It’s “Take Me Out To the Ballgame” here in Rutland on Saturday and Sunday, June 12 & 13, as 6 men’s slowpitch softball teams from Rutland, Forman, Havana, Enderlin, Wahpeton and Fargo meet in a 2 day Round Robin tournament at Lou Sanderson Field.  The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 9:00 o’clock on Saturday morning, according to tourney organizer Jen Christianson, a member of the Rutland Park Board.  Each team is guaranteed at least 3 games, says Jen.  Fans will find food and beverages available at the Lou Sanderson Field concession stand.  The tournament is sponsored by the Rutland Park Board.

Kenny Maly of Chinook MT, Pat Maly of Denver Co and Francis Maly Jr. of Havana were Thursday dinner guests of their Dad, Francis Maly, at the Rutland Seniors Center.  Pat reports that unemployment is still high in the Denver area, despite the upturn in the national economy.  Kenny states that employment is steady and the economy apparently doing well in the Chinook region, along the Montana High Line.  Francis Jr. is employed by RDO in Lisbon, and states that the strong farm economy is keeping them busy there, too.  Pat and Kenny had been home, visiting family and friends, over the Memorial Day holiday.  Their mother, Rozilla, has recently become a resident of the Wheatcrest Manor Nursing Home in Britton.

Another .35 inch of rain dropped on Rutland during the night of Thursday, June 3 and, despite the generally wet conditions, many local grain producers said that the light rain was welcome.  Doug Glarum reported Half an inch out at the Glarum farm about 7 miles southeast of town.  Another .4 of an inch on Saturday night, and .25 of an inch on Monday evening brought the 5 day total up to 1 inch, and that’s enough to keep the grass green and growing, and the mosquito population vibrant and enthusiastic.

A regional livestock reporter, The Cattle Business Weekly of Watertown SD carried a story in its May 26, 2010, edition informing all that Steve Wyum of Ransom Angus of Rutland, had three of the top bulls sold at the purebred livestock sale in Phillip SD on May 4, 2010.  Unfortunately, though, the picture accompanying the story showed a big, white Charolais, not a Black Angus, bull coming down the chute at the sale ring.  The Ransom Angus bulls that topped the sale were, indeed, black, all black, says Steve.  The editor who matched the photo with the story must not have known much about cattle, or colors, he states, and that’s no bull!

Roger Brekke stopped in at the Rutland General Store for coffee and conversation on the afternoon of Friday, June 4.  Roger is one of the few people who can tie his own shoelaces together without using his hands.  He had been sitting at the Round Table with his legs stretched out and his ankles crossed as he expounded and absorbed words of wisdom at the font of knowledge and enlightenment.  When he stood up to leave, however, it was discovered that the hooks on one of his 8 inch work boots had become entwined in the laces of the other, causing him to nearly lose his balance and tip over, an ignominious and undignified departure for one of the tenured faculty in the gathering of Assembled Wise Men.  Disaster was fortunately averted, though, as Roger got his boots separated from each other and was able to stride out to his pickup to complete his cattle chores for the day.  Roger also reports that recovery from his recent knee surgery is progressing very well.

A report has been received here that Tewaukon Township native Oliver Nelson died of cancer at his home in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, June 4.

The Rutland City Council held its June meeting at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 7, with Mayor Narum, Auditor Hoistad, and Aldermen Christianson and Siemieniewski present.  Aldermen Arneson and Mahrer were absent.  Also attending the meeting was Home Rule Charter Committee chairman Paul Anderson.  The financial report delivered by the Auditor showed all funds to be in the black, except the sewer operating fund which is still recuperating from the expense of a major repair completed at the municipal sewage lagoon earlier this Spring.  Paul Anderson presented the report of the Home Rule Charter Committee, the Committee’s minutes and a proposed Home Rule Charter for the City of Rutland to the Council.  The Council will consider the proposed Charter until the July meeting when it will decide if and when the document will be submitted to a vote of the people.  A Home Rule Charter provides local citizens with more control over their City’s finances and government.  A City governed under a Home Rule Charter may control its own mill levies, levy a sales tax, allocate funds as deemed to be most useful and effective for the citizens and exercise the powers of initiative and referendum, among others.  Many cities in this region are already operating with their own Home Rule Charters, including Oakes, Lisbon, Wahpeton, Milnor, Gwinner and Forman.  The Council rejected an offer of $2,000.00 for the sale of the WD-45 Allis Chalmers tractor that has been advertised for sale, and decided to keep advertising.  Mayor Narum reported that the new John Deere mower tractor authorized at the May meeting had been purchased and the old mower, also a John Deere, has been traded in.  The new mower was purchased from Green Iron Implement’s crack salesman, Bruce Peterson, at Milnor.  In other business, the Council approved 3 charitable gaming raffle permits, one each for the Wild Rice Antique Tractor And Plowing Association, the Rutland Cemetery Association and the Relay For Life organization.  Mayor Narum reminded Council members that bids for the proposed street repair and resealing project would be opened, but not accepted, on Friday, June 18, at the Town Hall.  There will be a public hearing concerning the proposed project at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 21, at the Town Hall, as well.  The next meeting of the Rutland City Council is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, at the Rutland City Hall.

Kent Saeger of Litchfield MN stopped in at the Rutland General Store & Café on the morning of Wednesday, June 9.  Mr. Saeger purchased 2 quarters of farmland in Vivian Township several years ago, built a small vacation-hunting lodge there and makes frequent trips out to Sargent County during the Spring Summer and Fall seasons.  He is a mason and bricklayer by trade, and states that the new home construction business has not yet picked up any steam in the Litchfield area.  At the height of the building boom a few years ago, his small construction company had 8 employees, but it is now down to three: himself; his 83 year old father; and, one helper.  He says that his Dad, who underwent open heart surgery when he was 80, can still outwork most men ¼ his age.

Jen Christianson of this community has announced that she will be teaching Aquatics, water aerobics, each Monday and Thursday evening throughout the Summer at the Forman Swimming Pool.  The first session will be at 8:30 p.m. on Monday, June 14.  The course is open to all ages, says Jen.  The pool charges a $3.00 fee that is used, in part, to finance the class.

Silver Lake Park Manager Dennis Goltz reports that the Park is seeing a lot of use this year.  More than 50 camper trailers utilized the water and electricity hook-ups at the Park over the Memorial Day holiday, he reports.  A new swimming beach on the southwest side of the lake has taken some of the pressure off the north side, and allowed more people to enjoy outdoor recreation at Silver Lake.

Dennis Bock of Stirum was in Rutland on the evening of Tuesday, June 8, and reports that he recently caught two 10 pound northern pike at Buffalo Lake.  For a fisherman, Dennis is quite truthful, say his friends. 

The Rutland General Store served a gourmet meal of dishes from Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the South Pacific to about 50 diners on the evening of Tuesday, June 8.  Among those taking in the 7 course meal was a group of Australian farmers who are the guests of Joe and Patty Breker this week.  Also here for the dinner were Steve & DeeAnne (Breker) Paulson of Austin TX, Doug and Cher Speicher of West Fargo, and Eugene Breker of Fargo.  On Wednesday, June 4, the Brekers and their Australian guests departed Rutland for a 3 day tour of North Dakota that includes stops at Devils Lake and Medora.  The group is traveling in the Rutland General Store’s tour bus, and they intend to enjoy the trip. 

Ever heard of the Breker Esker?  Didn’t think so.  An esker is a ridge of sand, gravel, clay and other water—borne materials deposited by water running through a glacial ice tunnel.  The Breker Esker is located about a mile south of Cayuga in a pasture owned by Kurt Breker, and it is currently being studied by a team of scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the University of North Dakota’s Aerospace Center and North Dakota State University.  The esker, laid down thousands of years ago, when a huge continental glacier covered this area with a mile thick sheet of ice, is identical to ridges found on the surface of the planet Mars, say the scientists.  By studying the Breker Esker, they hope to understand what types of life forms may have been in the esker when it was formed, and whether it is possible that any of them may have survived the harsh climate conditions which exist on Mars.  Kurt says that, to him, the esker is a big sand pile, but to the team of scientists currently digging into it, the esker is a treasure trove of scientific information about both planet Earth and planet Mars.  UFO sightings in this area earlier this Spring have some of the local folks wondering if the earthly scientists are the only ones interested in the information obtained.  So far at least, Kurt has not been contacted by any scientific teams from any other planets.

Meanwhile, the North Dakota Statewide Primary Election was held on Tuesday, June 8, with no excitement and no surprises.  The big race on the ticket, that for the U. S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Byron Dorgan, appears to be shaping up as a contest between an Empty Suit, Republican Governor John Hoeven, and an Unknown Quantity, Democratic-NPL State Senator Tracy Potter.  In 10 years as Governor, Mr. Hoeven has claimed credit for everything good, denied responsibility for anything bad, and successfully avoided taking a leadership position on any issue of importance to North Dakota.  After 1 term in the State Senate, Mr. Potter appears to be waging a campaign that is designed to make him invisible to the voters.  Well, maybe there’s some method in the madness of this political season that will become evident before the General Election in November.  Don’t hold your breath, though.  Perhaps the scientists studying the Breker Esker should shift their focus, and try to determine if there is any life surviving in North Dakota’s politics.

Well, that’s it for this week.  For more information about what’s going on in “The Pride Of The Prairie,” check out Rutland’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com.  Don’t forget to stop by the community’s blog and Facebook page, too.