including a modest addition to the community’s senior center on east Sixth Avenue.

Aberdeen native Dan Noble ascends to the pinnacle of his profession.

 Dan Noble, Aberdeen native and President/CEO of one of the most influential architectural firms in the United States, recalls an idyllic, beneficial childhood in Aberdeen. He and his siblings, Jim and Mary, were raised in Aberdeen by Betty and Bob Noble.

SPORTS TAUGHT ME MUCH THAT HELPS ME IN BUSINESS” – DAN NOBLE

Photos courtesy of HKS

After earning an M.S. in Architecture, Dan moved to Houston where he landed work in a small architectural company. But the firm soon folded, and he found himself waiting tables at a restaurant his brother managed.

He then moved to Dallas, reuniting with his college girlfriend, Ann, a North Dakotan who was also a newly minted architect.

“I searched in Dallas for architectural prospects,” Dan remembered. “I noticed the city’s most awarded firm was called HKS, so I approached them for a job.”

During his HKS interview, he was asked to join other architects at a local club for a few drinks. “True story,” Dan said. “That’s when I was offered a position.”

One of 150 employees, Dan was assigned concept-design opportunities, a plum position, but after several years he decided to seek different adventures. HKS leadership convinced him to stay and design hospitals, a new venture for the firm. Three years later he began directing a design team in the company’s booming health services portfolio.

Dan joined the firm at an opportune time, as HKS was prospering. Soon, he was elevated to lead design for the entire company. Within several years Dan was directing the health care group, the largest sector within the firm.

Eight years ago, Dan became President and CEO, and his responsibilities changed. He now oversees a sophisticated company with 1,500 employees, including 600 architects, serving clients on all continents from 24 domestic and international offices. Dan and Ann married, and they continue to live in Dallas, where they raised two children, but he is also a frequent global traveler.

If you watched the 2022 NFL Super Bowl, you may have noticed the venue, a sprawling, futuristic complex in Los Angeles. Dubbed SoFi Stadium, the project was, according to Dan, one of the most challenging and expensive in HKS history. “The stadium not only provides a singularly unique experience for fans and visitors, but it was built near a fault line,” he explained. “We had to design an expansive system of giant struts to prevent the structure from shaking to pieces in case of an earthquake.”

SoFi is only one notable sports and entertainment facility designed by HKS. Minneapolis’s U.S. Bank Stadium, AT&T (Cowboys) Stadium in Dallas, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis are among others.

“In addition to many projects underway in the United States,” Dan said, “we’re designing hospitals in China, resort complexes in Cairo and London, mixed-use developments in southeast Asia, baseball stadiums in Japan, and soccer stadiums in Australia.”

“Instead of designing buildings,” Dan explained about his leadership role at HKS, “I am now designing a visionary architectural firm.” He described an evolving HKS, offering a surprising array of expertise and creativity as buildings are planned and designed. “We have psychologists, archeologists, sociologists, and other nonarchitects on our teams to help guide decisions about how to create livable, useful, and inspiring spaces for people to thrive. We are cognizant about the relationship of good architecture to the well-being of the world. Imagining the future of architecture is what energizes me.”

Dan often refers to his upbringing in Aberdeen when describing his path to architecture’s summit. “Mine was an idyllic childhood,” he recalled. “I will always be grateful to my family and friends in Aberdeen for making it a wonderful place to grow up and for helping me establish a foundation that has served me well through all these years.” //

 Dan describes SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as one of the most challenging design projects undertaken by the international architectural firm he leads.

IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN, BUT THE ALTERNATIVE IS WORSE

When the world observes the 52nd Earth Day on April 22, there are a lot of good things to think about, including things here in Aberdeen. Let’s take a partial look at ways the Hub City has worked to improve the environment.

Air Quality

by PATRICK GALLAGHER

Air pollution seemed out of control when Earth Day started, but U.S. air quality has improved thanks to cleaner emissions. Midstates Printing in Aberdeen recently installed a regenerative

thermal oxidizer (RTO) to clean up what owner/ CEO Matt Feickert called a “burning crayon” smell in the neighborhood created when the ovens that dry printed ink release solvents into their exhaust. While the plant was within emissions standards, the solvents had a low level of toxicity. Enter the $400,000 RTO in November 2021. The 50,000-pound machine subjects the ovens’ exhaust to 1,600-degree heat and breaks the compounds down to be emitted harmlessly— and odorlessly. Matt noted, “We did it to be a good neighbor as much as for environmental reasons.”

Photos by Troy McQuillen

People in the Aberdeen area are finding ways to add eco-friendly practices to help the community.

With a similar mindset, Aberdeen’s Presentation Sisters view environmental sustainability—caring for creation—an article of faith. To increase their use of renewable energy, in 2010, they installed a wind turbine and 125 solar panels on their convent grounds. Their artesian well also serves as a geothermal source to heat the garage near the turbine. Ahead of their time, when they asked the City for permission to install the turbine, there was no relevant ordinance, and the City Council had to create one. More than most, probably, the Sisters made the changes out of social justice concerns, primarily with the environment in mind rather than cost savings. Still, Sister Kathleen Bierne said they were told the turbine would pay off in twelve years, and “it’s been worth it.”

Efficiencies

From a general perspective, most practices that result in energy cost savings also include more efficient, therefore less, energy use. Much efficiency comes when energy

providers incentivize improvements. In describing Northern Electric Cooperative’s energy efficiency focus, Communications Director Ben Dunsmoor started with beneficial electrification, a concept that promotes using more electricity because electric generation is becoming increasingly cleaner. For Northern Electric, almost 85% of its electricity production was coal-based in 2000, compared to 41% coal and over 42% renewable sources in 2020. “So the more electric yard tools, appliances like water heaters and ranges, electric heating equipment, and electric vehicles (EV) people use,” Ben said, “the more it will benefit the environment.”

Northern Electric customer Dustin McNeil, a farmer near Stratford, recently bought a Tesla. “We planned to buy another SUV,” he said, “then we realized that if you don’t need the size of an SUV, you can look at something smaller.” He worked out the math and figured their EV will “save $1,400 a year on gas and on oil.” He also touted the efficiencies. “In an EV, 75-80% of the electricity is going to moving the car, compared to 35% of gas in an internal combustion engine.” He concluded pragmatically, “I’m not a tree-hugging hippie, but even if you don’t believe in climate change, you have to know oil is finite, and maybe we need to save it for more important needs.”

Key issues are where and when people will charge their EVs. Northern Electric CEO Char Hager said, “We know that the EV market is expected to grow. We are keeping our eye on public charging, at-home charging, and programs that would encourage EV owners to charge their vehicles during off-peak times of the day.”

Carrots, Not Sticks

Incentives are a common way for utilities to encourage efficiencies. Through load management, Northern Electric works with East River Electric Power Cooperative, its transmission provider, to control participating members’ electrical equipment, powering down when demand is high. East River estimates load management has saved members $260 million in wholesale power costs since 1985.

On farms, load management runs equipment only when it’s needed. For example, Ben explained the system integrates with third party bin management technology “to ensure farmers are using electricity as efficiently as possible when they are drying and storing grain.” In homes, he added, “We also have 3,226 water heaters enrolled in our load management system out of a total of 4,727 members throughout

Even if you don’t believe in climate change, you have to know oil is finite.”

–Dustin McNeil

 At the Midstates Printing plant, Paul Hopkins, vice president of Manufacturing, stands by the regenerative thermal oxidizer, which cleans the exhaust of ovens drying printing ink.

 The Presentation Sisters installed a wind turbine in 2010 at their former convent.

 An electric vehicle charging station at TownePlace Suites here in Aberdeen.

Brown and Spink counties. So about 68% of our membership has electric water heaters under load management.”

Northern Electric also offers Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), which members can buy (at one REC per one megawatt hour) to support renewable energy. Businesses like RECs, Ben said. “If they participate in the REC program, they can promote their products as being made with ‘100% renewable energy.’”

Pipestone Management, a Minnesota company that operates farmer-owned Elm Valley Farms, a Groton area hog facility, utilizes RECs. Its president, Barry Kerkaert, said a Pipestone sustainability goal is to have 50% of its energy derive from renewable sources. “We have explored numerous options to reach this goal and feel that purchasing RECs is the most viable option for sow farms at this time,” he said. Consumers and retailers expect sustainable practices, he added, so Pipestone sets up its farms to compete and succeed long-term. Elm Valley is 100% renewable because Pipestone purchases RECs equivalent to its energy usage.

The big box stores also make sustainability a goal. Mariel Messier, Senior Manager of Walmart Global Responsibility Communications said the retail giant has zero emissions and 100% renewable energy goals, with hundreds of renewable energy projects around the world, including South Dakota. Sourcing from wind energy projects like the Crocker Wind Farm in Clark County and Triple H Project in Hyde County, she said, “brings us closer to our renewable goals while providing clean energy and economic benefits to the regions we do business with.” Mariel added, “Energy efficiency projects at our Aberdeen store help us reduce kWh usage.”

Educated Energy

Schools are some of the bigger users of energy. Travis Sichmeller of Sichmeller Engineering has analyzed utility bills for many schools and

found need for improvement, which offers a lesson in evaluating energy efficiency changes. “You need to know where you’re spending money, in particular knowing your unit cost from the utility and usage,” he noted. “Energy bills paint a picture of where you’re using energy, spending money, and where you should invest in capital improvements.” In one school utility bill, “we found that only 29% of the energy use was electric, but electricity accounted for 80% of the cost. Knowing this allows us to make good, informed decisions on how to become more efficient and identify the best return on capital investment.”

With about 4,400 students, 680 staff, and 800,000 square feet across 15 sites, Aberdeen Public Schools could have a huge carbon footprint, but it pays attention to its environmental impact. Director of Operations

 Aberdeen Public Schools continuously seeks to maximize energy efficiency, such as through getting high efficiency models when replacing boilers (top image), air handling units (bottom image), and lighting (top image, pg. 30). It also aims for environmental sustainability through measures such as using only electric hand dryers (middle image, pg. 30) to reduce paper waste.

Ben Schnell has been with the schools almost his whole life, working 41 years since graduating from Central High School, and he’s seen how the system has committed to sustainability. When he was a student custodian, he climbed into boilers as big as a classroom. Today’s boilers are the size of his desk and significantly more efficient. That’s just one of many ways the system keeps improving, and he shared an impressive list:

~ “We always swap out appliances for a more efficient model” when they replace them, Ben said, like boilers, water heaters, and air handling units.

~ Energy management software controls each building’s heating, cooling, and lighting. Large equipment is brought online at staggered times to manage peak load charges. “Variable frequency drives can control how the machines run so they don’t use more energy than needed,” he noted. “For example, CHS air handlers are the size of a truck and take a lot of power. You don’t want them all to power on at once.”

~ The District is currently finishing a systemwide switch to LED lighting, which Ben estimated to include 13,000 fixtures. It’s the second complete changeout in 30 years. He noted, “Each change has brought dollar savings by reducing electrical consumption as well as improving the lighting quality.”

A more complete list would also include, among others, geothermal heating and cooling at Holgate and Simmons middle schools, electric hand dryers to reduce paper waste, recycling and use of recycled products, and planting 75100 trees per year—pointing out diverse ways of being sustainable.

Travis Sichmeller has designed many geothermal projects in the state, and he likes a new technology, the hybrid heat pump, which combines conventional water-cooled air conditioning and hydronic space heating. The system efficiently heats and cools larger buildings, both by using energy only when it’s needed (the compressor only operates in the cooling mode) and through the capability of transferring energy from unit to unit and reducing boiler use.

Pioneering the hybrid system in South Dakota,

Travis and his team used it to cut costs at Wolves Memorial Hall at Northern State University. “We learned from that job and have used the system more since then,” he said, “including four residential halls, the soccer/practice football facility, an assisted living facility, a Dacotah Bank renovation, and more.” He also imagines the technology in a potential greener future, musing, “If we could link multiple buildings needing heat with others needing to reject heat and transfer energy among them, that’s how we can be green!”

These are just a few of the reasons to celebrate on Earth Day in Aberdeen. Globally and nationally, we have a way to go. Summer forest fires a thousand miles away affecting Aberdeen’s air quality is only one symptom of a major problem. There’s still work to be done, but people are working. //

 LED lights illuminate the community kitchen area of NSU’s Wolves Memorial Suites residence hall.

Fueling

of the Future the Minds W

e have all heard the harsh stereotypes around cafeteria food like the infamous “mystery meat” meal or the discolored mash, but Lunchtime Solutions is actively working to change the narrative. The company is a food service provider for breakfast and lunch programs in schools throughout the Midwest that strives to create nutritional and appetizing options on the menu.

In our community, Lunchtime Solutions works with Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic school systems to assist in maintaining various aspects of their food programs.

Lunchtime Solutions partners with Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic schools for breakfast and lunch programs.

by JOSIE CLEMENS

“This is all we do. There are other food service management companies out there that have multiple lines of business,” Area Director at Lunchtime Solutions Nic Lucart said. “We only focus on K-12 food service. We have made it our mission, and we want to be the best at it.”

 Erika McLeod, Lunchtime Solutions Food Service Director for Aberdeen Public School District, leads operations for the Aberdeen school food programs.

The food service provider uses a standardized process adapted to each school and its needs.

Because the Aberdeen Public and Catholic schools partner with Lunchtime Solutions, they have access to a larger network that offers better pricing and technology. From purchasing and procurement to maintaining state and federal food guidelines to managing menu designs and kitchen equipment, Lunchtime Solutions can handle it all.

“We have an amazing team whose passion for all things food service and culinary make the challenges more fun and the creative new ideas even that much more rewarding,” Deni Winter, vice president of business development/ marketing and purchasing at Lunchtime Solutions, said.

Partnering with Lunchtime Solutions opens up the opportunities for the school systems to offer more for their students with less day-to-day management from the school leaders, allowing them to focus on teaching and supporting the students in the classroom while Lunchtime Solutions manages the food programs.

“Lunchtime chooses to partner with schools that share in their core values,” Deni said. “We truly believe that creating long-term, successful partnerships that foster a good culture and support our teams and mission is invaluable.”

Here in Aberdeen, Lunchtime Solutions’s partnership includes 12 schools between Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic.

Partnerships in Aberdeen

Lunchtime Solutions first came to Aberdeen in 2013 to partner with the Aberdeen Catholic School System. And with the ever-changing regulations and policies placed on school breakfast and lunch programs, the assistance from an external company proved advantageous.

“They have given us more food options

than we could have offered due to their ability to buy in large quantities,” Vickie Haiar, Roncalli’s business manager, said. “... Running a food service program is not easy, but hiring a company that specializes in food service has made it easier for a school our size.”

And in 2021, Lunchtime Solutions also partnered with Aberdeen Public Schools, adding nine more schools to its Aberdeen district.

Once a self-operated food program, Aberdeen Public chose this company based on prior performances in other schools and how they plan and prepare student meals. The transition to Lunchtime Solutions was smooth, and many of the previous employees stayed in the district.

“What they had was working great. They have fantastic people,” Food Service Director Erika McLeod said. The feedback from the employees was invaluable as Lunchtime Solutions began

learning about their current system and started adding its own touch to the programs.

“The teams who have been working in the kitchens for a number of years were doing a wonderful job,” Deni elaborated. “They have helped us tremendously to understand the students' wants and needs and what they like. When we partner with a school, we always want the local kitchen staff to stay on as part of the program.”

When discussing how the company manages both school systems in the district, Erika explained that the success of the partnership of all schools and Lunchtime Solutions is communication.

“We have developed a fantastic relationship with Lunchtime,” Dr. Becky Guffin, superintendent of Aberdeen Public, said. “They are open to our feedback and have gone above and beyond to

 One of the kitchen managers for Aberdeen Public, Shari Holmes, serves food at Holgate Middle School.

 When Lunchtime Solutions partners with schools, they incorporate an unlimited fruit and vegetable bar and signs like the one on the right to inspire students to start building healthy eating habits.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

In the Midst of a Pandemic

➼ COVID-19 has continually been at the forefront of all news outlets and daily conversations. Affecting the distribution processes across the nation, the food industry has been greatly affected by product and labor shortages. As a food service provider in the Midwest, Lunchtime Solutions has seen the changes and how it impacts schools in different areas of the country.

How have our Aberdeen schools, who are partnered with Lunchtime Solutions, been affected by the supply chain issues?

Deni Winters observed, “Aberdeen is in a unique situation compared to the rest of our customers.”

Lunchtime Solutions partners with Cash-Wa Distributing (CWD) as their main grocery supplier, and luckily for Aberdeen, we have a CWD center in town. All the product that the Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic schools receive is locally distributed. The proximity to the warehouse speeds up the delivery process and makes it easy for food workers to drive to CWD if an item in their order was forgotten.

And if the schools are short one or two items, Lunchtime Solutions has house accounts set up with local grocers Ken’s and Kessler’s to purchase items that are low on inventory to meet the schools’ needs until the next bulk of products is delivered through CWD.

With purchasing and compliance departments that track data like inventory and supply chain trends, Lunchtime Solutions is able to continue to feed nutritious meals to students in Aberdeen without any significant changes caused by the national supply chain issues.

provide quality meals to our students every day in spite of several challenges with supply chain issues and ongoing COVID protocols.”

Even in the middle of a pandemic, Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic schools have one main goal in common with Lunchtime Solutions, and that is to give the children nutritious meals and educate them on healthy choices.

A Student-First Approach

With as many regulations placed on school lunch programs as there are today, the process of finding exciting meals and expanded options can be difficult. However, with the mission to fuel the minds of the future, Lunchtime Solutions works hard to create enjoyable menus for the students and build their knowledge of food.

“We strive for our programs to not only gain student participation but to offer students choices that they like. Nourish not only their bodies but their minds, too, so that schools can focus on the goals that they are there to accomplish—to educate and support students,” Deni said.

Lunchtime Solutions’s partnership with the school extends to the students as they are the primary “customer.” With high school and middle school students receiving multiple options—hot and cold—for their main course and elementary schools offering the choice of either one hot or one cold meal, the students’ choices have increased since the switch from self-operated programs, and workers value the students’ feedback.

“Not only do students have choices, but students also have a voice on those choices. Students are surveyed and are allowed to come to meetings involving giving feedback about the

options,” Deni explained. “Students also benefit from choices and the unlimited fruit and veggie bar with every meal.”

The unlimited fruit and vegetables bar is a big crowd favorite at all grade levels. The large variety of fruits and vegetables exposes children to healthy snacks that they might not see outside school, like kiwi. If students are not full from their main dish, they can keep eating from the fruit and vegetable bar instead of trying to learn on an empty stomach in the afternoon, building healthy eating habits.

“We are passionate about educating children on nutrition and giving them options that allow them to focus on the right foods to consume each day to perform at their highest level,” Erika said.

When available, Lunchtime Solutions even brings in produce from local growers, showing students that healthy options are accessible while also involving and supporting the community.

“We have had tremendous feedback from both students and parents about having a choice and the nice variety of options that are provided each day,” Becky said. “We have students who are eating school breakfast and/ or lunch who have never participated in the program in previous years.”

Lunchtime Solutions is dedicated to the students at Aberdeen Public and Aberdeen Catholic schools in not only providing quality meals but also going the extra mile and building the foundation for students to learn about food in the classroom and apply it to their lifestyles.

Nic concluded, “We are just really happy to be here, and we are proud of what we do. We are proud to be a part of the district and look forward to doing it for a long time.” //

 Middle school students grab lunch at the production kitchen at Holgate Middle School.

Get to Know: Kristie Martin

Recently named Market President at Dacotah Bank in Aberdeen, Kristie reaches new heights in the company.

by JOSIE CLEMENS

ristie Martin was named Market President at Dacotah Bank in Aberdeen on Jan. 1, 2022, earning a promotion from her previous position as Director of Credit Administration.

Living in Aberdeen since junior high, Kristie has called this community her home for most of her life. She graduated from NSU with a degree in finance and economics where she was very involved with student organizations. Kristie continued her education and completed her master’s degree in finance and economics from West Texas A&M University.

Starting at Dacotah Bank in July 2014, her first year was spent in internal audit. “It was a great background for understanding areas of the bank you don’t see working at a branch location for a national financial institution,” Kristie explained. She has been promoted

several times since then, using her previous experience to connect with staff and lenders and shape the direction of the company. And when Kristie isn’t at the bank, she is enjoying home life with her husband, Chris, and their six children. “They are why I work hard,” Kristie said. “As we talk about women in big roles, it doesn’t have to be career or parenting, we have a mix of both.”

Learn a little more about Kristie as you read through our Q and A.

What is your favorite thing about working at Dacotah Bank?

My favorite thing about working for Dacotah Bank is working for a company that gives so much back to the community and promotes employee involvement in the community as well.

What does it mean to you to be the fourth woman company-wide to be Market President?

I am excited to have this opportunity, knowing that I can grow in this role for years to come. My counterparts in the market president and President’s Council roles are all ambitious, strong leaders with the bank and have served our company and our customers well. A substantial number of us are not yet or are just over 40, but senior management at the bank recognizes that to keep good talent, leadership opportunities need to be provided to individuals at earlier stages in their careers. To be market president at our flagship bank in Aberdeen is a great responsibility and a compliment as to how senior management sees my skillset best utilized.

What does community involvement mean to you?

I have been involved in a variety of volunteer activities through high school, college, and in my professional career. Volunteerism was pushed strongly through my education at Roncalli. I specifically remember that we were required to complete 50 volunteer hours our senior year of high school as part of our religious education class, so it is ingrained in me to give back! Becoming a part of Student Ambassadors at Northern was a perfect fit as that was a group who specifically went out of our way to volunteer on campus and throughout the community. I wore the Thunder costume at NSU more than once as part of this! My recent volunteerism has been centered around Safe Harbor and Roncalli.

What is something you love to do in the Aberdeen area?

Do I have to pick just one? We have great programs throughout the city! From the bike paths, the water park, and Wylie Park in the summer to ARCC Dance and the awesome new library, these items that add value for my children in Aberdeen are much of what I love about the community! It is great to have forward thinking leaders in those areas who know that these things add to the quality of life in Aberdeen.

Fun fact about yourself?

I was the NSU Gypsy Queen in 2006! Go Wolves! //

Photo by Troy McQuillen

 Kristie Martin

THE LEGACY of

LINCOLN HALL

by PATRICK GALLAGHER

AMinneapolis newspaper editor who visited Isaac Lincoln’s ranch found him “an exceptionally interesting man,” who “has a wonderful faculty for being very interested in many things at the same time and for grasping the essentials of all with thoroughness.” Not a bad tribute for a high school dropout who became a pillar of Aberdeen and a founder of Northern Normal and Industrial School.

Born in Maine in 1863, Lincoln briefly attended a prestigious Massachusetts high school but left early to work on an Indiana farm. Then he headed for Dakota. Arriving in Aberdeen in 1886, he soon became a “banker of unusual prominence,” according to an early edition of Who’s Who in South Dakota, serving simultaneously in major roles with seven banks.

In 1903, he bought a farm near Aberdeen and became a model farmer. The same Minneapolis editor wrote that for Lincoln “farming is at once an avocation and a public service,” and he shared his prize-winning ways with his neighbors.

Instrumental in the birth and development of Northern, Lincoln even served as the Board of Regents’ largely unpaid local secretary

for eight years, guiding the school through construction, fires, and presidents. In 1917, the Board of Regents approved construction of a new women’s dormitory and named it for Lincoln in honor of his longtime support for Northern. Lincoln Hall opened in 1918. Over more than a century, it enjoyed improvements and additions and housed women, then men, then women again. An art gallery was added in 1976, and it currently houses the business school and international programs.

In the meantime, Lincoln became a state senator in 1906, finding more ways to support Northern. Voted out in 1908, he returned in 1914 to serve four more terms. He was appointed to public roles, ranging from the State Fair Board to a key agriculture committee in Woodrow Wilson’s World War I administration.

In 1906, the longtime bachelor married the widowed Margaret Ringrose McHugh, a local social favorite and department store owner, and gained two stepsons.

As plans for NSU’s Lincoln Hall Project advance, learn more about the man behind the name—Isaac Lincoln.

 This portrait of Isaac Lincoln by Nicholas Richard Brewer can be found in the art gallery in Lincoln Hall. Photo of portrait by Troy McQuillen.

 Isaac Lincoln invited high school agriculture classes to visit his ranch and learn more about farming, including his Galloway cattle. Lincoln is sixth from the right. Photo courtesy of Mike McHugh.

As if his other pursuits weren’t enough, Lincoln was involved with so many endeavors a Regent once proclaimed him “one of the busiest men in Aberdeen.” Among many activities, he promoted the Grain Palace, helped direct local financial support for Brown County’s contingent in the Spanish American War, served as a corporate officer for several businesses, and guided many nonprofits.

Life came to an end for Isaac Lincoln in 1921

THE LINCOLN HALL PROJECT

➼ The legacy of Isaac Lincoln and his impact on Northern’s campus continues with the development of the Lincoln Hall Project.

In 2017, a campus master plan was formed to help rejuvenate Northern State University and guide its efforts in enhancing regional economic development. The Lincoln Hall Project is the last remaining academic project of that plan, and pending approval from both the state legislature and federal government, the new facility will be open in fall 2024. The proposed building would replace Lincoln Hall and Briscoe Hall on Northern’s campus, creating a modern learning environment for both business and nursing students, according to Justin Fraase, vice president for enrollment, communications, and marketing at NSU.

at age 58. For his funeral, several businesses closed, and 1,000 people attended services in his 709 S. Kline St. home. Reputed to be the richest man in the state, tributes lauded his many accomplishments as well as his understanding of people in all walks of life. One obituary observed, “He was a wise counsellor, a firm and adhering friend.”

He was a particular friend to Northern. It’s no wonder his name is in stone there. //

“It is an ideal time to increase our efforts to meet anticipated regional and state workforce demands in business and nursing while increasing collaborations to enhance regional economic development,” Justin explained.

The new facility will also house NSU Admissions, making it the welcoming hub for campus visitors. // —Josie Clemens

 To read more about the project and view images of the facility’s proposed features, visit www.northern.edu/ lincoln-hall-project.

 Lincoln Hall on NSU’s campus.

Photo by Troy McQuillen.

Nurse for a Day

Students in the region gain hands-on experience at Presentation College.

by INDIA KLIPFEL | Director of Admissions at Presentation College

Nurse for a Day is a program offered on campus at Presentation College, geared toward high school students who have an interest in a career as a nurse. They spend a few hours in the Avera Simulation Center working with Presentation nursing students and exploring some of the different skills that nurses would learn.

The event is open for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students can try their hand at suturing, inputting catheters, giving injections, learning CPR, and watching the obstetrician simulator give birth.

Presentation started this program in 2018, wanting to educate students on the duties of a nurse. All too often high school students start on an education path toward a career, start the career, and find that it was not what they expected. By starting Nurse for a Day, students are able to learn about the field and discover if they have a passion for nursing before graduating high school.

The community of Aberdeen and surrounding towns can benefit so much from Nurse for a Day. Presentation has been awarding nursing degrees for over 70 years, and to continue to educate the people of South Dakota is to carry that legacy forward.

There is such a high need for nurses both in Aberdeen and in small clinics and communities around us. With Nurse for a Day, Presentation College hopes to spark a passion in high school students for nursing, so they can become amazing nurses and help their community. //

BENEFITS OF EDUCATIONAL HANDS-ON LEARNING

n Technology in the Avera Simulation Center provides five high-functioning mannequins or simulators to enhance student learning.

n Students can practice real world application for transferable skills to a hospital or clinic.

n Trial and error in a safe, simulated environment helps control the learning outcomes.

n Students build quality connections with members of the Aberdeen community like individuals in the fire or police departments during community simulation events.

 High school students learn from PC nursing students who are currently in clinical rotations.

 Participants of Nurse for a Day go through the process of a baby evaluation in Presentation College’s Avera Simulation Center.

Photos courtesy of Alex Karp

PROMOTING ARTS IN OUR COMMUNITY

The Aberdeen Area Arts Council initiates a variety of art opportunities for every age.

by JOSIE CLEMENS

Art is a creative outlet that inspires, entertains, and educates. Whether it's the performing arts, public arts, or artisan marketplaces, these events open opportunities for individuals and families to share new experiences and hear about different cultures. One Aberdeen organization in particular strives to broaden these art experiences for the community.

The Aberdeen Area Arts Council (AAAC) is a non-profit organization in Aberdeen with an outreach that serves six counties in Northeast South Dakota, which includes Brown, Spink, Day, Edmunds, Marshall, and McPherson.

In 1967, AAAC was formed to bring more arts to the community and promote opportunities for artists locally. The Art Council’s role evolved slightly over 55 years as interest in the arts expanded, introducing new organizations and advocates in the area. While AAAC is no longer the sole provider of the arts, it still plays a big

role in local art experiences, and its initiative in the late 20th century impacted the future of Aberdeen.

With a mission to “enhance the quality of life through the arts by initiating, sponsoring, and promoting the arts through education in the Aberdeen area,” AAAC encourages a variety of entertainment.

“The Aberdeen Area Arts Council has a unique mission of bringing the arts to the community and region. We work with our audience and the artists, both performing and visual,” AAAC board member Kathy Brumbaugh said. “Art is such an integral part of our everyday living that most people don’t even realize how much it affects them—through music, architecture, movies, clothing, and even the color of their walls.”

The Board of Directors for the Council consists of 14 members who all bring a different perspective of the arts to the organization. The range of interests and areas of expertise of the

Board reflect the purpose of the organization in bringing relatable, accessible events and shows to both first-time and seasoned attendees.

Alongside the team of board members, the Aberdeen area community, volunteers, and artists all make the work at AAAC possible. And at the heart of it all is Executive Director Stacy Braun.

Passion for the Arts

In March 2022, Stacy celebrates 20 years as the Council’s executive director. For Stacy, her love for art all started behind a piano. In 1983, she graduated from Northern State University with a degree in music and opened a piano studio in Aberdeen where she taught lessons for 18 years.

“Whether it’s playing piano or doing pottery, it is an escape for me. I get to go into my own little world where life is good because I’m doing art.”

When the executive position in AAAC became available in January 2002, Stacy was

Upcoming Event!

FAIRYTALES ON ICE: WHERE STORIES COME TO LIFE ON ICE

March 29

7:00 PM

Aberdeen Civic Theatre

 Perfect for the entire family, experience the art of figure skating with professional skaters and sensational music, featuring the spinning tales of Little Mermaid and Pirate Adventures. The show will be staged with synthetic ice.Ticket information at www.AberdeenAreaArtsCouncil.com

 Stacy Braun, AAAC executive director. Photo by Troy McQuillen.

 Picture frames with past event posters, groups invited to perform in Aberdeen, and AAAC memories cover all four walls in Stacy’s office. Photo by Troy McQuillen.

 This mural on the Woodman building on Sixth Avenue was painted by Nick and Nicole Fisher as a commission through AAAC in 2020 when the organization began initiating more public art projects. Courtesy photo.

WHETHER IT’S PLAYING PIANO OR DOING POTTERY, IT IS AN ESCAPE FOR ME. I GET TO GO INTO MY OWN LITTLE WORLD WHERE LIFE IS GOOD BECAUSE I’M DOING ART.”

immediately interested, taking on the interim position until she was officially hired in March. She found a role where she could still be involved in the industry but with a schedule that was better suited for time with her family and her children’s school activities.

“Arts advisement is such an important role in my life. I did piano lessons growing up, band and choir in school, took art classes. … Because of how important the arts have been to me, I feel it is important that others have that opportunity to experience the arts, participate in the arts, attend concerts, things like that,” Stacy said.

Carrying her personal excitement for the arts into the workplace, Stacy enjoys many elements of her job from talking with agents and management companies that represent

– STACY BRAUN

 Arts in the Park is a popular summer event at Melgaard Park that showcases a wide range of hand-crafted items from regional exhibitors. Courtesy photo.

artists to planning and showcasing public art to organizing educational outreach in area schools.

“My absolute favorite part of my job is the educational outreach that we do with the schools and seeing those kids’ faces and expressions and excitement when they are getting off the bus and going into the theater, and afterwards hearing them talk about what they just saw and experienced,” Stacy said.

The outreach component of AAAC plays a large part in promoting arts in our community.

Encouraging the Arts

Working with schools exposes the students to the arts at an early age, creating long-lasting memories and positive experiences.

“We provide those opportunities and encourage those opportunities because if we don’t get the young people involved in the arts and not be scared to go to the theater when they are young, they probably won’t experience it as an adult,” Stacy explained.

The performances brought in by AAAC vary from musicians to acrobats to comedians in a special day-time performance free to the students. The groups usually have a later

 The Queen's Cartoonists performed for approximately 925 students from 15 schools in Aberdeen and surrounding areas in a school outreach event. Courtesy photo.

performance for the community, and some students even come back to watch it again with their families.

“The impact the performances have on our students is impossible to measure, but I do know from my observations that the students love attending. Experiences such as this are not just entertaining; they are a learning experience that cannot be replicated by a book or classroom discussion,” Mike Neubert, principal at May Overby Elementary, said.

AAAC works hard to find artists and performers who align with its mission and can interact with the students and encourage them to participate in various parts of the show.

“Being able to watch and learn from such talented performers who have amazing passion for the arts and have committed their lives to inspiring others is something we need to continue to pursue for our students,” Mike said. Encouraging the arts doesn’t stop with the students. Promoting events that are unique and interesting for adults is an important goal for AAAC.

“You never know which experiences may spark a new interest in the arts; and providing a diverse range of art opportunities is an important part of cultivating that passion in children and adults alike,” AAAC board member Victoria Georgoff said. An Advocate for the Arts

The Arts Council brings performing arts events of all categories to Aberdeen from dance and vocal performances to acrobatic and

stringed instrument groups, but promoting arts is only one facet of AAAC. The organization also emphasizes advocating for local art events and artists alike.

“We shouldn’t have to travel out of town to experience great arts events, and by bringing artists to Aberdeen, the AAAC makes performances more accessible to our community by eliminating travel time and the extra costs incurred from travel,” Victoria said.

Two large events that AAAC organizes every year include Arts in the Park and Winterfest. These two opportunities highlight artists and exhibit their creations while giving the public access to support and embrace the arts in a fun, relaxing environment.

“For those who attend Arts in the Park, it provides an opportunity to see different forms of fine and folk art, grab a bite to eat, and enjoy some entertainment,” Stacy explained. “It’s a social event that many wait for every summer. It brings people together to enjoy the arts.”

Aside from advocating for the arts and local artists, the Arts Council also is an advocate for the community. Before COVID, the organization was the fiscal agent and led marketing for Empty Bowls, a project that used the creative arts to fundraise for the local social issue of hunger. Proceeds would go to food projects in Aberdeen like Salvation Army Backpack and its senior meal program along with various community meals.

Unfortunately, the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 paused performing arts events and

projects like Empty Bowls. This gave AAAC the time to start initiating more public arts projects.

Last year, as a way to continue to support local artists who couldn’t participate in normal gallery shows, the Arts Council crafted a billboard art series. Six local artists were featured on billboards around Aberdeen, and AAAC’s website contained a blog for each artist that shared their story and more images of their work.

“I love how hard we work to bring these experiences to our local audience. The purpose of our council is to provide arts opportunities to our community, and we do just that,” Victoria said.

Even though we are still in the midst of a pandemic, the Aberdeen Area Arts Council continues to find ways to bring unique, thoughtful art to the community. Whether it is through general admission, choose-your-ownseat performing arts events, or “studio walks” to experience an artist's progression of work, AAAC is an advocate for all kinds of art in Aberdeen. // 

To read more behind Aberdeen Area Arts Council, projects, and artists, visit www.aberdeenareaartscouncil.com.

 Arts in the Park regular, Paul Imholte, entertains the crowd with a portable cache of string instruments. Courtesy photo.

 The Aberdeen Area Arts Council was awarded for its community involvement as a not for profit organization in 2010.

Photo by Troy McQuillen.

Authentically Irish

by TROY MCQUILLEN

When considering a traditional dish in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, many go straight to corned beef and cabbage. Unfortunately, that’s more of an American tradition than authentic Irish. Guinness stew is amazing, but I’m not too sure how authentic that is either. So consider the basic yet essential Irish soda bread if you’re interested in authentic Irish food. It’s very simple, dense, and pretty tasty. I actually like to toast slices of it (thick ones, otherwise it falls apart), and butter liberally. When I thought of this, I instantly thought of George and Sandy Sullivan, who have been involved in the Northeastern SD Celtic Fair for many years. Sandy coordinated a soda bread contest at an early festival. She shares her favorite recipe with us here. //

Corned beef and cabbage may not quite be authentically Irish, but this soda bread comes pretty close.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups flour

• 4 Tbsp. sugar

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 Tbsp. baking powder

• ½ tsp. salt

• ½ cup softened butter

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk

• 1 egg

BASTING LIQUID

• ¼ cup melted butter

• ¼ cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Grease 10” cast iron skillet (a baking sheet works fine, too).

3. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4. Cut in the butter, then stir in the buttermilk. Add the egg. Mix to combine.

5. Flour a work surface, turn out the dough and knead for three minutes.

6. Create a flat mound shape, about 10 inches across and transfer to the skillet.

7. Combine the basting liquid ingredients and baste loaf.

8. Score the top, about half inch deep, in the shape of an X.

9. Bake 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes.

10. Test with a toothpick. It’s done when the toothpick comes out clean. Start checking after the second basting.

by JOANN RICHTER

photos by CHRISTINA SHILMAN,

TREE PHOTOGRAPHY

Iam so excited about the new spring and summer trends in 2022. It’s absolutely a time of emerging from the “living in loungewear” look (like it or not) to a “let’s get dressed … but in our own way” outfits. There are occasions where we want to dress fancy because those times have been deprived of us as of late. However, more times than not, we need to be practical and comfortable while still wanting to make a statement. From work—in your home or at the office—to upcoming vacations, weddings, and family events, here are a few fun features for the season. Wherever you decide to go, have fun mixing and matching for the occasion, creating a look that makes you feel amazing. //

GET ME TO THE GINGHAM 

There’s a definite shift in pattern for spring. From the plaids of winter to a pretty check for spring. Some prefer a little, others a lot. However you like to wear yours is up to you! Not only is this peek of pattern perfect for spring, you’ll also see a new length arise: short. Although many of us will eternally love a midi, the hemlines are rising at quick speed. Mix a little sweet gingham with a little sassy mini and add some pockets for good measure, and you have a cool and comfortable look to style for spring.

You will be feeling as fresh as spring with these fashion trends.

PAISLEY

 Sierra Kokales

COLOR INSIDE THE LINES 

Nothing catches your attention like a burst of color. Bold brights are here in force and a solid column of your favorite pop is just right for spring. But there are no rules as to how you decide to wear your perfect shade. Go all out or choose a more subtle route by grabbing a bright bag or shoe; you might consider pink or green. They are the top choices for the moment, but a gorgeous red, yellow, or orange can be equally as lovely. Just let your inner happiness shine through.

 Charissa Peterson

Now yes, we will land on the complete opposite end of the color spectrum with our low-key wardrobe staples. There’s something timeless and effortless about pieces that are quiet but interesting. A perfect fit, a subtle stripe, the right jacket, a uniform color palette—that is a statement itself. Although the premise of this style is luxury, we want to be able to do it in a reasonable way. If you look at each piece alone, it can be worn in so many ways. That makes each item a very smart investment.

LAID BACK LUXURY 

 Brenda Johnson

 BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE

Is it time to find your new shape for spring? Who thought it would be a butterfly? These fun, fitted tops come in so many different patterns and colors. Of course, not everybody is looking for a crop top. You can make this trend your own with a breezy, wing style look. Go for the full Y2K revival with a pair of draped, flowy pants, low-slung trousers, or—total throwback—pedal pushers! Find your fun with this by throwing in a chain. You can go big or small. Try a layered mixture or go with one thick strand. Your pick.

THE WONDERS OF WHITE 

White is not just for brides this season. Stick with the bright whites for this look, avoiding the range of ivory and cream that you might use for a laid-back style. Of course, I love a head-to-toe white with a totally beach-vibe maxi. Don’t be afraid to go long because maxis are making their return. For a real boss-energy look, go classic with a white trouser and blouse. No matter what you feel about the practicality of white, it is feminine and beautiful, and who doesn’t want to feel angelic?

 Tailyn Bendewald

 Jessica Rehder

CROCHET ALL DAY 

There are so many options when you choose crochet from full cardigans and ponchos to tanks, camis, and swimsuit cover-ups. Crochet and fringe will always bring a bit of sentimental 70s feel, but it’s great memories for those who were there and a whole new style adventure for those who weren’t. So pair up your crochet detail with a pair of our beloved flares or choose a crochet crop with a flowy wide-leg summer pant. You can’t go wrong because comfort is always in style.

 Niki Shishnia

 ARE THOSE FLOWERS YOU'RE WEARING?

It's not a question of “if,” just a question of “how.” How will we be wearing our florals this season? The answer is bold and beautiful. With the trend toward bright colors and big prints, the flower is no exception. For work, a brilliant watercolor floral with a smocked neckline looks pretty and interesting with trousers or under a classic blazer. For more of a leisure outfit, choose a feminine, cottageinterior-inspired bloom. For an evening out, explore some vibrant and exotic, travel-inspired florals. So many options, so many moods!

 Rhonda Hilsendeger

DESIGNING ON MAIN STREET

Interior

The business that would one day become Interior Design Concepts (IDC) started in 1973 when Dave Arlt and a partner opened D&D Paint & Frame at 119 N. Main St. But unbeknownst to Dave at the time, his 53-plus year career as a designer began as a 16-year-old when he took a part-time job as a picture-framer for Pittsburg Paints.

by KAYLYN MEHLHAFF

“If you told me when I was 16 that I would still be doing this today, I would have told you absolutely not,” Dave said. “Once I got into it though, there was really no reason for me to try anything different.”

The journey from picture-framer to fullfledged design studio owner would take Dave and his business through a few different name iterations, transitions in services offered, and many a location change—though Dave takes pride in the fact that his design business has always called Main Street, on one side of the train tracks or the other, home.

After graduating from Central High School and attending Northern as an art major, Dave became the assistant manager of the store he would later rename D&D Paint & Frame. By 1974 the second “D” in D&D had moved on to another venture, but Dave decided to keep the store and run it with his wife, Sheryl.

In those early days of D&D, the Main Street staple specialized in what it was named for: painting and framing, with wallpaper and other design services thrown in. But as the business grew, so did the design services Dave found himself offering to his clients, namely interior design projects like drafting new house plans, redesigning existing spaces, and doing flooring and cabinets.

“I was recommended as a designer to a client from Saudi Arabia who was building a home here,” Dave said. “The client told me ‘D&D Paint & Frame’ didn’t really sound like a place

Design Concepts continues a 50-plus year legacy under new ownership.

 A former meatpacking plant (John Morrell) has become a stylish design office for Interior Design Concepts. Pictured are Greg Petersen, Dave Arlt, and Jill Fonder. Photo by Troy McQuillen.

IF YOU TOLD ME WHEN I WAS 16

– DAVE ARLT

he would use to design his house, so that was kind of the thing that pushed us over the edge to change our name.”

After years of being more than a store that simply sold paint and did framing, Dave made the move to change D&D to IDC in 2005. The name change signaled to potential clients that IDC was the go-to place for all their design needs, ushering in a new era for the store.

“At that time, there weren’t a lot of options for getting residential design done here in town,” Dave said. “Clients I worked with were getting frustrated about having to handle multiple contractors and stores just to get one room done. I knew we could be the solution to those problems.”

But even though IDC had the services available at this time in the early 2000s to install countertops, redo carpet, and design a room from the furniture to the light fixtures, Dave said his team didn’t have the space in their 523 S. Main St. building to house all the products they were using. Instead they had to outsource things like floor treatments, pieces of furniture, and other decor items from outside retailers.

“I didn’t like that we would lose control over the project,” Dave said. “Months would go by and

THAT I WOULD STILL BE DOING THIS TODAY, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU ABSOLUTELY NOT.”

nothing would happen, and the places we used tended to have a style that was different from mine. It started to become not very cost-effective.”

After a few years of trying to wrangle suppliers and contractors, Dave decided it was time for a change. There was an empty building on 21 N. Main St. that would be perfect—offering enough space to house products while still keeping with IDC’s love for Main Street. All Dave had to do was convince Sheryl that the now-abandoned former Quantum Plastics building with the duct-taped windows and weed-infestation could become an operational design studio.

The building purchase went through in 2018— weeds, duct tape, and all.

By the time renovations were happening on the new space, Dave had partnered with designer Jill Fonder for a year. An interior designer for over 30 years, Jill and her family have been living and working in the Aberdeen area for the last 21 years. Jill said the timing couldn’t have been more perfect when Dave approached her about buying the business.

Renovations on the new space wrapped up in early 2019, and IDC moved in April of that year. On Jan. 1, 2020, Dave sold the business to Jill, and he stayed on as a designer.

Both Jill and Dave talk about their relationship as unique among designers. Jill said she loves working on specific projects like designing cabinets, while Dave enjoys the challenge of reimagining a space and creating something totally new. Together they make a team that can tackle any project on virtually any budget.

“Most designers don’t work as well together as we do,” Jill said. “It could have gone bad, but we just click. We work together so well.”

Though design styles and techniques have inevitably changed over the last 50 years Dave’s been in the business, what hasn’t shifted with the trends is his love for a design challenge others might deem impossible.

“Redesigning a space to make it functional is definitely more of a challenge,” he said. “There’s never a dull day. Every client and project is different, and I’ve been able to work with a lot of great people.”

Even as Dave’s time as the face of IDC comes to an end and Jill puts her own spin on the business, she said she’s committed to carrying on the legacy Dave began all those years ago at D&D: excellent design for any budget.

 The old John Morrell (most recently Quantum Plastics) building provided unique bones from which to craft a modern design studio. Photo by Troy McQuillen.

THERE’S NEVER A DULL DAY. EVERY CLIENT AND PROJECT IS DIFFERENT, AND I’VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE.”

– DAVE ARLT

“I want the clients who have been with us for years to know they’re still going to be taken care of,” Jill said. “The business itself is the same. We’re still doing our best to fit everyone’s budget and offer quality design services. Now with an amazing one-of-a-kind showroom that everyone should check out!”

Jill has since added salesman Greg Petersen to the team. Over the last 20 years Greg has worked to develop relationships with his clients and professional installers. Together, Jill, Dave, and Greg have over 100 years of combined experience with talent, expertise, and passion Jill said customers probably can’t get anywhere else in town.

For anyone who walks into Interior Design Concepts’ studio with a question, idea, or room in need of a revamp, there’s an individual ready to greet them who’s an expert in his or her design area. And even though IDC is now known for designing houses in multiple states, carrying award-winning products, and having expert designers, a display of paint samples sits against one wall in their current showroom. Some things never change.

“It’s been a long road, but a good road,” Dave said. “There’s a lot of really great people here in Aberdeen, and I’ve been blessed to have been able to work with them.” //

FRAMING MEMORIES Abbie Gardner

Roadside historical markers can be a doorway to history. The key is to go through.

by PATRICK GALLAGHER

One of the most famous residents of Spink County lived there about 16 years before the county was created, but only for a few days and against her will. Nonetheless, Abbie Gardner was a looming figure in the imagination of my youth in Redfield. That said, until I learned her story recently, her name wasn’t much more than a marker on the highway. How we remember history is interesting.

One of three historical markers in a small roadside park on Highway 281 two miles north of Redfield frames the story: “About one mile east of this spot Abbie Gardner was delivered to her rescuers on May 30, 1857 after eighty three days of captivity among the Sioux Indians following the Spirit Lake massacre in Iowa.” Like any frame, this summary crops out factors such as what preceded and followed the event. This article expands that picture.

ABBIE GARDNER

Looking for opportunity, Abbie’s father Rowland moved his family west from New York, arriving in northern Iowa in the summer of 1856. He built a home on Lake Okoboji, near Spirit Lake, for his three-generation family of nine, including three adolescents and an infant. They were the first white people to settle in the area.

The land was unsettled, but not unoccupied. Native Americans still lived there searching for scarce resources. In her memoir published 30

years later, Abbie writes favorably of some area tribes but not one particular group. In her florid nineteenth-century style, she asserted, “no other tribe of aborigines has ever exhibited more savage ferocity or so appalled and sickened the soul of humanity by wholesale slaughtering of the white race as has the Sioux.”

On the morning of March 8, 1857, when Abbie was 13, the Gardners gave a small band

of Wahpekute Dakota Sioux some food. The Native Americans harassed the family, even brandishing a gun, but then left. A few tense hours later, Rowland spotted nine warriors coming and announced, “we are all doomed to die.” The Native Americans entered, led by their chief, Inkpaduta, about whom Abbie remembered, “He was deeply pitted by smallpox, giving him a revolting appearance.”

 Two miles north of Redfield on Highway 281, this roadside stop features three historical markers. Each convey very short stories of significant incidents that happened near the markers. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

 Abbie Gardner, in the photo on the cover of her memoir about her experiences of the Spirit Lake Massacre, first published in 1885.

INKPADUTA

About 60 at the time of the massacre, the chief was a man with a past, if not likely all that was ascribed to him in later years. Perhaps the most visible mark of Inkpaduta’s history was the smallpox that revolted Abbie. An epidemic twenty years earlier had killed more than half of his band. Of course, smallpox didn’t exist in America before the arrival of Europeans.

In an 1851 treaty, some Dakota bands traded land for a reservation and supplies. Poor conditions on the reservation, often due to incompetence and corruption, meant little actual sustenance, however. The remaining Dakota Sioux, including Inkpaduta, who had not signed the treaty, searched for food on the prairie instead.

A few years before the massacre, Inkpaduta moved his people into the village of his relative Sintominiduta. In 1854, a white man—a whiskey trader and horse thief—killed the chief. Inkpaduta reported the murder, and authorities

indicted the man but did little to catch him. Adding insult, the prosecutor mocked the death, nailing Sintominiduta’s head to a pole.

In the brutal winter of 1856-1857, deep snow and deeper temperatures plagued Inkpaduta’s

people, but they were able to camp near a friendly white farmer’s home dozens of miles south of Spirit Lake. The whites grew tired of sharing resources, however, and in February, they wrecked the Native Americans’ camp, seized their weapons, and expelled them, ignoring Inkpaduta’s protests that they would die without hunting weapons. Watching his grandchild die of exposure and starvation, Inkpaduta moved north, stealing food and guns.

MASSACRE, CAPTIVITY, AND RELEASE

Just a few weeks later, when Inkpaduta’s men returned to the Gardner house in the afternoon of March 8, they demanded more food. “As father turned to get them what remained of our scanty store,” Abbie wrote, “they shot him through the heart.” Then followed the brutal murders of the rest of the household. Except for Abbie, who was taken with the band.

Altogether, over about two weeks, Inkpaduta’s people killed more than three dozen settlers around Spirit Lake and southern Minnesota Territory. The Native Americans also took another three women captive and escaped from pursuing militia.

The band generally moved northwest from the scene of the massacre. Over nearly three months, the Native Americans murdered two of the captives, one in the Big Sioux River near Flandreau because her illness slowed the group and the other perhaps near Spink County for refusing the demands of Inkpaduta’s son. This occurred not long after she and Abbie had been sold to a Yankton Sioux and not long before Abbie was released. In between the deaths, two Sioux brothers from Minnesota purchased the other captive and took her to whites in Minnesota.

Now the only remaining captive, Abbie walked

 Presumed to be the only known photograph of Dakota chief Inkpaduta who led the attack in the Spirit Lake Massacre.

 Hotonhowashta, also known as John Other Day, was one of the Native Americans who rescued Abbie Gardner. He became a hero to Whites for his help in the 1862 Sioux Uprising in Minnesota.

with the group through what would become Brookings, Hamlin, and Clark counties until they reached Spink. Abbie wrote, “the scene was really sublime. Look in any direction, and the grassy plain was bounded only by the horizon. … This was repeated day after day till it seemed as if we were in another world. I almost despaired of ever seeing a tree again.”

The band reached the James River a few miles northeast of Redfield—about 200 miles and 80 days from Spirit Lake—where several hundred Yankton Sioux were camped. Her captor let people into his tepee to see perhaps the first white person they had ever encountered, and Abbie wrote the visitors included “three Indians dressed in coats and white shirts, with starched bosoms.” They were on a mission to ransom her.

After three days of negotiations, Abbie was released in exchange for “two horses, twelve blankets, two kegs of powder, twenty pounds of tobacco, thirty-two yards of blue squaw cloth, thirty-seven and a half yards of calico and ribbon, and other small articles.” Her new purchasers received her near the confluence of the James River and Turtle Creek and took her to Minnesota’s governor.

REMEMBERING

The story began to be told immediately. Newspapers reported rumors that exaggerated everything—the size of Inkpaduta’s group, the alleged burning of Mankato, rampant rape and mutilation—which prompted retaliation against innocent Dakotas. Pamphlets, short books, and newspapers reported similarly on the story over coming decades.

In 1885, Abbie published The Spirit Lake Massacre and Captivity of Miss Abbie Gardner (authored as Abbie Gardner Sharp); several editions and reprintings followed. Not

surprisingly, it is filled with fear and hate for her captors, but it has moments of seemingly objective descriptions of their life on the prairie. Monuments memorializing the events also began to appear, starting in Iowa. Abbie bought the home where her family was killed, and in 1895, it was dedicated as a historical monument.

The Abbie Gardner Cabin and Museum in Arnolds Park, Iowa, remains open as a tourist attraction.

The remembering came to South Dakota, too.

In 1918, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) announced plans to “mark all historic places in the state,” including the rescues of the two captives. A 1924 Aberdeen newspaper described a “picnic and regular meeting of the Charlotte Warrington Turner Chapter DAR at

Hagmans grove near Redfield.” This was across Turtle Creek from the presumed site of Abbie’s rescue. In the summer of 1927, they dedicated a marker on that spot. From a pasture, the threefoot tall granite and stone pyramid still overlooks the merging streams, but its historical plaque is gone. Mary Lou Schwartz, my high school librarian and director of Redfield’s C&NW Railroad Depot, took me to the site, along with fellow Spink County Historical Society member Alan Maddox, my former scout leader.

On August 15, 1929, the Redfield DAR chapter, plus those from Pierre, Mellette, Ashton, and Aberdeen, as well as the former state historian, Doane Robinson, dedicated the larger stone marker on Highway 281, which is quoted at

 The 1927 pyramidal monument marking the location understood to be where Abbie Gardner was released to her Native American rescuers still stands in a pasture above the confluence of the James River and Turtle Creek northeast of Redfield. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

 Redfield High School students recreated a local mural depicting the release of Abbie Gardner on the school lunchroom wall. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

the beginning of this story. The Abbie Gardner Sharp Girl Reserves (a YWCA affiliate group) of Mellette also attended. The group’s name, as well as Abbie Gardner appearing as a character in a Women’s Achievement Day skit years later, are interesting ways of remembering a girl with a very brief county residency three quarters of a century earlier.

In a 1963 story about a Sisseton event remembering the Native Americans involved in Abbie’s rescue, a reporter hyperventilated, “The ringleading bad guy in this episode was

Inkpaduta—a name that has made many a South Dakota grade school boy grind his teeth with rage as he read his history book.” Not this schoolboy. Even in the school closest to the scene of Abbie’s return, her story didn’t make it into my history books or classes.

But it did make the lunchroom wall. When a mural in a Redfield store depicting her rescue was covered in a remodeling, the Redfield High School Pheasant Call reported, “many people felt that it was regrettable that it should be ‘lost’ to our community.” So the 1962 art class recreated it in the school lunchroom. Today the mural is in the Spink County Museum, rescued from the school’s demolition a few years ago.

AFTERMATH

For decades, the perception of the Spirit Lake Massacre featured the one-dimensional view of Inkpaduta as a man who simply hated whites. Despite his occasional good relations with them—one settler asked him to watch over his family when he traveled on business—he was long remembered as a savage outlaw. In 2008, Paul N. Beck’s Inkpaduta: Dakota Leader unraveled previous understandings that relied

almost exclusively and uncritically on reports of whites. Hardly exonerating the chief but situating him in the context of violence on the Plains, Beck concluded, “besides the Spirit Lake massacre, little solid evidence exists for this demonization.” He suggests Inkpaduta was a hero to Sioux for fighting for land and tradition, but a bogeyman to whites because he was never caught, punished, or defeated in battle and never forced onto a reservation.

After the massacre, he moved around the area, pursued by whites as well as Native Americans motivated by the denial of government benefits until his capture. Inkpaduta fought in battles with the U.S. Army, including the Little Bighorn in 1876 (Black Elk noted his presence). In the end, he fled to Canada with Sitting Bull and died there in 1881, far from where he had once tried to live.

After her release, Abbie reunited with her sister Eliza, who was not home at the time of the massacre. She also connected with the families of the murdered captives, in fact, marrying one of their cousins just two months after her release. Hers was not an easy life. In the 2015 reprinting of her book, the publisher asserted, “It seems fair to conclude that much

 In 1929, the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated the large stone roadside marker on what would become U.S. Highway 281, noting the nearby release of Abbie Gardner. Photo courtesy of Spink County Historical Society.

 The modern layout of the 1929 roadside marker. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

COUNCIL ROCK

➼ Next to the large stone monument on Highway 281 about Abbie’s release is one about Council Rock, a nearby gathering place for Sioux Native Americans of the Dakotas. Abbie doesn’t specifically mention Council Rock, but she was released in its general vicinity.

The 1975 Bicentennial marker describes the place:

The Sioux tribes established, near here, Council Rock as a central meeting place for all the bands. Using a black oviate [sic— presumably ovate] rock measuring 6” x 11” surrounded by a circle of stones 15 feet in diameter, representatives of each tribe sat with feet extended toward the Council Rock to settle affairs of the Sioux nation. The site had religious significance and was maintained as a sanctuary from war and strife. As many as 3,000 Teton, Santee, Yankton and Yanktonai gathered here annually for a great Trade Fair, where goods were bartered among the tribes. Needy persons could always find supplies here.

The original rock disappeared in 1892, but locals undertook efforts to remember it, creating replicas. In 1939, the DAR and county school children placed a monument to Council Rock east of Highway 281.

of Gardner’s long history of illness after the event was due to what we today call posttraumatic stress disorder.”

In the time between the initial writing of her book and a postscript she added to the 1912 edition called “An Epoch of Advancement,” Abbie seems to have found some new understanding of Native Americans (perhaps primarily Christian Native Americans). In 1892, she searched for the Native Americans who had rescued her and revisited places her captors had taken her (although apparently not Spink County). In Flandreau, she spoke to the Native American congregation at church:

I assured those present that notwithstanding all that I had suffered I entertained nothing but the kindest regard toward the race which had exterminated everything in the world dear to me; that through the revelation of the spirit of the Savior I had overcome my former spirit of hatred toward the Indians; and that I entertained only good wishes for their advancement in every possible way.

Abbie died in 1921 and is buried with her family at the Lake Okoboji cabin.

***

In an era when how we remember history is often called into question and the uses to which history and some historical symbols are put can be questionable, such as in the case of Confederate monuments, the markers in Spink County seem refreshingly modest in their aspirations. While they do leave out the broader context, in their simplicity (there are no depictions of heroes or villains), they seem more to point to events and places rather than to convey blunt ideological messages. It’s also notable that the markers indicate an apparent attempt at balance in remembering both Abbie Gardner and Council Rock (see “Council Rock” sidebar)—representing the competing cultures of the Plains. Though some will argue the monuments simply advance a narrative of the decline of savagery and advance of white civilization.

Just as the markers merely point to history, this article only slightly widens the frame. We can’t gloss over the brutality of the violence inflicted on Abbie’s people any more than we can ignore the disastrous effects of “civilization” on the people who were already living there. History is messy. The wider picture often isn’t pretty, but even if it’s disagreeable, it needs to be seen, understood, and argued—not silenced. //

 A marker of the Council Rock site east of Highway 281. The newly placed stone simulates where the actual rock could have been placed. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

 The Highway 281 historical marker for Council Rock. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

 A recreation of the presumed layout of the Council Rock site near a Spink County school. Photo courtesy of South Dakota State Historical Society.