Two OHS students qualify for Rotary Outbound Adventure on Owatonna

Two Owatonna High School juniors have been accepted by Rotary District 5950 to travel overseas in next year’s Rotary Exchange Program. Laura Sease, daughter of Heyward and Jan Sease and Brittany Johnson, daughter of Tom and Carrie Johnson have been notified by the Rotary District of their acceptance in the program and both girls have indicated they will go. Laura will be bound for France and Brittany will head to the Czech Republic.

The Sease story
The Sease story is a unique one. Laura’s twin sister, Jamie, traveled to South Africa in 2008-’09 on the same Rotary program. The Sease family also was host for three months to this year’s Rotary In-Bound student, Shiori Niibe of Japan. The family has hosted students from all parts of the world for nearly ten years. Jan said, “We believe in the global view. It has been such an education for us to host these young people. We just can’t say enough for the Rotary Out-Bound experience for any young person. Mike Jensen, who helps coordinate the youth exchange program for Owatonna Rotary said this is the first time that two students from the same family have been selected in this club’s sponsorship.
Both Jamie and Laura are seniors at Owatonna High School. Ironically, on the same day Laura was notified of her acceptance into the Rotary program, she was also notified of acceptance to Gustavus for her first year of college. “It was a pretty exciting day to say the least,” Jan said. Laura’s plan is to delay her freshman year at college for a year so that she can go overseas. This is not her first taste of the French way of life. She has gone to France with her French class at OHS.

The Johnson story
Likewise, Brittany Johnson, who is a sophomore at OHS is excited about her upcoming experience. Of great help to her in preparing for her year will be the many folks in Steele County whose relatives settled in Steele County from the Czech Republic. She no doubt will be able to obtain a head start on the Czech language with the help of those in Steele County who speak in the Czech tongue.

Rotary plans for candidate forum
The noon Rotary Club along with the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce and the Owatonna People’s Press will be hosting a “Meet the Candidates” forum on Jan. 18 for the endorsed candidates for the Senate seat of Dick Day. The public is invited. Lunch ($11) is available beginning at 11:30 a.m. OPP editor Jeffrey Jackson will moderate the program.

Special guests at Beaver Lake
Norrine Jensen, who lives on the east shore of Beaver Lake, spotted something that she’s never seen on the lake before. Just before the ice formed on the lake on Dec. 9, a group of Trumpeter Swans landed on the open water on the west end of the lake. It’s the first time Norrine has ever seen them.

Sons of Norway gather for 14th year
This was the 14th year that Norrine Jensen and Norma Buxton have teamed up to present the Sons of Norway Christmas musical. Joining them was Ernie Teie of Nisswa. This year, Larry Pierce appeared as the “Lefse Lady.” Ernie is a long-time friend of Norma and has been part of the annual program for about the last 10 years.

St. Clair’s history
I was chatting with Greg Krueger, owner of St. Clair’s men’s store in Owatonna about the name of the store. There certainly is a bit of history there. Actually, the original name of the store was Leuthhold’s which opened in Owatonna in 1890. Then W.F. St. Clair became a part owner after meeting Jack Leuthold at the Owatonna Hotel. Their conversation resulted in St. Clair becoming a partner in the Owatonna store. The St. Clair family became active in community activities. Both William F. St. Clair and his son William W. St. Clair served on the fair board and were horse superintendents. William F. served from 1919 to 1936 and William M. served from 1937 to 1951. Bob Ringhofer took over the horse department in 1952 and served in that capacity until 1963. Krueger bought the store in 1982 from the St. Clair family. “I called the family and asked their permission to keep the name of St. Clair’s. They were extremely flattered that I would do so,” Krueger told me. In the later years, Earl Marion became a part owner of the store. And of course we can’t forget Lee Heiden, who was manager of the store when I came to town and long time employee Bob Evans. Both fitted me with many suits. I also patronized Gildners-Odle which was located just a few doors north of St. Clair’s. Francis Odle and Ed Astley, both owners of the store fitted me with many suits there. Those were the days when a suit and tie were the daily dress for us as owners of KRFO Radio.

Farewell party for Doug Ruth
A public reception for retiring county attorney Doug Ruth will be held this coming Wednesday, Dec. 30, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Steele County Community Center on the fairgrounds. Doug is winding up 39 years as our county attorney at the end of this month.

Sampsons light the tree again
Joe and Eileen Sampson made last minute arrangements to have the hundreds of lights strung on their outdoor Christmas tree, located at 531 S. Lincoln. They invite everyone to come and enjoy the display.

Birds in a holiday tree
I received a note from Lorraine V. Hanson of Owatonna telling me that she has counted birds in the Christmas Bird Count for 34 years. She trims her seven foot tall tree with birds of all sizes and colors with 100 small lights in all colors. Some years she includes hand made items made by her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Bird count notes
Darryl Hill gave me a quick summary of this past weekend’s Christmas Bird Count in Steele County. The weather was good for counters at feeders and in the field. Spotters saw a new bird this year… a Eurasian Collared Dove out by Claremont seen by Janelle Vorland and Emily Hutchins. This bird is not native to our area. Darryl also said that more Robins were seen this year… those that have decided to endure the winter weather.
“Our group alone spotted 16 Robins. We spotted more Robins than any other count I can remember.”
One Eagle was spotted and there were more wild turkeys seen than in past years. There were nearly 200 Mallard Ducks counted by the Morehouse Dam along with a Black Duck and a Wood Duck. Only six geese were seen.

New Year’s Day dive
The Owatonna Diving Club will stage their annual New Year’s Day dive under the ice at Lake Kohlmeier this Friday, Jan. 1, beginning at 1 p.m. The public is invited to stop by. Several new diving students will make their first dive under the ice.

Thanks to police
As we reach the end of this year, we should all be thankful for the dedication to the people of Owatonna and Steele County by members of our Owatonna Police Force and the Steele County Sheriff’s Department. The holidays often bring additional challenges to officers and many spent Christmas Day or will spend the upcoming New Year’s Day holiday on the job. Thanks to all of you.

Online reporting coming at OPD
Owatonna Police Chief Shaun LaDue told the noon Rotary Club a week ago that it is hoped to soon make available on-line reporting of thefts and other minor violations. “This will add to the efficiency of our department. It will eliminate an officer having to go to a site and make out a paper report for an incident. It will certainly add a new dimension of efficiency and the ability to serve the people of Owatonna by our department.” You’ll hear more about this in mid-January.

Express hockey on New Year’s Eve
You’re invited to start your celebration of the New Year by heading to the Four Seasons Arena for an Express game against the Albert Lea Thunder followed by an Express New Year’s Eve party at the K.C. Hall. The game starts at 6 p.m. followed by the party at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for the entire night which includes the game, all you can drink and eat along with dancing, and a complimentary ride home by an Express player (with your vehicle). Call the Express office at 214-1893 for tickets.

KCs honor Balausky
The Owatonna Council 945’s “Knight of the Month” for November was Randy Balausky. Randy enjoys working on benefit breakfasts and at the brat stand at the fair. He presently serves as Chancellor of the Owatonna Council and is scoutmaster for the K.C. sponsored Troop 253. The Balausky family are members of Sacred Heart Parish.

Moen’s celebrate 60th
Congratulations to Dick and Pat Moen of Owatonna on observing their 60th wedding anniversary this past week. The couple was married in Des Moines where Dick was working at Federated. He later transferred to the home office in Owatonna. Cards can be sent to them at 522 Murray St. in Owatonna, 55060.

Thirty-one years in lab
Twylah Ottman attended to me in the Owatonna Clinic lab this past week. Twylah has spent 31 years in the lab. Just imagine how many patients she has seen in all that time. She hasn’t lost any of her efficiency in those years. She’s still one of my favorites and our visits always result in reminiscing about those Junior Miss days that she coordinated.

Toys for Tots update
Don Overlie tells me that Toys for Tots and Family to Family distributed toys to 614 families from Steele County this holiday season. This was an additional 41 families more than 2008 which represented more than a 7 percent increase. Thanks go out to volunteers who helped distribute and collect toy boxes and angels, picked up toys throughout Steele County, unloaded and sorted toys into age level areas at the National Guard Armory and helped parents shop for their children.
Library book sale
Don’t forget the annual Public Library after Christmas book sale going on through this Tuesday. Hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. Prices begin at ten cents.

Kottke watch recipient
Congratulations to Zach Von Ruden, this year’s recipient of the coveted Kottke watch for his involvement in the 4-H dairy project. Kottke Jewelers has sponsored this award since 1923.

Remembering Tom Rions
I received a note from Joe and Judie Valdivia after I printed the photo of Tom Rions as Santa in last week’s column. “It seems almost like yesterday that we had Santa Tom visit with our boys, Christopher and Jamie were still mystified by the thought of Santa really coming to our house. Our boys were only about 4 and 8 about that time, so the magic of Christmas was still in their hearts. Santa paid us a surprise visit that night, and believe me, none of us will ever forget the warm feeling of happiness and joy he left with us. I know there are still many folks here in the Owatonna area who have fond memories of Santa and Tom. We do believe in Santa.”

Missing Jerry’s on New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve just won’t be the same this year without being able to venture down to Jerry’s Supper Club for that special New Year’s Eve dinner. It was a gathering place for many of our friends and we were always offered a very special meal including lobster, crab legs, steaks and the like. Waitresses we saw all during the year were mostly all gathered together this one night to serve the expected crowd of diners. Gosh, I’m going to miss that and the building is already starting to look a bit run down with glass broken on some of the lanterns and the familiar white paint on the front of the building beginning to peel. Here’s hoping that 2010 will produce someone willing to open the place again and bring back the spirited friends that always met there.
Mary and I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Todd Hale can be reached at thalescff@ll.net or write him at 632 14th St. S.E., Owatonna, MN 55060.

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