Aberdeen Magazine September/October 2022

FROM HEIGHTS TO PRAIRIE

➼ The Presentation Sisters have dedicated a piece of land to restoring the natural landscape of South Dakota.

GAME ON, ABERDEEN!

➼ The Oracle Game Store gives the gamers of Aberdeen a place to harbor their sense of community.

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REGULARS

04 FROM THE EDITOR

06 WHAT’S NEW

Your source for what’s happening in Aberdeen.

10 THE 411 ON THE 988

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has a new number, and these new changes can help save lives.

12 THEN & NOW

Capturing the change and growth of our city through photos.

16 CALENDAR

Never miss an event in the Hub City.

68 ABERDEEN BOOK CLUB

Not sure what to read next?

We’ve got you covered!

70 TASTE

Baked spinach mushroom quesadillas make a quick, healthy dinner packed with lots of flavor.

80 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Aberdeen Magazine wants to hear from its readers!

80 COMIC Heartburn by Eliot Lucas FEATURED CONTENT

22 LOOKING BACK: 50 YEARS AT KEN’S Ken’s SuperFair Foods has recently celebrated 50 eventful years in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas.

24 THINK BEFORE YOU ‘SEND’ Northern State University’s 2022 Common Read speaker Patty Blount’s novel Send sends a harrowing message to readers regarding the dangers of cyberbullying.

ON THE COVER ➼ Since they left the convent and moved to Presentation Place, the Presentation Sisters have worked with Jamie Risse and Jared Hohn to restore a piece of land to its original condition. Over 30 native grasses and wildflowers have been planted, and though it will take years to see the full scope of the project, the process has been successful this past year. Photo by Troy McQuillen

AMBER DALLMANN

➼ An art teacher at Aberdeen Central High School, Amber Dallmann hopes to bestow the gift of art on the younger generations.

38 UPHILL CLIMB

Aberdeen’s high school cross country teams face a unique challenge in their sport – nothing but flat lands to practice on.

44 GET TO KNOW: SHELBY BOETTNER

Presentation College’s Shelby Boettner has a passion for helping those in need of nursing, as well as those who are studying the field.

50 SAND LAKE’S LASTING LESSONS

Peter Carrels reflects on the hunting trips of his youth and the many lessons he learned from his father.

62 LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

Aberdeen has a vibrant music community that spans several years. Here’s a look into some of its influential players.

72 LESSONS ON AND OFF THE COURT

Chelsey Albrecht has been a key influence in Presentation College’s volleyball program.

74 LOTS OF PERSONALITY

Step inside Suzi and Eldon Gilchrist’s artsy home that dazzles with bold, vibrant colors.

At long last, we are entering my favorite time of the year! I know a lot of people really like the summer sun, but I’ve always been happiest when there’s a chill in the air, allowing me to pile several layers of blankets onto my bed. To me, fall has many memories of high school pep band, attending Nebraska Cornhusker games with my family, and pulling out my wardrobe of clothes that I actually enjoy wearing. I digress. I’ll admit that I’ll miss walking around downtown, looking at the photos from the Downtown Art Contest on the windows, and the Presentation Sisters’ prairie restoration project won’t thrive in the snow. These are just a couple things that summer has to offer, and we feature many more in this issue.

Patrick Gallagher, one of our writers, has written a book! Uncle Sam is Coming to Town (With Santa Claus) is available on Amazon, which will be a perfect read for the rapidly-approaching Christmas season. Our graphic designer, Eliot Lucas, illustrated the cover. Be sure to check it out! //

 FROM THE PUBLISHER

Annie Scott MANAGING EDITOR

We are testing a new “advertising product” known as a Feature Advertorial. Businesses seek us out for in depth and detailed stories about their products and services, written and photographed by our professional staff. However, that can sound too much like an ad. In fact, we try very hard not to make our stories sound like ads when we write about certain businesses. We want to maintain that distinct separation.

As a result of this frequent request, our new Feature Advertorial is a special section with four pages dedicated just to the products, services, and history of a particular business and is labeled as “Sponsored Content”. Because Conklin Clinics has just moved to a new facility, they signed on as our first Feature Advertorial customer so they could really show off their new space as well as what they offer inside their doors. Thank you so much to Conklin Clinics for being the main sponsor of this issue (their logo is on the cover too). If you would like your business featured in this manner, just get in touch with our advertising representative, Julie Lillis and she’ll get things arranged. Enjoy this issue, and please let us know what you think! // —Troy

McQuillen

CONTRIBUTORS

 SUSAN SCRUPSKI is a writer, filmmaker, advocate, and publisher. She enjoyed a long career in the tech industry, and now spends her free time photographing the beautiful South Dakota landscape.

 DAVE VILHAUER is a veteran Aberdeen journalist and creator/ owner of a sports website called SD SportScene. He has 42 years of experience in serving the community as a member of the media.

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

 BECCA SIMON is a former managing editor of Aberdeen Magazine and an active freelance writer and editor. Along with writing, she is a video game enthusiast, folklore fanatic, and animal lover.

 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.

CORRECTIONS FROM JULY/AUG 2022

MANAGING EDITOR

Annie Scott annie@aberdeenmag.com

PUBLISHER

Troy McQuillen troy@mcquillencreative.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Eliot Lucas eliot@mcquillencreative.com

AD SALES

Julie Lillis julie.aberdeenmag@gmail.com

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 annie@aberdeenmag.com

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.

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.

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PUBLISHED BY

www.mcquillencreative.com

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

 Terry Beckler’s daughter Lindsey was incorrectly named in a photo caption. //

Discover New Treasures at Happy Trails

Ron Kramer has always had an eye for antiques and collectibles, and now he is sharing his finds with the residents of Aberdeen.

Happy Trails is a new store, opened in July of this year, that sports an extensive collection of books, records, small pieces of furniture, and other decorative items.

“It’s like my own personal man cave,” Ron said. “A lot of people in town really like looking for stuff like this. It’s nice to share the stuff I’ve accumulated over the years.”

In the future, Ron would like to purchase items that others bring into the shop. For now, customers can expect to hear some of the knowledge that Ron can share about his finds. // —Annie

Scott

 Call Ron at 612-963-8562 for more information. Happy Trails is located at 122 N Main St.

A Car Show for Everyone

Car enthusiasts of Aberdeen have a new place to show off their rides and discuss all things automobile. Cars and Coffee is held on the first Saturday of every month, weather permitting, in New Life Fellowship North’s parking lot.

“I’ve seen groups like these in cities, and I thought it’d be nice to have something local,” David Kreber said. “It’s a nice excuse to get cars on display outside of Sizzlin' Summer Nights.”

Group attendees have displayed car models from today all the way back to the 1950s. Anyone who loves cars is welcome to attend.

“The age range you see in this group is great,” David said. “You’ll have teens and people in their 80s talking about this shared interest, and that’s really cool to see.” // —Annie Scott  For updates on the event, check out their Instagram page @cars_and_coffee_aberdeen.

A Night of Fun for the Grown-Ups

Get ready for Storybook Land’s first adult’s night out – the Storybook Land Uncorked event will be held on September 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

Attendees of Storybook Land Uncorked will be able to sample a variety of wines and beers while enjoying appetizers and live music.

The event, presented by Kessler’s and organized by the Aberdeen Sertoma Club, is a fundraiser that will help Storybook Land with their

future projects. Recently, Storybook Land has added new playgrounds and equipment to the park.

“Storybook Land Uncorked will be a great time for anyone who wants to socialize and have a good time,” said Kristan Morris, Sales Manager at Hub City Radio. “There will definitely be something for everyone to enjoy.”

Tickets will be available online for $75. // —Annie Scott

 For tickets and more information, visit storybooklanduncorked.square.site.

 The event planners for Storybook Land Uncorked. Front row: Elizabeth Schwab and Kristan Morris. Back row: Miko Brandner, Scott Noeldner, Ryan Weigel, and Katie Washnok.

 Antique boots are just one of the things available at Happy Trails.  Unique cars are on display at Cars and Coffee.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

Downtown Art Contest Showcases Local Artists

This summer, beautiful artworks adorned the windows of downtown businesses.

2022 is the second year that the Aberdeen Area Community Foundation has held the Downtown Art Project, which was made possible through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Aberdeen Fund.

“This is the first year that we have done window clings,” project director Alexis Doerr said. “Last year we had paintings on the windows downtown. The window clings allow us to display more types of art and more artists.”

The artworks are judged, and prizes were awarded to Deb Carson, Grace Campbell, and Fox Fesler this year.

Custom Woodworking in All Sizes

A little over a year ago, David Steckler needed a bookshelf. Instead of just purchasing one, he gathered the tools, lumber, and other materials he needed and got the job done himself. One project that came from necessity has evolved into a growing woodworking business.

“I thought it’d be better to learn a new skill,” David said. “I made my first project and things grew from there.”

David has made trash can holders, cutting boards, shoe stands, coasters, and more.

“Our goal is to encourage all skill levels, emerging artists, and residents of Brown County and the surrounding areas.” Alexis said. “In the future, we would love to expand the project. It would be great to work with other places in the community.” // —Annie

Scott

Facebook Group Unites Lost Pets and Owners

In October of 2012, Barb Griess created a Facebook group after her cat, Meme, went missing. Since its creation, Missing Pets in Aberdeen, SD has over 8,000 members and has helped hundreds of pets find their way home in Aberdeen and surrounding areas.

“My husband and I had returned home from a trip to Wisconsin with my mother,” Barb said. “We noticed Meme left home. The page started as a way to find her. Nine months later, we found out Meme had showed up at my husband’s coworker’s aunt’s home. Vivian took care of her for six months, and ultimately Meme stayed with her since she loved the outdoors and preferred being in a single cat household.”

Two others, Trixie Hettich and Megan Daniels, help Barb run the page. Members of the group can post photos of their lost pets as well as animals that they have found.

Barb also works with the Aberdeen Area Humane Society, as the page has helped them identify pet owners faster than they have been able to in the past.

// —Annie Scott

Scott

“The size of the project is always different,” David said. “But I’ll make sure clients get a product that they’re happy with.” // —Annie

 David can be reached at 605-377-7770.

 Hannah Walters, AACF board; third place winner Fox Fesler; second place and People's Choice winner Grace Campbell; first place winner Deb Carson; Alexis Doerr, NSU art instructor/Downtown Art Project director; and Megan Biegler, AACF board.

 Johnny, on the left, has been missing since July. Tonya Holter is hoping the group can help find him.

 David Steckler can make projects in a wide variety of sizes.

The 411 on 988

The new number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will help save lives.

by UNITED WAY STAFF

The United Way of Northeastern SD is proud to support the efforts of their partner agency the Helpline Center. On July 16, 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) was officially transitioned to the phone number 988. Moving to a 3-digit code will transform the way Americans reach out for mental health help and support. The FCC selected the 988 number to elevate the awareness for mental health crisis response to the same level as calling 911 for other emergencies. It’s anticipated that 911 and 988 will quickly become the two most recognized and important phone numbers.

988 in South Dakota

• Anyone in need of crisis support for themselves or someone else should call 988. The Lifeline accepts calls from anyone who is suicidal or in emotional distress, including substance use crisis.

• 988 is answered by the Helpline Center in Sioux Falls, the Helpline Center is the same agency that answers all the 211 calls. 211 is a non-emergency number for finding community resources, such as food banks and shelters.

• 988 will be answered by individuals with advanced degrees and experience in behavioral health.

• The Helpline provides follow-up calls to individuals including follow-up calls for mobile crisis team referrals, discharges from stabilization units and appropriate regional facilities.

• 988 partners with 911, psychiatric inpatient units, stabilization units and appropriate regional facilities.

• Text and chat services are offered through 988.

• There are national, statewide and local marketing campaigns promoting 988. If you’re interested in promotional materials, please contact the Helpline Center www.helpline.org

• The big part of the continued success of 988 will be the partnerships and collaboration with all services on the crisis continuum. //

Then – A Community in Action – Chances are, you won’t recognize anything in this photo. It was taken in front of the Federal Building on the corner of Fourth and Main, downtown Aberdeen looking north. The exact date is tricky. In photos dated 1911, each of the street light clusters are topped with white globes. The globes are not yet installed on the light fixatures, suggesting they are pretty new. Trolley tracks were installed on this corner sometime in 1910, so it must be before then since there are no tracks. The Citizen Building that was built in 1909 is not shown in this view. So, it could be 1908. There are only a handful of buildings still standing from this view. The Olwin-Angell department store on the far right is shown in its “two-story” version. There is a band playing in front of Olwin-Angell with a large crowd gathered. Check out the horses and buggies mixing in with the automobiles. The large, three-story building in the center is the Excelsior Block, built in 1887. This was used as a business office and hotel. Whatever the exact year, Aberdeen was a pretty happening concern, with a vibrant business district, just 27 years after it was platted. //

—Troy McQuillen

Now — Still Busy, Still Changing – Because the former Federal Building was set back more than other buildings, it was impossible to get the exact same angle when pointing down Main Street. Immediately to the right is the Midwest Building (originally JC Penney Co.) that obstructed the drone from getting the same view. The Olwin-Angell building (Anytime Fitness) now shows a third story that was added in 1914. The late Don Artz explains in one of his books that most of the Excelsior Block was demolished in the 1930s. However, the Montgomery Ward building was not built on its exact footprint. In fact, a 25-foot, street level section on the south side of the Excelsior was preserved and combined with the one-story building attached on the left then made to look like one cohesive building (320 and 318 S. Main). Homes Are Possible, Inc. is in the former Narregang space (320), while the remaining vacant section once housed the Blackhawk Café (318). I am told there are remnants of plumbing lines still visible on the roof on the portion that was originally part of the Excelsior. Montgomery Ward’s was built in 1938, but many will remember it as Coast To Coast, or the offices of the Aberdeen School System. Dacotah Bank now owns it and beautifully maintains it. // —Troy

McQuillen

2022 SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER

17

STORYBOOK LAND UNCORKED

September 8

6:00 - 9:00 PM

Storybook Land

 See our story on page 6 for more details.

storybooklanduncorked.square.site

SOUTH DAKOTA FILM FESTIVAL

September 16 - 18

Capitol Theatre & Cinema

 The South Dakota Film Festival celebrates filmmakers from around the world, and nearly 200 films have been submitted for review. Well made, entertaining short films and feature length movies will appeal to all movie aficionados in the Aberdeen area. www.southdakotafilmfest.org

17

OUT OF THE DARKNESS WALK

September 17

10:00 AM

Odde Ice Center

 The Out of the Darkness Walk unites the community and provides an opportunity to acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental health conditions have affected the lives of loved ones.

 605-228-3729

NESD CELTIC FAIRE & HIGHLAND GAMES

September 17 -18

10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Richmond Lake Youth Camp

 This annual event provides an exciting opportunity for all individuals who have any interest in Celtic heritage, history, arts, sports, dance, music, food, merchandise, livestock and dog breeds. Check out the food, live dancers and music, and more. info@nesdcelticfaire.com

DOWNTOWN ABERDEEN

WINE WALK

September 22

5:00 - 8:00 PM

Downtown Aberdeen

 Wine, beer, and tons of great shopping deals await at the Downtown Aberdeen Wine Walk. Live music and art enhance this unique shopping experience. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. All proceeds support the Art on Main Street project.

 605-380-9389

HARVEST STROLL

September 24

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Dacotah Prairie Museum

 Experience the best of South Dakota’s fall activities in the autumn sunshine. Crafts, games, photo ops, a raffle, live music, and hot apple cider are ready for all who come to welcome the cool autumn season.

 Dacotah Prairie Museum

29

DENIM & DIAMONDS GALA

September 24

Best Western Ramkota

 Presentation College invites you to help support student scholarships and honor the late Glenna Fouberg at their annual gala. Live music from The NashVegas All-Stars will have you dancing all night long! presentation.edu/gala

PHEASANT PHESTIVAL

PUP CRAWL

September 29

4:00 - 7:00 PM

Malchow Plaza

 Celebrate the 2022 pheasant season with dogs and humans alike! Tasty things to eat will be provided for all species while dogs and their owners visit pet-friendly businesses downtown. All donations collected will go to the Aberdeen Area Humane Society and the Pet Rescue League.  605-225-2414

FALL STYLE SHOW

September 29

5:30 - 8:30 PM

Engels Event Co.

 Aberdeen Magazine presents The Fall Stye Show! Many local boutiques and clothing stores present their fall and winter styles on the runway. Tickets are $20 and include delicious appetizers and one bar drink. aberdeenmag.com

 NESD Celtic Faire & Highland Games

 Pheasant Phestival Pup Crawl

october 08

GYPSY DAY PARADE

October 8

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Downtown Aberdeen

 Brush up on your showtune knowledge: this year’s Gypsy Day Parade’s theme is Wolves on Broadway! Celebrate the grand finale of NSU’s homecoming week and admire the many parade floats and South Dakota’s high school marching bands. northern.edu/campus-life/gypsy-days

HANDMADE MARKET

October 15

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Dakota Event Center

 The Handmade Market is a marketplace of vendors selling unique handcrafted items, repurposed furniture, farmer’s market goods, home décor, and so much more!

 605-725-2641

2022 SD HOLISTIC HEALTH FAIR

October 15

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Ramkota Best Western

 Local vendors, sponsors, and patrons come together to share knowledge around supporting the mind, body and spirit. Discover new alternative therapies, traditional medicine, and local food suppliers. sdhh.org@gmail.com

DANCE NETWORK OF SOUTH DAKOTA 2022 CONFERENCE

October 21 - 23

Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center

 Enjoy dancing and learning from professional dance instructors from around the country! Dancers and teachers from all over South Dakota are welcome to attend the conference.

 605-626-7081

YMCA SPOOKTACULAR FAMILY FUN NIGHT

October 28

6:00 - 8:00 PM

Aberdeen Family YMCA

 Join the Aberdeen Family YMCA for a night filled with inflatables, games, prizes, treats, and lots of spooky fun. aberdeenymca.org

TRICK OR TREAT ON MAIN STREET

October 31

3:00 - 5:00 PM

Downtown Aberdeen

 Bring your little monsters down for some free, exciting and safe family fun! This Trick or Treat event is the perfect opportunity for kids to dress up and trick or treat at businesses in downtown Aberdeen.  605-380-9389

 Dance Network of South Dakota

 Gypsy Day Parade

Look Good, Feel Good with Conklin Clinics

BY ANNIE SCOTT PHOTOS BY TROY MCQUILLEN

SINCE 2016, CONKLIN

Clinics has been dedicated to helping people look good and feel good inside and out. By providing integrative health, psychiatric care, medical aesthetics, and primary care to clients of all ages in a cozy and professional environment, Conklin Clinics sets themselves apart by taking every aspect of one’s life into consideration.

This summer, Conklin Clinics moved into their new building. The new building will allow for expansion of the multidisciplinary team in all areas of the clinic.

Conklin Clinics’ multidisciplinary team is dedicated to their goal of helping Aberdeen residents.

“The aesthetics industry has grown so substantially over the past decade that maintaining the very best technology and incorporating a culture of constant improvement into our staff and our practices has been very important,” said owner Ginger Conklin. “This new facility will allow us the space and accommodations to keep that culture flourishing.”

In order to keep up with the rapid growth in the aesthetics industry, Conklin Clinics continues to provide the most innovative and state-of-theart technologies to ensure clients

receive the most effective care for their concerns. CoolSculpting is a non-invasive way to eliminate fat, and it pairs well with their medical weight loss program. A new addition, DexaFit scanning, is a body scan that can determine body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density, as opposed to just a BMI reading. Conklin Clinics also offers services to help with fine lines, wrinkles, acne, uneven skin tone, as well as microblading, chemical peels, and other cosmetic services. Over 200 members partake in Conklin Clinics’ aesthetic membership program.

 Ginger Conklin

Taryn Martin, FNP-C

➼ Taryn has a master’s degree in sports medicine as well as nursing, has over 12 years of experience in healthcare, and she is able to treat any member of the family that steps through Conklin Clinics’ doors. She is an Aberdeen area native and is proud to serve the members of her community.

“Helping people reach their optimal health is our main goal, and we can do that through many different avenues at Conklin Clinics. Everyone gets an individualized plan,” Taryn said.

 Family Medicine

 Primary care for adults and children

 Disease Prevention

 Well child visitsnewborn to age 18

 Adult well checks and annual exams

 Management of acute and chronic conditions and illnesses

 Lifestyle and weight management, including the new DexaFit scanning

 Sports physicals

Conklin Clinics also focuses on integrative medicine, which combines functional health with western medicine customized to promote health and prevent disease. This includes sick and wellness visits, medical weight management, IV vitamin therapies, bio-identical hormone optimization, and more.

Paige Dargatz, CNP and Dr. Ginger Conklin, DNP-PMHNP work together to bridge the gap between mental and physical health.

There is a shortage of mental health care providers in all areas in the country, and rural areas are hit the hardest. Conklin Clinics provides traditional psychiatric care for all ages, and they have also

partnered with Mobridge Regional Hospital and Veterans Affairs. They were the first clinic in the state of South Dakota to offer Spravato therapy for severe, treatment-resistant depression. Conklin Clinics is hiring counselors and psychologists to provide services that will augment the current psychiatric practice for improved and more sustainable outcomes. Telepsychiatry is also offered, which can reach people in the surrounding area of Aberdeen. Eliminating the travel factor can be beneficial for many clients.

Now that Conklin Clinics is providing primary care, clients are able to access many types of care in a single location. The inviting and friendly

atmosphere combined with trusted medical staff creates an environment that clients can be confident in. Sara Hegg, CNP, WHNP-BC and Taryn Martin, FNP-C are two new staff members that have broadened the scope of Conklin Clinics’ services.

“There are medical spas across the country, but what makes us unique is our approach,” said Heather Hedges, RN-BSN. “We pride ourselves on our emphasis on start-to-finish care. Our customized consultations allow us to create a strategic plan to ensure patient satisfaction and the very best outcomes. We will do everything we can to make sure our clients look good and feel good inside and out.” 

Sara Hegg, CNP, WHNP-BC

➼ Sara is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner who has a passion for educating, empowering, and enabling women to become the best version of themselves. Native to Aberdeen, Sara has 11 years of healthcare experience. Her time spent as a labor and delivery nurse inspired her to specialize in Women's Health.

“We really focus on preventative care,” Sara said. “We want to be able to help people live a lifestyle that promotes wellness.”

GENERAL SERVICES

 Primary care

 Disease prevention

 Management of chronic illness

 Health screenings and annual physicals

WOMEN’S HEALTH SERVICES

 Contraception

 Endometriosis

 Menstrual irregularities

 Abnormal bleeding

 Polycystic ovarian syndrome

 Perimenopause and menopause

 Hormone imbalance

 Sexual wellness

 Bone health

 Breast health



Looking Back: 50 Years at Ken’s

by ANNIE SCOTT

Since 1972, Ken’s SuperFair Foods has proudly served the residents in Aberdeen and its surrounding areas. This year, they celebrated their 50th year of service.

Ken Fiedler moved to Aberdeen in 1963 and began working at Fairway Foods. He held a variety of positions over the years, working his way from store manager up to the corporate level. In 1972, Ken got to know dairy farmers from Blue Valley Dairy in Hoven, SD. Together they struck up a deal and purchased Fairway Foods, and Ken was able to take the steps needed to achieve his ultimate goals.

“He always had a dream to have a chain of small stores,” Ken’s son, Kevin Fiedler, said. “Aberdeen was the ‘mother hen’ store and the other stores were the ‘chicks’.”

The first store to begin the chain opened in Ipswich that same year. Ken was always looking for communities that would benefit from having their own supermarket experience. The smaller stores had all of the same departments that the original store had, albeit at a smaller scale. At one point, there were eight locations across the state.

Over the years, the flagship SuperFair Foods location has expanded as well. What was once a 15,000 sq. ft. space has grown to around 55,000 sq. ft. In 1995, they expanded further and built the Shell Express gas station. Throughout all of these changes, Ken’s has remained in their original location in the Super City Mall. In 2019, the liquor section received its own dedicated expansion, and the pharmacy and in-store banking sections grew as well.

In addition to its rich building history, Ken’s has always had a very dedicated staff and without them, many of these expansions wouldn’t have been possible.

“Ken’s has many wonderful long-term employees that have truly made this business a success,” Kevin said. “A lot of employees treat it like it’s their family business as well. We always try to help employees reach all of their personal goals, and not just the ones that benefit the business.” Customers have also contributed to the success of Ken’s.

“Over the years, we’ve seen a loyal group of customers form as well, and we are very thankful,” Kevin said.

In 2012, Kevin took the reins from his father and became the CEO and president. The business may stay in the hands of the Fiedler family for the foreseeable future, as Kevin’s son Conner has expressed interest in the business. In the next 50 years, Ken’s will continue to provide its customers with the same quality service that they’ve enjoyed for the last 50.

“Ken always said anyone can sell Doritos, or Coke, tomato soup, or a head of lettuce,” Kevin said. “It’s the way you present yourself with service and professionalism that makes people feel like they’re getting the best quality products for their families.” //

Ken’s SuperFair Foods has been dedicated to serving Aberdeen and surrounding communities for half a century.

 Ken Fiedler excelled with customer service and always made it a top priority.

 Kevin Fiedler

 Ken’s SuperFair Foods originally operated as Ken’s Fairway Foods.

Think Before You ‘Send’

One click can have lasting consequences by BECCA

SIMON

hen he was 13, Dan Ellison was incarcerated for sending a humiliating photo of a classmate to all his friends – resulting in the student’s suicide. Now a high school senior, he has been on the move with his family ever since, seeking anonymity and a way to deal with his guilt.

This is the central conflict in Send, Patty Blount’s debut novel published by Sourcebooks in 2012. It’s a story that sounds all too familiar in today’s technology-driven world, where topics such as cyberbullying and online privacy have become hot-button issues. The novel’s powerful themes of forgiveness, mental health, and bullying in the modern world resounded across the country, earning it critical acclaim and the title of Northern State University’s 2022 Common Read book.

For Patty, Send is more than just a fictional story about a former cyberbully – it is also inspired by personal events. It all started in 2004, when her son was in sixth grade. “He had hit puberty early and was already way taller than all his classmates,” she said. “He suffered from acne, wore glasses and braces, and was already shaving. He was still a little boy, but he looked like a man. His classmates thought it was great fun to torment him for his differences.”

The bullying went on for months before Patty knew, until one day her son told her he no longer wanted to live.

Though she was able to work with school staff to curb the behavior, she remains convinced she would be telling a much different story if the bullying had continued on places like Facebook and Twitter.

“My son is still alive because the bullying ended when the bell rang. Once he escaped that class, it ended,” she said.

Several years later, Patty’s boss encouraged her to incorporate social media into her job to reach customers in new, engaging ways. At the time, both Facebook and Twitter were still new to the social media

“I could see how all these young people were using social networks to connect with likeminded people. But what was even more striking to me was how people were misusing them to do harm,” Patty said.

As she dug deeper, she discovered there were more and more cases of bullying happening online every day, and little to no laws to regulate them. That’s when she started to hear “whispers” – a little voice in her head that would eventually turn into Dan, the main character of Send.

“I did that,” the voice would say. “I clicked Send.”

Photos by Dan Demetriad

 Patty Blount, NSU’s Common Read 2022 speaker and author of Send.

WHAT MAKES A COMMON READ?

Though her son had been the victim of bullying, she began to wonder what the person on the other end felt.

“How would a kid deal with that kind of remorse? Can a bully earn forgiveness? What kind of man would he grow up to be?” Patty said.

In the decade that has passed since the novel’s publication, its message has only grown more relevant. Cyberbullying has evolved and mutated beyond the social media networks it originated from onto other platforms like SnapChat, YouTube, and TikTok. According to data from the Pew Research Center, more than 59% of minors have experienced some form of bullying or harassment online.

The COVID-19 pandemic that kept students out of classrooms and in their homes accelerated the use of technology and social media, and with it the prevalence of cyberbullying. According to L1ght, an organization that tracks online harassment, there was a 70% increase in cyberbullying in 2020-2021.

“I think cyberbullying can be more dangerous in some ways,” Patty said. “Because it’s more cruel, it’s sneaky, it’s thoughtless. So many people who click a mouse key do it without thinking about the person at the other end. The bully can follow you into all your safe places.”

Patty hopes anyone who reads Send and attends the Common Read event leaves with a greater understanding of the impact their actions can have, especially online.

“I really hope they can understand the internet is not just forever – it’s instant forever. You can ruin someone’s life in an instant, and you can’t respawn a new life like in a video game,” she said. “Even though we live so much of our lives online, they’re still real lives.”

Patty Blount will deliver her Common Read lecture Monday, November 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Johnson Fine Arts Center’s Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater.

You can pick up a copy of Send at the NSU Wolf Shoppe on the university’s campus. //

 The NSU Common Read Program has been a staple at the university since 2010, uniting students across majors in reading the same book during their first year of instruction. Every October, a Common Read committee consisting of students, faculty, and staff put their heads together to brainstorm ideas for the following year. Everyone is encouraged to provide suggestions across genres and offer feedback on the books chosen. Typically, the committee narrows the list down to the top ten choices and meets every couple of weeks until a book is chosen. Then, they begin contract work with the chosen author. That’s according to Kristi Bockorny, Associate Professor of Management and Honors Program Director.

Hits from past years include books such as Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

“In my opinion, the entire Common Read Program creates community from the book selection process, to the freshmen class reading the same book together, to bringing the campus and Aberdeen community together to hear the author speak,” Kristi said. “There are so many opportunities for collaboration and communication between students, staff, faculty, and community members.”

The program also allows students to hear about people’s experiences from all walks of life, and talk with the authors themselves. Patty Blount will talk with the Honors students in the afternoon the day of the event, and will also be available to sign autographs after the lecture.

I REALLY HOPE THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE INTERNET IS NOT JUST FOREVER--IT’S INSTANT FOREVER.”

– PATTY BLOUNT

From Heights to Prairie:

Restoring a Place

The Presentation Sisters seek to restore land to its former glory.

by PATRICK GALLAGHER

 Jared Hohn and Jamie Risse have worked with the Presentation Sisters on this restoration project.

The first major windstorm of 1933 swept through South Dakota on November 11.

Some farms lost all their topsoil in a single day. The next morning the sky remained dark until noon – one part air to three parts dust. No one knew this was just a preview.

(Dirt:

The

Erosion of Civilizations, by David R. Montgomery, 2007)

The devastating and deadly derecho with its massive cloud of dirt that tore through eastern South Dakota in May 2022 reminded many of the Dust Bowl storms of 1930s America. A few months earlier, I had heard a story from Jared Hohn and Jamie Risse about driving to Sioux Falls from, ironically, a soil health conference in Aberdeen when they saw dirt on top of snow drifts, obviously blown there by winter winds. The loose topsoil was a sign of the times and something Jared, Jamie, and their employers, Aberdeen’s Presentation Sisters, are trying to address in their own local way.

The Sisters have been locals since taking up residence in Aberdeen just a few years after the city’s founding. They promptly became pioneers in education, health care, and many other important pursuits in the area. In the early 1950s, they moved from the middle of town into a convent they built on the north side, a 100-plus acre property that became known as Presentation Heights. Nearly 70 years later, facing a decline in their numbers, they

reevaluated their future. Two decisions were reached. First, in 2021, they left the convent for Presentation Place, a new residence they built next to Manor Park. That was one result of the process of discernment about what to do with the convent and its large carbon footprint. The ultimate use of the building is still being determined.

Second, they also considered what to do with the land. Reflecting on their mission as well as teachings from recent popes on the environment

led them to commit to restoring the land to what it was like before the Sisters arrived in the area. “The decision was how best to steward the land,” said Sister Mary Thomas, elected President of the congregation in spring 2022. “We acknowledged we are the current occupants of land once occupied by American Indians.” That was part of a “gradual dawning” about living “more in harmony with our neighbors – not just people, neighbors.” That is, including the life in the ground and how “soil health was connected to our health.” By returning the land to its earlier state, they seek to highlight a way of addressing soil challenges that is both new and ancient.

 The musk thistle is a noxious weed, but it is also a great pollinator for butterflies and bees.

 Jamie and Jared strategically place new plants in the soil.

Photos by Troy McQuillen

Common Challenges

Dirt, the book quoted at the beginning here, has been a resource for the project. It documents the challenge humans face regarding soil depletion and shares daunting facts. Let one suffice: “Across the planet, moderate to extreme soil erosion has degraded 1.2 billion hectares of agricultural land since 1945 – an area the size of China and India combined.” This is a pace well ahead of the natural rate of topsoil creation, potentially creating a shortage of perhaps the most valuable resource of all, the soil from which comes most of our food.

“The dire straits the Earth is in – if we liken it to a medical condition – in some ways we’ve already crossed over,” Sister Mary asserted. “What we bequeath to our grandchildren won’t be like what it is today. So, we need to address it now. All the things that are part of problems—fires in the west, migrations of people—it’s the cry of the earth and cry of the poor. We want to use our little part of land to bring awareness to social issues.”

The added italics above come from one of the inspirations for their planning, Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si (2015, the title is Italian for “Praise Be to You,” with the subtitle “On Care for Our Common Home”). The Sisters’ vision is foreshadowed in the document’s call for action: “Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others.” Adopting the pope’s promotion of integral ecology, the Sisters hired Jared and Jamie as Integral Ecology

Specialists to create what might be considered a demonstration project on their property for how to reclaim the growth and regeneration that nature – the Sisters might say, the divine plan –does well, naturally.

Jared defines integral ecology simply, “Everything you do – everything you say, every action – is connected to something else. Everything is connected.”

“It’s all connected,” Sister Mary agreed. “We’ve been saying that on a spiritual level. Now we need to say it about the Earth. It’s not just spiritual.”

Native Prairie Restoration

What did the land look like before farming came to our area?

As far as the eye can see, the land we are surveying is flat as a barn floor and tall grass covers a black soil that is 8 to 12 inches thick. There are no trees except along the James River. What a land for breaking plows! (1870s government surveyor quoted in Early History of Brown County South Dakota by the Brown County Territorial Pioneer Committee, 1970)

One of the Presentation project’s earliest resources was North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown, author of Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture (2018). He successfully adopted many restorative practices, such as diversity in the soil (both in crops and necessary microorganisms), reintroduction of grazing to planted fields, cover crops, and others. All of

 The Sisters’ project aims to reintroduce and restore native plants to the prairie land north of their former convent.

this is based on no-till farming to reverse the soil degradation caused around the world and throughout history by plowing and consequent practices that dry and loosen the soil, making it susceptible to erosion – making it dirt.

Among the neighbors with whom the Sisters seek harmony are farmers, who have inherited practices that for millennia seemed the best – maybe the only – way to feed people. But a system that reduces soil quality makes the future more difficult for them and for the rest of us who depend on – and demand from – them. It’s a global issue for which all need to accept responsibility. Growing population coupled with exponentially higher consumer demand drive agricultural production, to say nothing of other industries that complicate Earth’s plight. It’s not about blaming farmers; it’s a universal call to action.

At the same time, many farmers have paid attention and adopted soil conservation practices, says local farmer Mike McHugh. "After the derecho and the dust settling, there were many days this spring and summer that had excessive winds, comparable to the Dirty 30s, and there was minimal erosion of soil because of the tillage practices employed in today's farming practices. I'm not saying they are perfect, but as we no longer live in a hunter/ gatherer environment, we have to produce the food and fiber needed by an urban society." He adds, "Farmers today are producing three to four times the yields that were produced 50 years ago and utilizing one-fourth to one-fifth the amount of fossil fuels per acre that were used at that time. Most have the goal of working with Mother Nature and the environment to produce the bounty we need to continue our existence."

In his book, Brown asks a fundamental question for farmers as well as all of us: “how much is the soil acting like that of a prairie? An integrated, holistic approach is required in order to mimic the complexity and fertility of a prairie ecosystem on the farm.” Echoing this, Dirt points to Xenophon, a fourth-century BC Greek farmer who promoted adapting agriculture to the land rather than the land to agriculture. In his book, Brown mocks himself when he ignores this common sense. After he complained that their corn yields were not as high as some, his son responded, “Dad, don’t you think that you are trying to outproduce our environment?” The comment made him realize, “Nature does not care about yield and pounds, nature cares about enduring.” Nature knows what it’s doing, and the Sisters are trying to listen.

Land in the City

The Sisters aren’t restoring farmland, but the principles are similar to Brown’s. “The approach differs strategically from Gabe,” who’s trying to turn a profit, Jared says, “because he uses cover crops to put in what he needs to get his outputs for his cash crops.” Rather, he adds, “We are just reestablishing native prairie, but we’re both aiming to be natural, to get more nutrients in the soil. We’re both creating organic material that will regenerate the soil, allow for more infiltration of water and be naturally healthier for plants and people working around it.”

The 24-acre project area has likely never been plowed, and Jared says the land is “pretty natural. There’s about one inch of sandy soil on top, and under it is a rich, thick, somewhat clayish soil.” Still, the relatively healthy area was full of fast-growing and invasive species of flora, sometimes brought by European settlers. As

the pair learned more about the grasses that had once covered the Plains, they realized these foreign species had crowded out what had grown here for centuries. They needed to learn how to restore the prairie.

Following what became a near mantra, “The Sisters do nothing alone,” Jared and Jamie didn’t either. They “started reaching out to people who have done something like this – restoring a prairie,” Jamie said. Carter Johnson, a retired SDSU professor and a founder of EcoSun, a farm near Colman, South Dakota, which restored the prairie, came to Aberdeen and advised on planting.

First, they had to make room for the past. They reluctantly used chemical herbicides to try to eliminate the invasive brome grasses. Then, with Brown County extension agent David Dutenhoffer’s help, they followed Johnson’s recipe of planting thirty species of native grass

and wildflowers. “Everything we do is in the top quarter-inch or so of soil,” Jared said. “We seed it shallow, then let it grow. We mow if needed. The goal is as little agitation as necessary.”

In 2021, “the soil was so dry and crusty, you couldn’t even call it soil,” Jamie said. “It was bleak. The seeds didn’t take for a while.” In that parched summer, they dragged 600 feet of hose from the Sisters’ artesian well to water their plants. Jamie also got a big rain gauge, set it in the ground, and asked God for help. “Then it rained and rained,” she said. “It went almost from drought to flood.” Despite disappointing results, they also planted cold weather grasses

in September – and hoped and prayed.

Recalling the dry 2021, Sister Mary Thomas remembered the farmers. “Last summer our livelihood was not dependent on whether seeds sprouted,” she noted. “Theirs is.” Recognizing farmers’ central role in human health and posterity, she added, “They also join us in wanting to leave a rich legacy to grandchildren.”

Continuing the theme of doing nothing alone, Jared and Jamie got help from many locals.

“We used mowers from the Brown County Transportation Department and a tractor from the Brown County Fair,” Jared said. “The City of Aberdeen helped too. We worked with the city

engineer, arborist, fire marshal, and zoning board, who allowed growing grasses taller than standard.”

Coping with a Wet 2022

They entered spring 2022 with two primary goals. First, they would plant rose milkweed and cord grass along the wetland areas to help ensure a natural border, vary the plants there, and provide habitat for native animals that prefer wet conditions. Second, they needed to manage invasive weeds.

Their best laid plans had to wait, however, because again the weather didn’t cooperate. Part of the project area receives water drainage from the city, and the area was flooded through most of the spring. In May, Jared noted, “For now, we wait until the water recedes and dries out before moving forward.”

Finally, about two months later, they were able to return to the project area in early summer. After having been in Aberdeen almost weekly in 2021, this would be only their second visit in 2022. “Last year, nothing grew. We were like, oh, what did we do?” Jamie lamented. “I was a little fearful of what I was going to see when we drove up today.”

 The project is already spanning multiple generations. Jared and his eight-year-old son Korben are working to restore the prairie.

 The purple prairie clover.

They were thrilled with what they saw. The plantings from last year, which produced nothing in 2021, were blooming. Milkweed, black-eyed Susan, prairie cone flower, cord grass, prairie drop seed, and side oats gramma all showed vigorous growth. The invasive brome and thistle were significantly reduced, allowing new plants to grow as well as some long dormant native flora to return, such as salt grasses and asparagus. Jared said, “We were told stuff would sleep, creep, then leap up!”

In addition to appreciating their handiwork, Jamie and Jared spent that day planting 250 cord grass shoots near dry salty land. A few weeks later, they spot mowed and hand cut the thistle, then nearly tripled that earlier effort by working with other Presentation staff to plant another 640 plugs. Also helping with the work was Jared’s eight-year-old son, Korben, a sign that future generations are ready to receive.

As the summer wore on, Jared and Jamie were able to return to their 2022 goals. Still, the drought, moisture, setbacks, and satisfactions make it clear that “the process takes years,”

Jared said. “Eventually the native plants will take hold and grow.” Patience is a virtue, but Mother Nature has all the time in the world. We may not see the difference from a distance. Driving by the Heights, we may see little change. But the land will know.

Legacy

The project may suggest an uncomfortable metaphor. It may prickle to understand ourselves as the brome or thistle, invasive weeds that have crowded out the native species and which now have to recede for a healthier prairie. It would be better, however, to see in the project and in the successes of similar efforts that, while we are responsible for the unintended consequences of tilling the soil, we are also responsible for and capable of its repair if, following the Sisters’ mantra, we work together.

Consciously or not, the project is partly about the Sisters’ legacy—what they leave behind and what they inspire in others. Sister Mary Thomas said, “We wanted to create a place where people can walk through and awaken in them the desire to do the same thing with their land. To have a

desire to be in relationship with the land and the flora and ultimately with the Creator of it all.”

It’s a vision that fits with a note in Laudato Si about Saint Francis who

invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness…. For this reason, Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.

“We as humans live in a world out of balance with nature,” Jamie said, summarizing the importance of the project. Then she quoted Laudato Si, “All it takes is one good person to restore hope!”

Jamie, Jared, the Presentation Sisters, their staff, and friends, no one doing it alone. That’s a lot of hope. //

 The prairie restoration project is taking place just north of the old convent, up to Fairgrounds road. This photo is pointing Northeast.

UPHILL CLIMB

Why They Run Cross Country in the Flatlands of Aberdeen

Never a runner, just a spectator, the best I could do was commiserate with my sons and other youngsters participating in high school cross country. On the golf courses and parks where meets usually took place, I plotted routes to be in the right spots to see my kids a few times during the race. I cheered for them and other runners, especially those struggling toward the back with whom I identified, particularly on hilly courses.

Except in Aberdeen. Here the races were typically at Lee Park golf course, where the terrain rolls a little, and the Soccer Complex, where you could see anybody from anywhere –because, like a soccer field should be – and the town it’s in – it’s flat.

“Aberdeen is as flat as a pancake!” confirmed Aberdeen Christian School’s head cross country

by PATRICK GALLAGHER

coach Livia Inches. But neither she nor other coaches would blame Aberdeen’s flatness for the fact that Aberdeen’s teams have yet to claim a state team championship. That’s fair, because, as Central High School girls coach Bill Martens said, “Everybody runs the same course.” Having had a couple individual champions might argue against it too.

But What Is Cross Country—And Why?

For the what, let’s turn to the USA Track & Field definition of the sport:

Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run races on outdoor courses over natural terrain. Races shall be run over courses confined, to the extent possible, to open country, fields, parks, golf courses, and grasslands.

That leaves out what these flimsy-clothed athletes run through. With a season from midAugust to mid-October, temperatures can range from over 100 degrees to sub-freezing. Stifling humidity, downpours, and blizzards are standard. And they run 5,000 meters. So again, why?

To learn the why, I visited with coaches and athletes. Martens has coached Central for 20 years, previously coaching 10 years at Roncalli High School. Greg Murley has coached CHS boys’ cross country for 12 years, starting his career at Roncalli when he was in college at Northern State University. Brady Lesnar is in his fourth season as Roncalli head coach. Inches is a first-year coach who has coached her runners in track.

Martens echoed the other coaches in seeing inspiration in student-athletes: “They’re a special group of young adults. It’s fun to see the progress they make. They have really good character traits. They’re hard workers, dedicated, strong students, really good people.”

A high school and NSU runner, Murley has “always had a thing for cross country.” Recalling running with his teammates, he talks with



Unlike many South Dakota teams, Aberdeen cross country runners must find ways to deal with the flat local terrain on which they practice.

athletes today about the “shared suffering” of the sport. Personal experience is important for Inches too. “My parents signed me up for my first mile-long race when I was four,” she recalled. “Since then, I was hooked.”

Lesnar admits he didn’t really understand the sport “until I started coaching.” Agreeing with the others, he says, “It’s a lot of fun,” adding “there’s not a lot of drama. Either you can run or not.”

Challenging Fun

For student-athletes, the why can seem to have nothing to do with athletics but more about personal development, sociability, or goofiness. 2020 state champion and CHS ’22 grad Josh Martin’s high school goal was never to get detention, which wasn’t hard because “I’m a pretty chill person,” he said. Also, cross country “helped me learn a lot, and after my freshman year I never had a problem saying no to anything that would get me into trouble.” But he also added, “the part that got me hooked was the muffins at morning practice.” Jackson Harrison, CHS ’18, enjoyed eating out with his team and “dressing up in suits and ties. It’s silly, but it was something we all enjoyed doing and bonded over.”

Aberdeen Christian senior Rachel Beaner said “It's challenging mentally and physically. There are many times when you feel like quitting, but if you keep going and finish hard, there's a great sense of accomplishment.”

With balm, perhaps, for Murley’s “shared suffering,” Michelle Lesnar, RHS ’08 (and Lesnar’s wife) adds “It’s an uplifting experience to have not just coaches supporting you and teammates cheering for you, but also athletes from other teams pushing you on.”

There’s also a family dimension to Michelle’s memories, which always include “the same image in my head.” At a late season meet in Webster in 2004, the course layout allowed her “to watch part of my sister's last stretch toward the finish line ahead of me.” They only competed together two years, “so watching her do well and finish out one of our last meets together has always stuck with me.”

Athletic accomplishments are also significant in the why, especially in adverse conditions.

Murley, who has coached two individual state champions in 2018 and 2020 (with runners up in 2017 and 2019), recalls a blizzard at the 2020 state meet in Rapid City. “We had a kid who wasn’t favored to win,” he said, “but he overcame a lot and would not be denied and won the championship.” That kid, Martin, remembers, “it was so cold, tired and miserable at the end of the race I couldn’t even put my own gloves on to warm up, but it was all so worth it.”

That 2020 state meet was worth it for Brady Lesnar’s team too. “It was about 25 degrees for practice. Miserable. There were parts of the race you couldn’t see because of the blizzard,” he said. “I talked to the team about needing to show up. Everyone is running in the same weather.” While impressed with the team as a whole, he singled out freshmen twins Paige and Sarah Schmidt, who finished third and tenth, respectively.

Martens has had three teams finish second at state, and he points with pride to six Eastern South Dakota Conference championships, including four years in a row. Perhaps it’s not surprising, given that he’s had two athletes who were All-Conference six years straight, one who was All-State six years in a row, and two AllAmericans – one earning it twice.

Inches notes Christian girls’ team “earned third place at the state meet last year and second place in 2020,” she said. “They don’t mess around.” Mostly, anyway. Freshman Grace Steger said that after the third-place finish, “It was so fun celebrating with my sister and Rachel. And then we could just watch the other races and not worry about ours. We also got Qdoba!”

For Michelle Lesnar, it’s a family thing too. Unique here as a working mother of four, her

“It's challenging mentally and physically. There are many times when you feel like quitting, but if you keep going and finish hard, there's a great sense of accomplishment.”

– Rachel Beaner

 Roncalli’s 2021 team.

 Paige Schmidt runs in a blizzard at the 2020 State Meet. Photo courtesy of SDHSAA.

running now “is primarily chasing after my kids.” But she notes, “This was a sport my mom ran. I was able to run with a couple of my siblings and even saw cousins at different meets. Now having my husband coach, it feels a bit like a family sport.”

Martens is “also proud of athletes excelling in the classroom,” he said. “We teach that athletics is just an extension of the classroom. It’s great seeing them do well in classroom and taking studies seriously.”

Murley’s memories connect to the program’s development. For summer running, “some

alumni show up to run, kind of passing it down.” When he took over, “The program was kind of weak, and some guys came along who were very committed to training and being good.” He credits that dedication for the program’s improvement. “We had 22 kids out the year before I started, and we have built it to more than 60.”

He also sees an accomplishment in what might otherwise be a disappointment. “In 2019 we had five of the top 12 kids in South Dakota but didn’t get the state title,” he said, omitting their second-place finish to Lincoln High School, which has a strong cross country history. “It used to be that people didn’t know we had a team. Now Lincoln says they like having Central to compete with. We haven’t won the big one, but now people don’t count us out.”

The Climb Up the Podium

Still, unlike most Aberdeen high school sports, cross country so far has no team championships but two individual champions. While coaches won’t blame Aberdeen’s flatness, they’re also addressing it. Martens says, “It’s hard to say flatland prevents winning. It may be a factor, but also some days, a runner feels good and some not. It’s kind of mind over matter.”

While all the programs have resorted to on the Second Street overpass to simulate hills, most look for other options. Inches said, “The Knights well be taking plenty of visits over to Richmond Lake to get in some good hill work throughout the season,” because “those hills are killer.” Brady Lesnar sometimes takes his team to Barrett Hill, the artificially built hill just north of town.

Strength and conditioning training also helps runners with hills. Murley credits Sanford Power and lifting every week with making them “better hill runners.” Still, “we’re conscious that as flatlanders we need to work on it.”

Born to Run

Whatever anyone’s individual why, these cross country athletes run to win – whether it’s a championship or a better finish than last time. That’s the carrot that keeps them going during the race. But wherever you are in the pack, running can be lonely. There with your own thoughts, you can learn a lot about yourself – or teach yourself a lot. Based on the athletes I’ve encountered, the kids are all right. //

“It’s an uplifting experience to have not just coaches supporting you and teammates cheering for you, but also athletes from other teams pushing you on.”

– Michelle Lesnar

 Aberdeen Central’s boys celebrate after a meet. Photo courtesy of Matt Osborne.

 Cross country is a sport of endurance.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Litzen.

Get to Know: SHELBY BOETTNER

by ANNIE SCOTT

Originally from Roscoe, SD, Shelby Boettner moved to Aberdeen six years ago. As Program Director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at Presentation College, she is responsible for oversight of four different tracks –traditional, hybrid, LPN-BSN, and RN-BSN.

“My favorite part about PC is the teamwork. Small but mighty is definitely an appropriate description of our team. Through every difficult situation or change, everyone always works together and steps up to help where it is needed.” Shelby said.

Her passion for nursing isn’t limited to her career in academia. Shelby also works at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital in the Emergency Department.

“I was happy to go back to bedside nursing. There is just something I love about getting back to where I started and being able to help patients during difficult times. I enjoy the thrill of working in the ER, not knowing what is going to walk in next!”

Whether it’s in the hospital or the classroom, Shelby has a passion for helping others.

Photo by Troy McQuillen

 Shelby Boettner is the Program Director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at Presentation College.

QHow did you decide to become involved in academia?

AI became involved in academia shortly after finishing my bachelor’s degree at Presentation. As everyone says – nursing school is not easy, and I wanted to be able to work with students and show that all the hard work really does pay off in the end. Not too long after graduation, I reached out to Presentation about wanting to teach clinical on the side and was able to pick up my first clinical group. After doing that, I made the decision to go back to school for my Master’s in Nursing Education. Initially I was planning to continue bedside nursing along with teaching on the side, but I was presented with my current position which made my official transition from bedside nursing to academia.

QHow does your work reflect your passion?

AI chose nursing as my career because it has always been my passion to care and help others. Within my current position I am helping develop our future nurses and teaching them to be caring, safe, and competent. The beautiful thing about the nursing field is there are so many different ways that you can do this. It is not always in a hospital setting. From bedside nursing to academia – you are still helping others, just different groups of people and in different ways.

QWhat is something that you love about the Aberdeen community?

AI love that the Aberdeen community is always promoting and encouraging growth and entrepreneurship. It seems like everyone has the same goal of “growing our own” to help Aberdeen thrive.

QWhat do you like to do in your free time?

AI enjoy anything arts and crafts! I will admit I have a bad habit of always finding a new kind of project to do instead of just sticking with one thing. Once I feel like I have mastered something I’ll move onto the next project!

QWhere is one of your favorite places to go in Aberdeen? Why?

AOne of my favorite places to go is the Market. It is where I go when I need to get out of my office and work somewhere else. It is a great atmosphere along with having food and caffeine on demand!! I can easily set up there for hours.

Q

What is one word you would use to describe yourself? Why?

AIf I had to describe myself with one word I would use motivated. I have a hard time staying stagnant with anything. I am always looking for ways to be more efficient, effective, and successful.

QWhy is community involvement important to you?

ACommunity involvement is important to me because it is how communities grow and thrive. The more people that are involved, the more possibilities there are. Everyone has a different set of perspectives and expertise that can help solve problems within the community.

QWhat made you want to enter the medical field?

AMy interest in the medical field came after I got a job as a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing home in high school. I initially took the job simply because my friend worked there, and I thought that it would be an easy way to make some money – boy was I wrong! Being a CNA was difficult work - both physically and emotionally. But from there I fell in love with the nursing field and found the rewarding feelings that comes with serving people. //

Photo by Troy McQuillen

I CHOSE NURSING AS MY CAREER BECAUSE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY PASSION TO CARE AND HELP OTHERS.”

– SHELBY BOETTNER

In addition to her work in academia, Shelby works in Avera St. Luke’s Emergency Department.

Game On, Aberdeen!

by ANNIE SCOTT

n an age where home video game consoles dominate the market, the days of gathering around fellow gamers seem to be a thing of the past. For over five years, though, the Oracle Game Store has fostered the tabletop game community in Aberdeen.

“I always liked card games and board games,” owner Cody Rumrey said. “I wanted to create a community, where people could make friends and find people to play with.”

There’s something for everyone who enjoys tabletop games at the Oracle Game Store. For those who enjoy games like Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer, there are campaign books, miniatures, and other supplies available for purchase. Patrons are able to buy and sell trading cards from Magic: The Gathering, Yu-GiOh!, Flesh & Blood, and Pokémon. A wide variety of board games are also available. Recently, the Oracle Game Store has started to dabble in the video game market as well.

“Now that Gamestop closed, there isn’t a place for used games in town,” Cody said. “So I’m that’s something I’m looking into.”

In addition to the retail side of the store, there are many events that patrons can participate in. Last summer, the Oracle Game Store moved to a larger building in downtown Aberdeen, and the growing Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer community were deciding factors in the relocation. Each day of the week is dedicated to a different event, so there’s always something exciting going on.

“If you’re into a game and we don’t have something scheduled for it, you can come in and find someone to play with just for fun,” Cody said. While competitive play can be pretty fun and rewarding, the most important thing that many players find at the Oracle Game Store is the

community. For those who aren’t quite confident enough to enter a tournament, there’s a good chance that they’ll find someone willing to sit down and go over the basics. //

 For more information and updates, follow their Facebook page or join their Discord group at discord. gg/QJqejZC.

WHAT IS…

…Warhammer?

➼ Warhammer is a tabletop miniature war game with a medieval fantasy theme. Players have an army of miniature figures, which can be painted and customized.

…Dungeons and Dragons?

➼ First published in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game in which a Dungeon Master guides a group of players and their characters through a campaign. The actions of the players influence gameplay, so no two campaigns will be the same.

…Magic: the Gathering?

➼ Released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game that takes inspiration from traditional fantasy role-playing games. The game includes two or more players as they take the role of a Planeswalker and duel each other until the other players’ life total reaches zero.

The Oracle Game Store has nurtured the tabletop gaming community in town.

Photos by Troy McQuillen and Annie Scott

 Owner Cody Rumrey.

 The Oracle Game Store hosts many events throughout the week.

Sand Lake’s Lasting Lessons

Circa 1960

A day spent hunting can create memories that last a lifetime.

by PETER CARRELS

As a young boy I followed my father in pre-dawn darkness across a quarter mile of fall-tilled cropland to a goose-hunting pit just outside the western boundary of Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge. I remember watching his steady stride, as I stumbled over dirt clods, and noticed he carried far more gear than me. The sound of our boots crunching frosty soil was amplified on still, chilly mornings. Some days we arrived later than he liked, with the sky already colored by smudges and streaks of purple and pink. Hurry, urged my dad. He knew that when the sun rose the geese would stir, take flight inside their sanctuary and possibly fly our way. We needed to be out of sight. The hiding place we occupied was a thin, rectangular excavation, a hole cut neat and deep by a backhoe.

I was his retriever, scampering to grab a downed goose shot dead, and sometimes chasing a wounded bird that seemed as big as me. I nervously learned to wring a neck and end a life. My dad would whistle his approval when I dragged a bird back to the pit. They were beautiful creatures, those blues, snows, and Canadians. I remember asking where they had

come from, and how they’d arrived at Sand Lake. They fly from Canada, he said, and this is just partway during a lengthy flight to warmer places in Arkansas, Texas, or Mexico to spend the winter. My dad described that trek as a “migration”, which was an odd-sounding word to a seven year old. At Sand Lake, he said, the big birds rest for a week or so on sloughs and lakes, and each morning during their stay they leave the refuge to search for feeding opportunities on croplands scattered across the James River valley.

Like the geese, we dined. Dad would pour me a cup of hot chocolate from a red plaid thermos and hand me an apple and a ham and cheese sandwich. That simple event became an anticipated ritual of each outing. I grew up shooting waterfowl and pheasants with my own shotgun, but my experiences at Sand Lake without a gun and with my dad are my fondest hunting memories by far.

I didn’t realize it then, but I do now. Those hunting trips offered me rare opportunities to watch, listen and talk to my dad with no one else present. My siblings at the time, both younger, had been left at home in Aberdeen with mom. On nippy mornings we exhaled steam as we spoke, and my dad’s words seemed clearer, easier to understand than when we were away from the hunting pit.

Not long after we started our Sand Lake expeditions he told me about his father, my namesake. My grandfather had been accidentally and instantly killed in a shooting accident while hunting waterfowl with his friend and his friend’s sixteen-year-old son. My dad was eleven when he lost his dad.

I learned that my grandfather had been a hunting enthusiast, spending weekends camping and waiting for ducks to pass by camouflaged blinds he and his buddies

fashioned beside backwater sloughs dotting the forested Mississippi River floodplain near where they lived in Wabasha, Minnesota.

That my father enjoyed hunting after what happened to his own father was curious. No doubt the searing pain of losing his father had eased with the passage of time. My dad was a disciplined, deliberate man. He’d probably studied his options. I suspect that he mindfully and purposely decided to embrace rather than avoid waterfowl hunting.

I want to believe that while my dad stood beside me and searched the sky for birds, he felt a comforting connectedness to his father. That beneficial circumstance extended to me, as my dad was able to introduce his son to the out-of-doors just as his father had introduced him. Today, six decades after sprinting across a vast, open field toward a fallen goose, and forty years after I stopped hunting with a shotgun, it

“I grew up shooting waterfowl and pheasants with my own shotgun, but my experiences at Sand Lake without a gun and with my dad are my fondest hunting memories by far.”

Photos by Troy McQuillen

is almost impossible for me to not think about my dad and Sand Lake whenever I witness living geese flying across the heavens.

During foggy mornings at Sand Lake, daylight illuminated air and land like a hazy black and white photograph, and we could mostly only hear flying geese. A flock traveling especially low might suddenly break free of the mist and pass closely overhead, visible for only a moment, faint ghosts quickly appearing and disappearing. Countless waves of obscured geese streamed out of the refuge, their crisp, distinct voices deafening. I peered into eddying clouds, hoping for a glimpse. My dad never complained when he had not managed a single shot.

On clear mornings we could see inside the refuge, and we waited for that rousing instant when a massive resting flock would

Migration, Twice a Year

 Bird migration happens twice each year, in spring and fall. Some people may not know that most migrating songbirds prefer to navigate the perils of long-distance travel at night. But even those Aberdonians who pay little attention to birds know about migration because during these two seasons the daytime sky over Aberdeen carries great flocks of geese traveling north or south on the heavily used Central Flyway, one of our continent’s four principle migratory corridors.

During spring, in the 1960s and 1970s, Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge hosted up to a million geese migrating from winter destinations more than one thousand miles away. Refuge officials claim the highest daily estimate of geese on the refuge occurred on a spring day in the early 1990s, when over two million birds were counted. The northerly migration delivers larger daily numbers to Sand Lake than during autumn because migratory bird flocks are typically stacked up in Kansas or Nebraska while waiting for snow and ice to thaw in Sand Lake’s section of the flyway. When favorable weather finally permits spring’s migration to resume, a great concentration of geese progress northward together.

burst into flight, preparing to set off for nearby grain fields. Would they pass our way?

“A cloudless sky and geese fly high,” my dad would say. Sometimes luck was with us, and a steady throng of vee-shaped groups flew directly above. We were unconcerned if they were out of shooting range. One troop after another sailed by in a long, orderly procession. I would stand straight up in the hunting pit, my eyes barely raised above the soil line, and stare at the wild spectacle. My father could not have instructed me more effectively and commendably about the grandeur of nature and the elegant equilibrium of the natural world than when he brought me to Sand Lake, and together we witnessed skein after skein of chanting, chattering geese and the whispering din of ten thousand wings. //

Goose numbers at Sand Lake aren’t so large in fall because their departure from summertime nesting and brood-rearing areas, many hundreds of miles north of the refuge, is less constricted by weather conditions, and southward migration is spread out over more time than in spring. Still, there might be a quarter million geese using Sand Lake’s habitats on any given day during the height of autumn’s passage.

Goose hunting at Sand Lake was allowed only during a single span of time in fall until 1999, when a rising goose population across the hemisphere prompted wildlife managers to add a spring hunt. Goose numbers increased for several reasons, including expanded grain production in Canada, and global changes in climate that affect habitat and range.

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refugeestablished in 1935 – has been designated as a wetland of international significance. Only thirty-five places in the United States are included on that select list of global treasures. WildBird Magazine identified Sand Lake as one of North America's top fifteen sites for bird watching.

Photo by Troy McQuillen

AMBER DALLMANN AMBER DALLMANN

AN ABERDEEN TEACHER WHO IS READY TO SHARE HER SKILLS WITH THE NEXT GENERATION. by ANNIE SCOTT

passion for art runs in Amber Dallmann’s family. Her mother is a jeweler, her grandmother paints amazing landscapes, and her great-grandmother was a ceramic sculptor. Her grandfather was also a woodworker and a photographer. Her lifelong love of art is now shared with the students at Aberdeen Central High School, where Amber now works as an art teacher.

“Making art is in my genes,” Amber said. “I learned the magic of art early. I was always doing some sort of art or craft since I was old enough to hold onto something long enough to make a mark. It was natural for me to start and continue being a creator.”

Originally from Richmond, an area near San Francisco, California, Amber moved to Aberdeen at 25 years old and chose to study at Northern State University. Growing up in a crowded, urban environment influenced the themes that she explores in her art.

“What inspires me most is nature, history, and mythology from all over the world,” Amber said. “My family would go camping yearly in a place surrounded by thousand-year-old sequoias and redwood trees, with moss and ferns complete with ethereal fog which rolled in like smoke over the forest.”

Photos courtesy of Amber Dallmann

Amber read countless books on mythology growing up, and she would often draw the creatures that she imagined were hiding out in the wild during her family’s trips into nature. Her hometown is a cultural melting pot, so her friends’ parents and grandparents would share their culture’s version of the mythical creatures and legends.

“The tranquility nature provides, along with the mysteries it hides, are a great inspiration for me. People are the same – you can look at a person’s face or posture, and learn so much about them if they’re unguarded. Taking the ‘mask’ off and showing the true feeling and expression is why portraits are fun.”

Amber explores these themes and ideas with three main mediums. Many of her works are paintings, created with watercolor, acrylic, and oil paints. She also loves mixed media assemblage, combining different mediums into one creation. Currently, her happy place is sculpting with clay.

“I don’t have just one medium I love. Things come in waves – I do six months with one, then take a break and go to another, and then I circle back again.”

She is most proud of her mixed media sculpture Dragon Elf, made from ceramic clay, wood, and fake flowers. It was a labor of love, and though it’s not perfect, she was able to take a lump of clay and made a thought of hers into a physical, 3D form.

When she moved to Aberdeen to pursue her career change, Amber knew it was important for her to invest in herself, and getting educated was the best way to do so.

“My high school was a rough one, but it was one of the only stable things in my world when I was an adolescent,” Amber said. “There was a lack of funding and budget cuts, but I loved to learn how the world was outside of my community. Teachers showed me that life could be different, and all I had to do was believe I could be more than just a statistic.”

Now that she is a teacher herself, Amber shares the gift that was given to her by her family and those special influential teachers she had. Now it’s her turn to inspire the future generations to see the beauty in the world when it’s hard to see. Teaching art also helps build confidence in her students.

“Not everyone is a genius with math, science, or English,” Amber said. “I love working at Central and watching the students grow and mature. Seeing the spark of creativity within themselves that allows them to create something out of nothing is extremely rewarding.”

Learning different forms of art and symbolism gave Amber a healthy outlet and coping mechanism when life got hard. Art was a form

of escapism, something to feel good about when she struggled with traditional academics.

“When I’m mad? Go beat up clay. Sad? Paint or draw something that makes me happy. I took these feelings and turned them into something constructive that other people related to. The dedicated teachers who helped prevent me from becoming a statistic of inner city schools were there for me when other adults were not when I needed advice.”

Right now, her favorite part of teaching is seeing a student who thinks they aren’t creative or bad at art creating something amazing that they are proud of. Sometimes, students discover they love a medium and then start to do it in their free time.

WHAT INSPIRES ME MOST IS NATURE, HISTORY, AND MYTHOLOGY FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.”

– AMBER DALLMANN

Local Art

Galleries

WEIN GALLERY

Presentation College

 1500 North Main Street

 605.229.8349

 Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM

PRESIDENT’S GALLERY, JFAC GALLERY AND STUDENT CENTER GALLERY

Northern State University

 1200 South Jay Street

 605.626.7766

 President’s Gallery: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM,

JFAC Gallery: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM, Student Center: Mon–Fri 7 AM–4:30 PM and weekends 1–9 PM

LAMONT GALLERY

Dacotah Prairie Museum

 21 South Main Street

 605.626.7117

 Tues–Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat and Sun 1–4 PM

ARTWORKS CO-OP GALLERY

Uptown Aberdeen

 3315 6th Ave SE Suite #48

 605.725.0913

 Thurs–Sat 11–6 PM & Sun 12–6 PM or by appointment

JANE WEST GALLERY

Capitol Theatre

 415 South Main Street

 605.225.2228

 Open during events, call ahead for additional hours of operation

ARCC GALLERY

Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center

 225 3rd Ave SE

 605.626.7081

 Mon–Thurs 9 AM–8 PM, Fri 9 AM–5 PM and Sat 10 AM–12 PM

RED ROOSTER

COFFEE HOUSE GALLERY

 218 South Main Street

 605.225.6603

 Mon–Thurs 7 AM–7 PM, Fri 7 AM–9 PM and Sat 8 AM–9 PM Sun 9 AM–2 PM

“Those ‘aha!’ moments when they’ve solved an artistic problem are amazing. I love when kids come back a year later and say ‘Hey Dallmann! Can I show you what I made over the summer?’

It’s the best.”

Amber usually has a work in progress piece in her classroom for demonstrations. She uses these projects to show students what she uses and how to make those works of art. Outside of the classroom, Amber shows her art in the Aberdeen area a few times a year.

“I kept my maiden name, Amber Couch, as part of my artist name to help with repeat customers collecting my work,” she said.

After taking some time off to spend time with her children, she sold at Arts in the Park and will be a vendor at the Celtic Fair this September. She also occasionally participates in shows at the ARCC – so keep a look out. //

LETTHEGOODTIMESROLL

A look into Aberdeen’s music scene.

by SUSAN SCRUPSKI

Walking into the newly relocated Haggerty’s Music store on its opening weekend, a quote from Dave Clark came to mind: “Music is the soundtrack of your life.” For starters, the store is gorgeous, tasteful, and a tribute to the thriving community that keeps the music scene alive in the Aberdeen area. Rows of guitars stacked invitingly on an interior exposed brick wall inspired me to ponder how significant a local music scene is for a community. Behind each one

of those instruments beautifully displayed in the cavernous new space might be a musician making lifetime memories for someone in this town. Wandering through the store, it also occurred to me that if the owner was willing to make the investment to relocate to a retail space three times the size of the previous location, there must be a story here about the local music scene. I set out to find it.

Aberdeen has always had a vibrant, local music scene. According to several people I spoke to, there is a good reason for that. Aberdeen is unique – not only among cities in South Dakota –but unique among the continental United States

in one way: it’s isolated and self-contained. Mike Levsen, who served as Aberdeen’s mayor for 15 years, explains it this way: “We are 200 miles from Sioux Falls, almost the same distance from Bismarck or Fargo. If we go west, there's nothing. If we go east, past Watertown, which is smaller than us, the next biggest city is Minneapolis. So if you look at the map of the country, there is no other city between 20,000 and 40,000 people that is as isolated from a bigger city than we are.”

Paris Briscoe, local business owner and record collector, recalls Levsen making this observation one evening speaking at the historic

Capitol Theatre. “Because of that [isolation] we have to make our own form of entertainment here. I think that inspires a lot of musicians to hone their craft here in Aberdeen,” he said.

In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, Aberdeen brought big-name acts to town. The Aberdeen Civic Arena and the Brown County Fair hosted dozens of shows including Eric Burdon and The Animals, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, The Grass Roots, The Monkees, John Denver, and Willie Nelson. In fact, according to Dave Swain, after Willie Nelson’s 1968 performance, he went down to the local Club 23 on Main Street and sat in the audience where Bob Styles’ country band was playing. Willie asked him that night to join his band. Styles, a cattle farmer, politely declined, but continues to play today. You can catch him at the Aberdeen Elks Club once a month.

Swain, now bartending at Minervas, was the manager and all-around talent scout for the Brass Rail bar at the Ward Hotel for most of the 90s. Over the course of that time, he brought dozens of acts to town, in addition to hosting local talent. Swain is credited with recruiting Dave “Snaker” Ray, a blues guitarist out of Minneapolis, to play in Aberdeen. Swain says he was riding his bike near the Northern State campus and heard Ray playing. NSU used to host outdoor music in the summertime with a program called “The Green Scene.” After Ray was done, Swain asked if he’d be interested in playing the Ward Hotel. “I had no idea who he was,” says Swain.

But Ray had been friends with Bob Dylan and went to New York with him in the 60s. He produced Bonnie Raitt’s first album. Swain recalls, “I told him I ran the Brass Rail bar at the Ward and I said ‘would you want to come play?,’ and it was like $150 and room and board which was a pretty good deal. So he came back two or three times and brought a fellow musician with him. Might have been Spider Koerner. Then, they both would join the Pops Blue Rhythm Band and play with them. Ray was Pete Burckhard's idol when he was growing up. It was kind of the first white blues band, Snaker Ray was.”

Burckhard’s Pops Blue Rhythm Band has been an Aberdeen favorite for decades. The Burckhard family has made its mark on the Aberdeen music scene for three generations. Brothers Joel and Justin Burckhard used to play with Dad (Pete) in Pops Blue Rhythm. They both went on to play in several bands. Joel’s latest is a

country band, The Barstool Prophets. The band is enormously popular locally and has a strong following. The band recently released their new album, Songs for Leaving. It’s available on all popular streaming platforms. Joel’s daughter, Alexis, is well-known as a local musician too.

Jeremy, the youngest of the Burckhard boys, told me his mother used to sneak him into the back door at Robbie’s (a popular, downtown local bar and grill, now closed) when he was 6 years old so he could hear his Dad play the blues on a Saturday night.

“Growing up around music, watching my brothers play and seeing them… I think I was seven or eight years old when I went into my first punk show at the Knights of Columbus. I was like, ‘Oh, this is what I want to be doing.’ It wasn't just people in the bar sitting around drinking and trying to talk over the music, it was people really engaged in the music in a very primal, natural

 Left to right: Dave Swain, Jim Gisi, Pete Burckhard, Dave “Snaker" Ray, Bill Gisi and Pat McGarry. Dave Swain is credited with bringing many musical acts to the Aberdeen area.

 Pops Blue Rhythm Band at Robbies Bar in 2004. Left to right: Jason Kumpf, Mike Gese, Pete Burckhard, Bryan Kriech, Joel Burckhard.

way that was really cool.”

Jeremy is currently in a band, House of Tomorrow, with his best friend, Trevor LeBeau. They’ve been together as bandmates since 2001. Jeremy had the best take on what makes the Aberdeen music scene unique. It jibed with what Levsen told me: “I think the one thing that ties all Aberdeen music together is, well, there's no competition. Like, one band trying to get a leg up over the other one because, I mean, you step on the toes of the dude in this band, everyone's just gonna know about it. And you're gonna be the jerk. Also…to survive a South Dakota winter, we all need to be really nice to each other. Even if we don't like each other. We have to work together, or we're all dying. So it's kind of survival. Yeah. And not survival of the fittest but survival of the community.”

When Slacker’s bar shut down this past spring, it was a blow to the local music scene. Slackers on Main Street was one of the few venues where local musicians could play to a regular, loyal crowd. Other organizers and venues in town include the Red Rooster Coffee House, the Hub City Station Event Center, the City Lights Bar & Event Center, Malchow Plaza, Schwan’s Recreation Bar & Grill, Aberdeen Community Concerts Association, Aberdeen University/ Civic Symphony, and the 420 Lounge. There is talk of a new venue opening up to replace Slacker’s, but that’s still in the rumored stage as

of this writing.

I had to ask Marcus LaVake who owns Haggerty’s Music if my hunch was right about his expansion. He confided to me, “The inventory that you see, what I have there, the town probably doesn't justify in terms of overall sales. I'm from Redfield, but basically I was in Aberdeen about four times a week. And as a musician growing up in Aberdeen, you'd always have to travel to places like Fargo to Marguerite’s Music (now closed) or to Sioux Falls to see a really large selection of guitars that maybe you've only read about in magazines. That's why it looks how it looks and that’s why we expanded how we did. I just thought somebody needs to support local music and bring something that's really special to Aberdeen.”

If music is the heartbeat of a city, Aberdeen’s supportive creative community is its lifesblood. Levsen, again, says this is out of necessity and culture. “They [musicians] have to be selfsufficient to some degree, but also to another degree, they have to be cooperative and collaborative with people who are right here. Because a good guitar player living in Brookings can drive down to Sioux Falls every Saturday night and find somebody to jam with. Not here. You’ve got to do it here.”

Here is very good, indeed, for the 28K or so Aberdonians who make their lifetime memories within the 16.5 square miles called home. //

Joan Jett loves rock and roll... and PBJ?

➼ If YOU love rock and roll, this heartwarming story may make you love Joan Jett too. The iconic 80s rocker with the badass image, turns out to be a down-to-earth, generous person. I was telling my chiropractor, Dr. Randy Mages, about the local music story I was writing for the magazine. He said, “I have a story for you.”

Mages told me he and a friend had tickets to the 2004 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts show at the Brown County Fair. His friend, Bob Cihak, an ear, nose and throat doctor in town asked him if he could bring his friend, Jeff Hartman. He told Mages that Hartman knew Jett because when he was stationed in Bosnia, he knew she was performing in a USO tour for the American troops that week. Hartman, an Army ER trauma doc, wrote to her and asked if she would be his date to an awards ceremony where he was going to be pinned with an advancement medal from lieutenant to major.

Jett said yes. She accompanied Jeff to the ceremony as his date.

So in 2004, the three of them headed to the fair hoping to see her in person before the show. They were met at the gate by Jett’s manager, Kenny Laguna, and escorted them to her private quarters– a trailer at the back of the stage. Jett was gracious and welcomed them as friends. They spent about 45 minutes with her and her entourage. Then, Jett gave them backstage passes.

Mages’ big regret of his rock ‘n’ roll life was that Jett at one point in the evening offered to make him a PBJ. He declined, but always wanted to tell the story about how Joan Jett made him a PBJ! //

 The Barstool Prophets. Left to right: Logan Schumacher, Jeremy Bruckhard, Ryan Malsom, Kevin Pleinis and Joel Burckhard.

BookClub

Not sure what book to pick up next? K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library’s Assistant Director Cara Perrion has got you covered. Whether you’re an avid reader or picking up a book for the first time in years, these picks will help readers of all ages find the next adventure to get lost in.

Mike Lowery BugScoutsOutintheWild

"I promise to fly, I promise to crawl Or make a cool web, or roll into a ball. I pledge to be brave and adventurous too. And do all of the things that bugs like to do!"

Meet members Doug, Abby, Josh and Luna of the Bug Scouts as they explore new ways of earning many new badges. They have to watch out so they don’t get eaten by frogs and other animals while earning their badges. This new graphic novel is perfect for beginning and newly independent readers.

Richard Paul Evans The Prisoner of Cell 25

ALL the kids loved this book and quite a few said they not only read the first one for book club, but nearly finished the rest of the series! They said they “got them at the (public) library.” Yay!

This is the first book in the Michael Vey series. There are seven books out currently and the eighth one comes out September 27, 2022. It has so many pre-orders that it is considered a number one bestseller on Amazon.

Ruth Ware The It Girl

Looking for a thriller? Ruth Ware IS the “It” girl of modern psychological thrillers. In her latest novel, The It Girl, Ware artistically crafts a story with subtle hints that builds suspense with every page. As with most thrillers, this story is fast paced and has a list of intriguing characters who find themselves in situations where they are forced to befriend the “It” girl to survive their stay at Oxford University. How far will this clique of students go to keep their university secrets buried? If you haven’t read Ruth Ware yet, this book will put her on your favorites list.

 Check out these books and more at K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library!

Emily St. John Mandel SeaofTranquility

One of the best books I have read this year. I usually don’t reach for a book that is even a little bit science fiction. However, Mandel creates engaging robust characters in such a compelling story that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This book has it all, history, art, plagues, and romance all wrapped up in a mystery. Plot twists and turns take you from the year 1912 to 300 years in the future, from Vancouver Island to a colony on the moon. Open your mind and enjoy the journey of this amazing novel. Here is my favorite quote from the book:

“My point is, there’s always something. I think, as a species, we have a desire to believe that we’re living at the climax of the story. It’s a kind of narcissism. We want to believe that we’re uniquely important, that we’re living at the end of history, that now, after all these millennia of false alarms, now is finally the worst that it’s ever been, that finally we have reached the end of the world.” //

ADULT FICTION

ADULT FICTION

Quick Dinner:

Baked Spinach Mushroom Quesadillas

A healthy take on quesadillas that takes no time at all.

by ANNIE SCOTT

Here’s a versatile recipe for you this month! Quesadillas are extremely customizable, but here’s a recipe that adds some healthy greens to the equation. They don’t take much time to make, and better yet, they taste like something right out of a restaurant. I live with someone who isn’t the biggest mushroom fan, but even she could attest to how delicious these are. //

INGREDIENTS

• Flour or corn tortillas

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup cheddar cheese

• 3 cups baby spinach

• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the mushrooms in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 3 minutes to soften. Roughly chop the baby spinach.

2. Lightly brush one side of each tortilla with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet, oil side down.

3. Sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortilla. Layer on the spinach, then mushrooms, and add one more layer of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half.

4. Bake the tortillas for about 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden brown.

Photos by Anna Jahraus

helsey Albrecht will never forget where she came from because her volleyball roots are firmly planted in the Hub City.

The Presentation College volleyball coach has been around the sport at every level while growing up.

"I’ve obviously been blessed to do what I love and then to do it in my hometown. It goes back a long way," Albrecht said. "My mom, Connie Deibert, was a teacher and educator and she coached middle school volleyball and I remember going with her. It’s just kind of been in my blood for a long time."

Albrecht played at Aberdeen Central before competing for Northern State. She later got her start in coaching as an assistant at NSU before taking over the PC program 15 years ago.

She credits then Northern coach Lisa Schriver for motivating her to try her hand at coaching. "I honestly never thought about it as a career opportunity," Albrecht said. "I loved working the camps and I loved coaching in the club that we had, so when she kind of sparked that interest

Lessons On and Off the Court

by DAVE VILHAUER

in me to go get my masters was when it really became putting my passion into coaching."

Soon, Albrecht found herself as the head coach at Presentation, where she was not much older than her players. And there weren't many of those.

Albrecht said the Saints only had six or seven players in her first season.

"It was just a learning experience for sure," Albrecht said. "I think back to those days and like, ‘Wow how did we structure practices?’ But it’s always a good reminder to me knowing where this program has gone and grown."

There have been many changes in the sport since Albrecht first got involved in volleyball. Her senior year in high school was the last season before the sport switched to rally scoring. There were no camps to attend, no Junior Olympic volleyball.

Recruiting was vastly different than it is today. “We used to send out VHSs, but it was shot from the rafters of the Civic Arena and you couldn’t really even see what was going on,” Albrecht recalled. “When I first started, they would send

CDs, but now it’s all online, so that part has even evolved quite a bit.”

Being a local resident her entire life, Albrecht definitely knows the volleyball landscape. She understands and appreciates the powerhouse programs that lie within miles of Aberdeen like Faulkton, Northwestern, Warner, and others in addition to the three Hub City high schools. It’s a reason why familiar names often dot the PC roster.

“We always like to look within our radius here,” Albrecht said of recruiting strategy. “Obviously, it has to be a good fit for the student-athlete, and they have to want what we have for academic majors and they have to want to play in college, because it is a commitment and there is the dedication piece to it.”

There is no denying Albrecht’s emphasis and appreciation on the classroom part of the equation.

Ask about what moves her needle and Albrecht is quick to bring the conversation back to academics.

“Nothing brings me more joy than graduation day,” she said. “I think that is probably the

Photos by John Davis

PC’s Chelsey Albrecht is the backbone of its volleyball program.

ultimate success. I think that our players will tell you that. You just get giddy with excitement.” And when it comes to success, Albrecht tends to measure it a bit differently than what some coaches may do.

“Obviously, you can always measure in the wins and losses,” Albrecht said, “but I think there’s so much more to success than just the end result.” That is evident in the relationships and bonds that Albrecht has built with her players through the years. She is reminded of that daily when she glances at a board in her office that she explains as the reason she continues to do what she does.

“I have baby announcements, graduation announcements, wedding announcements. That’s kind of like my ‘why.’ That’s my why I want to continue coaching, why I want to continue to build those relationships,” Albrecht said. “It’s always a great reminder and I love being able to put notes on that board. It’s full.”

Make no mistake, Albrecht would love to win every match that she coaches in. It’s part of what motivates her to bring her best to the gym every time the volleyball cart is rolled out.

“I’d still love to be able to get this program some national recognition. I think that that is an important piece,” Albrecht said. “We play in a really competitive conference, so every year you have to able to grow and improve.”

Still, Albrecht is not about to compromise the importance of education when it comes to recruiting players just to be able to grab a few extra victories.

“Our biggest selling point is the academic piece. It has to be a match,” she said, “but it’s an opportunity to be a part of a family, the opportunity to continue playing volleyball at a high level. And I think we do a great job here at PC of being able to match the academic piece and the volleyball piece.”

While there has been plenty of movement in the coaching ranks of other sports on the PC campus in the past decade, Albrecht has been a pillar of

stability and consistency at the school. It’s probably because her roots run deep in the community.

It’s another reason why Albrecht will likely have to get a bigger ‘why’ board in her office as she continues to build bonds with her players and impact those who are fortunate enough to be a part of her teams.

“My drive and my passion is obviously just those relationships that you build,” Albrecht said of the interaction with her players, “and that is every day I get the opportunity to work with them and every day I get the opportunity to make an impact in their life, and that will always be my drive.” //

I THINK THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO SUCCESS THAN JUST THE END RESULT.”

– CHELSEY ALBRECHT

 The relationships that form between coach and athlete last long after the season has ended.

 Chelsey has been coaching at Presentation College for 15 years.

LOTS

of

PERSONALITY

Step inside Suzi and Eldon Gilchrist’s artsy home that dazzles with bold, vibrant colors.

uzi Gilchrist says she cannot put a name to her interior design style preference. She just loves it, regardless of a label. I’ve known Suzi and her husband Eldon for many years, and when it was suggested we take a look at her house to include in our Open House section (we’re always looking for folks to open their doors to us), I was anxious to see what it was like. I somehow knew it wouldn’t be typical.

“I can’t make a decision to save my life,” Suzi said about the design process. She says she only knows what she doesn’t like. In some cases that could make an interior designer’s job very hard, but it could also mean a blank canvas to test some bold new waters. If you’re like Suzi, and have no real expectations, find a designer whose pictures you like and just trust them (it takes a lot of trust to consider painting kitchen cabinets a distressed green color).

Suzi and Eldon’s house was built in the 70s on the fringe of the Prairiewood estate northeast of Aberdeen. They bought it about nine years ago and basically had

it gutted to make it their own. However, they kept the snazzy sunken bar just off the living room area, but with the addition of granite countertops. Because I knew it was a single-story ranch nestled amongst some mature trees, I assumed the inside would be dark. I was amazed at how much light poured in the walls of windows, intensifying the reds, the greens, and fresh autumn colors. She had her holiday tree decorated for fall and the dining room table looked as though the Thanksgiving crowd would be showing up at any moment. The wallpaper, the colors, the textures, the fabrics, the furnishings, all make for a unique, one-of-a-kind home. Art from prominent fine artists grace every room in the house. They like to collect pieces when they travel and have amassed a sizable collection of limitededition prints, sculptures, and glass art. Overall, the whole house is elegantly staged. But Suzi did say that when the grandkids are over, it quickly doesn’t look anything like this. So, it’s not just a house for show, it’s a house for family living. //

 Eldon and Suzi Gilchrist

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Heartburn is a character I came up with in the 7th grade. He only appeared in the margins of my homework and was always complaining. I've often wondered what it would look like if Heartburn had a comic strip in a Sunday paper. This is my attempt at that. // –Eliot Lucas